cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Unmixing urban hyperspectral imagery using probability distributions to represent endmember variability

Abstract Urban composition can be analyzed through spectral unmixing of images from airborne imaging spectrometers. Unmixing given a spectral library can be accomplished by set-based methods or distribution-based methods. For computational efficiency and optimal accuracy, set-based methods employ a library reduction procedure when applied to large spectral libraries. On the other hand, distribution-based methods model the library by only a few parameters, hence innately accept large libraries. A natural question arises that can distribution-based methods with the original large spectral library achieve comparable performance to set-based methods in urban imagery. In this study, we aim to investigate the unmixing capability of several distribution-based methods, Gaussian mixture model (GMM), normal compositional model (NCM), and Beta compositional model (BCM) by comparing them to set-based methods MESMA and alternate angle minimization (AAM). The data for validation were collected by the AVIRIS sensor over the Santa Barbara region: two 16 m spatial resolution and two 4 m spatial resolution images. 64 validated regions of interest (ROI) (180 m by 180 m) were used to assess estimate accuracy. Ground truth was obtained using 1 m images leading to the following 6 classes: turfgrass, non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV), paved, roof, soil, and tree. Spectral libraries were built by manually identifying and extracting pure spectra from both resolution images, resulting in 3287 spectra at 16 m and 15,426 spectra at 4 m. The libraries were further reduced to 61 spectra at 16 m and 95 spectra at 4 m for set-based methods. The results show that in terms of mean absolute error (MAE), GMM performed best among the distribution-based methods while MESMA performed best among the set-based methods. For 16 m data, there is no significant difference between GMM and MESMA (MAE = 0.069 vs. MAE = 0.074, p = 0.25). For 4 m data, though GMM is not as accurate as MESMA (MAE = 0.056 vs. MAE = 0.046, p = 7e − 5), it is better than AAM (MAE = 0.056 vs. MAE = 0.065, p = 0.02) which is a re-implementation of MESMA. Further evidence on a reconstructed synthetic dataset implies possible overfitting of the reduced library to the images for MESMA. These findings suggest that the distribution-based method GMM could achieve comparable unmixing accuracy to set-based methods without the need of library reduction, it may also be more stable across datasets, and the current 2-step workflow could be replaced by a single model in applying a universal spectral library. 1
Endoscopic Management of Urethral Stricture Disease and Bladder Neck Contractures

This section aims to review general principles of endoscopic management of urethral stricture disease and posterior urethral stenosis, with a special focus on the indications for treatment and technical aspects of urethral dilation and internal incision.
Left ventricular ejection fraction using manual and semi-automated biplane method of discs in very preterm infants.

Background Biplane left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a valuable echocardiographic parameter for assessment of LV systolic pump efficiency in adults and children, but not often reported in preterm infants. The primary aim of this study was to longitudinally measure biplane LVEF in very preterm infants during the neonatal intensive care period. Secondary aim was to compare manual and semi-automatic determination of LVEF for agreement and variability. Methods Stable preterm infants less than 30 weeks gestation were scanned on day 3, day 28, and at 36 weeks postmenstrual age. The LV endocardium was traced manually and semi-automatically using integrated speckle tracking software in apical 4-chamber and apical 3-chamber images to obtain end-diastolic volume and end-systolic volume, and calculate LVEF. Agreement between methods and variability within and between observers was determined using an interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis. Results Sixty-six preterm infants with a mean birth weight of 1100 (239) g were analyzed. The average manual biplane LVEF was 58 (3)%, 59 (3)%, and 55 (4)% at the three respective time points. Manual LVEF showed good agreement with semi-automatic LVEF (ICC 0.76) with a small bias of -1.5 (3.0)%. Interobserver variability of LVEF improved with semi-automatic tracing of the LV endocardial border (ICC manual 0.68 vs semi-automatic 0.80). Conclusion Left ventricular systolic pump efficiency in preterm infants remains stable during the neonatal intensive care period. Semi-automatic biplane LVEF has less interobserver variability and can be used interchangeably with manual biplane LVEF.
Optimism and Cardiovascular Health: Longitudinal Findings from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study

Objective Favorable cardiovascular health is associated with greater longevity free of cardiovascular disease. Although the prevalence of cardiovascular health decreases with age, less is known about protective factors that promote and preserve it over time. We investigated whether optimism was associated with better cardiovascular health over a 10-year period. Methods Participants included 3188 Black and White men and women from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study. Self-reported optimism was assessed in 2000 (this study's baseline) with the revised Life Orientation Test. Favorable cardiovascular health was defined by healthy status on five components of cardiovascular functioning that were repeatedly assessed through 2010 either clinically or via self-report (blood pressure, lipids, body mass index, diabetes, and smoking status). Linear mixed-effects models examined whether optimism predicted cardiovascular health over time, adjusting for covariates such as sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, health status, and depression diagnosis. Results In models adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, optimism was associated with better cardiovascular health across all time points (β = 0.08, 95% confidence interval = 0.04-0.11, p ≤ .001) but not with rate of change in cardiovascular health. Findings were similar when adjusting for additional covariates. Optimism did not interact significantly with race (p = .85) but did with sex, such that associations seemed stronger for women than for men (p = .03). Conclusions Optimism may contribute to establishing future patterns of cardiovascular health in adulthood, but other factors may be more strongly related to how slowly or quickly cardiovascular health deteriorates over time.
Racial Differences in Patient-provider Communication, Patient Self-efficacy, and Their Associations With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus–related Damage: A Cross-sectional Survey

Objective Despite significant racial disparities in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) outcomes, few studies have examined how disparities may be perpetuated in clinical encounters. We aimed to explore associations between areas of clinical encounters — patient-provider communication and patient self-efficacy — with SLE-related damage, in order to identify potential areas for intervention to reduce SLE outcome disparities. Methods We collected cross-sectional data from a tertiary SLE clinic including patient-provider communication, general self-efficacy, self-efficacy for managing medications and treatments, patient-reported health status, and clinical information. We compared racial groups and used logistic regression to assess race-stratified association of patient-provider communication and patient self-efficacy with having SLE-related damage. Results Among 121 patients (37% White, 63% African American), African Americans were younger, more likely to be on Medicaid, and less likely to be college educated, married, or living with a partner or spouse. African Americans reported less fatigue and better social function, took more complex SLE medication regimens, had lower fibromyalgia (FM) scores, and had higher SLE disease activity and SLE-related damage scores. African Americans reported similar self-efficacy compared to White patients, but they reported more hurried communication with providers, which was reflected in their perception that providers used words that were difficult to understand. Perceiving providers use difficult words and lower general self-efficacy were associated with having SLE-related damage among African American but not White patients. Conclusion African Americans had more severe SLE and perceived more hurried communication with providers. Both worse communication and lower self-efficacy were associated with having SLE-related damage among African American but not White patients, suggesting that these factors should be investigated as potential interventions to reduce SLE racial disparities.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation and neuroimaging for cocaine use disorder: Review and future directions.

Background: Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is a public health problem with limited treatment options and a significant relapse rate. Neuroimaging studies have identified abnormal functional connectivit...
I Come Not to Praise the Corporate Income Tax, But to Save It

United States Federal income taxation of business activity has long been characterized by partial double taxation: some business income generated by certain business entities is taxed twice (once when it is first generated by the entity, and again when it is distributed by the entity to some ultimate owner), and some business income generated by business entities is taxed only once. This article examines possible justifications for partial double taxation, to see whether they can explain the current scope of such double taxation, and finds them generally wanting. It argues, however, that the problem lies not with the concept of double taxation (there are, in fact, any number of bases upon which partial double taxation could be justified), but rather with its current implementation. Accordingly, the article proposes a fix. Given that a desire to partially double tax is clearly evidenced by history, but that the current structure of such double taxation is impossible to justify, it seems fruitful to adopt the broadest possible justification for partial double taxation and to enact a tax code that implements such justification. The article proposes as the broadest possible justification for partial double taxation "the theory of the firm." That is, business conducted in entity form reaps benefits that can not be enjoyed by business not conducted in entity form, and the ability to enjoy such benefits is a basis that will support partial double taxation. The article then demonstrates how to construct a robust entity income tax in light of this justification.
Steroid receptor-coregulator transcriptional complexes: new insights from CryoEM

Steroid receptors activate gene transcription through recruitment of a number of coregulators to facilitate histone modification, chromatin remodeling, and general transcription machinery stabilization. Understanding the structures of full-length steroid receptor and coregulatory complexes has been difficult due to their large molecular sizes and dynamic structural conformations. Recent developments in cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) technology and proteomics have advanced the structural studies of steroid receptor complexes. Here, we will review the insights we learned from cryoEM studies of the estrogen and androgen receptor transcriptional complexes. Despite similar domain organizations, the two receptors have different coregulator interaction modes. The cryoEM structures now have revealed the fundamental differences between the two receptors and their functional mechanisms.
Ultrasound-Based Tracking Of Partially In-Plane, Curved Needles

We present a novel algorithm for needle tracking in ultrasound-guided needle insertion. Most previous research assumes that in ultrasound images the needle is a straight and bright line, but needles can bend due to the interaction with heterogeneous tissue. We utilize a novel weighted RANSAC curve fitting method combined with probabilistic Hough transform to track the curved needle robustly, and the algorithm can additionally utilize external tracking information, such as robotic kinematics, to further improve the tracking accuracy. We compared against classical tracking algorithms and a U-Net model, testing over different needle curvature and tissues. Our proposed algorithm achieves higher accuracy in tip location, shaft fitting, and tip angle. In-vivo porcine experiments with naturally bending short needles also show our method better tracked the tip location.
Helping Entrepreneurs Help Themselves: A Review and Relational Research Agenda on Entrepreneurial Support Organizations:

Entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs), such as incubators and accelerators, are now ubiquitous. Despite this proliferation, their impact on entrepreneurs, ventures, and communities remains u...
To Trust is to Survive: Toward a Developmental Model of Moral Injury

Research on trauma- and stressor-related disorders has recently expanded to consider moral injury, or the harmful psychological impact of profound moral transgressions, betrayals, and acts of perpetration. Largely studied among military populations, this construct has rarely been empirically extended to children and adolescents despite its relevance in the early years, as well as youths’ potentially heightened susceptibility to moral injury due to ongoing moral development and limited social resources relative to adults. Application of the construct to young persons, however, requires theoretical reconceptualization from a developmental perspective. The present paper brings together theory and research on developmentally-oriented constructs involving morally injurious events, including attachment trauma, betrayal trauma, and perpetration-induced traumatic stress, and describes how they may be integrated and extended to inform a developmentally-informed model of moral injury. Features of such a model include identification of potentially morally injurious events, maladaptive developmental meaning-making processes that underlie moral injury, as well as behavioral and emotional indicators of moral injury among youth. Thus, this review summarizes the currently available developmental literatures, identifies the major implications of each to a developmentally-informed construct of moral injury, and presents a conceptual developmental model of moral injury for children and adolescents to guide future empirical research.
Will Uniform Bar Exam Ever Come to Michigan

Thirty-five states and territories have adopted the Uniform Bar Exam, including big-ticket states like New York, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas. Questions are expertly drafted, lawyering tasks are tested, and scores are transferrable. What would it take for Michigan to join the movement?
Equity Swaps and the Withholding Tax: 'Potential for Tax Avoidance'

New Section 871(m)(3)(B) provides that effective March 2012 all equity swap contract payments that reference U.S. source dividends will be subject to withholding tax, unless the U.S. tax authorities determine that the equity swap contract is of a type that does not have the “potential for tax avoidance.” Unfortunately, the tax authorities have no direct guidance for interpreting the statute. This article introduces indirect guidance that suggests guiding principles, and furthermore proposes that, under the circumstances, an interpretation grounded in those principles, and extended as new investigations warrant, is the most supportable.
Returning to School After Incarceration: Policy, Prisoners, and the Classroom

This chapter addresses the challenges facing men of color who return to adult education after incarceration. It frames their experience as a war from a sociopolitical and cultural context, and then explains the support men need to succeed both in and outside the classroom.
Gonadotropin regulation of glutathione synthesis in the rat ovary

Glutathione (GSH), an antioxidant and conjugator of electrophilic toxicants, prevents toxicant-mediated destruction of ovarian follicles and oocytes. Ovarian GSH has previously been shown to change with estrous cycle stage in rats, suggesting that the gonadotropin hormones may regulate ovarian GSH synthesis. The present studies tested the hypotheses that [1] estrous cycle-related changes in ovarian GSH result from cyclic changes in protein and mRNA expression of the rate-limiting enzyme in GSH synthesis, glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL, also called gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase), and [2] that these changes result from gonadotropin-mediated regulation of GCL subunit expression. In the first experiment, ovaries were harvested from cycling adult female rats on each stage of the estrous cycle. In the second experiment immature female rats were injected with pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG) to stimulate follicular development or with vehicle and killed 8, 24, or 48 h later. In both experiments the ovaries were harvested for [1] total GSH assay, [2] Western analysis for GCL catalytic (GCLc) and regulatory (GCLm) subunit protein levels, or [3] Northern analysis for Gclc and Gclm mRNA levels. Ovarian GSH concentrations and Gclc and Gclm mRNA levels, but not GCL subunit protein levels, varied significantly with estrous cycle stage. PMSG administration significantly increased ovarian GSH concentrations 24 and 48 h later. GCLm protein levels increased significantly at 24 h and 48 h following PMSG. GCLc protein levels did not increase significantly following PMSG. Gcl subunit mRNA levels were not significantly increased at any time point by the planned ANOVA; however, an increase in Gelc at 48 h was identified by t-testing. These results support the hypothesis that gonadotropins regulate ovarian GSH synthesis by modulating GCL subunit expression.
Semiautomated quantification of β-zone parapapillary atrophy using blue light fundus autofluorescence.

. Purpose: To evaluate the reproducibility of measurements of area of β-zone parapapillary atrophy (β-PPA) using blue laser fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy reflectance (CSLO) measurements and to assess agreement between the two imaging modalities. Methods: Sixty-five eyes of 45 patients (mean age, 68.2 ± 11.3 years) with established or suspected glaucoma from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study (DIGS) were prospectively included. FAF scans were obtained with the Spectralis HRA+OCT and CSLO reflectance images with the HRTII (both from Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). Two masked graders independently measured β-PPA area on 3 consecutive scans using the semi-automated BluePeak RegionFinder software (BPRF) and on CSLO reflectance images using the optic disc contour line. Reproducibility of β-PPA area measurements was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Results: Intragrader reproducibility was 0.997 (95% CI, 0.996–0.998) and 0.995 (95% CI, 0.992–0.996) for grader 1 and 2, respectively, using FAF-BPRF, and by CSLO, it was 0.991 (95% CI, 0.986–0.994) and 0.988 (95% CI, 0.982–0.992). Intergrader agreement (ICC) was 0.53 (95% CI, 0.331–0.685) for FAF-BPRF and 0.404 (95% CI, 0.149–0.601) for CSLO (comparison between ICC, p = 0.368). Agreement (ICC) between the two devices was worse for grader 1 (0.356; 95% CI, 0.129–0.549) than grader 2 (0.856; 95% CI, 0.774–0.910) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Despite excellent intragrader reproducibility for β-PPA measurements with FAF-BPRF and CSLO, intergrader reproducibility is low to moderate. Measurements of β-PPA area obtained with the two instruments are of moderate agreement and, therefore, are not interchangeable.
Hot-Cold Plasma Interactions in the Earth’s Magnetosphere

We present here a synopsis of observations and results obtained from the Explorer-45 satellite which pertain directly to the interaction of the magnetospheric hot and cold plasma populations. (Williams and Lyons, 1974a, b). This subject has not only been of considerable theoretical interest for the past several years but has also been used to conceptually explain a variety of magnetospheric phenomena (Kennel and Petschek, 1966; Cornwall, 1966; Brice and Lucas, 1971; Cornwall et al., 1970, 1971; Cuperman et al., 1973). Results from such studies have also been applied directly in early attempts to describe the magnetospheric environment of Jupiter (see for example Brice and Ioannidis, 1970; Ioannidis and Brice, 1971; Brice and McDonough, 1973; Coroniti et al., 1973; Coroniti, 1974). In addition a number of active magneto-spheric experiments have been described designed to trigger instabilities based on these previous hot-cold plasma interaction studies (Brice, 1970, 1971; Cornwall and Schultz, 1971; Williams, 1972; Cuperman and Landau, 1974).
SU‐FF‐T‐223: The Effect of Miniphantom Material On Output Ratio In‐Air

Purpose: To investigate the effects of miniphantom materials on output ratio in-air Method and Materials: Output ratios in-air were measured for beam energies of 6 MV and 15 MV, for collimator settings ranging from 3×3 to 40×40 cm2, and radiological depths between 1.83 – 36.6 g/cm2 for graphite, 1.6 – 33.6 g/cm2 for copper, and 2.28 – 21.6 g/cm2 for lead, respectively. The miniphantoms were of cylindrical shape. The lateral dimensions of the miniphantoms (> 4 g/cm2) were large enough to provide electron equilibrium and small enough to ensure coverage by the beam. Attenuation coefficients for those beam quality were measured with good geometry for the miniphantom materials. Results: At 6 MV, the maximum variations of the output ratios with the depths were −0.67%, −0.89%, and −0.66% for graphite, copper, and lead, respectively. At 15 MV, they were −1.68%, −0.84%, and −0.43%, respectively. Output ratios measured with copper and lead at the same radiological depth, e.g., 10 g/cm2, varied by −0.56% and −0.62% respectively at 6 MV, and −0.84% and −0.93% respectively at 15 MV, compared to graphite, a water equivalent material. Attenuation correction factors varied by −3.62%, −4.76%, and −4.89% at 6 MV, at the depth of 10 g/cm2, for graphite, copper, and lead, respectively. And they varied by −1.53%, −2.85%, and −2.45%, respectively at 15 MV. Mass energy transfer correction factors of copper and lead, compared to graphite, varied by 6.24% and 9.42%, respectively at 6 MV, and 6.77% and 2.76%, respectively at 15 MV. Conclusion: Output ratios measured using miniphantoms made of high Z materials showed variations from the miniphantom made of water equivalent material. For the same miniphantom, output ratio varied with its thickness. These differences can be accounted for by a collimator size dependent correction factor. We have measured various components of the correction factor.
Young Adult Perception and Attitude Toward Conspicuous Consumption and Poverty

This study explores the perception and attitude of young adults toward conspicuous consumption portrayed in mass media and their conception of poverty. Many young adults may not realize the cadre of consumerist ideologies portrayed throughout the culture and mas s media such as buy more, buy newer and improved, buy wants over needs, buy comparatively, buy exclusivel y and buy to prove. In light of such mass media por trayal, young adult consumption habits may reflect unrealis tic ideas about what it means to be poor. This rese arch quantitatively examined the impact of mass media on young adult consumption patterns and sought to determine if there is a relationship between conspicuous cons umption and poverty perception based on portrayals in popular mass media culture. The population for this researc h was primarily college-age student consumers under 25. The findings indicate that young adults view their cons umption as an indicator of class and social status and that mass media portrayal have a significant relationship on their consumption perception.
Concave equations in banach cones

We study quasilinear concave operators on Banach spaces with partial ordering. Additional assumption which makes comparison principles applicable is that Frechet derivative of a (smooth) non-linear part is a generator of a positive semigroup. Stable solutions are introduced for stationary problem and it is proved that they are attractors to the solutions of an evolution problem. Under stronger assumptions about spaces and operators we prove also the existence of the stable solutions.
Protonation studies of the new iron carbonyl cyanide trans-[Fe(CO)3(CN)2]2-: implications with respect to hydrogenases.

The new iron carbonyl cyanide trans-[Fe(CN)2(CO)3]2-, [2]2-, forms in high yield via photosubstitution of Fe(CO)5 with 2 equiv of Et4NCN. Protonation of [2]2- generated [HFe(CN)2(CO)3]-, [2H]-, the first H−Fe−CN−CO species. Further protonation gives dihydrogen. This simple system provides insights into hydrogen evolution by the hydrogenase enzymes, which also feature H−Fe−CN−CO centers.
Does laterality of positive needle biopsy in clinical T2a patients with prostate cancer affect biochemical recurrence-free survival?

Objectives To test whether patients with clinical Stage T2a prostate cancer with biopsy-proven disease only contralateral to the palpable abnormality experience outcomes similar to those of patients with clinical Stage T1c. Methods We identified 1567 patients who had undergone radical prostatectomy at our institution from 1995 to 2007 with a prostate-specific antigen level of less than 10 ng/mL and complete information regarding the laterality of positive biopsy cores. Of these patients, 1157 had clinical Stage T1c and 410 Stage cT2a. The patients with clinical Stage T2a were divided into two groups according to the laterality of the positive biopsy cores: ipsilateral only (n = 241) and contralateral only (n = 53). Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to compare the biochemical recurrence-free survival (BRFS) probabilities. Results The patients with clinical Stage T2a had significantly poorer 5-year BRFS than did the patients with clinical Stage T1c (83.5% versus 94.4%, P Conclusions The laterality of the needle biopsy in relation to the palpable abnormality in patients with clinical Stage T2a could affect BRFS. Our data have demonstrate an insignificant difference between patients with cT2a contralateral disease and those with contralateral cT1c disease.
Tied mixtures in the Lincoln robust CSR

HMM recognizers using either a single Gaussian or a Gaussian mixture per state have been shown to work fairly well for 1000-word vocabulary continuous speech recognition. However, the large number of Gaussians required to cover the entire English language makes these systems unwieldy for large vocabulary tasks. Tied mixtures offer a more compact way of representing the observation pdf's. We have converted our independent mixture systems to tied mixtures and have obtained mixed results: a 13% improvement in speaker-dependent recognition without cross-word triphone models, but no improvement in our speaker-dependent system with cross-word boundary triphone models or in our speaker-independent system. There is also a reduction in CPU requirements during recognition—but this is counter-balanced by an increase during training. This paper also includes a comment on the validity of the DARPA program's evaluation test system comparisons.
Unresolved concerns about the “new SI”

The International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) has proposed new definitions of four of the seven base units of the SI. The definitions of the proposed ‘‘new SI’’ have been published [1] and are available on the BIPM website [2], and have been the subject of lively discussions in the literature and in private communications. A number of concerns about the new SI have been raised in this journal and elsewhere [3–11]. We feel that these concerns have not been adequately addressed to date. Since the new SI definitions are to be formally proposed in a resolution to be considered in late October at the General Conference on Weights and Measures, this discussion has some urgency. In this letter, we focus on the new SI definition of the kilogram and specifically that it fails to meet three of the criteria for a good reference quantity as presented by Mills et al. in Ref. [1] that (1) it ‘‘should preferably be as simple as possible both to comprehend and to realize’’; (2) it ‘‘should be available to anyone at any time’’; and (3) it ‘‘should be a true invariant’’. Comprehensibility
Phenotypic Profiling of Antibiotic Response Signatures in Escherichia coli Using Raman Spectroscopy

Identifying the mechanism of action of new potential antibiotics is a necessary but time-consuming and costly process. Phenotypic profiling has been utilized effectively to facilitate the discovery of the mechanism of action and molecular targets of uncharacterized drugs. In this research, Raman spectroscopy was used to profile the phenotypic response of Escherichia coli to applied antibiotics. The use of Raman spectroscopy is advantageous because it is noninvasive, label free, and prone to automation, and its results can be obtained in real time. In this research, E. coli cultures were subjected to three times the MICs of 15 different antibiotics (representing five functional antibiotic classes) with known mechanisms of action for 30 min before being analyzed by Raman spectroscopy (using a 532-nm excitation wavelength). The resulting Raman spectra contained sufficient biochemical information to distinguish between profiles induced by individual antibiotics belonging to the same class. The collected spectral data were used to build a discriminant analysis model that identified the effects of unknown antibiotic compounds on the phenotype of E. coli cultures. Chemometric analysis showed the ability of Raman spectroscopy to predict the functional class of an unknown antibiotic and to identify individual antibiotics that elicit similar phenotypic responses. Results of this research demonstrate the power of Raman spectroscopy as a cellular phenotypic profiling methodology and its potential impact on antibiotic drug development research.
An atomic resolution study of homogeneous radiation-induced precipitation in a neutron irradiated W-10at.% Re alloy

Abstract The phenomenon of radiation-induced precipitation has been investigated in a W-10at.% Re alloy using the atom-probe field-ion microscope. This alloy is subsaturated with respect to the solvus line of the primary solid solution (β phase). The specimens had been irradiated in the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) to a fast-neutron fluencc of ~4 × 10 22 neutrons cm −2 ( E > 0.1 MeV) at 575, 625 and 675°C. This corresponds to 8.6 dpa and an average displacement rate, for the 2 year irradiation time, of 1.4 × 10 −7 dpa s −1 The results of the present work show a significant alteration of the microstructure of this alloy as a result of the fast-neutron irradiation. Precipitates with the composition ~WRe were detected at a density of 10 16 cm −3 . Coherent, semicoherent and possibly incoherent precipitates of the σ phase have been observed. They were not associated with either linear or planar defects, or with any impurity atoms; i.e. a true homogeneous radiation-induced precipitation occurs in this alloy. A physical argument is presented for the nucleation of the WRe precipitates in the vicinity of displacement cascades produced by primary knock-on atoms. It is suggested that the nucleation of WRe is due to the formation of tightly-bound mobile mixed dumbbells which react to form an immobile rhenium cluster. A possible sequence of point-defect reactions is detailed which can lead to a WRe cluster. The growth of this cluster into a precipitate is most likely driven by the irreversible vacancy: self-interstitial atom (SIA) annihilation reaction, as suggested recently by Cauvin and Martin. A mechanism for the suppression of voids, in this alloy, is presented which is self-consistent with the homogeneous radiation-induced precipitation mechanism.
Superinfection exclusion by vesicular stomatitis virus.

Abstract The infection of baby hamster kidney (BHK 21 ) cells by the Indiana strain of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) causes a rapid loss of the ability of the cells to be superinfected by VSV visions or defective-interfering particles. This exclusion phenomenon is at the level of virus penetration and requires viral gene expression and a functional VSV transmembrane glycoprotein G. Infection with the New Jersey serotype of VSV also inhibits the uptake of the Indiana serotype. However, infection of BHK 21 cells with either encepbalomyocarditis, Newcastle disease, or influenza viruses does not inhibit superinfection by VSV.
Performance of a new Bluetooth scatternet formation protocol

A Bluetooth ad hoc network can be formed by interconnecting piconets into scatternets. The constraints and properties of Bluetooth scatternets present special challegnes in forming an ad hoc network efficiently. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of a new randomized distributed Bluetooth scatternet formation protocol. Our simulations validate the theoretical results that our scatternet formation protocol runs in O(log n) time and sends O(n) messages. The scatternets formed have the following properties: 1) any device is a member of at most two piconets, and 2) the number of piconets is close to be optimal. These properties can avoid overloading of any single device and lead to low interference between piconets. In addition, the simulations show that the scatternets formed have O(log n) diameter. As an essential part of the scatternet formation protocol, we study the problem of device discovery: establishing multiple connecitons with many masters and slaves in parallel. We investigate the collision rate and time requirement of the inquiry and page processes. Deducing from the simulation results of scatternet formation and device discovery, we can verify that the total number of packets sent is O(n) and demonstrate that the maximum number of packets sent by any single device is O(log n). At last, we give estimates of the total time requirement of the protocol and suggest further improvements
The vascular ‘sunburst’ appearance of osteosarcoma: A new angiographic finding

The angiographic analogue of the ‘sunburst’, (right angle) periosteal new bone formation in osteogenic sarcoma is described. The angiographic findings in this tumor and their relationship to the pathologic appearance are discussed.
Male orangethroat darters, Etheostoma spectabile, do not prefer larger females

Male orangethroat darters,Etheostoma spectabile, did not show a preference for larger females as measured by the number of matings or time until mating in a field enclosure experiment. The lack of male preference for female size may be due to the male-biased sex ratio at the site (seven males per female) or to low variation in the number of eggs deposited per spawning.
The Twilight Zone in the Brazilian Energy Sector

As with the California crisis, reports of power shortages in Brazil have been front-page news. This article addresses the causes of the Brazilian energy crisis and possible solutions. It sets forth 1) emergency measures taken by the Brazilian government to address the short-term crisis, 2) proposed changes in sources of power in Brazil for the longer term, and 3) a critique of the existing legal framework for investment and operations in the power sector. Ultimately, the authors conclude that the Brazilian government must provide a more competitive and attractive environment for international project finance in this industry through more transparent and permanent regulations and continued liberalization of restrictions on foreign investment in the sector.
Evidence for independent time-unit processing of speech using noise promoting or suppressing masking release

The relative independence of time-unit processing during speech reception was examined. It was found that temporally interpolated noise, even at very high levels, had little effect on sentence recognition using masking-release conditions similar to those of Kwon et al. [(2012). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 131, 3111−3119]. The current data confirm the earlier conclusions of Kwon et al. involving masking release based on the relative timing of speech and noise. These data also indicate substantial levels of independence in the time domain, which has implications for current theories of speech perception in noise.
Effects of a Metabotropic Glutamate 1 Receptor Antagonist on Light Responses of Retinal Ganglion Cells in a Rat Model of Retinitis Pigmentosa

Background: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a progressive retinal degenerative disease that causes deterioration of rod and cone photoreceptors. A well-studied animal model of RP is the transgenic P23H rat, which carries a mutation in the rhodopsin gene. Previously, I reported that blocking retinal GABAC receptors in the P23H rat increases light responsiveness of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Because activation of metabotropic glutamate 1 (mGlu1) receptors may enhance the release of GABA onto GABAC receptors, I examined the possibility that blocking retinal mGlu1 receptors might in itself increase light responsiveness of RGCs in the P23H rat. Methodology/Principal Findings: Electrical recordings were made from RGCs in isolated P23H rat retinas. Spike activity of RGCs was measured in response to brief flashes of light over a range of light intensities. Intensity-response curves were evaluated prior to and during bath application of the mGlu1 receptor antagonist JNJ16259685. I found that JNJ16259685 increased light sensitivity of all ON-center RGCs and most OFF-center RGCs studied. RGCs that were least sensitive to light showed the greatest JNJ16259685-induced increase in light sensitivity. On average, light sensitivity increased in ON-center RGCs by 0.58 log unit and in OFF-center RGCs by 0.13 log unit. JNJ16259685 increased the maximum peak response of ONcenter RGCs by 7% but had no significant effect on the maximum peak response of OFF-center RGCs. The effects of JNJ16259685 on ON-center RGCs were occluded by a GABAC receptor antagonist. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that blocking retinal mGlu1 receptors in a rodent model of human RP potentiates transmission of any, weak signals originating from photoreceptors. This augmentation of photoreceptormediated signals to RGCs occurs presumably through a reduction in GABAC-mediated inhibition.
Glucocorticoid receptor-like antigen in lymphoma cell membranes: correlation to cell lysis

S-49 mouse lymphoma cells undergo lysis when treated with glucocorticoids; the mechanism of this effect is not understood. A protein was detected in the plasma membrane of these cells by means of direct immunofluorescent labeling with a monoclonal antibody to the soluble glucocorticoid receptor. Cellular heterogeneity in the content of this glucocorticoid receptor-like molecule was evident. By immunoadsorption to antibody-coated tissue culture plates, the cells were separated into populations positive (100%) and depleted (38%) for this membrane antigen. Gel electrophoresis, specific immunoblot, and autoradiographic (binding of [3H]dexamethasone mesylate) analysis of the membrane proteins from the membrane antigen-positive group revealed multiple protein bands ranging in size from 85 to 145 kilodaltons. Furthermore, comparison of the glucocorticoid sensitivity of these groups of cells showed complete lysis of the membrane antigen-positive cells and only partial lysis of the antigen-deficient group, which suggests that the lysis response of cells to glucocorticoids is mediated by a glucocorticoid receptor-like molecule located in the plasma membrane.
Hardware security strategies exploiting nanoelectronic circuits

Hardware security has emerged as an important field of study aimed at mitigating issues such as piracy, counterfeiting, and side channel attacks. One popular solution for such hardware security attacks are physical unclonable functions (PUF) which provide a hardware specific unique signature or identification. The uniqueness of a PUF depends on intrinsic process variations within individual integrated circuits. As process variations become more prevalent due to technology scaling into the nanometer regime, novel nanoelectronic technologies such as memristors become viable options for improved security in emerging integrated circuits. In this paper, we provide an overview of memristor based PUF structures and circuits that illustrate the potential for nanoelectronic hardware security solutions.
Oblivious network design

Consider the following network design problem: given a network G = (V, E), source-sink pairs {si, ti} arrive and desire to send a unit of flow between themselves. The cost of the routing is this: if edge e carries a total of fe flow (from all the terminal pairs), the cost is given by Σ el(fe), where l is some concave cost function; the goal is to minimize the total cost incurred. However, we want the routing to be oblivious: when terminal pair {si, ti} makes its routing decisions, it does not know the current flow on the edges of the network, nor the identity of the other pairs in the system. Moreover, it does not even know the identity of the function l, merely knowing that l is a concave function of the total flow on the edge. How should it (obliviously) route its one unit of flow? Can we get competitive algorithms for this problem?In this paper, we develop a framework to model oblivious network design problems (of which the above problem is a special case), and give algorithms with poly-logarithmic competitive ratio for problems in this framework (and hence for this problem). Abstractly, given a problem like the one above, the solution is a multicommodity flow producing a "load" on each edge of Le = l(f1(e),f2(e), ..., fk(e)), and the total cost is given by an "aggregation function" agg (Le1,...,Lem) of the loads of all edges. Our goal is to develop oblivious algorithms that approximately minimize the total cost of the routing, knowing the aggregation function agg, but merely knowing that l lies in some class C, and having no other information about the current state of the network. Hence we want algorithms that are simultaneously "function-oblivious" as well as "traffic-oblivious".The aggregation functions we consider are the max and σ objective functions, which correspond to the well-known measures of congestion and total cost of a network; in this paper, we prove the following:• If the aggregation function is Σ, we give an oblivious algorithm with O(log2n) competitive ratio whenever the load function l is in the class of monotone sub-additive functions. (Recall that our algorithm is also "function-oblivious"; it works whenever each edge has a load function l in the class.)• For the case when the aggregation function is max, we give an oblivious algorithm with O(log2n log log n) competitive ratio, when the load function l is a norm; we also show that such a competitive ratio is not possible for general sub-additive functions.These are the first such general results about oblivious algorithms for network design problems, and we hope the ideas and techniques will lead to more and improved results in this area.
A criterion for a-stability of linear multistep integration formulae

Two easy-to-check conditions are given which, together, are sufficient and “almost necessary” forA-stability of linear multistep integration formulae. As an example, these conditions are applied to the two-parameter family of all two-step methods which are at least second-order accurate.
Using geminal dicationic ionic liquids as solvents for high-temperature organic reactions.

Several organic reactions conducted at high temperatures, including the isomerization reaction, the Claisen rearrangement, and the Diels−Alder reaction, were investigated in three geminal dicationic ionic liquids with high thermal stability. High to moderate yields of the products for most entries were obtained. Advantages of these approaches are discussed. These ionic liquids were shown to be recyclable. The utility of these ionic liquid solvents for high-temperature organic reactions was demonstrated.
Wasting Syndrome: Nutritional Support in HIV Infection

Malnutrition and wasting are common in patients with HIV infection. Nutritional needs vary with the stage of HIV disease. Severe weight loss is associated with increased mortality in patients with AIDS and is multifactorial in development. Possible causes of weight loss include decreased food intake due to oral or GI pathology or anorexia, nutrient malabsorption, and systemic infections. Severe malabsorption is limited to patients with advanced HIV disease with CD4+ cell counts < 100 and usually < 50 cells/microliters. The spectrum of GI pathogens continues to broaden. For hypermetabolic patients, evaluation for systemic infection followed by effective antiinfective treatment is critical. For nonhypermetabolic patients, a variety of metabolic and endocrinological abnormalities may be present. It is important to recognize that micronutrient deficiencies often accompany macronutrient deficits. Providing appropriate nutritional support to patients with AIDS is fundamental to optimal medical care. Overall indications for nutritional support in a patient with AIDS are the same as in any other chronic disease. Nutritional repletion is well documented, and there are a variety of approaches to achieving appropriate intake, including volitional (megestrol or dronabinol therapy) and nonvolitional (feeding tubes and total parenteral nutrition). Parenteral nutrition should not be undertaken without preset limits. The value of nutritional pharmacology with supraphysiological doses of micronutrients has not been established.
Diagnostic accuracy and pitfalls in fine-needle aspiration interpretation of Warthin tumor.

BACKGROUND Despite its well-defined histologic appearance, the often variegated cytomorphologic appearance of Warthin tumor (WT) on fine-needle aspiration (FNA) may lead to an erroneous cytopathologic interpretation. In this study, the authors analyzed the potential sources of diagnostic errors and overall accuracy of FNA diagnosis of WT. METHODS A retrospective search of The Johns Hopkins Hospital Surgical Pathology files (1985–2001) revealed 97 patients with WT, including 31 patients who underwent prior FNA. A comprehensive review of cytopathologic material was undertaken to calculate the overall accuracy of FNA and to identify sources of diagnostic error. RESULTS All tumors presented in the parotid gland. Four tumors (13%) were deemed inadequate for interpretation due to insufficient material. The FNA diagnosis of WT was rendered in only 20 tumors (74%). The remaining 7 tumors (26%) were misdiagnosed on FNA as consistent with or suspicious for carcinoma or some other neoplastic process. A retrospective review of the tumors, which were over-called on FNA, showed a predominance of necrotic or cellular debris (n = 6 tumors; 22%), significant epithelial metaplasia with atypia (n = 4 tumors; 15%), background inflammation suspicious for tumor diathesis (n = 3 tumors; 11%), spindle cells (n = 1 tumor; 4%), and abundant mucin with keratinized squamous cells (n = 1 tumor; 4%). CONCLUSIONS FNA is moderately accurate for diagnosing WT, with a 74% accuracy rate in the current series. Cytologic misinterpretation may occur due to a lack of characteristic cytomorphologic features of WT and overabundance of one or more of the following: squamous metaplasia/atypia, mucoid/mucinous background, spindle-shaped cells, and cystic/inflammatory debris. An adequate awareness of these potential sources of erroneous diagnoses, coupled with appropriate clinical findings, may result in a higher accuracy rate. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2003;99:166–71. © 2003 American Cancer Society.