cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“Automatic Ingestion Monitor Version 2” – A Novel Wearable Device for Automatic Food Intake Detection and Passive Capture of Food Images

Use of food image capture and/or wearable sensors for dietary assessment has grown in popularity. “Active” methods rely on the user to take an image of each eating episode. “Passive” methods use wearable cameras that continuously capture images. Most of “passively” captured images are not related to food consumption and may present privacy concerns. In this paper, we propose a novel wearable sensor (Automatic Ingestion Monitor, AIM-2) designed to capture images only during automatically detected eating episodes. The capture method was validated on a dataset collected from 30 volunteers in the community wearing the AIM-2 for 24h in pseudo-free-living and 24h in a free-living environment. The AIM-2 was able to detect food intake over 10-second epochs with a (mean and standard deviation) F1-score of 81.8 ± 10.1%. The accuracy of eating episode detection was 82.7%. Out of a total of 180,570 images captured, 8,929 (4.9%) images belonged to detected eating episodes. Privacy concerns were assessed by a questionnaire on a scale 1-7. Continuous capture had concern value of 5.0 ± 1.6 (concerned) while image capture only during food intake had concern value of 1.9 ±1.7 (not concerned). Results suggest that AIM-2 can provide accurate detection of food intake, reduce the number of images for analysis and alleviate the privacy concerns of the users.
The Role of the Xylem in Oxytetracycline Translocation within Citrus Trees.

Antibiotics have been successfully used to control plant diseases for more than fifty years. Recently, oxytetracycline and streptomycin have been approved for the treatment of Huanglongbing, which is threatening the citrus industry in many regions. Because the efficiency of antibiotics in planta is highly affected by their movement and distribution, understanding the mechanism of antibiotics’ uptake and distribution could lead to a better control of plant pathogens. Herein, we investigated the movement of oxytetracycline within citrus plants. Oxytetracycline was applied by root drenching to both girdled and non-girdled citrus seedlings. In addition, oxytetracycline was applied by trunk injection to girdled and non-girdled citrus trees. After the exposure time (24 h), citrus seedlings were dissected and the levels of oxytetracycline in the different tissues were measured using an oxytetracycline ELISA kit. Upon root application (laboratory experiment), oxytetracycline was detected in the inner part of the stem (xylem-associated tissue), cortex (phloem-associated tissue), and leaves above and below the girdled area. Likewise, oxytetracycline was also detected in leaves of trunk-injected field trees (girdled and non-girdled) three days post treatment. Interestingly, cortex girdling did not affect the distribution and translocation of oxytetracycline, indicating that the xylem is the main path for oxytetracycline translocation. Taken together, our results indicate that oxytetracycline translocation mainly occurs via xylem vessels, and that movement into the phloem occurs subsequent to xylem translocation. Our findings also clearly demonstrated that upon trunk injection, only trace levels of oxytetracycline reached the roots, minimizing its therapeutic value there. Thus, our recommendation is to time tree injections to coincide with the flushing periods when the bacteria are moving into new shoots to maximize the efficiency of oxytetracycline.
RTA3: A Real Time Adversarial Attack on Recurrent Neural Networks

Recurrent neural networks are widely used in machine learning systems that process time series data including health monitoring, object tracking in video, and automatic speech recognition (ASR). While much work has been done demonstrating the vulnerability of deep neural networks to socalled adversarial perturbations, the majority of this work has focused on convolutional neural networks that process non-sequential data for tasks like image recognition. We propose that the unique memory and parameter sharing properties of recurrent neural networks make them susceptible to periodic adversarial perturbations that can exploit these unique features. In this paper, we demonstrate a general application of deep reinforcement learning to the generation of periodic adversarial perturbations in a black-box approach to attack recurrent neural networks processing sequential data. We successfully learn an attack policy to generate adversarial perturbations against the DeepSpeech ASR system and further demonstrate that this attack policy generalizes to a set of unseen examples in real time.
Enhanced PET/MRI reconstruction via dichromatic interpolation of domain-translated zero-dose PET

We present a new strategy for incorporating high resolution structural information from MRI into the reconstruction of PET imagery via deep domain translated image priors. The strategy involves two steps: (1) predicting a PET uptake volume directly from MRI without requiring a radiation dose, and (2) using the predicted dose-free PET volume to impose sparsity constraints on the PET reconstruction from measured sinograms. The key idea of our approach is that domain translated PET imagery can capture the true spatial and sparsity patterns of PET imagery, which can be used to guide the convergence of the statistics-limited inverse problem. This scheme can be superior to joint-sparsity reconstruction, among other methods, since the mismatch between PET and MRI features is significantly reduced by using the domain translated zero-dose PET as the prior instead. We evaluate this technique on a wholebody 18F-FDG-PET dataset, demonstrating that dichromatic interpolation can recover high quality PET imagery from noisy and low dose PET/MRI, with no observed failure cases.
Regulating A Firm With Agency Problems

How should one regulate a firm when its investment may cause a negative externality? In this paper we present a model on regulating a firm run by a manager and owned by a shareholder. The regulator can impose a penalty on the manager, the shareholder, or both. Our characterization of optimal regulation in the presence of an agency conflict demonstrates several key results. First, optimal regulation can take two forms. In one regulatory strategy fines are imposed on shareholders and they are lower if the shareholders fire the manager following a negative externality. In the other regulatory strategy fines are imposed only on the manager and no firing takes place. Second, as the agency conflict becomes more severe the “no firing” strategy that imposes a fine on the manager becomes more attractive. And third, we find that regulation costs are lower when the manager and the shareholder are separate entities.
An Examination of Students' Perceptions of a Situationally Described Career in Personal Selling

ABSTRACT The research reported here examines the perception of personal selling as a career choice by college students. The literature indicates that while college students generally believe that personal selling offers opportunities for promotion and higher earnings, it frequently is not a preferred career choice. This paper extends existing literature by situationally describing (albeit in vague terms) a personal selling job opportunity under consideration. Previous research has used a general statement about a career in sales without defining a “personal selling career,” i.e., a career in retail sales, non-retail sales, etc. A randomized block design is used to assign students to 1 of 5 possible selling situations. Previous results are confirmed when the sales position is not situationally defined, the students' perception of career in personal selling is statistically different by gender. However, contrary to previous research, the MANOVA did not in all situations reveal a significant difference betwe...
Modeling the Hybridization of a Class 8 Line-Haul Truck

Hybrid electric vehicles have demonstrated their ability to significantly reduce fuel consumption for several medium- and heavy-duty applications. In this paper we analyze the impact on fuel economy of the hybridization of a tractor-trailer. The study is done in PSAT (Powertrain System Analysis Toolkit), which is a modeling and simulation toolkit for light- and heavy-duty vehicles developed by Argonne National Laboratory. Two hybrid configurations are taken into account, each one of them associated with a level of hybridization. That increases the braking energy recuperation rates. We first analyze the benefits of the two hybrid configurations on standard cycles. We then compare fuel economy results from a short standard highway cycle with a longer cruising scenario to illustrate the sensitivity of the benefits to the drive cycle. Finally, using simulation involving a grade scenario of periodical hills that we designed for this project, we show hybridization can be beneficial on hilly terrain.
Leveling the Participatory Field: the Mind's Eye Program at the Guggenheim Museum

This essay constitutes a methodological inquiry into standard approaches to interacting around art with people who are blind or have low vision. Critical reflection upon Verbal Imaging and close-looking techniques yields learning environments in which visitors to the museum have opportunities for increased independence, leadership roles and sense of community. Key words: Guggenheim Museum, art education for blind and low-vision people, verbal imaging, verbal description of art, museum accessibility programs.
Elimination of rheumatoid synovium in situ using a Fas ligand 'gene scalpel'.

Surgical synovectomy to remove the inflammatory synovium can temporarily ameliorate rheumatoid inflammation and delay the progress of joint destruction. An efficient medically induced programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the rheumatoid synovium might play a role similar to synovectomy but without surgical tissue damage. Gene transfer of Fas ligand (FasL) has increased the frequency of apoptotic cells in mouse and rabbit arthritic synovium. In this study, we investigated whether repeated FasL gene transfer could remove human inflammatory synovial tissue in situ and function as a molecular synovectomy. Briefly, specimens of human synovium from joint replacement surgeries and synovectomies of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients were grafted subcutaneously into male C.B-17 severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice. Injections of a recombinant FasL adenovirus (Ad-FasL) into the grafted synovial tissue at the dosage of 1011 particles per mouse were performed every two weeks. Three days after the fifth virus injection, the mice were euthanized by CO2 inhalation and the human synovial tissues were collected, weighed and further examined. Compared to the control adenovirus-LacZ (Ad-LacZ) and phosphate buffered saline (PBS) injected RA synovium, the Ad-FasL injected RA synovium was dramatically reduced in size and weight (P < 0.005). The number of both synoviocytes & mononuclear cells was significantly reduced. Interestingly, an approximate 15-fold increased frequency of apoptotic cells was observed in RA synovium three days after Ad-FasL injection, compared with control tissues. In summary, our in vivo investigation of gene transfer to human synovium in SCID mice suggests that repeated intra-articular gene transfer of an apoptosis inducer, such as FasL, may function as a 'gene scalpel' for molecular synovectomy to arrest inflammatory synovium at an early stage of RA.
Discussion of "Model Study of Laterally Loaded Piles"

THE AUTHORS HAVE PRESENTED INTERESTING INFORMATION ON THE BEHAVIOR OF SINGLE PILES AND PILE GROUPS UNDER AXIAL AND LATERAL LOADING. THE ANALYSIS WAS BASED UPON AN EQUATION CORRELATING THE MEASURED DEFLECTION WITH THE APPLIED LOAD AT GROUND SURFACE. THE EQUATION INCLUDED ONE DIMENSIONLESS PARAMETER IN THE CASE OF A SINGLE PILE, AND TWO DIMENSIONLESS PARAMETERS IN THE CASE OF A PILE GROUP CONNECTED WITH A SLAB. IT WAS STATED THAT THESE PARAMETERS DEPEND UPON THE RATIO OF THE EMBEDDED LENGTH TO THE RELATIVE STIFFNESS. THE WRITERS BELIEVE THESE VALUES MIGHT ALSO DEPEND UPON THE SCALE OF THE MODEL. IF TWO SYSTEMS (MODEL AND PROTOTYPE) ARE CONSIDERED, THE FORM OF THE EQUATION MIGHT CHANGE CONSIDERABLY WITH THE SCALE. IN THE CASE OF GROUP PILES, THE PROBLEM OF DEDUCING SIMILARITY PARAMETERS COULD BE SOLVED BY APPLYING TWO RELATIONSHIPS CONTINUED IN THE DISCUSSION. IT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST TO STUDY THE BEHAVIOR OF PILES AND PILE GROUPS UNDER STRATIFIED SOIL CONDITIONS. THE ASSUMPTION OF TRIANGULAR VARIATION OF SUBGRADE MODULUS WITH RESPECT TO DEPTH MIGHT BE MODIFIED; A MODIFIED HRENNIKOFF METHOD OF ANALYSIS SHOULD BE DERIVED FOR THIS CASE. /DISCUSSER/
A Review of “Nordic Landscapes: Region and Belonging on the Northern Edge of Europe”

According to its editors, Nordic Landscapes was originally inspired by Michael Conzen's (1990) smart collection, The Making of the American Landscape, and conceived in the early 1990s after a serie...
Sampled-data signal processing with switched capacitor circuits

The design of precision switched-capacitor circuits for sample-data signal processing is presented. The structures and techniques recommended in the paper have been proven over the years to yield robust and economical VLSI circuits. >
Glypican-3 protein expression in primary and metastatic melanoma: a combined immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry study.

Dina Kandil, MD; Gladwyn Leiman, MBBCh, FIAC; Mark Allegretta, PhD; and Mark Evans, PhDBACKGROUND: The incidence of melanoma is increasing. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is critical in docu-menting recurrent/metastatic disease in established cases. The potential of metastatic melanoma (MM) tomimic epithelial tumors presents a diagnostic dilemma. In liver FNA, the distinction between hepatocellularcarcinoma (HCC) and MM is a frequent challenge. Glypican-3 (GPC3), a heparan sulfate proteoglycan, is ahighly sensitive and specific marker for HCC. Serum GPC3 was shown to be expressed in 40% of primarymelanomas (PMs), but to the authors’ knowledge no tissue studies to date have assessed GPC3 expressionin MM. In this study, GPC3 protein expression was investigated in FNAs from MM, and in corresponding his-tologic sections from the primary tumors. METHODS: Sixty archival, direct FNA smears or CytoLyt-fixedsamples from 50 patients with MM were retrieved together with formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded speci-mens available from 17 corresponding PMs. All cases were stained with anti-GPC3 antibody. FNA and corebiopsy specimens from HCCs and benign liver were used as positive and negative controls. GPC3 expres-sion was divided into 2 categories: negative (negative or weak cytoplasmic staining) and positive (moder-ate or strong cytoplasmic with membranous accentuation). RESULTS: All FNAs from MM cases werenegative (0 of 60) for GPC3. The exact 95% Clopper-Pearson confidence interval was 0.0% to 5.96%. Only1 case of PM (1 of 17; 5.9%) demonstrated weak focal cytoplasmic staining (regarded as negative). CON-CLUSIONS: In the current study, all MM and PM cases in archival FNAs and tissue sections were found tobe negative for GPC3. These data suggest that GPC3 is not expressed in melanoma using the 1G12 clone.Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2009:117:271–8. V
Monte Carlo Approaches to Effective Field Theories

In this paper, we explore the application of continuum Monte Carlo methods to effective field theory models. Effective field theories, in this context, are those in which a Fock space decomposition of the states is useful. These problems arise both in nuclear and condensed matter physics. In nuclear physics, much work has been done on effective field theories of mesons and baryons. While the theories are not fundamental, they should be able to describe nuclear properties at low energy and momentum. After describing the methods, we solve two simple scalar field theory problems; the polaron and two nucleons interacting through scalar meson exchange.
Soldier tactical mission system combat effectiveness

In order to better prepare our soldiers for the wars of tomorrow, it is vital that the army investigates the benefits of implementing new soldier tactical mission system (STMS) alternatives in battle. The purpose of our research is to quantify the gain in mission capability as the technology attributes of the STMS are varied. We will use an agent-based model called map aware nonuniform automata (MANA) to simulate the actions of an infantry squad in a scenario. We will vary the attributes of the individual agents in MANA to represent three STMS alternatives: current soldier, the land warrior version 1.0, and objective force warrior technology. The measures of effectiveness for our experiment will be casualties over time and the time to complete the mission. Developing a model of this nature is important because it will show the benefit of new STMS alternatives and it will allow us to show a link between individual technology and mission capability.
A Versatile Electronic Computer for Photoelectric Spectrochemical Analysis

An electronic system has been designed with which it is possible to make dynamic background corrections by modifying existing commercial direct-reading equipment. The resulting linear curves make practical the use of simple electronic analog computation equipment to automatically calculate analytical values. The design and use of a versatile computer to carry out this function is described. Its application to the spectrochemical analysis of clamshells for Ba, Mn, Na, and Sr is presented.
Reducing Violence in a Child Psychiatric Hospital Through Planned Organizational Change

TOPIC: A successful attempt to reduce aggressive behaviors and counter aggressive staff interventions, including seclusion and restraint, in a child psychiatric hospital. PURPOSE: To offer a model for reducing violence within child psychiatric facilities. SOURCES: The agency in which this project was carried out was a 50-place public child psychiatric hospital affiliated with an urban university. Discussion includes the strategies utilized including utilization of practice-based research, assessment of the level of aggression within the agency, change in staff perception about the use of coercive interventions to manage behavior, revision of the behavior management program and of policies relating to crisis events, and increased involvement of families. CONCLUSIONS: This experience in reducing aggression within the hospital validates theory that suggests that violence within institutions is context-based, involving patients, staff, and the institutional climate. The authors believe that the outcomes support the proposition that the use of coercion is determined more by traditions of practice and the mindset of the staff than by clinical necessity, and that its use can be significantly reduced by organization interventions. Language: en
Transesophageal echocardiographic guidance of transcatheter ventricular septal defect closure.

Abstract Objectives. This report describes transesophageal echocardiographic guidance of transcatheter closure of ventricular septal defects and its value as an adjunct to fluoroscopy and angiography in this procedure. Background. Experience with transcatheter closure of ventricular septal defects has identified a diverse group of patients in whom it may be the procedure of choice. Although facilitating other interventional procedures, such as transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects, the value of transesophageal echocardiographic guidance for transcatheter ventricular septal defect closure has not been documented. Methods. All patients who underwent ventricular septal defect closure with transesophageal echocardiographic guidance before November 1992 were included. Angiograms and echocardiograms were reviewed to evaluate device position and relation to valve tissue during placement and to assess residual flow after device implantation. The ability of transesophageal echocardiography to assess these variables was compared with fluoroscopy and angiography. Results. Transesophageal echocardiographic guidance was used in 31 of the 83 catheterizations involving transcatheter ventricular septal defect closure performed between February 1990 and November 1992. Under transesophageal echocardiographic guidance, 45 devices were implanted: 23 in muscular ventricular septal defects, 17 in residual postoperative patch margin defects and 5 in other ventricular septal defects. Transesophageal echocardiographic guidance enhanced assessment of device position and proximity to valve structures and markedly improved assessment of residual flow. Assessment of residual flow with transesophageal echocardiography elimuinated the need for multiple angiograms in some patients. Combining transesophageal echocardiography with fluoroscopy and angiography provided the most information. Conclusions. Transesophageal echocardiography facilitates transcatheter closure of ventricular septal defects by improving assessment of device position and effectiveness of closure. It is indicated when device placement is likely to be difficult or may interfere with valve structures or when multiple interventional procedures are anticipated.
Effect of diet on milk copper and iron content of normal and heterozygous brindled mice

Abstract From conception, female mice of two genotypes, normal (+/+) and brindled ( Mo br /+), were fed a semipurified diet low in copper (copper-deficient) (−Cu). These mice were compared to controls (copper-adequate) (+Cu) fed the same diet that were given copper in the drinking water (20μg/ml). An additional copper-adequate treatment was imposed on mice of both genotypes which consisted of tap water and a commercial non-purified diet (Mouse Chow). Lactating dams at 10–12 days post-partum were milked. Samples from dams in all six groups were wet-digested and analyzed for copper and iron by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Compared to normal dams, brindled dams had lower milk copper levels for both copper-adequate treatments (+Cu and Mouse Chow). In both cases, milk copper content was one-third lower in brindled dams. The −Cu treatment lowered milk copper significantly in both normal and brindled dams to equivalent levels. In addition, the −Cu treated normal dams had lower milk iron levels compared to +Cu treated dams. A similar trend was observed in brindled dams when comparing +Cu to −Cu treatment. Dietary copper deficiency alters both copper and iron content of milk. The brindled gene results in lower milk copper even when the dietary supply is adequate.
ENERGY MOMENTUM TENSOR OF FIELDS IN THE STANDARD COSMOLOGY

With the use of the equations of motion of massless fields moving in a curved Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe, we show, in some simple cases, that the energy-momentum tensor of a maximally 3-space symmetric distribution of the fields (i.e., an incoherent averaging over a complete set of modes of the field propagating in a Robertson-Walker background) has the standard perfect fluid form. As far as we know such an explicit demonstration, as well as the establishment of the compatibility of the equations of motion of the gravitational field with such an incoherently averaged source in the standard cosmology, has not previously been presented in the literature. Our results are found to hold for any value of the spatial curvature of the universe.
Systematics of annealing of tracks of relativistic nuclei in phosphate glass detectors

Abstract We have measured track etch rates for relativistic uranium, gold and lanthanum ions in two types of phosphate glasses as a function of annealing time and temperature. All the data can be represented by a single equation in which the fractional thermal track-fading rate is proportional to an inverse power of annealing time and to a Boltzmann factor of temperature. The results enable one to predict the long-term stability of latent tracks for ions of arbitrary ionization rate.
Investigation of the Mechanism of Chest Pain in Patients With Angiographically Normal Coronary Arteries Using Transesophageal Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography

Abstract Objectives. The present study sought to determine whether myocardial contractile abnormalities accompany the development of chest pain in patients with normal coronary angiograms. Background. The mechanism of chest pain in patients with angina despite a normal coronary arteriogram is controversial. Although previous studies postulated the existence of coronary microvascular dysfunction, others failed to find evidence of myocardial ischemia, and recent studies have demonstrated abnormal cardiac sensitivity in these patients that can lead to chest pain on a nonischemic basis. Methods. Seventy patients (26 men and 44 women, mean age 49 ± 10 years) with angina-like chest pain and angiographically normal coronary arteries underwent exercise treadmill testing, radionuclide angiography at rest and during exercise, thallium stress testing and transesophageal dobutamine stress echocardiography. The results of exercise treadmill testing and stress echocardiography were compared with those obtained in 26 normal control subjects (19 men and 7 women, mean age 56 ± 7 years). Results. Abnormalities consistent with myocardial ischemia were noted in 31% of the patients during exercise treadmill testing, in 16% during exercise radionuclide angiography and in 18% during thallium stress testing. The findings of the radionuclide studies were not concordant with one another and were not related to the presence of repolarization changes during exercise testing. During infusion of dobutamine, chest pain developed in 59 patients (84%) and in none of the control subjects (p Conclusions. There was no agreement in the results of noninvasive tests in our patients. Despite the frequent provocation of chest pain and electrocardiographic abnormalities with dobutamine, the patients demonstrated a quantitatively normal myocardial contractile response without development of wall motion abnormalities. These observations strongly suggest that myocardial ischemia is not the cause of chest pain in patients with a normal coronary arteriogram. (J Am Coll Cardiol 1997;29:293–301)
Basic and clinical aspects of congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Abstract Defective steroid 21-hydroxylation is the most common of the biochemical defects causing hyperplasia of the adrenal cortex. The genetic mode of transmission of all enzyme abnormalities seen in cortisol biosynthesis is autosomal recessive. Steroid 21-hydroxylase deficiency has three currently accepted forms: the simple virilizing and salt-wasting variants of the classical deficiency, and the nonclassical (attenuated) form, which shows a wide clinical range of effects and whose characterization emerged from co-ordinated hormonal testing and family studies. More recent molecular genetic studies have started to identify specific mutations altering 21-hydroxylase activity. Defects in the other enzymes occur more rarely and are less well known, although initial work with abnormal 11β-hydroxylase and 3β-hydroxylase indicates that allelic gene defects may be correlated with different clinical phenotypes seen for these disorders also. The gene for the enzyme steroid 21-hydroxylase, a cytochrome P-450, is situated within the major histocompatibility complex on the p arm of human chromosome 6, proximal to the HLA-B antigen locus. Linkage disequilibria between certain B and DR alleles and classical and nonclassical 21-hydroxylase deficiency permit the use of HLA genotyping in conjunction with hormonal evaluation for diagnosis of this disorder and for identification of carrier haplotypes in population studies. Test programs have shown the feasibility of neonatalscreening for 21-hydroxylase deficiency by blood-spot hormonal assay for elevated 17-hydroxyprogesterone. Prenatal detection of disease currently depends on HLA serotyping of cultured aminocytes jointly with measurement of amniotic 17-hydroxyprogesterone (13–18 week gestation); molecular genetic techniques with more specific nuclear probes will improve the specificity of this test and will in addition permit even earlier definitive fetal genotyping by chorionic villus biopsy (6–10 week gestation).
Log-Linear Trees: Models of Market Structure in Brand Switching Data:

Log-linear trees restrict the log-linear model of quasi-symmetry so that parameters are interpretable as arc lengths in an additive tree. The tree representation can be interpreted further in terms...
A sensitivity study on the fire-induced heating of concrete slabs in composite floor systems

The fire resistance of composite floor systems depends on the interaction of the concrete slab with steel beams. To evaluate the fire resistance of composite floor systems, the temporal and spatial variations of temperatures must be accurately determined. The temperature profiles in a concrete section are a function of concrete thermophysical properties and boundary conditions. However, there can be considerable uncertainty in their values. A sensitivity study using an orthogonal full-factorial design approach was conducted to determine which of these parameters most significantly influenced the thermal response of the slab. The time–temperature data from a Cardington fire test were used to validate a heat transfer model of a representative section of the composite floor system. The orthogonal factorial design analysis indicated that the thermal behavior of the concrete slab is most sensitive to, in decreasing order, thermal conductivity, effective emissivity, convective heat transfer coefficient at the e...
Estimating the Total Probability of the Unobserved Outcomes of an Experiment

An experiment has the possible outcomes E 1, E 2, … with unknown probabilities p 1, p 2, … ; p i ≧ 0, Σ i p i = 1. In n independent trials suppose that E i occurs x i times, i = 1, 2, …, with \(\sum {_i{x_i}} = n.\) Let φ i = 1 or 0 according as x i = 0 or x i ≠ 0. Then the random variable u = \(\sum {_i{p_i}{\varphi _i}} \) the sum of the probabilities of the unobserved outcomes. How can we “estimate” u? (The quotation marks appear because u is not a parameter in the usual statistical sense
Copolymerization of Ethene with Styrene Derivatives, Vinyl Ketone, and Vinylcyclohexane Using a (Phosphine−sulfonate)palladium(II) System: Unusual Functionality and Solvent Tolerance

A (phosphine−sulfonate)palladium(II) system catalyzes the copolymerization of ethene with a variety of styrene derivatives, including those with oxygen functionalities. The copolymerizations also proceed in protic solvents, including water, allowing metal-mediated emulsion copolymerization of ethene and styrene.
Self-descriptions of patients with coronary disease.

Summary.-Current self-descriptions of coronary patients and control Ss were obtained on the Clyde Mood Scale. Comparison was made with retrospective self-descriptions, i.e., just prior to the coronary attack for the patients and a comparable period of rime for the control group. In addition, spouses' descriptions of Ss for the same periods were obtained. In comparison to controls, the coronary Ss ,were more "depressed" and "anergic" for both periods. Spouses described patients as more "anergic" following the coronary. Significant correlations in the patient group berween the rwo periods were found on positive subscales but not on "depressed," "anergic" or "jittery." Correlations in the control group berween the two periods were significant for almost all subscales. Ic was concluded that the coronary attack has an impact on the patient which does not dissipate over rime and that patients react to chis impact differentially depending on their defensive systems. The seriousness of a coronary attack in terms of subsequent chronic invalidism, lessened employability, and possibility of sudden premature death suggests that alterations might occur in the self-perception of the person surviving an initial, acute attack. However, Ruesch ( 195 1 ) and Reiser ( 195 1 ) have pointed out that changes in self-perception which may ensue following physical disease are closely related to the personality structure of the individual. Consideration of clinical descriptions of the coronary patient's personality structure suggests a different adaptation to coronary disease than might be implied by the seriousness of the disease. The coronary patient has been described as having a precoronary inflexible
The Mass Media and Public Opinion Polls in the 1988 Presidential Election Trends, Accuracy, Consistency, and Events

The authors examine the results of 48 national public opinion polls measuring support for George Bush and Michael Dukakis throughout the 1988 presidential campaign conducted or reported by five major media polling organizations. Polling trends are discussed, and the consistency of estimates across polls are assessed, across seven distinct time periods defined by key events during the 1988 election year, while accuracy is assessed by comparing final pre-election polls against election results. Time series transfer function methods are employed to assess the short-term and long-term effects of the two major national party conventions, the two Bush-Dukakis debates, and the Ouayle-Bentsen debate on candidate support. Statistically significant positive effects on Bush support are obtained for the Republican convention and for the second presidential debate, while support for Dukakis was affected significantly, and in opposite directions, by the two party conventions. The results are discussed in the context of...
Looking into education's high-tech future

During the past year, universities have begun to attract a new kind of publicity. The most arresting stories to appear in our newspapers have not featured students or professors or even new curricula. They have focused on machines:Hewlett-Packard Gives Five Million Dollar Grant for Computer Equipment to Harvard Medical School
Spectral Doppler optical coherence tomography imaging of localized ischemic stroke in a mouse model

We report the use of spectral Doppler optical coherence tomography imaging (SDOCTI) for quantitative evaluation of dynamic blood circulation before and after a localized ischemic stroke in a mouse model. Rose Bengal photodynamic therapy (PDT) is used as a noninvasive means for inducing localized ischemia in cortical microvasculature of the mouse. Fast, repeated Doppler optical coherence tomography scans across vessels of interest are performed to record flow dynamic information with high temporal resolution. Doppler-angle-independent flow indices are used to quantify vascular conditions before and after the induced ischemia by the photocoagulation of PDT. The higher (or lower) flow resistive indices are associated with higher (or lower) resistance states that are confirmed by laser speckle flow index maps (of laser speckle imaging). Our in vivo experiments shows that SDOCTI can provide complementary quantified flow information that is an alternative to blood volume measurement, and can be used as a means for cortical microvasculature imaging well suited for small animal studies.
A novel, shallow-trench-isolated, planar, N+SAG FAMOS transistor for high-density nonvolatile memories

The authors report the fabrication, for the first time, of a shallow-trench isolated (less than 1 mu m deep) planarized, floating-gate avalanche injection MOS (FAMOS) transistor with n/sup +/ bitlines self-aligned to gate (n/sup +/ SAG). Key to the planar process is the self-alignment of the buried n/sup +/ diffusions (bitlines) to the floating gate of the FAMOS transistor and the deposition over these diffusions of a low-temperature, conformal CVD (chemical vapor deposition) oxide. An oxide-resist etchback process was used to planarize the buried n/sup +/ CVD oxide. Trench etching was done immediately after definition of the stacked polysilicon gates. Using an anisotropic etch for single-crystal silicon, trenches with a 0.75 mu m depth were made in the bitline isolation areas of the planar devices. The trenches were then refilled with thermal and LPCVD (liquid-phase CVD) SiO/sub 2/. Characterization of the planar EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory) cell shows that the shallow trench between bitlines has improved their isolation characteristics. An increase in programming efficiency of as much as 30% at a pulse width of 1 ms was observed in the case of the shallow-trench-isolated FAMOS. Additional data indicate the possibility of programming the trench isolated cell at drain voltages lower than the present 12.5 V, thus reducing high voltage requirements. >
Stage-specific mortality of Colorado potato beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) feeding on transgenic potatoes.

We have further examined the characteristics of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner in a strain of Colorado potato beetles, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say). We compared the toxicity of CryIIIA toxin of transgenic potato plants containing the CryIIIA gene to each larval stage of susceptible and resistant strains of Colorado potato beetle. In bioassays, resistance ratios for resistant 2nd in stars were substantially higher than ratios for the other instars. Second instars from strains of Colorado potato beetles resistant to chemical insecticides were susceptible to transgenic potatoes. For all strains, 1st instars were sensitive to B. thuringiensis toxins, whereas 3rd instars were typically insensitive. Second and older instars of the B. thuringiensis -resistant strain had much higher survival compared with the susceptible strain after 96 h exposure to transgenic potatoes. Second and older resistant instars gained weight on transgenic plants, but at a significantly slower rate than on conventional foliage. Larvae of the susceptible strain typically lost weight when they fed on transgenic foliage. Adult beetles from the resistant strain experienced ≈;25% mortality in 14 d while feeding on transgenic potatoes, whereas the susceptible adults died.
Hemostatic powder spray: a new method for managing gastrointestinal bleeding.

Gastrointestinal bleeding is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. The management of gastrointestinal bleeding is often challenging, depending on its location and severity. To date, widely accepted hemostatic treatment options include injection of epinephrine and tissue adhesives such as cyanoacrylate, ablative therapy with contact modalities such as thermal coagulation with heater probe and bipolar hemostatic forceps, noncontact modalities such as photodynamic therapy and argon plasma coagulation, and mechanical hemostasis with band ligation, endoscopic hemoclips, and over-the-scope clips. These approaches, albeit effective in achieving hemostasis, are associated with a 5–10% rebleeding risk. New simple, effective, universal, and safe methods are needed to address some of the challenges posed by the current endoscopic hemostatic techniques. The use of a novel hemostatic powder spray appears to be effective and safe in controlling upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Although initial reports of hemostatic powder spray as an innovative approach to manage gastrointestinal bleeding are promising, further studies are needed to support and confirm its efficacy and safety. The aim of this study was to evaluate the technical feasibility, clinical efficacy, and safety of hemostatic powder spray (Hemospray, Cook Medical, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA) as a new method for managing gastrointestinal bleeding. In this review article, we performed an extensive literature search summarizing case reports and case series of Hemospray for the management of gastrointestinal bleeding. Indications, features, technique, deployment, success rate, complications, and limitations are discussed. The combined technical and clinical success rate of Hemospray was 88.5% (207/234) among the human subjects and 81.8% (9/11) among the porcine models studied. Rebleeding occurred within 72 hours post-treatment in 38 patients (38/234; 16.2%) and in three porcine models (3/11; 27.3%). No procedure-related adverse events were associated with the use of Hemospray. Hemospray appears to be a safe and effective approach in the management of gastrointestinal bleeding.
TU-F-BRD-01: Automatic Segmentation of Multiple Pelvic Organs On a Web-Based Image Processing and Plan Evaluation Platform (WIPPEP).

Purpose: To present a novel automatic segmentation method for multiple pelvic organs and integrate into the web-based image processing and plan evaluation platform (WIPPEP) to provide easy access through a web browser and leverage the power of cloud for faster computation. Methods: This segmentation method uses principal component analysis to model organ shapes and hierarchical clustering to model the appearance of each organ surface patch. Coarse and refined segmentation are done iteratively for each surface patch to find the best reference patch profile via a hierarchical cluster decision tree. Final segmentation is obtained using the generated global reference profile. The user chooses the CT image data to be segmented from the image server; the image volume is then visualized in the web browser and an HTTP POST request is sent to the computation server by clicking a button. When the computation server receives the segmentation request, it would then send an HTTP GET request to the image server to download the image volumes, call the segmentation program, and eventually send the segmentation results back to the web server. The segmentation results are transferred in JSON format and quickly passed to the canvas element in the web browser to display the contours. Results: For 5 test patients, the average DICE overlaps for prostate, bladder and rectum were 0.75, 0.78 and 0.57, respectively. With the platform running on hospital intranet, it took 20 seconds to load CT image volume to the web-browser and 80 seconds to receive segmentation results from the computation server. Conclusion: This system allows users to access image data and send segmentation requests from a web browser, perform segmentation on a computation server, and quickly visualize resulting segmentation contours on a web browser. The software prototype achieves auto-segmentation of prostate, bladder and rectum with moderate accuracy in a minute's timeframe.
Aqueous solubilities and enthalpies of solution of adenine and guanine

A generator column—liquid chromatographic technique was used to determine the aqueous solubility of adenine from 20 to 30°C, and of guanine from 15 to 40°C. The 95% confidence limits of the solubilities and molar enthalpies of solution at 25°C are: 8.7±0.1×10−3M and 33.5±0.5 kJ-mol−1 for adenine; 3.9±0.1×10−5M and 49.2±0.6 kJ-mol−1 for guanine. the adenine enthalpy value includes a small correction for association in the saturated solutions. The previously undetermined molar enthalpy of the second ionization step of guanine (to form the doubly-charged guanine anion) is estimated from our data combined with other measurements to equal 33.8±2.9 kJ-mol−1.
Rayleigh-Benard Convection in an Electrochemical Redox Cell

Damped voltage oscillations occur when current steps are applied to a cell consisting of a thin layer of Fe111/Fe11 electrolyte sandwiched between horizontal, parallel, platinized platinum electrodes. The upper electrode must be the anode, and the magnitude of the current must be larger than a threshold value. The oscillations signal the onset of convection in the fluid. The experiment provides a new method for investigating transient convection processes.
Short, hydrophobic, alanine-based proteins based on the basic region/leucine zipper protein motif: overcoming inclusion body formation and protein aggregation during overexpression, purification, and renaturation.

GCN4 is a yeast transcriptional regulatory protein; its DNA-binding domain is a basic region/leucine zipper (bZIP) structure that comprises a dimer of alpha-helices capable of high-affinity, sequence-specific recognition of the DNA major groove. We are exploiting what nature has evolved by manipulating the bZIP motif as a molecular recognition scaffold; thus we reduced the elegantly minimal bZIP to an even more simplified structure by substitution with alanine residues-hence, a generic, Ala-based, helical scaffold. These Ala-based mutants are unusual proteins for expression as they are short ( approximately 100 amino acids) and hydrophobic (Ala-mutated basic regions, leucine-zipper dimerization domains). Hydrophobicity posed a major problem throughout the expression, isolation, and purification stages; inclusion body formation and protein aggregation were significant hurdles throughout protein production. We describe measures that solved these problems, including use of high concentrations of denaturant in all steps of protein isolation and purification and use of temperature-dependent renaturing techniques to obtain folded, functional protein. Despite these difficulties, we ultimately retrieved 5-10 mg/L of broth of active, correctly folded protein after the complete purification procedure. Homogeneity of the proteins was established by chromatography, electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry. Furthermore, characterization by circular dichroism and DNase footprinting analysis demonstrates that these alanine-based mutants retain the structure and function of the native GCN4 DNA-binding domain. Remarkably, the most heavily mutated protein, containing 24 alanines of 27 total amino acids in the DNA-binding basic region, still binds the AP-1 site, the target of native GCN4.
The Science Guiding Selection of an Aerosol Delivery Device

Aerosol therapy continues to be considered as one of the cornerstones of the profession of respiratory care, even after 60 years. Aerosol therapy serves as a critical intervention for both exacerbations and chronic maintenance for a variety of respiratory care conditions. Aerosol therapy uniquely blends both the art and science of medicine together to produce the practical and necessary clinical outcomes for patients with respiratory diseases. This review was presented as part of the New Horizons Symposium on how to guide the scientific selection of an appropriate aerosol device.
Biobehavioral determinants of evaporative water loss in the rat.

R. C. Ritter and A. N. Epstein (1974, Behavioral Biology , 11 , 581–585) reported that grooming water loss constituted 30% of the total evaporative water loss of the rat during a 24-hr test in the absence of food and water. They suggested that dehydrated rats may conserve water behaviorally by grooming less, predicting that grooming water loss should increase with ingestants available. The two experiments reported here tested the hypothesis and extended our overall understanding of the behavioral and physiological determinants of evaporative water loss. In the first experiment the total evaporative water loss of Sprague—Dawley rats ( Rattus norvegicus ) was measured over 23 hr using the technique of F. R. Hainsworth (1967 , American Journal of Physiology , 212, 1288–1292). The magnitude of grooming water loss was determined by subtracting the evaporative water loss of surgically desalivate rats (equivalent to insensible water loss) from that of intact controls. During testing, rats had either food and water, only water, or neither food nor water available. The second experiment shared the design of the first and quantified grooming and general activity (the main behavioral determinants of grooming and insensible water losses, respectively) using the apparatus of Beagley and Gallistel (1971 , Physiology and Behavior , 7, 273–276). Grooming water loss was found to constitute 7–8% of total daily evaporative water loss. Although dehydration reduced grooming behavior slightly, grooming water loss was not detectably altered; suggesting that rats do not groom less in order to conserve water when in a state of water need. Deprivation of food or of both food and water reduced insensible water loss by 35–40%. Since general activity was unaffected by the availability of ingestants, this latter effect appears to be physiologically, rather than behaviorally, mediated.