cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Slow Viscous Flow Between Hexagonal Cylinders

The creeping flow between packed hexagonal cylinders is solved by eigenfunction expansions and point match methods. Both longitudinal flow and transverse flow are considered. It is found that the junction, which is the confluence of three channels, has considerable effect on the flow and resistance of the whole fluid network.
The Web is My Back-end: Creating Mashups with Linked Open Government Data

Governments around the world have been releasing raw data to their citizens at an increased pace. The mixing and linking of these datasets by a community of users enhances their value and makes new insights possible. The use of mashups — digital works in which data from one or more sources is combined and presented in innovative ways — is a great way to expose this value. Mashups enable end users to explore data that has a real tangible meaning in their lives. Although there are many approaches to publishing and using data to create mashups, we believe Linked Data and Semantic Web technologies solve many of the true challenges in open government data and can lower the cost and complexity of developing these applications. In this chapter we discuss why Linked Data is a better model and how it can be used to build useful mashups.
Background, Interpretation, and Speculation

The point of departure for the analyses of this study has been the model, $$ {y}_i={\alpha}_i+{\displaystyle \sum_{j\ne i}{\beta}_{ij}{y}_j+{u}_i,} $$
Cytoplasmic genetic diversity in bananas and plantains

Concerns over yield declines in bananas and plantains due to the spread of Black Sigatoka disease in Musa have drawn attention to the collection of Musa germplasm and its use in conventional and biotechnological improvement programs. This report demonstrates the use of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) for differentiating cytoplasms of various Musa clones. DNA was extracted from lyophilized leaf blade tissue and digested with either Eco R1, Hind III, Bam H1 or Pst I. Southern blots onto nylon membranes were probed with radioactively labeled heterologous orchid and lettuce cpDNA fragments. Among the 14 Musa clones examined, a single balbisiana and four acuminata-type cytoplasms were differentiated. The ability to distinguish between cytoplasms and to place plants within a cytoplasmic grouping demonstrates the usefulness of RFLP technology in evaluating diversity and determining the ancestry of Musa clones.
Computation, Control, and Energetics: A Biological Perspective

The nature of human computational processes has formed a central focus of contemporary cognitive psychology for over two decades. Not surprisingly, cognitive psychology has borrowed heavily from the developing computer sciences. Computer models of human cognition have enjoyed wide acceptance. During these years, cognitive theories have changed as computing systems have evolved. Analogies between human thought and electronic computation systems have ranged from the early notions of limited capacity put forward by Moray (1967), through the concept of multiple resources suggested by Norman and Bobrow (1975), to theories of distributed cognitive processing modelled after today’s computer networks (eg Hunt & Landsman, 1985). Recently, there has been increased interest in considering the human information processing system as a purely abstract computational system with properties that are only formally specified (eg Anderson, 1983).
Use of Approximate Inertial Manifolds in Bifurcation Calculations

The theory of inertial manifolds provides a rigorous connection between certain evolution PDEs and low-dimensional dynamical systems. The restriction of the flow of the PDE to the inertial manifold is given by a finite set of ODEs called an inertial form, which captures all the long time dynamic behavior of the PDE. We give a brief survey of several numerical schemes to approximate inertial manifolds and hence inertial forms. We then implement these approximate inertial forms and use them to construct bifurcation diagrams of two model PDEs (the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation and a coupled reaction diffusion system). Some numerical issues arising in these schemes are discussed.
#NeotericRacism: Exploring race-based content in social media during racially charged current events

Research regarding the expression of race-based content on social media is sparse. To contribute to this understudied area in psychology, a qualitative study was conducted to explore messages used in social media during racially charged events. In the current study, content analysis was used to explore how Twitter users expressed raced-based content following the grand jury decision in the racially-charged case of Michael Brown. A total of N = 101 tweets using the hashtag Ferguson were analyzed and coded. Five categories emerged including content related to racial hatred, support of systems enacting racial injustice, racial epithets, opposition to racism, and news coverage. Categories formed three themes: a) content related to racism, b) anti-racists content, and c) news coverage. Implications are discussed and the paper culminates with recommendations for psychologists considering ways to utilize and integrate social media into their professional roles.
Improving knowledge and behavior of leadership and followership among the interprofessional team.

To examine virtual training on Crew Resource Management (CRM) principles of effective leadership and followership on participants’ knowledge, applicability, and intended behaviors.
What to Look For In a New Job Opportunity: Strategic, Personal, and Legal Considerations

The process for identifying, applying for, negotiating over, and deciding on a new job opportunity is complex and can be harrowing for surgeons, especially those early in their careers who may not be familiar with the process and terminology. The goal of this chapter is to describe the mechanics of the job search process, help physicians identify their personal priorities, provide essential information about common negotiation issues, and ultimately help identify if a job opportunity is the right fit, both personally and professionally.
Characterization of Guided Entry of Tail-Anchored Proteins 3 Homologues in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

ABSTRACT We characterized an operon in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Rv3679-Rv3680, in which each open reading frame is annotated to encode “anion transporter ATPase” homologues. Using structure prediction modeling, we found that Rv3679 and Rv3680 more closely resemble the guided entry of tail-anchored proteins 3 (Get3) chaperone in eukaryotes. Get3 delivers proteins into the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum and is essential for the normal growth and physiology of some eukaryotes. We sought to characterize the structures of Rv3679 and Rv3680 and test if they have a role in M. tuberculosis pathogenesis. We solved crystal structures of the nucleotide-bound Rv3679-Rv3680 complex at 2.5 to 3.2 A and show that while it has some similarities to Get3 and ArsA, there are notable differences, including that these proteins are unlikely to be involved in anion transport. Deletion of both genes did not reveal any conspicuous growth defects in vitro or in mice. Collectively, we identified a new class of proteins in bacteria with similarity to Get3 complexes, the functions of which remain to be determined. IMPORTANCE Numerous bacterial species encode proteins predicted to have similarity with Get3- and ArsA-type anion transporters. Our studies provide evidence that these proteins, which we named BagA and BagB, are unlikely to be involved in anion transport. In addition, BagA and BagB are conserved in all mycobacterial species, including the causative agent of leprosy, which has a highly decayed genome. This conservation suggests that BagAB constitutes a part of the core mycobacterial genome and is needed for some yet-to-be-determined part of the life cycle of these organisms.
Revisiting the liver’s role in transplant alloimmunity

The transplanted liver can modulate the recipient immune system to induce tolerance after transplantation. This phenomenon was observed nearly five decades ago. Subsequently, the liver's role in multivisceral transplantation was recognized, as it has a protective role in preventing rejection of simultaneously transplanted solid organs such as kidney and heart. The liver has a unique architecture and is home to many cells involved in immunity and inflammation. After transplantation, these cells migrate from the liver into the recipient. Early studies identified chimerism as an important mechanism by which the liver modulates the human immune system. Recent studies on human T-cell subtypes, cytokine expression, and gene expression in the allograft have expanded our knowledge on the potential mechanisms underlying immunomodulation. In this article, we discuss the privileged state of liver transplantation compared to other solid organ transplantation, the liver allograft's role in multivisceral transplantation, various cells in the liver involved in immune responses, and the potential mechanisms underlying immunomodulation of host alloresponses.
Musculoskeletal and pulmonary outcomes of sarcoidosis after initial presentation of osseous involvement.

Objective We aimed to investigate the musculoskeletal and pulmonary outcomes of patients with osseous sarcoidosis. Methods We identified 24 patients with osseous sarcoidosis and at least one year of follow-up after diagnosis (baseline). We collected outcome data at 1-year follow-up and last follow-up. We defined a composite outcome measure; worsening considered as worsening in any of the following 4 components compared to baseline: 1) osseous sarcoidosis symptoms, 2) musculoskeletal imaging of affected bone, 3) chest imaging, or 4) pulmonary function testing (PFT). Results A minority of patients had a worsening composite outcome at 1-year (9/24, 38%) and last follow-up (5/24, 21%). When only considering musculoskeletal symptoms and imaging, only 25% (6/24) and 13% (3/24) of patients worsened compared to baseline at 1-year and last follow-up, respectively. Patients with a worsening composite overall outcome tended to be older at baseline than those without the outcome for both 1-year (54.3 years vs. 47.5 years, p=0.11) and last follow-up (55.0 years vs. 48.7 years; p=0.23), although these differences were non-significant. Treatment was not associated with worsening composite overall outcome at 1-year follow-up (p=0.40), but was significantly associated with decreased risk for worsening at last follow-up (p=0.05). Conclusions In this retrospective cohort study of osseous sarcoidosis, most patients had a favorable outcome according to symptoms, musculoskeletal/chest imaging, and PFTs, even though only a minority were treated with glucocorticoids or DMARDs. These results suggest that the natural history of osseous sarcoidosis is often benign, although some patients experience clinical progression.
Double Rule In: Concomitant Acute Coronary Occlusion and Pulmonary Embolism.

AbstractComputed tomography angiography is frequently used for double rule out of obstructive coronary artery disease and pulmonary embolism in patients presenting to the emergency department with ...
MRI monitoring of energy storage in vivo using magnetization pathways

Primary storage of energy in mammalian tissue is glycogen, a branched polysaccharide form of glucose. Glycogen serves a central role in glucose homeostasis and is crucial for proper system functioning. Altered glycogen metabolism is manifested in a variety of disorders such as diabetes, liver diseases, glycogen storage diseases, and cancer. Currently, invasive biopsy remains the typical method for glycogen monitoring, since there is no accepted noninvasive method. Noninvasive methods to monitor and quantify glycogen in vivo would be of tremendous advantage and would provide key information on the range of diseases. Such methods have been proposed, utilizing positron emission tomography (1), ultrasound (2), and magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy (3, 4). The imaging methods, if successful, would offer the advantage of spatial assessment of glycogen distribution noninvasively. However, at present, none of the proposed methods has proven to be robust, reliable, or practical for routine use and translation to clinical practice. In PNAS, Zhou et al. (5) introduce an MRI method for glycogen mapping relying only on endogenous molecules and manipulation of their magnetization via radiofrequency (RF) pulses. The approach has the potential to overcome limitations of previous technologies and become a game changer for the noninvasive mapping of glycogen in vivo. The proposed method employs the so-called nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) to achieve MRI contrast. NOE is part of the family of magnetization transfer (MT) methods for MR molecular imaging conb trast generation. Typically, only relatively mobile molecules and molecules with protons present at high concentration, like water, are visible on MRI (“water pool”). However, there are molecules, macromolecules, and molecular structures that are not visible, either due to low concentration or short transverse (T2) relaxation times (“invisible pool”). They possess distinct chemical shifts and/or are present in a different magnetic environment from each other and water. They … [↵][1]1Email: elena.vinogradov{at}utsouthwestern.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Nasal Packing Causing Occlusion of Contralateral Internal Carotid Artery During Control of Pseudoaneurysm Bleed

Background Carotid pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication of pituitary surgery and can present with epistaxis. Nasal packing is considered first-line treatment for the control of carotid bleeding. We describe a case of complete occlusion of the contralateral cavernous carotid artery because of nasal packing placed to control hemorrhage from a cavernous carotid pseudoaneurysm. Case Description A 55-year-old man presented with a history of recurrent epistaxis requiring multiple hospital visits and nasal packing over a 9-month period. Nasal endoscopies failed to show a source of bleeding; therefore, the patient underwent bilateral sphenopalatine artery ligations. Postoperative computed tomography angiogram showed no evidence of aneurysm, but did report indistinctness of the lateral sphenoid walls. Symptoms remained controlled for 4 months, but ultimately, he presented to the emergency department with massive epistaxis. A magnetic resonance angiogram noted a 2- to 3-mm left cavernous carotid pseudoaneurysm, and the patient underwent endovascular embolization of bilateral internal maxillary arteries. Significant epistaxis was noted immediately thereafter and he was taken to the operating room to control bleeding. A 4-cm absorbable nasal packing was placed into each sphenoid cavity after profuse bleeding from the left sphenoid sinus was noted. After control of bleeding, cerebral angiogram showed complete occlusion of bilateral internal carotid arteries (ICAs). The right-sided packing was adjusted, and the ICA profusion improved. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the only report that describes complete occlusion of the contralateral cavernous carotid artery because of extrinsic compression of the lateral sphenoid wall, in the setting of a symptomatic pseudoaneurysm.
Forecasting Model for the Annual Growth of Cryogenic Electron Microscopy Data

In this paper, we develop a forecasting model for the growth of Cryogenic Electron Microscopy (Cryo-EM) experimental data time series using autoregressive (AR) model. We employ the optimal modeling order that maximizes the estimation accuracy while maintaining the least normalized prediction error. The proposed model has been efficiently used to forecast the growth of cryo-EM data for the next 10 years, 2019–2028. The time series for the number of released three-dimensional Electron Microscopy (3DEM) images along with the time series of the annual number of 3DEM achieving resolution 10 A or better are used. The data was collected from the public Electron Microscopy Data Bank (EMDB). The simulation results showed that the optimal model orders to estimate both datasets are \( AR\left( 5 \right) \) and \( AR\left( 6 \right) \) respectively. Consequently, the optimal models obtained an estimation accuracy of \( 96.8\%, \) and \( 85\% \) for 3DEM experiments time series and 3DEM resolutions time series, respectively. Hence, the forecasting results reveal an exponential increasing behavior in the future growth of annual released of 3DEM and, similarly, for the annual number of 3DEM achieving resolution 10 A or better.
Un análisis sociofonético de la aspiración de las oclusivas sordas en el español guatemalteco monolingüe y bilingüe(español-kaqchikel)

Resumen El estudio empirico de la sociofonetica del espanol en contacto con otras lenguas ha aumentado en la ultima decada. Siguiendo con esta area de investigacion, el presente estudio examina la aspiracion de las oclusivas sordas en el espanol guatemalteco comparando los factores (extra-)linguisticos que afectan a la variacion en las comunidades monolingues y bilingues (espanol-kaqchikel), mediante el marco teorico de la sociolinguistica comparativa (Poplack y Levey 2010). Los resultados demuestran que, en general, el VOT de esta muestra del espanol guatemalteco es mas largo de lo que se ha descubierto para las variedades sin contacto, pero es paralelo al espanol en contacto con el maya yucateco (Michnowicz y Carpenter 2013). Aunque, mayoritariamente, los factores linguisticos afectaron a la variacion del VOT, el sexo biologico tambien resulto relevante. Se discutiran tres puntos clave que senalan la posibilidad de contacto linguistico como causa, pero se necesitan investigaciones futuras para confirmar definitivamente los efectos del contacto.
Random Forests for dependent data

Random forest (RF) is one of the most popular methods for estimating regression functions. The local nature of the RF algorithm, based on intra-node means and variances, is ideal when errors are i.i.d. For dependent error processes like time series and spatial settings where data in all the nodes will be correlated, operating locally ignores this dependence. Also, RF will involve resampling of correlated data, violating the principles of bootstrap. Theoretically, consistency of RF has been established for i.i.d. errors, but little is known about the case of dependent errors. We propose RF-GLS, a novel extension of RF for dependent error processes in the same way Generalized Least Squares (GLS) fundamentally extends Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) for linear models under dependence. The key to this extension is the equivalent representation of the local decision-making in a regression tree as a global OLS optimization which is then replaced with a GLS loss to create a GLS-style regression tree. This also synergistically addresses the resampling issue, as the use of GLS loss amounts to resampling uncorrelated contrasts (pre-whitened data) instead of the correlated data. For spatial settings, RF-GLS can be used in conjunction with Gaussian Process correlated errors to generate kriging predictions at new locations. RF becomes a special case of RF-GLS with an identity working covariance matrix. We establish consistency of RF-GLS under beta- (absolutely regular) mixing error processes and show that this general result subsumes important cases like autoregressive time series and spatial Matern Gaussian Processes. As a byproduct, we also establish consistency of RF for beta-mixing processes, which to our knowledge, is the first such result for RF under dependence. We empirically demonstrate the improvement achieved by RF-GLS over RF for both estimation and prediction under dependence.
Self-Assembling PCL–PAMAM Linear Dendritic Block Copolymers (LDBCs) for Bioimaging and Phototherapeutic Applications

This study represents a successful approach toward employing polycaprolactone–polyamidoamine (PCL–PAMAM) linear dendritic block copolymer (LDBC) nanoparticles as small-molecule carriers in NIR imag...
Glial-derived neurotrophic factor in human airway smooth muscle

Airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells modulate the local airway milieu via production of inflammatory mediators and growth factors including classical neurotrophins, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). The glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family of ligands (GFLs) are nonclassical neurotrophins and their role in the airway is barely understood. The major GFLs, GDNF and Neurturin (NRTN) bind to GDNF family receptor (GFR) α1 and α2 respectively that pair with Ret receptor to accomplish signaling. In this study, we found GDNF is expressed in human lung and increased in adult asthma, while human ASM expresses GDNF and its receptors. Accordingly, we used human ASM cells to test the hypothesis that ASM expression and autocrine signaling by GFLs regulate [Ca2+ ]i . Serum-deprived ASM cells from non-asthmatics were exposed to 10 ng/ml GDNF or NRTN for 15 min (acute) or 24 h (chronic). In fura-2 loaded cells, acute GDNF or NRTN alone induced [Ca2+ ]i responses, and further enhanced responses to 1 µM ACh or 10 µM histamine. Ret inhibitor (SPP86; 10 µM) or specific GDNF chelator GFRα1-Fc (1 µg/ml) showed roles of these receptors in GDNF effects. In contrast, NRTN did not enhance [Ca2+ ]i response to histamine. Furthermore, conditioned media of nonasthmatic and asthmatic ASM cells showed GDNF secretion. SPP86, Ret inhibitor and GFRα1-Fc chelator markedly decreased [Ca2+ ]i response compared with vehicle, highlighting autocrine effects of secreted GDNF. Chronic GDNF treatment increased histamine-induced myosin light chain phosphorylation. These novel data demonstrate GFLs particularly GDNF/GFRα1 influence ASM [Ca2+ ]i and raise the possibility that GFLs are potential targets of airway hyperresponsiveness.
Using CAR-NK cells to overcome the host resistance to antibody immunotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade therapy

Abstract The objective of this review is to promote the idea of using CAR-NK cells to overcome host resistance to therapeutic antibody and immune checkpoint blockade immunotherapies in the current clinical practice. Antibody (Ab) and immune checkpoint blockade therapy (ICBT) are promising cancer immunotherapeutic approaches. Immune cells from the host are required for both therapies to be effective. For instance, natural killer (NK) cells are required for therapeutic Ab to kill tumor cells by mediating antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), whereas PD-1-positive immune cells are needed for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) to be effective in cancer treatment. However, clinical data suggest that host resistance can and actually often contributes to reduce the effects of antibody and ICBT in patients. Specifically, NK cell impairment is often observed in cancer patients and can contribute to the host resistance to therapeutic antibodies, while the lack of PD-1-positive immune infiltration contributes to the host resistance to ICBT. Here, we propose to use chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified NK cells to overcome host resistances. Our published study demonstrated that the tissue factor (also known as CD142)-recognizing CAR-NK cells could mediate ADCC as effector cells via CD16, while they also could directly kill cancer cells via CAR. These findings suggest that CAR-NK cells may enhance the antibody efficacy by overcoming NK impairment in cancer patients. CAR-NK cells are also positive for expression of PD-1, which may increase PD-1-positive immune infiltration in the tumor microenvironment when combined with ICBT, so the latter can benefit not only responders, but also nonresponding patients due to the lack of immune infiltration. We anticipate that CAR-NK cells in combination with antibody and ICBT will achieve an optimal clinical outcome for more cancer patients.
Finding Critical Packet-Drop Levels of Streaming at Cloud Edge Networks and the Proposed Solution

In this paper, we present a number of simulation results on the study of edge computing and deploy the performance of voice and video streaming along with a proposed solution to avoid the degradation of streaming. The primary goal of this paper is to analyze media streaming in the long-distance communications associated with edge devices. We analyze and estimate the end-to-end traffic performance by comparing different streaming techniques. By considering certain network scenarios, we calculate critical levels of packet drop and the throughput between the routers, clients and servers. The performance of the network is monitored by calculating the traffic with different bit rates and point-to-point utilization and throughput by assigning different routing protocols. The network architecture has been improved with the use of traffic shaping and by creating the background traffic that is mainly created to see if packets are prioritized when we use packet shaping to prioritize the data.
Topology optimization of high-efficiency on-chip single photon sources

The realization of integrated quantum photonic circuits is crucial for scalable quantum computing and information processing applications. One of the milestones is the realization of highly-efficient coupling of pre-determined single-photon sources into the on-chip environment. Along with solid-state quantum sources, like quantum dots and defects in solids, quantum defects in 2D materials have attracted significant interest due to their quantum emission properties and stability. We have developed an adjoint-topology optimization framework to improve the coupling efficiency of color centers in hBN to the silicon nitride platform. We have demonstrated more than 75% coupling efficiency with a topology optimized coupler.
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship

Infectious diseases (ID) is an interesting and challenging field of medical practice. It is a field that allows practitioners to know about and see a variety of illnesses across different settings. ID doctors not only practice not only clinical medicine, but they can also participate in research, public health, global health, and in the development and regulation of drug, vaccine, and diagnostic products. ID programs can differ in their style and training exposures. Mentorship to help guide learners is encouraged.
N-Hydroxylation of arylamides by the rat and guinea pig. Evidence for substrate specificity and participation of cytochrome P1-450.

Abstract The hypothesis that N-hydroxylation of arylamides is essential for carcinogenicity was examined in vivo and in vitro with N-2-fluorenylacetamide, a potent carcinogen, and with N -3-fluorenylacetamide, an isomer with marginal carcinogenicity. About 10–20% of 2-[9- 14 C]fluorenylacetamide administered intraperitoneally to the rat was excreted in the bile as the N -hydroxy-2-[9- 14 C]-derivative, whereas 3 H]fluorenylacetamide was found as the N-hydroxy metabolite in bile and urine. N-Hydroxylation of the 2- isomer by hepatic microsomes of untreated or 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats was 40 to 50-fold greater than that of the 3- isomer. The role of cytochromes P -450 and P 1 -450 in N-hydroxylation of arylamides by rat liver microsomes was shown by inhibition of the reaction with carbon monoxide and cobaltous chloride. Interaction of the arylamides with cytochrome P 1 -450 was also demonstrated by binding spectra obtained on addition on 2- and 3-fluorenylacetamide to hepatic chromosomes of methylcholanthrene-treated rats. There appeared to be no correlation between the magnitude of the spectra and the extent of N-hydroxylation. N-Hydroxylation of the 2- isomer by hepatic microsomes of the guinea pig, a species resistant to the carcinogenecity of this compound, was markedly less than N-hydroxylation by rat liver microsomes, even though, as judged by the appearance of the binding spectra, both 2- and 3- isomers were bound by cytochrome P 1 -450 of guinea pig-liver microsomes. The results are in agreement with the view that the microsomal N-hydroxylation of arylamides parallels their carcinogenicity.
Improving Learning through Student Questioning

(1986). Improving Learning through Student Questioning. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 60, No. 2, pp. 63-65.
General linear cameras: theory and applications

I present a General Linear Camera (GLC) model that unifies many previous camera models into a single representation. The GLC model describes all perspective (pinhole), orthographic, and many multiperspective (including pushbroom and two-slit) cameras, as well as epipolar plane images. It also includes three new and previously unexplored multiperspective linear cameras. The GLC model is general and linear in the sense that, given any vector space where rays are represented as points, it describes all 2D affine subspaces (planes) formed by the affine combination of 3 rays. I also present theories of projection and collineation for GLCs and use these theories to explain various multiperspective distortions. Given an arbitrary multiperspective imaging system that captures smoothly varying set of rays, I show how to map the rays onto a 2D ray manifold embedded into a 4D linear vector space. The GLC model can then be use to analyze the tangent planes on this manifold. Geometric structures associated with the local GLC model of each tangent plane provide an intuitive physical interpretation of the imaging system, and they are closely related to the caustics of reflected rays. These geometric structures are characteristic of only 4 of the 8 GLC types. I also prove that the local GLC type at each tangent plane is invariant to the choice of parametrization, and, thus, an intrinsic property of the reflecting surface. Using GLCs to analyze the caustics of reflection extends the previous Jacobian-based approaches, which consider only a pinhole model at each infinitesimal region about each surface point. Finally, I demonstrate how to use the GLC model in computer vision, computer graphics, and optical design applications. In particular, I show how to use GLCs for modelling and rendering multiperspective images and characterizing real multiperspective imaging systems such as catadioptric mirrors. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Software Engineering Environments

Publisher Summary This chapter explores some of the major issues associated with a software development environment. Software development typically occurs as a sequence of steps comprising a life cycle starting with the original system concept and proceeding through analysis, specification, design, implementation, testing, and operation. The chapter describes the major phases of the software development life cycle and presents an overview of some of the management procedures that must be followed throughout these phases, stressing the necessary interrelationship between technical methods and management procedures. The chapter explains the automated support that can be provided for a software development methodology and describes the integration of a methodology with automated support for the User Software Engineering methodology. The chapter provides a brief overview of the components of a software-development environment and discusses aspects of the physical environment, making suggestions for a hospitable software development environment. Some necessary future work that can improve methodologies, tools, and computing support is suggested, thereby leading to improved software engineering environments.
Separation and Specificity of the Yeast Glutamate-α-Ketoadipate Transaminase

Yeast glutamate-α-ketoadipate transaminase activity exhibited differences in differential heat inactivation, pH dependence, response to pyridoxal phosphate, ammonium sulfate fractionation, diethylaminoethyl cellulose chromatography, and mutational independence from other known transaminases. Both yeast glutamate-α-ketoadipate transaminase and glutamate-pyruvate transaminase were found to be present in two varieties separable on DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-200 chromatography. Only one form of glutamate-oxalacetate transaminase was found. Yeast mitochondria exhibited glutamate-oxalacetate transaminase activity and only one of the varieties of each of the other transaminases. Biosynthesis of α-aminoadipate may be a mitochondrial function in Saccharomyces.
Cooperative control with distributed gain adaptation and connectivity estimation for directed networks

SUMMARY This paper addresses the problem of how to achieve superior performance by adaptively and distributively adjusting control gains of a cooperative control system. It is shown that according to distributed observations of changing network topologies and on the basis of online estimation of network connectivity, cooperative controls with adaptive gains can be synthesized to making the time derivative of the cooperative control Lyapunov function more negative and hence to improve stability and convergence of the overall system. For undirected networks, the proposed adaptive design reduces to improving the Fiedler eigenvalue (algebraic connectivity) as well as other eigenvalues. On the other hand, connectivity of a directed network is characterized by the property of the first left eigenvector(s) associated with its dominant eigenvalue, and in this paper, a distributed high-gain observer design is proposed for each of the networked systems to utilize the same communication network among the systems. It is shown that even in the presence of transmission delays, the distributed estimators converge fast to the first left eigenvector(s) of the network. In addition, the expected consensus value(s) of the overall cooperative system under control is also estimated in a distributive manner. Rigorous analysis is carried out on estimation convergence and observer gain selection. It is shown that the proposed estimation and adaptive control designs are fully distributed, have guaranteed performance for all possible varying topologies as long as their dwelling times are bounded away from zero, and are robust with respect to excessively fast topology changes. Simulation results are included to demonstrate effectiveness of the proposed estimation and control schemes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Behavioral Modification of Intraoperative Hyperglycemia Management with a Novel Real-time Audiovisual Monitor.

BACKGROUND Hyperglycemia, defined as blood glucose (BG) levels above 200 mg/dl (11.1 mM), is associated with increased postoperative morbidity. Yet, the treatment standard for intraoperative glycemic control is poorly defined for noncardiac surgery. Little is known of the interindividual treatment variability or methods to modify intraoperative glycemic management behaviors. AlertWatch (AlertWatch, USA) is a novel audiovisual alert system that serves as a secondary patient monitor for use in operating rooms. The authors evaluated the influence of use of AlertWatch on intraoperative glycemic management behavior. METHODS AlertWatch displays historical patient data (risk factors and laboratory results) from multiple networked information systems, combined with the patient's live physiologic data. The authors extracted intraoperative data for 19 months to evaluate the relationship between AlertWatch usage and initiation of insulin treatment for hyperglycemia. Outcome associations were adjusted for physical status, case duration, procedural complexity, emergent procedure, fasting BG value, home insulin therapy, patient age, and primary anesthetist. RESULTS Overall, 2,341 patients had documented intraoperative hyperglycemia. Use of AlertWatch (791 of 2,341; 33.5%) was associated with 55% increase in insulin treatment (496 of 791 [62.7%] with and 817 of 1,550 [52.7%] without AlertWatch; adjusted odds ratio [95% CI], 1.55 [1.23 to 1.95]; P < 0.001) and 44% increase in BG recheck after insulin administration (407 of 791 [51.5%] with AlertWatch and 655 of 1,550 [42.3%] in controls; adjusted odds ratio [95% CI], 1.44 [1.14 to 1.81]; P = 0.002). CONCLUSION AlertWatch is associated with a significant increase in desirable intraoperative glycemic management behavior and may help achieve tighter intraoperative glycemic control.
Reconstructive algorithm and classification system for transoral oropharyngeal defects

Background Transoral techniques for oropharyngeal tumors, such as transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and transoral laser microsurgery, require new reconstructive considerations. Methods Defects from 92 patients undergoing TORS were classified into 4 classes. A reconstruction algorithm was followed. Perioperative outcomes and complications were assessed. Forty-seven patients completed the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) swallowing questionnaire and a modified Velopharyngeal Insufficiency Quality of Life (VPIQL) questionnaire postoperatively. Results The most common reconstructions involved velopharyngoplasties with local flaps (39%), local flaps alone (25%), or secondary healing (20%). More advanced defects (class III and IV defects) required regional and free flaps more often. No significant differences were found in MDADI scores or VPIQL scores among the 4 defect classes. Only adjuvant radiotherapy was a predictor of poor swallowing (p = .02). Conclusion The classification system for transoral oropharyngeal defects maps defects into 4 classes and guides the reconstructive thought process. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 36: 934–941, 2014
Runtime Verification of C Memory Safety

C is the most widely used imperative system's implementation language. While C provides types and high-level abstractions, its design goal has been to provide highest performance which often requires low-level access to memory. As a consequence C supports arbitrary pointer arithmetic, casting, and explicit allocation and deallocation. These operations are difficult to use, resulting in programs that often have software bugs like buffer overflows and dangling pointers that cause security vulnerabilities. We say a C program is memory safe, if at runtime it never goes wrong with such a memory access error. Based on standards for writing "good" C code, this paper proposes strong memory safety as the least restrictive formal definition of memory safety amenable for runtime verification. We show that although verification of memory safety is in general undecidable, even when restricted to closed, terminating programs, runtime verification of strong memory safety is a decision procedure for this class of programs. We verify strong memory safety of a program by executing the program using a symbolic, deterministic definition of the dynamic semantics. A prototype implementation of these ideas shows the feasibility of this approach.
Motivation to Control Prejudice as a Mediator of Identity and Affirmative Action Attitudes1

Affirmative action is a divisive issue in society today. Attitudes toward affirmative action vary both between and within ethnic and racial groups, with Whites exhibiting the majority of negative attitudes. Researchers have suggested a variety of psychological explanations for differences in attitudes toward affirmative action (e.g., racism, self-interest, fairness). The current study investigates whether motivation to control prejudice acts as a mediator of ethnic/racial identity and Whites’ attitudes toward affirmative action. Support was found for the mediating role of motivation to control prejudice for several aspects of ethnic and racial identity and affirmative action attitudes. Limitations of the study are discussed, as are topics for future research.
Democratizing Knowledge: Sustainable and Conventional Agricultural Field Days as Divergent Democratic Forms

This article highlights that in our rush to call for the democratization of science and expertise we must not forget to speak to what type of democratization we are calling for. In short, not all p...
Initiation and propagation of a neuronal intracellular calcium wave

The ability to image calcium movement within individual neurons inspires questions of functionality including whether calcium entry into the nucleus is related to genetic regulation for phenomena such as long term potentiation. Calcium waves have been initiated in hippocampal pyramidal cells with glutmatergic signals both in the presence and absence of back propagating action potentials (BPAPs). The dendritic sites of initiation of these calcium waves within about 100 microm of the soma are thought to be localized near oblique junctions. Stimulation of synapses on oblique dendrites leads to production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)) which diffuses to the apical dendrite igniting awaiting IP(3) receptors (IP(3)Rs) and initiating and propagating catalytic calcium release from the endoplasmic reticulum. We construct a reduced mathematical system which accounts for calcium wave initiation and propagation due to elevated IP(3). Inhomogeneity in IP(3) distribution is responsible for calcium wave initiation versus subthreshold or spatially uniform suprathreshold activation. However, the likelihood that a calcium wave is initiated does not necessarily increase with more calcium entering from BPAPs. For low transient synaptic stimuli, timing between IP(3) generation and BPAPs is critical for calcium wave initiation. We also show that inhomogeneity in IP(3)R density can account for calcium wave directionality. Simulating somatic muscarinic receptor production of IP(3), we can account for the critical difference between calcium wave entry into the soma and failure to do so.
A comparison of microbiologic flora of the sinuses and airway among cystic fibrosis patients with maxillary antrostomies

The placement of maxillary antrostomies among cystic fibrosis (CF) patients has been used as a treatment to allow localized antibiotic lavage of infected sinus passages. This procedure is increasingly recommended by lung transplantation centers as a prerequisite prior to accepting a CF patient as a candidate for transplantation. Our study attempts to define the degree of identity between sinus, endotracheal and sputum cultures from 35 patients. The samples (n = 137) were collected within two weeks of each other. An analysis of the microbiologic type, strain, and antibiotic resistance patterns was undertaken. Randomization analysis was performed and a p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. The results indicated a high degree of correlation between sinus-sputum pairs (n = 55) and endotracheal samples (p < 0.008). This study provides evidence that there is a potential for cross-infection between sinus passages and the lower airway. The localized irrigation of CF sinus cavities post-transplantation may be warranted in an attempt to reduce bacterial counts and potential direct infection of the allograft. However, it is unlikely that this will eliminate this risk because bacterial colonization continues and the CF trachea is another source of infection.
Radiosensitization mediated by a transfected Anti-erbB-2 single-chain antibody in vitro and in vivo

Abstract Purpose: The erbB-2 receptor is overexpressed in several human cancers, including ovarian, prostate, and breast. We have developed plasmid and adenoviral vectors expressing an anti-erbB-2 single chain antibody (sFv), directed to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of target cells, that is cytotoxic to tumor cells overexpressing erbB-2 through induction of apoptosis. The anti-erbB-2 sFv also sensitizes erbB-2 overexpressing cells to the cytotoxic effects of cisplatin. On this basis, we hypothesized that human ovarian cancer cells expressing anti-erbB-2 sFv with downregulated erbB-2 product, p185erbB-2, also would be sensitized to ionizing radiation. Therefore, we designed experiments to test the ability of the anti-erbB-2 sFv to radiosensitize human ovarian cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Methods and Materials: To test our hypothesis, we established subcutaneous (s.c.) tumors in the flanks of nude mice with SKOV3.ip1 human ovarian cancer cells and SKOV3 cells stably expressing the ER directed anti-erbB-2 sFv (SKOV3/pGT21). The tumors were treated with 10 Gy 60Co, or received no radiation. We then determined the regression rate, delay in regrowth, and time to tumor doubling of the tumors treated with radiation in the transfected group and controls. In addition, SKOV3.ip1 and SKOV3/pGT21 tumors were dissected from the irradiated animals and assayed for differences in p185erbB-2 expression at 12 weeks after irradiation by immunohistochemistry. Further, in vitro clonogenic survival assays were performed on the parental SKOV3.ip1 and SKOV3/pGT21 cell lines. Results: A statistical analysis of the combined data was done for two in vivo experiments. The analysis of the combined data showed that animals with irradiated tumor SKOV3/pGT21 had a significantly higher regression rate (p = 0.0055), longer delay in regrowth (p = 0.0001) and time to tumor doubling (p = 0.0004), than those animals with tumor SKOV3.ip1 that received radiation. We observed a similar significant effect for the same parameters in the unirradiated tumor SKOV3/pGT21 compared to unirradiated tumor SKOV3.ip1. Immunohistochemical analysis of the SKOV3/pGT21 tumor cells demonstrated focal accumulation of p185erbB-2 in scattered clumps of cells and less p185erbB-2 membrane expression than cells of SKOV3.ip1 tumors. However, SKOV3.ip1 and SKOV3/pGT21 cells had similar in vitro sensitivity to radiation. Conclusions: These data support the hypothesis that tumors with reduced p185erbB-2 expression mediated by the anti-erbB-2 sFv are rendered more susceptible in vivo to the cytotoxic effects of ionizing radiation than tumors that maintain their normal expression of p185erbB-2. However, a similar effect was not observed with the same tumor cells in vitro. Thus, as has been described by others 1 , 2 , in vitro and in vivo results do not always correlate. Therefore, appropriate assays to assess clinical relevance need to be determined for each particular system studied.
Altered protein-chromophore interaction in dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-modified purple membrane sheets.

Abstract Previous studies of N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD)-modified bacteriorhodopsin (Kenthal, R. et al. (1985) Biochemistry 24, 4275–4279) used reaction conditions (detergent micelles) that are not optimal for subsequent physical studies. The present work describes new conditions for reaction of bacteriorhodopsin with DCCD in intact purple membrane sheets in the presence of 4.5% (v/v) diethylether and light. Like the detergent reaction system, the reaction is light induced, incorporates approximately 1 mol [P1·1C]DCCD per mol bacteriorhodopsin, and results in a bleached chromophore. Peptide mapping indicates that the likely site of modification in intact membranes is identical to the site in the detergent reaction system: Asp 115. The retinal chromophore of DCCD-modified purple membrane has an absorbance maximum at 390 nm and very little induced circular dichroism. The retinal is easily extracted in hexane, yielding a 3:1 ratio of all-trans to 13-cis retinal. Borohydride reduces the retinal onto the protein within the 1–71 region of the amino acid sequence. These results suggest that Asp-115 is near the retinal binding cavity of bacteriorhodopsin. When DCCD reacts with Asp 115, retinal is displaced from its binding site.
Generalised 1/f shot noise

We define a generalised form of 1/f shot noise, which can serve as a source of 1/fα noise for α in the range 0<α<2, and present its first-order amplitude probability density function. For some parameters of the power-law-decaying impulse-response function, the amplitude has a Levy-stable probability density function.