cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Knowledge of Results Precision as a Learning Variable in Motor Skill Acquisition

(1986). Knowledge of Results Precision as a Learning Variable in Motor Skill Acquisition. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport: Vol. 57, No. 2, pp. 170-173.
Computer-aided tools for the design of reactive distillation systems

Abstract During the last five years, there has been increasing interest in conceptual design methods for reactive distillation. Systems at chemical equilibrium are well understood and there is now increasing emphasis on systematic design methods for chemistries and processes that operate at finite rates of reaction. In this article we survey the available design techniques, with emphasis on geometric methods, and point out opportunities for further research. We use the techniques to develop a realistic conceptual design of a reactive distillation column to produce methyl acetate.
Activation of C-type viruses during skin graft rejection in the mouse. Interrelationships between immunostimulation and immunosuppression.

Both mouse-tropic and zenotropic C-type RNA viruses were activated in BALB/c mice during rejection reactions against skin grafts from mice differing at the major histocompatibility locus (A/J) or sharing this locus (DBA/2). Animals that maintained their skin grafts following immunosuppression with antilymphocyte serum (ALS) or cyclophosphamide had a much higher incidence of virus-positivity than animals that did not receive ALS or cyclophosphamide, or that rejected their skin grafts despite immunosuppressive therapy. ALS itself activated type-C viruses from a small proportion of BALB/c mice whereas cyclophosphamide alone did not. Type-C viruses were detected in spleens and regional nodes draining skin-graft sites between 1 and 2 weeks following transplantation; thereafter they reached maximum titers in spleens. Viruses were not detected at skin-graft sites, in tails or in thymuses of grafted animals. Virus activation was associated with splenic histological changes consisting of germinal center formation, diffuse hyperplasia of reticulum cells, depletion of periarteriolar lymphocytes and hyperplasia of red pulp hematopoietic elements.
Evidence of common regularities in the composition of pentose nucleic acids.

Abstract 1. 1. The results of a survey of the nucleotide composition of pentose nucleic acids (PNA) have been presented. The material analyzed included whole tissues and various subcellular fractions derived from beef, rat and frog liver and kidney, from sea urchin eggs and embryos, and from several microorganisms. 2. 2. It appears characteristics of all preparations studied that the bases with 6-amino groups (adenine, cytosine) and those with 6-keto groups (guanine, uracil) occur in approximately equal number. 3. 3. This regularity was found only when the total PNA of the sample was analyzed. 4. 4. Some of the structural implications of the findings are discussed.
Laboratory Diagnosis of Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia

The characteristics of the currently available platelet function assays (platelet aggregation, serotonin release, and flow cytometry) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays that quantitate antiheparin-platelet factor 4 antibody titers were studied using sera collected from clinically diagnosed heparin-induced thrombocytopenia patients, patients without heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, patients with platelet immune disorders other than heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, and normal individuals. The platelet aggregation assay was less sensitive than the serotonin release assay, which was less sensitive than the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (p < 0.001). Yet heparin-induced thrombocytopenia was identified by platelet aggregation assay in cases where the serotonin release assay and/or the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were negative. Patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis were more often positive than heparin-induced thrombocytopenia patients without thrombosis (p < 0.05). Positive platelet aggregation assay and serotonin release assay results were generally associated with a higher antibody titer; however, a minimum critical titer could not be identified. Over a 30-day period the percentage of positive responses did not change significantly even though clinical symptoms corrected in most heparin-induced thrombocytopenia patients. Multiple testing over several days enhanced the chance of detecting a positive, and combined results of the three assays further enhanced the positive response (p < 0.005). In patients without heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, false-positive results were obtained with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These data demonstrate that there is no direct correlation between the positive responses of these assays, that clinically positive patients can be missed by all assays, and the presence of antibody alone does not determine clinical heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. With these limitations, the combination of aggregation, serotonin release, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay testing with multiple samples offers the best chance of identifying a positive heparin-induced thrombocytopenia patient. Caution is advised for all assays as none is optimal.
Steady state power transmission through a multilayered ferroelectric device with electromechanical dissipation

Abstract This document presents solutions to the ferroelectric wave equation with boundary conditions for a one-dimensional multilayered device. The internal losses of the device are considered through the use of constitutive equations that include the time-dependent response of the materials. The constitutive equations were chosen with T and E as dependent variables so that output power could be calculated readily from the transducer geometry and the load. The results are in agreement with experimental data presented herein.
Oncogenicity of gibbon retrovirus determined by leukemia-specific genomic sequences

Abstract The genome of a type C virus, GaLV-5, isolated from several clinically healthy gibbons, was examined for the presence of nucleotide sequences related to the myelogenous leukemia-specific “MYE” RNA and the lymphocytic leukemia-specific “LYM” RNA which have been isolated from several strains of oncogenic GaLV (L. Sun and T. G. Kawakami, J. Virol. , 35 , 400–408 (1980)). The genomes of these oncogenic GaLVs were each separated into sequences homologous and nonhomologous to GaLV-5. Based on hybridization analysis, the nonhomologous RNA fractions were found to contain either the MYE RNA or the LYM RNA. This indicates that the leukemia-specific RNAs are lacking in the genome of GaLV-5. This lack was further confirmed by analysis of hybridization kinetics. The presence of leukemia-specific RNA sequences in GaLV genomes that were isolated from animals with leukemia and the absence of these sequences in virus strains isolated from animals free of clinical symptoms of leukemia indicate that the leukemia-specific RNA sequences are closely associated with the oncogenesis of leukemia in gibbons.
Platelet-derived growth factor: A key regulator of connective tissue cells in embryogenesis and pathogenesis

Platelet-derived growth factor: A key regulator of connective tissue cells in embryogenesis and pathogenesis. Studies of PDGF-A, PDGF-B and PDGF receptor- β knock-out mice have revealed critical functions for the PDGF-PDGF receptor signaling systems in the ontogeny of connective tissue cells: the mesangial cells of kidney glomeruli and the alveolar smooth muscle cells (SMC) of the lung. The phenotypes of the PDGF mutant mice have also shed light on the identity and functions of these cell types, as well as revealed analogies suggesting that common morphogenetic principles have evolved for use in different organs, involving related growth factors and cell types. Although the lethality of PDGF knock-out mice has not allowed an investigation of the role of PDGF in SMC of the vessel wall, regulation of PDGF and its receptors in adult vessels following injury is consistent with a role for PDGF in the fibroproliferative response in the intima that occurs as part of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. PDGF modulation of connective tissue synthesis may thus be critical to connective tissue phenotype and proliferation in both embryogenesis and pathogenesis.
996-14 Hypoxia-induced Alterations in Gene Expression in Cardiac and Endothelial Cells

Altered gene expression patterns accompany episodes of hypoxia both with and without reoxygenation. We are using cultured cardiac myocyte and endothelial cell models to identify genes that are differentially regulated byoxygen levels. This study employs a PCR-based RNA fingerprinting technique, differential display, that allows the sampling of the effects of hypoxia on gene expression over multiple time points with and without reoxygenation. Differential display was performed using total RNA isolated from cardiac AT-l cells or endothelial cells. Cells were exposed to two main experimental protocols: anoxia for six hours with or without a four hour reoxygenation, or 24 hours of hypoxia (1% oxygen). Oxygen tension in the culture media was monitored using a silver-platinum electrode. Total RNA was isolated and used as the template for reverse transcriptase reactions and subsequent differential display PCR reactions. Three candidate differentially expressed genes have been identified in the initial set of experiments in AT-1 cells. These results suggest that this fingerprinting methodology will enable the identification of oxygen-regulated genes and will increase our understanding of the molecular basis of cellular responses to hypoxia.
Pseudohypoparathyroidism with hypothyroidism: A case report and review of literature

Summary The literature on pseudohypoparathyroidism is reviewed with special emphasis on the association of this disorder with hypothyroidism. A case of pseudohypoparathyroidism with hypothyroidism in a 10-year-old girl is reported. Obesity and mental retardation were the presenting symptoms. The characteristic physical, laboratory, and roentgenological findings of pseudohypoparathyroidism were present. The lack of parathyroid effect was indicated by the persistent elevated concentration of inorganic phosphorus and depressed serum calcium concentration despite long-term intramuscular parathormone therapy. Thyroid function was found to be depressed. Serum protein-bound iodine and radioactive iodine uptake values were low. A brief discussion of therapy in pseudohypoparathyroidism is presented. Though the serum values in the patient reported upon returned to normal after therapy with vitamin D and thyroid extract, little effect on the mental status was noted.
Depth electrographic studies of a focal fast response to sensory stimulation in the human

Abstract In an epileptic girl, during depth electrographic studies with chronically implanted electrodes, a focal fast response to different sensory stimulation (auditory, painful, tactile, proprioceptive, photic, and olfactory) was recorded from one discrete location in each side. On the basis of anatomic-radiologic studies, the electrode positions were estimated as being deep in the posterior temporal or parietal lobes, immediately posterior to the pulvinar and anterior to the ventral portion of the calcarine region, at about 25 mm from the mid-line. The response consisted of a burst of fast (40–45 c/sec) rhythmical waves 100–150 μV in amplitude and 0.5–1 sec in duration, appearing after 100–200 msec of latency. During wakefulness the response was accompanied by a simultaneous generalized flattening of other activities; during sleep it was more conspicuous and often was followed by a recovery of wakeful activity. The response showed rapid habituation. The active electrodes also recorded epileptogenic activity, although this was not related to sensory stimulation. The pattern described does not seem to be related to the epileptic disorder. Its nonspecific responsiveness to all sensory modalities is unique and suggests a relationship to mechanisms of sensory integration.
Critical analysis of clinical research reporting in pediatric surgery: justifying the need for a new standard.

Abstract Background/Purpose: Clinical practice in surgery relies heavily on observational data in which accurate and nonbiased reporting is critical. This study aims to assess the adequacy of clinical research reporting in pediatric surgery and to develop a means to raise the standard of such reporting. Methods: The authors analyzed all observational studies published in The Journal of Pediatric Surgery from 1997 to 2002 (n = 300). Studies were assessed for 16 baseline criteria essential for the nonbiased reporting of clinical data (details regarding surgeons, cases, interventions, and statistical methods). Seven additional criteria pertaining to comparison methods were assessed in studies using controls. Results: Ninety-five percent of all studies were retrospective, and only 25% utilized a control group. Most studies met less than half of the essential reporting criteria (mean, 7.6 of 16 baseline criteria; 3.3 of 7 comparison criteria). Reporting deficiencies were found in all major aspects of study design and statistical analysis. Conclusions: More rigorous reporting of clinical data in pediatric surgery could increase the clinical utility of published results. The authors have identified the fundamental elements essential to nonbiased reporting of clinical research data in surgery. Implementation of mandatory peer-review guidelines based on these principles could set a new standard for clinical reporting in surgery.
Interaction of cerium oxide with noble metals

Ce oxide interacts with noble metals to affect greatly the metal dispersions and CO oxidation and three-way conversion activities. For fresh Pt catalysts the apparent metal dispersions decrease with increasing Ce content. For fresh Pd catalysts, on the other hand, the metal dispersions are independent of Ce loading. Thermal aging of PtCe · Al2O3 catalysts results in serious losses in apparent Pt dispersion. The apparent dispersion of the aged PtCe · Al2O3 catalysts depends on the gaseous environment (air or H2) in which the catalysts are aged. Infrared spectroscopic investigations of CO chemisorption over Pt and PtCe · Al2O3 catalysts revealed that Ce promotes the oxidation of Pt. Ce did not affect CO chemisorption over the fresh PtCe · Al2O3 catalysts. To determine if bulk compound formation between the noble metals and Ce oxide could occur during thermal aging, mixtures of PtCeO2 and PdCeO2 were heated (600 and 900 °C, 6 hr) in air and H2. None were observed for the Pd system. However, at 900 °C in H2, Pt reacted to form Pt5Ce. The Pt5Ce was identified by X-ray diffraction. Small quantities of Ce oxide (0.6–1.3 wt% Ce) enhance the oxidation of CO over fresh Pt and Pd catalysts. With increasing quantities of Ce the CO conversion activity of the fresh Pt catalysts greatly deteriorates while no such deterioration is observed for Pd. The effect of thermal aging on catalytic activity was studied under oxidizing (air), inert (N2), and reducing (H2) conditions. When aged in air, the activity of Ce-containing Pt and Rh catalysts greatly deteriorated. However, thermal aging in H2 resulted in little or no activity loss under the conditions employed. The three-way activity of an air-aged Rh catalyst could be mostly regenerated upon high-temperature exposure to H2.
A young solidification age for the lunar magma ocean

Abstract The time at which the lunar magma ocean solidified can be determined from the Lu–Hf isotope systematics of lunar rocks derived from magma sources that formed during crystallization of the lunar magma ocean. The final magma ocean crystallization product, termed urKREEP, is enriched in incompatible elements including K, REE and P. We have determined the initial Hf isotopic compositions of four samples, two KREEP basalts and two Mg-suite norites. The incompatible trace element compositions of these samples are controlled by an urKREEP component, and therefore the initial Hf isotopic compositions of these samples represent the Hf isotopic evolution of urKREEP. In order to correct the effects of neutron irradiation on the Hf isotopic compositions of these samples, we have developed a model that uses the stable Hf and Sm isotopic compositions measured on an irradiated sample to determine and correct for the thermal and epithermal neutron fluence that has modified the Hf isotopic composition of the sample. We use our corrected results to calculate a 176 Lu– 176 Hf urKREEP model age of 4353 ± 37 Ma and the 176 Lu/ 177 Hf of urKREEP to be 0.0153 ± 0.0033. The Lu–Hf model age is concordant with the re-calculated Sm–Nd urKREEP model age of 4389 ± 45 Ma, and we take the average of these ages, 4368 ± 29 Ma, to represent the time at which urKREEP formed. This age is concordant with the age of the most reliably dated ferroan noritic anorthosite as well as 142 Nd model ages for the formation or re-equilibration of mare basalt sources. Taken together, these ages indicate that the Moon experienced a widespread, large-scale magmatic event around 4370 Ma, most plausibly attributed to solidification of the lunar magma ocean.
Programming for terminal applications

When a computer language is taught in the classroom, the focus is usually on the language itself and its application to the students' fields of interest. Syntax and logic are the chief barriers to be overcome, and, as a result, an important topic is not covered. This area is becoming more a problem with the trend toward writing computer programs to be run from a terminal. Students are not being taught how to write a program to be run by someone else.This article develops a set of rules to improve programs for terminal applications. These rules center around:1. Data Validation: The Programmer must explicitly test the data entered to be sure it is of a valid type and within valid range;2. Input and Output Validation: It is important to identify the problem being solved, the input to the program and the results of the program; and3. Data Flow: The flow of data into the computer should be ordered in the same way as it would be if a person were solving a problem in his head.If these rules are followed, programs will perform better, the user will be happier, and the data processing will be more accurate.
ASSESSMENT OF PEDIATRIC DYSPHAGIA AND FEEDING DISORDERS : CLINICAL AND INSTRUMENTAL APPROACHES

Assessment of infants and children with dysphagia (swallowing problems) and feeding disorders involves significantly more considerations than a clinical observation of a feeding. In addition to the status of feeding in the child, considerations include health status, broad environment, parent-child interactions, and parental concerns. Interdisciplinary team approaches allow for coordinated global assessment and management decisions. Underlying etiologies or diagnoses must be delineated to every extent possible because treatment will vary according to history and current status in light of all factors that are often interrelated in complex ways. A holistic approach to evaluation is stressed with a primary goal for every child to receive adequate nutrition and hydration without health complications and with no stress to child or to caregiver. Instrumental swallow examinations that aid in defining physiological swallowing status are needed for some children. Successful oral feeding must be measured in quality of meal time experiences with best possible oral sensorimotor skills and safe swallowing while not jeopardizing a child's functional health status or the parent-child relationship.
Multiple Threshold Voltage Design Scheme for CMOS Tapered Buffers

This brief proposes lower power lower delay design for CMOS tapered buffers. A slight increase in the threshold voltage is shown to have an exponential effect in reducing the total power dissipation. The corresponding increase in the propagation delay is compensated for by increasing the number of buffer stages such that there is still an overall significant reduction in the total power dissipation. As compared to the constant threshold voltage design based on a cost function of PT2, the proposed scheme can lead to either a power dissipation reduction of about 70% while maintaining the same delay, or up to 30% in power dissipation with 10% propagation delay reduction, respectively, in 65-nm technology with VDD = 1 V, minimum size gate capacitance, Cg = 1.5 fF, and minimum size output capacitance, Co = 1 fF. Closed-form expressions that give the optimum threshold voltage and number of stages are presented.
Hyperexcitability associated with localizable lesions in epileptic patients

Intracellular recordings from neurons were carried out in cortical slices obtained from tissue removed from patients suffering from intractable seizures. The patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of an anatomical abnormality that could be imaged preoperatively. The lesion or its surround was the presumptive epileptogenic area. The tissue removed from the patients without lesions was removed either for biopsy purposes or for access to epileptic tissue and was not considered epileptogenic. All neurons from patients without an imageable lesion, and some (19%) from patients with an imageable lesion, responded to orthodromic stimuli with a sequence of synaptic excitation followed by inhibition; these properties resembled those of normal rodent cortical slices. Different responses, classified as abnormal, were observed in 81% of the neurons in tissue specimens obtained near lesions. The most common was prolonged synaptic excitation with no noticeable inhibition, even at high stimulus strengths. In three resections, long latency all-or-none depolarization shifts were observed that resemble the classic paradoxical depolarization shift seen in in vivo extracellular recordings. Loss of specific inhibitory systems within the cortex may contribute in part to these abnormal responses.
Multidisciplinary interactions in energy and environmental modeling

Abstract Mathematical models have been widely used to understand, predict, or optimize many complex physical processes, from semiconductor or pharmaceutical design to large-scale applications such as global weather models to astrophysics. In particular, simulation of environmental effects of air polution is extensive. Here we address the need for using similar models to understand the fate and transport of groundwater contaminants and to design in situ remediation strategies. Three basic problem areas must be addressed in the modeling and simulation of the flow of groundwater contamination. One must first obtain an effective model to describe the complex fluid/fluid and fluid/rock interactions that control the transport of contaminants in groundwater. This includes the problem of obtaining accurate reservoir descriptions at various length scales and modeling the effects of this heterogeneity in the reservoir simulators. Next, one must develop accurate discretization techniques that retain the important physical properties of the continuous models. Finally, one should develop efficient numerical solution algorithms that utilize the potential of the emerging computing architectures. We will discuss recent advances in each of these three areas.
Short-Term Depression at the Reciprocal Synapses between a Retinal Bipolar Cell Terminal and Amacrine Cells

Visual adaptation is thought to occur partly at retinal synapses that are subject to plastic changes. However, the locus and properties of this plasticity are not well known. Here, we studied short-term plasticity at the reciprocal synapse between bipolar cell terminals and amacrine cells in goldfish retinal slices. Depolarization of a single bipolar cell terminal for 100 ms triggers the release of glutamate onto amacrine cell processes, which in turn leads to GABAergic feedback from amacrine cells onto the same terminal. We find that this release of GABA undergoes paired-pulse depression (PPD) that recovers in <1 min (single exponential time constant, tau approximately = 12 s). This disynaptic PPD is independent of mGluR-mediated plasticity and depletion of glutamatergic synaptic vesicle pools, because exocytosis assayed via capacitance jumps (deltaC(m)) recovered completely after 10 s (tau approximately = 2 s). Fast application of GABA (10 mM) onto outside-out patches excised from bipolar cell terminals showed that the recovery of GABA(A) receptors from desensitization depends on the duration of the application [fast recovery (<2 s) for short applications; slow (tau approximately = 12 s) for prolonged applications]. We thus blocked GABA(A) receptors and retested the GABAergic response mediated by nondesensitizing GABA(C) receptors to two rapid glutamate puffs onto the bipolar cell terminal. These responses consistently displayed PPD. Furthermore, blocking AMPA-receptor desensitization with cyclothiazide, or evoking GABA release with NMDA receptors, did not reduce PPD. We thus suggest that depletion of synaptic vesicle pools in GABAergic amacrine cells is a major contributor to PPD.
The Use of Bovine Pericardium for Complex Urologic Venous Reconstruction

Objective To describe the use of bovine pericardium (BP) in several scenarios for venous patching and as a tubularized graft in urologic surgery. Methods BP was used as patch or tubularized graft in 7 patients between 2010 and 2013. Clinical scenarios and operative indications were reviewed. We used BP as a patch graft for the inferior vena cava (IVC) (N = 3) and for the iliac venous system (N = 1) to restore venous outflow. Tubularized grafts were used (N = 2) to replace the left renal vein in oncology procedures and during renal autotransplantation (N = 1). Surgical technique is reviewed in detail. Results We used BP as a venous patching in 4 cases and as a tubularized graft in 3 cases. There was no evidence of venous thrombosis of the replaced system with a mean of 14.8 months (range, 9-26) follow-up. Conclusion The use of BP as a patch or tubularized graft is an option for complicated urologic venous reconstruction. Although the follow-up interval is relatively short and this initial series small, our initial results are promising.
Team identity and performance‐based compensation effects on performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether team members work harder and perform better when they are compensated based on both team and individual performance than either alone and whether teammates' familiarity with one another influences the effectiveness of the compensation scheme.Design/methodology/approach – Four‐member ad hoc student teams repeatedly complete an interdependent task on the computer in an experiment which manipulates individual compensation plan, team compensation plan, and teammate familiarity.Findings – Results indicate that offering a combination of individual and team performance‐based compensation results in comparable performance under both strong and weak team identity, suggesting that the lower productivity levels associated with weak team identity can be overcome with performance‐based compensation.Research limitations/implications – The data are collected from an experimental game created to resemble one interdependent production environment, thus reducing...
Thermal expansion of clathrasil pyrolidene dodecasil-3C

Abstract The thermal expansion of a synthetic pyrolidine dodecasil-3C (D3C) clathrasil from 15 to 300 K has been determined from high-resolution diffraction patterns obtained with synchrotron radiation. The thermal expansivity is found to be significantly larger than that of α-quartz. A larger thermal expansivity indicates greater anharmonicity in the interaction potentials. This observation suggests that the clathrasils may exhibit anomalous glassy solid behavior analogous to that found in clathrate hydrates.
Lysogeny and Sporulation in Bacillus Isolates from the Gulf of Mexico

Eleven Bacillus isolates from the surface and subsurface waters of the Gulf of Mexico were examined for their capacity to sporulate and harbor prophages. Occurrence of sporulation in each isolate was assessed through decoyinine induction, and putative lysogens were identified by prophage induction by mitomycin C treatment. No obvious correlation between ability to sporulate and prophage induction was found. Four strains that contained inducible virus-like particles (VLPs) were shown to sporulate. Four strains did not produce spores upon induction by decoyinine but contained inducible VLPs. Two of the strains did not produce virus-like particles or sporulate significantly upon induction. Isolate B14905 had a high level of virus-like particle production and a high occurrence of sporulation and was further examined by genomic sequencing in an attempt to shed light on the relationship between sporulation and lysogeny. In silico analysis of the B14905 genome revealed four prophage-like regions, one of which was independently sequenced from a mitomycin C-induced lysate. Based on PCR and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of an induced phage lysate, one is a noninducible phage remnant, one may be a defective phage-like bacteriocin, and two were inducible prophages. One of the inducible phages contained four putative transcriptional regulators, one of which was a SinR-like regulator that may be involved in the regulation of host sporulation. Isolates that both possess the capacity to sporulate and contain temperate phage may be well adapted for survival in the oligotrophic ocean.
Fast Image Motion Computation on an Embedded Computer

Wireless, battery-powered camera networks are becoming of interest for surveillance and monitoring applications. The computational power of these platforms is often limited in order to reduce energy consumption. Among the visual tasks that the onboard processor may be required to perform, motion analysis is one of the most basic and relevant. Knowledge of the direction of motion and velocity of a moving body may be used to take actions such as sending an alarm or triggering other camera nodes in the network. We present a fast algorithm for identifying moving areas in an image and computing the average velocity in such areas. The algorithm, which was implemented and tested on a Crossbow Stargate embedded platform, is comprised of three stages. First, local differential measurements are used to determine an initial labeling of image blocks. A total least squares approach is proposed, with fast implementation inspired by the work of Benedetti and Perona. Then, belief propagation is used to impose spatial coherence and resolve aperture effect inherent in textureless areas. Finally, the velocity of the resulting blobs is estimated via least squares regression. A detailed analysis of timing and power consumption characteristics of this algorithm is also presented.
Investigation on the solidification of several pure cyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons at pressures to 300 MPa

Abstract The effect of pressure on the solidification of several saturated cyclic hydrocarbons and three xylene isomers are experimentally determined with a variable-volume view cell at pressures to 300 MPa and temperatures starting at 293.15 K. Solid–liquid transitions are observed for cyclooctane, cis -1,2-dimethylcyclohexane, trans -1,4-dimethylcyclohexane, p -xylene, o -xylene, and 2-methylnaphthalene. However, methylcyclohexane, ethylcyclohexane, cis -1,4-dimethylcyclohexane, and m -xylene remained liquid over the same operating pressure and temperature ranges. The experimental solid–liquid transition data are well represented with two empirical equations, the Simon equation and a 2nd-order polynomial equation. Data obtained in this study agree with literature data within ±0.4% for 2-methylnaphthalene and ±0.2% for p -xylene.
The Left Hand Doesn't Know What the Right Hand Is Doing The Disruptive Effects of Attention to the Hands in Skilled Typewriting

Everyone knows that attention to the details disrupts skilled performance, but little empirical evidence documents this fact. We show that attention to the hands disrupts skilled typewriting. We had skilled typists type words preceded by cues that told them to type only the letters assigned to one hand or to type all of the letters. Cuing the hands disrupted performance markedly, slowing typing and increasing the error rate (Experiment 1); these deleterious effects were observed even when no keystrokes were actually inhibited (Experiment 3). However, cuing the same letters with colors was not disruptive (Experiment 2). We account for the disruption with a hierarchical control model, in which an inner loop controls the hands and an outer loop controls what is typed. Typing letters using only one hand requires the outer loop to monitor the inner loop's output; the outer loop slows inner-loop cycle time to increase the likelihood of inhibiting responses with the unwanted hand. This produces the disruption.
Luminescence Quenching and Energy Transfer in Supramolecular Solids

This article summarizes recent progress on the light emission of guest molecules embedded in supramolecular crystals. It covers spectroscopic studies, as well as crystallographic and computational investigations, and focuses on the factors responsible for luminescence quenching in host−guest solids. Examination of energy levels calculated by time-dependent density functional theory and of the experimental host-absorption and guest-emission spectra supports the crucial role of energy level separations in intermolecular energy transfer and the resulting luminescence quenching, thus providing guidelines for the synthesis of long-lifetime luminescent materials.
Impacts of major predators on tropical agroforest arthropods: comparisons within and across taxa

In food web studies, taxonomically unrelated predators are often grouped into trophic levels regardless of their relative importance on prey assemblages, multiple predator effects, or interactions such as omnivory. Ants and birds are important predators likely to differentially shape arthropod assemblages, but no studies have compared their effects on a shared prey base. In two separate studies, we excluded birds and ants from branches of a canopy tree (Inga micheliana) in a coffee farm in Mexico for 2 months in the dry and wet seasons of 2002. We investigated changes in arthropod densities with and without predation pressure from (1) birds and (2) ant assemblages dominated by one of two ant species (Azteca instabilis and Camponotus senex). We first analyzed individual effects of each predator (birds, Azteca instabilis, and C. senex) then used a per day effect metric to compare differences in effects across (birds vs ants) and within predator taxa (the two ant species). Individually, birds reduced densities of total and large arthropods and some arthropod orders (e.g., spiders, beetles, roaches) in both seasons. Azteca instabilis did not significantly affect arthropods (total, small, large or specific orders). Camponotus senex, however, tended to remove arthropods (total, small), especially in the dry season, and affected arthropod densities of some orders both positively and negatively. Predators greatly differed in their effects on Inga arthropods (for all, small, large, and individual orders of arthropods) both in sign (±) and magnitudes of effects. Birds had stronger negative effects on arthropods than ants and the two dominant ant species had stronger effects on arthropods in different seasons. Our results show that aggregating taxonomically related and unrelated predators into trophic levels without prior experimental data quantifying the sign and strengths of effects may lead to a misrepresentation of food web interactions.
Optical-Infrared Spectral Diversity in the Kuiper Belt

We have measured the optical and infrared colors of five Kuiper belt objects to search for evidence of spectral diversity among these bodies. We find extreme differences, especially in the measured V - J color indices, that indicate a wide range of surface compositions in the Kuiper belt.
ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE GREGARINA NIPHANDRODES NUCLEUS THROUGH STAGES FROM UNASSOCIATED TROPHOZOITES TO GAMONTS IN SYZYGY AND THE SYZYGY JUNCTION

In Gregarina niphandrodes, an apicomplexan parasite, the sexual stage of its life cycle begins with the association of 2 gamonts. Here, we describe the ultrastructure of the syzygy junction and the nucleus during the transition from unassociated trophozoites to paired gamonts to gamonts in syzygy. Throughout this process, the folds within the syzygy junction undergo changes that correspond to changes of the epicytic folds. The nucleus goes through dramatic changes from multiple spheres of condensed chromatin in unassociated trophozoites, to mostly uncondensed chromatin in paired gamonts, to a large single sphere of condensed chromatin encasing many smaller spheres in gamonts in syzygy. These differing nuclear ultrastructures reflect the dramatic cellular and transcriptional changes associated with life cycle transitions and are indicative of the numerous cell divisions that follow.
A low power reconfigurable DCT architecture to trade off image quality for computational complexity

We present a low power reconfigurable DCT design, which achieves considerable computational complexity reduction in DCT operation with minimum image quality degradation. The approach is based on the modification of DCT bases in a bit-wise manner. Different computational complexity/image quality trade off levels are presented and a reconfigurable architecture. which can dynamically change from one trade off level to another, is also proposed. The reconfigurable DCT architecture can achieve power savings ranging from 20% to 70% for 5 different trade off levels.
Optimized Three-Dimensional Fast-Spin-Echo MRI

Spin-echo-based acquisitions are the workhorse of clinical MRI because they provide a variety of useful image contrasts and are resistant to image artifacts from radio-frequency or static field inhomogeneity. Three-dimensional (3D) acquisitions provide datasets that can be retrospectively reformatted for viewing in freely selectable orientations, and are thus advantageous for evaluating the complex anatomy associated with many clinical applications of MRI. Historically, however, 3D spin-echo-based acquisitions have not played a significant role in clinical MRI due to unacceptably long acquisition times or image artifacts associated with details of the acquisition method. Recently, optimized forms of 3D fast/turbo spin-echo imaging have become available from several MR-equipment manufacturers (for example, CUBE [GE], SPACE [Siemens], and VISTA [Philips]). Through specific design strategies and optimization, including short non–spatially selective radio-frequency pulses to significantly shorten the echo spacing and variable flip angles for the refocusing radio-frequency pulses to suppress blurring or considerably lengthen the useable duration of the spin-echo train, these techniques permit single-slab 3D imaging of sizeable volumes in clinically acceptable acquisition times. These optimized fast/turbo spin-echo pulse sequences provide a robust and flexible approach for 3D spin-echo-based imaging with a broad range of clinical applications. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014;39:745–767. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Bright Visibility Curve of the Rabbit

(1937). The Bright Visibility Curve of the Rabbit. The Journal of General Psychology: Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 323-338.
Vibrationally hot fluorescence in chlorophyll-a

Abstract Fluorescence from high vibrational levels of the first excited singlet state of chlorophyll-a in solution is observed at 77°K. The pronounced fluorescence efficiency dependence on pumping of specific vibrational levels may contribute to excitation-wavelength effects on photosynthesis.
Productivity analysis of the UPC language

Summary form only given. Parallel programming paradigms, over the past decade, have focused on how to harness the computational power of contemporary parallel machines. Ease of use and code development productivity, has been a secondary goal. Recently, however, there has been a growing interest in understanding the code development productivity issues and their implications for the overall time-to-solution. Unified Parallel C (UPC) is a recently developed language which has been gaining rising attention. UPC holds the promise of leveraging the ease of use of the shared memory model and the performance benefit of locality exploitation. The performance potential for UPC has been extensively studied in recent research efforts. The aim of this study, however, is to examine the impact of UPC on programmer productivity. We propose several productivity metrics and consider a wide array of high performance applications. Further, we compare UPC to the most widely used parallel programming paradigm, MPI. The results show that UPC compares favorably with MPI in programmers productivity.
A parallel vector quantization algorithm for SIMD multiprocessor systems

Summary form only given , as follows. This article proposes a parallel vector quantization (VQ) algorithm for an exhaustive search of codebooks on a single-instruction-multiple-data (SIMD) multiprocessor. The proposed parallel VQ algorithm can be integrated with the parallel wavelet-transform techniques for fast image compression. This algorithm has been implemented on the MasPar parallel computer to achieve favorable performance gains. Our results show that VQ can be efficiently parallelized on commercial SIMD machines to meet the real-time performance requirements of numerous applications. Note that although processors in the MP-1 machine are based on relatively old VLSI technology, the drastic speedup gained by parallelization of the computations is marked. Since our algorithm is applicable to any image size, it can be readily used on larger, faster SIMD multiprocessor systems for real-time processing of very large images.
Estimating distribution of hidden objects with drones: From tennis balls to manatees

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), or drones, have been used widely in military applications, but more recently civilian applications have emerged (e.g., wildlife population monitoring, traffic monitoring, law enforcement, oil and gas pipeline threat detection). UAV can have several advantages over manned aircraft for wildlife surveys, including reduced ecological footprint, increased safety, and the ability to collect high-resolution geo-referenced imagery that can document the presence of species without the use of a human observer. We illustrate how geo-referenced data collected with UAV technology in combination with recently developed statistical models can improve our ability to estimate the distribution of organisms. To demonstrate the efficacy of this methodology, we conducted an experiment in which tennis balls were used as surrogates of organisms to be surveyed. We used a UAV to collect images of an experimental field with a known number of tennis balls, each of which had a certain probability of being hidden. We then applied spatially explicit occupancy models to estimate the number of balls and created precise distribution maps. We conducted three consecutive surveys over the experimental field and estimated the total number of balls to be 328 (95%CI: 312, 348). The true number was 329 balls, but simple counts based on the UAV pictures would have led to a total maximum count of 284. The distribution of the balls in the field followed a simulated environmental gradient. We also were able to accurately estimate the relationship between the gradient and the distribution of balls. Our experiment demonstrates how this technology can be used to create precise distribution maps in which discrete regions of the study area are assigned a probability of presence of an object. Finally, we discuss the applicability and relevance of this experimental study to the case study of Florida manatee distribution at power plants.
Continuous Time Discounted Jump Markov Decision Processes: A Discrete-Event Approach

This paper introduces and develops a new approach to the theory of continuous time jump Markov decision processes (CTJMDP). This approach reduces discounted CTJMDPs to discounted semi-Markov decision processes (SMDPs) and eventually to discrete-time Markov decision processes (MDPs). The reduction is based on the equivalence of strategies that change actions between jumps and the randomized strategies that change actions only at jump epochs. This holds both for one-criterion problems and for multiple-objective problems with constraints. In particular, this paper introduces the theory for multiple-objective problems with expected total discounted rewards and constraints. If a problem is feasible, there exist three types of optimal policies: (i) nonrandomized switching stationary policies, (ii) randomized stationary policies for the CTJMDP, and (iii) randomized stationary policies for the corresponding SMDP with exponentially distributed sojourn times, and these policies can be implemented as randomized strategies in the CTJMDP.
Pore Connectivity, Episodic Flow, and Unsaturated Diffusion in Fractured Tuff

We use an integrated approach consisting of experiments and complementary pore-scale network modeling to investigate the occurrence of sparsely connected pore spaces in rock matrices at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, and their implications for matrix diffusion. Imbibition results indicate that pore spaces in devitrified tuff are not well-connected, and that this lack of connectivity is further compounded by episodic flow in fractured devitrified tuff with low matrix permeability. A rigorous methodology for investigating chemical transport in fractured rock under episodic conditions, employing a suite of both sorbing and non-sorbing tracers (including radionuclides U-235, Np-237, and Pu-242), has been developed and implemented. In addition, gas diffusion and synchrotron microtomography techniques have been under development to examine the scaling issues of diffusion and pore connectivity. Preliminary results from experiments and modeling work are presented in this paper, confirming the need to reexamine our understanding of matrix diffusion and to evaluate the impact on diffusive radionuclide retardation of episodic fracture flow and low pore connectivity.
Controversies in Carotid Stenting

Endovascular therapies are now commonly used in many vascular sites. However, the role for carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) remains an unproven therapy with some potential benefits. Initial results of CAS were worse than the surgical standard of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and did not meet American Heart Association guidelines. However, recent improvements have resulted in improved stroke morbidity rate that may approach that of CEA. Specifically, the embolic problem associated with CAS has been reduced with embolic protection devices, but the ultimate effect of these protection devices remains uncertain. Initial comparison studies of CAS to CEA showed an unacceptably high stroke morbidity rate in the CAS group. As a result, multiple randomized clinical trials have been initiated to compare the results of CAS with embolic protection to that of CEA. While these studies are underway, the authors advocate a careful application of CAS to be used as a complementary tool for the carotid surgeon to use in special circumstances when CEA cannot be undertaken with acceptable morbidity. Furthermore, since the reported stroke morbidity rate of CAS exceeds the AHA recommendation for treatment of asymptomatic patients, most nonsurgical patients with asymptomatic disease should be treated with medical therapy.
MIL-STD-1678 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE STANDARD PRACTICE FIBER OPTIC CABLING SYSTEMS REQUIREMENTS AND MEASUREMENTS

MIL-STD-1678 specifies requirements that address airborne platform fiber optic system total ownership cost factors including performance, cost, supportability, maintainability, reliability, durability, producibility, quality, and safety.