cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of residency masks and object space partitioning to eliminate ray-object intersection calculations

Publisher Summary Ray tracing has been a computationally intensive process. A large portion of the computation is used to compute the intersection of the sampling rays with the objects that make up the scene. This chapter explains the method of object-space partitioning in which the extent of the objects within the scene is divided into a number of smaller spaces or cells. Each cell is then assigned a list of objects that are contained within it. Partitioning of the object space can be done in a number of ways: uniform subdivision, octrees, and BSP trees. The sampling rays are then traversed from cell to cell until a satisfactory conclusion is reached in determining the visible surface for the ray. As each cell is processed, the ray is intersected with the list of objects that reside within the cell. That can result in unnecessary duplicated intersection calculations for objects that span multiple cells, for example—a long thin cylinder. The chapter further describes the Boolean properties of residency masks, which in combination with spatial partitioning can be used either to eliminate duplicated intersection calculations or as a selection mechanism for determining which objects in a scene must be examined. A residency mask is simply a bit vector in which each bit is assigned to a cell within the partitioned object space. A residency mask is assigned to each object defining the cells in which the given object resides.
Combining instance generation and resolution

We present a new inference system for first-order logic, SIGRes, which couples together SInst-Gen and ordered resolution into a single inference system. Given a set F of first order clauses we create two sets, P and R, each a subset of F. Under SIG-Res, P is saturated by SInst-Gen and resolution is applied to pairs of clauses in P ∪ R where at least one of the clauses is in R. We discuss the motivation for this inference system and prove its completeness. We also discuss our implementation called Spectrum and give some initial results.
3. Cancer pain, pelvic pain, and age-related considerations

Abstract This self-directed learning module highlights assessment and therapeutic options in the management of cancer pain, pelvic pain, and the pain problems of the elderly and children. It is part of the chapter on pain rehabilitation in the Self-Directed Medical Knowledge Program for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This article delineates causes of cancer pain, discusses strategies for approaching each specialized population, and provides specific clinical examples to illustrate management issues, with emphasis on prevention. New advances include understanding the pain experience in children and elderly adults; investigation of psychosocial aspects of pelvic pain; and use of patient-controlled analgesia, opioids, and multimodality techniques for acute, perioperative, and chronic pain in these age groups.
The Bird of Passage and the Petit Panthéon: Frances Brooke, Philippe Aubert de Gaspé fils, and Where to Begin a National Literature

The fairly consistent disavowal of Frances Brooke and Phillipe Aubert de Gaspe fils as foundational figures in English-Canadian and Quebecois literature respectively suggests much about the challenges inherent in creating and defending the claims of national literary history in a bilingual settler society. While many of the reasons for rejecting these two novelists differ (for example, Brooke is too English, de Gaspe fils is too anglophilic), they have a striking feature in common: both authors seek to break through Canada’s “two solitudes.” That is, both authors create texts that engage with metropolitan traditions in both English and French, generating the possibility of a national literature at once bilingual and cosmopolitan in outlook. Such an inclusive vision of the nation and its literatures might serve as an inspiration in our own times.
faMailiar a Intimacy-Based Email Visualization

Email has developed into one of the most extensively used computer applications. Email interfaces, on the other hand, have gone through very few transformations since their inception, and as the growing volumes of email data accumulate in users' email boxes, these interfaces fail to provide effective message handling and browsing support. Saved email messages provide not only a vast record of one's electronic past, but also a potential source of valuable insights into the structure and dynamics of one's social network. In this paper, we present faMailiar, a novel email visualization that draws upon email's inherently personal character by using intimacy as a key visualization parameter. The program presents a visualization of email use over time. faMailiar facilitates navigation through large email collections, enabling the user to discover communication rhythms and patterns.
Quantitative and qualitative analysis of airborne Listeria monocytogenes on ready-to-eat meats

Bioaerosols are living organisms or substances from living organisms suspended in the air. They are responsible for allergies, sick building syndrome, and spread of bacterial and viral disease. Bioaerosols of food-production environments are of growing interest because of the potential for product contamination. Many studies have analyzed the air of meat and dairy production plants, while very few have focused on RTE foods. RTE foods are of concern because of the potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes is a food borne pathogen, which is ubiquitous in the environment. L. monocytogenes is capable of survival and growth in many conditions meant to control bacteria. The unique growth characteristics combined with the ability for food contamination by a bioaerosol are a cause for concern. In addition to its unique survival abilities, this pathogen affects individuals with compromised or weakened immune system, such as pregnant women, the elderly and young. In these groups the high mortality rate of 2040%. The purpose of this work is to elucidate the problem of L, monocytogenes bioaerosols in food production and assess the risk of airborne L. monocytogenes to RTE meats in an experimental setting. To simulate an airborne-like condition L. monocytogenes attached to dry sterile sand and was dusted onto meat products. The RTE meat products were exposed at three levels (1.0, 5.0 and 10.0g). Half the samples were evaluated at day zero and the other half at day 28. All products were direct plated on chromogenic L. monocytogenes media, and then enriched in University of Vermont (UVM) broth and 4-Morpholinepropanesulfonic acid buffered Listeria enrichment broth (MOPS-BLEB). Following the enrichment the samples were evaluated for the presence of L. monocytogenes by plating onto Modified Oxford
Ultrafast X-Ray Scattering in Solids

X-rays are a valuable probe for studying structural dynamics in solids because of their short wavelength, long penetration depth and relatively strong interaction with core electrons. Recent advances in accelerator- and laser-based pulsed X-ray sources have opened up the possibility of probing nonequilibrium dynamics in real time with atomic-scale spatial resolution. The timescale of interest is a single vibrational period, which can be as fast as a few femtoseconds. To date, almost all such experiments on this timescale have been carried out optically, which only indirectly measure atomic motion through changes in the dielectric function. X-rays have the advantage that they are a direct probe of the atomic positions.
Oncoprotein mdig contributes to silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis by altering balance between Th17 and Treg T cells

Mineral dust-induced gene (mdig, also named Mina53) was first identified from alveolar macrophages of the coal miners with chronic lung inflammation or fibrosis, but how this gene is involved in lung diseases is poorly understood. Here we show that heterozygotic knockout of mdig (mdig+/−) ameliorates silica-induced lung fibrosis by altering the balance between Th17 cells and Treg cells. Relative to the wild type (WT) mice, infiltration of the macrophages and Th17 cells was reduced in lungs from silica-exposed mdig+/− mice. In contrast, an increased infiltration of the T regulatory (Treg) cells to the lung intestitium was observed in the mdig+/− mice treated with silica. Both the number of Th17 cells in the lung lymph nodes and the level of IL-17 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids were decreased in the mdig+/− mice in response to silica. Thus, these results suggest that mdig may contribute to silica-induced lung fibrosis by altering the balance between Th17 and Treg cells. Genetic deficiency of mdig impairs Th17 cell infiltration and function, but favors infiltration of the Treg cells, the immune suppressive T cells that are able to limit the inflammatory responses by repressing the Th17 cells and macrophages.
High performance medical libraries: Advances in information management for the virtual era

Part 1 Integrated advanced medical information systems and libraries: from IAIMS to high-performance virtual libraries and medical information management, Naomi C. Broering IAIMS at Georgetown University- the emergence of a high-performance "virtual library", Naomi C. Broering. Part 2 NLM - the unified medical language and semantic network: the unified medical language system: moving beyond the vocabulary of bibliographic retrieval, Betsy L. Humphreys, and Peri L. Schuyfer representing biomedical knowledge in the UMLS semantic network, Alexa. T. McCray. Part 3 Network and resource sharing: health science libraries networking for the future - a case study on resource sharing, Trudy A. Gardner LIS net: a next-generation health sciences library system based on client-server architecture, Robert Larson. Part 4 Document delivery and full-text systems: essential functions in an electronic document delivery system, George R. Thoma and Frank L. Walker full-text digitized images - a collaborative project between scientific publishers, physicians, computer experts, and librarians, Jeffrey S. Hytton, et al. Part 5 The extended online catalogue: medical information management and libraries - the extended online catalogue, Helen E. Bagdoyan managing information in biomedical research - the human genome project, Susan Crawford, et al the OPAC and image workstations, Wilma A. Bass. Part 6 Integrated hospital, corporate, and society libraries: partnering in the 1990s - the Monteflore Medical Centre and the Albert Elnstein College of Medicine collaborate on library automation, Josefina P. Um and James Swanton integration and beyond at the Upjohn Pharmaceutical Library, June E. Hauck information technology at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Library, Iain A. Milne. Part 7 Computer training labs and medical education software: multimedia medical education projects at the National Library of Medicine, Michael J. Ackerman media: integration and evolution in a medical centre, Malcolm Brantz and Susan Crawford medical information management and libraries - development of educational software at Georgetown University, Anne Seymour and Naomi C. Broering computer training labs and medical education software - an academic medical library's role in medical education - a USC case study, Janis F. Brown.
Targeting hospitalised patients for early discharge planning intervention

Aims and objectives. The purpose of the study was to describe the ability of an evidence-based discharge planning (DP) decision support tool to identify and prioritise patients appropriate for early DP intervention. Specifically, we aimed to determine whether patients with a high Early Screen for Discharge Planning (ESDP) score report more problems and continuing care needs in the first few weeks after discharge than patients with low ESDP scores. Background. Improved methods are needed to efficiently and accurately identify hospitalised patients at risk of complex discharge plans. Design. A descriptive cross-sectional study was designed using a quality health outcomes framework. Methods. The ESDP was administered to 260 adults hospitalised in an academic health centre who returned home after discharge. Problems and continuing care needs were self-reported on the Problems After Discharge Questionnaire – English Version, mailed 6–10 days after discharge. Results. Patients with high ESDP scores reported significantly more problems [mean, 16·3 (standard deviation ±8·7)] than those with low scores [12·2 (±8·4)]. Within the Problems After Discharge Questionnaire subscales, patients with high ESDP scores reported significantly more problems with personal care, household activities, mobility and physical difficulties than patients with low screen scores. Significantly more of the patients with a high ESDP score received consults to a Discharge Planner and referrals for postacute services than patients with low screen scores. Conclusion. The ESDP is effective as a decision support tool in identifying patients to prioritise for early DP intervention. Relevance to clinical practice. Use of an evidence-based DP decision support tool minimises biases inherent in decision-making, promotes efficient use of hospital DP resources, and improves the opportunity for patients to access community resources they need to promote successful recovery after hospitalisation.
A non-vacuum process for preparing nanocrystalline CuIn1−xGaxSe2 materials involving an open-air solvothermal reaction

Abstract A non-vacuum, two-step process has been used to prepare a series of nanocrystalline CuIn 1− x Ga x Se 2 ( x =0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1) materials. An open-air solvothermal preparation in triethylenetetramine solvent was followed by annealing at 500 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere for 20 min. All materials have mixed clustered plate, spherical particle, and nanorod morphologies with the smallest particle diameters ranging between 20 and 40 nm. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirm that indium/gallium ratio control is possible over a wide range. The solvothermal reaction step yields a mixture of chalcopyrite and Cu 2− x Se. This is converted to pure chalcopyrite product by annealing at 500 °C.
Role of the plasma membrane in the mechanism of cholesterol efflux from cells.

In order to investigate the role of the plasma membrane in determining the kinetics of removal of cholesterol from cells, the efflux of [3H]cholesterol from intact cells and plasma membrane vesicles has been compared. The release of cholesterol from cultures of Fu5AH rat hepatoma and WIRL-3C rat liver cells to complexes of egg phosphatidylcholine (1 mg / ml) and human high-density apolipoprotein is first order with respect to concentration of cholesterol in the cells, with half-times (t12) for at least one-third of the cell cholesterol of 3.2 ± 0.6 and 14.3 ± 1.5 h, respectively. Plasma membrane vesicles (0.5–5.0 μm diameter) were produced from both cell lines by incubating the cells with 50 mM formaldehyde and 2 mM dithiothreitol for 90 min. The efflux of cholesterol from the isolated vesicles follows the same kinetics as the intact, parent cells: the t12 values for plasma membrane vesicles of Fu5AH and WIRL cells are 3.9 ± 0.5 and 11.2 ± 0.7 h, respectively. These t12 values reflect the rate-limiting step in the cholesterol efflux process, which is the desorption of cholesterol molecules from the plasma membrane into the extracellular aqueous phase. The fact that intact cells and isolated plasma membranes release cholesterol at the same rate indicates that variations in the plasma membrane structure account for differences in the kinetics of cholesterol release from different cell types. In order to investigate the role of plasma membrane lipids, the kinetics of cholesterol desorption from small unilamellar vesicles prepared from the total lipid isolated from plasma membrane vesicles of Fu5AH and WIRL cells were measured. Half-times of cholesterol release from plasma membrane lipid vesicles of Fu5AH and WIRL cells were the same, with values of 3.1 ± 0.1 and 2.9 ± 0.2 h, respectively. Since bilayers formed from isolated plasma membrane lipids do not reproduce the kinetics of cholesterol efflux observed with the intact plasma membranes, it is likely that the local domain structure, as influenced by membrane proteins, is responsible for the differences in t12 values for cholesterol efflux from these cell lines.
Food and Drug Administration regulation of tobacco: snatching defeat from the jaws of victory

There are two essential elements of a policy analysis: (1) it should provide an accounting of all harms and benefits of a proposed policy and then weigh these harms and benefits1–3; and (2) it should be evidence based—it should assess the likelihood of policy effects not from the perspective of what could happen based on hypothetical considerations or pure speculation, but on documented effects or theoretical or conceptual research.1–3 Any analysis that fails to identify both harms and benefits of a policy, fails to weigh these in drawing its overall conclusion, or is not evidence based, is likely to be flawed and highly subject to bias. Thus, my approach here is to provide an accounting of the harms and benefits of the US Senate Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Bill, using an evidence based approach to assess the likely policy effects. ### Strengthening of warning labels For only one provision of the Bill—the strengthening of cigarette warning labels (chapter 2, section 21(4)(a)(1))—is there solid evidence that a positive effect on public health is likely. Research from Canada suggests that strong, graphic cigarette warning labels may increase smokers’ motivation to quit.4,5 ### Overall regulatory framework The way in which the Bill frames the problem of tobacco use will lead to an erosion of public perception of the inherent harms posed by cigarettes. The Bill frames tobacco use as a problem only insofar as tobacco companies introduce new products, make misleading health claims, or fail to comply with FDA performance standards. …
Management of acute sunburn.

Current literature documents the use of many pharmacologic agents in the management of acute sunburn. While numerous studies have been undertaken, there is no consensus on an algorithm for such treatment. We review the literature for an evidence-based approach to the management of sunburn. A MEDLINE search was conducted whereby all published articles related to sunburn or ultraviolet (UV)-induced erythema from 1966–2001 were evaluated. Studies and reviews were excluded if they were not conducted in human beings. The results of these studies are varying and often conflicting in terms of clinical effectiveness or feasibility. A total of 40 studies were reviewed. Fourteen out of the 40 studies addressed the actual treatment of sunburn (i.e. the application of a substance after the development of signs or symptoms). The majority concluded that either corticosteroids, NSAIDs, antioxidants, antihistamines or emollients were ineffective at decreasing recovery time. The remaining studies showed mild improvement with such treatments, but study designs or methods were flawed. Furthermore, regardless of the treatment modality, the damage to epidermal cells is the same. Given the lack of convincing data and consensus of opinion regarding sunburn management, the most effective and practical approach to acute sunburn is symptomatic treatment of UV light-induced symptoms, including erythema, pain and pruritus.
Evaluating Solarization and Cultivated Fallow for Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) Control and Nitrogen Cycling on an Organic Farm

ABSTRACT A two-year field study evaluating efficacy of two weed control techniques on the noxious weed johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense L. Pers.) was conducted in Lexington KY. The weed control treatments were soil solarization, accomplished by covering the soil with clear plastic for 8 weeks, and cultivated bare fallow. Both treatments, along with a control treatment (mowing), were applied during the summers of 2003 and 2004 to a field heavily infested with johnsongrass (40–50% coverage). Effects of solarization on soil microbial activity and nitrogen (N) cycling were also evaluated. In both years, half of each treatment plot was lightly tilled 8 months after initial treatment application, and johnsongrass populations were characterized 2 months later. At the end of the experiment, the solarized-untilled treatment had lower johnsongrass populations than the cultivated-tilled and control treatments. Shallow tillage resulted in significantly more johnsongrass in the cultivated treatment in 2003, and in both...
Revision of the Fabriciinae genus Fabriciola Friedrich, 1939 (Polychaeta : Sabellidae)

The Sabellidae polychaete genus Fabriciola Friedrich is revised as a result of examination of as much of the type material as possible. The type species for the genus has been confused. The earliest designation appears to be Fabricia (Manayunkia) spongicola Southern, 1921, by Ushakov [Akad. Nauk. SSSR, Opredeliteli po Faune SSSR 56: 1–445 (1955)], whereas subsequent works have incorrectly referred to Manayunkia pacifica Annenkova, 1934, as the type species. The following species are redescribed: Fabriciola baltica Friedrich, 1939, F. berkeleyi Banse, 1956, F. ghardaqa Banse, 1959a. A new species, F. mediaseta, is described. A neotype is designated for F. baltica. Existence of the type material of F. spongicola (Southern), F. pacifica (Annenkova), and F. tonerella Banse, 1959b is unknown, but these species are discussed in relation to species examined.
Radioimmunoassay of vasopressin in familial central diabetes insipidus

We examined plasma arginine-vasopressin concentrations by radioimmunoassay in two brothers, aged 6 and 7.5 years, with familial central diabetes insipidus inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. Plasma AVP was measured in relation to increasing plasma osmolality induced by water deprivation and hypertonic saline infusion. The brother with the more severe urinary concentrating defect had no detectable AVP when his plasma osmolality was as high as 306 mOsm/kg; the other brother had detectable but clearly subnormal AVP concentrations. The one brother tested had an apparently normal end-organ response to exogenous vasopressin. Chlorpropamide had a significant antidiuretic effect in the brother with detectable AVP levels, and a lesser effect in the other. Our finding suggest that intrafamilial variation in the severity of congenital DI is related to the degree of vasopressin deficiency.
Morphometric Studies on Bumble Bees

Measurements were made on the radial cell of the forewing, glossa, prementum, and first segment of the labial palpus of 35 species of bumble bees. Correlation coefficients were positive and highly significant between all possible combinations of the measurements, except in a very few cases involving the glossa. Because the measurement of the radial cell can be correlated positively with the tongue length, and the radial-cell measurement can be used to determine size variations, it should be possible to utilize the radial-cell measurements in future studies that are concerned with the relationships between tongue lengths and the nectar-gathering behavior of the species of bumble bees reported on in this research. A labial index, determined by dividing the length of the prementum by that of the first segment of the labial palpus and multiplying by 100, was found to be characteristic for each species, and provided an interesting method of studying relationships between the species in the various subgroups. When the labial index data were applied to conventional groupings of the bumble bees, most species appeared to be closely related with regard to the mouthpart character. However, with regard to the pratorum group, the placing together of certain species from North America and Europe does not appear to be a natural one. Tables are presented with the means and standard deviations of the four measurements of the queen, worker, and male castes of each species.
Meal-Anticipatory Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Secretion in Rats

Animals anticipating a meal initiate a series of responses enabling them to better cope with the meal’s metabolic impact. These responses, such as cephalic insulin, occur prior to the onset of ingestion and are especially evident in animals maintained on a meal-feeding schedule with limited but predictable access to food each day. We tested the hypothesis that meal-fed rats secrete the incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) cephalically when anticipating a large meal. Male Long-Evans rats were fed ad libitum (controls) or adapted to a schedule on which food was available for the same 4-h period each day (meal fed animals). Plasma GLP-1 increased in meal-fed rats over an interval from 75 to 60 min prior to feeding time, from a baseline of 10 to around 40 pm, and then returned to baseline prior to food presentation. Controls had steady plasma GLP-1 levels (10–15 pm) over the same span. Meal-fed rats also secreted cephalic insulin starting around 15 min prior to food presentation. Administration of...
A unified framework and method for automatic neural spike identification

Automatic identification of action potentials from one or more extracellular electrode recordings is generally achieved by clustering similar segments of the measured voltage trace, a method that fails (or requires substantial human intervention) for spikes whose waveforms overlap. We formulate the problem in terms of a simple probabilistic model, and develop a unified method to identify spike waveforms along with continuous-valued estimates of their arrival times, even in the presence of overlap. Specifically, we make use of a recent algorithm known as Continuous Basis Pursuit for solving linear inverse problems in which the component occurrences are sparse and are at arbitrary continuous-valued times. We demonstrate significant performance improvements over current state-of-the-art clustering methods for four simulated and two real data sets with ground truth, each of which has previously been used as a benchmark for spike sorting. In addition, performance of our method on each of these data sets surpasses that of the best possible clustering method (i.e., one that is specifically optimized to minimize errors on each data set). Finally, the algorithm is almost completely automated, with a computational cost that scales well for multi-electrode arrays.
Recent computer system developments and continuous system simulation

After a review of the respective merits of analog, hybrid and digital computation, the author gives an overview of the most recent developments in these different computing techniques. He concludes that the use of several digital minicomputers working in parallele under control of another minicomputer, and the development of new software implies a turn in the simulation field which indicates a decline of hybrid computing.
The Roots of the Gender Gap in Political Knowledge in Adolescence

Why do men score better than women do on tests of political knowledge? We consider the roots of the gender gap in political knowledge in late adolescence. Using a panel survey of high school seniors, we consider the differences between young men and young women in what they know about politics and how they learn over the course of a midterm election campaign. We find that even after controlling for differences in dispositions like political interest and efficacy, young women are still significantly less politically knowledgeable than young men. While campaigns neither widen nor close the gender gap in political knowledge, we find important gender differences in how young people respond to the campaign environment. While partisan conflict is more likely to promote learning among young men, young women are more likely to gain information in environments marked by consensus rather than conflict.
Picobubble Column Flotation of Fine Coal

Froth flotation is widely used in the coal industry to clean −28 mesh (0.6 mm) or −100 mesh (0.15 mm) fine coal. A successful recovery of particles by flotation depends on efficient particle-bubble collision and attachment with minimal subsequent particle detachment from bubble. Flotation is effective in a narrow size range, nominally 10–100 µm, beyond which the flotation efficiency drops sharply. A fundamental analysis has shown that use of picobubbles can significantly improve the flotation recovery of particles by increasing the probability of collision and attachment and reducing the probability of detachment. A specially designed column with a picobubble generator has been developed for enhanced recovery of fine coal particles. Picobubbles were produced based on the hydrodynamic cavitation principle. Experimental results have shown that the use of picobubbles in a 5-cm diameter column flotation increased the combustible recovery of a highly floatable coal by up to 10% and that of a poorly floatable c...
Ultrafast all-optical code-division multiple-access (CDMA) fiber-optic networks

Abstract With the advanced development of fiber-optics, the large bandwidth-expansion required by spread spectrum code-division multiple-access (CDMA) can now be accomodated by using a fiber-optic channel for transmission and incoherent optical signal processing for code generation and correlation. Optical synchronous CDMA (S/CDMA), a synchronous transmission format, is introduced and compared with optical (asynchronous) CDMA. Using modified prime sequence codes, S/CDMA is shown to accomodate a larger number of subscribers and more simultaneous users than CDMA. A two-user experiment demonstrating the feasibility of optical S/CDMA is performed at 10 Mbit/s (500 Mchip/s), using optical signal processing. (A chip is a bit-representation component; please see Section 2.) An environment in which S/CDMA would be particularly suited is also discussed. In addition, recent research shows that the feasibility of optical CDMA is also determined by the architecture of the optical encoders/decoders. The coding architecture affects, for example, the amount of power loss and length of optical delays associated with code sequence generation and correlation, which, in turn, affect the power budget, size, and cost of an optical CDMA system. Therefore, a new, modified 2 n coding architecture is proposed and compared with prime and 2 n coding architectures. Study shows that the modified 2 n architecture performs the best and is particularly suitable for ultrafast all-optical processing and waveguides implementation for the future all-optical CDMA networks. A 100 Mbit/s optical CDMA experiment in free space demonstrating the feasibility of the modified 2 n coding architecture, using a serial combination of 50/50 beam splitters and retroreflectors, at 10 Tchip/s (i.e., 100,000 chip/bit) with 100 fs laser pulses is also reported.
The effects of information scent on visual search in the hyperbolic tree browser

The Hyperbolic Tree is a focus + context information visualization that has been developed to amplify users' ability to navigate large tree-structured information systems. Information scent is a theoretical construct that captures one kind of interaction between task and display. Information scent is provided by task-relevant display cues, such as node labels on a tree that influence a user's visual search behavior and navigation decisions. An empirical Accuracy of Scent (AOS) score was developed to characterize a set of tasks that required users to find (Retrieval Tasks) or compare (Comparison Tasks) information in tree structures. Two experiments investigated the effect of information scent (tasks with different AOS scores) on performance with the Hyperbolic Tree Browser and the Microsoft Windows File Browser, which is a widely available conventional browser. Experiment 1 found no overall difference in performance time between the two browsers, but did reveal a marginal interaction of information scent with browser performance on Retrieval Tasks. On high AOS tasks the Hyperbolic showed faster performance, but on low AOS tasks the Windows File Browser showed faster performance. Experiment 2 focused only on the Retrieval tasks and revealed that Hyperbolic Tree users examined more tree nodes at a faster rate and visually searched through the tree hierarchy at a faster rate than users of a Windows File Browser lookalike, however, visual search paths were shortened in dense areas of the Hyperbolic Tree display when information scent was low. Two processes appear to affect visual search in the Hyperbolic display: strong information scent improves visual search, and the crowding of targets in a compressed region degrades visual search especially when there is weak information scent.
Echocardiography in acute and remote myocardial infarction

Abstract Two dimensional echocardiography is just beginning to be used to characterize cardiac damage in patients with acute myocardial infarction. The two dimensional approach allows for a more comprehensive evaluation of cardiac anatomy and is able to detect with high sensitivity changes in regional wall motion that previously were sometimes missed or only found with difficulty using M mode echocardiography. Two dimensional echocardiography appears to offer a basis for quantifying the extent of myocardial damage in acute myocardial infarction and thus may permit objective assessment of therapeutic modalities and prognosis. In addition, the technique facilitates recognition of specific complications in acute myocardial infarction. In particular, the technique offers the ability to distinguish true from false ventricular aneurysm, postinfarction ventricular septal defect from papillary muscle dysfunction and rupture, and right ventricular infarction from cardiac tamponade.
TU-C-351-08: Application of Principal Component Analysis for Marker-Less Lung Tumor Tracking with Beam's-Eye-View EPID Images

Purpose: Recent studies have shown the impact of beam's‐eye‐view (BEV) imaging during radiotherapy to monitor the tumor location. This information can be used for real‐time interventions, treatment setup and verification, adaptive radiotherapy and delivered dose calculation. Although the tumor‐lung tissue density contrast can be poor, we show that it can be sufficient for tracking without implanted markers. The pre‐treatment 4DCT information used to plan the treatment is employed to ascertain the tumor motion during the treatment.Method and Materials: Exit radiation is passively acquired during lungtumorradiotherapy by operating an EPID in cine mode. The cine‐EPID in‐treatment images and the pre‐treatment phase‐specific DRRs are registered and corrected for setup induced affine transformations. DRRs are made from each of the 10 phase bins from the 4DCT simulation scan. Principal Components Analysis is able to discriminate small differences between similar images by shifting the image space axes to cause significant differences. The multidimensional image space is generated using the collection of DRR and EPIDimages. Each image can be represented as a linear combination of the best principal components. Using the projection coefficients, a multidimensional distance between the images is computed to compare each in‐treatment image with the ten phase‐specific DRRs. The maximum similarity is found by computing the minimum distance between the images so the phase‐specific DRR and in‐treatment EPIDimage are matched. Results: We were able to attribute the phase information to at least 75 % of the acquired in‐treatment images. The methodology was tested on the DRRimages alone with 90 % phase recovery. Conclusion: We have developed a PCA‐based algorithm that enabled us to quantify the differences between the tumor motion within the planning 4DCT and the actual tumor motion during the treatment.Conflict of Interest: This work was partially supported by Varian Medical Systems, Inc.
Three Simple Inductive Proofs in Probability and Statistics

Abstract Elementary inductive proofs are presented for the binomial approximation to the hypergeometric distribution, the density of an order statistic, and the distribution of when X 1, ···, X n are a sample from N (μ, 1).
A desaturase-like protein from white spruce is a Δ9 desaturase

Gymnospermae seed lipids are characterized by a high degree of desaturation, most having a Δ9 double bond. By degenerate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) we have isolated a white spruce (Picea glauca) cDNA clone that encodes an amino acid sequence sharing a high degree of homology with other putative plant acyl-coenzyme A (CoA) Des9 desaturases. Both in vivo and in vitro expression studies in a Δ9 desaturase-deficient yeast strain demonstrated the desaturation functionality of the white spruce clone, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses confirmed the regioselectivity of the encoded enzyme. This is the first report of the functional characterization of a plant membrane-bound acyl-CoA-like protein Δ9 desaturase by heterologous expression in yeast.
Agent-based simulation of an N-person game with parabolic payoff functions

We report computer simulation experiments based on our agent-based simulation tool to model a new N-person game based on John Conway's Game of Life. The individual agents may choose between two behavior options: cooperation or defection. The payoff (reward-penalty) functions are given as two parabolas: one for each option. After a certain number of iterations, the behavior of the agents stabilizes to either a constant value or oscillates around such a value. The simulation's goal is to investigate the effects of intermediate behavior on a society of agents. We have performed a systematic investigation of this game for all six possible cases of the mutual positions of parabolic payoff functions crossing each other at two points: x = 0.3 and 0.7 where x is the ratio of the cooperation choice to the total number of agents in the agent's neighborhood. The global ratios X(t) of the total number of cooperators in the entire array of agents as functions of time (iterations) and the solutions of the game Xfinal as functions of X0 were observed for each case for Pavlovian, greedy, and conformist agents. The solutions have predictable tendencies only when the neighborhood is the entire array of greedy or conformist agents. In all other cases unexpected properties emerge. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity, 2010
Cytosolic-free calcium and neurotransmitter release with decreased availability of glucose or oxygen.

Exposing brain slices to reduced oxygen tensions or impairing their ability to utilize oxygen with KCN decreases acetylcholine (ACh) but increases dopamine (DA) and glutamate in the medium at the end of a release incubation. To determine if these changes are due to alterations in the presynaptic terminals, release from isolated nerve endings (i.e. synaptosomes) was determined during histotoxic hypoxia (KCN). KCN reduced potassium-stimulated synaptosomal ACh release and increased dopamine and glutamate release. Since several lines of evidence suggest that altered calcium homeostasis underlies these changes in release, the effects of reducing medium calcium concentrations from 2.3 to 0.1-mM were determined. In low calcium medium, KCN still increased dopamine and glutamate release, but had no effect on ACh release. Hypoxia increased cytosolic-free calcium in both the normal and low calcium medium, although the elevation was less in the low calcium medium. Thus, the effects of histotoxic hypoxia on cytosolic free calcium concentration paralleled those on glutamate and dopamine release. Reducing the glucose concentration of the medium also increased cytosolic-free calcium. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that hypoxia and hypoglycemia increase cytosolic-free calcium, which stimulates the release of dopamine and glutamate, whose excessive release may lead to subsequent cellular damage postsynaptically.
Physiological conditions for the stimulation of prolactin secretion by external stimuli in the male ringdove

Abstract Male and female ring doves were separated by the insertion of a glass plate at various times during the pre-egg and incubation periods of the reproductive cycle, and the males were then allowed to observe the females continuously through the remainder of the period ending 13 days after the laying of the second egg. The males were then tested for readiness to incubate, and their crops were weighed. The results indicate that prolactin secretion (indicated by readiness to incubate and by crop growth) is induced in the male dove as a consequence of his observation of the incubating female, but only if the male associates freely (i.e. without separation by a glass plate) with the female during the period of courtship, nest building and egg laying.
The primary structure and the disulfide links of the bovine relaxin-like factor (RLF).

The relaxin-like factor (RLF), produced by the Leydig cells, is an essential link in the chain of events leading to the proper positioning of the testes during fetal development. The primary structure of RLF, as reported in the literature, is based solely upon cDNA sequences with chain lengths determined according to deduced processing sites and with relaxin-like cross-links. Biochemical characterization of bovine testicular RLF shows clearly that the endogenous hormone does consist of a 26 residue A chain and two forms of B chain, one containing 40 residues, the other 45. In addition, both B chains are 9 residues longer at the C terminus than the cDNA-deduced chain, and about 20% of the B chains have an additional 5 residue extension at the N terminus. Sequence analysis in combination with mass spectrometry and tryptic peptide mapping showed unambiguously that RLF is larger than previously assumed and that it has the relaxin-type disulfide bond distribution that makes it a bona fide member of the relaxin...
Normal respiratory variation of cycle length, Q-T interval, and corrected Q-T interval of the electrocardiogram.

Abstract 1. 1. The Q-T and R-R intervals were measured in both inspiration and expiration in forty-eight normal adults, and Q-T c was computed for both. 2. 2. Q-T remained constant in thirty-three subjects, R-R decreased with inspiration in thirty-three subjects, and Q-T c increased with inspiration in thirty-three subjects. 3. 3. It is suggested that both inspiratory (usually shortest) and expiratory beats (usually longest) be used in the calculation of Q-T c .
New experimental technique for determining real-space atomic images applied to aluminum adsorbed on silicon (111).

The holographic principle is used to invert experimental photoelectron diffraction spectra to reveal the surface structure of Si(111)(\ensuremath{\surd}3 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} \ensuremath{\surd}3 )-Al. The photon-energy dependence for the Al 2p emission intensity is measured for a set of emission angles. A new transformation method is applied to measured scanned-photon-energy photoemission spectra. The results of each inversion are summed over the set of angles giving images which clearly show the local geometry near the emitting atom, Al. Images are also obtained by theoretical simulation and agree well with experiment. The results demonstrate the technique as a direct, model-independent structural method, yielding bond distances and directions.
Sensitivity Studies of Tropical Storm Genesis Using a Numerical Model

Abstract This study investigates two cases of the FGGE III-B tropical cyclone genesis study of Tuleya (1988) in more detail. These two cases occurred within a week of one another in the tropical North Atlantic in August 1979. One disturbance developed into Hurricane David, the other did not develop past the depression stage. At one point in their evolution the disturbances had quite similar values of low-level vorticity. In the developing case of Hurricane David, the disturbance propagated along in a low-level wave trough with an accompanying high wind maximum. In the nondeveloping case the initial disturbance was also embedded in a wave trough with an associated wind maximum. This low-level wave propagated westward leaving the depression in its wake. The different environmental flow was responsible for the different behavior. Synoptic and budget analyses revealed significant differences in disturbance structure and vorticity and equivalent potential temperature tendencies at the time of approximate equal...
QCD EVOLUTION AND TMD/SPIN EXPERIMENTS

Transverse Spin and Transverse Momemtum Dependent (TMD) distribution study has been one of the main focuses of hadron physics in recent years. The initial exploratory Semi-Incluisve Deep-Inelastic-Scattering (SIDIS) experiments with transversely polarized proton and deuteron from HERMES and COMPASS attracted great attention and lead to very active efforts in both experiments and theory. QCD factorization has been carefully studied. A SIDIS experiment on the neutron with a polarized 3He target was performed at JLab. Recently published results will be shown. Precision TMD experiments are planned at JLab after the 12 GeV energy upgrade. The approved experiments with a new SoLID spectrometer on both the proton and neutron will be presented. Proper QCD evolution treatments beyond collinear cases become crucial for the precision study of the TMDs. Experimentally, Q2 evolution and higher-twist effects are often closely related. The experience of study higher-twist effects in the cases of moments of the spin structure functions will be discussed.
Reduced form for Coulomb-wave multicenter integrals.

In a previous paper [J. C. Straton, Phys. Rev. A 41, 71 (1990)] an integro-differential transform was introduced and utilized to obtain the analytically reduced form for multicenter integrals composed of general-state hydrogenic orbitals, Yukawa or Coulomb potentials, and plane waves. The present paper extends this result to include Coulomb waves.
Highlights from the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Conference 2010: Washington, DC, September 21-25, 2010.

The Twenty-second Annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference was held in Washington, DC, from September 21 to 25, 2010. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, this is the largest interventional cardiovascular conference in the world with customized programs for interventional cardiologists, radiologists, cardiac surgeons, and vascular surgeons. With the exponential growth of catheter-based cardiac and vascular treatments, the relevance to and impact of the conference on the practice of cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons is ever increasing. The results of clinical trials presented at the conference that hold a specific interest for cardiac surgeons are the focus of this report.