cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two-stage atlas subset selection in multi-atlas based image segmentation.

Purpose: Fast growing access to large databases and cloud stored data presents a unique opportunity for multi-atlas based image segmentation and also presents challenges in heterogeneous atlas quality and computation burden. This work aims to develop a novel two-stage method tailored to the special needs in the face of large atlas collection with varied quality, so that high-accuracy segmentation can be achieved with low computational cost. Methods: An atlas subset selection scheme is proposed to substitute a significant portion of the computationally expensive full-fledged registration in the conventional scheme with a low-cost alternative. More specifically, the authors introduce a two-stage atlas subset selection method. In the first stage, an augmented subset is obtained based on a low-cost registration configuration and a preliminary relevance metric; in the second stage, the subset is further narrowed down to a fusion set of desired size, based on full-fledged registration and a refined relevance metric. An inference model is developed to characterize the relationship between the preliminary and refined relevance metrics, and a proper augmented subset size is derived to ensure that the desired atlases survive the preliminary selection with high probability. Results: The performance of the proposed scheme has been assessed with cross validation based on two clinical datasets consisting of manually segmented prostate and brain magnetic resonance images, respectively. The proposed scheme demonstrates comparable end-to-end segmentation performance as the conventional single-stage selection method, but with significant computation reduction. Compared with the alternative computation reduction method, their scheme improves the mean and medium Dice similarity coefficient value from (0.74, 0.78) to (0.83, 0.85) and from (0.82, 0.84) to (0.95, 0.95) for prostate and corpus callosum segmentation, respectively, with statistical significance. Conclusions: The authors have developed a novel two-stage atlas subset selection scheme for multi-atlas based segmentation. It achieves good segmentation accuracy with significantly reduced computation cost, making it a suitable configuration in the presence of extensive heterogeneous atlases.
Post-transcriptional regulation of Xwnt-8 expression is required for normal myogenesis during vertebrate embryonic development.

The Xenopus Wnt-8 gene is transiently expressed in ventral and lateral mesoderm during gastrulation and plays a critical role in patterning these tissues. In the current study, we show that the spatial and temporal pattern of expression of endogenous Xwnt-8 is regulated, in part, at a post-transcriptional level. We have identified a novel sequence element in the 3′ untranslated region of the Xwnt-8 RNA that controls the polyadenylation status of reporter and endogenous Xwnt-8 RNAs, directs rapid RNA degradation beginning precisely at the early gastrula stage, and represses translation of transcripts throughout development. Expression of endogenous Xwnt-8 is normally downregulated within lateral (presomitic) mesoderm following gastrulation. We demonstrate that rapid degradation of Xwnt-8 transcripts, mediated by these regulatory elements in the 3′ untranslated region, is essential to this process and that downregulation is required to prevent overcommitment of somitic cells to a myogenic fate. These studies demonstrate a role for post-transcriptional regulation of zygotic gene expression in vertebrate embryonic patterning.
Immunosuppressive therapy in high-risk transplant patients: dose-dependent efficacy of mycophenolate mofetil in African-American renal allograft recipients. U.S. Renal Transplant Mycophenolate Mofetil Study Group.

Background. Numerous studies have demonstrated that renal allograft survival is reduced in African-Americans (AAs). This posthoc racial subgroup analysis (AAs vs. non-AAs) tested whether mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) might have favorable implications for the treatment of AA renal allograft recipients. Methods. Patients received a triple therapy regimen of corticosteroids, cyclosporine, and azathioprine (AZA) 1-2 mg/kg/day, MMF 2 g/day (MMF 2 g), or MMF 3 g/day (MMF 3 g). Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322 Results. AAs in the AZA group had the highest biopsy-proven rejection/treatment failure (BPR/TF) rate (57.5% vs. 43.5% for non-AAs). AAs in the MMF 3 g group showed a significant reduction in BPR/TF (57.5% vs. 24.2%, P=0.0008). BPRs were more frequent for AAs in either the AZA (47.5%) or MMF 2 g group (31.8%) than in the MMF 3 g group (12.1%), whereas rejections were reduced for non-AAs receiving either MMF dosage (AZA, 35.5%; MMF 2 g, 15.7%; MMF 3 g, 18.8%). AAs in the AZA group experienced BPR/TF earlier than AAs in the MMF 3 g group (median onset at 64 days vs. >183 days, P=0.0012). But AAs in the MMF 3 g experienced BPR/TF the latest among the six subgroups of treatment and race. AAs had more severe rejection episodes and higher serum creatinine levels at 6 months after transplant, regardless of treatment group. Conclusions. Dose-dependent prevention of acute rejection in AAs is best afforded by a dosage of MMF at 3 g/day, whereas 2 g/day provides a superior benefit/risk ratio for non-AAs. MMF at 3 g/day thus provides an improvement over conventional immunosuppressive strategies in reducing the frequency of acute rejections in this immunologically high-risk group.
Hylobius pales: Effect of Dietary Sterols on Development and on Sterol Content of Somatic Tissue

Rearing larvae of the pales weevil, Hylobius pales (Herbst), on a semi-defined diet containing known amounts of either a sterol or sterol precursor showed that a dietary source of sterol was required for growth. The optimum range of sterol content necessary for normal growth and emergence was between 0.5 and 1.0±0.05%. Diets containing both β-sitosterol and cholesterol were superior for growth and survival to diets containing either of these sterols alone or stigmasterol, ergosterol, squalene, 7-dehydrocholesterol, or lanosterol. Analysis of the larvae both from the experimental diets and from natural food (phloem of loblolly pine) showed that cholesterol, β-sitosterol, and campesterol were present in the somatic tissue in nearly all instances. The egg contained the largest percentage of the total and individual sterols present during the entire developmental period. The total lipid content was not correlated with the amount of sterol at the various stages of development.
On the IF spectral placement of bandpass sampled signals

Bandpass sampling is a widely used approach to sample a continuous-time bandpass signal, and in so doing, downconvert the signal to a lower intermediate frequency (IF). To date, only a nonlinear relationship between the sampling frequency and IF has been presented. In this paper, a linear relationship between the sampling frequency and IF is derived. Since it is linear, the new finding can be used in more applications than the nonlinear relationship, including those where the IF is of importance. To illustrate this, its usefulness in applications including receiver design and carrier aggregation is discussed.
Regulatory Interactions of a Virulence-Associated Serine/Threonine Phosphatase-Kinase Pair in Bacillus anthracis

In the current study, we examined the regulatory interactions of a serine/threonine phosphatase (BA-Stp1), serine/threonine kinase (BA-Stk1) pair in Bacillus anthracis. B. anthracis STPK101, a null mutant lacking BA-Stp1 and BA-Stk1, was impaired in its ability to survive within macrophages, and this correlated with an observed reduction in virulence in a mouse model of pulmonary anthrax. Biochemical analyses confirmed that BA-Stp1 is a PP2C phosphatase and dephosphorylates phosphoserine and phosphothreonine residues. Treatment of BA-Stk1 with BA-Stp1 altered BA-Stk1 kinase activity, indicating that the enzymatic function of BA-Stk1 can be influenced by BA-Stp1 dephosphorylation. Using a combination of mass spectrometry and mutagenesis approaches, three phosphorylated residues, T165, S173, and S214, in BA-Stk1 were identified as putative regulatory targets of BA-Stp1. Further analysis found that T165 and S173 were necessary for optimal substrate phosphorylation, while S214 was necessary for complete ATP hydrolysis, autophosphorylation, and substrate phosphorylation. These findings provide insight into a previously undescribed Stp/Stk pair in B. anthracis.
Leadership of systematic technology innovation and the advanced professional education of engineers

The paper compares the traditional science-driven model of the acquisition of technology capability with a customer-focused needs-driven model of the creative technology innovation process and engineering method. Based on a new understanding of the technology innovation process, it is now apparent that a new and more effective management philosophy has emerged. A transformation is needed both in the management of technology and in the supportive graduate professional education process which will develop engineers in industry for responsible professional leadership of systematic technology innovation. The paper sets a new direction in advanced professional education for engineers in industry which matches and supports their stages of continuous growth and development and is implemented concurrently with their engineering practice. This requires a transformation in the organizational culture in both industry and the universities to more fully foster, nurture, and support intrinsic human potential and to unleash creativity and leadership for more effective technology innovation.
Questions Every Judge and Lawyer Should Ask About Infants and Toddlers in the Child Welfare System

We need to change the culture in our courts. Instead of ignoring the special needs of babies and toddlers, we need to recognize that abused and neglected children are at risk for developing negative sequelae as a result of their maltreatment. The science of early development is unequivocal that early intervention can be effective. The following questions were developed as a guide for lawyers, judges, and child advocates in the child welfare system as a first step toward advocacy and intervention for young children. Armed with the questions, the scientific reasons they need to be asked, and the research that provides support, we recommend that these questions be used as a tool and be asked over and over until the needs of maltreated infants and babies are addressed. It is our legal obligation under the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and it is our moral responsibility to these young children.
10—WOOL FIBRE DIAMETER UNIFORMITY

(1950). 10—WOOL FIBRE DIAMETER UNIFORMITY. Journal of the Textile Institute Transactions: Vol. 41, No. 5, pp. T173-T177.
Decisions following the intrauterine diagnosis of sex chromosome aneuploidy.

This is a report of 327 phone calls to our center concerning the intrauterine diagnosis of sex chromosome abnormalities (SCA). The first author (A.R.) responded to each by counseling either the parents or the referring professional. Sixty-two percent continued the pregnancy. When the parents were counseled directly, the percentage continuing the pregnancy was significantly higher than when the information was transmitted through the professionals. Our results are different from most reports in these situations, and suggest that well-informed couples, counseled by geneticists, are more likely to continue these pregnancies. The possible occurrence of SCA should be considered in preamniocentesis counseling.
Bcl-2 is significantly overexpressed in localized radio-recurrent prostate carcinoma, compared with localized radio-naive prostate carcinoma.

Abstract Purpose We set out to determine whether patients who underwent prostatectomy for recurrence after external-beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer had a higher incidence of alterations in the apoptotic pathway than did patients who underwent surgery as initial treatment. Methods and materials Twenty patients who underwent unsuccessful full-dose external-beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer and subsequently underwent salvage radical surgery (radio-recurrent group), and 20 patients matched for various clinical parameters who underwent only radical prostatectomy for localized or locally advanced prostate cancer (radio-naive group), were studied. Tissue samples were examined for immunoreactivity for p53, p21, Bcl-2, and Ki-67 proteins. Statistically, the two groups were compared using exact logistic regression. Results Fifty-five percent of the tumors from patients initially treated with radiotherapy were noted to overexpress Bcl-2; whereas, in the radio-naive group, no patient had Bcl-2 overexpression (p = 0.0004). More patients who underwent salvage radical surgery were found to have a higher mean proliferative index (Ki-67 staining) (39.6%), compared with patients undergoing prostatectomy alone (22.1%), p = 0.0800. No significant difference was noted in immunohistochemical expression of p53 and p21 between the two groups. Conclusion Patients undergoing radical prostatectomy after radiotherapy had a significantly higher rate of Bcl-2 overexpression than did patients who underwent surgery as the initial treatment. Alterations in the apoptotic pathway may be important in the development of local recurrence after radiation therapy.
Cyberbullying: causes, effects, and remedies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present research exploring the pervasiveness and causes of cyberbullying, the psychological impact on students, and the responses to cyberbullying from students and administrators. The goal is to give school leaders a greater understanding of this phenomenon and suggest steps to deal with this challenging issue.Design/methodology/approach – The data are collected from 351 students using a survey, which contains limited choice, scaled response, and open‐ended questions. This qualitative/quantitative design enables collection of data from a large population along with rich qualitative data that expand and explain students' experiences.Findings – The paper reveals that cyberbullying emerges most commonly from relationship problems (break‐ups, envy, intolerance, and ganging up); victims experience powerfully negative effects (especially on their social well‐being); and the reactive behavior from schools and students is generally inappropriate, absent, or ineffective.R...
Patterns of vocal fold movement during stuttering

Abstract By means of an electroglottography, 114 tokens of stuttering produced by 12 adult stutterers were analyzed for patterns of vocal fold vibration as observed in eight types of stuttering episodes. Results suggest that stuttering events share certain phonational attributes. Issues concerning the nature of the disorder and approach to treatment are discussed.
International use of standardized patients

The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) Clinical Competence Assessment (CCA) study established the reliability, validity, and feasibility of the ECFMG CCA with graduates of medical schools in 50 countries around the world in U.S. residency programs. The first pilot project provided a profile of clinical competencies of graduates of foreign medical schools for a residency program director. The ECFMG CCA is now being introduced in pilot projects outside the United States to address the needs expressed by ministries of health, organizations, and institutions in several countries. A bank of globally relevant cases is being assembled. The separate pilot projects will be modified by the development of cases with medical faculty members of each country to establish a regional context. It is hoped that the pilot projects will ultimately result in the establishment of global standards for the use of all nations to meet their individual and collective needs.
APL modeling of DeMorgan algebras

Boolean algebras, whose elements are represented as vectors of bits, have been augmented with a “don't care” value by circuit theorists. Such an augmented algebra, with its operations appropriately extended, is called DeMorgan algebra. Various APL models of these algebras are presented and functions on them discussed. Applications include functions on three-element sets, simplification of Boolean functions, decomposition of Boolean functions, and extensions to Lukasiewicz algebras.
Roots of Identity: Language and Literacy in Mexico

Despite over fifty years of literacy training by the Mexican government, the National Census records an illiteracy rate of over 70 percent in most Indian communities. This book attempts to discover why so many Indians are illiterate today despite an indigenous literary tradition that dates back to the pre-Conquest period. The author sees language as the main factor explaining the high illiteracy rate in the Indian regions. Although alphabets have been created for most of Mexico's indigenous languages, there is no longer a literate tradition in the languages themselves, and writing is intrinsically associated with the official and dominant language, Spanish. Indians continue to reproduce their group identity through the maintenance of linguistic and cultural boundaries. How these boundaries have been built over time and how they continue to be maintained throughout the twentieth century form the substance of this book.
Growth cone calcium elevation by GABA

Cytoplasmic calcium plays a key role in neurite growth. In contrast to previous work suggesting that gamma aminobutyrate's (GABA) role in regulating growth cone calcium is primarily to antagonize the effects of glutamate, we report that GABA can act in an excitatory manner on developing hypothalamic neurites, independently raising calcium in growing neurites and their growth cones. Time-lapse digital video and confocal laser microscopy with the calcium-sensitive dyes fluo-3 and fura-2 were used to study the influence of GABA on neurite calcium levels. GABA (10 microM) evoked a calcium rise in both bicarbonate- and Hepes-based buffers. The calcium rise was greatly reduced after chloride transport was blocked. GABA raised calcium by stimulating the cell body, resulting in an increase in calcium throughout the neuronal cell body and dendritic arbor. GABA also acted locally, stimulating a neuritic calcium rise only in a single dendrite or growth cone. In some neurites and growth cones during early development, GABA generated a greater calcium rise than did glutamate. Bicuculline, a GABAA receptor antagonist, reduced calcium levels in neurites of young synaptically coupled neurons, indicating that ongoing synaptic release of GABA raised neuritic calcium. These data suggest that during early development, GABA may play a significant role in regulating process growth and modulating the formation of early connections in the hypothalamus. Our data support the hypothesis that GABA receptors are functionally active and may play a calcium regulating role similar to that of glutamate in neuronal development. This is particularly true in early development, as later in development GABA's role becomes more inhibitory, and glutamate plays the primary excitatory role.
Architecting Session Report

The Architecting session examined the development of software architectures. Seven papers were presented, covering both the state of the practice and new architecting approaches. Based on the paper presentations and subsequent discussions, we concluded that tool support is a barrier to adoption of methods, and that architectural knowledge, including domain-specific knowledge and understanding of patterns and styles is essential but difficult to communicate. A related issue, the documentation of an architecture, is similarly critical but not easy to do well, and better techniques and tools are needed. Finally, we agreed that agile methods do not bring fundamental changes to the practice of architecting.
The Effect of Mutual Orientation on the Spectra of Metal Nanoparticle Rod−Rod and Rod−Sphere Pairs

A simple quasistatic treatment for the plasmon resonance spectra of nanoparticle rod−rod and rod−sphere pairs is presented. Spectra are calculated for gold particle pairs at different distances and mutual orientations. For rod−rod and rod−sphere pairs, the spectral changes that occur as a result of interparticle interaction are different for end-to-end (axial) and side-to-side (lateral) orientations. Axial interactions generally lead to a red shift of the most intense (longitudinal axis) plasmon resonance band. Lateral interactions usually lead to a blue shift of the main plasmon band. In general, lateral orientation yields more pronounced spectral changes than the axial case, especially as the aspect ratio of the rod member(s) increases.
Some characteristics of future information systems

The existing information systems are characterized by sophisticated hardware designs and relatively unforgiving software support. One may expect that future information systems will provide a unified approach to several different types of information processing tasks, as well as more user-friendly processing environments. Some of the requirements of future information systems are described in this note and various advances in retrieval system design are examined, including automatic indexing, automatic query formulation, and extended Boolean query processing.
Locus of Control in Young Adults in Russia and the United States

A comparison of scores on perceived relative economic status and locus of control was made between young adults in Russia and in the United States prior to the fall of communism. 84 students in Moscow and 88 students in the USA were voluntary participants. There was no national difference in mean perceived, relative economic status. The Russian students scored more external than the USA students on over-all locus of control and on the subcategories of Luck/Fate, Academics, Leadership/Success, and Politics. This pattern reversed with the Respect subcategory. USA students scored more external than those in Russia. These findings agree with past comparisons of samples from collectivist and democratic societies.
Using an edge-dual graph and k-connectivity to identify strong connections in social networks

How close two entities are in social network is a key factor of SNA (Social Network Analysis). Recent studies of social networks contain a large number of entities and huge number of relations/connections in the networks. Efficiently and accurately analyzing relationships in the network is important component of SNA, especially for law enforcement. In this paper we propose using the edge-dual graph to transform the traditional social network graph to a relation context oriented graph and using modified k-connectivity concepts to evaluate the robustness of the relations. We also describe an implementation of a system based on a 450GB data source, involving 5 million people in Alabama. We use this large scale implementation to evaluate the performance and correctness of the proposal. Our evaluation suggests that using this relation context oriented technology will help to construct a more accurate social network.
Intraventricular Pressure and the Distribution of Coronary Blood Flow

The subepicardial: subsendocardial ratio of Rb86 contents was measured and used as an index of the distribution of coronary blood flow to the more superficial and deeper layers of the canine myocardium. In the normally beating heart, the level of intraventricular pressure did not exert any detectable influence upon this ratio of Rb86 contents. In the fibrillating heart, or in an ischemic (and presumably non-beating) region of the beating heart, on the other hand, this ratio increased as intraventricular pressure was progressively raised. It is concluded, therefore, that the intraventricular pressure exerts a significant influence upon the distribution of blood flow to the deeper and more superficial layers of myocardium only in regions which are not beating normally.
Combined Cyclosporine and Corticosteroid Therapy for Sight-threatening Uveitis in Behçet's Disease

Behcet's disease is a multisystem disorder that may cause profound ocular inflammation and blindness. We reviewed 19 patients with severe ocular Behcet's disease treated with combined cyclosporine and corticosteroid therapy. Previous treatment with corticosteroids alone failed to control the uveitis in all patients. Ten patients were given cyclosporine therapy alone (mean dosage, 8.6 mg/kg of body weight per day), and nine patients were given lower dosages of cyclosporine (mean dosage, 6.2 mg/kg of body weight per day) in combination with prednisone (mean dosage, 29.4 mg per day). The mean follow-up on therapy was 51 months. After three months of therapy, a trend toward greater improvement in visual acuity was noted in patients treated with combined cyclosporine and prednisone compared to those receiving cyclosporine alone (17.8 letters vs 10.2 letters, P = .2379), but after one year little difference was observed in the improvement between the two groups (5.8 letters vs 3.3 letters, P = .7984). However, a trend toward greater renal toxicity was seen in patients treated with cyclosporine alone after both three months and one year of therapy. Because of either a suboptimal therapeutic response or adverse effects, all patients treated with cyclosporine alone at baseline had prednisone added to their regimen after a mean time of 23.5 months. Overall, visual acuity remained stable or improved in 28 of 37 eyes (75.7%) over the course of therapy. These data suggest that combined cyclosporine and prednisone therapy is an effective treatment for Behcet's uveitis and may be less toxic than therapy with cyclosporine alone. A prospective, randomized trial with a larger sample size is needed to provide definitive data.
INFLUENCE OF PHOSPHORUS SUPPLY AND THE FORM OF AVAILABLE NITROGEN ON THE NITROGEN METABOLISM OF THE TOMATO PLANT.

Previous work by many investigators has suggested that the process of nitrogen assimilation in the plantpasses through a step involving the reduction of nitrates to nitrites, and finally to fully reduced nitrogen carriers which function directly in the synthesis of amino acids and proteins. Eckerson (4) advanced the theory that this process of reduction is governed by an enzyme, the so-called reducase, or reductase, which catalyzes the reduction of nitrates to nitrites. Conditions necessary for this reduction to take place are, among others, the presence of phosphorus, calcium, and potassium. Deficiency of phosphorus during the growth of tomato plants leads to an abnormal? accumulation of nitrates in the tissues, caused, as suggested by Eckerson (4), by the inability of the plant to utilize the nitrates because of a breakdown in its reduction mechanism. The plant is thus exhibiting a type of deficiency caused both by nitrogen and phosphorus starvation. Evidence for the foregoing theory is based mainly on experiments designed to measure the nitrate reducing ability of plant juice, which appears to be impaired in the case of phosphorus deficiency. Further evidence is based on the known fact that nitrates do accumulate in rather large amounts in the tissues of some plants suffering from phosphorus starvation. More recently the problem has been attacked from a different angle. Skok (12) studied the effect of the form of available nitrogen on the development of calcium deficiency symptoms in the bean plant and has shown that in plants supplied with urea instead of nitrate nitrogen the development of deficiency symptoms due to lack of calcium is noticeably delayed. This work is interpreted to indicate that, since nitrogen has been supplied in a form that is already reduced, the necessity for nitrate reduction has been removed, and the plants are exhibiting true calcium deficiency. These experiments tend to confirm the essential r?le of calcium in nitrate reduction. The present work is an attempt to apply and extend the same type of reasoning to a study of phosphorus deficiency in the tomato plant, in order to determine more clearly if phosphorus does play an essential r?le in the assimilation of nitrates, and if so, to obtain information on what stage of the process is affected by a deficiency of phosphorus. The mere fact that plants utilizing urea as a source of nitrogen show delayed appearance of deficiency symptoms is not adequate proof of the essential nature of phosphorus for the reduction of nitrates for, as previously pointed out (2), these plants absorb phosphorus much more rapidly from the nutrient solu1 Journal Paper no. 137 of the Purdue Agricultural Experiment Station.
Laser rapid prototyping of photonic integrated circuits

In this paper, we will describe our work at Columbia in developing a laser prototyping system, in conjunction with computer simulation, to design, fabricate, and test novel waveguide circuits. The system is also useful for manufacturing small-run circuit designs. The fundamental technique uses a laser-induced photoelectrochemical process for etching GaAs and other III-V compounds. The technique is maskless and discretionary. The computer-controlled apparatus can be programmed with any desired circuit pattern, and prototype waveguide circuits can be produced within a day. The waveguides and passive components produced with this technique include linear waveguides, tapered waveguides, abrupt and smoothly curved bends, Y-branches, asymmetric splitters, directional couplers, and optical delay lines. The passive devices are single-mode and low-loss. The technique also has the ability to vary the effective index of refraction along the device by grading the etch depth. In addition to passive devices, we have recently shown that active switching components can be prototyped by combining passive structures with laser-patterned metal electrodes. These electrodes are produced masklessly using standard metal deposition techniques coupled with laser- patterning of photoresist. In addition, metal can be deposited directly using laser-induced selective metallorgainic CVD.
Effects of acoustic tagging on juvenile green sturgeon incision healing, swimming performance, and growth

Ultrasonic telemetry is a preferred method for fish-movement studies. Despite surgical tag implantation being the most common method for affixing tags, many studies lack tests addressing the assumption that tagging has no effect on fish performance or survival. The threatened, anadromous green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris, has little documentation concerning its movements. We evaluated the effects of surgery and tag implantation in juveniles. We compared three groups: tagged fish with dummy transmitters implanted in the peritoneal cavity, sham fish that underwent surgery without tag implantation, and control fish that were handled and anesthetized but did not undergo surgery. We found no differences in growth or critical swimming velocity among groups. Photos of incisions were taken towards the beginning and at the end of the study to assess inflammation and to score each incision for closure and suture retention. Inflammation declined similarly for tagged and sham fish during the study. Ucrit was not related to the extent of inflammation or to post-surgery time. All fish showed healing during the study (ca. 140 day duration) and 10 % of tagged and sham fish showed signs of inflammation by the study end. These results suggest that current ultrasonic surgical tagging methods do not significantly affect the short-term growth or swimming performance of juvenile green sturgeon. Additionally, effects of surgery can be mitigated by minimizing the number of suture entry points and by using rapid-absorbing sutures.
ZOE cements: phase identification by thermal analysis

Abstract The greatest difficulty for interpretation of dental cement properties has been the elimination of contributions of components other than the reaction product to the set mass. The objective of this work was to determine the DTA-TGA transitions of all ZOE cement phases, so that the reaction product of zinc eugenolate could be identified in clinical materials. Zinc eugenolate was found to decompose exothermically starting at 310°C without melting. Previously reported transitions for zinc eugenolate were correctly assigned to other cement phases such as zinc hydroxide, zinc acetate, or eugenol.
Fluvial response to on-going tectonism and base-level changes, lower Amargosa River, Southern Death Valley, California

Abstract Terrace formation along the lower reaches of many rivers is attributed to climatically induced base-level changes. However, along the lower Amargosa River in southern Death Valley, tectonism appears to be the controlling factor. The river flows within a small graben for several kilometers, and adjacent to and downstream of this graben three sets of fluvial terraces have been developed. Surveyed cross-sections and longitudinal profiles of the modern channel and terraces plus analyses of the size distribution and composition of the terrace gravels point to a tectonic origin for the terraces and also indicate that the style of deformation is continuing. Although the study area is lower in elevation than the maximum high stand of a lake that occupied Death Valley periodically during the Pleistocene, and therefore was subject to base-level changes, formation of the terraces probably occurred after most of the lake dried up. The terraces represent the river's response to continued local uplift along the Death Valley fault zone.
Partisanship in the Appropriations Process Fenno Revisited

The incremental budgeting literature has long suggested that the appropriations process is largely nonpartisan in character, a conclusion that is often, inappropriately we believe, based on Fenno's (1966) findings in Power of the Purse. We systematically reexamine Fenno's interpretation of partisanship as a supplement to the dominant mstitutional roles that govern appropriations politics. Analysis of variance tests of the Fenno data provide strong support for the conclusion that partisanship plays an important-if secondary— role in budgetary politics.
British Isles Survey of Methotrexate Monitoring Practice During Treatment of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Objectives We surveyed current pediatric rheumatology monitoring practice in methotrexate treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis in the British Isles, and experiences of significant side effects during methotrexate monitoring. Methods Single-center responses were sought from the current British Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology membership, using a web-based survey tool. Results Thirty-three centers across the British Isles responded. Twenty-eight centers reported following British Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology or local guidelines. Thirty-one centers were willing to modify their monitoring practice to individual circumstances. All centers used a full blood count and liver enzymes as monitoring tests. There was variation in frequency at which monitoring tests were performed, both at initiation of methotrexate therapy and once methotrexate therapy was established; 27 centers were willing to change the frequency of monitoring blood tests after a period of stability. Centers reported acting on alanine aminotransferase values ranging from 50 to 500 IU/L. Particular variation existed between smaller and larger centers. Few centers reported any experience of serious side effects, and only 1 cited a case of liver cirrhosis. Conclusions Despite specific pediatric guidance for monitoring low-dose methotrexate use in juvenile idiopathic arthritis, variation in practice exists in the British Isles. It may be that blood test monitoring could safely be performed less frequently than currently recommended. To inform future changes to guidance, we suggest establishing a prospective registry for serious side effects.
Exploration of component analysis in multi/hyperspectral image processing

Component Analysis (CA) has found many applications in remote sensing image processing. Two major component analyses are of particular interest, Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Independent Component Analysis (ICA) which have been widely used in signal processing. While the PCA de-correlates data samples via 2nd order statistics in a set of Principal Components (PCs), the ICA represents data samples via statistical independency in a set of statistically Independent Components (ICs). However, in order to for component analyses to be effective, the number of components to be generated, p must be sufficient for data analysis. Unfortunately, in MultiSpectral Imagery (MSI) p seems to be small, while p in HyperSpectral Imagery (HSI) seems too large. Interestingly, very little has been reported on how to deal with this issue when p is too small or too large. This paper investigates this issue. When p is too small, two approaches are developed to mitigate the problem. One is Band Expansion Process (BEP) which augments original data band dimensionality by producing additional bands via a set of nonlinear functions. The other is a kernel-based approach, referred to as Kernel-based PCA (K-PCA) which maps features in the original data space to a higher dimensional feature space via a set of nonlinear kernel. While both approaches make attempts to resolve the issue of a small p using a set of nonlinear functions, their design rationales are completely different, particularly they are not correlated. As for a large p such as HSI, a recently developed Virtual Dimensionality (VD) can be used for this purpose where the VD was originally developed to estimate number of spectrally distinct signatures. If we assume one spectrally distinct signature can be accommodated by one component, the value of p can be actually determined by the VD. Finally, experiments are conducted to explore and evaluate the utility of component analyses, specifically, PCA and ICA using BEP and K-PCA for MSI and VD for HSI.
2D-3D registration using intensity gradients

This papers explores the use of an error metric based on intensity gradients in an automatic camera pose recovery method for 2D-3D image registration. The method involves extraction of lines from the 3D image and then uses intensity gradients to register these onto the 2D image. This approach have overcome the limitations of matching the features to register the 2D-3D images. The goal of our algorithm is to estimate pose parameters without any apriori knowledge (GPS) and in less processing time. We demonstrated the validity of our approach by experimenting on perspective view using lines as feature.
Preferences for ethnicity and sex of endoscopists in a Hispanic population in the United States

Background Preferences toward endsocopists have been shown to be a barrier to colorectal cancer screening in certain patient populations. Objective To evaluate sex and ethnicity preferences for endoscopists in a largely Hispanic population. Methods This was a prospective cross-sectional study. Patients were given an anonymous questionnaire in which information on demographics and sex/ethnic preferences for endoscopists was determined. Bivariate and multivariate models were used to assess factors that affected outcome variables. Results A total of 438 patients were included (213 men, 225 women; mean age 62 years). Predominant ethnicities were white (44%) and Hispanic (45%). Twenty-six percent and 17% of patients expressed sex and ethnicity preferences, respectively. Women (30.8%), particularly Hispanic women (35%), had a sex preference more often than men (20.4%; P P P P Limitations Results are based on self-report. Limited study factors were also assessed. Conclusions Among a predominant Hispanic population, sex and ethnicity preferences for endoscopists are often seen. They may coexist, increase the likelihood of the presence of one when the other is present, and likely influence compliance with colorectal cancer screening.
Makaira sp., cf. M. nigricans Lacépède, 1802 (Teleostei: Perciformes: Istiophoridae) from the late Miocene, Panama, and its probable use of the Panama seaway

ABSTRACT A nearly complete rostrum (USNM 358534) similar in morphology to the extant blue marlin, Makaira nigricans Lacepede 1802, is identified from the Gatun Formation (late Miocene, Panama). Identification is based on comparison with a large series of Recent istiophorid species and with fossil species of the genus Makaira. The Gatun specimen and additional examples from other fossil vertebrates provide evidence that the ancient Panama Seaway probably was a travel route between the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific for large marine vertebrates during the middle Miocene to earliest Pliocene. This is the first record of an istiophorid billfish from the Gatun Formation and the second record of a fossil marlin from Panama.
The Cu NMR echo decay in stripe ordered La1.65Eu0.2Sr0.15CuO4

Abstract The Cu NMR echo decay in rare earth co-doped lanthanum cuprate undergoes a crossover from Gaussian to exponential decay below T ≈ 100K. This behavior indicates that the visible nuclei are coupled to others with much faster spin lattice relaxation rates. We interpret the NMR signal as arising solely from regions on the boundaries of large clusters of coupled electron spins.
Localization of the self- and the interspecific-incompatibility reactions in style sections of Lilium longiflorum☆

Abstract Both compatible and incompatible pollen tubes growing from the ovarian to the stigmatic end of Lilium longiflorum style sections reached lengths not significantly different from similar tubes growing from the stigmatic to the ovarian end. Similarly, there was no significant difference in pollen tube lengths following interspecific pollinations of ovarian versus stigmatic ends of style sections. Neither the self- nor the interspecific-incompatibility reactions appear to be due to localized stylar barriers to pollen tube growth in L. longiflorum .
On the Wave Propagation in Elastic Multilayer Periodic Media With Nonlocal Interactions

A numerical example accompanied by a graph illustrates the dependence of the effective wave velocity on the wave number in the entire Brillouin zone. It is found that for very short waves the wave velocity decreases to about 64 percent of its conventional value established for waves of long wavelength
Age, Growth, Reproduction, and Food of the Burbot, Lota lota (Linnaeus), in Southwestern Lake Superior

Abstract This study was based on 1,285 burbot (Lota lota) collected in three areas in southwestern Lake Superior in 1966–69. Age was determined from otoliths, the marginal zones of which were opaque from December to May and translucent from June to November. Average lengths of the age groups and annual increments were measured from a curve fitted by inspection to point estimates of lengths at capture. Burbot grew 5.7 inches during the first year of life and 4.3 inches during the second. Later annual increments through the twelfth year ranged from 1.2 to 2.6 inches. Average total lengths and calculated weights were 16.1 inches and 1.1 pounds at age V and 23.4 inches and 3.2 pounds at age X. First maturity was at age I, at a total length of 9.7 inches for males and 10.7 inches for females; all fish were mature at age V and at lengths greater than 16.4 inches (males) and 15.9 inches (females). Most burbot collected near shore in the Apostle Islands area in late January and February were spent, but none colle...
Half-Bol quasi-fields

L. V. Sabinin and B. L. Sharma discussed a new type of quasi-field called a half-Bol quasi-field, which is a generalization of Bol quasi-field. This article improves their definition of half-Bol quasi-field and shows that such quasi-fields probably do not give any new and unusual translation planes. The main result is that a half-Bol quasi-field of odd dimension over its kernel is a generalized Andre system.
One bond 13C-19F coupling constant as a criterion for fluorine back donation to an electron deficient carbocationic center. application of the tool of increasing electron demand to α-fluorodiaryl carbenium ions [1]

Abstract One bond 13 C- 19 F coupling constant is used as a criterion to measure the extent of fluorine non-bonded electron pair back-donation to a carbenium center in a series of α-fluorodiarylcarbenium ions 1 . The electron demand at the cationic center was probed by systematically changing the nature of substituents on the phenyl rings, applying the tool of increasing electron demand to the study.
Visual body pedagogies: how anti-oppressive education informs the teaching and learning of sporting bodies

In this article, the authors borrow from anti-oppressive education theory for its potential to disrupt how students visually conceive sporting bodies and to problematize the teaching and learning of these bodies within undergraduate physical education (PE) programs. Fourteen photo stories produced by students enrolled in PE programs at two universities were analysed using a semiotic approach to excavate the emergent themes of sporting bodies from the narratives. Relying on Kumashiro's anti-oppressive educational theoretical framework, the authors found that most of stories reified discursive practices that (re)produce gender oppression in sport. Despite these findings, the authors also discovered anti-oppressive pedagogies are useful for teaching against the body oppressions conveyed in the photo stories. How anti-oppressive education informs other areas of PE should be examined in the future.
THE PARADOXICAL NATURE OF THE PROPORTIONAL HAZARDS MODEL OF RANDOM CENSORSHIP

We show that the proportional hazards model of random censorship is too good to be frequently true as measured by mean squared errors: for estimating the underlying distribution function F(x) it is better to have a censored sample for a suitable expected censoring proportion than an uncensored full sample of the same size for any xbelow the 0.56-quantile of F.
FMCW radars for snow research

Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radars have been used by snow scientists for the past 30 years. This radar technology provides a promising alternative to point measurements, as properties such as snow depth can be measured quickly and non-destructively. Recent advances in microwave FMCW radar technology have resulted in lightweight, portable instrumentation. This is in contrast to the early FMCW radar systems which were often too heavy to cover large distances efficiently. These advanced FMCW radars provide snow scientists and hydrologists with the ability to map snow pack properties, such as depth, snow water equivalent (SWE) and stratigraphy, rapidly over large distances, at high resolution. We discuss the development of FMCW radar over the past 30 years and review the diverse applications of these radars by snow scientists.
Comments on the articles “Hyperbolic thermoelasticity: A review of recent literature” (Chandrasekharaiah DS, 1998, Appl Mech Rev 51(12), 705–729) and “Thermoelasticity with second sound: A review” (Chandrasekharaiah DS, 1986, Appl Mech Rev 39(3), 355–376)

This review article is a continuation of a previous article by the author, Thermoelasticity with second sound: A review, which appeared in this journal in March, 1986 (Appl Mech Rev39 (3) 355-376). Here, attention is focused on papers published during the past 10-12 years. Contributions to the theory of thermoelasticity with thermal relaxation and the temperature-rate dependent thermoelasticity theory are reviewed. The recently developed theory of thermoelasticity without energy dissipation is described, and its characteristic features highlighted. A glance is made at the new thermoelasticity theory which includes the so-called dual-phase-lag effects. There are 338 references.