cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optogenetic Synthesis of Touch Perception via Biomimetic Photo Stimulation of S1

Accurate decision-making requires the precisely timed input of sensory information to yield a functional percept that can inform behavioral choices. Touch perception requires neural activity in primary somatosensory cortex (S1). Here, we determine optimal laser power and shape to optogenetically drive precise spiking activity recorded via electrophysiology in layer IV of mouse S1, for the purpose of biasing sensation and thereby behavior in a multi-whisker two alternative forced-choice task. Our results indicate that power values between 500 µW and 2 mW at the skull were best suited for driving barrel-specific firing for a given stimulation location, with most powers in this range evoking ∼50% lower driven firing rates when laser stimulation was applied 500 µm from the recording region and no above-baseline firing for stimulations occurring 1 mm from the recording region. Additionally, characterization of the laser's beam profile illustrated that the width of the laser (250 µm) corresponded with the average width of a barrel of the barrel cortex, indicating that the laser was tightly focused on a single barrel throughout stimulation sessions. With this high level of spatial specificity for our stimulation trials, we were able to bias perception of an object's location (near whisker C1) to a more anterior location (near whisker C4) while a mouse was performing the two alternative forced-choice task. This effect was not observed when laser-stimulating layer IV of either C1 or C4 when an object was in range of the whisker corresponding to the barrel being stimulated. These results indicate that a laser using low-power settings with a tight beam width is ideal for driving highly specific spiking activity to influence behavior.
Toward a conceptual model relating chemical reaction fronts to water flow paths in hills

Abstract Both vertical and lateral flows of rock and water occur within eroding hills. Specifically, when considered over geological timeframes, rock advects vertically upward under hilltops in landscapes experiencing uplift and erosion. Once rock particles reach the land surface, they move laterally and down the hillslope because of erosion. At much shorter timescales, meteoric water moves vertically downward until it reaches the regional water table and then moves laterally as groundwater flow. Water can also flow laterally in the shallow subsurface as interflow in zones of permeability contrast. Interflow can be perched or can occur during periods of a high regional water table. The depths of these deep and shallow water tables in hills fluctuate over time. The fluctuations drive biogeochemical reactions between water, CO 2 , O 2 , and minerals and these in turn drive fracturing. The depth intervals of water table fluctuation for interflow and groundwater flow are thus reaction fronts characterized by changes in composition, fracture density, porosity, and permeability. The shallow and deep reaction zones can separate over meters in felsic rocks. The zones act like valves that reorient downward unsaturated water flow into lateral saturated flow. The valves also reorient the upward advection of rock into lateral flow through solubilization. In particular, groundwater removes highly soluble, and interflow removes moderately soluble minerals. As rock and water moves through the system, hills may evolve toward a condition where the weathering advance rate, W , approaches the erosion rate, E . If W = E , the slopes of the deep and shallow reaction zones and the hillsides must allow removal of the most soluble, moderately soluble, and least soluble minerals respectively. A permeability architecture thus emerges to partition each evolving hill into dissolved and particulate material fluxes as it approaches steady state.
A New Investigation of Iron Cross Sections via Spherical-Shell Transmission Measurements and Particle Transport Calculations

We are engaged in a multi-year project to study neutron scattering interactions in iron, the principal objective of which is to investigate the well-known deficiency that exists in reactor pressure vessel neutron fluence determinations. Specifically, we are using the spherical-shell transmission method, employing iron shells with different thicknesses, and neutron time-of-flight measurements of the scattered neutrons, in an effort to precisely determine specific energy regions over which deficiencies in the non-elastic scattering cross section for neutron scattering in iron appear to exist. The analysis of the experimental data involves correlating the data with theoretical calculations of neutron transport through the iron spheres in order to evaluate the degree to which the calculated neutron spectra predict the measured spectra relative to different types of particle interactions. In doing so, we have developed new methodologies for performing neutron transport calculations that will be useful to a ran...
Antegrade continence enemas improve quality of life in patients with medically-refractory encopresis.

Abstract Purpose Fecal incontinence is a socially debilitating problem for many children. We hypothesized that in selected patients with medically-refractory encopresis, placement of an appendicostomy or cecostomy tube for administration of antegrade continence enemas (ACE) would improve quality of life (QOL). Methods We reviewed all patients with encopresis who underwent appendicostomy or cecostomy placement from 2003 to 2014 at our institution. We contacted subjects' parents by phone and administered 3 surveys: a survey reflecting current stooling habits, a disease-specific QOL survey, and the PedsQL™ QOL survey. QOL surveys were completed twice by parents, once reflecting pre-operative QOL, then again reflecting current QOL. Pre-procedure and post-procedure scores were compared by paired t -test. Results Ten patients underwent appendicostomy/cecostomy for encopresis. Eight completed phone surveys. All procedures were performed laparoscopically. All patients experienced fecal soiling pre-operatively, whereas 5/8 surveyed patients (63%) noted complete resolution of soiling post-procedure (p Conclusions Antegrade continence enemas significantly improve quality of life in patients with medically-refractory encopresis, likely related to resolution of soiling. Level of evidence 4
Local enema treatment to inhibit FOLH1/GCPII as a novel therapy for inflammatory bowel disease

Here we evaluate the potential for local administration of a small molecule FOLH1/GCPII inhibitor 2-phosphonomethyl pentanedioic acid (2-PMPA) as a novel treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We found that FOLH1/GCPII enzyme activity was increased in the colorectal tissues of mice with TNBS-induced colitis, and confirmed that 2-PMPA inhibited FOLH1/GCPII enzyme activity ex vivo. In order to maximize local enema delivery of 2-PMPA, we studied the effect of vehicle tonicity on the absorption of 2-PMPA in the colon. Local administration of 2-PMPA in a hypotonic enema vehicle resulted in increased colorectal tissue absorption at 30 min compared to 2-PMPA administered in an isotonic enema vehicle. Furthermore, local delivery of 2-PMPA in hypotonic enema vehicle resulted in prolonged drug concentrations for at least 24 h with minimal systemic exposure. Finally, daily treatment with the hypotonic 2-PMPA enema ameliorated macroscopic and microscopic symptoms of IBD in the TNBS-induced colitis mouse model, indicating the potential of FOLH1/GCPII inhibitors for the local treatment of IBD.
Assessing Entrustable Professional Activities During the Psychiatry Clerkship.

Objective Within 10 years, the Association of American Medical Colleges envisions graduating medical students will be entrusted by their school to perform 13 core entrustable professional activities (EPAs) without direct supervision. The authors focused on eight EPAs that appear most relevant to clinical training during the psychiatry clerkship at their institution to evaluate whether students assess themselves as making progress in EPAs during this clerkship, to see how students’ self-assessments compare with the clerkship director’s assessments, and to see if weaknesses in the curriculum were found.
MatchMiner: efficient spanning structure mining in large image collections

Many new computer vision applications are utilizing large-scale data- sets of places derived from the many billions of photos on the Web. Such applications often require knowledge of the visual connectivity structure of these image collections--describing which images overlap or are otherwise related--and an important step in understanding this structure is to identify connected components of this underlying image graph. As the structure of this graph is often initially unknown, this problem can be posed as one of exploring the connectivity between images as quickly as possible, by intelligently selecting a subset of image pairs for feature matching and geometric verification, without having to test all O(n2) possible pairs. We propose a novel, scalable algorithm called MatchMiner that efficiently explores visual relations between images, incorporating ideas from relevance feedback to improve decision making over time, as well as a simple yet effective rank distance measure for detecting outlier images. Using these ideas, our algorithm automatically prioritizes image pairs that can potentially connect or contribute to large connected components, using an information-theoretic algorithm to decide which image pairs to test next. Our experimental results show that MatchMiner can efficiently find connected components in large image collections, significantly outperforming state-of-the-art image matching methods.
Conformational Heterogeneity in the Activation Mechanism of Bax

Bax is known for its pro-apoptotic role within the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. However, the mechanism for transitioning Bax from cytosolic to membrane-bound oligomer remains elusive. Previous nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies defined monomeric Bax as conformationally homogeneous. Yet it has recently been proposed that monomeric Bax exists in equilibrium with a minor state that is distinctly different from its NMR structure. Here, we revisited the structural analysis of Bax using methods uniquely suited for unveiling "invisible" states of proteins, namely, NMR paramagnetic relaxation enhancements and EPR double electron-electron resonance (DEER). Additionally we examined the effect of glycerol, the co-solvent of choice in DEER studies, on the structure of Bax using NMR chemical-shift perturbations and residual dipolar couplings. Based on our combined NMR and EPR results, Bax is a conformationally homogeneous protein prior to its activation.
Diabolical Authority: Anton LaVey, The Satanic Bible and the Satanist "Tradition"

The status of The Satanic Bible as an authoritative scripture-or, perhaps more accurately, as a kind of quasi-scripture-within the Satanic subculture was initially brought to my attention during my first face-to-face encounter with Satanists in the Spring of 2000. Via the internet, I had found a small Satanist group in Portage, Wisconsin, which was about an hour south of where I resided at the time. This group, the Temple of Lylyth, distinguishes itself from Anton LaVey's brand of Satanism chiefly by its emphasis on feminine nature of the Dark Power. I arranged to meet with them in Portage on a Friday evening in connection with a research project on which I was working at the time. Over the course of our conversation, the founder and then leader of the group mentioned that on Friday evenings he was usually downtown where a small group of fervent Christians regularly set up what might be called a "preaching station" to spread the Gospel. This young fellow (he was nineteen at the time) would confront them as a practicing Satanist. He always carried a copy of The Satanic Bible with him, not just so he could quote some of accusations LaVey leveled against Christianity, but also so he could correct anything these evangelists might say about Satanism by citing an authoritative source. I'm sure this is something of a caricature, but I was left with the impression of dueling religionists, Christians hurling Bible verses at my informant as he matched blow for blow with quotes from The Satanic Bible. This experience led me to pay attention whenever other Satanists mentioned The Satanic Bible.
0190 Occupational exposure to crystalline silica and death from lung cancer: g-estimation of structural accelerated failure time models

Background Occupational exposure to crystalline silica has been linked to mortality risk for lung cancer. The healthy worker survivor effect may bias effect estimates downward unless special methods are used to adjust for employment status, time off work, and co-exposures. Unlike traditional regression, g-estimation adjusts correctly for such time-varying confounders. Methods We applied g-estimation of structural accelerated failure time models to estimate the number of years of life that could have been saved for mortality from all natural causes and from lung cancer if exposure to crystalline silica had been prevented among 2342 white male workers in the diatomaceous earth industry (1942–2011). Exposures were lagged 17 years because exposure data were only available through 1994; this also accounts for disease latency. Analyses adjusted for calendar year, age, Latino ethnicity, smoking status, duration of employment in the diatomaceous earth industry and exposure to crystalline silica before entering follow-up, prior exposure to crystalline silica, prior cumulative exposure to dust and asbestos, time taken off work, and employment status. Results If all workers had been unexposed to crystalline silica, we estimated that workers who died of natural causes would have survived, on average, 1.1 years longer (95% CI: 0.3, 2.3) overall. Workers who died from lung cancer would have survived an estimated average of 9.0 years longer (95% CI: 4.4, 16.2) if they had been unexposed. Conclusions A ban on exposure to crystalline silica in this cohort would have resulted in longer survival for workers, particularly those who died of lung cancer.
Emotional Engagement in Safety Training: Impact of Naturalistic Injury Simulations on the Emotional State of Construction Workers

AbstractPoor hazard recognition skills and high tolerance for risk are well-known contributing factors to high fatality rates plaguing the construction industry. The prevailing safety training tech...
Imaging and Screening of Cancer of the Gallbladder and Bile Ducts.

Biliary cancers include gallbladder cancer (GBC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). GBC may appear as a mass replacing the gallbladder, thickened gallbladder wall, or polypoid lesion in the gallbladder. Gallbladder polyps with low risk of GBC (eg, 6- to 10-mm polyps without other risk factors) are screened with sonography. In general, polyps smaller than 5 mm are ignored and those larger than 10 mm require surgical consideration. Screening for CCA is less well-established. On imaging, CCA may be divided into mass-forming, periductal infiltrating, and intraductal types. This review discusses the current state of screening and diagnosis of GBC and CCA.
An editor's perspective on peer review.

It seems appropriate to complement the commentaries on peer review in this issue of AJHP with an editor’s perspective on certain aspects of the topic. I leave aside a discussion of the necessity for and limitations of peer review. Instead, I provide a few glimpses into how peer review is used at a
A CMOS Wideband Receiver Resilient to Out-of-Band Blockers Using Blocker Detection and Rejection

In this paper, an interferer-tolerant receiver for the first group of ultra-wideband (3.1–4.8 GHz) is presented. The entire system operates in two modes: detecting and receiving. In the detecting mode, the interferers pass through a low-noise amplifier (LNA), a multiplier, a phaser, which is a dispersive delay structure, and a decision circuit, while in the receiving mode, the signal passes through the LNA, three tunable notch filters, a mixer [consisting of a switch, a baseband (BB) transconductance stage, and a transimpedance amplifier], and a BB filter. The blocker detector detects the locations of blockers and reports them to the notch filters of the receiver for rejection. The entire system is integrated in a standard TSMC CMOS 65-nm technology and consumes up to 23.8 and 9.6 mW, in the receiving and detecting modes, respectively, with a 1-V voltage supply. The receiver achieves a simultaneous rejection of up to three out-of-band interferers and maximum out-of-band IIP3 and out-of-band IIP2 of 18.9 and 46 dBm, respectively, using a dynamic blocker detection and rejection technique.
Could dietary glutamate be contributing to the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Lay abstract A 50-year-old man who had suffered from daily obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms for 39 years, in addition to fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, was enrolled in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial to test the effects of a low-glutamate diet on fibromyalgia/irritable bowel syndrome symptoms. After 1 month on the low-glutamate diet all of his symptoms remitted, including his OCD, which had previously been nonresponsive to pharmacological treatment. This case study is limited by self-report of symptoms; however, glutamatergic neurotransmission appears to be dysregulated in OCD, suggesting biological plausibility for this observation. Future research is needed.
60 V-to-35 kV input-parallel output-series DC-DC converter using multi-level class-DE rectifiers

This paper presents a high-voltage dc-dc converter that includes inductively-isolated rectifiers. Previous work on multi-stage class-DE rectifiers only included capacitive dc isolation, limiting the output voltage to twice of the capacitor voltage rating. By adding an air-core transformer before the rectifier for inductive isolation, the maximum output voltage can be twice the breakdown voltage of the insulation between the transformer's primary and secondary windings, thus allowing the implementation of a small, lightweight, and fast transient high-voltage dc-dc converter. We experimentally demonstrate a multi-modular converter design with 60 V input voltage and 35 kV output voltage with 73 % efficiency.
Baboon CD8 T cells suppress SIVmac infection in CD4 T cells through contact-dependent production of MIP-1α, MIP-1β, and RANTES.

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in rhesus macaques is often characterized by high viremia and CD4 T cell depletion. By contrast, SIV infection in African nonhuman primate natural hosts is typically nonpathogenic despite active viral replication. Baboons are abundant in Africa and have a geographical distribution that overlaps with natural hosts, but they do not harbor SIVs. Previous work has demonstrated baboons are resistant to chronic SIV infection and/or disease in vivo but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Using in vitro SIVmac infections, we sought to identify SIV restriction factors in baboons by comparing observations to the pathogenic rhesus macaque model. SIVmac replicated in baboon PBMC but had delayed kinetics compared to rhesus PBMC. However, SIVmac replication in baboon and rhesus isolated CD4 cells were similar to the kinetics seen for rhesus PBMC, demonstrating intracellular restriction factors do not play a strong role in baboon inhibition of SIVmac replication. Here, we show CD8 T cells contribute to the innate SIV-suppressive activity seen in naive baboon PBMC. As one mechanism of restriction, we identified higher production of MIP-1α, MIP-1β, and RANTES by baboon PBMC. Contact between CD4 and CD8 T cells resulted in maximum production of these chemokines and suppression of viral replication, whereas neutralization of CCR5-binding chemokines in baboon PBMC increased viral loads. Our studies indicate baboon natural restriction of SIVmac replication is largely dependent on CD4-extrinsinc mechanisms mediated, in part, by CD8 T cells.
The “Four Commonplaces of Teaching”: Prospective Teachers' Beliefs About Teaching in Urban Schools

Preservice students in teacher education programs in both rural and urban teacher preparation institutions described their beliefs and knowledge about the teachers, students, curriculum, and contexts of urban schools. The data from the survey reveal that urban teachers are appreciated while urban students are disparaged. Curriculum is thought of as a means of controlling rather than empowering pupils. Violence is the primary association made with urban contexts. The interpretation of these results implies major questions for teacher educators preparing prospective teachers for urban contexts. How can their a priori beliefs and attitudes be reshaped? Can prospective teachers lacking experience with urban culture learn how to teach in urban settings? In what ways can teacher educators help prospective teachers examine the particular kinds of diversity and how members of those groups learn and what they already know?
Matching Media, Methods, and Objectives in Distance Education.

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Continuing Education & Professional Development at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Continuing Education & Professional Development Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@odu.edu. Repository Citation Farr, Charlotte W. and Shaeffer, James M., "Matching Media, Methods, and Objectives in Distance Education" (1993). Continuing Education & Professional Development Faculty Publications. Paper 1. http://digitalcommons.odu.edu/continuingeducation_fac_pubs/1
Living donor liver transplantation

Purpose of reviewAs experience grows, living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has become an effective treatment option to overcome the deceased donor organ shortage.Recent findingsDonor safety is the highest priority in LDLT. Strict donor selection according to structured protocols and center expe
Lateral and Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion-Current Concepts and a Review of Recent Literature.

To review the relevant recent literature regarding minimally invasive, lateral, and oblique approaches to the anterior lumbar spine, with a particular focus on the operative and postoperative complications. A literature search was performed on Pubmed and Web of Science using combinations of the following keywords and their acronyms: lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF), oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF), anterior-to-psoas approach (ATP), direct lateral interbody fusion (DLIF), extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF), and minimally invasive surgery (MIS). All results from January 2016 through January 2019 were evaluated and all studies evaluating complications and/or outcomes were included in the review. Transient neurological deficit, particularly sensorimotor symptoms of the ipsilateral thigh, remains the most common complication seen in LLIF. Best available current literature demonstrates that approximately 30–40% of patients have postoperative deficits, primarily of the proximal leg. Permanent symptoms are less common, affecting 4–5% of cases. Newer techniques to reduce this rate include different retractors, direct visualization of the nerves, and intraoperative neuromonitoring. OLIF may have lower deficit rates, but the available literature is limited. Subsidence rates in both LLIF and OLIF are comparable to ALIF (anterior lumbar interbody fusion), but further study is required. Supplemental posterior fixation is an active area of investigation that shows favorable biomechanical results, but additional clinical studies are needed. Minimally invasive lumbar interbody fusion techniques continue to advance rapidly. As these techniques continue to mature, evidence-based risk-stratification systems are required to better guide both the patient and clinician in the joint decision-making process for the optimal surgical approach.
Mediated Development and the internalization of psychological tools in second language (L2) education

Abstract A relatively recent and important line of research in the second language (L2) follows Vygotsky's analysis of scientific concepts and attempts to reorganize language curricula according to linguistic concepts that learners might employ to regulate their L2 use. The present research extends this work by integrating it with the pedagogical proposals of Reuven Feuerstein. We propose a framework, Mediated Development (MD-L2), that emphasizes mediation through concepts but that offers a structured, interactional approach to guiding learners to engage with and internalize concepts. Following a presentation of the framework, we provide examples and interactional excerpts drawn from a recent project aimed at helping adolescent and university learners of English understand the tense-aspect system and employ it to regulate their use of the language in writing. Careful analysis of the representations of the tense-aspect system employed in the program, the psychological actions targeted by learning tasks, and the contributions of an expert interlocutor (a mediator) as he engaged individually with a focal learner in the project offer insights into the complementary nature of symbolic and dialogic mediation in promoting new ways of thinking about and using the meaning-making affordance in language. Implications for curriculum and instruction more broadly are considered.
The consistency of listener judgments in speaker height and weight identification

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to determine the consistency of listener judgments of speakers’ heights and weights. A total of 30 speakers, 15 females and 1 5 males, recorded a standard prose passage and their readings were randomly arranged on a master tape. The tape was presented to 30 judges in four experimental sessions. In each session the judges were asked to make direct estimations of the height and weight of each speaker as well as to indicate the overall confidence for their judgments on a seven-point confidence rating scale. Results indicate that listener height and weight estimations are consistent across all sessions, evidence of the reliability of height and weight judgments. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Infection preventionist staffing in nursing homes

Infection preventionist (IP) staffing in nursing homes (NHs) is now required as part of new federal regulations. In this study, we examined IP staffing changes from 2014 to 2018 and found relatively few changes over time. IP staffing in NHs remains low but does vary between for profit and non-profit facilities.
Level Up: Using Gamification to Improve Student Evaluation and Motivation

Research spanning decades has shown that grading reduces student motivation and performance. In an effort to overcome the negative effects associated with grading, I have developed a novel method of student evaluation, which I call Reflected Progression Grading (RPG). The RPG approach incorporates motivational elements, inspired by popular games and gamification research, to encourage autonomous motivation and performance-approach goals among students in a general education course. This paper describes the RPG method in detail and presents the results of two studies examining the efficacy of this approach. The initial results are encouraging: the course failure rate was greatly reduced and students reported feeling greater perceived competence. In addition, large majorities of students reported feeling more autonomous and motivated. Likewise, most students expressed a preference for this type of grading over more traditional methods. Overall, this gamified approach seems to overcome many of the negative effects associated with traditional evaluation.
How high is too high? Extensive mediastinal dissection in patients with hiatal hernia repair.

Approximately 10% of patients receiving anti-reflux procedures present with shortened esophagus. Collis gastroplasty (CG) is the current gold standard for esophageal lengthening, but mediastinal esophageal mobilization without gastroplasty may be an alternative approach. This study assesses preoperative and intraoperative hernia characteristics and mediastinal dissection impact in patients with large hiatal hernia repair (HHR). A single-institution, prospectively collected database was reviewed for adults who underwent laparoscopic HHR with mesh and anti-reflux surgery between 2005 and 2016, hernia ≥ 5 cm. Preoperative hernia and follow-up were assessed using upper endoscopy and barium swallow. Intraoperative hernia characteristics were collected from the operative note. Esophageal symptom scores were collected pre- and postoperatively. Analyses were conducted using SPSS v26.0. Among 662 patients who had anti-reflux surgery in this period, a total of 205 patients who underwent HHR with mesh met the inclusion criteria and were included in study. Mean age was 61.7 ± 13.6 years, and majority of patients were female and Caucasian. Mean BMI was 29.9 ± 6.0 kg/m2. Median hernia size was 6.5 cm [5.0–12.0 cm], and intra-thoracic stomach had a prevalence of 21.9%. Analysis of preoperative barium swallow revealed an average of elevated gastroesophageal junction above the diaphragm of 4.10 ± 1.67 cm. Radiographically, average hernia size was 6.34 ± 1.93 cm and 6.38 ± 1.92 cm in the anterior–posterior and obliquus view, respectively. Median follow-up time was 2.7 years [1–9 years]. Esophageal symptoms improved in all patients (p < 0.05). 45% of patients had radiographic recurrence, but only four presented symptomatic or were on PPI. CG has been the standard for ensuring adequate esophageal length prior to anti-reflux surgery. Our results support that CG is unnecessary in the majority of cases, and extensive mediastinal dissection was successfully used instead of CG with durable, long-term outcomes. Extended mediastinal dissection may mitigate CG risks in patients requiring additional intra-abdominal esophagus.
HPV Vaccine-Related Beliefs and Knowledge among Adults 18–45 Years Old

Background: Although receiving the HPV vaccine can help to prevent the development of cancer and HPV-related diseases, many individuals are not vaccinated in adolescence. Purpose: To examine knowle...
Fast, Optimal, and Targeted Predictions Using Parameterized Decision Analysis

Prediction is critical for decision-making under uncertainty and lends validity to statistical inference. With targeted prediction, the goal is to optimize predictions for specific decision tasks o...
Skills of a master strategist

Excellent tennis players are not those who possess good rackets but those who know how to use a racket well. Without skills, tools are of little use. Unfortunately, strategic management literature and teaching emphasise tools over skills. Scant attention is paid to the strategist as an individual and the skills needed to be a master strategist. More importantly, the crucial link between the tools and the skills has been lost. Building upon literature review from various fields, this paper addresses these gaps by delineating core, domain independent skills of a master strategist and putting forth a mapping between these skills and commonly used strategy tools to re-establish the link between the two.
Between two cultures: an autoethnographic reflection on multicultural competence as a science educator

Multicultural competence has gained attention in education as the diversity of students has increased. Thus, teachers ought to be expected to develop ways of understanding students’ cultural differ...
Laser Surface Modification Below a Liquid Layer

Reactions at interfaces are now being examined with increasing vigor, with applications as diverse as catalyst synthesis to integrated circuit production under study. As has been found for the entire field of laser-enhanced chemistry, most such efforts have involved gas-phase reactions, for reasons of familiarity and relative simplicity. However, most conventional industrial processes use the liquid phase as the preferred medium. Thus, as advantages have been reported in employing the liquid phase as the optimum phase in elemental photochemical separation and purification work [1], similar results are now being reported in laser processing at liquid/solid interfaces. These advantages over gas/solid interactions include a much larger variety of reactants available without restrictions on volatility. Furthermore, temperatures at the interface can be kept lower and spatial resolution can be controlled through adjustment of diffusion lengths in solution.
Functional alteration of membrane integrity during global ischemia in perfused working rabbit hearts.

Ischemic myocardial injury is certainly reversible following an early reperfusion of the ischemic region. A prolonged ischemic insult however, produces irreversible myocardial injury leading to permanent cell death and myocardial infarction. We now have an impressive body of knowledge about the characteristics of myocardial ischemic injury and cell death in terms of cardiac biochemistry (Allison et al., 1977; Idell-Wenger and Neely, 1977; Jennings et al., 1978; Chua et al., 1979), pathophysiology (Jennings et al., 1969; Neely et al., 1973; Lucchesi et al., 1976), and histology (Jennings et al., 1975; Schaper et al., 1979).
High-Resolution Adaptive PET Imaging

While the performance of small animal PET systems has been improved impressively in terms of spatial resolution and sensitivity, demands for further improvements remain high with growing number of applications. Here we propose a novel PET system design that integrates a high-resolution detector into an existing PET system to obtain higher-resolution images in a target region. The high-resolution detector will be adaptively positioned based on the detectability or quantitative accuracy of a feature of interest. The proposed system will be particularly effective for studying human cancers using animal models where tumors are often grown near the skin surface and therefore permit close contact with the high resolution detector. It will also be useful for the high-resolution brain imaging in rodents. In this paper, we present the theoretical analysis and Monte Carlo simulation studies of the performance of the proposed system.
Computing blocking probability of dynamic traffic grooming in mesh WDM optical networks

The optical connections (lightpaths) offered to the client by optical networks have large capacities. On the other hand, the client traffic flows require smaller and heterogeneous bandwidths. Due to this bandwidth gap, client traffic flows are aggregated onto lightpaths to improve network utilization and reduce cost, which is called traffic grooming. In this paper, we develop an analytical model using the single-service reduced load approximation to compute traffic loss probabilities in grooming of dynamic traffic. The model can address arbitrary alternate routing, and arbitrary wavelength conversion in the optical network. We have compared this model with a previous work that uses the multi-service reduced load approximation, with regard to computation time and calculated blocking probabilities. The results obtained by the single-service model are very close to those by the multi-service model, and the computation time can be significantly improved. On the other hand, the results calculated by the (both single and multi-service) analyses match those obtained by the simulation.
Chromosomal Characteristics of Malignant Lymphoma in Northern Pike (Esox lucius) from the United States

Summary Chromosome analyses were performed on tumor cells and normal hematopoietic cells of northern pike bearing malignant lymphomas. The normal pike karyotype contains 50 acrocentric chromosomes, among which the sex chromosomes are not identifiable by available techniques. Metaphases from 19 primary lymphomas showed a consistent pattern of chromosome anomalies consisting of 1 submetacentric marker, 1 minute marker, and 3 to 5 pairs of smaller-than-normal chromosomes, set within a mode of 50 and a range of 46 to 54. Occasional cells had 2 identical submetacentric markers. Cells from presumptively normal renal hematopoietic tissue in 41 lymphoma-bearing pike showed the euploid karyotype, with the exception of 2 cases in which some cells with the neoplastic pattern were found. This probably indicated occult neoplastic involvement of renal hematopoietic tissue, in spite of the absence of histological evidence of involvement. In many cases, some of the cells taken directly from lymphomas bore the normal karyotype. It is not known whether these cells were reactive lymphoid cells or lymphoma cells that had not developed those anomalies typically associated with the tumors. The findings do not permit a conclusion regarding agent versus cellular transmission. However, the pike lymphoma is an excellent example of a neoplasm with a karyotypic “signature.”
Algorithmic Game Theory: Some Greatest Hits and Future Directions

We give a brief and biased survey of the past, present, and future of research on the interface of theoretical computer science and game theory.
The Ecdysone Receptor Coactivator Taiman Links Yorkie to Transcriptional Control of Germline Stem Cell Factors in Somatic Tissue

The Hippo pathway is a conserved signaling cascade that modulates tissue growth. Although its core elements are well defined, factors modulating Hippo transcriptional outputs remain elusive. Here we show that components of the steroid-responsive ecdysone (Ec) pathway modulate Hippo transcriptional effects in imaginal disc cells. The Ec receptor coactivator Taiman (Tai) interacts with the Hippo transcriptional coactivator Yorkie (Yki) and promotes expression of canonical Yki-responsive genes. Tai enhances Yki-driven growth, while Tai loss, or a form of Tai unable to bind Yki, suppresses Yki-driven tissue growth. This growth suppression is not correlated with impaired induction of canonical Hippo-responsive genes but with suppression of a distinct pro-growth program of Yki-induced/Tai-dependent genes, including the germline stem cell factors nanos and piwi. These data reveal Hippo/Ec pathway crosstalk in the form a Yki-Tai complex that collaboratively induces germline genes as part of a transcriptional program that is normally repressed in developing somatic epithelia.
Complex Saccharide Metabolism in Cystic Fibrosis Fibroblasts

Extract: There are several reports of secretory and other abnormalities present in cultured fibroblasts from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). We have, therefore, investigated aspects of complex saccharide synthesis and secretion by such cells compared with fibroblasts derived from heterozygous (HZ) parents and from normal (N) children. The main glycosaminoglycans produced by skin fibroblasts during in vitro culture were hyaluronic acid, heparan sulfates, and dermatan sulfate-like materials. Using double-label experiments with D-[3H]- or [14C]glucosamine and analyzing the products by ion exchange chromatography, it was shown for five CF, two HZ, and four N lines that these polysaccharides were secreted into the medium in approximately similar proportions to each other. Moreover, experiments in which three CF, nine HZ, and three N lines were grown in log phase for up to 5 days in the presence of [36S]sulfate and [3H]glucosamine indicate that, during such a period, CF fibroblasts do not secrete complex carbohydrates at rates significantly different from N or HZ cells. Neither do such cells show an abnormal intracellular accumulation of complex carbohydrates. The latter observation was further confirmed by preparing whole cell autoradiographs during growth of six CF, two HZ, and three N lines in the presence of D-[3H]glucosamine and, subsequently, after addition of unlabeled medium. Speculation: Fibroblasts derived from children with cystic fibrosis are not abnormal with regard to their complex carbohydrate metabolism.
Activities of several pentose shunt and glycolytic enzymes in developing eggs of the barnacle, Pollicipes polymerus.

Abstract 1. 1. The rates of activity of the enzymes glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, phosphoglucoisomerase, and fructose diphosphate aldolase are compared at four developmental stages in embryos of the barnacle, Pollicipes polymerus . 2. 2. All enzymes except phosphoglucoisomerase exhibited major activity between the blastula stage and the naupliar rudiment stage. 3. 3. The ratio of fructose diphosphate aldolase to glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity was lowest at the early stages, and highest at hatching. 4. 4. Indication is given that the pentose shunt may play a major role in glucose degradation during barnacle embryogenesis.
Mapping rule-based systems into neural architecture

A novel approach has been developed that maps a rule-based expert system into the neural architecture in both the structural and behavioural aspects. Under this approach, the knowledge base and the inference engine are mapped into an entity are called 'conceptualization', where a node represents a concept and a link represents a relation between two concepts. A concept node is designated by a small number of language symbols. In the neural system transformed from a knowledge-based system, the inference behaviour is characterized by propagating and combining activations recursively through the network, and the learning behaviour is based upon a mechanism called 'back-propagation', which allows proper modification of connection strengths in order to adapt the system to the environment. This approach is based on the analogies observed between a belief network and a neural network, and its validity has been demonstrated by experiments. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of this approach are discussed with respect to inference and learning.
The solubility of hydrogen and deuterium in crystalline Pd9Si2

Isotherms have been measured for H(D)2(g) solution in crystalline Pd9Si2 in the temperature range from 235 to 373 K. The solubilities are significant, e.g., at 1.0 MPa (298 K), (H/Pd) = 0.052 or Pd9Si2H0.47, however, there is no indication of hydride phase formation even down to 235 K at 1.0 MPa. The thermodynamic values for hydrogen solutions at infinite dilution of hydrogen are ΔHoII = -11.9 kJ/mole 12H2 and ΔSoII = -50 J/K mole 12H2. The former is more negative than for Pd-H2 and the latter is somewhat more positive; but generally the values are not that different from Pd-H2. The isotope effect is similar to that found for Pd-H(D)2.
Abnormal behaviors in the stargazer rat are maladaptive, but not anxiety related.

The stargazer rat is an autosomal recessive mutant (homozygous stg/stg) that displays abnormal behavior, including profound hyperactivity. Heterozygous stg/+ littermates are unaffected (i.e., are nonmutants), and display normal spontaneous behaviors. Abnormal spontaneous behavior in the stargazer rats suggest that they may be more responsive than their normal littermates to external stimuli and more likely to display anxiety-related behavior in tests of emotionality. To test these hypotheses, the reactive behavior of stargazers and unaffected littermates were compared with regard to their responsiveness to nociceptive stimuli (tail flick test), in the open field test, the elevated plus-maze, and in the swim test of Porsolt. In the open field test, the stargazers spent a greater percentage of the observation period in the open area (p < 0.05), and demonstrated a significantly higher level of locomotor activity (p < 0.05). In the elevated plus-maze, stargazers spent a significantly greater percentage of their total time in the open arms (p < 0.05), but the number of open-arm entries as a percentage of total entries into either arm was not different among the two groups. The stargazers were unable to complete the Porsolt test, perhaps owing to their being ineffective swimmers. No differences among the groups were observed with the tail flick test. Contrary to the original hypothesis, these data suggest that the mutant rats demonstrated less anxiety-related behavior than their nonmutants siblings in tests of emotionality.
A redefinition of dominance

Abstract A redefinition of the personality dimension of dominance-submission is proposed. It is argued on both theoretical and empirical grounds that the opposite of directive (dominant) behavior is nondirective behavior when dyadic relations are symmetric or peer-peer. Submission is then better regarded as the complement of dominance. On the other hand, in parent-child and supervisor-subordinate relations, submission is complementary to directive or controlling behavior. In such asymmetric dyadic relations, the opposite of the directive behavior of the parent or supervisor is giving freedom or autonomy. In these relationships, submission or compliance is complementary to the parent's or supervisor's controlling behavior. Supporting evidence is given from Buss and Craik's self-report act frequency scales (Journal of Personality, 49, 175–192, 1981) and from True and False scores on the PRF Dominance and the ISI Directiveness scales.
Costimulation in Tetrahymena pyriformis: A developmental interaction between specially prepared cells☆

Abstract Initiation and costimulation are two stages Tetrahymena pyriformis undergoes in the developmental pathway leading from vegetatively growing cells to mating pairs. Initiation is a specific period of starvation, requiring 2 hr at 30°C in 10 mM Tris. Costimulation requires cell-cell contact for about 1 hr at 30°C. An analysis of pair formation in mixtures of noninitiated and initiated mature cells demonstrates that cells of two mating types can costimulate only if they are both already initiated. Similarly, mixtures involving immature cells demonstrate that starved immature cells cannot stimulate initiated mature cells; a new technique is employed to obtain the immature cells. The work indicates that the events leading to pair formation are organized in a linear sequence.
Stopping rules for active contour segmentation of ultrasound cardiac images

The presence of speckle (a spatial stochastic process in an ultrasound image) makes ultrasound segmentation difficult. Speckle introduces local minima in the MAP energy function of an active contour, and when evolving under gradient descent, the contour gets trapped in a spurious local minimum. In this paper, we propose an alternate technique for evolving a MAP active contour. The technique has two parts: a deterministic evolution strategy called tunneling descent which escapes from spurious local minima, and a stopping rule for terminating the evolution. The combination gives an algorithm that is robust and gives good segmentations. The algorithm also benefits from having only a few free parameters which do not require tweaking. We present the conceptual framework of the algorithm in this paper, and study the impact of different stopping rules on the performance of the algorithm. The algorithm is used to segment the endocardium in cardiac ultrasound images. We present segmentation results in this paper and an experimental evaluation of different stopping rules on the performance of the algorithm. Although the algorithm is presented as an ultrasound segmentation technique, in fact, it can be used to segment any first-order texture boundary.