cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Method of Detection of Initial Recurrence of Stage II/III Cutaneous Melanoma: Analysis of the Utility of Follow-Up Staging

The follow-up of patients with cutaneous melanoma is controversial. Current recommendations suggest routine history and physical examination every 3 to 6 months for the first 3 years and correlate studies including laboratory tests and radiographic imaging. However, the utility of these recommendations are unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of routine imaging on the method of detection of first recurrence in patients with stage II and sentinel lymph node–positive stage III melanoma. We analyzed a prospective database of all cutaneous melanoma patients treated at our institution from 1997 to 2005 who had at least 2 years of follow-up. The method of detection of initial recurrence was analyzed. One hundred eighteen patients with stage II (n = 83) or III (n = 35) melanoma who were followed for at least 2 years were identified. Forty-three of these patients developed recurrence (median time to recurrence, 14 months). Site of first recurrence was as follows: 4 local, 17 in transit, 7 regional lymph node, and 15 distant. Twenty-nine recurrences (67%) were either patient detected or symptomatic. Eleven (26%) were detected by the physician at routine follow-up. Only three (7%) were identified by imaging (two chest X-ray and one brain magnetic resonance imaging) in an otherwise asymptomatic patient. Two-thirds of all initial recurrences of cutaneous melanoma were either detected by a patient or were symptomatic, with most of the remainder detected during routine physical examination. Routine imaging added little value in the detection of initial recurrence.
Job Characteristics, Alienation, and Work-Related Behavior: A Study of Professional Employees

This study examines relationships between job characteristics, alienation from work, and work-related behavior for a group of professional-level technical and managerial employees of a large manufacturing firm. Results indicate a lack of significant relationships between the nature of jobs and experienced work alienation. However, a broad pattern of relationships exists between alienation from work and measures of work-related behavior. Overall, results suggest that the individual value of organizational success may moderate relationships between job characteristics and experienced alienation. Organizational success appears to be especially important to professional-level employees.
Estevan De Dorantes, the Moor or the Slave? The other Moroccan explorer of New Spain

Unlike Ibn Battuta and other medieval travellers and explorers who rose to fame and still fire up much imagination and scholarship in North Africa today, Estevan, the first Moor or Black to set foot in the Southwest of the USA, is virtually unknown in his native land, Morocco. Although much has been written about his sense of adventure and exploration on this side of the Atlantic, the historical literature remains deficient in documenting the conditions under which Estevan left Morocco. This article deals with a rereading of Spanish accounts of New Spain and medieval Moroccan historical documents to better understand Estevan's status and the circumstances that led him to join the Spaniards in their conquest of the New World in the sixteenth century, and why he still remains an anonymous character in Moroccan and North African history text books.
Structure of LQG Controllers Based on a Hybrid Adaptive Optics System Model

The effects of a controller on the residual wavefront variance in an adaptive optics system can be represented by a discrete-time system. Consequently, the controller design that minimizes the wavefront is given by the solution of a discrete-time Linear-Quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) problem. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the structure of the LQG controller that minimizes the residual wavefront variance. It is shown that the LQG controller is an integral controller when the DM has no dynamics, there is no computational delay (the total loop delay is one frame), and the PSD of the incident wavefront decreases by f –2 at all frequencies. Non-zero computational delays result in a multivariable generalization lead element being added to the controller with the zero of the lead element at the origin.
Managing technical professionals: when to know to transition from technology manager to individual contributor!

MY previous articles focused on transitioning from individual contributor to technology manager and I raised the issues about the need for managers to develop both technical and non-technical competencies. The non-technical skills included dealing with difficult employees, managing remote teams, knowing when it's time to cancel a project, differences between project management and people management, and in my TMC President's blog, I wrote about mid-year reviews.
Assessment Practices and Training Needs of Early Childhood Professionals

Assessment plays a critical role in the planning and delivery of quality services for young children and their families. The purpose of this study was to identify the current assessment practices and training needs of early childhood professionals. A large sample of early childhood professionals responded to a comprehensive survey. The most frequently used standardized tools and nonstandardized procedures, the functions of assessment, the training needs of professionals, challenges related to assessment, and recommendations for professional preparation programs are reported.
Processes involved in reading imaging studies: Workflow analysis and implications for workstation development

Software development for imaging workstations has lagged behind hardware availability. To guide development and to analyze work flow involved in interpretation of cross-sectional imaging studies, we assessed the cognitive and physical processes. We observed the performance and interpretation of body computed tomography (CT) scans and recorded the events that occurred during this process. We studied work flow using a bottleneck analysis. Twenty-four of a total of 54 cases (44%) involved comparing the images with those of prior scans. Forty-seven of 54 scans (87%) were viewed using windows other than soft tissue, or compared with precontrast scans. In 46 cases (85%), the interpretation stopped to return to a previous level for review. Measurement of lesions was performed in 24 of 54 (44%) cases, and in 15 (63%) of these cases, measurements were taken of lesions on old studies for comparison. Interpretation was interrupted in 14 of 54 cases (26%) by referring clinicians desiring consultation. The work flow analysis showed film folder retrieval by the film room to be the bottleneck for interpretation by film. For picture archiving and communication system (PACS) reading, the CT examination itself proved to be the bottleneck. We conclude that workstations for CT interpretation should facilitate movement within scans, comparison with prior examinations, and measuring lesions on these scans. Workstation design should consider means of optimizing time currently not used between interpretation sessions, minimizing interruptions and providing more automated functions currently requiring physician interaction.
Elbow Arthroscopy: Set Up, Portals, and Tools for Success

Elbow arthroscopy is a safe and effective tool for the diagnosis and treatment of multiple intra and extra-articular elbow pathologies. However, the elbow's small size, complex three-dimensional anatomy, and proximity to neurovascular structures can make arthroscopic visualization and treatment technically demanding. Complications are uncommon, but include injury to superficial and deep nervous structures, infection, portal site drainage, and compartment syndrome. The safe performance of elbow arthroscopy requires not only an in-depth knowledge of superficial and intra-articular anatomy, but also proper technique. Attention to key set-up components, including, patient positioning, operative and nonoperative arm positioning, arthroscopic instrumentation, arthroscopic pump pressure, and portal placement can facilitate ease of visualization and allow for the prevention of iatrogenic complications. With the appropriate planning, foundation of knowledge, and meticulous surgical technique, elbow arthroscopy can be performed safely and efficiently for a wide range of elbow disorders.
Housing Market Search Behavior and Expected Utility Theory: 1. Measuring Preferences for Housing:

This is the first of two papers examining housing market search in a Los Angeles market. In this paper, we derive and analyze utility functions for housing for each individual in two groups of subjects. The utility functions are derived from an experimental setting, in which house price, floor space, construction quality, and neighborhood quality are varied. The functions are found to be essentially compatible with a linear model. They are used to predict the ratings of real houses and the ratings of the expected value of future search. These ratings are compared with actual ratings obtained from subjects during search. The results suggest that the actual or predicted ratings may be employed in a direct test of a simple expected utility theory of search, and further research along these lines appears justified.
Redefining the structure-activity relationships of 2,6-methano-3-benzazocines. Part 8. High affinity ligands for opioid receptors in the picomolar Ki range: oxygenated N-(2-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4-ylethyl) analogues of 8-CAC.

Abstract N-[2-(4′-methoxy[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)ethyl]-8-CAC (1) is a high affinity (Ki = 0.084 nM) ligand for the μ opioid receptor and served as the lead compound for this study. Analogues of 1 were made in hopes of identifying an SAR within a series of oxygenated (distal) phenyl derivatives. A number of new analogues were made having single-digit pM affinity for the μ receptor. The most potent was the 3′,4′-methylenedioxy analogue 18 (Ki = 1.6 pM).
What’s On Your Mind? How Private Speech Mediates Cognition During Initial Non-Primary Language Learning

Vygotskian sociocultural theory of mind holds that language mediates thought. According to the theory, speech does not merely put completed thought into words; rather, it is a tool to refine thought as it evolves in real time. This study investigated from a sociocultural theory of mind perspective how nine beginning learners of Latin used private speech to supplement different types of computer-based learning support in their efforts to self-regulate, or internalize and apply new linguistic knowledge, at the initial stages of learning how to distinguish thematic agent/patient roles in Latin. Analysis of features of participants’ private speech in combination with their learning outcomes showed that successful self-regulation is possible in the context of independent, computer-based learning, and with minimal support from the learning environment, but that for some learners to gain control of the learning task, more responsive, adaptable learning support appeared to be a sine qua non condition of successful self-regulation.
MEMORY IN CHRONIC ALCOHOLICS. EFFECTS OF INCONSISTENT VERSUS CONSISTENT INFORMATION

Abstract Alcoholics and controls were compared on their resistance to misleading information given after a witnessed event. The eyewitness testimony paradigm of Loftus, Miller, and Burns (“Semantic Integration of Verbal Information in a Visual Memory” Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, Vol. 4, pp. 19–31, 1978) was used, which is a naturalistic variation of a retroactive interference paradigm. Alcoholics did not show greater suggestibility than the controls, being no more “fooled” by the misleading, after-the-fact information. In contrast, alcoholics did show significant impairment in discriminating correct from among incorrect verbal statements about the accident. Thus, certain aspects of memory functioning may be preserved even while others are compromised as a result of chronic alcohol abuse.
Models of neurological defects and defects in neurological models

The transition from research to patient following advances in transplantation research is likely to be disappointing unless it includes a better understanding of critically relevant characteristics of the neurological disorder and improvements in the animal models, particularly the behavioral features. The appropriateness of the model has less to do with the species than with how the species is used.
Technique for direct detection of weakly interacting massive particles using scintillation time discrimination in liquid argon

Abstract Discrimination between electron and nuclear recoil events in a liquid argon scintillation detector has been demonstrated with simulations by using the differences in the scintillation photon time distribution between these classes of events. A discrimination power greater than 10 8 is predicted for a liquid argon experiment with a 10 keV threshold, which would mitigate electron and γ-ray backgrounds, including β decays of 39 Ar and 42 Ar in atmospheric argon. A dark matter search using a ∼2 kg argon target viewed by immersed photomultiplier tubes would allow a sensitivity to a spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross-section of ∼10 −43 cm 2 for a 100 GeV WIMP, assuming a one-year exposure. This technique could be used to scale the target mass to the tonne scale, allowing a sensitivity of ∼10 −46 cm 2 .
Novel presence of luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) receptors and the down-regulating action of hCG on gonadotropin-releasing hormone gene expression in immortalized hypothalamic GT1-7 neurons.

We recently demonstrated that rat preoptic area and anterior hypothalamus, sites of GnRH neurons, contain receptors for LH/hCG. We investigated in the present study whether LH/hCG receptor and GnRH genes are coexpressed in the same neurons and whether LH/hCG can directly regulate GnRH gene expression in immortalized hypothalamic GT1-7 neurons. The immunostaining for both LH/hCG receptors and GnRH are present in the same neurons in rat preoptic area and the GT1-7 neurons. The reverse transcription-nested polymerase chain reaction generated an expected 255-basepair LH/hCG receptor fragment in GT1-7 neurons. Northern blotting showed the presence of a major 1.8-kilobase and minor 2.6- and 4.3-kilobase receptor transcripts. Immunoblotting detected an 80-kilodalton receptor protein. Covalent receptor cross-linking studies showed that [125I]hCG binds to an 80-kilodalton protein with a specificity expected of LH/hCG receptors. Scatchard plot analysis demonstrated that GT1-7 neurons contain a single class of high ...
A new generation of buck-boost resonant AC-link DC-DC converters

This paper introduces soft-switched high-frequency ac-link dc-dc converters. An ac inductor and a small ac capacitor form the parallel high-frequency ac link. The link inductor is the main element for transferring power, and the link capacitor creates partial resonances to obtain zero-voltage turn-on and turn-off for the converter's switches. Both link inductor and capacitor handle ac voltages and currents with low reactive ratings, so they are considerably small and efficient. Moreover, the converters have the ability to make the step-up and step-down operations by using two reverse-blocking switches for unidirectional power flow and two bidirectional switches for bidirectional operation. The converters' link frequency varies slightly by changing the input voltage and load current. The basic operation of the resonant converters includes four modes, which are described in detail. The comprehensive analysis of the proposed topologies is carried out as well. Various simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the performance of the proposed power converters.
Imaging of anterior knee pain.

Anterior knee pain (AKP) is a common complaint in the primary care and orthopedic clinics. The patient's history and clinical presentation provide initial clues to the cause. Imaging plays an important role in evaluation, not only in searching for malalignment, but for other sources of pain as well. The differential for AKP is broad. The major differential and diagnostic considerations are discussed within this review article.
Nanotechnology: risks and the media

Nanotechnology is supposed to drive a "new industrial revolution", according to U.S. government officials, who are investing heavily in it. A few environmental organizations and a significantly large number of business, academic, and government interests have expressed concerns about nanotechnology. We concerns about the technology's potential long-term health and environmental effects.
Institutional variables and perceived environmental concerns in higher education

Discusses the effects of financial constraints of the 1980s and 1990s which are being felt in all aspects of institutions of higher education. Looks into the differences and similarities in institutional leaders′ opinions with respect to environmental concerns based on the size, age, location, and sector of their institutions. Environmental concerns include government grants, inflation, enrolment issues and declining resources. Reports slight differences. Implies that all Alberta, Canada, institutions of higher education, irrespective of their size, age, location and sector are experiencing similar problems and perhaps in the same magnitude. Concludes that there is not a deliberate shift in government funding in favour of one institutional sector over the other. Suggests that institutional leaders within a system of higher education should search for ways to form a united front, educate the general public as to the situation of higher education, and seize the opportunity presented by the hard times to unf...
Minimax distance transform correlation filter based target detection in FLIR imagery

This paper proposes a method to detect objects of arbitrary poses and sizes from a complex forward looking infrared (FLIR) image scene exploiting image correlation technique along with the preprocessing of the scene using a class of morphological operators. This presented automatic target recognition (ATR) algorithm consists of two steps. In the first step, the image is preprocessed, by employing morphological reconstruction operators, to remove the background as well as clutter and to intensify the presence of both low or high contrast targets. This step also involves in finding the possible candidate target regions or region of interests (ROIs) and passing those ROIs to the second step for classification. The second step exploits template-matching technique such as minimax distance transform correlation filter (MDTCF) to identify the true target from the false alarms in the pre-selected ROIs after classification. The MDTCF minimizes the average squared distance from the filtered true-class training images to a filtered reference image while maximizing the mean squared distance of the filtered false-class training images to this filtered reference image. This approach increases the separation between the false-class correlation outputs and the true-class correlation outputs. Classification is performed using the squared distance of a filtered test image to the chosen filtered reference image. The proposed technique has been tested with real life FLIR image sequences supplied by the Army Missile Command (AMCOM). Experimental results, obtained with these real FLIR image sequences, illustrating a wide variety of target and clutter variability, demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method.
The natural history of Tourette syndrome: a follow-up study

Initial reports described Tourette syndrome as a lifelong disorder. Since then, others have noted that some patients experience remissions during late adolescence. To examine this issue, we sent questionnaires to 99 patients with Tourette syndrome who were 15 to 25 years old. The majority of the 58 respondents indicated that they had fewer tics as they reached late adolescence or young adulthood. Although most reported associated behavior or learning problems, the majority felt they were coping well. The long-term outcome in many patients with Tourette syndrome may be more optimistic than previously reported.
Use of Percoll Density Gradients for Studying the Attachment of Bacteria to Oral Epithelial Cells

An assay for studying the attachment of bacteria to oral epithelial cells has been developed which utilizes Percoll density gradient centrifugation to separate bacteria and epithelial cells. 3H-thymidine-labeled bacteria were incubated with suspensions of buccal epithelial cells in microtitration plates for 2.5 hr at 35 degrees C. The mixtures were then subjected to density gradient centrifugation in 50% Percoll. Epithelial cells with attached bacteria formed a band near the top of the tube, while unattached bacteria formed a band near the bottom. The epithelial cells were collected on membrane filters, and the number of attached bacteria was determined by scintillation counting. Binding of S. mitis C5 was found to increase with time, and equilibrium was attained within two hr. Saturation of available binding sites occurred when 10(7) S. mitis cells were incubated with 1.5 x 10(4) buccal epithelial cells. The numbers of streptococci which attached as determined with this assay were in good agreement with values obtained by direct microscopic counts. Adsorption of S. mitis C5 cells was adequately described by a Langmuir isotherm (correlation coefficient 0.998). This permitted calculation of estimates of the number of binding sites and the affinity of the organism. The assay proved reliable even when as few as 1000 epithelial cells were used. Treating the epithelial cells with neuraminidase or trypsin significantly decreased the number of S. mitis C5 cells which attached. In contrast, binding of A. naeslundii 12104 to neuraminidase-treated cells was increased, and attachment of B. gingivalis 381 was also enhanced, especially to epithelial cells which had been treated with trypsin.
The Modified Blair Fusion

The Blair fusion is the accepted method to achieve an ankle arthrodesis in the presence of avascular necrosis or absence of the body of the talus. This procedure has not however, been reliable. A pseudarthrosis rate of 28% and fibrous ankylosis of the foot secondary to prolonged immobilization compromise the end result. A tibiotalar compression arthrodesis has been developed using an intermediate hip compression screw and a modified Stone staple. Five patients with avascular necrosis of the talus underwent a modified Blair fusion. Protected weightbearing was started at 6 weeks and healing occurred within 3 months. Although the number of cases is small, this study indicates that the addition of compression fixation to the Blair arthrodesis will significantly decrease the pseudarthrosis rate and perhaps the healing time.
Worry affects the immune response to phobic fear.

Worry, the cognitive enumeration and anticipation of potential future negative events, is associated with autonomic dysregulation, which may in turn have implications for the immune system. People endorsing high (n = 7) and normal levels of trait worry (n = 8) were briefly exposed to a phobic stimulus and the autonomic and immune responses and recovery were assessed. A time-matched control group (n = 6) was not exposed to any stimulus. Both worry groups showed increased heart rate and skin conductance in response to phobic fear. However, only the normal worry group showed a concomitant increase in natural killer cells in peripheral blood. Patterns of change during the follow-up period suggested that phobic fear had disrupted a normal circadian increase in natural killer cells. Adrenergic and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal mechanisms may be responsible for the differences between high and normal worry groups in their natural killer cell response to and recovery from phobic fear.
An experts approach to strategy selection in multiagent meeting scheduling

In the multiagent meeting scheduling problem, agents negotiate with each other on behalf of their users to schedule meetings. While a number of negotiation approaches have been proposed for scheduling meetings, it is not well understood how agents can negotiate strategically in order to maximize their users' utility. To negotiate strategically, agents need to learn to pick good strategies for negotiating with other agents. In this paper, we show how agents can learn online to negotiate strategically in order to better satisfy their users' preferences. We outline the applicability of experts algorithms to the problem of learning to select negotiation strategies. In particular, we show how two different experts approaches, plays [3] and Exploration---Exploitation Experts (EEE) [10] can be adapted to the task. We show experimentally the effectiveness of our approach for learning to negotiate strategically.
Understanding multibody dynamics using bond graph representations

Abstract The dynamics of complex interconnected mechanical systems can be described using a number of formalized procedures in the field of multibody dynamics but it is not always easy to understand the significance of the quantities introduced as part of these various procedures. Bond graphs can also be used to describe mechanical systems and often provide intuitive and physically motivated means for enforcing constraints among interacting bodies. Using the example of a multilink inverted pendulum which has been often studied, we show that a bond graph can explain the form of multibody system equations. The bond graph can also suggest practical explicit differential equation formulations closely related to the descriptor differential algebraic equations of multibody formulations. Some subtleties associated with the interpretation of Lagrange multipliers will also be discussed and related to different ways in which constraint equations can be formulated.
Spike timing dependent plasticity: a consequence of more fundamental learning rules.

Spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP) is a phenomenon in which the precise timing of spikes affects the sign and magnitude of changes in synaptic strength. STDP is often interpreted as the comprehensive learning rule for a synapse - the “first law” of synaptic plasticity. This interpretation is made explicit in theoretical models in which the total plasticity produced by complex spike patterns results from a superposition of the effects of all spike pairs. Although such models are appealing for their simplicity, they can fail dramatically. For example, the measured single-spike learning rule between hippocampal CA3 and CA1 pyramidal neurons does not predict the existence of long-term potentiation. Layers of complexity have been added to the basic STDP model to repair predictive failures, but they have been outstripped by experimental data. We propose an alternate first law: neural activity triggers changes in key biochemical intermediates, which act as a more direct trigger of plasticity mechanisms. One particularly successful model uses intracellular calcium as the intermediate and can account for many observed properties of bidirectional plasticity. In this formulation, STDP is not itself the basis for explaining other forms of plasticity, but is instead a consequence of changes in the biochemical intermediate, calcium. Eventually a mechanism-based framework for learning rules should include other messengers, discrete change at individual synapses, spread of plasticity among neighboring synapses, and priming of hidden processes that change a synapse’s susceptibility to future change. Mechanism-based models provide a rich framework for the computational representation of synaptic plasticity.
Influence of the extracellular potassium environment on neurite growth in sensory neurons, spinal cord neurons and sympathetic neurons.

Abstract The influence of the extracellular potassium concentration ([K + ] o ) on neurite growth in rat sensory neurons, spinal cord neurons and sympathetic neurons was investigated. Experiments carried out in 3-compartment culture dishes showed that although neurites from sensory and spinal cord neurons were capable of growing in both 5 mM [K + ] o and 20 mM [K + ] o , they were virtually unable to grow from a region of 5 mM [K + ] o into a region of 20 mM [K + ] o . Neurites from sympathetic neurons behaved similarly although [K − ] o exceeding 20 mM was required to exclude sympathetic neurites. We suggest the possibility of a negative chemotaxis to [K + ] o by growth cones in these neurons. Neurite regeneration following axotomy in sensory neurons was partially inhibited distal to a proximodistal increase in [K + ] o . The nature of this inhibition was somewhat different from that described previously in sympathetic neurons. The possibility is raised that [K + ] o plays a role in the development of the nervous system.
Finding Focus in the Blur of Moving-Target Techniques

Protecting critical systems and assets against cyberattacks is an ever more difficult challenge that strongly favors attackers. Whereas defenders must protect a large, diverse set of cybersystems containing an unknown number of vulnerabilities of various types, attackers need only find one or a few exploitable vulnerabilities to mount a successful attack. One promising approach that can shift the balance in the defenders' favor is to create uncertainty for attackers by dynamically changing system properties in what is called a cyber moving target (MT). MT techniques seek to randomize system components to reduce the likelihood of a successful attack, add dynamics to a system to reduce the lifetime of an attack, and diversify otherwise homogeneous collections of systems to limit the damage of a large-scale attack. In this article, the authors review the five dominant domains of MT techniques available today as research prototypes and commercial solutions. They present the techniques' strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations for future research that will improve current capabilities.
Reliability of MDCT in characterizing pulmonary venous drainage, diameter and distance to first bifurcation: an interobserver study.

Rationale and Objectives To evaluate the interobserver agreement of readers in evaluating pulmonary venous anatomy and in measuring pulmonary vein ostial diameters and distance to first bifurcation. Materials and Methods This study was approved by our institutional review board. Thin-section contrast material–enhanced multidetector computed tomography examinations of the thorax were retrospectively reviewed in 200 consecutive patients (38 females and 162 males), age 24–79 years (mean, 52.8) referred for imaging before radiofrequency ablation therapy for atrial fibrillation. For each patient, pulmonary venous anatomy and drainage patterns including the number of venous ostia was assessed independently by experienced cardiothoracic radiologists. Pulmonary vein ostial diameter and distance to the first bifurcation of the four major pulmonary veins (right inferior and superior, left inferior and superior), the middle lobe pulmonary vein, and any anomalous pulmonary veins (common trunks and accessory veins) were measured independently at a workstation. Interreader assessment of pulmonary venous anatomy was evaluated using the Kappa statistic. Interreader variation in measurements of venous diameter and distant to first bifurcation were estimated by Bland-Altman plots and Pitman’s test of difference in variance. Results Very good to excellent interreader agreement in detection of anomalous pulmonary venous anatomy, middle lobe pulmonary venous drainage, and other thoracic venous anomalies. No significant variation between readers in pulmonary vein ostial diameter measurements for the four major and middle lobe pulmonary veins, or the anomalous pulmonary veins. Significant interreader variability was noted in measurements of the pulmonary vein distance to first bifurcation for the right inferior ( P = .017), middle lobe ( P = .005), and left inferior ( P = .015) pulmonary veins. Conclusions There is excellent interobserver agreement when evaluating normal and anomalous pulmonary venous drainage patterns, and when measuring normal or anomalous pulmonary vein diameters. However, measurements of distances to first bifurcation were less reliable across readers.
The geographical dynamics of Italian electoral change, 1987–2001

Abstract Much has been written about why the old Italian party system collapsed in the early 1990s, and the various features of the one that replaced it, such as the mixed electoral system and the emergence of the regionalist party, the Northern League. Relatively little research attempts to show how old parties were replaced as the system collapsed from 1987 to 1994, and as the subsequent system emerged and consolidated between 1992 and 2001. This paper uses spatial analysis to examine the geographical pattern of support for the fading and rising parties to show how the old Italian party system was replaced. Instead of seeing the geography of voting as a reflection of underlying social cleavages, on the assumption that new parties would just slot into the electoral “spaces” of the old ones, we see it as a useful diagnostic that can inform how one set of parties is replaced by another.
Polar wind density variations during storms

A time-dependent model of the 3-D polar wind was used to study the transient polar wind perturbations associated with an idealized geomagnetic storm. The model covers the altitude range from 100 to 9000 km and latitudes greater than 50° North. The model takes account of electrons and six ion species (NO+, O2+, N2+, N+, O+, and H+). Simulations were conducted for summer and winter conditions at both solar maximum and minimum. The polar wind response to a geomagnetic storm was found to be complex, with the variations at high altitudes differing from those at low altitudes. The polar wind response was also significantly different for different seasonal and solar cycle conditions.
In-Vivo Force Estimation of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament

The knowledge of in-vivo ACL forces is instrumental for understanding ACL injury mechanisms and for improving surgical ACL reconstruction techniques. Several in-vitro investigations have measured ACL forces in response to various loads applied to the knee. However, in-vivo ACL forces in response to controlled loading are still unknown. The objective of this study was to estimate the force of healthy ACL as well as the possible upper bound of ACL forces under an increasing axial tibial loading in living subjects using a non-invasive method.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Dysphagia in inflammatory myopathy: clinical characteristics, treatment strategies, and outcome in 62 patients.

OBJECTIVE To assess the clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcome of patients with inflammatory myopathy-associated dysphagia. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients with inflammatory myopathy-associated dysphagia seen at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn, between January 1, 1997, and December 31, 2001. RESULTS A total of 783 patients were diagnosed as having inflammatory myopathy during the 5-year study period. Of these, 62 patients (41 women and 21 men; mean age, 68.6 years) had inflammatory myopathy-associated dysphagia: 26 with inclusion body myositis (IBM), 18 with dermatomyositis, 9 with polymyositis, and 9 with overlap syndrome. Dysphagia was a presenting symptom in 13 patients (21%), with the highest incidence in the IBM group. Videofluoroscopic examinations revealed pharyngeal pooling and impaired oropharyngeal and cricopharyngeal function. The benefits of swallowing compensation techniques and exercises were difficult to establish. Interventional procedures were performed in 24 patients (39%) and most frequently (62%) in patients with IBM, with cricopharyngeal myotomy being most beneficial. Patients with IBM had the least symptomatic improvement. Overall, 11 patients died during the median follow-up of 38 months, with respiratory failure due to aspiration pneumonia as the most common cause. Mortality was high in patients who required percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (7/11, 64%), and 1-year mortality was highest (31%) in those with dermatomyositis. CONCLUSION Dysphagia is a serious and at times presenting problem in patients with inflammatory myopathy. It occurs most frequently and appears to be most refractory in patients with IBM. The mortality rate was high in patients who required percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, and the 1-year mortality rate was the highest in patients with dermatomyositis.
STIM1 carboxyl-terminus activates native SOC, I crac and TRPC1 channels

Receptor-evoked Ca2+ signalling involves Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum, followed by Ca2+ influx across the plasma membrane. Ca2+ influx is essential for many cellular functions, from secretion to transcription, and is mediated by Ca2+-release activated Ca2+ (I(crac)) channels and store-operated calcium entry (SOC) channels. Although the molecular identity and regulation of I(crac) and SOC channels have not been precisely determined, notable recent findings are the identification of STIM1, which has been indicated to regulate SOC and I(crac) channels by functioning as an endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ sensor, and ORAI1 (ref. 7) or CRACM1 (ref. 8)--both of which may function as I(crac) channels or as an I(crac) subunit. How STIM1 activates the Ca2+ influx channels and whether STIM1 contributes to the channel pore remains unknown. Here, we identify the structural features that are essential for STIM1-dependent activation of SOC and I(crac) channels, and demonstrate that they are identical to those involved in the binding and activation of TRPC1. Notably, the cytosolic carboxyl terminus of STIM1 is sufficient to activate SOC, I(crac) and TRPC1 channels even when native STIM1 is depleted by small interfering RNA. Activity of STIM1 requires an ERM domain, which mediates the selective binding of STIM1 to TRPC1, 2 and 4, but not to TRPC3, 6 or 7, and a cationic lysine-rich region, which is essential for gating of TRPC1. Deletion of either region in the constitutively active STIM1(D76A) yields dominant-negative mutants that block native SOC channels, expressed TRPC1 in HEK293 cells and I(crac) in Jurkat cells. These observations implicate STIM1 as a key regulator of activity rather than a channel component, and reveal similar regulation of SOC, I(crac) and TRPC channel activation by STIM1.
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE YIELD STRESS OF ELECTRORHEOLOGICAL SUSPENSIONS UNDER AC FIELD : COMPARISON WITH A THEORETICAL MODEL

Recently a model describing the interaction between the particles of an electrorheological suspension and the resulting properties (yield stress, current density) has been proposed by Wu and Conrad. This model takes into account both the conductivity and the permittivity of each constituent of the suspension and predicts the behavior under DC and AC fields. The goal of the present work is to compare the predictions of this model with data available in the literature and with additional experiments using DC and AC fields at frequencies up to 2000 Hz. The ER fluids used in our experiments are suspensions of different ceramics particles (Al2O3, ZrO2, TiO2, CaTiO3, BaTiO3) in silicone oil. These particles cover a wide range of permittivity and conductivity, which allows us to study the ER effect with varying values of the conductivity and/or permittivity mismatch between the particles and the liquid. The model is in reasonable accord with experiment.
Nonlinear modelling of cancer: Bridging the gap between cells and tumours

Despite major scientific, medical and technological advances over the last few decades, a cure for cancer remains elusive. The disease initiation is complex, and including initiation and avascular growth, onset of hypoxia and acidosis due to accumulation of cells beyond normal physiological conditions, inducement of angiogenesis from the surrounding vasculature, tumour vascularization and further growth, and invasion of surrounding tissue and metastasis. Although the focus historically has been to study these events through experimental and clinical observations, mathematical modelling and simulation that enable analysis at multiple time and spatial scales have also complemented these efforts. Here, we provide an overview of this multiscale modelling focusing on the growth phase of tumours and bypassing the initial stage of tumourigenesis. While we briefly review discrete modelling, our focus is on the continuum approach. We limit the scope further by considering models of tumour progression that do not distinguish tumour cells by their age. We also do not consider immune system interactions nor do we describe models of therapy. We do discuss hybrid-modelling frameworks, where the tumour tissue is modelled using both discrete (cell-scale) and continuum (tumour-scale) elements, thus connecting the micrometre to the centimetre tumour scale. We review recent examples that incorporate experimental data into model parameters. We show that recent mathematical modelling predicts that transport limitations of cell nutrients, oxygen and growth factors may result in cell death that leads to morphological instability, providing a mechanism for invasion via tumour fingering and fragmentation. These conditions induce selection pressure for cell survivability, and may lead to additional genetic mutations. Mathematical modelling further shows that parameters that control the tumour mass shape also control its ability to invade. Thus, tumour morphology may serve as a predictor of invasiveness and treatment prognosis.
Estimating Distributions of Surface Parameters for Classification Purposes

The classification of workpiece surface patterns is an essential element in trying to understand how functional performance is influenced by the surface geometry. Filter banks have been investigated in literature for capturing the multiscale characterization of the engineering surfaces. Conventionally, parametric representations of the filter outputs were used for classification. In this paper, the histogram estimators of the filter bank outputs from engineering surfaces in combination with the nearest neighbor method for classification are investigated to improve the classification accuracy, which are accomplished by utilizing distribution dissimilarity measures to compare histograms. Furthermore, for large and complex surfaces, the histogram estimators of local surface flatness parameters are also proposed for the purpose of simple computation. Two case studies have been conducted to demonstrate the proposed methods. Influence of the histogram bins for histograms and the dissimilarity measures on classification performance is studied in detail. Results from the first case study show that the proposed method is less effective in classifying small surfaces with clear surface patterns, because the filtering is influenced by the quality of the surface data collected from the measurement sensor. In comparison, results from the second case study show that the proposed method performs better in classifying large surfaces with mild surface pattern differences. The classification accuracy using the conventional method drops from 100% to around 50% in the second case study. In general, one can achieve misclassification errors below 5% in both case studies with the histogram representations of surface parameters and the appropriate selection of the number of bins for histogram construction.
Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) 3A1 expression by the human keratocyte and its repair phenotypes

Transparency is essential for normal corneal function. Recent studies suggest that corneal cells express high levels of so-called corneal crystallins, such as aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and transketolase (TKT) that contribute to maintaining cellular transparency. Stromal injury leads to the appearance of repair phenotype keratocytes, the corneal fibroblast and myofibroblast. Previous studies on keratocytes from species such as bovine and rabbit indicate that the transformation from the normal to repair phenotype is accompanied by a loss of corneal crystallin expression, which may be associated with loss of cellular transparency. Here we investigated if a similar loss occurs with human keratocyte repair phenotypes. Human corneal epithelial cells were collected by scraping and keratocytes were isolated by collagenase digestion from cadaveric corneas. The cells were either processed immediately (freshly isolated keratocytes) or were cultured in the presence of 10% fetal bovine serum or transforming growth factor-beta to induce transformation to the corneal fibroblast and myofibroblast phenotypes, respectively. RT-PCR, western blotting and immunolabeling were used to detect mRNA and protein expression of ALDH isozymes and TKT. ALDH enzyme activity was also quantitated and immunolabeling was performed to determine the expression of ALDH3A1 in human corneal tissue sections from normal and diseased corneas. Human corneal keratocytes isolated from three donors expressed ALDH1A1 and ALDH3A1 mRNA, and one donor also expressed ALDH2 and TKT. Corneal epithelial cells expressed ALDH1A1, ALDH2, ALDH3A1 and TKT. Compared to normal keratocytes, corneal fibroblast expression of ALDH3A1 mRNA was reduced by 27% (n=5). ALDH3A1 protein expression as detected by western blotting was markedly reduced in passage zero fibroblasts and undetectable in higher passages (n=3). TKT protein expression was reduced in fibroblasts compared to keratocytes (n=2). ALDH3A1 enzyme activity was not detectable in corneal fibroblasts (n=6) but was readily detected in corneal epithelial cells (0.29+/-0.1U/mg protein, n=4) and keratocytes (0.05+/-0.009U/mg protein, n=7). ALDH3A1 expression was also reduced in corneal fibroblasts and myofibroblasts as determined by immunolabeling of the cells in culture (n=3) and in diseased corneal tissues in situ (n=2). We conclude that expression of the crystallin ALDH3A1 is decreased in repair phenotype human keratocytes, compared to normal human keratocytes. Extrapolating from studies of bovine and rabbit, the reduced expression of ALDH3A1 may contribute to the loss of corneal transparency experienced by human patients after injury and refractive surgeries.
How to protect your assets against acts of nature and terrorism

Millions of earthquakes occur each year throughout the world, according to The National Earthquake Information Center in the USA and its cooperators around the globe. Fortunately, most of them happen far away from highly industrialized population centers and cause little damage or disruption. But when they do occur in densely populated areas, the loss of human lives, destroyed buildings and infrastructures, and the interruption of normal life and commerce can be devastating to individuals, families, communities, businesses and governments. Companies now also need to consider, and plan for, the risk of damage to employees and property that may be caused by non‐natural causes, such as terrorist bombs. While there has been much talk about bio‐ and chemical‐terrorism, the fact remains that bombs are still the most commonly used weapon of terror worldwide. According to a US government report, entitled “Protecting Buildings from Bomb Damage,” nearly half of all international terrorist attacks are bombings. Few corporations are without risk these days just as few countries are free from random acts of terrorists’ violence. The threat of bombings is one more concern for corporations and building owners to factor into their analysis, assessment and planning for protecting their investment and building occupants. While designing a terrorist‐proof building is impossible, designing a building that will not progressively collapse when attacked, and will allow emergency workers quick access to survivors, is not. It’s a matter of designing and constructing buildings that will display predictable performance. The article discusses how building owners, corporate project teams and architects and engineers all can take measures to improve safety of occupants and contents of a building against potential blasts or explosions. There are three broad categories of countermeasures: deterrence, set back, and hardening.