cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A method for photon beam Monte Carlo multileaf collimator particle transport

Monte Carlo (MC) algorithms are recognized as the most accurate methodology for patient dose assessment. For intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) delivered with dynamic multileaf collimators (DMLCs), accurate dose calculation, even with MC, is challenging. Accurate IMRT MC dose calculations require inclusion of the moving MLC in the MC simulation. Due to its complex geometry, full transport through the MLC can be time consuming. The aim of this work was to develop an MLC model for photon beam MC IMRT dose computations. The basis of the MC MLC model is that the complex MLC geometry can be separated into simple geometric regions, each of which readily lends itself to simplified radiation transport. For photons, only attenuation and first Compton scatter interactions are considered. The amount of attenuation material an individual particle encounters while traversing the entire MLC is determined by adding the individual amounts from each of the simplified geometric regions. Compton scatter is sampled based upon the total thickness traversed. Pair production and electron interactions (scattering and bremsstrahlung) within the MLC are ignored. The MLC model was tested for 6 MV and 18 MV photon beams by comparing it with measurements and MC simulations that incorporate the full physics and geometry for fields blocked by the MLC and with measurements for fields with the maximum possible tongue-and-groove and tongue-or-groove effects, for static test cases and for sliding windows of various widths. The MLC model predicts the field size dependence of the MLC leakage radiation within 0.1% of the open-field dose. The entrance dose and beam hardening behind a closed MLC are predicted within ±1% or 1 mm. Dose undulations due to differences in inter- and intra-leaf leakage are also correctly predicted. The MC MLC model predicts leaf-edge tongue-and-groove dose effect within ±1% or 1 mm for 95% of the points compared at 6 MV and 88% of the points compared at 18 MV. The dose through a static leaf tip is also predicted generally within ±1% or 1 mm. Tests with sliding windows of various widths confirm the accuracy of the MLC model for dynamic delivery and indicate that accounting for a slight leaf position error (0.008 cm for our MLC) will improve the accuracy of the model. The MLC model developed is applicable to both dynamic MLC and segmental MLC IMRT beam delivery and will be useful for patient IMRT dose calculations, pre-treatment verification of IMRT delivery and IMRT portal dose transmission dosimetry.
A treatment algorithm for the management of cervical spine fractures and deformity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Object Patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who present with cervical spine fractures represent a unique challenge to spine surgeons. These injuries often result in neurological deficits that necessitate early and aggressive surgical management with posterior and/or anterior fixation. The authors introduce a clinical problem-solving algorithm to assist in the surgical management of instability and deformity in this exigent patient population. Methods Thirteen patients with AS and fractures of the cervical spine were radiographically evaluated to determine if spinal realignment was obtainable with cervical manipulation or traction. Seven patients had flexible deformities that were stabilized with either anterior or posterior fixation only, and 6 patients had fixed deformities and required circumferential anterior–posterior instrumentation. All patients were observed for neurological outcome, radiographic evidence of bone fusion, and complications. Results With the use of the authors' treatment algorit...
Long-term maintenance of “cloned” human PLT cells in TCGF with LCL cells as a feeder layer

The long-term maintenance of T cells ''cloned'' by limiting dilution in TCGF was enhanced by the use of irradiated autologous lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) cells as well as irradiated LCL cells of the individual to which the T cells were originally primed. It was possible to obtain more than 1 X 10(12) cells from a ''clone'' seeded at one cell per well. Some of the clones tested express primed LD-typing activity.
Enhanced submerged Aspergillus ficuum phytase production by implementation of fed-batch fermentation

Phytase is an important feed and food additive, which is both used in animal and human diets. Phytase has been used to increase the absorption of several divalent ions, amino acids, and proteins in the bodies and to decrease the excessive phosphorus release in the manure to prevent negative effects on the environment. To date, microbial phytase has been mostly produced in solid-state fermentations with insignificant production volumes. There are only a few studies in the literature that phytase productions were performed in submerged bench-top reactor scale. In our previous studies, growth parameters (temperature, pH, and aeration) and important fermentation medium ingredients (glucose, Na-phytate, and CaSO4) were optimized. This study was undertaken for further enhancement of phytase production with Aspergillus ficuum in bench-top bioreactors by conducting fed-batch fermentations. The results showed that addition of 60 g of glucose and 10 g of Na-phytate at 96 h of fermentation increased phytase activity to 3.84 and 4.82 U/ml, respectively. Therefore, the maximum phytase activity was further enhanced with addition of glucose and Na-phytate by 11 and 40 %, respectively, as compared to batch phytase fermentations. It was also reported that phytase activity increased higher in early log stage additions than late log stage additions because of higher microbial activity. In addition, the phytase activity in fed-batch fermentation did not drop significantly as compared to the batch fermentation. Overall, this study shows that fungal phytase can be successfully produced in submerged fed-batch fermentations.
Transforming organizations: The key to strategy is context

4 once asked an executive vice-president who was responsible for the future development of a very large corporation, “What is the thing you worry about most on your job?” His answer was startling. “I worry most about what my people don’t know that they don’t know. What they know that they don’t know, they are able to work on and find the answers to. But they can’t do that if they don’t know that they don’t know.” What does it mean not to know that you don’t know? In some ways, this is the condition of “Ignorance is bliss.” It is only when a problem is identified and defined that people can go to work resolving it. Before that time, there is no problem. The same events may have occurred long before the identification of the phenomenon as an issue, but they are meaningful only because meaning has been attached to them.
Combining personal and outside opinions: An information integration analysis

Each of 37 college students was asked to rate and indicate how many times he had seen each movie in a list of 54 popular old movies to be used for assembling a college film festival. The student was then shown a set of ratings said to have been supplied by a committee selecting movies for the festival. Finally, he was asked to rerate each movie, giving the rating each movie would receive if he himself were added to the selection committee. Results supported a weighted average model in which the weight of a person’s initial rating on the composite rating was assumed to increase with the number of times he had seen the movie, and the weight of the committee’s rating was assumed to increase as a function of the number of committee members reported to have seen the movie.
Analysis of intracellular ice nucleation in Xenopus oocytes by differential scanning calorimetry.

Abstract Intracellular ice formation (IIF) plays a central role in cell damage during cryopreservation. We are investigating the factors which trigger IIF in Xenopus oocytes, with and without aquaporin water channels. Here, we report differential scanning calorimeter studies of Xenopus control oocytes which do not express aquaporins. Stage I to VI oocytes (which increase progressively in size) were investigated with emphasis on stage I and II because they are translucent and can also be studied under the cryomicroscope. Measurements were made in 1, 1.5, and 2 M ethylene glycol (EG) in frog Ringers plus SnoMax. A multistep freezing protocol was used in which the samples were cooled until extracellular ice formation (EIF) occurred, partially remelted, slowly recooled through the EIF temperature, and then rapidly (10 °C/min) cooled. EIF in the 1, 1.5, and 2 M EG occurred at −6.4, −7.8, and −8.9 °C, respectively. Freezing exotherms of individual stage I–VI oocytes were readily visible. A general trend was observed in which the IIF temperature of the early stage oocytes (I–III) was well below TEIF while the later stages (IV–VI) froze at temperatures much closer to TEIF. Thus, in 1.5 M EG, TIIF was −21.1, −25, and −26.6 °C in stages I–III, but was −17 and −8.5 °C for stage IV and V–VI. Concurrently, the percentage of oocytes in which IIF was observed fell dramatically from a high of 40 to 72% in early stages (I–III) to a low of only 7% in stage V–VI because, particularly in the later stages, IIF was hidden in the EIF exotherm. We conclude that early stage oocytes are a good model system in which to investigate modulators of IIF, but that late stage oocytes are damaged during EIF and infrequently supercool.
Integrated systems II: Multi-tier interfaces for integrating families of systems

Of critical importance is the design of the man-machine interfaces for general rule based systems. They must serve (i) as user-friendly interfaces for different classes of users for different applications and (ii) to invoke service components in integrated packages without interrogating users. These objectives are achieved with a multitier interface design whose two parts, the Interactive User-Friendly Interface (IUFI) and the System Interface (SI), communicate with each other via commonly used notational systems and can be invoked independently of each other. The user-friendly interface, which is uniquely designed for each user discipline, passes information to the SI. The SI does not change for new IUFI designs and it can be invoked by other rule based systems without interrogating users. Here the requirements for the IUFI and SI parts are identified, four different designs of multi-tier interfaces are given and two applications are described. Also included are guidelines for designing user friendly interfaces.
Non-Newtonian viscous oscillating free surface jets, and a new strain-rate dependent viscosity form for flows experiencing low strain rates

A model for oscillating free surface jet flow of a fluid from an elliptical orifice, together with experimental measurements, can be exploited to characterize the elongational viscosity of non-Newtonian inelastic fluids. The oscillating jet flow is predominantly elongational, with a small strain that oscillates rapidly between large and zero strain rates. We find that to reproduce the experimentally observed steady oscillating jet flow in model simulations, the assumed form of the non-Newtonian viscosity as a function of strain rate must have zero gradient, i.e., be Newtonian, at zero strain rate (a behavior exhibited, in general, by real inelastic fluids). We demonstrate that the Cross, Carreau, Prandtl-Eyring, and Powell-Eyring forms, although they have finite viscosity at zero strain rate, have either nonzero or even unbounded gradient at zero, and hence are unable to model oscillating jet behavior. We propose a new non-Newtonian viscous form which has all of the desirable features of existing forms (high and low strain rate plateaus, with adjustable location and steepness of the transition) and the additional feature of Newtonian behavior at low strain rates.
Knowledge‐Based System for Flexible Pavement Structural Evaluation

Pavement deflection data are often used to evaluate pavement's structural conditions nondestructively. Pavement layers are characterized by their elastic moduli estimated from surface deflections through backcalculations. Results of various algorithmic backcalculation methods currently available are often dependent upon individual analyst's experience and judgments in supplying input parameters and they often do not agree with each other. Much of the empirical knowledge accumulated through decades of pavement research and practice has yet to be formalized to assist analytical backcalculations. To organize the various knowledge utilized by a human analyst to perform evaluation and to make nondestructive evaluation more accessible, a knowledge‐based system, Pavement Structural Evaluation System (PASELS), is developed. This rule‐based system can help provide rational estimation of pavement layer moduli and is particularly useful when algorithmic backcalculation methods do not give reasonable results. Althoug...
Improving the "quality of remission induction" therapy: a necessary step for increasing the cure rate in acute myelogenous leukemia.

(1992). Improving the “Quality of Remission Induction” Therapy: A Necessary Step for Increasing the Cure Rate in Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Cancer Investigation: Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 183-184.
Multispectral and phase-contrast diffuse optical tomography of breast cancer during neoadjuvant chemotherapy: A case study

Multispectral and phase-contrast diffuse optical tomography are used to track treatment progress in a patient with locally advanced invasive carcinoma of the breast cancer during neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Two types of chemotherapy treatment including four cycles of Adriamycin/Cytoxin (AC cycles) and twelve cycles of Taxol/Herceptin (TH cycles) were applied to patient. A total of eight optical exams were performed before and within the chemotherapy. Images of tissue refractive index, and absorption and scattering coefficients, as well as oxy-hemoglobin and deoxy-hemoglobin concentrations along with scattering particle volume fraction and mean diameter of cellular components were all obtained. The tumor was identified through absorption and scattering images. Tumor shrinkage was observed during the course of chemotherapy from all the optical images. Our results show that oxy-hemoglobin, deoxy-hemoglobin and total hemoglobin in tumor decreased after chemotherapy compared to that of before chemotherapy. Significant changes in tumor refractive index along with tumor cellular morphology during the entire chemotherapy are also observed.
Dietary fatty acid modulation of events associated with mouse skin tumor promotion

Abstract Increasing levels of dietary corn oil have been correlated with inhibition of 12‐O‐tetradecanoyl‐phorbol‐13‐acetate‐(TPA) promoted skin tumetigenesis in mice (Leyton et al. Cancer Res. 51, 907–915, 1991). This study was undertaken to assess the effects of dietary com oil on several events associated with tumor promotion. Three semipurified diets containing 15% (wt/wt) total fat with increasing levels of linoleate (0.8%, 4.5%, and 8.4%) supplied by corn oil were fed to mice for at least four weeks. Although incorporation of linoleate into epidermal phosphatidylcholine increased with increasing amounts of dietary corn oil, the elongated desaturated product of linoleate, arachidonate, was similar or decreased slightly in mice fed the three diets. Minimal activity of δ6‐desaturase, the rate‐limiting enzyme in the conversion of linoleate to arachidonic acid, was found in the epidermis compared with the liver, suggesting that linoleate is not converted to arachidonic acid in the skin. Subcellular distr...
Electrical conductivity and charge compensation in Ta doped Li4Ti5O12

Abstract Ta doping in Li4Ti5O12 (Li4Ti4.95Ta0.05O12) as function of different heat-treat atmospheres (oxidizing/reducing) was investigated and compared to Li4Ti5O12 to determine its effect on ionic/electronic conductivity and the charge compensating defects. Under oxidizing conditions Li4Ti4.95Ta0.05O12 was primarily an ionic conductor where the extra charge of Ta was compensated by Ti vacancies. Under reducing conditions Li4Ti4.95Ta0.05O12 was primarily an electronic conductor where the extra charge of Ta was compensated by an electron. The charge compensating defects were confirmed by sintering data.
Jumping Implementation in Video Games (Abstract Only)

Jumping has been a prevalent and versatile game mechanic from the early days of games like Donkey Kong to our own sophisticated era of smartphone games like Temple Run and entertainment industry giants like the Call of Duty series. While the physical activity of jumping itself seems simple, a lot can change in the translation of this action to its game counterpart. Jumping must serve to make the game playable and enjoyable, and so realism is sacrificed in order to facilitate the particular "feel" that the game developers desire for the physics of their game. This project is a study of jumping as a game mechanic and its implementation in video games, and includes a playable simulation program that allows for hands-on experience of different jump implementations that were studied.
HIV-1 NL4-3, but not IIIB, inhibits JAK3/STAT5 activation in CD4(+) T cells.

HIV-1 infection leads to T cell dysfunction and apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. The shared common gamma chain of IL-2R and its associated Janus kinase, JAK3, are indispensable for normal T cell function and survival. We have reported that CD4 ligation with HIV gp120 inhibits T cell receptor-induced activation and expression of JAK3. We have also shown that while some strains of HIV-1, such as NL4-3, induce apoptosis of infected CD4(+) T cells, other strains, such as HIV-1 IIIB, do not. Interestingly, we show here that infection of CD4(+) T cells with HIV-1 NL4-3, but not IIIB, inhibited activation and expression of JAK3. NL4-3-infected T cells were unable to upregulate JAK3 expression following stimulation through TCR/CD3. In addition, NL4-3, but not IIIB, inhibited tyrosine phosphorylation and expression of STAT5, a downstream target of JAK3. These data suggest a correlation between apoptosis of HIV-1-infected T cells and inhibition of the JAK3/STAT5 activation pathway.
Word order variation in Isthmus Mixe: Voice and discourse considerations

In the face of evidence of considerable word order variation in Mixe languages, this article posits a basic word order of SOV for Isthmus Mixe, analyzing the language as having an inverse voice category that partially explains the observed surface word order variation. Using functional criteria established for voice distinctions by Givon (1994), it is shown that the Object is higher in topicality than the Subject in inverse-transitive clauses, as attested by ellipsis of the Subject and by topicality measures of Referential Distance and Topic Persistence. When inverse-clause word orders are separated out from direct-clause word orders, and when discourse considerations are taken into account, the basic SOV order of the Isthmus Mixe direct clause becomes apparent.
Iridathiabenzene, a Novel .eta.6 Heteroaromatic .pi.-Ligand

Complex Cp{sup *}Ir(C,S-2,5-Me{sub 2}T) (2) undergoes a variety of reactions, but they all result in products in which the {pi}-system is disrupted. In this communication, we show that the 6-membered ring in 2 is capable of forming {eta}{sup 6} complexes that are analogs of well-known {eta}{sup 6} arene derivatives. Moreover, 2 is a more strongly coordinating ligand than the arenes. 13 refs., 2 figs.
Optimal downlink control channel resource allocation for LTE systems

This paper presents optimal and efficient suboptimal resource allocation algorithms for the downlink control channel of the Third Generation Partnership Project-Long Term Evolution (3GPP-LTE) standard. A novel formulation of this resource allocation problem as a pure binary-integer program called the set packing problem is performed. This problem has been well-studied in operations research. In addition a greedy heuristic sub-optimal algorithm that reduces the processing complexity involved in finding the optimal solution and also approaches the optimal performance is presented. Performance comparisons of these proposed schemes based on Monte-Carlo simulations in a 5 MHz bandwidth LTE system are provided. The results prove that the proposed algorithms can significantly improve the system's cell-edge performance.
Sloan Digital Sky Survey telescope enclosure: design

The telescope enclosure for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey 2.5 meter telescope includes a number of design features that reduce cost and enhance performance. These include: (1) A minimum volume enclosure that rolls away to expose the telescope. The building drive and door systems were chosen from commercially available components for low cost and high reliability. (2) The low profile reduces the visual impact on the environment. (3) The building projects horizontally into the prevailing wind from the top of the mountain. Access to the telescope and instruments is excellent. (4) A closely fitting telescope wind baffle doubles as a component of the telescope light baffling system and has excellent air flushing properties. (5) Attention to temperature control of floor and wind baffle surfaces reduces the production of chilled air near the telescope. (6) Wakes from the telescope and enclosure are small thereby reducing the impact on other telescopes sharing the same site.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The formation of aromatics from the gas-phase pyrolysis of stigmasterol: kinetics

The gas-phase pyrolysis of stigmasterol was investigated using molecular beam mass spectrometry to study the reaction pathways that lead to the formation of aromatic compounds and to build an empirical kinetic model. We used multivariate data analysis to extract trends in the data and identify major product classes. Based on this analysis, we have developed a lumped kinetic model to describe the formation of intermediates and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In our reaction scheme, stigmasterol is converted to highly substituted aliphatic ring compounds. These intermediate compounds are then converted to PAHs. We determined kinetic parameters for the two step process and used them to produce response surface plots for the two product classes as a function of temperature and gas-phase residence time.
Progression of aortic dilation in children with a functionally normal bicuspid aortic valve

Adults with bicuspid aortic valves (BAVs) are at risk for progressive aortic dilation independent of valve function. The evolution of aortic dilation in children with functionally normal BAVs has not been studied. In this study, ascending aortic diameters were assessed in a group of children with functionally normal BAVs (peak gradient < or =16 mm Hg) to determine whether progressive dilation occurs during childhood. A cohort of 101 patients and 97 controls were studied with echocardiography. There were no differences in mean age (9.0 +/- 4.8 vs 8.7 +/- 6.1 years, p = 0.7) or body surface area (1.1 +/- 0.4 vs 1.1 +/- 0.5 m2, p = 0.9). Patients had significantly greater aortic dimensions than controls in all measured regions of the aorta, with the most striking discrepancy in the ascending aorta (2.3 +/- 0.6 vs 1.8 +/- 0.5 cm, p <0.0001). The size discrepancy was present from birth and persisted throughout childhood. Repeated measurements were performed in a subgroup of 28 patients and 25 controls. Patients had significantly greater increases in ascending aortic dimension than controls per year of follow-up (1.2 +/- 0.08 vs 0.6 +/- 0.08 mm/year, p <0.0001). In conclusion, BAV is complicated by progressive aortic dilation beginning in childhood.
Paleohydrology of the eocene ballena gravels, San Diego County, California

Abstract The Ballena Gravels are remnants of a river system that flowed westward across the ancestral Peninsular Ranges during medial and late Eocene time. The Gravels (actually conglomerate) are channelized fluvial deposits that built westward as alluvial fan (Poway Group), submarine canyon (Scripps Formation) and submarine fan (Jolla Vieja Formation) depositional systems. Because the integrated sedimentary system contains distinctive Poway rhyolite clasts of limited geographic and temporal extent the now separated component formations are recognizable on the San Diego coastal plain and on the Channel Islands. Paleogeographic reconstructions suggest a transport distance of about 315 km. Multiple techniques analysis suggests the channel gradient in the San Diego area was 12–18 m km−1. Stream velocity, based on a competent particle size of 52 cm, ranges from 2.5 to 4 m s−1. Eight equations based on slope and velocity generated estimates of channel depth at food stage that vary from 2.5 to 4.5 m. Paleodischarge can be estimated from regime-type engineering equations that are based on gradient, depth, and grain size. Paleodischarge also is calculated using a technique based on stream length and drainage area. Values generated by multiple techniques suggest 2.33-yr flood discharges of about 275 m3 s−1. Extrapolation based on a logarithmic curve indicates 100-yr flood discharges around 27,500 m3 s−1. Channel-width estimates for 1 to 2.33 yr floods range from 25 to 75 m. Calculations of seasonally dominant rainfall, based on runoff and temperature, vary between 50–75 cm annually. Runoff is estimated from discharge values and paleotemperatures are based on caliche type, salt-fractured clasts, and the immature clay mineral suite. The Nueces River of Texas shares some of the same characteristics of the Eocene Ballena river. The Nueces has a highly varied discharge due to seasonally intense rainfall similar to that interpreted for the Ballena river. Several rivers flowing to the Atlantic Ocean off the eastern side of the Andes Mountains in southern Argentina may also represent modern analogues.
Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Core Decompression

Core decompression is widely used to treat the early stages of osteonecrosis of the hip. The purpose of this analysis is to assist orthopedic surgeons in judging whether currently available data support the use of core decompression as cost-effective. A decision model was created for the treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Literature review was used to identify possible outcomes and their probability after initial treatment with either observation or core decompression. This model demonstrates core decompression must delay the need for total hip arthroplasty for a minimum of 5 years to maintain an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio lower than 50,000 dollars per quality-adjusted life year gained. Treatment options with ratios higher than 50,000 dollars per quality-adjusted life year are generally considered to have limited cost-effectiveness. This study demonstrates that core decompression has the potential to be a highly cost-effective alternative if it is leads to a delay in the need for total hip arthroplasty of 5 years or longer.
Values in the workplace: Diversity in meaning and importance

This study, which was a replication and expansion of the Homant (1970) values study, proposed an alternative conceptualization to the study of value meaning and importance. Value meaning, value importance, and schema were explored through a repeated measures design. As predicted, there was more agreement across subjects of the meaning of nonvalue words than on the meaning of value words. Hypotheses regarding value ranking across sex types, as well as denotative versus connotative value meanings and value importance were not supported. Methodological issues and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Biological colloid engineering: Self-assembly of dipolar ferromagnetic chains in a functionalized biogenic ferrofluid

We have studied the dynamic behavior of nanoparticles in ferrofluids consisting of single-domain, biogenic magnetite (Fe3O4) isolated from Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum (MS-1). Although dipolar chains form in magnetic colloids in zero applied field, when dried upon substrates, the solvent front disorders nanoparticle aggregation. Using avidin-biotin functionalization of the particles and substrate, we generated self-assembled, linear chain motifs that resist solvent front disruption in zero-field. The engineered self-assembly process we describe here provides an approach for the creation of ordered magnetic structures that could impact fields ranging from micro-electro-mechanical systems development to magnetic imaging of biological structures.
Differential methylation relative to breast cancer subtype and matched normal tissue reveals distinct patterns

Due to the heterogeneous nature of breast cancer and the widespread use of single-gene studies, there is limited knowledge of multi-gene, locus-specific DNA methylation patterns in relation to molecular subtype and clinical features. We, therefore, quantified DNA methylation of 70 candidate gene loci in 140 breast tumors and matched normal tissues and determined associations with gene expression and tumor subtype. Using Sequenom’s EpiTYPER platform, approximately 1,200 CpGs were interrogated and revealed six DNA methylation patterns in breast tumors relative to matched normal tissue. Differential methylation of several gene loci was observed within all molecular subtypes, while other patterns were subtype-dependent. Methylation of numerous gene loci was inversely correlated with gene expression, and in some cases, this correlation was only observed within specific breast tumor subtypes. Our findings were validated on a larger set of tumors and matched adjacent normal tissue from The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset, which utilized methylation data derived from both Illumina Infinium 27 and 450 k arrays. These findings highlight the need to control for subtype when interpreting DNA methylation results, and the importance of interrogating multiple CpGs across varied gene regions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10549-013-2738-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Geometric control of multiple quadrotors transporting a rigid-body load

We address the problem of cooperative transportation of a cable-suspended rigid-body payload by multiple quadrotors. We develop a coordinate-free dynamical model of the system by developing equations of motions directly on the unit sphere and the special orthogonal group. This model is used to design a geometric feedback control to track a reference trajectory for the load's pose (position and orientation), as well as the yaw angle of each quadrotor, and the orientation of each cable. Simulation results and formal proofs of the controller are presented to demonstrate the stability properties of the controller.
Successful salvage therapy of Fusarium endophthalmitis secondary to keratitis: an interventional case series

Purpose To describe a combination of treatment modalities used for the successful eradication of Fusarium endophthalmitis.
Assessing Why Some Students Learn Math in High School: How Useful Are Student-Level Test Results?

Educational systems in the United States are generating vast amounts of data on student achievement. This may provide researchers and policy makers with long sought-after insight on the factors explaining student performance. This study uses recent data from Washington 10th graders to examine why some students learned more math than others. Although important differences appear to exist among schools and districts, the data are of limited use in explaining student performance. The article discusses some of the possible reasons for this and the implications for education policy.
Fear survey schedule changes on total and factor scores due to nontreatment effects

The purpose of this study was to obtain changes that occur on the Fear Survey Schedule (FSS) total and factor scaled scores over a 10-week period for nontreated subjects. The results indicate that significant decreases do occur, which must be taken into account when a therapist or researcher is using changes on the FSS as an indication of therapeutic effectiveness. Correlations between pre- and postscores indicate that the factor and total scaled scores are relatively stable over time.
Circulating currents in open-end winding PWM ac drives

Circulating currents have been experimentally observed in pulse-width modulated ac open-end winding drives. These currents have the effect of increasing conduction losses in the stator winding resistance of the ac machine. Two major causes for these currents have been identified as device voltage drops in power semi-conductor devices and dead-time used for over-current protection. Analysis of these effects and a mathematical description for predicting their severity is provided. Experimental results are presented that support the theory.
Dialects and historical/comparative linguistics: The interconnection of space and time

Abstract Change in language is a natural phenomenon that parallels change in all the environment. Dialects and other sociolinguistics aspects of language are the evidences of historical change. Traditionally, historical linguistics developed before sociolinguistics was recognized as a subject, and before dialect maps were plotted with isoglosses showing where particular varieties of language are spoken. My focus will show how the perspective of historical linguistics will be enlarged by looking at all the articulations of language spoken by a wide range of the population. In other sense, there are elemental features of languages in phonology and in semantics that remain stable throughout the millennia. These pristine features are enduring, and can be seen in ancient languages, such as Hittite, and present-day languages related to Hittite. These features cross dialect lines, and when looked at as a whole, are seen to reflect semantic structures of great stability in spite of language change. Elemental and innovative features are balanced from dialect to dialect and language to language in an unending variety of languages in the world.
Electrocardiogram Signal Modeling With Adaptive Parameter Estimation Using Sequential Bayesian Methods

The automatic classification of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals is of great clinical significance in eliminating the strenuous process of manually annotating ECG recordings. Although statistical models describing ECG signal dynamics currently exist, they depend considerably on a priori information and user-specified model parameters. Also, ECG beat morphologies, which vary greatly across different individuals and disease states, cannot easily be described by a single representation. In this paper, we propose sequential Bayesian based methods to effectively model and adaptively select parameters of ECG signals. We first consider an adaptive framework based on a sequential Bayesian tracking method that adaptively selects the best cardiac parameters by minimizing the estimation error and does not require early-stage processing to obtain prior signal information. We then present ECG modeling techniques using the interacting multiple model (IMM) and sequential Markov chain Monte Carlo (SMCMC) methods combined with simultaneous model selection. Both these methods can adaptively choose between different representations to model various ECG beat morphologies without requiring prior ECG information. The performance of the proposed algorithms is demonstrated using real ECG data. Finally, we develop a Bayesian maximum-likelihood based classifier to classify different types of cardiac arrhythmias using which, correction classification rates of 90% and 98% are obtained, when considering features obtained from the estimated model parameters of the adaptive framework, and both the IMM and SMCMC methods, respectively.
Respect My Authority: Analyzing Claims of Diminished U.S. Supreme Court Influence Abroad

This paper critiques the argument that the U.S. Supreme Court is losing influence among national and constitutional courts worldwide as a result of its nonparticipation in the emerging judicial globalization. It does so, inter alia, by reviewing two examples of how U.S. authority is cited abroad, and concludes that arguments of diminished influence appear overstated, and that changes in U.S. judicial influence are not likely due to attitudes toward citation of foreign law.
Intussusception in children: cost-effectiveness of ultrasound vs diagnostic contrast enema.

Abstract Purpose The aim of the study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of different imaging strategies for the diagnosis of pediatric intussusception using a decision analytic model. Methods A Markov decision model was constructed to model effects of radiation exposure at the time of intussusception in a hypothetical cohort of 2-year-old children. The 2 strategies compared were ultrasound followed conditionally by contrast enema (US/CE) vs contrast enema (CE) alone. The model simulated short-term and long-term outcomes of the patients, calculating the average quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and health care costs associated with each arm. Results The use of ultrasound as a first-line diagnostic modality would result in a decrease of 79.3 and 59.7 cases of radiation-induced malignancy per 100,000 male and female children evaluated, respectively. For male and female children with intussusception, US/CE was both the most costly initial imaging strategy and the most effective compared with CE. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of US/CE to CE was $70,100 (boy) and $92,227 (girl) per quality-adjusted life years gained. Conclusions In a Markov decision model of pediatric acute intussusception, initial US/CE was both the most costly and the most effective strategy.
Separate and simultaneous effects of aerobic exercise and anxiety on myocardial damage in the rat.

Summary The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of various programs of physical activity on anxiety-related myocardial damage in rats. The anxiety-producing stress consisted of randomly distributed applications of a disturbing but nonpainful electrical shock. Physical activity consisted of long-duration, low-speed running. Three hundred and seventyfive male albino rats were randomly assigned to five comparison groups. The results show that the anxiety treatment produced marked myocardial damage. Animals preconditioned by eight weeks of exercise prior to the introduction of the anxiety treatment did not suffer as much myocardial damage as did animals that were not preconditioned. However, a group in which exercise and anxiety were introduced simultaneously had the highest incidence of myocardial necrosis. We conclude that aerobic exercise can modify the effects of a subsequent or simultaneous anxiety-producing stressful situation on the myocardium of the laboratory rat. The time at which the exercise is imposed determined the nature of the effect.
Picosecond Transient Thermal Imaging Using a CCD Based Thermoreflectance System

A new Charge Coupled Device (CCD) based, full-field thermoreflectance thermal imaging technique is demonstrated with 800 picoseconds temporal resolution. Transient thermal images of pulsed heating in single interconnect vias of 350nm and 550nm in diameter are shown. The use of pulsed laser diodes and dedicated synchronization circuits can significantly lower the cost and the image acquisition time compared to the scanning pump-probe laser systems. Also the same set up can be used to study transient thermal phenomena in a wide dynamic range from sub nanoseconds to seconds.© 2010 ASME
Is duplex scanning sufficient evaluation before carotid endarterectomy

Abstract Recent reports have suggested that cerebral angiography may not be necessary before carotid endarterectomy is performed in selected patients. To determine if arteriography provides additional information that might influence the decision to operate or the conduct of the operation, a retrospective review was performed of 100 consecutive patients undergoing cerebral angiography and carotid duplex scanning. Eighty of the 100 patients subsequently underwent carotid endarterectomy for neurologic symptoms or asymptomatic stenosis greater than 80%. Among the 20 patients not operated on, three would have undergone unnecessary surgery for mistaken diagnoses had the arteriogram not been obtained. Two other patients in this group of 20 would have had carotid endarterectomy for asymptomatic stenosis in the presence of an equally stenotic tandem lesion. Among the 80 patients operated on, an additional three had the operative procedure altered because arteriographic studies revealed pathologic findings outside the area of duplex scan examination. Thus the use of arteriography altered the management of eight (8%) patients in this group of 100. (J Vasc Surg 1989;9:193–201.)
In search of |Vub| in nonleptonic decays from the quark diagram scheme

Abstract Using the model-independent quark diagram scheme some specific beauty particle nonleptonic decays are pointed out for experimental measurements to establish the nonzeroness of | V ub |, and also to directly measure the magnitude of W-loop diagrams.
An improved analysis for viscoelastic damping in dynamic nanoindentation

The conventional analysis for stiffness and damping of the contact during nanoindentation models the indented material as a Voigt solid. With the assumption of the Voigt solid, the model can not capture instantaneous elastic recovery and the contact damping is underestimated. In this work, the material is modelled as a standard linear solid and the characteristic equations for motion of the system during dynamic nanoindentation, including the sample and instrument response, are solved to determine the stiffness and damping of the contact. These parameters are functions of the contact area and are not functions of the frequency of the imposed oscillation. The storage and loss moduli are computed and compared to results from the conventional indentation analysis.
Anthropogenic aerosols. Indirect warming effect from dispersion forcing.

Anthropogenic aerosols enhance cloud reflectivity by increasing the number concentration of cloud droplets, leading to a cooling effect on climate that is referred to as the Twomey effect1,2. Here we show that anthropogenic aerosols exert an additional effect on cloud properties that is derived from changes in the spectral shape of the size distribution of cloud droplets in polluted air and acts to diminish this cooling. This finding could help to improve our understanding of the indirect aerosol effect and its treatment in climate modelling.
hGFRα-4: a new member of the GDNF receptor family and a candidate for NBIA

Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome (neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation type 1; OMIM entry 234200) is a rare inherited neurodegenerative disease. In this article, evidence for a newly identified gene as a candidate for Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome is given. Previously Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome was mapped to a 4-cm region in 20p12.3-13. During positional cloning efforts a new member of the glial-derived neurotrophic factor receptor family was discovered in this region. Like other members of this receptor family, this new gene is predicted to be secreted and glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol linked, and it maintains conserved cysteine residues. However, cDNA and genomic studies in both humans and mice indicate that this gene lacks the sequence corresponding to exons 2 and 3 in other family members. In situ hybridization reveals that it is expressed primarily in the brain and bladder in the embryonic mouse. Mutation analysis of patients with Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome revealed two potentially significant amino acid changes in two patients but failed to identify mutations in the remaining 10 subjects. The implication of these findings for the relationship between this gene and Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome is discussed.
Phonation differences and the phonetic content of the tense-lax contrast in Utah English

This article presents data bearing on the question of what happens at the phonetic level during a sound change of the type which Labov, Yaeger, and Steiner (1972) labeled an “apparent merger.” Our production data come from three generations of native Utahns who participated in the Intermountain Language Survey (ImLS) and four New Yorkers who served as control subjects. The phonetic subject of our study is the ongoing change in the tense-lax pairs /i-I, e-e, u-υ/ before tautosyllabic dark [†] in Utah English. Previous studies reported that the resultant vowels are usually, but not always, perceived by both transcribers and speakers as lax. Acoustic analysis, self-categorization data, and perception data demonstrate that, after the usual F1/F2 contrast has been lost, contrasts between these and lax vowels may persist in phonation differences and that these phonation differences may be available to hearers.
High Performance, Low Energy Ion Source

An ion accelerator system using one or two fine mesh tungsten grids has been used in a magnetic multipole containment ion source to produce a continuous positive ion beam variable over a wide range of beam currents and accelerator voltages. The ion source plasma is low noise and uniform to ± 1% density variation over 9 cm diameter. Beams up to 4 cm × 4 cm have been extracted which have low divergence (±1%), uniform current density (±2%), small ion energy speed, beam ion energy variable from 200V to several thousand volts, and current densities variable from ?A per cm2 to tens of milliamperes per cm2, limited only by acceleration grid power loading or sputtering.
Diet and the evolution of the earliest human ancestors

Over the past decade, discussions of the evolution of the earliest human ancestors have focused on the locomotion of the australopithecines. Recent discoveries in a broad range of disciplines have raised important questions about the influence of ecological factors in early human evolution. Here we trace the cranial and dental traits of the early australopithecines through time, to show that between 4.4 million and 2.3 million years ago, the dietary capabilities of the earliest hominids changed dramatically, leaving them well suited for life in a variety of habitats and able to cope with significant changes in resource availability associated with long-term and short-term climatic fluctuations.
KLF13 Cooperates with c-Maf To Regulate IL-4 Expression in CD4+ T Cells

Kruppel-like factor (KLF) 13 is a transcription factor that positively regulates expression of the chemokine RANTES 3-5 d after activation of T cells. In this study, we document a key role for KLF13 in the expression of IL-4 in CD4(+) T cells. Gene expression analysis in activated T cells from Klf13(-/-) mice showed that IL-4, along with other Th2 cytokine genes, was downregulated when compared with cells from wild-type mice. The decreased levels of IL-4 were not associated with changes in expression of the Th2-inducing transcription factors GATA3 or c-Maf. Additional analysis revealed that KLF13 directly binds to IL-4 promoter regions and synergizes with c-Maf to positively regulate IL-4 expression. These results indicate that KLF13 is a positive regulator for differentiation of Th2 cells, as part of the transcriptional machinery that regulates IL-4 production in Th2 cells.