cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Partial failure of a perforator free flap can be salvaged by a second perforator free flap

Introduction Perforator flaps as an innovative method for soft tissue transfer that maximizes function preservation, were originally introduced primarily as free flaps. Their reliability and versatility has been found to not differ from other sources of free flaps where total failure is an uncommon event. Partial failure should also be recognized as a possible dilemma that is perhaps more of a unique untoward sequela of perforator flaps. Method A retrospective review of our flap experience over the past decade included 310 perforator free flaps. Partial perforator flap failure that required a second free flap for salvage was selected in 6 patients. Results All perforator free flaps in our experience that had some form of partial failure were anterolateral thigh [ALT] free flaps. Clinically initially unrecognizable but ultimately distal flap ischemia could be attributed to poor flap design, and was the cause of immediate partial flap necrosis in 2 cases. Delayed difficulties were complications not specific to perforator flaps. In all cases, a free flap was considered the best option, and a second perforator free flap proved to resolve all reconstructive objectives. Conclusions The root cause of partial failure of a perforator free flap was found to be either iatrogenic or de novo in origin. The proper design requires an awareness of the correct topographic axis and an understanding of the perforasome concept to better insure adequate flap perfusion. If a free flap is still considered the best solution after a partial failure, the advantages and benefit of a second perforator free flap should not be overlooked. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 34:177–182, 2014.
PREDICTING HEARING AID ACCEPTANCE AND BEYOND

The acceptable noise level (ANL) procedure was developed to quantify the maximum amount of background noise that listeners are willing to accept while listening to speech. The ANL is calculated as a difference between a listener's most comfortable listening level (MCL) for speech and the maximum acceptable noise level (BNL). Successful hearing aid use is related to an individual's ability to accept background noise. A formula was developed to calculate the probability of success with hearing aids as a function of individual ANL. Research has demonstrated that ANLs with and without hearing aids are highly correlated, and the ANL test can predict hearing-aid use with 85% accuracy. Several interesting issues have emerged from recent ANL investigations: 1) How should a patient be counseled regarding the ANL? 2) What factors contribute to the large inter-subject variability of ANL? 3) If successful hearing aid use relates to the ability to accept background noise, can this ability be enhanced by auditory training or pharmacological means? 4) Can hearing aids with advanced processing features, such as noise reduction, allow occasional or unsuccessful hearing aid users to become successful users?
A DIFFERENTIAL INVERSION METHOD FOR HIGH RESOLUTION ATMOSPHERIC REMOTE SENSING

The spectral lines of atmospheric gases may be fully resolved with high resolution observations by techniques, such as infrared heterodyne spectrometers. An inversion method suitable for such observations is discussed and is found to have several advantages over conventional methods. The method is based on matching the derivatives of the observed radiances or transmittances with the calculated values for the modeled atmosphere. The proposed method provides a significant narrowing of the weighting functions and improvement in the overall accuracy of the retrieved profiles. The method is applied to inversion of ozone absorption lines in the earth's atmosphere and the results are compared with those obtained with a conventional method .
Expression and localization of endothelin receptors: implications for the involvement of peripheral glia in nociception.

The endothelins (ETs) are peptides that have a diverse array of functions mediated by two receptor subtypes, the endothelin A receptor (ETAR) and the endothelin B receptor (ETBR). Pharmacological studies have suggested that in peripheral tissues, ETAR expression may play a role in signaling acute or neuropathic pain, whereas ETBR expression may be involved in the transmission of chronic inflammatory pain. To begin to define the mechanisms by which ET can drive nociceptive signaling, autoradiography and immunohistochemistry were used to examine the distribution of ETAR and ETBR in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and peripheral nerve of the rat, rabbit, and monkey. In DRG and peripheral nerve, ETAR-immunoreactivity was present in a subset of small-sized peptidergic and nonpeptidergic sensory neurons and their axons and to a lesser extent in a subset of medium-sized sensory neurons. However, ETBR-immunoreactivity was not seen in DRG neurons or axons but rather in DRG satellite cells and nonmyelinating ensheathing Schwann cells. Thus, when ETs are released in peripheral tissues, they could act directly on ETAR-expressing sensory neurons and on ETBR-expressing DRG satellite cells or nonmyelinating Schwann cells. These data indicate that ETs can have direct, nociceptive effects on the peripheral sensory nervous system and that peripheral glia may be directly involved in signaling nociceptive events in peripheral tissues.
A unified information theoretic framework for pair- and group-wise registration of medical images

The field of medical image analysis has been rapidly growing for the past two decades. Besides a significant growth in computational power, scanner performance, and storage facilities, this acceleration is partially due to an unprecedented increase in the amount of data sets accessible for researchers. Medical experts traditionally rely on manual comparisons of images, but the abundance of information now available makes this task increasingly difficult. Such a challenge prompts for more automation in processing the images. In order to carry out any sort of comparison among multiple medical images, one frequently needs to identify the proper correspondence between them. This step allows us to follow the changes that happen to anatomy throughout a time interval, to identify differences between individuals, or to acquire complementary information from different, data modalities. Registration achieves such a correspondence. In this dissertation we focus on the unified analysis and characterization of statistical registration approaches. We formulate and interpret a select group of pair-wise registration methods in the context of a unified statistical and information theoretic framework. This clarifies the implicit assumptions of each method and yields a better understanding of their relative strengths and weaknesses. This guides us to a new registration algorithm that incorporates the advantages of the previously described methods. Next we extend the unified formulation with analysis of the group-wise registration algorithms that align a population as opposed to pairs of data sets. Finally, we present our group-wise registration framework, stochastic congealing. The algorithm runs in a simultaneous fashion, with every member of the population approaching the central tendency of the collection at the same tune. It eliminates the need for selecting a particular reference frame a priori resulting in a non-biased estimate of a digital template. Our algorithm adopts an information theoretic objective function which is optimized via a gradient-based stochastic approximation process embedded in a multi-resolution setting. We demonstrate the accuracy and performance characteristics of stochastic congealing via experiments on both synthetic and real images. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Hierarchical Classification by Rank and Kinship in Baboons

Humans routinely classify others according to both their individual attributes, such as social status or wealth, and membership in higher order groups, such as families or castes. They also recognize that people's individual attributes may be influenced and regulated by their group affiliations. It is not known whether such rule-governed, hierarchical classifications are specific to humans or might also occur in nonlinguistic species. Here we show that baboons recognize that a dominance hierarchy can be subdivided into family groups. In playback experiments, baboons respond more strongly to call sequences mimicking dominance rank reversals between families than within families, indicating that they classify others simultaneously according to both individual rank and kinship. The selective pressures imposed by complex societies may therefore have favored cognitive skills that constitute an evolutionary precursor to some components of human cognition.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Emergency Department Intervention for Patients with Chronic Noncancer Pain.

Abstract Background Emergency Departments (EDs) are beginning to notify their physicians of patients reporting chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) who frequent EDs, and are suggesting that the physicians not prescribe opioids to these patients. Objectives We hypothesized that this intervention would reduce both the number of opioids prescribed to these patients by their ED physicians and the number of these patients' return visits to the ED. Methods We conducted a randomized controlled trial of this intervention in 13 electronically linked EDs. Patients eligible for the study were characterized by CNCP, lacked evidence of sickle cell anemia and suicide ideation, and made frequent (>10) visits to the EDs over a 12-month period. We randomly assigned 411 of these patients to either an intervention group or a control group. Our intervention comprised both an alert placed in eligible patients' medical files and letters sent to the patients and their community-based providers. The alert suggested that physicians decline requests for opioid analgesic prescriptions and instead refer these patients to community-based providers to manage their ongoing pain. Results During the 12 months after randomization, patients in the intervention and control groups averaged 11.9 and 16.6 return visits, and received prescriptions for opioids on 16% and 26% of those visits, respectively. Altogether, patients in the intervention group made 1033 fewer return visits to the EDs in the follow-up year than those in the control group. Conclusion This intervention constitutes a promising practice that EDs should consider to reduce the number of visits made by frequent visitors with CNCP.
Personal and Professional Values Underlying Ethical Decisions: A Comparison of American and Thai Marketers

Cultural differences in moral judgments are generally recognized by marketing ethicists (e.g., Ferrell and Gresham, 1985; Hunt and Vitell, 1986). Based on their review of marketing ethics, Murphy and Laczniak ( 1981, p. 258) pointed out that, "as more firms move into multinational marketing, ethical issues tend to increase." While numerous studies have been conducted to examine the ethical decisions of American marketers in recent years, there has been very little interest among researchers on the cross-cultural aspects of marketing ethics decisions. This study attempts to investigate the issue of cross-cultural ethical differences by comparing American marketers and Thai marketers with respect to their professional and personal values.
Infrasound in the middle stratosphere measured with a free-flying acoustic array

Infrasound recorded in the middle stratosphere suggests that the acoustic wavefield above the Earth's surface differs dramatically from the wavefield near the ground. In contrast to nearby surface stations, the balloon-borne infrasound array detected signals from turbulence, nonlinear ocean wave interactions, building ventilation systems, and other sources that have not been identified yet. Infrasound power spectra also bore little resemblance to spectra recorded on the ground at the same time. Thus, sensors on the Earth's surface likely capture a fraction of the true diversity of acoustic waves in the atmosphere. Future studies building upon this experiment may quantify the acoustic energy flux from the surface to the upper atmosphere, extend the capability of the International Monitoring System to detect nuclear explosions, and lay the observational groundwork for a recently proposed mission to detect earthquakes on Venus using free-flying microphones.
Global seismicity of 1982 and 1983: additional centroid-moment tensor solutions for 553 earthquakes

Abstract The development of improved methods of analysis allowed us to derive centroid-moment tensor solutions for 553 earthquakes that occurred during 1982 and 1983, in addition to 735 solutions published earlier.
Conditioned taste aversion produced by low doses of alcohol

A taste-aversion paradigm was utilized to demonstrate the aversiveness of intraperitoneal injections of alcohol. When injections followed immediately the ingestion of an originally preferred flavor, the extent of subsequent aversion to that flavor varied as a function of dosage (1.2 g alcohol/kg >0.8 g/kg >0.4 g/kg >0.0 g/kg). Delayed injections of 1.2 g/kg, however, did not result in significant aversion. Significant aversiveness was also demonstrated in a second experiment which utilized a “blind-injection” technique at the 1.2 g/kg dose level.
Honokiol produces anti-neoplastic effects on melanoma cells in vitro.

Background Melanoma continues to be a therapeutic challenge for the medical community owing to the scarcity of effective agents available to treat the disease. Honokiol, a traditional Chinese herb, has been proven to have anti-cancer effects in various cell types, therefore we hypothesized it may have similar cytotoxic capabilities against melanoma cells in vitro. Methods Two cell lines, SK-MEL2 and MeWo, were grown in culture and exposed to increasing doses of Honokiol. Cell proliferation, cytochrome c release into the cytosol, intra-cellular caspase activity, and mitochondrial depolarization were then evaluated after treatment with honokiol. Results Melanoma cells in culture underwent cell death, had increased cytosolic cytochrome c, showed greater caspase activity, and demonstrated increased mitochondrial depolarization after treatment when compared to controls. Conclusions It appears that honokiol is an effective inhibitor of cultured human melanoma cells. J. Surg. Oncol. 2011; 104:260–264. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
When zero-sum games go negative

Contested lands: Israel-Palestine, Kashmir, Bosnia, Cyprus, and Sri Lanka, by Sumantra Bose. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2007, 329 pp. plus 13 maps. US$27.95 (hardcover), ISBN 13:978-0...
STEM ABSCISSION IN THE TUMBLEWEED, PSORALEA'

A B S T R A C T Abscission was studied in Psoralea argophylla Ptursh, a prairie tumbleweed. This process is responsible for the detachment of the stem from its perennial base. In a single plant abscission may proceed through one or more intercalary meristems located at or near ground level. During senescence a separation layer differentiates within each of these meristems. Chemical changes occur within the compound middle lamellae which result in the conversionl of insoluble pectic compounds into soluble forms. Cell separation takes place only after removal of the pectic compounds, meristematic activity, and attenuation of cell walls. Unlike reports of other angiosperms the protective layer is not formed adjacent to the separation layer, btut forms some distance undergrouind at the stem-root junction.
Recovery as an Ethical Ideal

The paper explores the varied implications of cure, healing, and recovery and considers why recovery is often the preferred characterization in relation to a medicalized drug dependency. The positive as well as the negative dimensions of recovery are noted; the ethical challenges of the primarily processual associations of recovery are investigated; and some policy implications are indicated.
Device-supported myocardial revascularization: safe help for sick hearts.

Abstract Although advances in both the technology of artificial oxygenation and our understanding of myocardial preservation have made aortocoronary bypass operations safer, clinical settings remain where even these improvements have limited efficacy. We have recently treated 43 severely ill patients with aortocoronary bypass, using a ventricular assist device for intraoperative hemodynamic support and ventricular decompression. For 34 of the patients, preoperative ejection fractions (multigated acquisition) ranged from 0.12 to 0.28 (average, 0.22); 6 patients manifested cardiogenic shock preoperatively, and emergency operations precluded multigated acquisition studies. Twenty-nine patients had preoperative evidence of congestive heart failure, 10 had a prior bypass operation, 9 had major chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 2 were Jehovah's Witnesses. The operative technique involved minimal doses of heparin (1 to 1.5 mg/kg), no cardioplegia, and no cardiopulmonary bypass. Revascularization was accomplished on beating, nonworking hearts, with right (40 of 43) and left (43 of 43) ventricles supported by Nimbus Hemopumps (4 of 43) or Bio-Medicus centrifugal ventricular assist devices for an average of 112 minutes. In each case, the patient's lungs were used as the oxygenator. An average of 3.7 bypass grafts per patient were constructed. The left internal mammary artery was used in 41 patients, whereas at least one coronary endarterectomy was required in 20. Six patients had concomitant placement of an automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Two patients (4.6%) died: 1 (with preoperative cardiogenic shock) of low cardiac output on postoperative day 1, and 1 of a severe neurologic deficit on day 8. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 18 months (average, 8.9 months), with all survivors demonstrating improvement in cardiac function in both the early and late pestoperative periods. We believe that the use of ventricular assist device support for myocardial revascularization has real efficacy, especially in the management of severely ill, high-risk patients at increased operative risk. Moreover, we are encouraged that in selected cases, avoiding pump oxygenation and cardioplegia-induced global ischemic arrest may be a safe strategy.
Transient natural convection in a single-phase heat-generating pool bounded from below by a segment of a sphere

Abstract Transient natural convection in a heat-generating layer of water bounded from below by a segment of a sphere has been experimentally investigated as a model of a possible core-melt configuration. The layer has an insulated lower boundary and a rigid, isothermal upper boundary. These thermal and hydrodynamic boundary conditions have been chosen to provide lower-bound and limiting-case estimates of heat transfer coefficients and temperature profiles within the layer. The data comprise measured maximum temperature differences and temperature profiles within the layer as a function of time. Although the transient temperature profiles exhibit features similar to those of transient convection in a horizontal layer, flow development time-scales are found to be generally greater than for the horizontal layer. A simple relation between the layer Fourier number and Rayleigh number is found to correlate the time-scale data sufficiently well for engineering purposes.
Continuity and Change in Political Orientations: A Longitudinal Study of Two Generations.

This paper utilizes a national panel study of two biologically linked generations to study political change and continuity between 1965 and 1973. Four basic processes and combinations thereof are posited: absolute continuity, generational effects, life-cycle effects, and period effects. Data at the aggregate level give strong support for each type of change and continuity progression, depending upon the substantive political orientation examined. There are also strong traces of hybrid effects, especially the combination of period and life-cycle processes acting to propel the younger generation at a faster clip than the older. Over the eight-year span the absolute cleavage between the generations tended to decline, the major exception occurring with respect to specific issues and partisanship. The anomaly of this strain toward convergence in the light of the generation gap controversy is discussed.
Developing a Spatially Enabled Inventory of Recreational Boats Using Vessel Registration Data

Effective waterway management requires information on the characteristics and locations of boats. A field-based boat census—a traditional method to obtain spatially accurate information—is relatively expensive, time-consuming, and restrictive in scope. Vessel registration data, maintained by all U.S. states, is potentially a more robust information source. This research evaluated the accuracy and reliability of vessel registration data to supply location and attribute information for boats. The study premise was to use vessel registration data, which includes the mailing address of registered boat owners, to develop a spatially enabled inventory of boats. The study area comprised 12,064 salt-water accessible property parcels in two Florida counties. An on-water census (OWC) provided location and characteristics for 5,023 vessels, which were compared to 8,681 vessel registration records linked to the study area. Discrepancies between the OWC and vessel registration data were explained by a stratified, rand...
Absence of Detectable Chorionic Gonadotropin Subunit Messenger Ribonucleic Acids in the Rat Placenta throughout Gestation

We hypothesized that if a CG similar in structure to other glycoprotein hormones was present in the rat placenta, then mRNAs encoding its subunits would be detectable. To investigate the possible presence of a CG in the rat, we attempted to detect mRNAs encoding the α- and CGβ-like subunits in the placentae of timed pregnant rats by sensitive blot hybridization analyses using cloned cDNAs encoding α- and β-subunits of LH derived from rat pituitary mRNA. No subunitspecific mRNAs in placentae of pregnant rats at 4–21 days gestation were detected at either high or low stringencies of hybridization. However, under similar conditions, subunit-specific mRNAs were readily observed in total pituitary RNA of normal as well as ovariectomized rats. Moreover, hybridization with a cDNA for α-tubulin, a major component of the cytoskeleton, yielded easily detectable bands in rat placental RNA. In addition, hybridization analysis, under low stringency conditions, of restriction enzyme digests of rat genomic DNA with a ra...
Preference logic grammars: fixed point semantics and application to data standardization

The addition of preferences to normal logic programs is a convenient way to represent many aspects of default reasoning. If the derivation of an atom A1 is preferred to that of an atom A2, a preference rule can be defined so that A2 is derived only if A1 is not. Although such situations can be modelled directly using default negation, it is often easier to define preference rules than it is to add negation to the bodies of rules. As first noted by Govindarajan et al. [Proc. Internat. Conf. on Logic Programming, 1995, pp. 731-746], for certain grammars, it may be easier to disambiguate parses using preferences than by enforcing disambiguation in the grammar rules themselves. In this paper we define a general fixed-point semantics for preference logic programs based on an embedding into the well-founded semantics, and discuss its features and relation to previous preference logic semantics. We then study how preference logic grammars are used in data standardization, the commercially important process of extracting useful information from poorly structured textual data. This process includes correcting misspellings and truncations that occur in data, extraction of relevant information via parsing, and correcting inconsistencies in the extracted information. The declarativity of Prolog offers natural advantages for data standardization, and a commercial standardizer has been implemented using Prolog. However, we show that the use of preference logic grammars allow construction of a much more powerful and declarative commercial standardizer, and discuss in detail how the use of the non-monotonic construct of preferences leads to improved commercial software.
Effect of mating with males reared in continuous light or in light-dark cycles on fecundity in Plodia interpunctella Hübner (Lepidoptera: Phycitidae)

Abstract Females of Plidia interpunctella mated with males reared under continuous light (LL) and those mated with males under light-dark cycles (LD) differed significantly in fecundity. Although spermatophores were transferred in most cases by the males, LD males stimulated more females to lay, which consequently increased total egg production. However, the individual females that were inseminated by either LL or LD males showed no significant differences either in production or in rate of laying. A single mating with a LD male was more effective than two matings with LL males. The light regime in which the females were reared did not influence oviposition. The difference in oviposition induced by matings with LL and LD males was, therefore, due to the inadequacy of LL males.
Constructing Female Athleticism : A Study of Girl's Recreational Softball

As more female athletes enter the sporting arena, girls and women are finding ways to manage the cultural contradiction of female athleticism. Past research has focused on the apologetic defense as a strategy that allows female athletes to combine athleticism and traditional femininity. Using observations and interviews with a group of preadolescent and adolescent girls participating in a recreational softball league, this study highlights how age affects the social construction of gender. Although the classic apologetic defense is characterized by exaggerated femininity motivated by a fear of perceived masculinization through sports, this study reveals that the girls' overemphasis on traditionally feminine traits is motivated instead by a desire to prove maturity, which is demonstrated through gendered behavior. The younger, preadolescent girls most closely resemble traditional tomboys who embrace masculine activities and demeanors. As the girls enter adolescence, approximately 12 and 13 years of age, th...
Partial oxidation of methane over Rh/supported-ceria catalysts: Effect of catalyst reducibility and redox cycles

Abstract Partial oxidation of methane (POM) was studied over Rh/(Ce0.56Zr0.44)O2−x, Rh/(Ce0.91Gd0.09)O2−x, Rh/(Ce0.71Gd0.29)O2−x and Rh/(Ce0.88La0.12)O2−x. The effect of catalyst reducibility and redox cycles was investigated. It was found that the type of doped-ceria support and its reducibility played an important role in catalyst activity. It was also observed that redox cycles had a positive influence on H2 production, which was enhanced as the number of redox cycle increased. Results of carbon formation are discussed as a function of ionic conductivity. Temperature programmed reduction (TPR) profiles, BET surface area, ionic conductivity and XRD patterns were determined to characterize catalysts. Catalytic tests revealed that of the materials tested, Rh/(Ce0.56Zr0.44)O2−x was the most active material for the production of syngas, which correlates with its TPR profile. It was observed that doping CeO2 with Zr, rather than with La or Gd caused an enhanced reducibility of Rh/supported-ceria catalysts.
Behavioral control over shock blocks behavioral and neurochemical effects of later social defeat

Experience with behavioral control over tailshock (escapable shock, ES) has been shown to block the behavioral and neurochemical changes produced by later uncontrollable tail shock (inescapable shock, IS). The present experiments tested, in rats, whether the protective effect of control over tailshock extends beyond reducing the behavioral and neurochemical impact of a subsequent tailshock experience to stressors that are quite different. Social defeat (SD) was chosen as the second stress experience because it has few if any cues in common with tailshock. SD produced shuttlebox escape learning deficits ("learned helplessness") and reduced juvenile social investigation 24 h later, as does IS. IS is notable for inducing a large increase in dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) serotonergic (5-HT) activity as measured by extracellular levels of 5-HT within the DRN, and SD did so as well. ES occurring 7 days before SD blocked this SD-induced DRN activation, as well as the SD-induced interference with shuttlebox escape and reduction in social investigation. Prior exposure to yoked IS did not reduce the DRN 5-HT activation or later behavioral effects produced by SD, and thus the proactive stress-blunting effects of ES can be attributed to it's controllability. Thus, ES confers a very general protection to the impact of a subsequent stress experience.
ACCEPTANCE OF ORAL AND WRITTEN PSYCHOLOGICAL REPORTS BY CLIENTS

After long neglect ( 3 ) current interest in clinical assessment is emerging with a new social-psychological focus on interactions of client and examiner and variables which influence the effectiveness of direct communication of assessment results to clients ( 2 ) . The present research is one of a series of studies which has examined empirically the effects of report form on client reactions to feedback information (1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 ) . Undergraduates (31 males and 31 females) completed Form A of Jackson's Personality Research Form (6 ) during a regular dass period. Two weeks after the initial test administration, half of the subjects were individually given a written report summarizing their own test data. The remining subjects received their test results orally in individual test sessions. The personality descriptions in all reports were drawn from the interpretive Guide for the test. Immediately afterwards subjects indicated their preference for oral or written reports and their views on the accuracy of test interpretations by completing a series of six open-ended questions. For purposes of statistical analysis six advanced graduate students were asked to sort the answers to these open-ended questions into discrete categories for preference and accuracy. Subjects significantly preferred oral to written feedback ( x 2 = 8.79, #J < .05, 1 d f ) . However, this preference appeared to have little or no effect on subjects' assessment of the accuraq of oral vs written psychological reports (X" .18, 1 d f ) . The present results support the view that content variables are of greater importance for judgments of accuracy than the form of psychological reports whose influence may be largely restricted to matters of preference (9).
Lidar-Based Hazard Avoidance for Safe Landing on Mars

Hazard avoidance is a key technology for landing large payloads safely on the surface of Mars. During hazard avoidance, sensors and computing onboard the lander are utilized to detect hazards in the landing zone, autonomously select a location free of hazards, and then generate a trajectory that retargets the lander to the safe landing site. Algorithms are described for scanning lidar (light detection and ranging)-based hazard detection, safe site selection, and powered landing guidance designed for Mars landing. The performance of these algorithms is quantified using a closed-loop simulation of hazard avoidance, which includes a synthetic Martian terrain generator, a scanning lidar model, and the required hazard avoidance and powered landing guidance algorithms. Preliminary results show that the proposed hazard avoidance algorithms are effective at detecting hazards and guiding the lander to a safe landing site.
Repair of spontaneous rupture of the posterior wall of the left ventricle after mitral valve replacement

One of the most serious complications in cardiac surgery is the occurrence of a rupture of the posterior wall of the left ventricle after mitral valve replacement. This is a challenging and often humbling experience to the cardiac surgeon, carrying a significant morbidity and mortality. The original reports of this complication were documented in the late 60s and early 70s. 1-3 Since then, multiple reports of isolated cases or short series have appeared in the literature, describing the events and proposing different technical approaches to prevent and correct the problem. The etiologic factors have become well recognized, and preventive measures, including new developments and technical approaches to mitral valve surgery, have reduced markedly the incidence of this problem and virtually eliminated the potential occurrence of certain types of left ventricular rupture. Three specific types of rupture are described (Fig 1) and they have been classified according to their anatomic location. 2,4 TYPE I A Type I rupture is located at the atrioventricular groove. This remains the most common site and can be seen in the following circumstances: ● Heavily calcified mitral valve annulus requiring considerable dissection and debridement of calcium sediment from the atrioventricular groove. ● Cases of bacterial endocarditis with mitral valve annular abscess, requiring extensive debridement at the time of mitral valve replacement.5 ● Resection of the posterior leaflet with placement of subannular sutures for valvular replacement, with consequent local trauma, hematoma, and rupture. ● Improper inspection of the left ventricular posterior wall after mitral valve replacement, by lifting the heart from the pericardial cavity, erroneously using the atrioventricular groove as a fulcrum.
Processing of compressed imagery: multitarget image processing with VPIC-, BTC-, VQ-, and JPEG-compressed imagery

In Parts 1 and 2 of this three-part series, we show that the processing of compressed imagery can yield computational efficiency, due to the presence of fewer data. In Part 1, we show that such compressive operations can simulate an image- domain operation such that the output of the compressive operation, when decompressed, equals or approximates the output of the corresponding image operation. Additionally, we present unifying theory that portrays the derivation of compressive operations at a high level for image operations such as pointwise, global reduce (e.g., image summation or maximum), and image-template (e.g., linear convolution) operations. Further discussion and analysis concerned formulations of block truncation coding (BTC) and visual pattern image coding (VPIC) compressive transforms. In Part 2, we analyze high-level formulations of the vector quantization (VQ) and JPEG compression transforms. We further illustrate the utility of our high-level derivational methods by demonstrating the derivation and operation of several pixel-level operations over VPIC- and BTC-compressed imagery. In this paper, we extend our previous derivations to include image processing operations such as edge detection and smoothing, as well as higher- level operations such as target classification and connected component labeling. Analyses emphasize computational efficiency, as well as effects of information loss and computational error. Our algorithms are expressed in terms of image algebra, a rigorous, concise notation that unifies linear and nonlinear mathematics in the image domain. Since image algebra has been implemented on numerous sequential and parallel computers, our algorithms are feasible and widely portable.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Blood glucose estimation and symptoms during hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Purpose To investigate hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic symptoms, accuracy of estimating blood glucose, and their relation to glycemic control and counterregulatory hormone levels in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Patients and methods During randomly ordered stepped hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic insulin clamps on two separate days, 42 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus rated the intensity of 40 moods and symptoms when glucose was 8.9, 5.6 and 2.2 mmol/L, and 8.9, 14.4 and 21.1 mmol/L. The subjects were blinded to their actual glucose levels and asked to estimate them at each step. Epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol, growth hormone, and glucagon were measured at each glucose plateau. Results Cluster analysis yielded five symptom groups during hypoglycemia: autonomic symptoms, negative moods, positive moods, feeling weak/dizzy, and feeling relaxed. At 2.2 mmol/L, mean scores for all five symptom groups and 11 of 17 unclustered symptoms differed from those reported at the baseline glucose of 8.9 mmolA ( P 1 ( r = .43, P r = .59, P r = .45, P r = .62, P r = −.45, P = 0.01). Six patients (15%) were unaware of both autonomic and neuroglycopenic symptoms during hypoglycemia. At 21.1 mmol/L, only 5 of 40 symptoms differed ( P Conclusions Since the majority of patients made clinically serious errors in glucose estimation, and many used symptoms that did not discriminate hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, individualized training to increase awareness of glucose-related symptoms and glucose levels may help patients reduce the frequency or severity of hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic events.
Genetic regulation of cerebellar development.

The cerebellum is one of the first brain structures to begin to differentiate, yet it is one of the last to achieve maturity — the cellular organization of the cerebellum continues to change for many months after birth. This protracted developmental process creates a special susceptibility to disruptions during embryogenesis and makes the cerebellum highly amenable to study. Over the past few years, genetic research has provided a great deal of information about the molecular events directing the formation of the cerebellum. Knowledge of these mechanisms should enable us to address the nature of human diseases that have their root in developmental processes.
Nonlinear differential equations with negative power nonlinearities

Abstract Differential equations involving the term y−m, where m is a positive integer, are solved by the decomposition method 1. , 3. , 441–452).
Robust multivariable control of large space structures using positivity

This paper examines the robust, multivariable control of large space structures by controllers designed on a reduced-order model using positivity concepts. Controllers are designed using the DRAPER I and DRAPER II structures. Three different controller methodologies are compared: the familiar multivariable control, individual modal control, and individual sensor control. Controller robustness is measured qualitatively from the plots of the minimum singular value of the return difference matrix as a function of the frequency. All controllers, when designed to give the same total average control cost, have a very similar line-of-sight response. In addition, closed-loop stability can be maintained in the event of sensor and/or actuator failure.
Response variability in structural dynamics

This paper presents a technique for treating uncertainties in the dynamic models of a structural system. The formulation of the method is presented for a simple case of a single-degree-of-freedom linear oscillator. The uncertainties are modelled as random variables and are assumed to be time-independent. The solution is expanded as a series involving the random terms, and a system of linear ordinary differential equations for the unknowns of the problem is derived using the weighted residual method. The system of equations is then integrated in time and the response variability is computed. Validation calculations show that the results from the method agree well with those obtained by other solution techniques. Finally, some possible applications and extensions of the present work are discussed.
Depressed flour beetle: sensitivity to gamma irradiation

Ten krad of gamma irradiation to eggs and larvae of Palorus subdepressus (Wollaston) prevented the development of adults. Exposure of pupae to 5, 10, 20, 30, or 50 krad (but not 100) allowed some emergence, but longevity was greatly reduced. Adults were resistant to sterilizing effects of the radiation compared with other species of stored-product beetles: 30 krad was not completely sterilizing to either males or females, but the dose did greatly reduce fecundity, and longevity was significantly reduced: none survived for 3 weeks after a 20-krad exposure. Adults and pupae of this species would require higher doses of irradiation for effective control than would most other stored-product Coleoptera. (auth)
Migrant Labor and Global Commons: Transnational Subjects, Visions, and Methods

Despite the prominence of both migrant workers and "global commons" as protagonists in recent meetings of the World Social Forum, few activists or scholars have successfully linked their historical agency or significance. In the following essay, I locate conceptual starting points for linking migrant workers and global commons by analyzing the work of the transnational and the commons in political conversation at the WSF and in the historiographies of immigration and the environment in North America. I argue that the transnational and global commons are best understood as analytical vantages rather than as utopian visions of nation-state transcendence. Using research into the history of human trafficking, I explore the analytical advantages of linking migrant workers to global commons. As inevitable trespassers of both national sovereignty and property claims, migrant workers' journeys help reveal a global commons that is, like them, migratory, fleeting, and often illegible to the state authorities. Such commons are not pristine wildernesses, but polyglots of weedy hybrids. Migrant workers' transnational vantages illuminate the limits of enclosure and the enduring adaptability of nonhuman nature across national boundaries.
A priori assumptions about characters as a cause of incongruence between molecular and morphological hypotheses of primate interrelationships

When molecules and morphology produce incongruent hypotheses of primate interrelationships, the data are typically viewed as incompatible, and molecular hypotheses are often considered to be better indicators of phylogenetic history. However, it has been demonstrated that the choice of which taxa to include in cladistic analysis as well as assumptions about character weighting, character state transformation order, and outgroup choice all influence hypotheses of relationships and may positively influence tree topology, so that relationships between extant taxa are consistent with those found using molecular data. Thus, the source of incongruence between morphological and molecular trees may lie not in the morphological data themselves but in assumptions surrounding the ways characters evolve and their impact on cladistic analysis. In this study, we investigate the role that assumptions about character polarity and transformation order play in creating incongruence between primate phylogenies based on morphological data and those supported by multiple lines of molecular data. By releasing constraints imposed on published morphological analyses of primates from disparate clades and subjecting those data to parsimony analysis, we test the hypothesis that incongruence between morphology and molecules results from inherent flaws in morphological data. To quantify the difference between incongruent trees, we introduce a new method called branch slide distance (BSD). BSD mitigates many of the limitations attributed to other tree comparison methods, thus allowing for a more accurate measure of topological similarity. We find that releasing a priori constraints on character behavior often produces trees that are consistent with molecular trees. Case studies are presented that illustrate how congruence between molecules and unconstrained morphological data may provide insight into issues of polarity, transformation order, homology, and homoplasy.
Structural Basis of Ligand Recognition by the Tollip C2 and CUE Domains

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) provide a mechanism of host defense responses by activating the innate and adaptative immune responses. Subsequent downstream events result in the recruitment of one or more adaptor proteins, a process mediated by the cytosolic tail of TLRs. These protein-protein interactions promote the activation of the interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinases (IRAKs) 1, 2, M, and 4 that act upon their transcription factor targets to influence the expression of genes involved in the innate immune response. The Toll-interacting protein (Tollip) controls IRAK function in the TLR signaling pathway. Tollip presents an N-terminal Tom1-binding domain, a central C2 domain, and a C-terminal coupling of ubiquitin to endoplasmic reticulum degradation (CUE) domain. We found that the Tollip C2 domain preferentially interacts with phosphoinositides including phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) in a calcium-independent manner. NMR and lipid-protein overlay analyses suggest that PI3P and PI(4,5)P2 share the same binding site in the protein. Kinetic analysis reveals that the Tollip C2 domain reversibly binds PI3P and PI(4,5)P2 with affinities in the low micromolar range. Mutational analysis identifies key phosphoinositide-binding basic residues in the Tollip C2 domain located in a flexible region nearby the beta-groove. The CUE domain binds ubiquitin, although the biological consequences of the association as well the molecular basis of the interaction are unknown. Using NMR spectroscopy, we have identified the Tollip CUE domain residues that recognize ubiquitin as well as the ubiquitin residues that bind to the Tollip CUE domain. Structural and kinetical analyses suggest that a dimeric Tollip CUE domain forms a complex with ubiquitin in conserved binding pockets with nanomolar affinity. Overall, our findings will provide the basis to understand how Tollip is intracellularly partitioned in a ligand-dependent manner and how these interactions modulate TLR signaling.
Synthesis of the chiral tetrahedral clusters RCCo2NiCp(CO)4(bmf) (R = H, Ph) and thermally promoted diphosphine ligand activation: Regiospecific P–C bond scission and X-ray diffraction structure of Co2NiCp(CO)4[μ2,η2,η1-C(H)CC(PPh2)C(O)OCH(OMe)](μ-PPh2)

Abstract Controlled thermolysis of the mixed-metal clusters RCCo 2 NiCp(CO) 6 (R = H, Ph) with the chiral diphosphine ligand 3,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)-5-methoxy-2(5 H )-furanone (bmf) leads to CO substitution and formation of the corresponding bmf-bridged clusters RCCo 2 NiCp(CO) 4 (bmf) (R = H, Ph). These clusters exist in solution as a non-interconverting mixture of diastereomers, as determined by NMR spectroscopy. Whereas the benzylidyne-capped cluster PhCCo 2 NiCp(CO) 4 (bmf) decomposes in 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) during prolonged heating at 83 °C, thermolysis of HCCo 2 NiCp(CO) 4 (bmf) affords the new phosphido-bridged cluster Co 2 NiCp(CO) 4 [μ 2 ,η 2 ,η 1 -C(H)C C(PPh 2 )C(O)OCH(OMe)](μ-PPh 2 ) under the same conditions. This latter cluster has been isolated and characterized in solution by IR and NMR spectroscopies and the solid-state structure determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The structural highlights for Co 2 NiCp(CO) 4 [μ 2 ,η 2 ,η 1 -C(H)C C(PPh 2 )C(O)OCH(OMe)](μ-PPh 2 ) include the regioselective cleavage of the P–C(furanone ring) bond, coupled with polyhedral opening of the Co 2 Ni core and attack on the CpNi center by the other phosphine moiety of the bmf ligand. The diastereoselectivity accompanying the formation of cluster Co 2 NiCp(CO) 4 [μ 2 ,η 2 ,η 1 -C(H)C C(PPh 2 )C(O)OCH(OMe)](μ-PPh 2 ) is discussed relative to steric effects within the cluster polyhedron.