cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transforming Growth Factor β2 Lowers the Incidence of Incisional Hernias

Background Approximately 200,000 incisional hernias are repaired annually in the United States. The high incidence (11-20%) and recurrence rate (24-54%) for incisional hernias have not changed appreciably in 75 years. Mechanical advances in suture material, incision orientation, and closure technique have failed to eliminate this common surgical complication. A biological approach to acute wound failure may offer a new strategy. Methods. A rodent incisional hernia model was used. Seventy rats underwent 5-cm midline celiotomies and were closed with fine, fast-absorbing sutures to induce intentional acute wound failure. Group 1 received no other treatment. The midline fascia in groups 2 and 3 was injected immediately prior to incision with 100 μl of vehicle alone or vehicle containing 1 μg of transforming growth factor β 2 (TGF-β 2 ). Necropsy was performed on Postoperative Day 28 and the wounds were examined for herniation. Results. Incisional hernias developed in 88% (35/40) and 79% (11/14) of untreated incisions and those treated with vehicle alone. No hernias formed in the TGF-β 2 -treated incisions (0/16, P < 0.05). Standard histology and immunohistochemistry demonstrated enhanced macrophage, lymphocyte, and fibroblast chemotaxis and increased collagen I and III production in TGF-β 2 treated incisions. Conclusions. Treatment of abdominal wall fascial incisions with TGF-β 2 prevented the development of incisional hernias in this rat model. TGF-β 2 stimulated fascial macrophage and fibroblast chemotaxis as well as acute wound collagen production. A biological approach such as this may reduce the incidence of incisional hernia formation in humans.
Preexposure to explicitly unpaired conditioned and unconditioned stimuli retards conditioned response emergence

An aversive nictitating membrane conditioning experiment, with rabbit subjects, was designed to address two questions concerning stimulus contingencies experienced prior to the emergence of conditioned responses (CRs). Will initial conditioned stimulus/unconditioned stimulus (CS-US) pairings insufficient in number to result in CRs have a between-sessions enhancement effect on subsequent performance? Will exposure to explicitly unpaired CSs and USs retard the emergence of CRs? There was no evidence of a between-sessions enhancement effect. However, exposure to unpaired CSs and USs did delay CR emergence, although it did not have any effect once CRs had emerged. It was concluded that the initial negative CS-US contingency experience was more likely to have retarded the detection of the CS-US pairing contingency than to have affected response selection and/or organization.
A laser flash photolytic method of studying hydrogen-bonding equilibria with phenols

Abstract The fact that the rate constants for p -methoxyacetophenone triplet quenching by phenols drop considerably when the latter are hydrogen bonded has been utilized to develop a method, based on laser flash photolysis, to study hydrogen bonding involving phenols. The decrease in quenching rate constants correlates with the strength of hydrogen bonds.
Rx Stack Accelerator for 10 GbE Integrated NIC

The miniaturization of CMOS technology has reached a scale at which server processors are starting to integrate multi-gigabit network interface controllers (NIC). While transistors are becoming cheap and abundant in solid-state circuits, they remain at a premium on a processor die if they do not contribute to increase the number of cores and caches. Therefore, an integrated NIC (iNIC) must provide high networking performance under high logic density and low power dissipation. This paper describes the design of an integrated accelerator to offload computation-intensive protocol-processing tasks. The accelerator combines the concepts of the transport-triggered architecture with a programmable finite-state machine to deliver high instruction-level parallelism, efficient multiway branching and flexibility. The flexibility is key to adapt to protocol changes and address new applications. This accelerator was used in the construction of a 10 GbE iNIC in 45-nm CMOS technology. The ratio of performance (15 Mfps -- 20 Gb/s Tput per port) to area (0.7 mm2) and the power consumption (0.15 W) of this accelerator were core enablers for constructing a processor compute complex with four iNICs.
Identification of a vitamin K‐dependent carboxylase in the venom duct of a Conus snail

Abstract Peptides from the venom ducts of cone snails (genus Conus) contain γ-carboxyglutamate residues. The γ-glutamyl carboxylase responsible for this post-translational modification is localized in the microsomal fraction, strictly dependent on vitamin K, activated by ammonium sulfate, and is associated with endogenous substrate. The Km of the enzyme for vitamin K is comparable to that for the bovine carboxylase. However, a propeptide containing substrate related to the blood coagulation protein factor IX, a highly efficient substrate for the bovine enzyme, was poorly carboxylated by the Conus enzyme, suggesting differences in γ-carboxylase recognition signal sequences and/or structural requirements at the carboxylation site.
A MATLAB Solver for Nonlinear Rational Expectations Models

A framework for describing nonlinear rational expectation models is developed that synthesizes previously described approaches. Computational issues for solving such models include how the expectation operator is approximated, what family of approximation is used for the solution function, what criteria are used for choosing approximation parameters and what algorithm is used to identify the parameters. A user-friendly MATLAB procedure that incorporates a wide variety of possible choices is described.
Assessing Cardiac Injury in Mice With Dual Energy-MicroCT, 4D-MicroCT, and MicroSPECT Imaging After Partial Heart Irradiation

Purpose To develop a mouse model of cardiac injury after partial heart irradiation (PHI) and to test whether dual energy (DE)-microCT and 4-dimensional (4D)-microCT can be used to assess cardiac injury after PHI to complement myocardial perfusion imaging using micro-single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Methods and Materials To study cardiac injury from tangent field irradiation in mice, we used a small-field biological irradiator to deliver a single dose of 12 Gy x-rays to approximately one-third of the left ventricle (LV) of Tie2Cre; p53 FL/+ and Tie2Cre; p53 FL/− mice, where 1 or both alleles of p53 are deleted in endothelial cells. Four and 8 weeks after irradiation, mice were injected with gold and iodinated nanoparticle-based contrast agents, and imaged with DE-microCT and 4D-microCT to evaluate myocardial vascular permeability and cardiac function, respectively. Additionally, the same mice were imaged with microSPECT to assess myocardial perfusion. Results After PHI with tangent fields, DE-microCT scans showed a time-dependent increase in accumulation of gold nanoparticles (AuNp) in the myocardium of Tie2Cre; p53 FL/− mice. In Tie2Cre; p53 FL/− mice, extravasation of AuNp was observed within the irradiated LV, whereas in the myocardium of Tie2Cre; p53 FL/+ mice, AuNp were restricted to blood vessels. In addition, data from DE-microCT and microSPECT showed a linear correlation (R 2 = 0.97) between the fraction of the LV that accumulated AuNp and the fraction of LV with a perfusion defect. Furthermore, 4D-microCT scans demonstrated that PHI caused a markedly decreased ejection fraction, and higher end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes, to develop in Tie2Cre; p53 FL/− mice, which were associated with compensatory cardiac hypertrophy of the heart that was not irradiated. Conclusions Our results show that DE-microCT and 4D-microCT with nanoparticle-based contrast agents are novel imaging approaches complementary to microSPECT for noninvasive assessment of the change in myocardial vascular permeability and cardiac function of mice in whom myocardial injury develops after PHI.
Prefrontal cortex involvement in processing incorrect arithmetic equations: evidence from event-related fMRI.

The main aim of this study was to investigate the differential processing of correct and incorrect equations to gain further insight into the neural processes involved in arithmetic reasoning. Electrophysiological studies in humans have demonstrated that processing incorrect arithmetic equations (e.g., 2 + 2 = 5) elicits a prominent event-related potential (ERP) compared to processing correct equations (e.g., 2 + 2 = 4). In the present study, we investigated the neural substrates of this process using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Subjects were presented with arithmetic equations and asked to indicate whether the solution displayed was correct or incorrect. We found greater activation to incorrect, compared to correct equations, in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC, BA 46) and the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC, BA 47). Our results provide the first brain imaging evidence for differential processing of incorrect vs. correct equations. The prefrontal cortex activation observed in processing incorrect equations overlaps with brain areas known to be involved in working memory and interference processing. The DLPFC region differentially activated by incorrect equations was also involved in overall arithmetic processing, whereas the VLPFC was activated only during the differential processing of incorrect equations. Differential response to correct and incorrect arithmetic equations was not observed in parietal cortex regions such as the angular gyrus and intra-parietal sulcus, which are known to play a specific role in performing arithmetic computations. The pattern of brain response observed is consistent with the hypothesis that processing incorrect equations involves detection of an incorrect answer and resolution of the interference between the internally computed and externally presented incorrect answer. More specifically, greater activation during processing of incorrect equations appears to reflect additional operations involved in maintaining the results in working memory, while subjects attempt to resolve the conflict and select a response. These findings allow us to further delineate and dissociate the contributions of prefrontal and parietal cortices to arithmetic reasoning.
Repeatability of a specially designed intraoral colorimeter.

Abstract A specially modified Minolta CS-100 colorimeter with a DP-101 data processor was designed for intraoral use. To test the repeatability of the results obtained with this specially modified unit, five porcelain and five acrylic resin denture teeth were mounted in a fixed position in front of a fixed mounted meter. Three L ∗ a ∗ b ∗ readings were taken per tooth and mean values were obtained after calibration as a baseline measurement. The readings were repeated on day 3 without recalibration and on day 8 after recalibration. The same-day repeatability showed ΔE values 0.4 in all of the samples, with a range of 0.57 to 2.75. In vivo testing was performed on five patients with ΔE values that ranged from 1.1 to 32.1.
Charge transfer, charge tailing, cohesion and electron promotion in the transition metals.

Abstract Two issues will be considered in this paper. The first recalls Art Freeman's early interest in charge and magnetic hyperfine effects and is concerned with the factors involved in the “charge transfer in solid compounds”, either as measured in experiment or as calculated by band theory. The second matter, which will be inspected briefly, follows up on ideas of Gunnarsson and Jones concerning errors in the LDA theory description of s-d promotion energies in transition-metal atoms and their implications for calculating cohesive energies. In dealing with charge transfer, band theorists very often integrate the charge over an atomic sphere or cell and then talk of it as if the terms are LCAO occupation numbers. Quantitatively the two occupancies can be very different because of the spatial extent (overlap) of the orbitals. Using augmented-basis calculations, we shall go beyond the simple LCAO description and further decompose the charge into on-site and “tailing” contributions, which we believe give a more transparent physical picture. It will be seen that discussions about the charge occupancy and charge transfer as arising from band hybridization, band filling, and screening are incomplete if they neglect the quantitative implications of charge tailing. For example, the p-like term in the charge density of a transition-metal site is primarily tail-like, that is not intrinsic to the site. Thus “p bonding” is not substantial, however, the changes in the small amount of on-site p charge on going from an elemental metal to a compound, or from one compound to another compound, may be of significance.
A cell synthesis method for salicide process

In this paper, we propose a cell synthesis method for a Salicide process. Our method utilizes the local interconnect between adjacent transistors, which is available in some Salicide processes, and optimizes the transistor placement of a cell considering both area and the number of local interconnects. In this way we reduce the number of metal wires and contacts. The circuit model is not restricted to conventional series-parallel CMOS logic, and our method enables us to synthesize CMOS pass-transistor circuits. Experimental results show that our method uses the local interconnect effectively, and optimizes both cell area and metal wire length.
Elementary school parents'/guardians' perceptions of school health service personnel and the services they provide.

BACKGROUND: The school nurse, the school social worker, and the school counselor play an important role in promoting the health of children. Health services in the school setting provide opportunities to appraise, protect, and promote student health. The purpose of this study was to identify parents' or caregivers' perceptions and beliefs regarding the importance of schools providing various health services to their elementary school-aged children. In addition, the study examined the levels of parental support for, perceptions of, and contact with school health service personnel. METHODS: In 2005, a nationally representative random sample of 369 (51% return rate) parents of elementary school-aged children completed the questionnaire developed for this study. RESULTS: A majority of parents/caregivers reported that their child's school had a school nurse (78.8%) and counselor (60.5%), but only 22.6% reported their school had a social worker. A majority of parents/caregivers perceived full-time school nurses (86.3%), school counselors (78.6%), and school social workers (56.3%) as important or extremely important and that schools should be held responsible for having each in their child's elementary school. A majority of parents/caregivers were willing to pay an increase in yearly tax dollars to have full-time school health personnel. CONCLUSIONS: This study established a level of parental support for, perceptions of, and contact with school health service personnel. Parents were most supportive of school nurses and should be perceived as allies in ensuring job security.
Gênero e música barroca

Na Europa dos seculos XVII e XVIII, a cultura musical e aquilo que os antropologos denominam de "sistema de sexo/genero" eram areas importantes para seres humanos comuns (e nao filosofos) confrontarem e se engajarem com as ansiedades epistemologicas e sociais que caracterizavam a era. Este ensaio devera explorar a miriade de relacoes entre genero e cultura musical barroca, com enfase especial nos aspectos mais exoticos destas relacoes - os papeis adotados pelas cortesas, castrati e seus patroes da mais alta elite com o intuito de manter a pratica musical como um meio para a representacao e circulacao de poder e desejo..
Altered body composition in preterm infants at hospital discharge.

Aim: To test the hypotheses that body size is reduced and body composition altered in preterm infants at hospital discharge. Methods: Preterm infants (≤34 weeks gestation, ≤1750 g at birth) were enrolled. Body weight, length and head circumference were converted to standard deviation or z-scores. Body composition was measured using dual emission X-ray absorptiometry. The results were analysed using standard statistics. Results: One hundred and forty-nine infants (birth weight = 1406 ± 248 g, gestation = 31 ± 1.7 weeks) were studied. Postmenstrual age at discharge was 37 ± 1.2 weeks. Z-scores for head circumference, weight and length differed (−0.1 ± 0.6 > −1.4 ± 0.6 > −1.9 ± 0.6; p 198 g, 13 > 8%) or gestation (307 > 273 g; 13 > 9%; p < 0.0001). Changes in central fat mass closely paralleled those in global fat mass (r2 = 0.76, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Reduced linear growth and a reduced fat-free mass suggest that dietary protein needs were not met before discharge. A reduced fat-free mass coupled with an increased global and central fat mass echoes concerns about the development of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome X in these high-risk infants.
A Review of “The Popes of Avignon: A Century in Exile”

The Popes of Avignon offers an engaging series of Aark Ages–era vignettes—Templars burned at the stake, French kings thwarting Roman Christian unity, Dante disappointed, and Petrarch climbing mount...
HUMAN RENIN GENE EXPRESSION DURING PREGNANCY IN TRANSGENIC MICE. † 367

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been hypothesized to play a central role in mediating the cardiovascular changes observed in both normal and hypertensive pregnancies. From serial studies in both humans and animals, circulating levels of all components of the RAS (renin, angiotensinogen, angiotensin II) have consistently been shown to be elevated 2-3 fold during pregnancy. Despite the considerable evidence that the RAS is potentially important in cardiovascular control, there is a paucity of information concerning regulation of the genes of the RAS during pregnancy. Information on the regulation of the human RAS is especially lacking. Six transgenic female mice carrying the human renin gene underwent timed pregnancies with C57BL/6J male mice. At 16-18 days of gestation (term = 20 days), the mice were sacrificed along with age-matched non-pregnant female littermates (N=6). Kidneys, myometrium (separate from chorioamniotic membranes), and placentas were removed for mRNA expression. Human and mouse renin mRNA expression was measured by RNase protection assay. High level of both human and mouse renin mRNA was detected in all placentas analyzed. Human and mouse renin mRNA expression was found in both pregnant and non-pregnant myometrium samples. The level of expression in the uterus of non-pregnant female mice exhibited significant variation among samples. Uterine expression of human renin mRNA, however, appeared significantly elevated during pregnancy. Surprisingly, both human and endogenous renin expression within the kidney remained unchanged in pregnant samples (vs non-pregnant controls). These results suggest the possibility of a tissue renin-angiotensin system within the uteroplacental unit which is active during pregnancy and may have important maternal or fetal physiological consequences.
Labor analgesia and infant brain development

A large percentage of newborns are exposed to pharmacological agents that affect the brain in connection with pain management during labor. The two most commonly used agents are meperidine, administered intravenously or intramuscularly, and bupivacaine, administered by the epidural route. Over the years, infant behavioral assessments have been used in the neonatal nursery to identify labor analgesia regimens with minimal impact on neonatal status. However, considerable controversy has centered on the general issue of possible harm to the neonate from use of analgesia and anesthesia in obstetrics. Due to limitations on experiments in the obstetric situation and a lack of suitable animal models, the broader issues concerning the effects of these agents on the developing brain and possible long-term consequences for infant adaptive functioning have received little attention. A series of studies has recently been completed using a rhesus monkey model for administration of labor analgesia under controlled experimental conditions and long-term behavioral evaluation of infants. Most of the assessments, including those of cognitive function, were not influenced by perinatal analgesia. However, these studies have confirmed the neonatal depressant effects of meperidine and have suggested that the course of behavioral maturation during certain periods of infancy is influenced by both meperidine and bupivacaine administration at birth. These effects could occur as a result of effects on vulnerable brain processes during a sensitive period, interference with programming of brain development by endogenous agents, or alteration in early experiences.
Partial thickness macular holes and pharmacological treatment

Partial thickness macular holes and lamellar macular holes have a different pathophysiological mechanism compare to the full thickness macular holes as well as different management. Surgery is not always an option. This is the case for a group of full thickness macular holes as well, where pharmacological treatment appears to be a very successful option.
Cognitive control and parsing: reexamining the role of Broca's area in sentence comprehension

A century of investigation into the role of the human frontal lobes in complex cognition, including language processing, has revealed several interesting but apparently contradictory findings. In particular, the results of numerous studies suggest that left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG), which includes Broca’s area, plays a direct role in sentence-level syntactic processing. In contrast, other brain-imaging and neuropsychological data indicate that LIFG is crucial for cognitive control—specifically, for overriding highly regularized, automatic processes, even when a task involves syntactically undemanding material (e.g., single words, a list of letters). We provide a unifying account of these findings, which emphasizes the importance of general cognitive control mechanisms for the syntactic processing of sentences. On the basis of a review of the neurocognitive and sentence-processing literatures, we defend the following three hypotheses: (1) LIFG is part of a network of frontal lobe subsystems that are generally responsible for the detection and resolution of incompatible stimulus representations; (2) the role of LIFG in sentence comprehension is to implement reanalysis in the face of misinterpretation; and (3) individual differences in cognitive control abilities in nonsyntactic tasks predict correlated variation in sentence-processing abilities pertaining to the recovery from misinterpretation.
Site-Directed Mutagenesis of Human Myeloperoxidase: Further Identification of Residues Involved in Catalytic Activity and Heme Interaction

Evidence for the involvement of four spatially clustered residues, Asp260(94), His261(95), Glu408(242) and Met409(243), in catalytic and spectral properties of human myeloperoxidase was provided by the analysis of site-directed mutants wherein these amino acids have been substituted by asparagine, alanine, glutamine and glutamine respectively. Although none of the mutations prevented folding, heme incorporation or secretion of the enzyme from transfected Chinese Hamster Ovary cell lines, the Glu408(242) to Gln and the Met409(243) to Gln substitutions led to a full blue-shift of the Soret peak, whereas the Asp260(94) to Asn modification led to a partial blue-shift. On the other hand, His261(95)->Ala and Met409(243)->Gln mutants totally lost the typical peroxidasic activity of the enzyme, whereas the Asp260(94)->Asn mutant was only partially active. These results confirm that His261(95) is the distal histidine essential for the catalytic activity of the enzyme while Asp260(94), Met409(243) and Glu408(242) are necessary for maintaining the correct conformation of the active site and all four residues that interact closely with the periphery of the heme contribute to the unique spectral properties of the heme in MPO.
Evidence for the 2 π Decay of the K 2 0 Meson

This Letter reports the results of experimental studies designed to search for the 2m decay of the K, meson. Several previous experiments have served"~ to set an upper limit of 1/300 for the fraction of K2 's which decay into two charged pions. The present experiment, using spark chamber techniques, proposed to extend this limit.
Evidence for lack of synthesis of the M polypeptide of measles virus in brain cells in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

Abstract The synthesis of measles virus polypeptides in cells in their fifth passage after removal from the brain of a patient with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) has been investigated using immunoprecipitation techniques. Although the other major virion polypeptides were found, synthesis of the M polypeptide was not detected. High titers of antibodies to the other virion proteins were found in the cerebrospinal fluid, as well as the serum, of a patient with SSPE, but only a trace of antibody to the M polypeptide was found at the lowest dilutions. These results, and the earlier finding of the lack of antibody to M in the sera of many patients with SSPE, support the previous suggestion that there is decreased synthesis of the M polypeptide in the cells of the brain in patients with SSPE.
Performance equivalence of suboptimally controlled nonlinear systems

A procedure is described that shows how a technique used to develop performance bounds for a large class of nonlinear dynamic systems with state-dependent control policies can be extended to determ...
Microstructural modeling of thermal conductivity of high burn-up mixed oxide fuel

Abstract Predicting the thermal conductivity of oxide fuels as a function of burn-up and temperature is fundamental to the efficient and safe operation of nuclear reactors. However, modeling the thermal conductivity of fuel is greatly complicated by the radially inhomogeneous nature of irradiated fuel in both composition and microstructure. In this work, radially and temperature-dependent models for effective thermal conductivity were developed utilizing optical micrographs of high burn-up mixed oxide fuel. The micrographs were employed to create finite element meshes with the OOF2 software. The meshes were then used to calculate the effective thermal conductivity of the microstructures using the BISON [1] fuel performance code. The new thermal conductivity models were used to calculate thermal profiles at end of life for the fuel pellets. These results were compared to thermal conductivity models from the literature, and comparison between the new finite element-based thermal conductivity model and the Duriez–Lucuta model was favorable.
An improved procedure for the synthesis of 2'-O-methylnucleoside 5'-diphosphate.

Abstract 2′-0-Methyladenosine 5′-diphosphate has been chemically synthesized with an overall yield of 48% by adopting the direct phosphorylation of the nucleoside by phosphoryl chloride in step 1 and the morpholidate procedure in step 2 of the following scheme: Am1 - pAm1 (step 1) - ppAm (step 2). The method has been successfully used in the synthesis of 2′-O-methyluridine 5′-diphosphate and 2′-O-methylcytidine 5′-diphosphate and is applicable to the synthesis of nucleoside 5′-diphosphates in general.
Algorithms to Reveal the Representation of Characters, Integers, and Floating-Point Numbers

Three algorithms are presented as a set of Standard Fortran subroutines which compute the number of characters representable in a single storage unit, the number of bits representing a character, and the type of integer representation. This information provides for the determination of a lower bound for the floating-point exponent length. The method used for the computations is rarely discussed in the literature of programing techniques and is applicable to other languages. The assumptions of the algorithm and the accuracy of the results are discussed. 1 table.
Hypothermic circulatory arrest does not increase the risk of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm resection.

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of a period of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) during elective replacement of the ascending thoracic aorta. Background Data DHCA has been implemented in ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm resection whenever the anatomy or pathology of the aorta or arch vessels prevents safe or adequate cross-clamping. Profound hypothermia and retrograde cerebral perfusion have been shown to be neurologically protective during ascending aortic replacement under circulatory arrest. Methods The authors conducted a retrospective analysis of 91 consecutive patients who underwent repair of chronic ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms from 1986 to present. The authors hypothesized that patients undergoing DHCA with or without retrograde cerebral perfusion during aneurysm repair were at no greater operative risk than patients who received aneurysm resection while on standard cardiopulmonary bypass. Results There were no significant differences in hospital mortality, stroke rate, or operative morbidity between patients repaired on DHCA when compared to those repaired on cardiopulmonary bypass. Conclusions DHCA with or without retrograde cerebral perfusion does not result in increased morbidity or mortality during the resection of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms. In fact, this technique may prevent damage to the arch vessels in select cases and avoid the possible complications associated with cross-clamping a friable or atherosclerotic aorta.
Streaming level set algorithm for 3D segmentation of confocal microscopy images

We present a high performance variant of the popular geodesic active contours which are used for splitting cell clusters in microscopy images. Previously, we implemented a linear pipelined version that incorporates as many cues as possible into developing a suitable level-set speed function so that an evolving contour exactly segments a cell/nuclei blob. We use image gradients, distance maps, multiple channel information and a shape model to drive the evolution. We also developed a dedicated seeding strategy that uses the spatial coherency of the data to generate an over complete set of seeds along with a quality metric which is further used to sort out which seed should be used for a given cell. However, the computational performance of any level-set methodology is quite poor when applied to thousands of 3D data-sets each containing thousands of cells. Those data-sets are common in confocal microscopy. In this work, we explore methods to stream the algorithm in shared memory, multi-core environments. By partitioning the input and output using spatial data structures we insure the spatial coherency needed by our seeding algorithm as well as improve drastically the speed without memory overhead. Our results show speed-ups up to a factor of six.
A Thermodynamics-Based Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Engine Model for Adaptive Nonlinear Controller Development

Low-temperature combustion modes, such as homogeneous charge compression ignition, represent a promising means to increase the efficiency and to reduce significantly the emissions of internal combustion engines. Implementation and control are difficult, however, owing to the dependence of the combustion event on the chemical kinetics rather than an external trigger. This work describes a nonlinear control-oriented model developed for a single-cylinder homogeneous charge compression ignition engine, which is physically based on a five-state thermodynamic cycle. This model is aimed at capturing the behavior of an engine which utilizes fully vaporized gasoline-type fuels, exhaust gas recirculation, and intake air heating in order to achieve homogeneous charge compression ignition operation. The onset of combustion, which is vital for control, is modeled using an Arrhenius reaction rate expression which relates the combustion timing to both the charge dilution and the temperature. Despite the fact that homoge...
Bounded-width polynomial-size branching programs recognize exactly those languages in NC1

Abstract We show that any language recognized by an NC 1 circuit (fan-in 2, depth O (log n )) can be recognized by a width-5 polynomial-size branching program. As any bounded-width polynomial-size branching program can be simulated by an NC 1 circuit, we have that the class of languages recognized by such programs is exactly nonuniform NC 1 . Further, following Ruzzo ( J. Comput. System Sci. 22 (1981), 365–383) and Cook ( Inform. and Control 64 (1985) 2–22) , if the branching programs are restricted to be ATIME(logn)-uniform, they recognize the same languages as do ATIME(log n )-uniform NC 1 circuits, that is, those languages in ATIME(log n ). We also extend the method of proof to investigate the complexity of the word problem for a fixed permutation group and show that polynomial size circuits of width 4 also recognize exactly nonuniform NC 1 .
Withholding Requests for Disability Accommodation: The Role of Individual Differences and Disability Attributes

Prior research suggests that people with disabilities often do not request needed workplace accommodations, though relatively few studies address which factors influence the extent of such potentially self-limiting behavior. Drawing on workplace disability, help seeking, and social identity literature, this study proposes and tests a model of request withholding frequency using survey data from 279 people with hearing impairments. Consistent with expectations, older employees withheld requests less frequently; however, there was no main effect of gender. Moreover, the strength of the relationship between age and request withholding frequency was significantly weaker when the disability was more severe and when the age of disability onset was earlier. Similarly, disability severity influenced the strength of the relationship between gender and request withholding frequency, though the age of disability onset did not. These findings are consistent with social identity theory, in that those individual differ...
Health and the Inner and Outer Sky

Viewing health beyond the concept of the absence of disease has to do with the way we feel and interact with everything around us. When we have the ability to use all of our senses and all aspects of our body, mind, and soul to sort out knowledge, beliefs, concepts, and memories, this wholeness becomes the totality of the universe. In this article, using the sky as the symbol of universal vastness, openness, and nearly unimaginable meaning, the author postulates that this universe cannot be separated from self, health, and the health of all who live. He refers to this concept as inner and outer space-the inner and outer sky. Using personal experiences as well as the experience of others and "primitive" and spiritual traditions, he describes a state of "excruciating aliveness" that is an integrating and health-giving joy. Although he feels that most of us are so caught up in the exigencies of modern times we have created a pathology, a sense of disconnection, he believes that many of us carry secrets of th...
The Evaluation and Management of Neonatal Coagulation Disorders

Neonatal hemostatic abnormalities can present diagnostic and therapeutic challenges to the physician. Developmental deficiencies and/or increases of certain coagulation proteins, coupled with acquired or genetic risk factors, can result in a hemorrhagic or thromboembolic emergency. The timely diagnosis of a congenital hemorrhagic or thrombotic disorder can avoid significant long-term sequelae. However, due to the lack of randomized clinical trials addressing the management of neonatal coagulation disorders, treatment strategies are usually empiric and not evidence-based. In this chapter, we will review the neonatal hemostatic system and will discuss the most common types of hemorrhagic and thrombotic disorders. Congenital and acquired risk factors for hemorrhagic and thromboembolic disorders will be presented, as well as current treatment options. Finally, suggested evaluations for neonates with either hemorrhagic or thromboembolic problems will be reviewed.
Visual communication: a multi-perspective approach

Visual communication is a subject area rich for exploration and discovery. A multi-perspective approach to learning about the various media that is inherent in modern society allows us to better understand what we see and what it means. In essence, it provides a framework within which visual literacy can be attained. This paper introduces some fundamental considerations of visual communication and encourages a multi-perspective approach to exploring visual media with the goal of persuading readers to recognize the importance of developing visual literacy.
Is hepatic transplantation justified for primary liver cancer

A concise, yet objective overview of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) treatment in 2006 with an intent to transplant is presented. The most significant variables impacting on the use of hepatic transplantation as therapy for primary liver cancer are developed under the headings of: Staging Criteria; Organ allocation; Transplant dropout minimization therapies; and Effects on the HCC general population. The pertinent medical literature and update of an ongoing intent-to-treat HCC with transplant single center randomized control trial are reviewed. J. Surg. Oncol. 2007;95:674–679. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Mental health consultation and the phenomenon of counteridentification

Summary In addition to the use of the term as a specific type of countertransference reaction, it is proposed that the term “counteridentification” also be used to describe an excessive and inappropriate identification on the part of a mental health consultant with all or a portion of the value system of a consultee or consultee organization. It is suggested that this is a ubiquitous phenomenon in all mental health consultation, since mutual identification between consultant and consultee appears to be a prerequisite for the development of an effective consultative relationship. It is also suggested that such counteridentification may prove disruptive to the consultative relationship, as well as injurious to individual clients and patients. If these impressions are correct, then there is additional support for Caplan's admonition to all workers in the field of mental health consultation: “The need for professional self-awareness and self-control in this area is similar to that which is familiar to us in our interaction with individual patients. The difference is that the therapeutic role of the psychiatrist has become well defined, as has the complementary role of patients, as a result of many years of experience and as a development of a much older doctor-patient role relationship in the general medical field. The role of the preventive psychiatrist in social action is relatively new, and its development must be carefully watched to ensure adequate professional safeguards.”
Global distribution of nearly identical phage-encoded DNA sequences

Phages, the most abundant biological entities on the planet, play important roles in biogeochemical cycling, horizontal gene transfer, and defining microbial community composition. However, very little is known about phage diversity or biogeography, and there has not yet been a systematic effort to compare the phages found in different ecosystems. Here, we report that T7-like Podophage DNA polymerase sequences occur in every major biome investigated, including marine, freshwater, sediment, terrestrial, extreme, and metazoan-associated. The majority of these sequences belong to a unique clade that is only distantly related to cultured isolates. Some identical T7-like phage-encoded DNA polymerase genes from this clade were >99% conserved at the nucleotide level in multiple different environments, suggesting that these phages are moving between biomes in recent evolutionary time and that the global genomic pool for T7-like phages may be smaller than previously hypothesized.
Syndecans in tumor cell adhesion and signaling

Anchorage of cells to "heparin" – binding domains that are prevalent in extracellular matrix (ECM) components is thought to occur primarily through the syndecans, a four-member family of transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycans that communicate environmental cues from the ECM to the cytoskeleton and the signaling apparatus of the cell. Known activities of the syndecans trace to their highly conserved cytoplasmic domains and to their heparan sulfate chains, which can serve to regulate the signaling of growth factors and morphogens. However, several emerging studies point to critical roles for the syndecans' extracellular protein domains in tumor cell behavior to include cell adhesion and invasion. Although the mechanisms of these activities remain largely unknown, one possibility involves "co-receptor" interactions with integrins that may regulate integrin function and the cell adhesion-signaling phenotype. Thus, alterations in syndecan expression, leading to either overexpression or loss of expression, both of which take place in tumor cells, may have dramatic effects on tumor cell invasion.
Ozone impacts on allometry and root hydraulic conductance are not mediated by source limitation nor developmental age

O(3)could reduce growth and carbohydrate allocation to roots by direct inhibition of photosynthesis and source strength. Alternatively, O(3) could reduce growth indirectly by inhibition of root hydraulic development through a primary lesion in carbohydrate translocation. Another alternative is that O(3) could slow the rate of plant development, only apparently altering carbohydrate allocation at a given plant age. Pima cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) is used to address these possibilities, and four hypotheses were tested/ (1) O(3) exposure reduces leaf pools of soluble sugars; (2) pruning leaf area and reducing source strength to match that of O(3)-treated plants reproduces O(3)-effects; (3) pruning lower leaf area more closely reproduces O(3) effects than pruning upper leaf area; and (4) manipulating plant age and thereby plant size to match O(3)-treated plants reproduces O(3)-effects. All were falsified. Soluble sugars did not decline. Pruning upper and lower leaves and manipulating plant age all reduced biomass and leaf area similarly to O(3)-exposure, but neither reproduced O(3) effects on biomass allocation nor root function. It is concluded that O(3) induces an allometric shift in carbohydrate allocation that is not mediated by photosynthetic inhibition nor by alteration of developmental age. Effects of O(3) could be mediated by direct effects on phloem loading, with consequent inhibition of translocation to roots and root system development.
ON THE SPECTRAL MEASURES OF SOME WEAKLY STATIONARY SEQUENCES INVOLVING RANDOMLY SPACED OBSERVATIONS

In an earlier paper by the author, as part of a construction of a counterexample to the central limit theorem under certain strong mixing conditions, a formula is given that shows, for strictly stationary sequences with mean zero and finite second moments and a continuous spectral density function, how that spectral density function changes if the observations in that strictly stationary sequence are "randomly spread out" in a particular way, with independent "nonnegative geometric" numbers of zeros inserted in between. In this paper, that formula will be generalized to the class of weakly stationary, mean zero, complex-valued random sequences, with arbitrary spectral measure.
Data-efficient minimax quickest change detection

In [1], a Bayesian two-threshold algorithm was obtained for quickest detection of a change in the distribution of a sequence of random variables, subject to constraints of probability of false alarm and observation cost. This algorithm was shown to be asymptotically optimal and to have good trade-off curves. In this paper, the results in [1] are extended to the more practically relevant minimax setting. Motivated by the structure of the algorithm developed in [1], a CUSUM based algorithm, called DE-CUSUM is proposed, which can be used for on-off observation control and to detect change as quickly as possible subject to a false alarm constraint. It is shown that the DE-CUSUM algorithm inherits the good qualities of the algorithm in [1], i.e., it is also asymptotically optimal and has good trade-off curves. Numerical results show that the DE-CUSUM algorithm provides a substantial savings in the observation cost over the naive approach of fractional sampling.
Acculturation, school context, and school outcomes: Adaptation of refugee adolescents from the former Soviet Union

A differentiated model of acculturation was used to assess the relationship of acculturative styles to school adaptation among a group of 110 refugee adolescents from the former Soviet Union. Acculturation was assessed with respect to both American and Russian cultures and, within each culture, distinguished among language competence, behavior, and identity. School adaptation was assessed in terms of academic (GPA), behavioral (disciplinary infractions), and attitudinal (sense of school belonging) components. Results suggested that differing patterns of overall American and Russian acculturation were associated with differing school outcomes, as were language competence, behavior, and identity with respect to the different cultures. In general, higher levels of American acculturation predicted school adaptation while aspects of Russian acculturation were differentially related to school adaptation for different subgroups. Results indicated the importance of conceptualizing acculturation as a multidimensional concept with respect to both culture or origin and culture of resettlement. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 27–38, 2005.
Mesenchymal stem cells improve cardiac conduction by upregulation of connexin 43 through paracrine signaling

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were shown to improve cell survival and alleviate cardiac arrhythmias when transplanted into cardiac tissue; however, little is known about the mechanism by which MSCs...
Observations on Some Cellulosic Chytridiaceous Fungi

Two new species of Endochytrium, E. multiguttulatum and E. cystarum, are described. Nephrochytrium buttermerense Willoughby is transferred to Diplophlyctis under the binomial Diplophlyctis buttermerense (Willoughby) comb. nov. Morphologic and developmental information on an incompletely known fungus, possibly a Solutoparies, and on other previously known cellulosic chytrid species are also given.
Incorporating service learning into computer science courses

The skill set expectations of new computer science graduates have become more demanding in recent years. New graduates must not only master the technical skills of design and programming, but also be proficient in other skills such as teamwork and inter-personal communication as well as understand ethical and social values that are important to computing. Two capstone computer science courses at our university offer excellent opportunities for students to integrate service learning with the concepts learned in the classroom to outside projects. For the past three years, students in these courses participated in small service learning project teams and interacted with "real" clients while supervised by a faculty member of the computer science program. This sort of experiential learning helped instill a sense of social, professional and ethical responsibilities now considered so vital in the computing field.