cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Looking both ways through time: The Janus model of lateralized cognition

Existing models of laterality, while often successful at describing circumscribed domains, have not been successful as explanations of the overall patterns of hemispheric asymmetries. It is therefore suggested that a new approach is needed based on shared contributions to adaptive hemispheric roles rather than functional and structural intrahemispheric similarities. This paper proposes a model of laterality, the Janus model, based on evolutionary considerations of complementary hemispheric roles. It is proposed that the left hemisphere has the role of anticipating future scenarios and choosing between them while the right hemisphere has the role of integrating ongoing information into a unitary view of the past in order to immediately detect and respond to novel and unexpected events. Evidence for these complementary roles is provided in research on motor control and semantic priming. Finally, the Janus model is contrasted with efforts to cast the frequency model as a general model of laterality.
Response to Letter Regarding Article, “Neurological, Functional, and Cognitive Stroke Outcomes in Mexican Americans”

We thank Chen and colleagues1 for their sincere interest in our article,2 including their attention to the supplementary material. We disagree with their assertion that the activity of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) subscores should be treated as ordinal variables; these subscores have 22 and 46 distinct values, respectively, such that an analysis that treats these variables as ordinal is unwarranted.3 Although an ordinal regression analysis …
Modified total trapezial and partial trapezoidal excision and ligament reconstruction tendon interposition reduces symptoms in isolated scaphotrapezial-trapezoid arthritis of the wrist:

Trapezial excision arthroplasty with ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition (LRTI) modified to include proximal trapezoid excision was performed on 12 wrists in 10 patients with symptomatic, isolated scaphotrapezial-trapezoid (STT) arthritis. Wrist range of motion, lateral pinch and grip strength, and analog pain scores were measured pre- and post-operatively. Mean follow-up was 18 (11-42) months. Post-operatively, reported pain scores uniformly decreased (p < 0.0001). Mean range of wrist flexion increased from 48 to 53° (p < 0.05) and extension from 51 to 55° (p < 0.05). There was also an overall increase in mean grip strength from 15.6 to 19.2 kg and pinch strength from 3.5 to 4.3 kg. Modified Mayo Wrist Scores were excellent in six cases, good in three, and fair in one. Our results suggest that modified total trapezial, partial trapezoidal excision and LRTI could be an effective surgical alternative in cases of isolated STT arthritis.
Detecting Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability Using Concolic Testing

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack is a type of Web-based attack wherein a malicious script is executed (from an immediate injection or from a stored source) to steal information or gain unauthorized access to user/system resources. We propose a two-phase technique to detect XSS vulnerabilities and prevent XSS attacks. In the first phase, we translate the Web application to a language for which recently developed concolic testing tools are available. Our translation also identifies input and output variables that are used to generate test cases for determining input/output dependencies in the application. Dependencies indicate vulnerabilities in the application that can be potentially exploited when the application is deployed. In the second phase, based on the input/output dependencies determined in the first phase, we appropriately (automatically) instrument the application code by including monitors. The monitors check exploitation of vulnerabilities at runtime. In addition to being both as efficient and effective as the available XSS attack detection techniques, our two-phase method is also capable of identifying XSS vulnerabilities that occur due to (a) conditional copy (of inputs to outputs) and (b) construction of malicious string inputs from the concatenation of singularly benign inputs. We present a prototype implementation of our framework and demonstrate its effectiveness using non-trivial JSP Web applications.
Do Animal-Assisted Activities Effectively Treat Depression? A Meta-Analysis

We conducted a meta-analysis to determine the effectiveness of animal-assisted activities (AAA) and animal-assisted therapy (AAT) for reducing depressive symptoms in humans. To be included in the meta-analysis, studies had to demonstrate random assignment, include a comparison/control group, use AAA or AAT, use a self-report measure of depression, and report sufficient information to calculate effect sizes, a statistical standardization of the strength of a treatment effect. Five studies were identified for analysis. The aggregate effect size for these studies was of medium magnitude and statistically significant, indicating that AAA/AAT are associated with fewer depressive symptoms. This analysis revealed gaps in the research on AAA/AAT, which we attempted to identify in order to better understand the factors that make AAA and AAT effective at reducing depression.
Fructose-1,6-diphosphatase deficiency, hypoglycemia, and response to folate therapy in a mother and her daughter.

Abstract Symptomatic fasting and reactive hypoglycemia in association with low iejunal and hepatic fructose-1,6-diphosphatase (FDPase) activity were found in an adult patient and her 19-month-old daughter. Plasma glucose response to glycerol ingestion was abnormal in both, showing little change in the adult and a decline in the child. FDPase activity was low in tissues from both patients. This reduced enzyme activity defines a new variant of the fructose-1,6-dipphosphatase deficiency state(s) which is mild in its manifestations and thus more resistant to the hypoglycemia-provoking effects of fructose and alanine. No difference was detected between the FDPase from these patients and unaffected individuals by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The K m of the jejunal enzyme for fructose diphosphate in the adult was similar to the normal control. Glucagon rapidly increased the activity of hepatic FDPase in both patients. Folic acid, 15 mg/day, increased hepatic and jejunal FDPase activity in both patients. After folate therapy, there was improvement in the adult's symptoms and improvement in the child's ability to maintain normal plasma glucose levels. The interrelationship between the hypoglycemia, FDPase deficiency, and the response to folate therapy was discussed.
Assessing insecticide resistance and aversion to methomyl-treated toxic baits in Musca domestica L (Diptera: Muscidae) populations in southern California.

Progeny of house flies (Musca domestica L) from ten California poultry operations, three dairies and one horse-riding facility were tested for methomyl- and muscalure-treated bait resistance using up to three different assays: a topical assay, a no-choice feeding assay and a choice feeding assay. LD50 resistance factors from the topical assay, compared with a locally-derived susceptible colony, ranged between 1 and 4. LC50 resistance factors from the no-choice feeding assay ranged mostly between 2 and 5, with one value of 18. Measurable LT50 resistance ratios for female flies in the choice feeding assay ranged from 43 to 159; two populations had <10% mortality at 48 h and could not be measured. LT50 resistance ratios for male flies in the choice feeding assay ranged from 26 to 96, and one population was too resistant to measure. A behavioral assay tested the feeding preference of male and female flies provided a dish of sugar and a dish of methomyl- and muscalure-treated bait. Of eight strains tested, females from seven strains and males from six strains showed significant preference for sugar over bait. Behavioral factors appear to be important in the severe resistance of house flies to baits in California. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
In-situ non-ambient X-ray diffraction studies of indium tungstate

Abstract In situ variable temperature and high pressure X-ray diffraction studies were carried out on indium tungstate (In 2 W 3 O 12 ). This material displays positive volume expansion in both its low temperature monoclinic and high temperature orthorhombic phases, with negative thermal expansion along the a axis and positive thermal expansion along the b and c axes. Upon hydrostatic compression in a diamond anvil cell, one crystalline to crystalline phase transition is observed in the range 1.9 to 2.7 GPa, and progressive irreversible amorphization occurs at pressures above 4.3 GPa. The crystalline high pressure phase appears to be isostructural to previously observed high pressure phases in other A 2 M 3 O 12 compounds.
Effects of acetylation of histone H4 at lysines 8 and 16 on activity of the Hat1 histone acetyltransferase.

Abstract During nucleosome assembly in vivo, newly synthesized histone H4 is specifically diacetylated on lysines 5 and 12 within the H4 NH2-terminal tail domain. The highly conserved “K5/K12” deposition pattern of acetylation is thought to be generated by the Hat1 histone acetyltransferase, which in vivo is found in the HAT-B complex. In the following report, the activity and substrate specificity of the human HAT-B complex and of recombinant yeast Hat1p have been examined, using synthetic H4 NH2-terminal peptides as substrates. As expected, the unacetylated H4 peptide was a good substrate for acetylation by yeast Hat1p and human HAT-B, while the K5/K12-diacetylated peptide was not significantly acetylated. Notably, an H4 peptide previously diacetylated on lysines 8 and 16 was a very poor substrate for acetylation by either yeast Hat1p or human HAT-B. Treating the K8/K16-diacetylated peptide with histone deacetylase prior to the HAT-B reaction raised acetylation at K5/K12 to 70–80% of control levels. These results present strong support for the model of H4-Hat1p interaction proposed by Dutnall et al. (Dutnall, R. N., Tafrov, S. T., Sternglanz, R., and Ramakrishnan, V. (1998)Cell 94, 427–438) and provide evidence for the first time that site-specific acetylation of histones can regulate the acetylation of other substrate sites.
Photostimulated Luminescence Digital Radiography System Characterization II: Image-Quality Measurements

Photostimulated Luminescence Digital Radiography SystemCharacterization II: Image -quality MeasurementsJ. G. YorkerE. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Engineering Physics LaboratoryWilmington, Delaware 19898AbstractMethods for measuring the modulation transfer function and the detective quantumefficiency of a photostimulated luminescence digital radiography system are described.IntroductionPhotostimulated luminescence (PSL) is a solid -state process that may be used to capturex -ray images without film. Exposure of an irradiated PSL screen to a scanning laser beamserializes the image information so that it is easily converted to digital data for input toa computer.The image- forming process is conveniently separated into two parts -- excitation andstimulation. During excitation, the PSL screen is exposed to x -rays, thereby capturing alatent image. When an excited PSL screen is exposed to light in an appropriate wavelengthrange, it is stimulated to luminescence, usually at another wavelength. The integratedluminescence given off by the stimulated area of the screen is proportional to the number ofx -rays absorbed within that area during excitation. By scanning a focused laser beam in araster fashion over an excited PSL screen and detecting the resulting luminescence, anelectronic image is formed.The quality of PSi images depends on the physical characteristics of PSL phosphors,described previously
Virtue, Reason, and the False Public Voice: Catharine Macaulay's Philosophy of Moral Education

Catharine Macaulay, an 18th century English historian, published her educational philosophy in Letters on Education with Observations on Religious and Metaphysical Subjects in 1790. The ultimate goal of her educational process, to ‘bring the human mind to such a height of perfection as shall induce the practice of the best morals’, (, p. 173) is examined in this paper. Her ideas about the interactions among benevolence, sympathy, reason and the public voice with regard to the education of the moral, virtuous person are considered. Macaulay's suggestions regarding the benefits of a specific curriculum and pedagogy in developing students capable of filtering the limiting dictates of society and aspiring toward virtue are analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the tensions her suggestions embody for the ideal, co‐educational classroom.
Cold compaction molding and sintering of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

Cold Compaction Molding and Sintering of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been examined as a function of particle size, sintering time and temperature, and cooling rate. Properties nearly equivalent to those obtained by compression molding can be obtained from samples with a fibrous particle morphology, sintered just above the melting point, with further improvement possible by control of particle size and addition of fine particles of normal molecular weight linear polyethylene. UHMWPE with a nodular particle morphology sintered poorly.
Combined Buoyancy- and Thermocapillary-Driven Convection in Open Square Cavities

The characteristics of convective flow in a square cavity driven by simultaneous buoyancy and thermocapillary effects have been studied numerically. Results for two sets of thermal boundary conditions suggest that surface tension effects can significantly alter buoyancy-induced flow. The resulting alteration in the flow field can enhance or reduce heat transfer rates across the cavity.
Sleep patterns in children with and without autism spectrum disorders: Developmental comparisons

The present study examined age-related changes in the sleep of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared to age-related changes in the sleep of typically developing (TD) children. Participants were 108 mothers of children with ASD and 108 mothers of TD children. Participants completed a questionnaire on children's overall sleep quality that also tapped specific sleep-domains (i.e., bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, sleep duration, sleep anxiety, night wakings, parasomnias, disordered breathing, daytime sleepiness). Results confirm significantly poorer sleep quantity and quality in children with ASD, particularly children age 6-9 years. Unlike TD children, the sleep problems of children with ASD were unlikely to diminish with age. Our findings suggest that it is important to exam specific domains of sleep as well as overall sleep patterns. Finding of significant age-related interactions suggests that the practice of combining children from wide age-ranges into a single category obfuscates potentially important developmental differences.
Mixing Oil and Water: Integrating Mental Health and Addiction Services to Treat People with a Co-occurring Disorder

Treatments for people with the co-occurring disorders of mental illness and substance use (abuse or dependence) have been evolving and improving since the mid 1980s. During this period substance abuse treatment programs reported between 50 and 75% of the people they served also had a mental health problem. At the same time, mental health programs reported between 20 and 50% of the people they served had a co-occurring problem of substance use or abuse. The proposed solution is to integrate the two treatment systems so as to treat both disorders at the same time. During the 1990s integrated treatment was proposed and several models of integrated care were evaluated. The fallacy of these conceptualizations is that the authors of these models presume that the numerous treatment interventions from both treatment traditions are compatible. This is a critical assumption. What if the two are not compatible? Rather than integrate the two systems of mental health and addiction treatment in whole, I would argue, a model is needed that selects the best interventions from each field and discard the rest. Suggestions are presented here for a beginning inventory of best practice interventions that could be the foundation for effectively treating people with co-occurring disorders.
Investigation of the effects of silicate modification on polymer‐layered silicate nanocomposite morphology

The morphological behavior of a series of polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites (PLSNs) has been investigated. The goal was to probe the effect of “textured” silicate surfaces on PLSN morphology. The nanocomposites were fabricated by mixing montmorillonite clay that was carefully modified with tailor-made polystyrene (PS) surfactants into a PS homopolymer matrix, where the chemical similarity of the matrix polymer and surfactants assures complete miscibility of surfactant and homopolymer. To examine the effect of silicate surface “texture,” clay was modified with combinations of long and short surfactants. The samples were then direct melt annealed to allow the equilibrium morphology to develop, and characterized by small-angle X-ray scattering. Based on the implications of the Balazs model and other work on the wetting behavior of polymer melts with longer surfactants and textured surfaces we expected that the intercalation of the homopolymer matrix material into the modified clay would be promoted. Extensive characterization of both the modified clays as well as the resultant nanocomposites clearly show that the modified clays exhibit a high degree of order, but also that only phase-separated morphologies are formed in the corresponding nanocomposites. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 4075–4083, 2004
Excellent correlation between substituent constants and pyridinium N-methyl chemical shifts

Substituents on the pyridinium ring of N-methylpyridinium derivatives, especially those on the 2- or 4-positions, have a large effect on the (1)H and (13)C NMR chemical shifts of the N-methyl group. Reasonable correlations between the chemical shift changes and the resonance substituent constants are observed. The dual substituent parameter approach provides an excellent correlation when a combination of polar and resonance substituent constants is employed.
Monitoring the Variable Interstellar Absorption toward HD 219188 with Hubble Space Telescope STIS

We discuss the results of continued optical and UV spectroscopic monitoring of the variable intermediate-velocity (IV) absorption at v☉ = -38 km s-1 toward HD 219188. After reaching maxima in mid-2000, the column densities of both Na I and Ca II in that IV component declined by factors 2 by the end of 2006. Comparisons between echelle spectra from HST STIS (2001, 2003, 2004) and HST GHRS (1994-1995) indicate the following: (1) The absorption from the dominant species S II, O I, Si II, and Fe II is roughly constant for all four epochs—suggesting that the total N(H) (~6 × 1017 cm-2) and the (mild) depletions did not change significantly over a period of nearly 10 years. (2) The column densities of the trace species C I (both ground and excited fine-structure states) and of the excited state C II* all increased by factors of 2-5 between 1995 and 2001—implying increases in the hydrogen density nH (from about 20 cm-3 to about 45 cm-3) and in the electron density ne (by a factor 3) over that 6 yr period. (3) The column densities of C I and C II*—and the corresponding inferred nH and ne—then decreased slightly between 2001 and 2004. (4) The changes in C I and C II* are very similar to those seen for Na I and Ca II. The relatively low total N(H) and the modest nH suggest that the -38 km s-1 cloud toward HD 219188 is not a very dense knot or filament. Partial ionization of hydrogen appears to be responsible for the enhanced abundances of Na I, C I, Ca II, and C II*. In this case, the variations in those species reflect differences in density and ionization [and not N(H)] over scales of tens of AU.
An efficient modulation technique for suppressing intrachannel FWM in 40Gb/s optical transmission systems

In high bit-rate return-to-zero (RZ) on-off keying (OOK) systems operating at 40Gb/s and beyond ghost pulses induced by intrachannel four-wave mixing (IFWM), and intrachannel cross-phase modulation (IXPM) are dominant factors affecting the performance of a high-speed optical transmission system. As the creation of ghost pulses is a phase sensitive effect, the common approach to deal with IFWM is to remove short-term phase coherence by employing a proper modulation format. Another approach, known as constrained or line coding, is to identify the most troublesome sequences and to forbid them during encoding process. This paper presents an efficient method for testing the efficiency of a modulation techniques for countering the effects of IFWM by calculating the sum of all the contributors at a given resonance position. For a modulation technique to counter these effects the initial pulses phases must be chosen properly so that different contributors to the ghost pulse creation cancel each other in bit being in "resonance". In addition to this method, we are proposing a modulation technique that shows a significant Q-factor improvement of up to 7.5dB (depending on the number of spans and the phase sequence implemented) over the uncoded RZ-OOK as will be demonstrated. Finally, implementation of this phase modulation technique is very efficient in extending the non-linearity tolerance and enhancing the performance of a high-speed optical transmission system.
Improving search algorithms by using intelligent coordinates

We consider algorithms that maximize a global function G in a distributed manner, using a different adaptive computational agent to set each variable of the underlying space. Each agent eta is self-interested; it sets its variable to maximize its own function g (sub eta). Three factors govern such a distributed algorithm's performance, related to exploration/exploitation, game theory, and machine learning. We demonstrate how to exploit alI three factors by modifying a search algorithm's exploration stage: rather than random exploration, each coordinate of the search space is now controlled by a separate machine-learning-based player engaged in a noncooperative game. Experiments demonstrate that this modification improves simulated annealing (SA) by up to an order of magnitude for bin packing and for a model of an economic process run over an underlying network. These experiments also reveal interesting small-world phenomena.
Dynamical features of moving double layers

Numerical simulations of the dynamics of double layers that form in response to an applied potential drop across a plasma are carried out for plasmas of lengths much greater than previously considered. The evolution of finite-size plasmas of lengths 100, 200 and 400 Debye lengths at the low-potential end of the simulation region was followed by the solution of the Vlasov and Poisson equations. Results show that the double layer moves towards the high-potential side of the layer, at a speed directly dependent on the length of the plasma. The moving double layer is accompanied by a moving density front which is similar to an ion acoustic shock created by the expansion of a high-density plasma into a low-density plasma, as well as plasma heating and evacuation, electron and ion current interruptions and recovery. Double layer formation, motion, and accompanying phenomena are found to repeat periodically. Results are in good agreement with laboratory experiments, and may be used to explain certain phenomena observed in auroral plasmas.
Extracellular ATP in Plants. Visualization, Localization, and Analysis of Physiological Significance in Growth and Signaling

Extracellular ATP (eATP) in animals is well documented and known to play an important role in cellular signaling (e.g. at the nerve synapse). The existence of eATP has been postulated in plants; however, there is no definitive experimental evidence for its presence or an explanation as to how such a polar molecule could exit the plant cell and what physiological role it may play in plant growth and development. The presence of eATP in plants (Medicago truncatula) was detected by constructing a novel reporter; i.e. fusing a cellulose-binding domain peptide to the ATP-requiring enzyme luciferase. Application of this reporter to plant roots allowed visualization of eATP in the presence of the substrate luciferin. Luciferase activity could be detected in the interstitial spaces between plant epidermal cells and predominantly at the regions of actively growing cells. The levels of eATP were closely correlated with regions of active growth and cell expansion. Pharmacological compounds known to alter cytoplasmic calcium levels revealed that ATP release is a calcium-dependent process and may occur through vesicular fusion, an important step in the polar growth of actively growing root hairs. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity at the root hair tip is not only essential for root hair growth, but also dependent on the cytoplasmic calcium levels. Whereas application of exogenous ATP and a chitin mixture increased ROS activity in root hairs, no changes were observed in response to adenosine, AMP, ADP, and nonhydrolyzable ATP (βγmeATP). However, application of exogenous potato (Solanum tuberosum) apyrase (ATPase) decreased ROS activity, suggesting that cytoplasmic calcium gradients and ROS activity are closely associated with eATP release.
The effects of high and low fluoride diets on the frequencies of sister chromatid exchanges

Abstract A recent report suggests that fluoride has mutagenic activity in mice. To examine the potential clastogenic effect of ingested fluoride, we examined the frequencies of baseline SCE and mitomycin C induced SCE as well as baseline chromosomal aberrations and cell-cycle kinetics in mice raised on high and low fluoride diets. The lack of significant differences in any of these parameters between the two groups of animals indicates that dietary fluoride is not clastogenic and supports the continued use of water fluoridation.
Effect of suspension line elasticity on parachute loads

Parachute opening load amplification due to suspension line elasticity, using two-body spring- mass model
Assessment of Real-Time 3D Visualization for Cardiothoracic Diagnostic Evaluation and Surgery Planning

Rationale and Objectives Rationale and Objectives: Three-dimensional (3D) real-time volume rendering has demonstrated improvements in clinical care for several areas of radiological imaging. We test whether advanced real-time rendering techniques combined with an effective user interface will allow radiologists and surgeons to improve their performance for cardiothoracic surgery planning and diagnostic evaluation.
Analysis of Critical Debonding Pressures of Stressed Thin Films in the Blister Test

Abstract This paper reports a model for the relationship between critical debonding pressures and the work of adhesion of thin films in the blister test. Previous models have neglected the possible role of residual stresses in the film on the critical pressure. The model reported here shows that these stresses may have a large effect on the relation between the critical pressure and the work of adhesion. A similar model is developed for an alternative blister geometry, the annular or “island” blister. It is shown that films which cannot be peeled using the standard blister test (due to exceeding the tensile strength limit of the film before initiating a debond) can be peeled by varying the geometric parameters of the island blister.
Evolution of a Non-Invasive Sensor for Fluid Density and Solids Concentration Measurement Using Ultrasound

This paper describes the evolution of an ultrasonic sensor to non-invasively measure slurry density and solids concentration. Three generations of probe are discussed: 1) density sensor, 2) densimeter, and 3) fluid and solids monitor. The initial application was to measure slurry density during radioactive waste transport. The probe uses ultrasonic signal reflection at the fluid-pipe wall interface to quantify density in situ in real time and signal attenuation to evaluate solid concentration. In the latest configuration, the transducers are mounted on the wall of the pipe spool piece. This instrument was selected for monitoring radioactive waste transport based on several characteristic features: the sensing surface is non-intrusive and does not disrupt the slurry flow, instrument performance is not affected by slight amounts of entrained air that could be present during waste retrieval and transfer; nor is it affected by electromagnetic noise from nearby pumps and other equipment; and the instrument is compact. The densimeter has been deployed at Hanford tank SY-101 in the prefabricated pump pit process manifold to monitor slurry properties during radioactive waste transfers. To qualify densimeter performance prior to manifold installation in the radioactive pipeline, the probe was installed in the process manifold and performance was evaluated during tests using non-radioactive waste simulants over the density range from 1000 to 1500 kg/m3 . The probe predicted density within ± 2%. The sensor is installed in a nominal 5-cm-diameter (2-in.) pipe spool piece; the design pressure is 2.8 MPa (400 psi). To ensure operability during prolonged contact with radioactive waste, the probe wedge in contact with the slurry was selected to operate up to pH 14, and the probe components were radiation tested at exposures of 1×106 R.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Metallurgical Behavior of Adjusted Converter Slag in Reduction Process

The metallurgical behavior of adjusted converter slag components during the selective reduction process were investigated by thermodynamic calculating with different modified slag composition, addition of reducing agent and reduction temperature. The activities of main slag components were drawn from the calculated values. The results showed that the activity of SiO2 increased with increment of its mass fraction in slag. The solubility of SiO2 increased with increment of temperature. The selective reduction was promoted by selecting the appropriate amount of modifier. Reduction order was elucidated in this paper, Fe was reduced from the slag followed by P, Mn and Si and the reduction rate of Si could reach about 51%. The metal phase was rich in Fe, Si, Mn and P as a result of the selective reduction.
Absolute retinal blood flow measurement with a dual-beam Doppler optical coherence tomography.

Purpose To test the capability of a novel dual-beam Doppler optical coherence tomography (OCT) technique for simultaneous in vivo measurement of the Doppler angle and, thus, the absolute retinal blood velocity and the retinal flow rate, without the influence of motion artifacts. Methods A novel dual-beam Doppler spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT) was developed. The two probing beams are separated with a controllable distance along an arbitrary direction, both of which are controlled by two independent 2D optical scanners. Two sets of optical Doppler tomography (ODT) images are acquired simultaneously. The Doppler angle of each blood vessel segment is calculated from the relative coordinates of the centers of the blood vessel in the two corresponding ODT images. The absolute blood flow velocity and the volumetric blood flow rate can then be calculated. To measure the total retinal blood flow, we used a circular scan pattern centered at the optic disc to obtain two sets of concentric OCT/ODT images simultaneously. Results We imaged two normal human subjects at ages of 48 and 34 years. The total retinal blood flow rates of the two human subjects were calculated to be 47.01 μL/min (older subject) and 51.37 μL/min (younger subject), respectively. Results showed that the performance of this imaging system is immune to eye movement, since the two sets of ODT images were acquired simultaneously. Conclusions The dual-beam OCT/ODT system is successful in measuring the absolute retinal blood velocity and the volumetric flow rate. The advantage of the technique is that the two sets of ODT images used for the calculation are acquired simultaneously, which eliminates the influence of eye motion and ensures the accuracy of the calculated hemodynamic parameters.
Interpolation of scattered data: Distance matrices and conditionally positive definite functions

Among other things, we prove that multiquadric surface interpolation is always solvable, thereby settling a conjecture of R. Franke.
Transonic Euler Solutions on a Blunt, Body-Wing-Canard Configuration

The purpose of this investigation is to begin the validation process on a recently developed Euler code for multifinned bodies with low-aspect-ratio surfaces and to examine the aerodynamic effect of these fin surfaces on the configuration. Pressure distribution, local Mach number, and force and moment calculations are compared to wind-tunnel data for a cruciform, wing-canard body of revolution at angles of attack up to 12 deg. Near-sonic conditions at Mach 0.95 and 1.05 are predicted successfully and presented for body, wing, and canard surfaces. Effects of the wings and canards are examined by comparing body-wing-canard calculations with body-wing and body-alone predictions. An elliptic grid generator and explicit upwind Euler solver were used on a CRAY-XMP to obtain the results presented. The paper illustrates the inviscid code's capability to predict aerodynamic characteristics on geometrically complex configurations at near-sonic conditions and low-to-moderate angles of attack.
A new vision for the study of benign prostate disease: the NIDDK Prostate Research Strategic Plan.

Purpose: The American population continues to enjoy a steady increase in life expectancy. A major goal for this population is to maintain and improve quality of life as it ages. For men a major source of age related health burden is benign disorders of the prostate which, despite much research, remain poorly defined and require greater advancement in prevention and treatment. Thus, there is a substantial need to develop a long-range vision to focus and promote efforts to better understand and manage benign prostate disease. In response the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases convened a panel of key opinion leaders including basic researchers, translational scientists, epidemiologists, and clinicians and clinical researchers to develop a comprehensive strategic plan to advance research in benign prostate disease.Materials and Methods: The overall mission statement of this effort is “To discuss, evaluate, and propose research needs and a long-range research agenda (ie a strategi...
Locating Interim Assessments Within Teachers' Assessment Practice

Promising research on the teaching and learning impact of classroom-embedded formative assessment has spawned interest in a broader array of assessment tools and practices, including interim assessment. Although researchers have begun to explore the impact of interim assessments in the classroom, like other assessment tools and practices, they have been studied largely in isolation. Drawing on interview and classroom observation data for 32 teachers in two school districts, this article examines how teachers collect, interpret, and act on three types of assessment information: “short cycle” (Wiliam & Leahy, 2006) practices embedded within the flow of instruction, teacher-developed tools such as quizzes and homework assignments, and interim assessments. The article then describes the ways in which these types of assessment intersect within classroom practice and the degree to which teacher use of assessment tools or practices varies by type.
Revision zoogeografica marina del sur del brasil

El estudio inicial de la fauna y distribucion de cefalopodos de Brasil se convirtio en una revision de la zoogeografia de la region Tropical-Subtropical del sur del Brasil. Observaciones iniciales sobre zoogeografia marina brasilena tuvieron lugar en la primera parte del siglo XIX por naturalistas franceses, principalmente d'Orbigny, trabajando en cefalopodos. Posteriormente, el primer patron global de provincias zoologicas, definidas por James Dana en 1853 y basadas en zonas de temperaturas oceanicas, colocan el extremo meridional de la fauna tropical del Atlantico Occidental en una latitud de 30oS, incluyendo una zona de transicion (Sao Paulo) entre Rio de Janeiro y Porto Alegre. El analisis detallado de numerosos estudios subsecuentes en esta region lleva a la confirmacion de la validez conceptual de los puntos de vista de d'Orbigny, Dana, Forbes, Woodward y algunos mas durante el siglo pasado. En su tratado zoogeografico de 1953, Ekman no tuvo a su disposicion informacion adecuada sobre Brasil y senalo vagamente a Rio de Janeiro como el extremo sur de la fauna tropical, basado en la aparente ausencia de manglares y de arrecifes de coral. Este punto de vista ha sido fuente de confusion y debate, especialmente en el siglo XX. Toda la informacion oceanografica, geologica, sedimentaria y faunistica acumulada y estudiada hasta el presente senala a la region entre Rio Grande do Sul y Rio de la Plata, como la barrera ecologica fundamental (principalmente debido a cambios de temperatura), en la distribucion sur de organismos tropicales. Entre Espirito Santo y Rio Grande do Sul existe una zona de transicion faunistica caracterizada por complejas variaciones medioambientales estacionales, bajo la influencia alterna y combina de las Corrientes del Brasil y Falkland, en la margen occindetal de la Convergencia Subtropical/Subantartica. Esta zona de transicion constituye una provincia biogeografica, designada "Paulista", que contiene una proporcion significativa de elementos endemicos y algunos miembros de las faunas adjacentes, Caribe y Patagonica, ademas de organismos circuntropicales. Los limites de la provincia Paulista se hallan, en el norte en la isoterma de los 23oC, y en el sur, en la isocrima (temperaturas mas frias durante 30 dias consecutivos, definidas por Dana, 1853) de los 23oC.
A comparison of square, triangular, and sinusoidal waveforms used for avalanche electron injection in MOS structures

Abstract A comparative study of the effects of square, triangular and sinusoidal avalanche electron injection waveforms on metal-oxide-silicon (MOS) structures has been performed. Electron injection using a square wave yields the largest shift in flatband voltage of the MOS structure for a given injected electron fluence, while the triangular waveform produces the smallest shift. However, the magnitude of the increase in interface state density is similar for all three avalanche electron injection waveforms. Also, all three techniques yield a characteristic temperature of 5750 K for the injected electrons, indicating similar physical injection mechanisms. Square wave avalanche electron injection underestimates the total electron fluence because the current measurement circuit cannot respond to the initial current transient. This current transient also results in damage to the silicon dioxide at an applied electric field lower than the critical dielectric strength. Thus, a comparison of different avalanche electron injection data must specify, not only the input signal, but also the current measurement circuit used.
Coupled grouping and matching for sign and gesture recognition

Matching an image sequence to a model is a core problem in gesture or sign recognition. In this paper, we consider such a matching problem, without requiring a perfect segmentation of the scene. Instead of requiring that low- and mid-level processes produce near-perfect segmentation, we take into account that such processes can only produce uncertain information and use an intermediate grouping module to generate multiple candidates. From the set of low-level image primitives, such as constant color region patches found in each image, a ranked set of salient, overlapping, groups of these primitives are formed, based on low-level cues such as region shape, proximity, or color. These groups corresponds to underlying object parts of interest, such as the hands. The sequence of these frame-wise group hypotheses are then matched to a model by casting it into a minimization problem. We show the coupling of these hypotheses with both non-statistical matching (match to sample-based modeling of signs) and statistical matching (match to HMM models) are possible. Our algorithm not only produces a matching score, but also selects the best group in each image frame, i.e. recognition and final segmentation of the scene are coupled. In addition, there is no need for tracking of features across sequences, which is known to be a hard task. We demonstrate our method using data from sign language recognition and gesture recognition, we compare our results with the ground truth hand groups, and achieved less than 5% performance loss for both two models. We also tested our algorithm on a sports video dataset that has moving background.
A New Vector Partition of the Probability Score

Abstract A new vector partition of the probability, or Brier, score (PS) is formulated and the nature and properties of this partition are described. The relationships between the terms in this partition and the terms in the original vector partition of the PS are indicated. The new partition consists of three terms: 1) a measure of the uncertainty inherent in the events, or states, on the occasions of concern (namely, the PS for the sample relative frequencies); 2) a measure of the reliability of the forecasts; and 3) a new measure of the resolution of the forecasts. These measures of reliability and resolution are and are not, respectively, equivalent (i.e., linearly related) to the measures of reliability and resolution provided by the original partition. Two sample collections of probability forecasts are used to illustrate the differences and relationships between these partitions. Finally, the two partitions are compared, with particular reference to the attributes of the forecasts with which the pa...
Preliminary trial of combination therapy with adriamycin and radiation in sarcomas and other malignant tumors

Based on reports of synergism between adriamycin and radiation therapy in experimental systems, a trial was initiated testing this combination in 53 adult patients with various advanced malignancies, especially sarcomas. Since studies have suggested a selective sensitization of hypoxic cells when this drug is given prior to radiation, an injection of low-dose adriamycin was given 90 min before radiation. This treatment was repeated every 7 days. The combination was most effective in the 30 patients with soft-tissue sarcomas, with 62% of these patients having partial or complete responses. Responses were less good in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma or with other tumors. The toxicity of the combined treatment was moderate. Further trials of this combination are warranted.
PROTEOLYTIC ACTIVITY OF BACTERIAL STARTER CULTURES FOR MEAT FERMENTATION

Proteolytic activity of fermented meat starter cultures Pediococcus acidiliactic, Lactobacillus sake, Lactobacillus curvatus, Streptomyces griseus, Staphylococcus xylosus and Staphylococcus carnosus was examined after inoculation of sterile beef protein extracts containing 1% dextrose. Analysis for primary amines in extracts generated during fermentation of glucose showed that L. sake had the highest (P<0.05) proteolytic activity. The other cultures ranked from highest to lowest activity as follows: L. curvatus < S. carnosus < S. griseus < P. acidilactici < S. xylosus. All inoculated extracts showed a pH decline by 96 h to pH 3.76-4.31 whereas the control extract remained at 6.0-5.95. All cultures except S. xylosus had CFU increases within 24 h of inoculation. Only L. sake and S. xylosus had counts less than their initial level after 96 h. The results provide evidence that these commercially available starters for meat fermentation do possess significant proteolytic activity when tested using beef protein extracts.
Behavior of structurally divergent α-tubulin isotypes during Drosophila embryogenesis: Evidence for post-translational regulation of isotype abundance

Two major α-tubulin isotypes are present during Drosophila embryogenesis: an evolutionarily divergent maternal isotype that is synthesized only in the ovary and deposited in the oocyte and a highly conserved constitutive isotype that is both maternally supplied and zygotically synthesized. A maternal isotype-specific antibody and a monoclonal antibody that recognizes both the maternal and constitutive isotypes were characterized and used to determine the distribution and abundance of α-tubulins during embryogenesis. Both isotypes are abundant and assemble into all classes of microtubules from the syncytial blastoderm stage until completion of germ band retraction. During subsequent development, however, the maternal isotype is retained only in the developing CNS, and later in a subset of connective fibers within the CNS. In contrast, total α-bubulin levels remain high in essentially all tissues throughout embryogenesis, indicating that most tissues selectively accumulate the constitutive isotype. To determine if selective accumulation of the constitutive isotype requires zygotic synthesis of this protein, mutant embryos that do not contain functional constitutive α-tubulin genes were examined. In these embryos, as in wild type, the maternal isotype decreases to background levels in tissues that retain high levels of the constitutive isotype. The constitutive isotype therefore appears to be more stable than the maternal isotype in most tissues. Differences in isotype stability may play an important role in determining the developmental pattern of isotype accumulation in Drosophila embryos.
CARBON POWDER MAGNETIZATION THERMOMETRY FOR VERY LOW TEMPERATURES

We have investigated t he temperature dependent static magnetization of an amorphous car- bon black (Carbolac I) for use as a low temperature secondary thermometer. We find that the magne- tization obeys Curie's law above 10 mK. Measurements performed in a number of magnetic fields are consistent with a spin 1 paramagnetic system with a g-factor of 2.
Assessment of prostate cancer detection with a visual-search human model observer

Early staging of prostate cancer (PC) is a significant challenge, in part because of the small tumor sizes in- volved. Our long-term goal is to determine realistic diagnostic task performance benchmarks for standard PC imaging with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). This paper reports on a localization receiver operator characteristic (LROC) validation study comparing human and model observers. The study made use of a digital anthropomorphic phantom and one-cm tumors within the prostate and pelvic lymph nodes. Uptake values were consistent with data obtained from clinical In-111 ProstaScint scans. The SPECT simulation modeled a parallel-hole imaging geometry with medium-energy collimators. Nonuniform attenua- tion and distance-dependent detector response were accounted for both in the imaging and the ordered-subset expectation-maximization (OSEM) iterative reconstruction. The observer study made use of 2D slices extracted from reconstructed volumes. All observers were informed about the prostate and nodal locations in an image. Iteration number and the level of postreconstruction smoothing were study parameters. The results show that a visual-search (VS) model observer correlates better with the average detection performance of human observers than does a scanning channelized nonprewhitening (CNPW) model observer.
Location of Spaceborne Sar Imagery

A method has been developed to determine the location of a pixel in a digital SAR image. This technique utilizes the spacecraft ephemeris data and the characteristics of the SAR data collection system to produce an estimate of the latitude and longitude of an arbitrary pixel. This approach has an advantage over previous techniques in that it requires no reference points and is independent of spacecraft attitude knowledge or control. Tests were conducted using SEASAT SAR imagery, comparing predicted feature location with the location as determined by high precision area maps. Results indicate an accuracy of 200 m is attainable with this method. Error sources are analyzed and recommendations are given to improve image location accuracy in future spaceborne SAR's.