cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A CNV rebound effect

Abstract Fifty normal volunteers were tested in two conditions: (1) a constant-foreperiod reaction time situation consisting of a flash-tone-key press sequence (control trials); (2) a ‘50%-letters’ condition, in which two types of trials occurred randomly — no letters trials, which were identical to control trials, and letters trials, which were similar to control trials but also involved the presentation of four auditory letters within the flash-tone interval as part of a short-term memory task. Compared to control trials, CNV amplitude showed a pattern of reduction in letters trials accompanied by slower reaction times to tone (CNV distraction effect). Compared to control trials, CNV amplitude showed an unexpected supranormal increase in no-letters trials. The CNV rebound effect observed in no-letters trials was interpreted as reflecting a switching of attention from the divided attention set intrinsic to letters trials (listening for letters and preparing for response to tone) to an undivided attention set in no-letters trials (simply preparing for response to tone). The CNV rebound effect, which is diminished in aging individuals and absent in psychosurgery patients, appears to represent a non-invasive technique of possible value in assessing pathophysiology of human brain functioning.
Effect of heparin-bonded pulmonary artery catheters on the activated coagulation time

Objective: This study evaluated the effect of a heparinbonded pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) on the activated coagulation time (ACT). Design: A prospective, controlled comparison. Setting: A tertiary care university hospital. Participants: Adult cardiac surgery patients. Interventions: Celite ACTs were measured from arterial and central venous blood samples before and after the insertion of a heparin-bonded PAC. Thromboelastograms were also obtained from central venous blood samples before and 2 minutes after PAC insertion. Measurements and Main Results: There was no significant difference between the sample sites before PAC insertion. After PAC insertion, the central venous ACTs were significantly increased compared with the corresponding arterial measurements at 2,5,10, and 20 minutes (p < 0.005, analysis of variance [ANOVA] for repeated measures, Fisher's protected least significant difference [PLSD]). The 2-minute post-PAC reaction time from the central venous blood sample was greater than 60 minutes in all cases. Conclusion: The heparin-bonded PAC was associated with a localized, time-dependent alteration in the ACT. Whenever possible, blood samples for baseline ACT measurements should be obtained from an arterial catheter to minimize the anticoagulant effects from the PAC.
Reply to comment on Multiple quantum coherences in liquid state NMR and nonlinear optics; collective vs. local origin (Chem. Phys. Lett. 357 (2002) 327)

The present Comment points out inconsistencies in this Letter, concerning the origin and the standard interpretation of multiple quantum coherences in liquid state NMR.
The node system of equations

Abstract The minimum number of simultaneous equations and unknowns required to describe the behavior of an electrical network is in many cases obtained by considering the independent node voltages to be the unknown variables. However, the usual techniques for writing node equations are not applicable to networks containing ideal voltage sources not incident to the reference node. The node system of equations for general networks with ideal current and voltage sources arbitrarily located, is derived on the basis of a particular type of cut-set or segregate matrix, and a novel method for writing the node equations of such networks by inspection is presented. The application to networks containing vacuum tubes, transistors and magnetic coupling is illustrated.
Bundled depth-map merging for multi-view stereo

Depth-map merging is one typical technique category for multi-view stereo (MVS) reconstruction. To guarantee accuracy, existing algorithms usually require either sub-pixel level stereo matching precision or continuous depth-map estimation. The merging of inaccurate depth-maps remains a challenging problem. This paper introduces a bundle optimization method for robust and accurate depth-map merging. In the method, depth-maps are generated using DAISY feature, followed by two stages of bundle optimization. The first stage optimizes the track of connected stereo matches to generate initial 3D points. The second stage optimizes the position and normals of 3D points. High quality point cloud is then meshed as geometric models. The proposed method can be easily parallelizable on multi-core processors. Middlebury evaluation shows that it is one of the most efficient methods among non-GPU algorithms, yet still keeps very high accuracy. We also demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm on various real-world, high-resolution, self-calibrated data sets including objects with complex details, objects with large area of highlight, and objects with non-Lambertian surface.
Generation and Characterization of Species-Specific Anti-Bcl-XL Monoclonal Antibodies

Bcl-X(L) is a pro-survival member of the Bcl-2 family that plays an important role in apoptosis regulation. As a first step to carry out the molecular characterization of this protein, we have generated five monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against synthetic peptides corresponding to the flexible loop region of human and murine Bcl-X(L). These antibodies display species specificity and are suitable for Western blotting, immunofluorescence labeling, and immunoprecipitation. These results suggest that these antibodies can serve as important tools for the detection and purification of endogenous and ectopically expressed human and murine Bcl-X(L).
580 SOMATOMEDIN-C LEVELS IN CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD)

This study was designed to determine whether somatomedin-C (SM-C) levels were different in growth-impaired and normally-growing children with IBD and whether SM-C levels in growth-retarded children change as growth velocity improves. Diminished caloric intake is a common feature of IBD and experimental reduction of nutrient intake in rats lowers circulating SM levels. Low SM values have also been reported in children with protein-calorie malnutrition, anorexia nervosa and chronic renal failure. Plasma SM-C was measured by radioimmunoassay in 31 children with IBD. Thirteen of these pts had impaired growth velocity (GV) by Tanner standards and were compared with 19 pts with normal GV. Seven of the growth-retarded pts had SM-C levels repeated during a period of normal growth. Medical therapy was standard including alternate-day prednisone in 11 pts. No pt. received prednisone within 24 hrs of measuring SM-C. Somatomedin-C levels were 1.06 ± 0.14 units/ml (mean ± SEM) in the growth-impaired group and 3.29 ± 0.52 in the normally growing group (p<0.01). SM-C levels in the 7 growth-retarded pts who were studied sequentially increased from 1.26 ± 0.26 to 2.3 ± 0.29 during periods of improved growth velocity (p<0.02). There was no depression of SM-C in pts receiving alternate-day prednisone. These differences cannot be explained by differences in age, bone age, or pubertal stage. This study suggests that growth retardation in IBD is accompanied by reduced SM-C levels, which increase as growth improves.
Abstract A261: NPV-LDE-225 (Erismodegib) inhibits human prostate cancer stem cell growth in NOD/SCID IL2γnull mice by regulating Bmi-1 and microRNA-128.

Prostate cancer stem cells (CSCs) are defined by their extensive self-renewal, differentiation, and tumor initiation properties. It is now clear that CSCs are involved in tumor growth and recurrence, and resistance to conventional treatments. Thus, the strategy that suppresses stemness and consequently tumorigenic potential of CSCs could be considered for the management of prostate cancer. The objectives of this study were to examine the molecular mechanisms by which NPV-LDE-225 / Erismodegib (smoothened inhibitor) regulates stem cell characteristics in prostate cancer. Effects of NPV-LDE-225 on CSC's viability, sphere formation, apoptosis, transcriptional activity, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were measured. NPV-LDE-225 inhibited cell viability and spheroid formation, and induced apoptosis by activation of caspase-3 and cleavage of PARP. NPV-LDE-225 induced expression of Bax and Bak, and inhibited the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, XIAP, cIAP1, cIAP2 and survivin. NPV-LDE-225 inhibited Gli transcriptional activity, Gli-DNA interaction, and the expression of Gli1, Gli2, Patched1 and Patched 2 in prostate CSCs. Interestingly, NPV-LDE-225 induced PDCD4 and apoptosis and inhibited cell viability by suppressing miR-21. Furthermore, NPV-LDE-225 inhibited pluripotency maintaining factors Nanog, Oct4, cMyc and Sox-2. The inhibition of Bmi-1 by NPV-LDE-225 was regulated by up-regulation of miR-128. NPV-LDE-225 suppressed EMT by up-regulating E-cadherin and inhibiting N-cadherin, Snail, Slug and Zeb1 through regulating miR-200 family. Finally, NPV-LDE-225 inhibited CSC tumor growth which was associated with the suppression of Gli1, Gli2, Patched-1, Patched-2, Cyclin D1 and PCNA, and cleaved caspase-3 and PARP in tumor tissues derived from NOD/SCID IL2Rϒnull mice. Overall, our findings suggest that inhibition of the Shh signaling pathway in CSCs is a potential therapeutic strategy for prostate cancer. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):A261. Citation Format: Rajesh Nanta, Daniel Meeker, Mariana Rodova, Peter J. Van Veldhuizen, Sharmila Shankar, Rakesh K. Srivastava. NPV-LDE-225 (Erismodegib) inhibits human prostate cancer stem cell growth in NOD/SCID IL2γnull mice by regulating Bmi-1 and microRNA-128. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A261.
Lack of N regions in antigen receptor variable region genes of TdT-deficient lymphocytes

During the assembly of immunoglobulin and T cell receptor variable region genes from variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) segments, the germline-encoded repertoire is further diversified by processes that include the template-independent addition of nucleotides (N regions) at gene segment junctions. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-deficient lymphocytes had no N regions in their variable region genes, which shows that TdT is responsible for N region addition. In addition, certain variable region genes appeared at increased frequency in TdT-deficient thymocytes, which indicates that N region addition also influences repertoire development by alleviating sequence-specific constraints imposed on the joining of particular V, D, and J segments.
Prostacyclin and thromboxane generating systems in rabbits pretreated with aspirin.

Abstract Aspirin given orally to rabbits at doses of 5, 10 and 15 mg/kg partially suppressed arachidonate-induced ex vivo platelet aggregation and did not influence production of prostacyclin by the incubated mesenteric artery slices. Aspirin at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg, p.o. completely inhibited platelet response to arachidonate, and heavily suppressed (by > 80%) arterial biosynthesis of prostacyclin. It is suggested that low doses of aspirin should be used in anti-thrombotic therapy.
Asymptotic expansion of the nonnull distribution of likelihood ratio statistic for testing multisample sphericity

Asymptotic expansion of the nonnull distribution of the likelihood ratio statistic for testing muitisample sphericity in q multinormal populations is derived for the alternatives close to the null hypothesis.
Perceived physical appearance and adjustment of children with newly diagnosed cancer: A path analytic model

More intensive medical treatment protocols have been initiated with the goal of improving survival of pediatric cancer patients. Evaluation of the adjustment of this cohort of children with newly diagnosed cancer being treated with these modern regimens is essential in order to enhance quality of life. Children with cancer who experience disease and treatment-related changes in physical appearance are hypothesized to be at greater risk for psychological and social adjustment problems given society's attitudes toward visible physical differences. Within a risk and resistance theoretical framework, perceived physical appearance was investigated as a predictor of depressive symptoms, social anxiety, and general self-esteem in newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients. In support of the a priori conceptual model, path analysis findings indicate that perceived physical appearance has direct and indirect effects on depressive symptoms and social anxiety with the indirect effects mediated by general self-esteem. Exploratory analysis suggests that the effect of perceived physical appearance on general self-esteem may be attenuated by modifiable competence/adequacy domains which have implications for the development of treatment interventions for children with newly diagnosed cancer.
Effect of water washing on the reduction of surface total lipids and FFA on milled rice

A simple method for removing total lipids from the rice surface by water washing is described for brewing operations, where small FFA levels can have a considerable effect on end-product flavor quality. Commercially milled (first-, second-, and third-break) rice was washed with deionized water with constant stirring for 5 and 10 min. About 60 to 80% of total surface lipids were removed by water washing, with a reduction of FFA and conjugated dienes (CD) relative to unwashed control samples. The total surface FFA content of first-, second-, and third-break milled rice was reduced by more than 50% of the original value by washing. Increases in FFA and CD in washed rice after 7 d of storage at 37°C and 70% RH were much lower than those of unwashed controls, in which FFA and CD development was considerably greater and reached brewing quality. Water washing may be a practical means of reducing off-flavor development in milled rice.
Idempotent-generated regular semigroups

Suppose S is a regular semigroup and E is its set of idempotents. If E is subsemigroup of S, then S has been called orthodox and studied recently by Hall [3], Meakin [6], and Yamada [8]. In this paper we assume that E is not (necessarily) a subsemigroup of S and consider the subsemigroup generated by E, denoted . If E denotes the set of all elements of S which can be written E, denoted . If E denotes the set of all elements of S which can be written as the product of n (not necessarily distinct) idempotents of S, then . We show that is always a regular subsemigroup of S and investigate relationships between it and S. The case where = S is of particular interest to us; such semigroups will be referred to as idempotent-generated regular semi- groups.
Anthropogenic aerosols as a source of ancient dissolved organic matter in glaciers

Glacier-derived dissolved organic matter represents a quantitatively significant source of ancient, but bioavailable, carbon to downstream ecosystems. Anthropogenic aerosols supply glaciers with aged organic matter, according to an analysis of organic matter from glaciers in Alaska.
Dense plasma equation of state model

Abstract Low density models of atoms in plasmas use isolated ion data plus a uniform electron gas correction (usually called continuum lowering) to arrive at new energy levels. When levels pass into the continuum they become resonances—then broaden and diminish in strength. At high plasma densities the energy levels require further correction, and an estimate of the effective level degeneracy is needed. We describe our model of these effects and show results for low temperature gold plasmas in the density range 10 -4 to 10 +3 g⧸cc.
Brightness assimilation in bullseye displays.

In simultaneous brightness contrast displays, a gray target square GB bordered by black appears brighter than an identical gray target square GW bordered by white. Here we demonstrate that this effect can be reversed if GB is surrounded by bands that alternate outward from black to white, while GW is surrounded by bands that alternate outward from white to black. With these simple “bullseye” displays assimilation generally occurs––GB appears darker than GW. Experiments 1 and 2 used a 2AFC design with a 2.2 s display duration. The results of these experiments indicate that (i) substantial assimilation occurs for target Weber contrasts (relative to the gray background) of −0.25, 0, and 0.25, but assimilation was maximal when target contrast was −0.25 and decreased as target contrast increased, (ii) assimilation effects were the same whether the width of the four surround bands was 20% of the target or 40% of the target, and (iii) assimilation occurs with as few as 2 surround-bands and the magnitude of the effect increases slightly as the number of bands increase. When experiment 1 was re-run using the method of matching (experiment 3), however, the results changed dramatically: (moderate) assimilation effects were found only when target contrast was −0.25; when target contrast was 0.25, there was a brightness contrast effect; when target contrast was 0, there was no illusion. Assimilation effects in bullseye displays are not predicted by the CSF model described in DeValois and DeValois [Spatial Vision, Oxford University Press, New York, 1988], the anchoring model of Gilchrist et al. [Psychological Review, 106(4) (1999) 795], or Blakeslee and McCourt’s [Vision Research 39 (1999) 4361] ODOG model. We propose that this assimilation effect is the result of a contrast inhibition mechanism similar to that proposed by Chubb et al. [Proceedings for the National Academy of Science, vol. 86, 1989, p. 9631] to underlie contrast effects.
Writing Skills of Engineering and Science Students

There is a widespread practice in English departments of "conscripting" technical writing instructors who lack the interests and technical backgrounds called for by the teaching requirements. This often results in a course content differing widely from the catalog description. Where the English department displays a notable lack of interest in technical writing, a course devoted to discourse on technical or scientific subjects might be much more valuable. Tests administered to university students majoring in science or engineering show that they retain the ability to write coherent and forceful English prose even though they receive no further training in this skill after their freshman year. However, they may find in their postgraduate experience that they needed more instruction in writing done under pressure-typical of technical writing. A properly structured senior course, including the problems in technical report organization, format, and precision of expression could save an author time and result in more efficient transfer of information in his future technical writing.
Community development: Current issues and emerging challenges

(2004). Community Development: Current Issues and Emerging Challenges. Journal of Urban Affairs: Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 125-137.
Application of a correlation coefficient pattern recognition technique to low resolution mass spectra

Abstract An empirical pattern recognition technique based on the correlation coefficient is developed. It is applied to the interpretation of low resolution mass spectral data. The results of numerous elemental and functional group questions are given, together with an example of a total structure determination. In addition, the method can be used to determine the most important dimension parameters.
A comparative immunohistochemical study of uterine smooth muscle neoplasms with emphasis on the epithelioid variant

We evaluated the immunophenotypes of 22 spindled and 36 epithelioid uterine smooth muscle neoplasms (SMNs) and 16 extrauterine nongastrointestinal spindled smooth-muscle neoplasms for various markers. The epithelioid neoplasms were subdivided into two histological groups designated true and intermediate, the former showing typical epithelioid features and the latter showing epithelioid features that could be explained by cross-sectioning of blunt spindled cells. Desmin, muscle-specific actin, and smooth muscle actin were equally sensitive in detecting muscle differentiation in all these neoplasms. The true epithelioid variants were more frequently keratin positive but less frequently positive for vimentin, CD34 or the muscle markers, compared with their spindled counterparts. The intermediate epithelioid variants more closely resembled the spindled neoplasms in their immunostaining for muscle markers, vimentin, and CD34 but like the true epithelioid variants were relatively frequently positive for keratin. CD34 was positive in 36% of the spindled and 6% of the true epithelioid uterine SMNs, in most cases faintly. Antikeratin AE1 was positive more frequently than CAM5.2, with 18% of the spindled and 35% of the true epithelioid neoplasms being AE1 positive. The immunophenotype of uterine SMNs, including the epithelioid variant, permits their distinction from carcinomas based on their frequent reactivity for muscle markers in spite of their high rate of keratin positivity. They show sufficient overlap in immunoreactivity with endometrial stromal sarcomas to preclude definitive differentiation from them on immunohistochemical features alone.
P02.24. Reducing stress and cultivating well being in educators and parents with special needs children: effects of a mindfulness training program

Purpose Parents and teachers of children with developmental challenges and special learning needs face unique socialemotional challenges in caregiving. Stress associated with their roles has been shown to impact parents’ and special educators’ health and well-being, as well as the quality of their parenting and teaching. In this paper, we report results of a pilot study conducted to investigate the efficacy of mindfulness based training program (MT) in facilitating improvement in caregiver mental health. Using a RCT waitlist design, 70 parents and educators of children with special needs were randomized to participate in a 9 session, 36 hour group-based MT program called SMART (Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques). This program, based on MBSR, included content on emotion theory and regulation, forgiveness and compassion, and application practices specific to caregiving/teaching.
Observations of long period earthquakes accompanying hydraulic fracturing

Waveforms of most seismic events accompanying hydraulic fracturing have been reported to contain clear P and S waves and have fault plane solutions consistent with shear displacement across a fault. This observation is surprising since classical hydraulic fracturing theory predicts the creation of a tensile opening of a cavity in response to fluid pressure. Very small long period events, similar to long period earthquakes observed at volcanoes, were found to occur during four hydraulic fracturing experiments carried out at Fenton Hill, New Mexico. Since the long period earthquakes occur in the same region as the shear type events, it is concluded that the unusual character of the long period earthquake waveforms is due to a source effect and not a path effect. The occurrence of long period earthquakes during hydraulic fracturing could indicate tensile fracturing. Many waveforms of these events are identical, which implies that these events represent repeated activation of a given source. A proposed source for these long period events is the sudden opening of a channel that connects two cracks filled with fluid at different pressures. The sizes of the two cracks differ, which causes two or more peaks to appear in the spectra, each peak beingmore » associated with one physical dimension of each crack. From the frequencies at which spectral peaks occur, crack lengths are estimated to be between 3 and 20m.« less
Identification of a major heparin-precipitable protein in human serum and its relationship to cystic fibrosis.

Top of pageAbstract Summary: Heparin binding to serum proteins and their subsequent precipitation is reportedly increased in cystic fibrosis (CF). We have confirmed this finding for CF patients over the age of 12 [11.34 ± 2.42 mg/ml precipitated protein for normals (n = 19) versus 17.46 ± 4.60 mg/ml for CF patients (n = 37), P < 0.001; 0.629 ± 0.098 mg/ml precipitated heparin for normals versus 0.789 ± 0.206 for CF patients, P < 0.01]. We have also shown that patients with a variety of pulmonary diseases unrelated to CF do not show this effect. When the amounts of protein and heparin precipitated are compared with the amount of IgG found in the whole serum sample, the correlation coefficients (protein r = 0.77; heparin, 0.74; n = 81) are significant at a level of P < 0.001. In addition, the report that young CF patients exhibit hypogammaglobulinemia prompted us to examine serum samples from CF patients and age-matched controls under the age of 12. No differences were found. To investigate the molecular basis for this effect, sera from patients with CF and from age-matched controls were precipitated with 50 mg% heparin at pH 5.57. Pellets resolubilized in 8 M urea were fractionated on DEAE-Sephadex and analyzed by double-immunodiffusion, SDS-PAGE, immunoelectrophoresis, and radial immunodiffusion. IgG constituted 55-56% of the eluted protein. When serum from all donors was fractionated by Staph A-Sepharose into IgG and non-IgG fractions, 85-89% of heparin precipitable protein was in the IgG fraction. Speculation: We conclude from this study that the major heparin-precipitable protein in human serum at pH 5.57 is IgG. The increased amounts of protein precipitated from serum of older patients with cystic fibrosis merely reflects the elevated levels of IgG in their serum. These findings do not support the hypothesis of Pearson and Lubin (16) that a generalized defect in protein glycosylation is the basis of the heparin effect, although a specific alteration of IgG oligosaccharides is not ruled out. In addition, this study of the heparin effect does not provide any evidence that there is an alteration in glycoprotein:glycosaminoglycan interaction in cystic fibrosis.
Tissue contrast enhancement: Image reconstruction algorithm and selection of TI in inversion recovery MRI

Abstract It is clearly demonstrated that the proper application of the inversion recovery imaging pulse sequence is dependent on the method of image reconstruction and the selection of TI for optimum tissue contrast. There are two methods of 2DFT image reconstruction of IR sequence time-domain raw data. The first is a modulus-image reconstruction algorithm (contrast-obliterating option), and the second is a phase-correction routine for reconstructing “phase-sensitive” true IR-images. The second option generates proper “in-phase” images, retains proper scale of contrast, but can invert the algebraic sign of image-values under certain conditions. A series of “phase-sensitive” and “modulus” reconstructed brain images, obtained with conventional and optimized new IR pulse sequences, are shown to demonstrate these effects. They illustrate the considerable advantages gained, in practical clinical situations, if one generates “phase-sensitive” true IR-images from IR-sequence raw data at optimum TI for tissue contrast enhancement.
Screening adolescent gravidas for gestational diabetes

Abstract Study Objective: To assess the value of screening pregnant adolescents for gestational diabetes. Design: Pregnant adolescents who attended the Teen Pregnancy Clinic at the University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville were screened for gestational diabetes at 28.5 ± 2.5 weeks gestation using the 50-g, 1-hour glucose test. Those whose screening test result was ≥ 140 mg/dl underwent a 100-g, 3-hour glucose tolerance test. Demographic and perinatal data, including prepregnancy weight, weight gain, social habits, mode of delivery, birth weight, and neonatal complications were recorded. Results: Of 437 women screened, 18 (4%) had abnormal results. All 18 underwent a 100-g, 3-hour glucose tolerance test, and none was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. There were no significant differences in the average screening test results among different age groups. Conclusion: The low incidence of gestational diabetes in this population suggests that the likelihood of developing this disorder is significantly less for pregnant adolescents than for older gravidas. It may be more cost-effective to reserve diabetes screening for adolescent gravidas who have risk factors.
Generalized Pareto front methods applied to second-order material property closures

A recent paper constructed a new methodology for tackling the inverse problem of material design using the Fourier expansion techniques of microstructure-sensitive design (MSD). A very limited demonstration of the procedure was given in the paper – constructing a small part of a property closure (with fixed texture). In this paper, methods of producing the full closure are presented, the mapping between the material design space (microstructure hull) and property closure is visualized, and an example demonstrates how a designer might use the mapping to determine the optimal material design.
Comparing the template method and strategy design patterns in a genetic algorithm application

We present a genetic algorithm software project that serves to give students direct experience with choosing among multiple potentially applicable design patterns. We carefully constructed this project to illustrate the power of design patterns in supporting encapsulation while at the same time providing a single context in which to compare and contrast similar design pattern alternatives.
Donor and recipient outcomes in right lobe adult living donor liver transplantation.

Severe donor organ shortage has provided the impetus for adult living donor liver transplantation (ALDLT). Despite rapid implementation and expansion of the procedure, outcome analysis of ALDLT is still incomplete. This study analyzed both donor and recipient outcomes after ALDLT at a single center. ALDLT performed at UCLA between August 1999 and November 2001 were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty recipients (14 men and 6 women) with a mean age of 48.8 ± 9.7 (29 to 66) years underwent right lobe ALDLT. By computed tomograpy (CT), graft/recipient weight ratio (GRWR) was 1.3 ± 0.3 (1 to 2.2). Overall 1-year patient and graft survival rates were 95% and 85%, respectively. One recipient died of heart failure with normal liver function 5 months after transplantation. Three grafts (14%) were lost and all three patients underwent successful cadaveric retransplantation. Complications were classified according to the Clavien grading system with all but 3 recipients encountering at least one complication. Nine (45%) had grade 1 (minor), 10 (50%) had grade 2 (potentially life threatening without residual disease/disability), 3 (14%) had grade 4A (retransplantation) and one grade 4B (death). Right lobectomy for living donation was performed in 20 patients (12 men, 8 women). Residual left lobe volumes were 36 ± 5.3 (23.9 to 47.9)% of total donor liver volume. No donor required intensive care unit admission and median hospital stay was 7.5 (6 to 14) days. One donor was aborted after intraoperative biopsy showed > 50% macrovesicular steatosis. No donor mortality or long-term complications were encountered. Five grade 1 minor complications, by Clavien Classification, occurred in 4 of 20 (20%) donors. ALDLT using right lobe grafts is an effective procedure to expand a severely depleted donor, but is associated with a high complication rate despite good survival outcomes. Continuous standardized reporting of ALDLT outcomes is required to allow successful and safe implementation of the procedure. (Liver Transpl 2002;8:901-909.)
Going Public When Opinion Is Contested: Evidence from Presidents' Campaigns for Supreme Court Nominees, 1930-2009

The standard “political capital” model of going public assumes presidents do not face mobilized opponents. But often presidents must fight against opponents who themselves go public. We propose studying such situations with an “opinion contest” framework and use new data on Supreme Court nominations to contrast the political capital and opinion contest approaches. From 1930 to 2009 presidents went public over Supreme Court nominees primarily when groups mobilized against the nominee. Republican presidents did so particularly when their nominee would move the Supreme Court's median to the right. When going public, presidents typically engaged in “crafted talk.” Finally, going public was associated with more negative votes in the Senate, not fewer, because presidents went public over Supreme Court nominees only when battling an active opposition.
Extreme work teams: using SWAT teams as a model for coordinating distributed robots

We present a field study of police SWAT teams for the purpose of enabling grounded design of a system to coordinate distributed field robots. The mission-oriented, spatially distributed SWAT environment provides a rich resource for robotics designers that mirrors field robot deployments in key ways. We highlight the processes with which SWAT team leaders create and maintain common ground among team members and coordinate action in these tightly-coupled, distributed teams. We present a system for coordinating distributed robots that we designed based on our SWAT team observations.
A broadband directional corner reflector antenna for borehole applications

A promising technique being developed for probing coal seams (3 m thick) ahead of the cutting face is to drill a horizontal borehole midway through the seam in which a ground-penetrating FM radar probe can be inserted to measure the seam thickness and to detect the presence of faults. For this application, the radar antennas (bistatic system) must be broadband and directional, operate in the VHF/UHF bands, and fit within a borehole diameter of approximately 4 inches (10.2 cm). A 90 degrees corner reflector antenna was developed to meet the design requirements. The required bandwidth, front-to-back ratio, and low feedover were achieved by using triangular flat-blade dipole elements (resistively terminated) and by filling the antennas with titanium dioxide (TiO/sub 2/) powder. Performance results are presented and discussed. >
Elective versus symptomatic intravenous antibiotic therapy for cystic fibrosis.

Background Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the commonest micro-organism associated with respiratory infections in cystic fibrosis. Retrospective studies have suggested that survival is increased by using an aggressive policy of intravenous antipseudomonal antibiotics at regular intervals, irrespective of symptoms. Objectives To determine whether there is evidence that an elective (regular) versus symptomatic intravenous antibiotic regime is associated with an improvement in clinical status and survival rates in patients with cystic fibrosis. To identify any adverse effects associated with the use of elective intravenous antibiotics, including an increase in the development of resistant organisms. Search strategy The Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis and Genetics Disorders Group Specialist Trials Register was used. This comprises references identified from comprehensive electronic database searches, hand searching relevant journals and abstracts from conference proceedings. Date of the most recent search of the Group's specialised register: October 2000. Selection criteria All randomised or pseudo-randomised controlled trials describing the use of elective compared with symptomatic intravenous antibiotic policies for any duration or dose regimen. Elective versus symptomatic intravenous antibiotic regimes against any organisms were considered. Patients with cystic fibrosis were of any age or disease severity. Data collection and analysis Trials were independently assessed for inclusion criteria, methodological quality and data extraction by the two reviewers. Main results Three trials were identified by the initial search. Two trials reporting results from a total of 79 patients were included in the review. Differences in study design and objectives meant that data could not be pooled for meta-analysis. Neither trial demonstrated significant differences in outcome measures between intervention and comparison groups. Reviewer's conclusions Studies are insufficient to identify conclusive evidence favouring a policy of elective intravenous antibiotic administration, despite its widespread use. Neither are the potential risks adequately evaluated. The results should be viewed with caution as patient numbers are small. Clearly there is a need for a well-designed, adequately powered, multi-centred randomised controlled trial to evaluate these issues.
Monitoring Surface and Subsurface Water Storage Using Confined Aquifer Water Levels at the Savannah River Site, USA

Surface and subsurface water storage is an important component of hydrologic models, needed to account for groundwater recharge, lateral water movement, and evapotranspiration. Yet methods for estimating above- and belowground water storage include substantial uncertainties. This paper demonstrates that water levels in the Gordon aquifer (a confined aquifer at the USDOE Savannah River Site, near Aiken, SC) fluctuate in response to changes in total water storage. An increase in surface loading is known to cause a measurable increase in aquifer fluid pressure whenever the aquifer skeletal compressibility is sufficiently large. Water levels in the Gordon aquifer respond rapidly during precipitation events, which is consistent with increased loading that compresses the aquifer at depth. Instantaneous barometric and loading efficiencies of approximately 6 and 91%, respectively, are consistent with a poorly consolidated aquifer. Because the aquifer has a high loading efficiency, it behaves like a geological weighing lysimeter that appears to estimate water storage. Following precipitation events, aquifer water levels decline over time, presumably due to unloading by evapotranspiration plus net lateral water export. The water-storage signal is improved by incorporating (i) the lagged response between aquifer load and borehole water-level changes and (ii) the removal of periodic Earth tides.
Sentiment Regression: Using Real-Valued Scores to Summarize Overall Document Sentiment

In this paper, we consider a sentiment regression problem: summarizing the overall sentiment of a review with a real-valued score. Empirical results on a set of labeled reviews show that real-valued sentiment modeling is feasible, as several algorithms improve upon baseline performance. We also analyze performance as the granularity of the classification problem moves from two-class (positive vs. negative) towards infinite-class (real-valued).
Practical defenses against BGP prefix hijacking

Prefix hijacking, a misbehavior in which a misconfigured or malicious BGP router originates an IP prefix that the router does not own, is becoming an increasingly serious security problem on the Internet. In this paper, we conduct a first comprehensive study on incrementally deployable mitigation solutions against prefix hijacking. We first propose a novel reactive detection-assisted solution based on the idea of bogus route purging and valid route promotion. Our simulations based on realistic settings show that purging bogus routes at 20 highest-degree ASes reduces the polluted portion of the Internet by a random prefix hijack from 50% down to 24%, and adding promotion further reduces the remaining pollution by 33% ~ 57%, We prove that our proposed route purging and promotion scheme preserve the convergence properties of BGP regardless of the number of promoters. We are the first to demonstrate that detection systems based on a limited number of BGP feeds are subject to detection evasion by hijackers. Motivated the need for proactive defenses to complement reactive mitigation response, we evaluate customer route filtering, a best common practice among large ISPs today, and show its limited effectiveness. We also show the added benefits of combining route purging-promotion with customer route filtering.
Simulating growth and root-shoot partitioning in prairie grasses under elevated atmospheric CO2 and water stress

Abstract We constructed a model simulating growth, shoot-root partitioning, plant nitrogen (N) concentration and total non-structural carbohydrates in perennial grasses. Carbon (C) allocation was based on the concept of a functional balance between root and shoot growth, which responded to variable plant C and N supplies. Interactions between the plant and environment were made explicit by way of variables for soil water and soil inorganic N. The model was fitted to data on the growth of two species of perennial grass subjected to elevated atmospheric CO 2 and water stress treatments. The model exhibited complex feedbacks between plant and environment, and the indirect effects of CO 2 and water treatments on soil water and soil inorganic N supplies were important in interpreting observed plant responses. Growth was surprisingly insensitive to shoot-root partitioning in the model, apparently because of the limited soil N supply, which weakened the expected positive relationship between root growth and total N uptake. Alternative models for the regulation of allocation between shoots and roots were objectively compared by using optimization to find the least squares fit of each model to the data. Regulation by various combinations of C and N uptake rates, C and N substrate concentrations, and shoot and root biomass gave nearly equivalent fits to the data, apparently because these variables were correlated with each other. A partitioning function that maximized growth predicted too high a root to shoot ratio, suggesting that partitioning did not serve to maximize growth under the conditions of the experiment.
RENAL TRANSPLANTATION IN CHILDREN WITH POSTERIOR URETHRAL VALVES REVISITED: A 10-YEAR FOLLOWUP

AbstractPurpose: Renal transplantation is safe and effective for end stage renal disease in children with posterior urethral valves. We previously reported our 5-year post-transplantation results in boys with posterior urethral valves and matched controls. Graft survival was similar. However, we were concerned about elevated serum creatinine and the potential detrimental effects of hostile bladder dynamics in these children. We performed this study to determine whether our concern would be substantiated.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical records and computerized transplantation database in 268 boys younger than 19 years who underwent renal transplantation from May 1968 through November 1988. The 18 children with posterior urethral valves were compared to a nonobstructed cohort of 18 boys in regard to age, number of transplants, donor type and immunosuppression. All children had at least 10 years of followup (range 10 to 19).Results: The 10-year post-transplant patient survival...
A Dynamical Description of Fall and Winter Mean Current Profiles over the Northern California Shelf

Abstract Fall and winter mean current profiles from a midshelf (water depth ∼90 m) northern California site exhibit a similar vertical structure for several different years. The alongshelf flow is poleward with a maximum velocity of 5–10 cm s−1 in the middle or upper water column. There is an offshore flow of about 2 cm s−1 in the upper 20–30 m, an onshore flow of about 2 cm s−1 in the interior (depths 35–65 m), and an offshore flow of about 1 cm s−1 within 20 m of the bottom. Profiles are similar for averages over timescales from weeks to months. Mean current profiles at other midshelf sites along northern California and two sites off Peru also have a similar vertical structure. The vertical shear in the mean alongshelf flow is geostrophic throughout the water column, that is, in thermal wind balance with the cross-shelf density gradient. For timescales of a week or longer the thermal wind balance extends to within 1 m of the bottom and reduces the mean near-bottom alongshelf flow to 1 cm s−1 or less. Th...
Methodology and Procedures in Field Trials in Dairy Science

Abstract During several field trials with dairy cattle, experience has been gained concerning the criteria for selection of herds, owners, and experimentalists in this type of research. The potential cow loss and participant dropout during an experiment also are indicated. General procedures are suggested to increase the number and reliability of inferences which can be drawn from field trials.
Demand for different qualities of service for Internet access: a review of INDEX findings

The Internet Demand Experiment (INDEX) is a market experiment to measure demand for Internet access as a function of Quality of Service (QoS), pricing scheme and application. INDEX subjects choose their desired network services from a menu of QoS–price offerings, which currently consists of different bandwidth–price choices, and they pay for their usage of the network services. The approximately 70 subjects currently in the experiment include faculty, staff and students of the University of California, Berkeley. This paper describes the objectives and experimental design and summarizes the findings to date from the first four experiments conducted under the INDEX project. This paper also characterizes the INDEX subject pool using demographic data collected. Overall, the INDEX findings indicate that usage is responsive to price signals, although the degree of responsiveness varies widely across users. The INDEX findings also show that the INDEX subject pool is heterogeneous in many respects, including individual–specific valuations of time and convenience. In addition, we conclude that users prefer a pricing scheme in which they pay a flat-rate for basic service and have access to higher bandwidths that they can use on demand. We also find that when usage is free of marginal usage charges, users tend to transmit significantly greater volume than when usage is priced at the margin, which lends further support to the implementation of the suggested pricing scheme.