cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crater detection via genetic search methods to reduce image features

Abstract Recent approaches to crater detection have been inspired by face detection’s use of gray-scale texture features. Using gray-scale texture features for supervised machine learning crater detection algorithms provides better classification of craters in planetary images than previous methods. When using Haar features it is typical to generate thousands of numerical values from each candidate crater image. This magnitude of image features to extract and consider can spell disaster when the application is an entire planetary surface. One solution is to reduce the number of features extracted and considered in order to increase accuracy as well as speed. Feature subset selection provides the operational classifiers with a concise and denoised set of features by reducing irrelevant and redundant features. Feature subset selection is known to be NP-hard. To provide an efficient suboptimal solution, four genetic algorithms are proposed to use greedy selection, weighted random selection, and simulated annealing to distinguish discriminate features from indiscriminate features. Inspired by analysis regarding the relationship between subset size and accuracy, a squeezing algorithm is presented to shrink the genetic algorithm’s chromosome cardinality during the genetic iterations. A significant increase in the classification performance of a Bayesian classifier in crater detection using image texture features is observed.
Density-dependent regulation of cell growth: An example of a cell-cell recognition phenomenon

Cell-to-cell contact can result in a variety of changes in the cell's physiology. For different cell types, this may include both the initiation as well as the cessation of cell growth and changes in the state of differentiation. This review examines in detail one such phenomenon, density-dependent inhibition of growth, which is observed with many fibroblasts in culture. Data are summarized which demonstrate that the cessation of growth at high cell density is in part a consequence of cell-to-cell contact. An approach to the study of the molecular basis of this phenomenon is presented based on the demonstration that plasma membranes, when bound to sparse growing cells, mimic contact inhibition of growth. The present status of attempts to purify plasma membrane proteins responsible for this effect are summarized, and the properties of these membrane proteins are compared to those of previously described “soluble” proteins that inhibit cellular growth.
Biochemical Defense Mechanisms Against Copper-Induced Oxidative Damage in the Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus

Abstract The blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) has a very dynamic copper metabolism associated with the biosynthesis and degradation of its respiratory pigment hemocyanin. In this study we report on the cellular defense mechanisms used by the crab to protect itself from copper toxicity. Short-term copper-exposure studies, conducted by incubating hepatopancreas tissue explants in copper-containing medium, show that copper taken up by the cells during the first 60 min combines with low-molecular-weight copper complex(es), which include Cu(I)–glutathione. Thereafter, copper binds to newly synthesized metallothionein (MT), with a concomitant decrease in Cu(I)–glutathione. Copper does not displace zinc from the endogenous ZnMT pool. Long-term exposure by means of copper-rich diets results in the synthesis of two MT isoforms in the hepatopancreas: CuMT-I and CuMT-II (D. Schlenk and M. Brouwer, 1991,Aquat. Toxicol.20, 25–34). Transfer of copper from Cu(I)–glutathione to apoMT-I and apoMT-II can be accomplishedin vitro.Cu(I) binding by the two isoforms is very different. Cu(I) binds to apoMT-I in a strictly cooperative manner. No partially filled Cu(I)–thiolate clusters appear to be present. In contrast, the Cu(I)–thiolate clusters in MT-II are formed only after more than four Cu(I) ions are bound. Long-term copper exposure leads to increased activity of two antioxidant enzymes: glutathione peroxidase and manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD). No CuZnSOD is found. Activities of catalase and glutathione reductase and the intracellular levels of glutathione are unaffected by copper. The defense mechanisms are not entirely sufficient for preventing copper-induced oxidative damage. Levels of oxidized lipids are significantly higher in copper-exposed crabs, but oxidized protein levels are nearly the same.
Prediction of areas where irrigation drainage may induce selenium contamination of water

The U.S. Department of the Interior has investigated 25 areas in the western USA to determine whether irrigation drainage has caused harmful effects on wildlife or has reduced subsequent beneficial uses of the water. A database of chemical analyses of water, sediment, and biota from the 25 areas was created and supplemented with geologic, climatologic, and hydrologic data. The data were evaluated to identify common features among study areas and principal factors that result in Se contamination of water in lakes, ponds, and streams downgradient of irrigated areas. From the analysis of data, a decision tree that uses readily available geologic, climatologic, and hydrologic data was derived for use by resource managers as a screening tool to predict the likelihood that irrigation drainage will result in Se contamination in areas of the western USA. Irrigation in areas that are not associated with marine sedimentary rocks of late Cretaceous age is unlikely to cause Se contamination. Irrigation in very arid areas that are associated with these Cretaceous sediments is almost certain to cause Se contamination if the irrigation water drains to terminal lakes and ponds. The likelihood that an area will be contaminated with Se because of irrigation drainage can change, particularly with changes in precipitation. During normal or wet periods, Se contamination may not occur in an area, even though it has seleniferous soils, but reduced water deliveries during a drought in such an area may result in Se contamination.
Cardea: Cloud based employee health and wellness integrated wellness application with a wearable device and the HCM data store

This paper discusses an experimental integrated wellness application that syncs with a wearable device and with a human capital management database to provide a full picture of health and wellness. Wellness is measured at the individual level as well as at the group level. This application uses domain specific algorithms, which are based on scientific research and analysis of biometric data. We investigate the effect of this application on user behavior and wellness habits. We also look for correlations between companies' policies, culture, management practices, and wellness.
Residents' self-reported learning needs for intraoperative knowledge: are we missing the bar?

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to compare the intraoperative learning needs and educational resource use of junior and senior residents. Our goal was to gain a better understanding of the progression of learning needs in surgical training. Methods Residents (n = 125) completed a previously validated, 27-item survey indicating the following: (1) the extent to which traditional learning resources are used when preparing for cases in the operating room, and (2) which intraoperative management topics in which they believed they were deficient despite preoperative preparation. Results On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 indicating frequent use, postgraduate year (PGY)-5 residents (n = 39) indicated surgical atlases (4.15; SD, .90) and surgical texts (4.15; SD, .90) were their most frequently used resources when preparing for a case in the operating room. In contrast, PGY-1 residents (n = 32) indicated anatomy atlases (3.97; SD, .93) and advice from colleagues (3.64; SD, .90) were their most frequently used resources when preparing for a case in the operating room. Despite the differences in how the PGY-5 group and the PGY-1 group prepared for a case, of 12 intraoperative management topics both groups believed they were the least prepared for instrument use/selection and suture selection. Conclusions Today's residents represent a heterogeneous group of individuals with different learning needs based on level of experience, knowledge, and learning style. Our study highlights unexpected but critical learning needs for senior-level residents that can and should be readily addressed.
Disparities in the consequences of sarcopenia: implications for African American Veterans.

The phenomenon of age-related muscle wasting has been long recognized by geriatricians, rehabilitation specialists, and public health practitioners. However, Federal agencies are slow to recognize sarcopenia as a diagnostic term despite the ubiquitous observation of muscle loss as a signature event of aging. The formal adoption of sarcopenia as a clinical diagnosis has been complicated by its evolving operational definition and the varied approaches to the assessment of lean body mass (LBM). Currently, formal assessments of LBM rarely occur within the context of standard geriatric care. The failure to adequately assess muscle tissue within the larger context of geriatric medical care has significant public health implications given the importance of adequate muscle function for “successful aging” and the maintenance of independent living (Visser and Schaap, 2011). The prevalence of sarcopenia is approximately 25% of the U.S. population over 70 years of age (Baumgartner et al., 1998; Lorenzo, 2009). Additionally, U.S. health care expenditures ascribed to sarcopenia, based on the Third National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES III) data, have been conservatively estimated at 11.8 billion dollars (Janssen et al., 2004a). Given the national trends in the Veteran population with respect to age, reported disability levels, and increased representation of African American soldiers, the potential impact of sarcopenia on the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) healthcare system merits consideration.
Characteristics of solgel scintillators for liquid scintillation counting of aqueous and non-aqueous samples.

Abstract The performance of solgel scintillators in the radioassay of acid, base and neutral aqueous samples is discussed in detail. These scintillators are shown to be outstanding for both aqueous and non-aqueous samples. A two-phase colloidal system where the effective micelle size of the aqueous phase is negligibly small, compared to the range of the tritium beta particle, is shown to exist at sample concentrations from 1 to 55% by volume.
Legionella Infections: A Review of Five Years of Research

In an attempt to place in perspective the role of Legionella pneumophila in human disease, the literature concerning this organism was reviewed. In the five years since the etiology of legionnaires' disease was elucidated, an impressive body of information has been gathered from retrospective investigations of illnesses of previously unidentified etiology and from studies of new cases of nosocomial or community-acquired infection caused by L. pneumophila. Topics on which considerable knowledge has been gained include the characteristics of L. pneumophila itself; the etiology, pathogenesis, and epidemiology of infection; the mechanisms of immunity to infection; the role of aerosols and potable water in the transmission of disease; the spectrum of clinical manifestations; the efficacy of therapy; the features of sporadic cases; and the rapid diagnosis of infection by direct immunofluorescent techniques and bacteriologic methods. A limited amount of research has also been done on six other species of Legionella, all of which have been associated with pneumonia in humans. The discovery in the 1970s of new bacterial causes of pneumonia was unexpected but nonetheless consistent with the steady progress made in diverse areas of medical bacteriology, a field of scientific endeavor often mistakenly relegated to an earlier part of this century and the last century. In the past five years, tremendous progress has been made toward an increased understanding of infections caused by Legionella species. Legionnaires' disease is a pneumonic illness with systemic manifestations that is caused by Legionella pneumophila. It was "discovered" by
Magnetic aftereffects in ion-implanted metallic glasses

Abstract Magnetic aftereffects have been studied in iron-base and cobalt-base metallic glasses ion-implanted with boron and nitrogen. Complex relaxation spectra are observed and specific peaks can be identified as being due to boron reorientation processes or to diffusional processes.
Dual-carrier multiplication high-gain MWIR strain layer superlattice impact ionization engineered avalanche photodiodes

A novel heterostructured dual carrier multiplication extremely high gain MWIR InAs/InGaSb Type II strained layer superlattice (T2SLS) impact ionization engineered (I2E) APD was designed and simulated. Spatially separated T2SLS electron and hole multiplication regions are designed using 14 band k.p bandstructure modeling. In the novel dual carrier device, the I2E T2SLS electron and hole multiplication regions are placed right next to each other. This allows for a carrier feedback between the electron and hole multiplication regions. This feedback between the electron and hole multiplication regions allows for extremely high gain values for the overall device. While the individual gain of the electron and hole multiplication regions can be kept extremely low, the overall gain can be >10 3 . This can be achieved at a reverse bias of 3.5V. The effective k is designed to be approximately .07. Such low bias operation of the MWIR APD allows for active operation and passive mode operation on the same pixel using standard ROIC and this opens up possibility of large format dual mode imaging arrays.
Comment on "Stability of a Spinning Satellite with Flexible Antennas"

The stiffness matrix given in Eq. (7) is exactly the same as the one obtained in Ref. 1 using a displacement formulation. The important conclusion from the derivation given in this comment is that by using the flexibility matrix one can include the shear deformation without worrying about the differences between the first derivative of the transverse displacement and the rotation. These differences are distinguished automatically.
Alternative Cleavage of Alzheimer-Associated Presenilins During Apoptosis by a Caspase-3 Family Protease

Most cases of early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) are caused by mutations in the genes encoding the presenilin 1 (PS1) and PS2 proteins, both of which undergo regulated endoproteolytic processing. During apoptosis, PS1 and PS2 were shown to be cleaved at sites distal to their normal cleavage sites by a caspase-3 family protease. In cells expressing PS2 containing the asparagine-141 FAD mutant, the ratio of alternative to normal PS2 cleavage fragments was increased relative to wild-type PS2-expressing cells, suggesting a potential role for apoptosis-associated cleavage of presenilins in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
Firearm-related violence--what we don't know is killing us.

This editorial recommends 1) establish a firearm fatality reporting system in the United States; 2) firearm-related injuries should be monitored by the National Electronic Injury Reporting System; 3) questions about firearm-related injury and disability should be added to the National Healoth Interview Survey; 4) refine the National Crime Victimization Survey to provide a clearer picture of the relative frequency of firearm use in criminal versus self-defense shootings; and 5) establish a national firearm registration system to make every gun sale subject to reporting, just as every automobile sale in the U.S. is reported today.
NOTE ON THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHELL EFFECTS WITH EXCITATION ENERGY AND THE STRUTINKSI SMOOTHING PROCEDURE.

Abstract The energy dependence of the nuclear entropy at high excitation energy is calculated for non equidistant and shell models. The deviation from a linear dependence in the square of the entropy is shown. The relation between the Strutinski and the statistical averaging of the spectrum is discussed.
Personalized dynamic design of networked lighting for energy-efficiency in open-plan offices

Abstract Electric lighting consumes 19% of total electricity production worldwide. Open-plan offices constitute the majority of office stock, in which most office workers perform their daily tasks, and hence the lighting in those offices has significant impact on, not only energy usage, but also occupants’ productivity. This paper presents a unique lighting optimization approach for open-plan offices that is capable of tuning task lighting to each occupant's preference in the most energy-efficient fashion. Exploiting individual controllability of the advanced networked lighting systems, each luminaire can be dynamically actuated at a different level to realize various lighting configurations without any physical rewiring. This research formulates lighting actuation into a linear programming problem and finds the optimal light outputs for each of the luminaires that collaboratively deliver specified lighting to each workstation while using the least amount of energy. Simulations using our lighting optimization approach have shown its versatility in providing proper workstation-specific task lighting under different requirements compared to business-as-usual practices. Energy savings are generated from tuning the light levels to occupants’ needs as well as keeping unoccupied areas unlit or minimally lit with this approach.
Multiple optimal learning factors for feed-forward networks

A batch training algorithm for feed-forward networks is proposed which uses Newton’s method to estimate a vector of optimal learning factors, one for each hidden unit. Backpropagation, using this learning factor vector, is used to modify the hidden unit’s input weights. Linear equations are then solved for the network’s output weights. Elements of the new method’s Gauss-Newton Hessian matrix are shown to be weighted sums of elements from the total network’s Hessian. In several examples, the new method performs better than backpropagation and conjugate gradient, with similar numbers of required multiplies. The method performs as well as or better than Levenberg-Marquardt, with several orders of magnitude fewer multiplies due to the small size of its Hessian.
Institutional commitment to rectal cancer screening results in earlier-stage cancers on diagnosis.

Background: The Veterans Administration hospitals underwent an institutional directive in 1998 to meet a colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) standard. This intervention should result in an increase in the hospital’s screening rate and percentage of early-stage rectal cancers diagnosed. Methods: A retrospective review, from 1991 to 2002, of our institution’s pathology and cancer registry databases for rectal cancers. CRCS data were obtained from the Veterans Administration Prevention Disease Index. Cancer stage at diagnosis was compared before and after the directive and was compared with the National Cancer Data Base and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data. Results: The rate of CRCS was 55% in 1998 and increased to 75% in 2003. During the 11 years studied, a total of 147 rectal cancers were diagnosed. After the Veterans Administration directive, there was a significant increase in stage 0 cancers (P < .02) and an overall migration to earlier-stage cancers. Our Veterans Administration hospital had a significantly greater percentage of stage 0 cancers both before (P < .007) and after the directive (P < .00) and had fewer stage 3 cancers after the directive (P < .03) compared with National Cancer Data Base data. Compared with Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data, the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System had more local disease (P < .03) and less regional disease (P < .006). Conclusions: These data suggest that a monitored institutional directive may significantly increase early detection of rectal cancers. This should result in a greater survival rate and lower local recurrence rate, because survival is predicated on stage at presentation. This may serve as a model for other health-care systems.
Hawthorne's Black Man: Image of Social Evil

It is a commonly accepted interpretation, in the study of Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, that all references to the Devil, Satan, or the Black Man are simply images of a psychological evil, and no...
Discrete Control of TRPV4 Channel Function in the Distal Nephron by Protein Kinases A and C

We have recently documented that the Ca2+-permeable TRPV4 channel, which is abundantly expressed in distal nephron cells, mediates cellular Ca2+ responses to elevated luminal flow. In this study, we combined Fura-2-based [Ca2+]i imaging with immunofluorescence microscopy in isolated split-opened distal nephrons of C57BL/6 mice to probe the molecular determinants of TRPV4 activity and subcellular distribution. We found that activation of the PKC pathway with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate significantly increased [Ca2+]i responses to flow without affecting the subcellular distribution of TRPV4. Inhibition of PKC with bisindolylmaleimide I diminished cellular responses to elevated flow. In contrast, activation of the PKA pathway with forskolin did not affect TRPV4-mediated [Ca2+]i responses to flow but markedly shifted the subcellular distribution of the channel toward the apical membrane. These actions were blocked with the specific PKA inhibitor H-89. Concomitant activation of the PKA and PKC cascades additively enhanced the amplitude of flow-induced [Ca2+]i responses and greatly increased basal [Ca2+]i levels, indicating constitutive TRPV4 activation. This effect was precluded by the selective TRPV4 antagonist HC-067047. Therefore, the functional status of the TRPV4 channel in the distal nephron is regulated by two distinct signaling pathways. Although the PKA-dependent cascade promotes TRPV4 trafficking and translocation to the apical membrane, the PKC-dependent pathway increases the activity of the channel on the plasma membrane. Background: TRPV4 mediates flow-induced [Ca2+]i responses in distal nephron cells. Results: Activation of PKC augments TRPV4-mediated responses to flow. Activation of PKA promotes TRPV4 translocation to the apical membrane. Conclusion: TRPV4 activity and TRPV4 trafficking are under discrete but synergistic control of PKC- and PKA-dependent pathways. Significance: Systemic physiological stimuli may affect TRPV4-mediated mechanosensitivity in the distal nephron via PKA- and PKC-dependent mechanisms.
Cdc48–Ufd2–Rad23: the road less ubiquitinated?

Targeting substrates to the proteasome is generally thought to depend on long polyubiquitin chains that form on the substrate. Recent work has led to the provocative proposal that some substrates may be targeted to the proteasome through smaller chains that contain only four to six ubiquitin molecules.
High-Pressure Transitions in A(III)B(VI) Compounds: Indium Telluride.

Metallic InTe(II) has a NaCl structure with ao = 6.154 A and becomes superconducting below 3.5 ° K. These results are substantially different from those previously reported. The pressure-temperature diagram to 850 ° C and 50 kb is presented.
Patient care services in independent community pharmacies: A descriptive report

J o u r n a l o f t h e A m e r i c a n P h a r m a c i s t s A s s o c i a t i o n w w w. j aph a . org 762 • JAPhA • 47: 6 • N o v/ D e c 2 0 07 6. Suh DC. Consumers’ willingness to pay for pharmacy services that reduce risk of medication-related problems. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2000;40:818–27. 7. Banahan BF 3rd, Sharpe TR, Smith MC. Consumer expectations compared to the reported use of pharmacy services in rural areas. Contemp Pharm Pract. 1980;3:90–4. 8. Assa–Eley M, Kimberlin CL. Using interpersonal perception to characterize pharmacists’ and patients’ perceptions of the benefits of pharmaceutical care. Health Commun. 2005;17:41–56. 9. Horne R, Weinman J, Hankins M. The Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire: the development and evaluation of a new method for assessing the cognitive representation of medication. Psychol Health. 1999:1–24. 10. Youstra KJ, Birdwell SW, Schneider PJ, et al. Patients’ perceptions of pharmaceutical services offered by an ambulatory clinic pharmacy. Hosp Pharm. 1993;28:1207–11. 11. Alba JW, Hutchinson JW. Dimensions of consumer expertise. J Consum Res. 1987;13:411–54. 12. Nau DP, Reid LD, Lipowski EE, et al. Patients’ perceptions of the benefits of pharmaceutical care. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2000;40:36–40. 13. Chewning B, Schommer JC. Increasing client’s knowledge of community pharmacists’ roles. Pharm Res. 1996;13:1299–304. 14. McDonough RP, Doucette WR. Using personal selling skills to promote pharmacy services. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2003;43:363– 72. 15. Christensen DB, Hansen RW. Characteristics of pharmacies and pharmacists associated with the provision of cognitive services in the community setting. J Am Pharm Assoc. 1999;39:640–9. 16. Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. Medicare beneficiary demographics. Accessed at www.medpac.gov/publicat ions%5Ccongressional_reports%5CJun04DataBookSec1.pdf, December 5, 2006. 17. Perneger TV. What’s wrong with Bonferroni adjustments. BMJ. 1998;316:1236–8. Patient care services in independent community pharmacies: a descriptive report
From objects to classes: algorithms for optimal objection-oriented design

Introduces a novel, axiomatically defined, object-oriented data model called the Demeter kernel model; and secondly, presents abstraction and optimisation algorithms and their relationships for designing classes from objects in the kernel model. The authors analyse several computational problems underlying the class design process, which is divided into two phases; a learning phase and an optimisation phase. This study focuses on approximation algorithms for the optimisation phase and aims to lead to a better understanding and a partial automation of the object-oriented design process. The algorithms and the theory presented have been implemented in the C++Demeter System, a CASE tool for object-oriented design and programming. >
Circumferential Variations of Bore Heat Flux and Outside Surface Temperature for a Solar Collector Tube

An analysis is made of th heat transfer processes in a solar collector tube subjected to large circumferential heat flux variations on its outer surface. The analysis is carried out for a collector plate configuration in which the tubes are situated in embossments in the otherwise flat surface of the plate. The solar energy absorbed by the collector plate is conducted to the tubes and gives rise to large heat flux spikes at discrete circumferential locations on the outer surface of a tube. The two-region heat conduction problem encompassing the embossed portion of the collector plate and the tube is solved by a novel procedure which provides closed form solutions of high numerical accuracy. The influence of system dimensions, thermal properties, and tube bore convection is examined by means of five dimensionless parameters, of which the Biot number was found to be the most important. The results showed that for realistic dimensions and thermal properties of the plate and tube, circumferential variations of the outside surface temperature and bore heat flux can be neglected, provided that the tube flow is laminar. For turbulent flow conditions, the variations in bore heat flux are substantially greater than for laminar flow.
California Earthquakes, 1800–2007: A Unified Catalog with Moment Magnitudes, Uncertainties, and Focal Mechanisms

To construct and test certain hypotheses of earthquake occurrence, we've compiled a new catalog covering the whole of California, which lists all known earthquakes at magnitude 4.7 and above and provides focal mechanism information for each earthquake. Accounting for magnitude errors, the catalog should be complete at magnitude 5.0 and above for most of California after 1940 and at specified higher thresholds otherwise. Earthquake magnitudes play an important role in earthquake forecasting and prediction, but their use is complicated by the fact that there are many magnitude types, measured in different ways with different uncertainties. Even a single catalog may include moment magnitude, local magnitude, surface wave magnitude, and so on. Here we adopt moment magnitude as the standard and convert other types into moment magnitude using regression relationships. Catalog data have errors in location, magnitude, and focal mechanism that can influence the results of earthquake studies. Neglecting these errors, or estimating them poorly, could cause valid hypotheses to be rejected or invalid ones to be accepted. The uncertainties decrease with time, except that they increase temporarily after large earthquakes. Therefore we've conducted an extensive uncertainty study. Many studies assume a distinction between mainshocks, aftershocks, and foreshocks, and some catalogs are “declustered” using somewhat arbitrary definitions ( e.g. , Gardner and Knopoff 1974; Reasenberg and Oppenheimer 1985). Here we take a somewhat different approach. Using a stochastic epidemic-type aftershock (ETAS) model (Zhuang et al. 2002, 2004; Zhuang et al. 2005), we assigned to each event a probability that it occurred independently. The independence probability for each earthquake can then be employed by any user to decluster the catalog to fit his or her needs. Our method is still arbitrary, but we feel it is more transparent and flexible than other methods. Kagan, Jackson, and Rong (2006) compiled an …
Left Ventricular Fibromuscular Band Is Not a Specific Substrate for Idiopathic Left Ventricular Tachycardia

Background A fibromuscular band has been detected in patients with idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia, and this band has been suggested to be the anatomic substrate for the arrhythmia. Whether the fibromuscular band is a specific substrate for the tachycardia was systematically evaluated in a large group of consecutive patients with and without idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia. Methods and Results Conventional transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography and multiplane transesophageal echocardiography were performed in 18 patients with idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia that was responsive to calcium blockers (group 1, tachycardia patients) and 40 patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (group 2, control patients). There were 17 men and 1 woman, with a mean age of 29±11 years, in group 1 patients, and 21 men and 19 women, with a mean age of 42±12 years, in group 2 patients. The QRS morphology during tachycardia in group 1 patients displayed a pattern of right bundle-branch...
The migration of liquid droplets in solids

Abstract The migration of liquid H2O droplets in transparent KCl crystals was directly observed under various driving forces including thermal gradients, accelerational fields, and grain boundary and solid-liquid surface tensions. In all cases, it was found that the kinetics of attachment and detachment of atoms at the solid-liquid interface of the droplet is the factor which determines the migration rate and shape change on the liquid droplets. For example, with thermal gradients and accelerational fields, no droplet motion was observed below a critical droplet driving force because of these interface kinetics. The influence of interface kinetics was also demonstrated by examining shape changes of liquid droplets in KCl in two independent experiments. In the first experiment, it was shown that interface kinetics produce a flattening of the droplet perpendicular to its direction of motion. In the second experiment, already extended droplets were allowed to relax to their equilibrium shapes. Interface kinetics were found to retard the relaxation rate and to prevent large droplets from ever attaining an equiaxed shape. Finally, droplets were migrated into grain boundaries in KCl. From the critical thermal gradient or acceleration field required to free the liquid droplets from the grain boundary, the grain boundary energy of KCl was determined.
Al Jazeera: A Challenge to the Traditional Framing Research

This article examines framing research and the challenges posed to this model by al Jazeera. The study argues that traditional framing scholarship might not be applicable to analyzing al Jazeera an...
Self-injury in female versus male psychiatric patients: A comparison of characteristics, psychopathology and aggression regulation

Abstract Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is 1.5–3 times more likely in women than in men. However, there is minimal research on SIB in male populations. Therefore, we carried out a comparative study in 399 psychiatric inpatients (265 females and 134 males) by means of self-reporting questionnaires assessing SIB, psychopathological symptoms, personality disorders and aggression regulation. Compared to female patients with SIB (46.2%), males admitting SIB (31.3%) showed more burning, reported more pain experience, took less care of their wounds and concealed them less often; in males the SIB mainly served social-oriented functions (e.g., getting attention). Female SIB patients displayed more cutting, scored higher on agoraphobic and interpersonal sensitive complaints, and reported more often sexual abusive experiences. In both male and female patients SIB was linked to more clinical symptoms and personality disorders than in patients without SIB. In general, self-injury can be considered a sign of more severe psychopathology.
THE hp FINITE ELEMENT METHOD FOR SINGULARLY PERTURBED PROBLEMS IN SMOOTH DOMAINS

We consider the numerical approximation of singularly perturbed elliptic problems in smooth domains. The solution to such problems can be decomposed into a smooth part and a boundary layer part. We present guidelines for the effective resolution of boundary layers in the context of the hp finite element method and we construct tensor product spaces that approximate these layers uniformly at a near-exponential rate.
Traveling temperature fronts on catalytic ribbons

Abstract Ignition and extinction fronts were observed on a thin platinum ribbon heated by a constant electrical current during ammonia oxidation in air. At a fixed ammonia concentration, propagation velocity of the ignition fronts increased with increasing current, while extinction fronts' speed increased as the current was decreased. A relatively wide range of currents exists in which the velocity of the extinction front is extremely small, but the front velocity vanishes only at one current value.
Studies of Inclusive Semileptonic B Meson Decays with the BABAR Detector

In this report the measurement of the inclusive branching fraction B ( B ¯ → X l − ν ¯ ) and the preliminary measurement of the first moment of the hadron mass Mx in such decays are presented and their implications for the determination of |V cb | are discussed.
Clathrin-Coated Pit-Associated Proteins Are Required for Alveolar Macrophage Phagocytosis

During phagocytosis, phagocytic receptors and membrane material must be inserted in the pseudopod membrane as it extends over the phagocytic target. This may require a clathrin-mediated recycling mechanism similar to that postulated for leading edge formation during cell migration. To investigate this possibility, liposomes were used to deliver to intact rat alveolar macrophages (AMs): 1) Abs to clathrin, clathrin adaptor AP-2, and hsc70, and 2) amantadine. Phagocytosis was assayed by fluorometric and colorimetric techniques. Liposome-delivered Abs to clathrin and AP-2 inhibited AM phagocytosis of zymosan-coated, fluorescent liposomes from 16.3+/-0.3 to 5.8+/-0.3, and 10.1+/-0.9 to 4.8+/-0.2 liposomes/cell (p<0.01). Similarly, liposome-delivered Ab to clathrin also inhibited AM phagocytosis of IgG-opsonized RBCs from 11.7+/-1.7 to 3.8+/-0.7 RBCs/cell (p<0.01). Amantadine, which blocks the budding of clathrin-coated vesicles, inhibited phagocytosis from 13.8+/-0.8 to 5.7+/-0.6 (p<0.01). Ab blockade of hsc70, which catalyzes clathrin turnover, also inhibited phagocytosis from 9.1+/-0.5 to 4.3+/-0.2 (p<0.01). These findings suggest that clathrin-mediated receptor/membrane recycling is required for phagocytosis.
Mental health tribunals in England and Wales: a representative's guide

Consultant psychiatrists are familiar with mental health tribunals, at which they appear as key witnesses giving both factual evidence and expert opinion. They also commonly act as the representative of the ‘responsible authority’. The implications of this in terms of roles and responsibilities, and in terms of training and continuing professional development, have received little attention. Psychiatrists should not accept a representative role unless they are sure that they have the necessary competencies and resources – competencies that are alien to most clinicians and resources that are not available in many services. This article outlines those requirements so that psychiatrists can make better-informed decisions about whether or not to undertake the role and provides practical guidance for those who choose to do so.
A cognitive vulnerability–stress perspective on bipolar spectrum disorders in a normative adolescent brain, cognitive, and emotional development context

Why is adolescence an "age of risk" for onset of bipolar spectrum disorders? We discuss three clinical phenomena of bipolar disorder associated with adolescence (adolescent age of onset, gender differences, and specific symptom presentation) that provide the point of departure for this article. We present the cognitive vulnerability-transactional stress model of unipolar depression, evidence for this model, and its extension to bipolar spectrum disorders. Next, we review evidence that life events, cognitive vulnerability, the cognitive vulnerability-stress combination, and certain developmental experiences (poor parenting and maltreatment) featured in the cognitive vulnerability-stress model play a role in the onset and course of bipolar disorders. We then discuss how an application of the cognitive vulnerability-stress model can explain the adolescent age of onset, gender differences, and adolescent phenomenology of bipolar disorder. Finally, we further elaborate the cognitive vulnerability-stress model by embedding it in the contexts of normative adolescent cognitive (executive functioning) and brain development, normative adolescent development of the stress-emotion system, and genetic vulnerability. We suggest that increased brain maturation and accompanying increases in executive functioning along with augmented neural and behavioral stress-sensitivity during adolescence combine with the cognitive vulnerability-stress model to explain the high-risk period for onset of bipolar disorder, gender differences, and unique features of symptom presentation during adolescence.
RLG and OCLC: Combined for the Future

On July 1, 2006, The Research Libraries Group, Inc. (RLG) and the Online Computer Library System (OCLC) combined their organizations and resources. RLG's products and services were integrated with OCLC's, and RLG's program initiatives went forward within an expanded OCLC Research division. This was a historic moment for libraries and research institutions consonant with the incredible changes in the information environment that had been underway during the previous decade. The expansion of WorldCat that resulted and the renewed attention given to research libraries by OCLC in the merger has positively impacted libraries around the globe.
Evaluation ofbiologically harmful ultraviolet radiation in Antarctica with a biological dosimeter designed for aquatic environments

A biological dosimeter has been developed for use in aquatic environments. This method is based on the sensitivity of a DNA repair-deficient strain of Escherichia coli (CSR06) to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The dosimeter permits evaluation of the penetration of biologically active UV radiation within a water column, reflecting the potential effect of exposure over selected time intervals. With the use of various filters, the biological dosimeter can discriminate between the effects of UV-B (280-320 nm) and UV-A (320-400 nm) or other selected portions of the solar UV spectrum. During springtime ozone depletion over the Antarctic in 1988, a general relationship was observed between stratospheric ozone concentration and the contribution of incident solar UV-B radiation to lethality of dosimeter cells. The use of dosimeters within the water column indicated that significant amounts of UV-B can be transmitted to a depth of 10 m and biological effects of UV could be detected to 20 and 30 m. Biological dosimeters may provide a means of standardizing in-water UV measurements across all types ofaquatic habitats and at any geographical location.
The Role of Sexual Assault on the Risk of PTSD among Gulf War Veterans

PURPOSE: The 1991 Gulf War was the first major military deployment where female troops were integrated into almost every military unit, except for combat ground units. We evaluated the impact of reported sexual trauma during this deployment on the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the war. METHODS: A nested case-control analysis was conducted using the data collected in a population-based health survey of 30,000 Gulf War era veterans. A total of 1381 Gulf War veterans with current PTSD were compared with 10,060 Gulf veteran controls without PTSD for self-reported in-theater experiences of sexual harassment/assault and combat exposure. RESULTS: The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for PTSD associated with a report of sexual assault was 5.41 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.19-9.17) in female veterans and 6.21 (95% CI, 2.26-17.04) in male veterans. The aOR for PTSD associated with "high" combat exposure was also statistically significant (aOR, 4.03 [95% CI, 1.97-8.23] for females; aOR, 4.45 [95% CI, 3.54-5.60] for males). CONCLUSION: Notwithstanding a possibility of recall bias of combat and sexual trauma, for both men and women, sexual trauma as well as combat exposure appear to be strong risk factors for PTSD.
Factors Affecting Length of Stay on Maximum Security in a Forensic Psychiatric Hospital

Forensic hospitals are responsible for both the custody and treatment of patients, including treatment that will minimize the risk of future violence to the community. This study examined factors that affected length of stay (LOS) in Maryland’s only maximum-security forensic hospital for mentally ill patients who were adjudicated not criminally responsible (NCR) for serious violent crimes. The current study focused on the combined effects of demo-graphic, legal, and clinical variables on LOS in NCR patients who had been approved for transfer to a less restrictive environment to determine what, if any, variables should be targeted for services during hospitalization. The results of the study indicated that, in addition to gender, history of employment prior to the offense was the strongest predictor of LOS. Three other variables contributed less significantly to the prediction model. These findings have pro-grammatic implications for forensic psychiatric facilities treating the seriously mentally ill.
Dominant set based ALLIANCES: A new approach to handle bursty traffic and collisions in sensor networks

ALLIANCES is a cooperative random access protocol proposed for taking advantage of diversity and resolving collisions in wireless networks. A multicluster extension of ALLIANCES was also proposed that enables its application to a large-scale wireless sensor network (WSN). In this paper, we propose a dominating set based approach coupled with destination-based routing to solve the problem in a large-scale WSN without the need of a clustering protocol. The approach is based on the concept of dominating set in graph theory. A subset of vertices of a graph is a dominating set if every vertex not in the subset is adjacent to at least one of the vertex in the subset. The nodes will transmit to only one of its dominating neighbors based on the packets destination. A particular (dominating or non-dominating) node can have more than one dominating neighbor, and the transmitted next hop will always be a dominating node based on the destination. We have shown that this approach can achieve a better performance in terms of throughput (successfully transmitted packets per timeslot) and delay. Also, there are evidences that in an ad-hoc network, the dominating set based approach can yield more stability to the network (in terms of lifetime of nodes) than the clustering approach. So, overall, in an ad-hoc network, we expect much better performance by adopting dominating set based approach to ALLIANCES.
Deconvolved electrical impedance spectra track distinct cell morphology changes

A two-component Cole-Cole model was used to obtain statistically significant fits to 100-Hz-10-MHz impedance data for EMT-6 mouse tumors during the progressive histological changes induced by hyperthermia. The resulting fitting parameters were used to deconvolute and reconstruct the two dispersions which confer the predominant impedance features to this tissue. The time-dependent changes of these two dispersions were correlated with the concurrent, heat-induced morphological changes of the tumors' cells. The higher frequency dispersion (f/sub c//spl ap/1 MHz) was identified with a Maxwell-Wagner relaxation process linked to the overall volume response of the cells. The lower frequency dispersion (f/sub c//spl ap/10 kHz) represented an alpha-relaxation associated with the surface morphology and integrity of the plasma membranes. Thus, two aspects of the characteristic cellular damage sequence in these tumors were found to be separately discernable and trackable in real-time using the impedance data.
The time has arrived for national reimbursement of screening CT colonography.

OBJECTIVE. CT colonography (CTC) has been fully validated as an accurate screening test for colorectal carcinoma and is being disseminated globally. There is an abundance of new literature addressing the prior concerns of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Specific areas related to radiation dose, extracolonic findings, and generalizability of CTC to senior patients are discussed. CONCLUSION. The time has arrived for national reimbursement of CTC in the United States.
Achieving energy conservation in Poisson-Boltzmann molecular dynamics: Accuracy and precision with finite-difference algorithms

Violation of energy conservation in Poisson-Boltzmann molecular dynamics, due to the limited accuracy and precision of numerical methods, is a major bottleneck preventing its wide adoption in biomolecular simulations. We explored the ideas of enforcing interface conditions by the immerse interface method and of removing charge singularity to improve the finite-difference methods. Our analysis of these ideas on an analytical test system shows significant improvement in both energies and forces. Our analysis further indicates the need for more accurate force calculation, especially the boundary force calculation.
A low input, low-power dissipation CMOS ADC

This paper presents the design of a low input (0.75 to 1.75V) and low power dissipation pipelined CMOS ADC. The 8 bits ADC consumes 78.3mW power at 2.5V supply voltage. The DNL and INL are 0.6LSB and 0.7LSB respectively, and SFDR is 51.259dB at 195kHz input frequency. The chip area is 1.023 mm /spl times/ 0.795 mm with TSMC0.25/spl mu/m CMOS technology.