cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ultrasound myocardial elastography and registered 3D tagged MRI: quantitative strain comparison

Ultrasound Myocardial Elastography (UME) and Tagged Magnetic Resonance Imaging (tMRI) are two imaging modalities that were developed in the recent years to quantitatively estimate the myocardial deformations. Tagged MRI is currently considered as the gold standard for myocardial strain mapping in vivo. However, despite the low SNR nature of ultrasound signals, echocardiography enjoys the widespread availability in the clinic, as well as its low cost and high temporal resolution. Comparing the strain estimation performances of the two techniques has been of great interests to the community. In order to assess the cardiac deformation across different imaging modalities, in this paper, we developed a semi-automatic intensity and gradient based registration framework that rigidly registers the 3D tagged MRIs with the 2D ultrasound images. Based on the two registered modalities, we conducted spatially and temporally more detailed quantitative strain comparison of the RF-based UME technique and tagged MRI. From the experimental results, we conclude that qualitatively the two modalities share similar overall trends. But error and variations in UME accumulate over time. Quantitatively tMRI is more robust and accurate than UME.
Which Exchange Rates Matter for FDI? Evidence for Japan

Using industry level data for Japanese foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to five Asian countries, we investigate how the sensitivity of FDI to the exchange rate changes across different industry types and exchange rate indices. Key results are as follows: (i) aggregated FDI data reported at the national level are insufficient for analysis, and industry-level data are required; (ii) pooling industries by export orientation reveals heterogeneity in the response of different types of FDI to the exchange rates; and (iii) alternative exchange rate measures, particularly the competitor-weighted exchange rate, perform better for export-oriented FDI. We use our results to address key conflicts in the literature on exchange rates and FDI.
The Market Value of Public-Sector Pension Deficits

States report that their public-employee pensions are underfunded by a total of $438 billion, but a more accurate accounting demonstrates that they are actually underfunded by over $3 trillion. The accounting methods that states currently use to measure their liabilities assume plans can earn high investment without risk. Should plan assets fall short, as is likely, taxpayers are required to make up the difference. But the value of this taxpayer guarantee is not disclosed. As a result, while states recognize that their public-employee pensions are underfunded, the situation is far worse than their accounting demonstrates. Without taking proactive steps now, taxpayers will be made to cover an enormous shortfall when the bills come due.
On the equations for reactive granular flow

In this study, we examine a multiphase model proposed by Baer and Nunziato describing nonequilibrium reactive granular flows. The mathematical character of this model is established to provide the foundations for characteristics-based numerical methods. This analysis includes classification of the wave fields, jump conditions and special wave solutions. This system of equations is hyperbolic but degenerates at points where the relative flow is locally sonic. For fixed upstream conditions, multiple solutions of the equations are determined when the relative velocities exceed the sound speed of the gas phase.
Galois groups of the Lie-irreducible generalized $q$-hypergeometric equations of order three with $q$-real parameters : an approach using a density theorem

In this paper we compute the difference Galois groups of the Lie-irreducible regular singular generalized q-hypergeometric equations of order 3 with q-real parameters by using a density theorem due to Sauloy. In contrast with the differential case, we show that these groups automatically contain the special linear group SL(3,C).
Task dependence of decision- and choice-related activity in monkey oculomotor thalamus

Oculomotor signals circulate within putative recurrent feedback loops that include the frontal eye field (FEF) and the oculomotor thalamus (OcTh). To examine how OcTh contributes to visuomotor control, and perceptually informed saccadic choices in particular, neural correlates of perceptual judgment and motor selection in OcTh were evaluated and compared with those previously reported for FEF in the same subjects. Monkeys performed three tasks: a choice task in which perceptual decisions are urgent, a choice task in which identical decisions are made without time pressure, and a single-target, delayed saccade task. The OcTh yielded far fewer task-responsive neurons than the FEF, but across responsive pools, similar neuron types were found, ranging from purely visual to purely saccade related. Across such types, the impact of the perceptual information relevant to saccadic choices was qualitatively the same in FEF and OcTh. However, distinct from that in FEF, activity in OcTh was strongly task dependent, typically being most vigorous in the urgent task, less so in the easier choice task, and least in the single-target task. This was true for responsive and nonresponsive cells alike. Neurons with exclusively motor-related activity showed strong task dependence, fired less, and differed most patently from their FEF counterparts, whereas those that combined visual and motor activity fired most similarly to their FEF counterparts. The results suggest that OcTh activity is more distantly related to saccade production per se, because its degree of commitment to a motor choice varies markedly as a function of ongoing cognitive or behavioral demands.
Design and implementation of an adaptable software environment

In any major software project, a large volume of project-related information must be maintained and manipulated throughout the software life-cycle. Often this information is scattered, in different media ranging from scraps of papers to program listings, poorly cross-referenced, and inaccessible. TRIAD, an adaptable, integrated software development environment, has been designed to integrate and manage all this information in an organized and structured manner. The TRIAD tool-box environment supports different methodologies to guide the users during development and maintenance of project related information. The environment can be customized by selecting a set of forms which enforce a particular methodology. These forms help develop, integrate, and maintain project information. Forms for a methodology can be tuned to reflect a project-team's experience. When customized by the tuned methodology, TRIAD can provide better project oriented support. TRIAD uses grammar forms as its organizational model. This paper will discuss the advantages of using grammar forms in the modeling and implementation of an adaptable software information editor, within the TRIAD tool-box environment.
Development of an interinstitutional collaboration to support community-partnered research addressing the health of emerging Latino populations

Collaborative and participatory research approaches have received considerable attention as means to understanding and addressing disparities in health and health care. In this article, the authors describe the process of building a three-way partnership among two academic health centers-Duke University and the University of North Carolina-and members of the Latino community in North Carolina to develop and pilot test a lay health advisor program to improve Latina immigrants' mental health and coping skills. The authors applied the principles of participatory research to engage community and academic partners, to select the health topic and population, and to develop program goals and objectives. Key challenges were negotiating administrative structures and learning institutional cultures, as well as dealing with contextual issues such as mental health reform and antiimmigrant sentiment in the state.Some important lessons learned are to seek opportunities for taking advantage of existing relationships and expertise at each academic institution, to be respectful of the burden of research on vulnerable communities, and to involve community partners at all stages of the process.
Photoresponse of YBa2Cu3O7-delta granular and epitaxial superconducting thin films

The response is reported of thin films of YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) with either a very grainy or a smooth epitaxial morphology to visible radiation. SrTiO3 substrates were employed for both types of films. The grainy films were formed by sequential multi-layer electron beam evaporation while the epitaxial films were formed by laser ablation. Both films were patterned into H shaped detectors via a negative photolithographic process employing a Br/ethanol etchant. The bridge region of the H was 50 microns wide. The patterned films formed by laser ablation and sequential evaporation had critical temperatures of 74 K and 72 K respectively. The bridge was current biased and illuminated with chopped He-Ne laser radiation and the voltage developed in response to the illumination was measured. A signal was detected only above the critical temperature and the peak of the response coincided with the resistive transition for both types of films although the correspondence was less exact for the grainy film. The details of the responses and their analysis are presented.
Hydraulic conductance and viscous coupling of three-phase layers in angular capillaries

Predicting three-phase relative permeability by network models requires reliable models for hydraulic conductance of films and layers stabilized by capillary forces at the pore level. We solve the creeping flow approximation of the Navier-Stokes equation for stable wetting and intermediate layers in the corner of angular capillaries by using a continuity boundary condition at the layer interface. We find significant coupling between the condensed phases and calculate the generalized mobilities by solving cocurrent and countercurrent flow of wetting and intermediate layers. Finally, we present a simple heuristic model for the generalized mobilities as a function of the geometry and viscosity ratio.
Growth of ultrafine particles by Brownian coagulation

Abstract Current atmospheric observations tend to support the view that continental tropospheric aerosols (particularly urban aerosols) show multimodal mass distributions in the size range of 0.01–100 μm. The origin of these aerosols is both natural and anthropogenic. Recently, trimodal sub-μm size distributions from combustion measurements at 0.008, 0.035 and 0.15 μm were also observed. Our interest in the present study is the secondary process of growth of sub-μm size aerosols by the coagulation process alone. Using the ‘ J -space’ (integer-space) distribution method of Salk (Suck) and Brock (1979, J. Aerosol Sci. 10, 58–590), we report an accurate numerical simulation study of the evolution of ultrafine to fine particle size distributions. Comparision with the analytic solution of Scott (1968, J. atmos. Sci. 25, 54–64) was made to test the accuracy of our J -space or integer-space distribution method. Our multimodal sub-μ particle size distribution study encompassed the particle size range of 0.001–0.20 μm. Details of particle growth in each mode and interaction between different modes in the multimodal distribution were qualitatively analyzed.
Comparison of inflammatory markers in patients with diabetes mellitus versus those without before and after coronary arterial stenting.

Patients with diabetes are at increased risk for adverse events after coronary stenting, perhaps reflecting a pro-inflammatory state. To characterize the inflammatory response to coronary stenting in patients with and without diabetes, blood samples were obtained from 75 patients before stenting and 10 minutes, 1 hour, and 24 hours later. C-reactive protein (CRP, μg/ml), interleukin (IL)-6 (pg/ml), IL-1 receptor antagonist (pg/ml), and soluble CD40 ligand (ng/ml) were assayed in each sample by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Concentration changes after stenting were identified by repeated-measures analysis of variance. Multivariate analysis was performed to delineate independent predictors of increased concentrations of inflammation markers. Overall, 88% of patients had acute coronary syndromes; 36% had elevated markers of cardiac injury. The preprocedural concentrations of CRP in those with diabetes were more than twice as high as those in patients without diabetes. Two independent predictors of elevated preprocedural CRP concentrations were diabetes (odds ratio 3.95, 95% confidence interval 1.17 to 13.4) and a cardiac marker-positive acute coronary syndrome (odds ratio 3.70, 95% confidence interval 1.22 to 11.2). Preprocedural concentrations of IL-6, IL-1 receptor antagonist, and soluble CD40 ligand tended to be greater in patients with diabetes. The increase in CRP after stenting was much greater for patients without diabetes compared with that in patients with diabetes such that the apparent intensity of inflammation after 24 hours was similar in those with and without diabetes. Thus, patients with and without diabetes exhibit different inflammatory responses to stenting, reflecting the lower preprocedural inflammation in those without diabetes versus those with diabetes.
Large-screen display technology assessment for military applications

Full-color, large screen display systems can enhance military applications that require group presentation, coordinated decisions, or interaction between decision makers. The technology already plays an important role in operations centers, simulation facilities, conference rooms, and training centers. Some applications display situational, status, or briefing information, while others portray instructional material for procedural training or depict realistic panoramic scenes that are used in simulators. While each specific application requires unique values of luminance, resolution, response time, reliability, and the video interface, suitable performance can be achieved with available commercial large screen displays. Advances in the technology of large screen displays are driven by the commercial applications because the military applications do not provide the significant market share enjoyed by high definition television (HDTV), entertainment, advertisement, training, and industrial applications. This paper reviews the status of full-color, large screen display technologies and includes the performance and cost metrics of available systems. For this discussion, performance data is based upon either measurements made by our personnel or extractions from vendors' data sheets.
Partial splenectomy in the era of minimally invasive surgery: the current laparoscopic and robotic experiences

Background Partial splenectomy (PS) is a spleen-preserving technique that is applied as a result of trauma, focal lesions or hematological conditions. Despite the improvement of laparoscopic techniques within the past several decades, minimally invasive PS has remained a marginal technique that has not been well evaluated. Our objective was to provide an update on the indications and the feasibility of this procedure.
Black women in American policing: An advancement display.

Abstract This article is a display of the advancement of black women in American municipal policing. Outlined are research findings which denote the current status of black female officers through a national overview and analysis of their numbers and assignment and rank distributions in relation to geographic region and city population size. The supervisory and command representations of black women among the sworn personnel of five major municipal police agencies are examined.
Equine perinatology: What we know and what we need to know

Abstract Equine pregnancy differs from other domestic species in that the equine foetus matures very late in gestation, maternal progestin concentrations rise near term, and the foetal gonads enlarge and produce oestrogen precursors. Delivery prior to the final maturational process rarely results in a viable foal. Identification of the compromised equine foetus antepartum is a relatively new approach and treatment protocols for those mares at risk of premature delivery are presented. The role of the foetal pituitary adrenal axis and thyroid stimulating hormone in the final maturation of the equine foetus is discussed. Abnormalities in maternal concentrations of progestins and oestrogens may signal foetal compromise and their role in the initiation of parturition and foetal maturation are briefly reviewed.
Diet palatability and growth efficiency: evidence for a physiological interrelationship in rats.

Abstract The total food intake and growth efficiency of growing rats were not affected by the feeding of a mild protein restricted (10%) diet containing an aversive taste stimulus. However, growing rats fed the same diet for a period of 18 days, suffered an inhibition of growth efficiency if the taste character of the diet was changed daily by the addition of a single but different aversive stimulus. For a period of time (9 days), these changes in diet palatability did not affect the total food intake. Rats fed diets containing a combination of the aversive taste changes and commercial soybean trypsin inhibitors, suffered an additional inhibition of growth efficiency. It is postulated that these manipulations in diet palatability interfered with digestive or metabolic processes.
Take Care in the Kitchen: Avoiding Cooking-Related Pollutants

Carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and particulate matter (PM) are harmful air pollutants that pose significant short- and long-term health risks. Emitted from coal-fired power plants, vehicle exhaust pipes, and other combustion sources, they’re among six primary pollutants monitored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Clean Air Act.1 These same pollutants are also some of the most common contributors to unhealthy air inside U.S. homes, due in part to a ubiquitous and possibly surprising activity: cooking.2,3,4 Cooking can release potentially hazardous pollutants, but taking a few simple steps reduces exposures. Researchers now understand that the process of cooking food and even simply operating stoves—particularly gas appliances—can emit a cocktail of potentially hazardous chemicals and compounds. Within our homes, these pollutants are less diluted than they are outdoors, and in the absence of proper ventilation, they often are trapped inside.5 The World Health Organization has established general guidelines for indoor air quality6 and is currently developing specific limits related to burning solid fuels for cooking and heating. However, indoor air in nonindustrial buildings is not regulated by the EPA or any other U.S. agency. “Literally millions to many millions of people are routinely being exposed to air pollutants at levels that we don’t allow outdoors,” says Brett Singer, a staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) who studies indoor air quality and cooking emissions in particular. His team modeled gas stove emissions and exposures in California households and estimated that during a typical winter week—when windows are more likely to be closed and air exchange lower—1.7 million Californians could be exposed to CO levels that exceed national and state ambient air quality standards, simply by cooking on gas stoves without the use of a range hood. Twelve million could be exposed to excessive levels of NO2.7 “That’s a lot of people in California, and those results ballpark-apply across the country,” Singer says. “The EPA would say we don’t have a carbon monoxide or nitrogen dioxide problem in this country,” he says, since average outdoor concentrations nationwide fall well below the agency’s safety standards.8,9 “In reality,” he adds, “we absolutely do have that problem; it’s just happening indoors.” The solution offered by experts is certainly not to stop cooking. Rather, improved ventilation and filtration, achieved through better-designed range hoods and more robust building codes and standards, could ensure occupant safety by removing these pollutants from indoor air.10 In the meantime, experts recommend a few simple strategies to reduce exposures.
Efficient routing for correlated data in wireless sensor networks

In this paper, we propose an efficient routing solution for correlated data collection in wireless sensor networks. Our proposed routing metric considers both the interference distribution as well as the data correlation when establishing routes. An iterative, distributed solution based on local information is proposed using a game theoretic framework. Routes are chosen to minimize both the interference impact of nodes in their neighborhood and the joint entropy of multiple sources relayed through common nodes.
Tritium-proton magnetization transfer as a probe of cross relaxation in aqueous lipid bilayer suspensions

Abstract Saturation-transfer experiments were used to characterize relaxation coupling between macromolecular and water hydrogen nuclei in a suspension of egg phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol in tritium-doped water. Saturation of the proton resonance from the restricted lipid environment ( 1 H r ) results in a decrease of the bulk-water proton ( 1 H f ) spin-lattice relaxation time and negative magnetization transfer to the water protons, whereas no effect on the 3 H f relaxation and a positive enhancement of the equilibrium 3 H f magnetization was observed. The positive 3 H f (enhancement can be accounted for by intramolecular 1 H f - 3 H f NOE with indirect 3 H f (saturation through magnetization transfer with the lipid proton pool. These results are consistent with lipid proton-water proton relaxation coupling via dipolar magnetization transfer in the spin-diffusion limit. Dynamic- and rigid-lattice spin-diffusion models are considered. Both models can account for the observed relaxation and magnetization transfer with limits imposed on the water-macromolecular dynamics on the basis of the absence of 1 H r - 3 H f coupling.
Species of the coccidian genus Alveocystis.

Publications on the coccidia of certain invertebrates are reviewed and two new taxonomic-nomenclatural combinations are introduced: Alveocystis macrocoronata (Luling, 1942) n. comb., in hosts Priapulus caudatus and Halicryptus spinulosus (Priapuloidea); and A. gugleri (Wacha, 1981) n. comb., in Triodopsis albolabris (Mollusca).
The Geography of Survival and the Right to the City: Speculations on Surveillance, Legal Innovation, and the Criminalization of Intervention

The "geography of survival" describes the spaces and spatial relations that structure not only how people may live, but especially whether they may live. For very poor people, such as the homeless, the geography of survival is knitted together into a network of public and private spaces and social services. In this article we focus on three trends that are simultaneously restructuring this geography of survival—the rise of automated surveillance (CCTV), innovations in trespass law, and the criminalization of sharing food in public—to assess their impact on homeless people's geography of survival in particular, and their right to the city more generally.
Pharmacologic Management of Chronic Heart Failure: A Review

Standard drug therapy of systolic heart failure has been evaluated in large-scale randomized clinical trials and includes angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibi tors, which should be used as fi...
Methane emissions from swine houses in North Carolina

Abstract Gaseous methane (CH4) emissions were determined during the winter and summer from `farrow-to-finish' (FF) swine production houses and during the summer from a `farrow-to-wean' (FW) house in 1998 in the coastal plains of North Carolina. The houses were instrumented with sensors to determine cycling of the individual forced-ventilation fans. Laser spectrometry was used to measure CH4 concentration differences between the intake and exhaust points of the houses. Differences in CH4 concentrations were combined with fan operation data to calculate CH4 fluxes from the houses. During the cold winter measurement period, CH4 fluxes averaged 6.9 g CH 4 animal −1 d −1 in the FF house. During summer measurement periods, CH4 fluxes were much greater and averaged 33 and 46 g CH 4 animal −1 d −1 from the FF and FW houses, respectively. The much larger emissions during the summer than winter, indicate that CH4 house emissions were primarily from fresh feces and the underground storage/wash pits containing lagoon effluent; and not directly from the animals since temperature would have little affect on direct animal emission. Emission factors based on animal units (au) of 454 kg animal−1 were much greater at the FW farm with a pull-plug waste management system (7–8 day wash cycle) than at the FF farm with a periodic flush system (8 h wash cycle).
Quantitative study of fetal brain development in individual rats

Abstract The development of cerebral hemispheres was quantitatively studied in twenty 15-day-old rat fetuses from two litters. Thicknesses, areas and mitotic counts (per mm length of ependyma) were not different for left and right hemispheres (parasagittal paraffin sections). On the other hand, among individual fetuses of the same litter, the areas of cerebral hemispheres differed as much as 2 standard deviations, and these values were not correlated with fetal weights (age). It appears that individual fetuses of the same litter and age may differ in the extent of their brain development.
Dynamic Disorder-Driven Substrate Inhibition and Bistability in a Simple Enzymatic Reaction

Conformations and catalytic rates of enzymes (biological catalysts) fluctuate over a wide range of time scales. Recent experimental and theoretical investigations demonstrated case studies where the enzymatic catalysis rate follows the Michaelis-Menten (MM) rate law despite molecular fluctuations. In this paper, we investigate deviations from MM law and their effects on the dynamical behavior of the enzymatic network. We consider a simple kinetic scheme for a single substrate enzymatic reaction in which the product release step is treated explicitly. We examine how conformational fluctuations affect the underlying rate law in the quasi-static limit when conformational dynamics is very slow in one of the states. Our numerical results and analytically solvable model indicate that slow conformational fluctuations of the enzyme-substrate complex lead to non-MM behavior, substrate inhibition, and possible bistability of the reaction network.
The relationship between humoral and cellular immunity to IA-2 in IDDM

Autoantibodies to the neuroendocrine protein insulinoma-associated protein 2 (IA-2), a member of the tyrosine phosphatase family, have been observed in individuals with or at increased risk for IDDM. Because this disease is thought to result from a T-cell-mediated autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta-cells, we analyzed humoral and cellular immune reactivity to this autoantigen to further define its role in the pathogenesis of IDDM. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from individuals with newly diagnosed IDDM or at varying levels of risk for the disease were stimulated in vitro with the entire 42-kDa internal domain of IA-2 (amino acids 603-979), a series of control antigens (glutathionine-S-transferase, tetanus toxoid, Candida albicans, mumps, bovine serum albumin), and a mitogen (phytohemagglutinin). The frequency and mean stimulation index of PBMC proliferation against IA-2 was significantly higher in newly diagnosed IDDM subjects (14 of 33 [42%]; 3.8+/-4.5 at 10 microg/ml) and autoantibody-positive relatives at increased risk for IDDM (6 of 9 [66%]; 3.9+/-3.2) compared with autoantibody-negative relatives (1 of 15 [7%]; 1.8+/-1.0) or healthy control subjects (1 of 12 [8%]; 1.5+/-1.0). The frequencies of cellular immune reactivities to all other antigens were remarkably similar between each subject group. Sera from 58% of the newly diagnosed IDDM patients tested were IA-2 autoantibody positive. Despite investigations suggesting an inverse association between humoral and cellular immune reactivities against islet-cell-associated autoantigens, no such relationship was observed (rs=0.18, P=0.39) with respect to IA-2. These studies support the autoantigenic nature of IA-2 in IDDM and suggest the inclusion of cellular immune responses as an adjunct marker for the disease.
Setback and setup temperature analysis for a classic double-corridor classroom building

Abstract The use of heating setback and cooling setup strategies is commonly considered an attractive means of energy conservation in buildings. In this study, the effect of heating setback and cooling setup strategies on energy consumption of a classic double-corridor classroom building was investigated. The motivation for this research stems from the authors’ field studies of K-12 school buildings. They observed that the night setback capabilities of existing programmable thermostats were not enabled or were not being fully utilized. Furthermore, schools with whole-building automated controls were not programmed to achieve their maximum potential energy savings from the use of heating setback and cooling setup strategies during unoccupied periods. To make simpler and encourage this application, it was believed that single seasonal temperature setpoints were needed for common K-12 classroom buildings. This study determined optimum and recommended temperatures for various U.S. climate regions and building construction types. EnergyPlus was used to perform the building energy simulations. It was found that daily optimum setback and setup temperatures existed and were affected by building structure and outdoor temperature, but not significantly by building orientation or window area.
Longitudinal gonadal function after bone marrow transplantation for acute lymphoblastic leukemia during childhood.

Total body irradiation and high-dose chemotherapy, applied as a preparatory regimen for bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), are particularly hazardous to the gonads and, in addition, can impair hypothalamo pituitary-gonadal control. Longitudinal data on pubertal development and gonadal function in these patients are limited. Twenty-one ALL patients (15 males, 6 females) who had successfully undergone allogeneic BMT before puberty (age at BMT: 3.4-12.3 yr) were followed up in University Children's Hospital, Tubingen, Germany over 2 (minimum) to 14 (maximum) years. Tanner development scores, serum testosterone and estradiol, basal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were analyzed. During pubertal age, the levels of FSH and LH rose consecutively, resulting in noticeably elevated serum concentrations in 100% and 89%, respectively, of boys older than 14 years and in 75% and 75%, respectively, of girls older than 13 years. Nevertheless, pubertal development has been normal in all patients except in one boy and two girls who required substitution with sexual steroids, as timely puberty (i.e. boys < 14 years, girls < 13 years) did not start. In males with normal puberty, testosterone levels, however, were found to be low-normal. In conclusion, after BMT preceded by total body irradiation for childhood ALL, gonadal function is impaired. Even if normal pubertal development occurs, deficiencies in long-term endocrine function cannot be ruled out. In view of the high FSH levels, the prognosis for fertility is doubtful.
Silicon photonics for optical access networks

We highlight promising developments and directions in silicon photonics for realizing cost effective WDM-PON: photonic integration for integrated WDM transceivers at the OLT and widely tunable laser technologies for achieving a high performance, colorless ONU.
Ethanol fermentation characteristics of Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus

Abstract Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus is an extreme thermophilic non-spore forming ethanol-producing anaerobic bacterium. Minimum nutrient requirements and optimum growth conditions have been established. An optimum yeast extract-glucose ratio for ethanol yield has also been determined. Initial medium pH, optimally 7.5–8.0, significantly affected the amount of ethanol formed. Maximum specific growth rate was found to be 0.22 h −1 at pH 7.5 and 69°C. Ethanol concentration up to 11 g l −1 at pH 7.5 and 69°C was used to characterize ethanol inhibition. The growth kinetics of T. ethanolicus were characterized in terms of environmental parameters. Substrate utilization, ethanol formation and inhibition by both sugar and ethanol were also quantified .
A polygon matching problem in computer vision (abstract only)

A central problem in computer vision is that of determining whether a given object O appears in a scene S. We outline a general method of solution applicable to r dimensional location spaces, where r
Adjacency-based data reordering algorithm for acceleration of finite element computations

Effective use of the processor memory hierarchy is an important issue in high performance computing. In this work, a part level mesh topological traversal algorithm is used to define a reordering of both mesh vertices and regions that increases the spatial locality of data and improves overall cache utilization during on processor finite element calculations. Examples based on adaptively created unstructured meshes are considered to demonstrate the effectiveness of the procedure in cases where the load per processing core is varied but balanced (e.g., elements are equally distributed across cores for a given partition). In one example, the effect of the current ajacency-based data reordering is studied for different phases of an implicit analysis including element-data blocking, element-level computations, sparse-matrix filling and equation solution. These results are compared to a case where reordering is applied to mesh vertices only. The computations are performed on various supercomputers including IBM Blue Gene (BG/L and BG/P), Cray XT (XT3 and XT5) and Sun Constellation Cluster. It is observed that reordering improves the per-core performance by up to 24% on Blue Gene/L and up to 40% on Cray XT5. The CrayPat hardware performance tool is used to measure the number of cache misses across each level of the memory hierarchy. It is determined that the measured decrease in L1, L2 and L3 cache misses when data reordering is used, closely accounts for the observed decrease in the overall execution time.
Amplitude modulated chaos in two degree-of-freedom systems with quadratic nonlinearities

Two degree-of-freedom systems with weak quadratic nonlinearities are studied under weak external and parametric excitations respectively. All six possible cases, that arise in the presence of 1∶2 internal resonance, are investigated. The method of averaging is used to obtain a set of four first-order amplitude equations that govern the dynamics of the first-order asymptotic approximation to the response. An analytical technique, based on Melnikov's method is used to predict the parameter range for which chaotic dynamics exists in the undamped averaged system. Numerical studies show that such chaotic responses are quite common in these quadratic systems, and they seem to persist even in the presence of damping.
Management of cutaneous rosacea: emphasis on new medical therapies

Introduction: Over the past decade, both basic science and clinical research have provided new information on pathophysiology and therapy that has led to advances in the management of rosacea. As rosacea is a very common facial skin disorder in adults of both genders and essentially all races and ethnicities, these advances can provide therapeutic benefit to many affected individuals around the world.Areas covered: This article provides a collective review of more recent information on the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of rosacea, and discusses individual medical therapies based on PubMed literature searches on ‘rosacea’, ‘rosacea therapies’ and each therapy that are included in this article. The perspectives of the author on management of rosacea are also included. Newer therapies and treatment concepts received greater emphasis.Expert opinion: Management of cutaneous rosacea involves patient education, integration of proper skin care, differentiation of visible manifestations and symptoms,...
Television and Temporal Development

Children view large amounts of television from very early on, and television's effects permeate our culture and society. In areas of temporal development, proponents of Piaget would argue that children under the age of eight or nine lack the operations that permit logical structuring of temporal relationships and are thus more easily distracted by other information and cues. Television viewing may distract or maintain a child's attention, and may also guide attention into extremely structured, regimented time frames. The major objectives of the present investigation were to determine whether childrens' short term temporal judgments were related to: (a) viewing hours in preschool years, (b) speed of the action being viewed and (c) age and gender. One hundred eight children were grouped by ages 4-0 to 5-11, 6-0 to 7-11, and 8-0 to 9-11. All subjects viewed short television segments of varying length and action and were asked to estimate the length of time of each segment. Parents of children in the study co...
The electron lens test bench for the relativistic heavy ion collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory

Abstract To compensate for the beam–beam effects from the proton–proton interactions at the two interaction points IP6 and IP8 in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), we are constructing two electron lenses (e-lenses) that we plan to install in the interaction region IR10. Before installing them, the electron gun, collector, instrumentation were tested and the electron beam properties were qualified on an electron lens test bench. We will present the test results and discuss our measurement of the electron beam current and of the electron gun perveance. We achieved a maximum current of 1 A with 5 kV energy for both the pulsed- and the DC-beam (which is a long turn-by-turn pulse beam). We measured beam transverse profiles with an yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) screen and pinhole detector, and compared those to simulated beam profiles. Measurements of the pulsed electron beam stability were obtained by measuring the modulator voltage.
Direct solution of large systems of linear equations

Abstract A very efficient computer subroutine for the direct solution of large numbers of simultaneous linear equations is presented. Basically the program uses Gauss elimination on positive-definite symmetrical systems. The specific features are that systems of very large size and bandwidth can be solved and that all operations on zero elements are eliminated. Also, the program is very simple and can be incorporated into existing programs with a minimum of effort. The amount of backup storage available on the computer used will govern the maximum size of the system which can be solved. A FORTRAN IV listing of the subroutine is given.
Metastatic carcinoma simulating agnogenic myeloid metaplasia and myelofibrosis.

Eight patients with metastatic carcinoma with findings simulating agnogenic myeloid metaplasia and myelofibrosis are reported. All patients had a previous histologic diagnosis of carcinoma and complained of bone pain. All had leukoerythroblastic anemia and reticulocytosis. Splenomegaly, observed in 6 of the 8 patients, was striking in only 2. Bone marrow examination in 6 patients revealed fibrosis in all 6, and carcinoma cells were demonstrable in 4. Osseous roentgenographic changes, observed in all 8 patients, were lytic, blastic, or mixed. Clinical differentiation from agnogenic myeloid metaplasia may be difficult but is possible. Long survival after the onset of myeloid metaplasia with metastatic carcinoma may occur; 3 of our patients were living more than 2 years after onset of the disorder.
Supply chain capability of countries and its effect on foreign direct investment: a fuzzy-set analysis

International plant location decisions have acquired relevance in a globalised economy and evidence suggests that the overall production and logistics environment of a country would have a bearing on foreign direct investment (FDI). This study attempts to analyse the impact of the production and logistics environment on incoming FDI. We introduce a new conceptual framework of supply chain capability (SCC) of countries and using the ‘fuzzy-set analysis’ methodology attempt to determine whether SCC is a necessary or sufficient cause for FDI flows. This study validates the basic proposition that supply chain capability of a country is a determinant of FDI. Further, the study suggests that the FDI attractiveness of a country is better explained by a combination of factors as reflected by the composite variable, SCC, than by individual constituent variables. This study offers insights to firm managers to evaluate various competing country environments, thus enabling them to make better strategic decisions about foreign investment.
Processing of wood-derived copper–silicon carbide composites via electrodeposition

An electrodeposition technique has been adapted to produce copper–silicon carbide composites with honeycomb-like microstructures. The detrimental Cu–SiC reaction was avoided by using this room temperature processing technique. The wood-derived silicon carbide phase allows for tailorable microstructures due to the variety of available wood precursors. Plating efficiency for each wood type was determined using image analysis. This processing method results in the successful filling of pores with aspect ratios of up to 100.
Artificial defoliation effect on Populus growth, biomass production, and total nonstructural carbohydrate concentration

The impact of artificial defoliation on Populus growth, biomass production, and total nonstructural carbohydrate concentration was examined. Four Populus clones were field planted and artificially defoliated. Assigned defoliation levels (0, 25, 50, or 75%) were applied to leaves of leaf plastochron index 0 through 8 during a 6-d period in a 3-step incremental manner to simulate cottonwood leaf beetle, Chrysomela scripta F., larval feeding patterns. Artificial defoliations were timed to coincide with the outbreaks of natural beetle populations in adjacent areas. After 2 growing seasons, trees were measured for height, diameter, and biomass accumulation. Root samples were collected from 0 and 75% defoliation treatments and analyzed for total nonstructural carbohydrate content. Height, diameter, and above ground biomass decreased significantly with increasing defoliation for all clones. There was a significant difference in root and total biomass between 0 and 75% defoliation treatments for each clone. Biomass was reduced an average of 33% as defoliation level increased from 0 to 75%. As defoliation level increased from 0 to 75%, a consistent allocation ratio of biomass to 2/3 above and 1/3 below ground components continued in all clones. An overcompensation response occurred in above ground biomass when a defoliation level of 25% was applied. Between 25 and 75% a strong linear trend of decreasing biomass as defoliation increased was indicated. Vitality of the tree, as indicated by total nonstructural carbohydrate content, was affected only slightly by increasing defoliation.
Reprise: Developing Problem-Solving Skills to Enhance Task Persistence of Handicapped Preschool Children.

This manuscript reports on a preliminary study to examine the effect of teaching problem-solving skills on the task persistence of handicapped preschool children. Ten mildly handicapped children co...
Loss of giant obscurins from breast epithelium promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, tumorigenicity and metastasis

Obscurins, encoded by the single OBSCN gene, are giant cytoskeletal proteins with structural and regulatory roles. The OBSCN gene is highly mutated in different types of cancers. Loss of giant obscurins from breast epithelial cells confers them with a survival and growth advantage, following exposure to DNA-damaging agents. Here we demonstrate that the expression levels and subcellular distribution of giant obscurins are altered in human breast cancer biopsies compared with matched normal samples. Stable clones of non-tumorigenic MCF10A cells lacking giant obscurins fail to form adhesion junctions, undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and generate >100-μm mammospheres bearing markers of cancer-initiating cells. Obscurin-knockdown MCF10A cells display markedly increased motility as a sheet in 2-dimensional (2D) substrata and individually in confined spaces and invasion in 3D matrices. In line with these observations, actin filaments redistribute to extending filopodia where they exhibit increased dynamics. MCF10A cells that stably express the K-Ras oncogene and obscurin short hairpin RNA (shRNA), but not scramble control shRNA, exhibit increased primary tumor formation and lung colonization after subcutaneous and tail vein injections, respectively. Collectively, our findings reveal that loss of giant obscurins from breast epithelium results in disruption of the cell–cell contacts and acquisition of a mesenchymal phenotype that leads to enhanced tumorigenesis, migration and invasiveness in vitro and in vivo.
Intraspinal clear cell meningioma: diagnosis and management: report of two cases.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Intraspinal clear cell meningioma is a rare morphological variant of meningioma. Only 13 case reports are found in the literature; therefore, no management strategy has been defined for this tumor type. This article describes two patients, reviews the literature, and proposes a treatment plan for clear cell meningioma. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Two female patients, 22 months and 8 years of age, respectively, presented with localized neck and leg pain that limited their ability to walk. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed intradural tumors, a cervical intramedullary neoplasm in the younger patient, and a cauda equina tumor in the older child. INTERVENTION: Both patients underwent radical resection of their intradural tumor. Both tumors, however, recurred shortly (5 and 6 mo) after the initial operation. During the second operation, a radical removal was performed on each patient. Both patients received adjuvant radiotherapy. In addition, the younger patient developed posterior fossa metastasis 20 months after intraspinal surgery. CONCLUSION: Intraspinal clear cell meningiomas are very uncommon tumors. The clinical course in our two patients supports the reported 40% recurrence rate within 15 months. These tumors also can disseminate within the central nervous system. We recommend serial imaging studies every 3 months. For recurrent tumors, we recommend localized radiation therapy after reoperation.
The mechanism and functions of ATP-dependent proteases in bacterial and animal cells.

In eukaryotes and prokaryotes, the degradation of most cell proteins requires metabolic energy (Goldberg and St. John, 1976; Hershko and Ciechanover, 1982). This feature of intracellular proteolysis applies not only for cytosolic proteins in bacterial and animal cells. Mitochondria (Desautels and Goldberg, 1982a) and chloroplasts (Malek et al., 1984) also contain systems for complete degradation of abnormal proteins, and this process also requires ATP. An ATP requirement for proteolysis is surprising on thermodynamic grounds, since hydrolysis of peptide bonds should be a spontaneous, exergonic process, and protein breakdown by traditional proteases does not require energy-rich cofactors (Goldberg and St. John, 1976). Initial speculations concerning the energy requirement for proteolysis in eukaryotic cells led to the suggestion that ATP might be necessary for the function of lysosomes in which protein degradation was assumed to occur. However, bacteria lack such organelles, but do show a similar ATP dependence for proteolysis as animal cells (Olden and Goldberg, 1978). Therefore, this requirement must represent a more fundamental property of the degradative process.