cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shaping the New England Way

While separatist and non-separatist puritans were wrestling with issues of church formation and governance in England and the Netherlands, beginning in 1620 other reformers were dealing with the same issues on the other side of the Atlantic. In that year members of John Robinson’s Leiden congregation settled at Plymouth, along Cape Cod in New England, and organized their own congregation. Later in that decade members of that Plymouth church traveled up the coast to Salem to offer material and spiritual assistance to the first settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Freed from the close supervision of English bishops and Dutch authorities, New England puritans crafted a religious culture that offered lay believers considerable power. Indeed, the decades of the 1620s and 1630s in New England can be judged to have witnessed the fullest expression of lay empowerment in the history of puritanism. By the early 1630s one colonist claimed that “the order of the churches and of the Commonwealth was so settled, by common consent, that it brought to his mind the new Heaven and the New Earth, wherein dwells righteousness.”1
Structural and Functional Diversity of Fibrinogen-Related Domains

Abstract Fibrinogen-related domains (FReDs) are widespread in the animal kingdom, mostly occurring as the carboxyl-terminal domains of extracellular proteins, where they display a great diversity of function. Most FReDs bind other moieties, whether alien or host-engendered, to a well-defined cavity on their carboxy-terminal subdomain. There are now sufficient experimental and sequence data reported that particular functions may be inferred on the basis of bioinformatic analysis alone. Considerations include the nature of neighbor domains, and rates and patterns of amino-acid sequence change. FReDs with very specific functions are slow-changing, but those involved in immune or self versus nonself reactions tend to exhibit extreme sequence diversity in key regions of their structures. Many ficolins, combinations of a collagen domain and a FReD, are known to bind small acetylated molecules of the type that occur on the peptido-glycan surfaces of bacteria. A group of FReDs lacking collagen domains but exhibiting similar properties has been designated as protoficolins; they are prime candidates for initiating the spread of FReDs throughout the animal kingdom.
Hippocampal Abnormalities and Seizure Recurrence

Hippocampal volumetry and T2 relaxometry were performed on 84 consecutive patients (adolescents and adults) with partial epilepsy submitted to antiepileptic drug (AED) withdrawal after at least 2 years of seizure control, in a study at State University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Brazil.
Reconficurable capacity allocation under uncertainty of product demand

In today's global economics, customer-driven world markets experience high demand fluctuations, turbulence of which is often amplified by arrival of new products and new technologies. In case of a company offering mass customized products (e.g., product belonging to the same part family but with a variety of differences) the strategic issue becomes how to manage the production capacity given volatility of the demand for each of the offered product versions. The paper explores use of financial portfolio optimization approach to address the issue of revenue-maximizing capacity allocation when a family of products (product portfolio) is manufactured in the same plant.
730. Permanent Correction of Diverse Muscular Dystrophy Mutations in Human Cardiomyocytes by Myoediting

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the most common lethal features of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), caused by diverse mutations in the X-linked dystrophin gene (DMD). Without dystrophin, a large cytoskeletal protein, muscles degenerate, causing myopathy. Although several gene therapies have been tested, there is no curative treatment so far. In 2014, we first used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing (termed Myoediting) to correct the mutation in the germ line of mdx mice, the mouse model of DMD [Long et al. Science 345:1184-8]. Recently, we applied Myoediting to postnatal muscle tissues in mice by delivering gene editing components via a harmless adeno-associated virus. Cardiac and skeletal muscle showed progressive rescue of dystrophin protein [Long et al. Science doi: 10.1126/science.aad5725]. These studies paved the way for novel genome editing-based therapeutics in DMD. We have now advanced Myoediting to cells from human DMD patients by engineering the permanent skipping of mutant or out-of-frame exons in the genome of DMD patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We have optimized Myoediting of DMD mutations using pools of sgRNAs to target the top 12 hot spot mutant exons. We targeted the conserved RNA splicing acceptor/donor sites of each exon. NHEJ-mediated indels efficiently abolished the splicing sites and skipped the mutated or out-of-frame exons. Based on the known DMD mutations, we established a publicly available online resource (Duchenne Skipper Database) for selecting the optimal target DMD sequences for Myoediting, which will rescue dystrophin function in 60-80% of DMD patients. We performed Myoediting on representative iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes from multiple patients with point, deletion or duplication mutations and efficiently restored dystrophin protein expression in cardiomyocytes. Rescued DMD cardiomyocyte shows enhanced function. Opportunities and obstacles in the path toward efficient and permanent elimination of the genetic cause of DMD and other DCM will be discussed.
Recent Advances in Understanding Histone Modification Events

This review will discuss histone modification events that have been recently discovered or significant technical advancements made in the last year. The physiological state of the eukaryotic genome is chromatin. Chromatin is a complex of DNA and primarily histone proteins. The post-translational modification of histones and the occupancy of specific histone variants in a given nucleosome play a central role in the regulation of the genome. Histone variants and modifications exist in complex and unique combinations. The resulting diversity allows for histones to play key roles in almost all cellular processes and their dysregulation is often the root cause of many diseases. In particular, epigenetic alterations have been noted in cancer, are associated with its progression, aggressiveness, and metastasis, and are useful in its prognosis. Thus, a deep understanding of histone variants and modifications is needed to comprehend both normal cellular function and disease. Technological advancements have dramatically improved our quantitative understanding of histone modification events, decreased sample requirements, and revealed nuances about how these events work together. Specifically, the miniaturization of ChIP-seq and the continuing use and development of mass spectrometric approaches for histone analysis have revealed interesting and diverse new aspects of chromatin biology. This review will explore the causes, mechanisms, and downstream functions of these newly discovered events. We will conclude with an outlook on the future of histone modification analysis and its biological impact.
Optical Beam Position Tracking in Free-Space Optical Communication Systems

Optical beam position on a detector array is an important parameter for optimal symbol detection in a free-space optical communication system; hence it is essential to accurately estimate and track the beam position (which is unknown and may be varying in time). In this paper, we have attempted to solve the beam position tracking problem by setting it up as a state space variable filtering problem in the context of a dynamical system. We propose the following filtering methods for tracking the beam position: a Kalman filter and a particle filter that both use the maximum likelihood estimate of stationary beam position as a measurement in a linear dynamical model setting, and another particle filter which employs the received photon counts as observations for the nonlinear dynamical model. We compare the performance of these three filters in terms of mean-square error assuming that the beam position evolves in time according to a specified model. It is concluded from simulation results that the Kalman filter gives close to optimal performance for high to moderate photon rates for the Gauss–Markov evolution model. However, both the particle filtering algorithms outperform the Kalman filter for the uniformly distributed evolution noise scenario.
Optimization of heat treatment and calibration procedures for high temperature irradiation resistant thermocouples

A detailed description is provided for the optimization of heat treatment and calibrating procedure for Idaho National Laboratory’s high temperature irradiation resistant thermocouples (HTIR-TC). A...
Herpes simplex viral infection of the mouse trigeminal ganglion. Immunohistochemical analysis of cell populations.

Several distinct populations of sensory neurons in the ophthalmic region of the mouse trigeminal ganglion have been identified by their reactivity to antibodies raised against substance P (SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), cell-surface glycoconjugates SSEA3 and LD2, and the plant lectin, Bandeiraea simplicifolia lectin 1, isolectin 4 (BSIL4). Thirty-six percent of the neurons in the ophthalmic portion of the mouse trigeminal ganglion express CGRP and 17%, SP. All neurons that express SP also express CGRP. Forty percent of the neurons in the ophthalmic region of the ganglion are recognized by monoclonal antisera to SSEA3, and 66% of this population also express the neuropeptides SP or CGRP. The neuronal population recognized by BSIL4 is identical to the population with the LD2 epitope. This population of cells (BSIL4/LD2) does not express the SSEA3 glycoconjugate and is largely nonpeptidergic. All four populations of sensory neurons (SP, CGRP, SSEA3, and LD2/BSIL4) can be infected by herpes simplex virus (HSV). However, the relative proportion of SSEA3- and LD2/BSIL4-labeled cells that were infected productively with HSV was much less than expected based on the relative size of the populations of these neurons in the ophthalmic region of the ganglion. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 33:259-267,1992 Viral infection of trigeminal ganglion cells is found commonly in animal models of herpetic eye disease. Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV) is transported from the eye and reaches the ganglion by retrograde axonal transport, where an active and/or latent infection of neuronal cell bodies may be established. Active infection leads to neuronal destruction and may be followed by decreased corneal sensation and neurotrophic keratitis. 1 " 3 Alternatively, infected trigeminal neurons may survive, act as a reservoir of HSV, and play a role in recurrent herpetic ocular disease. Despite the known and assumed roles that trigeminal neurons play in HSV keratitis, little is known about the specific trigeminal neurons that become infected after ocular inoculation with the virus.
A Cardiology Exhibit at a Science Museum, Viewed as Speech Acts in Sequence.

An exhibit about cardiology at a science museum is an elaborate form of health communication, with messaging happening across text, pictures, models, and videos. This qualitative case study uses co...
Patient perspectives on quality and access to healthcare after brain injury.

ABSTRACTPrimary objective: To gather information about brain injury (BI) survivors’ long-term healthcare needs, quality, barriers and facilitators.Research design: Qualitative content analysis of data gathered in focus groups using semi-structured interviews.Methods: Forty-four community-dwelling adults participated at two clinical research centres in Seattle, Washington and New York, New York. Participants were asked open-ended questions about their experiences with healthcare in the community with regard to care needs, utilization, access, barriers and facilitators to health management.Results: Central themes emerged across three categories: 1) barriers to healthcare access/utilization, 2) facilitators to healthcare access/utilization, and 3) suggestions for improving healthcare after BI. The importance of communication as both a facilitator and barrier to care was mentioned by most participants. Compensatory strategies and external tools were identified as key facilitators of medical self-management. F...
Effective Scheduling of Reconfigurable Microgrids With Dynamic Thermal Line Rating

This paper addresses the optimal operation and scheduling of reconfigurable microgrids incorporating the dynamic line rating limitations during the islanded and grid-connected mode operations. The incorporation of the dynamic line rating of overhead feeders can potentially improve the system security when providing economical and technical benefits for the microgrid. The proposed framework takes into account a realistic formulation to minimize the total microgrid costs in both grid-connected and multiperiod islanded modes. Also, a stochastic framework based on unscented transform is proposed to model the uncertainties associated with renewable energy sources output power, market energy price, and load demand, as well as the weather uncertain parameters such as solar radiation, wind speed, and ambient temperature. Due to the high nonlinearity and complexity of the proposed problem, an efficient optimization algorithm based on the collective decision optimization algorithm is proposed. A new two-stage modification method is also developed to improve the algorithm search ability and avoid premature convergence. The proposed problem is examined on the IEEE 32-bus microgrid test system. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed model and verify its economic and reliability merits.
Advancing techniques to promote the welfare of sows utilized in laboratory based lameness models

The first objective for this dissertation was to refine and enhance common techniques conducted in a laboratory setting including drug administration, anesthesia and behavioral modification for laboratory housed sows to improve the welfare of sows specifically by minimizing pain and distress. The second objective of this dissertation was to use an optimal dosing regimen for two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to determine their efficacy in pain management using nociceptive threshold tests when sows are induced lame through the use of a chemical synovitis model. The expected outcome was that in this lameness pain model, the pain mitigation agents will alleviate pain as assessed by two nociceptive tests. For the first objective, I developed and refined a technique for catheter placement into the auricular vein of sows. This method was quick, effective and reliable, allowing a large drug volume to be administrated successfully without relying on prolonged restraint or general anesthesia of the sow. Research confirmed that Yohimbine is an effective anesthetic reversal agent in mature sows when anesthetized with xylazine, ketamine, and telazol. Yohimbine reduced overall recovery time and maintained physiological parameters closer to normal homeostatic ranges. Lastly, the results of a study assessing behavioral modification in an individual sow demonstrating oral and locomotor stereotypies suggests the promise of environmental enrichment as an effective treatment strategy for mitigating stereotypies performed in a laboratory setting. The second objective of this dissertation was to use an optimal dosing regimen for two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (flunixin meglumine and meloxicam) to determine their efficacy in pain management using nociceptive threshold tests when lameness was induced through the use of a chemical synovitis model. Results from this study
Theory of Circular Dichroism of Proteins

In this chapter, the basic phenomenon of circular dichroism (CD) will be described. The central theoretical parameter of rotational strength will then be defined. The mechanisms by which electronic transitions contribute to CD, i.e., acquire rotational strength, will then be discussed qualitatively, after which the methods by which CD is calculated will be described. The most important group in the electronic spectroscopy of proteins, the peptide group, will then be discussed. Finally, theoretical studies of the principal types of peptide secondary structure will be surveyed. The reader should note that aromatic and disulfide groups are not discussed in this chapter, but are covered in a separate chapter (Woody and Dunker, Chapter 4), along with experimental studies of these important protein chromophores.
A case for culturally relevant science education in the summer for African American youth

This article focuses on the impact of culturally relevant teaching and learning during a summer enrichment program for high school students. Culturally relevant science instruction and curriculum h...
When is Lonely Adatom Model valid

Abstract The Lonely Adatom Model (LAM) provides a description of nucleation during crystal growth. LAM is valid when the adatom number on the nucleating surface is sufficiently low. However, how low is sufficiently low, or when will the adatom number be sufficiently low? This paper reports an analytical theory that defines the critical deposition conditions when LAM is valid for nanorod growth. For metallic nanorods, LAM is valid for mode II growth over nearly the entire range of substrate temperatures, but it is valid for mode I growth only below room temperatures.
Plasmonic System with In-Plane Magnetic Anisotropy for Plasmon Based Magnetic Switching

Profile-modulated permalloy films are promising for magneto-optical applications. We show that such systems demonstrate plasmonic properties and have uniaxial in-plane anisotropy, which may allow sharp magnetization switching using SAM of light.
Ventricular Tachycardia in Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy

Abstract Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), also referred to as “arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy,” is an inherited desmosomal cardiomyopathy with incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity. ARVC is char­acterized by ventricular arrhythmias and structural abnormalities of the right ventricle. The hallmark pathological findings are progressive myocyte loss and fibrofatty (fibrous and adipose) tis­sue replacement, with a predilection for the right ventricle, but the left ventricle also can be affected. Fibrofatty replacement of the myocardium produces “islands” of scar that can lead to reentrant ventricular tachycardias (VTs) and increased risk of sudden cardiac death. The clinical presentation varies widely because ARVC includes a spectrum of different conditions rather than a single entity. Four clinicopathological stages of ARVC can be considered: (1) “concealed” phase, (2) “overt electrical disorder,” (3) phase of “right ventricular failure,” and (4) phase of “biventricular failure.” ARVC is one of the most arrhythmogenic human heart diseases known. Electrical instability is present at the very early stages of ARVC; ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death often are presenting symptoms before the development of any overt myocardial dysfunction. Ventricular arrhythmias range from isolated ectopy to sus­tained VT or ventricular fibrillation, and characteris­tically they occur during exercise. At present, catheter ablation of VT is considered palliative rather than curative and is recommended mainly for patients with recurrent VT causing frequent defibrillator shocks and those with VT storm or incessant VT refractory to antiarrhythmic drug therapy.
EEG Spectral Conditioning for Cognitive-state Classification in Interactive Virtual Reality

The integration of electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors into virtual reality (VR) headsets can provide the capability of tracking the user’s cognitive state and eventually be used to increase the sense of immersion. Interactive VR applications that combine cognitive tasks and physical movements primarily introduce two types of contamination to the EEG signal: (1) those that result from the physical motion and (2) those that result from more subtle head and neck muscle tension. Each of these types of contamination can have distinct spatial and spectral characteristics, and thus should be processed differently. This study examines the suppression of both types of contamination in the EEG, and the respective impacts on cognitive workload classification.
Assessing Vascular Markers of Diabetic Disease Progression Through Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound

Diabetic disease progression, resulting in diabetic kidney disease (DKD) increases the risk of kidney failure and is a strong predictor for patient mortality. Early detection of DKD could mitigate risks associated with DKD progression, but currently there are no well-established markers that serve this purpose. Healthy, insulin-resistant, and diabetic non-human primates (vervets) were imaged using contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to quantify kidney perfusion and evaluate CEUS as an early detection method. Time-intensity curve (TIC) data generated by capturing microbubble perfusion in the kidney were collected along with data on vervet demographics. The wash-out slope (WOS) for diabetic vervets was significantly steeper than the WOS for healthy vervets (p < 0.05), indicating faster microbubble clearance from the kidney in diabetic vervets. Furthermore, fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels were significantly different between healthy and diabetic vervets (p < 0.0001), which may relate to the differences seen in WOS. Other TIC metrics, such as area under the curve (AUC) and peak enhancement (PE) did not reveal significant differences between groups. Overall, CEUS shows potential as a method for detecting changes in blood perfusion that are indicative of DKD progression, but further research is necessary to address current limitations with the technique.
Abstract 154: Diabetic Retinopathy and Risk of Stroke: A Secondary Analysis of Accord

Background: Diabetic retinopathy is a common microvascular complication of diabetes. Previous research has shown that the macrovascular complications of diabetes, including stroke, are often comorb...
Epidemiologic Assessment of Methods of Transmission of Legionellosis

The ubiquity of Legionella pneumophila in the environment creates special problems for identifying the source of either outbreaks or sporadic cases due to this organism. Efforts must be made to associate a specific hypothesized source with the occurrence of disease through appropriate epidemiologic studies. Well documented sources of outbreaks include contaminated heat rejection devices, industrial aerosols, and recreational whirlpools. The presence of L. pneumophila in potable water supplies has been associated with the disease in several settings. The precise mechanism of aerosol generation and transmission from potable water remains to be defined.
Choosing a Fellowship and How to Stand Out

There are many things to consider when deciding whether or not to pursue a fellowship year (or two depending on subspecialty) after residency training. Factors such as time commitment, subspecialty choice, location, and even financial considerations must be contemplated. This chapter aims to highlight the pros and cons of completing a fellowship, as well as how to choose the right fellowship fit for you. It also discusses ways to positively stand out during your training and the impact this will have on your future career prospects and contribution to the field of ophthalmology. Fellowship is much more self-directed than residency training; therefore, it is important to set goals both clinically and surgically, and pursue research in your areas of interest. We review the definitions of mentorship versus sponsorship, and the reasons why it is specifically important that female physicians have both types of support during their careers. Mentorship refers to support and advice for career path. Sponsorship specifically describes providing opportunities for career advancement, including speaking engagements, and research participation. Finally, this chapter makes a strong case for valuing and pursuing self-care during a busy fellowship. It is important to care for yourself first, so that you can provide exceptional care to your patients.
Inequality in Public School Spending Across Space and Time

Abstract This paper takes a novel time series perspective on the financing of K-12 schooling. About half of school spending is financed by state government aid to local districts, and because state aid is generally income conditioned, it acts as a mechanism for risk sharing between school districts. We show that temporal inequality, due to state and local business cycles, is prevalent across the income distribution. We estimate a model of local revenue and state aid, and its allocation across districts, and use the parameters to simulate impulse response functions. We find that state aid provides risk sharing for local shocks, although slow speed of adjustment results in temporal inequality. There is little risk sharing for statewide income shocks, and the risk from such shocks to school spending is more severe in low-income districts because of their greater reliance on state aid.
Neutron-Resonance Transmission Analysis with a Compact Deuterium-Tritium Neutron Generator

Neutron-resonance transmission analysis (NRTA) is a powerful technique for materials identification with applications in many fields, but to date it has relied on major kilometer-long user facilities. Here the authors develop a methodology that significantly simplifies the necessary platform, allowing for $t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}a\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}b\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}l\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}o\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}p$ laboratory implementations. Experiments demonstrate that the approach here can identify such elements as silver, indium, tungsten, and uranium. This success could turn NRTA, currently a ``niche'' technique, into an ubiquitous tool with applicability in $e.g.$ nuclear engineering, archaeology, and arms control.
Industry 4.0 and Lean Business Operations

This short positional statement is the author’s preliminary view on how lean principles could be leveraged to bring industry 4.0 initiatives into a clear value generation process for companies, and vice versa industry 4.0 technologies be leveraged to augment lean business operations. It is to intrigue a broader discussion among panelists for the future of industry 4.0 in the IEEE SERVICES 2021 conference.
Comparative transduction mechanisms of hair cells in the bullfrog utriculus. I. Responses to intracellular current

1. Hair cells in whole-mount in vitro preparations of the utricular macula of the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) were selected according to their macular location and hair bundle morphology. The volta...
Video-EEG Monitoring and Reflex Epilepsy

A 21-year-old right-handed male college student was evaluated for a 2-year history of spells that occurred primarily while reading text books. He grew up with an abusive father who was an alcoholic. Risk factors for seizures included multiple concussions while playing high school football. The attacks were frequent and severe enough to cause him to leave school when they would occur. His professors and school officials thought he was making the events up to avoid school. During the events he was described as abruptly staring off into space with unresponsiveness that would last for several minutes. His family stated he may have had a rare event even when he was not reading. The events were so disruptive that he contemplated leaving school permanently. There was no history of injury from the events, nor was there an aura or history of a convulsion. He is mildly anxious and depressed. He smoked marijuana, which he thought helped these events. His neurological examination was normal. Two routine sleep deprived EEG’s (with photic stimulation and hyperventilation) and a high-resolution brain MRI with attention to the temporal lobes were normal. Video-EEG monitoring was performed. Two events were captured (Fig. 27.1). Both occurred while reading an anthropology text book. EEG demonstrated an abrupt run of independent bi-temporal rhythmic ictal theta activity provoked by reading. SISCOM imaging correlated with EEG during his right temporal seizure. PET scan and neuropsychological testing were non-localizing. Subsequently, the patient failed to respond to four AEDs. Invasive EEG recording was performed in the course of pursuing resective epilepsy surgery.
The Circulatory Reaction in Standing

The most important the circulatory apparatus is to adjust itself that enough blood for the needs of the body at any particular time Will be delivered to the parts. This is no small matter, four at one moment there must be academy of body heat and therefore less blood to the skin, two minutes later muscular activity maybe raised tenfold and surplus heat maybe the problem as well as the requirements of active muscles. The digestive system and its glands may call loudly are the mechanism may be confronted with the task of transporting blood in vessels all at one level, approximately, at the next instant we spring to our feet in the whole apparatus is set on end.
Alternate Approaches to Understanding the Psychometric Properties of Assessment Centers: An analysis of the structure and equivalence of exercise ratings

The present study uses an alternate analytical framework to examine the degree to which performance is differentiated by dimensions in assessment center (AC) exercises and whether these performance dimensions are rated on the same scale across exercises. Confirmatory factor analysis likelihood ratio tests supported the presence of three broad latent performance dimensions in each of three AC exercises. Additional tests revealed that five of six manifest performance dimensions were rated on the same psychological scale across exercises. Taken together, our results support a multidimensional interpretation of AC exercises and provide empirical support to the notion that differences in AC performance across exercises reflect true performance, rather than a measurement artifact.
Role of neutral atmospheric dynamics in cusp density and ionospheric patch formation

[1] Ionospheric patches are islands of plasma transiting the polar cap, with density at least double the surrounding background plasma. Since their discovery 25 years ago, many mechanisms for their production have been proposed and examined. However all of these mechanisms consider only electric fields and charged particles as candidate mechanisms for patch formation, particularly transient changes in these electrodynamic terms. Here for the first time, we call attention to the role of thermospheric dynamics in Patch formation. We show that the thermospheric response to transient heating events near the cusp must significantly increase exospheric densities over the cusp, and also that a plausible doubling of these densities near and above 400 km altitude leads to a new patch production mechanism. The underlying processes must drive a solar cycle variation of how many hours UT experience strong polar patches and scintillation. These processes must be added to present thinking and modeling.
Parallel multiscale stereo matching using adaptive smoothing

We have shown a multiscale coarse-to-fine hierarchical matching of stereo pairs which uses adaptive smoothing to extract the matching primitives. The number of matching primitives at coarse scale is small, therefore reducing the number of potential matches, which in return increases the reliability of the matching results. A dense disparity can be obtained at a fine scale where the density of edgels is very high. The control strategy is very simple compared to other multiscale approaches such as the ones using Gaussian scale space, this results from the accuracy of edges detected by adaptive smoothing at different scales. The simplicity of the control strategy is especially important for low-level processing, and makes parallel implementation quite simple.
Learning from the Expert: Improving Boundary Definitions in Biomedical Imagery

Defining the boundaries of regions of interest in biomedical imagery has remained a difficult real-world problem in image processing. Experience with fully automated techniques has shown that it is usually quicker to manually delineate a boundary rather than correct the errors of the automation. Semi-automated, user-guided techniques such as Intelligent Scissors and Active Contour Models have proven more promising, since an expert guides the process. This paper will report and compare some recent results of another user-guided system, the Expert’s Tracing Assistant, a system which learns a boundary definition from an expert, and then assists in the boundary tracing task. The learned boundary definition better reproduces expert behavior, since it does not rely on the a priori edge-definition assumptions of the other models.
A bZIP transcription factor from Phytophthora interacts with a protein kinase and is required for zoospore motility and plant infection

Summary Zoospores are critical in the disease cycle of Phytophthora infestans, a member of the oomycete group of fungus-like microbes and the cause of potato late blight. A protein kinase induced during zoosporogenesis, Pipkz1, was shown to interact in the yeast two-hybrid system with a putative bZIP transcription factor. This interaction was confirmed in vitro using a pull-down assay. The transcription factor gene, Pibzp1, was single copy and expressed in all tissues. Transformants of P. infestans stably silenced for Pibzp1 were generated using plasmids expressing its coding region in sense or antisense orientations. A protoplast transformation method induced silencing more efficiently than transformation by an electroporation scheme. Wild-type and silenced strains exhibited no differences in hyphal growth or morphology, mating, sporangia production or zoospore release. However, zoospores from the mutants spun in tight circles, instead of exhibiting the normal pattern of straight swimming punctuated by turns. Zoospore encystment was unaffected by silencing, but cysts germinated more efficiently than controls. Germinated cysts from the mutants failed to develop appressoria and were unable to infect plants; however, they could colonize wounded tissue. These phenotypes indicate that Pibzp1 is a key regulator of several stages of the zoospore-mediated infection pathway.
The Ocean in Climate

Earth's present climate is intrinsically affected by the ocean—the climate without the ocean would be different in many essential ways: Without the evaporation of water from the sea surface, the hydrological cycle would be different; without ocean heat transport and uptake, the temperature distribution of the globe would be different; and without the biota in the ocean, the total amount of carbon in the atmosphere would be many time its current value. Yet, while we may appreciate the role of the ocean in climate, the difficulty and expense of making measurements below the ocean's surface has rendered the vast volume of the ocean a sort of mare incognita. Why is the ocean so important in Earth's climate, and which of its properties are of special significance for climate? How have we learned about the ocean and its role in climate, and what more do we need to know? Keywords: ocean density; thermohaline circulation; sea ice; World Ocean Circulation Experiment; Tropical Ocean–Global Atmosphere; El Nino–Southern Oscillation
Energy contributions of volatile fatty acids from the gastrointestinal tract in various species

The VFA, also known as short-chain fatty acids, are produced in the gastrointestinal tract by microbial fermentation of carbohydrates and endogenous substrates, such as mucus. This can be of great advantage to the animal, since no digestive enzymes exist for breaking down cellulose or other complex carbohydrates. The VFA are produced in the largest amounts in herbivorous animal species and especially in the forestomach of ruminants. The VFA, however, also are produced in the lower digestive tract of humans and all animal species, and intestinal fermentation resembles that occurring in the rumen. The principal VFA in either the rumen or large intestine are acetate, propionate, and butyrate and are produced in a ratio varying from approximately 75:15:10 to 40:40:20. Absorption of VFA at their site of production is rapid, and large quantities are metabolized by the ruminal or large intestinal epithelium before reaching the portal blood. Most of the butyrate is converted to ketone bodies or CO2 by the epithelial cells, and nearly all of the remainder is removed by the liver. Propionate is similarly removed by the liver but is largely converted to glucose. Although species differences exist, acetate is used principally by peripheral tissues, especially fat and muscle. Considerable energy is obtained from VFA in herbivorous species, and far more research has been conducted on ruminants than on other species. Significant VFA, however, are now known to be produced in omnivorous species, such as pigs and humans. Current estimates are that VFA contribute approximately 70% to the caloric requirements of ruminants, such as sheep and cattle, approximately 10% for humans, and approximately 20-30% for several other omnivorous or herbivorous animals. The amount of fiber in the diet undoubtedly affects the amount of VFA produced, and thus the contribution of VFA to the energy needs of the body could become considerably greater as the dietary fiber increases. Pigs and some species of monkey most closely resemble humans, and current research should be directed toward examining the fermentation processes and VFA metabolism in those species. In addition to the energetic or nutritional contributions of VFA to the body, the VFA may indirectly influence cholesterol synthesis and even help regulate insulin or glucagon secretion. In addition, VFA production and absorption have a very significant effect on epithelial cell growth, blood flow, and the normal secretory and absorptive functions of the large intestine, cecum, and rumen. The absorption of VFA and sodium, for example, seem to be interdependent, and release of bicarbonate usually occurs during VFA absorption.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The Doctor Is In: Helping End Users Understand the Health of Distributed Systems

Users need know nothing of the internals of distributed applications that are performing well. However, when performance flags or fails, a depiction of system behavior from the user's point of view can be invaluable. We describe a robust architecture and a suite of presentation and visualization tools that give users a clearer view of what is going on.
Speech for multimedia information retrieval

We describe the Informediatm News-on-Demand system. News-on-Demand is an innovative example of indexing and searching broadcast video and audio material by text content. The fully-automatic system monitors TV news and allows selective retrieval of news items based on spoken queries. The user then plays the appropriate video "paragraph". The system runs on a Pentium PC using MPEG-I video compression and the Sphinx-II continuous speech recognition system [6].
Replacing −CH2CH2– with −CONH– Does Not Significantly Change Rates of Charge Transport through AgTS-SAM//Ga2O3/EGaIn Junctions

This paper describes physical-organic studies of charge transport by tunneling through self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), based on systematic variations of the structure of the molecules constituting the SAM. Replacing a −CH2CH2– group with a −CONH– group changes the dipole moment and polarizability of a portion of the molecule and has, in principle, the potential to change the rate of charge transport through the SAM. In practice, this substitution produces no significant change in the rate of charge transport across junctions of the structure AgTS-S(CH2)mX(CH2)nH//Ga2O3/EGaIn (TS = template stripped, X = −CH2CH2– or −CONH–, and EGaIn = eutectic alloy of gallium and indium). Incorporation of the amide group does, however, increase the yields of working (non-shorting) junctions (when compared to n-alkanethiolates of the same length). These results suggest that synthetic schemes that combine a thiol group on one end of a molecule with a group, R, to be tested, on the other (e.g., HS∼CONH∼R) using an amide-b...
Efficacy of aspirin for secondary prevention in patients with peripheral artery disease.

Evaluation of: Berger JS, Krantz MJ, Kittelson JM, Hiatt WR. Aspirin for the prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with peripheral artery disease: a meta-analysis of randomized trials. JAMA 301, 1909–1919 (2009).Aspirin decreases the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with prior coronary heart or cerebrovascular disease. The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines recommend a low-dose aspirin regimen (75–325 mg/day) to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). However, the effect of aspirin for secondary prevention in patients with PAD has not been well established. The paper under evaluation performed a meta-analysis of 18 trials to investigate the effect of aspirin on cardiovascular events (nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke and cardiovascular death) in patients with PAD. The results of this meta-analysis in a PAD cohort revealed that treatment with aspirin did not significantly reduce the combine...
Active control of helicopter air resonance in hover and forward flight

A coupled rotor/fuselage helicopter analysis is presented. The accuracy of the model is illustrated by comparing it with experimental data. The sensitivity of the open loop damping of the unstable resonance mode to such modeling effects as blade torsional flexibility, unsteady aerodynamics, forward flight, periodic terms, and trim solution is illustrated by numerous examples. Subsequently, the model is used in conjunction with linear optimal control theory to stabilize the air resonance mode. The influence of the modeling effects mentioned before on active resonance control is then investigated.
Cardiovascular Interactions of Desipramine, Fluoxetine, and Cocaine in Cocaine‐Dependent Outpatients

The authors investigated the subacute cardiovascular effects of cocaine use alone and with antidepressants. At study entry, 55 cocaine-dependent (DSM-III-R) patients with cocaine-positive urines had slightly higher resting heart rates and blood pressures than 36 patients with cocaine-negative urines, which achieved significance (P < 0.05) for three of eleven parameters. A repeated-measures analysis of medication-compliant patients found no significant cardiovascular differences between cocaine-positive and cocaine-negative urine conditions for either desipramine (n = 10) or fluoxetine (n = 20). Cocaine use appears to produce minimal subacute cardiovascular effects, which are not accentuated by desipramine or fluoxetine, in physically healthy cocaine-dependent patients.
Auditors' perceptions of client firms: The stigma of decline and the stigma of growth

Abstract This paper examines the relationship between auditors' perceptions of client organizations' growth/ decline status and the auditors' assessments of client managers' competence and integrity. It is hypothesized that perceived growth/decline status will have an inverted-U relationship with perceived management competence and integrity. If client organizations are perceived by auditors as rapidly declining or rapidly growing, the auditors' evaluations of their managers' competence and integrity will be lower than if the organizations are perceived as stable. Results from a study of auditors' perceptions of 123 actual client organizations are partially supportive of the hypotheses. We conclude that rapid organizational decline may be stigmatizing in the eyes of auditors because it raises questions about management competence. Rapid organizational growth also may be stigmatizing, but for a different reason: it creates auditor doubts about management integrity. The results of the study are discussed from the perspectives organization studies and auditing research after which suggestions for future investigation are made.
FIRST-ORDER RAMAN SPECTRUM OF DIAMOND AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

Measurements of the first-order Raman spectrum in natural type-IIa diamond for the temperature range of 293 to 1850 K are presented. Both the Stokes and anti-Stokes components are analyzed for their intensity, Raman shift, and width variation with temperature. Optical pyrometry was used to make the temperature measurements, the results of which were independently confirmed by the Stokes--to--anti-Stokes intensity ratios. The shift and width variations with temperature are in general agreement with the molecular-dynamics simulations of C. Z. Wang, C. T. Chan, and K. M. Ho [Phys. Rev. B 42, 11 276 (1990)]. Heating of the samples to temperatures as high as 1850 K in vacuo could be performed without any evidence of polymorphic conversion to graphite, also in agreement with previous investigations. Our experimental first-order Raman shifts, using units of ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ and absolute temperature, are conveniently expressed as \ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\nu}=${\mathit{a}}_{1}$${\mathit{T}}^{2}$+${\mathit{a}}_{2}$T+${\mathit{a}}_{3}$ with the coefficients found to be -1.075\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}5}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ ${\mathrm{K}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}2}$, -0.007 77 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ ${\mathrm{K}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$, and 1334.5 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$, respectively.
Decadal-scale changes of the circulation in the tropical atlantic sector associated with Sahel drought

Trends in the general circulation setting during 1948–1983 accompanying the progressive aggravation of drought in sub-Saharan Africa are investigated from ship observations over the tropical Atlantic and surface station records in western Africa. Decadal-scale circulation changes in the Atlantic sector include a pressure rise over the tropical North Atlantic; southward displacement of the near-equatorial wind confluence and associated maximum cloud belt; acceleration of the north-east trades and possibly a strengthening of the South Atlantic trades, along with increasing cloudiness in the equatorial zone; increasing cloudiness over the tropical North Atlantic and Central American seas; and cooling of surface waters in a band across the tropical North Atlantic contrasting with warming in the South Atlantic. These changes occurred in all seasons, but were most pronounced at the height of boreal summer. Records at land stations in western Africa show that near the coasts the temperature and pressure trends are consistent with the adjacent ocean areas. In the interior of sub-Saharan Africa, warming trends prevail in boreal summer, presumably as a direct consequence of reduced inflow of cool maritime monsoon air; the concomitant downward pressure trends at continental stations in sub-Saharan Africa may reflect the hydrostatic effect of increasing temperature. In contrast to boreal summer, slight cooling trends and pressure rises prevail in the interior during winter. In the course of the past four decades, the near-equatorial wind confluence over the eastern Atlantic migrated southward by 200 km in July–August and 150 km for the rainy season as a whole. Given the steep meridional precipitation gradients across the Sahel, these circulation shifts are large enough to account for the observed downward trend in Sahel rainfall.