cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spectroscopic signature of moment-dependent electron–phonon coupling in 2H-TaS2

Charge density wave (CDW) order is ubiquitous among low-dimensional electronic systems, as realized in layered materials such as various 1T and 2H polytypes of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). In particular, 2H-TaS2, a prominent member of the vast family of TMDs, hosts a canonical CDW phase transition whose mechanism remains controversial even after decades of research. Using state-of-the-art angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements, we report, for the first time, pronounced many-body renormalizations in 2H-TaS2. These renormalizations are manifested by the presence of multiple slope changes, known as “kinks”, in the electronic dispersions. The temperature independence of the kink energies and their close correspondence with the phonon frequencies of the system evidence that these renormalizations are caused by electron–phonon interactions. In addition, the electron–phonon coupling parameter is momentum-dependent, and the CDW vector is not compatible with any of the Fermi surface nesting vectors. Collectively, these observations establish that the origin of the CDW transition in 2H-TaS2 is not the same as that of the Peierls ordering transition, rather this transition is triggered by strong electron–phonon coupling including its momentum anisotropy. The commonality between the ARPES data on 2H-TaS2 and those on 2H-TaSe2 and 2H-NbSe2 rationalize the above interpretation of the CDW transition being generic to incommensurate CDW orders in 2H polytypes of TMDs.
The Surgery Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Program (SIEDP): An Experiential Learning Program for Surgery Faculty to Ideate and Implement Innovations in Health care.

Objective Surgeons are continually engaged in the incorporation of new technologies in their practice. In the operating room and beyond, they combine technical skill with creative problem solving to improve tools and techniques for patient care, making them natural innovators. However, despite their innovative tendencies, education on entrepreneurship and commercialization is severely lacking. Moreover, with increasing pressure to meet productivity metrics, their availability to learn the complexities of commercialization is limited. To address these challenges, we designed the Surgery Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Program (SIEDP) with the objective to advance faculty innovations, develop new departmental innovation initiatives, and improve faculty education in the area of innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization. Design The SIEDP is a first-of-its-kind experiential learning program specifically designed for busy clinical and research faculty in a major academic surgery department. Participants ideated and formed teams around health care innovations as they progressed through a 9-month curriculum of expert guest lectures and interactive workshops. A postprogram evaluation and outcome tracking method was used to evaluate attainment of educational objectives and project development milestones. Setting The Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Participants Eleven surgery faculty of varying academic rank and surgical subspecialties. Results The program generated 2 faculty startup companies, 1 departmental commercial product, 3 patent disclosures, and 3 innovations that received additional funding. All participants in the program reported a significant increase in their understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship and that participation was a worthwhile faculty development activity. Conclusion Despite the various challenges and time constraints of surgical practices, programs like SIEDP can educate surgeons and other academicians on innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization and add value to the academic mission of providing excellent education, research, and clinical care.
Effect of Weak Magnetic Field on Bacterial Growth

Effects of weak magnetic fields are observed on the growth of various bacterial strains. Different sources of a constant magnetic field are used to demonstrate that ion transport in the nutrient br...
Increased Attention Regulation from Emotion Regulation Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Dysfunction in the ability to sustain, shift and broaden attention has been proposed as a mechanism of normative emotion regulation that is a common target of cognitive-behavioral therapies. Attention regulation deficits are central to generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and may contribute to a generally rigid, avoidant, response style that produces substantial decrements in well-being and functioning. Emotion Regulation Therapy draws upon mindfulness-based regulatory skills to facilitate attentional change during an initial phase of treatment. Two studies examined task-based changes in flexibly shifting attention in response to conflicting emotional contexts and sustaining attention despite distressing emotional contexts. In Study 1, at pre-treatment, patients with GAD, as compared to controls performed significantly more poorly on an emotional conflict adaptation task (i.e., less ability to flexibly shift attention) and improved in conflict adaptation by mid-treatment (when attention regulation skills were being trained). This task-related change predicted increases in mindful observing abilities over the course of acute treatment but was not directly associated with clinical outcomes. In Study 2, a choice reaction time (RT) task was utilized to measure the ability to sustain attention by discriminating between two tones while overcoming the interference of aversive visual stimuli. At pre-treatment, participants with GAD demonstrated slower RTs (i.e., more difficulty sustaining attention on the tonal prompt) compared to controls and demonstrated more rapid RTs from pre- to mid-treatment. This improved task performance was related to clinical improvement and decreased functional impairment. RT change was also associated with greater nonreactivity towards experiences. Overall, these findings suggest that targeting mindful regulation skills improve attention regulation in individuals with GAD and may partially account for efficacious clinical outcomes throughout treatment.
Applied Reliability, 3rd edition

(2015). Applied Reliability, 3rd edition. Journal of Quality Technology: Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 86-89.
A “Race to the Top” in Public Higher Education to Improve Education and Employment Among the Poor

Although many disadvantaged students now attend college, their completion rates are low—especially at community colleges—and many receive associate’s degrees in fields with little labor market value, such as liberal or general studies. To address this problem, I propose a federal “Race to the Top” competitive grants program for states. Community colleges would get a well-targeted infusion of resources in return for greater accountability in state funding, based on the subsequent earnings of their minority or disadvantaged students. Funds could only be used to expand teaching capacity in high-demand fields, support services such as career counseling, and work-based learning like apprenticeships. Although the grants would begin as one-time efforts for selected states, ongoing funding to sustain any reforms implemented would be important as well.
2012 ALS User Meeting and Workshops

ALS Users' Executive Committee Chair Brandy Toner launched the 2012 User Meeting with a warm welcome to the 417 registered attendees who gathered from around the world to attend ALS sessions, workshops, and social gatherings. Berkeley Lab (LBNL) Deputy Director Horst Simon then extended his own welcome, touching upon the importance of the synergy between the ALS and the Lab as the ALS begins a collaboration with the Lab's computational research program, which Simon previously led, to solve data management challenges. ALS Division Director Roger Falcone provided a broad overview of the state of the ALS, covering budgets, important research areas, and user demographics. Falcone was pleased to point out the jump in the number of refereed publications last year and notable science highlights, which communicated ALS advances in structural biology, battery research, and fundamental science. Falcone acknowledged the work of Simon Morton and Jeff Dickert (Berkeley Center for Structural Biology) this year, which w...
Four States With Robust Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs Reduced Opioid Dosages.

State prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) aim to reduce risky controlled-substance prescribing, but early programs had limited impact. Several states implemented robust features in 2012–13, such as mandates that prescribers register with the program and regularly check its registry database. Some states allow prescribers to fulfill the latter requirement by designating delegates to check the registry. The effects of robust PDMP features have not been fully assessed. We used commercial claims data to examine the effects of implementing robust PDMPs in four states on overall and high-risk opioid prescribing, comparing those results to trends in similar states without robust PDMPs. By the end of 2014 the absolute mean morphine-equivalent dosages that providers dispensed declined in a range of 6–77 mg per person per quarter in the four states, relative to comparison states. Only in one of the four states, Kentucky, did the percentage of people who filled opioid prescriptions decline versus its compa...
Abstract 9717: The New ISHLT Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy Coronary Angiogram Grading Scale: Does it Have Prognostic Relevance?

Purpose: The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) has recently established a cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) nomenclature scale to standardize coronary angiography reporting. In general, the new grading scheme is represented by CAV 0 , no disease; CAV 1 , mild disease; CAV 2 , moderate disease; CAV 3 , severe disease. Restrictive cardiac physiology associated with CAV 1 or CAV 2 will automatically place them into CAV 3 . It has not been established whether increasing CAV grade truly correlates to worse outcome after heart transplantation. In addition, the impact of restrictive cardiac physiology (in this grading scheme) on outcome has not been well established. Methods: Between 1994 and 2010, we reviewed 1,341 heart transplant patients (pts) and divided them according to first diagnosis of an abnormal specific CAV grade. All pts were then subsequently followed for 5 year actuarial survival after first diagnosis of that specific CAV grade. We also assessed the impact of restrictive physiology on subsequent actuarial 5-year survival in the CAV 3 group. Results: 5-year subsequent actuarial survival following first time diagnosis of CAV category showed worsening survival from CAV 1 (n=219), CAV 2 (n=96), CAV 3 (n=50) pts (80%, 63%, 52% respectively, p 3 group, pts with restrictive cardiac physiology had worse 5-year subsequent actuarial survival compared to those without (41% vs. 58%, p=0.07). Conclusion: The new ISHLT CAV nomenclature grading scale appears to predict outcome after heart transplant. Addition of restrictive cardiac physiology as inclusion criteria for CAV 3 grade appears justified as it infers worse prognosis.
Spemann–Mangold Grafts

In 1924, Hans Spemann and Hilde Mangold (nee Proscholdt) published their famous work describing the transplantation of dorsal blastopore lip of one newt gastrula embryo onto the ventral side of a host embryo at the same stage. They performed these grafts using two newt species with different pigmentation (Triturus taeniatus and Triturus cristatus) to follow the fate of the grafted tissue. These experiments resulted in the development of conjoined twins attached through their belly. Because of the difference in embryo pigmentation between the two Triturus species, they determined that the bulk of the secondary embryo arose from the host embryo while the grafted tissue per se gave increase to the notochord and a few somitic cells. This meant that the dorsal blastopore lip was able to organize an almost complete embryo out of ventral tissue. The dorsal blastopore lip is now called the Spemann-Mangold organizer. Here, we describe a simple yet efficient protocol to perform these grafts using the anuran Xenopus laevis.
"It's her body": low-income men's perceptions of limited reproductive agency.

Abstract Objectives While some attention has been paid to men's contraceptive use and attitudes in international contexts, relatively little is known about the attitudes towards contraception and pregnancy of low-income, urban men in the U.S. Study design We conducted semi-structured interviews with 58 low-income men in Pittsburgh, PA, to explore their perspectives on contraception, pregnancy, fatherhood, and relationships. We analyzed the interviews using a combination of content analysis, the constant comparison method, and thematic analysis. Results Men who we interviewed frequently described feeling that they lacked agency regarding when pregnancies occurred and whether or not they became fathers. Several factors contributed to their sense of low agency, including the belief that women should control contraception and reproduction, a reluctance to have conversations about contraception in some contexts, a lack of acceptable male-controlled contraceptive methods, experiences with pregnancy-promoting behaviors by women, and fatalistic attitudes towards pregnancy occurrence. Conclusions Many men in our study described perceptions of limited reproductive agency. In describing their lack of agency, men reinforced contemporary gender norms in which the “work” of pregnancy prevention is a woman's responsibility. Responses to men's perceived limited reproductive agency should work towards deconstructing gendered norms in the work of pregnancy prevention and promote shared and mutual gender responsibility over reproduction while also supporting women's reproductive autonomy. Implications This study identifies several factors that contribute to low-income men's sense of low reproductive agency and highlights the complexity of acknowledging men's feelings and perceptions about reproductive control in the broader context of gender and power.
ECRAM as Scalable Synaptic Cell for High-Speed, Low-Power Neuromorphic Computing

We demonstrate a nonvolatile Electro-Chemical Random-Access Memory (ECRAM) based on lithium (Li) ion intercalation in tungsten oxide (WO 3 ) for high-speed, low-power neuromorphic computing. Symmetric and linear update on the channel conductance is achieved using gate current pulses, where up to 1000 discrete states with large dynamic range and good retention are demonstrated. MNIST simulation based on the experimental data shows an accuracy of 96%. For the first time, high-speed programming with pulse width down to 5 ns and device operation at scales down to $300\times 300\ \text{nm}^{2}$ are shown, confirming the technological relevance of ECRAM for neuromorphic array implementation. It is also verified that the conductance change scales linearly with pulse width, amplitude and charge, projecting an ultralow switching energy ∼1 fJ for $100\times 100\ \text{nm}^{2}$ devices.
Geometric and topological feature extraction of linear segments from 2D cross-section data of 3D point clouds

Optical measurement techniques are often employed to digitally capture three dimensional shapes of components. The digital data density output from these probes range from a few discrete points to exceeding millions of points in the point cloud. The point cloud taken as a whole represents a discretized measurement of the actual 3D shape of the surface of the component inspected to the measurement resolution of the sensor. Embedded within the measurement are the various features of the part that make up its overall shape. Part designers are often interested in the feature information since those relate directly to part function and to the analytical models used to develop the part design. Furthermore, tolerances are added to these dimensional features, making their extraction a requirement for the manufacturing quality plan of the product. The task of “extracting” these design features from the point cloud is a post processing task. Due to measurement repeatability and cycle time requirements often automated feature extraction from measurement data is required. The presence of non-ideal features such as high frequency optical noise and surface roughness can significantly complicate this feature extraction process. This research describes a robust process for extracting linear and arc segments from general 2D point clouds, to a prescribed tolerance. The feature extraction process generates the topology, specifically the number of linear and arc segments, and the geometry equations of the linear and arc segments automatically from the input 2D point clouds. This general feature extraction methodology has been employed as an integral part of the automated post processing algorithms of 3D data of fine features.
Measuring Professional Skill Development in U.S. Cities Using Internet Search Queries

Using a sample of 10 million skill development-related queries from a popular internet search engine, drawn from almost 400 U.S. cities and over a 5 year period (2012 - 2016), we characterize the skills people search for across these cities, and relate them to measures of economic output, including GDP and unemployment. Findings show that differences in the amount, type, and specialization of skill development searches distinguish economically thriving cities from those that are struggling, including explaining variance in future GDP growth after accounting for socioeconomic demographics such as income and poverty levels. Overall, internet-based skill development appears to contribute to rich cities getting richer, with initially well-off cities seeing more and more specialized skill-related searching that in turn aligns with future economic growth.
Influence of Electronic Cigarette Characteristics on Susceptibility, Perceptions, and Abuse Liability Indices among Combustible Tobacco Cigarette Smokers and Non-Smokers.

This study assessed how electronic cigarette (ECIG) characteristics amenable to regulation—namely nicotine content, flavor, and modified risk messages—impact ECIG use susceptibility, harm/addiction perceptions, and abuse liability indices among combustible tobacco cigarette (CTC) smokers and non-smokers. CTC smokers and non-smokers varying in ECIG use recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) completed an online survey in 2016 (analytic n = 706). Participants were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions differing in ECIG characteristics: nicotine content (no, low, high), flavor (menthol, tobacco, fruit), or modified risk message (reduced harm, reduced carcinogen exposure). Regressions assessed ECIG susceptibility, harm/addiction perceptions, and abuse liability indices (purchase task measures of breakpoint/intensity) within each regulatory domain (nicotine content, flavor, message) and their interactions with CTC/ECIG status. Differential effects on ECIG susceptibility, harm/addiction perceptions, and abuse liability indices were observed by regulatory domain with many effects moderated by CTC/ECIG status. ECIG nicotine content and flavor conditions were the most influential across outcomes. Greater nicotine content, tobacco-flavored and reduced carcinogen exposure ECIGs were more highly preferred by CTC smokers with some differing preferences for non-users. Findings reinforce consideration of discrete ECIG preferences across tobacco use status to improve regulatory efficacy.
Large Coupling Asymptotics for the Lyapunov Exponent of Quasi-Periodic Schrödinger Operators with Analytic Potentials

We quantify the coupling asymptotics for the Lyapunov exponent of a one-frequency quasi-periodic Schrodinger operator with analytic potential sampling function. The result refines the well-known lower bound of the Lyapunov exponent by Sorets and Spencer.
Experimenting with Children: Infants in the Scientific Imagination

Lisa Ann Robertson takes as her subject the use of infancy in thought experiments by three influential, eighteenth-century, and Romantic-period natural philosophers: Erasmus Darwin, Thomas Wedgwood, and Humphry Davy. Starting with a reading of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) as a reflection on (amongst other things) the development of cognition in infants, Robertson works back to the materialist theories of mind developed in the 1740s by the English associationist David Hartley, whose ideas gained renewed currency in the late 1770s after the publication by Joseph Priestley of Hartley’s Theory of the Human Mind (1775). The infant, Robertson argues, became a key rhetorical battleground for different hypotheses concerning the origins, nature, and implications of human cognition, with Darwin, Wedgwood, and Davy each using imaginary infants as test subjects for their ideas.
Investigation of crystallization and phase transitions of sol-gel derived Ba2Ti9O20 and BaTi5O11 thin films

Barium titanate precursors with Ba/Ti ratio 2:9 and 1:5 were prepared by first hydrolyzing titanium alkoxide and then mixing the resulting titania sol with a barium alkoxide-methanol solution. After drying, the xerogels of the precursors of barium titanates were sintered at temperatures from 700°C (4 hours) to 1200°C (110 hours or longer). Characterization of the product was performed using X-ray diffraction and laser Raman spectroscopy. At 700°C, BaTisOn was formed from the 1:5 precursor and a two-phase mixture of BaTi205 and BaTisOn was formed from the 2:9 precursor. After prolonged heating at 1200°C, the latter mixture converted to a single phase material, Ba2Ti9O20-
A Proposal for New Pricing Approaches to Enhance Access to Medicines

Access to essential medicines and vaccines remains an uphill battle for approximately eighty percent of the two billion people living in low- and middle-income countries today. Despite significant efforts to shoulder the burden by the international community, the challenges of funding medicines continue to expand in light of growing disease burden and ever-increasing prices for both infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases across countries. ‘Tiered pricing’ or the option of offering drugs and vaccines at lower (and more affordable) prices in low- and middle-income countries when compared to high income countries has been proposed as a potential solution to this problem. Given the recurring and extreme relevance of this topic, this article sets out by providing a theoretical and empirical account on inter-country tiered pricing strategies by tracing the developments in HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and Cancer categories as the main points of reference. Section II reviews the welfare effects of inter-country tiered pricing to show how it is based on third-degree price discrimination; a pricing method that remains the most disputed form of differentiation in economic theory. It highlights the reasons – both market-related, and institution- related – that account for the difficulties in aligning incentives between firms and governments to promote access to medicines by way of this approach. The section then presents thorough empirical evidence on tiered pricing in the three chosen therapeutic categories to highlight how inter-country tiered pricing approaches, as currently practiced, can perpetuate socially unequal outcomes, both for competition and access, and narrows down the factors that broadly account for this. Can these incentives potentially be altered by designing legal and institutional frameworks that promote new ways to engage in tiered pricing in a more accountable manner? The rest of the paper addresses this question at length and argues that there are ways to eliminate many of the undesirable outcomes that we witness in inter-country tiered pricing strategies today. One way would be to offer different price categories within a given country, namely, through an intra-country pricing strategy (as opposed to the current practice of tier-pricing between countries) within an accountable regulatory framework that oversees and coordinates pricing practices. The final part of the paper outlines the preliminary contours of such a framework (both national and international) to implement intra-country tiered pricing strategies that aligns greater access and dynamic competition in a systematic manner. A number of findings derived by the paper – such as the relationship between tiered pricing and competition, and the need for a new global policy framework to oversee pricing - are highly relevant for global governance of the pharmaceutical sector to enhance access to medicines to one and all.
Cardiac Arrest: Who Should Be Cooled?

Approximately 300,000 out-of-hospital and 20,000 in-hospital cardiac arrests occur annually in the United States [1], and an estimated 92–189 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests per 100,000 population occur annually in industrialized nations [2, 3]. The use of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) in cardiac arrest survivors has been advocated in order to mitigate the neurologic injury that transpires as a result of hypoxia and reperfusion [4]. The precise mechanisms how mild hypothermia is beneficial in these patients is unclear at present but the supposition is that mild hypothermia modifies various chemical and cellular pathways that cause necrosis and apoptosis of neurons [4] (see Chap. 2). Moreover, it has beneficial effects on various other organ systems which bear the brunt of the post-cardiac arrest state [5]. With the rising popularity of mild therapeutic hypothermia (32–34°C) in cardiac arrest patients, there is a continuing need to appropriately select patients who will benefit from its use. This chapter attempts to interpret the available information and provide direction on selecting appropriate adult cardiac arrest patients who may benefit from the use of therapeutic hypothermia (TH).
The search for antibodies with molecular uniformity

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of γM antibodies in depth. The chapter describes the physical characteristics, chemical composition, and subunit structure of the typical circular γM pentomers and the relationship of these molecules to low molecular weight γM-like proteins. The characteristics of the interaction of γM antibodies with antigens—for example, the nature and number of antigen combining sites—and the interaction of γM antibodies with the complement system are compared to the corresponding properties of γG antibodies. The biosynthesis and metabolism of γM antibodies and their peculiar role in the immune response are also discussed in the chapter. The chapter presents a brief summary related to the hallmarks of immunoglobulin heterogeneity and the criteria that must be used to judge the restricted heterogeneity or molecular uniformity of an antibody preparation. The chapter discusses human antibodies to certain selected antigens that appear to possess less heterogeneity than normal γ-globulin.
The biological basis of culture

(1989). The biological basis of culture. International Review of Sociology Series 1: Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 33-60.
Clinical Role of Antiarrhythmic Drugs in the Prevention of Sudden Death

The role of antiarrhythmic drugs for prevention of sudden cardiac death has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. Though antiarrhythmics were once considered first-line therapy for the prevention of sudden death, clinical trials that demonstrated the proarrhythmia effects of Class I antiarrhythmics and others that established the superiority of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation over amiodarone have driven ICD therapy to supplant antiarrhythmics as the standard of care in patients at high risk for sudden death. Based on current evidence, there is no role for Class I antiarrhythmics as the primary therapy for prevention of sudden death, and most Class III antiarrhythmics, including amiodarone, do not improve survival.
Molecular Excitations in Barriers II

Molecular excitations (1) in barriers are one aspect of the more general topic of inelastic tunneling. By this latter term we mean the various processes whereby an electron loses energy as it tunnels through a barrier. In the case of molecular excitations the energy loss is to the vibrational modes of molecular species in the barrier. This inelastic process provides an additional path or channel for current flow, and so one sees breaks in the I–V curve as shown in Fig. 1.
Experience of a large series of mastoscopic axillary lymph node dissection.

Background Minimally invasive and functional therapy represents an inevitable trend in breast surgery. Improved visualization during mastoscopic axillary lymph node dissection (MALND) realizes a clear exposure of axillary anatomy, but it differs from a general laparoscopic operation. There are some challenges in technique itself which need to be noted. Detailed understanding of the elaborate operative technique, familiarity with the axillary anatomy and accurate adherence to procedure are main elements for successful MALND. Based on our experience of MALND, we have identified several points that are essential in ensuring successful MALND. Materials and Methods Five hundred twenty-two patients underwent MALND. The special instruments, axillary anatomic landmarks and operative steps were illuminated. Results Mean operative time was 39.2 min (range 20–156 min). Operative bleeding was minimal. A mean of 13.4 (range 4–38) lymph nodes were harvested. No intra or post-operation-related complication occurred. No axillary tumor relapse or trocar tumor implantation was identified during follow-up. Conclusions MALND can be performed with great convenience and safety with adherence to suitable procedures. J. Surg. Oncol. 2008;98:89–93. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Neurobehavioral Assessment in Studies of Exposures to Neurotoxicants

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses issues pertinent to data collection, analysis, and interpretation in studies of the neurotoxicity of environmental chemical exposures. One of the major challenges in both implementing and interpreting measures of the neurobehavioral function associated with exposure to chemical pollutants is the number of endpoints that can potentially be measured in a study. Factor analyses of scores on comprehensive test batteries generally identify eight broad classes of functions: language and communicative, attention or concentration, memory, problem solving, spatial/perceptual, sensory, motor, and emotional/adaptive. The psychometric characteristics of intelligence tests are generally stronger and more fully characterized than those of neurobehavioral tests. Tests considered to assess the same putative domain can vary substantially in sensitivity.
Interface Detection in Diffusion Tensor MRI

We present a new method for detecting the interface, or edge, structure present in diffusion MRI. Interface detection is an important first step for applications including segmentation and registration. Additionally, due to the higher dimensionality of tensor data, humans are visually unable to detect edges as easily as in scalar data, so edge detection has potential applications in diffusion tensor visualization. Our method employs the computer vision techniques of local structure filtering and normalized convolution. We detect the edges in the tensor field by calculating a generalized local structure tensor, based on the sum of the outer products of the gradients of the tensor components. The local structure tensor provides a rotationally invariant description of edge orientation, and its shape after local averaging describes the type of edge. We demonstrate the ability to detect not only edges caused by differences in tensor magnitude, but also edges between regions of different tensor shape. We demonstrate the method’s performance on synthetic data, on major fiber tract boundaries, and in one gray matter region.
Traceability in Agile Projects

Agile methods are becoming an increasingly mainstream approach to software development. They are characterized by short iterations with frequent deliverables, test-driven development, lightweight documentation, and frequent interactions with the customer. Perhaps unsurprisingly, traceability is often seen as unnecessary and therefore unwanted in agile projects. This is due to the perceived overhead of creating and maintaining traceability links and the assumption that agile developers have sufficient understanding of a project to implement a change without the support of previously defined traceability links. This chapter explores the challenges, benefits, techniques, and processes of tracing across a broad spectrum of agile projects.
A comparison of ward wheat suspension cultures containing clumps and single cells

Abstract Six wheat, two rye and three primary triticale lines were screened for adaptability to suspension culture and from these a durum wheat variety Ward was further studied. Ward cell numbers in suspension containing clumps doubled by the 6th day and packed cell volume (PCV) by the 9th day. Decreases in cell dry weight, mean cell volume and mean cell dry weight paralleled increases in cell number (CN) and cell volume. Clump dry weight increased as dry weight of free-floating single cells in the suspension decreased. An optimum initial cell population for suspensions containing clump was 6.3 × 10 4 cells/ml. Filtered cultures containing only single cells declined in CN and PCV irrespective of subculture interval and showed no cell division at any cell density examined. All parameters measured have underscored the necessity for the presence of clumps for continued cell division.
Examination of the effects of hemodynamic and pharmacologic interventions on coronary collateral flow in a patient during cardiac catheterization

The vasomotor response of native human collateral vessels to pharmacologic or hemodynamic vasodilatory stimuli is not well known. We describe a case where retrograde collateral flow velocity was measured both at baseline and following selected hemodynamic and pharmacologic interventions. This index case represents the first in a series of potential human physiologic studies designed to address questions pertaining to control of collateral blood supply in humans. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Application of Turbulence Models to Separated Flow Over Rough Surfaces

Principle results of classical experiments on the effects of sandgrain roughness are briefly reviewed, along with various models that have been proposed to account for these effects in numerical solutions of the fluid-flow equations. Two models that resolve the near-wall flow are applied to the flow in a two-dimensional, rough-wall channel. Comparisons with analytical results embodied in the well-known Moody diagram show that the {kappa}-{omega} model of Wilcox performs remarkably well over a wide range of roughness values, while a modified two-layer {kappa}-{var_epsilon} based model requires further refinement. The {kappa}-{omega} model is applied to water flow over a fixed sand dune for which extensive experimental data are available. The solutions are found to be in agreement with data, including the flow in the separation eddy and its recovery after reattachment. The results suggest that this modeling approach may be extended to other types of surface roughness, and to more complex flows.
The last pluvial climatic episodes in the deserts of southwestern North America

Long-term variations in the effective moisture of deserts are linked both to glacial–interglacial climatic cycles and, through the Milankovitch theory, to orbitally induced changes in solar radiation intensity1–4. For southwestern North America, comparison of palaeobotanical data with model predictions of palaeoclimate reveals two distinct pluvial regimes during the late Wisconsin and early Holocene (23–8 kyr BP). Southward displacement of the Aleutian low-pressure centre and strengthened westerlies from ∼40° to 30° N were important features of the full-glacial (∼ 18 kyr BP) pluvial maximum. Increased cyclonic storms and weakened monsoons led to a winter precipitation regime, a feature seen both in the fossil record5,6 and climate models7,8. Dominantly zonal flow during this period contrasts with the latest Wisconsin and early Holocene (12–8 kyr BP), when meridional circulation transported maritime tropical air into the desert interior. We now show that plant macrofossil assemblages from packrat (Neotoma spp.) middens9 in the Mojave Desert provide evidence for increased temperatures and summer rainfall during this period10–12. The anomalously late persistence (to ∼8 kyr BP) of woodland in low-latitude, low-elevation deserts of the south-west13 is attributed to enhanced monsoonal circulation3.
Pediatric nasal resistance

Rhinometry has provided a quantitative and objective means of assessing nasal airway patency. Previous investigators have established normal nasal resistances for adults and newborn infants. Less material and no such normal references are available for the pediatric ages. In this study, nasal airway resistance is assessed by anterior rhinometric technique in 498 children ranging from four to 16 years of age. Collected nasal resistance data are found to vary inversely with age and fall in an almost linear fashion between already established normals of infancy and adulthood. As far as we can determine, pediatric age specific nasal resistance data with calculated standard deviations and 95% confidence levels have not been previously reported. Such data provides initial age specific reference points enabling the rhinologist to more objectively evaluate concerns regarding nasal obstructive problems in children.
Age and growth of Carcharhinus leucas in the northern Gulf of Mexico: incorporating variability in size at birth

Age and growth rates of bull shark Carcharhimis leucas [n = 255: 555-2230 mm fork length (L F )] from the northern Gulf of Mexico were estimated from ring counts on vertebral sections collected from fishery-dependent and -independent surveys. Two growth models were fitted to observed data: the von Bertalanffy growth model (VBGM) with t 0 as the third parameter and a modified version of the VBGM using a fixed size-at-birth intercept as the third parameter. To address the variability in size-at-birth. a Monte Carlo simulation was incorporated into the size-at-birth intercept. The sex-specific growth models were not significantly different, allowing a sexes combined model to be generated. The traditional VBGM predicted a theoretical maximum size (L ) of 3007-1 mm L F , a growth coefficient (K) of 0-042 year -1 and a theoretical age at zero length (t 0 )) of -6.844 years. The modified VBGM with a fixed size-at-birth intercept of 565 mm L F predicted an L of 2289-2 mm L F and a K value of 0.089 years -1 When comparing model estimates to previously published information, the traditional VBGM predicted a significantly lower theoretical maximum size and a higher growth coefficient than those produced using data collected during the 1980s. Overall, results obtained using the VBGM with a fixed size-at-birth produced more biologically realistic parameters than that of the VBGM with t 0 . The Monte-Carlo simulation incorporating variability in size-at-birth produced similar results to the VBGM using a fixed size-at-birth. This study provides the first attempt to incorporate variability at size-at-birth and provide measurements of variability around the individual parameter estimates for an elasmobranch.
Crystallization of a chymotrypsin inhibitor from Erythrina caffra seeds.

Abstract Crystals of a chymotrypsin inhibitor from Erythrina caffra seeds have been grown out of lithium sulfate, by the hanging drop method of vapor diffusion. The crystals belong to the rhombohedral space group R32, with a = 67.2 A and α = 99.4 δ , and diffract to 3 A resolution.
Physiological measurement of advertising effects

The attractiveness of a “pure” measure of individual response to marketing stimuli has given rise to the use of a variety of physiological measures of advertising response. Unfortunately, such measures are neither “pure” nor, to date, of demonstrable usefulness for management decisions.
A Dual Sugar Challenge Test for Lipogenic Sensitivity to Dietary Fructose

An oral challenge of glucose and fructose gives a robust lipogenic response as measured from the increase in VLDL triglyceride palmitate over 4 hours.
Developing an Agriculture-Related Digital Project

ABSTRACT With the increasing expectation of information searchers for all information to be available online, digital projects are growing in number and importance. These projects allow libraries to become producers, if not of content, then of new accessibility options for their patrons. One librarian's experience in the development and coordination of a digital project in an academic setting is presented, in order to demonstrate potential best practices for similar projects. Selection, coordination, standards, outsourcing, and funding of projects are all discussed. It is possible to produce, relatively quickly and inexpensively, a useful, quality digital project.
Formation of Discrete, Functional Assemblies and Informational Polymers through the Hydrogen-Bonding Preferences of Calixarene Aryl and Sulfonyl Tetraureas

Derivatives of the calix[4]arenes in the cone conformation featuring either aryl urea or sulfonyl urea functions on their larger (upper) rims dimerize through hydrogen bonding to give molecular capsules. The capsules act as hosts that reversibly bind smaller molecule guests in organic media. Heterodimers form when both aryl and sulfonyl ureas are present, and the heterodimers form exclusively with respect to the homodimers. The heterodimerization encodes information at the molecular level and allows the predictable formation of discrete aggregates of nanometer dimensions. Evidence for the reversible assembly of these structures is provided by 1H NMR, guest encapsulation studies, and gel permeation chromatography. Covalent attachment of these calixarene aryl and sulfonyl ureas at their smaller (lower) rims leads to polymeric assemblies in which the informational content is preserved.
Positional information and pattern formation in plant morphogenesis and a mechanism for the involvement of plant hormones

Abstract I discuss the possibility of examining pattern formation and morphogenesis in plants in terms of the concept of positional information. Experiments performed on shoot, floral and root apices are interpreted in terms of the theory presented. A model for floral morphogenesis and the interaction of phyllotaxis and shoot morphogenesis is also presented. Finally, some genetic abnormalities of floral morphogenesis are discussed in terms of the main theme of the study.
Disparity between tonic and phasic ethanol-induced dopamine increases in the nucleus accumbens of rats

BACKGROUND Dopamine concentrations in the nucleus accumbens fluctuate on phasic (subsecond) and tonic (over minutes) timescales in awake rats. Acute ethanol increases tonic concentrations of dopamine, but its effect on subsecond dopamine transients has not been fully explored.
Interactive tools in the graphics classroom

Computer graphics is a fun course for both teachers and students. The topics are filled with interesting images and animations, there is a wealth of support material available, and students are motivated to express creativity in projects. There are also underlying math concepts and algorithms that some students find challenging to fully understand. At our institution, we teach a computer graphics course to junior and senior-level computer science majors as an elective. To assist their understanding of fundamental concepts and algorithms, we created and employed a collaborative learning approach using locally developed interactive tools during each lecture. The Think-Pair-Share model was used to facilitate collaborative interaction between students. The results of this approach were measured through in-class feedback questions and student performance on individual exam questions. Students enjoyed using the tools, highly rating them on the feedback forms, but were less enthusiastic about the classroom methodology used to present them. These results along with lessons learned will be addressed.
Alterations in Catecholamine Turnover in Specific Regions of the Rat Brain Following Acute Exposure to Nitrous Oxide

Abstract The effects of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) on steady-state concentrations and turnover rates of catecholamines in the olfactory bulb, hypothalamus, brain stem, hippocampus, striatum, thalamus, cerebral cortex, and spinal cord were determined in rats. Animals were exposed for 2 h to either 60% N 2 O or air. Immediately following exposure, all animals were injected intraperitoneally with alpha-methylparatyrosine (αMPT), a competitive inhibitor of tyrosine hydroxylase, and sacrificed at 0, 30, or 90 min postinjection. Brain catecholamine concentrations were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrochemical detection (HPLC-EC). Results indicate that N 2 O exposure significantly elevates steady-state concentrations of norepinephrine (NE) in the hypothalamus and striatum yet decreases amine levels in the brain stem region. Steady-state levels of dopamine (DA) were not significantly altered in any region of the CNS by N 2 O exposure. Acute exposure to N 2 O also resulted in significant decreases in the turnover rate of NE in the brain stem, yet it increased turnover of this amine in the olfactory bulb, hypothalamus, and striatum. Acute exposure to N 2 O resulted in a decreased turnover rate of DA in the hippocampus and striatum. In contrast, N 2 O appears to increase DA turnover in the olfactory bulb. These results indicate that acute exposure to N 2 O in rats causes region-specific alterations in steady-state levels and turnover rates of DA and NE within the central nervous system.
Magnetic Circular Dichroism Studies of the Low-Energy Absorption Bands of Mn(III) Porphyrin Complexes

Porphyrin manganese complexes are of interest, both from their possible involvement in oxygen formation in photosynthesis and as analogues to the biologically important iron porphyrin complexes. Re...
Human 4‐1BB regulates CD28 co‐stimulation to promote Th1 cell responses

Our present study provides evidence that the 4-1BB signal is critical to CD28 co-stimulation in maintaining T cell activation when CD28 has been down-regulated because of repeated stimulation. The 4-1BB signal synergized with CD28 co-stimulation by lowering the threshold of anti-CD28 required to sustain proliferation and IL-2 production. The 4-1BB signal also modulated CD28-mediated cytokine profiles by markedly enhancing Th1 but suppressing Th2-type cytokine production. The 4-1BB signal generated Th1-type cells, as identified by intracellular IFN-gamma production. IFN-gamma induction was detected preferentially in 4-1BB-expressing cells, but not in those expressing CD30. 4-1BB and CD30 were induced in both CD4+ and CD8+ cells, but the location of the two molecules was mutually exclusive in each T cell subset. Our study suggests that the 4-1BB signal regulates CD28 co-stimulation in the targeted subset cells to favor Th1 development and maintain long-term cell growth.
Nonideal collection characteristics of single stage and cascade impactors

Experimental studies of single stage and cascade impactors showed that bounce was severe for dry particles on dry solid surfaces. Oil drops on dry surfaces or dry particles on oil coated surfaces were collected as predicted by theory. While glass fiber media collection surfaces reduced particle bounce, the impactor collection efficiency characteristics were changed.