cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Axiomatic methods, dopamine and reward prediction error.

The phasic firing rate of midbrain dopamine neurons has been shown to respond both to the receipt of rewarding stimuli, and the degree to which such stimuli are anticipated by the recipient. This has led to the hypothesis that these neurons encode reward prediction error (RPE)—the difference between how rewarding an event is, and how rewarding it was expected to be. However, the RPE model is one of a number of competing explanations for dopamine activity that have proved hard to disentangle, mainly because they are couched in terms of latent, or unobservable, variables. This article describes techniques for dealing with latent variables common in economics and decision theory, and reviews work that uses these techniques to provide simple, non-parametric tests of the RPE hypothesis, allowing clear differentiation between competing explanations.
A 5-Year Evaluation Using the Talent Endovascular Graft for Endovascular Aneurysm Repair in Short Aortic Necks

Background Although endovascular aneurysm repair has been shown to be an effective way to treat abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), certain anatomic characteristics such as a short aortic neck, limit its applicability. Initially, commercially available devices were approved only for the treatment of AAA with an aortic neck length ≥15 mm. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of the recently approved Talent endograft for AAAs with a short aortic neck length (10-15 mm). Method Data were obtained from the prospective, nonrandomized, multicenter Talent enhanced Low Profile Stent Graft System trial which enrolled patients between February 2002 and April 2003. A total of 154 patients with adequate preoperative imaging were identified for this study. Subgroup analyses were performed for AAA with 10-15 mm aortic neck and those with >15 mm neck. Safety and effectiveness endpoints were evaluated at 30 days, 1 year, and 5 years postprocedure. Results Patients treated with aortic neck lengths of 10-15 mm ( n = 35) and those with >15 mm ( n = 102) had similar age, gender, and risk factor profile. Both groups had similar preoperative aneurysm morphology in terms of maximum aneurysm size, degree of neck angulation, or proximal neck diameter. There were no statistically significant differences in freedom from major adverse events and mortality rates at 30 and 365 days. Similarly, there was no difference in the effectiveness endpoints at 12 months. At 5 years, there was no difference in migration rate, endoleaks, or change in aneurysm diameter from baseline. In addition, there is no difference in freedom from aneurysm-related mortality (94% vs. 99%). Conclusions AAAs with short aortic necks (10-15 mm) and otherwise suitable anatomy for endovascular repair can be safely and effectively treated with the Talent endograft with excellent 1 and 5 year outcomes.
Collagen synthesis by cells II: secretion of a disulfide linked material.

Abstract In medium from cultured chick embryo fibroblasts a species of collagen molecule was found which contained chains that were like α 1 , but were larger and contained cysteine. Pepsin treatment or reduction of disulfide linkages was required for separation of the components of this species. The pepsin treatment gave rise to α sized collagen chains and this suggests a triple helical collagen structure for the original material.
Modeling of Stone-impact Resistance of Monolithic Glass Ply Using Continuum Damage Mechanics:

The stone-impact resistance of a monolithic glass ply is studied using a combined experimental and computational approach. Instrumented stone-impact tests are first carried out in a controlled environment. Explicit finite element analyses are then used to simulate the interactions of the indentor and the glass layer during the impact event, and a continuum damage mechanics (CDM) model is used to describe the constitutive behavior of glass. The experimentally measured strain histories for low-velocity impact serves as validation of the modeling procedures. Next, stair-stepping impact experiments are performed with two indenter sizes on two glass ply thicknesses, and the test results are used to calibrate the critical stress parameters used in the CDM constitutive model. The purpose of this study is to establish the modeling procedures and the CDM critical stress parameters under impact loading conditions. The modeling procedures and the CDM model will be used in our future studies to predict through-thickness damage evolution patterns for different laminated windshield designs in automotive applications.
"Handbook of biomedical optics", edited by David A. Boas, Constantinos Pitris, and Nimmi Ramanujam.

David A. Boas, Constantinos Pitris, and Nimmi Ramanujam, Eds.: Handbook of Biomedical Optics CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Boca Raton, London, New York, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-4200-9036-9 (Hardback), 787 pages
Three-dimensional nanotransmission lines at optical frequencies: A recipe for broadband negative-refraction optical metamaterials

We apply the optical nanocircuit concepts to design and analyze in detail a three-dimensional (3D) plasmonic nanotransmission line network that may act as a relatively broadband negative-refraction metamaterial at infrared and optical frequencies. After discussing the heuristic concepts in our theory, we show full-wave analytical results of the expected behavior of such materials, which show increased bandwidth and relative robustness to losses. The possibility and constraints of getting a 3D fully isotropic response are also explored and conditions for minimal losses and increased bandwidth are discussed. Full-wave analytical results for some design examples employing realistic plasmonic materials at infrared and optical frequencies are also presented, and the case of a subwavelength imaging system using a slab of this material is numerically investigated.
Overgeneralization from limited data: A commentary on Cooper et al., 2010

This article comments on a recent paper by Cooper et al. in BRAT. Its main purpose is to comment on the provocative conclusion in the paper that behavioral research on weight loss maintenance should be abandoned. We disagree, arguing that the authors over generalize from their research, under crediting past behavioral weight loss research for its accomplishments, which are considerable. We briefly outline areas we believe remain exciting new research directions in this field.
Chemically induced dimerization of dihydrofolate reductase by a homobifunctional dimer of methotrexate

Abstract Background: Chemically induced dimerization (CID) can be used to manipulate cellular regulatory pathways from signal transduction to transcription, and to create model systems for study of the specific interactions between proteins and small-molecule chemical ligands. However, few CID systems are currently available. The properties of, and interactions between, Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and the ligand methotrexate (MTX) meet many of the desired criteria for the development of a new CID system. Results: Bis MTX, a homobifunctional version of MTX, was synthesized and tested for its ability to induce dimerization of DHFR. Gel-filtration analysis of purified DHFR confirmed that, in vitro , the protein was a monomer in the absence of dimerizer drug; in the presence of bis MTX, a complex of twice the monomeric molecular weight was observed. Furthermore, the off-rate was found to be 0.0002 s −1 , ∼100 times slower than that reported for DHFR–MTX . Interestingly, the addition of excess bis MTX did not result in formation of the binary complex (1 protein:1 dimerizer) over the ternary complex (2 proteins:1 dimerizer), which suggests cooperative binding interactions (affinity modulation) between the two DHFR molecules in the bis MTX:DHFR 2 ternary complex. Conclusions: The combination of DHFR and bis MTX provides a new CID system with properties that could be useful for applications in vivo . Formation of the bis MTX:DHFR 2 ternary complex in vitro is promoted over a wide range of dimerizer concentrations, consistent with the idea that formation of the ternary complex recruits energetically favorable interactions between the DHFR monomers in the complex.
Changes in Water Chemistry in a Macrophyte-Dominated Lake Before and After Herbicide Treatment

Lake Istokpoga is the fifth largest freshwater lake in Florida, and is widely renowned for its abundance of sport fish. By 1988, an infestation of the exotic aquatic weed hydrilla, had severely imp...
Review of databases and predictive methods for pressure drop in adiabatic, condensing and boiling mini/micro-channel flows

Abstract Two-phase flow in mini/micro-channels has been the flow configuration of choice for many cooling applications demanding very high rates of heat dissipation per unit volume. Past research aimed at predicting the frictional pressure drop in mini/micro-channels includes a large number of studies that rely on either the Homogeneous Equilibrium Model (HEM) or semi-empirical correlations. But as the number of published studies continues to rise, thermal design engineers are confronted with tremendous confusion when selecting a suitable model or correlation. The primary reason behind this confusion is limited validity of most published methods to a few working fluids and narrow ranges of operating conditions. The present study addresses this limitation by discussing the development of two consolidated mini/micro-channel databases. The first is for adiabatic and condensing flows, and consists of 7115 frictional pressure gradient data points from 36 sources, and the second for boiling flow, and consists of 2378 data points from 16 sources. These consolidated databases are used to assess the accuracy of previous models and correlations as well as to develop ‘universal’ correlations that are applicable to a large number of fluids and very broad ranges of operating conditions.
Male and Female Pronoun Use in U.S. Books Reflects Women’s Status, 1900–2008

The status of women in the United States varied considerably during the 20th century, with increases 1900–1945, decreases 1946–1967, and considerable increases after 1968. We examined whether changes in written language, especially the ratio of male to female pronouns, reflected these trends in status in the full text of nearly 1.2 million U.S. books 1900–2008 from the Google Books database. Male pronouns included he, him, his, himself and female pronouns included she, her, hers, and herself. Between 1900 and 1945, 3.5 male pronouns appeared for every female pronoun, increasing to 4.5 male pronouns during the postwar era of the 1950s and early 1960s. After 1968, the ratio dropped precipitously, reaching 2 male pronouns per female pronoun by the 2000s. From 1968 to 2008, the use of male pronouns decreased as female pronouns increased. The gender pronoun ratio was significantly correlated with indicators of U.S. women’s status such as educational attainment, labor force participation, and age at first marriage as well as women’s assertiveness, a personality trait linked to status. Books used relatively more female pronouns when women’s status was high and fewer when it was low. The results suggest that cultural products such as books mirror U.S. women’s status and changing trends in gender equality over the generations.
Scalable Distributed Fast Multipole Methods

The Fast Multipole Method (FMM) allows $O(N)$ evaluation to any arbitrary precision of $N$-body interactions that arises in many scientific contexts. These methods have been parallelized, with a recent set of papers attempting to parallelize them on heterogeneous CPU/GPU architectures \cite{Qi11:SC11}. While impressive performance was reported, the algorithms did not demonstrate complete weak or strong scalability. Further, the algorithms were not demonstrated on nonuniform distributions of particles that arise in practice. In this paper, we develop an efficient scalable version of the FMM that can be scaled well on many heterogeneous nodes for nonuniform data. Key contributions of our work are data structures that allow uniform work distribution over multiple computing nodes, and that minimize the communication cost. These new data structures are computed using a parallel algorithm, and only require a small additional computation overhead. Numerical simulations on a heterogeneous cluster empirically demonstrate the performance of our algorithm.
Aqueous sonolytic decomposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of additional dissolved species

Abstract Sonochemical degradation of aqueous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) results in a first-order loss of the PAHs ( k=0.010–0.027 s −1 ). When sonication occurred in the presence of other organic compounds, the degradation rate constant was reduced quite dramatically. This reduction is believed to come about through scavenging of radicals by the matrix chemical. When oxygen was bubbled into the PAH solution before sonication, the degradation rate constant was elevated. Nitrogen purging resulted in decreased rate constants. These results indicate that oxygen was an important precursor in the degradation of the PAHs. Organic compounds, including humic acid, benzoic acid, and sodium dodecyl sulfate, decreased PAH degradation rate constants by scavenging oxygen derived reactive transients.
Incidence of Reading Disability in a Population-Based Birth Cohort, 1976–1982, Rochester, Minn

Objective To report the incidence of reading disability among school-aged children. Subjects and Methods In this population-based, retrospective birth cohort study, subjects included all 5718 children born between 1976 and 1982 who remained in Rochester, Minn, after the age of 5 years. Based on records from all public and nonpublic schools, medical facilities, and private tutorial services and on results of all individually administered IQ and achievement tests, extensive medical, educational, and socioeconomic information were abstracted. Reading disability was established with use of research criteria based on 4 formulas (2 regression-based discrepancy, 1 non–regression-based discrepancy, and 1 low achievement). Results Cumulative incidence rates of reading disability varied from 5.3% to 11.8% depending on the formula used. Boys were 2 to 3 times more likely to be affected than girls, regardless of the identification methods applied. Conclusions In this population-based birth cohort, reading disability was common among school-aged children and significantly more frequent among boys than girls, regardless of definition.
Blocking and unconditioned response diminution in human classical autonomic conditioning

Four experiments examined blocking and UR diminution in human SCR conditioning. In Experiment 1, CSX was conditioned in compound with previously conditioned CSA, in one group, or in a compound with another novel stimulus, CSN, in additional group. UR diminution occurred, but there was no post-compound difference in CRs in the two groups and no difference in responding to CSX and CSA following equal training on each, i.e., no blocking. The correlation between blocking and UR diminution was not significant. In Experiment 2, two groups received a blocking procedure, but one was tested on CSX and one on CSA. UR diminution occurred, but there were no post-compound CR or UR differences. There was again no within-subjects blocking effect. The correlation between blocking and UR diminution was not significant, but this correlation was significant when data from Experiments 1 and 2 were combined. In Experiment 3, a differential conditioning procedure was used, followed by reinforcement of two compounds, one with CSA+ and one with CSA-. One subgroup was tested on CSA+ and CSA- with reinforcement; another was tested without reinforcement. UR diminution occurred, and there was significant blocking, but only after two nonreinforced tests. Blocking and UR diminution were significantly correlated. In Experiment 4, four groups received compound conditioning after initial training with CSA. The compound contained CSX and CSA for three groups and two novel CSs for the fourth. Ten nonreinforced test trials were run. The three blocking groups received two CSAs plus eight CSXs four CSAs plus six CSXs, or all CSXs. The fourth group received ten nonblocked CSXs. CR magnitude to blocked CSX was significantly smaller than to nonblocked CSX during the last six test trials, but not initially. Blocking and UR diminution were not correlated, in disagreement with the first three studies. The results indicated that repeated nonreinforced test trails are needed for blocking to be observed in this preparation. The proposition that blocking and UR diminution are both due to reduced processing of the US received only partial support.
Fracture Transfer of Vertical Semiconductor Pillar Arrays to Low Cost Arbitrary Substrates for Flexible Energy Device Applications

In this paper, we demonstrate a heterogeneous integration technique that preserves the integrity, order, shape, and fidelity of vertically aligned single-crystal semiconductor micro- and nano- pillars by harvesting and transferring them from a single crystal substrate to a low-cost carrier substrate. The mechanism of the transfer technique exploits a combination of vertical embossing and lateral fracturing of the crystalline pillars with the assistance of a spin-coated polymer layer on a carrier substrate as well as facilitating multilayer process device integration. Specifically, the novel use of a water soluble adhesive polymer from MasterBond that acts simultaneously as a mechanical transfer polymer and as a sacrificial harvest layer further expands the versatility of this approach. Arrays of vertical micropillars of average height ~15)μm and diameter ~1.5μm on a die silicon substrate of 5mm x 5mm were fabricated via transformative top-down approaches (DRIE) on a single crystal silicon substrate and then transferred to a different target carrier substrate using the adhesive polymer assisted bendingfracturing process. The adhesive polymer is odorless, non-conducting, easy to process, spincoatable, optically transparent, resistant to heat, high mechanical strength and easily cures at room temperature. The original pillar wafers may be used repeatedly after polishing for generating more devices and are minimally consumed. Low contact resistances are formed for electrical addressing using metals and conducting thermoplastics of Ag nanoparticles. This heterogeneous integration technique potentially offers enhanced photon semiconductor interactions, while enabling multimaterial integration such as silicon with compound semiconductors (InP, GaAs etc.) for applications, including high speed electronics, low-cost and flexible electronics, displays, tactile sensors, and energy conversion systems.
Cartography of neurexins: More than 1000 isoforms generated by alternative splicing and expressed in distinct subsets of neurons

Abstract Neurexins, a family of cell surface proteins specific to brain, are transcribed from two promoters in three genes, resulting in three α- and three β-neurexins. In situ hybridization revealed differential but overlapping distributions of neurexin isoforms in different classes of neurons. PCRs demonstrated that a-neurexins are alternatively spliced at five canonical positions, and β-neurexins at two. Characterization of many independent bovine neurexin lα cDNAs suggests that different splice sites are used independently. This creates the potential to express more than 1000 distinct neurexin proteins in brain. The splicing pattern is conserved in rat and cow. Thus, in addition to somatic gene rearrangements (immunoglobulins and T cell receptors) and large gene families (odorant receptors), alternative splicing potentially represents a third mechanism for creating a large number of cell surface receptors that are expressed by specific subsets of cells.
Vocational interest and personality differences between development and research personnel: A field study

Abstract Employees classified into development and research groups were contrasted for differences in vocational interest and personality inventory responses. Discriminant and classification analyses indicated that these two groups could be distinguished. Development personnel exhibited greater interests in supervisory-related areas, but researchers showed a tendency toward high specialization and academic interests. With respect to personality characteristics, development personnel described themselves as more dominant, defensive, and achieving, yet less critical than research personnel.
Fatigue crack growth analysis of adhesively repaired panel using perfectly and imperfectly composite patches

Abstract Fatigue crack behavior of cracked aluminum panel repaired with the imperfectly bonded composite patch is analyzed. The imperfection is in the form of debond which could result during the bonding of patch or the service life of the repaired structure. Debonds, of various sizes and at different locations with respect to the crack front, are investigated. An analytical procedure, involving two-dimensional finite element method having three layers to model cracked plate, adhesive and composite patch, is used to compute the stress intensity factors of test coupons. From the computed stress intensity factors, the crack growth rates are obtained analytically by assuming that the relationship between the stress intensity factor and the crack growth rate after repair is the same as the fatigue crack growth relationship for cracked panel material. The fatigue crack growth rates obtained experimentally and analytically are in good agreement with each other and they vary linearly with crack length inside the patch. The experimental results are bounded between its analytical counterparts at the mid-plane and free edge surfaces of the cracked panel. The present analytical procedure can, thus, be used to characterize the effects of imperfectly and perfectly bonded composite patch repairs on the durability and damage tolerance of the repaired structure.
An electron transfer model for PGI biosynthesis

A biomimetic conversion of the endoperoxide 1b to prostacyclin (PGI2) analogs is achieved with the aid of ferrous ion catalysis.
A cross-referencing method for simultaneous slow and multiple unit potential recording with implanted electrodes.

Abstract The effective pairing of a non-polarizing AgAgCl with an adjacent polarizing stainless steel minielectrode for simultaneous recording of slow or sustained potentials, conventional ECoG, and multiple unit potentials is demonstrated. The two types of electrode reciprocate their reference functions, the non-polarizing electrode being insensitive to the low voltage 1500–2500 kHz signal transmitted by the polarizing member and the latter being insensitive to the slow potentials (0–0.5 Hz) detected by the non-polarizing member. The method enables obtaining unambiguous information from a localized source in bipolar derivations and permits use of construction methods simpler than those required for the hybrid electrodes formerly used.
Pain and 'hassles' in the United States: findings of the Nuprin pain report.

Abstract A national survey of pain in the United States has been conducted, using a sample of 1254 persons 18 years of age or more, statistically constructed so as to permit projections to be made to the entire adult population of 174 million with a predicted accuracy of ±2–3%. Pain prevalence and severity, and its impact on work and other activities were obtained and correlated with demographic variables. This paper reports the portion of the study examining the association of pain with stress, daily hassles, measures of health locus of control, and various health habits. There was a very strong association between stress and pain and hassles and pain. The greater the stress and hassles, the greater the incidence, frequency and severity of all pains reported. Those with high internal health locus of control are more likely to have healthy behavior, are less likely to have all kinds of pain, and have less severe pain. Stress was voluntarily mentioned by respondents as a major cause of pain in headaches, backaches, stomach pains, and menstrual pains, but not for muscle, joint or dental pains.
A cluster-based morphological filter for geospatial data analysis

LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a widely used technology to measure terrain properties and topographic mapping nowadays. Many filtering methods have been developed to process the geospatial data generated by LIDAR to generate bare earth digital terrain models. Among these methods, mathematical morphological filtering is a very effective and efficient method to separate ground and non-ground objects from LIDAR data. This method can achieve ideal results in the flat terrain, while it is not working very well in the undulating and complex terrain with large non-ground objects. The reason is that it would remove ground terrain objects along with filtering large size non-ground objects when using a large filtering window size. Especially in the mountainous terrain, it would cause the hill cut-off problem, which is a common problem for morphological filters. In this paper, a cluster-based morphological filter is proposed to improve the progressive morphological filter and make it work better on more undulating and complex terrain types. The filtering results demonstrate that the proposed method is able to effectively preserve terrain ground objects and remove large non-ground objects.
Skin manifestations of running

As the United States comes increasingly closer to being the heaviest nation on earth, many people are turning to exercise, especially running, to lose weight. Most runners, whether novice or professional, will have a skin disorder that may prompt them to seek medical attention. Although case reports and sports reviews have discussed, in a cursory fashion, the nature of these skin lesions, to our knowledge there has never been an extensive review of the literature that specifically addresses the skin diseases of runners. In this article, we present the epidemiology, origin, clinical characteristics, treatment, and prevention of skin diseases inherent to runners.
Stimulus alternation and low level response.

Abstract Red and blue stimuli of matched photopic luminance were used to elicit the electro retinogram and the visually evoked cortical potential. The method of stimulus alternation was used to present stimuli to the central part of the retina and two peripheral areas. At high levels of stimulation, red and blue were nearly of equal effectiveness at both recording sites. Blue stimuli gave larger retinal responses than red with peripheral stimuli at low levels. The results indicate that the method of stimulus alternation yields photopic responses under most conditions, but that scotopic responses can be obtained at the retina when conditions are appropriate.
Stabilization of the 108 K superconducting phase in the Bi 0.7 Pb 0.3 SrCaCu 1.8 O y system

Samples having the nominal composition Bi0.7Pb0.3SrCaCu1.8O y , were prepared by a solid-state reaction and characterized by energy-dispersive x-ray microanalysis, resistivity measurements, and magnetically modulated microwave absorption (MAMMA). Longer annealing times resulted in more homogeneous samples having a single superconducting transition to zero resistance at 108 and 105 K at 0.1 and 1 mA, respectively. The MAMMA measurements clearly show differences in sample homogeneity with different annealing times.
Collective Agents and Group Moral Rights

As I discussed in the introduction, the challenges posed by citizenship in pluralist societies and by claims to self-determination advanced in many parts of the world require a principled basis for determining the character and the entitlements of minority groups. While this book focuses on the entitlements of different national groups and what constitutes their just treatment, consideration of these issues requires that I go beyond the subject of my study to consider the constitution and entitlements not only of national groups but also of groups of other types. In this chapter, I distinguish between different types of group rights.
Comparisons of Lagrangian and Eulerian PDF methods in simulations of non-premixed turbulent jet flames with moderate-to-strong turbulence-chemistry interactions

Transported probability density function (PDF) methods have been applied widely and effectively for modelling turbulent reacting flows. In most applications of PDF methods to date, Lagrangian particle Monte Carlo algorithms have been used to solve a modelled PDF transport equation. However, Lagrangian particle PDF methods are computationally intensive and are not readily integrated into conventional Eulerian computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes. Eulerian field PDF methods have been proposed as an alternative. Here a systematic comparison is performed among three methods for solving the same underlying modelled composition PDF transport equation: a consistent hybrid Lagrangian particle/Eulerian mesh (LPEM) method, a stochastic Eulerian field (SEF) method and a deterministic Eulerian field method with a direct-quadrature-method-of-moments closure (a multi-environment PDF-MEPDF method). The comparisons have been made in simulations of a series of three non-premixed, piloted methane–air turbulent jet flam...
Cognitive processing of emotional information in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Vietnam combat veterans either with or without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) participated in a computerized Stroop color-naming experiment in which they named the colors of neutral, positive, negative, and combat words. Idiographic stimulus selection established the personal emotional significance of the stimuli. Words appeared either randomly or blocked by type. Results indicated that PTSD patients exhibited more interference for combat words than for other words, whereas control subjects exhibited similar, but less pronounced, patterns of interference. Positive words produced no more interference than neutral words, and much less than combat words. This paradigm may provide a nonintrospective index of intrusive cognition in traumatized people.
From optics to optical engineering: 20 years of optics education at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

The optics educational programs at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology have progressed and evolved over the past twenty years. Beginning with a modest undergraduate area minor in applied optics we now offer bachelors and masters degree programs in optical engineering. Distinctive elements of the current optical engineering programs including courses and curricula will be discussed.
Dispersion relation on the Kerr constant of a polymer-stabilized optically isotropic liquid crystal.

The dispersion relation on the Kerr constant ($K$) of a polymer-stabilized isotropic phase (PSIP) liquid-crystal (LC) composite is investigated. Our experimental results show that $K$ decreases as the wavelength (\ensuremath{\lambda}) increases. The single-band birefringence dispersion model is used to fit the \ensuremath{\lambda}$K$ values of the PSIP LC composite. Very good agreement between the experiment and physical model is obtained.
Real-time vision-based approach for probe tracking in operating room

Abstract A hand-held surgical probe is an essential component of any image-guided neurosurgery (IGNS). During the surgical procedure, the IGNS tracks the probe position and displays the anatomy beneath it as three orthogonal image slices on a workstation-based 3D imaging system. Existing IGNS systems use different tracking techniques including mechanical, optical, ultrasonic, and electromagnetic systems. In this paper, we present a new computational vision-based probe tracking technique, which provides both position and orientation. We also propose another new computational vision-based technique to track the patient head and thus compensate for its movement during probing procedure. The proposed system is completely passive, its stereo cameras detect the presence of the probe using available visible light, and reports on their exact location and orientation in patient physical space in real time. We have validated the system using a skull phantom and a hand made probe.
Low-temperature thermal expansion and specific heat of KCl containing Li tunneling states

Thermal-expansion coefficients and specific heats have been measured in the temperature range 0.1--10 K for KCl crystals containing less than 200 ppm /sup 6/Li or /sup 7/Li. The tunneling states associated with isolated Li ions give rise to a Grueneisen parameter of GAMMA/sub Li/ = +150 +- 15 which is isotropic and independent of temperature or of Li isotope.
The basic questions: What is reinforced? What is selected?

Any behavior belongs to innumerable overlapping types. Any adequate theory of emergence and retention of behavior, whether psychological or biological, must give us not only a general mechanism – reinforcement or selection, for example – but a reason why that mechanism applies to a particular behavior in terms of one of its types rather than others. Why is it as this type that the behavior is reinforced or selected?
Acrasin and the development of Polysphondylium pallidum.

Abstract A method is described for measuring the rate of acrasin production of a point source. The method consists of placing the source among a population of amoebae spread on a coverslip, then washing a steady flow of water over the coverslip; sensitive amoebae group themselves into a cometlike tail downstream from the center, the denseness of the tail reflects the strength of the source and the sensitivity of the amoebae. Using this method, changes in sensitivity to acrasin, and percentage of amoebae producing acrasin, were measured in flask cultures of Polysphondylium pallidum. Both variables increase with age of the culture, but there is a definite period when the amebae are chemotactically sensitive to acrasin, but none of them are producing significant acrasin. Possible ways in which these features may be combined so as to cause an aggregate to form and grow are discussed.
Mapping of reinforcing and analgesic effects of the mu opioid agonist Endomorphin-1 in the ventral midbrain of the rat

Introduction Agonists at the mu opioid receptor (MOR) are widely recognized for their effects on reward and pain. Although prior studies have attributed some of these effects to MORs on GABA neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), recent studies have identified a region of particularly strong MOR immunostaining residing caudal to the VTA, in a region denoted the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg).
Alcohol Exposure during the Developmental Period Induces β-Endorphin Neuronal Death and Causes Alteration in the Opioid Control of Stress Axis Function

Proopiomelanocortin-producing neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus secrete beta-endorphin (beta-EP), which controls varieties of body functions including the feedback regulation of the CRH neuronal activity in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Whether ethanol exposure in developing rats induces beta-EP neuronal death and alters their influence on CRH neurons in vivo has not been determined. We report here that binge-like ethanol exposures in newborn rats increased the number of apoptotic beta-EP neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. We also found that immediately after ethanol treatments there was a significant reduction in the expression of proopiomelanocortin and adenylyl cyclases mRNA and an increased expression of several TGF-beta1-linked apoptotic genes in beta-EP neurons isolated by laser-captured microdissection from arcuate nuclei of young rats. Several weeks after the ethanol treatment, we detected a reduction in the number of beta-EP neuronal perikarya in arcuate nuclei and in the number of beta-EP neuronal terminals in paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus in the treated rats. Additionally, these rats showed increased response of the hypothalamic CRH mRNA to the lipopolysaccharide challenge. The ethanol-treated animals also showed incompetent ability to respond to exogenous beta-EP to alter the lipopolysaccharide-induced CRH mRNA levels. These data suggest that ethanol exposure during the developmental period causes beta-EP neuronal death by cellular mechanisms involving the suppression of cyclic AMP production and activation of TGF-beta1-linked apoptotic signaling and produces long-term structural and functional deficiency of beta-EP neurons in the hypothalamus.
Intramolecular sulfoxide electrophilic sulfenylation in 2- and 3-indoleanilides

Abstract When N -[2-(alkylsulfinyl)phenyl]-1 H -indole-2-carboxamides with varying degrees of indolic and amidic N-alkylation are heated in an inert solvent or treated with trifluoroacetic anhydride; only compounds in which the amidic nitrogen is methylated cyclize to indolo[3,2- b ]-1,5-benzothiazepinones ( 9 , 10 ). Successful cyclization is attributed to the ability of N -Me amides to readily adopt a conformation conducive to cyclization, which other derivatives are unable to achieve. The analogous 3-indoleanilide, N , N- dimethyl N -[2-(ethylsulfinyl)phenyl]-1 H -indole-3-carboxamide ( 17a ), undergoes SES/rearrangement to produce 10 upon heating in p -xylene. An intermediate 3 H -indolinium spirocyclic species is proposed to account for this result.
Single representation of the visual midline in humans

Abstract A choice reaction time experiment was performed to find evidence of dual representation of the visual midline in normal humans. Visual targets were presented either to the left or right of fixation and subjects responded by pressing one of two keys. Major variables were: retinal locus (4, 3.5, 3, 2.5, 2, 1.5, 1, 0.75, 0.5 and 0.25° from fixation); visual field (left or right), eye (left or right) and responding hand (left or right). RT was 25 msec faster when the target projected to the hemisphere controlling the responding hand (uncrossed) than when the two separate hemispheres were involved (crossed). The RT difference was maintained even for targets 15 min arc from fixation, provided no evidence for dual representation.
The irradiation swelling of uranium under mechanical restraint

Abstract Simultaneous non-linear differential equations are obtained for the mean strains and stresses in the uranium and in the cladding when a long cylinder of uranium surrounded by a restraining stainless-steel cladding is irradiated. The equations are deduced by assuming that swelling of the uranium is due to equally spaced spherical bubbles, that gas atoms obeying the perfect gas law enter the nearest bubble as soon as the gas is produced and that the presence of the bubbles does not affect the properties of the uranium. The equations are solved for varying thicknesses and strength of cladding both considering and ignoring the creep strength of the material surrounding the bubble. Over the range in the ratio between the thickness and the radius of the cladding considered, the maximum stress in the cladding decreases only slightly with an increase in its thickness. The thicker the cladding the more the swelling is restrained. The cladding is more effective as the bubble spacing increases although the swelling is still greater than that for smaller spacings under an equal restraint.
The dictyostelium kinome--analysis of the protein kinases from a simple model organism.

Dictyostelium discoideum is a widely studied model organism with both unicellular and multicellular forms in its developmental cycle. The Dictyostelium genome encodes 285 predicted protein kinases, similar to the count of the much more advanced Drosophila. It contains members of most kinase classes shared by fungi and metazoans, as well as many previously thought to be metazoan specific, indicating that they have been secondarily lost from the fungal lineage. This includes the entire tyrosine kinase–like (TKL) group, which is expanded in Dictyostelium and includes several novel receptor kinases. Dictyostelium lacks tyrosine kinase group kinases, and most tyrosine phosphorylation appears to be mediated by TKL kinases. About half of Dictyostelium kinases occur in subfamilies not present in yeast or metazoa, suggesting that protein kinases have played key roles in the adaptation of Dictyostelium to its habitat. This study offers insights into kinase evolution and provides a focus for signaling analysis in this system.
Relationship of Petrous Temporal Bone Pneumatization to the Eustachian Tube Lumen

Objectives/Hypothesis Objectives were to determine the incidence of petrous apex pneumatization and to define the relationship between a pneumatized petrous temporal bone and the eustachian tube lumen. Study Design Retrospective study with institutional review board approval including only adult patients. Methods One hundred head computed tomography (ct) scans and 204 petrous temporal bone CT scans performed at a tertiary teaching hospital were reviewed. The two senior authors (s.h.s., p.c.s.) independently reviewed the petrous temporal bone CT scans for grade of pneumatization. Pneumatized CT scans were then reviewed for the presence of a direct communication with the eustachian tube lumen. Significance was determined using the χ2 test and Pearson correlation of ranks. Results The incidence of peritubal cells opening into the eustachian tube anterior to the tympanic orifice was 92%. Conclusion The direct communication of peritubal cells with the bony eustachian tube may play a role in the development of persistent cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea after cerebellopontine angle surgery.
Use and efficacy of nebulized naloxone in patients with suspected opioid intoxication.

Abstract Objective To describe the use and efficacy of nebulized naloxone in patients with suspected opioid intoxication. Methods This was an observational study conducted at an inner city emergency department. Patients were eligible if they had self-reported or suspected opioid intoxication and a spontaneous respiratory rate ≥ 6 breaths/minute. Nebulized naloxone (2 mg in 3 mL normal saline) was administered through a standard face mask at the discretion of the treating physician. Structured data collection included demographics, vital signs pre and post naloxone administration and adverse events. The primary outcome was level of consciousness, which was recorded pre and 15 minutes postnaloxone administration using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS). Results Of the 73 patients who presented with suspected opioid intoxication and were given naloxone over the study period, 26 were initially treated with nebulized naloxone. After nebulized naloxone administration, median GCS improved from 11 [interquartile range (IQR) 3.5] to 13 (IQR, 2.5), P = .001. Median RASS improved from − 3.0 (IQR, − 1.0) to − 2.0 (IQR, − 1.5), P Conclusions Nebulized naloxone was well-tolerated and led to a reduction in the need for supplemental oxygen as well as improved median GCS and RASS scores in patients with suspected opioid intoxication.
Inference of building occupancy signals using moving horizon estimation and Fourier regularization

Abstract We study the problem of estimating time-varying occupancy and ambient air flow signals using noisy carbon dioxide and flow sensor measurements. A regularized moving horizon estimation formulation is proposed that constrains time-varying signals to smooth Fourier expansions. We demonstrate that the regularization approach makes the estimator robust to high levels of noise. In addition, it requires minimal information about the shape of the signals. Computational experiments with simulated and real data demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.
Secretion of prostaglandin F2α and E2 in vitro by the uterus of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

This study determined whether uterine tissue of alligators produce prostaglandins F2α (PGF) and E2 (PGE) and examined the relationship between secretion of prostaglandins and reproductive stage. Uterine tissue from alligators (n = 8) was incubated in the presence of arachidonic acid (AA), banamine (B), arginine vasotocin (AVT), AA + AVT or incubation medium alone. Aliquots of the culture medium were collected at 0, 30, 60, and 90 min and at 24 h of culture. Secretion of PGF was not detected from uterine tissue collected from gravid alligators, whereas non-gravid and post-oviposition alligators secreted appreciable amounts of PGF. The addition of AA to uterine tissue from non-gravid alligators increased secretion of PGF (P < 0.05), whereas AVT had no effect. Addition of AA or AVT decreased secretion of PGF and PGE by uterine tissue from post-oviposition alligators (P < 0.05). Secretion of PGF and PGE by uterine tissue was greater from post-oviposition than from non-gravid and gravid alligators. Secretion of PGE from uterine tissue of non-gravid alligators was not altered by AA or AVT. However, secretion of PGE from uterine tissue from gravid alligators increased in the presence of AVT and decreased when incubated with AA + AVT. Arachidonic acid alone did not significantly alter secretion of PGE in this group. This study demonstrated that uteri of alligators secrete PGF and PGE and production is related to reproductive status. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Additive chemical shift parameters for methylene protons. Shoolery's constants reinvestigated

Methylene proton chemical shifts have been studied using multiple linear regression analysis, and additive chemical shift parameters have been determined. Using a data set of 1007 chemical shifts, involving 48 different substituents, a standard error of estimate of 0.15 ppm was found for protons spread between 2.0 and 5.9 ppm. Provision was made in the data matrix for substituent effects for directly attached groups (α) and for groups attached via one intervening saturated carbon (β-substituents). The influence of groups more remotely located was assumed to be negligible. Although the parameters were optimized for deshielded methylene proton shifts, they also serve satisfactorily for the estimation of shifts in more shielded methylene cases.
Oscillator Strengths for Luminescent Transitions in KCl: Tl and KCl: In

Oscillator-strength ratios for the two principal impurity absorption bands of KCl: Tl and KCl: In are calculated including the effect of crystalline interactions. The phosphor KCl: In was devised in order to provide an additional check of the theoretical analysis. The excited impurity states are assumed to be of the nature of $^{1}P^{0}$ and $^{3}P^{0}$ states of the $\mathrm{sp}$ configuration mixed by spin-orbit interaction. Spin-orbit coupling constants are obtained from free-ion spectra. Crystal interactions are included by using experimental transition energies for the crystal to calculate the energy separation of the pure singlet and triplet states in the crystal. The calculated oscillator-strength ratios are in satisfactory agreement with experiment.
Integrating static analysis and testing for firewall policies

Static analysis is a technique of checking firewall policies for common misconfigurations. Because static analysis does not consider the desired behavior of a policy, it cannot detect faults located in partially masked rules. Our new approach, which integrates static analysis and testing, can detect misconfigurations located in partially masked rules.
An Empirical Assessment of an Activity to Teach Sensory Change in Aging.

This study empirically tested the effectiveness of a brief, inexpensive aging simulation activity to educate traditional-aged students about sensory declines and their potential causes in older adulthood development. Students in a life-span development course wore specific props (e.g., thick gloves, earplugs, and obscured glasses) to simulate neuropathy, arthritis, sensory impairment, and fatty tissues loss, while carrying out a variety of physical tasks. Pretest–posttest analyses revealed that students who engaged in the simulation activity with discussion learned far more regarding sensory changes of aging than did students who passively listened to a lecture on the topic. These results provide evidence that an economical role-playing simulation can be a successful means for teaching students about sensory changes in older adulthood.