cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differences in EMG activity during exercises targeting the scapulothoracic region: a preliminary study.

Surface electromyographic response of the middle, lower serratus anterior, and the upper trapezius muscles was investigated within a number of exercises. In total, 16 healthy, physically active volunteers completed three individual trials consisting of arm elevation above 120°, diagonal elevation, dynamic hug, dynamic hug plus, and push-up plus while surface electromyography was used to record muscle activity in the lower and middle serratus anterior (LSA, MSA) and upper trapezius (UT) muscles. The dynamic hug plus exercise caused significant increases in the activity of the MSA compared with the other exercises (P < 0.05). The diagonal elevation, dynamic hug plus, and push up plus showed significantly higher activation in the LSA compared with the arm elevation above 120° and the dynamic hug (P < 0.05). The activation of the UT and the UT/MSA and UT/LSA ratios in both the arm elevation and diagonal shoulder flexion exercises was significantly higher than that for the dynamic hug, dynamic hug plus, and push-up plus exercises (P < 0.05). The present study showed that the dynamic hug plus exercise could be used for activating MSA and LSA. Selective activation of the LSA and MSA is better achieved with exercises that include a scapular protraction component.
SFX statistical reports: A primer for collection assessment librarians

SFX, an OpenURL link resolver, was implemented at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library in late 2005. Data from the SFX statistical reporting package are providing yet another look at how library users navigate and utilize electronic resources. However, unlike other statistical reports, such as electronic use statistics provided by vendors, SFX data cover both successful and unsuccessful links, meaning that libraries can identify items patrons wanted, but which were not (for some reason) available. And while SFX cannot totally replicate use data from publishers (since it cannot track bookmarked links resulting from use outside the library's links), it can provide statistical use data in place of publishers who simply do not offer this service, which often includes smaller or more specialized publishers. SFX data also cover multiple databases and vendors, combining use and nonuse data in one statistical package. This paper provides an overview of the 20 established statistical reports avai...
Variation in the Relationship Between Education and Marriage: Marriage Market Mismatch?

Educational expansion has led to greater diversity in the social backgrounds of college students. We ask how schooling interacts with this diversity to influence marriage formation among men and women. Relying on data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (N = 3208), we use a propensity score approach to group men and women into social strata and multilevel event history models to test differences in the effects of college attendance across strata. We find a statistically significant, positive trend in the effects of college attendance across strata, with the largest effects of college on first marriage among the more advantaged and the smallest—indeed, negative—effects among the least advantaged men and women. These findings appear consistent with a mismatch in the marriage market between individuals’ education and their social backgrounds.
Clostridium Difficile Diarrhoea Associated with Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer

EDITORIAL COMMENT: We accepted this paper for publication as it will interest readers involved with the management of gynaecological oncology patients, especially those with diarrhoea after chemotherapy. The paper makes the point that diarrhoea associated with chemotherapy may be due to Clostridium difficile, which can be effectively treated with metronidazole and should be looked for more frequently.
Visualization of a mechanism for three-dimensional interaction and near-wall eruption

An experimental configuration has been found which allows detailed observation of three-dimensional vortex–vortex and associated vortex–surface interactions which appear similar to those observed in fully turbulent flow. Hydrogen bubble visualization illustrates a complicated intertwining, or braiding, of two initially co-rotating vortices. It is observed that the three-dimensional interactions of the braided vortices induces a pair of local surface-fluid eruptions reminiscent of the ‘bursting’ behaviour characteristic of the near-wall regeneration process of fully turbulent boundary layers.
An examination of managerial accounting practices as a process of mutual adjustment

Abstract Managerial accounting practices are organizational control mechanisms which serve to constrain decision-makers yet, themselves, are the outcomes of emergent resistance, force and bargaining. The contradictory nature of managerial accounting practices as a form of social control is illustrated by a study of one firm's accounting practices before and after a severe financial crisis. Here, managerial accounting is seen as a dynamic process of mutual adjustment, changing and being changed by the wider organization. Assessment of the process of mutual adjustment reveals an unfolding, reflexive decision-making process in which accounting strategies are designed to centralize the direction of resources and the monitoring of division performance. However, these accounting rules and procedures are neither neutral nor uncontested, as divisional controllers resist corporate decision-makers. New patterns of organizational autonomy and interdependency are highlighted and created by these accounting practices, as managerial interdependencies are more tightly woven around centralized corporate missions.
Evidence for chromosomal replicons as units of sister chromatid exchanges.

Chromosomal replicons have been described as the cytological counterpart of DNA replicon clusters and have previously been studied in vitro using premature chromosome condensation-sister chromatid differentiation (PCC-SCD) techniques. Chromosomal replicons are visualized as small SCD segments in S-phase cells, and measurement of these segments can provide estimates of relative chromosomal replicon size corresponding to DNA replicon clusters functioning coordinately in S-phase. Current hypotheses of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) formation postulate that sites of SCE induction are associated with active replicons or replicon clusters. We have applied the PCC-SCD technique to in vivo studies of mouse bone marrow cells that have been treated with cyclophosphamide (CP) for two cell cycles. We have been able to visualize chromosomal replicons, as well as SCEs which have been induced in vivo by CP treatment, simultaneously in the same cells. Chromosomal replicons visualized as small SCD segments were measured in PCC cells classified at early or late S-phase based on SCD segment size prevalence. Early S-phase (E/S) PCC cells contained 90% of the SCD segments measured clustered in a segment size range of 0.1 to 0.8 μm with a peak value around 0.3 to 0.6 μm regardless of CP treatment. As the cells progressed through S-phase, late S-phase (L/S) PCC cells were characterized by the appearance of larger SCD segments and even whole SCD chromosomes in addition to small SCD segments. A concentration of units around 0.4 to 1.0 μm was found for L/S SCD segment size distributions regardless of CP treatment with an apparent bimodal profile. Our in vivo data support the existence of a subunit organization of chromosomal replication with a basic functional unit being 0.3 to 0.6 μm in size. In addition, we have found that this chromosomal unit of replication or “chromosomal replicon” does not seem to be functionally perturbed by the mutagen CP. We also found that small SCD segments of 0.4 to 0.7 μm in length were involved in the formation of an SCE, suggesting that both spontaneous and CP-induced SCEs occur between chromosomal replicons. These findings provide direct cytogenetic evidence to support a replicon cluster/chromosomal replicon model for SCE formation.
The circular tail-straddling walk of the clouded salamander, Aneides ferreus: a deviation from the highly conserved linear tail-straddling walk of the Plethodontidae

The family Plethodontidae is the most species-rich group of salamanders and although courtship observations are rather rare for some genera, behaviors are reported to be stereotyped across members of the whole family. In detail, courtship is characterized by a distinct behavior called linear tail-straddling walk, in which the female follows the male as he moves forward in a straight line. To better understand courtship behaviour in the Plethodontidae, we report here a description of the courtship behaviour of the clouded salamander ( Aneides ferreus [Cope]), which deviates from the more common pattern. Our observations of over 20 complete courtships show that A. ferreus courtship is distinct from typical plethodontid patterns in three notable ways: (1) a novel, circular tail-straddling walk precedes the typical plethodontid linear tail-straddling walk, (2) the duration of courtship is much longer than in other plethodontids, and (3) females exhibit behaviours atypical of most plethodontid females. We discuss the possible evolutionary and ecological implications of these differences, some of which may have evolved in response to habitats where space for social interactions is limited.
Prandtl number influence on heat transfer enhancement in turbulent flow of water at low temperatures

The paper presents the results of an experimental study that was carried out to determine the Prandtl number influence on the thermal-hydraulic performance of enhanced tubes. The enhanced tubes were identical in all aspects, expect the roughness height. Emphasis was placed on turbulent flow, with water as the working fluid. Experiments were performed for Prandtl numbers from 10.2 to 5.8. Data for friction factor were obtained under both isothermal and heating conditions. The study confirmed the strong influence of rib roughness on heat transfer and pressure drop increase. In addition, the results of the investigation strongly suggest that the optimum roughness is application specific, because it is dependent on Reynolds and Prandtl numbers. The results show that the presence of entrance effects and the influence of temperature on the friction factor of enhanced tubes may be significant. The experiments show that a rib height-to-diameter ratio of 0.02 provides the best overall performance for water at Pr = 10; while at Pr = 6.0, the optimum e/d depends on the Reynolds number. 20 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.
POSTMORTEM VITREOUS HUMOR CONCENTRATIONS OF NA,K,CL,CA & MG IN CHILDREN

This study was performed to determine postmortem vitreous concentration (PVC) of Na, K, Cl, Ca and Mg from newborns (lh-8d), group I, and older children (2mo-13yr), group II, with no known antemortem abnormalities of these substances. It is known that the PVC can reflect abnormal antemorteni serum concentration but the relationship of PVC to patient age and to hours between death and aspiration of specimens [postmortem interval (PMI)] has not been studied in the pediatric age group. In this study the PVC of Ca, Mg, Cl, but not Na, K, is significantly different in groups I and II. The correlation of PVC and PMI is significant only for K and thus the PVC of K can give an indication of PMI ± 5 h.
Formation of multilayered scale during the oxidation of NiAl–Mo alloy

We have studied the oxidation behavior of a hypereutectic NiAl-Mo alloy. This alloy showed an initial rapid mass loss followed by a relatively steady state behavior. The oxide scale formed during the oxidation process was seen to have a multilayered structure comprising of NiO, NiAl2O4, NiMoO4 and Al2O3 with minor amounts of MoO2 in the sub-scale region. The oxidation behavior is influenced significantly by the formation and stability of the constituent oxides, especially NiMoO4. Hence the decomposition behavior of NiMoO4 in the 1100-1200 degrees C was studied as well. The thermal decomposition of the NiMoO4 was slow at 1100 degrees C, but accelerated at 1200 degrees C, resulting in the formation of NiO, which remained in the oxide scale, and MoO3, which volatilized away. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
CHANGES IN PLASMA POTASSIUM CONCENTRATION AFTER DEPOLARIZING BLOCKERS IN ANAESTHETIZED MAN

SUMMARY Changes in plasma potassium concentration after administration of depolarizing neuromuscular blockers were measured in patients during halothane-nitrous oxide anaesthesia. Suxamethonium 100 mg intravenously caused a peak rise of 0.55 m.equiv/l. and decamethonium 4 mg produced an elevation of similar magnitude. Injured patients had increases in potassium averaging 1.80 m.equiv/l. there being a direct correlation between degree of rise and time since injury. By giving tubocurarine 0.1 mg/kg body weight 5 minutes beforehand, the elevation in potassium caused by suxamethonium, though not by decamethonium, could be halved.
Spectral imaging in biomedicine: A selective overview

We present a survey of spectral imaging for biological and medical applications. Brief philosophical and historical considerations are followed by an overview of the reasons for the modalities of achieving the fertile confluence of spectroscopy and imaging. Methods of wavelength selection at both the excitation and detection ends of an imaging system are listed and critically evaluated. A number of biological and medical applications of spectral imaging are discussed, highlighting microscopy and including our own work. We emphasize that the outlook for this research area critically depends on the further development of all component technologies, from reagents and optics to electronics and software.
Dermatoses among floral shop workers

Concern about the increasing incidence of hand dermatitis in floral shop workers in the United States and its possible association to the plant Alstroemeria , a flower that has become popular since its introduction in 1981, prompted investigation of the prevalence and cause of hand dermatitis in a sample of floral workers. Fifty-seven floral workers were surveyed, and 15 (26%) reported hand dermatitis within the previous 12 months. Sixteen floral workers (eight with dermatitis) volunteered to be patch tested to the North American Contact Dermatitis Group Standard and Perfume Trays, a series of eight pesticides and 20 plant allergens. Of four of seven floral designers and arrangers who reported hand dermatitis, three reacted positively to patch tests to tuliposide A, the allergen in Alstroemeria . Patch test readings for all other plant extracts were negative. A positive reading for a test to one pesticide, di-folatan (Captafol), was noted, the relevance of which is unknown.
The influence of inner wall filamentousness on the performance of small- and large-caliber arterial grafts.

Abstract Dacron prostheses with differing degrees of inner wall filamentousness were implanted in the canine descending thoracic aorta for 56 days (n = 14) and the carotid arteries for 21 days (n = 40). In the thoracic aorta the healed inner capsule of 8 mm internal velour grafts was approximately three times as thick as the inner capsule of external velour knitted prostheses. However, the early patency and rapidity of healing of these two types of prostheses were essentially the same. In the carotid arteries the patency of the 4 mm external velour prostheses was greater than that of the internal velour prostheses and the mean thrombus-free surface area of the external velour grafts was significantly greater than that of the internal velour grafts. These observations suggest that an internal velour surface is not deleterious to early patency in a large-caliber, high-flow artery but that it may be in a small-caliber, low-flow artery. (J VASC SURG 1985;2:255-62.)
A teacher-developed inquiry model to teach the molecular basis of hyperbolic kinetics in biological membrane transport

A previously published classroom teaching method for helping students visualize and understand Michaelis-Menten kinetics (19) was used as an anticipatory set with high school and middle school science teachers in an Illinois Math and Science Partnership Program. As part of the activity, the teachers were asked to collect data by replicating the method and to analyze and report the data. All concluded that the rate data they had collected were hyperbolic. As part of a guided inquiry plan, teachers were then prompted to reexamine the method and evaluate its efficacy as a teaching strategy for developing specific kinetic concepts. After further data collection and analysis, the teachers discovered that their data trends were not, in fact, hyperbolic, which led to several teacher-developed revisions aimed at obtaining a true hyperbolic outcome. This article outlines the inquiry process that led to these revisions and illustrates their alignment with several key concepts, such as rapid equilibrium kinetics. Instructional decisions were necessary at several key points, and these are discussed.
Titrating-Delay Matching-to-Sample in the Pigeon.

The titrating-delay matching-to-sample (TDMTS) procedure offers researchers an additional behavioral task thought to capture some important features of remembering. In this procedure, the delay between sample offset and comparison onset adjusts as a function of the subject's performance. Specifically, correct matches increase the delay and incorrect matches decrease the delay, and steady-state titrated delays serve as the primary dependent measure. The present series of experiments investigated the effects of several procedural variables on performance in TDMTS procedures in an effort to elucidate better its features to allow for more precision in future use. Experiment 1 reports results from a parametric analysis of fixed-ratio response requirements on the sample key that indicated improved remembering in the form of higher daily titrated delay values as the requirement was increased. Experiment 2 investigated the extent to which the initial delay value in each session affected session-wide delay values. Results indicated that regardless of value of the initial delay, the subjects' performances adjusted the delay values in the direction of the known baseline delay-value levels. Experiment 3 manipulated the step size by which delay values were adjusted and the results indicated that larger step sizes increased both session-to-session variability and within-session range of titrated delay values, although the average values remained approximately the same. These results suggest that the TDMTS task serves as a promising procedure to study what many refer to as memory.
Early Marine Growth of Pink Salmon in Prince William Sound and the Coastal Gulf of Alaska During Years of Low and High Survival

Abstract Although early marine growth has repeatedly been correlated with overall survival in Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp., we currently lack a mechanistic understanding of smolt-to-adult survival. Smolt-to-adult survival of pink salmon O. gorbuscha returning to Prince William Sound was lower than average for juveniles that entered marine waters in 2001 and 2003 (3% in both years), and high for those that entered the ocean in 2002 (9%) and 2004 (8%). We used circulus patterns from scales to determine how the early marine growth of juvenile pink salmon differed (1) seasonally during May-October, the period hypothesized to be critical for survival; (2) between years of low and high survival; and (3) between hatchery and wild fish. Juvenile pink salmon exhibited larger average size, migrated onto the continental shelf and out of the sampling area more quickly, and survived better during 2002 and 2004 than during 2001 and 2003. Pink salmon were consistently larger throughout the summer and early fall duri...
Temporal factors in the enhancement of morphine analgesia by desipramine

Administration of desipramine, the tricyclic noradrenergic agent, for 7 days pre-operatively, had been found to potentiate postoperative morphine analgesia. In this study we investigated the necessary timing of administration of desipramine in its action to potentiate morphine analgesia. We report that the administration of desipramine for only 3 days, starting 7 days before surgery, also potentiated postoperative morphine analgesia and that the analgesia observed was not different from that in patients receiving a full 7 days of desipramine pre-operatively. The potentiation of morphine analgesia observed was most evident as a prolongation of the analgesic response. Patients who also received desipramine for only 3 days, but starting 3 days pre-operatively had an analgesic response to postoperative morphine that was the same as that in patients receiving placebo. The ability of the administration of desipramine early in the pre-operative week to interact with postoperative morphine and the lack of response when desipramine was given late in the week does not have an explanation at present. However, it may reflect the known latency in humans to the onset of the central effects of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs).
Electrocardiographic and Ultrastructural Cardiac Effects of Phenothiazine in Rabbits: A Preliminary Report

Electron microscopic study of the hearts of rabbits given short-term high dosages of chlorpromazine revealed changes similar to those found in phenothiazine-treated human subjects who died suddenly. These consisted of severe mitochondrial pleomorphism, loosening of myocardial fiber structure, and intracytoplasmic edema. Widening of Z-band spaces also occurred, as in the human hearts, suggesting incomplete cardiac contraction. A direct effect of phenothiazine drugs on mitochondrial structure and function is suggested and, if sufficiently widespread or strategically located, this effect can trigger changes in cardiac rhythm.
Partnerships between local governments and community‐based organisations: exploring the scope for synergy

The utility of both local governments and community-based organisations can be considerably enhanced when these agencies work in partnership with one another. Different roles will be played by local governments and community organisations in different types of partnership arrangements. Distinguishing among these roles helps allocate responsibilities better among the partner agencies, and it is also helpful for scheduling implementation, devising appropriate capacity building programmes and designing suitable accountability mechanisms. An analytical framework to help with these tasks is developed and presented in this article. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Survey-related experiential and attitudinal correlates of future health survey participation: results of a statewide survey.

OBJECTIVE To determine the survey-related experiential and attitudinal correlates of future health-related survey participation. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS From July 21, 2005, through October 25, 2005, we conducted a mixed-mode mail and telephone survey of 1636 noninstitutionalized Minnesota residents aged 18 years or older. The overall response rate was 49%. We examined the unadjusted effect of each independent variable on the likelihood of future participation in health-related surveys using univariate logistic regression and discerned the relative contribution of the different variables with multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Respondents were asked to complete an average of 4.5 different surveys in the year before the current survey; approximately a quarter of the respondents perceived these surveys to be burdensome. The likelihood of future participation in health-related surveys was negatively related to good health status, a busy schedule, and perceptions that the surveys were too long. Respondents were more than twice as likely to indicate that they would participate in a future health-related survey if they knew the organization doing the survey. CONCLUSION For health-related surveys, investigators should remain mindful of people's busy schedules and keep their surveys as short as possible. Further research is needed to clarify whether the decision to participate in a survey hinges more on knowing the organization paying to have a survey performed (the sponsor) or the survey vendor collecting the data.
Three computational systems for disclosing medical data in the year 1999.

Today most organizations release and receive medical data with all explicit identifiers, such as name, address, and phone number, removed in the incorrect belief that patient confidentiality is maintained because the resulting data look anonymous. We examine three computer programs that do maintain patient confidentiality when disclosing electronic medical records: the Scrub System which locates personally-identifying information in letters between doctors and notes written by clinicians; the Datafly System which generalizes data within the record based on a profile of the recipient at the time of access; and, the ∝-Argus System which is becoming a European standard for disclosing public use data. The techniques presented in these systems help protect confidentiality in the face of a changing globally-networked society with immediate access to volumes of personal data.
Gene Expression Data for DLBCL Cancer Survival Prediction with A Combination of Machine Learning Technologies

Gene expression profiles have become an important and promising way for cancer prognosis and treatment. In addition to their application in cancer class prediction and discovery, gene expression data can be used for the prediction of patient survival. Here, we use particle swarm optimization (PSO) to address one of the major challenges in gene expression data analysis, the curse of dimensionality, in order to discriminate high risk patients from low risk patients. A discrete binary version of PSO is used for gene selection and dimensionality reduction, and a probabilistic neural network (PNN) is implemented as the classifier. The experimental results on the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma data set demonstrate the effectiveness of PSO/PNN system in survival prediction
All-to-all broadcast and matrix multiplication in faulty SIMD hypercubes

In this paper, we develop algorithms in order of efficiency for all-to-all broadcast problem in an N=2/sup n/-node n-dimensional faulty SIMD hypercube, Q/sub n/, with up to n-1 node faults. The algorithms use a property of a certain ordering of dimensions. Our analysis includes startup time (/spl alpha/) and transfer time (/spl beta/). We have established the lower bound for such an algorithm to be n/spl alpha/+(2N-3)L/spl beta/ in a faulty hypercube with at most n-1 faults (each node has a value of L bytes). Our best algorithm requires 2n/spl alpha/+2NL/spl beta/ and is near-optimal. We develop an optimal algorithm for matrix multiplication in a faulty hypercube using all-to-all broadcast and compare the efficiency of all-to-all broadcast approach with broadcast approach and global sum approach for matrix multiplication. The algorithms are congestion-free and applicable in the context of available hypercube machines.
Dynamical Models for Axisymmetric and Triaxial Galaxies

Non—spherical dynamical models for galaxies, and the methods for their construction, are reviewed. The theory for two—integral axisymmetric models is reasonably well developed. Stackel models give considerable insight in the structure of both three—integral axisymmetric models and non—rotating triaxial systems. Triaxial galaxies with appreciable figure rotation require much further study. Applications to elliptical galaxies and the bulges of disk galaxies are discussed.
Segmentation of parathyroid tumors from DCE-MRI using Linear Dynamic System analysis

Detection of parathyroid tumor using conventional imaging modalities such as Sestamibi and 4D CT suffer from poor resolution or excessive radiation to the parathyroids. Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) is emerging as a viable option for detecting parathyroid tumors. However, conventional quantitative methods to segment tumors from DCE-MRI, which include black-box methods and pharmacokinetic models, are highly sensitive to imaging noise, inhomogeneity, timing of the contrast injection and image acquisition. Time series analysis has proven to be a useful tool to extract features from the data in the presence of noise and signal uncertainty. In this paper, we model the underlying tissue as a Linear Dynamic System (LDS) and estimate the system parameters using the timeintensity curves observed at each voxel. The system parameters are then clustered into healthy and tumor class. The result of the LDS based segmentation algorithm, compared to the radiologist's segmentation, shows accurate delineation of the tumor and robustness to imaging noise.
Viewer's Moral Sanction of Retribution in the Appreciation of Dramatic Presentations.

Abstract An audiovisually presented fairy tale, which involved provocation and retaliation as the central theme, was created in three versions. Relative to the provocation, retaliation was too mild, equitable, or too severe. Children at the developmental stages of expiatory retribution (4-yr olds) and equitable retribution (7- and 8-yr olds) served as subjects. Appreciation of the presentation was measured in facial displays, in structured interviews, and in ratings. Consistently across measures, it was found that for children at the stage of expiatory retribution, appreciation increased with the severity of the retaliatory acts. Children at the stage of equitable retribution, in contrast, appreciated equitable retaliation the most. At this stage, inequitable retaliation (too mild or too severe) was found to impair appreciation significantly. The findings were interpreted as consistent with the proposal that the depiction of punitive, retaliatory activities will be enjoyed the more, the closer they approximate the viewer's moral expectations.
APPLYING PRAGMATICS TO EPISTEMOLOGY

This paper offers a smattering of applications of pragmatics to epistemology. In most cases they concern recent epistemological claims that depend for their plausibility on mistaking something pragmatic for something semantic. After giving my formulation of the semantic/pragmatic distinction and explaining how seemingly semantic intuitions can be responsive to pragmatic factors, I take up the following topics: 1. Classic Examples of Confusing Meaning and Use 2. Pragmatic Implications of Hedging or Intensifying an Assertion 3. Belief Attributions 4. Knowledge-wh 5. The Knowledge Rule on Assertion 6. Testimony 7. Asserting and Thinking of Possibilities 8. Concessive Knowledge Attributions 9. “Pragmatic Encroachment” 10. Epistemic Contextualism
Risk of Cardiovascular Events and Death—Does Insurance Matter?

BACKGROUND Many Americans lack health insurance. Despite good evidence that lack of insurance compromises access to care, few prospective studies examine its relationship to health outcomes.
Sparse Signal Methods for 3-D Radar Imaging

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging is a valuable tool in a number of defense surveillance and monitoring applications. There is increasing interest in 3-D reconstruction of objects from radar measurements. Traditional 3-D SAR image formation requires data collection over a densely sampled azimuth-elevation sector. In practice, such a dense measurement set is difficult or impossible to obtain, and effective 3-D reconstructions using sparse measurements are sought. This paper presents wide-angle 3-D image reconstruction approaches for object reconstruction that exploit reconstruction sparsity in the signal domain to ameliorate the limitations of sparse measurements. Two methods are presented; first, we use lp penalized (for p ≤ 1) least squares inversion, and second, we utilize tomographic SAR processing to derive wide-angle 3-D reconstruction algorithms that are computationally attractive but apply to a specific class of sparse aperture samplings. All approaches rely on high-frequency radar backscatter phenomenology so that sparse signal representations align with physical radar scattering properties of the objects of interest. We present full 360° 3-D SAR visualizations of objects from air-to-ground X-band radar measurements using different flight paths to illustrate and compare the two approaches.
201: Preoperative MELD Score Predicts LVAD Operative Transfusion Requirements and Postoperative Complications

Purpose: Thrombosis of the Aortic Valve (AV) and Aortic Root (AR) has been described. Second generation, continuous flow LVADs (CF-LVAD) could be more prone to this problem. Unlike Pulsatile pumps which allow periodic LV filling and AV ejection (due to asynchronous operation), CF-LVADs continuously decompress the LV which reduces opportunity for ejection through the AV. We reviewed our experience with HeartMate II LVAD (HM2) to evaluate the incidence and characteristics of this clinically important problem. Methods and Materials: All HM2 patients (n 28, avg duration 290 days) underwent routine echocardiography. Thrombosis of the AV or AR was identified. Demographic and lab data from this group was then compared to patients without thrombosis. The clinical course and interventions were reviewed. Results: Five cases of thrombosis in 28 patients were identified (18%, 0.22 events/pt-yr). This contrast with our experience with HeartMate I LVADs in which this phenomenon was essentially non-existent. 3 of 5 patients (60%) were asymptomatic. One patient had a stroke with residual visual field defect. One patient presented with TIAs that completely resolved. Thrombosis was most often an early event (8, 9, 34, 36, and 403 days post-implant). Patients with thrombosis did not exhibit different pre-implant characteristics from those without thrombosis. Of interest, however, patients with thrombosis had less pulsatile flow over the 2 days prior to the event during comparable time periods after implant (average pulsatility index of 4.5 1.6 vs. 6.1 1.0, p .057). Patients with thrombosis were treated with increased anticoagulation (target INR of 2.5-3.5) following which all thrombus disappeared or stabilized. Conclusions: Aortic valve/root thrombosis in patients on Continuous Flow LVADs appears to occur with concerning frequency. The majority of these patients did not become symptomatic. Further studies are required to better define the incidence, natural course, prevention and optimum management of this clinically important problem.
Accessibility, Connectivity, and Captivity: Impacts on Transit Choice

Travelers can be classified into two groups: choice users and captive users. Choice users select transit or automobile service when they view one option as superior, whereas captive users have only one travel option. Surprisingly, little is known about captivity effects on mode split models. This research examines the way transit service factors such as accessibility and connectivity relate to mode captivity and mode choice. Data for this investigation come from the Portland, Oregon, 1994 Household Activity and Travel Diary Survey, the Regional Land Information System for the Portland area, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy database, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Individual trip data were segmented into transit captive, automobile captive, and choice users based on information about private vehicle availability, transit connectivity, and distance from a transit stop. Traditional transit mode split models are compared with models that segment users into choice and captive groups. It was found that traditional models underestimate the variation in mode choice for captive users, while overestimating the attractiveness of transit for choice users. These results indicate that better transit forecasts can result if accessibility and connectivity are used to help identify captive users. Additionally, among choice transit users, differences in travel times between automobile and transit modes do little to influence mode selection, while walk access to transit has more effect than previously thought.
Theories of precipitation induced by dissolution

When a porous solid is placed in acid, the solid dissolves at its surface. However, the same solid can precipitate or dissolve in pores inside the solid. The internal precipitation is a consequence of a nonlinear solubility product amplified by fast chemical kinetics. The internal dissolution can be enhanced by unequal diffusion coefficients. Both precipitation and dissolution can occur simultaneously but in different regions, mimicking the patterns of mineral found in teeth.
Applications of light scattering in dye-sensitized solar cells

Light scattering is a method that has been employed in dye-sensitized solar cells for optical absorption enhancement. In conventional dye-sensitized solar cells, large TiO2 particles with sizes comparable to the wavelength of visible light are used as scatterers by either being mixed into the nanocrystalline film to generate light scattering or forming a scattering layer on the top of the nanocrystalline film to reflect the incident light, with the aim to extend the traveling distance of incident light within the photoelectrode film. Recently, hierarchical nanostructures, for example nanocrystallite aggregates (among others), have been applied to dye-sensitized solar cells. When used to form a photoelectrode film, these hierarchical nanostructures have demonstrated a dual function: providing large specific surface area; and generating light scattering. Some other merits, such as the capability to enhance electron transport, have been also observed on the hierarchically structured photoelectrode films. Hierarchical nanostructures possessing an architecture that may provide sufficient internal surface area for dye adsorption and meanwhile may generate highly effective light scattering, make them able to create photoelectrode films with optical absorption significantly more efficient than the dispersed nanoparticles used in conventional dye-sensitized solar cells. This allows reduction of the thickness of the photoelectrode film and thus lowering of the charge recombination in dye-sensitized solar cells, making it possible to increase further the efficiency of existing dye-sensitized solar cells.
Explicit topological formulation of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian equations for nonlinear networks

This paper presents an explicit topological formulation of the Lagrangian and the Hamiltonian equations for a large class of nonlinear networks. In particular, formulations are given for networks containing both linear and nonlinear controlled sources. Classically, the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian equations are derived from variational techniques; in this paper topological techniques are used for the formulation.
Anisotropic velocity-dependent vortex forces: two-level atoms in two-dimensional standing waves

We consider the velocity-dependent light pressure force on a two-level atom interacting with a two-dimensional nearly resonant standing-wave light field. We show that there can be anisotropic cooling–heating forces that will cool the atoms along one field axis while heating them along the perpendicular axis. The force is identified as a spontaneous vortex force associated with the local traveling-wave character of the two-dimensional field. We provide a simple interpretation of this anomalous force in terms of the interplay between the vortical momentum flow of the light field and a motion-induced population transfer between the ground and excited atomic states.
Mg and Ca isotopic study of individual microscopic crystals from the Allende meteorite by the direct loading technique

We have developed a direct loading technique for determining the isotopic composition of Mg in chemically unseparated samples. This technique has a sensitivity and precision comparable with those of the conventional technique of analyzing pure Mg salt and eliminates contamination introduced during the chemical separation of Mg. This results in a significant reduction in sample size required for an analysis. This technique was combined with other characterization techniques of microscopic samples (e.g. optical microscopy, SEM, EPMA), and was applied to four single crystals of pure phases from an Allende inclusion ranging in size from 25 to 150 μm. Using a total sample of 4 μg, we found an anorthite crystal showing an enrichment in ^(26)Mg of 10% and were able to construct an ^(26)Al-^(26)Mg isochron which confirms our previous results obtained on macroscopic samples of the same inclusion. The isotopic composition of Ca was also measured along with Mg, on a directly loaded anorthite crystal from this inclusion, during the same mass spectrometer run and was shown to be essentially normal. Thus, the direct loading technique is applicable to Ca and will be useful in a correlative study of isotopic effects of different elements on individual microscopic samples. The extension of this technique to other elements appears feasible but will require extensive testing to control possible interferences.
Somatic Hypermutation of Antigen Receptor Genes: Evolution

Analysis of the pattern of immunoglobulin mutation across species has helped to reveal some of the molecular properties of this process. Strong evidence for the involvement of a cytosine deaminase and error-prone deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerases on the DNA encoding the immunoglobulin variable regions confirms earlier predictions made from phylogenetic studies. Keywords: immunoglobulin; hypermutation; evolution; adaptive immunity; activation-induced deaminase (AID)
An efficient protocol for Yao's millionaires' problem

The increase in volume and sensitivity of data communicated and processed over the Internet has been accompanied by a corresponding need for e-commerce techniques in which entities can participate in a secure and anonymous fashion. Even simple arithmetic operations over a set of integers partitioned over a network require sophisticated algorithms. As apart of our earlier work, we have developed a secure protocol for computing dot products of two vectors. In this paper, we present a secure protocol for Yao's millionaires' problem. In this problem, each of the two participating parties have a number and the objective is to determine whose number is larger without disclosing any information about the numbers. This problem has direct applications in on-line bidding and auctions. Furthermore, combined with a secure dot-product, a solution to this secure multiparty computation provides necessary building blocks for such basic operations as frequent item-set generation in association rule mining. Although an asymptotically optimal solution for the secure multiparty computation of the 'less-or-equal' predicate exists in literature, this protocol is not suited for practical applications. Here, we present a protocol which has a much simpler structure and is more efficient for numbers in ranges practically encountered in typical e-commerce applications. Furthermore, advances in cryptanalysis and the subsequent increase in key lengths for public-key cryptographic systems accentuate the advantage of the proposed protocol. We present experimental evidence demonstrating the efficiency of the proposed protocol both in terms of time and communication overhead.
Scatter and veiling glare corrections for quantitative digital subtraction angiography

In order to quantitate anatomical and physiological parameters such as vessel dimensions and volumetric blood flow, it is necessary to make corrections for scatter and veiling glare (SVG), which are the major sources of nonlinearities in videodensitometric digital subtraction angiography (DSA). A convolution filtering technique has been investigated to estimate SVG distribution in DSA images without the need to sample the SVG for each patient. This technique utilizes exposure parameters and image gray levels to estimate SVG intensity by predicting the total thickness for every pixel in the image. At this point, corrections were also made for variation of SVG fraction with beam energy and field size. To test its ability to estimate SVG intensity, the correction technique was applied to images of a Lucite step phantom, anthropomorphic chest phantom, head phantom, and animal models at different thicknesses, projections, and beam energies. The root-mean-square (rms) percentage error of these estimates were obtained by comparison with direct SVG measurements made behind a lead strip. The average rms percentage errors in the SVG estimate for the 25 phantom studies and for the 17 animal studies were 6.22% and 7.96%, respectively. These results indicate that the SVG intensity can be estimated for a wide range of thicknesses, projections, and beam energies.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
An analytical model on the blocking probability of a fault-tolerant network

The well-known Clos network has been extensively used for telephone switching, multiprocessor interconnection and data communications. Much work has been done to develop analytical models for understanding the routing blocking probability of the Clos network. However, none of the analytical models for estimating the blocking probability of this type of network have taken into account the very real possibility of the interstage links in the network failing. In this paper, we consider the routing between arbitrary network inputs and outputs in the Clos network in the presence of interstage link faults. In particular, we present an analytical model for the routing blocking probability of the Clos network which incorporates the probability of interstage link failure to allow for a more realistic and useful determination of the approximation of blocking probability. We also conduct extensive simulations to validate the model. Our analytical and simulation results demonstrate that for a relatively small interstage link failure probability, the blocking behavior of the Clos network is similar to that of a fault-free network, and indicate that the Clos network has a good fault-tolerant capability. The new integrated analytical model can guide network designers in the determination of the effects of network failure on the overall connecting capability of the network and allows for the examination of the relationship between network utilization and network failure.
Eakest Link Theory And Multiaxial Criteria

ABSTRACT From the weakest link theory, the classical multiaxial criteria, the principal normal stress criterion, the maximum shear stress criterion and the von Mises criterion, have been derived as special cases. On the basis of this analysis, a general fatigue criterion is formulated for multiaxial stress. The existing multiaxial criteria of integral approach and of the critical plane approach can be derived as special cases from the general fatigue criterion. On this basis, a new modification of shear stress intensity hypothesis SIH that provides satisfactory agreement between experimental and calculated results is proposed.
Polytypism in Magnesium Sialon

The crystallography and morphology of the 12H and 21R polytypes in a magnesium sialon (Mg1. 86 Si 1-67Al2.4703.19N3.81)have been investigated by lattice fringe imaging and electron diffraction, Intergrowths of the two poly types occur, but since they have different crystal sizes, mismatch strains are introduced which may have a detrimental effect on mechanical properties of the material. It is concluded that careful control of the starting powders and long hotpressing times will be necessary to avoid the formation of these strained intergrowths.