cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recent advances in lasers for multiphoton microscopy (Conference Presentation)

Multiphoton microscopy has become an ubiquitous research tool for neuroscience, disease studies, embryology and immunology. Refinements in non-linear imaging techniques have gone hand-in-hand with improvements in tuning range, power, pulse management and other features of femtosecond lasers specifically designed for these applications. While potential clinical applications require lasers with multiple outputs able to support multimodal imaging, recent developments in neuronal imaging like 3-photon microscopy or optogenetic activation require higher energies per pulse and longer wavelengths than conventional multiphoton microscopy. Here we describe the design and characteristics of laser sources able to address all these applications, staring with the more established ultrafast laser technology based on Titanium Sapphire lasers and their OPOs and covering recently developed sources like Ytterbium fiber mode-locked lasers and amplifiers with their tunable wavelength extensions.
Developments in pulsed and continuous wave laser welding technologies

Abstract: This chapter first describes the history and current status of the laser welding technology. Then, fundamentals of laser welding, such as keyhole formation and collapse, laser-plasma interaction, weld pool dynamics, porosity formation mechanisms, metal melting and solidification, etc., are elaborated. Finally, new developments in laser welding such as hybrid laser-arc welding, multi-beam laser welding, electromagnetically assisted laser welding, and future challenges and development of laser welding are discussed.
Intracerebral Interventions for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Two main etiologies of stroke: ischemic vs. hemorrhagic About 85% of strokes are ischemic in nature Ischemic Etiologies include: Arterial thrombotic (i.e., in-situ clot) Embolic Hypoperfusion Venous Thrombotic Hemorrhagic stroke can be classified as: Intra-axial (i.e., intra-ventricular or intra-parenchymal bleed) Extra-axial (i.e., epidural, subdural, or sub-arachnoid bleed)
Development of gold nanorod lateral flow test for quantitative multi-analyte detection

Lateral flow tests are widely used in clinical and non-clinical applications for detection of analytes in complex sample matrix. However, a need for multiplex, ultra-sensitive, diagnostic assay providing quantitative results is inevitable. A label-free, multi-analyte lateral flow test strip using gold nanorods is being developed for rapid and simultaneous quantification of disease representing biomarkers in their clinically relevant ranges. Gold nanoparticles exhibit a strong optical extinction at visible and near infrared wavelengths due to localized surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The band can be tuned by increasing the aspect ratio of the nanorod, which is suitable for multiplex biosensing. Monodispersed gold nanorods of various aspect ratios (e.g. 5, 10) were synthesized by seed mediated growth method and characterized using electron microscopy. Biofunctionalization of the nanorods and immobilization of nanorod probes were investigated. The test region in the strip has multiple capture lines embedded with functional biomolecules for quantitative assessment. As a model system, HER2 level in the clinical significant range is assayed for early stage appraisal of breast cancer.
Multi-agent plan recognition: formalization and algorithms

Multi-Agent Plan Recognition (MAPR) seeks to identify the dynamic team structures and team behaviors from the observations of the activity-sequences of a set of intelligent agents, based on a library of known team-activities (plan library). It has important applications in analyzing data from automated monitoring, surveillance, and intelligence analysis in general. In this paper, we formalize MAPR using a basic model that explicates the cost of abduction in single agent plan recognition by "flattening" or decompressing the (usually compact, hierarchical) plan library. We show that single-agent plan recognition with a decompressed library can be solved in time polynomial in the input size, while it is known that with a compressed (by partial ordering constraints) library it is NP-complete. This leads to an important insight: that although the compactness of the plan library plays an important role in the hardness of single-agent plan recognition (as recognized in the existing literature), that is not the case with multiple agents. We show, for the first time, that MAPR is NP-complete even when the (multi-agent) plan library is fully decompressed. As with previous solution approaches, we break the problem into two stages: hypothesis generation and hypothesis search. We show that Knuth's "Algorithm X" (with the efficient "dancing links" representation) is particularly suited for our model, and can be adapted to perform a branch and bound search for the second stage, in this model. We show empirically that this new approach leads to significant pruning of the hypothesis space in MAPR.
Data-driven extensions to HMM statistical dependencies.

In this paper, a new technique is introduced that relaxes the HMM conditional independence assumption in a principled way. Without increasing the number of states, the modeling power of an HMM is increased by including only those additional probabilistic dependencies (to the surrounding observation context) that are believed to be both relevant and discriminative. Conditional mutual information is used to determine both relevance and discriminability. Extended Gaussian-mixture HMMs and new EM update equations are introduced. In an isolated word speech database, results show an average 34% word error improvement over an HMM with the same number of states, and a 15% improvement over an HMM with a comparable number of parameters.
Organizational Influences on Time Pressure Stressors and Potential Patient Consequences in Primary Care.

BACKGROUND Primary care teams face daily time pressures both during patient encounters and outside of appointments. OBJECTIVES We theorize 2 types of time pressure, and test hypotheses about organizational determinants and patient consequences of time pressure. RESEARCH DESIGN Cross-sectional, observational analysis of data from concurrent surveys of care team members and their patients. SUBJECTS Patients (n=1291 respondents, 73.5% response rate) with diabetes and/or coronary artery disease established with practice teams (n=353 respondents, 84% response rate) at 16 primary care sites, randomly selected from 2 Accountable Care Organizations. MEASURES AND ANALYSIS We measured team member perceptions of 2 potentially distinct time pressure constructs: (1) encounter-level, from 7 questions about likelihood that time pressure results in missing patient management opportunities; and (2) practice-level, using practice atmosphere rating from calm to chaotic. The Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC-11) instrument measured patient-reported experience. Multivariate logistic regression models examined organizational predictors of each time pressure type, and hierarchical models examined time pressure predictors of patient-reported experiences. RESULTS Encounter-level and practice-level time pressure measures were not correlated, nor predicted by the same organizational variables, supporting the hypothesis of two distinct time pressure constructs. More encounter-level time pressure was most strongly associated with less health information technology capability (odds ratio, 0.33; P<0.01). Greater practice-level time pressure (chaos) was associated with lower PACIC-11 scores (odds ratio, 0.74; P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Different organizational factors are associated with each forms of time pressure. Potential consequences for patients are missed opportunities in patient care and inadequate chronic care support.
Temperature Measurement of Glowing Embers with Color Pyrometry

The surface temperature of glowing embers are important for determining the burning rate of embers as they fall and their ability to ignite a target fuel when they land. Temperature measurements of glowing embers using Color Pyrometry (CP) are presented. CP allows for temperature measurement of an incandescing gray or black body based on the intensity’s spectral distribution rather than absolute intensity, and it can be accomplished with a DSLR camera. The CP measurements are compared with measurements using an infrared (IR) camera; it was observed that the CP measurements were more accurate than IR measurements because IR measurements need knowledge of the surface’s emissivity. We show that the emissivity is very important because the transient accumulation and shedding of ash on the surface of the glowing ember changes the emissivity dynamically, consequentially changing the measured temperature. The insensitivity of CP to emissivity allows this method to provide a more robust temperature measurement. Experiments using CP were performed with embers of different sizes in different airflows. The results show that the temperature of the glowing embers increases with increasing air flow. The measured mean glowing temperatures ranged from $$750^\circ \mathrm{C}$$ at 1 m/s to $$950^\circ \mathrm{C}$$ at 4 m/s. A glowing combustion model explains the dependence of the temperature on the air speed.
A Root-based Defense Mechanism Against RPL Blackhole Attacks in Internet of Things Networks

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT), various smart “things”, such as home appliances, vehicles and mobile medical devices, connected through the Internet are increasingly adopted by consumers. Many of such connections are enabled by IoT routing protocol: IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low Power and Lossy Networks (RPL), which utilizes a variety of objective functions (OFs) and routing constraints to establish an optimal routing path for each network node. However, recent studies show that topology attacks, such as Blackhole attacks, have brought great security challenges to the secure routing in IoT networks. On the other hand, as most of the IoT edge devices are resource constrainted, they cannot afford intensive computations and communications required by conventional security solutions. Therefore, in this work, we propose a lightweight defense mechanism based on RPL routing protocol to detect Blackhole attacks and exclude the detected malicious nodes from the routing network. The results show that the proposed mechanism can effectively detect and defend against Blackhole attacks while causing limited energy consumption overhead.
Step by step: tenant accounts of securing and maintaining quality housing with a housing choice voucher

Previous research on renters’ experiences in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program is robust, but much of it has been conducted in the context of mobility interventions providing added resources...
IDDF2019-ABS-0096 The use of elobixibat and lactulose for bowel preparation for colon capsule endoscopy

Background Colon Capsule Endoscopy was approved for reimbursement under the national health insurance system of Japan in 2014. For this reason, a detailed examination by capsule endoscopy appears to be useful. However, the capsule excretion rate after recommended bowel preparation reportedly ranges from 70% to 90%.In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of bowel preparation with Elobixibat and lactulose for improving the capsule excretion rate. Methods This study included 46 patients who underwent colon capsule endoscopy at Masuko Memorial Hospital since March 2018. The recommended protocol of bowel preparation was modified(with Elobixibat and lactulose) and success rates of completing entire colon observation were compared. Elobixibat(Goofice: EA pharma, Japan) at the beginning of the day before enforcement and the enforcement. Lactulose(Morinaga, Japan) was administered immediately after capsule ingestion and as a booster at one and two hours later. This study was approved by the ethics committee of my hospital, while we obtained written consent from the participants after providing a thorough explanation of the contents and methods of this study. (table 1) Results The success rate of completing entire colon observation was 43patients were 46(93.4%)in this study(23 dialysis patients and 23 non-dialysis patients). The success rates were 23 patients included 22(95.6%) in the non-dialysis patients and (21/23) in the dialysis patients. Conclusions Although the number of patients receiving preparation with Elobixibat and lactulose was small, entire colon observation was successful even in the dialysis patients. Thus, Elobixibat and lactulose appear to be useful for bowel preparation for colon capsule endoscopy.
Intent and subsequent initiation of human papillomavirus vaccine among young cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND Despite an increased risk of subsequent human papillomavirus (HPV)-related malignancies, HPV vaccine initiation rates among cancer survivors remain critically low. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between HPV vaccine intent and subsequent vaccine initiation among cancer survivors by linking data from a cross-sectional survey with state-based immunization registry records. METHODS Cancer survivors who were 9 to 26 years old were surveyed 1 to 5 years after their treatment to assess their HPV vaccine initiation status, HPV vaccine intent, sociodemographic factors, and vaccine-related health beliefs. HPV vaccine doses/dates were abstracted from the Georgia Registry for Immunization Transactions for 3.5 years after survey participation. Logistic regression models identified factors associated with vaccine intent and subsequent vaccine initiation. RESULTS Among survivors who were HPV vaccine-naive at survey participation (n = 103), factors associated with vaccine intent included the following: 1) provider recommendation for the HPV vaccine (odds ratio [OR], 5.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-18.1; P = .014), 2) positive general attitude toward vaccines (OR, 4.8; 95% CI, 2.0-11.2; P < .001), and 3) perceived severity of HPV disease (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.2-9.9; P = .02). Of the vaccine-naive patients, 28 initiated the HPV vaccine at a median of 1.1 years after the survey. Initiation was more likely among survivors who had reported vaccine intent (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.2-12.5; P = .02) and was less likely among older survivors (OR per year, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.6-0.9; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that provider recommendation for the HPV vaccine plays a role in establishing intent, which then translates into subsequent initiation.
Evaluation for the etiology of neonatal encephalopathy and the diagnosis of FIRS

A common disorder managed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is neonatal encephalopathy (NE). There are multiple causes of NE, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and the fetal inflammatory response syndrome (FIRS). It is important to ascertain the specific cause of NE in an affected child, as it may affect the clinical management and will assist in prognostication. This paper discusses the background of inflammatory damage to the fetal brain, the history of FIRS as a clinical diagnosis, the characteristics of infants with FIRS, and methods to evaluate the etiology of NE.
Chapter 8 – Robotics Technology in Mental Health Care

This chapter discusses the present and potential future use of robotics technology in mental healthcare practice. Robots have been used to help treat people with autism, dementia, and other cognitive impairments, have helped to provide companionship to people experiencing loneliness, and have been used to help improve how people with disabilities are treated by clinicians. Robotics technology has also been used in novel ways to diagnose and study schizophrenia in naturalistic interactive social settings. Despite these exciting technological advances, it is critical that robot designers and mental health professionals insist on rigorous randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) before deploying robots into mental healthcare practice. While it is unlikely most robots would cause direct harm to clients or practitioners, adopting this technology before the evidence base is developed runs the risk of displacing proven interventions with less effective or ineffective treatments.
From Bees to Flies: Global Shift in Pollinator Communities Along Elevation Gradients

Bees decrease in abundance and richness along elevation gradients, while flies replace bees as the dominant flower visitors in higher elevation systems. We reviewed the existing literature to determine if this global phenomenon of pollinator communities switching from bees to flies occurs at the same place along a temperature gradient. Here we examined five studies that have documented this bee-to-fly transition in the United States, Europe, and Australia. We determined where the bee-to-fly transition occurred along a temperature/elevation gradient for each study that ranged from 1.1 to 8.3°C. We found that pollinator communities shifted from bee dominated to fly dominated communities between 4.9 – 5.7 °C on all elevation gradients worldwide. This shift in pollinators could substantially impact ecological systems reliant on fly pollination as temperatures continue to warm.
A disaster by any other name?: COVID-19 and support for an All-Hazards approach

Disasters are among the crises that can test the decision making skill of elected and appointed public officials from planning through response and recovery. The COVID-19 crisis, a public health emergency rather than one with immediate damage to the built environment, has affected many aspects of community life. Experiences in responding to the pandemic will likely stimulate fresh planning initiatives for public health emergencies. How then should emergency planners approach planning and response tasks? The All-Hazards approach has been a mainstay of both research and policymaking for over 40 years, but it has come under recent criticism. In this paper, we consider if the All-Hazards approach to disaster management is still viable. Comparing the management needs that emerged in the pandemic with those of disasters from more familiar hazard agents, we conclude that the All-Hazards approach is valid and can continue to guide policymakers in their hazard and disaster management activities.
Interest Rate Swaps: A Comparison of Compounded Daily Versus Discrete Reference Rates

This paper studies the hedging effectiveness of interest rate swaps using different reference rates for eliminating interest rate risk from floating rate loans. Two different reference rates are studied. The first is a reference rate whose maturity, ∆, matches the payment interval of the floating rate loan. The second is a reference rate whose maturity is ∆/N. The prime examples are LIBOR and SOFR, respectively. We show that the ∆-based interest rate swap provides a good static hedge, but the ∆/N-based swap does not. Although dynamic hedging with the ∆-based interest rate swap is possible under some conditions, it both introduces model risk and increases transaction costs, making it a less practical alternative.
Infrastructure: National Roles Without National Policy:

In 1992 Professor Dick Netzer posed the question “Do We Really Need a National Infrastructure Policy?” but a national infrastructure policy really is a fanciful notion. America has never had a nati...
Neighborhood Racial and Ethnic Diversity and Residential Segregation in Large Urban Areas in the U.S., 1980-2010

Racial and ethnic neighborhood diversity and residential segregation among whites, African-Americans, Latinos, and Asians and Pacific Islanders are measured for 59 large urban areas in the United States from 1980 to 2010. Neighborhood diversity is defined as the average of diversity in census tracts. Neighborhood diversity increased dramatically from 1980 to 2010 for nearly all urban areas. It was significantly higher in areas in the South and West and in areas that were growing more rapidly. Residential segregation is defined as the relative difference between neighborhood diversity and the maximum possible for the urban area given the distribution of the population across the racial and ethnic groups. Segregation declined over the period considered and was lowest in urban areas in the West.
SU-E-T-792: Validation of a Secondary TPS for IROC-H Recalculation of Anthropomorphic Phantoms

Purpose: To validate a secondary treatment planning system (sTPS) for use by the Imaging & Radiation Oncology Core-Houston (IROC-H). The TPS will recalculate phantom irradiations submitted by institutions to IROC-H and compare plan results of the institution to the sTPS. Methods: In-field dosimetric data was collected by IROC-H for numerous linacs at 6, 10, 15, and 18 MV. The data was aggregated and used to define reference linac classes; each class was then modeled in the sTPS (Mobius3D) by matching the in-field characteristics. Fields used to collect IROC-H data were recreated and recalculated using Mobius3D. The same dosimetric points were measured in the recalculation and compared to the initial collection data. Additionally, a 6MV Monte Carlo beam configuration was used to compare penumbrae in the Mobius3D models. Finally, a handful of IROC-H head and neck phantoms were recalculated using Mobius3D. Results: Recalculation and quantification of differences between reference data and Mobius3D values resulted in a relative matching score of 12.45 (0 is a perfect match) for the default 6MV Mobius3D beam configuration. By adjusting beam configuration options, iterations resulted in scores of 8.45, 6.32, and 3.52, showing that customization could have a dramatic effect on beam configuration. After in-field optimization, penumbra was compared between Monte Carlo and Mobius3D for the reference fields. For open jaw fields, FWHM field widths and penumbra widths were different by <0.6 and <1mm respectively; for MLC open fields the penumbra widths were up to 1.5mm different. Phantom recalculations showed good agreement, having an average of 0.6% error per beam. Conclusion: A secondary TPS has been validated for simple irradiation geometries using reference data collected by IROC-H. The beam was customized to the reference data iteratively and resulted in a good match. This system can provide independent recalculation of phantom plans based on independent reference data.
Effects of Somatostatin on Gallbladder Emptying

Because ∼80% of reported patients with somatostatinomas have gallstones, this study was performed to determine the effects of exogenous somatostatin on gallbladder emptying responses to liquid and solid meals, direct cholinergic stimulation by bethanechol, indirect cholinergic stimulation by sham feeding, and intravenously administered octapeptide of cholecystokinin. Gallbladder emptying was quantitated using 99m Tc-HIDA and a δ-camera on line to a digital computer. Somatostatin, administered at a dosage of 7 μg/kg · h, prevented the gallbladder emptying responses to both test meals, sham feeding, and bethanechol. The maximal gallbladder emptying response to octapeptide of cholecystokinin at 5.0 ng/kg · min was reduced from 93.2% ± 4.8% to 57.1% ± 9.9% (p
Acting locally: engaging girls in computer technology

The dwindling number of women in the computer and information sciences field, as well as in colleges and universities is not arguable. In the field of computer programming alone, statistics on women in the labor force show that women comprised 26.7% of the field in 2005, but only 22.0% in 2010 [1]. In 1997-98, 26.7% of the bachelor degrees in computer science and information science were granted to women, but by 2007- 2008, that percentage had slipped to 17.6% [2]. This gender gap has been under discussion since the 1980’s [3]. Today, to counteract this gap, programs to attract middle- and high-school girls to technology are springing up across the country. These programs can be offered relatively inexpensively, utilizing the technology, faculty and staff at local colleges and universities. Some of these programs emphasize academic curricula for younger girls; for example, see [4] and [5]. Other programs focus on curricula for college women instead; for example, see [6]. The focus in this panel is on girls (middle school to high school), and on activities other than traditional academic curricula. The panelists all have experience in running a summer activity for girls to introduce them to technology, computing, and programming. Such "girl tech" activities are reported in the literature; for example, see [7] and [8]. The "Acting Locally" panel will present success (and a few failure) stories with this workshops, as well as how to create technology camp. Curriculum ideas and making technology accessible for ages 12 through 18 will be discussed. For interested ISTAS participants, a half-day technology camp will be offered on Monday afternoon so that everyone can experience a "Girl Tech" workshop.
Design architecture, developer networks and performance of open source software projects

In this dissertation I seek to understand the factors differentiating successful from unsuccessful software projects by investigating how design architectures and developers' positions within collaborative networks affect software project outcomes. There is a growing body of evidence that a product's architecture – defined here as decisions made regarding how to decompose design tasks and the resulting design structure – is a critical issue to both researchers and managers to understand. However, prior research studies on software development tend to emphasize design without taking into account the collaborative development environment, or have little power in predicting the phenomena with which the design constructs are associated because of insufficient empirical evidence. This dissertation develops and tests a model measuring the impact on software project performance of (1) software products' design architectures and (2) developers' positions within collaborative networks. Three indicators of project success are used: product quality, the signal of market success, and project velocity. Two dimensions of design architecture—degree of decomposition and coupling—and two characteristics of developer network structures—degree centrality and structural holes—are investigated for their impact on project performance. Using data gathered from SourceForge.net and the data warehouse including its monthly dumps, empirical analysis is conducted on the top 100 ranked projects and compared to a randomly chosen 100 projects. The main findings are that (1) the degree of decomposition has an inverted U-shaped relationship with project performance, (2) When tested on the sample of top 100 projects, average degree centrality of a project team has a positive and significant effects on project performance, and (3) the effects of network metrics on some of the indicators of project performance are positive in the top 100 projects and some of them are negative in random 100 projects. We employ some control variables such as number of projects each developer works on and organizational sponsorship to provide insights into the direction of the effect of degree centrality and structural holes on project success. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and several future research directions will be outlined.
The Trial of Lizzie Borden

"Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one." Actually the Bordens received only 29 whacks, not the 81 suggested by the famous ditty, but the popularity of the poem is a testament to the public's fascination with the 1893 murder trial of Lizzie Borden. The source of that fascination might lie in the almost unimaginably brutal nature of the crime - given the sex, background, and age of the defendant - or in the jury's acquittal of Lizzie in the face of prosecution evidence that most historians today find compelling.
Changes in the Chemistry of Precipitation in the United States, 1981–1998

Regulatory measures in the United States, such as Title IV of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, have primarily restricted sulfur dioxide emissions as a way to control acidic deposition. These restrictions, coupled with increasing concentrations of NH4+ in wet deposition in some regions of the U.S. and continued high emissions of nitrogen oxides have generated a significant shift in the chemistry of precipitation as measured at National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network sites. Trends in precipitation chemistry at NADP/NTN sites were evaluated for statistical significance for the period 1981–1998 using a Seasonal Mann-Kendall Test, a robust non-parametric test for detection of monotonic trends. SO42− declines were detected at 100 of the 147 sites examined while no sites exhibited increasing SO42− trends. On average, SO42− declined 35% over the period 1981–1998 with downward SO42− trends being most pronounced in the north-eastern United States. In contrast, no consistent trends in NO3− concentrations were observed in precipitation in any major region of the United States. Although the majority of sites did not exhibit significant trends in NH4+ concentration, 30 sites exhibited upward trends. For Ca2+ concentration in precipitation, 64 sites exhibited a significant decreasing trend and no sites exhibited an upward trend.
Particle acceleration at collisionless shocks: An overview

An overview of shock acceleration is presented, focusing primarily on interplanetary shocks and the termination shock as examples. An extended discussion of recent advances in modeling real solar energetic particle (SEP) and energetic storm particle (ESP) events is presented. When the energy of accelerated particles becomes very large, their back reaction on the flow can result in a shock that is significantly mediated, and as an example, we consider some results for the termination shock.
Reducing misclassification costs

We explore algorithms for learning classification procedures that attempt to minimize the cost of misclassifying examples. First, we consider inductive learning of classification rules. The Reduced Cost Ordering algorithm, a new method for creating a decision list (i.e., an ordered set of rules) is described and compared to a variety of inductive learning approaches. Next, we describe approaches that attempt to minimize costs while avoiding overfitting, and introduce the Clause Prefix method for pruning decision lists. Finally, we consider reducing misclassification costs when a prior domain theory is available.
Workaholism and Marital Satisfaction Among Female Professionals

Workaholism is a modern construct pertaining to how one relates to work pursuits. It has been commonly operationalized as excessive work involvement, driven by internal compulsions, and accompanied...
Identifying transcriptional targets of vasopressin using combined ChIP-seq and RNA-seq analysis of mpkCCD cells (1181.6)

The peptide hormone vasopressin regulates transport in the renal collecting duct in part through regulation of gene expression. To obtain a global profile of genes regulated by vasopressin, we performed ChIP-seq analysis of RNA polymerase II and acetylated histone H3K27 binding sites associated with transcriptionally active genes. Cultured mpkCCD cells were treated with either the vasopressin analog dDAVP (0.1 nM) or vehicle for 24 hours, and then processed for chromatin IP. DNA-protein complexes were immunoprecipitated using either RNA pol II or H3K27ac antibodies. After reversal of crosslinks, DNA fragments were sequenced and mapped to a reference genome. ChIP-seq data analysis allowed for precise mapping of genomic elements that were significantly enriched or de-enriched with dDAVP treatment including exonic, intronic, intergenic, and promoter regions. We correlated these changes at the genomic level with corresponding changes in RNA using RNA-seq analysis of ‘Poly(A)’-enriched libraries from mpkCCD ce...
A Review of CP violation in atoms

The subject of atomic and molecular electric dipole moments is reviewed from the perspective of currently interesting theories of CP violation beyond the standard model.
Immediate neighbor scheduling (INS): An adaptive protocol for mobile ad hoc networks using direct-sequence spread-spectrum modulation

We investigate a new approach for scheduling transmissions in a mobile ad hoc network employing direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS). Multiple-access interference may be better tolerated in these systems, allowing higher levels of spatial reuse and a reduction in the overhead required to schedule transmissions. We present a protocol which leverages these features of DSSS to support greater end-to-end throughput and terminal mobility rates. A protocol extension allows terminals to adjust protocol overhead in order to preserve network connectivity in sparse networks. For each transmission, terminals use a combination of common and transmitter-oriented spreading sequences in a format which allows for discovery of nearby terminals and adaptation of transmission rates to maximize throughput. The protocol does not operate over an artificial network graph, nor does it require an initialization phase or two-way exchange of information during a transmission slot. Through simulations, we evaluate the performance of the transmission scheduling protocol in a variety of static and mobile scenarios. For comparison, we also simulate a centralized transmission scheduling protocol with perfect knowledge of topology.
Export flux of carbon at the equator during the EqPac time-series cruises estimated from 234Th measurements

Abstract Distributions of 234 Th were determined in three particle-size classes ( > 53, 1–53 and 0.7–1.0 μm) and in filtered seawater during each of the two time-series cruises of the U.S. JGOFS Process Study in the equatorial Pacific. Four vertical profiles were measured on the equator at 140°W from the sea surface to 400 m depth between 24 March and 9 April 1992 (Time-series I) and again between 3 and 18 October 1992 (Time-series II). In addition, both organic and inorganic carbon were measured in each of the particle fractions. The results were used with a one-dimensional model, which includes the equatorial upwelling, to estimate the flux of particulate carbon sinking out of the surface layer. The flux of particulate organic carbon (POC) at the base of the euphotic zone (0.1 % light level, 120 m depth) was estimated to average 1.9 mmol m −2 day −1 during El Nino (Time-series I) and 2.4 mmol m −2 day −1 during the cold period that followed (Time-series II). These values amount to only ∼ 2% of the primary production measured during each of the same periods and are insufficient to balance the new production, estimated previously to be ∼ 17% of primary production. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the major part of the new production is removed from the region by advection in the form of dissolved organic matter. The POC flux profile indicates a net remineralization below the 1 % light level (80 m depth) such that the flux reaching 200 m depth has been reduced by ∼ 55%, giving a remineralization length scale of ∼ 155 m. For particulate inorganic (carbonate) carbon the flux at 200 m averaged 0.54 mmol m −2 day −1 during Time-series I and 0.71 mmol m −2 day −1 during Time-series II, very similar to the fluxes reported in deep sediment traps deployed at the same time. Estimates of the average large-particle sinking velocity give values −1 in the upper part of the euphotic zone, show a sharp increase near the base of the euphotic zone and level off to values of 30–60 m day −1 at 200 m depth.
Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced pancreas cancer does not lead to tumor regression

Introduction Neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy is proposed to improve resectability of locally-advanced/borderline-resectable pancreas cancer (LAPC). The ability of neo-adjuvant therapy to provide tumor regression has not been reported. Methods We reviewed pre and post treatment CT scans of patients undergoing neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy (cisplatin, interferon-alpha, 5-FU, radiation) in a phase II clinical trial for LAPC between 2005 and 2008. Response to therapy was assessed. Results 15 patients (median age 61years, males 66%) received neo-adjuvant therapy for LAPC during 2005-08. Mean tumor size was 3.9cm. Indications for neo-adjuvant treatment included one or more of the following: Involvement of superior mesenteric artery (SMA) (≤180deg-3 patients, >180deg-1 patient), celiac axis (≤180deg-2 patients, >180deg-3 patients), hepatic artery (HA) (>180deg-6 patients), and/or superior mesenteric vein/portal vein (SMV/PV) (≤180deg-6 patients, >180deg-7 patients). 4 of 9 (44.4%) patients with borderline resectable disease (tumor involving ≤ 180deg circumference of the SMA, short-segment encasement/abutment of the common HA, or short-segment occlusion of SMV/PV) were resected after neo-adjuvant therapy. Regression of major vascular involvement was not observed in any patients. No patient with >180deg arterial involvement had tumor regression or resection. Five patients (33%) had disease progression during neo-adjuvant therapy. Pre-treatment and post-treatment tumor density (Hounsfield units) was similar (Pre-treatment HU: 60.4±6.48, post-treatment HU: 62.2±6.5, p=0.369). Conclusions Neo-adjuvant treatment does not provide tumor regression of LAPC with major vascular involvement. Patient selection for neo-adjuvant trial enrollment should remain focused on borderline disease which may have potential for surgical resection.
Neuroendocrine evidence for serotonin receptor hypersensitivity in panic disorder.

Normal controls (NC) (n=15), patients with panic disorder (PD) (n=13) and patients with major depression (MD) (n=17) were challenged with a single, oral dose (0.25 mg/kg) of the selective 5HT agonist m-chlorophenyl-piperazine (MCPP) or placebo. Blood samples were assayed for cortisol and MCPP levels every 30 min. The PD group had an augmented cortisol release when compared to the other two groups. Finally, a significant correlation was found across all subjects between clinical anxiety level and cortisol release on MCPP. These data support the hypothesis of 5HT receptor hypersensitivity in PD.
A latent-expression exception-handling system

@LX as the primary mechanism. Separate expressions are used to deal with errors which occur within the execution of APL statements, and with use of the break key on a terminal during statement execution. This allows application packages to deal directly and automatically with many situations which previously required intervention on the part of the user of the package. The facility also includes a means of providing information on the nature of the exception, and providing protection against security breaches for certain cases in which the exception handlers cannot perform their normal functions.
Moral Judgment and Psychopathy

Recent interest in emotion as the basis for moral development began with work involving individuals with psychopathic tendencies, and a recent paper with this population has allowed fresh insights (Glenn, Iyer, Graham, Koleva, & Haidt, 2009). Two main conclusions suggested by this paper are: (i) that systems involved in different forms of morality can be differentiated; and (ii) that systems involved in justice reasoning likely include amygdala and/or ventromedial prefrontal cortex, even if the specifics of their functional contribution to justice development remain unidentified.
An improved delayed self-heterodyne interferometer for linewidth measurements

The authors demonstrated a delayed self-heterodyne interferometer with a recirculating delay, in which loss was partially compensated by an erbium-doped fiber amplifier. A resolution limit of 606 Hz was achieved with an 11-km fiber delay line, as compared to 18.2 kHz for the standard single-pass case. The possible effect of spectral broadening due to amplifier noise is considered and found to have a negligible effect on the system performance. >
From ‘I Wish’ to ‘I Will’: Social-Cognitive Predictors of Behavioral Intentions

We tested the ability of several social-cognitive models to predict intentions to engage in two different health behaviors (resisting dieting and performing breast self-exam). All constructs from the health belief model (with and without self-efficacy), the theory of planned behavior (with and without perceived behavioral control) and the motivational process of the health action process approach were measured simultaneously in two subject samples. We hypothesized that models that include self-efficacy (or the related construct of perceived behavioral control) would be more effective than the models that do not include it. Our results supported this prediction. The health action process approach was the best predictor of intentions to engage in both behaviors. Implications for selecting appropriate models on which to base interventions are discussed.
Conductivity and Phase Separation of Rb-N H 3 Solutions

The electrical conductivity of Rb-N${\mathrm{H}}_{3}$ solutions has been measured over the concentration range 2-27 MPM (mole percent metal) at temperatures between 190 and 240 K. The conductivity is lower than for any other alkali-metal solution. Evidence for phase separation below 205 K is given.
Emission Line Enhancement in a dc Plasma

Emission line enhancement in a dc plasma seeded with an easily ionizable matrix salt is discussed. Enhancement is shown to be inversely related to the ionization potential of the matrix element. The temperature of the plasma core is shown to decrease in the presence of an easily ionizable element, while the effective temperature experienced by the analyte is shown to increase under the same conditions. The emission of the plasma is spatially profiled with and without an easily ionizable matrix element at the 425.4 nm Cr line, the 340.5 nm Co line, and the 334.5 nm Zn line.
On the factorization of block-tridiagonals without storage constraints

In many programs solving difference equations, problem size is restricted by the number of available memory cells. A strategy has been developed to permit trade-offs between the number of floating point operations required and storage requirements for the solution of certain problems such as block tridiagonal systems of equations. This is done by recomputing some intermediate results instead of storing them. Reducing the storage to the square root of the current requirement will roughly double the number of computations. In theory, if m is the order of each sub-matrix in the block tridiagonal matrix, one can solve any linear system with only 5 sq m + 1 temporary storage cells. This method lends itself to efficient use on computers with parallel processing or vector processing architectures. On these computers the larger number of floating point operations is more than offset by the decrease in I/O and the increased percentage of vector operations made possible by this algorithm.
Clavicipitaceous endophytes: Their ability to enhance resistance of grasses to multiple stresses

Grasses are noted for an absence of toxic secondary metabolites. However, some grass-associated fungi are known for their production of numerous secondary compounds, which serve important functions such as plant competition and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Cohabitation of certain fungi with grasses has developed into specific mutualistic associations. The fungi of concern belong to a relatively small group of species within the Clavicipitaceae. This group of fungi shares a common feature in being endophytically associated with grasses as obligate biotrophic symbionts. Specific attention is given to two related genera Epichloe and their anamorphic Neotyphodium relatives. The association of these fungi with grasses results in the accumulation of several classes of fungal metabolites that serve as relief mechanisms to biotic and abiotic stresses. These include drought tolerance, resistance to vertebrate and invertebrate pests, resistance to fungal diseases, and tolerance to poor soil conditions. Resistance to multiple stresses can occur simultaneously within the same symbiotum. The resulting resistance to multiple stresses, along with inter- and intra-specific competitive advantage suggests the potential for utilizing novel fungal endophytes new host combinations for stress resistance in naturally infected grasses as well as for resistance to specific agronomic and ecological conditions and soil remediation.
Mineral water and spas in Germany

I n nearly all regions of Germany there are spas, health resorts, and mineral springs. A survey has documented about 340 institutions of this kind in the official German Spas Association. This number is continuously increasing, mainly because of the reconstruction of formerly established spas in the eastern portion of the country.‘,2 Government regulations define quality standards, such as the characteristics of the water, soil, and atmospheric conditions of the geographical site. In Germany, specific standards exist concerning mineral spas, mud spas, medical climate spas, seaside resorts, and Kneipp spas. In general, baths support the physical mobility of the extremities, promote desquamation of the skin, improve the penetration of the UV radiation, reduce inflammation and have antibiotic qualities, depending on the different contents and special forms of spas. The therapeutic indications of the special spas are defined mainly by the location of the diseases in the body.
A machine vision identification technique from range images

An orientation-independent identification technique from three-dimensional surface maps or range images is developed. Given the range image of an object, it is decomposed into orientation-independent patches using the sign of Gaussian curvature. A relational graph is then set up such that a node represents a patch and an edge represents the adjacency of two patches. The identification of the object is achieved by matching its graph representation to a number of model graphs. The matching is performed by employing the best-first search strategy. Examples of real range images show the merit of the technique.
Ovarian low‐grade stromal sarcoma with thecomatous features. A critical reappraisal of the so‐called “Malignant Thecoma”

A case of low-grade ovarian stromal sarcoma in a postmenopausal woman is described. Although pelvic recurrences of the tumor followed 5 and 7 years after the original surgery, the patient has remained well and without evidence of tumor 3 years since the last operation. Histopathologic, electronmicroscopic, and hormonal studies are described. There was evidence of estrogenic stimulation by the theca elements of the tumor in this patient. Cases previously reported in the world literature as malignant thecoma were analyzed, and most of them were considered inadequately documented; indeed most of them were probably either sarcomatoid granulosa cell tumors, stromal sarcomas, or fibrosarcomas. If a thecoma ever becomes malignant, the tumor cells dedifferentiate so that they cannot be recognized any longer as theca cells; instead, they proliferate as a stromal sarcoma or fibrosarcoma. It is proposed, therefore, that the term "malignant thecoma" not be used. On the other hand, very rare malignant ovarian stromal tumors do exist, consisting of undifferentiated stromal cells, fibroblasts, and theca cells, which can show evidence of hormonal activity.