cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A comparison of multivariate causality based measures of effective connectivity

During the past several years a variety of methods have been developed to estimate the effective connectivity of neural networks from measurements of brain activity in an attempt to study causal interactions among distinct brain areas. Understanding the relative strengths and weaknesses of these methods, the assumptions they rely on, the accuracy they provide, and the computation time they require is of paramount importance in selecting the optimal method for a particular experimental task and for interpreting the results obtained. In this paper, the accuracy of the six most commonly used techniques for calculating effective connectivity are compared, namely directed transfer function, partial directed coherence, squared partial directed coherence, full frequency directed transfer function, direct directed transfer function, and Granger causality. These measures are derived from the coefficients and error terms of autoregressive models calculated using the dynamic autoregressive neuromagnetic causal imaging (DANCI) algorithm. These techniques were evaluated using magnetoencephalography recordings as well as several synthetic datasets that simulate neurophysiological signals, which varied on several parameters, including network size, signal-to-noise ratio, and network complexity, etc. The results show that Granger causality is the most accurate method across all experimental conditions explored and suggest that large multisensor data sets can be accurately analyzed using Granger causality with the DANCI algorithm.
On the Tribological Effectiveness of Controlled Cutting Fluid Application in Machining With Coated Tools

Environmental and economic pressures are causing reevaluation of the use of Cutting Fluids (CFs) in machining operations, leading to recent efforts in promoting dry, as well as minimal quantity of lubricant (MQL), machining. This paper presents an experimental investigation into the effects of different CF application methods on various machining performance measures under modern cutting conditions using uncoated and coated cemented tungsten carbide tools. CF effects under dry, flood, and MQL conditions, were gauged through their influence on cutting forces, tool temperatures, tool-chip interfacial friction, and chip morphology during machining of AISI 1045 steel using commercially available uncoated, and mono- and multi-layer coated, carbide tools. The results show new trends on the individual cooling and lubricating effects of CF application methods, and the integrated effects of their interactions with tool material, on tribological performance.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Structural Basis and Specificity of Acyl-Homoserine Lactone Signal Production in Bacterial Quorum Sensing

Synthesis and detection of acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) enables many gram-negative bacteria to engage in quorum sensing, an intercellular signaling mechanism that activates differentiation to virulent and biofilm lifestyles. The AHL synthases catalyze acylation of S-adenosyl-L-methionine by acyl-acyl carrier protein and lactonization of the methionine moiety to give AHLs. The crystal structure of the AHL synthase, EsaI, determined at 1.8 A resolution, reveals a remarkable structural similarity to the N-acetyltransferases and defines a common phosphopantetheine binding fold as the catalytic core. Critical residues responsible for catalysis and acyl chain specificity have been identified from a modeled substrate complex and verified through functional analysis in vivo. A mechanism for the N-acylation of S-adenosyl-L-methionine by 3-oxo-hexanoyl-acyl carrier protein is proposed.
Critical change in apparent conductance and ion exchange limit in membrane electrodialysis

As the rates of ion transport in membrane and electrolytic solution become comparable in membrane electrodialysis, the separation efficiency may be limited by the capability of ion exchange of the membrane. An experimental study of current vs. voltage characteristics of dilute electrolytic solutions (KCl, NaCl, and LiCl) was carried out by a laboratory scale membrane electrodialysis unit to show this phenomenon. The observed current vs. voltage characteristics show that in a low electrical field (0≤E≤100 volt/m), there is a critical change in the apparent conductance of the system with the increased initial ion concentration. This critical phenomenon suggests that in a low electrical field the ion transport is limited by the rate of ion exchange within the membrane. The sequence of these critical phenomena for the solutions of KCl, NaCl, and LiCl indicates that the ion exchange limit may be related to the ion's size as well.
Surgical palliation of severe tricuspid valve stenosis in a dog by use of Fontan's procedure.

Objective To describe surgical treatment of tricuspid valve stenosis using the Fontan procedure in a young dog. Study Design Case report. Sample Population One client-owned dog Results A six month old female Labrador retriever was diagnosed with tricuspid obstruction. The dog had a displaced tricuspid valve and small right ventricle and had progressed to right-sided (backward) cardiac failure. A Fontan procedure (connection of the right atrium to the pulmonary artery with a prosthetic conduit) was performed. Within three days the right atrial pressure had dropped from a preoperative value of 33 mmHg to 8 mmHg and the ascites was significantly reduced. The dog died suddenly two months after surgery. Postmortem examination of the heart showed a greatly enlarged right atrium and hypoplastic right ventricle. The tricuspid valve leaflets were fused and displaced ventrally leaving an opening measuring 3 × 5 mm between the chambers. The conduit was intact with no evidence of leakage or thrombosis. Conclusions Palliation of tricuspid stenosis using the Fontan procedure can be performed in dogs. Sudden death may occur and is most likely because of cardiac arrythmias.
Favouritism or intrabrood competition? Access to food and the benefits of philopatry for red-cockaded woodpeckers

In species showing delayed natal dispersal, broodmates vary in natal dispersal timing and strategy, where some choose to disperse early while others delay. In the cooperatively breeding red-cockaded woodpecker, Picoides borealis, typically only one juvenile male per brood delays dispersal despite the lifetime fitness benefits associated with delayed dispersal. We sought to determine whether adult favouritism or intrabrood competition over the distribution of natal food resources provides a mechanism for the persistence of individual variation in natal dispersal strategies. We show that fledgling red-cockaded woodpeckers form male-biased, linear dominance hierarchies as a result of frequent aggressive conflicts. For males, high nestling condition relative to male broodmates was a strong predictor of future dominance, and this condition–rank relationship persisted after individuals reached nutritional independence. Adults were never observed interfering with broodmate conflicts, and were only rarely aggressive towards fledglings. Adults showed no overt favouritism towards offspring when targeting individual fledglings during provisioning early in the postfledging period. However, conflict rates increased with decreasing targeted-feeding rates, suggesting that access to resources is an important function of dominance hierarchies. After fledglings were developmentally able to compete for positions near foraging adults, first- and second-ranking males were fed more often than subordinate females. Of the juvenile males surviving to spring, subordinates were more likely to disperse during their first year than were their dominant broodmates. Together, our findings suggest that for young red-cockaded woodpeckers, intrabrood social rank provides a mechanism for prioritized access to natal resources and variation in natal dispersal strategy.
Long noncoding RNAs: fresh perspectives into the RNA world

Large-scale mapping of transcriptomes has revealed significant levels of transcriptional activity within both unannotated and annotated regions of the genome. Interestingly, many of the novel transcripts demonstrate tissue-specific expression and some level of sequence conservation across species, but most have low protein-coding potential. Here, we describe progress in identifying and characterizing long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and review how these transcripts interact with other biological molecules to regulate diverse cellular processes. We also preview emerging techniques that will help advance the discovery and characterization of novel transcripts. Finally, we discuss the role of lncRNAs in disease and therapeutics.
Use of herpes virus amplicon vectors to study brain disorders.

There is an enormous initiative to establish the genetic basis for disorders of brain function. Unfortunately, genetic intervention is not accomplished easily in the nervous system. One strategy is...
CueNet: a context discovery framework to tag personal photos

An image recognition problem is typically formulated as tagging a given set of images with labels from a predefined set. Context-aware approaches in problems like face recognition have utilized information about a user and the people she knows through different social networks. Traditionally, this context is statically linked to all of the available data. In this work, we propose a technique to dynamically discover which subset of all the available data is relevant context for the given recognition problem. In this dissertation, we propose the CueNet framework, to discover candidate labels for the person identification problem in personal photos. We describe our context model, and how it allows heterogeneous data sources to contribute useful context for the identification problem. We design algorithms to extract contextual information from these sources to discover a subset of candidates who could potentially appear in personal photos. Our early experiments show that CueNet is capable of removing upto 99% of irrelevant candidates, and was able to correctly tag 80% of frontal faces.
Bioinorganic chemistry: Getting a grip on iron.

Siderocalin (also known as lipocalin 2) is a component of the innate immune system that binds and sequesters bacterial iron compounds in the blood and urine. A new study identifies iron–catechol complexes as endogenous ligands for siderocalin, which can deliver the iron compounds to the kidney.
On The Scientific Standing of Psychoanalysis

This paper speaks for the claim that psychoanalysis qualifies as a scientific enterprise. It will derive from the conceptual and evidential structure of psychoanalysis a causal empirical hypothesis that admits of scientific intraclinical testing. Relevant topics from the philosophy of science (especially the nature of causal explanation and the work of Grunbaum) and the psychoanalytic theories of pathogenesis and therapeutic action are discussed in a preliminary way to create a framework for the demonstration. The dynamic unconscious is examined as the core causal concept of psychoanalysis. Taken together with an account of the structure of the mental apparatus, a coherent picture of mental causation (the propagation of an unconscious impulse) comes into view. This leads to the formulation of a set of clinical propositions that unite to generate a causal empirical hypothesis based solely on data from the analytic setting—namely, that the transferences and symptoms that appear in free association in the an...
Multiple probe radiofrequency ablation: pilot study in an animal model.

PURPOSE Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is becoming increasingly popular for the minimally invasive treatment of benign and malignant tumors. Currently available systems are limited to the use of a single probe because of electrical interactions between probes. The purpose of this study was to test a new prototype multiple probe generator with a built-in switching mechanism to determine if multiple zones of necrosis could be formed simultaneously without a significant penalty in terms of lesion size and procedure time. MATERIALS AND METHODS A dual probe generator was created by modifying a commercially available system into an alternating monopolar system with an external electronic switch controlled by a temperature feedback loop. A total of 20 radiofrequency (RF) lesions (conventional single probe, n = 10; switched dual probe, n = 10) were created in the livers of six adult pigs (temperature, 100°C; 10-minute ablation). Lesions were excised and examined for volume, minimum diameter, and maximum diameter. RESULTS The time to target temperature was slightly greater for dual (3.5 minutes) versus single ablations (2.7 minutes). However, this resulted in only a 48 second (6.5%) longer total ablation time. There was no significant difference between conventional single and dual lesions for lesion volume (13.6 = 9.3 cm 3 versus 13.7 = 7.0 cm 3 ; P > .05), minimum diameter (1.63 = 0.56 cm 3 versus 1.61 = 0.53; P > .05) or maximum diameter (3.3 = 0.84 versus 3.4 = 0.55, P > .05). CONCLUSION A multiple probe RFA system that can simultaneously ablate multiple areas in the liver is feasible. If multiple probe units become clinically available, large or irregularly shaped lesions could be treated more effectively than with conventional single probe units, and multiple tumors could be ablated simultaneously, thus potentially decreasing procedure time and anesthetic complications.
Application of fringe shifting technique in speckle photography

It is shown that the fringe shifting technique can increase the sensitivity of speckle photography for sub-speckle size changes. The technique gives time-ordered pattern that can be used for the sign detection of the motion as well.
Input and display registration in a stereoscopic workstation

Abstract Several techniques are described to obtain spatial registration between three-dimensional input devices and a stereoscopic video display. A video monitor is viewed through a half-silvered mirror, with left and right eye views time-multiplexed through video interlace and viewed with electronic shutter glasses. A magnetic six-degree-of-freedom digitizer and an ordinary magnetostrictive graphics tablet were used as input devices.
Membrane Trafficking: Decoding Vesicle Identity with Contrasting Chemistries

Proteins involved in membrane traffic must distinguish between different classes of vesicles. New work now shows that α-synuclein and ALPS motifs represent two extreme types of amphipathic helix that are tuned to detect both the curvature of transport vesicles as well as their bulk lipid content.
Increasing the Yield of Photoinduced Charge Separation through Parallel Electron Transfer Pathways

A strategy for increasing the yield of long-lived photoinduced charge separation in artificial photosynthetic reaction centers which is based on multiple electron transfer pathways operating in parallel has been investigated. Excitation of the porphyrin moiety of a carotenoid (C)–porphyrin (P)–naphthoquinone (Q) molecular triad leads to the formation of a charge-separated state C·+–P–Q·− with an overall quantum yield of 0.044 in benzonitrile solution. Photoinduced electron transfer from the porphyrin first excited singlet state gives C–P·+–Q·− with a quantum yield of ~1.0. However, electron transfer from the carotenoid to the porphyrin radical cation to form the final state does not compete well with charge recombination of C–P·+–Q·−, reducing the yield. The related pentad C3–P–Q features carotenoid, porphyrin and quinone moieties closely related to those in the triad. Excitation of this molecule gives a C·+–P(C2)–Q·− state with a quantum yield of 0.073. The enhanced yield is ascribed to the fact that three electron donation pathways operating in parallel compete with charge recombination. The yield does not increase by the statistically predicted factor of three owing to small differences in thermodynamic driving force between the two compounds.
Conditions for synchronization in Josephson-junction arrays.

An effective perturbation theoretical method has been developed to study the dynamics of Josephson-junction series arrays. It is shown that the inclusion of junction capacitances, which is often ignored, has a significant impact on synchronization. Comparison of analytic with computational results over a wide range of parameters shows excellent agreement.
Argatroban anticoagulation in conjunction with glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibition in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: an open-label, nonrandomized pilot study.

Background: Argatroban, a direct thrombin inhibitor, blocks clot-bound thrombin more effectively than does heparin. This multicenter, prospective pilot study evaluated the efficacy and safety of argatroban in combination with glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibition in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods: Patients (N = 152) received argatroban as a 250- or 300-μg/kg bolus, followed by a 15-μg/kg/min infusion during percutaneous coronary intervention. An additional 150-μg/kg bolus was administered if activated clotting times 5–15 min after initiating argatroban were <275 s. Abciximab (N = 150) or double-bolus eptifibatide (N = 2) was administered simultaneously. Results: Median activated clotting times at the beginning and end of the procedure were approximately 300 s. The primary efficacy endpoint—a composite of death, myocardial infarction, or urgent revascularization at 30 days—occurred in 4 (2.6%) patients (no death, 4 myocardial infarctions, and 2 revascularizations). Two (1.3%) patients had major bleeding by the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction criteria (1 retroperitoneal, 1 groin hematoma). Conclusions: Argatroban in combination with glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibition appears to provide adequate anticoagulation and be well tolerated with an acceptable bleeding risk for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Additional studies are warranted.
Structure-activity relationships on hyperglycemia by representatives of the adipokinetic/hyperglycemic hormone family in Blaberus discoidalis cockroaches

Several members of the adipokinetic/hyperglycemic neurohormone family from several different invertebrate species have been prepared by solid-phase peptide synthesis and assayed by a modified in vivo hyperglycemic bioassay in Blaberus discoidalis cockroaches. The hypertrehalosemic hormone (HrTH) is the endogenous hypertrehalosemic factor for B. discoidalis and was the most potent peptide in the assay. The more divergent the sequence of a family member from Blaberus HrTH, the less potent was the bioanalog. Manduca adipokinetic hormone is the most divergent peptide of the family and was totally inactive in the bioassay. Locusta adipokinetic hormone I had reduced maximum activity in the assay, which suggests that Ser5 is an important residue for the transduction of the hyperglycemic response. The direct relation between bioanalog similarity to Blaberus HrTH sequence and potency suggests that the hormone and target cell receptor for HrTH have evolved to maintain an "optimal fit".
Multiferroic Materials and their Properties

Multiferroics, as the medium with more than one order parameter, have become a subject of great interest in the past decade. We present here a summary of the properties of a multiferroic, mostly a ferromagnet and a ferroelectric. They appear in three different forms; proper where the system is ferroelectric at high temperatures and becomes magnetic at low temperatures. These have weak magnetoelectric effects. Improper multiferroics undergo a transition to a magnetic as well as an electrically ordered state nearly concurrently. The electrical order can be ascribed to certain symmetry properties of the magnetic state. Finally, they can be prepared as solid mixtures. Our discussion is focused on the first two categories.
Performance evaluation of the CTI-931 PET scanner using Monte Carlo techniques

We have recently developed a Monte Carlo model that simulates the behavior of a PET scanner. The model takes into account the characteristics of the source, interplane collimators, scintillation crystals, photomultiplier tubes, and coincidence detection schemes. We have used this model to study the performance of the CTI-931 PET scanner and have compared the results of the simulation with experimental measurements.
Retinoic acid enhances VIP receptor expression and responsiveness in human neuroblastoma cell, SH-SY5Y.

Retinoic acid (RA) induces partial differentiation of neuroblastoma (NB) cells in vitro. In the human NB line, SH-SY5Y (a neuroblastic subclone of SK-N-SH), RA was previously shown to enhance the stimulatory (PGE1) and inhibitory (opioid) regulation of adenylyl cyclase. Since these cells are also sensitive to cAMP stimulation by vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), we have tested the effects of RA on VIP receptor expression and function. Pretreatment of SH-SY5Y cells with 10 μM RA over 6 days dramatically increased VIP receptor number from ∼3 000 to ∼70 000 sites per cell and enhanced threefold the cAMP accumulation after external VIP addition, while VIP immunoreactive content in the cells increased 2–3-fold. In the light of the recently proposed autocrine function of VIP in this cell lineage, the strong enhancement of the VIP system may contribute to the differentiation effects of RA.
Ontogenetic change in the distribution of callosal projection neurons in the postcentral gyrus of the fetal rhesus monkey

In the postcentral gyrus of the mature rhesus monkey the distribution of callosal projection neurons is discontinuous. The density of callosal projection neurons, which are mainly located in the supragranular layers, varies both within and across cytoarchitectonic areas (Killackey et al., '83). In the present study, we investigated the ontogeny of corpus callosum projections of the postcentral gyrus in five fetal rhesus monkeys, ranging in age from embryonic day (E) 108 to E 133. Multiple large injections of horseradish peroxidase that involved the underlying white matter were made into the postcentral gyrus of one hemisphere and the distribution of labeled neurons in the ipsilateral thalamus and the other hemisphere was determined. The pattern of thalamic label indicated that the tracer was effectively transported from all portions of the postcentral gyrus. We found that the areal distribution pattern of labeled callosal projection neurons varied at the different fetal ages. At early fetal ages (E 108, E 111, and E 119) callosal projection neurons were continuously distributed throughout the postcentral gyrus. As in the adult animal, the vast majority of labeled callosal projection neurons were found in the supragranular layers, although a few labeled cells were located in the infragranular layers. From the earliest age, there was regional variation in the width of the band of labeled supragranular callosal projection neurons. The difference between the precentral and postcentral gyrus was most obvious, but there was also a difference between anterior and posterior portions of the postcentral gyrus. The first indication of some discontinuity in the distribution of callosal projection neurons was noted at E 126. By E 133, approximately 1 month before birth, the distribution of callosal projection neurons appeared remarkably mature. On E 119 aggregations of anterograde label could be detected in restricted portions of the posterior postcentral gyrus beneath the cortical layers. By E 133 anterograde label was found within the cortical layers (most densely in layer IV) in these regions of the postcentral gyrus. Thus, the emergence of the discrete pattern of callosal projection neurons appears to be temporally correlated with the ingrowth of callosal afferents. On the basis of these observations, as well as those of others (discussed in the text), we propose that the ontogenetic changes in the distribution of callosal projection neurons reflect the unique strategy employed by cortical projection neurons in establishing their patterns of connectivity. It is hypothesized that this strategy may involve multiple processes.
Fast-mapping placeholders: Using words to talk about kinds

Fast-mapping is the ability to acquire a word rapidly on the basis of minimal information. As proposed by Carey (1978), we assume that children are able to achieve fast-mapping because their initial word meanings are skeletal placeholders that will be extended gradually over time. In this paper, we propose that a notion of “kind” is fundamental to children's initial mappings for object labels. We illustrate this point by considering the acquisition of generic noun phrases, which are understood by children as kind-referring from very early on. We argue that the acquisition of generics has implications for mechanisms of word learning. Evidence suggests that generics cannot be acquired solely on the basis of associative learning mechanisms; rather, they are a default interpretation for young children.
Is Circumferential Minimally Invasive Surgery Effective in the Treatment of Moderate Adult Idiopathic Scoliosis

Background Outcomes for minimally invasive scoliosis correction surgery have been reported for mild adult scoliosis. Larger curves historically have been treated with open surgical procedures including facet resections or posterior column osteotomies, which have been associated with high-volume blood loss. Further, minimally invasive techniques have been largely reported in the setting of degenerative scoliosis.
Thermodynamic analysis of protein-ligand binding interactions in complex biological mixtures using the stability of proteins from rates of oxidation

Thermodynamic analysis of protein-ligand binding interactions in complex biological mixtures using the stability of proteins from rates of oxidation
Effects of Progressive Blood Loss on Coagulation as Measured by Thrombelastography

The effects of progressive blood loss on coagulation were studied in 87 adults (age 23-66 yr) undergoing a variety of operations under general anesthesia. None had preoperative alterations in coagulation or liver function and none were receiving anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication. Whole blood coagulation status was quantitated using thrombelastography (TEG). Blood samples for TEG were obtained 5 min before and 15 min after induction of anesthesia, after each increment of blood loss (EBL) equalling 5% of estimated blood volume (EBV), at the end of surgery, and 2 hr post-operatively. Patients with EBL exceeding 0.15 EBV were given packed red cells and crystalloid solution. Patients with EBL less than 0.15 EBV received only crystalloid. Thrombelastography analysis showed a trend toward increased coagulability with progressive blood loss. Two of four patients with 80% loss of EBV maintained normal to enhanced coagulation status, although the other two developed clinical and thrombelastographic evidence of coagulopathy. Thrombelastography allowed rapid intraoperative diagnosis and specific treatment of loss of platelet activity in the latter two patients. We conclude that during moderate to massive blood loss, use of supplemental fresh frozen plasma and/or platelets should be reserved for patients with documented defects in coagulation. Thrombelastography is useful for the detection and management of coagulation defects associated with intraoperative blood loss.
Effects of water level and phosphorus enrichment on seedling emergence from marsh seed banks collected from northern Belize

Abstract The effects of water level and nutrient additions on seed germination from the seed banks of phosphorus-limited freshwater herbaceous wetlands in Northern Belize, Central America, were tested in a greenhouse study. Seed bank soil was exposed to both draw-down and flooded conditions with and without added phosphorus (P) in a replicated germination assay. The seed banks of herbaceous species, as assessed by seedling emergence, in 7 marshes of the study area ranged in size from 55 to 1556 seeds m −2 and from 4 to 15 species. The dominant species in the standing vegetation, Typha domingensis Pers., Eleocharis cellulosa Torr., and Cladium jamaicense Crantz, were almost completely absent in the seed banks. The addition of phosphorus and flooding each reduced the number of species germinating from the seed banks by 50%, although the effect of water level varied by marsh. Phosphorus had a greater effect on the total number of seedlings emerging in flooded than draw-down treatments, reducing emergence by 75 and 20%, respectively. Overall, flooding reduced seedling emergence by 50%. The emergence of Typha from the seed banks, a competitive dominant in the marshes, was not increased by the addition of P.
Stability and structure of metal clusters: Be13 and Be55

Face-centered cubic (fcc) and hexagonally close-packed (hcp) structures are compared for Be(13) and Be(55) clusters. Both Be(13) and Be(55) prefer the fcc structure over the bulk hcp structure, but the energy difference per atom decreases for Be(55) relative to Be(13). The binding energy per atom, 1.3 eV for Be(55) and 0.8-0.9 eV for Be(13), reflects the greater total number of bonds in the larger cluster rather than a difference in bonding. The energies per bond are much more similar, in the range of 0.30-0.34 eV for both clusters. The size of the p-basis set used influences both stability and ionization potentials strongly.
Analysis of surgical complications and patient outcomes in a residency training program.

Abstract Objectives: This study compares surgical complications and patient outcomes between pelvic reconstructive surgery performed by an experienced surgeon (group 1) and those performed by resident physicians with the senior surgeon assisting and teaching (group 2). Study Design: During a 5-year interval, 310 consecutive women underwent vaginal prolapse repair. Demographic, historic, and preoperative physical examination variables were compared. Intraoperative and postoperative outcomes were also compared. Results: Patients operated on by the senior surgeon (Bob L. Shull) were thinner (group 1 vs group 2: 25.8 kg/m 2 vs 27.1 kg/m 2 ; P = .014), more often had prior prolapse or incontinence procedures (55% vs 33%; P P = .002). The senior surgeon's patients differed from the resident physicians' patients with regard to stage of pelvic organ prolapse. No differences were observed for patient age ( P = .51), estimated blood loss ( P = .50), urologic complications ( P = .59), and hospital stay ( P = .25). The durability of the repairs was not different between the groups. Conclusions: We have demonstrated that in a tertiary referral practice resident surgeons can be taught to perform complex vaginal surgery with the only observed disadvantage being a slightly prolonged operative time. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;184:1380-5.)
MO‐EE‐A4‐04: Quantitative Measurement of Hypoxia in Human Brain Tumors Using QBOLD MRI

Purpose: The main objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using a recently developed MR technique, quantitative blood oxygenation level‐dependent (qBOLD), to quantify the oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) of tumors metastatic to the brain.Materials & Methods: The qBOLD technique provides a regional OEF measurement based upon an MR signal model of brain that incorporates prior knowledge about braintissue composition. A 3D version of gradient echo sampling of spin echo sequence with RF spoiling is used to obtain the MRI signal. (He, Zhu, and Yablonskiy, MRM 60:4, 882–888, 2008). To evaluate the feasibility of qBOLD quantify OEF in central nervous systemtumors, six patients (47.9 y to 67.2 y, mean 55.4 y, 4 female and 2 male) with metastatic braintumors were prospectively enrolled in a longitudinal imaging study. The primary malignancies were lungcancer (in five patients) and renal cell carcinoma (in one patient). The qBOLD procedure was performed as part of an integrated neuroimaging protocol, including conventional pre‐ and post‐contrast images and dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion. The patients were scanned at 1.5T (Siemens TIM Espree) while wearing a stereotactic frame prior to radiation therapy. Post processing was performed offline using Matlab. Results: Supratentorial metastatic tumors (6 patients) and surrounding vasogneic edema demonstrated marked visual conspicuity and quantifiably altered OEF using the qBOLD MRI: e.g, OEF values for the area of vasogenic edema were 54.8+/−12.3 % compared to 36.6+/−6.6 % in contralateral normal white matter. Conclusions: Using a recently developed MR pulse sequence, qBOLD, we were able to quantify the OEF in humans with metastatic braintumors. qBOLD offered excellent visual conspicuity for lesion detection for supratentorial, non‐hemorrhagic lesions. Interestingly, vasogenic edema surrounding both primary and metastatic tumors was also associated with elevated OEF, a finding which warrants further investigation.
Measuring the Modulus of Soft Polymer Networks via a Buckling-Based Metrology

We present a new method for measuring the modulus of soft polymer networks (E < 10 MPa). This metrology utilizes compression-induced buckling of a sensor film applied to the surface of the specimen, where the periodic buckling wavelength, assessed rapidly by laser light diffraction or optical microscopy, yields the modulus of the network specimen. To guide the development of this new technique, we use classical mechanical analysis to calculate the sensitivity of the critical strain and resulting wavelength of the buckling instability to the modulus and thickness of the sensor film as well as the modulus of the soft material being probed. Experimental validation of our technique employed a series of model cross-linked poly(dimethylsiloxane) elastomers. To further demonstrate the versatility of this method, we measure the moduli of a set of pertinent biomaterials, i.e., cross-linked 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) hydrogels. Using a hydrogel substrate possessing a gradient in the cross-link density, we a...
Coniferyl Aldehyde as a Constituent of Oils Containing Eugenol

The presence of coniferyl aldehyde in eugenol, clove oil, myrica oil, pimenta oil, and sassafras oil has been demonstrated. The characteristic cherry red developed by coniferyl aldehyde with phloroglucinol and hydrochloric acid can be used for a colorimetric assay of coniferyl aldehyde and contributes a significant portion of the color developed by eugenol-containing oils with these reagents.
A Review of Monetary Policy Rules

This article reviews Monetary Policy Rules, edited by John Taylor. The book evaluates the Taylor rule, a policy rule that specifies changes in the central bank's interest rate according to what is happening to two variables, real output and inflation. Questions are raised about (a) how well the models fit the data; (b) the validity of the assumption that there has been clear improvement in monetary policy; and (c) the rule's microfoundations.
MFL: Method-Level Fault Localization with Causal Inference

Recent studies have shown that use of causal inference techniques for reducing confounding bias improves the effectiveness of statistical fault localization (SFL) at the level of program statements. However, with very large programs and test suites, the overhead of statement-level causal SFL may be excessive. Moreover cost evaluations of statement-level SFL techniques generally are based on a questionable assumption-that software developers can consistently recognize faults when examining statements in isolation. To address these issues, we propose and evaluate a novel method-level SFL technique called MFL, which is based on causal inference methodology. In addition to reframing SFL at the method level, our technique incorporates a new algorithm for selecting covariates to use in adjusting for confounding bias. This algorithm attempts to ensure that such covariates satisfy the conditional exchangeability and positivity properties required for identifying causal effects with observational data. We present empirical results indicating that our approach is more effective than four method-level versions of well-known SFL techniques and that our confounder selection algorithm is superior to two alternatives.
A Framework for Dynamic Hedging under Convex Risk Measures

We consider the problem of minimizing the risk of a financial position (hedging) in an incomplete market. It is well known that the industry standard for risk measure, the Value-at-Risk, does not take into account the natural idea that risk should be minimized through diversification. This observation led to the recent theory of coherent and convex risk measures. But, as a theory on bounded financial positions, it is not ideally suited for the problem of hedging because simple strategies such as buy-hold strategies may not be bounded. Therefore, we propose as an alternative to use convex risk measures defined as functionals on L 2 (or by simple extension L p , p > 1). This framework is more suitable for optimal hedging with L 2-valued financial markets. A dual representation is given for this minimum risk or market adjusted risk when the risk measure is real valued. In the general case, we introduce constrained hedging and prove that the market adjusted risk is still a L 2 convex risk measure and the existence of the optimal hedge. We illustrate the practical advantage in the shortfall risk measure by showing how minimizing risk in this framework can lead to a HJB equation and we give an example of computation in a stochastic volatility model with the shortfall risk measure
Impact of Assessments of Validity Generalization and Situational Specificity on the Science and Practice of Personnel Selection

The application of meta-analysis, in particular validity generalization (VG) analysis, to the cumulative literature on the validity of selection tests has fundamentally changed the science and practice of personnel selection. VG analyses suggest that the validities of standardized tests and other structured assessments are both higher and more consistent across jobs and organizations than was previously believed. As a result, selection researchers and practitioners can draw on the research literature to make reasonably accurate forecasts about the validity and usefulness of different tests in particular applications. Distinctions between tests of validity generalization and tests of situational specificity are described, and difficulties in demonstrating that validity is constant across the different settings where tests are used are outlined.
Pathologic classification of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

Abstract Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is defined as a clinical-pathologic syndrome manifesting proteinuria and focal and segmental glomerular sclerosis with foot process effacement. The pathologic approach to the classification of FSGS is complicated by the existence of primary (idiopathic) forms and multiple subcategories with etiologic associations, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated nephropathy, heroin nephropathy, familial forms, drug toxicities, and a large group of secondary FSGS mediated by structural-functional adaptations to glomerular hyperfiltration. A number of morphologic variants of primary and secondary focal sclerosis are now recognized, including FSGS not otherwise specified (NOS), perihilar, cellular, tip, and collapsing variants. The defining features of these morphologic variants and of the major subcategories of FSGS are discussed with emphasis on distinguishing light microscopic patterns and clinical-pathologic correlations. © 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A wavelet coder for masked images

This paper presents an algorithm for the compression of images that have "don't care" regions within them. Such regions are specified by an additional binary image, the mask, which we assume is available at both the coder and the encoder (it is transmitted separately and without loss). Unlike previous approaches, which typically fill in the masked pixels with values geared toward good compression of the image, we use a special wavelet transform which is a function of the mask, but which can be computed efficiently. We compare our method with the previous approaches by measuring the compression for a given PSNR on the valid pixels. Our algorithm is both faster and yields compression improvements of up to 18% over the current state-of-the-art coders.
Communicative Tensions of Community Organizing: The Case of a Local Neighborhood Association

This study investigates the communicative tensions of community organizing within the context of a local neighborhood association. Results of our qualitative analysis revealed two themes of organizational tension shaping this community organization: dispositional disagreements and positional paradoxes. These tensions were illustrated within the issues of prayer, diversity, gentrification, and neighborhood quality. Analysis also showed that communication practices of balance, diversion, deflection, sense-making, reframing, and qualifying served to manage tensions and sustain the participation and involvement of voluntary collective action.
Developing a Comprehensive Outcomes Management Program

Abstract Evaluating outcomes that document effectiveness, profitability and productivity is essential for surviving in today's human service organization. In addition to being necessary for day to day administrative decision making, outcomes data are necessary when bidding for managed care contracts and competing in a capitated environment. Funding sources, such as the United Way, are also requiring proof of outcomes, as are increasingly sophisticated policy makers, payers and consumers. Historically, program evaluation activities have tended to measure the process of delivering services, rather than the end result or outcome. This paper outlines a ten step process that a hospital social work department followed to develop an interdisciplinary, comprehensive outcomes management program.
Decomposing the Service Composition Problem

Many approaches to the Web service composition problem benefit from their use of formal methods to guarantee the correctness of the composite services that they produce, but these approaches often require the functionality of the composite service to be specified using one particular formalism (e.g., goal graphs, temporal logic, pre-/post-conditions). As a result, each of these existing approaches falls short in realizing a composite service when the required functionality cannot be fully expressed in the supported formalism. To overcome this problem, we propose a new formal meta-framework that (a) is capable of reusing any existing formalisms and (b) allows the use of functional requirements that are currently not expressible in any one formalism. Our technique assumes that any functional requirement can be decomposed and expressed as a boolean combination of "atomic" requirements, which are representable in at least one existing formalism. Based on this assumption, we use existing methods to identify sets of Web services that conform to the atomic requirements. Our meta-framework then identifies compositions that conform to the overall functional requirement by (a) employing satisfiability techniques to prune the (exponentially large) space of possible compositions and (b) building workable compositions from satisfiable sets of services. As a result, our meta-framework allows for easy and effective memorization of prior composition results, thereby enhancing the efficiency of generating new compositions.
Application of fuzzy logic to robotic control

This paper describes how fuzzy logic can be applied to robotic control using software tools on personal computers. First, the fundamentals of fuzzy logic and robotics are discussed. Second, fuzzy controller designs for a two-link manipulator and for robot PUMA 560 (the last three links locked) are proposed. C language code is developed to simulate the controller designs. Fuzzy Inference Development Environment (FIDE) software from Aptronix, Inc. is used for development of fuzzy if-then rules. The contribution of this paper is the exploration of nonconventional methods for control of highly nonlinear systems.
Engagement of OX40 Enhances Antigen-Specific CD4+ T Cell Mobilization/Memory Development and Humoral Immunity: Comparison of αOX-40 with αCTLA-4

Increasing the long-term survival of memory T cells after immunization is key to a successful vaccine. In the past, the generation of large numbers of memory T cells in vivo has been difficult because Ag-stimulated T cells are susceptible to activation-induced cell death. Previously, we reported that OX40 engagement resulted in a 60-fold increase in the number of Ag-specific CD4(+) memory T cells that persisted 60 days postimmunization. In this report, we used the D011.10 adoptive transfer model to examine the kinetics of Ag-specific T cell entry into the peripheral blood, the optimal route of administration of Ag and alphaOX40, and the Ag-specific Ab response after immunization with soluble OVA and alphaOX40. Finally, we compared the adjuvant properties of alphaOX40 to those of alphaCTLA-4. Engagement of OX-40 in vivo was most effective when the Ag was administered s.c. Time course studies revealed that it was crucial for alphaOX40 to be delivered within 24-48 h after Ag exposure. Examination of anti-OVA Ab titers revealed a 10-fold increase in mice that received alphaOX40 compared with mice that received OVA alone. Both alphaOX40 and alphaCTLA-4 increased the percentage of OVA-specific CD4(+) T cells early after immunization (day 4), but alphaOX40-treated mice had much higher percentages of OVA-specific memory CD4(+) T cells from days 11 to 29. These studies demonstrate that OX40 engagement early after immunization with soluble Ag enhances long-term T cell and humoral immunity in a manner distinct from that provided by blocking CTLA-4.
Measuring semantic coverage

The development of natural language processing systems is currently driven to a large extent by measures of knowledge-base size and coverage of individual phenomena relative to a corpus. While these measures have led to significant advances for knowledge-lean applications, they do not adequately motivate progress in computational semantics leading to the development of large-scale, general purpose NLP systems. In this article, we argue that depth of semantic representation is essential for covering a broad range of phenomena in the computational treatment of language and propose depth as an important additional dimension for measuring the semantic coverage of NLP systems. We propose an operationalization of this measure and show how to characterize an NLP system along the dimensions of size, corpus coverage, and depth. The proposed framework is illustrated using several prominent NLP systems. We hope the preliminary proposals made in this article will lead to prolonged debates in the field and will continue to be refined.
A personalized and automated dbSNP surveillance system

The development of high throughput techniques and large-scale studies in the biological sciences has given rise to an explosive growth in both the volume and types of data available to researchers. A surveillance system that monitors data repositories and reports changes helps manage the data overload. We developed a dbSNP surveillance system (URL: http://www.pharmgkb.org/do/serve?id=tools.surveillance.dbsnp) that performs surveillance on the dbSNP database and alerts users to new information. The system is notable because it is personalized and fully automated. Each registered user has a list of genes to follow and receives notification of new entries concerning these genes. The system integrates data from dbSNP, LocusLink, PharmGKB, and Genbank to position SNPs on reference sequences and classify SNPs into categories such as synonymous and nonsynonymous SNPs. The system uses data warehousing, object model-based data integration, object-oriented programming, and a platform-neutral data access mechanism.