cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Protein–polysaccharide of chicken cartilage and chondrocyte cell cultures

The nature of the matrix produced by embryonic chicken chondrocytes in cell culture was studied, and compared with adult and embryonic chicken cartilage. Adult chicken cartilage contains a protein-polysaccharide easily extracted with EDTA-sodium chloride at 4 degrees C. Purification of this macromolecule on Bio-Gel P-300 and Bio-Gel A-50m yielded a progressively more homogeneous species in the ultracentrifuge. It contained mostly chondroitin 4-sulphate, some chondroitin 6-sulphate, and keratan sulphate. Embryonic chicken cartilage was previously shown to contain mostly chondroitin 4-sulphate, some chondroitin 6-sulphate and essentially no keratan sulphate. The matrix produced in chondrocyte cell cultures was shown to contain a protein-polysaccharide with alkali-labile linkages of chondroitin 4-sulphate to the protein core. A fraction was isolated from the matrix with many properties of keratan sulphate.
Health-related quality of life in MEN1 patients compared with other chronic conditions and the United States general population.

Background Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in multiple endocrine neoplasia type-1 (MEN-1) is poorly described. HRQOL in MEN-1 was compared with other chronic conditions and the US general population. Methods Adults aged ≥18 years recruited from an MEN-1 support group (n=153) completed the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) 29-item profile. MEN-1 scores were compared with PROMIS scores reported in peer-reviewed literature from back pain (n=218), cancer (n=310), congestive heart failure (CHF; n=60), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; n=79), major depressive disorder (n=196), rheumatoid arthritis (RA; n=521), neuroendocrine tumors (NET; n=619), and primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT; n=45) cohorts. Results Patients with MEN-1 reported worse anxiety (mean=61.7), depression (57.9), fatigue (62.2), pain interference (55.4), sleep disturbance (58.0), physical functioning (44.4), and social functioning (44.7) compared to normative data (50, P Conclusion This is the first study to describe HRQOL in a large sample of adults with MEN-1. MEN-1respondents reported worse HRQOL across PROMIS 29-item profile measure domains compared with the US general population and higher levels of anxiety, depression, and fatigue compared with many other chronic conditions.
A Shift to the Left: Teaching the Craft of Cardiac Surgery.

I was in Chicago in 1987 when Dr. Shumway delivered his American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) presidential address, and, like most in the audience, I knew he was correct. Having had the privilege of getting to do a lot of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery in my surgical training, I was preparing myself to make my own move to the left side of the operating table. In fact, I had already resolved that I would make my own “shift to the left” very soon after that meeting in 1987, hoping to become, like Dr. Shumway, the best first assistant I could be. Over thirty years later, I have never looked, nor moved back. However, making this move to the left side of the table – to teach surgical residents how to operate – is challenging for many surgeons in academic environments. In considering the challenges, we must remember that those of us who have agreed to teach our proteges have an obligation both to them, and to their future patients, to help them become safe, capable cardiothoracic surgeons
Supportive Care of Patients with Cancer

Publisher Summary Children being treated for cancer are rendered significantly immunocompromised because of chemotherapy. For this reason, it is extremely important to expeditiously evaluate and treat the febrile oncology patient. Any delay in antibiotic therapy while waiting culture results may lead to uncontrolled progression of infection in a neutropenic patient. This chapter highlights the factors leading to the susceptibility to infections in oncology patients. This chapter highlights the common pathogens and treatment of various infections in children with cancer and outlines the dose, route of administration and schedule of frequently used antibiotics. Both the penicillin/beta-lactamase inhibitor drugs, ticarcillin/clavulanate and piperacillin/tazobactam and the carbapenems, imipenem and meropenem, provide broad-spectrum activity for Gram-positive pathogens, Gram-negative pathogens and anaerobic bacteria and are good choices for empiric therapy of patients with suspected intraabdomina sepsis, with or without administration of an aminoglycoside. The risk of fungal infections is related to the cytotoxicity of the chemotherapeutic regimen as well as the duration of neutropenia. The major causative fungi are Aspergillus and Candida with a mortality approaching 30─60% with documented invasive fungal infections (IFIs) and are even higher among post-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients. Prompt diagnosis and treatment is paramount to improving outcomes in these patients.
Ethically Weighted Risk-Cost-Benefit Analysis

If Chapters Three and Four of this volume are correct, then technology assessors and environmental-impact analysts have attempted, unsuccessfully, to avoid the normative dimensions of their tasks. This avoidance is, in part, the result of adherence to a positivist philosophy of science and the consequence of our failure as a society to rethink our ethical and social commitments.
Hamiltonian Formulation of a Simple Covariant Harmonic Oscillator for Bosons and Fermions

We study three covariant two-body equations (one for bosons and two for fermions) which admit light cone Hamiltonian description. The general form of covariant and Hamiltonian solutions together with the dynamical operators of the Hamiltonian formalism is studied, and an explicit wave function for the J P = 0− channel is given. The relevance to a realistic quark model calculation is discussed.
Dietary Phytochemicals as Epigenetic Modulators in Cancer

Epigenetics refers to heritable changes in gene expression that are not attributable to changes in DNA sequence, but rather depend on alterations in DNA methylation, chromatin structure or microRNA profiles. Although epigenetic changes are heritable in somatic cells, these modifications are potentially reversible and make them attractive and promising targets in the prevention and therapy of cancer. Dietary phytochemicals, especially present in fruits, vegetables and beverages have recently shown considerable promise in affecting gene expression via reversible epigenetic mechanisms. These agents include tea polyphenols, genistein, curcumin, sulforaphane, isothiocynates, lycopene, resveratrol, quercetin, indol-3-carbinol, ellagitannin and organosulfur compounds. This chapter discusses the impact of environment, lifestyle and dietary factors on epigenetic alterations and presents considerable evidence that modulation of epigenetic targets by dietary phytochemicals is associated with the prevention and therapy of cancer. This chapter also emphasizes that an increased understanding of the anticancer effects of dietary phytochemicals offer new epigenetic targets and promising agents with more opportunities for prevention, and perhaps therapy of cancer.
Reachability Computation in Uncertain Graphs

Driven by the emerging network applications, querying and mining uncertain graphs has become increasingly important. In this paper, we investigate a fundamental problem concerning uncertain graphs, which we call the distance-constraint reachability (DCR) problem: Given two vertices s and t, what is the probability that the distance from s to t is less than or equal to a user-defined threshold d in the uncertain graph? Since this problem is NP-hard, we focus on efficiently and accurately approximating DCR online. Our main results include two new estimators for the probabilistic reachability. One is a Horvitz-Thomson type estimator based on the unequal probabilistic sampling scheme, and the other is a novel recursive sampling estimator, which effectively combines a deterministic recursive computational procedure with a sampling process to boost the estimation accuracy. Both estimators can produce much smaller variance than the direct sampling estimator, which considers each trial to be either 1 or 0. We also present methods to make these estimators more computationally efficient. The comprehensive experiment evaluation on both real and synthetic datasets demonstrates the efficiency and accuracy of our new estimators.
The Ones that Will Not Go Away

As Morlan (1988), Grayson (1988), and many others (e.g., Fagan 1987, 1990; Jennings 1983, 1989; Willey and Sabloff 1980) have indicated, the quest for evidence of the earliest inhabitants of the New World has absorbed the attentions of both professionals and interested laymen for a very long period of time. It can be said, however, that little tangible progress toward the achievement of this goal occurred much before the Folsom discoveries earlier in this century. As observed recently (Adovasio et al., 1988:45), little progress has been made since that time.
First demonstration of vacuum-sealed fully integrated BEOL-compatible field emission devices for Si integrated high voltage applications

CMOS-integrated high voltage devices are needed for applications in sensors / actuators and power systems. Current high voltage technologies based on GaN and SiC are not easily integrated with silicon CMOS [1]–[2]. Vacuum nanoelectronic devices based on field emission are a promising alternative approach for achieving high voltage devices on Si. Because vacuum serves as the electron transport medium, the blocking voltages in these devices can be much higher than their solid-state counterparts [3]. To date, however, there have been very few reports of fully integrated field emitters, most of which require high vacuum operation, are not CMOS-compatible and demonstrate poor scalability [4]–[6]. Here, we demonstrate the first vacuum-sealed fully integrated diode and triode field emission arrays that are developed in a scalable, BEOL-compatible process directly on Si. We extensively characterize both diode and triode arrays, demonstrating gate modulated field emission in the on-state and blocking voltages of200V.
Composition of Amazonian volcanic materials in Tharsis and Elysium, Mars, from MRO/CRISM reflectance spectra

Abstract Compositions of the Amazonian-aged Tharsis and Elysium volcanic provinces of Mars have been largely obscured in Mars-orbital remote sensing data by windblown dust. Fresh impact craters formed within the last few years have disturbed surface dust, providing unique windows to explore these regions' relatively dust-free mineralogic compositions. Such fresh craters, plus other small exposures of less dusty materials, are resolved spatially in high-resolution targeted observations of visible/short-wave infrared spectral reflectance by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM). Analysis of CRISM observations of small, relatively dust-free locations in the Tharsis and Elysium regions shows that these provinces are dominated by high-Ca pyroxene and olivine, similar to volcanic materials of Hesperian age. Thus, the mafic mineral compositions of Hesperian and Amazonian volcanic materials appear similar to each other, but distinct from the olivine- and low-Ca pyroxene-rich compositions that dominate Noachian rocks. In the core regions of both provinces, where thermal infrared data indicate the thickest dust cover, the dust is sufficiently thick that few fresh craters penetrate to expose the underlying volcanics. These results may be consistent with low Si contents of surface materials in Elysium and western Tharsis measured by gamma-ray spectroscopy resulting from a thick cover of dust depleted in Si-rich phases, possibly due to eolian sorting.
Chapter 15-1, Law, Specialized

Specialized law affects everyone who works in the fields of security and emergency management. This entry summarizes some of the most significant prescriptions and proscriptions needed for routine day-to-day operations and emergency operations of security management and emergency management agencies which rely upon authorizations and appropriations to accomplish core missions. In the next section, some of the most important and commonly applied laws in those realms, laws that provide the basis for compacts between governments and private entities, as well as overarching policies for the way ahead, are described.
Mitochondrial Metabolism in Cancer. A Tangled Topic. Which Role for Proteomics

Given the role of mitochondria in modulating many cellular functions, it is not surprising that they can play a crucial role also in molecular pathophysiology of cancer. In particular, the discovery in recent decades of a link between cancer metabolic processes, alterations of mitochondrial DNA, oncogenes and tumor suppressors has led not only to a renaissance of interest in Warburg's pioneering work, but also to a reexamination of his original observations above all in relation to the current knowledge in cancer cell metabolism. It follows that, although mitochondrial contribution to the pathogenesis of cancer has historically tended to be neglected, it is now evident that reprogrammed mitochondria can contribute to a complex bioenergetic adjustment that sustains not only tumor formation but also its progression. Most importantly, cancer cell metabolism seems to have a role in diversified aspects related to cancer pathophysiology (i.e., aggressiveness, recurrence, metastatic dissemination). Hence, it is imperative to always consider cancer cell metabolism, its adaptability, its influences but, above all, its functional heterogeneity in a single tumor, for a really rational and valid approach towards molecular biology of cancer.
Specific Heat of Ferrites at Liquid Helium Temperatures

The specific heat of lithium, cobalt, magnesium, and nickel ferrite has been measured from 1.8\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K to 5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K using a calorimetric technique similar to that used by Clement. A "heat switch" was used to cool the samples rather than a helium exchange gas, thereby avoiding helium desorption effects. In all cases the specific heat $C$ could be described by the relation $C={\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{M}{T}^{\frac{3}{2}}+\ensuremath{\beta}{T}^{3}$, where $T$ is the temperature and ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{M}$ and $\ensuremath{\beta}$ are constants. The Debye temperatures were computed from $\ensuremath{\beta}$ and were in good agreement with values obtained at liquid nitrogen temperatures. The ${T}^{\frac{3}{2}}$ temperature dependence verifies the spin-wave theory for these compounds although the values of ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{M}$ were consistently larger than anticipated from observed values of the Curie temperatures. Possible explanations for this are discussed. An extra term proportional to ${T}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ was observed for cobalt ferrite and this was identified as the nuclear contribution to the specific heat. From the magnitude of this term the magnetic field at the nucleus of the cobalt ion was evaluated and found to be approximately 410 koe.
Secondary Mathematics Teacher Educators’ Interpretations of the Situative Perspective

In this study, we examined five mathematics teacher educators’ (MTEs’) interpretation of the situative perspective, who self-identify as holding that perspective. Furthermore, we share how they designed and facilitated their secondary mathematics methods course pertaining to the activities they identified as most important for the course. We discuss the participants’ two interpretations of the perspective rooted in the context of teaching and the act of teaching, which seemed to influence their approach to topics of equity but not the types of activities they identified as being most important. Overall, findings from this study indicate there is diversity with respect to how the five MTEs interpret the situative perspective, and that diversity seems to be contextual.
On diffusion processes with drift in $$L_{d}$$ L d

We investigate properties of Markov quasi-diffusion processes corresponding to elliptic operators $$L=a^{ij}D_{ij}+b^{i}D_{i}$$ , acting on functions on $$\mathbb {R}^{d}$$ , with measurable coefficients, bounded and uniformly elliptic a and $$b\in L_{d}(\mathbb {R}^{d})$$ . We show that each of them is strong Markov with strong Feller transition semigroup $$T_{t}$$ , which is also a continuous bounded semigroup in $$L_{d_{0}}(\mathbb {R}^{d})$$ for some $$d_{0}\in (d/2, d)$$ . We show that $$T_{t}$$ , $$t>0$$ , has a kernel $$p_{t}(x,y)$$ which is summable in y to the power of $$d_{0}/(d_{0}-1)$$ . This leads to the parabolic Aleksandrov estimate with power of summability $$d_{0}$$ instead of the usual $$d+1$$ . For the probabilistic solution, associated with such a process, of the problem $$Lu=f$$ in a bounded domain $$D\subset \mathbb {R}^{d}$$ with boundary condition $$u=g$$ , where $$f\in L_{d_{0}}(D)$$ and g is bounded, we show that it is Holder continuous. Parabolic version of this problem is treated as well. We also prove Harnack’s inequality for harmonic and caloric functions associated with such a process. Finally, we show that the probabilistic solutions are $$L_{d_{0}}$$ -viscosity solutions.
Has the new world order taught the big four to manage client portfolio risk? Examining extreme loss occurrences before and after Sarbanes Oxley

Abstract This paper analyzes ongoing efforts by the large public accounting firms to manage their legal liability. For this purpose, the paper focuses on extreme financial losses from the audits of U.S. publicly traded clients incurred by Big Four firms. The possibility that this form of legal liability has changed as a result of the new world order brought to the accounting profession by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) is the paper's main premise. This paper finds a major decline in the severity of these cases. However, the results show that firms have not necessarily improved the management of this risk. The drivers of extreme legal liability continue to be client continuance decisions and larger clients.
Design Requirements for Scapholunate Interosseous Ligament Reconstruction

Background As numerous repairs, reconstructions, and replacements have been used following scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL) injury, there is a need to define the structural requirements for any reconstruction or replacement. Methods Research has been conducted on the force needed to keep the scaphoid and lunate reduced following simulated injury, the failure force of the native SLIL and various replacements, the stiffness of the SLIL and replacements, and the torsional resistance of the scaphoid relative to the lunate. Results Forces on the order of 50 N are needed to keep the scaphoid and lunate reduced during simple wrist motions in the chronically injured wrist. Even greater forces (up to 110 N) are needed to keep the bones reduced during strenuous activities, such as pushups. The failure force of the entire SLIL has been reported to be as high as 350 N and the failure force of just the dorsal component of the SLIL to be 270 N. Conclusions The design requirements for a reconstruction or repair may vary depending upon the demands of the patient. In a high demand patient, a reconstruction needs to support the above-mentioned forces during cyclic loading (50 N), when performing strenuous activities (110 N), or during a fall (at least 350 N). Any artificial replacement must undergo careful biocompatibility testing.
Continuous updating of individual headache forecasting models using Bayesian methods

Objective To illustrate the benefits of deploying individual headache forecasting models using continuous updating with Bayesian methods. Background The ability to reliably forecast headache attacks within an individual over time would enhance the study of attacks and allow preemptive treatment. However, deploying a suitable forecasting model in a clinical setting will likely involve several unique challenges related to heterogeneity in the predictor weights, limited or sparse data, and the need for a quick "warm-up." The use of Bayesian methods offers solutions to each of these specific challenges. Methods This was a post hoc analysis of a cohort study of individuals with episodic migraine attacks. Individuals completed daily diaries that allowed the estimation of several forecasting models, each using different types of ancillary information incorporated into formal prior probability distributions. An in silico analysis was conducted that mimicked the deployment of these models in a clinical-like setting where the parameters of the models were continuously updated and evaluated each day using root mean square error (RMSE). Results Individuals (N = 95) were followed for 50 days and contributed 3359 days of nonmissing diary data. During the observation period, there were 1293/3359 (38.5%) days with a headache attack. Self-reported baseline headache frequency was associated with the corresponding predicted probability of future attacks, r = 0.15-0.39. At Day 25, the correlation between baseline information and predicted attack likelihood was r = 0.29 (95% CI: 0.09-0.47). Additionally, the use of prior probability distributions for model parameters improved the model fit, especially early in the deployment of the models (e.g., Day 5 RMSE 0.45 vs. 0.43). Models using informative prior probability distributions outperformed the models estimated without this information during the first 42 days of observation, although performance became more similar as more data were collected. Conclusions This analysis demonstrates the value of Bayesian methods in using additional available information to improve forecasting model performance, especially early in the deployment of a forecasting model. To obtain the full value of such models or to apply any model in clinical settings, a model with adequate discrimination and calibration will be needed.
Adolescent girls' knowledge of and attitudes toward breast self-examination: evaluating an outreach education program.

Abstract Background. The purpose of the study was to analyze the effectiveness of a one‐hour educational intervention to increase knowledge about and improve attitudes towards breast self‐examination (BSE) and early cancer detection among adolescent girls. Methods. The sample used in this quasi‐experimental study was selected from schools participating in an education program provided by a regional health education center. The instrument and scales used in the study were developed • and pilot‐tested for reliability and validity in the area schools prior to the start of the study. The sample consisted of 137 adolescent girls who provided consent forms and participated in the intervention. The comparison group, which consisted of students attending the same schools, was scheduled to receive the intervention at a later date. Results and conclusions. Findings suggest that a one‐hour lesson can improve knowledge and attitudes of adolescent girls with respect to BSE and early cancer detection. Suggestions for f...
Oligomerization of the bacteriophage lambda S protein in the inner membrane of Escherichia coli.

Abstract Western blot (immunoblot) analysis of cell extracts from induced bacteriophage lambda lysogens probed with S-protein-specific antibody (raised against an S--beta-galactosidase fusion protein) demonstrated that the bacteriophage lambda S protein begins to appear 10 min after phage induction and is localized to the inner membrane at all times during the lytic cycle. Between 100 and 1,000 molecules of S protein per cell were present at the time of phage-induced lysis. Western blots of chemically cross-linked membranes from induced lysogens showed a ladder of bands at 18, 24, 32, and 42 kilodaltons (the S-protein monomer ran at 8 kilodaltons) that reacted with anti-S-protein antibody. Thus, the S protein appears to reside in the inner membrane as a multimer, and the molecular weights of the cross-linked species are consistent with those of S-protein homopolymers. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-resistant dimers were also detected when S protein was purified by immunoprecipitation.
British Imperial Policy and the Economic Interpretation of the American Revolution

Roger Ransom takes exception on three counts to my published study of the burden of the Navigation Acts, questioning (1) the counterfactual proposition I employed, (2) my estimate of the relative burden, and (3) the likelihood of differing regional impacts of the Acts. I shall briefly take up each of these in turn.
High-β, Gas-Stabilized, Mirror-Confined Plasma

A neutral-beam-sustained plasma in the 2XIIB mirror machine is stabilized by hydrogen gas ionized at one mirror. Peak plasma energy densities that exceed the energy density of the vacuum field (beta-circumflexequivalent8n/sub D/E-bar/sub D//B/sub vac//sup 2/approximately-greater-than1) are achieved with deuterons of average energy E-bar/sub D/approx. =9 keV, peak density n/sub D/approx. =1.5 x 10/sup 14/ cm/sup -3/, in a magnetic field B/sub vac/=0.56 T. These high ..beta..'s are sustained for the duration of gas and neutral-beam injection, with no evidence of a ..beta.. limit. (AIP)
Choice Architecture and the Locus of Fiduciary Obligation in Defined Contribution Plans

The insights of choice architecture have led to expanded use of default settings in defined contribution (DC) plans in both the United States and Australia. The two countries have taken somewhat similar approaches to the content of default investment products. However, they differ significantly in how they allocate the legal responsibilities associated with those default investment products. This paper compares the two approaches, particularly regarding the role of disclosure and the assignment of fiduciary responsibility. It concludes that Australia’s approach offers two lessons for the U.S. First, disclosure to and education of participants who are defaulted into investment products is inadequate to negate conflicts of interest and investment risk. Second, fiduciary responsibility for default investment products should be co-located with investment expertise and management. The paper suggests development of a new investment product, Safe Harbor Automated Retirement Products (SHARPs), based on these lessons.
Active Faults of the World: Alaska, Canada, Cascadia, and Eastern North America

Introduction: The Pacific and North America plates are among the world’s largest, and most of the active tectonics in North America takes place on their mutual plate boundary, extending from the Aleutians down the west coast of British Columbia through the Pacific Northwest to California and Baja California. The diffuse plate boundary extends north across the Denali fault into central Alaska, northeast into the Canadian Yukon Territory, east through the Basin and Range Province of the United States and northwestern Mexico to the Wasatch fault of Utah and the Rio Grande Rift of New Mexico and adjacent regions, and southwest across the California Continental Borderland. Earlier in the Cenozoic, nearly all the western margin of North America was a subduction zone, with the offshore East Pacific Rise separating the Pacific Plate from the subducting Farallon Plate on the east and the Kula Plate on the north (Atwater, 1989). (For a recent synthesis, see Madsen et al ., 2006.) The North America Plate moved westward as sea-floor spreading increased the width of the Atlantic Ocean. Some time after 30 Ma, parts of the East Pacific Rise reached the margin of the continent and were subducted so that the Pacific Plate came into direct contact with the North America Plate (Figure 2.1). Pacific Plate motion was northwest relative to North America, parallel to the boundary at the base of the continental slope, so that the resulting boundary was strike-slip, the beginning of the San Andreas transform-fault system in California. The remnants of the Farallon Plate, the Juan de Fuca Plate in the north and the Cocos Plate in the south, continue to subduct beneath North America, the former as the Cascadia subduction zone, and the latter as the Middle America subduction zone. The Juan de Fuca Plate developed two satellite microplates at its northern and southern ends, the Explorer and Gorda plates, respectively, and the Cocos Plate spun off the Rivera Plate in the mouth of the Gulf of California. An oceanic plateau within the Pacific Plate became entrained near the plate boundary, colliding with southern Alaska as the Yakutat Microplate.
The histogenesis of carcinosarcoma (mixed mesodermal tumor) of the uterus as revealed by tissue culture studies.

Abstract A case of carcinosarcoma (mixed mesodermal tumor) of the uterus with the classical clinical and histologic picture is presented. The first description of human carcinosarcoma grown in tissue culture is given. In tissue cultures of the tumor two distinct cell types were distinguished. One cell type had the characteristics of carcinoma, the other, of sarcoma. No intermediate cell types or evidence of transition from one form to the other was seen. These observations lend support to the thesis that carcinosarcoma is a distinct pathologic entity in which carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements coexist, rather than merely an atypical or pleomorphic carcinoma.
Activation effects of single-site and dual-site right atrial pacing in canine.

Medical therapy for managing atrial fibrillation remains less than satisfactory. Electrical therapy such as right atrial (RA) pacing was shown to reduce rate of recurrence of atrial fibrillation, while evidently dual-site pacing was more effective than single-site pacing. However, similarities and/or differences in the electrophysiological consequences of single-site and dual-site RA pacing are unclear. Our objective was to simultaneously map RA and left atrial (LA) activation patterns and compare intra-atrial and interatrial activation properties during single-site and dual-site RA pacing in the normal canine heart. Basket-shaped catheters carrying 64 electrodes were deployed under the guidance of fluoroscopy and echocardiography into both the RA and LA of 7 dogs. Basket unipolar electrograms were simultaneously recorded while pacing at high lateral RA (HRA) alone, at inferior RA septum (RAS) alone, and at both sites simultaneously. We found that pacing at HRA alone resulted in the longest interatrial conduction time (47±6[emsp4 ]ms). Pacing at RAS alone significantly shortened interatrial conduction time (29±5[emsp4 ]ms) and completely activated both the RA and LA simultaneously (70±6[emsp4 ]ms and 69±8[emsp4 ]ms, respectively). Dual-site pacing at HRA and RAS significantly abbreviated RA complete activation time (52±7[emsp4 ]ms), but did not alter interatrial conduction time or LA activation pattern compared to pacing at RAS alone. In conclusion, single-site pacing at RAS shortened interatrial conduction time compared to HRA and completely activated both atria simultaneously in canines with normal atria. In addition to shortening interatrial conduction time, dual-site pacing at HRA and RAS abbreviated RA complete activation time.
Improving soft interference cancellation for CDMA systems

The optimum receiver to detect the bits of multiple CDMA users has exponential complexity in the number of active users in the system. Previous work showed that the successive and parallel soft interference cancellers correspond to nonlinear programming relaxations of the optimum multiuser detection problem. We use this approximation method combined with the slowest descent approach to improve the performance of soft interference cancellers. The aim is to achieve a performance closer to the performance of the optimum receiver without significantly compromising the low complexity of the resulting receiver. We derive the resulting detectors and evaluate their performance. Results show that they can achieve near-optimum performance and outperform several previously proposed multiuser detectors.
Adaptive noise cancelling in speech using the short-time transform

Acoustic noise in speech can be suppressed by filtering a separately recorded correlated noise signal and subtracting it from the speech waveform. In the time domain this adaptive noise cancelling approach requires a computational rate which is linear with filter length. This paper describes how to implement the noise cancelling procedure in the frequency domain using the short-time Fourier transform. Using the efficiency of the FFT results in a computation rate which is proportional to the log of the filter length. For acoustic noise suppression where the filter length can be on the order of one thousand points, this approach offers a viable alternative for real time implementation, The performance of this method is compared with the time domain methods on noisy speech having a noise power equal to the signal power and is shown to be equally effective as a noise cancelling preprocessor.
HiRel-reliability/availability integrated workstation tool

The HiRel software tool is described and demonstrated by application to the mission avionics subsystem of the advanced system integration demonstrations (ASID) system that utilizes the PAVE PILLAR approach. HiRel marks another accomplishment toward the goal of producing a totally integrated computer-aided design (CAD) workstation design capability. Since a reliability engineer generally represents a reliability model graphically before it can be solved, the use of a graphical input description language increases productivity and decreases the incidence of error. The graphical postprocessor module HARPO makes it possible for reliability engineers to quickly analyze huge amounts of reliability/availability data to observe trends due to exploratory design changes. The addition of several powerful HARP modeling engines provides the user with a reliability/availability modeling capability for a wide range of system applications all integrated under a common interactive graphical input-output capability. >
Effect of shadows and time of day on performance of video detection systems at signalized intersections

This paper presents the effect of shadows and time of day on the performance of three video detection systems (VDS): Autoscope, Peek and Iteris, at a signalized intersection. Vendors were given two opportunities to improve the performance of their initial VDS setup before the final data collection. The evaluation and the results are based on 40 h of data from 20 days. Four performance measures: false calls, missed calls, dropped calls, and stuck-on calls were used in this study. Automated analysis of the data was performed in conjunction with manual verification of videos to identify the detection errors. The results for stop bar detection zones are presented in this paper. All the VDS reported false calls and depending on the lane, time of day, and sunny or cloudy conditions, the average false calls varied from 0.2% to 36%. The false calls were higher in sunny conditions than in cloudy conditions due to the shadows. Also, false calls for the leftmost lane were higher in sunny morning than in sunny midday due to shadows of turning vehicles from the middle lane. The false calls in the other two lanes were not affected by the time of day. Under the studied conditions, Autoscope, Peek, and Iteris missed detecting 2, 9, and 0 vehicles, respectively, in more than 7000 vehicles that went through the intersection. Autoscope, Peek, and Iteris had 87, 5, and 1 stuck-on calls, respectively, and there were more stuck-on calls in the morning than at midday. None of the three VDS had any dropped calls.
Changing composition of staghorn calculi.

Purpose: The 2005 American Urological Association Guideline on the Management of Staghorn Calculi suggests that metabolic stones are uncommon in the composition of staghorn calculi. We determined the incidence and treatment outcomes of metabolic stones in patients with complete staghorn calculi compared to infection stones in those undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all patients who underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy for complete staghorn calculi between April 2005 and April 2010. Stone analysis was reviewed to classify stone type as infectious or metabolic. Perioperative characteristics and patient outcomes were compared in relation to stone composition.Results: Of 52 kidneys (48 patients) with complete staghorn calculi 29 (56%) were metabolic and 23 (44%) were infection stones. Stone compositions in the metabolic group were calcium phosphate (55%), uric acid (21%), calcium oxalate (14%) and cystine (10%). Patients with metabolic stones were mor...
Distribution and Habitat of Assamese Macaque Macaca assamensis in Lao PDR, Including Its use of Low-altitude Karsts

Abstract: The distribution and ecology of Assamese macaque Macaca assamensis remains little studied in South-east Asia. This review collates historical and recent records to clarify its range and habitat use in Lao PDR. Contrary to many standard sources limiting Assamese macaque's range to the north and center of the country, it occurs well into the southern part. In the country's three physiographic units, it is widespread in the northern highlands and the Annamite range, but seems absent from the Mekong plain. Most records are from hill evergreen forest above 500 m, consistent with standard literature, but the species occurs down to plains level (200 m) on karsts (at least in areas south of 16°58′N). The few records from below 500 m off karst are all in ragged terrain, but even so non-karst ragged land below 500 m seems to be only rarely used. Ecological overlap with northern pig-tailed macaque M. leonina and with Rhesus macaque M. mulatta is very limited in Lao PDR. In the long-term, hunting and forest...
Big bluestem gene pools in the central and northeastern United States.

Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) is a native grass of the North American tallgrass prairie, used as a forage crop and as a possible biofuel feedstock. Understanding the genetic diversity of big bluestem can enable better classifi cation of accessions and increase the ability to recognize unique genetic variation for use within breeding programs. Previous studies of the genetic diversity of big bluestem have generated mixed conclusions; further study is warranted to provide clarifi cation of the genetic structure. Genetic diversity was measured both among and within three groups of big bluestem populations: natural populations collected in Wisconsin, natural populations from the northeastern United States, and cultivars or accessions available through various gene banks (mostly originating in the Great Plains). A total of 417 amplifi ed fragment length polymorphism loci were used for principal coordinate analysis, analysis of molecular variance, and Mantel tests. Results indicate that germplasm groups represent three distinct genetic pools with overlapping regions. Partitioning of genetic variance for each of the three groups revealed signifi cant variance among ecoregions and hardiness zones and among populations within ecoregions and hardiness zones. Unique big bluestem germplasm is present outside of the Great Plains, providing opportunities to increase genetic variation within breeding germplasm. Efforts should be made to preserve these genetic resources.
Instabilities and Induced Scattering Due to Nonlinear Landau Damping of Longitudinal Plasma Waves in a Magnetic Field

The matrix elements for nonlinear wave‐particle scattering (nonlinear Landau damping) are obtained in explicit form for electrostatic waves from the Vlasov‐Maxwell equations. The waves are allowed to propagate at arbitrary angles to the magnetic field, and no restrictions are imposed upon the Larmor radius or the frequencies. In the case k⊥≫k‖, the symmetry relations for mode‐mode coupling are demonstrated by appropriate manipulations of the matrix elements. This allows one to cast the nonlinear Landau damping coefficients in a particularly simple form. The conditions for explosive instabilities are obtained, and a possible stabilization mechanism for these instabilities is pointed out. In the limit of either perpendicular or parallel propagation to the magnetic field, a comparison is made with previous results. The nonlinear stability of two types of velocity anisotropy instabilities are examined. Explosive instabilities are found to exist both for Harris modes and upper hybrid loss‐cone modes. In additi...
Design considerations for the brain-machine interface

Implantation of prosthetic devices designed to complement the function of the human brain is a rare but well recognized innovative treatment for some patients. If this technique is to become clinically useful special attention will have to be paid to the bio-engineering requirements of the prosthesis-brain interface.
The structuring of nonadsorbed nanoparticles and polyelectrolyte chains in the gap between a colloidal particle and plate

The force profiles between negatively charged silica and titania surfaces in solutions containing additives of either rigid spherical nanoparticles or polyelectrolyte chains, also negatively charged, were measured using an atomic force microscope (AFM). The effects of various solution conditions (e.g., additive concentration, solution ionic strength, pH) on the nature of the measured force profiles were investigated. The primary focus of the work, however, was the long-range oscillations in the force profile and the specific dependence of the wavelength of these oscillations on both solution chemistry and the bulk additive concentration. In the case when spherical nanoparticles (Ludox silica) were used as depletants, the characteristic spacing between macromolecules in the gap region followed the space-filling behavior expected of the bulk suspension (i.e., the wavelength of the oscillations in the force profile scaled with the bulk nanoparticle concentration, c, as c - 1 / 3 ). In addition, the actual magnitude of this spacing was approximately equal to n - 1 / 3 , where n is the bulk number density. For a system in which the additive was potassium polyacrylate, measurements of the force profile was made in both the dilute and semidilute regimes. Good agreement was found between the experimental and theoretical chain-chain spacing in both solution regimes, indicating that the spacing between the polyelectrolyte coils in the gap region is controlled by the bulk behavior. Specifically, the chains were space-filling in the dilute regime (i.e., the wavelength of the oscillations scaled as c - 1 / 3 ) and formed a mesh in the semidilute regime, with the wavelength of the oscillations scaling as c - 1 / 2 . In addition, the concentration at which this change in scaling behavior occurred agreed with the expected overlap concentration.
Applications of forbidden 0-1 matrices to search tree and path compression-based data structures

In this paper we improve, reprove, and simplify several theorems on the performance of data structures based on path compression and search trees. We apply a technique very familiar to computational geometers but still foreign to many researchers in (non-geometric) algorithms and data structures, namely, to bound the complexity of an object via its forbidden substructures.To analyze an algorithm or data structure in the forbidden substructure framework one proceeds in three discrete steps. First, one transcribes the behavior of the algorithm as some combinatorial object M; for example, M may be a graph, sequence, permutation, matrix, set system, or tree. (The size of M should ideally be linear in the running time.) Second, one shows that M excludes some forbidden substructure P, and third, one bounds the size of any object avoiding this substructure. The power of this framework derives from the fact that M lies in a more pristine environment and that upper bounds on the size of a P-free object M may be reused in different contexts.Among our results, we present the first asymptotically sharp bound on the length of arbitrary path compressions on arbitrary trees, improving analyses of Tarjan [35] and Seidel and Sharir [31]. We reprove the linear bound on postordered path compressions, due to Lucas [23] and Loebel and Nesetril [22], the linear bound on deque-ordered path compressions, due to Buchsbaum, Sundar, and Tarjan [5], and the sequential access theorem for splay trees, originally due to Tarjan [38]. We disprove a conjecture of Aronov et al. [3] related to the efficiency of their data structure for half-plane proximity queries and provide a significantly cleaner analysis of their structure. With the exception of the sequential access theorem, all our proofs are exceptionally simple. Notably absent are calculations of any kind.
Hot isostatic pressing of mechanically alloyed CuNb powders

The high hardnesses of mechanically alloyed powders, as well as their often irregular shapes, make them difficult to densify by conventional sintering schemes. Consolidation of mechanically alloyed powders is thus most often accomplished by hot extrusion or a variant thereof. Hot isostatic pressing (HIPing) is a potential route for densification of mechanically alloyed products. In this paper, the authors report on densification progression and describe partially densified microstructures of mechanically alloyed Cu-Nb powders. hot isostatic pressing is also a process for which extensive modeling has been developed. The models are robust ones, and software is now available to predict density as a function of process temperature, pressure and time, provided the ancillary material mechanical and thermal properties are available. The authors also report on the suitability of using this tool for predicting densification during HIPing of mechanically alloyed products.
Adding Biomeasures Relating to Fatness and Obesity to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics

The pace of research on the causes and consequences of obesity has increased dramatically since the late 1990s. However, a great chasm exists between the high-quality measurements of fatness used in the medical literature and the mostly self-reported height and weight data found in social science surveys. This article discusses the scientific value of including more accurate measures of fatness in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). It describes why fatness and obesity are of interest to PSID users, the concepts they measure, the strengths and weaknesses of alternative biomeasures for these concepts, the value added of including each in the PSID, and their synergies with the PSID structure. Although no single measure of fatness is ideal for every situation, given scarce PSID resources we recommend adding waist circumference, percentage of body fat, total body fat, and fat free mass through a method such as bioelectrical impedance analysis, as well as determining genetic predisposition to obesity.
Chlorotrifluoroethylene Nephrotoxicity in Rats: A Subacute Study

Abstract Male Fischer-344 rats were exposed via inhalation to a sublethal concentration (395 ppm ± 33 ppm; 1882 mg/m3) of the nephrotoxin chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE) for 4 h per day for 5 consecutive days. Within 1 day after the first exposure, rats exhibited diuresis, increased water intake, decreased urine osmolality, increased urinary lactic dehydrogenase activity and increased plasma creatinine and urea nitrogen. When animals were exposed repeatedly, values for these parameters declined or returned to control levels during the exposure sequence in a manner comparable to rats receiving the single exposure. By the chird day post exposure, coagulative necrosis involving primarily the pars recta, but extending to the pars convoluta, of the proximal tubule was present. Regeneration was apparent by the third day of exposure, and additional necrosis was minimal despite further exposures. Daily levels of urinary inorganic fluoride, an index of CTFE metabolism, were increased to 3–6 μmoles/24h/rat during the exposure sequence which coincided with a brief elevation in serum fluoride at the end of each exposure. Adaptation to CTFE is evident either through changes in the metabolism or disposition of CTFE or from a refractive property of the regenerating tissue to CTFE.