cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Occlusion-free monocular three-dimensional vision system

This paper describes a new, occlusion-free, monocular three-dimensional vision system. A matrix of light beams (lasers, fiber optics, etc.), substantially parallel to the optic axis of the lens of a video camera, is projected onto a scene. The corresponding coordinates of the perspective image generated on the video-camera sensor, the focal length of the camera lens, and the lateral position of the projected beams of light are used to determine the "perspective depth" z* of the three-dimensional real image in the space between the lens and the image plane. Direct inverse perspective transformations are used to reconstruct the three-dimensional real-world scene. This system can lead to the development of three-dimensional real-image sensing devices for manufacturing, medical, and defense-related applications. If combined with existing technology, it has high potential for the development of three-dimensional television.
Oxidation of Ni3Al at low and high oxygen pressures

Oxidation of stoichiometric Ni3Al performed at elevated temperatures in low oxygen partial pressure and in atmospheric oxygen has been studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, auger electron spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. At low oxidation pressure only the aluminum oxide is found although there is evidence for a phase change at temperatures above 600°C. At atmospheric pressure, NiO, NiAl2O4 and Al2O3 are obtained. The different behavior is discussed in terms of the relative standard free energy of formation of the oxides.
Narrative and counternarrative in print‐mediated coverage of Milwaukee alderman Michael Mcgee

This essay mounts a counternarrative to address the mainstream print‐mediated coverage of Milwaukee alderman Michael McGee. In analyzing racialized discourse in Milwaukee, the essay highlights the importance of focusing on rhetoric marginalized in or outside of the public sphere. A clash in rhetorical style can subvert the substance of public discourse with deleterious social consequences. We contend that a true dialogue on race relations will not occur until whites assume the responsibility for engaging in and sustaining this dialogue. The essay also establishes a rationale for why it is critically important to the discipline and to our respective communities to focus on local discourse and discursive communities. Finally, we offer a number of suggestions concerning rhetorical critical practices and the roles that critics can play in bringing about social change.
DEVELOPMENTAL SPECIFICITY OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN HEAVY CHAIN SWITCH REGION RECOMBINATION ACTIVITIES

Abstract To understand the regulation of enzymes that carry out immunoglobulin heavy chain class switch recombination, we have assayed recombination of extrachromosomal substrates carrying switch region sequences in cell lines representing different stages of lymphoid cell development. Both pre-B and mature B cell lines supported switch substrate recombination, but B cell lines derived from later stages of cell development did not. Recombination did not occur in an erythroid or a macrophage line. Most recombination junctions in the substrates recovered from transfection of pre-B and B cells mapped to heterogeneous sites within the Sμ and Sγ regions, as do chromosomal switch junctions. Some recombination did occur in T cell lines, but most recombination junctions involved an upstream promoter and did not map preferentially to S regions. Culture of the pre-B cell lines PD31 and 70Z 3 with LPS increased recombination two-fold, to levels approaching those observed in LPS-cultured primary B cells. These results show that the full complement of factors necessary for switch recombination is present only in cells representing a limited spectrum of B cell development and that LPS, which can activate resting splenic B cells to carry out chromosomal recombination, can also stimulate recombination activity in immortalized pre-B cell lines.
Numerical Experiments of the Spectral Volume Method for Viscous Flows

In this paper, the spectral volume (SV) method is experimented for the Navier-Stokes equations by treating the viscous terms with a mixed formulation named the local Discontinuous Galerkin approach. The formulation of the SV method for the two-dimensional compressible Navier-Stokes equations is described. The solver is used to solve several viscous flow problems to show its potential.
Vasopressin analgesia: Specificity of action and non-opioid effects

Recent neuroanatomical and behavioral evidence has indicated that vasopressin (VP) increases pain thresholds. In the present study intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of both arginine VP (AVP: 75-500 ng) and 1-deamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP: 150-500 ng) elevated tail flick latencies. Oxytocin (OXY, ICV), also elevated tail-flick latencies (150-1000 ng); however this increase was accompanied by "barrel-roll" seizure activity. VP analgesia was eliminated by pretreatment with 1-deamino-penicillamine-2(O-methyl)tyrosine-AVP (dPTyr(me)AVP: 500 ng, ICV), a VP antagonist, but not naloxone (1 or 10 micrograms, ICV), suggesting that VP modulates nonciceptive thresholds through its own binding sites. Conversely, pretreatment with naloxone (1 micrograms, ICV) but not dPTyr(me)AVP (1 microgram, ICV) attenuated the analgesic efficacy of systemic morphine (10 mg/kg), further dissociating VP and central opiate analgesic processes. Finally, systemic pretreatment with dexamethasone potentiated VP analgesia. These data support the notion that VP is a specific non-opioid pain inhibitor.
Buckling transitions in superhelical DNA: dependence on the elastic constants and DNA size.

Buckling transitions in superhelical DNA are sudden changes in shape that accompany a smooth variation in a key parameter, such as superhelical density. Here we explore the dependence of these transitions on the elastic constants for bending and twisting. A and C, important characteristics of DNA's bending and twisting persistence lengths. The large range we explore extends to other elastic materials with self-contact interactions, modeled here by a Debye-Huckel electrostatic potential. Our collective description of DNA shapes and energies over a wide range of p = A/C reveals a dramatic dependence of DNA shape and associated configurational transitions on p: transitions are sharp for large p but masked for small p. In particular, at small p, a nonplanar circular family emerges, in agreement with Julicher's recent analytical predictions: a continuum of forms (and associated writhing numbers) is also observed. The relevance of these buckling transitions to DNA in solution is examined through studies of size dependence and thermal effects. Buckling transitions smooth considerably as size increases, and this can be explained in part by the lower curvature in larger plasmids. This trend suggests that buckling transitions should not be detectable for isolated (i.e., unbound) DNA plasmids of biological interest, except possibly for very large p. Buckling phenomena would nonetheless be relevant for small DNA loops, particularly for higher values of p, and might have a role in regulatory mechanisms: a small change in superhelical stress could lead to a large configurational change. Writhe distributions as a function of p, generated by Langevin dynamics simulations, reveal the importance of thermal fluctuations. Each distribution range (and multipeaked shape) can be interpreted by our buckling profiles. Significantly, the distributions for moderate to high superhelical densities are most sensitive to p, isolating different distribution patterns. If this effect could be captured experimentally for small plasmids by currently available imaging techniques, such results suggest a slightly different experimental procedure for estimating the torsional stiffness of supercoiled DNA than considered to date.
Protonated niobate/titanate pyrochlores via lead-acid exchange in Pb1.5Nb2O6.5 and Pb2Nb1.33Ti0.67O6.67

Hydrogen-based niobates and niobate-titanates were derived from the pyrochlores Pb1.5Nb2O6.5 (PN) and Pb2Nb1.33Ti0.67O6.67 (PNT) by ion exchange in acid baths, affording sub-micron size white powders. The niobium sublattice was left intact, as shown by X-ray diffraction. A combination of stripping and thermogravimetric analyses gave the effective formulas H2.66Pb0.17Nb2O6.5·0.5H2O (HPN) and H3.88Pb0.06Nb1.33Ti0.67O6.67·0.33H2O (HPNT). The corresponding structural refinements gave good fits to the XRD data. Densities measured by He pycnometry agreed with densities calculated from XRD analyses and the effective formulas. Thermal stability was assessed by TGA, DSC, and XRD. With increasing temperature, HPN and HPNT lost weight (H2O), becoming amorphous, and then transforming to crystalline phases, with greatly reduced particle size. HPN was more stable than HPNT. The electrical conductivities of powder compacts in wet atmospheres were moderate and attributed mainly to proton conduction; i.e., 10−6 to 10−5 S cm−1 for HPN and 10−7 to 10−6 S cm−1 for HPNT (from room temperature to 230 °C). Experimental results were interpreted in terms of Nb(V) being a stronger electron acceptor than Ti(IV).
Role of mitogen-activated protein kinases in inducible nitric oxide synthase and TNFα expression in human fetal astrocytes

Astrocytes are important sources of proinflammatory mediators such as iNOS and TNFalpha in the diseased central nervous system. In previous studies, we showed that the cytokine IL-1 plays a critical role in the activation of human astrocytes to express TNFalpha and the inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). In the present study, we have addressed the role of the MAP-kinase pathway in the signaling events leading to the induction of these genes. Treatment with SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), potently inhibited IL-1-mediated induction of iNOS and TNFalpha in cultures of human fetal astrocytes. In contrast, PD98059, an upstream inhibitor of the extracellular regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 pathway, had little or no effect. Interestingly, SB203580 reduced the mRNA expression for iNOS, TNFalpha, and IL-6, indicating inhibition prior to translation. Transfection of astrocytes with a dominant-negative Jun-NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) construct also reduced iNOS expression. Western blot analysis showed phosphorylated p38 and JNK in IL-1-activated astrocytes, and phosphorylated ERK in both resting and activated cells. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) showed that IL-1 induced NF-kappaB and AP-1 DNA complex formation in astrocytes, and that SB203580 inhibited AP-1 complex formation. Taken together, these results demonstrate the differential roles played by the three MAP kinases in human astrocyte inflammatory gene activation and point to a crucial function of p38 and JNK MAP kinases in IL-1-mediated astrocyte activation.
Conflict and conflict resolution in residential treatment

This article analyzes some of the conditions under which destructive conflict arises between staff and children and between staff and staff in residential treatment institutions. Several possible explanations are entertained, specifically those generated by the sociology of organizations. It is concluded that conflict may be reduced if organizational goals are stated clearly and internalized by participants. Also, if the number of rules and the amount of concern about monitoring behavior (formalization) are kept to a minimum, conflict will be reduced. Specific strategies for reducing conflict are suggested.
Hydrogen migration in polycrystalline silicon.

Hydrogen migration in solid-state crystallized and low-pressure chemical-vapor-deposited (LPCVD) polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) was investigated by deuterium diffusion experiments. The concentration profiles of deuterium, introduced into the poly-Si samples either from a remote D plasma or from a deuterated amorphous-silicon layer, were measured as a function of time and temperature. At high deuterium concentrations the diffusion was dispersive depending on exposure time. The dispersion is consistent with multiple trapping within a distribution of hopping barriers. The data can be explained by a two-level model used to explain diffusion in hydrogenated amorphous silicon. The energy difference between the transport level and the deuterium chemical potential was found to be about 1.2--1.3 eV. The shallow levels for hydrogen trapping are about 0.5 eV below the transport level, while the deep levels are about 1.5--1.7 eV below. The hydrogen chemical potential ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathrm{H}}$ decreases as the temperature increases. At lower concentrations, ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathrm{H}}$ was found to depend markedly on the method used to prepare the poly-Si, a result due in part to the dependence of crystallite size on the deposition process. Clear evidence for deuterium deep traps was found only in the solid-state crystallized material. The LPCVD-grown poly-Si, with columnar grains extending through the film thickness, displayed little evidence of deep trapping, and exhibited enhanced D diffusion. Many concentration profiles in the columnar LPCVD material indicated complex diffusion behavior, perhaps reflecting spatial variations of trap densities, complex formation, and/or multiple transport paths. Many aspects of the diffusion in poly-Si are consistent with diffusion data obtained in amorphous silicon. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Adaptive non-parametric efficiency frontier analysis: a neural-network-based model

There have been two schools of efficiency analysis for private and public organizations. One is the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method which is based on a mathematical programming approach, and the other is the estimation of stochastic frontier functions (SFF) which is based on the econometric regression theory. Each of these two methodologies has its strength as well as major limitations. This paper proposes a non-parametric efficiency analysis method based on the adaptive neural network technique. The proposed computational method is able to find a stochastic frontier based on a set of input-output observational data. Like SFF, the proposed method considers two types of deviations involved in input-output data: managerial (external) and observational (internal) deviations. Like DEA, the proposed method does not require explicit assumptions about the function structure of the stochastic frontier. However, unlike any SFF and stochastic DEA methods, the proposed method does not require any parametric assumption of distribution functions. Using the neural networks, this method provides an adaptive way of obtaining empirical estimates of stochastic frontiers. An example using real data is presented for illustrative purposes. Simulation experiments demonstrate that the neural-network-based method would be effective as adaptive non-parametric efficiency analysis.
Crossover between Spatially Confined Precipitation and Periodic Pattern Formation in Reaction Diffusion Systems.

We have observed a crossover between a spatially confined precipitation regime and periodic pattern formation regime. This unusual behavior was observed when electrolyte solutions of ${\mathrm{Na}}_{2}{\mathrm{HPO}}_{4}$ and ${\mathrm{CaCl}}_{2}$ were allowed to diffuse into an agarose gel from opposite ends. The formation of the confined precipitate occurs when the electrolyte flux $J$ is the same at both sides of the gel. The time of formation and the width of the precipitate are a function of $J$ and both follow the scaling relation $\ensuremath{\omega}\ensuremath{\sim}(J/D{)}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\beta}}$ with $\ensuremath{\beta}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0.40\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2$ and $D$ the diffusion coefficient. The growth of periodic bands of precipitate was observed when $J$ was different at both gel ends.
A nonparametric procedure for blind image deblurring

Observed images are usually blurred versions of true images, due to imperfections of imaging devices, atmospheric turbulence, out of focus lens, motion blurs, and so forth. The major purpose of image deblurring is to restore the original image from its blurred version. A blurred image can be described by convolution of the original image with a point spread function (psf) that characterizes the blurring mechanism. Thus, one essential problem for image deblurring is to estimate the psf from the observed but blurred image, which turns out to be a challenging task, due to the ''ill-posed'' nature of the problem. In the literature, most existing image deblurring procedures assume that either the psf is completely known or it has a parametric form. Motivated by some image applications, including handwritten text recognition and calibration of imaging devices, we suggest a method for estimating the psf nonparametrically, in cases when the true image has one or more line edges, which is usually satisfied in the applications mentioned above and which is not a big restriction in some other image applications, because it is often convenient to take pictures of objects with line edges, using the imaging device under study. Both theoretical justifications and numerical studies show that the proposed method works well in applications.
Mind the gap: formal structures and psychological processes in music

While there are increasing links between musicology and the psychology of music, the two disciplines nonetheless remain distinct in terms of their aims and hence their evaluation of different findings. This paper is concerned with the gap between formal treatments of musical structure and the approach of cognitive psychology, concentrating on the problems that are a consequence of both the failure to establish a rapport between the two approaches, and the somewhat unstructured conceptual leakage that can also be observed between the two. By means of a single concrete musical example, some general characteristics of cognitive and analytical approaches are examined, and certain recommendations made, concluding with the proposal that we need a description of musical events and the way they are performed, perceived and created by performers, listeners and composers which gives greater recognition to the mutual relationship that characterises an organism and its environment.
Care managers' experiences in a collaborative care program for high risk mothers with depression.

Objectives The aim of this study was to understand care managers' experiences in caring for depressed mothers in an integrated behavioral health program. Methods As part of a quality improvement project, we conducted a focus group interview with six care managers caring for low income mothers with behavioral health needs in a safety net program in King County, WA. Using thematic analysis, codes were organized into themes that described the care managers' experiences. Results Two organizing themes along with associated themes emerged: (1) Assets for improving depression outcomes: patient–provider interactions, including the importance of engagement; program resources such as care coordination and (2) Barriers to improved depression outcomes: patient–provider interactions, including difficulty engaging patient; patient-related factors such as multiple stressors; program resources such as need for more psychiatric support; and difficulty accessing outside resources. Conclusions Numerous potentially modifiable factors including levels of engagement, motivational interviewing, and increased psychiatric support were identified by care managers as affecting depression care and outcomes. Implications for care management training and approaches to psychiatric consultations are discussed.
Chemical protection against aging.

Aging, an individually unwanted biological phenomenon, is important to evolution. Changes in an organism, such as man, leading ultimately to death, can be looked upon as being due to a basic aging process(es), ‘built-in’ by evolution to insure death — and largely determining the maximum life span, on which disease states are superimposed and intertwined. These degradative changes — both from aging and disease process — may be due in part to free radical reactions. Experiments based on the above hypothesis have been encouraging. Thus, several inhibitors of free radical reactions have been found to increase the mean life span of mice when added to the daily diet; 2-mercaptoethylamine (2-MEA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) were the most effective. Likewise, decreasing the amount and degree of unsaturation of the dietary fat of female C3H mice resulted in a decrease in mortality rate. Accumulating evidence implicates free radical reactions in the pathogenesis of major age-associated diseases, for example, cancer, atherosclerosis and hypertension.
Interobserver agreement in assessment of clinical variables in children with blunt head trauma.

Objectives: To be useful in development of clinical decision rules, clinical variables must demonstrate acceptable agreement when assessed by different observers. The objective was to determine the interobserver agreement in the assessment of historical and physical examination findings of children undergoing emergency department (ED) evaluation for blunt head trauma. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of children younger than 18 years evaluated for blunt head trauma at one of 25 EDs in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN). Patients were excluded if injury occurred more than 24 hours prior to evaluation, if neuroimaging was obtained at another hospital prior to evaluation, or if the patient had a clinically trivial mechanism of injury. Two clinicians independently completed a standardized clinical assessment on a templated data form. Assessments were performed within 60 minutes of each other and prior to clinician review of any neuroimaging (if obtained). Agreement between the two observers beyond that expected by chance was calculated for each clinical variable, using the kappa (κ) statistic for categorical variables and weighted kappa for ordinal variables. Variables with a lower 95% confidence limit (LCL) of κ > 0.4 were considered to have acceptable agreement. Results: Fifteen-hundred pairs of observations were obtained. Acceptable agreement was achieved in 27 of the 32 variables studied (84%). Mechanism of injury (low, medium, or high risk) had κ = 0.83. For subjective symptoms, kappa ranged from 0.47 (dizziness) to 0.93 (frequency of vomiting); all had 95% LCL > 0.4. Of the physical examination findings, kappa ranged from 0.22 (agitated) to 0.89 (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score). The 95% LCL for kappa was <0.4 for four individual signs of altered mental status and for quality (i.e., boggy or firm) of scalp hematoma if present. Conclusions: Both subjective and objective clinical variables in children with blunt head trauma can be assessed by different observers with acceptable agreement, making these variables suitable candidates for clinical decision rules.
Cued memory reactivation during sleep influences skill learning

Information acquired during waking can be reactivated during sleep, promoting memory stabilization. After people learned to produce two melodies in time with moving visual symbols, we enhanced relative performance by presenting one melody during an afternoon nap. Electrophysiological signs of memory processing during sleep corroborated the notion that appropriate auditory stimulation that does not disrupt sleep can nevertheless bias memory consolidation in relevant brain circuitry.
The specter of racism: exploring White racial anxieties in the context of policing

The connection between policing and whiteness remains an undertheorized area of police studies. In this article, I explore ordinary policing behaviors through the lens of critical whiteness studies in an effort to understand how White police officers actively make, or fail to make, meaning of race in the context of their work. Drawing on ethnographic work with three police departments in the Midwest, I describe the racial anxieties and insecurities White officers express at the possibility of being viewed as engaging in racializing behaviors. Of particular interest is the power of the crime control focus orienting everyday policing practice in displacing attention from the many ways race, and particularly whiteness, matters in policing. I conclude by discussing the implications this line of inquiry holds for making discussions about the role of white privilege in policing more productive.
Ultra-High Resolution Imaging Reveals Formation and Preponderance of Neuronal SNARE/Munc18 Complexes In Situ

Membrane fusion is mediated by complexes formed by SNAP-receptor (SNARE) and Sec1/Munc18-like (SM) proteins, but it is unclear when and how these complexes assemble inside the cell. Here we describe an improved fluorescence nanoscopy technique that can achieve effective resolutions of up to 7.5 nm FWHM (3.2 nm localization precision), limited only by stochastic photon emission from single molecules. This technique enabled us to dissect the spatial relationships between the neuronal SM protein Munc18-1 and the SNARE proteins syntaxin-1 and SNAP-25 at nanometer scales. Strikingly, we observed syntaxin-1 and SNAP-25 extensively associating with Munc18-1. Rescue experiments with syntaxin-1 mutants revealed that Munc18-1 recruitment to the plasma membrane depends on the Munc18-1 binding the N-terminal peptide of syntaxin-1, and occurs through interactions with the open conformation of syntaxin-1 that is permissive to SNARE-complex assembly. Our results, corroborated by biochemical and physiology experiments, provide unexpected insights into the functional association of SM and SNARE proteins on the neuronal plasma membrane, suggesting a general mechanism by which recruitment of an SM protein to an on-pathway SM-SNARE tri-partite complex sets the stage for membrane fusion reactions. Our high-resolution imaging approach additionally provides a novel framework for investigating interactions between the fusion machinery and other sub-cellular systems in situ.
The quality of teachers’ interactive conversations with preschool children from low-income families during small-group and large-group activities

This study examined the quality of preschool teachers’ interactive conversations with three- and four-year-olds in two Head Start classrooms serving children from low-income families in the United States. Over a period of 20 weeks, 10 bi-weekly observations of conversations (totaling 15 h per classroom) were conducted in one small-group (Play Time) and two large-group (Breakfast Time and Circle Time) contexts. The teacher–child verbal interactions were transcribed and coded using the Teacher Interaction and Language Rating Scale (TILRS) to determine the frequency of responsive language strategies employed by the teachers across the three contexts. The two teachers applied Child-Centered Strategies and Interaction-Promoting Strategies the most during Circle Time, followed by Play Time, and the least during Breakfast Time. While it was observed that both teachers did talk to the children face to face frequently across contexts, they rarely used Language Modeling Strategies to engage them in cognitively chal...
Utilization of resources for the maintenance of excellence in neurological surgery The 1988 AANS presidential address

✓ In order to maintain the highest standards of care, neurosurgeons commit significant monies and time to continuing education. Significant time is devoted to national and regional organizations that work to assure standards for neurosurgical training, certification, and patient care. The continued increase in the sum of these efforts, both in money and time, indicates that a more efficient approach will be necessary in the future if neurosurgery and neurosurgeons are not to be overwhelmed or standards compromised.
Enzymatic C-H bond activation: Using push to get pull.

Cytochrome P450 enzymes are able to oxidize substrates that are more inert than their own surrounding protein framework. Now, a quantitative understanding has emerged as to how the enzymes accomplish this remarkable feat.
Holography in the United States

holography quite thoroughly, and their reports add up to an enormous success story, not only in the US, butalso worldwide. Their reports accord well with my own, rather limited, observations. The companies withwhich I am familiar are doing quite well.Another measure of the success of holography is the presence of holography at scientific meetings and inthe journal literature. Also by this measure, hologniphy is doing well. There is an ample number ofpapers at both places.Holographic memories are under development at several places: universities, industries and government.
Impact of Earnings Manipulation on Valuation of Publicly Traded Restaurant Firms in the United States

ABSTRACT Manipulation of earnings by publicly traded firms is a well‐known phenomenon and the subject of considerable attention in both academic and trade circles. Despite widespread attention to this topic in financial literature, it has received scant attention in the restaurant industry. This research assesses whether earnings manipulation in the publicly traded restaurant firms are being rewarded by the capital markets. We have an a priori expectation that firms that do not manipulate earnings will have higher returns. However, our results indicate a significant and positive relationship between earnings manipulation indicators and stock price increases.
Statistical comparison of measured obscurant cloud images and radiative transfer model output

Image statistics of measured and modeled cloud radiance are compared to evaluate the nature of radiance fluctuations. Images of aerosol and particulate clouds were obtained with the Atmospheric Transmission Large Area System (ATLAS). Radiative transfer model calculations were made for multiple scattering and emission in spatially inhomogeneous clouds of aerosols/particulates. Effects of spatial and time fluctuations, which are often neglected, are important because they may induce changes in background contrast and they affect the acceptability of simulated scenes.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A square bladder

Abstract A patient with extensive adenocarcinoma of the prostate gland extending beyond the prostatic capsule was found to have a square-shaped bladder. A search of the literature produced no similar case.
The validity and reliability of a brief measure of cocaine craving

Introduction Although craving plays an important role in relapse, there are few brief, valid and reliable instruments to measure the desire to use cocaine in routine clinical practice. The 45-item Cocaine Craving Questionnaire-Now (CCQ-Now) is widely used in research, but its length makes its use in everyday clinical work relatively impractical. This study sought to determine the psychometric properties of the CCQ-Brief, a measure composed of 10 items from the CCQ-Now, in treatment-seeking cocaine abusers. Method Subjects with cocaine abuse or dependence (n = 247) completed the CCQ-Brief, the CCQ-Now, the Voris Cocaine Craving Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Addiction Severity Index. Results The CCQ-Brief was significantly correlated with the CCQ-Now (r = .85, p < .01), the CCQ-Now with the items in common with the CCQ-Brief removed (r = .78, p < .01), all four subscales of the VCCS (craving intensity: r = .47, p < .01; mood: r = .27, p < .01; energy: r = .30, p < .01; sick feelings: r = .28, p < .01), the BDI-II (r = .39, p < .01), the BAI (r = .35, p < .01) and recent drug use (r = .26, p < .01). The internal consistency of the CCQ-Brief was strong (α = .90). Discussion The CCQ-Brief is a valid and reliable instrument that can be easily administered as a measure of current cocaine craving.
Revision of Heterocloeon McDunnough (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae)

The North American genus Heterocloeon McDunnough is redefined and shown to be distinct from other two-tailed Baetis complex genera, including Acentrella Bengtsson and Plauditus Lugo-Ortiz and McCafferty, which are also represented in North America. Heterocloeon is divided into three distinct subgenera, including Heterocloeon s.s., Iswaeon McCafferty and Webb, new subgenus, and Jubilatum McCafferty and Jacobus, new subgenus. Cladistic analysis supports the recognition of these subgenera within a genus defined by the presence of an apomorphic secondary ridge or denticle row on the larval claw; Heterocloeon s.s. and Jubilatum being sister groups, with their stem and Iswaeon branching basally within the Heterocloeon clade. The subgenus Heterocloeon, which possesses larval prothoracic osmobranchiae, retains the traditional species makeup of the genus. Iswaeon, which possesses a basally narrowed labial palp segment 2 and tibiae, and primary claw denticles of subequal length, includes a revalidated H. anoka (Daggy); H. davidi Waltz and McCafferty, new species; and H. rubrolaterale (McDunnough), new combination. Jubilatum, which posssesses an adenticulate secondary ridge on the claws and specialized tibial setation, includes H. amplum (Traver), new combination, and H. grande (Wiersema and Long), new combination. Previous confusion of H. anoka and Plaudituspunctiventris (McDunnough) is also resolved, with adult color patterns in Iswaeon and Plauditus shown to be of diagnostic importance.
IRON CHELATION FOR AMELIORATION OF LIVER ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION INJURY

Liver resections are frequently associated with significant ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury of the liver remnant. The aim of this study was to investigate whether deferoxamine (DFO) can ameliorate I-R injury during major hepatectomies performed under vascular exclusion of the liver in a porcine model. Twelve female domestic pigs were divided into control (n = 6) and DFO treatment (n = 6) groups and subjected to 150 min. liver ischemia followed by 70% hepatectomy and 24 hours reperfusion. Pigs in the DFO group received a continuous intravenous infusion of 100 mg/kg DFO. Liver remnant injury was evaluated by liver function tests, hepatic histology as well as serum and liver tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations. Deferoxamine-treated animals had reduced total bilirubin, gamma-glutamyl transferase and ammonia levels as well as hepatocyte necrosis and oxidative injury. In a subsequent randomized clinical trial using DFO for I-R protection during major liver surgery, preliminary results revealed amelioration of hepatocellular damage, oxidative and inflammatory serum markers and apoptotic response in liver remnant biopsies.
Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Designing a Green Economic Future Using the Appreciative Inquiry Summit Process

Many cities across the United States are struggling to transition to sustainable development. The city of Cleveland, Ohio, is no exception; however, in 2009, it took the unusual path of using the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) Summit process to engage a broad group of stakeholders in envisioning a new sustainable local economy for the Cleveland region. Cleveland’s plan, Sustainable Cleveland 2019, is built on the vision of the city becoming a Green City on a Blue Lake by 2019, the 50th anniversary of the Cuyahoga River fire that helped to launch the environmental movement in the United States This article describes the AI Summit process, how it was applied in Cleveland and the outcomes of the two summits that have been held thus far.
Recursive erosion, dilation, opening, and closing transforms

A new group of recursive morphological transforms on the discrete space Z/sup 2/ are discussed. The set of transforms include the recursive erosion transform (RET), the recursive dilation transform (RDT), the recursive opening transform (ROT), and the recursive closing transform (RCT), The transforms are able to compute in constant time per pixel erosions, dilations, openings, and closings with all sized structuring elements simultaneously. They offer a solution to some vision tasks that need to perform a morphological operation but where the size of the structuring element has to be determined after a morphological examination of the content of the image. The computational complexities of the transforms show that the recursive erosion and dilation transform can be done in N+2 operations per pixel, where N is the number of pixels in the base structuring element. The recursive opening and closing transform can be done in 14N operations per pixel based on experimental results. >
Vitamin B-6 Restriction Reduces the Production of Hydrogen Sulfide and its Biomarkers by the Transsulfuration Pathway in Cultured Human Hepatoma Cells

Background: Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) functions as a coenzyme in many cellular processes including one-carbon metabolism and the interconversion and catabolism of amino acids. PLP-dependent enzymes, cystathionine β-synthase and cystathionine γ-lyase, function in transsulfuration but also have been implicated in the production of the endogenous gaseous signaling molecule hydrogen sulfide (H2S) concurrent with the formation of the biomarkers lanthionine and homolanthionine. Objective: Our objective was to determine if H2S production and concurrent biomarker production is affected by vitamin B-6 restriction in a cell culture model. Methods: We used cultured human hepatoma cells and evaluated static intracellular profiles of amino acids and in vivo kinetics of H2S biomarker formation. Cells were cultured for 6 wk in media containing concentrations of pyridoxal that represented severe vitamin B-6 deficiency (15 nmol/L pyridoxal), marginal deficiency (56 nmol/L pyridoxal), adequacy (210 nmol/L pyridoxal), and standard medium formulation providing a supraphysiologic pyridoxal concentration (1800 nmol/L pyridoxal). Results: Intracellular concentrations of lanthionine and homolanthionine in cells cultured at 15 nmol/L pyridoxal were 50% lower (P < 0.002) and 47% lower (P < 0.0255), respectively, than observed in cells cultured at 1800 nmol/L pyridoxal. Extracellular homocysteine and cysteine were 58% and 46% higher, respectively, in severely deficient cells than in adequate cells (P < 0.002). Fractional synthesis rates of lanthionine (P < 0.01) and homolanthionine (P < 0.006) were lower at 15 and 56 nmol/L pyridoxal than at both higher pyridoxal concentrations. The rate of homocysteine remethylation and the fractional rate of homocysteine production from methionine were not affected by vitamin B-6 restriction. In vitro studies of cell lysates using direct measurement of H2S also had a reduced extent of H2S production in the 2 lower vitamin B-6 conditions. Conclusion: In view of the physiologic roles of H2S, these results suggest a mechanism that may be involved in the association between human vitamin B-6 inadequacy and its effects on human health.
Detection of Resistance to Amphotericin B among Cryptococcus neoformans Clinical Isolates: Performances of Three Different Media Assessed by Using E-Test and National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards M27-A Methodologies

Although reliable detection of resistance in vitro is critical to the overall performance of any susceptibility testing method, the recently released National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards M27-A methodology for susceptibility testing of yeasts discriminates poorly between resistant and susceptible isolates of Candida spp. We have previously shown that both substitution of antibiotic medium 3 for RPMI 1640 medium in the microdilution variant of the M27-A method and use of the E-test agar diffusion methodology permit detection of amphotericin B-resistant Candida isolates. To determine the relevance of these observations to Cryptococcus neoformans, we have evaluated the performances of both the M27-A and the E-test methodologies with this yeast using three different media (RPMI 1640 medium, antibiotic medium 3, and yeast nitrogen base). As with Candida, we found that only antibiotic medium 3 permitted consistent detection of resistant isolates when testing was performed in broth by the M27-A method. When testing was performed by the E-test agar diffusion method, both RPMI 1640 medium and antibiotic medium 3 agar permitted ready detection of the resistant isolates. Reading of the results after 48 h of incubation was required for testing in broth by the M27-A method, while the MIC could be determined after either 48 or 72 h when the agar diffusion method was used.
Remote sensing of ice and snow - Review and status

The status of obtaining geophysically useful observations of ice and snow through the interpretation of satellite data is discussed. Over the last decade, the examination of satellite data for information on ice and snow has developed rapidly; datasets of results have been generated; the connections between ice and snow microscopic properties and their electromagnetic behaviour are now better understood; and a good deal of accurate satellite-derived information on ice and snow can now be obtained.
Optimal transmission switching: economic efficiency and market implications

Traditionally, transmission assets for bulk power flow in the electric grid have been modeled as fixed assets in the short run, except during times of forced outages or maintenance. This traditional view does not permit reconfiguration of the transmission grid by the system operators to improve system performance and economic efficiency. The current push to create a smarter grid has brought to the forefront the possibility of co-optimizing generation along with the network topology by incorporating the control of transmission assets within the economic dispatch formulations. Unfortunately, even though such co-optimization improves the social welfare, it may be incompatible with prevailing market design practices since it can create winners and losers among market participants and it has unpredictable distributional consequences in the energy market and in the financial transmission rights (FTR) market. In this paper, we first provide an overview of recent research on optimal transmission switching, which demonstrates the substantial economic benefit that is possible even while satisfying standard N−1 reliability requirements. We then discuss various market implications resulting from co-optimizing the network topology with generation and we examine how transmission switching may affect locational Marginal Prices (LMPs), i.e., energy prices, and revenue adequacy in the FTR market when FTR settlements are financed by congestion revenues.
Procedural Sedation by Pediatric Hospitalists: Analysis of the Nature and Incidence of Complications During Ketamine and Nitrous Oxide Sedation

Objective: The goal of this study was to determine the nature and rate of complications during procedural sedation by pediatric hospitalists (PH) using ketamine and nitrous oxide (N2O). Methods: This study was a retrospective review and analysis of a quality improvement database for sedations performed by PH at St Louis Children’s Hospital from February 2007 to February 2013. Information was obtained on sedations performed and reported in the quality improvement database by PH over this time period using ketamine and N2O. Results: PH performed 8870 sedations from 2007 to 2013, 60.2% using ketamine and 39.8% using N2O. Procedural completion rates were >99%; 0.12% of sedations were not completed due to inadequate sedation, and sedation level was not achieved in 1.71% of sedations. There were no occurrences of death, need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, unplanned intubation, or emergency anesthesia consultation. The only major complications were 4 unplanned admissions, 2 each with ketamine and N2O. With ketamine, the 2 highest rates of complications were airway repositioning (3.99%) and nausea and/or vomiting (2.98%). With N2O, the 2 highest complication rates were nausea and/or vomiting (8.50%) and airway repositioning (1.10%). Respiratory and cardiovascular events were more frequently encountered with ketamine, whereas nausea/vomiting, sedation level not achieved, and inadequate sedation resulting in procedure not completed occurred more frequently with N2O. Conclusions: PH at St Louis Children’s Hospital successfully provided sedation by using ketamine and N2O with low rates of complications for a variety of procedures.
Cardiac manifestations in the mouse model of mucopolysaccharidosis I

Mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I, alpha-l-iduronidase deficiency disease) is a heritable lysosomal storage disorder involving multiple organs, including the heart. Malfunction of the heart is also a major manifestation in the mouse model of MPS I, progressing in severity from 6 to 10 months (of a 1 year life span). In comparisons of MPS I with wild-type mice, the heart was found enlarged, with thickened septal and posterior walls, primarily because of infiltration of the muscle by storage-laden cells. Heart valves were enlarged and misshapen, and contained large numbers of highly vacuolated interstitial cells. The thickened aortic wall contained vacuolated smooth muscle cells and interrupted elastic fibers. Hemodynamic measurements and echocardiography revealed reduced left ventricular function as well as mitral and aortic regurgitation. But despite these abnormalities, free-roaming MPS I mice implanted with radio telemetry devices showed surprisingly normal heart rate and blood pressure, though their electrocardiograms were abnormal. An incidental finding of the telemetry studies was a disturbed circadian rhythm in the MPS I mice. Restoration of enzyme activity in the heart of one mouse, by transplantation of retrovirally modified bone marrow, resulted in normalization of left ventricular function as well as loss of storage vacuoles in myocytes and endothelial cells, though not in valvular interstitial cells. This study demonstrates the usefulness of the mouse model for in-depth studies of the cardiovascular component of MPS I.