cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computer-aided liver volumetry: performance of a fully-automated, prototype post-processing solution for whole-organ and lobar segmentation based on MDCT imaging

To evaluate the performance of a prototype, fully-automated post-processing solution for whole-liver and lobar segmentation based on MDCT datasets. A polymer liver phantom was used to assess accuracy of post-processing applications comparing phantom volumes determined via Archimedes’ principle with MDCT segmented datasets. For the IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant study, 25 patients were enrolled. Volumetry performance compared the manual approach with the automated prototype, assessing intraobserver variability, and interclass correlation for whole-organ and lobar segmentation using ANOVA comparison. Fidelity of segmentation was evaluated qualitatively. Phantom volume was 1581.0 ± 44.7 mL, manually segmented datasets estimated 1628.0 ± 47.8 mL, representing a mean overestimation of 3.0%, automatically segmented datasets estimated 1601.9 ± 0 mL, representing a mean overestimation of 1.3%. Whole-liver and segmental volumetry demonstrated no significant intraobserver variability for neither manual nor automated measurements. For whole-liver volumetry, automated measurement repetitions resulted in identical values; reproducible whole-organ volumetry was also achieved with manual segmentation, p ANOVA 0.98. For lobar volumetry, automated segmentation improved reproducibility over manual approach, without significant measurement differences for either methodology, p ANOVA 0.95–0.99. Whole-organ and lobar segmentation results from manual and automated segmentation showed no significant differences, p ANOVA 0.96–1.00. Assessment of segmentation fidelity found that segments I–IV/VI showed greater segmentation inaccuracies compared to the remaining right hepatic lobe segments. Automated whole-liver segmentation showed non-inferiority of fully-automated whole-liver segmentation compared to manual approaches with improved reproducibility and post-processing duration; automated dual-seed lobar segmentation showed slight tendencies for underestimating the right hepatic lobe volume and greater variability in edge detection for the left hepatic lobe compared to manual segmentation.
Genetic Technology and Agricultural Development

The genetic technologies being adopted in South Asia are significant factors in the agricultural development of the area. But, labeling them " miracle seeds," solely responsible for recent agricultural growth, is misleading. Certainly the introduction of new genetic technology has catalyzed South Asian agriculture and has instilled a new dynamism essential to economic development. Somewhat similar phenomena have, however, been observed in other parts of the world in other periods of history. The nature of these genetic technologies, how they are being applied, and their limits and potential have been explored above. Also, the effects of these varieties on the generation of employment, and the distribution of benefits accruing from them have been examined in preliminary fashion. Stemming from the preceding discussion, two areas of priority appear obvious. First, the close association of genetic technologies with irrigation suggests that irrigation should receive more attention than it has in the past. Large-scale public irrigation schemes are expensive and have tended to yield low rates of return. However, there appears to be room for marginal increases in, or improvements of, existing irrigation facilities. Second, even with a rapid spread of the practices associated with highyeild varieties, it may be too much to expect the farm sector to absorb the expected increases in the rural labor force. The generation of employment is a major problem in India as well as in most other developing countries. Hence, possibilities for expanding rural, nonfarm employment and controlling population growth should be sought vigorously.
Optimum Path Planning for Mechanical Manipulators

To assure a successful completion of an assigned task without interruption, such as the collision with fixtures, the hand of a mechanical manipulator often travels along a preplanned path. An advantage of requiring the path to be composed of straight-line segments in Cartesian coordinates is to provide a capability for controlled interaction with objects on a moving conveyor. This paper presents a method of obtaining a time schedule of velocities and accelerations along the path that the manipulator may adopt to obtain a minimum traveling time, under the constraints of composite Cartesian limit on linear and angular velocities and accelerations. Because of the involvement of a linear performance index and a large number of nonlinear inequality constraints, which are generated from physical limitations, the “method of approximate programming (MAP)” is applied. Depending on the initial choice of a feasible solution, the iterated feasible solution, however, does not converge to the optimum feasible point, but is often entrapped at some other point of the boundary of the constraint set. To overcome the obstacle, MAP is modified so that the feasible solution of each of the iterated linear programming problems is shifted to the boundaries corresponding to the original, linear inequality constraints. To reduce the computing time, a “direct approximate programming algorithm (DAPA)” is developed, implemented and shown to converge to optimum feasible solution for the path planning problem. Programs in FORTRAN language have been written for both the modified MAP and DAPA, and are illustrated by a numerical example for the purpose of comparison.
In vivo evaluation of intracellular pH and high-energy phosphate metabolities during regional myocardial ischemia in cats using 31P nuclear magnetic resonance

Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P NMR) was used to asses the temporal changes of high-energy phosphate metabolites in the region of acute myocardial ischemia of open-chest cats. Eight anesthetized cats were studied following ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Creatine phosphate showed a 79 ± 16% (mean ± SD) reduction by 4 min after the onset of ischemia. Prominent qualitative reductions of the spectral peak of creatine phosphate occurred by 40 s after ischemia. Adenosine triphosphate measured under the beta spectral peak (β-ATP) decreased 37 ± 9% by 20–25 min after ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. These reductions developed more slowly and were of smaller magnitude than those of creatine phosphate. Intracellular pH decreased from 7.39 ± 0.07 to 7.13 ± 0.09 units by 40 s after ischemia. By 30 min, pH decreased to 6.07 ± 0.40 units. The study shows, therefore, the temporal changes of high-energy phosphate metabolites during ischemia in localized regions of the myocardium of open-chest animals. © 1986 Academic Press, Inc.
Design of Low Memory Usage Discrete Wavelet Transform on FPGA Using Novel Diagonal Scan

Discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is an efficient tool for multi-resolution decomposition of signal and image processing applications. During the compression of image using 2D-DWT two filters are used to evaluate a DWT, a highpass and a lowpass filter, with the filter coefficients derived from the wavelet basis function in each dimension. Among all DWTs, the Haar discrete wavelet transform (Haar DWT) is the simplest and orthogonal one. However, a traditional 2-D DWT is applied by sequentially performing two 1-D operations one along the rows and the other along the columns of a transformed row image. In other words, the column operation cannot be performed until the row operation is completed. There is decrease in performance due to the memory read and write operations involving intermediate result between row and column operations. Due to this reason, we propose the sequential data input to hierarchical algorithm for Haar DWT. With this technique, we can implement a 2- D Haar DWT by data rearrangements, achieving the low memory required to implement being of O (N). The most important characteristic of this algorithm is that the computational process can be extended to image of any size taking the advantage of the block processing of image and data input using diagonal scan algorithm.
Bit interleaved coded modulation with space time block codes for OFDM systems

Wireless systems often implement one or more types of diversity in order to achieve reliable communication. Different types of diversity techniques such as temporal, frequency, code, and spatial have been developed. Besides the destructive multipath nature of wireless channels, frequency selective channels pose intersymbol interference (ISI) while offering frequency diversity for well designed systems. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) combats ISI very well by converting the frequency selective channel into parallel flat fading channels. On the other hand, bit interleaved coded modulation (BICM) has a high performance for flat fading Rayleigh channels. The combination of BICM and OFDM exploits the diversity that is inherited within frequency selective fading channels. Hence, BICM-OFDM is a very effective technique to provide diversity gain., employing frequency diversity. Orthogonal space-time block codes (STBC) make use of spatial diversity by coding in space and time. Thus, diversity in frequency and space can be taken advantage of by combining BICM-OFDM and STBC. We show and quantify both analytically and via simulations that, for frequency selective fading channels, BICM-STBC-OFDM systems can fully and successfully exploit frequency and space diversity to the maximum available extent.
Distributing trust on the Internet

This paper describes an architecture for secure and fault-tolerant service replication in an asynchronous network such as the Internet, where a malicious adversary may corrupt some servers and control the network. It relies on recent protocols for randomized Byzantine agreement and for atomic broadcast, which exploit concepts from threshold cryptography. The model and its assumptions are discussed in detail and compared to related work from the last decade in the first part of this work, and an overview of the broadcast protocols in the architecture is provided. The standard approach in fault-tolerant distributed systems is to assume that at most a certain fraction of servers fails. In the second part, novel general failure patterns and corresponding protocols are introduced. The allow for realistic modeling of real-world trust assumptions, beyond (weighted) threshold models. Finally, the application of our architecture to trusted services is discussed.
Situational determinants of use and treatment outcomes in marijuana dependent adults

Research and theory strongly support the importance of situational determinants of substance use as targets for intervention, but few studies have systematically examined situational use characteristics in marijuana dependent adults. The present study describes situational use of marijuana in a population of 87 marijuana dependent adults and reports relationships with outcomes of treatment. Use in negative affective situations was independently associated with psychological distress, maladaptive coping strategies, lower self-efficacy, and poorer outcomes post-treatment. The findings were consistent with research on using drugs to cope with negative affect providing evidence of convergence between two different methods of assessing high risk situations for substance use. The results support continued emphasis on coping with negative affect as a target in treatments for marijuana dependence.
“Who Will Take Care of Me? My Mom Is an Alcoholic”

“My mother’s alcoholism was the central issue of my life. . . . When she was drunk, we were scared, depressed, and closed to the outside world so we could protect our secret. Of course, we didn’t acknowledge that she was drinking either. We just sunk into despair . . . and tried to cope until she stopped again. When she was sober, we were the happy family, active in school and community affairs” (Brown, 1986, p. 214).
Racial differences in trajectories of heavy drinking and regular marijuana use from ages 13 to 24 among African-American and White males

Abstract Background Although there are significant differences in prevalence of substance use between African-American and White adolescents, few studies have examined racial differences in developmental patterns of substance use, especially during the important developmental transition from adolescence to young adulthood. This study examines racial differences in trajectories of heavy drinking and regular marijuana use from adolescence into young adulthood. Methods A community-based sample of non-Hispanic African-American (n = 276) and non-Hispanic White (n = 211) males was analyzed to identify trajectories from ages 13 to 24. Results Initial analyses indicated race differences in heavy drinking and regular marijuana use trajectories. African Americans were more likely than Whites to be members of the nonheavy drinkers/nondrinkers group and less likely to be members of the early-onset heavy drinkers group. The former were also more likely than the latter to be members of the late-onset regular marijuana use group. Separate analyses by race indicated differences in heavy drinking for African Americans and Whites. A 2-group model for heavy drinking fit best for African Americans, whereas a 4-group solution fit best for Whites. For regular marijuana use, a similar 4-group solution fit for both races, although group proportions differed. Conclusions Within-race analyses indicated that there were clear race differences in the long-term patterns of alcohol use; regular marijuana use patterns were more similar. Extended follow ups are needed to examine differences and similarities in maturation processes for African-American and White males. For both races, prevention and intervention efforts are necessary into young adulthood.
Magnetic nanoparticle-driven pumping in microchannels

We have demonstrated the ability to increase fluid flow rates in microchannels using magnetic nanoparticles that are suspended in the fluid. A magnetic circuit was fabricated to generate a magnetic field gradient and results showed that for |∇B| ∼ 3 T/m, the fluid velocity near the channel edge increased 30 µm/sec. At |∇B| ∼ 5 T/m, the fluid velocity increased 10 – 80 µm/sec from near the edge to the center of the channel.
Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Female Pelvis

Computed tomography (CT) of the pelvis requires good contrasting of the gastrointestinal tract; this is achieved by oral application of about 1000 ml of an appropriate contrast medium solution, which the patient starts drinking about 1 hour before the examination. Retrograde contrasting of the rectosigmoid is normally not required, but is recommended for evaluating a possible infiltration of the colon in patients with suspicion of an advanced ovarian carcinoma (in such cases about 250 ml of the contrast solution are sufficient). The bladder should be well filled with urine. Since a precontrast examination is not required, CT starts directly with the intravenous bolus enhanced contrast study. It is important to ensure adequate contrast enhancement of both the arteries and the veins in order to facilitate the differentiation of suspicious lymph nodes from vascular structures. A digital radiogram for adjustment of the first scanning plane is not required. When conventional CT is used (i. e., without spiral technique), scanning should proceed from the floor of the pelvis in a cranial direction to make optimal use of the strong contrast enhancement of the uterus and ova ries in the early phase after application of the contrast agent. For staging or follow-up of ovarian carcinomas, the entire abdomen should be scanned to identify possible lymphomas, liver metastases or subdiaphragmatic metastases. In such cases, however, scannin g should start at the diaphragm and continue caudad, since the reversed order (i. e., from the floor of the pelvis in a cranial direction) might lead to obscuring of potential liver metastases in the late phase of contrast enhancement.
Identifying the effects of history on adaptation: origins of different sand‐diving techniques in lizards

The effects of previous history on adaptation can be studied in situations where several taxa have been independently exposed to a well-specified problem posed by their selective regimes. This approach was applied to the ways surface-dwelling dune lizards dive rapidly into loose sand when evading predators. Lacertids of the genus Meroles use all limbs and serpentine body and tail movements, behaviour which arose directly in the context of predator evasion in sandy habitats. The agamids, Phrynocephalus and Agama etoshae employ lateral body oscillations and descend vertically, an aberrant method resulting from previous evolution of a blunt snout. The scincid, Scincus and gerrhosaurid, Angolosaurus, both use high amplitude sinusoidal movements of the body and tail, which apparently evolved in a common ancestor of these taxa long before being co-opted to use in sand. In contrast, the scincid, Mabuya acutilabris, holds the body straight, a method that probably originated in the context of concealment at the end of activity. In the phrynosomatid, Uma, the head oscillates up to 60 times per second, the forelimbs are folded back and hindlimb thrust is supplemented by scales on the upper arms acting like ratchets. Some components of this method originated in the context of slow concealment in firm substrata at the end of activity periods, a basic pattern later co-opted for rapid diving in compact sand with modification of the snout to form a drill. Finally, this elaborated mechanism was transferred to loose sand with further behavioural and morphological change. Rapid sand burial by Phrynosoma species has the same origin as that in Uma but, like Phrynocephalus, includes a strong vertical component. It too is associated with a blunt snout which, however, arose after initial burial behaviour developed, not before. These results suggest that, once related lineages have diverged, differences may still accumulate even in similar situations. Sand diving also exhibits striking cases of convergence and provides an example of how function can be used to polarize characters, suggest the situations in which derived states arose and indicate their likely order of change.
Legal Frameworks and Institutional Contexts for Public Consultation Regarding Administrative Action: The United States

Written for a forthcoming book on e-governance and e-democracy, this essay summarizes the current state of play in electronic rulemaking in the United States. It thus focuses on a context in which the use of electronic consultation by “executive branch” actors engaged in policy-making has been developing for over a decade, and has reached a point of considerable, although not final maturity. Initially developed haphazardly, agency-by-agency, it is now (albeit with friction in the gears) moving towards a centralized regime. The practice is rarely consultative in the full sense the book as a whole will address; while the public is given opportunities for input, and the input processes are transparent in varying degrees, online exchanges in the nature of a conversation or round-table are not yet imagined in conventional rulemaking - although first steps in that direction have been taken under the aegis of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC CHANGES IN ACUTE CEREBRAL ANOXIA FROM CARDIAC OR RESPIRATORY ARREST.

Abstract Thirty-nine patients who suffered cardiac arrest (26) or who had apnea (13) remained in coma long enough so EEGs were obtained. The EEGs were classified into 5 grades from Normal (I) to Flat with no activity (V). Patients with records of Grades IV and V (26) had a nearly hopeless prognosis as only one survived. Patients with EEGs of Grade I, who invariably were conscious at the time of the recording, carried an excellent prognosis for full recovery. Records of Grades II and III appeared to be of less certain prognostic value. Serial EEGs were found to be of great value here. An EEG improving in the first 10 days had a good outlook; conversely a deteriorating record carried a poor prognosis. In all the accuracy of prognosis was 83%. Further confirmation was obtained that the EEG can be of considerable help in the establishing of death in the presence of a restored heart beat.
Endocarditis Caused by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Treatment Failure with Linezolid

We describe 2 cases of endocarditis caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus that failed to respond to intravenous linezolid therapy but were successfully treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole plus gentamicin and vancomycin plus rifampin.
Chapter 12 Stochastic inventory theory

Publisher Summary Inventory theory deals with the management of stock levels of goods, with the intent of effectively meeting demands for those goods. The demands for goods are made by buyers and are met by sellers, regardless of whether monetary exchange is involved. This chapter discusses the stochastic inventory theory. The chapter introduces deterministic economic order quantity (EOQ) model and focuses on the single period newsvendor model. The critical difference in the analyses of these models is the mathematical form of the ordering/production cost function. Many properties of the solution to the newsvendor problem generalize to the case of the proportional ordering/production cost function. When that function is convex, but nonlinear, various reasonable properties of the optimal solution are preserved, but the possibility of using a trivial computation to find the optimal solution tends to fail. The problems are exacerbated when the ordering/production cost function is concave (and nonlinear).
Electrical & Structural Properties of TiSi2 Films

Studies of the electrical and structural properties of TiSi2 films formed during the fabrication of shallow junctions by ion implanting As+ into p–Si through Ti films are reported here. Electrical measurements of the temperature dependent specific contact resistance and structural measurements such as transmission electron microscopy have been performed on these device structures. The specific contact resistance is seen to decrease with increasing measurement temperature. These studies have been carried out on furnace and rapid thermally annealed films.
Same-Gender Relationships and the Impact of Employment Benefits: Employers Rather than Legislation Leading the Way in a Case of the Tail Wagging the Dog

In a very interesting historical phenomenon, rights and protections for same-sex relationships has largely come from the workplace even though in most states and the federal government, the law is not there to support it. The majority of the Fortune 500 companies have policies that protect employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and very often provide benefits to same-gender couples. While it is usually the legislature that passes laws and society must catch up, in this case, it is the other way around. This paper takes a look at many of the benefits issues and what is being done and why there is this unusual turn of events regarding same-gender relationships.
Block by MOPS reveals a conformation change in the CFTR pore produced by ATP hydrolysis

ATP hydrolysis by the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl− channel predicts that energy from hydrolysis might cause asymmetric transitions in the gating cycle. We found th...
Endoscopic Endonasal Approaches to the Craniovertebral Junction: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Background We reviewed the current literature pertaining to extended endoscopic endonasal approaches to the craniovertebral junction. Methods A systematic literature review was utilized to identify published surgical cases of endoscopic endonasal approaches to the craniovertebral junction. Full-text manuscripts were examined for various measures of surgical indications, patient characteristics, operative technique, and surgical outcomes. Results We identified 71 cases involving endoscopic endonasal approaches for surgical management of a variety of pathologies located within the craniovertebral junction. Patient ages ranged from 3 to 87 years, with 40 females and 31 males. Five patients required tracheostomy, two were reintubated, and all others experienced an average intubation duration of 0.54 days following surgery. Fifty-eight patients (81.7%) underwent an additional posterior decompression or fusion either before or after the endonasal procedure. A complete resection of the pathologic lesion was reported in 57 cases (83.8%), another five were successful biopsies, and four resulted in partial resection. The follow-up time ranged from 0.5 to 57 months. Conclusion Although the transoral approach has been the standard for anterior surgical management for the past several decades, our systematic review illustrates that the extended endoscopic endonasal approach is a safe and effective alternative for most pathologies affecting the craniovertebral junction.
Reaction Rate Kinetics and Film Textures of Palladium Silicide Formed on Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon

The reaction rate kinetics of the thin film solid-state reaction between 120 nm of Pd and 100 or 300 nm of a-Si:H(18at%) to form Pd2Si were studied in situ using x-ray diffraction and four-point probe resistivity measurements during isothermal annealing. These two techniques yielded activation energies and prefactors of Ea=1.36±0.11 eV with ko=4.29 cm2/sec for the x- ray diffraction experiments; and Ea=0.97±0.22 eV with ko=3.42×10−4 cm2/sec for the resistivity measurements. The activation energy and prefactor obtained from the c-Si substrate of the resistivity measurements yielded Ea=1.41±0.31 eV and ko=10.6 cm2/sec. Comparisons showed that the silicide formed from the a-Si:H reacted approximately 1.4 times faster than the silicide formed from the c-Si in the same sample, but three times faster than silicide formed on pure c- Si( 111). The crystalline texture and grain size of the metal and silicide films were examined.
Gaming and the Commodities Market: An Economic-Based Game for Developing Reasoning Skills.

The authors describe an economics-based game they have developed to instruct student teachers in the value of games and gaming for developing reasoning and decision-making skills in economics in K-12 students (5–18-year-olds). The game is designed to progress through each grade level so that by high school students have a thorough appreciation and understanding of how the world economy is interconnected. Gaming is a feature that both authors are using as part of their curriculum within their social studies methods courses. In particular, the authors are encouraging the use of more sophisticated modes of instruction for elementary teachers in order to redeem the value of the social studies within the elementary curriculum.
Guidelines for Avoiding Vortex Wakes During Use of Closely-Spaced Parallel Runways

This paper proposes a reliable method for estimation of the movement and spread of lift-generated vortex wakes as a function of time to better enable aircraft arriving at airports to avoid the hazards associated with the wakes of preceding aircraft. Operations on closely-spaced parallel runways illustrate how the method may be applied. An overview presents the aerodynamic mechanisms that cause the hazardous parts of lift-generated wakes to spread as a function of time. A computational method developed for determination of the spread of vortex wakes as a function of time is then applied to operations of aircraft as they approach closely-spaced parallel runways. The results suggest guidelines for efficiently and effectively avoiding the vortex wakes of preceding aircraft. Because the theoretical tools developed and the measurements of the components of the time-averaged wind and its gust magnitudes contain uncertainties, flight tests are recommended to confirm and to refine the guidelines presented, and to verify the techniques used to measure the atmospheric parameters that control wake intrusion.
Visualization of Multiple Robots during Team Activities

As robotic systems encompass larger numbers of individual robotic agents, interface design must provide better visual representations that account for factors affecting the human operator's situational awareness. This work investigates three robotic team visualizations via an evaluation with sixteen participants who either had used robots or had no experience with robots. The team visualizations varied in how much information was displayed: only individual robots, individual robots connected via a semitransparent team shape, or a solid team shape. The evaluation results revealed that the two visualizations utilizing a team shape were used more frequently than the visualization displaying only individual robots.
Deutsche Telekom’s spying scandal: An international application of the image repair discourse

Abstract This analysis expands on the image restoration discourse and adapts it to the German business environment. It takes into account the cultural dimensions of uncertainty ambiguity and long-term orientation (Hofstede, 2011) to analyze Deutsche Telekom’s image repair attempts in the aftermath of a spying scandal. The results reveal that the strategies of mortification and reduce offensiveness emerged within the frame of corrective action while denial was present in the overarching theme of transcendence. The use of corrective action and transcendence as larger frames for crisis communication meets the stakeholders’ expectations in terms of a systematic overview of details and a focus on the crisis's context. The results reveal the need for continued research that ascertains ways of adapting the image repair discourse to international business environments. Finally, the results of this study can be used by companies that operate in Germany in their attempt to reduce the negative impact of a crisis on their reputation.
Peptoid Library Agar Diffusion (PLAD) Assay for the High-Throughput Identification of Antimicrobial Peptoids

Rapid emergence of antimicrobial resistant organisms necessitates equally rapid methods for the development of new antimicrobial compounds. Of recent interest have been mimics of antimicrobial peptides known as antimicrobial peptoids, which exhibit similar potency to the former but with improved proteolytic stability. Presented herein is a high-throughput method to screen libraries of antimicrobial peptoids immobilized on beads embedded into solid media. Termed the peptoid library agar diffusion (PLAD) assay, this assay allows for individual chemical manipulation of two identical peptoid strands. One strand can be released to diffuse out from a solid support bead and interact with the microorganism during screening. The other strand can be cleaved after screening from beads showing strong antimicrobial activity and analyzed by mass spectrometry to deconvolute the structure of the peptoid. This method was applied to a small library of peptoids to identify an antimicrobial peptoid with modest efficacy again...
Cation-Dependent Charge Recombination to Organic Mediators in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Mesoporous TiO2 thin films sensitized to visible light with [Ru(dtb)2(dcb)]2+, where dtb is 4,4′-((CH3)3C)2-2,2′-bipyridine and dcb is 4,4′-(CO2H)2-2,2′-bipyridine, abbreviated TiO2|Ru, were investigated in acetonitrile electrolytes that contained 0.1 M Na+, Li+, Mg2+, or Ca2+ perchlorate solutions with the electron donor trip-tolylamine (TPTA) or phenothiazine (PTZ). Pulsed 532 nm light excitation of TiO2|Ru with >25 mM donor concentrations quantitatively yielded TiO2(e–)|Ru + D+, and the corresponding recombination reaction between the injected electrons and the oxidized donors was monitored on nanosecond and longer time scales. The recombination kinetics were nonexponential, but were well described by the Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts stretched exponential function. For the TPTA donor, the abstracted rate constants followed the trend Na+ > Li+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+. A similar trend was seen for PTZ, although no significant difference in the recombination kinetics for Na and Li was observed, Na+ ∼ Li+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+...
Optimized and trusted collision avoidance for unmanned aerial vehicles using approximate dynamic programming

Safely integrating unmanned aerial vehicles into civil airspace is contingent upon development of a trustworthy collision avoidance system. This paper proposes an approach whereby a parameterized resolution logic that is considered trusted for a given range of its parameters is adaptively tuned online. Specifically, to address the potential conservatism of the resolution logic with static parameters, we present a dynamic programming approach for adapting the parameters dynamically based on the encounter state. We compute the adaptation policy offline using a simulation-based approximate dynamic programming method that accommodates the high dimensionality of the problem. Numerical experiments show that this approach improves safety and operational performance compared to the baseline resolution logic, while retaining trustworthiness.
Calumet and Fleur-De-Lys: Archaeology of Indian and French Contact in the Midcontinent

Review of: Calumet and Fleur-de-Lys: Archaeology of Indian and French Contact in the Midcontinent. Walthall, John A. and Emerson, Thomas E., ed.
Exaggerated Protein Loss Complicating Sterile Peritonitis Results from Increased Diffusion

To assess the mechanism of protein loss during chemical peritonitis, dialyses with sodium desoxycholate added to the instilled solution were compared to controls in rabbits. Sodium desoxycholate ca...
How do stem cells mobilize? Bridging the GAP.

In this issue of Blood , Wang et al describe a novel platform for improving our understanding of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) behavior. 1
Emergency Surgical Airways Following Activation of a Difficult Airway Management Team in Hospitalized Critically Ill Patients: A Case Series:

Introduction:An emergency surgical airway (ESA) is widely recommended for securing the airway in critically ill patients who cannot be intubated or ventilated. Little is known of the frequency, cli...
Text Painting, or Coincidence? Treatment of Height-Related Imagery in the Madrigals of Luca Marenzio

Text painting is a defining characteristic of the sixteenth-century madrigal style, especially in association with references to height. Whereas composers cannot have given musical illustration to every such reference contained within the text of a madrigal, the question of whether or not the music that accompanies a particular reference to height constitutes an actual example of text painting is sometimes unclear. To explore this problem empirically, the frequency with which musical excerpts from a corpus of 201 madrigals composed by the Italian composer Luca Marenzio satisfied three proposed definitions of height-related text painting was measured. The three definitions required a vocal part to contain either a large leap, stepwise motion, or an extreme of pitch. Positive correlations were observed between the appearance of music conforming to each of the respective definitions and the presence of height-related imagery in the text, yet only in passages that satisfied more than one definition. The research suggests that no single definition is a reliable indicator of height-related text painting, and that most legitimate examples rely on multiple compositional devices.
Recurrence of Barrett’s Esophagus is Rare Following Endoscopic Eradication Therapy Coupled With Effective Reflux Control

Recurrence of Barrett’s Esophagus is Rare Following Endoscopic Eradication Therapy Coupled With Effective Reflux Control
Vaccine Properties of a Novel Marker Gene-Free Recombinant Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) Expressing Immunodominant CMV Antigens.

Human CMV continues to be a major risk factor in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell (HSCT) and solid organ transplant (SOT), despite advancement of antiviral therapy. CMV tegument protein pp65 and CMV immediate early gene product IE1 are both considered immunodominant targets of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) and potentially capable of controlling CMV infection. Similar to healthy adults, CMV tegument protein pp65 and IE1 are frequently recognized by human CD4 and CD8 T cells in HCT and SOT recipients. To better assess their role in host defense, we have constructed a novel attenuated poxvirus (MVA) transfer vector named pZWIIA and generated a recombinant MVA (rMVA) expressing both full-length pp65 and exon4 of IE1 (pp65-IE1-MVA) at high levels, followed by the genetic removal of the bacterial marker gene used to distinguish recombinant forms during the screening process. Immunogenicity evaluation indicates that pp65-IE1-MVA not only can induce robust primary CMI to both antigens in HLA A2.1, B7 and A11 transgenic mice, but also can stimulate vigorous expansion of memory T lymphocyte responses to pp65 and IE1 in PBMC of CMV-positive donors. The recent discovery that additional early antigens of CMV are also well-recognized by healthy adults prompted us to include the IE2 antigen in the vaccine. Evaluation of in vivo immunogenicity of the vaccine expressing IE2 in both transgenic mice and in vitro antigenicity in human peripheral blood lymphocytes of HSCT and SOT recipients will be presented. A novel overlapping peptide library spanning full-length IE2 has been constructed in our laboratory, and used in conjunction with the vaccine expressing IE2, along with IE1 and pp65. Since MVA has a foreign gene capacity of over 30 kilobases (Kb), we have developed a strategy to maximize coverage of haplotypes through insertion of 6 additional antigens into novel insertion sites of the virus, for a total of just 12.0 Kb of the CMV genome. The selected antigens cover 83% of the population, while representing over 22% of the combined CD4 and CD8 T cell repertoire in seropositives. Our studies of the recognition of these antigens expressed in MVA and monitored with our own synthesized over-lapping peptide libraries in both HSCT and SOT recipients will be presented. These properties make the MVA-based vaccine ideal for the dual role of priming and boosting CMV-specific T cell immunity as a means to control CMV disease in recipients of HCT or SOT. pZWIIA alone or in combination with other MVA transfer vectors can be used to generate MVA based multiple-antigen vaccine which have application in vaccine development for a wide spectrum of infectious diseases and cancer.
Unique Contributions of Acceptance and Catastrophizing on Chronic Pain Adaptation

Pain catastrophizing and acceptance represent distinct but interrelated constructs that influence adaptation to chronic pain. Clinical and laboratory research suggest that higher levels of catastrophizing and lower levels of acceptance predict worse functioning; however, findings have been mixed regarding which specific outcomes are associated with each construct. The current study evaluates these constructs in relation to pain, affect, and functioning in a treatment-seeking clinical sample. Participants included 249 adult patients who were admitted to an interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation program and completed measures of pain and related psychological and physical functioning. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that pain catastrophizing and acceptance both significantly, but differentially, predicted depressive symptoms and pain-related negative affect. Only pain catastrophizing was a unique predictor of perceived pain severity, whereas acceptance uniquely predicted pain interference and performance in everyday living activities. There were no significant interactions between acceptance and catastrophizing, suggesting no moderation effects. Findings from the current study indicate a pattern of results similar to prior studies in which greater levels of catastrophic thinking is associated with higher perceived pain intensity whereas greater levels of acceptance relate to better functioning in activities despite chronic pain. However, in the current study, both acceptance and catastrophizing were associated with negative affect. These relationships were significant beyond the effects of clinical and demographic variables. These results support the role of pain acceptance as an important contribution to chronic pain-related outcomes alongside the well-established role of pain catastrophizing. Results are limited by reliance on self-report data, cross-sectional design, and low racial/ethnic diversity.
Targeting FLT3 by chimeric antigen receptor T cells for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.

Targeting FLT3 by chimeric antigen receptor T cells for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia
Histone Posttranslational Modifications in Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder with high heritability; however, family and twin studies have indicated that environmental factors also play important roles in the etiology of disease. Environmental triggers exert their influence on behavior via epigenetic mechanisms. Epigenetic modifications, such as histone acetylation and methylation, as well as DNA methylation, can induce lasting changes in gene expression and have therefore been implicated in promoting the behavioral and neuronal behaviors that characterize this disorder. Importantly, because epigenetic processes are potentially reversible, they might serve as targets in the design of novel therapies in psychiatry. This chapter will review the current information regarding histone modifications in schizophrenia and the potential therapeutic relevance of such marks.
Chemical sensing dependence on metal oxide thickness for high temperature plasmonics-based sensors

Abstract Monitoring emission levels of combustion related gases such as H 2 , CO and NO 2 is beneficial both to optimize performance of combustion systems as well as to reduce the impacts of the target gases on the environment. Although considerable work has been done with regards to high temperature sensing in plasmonics based sensor research, the sensing mechanisms have not been fully developed. Another area that needs further investigative studies is in the optimization of material parameters that give the optimal sensing performance to tested gases. In this work nanorods encapsulated with a metal oxide of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) patterned through electron beam lithography are shown to be sensitive to the tested gases, and mechanisms pertinent to the sensing reactions have been proposed. The optimal thicknesses of fabricated films have been identified, which will enable predictive design of such nanocomposite films for applications requiring compatibility to high temperatures and harsh environments.
Animal Metaphors Revisited: New Uses of Art, Literature, and Science in an Environmental Studies Course

This article describes a team-taught environmental studies course called Animal Metaphors. Focusing on animal metaphors in literature and film, the course emphasizes various cognitive and perceptual biases that lead humans to place ourselves above and beyond nature, making us more likely to engage in practices destructive to the environment. Whereas the first iteration of the course underscored various ways in which humans are less rational or moral than we imagine, the new iteration shifted more of the focus to what inspires and motivates humans, gives us emotional resilience, and best creates conditions for mental well-being as we cooperate and collaborate. This seemed an appropriate tack to take in an age commonly referred to as the “Anthropocene.” We thus continued to examine our status as evolved animals while also calling more attention to spiritual or ecstatic experience, music, humor, and the uniquely human ability for shared intentionality. Keywords: anthropocene, environmentalism, storytelling, animals, metaphor, cognition, ecocriticism, listening, entrainment
Abstract 055: Changes in Disease-specific versus Generic Health Status Measures After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation: Insights From INTERMACS

Background: The effects of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy on quality of life (QoL) are typically assessed with a combination of heart failure (HF)-specific and generic QoL measures. ...
Numerical Modeling of Ultrasound Propagation in Weakly Heterogeneous Media Using a Mixed-Domain Method

A mixed-domain method (MDM) is presented in this paper for modeling one-way linear/nonlinear wave propagation in biological tissue with arbitrary heterogeneities, in which sound speed, density, attenuation coefficients, and nonlinear coefficients are all spatial varying functions. The present method is based on solving an integral equation derived from a Westervelt-like equation. One-dimensional problems are first studied to verify the MDM and to reveal its limitations. It is shown that this method is accurate for cases with small variation of sound speed. A 2-D case is further studied with focused ultrasound beams to validate the application of the method in the medical field. Results from the MATLAB toolbox k-Wave are used as the benchmark. Normalized root-mean-square (rms) error estimated at the focus of the transducer is 0.0133 when the coarsest mesh (1/3 of the wavelength) is used in the MDM. Fundamental and second-harmonic fields throughout the considered computational domains are compared and good agreement is observed. Overall, this paper demonstrates that the MDM is a computationally efficient and accurate method when used to model wave propagation in biological tissue with relatively weak heterogeneities.
Die Garben der Weisheit werden gebunden

Im Verlauf des Sommersemesters kamen mehr Besucher nach Harvard. Unter ihnen war auch Wladimir Drinfeld, der meinem mathematischen Forschungsgebiet und in mehrfacher Hinsicht auch meiner mathematischen Laufbahn eine neue Richtung gab. Und all dies nur wegen dem Langlands-Programm.
MUCOCILIARY PARTICLE CLEARANCE IN THE HUMAN NOSE

Abstract To understand the role of the human nose in the disposition of inhaled particles one must know the circumstances under which nasal breathing is practiced, the character of nasal air flow (or oral air flow when it occurs), what particles are deposited within the upper air passages, and their ultimate fate. This paper reports the early stages of an investigation of these problems in the living human. Techniques for study of nasal air flow, and for the measurement of particle movement in the human nasal mucous stream are described. Nasal air flow patterns appear to be remarkably constant under varying conditions of flow. The transport of particles in the nasal mucous stream is comparable to mucociliary motion observed by others in experimental animals and in in vitro studies.