cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New treatment options for irritable bowel syndrome with predominant diarrhea.

Purpose of review Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a highly prevalent gastrointestinal disorder with negative impact on quality of life and it represents a substantial economic burden on healthcare cost. The medical management of IBS remains largely symptomatic. This review provides an update related to the most recently published diagnostic Rome IV criteria for IBS and clinical trial data for novel treatment modalities in IBS targeting the peripheral opioid receptors of the enteric nervous system and the gut microbiota. Recent findings The new Rome IV criteria define functional gastrointestinal disorders as disorders of the gut-brain interaction. In addition to previously introduced pharmacological treatment modalities for IBS with constipation (IBS-C) with synthetic peptides and small molecules targeting gastrointestinal receptors and ion channels, the newly Food and Drug Administration-approved mixed peripheral opioid receptor agonist/antagonist eluxadoline and the nonabsorbable antibiotic rifaximin demonstrate efficacy and safety in the treatment of IBS with predominant diarrhea (IBS-D). Summary Diagnostic criteria for functional gastrointestinal disorders, including IBS, have been revised in Rome IV and are defined as gut-brain disorders. The mixed peripheral opioid receptor agonist/antagonist eluxadoline and the antibiotic rifaximin have been recently Food and Drug Administration approved for the treatment of diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D) with proven efficacy and acceptable side-effect profiles.
Uniaxial anisotropic material measurement using a single port waveguide probe

A single port waveguide probe (SPWP), non-destructive material measurement system is developed to measure uniaxial anisotropic media. A moment method technique employing a uniaxial parallel plate Green's function is used for extracting dielectric material properties. Simulated and measured uniaxial samples are evaluated to judge system performance.
Cell Calcium special issue: Preface.

The enclosed submission is a Preface for the Cell Calcium Special Issue devoted to the proceedings of the ‘International Conference on Calcium Signaling: from stores to channels’. The conference was held in honor of Dr. James W. Putney who published his seminal work on the hypothesis on Capacitative Calcium Entry (CCE) in Cell Calcium in 1986.Thirty years later, attendees at the conference presented state-of-the-art research on calcium signaling from basic molecular and cellular mechanisms to the physiological and clinical relevance of the process. This Special Issue of Cell Calcium is intended to present much of the exciting work discussed at the conference, illustrating the depth and breadth of our understanding of CCE and calcium signaling.This submission contains a written Preface and is accompanied by three figures. Separately, an image will be sent to the journal offices for its consideration and use on the front cover of this Special issue.
Broadband photonic quantum interface based on a cavity-protected rare-earth ensemble (Conference Presentation)

Rare-earth ions doped in crystals are renowned for their excellent coherence properties and large inhomogeneous broadening, which make them ideal for quantum interfaces with broadband photons. These properties have made them one of the leading technologies in quantum optical memories and a promising candidate for optical-to-microwave conversion. To take advantage of the full bandwidth of the rare-earth ensemble, one must overcome the decoherence of a broadband collective excitation due to inhomogeneous broadening. To this end, techniques based on controllable rephasing, such as atomic frequency comb (AFC) or controlled reversible inhomogeneous broadening (CRIB) memories, have been developed with great success. Recently, an alternative method was proposed to suppress the decoherence of an inhomogeneous ensemble via strong coupling to a cavity, a phenomenon called cavity protection. This technique has been demonstrated in the microwave domain with an NV spin ensemble, but has not been demonstrated in the optical domain. Here, we demonstrate cavity protection in the optical domain at the single photon level using an ensemble of rare earths ions coupled to a nanophotonic resonator. The reduction in decoherence due to the cavity-protection effect enables transfer of ultrafast (~50 GHz) frequency qubits into the collective ion excitation and retrieval with 98.7% fidelity. Building on these results to transfer these excitations to long-lived spin states would enable broadband, on-demand quantum memories. Furthermore, this works compliments the work done coupling rare-earths to superconducting resonators in the microwave regime with potential for applications in optical-to-microwave transducers.
Intellectual Property and Universities: A Path Forward [Point of View]

During the past three decades there has been an increasing focus on the commercialization of technologies developed by academe. Prior to this, research funding by the U.S. Government was skewed toward pure science and mention of commercialization was viewed negatively more often than not. Today’s research funding landscape has reversed the negative view of commercialization, with many Requests for Proposals having specific requirements toward commercialization assessments. This change in mindset has dramatically increased the importance of intellectual property (IP) created by academic research. In fact, most universities have Technology Transfer Offices actively seeking commercialization opportunities for IP created through research activities. The impact of commercialization focus has also affected funding beyond universities. Startup efforts leveraging university IP have become commonplace, with the number of funding mechanisms increasing dramatically. Corporate engagement and interest in university research has evolved as well through the creation of consortia that have expanded the interconnection between industry and academe beyond sponsored research projects. The role of university Technology Transfer Offices has had to evolve to accommodate business engagements at startup and corporate levels, leading to a complex IP landscape that involves universities, startups, and large industrial players. The education of future researchers remains the prime directive of universities, while corporate/startup recruiting is, and will continue to be, a critical component to the relationship between business and academe. Through this Point of View contribution, we provide insight into the cycle of university IP and funding that has evolved through increased commercialization focus for research technologies, highlighting and the resulting relationships between academe, startups, and corporations and offer our opinions on how the future of universities and intellectual property should evolve. Two university IP-based startups from our personal experience are then described to provide examples of possible paths for such efforts.
A framework for the identification of full-field structural dynamics using sequences of images in the presence of non-ideal operating conditions:

Recent developments in the ability to automatically and efficiently extract natural frequencies, damping ratios, and full-field mode shapes from video of vibrating structures has great potential fo...
Permutation methods

Permutation tests are a paradox of old and new. Permutation tests pre-date most traditional parametric statistics, but only recently have become part of the mainstream discussion regarding statistical testing. Permutation tests follow a permutation or 'conditional on errors' model whereby a test statistic is computed on the observed data, then 1 the data are permuted over all possible arrangements of the data-an exact permutation test; 2 the data are used to calculate the exact moments of the permutation distribution-a moment approximation permutation test; or 3 the data are permuted over a subset of all possible arrangements of the data-a resampling approximation permutation test. The earliest permutation tests date from the 1920s, but it was not until the advent of modern day computing that permutation tests became a practical alternative to parametric statistical tests. In recent years, permutation analogs of existing statistical tests have been developed. These permutation tests provide noteworthy advantages over their parametric counterparts for small samples and populations, or when distributional assumptions cannot be met. Unique permutation tests have also been developed that allow for the use of Euclidean distance rather than the squared Euclidean distance that is typically employed in parametric tests. This overview provides a chronology of the development of permutation tests accompanied by a discussion of the advances in computing that made permutation tests feasible. Attention is paid to the important differences between 'population models' and 'permutation models', and between tests based on Euclidean and squared Euclidean distances. WIREs Comp Stat 2011 3 527-542 DOI: 10.1002/wics.177
Biomechanics and Pathobiology of Aortic Aneurysms

Biomechanical weakening of the aorta leads to aneurysm formation and/or dissection and total biomechanical failure results in rupture, which is often fatal. The most common aneurysm is the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) whereas thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) involve the ascending or descending segments of the aorta. Biomechanical strength of the aorta is maintained in part via balance between the integrity of the aortic medial and adventitial extracellular matrix and the health of the mural cells. From a biomechanical perspective, aneurysms rupture or dissect when wall stresses locally exceed the wall strength. Pathobiologic mechanisms, pre-disposing disorders and variability of patient demographic characteristics can weaken the aortic wall while increased blood pressure and dilatation increase the stress acting on it, leading to further aneurysm expansion. Thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms arise from very different pathophysiologies that ultimately result in a final common outcome of matrix degeneration and biomechanical failure. Therefore, the patient-specific knowledge of both wall stress and wall strength distributions for a given aneurysm will greatly improve the ability to identify those aortic aneurysms that are at highest risk of rupture. Towards this end, the biomechanics of AAA has been studied extensively by many groups whereas TAA biomechanics has not been fully considered. This chapter articulates the state-of-the-art of aortic biomechanics, including the modeling of tensile strength and wall stress distributions and the biological mechanisms which influence them. The potential clinical utility of these biomechanical estimates in predicting AAA rupture is also discussed.
Problem solving through programming: motivating the non-programmer

Among the toughest challenges in an introductory computer science course is the need to motivate non-programmers to learn how to program. The United States Military Academy includes as part of its core curriculum an introductory course to Information Technology which is required for all first year students. This course provides the foundation for students to learn about problem solving through computing. Motivating students to learn and comprehend these concepts, especially those with no intrinsic desire to program can certainly present a series of challenges. We have recently employed three techniques to help motivate the learner: the use of a visual design tool, incorporating graphics into programming exercises and a system to provide immediate testing feedback for a completed program solution. Our initial results indicate that the use of visual tools and exercises enhances students' learning and drives them to better achieve a solution to an assigned problem. Furthermore, we have discovered that students feel a better sense of accomplishment when they can execute an automated test plan and receive instant confirmation of whether or not their solution is correct.
Cytotoxic and mutagenic properties of O6-alkyl-2'-deoxyguanosine lesions in Escherichia coli cells.

Environmental exposure and cellular metabolism can give rise to DNA alkylation, which can occur on the nitrogen and oxygen atoms of nucleobases, as well as on the phosphate backbone. Although O6-alkyl-2′-deoxyguanosine (O6-alkyl-dG) lesions are known to be associated with cancer, not much is known about how the alkyl group structures in these lesions affect their repair and replicative bypass in vivo or how translesion synthesis DNA polymerases influence the latter process. To answer these questions, here we synthesized oligodeoxyribonucleotides harboring seven O6-alkyl-dG lesions, with the alkyl group being Me, Et, nPr, iPr, nBu, iBu, or sBu, and examined the impact of these lesions on DNA replication in Escherichia coli cells. We found that replication past all the O6-alkyl-dG lesions was highly efficient and that SOS-induced DNA polymerases play redundant roles in bypassing these lesions. Moreover, these lesions directed exclusively the G → A mutation, the frequency of which increased with the size of the alkyl group on the DNA. This could be attributed to the varied repair efficiencies of these lesions by O6-alkylguanine DNA alkyltransferase (MGMT) in cells, which involve the MGMT Ogt and, to a lesser extent, Ada. In conclusion, our study provides important new knowledge about the repair of the O6-alkyl-dG lesions and their recognition by the E. coli DNA replication machinery. Our results suggest that the lesions' carcinogenic potentials may be attributed, at least in part, to their strong mutagenic potential and their efficient bypass by the DNA replication machinery.
Transformed Spiked Covariance Completion for Time Series Estimation

In this paper, we address the problem of estimating a noisy, incomplete time series of a dynamical system with an unknown state evolution. The technique that we will present is transformed spiked covariance completion (TSCC), a matrix completion method for signal estimation. This method exploits the spiked covariance model of the underlying signal to develop a linear estimator that is resilient to noise. We discuss the conditions in the signal model for which this technique is applicable and compare this method against other state-of-the-art time series estimation techniques with a numerical example. Our algorithm gives estimates that are more robust to noise in comparison to the current state-of-the-art techniques that address this same estimation problem.
Urea can inhibit efficient reduction and alkylation of protein dimers in solution demonstrated by the beta subunit of alpha glucosidase II.

Abstract Protein reduction and alkylation is routinely used for analysis of protein dimers and protein complexes in cell fractions using two dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. To resolve the heterogeneity of a high molecular weight protein band that is highlighted by an antibody to the beta subunit of alpha glucosidase II (GIIβ), we performed reduction and alkylation of cytosolic proteins extracted from mouse brain. The presence of urea in the reduction/alkylation buffer inhibited the chemical processes. It is thus recommended that protein reduction/alkylation be performed both in the presence and absence of urea for the separation of mono-/hetero-mers.
Divergent effects of brief contemplative practices in response to an acute stressor: A randomized controlled trial of brief breath awareness, loving-kindness, gratitude or an attention control practice

Mindfulness practices are increasingly being utilized as a method for cultivating well-being. The term mindfulness is often used as an umbrella for a variety of different practices and many mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) contain multiple styles of practice. Despite the diversity of practices within MBIs, few studies have investigated whether constituent practices produce specific effects. We randomized 156 undergraduates to one of four brief practices: breath awareness, loving-kindness, gratitude, or to an attention control condition. We assessed practice effects on affect following brief training, and effects on affect and behavior after provocation with a stressor (i.e., Cold pressor test). Results indicate that gratitude training significantly improved positive affect compared to breath awareness (d = 0.58) and loving-kindness led to significantly greater reductions in implicit negative affect compared to the control condition (d = 0.59) immediately after brief practice. In spite of gains in positive affect, the gratitude group demonstrated increased reactivity to the stressor, reporting the CPT as significantly more aversive than the control condition (d = 0.46) and showing significantly greater increases in negative affect compared to the breath awareness, loving-kindness, and control groups (ds = 0.55, 0.60, 0.65, respectively). Greater gains in implicit positive affect following gratitude training predicted decreased post-stressor likability ratings of novel neutral faces compared to breath awareness, loving-kindness, and control groups (ds = - 0.39, -0.40, -0.33, respectively) as well. Moreover, the gratitude group was significantly less likely to donate time than the loving-kindness group in an ecologically valid opportunity to provide unrewarded support. These data suggest that different styles of contemplative practice may produce different effects in the context of brief, introductory practice and these differences may be heightened by stress. Implications for the study of contemplative practices are discussed.
Uncollided flux techniques for arbitrary finite element meshes

Abstract The uncollided angular flux can be difficult to compute accurately in discrete-ordinate radiation transport codes, especially in weakly-scattering configurations with localized sources. It has long been recognized that an analytical or semi-analytical treatment of the uncollided flux, coupled with a discrete-ordinate solution for the collided flux, can yield dramatic improvements in solution accuracy and computational efficiency. In this paper, we present such an algorithm for the semi-analytical calculation of the uncollided flux. This algorithm is unique in several aspects: (1) it applies to arbitrary polyhedral cells (and can be thus coupled with collided flux solvers that support arbitrary polyhedral meshes without the need for explicit tetrahedral re-meshing), (2) it provides accurate uncollided solutions near sources, (3) it is devised with parallel implementation in mind, and (4) it minimizes the total number of traced rays and maintains a reasonable ray density on each local subdomain. This paper provides a complete derivation of the algorithm and demonstrates its important features on a set of simple examples and a standard transport benchmark. Assessment of its parallel performance will be the subject of a subsequent paper.
Urban parks as spaces to pursue virtuous character, friendship, and contemplation: an Aristotelian perspective.

AbstractGiven the complexity of meaning of urban parks in our lives, philosophical inquiry may provide a way to help understand what good urban parks are and what role urban parks can play in peopl...
Aims of a Community-Based Research Program

Clearly, research plays a key role in community-based health work. Understanding the health needs of a community is vital to the success of any healthcare project. From an organizational perspective, however, the focus of a research program is often methodological. That is, developing scientifically sound data collection instruments is often the focus. However, such an emphasis leaves little room for appreciating how knowledge is socially produced and legitimized. Moreover, an overemphasis on methodological concerns can diminish the ability of researchers to appreciate the underlying assumptions of a community’s world-view and frustrate their entrance to that world. In this chapter, by Steven L. Arxer, examines the philosophical and practical considerations of implementing a research program in health projects that preserves the knowledge production of community members.
Ecosystem Nitrogen Response to a Simulated Ice Storm in a Northern Hardwood Forest

Ice storms are important but understudied disturbances that influence forest structure and function. In 1998, an ice storm damaged forest canopies and led to increased hydrologic losses of nitrogen (N) from the northern hardwood forest at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), a Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site in New Hampshire, USA. To evaluate the mechanisms underlying this response, we experimentally simulated ice storms with different frequencies and severities at the small plot scale. We took measurements of plant and soil variables before (2015) and after (2016, 2017) treatments using the same methods used in 1998 with a focus on hydrologic and gaseous losses of reactive N, as well as rates of soil N cycle processes. Nitrogen cycle responses to the treatments were insignificant and less marked than the responses to the 1998 natural ice storm. Pools and leaching of inorganic N, net and gross mineralization and nitrification and denitrification rates, and soil to atmosphere fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O) were unaffected by the treatments, in contrast to the 1998 storm which caused marked increases in leaching and watershed export of inorganic N. The difference in response may be a manifestation of N oligotrophication that has occurred at the HBEF over the past 30 years. Results suggest that ecosystem response to disturbances, such as ice storms, is changing due to aspects of global environmental change, challenging our ability to understand and predict the effects of these events on ecosystem structure, function, and services.
Chapter 19 – Nesjavellir and Hellisheidi Plants, Iceland

Iceland has the highest per capita concentration of geothermal energy of any country in the world. Geothermal energy contributes 62% of Iceland’s primary energy needs. This chapter reviews the geology of Iceland that is responsible for the abundant geothermal resources in the country and continues on to discuss the Nesjavellir and Hellisheidi plants in the country. The Nesjavellir power plant was originally built to supply hot water to Reykjavik. Generation of electricity began in 1998. The operation of the combined heat-power plant is reviewed in detail and includes technical specifications for the various units at the facility. After the Nesjavellir plant was fully exploited in 2005, attention turned to the Hellisheidi field, which proved to be even larger in capacity than Nesjavellir. The development and technical details of this plant are subsequently discussed in detail.
Does Technology Lower the Cost of Education without Reducing Quality? A Financial Modeling Approach to Flipping the Classroom: Appendices

Colleges and universities are rapidly expanding their use of technology to flip courses, where at least some of the content delivered synchronously in a traditional class is converted to asynchronous materials (e.g., recorded videos) the students learn from online in lieu of attending class. Flipped courses offer the potential to improve the quality of education and lower the cost of delivering it. However, the question of whether flipped courses are fulfilling this potential remains unanswered. I address this gap in the literature by developing a model that compares the cost of a flipped course to its traditional version. The model solves the problem of comparing the uneven cost structure of a flipped course, with its large upfront investment in asynchronous materials followed by lower subsequent costs because of the reduction in synchronous sessions, to its traditional version, with its relatively constant cost per offering. With this model, a new pooled cross-section database consisting of 2,060 students enrolled in seven cohorts over a six-year period, and the application of rigorous educational-quality metrics, I test the hypothesis of whether technology lowers the cost of education without diminishing quality. I report consistent evidence of a significant decrease (36% on average) in the cost of developing and delivering a flipped course relative to its traditional version without a reduction in quality. I also show the circumstances under which a flipped course can be more expensive than its traditional version, and demonstrate how the model can be a practical tool for deciding when it makes sense to invest in technology and how to do so. Link to appendix: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3695111
Mean Stress and Environmental Effects on Near Threshold Fatigue Crack Growth

The effect of mean stress and environment on the threshold and near threshold fatigue crack propagation behavior has been studied for D6ac steel and for 7050-T73651 aluminum. Fatigue crack propagation experiments were conducted in the range of 10 - 7 to 10 - 9 in./cycle (2.5 x 10 - 9 to 2.5 x 10 - 1 1 m/cycle) at 375 Hz. A mean stress effect on the threshold stress intensity factor range, ΔK t h , is only observed for low mean stresses, in the regime of the minimum stress intensity factor, K m i n , 0≤K m i n ≤2 ksi √in. (2.2 MN/m 3 / 2 ), typically 0≤R ≤0.5. For higher values of K m i n , the fatigue crack propagation threshold is controlled by ΔK t h . For the high test frequency used, no effects of humid argon and room air as compared to a dry argon environment were observed on the fatigue crack propagation threshold ΔK t h . Environmental effects were noted in the near threshold region. For D6ac steel room air produced the highest crack propagation rate while dry and wet argon produced identical but lower crack propagation rates for the same ΔK values. For 7050-T73651 alumium both wet argon and room air environments produced the highest crack propagation rates, while dry argon produced lower crack propagation rates. Changing the test frequency for 375 to 100 Hz had no noticeable effect on the threshold and near threshold region results for D6ac steel in room air but in dry argon 100 Hz gave slightly higher crack propagation rates with respect to 375 Hz.
Structure-Function Analysis of ACC Oxidase by Site-Directed Mutagenesis

Ethylene is a plant hormone that profoundly influences many diverse aspects of plant growth and development. The ethylene production rate of vegetative tissues and immature flowers and fruits is barely detectable and remains so until the tissue is stressed by abiotic or biotic factors of the environment. Developmentally regulated gene expression accelerates ethylene production in an organ specific and temporal manner as in ripening and senescence. The key enzymes of ethylene biosynthesis are 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase (ACC synthase) and ACC oxidase. Carbon dioxide at concentrations commonly found in the intercellular air space of plant tissues, activates ACC oxidase to produce ethylene. Both the biosynthesis and action of ethylene are modulated by the concentration of carbon dioxide, oxygen, and ethylene in the plant cell. The effect of CO2 on directly modulating ethylene biosynthesis by activating ACC oxidase may have important consequences in affecting plant growth and development by regulating the intercellular ethylene concentration.
Temperature and density structure of the corona and inner solar wind

A combined theoretical and observational approach is used to construct models of the inner corona applicable to quiet open-field regions and coronal holes. These models, extending from the top of the transition region at about 1.003 solar radii out to 3 solar radii, are calculated by employing parameters that describe the coronal geometry and heating. Thermal conductivity, heating, radiative losses, and solar-wind convection are included in the full energy-balance equation, which is integrated to obtain density and temperature models; the unknown heating term is parameterized in terms of the mechanical flux incident at the base and the characteristic scale height for the dissipation of this flux; and boundary conditions at the base are fixed by EUV-derived models of the transition region. Two representative models, one for a coronal hole and one for a quiet region, are examined in detail as illustrative examples of the technique used. It is noted that the models obtained predict most of the pertinent observations reasonably well but significantly overestimate the radio emission at 80 and 160 MHz and significantly underestimate the intensity of the Fe XV line at 284 A, especially in coronal holes.
The New Palgrave: Finance

The New Palgrave: Finance (W.W. Norton, New York, 1989) reprints a selection of entries from the The New Palgrave, A Dictionary of Economics, edited by John Eatwell, Murray Milgate, and Peter Newman. This is one of several such volumes serving readers in different areas of economics. For this volume, the editors have chosen 30 essays and added a general preface for the series as well as a special preface. Combined with brief biographies of the contributors, the volume takes up about 280 pages of interesting reading. I will make some generally negative comments about the representativeness of the entires and add a few disconnected remarks on points that I found noteworthy or amusing. Without reading the general preface, researchers in the field of finance might be puzzled by the selection of entries. There is a tremendous amount of overlap and little in the way of empirical information. For example, the Capital Asset Pricing Model of Sharpe (19641, Lintner (196.51, and Mossin (1965) is derived in no less than five entries, with no specific econometric results beyond references to the empirical literature. There are four reasonably complete discussions of backwardation in futures markets (again, no test results), and numerous summaries of the Modigliani-Miller (1958,1961) propositions on the irrelevance, under suitable conditions, of corporate financial policy. The Black-Scholes (1973) option pricing formula is also a favorite. At least the repetition centers mainly on important results. The volume’s unusual orientation turns out to be by design. As the editors point out, The New Palgrave is concerned chiefly with theory. As far as the degree of overlap, they state (p. viii): ‘For a controversial topic, a set of more or less synonymous headwords, matched by a broad diversity of contributors, was designed to produce enough diversity of opinion to help form the reader’s own synthesis.. . ’ In other words, the intention was to provide diversity through the selection of contributors rather than topics. Personally, I did not find the topics in this volume particularly controversial, and the editors apparent goal of generating some interesting differences of opinion
Conformally Invariant Field Theories in Two Dimensions

The talk of Dr. Curtright dealt primarily with properties of the Liouville quantum field theory in two-dimensional spacetime. The material in the talk may be found in a series of papers by Dr. Curtright and his collaborators. Those papers are: “Conformally Covariant Quantization of the Liouville Theory,” T. Curtright and C. Thorn, Phys. Rev. Lett. 48 (1982) 1309. “Quantum Backlund Transformation for the Liouville Theory,” E. Braaten, T. Curtright, and C. Thorn, Phys. Lett. 118B (1982) 115. “An Exact Operator Solution of the Quantum Liouville Field Theory,” E. Braaten, T. Curtright, and C. Thorn, Ann. Phys. (NY) 147 (1983) 365. “A Class of Conformally Invariant Quantum Field Theories,” E. Braaten, T. Curtright, G. Ghandour, and C. Thorn, Phys. Lett. 125B (1983) 301. “Nonperturbative Weak-coupling Analysis of the Liouville Quantum Field Theory,” E. Braaten, T. Curtright, G. Ghandour, and C. Thorn, Phys. Rev. Lett. 51 (1983) 19. “Nonperturbative Weak-coupling Analysis of the Quantum Liouville Field Theory,” E. Braaten, T. Curtright, G. Ghandour, and C. Thorn, Ann. Phys. (NY) to appear (1984).
Censoring in Astronomical Data Due to Nondetections

Astronomical surveys often involve observations of preselected samples of stars or galaxies at new wavebands. Due to limited sensitivities, some objects may be undetected, leading to upper limits in their derived luminosities. Statistically, these are left-censored data points. We review the nature of this problem in astronomy, the successes and limitations of using established “survival analysis” univariate and bivariate statistical techniques and discuss the need for further methodological development. In particular, astronomical censored data sets are often subject to experimentally known measurement errors (which are used to set censoring levels), may suffer simultaneous censoring in several variables, and may have particular “quasirandom” censoring patterns and parametric distributions.
A two-dimensional image model based on occlusion and maximum entropy

This paper provides new insights into the formation of two-dimensional image autocorrelation functions. We model an image as a maximum-entropy composition of individual occluding object images that have random positions, shapes and intensities. We derive the autocorrelation function of this image model, give an example, and comment on the reasonableness of the frequently-made assumptions of autocovariance separability and isotropy.
The Electrochemical Future

The future of technological man in the early 1970’s looks bleak. Just at the moment when he has so much going for him, and when an end to compulsory work for most of the population (abundant electricity from solar or atomic sources, plus a programmed control of industrial processes) appears as a real possibility not in some remote future, but perhaps for one’s children’s children, he has developed a case of future shock. He wants to eliminate much of the science and technology which are his main weapons in dealing with the technological world to which he is now so tightly connected. The fact that this turn of mood has come upon the most technologically powerful nation, to which country so many others look for technological leadership, is a misfortune the damage from which will not be confined to the United States. The point is that the present technology, coupled to the present population, disbalances natural processes and exhausts materials.
Recent Advances in White-Light Image Processing

Publisher Summary The basic principle of a white-light image processor is very suitable for color image processing. This chapter describes a technique that permits certain image processing operations to be carried out by a spectrally broadband light source––white light. This method is capable of performing image processing that obeys the concept of coherent light. The proposed white-light image processing system is linear in complex amplitude. The white-light processor is operating in a partially coherent mode so the image can be processed in complex amplitude. The coherence requirement for white-light image processing is analyzed through the partial coherence theory. Some of the recent advances in white-light image processing—such as the advantage of capacity, color, simplicity, and cost—are also described in the chapter. The color image deblurring, color image subtraction, color image retrieval, and pseudocolor encoding can be easily carried out by the proposed white-light processing technique. The white-light image processing operations can be evaluated from the stand point of conventional linear systems.
Nebulized hypertonic saline treatment in hospitalized children with moderate to severe viral bronchiolitis

The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of frequently inhaled nebulized hypertonic saline (HS) in infants with moderate to severe bronchiolitis. One hundred and twenty-six infants were randomized to receive either nebulized 3% hypertonic saline (HS) or 0.9% normal saline (NS), but only 112 patients completed the whole study. Cough, wheezing, pulmonary physical signs, clinical severity scores and the hospital length of stay (LOS) were recorded. The wheezing remission time was 4.8 ± 1.0 days in the NS group and 3.6 ± 0.9 days in the HS group (p <0.01). The cough remission time was 5.5 ± 0.9 days in the NS group and 4.3 ± 0.7 days in the HS group (p <0.01). The moist crackles disappeared at 6.2 ± 0.7 days in the NS group and at 4.4 ± 0.9 days in the HS group (p <0.01). The clinical severity scores decreased more significantly in the HS group than in the NS group on each day within 96 h after enrolment (p <0.01). The LOS decreased from 6.4 ± 1.4 days in the NS group to 4.8 ± 1.2 days in the HS group (p <0.01). The treatment was well tolerated, with no adverse effects attributable to nebulized HS. The conclusions are that frequently inhaled HS relieved symptoms and signs faster than NS, and shortened LOS significantly for infants with moderate to severe bronchiolitis, without apparent adverse effects.
Physical activity and mental health in the United States and Canada : Evidence from four population surveys

Secondary analysis of four surveys was carried out in order to examine the association of physical activity and various aspects of mental health in the household populations of the United States and Canada. Level of physical activity was shown to be positively associated with general well-being, lower levels of anxiety and depression, and positive mood. This relationship is independent of the effects of socioeconomic status and physical health, and described younger and older members of both sexes. The association is particularly strong for women and persons age 40 years and over. The robustness of this conclusion stems from the nature of the data sources: four population samples in two countries over the span of 10 years in which physical activity levels were assessed by four techniques and psychological status was assessed by six distinct scales. Although the surveys are cross-sectional, the most plausible explanation for the results is that physical activity enhances mental health in certain respects. Data on the comparative effects of recreation and housework suggest that quality of time, and not mere energy expenditure, must be taken into account in attempts to explain the psychological benefits of physical activity.
Bacterial orchitis and epididymo-orchitis in broiler breeders.

Two cases of orchitis and epididymo-orchitis in broiler breeders are described. The first case occurred in a 62-week-old rooster showing signs of breeding inactivity. Grossly, the left testis was abnormally shaped and had multiple yellow foci, prominent blood vessels, and a gelatinous mass on the surface. The right testis and other tissues appeared normal. A pure, heavy growth of Staphylococcus aureus was obtained on bacterial culture, and intralesional Gram-positive cocci were numerous on histopathology. The second case occurred in a 28-week-old rooster that was found dead. Both testes were abnormally shaped, swollen, firm, and had irregular, dark, depressed areas, prominent vessels, and multiple petechial haemorrhages. Epididymides were enlarged and nodular. Other lesions in this rooster included poor nutritional condition, distended cloaca, and urate scalding of the abdominal skin below the vent. Microscopically, there was extensive, severe heterophilic intratubular orchitis and epididymitis with intra...
Assessment of sedimentation processes determined from side-scan sonar surveys in the Buffalo River, New York, USA

An assessment of sedimentation processes was made using side-scan sonar records collected over a 15-year period in the Buffalo River, New York, USA. Spatial and temporal changes in natural and man-made bedforms documented sediment erosion, slumping, and sediment depositional sites. Bedforms and sediment texture were used to divide the mapped portion of the river (9 km) into four sedimentary environments, with Section 1 at the upper end and Section 4 near the mouth where the river discharges into the east end of Lake Erie. Based on annual changes in side-scan sonar records, depositional rates decrease in the downriver direction. Section 2, located 5 km from the river’s mouth, contains sedimentary furrows. The persistence of furrows in this portion of the river requires both sediment erosion and deposition under a bidirectional flow regime. Results from this study confirmed that side-scan sonar is a valuable tool in understanding sediment dynamics and can be useful in river restoration decision making.
The pharmacokinetics of sertraline excretion into human breast milk: determinants of infant serum concentrations.

Background: The purpose of this study was to attain a new landmark in the area of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor therapy during lactation by establishing a basis for interpreting infant serum concentrations and for minimizing infant exposure in the absence of treatment-emergent side effects. Method: Breast milk and paired maternal and infant sera were collected following maternal treatment with sertraline monotherapy (25-200 mg/ day) administered once daily. Sertraline and its major metabolite were measured in breast milk and serum samples using high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (limit of detection = 2 ng/mL). Results: Twenty-six nursing women with DSM-IV major depressive disorder participated in the study; the mean (SD) daily sertraline dose was 123.9 (62.8) mg/day. Fifteen women submitted 182 breast milk samples for analysis of gradient (foremilk to hindmilk) and time course of medication excretion. The milk/plasma ratio was highly variable (range, 0.42-4.81). A significant gradient and time course of excretion for both sertraline (p <.001 for both) and desmethylsertraline (p <.001 for gradient and p <.046 for time course) were observed, with the highest concentrations observed in the hindmilk 8 to 9 hours after maternal ingestion. Mathematical modeling of sertraline and desmethylsertraline excretion revealed that discarding breast milk 9 hours after maternal dose decreased the infant daily dose of sertraline by a mean of 17.1% (1.8%). Twenty-two mother/infant sera pairs were obtained. Sertraline was detectable in 4 infants (18% of sample), and desmethylsertraline was found in 11 infants (50% of sample). The mean (SD) maximum calculated nursing infant dose of sertraline, 0.67 (0.61) mg/day, and desmethylsertraline, 1.44 (1.36) mg/day, represented 0.54% (0.49%) of the maternal daily dose. The maximum infant dose of desmethylsertraline (p <.002) significantly correlated with infant serum desmethylsertraline concentrations (ng/mL). In contrast, maternal daily dose, duration of medication exposure, and infant age and weight at sampling did not correlate with either detectability (< 2 ng/mL vs. ≥ 2 ng/mL) or absolute concentrations (ng/mL) in infant serum. No adverse events were reported or documented in any infant. Conclusion: These results extend previous studies by demonstrating the utility of breast milk analysis in interpreting infant serum concentrations and minimizing infant exposure.
REORIENTATION DYNAMICS WITHIN ION-PAIRED ALLYLIC LITHIUM COMPOUNDS : ISOLATION OF INVERSION PROCESSES

Among the several ion−ion reorientational processes that take place within several newly studied allylic lithium compounds, the dynamics of transfer of TMEDA-coordinated lithium between the two allyl faces has been determined independently by use of 13C NMR line shape studies of diastereotopic geminal methylsilyl groups strategically incorporated close to the chiral lithium in the organometallic species. With increasing temperature, the 13C shift between these methyls is progressively averaged due to faster rates of lithium transfer (inversion). Typical ΔH⧧ values of 5−7 kcal·mol-1 with ΔS⧧ = ca. −20 eu are encountered. A faster process, the reorientation of coordinated TMEDA on one side of the allyl plane, has been monitored from the NCH3 13C resonance of TMEDA-coordinated Li+, with ΔH⧧ = 7 kcal·mol-1 and ΔS⧧ = ca. −12 eu.
PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS OF CORTICOSTEROID-RELATED HYPERGLYCEMIA IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients receiving corticosteroids, which have been identified as an independent predictor of hyperglycemia. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of electronic medical records of patients admitted to the general medicine service at a university hospital during a 1-month period. Pharmacy charges were used to identify patients receiving high doses (³ 40 mg/day of prednisone or the equivalent) of corticosteroids for at least 2 days. Occurrence of hyperglycemia and the presence of risk factors, including history of diabetes, duration of corticosteroid therapy, concurrent parenteral nutrition, antibiotic therapy, use of medications associated with hyperglycemia, severity of illness scores, and hospital length of stay, were determined. Patients experiencing multiple episodes of hyperglycemia (glucose levels ³ 200 mg/dL) were compared with those who had £ 1 hyperglycemic episode. Patients without a history of d...
Temporal properties of drop breakup in the shear breakup regime

Abstract The temporal properties of drop breakup in the shear breakup regime were studied using pulsed shadowgraphy and holography for shock wave disturbances in air at normal temperature and pressure. Test conditions included Weber numbers of 125–375, Ohnesorge numbers of 0.003–0.040, liquid/gas density ratios of 670–990 and Reynolds numbers of 3000–12000. The size distributions of drops produced by breakup satisfied Simmons' universal root normal distribution function at each instant of time, with Sauter mean diameters independent of surface tension that exhibited transient and quasi-steady regimes as a function of time. The velocity distribution functions of drops produced by breakup were uniform, with mean drop velocities somewhat larger than the velocity of the parent drop and rms drop velocity fluctuations of 30–40% of the mean streamwise velocity of the gas relative to the parent drop, at each instant of time. The rate of liquid removal from the parent drop was correlated reasonably well by a clipped Gaussian function. The measurements showed that shear breakup is not a localized event; instead, it extends over streamwise distances of 0–100 initial drop diameters, which suggests that it should be treated as a rate process, rather than by jump conditions, in some instances.
Peculiar motions of Abell clusters in compact groups

An estimator (measure) of the observed pair redshift velocity variance, E((σ v ) 2 ) = (σ R ) 2 - 1/2(σ T ) 2 , is evaluated from the observed separation vectors of Abell clusters, resolved into a component in (a) the redshift direction, R, and (b) the plane of the sky, T = √(x 2 + y 2 ), analysed with allowance for edges in the survey regions. Several statistical samples are studied including rich groups containing five or more clusters identified individually by a procedure that applies linkage of separation vectors of length ≤ 42 Mpc followed by a 3σ statistical test on consecutive differences of ordered coordinates
On the Performance of Decentralized Detection under Transmission Constraints

We consider the problem of distributed detection in a wireless network consisting of a large number of sensors having either ideal or non-ideal communication links to their respective fusion or relay node. The detection performance is characterized under a Neyman-Pearson framework using a parallel configuration and a single-rooted tree with bounded height, where only the leaves are sensors. We show that with conditionally independent observations across sensors, the Type II error exponent for a single-rooted tree of uniform height two can be equivalent to that of a parallel configuration under certain conditions. These conditions include the ability to group sensors into sub-classes, where the observations within a class are conditionally independent and identically distributed, and with binary decision throughout. We then show that a single rooted tree can achieve improved detection performance versus the parallel configuration with the same number of nodes under multipath fading communication links and a constrained transmit power budget in the non-asymptotic regime.