cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exact Low-Rank Matrix Completion from Sparsely Corrupted Entries Via Adaptive Outlier Pursuit

Recovering a low-rank matrix from some of its linear measurements is a popular problem in many areas of science and engineering. One special case of it is the matrix completion problem, where we need to reconstruct a low-rank matrix from incomplete samples of its entries. A lot of efficient algorithms have been proposed to solve this problem and they perform well when Gaussian noise with a small variance is added to the given data. But they can not deal with the sparse random-valued noise in the measurements. In this paper, we propose a robust method for recovering the low-rank matrix with adaptive outlier pursuit when part of the measurements are damaged by outliers. This method will detect the positions where the data is completely ruined and recover the matrix using correct measurements. Numerical experiments show the accuracy of noise detection and high performance of matrix completion for our algorithms compared with other algorithms.
Some Aspects of the Flow of Stratified Fluids: II. Experiments with a Two-Fluid System

A description is given of the flow of two superimposed layers of fluid over a barrier. This represents a partial experimental investigation of a problem considered theoretically in Part I. In general three regimes of motion are possible: If the velocities of the fluids are sufficiently small the interface is little disturbed except for a slight depression over the barrier. If the velocities are sufficiently high the interface swells symmetrically over the obstacle. At intermediate speeds a hydraulic jump occurs in the lee of the barrier and the lower layer increases in depth upstream. Two occurrences do not fit into the above description: If the obstacle is small compared to the depth of the lower layer, weak lee waves appear at low speeds, increasing in amplitude as the approach velocity of the fluid is increased. This seems to be the only case in which perturbation theory provides an adequate prediction of the flow. The second anomalous occurrence is the appearance of a “jump down” or hydraulic “drop” in the lee when the speed of the fluid is moderately high, the obstacle large, and the upper fluid relatively thin. The description of the experiments is supplemented by a theoretical discussion, employing the assumption of a hydrostatic pressure distribution. In general this theory provides a satisfactory explanation of the observed behavior. The paper concludes with a discussion of meteorological implications. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1954.tb01100.x
Role of the superior colliculus in analyses of space: superficial and intermediate layer contributions to visual orienting, auditory orienting, and visuospatial discriminations during unilateral and bilateral deactivations.

The superior colliculus (SC) has been implicated in spatial analyses of the environment, although few behavioral studies have explicitly tested this role. To test its imputed role in spatial analyses, we used a battery of four spatial tasks combined with unilateral and bilateral cooling deactivation of the upper and intermediate layers of the superior colliculus. We tested the abilities of cats to orient to three different stimuli: (1) moving visual, (2) stationary visual, (3) stationary white-noise aural. Furthermore, we tested the ability of the cats to discriminate the relative spatial position of a landmark. Unilateral cooling deactivation of the superficial layers of the SC induced a profound neglect of both moving and stationary visual stimuli presented in, and landmark objects located within, the contralateral hemifield. However, responses to auditory stimuli were unimpaired. Unilateral cooling deactivation of both the superficial and intermediate layers induced a profound contralateral neglect of the auditory stimulus. Additional and equivalent deactivation of the opposite SC largely restored orienting to either moving visual or auditory stimuli, and restored landmark position reporting to normal levels. However, during bilateral SC deactivation, orienting to the static visual stimulus was abolished throughout the entire visual field. Overall, unilateral SC deactivation results show that the upper and intermediate layers of the SC contribute in different ways to guiding behavioral responses to visual and auditory stimuli cues. Finally, bilateral superior colliculus deactivations reveal that other structures are sufficient to support spatial analyses and guide visual behaviors in the absence of neural operations in the superior colliculus, but only under certain circumstances.
Characterization of long-range correlations in complex distributions and profiles

Characterizing long-range correlations in complex distributions, such as the porosity logs of field-scale porous media, and profiles, such as the fracture surfaces of rock and materials, is an important problem. We carry out an extensive analysis of such distributions represented by synthetic and real data to determine which method provides the most efficient and accurate tool for characterizing them. The synthetic data and profiles are generated by a fractional Brownian motion (FBM) and the real data analyzed are a porosity log of an oil reservoir and time variations of the pressure fluctuations in three-phase flow in a fluidized bed. The FBM is generated by three different numerical methods and the data are analyzed by seven different techniques. Our analysis indicates that the size of the data array greatly influences the accuracy of characterization of its long-range correlations. We also find that if the size of the data array is large enough, the commonly used rescaled-range $(R/S)$ method of analyzing FBM series fails to provide accurate estimates of the Hurst exponent, although it can provide a reasonably accurate analysis of a data array that is generated by a fractional Gaussian noise. In contrast, the maximum entropy and wavelet decomposition methods offer highly accurate and efficient tools of characterizing long-range correlations in complex distributions and profiles. New methods that are somewhat similar to the $R/S$ method are also suggested.
A theoretical study of Mg(CO2)+n and Sr(CO2)+n for n = 1 and 2 and Mg2CO+2

The structure and binding energies are determined for Mg(CO2)n(+) and Sr(CO2)n(+) for n = 1 and 2. We also consider Mg2(+) and Mg2CO2(+) to compare the binding of CO2 to a single metal ion with the binding to a diatomic ion. The vertical excitation energies are computed for all species. The potential energy curves for the low-lying states of Mg2(+) are reported. The MgCO2(+) results are in good agreement with the experimental results of Duncan and co-workers.
Exploring “Home” Through Residents’ Lenses: Assisted Living Facility Residents Identify Homelike Characteristics Using Photovoice

An increasing number of older adults are moving into assisted living facilities when living independently becomes difficult. These facilities afford older adults a home-like environment with opportunities for social activity and a minimal level of professional care, although relocation can negatively impact well-being. Because it is important to study home environments of aging adults, 10 residents of an assisted living facility were engaged in Photovoice to explore perceptions of the facility as home. Through photographic expression, residents identified environment enhancements for home at an assisted living facility. Findings of this study have implications for program planning at long-term care facilities.
Quadratic differentials and extremal problems of nonoverlapping domains

We propose a new approach to the solution of certain extremal problems in the geometric theory of functions of a complex variable.
Design of Phase I and II Clinical Trials in Cancer: A Statistician's View

(1984). Design of Phase I and II Clinical Trials in Cancer: A Statistician's View. Cancer Investigation: Vol. 2, No. 6, pp. 483-491.
Probing Metal Binding in the 8–17 DNAzyme by TbIII Luminescence Spectroscopy

Metal-dependent cleavage activities of the 8-17 DNAzyme were found to be inhibited by Tb(III) ions, and the apparent inhibition constant in the presence of 100 microM of Zn(II) was measured to be 3.3+/-0.3 microM. The apparent inhibition constants increased linearly with increasing Zn(II) concentration, and the inhibition effect could be fully rescued with addition of active metal ions, indicating that Tb(III) is a competitive inhibitor and that the effect is completely reversible. The sensitized Tb(III) luminescence at 543 nm was dramatically enhanced when Tb(III) was added to the DNAzyme-substrate complex. With an inactive DNAzyme in which the GT wobble pair was replaced with a GC Watson-Crick base pair, the luminescence enhancement was slightly decreased. In addition, when the DNAzyme strand was replaced with a complete complementary strand to the substrate, no significant luminescence enhancement was observed. These observations suggest that Tb(III) may bind to an unpaired region of the DNAzyme, with the GT wobble pair playing a role. Luminescence lifetime measurements in D(2)O and H(2)O suggested that Tb(III) bound to DNAzyme is coordinated by 6.7+/-0.2 water molecules and two or three functional groups from the DNAzyme. Divalent metal ions competed for the Tb(III) binding site(s) in the order Co(II)>Zn(II)>Mn(II)>Pb(II)>Ca(II) approximately Mg(II). This order closely follows the order of DNAzyme activity, with the exception of Pb(II). These results indicate that Pb(II), the most active metal ion, competes for Tb(III) binding differently from other metal ions such as Zn(II), suggesting that Pb(II) may bind to a different site from that for the other metal ions including Zn(II) and Tb(III).
Coating formation by spontaneous polymerization on aluminum: Various monomers

Spontaneous polymerization to give conformal, uniform coatings on metals has been expanded to a series of different monomers. The monomer 4-fluoro maleimide, when copolymerized with styrene, a coupling agent, and a bis-maleimide crosslinker, imparts very low dielectric constant (2.4) to the coating while retaining high temperature resistance. Diethyl fumarate, with the same comonomers, enhances ductility and provides an adjustable glass transition temperature. Addition of glycidyl acrylate to the monomer system provides reactivity of the coating to epoxy resins. Kinetic studies using these monomers were consistent with the free radical polymerization mechanism. The rate of reaction seemed limited by the diffusion of species to the reaction site. Extent of incorporation of the new monomers into the chain backbone was verified, and adhesion and corrosion resistance properties examined. The data illustrate the versatility of the conformal, chrome free spontaneous polymerization process. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 875–885, 2000
Bubble and Dew Point Measurements of the Ternary System Carbon Dioxide + Methanol + Hydrogen at 313.2 K

Gas-expanded liquids offer many advantages as superior solvents for asymmetric hydrogenation reactions. To implement such applications, knowledge of the phase behavior of hydrogen with these tunable solvents is imperative. Phase boundary data are reported for the ternary system of carbon dioxide, methanol, and hydrogen at 313.2 K and pressures up to 21.7 MPa. The data were measured in a variable-volume windowed vessel by visual observation of one- to two-phase transitions.
Efficient program for decoding the (255, 223) Reed-Solomon code over GF (28 ) with both errors and erasures, using transform decoding

The paper deals with a method developed for decoding a (255, 223) Reed-Solomon code over GF(2 to the 8th) with both errors and erasures. The matrix of decoding times for correcting errors and erasures of the code using a simplified decoder is presented. It is shown that the algorithm proposed is faster by a factor of from three to seven.
A Decision Analysis to Assess the Value of Prostate Cancer Screening: A Shift in Focus From Prostate Cancer-specific Mortality to Distant Metastasis-free Survival

A Decision Analysis to Assess the Value of Prostate Cancer Screening: A Shift in Focus From Prostate Cancer-specific Mortality to Distant Metastasis-free Survival A.P. Dosoretz, N.H. Lester-Coll, and J.B. Yu; Yale-New Haven Hospital, Department of Therapeutic Radiology, New Haven, CT, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, Yale Cancer Outcomes, Public Policy, and Effectiveness Research Center (COPPER), New Haven, CT
Do Humour and Threat Work Well Together? The Moderating Effect of Need for Cognition in Humourous Threat Persuasion Advertisements

Using humour to communicate threatening information in advertising has often been observed in practise, but seldom been tested in research. Integrating the humour and threat persuasion literature, the current research tested the effects of humourous threat persuasion and need for cognition (NFC) as a measure of one's processing motivation and capacity. A significant three-way interaction between humour, threat level, and NFC emerged where low NFC participants responded more positively to the no-humour condition than the humour condition with low threat and more positively to the humour condition than the no-humour condition in the high threat advertisement. The opposite was observed for high NFC participants. Implications for both theory and practise are provided.
The low temperature heat capacity of platinum

Abstract The heat capacity of platinum has been measured between 2·6° and 20°K. Analysis of the results gave γ = 6·59 × 10 −3 J g-atom deg 2 and 240·1°K for the Debye temperature at 0°K.
Biology of IL-21 and the IL-21 receptor

Interleukin-21 (IL-21) is the newest member of the common gamma-chain family of cytokines, which includes IL-2, IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, IL-13, and IL-15. Its private receptor, IL-21R, has been shown to activate the Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription signaling pathway upon ligand binding. Initial studies have demonstrated that IL-21 has pleiotropic effects on the proliferation, differentiation, and effector functions of B, T, natural killer, and dendritic cells. More recently, the potential therapeutic capacity of IL-21 in the treatment of cancers has been widely investigated. The biological role of IL-21 in the immune system is complex, as IL-21 has been shown to have the ability to both promote and inhibit immune responses. Overall, the current data point to IL-21 being a novel immunomodulatory cytokine, whose regulation of any given immune response is highly dependent on the surrounding environmental context.
Immunoradiometric assay for baculovirus enveloped nucleocapsids and polyhedrin

Abstract A solid-phase microtiter immunoradiometric assay was developed for Autographa californica enveloped nucleocapsids purified from polyhedra, nonoccluded virus from cell culture, and purified polyhedrin. Comparative studies with antigens and antisera from each source demonstrate that micro-solid-phase immunoradiometric assay was specific within the range of 10–200 ng for the enveloped nucleocapsids and from 200 pg to 200 ng for polyhedrin. A preliminary study also demonstrated the ability to use this assay to detect specific antiviral antibodies.
Values and Shooting Times in Noisy Duels

Abstract A noisy duel is a zero-sum, two-person game with the following structure. Each player has bullets which he can fire at any time in [0, 1]. If Player i fires at time t, he hits with probability Pi (t). The functions Pi are continuous and nondecreasing with Pi (0)=0 and Pi (1)=1. The number of bullets each player possesses at any time and the functions Pi are known to both. The payoff is 1 to the sole survivor, otherwise 0. This article states the authors' earlier result on the existence of a value of a noisy duel and presents a detailed discussion of the structure of ←-good strategies and criteria for the existence of good first-shot times. We present tables of values and shooting times for noisy duels, which, in some cases, can be used to trace the play of the game. An additional table illustrates how large an arsenal is necessary to overcome the effects of an opponent's superior accuracy.
The Impact of Intercropping Squash with Non-Crop Vegetation Borders on the Above-Ground Arthropod Community

ABSTRACT The influence of intercropping strips of non-crop vegetation on the above-ground arthropod community was assessed, including natural enemy populations and interference with pest colonization in an adjacent yellow squash crop (Cucurbita pepo L.). Four non-crop border treatments were evaluated including: sorghum × sudangrass hybrid (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench × S. sudanense (Piper) Stapf); pigeon pea, (Cajanus cajan (L.) (Millsp.); the native weed complex; and a bare ground control. Border treatments were established on both sides of experimental plots containing ‘Early Crookneck’ squash. Sticky cards, pitfall traps, pan traps, and in situ counts were used to assess differences in the arthropod community within each of the border treatments and the adjacent squash crop. Natural enemies were most abundant in the native weed complex and pigeon pea borders; however, the spill-over of natural enemies into the neighboring crop was only observed in 2008, when predatory Coleoptera were most abundant in b...
Calculation and Design of Flow Parameters for Two-Phase Flow in Aerated Drilling

The flow characteristics and dynamics parameters of twophase flow inside the pipe and within annulus is very important for design and operation in aerated mud drilling. Under the constrain condition that proper gas/liquid ratio for given formation pressure of the well to be planned should be selected and two-phase now pattern inside drillpipe and within annulus should be controlled, this paper applied multi-phase flow theory to calculate and control injecting pressure, injecting now rate, friction pressure drop inside drillpipe and within annulus, pressure drop in nozzles and dynamic pressure along the wellbore in aerated mud drilling. Rheology of aerated mud, casing program, gas/liquid ratio, mud density, wellbore back pressure, drilling procedures were also analyzed. 5 experimental wells were drilled by using aerated mud in oilfield, Drilling operation show the theoretical model and calculating method are reliable, and the pressure of the aerated mud column can be reduced efficiently. The density of aerated mud ranges from 0.45g/cm 3 to 1.2g/cm 3 , It can be used to explore and exploit low pressure low permeability reservoir and meet the requirements of underbalanced and/or balanced drilling. Aerated mud has good cuttings-carrying capability. Good wellbore stability was also obtained. Aerated mud drilling is a new technology that is worthy of paying attention and speeding.
From baglike models to the large-Nc limit via the Abelian projection.

't Hooft proposed a model where quarks are confined by a chromomagnetic Meissner effect along the N-1 U(1) directions of the maximal Abelian subgroup of SU(N). This is the Abelian projection. I show that this model successfully interpolates from low N, where quarks are confined in a baglike region of perturbative vacuum embedded in the true nonperturbative vacuum, to the large-N limit. At large N quarks are confined in a ''shallow'' nonperturbative medium and the string tension is an N-independent constant. Confinement of adjoint quarks also properly evolves from screening at small N to confinement at infinite N with a string tension twice as large as for quarks in the fundamental representation.
Studies on the mechanism of stimulation of ACTH secretion with the aid of morphine as a blocking agent.

The rapidity with which the pituitary can release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in response to various stimuli (Gray and Munson, 1951; Sydnor and Sayers, 1954) suggests that the nervous system must play a role in regulating pituitary function. The hypothalamus is particularly implicated in this regulatory process. Stimulation of selected hypothalamic centers (de Groot and Harris, 1950; Hume, 1952; Porter, 1953) has been shown to provoke increased secretion of ACTH while lesions in specific areas of the hypothalamus prevent the usual response of the anterior pituitary (Harris, 1951; Hume, 1952; Porter, 1953; Laqueur et al., 1953; McCamm, 1953). Hypothalmic influence is considered to be mediated by release of a neurohormone from the median eminence into the portal blood which carries it to the adenohypophysis (Harris and Jacobsohn, 1952). An alternate method for studying the role of the central nervous system is through the use of depressant drugs. In contrast to electrolytic lesions which indiscrimina...
A quantitative study of nanoparticle release from nanocoatings exposed to UV radiation

Nanoparticles are increasingly used in polymer coatings (i.e., nanocoatings) to improve multiple properties including the mechanical, electrical, gas barrier, and ultraviolet (UV) resistance of traditional coatings. These high performance nanocoatings are often used in outdoor environments. However, because polymers are susceptible to degradation by weathering elements, nanoparticles in a nanocoating may be released into the environment during its life cycle, which potentially poses an environmental health and safety concern and may hinder application of these advanced coatings. This study presents protocols and experimental technique to quantify the release of nanosilica from epoxy nanocoating as a function of UV exposure. Specimens of an epoxy coating containing 5% untreated nanosilica in specially designed holders were exposed to UV radiation (295–400 nm) in a well-controlled high-intensity UV chamber. Exposed specimens were removed at specified UV dose intervals for measurements of coating chemical degradation, mass loss, nanosilica accumulation on specimen surface, and nanosilica release as a function of UV dose. Measurement of nanosilica release was accomplished by (a) periodically spraying UV-exposed specimens with water, (b) collecting runoff water/released particles, and (c) analyzing collected solutions by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry using a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-developed protocol. Results demonstrated that the amount of nanosilica release was substantial and increased rapidly with UV dose. Mass loss, chemical degradation, and silica accumulation on specimen surface also increased with UV dose.
Eicosanoids as bioregulators in clinical medicine

Abstract Formation of elcosanolds In stimulated cells and tissues is a ubiquitous phenomenon, but the precise physiologic or pathophysiologic role of these autacolds has not yet been defined. In contrast, understanding of synthetic mechanisms, metabolism, and catabolism of eicosanoids seems to have surpassed understanding of their pharmacologic actions. Early clinical research involving elcosanoids focused on reactions of the cyclo-oxygenase pathway, which are inhibitable by nonsteroldal anti-inflammatory drugs. The lipoxygenase pathway, which appears to be an important component of the allergic and inflammatory response, represents a new area of clinical research.
Mobile network adaptation in the UbiData mobile file system

An important characteristic of mobile networks is the large variations of available bandwidth. Network conditions can vary from strong to weak to total disconnection. These variations may be masked from the users by a common technique called "data hoarding". Limited mobile network bandwidth is an expensive resource today and in the foreseeable future. Efficiently utilizing scarce mobile bandwidth is a challenge for managing data in the mobile environment. In this paper, we introduced the network adaptation approaches used in the UbiData mobile file system. UbiData mobile file system is designed to automatically select a mobile user's active data set and automatically migrate that data when the user switches from device to device. Automation of data management, including data set selection, data replication, network adaptation, and data reintegration, is a goal in our system to tackle the problems incurred from data unavailability in weak and disconnection modes. We discuss the adaptation techniques in our UbiData system and present enhancements. To further reduce the network bandwidth requirement, two major approaches are introduced in our system. First, the communication requests are shortly delayed and optimized. Secondly, we employ content aware/transparent adaptation to reduce possible data transmission within acceptable weak connection bandwidth. The mobile network adaptation techniques can significantly reduce the potential communications between the mobile devices and the fixed host.
Influence of familiarity on identifying prosodic vocalizations produced by children with severe dysarthria.

Familiarity is thought to aid listeners in decoding disordered speech; however, as the speech signal degrades, the “familiarity advantage” becomes less beneficial. Despite highly unintelligible speech sound production, many children with dysarthria vocalize when interacting with familiar caregivers. Perhaps listeners can understand these vocalizations by cuing into prosodic consistencies in their child's productions. This paper examined whether familiarity influenced the identification of sustained vowels that varied in pitch, duration, and pitch–duration combinations, produced by 3 children with severe dysarthria due to cerebral palsy. Thirty‐six listeners participated in the study. For each speaker, there were 2 familiar listeners (FAM), 5 experienced listeners (EXP), and 5 unfamiliar/inexperienced listeners (INX). Results indicated that familiarity did not impact identification of prosodic contrasts. In fact, all 3 listener groups were highly accurate in identifying duration, somewhat less successful a...
Intensity distributions in nitrogen bands excited in auroras and by high-energy protons and hydrogen atoms

Nitrogen negative and second positive band spectra have been excited by 100-kv protons and hydrogen atoms from the Rice Institute van de Graaff accelerator. The intensity distributions in the vibrational bands are compared with spectra produced in controlled laboratory experiments by canal rays and electron impact, with auroral spectra, and with results of theoretical calculations. Excitation of second positive bands by high-energy neutral hydrogen atoms and of the negative bands by both neutral hydrogen and protons show the expected marked increase in the rate of population of high vibrational states. Theories for the excitation of the auroral bands are discussed in the light of these results and of theoretical considerations.
MEMORY CHARACTERISTICS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO VOLUNTEER FOR RESEARCH

Volunteers for psychological research can differ in important ways from nonvolunteers and from the general population. The memory abilities of a sample of 80 college student research volunteers were measured using the Wechsler Memory Scale–Revised. Compared to general population norms, the sample scored significantly higher on General Memory and Visual Memory compared to those with more than 12 years of education, the sample scored significantly lower on General Memory, Verbal Memory, and Attention but significantly higher on Visual Memory. Although results may vary at different universities, researchers should be cautious in assuming that the memory abilities of samples of college student volunteers accurately represent the population.
Importance of carbohydrate in the interaction of Tamm-Horsfall protein with complement 1q and inhibition of classical complement activation.

Importance of carbohydrate in the interaction of Tamm-Horsfall protein with complement 1q and inhibition of classical complement activation
Superficial scald control after delayed treatment of apple fruit with diphenylamine (DPA) and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP)

Abstract The effects of delayed treatments of diphenylamine (DPA) and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on superficial scald development of ‘Cortland’ and ‘Law Rome’ apples were examined. Fruit were stored in air at 0.5 °C for 24 weeks after being treated with DPA or 1-MCP at harvest or after delays of 1, 7, 14 or 21 d (‘Law Rome’, experiment 1) or at harvest or after delays of 3, 7, 14 or 21 d (‘Cortland’ and ‘Law Rome’, experiment 2). Inhibition of scald development was affected by cultivar, DPA concentration, and delays between harvest and either DPA or 1-MCP application. Loss of scald control was associated with increasing internal ethylene concentrations (IEC) in the fruit with greater time delays before treatment, but to a greater extent for 1-MCP than DPA. DPA effects on scald development were independent of α-farnesene accumulation in the fruit skin but were associated with inhibition of its oxidation as indicated by lower concentrations of conjugated trienols (CTols). In contrast, 1-MCP effects were dependent on inhibition of α-farnesene accumulation and thereby the availability of less substrate for oxidation. The results show that minimal delays between harvest and treatment of fruit with either DPA or 1-MCP are necessary to maximize control of scald, but may be more critical for 1-MCP than for DPA.
Necropsy Findings and Arbovirus Surveillance in Mourning Doves from the Southeastern United States

Mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) are the most abundant and widespread native member of the columbid family, as well as a major migratory game species, in the United States. However, there is little information on mortality factors in mourning doves. Records of necropsy accessions at the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) from 15 southeastern states, from 1971 through 2005, were reviewed. One hundred thirty-five mourning doves were submitted from nine states during the 35-yr period. Trichomonosis constituted 40% (n=54) of all diagnoses and was the most frequent diagnosis. Toxicoses and avian pox constituted 18.5% (n=25) and 14.8% (n=20) of all diagnoses, respectively. Remaining diagnoses included trauma, suspected toxicosis, Ascaridia columbae infection, suspected tick paralysis, and undetermined. Adults were observed more frequently with trichomonosis (94.1%) and toxicoses (68%) as compared to juveniles, but a gender predisposition was not apparent for either disease. Age and gender ...
On the mechanism of clq binding to antibody—I. Aggregation and/or distortion of IgG VS combining site-transmitted effects

It was shown previously that in sheep calcium-dependent anti-GAT there is a subpopulation which reacts with and can be precipitated with poly G [Liberti (1975) Immunochemistry 12, 303-310]. This entire subpopulation was also found to react with the cross-reacting polypeptides GA and GT. Furthermore, from hydrogen exchange experiments, it was found that only the immunizing antigen GAT completely filled the combining sites of these antibodies whereas poly G was shown to occupy an average of 47% of all sites, and GA and GT, 75 and 85% respectively. Since precipitins formed with this subpopulation and each of these antigens should have reasonably similar densities and orientations of 'aggregated' IgG but differing combining sites occupancies, we have used this system to explore the relative role of Fc aggregation and/or IgG distortion vs combining site-transmitted effects on the binding of Clq to antibody. For two preparations of this subpopulation (one of high avidity, the other obtained via poly G-Sepharose and of lower avidity) there is only a 5% difference in the delta G (10.2-10.8 kcal/mole) of Clq-IgG interaction for a change in combining site occupancy of 47-100%. For the high-avidity preparation there is a correlation between delta G and degree of ligand occupancy of combining site. This could reflect combining site-transmitted effects or may be related to small differences in the molecular architecture of these precipitins. Clq saturation curves support the latter notion. In view of the very moderate effect of combining site filling (from 47 to 100%) on Clq-IgG interaction for the high-avidity preparation and the absence of any correlation for the lower-avidity preparation. It appears that an allosteric model for antibody initiation of complement is untenable. Unless combining site-originating contributions are completed when less than 50% of an antibody-binding site is occupied by ligand, it would seem that Clq binding to immune complexes must be governed either by enhanced interactions resulting from Fc clustering which occurs via antibody interactions with antigen or by distortion of the antibody molecular upon ligand binding or some combination thereof.
Fourier domain optical coherence tomography with an 800-μm diameter axicon lens for long-depth-range probing

Recently, Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FDOCT) has attracted much attention due to the significantly improved sensitivity and imaging speed compared to time domain OCT. The large depth of focus is necessary to image a long-depth-range sample with constant transverse resolution in FDOCT where dynamic focusing is not considered. Under such imaging scheme, an axicon lens can be used instead of a conventional focusing lens in the sample arm of OCT to achieve both high lateral resolution and a long depth of focus simultaneously. In this study, a 800μm diameter axicon lens was fabricated on a silica wafer. We incorporated the fabricated axicon lens into the sample arm of our FD OCT system and investigated the lateral resolution over a long depth range, compared to the same FD OCT system using a conventional lens.
Diagnosis of pregnancy.

The number of unplanned pregnancies is increasing among college students in U.S. campuses. Physicians must be alert to the diagnosis of pregnancy in every female patient and to exclude pregnancy before prescribing X-rays or certain drugs. The signs and symptoms of diagnosis can be classified into 3 groups the postive signs the probable signs and the presumptive evidence of pregnancy. The positive signs are identification of the fetal heartbeat reception of active fetal movement and recognition of the fetus radiologically or sonographically. These signs cannot be detected until the 16th or the 20th week of pregnancy; real-time scanning can detect fetal cardiac movement by the 7th week of gestation. The probable signs of pregnancy include enlargement of the uterus changes in size shape and consistency of the uterus changes in the cervix and positive pregnancy test detecting human chorionic gonadotropin in maternal plasma and its excretion in urine. Presumptive evidence of pregnancy includes signs and symptoms that a woman can detect by herself such as cessation of menses changes in the breasts changes in the color of the vaginal mucosa skin pigmentation appearance of abdominal striae nausea with or without vomiting disturbances in urination fatigue and sensation of fetal movement. The article reports on 4 unusual presentations of pregnancy; in all cases although intrauterine pregnancy was not the primary diagnosis there was presumptive evidence. Failure to investigate for possible pregnancy may lead to incorrect diagnosis inappropriate therapy and at times to medical-legal embroilment.
Intensivists Improve Outcomes and Compliance with Process Measures in Critically Ill Patients

Background Specialty-trained intensivist involvement in the care of critically ill patients has been associated with improved outcomes; however, the factors contributing to this observation are unknown. We hypothesized that intensivist-led ICU care would result in decreased mortality, length of stay, and rate of deep venous thrombosis/pulmonary embolism along with improved compliance with ICU process measures. Study Design We performed a retrospective review of 847 patients using the October 2008 transition at a regional medical center from an open ICU to a model in which board-certified intensivists assume primary responsibility or co-management of all critically ill patients. Included in the analysis were patients admitted to the ICU during the 3 months immediately before the transition (June to September 2008) and a 3-month period 1 year later (June to September 2009). End points included mortality, length of stay, and deep venous thrombosis/pulmonary embolism rates, as well as several ICU process measures. Results Patients in the post-intensivist cohort had a shorter hospital length of stay (7.4 days vs 8.7 days; p = 0.009) and a trend toward decreased mortality (9.3% vs 13.3%; p = 0.086). Patients also received timely initiation of deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis more frequently and tended toward more frequent timely initiation of nutritional support. Patients in the post-intensivist cohort admitted to the ICU with sepsis demonstrated a significant decrease in mortality (11.4% vs 35.0%, p = 0.010), both overall and in patients with APACHE II scores >20. Conclusions Intensivist-led ICU care is associated with improved outcomes in patients with sepsis and possibly in all ICU patients. Compliance with selected evidence-based practices improved. Additional study is needed to understand the mechanisms by which the intensivist model improves outcomes.
OVERPASSIVIZATION ERRORS BY SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS

This study investigates whether conceptualizable agents in the discourse play a role in English L2 overpassivization errors (nontargetlike passivization of unaccusative verbs, a subclass of intransitives). It hypothesizes that learners are more likely to make overpassivization errors in externally caused events (in which an agent or cause may form part of the speaker's mental representation) than in internally caused events (in which the cause or causer of the event is not clear). Advanced Chinese learners of English were asked to choose the more grammatical form (active or passive) in target sentences with unaccusative verbs. Each target sentence was embedded in two different contexts expressing external and internal causation. A significant difference in error rates was found between the two different contexts: Learners accepted passivized unaccusative verbs more frequently when an agent or cause was available than when it was not. This finding is taken as an indication that learners transitivize unaccusative verbs before they passivize them and that the degree of transitivization varies depending on the presence of conceptualizable agents in the discourse. Thus this paper argues against a purely syntactic analysis of interlanguage errors such as overpassivization and in favor of an approach that takes cognitive factors into account.
Micropapillary pattern in newly diagnosed borderline tumors of the ovary: what's in a name?

The study by Uzan and colleagues published in this issue of The Oncologist on the prognosis of patients with serous borderline tumors of the ovary with a micropapillary pattern is reviewed.
An Effective Graphic "Vocabulary"

The human brain responds to visual variables in predictable ways-something many graphics display creators should take into account when they organize and symbolize data.
Ethical issues in health care: facing our responsibilities in 2010

The distinguishing feature of any profession is the nature of the oath or codes of conduct promulgated by the members. In the case of medicine, beginning with Hippocrates (ca 400 BCE), oaths taken by physicians to gods or a single god became important. To this day, some of the tenets of the Hippocratic Oath still guide us. Although nonmaleficence (primun non nocere) was an established concept credited to Hippocrates, it is not part of the oath. The next significant event was the publication of the Oath and Prayer of Maimonides in the 12th century CE. The first written form of the Oath and Prayer was published in Germany in the 18th century. This has generated speculation that Marcus Herz of Germany was the real author. The oath has had a profound effect on physicians. Some medical schools administer the oath to graduating seniors. Maimonides, in his oath, clearly stated his personal commitment to God's word. He also suggested that any powers of healing were those of God, with Maimonides as his messenger. First-person oaths were the accepted order of the day. Maimonides had a vast knowledge of philosophy, Arabic medicine, and Torah (the Jewish Bible). He wrote his oath in the first person to emphasize his devotion to a singular god. The most striking features of Maimonides' oath are its modern tone and its identification with the patient as a fellow human being. Indeed, it was reported that Maimonides' fame
Regional differences in the refractory period of the hemodynamic response: an event-related fMRI study.

We investigated the characteristics of the hemodynamic response (HDR) to paired presentations of visual face stimuli using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Photographs of faces were presented singly or in pairs with either a 1-s or 6-s intrapair interval (IPI). Each trial (single face or face pairs) was followed by an intertrial interval of 16-20 s. Faces were presented at fixation and passively viewed by the 10 subjects. Images were acquired at 1.5 Tesla using a gradient-echo echo-planar imaging sequence sensitive to blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) contrast. To examine the refractory properties of the HDR, we subtracted the single-stimulus hemodynamic response from the composite response evoked by face pairs for all voxels significantly active on single face trials. The residual represents the contribution of the second stimulus to the fMRI signal. Event-related presentation of faces evoked activity in medial calcarine cortex and the fusiform gyrus bilaterally. In both calcarine and fusiform regions, the hemodynamic response to the second face in a pair was of lower amplitude and of increased latency at 1 s IPI, with significant recovery of both amplitude and latency toward single-stimulus values at 6 s IPI. At 1 s IPI, significantly greater recovery was found in posterior fusiform regions (50-60%) than in midfusiform regions (10-40%). These regional differences were not apparent at 6 s IPI. No differences were found across slices in calcarine cortex. There was a significant difference in mean latency to HDR peak between calcarine and fusiform cortex, with the HDR peaking about 400 ms earlier in calcarine cortex. We conclude that characteristics of the HDR, notably its amplitude, latency, and refractory properties, differ across visual cortical areas.
DEVELOPMENT OF APPROXIMATIONS TO POPULATION INVARIANCE INDICES

The purpose of this paper is to explore methods to approximate population invariance without conducting multiple linkings for subpopulations. Under the single group or equivalent groups design, no linking needs to be performed for the parallel-linear system linking functions. The unequated raw score information can be used as an approximation. For other linking functions that are nonparallel-linear, linking only needs to be conducted for the total population. The difference of the standardized mean differences between each subpopulation and the total population across the old form and the new form can be used as an approximation of population invariance. Under the nonequivalent groups with anchor test design, conducting separate subpopulation linking and comparing them to the total population linking may still be the best way to estimate population invariance.
ASPECT: The Next-Generation H-Point Machine and Related Vehicle and Seat Design and Measurement Tools

The ASPECT program was conducted to develop new Automotive Seat and Package Evaluation and Comparison Tools. This paper presents a summary of the objectives, methods, and results of the program. The primary goal of ASPECT was to create a new generation of the SAE J826 H-point machine. The new ASPECT manikin has an articulated torso linkage, revised seat contact contours, a new weighting scheme, and a simpler, more user-friendly installation procedure. The ASPECT manikin simultaneously measures the H-point location, seat cushion angle, seatback angle, and lumbar support prominence of a seat, and can be used to make measures of seat stiffness. In addition to the physical manikin, the ASPECT program developed new tools for computer-aided design (CAD) of vehicle interiors. The postures and positions of hundreds of vehicle occupants with a wide range of body size were measured in many different vehicle conditions. Data from these studies were analyzed to develop posture-prediction models that will allow human CAD models to be used accurately for vehicle design. The ASPECT program also produced a CAD representation of the new physical manikin, and highquality, three-dimensional surface representations of small-female, midsize-male, and large-male drivers. The new tools developed in the ASPECT program represent a major step forward for vehicle and seat design.
Development and validation of the Spanish-English language proficiency scale (SELPS)

Purpose This study examined the development and validation of a criterion-referenced Spanish–English Language Proficiency Scale (SELPS) that was designed to assess the oral language skills of sequential bilingual children ages 4–8. This article reports results for the English proficiency portion of the scale. Method The SELPS assesses syntactic complexity, grammatical accuracy, verbal fluency, and lexical diversity based on 2 story retell tasks. In Study 1, 40 children were given 2 story retell tasks to evaluate the reliability of parallel forms. In Study 2, 76 children participated in the validation of the scale against language sample measures and teacher ratings of language proficiency. Results Study 1 indicated no significant differences between the SELPS scores on the 2 stories. Study 2 indicated that the SELPS scores correlated significantly with their counterpart language sample measures. Correlations between the SELPS and teacher ratings were moderate. Conclusions The 2 story retells elicited comp...
Parametric Study of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Using Alcohol Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were synthesized both in powder form and on substrates using alcohol catalytic chemical vapor deposition method (ACCVD). A detailed parametric study was conducted. As-grown SWNTs were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. Nucleation and growth of SWNTs occurred within seconds after introduction of the alcohol vapor. The results show that high quality SWNTs with a narrow diameter distribution without amorphous carbon can be grown using Co acetate catalyst doped with Fe acetate above 750 ° C. Defective nanotubes were observed at low (450 ° C) and high (950 ° C) temperatures with the optimum temperature being 850 ° C. In brief, our work has taken a step towards optimizing
A fast algorithm to calculate ultrasound pressure fields from single-element transducers

An algorithm for calculating the beam profile for a single-element circular transducer is reported here. It performs well in calculating the pressure everywhere in the field including the near field and points at large distances from the axis of the transducer. The algorithm is much faster than direct numerical methods currently in use. Lateral beam profiles computed using the fast algorithm are nearly identical to profiles computed using a 96-point Gaussian quadrature routine. >