cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tracking people and monitoring their vital signs using body radio reflections

Wireless signals are typically used for data communication between an RF transmitter and an RF receiver. Recent advances in wireless technologies, however, have demonstrated that a person's motion can modulate the wireless signal, enabling the transfer of information from a human to an RF transceiver, even when the person does not carry a transmitter. This leads to new wireless systems in which a user communicates directly with remote devices using gestures. It also allows for using wireless signals to learn about the environment. For example, one may track objects and people as they move around, purely based on how their motion modulates the wireless signal. This could lead to new video games and virtual reality applications that work in non-line-of-sight and across rooms. It can also be used for health-care monitoring in hospitals or at home, and for intrusion detection or search-and-rescue operations. In this talk, I will present sensing technologies that pinpoint people's locations based purely on RF reflections off their bodies. They can further track a person's breathing and heartbeat remotely, without requiring any body contact. They operate by transmitting a low-power wireless signal and monitoring its reflections. They use these reflections to track body motion as well as minute movements associated with breathing and heartbeat (e.g., the chest movements caused by the inhale-exhale process). We envision that such technologies can enable truly smart homes that learn people's habits and monitor their vital signs to adapt the environment and actively contribute to their inhabitants' well-being.
Improved plaque production for short-term bone marrow and fetal liver cultures.

Abstract The addition of 0.5% globulin-free (GF-BSA) or 0.5% delipidated BSA (D-BSA)to short-term murine bone marrow (BM) (cultures) increased the number of plaque-forming cells (PFC) responding to trinitrophenylated lipopolysaccharide (TNP-LPS) 2–5-fold 1.1 × 10 4 −2.7 × 10 4 PFC per 10 × 10 6 nucleated BM cells. Although it was necessary to continue to supplement these cultures with 5% fetal calf serum (FCS), the inclusion of the aforementioned BSA preparations provided enhanced PFC production for all lots of FCS tested. Similarly, these preparations of BSA made it feasible to also culture BM in autologous mouse sera (MS) or in medium without 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) if in the latter case the D-BSA was pretreated with 2-ME. Thus, the inclusion of GF-BSA or D-BSA in short term cultures of BM not only substantially increased the number of Ig-secreting B cells produced in response to TNP-LPS but seemed to eliminated the need to screen for supportive batches of FCS or MS. These preparations of BSA also facilitated hapten specific PFC responses of fetal liver cultures.
Suppression of Ovulation Rate by Antibodies to Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator and α2-Antiplasmin

Indirect evidence has suggested a role for plasminogen activator (PA) in ovulation. Our recent studies demonstrated that 1) tissue-type PA (tPA) is the predominant PA produced by preovulatory rat follicles in response to gonadotropins or GnRH; and 2) several inhibitors of the serine proteases, to which PA and plasmin belong, block ovulation. Here, the role of tPA and plasmin in ovulation was examined directly by the use of specific antibodies to tPA and alpha 2-antiplasmin (alpha 2AP). Immature female rats at 25-26 days of age were treated (sc) with 15 IU PMSG to induce multiple preovulatory follicles. Fifty-four hours later, tPA antibodies and alpha 2AP were injected into one of the ovarian bursae to check their ability to block ovulation, which was initiated with an ovulatory dose (4 IU) of hCG. The data are expressed as percent inhibition of ovulation in the treated vs. the untreated ovaries. A significant decrease in the ovulation rate was obtained by administration of 500 micrograms antibodies to tPA (39.6%) or 1-50 micrograms alpha 2AP (36-44%), whereas minimal inhibition (12%) was found at lower doses of anti-tPA (10 micrograms) or alpha 2AP (0.1 micrograms). Furthermore, nonimmune immunoglobulin G (500 micrograms) and heat-inactivated alpha 2AP were not effective. Anti-tPA and alpha 2AP suppressed ovulation only when injected at the time of hCG administration; later injections (4-h delay) were ineffective, suggesting that PA and plasmin are involved in the early follicular responses to the ovulatory stimulus. Histological observation of the ovaries did not reveal any pathological changes associated with the anti-tPA and alpha 2AP treatment. Suppression of ovulation, as evidenced by decreased number of tubal ova, was frequently accompanied with intraovarian release of the eggs into the follicular thecal compartment. Thus, these results provide direct evidence for an essential role of tPA and plasmin in ovulation.
A note on Reeve’s method for estimating heritability with assortative mating

A modification is presented of Reeve’s (1953) method of estimating heritability from progeny tests when the parents are selected and mated assortatively.
Object-based target search using remotely sensed data: A case study in detecting invasive exotic Australian Pine in south Florida

This study developed an object-based geographic image retrieval (GIR) approach for detecting invasive exotic Australian Pine in south Florida, USA. To filter out non-tree image objects, a hierarchical multi-resolution segmentation and filtering approach was first adopted to segment remote sensing images (DOQQs) into image objects (image regions) of irregular shape, compared to a regular square shape used in the literature. The study then computed object-level spectral, texture, and three-dimensional information for image object content representation using NDVI-based spectral, wavelet transform-based texture, variogram -based texture, and canopy surface height information. The effectiveness of content representation was evaluated using these different properties and their combinations in 10 sets of replica retrieval experiments with 5% random sample fractions of ground-truth identified Australian Pine image objects as query templates. The set of features providing the best fit was found to be a combination of canopy surface height and wavelet transform-based texture. These variables were selected for further tests to determine the similarity threshold beyond which retrieval is regarded as irrelevant. A series of regression tree models were built based on replica retrieval experiments with sample fractions of 1%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%. The predicted results were analyzed to examine the sensitivity of retrieval performance (precision and recall) to the sample fraction and similarity threshold. A moderate retrieval performance was achieved in detecting Australian Pine in the study area. The study suggested that GIR with target search as its major objective by design could be an important supplement to image classification for invasive exotic plant species detection from remotely sensed images.
Psychological Processes in Stages of Problem Solving: Production and Revision Stages Administered under Quantity-Stressing and Criteria-Cued Instructions, Respectively

Summary Volunteer male and female college students (N = 156) rated themselves on Sciortino's Inventory of Psychological Processes (IPP-3), immediately after the production and revision stages of Sciortino's Solutions Test. The production stage was administered under “quantity-stressing” instructions and the revision stage under “criteria-cued” instructions. Ss' combined scores on the IPP-3, from both the production and revision stages, were, first, subjected to a principal components analysis and, then, rotated according to the equamax procedure. Seven equamax factors were extracted: that is, accomplishment, frustration, evaluated modification, variegated thinking, insightful thinking, motivated associative thinking, and freewheeled thinking. Ss' scores on each of the above seven equamax factors were then subjected to an analysis of variance for repeated measures. The results show that the mean values of factors frustration, variegated thinking, motivated associative thinking, and freewheeled thinking wer...
Organized labor under military rule: the Nigerian labor movement, 1985–1992

This article examines the recent evolution of state-labor relations in Nigeria. The research indicates that the present military regime has maintained neocorporatist relations within the labor movement in order to limit union demands concerning political reform and economic restructuring. In addition, the study claims that the relative exclusion of organized labor from the reform process has undermined union support for the regime’s program of political liberalization.
The effect of aluminum in soft water at low pH on oxygen consumption by the dragonfly Libellula julia Uhler

When subjected to a series of elevated Al and H+ concentrations spanning environmentally relevant levels, the dragonfly Libellula julia respired at a rate lower than the controls. This trend was consistent at all levels but only attained significance (p < 0.05) at pH 4.0 with A1 levels of 3.0 and 30 mg 1−1. Low pH alone does not depress respiratory rates as greatly as Al and low pH combined. The authors speculate on some apparent inconsistencies found in the literature.
A data structure for circular string analysis and visualization

A csdawg for circular strings, which is obtained by making simple modifications to the compact symmetric directed acyclic word graph (csdawg) for linear strings, is proposed. This data structure does not contain extraneous vertices and, consequently, avoids the disadvantages of previous methods. Using this method, algorithms which make use of the csdawg for linear strings can then be extended to circular strings with trivial modifications. The extended algorithms continue to have the same time and space complexities. Moreover, the extensions take the form of postprocessing or preprocessing steps which are simple to add on to a system built for linear strings, particularly in an object-oriented language. >
Maxillary Sinus Grafting for Totally and Partially Edentulous Patients

The presence of the maxillary sinus and lack of adequate bone to stabilize the implants could make traditional implant placement impossible. The solution includes grafting bone to the posterior maxilla to provide adequate bone support for implant integration and long-term survival.
Southern Hemisphere Blocking Onsets Associated with Upper-Tropospheric Divergence Anomalies

Abstract Upper-tropospheric divergence anomalies and divergence tendencies prior to and during the onset of blocking have been investigated for selected cases over the Southern Hemisphere in search of links between the upper-tropospheric response to tropical convective activity and the onset of blocking in midlatitudes. Climatologies of blocking, defined by an objective index, and divergence are established for the Southern Hemisphere and the southern Pacific, respectively. Relative blocking frequency versus longitude reveals a region of maximum blocking activity between 160°E and 75°W. Blocking frequencies for each ENSO phase indicate a shift toward the late austral fall and early winter during the warm phase, whereas during the cold and neutral phases the highest frequencies are in June and July, respectively. Composites of area-averaged divergence anomalies for the selected blocking cases reveal more anomalous divergence than during nonblocking periods over the blocking regions and the immediate upstre...
Distribution in Energy of the Neutrons from the Interaction of 14-Mev Neutrons with Some Elements

The neutron spectra from the interaction of 14-Mev neutrons with a number of elements have been determined by nuclear plate techniques. The plates were exposed to neutrons from the bombardment of a Zr-T target by 200-kev deuterons when the target was as nearly as possible isolated from all scattering material and when the target was surrounded by a spherical shell of the element to be investigated. The variation of $F({E}_{n})$, the number of emitted neutrons per unit energy interval with energy (${E}_{n}$), appears to be Maxwellian in the region 0.5 to 4.0 Mev and may be represented by $F({E}_{n})d{E}_{n}=C{E}_{n}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{{E}_{n}}{T}}d{E}_{n}.$
Modeling complex social scenarios using Culturally Infused Social Networks

Modeling complex real world scenarios require representing and analyzing information from multiple domains including social, economic and political aspects. However, most of the current frameworks in social networks are not generic enough to incorporate multi-domain information or to be applied in different scenarios. Current frameworks also make simplifications in other modeling aspects such as incorporating dynamism and providing multi-scale analyses. Representing culture is critical to truly capture the nuances of various social processes. It also helps to make the framework generic enough to be applied in multiple application domains.We will leverage a novel framework called the Culturally Infused Social Network (CISN) to represent culture using probabilistic reasoning networks called Bayesian Knowledge Bases (BKBs), in representations known as cultural fragments. Cultural fragments model the intent of actors by relating their actions to underlying beliefs and goals. CISN also supports analysis algorithms to make predictions and provide explanations. We validate CISN by simulating the 2006 Somali conflict involving the Islamic Court Union (ICU). The Somali conflict is a complex scenario requiring deep understanding of myriad factors. We focus on analyzing the group stability of ICU, how changing alliance caused conflicts and led to its ultimate demise. We define a metric to measure instability in a group, identify critical factors that led to instability in ICU and provide analyses.
Effect of high concentrations of oxygen on reparative regeneration of damaged alveolar epithelium in mice

Abstract The main purpose of the present study was to determine if high concentrations of oxygen (O 2 ) would inhibit cell division in alveoli undergoing reparative regeneration following injury by ozone (O 3 ). Mice were exposed to 2.5 ppm O 3 for 6 hr to injure the alveolar epithelium. Groups of animals were then allowed to recover in 20% O 2 with and without food, 40, 61, 80, and 95% O 2 with food. At daily intervals, the mice were injected with tritiated thymidine to label cells preparing to divide, and sacrificed 1 hr later. Lung tissue was prepared for light microscopic autoradiography and the proportion of labeled cells were determined. In mice exposed to O 3 , type 1 epithelium is injured and type 2 cells proliferate in order to repair the damage. Mice allowed to recover in 20% O 2 with and without food, and in 40% O 2 , had a maximum proliferation of type 2 cells (about eight times control) on the second day of recovery. By the fourth day repair seemed to be complete and labeling indexes had returned to normal. In mice allowed to recover in 61, 80, and 95% O 2 , type 2 cell proliferation was less than control on the second day and did not increase during 4 days of recovery. It was concluded that concentrations of O 2 at 61% and higher inhibit reparative cell division in O 3 -damaged alveoli of mice.
Low-temperature ac conductivity of adiabatic small-polaronic hopping in disordered systems.

Electronic hopping is commonly treated as occurring between localized states that are so widely separated that the motion is limited by the electronic transfer energy linking the sites. Then, the jump rate is usually assumed to fall exponentially with increasing intersite separation. However, this approach is inappropriate in many situations where the separation between the hopping sites is small enough that electronic carriers {ital adiabatically} follow the atomic motion. For adiabatic motion, the jump rates are essentially independent of intersite separation. Here the low-temperature ac conductivity for adiabatic small-polaronic hopping between close pairs of sites is calculated presuming a distribution of local site energies. Low-temperature relaxation of each such carrier is assumed to occur primarily through the emission of a very-low-energy acoustic phonon. For small-polaronic hops, low-temperature one-phonon emission rates are extremely slow. Dispersion of the transition rates arises from the dependence of the relaxation rates on the energy separations between the sites. In the low-temperature limit, the polarization conductivity is proportional to both temperature and frequency. Above this low-temperature limit, the severity of this temperature dependence increases with increasing temperature. In this higher-temperature regime, the temperature dependence of the conductivity also decreases as the frequency is increased. These resultsmore » are in accord with observations in many systems with hopping conduction, including those for which there is explicit evidence of adiabatic small-polaronic hopping (e.g., {ital p}-type MnO, boron carbides, and many transition-metal-oxide glasses).« less
Magnesium fertilization of potatoes on Long Island

The 40 to 60 lb. level of magnesium oxide equivalent application in fertilizers appears adequate in maintaining soil levels at 50 to 60 lb magnesium, and in building up lower soil levels on Long Island. Supplying this magnesium as half water soluble and half non-water soluble is superior to having all in one form or the other. Pulverized serpentine, a new magnesium source, was as good as the 50/50 mixture at the recommended levels of MgO equivalent and showed no deleterious effects from high levels of application. There appears to be no reason, from the results of two years’ testing, why pulverized serpentine should not be used as another magnesium source if there are no compatibility problems in mixing and if it is economically competitive.
Expression of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase provides tumor cells with a selective growth advantage at physiologic concentrations of cyst(e)ine

Cells from the GGT-negative mouse hepatoma cell line, Hepa 1-6, were transfected with a human GGT cDNA and stably transformed clones were isolated. In standard tissue culture medium the GGT-positive cells and GGT-negative controls grew equally well. However, when the cysteine concentration of the medium was reduced to physiologic levels the GGT-positive cells had a growth advantage. Further investigation revealed that the medium of the GGT-negative Hepa 1-6 cells contained glutathione that had been excreted by the cells, but no glutathione was present in the medium of the GGT-positive cells. We have previously shown that expression of GGT enables cells to use extracellular glutathione as a source of cysteine (Hanigan and Ricketts, Biochem., 32:6302, 1993). These new data reveal that physiologic levels of cysteine can be limiting for cell growth and expression of GGT can provide the cells with a selective growth advantage. These data explain the observation that cells transfected with GGT grow at the same rate as the GGT-negative controls in tissue culture medium which contains a high level of cysteine, but the GGT-positive cells grow more rapidly than the GGT-negative cells when transplanted into animals (Warren et al., Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med., 202:9, 1993). GGT-positive tumor cells have a selective growth advantage in vivo in comparison to GGT-negative tumor cells because they are able to use serum glutathione as a secondary source of cysteine thereby overcoming the growth restriction imposed by serum levels of cysteine.
Rehabilitation of the Lowest-Order Raviart-Thomas Element on Quadrilateral Grids

A recent study [D. N. Arnold, D. Boffi, and R. S. Falk, SIAM J. Numer. Anal., 42 (2005), pp. 2429-2451] reveals that convergence of finite element methods using $H(\mathrm{div}\,,\Omega)$-compatible finite element spaces deteriorates on nonaffine quadrilateral grids. This phenomena is particularly troublesome for the lowest-order Raviart-Thomas elements, because it implies loss of convergence in some norms for finite element solutions of mixed and least-squares methods. In this paper we propose reformulation of finite element methods, based on the natural mimetic divergence operator [M. Shashkov, Conservative Finite Difference Methods on General Grids, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1996], which restores the order of convergence. Reformulations of mixed Galerkin and least-squares methods for the Darcy equation illustrate our approach. We prove that reformulated methods converge optimally with respect to a norm involving the mimetic divergence operator. Furthermore, we prove that standard and reformulated versions of the mixed Galerkin method lead to identical linear systems, but the two versions of the least-squares method are veritably different. The surprising conclusion is that the degradation of convergence in the mixed method on nonaffine quadrilateral grids is superficial, and that the lowest-order Raviart-Thomas elements are safe to use in this method. However, the breakdown in the least-squares method is real, and there one should use our proposed reformulation.
Putting category learning in order: Category structure and temporal arrangement affect the benefit of interleaved over blocked study

Recent research in inductive category learning has demonstrated that interleaved study of category exemplars results in better performance than does studying each category in separate blocks. However, the questions of how the category structure influences this advantage and how simultaneous presentation interacts with the advantage are open issues. In this article, we present three experiments. The first experiment indicates that the advantage of interleaved over blocked study is modulated by the structure of the categories being studied. More specifically, interleaved study results in better generalization for categories with high within- and between-category similarity, whereas blocked presentation results in better generalization for categories with low within- and between-category similarity. In Experiment 2, we present evidence that when presented simultaneously, between-category comparisons (interleaved presentation) result in a performance advantage for high-similarity categories, but no differences were found for low-similarity categories. In Experiment 3, we directly compared simultaneous and successive presentation of low-similarity categories. We again found an overall benefit for blocked study with these categories. Overall, these results are consistent with the proposal that interleaving emphasizes differences between categories, whereas blocking emphasizes the discovery of commonalities among objects within the same category.
Full EHL Simulations Using the Actual Ree–Eyring Model for Shear-Thinning Lubricants

The Eyring sinh law, which is the most widely used model to describe the shear-thinning behavior of elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) lubricants, fails to replicate the experimentally measured flow curves for shear-thinning lubricants. Interestingly, this law was rejected by Eyring for shear-thinning fluids and, in fact, it was found useful only for fluids thought to exhibit thixotropy. The "actual Ree-Eyring model" for shear-thinning involves multiple flow units with appropriate relaxation times. This paper presents an extensive set of full EHL line and point contact simulations to investigate the usefulness of the actual Ree-Eyring model in EHL applications with shear-thinning lubricants. Comparisons with published experimental data establish the validity of the actual Ree-Eyring model. Also presented is the application of an appropriate shifting rule expected to improve the agreement between simulations and experiments.
In vivo kinetics of benzo(a)pyrene and 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene assimilation and metabolism in rainbow trout

Abstract Benzo( a )pyrene (BaP) and 7,12-dimethylbenz( a )anthracene (DMBA) are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) that occur in a variety of environmental media. BaP and DMBA are indirect-acting mutagens and carcinogens, and both induce neoplasia in fishes. 1,2 BaP has been used to study PAH-induction of mixed function oxidase systems and PAH metabolism in fishes; 3,4 studies of DMBA in fishes are limited to analyses of tissue disposition 5 and induction of drug-metabolizing enzymes. 6 We report here the results of comparative studies of BaP and DMBA assimilation, elimination, tissue disposition and metabolism in rainbow trout after administration of known doses of these contaminants via the digestive tract.
Risk Factors for the Development of Specific Noncardiovascular Adverse Effects Associated With Amiodarone

Noncardiovascular adverse effects associated with amiodarone result in substantial morbidity. Adverse effects involving the skin, liver, thyroid, and lungs have been reported in as many as 57%, 55%, 11%, and 13% of patients, respectively. Although risk factors for some amiodarone-induced
Probability Density Function Measurements Of Optical Scintillations In The Atmosphere

We have made measurements of the probability density function of irradiance for a laser propagating through atmospheric turbulence. For each measurement, a diverged laser beam was used as the source. The beams were propagated horizontally over flat grassland at a height of 1 to 2 meters. Several path lengths of up to 2.4 km were used. At the receiver, a time series of the irradiance was digitized and recorded for later processing. During each experiment, the cross-path wind velocity, the refractive turbulence structure parameter Cn2, and the inner scale of turbulence 10 were measured optically. These data were recorded along with the irradiance data. To obtain an estimate of the probability density function, we normalized each time series by its mean value and sorted the result into a histogram. At the same time, the second and third moments were calculated. These were used to obtain the parameters of the theoretical density functions that were considered. Two phenomenological density functions have been proposed to describe irradiance fluctuations in the atmosphere. These are the I-K and the lognormally modulated Rician. Each requires two parameters that depend on atmospheric conditions and each can be used under any atmospheric conditions. Both reduce to the widely accepted negative exponential density function in very strong integrated turbulence. Both are numerically tractable. We compare each of these density functions with our measured histograms under a variety of atmospheric conditions.
On a transitional and turbulent natural convection in spherical shells

Laminar and turbulent natural convection inside concentric spherical shells with isothermal cold and hot boundaries is numerically investigated up to Rayleigh number values Ra ⩽ 10^(12) and Pr = 0.71. The study utilizes direct numerical simulation (DNS), large eddy simulation (LES) and Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) approaches for investigation of the laminar, transitional and fully developed turbulent flow regimes, respectively. Three-dimensional flow patterns for slightly supercritical oscillatory flow regime inside the shell, with internal/external diameter ratio equal to D_i/D_o = 0.714 are presented and may be potentially useful for verification of the future linear stability analysis results. Particular attention has been given to the complex, fully three-dimensional unsteady flows occurring in narrow shell geometries characterized by 0.85 ⩽ D_i/D_o ⩽ 0.95. For this geometry considerable deviations in predicted heat flux rate through the shell boundaries are observed when compared with existing heat transfer correlations for the entire range of Ra numbers. The deviations tend to increase for transitional and fully turbulent flows. A new correlation for the heat transfer rate is suggested for laminar and transitional flow regimes.
Prevention of calcific aortic valve stenosis—fact or fiction?

Valve replacement is the only long-term effective treatment for calcific aortic valve stenosis. However, this treatment is aimed only at patients with advanced leaflet disease and symptoms of left ventricular obstruction. Over the past 15 years, our understanding of the pathogenesis of calcific aortic stenosis has changed significantly: away from a passive degenerative disease to an active process involving endothelial dysfunction, lipid accumulation, an inflammatory infiltrate, and a regulated process of calcification. Since many of the same processes are characteristic of atherosclerosis, trials have been undertaken to test whether medical therapy (statins, renin-angiotensin inhibition) can prevent or alter the disease course. Although retrospective and non-randomized studies suggested a positive effect with statins, benefit has not been seen in perspective randomized controlled trials, although two major studies are still in progress. Inhibition of renin-angiotensin has shown discordant results in retrospective studies with no randomized controlled data published. In the future, we need to consider other medical therapies that might target different pathways in this disease process. In addition, we need to define the optimal timing and duration of therapy for this chronic slowly progressive disease; treatments aimed at the early disease process may be ineffective with end-stage tissue changes.
Should Bad Workmen Always Blame Their Tools

Abstract In this issue of Neuron , Beauchamp and colleagues (2002) differentiated brain regions in humans that are selectively responsive to viewing motion: (1) of humans, (2) of tools/utensils, and (3) in general. Active regions were the superior temporal sulcus, middle temporal gyrus, and MT/V5, respectively. This study provides impetus for future work in motion perception and its relationship to apraxia.
Instrumentation to record evoked potentials for closed-loop control of deep brain stimulation

Closed-loop deep brain stimulation (DBS) systems offer promise in relieving the clinical burden of stimulus parameter selection and improving treatment outcomes. In such a system, a feedback signal is used to adjust automatically stimulation parameters and optimize the efficacy of stimulation. We explored the feasibility of recording electrically evoked compound action potentials (ECAPs) during DBS for use as a feedback control signal. A novel instrumentation system was developed to suppress the stimulus artifact and amplify the small magnitude, short latency ECAP response during DBS with clinically relevant parameters. In vitro testing demonstrated the capabilities to increase the gain by a factor of 1,000× over a conventional amplifier without saturation, reduce distortion of mock ECAP signals, and make high fidelity recordings of mock ECAPs at latencies of only 0.5 ms following DBS pulses of 50 to 100 μs duration. Subsequently, the instrumentation was used to make in vivo recordings of ECAPs during thalamic DBS in cats, without contamination by the stimulus artifact. The signal characteristics were similar across three experiments, suggesting common neural activation patterns. The ECAP recordings enabled with this novel instrumentation may provide insight into the type and spatial extent of neural elements activated during DBS, and could serve as feedback control signals for closed-loop systems.
Multiple laser diode array pumped Cs laser with 48W output power

A Cs vapour laser that utilises four laser diode arrays for longitudinal pumping of the gain medium is demonstrated. A maximum output power of 48 W was achieved with a total optical to optical efficiency of 49% and a slope efficiency of 52%. This work shows that the diode pumped alkali lasers can be scaled to higher powers.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Pain Management in U.S. - and Foreign-Born Chinese Women with Breast Cancer

This study explores beliefs about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use for pain management among 15 U.S.-born and 15 foreign-born Chinese women with breast cancer. For this investigation, trilingual interviewers conducted individual, face-to-face, qualitative interviews in Cantonese, Mandarin, or English. All study participants lived in San Francisco, and the foreign-born women had resided in the U.S. for 15 years or fewer. Findings indicate that many participants consider CAM a viable method of pain management. However, concerns about affordability and quality of treatment prevent some women from using CAM on a regular basis. Many participants indicated that Western health care providers are poorly equipped to provide CAM to manage the pain resulting from breast cancer treatment. Future research should explore how access to CAM can be improved for poor and uninsured patients with cancer and how alternative approaches to pain management can be integrated more broadly in the U.S. health care system.
Who Is At Risk for Persistent Mathematics Difficulties in the United States

We analyzed two nationally representative, longitudinal data sets of U.S. children to identify risk factors for persistent mathematics difficulties (PMD). Results indicated that children from low socioeconomic households are at elevated risk of PMD at 48 and 60 months of age, as are children with cognitive delays, identified developmental delays or disabilities, and vocabulary difficulties. In contrast, children attending preschool either in Head Start or non–Head Start classrooms are at initially lower risk of PMD. Kindergarten-aged children experiencing either low socioeconomic status or mathematics difficulties are at greatest risk for PMD across third, fifth, and eighth grades. Also at risk for PMD between third and eighth grades are children displaying reading difficulties or inattention and other learning-related behaviors problems, children with identified disabilities, and those who are retained. Educationally relevant and potentially malleable factors for decreasing young children’s risk for PMD ...
Shape changes in the CA3 and dentate regions of the hippocampus in individuals with mild cognitive impairment

Background: Shape and volume changes in the subfields in the hippocampus have been reported in MCI patients and have been shown to predict whether or not patients decline. Previous studies that reported shape changes in the CA1 region of the hippocampus did not segment the individual subfields of the hippocampus, thus these deflections could indeed be due to shape changes in the deeper subfields. More recent reports suggest that there may be shape and volume changes in the CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG) regions of the hippocampus that may differentiate healthy adults from those early in the course of AD or in some cases in asymptomatic carriers of the ApoE e4 gene. We sought to investigate the detailed profile of volume and shape changes in MCI patients (all CDR 0.5) using the OASIS (Open Access Series of Imaging Studies) freely available data set. Methods: We used an alternative approach to previous studies by combining traditional grayscale data with manual segmentations of the subfields. In this technique, we manually segmented hippocampal subfields on each individual scan and used a region-of-interest based diffeomorphic alignment technique (ROI-ANTS) that we recently developed in order to quantify each subfield’s shape changes. The method uses information from grayscale images but weights the transformations based on ROI segmentations, resulting in optimum cross-participant overlap. Results: We found significant shape changes in the deeper subfields (CA3/DG) in MCI patients compared to age and gender matched controls, suggesting that this is one of the first hippocampal regions that deteriorates in the course of AD and that previously studies likely underestimated the extent to which it was involved due to an inherent bias in the alignment techniques. Conclusions: Using a robust diffeomorphic technique and precise anatomical segmentations, we find evidence for shape changes in the CA3/DG that may precede other hippocampal changes very early in the course of AD. This is consistent with animal studies suggesting that loss of synaptic input into the DG early in AD may result in shape changes in this region. This can potentially be a viable biomarker for predicting AD onset.
From Guidelines to Practice: How Reporting Templates Promote the Use of Radiology Practice Guidelines

Radiology practice guidelines have been developed to help radiologists achieve quality and safety in their clinical practice. One means to promote the use of practice guidelines in radiology is through the wider use of reporting templates, also known as "structured reporting." This article presents specific examples in which radiology reporting templates can promote adherence to guidelines, gather data for quality improvement efforts, and facilitate compliance with performance incentive programs.
Pomegranate extract inhibits the interleukin-1β-induced activation of MKK-3, p38α-MAPK and transcription factor RUNX-2 in human osteoarthritis chondrocytes

Introduction Pomegranate has been revered throughout history for its medicinal properties. p38-MAPK is a major signal-transducing pathway in osteoarthritis (OA) and its activation by interleukin-1β (IL-1β) plays a critical role in the expression and production of several mediators of cartilage catabolism in OA. In this study we determined the effect of a standardized pomegranate extract (PE) on the IL-1β-induced activation of MKK3/6, p38-MAPK isoforms and the activation of transcription factor RUNX-2 in primary human OA chondrocytes.
The Role and Responsibilities of Teaching Assistants in Inclusive Education: What's Appropriate?:

This study describes a social validation of appropriate roles and responsibilities for teaching assistants (TAs) in inclusive classrooms. A self-report survey was rated by a sample of general education teachers, special education teachers, and TAs employed in urban and rural inclusive programs. Test-retest reliability of the survey was established for the TA sample. A factor analysis of all ratings suggested five major role components: (a) instructional; (b) school support; (c) liaison; (d) personal support; and (e) one-to-one in-class support. Statistically significant differences between mean group ratings indicate a lack of clarity regarding the appropriateness of these role components for TAs. We discuss how school districts might utilize our list to clarify TA job descriptions and shared understandings regarding roles and responsibilities among educational team members.
Impact of withdrawal of care and futile care on trauma mortality.

Background The observed to expected (O:E) mortality based on Injury Severity Scores (ISS) has been used to assess quality of trauma center (TC) care. Injuries in the elderly have increased, and these patients often have advanced directives, on occasion limiting aggressive care even for potentially survivable injuries; unfortunately, there are few data on the impact of these demographic changes on mortality. Additionally, many patients arrive moribund and care provided is likely to be futile. We sought to examine the impact of these situations on TC mortality. Methods All trauma deaths for 2008–2009 were assessed for ISS, preventability of mortality, potential for survivability, impact of withdrawal of care (WOC), and timing of deaths. Results There were 5433 patients with 347 deaths (6.4%). Deaths occurred more frequently in men (70%) who were older (56.3 years) and had head injuries (70%, Glasgow Coma Scale score of 6.9). The average ISS was high (25.5), but 19% of deaths occurred in minimally injured (ISS Conclusion There has been a major shift in the demographics of the injured with a high proportion of elderly and head injured and/or those who have little likelihood of survival. Crude mortality or O:E based on ISS overestimates preventable deaths. Societal factors, presence of advanced directives, and WOC decisions must be considered when assessing TC performance. Although our crude mortality rate was 6.4%, it was only 2.4% in patients we were actually permitted to treat. We suggest a WOC factor should be added to TC data to characterize mortality rates more accurately.
Reliability modeling for safety-critical software

Software reliability predictions can increase trust in the reliability of safety critical software such as the NASA Space Shuttle Primary Avionics Software System (Shuttle flight software). This objective was achieved using a novel approach to integrate software-safety criteria, risk analysis, reliability prediction, and stopping rules for testing. This approach applies to other safety-critical software. The authors cover only the safety of the software in a safety-critical system. The hardware and human-operator components of such systems are not explicitly modeled nor are the hardware and operator-induced software failures. The concern is with reducing the risk of all failures attributed to software. Thus, safety refers to software-safety and not to system-safety. By improving the software reliability, where the reliability measurements and predictions are directly related to mission and crew safety, they contribute to system safety. Software reliability models provide one of several tools that software managers of the Shuttle flight software are using to assure that the software meets required safety goals. Other tools are inspections, software reviews, testing, change control boards, and perhaps most important-experience and judgement.
STUDIES ON X-RAY EFFECTS XIV. THE EFFECT OF X-RAY ON THE DIVISION RATE OF PARAMECIUM.

Two races of paramecium were submitted for varying lengths of time to x-radiation and a large number of individuals were observed to determine the effect on the rate of division. The division rate of both races suffered a slight initial depression lasting for 2 to 5 days following the exposure. This depression is followed by complete recovery. Within rather wide limits the length of the exposure has, in these experiments, made no appreciable difference. Apparently the maximum effect of the x-rays is produced by relatively short exposures. Continued radiation produces little further change until exposures of 3 and 4 hours are used, when precisely the opposite results are obtained from those obtained with shorter exposures. Doses repeated at various intervals have in general failed to interfere more markedly with the division rate than a single dose. Repeated radiation causes the cells to become slightly swollen without apparent interference with their viability.
Centerline Velocity Decay of Compressible Free Jets

Theme A empirically determined formulation for the eddy viscosity is introduced into the turbulent axially symmetric compressible free jet theory of Kleinstein. * The easily evaluated algebraic equation that results shows excellent agreement with an extensive compilation of experimental data for the centerline velocity decay in the main region. It is found that the eddy viscosity can be treated as constant, with functional dependence on only the exit Mach number and the jet-to-freestream density ratio. The theory presented is applicable to the main region of most classes of free jets, including heterogeneous, nonisothermal, and subsonic and properly-expanded supersonic flows.
Discovery and Characterization of Secretory IgD in Rainbow Trout: Secretory IgD Is Produced through a Novel Splicing Mechanism

The gene encoding IgH δ has been found in all species of teleosts studied to date. However, catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus ) is the only species of fish in which a secretory form of IgD has been characterized, and it occurs through the use of a dedicated δ-secretory exon, which is absent from all other species examined. Our studies have revealed that rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) use a novel strategy for the generation of secreted IgD. The trout secretory δ transcript is produced via a run-on event in which the splice donor site at the end of the last constant domain exon (D7) is ignored and transcription continues until a stop codon is reached 33 nt downstream of the splice site, resulting in the production of an in-frame, 11-aa secretory tail at the end of the D7 domain. In silico analysis of several published IgD genes suggested that this unique splicing mechanism may also be used in other species of fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Alternative splicing of the secretory δ transcript resulted in two δ-H chains, which incorporated Cμ1 and variable domains. Secreted IgD was found in two heavily glycosylated isoforms, which are assembled as monomeric polypeptides associated with L chains. Secretory δ mRNA and IgD + plasma cells were detected in all immune tissues at a lower frequency than secretory IgM. Our data demonstrate that secretory IgD is more prevalent and widespread across taxa than previously thought, and thus illustrate the potential that IgD may have a conserved role in immunity.
Velocity dispersion due to anelasticity; implications for seismology and mantle composition

The concept of a relaxation spectrum is used to compute the absorption and dispersion of a linear anelastic solid. The Boltzmann after-effect equation is solved for a solid having a linear relationship between stress and strain and their first time derivatives, the ‘standard linear solid’, and having a distribution of relaxation times. The distribution function is chosen to give a nearly constant Q over the seismic frequency range. Both discrete and continuous relaxation spectra are considered. The resulting linear solid has a broad absorption band which can be interpreted in terms of a superposition of absorption peaks of individual relaxation mechanisms. The accompanying phase and group velocity dispersion imply that one cannot directly compare body wave, surface wave, and free oscillation data or laboratory and seismic data without correcting for absorption. The necessary formalism for making these corrections is given. In the constant Q regions the correction is the same as that implied in the theories of Futterman, Lomnitz, Strick and Kolsky.
Redundancy removal through semantic neighbor selection in Visual Sensor Networks

Sensor networks utilize a large number of sensing nodes powered by on-board batteries for much improved surveillance quality. Due to the random and dense sensor deployment, when the entire target area is at k-coverage, a significant portion of it will be covered by more than k sensors. The neighbor selection scheme could find those redundant sensors and put them into the sleep mode for energy conservation purpose, thus prolonging the network lifetime. Depending on the type of sensing modalities used in the network, the neighbor selection method can be very different. Most conventional sensor networks adopt scalar sensors with omni-directional sensing capability and thus the neighborhood depends only on the distance between sensors. The focus of this paper is on neighbor selection in Visual Sensor Networks (VSNs) that consist of a large number of imaging sensors where directional sensing is adopted. Therefore, the neighborhood depends not only on the distance, but also on their orientations and occlusion conditions. In this paper we present a semantic neighbor selection algorithm for VSNs where the semantic neighbor is defined as a group of geographically close visual sensors that capture the same or similar scene. Our semantic neighbor selection is based on the principle of image comparison by using effective feature extraction approach that is both compact and with high accuracy. We develop a so-called Extend Speeded-UP Robust Features (E-SURF) based on two popularly used feature extraction schemes, SURF and SIFT. The E-SURF feature is more compact than SIFT in terms of data volume so that the semantic neighbor selection process would not incur a heavy overhead in communication. It is also more accurate than SURF in terms of finding the right neighbors. To ensure this scheme works well in practical VSNs, we present a protocol design for implementation.