cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Greater Sage-Grouse Response to Sagebrush Management in Utah

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations throughout much of their range have been declining. These declines have largely been attributed to the loss or deterioration of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitat. In response government agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service are cost-sharing on management practices designed to improve habitat conditions for sage-grouse. Little is known regarding sage-grouse response to various sagebrush management techniques. We studied the effects of reducing sagebrush canopy cover using 2 mechanical (Dixie harrow and Lawson aerator) treatments and 1 chemical (Tebuthiuron) treatment on greater sage-grouse use of brood-rearing habitats on Parker Mountain, Utah, USA. To conduct this experiment, we identified 19 40.5-ha plots that exhibited >40% mountain big sagebrush (A. tridentata vaseyana) canopy cover and randomly assigned 16 as treatment or controls (4 replicates each). Tebuthiuron and Dixie-harrow-treated plots had more forb cover than did control plots (P = 0.01 and 0.02, respectively) in post-treatment periods. Greater sage-grouse brood use was higher in Tebuthiuron than control plots (P = 0.01). We believe this was attributed to increased herbaceous cover, particularly forb cover. However, in all plots, sage-grouse use was greatest within 10 m of the edge of the treatments where adjacent sagebrush cover was still available. Although the treatments we studied resulted in the plots achieving sage-grouse brooding-rearing habitat guidelines, caution should be exercised in applying these observations at lower elevations, on sites with less annual precipitation, or on a different subspecies of big sagebrush. Prior to using these techniques to implement large-scale sagebrush treatments, the specific rationale for conducting them should be clearly identified. Large-scale projects using the techniques we studied would not be appropriate within sage-grouse wintering or nesting habitat.
Binding, internalization and degradation of colony-stimulating factor by peritoneal exudate macrophages

Iodinated colony-stimulating factor produced by L-cells (125I-CSF-1) binds specifically to murine peritoneal exudate macrophages. At 37 degrees C, the cell-bound 125I-CSF-1 was internalized and degraded very rapidly, with the appearance of radioactive iodotyrosine in the medium. At 0 degree C, the cell-bound 125I-CSF-1 was not internalized and degraded, nor did it dissociate from the membrane. The internalization and degradation at 37 degrees C could be blocked or reduced by the presence of phenylglyoxal, methylamine and NH4Cl. The chemical nature of the CSF-1 binding site is polypeptide as judged by its sensitivity to trypsin treatment. After the binding and degradation of unlabeled CSF-1, the exudate cells were no longer able to rebind freshly added 125I-CSF-1, indicating the removal of CSF-1 binding site. The binding capacity of these cells, however, could be restored by prolonged incubation at 37 degrees C but not at 0 degrees C in culture medium containing fetal calf serum.
Using Gagné’s events of instruction as a guide for producing stimulus material

As a cognitive theorist, Robert Gagne' is interested in the internal or mentalistic nature of the learning process. He has adopted and elaborated an information processing model that hypothesizes internal events take place in the learner's head during learning. These events include the processes of reception, perception, semantic encoding, storage, retrieval, response formulation, and performance and are related as shown in
On Multimode Oscillators with Constant Time Delay

Special emphasis is paid to narrow-band systems with a small number of modes, and to high switching speed. Sufficient stability conditions presented have been derived by use of a first-order Taylor approximation, which substantially reduces algebraic complexity. The system may deviate considerably from quasi-linearity. Graphical interpretation of stability and transients permits application to curve data and is believed to give an easily visualized explanation for experimental observations. Mode switching speeds of 7 m?sec could be achieved with an S-band bistable oscillator.
Blake's awareness of `Blake in a Newtonian World': William Blake, Isaac Newton, and writing on metal

Often William Blake and Isaac Newton are positioned as “opposites”: Newton the great systematizer, Blake the visionary artist. (Blake himself, in fact, seemed to have set up this direct opposition.) However, this opposition is perhaps too simple and overlooks the intricacies of each thinker's work. Further, this straightforward “opposition” fails to account for the pressure that scholarship itself, always occurring from a particular subjective position, applies to shape its objects of study; that is, it creates a useful “Newton” and a useful “Blake” with which to work. Here I employ spatial theorist Henri Lefebvre's technique of “critical thirding” (as Edward Soja has called it), or accounting for “an-Other” position in the dialectic of “Blake” and “Newton”. I consider where Blake and Newton were perhaps more similar than has been suggested in the scholarly literature, and, more crucially, how scholarship itself mobilizes (or indeed “creates”) its own, subjectively useful, “Blake” and “Newton” in order to...
Lattice Monte Carlo simulations of nanocluster formation in nanostructured ferritic alloys

Abstract Atom probe, electron microscopy and small angle neutron scattering data all indicate that nm-scale Y–Ti–O clusters precipitate from solid solution during high temperature consolidation of mechanically alloyed Fe–Cr–Ti–Y 2 O 3 powders. These apparently coherent transition phases are precursors to equilibrium Y 2 Ti 2 O 7 pyrochlore oxides, and are distinguished by a low O/M ratio and lack of TEM diffraction contrast. In order to better understand the nature of these non-equilibrium features, Lattice Monte Carlo simulations of the nanocluster composition and structure were performed. The simulations used a rigid body-centered cubic lattice, with oxygen atoms placed on the octahedral interstitial sub-lattice, and considered variations in the cluster coherency strain, bulk composition and temperature. Pair bond energies were obtained from ab-initio calculations of the mixing enthalpies within a regular solution thermodynamics model. While the model is clearly oversimplified, the results provide helpful atomic-level insight into the Y–Ti–O nanoclusters and provide a basis for understanding the thermal and radiation stability. Future work will focus on including the effect of off-lattice relaxation and highly non-equilibrium vacancy concentrations on the precipitation kinetics.
Predicting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in resident aquatic organisms using passive samplers and partial least-squares calibration.

The current work sought to develop predictive models between time-weighted average polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in the freely dissolved phase and those present in resident aquatic organisms. We deployed semipermeable membrane passive sampling devices (SPMDs) and collected resident crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) at nine locations within and outside of the Portland Harbor Superfund Mega-site in Portland, OR. Study results show that crayfish and aqueous phase samples collected within the Mega-site had PAH profiles enriched in high molecular weight PAHs and that freely dissolved PAH profiles tended to be more populated by low molecular weight PAHs compared to crayfish tissues. Results also show that of several modeling approaches, a two-factor partial least-squares (PLS) calibration model using detection limit substitution provided the best predictive power for estimating PAH concentrations in crayfish, where the model explained ≥72% of the variation in the data set and provided p...
Hydrogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the 2940 and 2850 wavenumber (3.40 and 3.51 micron) infrared emission features.

The 3150-2700/cm (3.17-3.70 micron) range of the spectra of a number of Ar-matrix-isolated PAHs containing excess H atoms (H(sub n)-PAHS) are presented. This region covers features produced by aromatic and aliphatic C-H stretching vibrations as well as overtone and combination bands involving lower lying fundamentals. The aliphatic C-H stretches in molecules of this type having low to modest excess H coverage provide excellent fits to a number of the weak emission features superposed on the plateau between 3080 and 2700/cm (3.25 and 3.7 micron) in the spectra of many planetary nebulae, reflection nebulae, and H II regions. Higher H coverage is implied for a few objects. We compare these results in context with the other suggested identifications of the emission features in the 2950-2700/cm (3.39-3.70 micron) region and briefly discuss their astrophysical implications.
Chemical estimates of the RNA and DNA contents of the early mouse embryo

DNA and RNA were extracted from mouse embryos at several stages prior to implantation. RNA was measured by extinction at 200 nm, and DNA by a fluorometric assay. The mean values of RNA in the ovulated oocyte, 1-cell, 2-cell, and blastocyst-stage embryo were 0.554, 0.545, 0.396, 0.458, and 1.37 ng, respectively. The mean values of DNA in embryos at these same stages were 23.8, 29.3, 41.1, 155, and 439 pg. There was no significant rise in total RNA per embryo until after the 8-cell stage. The amount of DNA in mouse spermatozoa was also measured, and found to be 3.8 pg per spermato-zoan. From this study it is clear that the mouse oocyte and early embryo do not contain the large quantities of DNA, in excess of the diploid value, found in some amphibian and invertebrate eggs.
Polyimides synthesized from siloxane-equilibrated 1,3-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane dianhydride

Silicone polyimides were made with siloxane-equilibrated 1,3-bis (3,4-dicarboxyphenyl) - 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane dianhydride (PADS) as the soft portion and [(1-methylethylidene) bis (4,1-phenyleneoxy)] bis-1,3-isobenzofurandione (BPADA) as the hard portion in combination with either para or meta-phenylene diamine. The silicone polyimides were made with varying siloxane chain lengths and with varying overall weight percent silicone. There were linear correlations between these variables and flexural modulus, percent elongation at break, and cut-through temperature. Glass transition temperatures were evaluated by dynamic mechanical analysis and the thermal stabilities were determined to be greater than 400°C by thermal gravimetric analysis. Melt viscosities were determined on the various copolymers and demonstrated a correlation between type of amine used, siloxane chain length, and overall weight percent silicone.
Government information and library instruction: A means to an end

Abstract Instruction in the use of government information presents the librarian and the student with significant instructional and learning challenges. This article describes the conceptual framework and the evaluative methods used in credit courses covering United States and intergovernmental resources and taught by the librarians in the Documents/Maps Section at the Pennsylvania State University Libraries since 1979. Included is a discussion of how a variety of collaborative and partnership teaching models between academic faculty and library faculty can provide greater rewards for librarians and better fulfill student needs. It is argued that many hidden benefits accrue from such credit instruction, including enhancing faculty status, contributing to staff training, and improving awareness and knowledge of documents collections. Finally, suggestions for maximizing resources and minimizing workload in order to make such instruction more manageable in a busy library section are included. The article concludes that government documents librarians can contribute to the national goal of creating life-long learners by providing such credit instruction.
Human Resource Decision Support Systems HRDSS: Integrating Decision Support and Human Resource Information Systems

Human resource information systems HRIS have vastly improved structured human resource management decision making while failing to improve semi-or unstructured decision making. This paper describes a human resource decision support system HRDSS which integrates DSS capabilities with those of HRIS to overcome the limitations inherent in the design of HRIS.
Galactosyltransferase from commercial preparations of fetuin

Abstract A galactosyltransferase that transfers galactose from UDPgalactose to asialoagalacto fetuin or N-acetylglucosamine was partly purified from two commercial preparations of fetuin and its kinetic properties were characterized. Several other preparations of fetuin were also found to contain galactosyltransferase activity.
Biochemical basis of fat cell insulin resistance in obese rodents and man

Abstract It now appears established that glucose utilization in isolated fat cells prepared from adult obob mice, as well as spontaneosly obese rats, exhibits a markedly impaired responsiveness to insulin compared to controls. In neither case do decreased insulin receptors or a defective insulin effector system contribute significantly to this impaired response. The principal findings that support this conclusion are that (1) the impaired responsiveness of glucose metabolism in these cells is not overcome by addition of supermaximal concentrations of the hormone and (2) the hexose transport activity in these same fat cells is fully sensitive to activation by insulin under conditions where glucose utilization is not. Thus in both model systems the activity of one or more intracellular enzymes involved in glucose metabolism must be decreased and accounts for the defective response. Recent studies on fat cells from the spontaneously obese rat have identified the pentose shunt and fatty acid synthesis as the key inhibited pathways that lead to their inability to utilize glucose at rates comparable to the activity of insulin-stimulated hexose transport. Further studies will be required to identify the altered metabolic parameters that account for the impaired insulin responsiveness in fat cells from the adult obob mouse. In addition, it is striking that fat cells from young, 4–7-wk-old obob mice actually exhibit increased responsiveness to the action of insulin on glucose transport and metabolism when their capacity for fatty acid synthesis is exceedingly high. It seems possible that this amplified responsiveness to insulin in these very young obob mice may be intimately involved in the etiology of this obese syndrome. Experiments on human fat cells in obesity have been contradictory and indicate that dietary intake and age play major roles in determining the responsiveness of glucose metabolism in these cells to insulin. Too little biochemical information is available on these cells to allow definite conclusions with regard to the cellular locus which contributes most to altered insulin responsiveness. However, the few key studies available suggest that, when observed, impaired insulin responsiveness of fat cells from obese humans also reflects altered metabolic activities rather than insulin receptors or the hormone effector system. That these latter cellular components play a major role in the insulin resistance of muscle or liver remains a possibility that future studies must clarify.
Value of renography following radical pelvic cancer surgery.

Several cases are presented to illustrate how the radioisotope renogram has become an important adjunct in the postoperative evaluation of cancer patients requiring ileal conduit urinary diversion. The use of the renogram in the immediate postoperative period is best exemplified by its ability to aid in differentiating between the causes of oliguria. The sensitivity of the renogram in detecting urinary tract obstruction makes it particularly valuable in the long term management of these patients, whose urinary tract is in constant jeopardy, since it is safer and more convenient than commonly employed radiographic procedures.
Nutrition Support in Bone Marrow Transplant Recipients

Bone marrow transplantation is a complex therapy designed as curative for a variety of malignant and nonmalignant diseases. It is a highly invasive procedure that uses high-dose chemotherapy and may also include radiation treatment. This results in immunosuppression that is often followed by infection, graft-vs-host disease, pulmonary complications, veno-occlusive disease of the liver, and metabolic and nutritional abnormalities. Parenteral nutrition has been the mainstay of nutrition support in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. Parenteral nutrition has not been uniformly successful in improving nutritional status or outcome. Enteral nutrition offers many theoretical advantages but is often not well tolerated. Coordinated efforts of the health care team are needed to optimize the nutrition support of these complicated cases.
Integration of Toll-like receptor and phagocytic signaling for tailored immunity

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are recruited to phagosomes and sample the contents of the compartment for microbial products. In this review, we discuss the relationship between phagocytosis and TLRs from two additional perspectives: first, TLR signaling modulates phagocytosis; second, phagocytosis modulates the consequences of TLR activation.
Adsorption of 2-propanol on ice probed by ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

The interaction of 2-propanol with ice was examined via ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS), a surface sensitive technique that probes the adsorbed 2-propanol directly with submonolayer resolution. Isothermal uptake experiments were performed on vapor deposited ice at 227 K in the presence of the equilibrium water vapor pressure of 0.05 Torr and 2-propanol partial pressures ranging from 5 × 10−5 to 2 × 10−3 Torr. The C 1s APXPS spectra of adsorbed 2-propanol showed two characteristic peaks associated with the COH alcohol group and CMe methyl groups in a 1 : 2 ratio, respectively. Coverage increased with 2-propanol partial pressure and followed first order Langmuir kinetics with a Langmuir constant of K = 6.3 × 103 Torr−1. The 1 : 2 ratio of COH : CMe remained constant with increasing coverage, indicating there is no chemical reaction upon adsorption. The observed Langmuir kinetics using APXPS is consistent with previous observations of other small chain alcohols via indirect adsorption methods using, e.g., Knudsen cell and coated wall flow tube reactors.
Combination Therapy for Graft-versus-Host Disease Prophylaxis with Etanercept and Extracorporeal Photopheresis: Results of a Phase II Clinical Trial.

Abstract Reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens minimize early toxicity after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) by placing greater reliance on establishing a graft-versus-leukemia effect (GVL). Because graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and GVL are tightly linked, inhibition of T cell populations that cause GVHD may lead to an unintended increased risk of relapse in the RIC setting. Although not completely understood, etanercept and extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) are thought to ameliorate GVHD without direct T cell inhibition. We hypothesized that adding these 2 agents to a standard GVHD prophylaxis regimen of tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) would improve survival by reducing GVHD-related mortality without increasing relapse rates. Therefore, we conducted a prospective phase II clinical trial that incorporated tacrolimus, MMF, etanercept, and ECP as GVHD prophylaxis in 48 patients undergoing RIC unrelated donor transplantation. The preferred RIC was fludarabine 160 mg/m2 + busulfan 6.4 mg/kg to 12.8 mg/kg ± total body irradiation 200 cGy. Etanercept .4 mg/kg (maximum dose, 25 mg) was given subcutaneously twice weekly for 8 weeks after HCT and ECP was given for 12 treatments, starting weekly on day 28 weekly and tapering off by day 180. The median age of the study patients was 60 (range, 18 to 71) years. Donors were 7/8 (n = 14, 29%) or 8/8 (n = 34, 71%) HLA matched. All patients engrafted neutrophils at a median of 12 days. The cumulative incidence of grades II to IV acute GVHD at day 100 was 46%, but it was typically sensitive to initial steroid treatment (84% day 56 complete response/partial response rate). Overall survival at 1 year in this older, frequently mismatched unrelated donor setting was excellent (73%) because of low rates of nonrelapse mortality (21%) and relapse (19%). However, this strategy was not effective at preventing a high incidence of chronic GVHD and late deaths led to a drop in 2-year survival, declining to 56%, reflecting a high incidence of chronic GVHD.
Controlling the Size and Morphology of TiO2 Powder by Molten and Solid Salt Synthesis

Nano and submicrometer scale titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) powders were synthesized by solid and molten salt synthesis (SSS and MSS) from amorphous titanium hydroxide precipitate. Sodium chloride (NaCI) and dibasic sodium phosphate (Na 2 H-PO 4 ·2H 2 O, DSP) separately or as mixture with different weight ratios were used as the salts. At the eutectic salt composition (20% DSP/80% NaCI), the microstructure and phase composition of the TiO 2 was changed from equiaxed nanoparticles of anatase with size ∼40-50 nm, to mixed microstructure of bundle and acicular particles of rutile with 0.05-0.2 μm diameter, 6-10 μm length, and aspect ratio 20-60 depending on treatment time and temperature. At high temperature (825°C) and long time (30 h), microstructural differences were significant for the powders treated with different salts. Particle morphologies ranged from equiaxed, to acicular, to bundles, to nanofibers with very high aspect ratio. At lower treatment temperature (725°C) for shorter time (3 h), the morphology of the products did not change with different salt compositions, but the crystallite sizes changed appreciably. Different starting titanium precursors influenced particle size at lower temperature and time. Titanium hydroxide heat treated without salt resulted in significant grain growth and fused secondary particles, as compared with more finely separated and lightly agglomerated powders resulting from SSS and MSS treatments.
Evolution of skull shape in carnivores: 1. Representative modern carnivores

Fifteen variables, selected primarily to reflect functionally significant aspects of cranial morphology, were measured on one skull each of 62 species of modern carnivores, including viverrids, canids, mustelids and felids. To allow comparisons between species of different sizes without the potentially confounding effects of allometric shape changes, the measurements were transformed to dimensionless variables, based on the residuals from allometric equations. Fourteen out of 15 of the transformed variables distinguish one or more of the four family groups and the rotated first two axes of a principal components analysis distinguish all four families from each other. The following functional hypotheses are proposed: mustelids and felids have the most powerful bites and canids the weakest among the four family groups studied; mustelids and, to a lesser degree, felids have more powerful neck musculature than do canids and viverrids; and visual abilities are best developed among felids and least developed among mustelids. The first two functional hypotheses suggest possible differences in killing behaviour, which are supported by a preliminary survey of the literature on such behaviour. Allometric analysis of the 15 cranial measures shows that the neurocranial components scale with negative allometry, while most of the other measures scale approximately isometrically.
The idiopathic hyperkinetic heart syndrome: clinical course and long-term prognosis

Nineteen of the originally reported 24 patients having the idiopathic hyperkinetic heart syndrome were followed for periods of 11 to 25 years. One patient died of complicating severe mitral stenosis. Of the remaining 18 patients, nine had complete physical examinations and ECG records. Only one of these patients was symptomatic at the time of reexamination. Murmurs originally present in eight of nine patients were present in only five of nine at reexamination; hyperkinetic circulation and heart, originally present in eight, were found in only two at follow-up; and systolic hypertension, present in seven at beginning of the study, was only present in four at follow-up. ECG abnormalities (usually left ventricular hypertrophy) regressed in the majority. Persistent elevation of cardial index and systolic ejection rate were found at repeat catheterization in the single symptomatic patient who had congestive cardiomyopathy. Uncomplicated idiopathic hyperkinetic heart syndrome appears to have an excellent long-term prognosis.
DISCRETE VORTEX METHODS FOR THE SIMULATION OF BOUNDARY LAYER SEPARATION EFFECTS ON WORKER EXPOSURE

The discrete vortex method is a numerical technique for the solution of the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations in vorticity-transport form. The technique is employed here, with appropriate modifications, to simulate boundary layer separation around a worker and to assess the implications for exposure. Approximations include: (1) representation of the worker as a two-dimensional elliptical cylinder; and (2) contaminant transport by vortex shedding exclusively. The model results in estimates of breathing zone concentration that are in reasonable agreement with laboratory wind tunnel experiments.
A High-Voltage Testing Apparatus for Power Line Clamp on Meters

A well-known method for sampling AC is to use a meter designed with split-core transformer. The latter is a simple device consisting of a coil that has been opened and hinged such that the coil may be placed around a conductor and closed such that the AC in the conductor will induce a secondary current in the coil that can then be detected and displayed by the meter without having to open the conductor. Our lab is experimenting with this type of instrument for smart grid device development and it was found that short of simulation and/or in situ fieldwork, we were unable to adequately model a high voltage transmission line in the lab to suit our purpose. This paper describes a novel device with which to conduct such experiments that is easily fabricated from locally available materials.
Employment Disruptions and Supervisors: Employment Disruptions and Supervisors

This study estimates the effect of past career disruptions on the probability a worker has supervisory status and responsibility for determining promotions or setting pay, paying particular attention to gender differences. Past unemployment spells are negatively correlated with supervisory status; however, the correlation is economically small. Differences in employment history cannot explain the difference in rates of supervisor status between men and women.
Geothermal chemical engineering

A major, national program to exploit geothermal energy requires creative chemical engineering solutions to a wide array of difficult problems. With some overlap, most of the problems fall into these categories: resource development and management, energy extraction and utilization, power cycle design and optimization, environmental engineering, and corrosion and scaling of equipment. Reinjection of waste fluids, insofar as it proves feasible, will affect the shape of the solutions in all categories. Convective hydrothermal reservoirs, the most accessible and well characterized of geothermal resources, are immense, permeable media in which heat and mass transport are coupled with chemical reaction. Despite decades of effort, no satisfactory physical or mathematical model exists for any reservoir. Even less is known about the hot rock and geopressured resources, which also may be utilized ultimately. Electric power production receives primary emphasis in the United States, both in terms of current utilization and of research and development. Worldwide, however, the total power devoted to agricultural activities, space heating and cooling, and process heat applications is greater than that to electric power conversion. Because hydrothermal reservoirs are low temperature (<350°C) sources of corrosive fluids, much current development effort aims at power cycles that promise enhanced efficiencies and that avoid some of the problems of corrosion and scaling. Among the candidates are several binary cycles which employ secondary working fluids, and the total flow concept, which utilizes two-phase flow from the production wells. Once thought to be all but negligible, the environmental effects of geothermal installations have recently been subjected to informed scrutiny and found nonnegligible. Among the problem areas are gaseous effluents including hydrogen sulfide, mercury, radon, ammonia, and H3BO3 and aqueous emissions that contain heavy metals. Reinjection of waste geothermal fluids would ameliorate many environmental impacts but could be complicated by silica deposition in equipment and in the underground reservoir.
Individualized Group Instruction of Normally Developing and Autistic-like Children: The LEAP Curriculum Model

This paper focuses on a description of an approach to individualize group instruction and an evaluation of preacademic/academic program effects for normally developing and autistic-like children, Essential features of the individualized group instruction procedure include: individualized curriculum for each class participant; frequent assessment of intervention impact; opportunities to revise curricular objectives; planning lessons that include objectives for each child; management of behavior in a group; and daily review of goal plans, The results of program evaluation on 13 normally developing and 6 autistic-like children showed that: (a) normally developing children achieved, on the average, a twofold increase in their rate of development during program participation; (b) autistic-like children achieved, on the average, a twofold increase in their rate of development during program participation; and (c) autistic-like children's intervention rate of performance was above that for normally developing ch...
Optimal ramp edge detection using expansion matching

In practical images, ideal step edges are actually transformed into ramp edges, due to the general low pass filtering nature of imaging systems. This paper discusses the application of the expansion matching (EXM) method for optimal ramp edge detection. EXM optimizes a novel matching criterion called discriminative signal-to-noise ratio (DSNR) and has been shown to robustly recognize templates under conditions of noise, severe occlusion, and superposition. We show that our ramp edge detector performs better than the ramp detector obtained from Canny's criteria in terms of DSNR and is relatively easier to derive for various noise levels and slopes.
Experimenting and theorizing in theory formation

The BACON system, developed by Langley, Simon and Bradshaw, has shown the utility of a data driven discovery system. A new system, called FAHRENHEIT, has been built which extends BACON, making it more robust and allowing it perform a wider range of discovery activity. The new system extends BACON in several ways: 1) It determines the scope of a law by making simulated experiments, and by searching for regularities that describe the scope boundaries. 2) The world model in which the experiments are performed is more sophisticated. 3) The order in which the data are considered is placed under the control of FAHRENHEIT so that the system continues the discovery process even if no regularity is found for a particular variable.
Au144−xCux(SC6H13)60 nanomolecules: effect of Cu incorporation on composition and plasmon-like peak emergence in optical spectra

Au144−xCux(SR)60 alloy nanomolecules were synthesized and characterized by using ESI-MS to atomic precision. A maximum of 23 copper atoms replace the gold atoms. When the number of copper atoms is higher than eight, a surface plasmon-like peak appears at ∼520 nm. Based on the fundamental elemental properties of Au and Cu, we predict a mixed atomic ordering and incorporation of Cu atoms into the Au12 and Au42 shells of the proposed icosahedral structure model of the 144-atom nanomolecule.
Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery Utilizing Heart Port Technology

Objective To determine operative outcomes of right mini-thoracotomy mitral valve surgery utilizing port access technology in first-time and reoperative cardiac surgery patients. Methods From 2002 to 2011, 881 patients underwent minimally invasive mitral valve surgery. Of these, 154 patients had previous cardiac operations via sternotomy (Group 1), of which 18 (12%) had two previous operations. Seven hundred and twenty-seven patients had no previous cardiac operations (Group 2). Results Patient demographics were similar in both groups. In Group 1, 76 (49%) patients had previous coronary artery bypass grafting, 13 (8%) had previous aortic valve surgery, and 57 (37%) had previous mitral valve surgery. Preoperative echo findings for Groups 1 and 2 included severe mitral regurgitation (MR) (88%, n = 135; 94%, n = 687), mitral stenosis (MS) (4%, n = 6; 2%, n = 12), MS + MR (8%, n = 13; 4%, n = 28), and ejection fraction (48%, 56%). Operative procedures in Groups 1 and 2 were MV repair (54%, n = 84; 89%, n = 645) and MV replacement (46%, n = 70; 11%, n = 82). Circulatory management techniques for Groups 1 and 2 included endoballoon (75%, n = 116; 79%, n = 576), Chitwood clamp (8%, n = 12; 20%, n = 147), and fibrillatory arrest (17%, n = 30; 0.5%, n = 4). Perioperative outcomes were: stroke: 2.5%, 1.6%; reoperation for bleeding: 5%, 6%; valvular reoperation rate: 0.6%, 2%; aortic dissection: 2.5%, 1%; and wound infection: 0%, 0%. Transfusion requirement was 49% (n = 76) and 31% (n = 232), respectively. Median hospital stay was seven and seven days, respectively. On postoperative echocardiography, 98% (n = 151) and 99% (n = 718) of patients had zero or trace MR (1+) with 100% freedom from MR > 2+. In-hospital mortality was 3% (n = 5) and 1% (n = 8). Conclusions Operative outcomes with minimally invasive mitral valve surgery utilizing port access technology can be performed safely. Stroke rate was higher in the reoperative cases (p = NS) although similar to reports evaluating redo sternotomy in mitral valve cases. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12293 (J Card Surg 2014;29:343–348)
Solving Interval Master Equation in Simulation of Jump Processes Under Uncertainties

Two types of uncertainty are generally recognized in modeling and simulation, including variability caused by inherent randomness and incertitude due to the lack of perfect knowledge. Generalized interval probability is able to model both uncertainty components simultaneously, where epistemic uncertainty is quantified by the generalized interval in addition to the probabilistic measure. With the conditioning, independence, and Markovian property uniquely defined, the calculus structures in generalized interval probability resembles those in the classical probability theory. An imprecise Markov chain model is proposed with the ease of computation. A Krylov subspace projection method is developed to solve the interval master equation to simulate jump processes with finite state transitions under uncertainties. The state transitions with interval-valued probabilities can be simulated, which provides the lower and upper bound information of evolving distributions as an alternative to the traditional sensitivity analysis.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Finding and linking incidents in news

News reports are being produced and disseminated in overwhelming volume, making it difficult to keep up with the newest information. Most previous research in automatic news organization treated news topics as a flat list, ignoring the intrinsic connection among individual reports. We argue that more contextual information within and across the topics will benefit users in their news understanding process.A news organization infrastructure, incident threading, is proposed in this article. All text snippets describing the occurrence of a real-world happening are combined into a news incident, and a network is composed of incidents that are interconnected by links in certain types. A limited vocabulary of connection types is defined and corresponding rules are established based upon the human experience of news understanding.The incident threading system is implemented with two different algorithms. One starts from clustering of text passages and then creates links with pre-built rules. The other method defines a global score function over the whole collection and solves the optimization problem with simulated annealing. The former achieves higher accuracy in the identification of incidents and the latter generates better links, which is preferred since the links are more important for the formation of the incident network.
Factors influencing ratings of speech naturalness in augmentative and alternative communication

The concept of speech naturalness has been used in the field of speech-language pathology as a clinical measure of perceptual quality of “normal” and “not normal” speech. Whereas measures of intelligibility have been commonly used to assess the quality of voice output augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices using DECTalk™ speech, measures of speech naturalness have not. Three studies were conducted to determine the effects of manipulation of rate, pitch, and pause on ratings of speech naturalness by naive listeners of DECTalk synthetic speech. The results indicate that DECTalk speech characterized by faster rate and no added pauses was perceived as being more natural than speech with slow rate and added pauses. Manipulation of pitch had no effect on naturalness ratings.
The estrellita system: A health informatics tool to support caregivers of preterm infants

Preterm infants have significantly higher rates of functional limitations and are at risk for delays in cognitive, motor, and other skills. In this demo, we describe a health informatics system we developed to support caregivers of preterm infants. In this demo, we present Estrellita, a system to support caregivers of preterm infants. This system is comprised of a mobile application for parents and a web portal for clinicians. Estrellita supports more efficient tracking and communication among stakeholders and balances the sometimes-competing needs of parents, clinicians, and other healthcare professionals.
Transfer of ion binding site from ether-a-go-go to Shaker: Mg2+ binds to resting state to modulate channel opening.

In ether-a-go-go (eag) K+ channels, extracellular divalent cations bind to the resting voltage sensor and thereby slow activation. Two eag-specific acidic residues in S2 and S3b coordinate the bound ion. Residues located at analogous positions are ∼4 A apart in the x-ray structure of a Kv1.2/Kv2.1 chimera crystallized in the absence of a membrane potential. It is unknown whether these residues remain in proximity in Kv1 channels at negative voltages when the voltage sensor domain is in its resting conformation. To address this issue, we mutated Shaker residues I287 and F324, which correspond to the binding site residues in eag, to aspartate and recorded ionic and gating currents in the presence and absence of extracellular Mg2+. In I287D+F324D, Mg2+ significantly increased the delay before ionic current activation and slowed channel opening with no readily detectable effect on closing. Because the delay before Shaker opening reflects the initial phase of voltage-dependent activation, the results indicate that Mg2+ binds to the voltage sensor in the resting conformation. Supporting this conclusion, Mg2+ shifted the voltage dependence and slowed the kinetics of gating charge movement. Both the I287D and F324D mutations were required to modulate channel function. In contrast, E283, a highly conserved residue in S2, was not required for Mg2+ binding. Ion binding affected activation by shielding the negatively charged side chains of I287D and F324D. These results show that the engineered divalent cation binding site in Shaker strongly resembles the naturally occurring site in eag. Our data provide a novel, short-range structural constraint for the resting conformation of the Shaker voltage sensor and are valuable for evaluating existing models for the resting state and voltage-dependent conformational changes that occur during activation. Comparing our data to the chimera x-ray structure, we conclude that residues in S2 and S3b remain in proximity throughout voltage-dependent activation.
Assessment of potential groundwater contamination sources in a wellhead protection area.

Abstract Determining the human health dangers from potential contamination sources, within a wellhead protection area (WHPA), requires that a risk analysis be undertaken. In this study, a desktop geographic information system and spreadsheet software are used to implement an EPA risk screening methodology for WHPAs called ‘Managing Ground Water Contamination Sources in Wellhead Protection Areas—A Priority Setting Approach’. The methodology was applied to a WHPA in Gaston County, North Carolina. Results indicate that the risk of well contamination from an interstate highway and gas station with old steel underground storage tanks were comparatively high. Medium risks included a thoroughfare and highway, while low risks were assigned to machine shops, a body shop, septic systems and a gas station with new underground storage tanks and secondary containment. A sensitivity analyses of the Priority Setting Approach indicated that risk scores were extremely sensitive to hydrogeologic variables such as hydraulic conductivity. It is recommended that risk assessors utilize a range of hydrogeologic parameters to assess overall risk from each potential contamination source.
The Mechanisms of Acrylamide Axonopathy

Degeneration of the distal axons of long and large-diameter peripheral nerve fibers is perhaps the most common of all toxic peripheral nerve disorders. Degeneration commonly spreads centrally along affected nerve tracts in a dying-back fashion (1). Axonal disorders of this type are grouped under the term central-peripheral distal axonopathy to emphasize the contemporaneous onset of distal retrograde axonal degeneration in long nerve-fiber tracts in both the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) (2). Axonopathy refers exclusively to the primary degeneration of axons, although associated changes may occur in corresponding neuronal perikarya. Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes enveloping affected axons in the PNS and CNS, respectively, commonly undergo secondary changes, induding mitosis and loss of myelin maintenance, while fibroblasts and astrocytes become involved later in the degenerative process. Distal axonopathy can result from a single or, more commonly, repeated exposure to a variety of chemically unrelated agents, or it can occur with apparent spontaneity in a number of abnormal nutritional or metabolic states (3). Although the biochemical mechanisms underlying axonal degeneration are unknown, some progress has been made in recent years in understanding the biochemical events that precede and accompany axon degeneration in certain toxic neuropathies, notably those associated with repeated exposure to acryla­ mide or aliphatic ,),-diketones. Multidisciplinary investigation of these neurop­ athies in laboratory animals and organotypic tissue cultures has revealed several previously unknown basic mechanisms that may be involved in the maintenance of the axon and the initiation and regulation of the degenerative
Antagonism of BAS 625 by selected broadleaf herbicides and the role of ethanol

Abstract Greenhouse and laboratory research was conducted to determine the antagonistic effects of various tank mixtures on BAS 625 efficacy. Bensulfuron at 60 g ai ha−1 and BAS 635 at 40 g ai ha−1 did not antagonize control of Echinochloa crus-galli or Brachiaria platyphylla by BAS 625 at 30 g ai ha−1 in greenhouse experiments. Tank mixtures of BAS 625 with 1,000 g ai ha−1 bentazon reduced BAS 625 control of E. crus-galli from 100 to 40%. Antagonism of BAS 625 activity by bentazon or chlorimuron at 10 g ai ha−1 was similar with B. platyphylla, reducing control from 100 to 28 and 32%, respectively. Addition of 5% (v/v) ethanol eliminated all antagonism with any of the herbicides used with either weed species. Uptake and translocation of 14C-BAS 625 1 and 12 h after treatment was not enhanced, either alone or in tank mixtures, with the addition of ethanol. Uptake of 14C-BAS 625 1 and 12 h after treatment was lower in both species when tank-mixed with bentazon. There was no effect of any of the antagonizing...
Characterization and Pumping Redox Magnetohydrodynamics in a Microfluidic Channel

By adding redox species, both aqueous and nonaqueous solutions can be pumped along the length of a microfluidic channel when low voltages (to produce current) are applied across the channel's breadth in the presence of a magnetic field applied across its height. Control of flow rate is possible by varying the magnitudes of the voltage and magnetic field and by changing the redox concentration. Direction is determined by the voltage polarity and magnetic field orientation. We have demonstrated a dc redox magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pump in microchannels (270 μm wide × 640 μm deep X 2 cm long) that were constructed from low-temperature cofired ceramics with screen-printed gold electrodes on opposing sidewalls. Redox MHD involves the generation of current between the electrodes in a solution through the oxidation/reduction of redox species in the presence of a magnetic field. When the current and magnetic fields are perpendicular, a Lorentz force results, causing fluid flow along the length of the channel. The pumping performance was investigated as a function of type and concentration of redox species, magnetic flux density, applied voltage, and time scale. Studies show bidirectional capability by changing the direction of the current. Flow velocities of up to 5.0 mm/s were observed in a solution of 0.5 M nitrobenzene (NB) and 0.5 M tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAPF 6 ) in acetonitrile using a 0.41 T NdFeB permanent magnet, at an applied voltage of -1.3 V vs Ag/AgCl (saturated KCl) (approximately a potential difference of 1.2-1.7 V between wall electrodes in the microchannel) and the corresponding current enhancements (caused by the increased convection) were as large as 145%. Flow rates for 0.1 M NB and 0.25 M NB in 0.1 M TBAPF 6 in acetonitrile were measured at three different applied voltages near the redox potential of NB. Comparisons were also made to theory. A mixture of oxidized and reduced forms of the same redox couple, instead of a single species like NB, can avoid electrode dissolution at the oxidizing electrode (or bubble generation at either electrode). One example of this approach involves a solution of 0.125 M Fe 2+ and 0.125 M Fe 3+ in 3.0 M KCl and another involves a solution of 0.125 M Fe(CN) 3- 6 and 0.125 M Fe(CN) 4- 6 in 2.0 M KCl, where potential differences between wall electrodes in the microchannel can be less than 0.4 V. Findings from these studies should be useful in development of sealed microanalytical devices using redox MHD pumps with possible lab-on-a-chip applications.