cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Classification of masses on mammograms using rubber-band straightening transform and feature analysis

A new rubber-band straightening transform (RBST) and texture analysis were developed for classification of masses on mammograms as malignant or benign. A database of 168 mammograms containing biopsy-proven malignant and benign breast masses was digitized at a pixel size of 100 micrometer by 100 micrometer. Regions of interest (ROIs) containing a single mass from each mammogram were extracted by an experienced radiologist. A clustering algorithm was employed for automatic segmentation of each ROI into a mass object and background tissue. A 40-pixel-wide region of the gray-scale image surrounding the mass was transformed onto the Cartesian plane using RBST. The first row of the transformed image contained the pixels along the mass edge. The jth row of the transformed image contained the pixel values at a distance of j pixels from the edge in the normal direction to the edge contour. In the RBST image, mass margins appeared as approximately horizontal edges, and spiculations appeared as approximately vertical lines. Thus, edge sharpness and possible spiculations could be better characterized with directional texture measures. Texture features were extracted from spatial gray-level dependence matrices calculated from the RBST images. Linear discriminant analysis was used for classification, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the classification accuracy. The area Az under the test ROC curve reached 0.87 using cross-validation and 0.89 using the leave-one-case-out method.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
An N-terminal inhibitory domain modulates activity of FoxM1 during cell cycle

The FoxM1 transcription factor plays critical roles in the expression of genes that are essential for cell proliferation. FoxM1 null or depleted cells fail to progress through mitosis, as expression of several mitotic genes depends upon FoxM1. The transcriptional activity of FoxM1 is stimulated by cyclin-cdk-mediated phosphorylation at a site within the transcriptional activation domain. Here, we characterize the role of an N-terminal inhibitory domain in the transcriptional activity of FoxM1. Deletion of the N-terminal 232 amino-acid residues increases the transcriptional and transforming activities of FoxM1. Moreover, while the activity of the full-length FoxM1 is stimulated by growth factors, the activity of the N-terminal deletion mutant is constitutively high in all phases of the cell cycle. The N-terminal deletion also eliminates the requirement for cyclin-cdk to activate FoxM1. We provide evidence that the N-terminal domain interacts with the C-terminal half of the transcription factor to attenuate its transcriptional activity. Moreover, the N-terminal fragment inhibits the transcriptional activity of FoxM1 in G1/S cells, but not in G2/M cells. Our results suggest that cyclin-cdk phosphorylates FoxM1 to counteract the inhibition by the N-terminal domain to fully activate FoxM1 in G2/M phase.
The three faces of conversion in the USA

This article examines two institutions heavily involved in the US defence industry during the Cold War, Martin Marietta (later Lockheed Martin) and the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility. Analyses of these two institutions suggest that “conversion” per se is unlikely to occur at either in the near term future. Rather like plutonium, these institutions appear to have long‐lives, slowly and expensively decaying. In addition, the inter‐democratic peace proposition is examined as a third facet of conversion, and the argument is made that domestic and foreign policy conversions may in fact provide a more profound conversion than that hoped for in commercial arenas.
Achieving distributed user access control in sensor networks

User access control in sensor networks defines a process of granting user an access right to the stored information. It is essential for future real sensor network deployment in which sensors may provide users with different services in terms of data and resource accesses. A centralized access control mechanism requires the base station to be involved whenever a user requests to get authenticated and access the information stored in the sensor node, which is inefficient, not scalable, and is exposed to many potential attacks along long communication paths. In this paper, we propose a distributed user access control under a realistic adversary model in which sensors can be compromised and user may collude. We split the access control into local authentication conducted by a group of sensors physically close to a user, and a light remote authentication based on the endorsement of the local sensors. We implement the access control protocols on a testbed of TelosB motes. Our analysis and experimental results show that our schemes are feasible for real access control requirements.
Genetic differences affecting the potency of stereoisomers of halothane

Abstract The mechanism of action of volatile anesthetics is the subject of some debate. Much of the controversy has centered on whether the site of such actions is purely lipid in nature or may contain a protein target. This report studies the interaction of stereoisomers of halothane on the wild type and on a variety of genetic mutants of Caenorhabditis elegans. The mutants studied have previously been shown to have altered sensitivities to volatile anesthetics. In one mutant, fc34, (R)-halothane [the (+) isomer] was 3 times more potent than its S (-) isomer. Other mutants and wild-type animals displayed more modest differences in sensitivity to the enantiomers. The results indicate that a genetic pathway exists in C. elegans controlling sensitivity to halothane and that both lipid and protein targets may mediate halothane's effects.
Polymeric Nanocomposites for Tribological Applications

Polymer nanocomposites operate in applications where fluid and grease lubricants fail, and have superior tribological performance to traditional polymer composites. Nanoparticle fillers have been a part of notable reductions in the wear rate of the polymer matrix at very low loadings. Despite instances of remarkable wear reductions at unprecedented loadings (3 000 times at 0.5% loading in one case), there is a lack of general agreement within the literature on the mechanisms of wear resistance in these nanocomposites. In addition, results appear to vary widely from study to study with only subtle changes of the filler material or blending technique. The apparent wide variation in tribological results is likely a result of processing and experimental differences. Tribology is inherently complex with no governing laws for dry sliding friction or wear, and the state of the art in polymeric nanocomposites tribology includes many qualitative descriptors of important system parameters, such as particle dispersion, bulk mechanical properties, debris morphology, and transfer film adhesion, morphology, composition, and chemistry. The coupling of inherent tribological complexities with the complicated mechanics of poorly characterized nanocomposites makes interpretation of experimental results and the state of the field extremely difficult. This paper reviews the state of the art in polymeric nanocomposites tribology and highlights the need for more quantitative studies. Examples of such quantitative measurements are given from recent studies, which mostly involve investigation of polytetrafluoroethylene matrix nanocomposites.
Spatial filters for shape control

Recently there has emerged a new class of sensors, called spatial filters, for structures which respond over a significant gauge length. Examples include piezoelectric laminate PVDF film, modal domain optical fiber sensors, and holographic sensors. These sensors have a unique capability in that they can be fabricated to locally alter their sensitivity to the measurand. In this paper we discuss how these sensors can be used for the implementation of control algorithms for the suppression of acoustic radiation from flexible structures. Based on this relationship between the total power radiated to the far field to the modal velocities of the structure, we show how the sensor placement to optimize the control algorithm to suppress the radiated power.
miR-17* suppresses tumorigenicity of prostate cancer by inhibiting mitochondrial antioxidant enzymes.

Aberrant micro RNA (miRNA) expression has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer. Recent studies have shown that the miR-17-92 cluster is overexpressed in many types of cancer. The oncogenic function of mature miRNAs encoded by the miR-17–92 cluster has been identified from the 5′ arm of six precursors. However, the function of the miRNAs produced from the 3′ arm of these precursors remains unknown. The present study demonstrates that miR-17* is able to suppress critical primary mitochondrial antioxidant enzymes, such as manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), glutathione peroxidase-2 (GPX2) and thioredoxin reductase-2 (TrxR2). Transfection of miR-17* into prostate cancer PC-3 cells significantly reduces levels of the three antioxidant proteins and activity of the luciferase reporter under the control of miR-17* binding sequences located in the 3′-untranslated regions of the three target genes. Disulfiram (DSF), a dithiolcarbomate drug shown to have an anticancer effect, induces the level of mature miR-17* and cell death in PCa cells, which can be attenuated by transfection of antisense miR-17*. Increasing miR-17* level in PC-3 cells by a Tet-on based conditional expression system markedly suppresses its tumorigencity. These results suggest that miR-17* may suppress tumorigenicity of prostate cancer through inhibition of mitochondrial antioxidant enzymes.
Motor unit firing rates and firing rate variability in the detection of neuromuscular disorders

We have used automatic decomposition electromyography (ADEMG) to study 41 muscles in 29 patients with well-defined peripheral and central motor disorders. In motor neuron diseases motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) showed increased amplitudes, firing rates and firing variability. Relatively large MUAPs sometimes were not identified by the computer program if they lacked sufficient high-frequency signal content, or were too variable in shape. In myopathies the MUAPs showed reduced amplitudes, durations and turns, and sometimes dramatic increases in firing rates. Also, the mean number of MUAPs per recording site was often increased, indicating excessive recruitment. In polymyositis (the best studied myopathy) the nature and magnitude of the MUAP shape and firing abnormalities were usually similar at different levels of contractile force, suggesting that motor units are affected without regard to recruitment order. In upper motor neuron paresis (multiple sclerosis), the shape properties of the MUAPs were normal, but mean firing rates were reduced, and firing variability increased. These findings confirm many of the traditional criteria for distinguishing neurogenic from myopathic disease electrophysiologically at the level of the individual MUAP. In addition, they demonstrate the potential diagnostic sensitivity of MUAP firing rate measurements for detecting neuromuscular dysfunction, and for differentiating between some cases of central and peripheral paresis, but not for distinguishing peripheral neurogenic from myopathic weakness, since firing rates tend to increase in both. Increased firing rate variability may be a marker of central or peripheral neurogenic weakness.
Separable approximations for joint capacity control and overbooking decisions in network revenue management

We develop a network revenue management model to jointly make capacity control and overbooking decisions. Our approach is based on the observation that if the penalty cost of denying boarding to the reservations at the departure time were given by a separable function, then the dynamic programming formulation of the network revenue management problem would decompose by the itineraries and it could be solved by focusing on one itinerary at a time. Motivated by this observation, we use an iterative and simulation-based method to build separable approximations to the penalty cost that we incur at the departure time. Computational experiments compare our model with two benchmark strategies that are based on a deterministic linear programming formulation. The profits obtained by our model improve over those obtained by the benchmark strategies by about 3 per cent on the average, which is a significant figure in the network revenue management setting. For the test problems with tight leg capacities, the profit improvements can be as high as 13 per cent.
Isolation and Characterization of a Genomic Clone for the Gene of an Insect Molting Enzyme, Chitinase

Genomic clones for a chitinolytic enzyme were isolated from a library of Sau 3A digested DNA from the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, using a previously isolated chitinase cDNA clone as a probe [Kramer et al., Insect Biochem. Molec. Biol. 23, 691-701 (1993)]. Restriction enzyme mapping and Southern blot analysis of four genomic clones suggested that these are overlapping clones. Sequence analysis of the genomic clones and Southern blot analysis of total genomic DNA also suggest that the M. sexta genome has only one chitinase gene detectable by the cDNA probe. This gene is organized into at least 11 exons in a region spanning > 11 kb. The sequenced M. sexta chitinase gene has a series of exons corresponding to identifiable structural/functional regions of the protein. Similarities in structure and organization between the M. sexta chitinase gene and chitinase genes from other sources are described.
Structural and functional comparison of myosin from the rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus and the marmot Marmota monax.

Abstract 1. 1. Cardiac myosin calcium-activated ATPase activity and subunit composition of the rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus , and woodchuck, Marmota monax , were compared. 2. 2. M. monax myosin had a higher ATPase activity from 2 to 35°C. 3. 3. Myosin ATPase from both species had the same energy of activation (15·6 kcal mol −1 ) from 2 to 25°C. 4. 4. Myosin from hibernating and nonhibernating M. monax had the same ATPase activity from 2 to 20°C. 5. 5. Myosin subunit structure from both species was the same by two distinct electrophoretic criteria. 6. 6. Results indicate that differences in myosin structure cannot explain the low-temperature differences in cardiac muscle mechanical behaviour of the two species.
A versatile cryostat and a mutual inductance coil for a.c. susceptibility measurements on high Tc superconductors

Abstract An inexpensive cryostat and a mutual inductance coil are described for a.c. susceptibility measurements on high temperature superconductors. A unique feature of the cryostat is that it can be operated from 77 K upwards, whereas conventional gas-flow-type cryostats reach a lowest temperature of about 90 K. Other advantages of the system are also presented.
Core competency skills for technical communicators

Without licensing or certification to measure program effectiveness, identifying aspects of the educational process that need bolstering to meet the expanded competency needs of new graduates can be difficult. An effective workforce requires persistent reassessment of essential work competencies and incorporation of applicable content into program curricula. Yet effective quantitative measurements for program assessment are often limited and inconsistently applied. The body of empirical data about which competencies are important and how useful these competencies are in various work settings is increasing. In addition to limited multi-disciplinary knowledge, research suggests technical communication graduates are not adequately grounded in basic business operations, business planning, project management, and problem-solving skills. Yet research has apparently not assessed the cardinal utility of core competencies identified. Without considering strength preferences within a defined set of core competencies, developing an optimum strategy to address current assets and deficiencies within program curriculum is difficult at best. This paper discusses attempts to identify and establish a set of core competency skills for practitioners. It proposes use of game theory applications to assess program effectiveness and to make better strategic decisions about enhancing existing curricula and pedagogical emphases. To illustrate potential benefits of this approach, an example business case is presented. Based on analysis of salient belief evaluations and value strengths, a telecommunication system manufacturer successfully redirected corrective efforts, resulting in significant improvements in customer perceptions regarding product documentation quality.
Molding Students into Better Decisionmakers and Managers: An Experiential Learning Exercise

Abstract This article presents an innovative class exercise in experiential learning. The goal of the exercise is to instill in students a greater sensitivity for detail necessary for effective decision-making and managing. Numerous illustrative examples of real-world business situations that reveal management's insensitivity to detail in serving the customer are presented. These situations were all observed by students as part of an exercise in management courses. Student responses to a questionnaire, administered after the course and relating to the class exercise, are also analyzed.
Expert system to aid in UV lidar fluorescence interpretation

A prototype expert system program has been developed to assist in the identification of fluorescence materials from UV lidar returns. Features such as emission peak locations, peak broadness at half height, number of peaks, and decay lifetimes comprise the knowledge base for a particular category of substances. The expert system will ask the user for features from an unknown substance and then will compare these features with the knowledge base of known substances. Preliminary results show that the expert system is capable of discriminating single substances from a small data set of fluorescence substances with their associated features. To handle multicomponents, it is suggested that preprocessing of the data be performed in which only the peak locations of single substances and combinations of peak locations of multiple substances be searched.
A modern history of the surgeon-endoscopist ☆

For millennia, physicians have endeavored to view the interior of the gastrointestinal tract to diagnose and treat diseases. It was not until the mid-20th century, with the development of flexible fiberoptic technology that the revolution of gastrointestinal endoscopy began. Throughout this process, surgeons have played a central role in the development of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities to manage the diseases they encountered on a daily basis. Here, we provide an overview of the modern history of flexible gastrointestinal endoscopy emphasizing the role of the surgeon-endoscopist (frequently in multidisciplinary collaboration) in the development of the techniques outlined in the subsequent manuscripts.
Survival and predictors of outcome in patients with acute leukemia admitted to the intensive care unit

BACKGROUND. Predictors of outcome and rates of successful discharge have not been defined for patients with acute leukemia admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in the US. METHODS. This is a retrospective analysis of 90 patients with acute leukemia (no history of bone marrow transplant) admitted to an ICU from 2001–2004. The primary endpoints were improvement and subsequent discharge from the ICU, discharge from the hospital, and 2-month survival after hospital discharge. Secondary endpoints were 6- and 12-month survival. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors predicting outcome. RESULTS. The median age of patients was 54 years and 48 (53%) were male. The most common reason for ICU transfer for all patients was respiratory compromise. The majority of all patients (68%) were eventually placed on ventilator support and approximately half required pressors. During the ICU course, 29 patients (32%) improved and subsequently resumed aggressive leukemia management, and 24 patients (27%) survived to be discharged from the hospital. The 2-, 6-, and 12-month overall survival was 24 (27%), 16 (18%), and 14 (16%), respectively. Higher APACHE II score, use of pressors, undergoing bone marrow transplantation preparative regimen, and adverse cytogenetics predicted worse outcome. Newly diagnosed leukemia, type of leukemia, or age did not. CONCLUSIONS. One of 4 patients with acute leukemia survived an ICU admission to be discharged from the hospital and were alive 2 months later. A diagnosis of acute leukemia should not disqualify patients from an ICU admission. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
The development and performance of high energy density capacitors

The US Army Research Laboratory has sponsored a capacitor development program for film dielectric capacitors that has yielded both superior capacitor performance and the ability to evaluate new polymers on a fast track. The performance of recently developed capacitors, projections for pulse power capacitors in the near term, and the development track for new polymers will be discussed as well as the ability to support efforts by both industry and academic researchers to bring new polymers to a finished film capacitor product quickly.
Mother–Daughter Coping and Disordered Eating

This study explores whether the coping style of teenage girls with and without an eating disorder is similar to that of their mothers' (biological and adoptive), and whether teens with disordered eating utilize more maladaptive coping compared with those without. Eating disorder was diagnosed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision criteria, and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations was administered to distinguish the coping style of the participants. Our findings suggest that daughters coped very similarly to their mothers in either group. Contrary to previous studies, our sample of teenage girls with eating disorders as well as their mothers utilized less frequently the avoidance–distraction coping compared with the girls without eating disorders and their mothers. These findings reinforce the importance for family involvement and for simultaneous focus on intrapersonal and interpersonal maintenance factors during eating disorder treatment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Familial Caretaking: A Middle-Range Definition of Family in the Context of Social Policy

This article develops the theme of rethinking family as a social form by positing an overall approach that suggests the development of various specific definitions of family, each suitable for the empirical or theoretical exploration of a set of family issues. The development of one example, familial caretaking, a definition of family for use in the context of social policy, will illustrate the potential effectiveness of this approach. The concern of government is to conceptualize the familial in terms concrete behavioral aspects of care and responsibility because if the family does not provide care, the state may have to take over the responsibility and provide the care. Overall, this definition of family is fluid in that it includes nonkin as well as distant kin. It also raises the issue of the gender division of labor with respect to family caregiving responsibilities. The unwillingness, on the part of the state, to support all forms of familial caretaking increases the likelihood of employing mechanis...
Bacteria Present in Carotid Arterial Plaques Are Found as Biofilm Deposits Which May Contribute to Enhanced Risk of Plaque Rupture

ABSTRACT Atherosclerosis, a disease condition resulting from the buildup of fatty plaque deposits within arterial walls, is the major underlying cause of ischemia (restriction of the blood), leading to obstruction of peripheral arteries, congestive heart failure, heart attack, and stroke in humans. Emerging research indicates that factors including inflammation and infection may play a key role in the progression of atherosclerosis. In the current work, atherosclerotic carotid artery explants from 15 patients were all shown to test positive for the presence of eubacterial 16S rRNA genes. Density gradient gel electrophoresis of 5 of these samples revealed that each contained 10 or more distinct 16S rRNA gene sequences. Direct microscopic observation of transverse sections from 5 diseased carotid arteries analyzed with a eubacterium-specific peptide nucleic acid probe revealed these to have formed biofilm deposits, with from 1 to 6 deposits per thin section of plaque analyzed. A majority, 93%, of deposits was located proximal to the internal elastic lamina and associated with fibrous tissue. In 6 of the 15 plaques analyzed, 16S rRNA genes from Pseudomonas spp. were detected. Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms have been shown in our lab to undergo a dispersion response when challenged with free iron in vitro . Iron is known to be released into the blood by transferrin following interaction with catecholamine hormones, such as norepinephrine. Experiments performed in vitro showed that addition of physiologically relevant levels of norepinephrine induced dispersion of P. aeruginosa biofilms when grown under low iron conditions in the presence but not in the absence of physiological levels of transferrin. IMPORTANCE The association of bacteria with atherosclerosis has been only superficially studied, with little attention focused on the potential of bacteria to form biofilms within arterial plaques. In the current work, we show that bacteria form biofilm deposits within carotid arterial plaques, and we demonstrate that one species we have identified in plaques can be stimulated in vitro to undergo a biofilm dispersion response when challenged with physiologically relevant levels of norepinephrine in the presence of transferrin. Biofilm dispersion is characterized by the release of bacterial enzymes into the surroundings of biofilm microcolonies, allowing bacteria to escape the biofilm matrix. We believe these enzymes may have the potential to damage surrounding tissues and facilitate plaque rupture if norepinephrine is able to stimulate biofilm dispersion in vivo . This research, therefore, suggests a potential mechanistic link between hormonal state and the potential for heart attack and stroke.
Surgeon-modified fenestrated-branched stent grafts to treat emergently ruptured and symptomatic complex aortic aneurysms in high-risk patients

Introduction Fenestrated-branched stent grafts have been developed as a minimally invasive, endovascular alternative for the treatment of complex aortic aneurysms in high-risk patients. However, the manufacture of these devices can take as long as 6 to 12 weeks, and therefore, they cannot be used to treat aortic emergencies. We reviewed our experience with surgeon-modified, fenestrated-branched stent grafts (sm-FBSGs) in high-risk patients who presented as emergencies with ruptured or symptomatic complex aortic aneurysms. Methods All patients treated with sm-FBSGs at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. Patients presenting with acute symptoms or an emergency indication for repair were analyzed. Results Twelve high-risk patients (nine men), of which seven were at American Society of Anesthesiologists class 4 and five were at class 3, presented with seven symptomatic and five ruptured aortic aneurysms. Mean age was 71 years (range, 52-86 years), and mean maximal aneurysm size was 8.1 cm (range, 5-12 cm). Six patients (50%) had prior aortic surgery or a hostile abdomen. Relevant comorbidities included coronary disease in all 12 patients, and seven (58%) had an ejection fraction ≤35%. Nine patients (75%) had severe pulmonary dysfunction. Four aneurysms were pararenal, and eight were thoracoabdominal (two type II, three type III, and three type IV). An average of three visceral vessels (range, 2-4) were treated per patient, with 35 branches targeted. Endografts were successfully implanted in all patients. There was no paraplegia or intraoperative death. One patient (8.3%) died of subarachnoid hemorrhage ≤30 days. Reintervention was necessary in two patients, for a type 3 endoleak and for evacuation of a retroperitoneal hematoma. Morbidity included one myocardial infarction, and two patients each with transient respiratory failure and transient renal insufficiency not requiring dialysis. Mean postoperative length of stay was 4 days in the intensive care unit and 8 days in the hospital. At a mean follow-up of 9 months (range, 3-18 months), two patients died of non–aneurysm-related causes. Branch vessel patency was 100%. No late reinterventions were necessary. No type I or III endoleaks occurred. One type II endoleak is under observation. Conclusions Sm-FBSG may play an important role in the treatment of select patients with symptomatic or ruptured complex aortic aneurysms who are at prohibitive risk for open surgery and in whom endovascular repair cannot be delayed to allow implantation of a custom-made commercial device. Until an off-the-shelf fenestrated-branched device is created that does not require a prolonged waiting period, this may be the best option to treat patients with symptomatic or ruptured complex aneurysms that are at excessively high surgical risk.
A diffraction coefficient for a cylindrically truncated planar surface

A numerically derived solution of the diffraction coefficient for a source mounted on a perfectly conducting planar surface which is smoothly terminated by a circular cylinder is obtained using the hybrid approach which combines the moment method (MM) with the geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD). This solution is valid not only in the region away from, but also in the region near, the shadow boundary. The accuracy and usefulness of this solution is demonstrated as various structures are treated using it.
A method and algorithm of computing apparent optical properties of coastal sea waters

A new approach is proposed for the calculation of irradiances, diffuse attenuation coefficients and diffuse reflectances in waters with arbitrary scattering and absorption coefficients, arbitrary conditions of illumination and a bottom with Lambertian albedo. The two-stream approach adopted utilizes experimental dependencies of mean cosines from inherent optical properties in order to achieve appropriate accuracy. This approach can be successfully used for calculation of apparent optical properties in both open and coastal oceanic waters, lakes and rivers.
Expandable Bayesian networks for 3D object description from multiple views and multiple mode inputs

Computing 3D object descriptions from images is an important goal of computer vision. A key problem here is the evaluation of a hypothesis based on evidence that is uncertain. There have been few efforts on applying formal reasoning methods to this problem. In multiview and multimode object description problems, reasoning is required on evidence features extracted from multiple images and nonintensity data. One challenge here is that the number of the evidence features varies at runtime because the number of images being used is not fixed and some modalities may not always be available. We introduce an augmented Bayesian network, the expandable Bayesian network (EBN), which instantiates its structure at runtime according to the structure of input. We introduce the use of hidden variables to handle correlation of evidence features across images. We show an application of an EBN to a multiview building description system. Experimental results show that the proposed method gives significant and consistent performance improvement to others.
A framework of a logic-based transformation system

The authors present a framework for a transformation system which can transform a nonmonotonic logic-based specification language, FRORL, into various kinds of procedural language programs. They discuss how to handle nonmonotonic inheritance in FRORL. A matrix-based data flow and dependency analysis mechanism is established to find all the possible data transformation paths in a logic-based specification. An algorithm is proposed to adjust the execution sequence of a logic-based specification so that the functions included in the logic-based specification can be represented by a procedural language program. >
Atypical Presentation of Thoracic Disc Herniation: Case Series and Review of the Literature

Modern imaging has revealed that thoracic disc herniation (TDH) has a prevalence of 11-37% in asymptomatic patients. Pain, sensory disturbances, myelopathy, and lower extremity weakness are the most common presenting symptoms, but other atypical extraspinal complaints, such as gastrointestinal or cardiopulmonary discomfort, may be reported. Our objective is to make providers familiar with TDH's atypical symptoms to help avoid potential serious consequences created by a delay in diagnosis. We report the cases of two patients who each presented with atypical extraspinal symptoms secondary to a TDH. One patient presented with a chronic history of nausea, emesis, and chest tightness and MRI showed a large right paramedian disc herniation at T7-8. A second patient reported chronic constipation, buttock and leg burning pain, gait instability, and urinary frequency; an MRI of his thoracic spine demonstrated a central disc herniation at T10-11. TDH can present with vague extraspinal symptoms and unfamiliarity with these symptoms can lead to misdiagnosis with progression of the disease and unnecessary diagnostic tests and medical procedures. Therefore, TDH should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with negative gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and cardiopulmonary system basic studies.
Phase-field modeling of displacive phase transformations in elastically anisotropic and inhomogeneous polycrystals

We integrate the inhomogeneous elasticity model and the phase-field equations for displacive phase transformations in polycrystalline materials. The relaxation of the misfit strain between parent and transformed product phases or among different structural variants of transformed product phases near grain boundaries is taken into account. It is applied to the fcc to bcc martensitic transformation described by a Bain strain in a polycrystalline Fe-31at.%Ni metallic alloy. The focus is on the effect of grain boundaries on the displacive transformation behaviors. We first study nucleation of the bcc product phase at a grain boundary of a bicrystal. The predicted microstructures through nucleation near grain boundaries are compared to existing experimental observations in literature. The effects of grain boundary characteristics such as the degree and range of the misfit strain relaxation at the grain boundary and grain boundary curvature on the phase behaviors near a grain boundary are then examined for both a flat or a curved grain boundary. The model is also applied to polycrystals containing multiple grains. The effects of the misfit strain relaxation at grain boundaries, elastic anisotropy, and applied stress on the kinetics and the microstructures of displacive transformations are discussed. 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Latency and latch count minimization in wave steered circuits

Wave steering is a new design methodology that realizes high throughput circuits by embedding layout friendly synthesized structures in silicon. Wave steered circuits inherently utilize latches in order to guarantee the correct signal arrival times at the inputs of these synthesized structures and maintain the high throughput of operation. In this paper, we show a method of reordering signals to achieve minimum circuit latency for wave steered circuits and propose an integer linear programming (ILP) formulation for scheduling and retiming these circuits to minimize the number of latches for minimum latency. Experimental results show that in 0.25 /spl mu/m CMOS technology, as much as 33.2% reduction in latch count, at minimum latency, can be achieved over unoptimized wave steered circuits operating at 500 MHz.
Translational evidence for a role of endocannabinoids in the etiology and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Summary Introduction Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent, chronic, and disabling anxiety disorder that may develop following exposure to a traumatic event. Despite the public health significance of PTSD, relatively little is known about the etiology or pathophysiology of this disorder, and pharmacotherapy development to date has been largely opportunistic instead of mechanism-based. Recently, an accumulating body of evidence has implicated the endocannabinoid system in the etiology of PTSD, and targets within this system are believed to be suitable for treatment development. Methods Herein, we describe evidence from translational studies arguing for the relevance of the endocannabinoid system in the etiology of PTSD. We also show mechanisms relevant for treatment development. Results There is convincing evidence from multiple studies for reduced endocannabinoid availability in PTSD. Brain imaging studies show molecular adaptations with elevated cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor availability in PTSD which is linked to abnormal threat processing and anxious arousal symptoms. Conclusion Of particular relevance is evidence showing reduced levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide and compensatory increase of CB1 receptor availability in PTSD, and an association between increased CB1 receptor availability in the amygdala and abnormal threat processing, as well as increased severity of hyperarousal, but not dysphoric symptomatology, in trauma survivors. Given that hyperarousal symptoms are the key drivers of more disabling aspects of PTSD such as emotional numbing or suicidality, novel, mechanism-based pharmacotherapies that target this particular symptom cluster in patients with PTSD may have utility in mitigating the chronicity and morbidity of the disorder.
Salvage of a failing dialysis graft by percutaneous creation of a jump bypass graft.

Percutaneous salvage of failing arteriovenous grafts with diffuse disease or occlusion in the venous outflow remains an issue with no ideal solution. The present report describes a method of percutaneous creation of vascular bypasses in a patient with a failing graft. The patient had a long-segment stenosis in the venous outflow of a brachial–cephalic dialysis graft, and the graft was salvaged by conversion to a brachial–basilic graft. Notably, this method allowed the bypass to safely traverse a long distance (20 cm), and at 8 months, the graft remained functional and free of complications. In principle, this approach can be applied to different situations in which superficial bypass conduits are desired.
Tackling the plant proteome: practical approaches, hurdles and experimental tools

*Summary The study of complex biological questions through comparative proteomics is becoming increasingly attractive to plant biologists as the rapidly expanding plant genomic and expressed sequence tag databases provide improved opportunities for protein identification. This review focuses on practical issues associated with comparative proteomic analysis, including the challenges of effective protein extraction and separation from plant tissues, the pros and cons of two-dimensional gel-based analysis and the problems of identifying proteins from species that are not recognized models for functional genomic studies. Specific points are illustrated using data from an ongoing study of the tomato and pepper fruit proteomes.
Soviet multi-objective mathematical programming methods: an overview

Over the past 20-30 years multi-objective mathematical programming MOMP has emerged as an increasingly active area of research in the fields of management science, operations research, applied mathematics, and engineering. Despite the intensity of interest, however, earlier surveys of MOMP methods have all but ignored Soviet work in this area. Published in unfamiliar journals and often available only in Russian, the Soviet research has remained virtually unknown outside of the USSR and Eastern Europe. This has been particularly unfortunate given the extent, importance, and originality of much of the Soviet research. The current article attempts to correct this situation by providing a comprehensive, yet nontechnical, overview of Soviet MOMP methods. Using a taxonomy similar to ones that have been applied to Western MOMP techniques, the article categorizes the Soviet methods based on when they involve a decision maker in the solution process-a priori, progressively, a posteriori, or never-and what kind of information the decision maker provides. In all, 17 methods are analyzed with particular attention given to their distinctive features and to the issues of computational feasibility and burden on the decision maker. The article concludes with observations on the overall character of Soviet MOMP research, comparing the general directions in Soviet and Western research.
Characterization of intracellular growth regulator icgR by utilizing transcriptomics to identify mediators of pathogenesis in Shigella flexneri.

ABSTRACT Shigella species Gram-negative bacteria which cause a diarrheal disease, known as shigellosis, by invading and destroying the colonic mucosa and inducing a robust inflammatory response. With no vaccine available, shigellosis annually kills over 600,000 children in developing countries. This study demonstrates the utility of combining high-throughput bioinformatic methods with in vitro and in vivo assays to provide new insights into pathogenesis. Comparisons of in vivo and in vitro gene expression identified genes associated with intracellular growth. Additional bioinformatics analyses identified genes that are present in S. flexneri isolates but not in the three other Shigella species. Comparison of these two analyses revealed nine genes that are differentially expressed during invasion and that are specific to S. flexneri. One gene, a DeoR family transcriptional regulator with decreased expression during invasion, was further characterized and is now designated icgR, for intracellular growth regulator. Deletion of icgR caused no difference in growth in vitro but resulted in increased intracellular replication in HCT-8 cells. Further in vitro and in vivo studies using high-throughput sequencing of RNA transcripts (RNA-seq) of an isogenic ΔicgR mutant identified 34 genes that were upregulated under both growth conditions. This combined informatics and functional approach has allowed the characterization of a gene and pathway previously unknown in Shigella pathogenesis and provides a framework for further identification of novel virulence factors and regulatory pathways.
Implementing user/computer dialogue in COBOL

For information processing to be effective in today's computer environment, the programming language used must be capable of interaction. This requires that the language be able to handle dialogue between the user and the computer. Since COBOL is currently the predominant language used in business information systems, this article examines the COBOL language as to its capabilities for interaction in terms of five currently popular dialogue styles and shows how each style can be implemented in COBOL programming.
Handling and Manhandling Civilians in Civil War

The toll of civil conflict is largely borne by civilian populations, as warring factions target non-combatants through campaigns of violence. But significant variation exists in the extent to which warring groups abuse the civilian population: across conflicts, across groups, and within countries geographically and over time. Using a new dataset on fighting groups in Sierra Leone, this article analyzes the determinants of the tactics, strategies, and behaviors that warring factions employ in their relationships with noncombatants. We first describe a simple logic of extraction which we use to generate hypotheses about variation in levels of abuse across fighting units. We then show that the most important determinants of civilian abuse are internal to the structure of the faction. High levels of abuse are exhibited by warring factions that are unable to police the behavior of their members because they are more ethnically fragmented, rely on material incentives to recruit participants, and lack mechanisms for punishing indiscipline. Explanations that emphasize the importance of local community ties and contestation do not find strong support in the data.
A high-throughput microfluidic chip for size sorting of cells

We present a microfluidic cell sorter that enables high-throughput, label-free, size separation of cells (ranging from few microns to hundred microns) in heterogeneous biological samples. The separation technique we use here involves microsieves filtration and time-sequential flow rate control (back-and-forth flow) separation. The results show that our design can achieve high separation efficiency (99%) in a high-throughput manner (100∼1000cells/s).
Large-Scale Characteristics of Rapidly Intensifying Tropical Cyclones in the North Atlantic Basin

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) and Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (SHIPS) databases are employed to examine the large-scale characteristics of rapidly intensifying Atlantic basin tropical cyclones. In this study, rapid intensification (RI) is defined as approximately the 95th percentile of over-water 24-h intensity changes of Atlantic basin tropical cyclones that developed from 1989 to 2000. This equates to a maximum sustained surface wind speed increase of 15.4 m s 21 (30 kt) over a 24-h period. It is shown that 31% of all tropical cyclones, 60% of all hurricanes, 83% of all major hurricanes, and all category 4 and 5 hurricanes underwent RI at least once during their lifetimes. The mean initial (t 5 0 h) conditions of cases that undergo RI are compared to those of the non-RI cases. These comparisons show that the RI cases form farther south and west and have a more westward component of motion than the non-RI cases. In addition, the RI cases are typically intensifying at a faster rate during the previous 12 h than the non-RI cases. The statistical analysis also shows that the RI cases are further from their maximum potential intensity and form in regions with warmer SSTs and higher lower-tropospheric relative humidity than the non-RI cases. The RI cases are also embedded in regions where the upper-level flow is more easterly and the vertical shear and upper-level forcing from troughs or cold lows is weaker than is observed for the non-RI cases. Finally, the RI cases tend to move with the flow within a higher layer of the atmosphere than the non-RI cases. A simple technique for estimating the probability of RI is described. Estimates of the probability of RI are determined using the predictors for which statistically significant differences are found between the RI and nonRI cases. Estimates of the probability of RI are also determined by combining the five predictors that had the highest individual probabilities of RI. The probability of RI increases from 1% to 41% when the total number of thresholds satisfied increases from zero to five. This simple technique was used in real time for the first time during the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season as part of the Joint Hurricane Testbed (JHT).
A Short Introduction to R

In this chapter, a basic introduction to working with objects in R is given. We provide the minimal working knowledge to work through the remainder of Part I. Basic computations on vectors, matrices, and data frames are shown. Particular attention is given to R’s subsetting mechanism as it is often a source of confusion for new users.