cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Extending Gurwitsch’s field theory of consciousness

Abstract Aron Gurwitsch’s theory of the structure and dynamics of consciousness has much to offer contemporary theorizing about consciousness and its basis in the embodied brain. On Gurwitsch’s account, as we develop it, the field of consciousness has a variable sized focus or “theme” of attention surrounded by a structured periphery of inattentional contents. As the field evolves, its contents change their status, sometimes smoothly, sometimes abruptly. Inner thoughts, a sense of one’s body, and the physical environment are dominant field contents. These ideas can be linked with (and help unify) contemporary theories about the neural correlates of consciousness, inattention, the small world structure of the brain, meta-stable dynamics, embodied cognition, and predictive coding in the brain.
Implementation of the Nonlocal Microplane Concrete Model Within an Explicit Dynamic Finite Element Program

The microplane concrete material model is based upon assumptions regarding the behavior of the material components. At any point, the response to the strain tensor on arbitrarily oriented surfaces is considered. Simple, softening stress-strain relationships are assumed in directions perpendicular and parallel to the surfaces. The macroscopic material behavior is then composed of the sum of the effects. The implementation of this model into the explicit, nonlinear, dynamic finite element program, DYNA3D, is described. To avoid the spurious mesh sensitivity that accompanies material failure, a weighted integral strain averaging approach is used to ensure that softening is nonlocal. This method is shown to be effective for limiting the failure zone in a concrete rod subjected to an impulse loading. 36 refs., 7 figs.
Deletion of C-terminal 113 amino acids impairs processing and internalization of human insulin receptor: Comparison of receptors expressed in CHO and NIH-3T3 cells

Abstract We have studied the structure and the function of a truncated human insulin receptor in which 113 amino acids (aa 1231–1343) at the C-terminus of the β-subunit were deleted. In this study, wild-type and truncated insulin receptors were expressed by stable transfection in NIH-3T3 cells and CHO cells. The mutation impairs post-translational processing of the insulin receptor; proteolytic cleavage is retarded, and degradation of the truncated receptor is accelerated. Furthermore, insulin-stimulated autophosphorylation of the mutant insulin receptor is impaired. This is associated with a defect in insulin-stimulated endocytosis. Finally, in NIH-3T3 cells, the mutant insulin receptor failed to mediate the mitogenic effects of insulin. In CHO cells, transfection of insulin receptor cDNA (either wild-type or mutant) did not alter mitogenic response to insulin. It has previously been shown that deletion of 43 amino acids at the C-terminus of the β-subunit did not affect insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity. Our data suggest that the structural domain located 43–113 amino acids from the C-terminus appears to have several functional roles. First, the domain appears to promote folding of receptor into the optimal conformation for post-translational processing. Second, the presence of this domain appears to promote the stability of the receptor β-subunit in intact cells. Finally, perhaps as a consequence of the effects upon the stability of the receptor, this domain is required in intact cells for insulin-stimulated autophosphorylation and signal transmission.
An analog computer for the rapid analysis of electron spin resonance spectra

Abstract An analog computer for the rapid analysis of poorly resolved ESR spectra is described. The simple apparatus utilizes ten function generators whose outputs are phased, added, and displayed instantaneously on a cathode-ray oscilloscope. Each function generator produces a single spectral line whose shape is predetermined, whose position may be continuously varied, and whose intensity may be changed by integral steps. Generally, either Gaussian or Lorentzian lines are generated. The simulated spectrum displayed on the oscilloscope is simultaneously compared optically with a superimposed, projected image of the spectral recording being analyzed. In use, the line widths, positions, and intensities of the component lines are varied to duplicate the recorded spectrum. Since the analog computer displays spectral changes instantaneously it has been found to be two or three orders of magnitude faster than the digital computer for the analysis of spectral patterns.
Acoustic Cloud Condensation Nuclei Counter

Analysis and simulation of an acoustic cloud condensation nuclei counter is presented. The instrument is capable of accurately counting the number of micro scale water droplets impacting a water surface. The sound produced underwater by the water droplets is determined when the droplets strike the water surface with an impact velocity equal to either their terminal or maximum velocity. First, the terminal velocities of the droplets are calculated using Stoke’s law and compared to measured velocities from Gunn and Kinzer. Then the maximum velocities that these droplets can sustain without breaking are calculated as a function of droplet diameter. Second, the sound due to droplet impact is estimated. Due to their size and water surface tension, there is no bubble formation at impact when the droplets are falling with terminal velocities. However conditions for regular bubble entrainments are established and limit velocities are calculated. Assuming that the micro water droplets can be accelerated, the maximum velocities for no bubble entrainments are calculated. The results show that the level of the sound produced by individual micro scale droplet falling with terminal velocity is so small that experimental verification is not possible. However, reasonable level of acoustic energy can be obtained by increasing the impact velocities of the droplets or by measuring the sound radiated by a group of impacting droplets. Finally, the droplets counting process is simulated using a water surface of one centimeter squared and a vertical growth chamber.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
A Multitude of Voices: Pushcart Prize Winning Publications 1976–2006

Abstract The Pushcart Prize , established in 1976, has a well-deserved reputation for highlighting the best in small press publication. The authors examined the first thirty volumes, 1976/1977 through 2006, to identify attributes of the items included in each volume and placed the volumes into five time periods of six volumes each to facilitate trend analysis. In order to identify the most productive publications, titles that had fewer than four selections in the thirty volumes and did not appear in at least two time periods were eliminated. The authors examined: press status as independent or affiliated, state and region where published, and type of work (poetry or other). Finally, highly productive titles were reviewed in WorldCat to determine how frequently these were held in the United States. California, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio have a continuing, substantial presence in the Prize volumes. Most of the publications included were still active and were affiliated with a larger institution. The three small press titles appearing most frequently were Ploughshares , Paris Review , and American Poetry Review . The Pushcart Prize selections most frequently listed in WorldCat were the Hudson Review , the Paris Review , and the American Poetry Review . Each is held by more than eight hundred U.S. libraries.
Parton distributions in the proton and pion

We use detailed balance for a hadron composed of quark and gluon Fock states to obtain parton distributions in the proton and pion on the basis of a simple statistical model.
Establishment and Biological Success of Diorhabda elongata elongata1 on Invasive Tamarix in Texas

A leaf beetle, Diorhabda elongata elongata (Brulle), from Crete, Greece, was released unrestricted at two field locations (Lake Thomas and Beals Creek) within the upper Colorado River watershed of Texas between the summers of 2003 and 2004 as part of a Tamarix biological control program. D. elongata elongata released at the Lake Thomas site in August 2003 successfully overwintered and was recovered in the spring 2004; however, beetles were not recovered at Lake Thomas past June 2004 despite additional releases in July 2004. Following releases in April and July 2004 at Beals Creek, D. elongata elongata did establish and was subsequently recovered during 2005 and 2006. In August 2006, the D. elongata elongata population was dispersed throughout an area of approximately 12 hectares, beetles or larvae were present on 100% of the 47 trees surveyed and 57% of which (27 trees) were at least 90% defoliated by D. elongata elongata.
Analysis of one hundred Bevatron τ+ particles

One hundred τ+ mesons, obtained from nuclear emulsion stacks exposed to the K+ beam at the Bevatron, are analyzed for (a) Q-value of the τ-decay, (b) possible values of the spin-parity of the τ. AQ of 75.13 ± .20 MeV is obtained. The corresponding τ mass is 966.5 ± .74 me. The analyses by Dalitz and Fabri were used to assign possible spin-parity values to the τ. The case of 0 — gives the best agreement with the observed energy and angle distributions.
Noninvasive ventilation reduced need for intubation in elderly patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure

Source Citation Nava S, Grassi M, Fanfulla F, et al. Non-invasive ventilation in elderly patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure: a randomised controlled trial. Age Ageing. 2011;40:444-...
A High-Throughput Migration Assay Reveals HER2-Mediated Cell Migration Arising from Increased Directional Persistence

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression has been associated with increased invasiveness in mammalian breast cancer cell lines, but the effects of overexpression on key underlying cell migration properties such as translational speed and directional persistence are not understood. Moreover, the differential effect of HER2 activation through heterodimerization with epidermal growth factor receptor versus human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) on cell speed and persistence has not been studied. To investigate these issues, we developed a high-throughput wound closure assay in which individual cell locomotion and wound closure kinetics were quantified in human mammary epithelial cells with varying levels of HER2 under epidermal growth factor or heregulin (a HER3 ligand) stimulation. Increasing levels of HER2 elevated wound closure with closure kinetics dependent on ligand treatment. Cell speed increased with HER2 levels under epidermal growth factor treatment, but decreased under heregulin treatment. In contrast, directional persistence increased with HER2 levels under both ligand treatments. Increasing persistence quantitatively accounted for observed elevated wound closure, as measured by the effective diffusion of the cells. Taken together, the data show that the HER2 overexpression mediates cell migration through differential control of translational speed and directional persistence dependent on epidermal growth factor receptor-HER2 versus HER2-HER3 heterodimerization. Observed consistent increases in persistence associated with HER2 overexpression indicate a prospective mechanism for invasiveness previously documented in HER2-overexpressing human breast tumors.
Use of a pancreatic duct stent or guidewire facilitates bile duct access with low rates of precut sphincterotomy: a randomized clinical trial

Background and Study Aims Among cases of difficult biliary cannulation, alternatives include use of a pancreatic duct stent (PDS) or guidewire (PDW) to facilitate access. We compared the effectiveness of a PDS versus a PDW to facilitate common bile duct (CBD) cannulation.
Preparing an Arterial Patch Graft

Patch grafts frequently are used following endarterectomy for short-segment arterial disease. On occasion they are used to increase flow through stenotic areas where endarterectomy might be counterproductive. The following article delineates a fairly efficient way of preparing patch grafts in a reproducible manner. The technique involved in preparing, inserting, and suturing the patch graft is described.
Microspectrofluorescence measurements of coals and petroleum source rocks

Abstract Good, reproducible microspectrofluorescence data, similar to published fluorescence trends, are obtainable from samples of coals and petroleum source rocks (shales). These data are reproducible when measured by different operators, different instruments, or at different times (for example, the remeasurement of samples several months apart). These fluorescence data are used to predict maturity or rank to within about 0.10% R 0 (mean vitrinite reflectance, oil immersion). Commercially available computerized fluorescence equipment, with customized software and specific hardware mod modifications, makes the acquisition of fluorescence data feasible. Fluorescence can be used for measuring low-maturity samples, in which the measurement of vitrinite reflectance is difficult. Source rocks from oil-rich basins frequently do not contain enough particles of vitrinite for a reflectance determination, but they may contain fluorescing particles which can be measured. Although the results from only two different kinds of fluorescence equipment (Zeiss Zonax and Vickers Gamma-Scientific) are discussed, any instrument with equivalent stability and sensitivity can be used to attain reproducible and accurate fluorescence data. We propose the use of the term “ R F ” to report fluorescence data in equivalent vitrinite reflectance values. Although the principles and techniques of measuring fluorescence were introduced several years ago, much work remains to establish standardized methods of maesuring as well as data evaluation. The current method of reporting fluorescence data in terms of spectral characteristics (such as the wavelength of maximum intensity or wavelength ratios) is awkward to use and difficult to compare results from various laboratories. R F values convey rank or maturation meaning and can be easily compared among laboratories. Data from fluorescing grains in both coal and petroleum source rock samples are given in this study. Polished samples of coal, this sections, and kerogen strewn slides of source rocks are measured. Spectral data are evaluated by four parameters: the wavelength of maximum intensity (Peak), the red/green ratio ( Q ), the coordinates of a metric color system (CIE), and the relative intensity at 490 nm. The measurement of intensity, reported in units of radiance, is possible with the Vickers Gamma-Scientific instrument. Measuring both fluorescent colors ( R F ) and intensities may help explain some of the relationships among organic particles, maturation, and hydrocarbon generation.
Catalytic desulfurization of condensed thiophenes by means of methanol

Desulfurization of dibenzothiophene, two methyldibenzothiophenes, and phenanthro[4,5-bcd]-thiophene to give 60-80% yields of hydrocarbon products was effected by means of a sulfided molydena catalyst plus methanol at 450° and a pressure of ca. one atmosphere. The methanol functions both as an in situ hydrogen donor and as a methylating agent.
cis-acting components in the replication origin from ribosomal DNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract The ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeats of Saccharomyces cerevisiae contain an autonomously replicating sequence (ARS) that colocalizes with a chromosomal origin of replication. We show that a minimal sequence necessary for full ARS function corresponds to a 107-bp rDNA fragment which contains three 10-of-11-bp matches to the ARS consensus sequence. Point mutations in only one of the 10-of-11-bp matches, GTTTAT GTTTT, inactivate the rDNA ARS, indicating that this consensus sequence is essential. A perfect match to a revised ARS consensus is present but not essential. Sequences up to 9 bp 5' from the essential consensus are dispensable. A broad DNA region directly 3' to the essential consensus is required and is easily unwound as indicated by: (i) hypersensitivity to nicking of an approximately 100-bp region by mung bean nuclease in a negatively supercoiled plasmid and (ii) helical instability determined by thermodynamic analysis of the nucleotide sequence. A correlation between DNA helical instability and replication efficiency of wild-type and mutated ribosomal ARS derivatives suggests that a broad region 3' to the essential ARS consensus functions as a DNA unwinding element. Certain point mutations that do not stabilize the DNA helix in the 3' region but reduce ARS efficiency reveal an element distinct from, but overlapping, the DNA unwinding element. The nucleotide sequence of the functionally important constituents in the ARS appears to be conserved among the rDNA repeats in the chromosome.
Role of Body Fat Distribution and the Metabolic Complications of Obesity

Context: An upper body/visceral fat distribution in obesity is closely linked with metabolic complications, whereas increased lower body fat is independently predictive of reduced cardiovascular risk. Evidence Acquisition: The measured functions of different fat depots with regards to fatty acid storage and release in health and obesity were reviewed. The adverse effects of experimentally increasing free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations on liver, muscle, pancreatic β-cell, and endothelial function were noted. Evidence Synthesis: The most dramatic abnormality in FFA metabolism is failure to suppress FFA concentrations/adipose tissue lipolysis normally in response to postprandial hyperinsulinemia. Upper body sc fat delivers the majority of FFA to the systemic circulation under postabsorptive and postprandial conditions. In upper body obesity, portal FFA concentrations resulting from both systemic and visceral adipose tissue lipolysis may be significantly greater than arterial FFA concentrations, exposing the...
Yield Management for the Nonprofit Sector

Yield management techniques have been shown to be highly effective in many for-profit firms, led by the airline and hotel industries. Yield management is intended to maximize profits for a capacity-constrained service by price discriminating among customer types for essentially undifferentiated services. The authors extend yield management concepts to the nonprofit sector, where profit maximization no longer is a goal. A general heuristic is presented to assist decision makers in pricing decisions. The technique is demonstrated at a nonprofit child care center that provides discounts to low-income families.
GMAC: A Game-theoretic MAC Protocol for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

The conservative nature of the 802.11 ad hoc scheme has instigated extensive research whose goal is to improve the spatial reuse and/or energy consumption of this scheme. Transmission power control (TPC) was shown to be effective in achieving this goal. Despite their demonstrated performance gains, previously proposed power-controlled channel access protocols often incur extra hardware cost (e.g., multiple transceivers). Furthermore, they do not fully exploit the potential of power control due to the heuristic nature of power allocation and “interference margin” computations. In this paper, we propose a distributed, single-channel MAC protocol (GMAC) that is inspired by game theory. In GMAC, multiple potential transmitters are first involved in an admission phase, which enables terminals to compute the transmission powers that achieve a Nash equilibrium (NE) for the given utility function. Subsequently, successful contenders can simultaneously proceed with their transmissions. Simulation results indicate that GMAC improves the network throughput over the 802.11 scheme by about 80%, and over another single-channel power-controlled MAC protocol (POWMAC) by about 40%. These gains are achieved at no extra energy cost.
Users' Guides to the Medical Literature: XXII: How to Use Articles About Clinical Decision Rules

Clinical experience provides clinicians with an intuitive sense of which findings on history, physical examination, and investigation are critical in making an accurate diagnosis, or an accurate assessment of a patient’s fate. A clinical decision rule (CDR) is a clinical tool that quantifies the individual contributions that various components of the history, physical examination, and basic laboratory results make toward the diagnosis, prognosis, or likely response to treatment in a patient. Clinical decision rules attempt to formally test, simplify, and increase the accuracy of clinicians’ diagnostic and prognostic assessments. Existing CDRs guide clinicians, establish pretest probability, provide screening tests for common problems, and estimate risk. Three steps are involved in the development and testing of a CDR: creation of the rule, testing or validating the rule, and assessing the impact of the rule on clinical behavior. Clinicians evaluating CDRs for possible clinical use should assess the following components: the method of derivation; the validation of the CDR to ensure that its repeated use leads to the same results; and its predictive power. We consider CDRs that have been validated in a new clinical setting to be level 1 CDRs and most appropriate for implementation. Level 1 CDRs have the potential to inform clinical judgment, to change clinical behavior, and to reduce unnecessary costs, while maintaining quality of care and patient satisfaction. JAMA. 2000;284:79-84 www.jama.com
Surgery in the patient with liver disease

Management of the surgical patient with liver disease begins with a careful preoperative assessment (Fig. 1). Any clues to liver disease on history and physical examination should be investigated to ascertain the cause of the clinical finding. More data on surgical patients with unexpected liver disease are now available. Patients undergoing emergent surgery are at significant risk of developing liver dysfunction. Child's class still correlates strongly to postoperative complications. Cornerstones of perioperative management in these patients are medical treatment of complications of chronic liver disease, such as ascites; coagulopathy; prevention of encephalopathy; and rapid treatment of dangerous postoperative complications, such as acute acalculous cholecystitis. Evolving knowledge of the effects of anesthesia, improving surgical techniques, and use of better diagnostic tests will help in the reduction of perioperative complications in these patients.
Optimal Sleep Strategies with Respect to Traffic Patterns in Wireless Sensor Networks

Sleep strategies can be used in dense, redundant wireless sensor networks to increase network lifetime, but this comes at the expense of increased network management complexity. In this paper we consider the problem of queue stability in multi-hop networks with sleeping sensors. We derive stability constraints on a variety of sleep strategies as a function of network loading, channel noise, and data aggregation. We then compare and evaluate the performance of stable routing and scheduling policies over a set of relay nodes with and without queue length information. Through our analysis, we provide precise guidelines for the optimal design and operation of reliable sensor networks employing sleep strategies for a wide range of traffic patterns and applications.
The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus: A 25-Year Retrospective:

The suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the anterior hypothalamus contain the master circadian pacemaker in mammals. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the discovery of the SCN as the circadian clock, Charles A. Czeisler and Steven M. Reppert organized a meeting to review milestones and recent developments in the study of the SCN. The discovery that the SCN contain tissue necessary for generation of circadian rhythmicity was established by lesion studies published in 1972. The second phase of study demonstrated unequivocally that the SCN contain an autonomous circadian pacemaker. The principal studies in this period showed the presence of metabolic and electrical activity rhythms in the SCN in vivo and progressed to studies showing that the SCN maintain rhythmicity in vitro, demonstrating that the transplanted SCN can restore circadian function following destruction of the host SCN and ultimately showing that single SCN "clock cells" exhibit independent rhythms in firing rate. The third phase of study, aimed at identifying the biochemical and molecular mechanisms responsible for rhythmicity within the SCN, has begun with the identification of circadian mutants (tau mutant hamsters and Clock mutant mice) and the isolation of the Clock gene. This report traces the important steps forward in our understanding of the suprachiasmatic circadian clock by recounting the information presented at the SCN Silver Anniversary Celebration.
Targeted disruption of N-RAP gene function by RNA interference: a role for N-RAP in myofibril organization.

N-RAP is a muscle-specific protein concentrated in myofibril precursors during sarcomere assembly and at intercalated disks in adult heart. We used RNA interference to achieve a targeted decrease in N-RAP transcript and protein levels in primary cultures of embryonic mouse cardiomyocytes. N-RAP transcript levels were decreased by ∼70% within 2 days following transfection with N-RAP specific siRNA. N-RAP protein levels steadily decreased over several days, reaching ∼50% of control levels within 6 days. N-RAP protein knockdown was associated with decreased myofibril assembly, as assessed by α-actinin organization into mature striations. Transcripts encoding N-RAP binding proteins associated with assembling or mature myofibrils, such as α-actinin, Krp1, and muscle LIM protein, were expressed at normal levels during N-RAP protein knockdown, and α-actinin and Krp-1 protein levels were also unchanged. Transcripts encoding muscle myosin heavy chain and nonmuscle myosin heavy chain IIB were also expressed at relatively normal levels. However, decreased N-RAP protein levels were associated with dramatic changes in the encoded myosin proteins, with muscle myosin heavy chain levels increasing and nonmuscle myosin heavy chain IIB decreasing. N-RAP transcript and protein levels recovered to normal by days 6 and 7, respectively, and the changes in myofibril organization and myosin heavy chain isoform levels were reversed. Our data indicate that we can achieve transient N-RAP protein knockdown using the RNA interference technique and that α-actinin organization into myofibrils in cardiomyocytes is closely linked to N-RAP protein levels. Finally, N-RAP protein levels regulate the balance between nonmuscle myosin IIB and muscle myosin by post-trancriptional mechanisms. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 2006. Published 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Ultrastructural Identification of Noradrenergic Nerve Terminals and Vasopressin-containing Neurons of the Paraventricular Nucleus in the Same Thin Section'

Since many peptidergic cell groups receive a diverse and complex monoaminergic innervation, we have developed a double-label procedure to visualize a peptide and a catecholamine in the same ultrathin section. Radiolabeled norepinephrine (NE) is applied locally and its reuptake into NE terminals is demonstrated by ultrastructural radioautography. Controls in this and other studies demonstrate that the NE labels only NE (and possibly epinephrine) terminals and not dopaminergic or serotonergic terminals. In the same tissue, vasopressin is localized by immunocytochemistry on unembedded sections that are subsequently embedded in epoxy resins for thin sectioning. The procedure as described here shows that NE terminals in the periventricular zone of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus innervate both vasopressin-positive and vasopressin-negative structures. This technique is useful in determining the chemical connectivity of the hypothalamus.
Face recognition: component-based versus global approaches

We present a component-based method and two global methods for face recognition and evaluate them with respect to robustness against pose changes. In the component system we first locate facial components, extract them, and combine them into a single feature vector which is classified by a support vector machine (SVM). The two global systems recognize faces by classifying a single feature vector consisting of the gray values of the whole face image. In the first global system we trained a single SVM classifier for each person in the database. The second system consists of sets of view-specific SVM classifiers and involves clustering during training. We performed extensive tests on a database which included faces rotated up to about 40° in depth. The component system clearly outperformed both global systems.
Multiparametric optical coherence tomography imaging of the inner retinal hemodynamic response to visual stimulation

The hemodynamic response to neuronal activation is a well-studied phenomenon in the brain, due to the prevalence of functional magnetic resonance imaging. The retina represents an optically accessible platform for studying lamina-specific neurovascular coupling in the central nervous system; however, due to methodological limitations, this has been challenging to date. We demonstrate techniques for the imaging of visual stimulus-evoked hyperemia in the rat inner retina using Doppler optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography. Volumetric imaging with three-dimensional motion correction, en face flow calculation, and normalization of dynamic signal to static signal are techniques that reduce spurious changes caused by motion. We anticipate that OCT imaging of retinal functional hyperemia may yield viable biomarkers in diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, where the neurovascular unit may be impaired.
Voter insertion algorithms for FPGA designs using triple modular redundancy

Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) is a common reliability technique for mitigating single event upsets (SEUs) in FPGA designs operating in radiation environments. For FPGA systems that employ configuration scrubbing, majority voters are needed in all feedback paths to ensure proper synchronization between the TMR replicates. Synchronization voters, however, consume additional resources and impact system timing. This paper will introduce and contrast four algorithms for inserting synchronization voters while automatically performing TMR. The area cost and timing impact of each algorithm on a number of circuit benchmarks will be reported. This paper will demonstrate that one of the algorithms provides the best overall timing performance results with an average 9.8% increase in critical path length over a triplicated design without voters. Another algorithm provides far better area results at a slightly higher timing cost (an average 2.1% area increase over a triplicated design without voters).
Accurate computation of vector potentials in lossy media

This paper presents an accurate formulation and integration scheme for computing vector potential interactions due to linear basis functions in lossy conducting media over wide frequency ranges. The emphasis is on an approach that is broadband and works both at high-frequency surface impedance limits and at low-frequency volumetric current flow limits. The method can be interpreted as a step towards a surface-only formulation for an integral-equation-based broadband characterization. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 36: 359–363, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10764
IMPLICATIONS OF THE DIFFERENCES IN NEUTRON SPECTRA PREDICTED FOR REACTOR PRESSURE VESSEL WALLS BY TRANSPORT AND THE P1MG CODES.

Abstract Neutron-energy spectra were calculated for the interface between the vessel wall and cladding of the Army SM-1A Reactor pressure vessel using the transport theory code Program S and the diffusion code P1MG. Different sets of basic nuclear data and microscopic cross sections were used for the two calculations. Spectra were normalized to the same amount of activation in an iron, neutron flux detector. The transport code predicted a higher flux of neutrons in the energy groups between 6 and 10 MeV resulting in a lower overall intensity for the transport theory spectrum versus the P1MG spectrum. This was found to be consistent with the predictions of two transport codes versus the P1MG code for the PM-2A reactor vessel wall and for a simulated reactor vessel wall experiment. Such divergence of results for a given reactor using two different code analysis techniques raises important questions as to their usually unqualified acceptance and use for projecting the lifetime fluence for a reactor pressure vessel. Strong support is thus generated for establishment of one “standard” set of basic nuclear data from which all reactor physics analysts can draw to generate specific cross sections for reactor physics calculations, and for the writing of a new reactor physics spectrum code specifically for deep penetration analysis of reactor pressure vessel walls.
Visual search performance of patients with vision impairment: effect of JPEG image enhancement.

Purpose To measure natural image search performance in patients with central vision impairment. To evaluate the performance effect for a JPEG based image enhancement technique using the visual search task.
Algebraic correction methods for computational assessment of clone overlaps in DNA fingerprint mapping.

Background: The Sulston score is a well-established, though approximate metric for probabilistically evaluating postulated clone overlaps in DNA fingerprint mapping. It is known to systematically over-predict match probabilities by various orders of magnitude, depending upon project-specific parameters. Although the exact probability distribution is also available for the comparison problem, it is rather difficult to compute and cannot be used directly in most cases. A methodology providing both improved accuracy and computational economy is required. Results: We propose a straightforward algebraic correction procedure, which takes the Sulston score as a provisional value and applies a power-law equation to obtain an improved result. Numerical comparisons indicate dramatically increased accuracy over the range of parameters typical of traditional agarose fingerprint mapping. Issues with extrapolating the method into parameter ranges characteristic of newer capillary electrophoresis-based projects are also discussed. Conclusion: Although only marginally more expensive to compute than the raw Sulston score, the correction provides a vastly improved probabilistic description of hypothesized clone overlaps. This will clearly be important in overlap assessment and perhaps for other tasks as well, for example in using the ranking of overlap probabilities to assist in clone ordering.
The creation of Ohio’s ethnic intimidation law: Triggering events, media campaigns, and interest group activity

The majority of the research being conducted on hate crime laws deals with civil liberties issues; however, there has been little research conducted on the creation of these laws. In 1986, Ohio joined a growing number of states in enacting hate crime legislation. This article involves a historical analysis of the creation of Ohio’s ethnic intimidation law. Through the use of interviews and archival data, it was found that interest group activity, media campaigns, and a specific triggering event were all influential in the process of enacting this legislation in Ohio. While these findings cannot be generalized to the creation of laws in general, or hate crime laws in other states, this study does fill a gap in the knowledge about the process of enacting laws.
Effect of morphine and SIV on dendritic cell trafficking into the central nervous system of rhesus macaques

Recruitment of immune cells such as monocytes/macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been documented in diseases involving neuroinflammation. Neuroinvasion by HIV leads to neurocognitive diseases and alters the permeability of the BBB. Likewise, many HIV patients use drugs of abuse such as morphine, which can further compromise the BBB. While the role of monocytes and macrophages in neuroAIDS is well established, research demonstrating the presence and role of DCs in the CNS during HIV infection has not been developed yet. In this respect, this study explored the presence of DCs in the brain parenchyma of rhesus macaques infected with a neurovirulent form of SIV (SIV mac239 R71/17E) and administered with morphine. Cells positive for DC markers including CD11c (integrin), macDC-SIGN (dendritic cell-specific ICAM-3 grabbing nonintegrin), CD83 (a maturation factor), and HLA-DR (MHC class II) were consistently found in the brain parenchyma of SIV-infected macaques as well as infected macaques on morphine. Control animals did not exhibit any DC presence in their brains. These results provide first evidence of DCs' relevance in NeuroAIDS vis-a-vis drugs of abuse and open new avenues of understanding and investigative HIV-CNS inflictions.
A property of the asymptotic series for a class of Titchmarsh–Weyl m -functions

In an earlier paper [ 6 ] we showed that if q ϵ C N [0, e) for some e > 0, then the Titchmarsh–Weyl m (λ) function associated with the second order linear differential equation has the asymptotic expansion as |A| →∞ in a sector of the form 0 We show that if the real valued function q admits the expansion in a neighbourhood of 0, then
Assimilating technology into culture: perspectives on the role of advertisements

Explores the psychological strategies utilized by magazine advertisements for computer-based technologies, accessories and applications. An analysis of recent advertisements that largely rely upon visual, nonverbal content identifies the following frequently-employed approaches: (A) association, analogy and metaphor; (B) incongruities; (C) appeals to the social motives of affiliation, achievement and influence over others; (D) manipulation of anxiety; (E) visualizing technology within novel settings; and (F) recruitment of new users. Additional strategies employed by television home shopping channels are briefly discussed.
Survival Following Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Dogs and Cats

Dogs and cats receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) were evaluated for factors leading to cardiac arrest and for survival following the procedure. One-hundred-thirty-five canine and forty-three feline patients seen at the University of California, Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital that received CPR between August 1987 and December 1991 were studied. Initial resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful in 72% of dogs and 58% of cats. Five dogs and one cat were still alive 3 days after CPR. Ultimately only four dogs and one cat were discharged from the hospital alive. These five patients with uniquely longer survival all had cardiac arrests associated with drug and/or anesthetic reactions.
Retrographic sensing for the measurement of surface texture and shape

We describe a novel device that can be used as a 2.5D “scanner” for acquiring surface texture and shape. The device consists of a slab of clear elastomer covered with a reflective skin. When an object presses on the skin, the skin distorts to take on the shape of the object's surface. When viewed from behind (through the elastomer slab), the skin appears as a relief replica of the surface. A camera records an image of this relief, using illumination from red, green, and blue light sources at three different positions. A photometric stereo algorithm that is tailored to the device is then used to reconstruct the surface. There is no problem dealing with transparent or specular materials because the skin supplies its own BRDF. Complete information is recorded in a single frame; therefore we can record video of the changing deformation of the skin, and then generate an animation of the changing surface. Our sensor has no moving parts (other than the elastomer slab), uses inexpensive materials, and can be made into a portable device that can be used “in the field” to record surface shape and texture.
Tolfenamic Acid and Pancreatic Cancer Growth, Angiogenesis, and Sp Protein Degradation

Background Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4 are transcription factors that regulate cell proliferation and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and are overexpressed in many cancer cell lines. For some cancers, Sp1 overexpression is associated with poor survival. Cyclooxygenase inhibitors decrease Sp1 expression in cancer cells, and therefore different structural classes of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were screened for their ability to decrease levels of Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4 and to decrease pancreatic tumor growth and metastasis in an in vivo model. Methods Levels of Sp1, Sp3, Sp4, and VEGF proteins in pancreatic cancer cell lines were assessed by immunoblot analysis. mRNA was assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Panc-1 pancreatic cancer cells transfected with VEGF promoter constructs were used to assess VEGF promoter activation. Pancreatic tumor weight and size and liver metastasis were assessed in an orthotopic mouse model of pancreatic cancer (groups of 10 mice). Protein expression in tumors was assessed immunohistochemically. Results Tolfenamic acid and structurally related biaryl derivatives induced degradation of Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4 in pancreatic cancer cells. Tolfenamic acid also inhibited VEGF mRNA and protein expression in pancreatic cancer cells; this inhibition was associated with the decreased Sp-dependent activation of the VEGF promoter. In the mouse model for pancreatic cancer, treatment with tolfenamic acid (50 mg/kg of body weight), compared with control treatment, statistically significantly decreased tumor growth and weight (P = .005), liver metastasis (P = .027), and levels of Sp3 and VEGF (P = .009) and Sp1 and Sp4 (P = .006) proteins in tumors. For example, tumors from mice treated with tolfenamic acid (50 mg/kg) had statistically significantly lower VEGF levels (45%, 95% confidence interval = 39% to 51%; P = .009) than tumors from control mice. Conclusions Tolfenamic acid is a new antipancreatic cancer NSAID that activates degradation of transcription factors Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4; reduces VEGF expression; and decreases tumor growth and metastasis.
Patterns of Near-Repeat Gun Assaults in Houston

The study assesses the extent to which gun assaults are clustered in space and time using crime data from Houston, Texas. The analysis examines patterns of gun assaults at the city-level as well as more localized levels in order to understand the spatial distribution of near-repeats within the city. Consistent with prior research, the city-level analysis shows significant and meaningful near-repeat patterns. The localized analysis indicates that the risk of near-repeats is not evenly distributed across space within the city, but is concentrated among a small portion of incidents and four relatively small spatial clusters. In addition, an examination of crime types, locations, and gang involvement shows slight differences between gun assaults with and without near-repeat follow-up shootings.
PET Filaments with Radially-Differentiated Structure:

An undrawn polyester monofilament was subjected to sequential solvent and thermal/stress crystallization during drawing to produce a radially-differentiated structure. Solvent-induced crystallization of outer regions of the filament was achieved using methylene chloride or dimethylformamide at room temperature. The thermal/stress crystallization of the filament core was conducted at a draw ratio of 4.0 at temperatures ranging from 90 to 120°C. The resulting filaments were characterized by measurements of density and mechanical properties, by wide-angle x-ray diffractometry, and by scanning electron microscopy. The structure of the outer regions of these novel filaments consists of highly- deformed spherulites, while the inner core is fibrillar in character with well-developed orientation and crystallinity. The extreme outer surface appears to be cavitated, leading to extremely high surface areas. It is proposed that such radially- differentiated filaments will have the combined desirable properties of sph...
Epidemic Models, Algorithms, and Protocols in Wireless Sensor and Ad Hoc Networks

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Overview of Epidemic Theory Data Dissemination in Sensor Networks: Model and Protocols Code Update Protocols in Sensor Networks Epidemic Models in Ad Hoc Networks Epidemic Models of Malicious Code Propagation Conclusion and Open Issues Exercises Acknowledgment Bibliography
Michigan State Bar Foundation: Profiles in Leadership

This anniversary article focuses on the five men and one woman who provided leadership to the Michigan State Bar Foundation as president during its first 35 years: Glenn C. Gillespie (1947-1952), Philip A. Hart (1952-1954), Fred Roland Allaben (1954-1968), Henry L. Woolfenden (1968-1972), Mary H. Zimmerman (1972-1974), and Wallace D. Riley (1974-1982). Thanks to these leaders, the Foundation has lived up to its purpose of providing financial support for programs benefiting the public, the courts, and the profession of law. [Includes photographs.]
Determining true difference between treatment groups

In this article, the author reviews the P value and how it is used to determine true difference of outcome in treatment groups. P value, standard deviation, standard error of the mean, bias, and confidence interval are discussed in common language, with a minimum of jargon and with clinical examples. Keywords: P value; standard error of the mean; central limits theorem; standard deviation; normal distribution; statistics; parametric statistics; bias; randomization (Published: 17 February 2016) Citation: Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives 2016, 6 : 30284 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/jchimp.v6.30284
The opinion of post graduate students on objective structured clinical examination in Anaesthesiology: A preliminary report.

Background and Aims: The scenario in medical education is changing with objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) being introduced as an assessment tool. Its successful implementation in anaesthesiology postgraduate evaluation process is still limited. We decided to to evaluate the effectiveness of OSCE and compare it to conventional examinations as formative assessment tools in anaesthesiology. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional comparative study in defined population of anaesthesiology postgraduate students to evaluate the effectiveness of OSCE as compared to conventional examination as formative assessment tool in anaesthesiology. Thirty-five students appeared for the conventional examination on the 1st day and viva voce on the 2nd day and OSCE on the last day. At the conclusion of the assessment, all the students were asked to respond to the perception evaluation questionnaire. We analysed the perception of OSCE among the students. Results: Results showed a positive perception of the objective structured physical examination (OSCE) as well as structured 9 (25.7%), fair 19 (54.2%) and unbiased 13 (37.1%) with more standardised scoring 9 (25.7%). The students perceived OSCE to be less stressful than other examination. Thirty-one (88.5%) students agreed that OSCE is easier to pass than conventional method and 29 (82.5%) commented that the degree of emotional stress is less in OSCE than traditional methods. Conclusion: OSCE is better evaluation tool when compared to conventional examination.
Nonreacting and equilibrium chemically reacting turbulent boundary-layer flows

Nonreacting and equilibrium chemically reacting gas turbulent boundary layer flows through hypervelocity nozzles, comparing calculation with experiment