cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patterns in Woody Vegetation Structure across African Savannas

Abstract. Vegetation structure in water-limited systems is to a large degree controlled by ecohydrological processes, including mean annual precipitation (MAP) modulated by the characteristics of precipitation and geomorphology that collectively determine how rainfall is distributed vertically into soils or horizontally in the landscape. We anticipate that woody canopy cover, crown density, crown size, and the level of spatial aggregation among woody plants in the landscape will vary across environmental gradients. A high level of woody plant aggregation is most distinct in periodic vegetation patterns (PVPs), which emerge as a result of ecohydrological processes such as runoff generation and increased infiltration close to plants. Similar, albeit weaker, forces may influence the spatial distribution of woody plants elsewhere in savannas. Exploring these trends can extend our knowledge of how semi-arid vegetation structure is constrained by rainfall regime, soil type, topography, and disturbance processes such as fire. Using high-spatial-resolution imagery, a flexible classification framework, and a crown delineation method, we extracted woody vegetation properties from 876 sites spread over African savannas. At each site, we estimated woody cover, mean crown size, crown density, and the degree of aggregation among woody plants. This enabled us to elucidate the effects of rainfall regimes (MAP and seasonality), soil texture, slope, and fire frequency on woody vegetation properties. We found that previously documented increases in woody cover with rainfall is more consistently a result of increasing crown size than increasing density of woody plants. Along a gradient of mean annual precipitation from the driest (
Smartphone-Based Gaze Gesture Communication for People with Motor Disabilities

Current eye-tracking input systems for people with ALS or other motor impairments are expensive, not robust under sunlight, and require frequent re-calibration and substantial, relatively immobile setups. Eye-gaze transfer (e-tran) boards, a low-tech alternative, are challenging to master and offer slow communication rates. To mitigate the drawbacks of these two status quo approaches, we created GazeSpeak, an eye gesture communication system that runs on a smartphone, and is designed to be low-cost, robust, portable, and easy-to-learn, with a higher communication bandwidth than an e-tran board. GazeSpeak can interpret eye gestures in real time, decode these gestures into predicted utterances, and facilitate communication, with different user interfaces for speakers and interpreters. Our evaluations demonstrate that GazeSpeak is robust, has good user satisfaction, and provides a speed improvement with respect to an e-tran board; we also identify avenues for further improvement to low-cost, low-effort gaze-based communication technologies.
Measurement of oxygen tension within mesenchymal stem cell spheroids

Spheroids formed of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibit increased cell survival and trophic factor secretion compared with dissociated MSCs, making them therapeutically advantageous for cell therapy. Presently, there is no consensus for the mechanism of action. Many hypothesize that spheroid formation potentiates cell function by generating a hypoxic core within spheroids of sufficiently large diameters. The purpose of this study was to experimentally determine whether a hypoxic core is generated in MSC spheroids by measuring oxygen tension in aggregates of increasing diameter and correlating oxygen tension values with cell function. MSC spheroids were formed with 15 000, 30 000 or 60 000 cells per spheroid, resulting in radii of 176 ± 8 µm, 251 ± 12 µm and 353 ± 18 µm, respectively. Oxygen tension values coupled with mathematical modelling revealed a gradient that varied less than 10% from the outer diameter within the largest spheroids. Despite the modest radial variance in oxygen tension, cellular metabolism from spheroids significantly decreased as the number of cells and resultant spheroid size increased. This may be due to adaptive reductions in matrix deposition and packing density with increases in spheroid diameter, enabling spheroids to avoid the formation of a hypoxic core. Overall, these data provide evidence that the enhanced function of MSC spheroids is not oxygen mediated.
Denuncias poéticas: la lamentación de Fray Calixto de San José Túpac Inca y su discurso bajtiniano con doble voz

El presente articulo explora la “Representacion Verdadera”, una carta de 1748 que se atribuye a Fray Calixto de San Jose Tupac Inca, un fraile mestizo de las sierras peruanas. La carta, que se dirige al Rey Fernando VI de Espana, protesta sobre el tratamiento inhumano que padecen los indios andinos y su exclusion sistematica al no ser considerados como miembros en completa hermandad dentro de los ordenes religiosos. Los indios podian solamente ser donados en las ordenes y trabajar como sirvientes, sin la posibilidad de ser elevados. Este mismo tipo de tratamiento se extendia en todos los aspectos de la sociedad colonial. En su carta, Fray Calixto utiliza el poema encontrado en el libro Lamentaciones, capitulo V, como el marco en que numera las quejas de los indios, conectando sus aflicciones con las del antiguo pueblo de Israel. El franciscano crea un tipo de discurso bajtiniano con doble voz que habilmente combina varias voces para crear paralelos entre diferentes situaciones historicas y sociales.
Automated connectivity-based cortical mapping using registration-constrained classification

An important goal in neuroscience has been to map the surface of the human brain, and many researchers have developed sophisticated methods to parcellate the cortex. However, many of these methods stop short of developing a framework to apply existing cortical maps to new subjects in a consistent fashion. The computationally complex step is often the initial mapping of a large set of brains, and it is inefficient to repeat these processes for every new data sample. In this analysis, we propose the use of a library of training brains to build a statistical model of the parcellated cortical surface and to act as templates for mapping new data. We train classifiers on training data sampled from local neighborhoods on the cortical surface, using features derived from training brain connectivity information, and apply these classifiers to map the surfaces of previously unseen brains. We demonstrate the performance of 3 different classifiers, each trained on 3 different types of training features, to accurately predict the map of new brain surfaces.
Performance Comparison of Fall-Calving Cow-Calf Pairs Grazing Cover Crops vs. Traditional Drylot System

Utilization of cover crops as a forage source for the cowherd provides another feed resource at a time when pasture productivity is minimal. However, limited data are available on cover crop utilization by cattle, including cow and calf performance when grazing cover crops. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate cow and calf performance while grazing cover crops compared to a traditional, drylot management system of the Beef Teaching fall-calving herd.
Project Zanzibar Demonstration: A Portable and Flexible Tangible Interaction Platform

We demonstrate Project Zanzibar, a flexible mat that locates, uniquely identifies, and communicates with tangible objects placed on its surface, as well as senses a user's touch and hover gestures. Zanzibar integrates efficient and localised Near Field Communication (NFC) over a large surface area; object tracking combining NFC signal strength and capacitive footprint detection. In a series of applications, we showcase Zanzibar's capabilities of interacting with tangibles of varying complexity and interactive capabilities, sensing orientation on the mat, harvesting power, providing additional input and output, stack, or extend sensing outside the bounds of the mat.
Time course of compensatory physiological responses to central hypovolemia in high- and low-tolerant human subjects

Lower body negative pressure (LBNP) simulates hemorrhage in human subjects. Most subjects (67%) exhibited high tolerance (HT) to hypovolemia, while the remainder (33%) had low tolerance (LT). To in...
METALLURGICAL REACTIONS OF FLUORIDES

Graphs representing the standard free-energy of formation as a function of temperature for 21 fluorides are presented, along with estimated values for the standard free-energy of formation of 20 additional fluorides. A few of the many possible uses of these data in metallurgical calculations are discussed, including the fluorination of oxides, sulphides, and chlorides, and the reduction of metal fluorides.
Indexing Uncertain Data for Supporting Range Queries

Probabilistic range query is a typical and a fundamental problem in probabilistic DBMS. Although the existing solutions provide a good performance, there are some shortages that are needed to be overcomed. In this paper, we firstly propose a novel structure called MRST to approximately capture the probability density function of uncertain object. Through considering the gradient of the probability density function, MRST could provide uncertain object with strong pruning power and consume fewer space cost. Based on characters of MRST, we also design an efficient algorithm to access MRST. We propose a novel index named R-MRST to efficiently support range query on multidimensional uncertain data. Its has a strong pruning power. At the same time, it has a lower cost both in space and dynamic update. Theoretical analysis and extensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.
Und was fehlt eigentlich? Eine Anmerkung zum europäischen politischen Erfahrungsraum

Ich beginne mit zwei heuristischen Beobachtungen. Die erste Beobachtung formuliert einen Gemeinplatz. Deswegen fasse ich mich kurz. Die zweite Beobachtung bedurfte einer naheren Begrundung. Ich muss sie hier schuldig bleiben.
Pericardial delayed hyperenhancement with CMR imaging in patients with constrictive pericarditis undergoing surgical pericardiectomy: a case series with histopathological correlation.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and histopathologic correlates of pericardial delayed hyperenhancement (DHE) seen with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) among patients with constrictive pericarditis (CP) undergoing pericardiectomy. Background Constrictive pericarditis patients studied by CMR will occasionally demonstrate pericardial DHE following gadolinium contrast administration. Methods We identified 25 CP patients who underwent pericardiectomy following CMR-gadolinium study. We also assessed 10 control subjects with no evidence of pericardial disease referred for cardiac viability imaging. A novel 14-segment pericardial model was used to determine pericardial DHE score and thickness score. Histopathology of pericardial specimens was reviewed and evaluated semiquantitatively on a 4-point scale for the extent of calcification, fibrosis, inflammation, and neovascularization. Results DHE was present in 12 (48%) CP patients (DHE+ group), and absent in 13 CP patients (DHE– group) and all control patients. The DHE+ group had greater fibroblastic proliferation and neovascularization, as well as more prominent chronic inflammation and granulation tissue. Fibroblastic proliferation and chronic inflammation correlated with DHE presence quantitated by DHE score (Spearman r = 0.578, p Conclusions The presence of pericardial DHE on CMR is common in patients with CP, and its presence is associated with histological features of organizing pericarditis, which may be a target for future focused pharmacological interventions. Patients with CP without pericardial DHE had more pericardial fibrosis and calcification, as well as lesser degrees of pericardial thickening.
C3 and Combat Simulation—A Survey

This article looks at the overlap between C3 and combat simulation, from the point of view of the developer of combat simulations and models. In this context, there are two different questions. The first is: How and to what extent should specific models of the C3 processes be incorporated in simulations of combat? Here the key point is the assessment of impact. In which types or levels of combat does C3 play a role sufficiently intricate and closely coupled with combat performance that it would significantly affect combat results? Conversely, when is C3 a known factor or modifier which can be simply accommodated without a specific detailed model being made for it?
Stress intensity factors for a mixed mode center crack in an anisotropic strip

An approach based on the continuous dislocation technique is formulated and used to obtain the Mode I and II stress intensity factors in a fully anisotropic infinite strip with a central crack. First, the elastic solution of a single dislocation in an anisotropic infinite strip is obtained from that of a dislocation in an anisotropic half plane, by applying an array of dislocations along the boundary of the infinite strip, which is supposed to be traction-free. The dislocation densities of the dislocation array are determined in such a way that the traction forces generated by the dislocation array cancel the residual tractions along the boundary due to the single dislocation in the half plane. The stress field of a single dislocation in the infinite strip is thus a superposition of that of the single dislocation and the dislocation array in the half plane. Subsequently, the elastic solution is applied to calculate the stress intensity factors for a center crack in an anisotropic strip. Crack length and material anisotropy effects are discussed in detail.
Polymer composites for potential multi-function devices

Polymeric conjugated materials and composites are very promising for developing future soft material semiconductor and conductor based devices due to their inherent advantages such as lightweight, flexible shape, low-cost, ease of processability, ease of scalability, biocompatibility, etc. Like inorganic semiconductors, the addition of certain minority molecules or dopants can significantly alter the electronic structures and properties of the host conjugated polymers or composites allowing tunablilty for a variety potential applications including, but may not limited to, electronic devices (e.g., field effect transistors and related sensors), optoelectronic devices (e.g., photo sensors, solar cells), thermoelectric devices (e.g., temperature sensors, thermoelectric generators), etc. In this work, P3HT and P3HT:PCBM doped with various iodine doping levels were systematically evaluated on morphology, electronic property, and potential multi-function or sensor applications. This study finds that an optimal ratio of iodine doping resulting in a smallest inter-layer gap of the P3HT edge-on main chain packing style. This result may account for an optimal electronic/optoelectronic performance of an iodine doped P3HT/PCBM photoelectric device. Most importantly, the iodine/P3HT/PCBM ternary composite materials exhibit photoelectric and thermoelectric dual conversions simultaneously, and that one input can modulate the other conversion or function. The results and findings of this study could be very useful to understand and to guide the design and development of future generation high efficiency molecular or polymer based multifunction sensory or modulation devices.
Rectothecal fistula complicating anterior sacral meningocele repair.

Abstract We present a case of an iatrogenic rectothecal fistula in a 34-year-old man who underwent repair of a congenital anterior sacral meningocele, intraoperatively complicated by rectal perforation. Postoperatively, the patient developed symptoms of meningitis prompting concern for the cerebrospinal fluid leak. Subsequent workup with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a postoperative pseudomeningocele and fistulization with an abdominal fluid collection. CT myelography confirmed the fistulous connection was between the pseudomeningocele and the rectum. Clinical suspicion of a rectothecal communication should be elevated for patients who undergo anterior sacral meningocele repair and postoperatively develop symptoms concerning for meningitis. We suggest that CT myelography be considered in the evaluation of viscero-thecal fistulas if clinical or other initial radiologic evaluation suggests the possibility of this diagnosis.
Compass Mapping, Double Potentials, Activation Patterns Can Identify and Track Rotational Activity Sites in the Left Atrium of Humans with Persistent Atrial Fibrillation.

Background Rotational circuits that occur between bipolar electrodes exhibit double potentials (DPs). It had been previously surmised that rotors could not be electrically tracked directly. Purpose Our purpose was twofold; first, to show that the use of compass mapping, one can regionally identify rotational activity; and second, to show that by combining simultaneous compass map recordings, standard narrow-adjacent bipolar, and unipolar recordings, that specific signature recording patterns emerge that allow one to identify the accurate time, location, and path of a rotational mechanism. Methods This was an observational study in 20 patients with persistent atrial fibrillation in which the electrode configuration of a circular mapping catheter was changed to wide cross-circle electrode pairing (compass mapping). DPs were recorded and analyzed from 12 left atrial (LA) sites and identified electrical wavefront patterns and direction. A substudy analyzed transitions patterns with simultaneous narrow-adjacent bipolar and unipolar recordings. Results Four wavefront patterns were identified: DPs, peripheral waves (PWs), distal peripheral waves and fibrillatory activity. DP wavefront patterns exhibited significantly shorter cycle lengths than PWs in 8 of 12 LA sites. Patients had 2.9± 2.1 regions that exhibited DPs. DPs of varying duration were found, few (25%) were of stable duration and location. Detailed electrical examination at the transition between a PW to a DP identified a highly consistent pattern of simultaneous reversal of activation sequence, a special form of Doppler effect for spiral waves as a rotor passes between 2 electrodes, and a ½ cycle drop-off of activation signals along the line of electrodes. Conclusion DP recordings in compass mode can provide a regional assessment for the existence of rotational activity. Simultaneous DP recordings in compass mode, narrow-adjacent bipolar, and unipolar recording provide an accurate assessment of the time, location, and path that a rotational mechanism breaches a perimeter of electrodes. Accurate time, location and path of perimeter breaches can be used to electrically track rotational mechanisms during atrial fibrillation.
Can assemblage think difference? A feminist critique of assemblage geographies:

Assemblage thinking has been increasingly engaged by geographers to theoretically and empirically challenge philosophical categories and spatial imaginaries that have long been dominant in the fiel...
Health Insurance Coverage Disruptions and Access to Care and Affordability among Cancer Survivors in the United States.

Background: Lack of health insurance is associated with having problems with access to high-quality care. We estimated prevalence and evaluated associations of insurance coverage disruptions and access to health care and affordability among cancer survivors in the United States. Methods: Adult cancer survivors ages 18 to 64 years with current private or public health insurance were identified from the 2011 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey (n = 7,186). Health insurance coverage disruption was measured as self-reports of any time in the prior year without coverage. Outcomes included preventive services use, problems with care affordability, and cost-related medication nonadherence in the prior year. We used separate multivariable logistic models to evaluate associations between coverage disruptions and study outcomes by current insurance coverage. Results: Among currently insured survivors, 3.7% [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 3.0%–4.4%] with private, and 7.8% (95% CI, 6.5%–9.4%) with public insurance reported coverage disruptions in 2011 to 2018. We estimated that approximately 260,000 survivors ages 18 to 64 years had coverage disruptions in 2018. Among privately and publicly insured survivors, those with coverage disruptions were less likely to report all preventive services use (16.9% vs. 36.2%; 14.6% vs. 25.3%, respectively) and more likely to report any problems with care affordability (55.0% vs. 17.7%; 71.1% vs. 38.4%, respectively) and any cost-related medication nonadherence (39.4% vs. 10.1%; 36.5% vs. 16.3%, respectively) compared with those continuously insured (all P Conclusions: Coverage disruptions in the prior year were associated with problems with health care access and affordability among currently insured survivors. Impact: Reducing coverage disruptions may help improve access and affordability for survivors.
Imbalanced Time Series Classification for Flight Data Analyzing with Nonlinear Granger Causality Learning

Identifying the faulty class of multivariate time series is crucial for today's flight data analysis. However, most of the existing time series classification methods suffer from imbalanced data and lack of model interpretability, especially on flight data of which faulty events are usually uncommon with a limited amount of data. Here, we present a neural network classification model for imbalanced multivariate time series by leveraging the information learned from normal class, which can also learn the nonlinear Granger causality for each class, so that we can pinpoint how time series classes differ from each other. Experiments on simulated data and real flight data shows that this model can achieve high accuracy of identifying anomalous flights.
Educational choices and educational contraints : evidence from Bolivia

Recent efforts at poverty alleviation emphasize increasing government spending on education. However, even if spending were perfectly targeted, it is not evident that spending by itself will lead to higher educational attainment. Bolivian household data is used in this paper to ascertain the probability of an individual quitting school due to financial or other reasons. Simulations show that government cash transfers can help to improve educational attainment somewhat. However, nonmonetary limitations must also be addressed if educational attainment is to improve significantly, in particular, for indigenous women who have the lowest levels of education in the country.
Dear Solomon, dear Prudence: Using student written advice responses to demonstrate and teach theory application

People often seek advice and social support. One approach for seeking advice is by submitting one’s problems/concerns to an advice columnist. More contemporary forms of advice seeking are seen on d...
Management of Cardiac Paragangliomas

Primary cardiac tumors are uncommon with 75% being benign and 25 % malignant. Most benign tumors are relatively easy to manage surgically. There are however, benign tumors that can present management and technical challenges for surgical care. Paraganglioma is one of these tumors. These tumors may present as cathecholamine producing tumors requiring pre-operative preparation for safe resection and tend to be large and in difficult anatomic locations to remove. This manuscript details our approach to these tumors.
Moore’s Paradox as an Argument Against Anti-realism

Moorean validities are any in-general invalid inferences such as: “P; therefore I believe that P”. While these are prima facie invalid, they have no counterexamples, since any assertion of the truth of the premise pragmatically forces the conclusion to be true. I first show that Dummettian anti-realists have a seemingly impossible time explaining why Moorean validities are not valid. Then I argue that the anti-realist could restrict applications of Moorean validities to inferential situations outside of the scope of things assumed hypothetically for further discharge. In conclusion, I show how Brogaard and Salerno’s argument against Neil Tennant runs afoul of this restriction and also suggest that famous arguments by Berkeley and Davidson do as well.
Estimation Enhancement by Trajectory Modulation for Homing Missiles

For bearing-only measurements used in the guidance of homing missiles, guidance laws based upon the separation of estimation and guidance do not seem to be adequate. To enhance observability, the trajectory of a bank-to-turn missile is modulated by minimizing the trace of the Fisher information matrix. The calculations for constructing this performance index are greatly reduced by noting that the required transition matrix can be obtained in closed form because, in a relative rectangular coordinate system, the missile-target engagement dynamics are linear. To show significant improvement in estimation performance, the extended Kalman estimator is tested along both the enhanced observability trajectory and a proportional navigation trajectory. A Monte Carlo analysis is performed showing that, even for large initial estimation errors in range, range-rate and target acceleration, convergence for the enhanced observability trajectory occurred within the homing period, whereas no convergence occurred for the proportional navigation path.
Reconstitution of phosphorylating electron transport in mitochondria from a cytochrome c-deficient yeast mutant.

Abstract Electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria isolated from a cytochrome c-deficient mutant of the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, may be efficiently reconstituted by addition of purified yeast or horse heart cytochrome c. Added cytochrome c is tightly bound and is retained during reisolation of mitochondria. Reconstituted mutant mitochondria carry out oxidative phosphorylation with substrates linked to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, flavoprotein, and cytochrome c as efficiently as mitochondria isolated from wild type yeast under the same conditions. Titration of mutant mitochondria with yeast cytochrome c leads to progressive increases in P:O ratios as well as to increases in rates of phosphate and oxygen uptake. The end points of such titrations indicate that reconstitution is stoichiometric at a ratio of 0.2 mµmole of cytochrome c per mg of mitochondrial protein, approximately the amount of cytochrome c in normal wild type mitochondria. Respiration in mutant mitochondria can be restored equally well by two types of yeast cytochrome c (iso-1- and iso-2-cytochrome c) and by horse heart cytochrome c. The two types of yeast cytochrome c are virtually equivalent in restoring phosphorylation coupled to succinate oxidation, whereas the horse heart enzyme is less effective. Mutant mitochondria reconstituted with iso-1-cytochrome c catalyze phosphorylating oxidation of succinate, α-ketoglutarate, glutathione plus tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine, pyruvate plus malate, and d-lactate plus malate with efficiency comparable to that of normal yeast mitochondria. Ethanol oxidation was partially restored. Oxidative phosphorylation with l-lactate, even in the presence of added malate to provide citric acid cycle intermediates, was poorly restored by either of the isocytochromes c.
Nuclear magnetic resonance of sodium methylphosphonate in a lyotropic liquid crystal

A method has been developed and applied to sodium methylphosphonate for determining the values of J HX from the temperature dependence of the anisotropic motion of the solute. The method reduces the uncertainty of D HX due to solvent effects on J HX. As in methyl fluoride discrepancies are observed between structural parameters calculated from different sets of observed dipolar couplings. Unlike the case of methyl fluoride, correction of the dipolar couplings for vibrations improves consistency of these values. Large correction terms found in the present molecule result from contributions of low frequency vibrations whose excited states are appreciably populated at room temperature. The structural parameters and anisotropic motion determined in a lyotropic mesophase are discussed.
An Evaluation of Selenium Concentrations in Water, Sediment, Invertebrates, and Fish from the Republican River Basin: 1997–1999

The Republican River Basin of Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas lies in a valley which contains Pierre Shale as part of its geological substrata. Selenium is an indigenous constituent in the shale and is readily leached into surrounding groundwater. The Basin is heavily irrigated through the pumping of groundwater, some of which is selenium-contaminated, onto fields in agricultural production. Water, sediment, benthic invertebrates, and/or fish were collected from 46 sites in the Basin and were analyzed for selenium to determine the potential for food-chain bioaccumulation, dietary toxicity, and reproductive effects of selenium in biota. Resulting selenium concentrations were compared to published guidelines or biological effects thresholds. Water from 38% of the sites (n = 18) contained selenium concentrations exceeding 5 microg L(-1), which is reported to be a high hazard for selenium accumulation into the planktonic food chain. An additional 12 sites (26% of the sites) contained selenium in water between 3-5 microg L(-1), constituting a moderate hazard. Selenium concentrations in sediment indicated little to no hazard for selenium accumulation from sediments into the benthic food chain. Ninety-five percent of benthic invertebrates collected exhibited selenium concentrations exceeding 3 microg g(-1), a level reported as potentially lethal to fish and birds that consume them. Seventy-five percent of fish collected in 1997, 90% in 1998, and 64% in 1999 exceeded 4 microg g(-1) selenium, indicating a high potential for toxicity and reproductive effects. However, examination of weight profiles of various species of collected individual fish suggested successful recruitment in spite of selenium concentrations that exceeded published biological effects thresholds for health and reproductive success. This finding suggested that universal application of published guidelines for selenium may be inappropriate or at least may need refinement for systems similar to the Republican River Basin. Additional research is needed to determine the true impact of selenium on fish and wildlife resources in the Basin.
The Case for Spiral CT

Advances in imaging have produced a plethora of noninvasive and invasive tests dealing with imaging of the bile ducts and the pancreas. These tests range from plain abdominal films to laparoscopy or endoscopy- guided ultrasound, from intravenous cholangiography to magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and virtual endoluminal CT cholangiopancreatoscopy (Table 22.1.) Some provide very specific information only, while others are more global. For example, biliary scintigraphy is a very accurate test for acute cholecystitis, but in contrast to ultrasound it does not provide images of the liver or other abdominal organs. Although most tests provide anatomic information, functional data can be provided as well. Oral cholecystography, for instance, indirectly reflects the integrity of the enterohepatic circulation of the bile, while cholecystokinin (CCK) biliary scintigraphy may give some information about sphincter of Oddi dyskinesia.
Accuracy of 3D dual echo steady state (DESS) MR arthrography to quantify acetabular cartilage thickness

Purpose To deploy and quantify the accuracy of 3D dual echo steady state (DESS) MR arthrography with hip traction to image acetabular cartilage. Clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences used to image hip cartilage often have reduced out-of-plane resolution and may lack adequate signal-to-noise to image cartilage. Materials and Methods Saline was injected into four cadaver hips placed under traction. 3D DESS MRI scans were obtained before and after cores of cartilage were harvested from the acetabulum; the two MRIs were spatially aligned to reference core positions. The thickness of cartilage cores was measured under microscopy to serve as the reference standard. 3D reconstructions of cartilage and subchondral bone were generated using automatic and semiautomatic image segmentation. Cartilage thickness estimated from the 3D reconstructions was compared to physical measurements using Bland–Altman plots. Results As revealed by the automatic segmentation mask, saline imbibed the joint space throughout the articulating surface, with the exception of the posteroinferior region in two hips. Locations where air bubbles were introduced and regions of suspected low density bone disrupted an otherwise smooth automatic segmentation mask. Automatic and semiautomatic segmentation yielded a bias ± repeatability coefficient (95% limits of agreement) of 0.10 ± 0.51 mm (−0.41 to 0.61 mm) and 0.06 ± 0.43 mm (−0.37 to 0.49 mm), respectively. Conclusion Cartilage thickness can be estimated to within ∼0.5 mm of the physical value with 95% confidence using 3D reconstructions of 3D DESS MR arthrography images. Manual correction of the automatic segmentation mask may improve reconstruction accuracy. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2015;42:1329–1338.
Commercial and Colonial Policies

When Hitler based so much of his campaign of 1936–1937 for the return of the colonies upon the Fatherland's economic need of them, he was reverting to the pattern of Germany's colonial history. It mattered not that the economic value of these colonies had been proven negligible or, at least, problematical so far as any advantage in trade and raw materials accruing to the empire was concerned. He and the Nazi leaders continued to stress the economic motive of expansion and aggression; to emphasize the close connection between commercial and colonial policies which had always characterized German imperialism.
Modeling dioxygenase enzyme kinetics in familial paraganglioma

Hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) play vital roles in cellular maintenance of oxygen homeostasis. These transcription factors are responsible for the expression of genes involved in angiogenesis, metabolism, and cell proliferation. Here, we generate a detailed mathematical model for the enzyme kinetics of α-ketoglutarate-dependent HIF prolyl 4-hydroxylase domain (PHD) dioxygenases to simulate our in vitro data showing synergistic PHD inhibition by succinate and hypoxia in experimental models of succinate dehydrogenase loss, which phenocopy familial paraganglioma. Our mathematical model confirms the inhibitory synergy of succinate and hypoxia under physiologically-relevant conditions. In agreement with our experimental data, the model predicts that HIF1α is not stabilized under atmospheric oxygen concentrations, as observed. Further, the model confirms that addition of α-ketoglutarate can reverse PHD inhibition by succinate and hypoxia in SDH-deficient cells.
HYDC Vacuum Circuit Breakers

The effectiveness of the commutation principle, using vacuum interrupters as a means for interrupting high direct current at high voltage, has been demonstrated convincingly by a large number of tests. Currents in excess of 15 kA at 20 kV have been interrupted by a single device in an inductive circuit. Tests are reported in which higher current were cleared by paralleling interrupters. Interrupters have been tested in series, indicating that the principle can be extended to high voltages. A high speed mechanism is described which was designed specifically for circuit breakers of this type. The necessary technology for producing HVDC circuit breakers appears to be at hand.
Corrosion of heat-exchange tubes in a simulated coal-fired MHD system

An experimental unit was built to burn 125 lb of coal an hour at 4000 deg F in a cyclone burner with oxygen-enriched air preheated to 1500/sup 0/F to ascertain the fireside corrosion problems that might be encountered in the coal-fired MHD generation of power. Potassium carbonate was added to the coal at seed concentrations that would be expected in an MHD combustor. Tubes having a metal composition used in conventional steam generators, and also having a range of alloy compositions that might have potential use in an MHD system, were maintained at surface temperatures of 800-1500/sup 0/F and exposed to products of combustion of 1800-2500/sup 0/F. The seeded flue gas was generally more corrosive than the unseeded. In tests up to 100-hr duration. Haynes 25 was slightly attacked at a wall temperature of 1500/sup 0/F in combustion gas at 2500/sup 0/F; the stainless steels 310, 316, and 446 were resistant at a metal temperature of 1100/sup 0/F in gas at 2100/sup 0/F; carbon steel was attacked at 800/sup 0/F wall temperature and 1800/sup 0/F flue gas.
Soluble cobalt(II) complex as catalysts for direct coal liquefaction

Abstract Bis(dihydrobis(pyrazolyl)borate)cobalt(II) was used as a catalyst for the hydroliquefaction of Illinois No. 6 (River King) coal. Results indicate that this oil-soluble catalysts is more active than cobalt(II) sulphate.
Introduction: The Evolving Field of Education Politics and Policy, as Framed by the Scholarly Career of William Lowe Boyd, 1957 to 2008

This issue of the Peabody Journal of Education (PJE) is rather unique. It includes a number of scholarly articles on some ongoing issues in educational policy and school administration. However, th...
An Analysis of the Importance of S&P 500 Discretionary Constituent Changes.

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the SP we found that these estimate betas are significantly different from the betas obtained from the constantly updated S&P 500 portfolio. We also found that such portfolios are less representative of the business cycle than the actual S&P 500 portfolio. Finally, we found that the portfolio returns obtained by retaining all discretionally deleted firms deviate significantly from the returns of the actual S&P 500 index over the studied period, October 1989 to December 2007.
Blends of bisphenol A polycarbonate and rubber‐toughened styrene–maleic anhydride copolymers

The morphology and mechanical properties of polycarbonate (PC) blends with rubber-toughened styrene–maleic anhydride copolymer materials (TSMA) were investigated and compared with the properties of blends of PC with acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) materials. The PC/TSMA blends showed similar composition dependence of properties as the comparable PC/ABS blends. Polycarbonate blends with TSMA exhibited higher notched Izod impact toughness than pure PC under sharp-notched conditions but the improvements are somewhat less than observed for similar blends with ABS. Since PC is known for its impact toughness except under sharp-notched conditions, this represents a significant advantage of the rubber-modified blends. PC blends with styrene–maleic anhydride copolymer (SMA) were compared to those with a styrene–acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN). The trends in blend morphology and mechanical properties were found to be qualitatively similar for the two types of copolymers. PC/SMA blends are nearly transparent or slightly pearlescent. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 1508–1515, 1999
Molecular recognition properties of the C-terminal Sh3 domain of the Cbl associated protein, Cap.

: A phage-displayed combinatorial peptide library was used to define the specificity of one of the three Src homology 3 (SH3) domains in a novel cytoskeletal protein, named CAP, for Cbl Associated Protein. The C-terminal SH3 domain was used to affinity select peptides with the consensus, PXPPXRXSSL, from a library of X6PXXPX6 peptides. Peptide sequences resembling this consensus were identified in two signal transduction proteins, c-Cbl and son-on-sevenless (Sos), previously shown to interact with the C-terminal SH3 domain of CAP. Genetic fusion of 16 and 14 amino acid segments of c-Cbl and Sos, respectively, to bacterial alkaline phosphatase confirmed that these segments were potential ligand sites for the C-terminal SH3 domain of CAP. Alanine-scanning mutagenesis of the c-Cbl peptide ligand confirmed that most of the residues, which were conserved among the peptide ligands selected from the combinatorial peptide library, contributed to binding to the C-terminal SH3 domain of CAP.
An economic evaluation of lovastatin for cholesterol lowering and coronary artery disease reduction.

The costs and benefits of cholesterol lowering in the primary prevention of coronary artery disease (CAD) were considered using lifetime lovastatin therapy as the intervention model for adults between 35 and 55 years of age. The analysis projected the benefits of CAD risk reduction using estimates from the Framingham Heart Study. The chosen analytic perspective was that of the patient. For average-risk men with total serum cholesterol levels between 5.69 and 9.83 mmol/liter (220 and 380 mg/dl), the cost per life-year saved ranged from $9,000 to $106,000, whereas for average-risk women, the cost ranged from $35,000 to $297,000 (1989 U.S. dollars). In high-risk men (with smoking habit and hypertension), the cost per life-year saved values ranged from 6,000 to $53,000, whereas in high-risk women the cost per life-year saved values ranged from $19,000 to $160,000. The results were more favorable than those found in previous studies of alternate medication therapies for hypercholesterolemia. Even using conservative parameter assumptions, at least 800,000 Americans aged 35 to 55 years are at sufficiently high risk for CAD, so that the net cost of lovastatin therapy can be favorably compared with other widely used medical interventions.
Performance tools for today's HPC: are we addressing the right issues?

Abstract High-performance computing (HPC) application developers can no longer afford the luxury of programming to just one platform. The usefulness and longevity of software now depend on portability as well as performance. This paper examines the appropriateness of existing tools in developing and tuning applications that must be both efficient and portable. A series of design tradeoffs have been made, with the result that today's tools are slanted toward one goal or the other but do not respond adequately to both. These tradeoffs are explored through a series of examples drawn from current tools. Suggestions are presented for how tools might better support the evolving needs of HPC programmers.
Illness-specific and general perceptions of social relationships in adjustment to Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Role of Interpersonal Expectations

Background: Adjustment to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be made more difficult when patients are unable to meet the expectations of family and friends about how well they are coping. Purpose: This study investigated the influence of illness-specific interpersonal expectations and general indices of social interactions on depressive symptoms among 39 women with RA (M age = 46.9 years; M disease duration = 11.2 years).Methods: Female patients with RA and their spouses were recruited from an outpatient rheumatology clinic at an urban university hospital. Participants completed questionnaires at home and returned them to the research staff in prepaid, stamped envelopes.Results: Results showed a significant correlation between spousal expectations and patients’ perceived inability to meet them. Further, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that even when controlling for disease severity and traditional measures of social interactions (e.g., social support, perceived criticism, and general quality of the dyadic relationship), patient’s perceived inability to meet spousal expectations contributed unique variance in depressive symptoms.Conclusions: These results suggest that adjustment to RA is not due entirely to the general features of social relationships, but additionally reflect specific aspects of the chronic illness milieu where spousal expectations and the patient’s perceived inability to meet them are also related to adjustment.
Myeloid dendritic cells of patients with chronic HCV infection induce proliferation of regulatory T lymphocytes.

Background & Aims Dendritic cells (DCs) initiate and sustain an efficient T-lymphocyte response. Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with inefficient T-cell functions that fail to eradicate the virus, so defects in DC function might be involved in HCV pathogenesis. This study analyzed the activities of myeloid DCs and distinct CD4 + T-cell populations in samples collected from patients with HCV. Methods The abilities of primary BDCA1 + or monocyte-derived DCs from HCV patients (HCV-DC) to stimulate CD4 + , CD4 + CD25 − , or different ratios of CD4 + CD25 + /CD4 + CD25 − T cells were evaluated in mixed lymphocyte reactions. T-cell proliferation and phenotype were evaluated by flow cytometry; cytokine production was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and marker expression by polymerase chain reaction analyses. Results HCV-DCs were poor activators of CD4 + T cells; this defect was reversed by addition of interleukin-2, neutralization of interleukin-10, or elimination of CD4 + CD25 + T cells. HCV-DC stimulated proliferation of regulatory T cells (Tregs; CD4 + CD25 + FoxP3 + ), which limit proliferation of HCV-specific T lymphocytes. We observed an increased frequency of CD4 + CD25 + T cells in peripheral blood of HCV patients and that HCV-DC overexpressed a number of alternative costimulatory molecules, including PD-L1. Finally, HCV-DC stimulated expansion rather than de novo induction of FoxP3 + Tregs. Conclusions Our results indicate a role for myeloid DC in expansion of Tregs to promote chronic infection of patients with HCV.
The Effects of Profanity in Violent Video Games on Players' Hostile Expectations, Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings, and Other Responses

Although effects of violence in video games have been researched extensively, no empirical studies have examined effects of profanity, a form of verbal aggression, in video games. An experiment (N ...
A taste for novelty in invading house sparrows, Passer domesticus

One of the central questions in invasion biology involves why some introductions succeed and others fail. Although several correlates of invasion success have been identified, patterns alone cannot identify the mechanisms underlying the invasion process. Here, we test the hypothesis that one predictor of invasion success, behavioral flexibility, is different between invading and established populations of the same species of bird. We predicted that neophobia (fear of novelty), a surrogate of behavioral flexibility, would be weaker in an actively invading population (28 years resident; Colon, Republic of Panama) of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) compared to a population that had been resident for more than 150 years (Princeton, New Jersey, USA). To test this hypothesis, we compared latency to consume novel foods and phobia of novel objects between populations when both were kept under similar environmental conditions in captivity. As predicted, birds from the 150-year-old population took significantly longer to approach and consume novel foods than birds from the 28-year-old population. Responses to novel objects were not different between populations however; both populations fed more readily near some novel objects, which to our knowledge is the first such occurrence in a wild vertebrate species. Overall, a predilection for trying new foods and being attracted to novel objects may in part explain how this species has so successfully invaded new areas. Key words: foraging, invasive species, neophobia, range expansion. [Behav Ecol]