cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Denoising diffusion tensor images: preprocessing for automated detection of subtle diffusion tensor abnormalities between populations

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is the only non-invasive imaging modality to visualize fiber tracts. Many disease states, e.g. depression, show subtle changes in diffusion tensor indices, which can only be detected by comparison of population cohorts with high quality images. Further, it is important to reduce noise in the acquired diffusion weighted images to perform accurate fiber tracking. In order to obtain acceptable SNR values for DTI images, a large number of averages is required. For whole brain coverage with isotropic and high-resolution imaging, this leads to unacceptable scan times. In order to obtain high SNR images with smaller number of averages, we propose to combine the strengths of two recently developed methodologies for denoising: total variation and wavelet. Our algorithm, which uses translational invariant BayesShrink wavelet thresholding with total variation regularization, successfully removes image noise and Pseudo-Gibbs phenomena while preserving both texture and edges. We compare our results with other denoising methods proposed for DTI images based on visual and quantitative metrics.
Are You an Online Team Player?: A Pilot Study

The purpose of this pilot case study was to answer the following research questions: How do previous experiences affect students' attitudes toward online teamwork? When do students' attitudes toward online teamwork first develop and why? Using a social constructivist framework, a qualitative case study design was utilized to conduct an online open-ended survey and online focus group in one online Organizational Leadership 300-level course. Findings revealed that students' attitudes toward online teamwork are in part predicated upon previous online team experiences. Students identified a number of challenges with online teamwork, many of which related to personality issues, slackers or members who do not contribute his or her share of the work, and poor communication. Generally, students' attitudes and perceptions toward online teamwork began in college after their first online team experience. In order for online teamwork to be effective, instructors may consider designing team projects that include methods to ensure both team and individual accountability, promote team cohesiveness, and foster frequent communication among team members.
Distribution of Nitrogen between Molten Steel and Slags Containing Titanium Monoxide

Nitrogen removal from molten steel by slags containing TiO or Ti2O3 has been investigated at 1873 K using two new slag-metal equilibration techniques: the liquid sealing method and the static atmosphere method. The results on the nitrogen distribution obtained from the various slags, 50 pct CaO-50 pct Al2O3, 40 pct CaO-40 pct Al2O3-20 pct TiO2, 40 pct CaO-40 pct Al2O3-20 pct Ti2O3, 40 pct CaO-40 pct Al2O3-20 pct TiO, and 40 pct CaO-40 pct Al2O3-30 pct TiO, revealed that the nitrogen distribution ratios for TiO-containing slags exhibit significantly higher than the other slags, indicating that those are much more effective for the removal of nitrogen from molten steel. The nitrogen removal ability of slags was found to be as follows: TiO slag >> Ti2O3 slag > TiO2 slag >> CaO-Al2O3 slag.
Interaction of Dietary Fat with Levels of Vitamins A and E in Broiler Chicks

Abstract Three experiments were conducted with broiler chicks to study the effect of different levels of choice animal tallow on absorption of vitamins A and E. The first experiment involved 9 dietary treatments in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement, consisting of 3 levels of vitamin A (2,000, 10,000, and 18,000 IU/kg) and 3 levels of animal fat (0, 3, and 6%). Liver vitamin A concentration significantly increased linearly (P
Forgetting to Remember: The Performance of Memory, History, and Gender in John O. Killens’ The Cotillion: Or One Good Bull is Half the Herd

This article considers John Oliver Killens’ novel, The Cotillion: Or One Good Bull is Half the Herd, in the context of explorations of memory in the African American literary tradition and to a lesser degree trauma studies and argues that Killens’ novel, often dismissed or overlooked for its supposed limited political vision, engages in explicit critique of politics of resistance by interrogating the very way that Black cultural workers use historical individual and collective memory.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATIVE CURRICULUM IN AN UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS PROGRAM

This paper describes how the core portion of the undergraduate business program at Indiana University was revised to facilitate integration of basic functionally oriented decision making skills and thus help students gain a deeper understanding of the interdependence of business decisions. It relates, in essence, why and how a single computer-oriented case study which demanded a solution to a large-scale, unified finance-marketing-production problem was used at Indiana University, mentions how we plan to accomplish further integration of functional material, and provides some insight into student reaction to what was, in fact, a massive project from both student and administrative points of view.
A simulation study of detection of weapon of mass destruction based on radar

Typical systems used for detection of Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) are based on sensing objects using gamma rays or neutrons. Nonetheless, depending on environmental conditions, current methods for detecting fissile materials have limited distance of effectiveness. Moreover, radiation related to gamma- rays can be easily shielded. Here, detecting concealed WMD from a distance is simulated and studied based on radar, especially WideBand (WB) technology. The WB-based method capitalizes on the fact that electromagnetic waves penetrate through different materials at different rates. While low-frequency waves can pass through objects more easily, high-frequency waves have a higher rate of absorption by objects, making the object recognition easier. Measuring the penetration depth allows one to identify the sensed material. During simulation, radar waves and propagation area including free space, and objects in the scene are modeled. In fact, each material is modeled as a layer with a certain thickness. At start of simulation, a modeled radar wave is radiated toward the layers. At the receiver side, based on the received signals from every layer, each layer can be identified. When an electromagnetic wave passes through an object, the wave’s power will be subject to a certain level of attenuation depending of the object’s characteristics. Simulation is performed using radar signals with different frequencies (ranges MHz-GHz) and powers to identify different layers.
Release of endogenous 5-hydroxytryptamine from resting and stimulated enteric neurons.

Abstract Physiological and biochemical evidence has indicated that there may be serotoninergic neurons in the enteric nervous system. A critical step in the identification of a neurotransmitter is the demonstration of the release of the substance upon nerve stimulation. We now report the release of endogenous 5-hydroxytryptamine from enteric neurons. Segments of guinea-pig small intestine were everted and perfused in vitro through the newly created serosal lumen. Tests with [ 3 H]5-hydroxytryptamine revealed the existence of a tissue barrier preventing diffusion of mucosal (enteroendocrine cell) 5-hydroxytryptamine into the perfusate; thus, all 5-hydroxytryptamine in the perfusate was of neural origin. The gut was stimulated electrically. 5-Hydroxytryptamine in the perfusate and in the myenteric plexus was assayed by a specific radioenzymatic method. 5-Hydroxytryptamine was present in the myenteric plexus; it was released into the perfusate spontaneously and the release was enhanced by electrical stimulation. The stimulated, but not the spontaneous, release of the amine was Ca 2+ -dependent. Comparison with the release of newly taken up [ 3 H]5-hydroxytryptamine showed that the specific radioactivity of electrically released 5-hydroxytryptamine was higher than that of either the spontaneously released or tissue amine. Stimulation also increased the release of 5-hydroxytryptamine more than that of its metabolites in the perfusate. These results indicate that 5-hydroxytryptamine is an endogeneous constituent of the enteric nervous system, that it is released by electrical field stimulation of enteric nerves, and that newly taken up 5-hydroxytryptamine is released preferentially by these neurons.
Effect of high pressure processing and addition of glycerol and salt on the properties of water in corn tortillas

The effects of high pressure processing (HPP) at 500 and 800 MPa for 1 and 10 min, and the addition of glycerol (4% w/w) and salt (1% w/w) on the properties of water in corn tortillas were investigated. Moisture content and water activity were not affected by either HPP or addition of glycerol/salt. Thermal analysis techniques (such as differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H cross-relaxation and 1 H T1 and T2 relaxation times) were used to characterize these samples at a structural and molecular level, respectively. Addition of glycerol and salt significantly decreased the ‘freezable’ water content of the tortillas while HPP had little effect on the measured structural properties. The proton mobility was significantly decreased by HPP but not affected by addition of glycerol and salt. These results show that both composition and HPP may alter the structural and molecular properties of water in corn tortillas. q 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Transient and steady-state effects of sodium and calcium on myocardial contractile response.

Abstract Changing external sodium concentration results in only transient changes in myocardial tension development. The contractile response to altered [Na]o consists of a brief transient with T 1 2 similar to interstitial space exchange (1.1 min), followed by a return to tention levels obtained prior to changing [Na]o. The initial fast component of the response is dependent on the ratio [Ca] o [Na] o but the steady-state tension development is independent of external Na. This contractile response can be explained by a Na-Ca exchange system where changes in [Na]o result in (1) external competition with Ca for binding sites on the carrier thus affecting Ca influx and tension development, (2) changes in internal Na concentration consequent to changed [Na]o modify Cao-Nai exchange, compensating for the external effect. In this fashion, steady-state Ca influx (and tension) is maintained despite variations in external [Na].
The hard problem.

In the letter “Neuroscience and the soul” (27 February, p. [1168][1]), M. J. Farah and N. Murphy state that eventually neuroscience and the material system it describes may be able to explain all facets of being human. This idea strikes me as a somewhat naive and simple faith in scientific progress rather than an accurate assessment of current thinking on this issue. Some years ago, the philosopher David Chalmers referred to the problem of consciousness (how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience) as the “hard problem” ([ 1 ][2]). We are no closer to knowing or understanding how this happens today, so the problem remains hard and should be acknowledged as hard. In the absence of such understanding, personal opinions and beliefs about this question should not be presented as genuine knowledge. 1. [↵][3]1. D. Chalmers , J. Consciousness Stud. 2, 200 (1995). [OpenUrl][4] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.323.5918.1168a [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text" [4]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DJ.%2BConsciousness%2BStud.%26rft.volume%253D2%26rft.spage%253D200%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx
Problem Analysis: a Consumer‐Based Methodology for the Discovery of New Product Ideas

Presents an approach to product development that appears to hold significant promise in terms of generating new product ideas with strong consumer support. Suggests that high failure rate among new consumer producers can be traced to such things as poor marketing research, poor product marketing and organizational weaknesses. States that consumer problems as well as preferences should be investigated by the marketer.
Fitting Action Learning to Corporate Programs

The organization is like a tapestry with several variables woven through it, making it complex and unique. Action learning can be knitted into the organizational fabric, but it must be truly intertwined rather than loosely stitched for maximal effectiveness. Prerequisites for integrating action learning include achieving core competencies on individual, team, and organizational levels. Action learning can be applied individually or collectively, and it is important that competency building begin with the individual. Organizations may apply action learning on sporadic, integrating, or learning organization levels. Organizations that commit to action learning and create an infrastructure to support it will be most effective. Several examples and exercises of action learning application are highlighted.
The Limitations of Boas' Anthropology*

THIS paper will examine the dominant convictions of Franz Boas on a variety of subjects. We will show that, whatever their individual merits, they formed, when linked together, a chain that constricted creative research in cultural anthropology. By their combined standards, scarcely any research was judged satisfactory. The great talents of Boas himself were so restricted that he could not produce any positive, integrated work of significance, and his function became that of critic.
Employers' responses to a play-or-pay mandate: an analysis of California's Health Insurance Act of 2003.

ABSTRACT: California recently enacted a play-or-pay employer mandate (known as SB 2) to expand health insurance coverage to a portion of the state's working uninsured population. Implementing SB 2 ...
Multisensory integration in pain and consciousness

The study of pain could benefit from approaches that study mechanisms whereby sensory input is shaped by principles of self-organization. Multisensory integration represents a set of self-organizing principles wherein various dimensions of pain experience, such as perceived degree of threat presented by an object, may be partly related to spatiotemporal convergence of multisensory information. Similar self-organizing principles might explain the integration of sensory aspects of pain with other functions, such as memory and learning.
A comparative chromosome study of twenty killifish species of the genus Fundulus (Teleostei: Cyprinodontidae).

Female karyotypes from ovarian cell cultures of 20 species of killifish (Fundulus) ranged in diploid number from 32 to 48, but in arm number (NF) from 48 to 52. The “small” F chromosomes, which constituted the fundamental elements in the karyotype, were evenly graded in length. The “large” biarmed chromosomes (L), which were about twice the length of the average Fs, characterized only those species with 2N less than 48 chromosomes. And among these species, an increase in complement by a pair of L's was always accompanied by a decrease of two pairs of A's, indicating Robertsonian changes by the centric fusion of two A's to form one L chromosome. Other diagnostic chromosome characters included: the number and structure of biarmed and satellited F chromosomes and the percentage of F's with relatively short short-arms (SSA). Besides centric fusion, mechanisms of chromosomal evolution in Fundulus probably included pericentric inversion, producing biarmed F chromosomes from acrocentric F's and partial loss of a chromosome segment producing smaller biarmed F chromosomes from larger ones. The percentage of SSA chromosomes generally decreases from relatively primitive to specialized species. The presumably most primitive species have only SSA type acrocentric F chromosomes. The 20 Fundulus species were classified into 2 major groups according to the percentage of SSA chromosomes: the SSA group, including 3 subgroups, had more than 50% SSA's; the LSA group, including 2 subgroups, had fewer than 50% SSA's. This classification based only on karyotypic characters generally agreed with others based on gross morphological characters. A possible evolutionary scheme is proposed to account for the derived killifish karyotypes.
The role of neonatal androgen in the expression of hormonally induced maternal responsiveness in the adult rat

Abstract The role of neonatal androgen in the expression of hormonally induced maternal responsiveness in rats was investigated. Four to six hours postnatally male rats were either castrated or sham-castrated, while females were injected with testosterone propionate or oil, or were noninjected controls. When 90 days old the subjects were assigned either to a 21-day maternal hormone or to a vehicle regimen. Following these adult treatments subjects were tested for maternal responsiveness by means of a retrieving test in the home cage and in a T-maze. In the home cage test the adult hormone treatment caused a significant reduction in the time to sensitization in all neonatal treatment groups. In the T-maze only subjects with no androgen postnatally and with hormones in adulthood retrieved significantly more than their adult vehicle controls. It was concluded that the development of the potential to respond fully to the hormonal changes of pregnancy is inhibited by the postnatal presence of the male gonadal hormone.
Efficient sensor network vehicle classification using peak harmonics of acoustic emissions

An application is proposed for detection and classification of battlefield ground vehicles using the emitted acoustic signal captured at individual sensor nodes of an ad hoc Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). We make use of the harmonic characteristics of the acoustic emissions of battlefield vehicles, in reducing both the computations carried on the sensor node and the transmitted data to the fusion center for reliable and effcient classification of targets. Previous approaches focus on the lower frequency band of the acoustic emissions up to 500Hz; however, we show in the proposed application how effcient discrimination between battlefield vehicles is performed using features extracted from higher frequency bands (50 - 1500Hz). The application shows that selective time domain acoustic features surpass equivalent spectral features. Collaborative signal processing is utilized, such that estimation of certain signal model parameters is carried by the sensor node, in order to reduce the communication between the sensor node and the fusion center, while the remaining model parameters are estimated at the fusion center. The transmitted data from the sensor node to the fusion center ranges from 1 ~ 5% of the sampled acoustic signal at the node. A variety of classification schemes were examined, such as maximum likelihood, vector quantization and artificial neural networks. Evaluation of the proposed application, through processing of an acoustic data set with comparison to previous results, shows that the improvement is not only in the number of computations but also in the detection and false alarm rate as well.
Muscarinic receptor subtypes in equine tracheal smooth muscle.

Selective muscarinic receptor antagonists were used to identify muscarinic receptor subtypes in equine trachealis strips. The M1 receptor antagonist pirenzepine (10−7 mol/L to 3 × 10−5 mol/L) and the M3 receptor antagonist 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine (4-DAMP, 10−9 mol/L to 3 × 10−7 mol/L3) dose dependently inhibited the contractile responses to electrical field stimulation (EFS) and exogenous acetylcholine (ACh). Schild plots yielded a pA2 value for pirenzepine vs ACh of 6.75 ± 0.09, which is consistent with the affinity for M2 or M3 receptors, and a pA2 value for 4-DAMP vs ACh of 8.47 ± 0.09, which is in agreement with the affinity for M3 receptors. The M2 receptor antagonist gallamine (10−5 mol/L and 10−4 mol/L) did not affect the response of trachealis to exogenous ACh and low-frequency EFS (0.1–2 Hz) but decreased the responses to high-frequency EFS (4–16 Hz). These results suggest that the muscarinic receptors mediating contractions induced by ACh in equine tracheal smooth muscle are of the M3 subtype. The lack of an increase in the response to EFS following gallamine suggests that functional prejunctional inhibitory M2 receptors are not present on the cholinergic nerves innervating equine tracheal smooth muscle.
S-alleles are retained and expressed in a self-compatible cultivar of Petunia hybrida.

We identified two S-allele-associated proteins (S-proteins) in a self-compatible cultivar of Petunia hybrida based on their segregation in F1 hybrids between P. hybrida and its self-incompatible relative, Petunia inflata (with S2S2 genotype), and in selfed progeny of P. hybrida. These two S-proteins, designated Sx-protein (24 kDa) and So- protein (31 kDa), are pistil specific, and their expression follows a temporal and spatial pattern similar to that of S-proteins characterized in self-incompatible solanaceous species. Their amino-terminal sequences also share a high degree of similarity with those of solanaceous S-proteins. Selfing of P. hybrida yielded plants with SoSo, SxSo, and SxSx genotypes in an approximately 1:2:1 ratio, indicating that the Sx- and So-alleles, though expressed in the pistil, failed to elicit a self-incompatibility response. The S2-allele of P. inflata is expressed in all the F1 hybrids, rendering them capable of rejecting pollen bearing the S2-allele. The So-allele is not functional in the F1 hybrids, because all the F1 progeny with S2So genotype are self-compatible. However, in F1 hybrids with S2Sx genotype, approximately half are self-incompatible and half are self-compatible, indicating that the function of the Sx-allele depends on the genetic background. These results strongly suggest that the presence of functional S-alleles alone is not sufficient for expression of a self-incompatibility phenotype, and reaffirm the multigenic nature of gametophytic self-incompatibility suggested by earlier genetic studies.
A Cross-Layer Design for Video Streaming Over 802.11e HCCA Wireless Network

Video transmission over wireless networks has quality of service QoS requirements and the time-varying characteristics of wireless channels make it a challenging task. IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN has been widely used for the last mile connection for multimedia transmission. In this paper, a cross-layer design is presented for video streaming over IEEE 802.11e HCF Controlled Channel Access HCCA WLAN. The goal of the cross-layer design is to improve the quality of the video received in a wireless network under the constraint of network bandwidth. The approach is composed of two algorithms. First, an allocation of optimal TXOP is calculated which aims at maintaining a short queuing delay at the wireless station at the cost of a small TXOP allocation. Second, the transmission of the packets is scheduled according to the importance of the packets in order to maximize the visual quality of video. The approach is compared with the standard HCCA on NS2 simulation tools using H.264 video codec. The proposed cross-layer design outperforms the standard approach in terms of the PSNRs of the received video. This approach reduces the packet loss to allow the graceful video degradation, especially under heavy network traffic.
Spatial distribution and accumulation of radicals arising in organic solids under the action of glow discharge

Abstract The method, based on analyzing the dipolar broadening of EPR spectra was applied for investigation of the spatial distribution of radicals generated by high-frequency glow discharge in organic molecular crystals (powders of malonic and dimethylmalonic acids) and glassy isopropanol contained electron scavenger. It was shown that in the first case the radical distribution does not depend on time of discharge. The radicals are generated in layer of size ∼.05–0.1 μm at a concentration of ∼2 10 20 cm −3 . For the second case the distribution function was changed in the course of plasma treatment and the depth of radical generation was varied from 0.25 to 1.5 μm during the discharge action. Contribution of the various mechanisms of radical formation were evaluated and it was shown that ionic mechanism predominated. A kinetic model is proposed to describe both the radical accumulation and evolution of spatial distribution function in plasmolysis. The use of the model, method and obtained data for general and practical applications is discussed.
Spectral characterization and excited-state interactions between rare earth ions doped in borosilicate and sol-gel glasses. Energy transfer up-conversion in the Pr-Sm system

Spectroscopic properties of selected 4f-elements in a sol-gel and two high temperature silicate based glasses are reported. In particular, the spectral properties of the Eu[sup 3+] ion have been used to probe the local coordination environment of the f-elements in these glass matrices. Luminescence studies of the high temperature glasses indicated that the electric dipole allowed f-f transitions dominate the spectra which suggests that the local symmetry around the 4f-ions is low. Temperature-dependent spectroscopic studies of the sol-gel glasses indicated that the f-elements retain a `solution-like` environment prior to thermal processing. After heat treatment, an increase in the emission intensities of the electric-dipole transitions is accompanied by a concomitant decrease in the magnetic- dipole allowed transitions. Moreover, excited state interactions has also been observed in the high temperature glasses that contain certain multiple f-elements. In Pr-Sm systems, exclusive excitation of the Sm[sup 3+] ion with a 514 nm argon ion laser line provides a higher- energy emission band ( ca. 490 mn ) from the PR[sup 3+] ion ([sup 3]P[sub 0] -> `[sup 3]H[sub 4]) transition. This energy up- conversion is attributed to energy transfer from the [sup 6]H[sub 13/2] level of the Se[sup 3+] ion to the [sup 3]H[sub 6] state of the PR[sup 3+] ion. Following a second photon absorption, the PR[sup 3+] ion is excited to the emitting [sup 3]P[sub O] level.
Uridine and cytidine metabolism following inhibition of de novo pyrimidine synthesis by pyrazofurin

Abstract Pyrazofurin, an inhibitor of orotidylate decarboxylase, imposes an absoluted nutritional requirement for exogenous uridine to maintain normal growth of L5178Y, P388, L1210, W256 and S180 cells in vitro. The amount of uridine necessary for cell division when de novo uridine nucleotide synthesis is inhibited by pyrazofurin is: L5178Y, 30.5; P388, 39.7; L1210, 53.3; W256, 70.6; and S180, 886 fmol/cell. Cytidine, which can be deaminated to uridine, will substitute for uridine to maintain normal cell growth in the presence of growth-inhibitory concentrations of pyrazofurin (5 μM). The requirements for cytidine and uridine are identical. If cytidine deamination is prevented by tetrahydrouridine (100 μM), cytidine can no longer support growth in the presence of pyrazofurin. Cytidine and uridine, as expected, are additive in their effect to permit normal growth of pyrazofurin treated cells. Tetrahydrouridine does not alter this additive effect, indicating that when both nucleotides are added to pyrazofurin treated cells each nucleotide replenishes their respective nucleotide pools and cytidine deamination is unnecessary to allow cell growth. Incorporation of [ 14 C]uridine into the acid insoluble cell fraction of L5178Y cells was 25 fmol/cell at 48 h and remained constant during the remaining growth of the pyrazofurin treated cell suspension. The [ 14 C]uridine acid soluble pool of 4 fmol/cell also was maximum at 48 h but declined during the subsequent growth of the suspension culture to approx. 2 fmol/cell at 96 h. This decline in the acid soluble pool is correlated with a 42% decrease in modal cell volume during this phase of cell growth which would maintain a constant specific activity of uridine in this pool. This may explain the decline in the acid soluble pool while the acid insoluble pool remains constant during growth of suspension cultures of L5178Y cells. The block in pyrimidine synthesis de novo induced by pyrazofurin provides a useful and quick method for the evaluation of uridine and cytidine metabolism of tumor cell specimens.
Liposomal Amphotericin B: A Review of its use in the Treatment of Invasive Fungal Infections

Amphotericin B has been the mainstay of antifungal therapy for more than 50 years, but its associated toxicity often delayed or limited its use. In general, formulating this drug with phospholipids has greatly improved its safety and maintained its efficacy. In particular incorporating amphotericin B into a liposome produced a unique pharmacokinetic profile that altered its distribution, enhanced its safety and maintained its overall effectiveness in the treatment of infections due to pathogenic yeasts and invasive molds. Clinical trial experience and expert opinion suggest there are likely few differences between the lipid amphotericin B formulations. Although the composition of liposomal amphotericin B could improve the ability of amphotericin B to treat CNS fungal infections, to date human data do not completely corroborate findings in animals. This report summarizes the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical trial data and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) guidelines regarding the use of liposomal amphotericin B to treat systemic and invasive fungal infections.
Using a pilot study to establish experimental methods for inexpensive instrumented insoles used in dynamic skiing analysis

Loss of balance leads to increased likelihood of falling for human locomotion. Determining the likelihood of falling for skiing locomotion is challenging because, unlike walking, normal locomotion is not clearly defined. One of the first learned styles of skiing is wedge style (WS). WS affords relatively easier balancing and speed control due to a wide base of support and greater resistance to forward movement, respectively. As skiers become more familiar with WS, their sensory, cognition, and actuation improve and they are able to apply more advanced styles, namely parallel style (PS), which requires refined balance. This paper studies the effects of WS and PS, on a single subject pilot study, and how they effect the likelihood of falling. A traditional laboratory setting was not suitable because of extreme difficulty and expense required to mimic the environment. Specially designed instrumented insoles were used to capture force data in a mountain environment.
“One of the biggest ears in the world:” East German SIGINT operations

(1998). “One of the biggest ears in the world:” East German SIGINT operations. International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence: Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 142-153.
Tin Men: Ethics, Cybernetics and the Importance of Soul

The idea that overly emotional humans make poor ethical actors pervades the current literature on the ethical implications of the development of autonomous weapons systems. From this perspective, developing fully autonomous military robots should be doubly desirable: the technical process of ‘teaching’ robots ethics would finally systematize just war thinking, while robots could uphold the rules of engagement even under the most emotionally trying of situations. This article addresses my doubts about both claims. I argue that truly ethical behavior requires what classical just war theorists would have called soul, or what we might today term conscience – and that the flexibility of the traditional principles reflects this understanding. In pursuit of this argument, this article proceeds in two parts. First, it argues that the apparent ‘messiness’ of just war thought is actually morally useful. Second, it argues that emotions play an important and irreplaceable role in our ethical behavior, particularly as...
New Clinical and Research Trends in Lower Extremity Management for Ambulatory Children with Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most prevalent physical disability in childhood and includes a group of disorders with varying manifestations. This article focuses on current and future intervention strategies for improving mobility and participation during the lifespan for ambulatory children with CP. The provision and integration of physical therapy and medical and orthopedic surgery management focused primarily on the lower extremities are discussed here. Some of the newer trends are more intense and task-related exercise strategies, greater precision in tone identification and management, and a shift towards musculoskeletal surgery that focuses more on promoting dynamic bony alignment and less on releasing or lengthening tendons. Advances in basic and clinical science and technology development are changing existing paradigms and offering renewed hope for improved functioning for children with CP who face a lifelong disability with unique challenges at each stage in life.
Effects of foveal task load on visual-spatial attention: Event-related brain potentials and performance

The effects of foveal task difficulty on the processing of events in the visual periphery were investigated through an analysis of event-related brain potentials and performance measures. Subjects performed a foveally presented continuous monitoring task both separately and together with an arrow discrimination task that was presented at three different retinal eccentricities. The subjects detected occasional failures in the monitoring task while also responding to designated targets in the left and right visual fields. The analysis of the event-related brain potentials elicited by discrete events in the arrow discrimination task indicated that the amplitude of the N190 and P300 components decreased with both the introduction of the foveal task and an increase in its difficulty. The N160 component was sensitive to the distribution of attention within a task but was uninfluenced by dual task demands. These findings suggest that the N160 reflects the distribution of attention to different spatial locations within a task while the N190 may index the distribution of general purpose perceptual resources. P300 appears to index the allocation of perceptual/central processing resources. The implications of the results for models of resource allocation and attentional gradients are discussed.
A Behavioral Approach to the Sacred: Category Formation in Religious Studies

T he concept of the sacred has an uncertain status in religious studies. It seems to refer to an emotional quality or affective tone that characterizes religious phenomena and that might serve as a criterion for a definition of religion./1/ Yet the notion of the sacred is rendered dubious by the difficulty in specifying the nature of this sacred feeling with any kind of scientific exactness. What Augustine said of time is true of the sacred; if no one asks us, we seem to know what it means; but when we are asked, we do not know.
CPL6: The New Extensible, High Performance Parallel Coupler for the Community Climate System Model

Coupled climate models are large, multiphysics applications designed to simulate the Earth's climate and predict the response of the climate to any changes in the forcing or boundary conditions. The Community Climate System Model (CCSM) is a widely used state-of-the-art climate model that has released several versions to the climate community over the past ten years. Like many climate models, CCSM employs a coupler, a functional unit that coordinates the exchange of data between parts of the climate system such as the atmosphere and ocean. In this paper we describe the new coupler, cpl6, contained in the latest version of CCSM, CCSM3. Cpl6 introduces distributed-memory parallelism to the coupler, a class library for important coupler functions, and a standardized interface for component models. Cpl6 is implemented entirely in Fortran90 and uses the Model Coupling Toolkit as the base for most of its classes. Cpl6 gives improved performance over previous versions and scales well on multiple platforms.
Automated measurement of retinal blood vessel tortuosity

Abnormalities in the vascular pattern of the retina are associated with retinal diseases and are also risk factors for systemic diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases. The three-dimensional retinal vascular pattern is mostly formed congenitally, but is then modified over life, in response to aging, vessel wall dystrophies and long term changes in blood flow and pressure. A characteristic of the vascular pattern that is appreciated by clinicians is vascular tortuosity, i.e. how curved or kinked a blood vessel, either vein or artery, appears along its course. We developed a new quantitative metric for vascular tortuosity, based on the vessel's angle of curvature, length of the curved vessel over its chord length (arc to chord ratio), number of curvature sign changes, and combined these into a unidimensional metric, Tortuosity Index (TI). In comparison to other published methods this method can estimate appropriate TI for vessels with constant curvature sign and vessels with equal arc to chord ratios, as well. We applied this method to a dataset of 15 digital fundus images of 8 patients with Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), and to the other publically available dataset of 60 fundus images of normal cases and patients with hypertensive retinopathy, of which the arterial and venous tortuosities have also been graded by masked experts (ophthalmologists). The method produced exactly the same rank-ordered list of vessel tortuosity (TI) values as obtained by averaging the tortuosity grading given by 3 ophthalmologists for FSHD dataset and a list of TI values with high ranking correlation with the ophthalmologist's grading for the other dataset. Our results show that TI has potential to detect and evaluate abnormal retinal vascular structure in early diagnosis and prognosis of retinopathies.
EFFECTS ON THE ALKALOID CONTENT OF POTATOES GROWN FROM SEEDS SUBJECTED TO LOW-DOSE GAMMA IRRADIATION.

SUMMARY— Effects of low dose gamma irradiation of seeds on alkaloid content, proximate composition and yield of the potato tubers were studied. Increase in yield with irradiation of seeds was inconclusive. Changes in proximate composition of Russet potatoes grown from tubers irradiated at 1,500 rads were found to be insignificant. Varietal differences in solanine content were more pronounced than those due to gamma irradiation. In all cases the solanine content in potatoes grown from irradiated seeds was found to be far below the toxic level for human beings.
Optimizing OCR accuracy for bi-tonal, noisy scans of degraded Arabic documents

Acquiring foreign language from degraded hardcopy documents is of interest to military and border control applications. Bi-tonal image scans are desirable because file size is small. However, the nature of hardcopy degradations and the scanner or image enhancement software capabilities used directly affect the quality of the captured image and the extent of language acquisition. We applied a collection of manual treatments to hardcopy Arabic documents to develop a corpus of bi-tonal images. We then used this corpus in an exploratory study to derive conclusions about how bi-tonal images could be enhanced. This paper discusses the manually degraded Arabic document corpus, the image enhancement study, and the significant optical character recognition (OCR) improvements obtained with simple scanner driver adjustments.
Particle Filter for Plasma Insulin Estimation

Bergman’s Minimal Model (MM) captures simply but accurately the homeostasis of glucose and insulin in plasma. The MM has been proposed as an estimator of insulin for Diabetes Mellitus. Along this line of research, the present work takes into account the error between Bergman’s simple compartmental model and the complex physiologic system it depicts. The author employs a Particle Filter (PF) in order to construct the posterior probability density of insulin from data. As a sequential Bayesian estimator, the PF can handle nonlinear state equations, such as the MM, as well as non-Gaussian modeling error. These advantages of the PF over the Kalman Filter warrant further consideration for insulin estimation and, in turn, avoidance of hyperinsulinemia.
A separation-based UI architecture with a DSL for role specialization

We propose a new DSL and separation-based architecture and development methodology.The approach separates front-end UI concerns from back-end implementation concerns.A climate science application illustrates the approach and verifies its validity.Evaluation of the approach includes comparative analysis and usability studies.The approach increases developer productivity and enhances UI design flexibility. This paper proposes an architecture and associated methodology to separate front end UI concerns from back end coding concerns to improve the platform flexibility, shorten the development time, and increase the productivity of developers. Typical UI development is heavily dependent upon the underlying platform, framework, or tool used to create it, which results in a number of problems. We took a separation-based UI architecture and modified it with a domain specific language to support the independence of UI creation thereby resolving some of the aforementioned problems. A methodology incorporating this architecture into the development process is proposed. A climate science application was created to verify the validity of the methodology using modern practices of UX, DSLs, code generation, and model-driven engineering. Analyzing related work provides an overview of other methods similar to our method. Subsequently we evaluate the climate science application, conclude, and detail future work.
Perceptions of the Family Mealtime Environment and Adolescent Mealtime Behavior: Do Adults and Adolescents Agree?

Abstract The family mealtime environment has great potential to affect the eating behaviors of youth in the family. It is difficult to determine the important elements of a healthy mealtime environment because a valid assessment of the family environment is so difficult to obtain. The objective of this study is to examine the level of agreement between adult and adolescent perceptions of the family mealtime environment and adolescent mealtime behavior. A telephone survey was used to query adult and adolescent family members about how they perceive the family mealtime environment and the adolescent's mealtime behavior. A convenience sample of 282 adult/adolescent pairs from four schools in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area completed the telephone surveys. Frequencies of responses and the associations between the adult and adolescent responses are presented. Pearson correlations and regression were used to examine the level of association between adult and adolescent responses. Mixed-model regression was used for the continuous variables, and mixed-model logistic regression was used for the dichotomous variables. This study showed very little concordance between adolescent and adult responses. Only one question regarding arguments about eating during mealtime showed concordance. Adults and adolescents living in the same household seem to have different perceptions of the family mealtime environment and adolescent eating patterns. Researchers need to be aware of and concerned with the validity of the use of self-report for descriptions of family mealtime. They also need to be aware of the difference in adult and adolescent perceptions and consider these differences when designing messages for the family.
The design and calibration of a high efficiency deuteron tensor polarimeter

Abstract We report on the detailed design and calibration of a novel, high-efficiency polarimeter for tensor polarized deuterons. This device measures the t 20 moment of the deutron, and was built to observe the polarization of recoil deutrons from 180° π−d elastic scattering. Based on the 3 He(d, p) 4 He reaction at low energies and forward angles, the polarimeter detects 1.8×10 −4 protons/incident deuteron with an average analyzing power of T 20 = −0.6.. The performance of the polarimeter in high background fluxes is discussed.
Potential energy surfaces for the interactions of excited Rb and Cs atoms with methane

Diode pumped alkali vapor lasers (DPAL's) rely on collisional energy transfer to move population from the optically pumped level (2P3/2) to the upper level of the laser transition (2P1/2). Small hydrocarbon molecules such as methane and ethane have proved to be very effective transfer agents. It is thought that the primary mechanism is electronic-to-rotational (E-R) energy transfer, but this has yet to be proven. In the present study we use electronic structure calculations to determine the potential energy surfaces for Rb(2P) and Cs(2P) interacting with methane. These surfaces may be used to estimate the probabilities for transfer by E-R exchange and by surface hopping at the seams of intersection between potential energy surfaces. We have also examined the influence that interactions with CH4 have on the 2P-2S transition moments. This is a preliminary step towards understanding the enhanced far-wing optical absorption cross-sections that have been observed in alkali metal/ rare gas/ hydrocarbon mixtures.
Ground-based measurements of atmospheric backscatter and absorption using coherent CO2 lidar

In the present derivation of vertical profiles of atmospheric absorption and backscatter coefficients from coherent pulsed Doppler lidar by means of a slant path method, a strong seasonal variation of absorption and backscatter is evident throughout the lower troposphere. Measurements beyond the lower troposphere are hampered by modest pulse energy and lidar beam absorption, although small backscatter values are occasionally observed at midtropospheric levels during the winter months, when absorption is minimal. While a monomodal lognormal backscatter distribution is found within the lower boundary layer, evidence of a bimodal lognormal distribution is found at higher levels.
Mathematical studies of the interaction of respiratory gases with whole blood II. CO2 absorption

Some progress has been made on the problem of the interaction of respiratory gases with whole blood. A working mathematical model for the O2−CO2 interaction phenomena has been developed from mathematical studies of the data. The Edsall-Wyman (1958) model for CO2 absorption is improved upon in this paper by consolidating it with the O2 absorption model developed in paper I of this set (Bernard, S. R.,Bull. Math. Biophysics,22, 391–415, 1960). This improved model assumed the effect of O2 on CO2 absorption is mediated through the electrical charge possessed by the hemoglobin molecule,i.e., O2 molecules bound to hemoglobin displace protons from the hemoglobin thereby increasing the negative charge on the hemoglobin and at the same time increasing the acidity of the solution. The model is tested against the data.
A comparison of the absorption from a ‘chemically defined elemental’ and a ‘whole protein’ enteral feed by the human small bowel

Abstract Absorption from the small intestine was studied in 10 patients with established ileostomies. Each patient was orally fed for two separate 7 day periods, one on a ‘chemically defined elemental’ enteral feed containing short-chain peptides and the other on a liquid ‘whole protein’ enteral feed. During both 7 day study periods each patient collected the total stoma effluent on days 4–7 inclusive. These were analysed for wet weight, nitrogen, sodium and potassium. Comparisons between the nutritional intake and ileostomy effluent showed no significant difference in the absorption by the small bowel of fluid, nitrogen and electrolytes from either preparation.