cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relaxed ordered-subset algorithm for penalized-likelihood image restoration

The expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm for maximum-likelihood image recovery is guaranteed to converge, but it converges slowly. Its ordered-subset version (OS-EM) is used widely in tomographic image reconstruction because of its order-of-magnitude acceleration compared with the EM algorithm, but it does not guarantee convergence. Recently the ordered-subset, separable-paraboloidal-surrogate (OS-SPS) algorithm with relaxation has been shown to converge to the optimal point while providing fast convergence. We adapt the relaxed OS-SPS algorithm to the problem of image restoration. Because data acquisition in image restoration is different from that in tomography, we employ a different strategy for choosing subsets, using pixel locations rather than projection angles. Simulation results show that the relaxed OS-SPS algorithm can provide an order-of-magnitude acceleration over the EM algorithm for image restoration. This new algorithm now provides the speed and guaranteed convergence necessary for efficient image restoration.
Neurochemical-neuroendocrine systems in the brain controlling macronutrient intake and metabolism

Abstract Appetite, energy balance and body weight gain are modulated by diverse neurochemical and neuroendocrine signals from different organs in the body and diverse regions in the brain. The hypothalamus plays an important integrative function in this process, acting through a variety of systems that involve a close interaction between nutrients, amines, neuropeptides and hormones. These systems underlie normal nutrient intake and metabolism and are thought to be responsible for shifts in feeding behavior across the circadian cycle and fluctuations relating to gender and age in both rats and humans. Moreover, alterations in these normal neurochemical—neuroendocrine systems may be associated with abnormal eating patterns, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia and obesity. Understanding the systems that control eating behavior might provide a foundation for the treatment and possible prevention of such disorders.
Earth Structure from Free Oscillations and Travel Times

An extensive set of reliable gross Earth data has been inverted to obtain a new estimate of the radial variations of seismic velocities and density in the Earth. The basic data set includes the observed mass and moment of inertia, the average periods of free oscillation (taken mainly from the Dziewonski-Gilbert study), and five new sets of differential travel-time data. The differential travel-time data consists of the times of PcP-P and ScS-S, which contain information about mantle structure, and the times of P′_(AB) - P′_(DF) and P′_(BC)-P′_(DF) which are sensitive to core structure. A simple but realistic starting model was constructed using a number of physical assumptions, such as requiring the Adams-Williamson relation to hold in the lower mantle and core. The data were inverted using an iterative linear estimation algorithm. By using baseline-insensitive differential travel times and averaged eigenperiods, a considerable improvement in both the quality of the fit and the resolving power of the data set has been realized. The spheroidal and toroidal data are fit on the average to 0·04 and 0·08 per cent, respectively. The final model, designated model B1, also agrees with Rayleigh and Love wave phase and group velocity data. The ray-theoretical travel times of P waves computed from model B1 are about 0·8s later than the 1968 Seismological Tables with residuals decreasing with distance, in agreement with Cleary & Hales and other recent studies. The computed PcP, PKP, and PKiKP times are generally within 0·5 s of the times obtained in recent studies. The travel times of S computed from B1 are 5–10 s later than the Jeffreys-Sullen Tables in the distance range 30° to 95°, with residuals increasing with distance. These S times are in general agreement with the more recent data of Kogan, Ibrahim & Nuttli, Lehmann, Cleary, and Bolt et al. Model B1 is characterized by an upper mantle with a high, 4·8 km s^(−1), S_n velocity and a normal, 3·33 g cm^(−3), density. A low-velocity zone for S is required by the data, but a possible low-velocity zone for compressional waves cannot be resolved by the basic data set. The upper mantle transition zone contains two first-order discontinuities at depths of 420 km and 671 km. Between these discontinuities the shear velocity decreases with depth. The radius of the core, fixed by PcP-P times and previous mode inversions, is 3485 km, and the radius of the inner core-outer core boundary is 1215 km. There are no other first-order discontinuities in the core model. The shear velocity in the inner core is about 3·5 km s^(−1).
2D IR spectroscopy of the C-D stretching vibration of the deuterated formic acid dimer.

We report transient grating and 2D IR spectra of the C–D stretching vibration of deuterated formic acid dimer. The C–D stretching transition is perturbed by an accidental Fermi resonance interaction that gives rise to a second transition. The transient grating results show that the population lifetime of these states, which are in rapid equilibrium, is 11 ps. 2D IR spectroscopy reveals the energies of the eigenstates in the regions of one quantum and two quanta of C–D stretching excitation. Using these eigenstate energies, we construct a simplified model for the zeroth-order states that we then use to simulate the 2D IR spectrum. The results of this simulation suggest that the model captures the essential features of the vibrational spectroscopy in the region of the C–D stretching transition and compares well with previous gas-phase spectroscopy of the C–D stretch of deuterated formic acid dimer.
Antifungal Combinations against Simulated Candida albicans Endocardial Vegetations

The in vitro effects of flucytosine (5FC), liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB), and micafungin (Mica) combinations against two Candida albicans strains that simulated 24-hour-old endocardial vegetations were studied. Mica was superior to 5FC or L-AmB, and the 5FC-L-AmB-Mica combination was superior to all other treatments for one strain but no different from the dual combination of L-AmB-Mica for the other strain.
Measuring Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) You May Only Get What You Ask For

With the goal of understanding the true extent of intimate partner violence (IPV), researchers have put tremendous effort over the past 20 years developing, revising, and assessing IPV screening instruments. The enhancements made in IPV instrumentation reflect our improved understanding of the nature of IPV. Unfortunately, as is often the case with progress, we are presently at the stage where IPV researchers have an arsenal of multiple IPV screens that are, in some cases, slightly different, whereas in others, the differences are sizeable. This article explores the evolution and variation of a sample of IPV screens. To further progress in IPV research, we must make conscious decisions concerning the best tool for our individual research. Simultaneously, we must enhance our understanding of how these IPV screening instruments overlap so that comparisons of IPV prevalence or incidence across time and population are possible.
Expression and localization of aminopeptidase A, aminopeptidase N, and dipeptidyl peptidase IV in benign and malignant human prostate tissue.

BACKGROUND Cell-surface peptidases are ectoenzymes which regulate the access of bioactive peptides to their receptors on cell membranes. Abnormalities in their expression and function result in altered peptide activity which contribute to neoplastic transformation and/or progression. METHODS Expression of aminopeptidase A (APA), aminopeptidase N (APN, CD13), and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV, CD26) was immunohistochemically examined in 20 benign and 33 malignant prostate tissues (19 primaries and 14 metastases). RESULTS Benign prostatic stroma exhibited no APA, APN, or DPP IV immunoreactivity. Stromal cells surrounding prostatic carcinoma cells demonstrated increased APA expression in 24/33 (73%) of tumors. Benign prostatic epithelial cells strongly expressed APN and DPP IV but not APA. In contrast, APN was expressed in >80% of tumor cells in 5/33 (15%) of specimens, heterogeneously expressed (20–80% of cells positive) in 4/33 (12%) of specimens, and minimally expressed or absent in 24/33 (73%) of tumor specimens, with a similar pattern of expression in primary and metastatic tumors. DPP IV was expressed by >80% of tumor cells in 18/19 (95%) of primary prostate cancer specimens, but in only 7/14 (50%) of metastases. CONCLUSIONS These data show that cell-surface peptidases are differentially expressed by normal prostatic stromal and epithelial cells, with increased expression of APA in the stroma surrounding prostate cancer cells, absent APN expression in most tumor cells, and a decreased frequency of DPP IV expression in metastatic tumors. Further studies will elucidate the biological effects of the presence or loss of cell-surface peptidases in the benign and malignant prostate. Prostate 33:225–232, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Electron beam synthesis of metal and semiconductor nanoparticles using metal–organic frameworks as ordered precursors

We demonstrate a versatile, bottom-up method of forming metal and semiconducting nanoparticles by exposing precursor metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to an electron beam. Using a transmission electron microscope to initiate and observe growth, we show that the composition, size, and morphology of the nanoparticles are determined by the chemistry and structure of the MOF, as well as the electron beam properties. Zinc oxide, metallic indium and copper particles were produced with narrow and tunable size distributions comparable to those obtained from state-of-the-art methods. This method represents a first step toward the fabrication of nanoscale heterostructures using the highly controlled environment of the MOF pores as a scaffold or template.
Low distortion metric embedding into constant dimension

We investigate the possibility of embedding an n-point metric space into a constant dimensional vector space with the maximum norm, such that the embedding is almost isometric, that is, the distortion of distances is kept arbitrarily close to 1. When the source metric is generated by any fixed norm on a finite dimensional vector space, we prove that this embedding is always possible, such that the dimension of the target space remains constant, independent of n. While this possibility has been known in the folklore, we present the first fully detailed proof, which, in addition, is significantly simpler and more transparent, then what was available before. Furthermore, our embedding can be computed in deterministic linear time in n, given oracle access to the norm.
A comparison of 3 alloy surface treatments for resin-bonded prostheses.

Purpose The most frequent cause of clinical failure of resin-bonded fixed partial dentures is a debonding at the metal-cement interface. The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the tensile bond strengths of 3 different alloy-surface treatments when cemented to human enamel with a resin cement. Materials and Methods Cylinders of a nickel-chromium-beryllium (Ni-Cr-Be) and a gold-palladium (Au-Pd) alloy were fabricated and assigned to different surface treatment groups as follows: Group 1: Ni-Cr-Be, chemically etched; Group 2: Au-Pd, airborne particle–abraded and tin-plated; and Group 3: Au-Pd, airborne particle–abraded and treated with the Alloy Primer (Kuraray Co, LTD, Osaka, Japan). The cylinders were bonded to the enamel surfaces of extracted, human third molars and stored in normal saline at 37°C for 48 hours. The tensile bond strength of 21 specimens from each group was measured on a Universal Testing Machine (Instron, Canton, MA). Three failed specimens of each group were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Results Statistically significant differences (p < .05) were found between all 3 treatment groups. The mean tensile bond strengths (± the standard error of mean) recorded as follows: Group 1: 10.6 MPa (±1.3), Group 2: 0.9 MPa (±0.2), and Group 3: 13.4 MPa (±1.0). Specimens from groups 1 and 3 revealed a trend towards mixture of cohesive, within the resin cement, and adhesive failures at the metal-cement interface. Group 2 specimens exhibited primarily adhesive failures at the metal-cement interface. Conclusion The tensile bond strength of Au-Pd alloy specimens was significantly increased with the Alloy Primer.
Inositol trisphosphate activates a voltage-dependent calcium influx in Xenopus oocytes.

Injection of inositol trisphosphate (IP 3 ) into oocytes of Xenopus laevis induces the appearance of a transient inward ( T in ) current on hyper­polarization of the membrane. This current is carried largely by chloride ions, but is shown to depend on extracellular calcium, because it is abolished by removal of calcium in the bathing fluid or by addition of manganese. Recordings with aequorin as an intracellular calcium indi­cator show that a calcium influx is activated by hyperpolarization after intracellular injection of IP 3 as well as after activation of neurotrans­mitter receptors thought to mediate a rise in IP 3 . Furthermore, by substituting barium for calcium in the bathing solution, inward barium currents can be recorded during hyperpolarization. We conclude that intracellular IP 3 modulates the activity of a class of calcium channels, so as to allow an influx of calcium on hyperpolarization. In normal Ringer solution this then leads to the generation of a chloride current, because of the large numbers of calcium-dependent chloride channels in the oocyte membrane.
fleQ, the Gene Encoding the Major Flagellar Regulator of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Is σ70 Dependent and Is Downregulated by Vfr, a Homolog of Escherichia coli Cyclic AMP Receptor Protein

The flagellar transcriptional regulator FleQ appears to be the highest-level regulator in the hierarchical regulatory cascade of flagellar biogenesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Except for the posttranslational downregulation of FleQ activity by FleN, an antiactivator, not much is known about the regulation of the fleQ gene or its gene product. Some FleQ homologs in other bacterial species either are positively regulated by another regulator (e.g., CtrA, the master regulator regulating FlbD in Caulobacter crescentus) or are expressed from a sigma70-dependent promoter (e.g., FlgR of Helicobacter pylori). In this study we demonstrated that Vfr, an Escherichia coli CRP homolog known to function as an activator for various genes, including lasR, regA, and toxA, in P. aeruginosa, is capable of repressing fleQ transcription by binding to its consensus sequence in the fleQ promoter. In a DNase I footprint assay, purified Vfr protected the sequence 5'-AATTGACTAATCGTTCACATTTG-3'. When this putative Vfr binding site in the fleQ promoter was mutated, Vfr was unable to bind the fleQ promoter fragment and did not repress fleQ transcription effectively. Primer extension analysis of the fleQ transcript revealed two transcriptional start sites, t1 and t2, that map within the Vfr binding site. A putative -10 region (TAAAAT) for the t2 transcript, with a five-of-six match with the E. coli sigma70 binding consensus, overlaps with one end of the Vfr binding site. A 4-bp mutation and an 8-bp mutation in this -10 region markedly reduced the activity of the fleQ promoter. The same mutations led to the disappearance of the 203-nucleotide fleQ transcript in an in vitro transcription assay. Vfr probably represses fleQ transcription by binding to the Vfr binding site in the fleQ promoter and preventing the sigma factor from binding to the -10 region to initiate transcription.
Hazard-Based Detection Conditions for Improved Transition Path Delay Fault Coverage

Transition path delay faults were defined to capture the behavior of both small and large delay defects in a single fault model. The number of detectable transition path delay faults as defined earlier is the same or close to the number of conventional path delay faults that are detectable under the strong non-robust propagation conditions. When the weak non-robust propagation conditions are used, the number of detectable conventional path delay faults is significantly higher. Using what are called the hazard-based detection conditions for transition faults, we define detection conditions for transition path delay faults, under which the number of detectable faults is the same or close to the number of conventional path delay faults that are detectable under the weak non-robust propagation conditions. The fault model still captures the behavior of both small and large delay defects, but the number of detectable faults is significantly higher.
Optimization of operating conditions for the determination of perchlorate in biological samples using preconcentration/preelution ion chromatography.

Abstract Perchlorate originates as a contaminant in the environment from the use of salts in the manufacture of solid rocket fuels and munitions. Monitoring potential perchlorate contamination in the environment is of interest, however, very few analytical methods have been developed for perchlorate determination in biological samples. Analysis of complex samples by ion chromatography is complicated by matrix components that can interfere with perchlorate determination. However, a recently developed preconcentration/preelution (PC/PE) ion chromatography method has demonstrated the capability to analyze certain complex samples such as high salinity water, milk, and hydroponic fertilizers. The ability of this method to reduce sample background and lower detection limits in ion chromatography for various biological samples was evaluated in this study. The PC/PE method was applicable to the analysis of kidneys, livers, zebrafish, quail eggs, lettuce, and urine. Optimal operating conditions were determined for each matrix. Ranges of optimal wash volumes were shorter when 15 mM NaOH prewash solutions were used compared with 10 mM and good recovery was achieved for most matrices with an injection period ≥60 s. Prewash solution concentration did not appear to significantly affect matrix background. The PC/PE method was capable of reducing sample background when compared to EPA Method 314.0, which resulted in detection limits, with the exception of zebrafish and urine, that were two-fold lower than those achieved with EPA Method 314.0.
Mechanism of lumen enlargement during intracoronary stent implantation: an intravascular ultrasound study.

Background—Intravascular ultrasound analysis has assessed mechanisms of lumen enlargement after nonstent interventions, but not after stenting. Methods and Results—Preintervention and postintervention intravascular ultrasound was used to study 25 de novo native coronary lesions treated with single MultiLink stents without preatheroablation. External elastic membrane, lumen, and plaque and media (P&M) areas were measured every 1 mm to include the lesion and reference segments that were 5 mm proximal and distal to it. Lesion mean lumen area increased from 4.0±1.0 mm2 before the intervention to 8.8±2.0 mm2 after the intervention (P<0.0001) as a result of an increase in mean external elastic membrane area (14.2±2.7 to 16.1±3.0 mm2, P<0.0001) and a decrease in mean P&M area (10.2±2.2 to 7.2±1.8 mm2, P<0.0001). The decrease in lesion P&M was accompanied by an increase in both proximal reference mean P&M (7.0±1.9 to 8.4±2.0 mm2, P<0.0001) and distal reference mean P&M (5.8±2.1 to 7.2±2.1 mm2, P<0.0001). Volumetr...
In utero physiology: role of folic acid in nutrient delivery and fetal development

Despite the isolation of placental folate receptors 25 y ago and progress in defining the mechanism of folate delivery, considerable gaps remain in the literature for each level of the maternal-placental-fetal unit. Although a critical role of placental folate receptors in maternal-to-fetal folate transport was shown by use of the isolated perfused-placental cotyledon model a decade ago, in vivo confirmation is still needed. Knockout of folate receptors in mice, and knock-down of folate receptors by delivery of antisense oligonucleotides at gestation day 8 or antibodies to folate receptor, results in profound developmental abnormalities in the fetus, ranging from neural tube defects to neurocristopathies such as cleft-lip and cleft-palate, cardiac septal defects, and eye defects. These abnormalities can be prevented by ensuring the entry of folate into cells via alternative pathways. Controlled dietary folate restriction studies also identified adverse effects on reproductive performance, implantation, and fetal growth and other subtler (microscopic) defects in murine fetal development. Longitudinal follow-up showed that gestational folate deficiency results in behavioral changes-an anxiety phenotype-during adulthood in these mice, which supports the Barker hypothesis. The extent to which these findings are relevant to humans is unclear, however. Nevertheless, the high incidence of neural tube defects among North Indian women, who chronically subsist on one-third to one-half of the optimum folate needed to prevent birth defects, underscores the magnitude of the public health problem and emphasizes the urgent challenge to define the most efficient way to ensure adequate dietary folate for hundreds of millions of such women at risk in developing countries.
On Making Assumptions about Auxiliary Assumptions Reply to Wallach and Wallach

In my original article (Trafimow, 2009) I argued that although absolute falsification is impossible, more attention to auxiliary assumptions renders it possible to derive predictions that might be wrong. In their accurate and well-written Comment, Wallach and Wallach (2010) agree with this but also suggest that failed predictions will not overturn a theory if the level of confidence in the theory exceeds that placed on the auxiliary assumptions. Although Wallach and Wallach are doubtless correct about this possibility, it also is possible to have extremely convincing auxiliary assumptions. Furthermore, even in the absence of extremely convincing auxiliary assumptions, falsification can take place via the accrual of several failed predictions. Consequently, Wallach and Wallach’s argument does not weaken my original proposal.
Anaphoric relations in the clinical narrative: corpus creation.

Objective The long-term goal of this work is the automated discovery of anaphoric relations from the clinical narrative. The creation of a gold standard set from a cross-institutional corpus of clinical notes and high-level characteristics of that gold standard are described. Methods A standard methodology for annotation guideline development, gold standard annotations, and inter-annotator agreement (IAA) was used. Results The gold standard annotations resulted in 7214 markables, 5992 pairs, and 1304 chains. Each report averaged 40 anaphoric markables, 33 pairs, and seven chains. The overall IAA is high on the Mayo dataset (0.6607), and moderate on the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) dataset (0.4072). The IAA between each annotator and the gold standard is high (Mayo: 0.7669, 0.7697, and 0.9021; UPMC: 0.6753 and 0.7138). These results imply a quality corpus feasible for system development. They also suggest the complementary nature of the annotations performed by the experts and the importance of an annotator team with diverse knowledge backgrounds. Limitations Only one of the annotators had the linguistic background necessary for annotation of the linguistic attributes. The overall generalizability of the guidelines will be further strengthened by annotations of data from additional sites. This will increase the overall corpus size and the representation of each relation type. Conclusion The first step toward the development of an anaphoric relation resolver as part of a comprehensive natural language processing system geared specifically for the clinical narrative in the electronic medical record is described. The deidentified annotated corpus will be available to researchers.
An impression procedure for the neonatal patient with a cleft palate

An impression procedure for the neonatal patient with a cleft palate is described. The procedure has been used at Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City, for the past 10 years and has been proved safe, reliable, and precise.
Search-Space Optimizations for High-Level ATPG

The mutation based validation paradigm (MVP) is a validation environment for high-level microprocessor implementations. To be able to efficiently identify and analyze the architectural states (prospect states) that can possibly satisfy a set of constraints during MVP's test generation, the authors need to reduce the search space in the analysis process as early as possible. In this paper, the authors present some optimizations in the search space that speed up the overall test generation process
Coordinated aggregate scheduling for improving end-to-end delay performance

This paper proposes a novel coordinated aggregate scheduling (CAS) algorithm that combines both EOF (earliest-deadline-first) scheduling and rate-based fair queueing. CAS uses guaranteed rate (GR) scheduling (Goyal, P et al., 1995) for traffic aggregates at the inter-aggregate level, but employs EDF-like scheduling at the intra-aggregate level. Computation of the deadline D/sub N/ of a packet at an intermediate node N is coordinated between the node N and its upstream nodes, and D/sub N/ is related to the packet's guaranteed rate clock (GRC) value at the flow-aggregation node. CAS provides tighter end-to-end (e2e) delay bounds than the "vanilla" GR aggregate scheduling that relies on FIFO queueing within an aggregate. Our in-depth simulation results demonstrate CAS's superior performance. Moreover, as an aggregate-based work-conserving scheduling algorithm, CAS incurs lower scheduling and state-maintenance overheads at routers than per-flow scheduling. These salient features make CAS very attractive for use in Internet core networks.
Direct Arylation of 6‐Phenylpurine and 6‐Arylpurine Nucleosides by Ruthenium‐Catalyzed CH Bond Activation

One aryl or two? The title reaction predominantly gives monoarylation products with various amounts of diarylation product being observed in almost all cases (see scheme). Aryl iodides as well as aryl bromides were reactive under the optimized reaction conditions. The multiple nitrogen atoms in the purine, and oxygen atoms in the saccharide posed no problems in these transformations. Open in a separate window Scheme 1 Possible mechanism for the C–H bond activation/arylation of 6-arylpurine and 6-arylpurine 2’-deoxyribonucleosides.
Using Surrogate Meteorological Data to Predict the Hydrology of a Water Balance Cover

AbstractThe objective of this study was to evaluate strategies for addressing missing meteorological (MET) data when predicting the hydrology of a water balance cover for a waste-containment system using a variably-saturated flow code. Predicting the hydrology of water balance covers typically requires site-specific daily MET data, which may be only partially available (e.g., dew point temperature (Tdew), solar radiation (Rs), wind speed, and cloud cover frequently are only partly available). Thus, some of the input data may need to be estimated or surrogate data employed for hydrologic modeling. The influence of replacing missing MET data with estimates on hydrologic predictions was evaluated for a water balance cover in a semiarid climate. Substitution of single or multiple MET variables with long-term averages led to statistically similar predictions of annual percolation relative to percolation predicted using actual data. Replacing all MET variables (Tdew, Rs, wind speed, and cloud cover) with long-t...
Variation among Kalanchoe species in their flowering responses to photoperiod and short-day cycle number

SummaryOur objectives were to identify the critical daylength and number of short-day (SD) cycles necessary for flowering in Kalanchoe glaucescens, K. manginii, and K. uniflora. In Experiment I, plants were grown for 20 weeks under 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 h photoperiods at 300 µmol m–2 s–1 for 8 h 55 min (9 h photoperiod), or 9 h and extended with dayextension (3 µmol m–2 s–1) lighting (10 – 15 h photoperiods). All species flowered when grown under photoperiods ranging from 9 – 12 h. The percentage of flowering plants decreased for all species as the photoperiod increased from 12 h to 14 h. No flowering occurred on plants grown under a 15 h photoperiod. Node numbers below the terminal inflorescence increased from 18 nodes to 28 nodes on K. glaucescens, from 12 nodes to 14 nodes on K. manginii, and from 12 nodes to 16 nodes on K. uniflora as the photoperiod increased from 12 h to 14 h, from 10 h to 12 h, and from12 h to 13 h, respectively. Total flower numbers on K. uniflora decreased from 45 flowers ...
Pain, Agitation, Delirium, and Immobility in the ICU

Surgical critical care patients may endure numerous invasive procedures in addition to the primary surgical intervention that led to hospitalization. Examples include the placement of chest, endotracheal, tracheostomy, and surgical drainage tubes, urinary catheters, blood draws, suctioning, and wound care. Such treatments in the intensive care unit (ICU) increase patients’ vulnerability to experiencing pain, as well as physical and psychological distress.
A compact quasi-single-cycle, phase stabilized laser system

A table-top OPCPA laser system designed to produce energy beyond 1.5 mJ at repetition rates up to 10 kHz with pulse duration shorter than 10 fs and featuring carrier-envelope phase stabilization is reported.
The Role of Adenosine Cyclic 3',5'-Monophosphate in Reserpine-Initiated Adrenal Medullary Tyrosine Hydroxylase Induction

An intact splanchnic nerve is required for the initiation of trans-synaptic induction of tyrosine hydroxylase in rat adrenal medulla. Severing of the splanchnic nerve fibers supplying the left adrenal 4 hr after reserpine administration completely abolished the induction of tyrosine hydroxylase observed 48 hr later on the intact side. Transection of the splanchnic nerves 8 hr after drug administration partially prevented tyrosine hydroxylase induction, whereas transection after 12 hr had no effect on induction. Adrenal medullary cyclic AMP contents were measured at various times up to 12 hr after reserpine. The rapid initial increase in cyclic AMP returned to normal by 90 min and remained there for the next 12 hr. When cyclic AMP had returned to control levels after reserpine, administration of aminophylline (theophylline ethylenediamine) produced a slower rate of increase in cyclic AMP than observed in controls. Therefore it appears either that cyclic AMP is not involved in the trans-synaptic induction of tyrosine hydroxylase observed after reserpine or that the intact splanchnic nerve is required for some part of the inductive process after the cyclic AMP response has terminated. ACKNOWLEDGMENT We wish to thank Miss Petra Tengzelius for her excellent technical assistance.
The Economics of Network Neutrality: Are 'Prophylactic' Remedies to Nonproblems Needed?

The Federal Communications Commission recently implemented rules to promote “network neutrality.” This paper attempts to answer three questions concerning these rules: (1) What economic problem do the rules supposedly address? What does economic theory indicate about the risks of “non-neutral” broadband Internet service? And (3), what does empirical political economy suggest is the likely outcome of the new rules? The article concludes that economic analysis does not support network neutrality regulation, in part because there is little evidence of “bad behavior” prior to the rules’ implementation. However, the rules themselves provide opportunity for industry mischief, which is already occurring.
Safe Limit Loading of Folded Plate Structures

A method is presented for determining the maximum safe loading with its associated stress system for prismatic, reinforced concrete, folded plate structures on simple end supports. The method is based on the satisfaction of equilibrium required and on complying with criteria which impose limitations on the magnitudes of the lonngitudinal stresses and the transverse moments. The linear programming method is used to evaluate pertinent stress parameters so as to maximize the load factor. Computer programs, developed towards this end, are described. The method is applied to two examples involving model structures which were previously loaded to failure by others.
Effective-Capacity Based Auctions for Relay Selection over Wireless Cooperative Communications Networks

Cooperative communication is an efficient technique for mobile wireless networks supporting information transmission through relay nodes, which forward the signal received from a source node to its destination. Applying the cooperative communication in wireless networks can significantly improve the network performance. One of the most important challenges is how to efficiently allocate the access opportunity of a relay node to multiple mobile-users while taking into account the delay-bounded quality of service (QoS) for the time-sensitive multimedia data transmissions. To overcome these difficulties, in this paper we propose a novel game-theory based scheme to resolve the relay node allocation problem by measuring the maximum throughput for time-sensitive multimedia data transmission under a QoS requirement as the effective capacity gain. We formulate this one relay allocation problem as a single-relay-auction such that all mobile-user players can decide whether to patriciate in this relay auction, and the mobile-user player who places the highest bid obtains the relay allocation. The mobile-user players who lose or stay out of the auction can only directly transmit information to their destinations. Then, we derive the optimal strategies for the single-relay-auction, maximizing the payoff (effective capacity gain minus costs) in each bid round.The extensive simulation results obtained validate and evaluate our proposed schemes.
Shrinking cities: An unfit term for American urban policy?

Abstract “Shrinking cities” is a well-established term in academic discourse, describing cities in distress. Using the notion of spatial or territorial stigma (Wacquant, Slater, & Pereira, 2014), this paper raises the question of whether the term “shrinking cities” may be unbefitting to the policy discourse of planning and community development, at least in the American context. The necessity of considering this question is due not only to the traumatic legacy of American planned urban shrinkage and urban renewal in poor, minority communities, but also to the potential ramifications that the social construction of spatial stigma by journalists, politicians, planners and academics may have on these communities in the era of austerity urbanism. The vast symbolic power, due to the symbolic capital that specialists in symbolic production wield, gives reason to ponder whether ‘shrinking cities’ ‘urban shrinkage’ and cognate terms contribute to territorial stigmatization, since in the naming of social groups, cities, or regions to reveal a socio-spatial reality, such reality "begins to exist as such, for those who belong to it as well as for the others" (Bourdieu 1989: 23). Examining images and web content tagged to Detroit, this paper also explores the digital production of territorial stigma through the Internet's social imaginary and aims to raise awareness of the potential ramifications of shrinking city scholarship “for” or “against” austerity urbanism.
Abstract 087: Reversal of Aging-Induced Contrast Changes of Cardiac SERCA 2a and Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase in Mice Deficient in Beta3-Adrenoreceptor: Insights into the Molecular Mechanism of Cardiac Aging

Background: We have shown previously that aging-induced cardiac dysfunction and β-adrenergic desensitization were prevented in β 3 -adrenergic receptor (AR) knockout (β 3 KO) aged mice. However, the molecular mechanism is unclear. We hypothesize that reversal of aging-induced alterations of cardiomyocyte SR Ca 2+ -ATPase (SERCA 2a) and inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase by β 3 -AR deficiency may play a key role for the protective effect. Methods: We compared SERCA 2a, iNOS, β 1 - and β 3 -AR protein expression, myocyte contractile, and [Ca 2+ ] i transient ([Ca 2+ ] iT ) responses to isoproterenol (ISO, 10 -8 M) in cardiomyocytes obtained from 2 young (Y) (~6 mo) and 2 aged (A) (~26-30 mo) groups (5/group) of wild-type (WT) and β 3 KO mice, respectively. Results: Compared with YWT, AWT myocytes had significantly decreased protein levels of SERCA 2a (AWT: 0.22 vs YWT: 0.61) and β 1 -AR (0.34 vs 0.56), but increased iNOS (0.49 vs 0.24) and β 3 -AR (0.29 vs 0.14). These changes were associated with reduced basal cell contraction (dL/dt max ) (84.3 vs 124.8 μm/s), relaxation (dR/dt max ) (-66.1 vs -98.8 μm/s), and [Ca 2+ ] iT (0.19 vs 0.23). This was accompanied by diminished ISO-stimulated inotropic response. In AWT myocytes, ISO caused significantly less increases in dL/dt max (34% vs 82%), dR/dt max (22% vs 60%), and [Ca 2+ ] iT (15% vs 35%). Compared with YWT, Yβ 3 KO did not alter basal myocyte contraction and relaxation and response to ISO stimulation, but had significantly increased protein levels of SERCA 2a (Yβ 3 KO: 1.3 vs YWT: 0.61) and reduced iNOS (0.17 vs 0.24) with relatively unchanged β 1 -AR (0.63 vs 0.60). Aβ 3 KO mice had similar alterations. Importantly, in contrast to AWT, in Aβ 3 KO myocytes, the increased SERCA 2a (1.1) and reduced iNOS (0.19) correlated with normal basal cell contraction and relaxation with preserved ISO-stimulated inotropic response. ISO caused similar increases in dL/dt max (82% vs 84%) and [Ca 2+ ] iT (31% vs 33%) compared to Yβ 3 KO mice. Conclusions: β 3 -AR deficiency prevents aging-caused downregulation of cardiac β 1 -ARs and reverses increased iNOS and decreased SERCA 2a, leading to the preservation of myocyte function, [Ca 2+ ] iT , and β-adrenergic reserve in aged hearts. Thus, blocking β 3 -AR may provide a new strategy for myocardial aging.
Catalytic liquefaction of pine sawdust for biofuel development on bifunctional Zn/HZSM-5 catalyst in supercritical ethanol

Abstract Catalytic liquefaction can effectively convert solid biomass into liquid bio-crude that could be upgraded to advanced biofuel, but the exploration of green and efficient catalysts remain a challenge. In this study, bifunctional Zn/HZSM-5 catalysts were firstly combined with supercritical ethanol to produce bio-crude in pine sawdust catalytic liquefaction. The catalysts were characterized by BET, NH 3 -TPD, XRD and TEM. The effects of Zn/HZSM-5 catalysts with different Zn loading ratios on the yield and quality of bio-crude and gas were investigated. The results showed that Zn/HZSM-5 and HZSM-5 catalysts improved the yields of bio-crude compared to no catalyst treatment. The use of HZSM-5 based catalysts reduced the contents of oxygenated compounds including acids, ketones, phenols and alcohols in bio-crude products. Hydrocarbons content of the bio-crudes produced by HZSM-5 based catalysts increased compared to bio-crude produced by no catalyst treatment. Compared to HZSM-5 catalyst, Zn/HZSM-5 catalysts exhibited better catalyst performance to improve bio-crude quality due to the additional decarbonylation, decarboxylation and dehydrogenation reactions induced by Zn loading. 15%Zn/HZSM-5 catalyst resulted in the highest yields of bio-crude at 59.09 wt.%, and 10%Zn/HZSM-5 catalyst produced bio-crude with the highest hydrocarbons content at 15.03%. The four stages of mechanism for biomass liquefaction reactions on Zn/HZSM-5 catalysts in supercritical ethanol was proposed.
Improving solar-induced grid-level flexibility requirements using residential central utility plants

This study discusses the expansion of an existing central utility plant (CUP) optimization model to analyze the effectiveness of using a residential CUP in Austin, Texas for improving the integration of solar into the grid. The CUP equipment includes a simple-cycle gas turbine (SCGT), battery, chiller plant, and chilled water storage (CHS). The analysis is accomplished by analyzing three sensitivity scenarios. Scenario 1 exposes the CUP to increasingly expensive demand charges. Scenario 2 limits the CUP's allowable ramp rate. Scenario 3 prohibits the CUP from selling electricity and requires it to provide ramping support to counteract the large ramp rates that occur in the net load during the evening when solar production diminishes but load continues to rise. The CUP effectively uses a chiller plant with chilled water storage (CHS) to change its operational behavior and provide grid-support support services. This support is limited, however, as more stringent circumstances require the CUP to invest in expensive SCGT or battery equipment, or to curtail solar generation.
Cloning of the Adeno-Associated Virus Genome

The adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are defective parvoviruses that are dependent on coinfection with either adenovirus or herpesvirus for replication to occur (1–4). AAV has a linear single-strand DNA genome and is unusual in that strands of both polarities are encapsidated with equal frequency into separate virions (5,6). The nucleotide sequence of the entire genome of the human AAV2 has been determined and contains 4675 bases (7). There is an inverted terminal repetition of 145 bases, the first 125 bases of which form an overall palindromic sequence (Figure 1). Bases 1–41 are complementary to 125–85 while the internal sequence from 42–84 contains two shorter palindromes (42–62 and 64–84) (8). When the terminal palindromic sequence is folded on itself to maximize potential base-pairing, the T-shaped structure illustrated in Figure 1 is formed. In this structure only 7 of the terminal 125 bases are unpaired, 3 T’s and 3 A’s, the minimal number of bases required to be unpaired to allow the two short internal palindromic sequences to hairpin on themselves and a single T that separates the two internal palindromes. A second unusual feature of AAV is the existence of two alternative sequences from bases 62–84 that occur with equal frequency at both ends of the DNA (8,9). The alternative sequences result from an inversion of the terminal 125 bases during DNA replication as described below. If the sequence from 1–125 constituted a simple palindrome only the single odd base in the middle (base 63) would be affected by the inversion. In fact, however, the overall palindrome is interrupted by the two short internal palindromes from 42–84 and so this entire sequence is altered by inversion of the terminal 125 nucleotides.
Learning to disambiguate relative pronouns

In this paper we show how a natural language system can learn to find the antecedents of relative pronouns. We use a well-known conceptual clustering system to create a case-based memory that predicts the antecedent of a wh-word given a description of the clause that precedes it. Our automated approach duplicates the performance of hand-coded rules. In addition, it requires only minimal syntactic parsing capabilities and a very general semantic feature set for describing nouns. Human intervention is needed only during the training phase. Thus, it is possible to compile relative pronoun disambiguation heuristics tuned to the syntactic and semantic preferences of a new domain with relative ease. Moreover, we believe that the technique provides a general approach for the automated acquisition of additional disambiguation heuristics for natural language systems, especially for problems that require the assimilation of syntactic and semantic knowledge.
Comprehending Sentences with Long-Distance Dependencies

In the process of comprehending a sentence, a reader or listener identifies its grammatical constituents and their relationships. The resulting grammatical analysis is eventually combined with lexical information and world knowledge to arrive at the message conveyed by the sentence. We propose that one or more distinct components of the human cognitive system are responsible for identifying the grammatical characteristics of a sentence (see Berwick and Weinberg, 1983, 1984; J. A. Fodor, 1983; J. D. Fodor, 1979; Forster, 1979, for similar views).
EvoIsolator: Evolving Program Slices for Hardware Isolation Based Security

To provide strong security support for today’s applications, microprocessor manufacturers have introduced hardware isolation, an on-chip mechanism that provides secure accesses to sensitive data. Currently, hardware isolation is still difficult to use by software developers because the process to identify access points to sensitive data is error-prone and can lead to under and over protection of sensitive data. Under protection can lead to security vulnerabilities. Over protection can lead to an increased attack surface and excessive communication overhead. In this paper we describe EvoIsolator, a search-based framework to (i) automatically generate executable minimal slices that include all access points to a set of specified sensitive data; and (ii) automatically optimize (for small code block size and low communication overhead) the code modules for hardware isolation. We demonstrate, through a small feasibility study, the potential impact of our proposed code optimizer.
Short-term outcomes of pleurectomy decortication and extrapleural pneumonectomy in mesothelioma.

Background/objectives We evaluated postoperative mortality and complications after extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) and pleurectomy decortication (P/D) to better understand their effectiveness in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Methods A meta-analysis was done to evaluate 30-day mortality and postoperative complications. In addition, in-patients data of 500 eligible patients with MPM who underwent EPP or P/D was extracted from the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS). Multivariate analyses and propensity matching were used to compare in-hospital mortality and postoperative complications in EPP vs P/D. Results The meta-analysis showed a statistically significant difference in 30-day mortality (5% [95% CI: 4-6] vs P/D 2% [95% CI: 1-3]), proportion of complications (46% [95% CI: 36-56] vs 24% [95% CI: 15-34]) and postoperative arrhythmias (20% [95% CI: 12-31] vs 5% [95% CI: 2-8]) for EPP vs P/D. In-hospital mortality (OR adj : 2.6; 95% CI: 0.86-7.75) and postoperative complications (OR adj : 1.1; 95% CI: 0.68-1.86) were not different in EPP compared with P/D while supraventricular arrhythmia was significantly more frequent after EPP vs P/D (OR adj : 5.2; 95% CI: 2.34-11.33). Conclusions Postoperative mortality, postoperative complications, and particularly supraventricular arrhythmia are less frequent after P/D vs EPP. P/D, a less invasive surgery, may provide a better option when technically feasible for patients with MPM.