cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A highly alkaline Lake in Nicaragua

Der Nejapa-See liegt in einem vulkanischen Krater. Sein pH ubertrifft 10; die Bikarbonat-Alkalinitat betrug 4.39 g/l, die Karbonat-Alkalinitat 10.44 g/l. Vier Blaualgenarten wurden gefunden, jedoch kein Zooplankton.
Crystallographic analysis of structural effects associated with symmetrical-1,3-bridging of five-membered rings by carbonyl spacers

Abstract The crystal and molecular structures of tricyclo[7.2.1.03,6]decane-2, 8-dione (4), its 4,5-benzo fused homologue (5), and tetracyclo[7.2.1.04,11-.06,10]-dodeca-2, 7-diene-5,12-dione (6) have been determined. The conformations adopted by the saturated and unsaturated five-membered rings In these molecules have been determined. The significantly different angles adopted by the carbonyl groups of the central ring in each of these diketones were also accurately measured. In order to evaluate these relationships, a companion MM2-based computational study was undertaken simultaneously and relevant comparisons are made. The range covered by this triad of molecules provides Insight into structural factors that contribute to the preferred ground-state conformations of bridged diquinane systems.
Climatic control of sedimentation in bays and fjords of the northern Antarctic Peninsula

Abstract The northern Antarctic Peninsula is dominated by strong climatic gradients, which are locally enhanced by subsidiary orographic and topographic effects. These gradients are reflected in the sediments of the bays and fjords of the region. The climate of the South Shetland Islands is relatively warm, with high levels of precipitation. This leads to a temperate glacial setting in which many glaciers terminate on land, and bay waters which are turbid with terrigenous debris. Sediments, which consist of terrigenous muds and sands with a low ice-rafted debris (IRD) content, are relatively thick (≈ 70 m) and have now filled in and almost completely mask the underlying basement topography. The Palmer Archipelago is colder than the South Shetland Islands, and is the wettest area of the Antarctic. It is heavily glaciated, and all major glaciers are grounded below sea level. Only rarely have sediment plumes been seen. The sediments, which are primarily terrigenous muds and sands with a variable IRD component, are thin (maximum ≈ 40 m) but are ponding in every available bathymetric depression. The pristine nature of the ice visible above sea level indicates that terrigenous debris is entering the bays from below sea level. Sediment gravity flows are important in redistributing sediment. The Danco Coast lies within the precipitation shadow of the Graham Land Plateau. Its climate is slightly colder, and is the driest in the study area, with less than half of the precipitation of the Palmer Archipelago. Nevertheless, it is also heavily glaciated. With few exceptions, sediments here are diatomaceous muds and oozes. They are very thin and drape across the rugged basement topography, rather than ponding in lows. Sediment gravity flow deposits are rare. These observations indicate a lower rate of production of terrigenous sediment here, a consequence of the drier climatic setting.
On The Nature Of Elicited Imitation And Its Role In Language Assessment

The purpose of this paper is to examine the research which has been done regarding the nature of elicited imitation in an effort to determine the role of language tests which employ it as an assessment procedure. Elicited imitation tests are based on two assumptions: (1) imitation, comprehension, and production are closely related language skills; and, (2) elicited imitations accurately reflect spontaneous productive ability. A review of the literature concerning these assumptions about the nature of elicited imitation is presented. An examination of the studies reveals that there are many variables which influence the nature of elicited imitations. Among these variables are length, syntactic complexity, surface complexity, content words, word position and stress of the model utterance; memory span and linguistic knowledge of the imitator; and presence of non-linguistic contextual cues. However, the interaction of these variables has not yet been fully determined. For this reason, the results of elicited ...
Suspension of Neural Pathways for Pain and Nociception

Suspension of Neural Pathways for Pain and Nociception. This review traces the changing conceptualization of the biological mechanisms underlying pain sensation from the time of Descartes. The anatomical basis for the existence of a system dedicated to pain is discussed in the light of detailed neuroanatomical knowledge developed during the past quarter century. The adequacy of defining pain in terms of noxious stimulation is questioned. Instead, pain sensation might better be understood in the context of somatovisceral function, with its underlying neuroanatomical complexity and dynamic interactions between ascending and descending systems.
Solvatochromic characterization of near- and supercritical ethane, propane, and dimethyl ether using 9-(α-perfluoroheptyl-β,β-dicyano-vinyl)julolidine

Abstract The solvatochromic dye 9(α-perfluoroheptyl-β,β-dicyanovinyl)julolidine is used to characterize the solvent strength of ethane, propane, and dimethyl ether over a pressure range of 35–300 bar at temperatures ranging from 25 to 155 °C. The results are consistent with the concept of clustering of the solvent molecules around the solute near the critical density. The direct relationship between the solvent's local density about the solute and it's isothermal compressibility, is shown to be valid not only at pressures above the critical pressure, but also at pressures below this value. Dimethyl ether is shown to be a highly adjustable solvent worth future consideration in supercritical fluid applications.
DLL-conscious instruction fetch optimization for SMT processors

Simultaneous multithreading (SMT) processors can issue multiple instructions from distinct processes or threads in the same cycle. This technique effectively increases the overall throughput by keeping the pipeline resources more occupied at the potential expense of reducing single thread performance due to resource sharing. In the software domain, an increasing number of dynamically linked libraries (DLL) are used by applications and operating systems, providing better flexibility and modularity, and enabling code sharing. It is observed that a significant amount of execution time in software today is spent in executing standard DLL instructions, that are shared among multiple threads or processes. However, for an SMT processor with a virtually-indexed cache implementation, existing instruction fetching mechanisms can induce unnecessary false I-TLB and I-Cache misses caused by the DLL-based instructions that are intended to be shared. This problem is more prominent when multiple independent threads are executing concurrently on an SMT processor. In this work, we investigate a neglected form of contention between running threads in the I-TLB and I-Cache (including both VIVT and VIPT) due to DLLs. To address these shortcomings, we propose a system level technique involving a light-weight modification in the microarchitecture and the OS. By exploiting the nature of the DLLs in our optimized system, we can reinstate the intended sharing of the DLLs in an SMT machine. Using Microsoft Windows based applications, our simulation results show that the optimized instruction fetching mechanism can reduce the number of DLL misses up to 5.5 times and improve the instruction cache hit rates by up to 62%, resulting in up to 30% DLL IPC improvements and up to 15% overall IPC improvements.
An Eclipse-based development approach to health information technology.

The rapid proliferation of applications ? electronic health record and clinical decision support systems among them ? cannot keep up with the growing needs of healthcare delivery organisations. The absence of uniform standards and interoperability has hindered the successful deployment and acceptance of these applications. Eclipse and other open source applications have the potential to fill some of these gaps. The benefits include acceptance of open standards, enabling interoperability and scalability, prevention of vendor lock-in and lower costs. In this paper, we describe an Eclipse-based open source electronic health record application, a prototype. We contrast the Eclipse approach to other development approaches. Implementation is feasible and provides customisation, although there are challenges to overcome. We envision organisations adopting open source development tools as alternatives to vendor-driven, proprietary systems.
Bounds on null functions of linear digital imaging systems

Any linear digital imaging system produces a finite amount of data from a continuous object. This means that there are always null functions, so a reconstruction of the object, even without noise in the system, will differ from the actual object. With positivity constraints, the size of a null function is limited, provided that size is measured by the integral of the absolute value of the null function. When smoothing is used in reconstruction, then smoothed null functions become relevant. There are bounds on various measures of the size of smoothed null functions, and these bounds can be quite small. Smoothing will decrease the effects of null functions in object reconstructions, and this effect is greater if the smoothing operator is well matched to the system operator.
Review: chewing gum after abdominal surgery reduces time to return of bowel function but not length of hospital stay.

P P Tekkis Dr P P Tekkis, St Mary’s Hospital, London, UK; p.tekkis@imperial.ac.uk Does chewing gum after colectomy reduce time to return to normal bowel function and length of hospital stay after surgery? Studies selected compared use of chewing gum with no chewing gum in the early period after surgery in patients who had colectomy, reported ⩾1 outcome of interest, and clearly reported reasons for surgery and whether chewing gum was used. Trials were excluded if outcomes were not clearly reported for both groups, relevant data could not be extracted or calculated, or there was considerable overlap of authors, centres, or patient cohorts with other studies. Outcomes were return to normal bowel function (time to first flatus or bowel …
Neonatal Critical Care

The quality of the first few minutes of a newborn's life has important and lasting consequences on its entire life. Hence, the care a newborn receives is critical. Recommendations for postdelivery resuscitation techniques are reviewed. The remainder of the article focuses on the critically ill neonate, possible underlying diseases, and methods of supportive therapy.
In vitro HIV‐1 infection in Macaca nemestrina PBMCs is blocked at a step beyond reverse transcription

: Various stages in the lifecycle of HIV-1 were investigated in Macaca nemestrina and humans in vitro. Early events were analyzed by end point dilution DNA PCR with HIV-1 and SHIV infected PBMCs, while p24 and p27 ELISA assays were used to analyze core antigen production from infected cells. The results demonstrate that a step in the virus life cycle, beyond reverse transcription is blocked for HIV-1 infection in macaque cells.
Sampled-data discrete-time coordination algorithms for double-integrator dynamics under dynamic directed interaction

In this article, we study two sampled-data-based discrete-time coordination algorithms for multi-vehicle systems with double-integrator dynamics under dynamic directed interaction. For both algorithms, we derive sufficient conditions on the interaction graph, the damping gain and the sampling period to guarantee coordination by using the property of infinity products of stochastic matrices. When the conditions on the damping gain and the sampling period are satisfied, the first algorithm guarantees coordination on positions with a zero final velocity if the interaction graph has a directed spanning tree jointly while the second algorithm guarantees coordination on positions with a constant final velocity if the interaction graph has a directed spanning tree at each time interval. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
Thermally Induced Dynamics of Satellite Solar Panels

Thermally induced structural motions are known to affect the attitude dynamics of low Earth orbiting satellites during eclipse transitions. Motions of e exible appendages such as solar panels lead to rigid body rotations of the entire satellite because the total angular momentum of the system is conserved. These potentially large attitude disturbances may violate pointing accuracy and jitter requirements. One type of thermally induced dynamics exhibited by solar panels is thermal snap. The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite is a prominent example of a satellite that experiences thermal snap disturbances during eclipse transitions. This paper describes recent studies of thermally induced dynamicsof solarpanels, including an analysisofsatelliteattitudedynamics resulting from thermally induced structural motions and a laboratory investigation of the thermal-structural performance of a satellite solar panel. Analytical and experimental results demonstrate thermal bending deformations with acceleration transients that have characteristic thermal snap disturbance histories in response to rapid changes in heating. The studies show that solar panel thermal snap disturbances are caused by through-the-thickness temperature differences that vary at a nonconstant rate. Finite element analysis correctly predicts the thermal snap phenomenon observed in the solar panel experiments.
Dispersion of mammalian sperm chromatin during fertilization: An in vitro study

Abstract When “denuded spermatozoa” (spermatozoa stripped of the greater part of their acrosomes and resembling in many respects spermatozoa after acrosomal reaction) of the bull are incubated with 0.1 M 2-mercaptoethanol (pH 8), sperm chromatin is degraded extensively by a protease in the sperm head. The morphological pattern of sperm nuclear dispersion upon in vitro incubation is similar to that observed in the newly fertilized egg. Following disintegration of the outer layers of the sperm nucleus, chromatin dispersion commences from the periphery of the posterior half and proceeds to the anterior end and to the core of the head. Less basic N- and C-terminal portions of bull sperm histone molecules are digested quickly. The central, very arginine-rich portions of the molecules degrade gradually, yielding an heterogeneous series of arginine-rich peptides (molecular weight, 400–1500). Evidence suggests that the protease which is responsible for the degradation of sperm chromatin is a small fraction of acrosin. This fraction of acrosin appears to be arranged along the nuclear surface and to become associated with sperm chromatin during structural changes of the nuclear surface. A similar proteolysis of rabbit, hamster and guinea pig sperm chromatin has also been observed. The resulting pattern of dissolution of the sperm nucleus is proposed as a model of some of the steps involved in male pronucleus formation from the sperm head after fertilization. Histones H2a, H2b, H3 and H4 associated with DNA are relatively resistant to acrosin.
Genetic association between monoamine oxidase and manic-depressive illness : Comparison of relative risk and haplotype relative risk data

There have been several conflicting reports of association of monoamine oxidase (MAO) A gene polymorphisms and bipolar affective disorder. In order to determine the possible role of the MAO region in susceptibility to affective disorders in an independent sample, we have genotyped 83 probands of bipolar affective disorder families, 56 sets of parents of bipolar probands, and 84 normal controls for intronic simple sequence repeat polymorphisms of the MAO-A and MAO-B genes. For MAO-A there were no significant differences in allele frequencies between bipolar and normal control groups for both genders. However, for MAO-B there were significant differences between groups for both genders. In contrast, allele-wise haplotype relative risk analysis for the 56 bipolar proband-parent trios found no significant differences between transmitted and non-transmitted allele frequencies for MAO-A or B. These data do not support the association of MAO-A or B with bipolar affective disorder but do demonstrate that undetected population stratification can be an important source of bias in case-control studies.
Effects of temperature and photoperiod on lure display and glochidial release in a freshwater mussel

Freshwater mussels use an array of strategies to transfer their parasitic larvae (glochidia) to fish hosts. We examined the effects of temperature, photoperiod, and female gravidity on mantle lure display and conglutinate release by Ligumia subrostrata (Say, 1831) in 2 laboratory experiments. In the 1 st experiment, we examined the use of these strategies in 4 temperature treatments (5, 15, 25, 35uC) and 3 photoperiods (10:14, 12:12, and 14:10 h light: dark). In the 2 nd experiment, we observed infection strategies under ambient conditions with flow-through pond water. Water temperature appeared to be the primary cue governing use of these strategies. Lure display occurred over a protracted period, but the highest display frequency occurred between ,11 and 20uC. Lure display declined rapidly above this range and ceased altogether .28uC. Release of conglutinates increased coincident with the decrease in lure display but, at ambient temperatures, occurred over a protracted period similar in duration to lure display. Females that were not gravid at the beginning of the experiment did not display lures, and gravid females whose gills were flushed of glochidia displayed for only a short period during which frequency of display was much lower than gravid individuals. Ligumia subrostrata exhibits a temperature-mediated switch between alternate host strategies. We present evidence that lure display is a primary strategy for host infection and conglutinate release is a secondary, bet-hedging strategy to reduce wastage of glochidia that ultimately must be cleared from the gills at the end of the reproductive season.
Repolarization reserve: a moving target.

A drug dose (and con-centration) that produces minimal QT prolongation in onepatient may, in an apparently indistinguishable subject, pro-duce marked QT prolongation and torsade de pointes. Thisvariability in response to an exogenous stressor is paralleledby variability in the extent to which a given mutation in thecongenital long-QT syndrome prolongs QT interval andcauses arrhythmias.
Sources of variability in canopy reflectance and the convergent properties of plants

How plants interact with sunlight is central to the existence of life and provides a window to the functioning of ecosystems. Although the basic properties of leaf spectra have been known for decades, interpreting canopy-level spectra is more challenging because leaf-level effects are complicated by a host of stem- and canopy-level traits. Progress has been made through empirical analyses and models, although both methods have been hampered by a series of persistent challenges. Here, I review current understanding of plant spectral properties with respect to sources of uncertainty at leaf to canopy scales. I also discuss the role of evolutionary convergence in plant functioning and the difficulty of identifying individual properties among a suite of interrelated traits. A pattern that emerges suggests a synergy among the scattering effects of leaf-, stem- and canopy-level traits that becomes most apparent in the near-infrared (NIR) region. This explains the widespread and well-known importance of the NIR region in vegetation remote sensing, but presents an interesting paradox that has yet to be fully explored: that we can often gain more insight about the functioning of plants by examining wavelengths that are not used in photosynthesis than by examining those that are.
Statin therapy and multiple sclerosis disability in a population-based cohort.

Background: Axonal damage and inflammatory demyelination both occur in multiple sclerosis (MS). Some studies suggest that statins, through pleiotropic effects, reduce inflammatory episodes and protect neurons. However, other studies suggest statins have disparate impacts on these pathologic processes.Objective: The objective of this study was to assess disability progression in MS patients receiving statin therapy.Methods: We performed a retrospective medical record review of an established population-based MS prevalence cohort in Olmsted County, Minnesota, comparing disability progression between patients receiving statins and controls.Results: Duration of statin use ranged from 1.9 to 20.3 years with a mean and standard deviation of 6.8 ± 4 years. Years between assessments ranged from 0.6 to 8.2 (75% of patients having intervals >6.4 years). The median (interquartile range) absolute change of disability among the statin group was 0 (0 to +1), compared with +0.5 (0, +1) in the no-statin group. Distributi...
Blind source separation approaches for exoplanet signal extraction

Post-processing is a key step in the extraction of exoplanet signals from direct imaging data. Multiple currently employed techniques (including all variations on principal component analysis and singular value decomposition) belong to a general class of algorithms called Blind Source Separation (BSS). Here we demonstrate two other BSS algorithms that have previously not been tested on exoplanet imaging data: independent component analysis and common spatial pattern filtering. We utilize synthetic data with known signals to evaluate the performance of these techniques and discuss the relative strengths of each approach as a function of the correlation and relative magnitude of various noise sources commonly found in exoplanet imaging data.
Microhabitat preferences for the errant scorpion, Centruroides vittatus (Scorpiones, Buthidae)

Vegetation as a preferred microhabitat for scorpions has rarely been considered despite many Buthidae (the bark scorpions) being non-burrowing errant scorpions that are active on both the ground and vegetation. Microhabitats can serve multiple functions for Centruroides vittatus (Say 1821), but a particular microhabitat can be preferred for a certain function such as a refuge, foraging, or feeding. Observations of microhabitat use by C. vittatus were performed in Laredo, Texas of the Tamaulipan Biotic Province. Comparisons of microhabitat use by C. vittatus at different temperatures or precipitation levels were performed. Foraging and feeding by C. vittatus among microhabitat classes were also compared. The observed use of vegetation by C. vittatus during different seasons was compared to the expected use based on relative abundance of vegetation in the habitat. Air temperature, but not precipitation, had a significant effect on microhabitat use by C. vittatus. Microhabitat had a significant effect on foraging of C. vittatus with caterpillars comprising 34.6% of the prey items and half of the scorpions feeding on caterpillars were in blackbrush (Acacia rigidula). The lowest proportion of scorpions observed feeding was on the ground (3.8%) and the highest in blackbrush (40.4%). The frequency of C. vittatus among vegetation classes was significantly different compared to the relative abundance of plant species in the plot. Scorpions were observed on prickly pear cactus (Opuntia engelmannii) and strawberry cactus (Echinocereus enneacanthus) at a higher frequency than expected, and scorpions were observed on guajillo (Acacia berlandieri) and tasajillo (Opuntia leptocaulis) at a lower frequency than expected. The frequency of scorpions on blackbrush was higher than expected during the spring. Vegetation is an important microhabitat for C. vittatus in south Texas. The results indicate the possibility that C. vittatus in south Texas used various plant species to carry prey captured on the ground into vegetation to feed, used blackbrush to forage for caterpillars, and used strawberry and prickly pear cacti as a possible refuge.
SRLG Failure Localization in All-Optical Networks Using Monitoring Cycles and Paths

We introduce the concepts of monitoring paths (MPs) and monitoring cycles (MCs) for unique localization of shared risk linked group (SRLG) failures in all-optical networks. An SRLG failure is a failure of multiple links due to a failure of a common resource. MCs (MPs) start and end at same (distinct) monitoring location(s). They are constructed such that any SRLG failure results in the failure of a unique combination of paths and cycles. We derive necessary and sufficient conditions on the set of MCs and MPs needed for localizing an SRLG failure in an arbitrary graph. When a single monitoring location is employed, we show that a network must be (k + 2)-edge connected for localizing all SRLG failures with up to k links. For networks that are less than (k + 2)-edge connected, we derive necessary and sufficient condition on the placement of monitoring locations for unique localization of any SRLG failure of up to k links. We use these conditions to develop an algorithm for the placement of monitoring locations. We show a graph transformation technique that converts the problem of identifying MCs and MPs with multiple monitoring locations to a problem of identifying MCs with single monitoring location. We provide an integer linear program and a heuristic to identify MCs for networks with one monitoring location. Through extensive simulations, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed monitoring technique.
Planar broadband dual-linearly polarized MEMS steerable antenna

In this work we will present the fabrication process and preliminary experimental results of a MEMS steerable broadband antenna. Our previous work focused on the design of the planar broadband antennas based on the Fourpoint antenna [1]–[2]. The antenna is designed to fit on a 1cm × 1cm silicon platform with a thin benzocyclobutene (BCB) dielectric coating and operate between 4–9GHz. The modified Fourpoint antenna is simulated using ANSOFT High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) and has a return loss of less than −10dB in the operating band.
Cyclooxygenase-2 expression in brain metastases

Background: Elevated Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression is thought to increase metastatic potential of many tumors. Furthermore, elevated COX-2 expression correlates with radiation resistance in many tumor types. We evaluated whether: (i) the degree of COX-2 expression correlated with either metastatic tumor type or with the presence of necrosis and whether (ii) radiation-resistant tumors (renal cell and melanoma) had higher expression of COX-2 than did relatively radiation-sensitive tumors (breast and lung). Materials and Methods: Specimens from sixteen patients who underwent resection of brain metastases were analyzed for COX-2 expression using a COX-2 antibody-based immunoassay. Specimens consisted of brain metastases from lung tumors, breast adenocarcinomas, melanomas and renal cell carcinomas. All specimens were analyzed for the presence or absence of necrosis. Results: Ten of sixteen brain metastasis specimens had ten percent or less Cox-2 immunostaining. Statistical analyses showed no correlation between Cox-2 immunostaining and metastatic tumor type or between Cox-2 immunostaining and necrosis in this study. Furthermore, renal cell carcinoma and melanoma showed variable Cox-2 immunostaining. Conclusion: Cox-2 is not consistently expressed in metastases to the brain. The degree of Cox-2 expression does not correlate with metastatic tumor type or with the presence of necrosis. Radioresistant tumors did not have statistically different expression of Cox-2 than radiosensitive specimens studied in this analysis.
Limited in Sex, They Dare. Attitudes Toward Issues of Patient Sexuality

The author frequently speaks on issues involving the sexuality rights of persons with mental disabilities who are institutionalized. In this article, he discusses the prevalent attitudes of audience members to these presentations, attitudes ranging from anger to denial to projection to transference/countertransference to fear to expressions of religiosity. In some cases, an important connection is made between the speaker and audience members. The article considers these attitudes and seeks to offer explanations for why this is such a threatening topic to so many listeners.
Geological Applications of High Temperature Reaction Calorimetry

Accurate thermodynamic data for minerals can be obtained by several methods; from analysis of phase relations, by measurement of oxidation-reduction equilibria using either gas mixtures or electrochemical cells with solid-electrolytes, and by calorimetry. The last technique can be subdivided into two major categories: the determination of heat capacities, both at cryogenic temperatures and at above room temperature, and the measurement of enthalpies of chemical reactions. Because silicate minerals are generally quite unreactive at room temperature, their equilibria must be studied at temperatures above 300°C, and, quite often, in the range 1000–l600°C. Solution calorimetry of silicates using aqueous hydrofluoric acid as a solvent has been carried out at temperatures of 50–80°C (Torgeson and Sahama, 1948; Neuvonen, 1952; King, 1952; Hovis, 1971). In this paper I will describe high temperature solution and reaction calorimetry of minerals and related substances. This technique, has been applied to minerals only since the mid 1960’s (Yokokawa and Kleppa, 1964b; Navrotsky and Kleppa, 1968; Holm and Kleppa, 1966) but has proved itself to be both versatile and widely applicable to problems of geological interest.
Some Science History with a Mutual Connection

An account is given of some science history involving the author with several people whom Alex Muller mentions in his Nobel Biography since they played important roles in his life. Topics are the measurement of the spin susceptibility of metals first derived theoretically by Wolfgang Pauli, the discovery of the self-trapped hole by Werner Kanzig, plus relationships with Heine Granicher and John Armstrong.
Influence of Terrain Roughness on Trailing Vortices in Ground Effect

The spatial and temporal behaviors of counter-rotating vortex filaments in ground effect have been investigated experimentally in a water tunnel over a range of thirteen span lengths. The vortices have been generated using two flat blades and the ground has been modeled with a splitter plate. Streamwise ridges of varying height and spacing have been added to the ground plane and their effects on vortex trajectories and vortex meandering have been studied. Three sets of data are presented that include different vortex strengths and vortex spans, in addition to variations in the ground roughness. In comparison with the results for a smooth ground plane, vortex trajectories, their preferred direction of motion, and the rate of growth of their amplitudes of motion have been shown to be insensitive to terrain roughness.
Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis

Investigators at Universities of Barcelona, Pennsylvania, Oviedo, and Valencia, and the Spanish NMDAR Encephalitis Work Group report the clinical features of 20 pediatric patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis seen in a single center in Spain in the last 4 years.
Safranin o: lot variation in performance as a diazonium base.

The performance of safranin O (C.I. 50240) as a diazonium base was tested on 24 lots with Biological Stain Commission certification dates ranging from 1931 to 1972. In general, recently certified lots performed better than the oldest lots, but good performance was obtained with lots certified in 1951-52. Dye content specified for certification tests did not correlate with performance as a diazo. Differences in average performance of samples from the 4 suppliers showed less variation than the variation shown by individual lots from some of the suppliers; moreover, these variations did not show a close correlation attributable to the age of the sample. Spectroscopy revealed a smaller group with λ = 530-532 nm and a larger one at 534, but there was no consistent variation in average performance as a diazo reagent attributable to the absorption maxima.
Experimental Studies of Behavioral Attractors and Their Evolution with Learning

Only a few stable movement patterns may be produced initially in rhythmic bimanual coordination. Through a collective variable, relative phase, these patterns define attractors of the system’s intrinsic dynamics. By visually requiring a relative phase, behavioral information is introduced into the dynamics, which attracts the system’s behavior toward the required phasing pattern. Learning is the process by which such environmental behavioral information becomes memorized. The experimental rationale is to systematically probe the current collective variable dynamics while a phasing pattern is practiced in order to observe the evolution of the attractor layout as a new task is learned. Several dynamical processes associated with learning are identified. Pattern stability depends on whether behavioral information competes or cooperates with the intrinsic dynamics. A coordination pattern is learned to the extent that the initial dynamics are modified in the direction of the required pattern. If these practice-induced alterations of the dynamics are qualitative, learning takes the form of a nonequilibrium phase transition.
This is not an acute coronary syndrome.

Stress cardiomyopathy—broken heart syndrome—typically affects older women exposed to a stressful life event.
Role of the Plasmodium falciparum mature-parasite-infected erythrocyte surface antigen (MESA/PfEMP-2) in malarial infection of erythrocytes

During intraerythrocytic growth of Plasmodium falciparum, several parasite proteins are transported from the parasite to the erythrocyte membrane, where they bind to membrane skeletal proteins. Mature-parasite-infected erythrocyte surface antigen (MESA) has previously been shown to associate with host erythrocyte membrane skeletal protein 4.1. Using a spontaneous mutant of P falciparum that has lost the ability to synthesize MESA and 4.1-deficient erythrocytes, we examined growth of MESA(+) and MESA(-) parasites in normal and 4.1-deficient erythrocytes. Viability of MESA(+) parasites was reduced in 4.1-deficient erythrocytes as compared with that for normal erythrocytes, but MESA(-) parasites grew equally well in 4.1-deficient and normal erythrocytes. Cytoadherence of MESA(+)- and MESA (-)-parasitized normal and 4.1-deficient erythrocytes to C32 melanoma cells was similar, indicating that neither protein 4.1 nor MESA plays a major role in cytoadherence of infected erythrocytes. Localization of MESA in normal and 4.1-deficient erythrocytes was examined by confocal microscopy. MESA was diffusely distributed in the cytosol of 4.1-deficient erythrocytes but was membrane-associated in normal erythrocytes. These findings suggest that MESA binding to protein 4.1 plays a major role in intraerythrocytic parasite viability.
The thoracic surgeon and anterior spinal surgery.

Thoracic surgeons will be called upon increasingly in the future to assist orthopedic surgeons in the anterior approach to the spine for the treatment of spinal diseases. In this report, we attempt to illustrate some of the methods used by orthopedic surgeons in treating spinal problems from the anterior approach. We also point out some of the principles and pitfalls of anterior spinal surgery so that the thoracic surgeon may be better equipped to assist the orthopedic surgeon with these problems.
Disruptions in enzyme regulation during aging.

The single feature which probably characterizes all aging populations is a progressive impairment in the ability to adapt to environmental change. Adaptation may be expressed at a biochemical level by modifications in the rates of synthesis and degradation of enzymes, as well as by alterations in physiological activities. Thus, it was gratifying to discover that the susceptibility of at least certain enzymes to the regulation of their activities is impaired during aging. The present chapter will review the effects of aging on enzyme regulation; discuss the possible roles of alterations in appropriate hormonal interactions and hepatic gene expression; and suggest the manner in which these observations may provide the basis for eventual comprehension of the underlying biochemical mechanisms responsible for the physiological decline which accompanies old age.
Matched Filtering for Digital Subtraction Angiography

Digital fluoroscopy methods are providing powerful diagnostic tools for imaging dilute amounts of contrast materials flowing through the cardiovascular anatomy. The predominate processing algorithms which have proven successful are temporal (1–6) and energy (7–9) subtraction schemes. The most common application of these subtraction methods has been in conjunction with intravenous angiography; although, intra-arterial studies also benefit from such processig (10). All these methods may be lumped together under the heading “digital subtraction angiography”.
Classification with Unknown Classes

Given a data set D, such that (X i ,y i ) *** D , y i *** ***, we are interested in first dividing the range of y i , i.e. (y max *** y min ), (where y max is the maximum of all y i corresponding to (X i ,y i ) *** D and y min is the minimum of all y i corresponding to (X i ,y i ) *** D ), into contiguous ranges which can be thought of as classes and then for a new point, X j , predicting which range (class) it falls into. The problem is difficult, because neither the size of each range nor the number of ranges, is known a-priori. This was a practical problem that arose when we wanted to predict the execution time of a query in a database. For our purposes, an accurate prediction was not required, while a time range was sufficient and the time ranges were unknown a-priori. To solve this problem we introduce a binary tree structure called Class Discovery Tree . We have used this technique successfully for predicting the execution times of a query and this is slated for incorporation into a commercial, enterprise level Database Management System. In this paper, we discuss our solution and validate it on two more real life data sets. In the first one, we compare our result with a naive approach and in the second, with the published results. In both cases, our approach is superior.
Modeling and Animating Articulated Figures

This chapter concentrates on figure animation and includes sections on activities of figures and common modeling issues reaching and grasping, walking, facial expression, representing virtual humans, and clothes. Animating and modeling an articulated figure is an intimidating thing, especially when the figure is meant to represent a human. There are several major reasons for this. First, the human figure is a known structure. This awareness makes everyone a critical observer. When confronted with an animated figure, a person readily recognizes whether its movement is appropriate or not. Second, the human form contains six hundred muscles and more than two hundred bones making the form too complex. When fully modeled with linked rigid segments, the human form is endowed with approximately two hundred degrees of freedom. The deformable nature of the body's parts further complicates the modeling and animating task. Third, humanlike motion is not computationally well defined. Several studies have aimed to correctly explain humanlike motion, but typically these descriptions are confined only to certain constrained situations. Fourth, there is no one definitive motion that is humanlike. Variation ensuing from personality, emotional, genetics, and culture state all can affect how a particular motion is carried out. General strategies for motion production have not been described, nor have the nuances of motion that make each of us unique and uniquely recognizable. Although this chapter focuses primarily on the human form, many of the techniques apply to any type of articulated figure.
A Very Explicit Te Deum : A Spiritual Exercise, to Help Overcome Trinitarian Timidity

There is a tendency in the Catholic theological tradition to attribute to apophaticism a status superior to the via affirmationis . There are good reasons to offer a critique of this tendency, if only to raise once again the issue of theological rhetoric , especially as it makes use of metaphor and paradox. To make the point, the present essay then proceeds to exemplify the affirmation-negation dynamic of the Profession of Faith in an expansive, poetical version of the Creed of the Great Tradition. Ambrose's classical hymn Te Deum has functioned as a model for the piece. And who knows if this attempt might help restore the theology of the Blessed Trinity to the classrooms of Catholic colleges, from which it has virtually disappeared, often under cover of apophaticism or (worse) ethics?
CD43 Defines Early Hematopoietic Progenitors Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC).

Abstract We have demonstrated that co-culture of hESCs with OP9 bone-marrow stromal cells induced efficient hESC differentiation into hematopoietic colony-forming cells (CFCs). During hESC/OP9 co-culture, the first CFCs were detectable 1–2 days after emergence of CD34+ cells (day 4–5 of co-culture) and 3–4 days before generation of CD45+ cells, indicating that early CFCs arose in the CD45- population. To define phenotype of early hematopoietic progenitors, we examined the expression of CD41a, CD43, CD61 and glycophorin A (CD235a) on the CD34+ cells in the course of hESC/OP9 co-culture. The first detectable CD34+ cells expressed a high level of VEGF-R2 (KDR) and were CD41a, CD43, CD61 and CD235a negative. Appearance of CFCs was accompanied with down-regulation of KDR and almost simultaneous expression of CD41a, CD43 and CD235a on the CD34+ cells. CD43+ cells gradually increased thereafter, whereas the expression of CD41a was retained on the subset of CD43+ cells that co-express CD235a and CD61. CD45+ cells emerged within CD43+ population and the most of CD45+ cells did not express CD235a, CD41a or CD61. The expression of CD34 was decreased progressively on CD43+CD41a+CD235a+CD61+ cells, but retained by CD43+CD45+ cells. To assay hematopoietic potential of defined subsets, CD34+ cells were isolated by magnetic sorting and further separated into CD34+ CD43+ and CD34+CD43− cell fractions. In addition, CD34−CD43+ cells were isolated from CD34− fraction. CD34+ selection markedly enriched all types CFCs except of E-CFCs. All GEMM-CFCs were found within CD34+ population and none within CD34−. However, CD34− cell fraction contained E-CFCs and minimal numbers of M-CFCs and GM-CFCs. CD34+ cells were also heterogenous in morphologic appearance and contained endothelial cells that were capable to endocytose Ac-LDL. Positive selection of CD43+ cells resulted in total recovery of all types of CFCs. E-CFCs, which consistently detected in the CD34- fraction, were also recovered by CD43 selection. Morphologically, CD43+ cells comprised a homogenous blast-like population and were lack of endothelial-like cells. Thus, expression of CD43 molecule (leukosialin/sialophorin) is detected on the earliest clonogenic hematopoietic progenitors before expression of CD45, persists on developing hematopoietic cells after their lineage specification and most likely defines the divergence of hematopoiesis from endothelial cells during early development in humans.
Do Patients and Oncologists Discuss the Cost of Cancer Treatment? An Observational Study of Clinical Interactions Between African American Patients and Their Oncologists

Purpose:Financial toxicity negatively affects patients with cancer, especially racial/ethnic minorities. Patient-oncologist discussions about treatment-related costs may reduce financial toxicity by factoring costs into treatment decisions. This study investigated the frequency and nature of cost discussions during clinical interactions between African American patients and oncologists and examined whether cost discussions were affected by patient sociodemographic characteristics and social support, a known buffer to perceived financial stress.MethodsVideo recorded patient-oncologist clinical interactions (n = 103) from outpatient clinics of two urban cancer hospitals (including a National Cancer Institute–designated comprehensive cancer center) were analyzed. Coders studied the videos for the presence and duration of cost discussions and then determined the initiator, topic, oncologist response to the patient’s concerns, and the patient’s reaction to the oncologist’s response.Results:Cost discussions occ...
A new high-performance ionic polymer-metal composite based on Nafion/polyimide blends

For the first time, we report ion-exchange membranes based on Nafion and polyimide (PI, Kapton) blends to fabricate ionic polymer–metal composites (IPMCs). Polyamic acid [PAA, poly(pyromellitic dianhydride-co-4,4'-oxydianiline), as a precursor of PI] solution was blended with Nafion solution using physical blending method to provide PAA–Nafion blend membrane. This work demonstrates that, by simple physical blending method, the thermal and mechanical properties of Nafion can be improved while maintaining the excellent actuating performance. After thermal imidization, PAA converted into PI, resulting in PI–Nafion blend membrane. Optimum conditions to cast PAA–Nafion blends and thermal imidization have been established, and blend membranes with PI wt% of 6, 12, 18, and 30 were prepared. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the incorporation of PI in the Nafion matrix. Thermal decomposition unique to the PI became more noticeable as the content of PI increased, which was measured by thermogravimetric analysis. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that the storage modulus (E') increased as a function of PI content while loss modulus (E'') exhibited only a minor change, which resulted in the decrease in the damping properties (tan δ). The blend membranes were fabricated into IPMCs by deposition of platinum electrode onto the membrane surface through electroless plating process. Among tested, NPI-18 IPMC actuator, which has 18 wt% of PI in Nafion, showed comparable electromechanical performance to the commercially available Nafion 117 IPMC actuator.
Trends in androgen-deprivation therapy use among privately insured men with prostate cancer, 2001-2010.

e16021 Background: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists was widely used for primary treatment of localized prostate cancer in the 1990s and is now ...
Global Issues of Information Technology Management

Key Information Technology Issues in a Global Society - A Comparison Between USA, Europe and Developing Countries Information Technology for Resources Inventory and Monitoring in Developing Countries Technological Culture Shock in a Developing Country Technical, Economical and Cultural Problems of Information Technology Information Systems Management in Developing Countries Information Systems in Eastern Europe Telecommunications in Eastern Europe Assessing the Impact of Western Europe Unification in 1992 The Impact of Globalization on IS Management Global Information Technology as a Strategic Weapon for Multinational Corporations The CIO as an Entrepreneur. (Part Contents)
Project Florence: A Plant to Human Experience

If plants could talk to us, what would they say? Equally important how might they respond to us if we could converse with them? How might these conversations evolve and expand our ability to better relate with the Natural World? Project Florence is an artistic representation of a Plant-Human Interface Experience that is built on top of a scientific analysis of the plant and its environment. Paired with the ability to receive human input, the plant can return a response, thus promoting a two-way conversational experience. Combining Biology, Natural Language Research, Design, and Engineering? we have created an instantiation of a plant to human interface through the power of language. Project Florence enables people to converse with a plant by translating their text sentiment into a light frequency the plant can recognize and respond to.