cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A novel technique to identify the nerve of origin in head and neck schwannomas.

Objective:Identifying the nerve of origin in head and neck schwannomas is a diagnostic challenge. Surgical management leads to a risk of permanent deficit. Accurate identification of the nerve would improve operative planning and patient counselling.Methods:Three patients with head and neck schwannomas underwent a diagnostic procedure hypothesised to identify the nerve of origin. The masses were infiltrated with 1 per cent lidocaine solution, and the patients were observed for neurological deficits.Results:All three patients experienced temporary loss of nerve function after lidocaine injection. Facial nerve palsy, voice changes with documented unilateral same-side vocal fold paralysis, and numbness in the distribution of the maxillary nerve (V2), respectively, led to a likely identification of the nerve of origin.Conclusion:Injection of lidocaine into a schwannoma is a safe, in-office procedure that produces a temporary nerve deficit, which may enable accurate identification of the nerve of origin of a schwannoma. Identifying the nerve of origin enhances operative planning and patient counselling.
The Production and Perception of Speech by a Misarticulating Child

Early research in speech perception sought to identify the acoustic cues used in the perception of speech. This research was made possible by the development of the sound spectrograph, the pattern playback, and, later, the computer-driven speech synthesizer
Depletion Induced Grain Growth in Alloy 751 After Long Term Aging and Its Effect on Fatigue

Expected service lifetimes for high temperature components can be many thousands of hours, and during this time microstructural degradation including surface oxidation are major concerns for the designer. Nickel based alloy 751 in two different grain sizes was subjected to exposure at 875 ℃ for up to 4,000 h in air. Fatigue testing was performed at 840 ℃ after exposure and the microstructures and fracture surfaces were characterized. Both grain sizes had similar amounts of oxide and alloy depletion, but it was found that the fine-grained material experienced significant depletion induced grain growth in the near-surface region. While 875 ℃ is significantly below the temperatures where grain growth is active for the bulk alloy composition, the depletion of Al, Ti, and Cr in the near surface region decreased the γ′ solvus and increased grain boundary mobility. Property testing was performed on the as-oxidized surfaces as well as post-machined surfaces to study the effect of this microstructural change. The experimental results show that the coarse-grained material had longer fatigue life after 4000 h, and that surface degradation had a more significant effect on the life of the fine-grained material.
Resources for faculty development in family violence

Medical school curriculum committees struggle not only with which topics to teach but also with how to teach them effectively. Even when curriculum committees or medical school deans decide to offer instruction in a new topic area, or an issue about which their students have a strong interest, they can find it difficult to find support for development of curriculum and faculty who are qualified to teach in the area. When the topic or course addresses family violence, there are additional challenges for the institution and for individual faculty members. This article describes the unique challenges facing faculty development in the field of family violence, reviews standard approaches to faculty development, and offers specific suggestions for accessing existing resources and faculty development opportunities. Language: en
Elimination of the error signal in the superior colliculus impairs saccade motor learning

When movements become dysmetric, the resultant motor error induces a plastic change in the cerebellum to correct the movement, i.e., motor adaptation. Current evidence suggests that the error signal to the cerebellum is delivered by complex spikes originating in the inferior olive (IO). To prove a causal link between the IO error signal and motor adaptation, several studies blocked the IO, which, unfortunately, affected not only the adaptation but also the movement itself. We avoided this confound by inactivating the source of an error signal to the IO. Several studies implicate the superior colliculus (SC) as the source of the error signal to the IO for saccade adaptation. When we inactivated the SC, the metrics of the saccade to be adapted were unchanged, but saccade adaptation was impaired. Thus, an intact rostral SC is necessary for saccade adaptation. Our data provide experimental evidence for the cerebellar learning theory that requires an error signal to drive motor adaptation.
Exquisite regulation of supramolecular equilibrium polymers in water: chain stoppers control length, polydispersity and viscoelasticity

Supramolecular polymers are increasingly important materials for applications that require the controlled assembly and disassembly of structures having well-defined shapes and properties. Subtle changes in molecular structure and solvent properties can profoundly affect these materials because of the relatively weak noncovalent interactions that govern their formation. We report the discovery that positively charged small molecules that are planar, or have planar elements, can be employed as noncovalent chain stoppers (NCSs) to control the length of supramolecular polymers in aqueous solution. The supramolecular polymers are composed of 2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine and a modified cyanuric acid, monomers that assemble through interactions that mimic the base pairs of DNA. These assemblies are equilibrium polymers, a type of supramolecular polymers that, in the absence of any chain stoppers, are extremely long (e.g., multiple microns in length). The lengths of these assemblies are controlled by a NCS in a concentration-dependent and compound-specific manner, giving rise to supramolecular polymers with low polydispersity. This behavior is attributed to the homogeneity of the NCS distribution within the system, and their “ideal-gas-like” number density fluctuations. These supramolecular polymers form physical hydrogel with viscoelastic properties that can be tuned by the addition of a NCS, thereby demonstrating the potential of this approach for controlling the dimensions of supramolecular polymers in water as well as the macroscopic properties of materials formed by such polymers.
Intracortical astrocyte subpopulations defined by astrocyte reporter Mice in the adult brain

Although historically regarded as a homogeneous cell population, astrocytes in different brain regions exhibit differences in their physiological properties, such as gap-junction coupling, glutamate uptake dynamics, and intracellular Ca2+ response. Recent in vivo RNA profiles have further demonstrated the molecular heterogeneity of astrocytes in the adult CNS. Astrocyte heterogeneity exists not only inter-regionally but also intra-regionally. Despite the characteristic laminal organization of cortical layers and multiple sources of radial glia progenitors for (astro)gliogenesis, the molecular profile and functional properties of astroglial subpopulations in the adult cerebral cortex remain essentially undefined. Using two astrocyte reporter mouse lines: eaat2-tdTomato and Bac aldh1l1-eGFP, we identified tdT- eGFP+ , tdTlow eGFP+ , and tdThigh eGFP+ astroglial subpopulations (in an approximate 1:7:2 ratio) within the cortex. The tdT- eGFP+ astrocyte population is selectively localized at layers I-II and exhibits increased resting membrane potential and membrane resistance but reduced functional expression of the potassium channel Kir4.1. We also isolated individual astrocyte subpopulations through fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) and examined their transcriptome differences by RNA-seq. We found that the whole-genome transcriptional profiles of tdT- eGFP+ astrocytes are drastically different from that of tdTlow eGFP+ and tdThigh eGFP+ astrocytes. Particularly, elevated levels of several nonastrocyte genes that are typically specific to other glial cells, such as mog, mobp, Iba1, and pdgfrα, are observed in tdT- eGFP+ astrocytes, suggesting a less-specific molecular identity of these astrocytes. Overall, our study has unveiled molecular differences between adult cortical astroglial subpopulations, shedding new light on understanding their unique functions in the adult cortex.
Integrating Inter-vehicular Communication, Vehicle Localization, and a Digital Map for Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control with Target Detection Loss

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) that enables vehicle following with desired inter-vehicular distances. Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) is upgraded ACC that utilizes additional inter-vehicular wireless communication to share vehicle states such as acceleration to enable shorter gap following. Both ACC and CACC rely on range sensors such as radar to obtain the actual inter-vehicular distance for gap-keeping control. The range sensor may lose detection of the target, the preceding vehicle, on curvy roads or steep hills due to limited angle of view. Unfavourable weather conditions, target selection failure, or hardware issue may also result in target detection loss. During target detection loss, the vehicle following system usually falls back to Cruise Control (CC) wherein the follower vehicle maintains a constant speed. In this work, we propose an alternative way to obtain the inter-vehicular distance during target detection loss to continue vehicle following. The proposed algorithm integrates inter-vehicular communication, accurate vehicle localization, and a digital map with lane center information to approximate the inter-vehicular distance. In-lab robot following experiments demonstrated that the proposed algorithm provided desirable inter-vehicular distance approximation. Although the algorithm is intended for vehicle following application, it can also be used for other scenarios that demand vehicles' relative distance approximation. The work also showcases our in-lab development effort of robotic emulation of traffic for connected and automated vehicles.
Analysis of the pathogenic I326T variant of human tRNA nucleotidyltransferase reveals reduced catalytic activity and thermal stability in vitro linked to a conformational change

The I326T mutation in the TRNT1 gene encoding human tRNA nucleotidyltransferase (tRNA-NT) is linked to a relatively mild form of SIFD. Previous work indicated that the I326T variant was unable to incorporate AMP into tRNAs in vitro, however, expression of the mutant allele from a strong heterologous promoter supported in vivo CCA addition to both cytosolic and mitochondrial tRNAs in a yeast strain lacking tRNA-NT. To address this discrepancy, we determined the biochemical and biophysical characteristics of the I326T variant enzyme and the related variant, I326A. Our in vitro analysis revealed that the I326T substitution decreases the thermal stability of the enzyme and causes a ten-fold reduction in enzyme activity. We propose that the structural changes in the I326T variant that lead to these altered parameters result from a rearrangement of helices within the body domain of the protein which can be probed by the inability of the monomeric enzyme to form a covalent dimer in vitro mediated by C373. In addition, we confirm that the effects of the I326T or I326A substitutions are relatively mild in vivo by demonstrating that the mutant alleles support both mitochondrial and cytosolic CCA-addition in yeast.
Fertility Preservation for a Transgender Man

A 23-year-old transgender man, gravida 0, presented to a reproductive endocrinology clinic for fertility preservation after initiating androgen therapy and prior to a laparoscopic hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for chronic pelvic pain.
Outcomes of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for BPDCN

Background Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare, aggressive hematologic malignancy arising from plasmacytoid dendritic cells. It commonly presents as skin lesions with or without bone marrow, lymph node or systemic involvement. Limited retrospective data have shown durable remissions after allogeneic (allo) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Methods In this retrospective single-center analysis, we evaluated outcomes of17 BPDCNpatients treated with allo-HCT between September 2000 and August 2019 at our institution. Results We identified 17 consecutive patients who received an allo-HCT for BPDCN. Patient characteristics are summarized in the attached table. Four (23%) had prior hematologic malignancies (HM). Nine (59%) had a cytogenetic abnormality at baseline, and 5/15 (33%), who were evaluated by a Next-generation Sequencing (NGS) Leukemia Mutation Panel, had TET2 mutation. Median time from diagnosis to HCT was 6.7 months (4-42). Median follow up was 7.8 (1.1-76.1) months. One-hundred day and 1-year non-relapse mortality (NRM) was 6% and 35%, respectively. Grade 1-2 acute GVHD was seen in 5/16 (31%), and limited or extensive chronic GVHD in 4/16 (25%) evaluable patients. Only two of the 17 (12%) allo-HCT patients progressed after HCT. Two-year PFS and OS was 48% (95% confidence interval=20%, 72%) and 56% (26%, 78%), respectively. Patients receiving allo-HCT in CR1 without prior HM had significantly better PFS (71% vs. 0%; p=0.020) and OS (71% vs. 0%; p=0.036). Conclusions These results demonstrate the safety and efficacy of allo-HCT inBPDCN. Patients undergoing allo-HCT in CR1 and without prior HM had significantly better outcomes. Prospective studies are needed to better define the role of allo-HCT inBPDCN.
EasyDIVER: A Pipeline for Assembling and Counting High-Throughput Sequencing Data from In Vitro Evolution of Nucleic Acids or Peptides

In vitro evolution is a well-established technique for the discovery of functional RNA and peptides. Increasingly, these experiments are analyzed by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) for both scientific and engineering objectives, but computational analysis of HTS data, particularly for peptide selections, can present a barrier to entry for experimentalists. We introduce EasyDIVER (Easy pre-processing and Dereplication of In Vitro Evolution Reads), a simple, user-friendly pipeline for processing high-throughput sequencing data from in vitro selections and directed evolution experiments. The pipeline takes as input raw, paired-end, demultiplexed Illumina read files. For each sample provided, EasyDIVER outputs a dereplicated list of unique nucleic acid and/or peptide sequences and their count reads.
Flipped Classroom in a Therapeutic Modality Course: Students' Perspective.

The use of flipped classrooms has gained momentum and involves the instructor replacing the passive reception of material found in common lectures, so class time may be used for hands-on practical application, discussion, or assignments. The purpose of this paper is to explore students’ perceptions of a flipped therapeutic modality course. Focus group interviews were conducted with sixteen participants (14 female, 2 male) who completed a therapeutic modality course. Data were collected through 4 focus group interviews, which were digitally recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed to uncover dominant themes—first by organizing the data, then summarizing data into codes, and finally interpreting. Credibility was secured through peer review, member checks, and investigator triangulation. The analysis resulted in three common themes: the flipped classroom (1) was perceived as valuable by students, (2) led to active participation in class, and (3) helped students feel better prepared for the class. Athletic training students, particularly in a flipped therapeutic modality course, valued this pedagogical approach.
Stochastic framework for peak demand reduction opportunities with solar energy for manufacturing facilities

Abstract Demand-side management has gained traction as a means for energy service providers to persuade their customers to change the pattern of their energy use. The aim is typically to create a balance between electrical supply and demand, particularly with the introduction of variable distributed resources such as solar. This paper proposes a non-intrusive methodology for evaluating an energy customer's potential for participation in demand-side management programs with a focus on manufacturing facilities. The methodology rests on modeling the stochasticity of individuals' energy loads to estimate when peak demand is most likely to occur. The proposed methodology is applied to the design of solar photovoltaic power generation for the purpose of maximum demand-side peak reduction in the targeted facility. The results of a case study reveal that the proposed methodology enabled a user to attain 2.5% more cost savings, while reducing the amount of electrical energy sold back to the utility company by 45.8%.
Stability Certification of Dynamical Systems: Lyapunov Logic Learning Machine

The stability of the dynamical system is associated with the concept of Region of Attraction (ROA), whose accurate estimation opens the door to multidisciplinary approaches involving control theory and machine learning. The Lyapunov theory provides sufficient conditions for stability and it can be applied to derive the ROA. However, finding the appropriate Lyapunov functions for accurate ROA estimation often is a major issue. The inherent region may be overly tight or, in the case of a multi-dimensional dynamical system, be difficult to understand in virtue of the inherent mathematical complexity (e.g., polynomials with high degree). The use of explainable machine learning overcomes this issue, by exploiting the model intelligibility to describe the ROA in terms of states. In this perspective, explainable machine learning and Lyapunov stability theory are jointly studied to let the ROA be intelligible and to simplify the optimization procedure for constructing positively invariant estimates of the ROA. Results on the Van der Pol oscillator show how this may lead to larger ROAs than via traditional methods.
Survival of western Gulf Coast Mottled Ducks (Anas fulvigula) in the path of a Category 4 hurricane

Tropical cyclones are the most powerful storms on earth, causing catastrophic damage to human lives and infrastructure. Hurricanes also cause wildlife mortality when they make landfall, but the severity of these effects is difficult to quantify because data collection is either logistically impossible or deprioritized in the wake of human tragedy. On August 27, 2020, Hurricane Laura made landfall in southwestern Louisiana with maximum sustained winds of 241 kph (150 mph), making it one of the most powerful storms to strike the mainland United States. Hurricane Laura passed directly over the core breeding range of the western Gulf Coast population of Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula), during a time when many adult birds were undergoing a simultaneous wing feather molt and were flightless. We used GPS-GSM telemetry data to evaluate survival rates of adult female Mottled Ducks in late summer 2020 (bracketing August 27 by one month on either side) relative to the same period in 2018 and 2019. Mortality was lower in 2018 (12 out of 29; 41%) and 2019 (8 out of 28; 29%) than in 2020 (12 out of 18; 67%), and 7 out of 12 mortalities documented in 2020 occurred when Hurricane Laura made landfall. Survival analyses in program MARK confirmed lower survival probability in 2020, but there was overlap in 85% confidence intervals in all years. This single storm resulted in the death of ~40% of all marked birds in our sample, suggesting that hurricanes have the potential to influence population demographics. In addition, Hurricane Laura resulted in widespread habitat loss and degradation that has reduced available nesting habitat in 2021, and possibly for years to come. The acute and chronic effects of hurricanes may exacerbate Mottled Duck population declines, which may worsen in the face of increasingly frequent and more severe tropical storms.
The Poetry of Geoffrey Hill

The word 'formal' in criticism often associates with ideas concerning metrical iambic, strict stanzaic form and rhyme, and the containment by these devices of whatever the poet has to say. It may be used approvingly, or, since the current has recently run more the other way, as a means of implying that a poet using these forms has little to say, and that his sensibility and imagination are insensi tive, that the courage a poet needs in order to articulate what ought essentially to be his way of exploring life is absent. As corollary to this, it is implied that only what is new in structure can sensitively and honestly engage this, since, it is argued, we are in the midst of such changes that only those forms originated by the poet in co-operation with his constantly changing environment can adequately express the new (as well as the past and hidden) in the tormenting life so many are forced to live.
INSTABILITY WAVES AND THE ORIGIN OF BUBBLES IN FLUIDIZED BEDS

Abstract Statistically significant measurements of the propagation properties of instability waves in a two-dimensional liquid fluidized bed are reported. Visual and quantitave measurements show that although the waves experience an initially exponential growth in amplitude, the ultimate state of motion exhibited is that of the complicated formation and destruction of cylindrical bubble-like structures. Expected values of their amplitude, frequency, and velocity are measured, and preliminary scaling laws are proposed. The implication is that bubbles in gas-fluidized beds are a result of the same instability of the state of uniform fluidization.
Modifications of a barium surface conversion source for operation with RF discharge

A surface production D/sup +/ ion source for fusion research is in the process of being developed at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Significant modifications to prototype surface conversion source are described. A "converter" consisting of a water cooled molybdenum substrate with a 1 mm barium surface layer has been developed. The source has been adapted from the filament to the RF discharge. The design and fabrication of the barium converter, the development of RF antennas, and the design of diagnostic tools for evaluating source performance are discussed.
Securities Law's Dirty Little Secret

Securities law’s dirty little secret is that rich investors have access to special kinds of investments—hedge funds, private equity, private companies—that everyone else does not. This disparity stems from the fact that, from its inception, federal securities law has jealously guarded the manner in which firms can sell shares to the general public. Perhaps paternalistically, the law assumes that the average investor needs the protection of the full panoply of securities regulation and thus should be limited to buying public securities. In contrast, accredited—i.e., wealthy— investors, who it is presumed can fend for themselves, have the luxury of choosing between the public and private markets. This Article uses the emergence of new secondary markets in the shares of private companies to illustrate the above disparity, which has long characterized the world of investment access. First, focusing narrowly on these markets reveals their troubling potential effects on the venture capital world, a vital source of startup funding. More broadly, these new secondary markets bring to light the stark contrasts in investing power and access that have always been securities law’s dirty little secret: by making it easier for accredited investors to wield their special privilege, the new markets just make the disparity of investment access more obvious. For example, after Facebook’s initial public offering, it was widely reported that accredited investors had been buying shares of the high-profile company in the three years before it rather disastrously went public—at which point the big money had already been made. Thus, the increased transparency that the secondary markets bring to the world of private investment makes our overall securities law newly vulnerable to a fundamental critique: government intervention has created an investing climate that lets the rich get richer, while the poor get left behind. The Article acknowledges elements keeping the current system in place, explaining the current inequality of investor access by way of public choice theory: regulators and companies alike favor the status quo. Viewed from the perspective of the little guy, however, inequality in investment access may prove less defensible and ultimately less tenable. I suggest a modest fix: letting the general public participate in the private market via mutual fund investment, something it currently cannot do.
Vitamin D-related therapies in prostate cancer.

Calcitriol or 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (vitamin D) is classically known for its effects on bone and mineral metabolism. Epidemiological data suggest that low vitamin D levels increase the risk and mortality from prostate cancer. Calcitriol is also a potent anti-proliferative agent in a wide variety of malignant cell types including prostate cancer cells. In prostate model systems (PC-3, LNCaP, DU145, MLL) calcitriol has significant anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo. Calcitriol’s effects are associated with an increase in cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, differentiation and in the modulation of growth factor receptors. Calcitriol induces asignificant Go/Gii arrest and modulates p21Waf1/Cip1 and p27Kip1, the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors. Calcitriol induces PARP cleavage, increases the bax/bcl-2 ratio, reduces levels of phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinases (P-MAPKs, P-Erk-1/2) and phosphorylated Akt (P-Akt), induces caspase-dependent MEK cleavage and up-regula tion of MEKK-1, all potential markers of the apoptotic pathway. Glucocorticoids potentiate the anti-tumor effect of calcitriol and decrease calcitriol-induced hypercalcemia. In combination with calcitriol, dexamethasone results in a significant time- and dose-dependent increase in VDR protein and an enhanced apoptotic response as compared to calcitriol alone. Calcitriol can also significantly increase cytotoxic drug-mediated anti-tumor efficacy. As a result, phase I and II trials of calcitriol either alone or in combination with the carboplatin, paclitaxel, or dexamethasone have been initiated in patients with androgen-dependent and -independent prostate cancer and advanced cancer. Patients were evaluated for toxicity, maximum tolerated dose (MTD), schedule effects, and PSA response. Data from these studies indicate that high-dose calcitriol is feasible on an intermittent schedule, the MTD is still being delineated and dexamethasone or paclitaxel appear to ameliorate toxicity. Studies continue to define the MTD of calcitriol which can be safely administered on this intermittent schedule either alone or with other agents and to evaluate the mechanisms of calcitriol effects in prostate cancer.
Coagulopathy after Polytrauma and Hemorrhage in Rats

Background: Polytrauma and hemorrhage in rats leads to an elevation in Prothombin Time. This coagulopathy mimics the clinical hypocoagulation seen in both civilian and military patients after trauma. This model was used to determine if the coagulopathy is caused by a fall in pro-coagulant or rise in fibrinolytic activity. Method: Sprague-Dawley rats (300-400g, n=8) were anesthetized with Isoflurane. Polytrauma was induced by damage to the small intestines, left and medial liver lobes, right leg skeletal muscle, and by fracturing the right femur. The rats were bled 40% of the blood volume. No fluid resuscitation was given. Blood samples were taken before (time 0) and 30, 60, 120 and 240min after trauma. Coagulation factors were measured in plasma by immuno or enzymatic assay. Results:Prothrombin time significantly increased over the 4hr period. Plasma thrombin activity did not change over time, however, plasmin activity and D-Dimer concentration was significantly elevated. Tissue plasminogen activator was ...
Interactive Multimedia Learning Environments: Tools to Foster Transition to the Learning Paradigm.

This paper reports on research that used the development of interactive multimedia learning environments as a device to allow faculty to explore principles of the Learning Paradigm. The following pedagogical feature set of this technology that resonated with faculty and that can foster transition to the Learning Paradigm is presented: (1) interactivity fosters active learning; (2) the sensory-rich nature of this technology facilitates the engagement of additional powerful cognitive processes; and (3) integration of assessment tools into the environment can provide students with feedback and encouragement, allow the collection of diagnostic clues about individual student learning needs, and enable the collection data to evaluate student learning outcomes. Examples of four kinds of learning environments (i.e., learning facts, building concepts, experiencing critical inquiry, and fostering student-originated research) developed in the Department of Biology of the University of Hartford (Connecticut) are presented to illustrate these principles. Assessment issues as they vary across this learning continuum are also explored. (MES) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.
Spirituality, Religion, and Faith in Psychotherapy: Evidence-Based Expressive Methods for Mind, Brain, and Body, by H. Land

Health and mental health settings are embracing the use of expressive arts therapies as evidence-based, holistic treatment methods. Simultaneously, social workers, counselors, and clinicians are in...
Metareasoning in Real-time Heuristic Search

Real-time heuristic search addresses the setting in which planning andacting can proceed concurrently. We explore the use of metareasoning at two decision points within a real-time heuristic search. First, if the domain has an `identity action' that allows the agent to remain in the same state and deliberate further, when should this action be taken? Second, given a partial plan that extends to the lookahead frontier, to how many actions should the agent commit? We show that considering these decisions carefully can reduce the agent's total time taken to arrive at a goal in several benchmark domains, relative to the current state-of-the-art. The resulting algorithm can dynamically adjust the way it interleaves planning and acting, between greedy hill-climbing and A*, depending on the problem instance.
Reconstruction of signals from their linear mapping image

Many signal processing problems can be formulated as that of reconstructing a signal given an observed linear mapping (or transformation) of that signal. As an example, the extrapolation of a time-truncated version of a band-limited signal may be so characterized. More specifically, we shall herein consider the task of reconstructing a signal x, which lies in a prespecified closed subspace of a Hilbert space, and, in which the only information available is the linear mapping y = Lx of that signal. This reconstruction will be implemented by means of an algorithmic procedure. Necessary and sufficient conditions which ensure the algorithm's convergence are presented.
Axial-strain-induced torsion in single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Using classical molecular dynamics and empirical potentials, we show that the axial deformation of single-walled carbon nanotubes is coupled to their torsion. The axial-strain-induced torsion is limited to chiral nanotubes—graphite sheets rolled around an axis that breaks its symmetry. Small strain behavior is consistent with chirality and curvature-induced elastic anisotropy (CCIEA)—carbon nanotube rotation is equal and opposite in tension and compression, and decreases with curvature and chirality. The largestrain compressive response is remarkably different. The coupling progressively decreases, in contrast to the tensile case, and changes its sign at a critical compressive strain. Thereafter, it untwists with increasing axial strain and then rotates in the opposite direction, i.e., the same sense as under tension. This suggests that the response is now dictated by a combination of nonlinear elasticity and CCIEA. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.165501
Applying the results of transaction log analysis

The ability to conduct unobtrusive observation of user searching is a potential strength of the method of information retrieval system analysis known as transaction log analysis (TLA). Transaction logs supply unequivocal information about what a user typed while searching. All other methods rely on self‐reporting, which, as Nielsen points out, is not always corroborated by the logs. Regardless of where in an institution information retrieval (IR) system evaluation takes place, TLA is a method that enables library staff at all levels to examine a variety of system and user‐related activities that are recorded on the log. Dominick suggested that TLA can enable the examination of three broad categories of activity: 1) system performance and resource utilization, 2) information retrieval performance, and 3) user interaction with the IR system. This article has been divided into several sections corresponding to functional areas in a library to suggest useful applications of TLA.
Differentiating Isobaric Steroid Hormone Metabolites Using Multi-Stage Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Steroid hormones and their metabolites are currently undergoing clinical trials as potential therapeutics for traumatic brain injury (TBI). To support this work, it is necessary to develop improved procedures for differentiating isobaric species in this compound class. Equilin sulfate (E-S), estrone sulfate (E1-S), 17α-dihydroequilin sulfate (ADHE-S), and 17β-dihydroequilin sulfate (BDHE-S) are primary constituents in hormone replacement therapies, such as Premarin, which are among pharmaceuticals being investigated for TBI treatment. The latter three compounds are isomers and can be difficult to differentiate in trace analytical determinations. In this work, a systematic study of the fragmentation of ADHE-S, BDHE-S, E1-S, and E-S under different stages of higher order tandem mass spectrometry (MSn) and variation of collision energy, allowed optimization of conditions for distinguishing the isomeric structures. For epimeric variants (e.g., ADHE-S versus BDHE-S; α- versus β-stereoisomerization in the C-17 position), differentiation was achieved at MS4 and fragmentation was demonstrated through MS5. Computational analysis was performed to further explore differences in the fragmentation pathways due to changes in stereochemistry.
Clinical implications of pathophysiologic changes in the midlife hypertensive patient

Both aging and hypertension decrease cardiac output through a lower stroke volume and a diminished beta-adrenergic responsiveness. In parallel, the vascular resistance increases because of vascular hypertrophy. In addition, in hypertension the alpha-adrenergic responsiveness is enhanced. Aging and hypertension are also associated with an increase in plasma cholesterol and insulin values. These alterations in cholesterol and insulin levels become particularly pronounced in middle-aged patients with hypertension. alpha-Adrenergic-blocking agents have a positive effect on lipids and insulin resistance. The shift toward enhanced alpha-adrenergic responsiveness, and the fact that vasodilators do not diminish exercise performance favor the use of alpha-blockers as a first drug in middle-aged patients with hypertension. Blood pressure lowering still remains the paramount goal, and these compounds should be used only if proved to be efficacious in a given individual patient.
Frequency domain equalizer in few-mode fiber space-division-multiplexing systems

Few-mode fiber (FMF) communication system has been emerging as a promising space-division-multiplexing (SDM) technology to overcome the next-generation capacity crunch. The key challenges of FMF system are inter-modal crosstalk due to random mode coupling and large differential mode group delay (DMGD). Adaptive frequency domain least mean square (FD-LMS) algorithm has been proposed and demonstrated as the most hardware efficient method in compensating large DMGD and random mode coupling. In this paper, we propose a noise power directed adaptive FD-LMS algorithm, which adopts variable step size to render the posterior error of each frequency bin converge to the background noise level in the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. Our simulation result shows that, in a 3000 km two-mode transmission system with 35 ps/km DMGD, noise power directed algorithm can improve the convergence speed by 34% and 54% compared to signal power spectrum density (PSD) dependent adaptive FD-LMS method and conventional fixed step-size adaptive FD-LMS method, with the hardware complexity (number of complex multiplication) increased by only 5.7% and 8.1% respectively. We also propose to use a single-stage adaptive equalizer for compensating both chromatic dispersion (CD) and DMGD simultaneously for further decreasing the overall hardware complexity of digital signal processor (DSP) in coherent receivers. We show that such single-stage equalizer may have a slower convergence speed due to a larger mean square error (MSE) induced by uncompensated CD in equalizer's initial condition. We extend the proposed noise power directed algorithm to increase the convergence speed of the single-stage equalizer; and the simulation results show that the noise power directed algorithm can achieve 51% faster convergence speed than conventional algorithm in a 3000 km transmission system with DMGD of 35 ps/km and CD of 20 ps/nm/km.
Mineralocorticoid-resistant renal hyperkalemia without salt wasting (type II pseudohypoaldosteronism): role of increased renal chloride reabsorption.

A rare syndrome has been described in which mineralocorticoid-resistant hyperkalemia of renal origin occurs in the absence of glomerular insufficiency and renal sodium wasting and in which hyperchloremic acidosis, hypertension, and hyporeninemia coexist. The primary abnormality has been postulated to be a defect of the potassium secretory mechanism of the distal nephron. The present studies were carried out to investigate the mechanism of impaired renal potassium secretion in a patient with this syndrome. When dietary intake of sodium chloride was normal, renal clearance of potassium was subnormal (CK/GFR = 3.6 +/- 0.2%; normal subjects, 9.0 +/- 0.9%, N = 4) despite high normal or supernormal levels of plasma and urinary aldosterone. The fractional clearance of potassium remained subnormal (CK/GFR = 5.1 +/- 0.2%) during superimposed chronic administration of superphysiologic doses of mineralocorticoid hormone. Little increase in renal potassium clearance occurred when the delivery of sodium to distal nephron segments was increased further by the i.v. infusion of sodium chloride, despite experimentally sustained hypermineralocorticoidism. But potassium clearance increased greatly when delivery of sodium to the distal nephron was increased by infusion of nonchloride anions: sulfate (sodium sulfate infusion, low sodium chloride diet; CK/GFR = 63.7 +/- 0.4%) or bicarbonate (sodium bicarbonate plus acetazolamide infusion; CK/GFR = 81.7 +/- 1.7%). These findings indicate that mineralocorticoid-resistant renal hyperkalemia in this patient cannot be attributed to the absence of a renal potassium secretory capability or to diminished delivery of sodium to distal nephron segments; instead it may be dependent on chloride delivery to the distal nephron. We suggest that the primary abnormality in this syndrome increases the reabsorptive avidity of the distal nephron for chloride, which (1) limits the sodium and mineralocorticoid-dependent voltage driving force for potassium and hydrogen ion secretion, resulting in hyperkalemia and acidosis and (2) augments distal sodium chloride reabsorption resulting in hyperchloremia, volume expansion, hyporeninemia, and hypertension.
Death by Design: A Personal Introspection

Abstract Objectives: Comprehending the impact of high-risk behaviors leading to premature death and analyzing high-risk behavior in the physical dimension of health in order to reduce personal risk. Students will state how personal perspectives of life and death influence decisions to engage in high-risk behavior and communicate behavior changes needed in the social, intellectual, and emotional dimensions of health to achieve life goals. Target Audience: Health students in grades 9-12.
Morphological segmentation and 3-D rendering of the brain in magnetic resonance imaging

The authors have developed a morphological technique, based on geodesic dilation using fast propagation of regional maxima, for segmenting the skin, bone, and dura from 3-D MR studies of the head, exposing the outer surface of the brain for 3-D rendering. The proposed algorithm for segmentation belongs to the class of connectivity segmentation techniques and uses morphological gray scale reconstruction and the distance function to discriminate connections by their width. By following only the connections wider than a critical dimension, the connectivity does not extend outside of the brain through nerves and other small paths connecting the brain to other tissues. On an IBM 6000 RISC workstation, the entire segmentation process takes less than three seconds per slice. With the volume segmented, we render the brain using a modification of the rendering process proposed by Michael Bomans and Karl-Heinz Hohn for visualizing poorly defined surfaces such as the sulci of the brain. The modification uses a depth map transformation that permits replacing the compute-intensive 3-D closing with the rolling ball applied in 2-D. This method also eliminates the need to maintain two separate volumes for the rendering process.
Partially defatted soy flour effects on sensory and physical characteristics of baked products

Physical and sensory characteristics of quick breads (e.g. muffins) formulated to contain 0%, 40%, 50% or 60% of partially defatted soy flour substituted for wheat flour were evaluated. As defatted soy flour levels increased, muffin batter linespread, baked volume, peak height at the crown and lightness (L* value) decreased while baked product air cell number, redness and yellowness (a* and b* values), crust surface unevenness, graininess, aftertaste, tenderness and moistness increased. Results indicate that partially defatted soy flour substituted for wheat flour at high levels in muffins adversely affected both physical and sensory characteristics.
Statistical power of EDF tests of normality and the sample size required to distinguish geometric-normal (lognormal) from arithmetic-normal distributions of low variability

Abstract Many biological variables are distributed geometrically (proportionally) rather than arithmetically, and they are lognormal rather than normal on the usual arithmetic scale of measurement. The distinction is important because it affects statistical interpretation at many levels: for example, logarithmic transformations commonly used in biology to standardize variances and linearize relationship of arithmetic measurements will skew underlying distributions if these are inherently arithmetic-normal but not if they are geometric-normal. The purpose of this study is to determine theoretically, using Monte Carlo simulation, which of a range of recommended tests of normality has greatest power, and what sample size is required to distinguish geometric-normal from arithmetic-normal distributions when inherent variability is low, as it is in most biological distributions. Lilliefors’ version of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Frosini’s test, and the Anderson-Darling test are three non-parametric goodness-of-fit tests of normality based on an observed empirical distribution function. When inherent variability V is on the order of 0.10 (standard deviation 10% of mean), Lilliefors’ test requires a minimum sample of about 2200 to correctly distinguish lognormal distributions from normal 95% of the time (with the level of significance or type I error rate α and the type II error rate β both 0.05). In the same situation, Frosini’s test requires a minimum sample of about 1700; the Anderson-Darling test is more powerful, but still requires a minimum sample of about 1500. Power is sensitive to inherent variability: when V = 0.05 the Anderson-Darling test requires a minimum sample much greater than 2500, but when V = 0.15 it requires a minimum sample of only about 650. Sensitivity of the power of all tests to inherent variability means that the normality of body measurements like weight with V typically ≈0.15 is more easily tested than the normality of body lengths with V typically ≈0.05 in the same sample. Inherent variability must be considered in designing empirical tests of normality, and differences in inherent variability must be considered in interpreting results.
Infidelity, race, and gender: An evolutionary perspective on asymmetries in subjective distress to violations-of-trust

Asymmetries in subjective distress were observed among African American and white (N = 191) men and women who were asked to imagine a partner being emotionally and sexually unfaithful, and a partner committing other paired, gender-linked viola-tions-of-trust. More women than men were distressed by imagining a partner forming a deep emotional attachment to another person and more men than women were distressed by imagining a partner enjoying passionate sexual intercourse with another person. In addition, more men than women were distressed by male-linked violations, such as a partner no longer trying to look attractive, and more women than men were distressed by female-linked violations, such as a partner no longer wanting to work. The results contribute to a growing body of cross-cultural research reporting gender differences in distress to emotional and sexual infidelity. The results also provide cross-cultural validation of the extension of an evolutionary perspective to under-standing gender differences in subjective distress to other biologically relevant viola-tions-of-trust.
Relationship of the Natural Body Damping and Body Frequency to the Ballistocardiogram

By means of a direct body ballistocardiograph the relationship of body frequency and damping to the ballistocardiogram in normal subjects was investigated. The influence of age and body measurements were studied and the findings subjected to statistical analysis. The degree of body damping was related to age but not to anthropometric measurements. Overweight and underweight influenced body frequency but not body damping. Respiratory changes had no influence on either body frequency or damping. It was suggested that to record a true ballistocardiogram of the cardiovascular forces more consideration must be given to body damping.
Near-infrared surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of chemisorbed compounds on gold colloids

Near-infrared surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra have been measured for strongly chemisorbed compounds, such as 4-mercaptopyridine and thiophenol, on gold colloids in mixed solvents of ethanol and water using a diode laser as an excitation source. From UV-vis spectroscopy, the aggregated gold colloids show a broad absorbance band through the visible to the near-infrared after adding chemisorbing compounds. The absorption maximum is located in the range 750–850 nm, permitting the use of a near-IR source (826 nm) for the first time in SERS of gold colloid systems. The estimated enhancement is on the order of 105. Transmission electron microscopy of aggregated gold particles revealed a cluster morphology. The aggregated mixed-solvent colloids were more stable than those prepared in water, and were useful in dissolving compounds with poor water solubility.