cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Super Photon Counters

The perfect photon detector would measure the arrival time, the energy, the polarization, and the position of every arriving quantum, but that is easier said than done. Two groups have now succeeded in doing time-resolved spectroscopy on the Crab Nebula pulsar, measuring everything but the polarization, with reports from Romani et al. at Stanford and from Perryman et al. at ESTEC. Both groups use superconducting detectors to gain the necessary speed and sensitivity. The photon can heat the electrons in a superconductor biased in the middle of its resistive transition, or break bound superconducting electron-hole pairs, which can then be collected. Three years ago, Peacock et al. reported that they had detected single optical photons with a superconducting tunnel junction (STJ), and Paresce wrote a News and Views article. A tunnel junction uses two pieces of conductive material, separated by a tiny gap of insulating material or even vacuum. If the gap is thin enough, electrons can tunnel across anyway, and if the conductors are superconductors, the junction displays very useful quantum mechanical properties and electrical nonlinearities. Amplifiers, detectors, oscillators, and computer circuits can all be made from them. Their special advantage is that they operate at very low temperatures, dissipate very little power, operate very fast, and are very small.
SERVICE QUALITY PERCEPTION OF CUSTOMERS –A STUDY OF TOYOTA MOTORS IN INDIA

The study is aimed to explore the gap between the level of expectation in service quality and service perception and its influence on customer satisfaction of Toyota customers in India. A 25-item questionnaire was used to collect primary data from 1721 customers of selected states. Data was statistically analysed through reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, paired sample t-test and confirmed factor analysis. Structural equation modelling was employed to measure the relation of actual service received and customer satisfaction. The findings revealed a gap between service quality level expected by customers and actually what they perceive except in the case of tangibility, where perceived quality surpasses expectations. The study revealed that there is a constructive and significant control of multidimensional SERQUAL scale on customer satisfaction. The findings will help automobile market players to get insights about quality perception of customers and help to meet customer expectations.
Rethinking the Library Space: Interdepartmental Collaboration for Student-Centered Services

The Florida Dunnam Campus of Asbury Theological Seminary underwent some major changes in the area of library services over the past few years. This presentation contains the ways in which these changes were influenced and accomplished through interdepartmental cooperation and collaboration. The redesign of the library space became a means by which we could provide a better academic community in a designated space with staff, resources, and comfortable seating.
A fully coupled thermo-poro-mechanical finite element analysis to predict the thermal pressurization and thermally induced pore fluid flow in soil media

Abstract Temperature gradient and heat transfer in saturated porous media may affect pore fluid pressure and/or pore fluid flow depending on thermal, mechanical, and hydraulic properties of the media and the saturating fluid. Therefore, several Thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) models have been developed to theoretically analyze the thermal behavior of soil media. In this study a coupled thermo-poro-mechanical model is adopted to investigate the heat and mass transfer in deformable porous media in a transient and quasi-steady state conditions. The Effects and importance of different properties of porous media are carefully taken into account to simulate two different cases with different scenarios. The results confirm that in order to accurately predict the thermal pressurization and changes in total stress, temperature dependency of properties of the soil and saturating fluid must be considered carefully. It is found that even a slight perturbation in porosity variation and temperature dependency of the thermal expansion coefficient of the fluid can greatly influence the thermal pressurization of pore fluid in very low permeable soils (e.g. clays), while variations of pore fluid density governs thermally-induced pore fluid flow in high permeable soils (e.g. sands and silty sands). Moreover, the feasibility of heat convection and heat-induced pore fluid flow is discussed in a parametric study with different temperature and permeability values. The results demonstrate that the Boussinesq approximation is a key assumption when dealing with heat-induced pore fluid flow in quasi-steady state condition.
The 3 Cs of Content, Context, and Concepts: A Practical Approach to Recording Unstructured Field Observations

Most primary care researchers lack a practical approach for including field observations in their studies, even though observations can offer important qualitative insights and provide a mechanism for documenting behaviors, events, and unexpected occurrences. We present an overview of unstructured field observations as a qualitative research method for analyzing material surroundings and social interactions. We then detail a practical approach to collecting and recording observational data through a "3 Cs" template of content, context, and concepts. To demonstrate how this method works in practice, we provide an example of a completed template and discuss the analytical approach used during a study on informed consent for research participation in the primary care setting of Qatar.
A dialogue on the informal economy in Africa

Although ubiquitous, very little is generalizable about the informal economy. This is especially the case within Africa wherein the informal economy also intersects with the indigenous economy. The...
Feedback-based Electrode Rehydration for High Quality, Long Term, Noninvasive Biopotential Measurements and Current Delivery

Diagnoses and treatments of neurological disorders rely heavily on non-invasive measurement of bio-potentials, or non-invasive injection of currents into the body, by placing electrodes on the skin. A major impedance in using these techniques for continuous, long-term monitoring is the deterioration of electrode performance over time. Long term operation of electrodes requires that they should continue to have low electrode-skin impedance, even in presence of hair, for extended periods of time. There are currently no electrode systems that satisfy all these requirements. Our work proposes and demonstrates a proof-of-concept, feedback-based electrode impedance monitoring and control system. We use a sponge electrode, housed in a custom-designed casing that is connected to a low-speed peristaltic pump. The pump releases a small amount of saline solution when the electrode-skin impedance crosses a threshold. Our system succeeds in keeping the impedance below a target impedance for at least 20 hours on bench-top experiments. On human participant experiments, our results from 90 minutes of continuous measurement show that our saline electrodes outperform conventional clinical wet electrodes in the presence of hair.
MCENN: A variant of extended nearest neighbor method for pattern recognition

Abstract Recent studies have shown that extended nearest neighbor (ENN) method is able to improve the classification performance over traditional k-nearest neighbor (KNN) methods, due to its novel “two-way communication” decision making process. The ENN method classifies a test data sample by maximizing the intra-class coherence gain over the whole data set. However, the original ENN method, like KNN, is a type of instance-based learning algorithm without a training stage. This paper presents a variant of ENN method, called Maximum intra-class Coherence Extended Nearest Neighbor (MCENN), which incorporates distances between individual data sample and its nearest neighbors into the decision making process and introduces a novel distance metric learning algorithm as a training process to learn an optimal linear transformation that maximizes the overall intra-class coherence of training data. We demonstrate that the proposed MCENN approach is able to improve the discriminative performance for pattern recognition. Experimental results on real-life data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.
TRIDENS: TRansport In DEfected Nanoparticle Solids Simulator for Nanoparticle Solar Cells

The efficiency of Nanoparticle (NP) solar cells has grown impressively in recent years, reaching 13.6%. However, the carrier mobility in NP solar cells remains low, thus critically limiting their performance. Therefore, understanding carrier transport in NP solids is important to further improve the overall efficiency of NP PV technology. However, it is technically challenging to simulate experimental scale samples, as physical processes from atomic to mesoscopic scales all crucially impact transport. Here, we report the development of TRIDENS: the TRansport In Defected Nanoparticle Solids Simulator, for Nanoparticle Solar Cells, to capture the physics from all relevant lengths scales.
Changing the Catholic Church’s Interreligious Relationships: Irish American Pioneers at the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions

In 1893, at a time when the popes of the Roman Catholic Church warned against the danger of religious indifferentism and condemned religious freedom, American Catholic leaders who had been born or raised in Ireland courageously planned for and participated in the historic first World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, the beginning of the modern interreligious movement. By emphasizing the significance of charity and benevolence as the meeting place of world religious leaders, James Cardinal Gibbons and his colleagues anticipated teachings of the Second Vatican Council and Pope Francis. During the Parliament, leaders from many different religious traditions became more conscious of how their presentation of their perspectives would be perceived by followers of other religious paths.
Utilizing Digital Tools for the Surveillance of the US Mortgage Market

The US mortgage market is of paramount economic and financial importance. While the causes of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) remain a subject of vigorous debate, lax lending standards and opacity surrounding innovations in securitization are often cited as central issues. A decade following the Global Financial Crisis, we have demonstrated that digital tools have been developed in the mortgage space that have the potential to allow investors to form a clear view of the investment risks and opportunities, and policymakers to design regulations with a complete view of the behavior of all participants: borrowers, underwriters, servicers and investors. While big data tools have been around for an extended period, it is only recently that advanced techniques have come to the market that allow for more cost-effective analysis. The latest enhancement is the application of AI to this data to unify the information across disparate data sets. We have seen demonstrations of the power of these techniques in analyzing business models for financial institutions, and for informing policymakers about the implications of their decisions across broad categories of actors in this market. Looking ahead, the analysis performed here can be extended by matching loans across time as well as between different data sets, and through applications to different markets and countries.
Nucleic acid biomarker technology for cancer immunotherapy

Abstract Immunotherapy is an important tool to improve the health outcomes of cancer patients in both the short and long term. It is important to recognize, however, that not every patient will receive the benefits of immunotherapeutic approaches. This leaves many patients with exposure to significant drug toxicities without experiencing the substantial clinical benefits that other patients can experience. Predictive biomarkers can help limit such unnecessary toxic exposure in patients who are not likely to experience clinical benefit from immunotherapy. Moreover, these biomarkers can also help to identify the individuals who will have the best outcome with immunotherapy. The previous chapter topics in the book have focused on cancer immunotherapy, related therapeutic biomarkers, and engineering technology to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapeutic field. The current chapter builds on this by focusing on cancer immunotherapy and use of nucleic acid biomarker. The immune checkpoint inhibitors are investigated much more than other immunotherapy drugs and hence the predictive nucleic acid biomarkers for these drugs are also well studied; however, we will not be focusing only on the immune checkpoint inhibitors. We will also focus on few emerging concepts in the form of epigenomic signatures, single cell genomic approaches and CRISPR-based screening assays for immunotherapy. The circulating tumor DNA, tumor mutational burden, tumor transcriptomic signature, circulating tumor cells as well as host immunological markers, also play a great role in determining the immunotherapy effects and have a potential to impact the translation into the clinical field of nucleic acid biomarker. The integration of genomic and proteomic methods in concert with advancements in artificial intelligence and next-generation sequencing will enable cancer immunotherapy to transition toward personalized medicine
Very Low Rates of Ureteral Injury in Laparoscopic Hysterectomy Performed by Fellowship-Trained Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgeons

Study Objective The incidence of ureteral injury with laparoscopic hysterectomy reported in the literature is 0.78%. The objective of this study was to evaluate the rates of ureteral injury at the time of laparoscopic hysterectomy among high-volume fellowship-trained surgeons. Design We performed a retrospective chart review, evaluating gynecologic surgery cases between January 2009 and May 2019 performed exclusively by fellowship-trained surgeons in the Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS) Department at Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals in Boston. The rate of ureteral injury was assessed. Setting Patients were positioned in dorsal lithotomy with legs in Allen stirrups. A central (typically umbilical) camera port was placed along with bilateral lower quadrant ports and a third ipsilateral port to the left of the umbilicus. Patients or Participants A total of 5,160 cases were performed by MIGS surgeons between 2009-2019 at Brigham & Women's Hospital and Brigham & Women's Faulkner Hospital. Patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy were selected for this review. Interventions N/A. Measurements and Main Results Out of the 5,160 MIGS cases, 2,396 laparoscopic hysterectomies were performed. Only 1 ureteral injury was noted intraoperatively (0.04%). No additional delayed ureteral injuries were observed. Conclusion Ureteral injury is associated with significant patient morbidity and high economic burden. Despite taking on medically and surgically complex cases at our tertiary referral center, we observed very low rates of ureteral injury at the time of laparoscopic hysterectomy. Putting this into context given that approximately 600,000 hysterectomies are performed annually in the US; the literature-reported ureteral injury rate would result in approximately 4,680 injuries versus an estimated 240 injuries in a high-volume center. This study highlights the benefits of fellowship-training and high-volume practice on patient outcomes.
Cell-Mediated Immune Responses After Administration Of The Live Or The Recombinant Zoster Vaccine: Five-Year Persistence.

We compared gE- and varicella zoster virus (VZV)-specific Th1 immunity in 160 adults, 50- to 85-years-old, randomized to receive live or recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV). gE-specific responses measured by IFNγ and IL2 dual-color Fluorospot were significantly higher at all timepoints post-immunization in RZV recipients. VZV-specific IL2 + memory, but not IFNγ+ or IFNγ+IL2 + effector responses, were higher in RZV recipients at ≥3 months post-immunization. Only RZV recipients maintained higher post-vaccination gE-specific IL2 + and IFNγ + and VZV-specific IL2+ responses for 5 years. The 5-year persistence of VZV-specific memory and gE-specific Th1 immunity may underlie the superior RZV efficacy.
Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery: Trabeculectomy Ab Interno

Trabeculectomy ab interno with the trabectome (Neomedix, Tustin, CA) was FDA approved in 2004. It was originally described as using electrocautery to ablate trabecular meshwork, unroofing the nasal Schlemm’s canal over 30–60°. The first series of 37 patients was highly successful demonstrating a mean 42 % decrease in IOP from a baseline of 28 mmHg after 1 year [1]. There were no cases of postoperative flat anterior chambers, hypotony, infection, wound leak, bleb formation, choroidal effusion, or loss of 2 lines of Snellen visual acuity. Trabectome surgery is similar to phacoemulsification in that it requires advanced equipment, is standardized, uses a small incision, and is very safe. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the indications, to detail the techniques that the authors have adopted, and to review the results and complications of trabectome surgery
Web matrix: preliminary experiences in its use to introduce programming to non-majors

Web Matrix is Microsoft's free software development tool. Although it does not have all of the features of Visual Studio it is well suited to introducing students to object-oriented programming and the .NET framework. Students in four sections of a non-majors course at a state university were successful in completing an assignment with Web Matrix and in putting the resulting .aspx files on a remote Web server. None of the limitations of Web Matrix (compared to Visual Studio) compromised its value as a teaching tool at this level of instruction. Some of the qualities of Web Matrix may actually make it preferable to Visual Studio for introductory teaching purposes.Web Matrix is a Microsoft integrated development environment (IDE) including visual development and automatic code generation available as a free download from http://www.asp.net. It is the result of the "Web Matrix Project" initiated by a small team of ASP.NET developers at Microsoft Corporation, lead by Scott Guthrie and Nikhil Korthari. What began as primarily an internal testing tool evolved quickly into a popular personal development environment for the development of ASP.NET applications and Web services. It also includes support for development of applications for mobile devices. It requires no product registration and comes with its own personal Web server. Now in its second version, the tool provides developers a quick and easy way to create small .NET projects and, in our opinion, has features and qualities that make it an excellent teaching tool.
Adenosine triphosphate quantification as related to cryptobiosis, nematode eggs, and larvae.

Sonification was the most effective method used for disintegrating nematode eggs and larvae for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) determinations. Sensitivity of the assay was sufficient to measure ATP in one larva. Second-stage larvae of Anguina tritici averaged 1 x 10⁵ femtograms (fg) ATP and Meloidogyne incognita eggs, 0.8 x 105 fg ATP. Larvae of Panagrellus redivivus, a saprobe, averaged 12.2 x 105 fg ATP, a measurement which was considerably higher than the ATP levels in plant parasites. Endophytic bacteria and fungi from wheat galls were detected as background organisms associated with A. tritiei activated by hydration. Also, bacteria in suspensitms of eggs from M. incognita prepared with NaCIO were measured by the use of butanol extraction and ATP determination. Second-stage A. tritici larvae increased in ATP content within 40 min after being activated from cryptobiosis by hydration. In the cryptobiotic state, larvae had 50% less ATP than when active. ATP concentrations were similar in galls of different ages. Apparently, ATP concentrations do not change during cryptobiosis. Starvation results in a decline in ATP concentration/larva. Subjecting A. tritici larvae to the lethal temperature of 60 C resulted in a three-fold increase in the decay rate of ATP over that of larvae snnified, then heated at 60 C. These results suggest an association between ATP decay and the mechanism that causes death of larvae at elevated temperatures.
How Much of the King James Bible Is William Tyndale's?

Previous estimates of William Tyndale's contribution to the 1611 King James Version (or Authorized Version) of the Bible have run from a high of up to 90 per cent (Westcott) to a low of 18 per cent (Butterworth). Here we propose an accurate and appropriate method for determining the respective contribution to the KJV of each version of the early English Bible. Based on 18 sampled passages from those portions of the Bible that Tyndale translated, we conclude that for the New Testament Tyndale's contribution is about 84 per cent of the text, while in the Old Testament about 76 per cent of his words have been retained.
Inelastic scattering and shot noise in diffusive mesoscopic conductors

A short summary of the drift-diffusion-Langevin formalism for calculating finite-frequency shot noise in diffusive conductors is presented. Two new results are included in this presentation. First, we arrive at a simple (but accurate) phenomenological expression for the semiclassical distribution function of electrons in the presence of electron-electron scattering. Second, it is shown that in thin samples, low-frequency shot noise may be large even if the sample length is much larger than the electron-phonon relaxation length.
Matching in the Convective Planetary Boundary Layer.

Abstract Monin-Obukhov scaling and convective scaling both apply over a range of heights z given approximately by −L<z<0.1zi where L is the Monin-Obukhov length and zi the height of the lowest inversion. This region is defined here as the “convective matching layer”. From the matching conditions, special relations are derived between turbulence statistics, heat flux and height which turn out to be the same as relations previously derived by dimensional analysis in the “free-convection layer”. Thus the convective matching layer is the free-convection layer viewed from a different vantage point. Expressions for the spectra of vertical velocity and temperature can be derived from matching conditions and the hypothesis that they consist of products of two functions, one of which describes the magnitude, the other the shape of the spectra.
Identification and Characterization of a Human Proliferation-associated Nucleolar Antigen with a Molecular Weight of 120,000 Expressed in Early G1 Phase

Tumor nucleoli were treated with polyclonal antisera to normal human tissue nucleoli to block some determinants common to tumor and normal tissue nucleoli. Immunization of mice with these immune complexes resulted in the development of a monoclonal antibody (FB2) to a novel Mr 120,000 nucleolar proliferation-associated antigen. By indirect immunofluorescence, antibody FB2 produced bright nucleolar staining in a variety of malignant tumors, including cancers of the breast, liver, gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary tract, blood, lymph system, lung, and brain. Although specific nucleolar immunofluorescence was not detectable in most normal tissues, it was detectable in some proliferating nonmalignant tissues including spermatogonia of the testes, ductal regions of hypertrophied prostates, and phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes. The Mr 120,000 antigen was not detectable in 48-h serum-deprived HeLa cells but was readily detectable (within 30 min) following serum refeeding. The Mr 120,000 antigen was not detected in retinoic acid-treated HL-60 cells following morphological differentiation but was detectable in 48-h phytohemagglutinin-treated lymphocytes. These studies suggest that the Mr 120,000 antigen is a proliferation-associated antigen which plays a role in the early G1 phase of the cell cycle.
Distribution of Gustatory Sensitivities in Rat Taste Cells: Whole-Cell Responses to Apical Chemical Stimulation

Several taste transduction mechanisms have been demonstrated in mammals, but little is known about their distribution within and across receptor cells. We recorded whole-cell responses of 120 taste cells of the rat fungiform papillae and soft palate maintained within the intact epithelium in a modified Ussing chamber, which allowed us to flow tastants across the apical membrane while monitoring the activity of the cell with a patch pipette. Taste stimuli were: 0.1m sucrose, KCl, and NH4Cl, 0.032 mNaCl, and 3.2 mm HCl and quinine hydrochloride (QHCl). When cells were held at their resting potentials, taste stimulation resulted in conductance changes; reversible currents >5 pA were considered reliable responses. Sucrose and QHCl produced a decrease in outward current and membrane conductance, whereas NaCl, KCl, NH4Cl, and HCl elicited inward currents accompanied by increased conductance. Combinations of responses to pairs of the four basic stimuli (sucrose, NaCl, HCl, and QHCl) across the 71–84 cells tested with each pair were predictable from the probabilities of responses to individual stimuli, indicating an independent distribution of sensitivities. Of 62 cells tested with all four basic stimuli, 59 responded to at least one of the stimuli; 16 of these (27.1%) responded to only one, 20 (33.9%) to two, 15 (25.4%) to three, and 8 (13.6%) to all of the basic stimuli. Cells with both inward (Na+) and outward (K+) voltage-activated currents were significantly more broadly tuned to gustatory stimuli than those with only inward currents.
Mammosomatotropes : presence and functions in normal and neoplastic pituitary tissue.

I. Introduction MORE than a half century has passed since Romeis first proposed the “one cell-one hormone” theory which holds that each of the major pituitary hormones is produced by a separate and distinct cell type (1). Consistent with this idea, the acidophilic staining cells (termed acidophils) of the adenohypophysis have been traditionally subdivided into two categories, those that secrete only GH and others that produce just PRL. This view was supported by considerable tinctorial evidence available at the time of Romeis' hypothesis and generated in the subsequent three decades (1–5). Moreover, data produced throughout the 1970s and early 1980s by the use of light microscopic immunocytochemistry (ICC) and immunofluorescence were generally consonant with the one cell-one hormone theory, except in the case of certain pituitary tumors (6–8). The presence of bihormonal acidophils in this latter situation was attributed to aberrant mechanisms attendant to the neoplastic condition. However, as will be disc...
On a Puzzle About Withholding

I discuss Turri's puzzle about withholding. I argue that attention to the way in which evidence can justify withholding dissolves the puzzle.
A survey of static analysis methods for identifying security vulnerabilities in software systems

In this paper we survey static analysis methods for identifying security vulnerabilities in software systems. We cover three areas that have been associated with sources of security vulnerabilities: access-control, information-flow, and application-programming-interface conformance. Because access control mechanisms fall into two major categories, stack-based access control and role-based access control, we discuss static analysis techniques for these two areas of access control separately. Similarly, security violations pertaining to information flow consist of integrity violations and confidentiality violations, and consequently, our discussion of static analysis techniques for information-flow vulnerabilities includes these two topics. For each type of security vulnerability we present our findings in two parts: in the first part we describe recent research results, and in the second part we illustrate implementation techniques by describing selected static analysis algorithms.
Investigation of computer-aided colonic crypt pattern analysis

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Approximately 50% of these deaths could be prevented by earlier detection through screening. Magnification chromoendoscopy is a technique which utilizes tissue stains applied to the gastrointestinal mucosa and high-magnification endoscopy to better visualize and characterize lesions. Prior studies have shown that shapes of colonic crypts change with disease and show characteristic patterns. Current methods for assessing colonic crypt patterns are somewhat subjective and not standardized. Computerized algorithms could be used to standardize colonic crypt pattern assessment. We have imaged resected colonic mucosa in vitro (N = 70) using methylene blue dye and a surgical microscope to approximately simulate in vivo imaging with magnification chromoendoscopy. We have developed a method of computerized processing to analyze the crypt patterns in the images. The quantitative image analysis consists of three steps. First, the crypts within the region of interest of colonic tissue are semi-automatically segmented using watershed morphological processing. Second, crypt size and shape parameters are extracted from the segmented crypts. Third, each sample is assigned to a category according to the Kudo criteria. The computerized classification is validated by comparison with human classification using the Kudo classification criteria. The computerized colonic crypt pattern analysis algorithm will enable a study of in vivo magnification chromoendoscopy of colonic crypt pattern correlated with risk of colorectal cancer. This study will assess the feasibility of screening and surveillance of the colon using magnification chromoendoscopy.
Motion contrast and motion integration

When a moving aperture contains a drifting grating, the perception of aperture movement is strongly affected by the grating movement. We have studied this interaction, using a moving circular patch of sinusoidal grating matched to the background in mean luminance. The circular window, or aperture, could be defined either by an abrupt transition from a full-contrast grating to the background (hard aperture) or by a two-dimensional Gaussian fall-off in contrast (soft aperture). The grating movement could be controlled independently of the aperture motion. Subjects judged the direction of the aperture movement (i.e. the movement of the patch as a whole). We find that an illusory motion of a stationary aperture can be induced depending on the direction of the grating drift. A hard aperture presented in the fovea appears to move in the direction opposite the grating movement, demonstrating simultaneous motion contrast. However, a soft aperture presented in the periphery appears to move in the same direction as the drifting grating, demonstrating motion integration (assimilation). These results are discussed in the context of interactions between short-range and long-range motion mechanisms and with respect to the significance of boundaries in determining the figure-ground relationship of motion signals.
Genetic Dissection of Active Electrogenesis in Paramecium aurelia

NEUROPHYSIOLOGISTS frequently use various drugs and toxins to interfere with specific membrane mechanisms. A genetic approach can achieve the same results. In taking this approach to the problem of excitation it is desirable to have an organism, like Paramecium, on which both formal genetic1 and orthodox electrophysiological2 studies can be made.
Characterization of coal-derived fluids by capillary column gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Abstract A coal-derived fluid has been analyzed by high-resolution gas chromatography—mass spectrometry with glass capillary columns, both before and after li
Preoperative angiographic evaluation of the descending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery as a free graft in coronary artery bypass graft.

The purpose of this study is to assess by angiogram, the availability and variety of descending branches of the lateral femoral circumflex artery in coronary artery bypass graft. Methods: The diameter and length were measured by angiogram in 70 cases. Descending branches of the lateral femoral circumflex artery greater than 8 cm in length and a diameter over 2 mm were judged as available for coronary artery bypass graft. Comparisons were performed between the right and left, and in some cases, between the length by angiogram and intraoperatively. Results: Forty-eight cases (68.6%) were judged suitable for bypass. Twenty-one were suitable for bypass only on the right, 6 only on the left, and 21 were suitable for either side. In total, 33 descending branches of lateral femoral circumflex arteries were used. Reasons for exclusion were; existence of wall irregularity and/or stenosis (15.7%), medial position (12.9%), hypoplasty (10.0%), unidentified (8.6%), and insufficient imaging (5.7%). The diameter of the right side was significantly larger than the left (3.6 vs. 3.3 mm, p<0.01). In 21 cases, the length of the harvested descending branches of the lateral femoral circumflex artery measured intraoperatively was 10.8 cm (5 to 18 cm), that was 91% of the length measured by angiogram, and the lumen diameter was 3.2 mm in proximal, 2.3 mm in distal. Conclusion: As the availability of descending branches of the lateral femoral circumflex artery is limited and some varieties are recognized, preoperative angiogram is strongly recommended when it is planned for coronary artery bypass graft.
Unimodal density estimation using Bernstein polynomials

The estimation of probability density functions is one of the fundamental aspects of any statistical inference. Many data analyses are based on an assumed family of parametric models, which are known to be unimodal (e.g., exponential family, etc.). Often a histogram suggests the unimodality of the underlying density function. Parametric assumptions, however, may not be adequate for many inferential problems. A flexible class of mixture of Beta densities that are constrained to be unimodal is presented. It is shown that the estimation of the mixing weights, and the number of mixing components, can be accomplished using a weighted least squares criteria subject to a set of linear inequality constraints. The mixing weights of the Beta mixture are efficiently computed using quadratic programming techniques. Three criteria for selecting the number of mixing weights are presented and compared in a small simulation study. More extensive simulation studies are conducted to demonstrate the performance of the density estimates in terms of popular functional norms (e.g., L"p norms). The true underlying densities are allowed to be unimodal symmetric and skewed, with finite, infinite or semi-finite supports. A code for an R function is provided which allows the user to input a data set and returns the estimated density, distribution, quantile, and random sample generating functions.
Privacy-Preserving Data Storage in CloudUsing Array BP-XOR Codes

LDPC codes, LT codes, and digital fountain techniques have received significant attention from both academics and industry in the past few years. By employing the underlying ideas of efficient Belief Propagation (BP) decoding process in LDPC and LT codes, this paper designs the BP-XOR codes and use them to design three classes of secret sharing schemes called BP-XOR secret sharing schemes, pseudo-BP-XOR secret sharing schemes, and LDPC secret sharing schemes. By establishing the equivalence between the edge-colored graph model and degree-two BP-XOR secret sharing schemes, we are able to design novel perfect and ideal $2$ -out-of- $n$ BP-XOR secret sharing schemes. By employing techniques from array code design, we are also able to design other $(n,k)$ threshold LDPC secret sharing schemes. In the efficient (pseudo) BP-XOR/LDPC secret sharing schemes that we will construct, only linear number of XOR (exclusive-or) operations on binary strings are required for both secret distribution phase and secret reconstruction phase. For a comparison, we should note that Shamir secret sharing schemes require $O(n\,\log\, n)$ field operations for the secret distribution phase and $O(n^2)$ field operations for the secret reconstruction phase. Furthermore, our schemes achieve the optimal update complexity for secret sharing schemes. By update complexity for a secret sharing scheme, we mean the average number of bits in the participant's shares that needs to be revised when certain bit of the master secret is changed. The extremely efficient secret sharing schemes discussed in this paper could be used for massive data storage in cloud environments achieving privacy and reliability without employing encryption techniques.
Unravelling and managing fusiform rust disease: a model approach for coevolved forest tree pathosystems

Summary Fusiform rust disease remains the most destructive disease in pine plantations in the southern United States. Our ongoing research is designed to identify, map, and clone the interacting genes of the host and pathogen. Several resistance (R) genes have been identified and genetically mapped using informative pine families and single-spore isolate inoculations. In addition, we are mapping the first of many expected corresponding avirulence (Avr) genes in the fungal pathogen. The Avr genes condition avirulence ⁄virulence and avirulence is required for an incompatible reaction (i.e., no-gall development) to take place within an inoculated tree that carries resistance at the corresponding R gene. We provide an overview of our methodology for identifying and mapping R and Avr genes, an update of our current progress, and a brief discussion of two approaches for predicting R gene genotypes of uncharacterized parental trees and for estimating the efficacy of specific pine genotypes at various planting locations. This paper emphasizes the critical importance of controlled genetic materials of both the host and pathogen for elucidating the genetic nature of resistance and virulence in coevolved forest pathosystems.
Nonsignificant Associations Between Measures of Inhibitory Control and Walking While Thinking in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract Objective To examine whether inhibitory control measures were associated with the dual-task cost (DTC) of walking in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) and matched controls without MS. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting University research laboratory. Participants The sample (N=56) included ambulatory persons with relapsing-remitting MS (n=28 [26 women, 2 men]; median Expanded Disability Status Scale score, 3.0) from the local community and controls (n=28) matched by age, sex, body mass index, and education. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures All participants underwent a modified flanker task followed by 4 trials of the timed 25-foot walk. The first 2 trials involved walking as quickly as possible only (single-task condition), and the second 2 trials involved walking as quickly as possible while naming alternate letters of the alphabet (dual-task condition). Walking speed under single- and dual-task conditions was used to compute a DTC of walking. Results Persons with MS demonstrated a similar DTC of walking compared with matched controls, but performed more poorly on inhibitory control measures. Interestingly, inhibitory control measures were not associated with DTC of walking in the MS sample (all | ρ | P >.19), but were associated with DTC of walking in controls (all | ρ |>.42, P Conclusions Inhibitory control based on modified flanker performance might not be associated with DTC of walking in persons with MS.
Complexes of Di-n-propylsulfoxide with lanthanide nitrates

Abstract The syntheses and physical properties of the crystalline compounds, n -PPSO = di- n -propylsulfoxide, Ln( n PSO) 3 (NO 3 ) 3 (LN = Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy and Er) and Yb 2 ( n -PSO) 7 (NO 3 ) 6 , are reported. Both conductance and molecular weight data, along with the IR, Raman and visible spectra information, indicate the presence of coordinated nitrato groups in these complexes: IR and Raman spectral data show that coordination of the n -PSO is through the oxygen atom. Both analyses and spectral studies suggest that lanthanide ions manifest coordination numbers of eight in both the forms.
Matrix-geometric solutions for bulk GI/M/1 systems with unbounded arrival groups

A bulk GI/M/1 system is considered where the arrival group size is not necessarily bounded. We apply the method of matrix unfoldings to the “roots” formulas and show that the stationary pre-arrival queue length in such a queue has a “general” matrix-geometric distribution of dimension m when the distribution of the arrival group size has a rational generating function with m poles outside of the unit disk. The “ratio” matrix R is shown to be a unique power bounded solution of a characteristic matrix equation (in fact, “geometric” power bounded); a formula is given for R in terms of the coefficients of a polynomial related to the scalar characteristic equation. The formula is shown to be equal to the m-th power of the transposed companion matrix of that polynomial (the latter formula was derived independently by Gail, Hantler and Taylor for a different case), so the eigenvalues of R are the m-th powers of the roots of the scalar characteristic equation. Convergence of the standard iteration process for R i...
Immunochemical studies of infectious mononucleosis-XI. Comparison of heterophile antibody inhibitors from the erythrocyte membranes of four mammalian species

Abstract Immunochemical comparisons were made of the reactivity of membrane glycoproteins from horse, bovine, sheep and goat erythrocytes with heterophile antibodies of infectious mononucleosis. The four receptors were tested as competitive inhibitors of a sandwich-type solid-phase radioimmunoassay and of agglutination of glycoprotein-latex reagents by infectious mononucleosis serum. The results of this study showed that the bovine glycoprotein had a superior reactivity with this heterophile antibody system and sheep erythrocyte glycoprotein was the least reactive. The latter had negligible ability to displace 125 I-bovine glycoprotein and was a very poor inhibitor of the agglutination of a bovine glycoprotein-latex reagent by infectious mononucleosis serum. Horse and goat glycoproteins were more efficient inhibitors than sheep glycoprotein but less active than the preparation from bovine red cells. All of the inhibitory activity of sheep, horse and goat glycoproteins, and a major portion of that of the bovine glycoprotein was destroyed by neuraminidase treatment. We have termed this receptor -shared by all four species—the Paul-Bunnell receptor, since by definition Paul-Bunnell antibody is a sheep erythrocyte agglutinin which is also reactive with horse, bovine and goat erythrocytes. The neuramini-dase (and alkaline borohydride) resistant receptor of bovine glycoprotein has been designated the Bo receptor because it is not common to the other three species.
Overview of the 2007 Food and Drug Administration Circulatory System Devices Panel Meeting on the Endeavor Zotarolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent

Initial trials comparing stenting with balloon angioplasty demonstrated improved angiographic and clinical outcomes with the former.1–3 The main clinical problem with bare metal stents (BMS) became the development of in-stent restenosis.4–6 Early data suggested that drug-eluting stents (DES) could mitigate, if not abolish, this problem.7–9 Since the approval of DES, these devices have become the predominant stents used in percutaneous coronary interventions, regardless of indication. As of September 2007, the Cypher sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) (Cordis Johnson & Johnson, Miami Lakes, Fla) had been deployed in >3 million patients worldwide,10 and the millionth Taxus paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) (Boston Scientific, Natick, Mass) was implanted as of January 2005.11 Over the past 2 years, numerous reports of very late stent thrombosis (ST) with first-generation DES have surfaced. This highly morbid complication and data suggesting that death and myocardial infarction (MI) may be more common with DES12,13 have altered the focus of trials and registries working to determine optimal DES use. There is a hope that second-generation DES will be less prone to ST as a result of differences in drug, stent design, and polymer. Medtronic, Inc (Minneapolis, Minn) presented safety and efficacy data to a public meeting of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Circulatory System Devices Panel (CSDP) in October 2007 on its Endeavor zotarolimus-eluting stent (ZES), seeking approval for the indication of treating de novo native coronary lesions ≤27 mm with reference vessel diameters of 2.5 to 3.5 mm. The FDA asked the CSDP to determine whether the data presented demonstrated a reasonable level of safety and effectiveness, with clinical benefits clearly outweighing short- and long-term risks of ZES use. Important efficacy end points included ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization (TLR) or target vessel revascularization (TVR); safety end points included death, MI, and ST. The …
INCLUSION OF NUCLEAR-STRUCTURE CALCULATIONS IN NUCLEON--NUCLEUS SCATTERING.

It is shown how one can use the results of a nuclear-structure calculation in the theory of nucleon-nucleus scattering. We restrict ourselves to the simple case of nucleon scattering on a hole nucleus. The correlations of the ground state have been included.
Haptic perception and the psychosocial functioning of preterm, low birth weight infants

Abstract Infants born prematurely are often deprived of normative haptic experiences in utero and during their first few months of life. However, the neural mechanisms and pathways associated with haptic perceptions are the first to develop and the most mature of the sensory systems available to the premature infant at birth. As a result, haptic experience may be particularly salient to these infants and influence their psychosocial development in unique ways. Research to date suggests that the preterm, low birth weight infant's exposure to stimulating touch in the early months of life may improve neuropsychological outcomes and exposure to complex touch has been linked to greater adaptive self sufficiency at age two. Affective touch involving pleasurable, comforting sensations has been associated with fewer emotional and behavioral problems for these children and with greater security of attachment, but only for more robust preterm children. Harsh touch causing pain or distress is linked to more emotional and behavioral problems as well as to less adaptive, self-sufficient behavior. Frequent or supplemental touch has been related to better neuropsychological development, both mental and psychomotor abilities. However, frequent touch also predicts increased behavioral and emotional problems for preterm children, especially for children who are more fragile in their early months. Studies suggest that the infant's degree of tactile vulnerability may interact with actual haptic experience to influence resulting perceptions of touch. These differential haptic perceptions predict psychosocial outcomes and whether various dimensions of touch facilitate or inhibit the preterm infants’ psychosocial functioning. Haptic perceptions also influence and interact with other sensory perceptions to influence infant outcomes.