cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fully automated spectral envelope and peak velocity detection from Doppler echocardiography images

Doppler echocardiography is valuable for the diagnosis and management of several cardiovascular diseases. Automated analysis of Doppler images can significantly assist in decreasing the known variability of manual measurements and the burdensome of manual delineation and calculation. We propose a novel and fully automated method to detect and analyze spectral Doppler waves used for assessment of diastolic function from mitral inflow [MV] (peak E and A wave velocity), mitral annulus [MA] (peak E' and A' wave velocity), and pulmonary pressure (peak tricuspid regurgitation [TR] velocity). We used the Faster R-CNN deep learning-based method for Doppler, ECG, and anatomical ROIs localization. We then used ECG to segment Doppler signals into individual beats followed by assessing the quality of these beats using density-based method and Structural Similarity Index (SSIM). To segment the spectral envelope for each beat, we used a novel combination of k-means clustering algorithm and Gradient Vector Flow (GVF) snake algorithm. We used 701 Doppler images, collected from 100 patients acquired in the Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health, to evaluate the performance of the proposed method against expert manual peak velocity estimation. The experimental results demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of the proposed framework in estimating peak velocity, and thus making it a viable candidate for use in clinical settings.
Rapid adaptive evolution of the diapause program during range expansion of an invasive mosquito

In temperate climates, the recurring seasonal exigencies of winter represent a fundamental physiological challenge for a wide range of organisms. In response, many temperate insects enter diapause, an alternative developmental program, including developmental arrest, that allows organisms to synchronize their life cycle with seasonal environmental variation. Geographic variation in diapause phenology contributing to local climatic adaptation is well documented. However, few studies have examined how the rapid evolution of a suite of traits expressed across the diapause program may contribute to climatic adaptation on a contemporary timescale. Here, we investigate the evolution of the diapause program over the past 35 years by leveraging a "natural experiment" presented by the recent invasion of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, across the eastern United States. We sampled populations from two distinct climatic regions separated by 6° of latitude (∼700 km). Using common-garden experiments, we identified regional genetic divergence in diapause-associated cold tolerance, diapause duration, and postdiapause starvation tolerance. We also found regional divergence in nondiapause thermal performance. In contrast, we observed minimal regional divergence in nondiapause larval growth traits and at neutral molecular marker loci. Our results demonstrate rapid evolution of the diapause program and imply strong selection caused by differences in winter conditions.
Adversarial Profiles: Detecting Out-Distribution & Adversarial Samples in Pre-trained CNNs.

Despite high accuracy of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), they are vulnerable to adversarial and out-distribution examples. There are many proposed methods that tend to detect or make CNNs robust against these fooling examples. However, most such methods need access to a wide range of fooling examples to retrain the network or to tune detection parameters. Here, we propose a method to detect adversarial and out-distribution examples against a pre-trained CNN without needing to retrain the CNN or needing access to a wide variety of fooling examples. To this end, we create adversarial profiles for each class using only one adversarial attack generation technique. We then wrap a detector around the pre-trained CNN that applies the created adversarial profile to each input and uses the output to decide whether or not the input is legitimate. Our initial evaluation of this approach using MNIST dataset show that adversarial profile based detection is effective in detecting at least 92 of out-distribution examples and 59% of adversarial examples.
DNA scaffolds enable efficient and tunable functionalization of biomaterials for immune cell modulation

Biomaterials can improve the safety and presentation of therapeutic agents for effective immunotherapy, and a high level of control over surface functionalization is essential for immune cell modulation. Here, we developed biocompatible immune cell-engaging particles (ICEp) that use synthetic short DNA as scaffolds for efficient and tunable protein loading. To improve the safety of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies, micrometre-sized ICEp were injected intratumorally to present a priming signal for systemically administered AND-gate CAR-T cells. Locally retained ICEp presenting a high density of priming antigens activated CAR T cells, driving local tumour clearance while sparing uninjected tumours in immunodeficient mice. The ratiometric control of costimulatory ligands (anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies) and the surface presentation of a cytokine (IL-2) on ICEp were shown to substantially impact human primary T cell activation phenotypes. This modular and versatile biomaterial functionalization platform can provide new opportunities for immunotherapies.
Cystic Hygroma in a Dental Hygienist Reporting With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Case Report.

Abstract Objective This purpose of this case report is to describe the chiropractic management of a patient who presented with symptoms of hand neuropathy. Clinical Features A 35-year-old woman presented with a 6-month history of numbness and tingling in the first and second digits of the right hand. Visual inspection revealed a large golf ball-like mass in the patient's right lower neck region. Orthopedic assessment revealed a Tinel's sign at the right carpal tunnel, positive Allen's maneuver, present flick sign, and diminished right radial pulse strength. Advanced diagnostic imaging had been taken previously at the ages of 11 and 24 years, and showed the presence of cystic hygroma in the patient's right axilla and lower neck region. Intervention and Outcome The patient was treated using manipulative therapy to the thoracic spine, myofascial release therapy, and therapeutic ultrasound over the right carpal tunnel. Active home care included postural relief exercises and education about work-related ergonomics. Several functional and subjective improvements were seen within the first 2 weeks of treatment. Symptoms of right-hand numbness resolved after 8 treatments. Conclusion In this case, the chiropractor originally thought the patient's hand numbness was due to a cystic hygroma; however, this was later considered an incidental finding. The patient's symptoms seemed to respond to chiropractic management and reduced within 1 month.
Monte Carlo Simulation Model for Predicting Salmonella Contamination of Chicken Liver as a Function of Serving Size for Use in Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment.

ABSTRACT The first step in quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) is to determine the distribution of pathogen contamination among servings of the food in question at some point in the farm-to-table chain. In the present study, the distribution of Salmonella contamination among servings of chicken liver for use in the QMRA was determined at meal preparation. Salmonella prevalence (P), most probable number (MPN, N), and serotype for different serving sizes were determined by use of a combination of five methods: (i) whole sample enrichment; (ii) quantitative PCR; (iii) culture isolation; (iv) serotyping; and (v) Monte Carlo simulation. Epidemiological data also were used to convert serotype data to virulence (V) values for use in the QMRA. A Monte Carlo simulation model based in Excel and simulated with @Risk predicted Salmonella P, N, serotype, and V as a function of a serving size of one (58 g) to eight (464 g) chicken livers. Salmonella P of chicken livers was 72.5% (58 of 80) per 58 g. Four Salmonella serotypes were isolated from chicken livers: (i) Infantis (P = 28%, V = 4.5); (ii) Enteritidis (P = 15%, V = 5); (iii) Typhimurium (P = 15%, V = 4.8); and (iv) Kentucky (P = 15%, V = 0.8). Salmonella N was 1.76 log MPN/58 g (median) with a range of 0 to 4.67 log MPN/58 g, and the median Salmonella N was not affected (P > 0.05) by serotype. The model predicted a nonlinear increase (P ≤ 0.05) of Salmonella P from 72.5%/58 g to 100%/464 g, a minimum N of 0 log MPN/58 g to 1.28 log MPN/464 g, and a median N from 1.76 log MPN/58 g to 3.22 log MPN/464 g. Regardless of serving size, predicted maximum N was 4.74 log MPN per serving, mean V was 3.9 per serving, and total N was 6.65 log MPN per lot (10,000 chicken livers). The data acquired and modeled in this study address an important data gap in the QMRA for Salmonella and whole chicken liver. HIGHLIGHTS
A Tighter Relation Between Hereditary Discrepancy and Determinant Lower Bound

In seminal work, Lovasz, Spencer, and Vesztergombi [European J. Combin., 1986] proved a lower bound for the hereditary discrepancy of a matrix $A \in \mathbb{R}^{m \times n}$ in terms of the maximum $|\det(B)|^{1/k}$ over all $k \times k$ submatrices $B$ of $A$. We show algorithmically that this determinant lower bound can be off by at most a factor of $O(\sqrt{\log (m) \cdot \log (n)})$, improving over the previous bound of $O(\log(mn) \cdot \sqrt{\log (n)})$ given by Matousek [Proc. of the AMS, 2013]. Our result immediately implies $\mathrm{herdisc}(\mathcal{F}_1 \cup \mathcal{F}_2) \leq O(\sqrt{\log (m) \cdot \log (n)}) \cdot \max(\mathrm{herdisc}(\mathcal{F}_1), \mathrm{herdisc}(\mathcal{F}_2))$, for any two set systems $\mathcal{F}_1, \mathcal{F}_2$ over $[n]$ satisfying $|\mathcal{F}_1 \cup \mathcal{F}_2| = m$. Our bounds are tight up to constants when $m = O(\mathrm{poly}(n))$ due to a construction of Palvolgyi [Discrete Comput. Geom., 2010] or the counterexample to Beck's three permutation conjecture by Newman, Neiman and Nikolov [FOCS, 2012].
Abstract MP03: ROCK2 Specific Inhibition Attenuates Angiotensin II-induced Hypertension In Mice

Hypertension, or an elevated blood pressure, is the primary modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of mortality worldwide. We previously demonstrated that Th17 acti...
Recognition and Localization Techniques

Having obtained a feature-level description of the scene, the next step is matching these features with those computed from the internal representation of the object models. The purpose of the matching process is two-fold—first, to label the features in the scene as an instance of an object model and, second, to determine the position and orientation of the object in the scene with respect to a reference coordinate frame. The process of labeling scene features as having arisen from a particular object model is referred to as recognition, whereas determining the position and orientation of an object in the scene is referred to as localization. In fact, most matching techniques treat recognition and localization as two inseparable issues of the same overall problem, to the extent that the term recognition is often used to denote both recognition and localization.
High-Strength Bolts in Structural Joints: A Symposium: Comparison of Bolted and Riveted Joints

A comparison is made of the behavior of bolted joints and riveted joints subjected to static and fatigue loads. The comparison is based on tests of butt joints having a tension: shear: bearing stre...
The Reciprocal Variable Feedback Concept for Design and Control

System performance can be significantly improved when both the design of the plant and of the controller are considered concurrently. Control theory can be applied to diverse systems, including those that are physical in nature and many that are not Despite the generality afforded by control theory, there are many situations in which opportunities are missed for using less conservative control laws and simpler overall implementations. This is due to formulations that do not explicitly reveal the existence of intrinsic information pertaining to the particular domain of application. Such is the case with many physical systems. The various constraints of physical reality (in the form of principles, laws, etc.) open several possibilities which can be exploited for system design and control. In this paper, we propose the Reciprocal Variable Feedback principle as a means for facilitating the control of plants with complicated nonlinear dynamics in the presence of parameter and/or structural uncertainty. The RVF principle exploits the effort-flow relationships associated with power interactions in order to assist in the design and control of physical processes. This is accomplished by using sensors instead of computation based models and can be implemented within many physical domains. A motion control example is used to provide insight into the nature of the principle. It is expected that in the future, additional principles will be identified and introduced for integrating design with the control of dynamic systems.
Clinical Interviewing in Child Sexual Abuse Cases

Disclosures of child sexual abuse in clinical contexts provide mental health professionals, who are mandated reporters, with a challenge because there are often no medical indicators of sexual abuse. The clinician must conduct an interview to obtain the most accurate information from which to make a judgment as to whether the child's disclosure meets mandated reporting criteria. This entry discusses investigative interview protocols with empirical support in the children's eyewitness memory literature. Also, it reviews key literature on interviewing techniques that were developed with the intention of aiding children's eyewitness reports but have not been found to do so. The entry closes with interviewing recommendations for mental health professionals when a child makes a disclosure of sexual abuse in the context of psychological assessment or treatment. Keywords: applied cognitive psychology; forensic psychology; investigative interviewing; child sexual abuse; children's eyewitness memory; children's suggestibility; eyewitness testimony; memory; suggestibility
Alterations in lipid metabolism gene expression and abnormal lipid accumulation in fibroblast explants from giant axonal neuropathy patients

Giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) is a hereditary neurological disorder that affects both central and peripheral nerves. The main pathological hallmark of the disease is abnormal accumulations of intermediate filaments (IFs) in giant axons and other cell types. Mutations in the GAN gene, encoding gigaxonin, cause the disease. Gigaxonin is important in controlling protein degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. The goal of this study was to examine global alterations in gene expression in fibroblasts derived from newly identified GAN families compared with normal cells. We report the characterization of fibroblast explants obtained from two unrelated GAN patients. We identify three novel putative mutant GAN alleles and show aggregation of vimentin IFs in these fibroblasts. By microarray analysis, we also demonstrate that the expression of lipid metabolism genes of the GAN fibroblasts is disrupted, which may account for the abnormal accumulations of lipid droplets in these cells. Our findings suggest that aberrant lipid metabolism in GAN patients may contribute to the progression of the disease.
Describing Roles that Gay-Straight Alliances Play in Schools: From Individual Support to School Change

Abstract Based on a broader qualitative study of organizational level changes in schools participating in Massachusetts' Safe Schools Program, the authors describe four roles that GSAs played in the twenty-two schools: counseling and support; “safe” space; primary vehicle for raising awareness, increasing visibility, and educating about LGBT issues in school; and, part of broader school efforts for raising awareness, increasing visibility, and educating about LGBT issues in school. The advantages and disadvantages of each role are discussed in terms of addressing broader issues of heterosexism in schools, providing safety for LGBT students, and sustaining long-term organizational level changes in schools.
Network-Based Learning and Assessment Applications on the Semantic Web

Today's Web applications are already "aware" of the network of computers and data on the Internet, in the sense that they perceive, remember, and represent knowledge external to themselves. For example, search engines like Google prescan the Web and store a record of page contents. That image, not the real Internet, is then searched when a user makes a request. As an image, Google's internal representation of the Internet is similar to a memory formed from perception. But Web applications are generally not able to respond to the meaning and context of the information in their memories. As a result, most applications are insensitive and unresponsive to users' teaching and learning needs, and they are unable to decide when to abstract from interactions in order to synthesize new knowledge. As the Web becomes a distributed computing environment for eEducation applications that can dynamically share and update one another's information, however, future network-based learning and assessment applications have the potential to fill in these gaps.
Volunteerism: Social Issues Perspectives and Social Policy Implications

This analytic review focuses on theory and research on volunteerism. First, we define volunteerism as freely chosen helping activities that extend over time and that are often performed through organizations and on behalf of receptive causes or individuals. Next, we link these definitional features to the Volunteer Process Model, which depicts volunteerism as a process with three sequential and interactive stages (antecedents, experiences, and consequences) and at multiple levels of analysis. Then, we use this model to organize the empirical literature on volunteerism and selected work on social movements. Finally, we discuss implications for social policy issues relevant to individuals, organizations, communities, and societies.
Dominance as expressed and inferred through speaking time: A meta-analysis

Differences in speaking time during a group interaction are hypothesized to reflect differences in individual dominance. In order to test this assumption and to identify potential moderator variables influencing the strength of the predicted association, a meta-analysis was conducted. Whether speaking time is used to convey dominance to the same extent that it is used in inferring dominance was tested by contrasting studies concerned with dominance expressed in speaking time with studies of inferred dominance based on speaking time. Overall, and for the investigated subcategories of studies, the relationship between dominance and speaking time was significant. The strength of the associations, however, differed considerably due to the influence of moderator variables. The results showed that inferred dominance studies showed stronger associations between speaking time and dominance as opposed to the expressed dominance studies. Additionally, if dominance was expressed due to dominance-role assignments, the association between speaking time and dominance was stronger than if individuals with different levels of trait dominance interacted. For men, the association between speaking time and dominance was stronger than for women, and same-gender groups showed stronger associations than opposite-gender groups. Also, increasing group size intensified the strength of the association linearly.
Differential validation of the US-TEC model

[1] This paper presents a validation and accuracy assessment of the total electron content (TEC) from US-TEC, a new product presented by the Space Environment Center over the contiguous United States (CONUS). US-TEC is a real-time operational implementation of the MAGIC code and provides TEC maps every 15 min and the line-of-sight electron content between any point within the CONUS and all GPS satellites in view. Validation of TEC is difficult since there are no absolute or true values of TEC. All methods of obtaining TEC, for instance, from GPS, ocean surface monitors (TOPEX), and lightning detectors (FORTE), have challenges that limit their accuracy. GPS data have interfrequency biases; TOPEX also has biases, and data are collected only over the oceans; and FORTE can eliminate biases, but because of the lower operating frequency, the signals suffer greater bending on the rays. Because of the difficulty in obtaining an absolute unbiased TEC measurement, a “differential” accuracy estimate has been performed. The method relies on the fact that uninterrupted GPS data along a particular receiver-satellite link with no cycle slips are very precise. The phase difference (scaled to TEC units) from one epoch to the next can be determined with an accuracy of less than 0.01 TEC units. This fact can be utilized to estimate the uncertainty in the US-TEC vertical and slant path maps. By integrating through US-TEC inversion maps at two different times, the difference in the slant TEC can be compared with the direct phase difference in the original RINEX data file for nine receivers not used in the US-TEC calculations. The results of this study, for the period of April–September 2004, showed an average root mean square error of 2.4 TEC units, which is equivalent to less than 40 cm of signal delay at the GPS L1 frequency. The accuracy estimates from this “differential” method are similar to the results from a companion paper utilizing an “absolute” validation method by comparing with FORTE data.
Purification and characterization of OBF1: a Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein that binds to autonomously replicating sequences.

Abstract We previously identified a protein activity from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, OBF1, that bound specifically to a DNA element present in autonomously replicating sequences ARS120 and ARS121 (S. Eisenberg C. Civalier, and B. K. Tye, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:743-746, 1988). OBF1 has now been purified to near homogeneity by conventional protein and DNA affinity chromatography. Electrophoresis of the purified protein in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels revealed the presence of two polypeptides. The major protein band had a relative molecular size of 123 kilodaltons, and the minor protein band, which constituted only a small fraction of total protein, had a molecular size of 127 kilodaltons. Both polypeptides cochromatographed with the specific ARS120 DNA-binding activity and formed a stable protein-DNA complex, isolatable by sedimentation through sucrose gradients. Using antibodies, we have shown that both polypeptides are associated with the isolated protein-DNA complexes. The ARS DNA-binding activity had a Stokes radius of 54 A (5.4 nm) and a sedimentation coefficient of 4.28S, as determined by gel filtration and sedimentation through glycerol gradients, respectively. These physical parameters, together with the denatured molecular size values, suggested that the proteins exist in solution as asymmetric monomers. Since both polypeptides recognized identical sequences and had similar physical properties, they are probably related. In addition to binding to ARS120, we found that purified OBF1 bounds with equal affinity to ARS121 and with 5- and 10-fold-lower affinity to ARS1 and HMRE, respectively. Furthermore, in the accompanying paper (S. S. Walker, S. C. Francesconi, B. K. Tye, and S. Eisenberg, Mol. Cell. Biol. 9:2914-2921, 1989), we demonstrate the existence of a high, direct correlation between the ability of purify OBF1 to bind to ARS121 and optimal in vivo ARS121 activity as an origin of replication. These findings, taken together, suggest a role for OBF1 in ARS function, presumably at the level of initiation of DNA replication at the ARS.
On the link between media coverage of anorexia and pro‐anorexic practices on the web

Objective Links between media portrayals of celebrities and participation in activities related to anorexia are of interest to both researchers and practitioners but are difficult to study over long time periods and in large populations. Here we aim to determine the links between media portrayals of celebrities and online practices related to anorexia. Method We examined the Internet searching activities of 9.2 million people, focusing on searches related to known celebrities, especially those perceived by the public as suffering from anorexia, and on searches indicative of anorexic practices. Additionally, we tracked media attention of individual celebrities by monitoring all messages from Twitter related to those celebrities. Results We found that a subset of users focus their browsing activities on celebrities perceived as anorexic. There was an increase of 14% in the hazard of performing anorexia-related searches after searching for information on the celebrities most perceived as anorexic. Media attention of a celebrity was a trigger for search activity, and when focused on a celebrity perceived as anorexic, resulted in a 33% increase in hazard for carrying out anorexic searches. Strikingly, when media attention included a reference to anorexia, the hazard decreased by 22%. Discussion Our findings suggest that it would be beneficial for media, when reporting on those celebrities who are known to suffer from anorexia, to include this information in their reporting. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2014; 47:196-202)
Passive Microwave Devices

This chapter contains sections titled: Terminations Attenuators Phase Shifters Directional Couplers Hybrid Junctions Power Dividers Microwave Propagation in Ferrites Faraday Rotation Microwave Devices Employing Faraday Rotation Circulators Other Ferrite Devices This chapter contains sections titled: Problems References
Tandem mass spectrometry for identifying fatty acid derivatives that undergo charge-remote fragmentations

A variety of fatty acid functional derivatives were desorbed by fast atom bombardment and collisionally activated. Derivatives having a high proton affinity such as fatty amides, pyrrolidides and picolinyl esters fragment to give decompositions that originate remote from the charge site. In contrast, derivatives having a low proton affinity such as fatty acids and fatty esters fragment to give charge-initiated decompositions. Therefore, the choice of the fatty acid functional derivative is important in effecting charge-remote decompositions of the [M + H]+ ions. The collisional activation spectra of the [M + H]+ ions of fatty alcohols and fatty amines were also compared. Based on this comparison, the internal energy required in order for charge-remote fragmentations to occur is estimated to be between 1.4 and 2.9 eV. This work is a guide in designing functional derivatives of fatty acids that undergo charge-remote reactions.
HCV quasispecies evolution: association with progression to end-stage liver disease in hemophiliacs infected with HCV or HCV/HIV

Patients with inherited bleeding disorders who received clotting factor concentrates before 1987 have high rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) or HCV/HIV infection. We evaluated HCV quasispecies evolution in longitudinally collected specimens comparing those from patients with progression to end-stage liver disease (ESLD; cases) to those with compensated chronic hepatitis (controls). Plasma samples were obtained from the National Cancer Institute Multicenter Hemophilia Cohort Study. Controls were matched for age, sex, infection duration, and presence/absence of HIV. Samples from early infection were compared to those obtained after onset of ESLD in the cases. The first hypervariable (HVR1) and core proteincoding regions were amplified, subcloned, and sequenced. Complexity and diversity were determined. More than 700 sub-clones from 10 pairs of patients (8 with HIV) followed over approximately 9.3 years were evaluated. HVR1 complexity narrowed over time in the cases, whereas it increased in controls (P = .01). Similar trends were observed for diversity within HVR1 and the core region (P = .04). HCV-infected patients with inherited bleeding disorders undergo quasispecies evolution over time. Evolution patterns differ for progressors and nonprogressors. Further understanding of these mechanisms may help identify factors related to progression rate and treatment response.
Neuroprotective adaptations in hibernation: therapeutic implications for ischemia-reperfusion, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases

Brains of hibernating mammals are protected against a variety of insults that are detrimental to humans and other nonhibernating species. Such protection is associated with a number of physiological adaptations including hypothermia, increased antioxidant defense, metabolic arrest, leukocytopenia, immunosuppression, and hypocoagulation. It is intriguing that similar manipulations provide considerable protection as experimental treatments for central nervous system injury. This review focuses on neuroprotective mechanisms employed during hibernation that may offer novel approaches in the treatment of stroke, traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative diseases in humans.
Slow and stored light with atom-based squeezed light

In this manuscript we present calculations that consider the propagation of a squeezed vacuum signal field through a resonant atomic medium under electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). We show that squeezing is degraded due to four-wave mixing processes at high optical depth of the atomic medium. We also present some preliminary results for degenerate Zeeman EIT resonances.
Increased GnRH mRNA in the GnRH neurons expressing cFos during the proestrous LH surge.

GnRH neuronal activity is increased during the proestrous LH surge as assessed by the expression of cFos. Whether there is an increase in GnRH mRNA concomitant with GnRH neuronal activation is still controversial. In the present study we have compared GnRH mRNA levels in GnRH neurons expressing cFos (activated) with those not expressing cFos during the proestrous LH surge. Brain tissue was obtained from adult female rats perfused on proestrus before (1100-1300 hr) or during (1500-1900 hr) the LH surge. Twenty-five microns free-floating brain sections were subjected to double labeling of cFos by immunocytochemistry and of GnRH mRNA by in situ hybridization using an 35S-labeled cRNA probe. Another series of sections were stained by double-label immunocytochemistry for cFos and GnRH. Serum LH concentrations and cFos expression in GnRH neurons indicated that rats sacrificed at or before 1300 hr had basal levels of LH secretion, and no cFos activity was detected in GnRH neurons. In animals sacrificed between 1...
Glucan Yield from Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Big Bluestem as Affected by Ecotype and Planting Location Along the Precipitation Gradient of the Great Plains

Three big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) ecotypes from central Kansas (Cedar Bluffs (CDB) and Webster (WEB) populations), eastern Kansas (Konza (KON) and Top of the World (TOW) populations), and Illinois (12Mile (12M) and Fults (FUL) populations), as well as the Kaw cultivar, were harvested from four reciprocal garden planting locations (Colby, Hays, and Manhattan, KS, and Carbondale, IL) and used to study effects of ecotype and planting location on glucan content and glucan yield from enzymatic hydrolysis along the Great Plains precipitation gradient (∼1,200 to 400 mm mean annual precipitation). The populations varied widely in glucan content (31.8–36.5 %), mass recovery (52.0–59.7 %), and glucan recovery (79.0–87.50 %) after acid treatment, efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis (EEH) (84.6–88.9 %), and glucan mass yield (20.8–29.3 %). Planting location had significant effects on all variables evaluated except EEH. Ecotype had significant effects on glucan recovery, EEH, and glucan mass yield. In addition, interaction between ecotype and planting location also had significant effects on glucan content and glucan mass yield after enzymatic hydrolysis. Planting location had a stronger influence than ecotype and interaction between location and ecotype. Total glucan mass yield of big bluestem (regardless of ecotype) increased as the Great Plains precipitation gradient increased from west to east. Annual precipitation, growing degree days, and potential evapotranspiration in 2010 accounted for 90, 85, and 78 % of the variation in glucan mass yield.
Bioelectrical impedance phase angle in clinical practice: implications for prognosis in stage IIIB and IV non-small cell lung cancer.

A frequent manifestation of advanced lung cancer is malnutrition, timely identification and treatment of which can lead to improved patient outcomes. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is an easy-to-use and non-invasive technique to evaluate changes in body composition and nutritional status. We investigated the prognostic role of BIA-derived phase angle in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A case series of 165 stages IIIB and IV NSCLC patients treated at our center. The Kaplan Meier method was used to calculate survival. Cox proportional hazard models were constructed to evaluate the prognostic effect of phase angle, independent of stage at diagnosis and prior treatment history. 93 were males and 72 females. 61 had stage IIIB disease at diagnosis while 104 had stage IV. The median phase angle was 5.3 degrees (range = 2.9 – 8). Patients with phase angle 5.3 had 12.4 months (95% CI: 10.5 to 18.7; n = 84); (p = 0.02). After adjusting for age, stage at diagnosis and prior treatment history we found that every one degree increase in phase angle was associated with a relative risk of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.64 to 0.97, P = 0.02). We found BIA-derived phase angle to be an independent prognostic indicator in patients with stage IIIB and IV NSCLC. Nutritional interventions targeted at improving phase angle could potentially lead to an improved survival in patients with advanced NSCLC.
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE BABY IS WINKING AT YOU? CASE REPORT OF A FACE PRESENTATION

Face presentation is an uncommon presentation at birth. The identification of a fetus with a hyperextended neck on ultrasound antenatally warrants close scrutiny for other anomalies. A fetus who presents as a face presentation in labor that is of average estimated fetal weight and has no anomalies in a woman with an adequate pelvis is likely to deliver vaginally if the mentum rotates to anterior prior to birth. Persistent mentum posteriors are best left alone without manual intervention and delivered by cesarean section. Prolonged labor is common. The clinician must be patient and closely monitor descent and rotation. Infants born as face presentations should be assessed closely after birth for normal respiratory transition and the presence of significant pain warranting analgesics.
Conservative management of elemental mercury retained in the appendix.

Introduction. Few cases of mercury sequestration in the appendix appear in the literature. Based on these, both prophylactic appendectomy and non-surgical management have been recommended. We report a case in which a patient with mercury retained in the appendix was managed conservatively without developing mercurialism or appendicitis. Case Report. A 43-year-old man ingested approximately one tablespoon of elemental mercury after an argument with his wife. An initial abdominal radiograph showed mercury in the pylorus of the stomach and a follow-up x-ray at 72 hours showed mercury localized to the appendix. The patient was treated as an outpatient and examined several times over a 37-day period. He never developed signs of appendicitis. On a follow-up examination 7 months after the ingestion, he was radiographically free of mercury. Periodically throughout his clinical course, blood mercury levels were obtained. Only one, 6 days after ingestion, showed an elevated mercury level of 68 mcg/L (reference rang...
Application of Dynamic Value Pricing through Enhancements to TRANSIMS

In the past decade, transportation agencies have become increasingly interested in a high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane value pricing system, especially one with a dynamically varying toll system that depends on the congestion levels in the HOT lanes. HOT lane users are influenced by many factors, including toll prices, savings in time, and purpose of the trip. The current methodologies that forecast the demand for a HOT lane value pricing system are aggregate and do not consider individual traveler socioeconomic characteristics, particularly the value of time (VOT). This paper applies heterogeneous VOT for each individual into the generalized travel time function. This approach relaxes the conventional assumption of constant VOT. The generalized travel time function combined with VOT is used as a route choice for each traveler between the two choices (a toll lane versus a nontoll lane) in a HOT lane value pricing system. With this function, each driver is assigned to the network on the basis of a dynamic tra...
2-azatricyclo[2.2.1.01,6]heptane: Synthesis and conversion to 2-azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptanes

Abstract A facile route to 6-substituted 2-azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptanes via the novel tricyclic system, 2-azatricyclo[2.2.1.0 1,6 ]heptane ( 2 ), is described. The key intermediate ( 2 ) was prepared by oxidation of 4-aminomethylcyclopentene with lead tetra-acetate, and the bicyclic system was obtained by reaction of acetate with 2.MeI . Equilibration of exo - and endo -6-hydroxy-1-methyl-2-azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane afforded an exo-endo isomeric ratio close to that of norborneol, and on this basis it is suggested that the steric requirements of the nitrogen lone pair are similar to that of CH.
On the measurement of corporate diversification strategy: Evidence from large U.S. service firms

Actual, not potential, relatedness determines the results of diversification strategies. An external examination of a firm's businesses, products, markets and technologies permits an assessment of potential relatedness among its various businesses. Potential relatedness is, however, often not realized. Also, relatedness may be externally invisible. Hence, actual relatedness may diverge from externally measured potential relatedness. This paper provides evidence suggesting that measures of corporate diversification strategy based on internal data differ significantly from those based on externally available data.
Cyclophosphamide in the management of Ewing's sarcoma

The activity of alkylating agents, cyclophosphamide and melphalan, was studied in 13 patients with metastatic Ewing's sarcoma. A total of 15 courses of melphalan was administered to five patients at a dose of 1.0 to 1.5 mg/kg per course. There were no responses. Cyclophosphamide was administered to 11 patients, including three melphalan failures. Five partial and two complete responses were obtained, two of whom were melphalan failures. An intermittent intravenous schedule of 15 mg/kg once weekly was convenient and effective, resulting in five of the seven responses. The direct intrapleural instillation of two doses of 15 mg/kg produced total control of pleural effusion in one patient. Only one of four patients on a daily oral schedule of 5.0 mg/kg demonstrated a partial response. The mean dose to response was 45 mg/kg, and the mean duration of response was 5+ months. Factors adversely affecting responsiveness are short-duration of disease prior to initiation of chemotherapy and a “symptom status” indicating marked disability from disease. Severe vomiting, noted in four of the seven patients receiving parenteral therapy and one of the four on oral therapy, was the most disabling side reaction. Ewing's sarcoma should be considered a cyclophosphamide-responsive neoplasm in the same category as neuroblastoma and malignant lymphoma.
Management of the fractured incisor

A restorative technique is described that provides both immediate and long-term repair and restores esthetics at the initial visit. Treatment of the incisal fracture by the method described in this report provides immediate and long-term repair, seals the fracture site, and restores esthetics at the initial visit.
Pulsed power management and design philosophy in the T-1028A/FPS-85 radar transmitter

The T-1028A/FPS-85 transmitter is part of the AN/FPS-85 phased-array radar system located at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The radar features an electronically steerable beam at a peak radiated power of about 32 MW generated by a 72 X 72 matrix of separate T- 1028A/FPS-85 transmitter elements that are individually rated for a maximum peak power output of 10 kW. The output stage RF amplifier is a cavity design that uses the YU-176 planar triode tube. The signals to modulate the tube cathode are developed within the transmitter. This departs from the original transmitter design philosophy in which all 5184 transmitter units were modulated by single-signal sources that originated from centralized equipment locations and were then fed to the transmitter elements by an extensive network of cables and feed boxes. Recent improvements in technology have made small and inexpensive switching components available which allow for individual pulsed power and modulator circuits. The proposed retrofit of the radar site with the redesigned transmitters will result in the obsolescence of the existing modulator equipment.
D/H and Nearby Interstellar Cloud Structures

Analysis of UV spectra obtained with the HST, FUSE and other satellites provides a new understanding of the deuterium abundance in the local region of the galactic disk. The wide range of gas-phase D/H measurements obtained outside of the Local Bubble can now be explained as due to different amounts of deuterium depletion on carbonaceous grains. The total D/H ratio including deuterium in the gas and dust phases is at least 23 parts per million of hydrogen, which is providing a challenge to models of galactic chemical evolution. Analysis of HST and ground-based spectra of many lines of sight to stars within the Local Bubble have identified interstellar velocity components that are consistent with more than 15 velocity vectors. We have identified the structures of 15 nearby warm interstellar clouds on the basis of these velocity vectors and common temperatures and depletions. We estimate the distances and masses of these clouds and compare their locations with cold interstellar clouds.
Creating socio-economic measures for community-based natural resource management: a case from watershed stewardship organisations

One consequence of the transition of rural communities from industrialised agriculture and natural resource extraction to sustainable development principles has been the rise of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM). CBNRM entails collaborative efforts, typically involving local, state and federal agencies, private firms and landowners, non-governmental organisations such as environmental and economic development groups, and watershed councils. There are no agreed-upon metrics or even broadly accepted approaches for assessing the effectiveness of these new institutions. A good deal of work has been done on evaluating collaborative processes and some on environmental outcomes, but almost none on the socio-economic effects of their activities. To help fill the gap we have been conducting a long-term action research project in Oregon, an analysis of the most effective approaches to the design and implementation of measures of the socio-economic health of communities in which watershed stewardsh...
Fiber optic-based optical coherence tomography (OCT) for dental applications

We have developed a hand-held fiber optic based optical coherence tomography (OCT) system for scanning of the oral cavity We have produced, using this scanning device, in viva cross-sectional images of hard and soft dental tissues in human volunteers Clinically relevant anatomical structures, including the gingival margin, periodontal sulcus, and dento-enamel junction, were visible in all the images The dento-enamel junction and the alveolar bone were identifiable in approximately two thirds of the images These images represent, to our knowledge, the first in viva OCT images of human dental tissue.
Physicochemical automaticity at a mercury-electrolyte interface: Associated electrical potential and impedance changes

Durch Einfuhrung einer Stahlnadel werden andauernde elektrische und mechanische Schwankungen erzeugt und zwar bei wechselnder Oberflachen-oxydation und Reduktion eines Quecksilbertropfchens, das in verdunnter Saure mit K2Cr2O7 liegt. Die Schwankungen des Elektropotentials und des Widerstands wurden gemessen und zusammen mit den mechanischen Schwankungen photographiert.
Anomalous nodes in the bound state wave functions for non-local potentials

Abstract A numerical study of bound-state solutions of the Schroedinger equation with non-local potentials has revealed an unexpected property of such wave functions: If the kernel of the potential operator has a positive sign and if the non-locality is sufficiently large, the wave functions will have more nodes than do those of local potentials.
SYNTHESIS OF PEPTIDES AND DERIVATIVES OF 3‐ AND 4‐ HYDROXYPROLINE

Synthesis and properties are reported for a number of peptides and related derivatives of 3-hydroxy-L-proline and 4-hydroxyl-L-proline. These were made for several different purposes, namely, sythesis of N-acetyl-O-tosyl-4-hydroxy-L-proline amide as a model for chemical reduction of peptide-bound hydroxyproline, synthesis of tripeptides with the sequence glycyl-4-hydroxy-L-hydroxy-L-prolyl-X, synthesis of the naturally occurring sequence, glycyl-3-hydroxy-L-prolyl-4-hydroxy-L-proline, and monomers for polymerization to yield the sequence -glycyl-prolyl-4-hydroxy-L-prolyl-.
Program complexity: a tutorial

How does a programmer decide which of two different algorithms to use to solve a problem? This is a particularly difficult question because one finds that often one part of the solution of a problem “dominates” the running time of the solution, i.e. uses a large fraction of the execution time. Further, this special part of the solution requires the programmer to choose an algorithm for its solution from a large number of alternatives. This tutorial describes one approach used in computer science to measure the complexity of a program by modeling programs with mathematical functions that describe their execution time. We break the solution of this problem into three parts. We first discuss the notion of how two functions are compared. We then show how algorithms can have their execution time modeled by functions. Finally, we see how to compare algorithms by comparing the functions that describe them.
Asian American Evangelicals in Multiracial Church Ministry

Since the 1990s, evangelical efforts to create multiracial churches (MRCs) have grown exponentially. This article analyzes the experiences of Asian American evangelical ministers leading MRCs. Through interviews we explore how Asian American evangelicals came to be involved in MRC-ministry and how they approach issues of racial diversity in this context. We compare the racial attitudes of Asian American evangelical ministers leading MRCs with those of White and Black evangelicals delineated in Emerson and Smith’s Divide by Faith. Rather than conform to the colorblind approach of many White evangelicals, the majority of our respondents utilize structural explanations for social inequality and promote a colorconscious approach to diversity. We conclude that Asian American evangelicals utilize a unique framework for MRC-ministry, what we call a ‘racialized multiculturalism,’ that has much to offer American evangelicalism.