cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Local operator for computing curvature

Several approaches to medical image understanding require the measurement of curvature along the object boundary. Conventional methods for determining the curvature of an edge involve object segmentation and boundary tracking techniques. In this report, a local operator is described which computes curvature directly from either a gray scale or binary image without explicit detection of the edge. The operator defines two concentric circular boundaries which are used to map underlying pixel intensities into two 1-D functions. These functions are fit with a square wave which is optimum in the least-squares sense, providing four candidate points on an iso-intensity contour. By fitting a circle to this boundary, the curvature of the iso- intensity contour can be found as (kappa) equals 1/radius. A number of design questions are addressed, including the question of the correct relative size of the two concentric circles, and the method and threshold for rejecting uncertain determinations of the isocontour points due to noise. The operator is tested using simulated images, planar radiographs, and MR proton density images. Use of the operator in determining isocontours which have a specified curvature is demonstrated.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Encouraging the identification of environmental opportunities

States that an organization that seeks to survive must keep identifying viable new opportunities. An organization that wishes to grow must do an even better job of identifying viable new opportunities. However, opportunities are in the eye of the beholder. Identifying opportunities does not mean “find” them, rather we construct or invent them. How do we encourage the identification of viable, credible opportunities? Maybe even more important is the converse: why do decision makers fail to see objectively viable opportunities?
Aplastic anemia in siblings with multiple congenital anomalies (the Fanconi type).

Summary Two cases of aplastic anemia are described in siblings. The first is a classic example of the Fanconi type. The association of pancytopenia and multiple congenital defects supports this contention. In addition to the aplastic anemia, other aberrations were evident in the skin, ears, eyes, skeletal system, kidney, and adrenal. Papilledema, due to anoxemia of the optic nerve, was demonstrated clinically and at necropsy. The second case is of special interest in connection with the first, since the onset of the aplastic anemia occurred at the same chronological age in this sibling. This child had abnormalities, including pigmentation, vitiligo, microphthalmia, strabismus, and papilledema. Skeletal malformations observed were microcephaly, a delay in the appearance of the carpal centers, and a double nucleus in the tarsal scaphoid. While this boy did not present as many of the typical features of the Fanconi type as his brother, he had sufficient abnormalities to be included in this syndrome. The occurrence of aplastic anemia with congenital malformations in two brothers suggests that the congenital aberrations were probably the result of defective germ plasm or consanguinity. The onset of the aplastic anemia was observed in both children at the age of 6 years. This coincidence may be due to an exhaustion phenomenon, incurred by a familial congenital constitutional defect of the marrow germ plasm. Normal hematopoietic function continued for six years until this inadequacy became manifest. Splenectomy in the treatment of aplastic anemia has proved of limited value.
ASPECTS OF THE AGING OF THE AVIAN (NUCLEATED) RED BLOOD CELL IN VIVO.

Abstract The serial osmotic hemolysis procedure of Simon and Topper [18] has been applied to chicken erythrocytes. Some of the chickens had been injected with 59Fe at various times prior to bleeding, thus giving rise to labeled red cells of different ages. Others had not been injected but their blood was labeled with 51Cr in vitro. The osmotically lysed fractions were also analyzed for the enzyme activity levels of lactic acid dehydrogenase and glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase. It was found that: 1. 1. Chicken red blood cells, like mammalian erythrocytes, exhibit a correlation between age and resistance to hypotonic lysis. The serial osmotic hemolysis procedure differentiates two populations of young cells, one fragile and one resistant. While two such populations have been found in the mammalian system, the resistant young chicken cells are more fragile than the corresponding mammalian young cells. 2. 2. Determination of relative-specific enzyme activities (LDH and GOT) indicates that only a small, fragile young cell component (which is found in both mammals and chickens) is associated with increased enzyme activities but that the bulk of young chicken cells exhibits only average enzyme levels. These results indicate that the decline of enzymatic activity in the chicken red blood cell on maturation proceeds more rapidly than in the mammalian cell. 3. 3. The distribution of the 51Cr label among chicken erythrocytes, in contradistinction to the mammalian system, is independent of red blood cell age. Since the preferential chromium binding by young mammalian erythrocytes has been shown to be due to the preferential binding of chromium by the younger hemoglobin, it is probable that the chicken hemoglobin, which greatly differs structurally from mammalian hemoglobin, is either not structurally altered on aging or, at least, not in a way such as to affect the extent of chromium binding.
Regioregular Poly(3-pentylthiophene): Synthesis, Self-Assembly of Nanowires, High-Mobility Field-Effect Transistors, and Efficient Photovoltaic Cells

We report the synthesis, characterization, solution-phase assembly of nanowires, field-effect charge transport, and photovoltaic properties of regioregular poly(3-pentylthiophene) (P3PT), the first regioregular poly(3-alkylthiophene) with an odd-numbered alkyl side chain length to be so investigated. Two samples of P3PT with weight-average molecular weights of 61 800 and 77 000 and 1.4−1.5 polydispersity index have comparable solubility and processability in organic solvents as regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) but have a higher melting transition at 259 °C. X-ray diffraction of P3PT films revealed a lamellar structure with an interlayer d100 spacing of 1.51 nm and a π-stacking d010 spacing of 0.374 nm, both smaller than in P3HT. Crystalline nanowires of 16−17 nm width and aspect ratios as high as 465 were assembled from P3PT solution. Field-effect transistors fabricated from P3PT thin films showed a mobility of holes of up to 0.10 cm2/(V s), and the carrier mobility increased with molecular weig...
Temperature rise in the pulp chamber caused by twist drills

Pin channel preparations with twist drills have the potential to produce a temperature increase in the pulp chamber. This temperature increase is related to twist drill diameter, length (depth of channel preparation), and rotational speed.
Photography and sizing of burning droplets

Laser-triggered stroboscopic photography has been used to obtain high quality images of moving, burning fuel droplets. A narrow laser beam defined the focal plane of a photographic system which was focused onto the beam. Light scattered by a droplet in the beam was used to trigger a backlighting stroboscope. In addition, attenuation of the laser beam during the passage of a droplet has been used to yield information on droplet sizes. Large droplets can be sized regardless of shape or refractive index.
The validity and reliability of preoperative radiographic canal diameter measurements of the femur.

Background: The femoral canal is frequently measured preoperatively in cases where an intramedullary device is planned for operative fixation of a fracture. To our knowledge, a formal assessment of validity and reliability of preoperative canal measurements has not been previously performed.
Commentary: Media Coverage of the World Summit on Sustainable Development

Environment News Service, the environment news wire service, listed more than 150 stories related to Rio+10 by February 2002, a full six months before the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) was scheduled to begin. But the WSSD did not appear on the Society of Environmental Journalists’ online calendar until late July, and that came only after much prodding. The dissimilar interest between environmental activists and environmental journalists foretold what eventually happened in Johannesburg, South Africa, 24 August to 4 September 2002. The WSSD promised a follow-up to commitments made ten years earlier at the unparalleled Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro. The Johannesburg meeting offered an opportunity to assess change, successes, and failures in terms of improving the condition of the world’s environment for both rich and poor countries and, possibly, to establish real implementation guidelines. (For summaries of previous sustainability conferences, see Lewis 2000; Valenti 2000a, 2000b.) Skepticism prevailed. Nonetheless, governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations, business, and what has become in sustainability jargon “civil society” came
Inhibition of muscarinic stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in the rat parotid gland by cAMP.

Abstract The ability of agents that increase or mimic cAMP to affect muscarinic receptor mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis was investigated in the rat parotid gland. Forskolin (10 μM) and isoproterenol (10 μM) elevated cAMP in the parotid gland by 2-fold and 7-fold, respectively, and these agents also inhibited oxotremorine-M (3 H-M) mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis by 14% and 26%, respectively. Forskolin (1,4.3, 18, and 75 μM) increased cAMP accumulation and inhibited PIP 2 hydrolysis in a concentration-dependent manner. Forskolin (75 μM) shifted the concentration-response curve for the full agonist oxotremorine-M rightward by 4.2-fold. Pre-treatment with the phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine (1 mM) reduced the maximum effect of oxotremorine-M by 31%. The inhibitory effect of isoproterenol and forskolin on muscarinic receptor-mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis was unaffected by the removal of extracellular Ca 2+ . Moreover, isoproterenol and forskolin dampened sodium fluoride and oxotremorine-M mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis to the same extent suggesting that the inhibitory effect of cAMP is downstream from the muscarinic receptor.
Crystal structures of 2,6-bis-[(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)meth-yl]pyridine and 1,1-[pyridine-2,6-diylbis(methyl-ene)]bis-(4-methyl-1H-1,2,4-triazol-4-ium) iodide triiodide.

In the structures of the 2,6-bis­(1,2,4-triazoly-3-yl)methyl-substituted pyridine compound, C11H11N7, (I) and the iodide triiodide salt, C13H17N72+·I−·I3−, (II), the dihedral angles between the two triazole rings and the pyridine ring are 66.4 (1) and 74.6 (1)° in (I), and 68.4 (2)° in (II), in which the dication lies across a crystallographic mirror plane. The overall packing structure for (I) is two-dimensional with the layers lying parallel to the (001) plane. In (II), the triiodide anion lies within the mirror plane, occupying the space between the two triazole substituent groups and was found to have minor disorder [occupancy ratio 0.9761 (9):0.0239 (9)]. The overall packing of structure (II) can be described as two-dimensional with the layers stacking parallel to the (001) plane. In the crystal, the predominant inter­molecular inter­actions in (I) and (II) involve the acidic hydrogen atom in the third position of the triazole ring, with either the triazole N-atom acceptor in weak C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds in (I), or with halide counter-ions through C—H⋯I inter­actions, in (II).
Growth of Favella sp. (Ciliata: Tintinnina) and other microzooplankters in cages incubated in situ and comparison to growth in vitro

Microplankton cages with porous polycarbonate membrane sides were used to investigate the population growth of Favella sp., a large tintinnid which preys on dinoflagellates, Balanion sp., a non-loricate ciliate which also preys on dinoflagellates, and two other tintinnids, Eutintinnus pectinis and Tintinnopsis kofoidi, at close to in-situ conditions in a small estuary during a spring dinoflagellate bloom. The effects of temperature and food concentration on the growth of Favella sp. and Balanion sp. were also investigated in culture. Growth rates in the field were variable from day to day. The highest net growth constant (base e) observed for Favella sp. in the cages was 0.032 (generation time 21.7 h). This was lower than growth constants which can be achieved in culture. Food availability, parasitism by the dinoflagellate Duboscquella sp., and perhaps life cycle events all contributed to the lower net growth rate of Favella sp. in the field. The highest net growth constant observed in the cages for Balanion sp. was 0.068 (generation time=10.7 h), which is also lower than growth constants achieved in culture. The growth of Balanion sp. populations in the cages was limited by the availability of small-sized dinoflagellates and by predation. The highest net growth constants observed for E. pectinis and T. kofoidi were 0.030 and 0.068, respectively; we know little about the factors controlling the growth of these tintinnids.
Comparison of training techniques using a patient-centred approach to smoking cessation

SUMMARY This study compared the use of a 2.1/2-hour multimedia workshop with distribution of an algorithm on the ability of fourth-year medical students to present a stop-smoking plan to a simulated patient. Results showed that students who participated in the workshop performed statistically significantly better on the skill areas of providing information, eliciting and responding to feeling and on content areas of past experience with quitting, resources available for change and negotiating a plan. There were no significant differences in the skill area of eliciting information and the content areas of motivation to stop smoking, factors that inhibit change and problems affecting the plan. Neither of the groups performed very well. The highest number of available points obtained by both groups was in eliciting information (53% in the algorithm group and 64% in the formal training group); however, most of the values were in the range of 10%–25% of possible points. Suggested reasons for the low values may be due to the specific items rated, the teaching methods or the time needed to assimilate new skills.
Penile Oxygen Saturation in the Flaccid and Erect Penis in Men With and Without Erectile Dysfunction

It is believed that a chronic state of corporal oxygen desaturation or hypoxemia secondary to the loss of nocturnal erections is a fundamental pathophysiological cause of erectile dysfunction (ED). Limited invasive blood gas measurements in human models have shown decreased oxygen tension in vasculogenic impotence. Normative data on flaccid and erect oxygen saturation (StO(2)) levels are lacking due to the invasive nature of blood gas determinations. Our objective was to determine StO(2) in the flaccid and erect penis in men with and without ED using a tissue oximeter. This FDA-approved instrument provides instantaneous, noninvasive, painless local tissue StO(2) measurements, which highly correlate to blood gas data. The study population included 171 men (18-90 years) who presented to one andrologist. They completed the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) based on pharmacologically unassisted erectile function and had penile StO(2) measurements taken. 64 of these men had repeat measurements after PGE-1 induced erections. There are significant differences (P<.001) in corporal and glanular StO(2) in the flaccid (right corpora, 45.23%; left corpora, 52.50%) and erect state (right corpora, 76.58; left corpora, 80.42). Men with ED (right corpora, 45.04% vs 53.58%; P=.02; and left corpora, 50.95% vs 58.78%; P=.03) have significantly lower corporal penile StO(2). Future prospective data collection can correlate penile StO(2) in specific populations, such as diabetics and RRP patients. This may help further elucidate the relationship between corporal hypoxia and the development and progression of ED and possibly its treatment and prevention.
Relations between two sets of variates: The bits of information provided by each variate in each set

Abstract Canonical correlation theory is extended so that each variate in each of the two observed sets of variates is assigned a unique information-theoretic measure of its contribution to the total amount of information that either set provides about the other.
Measurement equivalence of Watson and Clark's 18 surrogate measures of negative affectivity: Applying the principle of tetrad differences to an incomplete correlation matrix

Abstract Watson and Clark concluded, based primarily on a subjective analysis of the positive manifold of 87 intercorrelations, that 18 personality measures were manifestations of the same stable and pervasive trait of negative affectivity. Confirmatory factor analysis to test a one-factor measurement model was not possible, since only an incomplete matrix of correlations (87 out of 153) was available. In this paper, the principle of tetrad differences was applied to an incomplete correlation matrix to test for a general factor across the 18 measures. This principle assesses the equivalence of different measures hypothesized to tap into the same construct. Of the 614 first-order partial correlations, only 44 (7.2%) failed to satisfy the principle of tetrad differences, indicating support for a common underlying trait. In addition, confirmatory factor analysis and Herman's one-factor test provided support for a general factor across a subset of the 18 scales for which a complete matrix of correlations was ...
P44, the ‘longevity‐assurance’ isoform of P53, regulates tau phosphorylation and is activated in an age‐dependent fashion

p44 is a short isoform of p53 with 'longevity-assurance' activity. Overexpression of p44 in the mouse (p44(+/+) transgenic mice) causes a progeroid phenotype that mimics an accelerated form of aging. The phenotype includes abnormal phosphorylation of the microtubule-binding protein tau, synaptic deficits, and cognitive decline. Genetic engineering demonstrated that the phosphorylation status of tau acts upstream of the synaptic deficits. Here, we provide evidence that p44 promotes the phosphorylation of tau in the mouse. Specifically, we show that p44 binds to the promoter of tau kinases Dyrk1A, GSK3β, Cdk5, p35, and p39 and activates their transcription. The upregulation of the above kinases is followed by increased phosphorylation of tau. Finally, we show that p44 is preferentially found in the nucleus and that its levels increase with age in the mouse brain. Taken together, these results suggest that an imbalance in the p53:p44 ratio might be involved with the altered tau metabolism that characterizes aging.
Periodic orbits for interplanetary flight.

The possibility exists that a spacecraft can be placed on a free-fall trajectory that goes back and forth between Earth and Venus forever. Such trajectories have been found using patched-conic analysis. The trajectory is first established for the case when the two planets are in circular, coplanar orbits. The synodic period of Earth and Venus is used to establish the time of flight and the transfer angle. These values permit a solution of Lambert's problem for the orbit. The search procedure in the general case of inclined, elliptic orbits is more complex. A ten-dimensional iteration is required to find the boundary conditions for ten simultaneous solutions of the Lambert problem. Three periodic orbits connecting Earth and Venus have been found in the general case. There is a strong probability of the existence of other similar orbits.
Mediated Maternity: Contemporary American Portrayals of Bad Mothers in Literature and Popular Culture Linda Seidel. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2013.

Mediated Maternity: Contemporary American Portrayals of Bad Mothers in Literature and Popular Culture Linda Seidel. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2013.Twenty-first century media is obsessed with motherhood. From stage moms such as Dina Lohan and Kris Jenner and "reality" moms, who may be 16 and Pregnant or Pretty Wicked Moms, to the royal mum, the spotlight shines brightly on mothers and moms-tobe. In her book, Mediated Maternity: Contemporary American Portrayals of Bad Mothers in Literature and Popular Culture, Linda Seidel aims a discerning eye at those media narratives that compel us with their tales of motherhood gone awry and suggests that these stories not only expose the shortcomings of individual mothers but also reveal our collective fears about the role of women in contemporary culture.Blending personal reflection and textual analysis, Seidel examines recent films (Precious (2009), Gone Baby Gone (2007)), television shows (Nancy Grace, Damages), and books (Plain Truth (2000), Down Came the Rain (2005), Breakable You (2006)), tracing the ways in which these narratives reproduce the trope of the bad mother while shaping audiences' expectations about the experience of motherhood. Seidel notes that many of the most powerful messages about motherhood appear within what Lauren Berlant calls the intimate public, a mediated space in which marginalized individuals who share similar experiences and worldviews can discuss and affirm their beliefs. Berlant suggests that the cultural products-films, magazines, and television shows-that women enjoy constitute "women's culture" and that this culture shapes its members' experiences and expectations. Thus, when tiger-mom talk show host Nancy Grace, whose audience is predominantly female, lambasts "tot mom" Casey Anthony, Nancy's words work to police not only the accused murderess but also Nancy's viewers, reminding them that women's bodies and behaviors are under surveillance and that those who act "out of control" are subject to public scrutiny (41). Repeatedly, we see how adequate mothering is "not perceived as much of an accomplishment, but the failure to meet these responsibilities opens [women] to blame and vilification" (xii). In today's popular culture, "all mothers are open to suspicion" (xii).Throughout her analysis, the author weighs the choices and actions of individual mothers against a political and economic system that holds deeply contradictory views. In twenty-first century America, motherhood is rhetorically glorified but economically undervalued and legislatively undercut, with little structural support given to parents. …
Coordination Chemistry of Low-Valent Rhenium Polypyridyl Complexes: Synthesis, Reactivity, and Electrochemistry.

The complex ReIII(benzil)(PPh3)Cl3 (2) is used to synthesize a variety of ReIII and ReII polypyridyl complexes of the type cis-[ReIII(L2)2Cl2]+, [ReII(L2)3]2+, ReIII(L3)Cl3, [ReIII(L3)2Cl]2+, and [ReIII(L4)Cl2]+, where L2 = bpy (3 and 6), tbpy (4 and 7), phen (5 and 8); L3 = terpy (9 and 10); L4 = TMPA (11). The complex cis-[ReIII(bpy)2Cl2]+ (3) is a useful synthon in the formation of complexes of the type [Re(bpy)2Lx]n+ that are six- or seven-coordinate ReIII complexes (13, 16, and 18) or octahedral ReII or ReI complexes (12 and 17). The [ReIII(terpy)2Cl]2+ (10) complex can be reduced to form the ReI complex, [ReI(terpy)2]+ (21) and then electrochemically reoxidized to form new complexes of the type [ReIII(terpy)2L]n+. Similar behavior is observed for the [ReII(bpy)3]2+ (6) complex where [ReIII(bpy)3(tBuNC)]3+ (20) and [ReI(bpy)3]+ (19) may be formed. The electrochemistry of these complexes is discussed in relation to their reactivity and the observed π-acidity of the polypyridyl ligands. In addition, X-...
Multimodal Photoacoustic Tomography

Currently available optical microscopic imaging techniques-confocal microscopy, multi-photon (also referred to as two-photon) microscopy, and optical coherence tomography-have revolutionized biological and medical research, based on strong optical contrast and high spatial resolution. Unfortunately, owing to unavoidable strong light scattering in biological tissues, such methods cannot maintain contrast and spatial resolution beyond one optical transport mean free path ( ~ 1 mm in tissues). Although model-based diffuse optical tomography is able to operate at greater depths, this technique fails to maintain spatial resolution. Photoacoustic tomography overcomes the fundamental penetration depth problem and achieves high-resolution optical imaging in deep tissues by combing light and ultrasound. In this review article, the multimodal imaging capability of photoacoustic tomography, integrated with existing imaging tools, is contemplated and the potential preclinical and clinical impacts of the combined systems are discussed.
DNase I hypersensitive sites of the chromatin for Drosophila melanogaster ribosomal protein 49 gene

Abstract By using an indirect end-labelling technique for mapping, five DNase I hypersensitive sites have been located in Drosophila melanogaster chromatin at the 5'-end of the gene coding for ribosomal protein 49. These sites typically span about 100-600 base pairs and are approximately the length of a nucleosome apart (center to center distance ca 245 bp). This is the first analysis of the chromatin structure of a constitutive house-keeping gene. The results support the hypothesis that the presence of such a DNase 1 hypersensitive site in chromatin is necessary for transcription in vivo. The presence of such sites may reflect some local changes in the conformation of the chromatin in the presumptive regulatory region.
Internal Mammary Nodes in Breast Cancer: Diagnosis and Implications for Patient Management—A Systematic Review

The management of internal mammary nodes (IMNs) in breast cancer is controversial. Surgical series from the 1950s showed that one third of breast cancer patients had IMN involvement, with a higher risk in patients with medial tumors and/or positive axillary nodes. IMN metastasis has similar prognostic importance as axillary nodal involvement. However, after three randomized trials showed no survival benefit from extended mastectomy compared with radical or modified radical mastectomy, IMN dissection was largely abandoned. Recently, lymphoscintigraphy studies have renewed interest in IMN evaluation. Approximately one fifth of internal mammary sentinel nodes are pathologic, although most centers do not perform IMN biopsies because of concerns about morbidity and lack of established survival benefit. In addition, results from randomized trials testing the value of postmastectomy irradiation and a meta-analysis of 78 randomized trials have provided high levels of evidence that local-regional tumor control is associated with long-term survival improvements. This benefit was limited to trials that used systemic therapy, which was not routinely administered in the earlier surgical studies, although the contribution from IMN treatment is unclear. IMN irradiation has also been shown to cause increased cardiac morbidity. Before mature results from current randomized trials assessing the benefit of IMN irradiation become available, lymphoscintigraphy may be used to help guide decisions regarding systemic and local-regional treatment. However, even in patients with visualized primary IMN drainage, the potential benefit of treatment should be balanced against the risk of added morbidity.
Current Problems Associated with Toxicity Evaluation of Medical Device Materials and Future Research Needs

The application of toxicology to the evaluation of medical device materials is reviewed. Strengths and weaknesses of systemic and local toxicity models are described. Developments needed to improve the methodology and predictability of assays for immunotoxicity and particulate toxicity are identified. Emerging methods are introduced for assessing adhesion, fibrosis, and blood compatibility.
Non-linear structural vibrations involving a time delay in damping

Time delays occur in many physical systems. In particular, when automatic control is used with structural or mechanical systems, there typically exists a delay between measurement of the system state and corrective action. In this paper, non-linear vibrations are considered and a time delay is present in the damping. The system has one degree of freedom with weak quadratic and cubic non-linearities in the restoring force. Cases of external (forcing) excitation and of parametric excitation are treated. Six resonance conditions are analyzed by using the method of multiple scales, including primary, subharmonic, and superharmonic resonances. The effect of the time delay is investigated and the results are presented as plots of the steady state response amplitude versus the excitation frequency and amplitude.
Hepatic Venoocclusive Disease as a Complication of Whole Abdominopelvic Irradiation and Treatment with the Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt: Case Report and Literature Review

We report the novel use of the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure for the treatment of intractable ascites due to hepatic venooclusive disease as a result of whole abdominopelvic radiotherapy. A patient with Stage III endometrioid carcinoma of the endometrium treated with postoperative whole abdominopelvic irradiation developed intractable ascites. Multiple paracenteses and computerized tomography were negative for recurrent carcinoma. Liver biopsy demonstrated hepatic venoocclusive disease, a rare complication of therapeutic radiation involving the liver. Successful relief of ascites and its adverse symptomology were achieved with the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt. Relevant literature regarding the pathogenesis, prognosis, and treatment of radiotherapy-related hepatic venoocclusive disease are reviewed.
Microbial decomposition of post-harvest sugarcane residue.

A laboratory in situ composting study was conducted as a possible alternative method for the current practice of open air burning of post-harvest sugarcane residue by sugarcane farmers. In situ composting of the sugarcane residue by the indigenous bacteria and fungi was accelerated using molasses as an initial substrate. A one-time application of molasses boosted the soil microbial population, which started to decompose the ligno-cellulosic fractions of the residue. The study showed significant differences in several parameters among the control and molasses applied treatments, namely, visual decomposition of residue, bacterial and fungal population, soil pH, cellulose content, cellulase activity, and soil organic matter. Further study is needed to refine the process for the future application of this technology as a possible alternative to the current practice of open air burning of sugarcane residue by farmers.
p-adic representative functions on abelian groups

The main result is the following. Let G be an abelian group, let K be an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero. Let A be any shift-invariant K-algebra with unit element of representative functions G→K, invariant under the antipode. Then the additive homomorphisms G→K in A together with the multiplicative homomorphisms G→K∗ in A generate A (Theorem 1.1). In § 2 a few consequences for p-adic representative functions are discussed.
Subterranean photonics using SIMOX 3-D sculpting for optoelectronic integration in silicon-on-insulator

Three-dimensional optoelectronic integration can be achieved in SOI wafers using the process of SIMOX 3D sculpting. Micro-resonators, with unloaded Q of 8000 and extinction ratio >20 dB, were fabricated in a buried silicon layer and MOS transistor structures were fabricated on the surface silicon layer using a patterned SIMOX process.
Eliminating Extraneous Solutions in Curve and Surface Operations

We study exact representations for offset curves and surfaces, for equal-distance curves and surfaces, and for fixed- and variable-radius blending surfaces. The representations are systems of nonlinear equations that define the curves and surfaces as natural projections from a higher-dimensional space into 3-space. We show that the systems derived by naively translating the geometric constraints defining the curves and surfaces can entail degeneracies that result in additional solutions that have no geometric significance. We characterize these extraneous solution points geometrically, and then augment the systems with auxiliary equations of a uniform structure that exclude all extraneous solutions. Thereby, we arrive at representations that capture the geometric intent of the curve and surface definitions precisely.
Joy in the Junior High and Middle School

Do we take ourselves too seriously? Do people need to be taught a sense of humor? The author says that the "first essential of a happy life is a willingness to be amused."
H3 and H3+: Correlations of Theory and Experiment

A survey of calculations of the properties of H3 and H3+ with particular emphasis on those in which the author has been involved is given. Correlations with hot-atom experiments and spectroscopic observations are discussed. A preview of new work on the predissociation of quasistable upper-sheet Jahn-Teller states of H3 is presented.
Community-based collaborative information system for emergency management

Natural and man-made disasters, such as tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, and epidemics pose a significant threat to human societies. To respond to emergencies in a fast and an effective manner, Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) is very important for the decision-making process. The provision of information concerning the ''ground-zero'' situation to the emergency management stakeholders is an essential prerequisite for MCDM. In this paper, we propose a strategy to form a community-based virtual database, which connects local resource databases of suppliers that provide information and human resources for emergency management. Such a virtual database enables collaborative information sharing among community-based NGOs, public, and private organizations within a community. Moreover, to mobilize resources, the aforementioned process raises awareness within the community and aids in assessing local knowledge and resources. In our work, we present the design, implementation, and evaluation of such a community-based database, which maximally utilizes all of the available information and network resources of a community to better manage natural and man-made disasters.
Reovirus 3 not detected by reverse transcriptase-mediated polymerase chain reaction analysis of preserved tissue from infants with cholestatic liver disease

Reovirus type 3 has been implicated in the origin and pathogenesis of extrahepatic biliary atresia and idiopathic neonatal hepatitis, but routine detection of this virus in hepatobiliary tissues from affected infants by culture and histological techniques has been unsuccessful. In this study, oligonucleotide primers specific to the M3 genome segment of reovirus 3 (Dearing) were used in a reverse transcriptase-mediated polymerase chain reaction technique to develop a sensitive and specific assay for the detection of reovirus 3 RNA in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded patient samples. Optimal reaction conditions were determined by testing infected murine tissues and preserved human liver tissue supplemented with reovirus 3. Archival specimens from 50 infants, including 14 with extrahepatic biliary atresia, 20 with idiopathic neonatal hepatitis, and 16 age-matched controls, were evaluated. Successful amplification of human albumin complementary DNA from the preserved tissues confirmed the presence of intact RNA in every patient specimen tested. Analysis of the amplification reactions by agarose gel electrophoresis and Southern blot hybridization detected the presence of reoviral RNA only once in a single patient sample. These results do not support a strong role for reovirus 3 in the development of neonatal cholestatic liver disease. The recent association of other RNA viruses of the Reoviridae family with murine liver disease and human extrahepatic biliary atresia indicates that continued investigation into a viral cause for idiopathic neonatal hepatobiliary disease is warranted.
Revision of Geneiorhynchus Schneider, 1875 (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida: Actinocephalidae: Acanthosporinae) with recognition of four new species of Geneiorhynchus and description of Geneiorhynchus manifestus n. sp. parasitizing naiads of the green darner, Anax junius (Odonata: Aeshnidae) in the Texas Big Thicket

Abstract Geneiorhynchus manifestus n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida) is described from the naiads of Anax junius (Odonata: Aeshnidae) collected from the Big Sandy Creek Unit of the Big Thicket National Preserve, Polk County, Texas, U.S.A. The genus Geneiorhynchus is revised and its constituent species reviewed. Descriptions are provided for 2 previously named species, Geneiorhynchus monnieri from naiads of Libellula depressa (Odonata: Libellulidae) collected from Bayreuth, Germany and Roscoff, France and Geneiorhynchus aeshnae from naiads of Aeshna constricta and Aeshna sp. (Odonata: Aeshnidae) collected from Pennsylvania, U.S.A., and Cheboygan County, Michigan, U.S.A.; and 3 previously reported taxa recognized as new species: Geneiorhynchus desportesi n. sp. from naiads of Aeshna cyanea (Odonata: Aeshnidae) collected from Montpellier, France, Geneiorhynchus baudoini n. sp. from naiads of Aeschna grandis (Odonata: Aeshnidae) collected from Vincennes and Besse-et-Saint Anastaise, France, and Geneiorhynch...
A Generalized Phenomenological Model and Database for the Transport of Water and Current in Polymer Electrolyte Membranes

The semiempirical model developed by Springer et al. J. Electrochem. Soc., 138, 2334 1991 continues to be popular for water transport in polymer membranes. The implementation of this model into a computational fluid dynamic CFD code poses some problems. First, the dependent variable in the membrane is the water content, , while that in the diffusion layers and channels is the species mass fractions. Thus, the membrane has to be designated a separate domain, wherein a transport equation for is solved and iteratively coupled to the mass fractions. This is computationally expensive and sometimes unstable. The second problem is associated with the notion that because the membrane is “thin” it is sufficient to have a few computational nodes across its thickness. A model that extends Springer’s model to include convective transport is presented. It is found that accurate calculation of water transport through the membrane requires few hundred nodes. A database that provides water flux and average membrane electrical conductivity for relevant mass-transport Peclet numbers and interfacial conditions is created. When used with CFD calculations, the database will allow accurate and efficient calculation of water and current transport in the membrane without solution of the transport equation for .
Temperature-Gradient Effects in Thermal Barrier Coatings: An Investigation Through Modeling, High Heat Flux Test, and Embedded Sensor

The harsh thermal environment in gas turbines, including elevated temperatures and high heat fluxes, induces significant thermal gradients in ceramic thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), which are used to protect metallic components. However, the thermal conductivity of plasma-sprayed TBC increases with exposure at high temperatures mainly due to sintering phenomena and possible phase transformation, resulting in coating performance degradation and potential thermal runaway issues. An analytical thermal model and experimentally obtained coating thermal conductivity data are used to determine the coating through-thickness temperature profile and effective thermal conductivity under gradient conditions at high temperatures. High heat flux tests are then performed on TBCs to evaluate coating thermal behavior under temperature gradients close to service conditions. Coating internal temperature during the tests was also measured by thermally sprayed embedded thermocouples within the top coat. This combined approach provides a sintering map with a new model and allows for the assessment of temperature-gradient effects on the thermal performance of plasma-sprayed TBCs.
Effect of Herbicides on Rhizoctonia Seedling Disease of Soybeans in Glasshouse Experiments

The effect of 13 herbicides, alone or in combination, on the seedling disease of soybeans (Glycine max cv. Williams), caused by Rhizoctonia solani, was studied in the glasshouse. Seedlings grown in soil infested with R. solani and treated with alachlor, chloramben, dinoseb, fluchloralin, or naptalam significantly decreased aspects of seedling development in one or more experiments. Metolachlor, metribuzin, oryzalin, pendimethalin, profluralin, as well as the combinations of alachlor + chloramben, trifluralin + chloramben and trifluralin + metribuzin did not significantly affect any aspect of seedling development. Treatment with trifluralin gave mixed results. No herbicide consistently improved seedling development in the presence or absence of the pathogen. Zusammenfassung Einflus von Herbiziden auf die Rhizoctonia-Samlingskrankheit der Sojabohne in Gewachshausuntersuchungen Im Gewachshaus wurde der Einflus von 13 Herbiziden, allein oder in Mischungen, auf die Samlingskrankheit der Sojabohne (Glycine max, Sorte Williams), die durch Rhizoctonia solani verursacht wird, untersucht. In R. solani-verseuchter Erde entwickelten sich Samlinge nach einer Alachlor-, Chloramben-, Dinoseb-, Fluchloralin- oder Naptalambehandlung deutlich schlechter in einem oder mehreren Versuchen. Die Samlingsentwicklung wurde durch Behandlungen mit Meto-lachlor, Metribuzin, Oryzalin, Pendimethalin, Profluralin, sowie die Mischungen Alachlor + Chloramben, Trifluralin + Chloramben und Trifluralin + Metribuzin nicht beeinflust. Eine Trifluralinbe-handlung fuhrte zu schwankenden Ergebnissen. Eine stetige Verbesserung der Samlingsentwicklung nach einer Herbizidbehandlung, bei Vorhandensein oder NichtVorhandensein des Pathogens, konnte nicht ermittelt werden.
Comparison of routine and selective use of intraoperative angiography during aneurysm surgery: a prospective assessment.

Object Whether routine intraoperative angiography is necessary for cerebral aneurysm surgery is currently under debate. In this study the authors prospectively assessed the cerebrovascular surgeon's accuracy in predicting the need for intraoperative angiography. Methods Between January 2002 and January 2003, 200 consecutive patients (141 female and 59 male patients, mean age 52.8 years) with 235 aneurysms underwent routine intraoperative angiography. Before the operation, the surgeons indicated whether they believed that intraoperative angiography was necessary. Their responses were recorded as “intraoperative angiography necessary” or “intraoperative angiography unnecessary.” Regardless of the response, all patients underwent intraoperative angiography after the aneurysm had been clipped. Changes in treatment resulting from intraoperative angiography were compared with surgeons' preoperative predictions of the need for intraoperative angiography. Intraoperative angiography was predicted to be necessary i...
The pole placement theorem and small perturbations in parameters: the existence of an unassignable left half plane

It is proved that placing the poles of a linear time-invariant system arbitrarily far to the left of the imaginary axis is not possible if small perturbations in the model coefficients are taken into account. The results show a major difference between the behavior of nominal closed-loop system poles and the closed-loop system poles under small perturbations of the open-loop system parameters. For systems with uncertain parameters there exists an unassignable left half plane. >
Unity in diversity in a polyethnic society: the maintenance of medical pluralism on Mauritius.

Abstract Mauritius is a polyethnic society that provides an ideal situation in which to study medical pluralism. The population of this Indian Ocean island predominantly consists of individuals of Indian African. French, and Chinese origin; Hinduism. Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism are all represented on the island. A wide variety of both secular and religious healing resources are encountered on Mauritius, many of which are associated with particular ethnic and/or religious traditions. However, except for a few of the religious specialists, most practitioners are consulted by individuals of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. In this paper I examine the medical belief system and health-seeking behavior of Mauritians in order to delineate both the conceptual and behavioral mechanisms contributing to the maintenance of medical pluralism. Despite the heterogeneity of the population, lay individuals tend to hold similar beliefs about the causes of illness and to construct similar categories of illness. Mauritians believe that illness may result from a wide variety of factors and that no single healing tradition is capable of dealing with all of these. Therefore, the medical belief system and the distribution of medical knowledge require and promote the maintenance of diverse healing traditions. The decision-making process during quests for cure is structured in such a way that it allows patients to consult a variety of healing traditions for particular illness episodes and to utilize over their lifetimes a diversity of healing resources. The medical belief system on Mauritius is a consistent, unified system that promotes the maintenance of ideologically diverse healing traditions and the acceptance of newly developed or newly introduced therapeutic resources. It is, thus, well adapted to the social history and social heterogeneity of the island. It does, however, exhibit some characteristics that are not usually reported in other less heterogeneous societies, and the question arises as to whether these correspond to the extent of medical pluralism and or ethnic heterogeneity in other sociocultural contexts.
Maps as social constructions: power, communication and visualization

Two developments in cartography mark an epistemic break with the assumption that maps are unproblematic communication devices. These are 1) investigations of maps as practices of power-knowledge; and 2) 'geographic visualization' (GVis) which uses the map's power to explore, analyze and visualize spatial datasets to understand patterns better. These developments are key components of a 'maps as social constructions' approach, emphasizing the genealogy of power in mapping practices, and enabling multiple, contingent and exploratory perspectives of data. Furthermore, this approach is an opportunity for cartography to renew its relationship with a critical human geography.
A Numerical Simulation Study on Surfactant Flooding and Its Field Application in Daqing's Pilot Test

Based on the characteristics of surfactant flooding, a mathematical model for surfactant flooding was established. The changes in adsorption-retention, convection, diffusion of surfactant, and influence of concentration upon the relative permeability curve are included. The novel description of the adsorption quantity of surfactant and the relative permeability curve are presented. The model was applied to surfactant flooding in a surfactant flooding pilot test at Daqing, and the influences of surfactant concentration, amount of injection, and slug combination mode on development effect and economic benefit are quantitatively analyzed, and the injection plan is optimized. After the implementation of surfactant plans in the oilfield, we obtained the desired results.
Reconfigurable VLSI architectures for evolvable hardware: from experimental field programmable transistor arrays to evolution-oriented chips

Evolvable hardware (EHW) addresses on-chip adaptation and self-configuration through evolutionary algorithms. Current programmable devices, in particular the analog ones, lack evolution-oriented characteristics. This paper proposes an evolution-oriented field programmable transistor array (FPTA), reconfigurable at transistor level. The FPTA allows evolutionary experiments with reconfiguration at various levels of granularity. Experiments in SPICE simulations and directly on a reconfigurable FPTA chip demonstrate how the evolutionary approach can be used to automatically synthesize a variety of analog and digital circuits.