cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A hyperspectral image projector for hyperspectral imagers

We have developed and demonstrated a Hyperspectral Image Projector (HIP) intended for system-level validation testing of hyperspectral imagers, including the instrument and any associated spectral unmixing algorithms. HIP, based on the same digital micromirror arrays used in commercial digital light processing (DLP*) displays, is capable of projecting any combination of many different arbitrarily programmable basis spectra into each image pixel at up to video frame rates. We use a scheme whereby one micromirror array is used to produce light having the spectra of endmembers (i.e. vegetation, water, minerals, etc.), and a second micromirror array, optically in series with the first, projects any combination of these arbitrarily-programmable spectra into the pixels of a 1024 x 768 element spatial image, thereby producing temporally-integrated images having spectrally mixed pixels. HIP goes beyond conventional DLP projectors in that each spatial pixel can have an arbitrary spectrum, not just arbitrary color. As such, the resulting spectral and spatial content of the projected image can simulate realistic scenes that a hyperspectral imager will measure during its use. Also, the spectral radiance of the projected scenes can be measured with a calibrated spectroradiometer, such that the spectral radiance projected into each pixel of the hyperspectral imager can be accurately known. Use of such projected scenes in a controlled laboratory setting would alleviate expensive field testing of instruments, allow better separation of environmental effects from instrument effects, and enable system-level performance testing and validation of hyperspectral imagers as used with analysis algorithms. For example, known mixtures of relevant endmember spectra could be projected into arbitrary spatial pixels in a hyperspectral imager, enabling tests of how well a full system, consisting of the instrument + calibration + analysis algorithm, performs in unmixing (i.e. de-convolving) the spectra in all pixels. We discuss here the performance of a visible prototype HIP. The technology is readily extendable to the ultraviolet and infrared spectral ranges, and the scenes can be static or dynamic.
Enzyme-catalyzed and enzyme-triggered pathways in dioxygenation of 1-monolinoleoyl-rac-glycerol by potato tuber lipoxygenase.

It was shown for the first time that potato tuber lipoxygenase (ptLOX) catalyzed the aerobic oxidation of 1-monolinoleoyl-rac-glycerol (mLG) in a mixed micellar reaction solution with the non-ionic detergent monododecyl ether of decaoxyethylene glycol. No hydrolysis of mLG occurred during the reaction. The four major reaction products obtained at 23°C were identified as 1-[9-hydroperoxy-10E,12Z-octadecadienoyl]-rac-glycerol (9-(E,Z)HPODE-GE, 41%), 1-[13-hydroperoxy-9Z,11E-octadecadienoyl]-rac-glycerol (13-(Z,E)-HPODE-GE, 17%), and their all-trans isomers (∼21% each). The molar fraction of all-trans isomers depended on the temperature of the reaction solution; it was found that at 0°C their molar fractions were ∼15.5% each, while 9-(E,Z)HPODE-GE and 13-(Z,E)-HPODE-GE gave 42% and 27%, respectively, of the overall product. A free radical scavenger, 4-hydroxy-TEMPO, dramatically increased the molar fraction of 9-(E,Z)HPODE-GE, yielding 83% at 23°C, at the expense of all other products. Chiral HPLC of 9-(E,Z)HPODE-GE formed in the presence of 4-hydroxy-TEMPO revealed that it was composed of ∼94% S and ∼6% (R) isomers. This assures largely a uniform orientation of mLG molecules in the ptLOX active center, with their methyl end most likely deepened into the protein globule. The second major product, 13-(Z,E)-HPODE-GE, which yielded ∼9% of the total product formed in the presence of 4-hydroxy-TEMPO, was racemic, and so were the all-trans isomers. Therefore, the last three cannot be considered the true products of the enzyme reaction, which is known to be stereospecific. It appears that they were formed as a result of (i) leakage of the pentadienyl radicals from the ptLOX active center and their subsequent non-enzymatic dioxygenation, and/or (ii) leakage of the peroxyl radicals leading to a free radical chain reaction affording all positional, geometrical and stereoisomers of the products. This reaction resembles ptLOX oxidation of another non-ionizable substrate, linoleyl alcohol [I.A. Butovich, S.M. Luk’yanova, C.C. Reddy, Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 378 (2000) 65–77], and differed substantially from oxidation of ionizable linoleic acid. Consequently, formation of large amounts of the non-specific oxidation products might be considered a universal characteristic of ptLOX oxidation of non-ionizable compounds.
Intrathecal clonidine with hyperbaric bupivacaine administered as a mixture and sequentially in caesarean section: A randomised controlled study

Background and Aims: Mixing adjuvants with hyperbaric bupivacaine in a single syringe before injecting the drugs intrathecally is an age old practice. In doing so, the density of the hyperbaric solution and also of the adjuvant drugs may be altered, thus affecting the spread of drugs. Administering local anaesthetic and the adjuvants separately may minimise the effect of the changes in densities. We aimed to compare block characteristics, intraoperative haemodynamics and post-operative pain relief in parturients undergoing caesarean section (CS) after administering hyperbaric bupivacaine and clonidine intrathecally as a mixture and sequentially. Methods: In this single-blind prospective randomised controlled study at a tertiary care centre from 2010 to 12, 60 full-term parturients scheduled for elective CSs were divided into two groups on the basis of technique of intrathecal drug administration. Group M received mixture of clonidine (75 mcg) and hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5% (10 mg) intrathecally, whereas Group B received clonidine (75 mcg) followed by hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5% (10 mg) through separate syringes. Observational descriptive statistics, analysis of variance test, Wilcoxon test and Chi-square test were used as applicable. Results: Duration of analgesia was significantly longer in Group B (474.33 ± 20.79 min) in which the drug was given sequentially than in Group M (337 ± 18.22 min). Furthermore, the time to achieve highest sensory block and complete motor block was significantly less in Group B without any major haemodynamic instability and neonatal outcome. Conclusions: When clonidine and hyperbaric bupivacaine were administered in a sequential manner, block characteristics improved significantly compared to the administration of the mixture of the two drugs.
Today's optical network research infrastructures for E-science applications

Some of today's scientific discoveries (E-science) involving both compute intensive and data intensive applications require collaboration on a global scale and high capacity optical infrastructures. This talk will discuss some of the optical networking challenges.
Path integrals without lattices for QED2

Abstract One can approximate path integrals in free two-dimensional quantum electrodynamics by expanding the fields in terms of a complete set of functions, by truncating the expansion, and by using Monte-Carlo techniques to evaluate the resulting finite-dimensional integrals. Using 3131 functions of compact support, we computed the Wilson-loop functional to an accuracy of 8 to 14% for reasonably sized loops. These results changed by less than 6% when we delayed the loops by one-tenth of the duration of the model universe.
DNA repair: tails of histones lost.

A double-stranded break in DNA can profoundly destabilize a cell's genome. But how does the cell recognize the damage and halt division until it can be fixed? The answer lies in the proteins that package and unravel DNA.
Single-word shadowing and the study of lexical access

A new procedure called single-word shadowing was applied to the study of lexical access in context. Subjects listened to word pairs or sentences recorded in one voice and were asked to repeat the target word signaled by a voice shift. This technique yielded rapid and robust priming effects in normal adult subjects in word pairs and in a sentence context. Regression analyses showed that the semantic priming effects were large and significant, even when several additional factors believed to affect lexical access were controlled. Evidence was found for robust semantic priming in the healthy elderly and in children from 7 to 11 years of age, and there was also evidence for a change in the size and nature of context effects across the lifespan. Because single-word shadowing works across a broad age range and does not require reading, secondary tasks, or metalinguistic judgments, it is a promising tool for the study of lexical access in a range of different populations.
Commentary: Reversing amnesia about hypnosis.

All that Kirsch and colleagues are harping on is that a formal hypnotic induction is not needed to elicit hypnotic response among hypnotizable people. That is why results are often comparable when hypnotic suggestions are given with and without a formal induction. Furthermore, many of the so-called ‘nonstate’ studies do not take hypnotizability into account. Differences of any kind, with or without a hypnotic induction, are unlikely to emerge among people who are not at least somewhat hypnotizable. It may indeed be the case that many people are not aware of slipping in and out of hypnotic states because it is such a natural shift in consciousness among those with the capacity. People do so spontaneously during intense experiences of absorption (Tellegen and Atkinson, 1974; Tellegen, 1981), traumatic stress (Spiegel, 1991; Spiegel, 2001; Butler, Duran, et al., 1996), or ‘flow.’ (Csikszentmihalyi, 1991; Csikszentmihalyi, 1997). Those with the ability may not identify it as particularly unusual because it is part of their routine cognitiveexperiential landscape. From the article: “When controlling for the effect of nonhypnotic suggestion, it is crucial that the exact same suggestion is given in both the hypnotic and nonhypnotic conditions. People can be remarkably sensitive to the wording of imaginative suggestions. If the wording is not the same in both conditions (e.g., Kosslyn, Thompson, et al., 2000; Iani, Ricci, et al., 2006), it can confound the nature of the induction of hypnosis and the nature of the suggestion. With such ambiguity, it is impossible to know whether differences in response are due to hypnosis or to differences in the wording of the suggestion.” Talk about ambiguity – I cannot make sense of the meaning of this paragraph, especially as a co-author of the Kosslyn et al. study. By definition, the
10 Rules for Reading

In the author's experience, a significant source of reading difficulty for many beginning and struggling readers are misconceptions about print concepts so basic teachers assume their students are aware of them. Many children fail to grasp implicit principles of print such as the following: the reader cannot make up the words, the order of letters within a word makes a difference, and each letter in a word must be considered. Using brief vignettes from her work with beginning and struggling readers, the author draws attention to these often-overlooked misconceptions. The author explains how she helped students overcome their faulty understandings by providing “rules” about reading, which enabled them to regulate their own reading.
Frequency dependent optical and dielectric properties of zinc sulfide in Terahertz regime

Abstract Frequency dependent optical and dielectric properties for several grades of chemical vapor deposited (CVD) zinc sulfide (standard, elemental, and multi-spectral) was performed using a terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) system in the frequency range from 0.15 THz to 2.5 THz. Zinc sulfide exhibits low frequency vibrational modes characterized by the THz-TDS. Two low-frequency phonon resonance lines were revealed at 0.78 THz and 2.20 THz. These samples were also characterized in the GHz range using a backward wave oscillator (BWO) source quasi-optical spectrometer, and the data obtained by both approaches were compared. Experimental data were also compared with an undamped harmonic oscillator model. These results compare well with the literature values obtained using other methods.
Quantification of Radial Mechanical Dyssynchrony in Patients With Left Bundle Branch Block and Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy Without Conduction Delay by Tissue Displacement Imaging

Cardiac resynchronization therapy has made assessment of cardiac dyssynchrony clinically important. To test the hypothesis that echocardiographic displacement imaging can quantify dyssynchrony, 22 patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB), 14 with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) without electrical conduction delay, and 22 normal controls were studied using radial angle-corrected displacement imaging. Control subjects had coordinated wall movement, whereas patients with LBBB had dyssynchrony characterized by early inward anteroseptal movement and markedly delayed posterior, lateral, or inferior regions (157 ± 99 ms; p
Balancing Cities' Books in 1992: An Assessment of City Fiscal Conditions

Cities, like states, have faced serious fiscal challenges and decisions during the economically strained 1992 year. This article is an analysis of cities' fiscal situation and policies of 1992. Specifically, cities' fiscal status, varied coping fiscal policy actions, and the relation between ending balances and fiscal policy are addressed.
Immunization Programs and Human Immunodeficiency Virus

The emergence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in epidemic form has implications for immunization programs. Infection with HIV, which is capable of infecting cells of the immune system and which can remain latent for many years, results in profound and progressive immunosuppression. As a consequence, vaccines may not elicit a protective response from HIV-infected individuals. Stimulation of the immune system may also be a cofactor for the progression of infection to AIDS, since stimulated lymphocytes are needed for the replication of HIV. HIV-positive individuals may also react differently to vaccines than do uninfected persons. The standard vaccines in use today are extremely safe. The possibility that the excellent safety profile of vaccines may be altered in HIV-positive patients must be considered. Since this virus can be transmitted through exposure to blood and blood products, mass immunization programs must take steps to minimize the possibility of accidental transmission of infection during a mass vaccination program. Finally, the problems and prospect for the testing and use of vaccines to prevent HIV are discussed.
"Good" and "Bad" Kids? A Race and Gender Analysis of Effective Behavioral Support in an Elementary School.

Using 8,265 positive behavior cards and 544 conduct reports for 244 students, regressions of how race and gender influence the allocation of punishments or rewards for students at a New England ele...
Power and Energy Management in Integrated Power System

Integrated Power System (IPS) makes more intensive use of power electronics and control than the traditional shipboard power system. This paper proposes to develop a high level Power and Energy Management System (PEMS) for a ship incorporated with IPS. PEMS will be integrated in the ship's automation system and will be responsible for the functions like — generator start/stop control, load dependent start/stop, blackout monitoring, load shedding, ship operation mode selection, start sequence program, etc. The PEMS is designed as a two-layer hierarchical architecture viz. system level layer and zonal level layer. A Power CONtrol module (PCON) is developed in both the two layers that will coordinate with other modules in the PEMS to realize its functions. Using PEMS, power and energy can be generated and delivered in an effective manner from generators to consumers. The benefits of this proposed approach are in minimizing the fuel consumption, improving the survivability, assuring the quality of service, etc.
Designing a resilient routing infrastructure for peer-to-peer networks

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks have enabled a new generation of large scale distributed applications. Unlike the traditional client-server model, in a P2P network, all peers in the network both contribute to and receive services from the network. Due to their decentralized and self-organizing nature, P2P networks enable tens of thousands (potentially millions) of Internet machines to form virtual communities and share the vast resources aggregated from the participating machines. In this dissertation, we address a fundamental problem in designing P2P networks: How to construct and maintain a resilient infrastructure to provide reliable, scalable, and efficient routing service for millions of Internet nodes without central service and administration? The absence of central administration, the large number of nodes involved, and the high rate of node dynamics pose great challenges to the design of a resilient routing infrastructure for P2P networks. Our work tackles the above challenges and has successfully addressed the following problems: (1) How to design protocols to maintain "consistency" of routing tables to ensure successful routing? (2) How to reason about correctness of these protocols? (3) How to evaluate the system's ability to sustain high rates of node dynamics and how to improve this ability? In particular, we have designed a suite of protocols that construct and maintain a resilient routing infrastructure. To base the protocol design on a sound foundation, we have introduced a theoretical foundation, called C-set trees, to guide protocol design and correctness reasoning. Based on the theoretical foundation, we have designed a join protocol and developed rigorous correctness proofs for the protocol. We have also designed an efficient failure recovery protocol, which has been demonstrated by extensive simulations to perform perfect recovery even when 50% of network nodes fail. Both the join protocol and the failure recovery protocol have been integrated into a single framework following a module composition approach. Furthermore, we have conducted extensive simulation experiments to study behaviors of the designed system under different rates of node dynamics (churn experiments). We find our system to be effective, efficient, and provide reliable and scalable routing service for an average node lifetime as low as 8.3 minutes (the median lifetime measured for two deployed P2P networks, Napster and Gnutella, was 60 minutes). Based on our system design, we have implemented a prototype system, named Silk, as the routing component of a shared infrastructure for P2P networks and other large-scale distributed applications.
Effect of regulatory mechanism on hyperbolic reaction network properties

The notion that the regulated and flux-controlling enzyme in a metabolic network need not correspond suggests that the purpose of regulation may not be flux homeostasis under all physiological circumstances. Additionally, the fact that diversity in the function of intact metabolic networks exists suggests that in addition to time constant separation, other kinetic structure/regulatory mechanism patterns exist. In order to compliment and expand prior work on identifying kinetic structure-property relationships in networks, the present work explores in a general way how the control, dynamic, and energetic properties of metabolic networks depend on operating point, kinetic structure, and regulatory mechanism. The basic feature of trade-offs between properties is illustrated and used as a basis for indicating how particular subsets of structure, regulatory mechanism, and operating point emphasize certain properties that can be associated with a physiological function. Examples of scavenging trace metabolites and amphibolite coordination are proposed. Microstructure logic in terms of turnover number distributions as well as a potential mixed polynomial network analysis approach are also discussed.
Training Nursing Home Staff to Work with Alzheimer's Disease Patients

Nursing homes across the country are recognizing the need for providing services for Alzheimer's Disease patients. This reports describes and evaluates a two day training program and manual designed for training staff working with Alzheimer's Disease patients. To evaluate the effectiveness of this program, evaluation packets were mailed to staff of 24 facilities which had participated in the training program, and to 24 comparison facilities which did not. Results of the evaluation indicated that the conference attendees and staffs trained by the attendees scores higher on an Alzheimer's Disease information test and provided significantly more appropriate responses to two problem solving vignettes. Additionally, conference attendees and those they trained, reported increased skill in working with Alzheimer's Disease patients. Eighty-six percent of staff from conference facilities indicated that the training program provided them with new skills in working with AD patients and 87 percent reported using the ...
Determination of the Bond Strength of a Metal Coating on a Substrate

This paper reviews the principles and describes new procedures for determining the bond strength of a metal film on a substrate. Considered are mechanical, electrical, acoustical and thermal measurements. Particular attention is placed on techniques which permit an unambiguous connection to be made between measured quantitites and the parameters by which the adhesive strength of a coating on a substrate can be determined.
Thalamocortical cells in the cat pulvinar nucleus transiently express nitric oxide synthase during development

We examined the postnatal expression of the neuronal form of nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) within the pulvinar and lateral posterior (LP) nuclei of the cat thalamus using immunocytochemical techniques. During the first postnatal month, nNOS was expressed in many cells within the pulvinar nucleus and medial subdivision of the LP nucleus; fewer neurons in the lateral LP nucleus were stained by the nNOS antibody. We examined the pulvinar nucleus to determine what cell types express nNOS. A comparison of the soma sizes of nNOS-stained cells to the overall population of Nissl-stained cells and interneurons (stained with an antibody against glutamic acid decarboxylase) suggests that within the pulvinar nucleus, thalamocortical cells express nNOS during development. In addition, the nNOS antibody stained axon bundles that traverse the pulvinar nucleus to enter the optic radiations, suggesting that thalamocortical cell axons also contain nNOS during development. However, this staining pattern was dramatically reduced by postnatal day 42 and later ages; the size of the remaining nNOS-stained cells was closer to that of interneurons, a subset of which contain nNOS in the adult pulvinar nucleus. This contrasts with our previous findings that nNOS is specifically expressed within interneurons in the developing dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and serves as further confirmation that the pulvinar nucleus and LGN represent distinct categories of thalamic nuclei.
An Advanced Roughness Spectrum for Computing Microwave L-Band Emissivity in Sea Surface Salinity Retrieval

The influence of sea surface roughness dominates the error budget of satellite sea surface salinity (SSS) retrieval from L-band radiometers; thus, accurate roughness correction models are needed. Semi-analytical SSS correction models, as used in the soil moisture and ocean salinity satellite Level 2 processor, combine an emissivity model with an ocean wave spectrum model that describes the rough sea surface. Previous findings indicate that the errors contributed by ocean roughness model exceed those of the emissivity model. In this paper, we compare the performance of three well-known spectrum models and a new one as inputs to the small slope approximation/small perturbation method emissivity model. The new spectrum model, which is developed from empirical parameterization of short water wave spectra measured in the ocean and incorporates swell effects, performs very well in comparison with the other spectrum models, and we propose its consideration for future SSS roughness correction models.
Industry's integration of environmental product design

The IBM approach to environmental product design is discussed. IBM has chosen to focus on the following environmental design attributes: design for ease of disassembly, recycle or reuse at end of product life, use of recycled materials and reused components, manufacture without producing hazardous waste, use of clean manufacturing technologies, reduction of product chemical emissions, reduction product energy consumption, use of recyclable plastics, and use of nonhazardous and recyclable metals. A practical approach to environmentally conscious products is to integrate these design considerations into product development's normal decision processes. In 1991, IBM established the Engineering Center for Environmentally Conscious Products. This center is dedicated to providing the necessary research that will promote the use of environmental design attributes. Much of its current effort has been in the areas of component reuse and material recycling. >
Novel Automatic Modulation Classification Using Cumulant Features for Communications via Multipath Channels

Nowadays, automatic modulation classification (AMC) plays an important role in both cooperative and non-cooperative communication applications. Very often, multipath fading channels result in the severe AMC performance degradation or induce large classification errors. The negative impacts of multipath fading channels on AMC have been discussed in the existing literature but no solution has ever been proposed so far to the best of our knowledge. In this paper, we propose a new robust AMC algorithm, which applies higher-order statistics (HOS) in a generic framework for blind channel estimation and pattern recognition. We also derive the Cramer-Rao lower bound for the fourth-order cumulant estimator when the AMC candidates are BPSK and QPSK over the additive white Gaussian noise channel, and it is a nearly minimum-variance estimator leading to robust AMC features in a wide variety of signal-to-noise ratios. The advantage of our new algorithm is that, by carefully designing the essential features needed for AMC, we do not really have to acquire the complete channel information and therefore it can be feasible without any a priori information in practice. The Monte Carlo simulation results show that our new AMC algorithm can achieve the much better classification accuracy than the existing AMC techniques.
Expanding Spectrum of Mast Cell Activation Disorders: Monoclonal and Idiopathic Mast Cell Activation Syndromes

Abstract Background In recent years, 2 new syndromes of mast cell activation have been described in patients with episodes of mast cell mediator release that range from flushing and abdominal cramping to anaphylaxis: monoclonal mast cell activation syndrome (MMAS) and idiopathic mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). Objective This review will discuss these 2 new syndromes in the larger context of mast cell activation disorders as well as the diagnostic and treatment approaches for these conditions. Methods PubMed was searched using the following terms: mast cell activation disorder, mast cell activation syndrome, and clonal mast cell . Only English-language articles published up until February 27, 2013, were considered. Results MMAS has been diagnosed in patients with systemic reactions to hymenoptera stings and elevated baseline serum tryptase as well as in patients with unexplained episodes of anaphylaxis. A bone marrow biopsy establishes the diagnosis by revealing the presence of monoclonal mast cells that carry the D816V KIT mutation and/or express CD25 while the diagnostic requirements for systemic mastocytosis are not met. MCAS affects predominantly women in whom no mast cell abnormality or external triggers account for their episodes of mast cell activation. MCAS is a diagnosis of exclusion, and primary and secondary mast cell activation disorders as well as idiopathic anaphylaxis have to be ruled out before making the diagnosis. Patients with MCAS and MMAS are treated in a stepwise fashion with drugs that block the effects of mediators released by mast cells on activation. One third of MCAS patients experience complete resolution of symptoms with treatment, while one third have a major response and one third a minor response to treatment. A combination of drugs is usually necessary to achieve symptom control. No drug trial has been performed in patients with MMAS and MCAS. Conclusions MMAS and MCAS are 2 newly described, rare syndromes of mast cell activation. Further studies will be necessary to better understand the cause of these conditions and their natural evolution and to validate and improve the treatment approach. Research should also focus on developing drugs with the potential to cure these debilitating disorders. To achieve these goals, centers with expertise in mast cell activation disorders are essential as they allow for a critical mass of these patients to be enrolled in studies while providing those patients with the most up-to-date diagnostic procedures and treatment strategies.
IMPACT OF A PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE INTERVENTION: FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF A PILOT PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR OPHTHALMOLOGY (AN AMERICAN OPHTHALMOLOGICAL SOCIETY THESIS)

Purpose To determine whether a specific pay-for-performance program design will result in a decrease in global health care expenditures attributable to implementation of that program. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed of costs referable to the health plan during a baseline year in comparison to the year following the program implementation. All claims paid during the year prior to program implementation (Baseline) were compared with all costs during the first year of program deployment (Intervention). The primary outcome measure was global health plan expenditure. Secondary outcomes measures included global health plan expenditures adjusted for catastrophic cases and changes in costs by provider type attributable to the program implementation. Results Global expenditures, for Implementation relative to Baseline years, decreased to $2,049,780 from $2,316,929 (11.5%). When adjustment was made for catastrophic cases, costs decreased to $1,645,568 from $1,811,840 (9.2%). This cost reduction was achieved despite approximately a 10% increase in provider pricing per unit of service. Conclusions In this pilot, implementing the program was an effective way to reduce the total health care costs in the first year of implementation. This supports the concept and documents for the first time in a commercial population that an appropriately designed pay-for-performance system can reduce total health care costs by reduction in units of service. This reduction in units of service will more than offset a substantive increase in physician payment per unit of service. Pay-for-performance measures will impact the practice of ophthalmology as government, payers, employers, and consumers focus on value and on demonstrable, auditable outcomes of the care process.
Individual differences in neural regions functionally related to real and imagined stuttering.

Abstract Recent brain imaging investigations of developmental stuttering show considerable disagreement regarding which regions are related to stuttering. These divergent findings have been mainly derived from group studies. To investigate functional neurophysiology with improved precision, an individual-participant approach ( N = 4) using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging and test–retest reliability measures was performed while participants produced fluent and stuttered single words during two separate occasions. A parallel investigation required participants to imagine stuttering or not stuttering on single words. The overt and covert production tasks produced considerable within-subject agreement of activated voxels across occasions, but little within-subject agreement between overt and covert task activations. However, across-subject agreement for regions activated by the overt and covert tasks was minimal. These results suggest that reliable effects of stuttering are participant-specific, an implication that might correspond to individual differences in stuttering severity and functional compensation due to related structural abnormalities.
Intracellular Trafficking of Bile Salt Export Pump (ABCB11) in Polarized Hepatic Cells: Constitutive Cycling between the Canalicular Membrane and rab11-positive Endosomes

The bile salt export pump (BSEP, ABCB11) couples ATP hydrolysis with transport of bile acids into the bile canaliculus of hepatocytes. Its localization in the apical canalicular membrane is physiologically regulated by the demand to secrete biliary components. To gain insight into how such localization is regulated, we studied the intracellular trafficking of BSEP tagged with yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) in polarized WIF-B9 cells. Confocal imaging revealed that BSEP-YFP was localized at the canalicular membrane and in tubulo-vesicular structures either adjacent to the microtubule-organizing center or widely distributed in the cytoplasm. In the latter two locations, BSEP-YFP colocalized with rab11, an endosomal marker. Selective photobleaching experiments revealed that single BSEP-YFP molecules resided in canalicular membranes only transiently before exchanging with intracellular BSEP-YFP pools. Such exchange was inhibited by microtubule and actin inhibitors and was unaffected by brefeldin A, dibutyryl cyclic AMP, taurocholate, or PI 3-kinase inhibitors. Intracellular carriers enriched in BSEP-YFP elongated and dissociated as tubular elements from a globular structure adjacent to the microtubule-organizing center. They displayed oscillatory movement toward either canalicular or basolateral membranes, but only fused with the canalicular membrane. The pathway between canalicular and intracellular membranes that BSEP constitutively cycles within could serve to regulate apical pools of BSEP as well as other apical membrane transporters.
Average coherence approximation for partially coherent optical systems

We introduce an approximation to the Hopkins integral for partially coherent optical systems. The average coherence approximation yields results close to the Hopkins integral for a wide range of coherent transfer functions and illumination functions and is far less computationally demanding than the full Hopkins integral.
Protein turnover: to self-eat or not to self-eat, that's the question.

The regulated balance between protein synthesis and protein degradation is crucial for tissue integrity, homeostasis, and maintenance. There are two principal routes for intracellular protein degradation, namely the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) and the autophagy-lysosome pathway (ALP) (Alfred 2003; Martinez-Vicente, Sovak et al. 2005). There are also emerging evidences for the interaction of the two pathways through specific molecular chaperones that can assist in recognizing, tethering, and degrading misfolded or aggregated protein substrates. Any misfolded or aggregated protein needs to be immediately cleared through either or both degradation pathways since the failure to do so can lead to cytotoxic stress due to accumulation of unwanted protein substrates. This stress can then lead to pathogenesis and tumorigenesis. In fact, most age-related diseases and cancers are characterized by a deregulation in either the UPS or ALP machineries. In this review, I intend to analyze the recent findings of cellular and molecular moieties in the autophagic degradation pathway, how this pathway is studied, and how it pertains to disease.
A one-credit artificial intelligence course for a general audience

In order to expose more students to computer science, we developed "Artificial Intelligence", a one-credit course intended for non-computer science majors. The course seeks to give students a taste of various technical topics in AI, ranging from expert systems to neural networks, without requiring any programming or mathematics background. The course uses a mixture of hands-on exercises and software demonstrations to illustrate the principles behind AI. Despite the technical subject matter, students from a variety of majors reported that they found the course both accessible and interesting.
Culture Change From Tobacco Accommodation to Intolerance Time to Connect the Dots

Broad changes in normative health behavior are critical to overcoming many of the contemporary challenges to public health. Reduction in tobacco use during the last third of the 20th century-one of the greatest improvements in public health-illustrates such change. The culture change from accommodation to intolerance of smoking is irrefutable. The role of health communication in predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing the normative social changes that ensued, however, has been less well documented with the linear, cause-and-effect methods of controlled intervention research. We examine the role of mass communication in the cultural transformation that reduced tobacco use, concluding that its influence on reduction in tobacco use follows a pathway as much through secondary transmissions within groups of people as through direct influence on individuals.
Failure Analysis and Anisotropy Evaluation of 3D-Printed Tensile Test Specimens of Different Geometries and Print Raster Patterns

Anisotropic mechanical properties related to build orientation is a characteristic of parts fabricated with 3D printing technologies. In the development of new materials for 3D printing processes, understanding the effects of 3D printer build orientation and raster pattern on physical property and failure mode differences is extremely important. While there is currently no standard for the evaluation of build orientation-based mechanical performance, such analysis has typically been achieved through the fabrication and scrutiny of tensile and other test coupons which were printed in different build orientations. In some cases, printing specimens in the ZXY (or vertical) build orientation can be difficult due to the capability of a given 3D printer platform. There are also multiple tensile test specimen geometries specified in the ASTM D638 standard for the tensile testing of polymer materials and understanding which specimen geometry works best for 3D printing is not currently well understood. The work presented here explores the effect of tensile test specimen geometry on the anisotropy of mechanical properties related to the build orientation of tensile test specimens. The test coupons were fabricated using a material extrusion 3D printing platform based on fused deposition modeling technology using a grade of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene not typically used in 3D printing in order to simulate the testing of a new material. The effects of raster pattern and the geometric dependence of mechanical property anisotropy were explored, and validation of the use of “faux vertical” specimens in lieu of ZXY-printed specimens was demonstrated. Finally, scanning electron microscopy was used to perform fractography on the various versions of the printed tensile test specimens in order to determine the effect of raster pattern on failure mode.
Hand Instrument Performance in A Single Site Surgery Simulator With Novices

Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) is a new minimally invasive surgical technique that presents physical and mental challenges to surgeons. Currently, LESS procedures are commonly performed using surgical instruments designed for traditional multi-incision laparoscopic surgery. A pilot study was conducted to determine which laparoscopic instruments were the most efficient for LESS procedures. In a LESS surgical trainer, 24 novice users completed a simple surgical task using standard (non-articulating) straight laparoscopic graspers and two different articulating instruments. Task performance was scored based on completion time and the number of errors. Analyses showed that the use of the simpler straight instruments produced significantly faster times (p = 0.004 and p = 0.014) and higher task scores (p = 0.005 and p = 0.021) than the articulating instruments. These results suggest that standard laparoscopic hand instruments enable better novice performance for a basic LESS task.
Elevated local [Ca2+] and CaMKII promote spontaneous Ca2+ release in ankyrin-B-deficient hearts

Aims Loss-of-function mutations in the cytoskeletal protein ankyrin-B (AnkB) cause ventricular tachyarrhythmias in humans. Previously, we found that a larger fraction of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ leak occurs through Ca2+ sparks in AnkB-deficient (AnkB+/−) mice, which may contribute to arrhythmogenicity via Ca2+ waves. Here, we investigated the mechanisms responsible for increased Ca2+ spark frequency in AnkB+/− hearts. Methods and results Using immunoblots and phospho-specific antibodies, we found that phosphorylation of ryanodine receptors (RyRs) by CaMKII is enhanced in AnkB+/− hearts. In contrast, the PKA-mediated RyR phosphorylation was comparable in AnkB+/− and wild-type (WT) mice. CaMKII inhibition greatly reduced Ca2+ spark frequency in myocytes from AnkB+/− mice but had little effect in the WT. Global activities of the major phosphatases PP1 and PP2A were similar in AnkB+/− and WT hearts, while CaMKII autophosphorylation, a marker of CaMKII activation, was increased in AnkB+/− hearts. Thus, CaMKII-dependent RyR hyperphosphorylation in AnkB+/− hearts is caused by augmented CaMKII activity. Intriguingly, CaMKII activation is limited to the sarcolemma–SR junctions since non-junctional CaMKII targets (phospholamban, HDAC4) are not hyperphosphorylated in AnkB+/− myocytes. This local CaMKII activation may be the consequence of elevated [Ca2+] in the junctional cleft caused by reduced Na+/Ca2+ exchange activity. Indeed, using the RyR-targeted Ca2+ sensor GCaMP2.2-FBKP12.6, we found that local junctional [Ca2+] is significantly elevated in AnkB+/− myocytes. Conclusions The increased incidence of pro-arrhythmogenic Ca2+ sparks and waves in AnkB+/− hearts is due to enhanced CaMKII-mediated RyR phosphorylation, which is caused by higher junctional [Ca2+] and consequent local CaMKII activation.
The social lab classroom: Wrestling with-and learning from-sustainability challenges.

Unlike the traditional disciplinary approach to research and problem-solving still common in higher education, this article explicates and recommends an interdisciplinary, holistic pedagogical appr...
Classfication of Deep Web Databases Based on the Domain Sample Query

An approach based on the domain sample query is proposed in this paper to classify the web database.it obtains domain of the main attributes by analyzing descriptive attribute labels in the advanced query interfaces,the correllations of between web database with simple query interface and domain can be estimated by result schema and records of result pages,which obtained by submitting probing queries to simple query interface.The experiments on several domains have proved that this approach is effective and can achieve high classification precision,recall and F-measure values.
Gender and Sport Media

Thirty years of sport media and gender research will be summarized in this chapter. In what some scholars call mediasport, a site where sport is not experienced in the space where it happens but represented through media, differences such as gender, class, race, sexuality, identity, disability and nationalism are naturalized and reproduced (Bruce, 2013, p. 126).
Aspergillus parasiticus Growth and Aflatoxin Synthesis on Florunner Peanuts Grown in Gypsum-Supplemented Soil.

Five levels of gypsum supplementation (0, 550, 1100, 2200, and 4400 kg ha-1) were applied to peanut fields 35 d after planting. After the growing season, peanuts were harvested, ground, and inoculated with 1 × 107 Aspergillus parasiticus (NRRL 5139) conidia. After 14 d at 25°C, aflatoxin was extracted and quantified by thin-layer chromatography. Fungal growth was assayed using a modified chitin assay. Peanuts from gypsum-supplemented fields at each level of supplementation supported significantly less aflatoxin production when compared to control peanuts (no calcium supplementation). Results from the chitin assay showed a decrease in fungal biomass which correlated with the decreased aflatoxin synthesis.
Practical considerations for electromagnetic interference suppression rate with spread spectrum clocking

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is one of the critical design issues affecting the performance of consumer electronic devices, especially for wireless devices and applications. EMI can easily degrade the performance of systems through undesirable spectral components and by interference from the system itself. Therefore, there are a lot of techniques addressing this issue such as differential signaling, shielding, and spread spectrum clocking (SSC). Specifically, SSC is getting more attention since it directly addresses EMI issues at its source. In this paper, SSC generation and its EMI suppression rate are discussed, and two practical considerations are introduced to improve the measurement accuracy.
The Structure of a Behavioral Revolution

This book represents one of the first two volumes in the series, “Quantitative Perspectives on Behavioral Economics and Finance.” Its companion volume, Postmodern Portfolio Theory: Navigating Abnormal Markets and Investor Behavior, addresses leading departures from the putative efficiency of financial markets.1 Intense pressure on the conventional capital asset pricing model gave rise to theoretical innovations such as Eugene Fama and Kenneth French’s three-factor model. Postmodern Portfolio Theory traces this story through the four statistical moments of the distribution of financial returns: mean, variance, skewness, and kurtosis.
Lactated Ringer's solution in combination with rectal indomethacin for prevention of post-ERCP pancreatitis and readmission: a prospective randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial

Background and Aims Prospective data have shown the benefit of rectal indomethacin (IND) for preventing post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP). A recent pilot study demonstrated a lower incidence of PEP after an 8-hour lactated Ringer's solution (LR) infusion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of IND with or without bolus LR in patients at high-risk for PEP. Methods In this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial we assigned patients to standard normal saline solution (NS) + placebo, NS + IND, LR + placebo, or LR + IND. Each liter of fluid infusion was completed within 30 minutes. Patients were determined high-risk based established criterion and excluded if they had pancreatitis, contraindications to IND, or signs of volume overload. Our primary outcome was PEP, defined by standardized criterion. Our secondary outcomes were severe acute pancreatitis, localized adverse events, death, length of stay, and readmission. Results Our sample consisted of 192 patients (48 per group) who completed follow-up at 24 hours and at 30 days post-ERCP. All patients had at least 1 high-risk criterion for PEP, and 56% had >1. PEP occurred in 3 patients (6%) in the LR + IND versus 10 (21%) in the NS + placebo group (P = .04). Readmission rates were lower in the LR + IND group (1 [2%]) versus the NS + placebo group (6 [13%]; P = .03). No differences were found between the other study groups. There was 1 case of severe pancreatitis (NS + IND) and 1 case of pseudocyst (LR + IND). Conclusions In patients at high risk for PEP, LR + IND reduced the incidence of PEP and readmission rates compared with NS + placebo. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT02641561.)