cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reply to Letter from Dr. Morton, et al.

Hello. We appreciate the comments made by our friends Dr. Morton et al. in response to our aforementioned article. Similar to the notion that “asking three surgeons will get you seven opinions,” our routine core bariatric anesthesiologists (including a former Stanford faculty member) feel quite differently about this topic. They believe that a small dose of rocuronium (roc) can be used very safely in these patients without the risk of losing an airway. Roc avoids all of the known side effects of succinylcholine (sux), plus the other concerns specifically related to bariatric patients that were discussed in the article. Their personal experience with sux has been negative with several cases of severe myalgias, hyperkalemia-related cardiac arrest, etc. In our patient, the clinical presentation was definitely related to the use of sux by a nonbariatric anesthesiologist group member; hence, the recommendation for using a routine core group. Since the typical recommendation of a large randomized trial is not practical, it comes down to institutional preferences based on past experiences and track record of safety. OBES SURG (2009) 19:538 DOI 10.1007/s11695-008-9796-0
Summarizing graphs by regular expressions

This paper shows how to rapidly determine the path relationships between k different elements of a graph (of the type primarily resulting from programs) in time proportional to k log k. Given the path relations between elements u,v, and w, it is easy to answer questions like "is there a path from u to w?" and "is there a path from u to w which does not go through v?" (The elements can be either nodes or edges.)This algorithm can be used in a wide variety of contexts. For example, in order to prove that whenever control reaches a point p, the last assignment of a value to a variable, v, has always been of the form v := c, where c is a certain constant, it is only necessary to know the path relations between the point p and all assignments to that variable.Ordinarily one is interested in the possible points, where a variable was assigned its current value (definition points), and at the points at which that value is used. Previously, all flow analysis algorithms would compute the definition points of all variables at all nodes in the graph, despite the fact that any given node may use only one of those variables.This algorithm may also be a generally useful graph algorithm. It can compute transitive closure more rapidly than the standard algorithm using the current best matrix multiplication algorithm on the kinds of graphs resulting from programs. The algorithm proceeds by preprocessing the graph, creating tables that can be used later to rapidly determine flow relationships between any sections of the program. In addition, small changes to the graph need only result in small changes to the tables. The algorithm is therefore suitable for incremental analysis.
Cosmic-ray antimatter: A primary origin hypothesis

The present investigation is concerned with the possibility that the observed cosmic-ray protons are of primary extragalactic origin, taking into account the significance of the current antiproton data. Attention is given to questions regarding primary antiprotons, antihelium fluxes, and the propagation of extragalactic cosmic rays. It is concluded that the primary origin hypothesis should be considered as a serious alternative explanation for the cosmic-ray antiproton fluxes. Such extragalactic primary origin can be considered in the context of a baryon symmetric domain cosmology. The fluxes and propagation characteristics suggested are found to be in rough agreement with the present antiproton data.
Pepsin inhibition by a high specific activity radioiodinated derivative of pepstatin.

Abstract High specific activity radioiodinated derivatives of pepstatin which retain the inhibitory properties of the parent compound toward pepsin have been prepared. Pepstatin was first coupled to l -tyrosine methyl ester or l -3-iodotyrosine methyl ester. Pepstatin- l -tyrosine methyl ester was iodinated with 125I and chloramine-T and purified to homogeneity on LH20 columns. Nonradioactive pepstatin- l -iodotyrosine methyl ester and pepstatin- l -[125I]monoiodotyrosine methyl ester coeluted in gel filtration column chromatography. Using thin layer chromatography and radioautography a mixture of both these compounds also migrated as a single spot. On the basis of these criteria the radioiodinated pepstatin was judged to be virtually pure and have a specific activity of 2.16 Ci/μmol. Using the digestion of hemoglobin to assay peptic activity at pH 2.0, both pepstatin and pepstatin- l -iodotyrosine methyl ester demonstrated similar inhibition of pepsin, indicating that the addition of the iodotyrosine methyl ester group to the carboxyl terminus of pepstatin did not alter the inhibitory properties of the parent compound. By means of equilibrium dialysis at pH 5.0 in which pepstatin- l -[125I]monoiodotyrosine methyl ester was used in trace quantities, the dissociation constants KD of pepsin-pepstatin and pepsin-pepstatin- l -iodotyrosine methyl ester were determined and found to be 4.57 × 10−11 ± 1.42 m and 1.31 × 10−11 ± 0.63 m respectively. The closeness of these values to each other provides additional quantitative evidence that pepstatin- l -iodotyrosine methyl ester reacts with pepsin in a manner similar to that observed with native, unmodified pepstatin and suggests that pepstatin- l -[125I]monoiodotyrosine methyl ester may be used as an affinity label of acid proteases under the same circumstances in which native pepstatin is known to react with this class of enzymes.
Critical pathway implementation reduced length of stay for bronchial asthma. † 813

Critical pathways are multifunctional, multidisciplinary guidelines for the care of patients developed by nursing, medical and social work staff. Once per month 60 minute long sessions were devoted to develop critical pathways by pediatric residents, attending physicians, and subspecialty consultants. Diagnosis specific critical pathways were developed in 1994 and implemented for use on pediatric in-patient unit in 1995. Pediatric residents, attending physicians and nurses followed the suggested guidelines. Information regarding the length of stay (LOS) and payor status were obtained from computerized information through the dept. of utilization review and compared for patients admitted with a diagnosis of bronchial asthma before and after the implementation of critical pathway. Unpaired student's t test was done to calculate statistical significance. Conclusion: a prompt initiation of discharge plan which included social service consult and parent education from the first day of admission reduced the LOS significantly for patients with the diagnosis of bronchial asthma resulting in 126.49 days of savings.Table
Detection of prostate cancer with multiparametric MRI (mpMRI): effect of dedicated reader education on accuracy and confidence of index and anterior cancer diagnosis

Purpose To evaluate the impact of dedicated reader education on accuracy/confidence of peripheral zone index cancer and anterior prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis with mpMRI; secondary aim was to assess the ability of readers to differentiate low-grade cancer (Gleason 6 or below) from high-grade cancer (Gleason 7+).
Parallel Processing Scheme for the Navier-Stokes Equations, Part 2: Parallel Implementation

Parallel performance of two implicit schemes for solving the compressible Navier ‐Stokes equations on two parallel computational platforms using the standard (portable) message passing interface is studied. These two schemes are a lower-upper cycle-independent scheme developed by the authors and the symmetric successive overrelaxation scheme (representative of cycle-dependent schemes ). The parallel computational platforms used here are the Lewis advanced cluster environment, which is an example of a network of workstations, and the Ohio supercomputer Cray T3D massive parallel computing environment. Two versions of the lower-upper cycleindependent scheme are studied: version I, where one processor per block is used, and version II, where two processors per block are used. However, only version I is possible with the symmetric successive overrelaxation scheme.ThecompetitivenessoftheworkstationclustertotheCrayT3Disdemonstrated.Moreover,parallelperformance results indicate that version I of the lower-upper cycle-independent scheme is superior to version II in the range of a moderate number of processors. However, in the future, as the number of processors increases and the communication cost decreases, this scheme will provide a means for using larger computational power (relative to version I) that would otherwise be idle.
Survey of Wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in Virginia and North Carolina Peanut Fields

Sixty peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) fields were surveyed for wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in the Virginia-North Carolina peanut area in 1989 and 1990. Aseries ofbaited container soil traps was placed in each field once in early June and again in early August for a total of 605 trap-weeks (trap per field per week = 1 trap­ week)). Trap capture was similarly low in both states and in both years with a total of59 wireworm specimens collected: an average of one wireworm per field per year. Species composition was similarly diverse with Conoderus vespertinus F. comprising 58 percent, C. lividus De Geer 20 percent, Glyphonx sp. 8 percent, Melanotuscommunis Gyllenhal 7 percent, C. sp. 5 percent, and C. bellus Say 2 percent. Even though wireworm captures were low, moderate to high levels of pod damage were observed. The large number of southern com rootworm (Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber) adults detected on nearby pheromone baited sticky traps indicated that most pod damage was not by wireworm but by southern com rootworm. Implications are that although several wireworm species can be found in association with peanut, they appear to play only a minor role in peanut pod damage in the survey area.
An optical reflectarray nanoantenna: the concept and design.

This paper presents the concept and design of a reflectarray nanoantenna at optical frequencies whose elements are nano-sized concentric spherical particles with the core made of ordinary dielectrics and the shell made of a plasmonic material. Modeling approaches based on finite difference time domain (FDTD) numerical method and dipole-modes scattering theory are used to characterize and tune the reflectarray design. A 6×6 elements reflectarray nanoantenna operating at wavelength 357.1nm with narrow beamwidth is presented, and its scanned radiation characteristics for 15° and 30° are demonstrated.
5′ distal and proximal cis‐acting regulator elements are required for developmental control of a rice seed storage protein glutelin gene

Using a homologous transgenic rice system it is demonstrated that 5' distal and proximal cis-acting transcriptional regulatory elements are required for developmental control of a rice seed storage protein glutelin gene. Analyses of gene expression of nine progressively truncated 5' promoter sequences in developing endosperm indicated the existence of at least one major positive element located from the -5.1 to -1.8 kb region. The functional importance of proximal elements in the context of 1.8 kb promoter was demonstrated by single substitution mutations in the TATA box (-28/-23), AACA motif (-73/-61), and protein-binding boxes I (-103/-86), II (-124/-110), III (-175/-158) and IV (-200/-217). A simultaneous mutation of five protein-binding sites (-410/-86) essentially eliminated the activity of the 1.8 kb promoter. Although temporal control of the Gt1 gene during endosperm development was retained in plants of constructs from -5.1 kb to -155 bp, spatial control of the glutelin gene was altered when the 5.1 kb promoter was deleted to -507 bp or -154 bp as the reporter gene activities of these constructs were detected in phloem of leaves, and in stems, sheaths and roots of plants.
Predicting functional ability in mild cognitive impairment with the Dementia Rating Scale-2.

Background We examined the utility of cognitive evaluation to predict instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and decisional ability in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Methods Sixty-seven individuals with single-domain amnestic MCI were administered the Dementia Rating Scale-2 (DRS-2) as well as the Everyday Cognition assessment form to assess functional ability. Results The DRS-2 Total Scores and Initiation/Perseveration and Memory subscales were found to be predictive of IADLs, with Total Scores accounting for 19% of the variance in IADL performance on average. In addition, the DRS-2 Initiation/Perseveration and Total Scores were predictive of ability to understand information, and the DRS-2 Conceptualization helped predict ability to communicate with others, both key variables in decision-making ability. Conclusions These findings suggest that performance on the DRS-2, and specific subscales related to executive function and memory, is significantly related to IADLs in individuals with MCI. These cognitive measures are also associated with decision-making-related abilities in MCI.
Culture and self in postmodern perspective

Abstract Recent debates about psychology's conception of self have appealed to the growing literature on postmodernism. As a contribution to this debate, five definitive principles of postmodern thought are presented as descriptions of contemporary culture. The implications of these principles for conceptions of self and personality are explored. Their relation to prominent aspects of contemporary culture, relevant psychosocial studies and theoretical formulations are examined. Our analysis suggests that a decentralized, flexible and pluralistic self is emerging in contemporary culture. A series of theoretical challenges to modem views of self are presented and sociopolitical implications noted.
Negative capacitance in a ferroelectric-dielectric heterostructure for ultra low-power computing

Introduction: It is now well recognized that energy dissipation in microchips may ultimately restrict device scaling – the downsizing of physical dimensions that has fuelled the fantastic growth of microchip industry so far. However, energy dissipation in electronic devices has even bigger consequences. Use of electronic equipments in our daily life is increasing exponentially. As a result, energy dissipation in electronic devices is expected to play an increasingly significant role in terms of national energy needs [1-6]. But there is a fundamental limit to how much the dissipation can be reduced in transistors that is in the heart of almost all electronic devices. Conventional transistors are thermally activated. A barrier is created that blocks the current and then the barrier height is modulated to control the current flow. This modulation of the barrier changes the number of electrons exponentially following the Boltzmann factor exp(qV/kT). This in turn means that to change the current by one order of magnitude at least a voltage of 2.3kT/q (that translates into 60 mV at room temperature) is necessary. In practice, a voltage many times this limit of 60 mV has to be applied to obtain a good ON current to OFF current ratio. Because this comes from the Boltzmann factor that is a fundamental nature of how electrons are distributed in energy, it is not possible to reduce the supply voltage in conventional transistors below a certain point, while still maintaining a healthy ON/OFF ratio that is necessary for robust operation. On the other hand, continuous down scaling is putting even larger number of devices in the same area thus increasing the energy dissipation density beyond controllable and sustainable limits. This has been termed as the Boltzmann’s Tyranny [2] and it has been predicted that unless new principles are found based on fundamentally new physics, the transistors will die a thermal death [4].
Assumptive Worldviews and Problematic Reactions to Bereavement

Forty-two individuals who had lost an immediate family member in the prior 2 years and 42 nonbereaved matched controls completed the World Assumptions Scale (Janoff-Bulman, 1989) and the Symptom Checklist-10-Revised (Rosen et al., 2000). Results showed that bereaved individuals were significantly more distressed than nonbereaved matched controls, and those grievers with weaker beliefs in the meaningfulness of the world and lower perceptions of self-worth had greater distress symptoms than those who perceived the world and themselves in more positive terms. Assumptive worldviews were not related to differences in psychological distress in the control group. The present findings suggest that problematic reactions to bereavement may reflect the influence of negative belief systems, which do not seem to have the same detrimental impact for individuals not dealing with a significant interpersonal loss.
The study of religions in Africa: report on the IAHR regional conference, Harare, Zimbabwe September 15-19, 1992

Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, was the delightful setting for the first regional conference of the International Association for the History of Religions ever held in Africa. More than thirty invited scholars from many parts of Africa, particularly Southern Africa, as well as Europe and the United States, gathered on the University of Zimbabwe campus. The theme of the conference was "The Study of Religions in Africa" and we were appropriately hosted by the Department of Religious Studies, Classics and Philosophy, under the leadership of Dr. Ephraim Mandivenga. The proceedings were ably coordinated and organized by Dr. James Cox of that department and Dr. Jan Platvoet of Leiden University. The Vice Chancellor, Professor G. L. Chavunduka, himself a renowned scholar of and activist for African traditional healing, welcomed us to the campus, together with Professor J. S. Kruger, president of the Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa. Professor R. Abubakre from the University of Ilorin in Nigeria, who is a member of the IAHR executive, declared the conference open. It fell to the IAHR Secretary-General, Professor Michael Pye, to set the tone for the conference, in his address entitled, "Intercultural Strategies and the International Association for the History of Religions: a Policy Statement" Given the increasing regional diversification and intercultural extension of the work of the IAHR, he emphasized the neutrality of the organization and its need to maintain "methodological independence from specific religious standpoints." He stressed the point that the IAHR is a non-religious, not irreligious body—it does not discourage participation by scholars working in religious institutions
Recovery of golfing ability in someone with an incomplete spinal cord injury: a case report.

AbstractPurpose: The purpose of this case report was to describe the elements needed to play golf, detail a rehabilitation program designed to teach someone with an incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) to play golf and to document outcomes of such a program. Methods: The participant was a 58-year-old male who sustained an incomplete C3-C6 SCI. The program was divided into three phases. Phase one (nine sessions) consisted of balance, strengthening and flexibility activities to prepare him to play golf. During phase two (12 sessions), he practiced his golf swing in a clinical setting and in phase three (seven sessions) focused on task-oriented training at a golf course. The ability to play golf, putting accuracy, driving distance, quality of swing, balance, physical functioning, walking capacity, muscle strength, endurance and quality of life were measured before and after the intervention. Results: The participant was able to complete 9-holes of golf with assistance and demonstrated greater ability to drive...
Cost–Performance Analysis and Optimization of Fuel-Burning Thermoelectric Power Generators

Energy cost analysis and optimization of thermoelectric (TE) power generators burning fossil fuel show a lower initial cost compared with commercialized micro gas turbines but higher operating cost per energy due to moderate efficiency. The quantitative benefit of the thermoelectric system on a price-per-energy ($/J) basis lies in its scalability, especially at a smaller scale (<10 kW), where mechanical thermodynamic systems are inefficient. This study is based on propane as a chemical energy source for combustion. The produced heat generates electric power. Unlike waste heat recovery systems, the maximum power output from the TE generator is not necessarily equal to the economic optimum (lowest $/kWh). The lowest cost is achieved when the TE module is optimized between the maximum power output and the maximum efficiency, dependent on the fuel price and operation time duration. The initial investment ($/W) for TE systems is much lower than for micro gas turbines when considering a low fractional area for the TE elements, e.g., 5% to 10% inside the module. Although the initial cost of the TE system is much less, the micro gas turbine has a lower energy price for longer-term operation due to its higher efficiency. For very long-term operation, operating cost dominates, thus efficiency and material ZT become the key cost factors.
Do Learning Disabilities Specialists Know Their Phonics

This study examines the phonic competency of teachers enrolled in learning disabilities courses. Teachers from three New England colleges completed a quiz designed to test their knowledge of consonants, vowels, syllables, accent, silent letters, terminology, and phonetic generalizations. Results indicated there were no significant differences in group subtest scores and support the need for phonic instruction in graduate programs in special education.
Beyond Excessive Use: The Interaction between Cognitive and Behavioral Symptoms of Problematic Internet Use

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that problematic Internet use involves more than simply an excessive amount of time spent online. Participants completed self-report measures of excessive Internet use, cognitive preoccupation with the Internet, and the extent to which they experienced negative outcomes due to their Internet use. Results revealed that the association between excessive Internet use and its negative outcomes is moderated by cognitive preoccupation. The results illustrate the usefulness of including cognitive variables in studies of problematic Internet use rather than relying solely on variables measuring Internet consumption.
Cardiovascular adjustments to carbon monoxide exposure during rest and exercise in dogs

Cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic measurements were made on dogs at rest and during 30 minutes of exercise at either 6.4 km/hour, 10% grade, or 8.0 km/hour, 16% grade, following the bolus administration of CO for 1 or 2 minutes, or room-air breathing mixtures. During rest and exercise elevated mean blood HbCO levels (6 to 21%) reduced the arterial and mixed venous oxygen contents and saturations, and mixed venous P/sub O/sub 2// levels. Arterial-mixed venous oxygen differences were reduced during exercise as a result of CO administration. Elevated blood HbCO levels had a minimal or no effect on other cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic parameters. During work the reductions in a-anti v/sub O/sub 2// differences were not offset by appropriate increases in cardiac outputs.
UV absorption cross-sections of cis-BrONO

Abstract UV absorption cross-sections for cis -BrONO in the gas phase have been measured over the wavelength range 200–365 nm. Absorption measurements were made following cw photolysis of Br 2 in Br 2 /NO 2 /N 2 mixtures in a 100 cm long temperature-regulated absorption cell. The cis -BrONO absorption spectrum shows two maxima in this wavelength range: at 228 nm (2.7×10 −18 cm 2 molecule −1 ) and 316 (0.41×10 −18 cm 2 molecule −1 ). cis -BrONO absorption cross-sections were determined relative to BrNO 2 .
Peripheral, but not local or intracerebroventricular, administration of benzodiazepines attenuates evoked activity of locus coeruleus neurons.

Abstract To determine whether benzodiazepine receptors in the locus coeruleus (LC) regulate the firing of LC neurons, the effects of systemic, intracerebroventricular, and local administration of various benzodiazepines on LC activity were compared. Systemic administration of diazepam, chlordiazepoxide, and alprazolam in anesthetized rats markedly attenuated sensory-evoked activity of LC neurons while also suppressing, but to a lesser degree, spontaneous LC firing rates. When microinfused into the LC region, diazepam, chlordiazepoxide, and alprazolam reduced spontaneous LC firing rates to the same extent observed following systemic administration; however, unlike systemic administration, infusion of benzodiazepines into the LC failed to attenuate evoked LC activity. Similarly, intracerebroventricular administration of diazepam and chlordiazepoxide suppressed spontaneous, but not evoked, LC activity. These findings indicate that benzodiazepines suppress spontaneous LC firing by stimulating benzodiazepine receptors in the LC while attenuating evoked LC activity by stimulating benzodiazepine receptors that are neither in the LC nor accessible to benzodizepines introduced into the ventricular system.
Modeling Credit Card Share of Wallet: Solving the Incomplete Information Problem

Abstract Despite the powerful technologies that have enabled the assembly of transactional databases and the processing of information about individual customers and their buying patterns, database marketers have been limited by what is known as the “incomplete information problem”—that is, marketers have incomplete information about a customer's behavior in the product category of interest. A company's transactional database can only be built from customers' transactions with that company. Any transactions that have been made with other companies are missing. The authors present a modeling approach designed to solve the incomplete information problem. They use transactions conducted with a single supplier in that category to infer consumers' behavior with other suppliers in that category. In particular, armed with prior knowledge of the parametric form of consumer interpurchase time distributions, they uncover elements of the stochastic process that dictates which supplier a consumer chooses on a particu...
Effects of boiling, refrigerating, and microwave heating on cooked quality and stability of lipids in macaroni containing ground flaxseed.

ABSTRACT Research was conducted to determine the effects of boiling, refrigerating, and microwave heating on the cooked quality and stability of lipids in macaroni containing 15% (w/w) ground flaxseed. Boiling increased brightness but decreased redness and yellowness of macaroni containing ground flaxseed. Boiled macaroni and boiled-refrigerated-microwave heated (BRMH) macaroni had similar appearance. After boiling, cooking loss was lower and cooked firmness was greater for macaroni dried at ultra-high temperature (90°C) than at low temperature (40°C). Macaroni fortified with ground flaxseed had lower cooking loss than did nonfortified macaroni. Firmness was greatest with boiled, intermediate with boiled-refrigerated (BR), and least with BRMH macaroni. Cooking in boiling water reduced extractable lipid content of macaroni with flaxseed. Boiled-refrigerated and BRMH macaroni with flaxseed had similar extractable lipid contents and were lower than that for boiled macaroni with flaxseed. Free fatty acid cont...
Behavioral Rehearsal: A Way of Talking about the Dying Process

The authors suggest that theater activities can be used as a helpful approach to initiating more complex reflection about death among university students as well as hospice volunteers. Included in the article is an activity description and accompanying texts from a death-contemplation exercise which support this advocation. This performance skills activity produced serious student responses which were varied, articulate, and rich. Imagining and rehearsing death allows people to “act as if” and fantasize the circumstances surrounding one's death in a removed and relatively safe manner. These presentations can make the performance of life more meaningful, and the drama of death perhaps softer and more acceptable.
Talairach–Tournoux brain atlas registration using a metalforming principle-based finite element method

Abstract In this paper, a novel non-rigid registration method is proposed for registration of the Talairach–Tournoux brain atlas with MRI images and the Schaltenbrand–Wahren brain atlas. A metalforming principle-based finite element method with the large deformation problem is used to find the local deformation, in which finite element equations are governed by constraints in the form of displacements derived from the correspondence relationship between extracted feature points. Some detectable substructures, such as the cortical surface, ventricles and corpus callosum, are first extracted from MRI, forming feature points which are classified into different groups. The softassign method is used to establish the correspondence relationship between feature points within each group and to obtain the global transformation concurrently. The displacement constraints are then derived from the correspondence relationship. A metalforming principle-based finite element method with the large deformation problem is used in which finite element equations are reorganized and simplified by integrating the displacement constraints into the system equations. Our method not only matches the model to the data efficiently, but also decreases the degrees of freedom of the system and consequently reduces the computational cost. The method is illustrated by matching the Talairach–Tournoux brain atlas to MRI normal and pathological data and to the Schaltenbrand–Wahren brain atlas. We compare the results quantitatively between the force assignment-based method and the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method yields more accurate results in a fraction of the time taken by the previous method.
Ontogeny of the Immune System in Amphibians

SYNOPSIS. Experiments with amphibians have revealed that tissues allografted in embryonic and early larval life may later succumb to a host immunological attack. In Xenopus, the ontogeny of this alloimmune response is correlated with the lymphoid maturation of the thymus. This article describes experiments primarily designed to ascertain if such a correlation exists in Rana pipiens. Initially, a histological study of the differentiation of the lymphomyeloid complex of the leopard frog was undertaken. At 18–21°C lymphoid histogenesis is well under way in the thymus and is beginning in many other organs during the third week of larval life. Extensive growth and differentiation of these organs follow. Observations are also presented on the structure, function and development of the lymphoid and Iymphomyeloid organs from late larval life throughmetamorphosis to adulthood. Experiments were then performed to determine the onset of the alloimmune response to embryonically transplanted neural fold material. At 18–21°C incompatibility phenomena, albeit slight, are first detected in these grafts as early as 17 days after fertilization, i.e. 15 days after transplantation. Thus, in the leopard frog, the alloimmune response develops soon after lymphoid maturation of the thymus. At later stages of development, a more vigorous response is witnessed, concomitant with a rapid phase of lymphoid organ differentiation.
Entextualizing diversity: Semiotic incoherence in institutional discourse

Abstract This article examines processes by which diversity is differentially entextualized and partially circulated in higher education discourses. Diversity is entextualized most coherently among administrators, both academic and non-academic, where it is routinely construed as standardized, measurable units, i.e. persons. In these discourses, its spoken and written uses map neatly onto each other coherently with its uses in discourses of institutional advancement, where embodiments of diversity are coherent with neoliberal concepts of person. Its enregisterment across these fields is relatively coherent. By contrast, among faculty acting as faculty, diversity is variously conceptualized and entextualized in discipline-specific discourses, leading to less coherent enregisterment. This discrepancy plays an important role in the growing hegemony of a neoliberal interpretation of diversity .
Evaluation of Hemolysis in Patients with Prosthetic Heart Valves

The primary mechanism and most common cause of hemolytic disease in patients with prosthetic heart valves are mechanical trauma to red blood cells and paraprosthetic valvular regurgitation, respectively. Presenting features in patients with this condition include anemia, congestive heart failure, fatigue, jaundice, dark urine, and a regurgitant murmur. Various laboratory studies can be utilized to diagnose hemolytic anemia and to assess the severity of hemolysis. Transthoracic echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, and Doppler studies including color Doppler are useful imaging methods to assess valve function. Treatment is usually medical (oral iron); however, in patients with paravalvular regurgitation, surgery is often required to correct the anemia.
Gain-guiding in transverse grating waveguides for large modal area laser amplifiers

A new optically pumped waveguide amplifier with ultra-large mode area is proposed. This amplifier is based on gain guiding in a transverse grating waveguide in which the pump is confined by the photonic bandgap while the signal is guided by optical gain. Characteristics of the propagating modes of the waveguide amplifier are analyzed theoretically using the transfer matrix method, indicating robust single-transverse-mode operation with large modal gain.
Wanted: A Positive Control for Anomalous Subdiffusion

Anomalous subdiffusion in cells and model systems is an active area of research. The main questions are whether diffusion is anomalous or normal, and if it is anomalous, its mechanism. The subject is controversial, especially the hypothesis that crowding causes anomalous subdiffusion. Anomalous subdiffusion measurements would be strengthened by an experimental standard, particularly one able to cross-calibrate the different types of measurements. Criteria for a calibration standard are proposed. First, diffusion must be anomalous over the length and timescales of the different measurements. The length-scale is fundamental; the time scale can be adjusted through the viscosity of the medium. Second, the standard must be theoretically well understood, with a known anomalous subdiffusion exponent, ideally readily tunable. Third, the standard must be simple, reproducible, and independently characterizable (by, for example, electron microscopy for nanostructures). Candidate experimental standards are evaluated, including obstructed lipid bilayers; aqueous systems obstructed by nanopillars; a continuum percolation system in which a prescribed fraction of randomly chosen obstacles in a regular array is ablated; single-file diffusion in pores; transient anomalous subdiffusion due to binding of particles in arrays such as transcription factors in randomized DNA arrays; and computer-generated physical trajectories.
Statistical Study of the Relationship between Dietary Linoleate and the Fatty Acids of Heart and Blood Lipids

One of the practical and increasing prob lems in biochemical and nutritional work involving tissue lipid analysis arises from the multiplicity of variables encountered. Alkaline isomerization and associated tech niques allow the quantitative measurement of some 6 or 7 fatty acid fractions, both in the diet and in each of the tissues. Gas chromatography methods may well in crease this number three- or fourfold. Bio chemically many of these fatty acids are related to each other and to other dietary components by mechanisms that are still to be established; but not all of the meas urable fractions are positively and linearly related with each other. Holman ('60) has used the negative correlation between triene and tetraene fractions and their sharply curvilinear relationships to dietary linoleate as a basis for detecting a defi ciency of essential fatty acids (EFA) in experimental animals, and for estimating their minimum requirement.
Additional Evidence on the Effect of X-Ray and Ultraviolet Radiation on Mutation in Maize.

With the advent of superior cytological techniques such as PAINTER’S salivary gland method in Drosophila and MCCLINTOCK’S pachytene technique in maize and their use in the analysis of the various X-ray induced cases, it became quite clear that the majority of the X-ray induced alterations were actually chromosomal alterations or extragenic changes. Taking a skeptical approach, STADLER began a rather extensive study of individual X-ray induced changes at particular loci in maize to determine whether or not they were actually discrete changes of the gene itself. Such criteria as association with a visible chromosomal aberration, transmission through male and female germ cells, viability of the homozygote, and ability to revert to the original nonmutant form were used in this determination. STADLER (1954) could find no evidence that X-rays cause gene mutation. He suggested that in view of the data a re-examination of our definition of the gene might be necessary. As the number of radiation experiments multiplied, two important aspects of the problem arose. The first was the discovery of a type of position effect in Drosophila in which an X-ray induced chromosomal aberration that removed a locus, normally residing in euchromatin, to a new position next to heterochromatin could cause that locus to express itself as a mutable allele. The new form generally showed a mosaic of dominant and recessive phenotypes. If this locus was moved away from the heterochromatin it reverted to the normal wild type allele. This behavior satisfied Journal Series Paper No. 1675 approved by the Director of the Missouri Agricultural ExperiThis work was supported in its initial stages by a grant from the Atomic Energy Commission. ment Station.
Examining Online Learning Patterns with Data Mining Techniques in Peer-Moderated and Teacher-Moderated Courses.

The student learning process is important in online learning environments. If instructors can “observe” online learning behaviors, they can provide adaptive feedback, adjust instructional strategie...
Misperceptions of peer drinking norms in Canada: another look at the "reign of error" and its consequences among college students.

Abstract Objective Much research has documented extensive misperceptions of drinking norms and their negative effects in U.S. student populations. This study provides extensive research evidence documenting this phenomenon in Canadian higher education. Methods Data were collected in a 2003–2004 survey of students (N = 5280) attending 11 institutions across Canada. Surveys were administered either to a random sample of students through the mail or to students attending a diverse selection of classes. Results Regardless of the actual drinking norm on each campus, students most commonly overestimated the alcohol consumption norms (both quantity and frequency levels) in every instance. Students' perception of their campus drinking norm was the strongest predictor of the amount of alcohol personally consumed in comparison with the influence of all demographic variables. Perception of the norm was also a much stronger predictor of personal use than the actual campus norm for consumption on each campus or the actual norm for compliance with campus regulations. Among students who personally abstain or consume lightly, misperceptions of the student drinking norms contribute to alienation from campus life. Conclusion The data presented here on Canadian students extends the evidence that peer drinking norms are grossly misperceived and that these misperceptions produce a highly detrimental “reign of error” in the lives of college students. The data suggest that a broad range of students—abstainers and light drinkers as well as moderate and heavy drinkers—may benefit from implementing intervention strategies that can correct or reduce these misperceptions.
Opportunities and challenges for a Golden Age of chemical engineering

Chemical engineering is entering a new Golden Age of practice, thought, and impact, accompanied by great new opportunities and challenges. Five aspects mark this development: a new abundance of hydrocarbons; the evolution of biology into a molecular science; the ubiquity of powerful computational tools; the trend in manufacturing to be more process-oriented; and the systems approach that is part of ChE education from its first stages. There are important technical challenges, including technology creation and environmental impact, but just as important are new appreciation for and attention to challenges that require societal dialogues about complexity, uncertainty, and evolving and sometimes contradictory requirements. Crucial to all these impacts is enhancing the identity of what the profession is. That must be based on recognizing that the core of chemical engineering is applying molecular sciences to create value and advance the quality of life.
Probabilistic Structural Durability Prediction

Anefe cientreliability analysis method fordurability of structural components subjected to external and inertial loads with time-dependent variable amplitudes is presented. This method is able to support reliability analysis of crack-initiation and crack-propagation lives of practical applications, considering uncertainties such as material properties, manufacturing tolerances, and initial crack size. Three techniques are employed to support the probabilistic durability prediction: 1 ) strain-based approach for multiaxial crack-initiation-life prediction and linear elastic fracture mechanics approach for crack-propagation-life prediction, 2 ) statistics-based approach for reliability analysis, and 3 ) sensitivity analysis and optimization methods for searching the most probable point (MPP) in the random variable space to compute the fatigue failure probability using the e rst-order reliability analysis method. A two-point approximation method is employed to speed up the MPP search. A tracked-vehicle roadarm is presented to demonstrate feasibility of the proposed method.
Development of a New Adaptive Ordinal Approach to Continuous-Variable Probabilistic Optimization

A very general and robust approach to solving continuous-variable optimization problems involving uncertainty in the objective function is through the use of ordinal optimization. At each step in the optimization problem, improvement is based only on a relative ranking of the uncertainty effects on local design alternatives, rather than on precise quantification of the effects. One simply asks ''Is that alternative better or worse than this one?'' -not ''HOW MUCH better or worse is that alternative to this one?'' The answer to the latter question requires precise characterization of the uncertainty--with the corresponding sampling/integration expense for precise resolution. However, in this report we demonstrate correct decision-making in a continuous-variable probabilistic optimization problem despite extreme vagueness in the statistical characterization of the design options. We present a new adaptive ordinal method for probabilistic optimization in which the trade-off between computational expense and vagueness in the uncertainty characterization can be conveniently managed in various phases of the optimization problem to make cost-effective stepping decisions in the design space. Spatial correlation of uncertainty in the continuous-variable design space is exploited to dramatically increase method efficiency. Under many circumstances the method appears to have favorable robustness and cost-scaling properties relative to other probabilistic optimizationmore » methods, and uniquely has mechanisms for quantifying and controlling error likelihood in design-space stepping decisions. The method is asymptotically convergent to the true probabilistic optimum, so could be useful as a reference standard against which the efficiency and robustness of other methods can be compared--analogous to the role that Monte Carlo simulation plays in uncertainty propagation.« less
Urinary 3,3′-diindolylmethane: a biomarker of glucobrassicin exposure and indole-3-carbinol uptake in humans

Background: Brassica vegetable consumption may confer a protective effect against cancer, possibly attributable to their glucosinolates. Glucobrassicin is a predominant glucosinolate and is the precursor of indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a compound with anticancer effects. However, objective assessments of I3C uptake from Brassica vegetables have not been successful. Methods: We conducted a randomized, crossover trial to test whether 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM, a metabolite of I3C) excreted in the urine after consumption of raw Brassica vegetables with divergent glucobrassicin concentrations is a marker of I3C uptake from such foods. Twenty-five subjects were fed 50 g of either raw “Jade Cross” Brussels sprouts (high glucobrassicin concentration) or “Blue Dynasty” cabbage (low glucobrassicin concentration) once daily for 3 days. All urine was collected for 24 hours after vegetable consumption each day. After a washout period, subjects crossed over to the alternate vegetable. Urinary DIM was measured using a novel liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry–selected reaction monitoring (LC-ESI-MS/MS-SRM) method with [2H2]DIM as internal standard. Results: Urinary DIM was consistently and significantly higher after Brussels sprouts feeding than after cabbage feeding, as evidenced by an average difference of 8.73 pmol/mg creatinine (95% confidence interval, 5.36–12.10; P = 0.00002). Conclusion: We have successfully quantified urinary DIM after uptake of I3C from food, and demonstrated that differences in glucobrassicin exposure are reflected in urinary DIM levels. Impact: Our LC-ESI-MS/MS-SRM method and the results of our study indicate urinary DIM is a measure of I3C uptake from Brassica vegetables, a finding that can be utilized in prospective epidemiologic and chemoprevention studies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 23(2); 282–7. ©2013 AACR . This article is featured in Highlights of This Issue, [p. 221][1] [1]: /lookup/volpage/23/221?iss=2
Variety in Emotional Life: Within-Category Typicality of Emotional Experiences is Associated with Neural Activity in Large-Scale Brain Networks

The tremendous variability within categories of human emotional experience receives little empirical attention. We hypothesized that atypical instances of emotion categories (e.g. pleasant fear of thrill-seeking) would be processed less efficiently than typical instances of emotion categories (e.g. unpleasant fear of violent threat) in large-scale brain networks. During a novel fMRI paradigm, participants immersed themselves in scenarios designed to induce atypical and typical experiences of fear, sadness or happiness (scenario immersion), and then focused on and rated the pleasant or
Optimizing Filter Order and Coefficient Length in the Design of High Performance Fir Filters for High Throughput FPGA Implementations

This paper discusses the tradeoff between filter order and coefficient length in the design and implementation of high-performance filters in field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Non-minimum order FIR filters are designed for implementation using canonical signed digit (CSD) multiplierless implementation techniques. By increasing the filter order, we are able to decrease the length of the coefficients without reducing the filter performance. Thus, an overall hardware savings can be achieved. In addition, we consider the use of overly-stringent specifications combined with quantization and increased order to improve the filter implementation