cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An adaptive PCA-based approach to pan-sharpening

A pixel in multispectral images is highly correlated with the neighboring pixels both spatially and spectrally. Hence, data transformation is performed before performing pan-sharpening. Principal component analysis (PCA) has been a popular choice for spectral transformation of low resolution multispectral images. Current PCA-based pan-sharpening methods make an assumption that the first principal component (PC) of high variance is an ideal choice for replacing or injecting it with high spatial details from the high-resolution histogram-matched panchromatic (Pan) image. However, this paper, using the statistical measures on the datasets, shows that the low-resolution first PC component is not always an ideal choice for substitution. This paper presents a new method to improve the quality of the resultant images that are obtained using the PCA-based pan-sharpening methods. This approach is based on adaptively selecting the PC component required to be replaced or injected with high spatial details. The pan-sharpened image obtained by the proposed method is evaluated using well-known quality indexes. Results show that the proposed method increases the quality of the resultant fused images when compared to the standard approach.
The roles of shifting and filtering in generating community‐level flowering phenology

Plant phenologies are key components of community assembly and ecosystem function, yet we know little about how phenological patterns differ among ecosystems. Community-level phenological patterns may be driven by the filtering of species into communities based on their phenology or by intraspecific responses to local conditions that shift when species flower. To understand the relative roles of filtering and shifting on community-level phenological patterns we compared patterns of first flowering dates (FFD) for herbaceous species at Konza Prairie, KS, USA with those from the colder Fargo, ND, USA area and from Chinnor, England, which has a less continental climate. Comparing patterns of FFD supports that Konza's flowering patterns are potentially influenced both by filtering species that flower early in the growing season and by phenological shifting. Konza species flowering dates were earlier in the spring and later in the fall compared to Fargo, but were not shifted compared to Chinnor, which had a unique suite of early-flowering species. In all, comparing flowering phenology among three sites reveals that intraspecific responses to climate can generate phenological shifts that compress or stretch community-level phenological patterns, while novel niches in phenological space can also alter community-level patterns. Community flowering patterns related to climate suggest that climatic warming has the potential to further distribute flowering of the Konza flora over a longer period, but also could further open it to introductions of non-native species that have evolved to flower early in the season.
Statins Are Associated with Reduced Use of Steroids in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction Statin medications have anti-inflammatory effects. We sought to determine whether statin use in persons with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) was associated with reduced rates of steroid use or other markers of disease activity.
Noncontact measurement of elasticity for the detection of soft-tissue tumors using phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography combined with a focused air-puff system.

We report on an optical noncontact method for the detection of soft-tissue tumors based on the measurement of their elasticity. A focused air-puff system is used to excite surface waves (SWs) on soft tissues with transient static pressure. A high-speed phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography system is used to measure the SWs as they propagate from the point of excitation. To evaluate the stiffness of soft tissues, the Young’s modulus is quantified based on the group velocity of SWs. Pilot experiments were performed on ex vivo human myxoma and normal fat. Results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method to measure elasticity and differentiate soft-tissue tumors from normal tissues.
A classification of web browsing on mobile devices

The usage of mobile devices is growing fast. Different approaches have been proposed to improve the user experience of web browsing on mobile devices. This paper comprehensively reviews and compares various techniques for web browsing on mobile devices. We classify approaches of web browsing on mobile devices into three categories: platform-specific mobile design, web page restructuring and zooming based interaction. The platform-specific mobile design technique includes various mobile markup languages and interactive tools that facilitate web designers to manually create a mobile optimized web site. The web page restructuring technique intelligently adapts a desktop web page for web browsing on mobile devices. This technique first discovers closely related information (i.e., page segmentation) and then generates an adaptive layout that fits mobile devices. The zooming based interaction displays a desktop web page within a mobile screen as an overview, which allows a user to zoom in on a specific portion for a detailed reading. Based on the classification, we compare those browsing techniques on mobile devices from six perspectives, i.e., development cost, consistency with the desktop version, dynamic content supports, hardware requirements, display optimization and user operation. We further discuss eight popular commercial mobile browsers. A user study was conducted to evaluate different browsing techniques. This paper demonstrates the state of the art in web browsing on mobile devices, and compares different approaches. Based on the comparison and user study, we propose future developments in web browsing on mobile devices. Present a classification of web browsing on mobile devices.Compare different mobile browsing approaches from six perspectives.Conduct a survey research to evaluate different mobile browsing techniques.Propose future developments in mobile browsing.
Maximizing Strong Coupling between Metasurface Resonators and Intersubband Transitions

We analyze strongly coupled systems that use metasurface resonators and provide an electrodynamic model based on the quasi-static electric near fields that can be used to predict and maximize Rabi splitting varying resonator geometry.
Abstract B108: Combining Notch immunostimulation and bortezomib with adoptive immunotherapy in breast cancer

Breast cancer mortality occurs primarily due to invasive metastasis and takes a disproportionately heavy toll in African American women. Clinical immunotherapy efforts prove largely ineffective, partly due to the numerous immune-regulatory circuits influenced by cancers, which alter the differentiation and function of immune cells, including T cells. The long-term objective of this study is to enhance immune mechanisms of cancer rejection to provide durable clinical benefits against breast cancer. Our recent work using mouse models has revealed the therapeutic potential of combinatorial adoptive cell transfer regimens along with immunostimulatory and tumor cell-death-sensitizing treatments. We found that the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib selectively sensitized mammary tumor cells to apoptosis by amplifying caspase-8 activation in the death-inducing signaling complex. This resulted in reduced lung metastases in mice. In addition, bortezomib could be combined with adoptive T cell transfer with no adverse effects on the antigen-specific T cell proliferative or cytolytic functions in vivo. However, no long-term survival benefits could be observed, likely due to immunosuppressive effects of tumor. More recently, we observed that Delta-like ligand (DLL1)-specific immune Notch activation could enhance antitumor T cell immunity by overcoming tumor-associated immunosuppression. These data predict the potential of combining immunostimulatory Notch activation by soluble clustered DLL1 ligand treatment and bortezomib-induced sensitization of breast tumor cells to apoptosis with T cell adoptive transfers. This could prevent tumor metastasis and significantly improve breast cancer therapy. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2011;20(10 Suppl):B108.
John Wesley Powell and the Mapping of the Colorado Plateau, 1869 –1879: Survey Science, Geographical Solutions, and the Economy of Environmental Values

In 1869, John Wesley Powell led an expedition down the Green and Colorado Rivers through the Grand Canyon, the last “great blank space” on the map of the continental U.S. In the work of filling in the continental map, Powell and others in an emerging community of government scientists in Washington anticipated a new set of concerns over productivity, order, and the limits of natural resources—including land itself—in the arid lands of the West. This article examines the historical geographical processes through which Powell’s maps of an unexplored region gave way, in roughly a decade, to his maps of proper land use, epitomized by his 1878 Report on the Lands of the Arid Region of the United States, which is still conventionally recognized as a foundational piece in American environmental thought. Focusing on the work of the Powell Survey (1869 – 1879), as well as Powell’s lesser–known work as a special commissioner for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (1873 – 1874), the article situates the maps, censuses, an...
SPECS: A Lightweight Runtime Mechanism for Protecting Software from Security-Critical Processor Bugs

Processor implementation errata remain a problem, and worse, a subset of these bugs are security-critical. We classified 7 years of errata from recent commercial processors to understand the magnitude and severity of this problem, and found that of 301 errata analyzed, 28 are security-critical. We propose the SECURITY-CRITICAL PROCESSOR ER- RATA CATCHING SYSTEM (SPECS) as a low-overhead solution to this problem. SPECS employs a dynamic verification strategy that is made lightweight by limiting protection to only security-critical processor state. As a proof-of- concept, we implement a hardware prototype of SPECS in an open source processor. Using this prototype, we evaluate SPECS against a set of 14 bugs inspired by the types of security-critical errata we discovered in the classification phase. The evaluation shows that SPECS is 86% effective as a defense when deployed using only ISA-level state; incurs less than 5% area and power overhead; and has no software run-time overhead.
Robust modeling of probabilistic uncertainty in smart Grids: Data ambiguous Chance Constrained Optimum Power Flow

Future Grids will integrate time-intermittent renewables and demand response whose fluctuating outputs will create perturbations requiring probabilistic measures of resilience. When smart but uncontrollable resources fluctuate, Optimum Power Flow (OPF), routinely used by the electric power industry to dispatch controllable generation over control areas of transmission networks, can result in higher risks. Our Chance Constrained (CC) OPF corrects the problem and mitigates dangerous fluctuations with minimal changes in the current operational procedure. Assuming availability of a reliable forecast parameterizing the distribution function of the uncertain resources, our CC-OPF satisfies all the constraints with high probability while simultaneously minimizing the cost of economic dispatch. For linear (DC) modeling of power flows, and parametrization of the uncertainty through Gaussian distribution functions the CC-OPF turns into convex (conic) optimization, which allows efficient and scalable cutting-plane implementation. When estimates of the Gaussian parameters are imprecise we robustify CC-OPF deriving its data ambiguous and still scalable implementation.
‘We’re Civil Servants’: The Status of Trauma-Informed Care in the Community

ABSTRACT Trauma-informed care (TIC) in social service organizations means that the organizations operate with the understanding that everyone involved has possibly experienced trauma in their lifetime. This qualitative study examined local service organizations’ usage of the 5 main principles of TIC: safety, trustworthiness, collaboration, empowerment, and choice (as developed by Fallot & Harris, 2006). Ten focus groups (n = 69) and 6 individual interviews (n = 6) with employees from administration through management were interviewed such that almost all facets of each agency were represented. The participants were asked about their agencies’ policies and practices for utilizing the 5 principles of TIC. The results suggest that the vast majority of organizations in this study implemented many of the principles of TIC with clients, though they had not labeled their practices as “trauma-informed.” However, although clients were receiving TIC, some of the principles were neglected as they pertain to staff, s...
Airway Closure at Low Lung Volume: The Role of Liquid Film Instabilities

A model is presented to study the hypothesis that closure of pulmonary airways occurs as a result of an instability of the liquid layer lining the airway walls. Recent experimental results are reviewed that lead to predictions of closure, based on statically stable configurations, in the terminal bronchioles of the lung when lung volumes fall to about 20% of maximal lung volume. An approximate numerical model is developed to examine the dynamic process, simulating the collapse of the liquid film as airway volume falls during an expiration. Results are used to determine under what conditions the time-scale for film collapse is significant compared to typical expiration times.
Phase Transitions in Binary Mixtures of Cholesteryl Esters

Phase transitions in mixtures of mesomorphic (liquid crystalline) cholesteryl esters were studied by visual thermal microscopy. Binary mixtures of saturated cholesteryl esters (cholesteryl nonanoate, myristate, and palmitate) and binary mixtures of these saturated cholesteryl esters and an aromatic cholesteryl ester (cholesteryl benzoate) show transitions from the solid phase to the mesomorphic phase at temperatures that are depressed well below the phase transition temperature of either pure compound. However, the mesomorphic to isotropic phase transition temperatures are virtually linear functions of the composition of the mixtures. The result is that the temperature range over which the binary mixtures are mesomorphic is greatly expanded when compared to the narrow range observed for the individual components. The solid to mesomorphic phase transitions of these mixtures occur above body temperature. However, binary mixtures of the saturated cholesteryl esters with unsaturated cholesteryl esters (cholesteryl oleate and linoleate) are mesomorphic at body temperature except at low concentrations of the unsaturated ester. The unsaturated cholesteryl esters along with small amounts of other cholesteryl esters are major components of lipid droplets found in atheromatous lesions. The mesomorphic behavior of mixtures of the cholesteryl esters may be related to their interassociations in these lesions.
Ethylbutyrate, a valproate-like compound, exhibits inositol-depleting effects--a potential mood-stabilizing drug.

Abstract Aims To screen for inositol-depleting valproate-like compounds as potential mood stabilizing drugs. Main methods We exploited the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae , as a model in which inositol de novo synthesis has been extensively characterized, to test the effects of ethyl butyrate (EB), 2-ethyl-butyric acid, sodium butyrate, and n-propyl hexanoate on inositol biosynthesis. Cell growth was followed by measuring the optical density of the cultures (spectrophotometrically), RNA abundance was determined by Northern blot analysis, intracellular inositol was measured by a fluorometric assay, and 1- d - myo -inositol-3-phosphate synthase activity was examined using a chromatographic method. Key findings Of the tested compounds, only EB exhibited an inositol-depleting effect. The inositol-depleting effect of EB was achieved without significant adverse effect on cell growth, pointing to lesser toxicity compared to valproate. Significance These results indicate that EB is a potential candidate for mood-stabilizing therapy.
DART® Tsunameter Retrospective and Real-Time Data: A Reflection on 10 Years of Processing in Support of Tsunami Research and Operations

In the early 1980s, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory established the fundamentals of the contemporary tsunameter network deployed throughout the world oceans. The decades of technological and scientific advancements that followed led to a robust network that now provides real-time deep-ocean tsunami observations routinely incorporated into operational procedures of tsunami warning centers around the globe. All aspects of the network, from research to operations, to data archive and dissemination, are conducted collaboratively between the National Data Buoy Center, the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, and the National Geophysical Data Center, with oversight by the National Weather Service. The National Data Buoy Center manages and conducts all operational network activities and distributes real-time data to the public. The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory provides the research component in support of modeling and network enhancements for improved forecasting capability. The National Geophysical Data Center is responsible for the processing, archiving, and distribution of all retrospective data and integrates DART® tsunameter data with the National Geophysical Data Center global historical tsunami database. The role each agency plays in collecting, processing, and disseminating observations of deep-ocean bottom pressure is presented along with brief descriptions of data processing procedures. Specific examples of challenges and the approaches taken to address these are discussed. National Geophysical Data Center newly developed and available tsunami event web pages are briefly described and demonstrated with processed data for both the Tohoku 11 March 2011 and the Haiti 12 January 2010 tsunami events.
Preliminary testing of a just-in-time, user-defined values clarification exercise to aid lower literate women in making informed breast cancer treatment decisions.

Objective To report on the initial testing of a values clarification exercise utilizing a jewellery box within a computerized patient decision aid (CPtDA) designed to assist women in making a surgical breast cancer treatment decision. Design Pre-post design, with patients interviewed after diagnosis, and then after completing the CPtDA sometime later at their preoperative visit. Sample Fifty-one female patients, who are low literate and naive computer users, newly diagnosed with early stage breast cancer from two urban public hospitals. Intervention A computerized decision aid that combines entertainment-education (edutainment) with enhanced (factual) content. An interactive jewellery box is featured to assist women in: (1) recording and reflecting over issues of concern with possible treatments, (2) deliberating over surgery decision, and (3) communicating with physician and significant others. Outcomes Patients’ use of the jewellery box to store issues during completion of the CPtDA, and perceived clarity of values in making a treatment decision, as measured by a low literacy version of the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS). Results Over half of the participants utilized the jewellery box to store issues they found concerning about the treatments. On average, users flagged over 13 issues of concern with the treatments. Scores on the DCS Uncertainty and Feeling Unclear about Values subscales were lower after the intervention compared to before the decision was made. Conclusions A values clarification exercise using an interactive jewellery box may be a promising method for promoting informed treatment decision making by low literacy breast cancer patients.
Carbon monoxide levels and rates of consumption after changing to low tar and nicotine cigarettes.

Abstract Studies which have examined low tar and nicotine (LT/LN) cigarette smoking have failed, for the most part, to assess adequately the long-term effects of these cigarettes. Most studies have been short-term laboratory investigations of nicotine regulation. More practical strategies for changing to LT/LN cigarettes have largely been ignored. The present study examined long-term changes in smoking patterns following the gradual introduction of LT/LN cigarette smoking. Predicted increases in reported rates of consumption as well as carbon monoxide (CO) levels were not found for most smokers following changes to LT/LN cigarettes. Generally, smokers showed decreased rates of consumption, and a majority had lower CO levels at the end of treatment and during follow-up. Thus, LT/LN cigarette smoking would appear to be an alternative treatment goal for risk reduction in individuals who cannot stop smoking.
Molecular determinants of voltage-gated potassium currents in vascular smooth muscle.

Voltage-gated K+ channels (Kv) play an important role in regulating contraction of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) through their effects on membrane potential and on voltage-gated Ca2+ channel activity. Kv channels are tetrameric structures consisting of four identical or closely related pore-forming α subunits that may be associated with accessory subunits. More than 30 different gene products that contribute to Kv channel complexes have been identified to date, some of which are subject to alternative splicing. Consequently, there is an enormous potential diversity in the molecular composition and properties of possible Kv channel complexes. Electrophysiologic measurements of K+ currents in VSMC suggest the presence of multiple Kv channel assemblies including: (1) rapidly inactivating, 4-aminopyridine-sensitive, (2) slowly inactivating, tetraethylammonium-insensitive, and (3) noninactivating, tetraethylammonium-sensitive components. Based on electrophysiological and expression studies, it is likely that the latter two components are represented by a heteromultimeric complex of Kv1.2 with either Kv1.4 or Kv1.5 and a Kvβ1 subunit, and by at least Kv2.1, respectively. The identity of the first A-type current component, however, is not clear at this time. The relative abundance of these current components appears to vary in VSMC from different anatomical sites, from animals of different ages, and perhaps in VSMC within specific vascular segments. Expression of numerous Kv α and β subunits has been demonstrated in VSMC at both the gene and protein level. However, the number of expressed subunits appears to be much larger than the number of apparent Kv current components. It remains unclear if all of these transcripts are expressed in VSCM or in other cell types in the tissue, or if expression patterns are homogenous or heterogeneous in VSMC at a given site.
The locomotor effects of MK801 in the nucleus accumbens of developing and adult rats

Abstract This developmental study was an investigation of locomotion induced by the NMDA receptor antagonist, (+)MK-801 hydrogen maleate [(5R,10S)-(+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine], at doses of 0, 3 or 10 μg injected bilaterally into the nucleus accumbens of rats at 11, 21, 31, or 61–66 days of age. During a 2-h test session, only a few 11-day-old pups responded to either dose of MK801; they displayed short bouts of obstinate progression. In contrast, 21- and 31-day-olds were not affected by 3 μg MK801 but exhibited robust activation after 10 μg MK801. The activation was greatest in 21-day-olds and also occurred after mid-striatal injections in 21- but not 31-day-old rats. Adult rats injected with MK801 were not robustly activated, but they maintained their initial level of activity throughout the test session, instead of habituating to the test monitor, as controls did. Ontological changes in MK801-induced activity are likely to reflect maturation of glutamate transmission in the nucleus accumbens.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Arterial Dissections

Dissections of the cervical and intracranial vessels represent an important source of stroke in those less than 50 years of age. This can occur spontaneously or following trauma, minor or major. Rapid diagnosis is essential to limit subsequent sequelae and modern computed tomographic angiography represents an appropriately sensitive modality. Treatment must be individualized to the patient and can consist of an antiplatelet regimen, anticoagulation, or endovascular intervention. No evidence demonstrates superiority of either medical modality and even aspirin alone may be efficacious. Consideration should be given to this in the multi-trauma population in which more aggressive anticoagulation is contraindicated. In addition, thrombolytic administration should not be withheld would it otherwise be indicated. Endovascular intervention is reserved for those with hemodynamically significant narrowing, enlarging pseudoaneurysms, fistulas formation, or subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Cognitive consequences of making computer-based learning activities more game-like

Some students (base group) played the Circuit Game, a 10-level computer-based learning activity intended to help students learn how electrical circuits work. Other students (competition group) played the same game but with competition features added - including a score bar showing performance on each level, the opportunity to earn one ticket per level if a performance criterion is met, and the opportunity to win a prize based on the number of tickets earned. On a retention test given after the game, the competition group remembered significantly more than the base group (d=0.47). On an embedded transfer test constituting the final level of the game, the groups did not differ significantly. However, on the transfer test there was a significant gender by group interaction in which men performed worse in the competition group than the base group (d=-0.54) and women performed better in the competition group than the base group (d=0.24). Overall, adding game-like features to a computer-based learning activity caused students to pay attention to game details but did not motivate students - particularly men - to learn more deeply.
Fracture toughness of copper-base alloys for fusion energy applications

Abstract Oxide-dispersion strengthened copper alloys and a precipitation-hardened copper–nickel–beryllium alloy showed a significant reduction in toughness at elevated temperatures (250°C) as compared to room temperature. This decrease in toughness was much larger than would be expected from the relatively modest changes in the tensile properties over the same temperature range. However, a copper–chromium–zirconium alloy strengthened by precipitation showed only a small decrease in toughness at the higher temperatures. The embrittled alloys showed a transition in fracture mode, from transgranular microvoid coalescence at room temperature to intergranular with localized ductility at high temperatures. The Cu–Cr–Zr alloy maintained the ductile microvoid coalescence failure mode at all test temperatures.
Automatic prostate localization using elastic registration of planning CT and daily 3D ultrasound images

The prostate is known to move between daily fractions during the course of radiation therapy using external beams. This movement causes problem with 3D conformal or intensity-modulated radiation therapy, in which tight margins are used for treatment planning. To minimize the adverse effect of this motion on dose delivery, daily localization of the prostate with respect to the planning CT is necessary. Current ultrasound-based localization systems require manual alignment of ultrasound images with the planning CT. The resulting localization is subjective and has high interobserver variability. To reduce the alignment uncertainty and increase the setup efficiency, we proposed an automatic prostate alignment method using a volume subdivision-based elastic image registration algorithm. The algorithm uses normalized mutual information as the measure of image similarity between the daily 3D ultrasound images and the planning CT. The prostate contours on the CT are mapped to the ultrasound space by applying the transformation fields from image registration. The displacement of the center-of-mass of the mapped contours is calculated for automatic patient setup. For validation purposes, six experts independently and manually aligned the archived CT and 3D ultrasound images using the SonArray system and reported their readings as shifts along the three principal axes. The mean shift and standard deviation of the readings along each axis were calculated. We regarded the automatic alignment as being acceptable if the difference between the mean shift and the automatic shift is within two times the standard deviation. Three out of five patients were successfully aligned with two failures.
Behavior of laser-induced emission intensity versus laser power density during breakdown of optical materials

ABSTRACT Breakdown in Si02 is studied versus fluence using an intensified CCD spectrometer. Broad-bandphotoluminescence spectra were measured versus number of laser pulses. Before the breakdown of fused silica, the intensity of this photoluminescence increases. After breakdown, a plasma is formed andablated Si emission lines are measured. The plasma is characterized by its emission spectra and excitation temperature temporal profiles. The temperature profiles of the plasma are calculated by the Bolzmann method. These data are studied to provide fundamental information on breakdown mechanisms in optical materials. Keywords: Laser ablation, optical materials, fused silica, damage threshold, excitation temperature, photoluminescence, emission spectra 1. INTRODUCTION At high laser fluence, lower than the breakdown of a material, strong optical absorption occurs inotherwise non-aborbing media, leading to physical damage, ejection of material into a vapor plume, and creation of an ionized plasma. The actual absorption mechanisms under high power, short pulse
Implementing AACR and AACR2 : A Personal Perspective and Lessons Learned

As we move toward implementing RDA: Resource Description and Access , I have been pondering how we might manage the transition to new cataloging rules effectively. I was a practicing cataloger when Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules , 2nd ed., was implemented and remember it as a traumatic process. The published literature that I found focused on the impact of the then-new rules on specific formats and genres, but no one seems to have addressed the process of implementation and what type of training worked well (or did not). After a bit of sleuthing, I found a pertinent presentation by Arlene G. Taylor, which she graciously agreed to repurpose as this guest editorial. —Peggy Johnson
Development of a Nested Grid, Second Moment Turbulence Closure Model and Application to the 1982 ASCOT Brush Creek Data Simulation

Abstract An improved, second-moment turbulence-closure model and a random particle kernel diffusion model are described and tested with the 1982 ASCOT (Atmospheric Studies in Complex Terrain) data collected in Brush Creek, Colorado. Three improvements of the models are the nested grid capability, inclusion of terrain shadows and application of a kernel method for concentration estimation. The present models are unique in a sense that wind variances needed for the computation of transport and diffusion of airborne materials are obtained directly from the second-moment turbulence-closure model.
Laxatives: an update on mechanism of action.

Abstract Laxatives, traditionally thought to act by stimulating intestinal motility, have other actions which result in laxation. They produce myoelectric alterations in intestinal smooth muscle and induce accumulation of luid in the intestinal lumen; these effects cause rapid transit of material through the bowel. Laxative-induced fluid accumulation may be brought about by inhibition of ion and water absorption, stimulation of fluid secretion, or both concomptantly. Inhibition of cellular energy production or utilization, mucosal injury and activation of adenylate cyclase may be involved in the mucosal action of these agents. The pharmacologic activity of laxatives involves both mucosal and muscle sites of action.
Neuroprotective Effects of l‐Carnitine in Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction

: The neuroprotective action of l-carnitine (LC) in the rat model of 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA)-induced mitochondrial dysfunction was examined. 3-NPA is known to produce decreases in neuronal ATP levels via inhibition of the succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) at complex II of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. SDH is involved in reactions of the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation, and its inhibition leads to both necrosis and apoptosis. LC enhances mitochondrial metabolism and, together with its acetylated form, acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC), via the LC-ALC-mediated transfer of acetyl groups, plays an important modulatory role in neurotransmitter signal transduction pathways and gene expression in neuronal cells. In the study described here, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with 3-NPA alone or treated with LC prior to 3-NPA administration. Pretreatment with LC totally prevented the 3-NPA-induced decrease in brain temperature measured using temperature probes implanted intracranially. It appears that the protective effects of LC against 3-NPA-induced neurotoxicity are achieved via compensatory enhancement of several pathways of mitochondrial energy metabolism. The results of this and previous studies conducted by our division in the 3-NPA model of mitochondrial dysfunction demonstrate that 3-NPA may be employed in vivo to evaluate enhancers of mitochondrial function that might exert neuroprotective effects.
Finite-state residual vector quantization

This paper presents a new FSVQ scheme called Finite-State Residual Vector Quantization (FSRVQ) in which each state uses a Residual Vector Quantizer (RVQ) to encode the input vector. Furthermore, a novel tree- structured competitive neural network is proposed to jointly design the next-state and the state-RVQ codebooks for the proposed FSRVQ. Joint optimization of the next-state function and the state-RVQ codebooks eliminates a large number of redundant states in the conventional FSVQ design; consequently, the memory requirements are substantially reduced in the proposed FSRVQ scheme. The proposed FSRVQ can be designed for high bit rates due to its very low memory requirements and low search complexity of the state-RVQs. Simulation results show that the proposed FSRVQ scheme outperforms the conventional FSVQ schemes both in terms of memory requirements and perceptual quality of the reconstructed image. The proposed FSRVQ scheme also outperforms JPEG (current standard for still image compression) at low bit rates.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Voice for all: adopting content management in frontline technical support

In 2007, Purdue University's Learning Spaces Operations embarked on a project to upgrade their web documents to use the open source content management package Drupal. Designed to afford non-web developers easy content creation, Drupal's large community and abundance of supplementary modules offered a flexible and feature-rich foundation for the group's growing catalogue of support material. Taking advantage of Drupal's taxonomy system, site organization focused on categorizing content in broad, activity-oriented sections that served as "one-stop shopping" for all pages dealing with particular tasks the LS-Ops group pursue in support of Purdue's learning environments. To realize such a site design, third-party add-in modules were employed both to supplement organization and presentation, and to generate new avenues of information contribution via use of such tools as discussion forums, image galleries, and calendars. Development of the site faced some challenges involving integration of legacy web tools, creation of role-based content permissions for both full-time and student staff, and the design of robust authentication to handle the demands of a large user base. Adoption of the finished site by staff also provided another set of challenges. With the collection and centralization of the group's online content, complexity grew as more information became available. Freedom to easily contribute content also proved a significant paradigm shift to staff unfamiliar with such information democratization. Through concentrated effort by both developers and users, the site demonstrated the power of decentralized content authorship, and helped to allow Learning Spaces Operations to evolve their support content as fast as the technology they support.
Calcified Brain Metastasis

Two patients with rare cases of calcified brain metastases are reported. The relatively benign clinical course and prolonged survival are stressed. The first patient had an adenocarcinoma of unknown origin with three calcified brain metastases. The patient underwent an incisional brain biopsy without radiotherapy and survived for 2 years and 9 months. The second patient had a squamous cell carcinoma of the lung with a large, solitary brain metastasis. The brain tumor was calcified and remained stable without progression for at least 4 months before surgical resection.
Integrating learning theories and application-based modules in teaching linear algebra☆

Abstract The research team of The Linear Algebra Project developed and implemented a curriculum and a pedagogy for parallel courses in (a) linear algebra and (b) learning theory as applied to the study of mathematics with an emphasis on linear algebra. The purpose of the ongoing research, partially funded by the National Science Foundation, is to investigate how the parallel study of learning theories and advanced mathematics influences the development of thinking of individuals in both domains. The researchers found that the particular synergy afforded by the parallel study of math and learning theory promoted, in some students, a rich understanding of both domains and that had a mutually reinforcing effect. Furthermore, there is evidence that the deeper insights will contribute to more effective instruction by those who become high school math teachers and, consequently, better learning by their students. The courses developed were appropriate for mathematics majors, pre-service secondary mathematics teachers, and practicing mathematics teachers. The learning seminar focused most heavily on constructivist theories, although it also examined socio-cultural and historical perspectives. A particular theory, Action–Process–Object–Schema (APOS) [10] , was emphasized and examined through the lens of studying linear algebra. APOS has been used in a variety of studies focusing on student understanding of undergraduate mathematics. The linear algebra courses include the standard set of undergraduate topics. This paper reports the results of the learning theory seminar and its effects on students who were simultaneously enrolled in linear algebra and students who had previously completed linear algebra and outlines how prior research has influenced the future direction of the project.
Disparities in Outcome for Black Patients after Pediatric Heart Transplantation

Objective To examine the relationship of black race to graft survival after heart transplantation in children. Study design United Network for Organ Sharing records of heart transplantation for subjects Results Of the 4227 pediatric heart transplant recipients, 717 (17%) were black. The 1-year graft survival rate did not differ among groups; however, the 5-year graft survival rate was significantly lower for black recipients, 51% versus 69%, P Conclusions Median graft survival after pediatric heart transplantation for black recipients is less than half that of other racial groups. These differences do not appear to be related primarily to economic disparities.
Life Table Analysis of Carcinogenicity Experiments

Recent methods for the analysis of carcinogenicity experiments are summarized and discussed. The discussion centers around survival models aimed at estimating tumor incidence. Practical applications of these models to typical carcinogenicity experiments and to historical control data are discussed. In addition, a simple survival adjustment to the usual trend test in proportions is presented.
Physical model for the complex resistivity of the Earth

We show that the empirical Cole-Cole model used to inter-pret low-frequency complex resistivity data does have a physical basis. Such a configuration is a homogeneous conductor loaded by a sparse distribution of spheroidal metallic particles with a polarisable surface layer which can be characterised by an interface impedance.
1st- and 2nd-year medical student exposure to emergency medicine.

Background: Medical societies in emergency medicine (EM) have recommended teaching EM topics in the preclinical years of medical school. However, the magnitude of integrating an EM curriculum into the 1st and 2nd year of medical school is unknown. Purpose: The purpose of this survey was to determine the extent and type of exposure to EM in the 1st and 2nd years of medical schools in the United States. Methods: The deans of all allopathic and osteopathic medical schools in the country were surveyed by mail. The survey took the form of a questionnaire and had seven questions that included type of exposure, number of students, length of the exposure, learning objectives, lecturers, laboratory, textbook, evaluation process and grades, departmental status, board certification, emergency department volume, and size of the medical school class. The data were analyzed with SPSS software. Results: The survey was returned by 84 of the 125 (67.2%) medical schools in the country. The average class size was 129.0 stud...
Chemotherapy for metastatic squamous-cell carcinoma of penis combination of vincristine and bleomycin

Three patients with metastatic squamous-cell penile cancer were treated with a combination of vincristine and bleomycin. None of the tumors responded to the drug combination. All of the tumors progressed during treatment. These preliminary results suggest that the combination of vincristine and bleomycin is not efficacious for metastatic squamous-cell cancer of the penis.
Low temperature lattice transformation of HfV2

Abstract The cubic Laves phase HfV 2 has been found to undergo a cubic-orthorhombic transformation below 120°K.
Culture of safety

In this article, the principles behind high-reliability organizations and a culture of safety are explored. Three areas in which health care has the greatest potential for improvement in safety culture are also discussed: a nonpunitive response to error; handoffs and transitions; and safe staffing. Tools for frontline nurses to help improve their organization's culture of safety in these areas are reviewed. Information is also given for nurses responding to error, including participating in root-cause analysis and supporting health care workers involved in adverse events.
Characterization of de novo folate synthesis in Pneumocystis carinii and Toxoplasma gondii: potential for screening therapeutic agents

Drug therapy studies imply that Pneumocystis carinii and Toxoplasma gondii possess the enzymes necessary for de novo folate synthesis. To verify this, incorporation of [3H]paraaminobenzoic acid [( 3H]PABA) into reduced folates by P. carinii and T. gondii was investigated. Both organisms synthesized tritiated reduced folates. In P. carinii, 10-formyltetrahydrofolate and tetrahydrofolate, and in T. gondii, 5-formyltetrahydrofolate were the major synthesized folates. P. carinii remained metabolically active in vitro for only a few days. Because current systems for screening antipneumocystis agents are cumbersome, the utility of this assay system for screening therapeutic agents was investigated. Sulfonamides and pentamidine efficiently inhibited de novo folate synthesis in P. carinii. Inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase such as trimethoprim and trimetrexate were poor inhibitors for P. carinii but efficient inhibitors for T. gondii. This study demonstrates the first unambiguous evidence of metabolic activity in P. carinii, and provides a potential assay for efficiently screening antipneumocystis drugs in vitro.
On Synchronous Robotic Networks—Part I: Models, Tasks, and Complexity

This paper proposes a formal model for a network of robotic agents that move and communicate. Building on concepts from distributed computation, robotics, and control theory, we define notions of robotic network, control and communication law, coordination task, and time and communication complexity. We illustrate our model and compute the proposed complexity measures in the example of a network of locally connected agents on a circle that agree upon a direction of motion and pursue their immediate neighbors.
Raman spectrum of Na2SO4 (phase V)

Abstract The Raman spectrum of Na2SO4 in its stable low-temperature phase (space group D242h) has been measured at temperatures of 10 and 295 K. Spectral features have been observed that were not reported in the earlier study of Montero. All of the 21 Raman-active vibrational modes have been identified and assigned to symmetry species. The division into lattice and sulfate internal modes is well obeyed in Na2SO4. Other weaker features are assigned variously to isotope modes and Fermi resonance modes, and the coupling between two internal modes is analyzed. The Raman spectrum indicates that there is no phase change in Na2SO4 (V) between 10 and 295 K.
A Comparison of Interest Group Recommendations in Setting Day Care Licensing Standards

The recommendations of four groups in setting day care center licensing policy are compared. An examination is made of the recommendations of day care center operators, staff, parents, and licensers on three sets of variables: a proposal for the state to no longer license day care centers, the number of licensing inspection visits required each year, and five categories of child/staff ratios. Only partial support is found for the hypothesis that the four day care interest groups differ in their recommendations. A distinction is made between statistically significant and practically significant differences. The findings are discussed in relation to their implications for setting day care licensing standards.
Baclofen decreases acid and non‐acid post‐prandial gastro‐oesophageal reflux measured by combined multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH

Summary Background : Omeprazole controls acid but not non-acid reflux. The GABA B agonist baclofen decreases acid reflux through the inhibition of transient lower oesophageal sphincter relaxations (TLESRs) and should similarly decrease non-acid reflux. Using combined multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH (MII/pH), we compared acid and non-acid reflux after placebo and baclofen. Methods : Nine healthy volunteers and nine heartburn patients underwent two 2-h studies of combined MII/pH in right lateral decubitus after a refluxogenic meal in random order: on placebo and after baclofen 40 mg p.o. Tracings were analysed for acid and non-acid reflux episodes, re-reflux and symptoms in the heartburn patients. Results : In normal subjects baclofen significantly reduced the median number of episodes of acid (7 vs. 1, P = 0.02), non-acid (2 vs. 0, P = 0.005), and all reflux combined (10 vs. 2, P = 0.006); re-reflux was not reduced (0 vs. 0, P = N.S.). In heartburn patients, baclofen significantly decreased the median number of episodes of acid (15 vs. 6, P = 0.004), non-acid (4 vs. 2, P = 0.003), re-reflux (2 vs. 0, P = 0.02), and all reflux combined (23 vs. 8, P = 0.004); it also reduced the median number of acid-related (9 vs. 1, P = 0.008) and non-acid-related (1 vs. 0, P = 0.04) symptoms. Conclusions : Baclofen reduces post-prandial acid and non-acid reflux and their associated symptoms. GABA B agonists may have a role in treating GERD.