cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coalescing Times for IID Random Variables with Applications to Population Biology

We consider a coalescing particle model where particles move in discrete time. At each time period, each remaining ball is independently put in one of n bins according to a probability distribution p = (p1, …, pn), and all balls put into the same bin merge into a single ball. Starting with k balls, we are interested in the properties of E[N(p, k)], the expected time until all balls merge into one. We derive both upper and lower bounds for E[N(p, k)], some asymptotic results, and show that P{N(p, k) > t}, and thus E[N(p, k)], is a Schur concave function of p. Applications to population biology are noted. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 23: 155–166, 2003
Morphometric comparison of the acute rabbit and pig corneal response to 1540-nm laser light following ex-vivo exposure

Single pulse, 1540 nm laser light with a pulse width of 1 microsecond altered the morphologic appearance of explant rabbit and pig corneas following ex vivo exposure. Using digital images of the post-exposure corneas projected onto a measuring grid, we could accurately locate the relative position of the circular laser lesion in the embedded tissue. This allowed us to section through the lesion with micrometer precision and accurately resolve the inside edge, middle and outside edge of the laser lesion. All tissue sections used for morphometric analysis were taken through the middle of the lesion. Several features of the response to laser exposure may reflect species-specific tissue differences. The rabbit corneal epithelium showed a homogeneous coagulative necrosis with a distinct demarcation between necrotic and normal epithelium. The pig epithelium also showed a distinct demarcation between necrotic and normal epithelium, however, there were several remarkable differences in the tissue response between the two species including coagulative necrosis pattern and nuclear morphology. These changes suggested a different and less severe response of the pig epithelium to the laser light when compared to the rabbit epithelium.
Oral Language Expectations for African American Preschoolers and Kindergartners

Fundamental to improving our clinical and empirical understanding of African American students is the development of appropriate, culture-fair assessment methods. This investigation provides descri...
GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION ACROSS VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTERS IN THE TREATMENT OF EARLY STAGE PROSTATE CANCER

ABSTRACTPurpose: We investigated geographic variation in the treatment of early stage prostate cancer in a national sample of veterans after widespread adoption of the prostate specific antigen test.Materials and Methods: Our sample consisted of 16,352 cases from the Veterans Affairs Central Cancer Registry that were diagnosed between January 1997 and December 1999 with stage I or II prostate cancer. We used a 2-stage nested logit model to compare surgery, radiation therapy and noncurative treatment among 4 geographic regions of the United States.Results: Multivariate analysis showed that patients in the West (referent group) had a higher OR of undergoing surgery than radiation compared with the Northeast, South or Midwest (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.87, OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.98 and OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.87, respectively. Black men, men with lower grade and higher stage tumors, and unmarried men were less likely to undergo curative treatment and less likely to undergo surgery than radiation.Conclus...
Geometry guided crystal phase transition pathway search

Recently a periodic surface model was developed to assist geometric construction in computer-aided nano-design. This implicit surface model helps create super-porous nano structures parametrically and supports crystal packing. In this paper, we propose a new approach for pathway search in phase transition simulation of crystal structures. The approach relies on the interpolation of periodic loci surface models. Respective periodic plane models are reconstructed from the positions of individual atoms at the initial and final states, and surface correspondences are found. With geometric constraints imposed based on physical and chemical properties of crystals, two surface interpolation methods are used to approximate the intermediate atom positions on the transition pathway in the full search of the minimum energy path. This hybrid approach integrates geometry information in the configuration space and physics information to allow for an efficient transition pathway search. The methods are demonstrated by examples of FeTi, VO"2, and FePt.
Transtympanic stimulation of the facial nerve to assess nerve integrity in iatrogenic facial nerve paralysis.

Facial nerve paralysis is a well-described complication of head and neck surgical procedures. When the nerve is purposefully transected, the clinical approach is often clear, involving nerve repair...
DDF-SAM 2.0: Consistent distributed smoothing and mapping

This paper presents an consistent decentralized data fusion approach for robust multi-robot SLAM in dangerous, unknown environments. The DDF-SAM 2.0 approach extends our previous work by combining local and neighborhood information in a single, consistent augmented local map, without the overly conservative approach to avoiding information double-counting in the previous DDF-SAM algorithm. We introduce the anti-factor as a means to subtract information in graphical SLAM systems, and illustrate its use to both replace information in an incremental solver and to cancel out neighborhood information from shared summarized maps. This paper presents and compares three summarization techniques, with two exact approaches and an approximation. We evaluated the proposed system in a synthetic example and show the augmented local system and the associated summarization technique do not double-count information, while keeping performance tractable.
On the Horizon: Liquid Ventilation

Studies in preterm animals and humans have shown that liquid ventilation is a potential alternative mode of support for neonates with respiratory failure. Perfluorochemicals have a high solubility for respiratory gases and can be instilled in the lung using lower pressures than with gas ventilation. Other potential advantages of liquid ventilation include decreased alveolar surface tension, improved pulmonary mechanics, alveolar recruitment, and the removal of pulmonary debris. This article describes in detail what liquid ventilation is, compares the physiologic effects of liquid ventilation to gas ventilation, and presents the nursing implications of this technique. A review of the recent literature on the subject is presented, including reports of laboratory and clinical experience with liquid ventilation. Summary
Prevent-Teach-Reinforce: A Standardized Model of School-Based Behavioral Intervention.

Although there is a substantial empirical foundation for the basic intervention components of behavior analysis and positive behavior support (PBS), the field still lacks a standardized program mod...
Justice is Still Not Colorblind: Differential Racial Effects of Exposure to Inadmissible Evidence

An experiment was conducted to assess whether the effects of inadmissible information in a simulated criminal trial is moderated by race. The significant interaction between information admissibility and defendant's race indicated that the effect of inadmissible information was stronger when the defendant was Black. More specifically, perceptions of the appropriate verdict did not vary as a function of race in the admissible or control condition. On the other hand, in the inadmissible condition, perceptions of the appropriate verdict were higher for the Black defendant than for the White defendant. Interestingly, subjects in the Black-defendant-inadmissible condition felt that they were less affected by the inadmissible information than subjects in the White-defendant-inadmissible condition.
Command and control on the move: assessing the impact of input device, button size, and road condition

Digital command and control systems have contributed to the success of the U. S. military in combat in recent years. Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2) and Blue Force Tracker are examples of systems that have provided an advantage on the battlefield. However, interface design of these systems has not been optimal, especially when they are employed in high stress and mobile environments. The present study examined the effects of input device (touch screen or trackball), button size (small, medium, large), and road conditions (still, highway, off-road) on performance. The dependent variables were accuracy, reaction time, and motion sickness. The experimenters tested seven undergraduate freshmen from the U.S. Military Academy. The data show that a touch screen monitor with large button size is optimal for moving vehicles. These findings have important implications for the design of human-machine systems expected to operate on the move. Language: en
The flux of floating macrodetritus in the North inlet estuarine ecosystem

Abstract An estimate of floating macrodetritus flux in a salt marsh-dominated estuarine ecosystem indicates that this material is exported regularly. However, the amount of macrodetrital material exported is small, less than 1% of the net marsh primary productivity. The export of floating macrodetritus is seasonal with maximum values in summer.
Galvanomagnetic Effects in n-Type Indium Antimonide

The magnetic field dependence of the magnetoresistive effects and the Hall coefficient have been investigated at 78\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K and at liquid helium temperatures. Results at very low magnetic field strength are in agreement with the assumption of an isotropic conduction band. Quantization of the electron orbits causes deviations from the conventional theory at large fields (of the order of a few thousand gauss and higher). Oscillations in the magnetoresistance observed at 4.2\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K and lower are attributed to these quantum effects. The measured period of oscillation agrees reasonably well with theoretical predictions. An effective mass value of 0.01 ${m}_{0}$ is obtained from the field and temperature dependence of the amplitude of the oscillations. The magnitude of the magnetoresistive effects appears to depend considerably on the geometry and inhomogeneity of the sample. Strong magnetic fields also influence the distribution of "free" and bound electrons, causing a freeze-out effect at temperatures of liquid helium.
The Development and Investigation of a Graphic Scoring System for Obtaining Derived Scores for the WJ-R and Other Tests:

A recent revision of the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery (WJ-R) has been published for use by practitioners in the field of psychoeducational assessment. One criticism of the WJ-R is the lengthy scoring process that must be used to derive standard scores or percentile ranks for multiple tests and clusters. This scoring process limits the use of select portions of the WJ-R in screening programs, where immediate derived scores frequently are needed. Thus, the WJ-R was determined to be a good instrument for field testing a prototypical graphic scoring system designed to reduce scoring complexity. Participants were 25 undergraduate students from a large midwestern university who had no prior experience with the administration and scoring of psychoeducational assessment instruments. After a 10-minute standardized training experience, each of the participants scored 20 different hypothetical scores using a graphic scoring system. Analysis of interrater reliability and mean scores suggested that the p...
A survey of blood and tissue nitrogen compounds in terrestrial decapods of Palau

Terrestrial decapods have significant levels of ammonia, uric acid and free amino acids in their blood, but blood is hypo-osmotic to local seawater by as much as 300 mOsm/kg. Blood water content is approximately 90%, with protein making up virtually all the difference, whereas tissue water is between 70% and 80%. The tissue free amino acid pool is composed primarily of glycine, serine, proline, alanine and arginine, which are typical of all crustaceans. The size of the muscle pool is reduced in comparison to aquatic species, while that of gill is comparable. Tissue ammonia levels are very low in comparison to FAA, but these levels are significantly higher in gill than in muscle.
The effects of response mode and stimulus laterality on reaction time in a Sternberg task

The effects of visual field (right or left), mode of presentation (unilateral or bilateral), and response mode (manual or verbal) on reaction time were investigated in a Sternberg task. Subjects responded with their left hands, with their right hands, or verbally to indicate whether a stimulus was in or out of a memory set. Unilateral presentation produced significantly shorter reaction times than bilateral presentation did (p <.001). Stimuli in the memory set were responded to more quickly (p <.001) than were those out of the memory set. Presentation mode interacted with visual field (p <.01). Reaction times to left visual field stimuli were significantly shorter only when stimuli were presented bilaterally. Response mode interacted with memory set (p <.001). Reaction times for letters in the memory set were faster than those for letters out of the memory set for manual but not for verbal responses. These results pose problems for interpreting memory set and divided visual field studies.
Nanoantenna-coupled MIM nanodiodes for efficient vis/nir energy conversion

ABSTRACT Nanoantennas, coupled to rectifying nanodiodes (rectennas), could be used for converting broadband visible/near-infrared energy to direct current, and could serve as fast, high-Q infrared detectors at designed wavelengths. We study and model the efficiency of antennas coupled to metal-insulator-metal (MIM) and thermionic emission diodes, over a wide range of incident wavelengths. We find that tuning the antennas reactance, so that the antenna acts as an inductor and resonantly cancels the diode capacitance, can enhance energy conversion efficiency by more than an order of magnitude above the broadband level, at the resonance frequency. We discuss maximizing the effici ency of a modern rectenna -based broadband energy conversion system, especially in the challenging visible regime, and recommend using nanodiodes with conduction via thermionic emission. We recommend further modeling of and experiments with nanoantennas, in order to calculate total effici ency of the nanorectenna s energy conversion. Keywords: Antenna, diode, rectenna, rectifier, energy conversion, solar power, infrared detector, visible light, nanoantenna, nanodiode, nanorectenna
Directional coupler with soliton-induced waveguides

We demonstrate a directional coupler that employs two waveguides induced by two mutually incoherent photorefractive solitons propagating in parallel at close proximity. Efficient coupling from one waveguide to the other is achieved for probe beams at wavelengths much longer than that of the solitons. We study the mutual coupling as a function of distance between solitons.
Structural Perturbations Induced by the α-Anomer of the Aflatoxin B1 Formamidopyrimidine Adduct in Duplex and Single-Strand DNA

The guanine N7 adduct of aflatoxin B(1) exo-8,9-epoxide hydrolyzes to form the formamidopyrimidine (AFB-FAPY) adduct, which interconverts between alpha and beta anomers. The beta anomer is highly mutagenic in Escherichia coli, producing G --> T transversions; it thermally stabilizes the DNA duplex. The AFB-alpha-FAPY adduct blocks replication; it destabilizes the DNA duplex. Herein, the structure of the AFB-alpha-FAPY adduct has been elucidated in 5'-d(C(1)T(2)A(3)T(4)X(5)A(6)T(7)T(8)C(9)A(10))-3'.5'-d(T(11)G(12)A(13)A(14)T(15)C(16)A(17)T(18)A(19)G(20))-3' (X = AFB-alpha-FAPY) using molecular dynamics calculations restrained by NMR-derived distances and torsion angles. The AFB moiety intercalates on the 5' face of the pyrimidine moiety at the damaged nucleotide between base pairs T(4).A(17) and X(5).C(16), placing the FAPY C5-N(5) bond in the R(a) axial conformation. Large perturbations of the epsilon and zeta backbone torsion angles are observed, and the base stacking register of the duplex is perturbed. The deoxyribose orientation shifts to become parallel to the FAPY base and displaced toward the minor groove. Intrastrand stacking between the AFB moiety and the 5' neighbor thymine remains, but strong interstrand stacking is not observed. A hydrogen bond between the formyl group and the exocyclic amine of the 3'-neighbor adenine stabilizes the E conformation of the formamide moiety. NMR studies reveal a similar 5'-intercalation of the AFB moiety for the AFB-alpha-FAPY adduct in the tetramer 5'-d(C(1)T(2)X(3)A(4))-3', involving the R(a) axial conformation of the FAPY C5-N(5) bond and the E conformation of the formamide moiety. Since in duplex DNA the AFB moiety of the AFB-beta-FAPY adduct also intercalates on the 5' side of the pyrimidine moiety at the damaged nucleotide, we conclude that favorable 5'-stacking leads to the R(a) conformational preference about the C5-N(5) bond; the same conformational preference about this bond is also observed at the nucleoside and base levels. The structural distortions and the less favorable stacking interactions induced by the AFB-alpha-FAPY adduct explain its lower stability as compared to the AFB-beta-FAPY adduct in duplex DNA. In this DNA sequence, hydrogen bonding between the formyl oxygen and the exocyclic amine of the 3'-neighboring adenine stabilizing the E configuration of the formamide moiety is also observed for the AFB-beta-FAPY adduct, and suggests that the identity of the 3'-neighbor nucleotide modulates the stability and biological processing of AFB adducts.
Asymmetry of finger temperature and early behavior.

Measures of the temperature of the fingertips of eighty-three 4-year-old children revealed an unexpected asymmetry in which the index finger of the left hand but the ring finger of the right hand were the coolest digits. In addition, a subset of 20 children who had the coolest right compared with the left ring finger were more fearful to unfamiliar events and also had a cooler right than left forehead at 21 months of age. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Variable range cluster model of exciton migration: Dimensionality and critical exponents for naphthalene

Abstract Relative luminescence intensities for randomly substituted ternary systems with two major components and a minor one (sensor), for four triplet and one singlet exciton systems, identify the maximal effective exciton interaction distance for each system. The critical exponents β and γ show an effective 2-dimensional exciton topology and are consistent with dynamic exciton percolation.
Morality in high definition: Emotion differentiation calibrates the influence of incidental disgust on moral judgments.

Abstract Changing people's emotions can change their moral judgments, even when the emotions are incidental to the judgment and hence morally irrelevant. It has commonly been assumed that people lack the motivation or ability to correct against such incidental emotional influences. We provide evidence that the ability to make fine-grained distinctions between emotions is an important moderator of these effects. In two experiments, we found that measured (Experiment 1) and manipulated (Experiment 2) emotion differentiation calibrated the relationship between incidental disgust and moral judgments. Whereas unskilled emotion differentiators made stronger moral judgments after incidental disgust priming, skilled emotion differentiators did not. Emotion differentiation may sharpen moral perception, by enabling people to discount incidental emotions while making moral judgments.
Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Has a Greater Impact on Survival in Women Than in Men

Background Echocardiographically determined left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) has a well-demonstrated association with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, whether or not there is a sex differential in the impact of LVH on mortality has never been systematically explored. Methods and Results This study enrolled 436 consecutive black patients (163 men and 273 women) free of angiographic coronary artery disease from a hospital registry. LVH (left ventricular [LV] mass/body surface area ≥117 g/m2 in men and ≥104 g/m2 in women) was present in 84 men (52%) and 119 women (44%). During a mean of 5 years’ follow-up (range, 0 to 9), 49 patients (26 men and 23 women) died. The mortality rate was 5.40 per 100 patient-years in men with LVH and 2.58 in men without LVH (crude relative risk [RR]=2.09) and 3.21 and 0.66, respectively, in women (RR=4.87). In Cox regression analysis, adjusting for age, hypertension, and ejection fraction, the RR of total death for LVH versus non-LVH was 2.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8 to 5.0) in men and 4.3 (95% CI, 1.6 to 11.7) in women. For cardiac death, RR was 1.3 (95% CI, 0.4 to 3.7) and 7.5 (95% CI, 1.6 to 33.8) in men and women, respectively. Analyses using LV mass indexed by height or height2.7 with the use of different LVH cut points, comparing patients in the highest sex-specific tertile of mass index to those in the lower two tertiles, and the use of LV mass indexes as continuous variables similarly demonstrated a greater increase in risk of either fatal end point among women than men. Conclusions These findings indicate a sex difference in the contribution of LV mass and hypertrophy to mortality in the absence of coronary artery disease.
Sidestream smoke exposure increases the susceptibility of airway epithelia to adenoviral infection.

Background: Although significant epidemiological evidence indicates that cigarette smoke exposure increases the incidence and severity of viral infection, the molecular mechanisms behind the increased susceptibility of the respiratory tract to viral pathogens are unclear. Adenoviruses are non-enveloped DNA viruses and important causative agents of acute respiratory disease. The Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) is the primary receptor for many adenoviruses. We hypothesized that cigarette smoke exposure increases epithelial susceptibility to adenovirus infection by increasing the abundance of apical CAR. Methodology and Findings: Cultured human airway epithelial cells (CaLu-3) were used as a model to investigate the effect of sidestream cigarette smoke (SSS), mainstream cigarette smoke (MSS), or control air exposure on the susceptibility of polarized respiratory epithelia to adenoviral infection. Using a Cultex air-liquid interface exposure system, we have discovered novel differences in epithelial susceptibility between SSS and MSS exposures. SSS exposure upregulates an eight-exon isoform of CAR and increases adenoviral entry from the apical surface whilst MSS exposure is similar to control air exposure. Additionally, the level of cellular glycogen synthase kinase 3b (GSK3b) is downregulated by SSS exposure and treatment with a specific GSK3b inhibitor recapitulates the effects of SSS exposure on CAR expression and viral infection. Conclusions: This is the first time that SSS exposure has been shown to directly enhance the susceptibility of a polarized epithelium to infection by a common respiratory viral pathogen. This work provides a novel understanding of the impact of SSS on the burden of respiratory viral infections and may lead to new strategies to alter viral infections. Moreover, since GSK3b inhibitors are under intense clinical investigation as therapeutics for a diverse range of diseases, studies such as these might provide insight to extend the use of clinically relevant therapeutics and increase the understanding of potential side effects.
Going to War With the Army You Have: Labor's Shareholder Activism in an Era of Financial Hegemony

According to Arrighi and Silver, the United States faces a crisis of declining hegemony historically characterized by stagnating wages, hypertrophy of the financial sector, and the shifting of production overseas. Previous cycles suggest that the fate of workers within the hegemonic core depends in part on their political and organizational response. For a generation, organized labor in the United States has sought ways to exercise influence over private and public pension funds. As a result, union staffers have become sophisticated shareholder activists. Recent financial scandals have created a new opening for these activists, who have responded by forming coalitions to reform executive pay. The recent dismissal of a California Personnel Employees Retirement System official implies limits to this investor "pluralism," but the situation is hardly settled. Another economic downturn might move the interests of investors and workers closer together, and shareholder activists could play a role settling the resulting conflicts over the distribution of income.
Memorability of Alphanumeric and Composite Scene Authentication (CSA) Passcodes Over Extended Retention Intervals

Current authentication strategies seek to increase security by requiring users to create more secure alphanumeric passwords. Unfortunately, the inverse relationship between alphanumeric password security and memorability prevents users from being able to create a password that is both secure and memorable. Graphical user authentication mechanisms have been explored as a means to maintain security while enhancing memorability of passcodes. Current approaches often use unrelated picture sets from which participants have to remember a subset, with mixed results. The study outlined in this paper seeks to further validate the Composite Scene Authentication (CSA) graphical passcode mechanism (Johnson & Werner, 2006). Extending retention intervals and increasing the variability of stimuli clearly demonstrated the superiority of CSA over alphanumerical passwords. In addition, we manipulated the mode of presentation (serial vs. composite) to assess the memorability of stimuli presented in different temporal format...
Second‐order shakeup terms in electron propagator calculations on F2 and H2O2

A new approximation of the electron propagator includes second-order terms in the superoperator Hamiltonian matrix that are not present in the nondiagonal, renormalized method (NR2) of J. Chem. Phys. 108, 1008 (1998). These terms are not difficult to calculate and resemble expressions obtained with various propagator and coupled-cluster formalisms. Their inclusion produces larger, more accurate vertical ionization energies of F2 and H2O2. Cancellations between the second-order terms considered here and the first-order terms present in the NR2 method reduce the importance of shakeup operators in describing the first few cationic states of these molecules. Dyson orbitals for 2A final states of H2O2 exhibit qualitatively important mixings between canonical orbitals. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 69: 175–182, 1998
Effects of the number of animals per automated feeder and length and time of access on feed intake, growth performance, and behavior of yearling Boer goat wethers

Abstract Effects of the number of Boer goat wethers with initial age of 285 days (SEM = 5.1) and 34.4 kg body weight (SEM = 0.90 kg) per automated feeder and length and time of feeder access on feed intake, growth performance, and behavior were determined in a 10-wk experiment. Treatments were 6 and 12 wethers per 6 × 6 m pen and feeder with continuous access (Cont-6 and Cont-12, respectively); 2 and 4 wethers per feeder with 8 h/day access during daytime (Day-2 and Day-4, respectively); and 4 and 8 wethers per feeder with 16 h/day access at night (Night-4 and Night-8, respectively). Therefore, maximal potential feeder occupancy time per wether was 2 or 4 h/day. Dry matter intake was greater for continuous vs. restricted feeder access ( P = 0.001) and for night vs. daytime access ( P = 0.025) (2.04, 2.01, 1.45, 1.50, 1.92, and 1.76 kg/day), and feeder occupancy time per wether tended ( P = 0.071) to be greater for continuous access (1.83, 1.55, 1.23, 1.34, 1.51, and 1.25 h/day for Cont-6, Cont-12, Day-2, Day-4, Night-4, and Night-8, respectively). Rate of dry matter intake (DMI) was similar among treatments. There were effects of continuous vs. restricted ( P = 0.012) and day vs. night ( P = 0.051) access on average daily gain (ADG), as well as a tendency ( P = 0.078) for an interaction between time and length of restricted access (237, 252, 174, 207, 247, and 211 g for Cont-6, Cont-12, Day-2, Day-4, Night-4, and Night-8, respectively). The ratio of ADG:DMI was not affected by treatment other than a tendency for an interaction ( P = 0.070) between time and length of restricted access (116, 126, 120, 138, 130, and 121 g/kg), although residual feed intake (RFI) was greater ( P
On the development of microstructure and texture heterogeneity in ECAE via route C

Deformation in every two passes of route C by equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) is commonly viewed as severe forward and reverse shearing. Contrary to predictions by standard polycrystal models, microstructural observations and texture measurements of a variety of ECAE materials consistently show that the initial state of the material is not recovered after even-numbered passes in this route. For the first time, the factors governing the microstructural and texture evolutions during two passes of route C are investigated using orientation imaging microscopy (OIM) and multi-scale modeling. For a two-pass pure copper sample processed by a 90° die, a useful model example, the OIM measurements reveal that the variation in microstructure and texture across the sample thickness is significant and all the textures show shear-type characteristics. Using finite element simulations for the macroscopic deformation, self-consistent modeling for polycrystals, and a latent hardening model for single crystals, it is shown that the deviation from idealized simple shear deformation and the difference in the deformation between successive passes due to changes in material behavior play a primary role, while anisotropy in single-crystal hardening plays a relatively minor one. Textures predicted, considering the two main factors, are in good agreement with the measurements.
Protective effects of captopril against ischemic stress: role of cellular Mg

Magnesium (Mg) deficiency enhances tissue sensitivity to ischemic damage, an effect reversed not only by Mg, but also by sulfhydryl (SH)-containing compounds. We therefore created an in vitro model of red blood cell ischemia to investigate whether the protective effects of these compounds might be related to effects on intracellular free Mg (Mg(i)) content. (31)P-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to measure the high-energy metabolites ATP and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) and Mg(i) and inorganic phosphate (P(i)) levels in erythrocytes before and for 6 hours after progressive oxygen depletion in the presence or absence of SH-compounds, including captopril, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), penicillamine, and N-(2-mercaptopropionyl)-glycine (MPG). Under basal aerobic conditions, captopril increased Mg(i) in a dose- and time-dependent fashion (174.5+/-5.3 to 217.1+/-5.1 micromol/L, P<0. 05 at 100 micromol/L, 60 minutes). The SH compounds NAC, penicillamine, and MPG but not the non-SH compound enalaprilat also significantly raised Mg(i) in erythrocytes (P<0.05). With oxygen deprivation, a consistent decrease occurred in both ATP and 2,3-DPG levels associated with a rise in P(i) and in the P(i)/2,3-DPG ratio used as an index of high-energy metabolite depletion. Captopril, compared with control, retarded the rise in P(i) and reduced the P(i)/2,3-DPG ratio (P<0.008 and P<0.025 at 4 and 6 hours, respectively). Furthermore, the higher the initial Mg(i) and the greater the captopril-induced rise in Mg(i), the greater the metabolite-protective effect (r=0.799 and r=0.823, respectively; P<0. 01 for both). Altogether, the data suggest that Mg influences the cellular response to ischemia and that the ability of SH compounds such as captopril to ameliorate ischemic injury may at least in part be attributable to the ability of such compounds to increase cytosolic free Mg levels.
Posttransplant Fever in Critically Ill Organ Transplant Recipients

Fever is a common, but nevertheless, a worrisome clinical event in organ transplant recipients. Critically ill transplant recipients are not only more likely to develop fever, but the potential sources, offending pathogens, and outcome of febrile episodes may differ considerably from those not in the ICU. ICUs have come to represent the most common source of nosocomial infections in hospitalized patients. Nearly one-half of all febrile episodes after liver transplantation in one study, occurred in patients hospitalized in the ICU, and of these, 53% occurred during the initial possttransplant ICU admission (1). Of febrile episodes occurring in the ICU, 87% were due to infections (1).
Reply to the comments by Dr. Udayakumaran on our article “A late complication of CSF shunting: acquired Chiari I malformation”

Dear Editor: We are grateful to Dr. Udayakumaran for his interest in our paper [1] on secondary Chiari I malformation developing in patients shunted for congenital hydrocephalus or cyst. As described in the article, we interpreted this anomaly (“acquired” because in no case it was present at the time of the initial diagnosis and treatment) as the result of CSF venting from the intracranial, mainly supratentorial, space with secondary reduction of the intracranial volume and consequent “bidirectional” herniation of the cerebellum, downward into the cervical canal and upward into the tentorial notch. CSF shunt function was described as “satisfactory” with reference to the correction of the ventricular dilation, obviously not with reference to the tonsil herniation. In our opinion, disproportion between the exceeding cranial volume and the reduced intracranial content is sufficient to explain the novel appearance of this condition, without the necessity to take into consideration the slit ventricle syndrome. Everyone experiences cases of slit-like ventricles, with or without clinical manifestation; anyway, tonsillar herniation is quite exceptional in these cases. Although the adopted surgical strategy was, for some regards, identical to that traditionally adopted for the treatment of the slit ventricle syndrome, this does not imply that the anomaly described is comparable to that. Coming to the case proposed for discussion and comparative analysis, we have some difficulties in considering that tonsillar herniation observed by the author similar to our own cases. In his case, the radiological picture suggests a poorly functioning CSF shunt with secondary tonsillar herniation, rather than a satisfactorily working shunt (as described in our cases). Certainly this topic remains matter of debate and further contributions are appreciated to highlight this intriguing condition in shunted chronic hydrocephalic subjects
Chromohyphomycosis of the hand due to Exophiala jeanselmei (Phialophora jeanselmei, Phialophora gougerotii)—Case report and review

A case of an unusual cause of chromomycosis of the hand is described. Follow-up at 2 months revealed a complete recovery following removal of the mass, without treatment with antifungal therapy. A review of the different disease entities of the chromomycoses and a brief generic classification of the dematiacious fungi are presented.
Acute pulmonary edema due to stress cardiomyopathy in a patient with aortic stenosis: a case report

Stress cardiomyopathy is a condition of chest pain, breathlessness, abnormal heart rhythms and sometimes congestive heart failure or shock precipitated by intense mental or physical stress. A 64-year-old male with a known diagnosis of moderate-to-severe aortic stenosis and advised that valve replacement was not urgent, presented with acute pulmonary edema following extraordinary mental distress. The patient was misdiagnosed as having a "massive heart attack" and died when managed by a traditional protocol for acute myocardial infarction/coronary artery disease, irrespective of his known aortic stenosis. Intense mental stress poses a considerable risk, particularly to patients with significant aortic stenosis. As described here, it can precipitate acute pulmonary edema. Importantly, effective management of acute pulmonary edema due to stress cardiomyopathy in patients with known aortic stenosis requires its distinction from acute pulmonary edema caused by an acute myocardial infarction. Treatment options include primarily urgent rhythm and/or rate control, as well as cautious vasodilation.
Training set-based performance measures for neural net hypothesis testing

Performance measures for neural network hypothesis testing are derived based on the statistics of the training set. The training set-based measures are contrasted with maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) test measures. It is shown that the training set-based and MAP test probabilities are equal if the training set is proportioned according to the prior probabilities of the hypotheses. Applications of training set-based measures are suggested for neural net and training set design. >
On the Optimal SINR in Random Access Networks with Spatial Reuse

In this paper we consider a simple model for a homogeneous random access system with spatial reuse. Our aim is to obtain insight into how physical layer parameters should be determined in order to maximize the total throughput-distance per unit area. In an infinitely dense network, we find that the optimal SINR threshold is asymptotically zero. Furthermore, we find that the optimal distance between transmitter and receiver is asymptotically non-zero. For finitely dense networks, we find that the optimal SINR threshold for packet detection is considerably smaller than that used in many current systems, and that the optimal distance between transmitters and intended receivers is larger than would be expected from prevailing conventional wisdom. These result suggest that the throughput performance of current systems may be improved by operating at lower values of SINR.
New Means of Canine Leishmaniasis Transmission in North America: The Possibility of Transmission to Humans Still Unknown

At present it is not possible to determine in advance the outcome of Leishmania infantum infection. Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL), caused by Le. infantum, is a natural disease process which offers a insight into the interaction of the host and resultant disease outcome. Canine VL results in the same altered pathophysiology and immunodysregulation seen in humans. VL in US dogs is likely to be transmitted primarily via nontraditional, nonvector means. VL mediated by Le. infantum is endemic in U.S. Foxhound dogs, with vertical transmission likely to be the novel primary means of transmission. This population of dogs offers an opportunity to identify host factors of natural disease. Prevention of human clinical visceral leishmaniasis can occur only by better understanding the disease ecology of the primary reservoir host: the dog.
MEDIC: Medical embedded device for individualized care

Objective: Presented work highlights the development and initial validation of a medical embedded device for individualized care (MEDIC), which is based on a novel software architecture, enabling sensor management and disease prediction capabilities, and commercially available microelectronic components, sensors and conventional personal digital assistant (PDA) (or a cell phone). Methods and materials: In this paper, we present a general architecture for a wearable sensor system that can be customized to an individual patient's needs. This architecture is based on embedded artificial intelligence that permits autonomous operation, sensor management and inference, and may be applied to a general purpose wearable medical diagnostics. Results: A prototype of the system has been developed based on a standard PDA and wireless sensor nodes equipped with commercially available Bluetooth radio components, permitting real-time streaming of high-bandwidth data from various physiological and contextual sensors. We also present the results of abnormal gait diagnosis using the complete system from our evaluation, and illustrate how the wearable system and its operation can be remotely configured and managed by either enterprise systems or medical personnel at centralized locations. Conclusion: By using commercially available hardware components and software architecture presented in this paper, the MEDIC system can be rapidly configured, providing medical researchers with broadband sensor data from remote patients and platform access to best adapt operation for diagnostic operation objectives.
Transplantation for cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a primary hepatic neoplasm that arises from malignant transformation of the biliary epithelium. Chronic biliary tree inflammation as occurs in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a risk factor for the development of CCA. Surgical resection and liver transplantation following neoadjuvant therapy in patients with early extrahepatic CCA are the only potentially curative modalities. Biliary stenting, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and photodynamic therapy are palliative treatment options for patients who are not surgical candidates. Liver transplantation following neoadjuvant therapy is an effective therapy for patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma that is unresectable or arising in the setting of PSC.
Autoexposure for three-dimensional shape measurement using a digital-light-processing projector

Automatically adapting the camera exposure time is crucial for industrial applications where minimum human intervention is usually desirable. However, it is very challenging to realize such a capability for a conventional fringe projection system where only a finite increment of the exposure time is allowed due to its digital fringe generation nature. We study the generation of sinusoidal fringe patterns by properly defocusing binary ones, which permits the use of an arbitrary exposure time. This provides the potential to adapt the exposure time automatically. We present the principle of an automatic exposure technique and show some experimental results.
Clinical use of protons and ion beams from a world-wide perspective

Abstract Proton and ion beams have been used at several centers, worldwide, to treat more than 9000 patients; in all cases accelerators originally designed for nuclear physics research have had to be adapted for this medical application. Now that good long term follow-up data are available, the need to develop specially designed accelerators and facilities dedicated to this form of treatment in a hospital setting is becoming urgent. The design and fabrication of both accelerator and beam delivery systems provide challenges for presently available technologies. Groups in several parts of the world are developing accelerator designs and complete facility designs using the resources available to them. Some of the special features found among them are small superconducting cyclotrons, proton synchrotrons, proton beam lines added to existing neutron therapy facilities and the development of gantries to transport proton beams at any desired angle to the patient.
Individual patient meta-analysis in pediatrics.

In this issue of Pediatrics , Askie et al1,2 present their report of an individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) in preterm infants. This article is of great interest regarding what it tells us about both IPD meta-analysis and the use of iNO in preterm infants. By now, everyone in the pediatric community is familiar with the idea of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Most meta-analysis reports that pediatricians would have read involve aggregate data analyzed at the trials level. Meta-analyses of aggregate data are typical of Cochrane reviews. Data from these types of analyses enable us to gain greater precision regarding clinically important outcomes. Aggregate-data meta-analyses at the trials level have been used in creating policies and guidelines. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of antenatal3 and postnatal4,5 corticosteroids have greatly influenced practice in neonatal-perinatal medicine. However, there are limitations to this analytic approach. There are … Address correspondence to Roger F. Soll, MD, University of Vermont, College of Medicine, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Fletcher Allen Health Care, Smith 552A, 111 Colchester Ave, Burlington, VT 05401. E-mail: roger.soll{at}vtmednet.org
The realities of antiretroviral therapy rollout: Overcoming challenges to successful programmatic implementation.

In 2006, 2 million human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected people living in low- to middle-income countries were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). Although this is an improvement over previous years, significant operational challenges have inhibited progress toward universal access to HIV care and treatment. Despite these challenges, the intense efforts focused on addressing the HIV epidemic present an opportunity for overall health systems improvement in developing nations. In October 2006, Harvard University's Centers for AIDS Research, the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine, the Department of Health of KwaZulu-Natal, and the Medical Research Council of South Africa held a conference entitled "The Realities of Antiretroviral Therapy Rollout: Challenges to Successful Programmatic Implementation" in Durban, South Africa. The goal of the meeting was to bring together international and local leadership, including policy makers, health care workers, and funders, to propose an agenda that would address the challenges to more expeditious provision of HIV care and treatment in resource-limited settings.
Blue versus Red: Towards a Model of Distributed Security Attacks

We develop a two-sided multiplayer model of security in which attackers aim to deny service and defenders strategize to secure their assets. Attackers benefit from the successful compromise of target systems, however, may suffer penalties for increased attack activities. Defenders weigh the force of an attack against the cost of security. We consider security decision-making in tightly and loosely coupled networks and allow defense expenditures in protection and self-insurance technologies.
Cutting Edge: IL-12 Is Required for the Maintenance of IFN-γ Production in T Cells Mediating Chronic Resistance to the Intracellular Pathogen, Toxoplasma gondii

IL-12 is required for the development of IFN-γ-dependent resistance to intracellular pathogens but is not thought to play a major role in its maintenance. To directly assess the requirement for continuous IL-12 signaling in long-term cell-mediated immunity, recombinant cytokine was transiently administered to IL-12 p40-deficient mice during the first 2 wk of infection with the intracellular pathogen Toxoplasma gondii. As expected, these animals survived the acute phase and established chronic infections. However, 4–6 wk after IL-12 withdrawal, the mice exhibited increased brain cyst burdens and succumbed to toxoplasmic encephalitis. Reactivation was associated with a loss of T-dependent IFN-γ production without a concomitant increase in Th2 cytokine expression. Importantly, parasite Ag-induced IFN-γ synthesis by purified T cells from these animals could be restored by in vitro exposure to IL-12. These results argue that endogenous IL-12 is required for the long-term maintenance of IFN-γ-dependent resistance against intracellular pathogens.