cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Combined Collis Gastroplasty—Nissen Fundoplication Operation for Esophageal Reflux Strictures

The most popular and widely used operations to control gastroesophageal reflux and its complications, the Nissen fundoplication, the Belsey Mark IV transthoracic hiatal hernia repair, and the Hill median arcuate ligament posterior gastropexy, share a number of common features. In each, the crura are approximated behind the esophagus, sutures are placed into either distal esophageal or periesophageal tissues, and when the repair is completed there is a 3- to 5-cm segment of distal esophagus within the abdominal cavity, where the influence of positive intraabdominal pressure contributes to the newly constructed distal esophageal high-pressure zone. Since each of these repairs requires esophageal or periesophageal sutures as well as reduction of the esophagogastric junction several centimeters below the diaphragm, any factors which jeopardize the reliability of the esophageal sutures or which produce tension on the repair can be regarded as “risk factors” which predispose the patient to disruption of the repair and recurrent gastroesophageal reflux. It has been amply documented, for example, that poor long-term reflux control is achieved when the Belsey Mark IV repair is performed in patients with esophagitis and stricture (Donnelly et al. 1973; Orringer et al. 1972).
Bank Involvement with Export Trading Companies

The Federal Export Trading Act of 1982 was designed to facilitate small business involvement in the international trade arena. Specifically, bank affiliated export trading companies (ETCs) represent a potent vehicle for internationally minded smaller firms to gain entree to world markets. This paper identifies and prioritizes the major reasons why banks would consider getting involved in such ventures.
Long-Term Dependency Structure and Structural Breaks: Evidence from the U.S. Sector Returns and Volatility

The study investigates the impact of structural breaks on the long memory of daily returns and variance of 11 sectors. Using multiple sequential structural breaks tests, we uncover numerous and rou...
Efficacy and Safety of Atypical Antipsychotics for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia Among Community Dwelling Adults.

Introduction:Options for the treatment of the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are limited. Atypical antipsychotics are often used but have questionable efficacy and are gen...
Teaching and Shaping Elementary Generalist Perceptions with Artist Journals.

As a visual arts teacher educator, I frequently observe behaviors of preservice elementary classroom teachers (generalists) during studio experiences that point to a lack of confidence in artmaking...
Alirocumab for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol lowering

Ischemic heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death in the world currently. Both of these conditions are primarily caused by atherosclerosis, the underlying pathophysiology of which is the deposition of lipid, specifically low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) within the arterial bed. PCSK9, is a proteolytic enzyme, which indirectly increases LDL-C levels by causing the destruction of LDL receptors, the main way that humans regulate their serum LDL-C levels. Inhibitors of PCSK9 in conjunction with statins have allowed achievement of very low LDL-C levels. This review will provide an in-depth efficacy and safety review of alirocumab, a monoclonal antibody inhibitor of PCSK9, including the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial.
Effect of displacement restraint on the collapse performance of seismically isolated buildings

This study investigates the effect of displacement restraint on the collapse performance of seismically isolated buildings. The displacement restraints considered are stiffening triple Friction Pendulum (FP) bearings and moat walls. The study is based on 6-story perimeter frame seismically isolated buildings designed with special concentrically braced frames (SCBF) and special moment resisting frames (SMF) for a location in California using the minimum criteria of ASCE/SEI 7-10 and ASCE/SEI 7-16 and also using enhanced designs. Results from pushover analysis and nonlinear response history analysis demonstrate that proper designs require a balance between the value of RI for the design of the superstructure and the displacement capacity of the isolators. The paper shows that isolation systems with sufficient displacement capacity before engaging the displacement restraint and a RI factor consistent to that displacement capacity may have an acceptable collapse risk. Values of the design parameters for the superstructure and the displacement capacity and behavior of the isolation system for achieving acceptable collapse risk are presented.
Mitochondrial hypoxic stress induces widespread RNA editing by APOBEC3G in natural killer cells

Protein recoding by RNA editing is required for normal health and evolutionary adaptation. However, de novo induction of RNA editing in response to environmental factors is an uncommon phenomenon. While APOBEC3A edits many mRNAs in monocytes and macrophages in response to hypoxia and interferons, the physiological significance of such editing is unclear. Here, we show that the related cytidine deaminase, APOBEC3G, induces site-specific C-to-U RNA editing in natural killer cells, lymphoma cell lines, and, to a lesser extent, CD8-positive T cells upon cellular crowding and hypoxia. In contrast to expectations from its anti-HIV-1 function, the highest expression of APOBEC3G is shown to be in cytotoxic lymphocytes. RNA-seq analysis of natural killer cells subjected to cellular crowding and hypoxia reveals widespread C-to-U mRNA editing that is enriched for genes involved in mRNA translation and ribosome function. APOBEC3G promotes Warburg-like metabolic remodeling in HuT78 T cells under similar conditions. Hypoxia-induced RNA editing by APOBEC3G can be mimicked by the inhibition of mitochondrial respiration and occurs independently of HIF-1α. APOBEC3G is an endogenous RNA editing enzyme in primary natural killer cells and lymphoma cell lines. This RNA editing is induced by cellular crowding and mitochondrial respiratory inhibition to promote adaptation to hypoxic stress.
The Equivalence of Free Energy and Information: Thermodynamic Descriptions as a Condition of Possibility of Objectivity

The natural world is composed of dynamic forms of physical order over a wide range of length, time, and energy scales. Furthermore, these various forms of physical order form nested hierarchies in which certain processes are logically dependent on the stability of other processes. Over the past century, extensive labor has gone into theorizing about this complexity, and in pursuit of a satisfactory mathematical definition of “complexity.” At the same time, philosophical debate over “emergence vs reductionism” has ossified into well-trodden positions that lack any clear relationship to the mathematical and physical developments on the subject. The aim of this work is to present the advancements in physics over the past few decades, along with the proper meaning of the concept of information in statistical physics, in such a way that the significance of these developments to the traditional philosophical debate on emergence and reductionism becomes manifest. Our view is that the scaling requirements of thermodynamic descriptions should be understood as conditions of the possibility of being “objective” about a situation at a given scale, and thus identifies the natural scales of emergence for those objects. Several well-understood examples such as the relationship between the entropy and the structure of biological macromolecules and the ordered phases of fluids will be discussed. Next, we will illustrate both the proper meaning of entropy in classical thermodynamics and its relationship to Shannon information theory, demonstrating that free energy can be understood as a measure of information exchanged between a system and its environment. The correspondence of free energy and information in turn sets the stage for a more self-aware use of language in recognizing the implicit scaling limits that come with addressing the natural world at multiple scales simultaneously.
Risk-based water quality thresholds for coliphages in surface waters: effect of temperature and contamination aging

Coliphages, viruses that infect Escherichia coli, have been used for decades to assess surface water quality yet there is no guideline for interpreting their concentrations. The present study uses a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) framework to derive risk-based surface water quality thresholds for somatic and F+ or male-specific coliphages. The risk-based threshold is the concentration at which the risk of gastro-intestinal illness is simulated to be 32/1000. The framework specifically investigates a simplified hazard scenario where recreational swimmers come into contact with water contaminated with untreated sewage containing coliphages and enteric pathogens. The framework considers exposure to sewage of diverse ages and thus accounts for the decay of coliphages and pathogens over time. As decay rate constants depend on temperature, the model considers the effect of temperature on the risk-based threshold. When exposure to fresh, unaged sewage contamination occurs, the risk-based water quality threshold for somatic and F+ coliphages is 60 PFU per 100 mL and 30 PFU per 100 mL, respectively, and temperature independent. The risk-based threshold decreases as the contamination ages because, on average, coliphages decay more quickly than norovirus, the pathogen that contributes the most to risk. The decrease in the risk-based threshold with contaminant age is equal to the difference in the first order decay rate constants of coliphages and norovirus. Since coliphage decay rate constants are larger at 25 °C than at 15 °C, and norovirus decay rate constants are a weak function of temperature, risk-based thresholds decrease more quickly with age at 25 °C than at 15 °C. For the common case where the age of contamination is unknown, the risk-based threshold for both coliphages is between ∼1 PFU per 100 mL and ∼10 PFU per 100 mL, depending on model assumptions. Future work can apply this QMRA framework for identifying risk-based thresholds for coliphages from different hazards (treated wastewater or animal feces) or from mixtures of contamination of different ages and sources.
Lack of Prognostic Significance of Pre-Treatment Total Metabolic Tumor Volume (TMTV) in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL)

Abstract Background DLBCL is the most common non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), making up about 30%-40% of NHL in the U.S. PET-CT is recommended as the most accurate imaging technique in DLBCL for staging and response assessment. Pretreatment assessment of PET-CT scan derived metrics such as TMTV has been shown to correlate with PFS and/or overall survival (OS) in DLBCL (Sasanelli 2014) We attempted to replicate this finding using EFS at 24 months as a primary endpoint and compare it with pre-treatment TMTV, TLG and cell of origin (COO). Methods 47 pts with newly diagnosed DLBCL and treated with R-CHOP at our institution between 2014 to 2018 were identified from our electronic medical record system for retrospective analysis after IRB approval. All pts had a pretreatment PET-CT scan available for TMTV measurement. All pts had a pretreatment biopsy which were reviewed along with their clinical information regarding treatment outcome and follow up. Patients were classified as to germinal center B cell (GCB) and non-GCB based on immunochemistry using the Hahn's algorithm. PET-CT scans were reviewed by two nuclear medicine physicians using synovia software, and measurements for TMTV and TLG were recorded. TMTV was calculated using a threshold of 41% of the max pixel value (based on prior studies) to draw the volume of interest (VOI) for a lesion. Pooled t-test was performed to compare TMTV, TLG and COO with EFS at 24 mos. Chi-Square test compared TMTV with COO Results Median age of pts was 58 years, with a median duration of follow up of 26 months. There were 33% with limited stage (Stage I or II) and 67% were advanced stage (Stage III or IV). The mean pretreatment TMTV and pretreatment TLG was 295cm3 and 4519 units. 49% were GCB subtype and 47 % non-GCB. Amongst all patients 19.2 % had an event within 24 mos. When TMTV was compared to EFS at 24 months the mean TMTV was 304 for those who had an event versus 294 without (p=0.95). TLG compared to EFS at 24 months showed a mean TLG of 3391 for those who had an event versus 4914 without (P=0.40). GCB and non-GCB had mean TMTV of 264 and 339 respectively with p =0.59. COO when compared to TLG had means of 4365 and 4933 for GCB and non-GBB respectively with p=0.79.Whereas there was no correlation between stage and COO (p=0.4296) TMTV correlated with Ann Arbor staging (p=0.0002). Conclusion This retrospective study failed to demonstrate a correlation between pre-treatment TMTV, TLG, COO and EFS at 24 months revealing the lack of prognostic significance of pretreatment PET scan derived metrics in DLBCL. Prior studies with TMTV did not evaluate EFS at 24 months as an endpoint and therefore, longer follow up might be needed to demonstrate prognostic significance of pretreatment TMTV minimizing it clinical significance. The different subtypes of DLBCL based on COO as assessed by Hahns algorithm also did not differ in their disease burden as measured by TMTV. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Imaginaries of Sustainability: The Techno-Politics of Smart Cities

Sustainability, particularly as articulated in cities, acts as an imaginary that shapes science, technology and social order to attain desirable futures. Imaginaries of sustainability represent vis...
Reconstructing Road Network Graphs from both Aerial Lidar and Images

We address the problem of reconstructing road networks as undirected graphs over large geographic regions in cold start scenarios where neither the preliminary graph nor any on-road trajectory information is available. The goal of this paper is to transform bimodal aerial data in the form of 3-dimensional Lidar scans and high resolution images into road network graphs. We use a fully convolutional architecture that fuses the two datasets by reducing the disparity in their modalities to segment out roads. We then apply a simple, disk-packing based algorithm that covers the segmented regions with a minimal set of variably sized disks, connect the intersecting disks and use a provable curve reconstruction algorithm to obtain the road network graph. We show that our method is better at removing outliers and gives improved connectivity and topological accuracy than the existing state of the art thinning based method.
Factors Associated with Post-Transplant Renal Replacement Therapy in Lung Recipients with Normal Pre-Operative Kidney Function

Purpose Kidney failure after lung transplantation is associated with worse outcomes. In clinical practice, precautions are taken in patients with preoperative kidney disease to minimize the risk of post-transplant renal failure. A subset of patients with normal pre-operative kidney function require renal replacement therapy (RRT) after transplant and may benefit from similar precautions. Methods The Scientific Registry for Transplant Recipients (SRTR) database was queried for all adult, primary, lung only transplantations performed between 05/2005 and 03/2019. Patients with normal pre-transplant glomerular filtration rate (I.e. GFR >= 90mL/min/1.73 m2) were included in the analysis. Multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with post-transplant RRT. Results 14, 101 adult lung recipients with normal GFR were included in the analysis. 812 patients (5.76%) required RRT post-transplantation. Patients who required RRT had higher lung allocation scores (47.1 vs. 40.9, p Conclusion Post-transplant renal failure is associated with significantly worse survival in lung recipients. In patients with normal pre-operative renal function, particular precautions should be taken to prevent renal decline in those undergoing bilateral lung transplantation, who have diabetes mellitus and who are in the ICU at the time of transplantation.
Trends in Ambulatory Surgery Center Utilization for Otolaryngologic Procedures among Medicare Beneficiaries, 2010-2017:

ObjectiveSurgical care is increasingly shifting to freestanding ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs). The extent to which otolaryngologists use ASCs has implications for patient safety and health car...
Chapter 10 – Mining Applications

The ability to measure dielectric properties over wide ranges of frequency, which was developed for agricultural applications, attracted interest from the mining industry, so efforts were made to provide assistance in solving some of the problems facing that industry. Thus, research findings on dielectric properties relating to mining interests are included. Dielectric properties of coal and coal–pyrite mixtures were measured to identify frequencies for selective heating of pyrite to enhance magnetic separation for reducing pollution from burning coal. Also, dielectric properties of 10 pulverized and purified mineral samples were measured from 1 to 22 GHz to provide information useful in research on rock fragmentation by microwave heating for recovery of minerals. Microwave dielectric properties of pulverized coal and limestone samples were measured in support of mine safety research for the prevention of explosions, and a resonant cavity technique was developed for measuring coal–limestone dust mixture proportions. Dielectric mixture equations were tested, and their utility was extended in conducting this research.
A deep learning view of the census of galaxy clusters in IllustrisTNG

The origin of the diverse population of galaxy clusters remains an unexplained aspect of large-scale structure formation and cluster evolution. We present a novel method of using X-ray images to identify cool core (CC), weak cool core (WCC), and non cool core (NCC) clusters of galaxies, that are defined by their central cooling times. We employ a convolutional neural network, ResNet-18, which is commonly used for image analysis, to classify clusters. We produce mock Chandra X-ray observations for a sample of 318 massive clusters drawn from the IllustrisTNG simulations. The network is trained and tested with low resolution mock Chandra images covering a central 1 Mpc square for the clusters in our sample. Without any spectral information, the deep learning algorithm is able to identify CC, WCC, and NCC clusters, achieving balanced accuracies (BAcc) of 92%, 81%, and 83%, respectively. The performance is superior to classification by conventional methods using central gas densities, with an average BAcc = 81%, or surface brightness concentrations, giving BAcc = 73%. We use Class Activation Mapping to localize discriminative regions for the classification decision. From this analysis, we observe that the network has utilized regions from cluster centers out to r~300 kpc and r~500 kpc to identify CC and NCC clusters, respectively. It may have recognized features in the intracluster medium that are associated with AGN feedback and disruptive major mergers.
Colonizing cuts of labyrinth mythology, a tangling parable of white sensibilities:

This article demonstrates the way wounds, and affects generally, are figured by the writing of history. It traces patterns of thinking about the labyrinth primarily in histories, theories, and myth...
Can Gamma Ray Bursts Produce the Observed Cosmic Rays Above $10^{20}$ eV?

It has been suggested that cosmological gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) can produce the observed flux and spectrum of cosmic rays at the highest energies. However, recent observations indicate that the redshift distribution of GRBs most likely follows that of the star formation rate in the universe, a rate which was much higher at redshifts 1.5-2 than it is today. Thus, most GRBs are at high redshifts. As a consequence, any cosmic rays emitted by these GRBs at energies above 2-3 X 10^{19} eV would be strongly attenuated by interactions with the 3K background radiation. If one assumes rough equality between the energy released in 10^{-2} to 1 MeV photons and that released in 10^{20} eV cosmic rays, then less than 10 per cent of the cosmic rays observed above 10^{20} eV can be accounted for by GRBs.
Effect of milking routine performance and turnover of personnel on milk losses in dairy herds

It is common to observe large within-herd variation in milking personnel performance (MPP) and turnover (TO) over time. Assessing team performance, resolution of conflicts, and comprehensive training of dairy personnel are critical tasks to achieve consistent performance of dairy herds. One of the positive aspects about TO is that it provides opportunities for remaining team members to increase or change responsibilities. Some herds keep a multi skilled person(s) who serves as the trainer and is readily available, but not allocated to any specific mandatory daily role on the farm, to plug the gaps caused by absentees with the goal of maintaining productivity levels. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of MPP (95% versus 85%) and TO of personnel (5% versus 30%) on milk losses of dairy herds.
Targeted provider education and pre-visit planning increase rates of formal depression screening in childhood-onset SLE.

Background Despite being at high risk for depression, patients with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (c-SLE) are infrequently and inconsistently screened for depression by their pediatric rheumatologists. We aimed to systematically increase rates of formal depression screening for c-SLE patients in an academic Pediatric Rheumatology clinic. Methods Our multi-disciplinary quality improvement (QI) team used electronic health record (EHR) documentation to retroactively calculate baseline rates of documented depression screening using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). We then engaged key stakeholders to develop a clinical workflow for formal depression screening in the clinic. We also provided education to providers regarding mental health disorders in c-SLE, with an emphasis on prevalence, screening methods, and management of positive screens. We then used the Plan-Do-Study Act (PDSA) method of QI to systematically evaluate and adjust our process in real time. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients with c-SLE seen per month who had a documented PHQ-9 screening within the past year. Results The percentage of children with documented PHQ-9 results ranged from 0 to 4.5 % at baseline to 91.0 % within 12 months of project initiation. By the end of the project, monthly screening rates greater than 80 % has been sustained for 10 months. As a result of these efforts, twenty-seven (48.2 %) patients with at least mild depressive symptoms were identified while seven (12.5 %) with thoughts of self-harm were referred to appropriate mental health resources. Conclusions Routine formal depression screening is feasible in a busy subspecialty clinic. Using QI methods, rates of formal depression screening among children with c-SLE were increased from an average of 3.3 % per month to a sustained monthly rate of greater than 80 %. Individuals with depressive symptoms and/or thoughts of self-harm were identified and referred to appropriate mental health resources.
A History of Natural Philosophy: Natural Philosophy before the Latin Translations

Aristotle's natural philosophy and Greek science generally did not begin to enter Western Europe until the middle of the twelfth century. Before that time, only a minuscule part of Greek science and natural philosophy was available in the West. The Romans had not been sufficiently interested in such subjects to translate relevant Greek texts into Latin. But some Roman authors wrote treatises that modern scholars would regard as primarily concerned with natural philosophy. Among those in this group who have left extant treatises, the most famous are Lucretius (ca. 95–ca. 55 bc ), Seneca (ca. 4 bc – ad 65), and Pliny the Elder (ca. ad 23–79). ROMAN AUTHORS The fame of Lucretius derives from his great poem, On the Nature of Things , which presents a picture of nature based on the atomic theory of Epicurus (341–270 bc ), a Greek philosopher. Lucretius dealt with many topics, but the most important was his cosmic vision based on an assumption of an infinity of worlds, each composed of atoms moving in an infinite void space. He assumed that each world comes into being by a chance coming-together of atoms in the void; eventually each world passes away when its atoms dissociate and move into the void to form parts of other worlds. Lucretius was largely ignored by medieval Christianity, because of his attacks on religion and his denial of a created world, as we see in his statement that “our starting-point will be this principle: Nothing can ever be created by divine power out of nothing .”
Comradely Greetings: The Prison Letters of Nadya and Slavoj

Žižek and Tolokonnikova’s exchange letters provides the reader with the suggestive image and evocative words of two intellectuals speaking from very different contexts. This article discusses the relevance of this volume in the context of localized global capitalism and an equally localized global struggle against it.
An Approach to Object Identification Using Fuzzy Expected Payoffs

Imprecise information regarding feature values of an unidentified object is obtained from information sources of varying reliability. This imprecise information is used to construct a fuzzy probability distribution over the set of environments, which consist of all possible combinations of feature values. A fuzzy payoff matrix is constructed in which the rows represent all possible objects and the columns represent all possible environments. A fuzzy expected payoff is computed for each object i.e., row in this matrix. Each fuzzy expected payoff is then intersected with a maximizing set, and the object is identified as the one for which this intersection has the highest percentage of optimal values according to a specific criterion.
Pilocarpine Alters Caries Development in Partially-desalivated Rats:

This study examined the effect of pilocarpine on caries and saliva composition in rats with compromised salivary gland function. Eight litters of specific-pathogen-free female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups for surgery. Partial desalivation was performed in either of three ways: (1) Both parotid ducts were ligated; (2) both submandibular/sublingual (SM/SL) glands were excised, or (3) one parotid duct was ligated, and submandibular/sublingual glands were removed unilaterally. Completely desalivated animals and unoperated animals served as positive and negative controls, respectively. One week following surgery, groups were subdivided so that half of each group had osmotic pumps implanted which delivered pilocarpine HCl (24 mg/kg/day). All animals were infected with Streptococcus sobrinus 6715 and fed cariogenic diet ad libitum for 28 days. Caries scores, microbiological data, and saliva flow rate and composition were determined for all animals. Animals which had both SM/SL glands removed and received pilocarpine developed significantly lower sulcal caries (p < or = 0.05) compared with the animals that had both SM/SL removed but did not receive pilocarpine. The concentration of protein in parotid saliva in these pilocarpine-treated animals was unaffected, and no differences were observed in the electrophoretic profiles on SDS-PAGE. Pilocarpine appears to exert its greatest caries-protective effect when the parotid glands remain intact.
A Situated Cognition Perspective on Culture: Effects of Priming Cultural Syndromes on Cognition and Motivation

Correlational evidence supports the claims made by individualism and collectivism models of culture. However, without experimental evidence, the process by which culture matters remains hidden. This chapter aims to illuminate at least part of this hidden process, focusing on how individualism and collectivism as cultural syndromes likely influence cognitive content, procedures, and motivations. Correlational evidence that operationalizes culture in terms of individualism and collectivism captures some important aspects of cross-cultural difference. The focus is mostly on content differences, with less emphasis on process and motivation. To address gaps in causal reasoning that this correlational evidence cannot address, a situated cognition approach to culture is outlined and evidence for this model is presented. By articulating what turns on culturally characteristic motivations and studying the extent that these motivations map on to individualism and collectivism or other cultural syndrome models, research on the interface between culture and motivational processes provides a new frontier on cultural psychology.
The Development of the Person: An Experiential Perspective on the Ontogenesis of Psychological Complexity

The obvious answer to the question “What is a person?” would probably focus on physical characteristics, for example, “An individual member of the human race.” Of the 14 major usages of the word listed in the Oxford Dictionary of the English Language, most refer to such natural, biological attributes.
Numerical evaluation of Fourier-Bessel series expansion

Fourier-Bessel (FB) series expansion of a given function has been in use to solve certain boundary value problems. Attempt had been made to utilize the FB series expansion coefficients to characterize certain class of signals [2]. This paper describes a fast and accurate algorithm for evaluating the FB series coefficients using interpolated FFT values of the given function. Reconstructed values of the test functions from the expansion coefficients indicate good accuracy of the algorithm.
Generalized quicksearch for expert systems

Expert systems for applications that include the creation of a least-cost design or plan will frequently need built-in search procedures. Sometimes optimizing cannot terminate soon enough, and satisficing methods must be used. Quicksearch is a set of techniques for quickly obtaining good, but not necessarily optimal, solutions. These techniques are very specialized. The author simplifies and generalizes the quicksearch concept. Generalized quicksearch was tested, using the 15-puzzle as an example, and compared with the weighted heuristic method. >
Experiences in translating Z designs to Haskell implementations

Z is a widely used, model-oriented specification language. Haskell is a programming language that was recently developed to serve as a standard for non-strict, purely functional languages. Although functional languages have proved to be excellent prototyping tools, Haskell was designed as a general purpose language which could be used when building large software systems. This paper develops two designs for a computerized class roll. The development begins with a description of the requirements and initial specification. The next section delineates the designs and explains how each design targets a specific Haskell data structure: design one employs sequences to model lists, whereas design two uses a Z function to describe a Haskell array. The corresponding implementations follow, along with a critical analysis of each translation from Z notation to Haskell code. The paper demonstrates that Z design schemas map well to at least two Haskell data types, namely the list and the array. Furthermore, it includes insights into how software developers might translate similar Z designs to Haskell.
Glioblastoma in the setting of tuberous sclerosis

Tuberous sclerosis is an autosomal dominant condition commonly manifesting with seizures, mental retardation, cortical tubers and hamartomas. Neoplasms may occasionally arise in this setting with the majority of these tumors being subependymal giant cell astrocytomas (World Health Organization [WHO] grade I). Reports of high grade astrocytic neoplasms arising in patients with tuberous sclerosis are rare. We report a left fronto-parietal mass presenting in a 33-year-old woman with altered mental status and slurred speech. The tumor demonstrated areas of enhancement and was associated with mass effect on CT imaging. The tumor was marked by prominent cellularity, easily identifiable mitotic figures, vascular proliferative changes, necrosis and multinucleated giant cells. A Ki-67 labeling index of greater than 30% was noted. The findings were interpreted as being consistent with a glioblastoma (WHO grade IV). The limited literature on similar cases of malignant gliomas arising in the setting of tuberous sclerosis are reviewed. Few reports of similar tumors have been described in the literature. Presentation appears to depend on where the tumor is situated; locations have been variable in previous reports. For those cases in which survival data were included, the prognosis is poor.
Using handheld computers in the classroom: laboratories and collaboration on handheld machines

Handheld computers provide a unique opportunity for teaching computer science. They are inexpensive (and keep dropping in price); they are powerful; they are accessible by students; and they run standard programming interfaces. These facets combine to provide a unique platform for teaching. This paper documents a project to integrate handheld machines into the classroom. We develop the case for using these machines; we overview our plans to use them; and we showcase two applications that we are using in classes. These applications are available for download from the Internet and represent a beginning for our project.
Regulation of homoserine dehydrogenase in developing organs of soybean seedlings

Abstract The regulation of homoserine dehydrogenase (HSD) activity (EC 1.1.1.3) by L -threonine, L -cysteine and K + was examined using extracts of organs of soybean seedlings harvested 3, 6, 11, and 19 days after germination. K + stimulated HSD activity from each source at least 2-fold. HSD activity was completely inhibited by 10 mM L -cysteine while 10 mM D -cysteine was not inhibitory. A progressive decrease in sensitivity of NAD-dependent HSD to inhibition by 10 mM L -threonine occurred in all organs except the leaf during the sampling period. This progressive decrease in sensitivity of the HSD to threonine inhibition was detected only when K + was present in the assay mixtures. Four major molecular forms, including one rapidly migrating form (form I) and three more slowly migrating forms (forms II, III, IV) of HSD, were identified in extracts of soybean organs by polyacrylamide electrophoresis. Chromatographic and electrophoretic data indicate that form I, which was not inhibited by threonine or stimulated by K + , was of lower MW than forms II, III and IV which were of similar MW. These latter 3 forms were inhibited by threonine and stimulated by K + . During soybean seedling development form II increased in amount and forms I and IV decreased in amount. This alteration in the amounts of the forms of HSD occurred during the same period as the decrease in the amount of threonine inhibition. Since K + stimulation of HSD decreased during soybean organ development and K + enhanced threonine inhibition, this might account for the observed decrease in threonine inhibition.
A test for chlorate residues.

Modern farming methods have brought into play the use of defoliants to knock the leaves off of plants before the use of harvesting machines to harvest the crops produced by the plants involved. The advent of the cotton-picking machine in particular has brought on a large increase in the use of defoliants. One of the most popular groups of these is the chlorate defoliants. These are sprayed on the cotton plants just before harvest in order that the leaves will fall off of the plants and make it easier for the machines to pick the cotton and produce a cleaner product free of chaff from cotton leaves and stems
Delivery and performance of surfactant replacement therapies to treat pulmonary disorders

Lung surfactant is crucial for optimal pulmonary function throughout life. An absence or deficiency of surfactant can affect the surfactant pool leading to respiratory distress. Even if the coupling between surfactant dysfunction and the underlying disease is not always well understood, using exogenous surfactants as replacement is usually a standard therapeutic option in respiratory distress. Exogenous surfactants have been extensively studied in animal models and clinical trials. The present article provides an update on the evolution of surfactant therapy, types of surfactant treatment, and development of newer-generation surfactants. The differences in the performance between various surfactants are highlighted and advanced research that has been conducted so far in developing the optimal delivery of surfactant is discussed.
Using box structures for definition of requirements specifications

Box structures provide a stepwise refinement and verification methodology for information systems analysis and design. They are especially useful for recording and decomposing requirements specifications. The benefits of using the structures center around making the requirements clear to readers, helping to make the requirements complete, and providing an artifact that will enhance the traceability of the requirements. This paper describes the methodology of applying box structures and presents an example of their use in the definition of requirements specifications.
Application of the aerodynamic energy concept to the selection of transfer functions for flutter suppression and gust alleviation using active controls

Changes are introduced in the aerodynamic energy approach which lead to an increase in the effectiveness of both the trailing-edge (TE) and the leading-edge (LE)-TE control systems. Control laws are determined, using realizable transfer functions, which permit the introduction of aerodynamic damping and stiffness terms in accordance with the requirements of any specific system. It is shown that flutter suppression and gust alleviation problems can successfully be treated either by a TE or by a LE-TE control system. The results obtained are applicable to a very wide class of aircraft operating within the subsonic Mach number range.
Intensity-dependent atomic-phase effects in high-order harmonic generation

The far-field angular distributions of high-order harmonics of a 1054-nm laser, with orders ranging from the lower teens to the upper thirties, have been measured in thin, low-density Ar, Kr, and Xe targets. The 1.25-times-diffraction-limited, 1.4-ps-duration, Gaussian laser pulses were focused to intensities ranging from 3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{13}$ to 3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{14}$ W/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$, using f/70 optics. A gas target localized the gas distribution near the laser focus to a thickness of about 1 mm at pressures as low as 0.3 Torr. The weak focusing geometry and the low gas pressures created experimental conditions for which the harmonics could be thought of as emerging from a plane at the laser focus rather than a three-dimensional volume. The far-field distributions of nearly all of the harmonics exhibit narrow central peaks surrounded by broad wings of about the same angular divergence as the emerging laser beam. The spatial wings are due to an intensity-dependent phase variation among the dipole moments of the individual target atoms. This phase variation gives rise to broad spatial interferences in the scattered light due to the radial and temporal variation of the laser intensity.
Pathologic changes in the human urinary tract due to anovulatory drug administration.

A 31-year-old woman on oral contraceptives for three anda half years died of overwhelming sepsis. At autopsy, dilatation of the renal tubules and squamous metaplasia of the urinary bladder mucosa were found. These changes have been produced in animals with estrogen and estrogen-progestogen medications but have not been previously reported in man. Published reports of the effects of these drugs on the urinary tract are reviewed and discussed.
Variable time delay estimation in colored and correlated noise environment

A new iterative algorithm for variable time delay estimation (TDE) is presented. The algorithm is based on a system model where two received signals of the form r/sub 1/(i)=s(i)+n/sub 1/(i) and r/sub 2/(i)=s(i-D(i))+n/sub 2/(i) are used to estimate the delay. In the model i is the discrete-time index, s(i) is the source signal, D(i) is the (integer) delay waveform, and n/sub 1/(i) and n/sub 2/(i) are colored and correlated noises. An iterative delay estimator is devised based on the minimum mean-square error criterion and a linearized observation model. The estimator involves a weighting function that is designated to facilitate the convergence to delay estimate. Simulations are run to test the performance of the algorithm. Results of the simulations are presented. >
Laminar Dermal Reticulotomy

Laminar dermal reticulotomy is a procedure in which a dermatome is used to achieve a finer result in the obliteration of scars on the face caused by acne or trauma. A method of preoperative assessment of degree or depth of scarring and postoperative result of laminar dermal reticulotomy by use of a phototopographic technique is described. Laminar dermal reticulotomy may be done following other procedures like dermabrasion, chemical peel, and conventional plastic surgery.
Structure, Melting, and Thermal Stability of 55 Atom Ag−Au Nanoalloys

Alloy nanoclusters (“nanoalloys”) are of interest because of their novel properties compared to bulk alloys. In this paper, the thermal behavior, including melting, of 55 atom Ag−Au nanoalloys has been investigated by molecular dynamics simulations using the Gupta many-body potential. Single melting runs exhibit a sharp transition from the cluster ground structures to the melt, while averaged results indicate that melting occurs in a size- and composition-dependent temperature range. The transition point (melting point) decreases with increasing Au concentration. Gold-rich AunAg55-n nanoalloys with n = 30−55 exhibit a very smooth transition from the ground state to their undercooled melt. Their thermal stability is influenced by the glass transition behavior of the pure amorphous Au55 cluster.
Ca2+ conduction by plant cyclic nucleotide gated channels and associated signaling components in pathogen defense signal transduction cascades

Ca(2+) elevation in the cytosol is an essential early event during pathogen response signaling cascades. However, the specific ion channels involved in Ca(2+) influx into plant cells, and how Ca(2+) signals are initiated and regulate downstream events during pathogen defense responses, are at present unclear. Plant cyclic nucleotide gated ion channels (CNGCs) provide a pathway for Ca(2+) conductance across the plasma membrane (PM) and facilitate cytosolic Ca(2+) elevation in response to pathogen signals. Recent studies indicate that the recognition of pathogens results in cyclic nucleotide production and the activation of CNGCs, which leads to downstream generation of pivotal signaling molecules (such as nitric oxide (NO)). Calmodulins (CaMs) and CaM-like proteins (CMLs) are also involved in this signaling, functioning as Ca(2+) sensors and mediating the synthesis of NO during the plant pathogen response signaling cascade. In this article, these and other pivotal signaling components downstream from the Ca(2+) signal, such as Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) and CaM-binding transcription activators (CAMTAs), are discussed in terms of their involvement in the pathogen response signal transduction cascade.
Enhancing Exercise Performance through Real-time Physiological Monitoring and Music: A User Study

We present our findings in using musical feedback to enhance exercise performance by means of a prototype named MPTrain. MPTrain is a mobile and personal system that users wear while exercising. It consists of a set of physiological sensors (heart rate and accelerometer) wirelessly connected to a mobile phone carried by the user. MPTrain's software allows the user to enter a desired workout in terms of desired heart rate stress over time. It then assists the user in achieving the desired exercising goals by: (1) constantly monitoring his/her physiology (heart rate in number of beats per minute) and movement (speed in number of steps per minute); and (2) selecting and playing music (MP3s) with specific features that will guide him/her towards achieving the desired workout goals. In this paper, we focus on the novel aspects of the MPTrain system and describe in detail our findings from a 9-week runner study, where participants ran with MPTrain for up to four 42-minute sessions. The runner study corroborated three hypotheses that we were interested in exploring: The MPTrain system (1) significantly improved the ability of runners to achieve the predefined workout goal, (2) made the experience more enjoyable and (3) increased the runners' perception of the workout's efficacy.
Impact Response of a Gas-Bearing Supported Rotor

Data are reported for two rotors (1.44 and 5.88 pounds) supported by externally pressurized gas bearings. Comparative plots show that the effective spring rate for synchronous whirl (a function of pressure) also serves to account for the shaft displacement under gravity load and under low-frequency impact loading. Exceptions are noted at the half-speed whirl threshold and at low speed and low pressure. Some explanation is offered for these discrepancies, as well as for observed displacements somewhat in excess of that predicted on the basis of the linear spring, under impact. Contributed by the ASLE Technical Committee on Bearings and Bearing Lubrication and presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Lubrication Engineers held in Detroit, Michigan, May, 1965.
High performance Molecular Dynamic simulation on single and multi-GPU systems

The computational power provided by many-core graphics processing units (GPUs) has been exploited in many applications. The programming techniques supported and employed on these GPUs and Multi-GPUs systems are not sufficient to address problems exhibiting irregular, and unbalanced workload such as Molecular Dynamic (MD) simulations of systems with non-uniform densities. In this paper, we propose a task-based dynamic load-balancing solution to employ on MD simulations for single- and multi-GPU systems. The solution allows load balancing at a finer granularity than what is supported in existing APIs such as NVIDIA's CUDA. Experimental results with a single-GPU configuration show that our fine-grained task solution can utilize the hardware more efficiently than the CUDA scheduler. On multi-GPU systems, our solution achieves near-linear speedup, load balance, and significant performance improvement over techniques based on standard CUDA APIs.