cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deep Learning Segmentation of Optical Microscopy Images Improves 3-D Neuron Reconstruction

Digital reconstruction, or tracing, of 3-D neuron structure from microscopy images is a critical step toward reversing engineering the wiring and anatomy of a brain. Despite a number of prior attempts, this task remains very challenging, especially when images are contaminated by noises or have discontinued segments of neurite patterns. An approach for addressing such problems is to identify the locations of neuronal voxels using image segmentation methods, prior to applying tracing or reconstruction techniques. This preprocessing step is expected to remove noises in the data, thereby leading to improved reconstruction results. In this paper, we proposed to use 3-D convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for segmenting the neuronal microscopy images. Specifically, we designed a novel CNN architecture, that takes volumetric images as the inputs and their voxel-wise segmentation maps as the outputs. The developed architecture allows us to train and predict using large microscopy images in an end-to-end manner. We evaluated the performance of our model on a variety of challenging 3-D microscopy images from different organisms. Results showed that the proposed methods improved the tracing performance significantly when combined with different reconstruction algorithms.
Revisiting racial disparities in access to surgical management of drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy post implementation of Affordable Care Act.

Abstract Objectives Prior to enactment of the Affordable Care Act(ACA), several reports demonstrated remarkable racial disparities in access to surgical care for epileptic patients. Implementation of ACA provided healthcare access to 7–16 million uninsured Americans. The current study investigates racial disparity post ACA era in (1) access to surgical management of drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (DRTLE); (2) short-term outcomes in the surgical cohort. Patient and methods Adult patients with DRTLE registered in the National Inpatient Sample (2012–2013) were identified. Association of race (African Americans and other minorities with respect to Caucasians) with access to surgical management of TLE, and short-term outcomes [discharge disposition, length of stay (LOS) and hospital charges] in the surgical cohort were investigated using multivariable regression techniques. Results Of the 4062 patients with DRTLE, 3.6%(n = 148) underwent lobectomy. Overall, the mean age of the cohort was 42.35 ± 16.33 years, and 54% were female. Regression models adjusted for patient demographics, clinical and hospital characteristics demonstrated no racial disparities in access to surgical care for DRTLE. Likewise, no racial disparity was noted in outcomes in the surgical cohort. Conclusion Our study reflects no racial disparity in access to surgical care in patients with DRTLE post 2010 amendment of the ACA. The seismic changes to the US healthcare system may plausibly have accounted for addressing the gap in racial disparity for epilepsy surgery.
Flexibility Stigma: It’s About Time!

This paper explores workplace flexibility and the development of flexibility stigma by proposing potential antecedents to flexibility stigma. Flexibility stigma is considered as a cultural schema a...
Aluminum Toxicity in Humans

Systemically administered aluminum can cause severe toxicity primarily effecting the neurological, skeletal and hematopoietic systems. Humans have largely been protected from toxicity because of the insoluble nature of most aluminum compounds. However, when administered with citrate aluminum compounds can be solubilized, and absorption markedly enhanced. Similarly the barriers to aluminum absorption (lungs, gastro-intestinal tract and skin) can be circumvented by the parenteral administration of aluminum and body burden of this element markedly increased. The kidneys are responsible for elimination of any systemic aluminum placing patients with renal failure at the greatest risk of developing toxicity.
Meiotic homoeologous recombination-based mapping of wheat chromosome 2B and its homoeologues in Aegilops speltoides and Thinopyrum elongatum.

We physically dissected and mapped wheat chromosome 2B and its homoeologues in Aegilops speltoides and Thinopyrum elongatum based on meiotic homoeologous recombination, providing a unique physical framework for genome studies. Common wheat has a large and complex genome with narrow genetic diversity and various degrees of recombination between the A, B, and D subgenomes. This has limited the homologous recombination-based genome studies in wheat. Here, we exploited meiotic homoeologous recombination for molecular mapping of wheat chromosome 2B and its homoeologue 2S from Aegilops speltoides and 2E from Thinopyrum elongatum. The 2B–2S and 2B–2E recombination was induced by the ph1b mutant, and recovered using molecular markers and fluorescent genomic in situ hybridization (FGISH). A total of 112 2B–2S and 87 2B–2E recombinants involving different chromosome regions were developed and physically delineated by FGISH. The 2B–2S and 2B–2E recombination hotspots mapped to the subterminal regions on both arms. Recombination hotspots with the highest recombination rates mapped to the short arms. Eighty-three 2B–2S and 67 2B–2E recombinants were genotyped using the wheat 90 K SNP arrays. Based on the genotyping results and FGISH patterns of the recombinants, chromosomes 2B, 2S, and 2E were partitioned into 93, 66, and 46 bins, respectively. In total, 1037 SNPs physically mapped onto distinct bins of these three homoeologous chromosomes. A homoeologous recombination-based bin map was constructed for chromosome 2B, providing a unique physical framework for genome studies in wheat and its relatives. Meiotic homoeologous recombination also facilitates gene introgression to diversify the wheat genome for germplasm development. Therefore, homoeologous recombination-based studies enhance understanding of the wheat genome and its homoeologous counterparts from wild grasses, and expand the genetic variability of the wheat genome.
Synthesis and Properties of γ-Fe2O3 Nanoclusters within Mesoporous Aluminosilicate Matrices

Iron oxide nanoclusters were synthesized within mesoporous MCM-41 aluminosilicate matrices via evaporation-condensation of volatile Fe(CO)5. The well-defined hexagonally packed cylindrical pore structure of MCM-41 led to the derivation of γ-Fe2O3 particles with spherical and elongated morphologies. Magnetization studies and Mossbauer spectroscopy indicated that the γ-Fe2O3/MCM-41 nanocomposites exhibited interesting superparamagnetic behavior. A blue shift in the absorption edge relative to bulk iron oxide was noted in the UV−Vis spectra. Strain at the particle-support interface and quantum confinement effects played a critical role in determining the overall magnetic and optical behavior of the γ-Fe2O3/MCM-41 nanocomposites. The iron oxide nanoclusters within the MCM-41 matrix showed high thermal stability and increased magnetization when calcined at high temperatures.
Urinary tract infection after stroke: A narrative review

Abstract Background Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infections seen in patients hospitalized for acute stroke, resulting in greater utilization of hospital resources in addition to patient discomfort. Although post-stroke infections (PSIs) are commonly referenced for interference with stroke recovery as well as associations with worse clinical outcome, factors associated specifically with UTI after stroke remain unclear. Aim To provide a comprehensive narrative synthesis covering literature published with results specific to the topic of UTI in stroke patients. Methods Literature review was performed searching the keywords “stroke” and “urinary tract infection” in Pubmed. All manuscripts published in English were appraised for information relevant to UTI in stroke patients. Applicable content was obtained, synthesized, and summarized. Results Post-stroke UTI is found to be associated with prolongation of hospital length of stay (LOS), discharge to a Care Home, and increased medical care costs. This process possibly reflects the consequences of greater stroke severity and clinical courses requiring urinary catheterization in hospitalized patients. However, UTI does not share an independent association with long-term clinical outcomes including morbidities and mortality. Conclusions A narrative review was performed, including the following topics: classifications and epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, and future directions. The heterogeneous nature of reports on UTI in stroke patients remains as a major limitation in literature.
A Case Report on Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease with a Novel Periaxin Gene Mutation

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is one of the most common primary hereditary neuropathies causing peripheral neuropathies. More than 60 different gene mutations are causing this disease. The PRX gene codes for Periaxin proteins that are expressed by Schwann cells and are necessary for the formation and maintenance of myelination of peripheral nerves. Dejerine-Sottas neuropathy and Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 4F (CMT4F) are the two different clinical phenotypes observed in association with PRX gene mutation. This article describes a case of an elderly male with a novel mutation involving the PRX gene.
InSight Entry, Descent and Landing Post-Flight Performance Assessment

On November 26, 2018, the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) lander successfully touched down on the surface of Mars. NASA Langley Research Center’s (LaRC) Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories II (POST2) was used during both project development and flight operations to assess the Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) vehicle performance against related requirements across the expected range of possible environmental and spacecraft conditions. During flight operations, these analyses were used to evaluate the need for updating flight software EDL parameters and the effects of executing a trajectory correction maneuver (TCM). Therefore, the NASA LaRC POST2 simulation had a critical role during the cruise, approach and ultimately EDL phases of the mission. This paper presents results of the final pre- and post- EDL flight performance assessments. A summary of the reconstructed “as-flown” trajectory with a comparison of key EDL metrics to the nominal and three-sigma bound pre-EDL predictions is also provided. Emphasis on the trajectory between entry interface and parachute deploy is provided as this is the period during which deviations from the pre-EDL prediction occurred. The post-flight assessment provides important verification of the POST2 models and analysis techniques used for InSight, providing critical feed-forward information to future lander missions.
Electricity restructuring and the relationship between fuel costs and electricity prices for industrial and residential customers

Abstract A major concern with electricity market restructuring has been the possibility that fuel price volatility may leak into electricity prices. This view is credible if electricity price – fuel costs relation is stronger in restructured than in non-restructured states. We examine the validity of this view using panel data on for industrial, residential and commercial sectors in US states. The analysis accounts for cross-sectional dependency, cross-state heterogeneity, and interdependency of state fuel markets. The common correlated effects mean-group estimates suggest that (1) coal and natural gas costs Granger-cause electricity prices for industrial and commercial customers in both non-restructured and restructured states; (2) both fuel costs also Granger-cause electricity prices for residential customers in non-restructured states but only natural gas costs cause electricity prices in restructured states; (3) the long-run impacts of fuel costs on electricity prices are higher in non-restructured than restructured states; and (4) electricity prices exhibit lower persistence in non-restructured than in restructured states. These results are do not support the view of higher integration between input costs and electricity prices in restructured markets. Policymakers should be aware of the differences in electricity price response in alternative market structures when implementing new federal policies.
Identifying finite cardinal abstracts

Objects appear to fall into different sorts, each with their own criteria for identity. This raises the question of whether sorts overlap. Abstractionists about numbers—those who think natural numbers are objects characterized by abstraction principles—face an acute version of this problem. Many abstraction principles appear to characterize the natural numbers. If each abstraction principle determines its own sort, then there is no single subject-matter of arithmetic—there are too many numbers. That is, unless objects can belong to more than one sort. But if there are multi-sorted objects, there should be cross-sortal identity principles for identifying objects across sorts. The going cross-sortal identity principle, ECIA2 of (Cook and Ebert 2005), solves the problem of too many numbers. But, I argue, it does so at a high cost. I therefore propose a novel cross-sortal identity principle, based on embeddings of the induced models of abstracts developed by Walsh (2012). The new criterion matches ECIA2’s success, but offers interestingly different answers to the more controversial identifications made by ECIA2.
Working memory is not a natural kind and cannot explain central cognition

Working memory is a foundational construct of cognitive psychology, where it is thought to be a capacity that enables us to keep information in mind and to use that information to support goal directed behavior. Philosophers have recently employed working memory to explain central cognitive processes, from consciousness to reasoning. In this paper, I show that working memory cannot meet even a minimal account of natural kindhood, as the functions of maintenance and manipulation of information that tie working memory models and theories together do not have a coherent or univocal realizer in the brain. As such, working memory cannot explain central cognition. Rather, I argue that working memory merely redescribes its target phenomenon, and in doing so it obfuscates relevant distinctions amongst the many ways that brains like ours retain and transform information in the service of cognition. While this project ultimately erodes the explanatory role that working memory has played in our understanding of cognition, it simultaneously prompts us to evaluate the function of natural kinds within cognitive science, and signals the need for a productive pessimism to frame our future study of cognitive categories.
Mutual information reveals a homonucleotide bias at 6 bp distance in promoters

Motivation: Statistical dependencies between nucleotides at different positions within a DNA sequence have been used for several purposes including distinguishing coding from noncoding regions of a genome. Coding sequences show correlations within and between codon positions. This study asked whether such correlations between positions separated by short distances might also exist in noncoding DNA. To this end, positional nucleotide dependencies were examined in the promoter regions of four eukaryotic species: Homo sapiens (Hs), Mus musculus (Mm), Drosophila melanogaster (Dm), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc). The degree of dependency between pairwise positions across a set of aligned sequences was quantified by Mutual Information (MI) and visualized using a novel heatmap method. Results: MI in promoter sequences aligned at their putative Transcription Start Site (TSS) generally decreased with increasing distance between two positions, but also showed a prominent increase at a distance of 6 base pairs (bp) (i.e., between nucleotides at x and x+6 in a sequence) in the three multicellular species, but much less so in Sc. This dependency at a distance of 6 bp appears to reflect an N1.....N7 homonucleotide bias in promoters.
Fear of COVID-19: What Causes Fear and How Individuals Cope with It.

The public’s fear of COVID-19 may cause severe consequences. The current project explored what caused U.S. adults’ fear of COVID-19 and how they regulated fear using a longitudinal two-wave survey ...
Maleimide-functionalized metal–organic framework for polysulfide tethering in lithium–sulfur batteries

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have great potential as next generation energy storage devices. However, the redox chemistry mechanism involves the generation of solubilized lithium polysulfides, which can lead to leaching of the active material and, consequently, passivated electrodes and diminished capacities. Chemical tethering of lithium polysulfides to materials in the sulfur cathode is a promising approach for resolving this issue in Li–S batteries. Borrowing from the field of synthetic chemistry, we utilize maleimide functional groups in a Zr-based metal–organic framework to chemically interact with polysulfides through the Michael Addition reaction. A combination of molecular and solid-state spectroscopies confirms covalent attachment of Li2Sx to the maleimide functionality. When integrated into Li–S cathodes, the maleimide-functionalized framework exhibits notable performance enhancements over that of the unfunctionalized material, revealing the promise of polysulfide anchors for Li–S battery cycling.
Computer Model for Highway Noise Prediction

Noise has become a major problem of the urban environment. Highway traffic is a primary source of urban noise. To protect this aspect of the urban environment, it is important for the highway planner to have effective and efficient tools for predicting the noise levels resulting from new facilities. While considerable research has provided a basis for the prediction of such noise levels, an efficient method for accomplishing such predictions has not been generally available. This paper describes a computer program that has been developed for predicting highway noise. Based on characteristics of the highway geometrics, the traffic using the facility, and the adjacent environment, a series of noise level contours are produced. These contours may be compared to area land-use maps for the purpose of evaluation and design. An example problem is solved to illustrate the use of the program.
New West and Old West: Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Natural Resource Uses and Management

The social, economic, and cultural conditions that characterize rural areas of the American West have traditionally been closely linked to the region’s extensive public lands and abundant natural resources. Even though the resource-based extraction and commodity-production industries that once drove local and regional economies across the West have, in recent decades, given way to a far more diversified array of economic activities, individual as well as collective identities linked to traditional resource-based economies remain deeply rooted in many western locales. Frequent reference by local residents to the places they live as “ranching communities,” “mining communities,” “logging communities,” and similar descriptions provides clear evidence about the continued importance of socioeconomic structures and cultural traditions that in various ways reflect strong connections to the availability and use of land-based natural resources throughout the region.
Identifying Potential Drivers of Differential DNA Methylation Patterns in Breast Cancer Cells

Global changes in DNA methylation and chromatin modifications are common in breast cancer. Tumors from cancer patients can be categorized based on differential DNA methylation patterns; some of which have been linked to poor prognosis. Correlations between chromatin and DNA methylation patterns are well established in normal cells. However, the interplay between these marks has not been explored in breast cancer cells. We hypothesize that alterations in chromatin modifiers drive global changes in DNA methylation observed in breast tumors. Using breast cancer data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) we identified alterations in chromatin modifying proteins that correlate with changes in DNA methylation patterns. We then validated the ability of these proteins to affect DNA methylation. These results will improve our understanding of the mechanism used to establish DNA methylation patterns in breast cancer cells. This research is funded by grant R25HG00668703.
Keeping Peace in the Family While You are Resting in Peace: Making Sense of and Preventing Will Contests

This Article focuses on post-mortem challenges to wills. All such will challenges involve a clash between the testator's stated intentions and the disappointed heirs' expectations and desires. While the legal issues may differ somewhat in individual cases, the claims are almost invariably the result of a disappointed heir feeling that she has been treated unfairly or has not received what she expected to receive. Rather than focusing on the technical issues of will drafting or execution, this Article reflects on the emotional causes of fighting over an estate and suggests some ways to reduce the family fighting and hard feelings that result in will contests. The first section of the Article describes some of the common legal challenges used to prevent the enforcement of specific will provisions or to contest the will's admission to probate. The Article then discusses the overarching issue of why surviving family members fight about property after the death of a love one. Here, the Article describes the legal concept of freedom of testation and contrasts a testator's view towards property ownership and disposal with the views of potential family recipients. This section also discusses the implicit preference that the law gives to presumptive heirs - a preference that probably bolsters the resolve of disappointed heirs to engage in will challenges. In the final section, this Article describes specific steps that typically are recommended for use by testators to reduce the likelihood of will challenges, and it concludes by asking clients and their lawyers to mull over the long-term emotional and social repercussions of proposed estate plans.
A new method of solving Bessel's differential equation using the L 2 -transform

In the present paper, a new method of solving Bessel's differential equation is given using the L"2-transform.
Glycosylation requirements for intracellular transport and function of the hemagglutinin of influenza virus.

The contribution of each of the seven asparagine-linked oligosaccharide side chains on the hemagglutinin of the A/Aichi/68 (X31) strain of influenza virus was assessed with respect to its effect on the folding, intracellular transport, and biological activities of the molecule. Twenty mutant influenza virus hemagglutinins were constructed and expressed, each of which had one or more of the seven glycosylation sites removed. Investigations of these mutant hemagglutinins indicated that (i) no individual oligosaccharide side chain is necessary or sufficient for the folding, intracellular transport, or function of the molecule, (ii) at least five oligosaccharide side chains are required for the X31 hemagglutinin molecule to move along the exocytic pathway to the plasma membrane, and (iii) mutant hemagglutinins having less than five oligosaccharide side chains form intracellular aggregates and are retained in the endoplasmic reticulum. Images
Digging Out of Trouble Public Archaeology as Rehabilitation for Juvenile Delinquents

This article reports an evaluation of an archaeology project carried out by the University of South Alabama (USA) Center for Archaeological Studies to complement an Intensive Aftercare Program for juvenile delinquents in Mobile, Alabama. The project was an eight-week field school for 14 adjudicated youth. The goals of the project were to teach archaeology, provide job skills, improve pro-social attitudes of delinquents, improve delinquents' attitudes toward their local community, and reduce recidivism among delinquents. The evaluation was completed using a mixed methods approach including pre- and post-project questionnaires, weekly evaluations, comparisons with a matched sample, observations, and focus groups with staff. Findings are that students learned archaeology and formed positive relations with staff. There is no evidence that pro-social attitudes, ties to the community, or recidivism were altered. The quality of archaeology performed by the participants was high and the project beneficial to the ...
Faculty Views on Identity and Professionalism for Catholic Colleges and Universities

This study ascertains the opinions of faculty in Catholic colleges and universities towards both the religious and the professional value dimension-the identity criis-of Catholic higher education. Responses from 551 faculty in universities and men's, women's, and coeducational liberal arts colleges permitted analysis of variance tests by institutional type, academic rank, field of study, status (religious/lay), age, sex, and educational socialization. The instrument provided data for testing hypotheses on the Identity Issue, a Catholic Character Issue, and on two indicesCatholic Environment and Professional Ideology. Statistically significant differences exist among almost all faculty subgroups with respect to their acceptance of the values associated with the professional ideology as this acceptance is affected by the religious dimension of Catholic higher education. It appears that for most Catholic colleges and faculty, pressures are such that their future direction seems inevitably to lead towards the non-sectarian independent college and university model.
Secure computing with the actor paradigm

This paper describes the a.ctor model of concurrent computation and discusses some of t,he issues in securing such a model.
Experimental infarct sizing using computer processing and a three-dimensional model

A method for noninvasive sizing of myocardial infarction, in which data from technetium-99m stannous pyrophosphate scintigrams and a three-dimensional model were used, was tested on experimental, acute anterior infarcts in dogs. The results indicate that the method does size experimental anterior infarcts accurately, but further testing will be necessary to assess the capabilities of the technique for sizing other types of infarcts.
A space-based proxy for the Dst index

Abstract : The Dst index was created to monitor and quantify disturbances in the inner magnetosphere using ground-based, magnetic field measurements. The phases and strengths of geomagnetic storms are usually defined by the evolution of Dst. The standard Dst database is computed and maintained at the World Data Center for Geomagnetism, Kyoto. We demonstrate that the Dst index can also be approximated using magnetometers on spacecraft in near-Earth orbit. Measurements used in the demonstration were obtained from boom-mounted sensors on two spacecraft of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. The extraction technique can be applied to magnetic field data retrieved by magnetometers on any spacecraft in low Earth orbit. This alternate method for computing a Dst-like index can be used to (1) supplement the standard Dst index in near-real-time space weather applications and (2) replace the "prompt" Dst index during periods of unavailability.
The reduction of solutions of some integrable partial differential equations

Abstract We reduce the finite-zone solutions of the Korteweg-de Vries equation, sine-Gordon equation and nonlinear Schrodinger equation associated to a hyperelliptic curve of genus four.
The Energy Loss of a Fast Charged Particle by Čerenkov Radiation

The calculation of the \ifmmode \check{C}\else \v{C}\fi{}erenkov loss in emulsion is discussed. The loss in traversing the AgBr grains is 2.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ Mev/g ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ which is small compared to the relativistic rise of the total ionization loss (0.12 Mev/g ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$). For gases the \ifmmode \check{C}\else \v{C}\fi{}erenkov loss is somewhat larger, being 0.14 Mev/g ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ for He and 0.04 Mev/g ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ for ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$. The theory is in reasonable agreement with experiments on the grain count in emulsion and on the droplet count in a cloud chamber filled with ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$. For gases an approximate analytic expression for the \ifmmode \check{C}\else \v{C}\fi{}erenkov loss is obtained. Values of the density effect for 6 additional substances are presented.
A general approach to quantum fields and strings on adeles

Abstract We develop a general framework for constructing quantum theories on the space of adeles. We consider complementary approaches utilizing both the functional integral and generalized Poincare (translation) invariant Hilbert space methods. As a starting point, we seek to construct the most general quantum theory on the rational numbers. Very general arguments land us in the adeles. Quantum amplitudes generically will not factorize into separate-p-adic sectors. The vacuum amplitude, in particular, factorizes only in a linear regime. We conclude with implications for the cosmological constant and adelic string sigma models.
Effect of exposure to ethylene glycol ethers on shipyard painters: III. Hematologic effects

Hemoglobin, hematocrit, red cell indices, total and differential white blood cell counts, and platelet count were measured in shipyard painters and control subjects as part of a cross-sectional, observational study of the effects of ethylene glycol ethers. Although the means of all variables were comparable between the groups, a significant proportion of painters were anemic (10%) and granulocytopenic (5%); none of the controls were affected. Review of company records documented that most of these abnormalities were acquired during employment; preexisting disease and other exposure could not explain the findings. These findings are consistent with prior animal studies and human case reports. Potential biases and confounding of the data are discussed.
Pyrene‐Bridged Bis(phenanthroline) Ligands and Their Dinuclear Ruthenium(II) Complexes

The Friedlander condensation of 8-amino-7-quinolinecarbaldehyde with a series of four isomeric diacetylpyrenes provides the corresponding 1,3-, 1,6-, 1,8-, and 2,7-bis(2′-[1′,10′]phenanthrolinyl)pyrenes. These ligands, along with the tetrahydro analogue to the 2,7-pyrene-bridged isomer, have been treated with [Ru([D8]bpy)2Cl2], where [D8]bpy = [D8]2,2′-bipyridine, to afford the dinuclear RuII complexes, 1H NMR and X-ray crystallographic analysis of which indicate that the bridging pyrene is layered between a [D8]bpy auxiliary ligand coordinated to each metal atom. Although well situated for π−π interactions, little such effect is seen on the photophysical and electrochemical properties of these complexes. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2003)
S-TREE: self-organizing trees for data clustering and online vector quantization

This paper introduces S-TREE (Self-Organizing Tree), a family of models that use unsupervised learning to construct hierarchical representations of data and online tree-structured vector quantizers. The S-TREE1 model, which features a new tree-building algorithm, can be implemented with various cost functions. An alternative implementation, S-TREE2, which uses a new double-path search procedure, is also developed. The performance of the S-TREE algorithms is illustrated with data clustering and vector quantization examples, including a Gauss-Markov source benchmark and an image compression application. S-TREE performance on these tasks is compared with the standard tree-structured vector quantizer (TSVQ) and the generalized Lloyd algorithm (GLA). The image reconstruction quality with S-TREE2 approaches that of GLA while taking less than 10% of computer time. S-TREE1 and S-TREE2 also compare favorably with the standard TSVQ in both the time needed to create the codebook and the quality of image reconstruction.
Multielement determination in wheat and bran

Instrumental neutron activation analysis was employed to measure 26 elements in three wheat varieties and in bran retained on U.S. standard sieve#e40. It was observed that the mineral content of bran was much higher than whole wheat and more than 90% of the elemental content was retained in the bran. The concentrations of As, Ce, Cr, Cs, Eu, Hf, Hg, La, Sb, Sc, Sr, Th and V in whole wheat and bran were below the detection limit.
An omnivorous appetite

The Correspondence of Charles Darwin. Volume 6 1856–1857. Edited by F. Burkhardt and S Smith. Cambridge University Press: 1990. Pp. 673. £35, $49.50.
Magnetic-dipole wavelength measurements in the n = 3 configurations of highly ionized Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Kr, and Y

Magnetic dipole (M1) transitions between the levels of the ground configurations in the 3s/sup 2/3p/sup x/ Al-like through Cl-like and the 3s3p Mg-like isoelectronic sequences of Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Kr, and Y have been observed. These elements were introduced into the Texas experimental Tokomak plasma by laser ablation of metallic thin films and gas puffing. The spectral lines were recorded by using three monochromators with photoelectric detection and a spectrometer with a channel electron multiplier array detector. Twenty-eight newly observed M1 lines were measured and classified.
Regioselective cyclopropanation via unsymmetrical oxatrimethylenemethane palladium intermediates

Abstract The mechanism of the unusual cyclopropanation of norbornenes via oxatrimethylenemethane palladium complexes is probed by regiochemical labels to establish the symmetry of the reactive intermediate.
The behavior of complex fluids at solid boundaries

Abstract Non-Newtonian fluid mechanics is often distinguished from its Newtonian counterpart by the additional requirement that a constitutive equation be specified as part of the problem statement. For some modeling problems important to polymer processing, a wall boundary condition in which provision is made for slip is also a necessary ingredient. This requires that attention be directed to microscopic processes influencing flow behavior on a macroscopic scale. In this paper theoretical and experimental consequences of slip phenomena are reviewed. It is maintained that future progress will depend heavily on productive interplay between fluid mechanics and materials science.
Mitochondrial protein synthesis and the stimulation of steroidogenesis by cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate in isolated rat adrenal cells.

Abstract The stimulation by cyclic AMP of steroidogenesis in rat adrenal cells isolated by trypsin treatment was inhibited by d -threo-chloram phenicol and by its l -threo-isomer. The former is an inhibitor of mitochondrial protein synthesis while the latter is not. Both substances, at concentrations which inhibit steroidogenesis, inhibit amino acid incorporation into the proteins of microsomes. Inhibition in other subcellular fractions also occurs depending on the isomer and its concentration. In no case was there a preferential inhibition of amino acid incorporation into mitochondrial proteins. Carbomycin, another inhibitor of mitochondrial protein synthesis, gave similar results. In addition, subfractionation of mitochondria in these experiments revealed no preferential inhibition of amino acid incorporation into the proteins of either the soluble or membrane fractions of this organelle. The above results were obtained at several concentrations of the inhibitors when only partial inhibition of steroidogenesis was present. Both isomers of chloramphenicol inhibited steroidogenesis in a cell-free system to an extent equal to that found with cyclic AMP-stimulated steroidogenesis in intact cells. It is concluded that these inhibitors of mitochondrial protein synthesis have multiple metabolic effects in adrenal cells.
A linearity theorem for group actions on spheres with applications to homotopy representations

LetG be a finite group andX an equivariantZ/|G|-homology sphere. By Smith-theory the fixed point setX H for ap-subgroupH is aZ/p-homology sphere of dimensiond(H).
Applying Mixed Reality to Simulate Vulnerable Populations for Practicing Clinical Communication Skills

Health sciences students often practice and are evaluated on interview and exam skills by working with standardized patients (people that role play having a disease or condition). However, standardized patients do not exist for certain vulnerable populations such as children and the intellectually disabled. As a result, students receive little to no exposure to vulnerable populations before becoming working professionals. To address this problem and thereby increase exposure to vulnerable populations, we propose using virtual humans to simulate members of vulnerable populations. We created a mixed reality pediatric patient that allowed students to practice pediatric developmental exams. Practicing several exams is necessary for students to understand how to properly interact with and correctly assess a variety of children. Practice also increases a student's confidence in performing the exam. Effective practice requires students to treat the virtual child realistically. Treating the child realistically might be affected by how the student and virtual child physically interact, so we created two object interaction interfaces - a natural interface and a mouse-based interface. We tested the complete mixed reality exam and also compared the two object interaction interfaces in a within-subjects user study with 22 participants. Our results showed that the participants accepted the virtual child as a child and treated it realistically. Participants also preferred the natural interface, but the interface did not affect how realistically participants treated the virtual child.
Ferromagnetic anti-PbFCl-type ZnMnSb

In the ZnxMn2−xSb system, the tetragonal, anti-PbFCl structure occurs between Mn2Sb and ZnMnSb. The latter is essentially an ordered compound with Zn occupying the ninefold coordinated site (II), and Mn the tetrahedral layer positions (I). Magnetic measurements indicate ferromagnetic ordering of Mn as in isostructural AlMnGe, GaMnGe, and the Mn(I) substructure of ferrimagnetic Mn2Sb. The observed moment of ZnMnSb and the ZnxMn2−xSb single-phase field are consistent with the unusual low spin d6 configuration (+1 formal oxidation state) postulated for Mn(I) in Mn2Sb, AlMnGe, and GaMnGe.
Paradoxical sleep and memory (II): sleep circadian rhythmicity following enriched and impoverished environmental rearing.

Abstract Steep cycle circadian rhythmicity following either enriched or impoverished environmental rearing is examined in this study. Mice are reared in either super-enriched (SEE), regular-enriched (REE), social control (SC), or impoverished (IE) environments for 30 days. SEE and REE groups show a general increase in total slow-wave sleep (SWS) in the 24 hr cycle but the number of SWS episodes, mean duration of SWS episodes, and percent SWS of total sleep time (TST) is not significantly different from the SC groups for the Day cycle (0700–1900). Enriched rearing produces a selective and significant increase in the number of PS (Paradoxical sleep or REM sleep) episodes, mean duration of PS episodes, total amount of PS time, and percent PS/TST throughout the 24 hr cycle. IE reared mice also show a general increase in SWS primarily during the Day cycle but with significant reductions on all measures of PS occurring exclusively during the Day cycle. These results suggest 1. (1) that early rearing experience plays an important role in the development of the basic rhythmicity during the sleep (PS-SWS)-wakefulness cycle, and 2. (2) provide further support for our hypothesis that PS occurring over a prolonged time period is a requisite neurobiological mechanism for the processing, maintenance, and storage of long-term memory.
Mechanism by which recombinant factor VIIa shortens the aPTT: Activation of factor X in the absence of tissue factor

Clinical trials have recently begun using high concentrations of activated recombinant factor VII (rFVIIa) for the treatment of hemophilic patients with inhibitors. Unexpectedly, the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) was observed to be significantly shortened during infusion of the rFVIIa. To determine the mechanism for this shortening, the effect of rFVIIa on both the prothrombin time (PT) and the aPTT of normal and various factor-deficient plasmas was examined. rFVIIa shortened the PT of all plasmas tested except FX and FV deficient plasmas. rFVIIa also shortened the aPTT of all plasmas tested except FX and FV deficient plasmas. Since there is no added tissue factor (TF) in aPTT reagents, rFVIIa appeared to shorten the aPTT in the absence of TF. To investigate this possibility, the activity of rFVIIa in a purified system containing only FX, phospholipid vesicles (1:1 PS:PC), and calcium was examined. In this system, rFVIIa activated factor X in the absence of TF. If any component of the purified system was omitted, there was no detectable activation of FX. Thus it appears that calcium and phospholipids are required for the activation of FX by rFVIIa in the absence of TF. Increasing the concentration of rFVIIa increased the rate of FX activation, but the rate of activation was always much lower than that observed with even trace amounts of tissue factor. We conclude that high concentrations of rFVIIa, in the presence of calcium and phospholipid, can directly activate FX in the absence of TF and hence account for the shortening of the aPTT in inhibitor patients treated with rFVIIa.
Three-dimensional steady groundwater flow and advective transport by integral transforms

Abstract A quasi-analytical technique for the solution of governing equations of steady groundwater flow and advective transport in aquifers is investigated. This technique is based on integral transforms and does not require any spatial discretization of the solution domain. It produces a continuous and differentiable solution to the groundwater flow equation, thus making it possible to obtain conveniently a continuous velocity field in three-dimensional (3-D) physical domains without any spatial discretization. This velocity field, in conjunction with a method of characteristics particle tracking scheme is used to solve the advection component of the transport equation. A 3-D transport model based on this technique was developed and analyzed for effectiveness as a modeling tool. The model was used to study the effect of complex 3-D flow on 2-D apparent macrodispersion.
The Difference That Quality Makes The Case of Literature Reviews

This paper addresses a traditional problem in the cumulation of scientific knowledge: the need to aggregate evidence from previous studies. Typically, the existence of many individual studies on a given topic makes such a step highly desirable, yet the procedures for "reviewing the literature" have not been developed in a methodologically rigorous manner. In particular, reviewers make many subjective judgments to distinguish those studies that are to be reviewed from those to be discarded because of poor quality; the resulting review may contain unknown biases. This paper demonstrates one way of making the effects of any discarding explicit by: (a) developing operational criteria for quality, (b) applying the criteria to 140 case studies on technological innovations in local services, and (c) indicating the differences between higher and lower quality cases. The results showed that the discarding of lower quality cases would have affected the universe of cases (higher quality cases focused more on hardwar...
The impact of process deterioration on production and maintenance policies

This paper examines a single-stage production system that deteriorates with production actions, and improves with maintenance. The condition of the process can be in any of several discrete states, and transitions from state to state follow a semi-Markov process. The firm can produce multiple products, which differ by profit earned, expected processing time, and impact on equipment deterioration. The firm can also perform different maintenance actions, which differ by cost incurred, expected down time, and impact on the process condition. The firm needs to determine the optimal production and maintenance choices in each state in a way that maximizes the long-run expected average reward per unit time. The paper makes four contributions: (1) It introduces three critical ratios for the firm’s choices. The first enables the firm to decide whether to manufacture or perform maintenance, the second reveals the best product to manufacture, and the third determines the best maintenance action. The economic interpretations of these critical ratios provide managerial insights. (2) The paper shows how the critical ratios can be combined in order to determine the optimal policy, simultaneously accounting for the trade-offs involving production profits, maintenance costs, and the impact on the process condition. We show how these results generalize to problem settings with an arbitrary number of machine states. (3) The paper demonstrates the impact of market demand conditions on the optimal policy. And (4) it develops a set of sufficient conditions that lead to monotone optimal policies. These conditions generalize those reported in earlier studies.
Further experience with the double onlay preputial flap for hypospadias repair.

Purpose: Severe hypospadias can be safely and reliably repaired in 1 stage using island flaps of preputial skin. However, problems with conventional techniques include penile asymmetry resulting from rotation of the vascular pedicle around 1 side of the penile shaft and at times doubtful viability of the Byars flaps used for ventral skin coverage. We describe how some of these problems can be resolved using the double onlay preputial flap for hypospadias repair.Materials and Methods: We reviewed the records of 47 children who underwent 1-stage double onlay preputial flap hypospadias repair at our institution between June 1994 and July 1998. Patient age ranged from 6 months to 9 years (mean 12.2 months). The urethral meatus was at the midshaft in 12 patients (25%), penoscrotal in 30 (64%) and perineal in 5 (11%). Chordee repair required dorsal plication in 29 patients, 7 of whom required an additional ventral incision of the tunica albuginea and tunica vaginalis autograft with preservation of the urethral ...
Principles of Microscope Illumination and the Problem of Glare

The manipulations in using the microscope, other than the selection of lenses, focusing, and placement of slides, relate to the illumination. When the illumination is not handled with judgment, glare and lack of contrast result, and crisp images are not obtained. Effective illuminations depend equally upon three factors, the condenser, the field stop, and the illuminant proper. The adjustments for superior glare-free illumination are discussed and the term “controlled” illumination is suggested as an appropriate designation for such illumination. Aspects of the lighting requirements of the microscope are analyzed, and it is shown that suitable regulation of the apertures of the field and condenser stops are the basic requirements for controlled illumination. Various types of lighting may be used in conjunction with these adjustments. The paper is presented against a background of the pertinent historical developments and the various factors relating to illumination are reviewed in a broader fashion than is common in texts on microscopy. Explanations of the principles and the defects of illumination are presented with the general biological user of the microscope in mind. The shapes and proportions of the various illuminating beams that play on specimens are illustrated. Aberrations and the origin of glare are explained. In general, there are two extremes in the practical use of illumination—illumination for high resolution and illumination for maximum contrast. The microscopist should ordinarily vary his illumination as he works to obtain the advantages of each type of illumination. The conditions of each are fully treated.