cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Voluntary pacing and energy cost of off-road cycling and running.

Abstract Purpose : The purposes of this study were (1) to compare self-chosen speed of off-road cyclists and runners on a hilly course, (2) to compare the energy expenditure of off-road cyclists and runners on the same terrain, and (3) to describe changes in energy expenditure over the course of the exercise period. Methods : Runners and cyclists performed three laps on a 2.75 km gravel course in a single exercise bout. The course was divided into 13 segments differing in grade and length. Position on the course and heart rate were recorded every few seconds. Speed was computed for each course segment on each lap; energy expenditure was estimated using recorded heart rates and exercise-specific maximal oxygen uptake measurements made prior to participation in the study. Results: There were significant relationships between grade and speed for both runners ( r =0.64) and cyclists ( r =0.44). The differences between cyclists and runners were greatest on downhill segments. Energy expenditure rates were not significantly different for runners (71.6% VO 2 peak) and cyclists (68.5% VO 2 peak). Conclusions: Off-road cycling and running are comparable in energy demands. Variation in skill levels may account for the increased variability in speed among cyclists on downhill terrain.
The effect of purified α-fetoprotein on in vitro assays of cell-mediated immunity

Abstract We have evaluated the effect of purified human α-fetoprotein (AFP) on several in vitro correlates of cell-mediated immunity. AFP (100 μg/ml) had no effect on antigen-induced migration inhibitory factor (MIF) production or on the ability of T cells to bind sheep erythrocytes. In contrast, AFP had a twofold effect on mitogen-and antigen-induced lymphocyte proliferation. In a dose-dependent fashion (1–100 μg/ml), AFP was mitogenic to lymphocyte cultures and also suppressed tritiated thymidine incorporation by PHA- and SK-SD-stimulated cultures. Albumin had somewhat similar effects on lymphocyte proliferation but only at 100 μg/ml. The reason for the latter was not clear since the albumin preparation was free of any detectable AFP. Our studies suggest that human AFP may not have any biologically significant immunosuppressive function.
Effect of In Vitro Nitration on High Affinity Ca ++ -ATPase Activity in Cerebral Cortical Nuclei of Newborn Piglets

Effect of In Vitro Nitration on High Affinity Ca ++ -ATPase Activity in Cerebral Cortical Nuclei of Newborn Piglets
Placing the Dynamics of Syringe Exchange Programs in the United States

Drawing upon the broader health, social, and political geography literature, this paper outlines a framework for considering place-based processes through which syringe exchange availability may be understood. It is argued that the geographic distribution of syringe exchange programs (SEPs) in the United States is linked to the social and political conditions of particular localities through three place characteristics: (1) structural constraints; (2) social and spatial distancing of injection drug users; and (3) localized action. Although SEPs remain controversial and face ongoing obstacles from the government, law enforcement and local communities, they continue to operate through the efforts of grassroots organizations and local activists. Action on this issue occurs locally, and the characteristics of place-based factors affect whether particular areas adopt SEPs.
On the variations in fusion cross sections for different light heavy-ion systems

Abstract Fusion cross sections are calculated with a classical trajectory model incorporating the nuclear proximity potential and one-body proximity friction with radius and diffuseness parameters for each system taken from electron scattering results. Qualitative agreement with experiment is achieved, although significant discrepancies exist for several systems. Comparisons with recent TDHF calculations are also made.
Hyoid positioning during deglutition following forced positioning of the tongue

Many investigators believe that improper tongue positioning during swallowing will lead to adverse positioning of the teeth. The tongue has been described as having a regulatory activity, even during the teething process, on both tooth position and jaw shape.l Carline? described normal swallowing as being characterized by negative intraoral pressure and by placement of the tongue tip against the ridge of the hard palate with lips closed and teeth together. The abnormal swallow was depicted as the opposite pattern. The tip of the tongue is thrust forward or laterally, the lips and teeth are apart, and the swallow is completed by positive rather than negative pressure. It has been pointed out that the swallowing reflex repeats itself approximately twice a minute while one is awake and once a minute when one is asleep. The pressure from this swallowing builds up a total force of from 6,000 to 12,000 pounds in a 24-hour period.3 One can imagine the results if this force is improperly directed. Maximum perioral and tongue forces on incisor teeth have been evaluated, and it has been reported that the maximum tongue thrust ranged from 600 to 2,500 grams.4 The hyoid bone serves as a scaffold largely responsible for mouth opening and swallowing. The hyoid bone is nonarticulating and suspended entirely by ligaments and tendons. Hyoid musculature is divided into those
Magnetic properties of n-type CuInS2

Abstract The magnetic susceptibility, χ, of a polycrystalline n-type CuInS2 sample has been measured in the temperature range 4.2–300 K. A shallow donor level at 0.017 eV has been identified and an antiferromagnetic exchange coupling between donors is observed. These results are inferred from the excellent fit of the data to the equation χ(10 −6 cm 3 mole −1 ) = -83.7 + 185 [1−exp ( −100 T )] (T + 3) in the whole temperature range.
Mentally Ill Medicare Patients Less Likely Than Others To Receive Certain Types Of Surgery

Mentally ill people may face barriers to receiving elective surgical procedures as a result of societal stigma and the cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal deficits associated with mental illness. Using data from a cohort of elderly Medicare beneficiaries in 2007, we examined whether the mentally ill have less access than people without mental illness to several common procedures that are typically not for emergencies and are performed at the discretion of the provider and the patient. Results suggest that Medicare patients with mental illness are 30–70 percent less likely than others to receive these “referral-sensitive” surgical procedures. Those who did undergo an elective procedure generally experienced poorer outcomes both in the hospital and after discharge. Efforts to improve access to and outcomes of nonpsychiatric care for mentally ill patients are warranted.
Mediated Negotiation in the Public Sector: Mediator Accountability and the Public Interest Problem

Three case studies of mediated negotiation in the public sector are summarized. Special attention is given to the roles played by the mediators in these cases, the difficulties of ensuring adequate representation of all stakeholders, and the problems of protecting the “public interest.” Criteria for evaluating mediated negotiation as a supplement to traditional legislative, administrative, and judicial means of resolving resource allocation disputes are offered. The techniques of labor mediation and mediation in international disputes are compared to see which are more appropriate for use in public sector resource allocation disputes.
A two-scale algorithm for detection of multiple flaws in structures modeled with XFEM

This paper presents a novel algorithm for detection of multiple aws in structures as an inverse process, where the forward problem is based on eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM). The proposed algorithm can be applied to quantify any aw with arbitrary shape and size (e.g., cracks, voids, or their combination) whose number is unknown beforehand, and is shown to be signicantly more ecient
The Rook's pivoting strategy

Abstract Based on the geometric analysis of Gaussian elimination (GE) found in Neal and Poole (Linear Algebra Appl. 173 (1992) 239–264) and Poole and Neal (Linear Algebra Appl. 149 (1991) 249–272; 162–164 (1992) 309–324), a new pivoting strategy, Rook’s pivoting (RP), was introduced in Neal and Poole (Linear Algebra Appl. 173 (1992) 239–264) which encourages stability in the back-substitution phase of GE while controlling the growth of round-off error during the sweep-out. In fact, Foster (J. Comput. Appl. Math. 86 (1997) 177–194) has previously shown that RP, as with complete pivoting, cannot have exponential growth error. Empirical evidence presented in Neal and Poole (Linear Algebra Appl. 173 (1992) 239–264) showed that RP produces computed solutions with consistently greater accuracy than partial pivoting. That is, Rook's pivoting is, on average, more accurate than partial pivoting, with comparable costs. Moreover, the overhead to implement Rook's pivoting in a scalar or serial environment is only about three times the overhead to implement partial pivoting. The theoretical proof establishing this fact is presented here, and is empirically confirmed in this paper and supported in Foster (J. Comput. Appl. Math. 86 (1997) 177–194).
Triplet State Studies of Organic Chelating Agents I. Zero-Field Splittings as a Measure of Geometrical Changes

Abstract Zero-field splittings have been measured for the triplet states of o-phenanthroline and 2,2′-bipyrldyl in the free and zinc-complexed states. Comparison with hydrocarbon models Indicates that 2,2′-bipyridyl undergoes a significant change in geometry upon complexation. Observations of the δAm=2 transition of 2,2′-biqulnoline indicate that it also undergoes a similar geometrical change.
Hepatitis C virus core protein interacts with fibrinogen-β and attenuates cytokine stimulated acute-phase response†

Fibrinogen-β (FBG-β), an important acute-phase protein (APP), is generated by the liver as a target for inflammatory mediators. Here we identified FBG-β as a hepatitis C virus (HCV) core interacting protein by screening a human liver complementary DNA (cDNA) library using mammalian two-hybrid analysis. An association between FBG-β and HCV core protein was verified by confocal microscopy and coimmunoprecipitation from the transfected human hepatocyte (Huh-7) cell line. HCV core or genomic RNA transfected Huh-7 cells modestly increased FBG-β protein expression when compared to the basal level in control hepatocytes. Transfection of HCV core or full-length (FL) gene into Huh-7 cells up-regulated basal FBG-β promoter activity. Exogenous addition of IL-6 stimulates FBG-β promoter activity in hepatocytes. However, ectopic expression of HCV core or FL in hepatocytes inhibited IL-6-stimulated FBG-β promoter activation. Inhibition of endogenous FBG-β expression following introduction of small interfering RNA (siRNA) into cells displayed a gain of function of promoter regulation by HCV core protein. Further studies suggested that HCV core gene expression in stable transfectants of Huh-7 cells resulted in a basal up-regulation of FBG-β and other APPs. However, treatment with cytokines, interleukin-6 (IL-6), or tumor necrosis factor-α repressed FBG-β and other acute-phase response (APR) genes. Conclusion: Our results reveal that the core/FBG-β interaction may act as a regulatory feedback, allowing repression of IL-6-stimulated APR genes. Together, these data suggested a network of interactions between HCV core and the hepatic APR genes, and may contribute to impaired innate immunity for viral persistence. (HEPATOLOGY 2010.)
The evidence framework applied to classification networks

Three Bayesian ideas are presented for supervised adaptive classifiers. First, it is argued that the output of a classifier should be obtained by marginalizing over the posterior distribution of the parameters; a simple approximation to this integral is proposed and demonstrated. This involves a "moderation" of the most probable classifier's outputs, and yields improved performance. Second, it is demonstrated that the Bayesian framework for model comparison described for regression models in MacKay (1992a,b) can also be applied to classification problems. This framework successfully chooses the magnitude of weight decay terms, and ranks solutions found using different numbers of hidden units. Third, an information-based data selection criterion is derived and demonstrated within this framework.
Restricting environmental stimulation (REST) to enhance cognitive behavioral treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder with schizotypal personality disorder

Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) was used adjunctively in an imaginal exposure plus response prevention treatment for a subject with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with comorbid Schizotypal Personality Disorder. An audio loop tape was used as the eliciting stimuli during exposure to REST. Psychophysiological measures and self reports indicated a substantial reduction of arousal to fear-evoking stimuli, as well as a marked reduction in OCD symptoms. Additionally, imaginal ability and attention to the task appeared to improve in the REST versus non-REST condition in this data-based single case report. Restricted environmental stimulation may enhance the effectiveness of imaginal exposure in patients with treatment refractory OCD.
Rapsyn interacts with the muscle acetylcholine receptor via α-helical domains in the α, β, and ε subunit intracellular loops

At the developing vertebrate neuromuscular junction, the acetylcholine receptor becomes aggregated at high density in the postsynaptic muscle membrane. Receptor localization is regulated by the motoneuron-derived factor, agrin, and requires an intracellular, scaffolding protein called rapsyn. However, it remains unclear where rapsyn binds on the acetylcholine receptor and how their interaction is regulated. In this study, we identified rapsyn's binding site on the acetylcholine receptor using chimeric constructs where the intracellular domain of CD4 was substituted for the major intracellular loop of each mouse acetylcholine receptor subunit. When expressed in heterologous cells, we found that rapsyn clustered and cytoskeletally anchored CD4-α, β and e subunit loops but not CD4-δ loop. Rapsyn-mediated clustering and anchoring was highest for β loop, followed by e and α, suggesting that rapsyn interacts with the loops with different affinities. Moreover, by making deletions within the β subunit intracellular loop, we show that rapsyn interacts with the α-helical region, a secondary structural motif present in the carboxyl terminal portion of the subunit loops. When expressed in muscle cells, rapsyn co-immunoprecipitated together with a CD4-α helical region chimera, independent of agrin signaling. Together, these findings demonstrate that rapsyn interacts with the acetylcholine receptor via an α-helical structural motif conserved between the α, β and e subunits. Binding at this site likely mediates the critical rapsyn interaction involved in localizing the acetylcholine receptor at the neuromuscular junction.
Nutrient and energy allocation during arm regeneration in Echinaster paucispinus (Clark) (Echinodermata; Asteroidea)

Abstract Individuals of Echinaster paucispinus (Clark) were either intact or had two arms amputated, and fed a sub-maintenance ration of food. After 7 months, the new arm was 17% the radius of the intact arm. This rate of regeneration is much lower than that of other species of asteroids fed similar food levels. The greater amount of protein in the body wall of Echinaster paucispinus may be responsible. Gonadal growth occurred in both intact and regenerating individuals with an overall decrease in size of the pyloric caeca. Allocation to reproduction takes precedence over the deposition and retention of nutrient stores. Regenerating individuals gained energy (kJ), while intact individuals lost energy. This difference may result from a combination of higher food levels/individual and more efficient food utilization and decreased maintenance requirements (especially of body wall). This leads to more energy available for growth. Asteroids in general, show similar responses in allocation to the disturbance of arm loss and the stress of sub-optimal food. The stress-tolerant species, Echinaster paucispinus, has a slow rate of arm regeneration.
A database of civilian vehicle sounds and its seismic/acoustic spectral features

We have completed the building of an extensive database of correlated acoustical and seismic signatures of a large number (exceeding 850) of civilian vehicles. Each acoustic signature is obtained through two high-quality microphones separated by 25 feet, and whose signals are exactly synchronized. The seismic signature is through a high-quality accelerometer, which is weakly synchronized with the acoustical signals. Preliminary results presented here show that the mean spectral skewness and kurtosis can be used to distinguish different branded vehicles. We present our data collection procedures and some experimental results based on the computation of the acoustic and seismic spectral features for Honda, Nissan and Toyota cars.1
A Comparison of the Perceptual Benefits of Linear Perspective and Physically-Based Illumination for Display of Dense 3D Streamtubes

Large datasets typically contain coarse features comprised of finer sub-features. Even if the shapes of the small structures are evident in a 3D display, the aggregate shapes they suggest may not be easily inferred. From previous studies in shape perception, the evidence has not been clear whether physically-based illumination confers any advantage over local illumination for understanding scenes that arise in visualization of large data sets that contain features at two distinct scales. In this paper we show that physically-based illumination can improve the perception for some static scenes of complex 3D geometry from flow fields. We perform human-subjects experiments to quantify the effect of physically-based illumination on participant performance for two tasks: selecting the closer of two streamtubes from a field of tubes, and identifying the shape of the domain of a flow field over different densities of tubes. We find that physically-based illumination influences participant performance as strongly as perspective projection, suggesting that physically-based illumination is indeed a strong cue to the layout of complex scenes. We also find that increasing the density of tubes for the shape identification task improved participant performance under physically-based illumination but not under the traditional hardware-accelerated illumination model.
Rapid measurement of impedance and admittance

A method is described for direct, rapid, and simultaneous measurement of the real and quadrature components of a driving-point or transfer impedance and admittance over a wide and continuous range of frequency. Basically, the method employs a mixer which derives its signal and local oscillator voltages from the voltage across and current through the unknown impedance respectively. With the unknown driven by a sinusoidal constant current, the mixer d-c output is linearly related to the unknown resistance. If the phase difference between the two derived voltages is altered by 90 degrees, the mixer d-c output is linearly related to the unknown reactance. To measure the components of an admittance, the unknown is driven by a sinusoidal constant voltage and the signal and local oscillator voltages are interchanged. Apparatus using this method for measurement of impedance and admittance in the frequency range of 50 kc to 5 megacycles (mc) has been built. With suitable modifications of detail, the method appears to be usable from acoustic to microwave frequencies.
Performance optimization of an InP-based widely tunable all-optical wavelength converter operating at 40 Gb/s

We report on the design and performance optimization of a quantum-well active region-based semiconductor optical amplifier Mach-Zehnder interferometer wavelength converter monolithically integrated with a widely tunable sampled-grating distributed Bragg reflector laser, operating differentially at 40 Gb/s. The device is fabricated using an offset quantum-well platform, requiring a single regrowth. We show error-free operation, with a less than 3-dB power penalty at the optimal differential delay, and open eyes across a 25-nm output tuning range
MPOA and BNST lesions in male Syrian hamsters: Differential effects on copulatory and chemoinvestigatory behaviors

Electrolytic lesions were made in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) to evaluate their participation in the neural regulation of copulatory and chemoinvestigatory behaviors in male hamsters. Damage to either the MPOA or the BNST caused severe deficits in copulatory performance in a subset of the animals in each group. In the MPOA group all males displaying severe deficits had lesions which included a small central region of the caudal MPOA. In the BNST group, animals with severe copulatory deficits all had large lesions which covered most of both the medial and lateral parts of the nucleus. In contrast, MPOA and BNST lesions differentially affected chemoinvestigatory behaviors. MPOA lesions did not affect any of the males' anogenital investigation rates or attraction to female odors, even though some of these hamsters had stopped mating completely. Males with BNST lesions, on the other hand, all displayed significant reductions in their chemoinvestigatory responding even though the majority of them continued to mate normally. We suggest that the MPOA and BNST may in part regulate male sexual behavior by differentially responding to 'attractant' and 'mounting' substances within female hamster vaginal secretion.
A 'flip' experiment in a chemically reacting turbulent mixing layer

An experimental investigation of entrainment and mixing in a reacting, uniform density, liquid plane shear layer has been carried out using laser-induced fluorescence diagnostics. Results indicate that the reactants mix on a molecular level and react at a composition that is nearly uniform across the transverse extent of the layer. The composition of the mixed fluid is found to be asymmetric with an excess of high-speed fluid, suggesting that entrainment into the shear layer is also asymmetric. These results are at variance with predictions of conventional models of turbulent transport and mixing.
ESTRADA INDEX OF GENERAL WEIGHTED GRAPHS

Let $G$ be a general weighted graph (with possible self-loops) on $n$ vertices and $\lambda_1,\lambda_2,\cdots,\lambda_n$ be its eigenvalues. The Estrada index of $G$ is a graph invariant defined as $EE=\sum_{i=1}^ne^{\lambda_i}$. We present a generic expression for $EE$ based on weights of closed walks in $G$. We establish lower and upper bounds for $EE$ in terms of low-order spectral moments involving the weights of closed walks. A concrete example of calculation is provided. 10.1017/S0004972712000676
Does hospital volume predict outcomes and complications after total shoulder arthroplasty in the US

Objective To assess the association of hospital procedure volume for total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) with patient outcomes and complications. Methods We used the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 1998–2011 to study the association of hospital annual TSA procedure volume with patient characteristics and TSA outcomes, including discharge disposition (home versus inpatient facility), length of index hospitalization, postarthroplasty periprosthetic fracture, and revision. Annual hospital TSA volume was categorized as <5, 5–9, 10–14, 15–24, and ≥25 TSA procedures annually. Results Patients receiving TSA at higher volume hospitals were more likely to be female (P < 0.0001) and white (P < 0.0001). Compared to low volume hospitals (<5, 5–9, or 10–14 procedures annually), patients receiving TSA at higher volume hospitals (15–24 or ≥25 procedures annually) had significantly lower likelihood of being discharged to an inpatient medical facility: 16.5%, 13.4%, 13.0%, 12.7%, and 11.5%, respectively (P < 0.0001); hospital stay above the overall median: 46.6%, 40.4%, 36.6%, 34.4%, and 29.2%, respectively (P < 0.0001); postarthroplasty fracture: 1.2%, 0.8%, 0.9%, 0.6%, and 0.8%, respectively (P = 0.0004); blood transfusion: 8%, 7.1%, 6.7%, 7.1%, and 5.5%, respectively (P = 0.006); and TSA revision: 0.5%, 0.3%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.3%, respectively (P = 0.045). Conclusion In this study, we found that higher annual hospital TSA volume was associated with better TSA outcomes in the US. These findings document the impact of annual hospital TSA volume on TSA outcomes. Patients, surgeons, and policy-makers should be aware of these findings and take them into account in decision-making, policy decisions, and resource allocation.
Two-stage mechanism for activation of the DNA replication checkpoint kinase Cds1 in fission yeast

The DNA replication checkpoint is a complex signal transduction pathway, present in all eukaryotic cells, that functions to maintain genomic integrity and cell viability when DNA replication is perturbed. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe the major effector of the replication checkpoint is the protein kinase Cds1. Activation of Cds1 is known to require the upstream kinase Rad3 and the mediator Mrc1, but the biochemical mechanism of activation is not well understood. We report that the replication checkpoint is activated in two stages. In the first stage, Mrc1 recruits Cds1 to stalled replication forks by interactions between the FHA domain of Cds1 and specific phosphorylated Rad3 consensus sites in Mrc1. Cds1 is then primed for activation by Rad3-dependent phosphorylation. In the second stage, primed Cds1 molecules dimerize via phospho-specific interactions mediated by the FHA domains and are activated by autophosphorylation. This two-stage activation mechanism for the replication checkpoint allows for rapid activation with a high signal-to-noise ratio.
Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal and Sympathetic Nervous System Activity and Children's Behavioral Regulation.

Self-regulation ability is an important compo- nent of children's academic success. Physiological reactivity may relate to brain activity governing attention and behavioral regulation. Saliva samples collected from 186 preschool chil- dren (101 boys, mean age = 53 months, 34% minority) before and after a series of mildly challenging games and again 30 min following the challenges were used to assess hypothalamic-pi- tuitary-adrenal (HPA) (cortisol) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS; alpha-amylase) activity. Behavioral regulation was measured in delay of gratification and slow-down motor activities included in the challenge task. Cortisol and alpha- amylase were related differentially to aspects of behavioral regulation. Low cortisol was related to classroom regulation difficulties. Children with greater cortisol elevations following the challenge task had poorer performance on the slow- down motor task. Children with greater increases in salivary alpha-amylase following challenge were less able to delay grat- ification. Results suggest that HPA axis and SNS arousal may contribute differentially to behavioral regulation ability.
3D image segmentation implementation on FPGA using the EM/MPM algorithm

In this paper, 3D image segmentation is implemented on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) hardware. Segmentation is performed using the EM/MPM Bayesian algorithm. This algorithm segments 3D images using neighboring pixels in a Markov Random Field (MRF) clique. We have implemented this iterative algorithm in Xilinx FPGA, and have achieved greater than 100 times improvement over standard desktop computing hardware. Key to achieving this speed are: a pipelined, parallel data path structure and a novel memory interface for solving the external memory bandwidth problem.
Introduction to the Major Contribution Counseling Psychology and Online Counseling

This article introduces the Major Contribution, which focuses on online counseling. Several acronyms and terms are presented to familiarize the reader with distance-communication technology, including a definition of online counseling. The authors show how counseling psychology provides a framework for specific questions related to the theory, research, and practice of online counseling. In addition, they discuss counseling psychology’s emphasis on the scientist-practitioner model, history of process and outcome research, and unifying themes to provide a context for the succeeding articles on the research and practice of online counseling.
Implications of a segmentation-based motion compensation scheme for the case of a block transform encoder

Sipitca and Madisetti (see VCIP '96, Orlando, Florida, 1996) have proposed the use of analog position sensors for a more accurate motion compensation on videoconferencing sequences. We investigate the results of including such a motion compensation scheme in a transform based encoder. The more successful motion compensation makes the resulting displaced frame difference (DFD) less correlated. In fact, the autocorrelation function goes practically to zero for a lag larger than 4-5 pels. Therefore, the 4/spl times/4 DCT can be used instead of the 8/spl times/8 DCT. This helps in dealing better with the relatively small regions where the DFD takes on larger values-on the border regions and in the new information regions. Finally, a block swapping algorithm and an appropriate error measure are introduced.
H∞-Optimal Control of Singularly Perturbed Systems with Sampled-State Measurement

One of the important recent developments in control theory has been the recognition of the close relationship that exists between H ∞-optimal control problems, (originally formulated in the frequency domain [1] [2], and then extended to state space formulations [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]) and a class of linear-quadratic differential games [9] [10] [11] [12] [13], which has not only led to simpler derivations of existing results on the former, but also enabled us to develop worst-case (H ∞-optimal) controllers under various information patterns, such as (in addition to perfect and imperfect state measurements) delayed state and sampled state measurements [14] [15]. An up-to-date coverage of this relationship and the derivation of H ∞-optimal controllers under different information patterns can be found in the recent book [16], which also contains an extensive list of references on the topic.
Lessons learned from difficult or unsuccessful cannulations of the superior ophthalmic vein in the treatment of cavernous sinus dural fistulas.

Objective Retrograde cannulation of the superior ophthalmic vein (SOV) is an important route for embolization of cavernous sinus dural fistulas (CDF). We present our experience with technically difficult cases in which it was not possible to isolate or cannulate this vein. Design Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series. Patients All patients diagnosed with dural CDF at the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center between January, 1993, and July, 2005, and who were treated with embolization via the SOV. Methods The clinical records of all patients were reviewed. Main Outcome Measures Patient demographics, clinical presentation, and surgical findings. Results Of 91 patients diagnosed with CDF during the study period, 25 patients (16 females, 9 males; mean age, 59 years) were treated with embolization via the SOV. In 6 of them (24%; 4 women and 2 men; mean age, 67 years), there were significant difficulties in cannulation of the SOV or in successful closure of the fistula with this approach. Three patients had a fragile or a very small vein that could not be cannulated, and 1 of the 3 also had a large, posteriorly located varix that bled extensively on attempted cannulation. In 2 other patients, the anterior segment of the SOV was clotted and the catheter could not be threaded. In 1 patient, an inferior location of the supraorbital vein resulted in difficulties in correct identification of the SOV. Conclusions Although the SOV is a useful route for CDF embolization, the presence of fragile or clotted veins can preclude successful cannulation. Deeper orbital dissections carry a higher risk of uncontrolled bleeding and should be avoided, especially in older patients with fragile veins and those with recently diagnosed high-flow fistulas.
Centrally mediated erectile dysfunction in rats with type 1 diabetes: role of angiotensin II and superoxide

Introduction Erectile dysfunction is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus. Apart from the peripheral actions, central mechanisms are also responsible for penile erection.
Wearout Effects of Different Advertising Themes: A Dynamic Bayesian Model of the Advertising-Sales Relationship

Models of advertising response implicitly assume that the entire advertising budget is spent on disseminating one message. In practice, managers use different themes of advertising (for example, price advertisements versus product advertisements) and within each theme they employ different versions of an advertisement. In this study, we evaluate the dynamic effects of different themes of advertising that have been employed in a campaign. We develop a model that jointly considers the effects of wearout as well as that of forgetting in the context of an advertising campaign that employs five different advertising themes. We quantify the differential wearout effects across the different themes of advertising and examine the interaction effects between the different themes using a Bayesian dynamic linear model (DLM). Such a response model can help managers decide on the optimal allocation of resources across the portfolio of ads as well as better manage their scheduling. We develop a model to show how our response model parameters can be used to improve the effectiveness of advertising budget allocation across different themes. We find that a reallocation of resources across different themes according to our model results in a significant improvement in demand.
Tag SNP selection based on multivariate linear regression

The search for the association between complex diseases and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or haplotypes has been recently received great attention. For these studies, it is essential to use a small subset of informative SNPs (tag SNPs) accurately representing the rest of the SNPs. Tagging can achieve budget savings by genotyping only a limited number of SNPs and computationally inferring all other SNPs and compaction of extremely long SNP sequences (obtained, e.g., from Affimetrix Map Array) for further fine genotype analysis. Tagging should first choose tags from the SNPs under consideration and then knowing the values of chosen tag SNPs predict (or statistically cover) the non-tag SNPs. In this paper we propose a new SNP prediction method based on rounding of multivariate linear regression (MLR) analysis in sigma-restricted coding. When predicting a non-tag SNP, the MLR method accumulates information about all tag SNPs resulting in significantly higher prediction accuracy with the same number of tags than for the previously known tagging methods. We also show that the tag selection strongly depends on how the chosen tags will be used – advantage of one tag set over another can only be considered with respect to a certain prediction method. Two simple universal tag selection methods have been applied: a (faster) stepwise and a (slower) local-minimization tag selection algorithms. An extensive experimental study on various datasets including 6 regions from HapMap shows that the MLR prediction combined with stepwise tag selection uses significantly fewer tags (e.g., up to two times less tags to reach 90% prediction accuracy) than the state-of-art methods of Halperin et al. [8] for genotypes and Halldorsson et al.[7] for haplotypes, respectively. Our stepwise tagging matches the quality of while being faster than STAMPA [8]. The code is publicly available at http://alla.cs.gsu.edu/~software.
Lists: The Basic Data Structure

Information stored within a computer system is called data. The types of data we have seen are numbers and symbols. Collectively, these are called atoms.
Return-path, multiple-principal-angle, internal-reflection ellipsometer for measuring IR optical properties of aqueous solutions

A retroreflection (return-path) spectroscopic ellipsometer without a wave plate is described that uses an IR-transparent high-refractive-index hemicylindrical semiconductor substrate to measure the optical properties of aqueous solutions from multiple principal angles and multiple principal azimuths of attenuated internal reflection (AIR) at the semiconductor-solution interface. The pseudo-Brewster angle of minimum reflectance for the p polarization is also readily measured using the same instrument. This wealth of data can also be used to characterize thin films at the solid-liquid interface. Simulated results of AIR at the Si-water interface over the 1.2-11?mum IR spectral range are presented in support of this concept. The optical properties of water and aqueous solutions are important for modeling radiative transfer in the atmosphere and oceans and for biomedical and tissue optics.
Distributed hardware matcher framework for SoC survivability

Modern systems on chip (SoCs) are rapidly becoming complex high-performance computational devices, featuring multiple general purpose processor cores and a variety of functional IP blocks, communicating with each other through on-die fabric. While modular SoC design provides power savings and simplifies the development process, it also leaves significant room for a special type of hardware bugs, interaction errors, to slip through pre- and post-silicon verification. Consequently, hard to fix silicon escapes may be discovered late in production schedule or even after a market release, potentially causing costly delays or recalls. In this work we propose a unified error detection and recovery framework that incorporates programmable features into the on-die fabric of an SoC, so triggers of escaped interaction bugs can be detected at runtime. Furthermore, upon detection, our solution locks the interface of an IP for a programmed time period, thus altering interactions between accesses and bypassing the bug in a manner transparent to software. For classes of errors that cannot be circumvented by this in-hardware technique our framework is programmed to propagate the error detection to the software layer. Our experiments demonstrate that the proposed framework is capable of detecting a range of interaction errors with less than 0.01% performance penalty and 0.45% area overhead.
Adipose Tissue Growth and Obesity

Since the publication of the first edition of this treatise, there has been steady progress in the understanding of adipose tissue growth and development, particularly with regard to the problem of obesity. The results of a wide variety of experiments have begun to answer important questions at all levels from the cellular to the human/organismic. Extensive review articles written during this time chart the progress of these studies and suggest the directions to be taken by future research (e.g., Hirsch et al., 1979; Kirtland and Gurr, 1979; Hausman et al., 1980; Leibel et al., 1983; Harris and Martin, 1984; Faust and Kral, 1985; Leibel, 1985b). Three particularly noteworthy books have also appeared during the past few years (Bonnet, 1981; Angel et al., 1983; Van and Cryer, 1985), which are devoted almost entirely to detailed reviews of major subtopics in the areas of adipose tissue growth, adipose tissue metabolism and obesity. The present chapter focuses on a selection of recent findings pertaining to the growth of adipose tissue, the regulation of adipose mass, and aspects of these processes that bear on the problem of obesity.
Computational and experimental study of composite scarf bonded joints

The scarf joint is commonly used to construct a large-size composite structure piece by piece or to repair a damaged composite structure. Because the interface of the scarf joint does not have any continuous reinforcement from one part to the next, it is generally the weakest link of a polymer composite structure. This chapter discusses the strength of the scarf joint of a polymer composite structure. Both computational and experimental studies are presented. For each study, the general interface strength is first discussed and then the scarf joint is presented. The numerical study focuses on proper modeling of the interface and the scarf joint in order to predict the interface strength. Furthermore, a technique is presented to enhance the interface strength of the scarf joint using nano-size particles, especially carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers.
Program Director Opinion on the Ideal Length of Residency Training in Emergency Medicine.

OBJECTIVE This study sought to define expert opinion on the ideal length of training (LoT) for Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited emergency medicine (EM) residency programs. METHODS A cross-sectional Web-based survey was sent to program directors (PDs) at all ACGME-accredited EM residency programs during a study period of August to October 2014. The primary outcome of ideal LoT was determined in two ways: 1) subjects provided the ideal total LoT in months and 2) then separately selected the type and number of rotations for an ideal EM residency curriculum by month, the sum of which provided an alternative measurement of their ideal LoT. We did not include vacation time. Descriptive statistics and an analysis of variance are reported. RESULTS Response rate was 68.0% (108/159) with 72% of respondents (78/108) directing programs in the PGY 1-3 (36-month) format and 28% directing PGY 1-4 (48-month) programs. More than half of subjects (51.9%) have direct personal experience with both formats. When asked about ideal total LoT, PDs averaged 41.5 months (n = 107; SD = 5.5 months, range = 36-60 months). When asked to provide durations of individual clinical experiences for their ideal EM program, the sum total (n = 104) averaged 45.0 months. Results from a factorial analysis of variance revealed statistically significant effects of PDs' past training experiences: participants who trained in a 36-month program had statistically significantly lower LoT (mean = 39.2 months) than participants who trained in a 48-month program (mean = 44.5 months). There was also a statistically significant effect of current program format on ideal LoT: participants who directed a 36-month program had statistically significantly lower LoT (mean = 39.8 months) than participants who directed a 48-month program (mean = 45.8 months). CONCLUSIONS PD opinion on ideal LoT averages between 36 and 48 months, but is longer when the sum of desired clinical rotations is considered. While half of the respondents reported direct experience with both PGY 1-3 and PGY 1-4 training programs, opinions on ideal LoT through both methods corresponded strongly with the length of the program the PDs trained in and the format of the program they currently direct. PD opinions may be too biased by their own experiences to provide objective input on the ideal LoT for EM residency programs.
Routing Flexible Traffic into Metroplex

This research introduces the concepts of metroplex and flexible flight. The dependency metric between the airports in a metroplex is illustrated. Moreover, this paper focuses on metroplex routing algorithm. The authors establish a network model and develop the routing algorithm for flexible flights which fly from their original airports to destination metroplexes based on the model. The routing algorithm is performed under the sector congestion constraint. A metroplex consists of several airports around a metropolitan area instead of one single airport. As a flexible flight follows the metroplex routing instructions and approaches the decision boundary of the metroplex, a scheduler in the Multi-center Traffic Management Advisor (McTMA) will decide which runway of which airport the flight will land in. Together the routing and the scheduling make a complete flexible flight operation.
COMPARATIVE REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF MONTANE AND PIEDMONT CHORUS FROGS.

Sub-units of a species living in contrasting environments may respond to differences in their respective habitats by developing differentially adaptive traits. For example, Moore (1942, 1946, and 1949) has demonstrated differences in both developmental temperature tolerances and coefficients between northern and southern populations of R. pipiens. Also, Ruibal (1955) has shown that populations of R. pipiens from different elevations in Mexico exhibit different rates of development at all temperatures tested. Embryos from higher elevations develop more slowly than their lowland counterparts. Ruibal suggests that this difference may be due to a history of selection for rapid development in the lowland localities resulting from greater interspecific competition in the larval stage. This phenomenon, called special adaptation by Brown (1958), may be most conveniently elucidated by comparing different conspecific local populations which are geographically proximate, thus minimizing the effects of differentiation due to isolation by distance. An opportunity to study this mechanism under near optimal conditions is afforded by populations of the boreal chorus frog, Pseudacris triseriata (Weid), in northern Colorado. In this area populations of P. triseriata occur at elevations from less than 4900 ft to above 10,000 ft. A presumed result of this elevation gradient has been the development and maintenance of numerous differences between montane and and piedmont chorus frogs. Variations in body size, adult temperature tolerance, and metabolism have been described in a previous paper (Pettus and Spencer, 1964). The purpose of this paper is to report our observations on variations in the eggs of these frogs and the results of a series of experiments designed to reveal differences in temperature effects during development. Both Moore (1949) and Ruibal (1955) have reported geographic variation in egg size of Rana pipiens. Moore's data show, with one striking reversal, a correlation between increased egg diameter and increased latitude. Ruibal reported only minor variation in egg diameters in spite of the fact that his samples were drawn from populations over a wide range of elevations.
Energy storage systems for PV-based communal grids

Abstract In this paper energy storage systems used with PV power generators are reviewed with a focus on batteries. Merits and demerits of different storage technologies are compared. Batteries are further reviewed, modelled and simulated, with a focus on the four most common battery technologies used with PV systems, i.e., lead-acid (Pb-acid), lithium-ion (Li-ion), nickel-metal-hydride (Ni-MH), and nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd). Pb-acid batteries are the cheapest and most widely available but they also have the lowest charging/discharging cycles. Ni-MH and Ni-Cd batteries have many similar characteristics with the latter being the most temperature resistant of all batteries. However, these technologies are not widely available and are quite expensive compared to Pb-Acid batteries. Li-ion batteries have the fastest charging/discharging cycles and highest efficiencies of up to 99%. However, they are also the most expensive and are also not widely available in developing communities; the merits and demerits of the four battery technologies mentioned above are compared in a table.