cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Injury measurements improve interpretation of thrombus formation data in the cremaster arteriole laser-induced injury model of thrombosis.

Background The cremaster arteriole laser-induced injury model is a powerful technique with which to investigate the molecular mechanisms that drive thrombus formation. This model is capable of direct visualization and quantification of accumulation of thrombus constituents, including both platelets and fibrin. However, a large degree of variability in platelet accumulation and fibrin formation is observed between thrombi. Strategies to understand this variability will enhance performance and standardization of the model. We determined whether ablation injury size contributes to variation in platelet accumulation and fibrin formation and, if so, whether incorporating ablation injury size into measurements reduces variation. Methods Thrombus formation was initiated by laser-induced injury of cremaster arterioles of mice (n=59 injuries). Ablation injuries within the vessel wall were consistently identified and quantified by measuring the length of vessel wall injury observed immediately following laser-induced disruption. Platelet accumulation and fibrin formation as detected by fluorescently-labeled antibodies were captured by digital intra-vital microscopy. Results Laser-induced disruption of the vessel wall resulted in ablation injuries of variable length (18-95 μm) enabling interrogation of the relationship between injury severity and thrombus dynamics. Strong positive correlations were observed between vessel injury length and both platelet and fibrin when the data are transformed as area under the curve (Spearman r = 0.80 and 0.76 respectively). Normalization of area under the curve measurements by injury length reduced intraclass coefficients of variation among thrombi and improved hypothesis testing when comparing different data sets. Conclusions Measurement of vessel wall injury length provides a reliable and robust marker of injury severity. Injury length can effectively normalize measurements of platelet accumulation and fibrin formation improving data interpretation and standardization.
Typical Imaging Patterns in COVID-19 Infections of the Lung on Plain Chest Radiographs to Aid Early Triage.

Purpose To evaluate imaging patterns of a COVID-19 infection of the lungs on chest radiographs and their value in discriminating this infection from other viral pneumonias. Materials and Methods All 321 patients who presented with respiratory impairment suspicious for COVID-19 infection between February 3 and May 8, 2020 and who received a chest radiograph were included in this analysis. Imaging findings were classified as typical for COVID-19 (bilateral, peripheral opacifications/consolidations), non-typical (findings consistent with lobar pneumonia), indeterminate (all other distribution patterns of opacifications/consolidations), or none (no opacifications/consolidations). The sensitivity, specificity, as well as positive and negative predictive value for the diagnostic value of the category “typical” were determined. Chi² test was used to compare the pattern distribution between the different types of pneumonia. Results Imaging patterns defined as typical for COVID-19 infections were documented in 35/111 (31.5 %) patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection but only in 4/210 (2 %) patients with any other kind of pneumonia, resulting in a sensitivity of 31.5 %, a specificity of 98.1 %, and a positive and negative predictive value of 89.7 % or 73 %, respectively. The sensitivity could be increased to 45.9 % when defining also unilateral, peripheral opacifications/consolidations with no relevant pathology contralaterally as consistent with a COVID-19 infection, while the specificity decreases slightly to 93.3 %. The pattern distribution between COVID-19 patients and those with other types of pneumonia differed significantly (p Conclusion Although the moderate sensitivity does not allow the meaningful use of chest radiographs as part of primary screening, the specific pattern of findings in a relevant proportion of those affected should be communicated quickly as additional information and trigger appropriate protective measures. Key Points: Citation Format
Thiol adsorption on metal oxide nanoparticles

The adsorption of 2-naphthalenethiol (2-NPT) and methanethiol (MT) on 13 different metal oxide nanoparticles, of approximately 30 nm average primary particle size, has been investigated. In the case of 2-NPT, which is fluorescent, a screening method to assess adsorption was developed that consists of mixing the nanoparticles with a dilute ethanolic solution of 2-NPT and performing several cycles of centrifuging and rinsing with ethanol. Fluorescence measurements on the re-dispersed particle suspensions were then used to diagnose whether or not adsorption had occurred. Complementary experiments were performed by mounting powder samples of each of the metal oxide nanoparticles onto sample stubs and performing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) before and after in situ dosing with MT. In both cases, adsorption was observed only on ZnO, TiO2, and In2O3. Adsorption did not occur on Al2O3, CeO2, Fe2O3, Gd2O3, Ho2O3, NiO, SiOx, WO3, Y2O3, and ZrO2. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed using small metal oxide clusters, assuming that dissociative adsorption occurs by replacement of a hydroxyl group attached to a metal site and the formation of water. The theoretical and experimental results generally agree, suggesting that this is indeed the adsorption mechanism for most of the nanoparticles. The agreement also suggests that the size and geometry of the nanoclusters play a minor role and that the relative strengths of the metal-sulfur and metal-hydroxyl bonds dictate thiol adsorption. This work has important implications related to the functionalization of metal oxide nanoparticles and surfaces.
Far-End Crosstalk Control Strategy for High-Volume High-Speed PCB Manufacturing: The Concept of Critical Resin Content Percent

Far-end crosstalk (FEXT) can reduce the eye opening and eventually decrease the maximum data rate that can be transmitted through the high-speed interconnections. Therefore, FEXT is an important concern in high-speed digital design. The contributors of stripline FEXT include the dielectric inhomogeneity and the proximity effect. In addition, a characterization technique for the effective relative dielectric constant (Dk) of both core and prepreg has been proposed recently for the analysis of the inhomogeneous medium and induced FEXT. In our study, the FEXT levels of the striplines on various printed circuit boards (PCBs) are measured and compared. It is brought to our attention that for some PCB striplines sharing the same stack-up, same PCB material, and manufactured by the same vendor, the corresponding measured FEXT magnitudes of these coupled single-ended traces could vary drastically, which may bring great challenges to the hardware engineers about FEXT level control during the high-volume PCB production phase. In this paper, the root cause of this issue is investigated and analyzed. The “critical resin content percent” concept is proposed to explain the variations in the Dk values of prepreg that result in the FEXT level variance. The full wave simulations are conducted to identify the “critical glass weave”. A measurement-based statistical analysis is performed to verify the “critical resin content percent” concept. A design guideline for FEXT control strategy in the high-volume PCB manufacturing is presented based upon this investigation.
Hypersensitive serotonergic receptors: a new hypothesis for one subgroup of unipolar depression derived from an animal model.

Since the mid 1950’s, Aprison and co-workers have conducted studies on neurochemical-behavioral interactions of specific neurotransmitter systems in brain. These studies were expanded by Aprison, Ferster, Hingtgen and others to specifically include the cerebral serotonergic system. The data led to the conclusion that increases in the concentration of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT or serotonin) in some serotonergic synaptic clefts cause behavioral suppression in animals. This pool of 5-HT is important from a physiological point of view and we have referred to it as the free 5-HT pool (Aprison and Hingtgen, 1972). Although our research involved animal behavior, our ultimate goal has always been to use such data to gain insights into possible biochemical mechanisms underlying certain types of abnormal human behavior. Thus, our studies have suggested a recently proposed theory (Aprison et al. 1978) that associates some forms of human depression with hypersensitive 5-HT receptors. In this paper, we expand on this hypothesis after presenting a brief review of some of the pertinent data, mainly from our own studies, which support this theory. Finally, we suggest specific ways in which the new theory could be clinically tested.
Patterns of Extraterrestrial Culture

Much psychiatric literature concerns problems that affect an individual’s ability to feel compassion toward others, and thus to behave at least occasionally in an altruistic manner. To the extent that extraterrestrial societies differ in their psychology, much of that variation ought to be comparable to the range of personalities exhibited by humans, including the psychopathologies. A classical perspective that combined anthropology with psychiatry was culture and personality studies, which now can be revived in the context of theorizing about the modal personalities of extraterrestrial cultures. This study explores these issues through the rich, role-playing experience afforded by the massively multiplayer online game world, Star Wars: The Old Republic. The user interacts with many very different personality types, represented by both primary and secondary avatars, many of which are simulated extraterrestrials.
A Non-Graphical Approach to Teaching Utility/Choice Theory in Undergraduate Economics Courses

The traditional approach to teaching choice theory to undergraduate students uses indifference curve/budget constraint graphs. Unfortunately, this technique does not closely resemble the decision-making process and consequently, is being de-emphasized in many Principles of Microeconomics texts. This paper presents an alternative approach, used by the author, which is relatively simple to use and understand. This technique is then applied to analyze the decision to purchase a good, various labor market decisions, and a variety of other decisions. Because this framework provides a simple approach to understanding choice theory, instructors in many different economics courses can use it. Some of these courses include microeconomics principles, labor economics, public choice, the economics of the family, and the economics of crime.
Some necessary and sufficient conditions for low order interval polytopes to contain a Hurwitz polynomial

We establish some fundamental structure theorems which establish necessary and sufficient conditions for low order (less than eight) interval polytopes to contain a Hurwitz polynomial. For instance, an interval polytope of polynomials, generated by an interval polynomial of degree five, contains a Hurwitz polynomial if and only if an exposed two dimensional face of the polytope contains a Hurwitz polynomial. It turns out that these conditions are not uniform, in the sense, that these depend on the degree of the interval polynomial generating the interval polytope.
CEO problem for belief sharing

We consider the CEO problem for belief sharing. Multiple subordinates observe independently corrupted versions of uniformly distributed data and transmit coded versions over rate-limited links to a CEO who then estimates the underlying data. Agents are not allowed to convene before transmitting their observations. This formulation is motivated by the practical problem of a firm's CEO estimating uniformly distributed beliefs about a sequence of events, before acting on them. Agents' observations are modeled as jointly distributed with the underlying data through a given conditional probability density function. We study the asymptotic behavior of the minimum achievable mean squared error distortion at the CEO in the limit when the number of agents L and the sum rate R tend to infinity. We establish a 1/R2 convergence of the distortion, an intermediate regime of performance between the exponential behavior in discrete CEO problems [Berger, Zhang, and Viswanathan (1996)], and the 1/R behavior in Gaussian CEO problems [Viswanathan and Berger (1997)]. Achievability is proved by a layered architecture with scalar quantization, distributed entropy coding, and midrange estimation. The converse is proved using the Bayesian Chazan-Zakai-Ziv bound.
Children's depressive symptoms, negative self-statements, and causal attributions for success and failure

On the basis of the reformulated model of learned helplessness, we tested relationships among level of depression, negative self-statements, causal attributions for success and failure, and mood states among schoolchildren. The experimental manipulation of success and failure on an anagram task was an extension of previous work with depressed and nondepressed college students. Results showed, first, that depressive symptoms were related to impaired performance. Second, there were no significantly different responses to success and failure by children with depressive symptoms versus those without such symptoms. Neither causal attributions, self-statements, nor postanagram mood was affected by the presence of depressive symptoms, regardless of whether the child succeeded or failed. On the other hand, across conditions, subjects responded differentially to success and failure. Those in the success condition attributed their performance more to ability and luck and less to task difficulty than did those in the failure condition. Additionally, successful subjects reported a more elevated mood than did unsuccessful subjects. Future research is suggested, based on these results and the different patterns of correlations that emerged among negative self-statements, causal attributions, and mood for successful and unsuccessful subjects.
Characterization of treated indium tin oxide surface and interface formation between treated ITO with phenyl-diamine

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is commonly used as a hole-injecting electrode in organic electroluminescent devices due to its transparency and good electrical conductivity. Various solutions of acid and base have been used to modify the work function of ITO. Depending on the solution, a negative or positive work function shift with respect to that of the standard ITO has been obtained. We have investigated the interface formation between treated ITO and N,N'-bis-(1- naphthyl)-N,N'-diphenyl-1,1'-biphenyl-4,4'-diamine (NPB), an organic materials often used as hole transport layer in OLEDs, using x-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and UPS). The barrier for hole injection, which is defined as the energy difference between the Fermi level and the highest occupied molecular orbital of NPB, decreases from base-, to standard, to acid-treated ITO. No significant reactions is observed for NPB deposited on standard ITO. For the acid- treated ITO substrate, the XPS results point to the reaction between the proton of the adsorbed acid layer and the NPB nitrogen. XPS results also suggest that at low NPB coverage, islanding is occurred at the standard ITO surface.
Kinetic analysis of superoxide anion production by activated and resident murine peritoneal macrophages.

Abstract Using a continuous spectrophotometric assay, we have monitored the formation of superoxide anion (O 2 − ) by activated and resident murine peritoneal macrophages. Macrophages elicited by injection with Corynebacterium parvum , as well as resident macrophages from untreated mice, were kept in suspension culture overnight to eliminate short-lived, contaminating neutrophils. Cytochemical analysis of the cultured macrophages disclosed that essentially all of the activated macrophages reduced nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) dye vigorously. In contrast, only 18% of the resident macrophages demonstrated vigorous NBT reduction; the remainder of the resident macrophages reduced NBT very weakly. Kinetic analysis of macrophage O 2 − formation revealed that activated macrophages exposed to phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) produced O 2 − at a 13-fold greater maximum rate than resident macrophages. The decline in the rate of O 2 − production with time by activated macrophages was also greater than that of resident macrophages. The data indicate that the greater O 2 − production by activated macrophage populations is due to (i) the presence of an increased percentage of macrophages that respond to PMA with vigorous O 2 − production, and (ii) an increased maximum rate of O 2 − formation by these macrophages.
Effect of Calcium Ions on the Scattering of Light by Heparin

The light-scattering patterns of sodium heparin under the influence of calcium ions were investigated using unpolarized light of 436 nm. A weight average molecular weight on the order of 17,500 was obtained for samples with varying degrees of sulfation. The interaction constant was found to be influenced by the ionic strength of the solution. At fixed electrolyte concentrations, changes in the second virial coefficient were governed by the charge density of the mucopolysaccharide.
Shielding effects in 1-D transformation kinetics

Abstract A new derivation is presented for the fraction of material transformed as a function of time, X ( t ), for 1-D phase transformations which occur via nucleation and growth and which produce anisotropic particles. The derivation, which is coached in terms of aggressor and blocker particles, accounts for shielding effects and is more easily generalizable to more complex situations than a previous derivation for X ( t ) for this problem. Since this 1-D problem is equivalent to the 2-D case in the limit of low seeding density, the accuracy of our resulting formula for X ( t ) is assessed by illustrative calculations using elliptically shaped particles. It is found that the derived expression is nearly precise. In addition, we examine the influence of particle growth rate anisotropy and particle shape on the importance of shielding effects. We conclude that for growth rate anisotropies (ratio of major to minor axis growth rates) smaller than 5, shielding effects are not very significant. Also, particle shape appears to have a small effect on transformation kinetics.
Resource allocation in a large decentralized enterprise

Abstract We present a model of an enterprise comprising several operating units pursuing their production goals with a fair degree of autonomy, but under resource constraints imposed by a headquarters function. Specifically, each operating unit is assumed to seek a maximization of a perceived market value of its product output, subject to constraints on resources such as capital for plants and equipment, headcount, etc. imposed by headquarters. The headquarters function pursues a global optimization problem which takes into account the market values of all the products of the operating units, but also the cost of the resources and their regulation. Under suitable assumptions of linearity, the operation of the enterprise is formulated as a novel hierarchical structure of linear programming problems. An algorithm is presented for the solution of a class of such problems.
Teaching secure coding: report from summit on education in secure software

Software is critical to life in the 21st century. It drives financial, medical, and government computer systems as well as systems that provide critical infrastructures in areas such as transportation, energy, networking, and telecommunications. As the number and severity of attacks that exploit software vulnerabilities increase, writing reliable, robust, and secure programs will substantially improve the ability of systems and infrastructure to resist such attacks. Education plays a critical role in addressing cybersecurity challenges of the future, such as designing curricula that integrate principles and practices of secure programming into educational programs. To help guide this process, the National Science Foundation Directorates of Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) and Education and Human Resources (EHR) jointly sponsored the Summit on Education in Secure Software (SESS), held in Washington, DC in October, 2010. The goal of this session is to share some of the key findings and challenges identified by the summit and to actively engage the community in the discussions. Each of the speakers participated in the summit and brings a unique viewpoint to the session.
Preparation of ruthenium(II) chloride complexes of polybasic amines

The reactions of RuCl 2 [P(C 6 H 5 ) 3 ] 3 , RuCl 2 (tmeda) 2 , and RuCl 2 (1,5-COD)(tmeda) with polybasic amines such as pyrazole have been studied. From the phosphine complex, a binuclear complex has been isolated in which one pyrazole has been incorporated, while reactions of the latter two with excess pyrazole lead to the replacement of a tmeda ligand by two pyrazoles.
Partial sacrectomy for en bloc excision of rectal cancer with posterior fixation

A procedure for resection of the lower sacrum in patients with adenocarcinoma of the rectum is described. The indication for this procedure is posterior fixation of a tumor to sacral segments three, four, or five or to the coccyx. Through a posterior incision, the sacrum below S2 is removed with no appreciable increase in morbidity of the abdominoperineal resection. Six patients treated to date have had good results using this approach.
Principle design and actuation of a dual chamber electromagnetic micropump with coaxial cantilever valves

This paper deals with the design and characterization of an electromagnetic actuation micropump with superimposed dual chambers. An integral part of microfluidic system includes micropumps which have become a critical design focus and have the potential to alter treatment and drug delivery requirements to patients. In this paper, conceptual design of variable geometrical nozzle/diffuser elements, coaxial cantilever valve, is proposed. It takes advantages of cantilever fluctuating valves with preset geometry to optimize and control fluid flow. The integration of this conceptual valve into a dual chamber micropump has increased the flow rate when compared to a single chamber micropump. This technique also allows for the fluid flow to be actively controlled by adjusting the movement of the intermediate membrane and the cantilever valves due to their fast response and large deflection properties when subjected to an electromagnetic field. To ensure reliability and performance of both the membrane and electromagnets, finite element method was used to perform the stress-strain analysis and optimize the membrane structure and electromagnet configuration. The frequency-dependent flow rates and backpressure are investigated for different frequencies by varying the applied currents from 1A to 1.75A. The current micropump design exhibits a backpressure of 58 mmH2O and has a water flow rate that reaches maximum at 1.985 ml/s under a 1.75A current with a resonance frequency of 45 Hz. This proposed micropump while at its initial prototype stage can satisfy the requirements of wide flow rate drug delivery applications. Its controllability and process design are attractive for high volume fabrication and low cost.
Memory and cognitive function in normal aging.

Memory and cognitive function are known to decline in normal aging. This impairment is due both to inevitable biologic attrition of brain function and to intercurrent disease processes. Memory storage, speed of response, channel capacity, and Performance IQ on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale tend to be most impaired; Verbal IQ and previously learned skills (“crystallized intelligence”) tend to be preserved. Differences between individuals, independent of age, are often more significant than age‐related losses until very advanced age. The biases of cross‐sectional and longitudinal studies may exaggerate or minimize age‐related differences and should be recognized.
Improvement of angular resolution in magnetic spectrographs

Abstract Existing instrumentation will give a > 10 improvement in angular resolution without diminishing count rate. The effect is broadly analogous to use of a “multi-gap” instrument of restricted range.
The Empire Sings Back: Glee’s Queer Materialization of Filipina/o America

Watching the fall 2010 season premiere of the popular musical television show Glee, I recall wondering, “What is a Filipina doing in Lima, Ohio?” when Sunshine Corazon, a new Philippine exchange student played by Filipina international recording artist Charice Pempengco, sang Lady Gaga and Beyonce’s “Telephone” in the girls’ bathroom with Rachel Berry, William McKinley High’s glee club star whom viewers love to hate. Given the underrepresentation of Filipina/os on mainstream US television, I found Sunshine particularly surprising because she was a featured character and because she was in the Midwest—a part of the country not readily imagined as a place where Asians and Asian Americans live. Five shows later, Blaine Anderson, an attractive, openly gay, and vocally talented student from a rival glee club, The Warblers, captured viewers’ hearts with his rendition of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” Whereas Blaine’s racial-ethnic identity was not made obvious on the show, the Internet was abuzz with reports that the actor who plays Blaine, Darren Criss, is half Filipino, citing Criss’s Twitter page. Together, Sunshine and Blaine dramatize the simultaneous absence and presence of Filipina/os in US national culture and illustrate how race and sexuality continue to be framed as mutually exclusive within popular discourses. More importantly, these two characters invite us to consider the erotics of racial difference and remind us that race continues to play a central role in the visual economy of television despite popular claims that we now live in a post-racial United States. Focusing on Glee’s second season, in which these two Filipina/o actors debut, this essay explores how Filipina/o-ness simultaneously materializes as queer and materializes queerness, even if the actors do not necessarily play Filipina/os on the show. On the one hand, the presence of Filipina/os on Glee initially seems strange and out of place—in short, queer—because these racially marginal actors
Perceptions of Purple: Counterfactual and Hindsight Judgments at Northwestern Wildcats Football Games

Previous research has supported the counterintuitive idea that counterfactual thinking (thoughts of what might have been) may increase rather than decrease the hindsight bias (post hoc certainty regarding a factual outcome) and that this effect is mediated by shifts in causal perceptions. Unlike previous research, which has been limited to simple laboratory demonstrations, the present studies assessed highly involved sports fans' perceptions before and after home football games. Participants induced to generate counterfactual thoughts after the game showed a greater hindsight bias than control participants. Participants induced to generate causal explanations evinced a similar exacerbation of the hindsight bias, supporting previous claims that the positive effect of counterfactual thinking on the hindsight bias is mediated by explanations that satisfyingly accountfor the outcome.
Avoiding the Sharp Tongue: Anticipated Written Messages Promote Fair Economic Exchange

Research in economics and psychology has established that informal non-monetary sanctions, particularly expressions of negative emotion or disapproval, can enforce fair economic exchange. Scholars, however, are only beginning to understand the reasons non-monetary sanctions affect economic outcomes. Here we provide evidence that a preference for avoiding written expression of disapproval, or negative emotion, plays an important role in promoting fair decision making. We study one-shot Dictator games where one subject has the right to determine a division of an amount of money between herself and her receiver. In relation to the standard game, we find significantly fewer earning-maximizing decisions when receivers can react to offers with ex post written messages. We further find that credible threats of monetary sanctions, while economically inefficient, are significantly more effective than written messages in deterring selfishness. Our data provide new perspectives on the role of communication in promoting economic efficiency in social environments, and support economic theories of decision incorporating psychological factors such as guilt, shame, and self-deception.
Implicit time integration of hyperbolic conservation laws via discontinuous Galerkin methods

A high-order, matrix-free implicit method has been developed for the transient solutions of hyperbolic conservation laws. The discontinuous Galerkin method is applied for temporal discretization. This method has the advantage that its discretization error is (Δt2p+1) when a polynomial basis of degree p is used for time discretization. The nonlinear system of equations from the implicit time discretization is solved at each time step using a nonlinear Krylov subspace projection method. The system of linear equations is solved by the generalized minimum residual algorithm with a lower–upper symmetric Gauss–Seidel preconditioner. The numerical results from the inviscid Burgers' equation indicate that the implicit method is several times faster in performance relative to explicit integration by the total variation diminishing Runge–Kutta method of order 3. The forward Euler method requires a time step proportional to the square of the spatial step for stability with equations such as Burgers' equation (J. Sci. Comput. 2001; 16:173–261). It would, hence, be much less efficient than other explicit methods, for example, Cockburn and Shu (Math. Comput. 1989; 52:411–435), which would only require a time step proportional to the spatial step. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
How do RNA folding algorithms work

Programs such as MFOLD and ViennaRNA are widely used to predict RNA secondary structures. How do these algorithms work? Why can't they predict RNA pseudoknots? How accurate are they, and will they get better?
Experimental Characterization of a Micro-Hall Thruster

The operation and performance of a micro-Hall thruster are characterized. The thruster is coaxial in design, with a 0.5 mm channel width and 4 mm outer diameter. The magnetic circuit includes a samarium cobalt permanent magnet generating approximately 0.7 T at the exit plane and 1 T inside the channel. Operation with a commercial hollow cathode neutralizer is achieved in the 10-40 W power range with an anode flow rate of 0.12-0.20 mg/s of xenon. The measured thrust is in the range of 0.6-1.6 mN for an anode flow rate of 0.17-0.20 mg/s and an applied voltage of 110-275 V. Anode thrust efficiency and specific impulse are in the range of 10-15% and 300-850 s, respectively, for the same conditions. Relatively broad ion energy distributions and large beam divergence are observed from an analysis of the plume using a retarding potential analyzer and ion current probe. The discharge exhibits the characteristic Hall thruster "breathing mode" instability in the 35-70 kHz frequency range.
OVERESTIMATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION

38 college students estimated the survival rates of people administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The mean estimated survival rate (54.5%) was significantly higher than the actual survival rate (10%).
Barrels in the Desert: The Sde Boker Workshop on Neocortical Circuits

We thank Sydney Cash, Ania Majewska, Diana Smetters, Vivek Unni, and the organizers and participants of the workshops for their input and comments. The workshop was funded by the Israel Science Foundation and The Zlotowski Foundation.
Acute and chronic toxicity of fluoxetine (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) in western mosquitofish.

Fluoxetine is a biologically active pharmaceutical chemical that has been detected at parts-per-trillion levels in surface waters in North America and Europe. This has generated concern because negative effects in aquatic organisms are possible. Known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine (e.g., Prozac; Elli Lilly) is neurologically active and widely prescribed for clinical depression in humans. In the present investigation, acute and chronic toxicities of fluoxetine were evaluated in an environmentally relevant species, western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis. Acute toxicity (5 to 5340 ppb fluoxetine) was assessed in neonates (age 24 to 48 hours) exposed in glass aquaria for 7 days; chronic toxicity (0.05 to 5 ppb fluoxetine) was examined in fish exposed from age neonate to age 91 days; and effects of chronic exposure (100 days) on sexual maturation was investigated in mesocosm tanks (100 L) in fish exposed (7 to 71 ppb) from age 59 to 159 days. Acute toxicity of fluoxetine in neonate western mosquitofish was observed to have a 7-day median lethal concentration of 546 ppb. Chronic exposure did not affect survival, growth, or sex ratio; however, increased lethargy in fish exposed to ≥0.5 ppb fluoxetine was observed. In fish exposed from age 59 to 159 days (juvenile to adult life stages), delayed development of external adult sexual morphology was observed at 71 ppb fluoxetine, which consisted of delayed onset of the presence of the black spot in the posterior abdomen in female fish and delayed formation of the elongated anal fin (gonopodium) in male fish. The present study demonstrated that chronic exposure of western mosquitofish to fluoxetine can affect sexual development; however, it does so only at concentrations 3 to 4 orders of magnitude higher than those previously found in the environment.
Fissility in Argillaceous Rocks: ABSTRACT

A study was undertaken to determine the cause of fissility and non-fissility in argillaceous rocks such as shale and underclay. The orientation of clay flakes in samples of Pennsylvanian shales and underclays was studied by using an X-ray diffractometer. It was found that clay mineral orientation is a factor in determining the degree of fissility of an argillaceous rock. Sedimentation experiments were run in the laboratory to study the influence of various factors upon the development of fissility. Clay materials of various concentration were sedimented in different cation concentrations. Regardless of clay or cation concentration, the clay material flocculated. Various amounts of silt were sedimented on top of the flocculated clay masses. Preferred clay mineral orientation was produced in clay material on which silt was rapidly sedimented. Random orientation was preserved in clay material which had dewatered before a small amount of silt was applied. Samples of clay were also compressed to study the influence of overburden pressure and water content upon the development of fissility. It was found that clay with a lower water content showed less reorientation due to compression than clay with a higher content. This fact suggested that the amount of liquid water relative to rigid water in the clay-water system at the time of application of overburden pressure may be an important factor in facilitating the orientation of clay flakes. It is concluded that preferred orientation of clay flakes commonly found in fissile shales may have resulted from compression of flocculated clay mud under conditions of rapid sedimentation. The random clay mineral orientation present in underclay may have resulted as a flocculated clay accumulated under overburden pressure. Thus the presence of absence of fissility in argillaceous rocks may depend upon the amount of overburden pressure applied to the newly deposited clay material and the amount of liquid and rigid water in the clay at the time of application of pressure. End_of_Article - Last_Page 540------------
Light-induced absorbance changes in extracts of Phycomyces sporangiophores: Modifications in night-blind mutants

The absorbance of extracts of Phycomyces blakesleeanus sporangiophores was changed by irradiation with either blue or near-UV light. In three strains with normal phototropism, the first blue irradiation caused a small absorbance change. UV light induced a larger change of opposite sign when given either as the first irradiation or after the blue. When applied several minutes after the UV, blue light caused an absorbance change in the control strains larger by a factor of 2 – 3. “Night-blind” (madC) phototropism mutants also showed absorbance changes. In eight madC strains including five different alleles, the decay of the UV-induced absorbance changes in the dark was slower than in the controls. The modification in the mutants provides genetic evidence that the absorbance changes are related to photoreception and may serve as an assay for isolation of the photoreceptors for phototropism.
Hearing loss associated with neonatal ECMO: a clinical investigation

To answer the question as to the prevalence of sensori-neural hearing loss (SNHL) among neonates receiving ECMO, a retrospective chart review was conducted on 198 infants having surgery between November 1987 and January 1995. One hundred fifty-seven (79.7%) survived. One hundred thirty infants met our criteria of having a pre-discharge auditory brainstem evoked response (ABR) test and at least one follow-up behavioral audiologic examination. Strict criteria were set for normal hearing on both the ABR and follow-up examinations. Only follow-up results are reported. At the time of the most recent follow-up examination, two children could not be adequately studied, 106 exhibited normal hearing, 21 (16%) exhibited either unilateral or bilateral conductive hearing loss and three (2.3%) exhibited unilateral or bilateral SNHL. Only one child is using amplification. With the largest sample size to date, we found a lower prevalence of SNHL after ECMO than has been previously noted in the literature. Although the prevalence of hearing loss is low, the post-ECMO group of infants must be considered at risk for hearing loss. The prevalence of hearing loss cannot be based solely on a pre-discharge ABR, i.e. ongoing follow-up testing is necessary.
Chemotherapy for a Patient with Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer during Pregnancy: A Case Report and a Review of Chemotherapy Treatment during Pregnancy

Background: Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in women in the USA. Lung cancer arising during pregnancy is rare and has been reported only 15 times since the 1950
Genomic and Proteomic Analyses of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-Binding Protein 3 in Lung Adenocarcinomas

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is regulated by the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF1) pathway and is implicated in tumor progression and patient survival in many types of cancer. Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) is also regulated by HIF1 but works in a completely different manner by modulating the activities of insulin-like growth factors and inducing apoptosis. In this study, 2-dimensional (2D) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) was used to analyze the protein expression profiles of VEGF and IGFBP3 isoforms in 93 lung adenocarcinomas and 10 uninvolved lung samples. The same samples were examined for messenger RNA (mRNA) expression with use of oligonucleotide arrays. Correlation analysis in the lung adenocarcinomas between mRNA expression levels of VEGF and all 4966 other genes was used to identify other biologic processes that may be associated with increased VEGF expression. Two-dimensional gel separations revealed 7 VEGF protein isoforms and 5 isoforms of IGFBP3. VEGF and IGFBP3 mRNA were found to be overexpressed in bronchial-derived lung adenocarcinomas (P 0.38, P < 0.001), 17 of which were also associated with IGFBP3, and 12 were known to be induced through the HIF1 pathway. Among other highly correlated genes, several, including bradykinin receptor B2, suggest additional cellular processes that were not previously known to be associated with VEGF expression in lung adenocarcinoma.
Flux of carbon from 14C-enriched leaf litter throughout a forest soil mesocosm

Abstract The role of DOC for the build-up of soil organic carbon pools is still not well known, but it is thought to play a role in the transport of carbon to a greater depth where it becomes more stable. The aim of this study was to elucidate within-year dynamics of carbon transport from litter to the O (Oe and Oa) and A horizons. Mesocosms with constructed soil profiles were used to study dynamics of C transport from 14C-enriched (about 1000‰) leaf litter to the Oe/Oa and A horizons as well as the mineralization of leaf litter. The mesocosms were placed in the field for 17 months during which time fluxes and 14C content of DOC and CO2 were measured. Changes in 14C in leaf litter and bulk soil C pools were also recorded. Significant simultaneous release and immobilization of DOC occurring in both the O and A horizons was hypothesized. Contrary to our hypothesis, DOC released from the labeled Oi horizon was not retained within the Oe/Oa layer. DOC originating in the unlabeled Oe/Oa layer was also released for transport. Extensive retention of DOC occurred in the A horizon. DOC leaching from A horizon consisted of a mix of DOC from different sources, with a main fraction originating in the A horizon and a smaller fraction leached from the overlaying horizons. The C and 14C budget for the litter layer also indicated a surprisingly large amount of carbon with ambient Δ14C-signature to be respired from this layer. Data for this site also suggested significant contributions from throughfall to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) transport into and respiration from the litter layer. The results from this study showed that DOC retention was low in the O horizon and therefore not important for the O horizon carbon budget. In the A horizon DOC retention was extensive, but annual DOC input was small compared to C stocks and therefore not important for changes in soil C on an annual timescale.
Imidazo [1,2-a] pyridinium salts

2-Alkylamino- or arylaminopyridines react directly with α-bromoketones to afford 1-alkyl- or 1-arylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridinium salts with substituents at position 2. Use of chloroacetaldoxime as the quaternizing agent yields (after hydrolysis) the imidazo-[1,2-a]pyridinium ion with no substituent at position 2. The earlier supposition that alkylation of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines occurs in position 1 has been shown to be correct. It has been pointed out that the 1-substituted imidazo[1, 2-a]pyridinium system is but one of a group of aromatic heterocyclic systems isoelectronic with the quinolizinium system.
Commentary on: The impact of perioperative hypothermia on plastic surgery outcomes: a multivariate logistic regression of 1062 cases.

Constantine et al1 chose the interesting approach of studying not only the important subject of perioperative hypothermia but also the impact of perioperative hypothermia on outcomes by using a large 4-year database from an academic medical center. However, the retrospective nature of their study led to severe limitations with regard to the conclusions that can be drawn because cases cannot be compared when a well-defined protocol is missing. For example, the authors mention the inclusion of “intraoperative temperature” in the database and subsequent analysis, as well as the exclusion of all cases for which this information was not present. Unfortunately, we do not know whether this means core temperature as measured using an esophageal or a tympanic membrane probe2 or skin or rectal temperature, which cannot be considered to be core temperature.3 Analyzing the charts of 1801 procedures is hard work, for which the authors must be congratulated. Unfortunately, we do not know what the inclusion criteria were for this number of “complex plastic …
A ductus remnant confounding the diagnosis of blunt thoracic aortic injury in a 13-year-old adolescent boy

Anatomical variants can pose diagnostic dilemmas for the clinician and may confound critical decision making for traumatic thoracic aortic injuries. With significant morbidity and mortality for both the injury and the therapeutic options in the pediatric population, an accurate diagnosis is essential for a good outcome. Knowledge of both the anatomical variant as well as the potential injury is required for a precise diagnosis. Highlighting these concepts, we present the case of a 13-year-old trauma patient with a possible blunt thoracic aortic injury. A suspected intimal aortic tear on computed tomography angiography proved to be a ductus remnant, which did not require intervention.
A new derivation of the Dickey-Romero-Holswade phase function

The method of Kreuzer for irradiance redistribution with aspheric lenses can be used to derive a differential equation for the sag curve of a single aspheric surface which transforms the irradiance profile of a beam without regard to the phase of the wavefront of the shaped beam. It is shown that in the paraxial approximation the sag curve naturally splits into a quadratic term and an integral expression that depends on the shapes of the input and output profiles. For the special case where the input beam is Gaussian and the output profile is uniform, the integral term that appears in the sag curve is identical to the phase function derived by Dickey, Romero, and Holswade using the formalism of Fourier optics. The identity derived here demonstrates the equivalence, in the paraxial limit, of two apparently different methods of solving the beam shaping problem.
Finger-Thumb Technique for Elephant Trunk Retrieval.

In this report we present a brief video illustrating the “Finger-Thumb Technique” that we have used extensively at our institution for elephant trunk retrieval during second stage elephant trunk procedures. Although only safe in experienced hands, this technique is a viable option in the arsenal of a cardiothoracic surgeon, especially in cases when proximally surrounding a massively enlarged aorta is unappealing.
Vision with a billion eyes

A recent trend in computer vision is driven by images and video generated by heterogeneous and multi-perspective visual sensing networks. We present a few examples of research along this line. First, we will present an interesting framework for event recognition. Semantic event recognition based only unconstrained still images available on the Internet or in personal repositories is a challenging problem. With GPS information, we obtain satellite images corresponding to picture locations and investigate their novel use to recognize the picture-taking environment. We then combine this inference with classical vision-based event detection methods and demonstrate the synergistic fusion of the two approaches. However, the current GPS data only identifies the camera location, leaving the viewing direction uncertain. Second, to determine the viewing direction for geotagged photos, we utilize both Google StreetView and Google Earth satellite images: 1) visual matching between a user photo and any available street views in the vicinity determine the viewing direction, and 2) when only an overhead satellite view is available, near-orthogonal view matching between the user photo and satellite imagery computes the viewing direction. Third, we explore using phone-captured images for localization as it contains more context information than the embedded sensory GPS coordinates. The proposed approach is able to provide a comprehensive set of accurate geo-context based on the current image and its associated sensory GPS location. The geo-context includes the real location of mobile user and scene, the viewing angle, and the distance between the user and scene. We then take advantage of the aforementioned techniques to build applications to enable people to enjoy ubiquitous location-based services (LBS) using their phones. including: 1) accurate augmented reality, 2) collaborative localization for rendezvous routing, and 3) routing for photography. Fourth, we leverage crowd-sourced photos to remove unwanted bystanders from tourist photos taken at popular attractions. Furthermore, given a new source of visual data from public webcams deployed in urban environments, we will present some ongoing work on crowd analytics using such data.