cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diurnal variation of the total magnetic field along the east coast of Canada

Abstract The amplitude and phase values of the diurnal variations of the total magnetic field on the east coast of Canada were obtained from short time recordings over a four year period. The results show a decrease in amplitude and increase in phase of the variations at a station located near the continental margin relative to those at a coastal station, contrary to the expected ocean edge effect.
The reduction of nitric oxide during the combustion of hydrocarbons: Methodology for a rational mechanism

Abstract Mixtures of nitric oxide, oxygen and acetylene were heated to temperatures in the range 1400–2600°K in a single-pulse shock tube. Reaction temperatures were estimated from measured incident shock velocities. The final product concentrations were measured via gas chromatographic techniques. The analytical data were then reduced to mole fraction profiles of products vs. reaction temperature for dwell times (0.35–1.25 ms) under reflected shock conditions. A systematic procedure was developed for listing all possible reactions which could occur between pairs of reagents included within a specified list of molecules and molecular fragments. A set of criteria was formulated for eliminating from this very large set of possible reactions all those which were significantly less important than the dominant steps retained in the final mechanism. Computer modeling with the proposed mechanism led to good agreement with the experimental concentration profiles. This was done first for acetylene oxygen mixtures, and then extended to the acetylene nitric oxide oxygen system. That the computer generated mole fraction profiles for mixtures containing NO compared well with the experimental results serves to establish the key reactions which reduce the pollutant NO when the exhaust gases from internal combustion engines are mixed (at about 1500°K) with hydro-carbons and air. The systematic procedure proposed in this report for developing mechanisms for complex systems is applicable to most gaseous reactions.
The test-particle induced inhomogeneous direct correlation functions and extensions of Widom's theorem: impacts on the incremental chemical potentials and high-order correlation functions.

We develop the potential distributions of several test particles to obtain a hierarchy of the nonuniform singlet direct correlation functions (s-DCFs). These correlation functions are interpreted as the segmental chemical potentials or works of insertion of successive test particles in a classical fluid. The development has several interesting consequences: (i) it extends the Widom particle insertion formula to higher-order theorems, the first member gives the chemical potential as in the original theorem, the second member gives the incremental energy for dimer formation, with higher members giving the energies for forming trimers, tetramers, etc. (ii) The second and third order s-DCFs can be related to the cavity distribution functions y(2) and y(3) in the liquid-state theory. Thus we can express the triplet cavity function y(3) in terms of these s-DCFs in an exact form. This enables us to calculate, as an illustration of the above theoretical developments, the numerical values of the s-DCFs via Monte C...
Distribution of c-myc oncoprotein in healthy and atherosclerotic human carotid arteries

Abstract Purpose: Smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation is a central event in the development of arteriosclerotic plaque. Regulation of this proliferative process is controlled in part by the action of specific peptide growth factors that may influence early cell-cycle regulatory gene expression. Such "early" response genes include the protooncogene c- myc , which has been implicated in the induction of cell proliferation and differentiation. We compared the distribution of the c- myc protooncogene product in healthy and atherosclerotic human carotid arteries to determine its cellular and tissue localization. Methods: Samples of six carotid artery plaques from six patients were rapidly frozen in liquid nitrogen at the time of carotid endarterectomy. Three nondiseased human carotid arteries obtained at organ harvest from brain-dead organ donors were similarly prepared. Frozen sections were labeled with a polyclonal rabbit anti-c- myc antibody that recognizes the 64 kd c- myc human protein. The percentages of cells positive for c- myc (c- myc index) and the intensity of antibody labeling were determined. Results: Normal human carotid artery demonstrated minimal, isolated cell staining, with single scattered grains of immunocytochemical staining product seen in SMC nuclei. The myc index was 14.7% ± 3.5% positive cells. In comparison, SMCs from carotid plaque showed a significant predominance of c- myc immunoreactive cells (89.8% ± 4%; p myc staining was greater in plaque SMCs, with many of the cells demonstrating confluence of immunocytochemical precipitate throughout 50% of SMC nuclei. Conclusions: Although the exact role of enhanced expression of the c- myc protooncogene in atherosclerosis is unclear, a cooperative influence of abnormal early cell-cycle gene expression and humoral factors may initiate the athcrogenic process. The c- myc gene and other protooncogenes are early molecular markers of cell-cycle activity, which may be important in the development of atherosclerosis and occlusive vascular disease. (J VASC SURG 1993;18:170-7.)
Strategies to enhance the coexpression of cytochrome P450 2E1 and reductase in bacteria.

Mammalian P450 cytochromes comprise a superfamily of membrane-bound hemeproteins involved in the oxidation of a wide variety of exogenous and endogenous substances. Although expression of mammalian...
Numerical investigation of the perpendicular injector flow field in a hydrogen fueled scramjet

A computer program has been developed which numerically solves the full (elliptic) two-dimensional Navier-Stokes and specie equations near a slotted perpendicular hydrogen fuel injector in a scramjet engine. The program currently predicts the turbulent mixing of injected hydrogen fuel and air without reaction, and allows the study of separated regions of flow immediately preceding and following the injector as well as the complex shock-expansion structure produced by the injector in this region of the engine. Results are presented that describe the size of the separated regions near the injector as well as locations where ignition is likely to occur.
SURFACE SEGREGATION STUDIES OF SOFC CATHODES: COMBINING SOFT X-RAYS AND ELECTROCHEMICAL IMPEDENCE SPECTROSCOPY

A system to grow heteroepitaxial thin-films of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes on single crystal substrates was developed. The cathode composition investigated was 20% strontium-doped lanthanum manganite (LSM) grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on single crystal (111) yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates. By combining electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) with x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and x-ray absorption spectroscopy XAS measurements, we conclude that electrically driven cation migration away from the two-phase gas-cathode interface results in improved electrochemical performance. Our results provide support to the premise that the removal of surface passivating phases containing Sr2+ and Mn2+, which readily form at elevated temperatures even in O2 atmospheric pressures, is responsible for the improved cathodic performance upon application of a bias.
Nucleation of biocompatible nanostructured coatings via electrochemical process

AbstractHydroxyapatite (HA) has received significant attention and has been clinically applied in orthopaedics and dentistry because of excellent biocompatibility and osteoconductive properties. The combination of high mechanical strength of metals with osteoconductive properties of calcium phosphate makes HA coatings on austenitic stainless steel a promising biomaterial for treatment of bone defects. Hydroxyapatite coatings were obtained on austenitic stainless steels by electrochemical deposition. Electron microscopy observations suggested uniform spread of HA with vein type interconnected structure. The HA coatings were also codeposited with biocompatible chitosan and collagen. The mechanism of electrodeposition of HA based coatings is outlined.
Abstract 1990: Loss of Olfactomedin 4 gene leads to neoplastic progression in the murine prostate.

The murine olfactomedin 4 gene (Olfm4) encodes an olfactomedin-related glycoprotein whose physiological and pathological functions in the prostate are largely unknown. We have observed that homozygous Olfm4 mutant mice develop prostatic intra epithelial neoplisa (PIN), high grade PIN, adenocarcinoma and metastatic tumor in an age-dependent manner. We also found that increased proliferation of prostate epithelial cells in Olfm4-null mice. In this report, we studied the mechanisms underlying neoplastic progression of Olfm4-deficient mice prostate. We have performed microarray analysis to compare Olfm4 knockout and wild-type mice prostate at 3 and 15 months of ages. A total of 187 genes were found commonly changed in both 3 and 15 months, whereas 894 and 1090 genes were significantly changed in 3 and 15 months respectively. Enrichment Gene Go Diseases analysis showed prostatic neoplasms was at the top of 10 listed diseases. We found that 95 genes for neoplastic procession markers were significantly changed in the prostate of Olfm4-deficient mice. Among the genes, 39 genes were up-regulated and 37 genes were down regulated more than 1.5-fold. The qRT-PCR confirmed consistently higher expression of Ets1, Vav3, Shh, Sdc2, and Mmp19, and down-regulation of the genes Rnasel and Psca in Olfm4 knockout mice compared with Olfm4 wild-type mice. We also confirmed expression of Ets1 and Mmp19 by using western blot and immunohistochemistry analysis. Interestingly, in the GEO prostate cancer database, which compares tumor to normal tissue and metastatic tumor to normal tissue, expression of OLFM4 and RNASEL were down-regulated, in contrast, expression of ETS1 and MMP19 were up-regulated. Therefore, the gene expression profiles in the GEO database confirmed and extended Ets1, Mmp19 and Rnasel in Olfm4 knockout mice. Our finding indicates that loss of OLFM4 leads to progression of prostate cancer. Citation Format: Hongzhen Li, Wenli Liu, Jianqiong Zhu, Weiping Chen, Chu-Xia Deng, Griffin P. Rodgers. Loss of Olfactomedin 4 gene leads to neoplastic progression in the murine prostate. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1990. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1990
Parametric sensitivity study of a CFD‐based coal combustion model

Parametric sensitivity of a two-dimensional pulverized-fuel (PF) combustion model is studied extensively for the effect of parametric uncertainty on model predictions. Results show that error in coal devolatilization/oxidation parameters has the dominant effect on predicted burnout, NO[sub x] formation, local gas temperature, and coal-gas mixture fraction. Uncertainty in the turbulent particle dispersion parameters appears to have a secondary effect, while error in the particle-gas radiation parameters has little impact on model predictions. Regions of the computational domain exhibiting sensitivity to specific parameters are identified. Specific parameter sensitivity implies the relative importance of various mechanisms in the overall process. Turbulent particle dispersion seems to be important early in the reactor with kinetic processes dominating at and following the predicted ignition point. Radiation appears to be of minor importance. These results indicate the need for a better method of predicting the overall volatiles yield and further understanding of the devolatilization/oxidation mechanism and its role in the overall PF combustion process. The study provides fundamental direction for future comprehensive model development and focuses on experimental work to better quantify critical input parameters.
Creation of Interface States at the Silicon/Silicon Dioxide Interface by UV Light Without Hole Trapping

Photoinjection of electrons into silicon dioxide in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors with 3.5 eV light is shown to create interface states with no apparent hole trapping precursor. The creation rate of these interface states depends strongly upon whether injection is from the gate metal or the silicon substrate, and on the forming gas annealing sequence used to passivate growth-induced interface states. A mechanism involving electron-induced release of hydrogen in the oxide is consistent with some aspects of the data.
SU-FF-J-134: Slow Diffusion Enhancement for Approximated Returning to the Origin Probability (ARTOP)

Purpose: This study introduces a filtering method that enhances slow/fast diffusioncontrast for the q‐space analysis, ARTOP (Approximated Returning To the Origin Probability), in clinical studies. Background: Most clinical diffusionimage analyses are based on the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), which uses a Gaussian model for its ensemble probability density function (PDF). However an ADC‐related modality becomes problematic when it is applied to high‐diffusion MRI studies (b>3ksec/mm2) due to its complexity in modeling. q‐space analysis is model‐independent; i.e. the Fourier transformation between data profile in q‐space and its displacement PDF has no modeling assumptions. Nevertheless the traditional q‐space analysis also poses some difficulties in clinical implementation. Therefore we have been developing a clinical feasible q‐space analysis, ARTOP, for high diffusion studies. This study improves ARTOP by increasing the slow‐diffusion contrast for better imaging quality, and shortens scanning time as well. Methods and Materials: The contrast of slow/fast diffusion signal is enhanced by a high‐pass filter in q‐space (b >=1ksec/mm2), which most fast diffusion signals diminish over that weighting range. The effect was applied on research patient datasets. Patient datasets were collected using a Siemens Trio 3T magnet and were processed by offline homemade codes. The 9‐level diffusion weighting ranges were 1∼4k sec/mm2. Results: The slow/fast contrast was defined by the ratio of slow/fast ARTOP signal. The filtered ARTOP contrast is more than 7 times greater than the one without filtering; i.e. 15 versus 2 for the filtered versus non‐filtered data. Conclusion: The better imaging quality of filtered ARTOP is suitable for radiological examination or treatment planning contour, and its quantitative information can be easily retrieved from non‐filtered ARTOP map. The quantity can be used for white matter diseases, e.g. for monitoring the glioma treatment response, as in our other studies.
Coupling of Hedgehog and Hippo pathways promotes stem cell maintenance by stimulating proliferation

It is essential to define the mechanisms by which external signals regulate adult stem cell numbers, stem cell maintenance, and stem cell proliferation to guide regenerative stem cell therapies and to understand better how cancers originate in stem cells. In this paper, we show that Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in Drosophila melanogaster ovarian follicle stem cells (FSCs) induces the activity of Yorkie (Yki), the transcriptional coactivator of the Hippo pathway, by inducing yki transcription. Moreover, both Hh signaling and Yki positively regulate the rate of FSC proliferation, both are essential for FSC maintenance, and both promote increased FSC longevity and FSC duplication when in excess. We also found that responses to activated Yki depend on Cyclin E induction while responses to excess Hh signaling depend on Yki induction, and excess Yki can compensate for defective Hh signaling. These causal connections provide the most rigorous evidence to date that a niche signal can promote stem cell maintenance principally by stimulating stem cell proliferation.
The Economic Impact of Disease in the American South, 1860–1940

Few economic historians have addressed the impact of poor health on economic productivity. 1 This relationship, neglected and poorly understood, is the subject of my dissertation. Specifically, the dissertation examines the effect of a chronic debilitating disease on agricultural productivity in the American South between 1860 and 1940. As is well known, per capita gross agricultural output dropped sharply during the Civil War decade and remained low until 1910. Contrary to what one would expect, between 1870 and 1910 agricultural output was lowest in sandy soil regions and highest in regions composed mostly of clay soil. A rapid expansion of per capita agricultural output occurred after 1910. The income decline of the Civil War decade and subsequent increase of the post-1910 era were also related to soil region, with the greatest income swing occurring in sandy soil regions.
Triggering Differences Between GPIB and LXI

LXI, introduced in September 2005, is the next generation test system architecture and will over time replace many of the existing GPIB-based systems. The LXI Consortium has taken great care in designing the triggering and synchronization functionality needed in future test scenarios. The paper will show the triggering and synchronization techniques used today in GPIB (like group execute trigger and SRQ); comparing them to similar and new techniques used in LXI (LXI events, LXI alarms, LXI trigger bus, peer-to-peer triggers, and multi-cast triggers). It will provide typical trigger examples and give code examples for the most common triggering and signaling techniques in LXI.
Mesh ingrowth with concomitant bacterial infection resulting in inability to explant: a failure of mesh salvage

Removal is the standard treatment for mesh infection following prosthetic hernia repair. However, certain types of mesh may be less amenable to removal even in the setting of active infection; we present four such cases, all involving the same composite mesh. Four high-risk patients underwent Parietex mesh implantation for large ventral wall hernias and developed subsequent Staphylococcus infections with attempted explantation of infected mesh and wound care. There was inability to completely explant mesh in all four cases, leading to chronic purulent wounds and long-term complications. While mesh infection is a recognized complication of prosthetic hernia repair, many synthetic meshes form a slimy biofilm and thus can be removed relatively easily. However, the structural qualities of certain types of mesh create ingrowth into tissues even in the setting of infection, resulting in inability to explant with subsequent long-term chronic wound complications.
Evidence for template-specific sites in DNA polymerases.

Abstract Using rabbit hemoglobin messenger RNA as template, E. coli polymerase I produces poly (dT), poly (dA)·(dT) and antimessenger DNA products. Mild heating of the enzyme causes a differential loss in activity as indicated by three rates of inactivation for the three types of synthesis. Heat inactivation studies have also been carried out with DNA polymerases from oncogenic RNA viruses and mammalian sources using various homopolymer-oligomer pairs as primertemplates. In general, for any given enzyme these synthetic primer-templates reveal different extents of inactivation of the polymerase. These findings may be interpreted to suggest a) that the binding of DNA polymerase to various primer-templates produces conformational changes in the enzyme which are dependent on the type of template bound, or b) that many, if not all, DNA polymerases have different subsites for different templates.
Saliency Detection Algorithm Based on Watershed Method and Regional Spatial Attention Model

This paper presents a novel saliency detection method for color image based on watershed method and regional spatial attention model. Watershed method is improved to divide the original image into several sub-regions. And regional spatial attention model is specifically designed in the terms of visual attention mechanism from human's psychology and physiology. Experiment results show that our method can accurately and quickly detect the salient regions from color images, and compared with traditional ones, our method performs better.
Privacy-Preserving Speaker Verification and Identification Using Gaussian Mixture Models

Speech being a unique characteristic of an individual is widely used in speaker verification and speaker identification tasks in applications such as authentication and surveillance respectively. In this article, we present frameworks for privacy-preserving speaker verification and speaker identification systems, where the system is able to perform the necessary operations without being able to observe the speech input provided by the user. In a speech-based authentication setting, this privacy constraint protect against an adversary who can break into the system and use the speech models to impersonate legitimate users. In surveillance applications, we require the system to first identify if the speech recording belongs to a suspect while preserving the privacy constraints. This prevents the system from listening in on conversations of innocent individuals. In this paper we formalize the privacy criteria for the speaker verification and speaker identification problems and construct Gaussian mixture model-based protocols. We also report experiments with a prototype implementation of the protocols on a standardized dataset for execution time and accuracy.
Interstitials and Fracture of Metals

INTERSTITIAL alloying elements, even in minute quantities, exert a potent influence on the mechanical behaviour of alloys. Of particular recent interest has been the behaviour of hydrogen in steels; where the phenomenon of hydrogen-induced delayed brittle failure has received special attention1–9. Time-dependent brittle failure implies that spontaneous brittle fracture will occur at loads substantially below those that may have been previously successfully sustained. The characteristic features are: (a) an incubation period; (b) slow crack propagation; (c) a lower critical stress below which failure will not occur. Both the incubation period for crack initiation and crack growth are controlled and paced by the diffusion of hydrogen4–6,8.
The Deserved Care Framework for Evaluating Health Care Quality

Excessively narrow definitions of health care quality do not identify certain important components of health care for clinicians, providers, or patients. Excessively broad definitions drive up health care costs and encourage unjustified interventions. This article proposes a framework for examining health care quality that distinguishes between what patients need, want, and deserve, and it advances the idea that deserved care is the relevant concept of care to inform health policy debates.
Use of 35S to determine the influence of Hexagenia on sulfur cycling in lake sediments

Radioactive sulfate (35SO4) was added to the overlying water of lake sediment microcosms to determine the effect of the burrowing mayfly nymph, Hexagenia, on sulfur transformations and fluxes. Hexagenia increased the rate of 35SO4 incorporation into the sediment and the rate at which 35SO4 was biologically assimilated. In addition, 35SO4 approached a steady-state condition with non-radioactive sulfur pools more rapidly in microcosms containing Hexagenia than in reference microcosms. Results indicate that Hexagenia enhance rates of sulfur cycling which may alter sediment acid-base chemistry and redox potential.
High-Speed Extraction of 3D Structure of Selectable Quality Using a Translating Camera

In this paper we present a computational approach for extracting three-dimensional structure of controllable resolution, depth of field, and accuracy, all made available at real-time speeds. This approach utilizes the spatial and the temporal gradients of the streams of images acquired using an actively controlled camera. Depending on the requirements of a particular task, appropriate parameters such as disparity value sought, interframe camera displacement, and number of frames in a stream are chosen to control the resolution, depth of field, and accuracy. The acquisition and processing of the image stream are done in real time on a pipeline architecture based processor. Extensive experiments are presented to demonstrate the system's accuracy, controllability of depth of field and resolution, and ability to perform successfully in a variety of scenes. The system operated with no latency between image acquisition and processing. The total acquisition and processing time in these experiments is in the range from 0.27 to 1.56 s. The depth results have an accuracy of 85% to 92%.
Meeting Report 7th Midwest AGU Meeting

The Seventh Annual Midwest AGU Meeting was held at the Radisson Downtown Hotel, Minneapolis, Minn., on September 17 and 18, 1981. Over 60 papers were presented in eight sessions: Mantle Structure and Dynamics (two sessions), chaired by Geoffrey Davis, Washington University; Precambrian Crustal Evolution, chaired by Paul Weiblen, University of Minnesota;; Hydrology in the Midcontinental U.S., chaired by H.O. Pfannkuch, University of Minnesota; Rock-Water Interactions: Hydrothermal Processes and Metallogenesis, chaired by William Seyfried, University of Minnesota; Sedimentary Paleomagnetism: Geological History from the Recent to the Precambrian, chaired by Subir Banerjee, University of Minnesota. The convenor of the meeting was V. Rama Murthy, University of Minnesota. Brief summaries of the activities in the sessions are given below.
The transient HIV remission in the Mississippi baby: why is this good news?

As researchers, clinicians and community advocates gathered for the 20th International AIDS Society meeting in Melbourne in July of this year, the announcement of resumption of viremia in the Mississippi baby came as an unwelcome surprise. The case had previously stirred excitement that a cure was possible without the extreme measure of bone marrow transplantation as in the Berlin patient [ 1 ]. When this was no longer true, conversations about the end of our quest for a HIV cure ensued. (Published: 20 November 2014) Ananworanich J and Robb ML. Journal of the International AIDS Society 2014, 17 :19859 http://www.jiasociety.org/index.php/jias/article/view/19859 | http://dx.doi.org/10.7448/IAS.17.1.19859
High affinity choline uptake in striatum and hippocampus: differential effects of treatments which release acetylcholine.

We have compared the effect of treatments known to release acetylcholine (ACh) on high affinity choline (Ch) uptake in rat striatum and hippocampus. First, Ch uptake into synaptosome-rich P2 fractions was measured after the systemic administration of drugs which increase ACh release. Pentylenetetrazol (75 mg/kg, i.p.) increased the uptake of Ch into hippocampal P2 fractions by 45%. However, this treatment had no effect on striatal Ch uptake. Fluphenazine (0.5 or 5 mg/kg, s.c.), a drug which selectively increases ACh release in striatum, also failed to alter Ch uptake by tissue fractions prepared from that region. Second, P2 fractions were incubated in a depolarizing, high potassium (62 mM) Krebs-Ringer phosphate buffer, after which Ch uptake was measured. This treatment increased hippocampal Ch uptake by 150%, while uptake into striatal tissue was increased by only 31%. The results of these studies suggest that in vitro Ch uptake is considerably less responsive in striatum than in hippocampus to the effects of prior alterations in ACh release. This is true whether alterations are induced in vivo or in vitro. These findings indicate that ACh synthesis may be regulated differently in the two brain regions.
Primary prevention of sexually transmitted disease: Self-efficacy in the context of sexual coercion

Abstract Social psychological models of prevention help to understand health-promoting behaviors and identify ways in which the health professional may intervene. One critical component, the sense of self-efficacy, may be a necessary variable for adolescent girls in the process of negotiating condom use. Sexual coercion is prevalent even among young adolescent girls. It ranges from actual date rape to unwanted sexual activity in which the adolescent may engage in intercourse unwillingly with or without communicating this to her partner. Several factors contribute to this including perceptions of the justifiability of forced sex, views of "appropriate" sexual scripts, and misinformation. One hundred and eighty-six adolescent girls ranging in age from 12 to 21 responded to a vignette about an adolescent girl who wanted to have sex and use a condom. Twenty-two (12%) spontaneously indicated concerns about the potential of forced sex or physical violence in response to efforts to effectively negotiate condom use. The adolescents reported responses to these events which ranged from reporting the incident to the police to staying with the partner. The negative emotional impact of unwanted sexual activity was described by these girls. Health care professionals of adolescents should become more sensitive to these issues in their work with adolescents. Ways of assessing these concerns and then aiding the adolescent in the development of a sense of self-efficacy are proposed.
Photonic bandgap fiber enabled Raman detection of nitrogen gas

Raman detection of nitrogen gas is very difficult without a multi-pass arrangement and high laser power. Hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers (HC-PBF) provide an excellent means of concentrating light energy in a very small volume and long interaction path between gas and laser. One particular commercial fiber with a core diameter of 4.9 microns offers losses of about 1dB/m for wavelengths between 510 and 610 nm. If 514nm laser is used for excitation, the entire Raman spectrum up to above 3000 cm -1 will be contained within the transmission band of the fiber. A standard Raman microscope launches mW level 514nm laser light into the PBF and collects backscattered Raman signal exiting the fiber. The resulting spectra of nitrogen gas in air at ambient temperature and pressure exhibit a signal enhancement of about several thousand over what is attainable with the objective in air and no fiber. The design and fabrication of a flow-through cell to hold and align the fiber end allowed the instrument calibration for varying concentrations of nitrogen. The enhancement was also found to be a function of fiber length. Due to the high achieved Raman signal, rotational spectral of nitrogen and oxygen were observed in the PBF for the first time to the best of our knowledge.
The early diagnosis of patent ductus arteriosus

Summary Patients with an atypical patent ductus arteriosus can be identified and treated safely during infancy with the aid of the special diagnostic modalities of cardiac catheterization and retrograde aortography. The clinical syndrome of tachypnea, dyspnea, repeated respiratory infections, easy fatigability and growth failure presented by these children has been described, and the summaries of six cases seen by us have been presented. Three patients were described in detail, to illustrate specific points and to demonstrate clearly the value of early diagnosis and treatment.
H3K4me3 inversely correlates with DNA methylation at a large class of non-CpG-island-containing start sites

Background In addition to mutations, epigenetic silencing of genes has been recognized as a fundamental mechanism that promotes human carcinogenesis. To date, characterization of epigenetic gene silencing has largely focused on genes in which silencing is mediated by hypermethylation of promoter-associated CpG islands, associated with loss of the H3K4me3 chromatin mark. Far less is known about promoters lacking CpG-islands or genes that are repressed by alternative mechanisms.
Development and functionality of a handheld computer program to improve fruit and vegetable intake among low-income youth

Mobile technologies hold promise for improving diet and physical activity, but little attention is given to creating programs that adolescents like and will use. This study developed a personal digital assistant (PDA) program to promote increased intake of fruits and vegetables (FV) in predominately low-income, ethnic minority girls. This study used a three-phase community-engaged process, including (i) engagement of a Student Advisory Board (SAB) to determine comfort with PDAs; (ii) early testing of Prototype I and rapid re-design by the SAB and (iii) feasibility testing of Prototype II in a new sample of girls. Phase 1 results showed that girls were comfortable with the PDA. Testing of Prototype I in Phase 2 showed that acceptability was mixed, with girls responding to 47.3% of the prompts. Girls wanted more reminders, accountability in monitoring FV, help in meeting daily goals and free music downloads based on program use. The PDA was reprogrammed and testing of Prototype II in Phase 3 demonstrated marked improvement in use (78.3%), increases in FV intake (1.8 ± 2.6 daily servings) and good overall satisfaction. Findings suggest that mobile technology designed with the early input of youth is a promising way to improve adolescent health behaviors.
The Jesus Hermaphrodite: Science and Sex Difference in Premodern Europe

This article traces the development of the hermaphrodite symbol in alchemical literature from the high Middle Ages to the early modern period. It argues that alchemical writers used themetaphor of hermaphroditism to describe the "philosophers' stone," a chemical agent believed to be a combination of contradictory elemental qualities. Such writers extended the hermaphrodite metaphor to Jesus, whome they conflated with the philosophers' stone, and whom they viewed as a combination of masculine and feminine, as well as human and divine, attributes. This article also explores the "Jesus Hermaphrodite" metaphor in the context of approaches toward intersex people during the period.
Making Decisions About Assistive Technology With Infants and Toddlers

The present study examined and contrasted beliefs and decision-making practices concerning the use of assistive technology (AT) with infants and toddlers. Participants were 424 multidisciplinary early intervention providers drawn from across the United States. A majority of professionals disagreed with proposed belief statements about AT with infants and toddlers. Decision-making practices, however, followed the reported trend of underutilization of AT in early intervention in that providers did not generally select AT options until children were older than 24 months. Reported beliefs were not associated with decision-making practices. Future research and training should focus on factors that are likely to influence the decisions that professionals make in practice.
Scalable and Error Tolerant Automated Georeferencing under Affine Transformations

Georeferencing is a key component in GIS systems. However, its performance has been dragged by the manual georeferencing process. In this paper, we develop a scalable and error tolerant automated georeferencing scheme for general affine transformations called localized matching and global optimization (LM-GO). Under LM-GO, the complexity of control point pair (CPP) matching is not directly tied to image or vector data size, which makes it highly scalable. The unavoidable image point extraction errors are effectively managed and filtered out by the verification and optimization process. Another major contribution of this paper is to propose the first asymmetric CPP matching algorithm for general affine transformations, namely AIPP matching, based on pattern matching methodology, which improves CPP matching performance by an order. Overall, the running time of LM-GO grows almost linearly with vector data size. LM-GO effectively reduces the georeferencing time from hours by the bruteforce search approach down to seconds.
Video-mediated Communication in Hospice Interdisciplinary Team Meetings: Examining Technical Quality and Content

This study aims to determine how videoconferencing quality impacts the style and content of communication between members of hospice interdisciplinary teams and patients and their families. We videotaped video-calls between hospice teams and family caregivers based on the use of low-cost videophones. We assessed their audio and video quality using both a form that was filled out on site and a protocol for retrospective analysis. The tapes were transcribed and a content analysis was performed to assess the themes of interaction. A total of 70 video-calls were analyzed. The time spent on general informal talk was significantly correlated to the video and audio quality of the session (r=0.43 and 0.41 respectively, p<0.001). The time spent addressing psychosocial issues and on caregiver education correlated significantly to video and audio quality. This study demonstrates the potential of video-mediated communication that supports shared decision making in hospice.
New concurrent transversal batch algorithm for multichannel filters

Highly concurrent batch transversal algorithms for multichannel FIR (finite-impulse response) filters with different numbers of memory elements per input channel are developed. Their transversal structure complements the fast lattice algorithms originally proposed by F. Ling and J.G. Proakis (1984). These algorithms are directly applicable to ARMA system identification and the design of decision-feedback equalizers. >
Intrapyloric botulinum injection increases postoperative esophagectomy complications.

Background Intrapyloric botulinum toxin injection has emerged as a possible alternative to standard pyloric drainage procedures. Possible advantages include decreased operative time and less postoperative dumping and bile reflux symptoms. However, data are lacking to show its effectiveness versus standard drainage procedures. The purpose of this review is to compare the results in a prospective cohort of patients who received pyloric botulinum injection versus patients who received pyloromyotomy or pyloroplasty with esophagectomy. Methods We performed a retrospective review of a prospective database of all patients who underwent an open esophageal resection at a single institution from 2005 through 2010. Three hundred twenty-two patients were divided into 3 groups for analysis: botulinum injection (n = 78), pyloromyotomy (n = 45), and pyloroplasty (n = 199). We compared these groups with respect to duration of the procedure, presence of delayed gastric emptying on postoperative swallow studies, requirement of anastomotic dilation, requirement of pyloric dilation, use of postoperative promotility agents, and patient experience of postoperative symptoms of reflux or dumping, or both. Results Patients receiving botulinum injections experienced similar delayed gastric emptying on postoperative radiologic evaluation as did patients undergoing pyloromyotomy and pyloroplasty (16% versus 5% and 13%, respectively; p = 0.14). Mean operative time was significantly shorter for the patients receiving botulinum as expected (239 minutes versus 312 minutes and 373 minutes, respectively; p p p = 0.001) and used postoperative promotility agents (22% versus 5% and 15%, respectively; p = 0.04). There was no statistical difference between the groups regarding postoperative dumping. Conclusions Use of intrapyloric botulinum injection significantly decreased operative time. However, the patients receiving botulinum experienced more postoperative reflux symptoms, had increased use of promotility agents as well as a requirement for postoperative endoscopic interventions, and postoperative dumping was not reduced by the reversible procedure. Intrapyloric botulinum injection should not be used as an alternative to standard drainage procedures. Pyloromyotomy appears to be the drainage procedure of choice to accompany an esophagectomy.
Accuracy of hydrogen peroxide enhanced endoanal ultrasonography in assessment of the internal opening of an anal fistula complex.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of hydrogen peroxide-enhanced ultrasound in localizing the internal opening of the anal fistula. A retrospective review of all patients with anal fistula who underwent hydrogen peroxide-enhanced ultrasound was performed. The results of hydrogen peroxideenhanced ultrasound and intraoperative findings on the basis of operative reports were correlated. A total of 57 patients (47 men) of mean age of 45.7 (range, 21–77) years underwent hydrogen peroxide-enhanced ultrasound with a diagnosis of anal fistula; 36 patients underwent surgery. The intraoperative internal opening correlated with the hydrogen peroxide-enhanced ultrasound report in 22 of 36 patients (61.1%). In 5 patients, the hydrogen peroxide-enhanced ultrasound yielded false-positive information with a positive predictive value of 84%. Four of the 7 patients with falsenegative hydrogen peroxide-enhanced ultrasound findings had supra- and extrasphincteric fistulas. There is a 61.1% correlation between hydrogen peroxide-enhanced ultrasound and surgical findings of the internal opening with a positive predictive value of 84%. If no internal opening was seen on hydrogen peroxide-enhanced ultrasound, it strongly suggests the possibility of a supralevator or extrasphincteric fistula.
Deep water waves in lakes

Summary The properties of waves on a lake surface and the influence of water depth on these properties are discussed. The method, derived by the Beach Erosion Board, of predicting wave characteristics if the wind speed and fetch are known is outlined and the validity of the method in Loch Leven, Scotland, is confirmed. This prediction technique is then combined with the equations of classical hydrodynamics to form a method of assessing the nature and extent of wave action in lakes without direct measurement. The value of the ratio of the wave-mixed volume to the total lake volume as a meausre of hydraulic conditions in lakes is suggested.
''Fish stocks and recruitment'': the past thirty years

Rothschild, B. J. 2000. ‘‘Fish stocks and recruitment’’: the past thirty years. – ICESJournal of Marine Science, 57: 191–201.The last ICES Symposium on recruitment variability was held in Arrhus, Denmark, inthe summer of 1970. The 1970 symposium brought together many important ideas onthe topic. A contemporary perspective on recruitment variability is developed based on(1) the post-1970 accumulated record and (2) many of the ideas tabled in 1970. A briefreview focuses on the multidecadal nature of recruitment variability and the fact thatrecruitment and its integral, stock size, often vary quite independently from ﬁshingmortality, providing a strong implication that multidecadal changes in the environ-ment are a major cause of recruitment variability. This evokes the old issue of the needto separate the eﬀects of ﬁshing from the eﬀects of the environment. An importantpathway leading to such a separation was suggested at the 1970 symposium. Thispathway involved the notion that an understanding of recruitment variability requiredexamining non-linear interactions among ﬁsh life-history stages. However, an intellec-tual tension between the need to examine life-history stages and the need to studyfactors aﬀecting the mortality of ﬁsh larvae became apparent. These two approachesare now brought together by linking survival at the egg and early larval stage withfecundity. This generates a recruitment–stock curve that exhibits a collapsed and anon-collapsed phase and couples directly, in principle, with the physical structure ofthe environment.
Lossless and near-lossless source coding for multiple access networks

A multiple access source code (MASC) is a source code designed for the following network configuration: a pair of correlated information sequences {X/sub i/}/sub i=1//sup /spl infin// and {Y/sub i/}/sub i=1//sup /spl infin// is drawn independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) according to joint probability mass function (p.m.f.) p(x,y); the encoder for each source operates without knowledge of the other source; the decoder jointly decodes the encoded bit streams from both sources. The work of Slepian and Wolf describes all rates achievable by MASCs of infinite coding dimension (n/spl rarr//spl infin/) and asymptotically negligible error probabilities (P/sub e//sup (n)//spl rarr/0). In this paper, we consider the properties of optimal instantaneous MASCs with finite coding dimension (n</spl infin/) and both lossless (P/sub e//sup (n)/=0) and nearlossless (P/sub e//sup (n)//spl rarr/0) performance. The interest in near-lossless codes is inspired by the discontinuity in the limiting rate region at P/sub e//sup (n)/=0 and the resulting performance benefits achievable by using near-lossless MASCs as entropy codes within lossy MASCs. Our central results include generalizations of Huffman and arithmetic codes to the MASC framework for arbitrary p(x,y), n, and P/sub e//sup (n)/ and polynomial-time design algorithms that approximate these optimal solutions.
Report by David M. Eisenberg, M.D., on Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States: Overview and Patterns of Use

In the first of his two presentations, David Eisenberg, M.D., discussed four topics. First he reviewed current complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) terminology and definitions. Then, based on two studies he conducted in 1990 and 1997, he summarized patterns of complementary medicine use in the United States. Next, he raised the implications of his findings on research and policy-making. And, finally, he highlighted opportunities to develop a collaborative international agenda.
Effects of Age at Lighting on Reproduction of Turkey Hens

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to evaluate age at photostimulation on subsequent reproductive performance of Large White turkey hens. All hens were exposed to short daylengths [8 h light (L):16 h dark (D)] for a minimum of 8 wk immediately prior to photostimulation with long day-lengths (16L:8D). Photostimulation started at either 24, 26, 28, or 30 wk of age during January and February (Experiment 1) or July and August (Experiment 2). Data were collected for body weight, time to onset of lay, egg production, and livability in both experiments. In addition, egg quality, broodiness, floor egg production, and poult weight data were obtained in Experiment 2. An inverse relationship occurred between initiation of egg production and the age at lighting up to 30 wk of age. However, peak egg production level and the number of eggs produced per hen during the first 20 wk of egg laying were similar among treatment groups in both experiments. The number of soft-shelled or shell-less eggs produced was also similar among treatment groups. Hens photostimulated at 30 wk of age in Experiment 2 laid the heaviest eggs throughout 20 wk of egg production. Poult weight was reduced when hens were photostimulated at 24 or 26 wk of age, but this only occurred in the first 11 wk of lay. Even though Large White hens responded to photostimulation at 24 wk of age, the results do not support advancing the age at photostimulation to 28 wk or earlier.
Object tracking in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) videos using a combined approach

UAV videos are difficult to process because of fast abrupt motion, low resolution, noisy imagery, cluttered background, low contrast, and small target size. In particular, object size varies from several to thousands of pixels in different videos, which is difficult to handle well using a single algorithm. The paper proposes a switching/combined approach for object tracking in UAV videos, where small objects are tracked using a spatiotemporal segmentation method and larger objects are tracked using a modified statistical deformable model. The proposed snake model addresses the problems in existing statistical snakes that require a good initialization, manual parameter tuning and high computational complexity. It detects clutter, high gradient noise and partial occlusion, and corrects the object bounding box by automatically adjusting the snake parameters. The computational complexity is significantly reduced by performing the operations only on a small image region and using a fast snake deformation method. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated using real UAV video sequences.