cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
α‐Luminol prevents decreases in glutamate, glutathione, and glutamine synthetase in the retinas of glaucomatous DBA/2J mice

Objective To test the hypothesis that in DBA/2J mice, oxidative stress decreases glutamine synthetase (GS) levels resulting in a loss of neuronal glutamate and that the antioxidant α-luminol (GVT®) decreases this stress and glutamate loss in some types of glaucoma. Animals DBA/2J mice were separated into two groups, of which one was not treated, and the other treated with GVT in the drinking water. At 7 months of age, retinas were examined from five untreated DBA/2J mice, seven GVT-treated mice, and five C57BL/6 mice (negative controls). Methods Serial 0.5 μm plastic sections were immunogold stained for glutamate, GS, and total glutathione, followed by image analysis for staining patterns and density. Results Focal decreases in glutamate immunostaining were common in the inner nuclear layer (INL) of DBA/2J retinas, but not in C57BL/6 or GVT-treated DBA/2J retinas. Decreases in glutathione and GS immunostaining were found in DBA/2J retinal regions where neuronal glutamate immunostaining was reduced. Retinas from GVT-treated DBA/2J had no significant decreases in INL levels of glutamate, glutathione, or GS. Conclusions Retinas of dogs with primary glaucoma are reported to have focal depletion of neuronal glutamate. In DBA/2J mice, similar changes occur prior to the development of clinical disease. In these focal glutamate-depleted regions, levels of glutathione and GS are also reduced, consistent with the hypothesis that oxidative stress contributes to retinal changes in glaucoma. The ability of GVT, an antioxidant, to inhibit retinal abnormalities in DBA/2J mice provides further support for this hypothesis.
Workspace Analysis for the Limbs of a Hexapedal Robot Walking Gait Generation Algorithm Development

The Multi-Appendage Robotic System (MARS) is a hexapedal robotic platform capable of walking and of performing manipulation tasks. Each of the six limbs of MARS incorporates a three-degree of freedom (DOF), kinematically spherical proximal joint, similar to a shoulder or hip joint, and a 1-DOF distal joint, similar to an elbow or knee joint. The generation of walking gaits for such robots with multiple limbs requires a thorough understanding of the kinematics of the limbs, including their workspace. Since the entire limb workspace cannot be used in a statically stable alternating tripedal gait for such a robot, a subset of the general limb workspace is defined to be used for walking gait generation algorithms. The specific abilities of a walking algorithm dictate the usable workspace for the limbs. Generally speaking, the more general the walking algorithm is, the less constricted the workspace becomes. In this paper we develop the workspaces for the limb of MARS in the knee up configuration, which range from simple 2D geometry to complex 3D volume, and analyze its limitations for use in walking on flat level surfaces. Next we discuss the case when the robot body is not parallel to the ground. The results from this paper can be applied to the development of walking gait generation algorithms.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Fracture Porosity From Pressure Transient Data

The storage capacity ratio (ω) measures the flow capacitance of the secondary porosity and the interporosity flow parameter (λ) is related to the heterogeneity scale of the system. Currently, both parameters λ and ω are obtained from well test data by using the conventional semilog analysis, type-curve matching or the TDS Technique. Warren and Root showed how the parameter ω can be obtained from semilog plots. However, no accurate equation is proposed in the literature for calculating fracture porosity.
Buoyant Eddies Entering the Labrador Sea Observed with Gliders and Altimetry

Abstract Intense, buoyant anticyclonic eddies spawned from the west Greenland boundary current were observed with high-resolution autonomous Seaglider hydrography and satellite altimetry as they entered the Labrador Sea interior. Surveys of their internal structure establish the transport of both low-salinity water in the upper ocean and warm, saline Irminger water at depth. The observed eddies can contribute significantly to the rapid restratification of the Labrador Sea interior following wintertime deep convection. These eddies have saline cores between 200 and 1000 m, low-salinity cores above 200 m, and a velocity field that penetrates to at least 1000 m, with 0–1000-m average speeds exceeding 40 cm s−1. Their trajectory, together with earlier estimates of the gyre circulation, suggests why the observed region of deep convection is so small and does not occur where wintertime cooling by the atmosphere is most intense. The cyclostrophic surface velocity field of the anticylones from satellite altimetry...
Twentieth-Century Arms Control Policy May Fail in the Twenty-First

Beginning in the early 1980s, the central theme of U.S. diplomacy with the former Soviet Union and now Russia has been the mutual reduction of the overwhelming destructive capability of strategic arsenals as a means to reduce the primary threat to America. The record of accomplishment is impressive. Not only are the allowed force levels in the latest agreement dramatically lower than their Cold War peaks, the New START Treaty continues and builds on protocols that have created unprecedented transparency and confidence. It is time to ask: What is the next step that will have the highest payoff in reducing the nuclear threat to America? Between the United States and Russia, where the strategic calculus is very well understood, further bilateral stockpile reductions in the near term will lead to only limited improvements in national security. Priority and resources should be shifted to understanding how to deal with the emerging realities of a multipolar nuclear world, where risks can be just as grave and th...
Solving Problems with Semidefinite and Related Constraints Using Interior-Point Methods for Nonlinear Programming

In this paper, we describe how to reformulate a problem that has second-order cone and/or semidefiniteness constraints in order to solve it using a general-purpose interior-point algorithm for nonlinear programming. The resulting problems are smooth and convex, and numerical results from the DIMACS Implementation Challenge problems and SDPLib are provided.
It’s not just what you say but when you say it: Self-presentation and temporal construal ☆

Three experiments demonstrated that the use and effectiveness of self-presentation strategies are affected by time. In Experiment 1, participants used more indirect self-presentation statements for the distant than near future, but used more direct self-presentation statements for the near than distant future. In Experiment 2, participants for whom indirect self-presentation strategies were made accessible rated a future interview as more temporally distant than those for whom direct self-presentation strategies were made accessible. In Experiment 3, participants rated their self-presentation attempts as more effective if they used direct strategies for the near future and indirect strategies for the distant future. Implications for studying the timing of self-presentation and its relation to temporal construal levels are discussed.
Infrared and raman spectra of bis(imidotetraphenyldithiodiphosphino-S,S′) complexes with Cu(II), Co(II) and Fe(II)d

Abstract The infrared and Raman spectra of KL, FeL2, CoL2 and CuL2 (L = imidotetraphenyldithiodiphosphino anion) have been obtained in the range from 1600-200 cm−1. To assign the chelate ring vibrations of CuL2 resonance Raman spectra have been measured as a function of the exciting frequency. The CuS stretching vibration (F2) of the tetrahedral CuS4 core has been located at 292-283 cm−1 based on the 63Cu-65 Cu isotope shift observed in the far-infrared spectra. The totally symmetric CuS stretching vibration (A1) appears strongly at 206 cm−1 in the Raman spectrum. These results have been utilized to assign the spectra of the remaining compounds.
Interlaboratory Comparison of Neuropathology Assessments in Alzheimer's Disease: A Study of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD)

Concerns about intercenter variation in methods and interpretation prompted CERAD investigators to examine standardization of the neuropathological assessment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Contiguous frontal lobe sections derived from autopsy brains of eight patients clinically diagnosed as having probable AD and two cognitively normal individuals were distributed to 24 neuropathologists from 18 medical centers in the United States and Canada. Using their routine staining method(s), neuropathologists determined the rank order of severity of AD neuropathology in these cases, as well as semiquantitative and quantitative senile plaque and neurofibrillary tangle frequencies. Ranking of the ten cases revealed 75% inter-rater reliability among the 24 raters. Semiquantitative analyses showed reasonable inter-rater agreement, whereas quantitative measures yielded significant differences between raters for plaque and tangle counts (p < 0.0001). These differences reflected variation in stain sensitivity, staining technique (even when the same stain was used), and interpretation of the histological findings. Ratings on the cases with the highest proportions of diffuse plaques showed the greatest dependence upon stain sensitivity and variability in interpretation. This study indicates that greater attention to quality improvement is needed for the neuropathological evaluation of AD, particularly when pooling data in multicenter studies such as CERAD.
A Systematic Procedure for Preparing Specifications on Electronic Instrumentation and Control Systems

This is a report on the development of a systematic procedure for preparing specifications for electronic instrumentation or control systems. This procedure aids in the preparation of specifications which: 1) make it possible to find any particular specification requirement quickly, and 2) insure that no important requirement has been omitted. Details of this procedure and a discussion of advantages gained through its use are presented. Also discussed is a technique for specification review and revision that helps to improve the proficiency of engineers at specification writing.
BELLS GALORE: OSCILLATIONS AND CIRCLE-MAP DYNAMICS FROM SPACE-FILLING FRACTAL FUNCTIONS

The construction of a host of interesting patterns over one and two dimensions, as transformations of multifractal measures via fractal interpolating functions related to simple affine mappings, is reviewed. It is illustrated that, while space-filling fractal functions most commonly yield limiting Gaussian distribution measures (bells), there are also situations (depending on the affine mappings parameters) in which there is no limit. Specifically, the one-dimensional case may result in oscillations between two bells, whereas the two-dimensional case may give rise to unexpected circle map dynamics of an arbitrary number of two-dimensional circular bells. It is also shown that, despite the multitude of bells over two dimensions, whose means dance making regular polygons or stars inscribed on a circle, the iteration of affine maps yields exotic kaleidoscopes that decompose such an oscillatory pattern in a way that is similar to the many cases that converge to a single bell.
Delayed split whole abdominal irradiation in the combined modality treatment of ovarian cancer.

Fifty-eight patients with ovarian malignancies have been treated using a delayed split whole abdominal irradiation technique (DSA) allowing the entire tumor volume to be irradiated with tumoricidal fractional doses without undue toxicity. The lower hemiabdomen was irradiated with 2 Gy per fraction to a total dose of 40 Gy. A 2-6 hour delay was used between the irradiation of each half of the abdomen to avoid excessive acute gastrointestinal toxicity. The upper hemiabdomen was irradiated with 1.5 Gy per fraction to a total dose of 30 Gy. The acute toxicity was acceptable, with 53 of 58 patients able to complete the prescribed course of treatment. Three patients (5%) experienced grade 3 or greater acute gastrointestinal toxicity. Fourteen of 60 patients (24%) required treatment breaks because of thrombocytopenia. Nadir platelet counts were lower in patients who had received previous chemotherapy than in previously untreated patients (80,000 vs 118,000; p = .02). However, only 4 out of 60 patients were unable to complete DSA because of prolonged thrombocytopenia. In addition to DSA, patients were also treated with intraperitoneal 32P (52 patients), intraperitoneal human ovarian antitumor serum (14 patients), and prior (14 patients) or subsequent (32 patients) chemotherapy. Granulocytopenia was more severe among patients who had received prior chemotherapy (mean nadir 900 vs 2200). Seven patients (11.5%) developed delayed bowel obstruction in the absence of recurrence. There was one death caused by hepatitis, presumably related to colloidal 32P and DSA. Twenty-five percent of Stage III optimally cytoreduced patients were disease-free at 5 years; these patients had a median survival of 45 months. DSA irradiation is an acceptable technique for delivering a high fractional dose of radiation to the entire peritoneal cavity. Shielding of the iliac crests spares bone marrow allowing DSA irradiation to be integrated into an aggressive combined modality treatment plan.
Molecular Dynamics Modeling of Heat Transport in Metals and Semiconductors

Interfacial thermal transport is of great importance in a number of practical applications where interfacial resistance between layers is frequently a major bottleneck to effective heat dissipation. For example, efficient heat transfer at silicon/aluminum and silicon/copper interfaces is very critical in power electronics packages used in hybrid electric vehicle applications. It is therefore important to understand the factors that govern and impact thermal transport at semiconductor/metal interfaces. Hence, in this study, we use classical molecular dynamics modeling to understand and study thermal transport in silicon and aluminum, and some preliminary modeling to study thermal transport at the interface between silicon and aluminum. A good match is shown between our modeling results for thermal conductivity in silicon and aluminum and the experimental data. The modeling results from this study also match well with relevant numerical studies in the literature for thermal conductivity. In addition, preliminary modeling results indicate that the interfacial thermal conductance for a perfect silicon/aluminum interface is of the same order as experimental data in the literature as well as diffuse mismatch model results accounting for realistic phonon dispersion curves.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Evaluation of lignin and cellulose contributions to low-rank coal formation by alkaline cupric oxide oxidation

Oxidation with alkaline cupric oxide has been combined with solid-state 13C-n.m.r. spectroscopy to evaluate the cellulose and lignin input to the formation of low rank coals. Model studies carried out on lignin-cellulose mixtures, carbonified cellulose, synthetic coals and synthetic humic acids (melanoidins) have established m-hydroxybenzoic acid as a source indicator for cellulose. This product has been found specifically in the oxidation of bio- and geo-macromolecules containing cellulose and/or thermally altered cellulosic material and is chemically distinct from the characteristic oxidation products of lignin-derived materials. Systematic changes in the distribution of the major oxidation products from lignin provide a chemical fingerprint which, in general, can be utilized to trace the thermal history of the sample. Analysis of two lignite coals from the northern hemisphere has demonstrated their predominantly lignitic origin. On the other hand, a Victorian brown coal (pale lithotype) sample is shown to contain a significant amount of highly transformed carbohydrate materials which are presumably incorporated into the macromolecular structure as humic acid derivatives.
INFLUENCES OF GAS NUCLEUS SCALE ON CAVITATION

The influences of gas nucleus scale on cavitation are analysied in this paper. The results show that there are different inception conditions, growth and collapse processes of bubble for the gas nucleus with different scale. The influences should be considered in calculating and simulating cavitation.
ToF-SIMS characterization of hybridization onto self-assembled single-stranded DNA monolayers

Abstract DNA hybridization onto solid surfaces forms the basis for applications of DNA microarrays. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is an excellent tool for chemical characterization of surfaces because of its molecular specificity, surface sensitivity and excellent mass resolution. Previous studies have indicated the possibility to follow hybridization based on the phosphate signal from the backbone. We have employed DNA molecules which have a C6 thiol linker at its 3′ end and self-assemble onto gold surfaces. The positive spectrum has peaks from the sugar backbone as well as peaks from the individual bases [base+H] + . The negative spectrum has intense peaks from the phosphate backbone as well as peaks from the bases [base−H] − . Our hypothesis that hybridization onto these single-stranded DNA (ss DNA) should change the fragmentation pattern of these molecules in ToF-SIMS is confirmed by principal component analysis (PCA) of these ToF-SIMS spectra. Briefly, principal component 1 (PC1) of the positive ToF-SIMS spectra separates the hybridized DNA from the ss DNA. Similar results were observed for the negative spectra. These results were supported by surface plasmon resonance experiments (SPR), which indicate that hybridization does occur and is believed to be reason for the change in the fragmentation pattern of the ToF-SIMS spectra.
Medical Professional Liability Claims for Mohs Micrographic Surgery From 1989 to 2011

Importance Few studies specifically address lawsuits involving Mohs surgery. Objective To better characterize the types of medical professional liability claims involving Mohs surgery. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective legal document review of an online national database. Any legal proceeding involving the search words Mohs and cancer was included. Main Outcomes and Measures Number of medical professional liability claims involving Mohs surgery for factors including year of litigation, location, physician specialty, injury sustained, cause of legal action, and verdict. Results Forty-two cases were identified, which occurred from 1989 to 2011. Of the cases identified, 26 involved non-Mohs surgeons as the primary defendant, mostly due to a delay of or failure in diagnosis (n = 16), cosmetic outcome issues (n = 8), lack of informed consent (n = 7), and a delay of or failure in referral to a Mohs surgeon (n = 6). Common causes for litigation against Mohs surgeons as the primary defendant (n = 16) were lack of proper informed consent (n = 5) and cosmetic outcome issues (n = 4). Only 1 case against a Mohs surgeon was judged for the plaintiff. Conclusions and Relevance The most common lawsuits pertaining to Mohs surgery list non-Mohs surgeons as the primary defendants. Closer coordination between non-Mohs surgeons and Mohs surgeons may help minimize risk to both parties and lead to better patient care. Small sample size is the primary limitation, in part owing to exclusion of out-of-court settlements from the database.
Simulating the flow of multi-domain polymer blends during mixing using BEM

Abstract Mixing or blending two or more fluids of different viscosity is an important and complex issue in the polymer industry. Simulating these types of processes leads to a better understanding of the flow phenomena that take place during mixing. The boundary element method is ideal to simulate mixing flows, due to the large deformations and moving boundary nature of internal batch mixers and extruders. This paper presents a boundary element simulation of the flow of multi-viscous polymer blends inside extrudersand internal mixers. In addition, the governing equations, boundary integrals and their numerical implementation for creeping flows are presented. The simulation is used to predict the mixing quality of polymer blends in realistic mixing processes. The flow simulation results are in good agreement with analytical and experimental results.
A Technique for Visual Appraisal of Mentally Retarded Children

Because of their intellectual handicap, it is of utmost importance that visual deficiencies of retarded children be recognized and cor­ rected to provide maximum potential for learning. Unfortunately, many of these chil­ dren have never had a visual examination; further, if one is performed, reliable data may be difficult to obtain. The child may be difficult to deal with, and frequently the oph­ thalmologist does not have a satisfactory method of examination in this situation. In working with a group of children with men­ tal handicaps, we developed a practical sys­ tem for their visual evaluation which we have described in this paper.
Wood-thermoplastic adhesive interface: method of characterization and results

Abstract The mechanical interlocking of a thermoplastic adhesive and wood substrate is studied with scanning electron microscopy. A thermoplastic/glass composite is bonded to oak (Quercus) using a polypropylene based adhesive. The wood is etched away using a combination of chromic, nitric, and sulfuric acids, leaving the morphology of the adhesive interface intact. The revealed surface is examined with environmental scanning electron microscopy. We have shown for the first time that a thermoplastic adhesive conforms to features of the wood as small as 1 μm across. The adhesive penetrates the vascular tissues of the wood for more than 150 μm through openings 15 μm across, and invades hundreds of microns through larger channels.
Fast-Neutron-Induced Changes in Quartz and Vitreous Silica

The course of the changes produced by exposure in nuclear reactors and the subsequent alteration of the radiation-induced property changes caused by heating were followed by measuring the dilatation, refractive index, rotatory power, and birefringence. The fastneutron dosages determined by a comparison of radiation dannage in several substances are used to give a consistent scale for presenting the effects seen from the initial changes to nearly the saturation state, despite the many irradiation facilities used for the work. The property changes resulting from heating specimens irradiated to various extents are given. The damaging phenomena are explained in terms of the interaction of the scattered atoms with the silica structure, and the annealing phenomena in terms of the behavior of the anticipated structural changes. On the basis of the effect of displaced atoms and thermal spikes on solid structures there are delineated a number of classes of radiation damage among; insulators. For one of these, silica is taken to be the prototype. Thermal spikes cause the displaced atoms to be accommodated by a local defornnation, which is depicted as analogous to the rapid inversions in which a minor reorientaiion of the Si-O tetrahedra occurs without extensive disruption of the structure. Themore » resulting gradually accumulating disorder is considered the basic formulation of a metamictization for which the damaging of quartz thus becomes the simplest example. The same basic processes are considered to take place in vitreous silica; but since the substance is already disordered, the changes which take place are minor, the slight compacting of the structure evidently representing nnainly the partial freezing-in of a high-temperature state produced by the thermal spike. (auth)« less
Early successional pattern and process after sugarcane, banana, and pasture cultivation in Ecuador

Abstract Six large permanent vegetation plots, located at the Maquipucuna Reserve near Quito, Ecuador, were sampled annually for the first five years after abandonment. In addition, seed rain and seed bank were collected and other seeds and seedlings were set out in these same sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) plantations, banana (Musa sp.) plantations, and pastures (planted in Setaria sphacelata). All three field‐types were dominated by their resident main species which continued to dominate in the pastures after five years. For banana and sugarcane fields, ferns were a significant part of the plant cover, and in all fields, woody plant cover increased slowly and monotonically. Sugarcane had the most complex fields with higher total cover, species richness, total stems, and stem height than both banana and pasture. Total basal area, however, was similar between sugarcane and banana. Sugarcane fields had twice the number of dispersed seeds as banana fields and 20 times the number of dispersed seeds as pas...
Cardiovascular effects and modulation of noradrenergic neurotransmission following central and peripheral administration of neuropeptide Y.

Experiments have been conducted to evaluate the effect of neuropeptide Y (NPY) administered at three distinct levels of the nervous system: (1) the posterior hypothalamic nucleus, (2) the spinal cord, and (3) the vascular noradrenergic neuroeffector junction. It was observed that NPY produced varying cardiovascular effects at these three distinct sites of the nervous system. Microinjections into the posterior hypothalamic nucleus resulted in an increase in blood pressure, which was reduced by prior microinjection of a muscarinic or H1-histamine antagonist but not an H2-histamine antagonist. In addition to the involvement of histaminergic and cholinergic pathways, the pressor effect of NPY appers to result from an increase in sympathetic outflow. NPY was also seen to decrease the potassium-induced release of norepinephrine (NE) from slices obtained from the posterior hypothalamic nucleus. In contrast to what was observed in the hypothalamus, the intrathecal injection of NPY at a level of T4 or T10 in anesthetized or T10 in unanesthetized rats resulted in a depressor effect as well as a decrease in heart rate. Both an α2- and β-adrenoceptor antagonist reduced the NPY effect. The depressor effect of intrathecal NPY was attenuated in rats pretreated with reserpine as well as in Spontaneously Hypertensive rats (SHR). These data suggest that the effects of NPY are closely associated with sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the spinal cord. At the vascular noradrenergic neuroeffector junction, NPY decreased the nerve stimulation-induced release of NE while potentiating the contractile response. Moreover, NPY potentiated the increase in perfusion pressure of the perfused mesenteric arterial bed in response to angiotensin, vasopressin, or phenylephrine. The potentiation of smooth muscle contraction produced by NPY was shared by the homologous peptide, peptide YY (PYY) and to a lesser extent, pancreatic polypeptide (PPY). The prejunctional effect of NPY was less and the postjunctional effect greater in SHR compared with that in normotensive rats. The evidence obtained in these studies supports a cotransmitter role of NPY with NE in central and peripheral noradrenergic neurons. Moreover, NPY may be implicated in the development and maintenance of hypertension in the SHR.
Indices of Heart Rate as Substitutes For Respiratory Calorimetry

Abstract The most promising potential substitutes for respiratory calorimetry are regression equations that relate caloric expenditure to heart rate. This study evaluates multiple regression equations, employing seven indices derived from the time pathway of the heart rate, as a means of increasing the precision of the heart rate method. Regression equations are based on the aggregation of different tasks and/or subjects as well as on the single task and single subject. The multiple regression equations are compared with simple regression equations and with respiratory calorimetry in terms of the errors of estimation that each introduces into the measurement of caloric expenditure. The results show that multiple regression equations based on a single subject and single task are as precise as respiratory calorimetry.
A Modular Expandable Implantable Temperature Biotelemeter

An implantable biotelemetry system is described for multisite temperature measurements with ease of expansion by use of different master circuit boards to accommodate additional channels. Modular construction of the multichannel FM-FM system allows addition or deletion of channels as the experiment requires. The radio frequency carrer osciUlator is tunable to a "quiet" frequency in the 90-105 MHz range prior to implantation. The telemeter may incorporate enclosed or remote temperature probes which allow deep body temperature measurements in the range of 30-42 °C with an available resolution of ±0.015°C. Transmitters have been utilized in monitoring ovarian and subcutaneous temperatures, and also as an aid in detection of ovulation in the Macaca mulatta.
A knowledge-based user interface for the interactive design of three-dimensional objects

A critical problem with existing computer-based geometric modeling is the labor intensive task involved in specifying data input for the description of three-dimensional (3-D) objects. This paper describes a new, 3-D input system aimed at alleviating this problem. It is based on the use of a three-dimensional digitizer for the direct input of spatial coordinates, and an intelligent interactive user interface. The intent of this system is to create a high level, intelligent interface between the designer and a geometric solid modeler which would lighten the designer's burden in performing arduous 3-D geometric description tasks. The user interface is developed around the Knowledge Craft expert system building tool, using the rule-based Carnegie Representation Language OPS5 (CRL-OPS). The system uses schematic networks or frames and production rules to encode knowledge about geometric primitive digitization methods, object feature operators, solid modeler requirements, and input command functions. It also employs a forward-chaining inference strategy to direct the knowledge. This ensures that only a minimal amount of valid data entry is required by the user. However, if excessive data is entered the intelligent interface has the capability to extract the required information. As a result, the solid modeler can automatically create the appropriate object “primitive” or the specific object “feature” upon recognition by the expert system. It will be demonstrated that these capabilities can simplify the 3-D model description process.
NASA planning for Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle ground operations

The NASA Orion Ground Processing Team was originally formed by the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Constellation (Cx) Project Office's Orion Division to define, refine and mature pre-launch and post-landing ground operations for the Orion human spacecraft. The multi-disciplined KSC Orion team consisted of KSC civil servant, SAIC, Productivity Apex, Inc. and Boeing-CAPPS engineers, project managers and safety engineers, as well as engineers from Constellation's Orion Project and Lockheed Martin Orion Prime contractor. The team evaluated the Orion design configurations as the spacecraft concept matured between Systems Design Review (SDR), Systems Requirement Review (SRR) and Preliminary Design Review (PDR). The team functionally decomposed pre-launch and post-landing steps at three levels of detail, or tiers, beginning with functional flow block diagrams (FFBDs). The third tier FFBDs were used to build logic networks and nominal timelines. Orion ground support equipment (GSE) was identified and mapped to each step. This information was subsequently used in developing lower level operations steps in a Ground Operations Planning Document PDR product. Subject matter experts for each spacecraft and GSE subsystem were used to define 5th–95th percentile processing times for each FFBD step, using the Delphi Method. Discrete event simulations used this information and the logic network to provide processing timeline confidence intervals for launch rate assessments. The team also used the capabilities of the KSC Visualization Lab, the FFBDs and knowledge of the spacecraft, GSE and facilities to build visualizations of Orion pre-launch and post-landing processing at KSC. Visualizations were a powerful tool for communicating planned operations within the KSC community (i.e., Ground Systems design team), and externally to the Orion Project, Lockheed Martin spacecraft designers and other Constellation Program stakeholders during the SRR to PDR timeframe. Other operations planning tools included Kaizen/Lean events, mockups and human factors analysis. The majority of products developed by this team are applicable as KSC prepares 21st Century Ground Systems for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and Space Launch System.
Studies on the comparative histology of the digestive tube of certain teleost fishes. I. A predaceous fish, the sea bass (Centropristes striatus)

The first of a series of studies on the comparative histology of the digestive tubes of fishes selected, on the basis of their feeding habits, from the teleost group: a study of the microscopic anatomy of the digestive tube of a predaceous teleost, the sea bass (Centropristes striatus (L.)). Based on studies of sections, with details of gross anatomy from both fresh and preserved material. Includes a short survey of previous work. Deals with the histology of the various regions of the tract, their tunics and tissues, together with details of cell structure and arrangement. Approach is made from the physiological side, with particular reference to the adaptation of histological elements to functional activity. Parts treated in detail are esophagus, cardiac and pyloric limbs of the stomach, intestine, and pyloric caeca. Particular stress is laid on the histological structure and arrangement of the tunica mucosa, especially in relation to digestion and absorption. Topics given particular emphasis are: condition of mucosal folds with reference to the amount of food present in the lumen; transformation between adjacent epithelia of different types; structure of cardiac and pyloric glands; origin and differentiation of intestinal goblet cells; comparisons between histology of pyloric caeca and that of adjacent intestine, together with general conditions found in the caecal mucosa.
Voice-specificity effects on auditory word priming

This research explores the nature of the memory traces that support spoken word identification. Specifically, do voice-specificity effects in implicit memory depend on information in a perceptual representational system or, alternatively, on the similarity of study and test exemplars? Memory for words and voices was assessed with two perceptual identification tests—the identification of words in noise and the identification of low-pass filtered words—after two encoding conditions (identification of words in noise and of words in the clear). At test, a word was presented in the same voice as at study or in a different voice. The data from the two experiments showed that study-to-test changes in voice reduced priming and that voice-specificity effects were greatest when the type of processing engaged at study overlapped with that required at test. Taken together, the results implicate the goodness of the processing match between encoding and test as the primary determinant of voice-specificity effects on perceptual identification tests and support the hypothesis that both voice and word information is represented within a single episodic memory system.
Stochastic analysis of an ecosystem of two competing species

A model describing two competing species of grass and woody vegetation in a semi-arid savanna grazing system is generalized to include a bounded stochastic variation in the cattle-stocking rate, and the system behaviour is investigated using a Monte Carlo-type simulation technique. Some key characteristics of the stochastic system are found to be different from the corresponding deterministic system without the stochastic variation. A single stable state in the deterministic system is diffused into a region of stable states, and a separatrix dividing the two attraction zones no longer exists. Effects of the intensity and the mean frequency of the stochastic variation of the cattle-stocking rate on the system behaviour are investigated
Awareness of guidelines and trends in the management of suspected pancreatic cystic neoplasms: survey results among general gastroenterologists and EUS specialists

Background Although pancreatic cystic neoplasms are widely recognized, practice habits among physicians and awareness of consensus guidelines are currently unknown. Objectives To assess the awareness of guidelines and describe variability in practice habits among 2 groups: (1) "general group" of gastroenterologists and surgeons and (2) "EUS group" of specialists in EUS. Design An online survey was sent to randomly selected gastroenterologists and surgeons and e-mailed to members of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) Special Interest Group in EUS (EUS-SIG). Results Response rate for the general group was 8.8% (220/2500) and 9.7% for the EUS group (42/431). EUS specialists were mostly in academic practice (66.7% vs 36.3%, P P P P ≤ .001). Limitations Low response rate and recall bias. Conclusions Awareness of practice guidelines about the management of suspected pancreatic cystic neoplasms is lower among general GI physicians compared with EUS specialists. Among all physicians, the greatest variability in practice is in small (
Möbius Categories as ReducedStandard Division Categories of Combinatorial Inverse Monoids

The aim of this paper is to characterize inverse monoids such that their reduced standard division categories CF(S) are Mobius categories and special Mobius categories. We give also a general technique for the evaluation of the Mobius function of CF(S).
SOFIA SEARCH: a tool for automating related-work search

When working on a new project, researchers need to devote a significant amount of time and effort to surveying the relevant literature. This is required in order to gain expertise, evaluate the significance of their work and gain useful insights about a particular scientific domain. While necessary, relevant-work search is also a time-consuming and arduous process, requiring the continuous participation of the user. In this work, we introduce Sofia Search, a tool that fully automates the search and retrieval of the literature related to a topic. Given a seed of papers submitted by the user, Sofia Search searches the Web for candidate related papers, evaluates their relevance to the seed and downloads them for the user. The tool also provides modules for the evaluation and ranking of authors and papers, in the context of the retrieved papers. In the demo, we will demonstrate the functionality of our tool, by allowing users to use it via a simple and intuitive interface.
Heat shock gene regulation by nascent polypeptides and denatured proteins: hsp70 as a potential autoregulatory factor.

Heat shock genes encode proteins (hsp's) that play important structural roles under normal cir- cumstances and are essential to the ceils' ability to survive environmental insults. Evidence is presented herein that transcriptional regulation of hsp gene ex- pression is linked with the regulation of overall protein synthesis as well as with the accumulation of proteins denatured by stressful events. The factor that connects the three processes appears to be one of the hsp's, pre- sumably a member(s) of the hsp70 family. Biochemical experiments demonstrate that complexes containing hsp70 and heat shock transcription factor, the specific regulator of hsp gene activity, are formed in the cells.
Traumatic brain injury and risk of dementia in older veterans

Objectives: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common in military personnel, and there is growing concern about the long-term effects of TBI on the brain; however, few studies have examined the association between TBI and risk of dementia in veterans. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 188,764 US veterans aged 55 years or older who had at least one inpatient or outpatient visit during both the baseline (2000–2003) and follow-up (2003–2012) periods and did not have a dementia diagnosis at baseline. TBI and dementia diagnoses were determined using ICD-9 codes in electronic medical records. Fine-Gray proportional hazards models were used to determine whether TBI was associated with greater risk of incident dementia, accounting for the competing risk of death and adjusting for demographics, medical comorbidities, and psychiatric disorders. Results: Veterans were a mean age of 68 years at baseline. During the 9-year follow-up period, 16% of those with TBI developed dementia compared with 10% of those without TBI (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.57; 95% confidence interval: 1.35–1.83). There was evidence of an additive association between TBI and other conditions on risk of dementia. Conclusions: TBI in older veterans was associated with a 60% increase in the risk of developing dementia over 9 years after accounting for competing risks and potential confounders. Our results suggest that TBI in older veterans may predispose toward development of symptomatic dementia and raise concern about the potential long-term consequences of TBI in younger veterans and civilians.
The Limits of Hylomorphism

Aristotle’s theory of physical objects, hylomorphism, has resurfaced in contemporary metaphysics. In its current version, hylomorphism is proposed as a general theory of mereology, its purview extending beyond material objects to chemical composites, events, and non-physical mathematical, linguistic, and musical objects. While I agree that hylomorphism works well in all of the newly proposed applications, it fails as a theory of properties and their parts. I show that this is the case and then theorize about why this is so.
Estimating proportional change in forest cover as a continuous variable from multi-year MODIS data

Abstract This article describes a series of fundamental analyses designed to test and compare the utility of various MODIS data and products for detecting land cover change over a large area of the tropics. The approach for estimating proportional forest cover change as a continuous variable was based on a reduced major axis regression model. The model relates multispectral and multi-temporal MODIS data, transformed to optimize the spectral detection of vegetation changes, to reference change data sets derived from a Landsat data record for several study sites across the Central American region. Three MODIS data sets with diverse attributes were evaluated on model consistency, prediction accuracy and practical utility in estimating change in forest cover over multiple time intervals and spatial extents. A spectral index based on short-wave infrared information (normalized difference moisture index), calculated from half-kilometer Calibrated Radiances data sets, generally showed the best relationships with the reference data and the lowest model prediction errors at individual study areas and time intervals. However, spectral indices based on atmospherically corrected surface reflectance data, as with the Vegetation Indices and Nadir Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function - Adjusted Reflectance (NBAR) data sets, produced consistent model parameters and accurate forest cover change estimates when modeling over multiple time intervals. Models based on anniversary date acquisitions of the one-kilometer resolution NBAR product proved to be the most consistent and practical to implement. Linear regression models based on spectral indices that correlate with change in the brightness, greenness and wetness spectral domains of these data estimated proportional change in forest cover with less than 10% prediction error over the full spatial and temporal extent of this study.
In-situ control of tunable evanescent-mode cavity filters using differential mode monitoring

In the present work, a method for tracking the center frequency of a widely tunable evanescent-mode cavity filter in-situ is introduced. The goal is to be able to monitor the performance of a filter without disturbing the fields or degrading the quality. The proposed method is to monitor the resonant frequency of each resonator of the filter independently by inducing higher order differential modes. This method enables a continuous feedback loop to lock in the filter center frequency and shape. An example filter is fabricated to demonstrate the concept and tuned from 1.4 to 3 GHz while monitoring the differential mode at 4 to 6.5 GHz. The ability to independently monitor and control the individual resonators in-situ without disturbing the main mode is demonstrated and is a crucial step towards a robust fielded widely tunable filter.
Developments in Sclerostin Biology: Regulation of Gene Expression, Mechanisms of Action, and Physiological Functions

The SOST gene, which encodes the protein sclerostin, was identified through genetic linkage analysis of sclerosteosis and van Buchem’s disease patients. Sclerostin is a secreted glycoprotein that binds to the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related proteins 4, 5, and 6 to inhibit Wnt signaling. Since the initial discovery of sclerostin, much understanding has been gained into the role of this protein in the regulation of skeletal biology. In this article, we discuss the latest findings in the regulation of SOST expression, sclerostin mechanisms of action, and the potential utility of targeting sclerostin in conditions of low bone mass.
Application of Relief-F feature filtering algorithm to selecting informative genes for cancer classification using microarray data

Numerous recent studies have shown that microarray gene expression data is useful for cancer classification. Classification based on microarray data is very different from previous classification problems in that the number of features (genes) greatly exceeds the number of instances (tissue samples). It has been shown that selecting a small set of informative genes can lead to improved classification accuracy. It is thus important to first apply feature selection methods prior to classification. In the machine learning field, one of the most successful feature filtering algorithms is the Relief-F algorithm. In this work, we empirically evaluate its performance on three published cancer classification data sets. We use the linear SVM and the k-NN as classifiers in the experiments, and compare the performance of Relief-F with other feature filtering methods, including Information Gain, Gain Ratio, and /spl chi//sup 2/-statistic. Using the leave-one-out cross validation, experimental results show that the performance of Relief-F is comparable with other methods.
Voxel-based meshing and unit-cell analysis of textile composites

Unit-cell homogenization techniques are frequently used together with the finite element method to compute effective mechanical properties for a wide range of different composites and heterogeneous materials systems. For systems with very complicated material arrangements, mesh generation can be a considerable obstacle to usage of these techniques. In this work, pixel-based (2D) and voxel-based (3D) meshing concepts borrowed from image processing are thus developed and employed to construct the finite element models used in computing the micro-scale stress and strain fields in the composite. The potential advantage of these techniques is that generation of unit-cell models can be automated, thus requiring far less human time than traditional finite element models. Essential ideas and algorithms for implementation of proposed techniques are presented. In addition, a new error estimator based on sensitivity of virtual strain energy to mesh refinement is presented and applied. The computational costs and rate of convergence for the proposed methods are presented for three different mesh-refinement algorithms: uniform refinement; selective refinement based on material boundary resolution; and adaptive refinement based on error estimation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.