cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compression and reconstruction of medical image sequences

Many important imaging applications generate a sequence of images that are (or can be made to be) a spatially invariant image sequence with linearly additive contributions from the components that form the images. They include functional images in nuclear medicine, multiparameter MR imaging, multi-energy x-ray imaging for DR and CT, and multispectral satellite images. Recent results in the modelling and analysis of linearly additive spatially invariant image sequences are based on the inherent structure of such images, and can be used to achieve significant data compression for image storage and still provide good reconstruction. The technique is applied here to a human renogram, with compression of a very noisy 180-image sequence to a 4-image set. The resulting reconstruction illustrates the potential of the method.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Interpretation of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization postsource decay spectra of charge-derivatized peptides: some examples of tris[(2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl) phosphonium]-tagged proteolytic digestion products of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase.

The fragmentation of peptides, to which a positive charge is attached at the N-terminus, was studied by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization postsource decay mass spectrometry. In these experiments, the tris[(2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl)phosphonium] acetyl group is covalently attached. The main advantage of this modification is that the resulting spectra are simplified and the fragment ions observed consist predominantly of an-type ions. We report the results for charge-derivatized peptides formed following enzymatic digestion of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. Specific fragmentation of bonds within aspargine and threonine residues are observed and are discussed. The understanding of the mechanistic aspects of the fragmentation process is essential to formulate a simple and straightforward mass spectrometric strategy for peptide sequencing using these charged derivatives.
SnPc:C60 bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells with MoO3 interlayer

Abstract Infrared sensitive small molecule organic photovoltaic cells were fabricated using a tin (II) phthalocyanine (SnPc) and C 60 bulk heterojunction layer. Molybdenum oxide (MoO 3 ) was used as an interlayer between the ITO anode and light absorbing layers. We found that the short-circuit current of the photovoltaic cells with MoO 3 interlayer was substantially enhanced, resulting in a 45% enhancement in power conversion efficiency. The maximum power conversion efficiency is 1.31% under 1 sun standard AM1.5G solar illumination of 100 mW/cm 2 .
Acoustics of percussion instruments : An update

Methods for studying the modes of vibration and sound radiation from percussion instruments are reviewed. Recent studies on the acoustics of marimbas, cymbals, gongs, tamtams, lithophones, steelpans, and bells are described. Vibrational modes and sound radiation from the HANG, a new steel percussion instrument are presented.
Reduction of High Soil Test Phosphorus by Bermudagrass and Ryegrass–Bermudagrass following the Cessation of Broiler Litter Applications

Factors that contribute to high soil P in bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon L.(Pers.)] pastures include continued use of broiler litter rich in P to meet forage N requirements and removal of hay in summer only. This study determined if harvesting annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) in addition to bermudagrass would reduce surplus soil P, Cu, and Zn faster than bermudagrass alone after litter application ceased on a Ruston soil (fine-loamy, siliceaous, semiactive, thermic Typic Paleudults). During a 3-yr build-up, 'Coastal' bermudagrass was fertilized with 0, 4.5, 9, 18, and 36 Mg ha -1 litter yr -1 . During the drawdown phase, plots were split and half was overseeded with ryegrass in fall 2001, 2002, and 2003. Whole plots were fertilized with NH 4 NO 3 in spring-summer to provide 268 kg ha -1 N yr -1 . Forage yield and P uptake increased as antecedent litter rate increased, and were greater in ryegrass-bermudagrass than bermudagrass in 2002, but not 2003. At 9 Mg ha -1 litter, harvesting ryegrass in addition to bermudagrass increased P uptake by 10 to 55%, depending on study year. During the drawdown phase, soil Mehlich-3 P (M3P) and water-extractable P to 15-cm depth decreased by as much as 50 and 70%, respectively. Soils analysis within each sampling date found no significant effect of forage system or its interaction with litter rate. Data for 9 Mg ha -1 litter rate indicated 2 yr of forage P removal decreased residual M3P to an acceptable agronomic level(<70 mg kg -1 ). The potential to decrease surplus soil P by ryegrass-bermudagrass hay harvests was greatest when rainfall was inadequate for optimum bermudagrass yield.
Muscle fiber type‐specific myofibrillar Ca2+ ATPase activity after spinal cord injury

Biopsies of the vastus lateralis muscle were analyzed to determine if increased energy demand of contraction, as indirectly reflected by myofibrillar Ca(2+) adenosine triphosphate activity (qATPase), contributes to greater fatigue in affected muscle of spinal cord injured (SCI) patients. The qATPase activity showed a fiber-type effect, IIax + IIx > IIa > I. Average fiber qATPase and fiber specific qATPase activities were not different between SCI and able-bodied controls, nor did they change over time. We suggest greater fatigue in SCI subjects early after injury does not reflect increased energy demand of contraction.
Cruciforms as functional fluorophores: response to protons and selected metal ions

The photophysics of dialkylamino- and/or pyridine-containing functional chromophores, 1,4-distyryl-2,5-bis(ethynylaryl)benzenes (cruciforms) was investigated; their fluorescence quantum yields and emissive lifetimes were determined. Depending upon their substituents, the frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) of these cruciforms are either congruent, i.e., HOMO and LUMO occupy the same real space, or disjoint, i.e., the HOMO is located on one branch of the cruciform while the LUMO is located on the second one. Donor−acceptor substitution leads to a disjoint FMO pattern, while the parent 1,4-distyryl-2,5-bis(phenylethynyl)benzene shows congruent FMOs. The photophysics of the cruciforms was investigated upon addition of either an excess of trifluoroacetic acid or an excess of selected metal (Mg2+, Ca2+, Mn2+, Zn2+) trifluoromethanesulfonate salts. Addition of either metal ions or protons led to analogous but not identical changes in the spectroscopic properties of the investigated cruciforms. The collected data...
Molecular mechanisms and the role of saturated fatty acids in the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

The steady rise in Western obesity rates has been closely linked to significant increases in a multitude of accompanying health problems including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD severity ranges from simple steatosis to acute steatohepatitis, but the molecular mechanisms controlling progression of this disease are poorly understood. Recent literature suggests that elevated free fatty acids (FFAs), especially saturated FFAs, may play an important role in lipotoxic mechanisms, both in experimental models and in NAFLD patients. This review highlights important cellular pathways involved in hepatic lipotoxicity and how the degree of intrahepatic lipid saturation controls cell fate in response to an elevated FFA load. Relevant cellular processes that have been causally linked to lipid-induced apoptosis, known as lipoapoptosis, include endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling. In contrast, increased triglyceride synthesis has been shown to have a protective effect against lipotoxicity, despite being one of the hallmark traits of NAFLD. Developing a more nuanced understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying NAFLD progression will lead to more targeted and effective therapeutics for this increasingly prevalent disease, which to date has no proven pharmacologic treatment to prevent or reverse its course.
The role of salt in hypertension

Freis ED. The role of salt in hypertension. Blood Pressure 1992; 1: 196-200. There is considerable evidence that salt is an important cause of hypertension. Primitive societies who ingest little or no salt have no hypertension. Also when diets very low in salt such as the rice and fruit diet are given to hypertensive patients. the blood pressure often falls toward normal. Unfortunately, when diets only moderately low in sodium have been given only minor reductions in blood pressure occur. Salt-induced hypertension has been produced in both man and experimental animals. The basic cause of the hypertension is an inability of the kidney to excrete the increased salt. Hemodynamic changes then occur which raise the blood pressure and so excrete the excess salt by pressure diuresis. The ability to excrete salt at normal levels of blood pressure varies from one individual to another. Those who require a higher than normal blood pressure are said to be “salt-sensitive”. Those who can excrete excess salt at normal levels of blood pressure are called “salt resistant”. The difference may be due to an inherited defect in the kidney to excrete salt. In any event, salt sensitive hypertension is effectively controlled with the administration of diuretics. Key words: salt hypertension, hJ~pertension, sodium in hypertension, high blood pressure and salt.
Toward the Development of Cross-Platform Business Applications via Model-Driven Transformations

In this paper, we present an enhanced model-driven development technique for porting business software applications across multiple software middle-ware platforms (such as IBM WebSphere platform, SAP NetWeaver platform, Oracle/BEA platform, etc). Our approach enhances both forward and reverse engineering of models. First, we present a service-oriented approach to reverse engineer platform independent models from platform specific implementations. We demonstrate that by focusing on service level components of software design one can simplify the model extraction problem significantly while still achieving up to 40%-50% of model reusability. Second, we present a semantic Web service matching based technique for automatic binding of generated artifacts with available client assets in forward engineering. By generating implementation artifacts that are bound where appropriate with clients’ existing functionality, our approach helps cut down the development time during project implementations and thereby resulting in reduced project durations and costs. Combining these two enhancements to the traditional model-driven development approach, we demonstrate the feasibility of porting of business applications between two platforms: IBM WebSphere and SAP NetWeaver. Experimental results show that 40%-50% of development efforts can be reduced using our model-driven transformation technique in a 4-6 month development effort.
Differentiation without cell division in cultured skeletal muscle.

Abstract Skeletal muscle development is characterized by a discrete separation of cell division and overt differentiation. Studies were performed to determine whether the sequence of events leading to the first manifestation of overt muscle differentiation, cell fusion, is tied irreversibly to a specific cell cycle, and if not, when in the culture period a cell becomes committed to another cell division or to overt differentiation. It was found that muscle cells from the same inoculum and subject to the same primary plating selection will upon subculturing enter an additional cell cycle(s) prior to fusion when plated at low density and will fuse without cycling when plated at high density. An event related to cell density appears to occur during the first half day of culture which permits a cell to either directly differentiate without cycling or to first cycle and then differentiate. It is suggested that a muscle cell can differentiate after any of several divisions—the particular cycle being dictated not by events programmed in a prior cycle, but by cues from the environment.
DNA DAMAGE AND REPAIR IN PLANTS

The biological impact of any DNA damaging agent is a combined function of the chemical nature of the induced lesions and the efficiency and accuracy of their repair. Although much has been learned from microbes and mammals about both the repair of DNA damage and the biological effects of the persistence of these lesions, much remains to be learned about the mechanism and tissue-specificity of repair in plants. This review focuses on recent work on the induction and repair of DNA damage in higher plants, with special emphasis on UV-induced DNA damage products.
Do Approach-Avoidance Actions Create Attitudes?

Do approach-avoidance actions create attitudes? Prior influential studies suggested that rudimentary attitudes could be established by simply pairing novel stimuli (Chinese ideographs) with arm flexion (approach) or arm extension (avoidance). In three experiments, we found that approach-avoidance actions alone were insufficient to account for such effects. Instead, we found that these affective influences resulted from the interaction of these actions with a priori differences in stimulus valence. Thus, with negative stimuli, the effect of extension on attitude was more positive than the effect of flexion. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the affect from motivationally compatible or incompatible action can also influence task evaluations. A final experiment, using Chinese ideographs from the original studies, confirmed these findings. Both approach and avoidance actions led to more positive evaluations of the ideographs when the actions were motivationally compatible with the prior valence of the ideographs...
Gravity Currents in Confined Channels with Environmental Shear

AbstractThis study examines properties of gravity currents in confined channels with sheared environmental flow. Under the assumptions of steady and inviscid flow, two-dimensional analytic solutions are obtained for a wide range of shear values. The slope of a gravity current interface just above the surface increases as environmental shear α increases, which is consistent with previous studies, although here it is shown that the interface slope can exceed 80° for nondimensional shear α > 2. Then the inviscid-flow analytic solutions are compared with two- and three-dimensional numerical model simulations, which are turbulent and thus have dissipation. The simulated current depths are systematically lower, compared to a previous study, apparently because of different numerical techniques in this study that allow for a faster transition to turbulence along the gravity current interface. Furthermore, simulated gravity current depths are 10%–40% lower than the inviscid analytic values. To explain the model-pr...
Statistics of broad-band bottom reverberation predictions in shallow-water waveguides

A new coherent reverberation model developed at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, and the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic Undersea Research Centre, La Spezia, Italy, is exercised in the 17-750-Hz band to estimate the degree of non-Rayleighness of shallow-water reverberation envelopes as a function of waveguide multipath, system bandwidth, directivity, and frequency. Findings suggest that reverberation from diffuse, but non-Gaussian, scatterer distributions is significantly more Rayleigh for multipath environments than for equivalent environments excited by a single or small number of modes or for broadside receiver array processing that extracts narrow angles of reception. These findings suggest that the problem of non-Rayleigh reverberation in shallow-water waveguides can be ameliorated through the use of tuned ensonification and reception schemes, which retain high probabilities of detection while reducing the associated probability of false alarm.
Ethnicity, steroid hormones, and pain perception

Meeting abstracts - A single PDF containing all abstracts in this Supplement is available here .
Role of NKT Cells in the Digestive System. I. Invariant NKT cells and liver diseases: is there strength in numbers?

Information regarding the functional role of the innate immune T cell, invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, in the pathophysiology of liver diseases continues to emerge. Results from animal studies suggest that iNKT cells can have divergent roles by specifically promoting the development of proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory responses in liver diseases. In this themes article, I discuss the critical evidence from animal models that demonstrate a vital role for iNKT cells in the pathophysiology of liver diseases with emphasis on viral, autoimmune, and toxin-induced liver diseases. Furthermore, I discuss the controversial issues (including iNKT cell apoptosis) that typify some of these studies. Finally, I highlight areas that require additional investigation.
Redistribution of Aluminum Ions During Processing of Sialon Ceramics

Precise determinations of the variation in Al concentration in β-sialon grains of the garnet and cordierite sialon systems were made by means of quantitative energy-dispersive X-ray analysis in an analytical electron microscope. Different signs of the concentration gradients in the grain indicate differences in secondary crystallization mechanisms, while Al distributions with respect to grain size indicate a changing glass-silicon nitride compatability during crystallization. The technique was also applied to the glassy grain-boundary phase allowing the determination of the glass-forming region of the cor-dierite-sialon system. A detailed evaluation of errors in analytical transmission electron microscopy (AEM) is described.
Clinical utility of a novel wireless implantable loop recorder in the evaluation of patients with unexplained syncope

Background The implantable loop recorder (ILR) is particularly useful for monitoring patients with syncope, given the episodic nature and unpredictable pattern of recurrent episodes. Current practice guidelines advocate ILR implantation in select patients with unexplained syncope. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility and potential advantages of a novel wireless ILR in a consecutive cohort of patients with unexplained syncope. Methods Patients with unexplained syncope despite a comprehensive evaluation who underwent implantation of a Transoma Medical Sleuth ILR were examined. ILR implantation was considered in these patients if left ventricular function was ≥40% and if syncope was recurrent, associated with trauma, and/or associated with an abnormal ECG (e.g., bifascicular block). Results The Sleuth ILR was implanted in 50 patients. During mean follow-up 293 ± 211 days, 16 (32%) patients had recurrent near-syncope or syncope. Only half of the patients self-activated the ILR; in the other half, a diagnosis was established based on autoactivation-initiated storage of a significant arrhythmia event. Overall, there were 5 patients with complete heart block, 3 with sinus node dysfunction, 3 with supraventricular tachycardia, 2 with neurally mediated syncope, and 3 with a nonarrhythmic cause of syncope. The median time from an event to physician notification was 150 minutes (interquartile range 99, 297 min). Median time from ILR implantation to final diagnosis was 71 days (interquartile range 24, 143 days; range 3–683 days). Conclusion A diagnosis of syncope was ultimately made in nearly one third of patients with unexplained syncope. Patients frequently did not activate their ILR at the time of recurrent syncope. However, the wireless ILR automatically transferred ECG data to a central monitoring station within minutes to hours of the arrhythmic event, virtually eliminating the possibility of data loss, thus greatly facilitating clinical decision making.
Television and affective development and functioning: Maybe this decade

Research is reviewed on the relationships between children's and adolescents’ television viewing and their recognition of emotions, empathy, emotional arousal, habituation, emotional reactions to characters, and personal states.
On Sedimentation and Advection in Multimoment Bulk Microphysics

Abstract In two-moment bulk microphysics schemes, the practice of using different weighted fall velocities for the various moments is known to lead to artificial growth in reflectivity values for fast-falling particles, particularly at the downward leading edge of a precipitation column. Two simple correction schemes that prevent these artifacts while still allowing some effects of size sorting are presented. The corrections are obtained by comparing particle number concentrations that result from two or three different sedimentation calculations. The corrections do not conserve particle number concentrations but do prevent spurious reflectivity growth automatically without the need to place ad hoc limits on mean particle size. Multimoment bulk microphysics schemes often have used inconsistent variables in terms of the appropriate advection equation (e.g., mass mixing ratio and particle number concentration). A brief review of consistent advection and turbulent mixing for such variables is presented to pr...
Signalling mechanisms of mammalian oocyte activation

Intensive study over the past 10 years has resulted in major advances in our understanding of the signalling mechanisms required for the transformation of the oocyte into an embryo capable of developing into a new individual. This review focuses on the signal transduction events that occur subsequent to the initial sperm-oocyte plasma membrane interaction, with particular emphasis on the mechanism(s) by which sperm initiate these signalling pathways. Downstream signalling/effector molecules that respond to sperm-induced calcium oscillations and appear to have important roles in oocyte activation are then discussed. Finally, the mechanisms of physiological oocyte activation are compared with events of oocyte activation that occur after ICSI.
Does decreasing ion-ion association improve cation mobility in single ion conductors?

We report on poly(ethylene oxide) based single ion conductors for solid polymer electrolytes. The widely agreed upon vehicle for cation movement in PEO-based solid polymer electrolytes is the single cation, in which the cation is solvated by PEO ether oxygens. Here we report a different vehicle that becomes active with strong anion–cation interactions. In the common perspective, increasing ion–ion interactions would increase ion association, decrease cation solvation, and disable cation movement. Decreasing these interactions would have the opposite effect. We vary cation–anion interaction strength, using anion charge delocalization in molecular dynamics simulations. This creates a series of systems with levels of ion aggregation from single cations (weak interaction) to mostly ion aggregates (strong interaction). Although in the weak model single cations are faster than those in ion pairs and aggregates, with stronger interactions a different mechanism emerges. Paired cations move the fastest by visiting different anion partners in succession. The importance of this observation lies in the possibility of decoupling cation movement from polymer motion, which is required to prevent dendrite formation in both Li and Na ion batteries.
The effectiveness of home visiting as a delivery strategy for public health nursing interventions to clients in the prenatal and postnatal period: a systematic review

The purpose of this systematic overview was to assess the evidence for the effectiveness of public health nursing interventions when carried out by the strategy of home visiting of clients in the pre- and postnatal period. This is an update of a larger overview first collecting literature to 1993, then updated to the end of 1995, and now updated to 1998. The search of published and unpublished literature related to home visiting resulted in retrieval of a total of 211 articles, including 149 articles relevant to all age groups and including all interventions implemented by various professional and nonprofessional groups, where the intervention was considered to be within the scope of practice of public health nursing in Ontario. When the relevance was limited to interventions where the intervenor was known to be a nurse, and the clients were in the pre- or postnatal period, there were 20 articles with quality ratings of ‘strong’ or ‘moderate’ included in this update for the systematic review, and 8 additional articles in this update. There were no reported negative effects of home visiting in the 12 strong articles. Positive outcomes included improvement in children's mental development, mental health and physical growth, reduction in the mother's depression, improvement in maternal employment, education, nutrition and other health habits, and government cost saving. There is no proven impact on low birth weight, gestational age or neonatal morbidity or mortality, although the studies had inadequate sample sizes to demonstrate a difference in such relatively rare occurrences. As a delivery strategy, nurses visiting pre- and postnatal clients in the home can produce significant benefit, particularly with interventions of high intensity and with clients who are considered to be ‘at risk’ due to factors such as low income and low educational achievement.
Global Distribution of Wetlands

Wetlands occur in every continent and country with the possible exception of Antarctica. Regions with humid climates tend to support more wetlands than do hot arid climates due to the high precipitation rates in the former and higher evapotranspiration in the latter. It is emphasized that available data from such inventories is not consistent in terms of wetland definition, types surveyed, and inventory methodology, and that the wetland area estimates presented in this summary are simply based on estimates obtained from published reports. Wetlands are extensive in arctic and boreal regions, and along major river valleys (Amazon, Mississippi, Congo, Ganges–Brahmaputra, and Yangtze). Even regions with drier climates possess considerable wetlands (‘salt wetlands’). Nearly half of the world's wetlands may occur between 50°–70°N latitude in the peat-rich boreal and arctic regions where bogs and fens are abundant. More than one-third of the Earth's wetlands exist between 20°N and 30°S latitude, where forested wetlands and marshes prevail (including tropical rainforests and floodplain wetlands). The remaining 20% may be found in Temperate Zones. Accurate inventories of wetlands are lacking for most countries, yet scientists have produced estimates of varying accuracy for most regions. When combined, these estimates yield a global estimate as high as 4.5 billion hectares. Wetlands may cover as much as 9% of the Earth's surface and somewhere between 3 and 30% of its land surface depending on the estimate used. Peatlands may represent up to one-third of the world's wetlands, occupying more than 400 million hectares. Ten countries have over 2 million hectares of peatlands alone, with Canada leading at nearly 130 million hectares (representing about 18% of the country) followed by the former USSR at 83 million hectares.
Sample disturbance in resonant column test measurement of small-strain shear-wave velocity

The accurate assessment of dynamic soil properties is a crucial step in the solution process of geotechnical earthquake engineering problems. The resonant column test is one of the ordinary procedures for dynamic characterization of soil. In this paper, the impact of sample disturbance on the resonant column test measurement of small-strain S-wave velocity is examined. Sample disturbance is shown to be a function of the ratio of the laboratory to field S-wave velocities: Vs, lab/Vs,field. The influence of four parameters - soil stiffness, soil plasticity index, in-situ sample depth and in-situ effective mean confining pressure - on sample disturbance is investigated both qualitatively and quantitatively. The relative importance of each parameter in predicting the small-strain field S-wave velocity from the resonant column test values is illustrated and predictive equations are presented.
Path to Collagenolysis: COLLAGEN V TRIPLE-HELIX MODEL BOUND PRODUCTIVELY AND IN ENCOUNTERS BY MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE-12.

Collagenolysis is essential in extracellular matrix homeostasis, but its structural basis has long been shrouded in mystery. We have developed a novel docking strategy guided by paramagnetic NMR that positions a triple-helical collagen V mimic (synthesized with nitroxide spin labels) in the active site of the catalytic domain of matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12 or macrophage metalloelastase) primed for catalysis. The collagenolytically productive complex forms by utilizing seven distinct subsites that traverse the entire length of the active site. These subsites bury ∼1,080 A(2)of surface area, over half of which is contributed by the trailing strand of the synthetic collagen V mimic, which also appears to ligate the catalytic zinc through the glycine carbonyl oxygen of its scissile G∼VV triplet. Notably, the middle strand also occupies the full length of the active site where it contributes extensive interfacial contacts with five subsites. This work identifies, for the first time, the productive and specific interactions of a collagen triple helix with an MMP catalytic site. The results uniquely demonstrate that the active site of the MMPs is wide enough to accommodate two strands from collagen triple helices. Paramagnetic relaxation enhancements also reveal an extensive array of encounter complexes that form over a large part of the catalytic domain. These transient complexes could possibly facilitate the formation of collagenolytically active complexes via directional Brownian tumbling.
Chemically Mediated Reproductive Isolation between Cabbage Looper and Soybean Looper Moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

In release-recapture studies, male cabbage looper (CL), Trichoplusia ni (Hubner), and soybean looper (SBL), Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), moths readily distinguished between and responded selectively to their respective conspecific females. Consequently, most males were recaptured in traps baited with conspecific females, fewer with both females in combination, and the least with heterospecific females. Actographic analysis indicated that males tend to fly more frequently in the presence of conspecific females and that males arrest female activity. CL males also arrest the movement of SBL males and females. Although CL and SBL males flew to calling females of both species in an observation chamber, only the CL females aggressively rejected courting SBL males. Thus, before courtship, CL and SBL females stimulate and attract discriminating males that subsequently arrest the movement of females and probably that of competing males.
Theoretical and Cultural Meaning about Yang Wanli's Poetry View on Combining Divinity and Sacredness

This article believes Yang Wanli's poetry view on combining Divinity and Sacredness is not only(including) theoretical meaning,but also containing profound cultural meaning.It was the struggle between two parties that,Yang Wanli conbined Li Bai and Du Fu's fearless spirit with Su and Huang's life-philosophy of extricating themselves from predicament.These two aspects had great influnce on Yang Wanli's literary ideology.
Dengue Fever epidemiological status and relationship with meteorological variables in Guangzhou, Southern China, 2007-2012

Ecological methodology plus negative binomial regression were used to identify dengue fever (DF) epidemiological status and its relationship with meteorological variables. From 2007 to 2012, annual incidence rate of DF in Guangzhou was 0.33, 0.11, 0.15, 0.64, 0.45, and 1.34 (per 100 00) respectively, showing an increasing trend. Each 1° C rise of temperature corresponded to an increase of 10.23% (95% Cl 7.68% to 12.83%) in the monthly number of DF cases, whereas 1 hPa rise of atmospheric pressure corresponded to a decrease in the number of cases by 5.14% (95% Cl: 7.10%-3.14%). Likewise, each one meter per second rise in wind velocity led to an increase by 43.80% or 107.53%, and one percent rise of relative humidity led to an increase by 2.04% or 2.19%.
The winged helix gene, Mf3, is required for normal development of the diencephalon and midbrain, postnatal growth and the milk-ejection reflex

The mouse Mf3 gene, also known as Fkh5 and HFH-e5.1, encodes a winged helix/forkhead transcription factor. In the early embryo, transcripts for Mf3 are restricted to the presomitic mesoderm and anterior neurectoderm and mesoderm. By 9.5 days post coitum, expression in the nervous system is predominantly in the diencephalon, midbrain and neural tube. After midgestation, the highest level of mRNA is in the mammillary bodies, the posterior-most part of the hypothalamus. Mice homozygous for a deletion of the mf3 locus on a [129 × Black Swiss] background display variable phenotypes consistent with a requirement for the gene at several stages of embryonic and postnatal development. Approximately six percent of the mf3−/− embryos show an open neural tube in the diencephalon and midbrain region, and another five percent show a severe reduction of the posterior body axis; both these classes of affected embryos die in utero. Surviving homozygotes have an apparently normal phenotype at birth. Postnatally, however, mf3−/− pups are severely growth retarded and approximately one third die before weaning. This growth defect is not a direct result of lack of circulating growth hormone or thyrotropin. Mice that survive to weaning are healthy, but they show an abnormal clasping of the hindfeet when suspended by the tail. Although much smaller than normal, the mice are fertile. However, mf3−/− females cannot eject their milk supply to feed their pups. This nursing defect can be corrected with interperitoneal injections of oxytocin. These results provide evidence that Mf3 is required for normal hypothalamus development and suggest that Mf3 may play a role in postnatal growth and lactation.
Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar Graphical Analysis Tool

An open-source Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar graphical data analysis tool has been developed. Written in Matlab®, the code can be freely distributed either as an executable binary or editable Matlab files. Beginning with raw voltages from two strain gages along with the incident/transmitted bars’ mechanical and geometrical properties, the user can visually analyze forces and displacements at the bar faces and the stresses and strains in the specimen. Wave dispersion and modulus correction are available in this package. A modest documentation and video tutorials accompany the software.
Internet Access to Advanced 3-Dimensional Software for the Prototyping and Design of Complex and Precise Custom Mandibular Implants

A large percentage of patients with microgenia requesting chin augmentation also exhibit an associated component of micrognathia with either narrow or acutely angled mandibular bodies and/or hypopl...
Coupled piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers with improved pulse-echo performance

This paper presents a novel piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) based on mechanical coupling between a center circular resonator and an outer annular membrane. Compared to traditional circular membrane PMUTs, the design has the advantages that (1) it allows the PMUT diameter to be matched to the acoustic wavelength (λ=190μm at 8MHz) to enable high fill-factor arrays and (2) it achieves much higher TX/RX sensitivity due to mechanical amplification of the input piezoelectric force. The measured displacement is a factor of two greater than a conventional PMUT operating at the same frequency. Pulse echo measurements show a 1.9x and 6.5x increase in transmitting and receiving sensitivity at 6MHz and 8MHz when compared to a conventional PMUT array spanning the same area.
Sucrose Octaacetate Chemical Kinetics and Shelf Lives at Various Formulation pHs.

Developing pediatric friendly dosage forms is a high priority worldwide. Sucrose octaacetate (SOA) has been recommended for use as a surrogate for bitter tasting active pharmaceutical ingredients. Even though SOA has found a number of human use applications and has been employed for decades, there are no rigorous chemical kinetic studies reported. A recently reported SOA stability-indicating method was used to perform SOA chemical kinetic and stability studies. As part of the chemical kinetic study, reaction order, activation energies, extrapolated rate constants, pH–rate profiles at 4 and 25°C, and estimated shelf lives at 4 and 25°C at different buffer pHs are provided. The estimated SOA shelf lives at 25°C and pHs 4.00, 5.20, and 6.00 were 25.3, 114, and 27.4 days, respectively. At 4°C, SOA’s estimated shelf lives were 0.478, 5.26, and 1.47 years at pHs 4.00, 5.20, and 6.00, respectively. SOA can be formulated at pHs 4 to 6 and stored at 25°C for short-duration (less than 25 days) uses such as a bitter tasting surrogate for fundamental taste mechanism studies or brief taste masking assessment clinical studies. For longer term solution studies, like being used as a bitter tasting control for blinded clinical trials, SOA should be formulated at the optimum pH of 5.40 and refrigerated at 4°C for maximum stability. The reported data can be used as a starting point for developing stable SOA formulations and estimating shelf life.
The Importance of a Complete Differential: Case Report of a Tuberculoma in a Patient without Pulmonary Involvement

Patients with a tuberculoma typically present with pulmonary involvement of tuberculosis and have risk factors for tuberculosis (TB). The risk factors for tuberculosis include bacillary load, proximity to infectious case, immunosuppressive conditions, malnutrition, young age, diabetes mellitus, working in healthcare, recent incarceration, alcohol use, and tobacco use. Although rare, it is possible for a patient to present with a tuberculoma despite the absence of risk factors for tuberculosis other than diabetes and without pulmonary involvement.
Critical assessment of jet erosion test methodologies for cohesive soil and sediment

Abstract The submerged Jet Erosion Test (JET) is a commonly used technique to assess the erodibility of cohesive soil. Employing a linear excess shear stress equation and impinging jet theory, simple numerical methods have been developed to analyze data collected using a JET to determine the critical shear stress and erodibility coefficient of soil. These include the Blaisdell, Iterative, and Scour Depth Methods, and all have been organized into easy to use spreadsheet routines. The analytical framework of the JET and its associated methods, however, are based on many assumptions that may not be satisfied in field and laboratory settings. The main objective of this study is to critically assess this analytical framework and these methodologies. Part of this assessment is to include the effect of flow confinement on the JET. The possible relationship between the derived erodibility coefficient and critical shear stress, a practical tool in soil erosion assessment, is examined, and a review of the deficiencies in the JET methodology also is presented. Using a large database of JET results from the United States and data from literature, it is shown that each method can generate an acceptable curve fit through the scour depth measurements as a function of time. The analysis shows, however, that the Scour Depth and Iterative Methods may result in physically unrealistic values for the erosion parameters. The effect of flow confinement of the impinging jet increases the derived critical shear stress and decreases the erodibility coefficient by a factor of 2.4 relative to unconfined flow assumption. For a given critical shear stress, the length of time over which scour depth data are collected also affects the calculation of erosion parameters. In general, there is a lack of consensus relating the derived soil erodibility coefficient to the derived critical shear stress. Although empirical relationships are statistically significant, the calculated erodibility coefficient for a given critical shear stress has an uncertainty of several orders of magnitude. This study shows that JET results should be used with caution and the magnitude of the uncertainty in the derived erodibility parameters should be carefully considered.
Pemberton osteotomy for residual acetabular dysplasia in children who have congenital dislocation of the hip.

ABSTRACTWe reviewed the results for fifty-two hips in forty-two patients who had had a Pemberton pericapsular osteotomy between 1968 and 1984 as treatment for residual acetabular dysplasia of the hip. The average age of the patients at the time of the osteotomy was four years. The average duration o
The Weevil Rostrum (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea): Internal Structure and Evolutionary Trends

ABSTRACT The current classification of weevils has witnessed vast improvements at higher phylogenetic levels, though much remains unstable at the lower levels. In order to develop a more robust morphological character system for cladistic analysis of the higher lineages and to gain a comprehensive understanding of the structure of a hallmark feature of weevils, a comparative study was conducted of rostra throughout Curculionoidea. Semithin sections were made of the rostra of 36 exemplar genera representing all seven currently recognized weevil families, as well as 19 of 21 subfamilies within the largest family, Curculionidae, and internal structures were examined for phylogenetically informative characters. While the morphological diversity of rostral forms is impressive, general trends are apparent with respect to life-history traits and modes of feeding. Exploration of internal rostral morphology has yielded valuable but previously unexplored characters that greatly complement the external characters of...
My Real Patients.

Being observed changes us and can reinforce or reverse a power dynamic. A dentist-turned-medical-student, finding herself jittery as she examines a standardized patient, more fully understands the ...
Nuchal cord at delivery and perinatal outcomes: Single-center retrospective study, with emphasis on fetal acid-base balance.

Aim Our study objectives were to evaluate umbilical cord blood acid-base balance in presence of nuchal cord at delivery, effects of nuchal cord at delivery on perinatal outcomes and incidence of nuchal cord in a racially diverse population. Methods Perinatal records of 2530 women (predominantly African American and Hispanic) who delivered in 2012 were examined. Perinatal outcomes of women who delivered a baby with nuchal cord were compared with those without nuchal cord. Results In this study, incidence of nuchal cord was 23.5% and incidence of tight nuchal cord was 1.9%; 4.2% of babies with nuchal cord required resuscitation and 3.2% of babies with nuchal cord needed to be admitted to NICU. In our study, 4.2% of babies with nuchal cord required resuscitation and in total 3.2% of babies with nuchal cord needed to be admitted to NICU. Nuchal cord frequency increased from 15.6% at ≤36 weeks to 22.8% at ≥37 weeks. Significantly elevated umbilical cord Veno-Arterial pH differential was noted in babies with nuchal cord, indicating fetal acidemia. Conclusions Perinatal outcomes of pregnancies with nuchal cord in predominantly African American and Hispanic women were not adversely affected. Analysis of umbilical cord blood gases suggests mixed respiratory and metabolic fetal acidosis.
Linear Operators Preserving Partition Numbers of Graphs

We characterize the linear operators on simple undirected graphs on n vertices that strongly preserve sets defined by the cochromatic number and those that strongly preserve sets defined by the clique partition number. The clique partition number of G is the minimum number of cliques whose edge disjoint union is G while the cochromatic number of G is the minimum number of complete graphs whose vertex disjoint union is a subgraph of G with the same number of vertices as G.
A Fill Estimation Algorithm for Sparse Matrices and Tensors in Blocked Formats

Many sparse matrices and tensors from a variety of applications, such as finite element methods and computational chemistry, have a natural aligned rectangular nonzero block structure. Researchers have designed high-performance blocked sparse operations which can take advantage of this sparsity structure to reduce the complexity of storing the locations of nonzeros. The performance of a blocked sparse operation depends on how well the block size reflects the structure of nonzeros in the tensor. Sparse tensor structure is generally unknown until runtime, so block size selection must be efficient. The fill is a quantity which, for some block size, relates the number of nonzero blocks to the number of nonzeros. Many performance models use the fill to help choose a block size. However, the fill is expensive to compute exactly. We present a sampling-based algorithm called Phil to estimate the fill of sparse matrices and tensors in any format. We provide theoretical guarantees for sparse matrices and tensors, and experimental results for matrices. The existing state-of-the-art fill estimation algorithm, which we will call OSKI, runs in time linear in the number of elements in the tensor. The number of samples Phil needs to compute a fill estimate is unrelated to the number of nonzeros and depends only on the order (number of dimensions) of the tensor, desired accuracy of the estimate, desired probability of achieving this accuracy, and number of considered block sizes. We compare Phil and OSKI on a suite of 42 matrices. On most inputs, Phil estimates the fill at least 2 times faster and often more than 20 times faster than OSKI. Phil consistently produced accurate estimates; in all cases that we tested Phil was faster and/or more accurate than OSKI. Finally, we find that Phil and OSKI produce comparable speedups in multicore blocked sparse matrix-vector multiplication (SpMV) when the block size was chosen using fill estimates in a model due to Vuduc et al.
Optimization of aspheric geometric-phase lenses for improved field-of-view

In optical thin-films and surfaces, geometric phase is utilized to control the phase beyond that possible through optical path differences. Geometric-phase lenses, which are significantly thinner than refractive lenses for the same numerical aperture (NA), most commonly use a spherical phase profile. This is especially effective for normally incident light, but like other thin lenses, the performance degrades noticeably for off-axis incidence and wider fields-of-view. In this study, we investigate whether or not various aspheric designs provide better off-axis performance. We simulate aspheric singlet and doublet liquid crystal geometric-phase lenses (24.5 mm diameter, 40 mm back focal length at 633 nm), aiming to optimize spot size performance at 0, 3, and 7 degrees field angles, using Zemax OpticStudio 16.5. By using Zernike fringe phase expansions, we find conditions which provide improved off-axis performance. We demonstrate improved performance of a compact lens system utilizing these polarization-dependent optics.