cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Pediatric Breast Abscesses and Optimal Treatment: A Retrospective Analysis.

Abstract Background Literature on pediatric breast abscesses is sparse; therefore, treatment is based on adult literature which has shifted from incision and drainage (I&D) to needle aspiration. However, children may require different treatment due to different risk factors and the presence of a developing breast bud. We sought to characterize pediatric breast abscesses and compare outcomes. Materials and methods A retrospective review of patients presenting with a primary breast abscess from January 2008 to December 2018 was conducted. Primary outcome was persistent disease. Antibiotic utilization, treatment required, and risk factors for abscess and recurrence were also assessed. A follow-up survey regarding scarring, deformity, and further procedures was administered. Fisher's exact and Kruskal-Wallis tests for group comparisons and multivariable regression to determine associations with recurrence were performed. Results Ninety-six patients were included. The median age was 12.8 y [IQR 4.9, 14.3], 81% were women, and 51% were African-American. Most commonly, patients were treated with antibiotics alone (47%), followed by I&D (27%), and aspiration (26%). Twelve patients (13%) had persistent disease. There was no difference in demographic or clinical characteristics between those with persistent disease and those who responded to initial treatment. The success rates of primary treatment were 80% with antibiotics alone, 90% with aspiration, and 96% with I&D (P = 0.35). The median time to follow-up survey was 6.5 y [IQR 4.4, 8.5]. Four patients who underwent I&D initially reported significant scarring. Conclusions Treatment modality was not associated with persistent disease. A trial of antibiotics alone may be considered to minimize the risk of breast bud damage and adverse cosmetic outcomes with invasive intervention.
3D cluster-driven trilateral filter for speckle reduction in ultrasound images

We propose a cluster-driven trilateral filter for speckle reduction in ultrasound images. In addition to operating in the spatial dimension and the intensity dimension, the proposed filter also merges clustering information simultaneously. We compare the proposed filter with a normalized bilateral filter for speckle reduction using real 3-D ultrasound images. Our experimental results indicate that the cluster-driven trilateral filter exhibits better performance for speckle reduction and edge feature preservation than the normalized bilateral filter. In addition, we investigate the graphic processing unit (GPU) technique and apply it to the proposed 3-D filter. We design and test a GPU framework and compare it with a single-core CPU framework. Our experimental results show that the GPU-accelerated trilateral filter can obtain a roughly 20-fold increase in speed.
Similar targets detection and location indoors by UAV

With the increasing demand of UAVs application in target reconnaissance, it is a more complex task to identify and locate similar targets. The small difference between similar targets and the limited computing power of UAVs on board mean that the perception algorithm needs to have high target differentiation and fast accuracy. In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes a similar target detection and target absolute position localization algorithm based on yolo-v3 partial detection, including a detection module and a positioning module. The detection module uses the speed of yolo-v3 and the effectiveness of small target detection, and improves by adding geometric constraints to achieve similar target differentiation. The positioning module obtains the accurate and absolute position of the target for the UAV platform. The actual flight experiment is carried out and verify that the proposed algorithm works well in real time under the UAV platform.
Introduction: Beyond Citizenship and the Nation-State

The Call for Papers for this Special Issue of New Political Science “Beyond Citizenship and the Nation-State” was written in what now seems an utterly different time: Fall 2019. This Special Issue ...
Interaction Between a Low-Temperature Plasma and Graphene: An in situ Raman Thermometry Study

The localized release of energy at the surface of plasma-exposed materials plays a crucial role in many plasma-driven processes. Unfortunately, the interaction between low-temperature plasmas and surfaces is both poorly understood and difficult to characterize. Here, we use Raman thermometry to measure the temperature of graphene during plasma exposure. We observe a significant increase in the graphene temperature even for modest input plasma powers. These results suggest that two-dimensional materials are effective surface probes for the quantitative characterization of plasma-induced heating effects and for further investigation of the plasma-surface interaction.
Compliance assessment with tobacco control regulations at wheelchair-based tobacco Point of sale in Delhi, India

Background: In India, tobacco products are sold at the outlets/shops following the provisions regulating the point-of-sale (PoS) environment under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA, 2003). Objectives: Given the lack of evidence regarding wheelchair-based tobacco PoSs (WC-PoSs), compliance assessment for Sections 5 and 6 of COTPA was conducted within Delhi. Materials and Methods: Using multistage random sampling in the 11 districts of Delhi, 200 WC-PoSs were identified in May–June 2017. Areas 1 km around each selected landmark were mapped using a map tool, and WC-PoSs were screened using a self-designed study tool (background information and compliance checklist). Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the data using EpiData. Results: Of the 11 districts, 4 were constituted majority of the WC-PoSs: South West (21.5%), West Delhi (20%), North West (17.5%), and North East (11%). The outlet characteristics were government sponsored (36.5%) and mobile outlets (95.5%). Majority of them (94.5%) showed noncompliance toward Section 5 of COTPA. While none of them complied with the display of Section 6(a) signage, only 6% of the outlets were found selling tobacco products within the 100 yards of educational institutes. Conclusions: The sale of tobacco in Delhi at these unique PoSs continues with a lack of compliance with the rules of COTPA. The implications of this noncompliance in the national capital are of major significance for the rest of the country.
Extensive mature cystic teratoma in the pelvis of an adult male patient mimicking a prostatic abscess

Abstract Mature cystic teratomas are rare neoplasms composed of tissues from at least two of the germ layers. In the adult male pelvis, these tumors are exceptionally rare; only a small number of cases have been reported in the literature. We describe the case of a 76-year-old male with an extensive mature cystic teratoma in the rectovesical space, perineum, scrotum, and gluteal folds. This was misdiagnosed and managed as a chronic prostate abscess for six years. Few cases in the literature have reported mature cystic teratomas presenting as abscesses in male patients, and none in the male pelvis. This presentation should prompt physicians to consider the diagnosis of teratoma when managing similar cases, especially if cultures are negative and the symptoms recur despite treatment.
US Cold War Immigration Policy, Human Rights, and the Soviet Jewry Movement: Reflections on William Korey’s “The Right to Leave for Soviet Jews – Legal and Moral Aspects.”

Is immigration – the right to leave one’s place of birth and find refuge in another nation – a basic human right? Indeed, the United States government has told thousands of Central Americans since ...
Associations between patient experience and clinical outcomes in substance use disorder clinics: Findings from the veterans outcomes assessment survey

Abstract Background Patient-centeredness is a cornerstone of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Patient-experience measures are potential tools for the routine assessment of patient-centered SUD care and may be valuable measures to inform quality monitoring improvement efforts. Little research exists on the predictive validity of patient-experience measures in SUD care. Purpose We report on findings from the Veterans Outcome Assessment (VOA) survey that provides information on Veterans Health Administration SUD specialty care at treatment initiation and approximately 3-months post-initiation. Methods The VOA includes patient-reported outcomes across multiple domains, including the Brief Addiction Monitor (BAM-R), the Short-Form-12 (SF-12) and the Experience of Care and Health Outcome Survey (ECHO), and provides patient reports of the quality of provider communication and overall quality of SUD care. Results Nearly 40% of veterans in SUD care gave the highest possible ratings for communication and quality at both baseline and follow-up. Ratings of communication at 3-months were associated with treatment discontinuation and both ratings of communication and quality at 3-months and were independently associated with SUD symptoms and with mental well-being at 3-months. Conclusions This study provides preliminary support for the inclusion of patient experience measures, particularly ratings of provider communication, as part of routine assessment in SUD care. However, further work on the validity of ratings of provider communication using additional methodologies is likely important before piloting the inclusion of such measures in routine assessment, such as in measurement base care.
Rural Dermatology Residency Slots: Priming the Pump

There has been an ever-increasing shortage of dermatologists working in rural settings. Reducing this shortage requires effective recruitment and retention strategies, beginning in medical school and residency training. There are currently dermatology residency programs that recruit residents specifically to work in a rural setting. These programs use strategic recruitment criteria in order to find the resident who will be the best ‘fit’ for the settling in a rural area. This may include identifying the residents’ wishes regarding practice in their rural hometown, or their significant other’s or family member’s connection to a local community. Similarly, programs use retention strategies, including identifying residents desire for parenting of children and compatibility with the medical community, in order to assess the potential for a resident to have a long-lasting career in the rural community where they start their practice. Long-term mentorship to identify ties to pursing a rural career are vital for successful recruitment and retention of these residents. While there are financial risks and an investment of time required to implement a rural dermatology residency program, successful implementation can effectively impact the shortage of physicians, including dermatologists, in underserved areas.
Role of forest ditching and agriculture on water quality: Connecting the long-term physico-chemical subsurface state of lakes with landscape and habitat structure information

Abstract Increasing anthropogenic pressures have affected the status of surface freshwater ecosystems. Eutrophication, water browning, acidification, and several other processes may be channelled through the food web. In this study, we evaluate the role of hydrology impacting anthropogenic pressures, flows from urban, farmland and ditched forest areas, and how they explain the physico-chemical quality of lakes and ponds in the boreal biome of Finland. We study the long-term effect around 445 waterfowl survey sites that had physico-chemical measurements (total phosphorus, total nitrogen, pH, water clarity and colour) produced by Finnish environmental authorities done in years 1986–2020. Furthermore, we investigate whether a long-term national-level citizen science study focusing on rather robust visible habitat structures measured by the volunteers can reveal physico-chemical water quality using data from >270 lakes where the waterfowl habitat survey and physico-chemical measurements could be spatio-temporally matched. Farmland occurrence around the lakes was positively associated with pH, colour and nutrient concentrations but negatively associated with water clarity. Furthermore, ditch length was positively associated with nitrogen concentration and water colour, while being negatively associated with pH and water clarity. Overall, the studied lakes showed a negative trend in nutrients and clarity but a positive trend in pH and colour. As expected, nutrient concentration increased and clarity decreased along the gradient from oligotrophic to eutrophic lake habitat classifications, which suggests that the citizen science classification seem to reflect the subsurface physico-chemical status of the lakes. We conclude that farming and forest ditching practices in particular seem to associate with the state of the study lakes and that the ecological impacts of intensified turbidity and brownification in wetland ecosystems should be studied further in the future. Sustainable improvement of water quality rests upon scientific understanding of biogeochemical processes in lake ecosystems and the primary sources of the nutrient and sediment loading.
Psychiatric Disturbances of Attention

Attentional disturbances occurring among people with four psychiatric conditions will be considered: (1) affective disorders, (2) schizophrenia, (3) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and (4) anxiety/stress disorders. For each of these disorders, the nature and the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms that account for disturbances of attention will be considered. We will also discuss evidence from the field of behavioral medicine that implicates attention as contributing to particular health risk factors, including pain, obesity, physical activity, and substance dependence, particularly smoking and heavy alcohol and drug use.
Survival of aortic allografts containing living cells

There is agreement among investigators that the “in vivo reaction” to the implanted allograft is complex and variably related to (1) donor age; (2) procurement and processing methods; (3) implantation position and technique; and (4) immunogenic reaction within the valve cusps (1, 2, 3). Many human and animal experiments have been performed to determine the nature of the donor and host reaction after implantation, and there is disagreement as to whether the transplanted donor cells remain viable. Our findings, as well as O’Brien’s remain opposed to those of Brian Barrett-Boyes and Ross on this issue (4, 5, 6, 7). We believe that donor cells remain viable for extended periods, and that long-term valve function is related to the presence of viable cells in the donor graft (Fig. 1). If viable donor cells are not present, then long-term function is secondary to the basic tissue integrity of the functional valve cusp and not due to repopulation by host cells. It is proven that viable fibroblasts in valve cusps can be detected histologically and by tissue culture after ex-plantation. Our data suggests that these are living donor fibroblasts, and there is limited host invasion into and onto the functional valve cusps after implantation (5, 8, 9). Morphology of both experimental and clinical valve expiants indicate that donor cell hyperplasia and host overgrowth or pannus can be advantageous or deleterious depending upon the location and intensity of collagen deposition (Fig. 2).
Investigating the Correspondence Between UMUX-LITE and SUS Scores

The UMUX-LITE is a two-item questionnaire that assesses perceived usability. In previous research it correlated highly with the System Usability Scale (SUS) and, with appropriate adjustment using a regression formula, had close correspondence to the magnitude of SUS scores, enabling its comparison with emerging SUS norms. Those results, however, were based on the data used to compute the regression formula. In this paper we describe a study conducted to investigate the quality of the published formula using independent data. The formula worked well. As expected, the correlation between the SUS and UMUX-LITE was significant and substantial, and the overall mean difference between their scores was just 1.1, about 1 % of the range of values the questionnaires can take, verifying the efficacy of the regression formula.
The Expression and Role of Melanopsin in Paralichthys dentatus

Less than two decades ago a research on the light sensitive skin cells of Xenopus laevis led to the discovery of the visual pigment known as melanopsin. Now, it's known that melanopsin is expressed...
Distinct Functional Types of Associative Long-Term Potentiation in Neocortical and Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons

The response of a neuron to a time-varying stimulus is influenced by both short- and long-term synaptic plasticity. Both these forms of plasticity produce changes in synaptic efficacy of similar magnitude on very different time scales. A full understanding of the functional role of each form of plasticity relies on understanding how they interact. Here we examine how long-term potentiation (LTP) and short-term plasticity (STP) interact in two different cell types that exhibit NMDA-dependent LTP: neocortical L-II/III and hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells. STP was examined using both paired pulses and trains of pulses before and after the induction of LTP. In both cell types, the same pairing protocol was used to induce LTP in the presence of an unpaired control pathway. Pairing produced a robust increase in the amplitude of the first EPSP both in the neocortex and hippocampus. However, although in CA1 neurons the same degree of potentiation was maintained throughout the duration of a brief stimulus train, in L-II/III neurons relatively less potentiation was seen in the later EPSPs of the train. Paired-pulse analyses revealed that a uniform potentiation is observed at intervals >100 msec, but at shorter intervals there is a preferential enhancement of the first pulse. Thus, in the cortex LTP may preferentially amplify stimulus onset. These results suggest that there are distinct forms of associative LTP and that the different forms may reflect the underlying computations taking place in different areas.
Biochemical Processes/Kinetics

Most biochemical processes are catalyzed by enzymes that facilitate the conversion of one type of metabolite into another. Enzymes are proteins whose activity the cells control rapidly through inhibitors, activators, or other modulators and, on a longer time scale, through altered gene expression. Kinetics addresses questions related to the dynamics of enzyme-catalyzed reactions and of systems of such reactions. As this dynamic is nonlinear and therefore complex, it is presently difficult to analyze large systems in detail. The stoichiometric approach simplifies this complexity by formulating networks of reactions as linear equations, where all influxes into a metabolite pool are balanced against all effluxes from this pool. At the biologically important steady state, the analysis of stoichiometric systems becomes a matter of linear algebra. For smaller systems, enough kinetic information is available to formulate nonlinear models that account for the cell's various means of regulation. Traditionally, the reactions in such models have been based on representations like the kinetic rate law of Henri, Michaelis, and Menten. As these rate laws become cumbersome for systems of more than a few steps, new kinetic approaches use alternative representations, such as power-law functions, which are manageable for realistically sized pathway systems. Keywords: biochemical systems theory; generalized mass action model; kinetics; metabolic control analysis; metabolic pathway; stoichiometry; S-system; systems analysis; thermodynamics
Asymptotic insensitivity of least-recently-used caching to statistical dependency

We investigate a widely popular least-recently-used (LRU) cache replacement algorithm with semiMarkov modulated requests. SemiMarkov processes provide the flexibility for modeling strong statistical correlation, including the broadly reported long-range dependence in the World Wide Web page request patterns. When the frequency of requesting a page n is equal to the generalized Zipf's law c/n/sup /spl alpha//, /spl alpha/ > 1, our main result shows that the cache fault probability is asymptotically, for large cache sizes, the same as in the corresponding LRU system with i.i.d. requests. This appears to be the first explicit average case analysis of LRU caching with statistically dependent request sequences. The surprising insensitivity of LRU caching performance demonstrates its robustness to changes in document popularity. Furthermore, we show that the derived asymptotic result and simulation experiments are in excellent agreement, even for relatively small cache sizes. The potential of using our results in predicting the behavior of Web caches is tested using actual, strongly correlated, proxy server access traces.
Venous Disease and Pulmonary Embolism

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is an important cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States. Although precise figures are difficult to obtain as a result of undiagnosed cases, the annual incidence of VTE has been estimated at 71 and 117 per 100,000 by two different recent retrospective population-based studies (Worcester and Olm-stead Counties).1’2 Their reported annual incidences for deep venous thrombosis were nearly identical (48 per 100,000), but for pulmonary embolus (PE) there was great disparity (23 versus 69 per 100,000). This difference was believed to be secondary to the threefold-higher rate of autopsy acquisition in Olmstead County as compared to the U.S. average.2 In-hospital case-fatality rates were also different, 12% versus 28%, respectively. Based on the Worcester data, Anderson and Wheeler et al. have estimated the prevalence of clinically significant VTE at 600,000 cases per year, with as many as two-thirds of these being undiagnosed.3 Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) poses not only the immediate threat of pulmonary embolus (PE) but chronic disability secondary to venous insufficiency as well. PE is estimated to be responsible for the deaths of 50,000 to 100,000 persons per year in U.S. hospitals who would not otherwise be expected to die of their underlying disease process.4–6 Despite this awareness and evidence for the efficacy of various forms of prophylaxis, attention toward prevention remains inadequate.7
Social Facilitators and Inhibitors to Internet Access and Use

The current rush to put resources online — academic, educational, commercial, recreational, governmental, political, personal — is accepted as providing information and opportunity for learning and self-expression for all. But is this so? Who is online, taking part in this new way of communicating and learning? Who is left out when government information dissemination, commercial enterprises, and societal participation assume a digital presence? While statistics from surveys in the early 2000’s suggested that differences in access to the Internet across traditional categories of age, race, gender, and socioeconomic status are disappearing, more recent surveys have led to less optimism that the digital divide is — or ever can be — closed.
Predicting Intellectual Ability and Scholastic Outcomes with a Single Item: From Early Childhood to Adulthood

Abstract: Previous research shows that perceived intelligence judgments significantly correlate with measured intelligence scores. The present study investigated the developmental trajectory of the association between perceived intelligence and measured intelligence. Using the Block and Block longitudinal dataset, we examined the relationship between a single rating of “high intellectual ability” made in early childhood by targets’ preschool teachers with future intellectual ability and scholastic outcome measures, including IQ scores, gradepoint average, SAT scores, and educational attainment. Even when -controlling for variables including attractiveness, parental education levels, the General Factor of Personality, and socioeconomic status, correlations between early childhood intelligence perceptions and later intellectual measures were significant, large, and robust. Results are discussed in terms of potential mechanisms and cues in early childhood that may reveal future intellectual abilities.
Cell Death Mechanisms and the Immune System

The immune system provides good models for cell death, a phenomenon now recognized to be of fundamental importance in many fields of biology. Cell death is strikingly polymorphic: it can proceed via necrosis (as in complement-mediated cell death) or apoptosis, but the latter displays different patterns (in the receptor-mediated death of some thymocytes, in cell death mediated by TNF alpha or by cytotoxic T cells), perhaps reflecting different pathways of control of a common core mechanism. Even though there are differences in the morphological and metabolic changes associated with the different patterns of apoptosis, some recurrent sequences of events are observed in almost all dying cells. The metabolic state of a cell often seems to play a major role in determining if and how this cell will die in given external circumstances. The nature of molecules causally involved in the dying cell can now be approached in some systems.
Empiric treatment of sexually transmitted infections in a pediatric Emergency Department: are we making the right decisions?

Abstract Objective Limited recommendations address empiric versus delayed treatment of pediatric patients for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study investigates how frequently empiric STI treatment correlated with subsequent positive test results in an urban, high-risk pediatric emergency department (PED). Methods A retrospective chart review was performed on patients 18 years and younger who presented to an urban PED and had testing for Neisseria gonorrhea (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT). Results The positivity rate for STI among the 198 patients who met inclusion criteria was 28%. In 130 patients (66%), providers' management decision regarding use of empiric antibiotics correlated with subsequent test results. 45 patients (23%) received unnecessary antibiotics. Of the 23 patients (12%) who were positive for STI, but did not receive treatment, 43% (10) had difficulties with followup. Conclusions Providers in high-risk pediatric populations with unreliable patient follow-up should consider having a low threshold for empiric treatment. Development of clinical decision rules and/or strategies to improve patient follow-up may help optimize empiric STI treatment decisions in the PED.
The electrochemical fluorination of 2-methyloxane, oxepane, 2-chloromethyloxane and 2-choloromethyloxolane

The electrochemical fluorination of 2-methyloxane, oxepane, 2-chloromethyloxane and 2-chloromethyloxolane has been carried out. The corresponding perfluoro(2-methyloxane) and perrfluorooxepane were obtained in fair yields from the first two compounds, but from the later two, the corresponding chlorine-containing perfluorocyclic ethers, i.e. perfluoro(2-chloromethyloxane) and perfluoro(2-chloromethyloxolane), were obtained only in small yields, respectively. These new compounds have been characterized by elemental analysis, and infrared, mass and 19F nmr spectra.
Hart vs. Dworkin

One of the more dramatic stories in philosophy of law for two decades (1967–87) is the clash between Hart’s views and those of Ronald Dwoikin, Hart’s former student and successor as Professor of Jurisprudence at Oxford University. Because of the large literature on their views contributed by various authors, people are apt to overlook the many interchanges between Hart and Dworkin themselves on a variety of topics. Here is a brief chronology.
Bottlenecks to clinical translation of direct brain-computer interfaces

Despite several decades of research into novel brain-implantable devices to treat a range of diseases, only two- cochlear implants for sensorineural hearing loss and deep brain stimulation for movement disorders- have yielded any appreciable clinical benefit. Obstacles to translation include technical factors (e.g., signal loss due to gliosis or micromotion), lack of awareness of current clinical options for patients that the new therapy must outperform, traversing between federal and corporate funding needed to support clinical trials, and insufficient management expertise. This commentary reviews these obstacles preventing the translation of promising new neurotechnologies into clinical application and suggests some principles that interdisciplinary teams in academia and industry could adopt to enhance their chances of success.
Reactions of dinitriles with manganese powder: First synthesis of manganese(II) octaphenylporphyrazine and a convenient synthesis of manganese(II) phthalocyanine

Abstract The one-step preparation of the manganese(II) tetraaza macrocyclic compounds, Mn phthalocyanine and Mn octaphenylporphyrazine from dinitriles and metallic manganese is described. The magnetic and other physical properties of the heretofore unknown Mn octaphenylporphyrazine complex are addressed.
Semiclassical and quantum-electrodynamical approaches in nonrelativistic radiation theory

Abstract Theoretical aspects of the interaction of atoms with the radiation field are reviewed with emphasis on those features of the interaction requiring field quantization. The approach is nonrelativistic, with special attention given to the theory of spontaneous emission.
A Good Samaritan inspired foundation for a fair health care system

Distributive justice on the income and on the service aspects is the most vexing modern day problem for the creation and maintenance of an all inclusive health care system. A pervasive problem of all current schemes is the lack of effective cost control, which continues to result in increasing burdens for all public and private stakeholders. This proposal posits that the responsibility and financial obligation to achieve an ideal outcome of equal and affordable access and benefits for all citizens is misplaced. The Good Samaritan demonstrated basic ethical principles, which are revisited, elaborated and integrated into a new approach to health care. The participants are limited to individual contributors and beneficiaries and organized as a citizen carried, closed, independent, and self-sufficient self-governing cooperative for their own and the benefit of a minority of disadvantaged health care consumers. The government assumes oversight, provides arbitration, enforces democratic decision making, a scheme of progressive taxation, a separate and transparent accounting system, and a balance between income and reinvestment in health care. The results are a fair distribution of cost, its effective control, and increased individual motivation to take on responsibility for personal health as a private good and a sharpened focus towards community health. At the sociopolitical level the government as well as employers are released from the inappropriate burden of catering to individual health.
Effective Bayesian inference by data-driven Markov chain Monte Carlo for object recognition and image segmentation

This article presents a mathematical paradigm called Data Driven Markov Chain Monte Carlo (DDMCMC) for effective stochastic inference in the Bayesian framework. We apply the DDMCMC paradigm to two typical problems in image analysis: object recognition and image segmentation. In both problems, the solution spaces are not only high dimensional but heterogeneously-structured in the sense that they are composed of many subspaces of varying dimensions. Each of the subspace is product of what we called the object spaces. The latter is further decomposed into the so-called atomic spaces. The DDMCMC paradigm simulates Markov chains for exploring the solution spaces using both jump and diffusion dynamics. Unlike traditional MCMC algorithms, the DDMCMC paradigm utilizes data driven (or bottom-up) techniques, such as Hough transform, edge detection, and color clustering, to design effective transition probabilities for Markov chain dynamics. This drastically improves the effectiveness of traditional MCMC algorithms in terms of two standard metrics: 'burn-in' period and 'mixing' rate. The article proceeds in three steps. Firstly, we analyze the structures of the solution space (Omega) for the two tasks. Secondly, we study how data-driven techniques are utilized to compute importance proposal probabilities in the solution spaces, the object spaces and atomic spaces. These proposal probabilities are expressed in non-parametric form using weighted samples or particles. Thirdly, we design Markov chains to travel in such heterogeneous structured solution space as an ergodic and reversible process. The paper first review the DDMCMC theory using a simple object recognition problem -- the (psi) -- world reported in [14], then we briefly introduce the results on image segmentation.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Using Ignorance Questions to Promote Thinking Skills

In this article I explore the educational value of students writing questions on what they do not know about course content. Students bring questions to class on assigned chapters and we discuss the questions. Later, students write 1 question for each exam. Students in 10 classes agreed that the technique helped them see alternative ways of viewing the course material, understand the limitations of texts and lectures, and relate current information to previously learned material. This technique is applicable to both introductory and advanced classes.
Mechanism for Plant Cellular Morphogenesis

The control of the cylindrical cell form in plants appears to reside in the orientation of the reinforcing cellulose microfibrils in the side walls. In elongating cells the fibrils are typically transverse. Control of new synthesis of oriented wall texture is shown to be in turn related to the orientation of cytoplasmic elements in the cell periphery. Three properties of these cytoplasmic elements have been deduced from polarization optical properties of treated and normal cell walls. These deduced properties— namely, possession of a long axis and the ability to build microfibrils perpendicular to it, a tendency to cross-bond to make a parallel array, and a sensitivity of this alignment to colchicine—are all well-known properties of mitotic spindle and phragmoplast fibers which form the cross-wall after mitosis. It is proposed that proteins of spindle fiber nature exist in cortical cytoplasm of plant cells and are active in the control of wall texture and cell form.
Roles of ChlR1 DNA helicase in replication recovery from DNA damage

The ChlR1 DNA helicase is mutated in Warsaw breakage syndrome characterized by developmental anomalies, chromosomal breakage, and sister chromatid cohesion defects. However, the mechanism by which ChlR1 preserves genomic integrity is largely unknown. Here, we describe the roles of ChlR1 in DNA replication recovery. We show that ChlR1 depletion renders human cells highly sensitive to cisplatin; an interstrand-crosslinking agent that causes stalled replication forks. ChlR1 depletion also causes accumulation of DNA damage in response to cisplatin, leading to a significant delay in resolution of DNA damage. We also report that ChlR1-depleted cells display defects in the repair of double-strand breaks induced by the I-PpoI endonuclease and bleomycin. Furthermore, we demonstrate that ChlR1-depeleted cells show significant delays in replication recovery after cisplatin treatment. Taken together, our results indicate that ChlR1 plays an important role in efficient DNA repair during DNA replication, which may facilitate efficient establishment of sister chromatid cohesion.
The Production Enhancement of NGL and Reduction of Pipeline Liquid Condensate Flaring with the Successful Implementation of Triethylene Glycol Dehydration Unit

To meet the future sustainability requirement(1,2), major energy suppliers in the world have been pursuing the highest standards of environmental policy to contribute the conservation of natural resources through operation excellence and energy optimization. Abqaiq Plant is the largest oil stabilization plant in the world. A small improvement in separation process could lead to significant energy saving and reduction of CO2 release for its large scale. The crude oil processing units at Abqaiq Plant have two major functions. First, crude feeds from oil field are stripped with steam which increases the moisture content of offgas from the oil stabilization column. Second, the low pressure offgas is pressurized to 450 psig for separation of NGL products. The final NGL product is transferred to the downstream refinery for further processing and the offgas from the NGL facility is transferred to the downstream gas plants for sulfur removal. For years, gas pipelines have been suffering from back pressure caused by liquid condensate accumulation in the pipeline. To reduce the back pressure, enhancement of NGL recovery is required but the challenge is to lower the deethanizer operation temperature without hydrate formation. As a part of the global downstream pipeline and plant optimization program, Saudi Aramco has invested $65MM capital expense for triethylene glycol (TEG) dehydration unit(3,4,5) at the world largest oil stabilization facility to reduce the frequency of pipeline scraping. The success of this project would eliminate 2 million pipeline scraping cost and 40 million of liquid condensate reprocessing and liquid flaring every year. The liquid condensate flaring has imposed a serious adverse environmental impacts and risk to operator exposure to hydrogen sulfide. Commissioning of the TEG dehydration unit was initially unsuccessful for the issue of plant piping network back pressure. To achieve the full benefits of the newly implemented TEG unit, the Abqaiq Plant operation engineering unit has utilized the advanced real time optimization (RTO) model to identify the root causes of failure. Process studies including the feasibility of steady state normal operating conditions and the piping flow estimations were completed by RTO data reconciliation model. Further offline studies for pressure drop analyses on piping networks were completed with additional pipe diameters and roughness data. The location of back pressure was identified by the advanced engineering tool. A new operation transition plan was developed to avoid pipeline back pressure. As a result of this new approach, the NGL production rate was successfully increased by 15 MBD which accounted for $200MM of annual revenue. The commissioning team has also demonstrated a successful story from collaboration of interdisciplined team within the company.
Relationship Among Perceived Parental Trauma, Parental Attachment, and Sense of Coherence in Southeast Asian American College Students

ABSTRACT There are nearly 2 million Southeast Asians (SEAs) currently living in the United States. The overwhelming majority are refugees from the Southeast Asian wars and political turmoil in the latter half of the 20th century. While an abundance of literature has documented the significant war-related traumas that SEA refugees have suffered, very little is known about the transmission of trauma in these families. This phenomenon deserves our attention because children of SEA refugees may suffer negative mental health consequences through the intergenerational transmission of trauma. This paper empirically examined the effect of parental trauma on SEA American late adolescents' sense of coherence, as mediated by parent-child attachment. The findings demonstrated the deleterious effect of parental trauma on attachment and their offsprings' sense of coherence. Further, attachment mediated the effect of parental trauma on adolescent's sense of coherence. The findings demonstrate the reality that what happe...
Permanent prostate brachytherapy-induced morbidity in patients with grade II and III obesity.

Abstract Objectives. To determine the influence of obesity on the development of urinary, bowel, and sexual dysfunction after brachytherapy by means of patient-administered questionnaires. The effect of obesity on dosimetric quality and biochemical outcome was also evaluated. Methods. Thirty-two patients with grade II and III obesity underwent brachytherapy from June 1997 through April 2001. Grade II and III obesity was defined as a body mass index of 35.0 to 39.9 and 40.0 kg/m 2 or greater, respectively. Serial International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) evaluations were obtained at predetermined intervals. Bowel and sexual function were assessed by a rectal function assessment score (R-FAS) and the specific erectile questions of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). The median follow-up was 26.4 months. An alpha-blocker was initiated before implantation and continued at least until the IPSS normalized. Catheter dependency, alpha-blocker dependency, and the incidence of urethral strictures were also evaluated. The efficacy of sildenafil in brachytherapy-induced erectile dysfunction was also evaluated. Dosimetric parameters evaluated included the percentage of the prostate receiving 100%, 150%, and 200% of the prescribed dose (V 100 , V 150 , and V 200 ), the minimal dose received by 90% of the prostate (D 90 ), urethral doses, and rectal doses. Biochemical outcome was determined by the ASTRO consensus conference definition. Results. Of the 32 patients, 31 (97%) had the urinary catheter permanently removed on day 0, and no patient required a urinary catheter for longer than 1 day. One patient developed a urethral stricture. No patient required a transurethral resection or developed urinary incontinence. On average, the IPSS peaked 2 weeks after implantation and returned to baseline at a median of 8 weeks (mean 16). The post-treatment R-FAS was 3.6. No patient developed a rectal ulcer or fistula. Of the 22 patients who were potent before implantation, 7 (31.8%) maintained potency. With pharmacologic support, 59.1% maintained erections sufficient for vaginal penetration. Day 0 dosimetry demonstrated a median V 100 and D 90 of 96.5% and 113.5%. At last follow-up, all patients remained free of biochemical failure, with a median prostate-specific antigen level of 0.1 ng/mL. Conclusions. No difference in quality-of-life parameters was discerned in patients with grade II and III obesity. In addition, the dosimetric quality of the implants was outstanding, and the short-term biochemical outcome was encouraging.
Hegel, Dostoyevsky and Carl Rogers: between humanism and spirit

There has been a heated debate within psychotherapeutic counseling of the role that can be afforded to spirituality within the counseling setting. If one single factor can be accorded primacy, then...
On the quantum Liouville equation

Abstract In this paper I derive exact expressions for the remainder gotten when only a finite number of terms are kept in the semi-classical expansion for the quantum Liouville equation. Each expansion is a power series in ħ, but with coefficients that depend on ħ, and so it is not an ordinary semi-classical series.
11.5.2 Systems Engineering the U.S. Education System

This paper presents the recent and on-going activities that are applying systems engineering to the U.S. education systems to identify potential improvements that will increase student proficiency and interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Because applying the methods of systems engineering to a complex human system, like the U.S. education system, is somewhat novel, system dynamics modeling, which is not typically used in aerospace systems engineering projects, was required. Also, because of a lack of systems specific expertise and the need for new and diverse ideas, the project was performed as a student project with competing teams. The complexity of the U.S. education systems required an examination of the total system and then focusing on a limited portion of the system. This paper shows how the complexity was dealt with and how the particular area for detailed examination was selected. Current activities and plans are also presented.
Phototropism of Pellia: evidence for mediation by auxin-stimulated acid efflux

Summary The shaded sides of unilaterally illuminated sporophytes of Pellia epiphylla (L.) Corda (Bryophyta) became more acidic than lighted sides. This acid efflux pattern developed before the onset of curvature, and was mimicked by unilateral application of IAA or FC (1eM). Curvature of dark grown sporophytes was stimulated by differential surface abrasion followed by acid buffer treatment. Light-stimulated acid efflux and curvature were inhibited by treatment with 0.1 mM VAN, PCIB, TIBA, and pH 6.8 buffer. These results suggest that auxin-stimulated acid efflux mediates phototropism of Pellia.
Rising Demand and Unstable Supply: The Prospects for Soviet Grain Imports

Demand for grain in the Soviet Union has increased, but supply has only partially met the need. While average grain yields have increased on unchanged area, they have become increasingly unstable. The result is that the Soviet Union has shifted some of its domestic production instability to international grain markets. This study examines Soviet grain production stability with time series analysis and finds it related to Soviet net grain imports and imports from the United States. It also examines some recent Soviet efforts to reduce grain yield instability.
Effect of eye color on heart rate response to intramuscular administration of atropine

Melanin has been previously shown to modify the mydriatic response to atropine instillation. Skin and iris pigmentation has also been shown to modify aspects of the heart rate response to injected atropine, although these observations have been generally overlooked. In this study, 20 healthy non-smoker male subjects, ages 20-30 years, were injected by two different automatic injector devices and the mydriatic and heart rate responses in the first 90 min were reported. The group included 8 brown-eyed, 4 hazel-eyed, and 8 blue-eyed subjects. Although there were differences in the rate of atropine delivery between the two injection devices, the heart rate responses were independently modified by eye color to a magnitude of difference as great as the differences between injectors. Subjects with more pigmented irides (brown-eyed) showed a more rapid rise in heart rate compared to less pigmented irides (hazel-eyed and blue-eyed subjects). Following injection by the device with a slower atropine absorption rate, these differences were particularly enhanced and an abbreviated bradycardic phase of the heart rate response was observed for the brown-eyed subjects. This observation confirms earlier reports and suggests the possibility of an interference by melanin (in the iris or elsewhere) in atropine accessibility to selected muscarinic target sites.
Aqueous shift reagents for high-resolution cationic nuclear magnetic resonance. III: Dy(TTHA)3-, Tm(TTHA)3-, and Tm(PPP)27-

Abstract The isotropic hyperfine shifts induced in the 23Na+ resonance by the shift reagents Dy(DPA)33−, Dy(NTA)23−, Dy(PPP)27−, Tm(PPP)27−, Dy(TTHA)3−, and Tm(TTHA)3− are compared under similar conditions. The last three are introduced as shift reagents in this study. The Dy(PPP)37− and Tm(PPP)27− ions cause the largest shifts. However, these shifts are very pH dependent and are readily decreased by the presence of Ca2+ or Mg2+ ions. The Dy(TTHA)3− and Tm(TTHA)3− ions produce quite large shifts which are independent of pH (between 5.5 and 12) and less sensitive to Ca2+ and Mg2+. For a given chelate ligand, the analogous Dy(III) and Tm(III) complexes cause hyperfine shifts in opposite directions. However, while the Dy(PPP)27− ion induces an upfield shift, the Dy(TTHA)3− ion induces a downfield shift. Some data on shifts of the 25Mg2+, 39K+, and 87Rb+ resonances are also presented. In addition the 14N peak of NH4+ can be quite effectively shifted.