cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy using modern bipolar electrosurgical instruments based on the ForceTriad energy platform.

Objective : To describe and evaluate a novel technique of nerve-sparing radical abdominal hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy (NSRH/PLND) using the bipolar Ligasure Atlas sealer/divider and Bissenger bipolar shears. Methods: Retrospective study of 4 consecutive patients who underwent NSRH/PLND for stage IB1-IIB cervi- cal carcinoma was conducted. Resection of the cardinal and uterosacral ligaments was performed with the Ligasure Atlas. Pelvic autonomic nerve dissection and lymphadenectomy were completed with the bipolar shears. Outcomes were collectively analyzed. Results: Mean operative time was 251 minutes (range, 230-265). Blood loss averaged 625 mL (range, 400-900). Average LOS was 5 days (range, 4-5). Average duration until normal postvoid residual volume was 17 days (range, 10-24). No perioperative complications were encountered. Conclusion: Bipolar surgical instrumentation offers many advantages. The Ligasure Atlas provides effi cient sealing and division of vascular pedicles, while the bipolar shears allow precise and fi ne dissection. Our results demonstrate the "bipolar sealer and shears technique" a preferable method of NSRH/PLND.
Tubulin polymerization-promoting protein family member 3, Tppp3, is a specific marker of the differentiating tendon sheath and synovial joints.

Tppp3, a member of the Tubulin polymerization-promoting protein family, is an intrinsically unstructured protein that induces tubulin polymerization. We show that Tppp3 is a distinct marker in the developing musculoskeletal system. In tendons, Tppp3 is expressed in cells at the circumference of the developing tendons, likely the progenitors of connective tissues that surround tendons: the tendon sheath, epitenon, and paratenon. These tissues form an elastic sleeve around tendons and provide lubrication to minimize friction between tendons and surrounding tissues. Tppp3 is the first molecular marker of the tendon sheath, opening the door for direct examination of these tissues. Tppp3 is also expressed in forming synovial joints. The onset of Tppp3 expression in joints coincides with cavitation, representing a molecular marker that can be used to indicate this stage in joint transition in joint differentiation. In late embryonic stages, Tppp3 expression highlights other demarcation lines that surround differentiating tissues in the forelimb. Developmental Dynamics 238:685–692, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
On fault-tolerant embedding of Hamiltonian circuits in line digraph interconnection networks

Abstract Interconnection networks based on directed line graphs have a nice property: an Euler tour in the digraph G translates to a Hamiltonian circuit in the line digraph L(G). Moreover, the existence of a Hamiltonian circuit in L(G) implies that G must be Eulerian. While Hamiltonian circuits are hard to find in the presence of link failures, the equivalent Euler tours are relatively easy to find in the presence of forbidden link pairs (corresponding to the link failures in L(G)). We explore this idea and present necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of fault-free Euler tour in a digraph. We also present an algorithm to find such an Euler tour when it exists.
Estimating the Effect of Filtering on Pulse Power

Three simplified techniques to obtain a quick estimate of the effect of bandpass filtering of (sin X/ X) 2 power spectral densities for the on-tuned case are presented. One simplified technique for the off-tuned case also is presented. The three on-tuned techniques are compared to some measured data.
John Elliot and the inhabited sun

Summary In July 1787, Dr John Elliot, apothecary and scientist, assaulted Miss Mary Boydell in the streets of London. Elliotś defenders sought his acquittal on the grounds of insanity, and cited as proof a paper in which he alleged the existence of intelligent life on the surface of the sun. He has since become a stock character in the history of astronomy, routinely cited as a pathetic example of the ignorance of his age. His reputation is undeserved since his claims were well within the canon of the era, and since his anti-social behaviour may well be explained by considering the hazards of his profession. Rather than serving as an exemplar of science gone awry, Elliot's dilemma can provide an opportunity for fresh analysis of late eighteenth-century thought on solar structure and on the processes that sustain it.
Chemical characterization of specific pulmonary macrophage cell surface antigen.

Pulmonary macrophages of mice have a unique cell surface antigen not shared by other cell types. In the study reported here, the cell surface proteins of pulmonary macrophages were labeled with125I, dissociated by the detergent NP-40, and reacted with either specific guinea pig anti-mouse pulmonary macrophage serum or normal guinea pig serum. Goat anti-guinea pig IgG was used for immunoprecipitation, and molecular weights of the precipitated surface proteins were determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Specific pulmonary macrophage antigen had a molecular weight of 110,000 daltons and was sensitive to proteolysis. Fc receptor activity was not associated with the 110,000 dalton antigen, but was detected in 40,000 dalton material. Using125I labeled lectins, no carbohydrate was associated with the antigen. Tube gel electrophoresis was used to isolate the antigen and lipid studies were done by thin layer chromatography. Phosphatidyl serine was associated with the antigen. Isolation and characterization of macrophage surface structures are important steps in understanding their function.
Effectiveness of kukui nut oil as a topical treatment for psoriasis.

Background No cure for psoriasis exists for the 1–3% of the American population who suffer from it; however, anecdotal reports from patients with psoriasis visiting Hawaii who purchased kukui nut oil, claim it helped reduce the severity of their lesions. Objective This pilot study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of kukui nut oil as a topical treatment for psoriasis. Methods Thirty adult subjects (18–78 year) were recruited from the community for a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. Subjects were previously diagnosed with mild, stable plaque psoriasis (less than 15% of total body surface area [TBSA]) and agreed to abstain from other treatments during the course of the study. Following a 4-week washout period the subjects were randomized into a treatment group (15 subjects applying kukui nut oil) or a control group (15 applying the mineral oil placebo). Patients were seen every 2 weeks (seven visits at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks) by a dermatological nurse practitioner under the general supervision of a board certified dermatologist. Measurable outcomes included evaluation of one targeted lesion and of the overall severity of their psoriasis using clinical evaluation, Psoriasis Area and Sensitivity Index (PASI), Global Severity of Psoriasis Scale, and photographs. Each patient also evaluated their own lesions daily using the Global Severity of Psoriasis Scale, and noted any side-effects or other treatments used. Results Although both groups improved, we found no significant difference between the treatment (kukui nut oil) and the placebo (mineral oil) among the 24 out of 30 subjects (80%) who completed the study. No side-effects or adverse events were reported. Conclusion Kukui nut oil did not significantly reduce symptoms of psoriasis; however, this was a small pilot study, and the use of this oil cannot be dismissed without using a larger study population of patients with psoriasis.
Let Me Entertain You: The Exciting Perks and Perils of Teaching American Religion as a Vaudeville (or Burlesque?) Performer

While teaching a course on religion and consumer culture in the United States, the author was intensely preoccupied with holding the interest of her undergraduate students during class sessions. Inspired in part by the subject matter of the course, she reflects here upon the extent that her courses on American religion drew upon the semiotics of commercial entertainment. While acknowledging the limitations and distortions possible in thinking of the teacher as an entertainer, this paper explores the teaching metaphor of the Vaudevillian Performer, arguing that if put in context with the work on reception in cultural studies, it can be a helpful model in the classroom.
The impact of acute temperature stress on hemocytes of invasive and native mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis and Mytilus californianus): DNA damage, membrane integrity, apoptosis and signaling pathways

We investigated the effects of acute heat stress and cold stress on cell viability, lysosome membrane stability, double- and single-stranded DNA breakage, and signaling mechanisms involved in cellular homeostasis and apoptosis in hemocytes of native and invasive mussels, Mytilus californianus and Mytilus galloprovincialis, respectively. Both heat stress (28, 32°C) and cold stress (2, 6°C) led to significant double- and single-stranded breaks in DNA. The type and extent of DNA damage were temperature and time dependent, as was caspase-3 activation, an indicator of apoptosis, which may occur in response to DNA damage. Hemocyte viability and lysosomal membrane stability decreased significantly under heat stress. Western blot analyses of hemocyte extracts with antibodies for proteins associated with cell signaling and stress responses [including members of the phospho-specific mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family c-JUN NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38-MAPK, and apoptosis executor caspase-3] revealed that heat and cold stress induced a time-dependent activation of JNK, p38-MAPK and caspase-3 and that these signaling and stress responses differed between species. The thermal limits for activation of cell signaling processes linked to the repair of stress-induced damage may help determine cellular thermal tolerance limits. Our results show similarities in responses to cold and heat stress and suggest causal linkages between levels of DNA damage at both extremes of temperature and downstream regulatory responses, including induction of apoptosis. Compared with M. californianus, M. galloprovincialis might have a wider temperature tolerance due to a lower amount of single- and double-stranded DNA damage, faster signaling activation and transduction, and stronger repair ability against temperature stress.
Ground-Water Hydrology Around Salt Domes in the East Texas Basin: A Practical Approach to the Contaminant Transport Problem

Salt domes in the East Texas Basin are being studied as potential sites for deep burial of nuclear wastes. Site selection and risk assessment must address the possible fate of radionuclides should they escape from such a repository. Waste escaping from a dome would, at worst, move into either the Wilcox-Carrizo (Wx-Cz), a thick (~2,000 ft, 600 m), semi-confined, fresh to brackish ground-water system, or the Woodbine Formation, a deeper, saline aquifer. Contaminant transport and destinations would be controlled by: (1) pathways determined by ground-water circulation (i.e., recharge, discharge, and general velocity field), and (2) dilution along pathways, determined by advective dispersion and geochemical attenuation. Because of very large head declines in the Woodbine resulting from hydrocarbon production, potential for upward discharge from the Woodbine to the Wx-Cz appears nonexistent presently. Owing to apparently slow rates of recharge to the Woodbine, its heads may not completely recover for thousands or millions of years after pumping ends. The predominant control on regional ground-water circulation in the Wx-Cz aquifer is topography, which induces downward and upward leakage across the overlying Reklaw aquitard in topographically high and low areas, respectively. Major discharge areas are the Sabine and Trinity Rivers and their tributaries. Fluid pressure versus depth relationships indicate that upward flow components can extend as deep as 1,200 ft (365 m) beneath the Trinity River. Potential impacts of a nuclide escape from Oakwood or Keechi domes into the Wx-Cz would depend in large part on: (1) how deeply recharge occurring over each dome would move contaminants downward, and (2) whether the contaminants would then migrate upward toward discharge areas in the basin due to topographic effects. Orientation of a moderately brackish-water plume extending away from Oakwood dome infers local topographic control on flow but does not appear to. discharge upward. The plume suggests that contaminants escaping from the dome would become significantly diluted within a distance of 5 to 6 mi (9 to 11 km). Details of ground-water circulation around the domes are being analyzed through construction of numerical flow models. Processes of advective dispersion and geochemical attenuation are being investigated by preliminary mapping of aquifer heterogeneities and characterization of aquifer geochemistry by analysis of fluids and core samples. Ground-water chemistry indicates a trend toward greater capacity for attenuation of radionuclides as fluids move from recharge areas into more alkaline, reducing environments in the artesian sections of the Wx-Cz.
Fiber-coupled non-descanned 4π detection with a commercial confocal microscope modified for multiphoton imaging

The extremely small (femtoliter) excitation volume of multiphoton (MP) microscopy renders all emitted photons useful in detecting fluorescence signals. Hence, multiphoton laser scanning microscopy (MPLSM) systems can collect fluorescence through the objective (epi-fluorescence), as well as the condenser (trans-fluorescence). For maximal collection efficiency, both optical paths can be used concurrently (4π detection). Most MPLSM systems incorporate photodetectors directly in or adjacent to the epi- and trans-fluorescence optical paths of the microscope, generally photomultiplier tubes with associated optics. These arrangements are optically straightforward, but are often bulky and difficult to reconfigure. Here, we demonstrate that all fluorescence from the specimen can be efficiently coupled into two multimode optical fibers -- one each for the epi- and trans-fluorescence pathways. Fiber-coupled detection enables a modular detection paradigm where light can be routed to easily reconfigurable and interchangeable detection module(s). A novel MPLSM system was constructed, which is readily switched between the original de-scanned detection path for confocal microscopy, and the newly added pathways supporting fiber-coupled non-descanned 4π detection for MP microscopy. Sample MP images of fluorescent beads and fluorescent-labeled hippocampal neurons are presented, demonstrating the viability of fiber-coupled detection.
Complex band structure and superlattice electronic states

The complex band structures of the bulk materials which constitute the alternating layer (001) semiconductor-semiconductor superlattice are investigated. The complex bands near the center of the Brillouin zone in the [001] direction are studied in detail. The decay lengths of superlattice states whose energies lie in the bulk band gaps of one of the semiconductors are determined from the dispersion curves of these bands for imaginary $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}}$. This method is applied using a tight-binding band-structure calculation to two superlattices: the AlAs-GaAs superlattice and the CdTe-HgTe superlattice. The decay lengths of AlAs-GaAs superlattice conduction-band minimum states are found to be substantially shorter than those for the CdTe-HgTe superlattice. These differences in the decay of the states in the two superlattices result in differences in the variation of the conduction-band effective masses with the thickness of the AlAs and CdTe layers. The conduction-band effective masses increase more rapidly with AlAs thickness in the AlAs-GaAs superlattice than with CdTe thickness in the CdTe-HgTe superlattice.
GABAA- and GABAB-mediated inhibition in the rat dentate gyrus in vitro

Abstract Many studies suggest that the dentate gyrus (DG) is a control point for hippocampal epileptogenesis. However, the importance of GABAergic inhibition in the DG is not quite clear. Intracellular recordings were obtained from granule cells (GC) of the rat DG. In addition to GABAA-mediated spontaneous postsynaptic potentials (PSPs), some GC exhibited spontaneous slow hyperpolarizations (SH). The SH were more commonly observed in a high concentration of external potassium. 2-Hydroxysaclofen, a GABAB antagonist, reduced the SH. Focal stimulation of the perforant path (PP) in the subiculum with a single pulse evoked a depolarization followed by a SH, which were both abolished by the excitatory amino acid (EAA) blockers, 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3 dione (CNQX) and 2-amino-5phosphonovaleric acid (APV). When evoked with a train of pulses, the SH was unaffected by the EAA blockers in 40% of the cells, suggesting either the existence of a GABAergic PP, or an unidentified polysynaptic mechanism. In control, the synaptic response to PP stimulation was superficially similar whether the stimulus was applied in the subiculum or stratum moleculare. However, in presence of bicuculline, the subicular PSP was followed by a train of PSPs occurring at a constant frequency of 25 Hz. This ‘reverberating’ effect of bicuculline was decreased in presence of APV and was abolished in slices in which the excitatory transmission had been interrupted downstream from CA3 neurons, suggesting that reverberation required the integrity of the hippocampo-entorhinal loop. By contrast, bicuculline decreased the amplitude of the stratum moleculare PSP. It is concluded that GC receive tonic inhibition from GABA acting at GABAA and GABAB receptors. The role of GABAB receptors is unclear; by contrast, GABAA-mediated inhibition prevents GC from reverberated excitation. The probability of occurrence of reverberation is higher during activation of the whole temporo-ammonic pathway and is partly dependent on the activation of N- methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Thus, the in vitro brain slice can be used as a model to study reverberation which has been recently demonstrated to underlie epileptiform discharges in the whole brain preparation.
A Review on the State-of-the-Art Privacy-Preserving Approaches in the e-Health Clouds

Cloud computing is emerging as a new computing paradigm in the healthcare sector besides other business domains. Large numbers of health organizations have started shifting the electronic health information to the cloud environment. Introducing the cloud services in the health sector not only facilitates the exchange of electronic medical records among the hospitals and clinics, but also enables the cloud to act as a medical record storage center. Moreover, shifting to the cloud environment relieves the healthcare organizations of the tedious tasks of infrastructure management and also minimizes development and maintenance costs. Nonetheless, storing the patient health data in the third-party servers also entails serious threats to data privacy. Because of probable disclosure of medical records stored and exchanged in the cloud, the patients' privacy concerns should essentially be considered when designing the security and privacy mechanisms. Various approaches have been used to preserve the privacy of the health information in the cloud environment. This survey aims to encompass the state-of-the-art privacy-preserving approaches employed in the e-Health clouds. Moreover, the privacy-preserving approaches are classified into cryptographic and noncryptographic approaches and taxonomy of the approaches is also presented. Furthermore, the strengths and weaknesses of the presented approaches are reported and some open issues are highlighted.
Role of Maggi's Equations in Computational Methods for Constrained Multibody Systems

This paper presents a unified theoretical basis for a class of methods that generate the governing equations of constrained dynamical systems by eliminating the constraints. By using Maggi's equations in conjunction with a common projective theory from numerical analysis, it is shown that members of the class are precisely characterized by the basis they choose for the null-space of the variational form of the constraints. For each method considered, the specific basis chosen for the null-space of the variational constraints is derived, as well as a dual basis for the orthogonal complement. The latter basis is of particular interest since it is shown that its knowledge theoretically enables one to generalize certain methods of the class to calculate constraint forces and torques. Practical approaches based on orthogonal transformations to effect this strategy are also outlined. In addition, since the theory presented herein stresses a common, fundamental structure to the various methods, it is especially useful as a means of comparing and evaluating individual numerical algorithms. The theory presented makes clear the relationship between certain numerical instabilities that have been noted in some methods that eliminate a priori constraint contributions to the governing equations by selecting an independent subset of unknowns. It is also briefly indicated how this formalism can be extended, in principle, to the wider class of nonlinear nonholonomic constraints.
Progressive Increase in Platelet Activation With Smoke Exposure: Human Subject and In-Vitro Studies

Second hand cigarette smoke (SHS) is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and has been shown to substantiate platelet activation and aggregation in several studies [1, 2]. Most of these studies, under chronic or acute exposure conditions or over prolonged exposure, do not represent the initiation of a disease state or hematological damage under normal levels of cigarette smoke. These above studies of platelet activation with SHS together with our previous in-vitro studies demonstrating cardio-protective effects of nicotine [3], have motivated the present investigation of physiological levels of SHS exposure on human subjects and within an in-vitro endothelial cell-platelet system, with cigarettes (or smoke extracts) of varying nicotine content to confirm analogous cardio-protective effects of nicotine.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Minimally invasive valve surgery.

Background: Cardiac surgery has been the last area of clinical surgery to adopt and embrace minimally invasive surgical techniques. Since the onset of arterial embolectomy in 1965, arthroscopic knee surgery performed in 1975 and laparoscopic cholecystectomy in 1985, huge advances in videoscopic, thorascopic and small incision surgery has taken place in all specialties which now allow change in the traditional approaches to cardiac valve surgery. In 1996, the Brigham and Women's Hospital, along with other units, began minimally invasive cardiac valve surgery for patients who had isolated valve pathology without coronary disease. Our experience now totals 689 patients, including 353 minimally invasive mitral valve repair/replacements and 336 minimally invasive aortic valve replacements, including root replacement and reoperations. Methods: This new operative approach involves smaller incisions, the mandatory use of transesophageal echocardiogram for the monitoring of operation quality and air removal, newer perfusion techniques and some modifications in the standard valve repair/replacement techniques. With this blending of TEE, better perfusion techniques and new exposure, the safety and quality of valve operations by these techniques have been excellent. Results and Conclusion: The operative mortality is equal to (AVR) or less than (MVP) conventional open sternotomy cases and there is a shorter length of stay in the ICU and post-ICU, leading to a lower cost than conventional procedures. There are also less blood transfusions, atrial fibrillation and posthospital rehabilitation requirements, and patients have indicated that there is a faster return to normality over the conventional operative approaches. This brief report summarizes our experience from July, 1996 to January 2001.
How listeners shape what tellers tell

Abstract How older adults reminisce about their lives to others depends in part on who is listening, and on the relationship that they and their listeners establish. To support this hypothesis, findings are presented from a narrative analysis of 12 lifestory interviews done by 3 interviewers (4 interviews each: 2 with males; 2 with females) with people 80 and older living in a largely rural area of Eastern Canada. The interviewers have distinctive listening styles and come from significantly different backgrounds. One is a man, and former minister, from the immediate region; another, a woman from a large European city; the third, a younger woman from an urban centre in Western Canada. The paper takes advantage of the opportunity inherent in having 3 interviewers rather than only 1 and compares patterns that characterized the various interviewer–interviewee interactions and the impact of such patterns on how interviewees talked about their lives. Speculations are offered concerning how different listeners might have elicited reminiscences on different themes or of different types from the same tellers.
Digestibility of dry matter and nitrogen and the nitrogen balance of three skimmilk diets fed to Holstein calves.

Abstract Eighteen Holstein bull calves were used to determine the apparent digestibility of dry matter, nitrogen, and nitrogen retention of low-temperature-treated skimmilk (71.1C for 16 to 20sec), high-temperature-treated skimmilk (85 to 87.7C for 20 to 30min), and fresh skimmilk as the sole diet during 4 to 13 and 14 to 23 days of age. The respective diets contained 77, 44, and 102mg whey-protein per 100g of milk. There were no significant differences among diets or between periods in the digestibility of dry matter, total nitrogen, or nitrogen retention. There was, however, a slightly better over-all apparent digestion and nitrogen retention of the fresh skimmilk diet. There was also a tendency towards a greater frequency of diarrhea among calves fed diets which contained whey protein in smallest amounts. As dry matter percentage in the feces decreased, the apparent digestibilities of dry matter and nitrogen decreased in all diets.
EphB receptors co-distribute with a nicotinic receptor subtype and regulate nicotinic downstream signaling in neurons.

Activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) on neurons engages calcium-dependent signaling pathways regulating numerous events. Receptors containing α7 subunits (α7-nAChRs) are prominent in this because of their abundance and high relative calcium permeability. We show here that EphB2 receptors are co-localized with postsynaptic α7-nAChRs on chick ciliary ganglion neurons and that treatment of the cells with an ephrinB1 construct to activate the EphB receptors exerts physical restraints on both classes of receptors, diminishing their dispersal after spine retraction or lipid raft disruption. Moreover, the ephrinB1/EphB receptor complex specifically enhances the ability of α7-nAChRs to activate the transcription factor CREB, acting through a pathway including a receptor tyrosine kinase, a Src family member, PI3 kinase, and protein kinase A most distally. The enhancement does not appear to result from a change in the α7-nAChR current amplitude, suggesting a downstream target. The results demonstrate a role for ephrin/EphB action in nicotinic signaling.
Leg spasticity and ambulation in multiple sclerosis.

Background. Spasticity of the legs is common in multiple sclerosis (MS), but there has been limited research examining its association with ambulatory outcomes. Objective. This study examined spasticity of the legs and its association with multiple measures of ambulation in persons with MS. Methods. The sample included 84 patients with MS. Spasticity of the legs was measured using a 5-point rating scale ranging between 0 (normal) and 4 (contracted). Patients completed the 6-minute walk (6 MW), timed 25 foot walk (T25FW), and timed up-and-go (TUG), and O2 cost of walking was measured during the 6 MW. The patients undertook two walking trials on a GAITRite (CIR systems, Inc.) for measuring spatial and temporal parameters of gait. The patients completed the Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12 (MSWS-12) and wore an accelerometer over a seven-day period. Results. 52% () of the sample presented with spasticity of the legs. Those with leg spasticity had significantly worse ambulation as measured by 6 MW (, ), T25FW (), TUG (, ), MSWS-12 (), O2 cost of walking (, ), average steps/day (, ), and walking velocity (, ) and cadence (, ). Conclusion. Leg spasticity was associated with impairments in ambulation, including alterations in spatiotemporal parameters and free-living walking.
Fault Mitigation Schemes for Future Spaceflight Multicore Processors

Future planetary exploration missions demand significant advances in on-board computing capabilities over current avionics architectures based on a single-core processing element. The state-of-the-art multi-core processor provides much promise in meeting such challenges while introducing new fault tolerance problems when applied to space missions. Software-based schemes are being presented in this paper that can achieve system-level fault mitigation beyond that provided by radiation-hard-by-design (RHBD). For mission and time critical applications such as the Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) for planetary or small body navigation, and landing, a range of fault tolerance methods can be adapted by the application. The software methods being investigated include Error Correction Code (ECC) for data packet routing between cores, virtual network routing, Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR), and Algorithm-Based Fault Tolerance (ABFT). A robust fault tolerance framework that provides fail-operational behavior under hard real-time constraints and graceful degradation will be demonstrated using TRN executing on a commercial Tilera(R) processor with simulated fault injections.
Adaptive modified covariance algorithms for spectral analysis

An optimum block modified covariance algorithm is developed for computing time-varying autoregressive (AR) parameters. The method presented here differs from those presented previously in that it derives optimally selected time-varying convergence factors such that the block mean square error is minimized from one iteration to the next. In particular, the algorithm developed here, called block modified covariance algorithm with individual adaptation of parameters (BMCAI), uses individual time-varying convergence factors computed using modified covariance matrix approximations along with the Gauss-Seidel method. Even though the BMCAI is gradient based, it retains the attractive spectral matching properties of fixed-window least-squares modified covariance algorithms while at the same time providing capabilities for time-varying spectral estimation.
Risk-Taking, Framing Effects, and Affect

Abstract This paper examines the influence of affect′s two primary dimensions, Pleasantness and Arousal, on risk-taking behaviors. In Study 1, higher levels of Arousal led subjects to pay less for insurance to protect themselves from potential losses. In Study 2, a between-subjects design examined willingness-to-pay for statistically equivalent lotteries and insurance. Higher Arousal led to higher risk-seeking expressed as higher willingness-to-pay for lotteries but lower willingness-to-pay for insurance. Higher Negative Affectivity (i.e., Unpleasantness and high Arousal) led to higher willingness-to-pay for insurance for possible losses of substantial value. Also, higher Calmness (i.e., Pleasantness and low Arousal) led to greater willingness-to-pay for lotteries. The results are interpreted in terms of two mechanisms: (i) congruency between Pleasantness and selected risk-taking decision strategy and (ii) Arousal-induced restriction in attentional capacity.
Effects of changes in cadence, prosthetic componentry, and time on interface pressures and shear stresses of three trans-tibial amputees

Objective. To evaluate the effects of changes in cadence, prosthetic componentry, and time on interface pressures and resultant shear stresses in trans-tibial amputee case studies. Design. Interface stresses were monitored using custom-designed instrumentation at 13 sites on three subjects with unilateral trans-tibial amputation walking with patellar-tendon-bearing prosthetic limbs. Background. Previous studies suggested that week-to-week residual limb changes altered interface stresses more than did alterations in prosthetic alignment. No studies investigating effects of changes in cadence or componentry on interface stress distributions nor comparing their influence with week-to-week changes have been conducted previously. Methods. Five different prosthetic componentry configurations were tested at each of three cadences in four sessions. Data were analysed for the magnitudes and timings of peak pressures and resultant shear stresses as well as corresponding resultant shear angles. Results. None of the three cadences or five componentry configurations consistently induced significantly (P<0.05) higher or lower interface stress magnitudes for all subjects. However, an Aluminium Pylon/SACH Foot combination compared with an AirStance (pneumatic shank)/Seattle LightFoot unit induced later peak interface stress timings as a percentage of stance phase. Higher and more frequent interface stress changes were seen between the weekly sessions than between different cadences or between different componentry configurations. Conclusion. The amputees' capabilities to compensate for week-to-week residual limb changes were less than those for intra-session cadence or componentry alterations. Relevance Results suggest that effective techniques to accommodate week-to-week residual limb fluctuations could have a greater impact on maintaining consistent interface stress distributions than do adjustments in cadence or componentry.
The consumer's energy analysis environment

Abstract This article describes how residential energy consumers measure and analyze their own energy consumption and energy costs. Using in-depth interviews, we find more extensive data collection and analysis by residential energy consumers than has been previously documented in the energy literature. However, the conclusions consumers can draw from their analytical efforts are restricted by the form in which they receive price and consumption data and their limited analytic capabilities. The relative information processing strengths of consumers are compared with those of institutions such as energy utilities, leading to the conclusion that many of the analytic tasks are currently assigned to the less efficient parties, degrading decision quality and creating a market barrier to energy conservation. We suggest a more efficient allocation of data collection and analysis between the consumer and energy utility.
Detection of soluble immune complexes by their binding to Fc receptors on mastocytoma cells.

Abstract A mastocytoma cell test for the detection and quantitation of circulating immune complexes is described which is based on the binding of immune complexes to the Fc receptors on the surface of murine mastocytoma cells. Mastocytoma cells were incubated with various dilutions of tested sera or immune complexes prepared in vitro . The cells were subsequently incubated with sheep erythrocytes sensitized by a subagglutinating dose of rabbit anti-sheep erythrocyte serum and then rosette-forming cells were counted. The inhibition of rosette formation indicated the presence of immune complexes in the tested serum. Using this test, we have detected immune complexes prepared in vitro and also soluble immune complexes present in various murine sera. Comparable results were obtained using the Raji cell assay. The mastocytoma cell test is a sensitive and reproducible procedure with several advantages over other currently used procedures.
Detection of brain death in barbiturate coma: the dilemma of an intracranial pulse

Patients treated with barbiturate coma for elevated intracranial pressure after head injury may suffer brain death. Since such patients have an iatrogenically induced absence of neurological function, brain death cannot be diagnosed clinically. Furthermore, as demonstrated by two of our patients, monitoring of intracranial pressure, even in the face of brain death, may show a low intracranial pressure and an intracranial pulse, suggesting the presence of adequate cerebral perfusion pressure and, therefore, brain viability. Under these circumstances, however, significant intracranial blood flow may be absent. Therefore, we suggest that a patient in barbiturate coma should undergo serial blood flow studies, even when the intracranial pressure is low and an intracranial pulse is present, to determine whether brain death has occurred.
RACE‐SPECIFIC EMPLOYMENT CONTEXTS AND RECIDIVISM*

Although much literature has examined macrolevel employment contexts and crime rates and, at the individual level, employment and offending, few studies have examined systematically whether macrolevel employment contexts influence individual-level offending. At the same time, emerging literature on prisoner reentry increasingly underscores the potential importance of the social environment for impeding or facilitating successful transitions back into society. All three avenues of inquiry have emphasized the salience of race-specific and offense-specific effects. This study extends prior work on ecology and offending, employment and crime, and prisoner reentry by examining the race-specific effects of unemployment rates and manufacturing employment rates on violent, property, and drug recidivism. By analyzing data on male ex-prisoners released to 67 counties in Florida, we found, as hypothesized, that Black ex-prisoners released to areas with higher Black male unemployment rates have a greater likelihood of violent recidivism. No comparable effect was identified for White exprisoners. However, we found that White ex-prisoners, especially those without prior violent convictions, have a lower likelihood of violent recidivism when released to areas with higher White male manufacturing employment rates. We discuss the findings and their implications for theory, research, and policy.
Presynaptic regulation of spinal cord tachykinin signaling via GABA(B) but not GABA(A) receptor activation.

Internalization of spinal cord neurokinin-1 receptors following noxious stimulation provides a reliable measure of tachykinin signaling. In the present study, we examined the contribution of GABAergic mechanisms to the control of nociceptor processing involving tachykinins. Spinal administration of the GABAB receptor agonist R(+)-baclofen in the rat, at antinociceptive doses, significantly reduced the magnitude of neurokinin-1 receptor internalization in neurons of lamina I in response to acute noxious mechanical or thermal stimulation. By contrast, administration of even high doses of the GABAA receptor agonists, muscimol or isoguvacine, were without effect. CGP55845, a selective GABAB receptor antagonist, completely blocked the effects of baclofen, but failed to increase the incidence of internalization when administered alone. These results provide evidence for a presynaptic control of nociceptive primary afferent neurons by GABAB but not GABAA receptors in the superficial laminae of the spinal cord, limiting tachykinin release. Because CGP5584 alone did not increase the magnitude of neurokinin-1 receptor internalization observed following noxious stimulation, there appears to be little endogenous activation of GABAB receptors on tachykinin-releasing nociceptors under acute stimulus conditions. The contribution of pre- and postsynaptic regulatory mechanisms to GABAB receptor-mediated antinociception was also investigated by comparing the effect of baclofen on Fos expression evoked by noxious stimulation to that induced by intrathecal injection of substance P. In both instances, baclofen reduced Fos expression not only in neurons that express the neurokinin-1 receptor, but also in neurons that do not. We conclude that baclofen acts at presynaptic sites to reduce transmitter release from small-diameter nociceptive afferents. Presynaptic actions on non-tachykinin-containing nociceptors could similarly account for the reduction by baclofen of noxious stimulus-induced Fos expression in neurokinin-1 receptor-negative neurons. However, the inhibition of Fos expression induced by exogenous substance P indicates that actions at sites postsynaptic to tachykinin- and/or non-tachykinin-containing primary afferent terminals must also contribute to the antinociceptive actions of GABAB receptor agonists.
Ultrastructure of keloid: an unusual incident involving lepromatous leprosy.

: A patient with lepromatous leprosy developed keloids on the dorsum of both arms in response to ulcerations due to acute erythema nodosum leprosum reactions. Electron microscopic examination of the keloidal dermis showed a morphology indicative of increased production of normal collagen fibrils. The greatest cellular changes from normal were in fibroblasts which were enlarged due to increased amounts of rough endoplasmic reticulum and extensive Golgi complexes. Nuclear folds were also evident in these fibroblasts. Some cells, considered to be fibroblasts, were filled with cytoplasmic filaments and contained bizarre shaped nuclei. Mast cells, blood vessels and nerve processes were also present.
Segmentation of thin structures in electron micrographs using orientation fields

In this paper, we introduce a new approach for segmenting thin structures in electron micrographs. We introduce two new transforms, the Line Filter Transform (LFT) and the Orientation Filter Transform (OFT). The LFT can be viewed as an alternative to anisotropic diffusion algorithms that is particularly useful for thin structures. The OFT utilizes geometrical information about the structure by measuring correlations of local orientations in the image. By combining these methods with a contour extraction and labeling method we construct a segmentation method for thin structures in 2D images. We discuss how the method can be applied slice-by-slice to electron tomograms and illustrate the process by constructing two models of membrane structures from cellular tomograms. The suggested method has the advantage of being relatively insensitive to non-uniform contrast and high-contrast features such as ribosomes.
Physical constraints and the evolution of different foraging strategies in aquatic space

Optimal balance between energy usage and feeding is crucial to an animal's fitness, and thus is a driving force in the evolution of species. Animals show varieties of different foraging strategies, each adapted to particular ecological and physical constraints. For example, while both the paddlefish and the zooplankton Daphnia filter-feed on patchy food sources, they differ greatly in size and in their methods of propulsion, affecting the degrees of influence of the viscous and inertial forces on these swimmers. To examine the effects of these physical constraints on the evolution of foraging strategies, we modified a recent evolution simulation designed for Daphnia by adding an energy penalty proportional to each turning angle used by modelled foraging agents. This modification accounts for the loss of linear momentum of larger swimmers as they change directions, directly contrasting with Daphnia, which, as smaller, rowing organisms, never build an appreciable momentum since they are halted by the surrounding medium after each forward stroke. While realistic random-walk-like trajectories were predicted by the simulation for Daphnia, distinct circling trajectories and nonzero peaks in the turning angle distributions were predicted for larger species, such as paddlefish. These results are strikingly similar to experimental data also reported here: the circling patterns and bimodal turning angle distributions observed in juvenile paddlefish.
Interaction of 42 MeV α-particles with 3He

Abstract The differential cross section for elastic scattering of 42 MeV α-particles from 3 He has been measured between 20° and 160° c.m. A phenomenological description of the elastic scattering data is given by an optical-model calculation. To reproduce the shape of the differential cross section it was found that the absorptive potential was required to extend radially beyond the real potential. Including a small spin-orbit potential in the calculation improves the agreement with the experiment and predicts a polarization which is consistent with one measurement at a nearby energy. The reaction cross section given by the optical-model calculation is close to a lower limit estimated from integration of inelastic events observed. The two-body reactions 3 He(α, p) 6 Li ground and first excited state, were measured between 20° and 160° c.m. Optical potentials determined from elastic scattering data were used in a distorted wave Born approximation prediction for these cross sections. Qualitative agreement was obtained assuming only the 3 He stripping mode.
An Analysis of Metal Artifacts Using Xeroradiography

A non-destructive and easy-to-use technique for metal artifact analysis is described. Xeroradiography is an X-ray technique using an electrically charged selenium plate instead of photographic film. It can be used to distinguish between metal objects which have been either cast or wrought.
Deficiency of methionine sulfoxide reductase A causes cellular dysfunction and mitochondrial damage in cardiac myocytes under physical and oxidative stresses.

Research highlights: {yields} Deficiency of MsrA in the heart renders myocardial cells more sensitive to oxidative stress. {yields} Mitochondrial damage happens in the heart lacking MsrA. {yields} More protein oxidation in myocardial cells lacking MsrA. {yields} MsrA protects the heart against oxidative stress. -- Abstract: Methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA) is an enzyme that reverses oxidation of methionine in proteins. Using a MsrA gene knockout (MsrA{sup -/-}) mouse model, we have investigated the role of MsrA in the heart. Our data indicate that cellular contractility and cardiac function are not significantly changed in MsrA{sup -/-} mice if the hearts are not stressed. However, the cellular contractility, when stressed using a higher stimulation frequency (2 Hz), is significantly reduced in MsrA{sup -/-} cardiac myocytes. MsrA{sup -/-} cardiac myocytes also show a significant decrease in contractility after oxidative stress using H{sub 2}O{sub 2}. Corresponding changes in Ca{sup 2+} transients are observed in MsrA{sup -/-} cardiomyocytes treated with 2 Hz stimulation or with H{sub 2}O{sub 2}. Electron microscope analyses reveal a dramatic morphological change of mitochondria in MsrA{sup -/-} mouse hearts. Further biochemical measurements indicate that protein oxidation levels in MsrA{sup -/-} mouse hearts are significantly higher than those in wild type controls.more » Our study demonstrates that the lack of MsrA in cardiac myocytes reduces myocardial cell's capability against stress stimulations resulting in a cellular dysfunction in the heart.« less
Sex-Tac-Toe

With sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) increasingly present in the nation's adolescent population, health educators need innovative strategies for addressing cognitive, affective, and behavioral issues related to sexuality. Learning in a game format offers students a safe and entertaining opportunity to explore sexuality issues and discuss their concerns in a non-threatening environment. Sex-Tac-Toe, which is based on the traditional game of tick-tack-toe, is played by two teams that compete to earn three squares in a row by answering multiple-choice, true-false, and short-answer questions dealing with such topics as STDs, AIDS, contraception, and how to talk about sexuality issues. The game has been used in a college setting by both health educators and trained peer educators in residence hall and campus programs. It can be easily adapted for younger groups by changing squares or questions to meet the developmental level of the audience.