cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Viral Inclusion Bodies in Tracheobronchial Epithelium of Asymptomatic Subjects

During a survey conducted for the cytodiagnosis of early bronchogenic carcinoma, cytoplasmic viral inclusion bodies were found sporadically in tracheobronchial smears of asymtomatic patients of both sexes (ages ranging from 18 to 80 years) undergoing general endotracheal anesthesia for surgery. A review of 3,049 cases performed to assess the frequency of occurrence of this phenomenon showed a 1.1 percent incidence in all smears studied. There was no relationship between smoking habit, age, or sex and the presence of inclusion bodies; however, there was a marked seasonal incidence, with 60 percent of inclusion-bearing smears being found during the months of January through March.
Reinforcement learning and decision making in monkeys during a competitive game

Animals living in a dynamic environment must adjust their decision-making strategies through experience. To gain insights into the neural basis of such adaptive decision-making processes, we trained monkeys to play a competitive game against a computer in an oculomotor free-choice task. The animal selected one of two visual targets in each trial and was rewarded only when it selected the same target as the computer opponent. To determine how the animal's decision-making strategy can be affected by the opponent's strategy, the computer opponent was programmed with three different algorithms that exploited different aspects of the animal's choice and reward history. When the computer selected its targets randomly with equal probabilities, animals selected one of the targets more often, violating the prediction of probability matching, and their choices were systematically influenced by the choice history of the two players. When the computer exploited only the animal's choice history but not its reward history, animal's choice became more independent of its own choice history but was still related to the choice history of the opponent. This bias was substantially reduced, but not completely eliminated, when the computer used the choice history of both players in making its predictions. These biases were consistent with the predictions of reinforcement learning, suggesting that the animals sought optimal decision-making strategies using reinforcement learning algorithms.
“BAUBLES OF BRITAIN”: THE AMERICAN AND CONSUMER REVOLUTIONS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

At mid-century almost no one would have predicted an extraordinary occurrence. Some two million people had scattered themselves over an immense territory. They seemed to have little in common. Efforts to explain this political mobilization have foundered on an attempt to establish the primacy of ideology over material interest. The imported British manufactures that flooded American society during the eighteenth century acquired cultural significance largely within local communities. Parliament managed to politicize these consumer goods, and when it did so, manufactured items suddenly took on a radical, new symbolic function. Americans were quickly swept up in this consumer economy. These were not the self-sufficient yeomen of Jeffersonian mythology. The importation of British goods on such a vast scale created social tensions that the colonists were slow to appreciate. As John Dickinson's observation suggests, the colonists' experiences as consumers no longer yielded the satisfaction that they had at an earlier time.
Platform-independent analysis of function-level communication in workloads

The emergence of many-core and heterogeneous multicore processors has meant that data communication patterns increasingly determine application performance. Microprocessor designers need tools that can extract and represent these producer-consumer relationships for a workload to aid them in a wide range of tasks including hardware-software co-design, software partitioning, and application performance optimization. This paper presents Sigil, a profiling tool that can extract communication patterns within a workload independent of hardware characteristics. We show how our methodology can extract the true costs of communication within a workload by distinguishing between unique, local, and total communication. We describe the implementation and performance of Sigil as well as the results of several case studies.
Optimized PCR using Vent polymerase.

Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical Center, and Veterans Administration Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 PCR has become an essential tool of the molecular biologist, and substantial literature exists characterizing the performance of Taq polymerase in this reaction. (~-4) Use of a thermostable polymerase that, unlike Taq, possesses 3'---> 5' exonuclease activity is desirable in situations where higher fidelity and/ or blunt-end products are required. (s--8) Vent polymerase is one such enzyme, but information on optimal use of this enzyme in PCR is limited. Ling et al. identified conditions that optimize the fidelity of PCR using Vent polymerase. (s) We commonly need high-fidelity blunt PCR products for use in DNA constructions. Our initial experience with Vent polymerase convinced us that, within the previously defined conditions that optimize fidelity, careful optimization for PCR product quantity in addition to quality was essential. Therefore, we systematically examined a number of potentially important PCR conditions in a stepwise manner. This analysis led to a highly optimized procedure described below.
Enhancing Teaching and Learning with Digital Storytelling

This article intends to help educators interested in technology integration in the classroom acquire a firm theoretical foundation, pedagogical applications, and step-by-step technical procedures for infusing digital storytelling into the curriculum. Through illustrations of digital storytelling projects completed in the authors' undergraduate and graduate classes, this article discusses the benefits along with the challenges for using digital storytelling as a means of engaging students in reflective, active, and personally meaningful learning.
Early and delayed atrioventricular conduction block after routine surgery for congenital heart disease.

Objectives Patients undergoing surgical closure of ventricular septal defects are at risk for immediate or delayed atrioventricular conduction block. Our goal was to better define the incidence of delayed atrioventricular conduction block. Methods A retrospective review was conducted of hospital records and pacemaker database for ventricular septal defect, atrioventricular canal, and tetralogy of Fallot repairs between 1999 and 2004. A total of 922 patients were identified (atrioventricular canal in 197, tetralogy of Fallot in 222, and ventricular septal defect in 503). Median follow-up was 4.1 years. Results There were 472 male and 450 female patients, median age 6 months (0–444 months) and median weight 5.8 kg (1.3–116 kg) at surgery. Postoperative atrioventricular conduction block developed in 21 (2.3%) of the 922, being transient, with return of conduction 3 days (1–14 days) after surgery, in 13 (1.4%) and permanent, with pacemakers implanted 10 days (6–20 days) after surgery, in 8 (0.9%). Of the 905 patients at risk for delayed atrioventricular conduction block, 3 (0.3%) had second- or third-degree block at 2, 8, and 16 months after surgery. Two of these 3 had transient postoperative block. For isolated ventricular septal defects, the incidence was 1 (0.2%) of 496. There were 8 late deaths at 31 months (7–45 months) after surgery. Five had normal conduction at death, but for 3 patients the conduction status at death could not be determined. Including these 3 patients as possible cases of delayed atrioventricular block yields an incidence of 0.3% to 0.7%. Conclusions The incidence of early atrioventricular conduction block requiring a pacemaker was 0.9% and that of delayed atrioventricular conduction block was 0.3% to 0.7%. Transient atrioventricular conduction block may be a marker for increased risk of delayed block. These data may be useful for evaluation of new techniques.
Misalignment tolerance analysis of free-space optical interconnects via statistical methods.

System-level packaging is one of the critical issues that need to be addressed for free space optical interconnections (FSOI) to become useful in desktop systems. The performance of FSOI, e.g., in terms of system bit-error rate, is greatly affected by misalignments in the optical system. Therefore tolerancing, i.e., the ability to analyze and predict the effects of misalignments in the system, is of prime importance to system designers. We introduce an approach in which we study the effects of optical misalignments and other tolerance factors using statistical methods. We use Monte Carlo simulations, design of the experiments, and regression techniques to fit a polynomial equation that expresses the relationship between the system performance and the tolerance factors. This prediction model can be used for design, cost optimization, and quality control purposes. In addition, we perform a sensitivity analysis to determine those tolerance variables that have the greatest effect on system performance.
Suppression of thein vitro andin vivo cytotoxic effects of guanethidine in sympathetic neurons by nerve growth factor

Repeated administration of guanethidine to newborn or adult rats produces destruction of sympathetic neurons. Addition of guanethidine to sealed plasma clot cultures (pH 7.8–8.0) of newborn rat or embryonic chick sympathetic ganglia produces cell destruction if the culture contains low concentrations (1 U) of nerve growth factor (NGF). Addition of higher concentrations of NGF suppresses the cytotoxic effect of guanethidine. The cytotoxic effects of guanethidine are not seen if the cultures are carried out at a lower pH (7.0–7.2). If NGF (2000 U/g/day) is given concurrently with guanethidine (100 μg/g/day) to newborn rats, the destruction of the sympathetic neurons normally caused by the guanethidine is prevented. Other guanidinium adrenergic neuron blocking agents (debrisoquine, guanoxan, guanadrel, and bethanidine) were testedin vitro andin vivo. All producedin vitro cytotoxic effects. None produced sympathetic neuron destructionin vivo. The results are consistent with a mechanism of guanethidine cytotoxicity involving inhibition of mitochondrial respiration. The inability of adrenergic neuron blocking agents, other than guanethidine, to destroy sympathetic neuronsin vivo may result from a lesser degree of accumulation in the sympathetic neuron cell body.
Acylation of activated aromatics without added acid catalyst

Phenol and resorcinol can be acetylated to the corresponding esters and ketones in aqueous and neat acetic acid at high temperature (250–300 °C) to substantial equilibrium conversion without any added acid catalyst.
Faculty Background, Involvement, and Knowledge of Student Transfer at an Urban Community College.

ABSTRACT Previous studies of community colleges have shown that instructors play a vital role in the plans and actions of students who transfer to 4-year colleges and universities (Britt & Hirt, 1999; Cejda & Kaylor, 2001; Cuseo, 1998; Gaskin, 1999; Tatum, 2001). The purpose of the current study was to obtain information from the faculty on the extent of their involvement in, and knowledge of, the transfer process at a large, urban community college. The study was conducted in 2 phases. The first phase involved sending a questionnaire to all instructors at the college. The questionnaire obtained data on the background, knowledge, and support activities of the faculty related to student transfers. The second phase involved focus groups composed of selected faculty and staff. The questionnaire was used to create a path model that showed the relationships between faculty background, involvement with transfer, and knowledge of transfer. This information, combined with the focus group results, was used to deve...
Onset of glucocorticoid responsiveness of anterior pituitary corticotrophs during development is scheduled by corticotropin-releasing factor.

Expression of the CRF gene in the hypothalamus and that of the POMC gene in the anterior pituitary are reduced during the first week of life in the rat. During this socalled stress nonresponsive period (SNRP), stimuli such as ether vapors, electroshocks, and hypoxia do not elicit ACTH secretion from the pituitary, as occurs later in development. The current hypothesis to explain the SNRP is an increased negative glucocorticoid feedback on POMC and CRF synthesis and/or release during this time. To test this hypothesis we studied the effects of adrenalectomy (ADX) on anterior pituitary POMC mRNA expression. In 7-day-old rats POMC mRNA levels were increased only 3-fold 48 h post-ADX, compared to a 7-fold increase in 14-day-old animals. This blunted effect of endogenous glucocorticoid removal on pituitary POMC mRNA could be due to decreased up-regulation of CRF after removal of glucocorticoids or normal up-regulation of CRF but decreased pituitary responsiveness to CRF relative to those in 14-day-old animals....
Effects of Applying a Stochastic Rebound Model in Erosion Prediction of Elbow and Plugged Tee

Solid particle erosion is a complex phenomenon that depends on many factors such as particle and fluid characteristics, type of material being eroded, and flow geometry. Fittings used in the oil and gas industry such as elbows are susceptible to erosion when solid particles are present in the flow. The momentum of particles carries them across streamlines and the particles impinge the outer wall of the elbow resulting in erosion damage. In an erosive environment, plugged tees are commonly used instead of elbows to reduce the erosion especially where space considerations are important and long-radius elbows can not be used. However, it is unclear how much of a reduction in erosion occurs by replacing an elbow with a plugged tee. In order to compare the erosion in an elbow and a plugged tee exposed to the same flow conditions, a CFD-based erosion prediction model is applied. The model has three primary steps: flow modeling, particle tracking, and applying erosion equations. The results from the model agree with experimental findings for the elbow geometry. However, the simulation results for erosion rate generated for the plugged tee requires a stochastic approach. Results obtained with the erosion prediction model before and after this modification are shown.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Multimodal affective driver interfaces for future cars

In this paper, we uncover a new potential application for multimedia technologies: car interfaces for enhanced driver's safety. We also describe the experiment we conducted in order to map certain physiological signals (galvanic skin response, heart beat, and temperature) to certain emotions (Neutral, Anger, Fear, Sadness, and Frustration). We demonstrate the results we gained and describe how we use these results to our Multimodal Affective Driver Interface for the drivers of the future cars.
Behind the Curtain: Service Selection via Trust in Composite Services

Service selection, where some of the services are accessed indirectly as constituents of composite services, is difficult for the following reasons: (1) the interpretation of service qualities is subjective; (2) evidence must be combined from multiple sources; (3) service profiles change dynamically; and (4) constituent services may be only partially observable behind composite services. We propose an approach where we map service qualities to a common probabilistic trust metric. Whereas current trust approaches estimate the trustworthiness of a composite service based on a fully observable and static setting, we propose a statistical approach built on expectation maximized over a finite mixture model. Our experiments show that our approach can dynamically punish or reward the constituents of composite services while making only partial observations.
Signature movements lead to efficient search for threatening actions.

The ability to find and evade fighting persons in a crowd is potentially life-saving. To investigate how the visual system processes threatening actions, we employed a visual search paradigm with threatening boxer targets among emotionally-neutral walker distractors, and vice versa. We found that a boxer popped out for both intact and scrambled actions, whereas walkers did not. A reverse correlation analysis revealed that observers' responses clustered around the time of the “punch", a signature movement of boxing actions, but not around specific movements of the walker. These findings support the existence of a detector for signature movements in action perception. This detector helps in rapidly detecting aggressive behavior in a crowd, potentially through an expedited (sub)cortical threat-detection mechanism.
Significant Racial Disparities Exist in Noncardia Gastric Cancer Outcomes Among Kaiser Permanente’s Patient Population

Racial and ethnic differences in gastric cancer are not well understood. This study sought to compare the clinicopathological features and survival of noncardia gastric adenocarcinoma (NCGA) patients with different racial/ethnic backgrounds in Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC), a large integrated health care system. This was a retrospective cohort study of 1,366 patients with newly diagnosed NCGA between 2000 and 2010. The subjects were categorized into four racial/ethnic groups: non-Hispanic Whites, Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics. Clinicopathological information and survival data were obtained from the KPNC electronic databases and compared among the four racial/ethnic groups. The incidence of NCGA declined in Blacks and Whites, but remained stable in Asians and Hispanics. Whites had a lower incidence of NCGA compared with non-Whites. Asians and Hispanics were diagnosed at a younger age compared with Whites (mean age at diagnosis: 66, 63, and 72 years, respectively; P < 0.0001). Diffuse/mixed histological type (Lauren classification) was more prevalent in Asians and Hispanics than in Whites and Blacks (46 and 45 vs. 36 and 29 %, respectively, P = 0.001). History of Helicobacter pylori testing was associated with better survival. Asians had the highest survival rates at 1, 2, and 5 years, while Whites had the lowest (P < 0.0001). Significant racial/ethnic differences exist in patients with noncardia gastric cancer. Asians and Hispanics were younger at diagnosis and had more diffuse/mixed histological type. Asians had the highest survival, while Whites had the lowest. Such differences may be related to biological, environmental, and treatment-related factors.
Phase III trial of accelerated hyperfractionation with or without difluromethylornithine (DFMO) versus standard fractionated radiotherapy with or without DFMO for newly diagnosed patients with glioblastoma multiforme.

Abstract Purpose: To report the results of a prospective Phase III trial for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), treated with either accelerated hyperfractionated irradiation with or without difluromethylornithine (DFMO) or standard fractionated irradiation with or without DFMO. Methods and Materials: Adult patients with newly diagnosed GBM were registered and randomized following surgery to one of 4 treatment arms: Arm A, accelerated hyperfractionation alone using 2 fractions a day of 1.6 Gy to a total dose of 70.4 Gy in 44 fractions; Arm B, accelerated hyperfractionation as above plus DFMO 1.8 gm/m2 by mouth every 8 h beginning one week before radiation until the last fraction was given; Arm C, single-fraction irradiation of 1.8 Gy/day to 59.4 Gy; Arm D, single-fraction irradiation as in Arm C plus DFMO given as in Arm B. Patients were followed for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), as well as for toxicity. Eligibility required histologically proven GBM, age ≥18, Karnofsky performance status (KPS) ≥60, and no prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy was not used in this protocol. Results: A total of 231 eligible patients were enrolled. There were 95 men and 136 women with a median age of 57 years, and median KPS of 90. Extent of resection was total in 23, subtotal in 152, and biopsy only in 56 patients. The 4 arms were balanced with respect to age, KPS, and extent of resection. Times to event measurements are from date of diagnosis. Median OS and PFS were 40 and 19 weeks for Arm A; 42 and 22 weeks for Arm B; 37 and 16 weeks for Arm C; and 44 and 19 weeks for Arm D ( p = 0.48 for survival; p = 0.32 for PFS). Comparison of the 2 arms treated with DFMO to the 2 arms without DFMO revealed no difference in OS (37 weeks vs. 42 weeks, p = 0.12) or PFS and thus no benefit to the use of DFMO. Comparison of the 2 standard fractionation arms to the 2 accelerated hyperfractionation arms also resulted in no difference in OS (42 weeks vs. 41 weeks, p = 0.75) or PFS, showing no benefit to accelerated hyperfractionated irradiation. Conclusions: In this prospective Phase III study, no survival or PFS benefit was seen with accelerated hyperfractionated irradiation to 70.4 Gy, nor was any benefit seen with DFMO as a radiosensitizer. Standard fractionated irradiation to 59.4 Gy remains the treatment of choice for newly diagnosed patients with glioblastoma multiforme.
Hangsters: tangible peripheral interactive avatars for instant messaging

We propose a system for both the customisation and the physical representation of instant messaging contacts as hanging tangible avatars which have been outfitted with a personalized skin and set of interactions. Hangsters create an ambient display of a user's online contacts which is simultaneously peripheral and interactive. The user creates a representation of herself in an online avatar creator. The personalised skin is packaged around a standard modular electronic kit and mailed to the recipient. The Hangster then embodies the interactions that would otherwise take place onscreen: on/offline presence and accepting/initializing conversations. The system allows for a more ambient display of a user's contacts while introducing customisable modular electronic toolkits for the tangible avatars.
Global gene expression changes underlying Stachybotrys chartarum toxin-induced apoptosis in murine alveolar macrophages: Evidence of multiple signal transduction pathways

The overall mechanism(s) underlying macrophage apoptosis caused by the toxins of the indoor mold Stachybotrys chartarum (SC) are not yet understood. In this direction, we report a microarray-based global gene expression profiling on the murine alveolar macrophage cell line (MH-S) treated with SC toxins for short (2 h) and long (24 h) periods, coinciding with the pre-apoptotic (<3 h) and progressed apoptotic stages of the treated cells, respectively. Microarray results on differential expression were validated by real-time RT-PCR analysis using representative gene targets. The toxin-regulated genes corresponded to multiple cellular processes, including cell growth, proliferation and death, inflammatory/immune response, genotoxic stress and oxidative stress, and to the underlying multiple signal transduction pathways involving MAPK-, NF-kB-, TNF-, and p53-mediated signaling. Transcription factor NF-kB showed dynamic temporal changes, characterized by an initial activation and a subsequent inhibition. Up-regulation of a battery of DNA damage-responsive and DNA repair genes in the early stage of the treatment suggested a possible role of genotoxic stress in the initiation of apoptosis. Simultaneous expression changes in both pro-survival genes and pro-apoptotic genes indicated the role of a critical balance between the two processes in SC toxin-induced apoptosis. Taken together, the results imply that multiple signaling pathways underlie the SC toxin-induced apoptosis in alveolar macrophages.
Terrorism and Hostages in International Law: A Commentary on the Hostages Convention 1979

A commentary on the Hostages Convention and other agreements dealing with terrorism-related offences.
L-methionine antagonism of cis-platinum nephrotoxicity.

l-Methionine administered simultaneously with cis-platinum (CDDP) iv results in a significant reduction of the nephrotoxicity normally associated with CDDP without any apparent effect on the antineoplastic activity for rats bearing the Walker 256 carcinosarcoma. CDDP given with l-methionine at a 1:20 mole ratio can be administered to rats at doses up to 35 mg/kg iv with the survival of all treated animals (33) and up to 56 mg/kg iv (bolus injection) with the survival of frsol|3/6 animals, while CDDP administered alone at these levels is lethal. A reduced level of protection against the nephrotoxicity was also achieved at lower mole ratios of l-methionine to CDDP. Renal function was monitored using BUN and serum creatinine levels, and gastrointestinal toxicity by weight changes during the course of the experiments. A histopathological examination of the kidneys was also performed to evaluate the protection provided by l-methionine. Under the conditions used, the reaction between l-methionine and CDDP does not appear to proceed so rapidly as to interfere with the antitumor activity of the CDDP. The examination of structural analogs as agents for the control of CDDP-induced nephrotoxicity revealed that the C-S-C-group is the essential group for the protective action in these structures. Although l-methionine can provide renal protection in rats given high doses of CDDP, it does not prevent the accumulation of platinum in the kidney.
Improving the radiative decay rate for dye molecules with hyperbolic metamaterials

We directly demonstrate an improvement in the radiative decay rate of dye molecules near multilayer hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs). Our comprehensive study shows a radiative decay rate for rhodamine 800 (Rh800) that is several times higher due to the use of HMM samples as compared to dielectric substrates. This is also the first experimental demonstration that multilayer hyperbolic metamaterials provide an increase in the radiative decay rate relative to those from either thin or thick gold films.
Most Used Codons per Amino Acid and per Genome in the Code of Man Compared to Other Organisms According to the Rotating Circular Genetic Code.

My previous theoretical research shows that the rotating circular genetic code is a viable tool to make easier to distinguish the rules of variation applied to the amino acid exchange; it presents a precise and positional bio-mathematical balance of codons, according to the amino acids they codify. Here, I demonstrate that when using the conventional or classic circular genetic code, a clearer pattern for the human codon usage per amino acid and per genome emerges. The most used human codons per amino acid were the ones ending with the three hydrogen bond nucleotides: C for 12 amino acids and G for the remaining 8, plus one codon for arginine ending in A that was used approximately with the same frequency than the one ending in G for this same amino acid. The most used codons in man fall almost all the time at the rightmost position, clockwise, ending either in C or in G within the circular genetic code. The human codon usage per genome is compared to other organisms such as fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), squid (Loligo pealei), and many others. The bio-semiotic codon usage of each genomic population or ‘Theme’ is equated to a ‘molecular language’. The C/U choice or difference, and the G/A difference in the third nucleotide of the most used codons per amino acid are illustrated by comparing the most used codons per genome in humans and squids. The human distribution in the third position of most used codons is a 12-8-2, C-G-A, nucleotide ending signature, while the squid distribution in the third position of most used codons was an odd, or uneven, distribution in the third position of its most used codons: 13-6-3, U-A-G, as its nucleotide ending signature. These findings may help to design computational tools to compare human genomes, to determine the exchangeability between compatible codons and amino acids, and for the early detection of incompatible changes leading to hereditary diseases.
Epidermal growth factor stimulation of the human gastrin promoter requires Sp1

Growth factors coordinately regulate a variety of different genes to stimulate cellular proliferation. In the stomach, gastrin, epidermal growth factor (EGF), and transforming growth factor-α all mediate gastric mucosal homeostasis by promoting cell renewal. We have previously shown that EGF and phorbol esters stimulate the human gastrin promoter through a novel GC-rich DNA element 5′-−68GGGGCGGGGTGGGGGG−53 called gERE (gastrin EGF response element). In this report, we show that three factors bind to this element, the transcription factor Sp1 and two fast migrating complexes designated gastrin EGF response proteins (gERP 1 and 2). To understand how these factors bind and confer EGF responsiveness, mutations of gERE were tested in vitro for protein binding and in vivo for promoter activation. Both gel shift assays and UV cross-linking studies revealed that the factors bind to overlapping domains, Sp1 to the 5′ half-site and gERP 1 and 2 to the 3′ half-site. Placing either the 5′ or 3′ mutations upstream of a minimal gastrin promoter abolished EGF induction. Therefore both the 5′ and 3′ domains were required to confer EGF induction. Collectively, these results demonstrate that complex interactions between Sp1 and other factors binding to overlapping gERE half-sites confer EGF responsiveness to the gastrin promoter.
Electrooptic-based two-dimensional THz near-field imaging

Summary form only given. Since the first demonstration of THz imaging by Hu and Nuss (1995), many different approaches have been proposed to improve its spatial resolution, the data acquisition time and extend its application, such as T-ray tomography, THz near-field imaging, and real-time two-dimensional (2D) THz electro-optic imaging. Among them, the last one shows a unique advantage on the data acquisition rate, which is only limited by the CCD camera. With our newly developed dynamic subtraction technique with the frame rate as high as 70 frames per second, the signal-to-noise ratio was improved by about two orders. But the system spatial resolution of the usual 2f-2f 2D imaging system is basically limited by aberration and diffraction of the THz beam, because the electro-optic (EO) sensor is positioned at the conjugate plane of the object, which corresponds to the far-field of the THz beam. THz near-field measurement is an effective way to improve the spatial resolution of an imaging system. It is obviously not possible to realize near-field imaging in the conventional transmission EO sampling geometry because the object put right in front of the sensor will block the probe beam. Therefore we change the reflection geometry.
Naphthalene and phenanthrene sorption to very low organic content diatomaceous earth: modeling implications for microbial bioavailability.

Abstract Naphthalene and phenanthrene sorption was investigated on microporous/high surface area and low-microporous/low surface area particles with very low organic ( f oc ) content. Partitioning coefficients ( K p ) for naphthalene were similar to those predicted from the Karickhoff equation in both competitive and non-competitive sorption isotherms, even given the very low f oc . In contrast, phenanthrene K p values in competitive isotherms were 10-fold higher than predicted by Karickhoff, suggesting phenanthrene out-competes naphthalene for sorption sites. Naphthalene exhibited greater non-competitive K p at higher concentrations on the microporous particles, as evidenced by a Freundlich n = 0.74. Both compounds had 100-fold lower adsorption and desorption mass flux on the microporous particles. Adsorption followed first order kinetics, with phenanthrene adsorbing at 1.5 and 3 times the rate of naphthalene on the low surface area and high surface area particles, respectively. Naphthalene and phenanthrene desorption kinetics were well-described by a Fickian diffusion model with observed diffusivities ( D obs ) of 1.7–1.9 × 10 −8 and 0.93–1.9 × 10 −8 cm 2 s −1 for naphthalene and phenanthrene, respectively. Phenanthrene D obs were 3–5 orders of magnitude faster than those reported in organic-rich sediments. Naphthalene D obs were 100-fold lower than fast-domain diffusivities, indicating access to micropores. Naphthalene sorption non-linearity was investigated via simulations with two coupled desorption–biodegradation models. Results indicate that non-linearity would not significantly affect bioavailability in low f oc geosorbents. In contrast, sorption non-linearity would result in greatly decreased bioavailability in organic-rich geosorbents, indicating that desorption non-linearity should be considered for surface soils and sediments but may not be critical for low f oc aquifer material.
Geomorphic evolution of a storm-dominated carbonate ramp (c. 549 Ma), Nama Group, Namibia

The well-exposed Hoogland Member (c. 549 Ma) of the northern Nama Group (Kuibis Subgroup), Namibia, represents a storm-dominated carbonate ramp developed in a foreland basin of terminal Proterozoic age. The ramp displays facies gradients involving updip grainstones which pass downdip into broad, spatially extensive tracts of microbial laminites and finely laminated mudstones deposited above and below storm wave base. Trough cross-bedded, coarse grainstones are shown to transit downdip into finer-grained calcarenites, irregular microbial laminites and mottled laminites. Siliciclastic siltstones and shales were deposited further downdip. Platform growth was terminated through smothering by orogen-derived siliciclastic deposits. Ramp morphology was controlled by several different processes which acted across many orders of magnitude (millimetres to kilometres), including in situ growth of mats and reefs, scouring by wave-produced currents, and transport and infilling of coarse-grained carbonates and fine-grained carbonates and clastics. At the smallest scale, ‘roughening’ of the sea-floor through heterogeneous trapping and binding by microbial mats was balanced by smoothing of the sea-floor through accumulation of loose sediment to fill the topographic lows within the upward-propagating mat. At the next scale up, parasequence development involved roughening of the sea-floor through shoal growth and grainstone progradation, balanced by sea-floor smoothing through shale infilling of resulting downdip accommodation, as well as the metre-scale topographic depressions within the mosaic of shoal-water facies. At even larger (sequence/platform) scales, roughening of the sea-floor occurred through aggradation and progradation of thick carbonates, balanced by infilling of the foreland basin with orogen-derived siliciclastic sediments. At all scales a net balance was achieved between sea-floor roughening and sea-floor smoothing to maintain a more or less constant ramp profile.
An analytical three-dimensional field model of a perpendicular recording head

A simple analytical three-dimensional head-field model has been developed for a single-pole perpendicular recording head with a soft magnetic interlayer below the recording medium. A large-scale (5000:1) model of a perpendicular recording head has also been constructed. The normalized head fields obtained by the analytical model show good agreement with the experimental results from the large-scale model. Using the analytical model, it was confirmed that the side fringe of a perpendicular head diminishes rapidly compared with that of a longitudinal head, providing a higher potential for narrow-track recording. >
Endovascular Repair of Thoracic Aortic Injury: Current Thoughts and Technical Considerations

Thoracic aortic traumatic injury is a highly morbid event. Mortality and paraplegia rates after emergent open repair remain high. Now, however, thoracic aortic endografting for trauma (TAET) is commonly used. It is appealing due to reduction of operative stress for the multiply injured trauma victim. This minimizing of stress and risk is secondary to avoidance of thoracotomy, single-lung ventilation, aortic cross-clamping, and the more complex anesthetic techniques required. Early and midterm results from TAET delineate improved outcomes, yet access and aortic constraints continue to challenge TAET. Questions regarding longer-term durability of endografts in younger patients remain unanswered. Broader application of TAET within endovascular programs is challenged by appropriate imaging, operating suite inventories, and the logistics and personnel required for TAET. Currently developed thoracic endograft devices are not ideal for TAET due to platform size and graft diameter. This is changing, however, as new modifications have been developed and trials are ongoing. In light of these collective factors, the management paradigm for traumatic aortic injury is beginning to favor TAET.
Identifying Risk Factors and Key Strategies in Linkage to Outpatient Psychiatric Care

Objective: The substantial failure of psychiatric patients to engage in outpatient specialty mental health care after an acute hospitalization at a time when managed care companies and others increasingly hold hospitals accountable for outcomes underscores the importance of identifying patients at high risk for not completing referrals. This study explored patient risk factors for not completing referrals and examined the success of several interventions targeted to achieving linkage with outpatient care. Method: A clinically detailed, structured form was used in abstracting information from the medical records of 229 inpatients with a primary psychiatric diagnosis. Clinicians and staff at outpatient programs were contacted to determine whether patients completed their referrals. Results: Approximately two-thirds (65%) of the patients failed to attend scheduled or rescheduled initial outpatient mental health appointments after a hospital discharge. At high risk for unsuccessful linkage to outpatient care were patients with a persistent mental illness and those who had no prior public psychiatric hospitalization, were admitted involuntarily, and had longer lengths of stay. Controlling for risk factors, three clinical interventions used during the hospital stay more than tripled the odds of successful linkage to outpatient care: communication about patients’ discharge plans between inpatient staff and outpatient clinicians, patients’ starting outpatient programs before discharge, and family involvement during the hospital stay. Conclusions: Effective clinical bridging strategies can be used to avoid unnecessary gaps in the delivery of psychiatric services. Incorporating these strategies into routine care would enhance continuity of care, especially for some high-risk patients.
On‐line gain identification of flow processes with application to adaptive pH control

A simple and practical method is presented for the control of first-order flow processes with time varying gain and a pure delay in the measurement of the control variable. It involves on-line identification of the process gain and a subsequent adjustment of the controller parameter. The method is well suited for applications in the chemical process industries where high frequency fluctuations in the process gain are not generally expected. It is tested on a computer simulated process as well as experimentally by application to a continuous stirred-tank neutralization process involving pH control, where buffer concentration in the feed varies with time. There is a potential for the application of this method to an industrial process such as wastewater treatment.
A dynamically bi-orthogonal method for time-dependent stochastic partial differential equations I: Derivation and algorithms

We propose a dynamically bi-orthogonal method (DyBO) to solve time dependent stochastic partial differential equations (SPDEs). The objective of our method is to exploit some intrinsic sparse structure in the stochastic solution by constructing the sparsest representation of the stochastic solution via a bi-orthogonal basis. It is well-known that the Karhunen-Loeve expansion (KLE) minimizes the total mean squared error and gives the sparsest representation of stochastic solutions. However, the computation of the KL expansion could be quite expensive since we need to form a covariance matrix and solve a large-scale eigenvalue problem. The main contribution of this paper is that we derive an equivalent system that governs the evolution of the spatial and stochastic basis in the KL expansion. Unlike other reduced model methods, our method constructs the reduced basis on-the-fly without the need to form the covariance matrix or to compute its eigendecomposition. In the first part of our paper, we introduce the derivation of the dynamically bi-orthogonal formulation for SPDEs, discuss several theoretical issues, such as the dynamic bi-orthogonality preservation and some preliminary error analysis of the DyBO method. We also give some numerical implementation details of the DyBO methods, including the representation of stochastic basis and techniques to deal with eigenvalue crossing. In the second part of our paper [11], we will present an adaptive strategy to dynamically remove or add modes, perform a detailed complexity analysis, and discuss various generalizations of this approach. An extensive range of numerical experiments will be provided in both parts to demonstrate the effectiveness of the DyBO method.
Reconfigurable array interconnection by photorefractive correlation.

Electronic parallel processors might communicate more effectively by photons sent through glass or air than by electrons sent through wires, but quickly routing thousands of optical signals remains a problem. Previous photorefractive interconnection networks have dedicated one hologram to each input channel. Instead, we compute a control image from the entire network configuration and store it as a single color-keyed volume hologram. This lets us use hologram superposition for fast switching between multiple prestored patterns. During operation, data signals from the input modulator array, powered by a shared wavelength-tunable laser, are correlated optically with one color-matched connection hologram to produce the output array. This decouples both data rate and interconnect switching speeds from the slow photorefractive response. We can display arbitrary connection weights using simple binary-phase spatial light modulators and gracefully accommodate modulator limitations by trading off control-image bandwidth for output signal-to-noise ratio. Experimental results with color-multiplexed reflection holograms in z-cut LiNbO3 confirmed our theoretical predictions that this approach works best for densely connected networks with high fan-in to each output. We obtained an average aggregate signal-to-noise ratio of more than 200:1 for 1024 inputs and outputs.
Modeling of Multi-Layered Power Distribution Planes Including Via Effects Using Transmission Matrix Method

This paper presents a method for analyzing multilayered power distribution networks in the frequency domain. Using a two dimensional array of distributed RLCG circuits, multi-layered power distribution planes are represented. Each plane pair is connected by vias, which are modeled as partial self and mutual inductors. For the efficient computation of the power distribution impedances at specific points in the network, a multiinput and multi-output transmission matrix method has been used, which is much faster than Spice and reduces memory requirements. This method has been compared with the cavity resonator method simulated in Spice.
Seeing the trees in the forest: selective electroporation of adipocytes within adipose tissue

Electroporation has been recently adapted for the transfer of macromolecules into cells of tissues in vivo. Although mature adipocytes constitute <20% of cells residing in adipose tissue, we hypoth...
Phase Speed Cross Spectra of Eddy Heat Fluxes in the Eastern Pacific

This study investigates the observed spectral character of eddy heat fluxes near the ocean surface, focusing on the distribution in wavenumber and phase speed space. Eddy heat fluxes in the eastern Pacific are calculated from concurrent satellite sea surface height and sea surface temperature data. A high-resolution coupledclimatemodelis alsoanalyzedin ordertoverifythephysicalmechanismsinvolvedandtovalidatethe model against observations. Wavenumber, frequency, and phase speed power spectra and cross spectra are constructed and presented as a function of latitude. These spectra reveal the dominance of coherent mesoscale eddies in both the length scale and phase speed of eddy heat fluxes. The breadths of the spectra are characterized via spectral moments; these moments show that the eddy fluxes are relatively concentrated around the dominant wavenumber and phase speed. Good agreement is found between the model and the observed spectra. The integrated heat transport and corresponding eddy diffusivity are shown to compare well with previous studies, but the results give a deeper insight into what determines the heat flux. Implications for eddy parameterization are discussed.
Measles Virus-Specified Polypeptide Synthesis in Two Persistently Infected HeLa Cell Lines

Measles virus-directed protein synthesis was examined in two HeLa cell lines (K11 and K11A) that are persistently infected with wild-type measles virus. Four viral proteins (H, hemagglutination protein; P, nucleocapsid-associated protein; NP, the major nucleocapsid protein; and M, the matrix protein) were readily detected in both cell lines by immune precipitation of [ 35 S]methionine-labeled cell extracts followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. When analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, three (H, NP, and M) of the four viral proteins in both K11 and K11A cells differed from the corresponding viral proteins synthesized in HeLa cells acutely infected with the parental wild-type virus. In addition, the M protein from K11A cells migrated significantly more slowly on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis than the M protein from K11 cells, and there appeared to be slight differences in the H and NP proteins between these two persistently infected cell lines. The altered viral proteins detected in K11 and K11A cells appeared to be the result of viral mutations rather than changes in the host cell, since virus recovered from these cells directed the synthesis of similar aberrant viral proteins in HeLa cells. Virus recovered from K11 cells and virus recovered from K11A cells were both temperature sensitive and grew more slowly than wild-type virus. HeLa cells infected with virus recovered from K11 cells readily became persistently infected, resembling the original persistently infected K11 cells. Thus, viral mutations are associated with persistent measles virus infections in cell cultures. Images