cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detection of structural damage from glaucoma with confocal laser image analysis.

Purpose. To determine which structural optic nerve head parameters measured with confocal scanning laser image analysis that best discriminate between normal persons and those with glaucoma. Methods. One randomly selected eye of 53 patients with early open-angle glaucoma (average visual field mean deviation = -4.8 dB) and of 43 age-, race-, and refractive error-matched normal subjects were studied. The performance of nine structural measures was evaluated with linear multivariate analysis and a neural network : cup area, cup to disc area ratio, rim area, height variation contour, cup volume, rim volume, cup shape measure, mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and retinal nerve fiber layer cross-section area. A discriminant function was derived with two thirds of the sample and its discriminant power tested on the remaining one third. This was repeated twice so that the entire sample was used for training and testing. A neural network was trained and tested in the same way. Stereoscopic color optic nerve photographs of the same eyes were evaluated qualitatively by three experienced, masked observers. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of discriminant function, neural network results, and qualitative evaluation were plotted. Comparisons of the areas under the ROC curves were performed with nonparametric statistics. Results. There were statistically significant differences between the normal and glaucoma groups for all measures (P ≤ 0.007) except for height variation contour, mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and retinal nerve fiber layer cross-section area. Cup shape measure provided the single best measure to distinguish between normal subjects and those with early glaucoma and had a diagnostic precision of 84%. Neural network diagnostic precision, when all measures were used, was 92% and decreased to 82% when cup shape measure was omitted. The area under the ROC curve when all measures were combined was 0.94 ; it was significantly lower (P = 0.04) when cup shape measure was omitted (area = 0.84). The area under the ROC curve for qualitative optic disc evaluation by experienced observers was 0.93. There was no statistically significant difference between qualitative evaluation and neural network performance (P = 0.80). Conclusions. Cup shape measure, the statistical third moment of the distribution of depth values of the optic nerve head obtained with confocal laser image analysis, can be used to discriminate between normal persons and those with early glaucomatous damage with high diagnostic precision.
Responding to the challenge of the children's health act: an introduction to children in research.

This overview describes the breadth of topicscovered in this volume devoted to children inresearch. It summarizes how these articles areinterrelated and how they all respond to thechallenge proposed by the Children's Health Actof 2000: to consider what modifications, ifany, are necessary to current regulations ``toensure the adequate and appropriate protectionof children participating in research.''
Abstract A11: Arginine deprivation alters global lipid metabolism in ASS1-deficient sarcomas

Objective: Argininosuccinate Synthetase 1 (ASS1) is silenced in ~90% of sarcomas. This deficiency in the urea cycle causes sarcomas to become dependent on extracellular arginine for continued cell growth and survival, a condition named arginine auxotrophy. Arginine starvation induced by pegylated arginine deiminase (ADI-PEG20) induces dramatic alterations in global metabolism as well as an induction of autophagy. We investigated the specific changes in the lipidome of leiomyosarcoma cell lines induced by ADI-PEG20. By examining the alterations in esterified and nonesterified fatty acid metabolism we sought to understand the changes in the lipidome that are capable of being therapeutically exploited. Methods: The cell lines SKLMS1 and SKUT1 were treated with ADI-PEG20. Cell pellets were collected and 33 esterified and nonesterified fatty acids were measured using GC/MS. Pathway analysis was then performed. Cell lines were then treated with a combination of ADI-PEG20 and TOFA (an acetyl CoA carboxylase inhibitor) or etoxomir/perhexiline (beta-oxidation inhibitors) to determine synthetic lethality. Results: There were clear alterations in lipid metabolism induced by arginine deprivation. The fluctuations in lipid metabolism indicated pathways susceptible to inhibition by a variety of small-molecule inhibitors, namely that arginine deprivation sensitizes to inhibition of beta-oxidation. Cell culture experiments with ADI-PEG20 and a number of different small-molecule inhibitors demonstrated synthetic lethality upon cotreatment with ADI-PEG20 and beta-oxidation inhibitors. Conclusion: Arginine deprivation causes global changes in lipid metabolism. The changes in metabolism are capable of being targeted by small-molecule inhibitors with the result being an induction of a synthetic lethality. By understanding the changes in the lipidome induced by arginine deprivation, we are building a multiagent synthetic lethal therapy for sarcoma based on metabolism that avoids chemotherapy. Citation Format: Jeff Kremer, Bethany Prudner, Samuel Chang, Lenny Rogers, Brian Van Tine. Arginine deprivation alters global lipid metabolism in ASS1-deficient sarcomas [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Conference on Advances in Sarcomas: From Basic Science to Clinical Translation; May 16-19, 2017; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2018;24(2_Suppl):Abstract nr A11.
Bullies in our midst: workplace bullying among social service workers in long term care facilities

ABSTRACTWorkplace bullying is a global and growing phenomenon. A working definition of bullying and its repercussions are presented. The extent to which social workers are exposed to bullying is as...
3-D Micro Swimming Drone with Maneuverability

Wirelessly powered and controllable microscale propulsion in 3-D space is of critical importance to micro swimming drones serving as an active and maneuverable in vivo cargo for medical uses. This aritcle describes a 3-D micro swimming drone navigating in 3-D space, propelled by unidirectional microstreaming flow from acoutsically oscillating bubbles. 3-D propulsion is enabled by multiple bubbles with different lengths embedded in different orientations inside the drone body. Each bubble generats propulsion by applying acoustic field at its resonance frequency. Therefore, 3-D propulsion in any direction is achievable by resonating bubbles individually or jointly. The drone with such a complex design was fabricated by a two-photon polymerization 3-D printer. For stable maneuverability, a non-uniform mass distribution of the drone is designed to restore the drone to the designated posture under any disturbances. The restoration mechanism is formulated by a mathematical model, predicting the restoring time and shows an excellent agreemnt with the experimental results. This 3-D micro swimning drone proves its robustness as a manueverable microrobot navigating along programmble path in a 3-D space through selective and joint actuation of microbubbles.
15 – Binder Burnout

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses binder burnout. The polymers that are used to give strength to a ceramic green body when the green body is dry must be burned out before sintering because they would decompose in an uncontrolled manner at sintering temperatures, giving off huge volumes of gas at high pressure that will cause the green body to crack. Binder burnout is performed at temperatures between 300 and 700oC—much below the temperatures used for sintering. During binder burnout, the polymer undergoes a controlled thermal decomposition reaction that can take several forms. In general, thermal decomposition of polymers form both volatile and solid residues as products of the reaction. The solid residues react further at higher temperatures to give subsequent volatile products and other solid residues. The kinetics of binder burnout is discussed in terms of the thermal decomposition reaction kinetics, as well as the kinetics of mass transfer for the volatiles and the heat transfer required to supply the heat of reaction.
Transport model for shale gas well leakage through the surrounding fractured zones of a longwall mine

The environmental risks associated with casing deformation in unconventional (shale) gas wells positioned in abutment pillars of longwall mines is a concern to many in the mining and gas well industry. With the recent interest in shale exploration and the proximity to longwall mining in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the risk to mine workers could be catastrophic as fractures in surrounding strata create pathways for transport of leaked gases. Hence, this research by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) presents an analytical model of the gas transport through fractures in a low permeable stratum. The derived equations are used to conduct parametric studies of specific transport conditions to understand the influence of stratum geology, fracture lengths, and the leaked gas properties on subsurface transport. The results indicated that the prediction that the subsurface gas flux decreases with an increase in fracture length is specifically for a non-gassy stratum. The sub-transport trend could be significantly impacted by the stratum gas generation rate within specific fracture lengths, which emphasized the importance of the stratum geology. These findings provide new insights for improved understanding of subsurface gas transport to ensure mine safety.
Seeking Justice, Preserving Honor: War and Peace Among the Western Dani

In this study I shall seek to demonstrate the basic premise of these chapters regarding the prevalence and impact of webs of violence. In this case, I show that a web of violence can exist in a primarily egalitarian culture such as the Western Dani in West Papua, Indonesia, as a social response to individuals who fail to participate in those activities that contribute to the common good of the members of that society. Punishment or control over such individuals is graded in severity according to the nature of the offense while at the same time seeking to control the adverse aspects of war and violence in their desire to pursue a state of relative peace.
Advanced Models and Fast Simulation Algorithms for MARS Plants

With the successful commercialization of modular multilevel converters (MMC) and rapid increase in photovoltaic (PV) penetration and energy storage systems (ESS), one of the research areas being explored dynamically is integration of PV systems and ESS systems to MMCs. On this front, an integrated development of PV plants, ESS, and alternating- and direct-current (ac/dc) systems through Multi-Port Autonomous Reconfigurable Solar (MARS) plant is proposed and being researched upon. However, simulation of MARS systems on traditional existing software takes very long time (order of days) due to the presence of a large number of states and non-linear devices. Therefore, development of fast high fidelity models is of paramount importance to test the hardware design, control design and planning of power system expansions. In this context, two research objectives are addressed in this paper: firstly, an ultra fast single- or multi- CPU simulation algorithm to simulate the MARS system based on state-space models, hybrid discretization algorithm with a relaxation technique that reduces the imposed computational burden and a multi-rate method is presented. Secondly, a reduced order model of MARS is also presented. Both the developed techniques are validated with respect to reference PSCAD/EMTDC model.
Coordination of Care with Psychiatry

No one can win a relay race alone, but anyone can lose it by dropping the baton. Care of chronically ill patients, medical or psychiatric, frequently involves passing a patient from one treatment setting to the next. The complexity of caring for psychiatric patients in emergency departments (ED) described in previous chapters suggests that a closer alignment of psychiatric and emergency departments would be beneficial to both clinicians and patients. Developing and maintaining a means of coordinating care and communicating between clinicians may present a unique challenge to each practice environment. The goal of this chapter is to outline general themes that arise in the coordination of care between emergency and psychiatry practitioners and to articulate the non-patient care-related benefits of having working relationships with liaison psychiatrists, including staff well-being, multidisciplinary research initiatives, joint training opportunities, quality improvement endeavors, and patient safety activities.
Assessing Sex-Based Differences in Survival after Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy for Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension

Purpose Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) is a definitive treatment for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Disparities in PTE outcomes between sexes have not been well studied. Methods We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent PTE for CTEPH at our center from June 2009 to July 2019, tracking preoperative variables including patient age at surgery, last creatinine before surgery, ejection fraction, and sex, as well as patient mortality. We assessed differences in outcomes based on sex. Survival was estimated with Kaplan-Meier and compared using the log-rank test. Risk factors for mortality after PTE were determined with multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis. Results Of the 235 patients that underwent PTE during the study period, 107 were male (59%) and 128 were female (41%). Male patients had a higher median age at time of surgery (59 versus 50 years, p = 0.004), and higher median preoperative creatinine (1.1 versus 0.86, p Conclusion Sex was not associated with mortality following PTE at our center. Further study with larger sample sizes are warranted.
Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Concerns Related to Alternative Litigation Financing

Alternative litigation financing (ALF) is a term that refers to the funding of litigation or arbitration activities by third parties, such as indemnitors or liability insurers, who have a contractual relationship with one of the parties to litigation. Third-party funders pay the plaintiff’s legal costs on a non-recourse basis in return for a fee payable from the amounts recovered. Such a tripartite contractual relationship between the funder, litigant and litigant’s lawyer involves an assignment of an interest in the proceeds from a cause of action. As the funder’s objective and efforts in ALF are to maximize the return on their investment, the funder’s involvement may create incentives for and effects on the client and the lawyer, differing from the ones that would be expected in a similar case without ALF. This may raise ethical questions. Beginning in the late nineties, commercial litigation finance has gradually grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Currently, ALF is available and legally permitted to clients in various jurisdictions including the United Kingdom, Australia, and other Asian and European countries. Many states in the United States have also permitted some form of ALF. Among the dominant actors in the industry are banks and hedge funds, which tend to finance class actions, medical malpractice and personal injury lawsuits that will likely end in a monetary award. As the ALF business is booming, state bar ethics committees have also developed interest and scrutiny thereof. Regardless, lawyers seem rather less familiar with the potential issues ALF presents. This article intends to fill that void and touches on some of the major issues and ethical concerns presented by ALF. By shedding light on the client-lawyer relationship and the professional responsibilities of lawyers in these emerging transactional structures, this article aims to raise awareness among practitioners and calls for greater certainty and transparency in the litigation finance industry.
Prophylactic anticoagulation in pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients: A single tertiary care center retrospective quality improvement project.

e16214Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cancer portends a poor prognosis with a high case-fatality rate. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common complication in PDAC, due express...
Pathogenic Aspergillus and Fusarium as important causes of blinding corneal infections — the role of neutrophils in fungal killing, tissue damage and cytokine production

Filamentous fungi Aspergillus and Fusarium species are major causes of visual impairment and blindness in immune competent individuals. Once conidia penetrate the corneal epithelium and enter the stroma, they undergo germination, and exposure of cell wall components induces a pronounced neutrophil-rich cellular infiltrate. In this review, we discuss Aspergillus and novel Fusarium virulence factors that are required for corneal infection, and describe the multiple functions of neutrophils in limiting hyphal growth in the cornea. This review will also discuss the role of neutrophils as an important source of cytokines in fungal keratitis, and highlight recent studies identifying unique characteristics of neutrophil secretion of IL-1α and IL-1β.
Predicting drug polypharmacology from cell morphology readouts using variational autoencoder latent space arithmetic

A variational autoencoder (VAE) is a machine learning algorithm, useful for generating a compressed and interpretable latent space. These representations have been generated from various biomedical data types and can be used to produce realistic-looking simulated data. However, standard vanilla VAEs suffer from entangled and uninformative latent spaces, which can be mitigated using other types of VAEs such as {beta}-VAE and MMD-VAE. In this project, we evaluated the ability of VAEs to learn cell morphology characteristics derived from cell images. We trained and evaluated these three VAE variants--Vanilla VAE, {beta}-VAE, and MMD-VAE--on cell morphology readouts and explored the generative capacity of each model to predict compound polypharmacology (the interactions of a drug with more than one target) using an approach called latent space arithmetic (LSA). To test the generalizability of the strategy, we also trained these VAEs using gene expression data of the same compound perturbations and found that gene expression provides complementary information. We found that the {beta}-VAE and MMD-VAE disentangle morphology signals and reveal a more interpretable latent space. We reliably simulated morphology and gene expression readouts from certain compounds thereby predicting cell states perturbed with compounds of known polypharmacology. Inferring cell state for specific drug mechanisms could aid researchers in developing and identifying targeted therapeutics and categorizing off-target effects in the future.
Transgenic alfalfa (Medicago sativa) with increased sucrose phosphate synthase activity shows enhanced growth when grown under N2-fixing conditions

Overexpression of SPS in alfalfa is accompanied by early flowering, increased plant growth and an increase in elemental N and protein content when grown under N 2 -fixing conditions. Sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS; EC 2.3.1.14) is the key enzyme in the synthesis of sucrose in plants. The outcome of overexpression of SPS in different plants using transgenic approaches has been quite varied, but the general consensus is that increased SPS activity is associated with the production of new sinks and increased sink strength. In legumes, the root nodule is a strong C sink and in this study our objective was to see how increasing SPS activity in a legume would affect nodule number and function. Here we have transformed alfalfa (Medicago sativa, cv. Regen SY), with a maize SPS gene driven by the constitutive CaMV35S promoter. Our results showed that overexpression of SPS in alfalfa, is accompanied by an increase in nodule number and mass and an overall increase in nitrogenase activity at the whole plant level. The nodules exhibited an increase in the level of key enzymes contributing to N assimilation including glutamine synthetase and asparagine synthetase. Moreover, the stems of the transformants showed higher level of the transport amino acids, Asx, indicating increased export of N from the nodules. The transformants exhibited a dramatic increase in growth both of the shoots and roots, and earlier flowering time, leading to increased yields. Moreover, the transformants showed an increase in elemental N and protein content. The overall conclusion is that increased SPS activity improves the N status and plant performance, suggesting that the availability of more C in the form of sucrose enhances N acquisition and assimilation in the nodules.
TU-CD-304-05: 4Ï€ Non-Coplanar Radiotherapy: From Mathematical Modeling to Clinical Implementation

Purpose: To develop and clinically implement 4π radiotherapy, an inverse optimization platform that maximally utilizes non-coplanar intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) beams to significantly improve critical organ sparing. Methods: A 3D scanner was used to digitize the human and phantom subject surfaces, which were positioned in the computer assisted design (CAD) model of a TrueBeam machine to create a virtual geometrical model, based on which, the feasible beam space was calculated for different tumor locations. Beamlets were computed for all feasible beams using convolution/superposition. A column generation algorithm was employed to optimize patient specific beam orientations and fluence maps. Optimal routing through all selected beams were calculated by a level set method. The resultant plans were converted to XML files and delivered to phantoms in the TrueBeam developer mode. Finally, 4π plans were recomputed in Eclipse and manually delivered to recurrent GBM patients. Results: Compared to IMRT utilizing manually selected beams and volumetric modulated arc therapy plans, markedly improved dosimetry was observed using 4π for the brain, head and neck, liver, lung, and prostate patients. The improvements were due to significantly improved conformality and reduced high dose spillage to organs mediolateral to the PTV. The virtual geometrical model was experimentally validated. Safety margins with 99.9% confidence in collision avoidance were included to the model based model accuracy estimates determined via 300 physical machine to phantom distance measurements. Automated delivery in the developer mode was completed in 10 minutes and collision free. Manual 4 π treatment on the GBM cases resulted in significant brainstem sparing and took 35–45 minutes including multiple images, which showed submillimeter cranial intrafractional motion. Conclusion: The mathematical modeling utilized in 4π is accurate to create and guide highly complex non-coplanar IMRT treatments that consistently and significantly outperform human-operator-created plans. Deliverability of such plans is clinically demonstrated. This work is funded by Varian Medical Systems and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship DGE-1144087.
Design of non-redundant manipulators for optimal dynamic performance

This article investigates the problem of robotic manipulator design for optimal dynamic performance. We present a design methodology which consolidates some of the major issues related to manipulator dynamic performance. These issues are related to workspace volume, actuator selection, control authority, inertial properties, and acceleration capability. This is accomplished using a characterization of end effector acceleration properties. Performance measures obtained from this characterization are used within an optimization procedure to determine the design parameters which improve manipulator dynamic performance. The approach is applied to the problem of design parameter selection for a simple three degree-of-freedom planar mechanism.
Recycling program for printer toner cartridges and optical photoconductors

Customer environmental issues are becoming a significant factor in our overall recycling scheme. It is incumbent upon the corporation, as a major Information Systems supplier, to recognize that customers should be provided assistance with the disposition of old, obsolete or unwanted materials or products. Programs also need to be developed to provide for the recycling of various consumable product packaging materials. This paper is a discussion of these various issues and presents solutions which have been either developed or implemented, as well as a method to ensure that the programs accomplishes their goals in an effective and efficient manner.
Diagnostic Ability of Macular Ganglion Cell Inner Plexiform Layer Measurements in Glaucoma Using Swept Source and Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

Purpose To evaluate the diagnostic ability of macular ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer measurements in glaucoma, obtained using swept source (SS) and spectral domain (SD) optical coherence tomography (OCT) and to compare to circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) thickness measurements. Methods The study included 106 glaucomatous eyes of 80 subjects and 41 eyes of 22 healthy subjects from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study. Macular ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL), macular ganglion cell complex (mGCC) and cpRNFL thickness were assessed using SS-OCT and SD-OCT, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were calculated to determine ability to differentiate glaucomatous and healthy eyes and between early glaucomatous and healthy eyes. Results Mean (± standard deviation) mGCIPL and mGCC thickness were thinner in both healthy and glaucomatous eyes using SS-OCT compared to using SD-OCT. Fixed and proportional biases were detected between SS-OCT and SD-OCT measures. Diagnostic accuracy (AUCs) for differentiating between healthy and glaucomatous eyes for average and sectoral mGCIPL was similar in SS-OCT (0.65 to 0.81) and SD-OCT (0.63 to 0.83). AUCs for average cpRNFL acquired using SS-OCT and SD-OCT tended to be higher (0.83 and 0.85, respectively) than for average mGCC (0.82 and 0.78, respectively), and mGCIPL (0.73 and 0.75, respectively) but these differences did not consistently reach statistical significance. Minimum SD-OCT mGCIPL and mGCC thickness (unavailable in SS-OCT) had the highest AUC (0.86) among macular measurements. Conclusion Assessment of mGCIPL thickness using SS-OCT or SD-OCT is useful for detecting glaucomatous damage, but measurements are not interchangeable for patient management decisions. Diagnostic accuracies of mGCIPL and mGCC from both SS-OCT and SD-OCT were similar to that of cpRNFL for glaucoma detection.
Green's Functions

Coupling between mechanical and electric fields has stimulated interesting research related to the microelectromechanical system [1, 2]. The major applications are in sensor and actuator devices by which an electric voltage can induce an elastic deformation and vice versa. Because many novel materials, such as the nitride group semiconductors, are piezoelectric, study on quantum nanostructures is currently a cutting-edge topic with the strain energy band engineering in the center [3, 4]. Novel laminated composites (with adaptive and smart components) are continuously attracting great attention from mechanical, aerospace, and civil engineering branches [5]. In materials property study, the Eshelby-based micromechanics theory has been very popular [6]. In most of these exciting research topics, the fundamental solution of a given system under a unit concentrated force/charge or simply the Green’s function solution is required. This motivates the writing of this chapter. In this chapter, however, only the static case with general anisotropic piezoelectricity is considered, even though a couple of closely related references on vibration and/or dynamics (time-harmonic) wave propagation are briefly reviewed.
EPR Study of the Solid Solutions Ni x Fe 1-x S 2 , Co x Fe 1-x S 2 , and Co x Ni y Fe 1-x- y S 2

This paper reports an EPR study of the pyrite solid solutions ${\mathrm{Co}}_{x}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{S}}_{2}$, ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{x}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{S}}_{2}$, and ${\mathrm{Co}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ni}}_{y}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x\ensuremath{-}y}{\mathrm{S}}_{2}$. The single-ion spectrum for dilute ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{2+}$ in a pyrite structure was fitted to a spin Hamiltonian of the form ${H}_{s}={g}_{z}{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{B}{S}_{z}{H}_{z}+{g}_{x}\ensuremath{\mu}B({S}_{x}{H}_{x}+{S}_{y}{H}_{y})+D{S}_{z}^{2}$, where ${g}_{z}=2.13\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005$, ${g}_{x}={g}_{y}=2.11\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005$, and $D=\ensuremath{-}1.21$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. The single-ion spectrum for ${\mathrm{Co}}^{2+}$ in Fe${\mathrm{S}}_{2}$ showed evidence of dynamic Jahn-Teller activity, with a broad isotropic line at $g=2.18\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02$. At metallic concentrations, Fe${\mathrm{S}}_{2}$:Co displayed the classically asymmetric, isotropic line of a conduction electron but with an unusually high $g$ value of $g=2.12\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005$, indicating the partial ionic character of narrow-band electrons. The system Fe${\mathrm{S}}_{2}$:Ni:Co displayed both the broad lines characteristic of the itinerate cobalt ${e}_{g}$ electrons and the localized ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{2+}$ spectrum. The peculiar ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{2+}$ line shapes resulting from exchange effects with the itinerate electrons are analyzed on the basis of existing $s\ensuremath{-}d$ interaction theory.
Error analysis of quantized weights for feedforward neural networks (FNN)

When a neural network is implemented with limited precision hardware, errors from the quantization of weights become important factors to be considered. In this paper, the authors present several analysis results based on general FNN structures and use several examples to examine the relation between weight errors and output classifications. A lower bound for L, the number of bits used to quantize the weights, is derived in the worst case. This paper also includes the detailed analysis of AND-gates. >
CD6+ donor marrow T-cell depletion as the sole form of graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis in patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplant from unrelated donors.

PURPOSE: The role of donor marrow T-cell depletion (TCD) in preventing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after transplantation of unrelated allogeneic marrow remains undefined. Because different TCD methodologies differ in the degree and specificity with which T cells are removed, it is likely that transplant outcomes would depend on which technique is used. Herein, we report results in the first 48 recipients of unrelated marrow using CD6+ TCD as the sole form of GVHD prophylaxis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Median age of patients was 46 years (20 to 58 years). Donors were matched at A/B HLA loci. Ablation consisted of cyclophosphamide and fractionated total-body irradiation (TBI; 14 Gy). To facilitate engraftment, patients also received 7.5 Gy (22 points) or 4.5 Gy (26 points) of total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) before admission. No additional immune suppressive prophylaxis was administered. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was administered daily from day +1 to engraftment. RESULTS: All 48 patients demons...
Gabor wavelets for 3-D object recognition

This paper presents a model-based object recognition approach that uses a hierarchical Gabor wavelet representation. The key idea is to use magnitude, phase and frequency measures of Gabor wavelet representation in an innovative flexible matching approach that can provide robust recognition. A Gabor grid a topology-preserving map, efficiently encodes both signal energy and structural information of an object in a sparse multi-resolution representation. The Gabor grid subsamples the Gabor wavelet decomposition of an object model and is deformed to allow the indexed object model match with the image data. Flexible matching between the model and the image minimizes a cost function based on local similarity and geometric distortion of the Gabor grid. Grid erosion and repairing is performed whenever a collapsed grid, due to object occlusion, is detected. The results on infrared imagery are presented. Where objects undergo rotation, translation, scale, occlusion and aspect variations under changing environmental conditions. >
Environment and Activity Patterning at Isimila Korongo, Iringa3

Two differing fluvial environments from Sands 3, Isimila, yielded distinct lithic assemblages. One occurrence, on the sands of an occasionally active channel flat, indicates occupation of the anastomose channel with associated shrubby vegetation by a group whose lithic artifact inventory is dominated by large cutting edge tools. The other, on a low interfluve flanking a channel, with abundant herbaceous vegetation, yielded numerous scrapers and relatively few heavy duty tools. It is suspected that the variations in microenvironment are related to the composition of the lithic artifact inventory.
A Longitudinal Analysis of Adolescent Substance Use and School Motivation Among African American Youth

Cross-sectional research has shown a link between adolescent substance use and educational motivation. The purpose of the current study was to examine this link in a longitudinal sample of African American youth. The study examined the interrelationships between alcohol and both marijuana use and school motivation over the high school years and their effect on graduation in 681 African American adolescents (50.8% female). School motivation was shown to relate to subsequent alcohol use throughout high school and marijuana use early in high school. School motivation did not affect graduation status, but alcohol and marijuana use were related to a lower likelihood of graduating from high school. Some gender differences and differences among those who had tried alcohol or marijuana at the first wave as opposed to those who had not tried each substance were found. The findings support a systems model where school experiences can affect substance use, which, in turn, can affect the completion of high school.
Sliding Friction Mechanisms of Boundary-Lubricated Layered Surfaces: Part I—Basic Mechanical Aspects and Experimental Results

The prevailing sliding friction mechanisms of boundary-lubricated layered surfaces were investigated experimentally. In particular, the basic mechanical aspects of layered media were interpreted to elucidate the significance of important parameters, such as the inherent stresses in the layer and its thickness, structural integrity, and surface roughness, on the tribological properties. Friction and wear data from sliding experiments with metallic substrates coated with oxide and nitride layers of variable thicknesses and a boundary lubricant primarily rich in naphthenic hydrocarbons are presented. Experimental results verified that the principal deformation mode, i.e., elastic or plastic deformation, at the sliding interface strongly depends on the thickness, surface roughness, and microstructure (e.g., coherence or micro-porosity) of the layer, the magnitude of the normal load, and the mechanical properties of the layer in relation to those of the substrate. In fact, surface profilometry, and optical and...
Selectivity in platinum-catalyzed cis-trans carbon-carbon double-bond isomerization.

The isomerization of trans-2-butene to its cis conformer was found to be easier on Pt(111) surfaces than the opposite cis to trans conversion. This kinetic trend, which is opposite to what would be expected on thermodynamic grounds, is explained by an increased stability of the cis isomer upon adsorption. A model where adsorption energies are affected by steric interactions between the side moieties of the olefin and the surface suggests that selectivity toward cis versus trans formation may be manipulated by controlling the structure of the surface of the catalyst.
Synthesis of 7α-substituted derivatives of 17β-estradiol

Abstract Estrogen receptor (ER) pure antagonists such as ICI-182,780 (fulvestrant) are effective alternatives to tamoxifen (an ER antagonist/weak partial agonist) in the treatment of postmenopausal, receptor-positive human breast cancers. Structurally, these pure antagonists contain the basic core structure of 17β-estradiol (E 2 ) with a long side chain attached to its C-7α position. We explored and compared in this study various synthetic routes for preparing a number of C-7α-substituted derivatives of E 2 , which are highly useful for the design and synthesis of high-affinity ER antagonists, ER-based imaging ligands, and other ER-based multi-functional agents. Using E 2 as the starting material and 1-iodo-6-benzyloxyhexane as a precursor for the C-7α side chain, a seven-step synthetic procedure afforded 3,17β-bis(acetoxy)-7α-(6-hydroxyhexanyl)-estra-1,3,5(10)-triene (one of the derivatives prepared) in an overall yield of ∼45% as compared to other known procedures that afforded substantially lower overall yield (8–27%). The synthetic steps for this representative compound include: (1) protection of the C-3 and C-17β hydroxyls of E 2 using methoxymethyl groups; (2) hydroxylation of the C-6 position of the bismethoxymethyl ether of E 2 ; (3) Swern oxidation of the C-6 hydroxy to the ketone group; (4) C-7α alkylation of the C-6 ketone derivative of E 2 ; (5) deprotection of the two methoxymethyl groups; (6) reprotection of the C-3 and C-6 free hydroxyls with acetyl groups; (7) removal of the C-6 ketone and the benzyl group on the side chain by catalytic hydrogenation in acetic acid. As predicted, two of the representative C-7α-substituted derivatives of E 2 synthesized in the present study retained strong binding affinities (close to those of E 2 and ICI-182,780) for the human ERα and ERβ subtypes as determined using the radioligand–receptor binding assays.
Academic Contexts of Interdisciplinary Research

Interdisciplinary collaboration and project management were compared for academic interdisciplinary research projects operating under the aegis of permanent institutes, adaptive institutes, and inde pendent projects. The findings reported here, from a nationwide sample of interdisciplinary research projects, do not support the argument that institutes necessarily increase cross-disciplinary collaboration or the management of interdisciplinary research.
The Gla Domain of Human Prothrombin Has a Binding Site for Factor Va

Abstract The role of the Gla domain of human prothrombin in interaction with the prothrombinase complex was studied using a peptide with the sequence of the first 46 residues of human prothrombin, PT-(1–46). Intrinsic fluorescence measurements showed that PT-(1–46) undergoes a conformational alteration upon binding calcium; this conclusion is supported by one-dimensional1H NMR spectroscopy, which identifies a change in the chemical environment of tryptophan 41. PT-(1–46) binds phospholipid membranes in a calcium-dependent manner with aK d of 0.5 μm and inhibits thrombin generation by the prothrombinase complex with a K iof 0.8 μm. In the absence of phospholipid membranes, PT-(1–46) inhibits thrombin generation by factor Xa in the presence but not absence of factor Va, suggesting that PT-(1–46) inhibits prothrombin-factor Va binding. The addition of factor Va to PT-(1–46) labeled with the fluorophore sulfosuccinimidyl-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin-3-acetic acid (PT-(1–46)AMCA) caused a concentration-dependent quenching of AMCA fluorescence, providing direct evidence of a PT-(1–46)-factor Va interaction. The K d for this interaction was 1.3 μm. These results indicate that the N-terminal Gla domain of human prothrombin is a functional unit that has a binding site for factor Va. The prothrombin Gla domain is important for interaction of the substrate with the prothrombinase complex.
Structure of motivation using food demand in mice.

Most animals have evolved to be foragers for food. We discriminate two types of foraging, the cost to locate or obtain access to the food, and the unit cost to consume the food once it is nearby. Using closed economy studies in normal weight and genetically obese mice, we have examined the effect of either access and/or unit cost on food demand and meal patterns. We also have included wheel running either as a voluntary activity or as an access cost. Our results showed that the demand functions differ between normal, exercising, and genetically obese mice, and that changes in intake normally occur via changes in the size of individual feeding bouts or meals. In contrast, changes in access cost have only a small effect on food demand but have large effects on the pattern of intake - on meal size and the number of meals taken. Thus, although food intake is sensitive to effort, the type of effort and the mode in which it is applied is critically important. These data are discussed in terms of potential economic strategies that could address the human obesity epidemic, for example by maximally targeting meal size and/or snacking behavior.
Evolutionary Approaches to Population: Implications for Research and Policy

Evolutionary theory is becoming an increasingly important perspective in many social science disciplines. Ironically, the impact of evolutionary theory has been minimal in the study of human population although among the social sciences it is in demography and related fields that evolutionary approaches would be most appropriate. In this paper I review varying perspectives within evolutionary theory, proceeding to a brief review of theoretical paradigms within the field of demography. I then examine how evolutionary perspectives can interface with these theories, showing how evolutionary approaches elaborate, strengthen, and unify these outlooks. Lastly, 1 explore the implications of evolutionary approaches for research and policy.
Poisson equation for weak gravitational lensing

Using the Newman and Penrose [E. T. Newman and R. Penrose, J. Math. Phys. (N.Y.) 3, 566 (1962).] spin-coefficient formalism, we examine the full Bianchi identities of general relativity in the context of gravitational lensing, where the matter and space-time curvature are projected into a lens plane perpendicular to the line of sight. From one component of the Bianchi identity, we provide a rigorous, new derivation of a Poisson equation for the projected matter density where the source term involves second derivatives of the observed weak gravitational lensing shear. We also show that the other components of the Bianchi identity reveal no new results. Numerical integration of the Poisson equation in test cases shows an accurate mass map can be constructed from the combination of a ground-based, wide-field image and a Hubble Space Telescope image of the same system.
The Cerenopini and Eulabini, Two Tribes Previously Included in the Scaurini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Examination of the genera of the Scaurini gives evidence that the tribe actually consists of 3 groups, distinctive in morphology and geographic distribution. The Scaurini is split into 3 tribes: Scaurini (Old World) to include Scaurus, Cephalostenus, Carchares , and Herpiscius ; Cerenopini (New World) to include Cerenopus and Argoporis ; and Eulabini (New World) to include Eulabis, Epantius , and Apsena . A review of the history of the tribal classification supports crediting tribal authorship to Eschscholtz (Scaurini) and Horn (Cerenopini and Eulabini). Characterizations are presented for the Cerenopini and Eulabini, a key to the included genera, photographs of a species representing each genus, and a map showing the tribal distributions in North America. A brief discussion is given supporting the inclusion of the 3 tribes in the Tenebrioninae.
Evaluating glaucoma damage: emerging imaging technologies

The use of ocular imaging tools to estimate structural and functional damage in glaucoma has become a common clinical practice and a substantial focus of vision research. The evolution of the imaging technologies through increased scanning speed, penetration depth, image registration and development of multimodal devices has the potential to detect the pathology more reliably and in earlier stages. This review is focused on new ocular imaging modalities used for glaucoma diagnosis.
Kidney Transplantation from Donors with Severe Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a syndrome characterized by massive formation of thrombin, which can lead to renal dysfunction or failure. Many transplant centers are reluctant to accept the kidneys from donors with DIC especially if renal dysfunction is present. We developed protocol of machine perfusion followed by tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) infusion in order to treat and evaluate DIC kidneys prior to transplantation. The kidneys were placed on machine preservation with tPA added to the perfusate prior to transplantation. Three kidneys were transplanted from two donors who sustained gunshot injuries to the brain. A biopsy at the time of organ recovery documented widespread fibrin thrombi in approximately 80% of the glomeruli. Serial biopsies showed interval improvement following machine perfusion and a normal appearing kidney three months after successful transplantation. The histological presence of DIC in a deceased organ donor, even if associated with renal dysfunction, is not a contraindication to renal transplantation. Machine perfusion and tPA infusions may contribute to the recovery and successful transplantation of such kidneys.
Validation of the dissemination of spectral irradiance values using FEL lamps

Scales of spectral irradiance are disseminated by NIST using assignment of values to FEL lamp standards for defined conditions. These lamp standards can be used for absolute calibrations of irradiance radiometers, or more typically, be used in conjunction with a diffuse reflectance standard to establish a scale of spectral radiance and for subsequent absolute calibrations of radiance radiometers. The NIST FEL standards are valuable artifacts requiring special care. Many users optimize resources by in-house transfer of their primary standard to working standards. There are a number of sources of uncertainty in utilizing FEL lamps, e.g., lamp current, alignment, distance setting, instrument aperture size, drift, scattered light, and interpolation in the wavelength grid for the specified irradiance values. In this work, we validated the transfer activity by ITT of their primary, NIST-traceable FEL lamp standards. A portable irradiance bench that had kinematic mounts for an FEL lamp, on-axis baffle, and three different irradiance radiometers was built, tested, and deployed to ITT in Rochester, NY. We report the results of this comparison activity. An uncertainty budget was developed and it was found that the results agreed well within the combined uncertainties of 1.5% to 1.6% (k = 2).
Catalytic properties of yttria doped bismuth oxide ceramics for oxidative coupling of methane

Abstract Fluorite structured bismuth oxide-based ceramics are potential membrane materials for oxygen separation and membrane reactor applications. In this work, the catalytic properties of the surface of several bismuth oxide-based ceramics for oxidative coupling of methane were studied using a conventional tubular reactor operated in the cofeed mode. A most commonly studied catalyst, 5 wt% Li/MgO ( Li/MgO ), was selected as a reference catalyst. 30 mol% Y 2 O 3 doped Bi 2 O 3 (BY30) exhibits C 2 yield (18%) and selectivity (50%) similar to Li/MgO at 800–850°C, but the former has a C 2 space-time yield 15 times higher than the latter. Like Li/MgO , BY30 also yields more C 2 H 4 and CO 2 than C 2 H 6 and CO in its products. The comparison studies on Bi 2 O 3 , BY25, BY30 and Y 2 O 3 show that doping yttria in Bi 2 O 3 results in an increased C 2 yield and a slightly decreased C 2 selectivity. A decrease in the surface area of the bismuth oxide-based ceramics gives a larger C 2 selectivity and a lower C 2 yield.
CHLOROPLAST-DNA VARIATION AND MULTIPLE ORIGINS OF AUTOPOLYPLOIDY IN HEUCHERA MICRANTHA (SAXIFRAGACEAE).

Variation de l'ADN chloroplastique chez la plante Heuchera micrantha et origine de l'autopolyploidie deduite chez des populations naturelles