cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A physiologically based pharmacodynamic analysis of hepatic foci within a medium-term liver bioassay using pentachlorobenzene as a promoter and diethylnitrosamine as an initiator.

Abstract A stochastic clonal growth model for describing quantitative changes in size and number of putative preneoplastic lesions was modified to analyze the time-course information of cell proliferation and glutathione S -transferase π (GST-P) foci within a medium-term bioassay. The study used F344 rats and a single initiating event using diethylnitrosamine (200 mg/kg ip) at Week 0. After a 2-week recovery period, chemical treatment began by gavage administration of pentachlorobenzene (PeCB; 100 μmol/kg/day, 7 days/week) in a corn oil vehicle and continued for 6 weeks. One week after beginning gavage dosing, a two-thirds partial hepatectomy was performed and the animals were serially euthanized at 48, 120, 168, 624, and 840 h postsurgery, which corresponds to 216, 288, 336, 792, and 1008 h following the beginning of PeCB treatment, respectively. For analysis, two types of models were evaluated for describing the time-course changes in GST-P foci. First, a sequential model describing the transformation of normal cells into a homogenous initiated cell population (i.e., one-cell model). Second, a two-cell model that describes a heterogeneous foci population by splitting the initiated cell population into two distinct types. In our study, the one-cell model was unable to adequately represent the time-course data for changes in both size and number of foci. In contrast, the two-cell model, which was parameterized to describe a negative selection mechanism, produced adequate simulations of both the size and number of foci. This model-based analysis suggested that the differences between PeCB-treated and untreated animals were primarily in parameters involving the rates of cell death.
The residual deformation fields in particle reinforced metal-matrix composites

When the fabrication of a metal-matrix composite (MMC) involves its cooling from a high temperature stress-free state, plastic-elastic residual deformation fields can be generated within and around the particles due to the differential thermal expansion between the particle and matrix material. These residual fields are obtained for the situation where the particles are spherical, of equal radius and randomly distributed in the matrix. The solution is derived by embedding a composite sphere, consisting of an inclusion particle surrounded by a spherical shell of matrix material, within an effective medium. Specific results are presented for the Al/TiC MMC that illustrate the development during cooling of these residual fields and their dependence on the concentration of the TiC particles.
Treatment of migraine headaches.

Migraine headaches are common and costly. Patients with migraine frequently seek medical attention from primary care physicians. Although effective therapy is available, migraine is underdiagnosed and undertreated. The 3 main forms of management are avoidance of migraine triggers, treatment of the acute attack with medications, and regular use of preventive medications. Although changes in lifestyle can help to prevent some migraine attacks, the mainstay of treatment is the use of medications taken early during the attack. A wide variety of single-ingredient and combination over-the-counter and prescription medications are now available. Especially effective are the new selective serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine 1 receptor) agonists such as somatriptan. For patients who have frequent and severe migraine headaches despite the use of acute treatment, preventive medications, including β-adrenergic blockers, calcium channel blockers, tricyclic antidepressants, and one anticonvulsant, should be considered. The vast majority of patients with migraine can be helped.
Pervasive olfactory impairment after bilateral limbic system destruction.

What pattern of brain damage could completely obliterate the sense of olfaction in humans? We had an opportunity to address this intriguing question in Patient B., who has extensive bilateral damage to most of the limbic system, including the medial and lateral temporal lobes, orbital frontal cortex, insular cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and basal forebrain, caused by herpes simplex encephalitis. The patient demonstrated profound impairments in odor identification and recognition. Moreover, he could not discriminate between olfactory stimuli, and he had severe impairments in odor detection. Reliable stimulus detection was obtained only for solutions of the organic solvent acetone and highly concentrated solutions of ethanol. In contrast to the more circumscribed olfactory deficits demonstrated in patients with damage confined to either the temporal lobes or orbitofrontal cortex (which tend to involve odor identification but not odor detection), Patient B. demonstrated a strikingly severe and complete...
Socializing politeness routines: Action, other-orientation, and embodiment in a Japanese preschool

Abstract This article explores children's socialization into politeness routines in a preschool in Japan. In particular, it analyzes the verbal and non-verbal strategies that teachers deploy in encouraging children to engage in politeness routines, and examines ways that children initiate and respond to these routines with peers and socialize peers into them. This account is based on a 1-year ethnographic and linguistic study, which draws upon 48 h of audio–visual recordings of 2–5-year-old native and non-native Japanese speaking children in the classroom and on the playground. The findings suggest that politeness routines as embodied social action are an important means through which children learn to use language to display kindness, empathy, and other-oriented behaviors toward others, which are central goals of preschool education in Japan. These findings will be discussed in relation to the socio-cultural organization of the strategies used in this socialization.
Very fast action selection for parameterized behaviors

In this paper, I will discuss a set of techniques for supporting limited variable binding in behavior-based systems. This adds additional useful expressivity while preserving the property of selecting actions in 0(1) time and space. An unusual feature of the method is that it allows inference operations to be reduced to bit-parallel and short-vector operations, making it particularly well suited to real-time operation on modern superscalar and SIMD architectures. I also describe an implementation of the technique in the Twig procedural animation system.
Influence of temporary flooding at three growth stages on soybeans grown on a clayey soil

Abstract Knowledge of crop response to temporary waterlogging is important in the development of effective water management practices. A field study was conducted to determine the response of soybean [Glvcine max. (L.) Merr] grown on a poorly drained, clayey soil to temporary flooding at three growth stages. The four treatments were soybean flooded for seven consecutive days at either VI, V4 or R2 growth stages at a flood height of 0.03 m above the soil surface and a well‐watered control. Flooding for seven consecutive days wetted but did not saturate the lower parts of the soil profile. This was attributed to the swelling by the montmorillonitic clay and subsequent sealing of the soil near the surface. In general, Eh and ODR decreased gradually during the flood, but increased as the soil dried upon removal of the flood. Canopy heights and dry weights of the flooded soybeans were dependent on plant growth stage at flooding and time of measurement but were lower than the control. When flooded at the VI or ...
EPIC: An operational model for evaluation of agricultural sustainability

Abstract In the early 1980s, a mathematical model called EPIC (Erosion-Productivity Impact Calculator) was developed as part of the United States Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act to assess the relationship between soil erosion by wind or water and crop productivity throughout the United States. The model uses a daily time step to simulate weather, hydrology, soil temperature, erosion-sedimentation, nutrient cycling, tillage, crop management and growth, and field-scale costs and returns. Since 1985, an interactive data entry system; flexible graphical output utilities; extensive soil and weather generation databases; crop and tillage parameter databases; and alternative methods to simulate erosion, weather, irrigation, fertilization and tillage have been added. The expanded model and associated software can now be considered an operational, microcomputer-based, decision support system to analyze the productivity and sustainability of complex cropping systems.
Activity consolidation to improve responsiveness

There is a long history of modeling projects to meet time and cost objectives. Most of these models look at adjusting the level of resources available to the project in order to crash the time required to complete certain activities. These models usually take the activities and the graph structure of the project as given and fixed, but in practice there is often significant discretion in how activities are defined. This is especially important when there are information flows and time delays associated with the hand-off between an activity and its successor. This paper models the choice of how to meet the time and cost objectives through combining multiple activities into one while maintaining the original activity precedence relationships. A mixed-integer linear programming model is developed for the problem, and an implicit enumeration and a tabu search heuristic are tested with a suite of problem examples.
The renal lesions that develop in neonatal mice during angiotensin inhibition mimic obstructive nephropathy.

The renal lesions that develop in neonatal mice during angiotensin inhibition mimic obstructive nephropathy. Background Inhibition of angiotensin action, pharmacologically or genetically, during the neonatal period leads to renal anomalies involving hypoplastic papilla and dilated calyx. Recently, we documented that angiotensinogen ( Agt -/-) or angiotensin type 1 receptor nullizygotes ( Agtr1 -/-) do not develop renal pelvis nor ureteral peristaltic movement, both of which are essential for isolating the kidney from the high downstream ureteral pressure. We therefore examined whether these renal anomalies could be characterized as "obstructive" nephropathy. Methods Agtr1 -/- neonatal mice were compared with wild-type neonates, the latter subjected to surgical complete unilateral ureteral ligation (UUO), by analyzing morphometrical, immunohistochemical, and molecular indices. Agtr1 -/- mice were also subjected to a complete UUO and were compared with wild-type UUO mice by quantitative analysis. To assess the function of the urinary tract, baseline pelvic and ureteral pressures were measured. Results The structural anomalies were qualitatively indistinguishable between the Agtr1 -/- without surgical obstruction versus the wild type with complete UUO. Thus, in both kidneys, the calyx was enlarged, whereas the papilla was atrophic; tubulointerstitial cells underwent proliferation and also apoptosis. Both were also characterized by interstitial macrophage infiltration and fibrosis, and within the local lesion, transforming growth factor-β1, platelet-derived growth factor-A, and insulin-like growth factor-1 were up-regulated, whereas epidermal growth factor was down-regulated. Moreover, quantitative differences that exist between mutant kidneys without surgical obstruction and wild-type kidneys with surgical UUO were abolished when both underwent the same complete surgical UUO. The hydraulic baseline pressure was always lower in the pelvis than that in the ureter in the wild type, whereas this pressure gradient was reversed in the mutant. Conclusion The abnormal kidney structure that develops in neonates during angiotensin inhibition is attributed largely to "functional obstruction" of the urinary tract caused by the defective development of peristaltic machinery.
Enhanced insulin signaling via Shc in human breast cancer.

Insulin is a mild mitogen and has been shown to potentiate mitogenic influence of other growth factors. Because hyperinsulinemia and/or overexpression of insulin receptors have been linked to development, progression, and outcome of breast cancer, we attempted to evaluate the mechanism of these associations. We have compared the expression of insulin receptors and the magnitude of insulin signaling in breast tumors and adjacent normal mammary tissue samples obtained from 20 patients. We observed that insulin binding more than doubled in the tumors as compared with the normal tissue (P < .01 by paired t test). Insulin signaling to Shc, judged by the magnitude of its phosphorylation, was also significantly enhanced in the tumors. In contrast, the phosphorylation of the insulin-receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), Akt, and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase were identical in the tumorous and normal mammary tissues. Finally, tumors displayed significantly increased amounts of farnesylated p21 Ras and geranylgeranylated Rho-A (P < .01), consistent with Shc-dependent activation of farnesyl (FTase) and geranylgeranyl transferases (GGTase) in the tumor tissue. We conclude that the mechanism of the mitogenic influence of insulin in breast cancer may include increased expression of insulin receptors, preferential hyperphosphorylation of Shc, and increased amounts of prenylated p21 Ras and Rho-A in tumor tissue as compared with adjacent normal mammary tissue.
Opto-Mechanical Methodology for Feature Detection of Contours

Precise measurement of curvature is of critical importance in the aerospace industry. This paper presents a methodology for non-contact measurement of radius of curvature on the finished surface of manufactured parts. Unique optical methods including a Line Laser and a backlight are explored. In each case, a light source illuminates the features to be measured and several sets of high-contrast images are produced. For that purpose a low power (2mW) Helium-Neon (HeNe) laser source has been used. The images are processed using specific software and data points are mapped along the region of interest. A mathematical relationship is used to extrapolate the radius of curvature from the measured data.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Phosphorus Source Effects on Soil Test Phosphorus and Forms of Phosphorus in Soil

Phosphorus (P) is often supplied to field crops in organic forms such as manures or biosolids, but P availability and appropriate application rates may differ between sources. An incubation study was conducted using a Ringwood silt loam soil and seven P sources. The P sources were low, medium, and high P manure (feces) from a dairy feeding study, whole manure, fiber manure from a liquid–solid separator, biosolids from a municipal sewage treatment facility, and inorganic P applied as calcium phosphate (CaHPO4). Phosphorus sources were applied at rates of 0, 101, 202, and 404 kg total P ha−1 and incubated at 25°C. Five soil samplings were taken at 16-week intervals and analyzed for deionized water extractable P, Mehlich 3, Bray–Kurtz P1, ammonium oxalate extractable P, P saturation, bioavailable P, and anion exchange membrane extractable P. In general, the low P and fiber manures supplied the least available P, CaHPO4 the most, and medium, high, whole, and biosolids contributed intermediate amounts of P as ...
P1,P4-diadenosine 5′ tetraphosphate induces nitric oxide release from bovine aortic endothelial cells

Abstract Since the infusion of P1,P4-diadenosine 5′ tetraphosphate (Ap4A) into animal models induces vasodilation 1 , 2 , the present study was performed to determine whether Ap4A induces the release of nitric oxide (NO) from endothelial cells. Ap4A induced NO release was 4.2-fold greater than the amount of NO released under basal condition. Ap4A induced NO release was inhibited by NG-nitro- l -arginine (L-NNA) and this inhibition was reversed by L-Arg. In addition, EGTA inhibits Ap4A induced NO release. These data are consistent with Ap4A inducing the release of NO from endothelial cells through the activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase.
The Development and Use of a DNA Polymerase Arrest Assay for the Evaluation of Parameters Affecting Intrastrand Tetraplex Formation

We show here that a K+-dependent block to DNA synthesis is a sensitive and specific indicator of intrastrand tetraplex formation that can be used, both to identify sequences with tetraplex-forming potential and to examine parameters that affect tetraplex formation. We show that tetraplex formation is determined by a complex combination of factors including the size and base composition of its constituent loops and stems. In the process of carrying out this study we have found that the number of sequences with the ability to form tetraplexes is larger than previously thought, and that such sequences are ubiquitous in eukaryote genomes.
Experimental Evidence for Heavy-Atom Tunneling in the Ring-Opening of Cyclopropylcarbinyl Radical from Intramolecular 12C/13C Kinetic Isotope Effects

The intramolecular 13C kinetic isotope effects for the ring-opening of cyclopropylcarbinyl radical were determined over a broad temperature range. The observed isotope effects are unprecedentedly large, ranging from 1.062 at 80 °C to 1.163 at −100 °C. Semiclassical calculations employing canonical variational transition-state theory drastically underpredict the observed isotope effects, but the predicted isotope effects including tunneling by a small-curvature tunneling model match well with experiment. These results and a curvature in the Arrhenius plot of the isotope effects support the recently predicted importance of heavy-atom tunneling in cyclopropylcarbinyl ring-opening.
Cancer Cell Phenotypes, in Fifty Shades of Grey

Intratumor heterogeneity refers to biological differences between malignant cells originated within the same tumor. Possible explanations for this include genetic heterogeneity (resulting from the inherent genetic instability of cancer combined with evolutionary dynamics) and cell differentiation hierarchies in tumor cell populations ( 1 – 3 ). However, the results of Kreso et al. ( 4 ) on page 543 of this issue strongly suggest that biological differences between tumor cells can be due to additional mechanisms.
A predictive F344 rat immunotoxicology model: cellular parameters combined with humoral response to NP-CγG and KLH

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive value of humoral and cellular immune parameters in determining the immunotoxic effects of the oral administration of azathioprine (AZA), cyclophosphamide (CY), or cyclosporin A (CsA) at doses of 25/17, 10, or 25 mg/kg per day, respectively, for 30 days in F344 female rats. The effect of these known immunosuppressive compounds on the immune response was assessed in a humoral model that consisted of the administration of nitrophenyl-chicken gamma globulin (NP-CγG) and keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) antigens during immunosuppressive treatment and the measurement of resulting rat antigen-specific IgG and IgM, as well as total IgG, levels. Cellular assessment parameters were collected from the same groups of animals as the humoral parameters and included organ weights and cellularity, hematology, lymphocyte phenotype characteristics, spleen cell mitogen stimulation (T and B cell-dependent), splenic natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity, and bone marrow cellularity and lymphocyte phenotype differential. Although decreases in several of the cellular assay parameters were observed, the only functional assays to demonstrate a statistically significant immunosuppressive effect by all three immunosuppressive agents were the antigen-specific serum IgG levels. The primary (day 10; 15 days post-immunization) and secondary (day 25; 5 days post-rechallenge) nitrophenyl (NP) responses were significantly suppressed by ≥60%. The use of NP hapten provided consistent responses when analyzed with a sensitive, well developed, ELISA methodology. Absolute lymphocyte phenotyping and lymphocyte hematology were also predictive of T cell immunosuppression for all three compounds. The data presented herein suggests that these two parameters, NP-IgG humoral response and lymphocyte phenotyping, are sufficient for identifying immunosuppressive compounds.
A network-based seamless handover scheme for multi-homed devices

Terminal-based mobility protocols require mobile devices to participate in mobility signaling that consumes lots of processing power and memory. Network-based mobility protocol solves this problem by excluding low-end mobile devices from signaling requirement. We earlier proposed SEMO6, a terminal-based mobility protocol which exploits multiple network interfaces to achieve seamless handover. In this paper, we have proposed a network-based mobility solution for SEMO6. We have performed a thorough cost analysis of its major mobility entities that participate in mobility management and also obtained their efficiency based on signaling overhead. Results show interesting relationships among various network parameters. Our signaling analysis can be used by network engineers to estimate the resource requirements of its entities in actual deployment.
Long-Term Results of Reconstruction for Treatment of a Flexible Cavovarus Foot in Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

Background: Cavovarus foot deformity is common in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Multiple surgical reconstructive procedures have been described, but few authors have reported long-term results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term results of an algorithmic approach to reconstruction for the treatment of a cavovarus foot in these patients. Methods: We evaluated twenty-five consecutive patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and cavovarus foot deformity (forty-one feet) who had undergone, between 1970 and 1994, a reconstruction consisting of dorsiflexion osteotomy of the first metatarsal, transfer of the peroneus longus to the peroneus brevis, plantar fascia release, transfer of the extensor hallucis longus to the neck of the first metatarsal, and in selected cases transfer of the tibialis anterior tendon to the lateral cuneiform. Each patient completed standardized outcome questionnaires (the Short Form-36 [SF-36] and Foot Function Index [FFI]). Radiographs were evaluated to assess alignment and degenerative arthritis, and gait analysis was performed. The mean age at the time of follow-up was 41.5 years, and the mean duration of follow-up was 26.1 years. Results: Correction of the cavus deformity was well maintained, although most patients had some recurrence of hindfoot varus as seen on radiographic examination. The patients had a lower mean SF-36 physical component score than age-matched norms, and the women had a lower mean SF-36 physical component score than the men, although this difference was not significant. Smokers had lower mean SF-36 scores and significantly higher mean FFI pain, disability, and activity limitation subscores (p < 0.0001). Seven patients (eight feet) underwent a total of eleven subsequent foot or ankle operations, but no patient required a triple arthrodesis. Moderate-to-severe osteoarthritis was observed in eleven feet. With the numbers studied, the age at surgery, age at the time of follow-up, and body mass index were not noted to have a significant correlation with the SF-36 or FFI scores. Conclusions: Use of the described soft-tissue procedures and first metatarsal osteotomy to correct cavovarus foot deformity results in lower rates of degenerative changes and reoperations as compared with those reported at the time of long-term follow-up of patients treated with triple arthrodesis. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Curcumin activated both receptor-mediated and mitochondria-mediated proteolytic pathways for apoptosis in human glioblastoma T98G cells.

Abstract The therapeutic effect of curcumin (CCM), a polyphenolic compound from the rhizome of Curcuma longa, has not yet been examined in glioblastoma. We used human glioblastoma T98G cells to explore the efficacy of CCM for inducing apoptosis and identifying proteolytic mechanisms involved in this process. Trypan blue dye exclusion test showed decrease in cell viability with increasing dose of CCM. Wright staining and ApopTag assay showed, respectively, morphological and biochemical features of apoptosis in T98G cells exposed to 25 μM and 50 μM of CCM for 24 h. Treatment with CCM activated receptor-mediated pathway of apoptosis as Western blotting showed activation of caspase-8 and cleavage of Bid to tBid. Besides, CCM caused an increase in Bax:Bcl-2 ratio, and mitochondrial release of cytochrome c, Second mitochondrial activator of caspases/Direct IAP binding protein with low pI (Smac/Diablo), and apoptosis-inducing-factor (AIF) indicating involvement of mitochondria-mediated pathway as well. Down regulation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB), increased expression of inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B alpha (IκBα), and decreased expression of inhibitor-of-apoptosis proteins (IAPs) such as c-IAP1 and c-IAP2 in T98G cells following CCM treatment suggested suppression of survival signal. Activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 was detected in generation of 35 kD and 20 kD active fragments, respectively. Calpain and caspase-3 activities cleaved 270 kD α-spectrin at specific sites to generate 145 kD spectrin break down product (SBDP) and 120 kD SBDP, respectively. Our results strongly suggest that CCM induced both receptor-mediated and mitochondria-mediated proteolytic mechanisms for induction of apoptosis in T98G cells.
Effects of Delay in Oral Practice at the Beginning of Second Language Learning.

guages. D. Guest editorials in this journal6 by Renee Disick and Frank Grittner. E. Options and Perspectives7 A very recent compilation of current foreign language programs which are exemplary and innovative. 7. Let us build a whole new approach to our teaching, to include that which is effective from the "old ways" and that which is effective from the "new ways," and, above all, based on the understanding and support of our students as individual human beings. Conclusion
Effects of Alcohol Consumption on Iron Metabolism in Mice with Hemochromatosis Mutations

Background: Alcoholic liver disease is associated with increased hepatic iron accumulation. The liver-derived peptide hepcidin is the central regulator of iron homeostasis and recent animal studies have demonstrated that exposure to alcohol reduces hepcidin expression. This down-regulation of hepcidin in vivo implies that disturbed iron sensing may contribute to the hepatosiderosis seen in alcoholic liver disease. Alcohol intake is also a major factor in expression of the hemochromatosis phenotype in patients homozygous for the C282Y mutation of the HFE gene. Methods: To assess the effect of alcohol in mice with iron overload, alcohol was administered to mice with disrupted Hfe and IL-6 genes and Tfr2 mutant mice and their respective 129x1/SvJ, C57BL/6J, and AKR/J wild-type congenic strains. Iron absorption, serum iron levels, and hepcidin expression levels were then measured in these mice compared with water-treated control mice. Results: Alcohol was shown to have a strain-specific effect in 129x1/SvJ mice, with treated 129x1/SvJ mice showing a significant increase in iron absorption, serum iron levels, and a corresponding decrease in hepcidin expression. C57BL/6J and AKR/J strain mice showed no effect from alcohol treatment. 129x1/SvJ mice heterozygous or homozygous for the Hfe knockout had a diminished response to alcohol. All 3 strains were shown to have high blood alcohol levels. Conclusions: The effect of alcohol on iron homeostasis is dependent on the genetic background in mice. In an alcohol-susceptible strain, mutation of the Hfe gene diminished the response of the measured iron indices to alcohol treatment. This indicates that either maximal suppression of hepcidin levels had already occurred as a result of the Hfe mutation or that Hfe was a component of the pathway utilized by EtOH in suppressing hepcidin production and increasing iron absorption.
The Early Days at Yale

Early in the morning of late autumn 1955, Aaron Lerner entered the lobby of the New Haven Hospital and sought directions to the office of Paul Beeson, Chairman of Medicine. He had the good fortune to be recognized by a former medical student from the University of Michigan, now a medical resident, who escorted him there but advised him that Morning Report, a review of all admissions, would begin shortly. Speaking to Betty Pharr, secretary and guardian of the department, Aaron switched his appointment to late afternoon because there were several things on his agenda that had to be settled: find a home, buy a refrigerator, establish accounts for utilities, telephone . . . there was not a moment to be lost before his evening flight back to Oregon. Things got done with the most efficient use of time.
Characteristics of Infrasonic Signals from Rockets

Summary Infrasound has been recorded at long range from the launch and the re-entry of the first stage booster of Saturn V rockets. Detailed study has been made with the use of an acoustic ray-tracing procedure that involved actual temperature and wind data at the launch site and along the propagation path. Details of signal arrival times and duration are shown to be controlled by the nature of the ground-based sound channel, which in turn is determined by the atmospheric structure below about 60 km. Fluctuations in signal amplitudes are explained on the basis of interference of acoustic rays.
Bridge aeroelasticity: Present state and future challenges

Abstract The paper reviews the overall subject of bridge aeroelasticity in a qualitative, informal manner, selecting out points of importance in its development and emphasizing key contributions. Some unresolved and challenging aspects of the field are then discussed.
Depth of correlation reduction due to out-of-plane shear in microscopic particle image velocimetry

The effects of out-of-plane shear on the depth of correlation in microscopic particle image velocimetry (microPIV) were analyzed by deriving an analytical model of microPIV interrogation for flowfields containing velocity gradients in the out-of-plane direction. The model is derived using a Taylor series approximation and is therefore most accurate in the limit of small shear, but it does provide valuable insights. The model shows that out-of-plane velocity gradients reduce the depth of correlation compared to flowfields without gradients, but this decrease in depth of correlation is smaller than the increase in depth of correlation for a flowfield containing only in-plane velocity gradients. By combining the analysis for flows with in-plane gradients and with the analysis for flows with out-of-plane gradients, an equation for the depth of correlation for a flowfield containing both in-plane and out-of-plane velocity gradients was derived. This equation suggests that unless the out-of-plane gradients are significantly larger than the in-plane gradients, the effect on the depth of correlation due to the out-of-plane gradients is negligible, and the depth of correlation can be very closely approximated by calculating the depth of correlation using only the in-plane velocity gradients.
Sulfur dioxide concentrations in Western U.S.

Abstract Weekly integrated measurements of SO2 concentrations at National Parks in western U.S., Hawaii and Alaska are presented for the period November 1986–October 1987. The highest and most variable SO2 concentrations occurred in Hawaii due to the Kilauea Volcano. Annual-average concentrations within parks in the western contiguous states ranged from 0.83 to 1.64 μg m−3; the grand mean was 1.3 μg SO2 m−3. SO2 concentrations in western states were generally 10 times greater than the concentrations of the marine-air boundary layer and 10–30 times less than the rural concentrations of eastern U.S.
Porcine Rotavirus Bearing an Aberrant Gene Stemming from an Intergenic Recombination of the NSP2 and NSP5 Genes Is Defective and Interfering

Serial undiluted passage of a porcine rotavirus in MA104 cells yielded three distinct virus populations, each of which bore different rearranged genes. Sequencing revealed that each of two populations bore a distinct intragenic recombinant NSP3 gene consisting of a partial duplication in a head-to-tail orientation without altering the NSP3 open reading frame and the third population carried both an intragenic recombinant NSP3 gene and an intergenic recombinant gene (1,647 nucleotides in length) which contained a truncated NSP2 gene inserted into the NSP5 gene at residue 332. The former two populations were viable, whereas the latter population was defective and interfering.
ASSESSMENT OF LEFT ATRIAL VOLUME BEFORE AND AFTER PULMONARY THROMBOENDARTERECTOMY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC THROMBOEMBOLIC PULMONARY HYPERTENSION (CTEPH)

Left ventricular diastolic impairment is common in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), and recent studies support left ventricular underfilling as the cause. To investigate this, we assessed left atrial volume (LAV) in CTEPH patients before and after pulmonary
Overview of remote sensing for range management

Abstract Remote sensing technology is beginning to mature. Applications development in many fields is permitting the acquisition of meaningful and useful data sometimes on a routine basis. Range managers have not kept pace with the potential applications which include both Geographic Information System technology and the potential use of Knowledge‐Based Expert Systems. Rangeland remote sensing applications are dependent upon three requirements. (1) continued remote sensing technology development; (2) application scientists and managers with optimum knowledge of the rangeland ecosystems to be managed; and (3) a rangeland domain knowledge base consisting of information on vegetation, soils, climate, water, fauna, etc. for the area to be managed. By an example this paper explores a possible approach to the management of a typical sagebrush/grass rangeland allotment using these techniques. Consideration is given to the use of aerial photography, digital image processing, video systems, vegetation indices, hig...
Comparison of hospitalists and nonhospitalists in inpatient length of stay adjusting for patient and physician characteristics

OBJECTIVE: To determine the independent effect of hospitalist status upon inpatient length of stay after controlling for case mix, as well as patient-level and provider-level variables such as age, years since physician medical school graduation, and volume status of provider. DESIGN: Observational retrospective cohort study employing a hierarchical random intercept logistic regression model. SETTING: Tertiary-care teaching hospital. PATIENTS: All admissions during 2001 to the department of medicine not sent initially to the medical intensive care unit or coronary care unit. MEASUREMENTS: Observed length of stay (LOS) compared to principle diagnosis related group (DRG)-specific mean LOS for hospitalist and nonhospitalist patients adjusting for patient age, gender, years since physician graduation from medical school, and physician volume status. MAIN RESULTS: The 9 hospitalists discharged 2,027 patients while the nonhospitalists discharged 9,361 patients. On average, hospitalist patients were younger, 63.3 versus 73.3 years (P<.0001). Hospitalists were more recently graduated from medical school, 13.8 versus 22.5 years (P=.02). Each year of patient age was found to increase the likelihood of an above average LOS (odds ratio [OR], 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01 to 1.02; P<.001). In unadjusted analysis, hospitalists were less likely to have an above average LOS (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.28 to 0.93; P=.03). Adjustment for effects of patient age and gender, physician gender, years since medical school graduation, and quintile of physician admission volume did not appreciably change the point estimate that hospitalist patients remained less likely to have above average LOS (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.32 to 1.11; P=.11). CONCLUSIONS: For a given principle DRG, hospitalist patients were less likely to exceed the average LOS than were nonhospitalist patients. This effect was rather large, in that hospitalist status reduced the likelihood of above average LOS by about 49%. Adjustment for patient age, years since physician graduation, and admission volume did not significantly alter this finding. Further research should focus on identifying specific practices that account for hospitalism’s effects.
Stimulus affect valence may influence mapping-rule selection but does not reverse the spatial compatibility effect: reinterpretation of Conde et al. (2011)

Conde et al. (2011) reported a finding that their article title characterized as "stimulus affective valence reverses the spatial compatibility effect." In their study, participants performed a choice-reaction task in which the stimulus was a soccer player from their "Favorite" team or from a "Rival" team, presented in a left or right location. The team signaled whether a spatially compatible or incompatible keypress was to be made in response to the stimulus location. The Favorite team showed a benefit for the spatially compatible response, but the Rival team showed a benefit for the spatially incompatible response. In the present commentary, the data of Conde et al. are reorganized according to the two mixed-mapping conditions under which participants performed: Favorite→compatible/Rival→incompatible and Rival→compatible/Favorite→ incompatible. This reorganization shows the typical finding of no spatial compatibility effect for mixed mappings in both conditions but an overall advantage for the Favorite→compatible/Rival→incompatible mapping of teams to mapping rules. This compatibility effect for team preference to mapping rule may be a consequence of positive and negative affect, although other accounts are possible. Regardless of its basis, that compatibility effect did not modulate the spatial compatibility effect.
Comparison of dynamic compression behavior of single crystal sapphire to polycrystalline alumina

Due to the considerable interest in the shock loading behavior of aluminum oxide whether it is in the polycrystalline phase or in the single crystal phase well-controlled experiments were conducted to probe differences in shock loading behavior between these two materials. Previous studies concluded that the behavior was similar but careful examination of well-controlled experiments has revealed the two materials are different.Although the experimental results appear to have the same behavior in the shock velocity vs. particle velocity plane, they are considerably different in the stressevolume compression plane and evidence is provided that indicates the single crystal remains crystalline up to the stresses imposed for this analysis. This is an extremely interesting observation since it has many implications including developing dynamic material models capable of transitioning between individual grains and polycrystalline material. 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Efficient Message Representations for Belief Propagation

Belief propagation (BP) has been successfully used to approximate the solutions of various Markov random field (MRF) formulated energy minimization problems. However, large MRFs require a significant amount of memory to store the intermediate belief messages. We observe that these messages have redundant information due to the imposed smoothness prior. In this paper, we study the feasibility of applying compression techniques to the messages in the min-sum/max-product BP algorithm with 1D labels to improve the memory efficiency and reduce the read/write bandwidth. We articulate properties that an efficient message representation should satisfy. We investigate two common compression schemes, predictive coding and linear transform coding (PCA), and then propose a novel envelope point transform (EPT) method. Predictive coding is efficient and supports linear operations directly in the compressed domain, but it is only compatible with the L1 smoothness function. PCA has the disadvantage that it does not guarantee the preservation of the minimal label. EPT is not limited to L1 smoothness cost and allows a flexible quality vs. compression ratio tradeoff compared with predictive coding. Experiments on dense stereo reconstruction have shown that the predictive scheme and EPT can achieve 8times or more compression without significant loss of depth accuracy.
Palm-of-the-hand stories

Translated by Lane Dunlop and J. Martin HolmanWinner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, Yasunari Kawabata is perhaps best known in the United States for his deeply incisive, marvelously lyrical novel "Snow Country," But according to Kawabata himself, the essence of his art was to be found in a series of short stories-which he called "Palm-of-the-Hand Stories"-written over the entire span of his career. He began experimenting with the form in 1923 and returned to it often. In fact, his final work was a "palm-sized" reduction of "Snow Country," written not long before his suicide in 1972. Dreamlike, intensely atmospheric, at times autobiographical and at others fantastical, these stories reflect Kawabata's abiding interest in the miniature, the wisp of plot reduced to the essential. In them we find loneliness, love, the passage of time, and death. "Palm-of-the-Hand Stories" captures the astonishing range and complexity of one of the century's greatest literary talents.
Approximating the SVP to within a factor (1-1/dim/sup /spl epsiv//) is NP-hard under randomized conditions

Recently M. Ajtai showed that to approximate the shortest lattice vector in the l/sub 2/-norm within a factor (1+2(-dim/sup k/)), for a sufficiently large constant k, is NP-hard under randomized reductions. We improve this result to show that to approximate a shortest lattice vector within a factor (1+dim/sup -/spl epsiv//), for any /spl epsiv/>0, is NP-hard under randomized reductions. Our proof also works for arbitrary l/sub p/-norms, 1/spl les/p</spl infin/.
Threshold decomposition of soft morphological filters

The properties of soft morphological operations and the new definitions of binary soft morphological operations are presented. It is shown that soft morphological filtering on an arbitrary signal is equivalent to decomposing the signal into binary signals, filtering each binary signal with a binary soft morphological filter, and then reversing the decomposition. This equivalence allows problems in the analysis and the implementation of soft morphological operations in real time by using only logic gates for binary signals instead of sorting numbers. >
ADAPTIVE EXPOSURE IMAGE INPUT SYSTEM FOR OBTAINING HIGH-QUALITY COLOR INFORMATION

The color image processing based on the color information is not concerned with the accuracy of the color information in the original image. The color representation transformation and the processing algorithm assume that the accuracy of the input image is sufficiently high. This paper considers the input of the RGB color image, and discusses the image input system, emphasizing the accuracy of the color information. Here, each pixel is inputted with sufficient intensity without saturation, independently of the brightness of the object, by the multistep exposure control. The obtained image is called the adaptive exposure color image since each pixel is inputted with an adequate exposure. This paper discusses also the exposure control using the variable electronic shutter function of the CCD camera, the pixel selection/storage algorithm for the time-series images with different exposure times, and the reduction of the input time by reducing the number of exposures. By an input experiment, it is verified that a stable input of the color image is realized for the scene with a high contrast, containing multiple colors and shadows. The region segmentation based on the chromatic component is considered, and it is shown that the adaptive exposure color image realizes satisfactory colors over the whole image compared to the ordinary color image. Thus the method is shown to be useful in improving the accuracy from the viewpoint of color discrimination and other applications.
RJPrimers: unique transposable element insertion junction discovery and PCR primer design for marker development

Transposable elements (TE) exist in the genomes of nearly all eukaryotes. TE mobilization through ‘cut-and-paste’ or ‘copy-and-paste’ mechanisms causes their insertions into other repetitive sequences, gene loci and other DNA. An insertion of a TE commonly creates a unique TE junction in the genome. TE junctions are also randomly distributed along chromosomes and therefore useful for genome-wide marker development. Several TE-based marker systems have been developed and applied to genetic diversity assays, and to genetic and physical mapping. A software tool ‘RJPrimers’ reported here allows for accurate identification of unique repeat junctions using BLASTN against annotated repeat databases and a repeat junction finding algorithm, and then for fully automated high-throughput repeat junction-based primer design using Primer3 and BatchPrimer3. The software was tested using the rice genome and genomic sequences of Aegilops tauschii. Over 90% of repeat junction primers designed by RJPrimers were unique. At least one RJM marker per 10 Kb sequence of A. tauschii was expected with an estimate of over 0.45 million such markers in a genome of 4.02 Gb, providing an almost unlimited source of molecular markers for mapping large and complex genomes. A web-based server and a command line-based pipeline for RJPrimers are both available at http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/demos/RJPrimers/.
Mechanistic model of cardiac energy metabolism predicts localization of glycolysis to cytosolic subdomain during ischemia.

A new multidomain mathematical model of cardiac cellular metabolism was developed to simulate metabolic responses to reduced myocardial blood flow. The model is based on mass balances and reaction ...
Cell Therapy for Heart Failure: A Comprehensive Overview of Experimental and Clinical Studies, Current Challenges, and Future Directions

Despite significant therapeutic advances, the prognosis of patients with heart failure (HF) remains poor, and current therapeutic approaches are palliative in the sense that they do not address the underlying problem of the loss of cardiac tissue. Stem cell-based therapies have the potential to fundamentally transform the treatment of HF by achieving what would have been unthinkable only a few years ago-myocardial regeneration. For the first time since cardiac transplantation, a therapy is being developed to eliminate the underlying cause of HF, not just to achieve damage control. Since the initial report of cell therapy (skeletal myoblasts) in HF in 1998, research has proceeded at lightning speed, and numerous preclinical and clinical studies have been performed that support the ability of various stem cell populations to improve cardiac function and reduce infarct size in both ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy. Nevertheless, we are still at the dawn of this therapeutic revolution. Many important issues (eg, mechanism(s) of action of stem cells, long-term engraftment, optimal cell type(s), and dose, route, and frequency of cell administration) remain to be resolved, and no cell therapy has been conclusively shown to be effective. The purpose of this article is to critically review the large body of work performed with respect to the use of stem/progenitor cells in HF, both at the experimental and clinical levels, and to discuss current controversies, unresolved issues, challenges, and future directions. The review focuses specifically on chronic HF; other settings (eg, acute myocardial infarction, refractory angina) are not discussed.