cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategy for the Molecular Testing of Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Abstract The autosomal recessive disorder proximal spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a severe neuromuscular disease characterized by degeneration of alpha motor neurons in the spinal cord, which results in progressive proximal muscle weakness and paralysis. SMA is the most common fatal autosomal recessive disorder, with an estimated incidence of 1 in 6000 to 1 in 10,000 live births. Two almost identical survival motor neuron ( SMN ) genes are present on 5q13: the SMN1 gene, which is the SMA-determining gene, and the SMN2 gene, which is the modifying gene. The homozygous absence of the SMN1 exon 7 has been observed in the majority of patients and is being utilized as a reliable and sensitive SMA diagnostic test. Although SMN2 produces less full-length transcript than SMN1 , the number of SMN2 copies has been shown to modulate the clinical phenotype and is an important prognostic indicator. The goal of population-based SMA carrier screening is to identify couples at risk of having a child with SMA, thus allowing carriers to make informed reproductive choices. Since there is no effective cure for SMA as of 2016, prevention through the identification of carriers becomes an important alternative and has recently been initiated. New treatments are being investigated in clinical trials and may be dependent upon early detection of the disorder, before the irreversible loss of motor neurons. This could potentially be accomplished through a newborn screening program for SMA.
The Application of the 2D Structure Tensor in Visual Arts and Design

Tensors are a natural extension of matrices and vectors. They provide an ideal framework for abstracting relationships between related parameters. In image processing, tensors can be used to represent gradient information. The 2D structure tensor is one such representation, useful in corner detection and non- photorealistic rendering. This abstract summarizes my image processing filter based on the 2D structure tensor that generates artistic abstraction from photographs. With the 2D structure tensor, I explored ways to present the gradient directions of an image as artwork and investigated the relationship between the Gabor filter and the eigenvectors of the 2D structure tensor. Using this filter, I produce images that consist of a dense patchwork of lines, somewhat resembling certain artistic types of pen shading such as hatching and cross-contour shading. By applying this filter, I have found ways to categorize images that display salient groups of parallel lines. These images present a higher artistic quality and display better compositional style after being processed using the 2D structure tensor than the average photograph. Another finding is that not all resolutions of images are ideal for structure tensor processing and that an image size of 700-1000 pixels per side yields the best results from both a mathematical and artistic standpoint.
Temporal parameters of post-stress prophylactic glucose treatment in rats.

AbstractAcute trauma can lead to life-long changes in susceptibility to psychiatric disease, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Rats given free access to a concentrated glucose solution for 24 h beginning immediately after trauma failed to show stress-related pathology in the learned helplessness model of PTSD and comorbid major depression. We assessed effective dosing and temporal constraints of the glucose intervention in three experiments. We exposed 120 male Sprague-Dawley rats to 100, 1 mA, 3–15 s, inescapable and unpredictable electric tail shocks (over a 110-min period) or simple restraint in the learned helplessness procedure. Rats in each stress condition had access to a 40% glucose solution or water. We measured fluid consumption under 18-h free access conditions, or limited access (1, 3, 6, 18 h) beginning immediately after trauma, or 3-h access with delayed availability of the glucose solution (0, 1, 3, 6 h). We hypothesized that longer and earlier access following acute stress wou...
Institutional Heterogeneity and Corporate Social Responsibility: The Impact of Red and Blue

This paper contributes to the debate concerning the relationship between politics and business activity by investigating the influence of a heterogeneous institutional context on corporate social r...
The masses and metallicities of stellar haloes reflect galactic merger histories

There is increasing observational and theoretical evidence for a correlation between the metallicity and the mass of the stellar halo for galaxies with Milky Way-like stellar masses. Using the Illustris cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, we find that this relationship arises because a single massive massive progenitor contributes the bulk of the mass to the accreted stellar component as well as sets its metallicity. Moreover, in the Illustris simulations, this relationship extends over 3 orders of magnitude in accreted stellar mass for central galaxies. We show that for Milky Way-like mass galaxies, the scatter in accreted metallicity at a fixed accreted stellar mass encodes information about the stellar mass of the dominant accreted progenitor, while the radial density and metallicity gradients of the accreted stellar component encodes information about the time of accretion of the dominant progenitor. We demonstrate that for Milky Way-like mass galaxies, the Illustris simulations predict that the metallicity and the stellar mass of the total accreted stellar component can be reconstructed from aperture measurements of the stellar halo along the minor axis of edge-on disk galaxies. These correlations highlight the potential for observational studies of stellar halos to quantify our understanding of the most dominant events in the growth history of galaxies. We explore the implications of our model for our understanding of the accretion histories of the Milky Way, M31 and NGC 5128. In particular, a relatively late and massive accretion is favoured for M31; additionally, we provide a first estimate of the accreted stellar mass for NGC 5128.
The Human Ecology of Mayan Cacao Farming in Belize

This paper describes the expansion of cacao farming among Mayan farmers in the Toledo District, Belize, during the 1980s and why the expansion took place. Land planted with cacao increased from 237 acres in 1983 to 1014 acres in 1990. The number of cacao farmers increased from 70 to 365 and beans sold to Hershey Foods Corporation increased from 1086 to almost 32,000 pounds. This paper describes the distribution of cacao farming in space and time and it uses a holistic approach to explain land-use/cover change. An ecologic model is proposed that explains the cacao expansion that involves the interaction of several forces. During the 1980s, Hershey Foods Corporation provided an unlimited market for cacao beans, agricultural loans and technical assistance were provided by international development agencies, and Mayan farmers planted cacao to gain usufruct rights to reservation and national land. During the 1990s a British organic food company became the new market for cacao beans.
Sovereign Bancorp and Relational Investors: The Role of the Activist Hedge Fund

In 2005, Relational Investors, a registered investment advisor, launched a proxy contest to gain two seats on the board of directors of Sovereign Bancorp. Relational accused Sovereign of operational mismanagement and poor corporate governance, representing a breach in fiduciary responsibility by the company's board of directors. Relational claimed that a board reconstitution was in the best interest of investors. Subsequently, Sovereign entered into a controversial three-way deal with Banco Santander Central Hispano of Spain, which thwarted Relational's efforts by diluting its ownership position and by giving Santander board seats and veto power over the removal of Sovereign's CEO. The case discusses the tactics used by Relational Investors to attempt to derail the Santander deal and the tactics used by Sovereign Bancorp to defend it.
PERFORMANCE OF THE RHONE-POULENC NON-OCCLUSIVE ROLLER BLOOD PUMP

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the performance of Rhone-Poulenc nonocclusive roller blood pump. The Rhone-Poulenc blood pump consists of a rotor, motor, support frame, and two pumping tubes, one for venous blood and the other arterial. The variation of volume pumped per revolution of the pump is imitative of Starling's Law of the heart. According to this law, the volume pumped by the ventricle depends upon the filling pressure available to distend the pump before systole. The outlet pressure has an effect on the performance of the pump. The reason for this is the nonocclusive feature of the rollersystem. The pump outflow can be brought to zero by an outflow pressure that is sufficiently high but that is modest in terms of the risk of rupture of an extracorporeal circuit.
Burial-driven methane recycling in marine gas hydrate systems

Abstract Natural gas hydrate may be buried with sediments until it is no longer stable at a given pressure and temperature, resulting in conversion of hydrate into free gas. This gas may migrate upward and recycle back into the hydrate stability zone to form hydrate. As of yet, however, no quantitative description of the methane recycling process has been developed using multiphase flow simulations to model burial-driven gas hydrate recycling. In this study, we present a series of 1D multiphase transport simulations to investigate the methane recycling process in detail. By invoking the effects of capillary phenomena on hydrate and gas formation in pores of varying size, we find that a free gas phase can migrate a significant distance above the bulk base of hydrate stability. Since the top of the free gas occurrence is often identified as the base of the hydrate stability zone from seismic data, our results demonstrate that not only could this assumption mischaracterize a hydrate system, but that under recycling conditions the highest hydrate saturations can occur beneath the top of the free gas occurrence. We show that the presence of pore size distributions requires a replacement zone through which hydrate saturations progressively decrease with depth and are replaced with free gas. This replacement zone works to buffer against significant gas buildup that could lead to fracturing of overlying sediments. This work provides a framework for simulating flow and transport of methane within the 3-phase stability zone from a mass conservation perspective.
Challenges and solutions to consistent data plane update in software defined networks

Abstract Software Defined Networking (SDN) has emerged as a promising paradigm to make network management easier while supporting various applications requiring different guarantees in terms of performance, availability and correctness. In essence, SDN decouples the control and data planes such that a logically centralized SDN controller finds the paths based on given requirements, and then accordingly installs the necessary forwarding rules on the distributed SDN switches, which are simple forwarding devices. Due to various reasons such as congestions, failures or policy changes in the network, the SDN controller needs to find new paths and shift the traffic from the original paths to the new paths. However, during this transition, numerous time consuming steps need to be performed such as updating nodes on the new paths. If not carefully coordinated, these updating steps may cause loops, black-holes, and performance degradations. In this paper, we provide a detailed survey of the existing techniques that try to consistently update the new state of the data plane. We also discuss open issues and future challenges.
VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM IN THERAPEUTIC HYPOTHERMIA AFTER CARDIAC ARREST

Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) in the treatment of post-anoxic coma after cardiac arrest has shown to reduce mortality and improve neurological outcomes. TH is known to impact the coagulation cascade with major concerns being bleeding. Current evidence suggests that cardiac arrest has been associated
Reanalysis of the anthrax epidemic in Rhodesia, 1978–1984

In the mid-1980s, the largest epidemic of anthrax of the last 200 years was documented in a little known series of studies by Davies in The Central African Journal of Medicine. This epidemic involved thousands of cattle and 10,738 human cases with 200 fatalities in Rhodesia during the Counterinsurgency. Grossly unusual epidemiological features were noted that, to this day, have not been definitively explained. This study performed a historical reanalysis of the data to reveal an estimated geographic involvement of 245,750 km2, with 171,990 cattle and 17,199 human cases. Here we present the first documented geotemporal visualization of the human anthrax epidemic.
Guest Worker Programs and Human Capital Investment: The Bracero Program in Mexico, 1942-1964

Guest worker programs are often criticized for worker maltreatment. Income earned could, however, benefit migrants. I examine the impact of the Bracero Program, a guest worker program between Mexico and the United States in the mid-20th century, on human capital investments. I use proximity to recruitment centers as an instrument for migration. The opening and closing of centers, due to changes in international bargaining power, provides exogenous variation. Estimates show that bracero migration caused increases in primary school enrollments, the provision of primary schools, and spending on education by state governments.
Chapter 21 – Central Nervous System Malignancies

Publisher Summary Tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) are frequently encountered tumors in children; approximately 35 cases per million in children under 15 years of age. Brain tumors are the second most common group of malignant tumors in childhood, accounting for 20% of all childhood malignancies. Most childhood brain tumors (60–70%) arise from glial cells and tend not to metastasize outside the CNS unless there is operative intervention. The majority of CNS neoplasms are sporadic. Only a small percentage is associated with the inherited genetic disorders listed above. Chromosomal abnormalities have been identified in many pediatric brain tumors. These chromosomal abnormalities are helpful in the pathologic classification especially in the differentiation of PNET from atypical rhabdoid tumors. Identification of the genes involved and how they contribute to tumor genesis is ongoing.
Are the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Violent Recidivism Offense-Specific?:

A growing body of literature has found that exposure to child maltreatment and other forms of family dysfunction, often conceptualized as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), are associated with d...
MicroRNA and Protein-Coding Gene Expression Analysis in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Yields Novel Biomarker Signatures Associated to Survival.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive interstitial lung disease of unknown etiology that poses significant challenges in early diagnosis and prediction of progression. Analyses of microRNA and gene expression in IPF have yielded potentially predictive information. However, the relationship between microRNA/gene expression and quantitative phenotypic value in IPF remains controversial, as is the added value of this approach to current molecular signatures in IPF. To identify biomarkers predictive of survival in IPF via a microRNA-driven strategy. We profiled microRNA and protein-coding gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 70 IPF subjects in a discovery cohort. We linked the microRNA/gene expression level with the quantitative phenotypic variation in IPF, including diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide and the forced vital capacity percent predicted. In silico analyses of expression profiles and quantitative phenotypic data allowed the generation of 2 sets of IPF molecular signatures (unique for microRNAs and protein-coding genes) that predict IPF survival. Each signature performed well in a validation cohort comprised of IPF patients aggregated from distinct patient populations recruited from different sites. Resampling test suggests that the protein-coding gene based signature is comparable and potentially superior to published IPF prognostic gene signatures. In conclusion, these results highlight the utility of microRNA-driven peripheral blood molecular signatures as valuable and novel biomarkers associated to individuals at high survival risk and for potentially facilitating individualized therapies in this enigmatic disorder.
Exploring Student Behavior Using the TIPP&SEE Learning Strategy

With the rise of Computational Thinking (CT) instruction at the elementary level, it is imperative for elementary computing instruction to support a variety of learners. TIPP&SEE is a meta-cognitive learning strategy that scaffolds student learning when learning from example code. Results from a previous study show statistically-significant performance differences favoring students using the TIPP&SEE strategy on a written assessment. In this work, our goal is gain insight as to it why such dramatic learning differences may have occurred. We analyze the students' computational artifacts and TIPP&SEE worksheets. Artifact analysis reveals that students in the TIPP&SEE group are more thorough in their work, completing more elements of the required tasks. In addition, they build open-ended projects with longer scripts that utilize more learned blocks. Worksheet analysis shows that students were highly accurate on some types of questions but largely skipped others. Despite these positive behaviors, there was little statistical correlation between student worksheet correctness, project completion, and written assessment performance. Therefore, while students in the TIPP&SEE group performed actions we believe lead to more success, no individual actions directly explain the results. Like other meta-cognitive strategies, the value of TIPP&SEE may lie in cognitive processes not directly observable, and may vary based upon individual student differences.
Evaluation of Parameter Variations of Equivalent Circuit Model of Lithium-ion Battery under Different SOH Conditions

This paper studies the patterns of equivalent circuit model (ECM) parameter variations under different state-of-health (SOH) conditions for lithium-ion battery. An ECM is constructed in this paper to characterize the ageing behavior of battery by fitting ECM to experimentally measured EIS data within the frequency range from 0.01 Hz to 7.928 kHz. The experimentally measured EIS and SOH data are obtained from an accelerated ageing experiment of lithium-ion battery conducted in the laboratory. The comparison between the EIS data generated from the constructed ECM and experimentally measured EIS data validates the constructed ECM. The variations of the parameters of the ECM as a function of the changes in the SOH of the battery showed that as the battery’s health deteriorates overtime, the value of series resistor of the ECM increases and the values of the capacitance components of CPE of the ECM decrease. The presented model and its results can provide a way to estimate or co-estimate the SOH of the battery.
Quality of Life and Complications in the Morbidly Obese Patient following Post-Bariatric Body Contouring.

With a growing obesity epidemic, an increasing number of patients are seeking body contouring procedures (BCP). The aim of this study was to assess the association of morbid obesity (BMI > 40 kg/m2) with both clinical and health-related quality of life (H-RQOL) outcomes following BCP. Patients evaluated for post-bariatric BCP at a large academic hospital by one surgeon were retrospectively identified. Patients were surveyed using the BODY-Q© during initial and postoperative visits. Demographic, clinical, operative characteristics, and surgical outcomes data were extracted. BODY-Q domain scores were compared between morbidly obese (MO) and non-morbidly obese (NMO). The absolute change in HR-QOL scores for MO and NMO was also compared. Overall, 59 patients were included (MO 72.9% vs. NMO 27.1%). The median age was 50 years old (Interquartile range [IQR] ± 17); the majority were non-Hispanic (89.8%), non-diabetic (81.4%), non-smokers (67.8%). Assessment of surgical site occurrences, reoperations, and the complication composite outcome revealed no statistical differences between groups (p >0.05). MO patients showed lower net improvement in three HR-QOL domains: satisfaction with body (median 30 [IQR ± 53] vs. 65 [IQR ± 54]; p = 0.036), body image (median 39 [IQR ± 55] vs. 52 [IQR ± 44]; p = 0.025), and social function (median 12 [IQR ± 18] vs. 19 [IQR ± 35]; p = 0.015). Post-bariatric BCP can be safely performed in the MO patient without increased risk of complication. However, the benefit of truncal BCP is less in MO as it pertains to specific QOL domains: satisfaction with body, body image, and social function. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
0028 Methamphetamine exposures reported to United States poison control centers, 2000–2019

Statement of purpose To investigate characteristics and trends of methamphetamine exposures reported to United States (US) poison control centers. Methods/Approach Data from the National Poison Data System were analyzed to investigate exposures to methamphetamine. Results From January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2019, US poison control centers managed 54,199 cases involving methamphetamine as the first-ranked substance. Adults 20–39 years old accounted for more than half (56.3%) of all cases. There were 1,291 deaths, of which 43.0% involved multiple-substance exposures. Among multiple-substance exposures in which methamphetamine was the first-ranked substance, stimulants and street drugs (excluding methamphetamine) were most commonly present (22.7%), followed by opioids (19.0%). The substance class associated with the most fatalities was opioids (n=243, 26.6%). The rate of methamphetamine exposures per 100,000 US population increased by 79.5% from 2000–2005, then decreased by 68.0% from 2005–2007, followed by an increase of 614.6% from 2007–2019. From 2007–2019, the rate significantly increased among all age groups, except among 6–12-year-olds, and in all US regions. The rates of single- substance and multiple-substance exposures increased significantly from 2007–2019 by 456.7% (p Conclusions The rate of exposure to methamphetamine in the US declined initially following passage of the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005. However, since 2007, the rate and severity of methamphetamine exposures in the US have increased. Significance This is the first study to analyze methamphetamine exposures among all age groups over an extensive time period in the US. The findings from this study can help inform future prevention, monitoring, and research efforts.
Using ambipolar sensitivity in pixelated semiconductor detectors

Abstract Significant hole motion has previously been observed in thick pixelated semiconductor detectors such as TlBr. This has been shown to affect depth reconstructions when using simple cathode-to-anode amplitude ratios by altering planar-cathode signals. In this work, a complementary effect altering pixelated-anode signals from a TlBr detector was observed. This effect increases the radiation-sensitive volume of a detector to include the region near the pixelated electrodes. A new depth analog based on the hole-induced pixel signal is introduced for near-pixel events. Applying an additional calibration with this new parameter improved the FWHM at 662 keV of a TlBr detector by 3–4 keV during room-temperature operation. The analysis and techniques are generalizable to ambipolar-sensitive pixelated detectors whose dominant charge carriers are either electrons or holes, allowing extension to promising hole-dominant semiconductors.
Diversity, ESG, and Latent Board Power

Corporations have traditionally treated shareholder wealth as primary. In recent years, however, cracks in this hierarchy have appeared. An enlargement of purpose is now visible across corporate governance, from the new emphasis on board diversity to the surge in environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) investing to the growing success of benefit corporations. But in legal terms, corporate policy change requires more—specifically, the approval and participation of the board of directors. The vast normative and empirical literature on diversity, ESG, and the stakeholder theory of the firm overlooks some key operational questions and tensions, which this Article maps and develops. How might differently-constituted boards of directors approach tradeoffs between shareholder wealth and social welfare differently? What levers can they reach for to broker competing claims to priority? What constrains them? Exploring the rising pluralism of corporate purpose through this lens—legally, the one that matters most—suggests that the board’s powers are far more capacious than is commonly appreciated. As the board’s make-up, mission, and voting base broaden, its historical norm of deferring to CEOs may prove unstable. This Article provides a novel account of how boards might recover their latent powers and promote diversity and ESG in corporate law.
Toughness enhancement in polymer blends due to the in-situ formation by chaotic mixing of fine-scale extended structures

Experimental results are presented to demonstrate that significant improvements to the impact properties of a polystyrene (PS) matrix can be achieved by the addition of only 9% by volume of low density polyethylene (LDPE). Polymer blends of LDPE and PS were combined in the molten state within a cylindrical cavity where a quiescent, three-dimensional chaotic mixing process was performed. Whereas a minor phase normally adopts the form of highly distributed droplets in conventional processing techniques, minor phase bodies were stretched and folded recursively to yield fine-scale extended and interconnected structures. The structures were largely preserved upon solidification. Impact tests were carried out on specimens which were machined from the solidified blend. Fracture surfaces of the impact test specimens were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Blends achieved a maximum impact toughness 69% higher than that of PS. Results demonstrate potential improvements in properties that may be obtained if favorable and unique microstructures are formed directly in the melt during processing.
System of systems for space construction

The U.S. National Vision for Space Exploration calls for a sustained and affordable human and robotic program to explore the solar system, starting with a human return to the Moon by 2020. Key to this vision is the development of robotic systems for site preparation, habitat construction, deploying infrastructure, and repair in space and on Lunar and planetary surfaces. This paper discusses a system of systems approach to the development of these capabilities, and includes some preliminary experimental studies of multi-robot surface construction operations with the JPL robotic construction crew (RCC).
Refining the Preschool Self‐regulation Assessment for Use in Preschool Classrooms

To aid in understanding preschoolers' self-regulation and refinement of measurement, we examined properties of a field-based assessment battery of preschooler's self-regulation, the Preschool Self-regulation Assessment (PSRA). The PSRA, which includes seven age-appropriate tasks that tap children's executive control, was administered to 313 preschoolers and then to 261 of these children approximately 3 months later. Teachers reported on children's school readiness (social competence and classroom adjustment) at the end of preschool and kindergarten years, and on academic success in kindergarten. PSRA tasks were examined for ceiling effects at 35–65 months; Pencil Tap, Balance Beam, Toy Wrap and Snack Delay were retained for lack of such effects. Confirmatory factor analyses showed two components at each time point – hot and cool executive control – and cross-time correlations showed significant stability of individual differences. Four-year-old girls and children of higher socioeconomic status outperformed 3-year-old boys and those at socioeconomic risk. Children, especially girls, scored higher on hot executive control. Finally, aspects of executive control differentially predicted teacher-reports of school readiness at both times of assessment, with age, gender and risk status controlled. These selected PSRA tasks, as a shortened battery, have potential for research and applied usage, and findings speak to theoretical understanding of preschoolers' self-regulation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Furthering the librarian’s journey: predicting terrorism?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the traditional librarian positions with intelligence analyst positions. Design/methodology/approach – Opinion. Findings – Similarities outnumber differences, and borrowing vocabulary and skills could benefit both, especially regarding long-term planning and spending in academic libraries. Research limitations/implications – Comparing salaries, management structure and possibilities for advancement would be interesting points of study. Originality/value – A literature search for comparing librarians with intelligence analysts revealed, in part, a 2013 lecture at the annual Special Libraries Association conference by Edna Reid, and a 2012 article from the Journal of Education for Library and Information Science on incorporating aspects of intelligence analysis into library school curricula.
Performance evaluation methods for the trading agent competition

This paper proposes a novel method to characterize the performance of autonomous agents in the Trading Agent Competition for Supply Chain Management (TAC-SCM). We create benchmarking tools that manipulate market environments to control the conditions and provide guidelines to test trading agents. Using these tools, we show how developers can inspect their agents and unveil behaviors that might otherwise have gone undiscovered.
Connecting BnB-ADOPT with soft arc consistency: initial results

Distributed constraint optimization problems with finite domains can be solved by asynchronous procedures. ADOPT is the reference algorithm for this kind of problems. Several versions of this algorithm have been proposed, one of them is BnB-ADOPT which changes the nature of the original algorithm from best-first to depth-first search. With BnB-ADOPT, we can assure in some cases that the value of a variable will not be used in the optimal solution. Then, this value can be deleted unconditionally. The contribution of this work consists in propagating these unconditionally deleted values using soft arc consistency techniques, in such a way that they can be known by other variables that share cost functions. When we propagate these unconditional deletions we may generate some new deletions that will also be propagated. The global effect is that we search in a smaller space, causing performance improvements. The effect of the propagation is evaluated on several benchmarks.
Comparison of direct and indirect methods of intra-abdominal pressure measurement in normal horses.

Objectives – To develop a direct method for measuring intra-abdominal pressures in the standing horse, identify a reference interval for direct intra-abdominal pressures, compare these pressures to indirect intra-abdominal pressures measured from the bladder, and determine the optimal bladder infusion volume for indirect pressure measurement. Design – Prospective, experimental study. Setting – A university-based equine research facility. Animals – Ten healthy adult horses, 5 males and 5 females. Interventions – Direct intra-abdominal pressures were measured through an intraperitoneal cannula and zeroed at the height midway between the height of the tuber ishii and point of the shoulder. Indirect measurements of intra-abdominal pressure were performed by measuring intravesicular pressures through a transurethral catheter zeroed at the tuber ishii. Measurements and Main Results – Direct pressure measurements obtained in the standing horse were subatmospheric (mean, −1.80 cm H2O; SD, 1.61 cm H2O; 95% CI, −2.80 to −0.80) and were shown to decrease as the horse's weight increased (Pearson's r=−0.67, P=0.04), with no effect of head position (P=0.15). Mean baseline indirect pressure measurements (mean, −8.63 cm H2O; SD, 4.37 cm H2O; 95% CI, −13.05 to −4.21) were significantly different from the pressures measured directly from the abdomen (P<0.001). Indirect pressure measurements were noted to increase with increasing volumes infused into the bladder, and were statistically different at a volume of 100 mL (P=0.004). There was low to moderate correlation between direct and indirect pressure measurements of intra-abdominal pressure over a range of fluid volumes infused into the bladder (Pearson's correlation range −0.38 to 0.58). Conclusion – Pressures measured directly in the standing horse were subatmospheric, and increased as the horse's weight increased. Indirect pressures measured were altered by increasing volumes infused in the bladder. There was no significant correlation between the 2 methods of intra-abdominal pressure measurement.
Focusing through dynamic tissue with millisecond digital optical phase conjugation

Digital optical phase conjugation (DOPC) is a new technique employed in wavefront shaping and phase conjugation for focusing light through or within scattering media such as biological tissues. DOPC is particularly attractive as it intrinsically achieves a high fluence reflectivity in comparison to nonlinear optical approaches. However, the slow refresh rate of liquid crystal spatial light modulators and limitations imposed by computer data transfer speeds have thus far made it difficult for DOPC to achieve a playback latency of shorter than ~200 ms and, therefore, prevented DOPC from being practically applied to thick living samples. In this paper, we report a novel DOPC system that is capable of 5.3 ms playback latency. This speed improvement of almost 2 orders of magnitude is achieved by using a digital micromirror device, field programmable gate array (FPGA) processing, and a single-shot binary phase retrieval technique. With this system, we are able to focus through 2.3 mm living mouse skin with blood flowing through it (decorrelation time ~30 ms) and demonstrate that the focus can be maintained indefinitely-an important technological milestone that has not been previously reported, to the best of our knowledge.
Reading is slower from CRT displays than from paper: attempts to isolate a single-variable explanation

People read more slowly from CRT displays than from paper (see, for example, Gould and Grischkowsky, 1984). This report summarizes ten experiments and several more analyses that seek to explain the cause of this reading-speed difference. Typically, each experiment isolates one variable and studies whether it explains the difference. Results show that no one variable studied (e.g., experience in using CRT displays; display orientation; character size, font, or polarity) explains it. The tentative conclusion is that the difference is due to a combination of variables, probably centering on the image quality of the characters themselves.
Histopathogenesis of spontaneous periodontal disease in conventional rats. III. The mononuclear cell infiltrate and cytoplasmic changes in associated fibroblasts.

The development of gingivitis and periodontitis lesions in rats fed a normal laboratory chow diet was compared to that which occurred in rats fed a high sucrose diet (Keyes'diet 2000). Histometric analysis of mesio-distal sections through the 1st maxillary interdetal area revealed that the area of inflamed connectve tissue(ICT) increased more rapidly in the diet 2000 group. A greater incidence of periodontitis lesions with active bone resorption was noted in the diet 2000 group. Analysis of cell types in the ICT revealed no statistically significant differences between the two diet groups. However when the percent age of various cell types present in the periodontitis lesions of both dietary groups were compared to the percentage of the cell typed present in the periodontitis lesions of both dietary groups were compared to the percentage of the cell typed persent in gingivitis lesions a statistically significant increase in both large mononuclear cells was found to exist in the ICT of the Periodontitis lisions. A statistically significant decrease in the number of endothelial cells was also observed in periodontitis lesions. At the ultrastructural level cytopathologic alterations of fibroblasts and decreased collagen fibers were noted beneath the gingival epithelium. Denudation of the cemental surface beneath the epithelial attachment became progressively more severe and preceded the migration of the epithelium along the cemental surface.
Site Response and Basin Waves in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California

The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta is an inland delta at the western extent of the Central Valley. Levees were built around swampy islands starting after the Civil War to reclaim these lands for farming. Various studies show that these levees could fail in concert from shaking from a major local or regional earthquake resulting in salty water from the San Francisco Bay contaminating the water in the Delta. We installed seismographs around the Delta and on levees to assess the contribution of site response to the seismic hazard of the levees. Cone penetrometer testing shows that the upper 10 s of meters of soil in the Delta have shear‐wave velocities of about 200 m/s, which would give a strong site response. Seismographs were sited following two strategies: pairs of stations to compare the response of the levees to nearby sites, and a more regional deployment in the Delta. Site response was determined in two different ways: a traditional spectral ratio (TSR) approach of S waves using station BDM of the Berkeley Digital Seismic Net as a reference site, and using SH / SV ratios of noise (or Nakamura’s method). Both estimates usually agree in spectral character for stations whose response is dominated by a resonant peak, but the most obvious peaks in the SH / SV ratios usually are about two‐thirds as large as the main peaks in the TSRs. Levee sites typically have large narrow resonances in the site response function compared to sites in the farmland of the Delta. These resonances, at a frequency of about 1–3 Hz, have amplitudes of about 15 with TSR and 10–12 with Nakamura’s method. Sites on farmland in the Delta also have amplifications, but these are typically broader and not as resonant in appearance. Late (slow) Rayleigh waves were recorded at stations in the Delta, have a dominant period of about one second, and are highly monochromatic. Results from a three‐station array at the Holland Marina suggest that they have a phase velocity of about 600 m/s and arrive at about the same azimuth as the straight‐line back azimuth to the source. A dispersion curve determined for the basin or valley waves yields a shallow velocity profile that increases from about 350 m/s in the upper 0.2 km to about 1.1 km/s at a depth of about 2 km.
Photoelectron spectroscopy of dithiolatodiironhexacarbonyl models for the active site of [Fe–Fe] hydrogenases: Insight into the reorganization energy of the “rotated” structure in the enzyme ☆

Abstract Synthetic analogs, μ-(RS)2Fe2(CO)6, of the active site of [Fe–Fe] hydrogenases do not have the semi-bridged CO and “rotated” structure found in the enzyme. However, recent studies have shown that cations of dithiolatodiiron complexes adopt this rotated structure. This paper reports the use of photoelectron spectroscopy in combination with density functional theory calculations to show that two previously reported complexes: μ-(1,2-benzenedithiolato)Fe2(CO)6 and μ-(1,3-propanedithiolato)Fe2(CO)6 and two new complexes: μ-(2,3-pyridinodithiolato)Fe2(CO)6 and μ-(norbornane-2-exo,3-exo-dithiolato)Fe2(CO)6 favor the “rotated” structure in their corresponding cations. Furthermore, these methods provide a measure of the reorganization energy between the “rotated” and “unrotated” structures in the gas phase. The results provide insight on the entatic state of the dithiolatodiiron site in the enzyme, in which the protein controls the structure of the active site. This structure influences the redox energy and reorganization energy enabling fast electron transfer.
The Correspondence of Jivaroan to Scientific Ornithology

Previous studies offolk biological classification (Diamond 1966; Bulmer 1967, 1970; Berlin, Breedlove, and Raven 1973, 1974; Hunn 1975) have documented a strong correspondence between the ways folk and scientific systems of biological classification delineate natural discontinuities: folk and scientist alike recognize substantially the same categories ofplants and animals. These studies have used methods that assume that all native informants agree in their assignment of individual organisms to named classes. Unfortunately, this simplifying assumption is inaccurate; informants often disagree in their identifications of particular organisms. In this article we use data on the pattern ofinformant disagreement in specimen identification to establish a second type of correspondence between folk and scientific systems of biological classification: folk and scientist alike recognize substantially the same pattern of resemblance between organisms. Furthermore, variations in the strength of this second type ofcorrespondence are shown to reflect the evolutionary history of the organisms classified.
The AAAS 2008 annual meeting: science and technology from a global perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the 174th annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science held 14‐18 February 2008 in Boston, MA, USA.Design/methodology/approach – Conference report.Findings – The conference theme was science and technology from a global perspective, which emphasized the power of science and technology as well as education to assist less‐developed segments of the world society, to improve partnerships among already developed countries and to spur knowledge‐driven transformations across a host of fields.Originality/value – Overviews of six conference symposia are presented, which will be of interest to this journal's readers.
Multi-Level Logic Simplification Using Don't Cares and Filters

Simplification of a multi-level network is used to perform form transformations on parts of the network to obtain an alternate structure that is optimal with respect to area. A technique for obtaining such an optimal structure involves the use of two-level logic minimization on the components of the multi-level logic network. At each component, the structure of the network is captured by intermediate and fan-out don't care sets, which are utilized in the two-level minimization. However, the generation of all the don't cares yield very large sets for most networks and consequently the complete minimization of the components of the circuits require a very large amount of computer time. In this paper we describe algorithms to reduce the size of the don't care sets, so that only the portions that will be useful in minimization at each component of the circuit are retained. We develop both an exact filter and a heuristic filter that prove to be very effective for a large set of benchmark examples. Results show that our technique achieves the same quality as that obtained by doing complete minimizations at each component of the circuits but in much shorter time. This new approach to simplification of multi-level networks has been incorporated into the MIS (version 2.1) logic synthesis system.
Differences between recognition memory and remote memory for olfactory and visual stimuli in nondemented elderly individuals genetically at risk for Alzheimer's disease.

Recognition and remote memory for olfactory and visual stimuli were assessed in nondemented elderly individuals positive for the apolipoprotein E e4 allele and in e4 negative controls to examine whether the e4 allele differentially affects recognition and/or remote memory depending on the modality of stimulus to be remembered. Compared to controls, e4 positive individuals committed more false positive recognition memory errors for olfactory but not visual stimuli suggesting that e4 positive individuals may show false positive errors for olfactory stimuli before deficits for other stimuli are detectable. There were no significant differences in familiarity ratings (a proposed measure of remote memory) suggesting that brain areas involved in remote memory are not affected in nondemented e4 positive individuals. The results suggest that neuropathological changes in nondemented individuals genetically at risk for Alzheimer's disease may differentially affect memory processes.
A Comparison of Non-Musicians' and Musicians' Aesthetic Response to Music Experienced with and without Video.

The purpose of this study was to examine aesthetic response to music experienced with and without video — in this case a video produced with a variety of images and not a video of a live performanc...
Patient dose in cardiac computed tomography.

Computed tomographic (CT) imaging of the heart is becoming more widely available, and the quality of and interest in these examinations continues to increase. Yet, many physicians who perform or order these exams may be unfamiliar with the radiation doses that are delivered to the patient during specific cardiac CT examinations.
ANGIOGRAPHIC AND NUCLEAR IMAGING PREDICTORS OF RESPONSE TO CARDIAC RESYNCHRONIZATION THERAPY (CRT) IN ISCHEMIC CARDIOMYOPATHY

Although scar has been associated with poor outcome after CRT, the impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) severity or ischemia on CRT response remains uncertain. A prospective cohort of CRT patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy was evaluated for ischemia and scar with nuclear perfusion imaging.
Application of Immersed Boundary Method to Fluid, Structure and Electrostatics Interaction in MEMS

A comprehensive computational model is developed to study the dynamics of electrostatically-actuated micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) switches. The operation of the device involves a thin metal membrane in repeated contact with a substrate. The membrane is driven by an electrostatic force and is damped by the surrounding gas.. The coupled interaction of structure response, fluid dynamics and electrostatics must thus be solved. A unified computational framework based on the finite volume method (FVM) is developed to account for these mechanisms. The coupling between fluid, structure and electrostatics is achieved by employing the immersed boundary method (IBM). The advantage of the method is that it allows the fluid flow and electrostatics to be computed on a fixed background mesh while the solid body moves across it. Thus the effort of re-meshing is avoided, and the method potentially allows the simulation to proceed all the way to contact. A novel cell-marking scheme is applied to distinguish the solid region, fluid region and the immersed boundary (IB) region (i.e., the fluid and solid interface). Two-way interpolation is conducted on the IB region, allowing information exchange between fluid and solid. This includes the transfer of fluid and electrostatic forces to the solid surface and the solid position and velocity back to the fluid and electrostatics solution. A series of verification tests are carried out to establish the accuracy and performance of the method. The pull-in behavior of a cantilever switch and a frogleg device are predicted by the simulation.Copyright © 2011 by ASME