cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TH-D-210A-02: Portal Imaging for Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy

Purpose: To develop a methodology of therapy portal imaging verification for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and RapidArc treatments. Method and Materials: For Varian dynamic IMRT treatments the “DMLC aperture” or CIAO can be imaged by electronic portal imaging device(EPID) or with film. However, during VMAT and RapidArc treatment delivery, MLC leaves constantly move while gantry is rotating continuously. For quality assurance purpose for VMAT and RapidArc treatments we introduce the concept of “Dose Aperture”. In this approach a 3D isodose surface is created with a fixed beam direction, and a portal aperture is drawn around the projection of the isodose surface. For rotational modalities, such as VMAT and RapidArc, a standard orthogonal pair of beam directions can be selected on which the Dose Apertures are projected on the digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs). Portal images using these apertures can be obtained to verify the isocenter and location of the treatment with respect to the patient's bony anatomy.Results: For a VMAT plan the prescription isodose surface was generated using well established planning software tools. For the AP and LAT beams, two Dose Apertures were created, which were then projected on the corresponding DRRs for field matching and correlation. The Dose Apertures could be transferred to setup fields which are then readily available for portal imaging application of VMAT and RapidArc treatments. Conclusion: Although setup fields without the treatment apertures can be used to verify the location of the isocenter, the portal image generated with Dose Aperture is patient specific and can be used when weekly portal imaging is required.
An on-line data base system and file structure for perinatology

This paper describes a new approach to computerized processing of perinatal data, By allowing on-line entry and processing of appropriate medical data for all mothers admitted to the labour rooms and for all newborns delivered, the system is designed to meet, several clinical and technical objectives. Of these, the most important are to provide a reliable and dynamic computer evaluation of risk factors of pregnancy, labour and delivery ; to build a large and continuously updated data base useful for statistical analyses off-line ; and to optimize all phases of data acquisition, processing, storage and retrieval. The implementation of the system necessitated close cooperation between data base designers and medical personnel first in defining rigorously the internal contents and external characteristics of the data records to be computerized and then in overseeing the testing and ovaluation of the completed package. Although much of the literature on data base systems provides ample information on their or...
Visual receptive field properties of feature detecting neurons in the dragonfly

The dragonfly, (Aeshna, Anax) which feeds on small flying insects, requires a visual system capable of signaling the movements of airborne prey. A group of 8 descending feature detectors in the dragonfly are tuned exclusively to moving contrasting objects. These “target-selective” descending neurons project from the brain to the thoracic ganglia. Their activity drives steering movement of the wings.
Cranial anatomy of the Duchesnean primate Rooneyia viejaensis: new insights from high resolution computed tomography.

Abstract Rooneyia viejaensis is a North American Eocene primate of uncertain phylogenetic affinities. Although the external cranial anatomy of Rooneyia is well studied, various authors have suggested that Rooneyia is a stem haplorhine, stem strepsirrhine, stem tarsiiform, or stem anthropoid. Here we describe the internal cranial anatomy of the Rooneyia holotype based on micro-computed tomography and discuss the phylogenetic implications of this anatomy. Precise measurements of the natural endocast filling the braincase of the Rooneyia holotype reveal that the genus had a relative brain size comparable to some living callitrichines and strepsirrhines. Rooneyia was thus probably more encephalized than any other known omomyiform, adapiform, or plesiadapiform. Relative olfactory bulb size in Rooneyia was most comparable to some living strepsirrhines and the stem anthropoid Parapithecus. The nasal fossa of Rooneyia resembled that of living strepsirrhines in retaining an obliquely oriented nasolacrimal canal, four ethmoturbinals, and an olfactory recess separated from the nasopharyngeal meatus by a transverse lamina. The ear region of Rooneyia is characterized by large and complete canals for both the stapedial and promontory branches of the internal carotid artery. Rooneyia also retains a patent parotic fissure and thus had an extrabullar origin of the stapedius muscle. In most of these respects, Rooneyia exhibits the condition that is presumed to be primitive for crown primates and lacks a number of key crown haplorhine synapomorphies (e.g., a dorso-ventrally oriented nasolacrimal canal, loss of the olfactory recess, loss of ethmoturbinals 3–4, loss or extreme reduction of the stapedial canal due to involution of the stapedial artery). These data are consistent with the hypothesis that Rooneyia is an advanced stem primate or a basal crown primate but are inconsistent with prior suggestions that Rooneyia is a crown haplorhine.
Ethanol and Natural Killer Cells. I. Activity and Immunophenotype in Alcoholic Humans

The human lymphocyte fraction with the greatest fresh killing activity against K562 targets is phenotypically the CD3 - CD19 - CD56 + subset. There have been reports of reduced natural killer (NK) activity in human alcoholics, but overall consistency is lacking and phenotypic monitoring has been inadequate to allow reliable estimates of changes in the active cell fractions. We have evaluated a range of cell surface markers and fresh NK activity in controls and alcoholics, and now report abnormalities In both phenotype and function in some alcoholics, but a normal profile in others. Patients without evidence of active liver disease (AWLDs) tend to have normal fresh basal activities and phenotypic profiles. Patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALDs) have fewer Lin - lymphocytes that are CD56 + . Three of 14 ALDs assayed in the present work had absent NK activity, whereas others were activated. In normal controls and in AWLDs, the presence of monocytes in the lytic assay consistently inhibits lysis; but, in some patients with ALD, the presence of monocytes is stimulatory to NK activity. In alcoholics as one group, there is a statistically significant relative increase In a novel Lin - subset of unknown function; this subset has a phenotype of Lin - CD56 - CD45RO + .
ALTERNATIVES TO SINGLE-MEMBER PLURALITY DISTRICTS: LEGAL AND EMPIRICAL ISSUES*

While single-member districting (smd) is the most common form of representation in the U.S., apportionment schemes at the state and local level often make use of multimember districts (Klain 1955; Jewell 1971), the polar type of which is, of course, the at-Iarge election; •' and in one state (New York) weighted voting is the most common of the various systems in use for county government.^ In the late 196O's and 7O's such non-smd systems have come under increasing challenge as violating 14th Amendment "equal protection" standards.
How the Battle of Hastings was lost

Shortly after Harold II became King of England in January 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, declared war on Harold to depose him. In March 1066, the pope allied himself with William, and the war became a holy war. Harold was now a heretic who lost the possibility of having his soul saved, or an afterlife in heaven. With the pope's blessing, the crusade against Harold brought other rulers to support William. In contrast to his past behavior as an able administrator as the under king to King Edward the Confessor for 13 years, and more than 20 years as a successful military leader, he was inept against William in strategy, tactics, initiative, and leadership. This suggests that Harold felt helpless and hopeless due to being a heretic fighting against the pope and God, and that his markedly different behavior in his war against William was symptomatic of a major depression due to religious feelings about loss of his soul. It seems that this led to his defeat at the Battle of Hastings 6 months later.
Large herbivores in sagebrush steppe ecosystems: livestock and wild ungulates influence structure and function.

Improving understanding of the connections between vegetation, herbivory, and ecosystem function offers a fundamental challenge in contemporary terrestrial ecology. Using exclosures constructed during the late 1950s, we examined effects of grazing by wild and domestic herbivores on plant community structure, aboveground herbaceous primary production, and nutrient cycling at six sites in semi-arid, sagebrush rangelands during 2001–2002 in Colorado, USA. Enclosures provided three treatments: no grazing, grazing by wild ungulates only, and grazing by wild and domestic ungulates. Excluding all grazing caused an increase in shrub cover (F = 4.97, P = 0.033) and decrease in bare ground (F = 4.74, P = 0.037), but also a decrease in plant species richness (F = 6.19, P = 0.018) and plant diversity (F = 7.93, P = 0.008). Effects of wild ungulate grazing on plant cover and diversity were intermediate to the effects of combined domestic and wild grazing. Aboveground net primary production was higher in both grazed treatments than in the ungrazed one (F wild + domestic = 2.98, P = 0.0936 and F wild only = 3.55, P = 0.0684). We were unable to detect significant effects of grazing on other ecosystem states and processes including C:N ratios of standing crops, N mineralization potential, or nitrification potential. Best approximating models revealed positive correlation between N availability and herbaceous cover and a negative correlation between herbaceous primary production and the ratio of shrub–herb cover and plant diversity. We conclude that ungulate herbivory, including both wild and domestic ungulates, had significant effects on plant community structure and ecosystem function during this 42-year span. Responses to the wild ungulate treatment were consistently intermediate to responses to the no grazing and wild + domestic grazing treatments. However, we were unable to detect statistical difference between effects of wild ungulates alone and wild ungulates in combination with livestock.
A comparison of multivariate statistical analysis protocols for ToF‐SIMS spectral images

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) instruments produce raw data sets with a tremendous quantity of data. Multivariate statistical analysis (MVA) tools are being used to reduce the massive amount of chemical information into a smaller set of components that are easier to interpret and understand as a result of species association. Standard principal component analysis (PCA) is the most heavily used MVA algorithm in the ToF-SIMS community, and is frequently computed using the singular value decomposition (SVD). Other algorithms such as multivariate curve resolution (MCR) have also gained popularity over the past few years. In this work, we compare the as-measured ToF-SIMS spectrum and ion images with four MVA data analysis protocols: standard PCA, image-rotated SVD, spectra-rotated SVD, and a PCA-based MCR procedure. Image-rotated SVD and spectra-rotated SVD are closely connected to PCA and involve abstract rotations of the singular vectors that naturally arise during computation of the principal components via SVD. These rotations are designed to enhance either spatial contrast or spectral contrast in the components, respectively. We will show that the four MVA protocols provide essentially the same information, but accentuate different aspects of the sample's composition and lateral distribution, and that taken together these methods provide a more complete understanding of the sample. We will demonstrate that the component spectra estimated by MVA protocols assist the analyst in discovering minor constituents and understanding species correlation that would have been difficult, if not impossible, using univariate analysis protocols. For the data set described here, MVA tools identified unexpected species, which were not obvious in the as-measured data. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Urea measurement by X-ray microanalysis in 50 picoliter specimens

Studies of the renal concentrating mechanism require a method for defining the concentration of both urea and electrolytes in very small fluid specimens obtained from collecting ducts. Urea in such samples has been measured in the range from 20 to 100 pmoles using a fluorescence technique [1], and from 100 to 500 pmoles by absorption spectrophotometry [2]. These methods require several nanoliters of fluid and many handling steps. The electron probe microanalyzer can measure electrolyte composition in samples smaller than 10 -10 liters [3–5], but because it measures only elemental composition, it has not been useful for defining organic chemical composition. We here describe a new method based on the precipitation of urea by thioxanthen-9-ol from microdroplets in the 50-pl range.
A Multichannel Markov Random Field Framework for Tumor Segmentation With an Application to Classification of Gene Expression-Based Breast Cancer Recurrence Risk

We present a methodological framework for multichannel Markov random fields (MRFs). We show that conditional independence allows loopy belief propagation to solve a multichannel MRF as a single channel MRF. We use conditional mutual information to search for features that satisfy conditional independence assumptions. Using this framework we incorporate kinetic feature maps derived from breast dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging as observation channels in MRF for tumor segmentation. Our algorithm based on multichannel MRF achieves an receiver operating characteristic area under curve (AUC) of 0.97 for tumor segmentation when using a radiologist's manual delineation as ground truth. Single channel MRF based on the best feature chosen from the same pool of features as used by the multichannel MRF achieved a lower AUC of 0.89. We also present a comparison against the well established normalized cuts segmentation algorithm along with commonly used approaches for breast tumor segmentation including fuzzy C-means (FCM) and the more recent method of running FCM on enhancement variance features (FCM-VES). These previous methods give a lower AUC of 0.92, 0.88, and 0.60, respectively. Finally, we also investigate the role of superior segmentation in feature extraction and tumor characterization. Specifically, we examine the effect of improved segmentation on predicting the probability of breast cancer recurrence as determined by a validated tumor gene expression assay. We demonstrate that an support vector machine classifier trained on kinetic statistics extracted from tumors as segmented by our algorithm gives a significant improvement in distinguishing between women with high and low recurrence risk, giving an AUC of 0.88 as compared to 0.79, 0.76, 0.75, and 0.66 when using normalized cuts, single channel MRF, FCM, and FCM-VES, respectively, for segmentation.
Has global ethnic conflict superseded cold war ideology

If studies of conflict and terror involve understanding their causes and if the notion of “causes” is ultimately a philosophical concept (from Aristotle to Kant), then philosophy can make a unique contribution to studies of global ethnic conflict. Without delving deeply into philosophical ideas underlying the conflict, this article nevertheless examines how it largely stems from a cold war ideology of the Left. Moreover, a New Left is not only distinguished from politics and political philosophy but, dismayingly, traced to cold war western democracies, in which it continues, paradoxically, to flourish and be used to extinguish what it inflames.
The Relationship between Adrenal Weight and Population Status of Urban Norway Rats

It has been proposed that changes in the size of animal populations exert density-dependent effects on the physiology of individuals in these populations (Christian, 1950). Theoretically, the magnitude of the physiological alterations would increase with increases in population size until there is a cessation of population growth followed by a decline or, in extreme cases, a population crash. Emphasis was placed on the adaptive reactions of the pituitary-adrenocortical and reproductive systems to density-dependent stimuli which were presumably sociopsychological in nature. Therefore these stimuli would be effective throughout the history of a population, changing only in magnitude with changes in population size. Environmental hardships, such as food shortages and disease, of necessity would be imposed on and additive to this basic response to density. A direct relationship between adrenal weight and population density was demonstrated in the laboratory with albino and wild house mice in populations of fixed size (Christian, 1955 a , b). A similar relationship was demonstrated in freely growing populations of wild house mice maintained in the laboratory (Christian, 1956). Increases in adrenal weight resulted primarily from cortical hypertrophy. Subsequently it was shown that the adrenal weights of wild Norway rats decreased following an artificial reduction of population (Christian and Davis, 1955). Finally, the subordinate rats of a group, as determined by losing fights, exhibit increased adrenocortical activity with eventual cortical hypertrophy (Barnett, 1955). The latter work suggests a sociopsychological mechanism by which population density might be related to adrenal activity in rats. None of these experiments has demonstrated a corresponding relationship between population density and adrenal weight in natural populations. The present experiments were designed to examine natural populations for such a relationship. The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private ones of the writers and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the …
Chemoselective covalent coupling of oligonucleotide probes to self-assembled monolayers

A chemoselective route to routinely and rapidly attach oligonucleotide probes to well-defined surfaces is presented. Cu(I) tris(benzyltriazolylmethyl)amine-catalyzed coupling of terminal acetylenes to azides on a self-assembled monolayer is used instead of traditional nucleophilic-electrophilic coupling reactions. The reaction proceeds well even in the presence of purposely introduced nucleophilic and electrophilic impurities. The density of oligonucleotide probes can be controlled by controlling the amount of azide functionality. Although most of our work was done on gold surfaces, this technique should be readily applicable to any surface on which an azide-containing monolayer can be assembled as we have preliminarily demonstrated by derivatizing azidotrimethoxysilane-modified glass slides with fluorescein-containing oligonucleotides.
Prospective Investigation of Autonomic Nervous System Function and the Development of Type 2 Diabetes The Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities Study, 1987–1998

Background— Autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction has been correlated with fasting insulin and glucose, independent of clinically diagnosed diabetes. We tested whether men and women (aged 45 to 64 years) from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities study (n=8185) with ANS dysfunction, estimated by high heart rate (HR) and low HR variability (HRV), were at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Methods and Results— Supine HR and HRV indices were measured for 2 minutes at baseline; indices were divided into quartiles for analyses. From 1987 to 1998 (mean follow-up 8.3 years), there were 1063 cases of incident diabetes. The relative risk (RR) of developing diabetes for participants with low-frequency (LF) power (0.04 to 0.15 Hz) HRV in the lowest quartile (<7.7 ms2) compared with the highest quartile (≥38.9 ms2) was 1.2 (95% CI 1.0–1.4) after adjustment for age, race, sex, study center, education, alcohol drinking, current smoking, prevalent coronary heart disease, physical activity, and body ma...
Seizure Disorders in Autism

Several reports have suggested that autistic individuals are at greater risk for developing seizure disorders, particularly in adolescence. In this study the frequency of seizures in a series of 192 autistic individuals was examined; 21% of cases had exhibited a seizure disorder. Seizure disorders were more common among individuals with lower IQ. Age specific incidence revealed a 3- to 22-fold increase in risk for seizure relative to the normal population. In contrast to previous studies, risk for developing seizures was highest during early childhood although it was also elevated during early adolescence.
Characterization of a biomolecular fuel delivery device under load

We describe the design, implementation, and characterization of a biomolecular RNA fuel delivery device under load. The device is based on genelet technology, and is capable of driving dynamic behavior in complex nucleic acid circuits. Here we closely examine the behavior of a system consisting of the device driving the operation of a simple, fluorescently-labeled DNA probe. We use a simple model to characterize the stability region of the system and the effect of changing load conditions. Finally, we validate these analytical observations with basic experiments.
Brand Attachment: Constructs, Consequences, and Causes

Introduction. The Attachment Construct. What Causes Attachment? Mental Representation of Brand Memory. Strategic Brand Exemplars. Discussion. References.
Short-Run Energy-Economy Interactions in Egypt

Abstract This paper discusses the short-run adjustment mechanism of the Egyptian economy to changes in the domestic price of oil. The effects of oil price increases have been analysed in the framework of a short-run macroeconomic model with an explicit treatment of energy. The results suggest that a reduction in petroleum use induced by a rise in the price of oil will impose difficult adjustment problems for the economy in the short run in terms of increase in inflation, fall in the share of wage income and sharp output losses. The analysis also indicates that energy demand management through appropriate petroleum pricing strategy cannot bring about desirable impacts on the economy unless efforts are made to reduce cost pressures originating from other energy sectors.
Violence against women on public transport in Nepal: sexual harassment and the spatial expression of male privilege

Violence against women in public space is a serious, worldwide problem. Essentially, as women move from lives confined to the domestic sphere, their very spatial mobility might be perceived to be a form of defiance and deviance. This article uses a mixed method approach to explore sexual harassment and assault in public transport in Kathmandu, Nepal. Survey data were gathered from 238 college-age women to explore the frequency, type, and seriousness of sexual harassment and assault. Surveys also solicited reactions to these victimization experiences, as well as any response made at the time of the incident. Interviews with 35 subjects were also conducted. Taken together, the data indicate that sexual harassment and sexual assault are ubiquitous on public transport with younger women particular targets of this abuse. Despite the seriousness of some of these assaults and comments from young women indicating the trauma resulting from these intrusions, none filed official complaints to the bus companies or th...
Low-power AEC-based MIMO signal processing for gigabit ethernet 1000Base-T transceivers

Presented in this paper is a low-power technique, denoted as MIMO-AEC, to reduce energy dissipation in multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) signal processing systems. The proposed technique extends a previously proposed adaptive error-cancellation (AEC) technique to MIMO systems by employing an algorithm transformation denoted as MIMO-DECOR. The purpose of MIMO-DECOR is to reduce complexity by exploiting correlations inherent in MIMO systems, thereby improving the effectiveness of AEC. We employ the MIMO-AEC in the design of a low-power Gigabit Ethernet 1000Base-T device. Simulation results demonstrate 44.3% - 25.2% overhead reduction due to MIMO-DECOR and 69.1% - 64.2% energy savings over conventional implementations with no loss in algorithmic performance.
Political Coercion and the Scope of Distributive Justice

A prominent position in the global justice literature holds that claims of distributive justice are only ‘activated’ by the densely coercive institutional apparatus of states. I dispute this view in three ways. First, I argue that coercion is either justified by its results and rationale or it cannot be justified at all; as a result, coercive institutions do not demand an independent justification via distributive justice. Second, I contend that because the shape of coercive institutions is the result of political choices that have distributive implications, one cannot make normative judgements without asking why coercive institutions have the shape that they do. Third, even accepting (for the sake of argument) the claim that coercive institutions must be justified by a special focus on distributive justice among those subject to them, I argue that the resulting position does not justify restricting distributive justice to state borders. If (any of) these arguments are correct, it is a mistake to think that a concern with the coercive nature of political institutions legitimates restricting claims of distributive justice to compatriots.
Water entry of small hydrophobic spheres

We present the results of a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of the normal impact of hydrophobic spheres on a water surface. Particular attention is given to characterizing the shape of the resulting air cavity in the low Bond number limit, where cavity collapse is driven principally by surface tension rather than gravity. A parameter study reveals the dependence of the cavity structure on the governing dimensionless groups. A theoretical description based on the solution to the Rayleigh–Besant problem is developed to describe the evolution of the cavity shape and yields an analytical solution for the pinch-off time in the zero Bond number limit. The sphere's depth at cavity pinch-off is also computed in the low Weber number, quasi-static limit. Theoretical predictions compare favourably with our experimental observations in the low Bond number regime, and also yield new insight into the high Bond number regime considered by previous investigators. Discrepancies are rationalized in terms of the assumed form of the velocity field and neglect of the longitudinal component of curvature, which together preclude an accurate description of the cavity for depths less than the capillary length. Finally, we present a theoretical model for the evolution of the splash curtain formed at high Weber number and couple it with the underlying cavity dynamics.
Virtual Worlds : an Overview and Pedagogical Examination

Virtual Worlds (VWs) like Second Life provide a multiuser 3-D environment that may be utilized for either classroom-based or autonomous language learning. While Second Life is one of the most popular VWs at the current time (especially if differentiated from Massively-Multiplayer Online Games like World of Warcraft), there are a number of other VW platforms that, taken together, dwarf Second Life in terms of users. A few of these include: Active Worlds, Entropia Universe, Furcadia, Club Penguin; and MMOGs like the aforementioned World of Warcraft, Runescape, Lineage II, etc. In addition to these worlds, there are also more customized environments such as Croquet and OpenSimulator. As researchers and teachers of languages, our challenge is to determine which of these environments, if any, is appropriate for the group(s) of students we wish to teach and/or study. This article will provide a rationale for the use of VWs in education and also an overview of some of the most applicable Virtual Worlds and discuss the strengths, weakness, and dangers of each.
Contamination Effects on Interfacial Porosity during Cyclic Oxidation of Mullite‐Coated Silicon Carbide

Plasma-sprayed mullite (3Al 2 O 3 .2SiO 2 ) and mullite/yttria-stabilized zirconia (mullite/YSZ) dual-layer coatings have been developed to protect silicon-based ceramics from environmental attack. The mullite/SiC system develops interfacial pores during cyclic oxidation. The development of pores at the mullite/sintered SiC interface in air has been investigated as a function of the purity of mullite at 1230°-1350°C in an atmospheric-pressure furnace. The silica scale is readily contaminated by impurities of alkali or alkaline-earth metal oxides from the mullite coating. The contamination enhances oxidation and reduces the scale viscosity by forming alkali or alkaline-earth metal silicates. The porosity increases as the temperature and contamination increase and decreases as the purity of the mullite increases.
Generation of chemiluminescence in experimental autoimmune uveitis.

Using experimental model of uveitis, the inflammation-associated chemiluminescence was measured by luminol amplification method. The induction of uveitis in Lewis rats was carried out by immunizing bovine S-antigen in complete Freund's adjuvant on hind foot-pad. The chemiluminescence activity from six sets of retina and choroid measured at the peak of inflammation was found to be in the range of 300,000-400,000 counts, amounting to nearly 20- fold increase from non-immunizated control animals under the same conditions. The phagocyte-derived superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical appear to be the two major radicals in the chemiluminescent species. This was revealed by in vitro suppression of chemiluminescence by 5,400 units of superoxide dismutase and 10 mM of D-mannitol. The decreases in counts were 21% and 35% for superoxide dismutase and D-mannitol respectively. The presence of hydrogen peroxide was not established since catalase with dose up to 20,000 units did not cause any significant suppression in c...
Sociologförbundet har ordet : Utmaningar för den globala sociologin – från Göteborg till Yokohama

Sociologforbundet har ordet : Utmaningar for den globala sociologin – fran Goteborg till Yokohama
Correlation and Spectral Methods for Determining Uncertainty in Propagating Discontinuities

The accurate determination of the speed of a propagating disturbance is important for a number of applications. A nonstationary cross-spectral density phase (NCSDP) technique was developed to provide a statistical estimate of the propagation time of sharp discontinuities such as steps or spikes that model shock or detonation waves. The uncertainty of the phase estimate is dependent on the coherence between the signals. For discrete implementation of the NCSDP technique, a ?weighted-resetting-unwrap? of the phase angle was proposed to discard values of the coherence below a threshold value, that is, only the unwrapped phase angle above the threshold was accepted. In addition, an envelop function was used which improved the technique. The technique was found to be unsuitable for step disturbances but was more effective in estimating the time delay with a small standard deviation if the sharp disturbance also showed a rapid decay. The method was applied to shock and detonation waves.
Investment in vintage capital

Abstract We study an economy in which firms use labor and various vintages of capital in a CES production function for the final good. We explicitly solve for the investment in capital of a given vintage as a function of its age, and for the resulting stocks of capital. We show that for reasonable parameter values, inverted-U-shaped dynamics of investment and S-shaped dynamics for capital arise in equilibrium. We view the model as an explanation of intra-firm adoption lags, i.e., the observation that firms adopt innovations over time and not instantaneously.
Electromigration and void observation in silver

Abstract Electromigration in silver has been studied by a marker motion technique. Driven by direct currents of about 10 4 A cm 2 , mass transport always moved to the anode in the temperature range from 670°C to 880°C. Maximum marker motion was about 20 μ per day and the effective charge averaged to about −25e for silver ions. It was possible to measure the longitudinal and transverse strains of the silver tubular samples, and the dimensional change proved to be isotropic. Voids were formed on the cathode side of the silver samples. The size of the voids ran up to 30μ in dia. and was observed to depend on the temperature, the amount of transport, and the protective atmosphere used. When the atmosphere was changed from argon gas to a 5% hydrogen-95% argon gas mixture, the rate of void formation was about two times faster although the void size was generally smaller.
Benefits from an uncertainty management intervention for African–American and Caucasian older long-term breast cancer survivors

In a randomized controlled design, this study tested the efficacy of a theoretically based uncertainty management intervention delivered to older long-term breast cancer survivors. The sample included 509 recurrence-free women (360 Caucasian, 149 African-American women) with a mean age of 64 years (S.D.=8.9 years) who were 5-9 years post-treated for breast cancer. Women were randomly assigned to either the intervention or usual care control condition. The intervention was delivered during four weekly telephone sessions, in which study nurses guided cancer survivors in the use of audiotaped cognitive-behavioral strategies to manage uncertainty about recurrence, and a self-help manual designed to help women understand and manage long-term treatment side effects and other symptoms. Treatment outcome data on uncertainty management were gathered at pre-intervention and 10-months afterward. Repeated measures MANOVA evaluating treatment group, ethnic group, and treatment by ethnic interaction effects indicated that training in uncertainty management resulted in improvements in cognitive reframing, cancer knowledge, patient-health care provider communication, and a variety of coping skills. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of theory-based interventions for cancer survivors that target triggers of uncertainty about recurrence and in terms of ethnic differences in response to the intervention.
MARS: Misbehavior Detection in Ad Hoc Networks

To detect misbehavior on data and mitigate adverse effects, we propose and evaluate a MultipAth routing single path transmission (MARS) scheme. The MARS combines multipath routing, single path data transmission, and end-to-end feedback mechanism together to provide more comprehensive protection against misbehavior from individual or cooperating misbehaving nodes. The MARS scheme and its enhancement E- MARS are evaluated by means of simulation under various adverse scenarios. The simulation results show that the MARS and E-MARS schemes provide better network performance and considerable protection to data transmission than some DSR-based transmission systems at the expense of moderate overhead. Compared to the DSR-based schemes, the proposed schemes deliver up to 45% more data with 20% misbehaving nodes under individual misbehavior, and up to 28% more data with 40% misbehaving nodes under colluded misbehavior.
LSP-based multiple-description coding for real-time low bit-rate voice transmissions

A fundamental issue in real-time interactive voice transmissions over unreliable IP networks is the loss or late arrival of packets for playback. Such losses cannot be recovered by retransmissions due to tight time constraints in interactive applications. This problem is especially serious in transmitting low bit-rate coded speech when pervasive dependencies are introduced in a bit stream, leading to the loss of subsequent dependent frames when a single packet is lost or arrives late. We propose a novel LSP-based multiple-description coding method that adapts its number of descriptions to network loss conditions in order to conceal packet losses in transmitting low-bit-rate coded speech over lossy packet networks. Based on high correlations observed in linear predictor parameters, in the form of line spectral pairs (LSPs), of adjacent frames, we generate multiple descriptions in a sender by interleaving LSPs, and reconstruct lost LSPs in a receiver by linear interpolations. Without increasing the transmission bandwidth, our scheme represents a trade-off between the quality of received packets and the ability to reconstruct lost packets. Our experimental results on FS CELP show good performance.
Image Analysis Measurements of White Specks on U.S. Extreme Varieties of Cotton

White specks are a specific type of fiber defect that result in high financial losses to the cotton industry. Fiber entanglements are called neps. Neps that involve immature fibers do not dye properly and appear as white specks on the dyed fabric. Studies to predict white specks from bale fiber measurements are underway. Initially a reliable method for measuring white specks is needed. Several systems have been evaluated and are reported here. The systems accuracy was compared using fiber from the US Extreme Variety Study, which was grown specifically to have different levels of white specks. This paper sets out the experimental work and analysis undertaken to develop and validate a system for reliably quantifying the amount of white specks in a woven fabric. Four image analysis systems are compared. This includes two industrial imaging systems (Cambridge and Optimas) 2 and two systems specifically developed for white speck analysis (Cotton Incorporated's prototype and AutoRate). The Cambridge system was too sensitive for this application, and the Cotton Incorporated system was found to have drift in the data over time so that the problem could not be identified. The Optimas system is time consuming and not accurate enough for this application. The AutoRate system gives the most accurate measurements of white specks in the minimal amount of time, with minimal operator error, of all of the systems studied and is currently being used in developing prediction of white specks from bale fiber properties.
Evaluating the mission effectiveness of dynamic user preferences in video streaming applications

Bandwidth limitations restrict the frame rate and resolution of video feeds transmitted to users in wireless surveillance networks. This paper investigates whether Dynamic Preference Specification (DPS), which gives users the ability to dynamically specify preferences regarding frame rate and resolution, positively affects the ability to achieve surveillance tasks. User preference information is used in an application-layer, utility-based flow control algorithm to adjust frame rate and resolution in an effort to maximize the utility delivered by the system, subject to a bandwidth constraint. DPS is tested in a human subject experiment against a static-preference scheme (control setting) that places equal weighting on frame rate and resolution, with the null hypothesis being that there is no difference between DPS and the control setting in terms of system performance. While the results of the experiment allow us to reject the null hypothesis, the amount of improvement associated with DPS depends strongly on the nature of the video feed.
Stress-Degree-Day Concept and Crop-Water-Stress Index

This chapter describes the stress-degree-day and the crop water stress index (CWSI) to evaluate water stress in plants. They were developed in the 1970s by Ray Jackson and Sherwood Idso at the US Department of Agriculture's Water Conservation Laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona. The procedures to determine them are based on measurements of canopy temperature obtained with handheld infrared thermometers. The CWSI is being used widely to determine water stress in crops. An example is given to show how to calculate the CWSI. One needs to measure the difference between canopy temperature and air temperature and plot those measurements against vapor pressure deficit. The importance of having a wide range in vapor pressure deficit values is pointed out. The normalized difference vegetation index, which measures reflectance from plant leaves in the red and near-infrared regions, is defined and distinguished from the CWSI, which is based on temperature measurements. An appendix gives the biography of Idso.
Revisiting age-predicted maximal heart rate: Can it be used as a valid measure of effort?

Introduction Despite high error ranges, age-predicted maximal heart rate (APMHR) is frequently used to gauge the achievement of adequate effort during an exercise test. The current analysis revisits this issue using the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise: National Database (FRIEND Registry). Methods A total of 4,796 (63% male) apparently healthy subjects underwent a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test on a treadmill. The mean age, maximal heart rate (HR), and maximal aerobic capacity of the cohort were 43 ± 12 years, 178 ± 15 beats per minute, and 36.1 ± 10.6 mlO 2 · kg −1 · min −1 , respectively. All subjects reached or surpassed a peak respiratory exchange ratio of 1.10. A linear regression equation using age to predict maximal HR was validated in 3,796 subjects and cross-validated in the remaining 1,000 (randomly assigned). Results The APMHR equation in the validation cohort was as follows: 209.3 − 0.72(age). The r value and standard error of estimate for this regression was 0.61 ( P t test revealed that the mean difference between actual maximal HR and APMHR was not significantly different from 0 (mean difference=0.32, P = .43). However, Bland-Altman revealed high limits of agreement (upper 25.31 and lower −24.67) and a significant proportional bias. Discussion The APMHR equation derived from this analysis included a large cohort of apparently healthy individuals with maximal exercise effort validated by the criterion standard (ie, peak respiratory exchange ratio). Using APMHR in this capacity should be discouraged, and new approaches to gauging an individual's exercise effort should be explored.
Peroral cholangioscopy facilitates targeted tissue acquisition in patients with suspected cholangiocarcinoma.

AIM Biliary strictures that are suspicious for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) are commonly encountered in clinical practice in patients with and without primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). A definitive histologic diagnosis of CCA via endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERCP) is often not obtainable with standard biliary brush cytology. Peroral cholangioscopy is an additional tool to help provide a diagnosis of CCA in patients with suspicious biliary strictures. Aim of the study was to assess the use of peroral cholangioscopy in patients with and without PSC and indeterminate biliary strictures. METHODS Retrospective study. RESULTS 25 patients were included in the study. All patients underwent ERCP with peroral cholangioscopy. Tissue samples obtained included routine cytology, fluorescent in-situ hybridization, and cholangioscopic-directed forceps biopsies. The operating characteristics of cholangioscopy to detect malignancy in 18 PSC patients with suspected cholangiocarcinoma were a sensitivity of 75%, specificity of 55%, and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 23%, and a negative predictive value of 92%. In 7 non-PSC patients with suspected cholangiocarcinoma these values sensitivity=100%, 25%, 50%, and NPV=100%, respectively. The overall operating characteristics of cholangioscopy to detect malignancy in all 25 patients with suspected cholangiocarcinoma were: sensitivity of 86%, specificity of 50%, PPV of 32%, and NPV of 93%. CONCLUSION Cholangioscopy helps identify sites for tissue acquisition in PSC and non-PSC patients with biliary strictures suspicious for malignancy.
Pediatric Neuropsychological Assessment

Neuropsychological evaluation represents both a set of special techniques applied to a broad range of clinical populations and at the same time a set of clinical procedures applied to a group of patients with special clinical problems. This is true within the pediatric as well as the adult medical and surgical populations. Neuropsychological procedures, although most certainly not uniform with regard to their appearance (or almost any other characteristic), nevertheless do differ in certain identifiable ways from equally varied general clinical procedures. Neuropsychological evaluation of patients, be it performed on a neurology or neurosurgery service or on a wide variety of general pediatric and medical services, also overlaps but nevertheless differs in identifiable ways in not only its broadest purposes but also in some of the fundamental understandings brought to that examination and therefore the basic questions being addressed.
Two-aggregator network topology optimization with splitting

We consider the problem of data aggregation using two aggregators. We assume that the source racks can split the data they need to send to the aggregators across multiple paths. We show that obtaining a topology that minimizes aggregation time is NP-hard for k = 2, 3,4, where k the degree of ToR (top-of-rack) switches. We also show that an optimal topology can be computed in polynomial time for k = 5 and 6 and conjecture this to be the case when k > 6 as well. Experimental results show that, when k = 6, our topology optimization algorithm reduces the aggregation time by as much as 83.3% and reduces total network traffic by as much as 99.5% relative to the torus heuristic, proposed by [1].
The Pitfalls of Companion Diagnostics: Evaluation of Discordant EGFR Mutation Results from a Clinical Laboratory and a Central Laboratory

Accurate identification of somatic mutations in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue is required for enrollment into clinical trials for many novel targeted therapeutics, including trials requiring EGFR mutation status in non–small-cell lung carcinomas. Central clinical trial laboratories contracted to perform this analysis typically rely on US Food and Drug Administration–approved targeted assays to identify these mutations. We present two cases in which central laboratories inaccurately reported EGFR mutation status because of improper identification and isolation of tumor material and failure to accurately report assay limitations, resulting in enrollment denial. Such cases highlight the need for increased awareness by clinical trials of the limitation of these US Food and Drug Administration–approved assays and the necessity for a mechanism to reevaluate discordant results by alternative laboratory-developed procedures, including clinical next-generation sequencing.
Rational use of antidepressants.

SUMMARY The key to the proper treatment of affective illness is a correct diagnosis of the subtype of depressive illness. Thus, primary treatment recommendations include the tricyclic antidepressants for a major depressive episode, electroconvulsive therapy for a major depressive episode with psychotic features, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors for dysthymic disorder and atypical depressive episodes. Nonresponding patients are treated with either lithium augmentation of TCA therapy or ECT. Second-generation antidepressants are recommended in situations where their adverse effect profiles offer significant advantages over TCAs in an individual patient. Maintenance antidepressant treatment may be necessary to prevent recurrent depressive episodes.