cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conserving Cultural Heritage Sites: A Case Study

Much work has been done since the UNESCO sponsored Lumbini conservation project was launched in 1970 in Southern Nepal near the Indian border. A Master Plan had been prepared by a famous Japanese Architect to provide a zoned spatial framework for related building activity amid conservation work. In recent decades, progress in construction and conservation has been delayed for long periods. Some serious threats have arisen in consequence. It is now considered essential that both construction and ongoing conservation work should be prioritized, better managed, and expedited. This will require more intensive use of appropriate remote sensing technology to precede and direct more accurately the conventional field excavations. A major conference of international stakeholders has recently recommended that the UN now appoint a high-level International Committee similar to one that was appointed at the outset in 1970 to safeguard the approved Master Plan and oversee the project’s progress till satisfactory completion. Expert spatial planning work becomes essential to establish land use controls and relocate encroachers in carefully planned settlements nearby. This required the active support of the Government of Nepal and relevant international agencies leading quickly to reestablish the Buffer Zone to its original intended purpose. It is desirable that the guiding principles in the conservation of culturally sensitive heritage sites in Asia should be those enunciated by the Nara Document on Authenticity.
Direct Numerical Simulation of Acoustic Disturbances in the Rectangular Test Section of a Hypersonic Wind Tunnel

Direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the full-scale rectangular nozzle of a hypersonic wind tunnel are conducted to study the acoustic freestream fluctuations radiating from turbulent boundary layers (TBLs) along the nozzle walls. The nozzle geometry and the flow conditions of the DNS match those of the NASA 20-Inch Mach 6 Tunnel, and the DNS has been completed for a domain without spanwise sidewall boundary conditions. The turbulent boundary layer parameters based on the DNS compare well with those derived from Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) calculations as well as with the predictions based on Pate’s correlation. A similarly good comparison is observed for both the Mach number distribution and the Reynold’s stresses obtained from the DNS and RANS calculations, respectively. Various characteristics of the acoustic pressure fluctuations within the inviscid core of the nozzle flow are compared with those associated with a single flat plate at a similar freestream Mach number. The frequency spectrum and bulk propagation speeds match well between the nozzle and the flat plate, but the rms pressure fluctuation is higher for the nozzle configuration, likely due to the combined effect of acoustic radiation from the top and bottom walls. Spatial contours of the two-point correlation coefficient display elliptical tails with approximately equal but opposite angles corresponding to the preferred directionality of acoustic structures radiated from both walls. Future work will focus on DNS of the full nozzle configuration, including the effects of the nozzle side walls.
The problem of harmonizing laws

More laws obtain in the world,it appears, than just those of microphysics –e.g. laws of genetics, perceptual psychology,economics. This paper assumes there indeedare laws in the special sciences, and notjust scrambled versions of microphysical laws. Yet the objects which obey them are composedwholly of microparticles. How can themicroparticles in such an object lawfully domore than what is required of them by the lawsof microphysics? Are there additional laws formicroparticles – which seems to violate closureof microphysics – or is the ``more'' acoincidental outcome of microphysics itself? This paper argues that the appearance ofviolation is illusory, and the worry aboutcoincidence misleading. We cannot expect tounderstand the special sciences at the level ofthe microparticles.
Illness-induced hyperalgesia: Mediators, mechanisms and implications

The focus of this chapter will be different from the others in this book as it takes a more holistic view of the organism. Such a view examines hyperalgesia from an adaptive perspective and makes the argument that exaggeration of pain is a natural and normal consequence of immune activation. During illness, infection, and injury, activated immune cells release substances that signal the brain, triggering a constellation of coordinated responses designed to enhance survival (for review, see Ref [1, 2]). Hyperalgesia will be argued to be simply one component of this brain-mediated illness response. There has been increasing recognition that the immune system is involved in the regulation of many diverse phenomena to which it has not previously thought to be relevant [2], and here we will argue that pain is such a phenomenon.
Racial-ethnic and neighborhood inequities in age of treatment receipt among a national sample of children with autism spectrum disorder:

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of child race-ethnicity and neighborhood characteristics on age of treatment receipt among children with autism spectrum disorder. Here, we included 1...
Effects of geometry dependent diffraction on the performance of object-mounted Linear Differential Microphone Arrays

Effects of geometry-dependent diffraction on the performance of object-mounted Linear Differential Microphone Arrays (LDMAs) for far-field sound waves are investigated through the Finite Element Method. This is done by studying the acoustic pressure gradients corresponding to different orders of LDMAs and placement (azimuthal and radial) on an object (such as human head or voice activated devices). An optimized frequency-dependent adaptive-dimension finite element technique, innovated by the authors, is used to simulate acoustic scattering for two simple head-model geometries (sphere and ellipsoid). These simulations are conducted for frequencies ranging from 20 to 20 000 Hz. Verification of results is done by comparisons to analytical solutions (for the sphere) and literature data. Results show that object-mounted second order radial LDMAs are greatly affected by object geometry. Maps of directivity patterns show that object-mounted first order azimuthal LDMAs completely attenuate sound from sources located at the sides of the listener. A modified LDMA signal processing method is proposed to lessen the effects of scattering for object-mounted first order azimuthal LDMAs by incorporating frequency-dependent weighting functions. The findings of this article provide an understanding of using object-mounted LDMAs for designing directional sound-sensing devices.
Signature analysis of two-phase flow pressure drop in proton exchange membrane fuel cell flow channels

Abstract Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells are promising alternatives to conventional power sources mainly because of potential environmental impacts. Although PEM fuel cells have been considered for various applications, there are still certain technical challenges toward large-scale commercialization of this type of energy system. This study concentrates on analyzing and modeling the experimentally measured two-phase flow pressure drop signatures in fuel cell flow channels. PEM fuel cells produce water during operation which results in liquid-gas two-phase flow inside their flow channels. Due to small length scale of the flow channels, the two-phase flow in a PEM fuel cell is mainly dominated by capillary forces. These forces tend to hold droplets which eventually increase the pressure drop along the flow channels. This study concentrates on pressure drop analysis which is critical in realizing time-dependent changes in the current density and quantifying water accumulation. In this way, a prediction model for pressure drop signatures is presented based on Auto Associative Kernel Regression. This model has a great potential for real-time monitoring and diagnostic in PEM fuel cells. The experimental data was collected through an ex-situ test section by injecting water and supplying air at different flow rates into two parallel flow channels.
A Macromodeling Approach for Analog Behavior of Digital Integrated Circuits

A macromodeling technique for digital cells is presented. The proposed macromodel allows fast and accurate signal approximation, as well as delay estimation for CMOS digital circuits. To verify its accuracy, the technique is implemented on different logic gates, a half-adder, and a flip-flop. The simulation results are compared with those obtained with SPICE for a 65-nm CMOS technology with a 1.0-V power supply. The results show the delay offset and amplitude deviation are within 5% of SPICE values for an exponential input with maximum $10^{9}$ V/s slope. The execution time of the experimental simulator implemented in MATLAB was more than 1000 times faster than SPICE in all cases.
Why Are Inferior Seats “Underpriced”? Evidence from the English Premier League

This paper studies the practice of loss-leader pricing strategy in the English Premier League (EPL). While the TV broadcasting revenue for EPL clubs has increased over the past 20 years, the importance of revenue from ticket sales has declined. The theory of multi-product pricing suggests that a change in the relative importance of revenue sources can induce profit-maximizing firms to underprice one product in order to raise the demand for a complementary one. Using other leagues in England and Scotland that do not have as much TV broadcasting revenue as a control group, we find that inferior seats are underpriced among the EPL clubs. Consistent with the growing importance of TV broadcast revenue, we also find that such “loss-leader pricing” is stronger in later years of the sample. Furthermore, we provide evidence that the underpricing of inferior seats is more pronounced in (i) EPL clubs compared to clubs in other European leagues; (ii) elite clubs in EPL compared to non-elite clubs in EPL that have less TV broadcasting revenue; and (iii) clubs promoted to EPL as compared to clubs that are either promoted or relegated to different leagues in England and Scotland. These findings corroborate with the hypothesis that clubs that rely more on TV broadcasting underprice their inferior seats as loss leader to attract more passionate fans.
Effect of phase-lag on thermoelastic vibration of Timoshenko beam

An explicit formula of coupled three-phase-lag (TPL) thermoelasticity theory under the Timoshenko beam is constructed for microbeam resonators. The constructed mathematical model is based on the mo...
Opioid prescribing on discharge to skilled nursing facilities.

PURPOSE Skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents are at increased risk for opioid-related harms. We quantified the frequency of opioid prescribing among patients discharged from an acute care hospital to SNFs. METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study among adult (≥18 years) inpatients discharged from a quaternary-care academic referral hospital in Portland, OR to a SNF between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018. Our primary outcome was receipt of an opioid prescription on discharge to a SNF. Our exposures included patient demographics (eg, age, sex), comorbid illnesses, surgical diagnosis related group (DRG), receiving opioids on the first day of the index hospital admission, and inpatient hospital length of stay. RESULTS Among 4374 patients discharged to a SNF, 3053 patients (70%) were prescribed an opioid on discharge. Among patients prescribed an opioid, 61% were over the age of 65 years, 50% were male, and 58% had a surgical Medicare severity diagnosis related group (MS-DRG). Approximately 70% of patients discharged to a SNF were prescribed an opioid on discharge, of which 68% were for oxycodone, and 52% were for ≥90 morphine milligram equivalents per day. Surgical DRG, diagnoses of cancer or chronic pain, last pain score, and receipt of an opioid on first day of the index hospital admission were independently associated with being prescribed an opioid on discharge to a SNF. CONCLUSION Opioids were frequently prescribed at high doses to patients discharged to a SNF. Efforts to improve opioid prescribing safety during this transition may be warranted.
Hope Springs Eternal: Insights Into the Durability of Springs to Provide Long-Term Correction of the Scaphocephalic Head Shape.

Spring-mediated cranial vault expansion (SMC) has become a primary treatment modality at our institution to correct scaphocephalic head shape in the setting of isolated sagittal craniosynostosis (CS). Spring-mediated cranioplasty is associated with minimal procedural morbidity and reliable clinical efficacy, although long-term outcomes are not well elucidated. Herein we describe our institutional experience and lessons learned with SMC. We hypothesize that SMC performed in young infants offers durable scaphocephalic correction as measured by cephalic index (CI) at the 1, 3, and 5-year postoperative timepoints.Patients with isolated sagittal CS who underwent SMC at our institution during an 8-year period were retrospectively studied. The primary outcome measure was long-term head shape determined by CI at the 1, 3, and 5-year postoperative timepoints. Secondary outcomes included patient and spring factors associated with change in CI, including age and spring force. All statistical tests were 2-tailed with P < 0.05 denoting significance.In total, 88 patients underwent SMC at a median age of 3.3 months with a median preoperative CI 69 (interquartile range: [66, 71]). The postoperative CI increased to 73 [71, 76] at postoperative day 1. At 1 month, the CI increased by 8.6 to 77 (P < 0.0001) and appeared to reach a plateau at 3 months (76, [74, 78]) without further improvement (P < 0.10). At 5 years, CI remained stable without relapse (76, [75, 81], demonstrating an 8.9 increase from preoperative CI. Age at time of spring placement and change in CI were inversely related (P < 0.005). Total spring force directly correlated with increased change in postoperative CI at the 6-month postoperative timepoint (P < 0.02).In summary, SMC offers durable correction of scaphocephaly as measured by CI for patients with isolated sagittal CS at the 5-year postoperative timepoint. The cranial expansion observed 1-month post-spring implantation may serve as a proxy for long-term CI.
Increasing Contrast Improves Object Perception in Parkinson's Disease with Visual Hallucinations.

Background Deficits in basic vision are associated with visual hallucinations in Parkinson's disease. Of particular interest is contrast sensitivity loss in this disorder and its effect on object identification. Objectives Evaluate whether increased contrast improves object perception in persons with Parkinson's disease and visual hallucinations, without dementia. Methods We assessed 26 individuals with mild to moderate idiopathic Parkinson's disease, half of whom reported one or more episodes of hallucinations/unusual perceptual experiences in the past month, with a letter-identification task that determined the contrast level required to achieve 80% accuracy. Contrast sensitivity was further assessed with a chart that presented stimuli at multiple spatial frequencies. The groups were closely matched for demographic and clinical characteristics except for experience of hallucinations. Results Relative to participants without visual hallucinations, those with hallucinations had poorer spatial frequency contrast sensitivity and required significantly greater contrast to correctly identify the letters on the identification task. Specifically, participants with hallucinations required a mean contrast of 52.8%, whereas participants without hallucinations required 35.0%. When given sufficient contrast, the groups with and without hallucinations were equally accurate in letter identification. Conclusions Compared to those without hallucinations, individuals with Parkinson's disease and hallucinations without dementia showed poorer contrast sensitivity. Once contrast was individually enhanced, the groups were equally accurate at object identification. These findings suggest the potential of visual perception tests to predict, and perception-based interventions to reduce, hallucinations in Parkinson's disease.
Coupling hydrogeophysics with hydrodynamic modelling to infer subsurface hydraulic architecture of an alluvial floodplain

ABSTRACT This paper underscores the importance of spatially dense geophysical data sets for making informed decisions in water management strategies. Such decisions may require understanding how site‐specific subsurface architecture – especially hydraulic connectivity – impacts the response of a shallow aquifer to anthropogenic hydrologic disturbances (e.g. over‐pumping of a shallow aquifer). At a 0.2‐km2 alluvial floodplain site characterized by thick clay over fine sand to gravel and shale bedrock in the subtropical, sub‐humid belt of the Gulf Coast of the United States, we image an asymmetrically shaped, compartmentalized, sand‐dominated channel‐belt using electrical resistivity tomography and 31 time‐domain electromagnetic soundings probing to depths of ∼40 m and ∼90 m, respectively. Lithological interpretation and a hydrological model are developed based on the geophysical data and nearby sediment cores, where the resistivity of the groundwater is 9.1 Ωm. In a modelling scenario wherein the compartmentalized sand channel‐belt starts out dry (i.e. an over‐pumped shallow aquifer), we simulate 26 weeks of infiltration due to flooding of the surface. Preferential filling of the channel‐belt occurs through its sides rather than from above, generating a new understanding of the hydraulic connectivity around and into asymmetrically shaped, sand‐dominated channel‐belts. This insight can inform decisions about the optimal placement of shallow water wells in a heterogeneous alluvial floodplain aquifer system and also highlights the dangers of over‐pumping.
Dog Whistling, the Color-Blind Jurisprudential Regime and the Constitutional Politics of Race

Ian Haney Lopez’s new book, "Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class", has a provocative thesis. Lopez contends that dog-whistling, that is, coded racial rhetoric, "explains how politicians backed by concentrated wealth manipulate racial appeals to win elections and also to win support for regressive policies that help corporations and the super-rich, and in the process wreck the middle class." Though this may seem plausible enough, the thesis cannot stand up to scrutiny; the relevant political science literature provides no support for this. What is more, Lopez's treatment of the Supreme Court's role in the story of the rise of the New Right is discursive. This review, then, identifies and describes the contours of what I call the "color-blind jurisprudential regime," a jurisprudental regime that has grown thick starting with the appointment of the "Nixon Four" and continuing through to today. In sum, while Lopez is surely right to focus on the politics of race, both high and low, this review contends that a new, more empiricized approach is needed for us to truly understand how race and the New Right are connected.
The Impact of the Aging Population on Surgical Diseases

The portion of the population comprised by those aged 65 years and older is the fastest growing age group. With the aging of Americans, so goes the age of a surgeon’s patients. It is also well established that with aging, the incidence of various diseases also increases. Thus, more surgical care will be consumed by the elderly. The cost of care however will be greater for geriatric patients when compared to younger patients due to the greater incidence of comorbidities in the elderly. The surgical community will need to develop new protocols for the perioperative care of these frail patients in order to provide safe care with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates. Over the past 5 years, there have been notable changes in the surgical management of geriatric patients. Increased evidence in several surgical specialties supports that minimally invasive techniques for traditional open procedures improve outcomes. Additional knowledge regarding the effect of aging on organ function has led to improved stratification and preoperative preparation of patients prior to surgery. An example of this is the establishment of specific triage criteria for geriatric trauma patients. These changes have resulted in reduced morbidity and mortality rates. The elderly form a large portion of surgical patients, and this portion will continue to grow as life expectancy improves. Surgeons must adapt to this changing environment to provide optimal care to geriatric patients.
Feasibility and safety of whole lung irradiation in the treatment of canine appendicular osteosarcoma.

Whole lung irradiation (WLI) has been used successfully in humans as an adjuvant treatment for osteosarcoma. The aim of this study is to describe the feasibility and safety of WLI in dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma. Twelve client-owned dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma that had successfully completed amputation and four doses of carboplatin without evidence of gross metastasis were enrolled in this prospective clinical trial. Ten once-daily fractions of 1.75 Gy were administered to the planning target volume encompassing the lungs. Overall, WLI was well tolerated in these patients. No dogs developed symptoms of pneumonitis or pulmonary fibrosis. Haematopoietic toxicity evaluated during radiation therapy was found to be mild. The median disease free interval for WLI treated dogs was not significantly different than the median DFI for a group of historic control dogs (376 days for WLI treated dogs versus 304.5 days for control dogs; p = 0.5461). Although no significant improvement in outcome was observed with this study, WLI appears to be safe in dogs and warrants further investigation to characterize the efficacy and toxicity.
Development of the Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory: A Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Ground Station

The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) project will demonstrate high bandwidth space to ground bi-directional optical communications links between a geosynchronous satellite and two LCRD optical ground stations located in the southwestern United States. The project plans to operate for two years with a possible extension to five. Objectives of the demonstration include the development of operational strategies to prototype optical link and relay services for the next generation tracking and data relay satellites. Key technologies to be demonstrated include adaptive optics to correct for clear air turbulence-induced wave front aberrations on the downlink, and advanced networking concepts for assured and automated data delivery. Expanded link availability will be demonstrated by supporting operations at small sun-Earth-probe angles. Planned optical modulation formats support future concepts of near-Earth satellite user services to a maximum of 1.244 Gb/s differential phase shift keying modulation and pulse position modulations formats for deep space links at data rates up to 311 Mb/s. Atmospheric monitoring instruments that will characterize the optical channel during the link include a sun photometer to measure atmospheric transmittance, a solar scintillometer, and a cloud camera to measure the line of sight cloud cover. This paper describes the planned development of the JPL optical ground station.
Comments on the Weber Commentary and Lyytinen/King Response

That being said, ENOUGH! It is time to set concerns about the logic of the connection between AL and TC aside and begin working on what both mean in the world we face today. Let’s take the remarkable brain power represented by these authors and apply it to developing new or analyzing old theories that might eventually become a “core,” and to taking the steps necessary to enhance the legitimacy of the work of IS researchers and educators in the academy. The ultimate Jamesian “cash value” of their work will come from how the field is perceived by outsiders who count rather than by the intrinsic precision of their arguments. Certainly by now the arguments are refined enough to proceed. That is, we have enough grasp to reach further.
Comparison of the metabolic activation of 7, 12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene by a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) and low passage hamster embryo cells.

Under similar conditions of cell-mediated mutagenesis, secondary hamster embryo (HE) cells were much more effective than were cells of the human hepatoma cell line, HepG2 , in activating 7, 12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) to metabolites mutagenic for V79 Chinese hamster cells. At the same dose of DMBA (0.1 microgram/ml), mutation induction (6-thioguanine resistance) with HE cells as activators was about ten times greater than with HepG2 cells as activators. Both cell types rapidly metabolized DMBA. HepG2 cells converted DMBA primarily to water-soluble derivatives that were neither sulfates nor glucuronides, whereas HE cells converted DMBA to a variety of organic solvent-soluble and water-soluble metabolites. The major water-soluble metabolites produced by HE cells were phenol-glucuronides. In HepG2 cells, binding of DMBA to DNA reached a maximum value of 12.1 pmol/mg DNA at 12 hr, whereas in HE cells, binding reached a peak value of 180.7 pmol/mg DNA at 24 hr. Despite this difference in total binding between the two cell types, the pattern of DNA adducts formed was nearly identical. The results indicate that the marked difference in the ability of HepG2 and HE cells to activate DMBA in cell-mediated mutation assays is not due to a lower metabolizing capacity of HepG2 cells formore » DMBA. Rather, significant differences in the metabolic pathways used by the two cell types lead to a marked reduction in DNA-binding metabolites in one cell type (HepG2) compared to the other (HE).« less
Microfluidic radiosynthesis and biodistribution of [18F] 2-(5-fluoro-pentyl)-2-methyl malonic acid

Microfluidics technology has emerged as a powerful tool for the radiosynthesis of positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography radiolabeled compounds. In this work, we have exploited a continuous flow microfluidic system (Advion, Inc., USA) for the [(18) F]-fluorine radiolabeling of the malonic acid derivative, [(18) F] 2-(5-fluoro-pentyl)-2-methyl malonic acid ([(18) F]-FPMA), also known as [(18) F]-ML-10, a radiotracer proposed as a potential apoptosis PET imaging agent. The radiosynthesis was developed using a new tosylated precursor. Radiofluorination was initially optimized by manual synthesis and served as a basis to optimize reaction parameters for the microfluidic radiosynthesis. Under optimized conditions, radio-thin-layer chromatography analysis showed 79% [(18) F]-fluorine incorporation prior to hydrolysis and purification. Following hydrolysis, the [(18) F]-FPMA was purified by C18 Sep-Pak, and the final product was analyzed by radio-HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography). This resulted in a decay-corrected 60% radiochemical yield and ≥98% radiochemical purity. Biodistribution data demonstrated rapid blood clearance with less than 2% of intact [(18) F]-FPMA radioactivity remaining in the circulation 60 min post-injection. Most organs showed low accumulation of the radiotracer, and radioactivity was predominately cleared through kidneys (95% in 1 h). Radio-HPLC analysis of plasma and urine samples showed a stable radiotracer at least up to 60 min post-injection.
Unnatural Nucleotide Sequences in Biopharmaceutics

Publisher Summary Potential therapeutic drugs and lead compounds have been identified in bacterial fermentation broths, plants, marine organisms, and cultured mammalian cells. This chapter addresses the theoretical concepts that underpin the usefulness of synthesizing vast libraries by applied molecular evolution. A comparison of the different methods will be presented; however, the focus will be on proteins with biological activity. The chapter discusses the potential use of new molecules for genetic engineering. Random sequence selection is based on the hypothesis that many amino acid sequences encode biological molecules that are more useful than those selected through evolution by nature. The idea is to insert random nucleotides in DNA and then use genetic complementation to obtain clones that encode unnatural biologically active molecules. A random sequence of nucleotides is substituted for a defined portion of a plasmid-encoded gene that specifies a biologically active molecule. In an application of this procedure, a double-stranded oligodeoxyribonucleotide is produced by hybridizing two oligonucleotides, one or both of which contain random sequences at specified positions. Prior to inserting an oligonucleotide with random sequences (vide infra) into a double-stranded DNA vector, it is necessary to excise the corresponding sequence by cutting with restriction enzymes. The most direct method for the assemblage of oligonucleotide inserts with random nucleotide sequences is to hybridize two oligonucleotides containing randomized segments and then extend them with DNA polymerase. Genetic regulatory events are governed by both protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions. Thus, in principle, random nucleotide substitutions can be carried out in either the regulatory region of genes that encode regulatory proteins. Random sequence selection, the focus of this chapter has made it feasible to select enzyme molecules with enhanced catalytic efficiency from a pool of random sequences in the absence of a detailed knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme.
The Isolation, Properties, and Possible Functions of Chromatin Acidic Proteins

Abstract The chromatin acidic proteins have been isolated from rat liver by dissociation of the deoxyribonucleoprotein complex. These proteins are freely soluble in buffer solutions, are heterogeneous, contain deoxyribonucleic and ribonucleic acids, and are separable into four main fractions. The isolated chromatin acidic proteins form complexes with whole histone as well as with DNA. When they are incubated in vitro with 14C-tryptophan, the isotopic label is incorporated into the protein, especially in the presence of DNA.
Straight edge extraction and matching

This paper presents an algorithm for straight edge extraction from intensity images and an algorithm for straight line matching. In the first part of the paper, straight edge extraction is described. Image data are first processed by the operation of edge support focusing to remove unnecessary image details. An edge support is formed in this process. Then, straight edges are extracted from line support regions, which are segmented from the edge support. In second part of this paper, we describe straight line matching using a matching function, which characterizes the similarity of edge lines of two images and is based on not only the geometrical relations of the lines but also the information from the intensity images. A technique of kernel matching is applied to reduce the cost of computation. The motivation behind this paper is our work on motion estimation from line correspondences of sequential images where straight edge extraction and matching is an essential first step. The output data of the algorithm can also be used for calibration of stereo camera setups. The results of experiments using indoor and outdoor scene images are shown.
The Optical Spectrum of Lightning

Publisher Summary The radiation given off by lightning in the atmosphere may be considered as a variable component of the earth's spectrum. It is natural to think of studying the optical spectrum of lightning with the same instruments and techniques as used in astronomy, but a survey of the literature shows that comparatively little has been done in this field. It is the purpose of this chapter to present recent spectroscopic results of improved quality, together with a brief discussion of some of the interesting features of such spectroscopy—particularly as these may suggest how optical radiation from lightning can show up in the spectrum of the earth or some other planet whose atmosphere generates electrical discharges. This chapter discusses the generation and forms of lightning. The majority of lightning spectra have been obtained with slit spectrographs—generally fast, low-dispersion instruments, which astronomers use in the study of faint nebulae and the aurora. This chapter takes a look at lightning spectroscopy, which includes early work and later applications, advanced instrumentation and new observations, the ultraviolet spectrum of lightning, and a comparison between slit and slitless spectra of lightning. This chapter ends with a discussion about the temperature of lightning.
α-decay chains of 289 175 114 and 293 175 118 in the relativistic mean-field model

A comparison of calculated and experimental ${Q}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ values of superheavy even-even nuclei and a few selected odd-$N$ nuclei is presented in the framework of the relativistic mean-field model with the parametrization NL-Z2. Blocking effects are found to be important for a proper description of ${Q}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ of odd mass nuclei. The model gives a good overall description of the available experimental data. The mass and charge assignment of the recently measured decay chains from Dubna and Berkeley is in agreement with the predictions of the model. The analysis of the new data does not allow a final conclusion about the location of the expected island of spherical doubly magic superheavy nuclei.
Twenty-five years of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics: Towards a better understanding of dense fluids

A survey is given of some of the new insights that have emerged over the last 25 years in the physics of dense non-equilibrium fluids: atomic liquids as well as concentrated colloidal suspensions. First a brief discussion of some previous developments is given: the non-existence of a density expansion of the transport coefficients; the existence of general expressions for the transport coefficients for a fluid in terms of average current time-autocorrelation functions in equilibrium and the slow decay of the latter due to mode-coupling by vortex-diffusion, a new mechanism of diffusion leading to the long time tails. Next, very long range correlations, also due to mode-coupling, in non-equilibrium fluids subject to a temperature gradient and their experimental detection by light or by microwave scattering are discussed. Also, a reinterpretation of the neutron spectra of dense fluids in equilibrium is given in terms of effective fluid eigenmodes and cage-diffusion, the most important diffusion process in dense fluids. Then some recent work on Lattice Gas Cellular Automata and a new connection between transport coefficients and Lyapunov exponents are briefly mentioned. Finally, a far going analogy between the self-diffusion coefficient and the viscosity of atomic liquids and those of concentrated colloidal suspensions is discussed, based on the similarity of Newtonian and Brownian dynamics on long time scales and that of the cage-diffusion processes in both systems. Very similar expressions for the viscosity of these two fluid systems, based on cage-diffusion, are compared with recent experiments.
Activities Distribution Around a Horizontal Interface Supporting Small Group Meetings

In this paper, we present a preliminary field study aimed at investigating collaborative work activities supported by a horizontal interface. We analyzed the use of system by focusing on activities distribution and on coordination dynamics during actual meetings. The results have implications for the understanding of social dynamics occurring when groups of users explore horizontal displays.
Reactive oxygen species signal chloroplasts to extend themselves

When Sam Wildman’s group first reported his phase-contrast microscopic observations of chloroplast tubular extensions in 1962 (1), he was greeted with skepticism by some plant biologists, who dismissed his findings of membrane protrusions as artifacts of stress caused by long observation of leaf cells under the microscope. Following their rediscovery through GFP technology (2), it is now known that stress actually can induce the tubular formations (3), subsequently named stromules (4). But stromules are no artifact; instead, they are a feature exhibited by plastids in many different types of plant cells (4⇓⇓–7). Probable functions for stromules have been hypothesized for many years (4, 5, 8⇓–10), but there has been no proof of function and little has been known about how they form. In PNAS, Brunkard et al. (11) describe their discovery that stromules do not require external structures for their formation. Furthermore, the authors demonstrate that increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) by inhibition of photosynthesis induces stromule formation in chloroplasts.
On strongly polynomial dual simplex algorithms for the maximum flow problem

Several pivot rules for the dual network simplex algorithm that enable it to solve a maximum flow problem on an n-node, m-arc network in at most 2nm pivots and O(n 2 m) time are presented. These rules are based on the concept of a preflow and depend upon the use of node labels which are either the lengths of a shortest pseudoaugmenting path from those nodes to the sink node or valid underestimates of those lengths. Extended versions of our algorithms are shown to solve an important class of parametric maximum flow problems with no increase in the worst-case pivot and time bounds of these algorithms.
Boundedness of weak solutions of a nondiagonal parabolic system of two equations

We study the problem of boundedness of weak solutions of a general nondiagonal parabolic system of nonlinear differential equations whose matrix of coefficients satisfies special structural conditions. To do this, we use a procedure based on the estimation of a certain function of unknowns.
Prevalence and persistence of predictive inferences

Abstract Four experiments are presented that explore the prevalence of predictive inferences and their persistence in memory. In Experiment 1, using a word naming task, evidence of predictive inferences was found when the passage context was highly constrained. In contrast, in Experiment 3, when an additional consequence of the predictive context was described, presumably shifting attention from the to-be-inferred event, predictive inferences were no longer drawn. Experiment 4 examined the influence of passage length and found that length alone did not have a strong influence on the likelihood of drawing forward inferences. With regard to their persistence in memory, previous research has found that forward inferences are quickly dropped from memory. In contrast, the results of Experiment 2 demonstrated that forward inferences were encoded into readers' long-term memory representation; readers slowed down on a sentence that contradicted the inference, even when an entire unrelated episode intervened between the inference and the contradiction.
Cloning and heterologous expression of Entamoeba histolytica adenylate kinase and uridylate/cytidylate kinase.

Abstract We have isolated two cDNA clones encoding Entamoeba histolytica nucleotide kinases, EhAK and EhUK, expressed them in E. coli and performed functional studies of the recombinant enzymes. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that EhAK and EhUK genes exhibited the features characteristic of E. histolytica genes, such as transcripts with relatively short 5′ and 3′ untranslated flanking regions containing the conserved E. histolytica transcription promoter elements located 5′ to the initiation codon and a polyadenylation signal in the 3′ UTR, a distinctive codon usage bias for A or T in the third position and an AT bias greater than 75% in the flanking regions of the transcripts. At the protein level, both enzymes belong to the short variant nucleoside monophosphate (NMP) kinases, which lack a 29 amino acid LID region present in the long variant isoenzymes. EhAK was 30–38% identical to the members of the adenylate kinase (AK) family while EhUK was more similar (48–49% identity) to UMP/CMP kinases. Both enzymes used ATP as preferred phosphate-group donor but each one exhibited strict specificity for the acceptor NMP, EhAK for AMP and EhUK for the pyrimidine nucleoside monophosphates UMP and CMP. Biochemical characterization of the enzymes and phylogenetic reconstruction showed that EhUK is an authentic and well conserved member of the UMP/CMP kinase group while EhAK is the most divergent member known of the AK1 isoenzymes.
Surgical treatment of metastatic spine disease.

The results of surgical intervention for metastatic disease on 56 consecutive patients since 1980 were reviewed. Two patients underwent a second procedure to stabilize remote levels of spinal involvement, for a total of 58 surgeries. All 56 patients presented with pain. After surgery, significant re
Metabolic and yield responses of multiparous Holstein cows to prepartum rumen-undegradable protein.

The effects of concentration of rumen-undegradable protein (RUP) in prepartum diets on performance and metabolic measures were determined. Pregnant, nonlactating cows were assigned to one of three dietary treatments that differed in concentrations of crude protein and RUP. The crude protein and RUP percentages (dry matter basis) in the diets were 11.7 and 3.1%, 15.6 and 6.8%, and 20.6 and 10.6%, which were identified as low, medium, and high protein diets, respectively. Dietary treatments were initiated 6 wk prior to expected calving date and were fed until parturition. All cows were fed similar postpartum diets through wk 10 of lactation. Prepartum intakes of dry matter and rumen-degradable protein were similar among treatments. Yields of milk, protein, and fat were not affected by prepartum RUP. Concentrations of plasma urea N in cows fed the medium and high protein diets were elevated during the prepartum period even though intakes of rumendegradable protein were similar for cows on all treatments. Cows fed the medium and high protein diets had greater prepartum concentrations of Val, Ile, and Leu but not other essential amino acids in plasma. Dietary treatments did not affect prepartum or postpartum contents of triglycerides in liver or plasma nonesterified fatty acid concentrations. Thus, supplemental RUP fed to cows for 6 wk prepartum affected protein metabolism but not measures of energy metabolism.
Increases in mitochondrial biogenesis impair carcinogenesis at multiple levels

Although mitochondrial respiration is decreased in most cancer cells, the role of this decrease in carcinogenesis and cancer progression is still unclear. To better understand this phenomenon, instead of further inhibiting mitochondrial function, we induced mitochondrial biogenesis in transformed cells by activating the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs)/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1α (PGC-1α) pathways. This was achieved by treating the cells with bezafibrate, a PPARs panagonist that also enhances PGC-1α expression. We confirmed that bezafibrate treatment led to increased mitochondrial proteins and enzyme functions. We found that cells with increased mitochondrial biogenesis had decreased growth rates in glucose-containing medium. In addition, they became less invasive, which was directly linked to the reduced lactate levels. Surprisingly, even though bezafibrate-treated cells had higher levels of mitochondrial markers, total respiration was not significantly altered. However, respiratory coupling, and ATP levels were. Our data show that by increasing the efficiency of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation system, cancer progression is hampered by decreases in cell proliferation and invasiveness.
Ion trapping and manipulation in a tandem time-of-flight-Fourier transform mass spectrometer

Abstract An external source tandem time-of-flight-Fourier transform mass spectrometer which provides programmed ion kinetic energy manipulation and trapping control is described. Design considerations are discussed and a detailed description of the instrument is provided. Typical ion injection efficiencies of 80–90% are obtained over an injection energy range of 30–500 eV. The instrument is capable of sensitive time-of-flight analysis of ions which have been injected into, and subsequently discharged from, the magnetic field. This allows a diagnostic treatment of ion injection and trapping performance independent of the Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) experiment. A theoretical treatment of the propagation characteristics of the ions detected in this manner is presented along with supporting data. Also described are new external source FTMS trapping procedures for pulsed injection that provide full control over the mass range of injected ions. Preliminary results for one such procedure are presented. In this example, a 230 dalton mass range is acquired in the trapped-ion cell for pulsed ion injection parameters that would ordinarily limit the acquired mass range to less than 150 daltons.
A symbolic computation approach to a problem involving multivariate Poisson distributions

Multivariate Poisson random variables subject to linear integer constraints arise in several application areas, such as queuing and biomolecular networks. This note shows how to compute conditional statistics in this context, by employing Wilf-Zeilberger theory and associated algorithms. A symbolic computation package has been developed and is made freely available. A discussion of motivating biomolecular problems is also provided.
A new class of nonionic detergents with a gluconamide polar group

Detergents containing either a cholic acid, a deoxycholic acid, or an octanoic acid-like hydrophobic moiety and a bisgluconamidopropyl polar group were synthesized. Extinction coefficients, partial specific volumes, critical micelle concentrations, and aggregation numbers were determined for each of the detergents. The two bile acid derivatives are capable of solubilizing functional opiate receptor, while the octanoic acid derivative is not.
Basement Membrane Collagen Glycation Prevents Endothelial Cell Response to Strain due to Altered Focal Adhesion Formation

Vascular morbidity and mortality are primary complications of diabetes and have been correlated with unregulated blood glucose control. Endothelial cells that line the vasculature are known to be dysfunctional in hyperglycemia (1). Furthermore, the high glucose environment promotes basement membrane protein glycation and enhanced cross-linking. This can increase matrix stiffness, decrease matrix degradation, and potentially alter the spatial distribution of cell-matrix binding sites.Copyright © 2011 by ASME