cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Road Damage Evaluation via Stereo Camera and Deep Learning Neural Network

Road damage detection and quality evaluation are important processes that keep the public and private road systems running smoothly and accident-free. Currently, most road pavement assessments are done manually, which is slow, costly, and subject to human error. This paper proposes a road quality evaluation system capable of detecting potholes and evaluating the severity. The system contains a stereo camera and a laser diode that is capable of projecting multiple laser dots. The stereo camera collects images while the laser diode projects easily identifiable marks on the pavement. First, the collected images without laser dots are fed into pothole detection neural network (PDNN), which is based on You Only Look Once (YOLO) network, to detect potholes. The detected potholes are outlined with label boxes. Second, the laser dots are projected onto the potholes' surface and the corresponding images with the laser dots are taken by the stereo camera. Third, the laser dots on each picture are identified through image processing and used to calculate the distance from each mark on the potholes' surface to the camera by matching the marks on the left and right images. Finally, a rough 3D model of the pothole is constructed using the distances and the volume of each damaged area are calculated. These steps can be performed at a high speed if the camera and laser control module is built properly. Using only stereo camera and laser dots makes the system inexpensive. Furthermore, our research covers various weather conditions and road pavement materials, including asphalt, concrete, and dirt. The comprehensive experiment results are provided at the end of this paper.
Functional connectivity of key resting state networks and objectively measured physical activity in older adults with joint pain: A pilot study

Abstract Background Greater brain network integrity may associate with physically active lifestyles. Three resting state networks may provide unique insights into known physical activity-mediated brain health benefits: the default mode network (involved with self-monitoring), the salience network (involved in orienting oneself to salient external and internal stimuli), and the central executive network (responsible for higher level cognitive task). The current study explored relationships between system-wide neural network integrity measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging and objectively-measured physical activity. We hypothesize connectivity patterns as measured by fMRI networks will relate to actigraphy markers such that 1) there will be higher connectivity within the central executive network in more physically active individuals, and 2) there will be higher connectivity within the default mode network and salience network in those with higher levels of physical activity. Methods Eighteen non-demented older adults with orthopedic pain (age 67.11 ± 5.61, 50% female, education 15.94 ± 2.51 years) completed brain magnetic resonance imaging, and wore an actigraphy device to objectively measure types of physical and sedentary engagement. Results Results showed a negative relationship between central executive network connectivity and sedentary time (β = ‐0.108, p = .039), and a positive relationship with both moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (β = 0.629, p = .029) and total activity time (β = 0.645, p = .039). Results also showed positive relationships for the default mode network (β = 0.588, p = .033) and the salience network (β = 0.608, p = .037) with mean cadence (i.e. steps per minute). Conclusions Our work adds to the existing literature on specific types of activity measurement (i.e. sedentary time, cadence and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) which will be useful for interventions aimed at improving the integrity of underlying neural networks.
Determination of Gomphrena serrata Leaf Extract as Corrosion Inhibitor and Reductant for Synthesis of Copper Nanoparticles

Adapting eco-friendly methodologies is the need of the hour in every field of research. In the present work the potential investigation of Gomphrena serrata leaves was evaluated as a corrosion inhibitor for the mild steel in HCl medium and as a reductant. The corrosive inhibitive activity was found out by identifying the adsorbed layer on the metal surface through electrochemical measurements, SEM and FTIR. From the phytochemical analysis, we found out the G. serrata was enriched with polyphenols which have a very good antioxidant property and it may use as a reducing agent for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles. The G. serrata as an efficient inhibitor it obeys Langmuir adsorption isotherm and served as anodic type inhibitor. The impedance study confirms the formation of thin film on the metal surface through its Cdl and Rct values. The copper nanoparticles and their derivatives have been used as a medicine to prevent infection, leg ulcers etc. G. serrata leaves have good medicinal values, to enhance its medicinal properties it was mediated for the synthesis of copper nanoparticles. The CuNps formation was confirmed by SPR bands at 345 nm by microwave method and at 341 nm by thermostat method. The functional groups present in the G. serrata also present in the FTIR spectra of CuNps and it confirms the G. serrata was used as a reducing as well as a capping agent.
Review of urban stormwater quality models: Deterministic, stochastic, and hybrid approaches

Abstract: The growing impact of urban stormwater on surface-water quality has illuminated the need for more accurate modeling of stormwater pollution. Water quality based regulation and the movement towards integrated urban water management place a similar demand for improved stormwater quality model predictions. The physical, chemical, and biological processes that affect stormwater quality need to be better understood and simulated, while acknowledging the costs and benefits that such complex modeling entails. This paper reviews three approaches to stormwater quality modeling: deterministic, stochastic, and hybrid. Six deterministic, three stochastic, and three hybrid models are reviewed in detail. Hybrid approaches show strong potential for reducing stormwater quality model prediction error and uncertainty. Improved stormwater quality models will have wide ranging benefits for combined sewer overflow management, total maximum daily load development, best management practice design, land use change impact assessment, water quality trading, and integrated modeling.
Sexual problems, communication patterns, and depressive symptoms in couples coping with metastatic breast cancer.

Objective The treatment of breast cancer tends to result in physical side effects (e.g., vaginal dryness, stomatitis, and atrophy) that can cause sexual problems. Although studies of early-stage breast cancer have demonstrated that sexual problems are associated with increased depressive symptoms for both patients and their partners, comparatively little is known about these associations in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and how patients and partners cope together with sexual problems. We examined the links between sexual problems, depressive symptoms, and two types of spousal communication patterns [mutual constructive (MC) and demand-withdraw (DW)] in 191 couples in which the patient was initiating treatment for MBC.
So you want to teach! [engineering teaching]

Traditionally, engineering graduate students have been trained to be top-of-the-line researchers through rigorous programs that impart both scientific knowledge and the methods of gaining new knowledge through future research and analysis. To prepare for a faculty position, to be a top-of-the-line educator, what training do we receive? We are experts at research and the attainment of knowledge in our particular field, yet we are amateurs at imparting that knowledge if we choose to do so. The author discusses his experiences as a researcher "transformed" into a professor which sheds some light on the process and resultant predicaments of educating the educator. The author discusses the graduate school experience and the tenure track experience, and the cyclical and self sustaining problem of the process of educating the educator.
Range Livestock Production, Food, and the Future: A Perspective

is a growing belief that the era of cheap food in the United States is ending and that major changes will eventually occur in how our food is produced, processed, and distributed.1 Changes in the food production system in the United States will undoubtedly affect the rest of the world and the prospects for the human population. This is because the United States is the world's primary grain producer and has played a critical role in preventing famines when food shortages have occurred in other countries.1 Changes in the world food outlook have important implications for range livestock producers. Under present conditions, every 1 farmer in the United States feeds about 170 people, compared to 20 in 1900.2 Yields of most crops have tripled, and in some cases, like corn, they have increased by fivefold. This remarkable achievement has allowed the US human population to triple while food costs as a percentage of family income have dropped from 30% to 10%. An abundance of cheap food indirectly helped the United States become the world's foremost industrial power in the 1920s, build the interstate highway system in the 1950s, develop the internet in the 1990s, and become a nation of affluent suburban homeowners.3 However, there are now many concerns about future food production in the United States. They relate to its sustainability relative to energy use, its ethics in treatment of livestock, its impact on the environment, and its effects on food nutritional value and healthiness.3'4 I will
Activation dependence and kinetics of force and stiffness inhibition by aluminiofluoride, a slowly dissociating analogue of inorganic phosphate, in chemically skinned fibres from rabbit psoas muscle

To examine the mechanism by which aluminiofluoride, a tightly binding analogue of inorganic phosphate, inhibits force in single, chemically skinned fibres from rabbit psoas muscle, we measured the Ca2+-dependence of the kinetics of inhibitor dissociation and the kinetics of actomyosin interactions when aluminiofluoride was bound to the crossbridges. The relation between stiffness and the speed of stretch during small amplitude ramp stretches (< 5 nm per h.s.) was used to characterize the kinetic properties of crossbridges attached to actin; sarcomere length was assessed with HeNe laser diffraction. During maximum Ca2+-activation at physiological ionic strength (pCa 4.0, 0.2 m Γ/2), stiffness exhibited a steep dependence on the rate of stretch; aluminiofluoride inhibition at pCa 4.0 (0.2 m Γ/2) resulted in an overall decrease in stiffness, with stiffness at high rates of stretch (103–104 nm per h.s. per s) being disproportionately reduced. Thus the slope of the stiffness-speed relation was reduced during aluminiofluoride inhibition of activated fibres. Relaxation of inhibited fibres (pCa 9.2, 0.2 m Γ/2) resulted in aluminiofluoride being ‘trapped’ and was accompanied by a further decrease in stiffness at all rates of stretch which was comparable to that found in control relaxed fibres. In relaxed, low ionic strength conditions (pCa 9.2, 0.02 m Γ/2) which promote weak crossbridge binding, stiffness at all rates of stretch was significantly inhibited by aluminiofluoride ‘trapped’ in the fibre. To determine the Ca2+-dependence of inhibitor dissociation, force was regulated independent of Ca2+ using an activating tropinin C (aTnC). Results obtained with aTnC-activated fibres confirmed that there is no absolute requirement for Ca2+ for recovery from force inhibition by inorganic phosphate analogues in skinned fibres; the only requirement is thin filament activation which enables active crossbridge cycling. These results indicate that aluminiofluoride preferentially inhibits rapid equilibrium or weak crossbridge attachment to actin, that aluminiofluoride-bound crossbridges attach tightly to the activated thin filament, and that, at maximal (or near-maximal) activation, crossbridge attachment to actin prior to inorganic phosphate analogue dissociation is the primary event regulated by Ca2+.
Low-shear melt rheology of partially-neutralized ethylene-methacrylic acid ionomers

We examine the melt rheology of a series of ethylene−methacrylic acid (E/MAA) ionomers, all based on the same E/MAA copolymer, with an emphasis on the low-shear-rate Newtonian region. All ionomers show Newtonian behavior at sufficiently low shear rates. The zero-shear viscosity η0 is a strong function of neutralization level and is significantly higher for Zn ionomers than for Na ionomers at the temperatures and neutralization levels examined. The recoverable compliance Je0 is independent of cation type and neutralization level, indicating that the ionic associations bear no stress during steady flow in the terminal region. Therefore, the individual ionic associations have lifetimes much shorter than the terminal relaxation time of the polymer chain. We probe the effect of unneutralized acid groups on η0 by removing these groups through esterification. Unneutralized acid groups substantially lower the viscosity of Na ionomers but have no discernable effect in Zn ionomers. An “acid-cation exchange” mechani...
Optimal Maintenance Policies for Single-Server Queueing Systems Subject to Breakdowns

We consider a single-server queueing system with Poisson arrivals and general service times. While the server is up, it is subject to breakdowns according to a Poisson process. When the server breaks down, we need to repair the server immediately by initiating one of two available repair operations. The operating costs of the system include customer holding costs, repair costs and running costs. The objective is to find a corrective maintenance policy that minimizes the long-run average operating costs of the system. The problem is formulated as a semi-Markov decision process. Under some mild conditions on the repair time and service time distributions and the customer holding cost rate function, we prove that there exists an optimal stationary policy which is monotone, i.e., which is characterized by a single threshold parameter: The stochastically faster repair is initiated if and only if the number of customers in the system exceeds this threshold. We also present an efficient algorithm for the determination of an optimal monotone policy and its average cost. We then extend the problem to allow the system to postpone the repair until some future point in time. We provide a partial characterization of an optimal policy and show that monotone policies are, in general, not optimal. The latter problem also extends the authors' previous work.
Search for Exchange-Antisymmetric Two-Photon States

Atomic two-photon $J\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}{J}^{\ensuremath{'}}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}1$ transitions are forbidden for photons of the same energy. This selection rule is related to the fact that photons obey Bose-Einstein statistics. We have searched for small violations of this selection rule by studying transitions in atomic Ba. We set a limit on the probability $v$ that photons are in exchange-antisymmetric states: $vl1.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}7}$.
Upper extremity pain of 10 years duration caused by a glomus tumor.

Background and Objectives. Long-standing limb pain typically has a multifactorial etiology not amenable to causal therapy. We present a case of chronic progressing upper extremity pain caused by a glomus tumor; the excision was curative. Methods. A 39-year-old woman presented with 10-year history of constant deep internal throbbing, aching pain localized to the radial aspect of the left index finger and additional intermittent shooting pains radiating up the arm toward the shoulder. Pain was increased after minor local trauma, following cold exposure, and for unknown reasons. A blotchy, bluish skin discoloration could appear on the radial aspect of the index finger during severe pain. Nonsteroidal antinflammatory drugs, narcotics, amitriptyline, local heat, bracing, and a sympathetic nerve block had all been ineffective. The physical examination was characterized by exquisite pressure tenderness over the radial aspect of the left index finger, most pronounced just distal to the distal interphalengeal joint. Results. Inflation of a left arm blood pressure cuff to above systolic pressures abolished pain. A glomus tumor was suspected and confirmed by histologic examination. Conclusions. Glomus tumors are rare, benign neoplasms (1 to 5% of all hand tumors), developing from neuromyoarterial glomus bodies. They usually present with pain and may mimic other painful conditions, delaying the average time until diagnosis for up to 10 years. The classic diagnostic triad consists of local pain, pressure tenderness, and cold hypersensitivity. Abolition of pain following inflation of a blood pressure cuff to above systolic levels (ischemia test) is highly diagnostic. We suggest routine use of this test in cases of upper limb pain of unclear etiology.
Rapid decay of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization of locomotor behavior.

Abstract Sprague Dawley rats received three daily intraperitoneal (IP) injections of saline or 15 mg/kg cocaine. Following an interval of 2, 5 or 8 days, the behavioral response of separate groups of rats to a challenge injection of cocaine (15 mg/kg) was tested in an open field. After repeated cocaine (15 mg/kg) injection, movement in both the vertical and horizontal plane was increased in cocaine-treated rats 2, but not 5 or 8, days after treatment as compared to saline-treated subjects. In addition, behavioral ratings along an ordinal scale designed to reflect increases in behavioral activation were increased in cocaine-treated rats 2, but not 5 or 8, days after treatment. These results stand in contrast to other reports demonstrating long-lasting neural and behavioral changes after similar treatment regimens. Taken together, the results suggest that a treatment regimen of 15 mg/kg per day of cocaine for 3 days produces behavioral sensitization of locomotor behavior; however, this cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization does not persist beyond a few (
Adaptive Optical Target Detection Using Correlated Images

A method for target detection that achieves clutter rejection by the use of multiple observations of the same target scene is developed. Multiple scene observations can be obtained by processing separate frequency bands of the same target scene or by recursively processing sequential observations in time. Optimal detection algorithms are developed, based on the assumption that the image intensity can be modeled as a variable mean spatial Gaussian process. Several fast detection algorithms are derived which make use of the fact that the covariance matrices of many optical and infrared (IR) images can be accurately approximated by diagonal matrices. These algorithms provide efficient solutions to the problem of processing multiple correlated scenes or multiple sequential imaging. Computer simulations based on actual optical and IR image data were used for checking the theoretical results. The new detection algorithms achieved performance improvement in detection signal-to-noise ratio of up to 10 dB over conventional target correlation methods.
Finite Powers of Strong Measure Zero Sets

In a previous paper-[17]-we characterized strong measure zero sets of reals in terms of a Ramseyan partition relation on certain subspaces of the Alexandroff duplicate of the unit interval. This framework gave only indirect access to the relevant sets of real numbers. We now work more directly with the sets in question, and since it costs little in additional technicalities, we consider the more general context of metric spaces and prove: 1. If a metric space has a covering property of Hurewicz and has strong measure zero, then its product with any strong measure zero metric space is a strong measure zero metric space (Theorem 1 and Lemma 3). 2. A subspace X of a a-compact metric space Y has strong measure zero if, and only if, a certain Ramseyan partition relation holds for Y (Theorem 9). 3. A subspace X of a a-compact metric space Y has strong measure zero in all finite powers if, and only if, a certain Ramseyan partition relation holds for Y (Theorem 12). Then 2 and 3 yield characterizations of strong measure zeroness for a-totally bounded metric spaces in terms of Ramseyan theorems. ?
Head Banging in Early Childhood: A Suggested Cause

(1963). Head Banging in Early Childhood: A Suggested Cause. The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Vol. 102, No. 1, pp. 109-114.
Dielectric waveguide modeling at 3.0 cm of the antenna sensilla of the lovebug, Plecia neartica Hardy.

Wax models were made of three basic types of lovebug, Plecia neartica Hardy, antenna sensillum. Polar plots of amplified guided radiation at 3.1 cm are given. Highly directional beamwidths of 20 and 30° and 4× amplification are demonstrated by two of the configurations and a circular pattern 3× amplification by the third steeply curved model. All three radiation patterns correlate very well with the known behavior of the lovebug. This exact model is evidence for an IR-dielectric antenna (scent) system of sensillum insect communication.
Amino Acid and Dipeptide Functionalized Polyolefins

N-protected amino acid and dipeptide branched, chiral polyolefins have been prepared using acyclic diene metathesis polycondensation chemistry. The polymerizations were performed in THF using Grubbs' second-generation catalyst. The polymers bearing CBz-protected amino acids and dipeptides are semicrystalline with melt transitions of up to 150 °C, whereas the polymers bearing BOC-protected amino acids and dipeptides are primarily amorphous with the exception of the di-BOC-protected lysine polymer, which is semicrystalline.
Interlibrary Loan, Dial Access, and ProComm

Erwin Welsch's article in the April OCLC Micro described an automated OCLC dial access procedure using an IBM XT, AT, or compatible, a Hayes 1200‐baud modem, and ProComm communications software. Using the command file and keyboard macro capabilities of ProComm, the procedure streamlines access to the OCLC On‐line Catalog and eases the pain of microcomputer‐to‐OCLC keystroke translation. Using Welsch's online catalog searching procedure as a model, we created an application for our interlibrary loan staff.
Capacities of Quantum Erasure Channels

The quantum analog of the classical erasure channel provides a simple example of a channel whose asymptotic capacity for faithful transmission of intact quantum states, with and without the assistance of a two-way classical side channel, can be computed exactly. We derive the quantum and classical capacities for the quantum erasure channel and related channels, and compare them to the depolarizing channel, for which only upper and lower bounds on the capacities are known.
Structural-Strategic Family Therapy: A Culture-Sensitive Approach

This paper outlines the basic assumptions of the Structural-Strategic Model of family therapy. It identifies variables of special significance, such as the family as a unit, family structure, rules and boundaries, power and authority, communication and family and community, and discusses appropriate therapeutic techniques associated with these variables.
Abstract B69: Effects of obesity and neighborhood socioeconomic status on prostate cancer stage and grade

Background: Obesity has been shown to increase the risk for advanced prostate cancer. Although linked to both obesity and advanced cancer, neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) has not been studied as a modifier of obesity effects in prostate cancer patients. Ethnic differences in obesity among men are less pronounced in lower SES environments. It is possible that the relationship between obesity and prostate cancer outcomes varies by neighborhood characteristics. Objective: The goal of this project was to study neighborhood SES as an effect modifier of obesity on prostate cancer characteristics. Neighborhood SES differences may help to explain ethnic differences observed in prostate cancer outcomes. Our general hypotheses are that (1) neighborhood SES differs for African-American and European American prostate cancer patients recruited from the same medical center and (2) neighborhood SES modifies the effects of obesity on prostate cancer outcomes. Methods: A case-case design was proposed to examine the relationship between neighborhood SES and prostate cancer severity. The residential addresses of prostate cancer patients from the University of Pennsylvania were geocoded. Census tract data was downloaded from the Census Bureau website and merged with patient data. Obesity was defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 and non-obese as BMI Results: 1000 European American and 144 African-American prostate cancer patients were included in these analyses. We observed no ethnic differences in patient-level variables except for those related to obesity. The African-American sample had a higher mean BMI (29 vs. 27 kg/m,2 p=0.001) compared to European Americans. Neighborhood SES characterized by below median census tract income and education was more prevalent among African-Americans. ( Conclusions: Lower neighborhood SES is more common among African-American prostate cancer patients than European American cases. The relationship between obesity and tumor stage may be influenced by lower neighborhood SES. Modification of obesity effects by neighborhood SES may suggest strategies for prostate cancer intervention in high-risk communities. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):B69.
Thermography as a predictor of the more involved side in bilateral carotid disease: case history.

Contact thermography using liquid crystals provides a simple, inexpensive method of evaluating carotid disease. It does not duplicate information provided by other noninvasive methods, because, whe...
Taxotere chemosensitivity evaluation in mice prostate tumor: validation and diagnostic accuracy of quantitative measurement of tumor characteristics by MRI, PET, and histology of mice tumor.

Increased PET and MRI image intensities of mouse prostate tumors were correlated with histostaining tumor characteristics. The hypothesis was that increased intracellular sodium microMRI signal intensities and flouro-2-deoxy-glucose utilization by microPET in apoptosis rich regions in tumors were positively correlated as chemosensitivity assay of Taxotere. The PC-3 cancer cell line induced prostate tumor MRI and PET images and histology slices were digitally captured and compared in pre- and post-Taxotere treated tumors. The optimization of inversion recovery MRI parameters was done to generate sodium images of phantom. The (18)FDG biotransformation was optimized to measure PET image intensities. A criterion was developed to evaluate malignancy by histology. For correlation, regression analysis was done using imaging, histology, and immunostaining data from PC3 tumor after 24 and 48 hours post-Taxotere treatment. Apoptosis indices were calculated by histostaining and ss-DNA antibody assay. Sodium MRI and PET signal intensity distributions were comparable at specific locations relatively and measured in tumor tissue regions. In tumors, Taxotere induced an increase in intracellular sodium MRI signal 30% (p 6%). Apoptosis rich regions showed characteristic nuclei with S phase DNA histogram, appearing brighter on IC-Na images and mild active on PET images (sensitivity=65%; specificity=70%). In conclusion, MRI and PET multimodal imaging may be rapid non-invasive chemosensitivity assay to monitor the drug anticancer effect.
Toward an Ethnic Studies Critique for Teacher Education

AbstractIn an effort to humanize students of color in teacher education research, this study shifts away from the question, “How can we add students of color?” and instead asks, “How might teacher education programs be transformed to make space for students of color?” To begin, we articulate an ethnic studies critique for teacher education based on the demands for ethnic studies in the late 1960s. We then apply this critique in an analysis of the experiences of twelve preservice teachers of color. We argue that teacher education may be structured—institutionally and ideologically—to hinder the success of preservice teachers of color. We conclude with three suggestions for teacher education grounded in the ethnic studies critique, which offers an alternative paradigm for thinking of students of color beyond numbers and statistics.
Adult-onset deficiency of acyl CoA:monoacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 protects mice from diet-induced obesity and glucose intolerance.

Acyl-CoA:monoacylglycerol acyltransferase (MGAT) 2 catalyzes triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis, required in intestinal fat absorption. We previously demonstrated that mice without a functional MGAT2-coding gene (Mogat2−/−) exhibit increased energy expenditure and resistance to obesity induced by excess calories. One critical question raised is whether lacking MGAT2 during early development is required for the metabolic phenotypes in adult mice. In this study, we found that Mogat2−/− pups grew slower than wild-type littermates during the suckling period. To determine whether inactivating MGAT2 in adult mice is sufficient to confer resistance to diet-induced obesity, we generated mice with an inducible Mogat2-inactivating mutation. Mice with adult-onset MGAT2 deficiency (Mogat2AKO) exhibited a transient decrease in food intake like Mogat2−/− mice when fed a high-fat diet and a moderate increase in energy expenditure after acclimatization. They gained less weight than littermate controls, but the difference was smaller than that between wild-type and Mogat2−/− mice. The moderate reduction in weight gain was associated with reduced hepatic TAG and improved glucose tolerance. Similar protective effects were also observed in mice that had gained weight on a high-fat diet before inactivating MGAT2. These findings suggest that adult-onset MGAT2 deficiency mitigates metabolic disorders induced by high-fat feeding and that MGAT2 modulates early postnatal nutrition and may program metabolism later in life.
Fracture in the compression of columnar gained ice

Abstract Failure behavior of fine-grained columnar ice is investigated under compression. A special experimental set-up is used to achieve a uniform stress (strain) state in the specimen. The strength is then determined at several constant temperatures and strain rates. Three failure mechanisms have been identified: cleavage fracture, plastic flow, and linkage of grain boundary cracks. The failure mechanism is believed to be a material property. The failure mode, however, is dependent on the specimen geometry and the loading condition. Thorough investigation is made on the failure modes of ice specimens (4 × 8 × 12 cm blocks). A major conclusion is that ice is an excellent material to be used in the investigation of the failure of brittle polycrystalline materials.
Exposure is a necessary condition for fear-reduction: A reply to De Silva and Rachman

Abstract de Silva and Rachman (1981) have recently suggested that although non-reinforced exposure of a fear-evoking stimulus constitutes a sufficient condition for unlearning fears, it does not represent a necessary condition. This conclusion was reached, in part, by examples they provide which appeared to them to suggest that fear-reduction can occur in the absence of exposure to the fear stimulus. They then call for an extended search for non-exposure types of intervention, especially those involving ‘sources of information’ and ‘expectations’. After reviewing in detail the arguments advanced, the present authors adopt the position that de Silva and Rachman's conclusions are premature and unwarranted. To abandon or lose sight of one of the most effective and perhaps most important therapeutic principles, CS exposure, would be myopic and detrimental to the advancement of effective behavior change. At this point in time what is needed is a more careful analysis of the extinction process especially at the stimulus level so the effectiveness of this principle can be maximized.
Detecting Proteins in Highly Autofluorescent Cells Using Quantum Dot Antibody Conjugates

We have applied quantum dot (Qdot) antibody conjugates as a biomolecular probe for cellular proteins important in biogeochemical cycling in the sea. Conventional immunological methods have been hampered by the strong autofluorescence found in cyanobacteria cells. Qdot conjugates provide an ideal alternative for studies that require long-term imaging of cells such as detection of low abundance cellular antigens by fluorescence microscopy. The advantage of Qdot labeled probes over conventional immunological methods is the photostability of the probe. Phycoerythrin bleaches in cyanobacterial cells under prolonged UV or blue light excitation, which means that the semiconducting nanocrystal probe, the Qdot, can yield a strong fluorescent signal without interference from cellular pigments.
Impact of government regulations on two management and clinical information systems in a medical school environment

Administrative and legal requirements and, in particular, federal and state government health care assistance and social services program regulations all combine to add complexity to the management and operation of ambulatory and inpatient health programs. This paper describes how constantly changing government regulations and differences in interpretations and definitions have been expensive, time-consuming and sometimes detrimental to health care delivery for two large management and clinical computer-based information systems.
( π , d ) reaction for small incident pion energies

we suggest that the reaction $\ensuremath{\pi}+A\ensuremath{\rightarrow}d+B$ provides a useful probe of nuclear structure. A model in which the pion is absorbed on a single nucleon is used to calculate the cross sections in a plane wave approximation. Results are presented for $^{18}\mathrm{O}$ and $^{118}\mathrm{Sn}$ targets. The high momentum transfer nature of this reaction leads to considerable sensitivity to the dineutron wave function on which the pion is absorbed.
Catalytic Electrochemical Synthesis Using Nanocrystalline Titanium Dioxide Cathodes in Microemulsions

Compared to similar catalysts dissolved in solution, electrolysis using a cobalt complex chemisorbed onto nanocrystalline titanium dioxide cathodes was catalytically more efficient in a microemulsi...
A multimodal approach for 3D face modeling and recognition using 3D deformable facial mask

We present a multimodal approach for face modeling and recognition. The algorithm uses three cameras to capture stereo images, two frontal and one profile, of the face. 2D facial features are extracted from one of the frontal images and a dense disparity map is computed from the two frontal images. Using the extracted 2D features and their corresponding disparities, we compute their 3D coordinates. We next align a low resolution 3D mesh model to the 3D features, re-project its vertices onto the frontal 2D image and adjust its profile silhouette vertices using the profile view image. We increase the resolution of the resulting 2D model at its center region to obtain a facial mask model covering distinctive features of the face. The 2D coordinates of the vertices, along with their disparities, result in a deformed 3D mask model specific to a given subject’s face. Our method integrates information from the extracted facial features from the 2D image modality with information from the 3D modality obtained from the stereo images. Application of the models in 3D face recognition, for 112 subjects, validates the algorithm with a 95% identification rate and 92% verification rate at 0.1% false acceptance rate.
A uniform approach to field quantization

Abstract A new method for treating ordinary Bose and Fermi statistics as well as many types of parastatistics is proposed. Number operators are used to distinguish among different types of statistics, and uniqueness results for Bose, Fermi, parabose and parafermi statistics are obtained.
Reclassification of urinary tract infections in critically ill trauma patients: a time-dependent analysis.

Background: Successful treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in the trauma ICU requires early recognition and timely, appropriate antibiotic therapy. We evaluated the incidence and microbiol...
Therapeutic implications of immune mechanisms in myocarditis.

Although it is attractive to postulate that immunosuppressive therapy will be effective in biopsy-proven myocarditis, available published reports do not validate this conclusion. If the myocarditis Treatment Trial demonstrates that immunosuppression is not efficacious, then cardiac allograft rejection will remain the only major indication for endomyocardial biopsy, in which case this technique should be restricted to large referral centers. If immunosuppression is effective, other trials will be necessary to determine the optimal combination of immunosuppressive agents and duration of therapy. This study will also clarify the natural history of myocarditis and allow more accurate prognostication in this group of patients which will help in selection of those who may require cardiac transplantation.
An example of thermal convection

The first few terms of a series development of the Sandstrom model of thermal circulation are presented. The solution is convergent only under special conditions .
SCLO study of the electronic structure of chemisorbed hydrogen on Ni(100)

Abstract The electronic structure of H/Ni(100) has been studied using the self-consistent local-orbital (SCLO) method to solve the local density equations. The ideal p(1 × 1) interface is simulated by a slab model in which hydrogen monolayers are located on both sides of a five-plane Ni(100) film. Our results include a 60% reduction of the nickel surface magnetic moment, an essentially unpolarized adsorbate, and a hydrogen-induced surface band with a minimum 8.7 eV below the Fermi energy. The surface-moment reduction is attributed to hybridization, which rounds the density of states near the Fermi level and expands the nickel d orbitais, weakening the effective exchange interaction.
Design of subband coders for high-quality images based on perceptual criteria

A number of new approaches to image coding are being developed to meet the increasing need for a broader range of quality and usage environments for image compression. Several of these new approaches, such as subband coders, are intended to provide higher quality images at the same bit rate as compared to the JPEG standard, because they are not subject to end of block artifacts, or because they are inherently better attuned to the image representation that occurs in the peripheral visual system. Still, in the absence of a pertinent quality criterion, the quality and performance of subband coders, or wavelet coders, can be mediocre. We have developed over the past few years the elements of a methodology applicable to this problem. We reported last year at the SPIE in San Diego, a Comparison of Coding Techniques based on a new Picture Quality Scale (PQS). In that work, we were able to rate coders designed by any criteria, on the basis of performance and quality. The problem that we are now considering is to design the coding technique so as to provide a better quality or a lower bit rate. The image quality, as evaluated by PQS, depends on a combination of several objective distortion factors, which can be identified with perceived coding artifacts, but the design of coders using all the factors is much too complex for an analytical approach. We make use instead of two design methodologies. The first one is to optimize the design of an existing subband coder using PQS as a distortion metric. The second one makes use of a methodology for the design of linear filters based on properties of human perception that we have developed previously and that may provide a tractable design method.
Characterization of a Xenopus oocyte factor that binds to a developmentally regulated cis-element in the TFIIIA gene

Abstract TFIIIA mRNA expression is developmentally regulated during Xenopus oogenesis. We have identified a positive-acting cis-element in the TFIIIA gene located between −671 and −629 with respect to the mRNA initiation site, termed element 3. Element 3 contributes to the efficient transcription of the TFIIIA gene in stage III oocytes, but is inactive in the normal context of the TFIIIA gene in stage VI oocytes. A trans-acting factor, termed B3, in immature ovary extracts binds to a region within element 3 containing four repeats of the consensus nucleotide sequence 5′ ( T A ) GGTTACT . We discuss how the developmental regulation of B3-element 3 function could be achieved in the context of the TFIIIA gene during oogenesis.
Summary of new data on rock samples G-1 and w-1 , 1962–1965

Abstract Analyses of samples G-1 and W-1 made since 1962 are collected and “best values” for many elements are suggested.
Women in Music Education in the United States: Names Mentioned in History Books.

The purpose of the study was to determine which women were mentioned most frequently in general United States music education history books and to examine the contexts in which the authors discussed women's work. A survey of individuals interested in music education history was then conducted to determine whether they would recognize the names of these women and whether they would consider them important to the music education field. An examination of five histories revealed 334 citations for 164 women. Only 11 women's names were mentioned five or more times. A questionnaire was sent to 39 respondents, who were invited to rate each of the 11 names for recognition of the woman's name and her work in music education. Agreement regarding name recognition was found to exist between histories and the 28 respondents who returned the questionnaire.
Reply to Belot, Elgin, and Horsten

Thanks to Gordon Belot, Catherine Elgin, and Leon Horsten for this constructive critique, and especially for confronting me with larger philosophical issues relating to metaphysical realism. While Elgin allows for a gingerly retreat from naive realism, she points in a direction that bring me squarely into Belot' s sights. Am I caught in a flirtation with the wilder forms of Kantianism? While I insist on strong empirical constraints on our world-picture building, Belot wonders whether these could not turn out to be trivial or incapable of being coherently defined. That in turn hands me over to Horsten for threats to empiricist structuralism. I will address their commentaries in that order.
Is it necessary to routinely fenestrate an extracardiac Fontan

OBJECTIVES This study was conducted to assess the need for, and use of, fenestration of an extracardiac conduit Fontan. BACKGROUND Fenestration of a Fontan connection has been proposed as a means of improving outcomes of single ventricle palliation. The benefit of fenestration is likely to be greatest in the early postoperative period when patients may experience increased pulmonary vascular resistance and decreased ventricular function due to the effects of cardiopulmonary bypass, aortic cross-clamping and positive pressure ventilation. However, there are potential drawbacks to fenestration. The utility of fenestration with extracardiac Fontan operation has not been determined. METHODS Since 1992, 81 patients have undergone a modification of the Fontan procedure in which an extracardiac inferior cavopulmonary conduit is used in combination with a previously staged bidirectional Glenn anastomosis. We conducted a retrospective review of these patients. RESULTS Fenestration was performed selectively in 32 patients (39%), including only 2 of the last 38 (5%). In seven patients, a fenestration was placed or clipped in the early postoperative period without cardiopulmonary bypass. There were two operative deaths. Prolonged (>2 weeks) pleural drainage occurred in 13 patients, 8 with fenestration and 5 without. In addition to undergoing earlier Fontan in our experience, patients who had a fenestration placed had significantly higher preoperative pulmonary vascular resistance, significantly higher common atrial pressure after Fontan and significantly lower post-Fontan systemic arterial oxygen saturation. Fontan pressure did not differ between nonfenestrated and fenestrated patients. At follow-up ranging to five years, there were two late deaths and no patients developed protein losing enteropathy. CONCLUSIONS Fenestration is not necessary in most Fontan patients when an extracardiac conduit technique is performed as described in this article, and therefore, should not be performed routinely with the extracardiac conduit Fontan. The need for fenestration should be assessed after cardiopulmonary bypass when hemodynamics can be evaluated accurately. Fenestration can be placed and revised easily without bypass and with minimal intervention in patients with an extracardiac conduit Fontan.
Purification and characterization of chitinase from the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans

Abstract Chitinase that appears as a single band by electrophoresis was purified from stable fly pupae. The chitinase has no cation requirements for activity, and a broad pH optimum around 5. The molecular weight of the chitinase, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, is 48,000, and the isoelectric point is 4.85. Kinetic properties were determined using acetylated chitosan. The K m is 33 m m and V is 1.21 μmol/min/mg protein. The insect growth regulator diflubenzuron had no effect on chitinase activity.
Intuitivet tests: Lay use of statistical information

Normatively, a statistical pairwise comparison is a function of the mean, standard deviation (SD), and sample size of the data. In our experiment, 203 undergraduates compared product pairs and judged their confidence that one product was better than the other. We experimentally manipulated (within subjects) the average product ratings, the number of raters (sample size), and theSD of the ratings. Each factor had two levels selected, so that the same change in statistical power resulted from moving from the low to the high level. We also manipulated (between subjects) whether subjects were given only the product rating data as summarized in a statistical format or the summaries plus the raw ratings. Subjects gave the most weight to mean product ratings, less weight to sample size, and very little weight toSD. Providing subjects with raw data did not increase their use of sample size andSD, as predicted.
Arene and alkane hydrocarbons in nearshore Beaufort Sea sediments

Abstract A suite of nearshore arctic marine sediments whose alkane composition suggests only biogenic sources, contains complex mixtures of arenes (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Among the stations analyzed, distributions of arenes characteristic of both pyrolytic and fossil sources were observed. The geographic distribution of pyrolytic arenes and other lines of evidence suggest that their source may be long distance transport of anthropogenic combustion products. Fossil arenes are present at some locations in sufficient quantity to mask any pyrolytics present.