cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Traditional and New Eigenfunction Bases Applied to Extrapolation of Surface Geostrophic Current Time Series to Below the Surface in an Idealized Primitive Equation Simulation

Three strategies were compared for extrapolating surface geostrophic velocities to below the surface: S1, using only the barotropic or first baroclinic mode; S2, using a fixed or “phase locked” linear combination of the first baroclinic mode and the barotropic mode; and S3, a strategy similar to S2 but using a new set of basis functions. For S2 and S3, the phase locking allows one to impose zero velocity at the seafloor. The new basis functions start from zero at the surface, are not degenerate with respect to the free-surface boundary condition, and represent the adjustment of the pressure at a given depth from density surfaces responding to sea surface height undulations. In idealized primitive equation simulations, strategy S3 had the least error and allowed extrapolation to deeper levels, suggesting the new basis functions performed significantly better than the traditional baroclinic modes. In contrast, strategies S1 and S2 made poor predictions by 400-m depth. Large temporal fluctuations in the fraction of energy in the barotropic and first baroclinic modes could explain the poor predictions by strategies S1 and S2. This brings into question the interpretation of the sea surface height gradients measured by satellite altimetry in terms of first baroclinic mode motions.
Cerebellar Mutism in Pediatric Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is a demyelinating process affecting multiple areas of the central nervous system, frequently including the cerebellum. Cerebellar insult may lead to absence of speech or cerebellar mutism. Cerebellar mutism often occurs in young children after posterior fossa tumor resection, and generally appears as part of a larger subset of neurobehavioral signs and personality changes known as posterior fossa syndrome. Information on the impact of widespread cerebellar involvement on speech production, behavior, and long-term outcomes in acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is limited. We describe cases of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis with predominantly cerebellar involvement, with specific attention to cerebellar mutism. We conducted a retrospective chart review of children diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis between 2005-2009 at a pediatric multiple sclerosis and demyelinating disorders clinic. Of 19 patients diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, six (32%) manifested primary cerebellar involvement. Of these six, four (67%) exhibited acute language disturbance, with three (50%) exhibiting mutism. The three patients with cerebellar mutism experienced protracted speech and language deficits after follow-ups from 6 months to 4 years. Widespread cerebellar involvement in acute disseminated encephalomyelitis may result in cerebellar mutism, in addition to persistent neurocognitive and behavioral problems.
An Experimental Comparison of Four Unit Test Criteria: Mutation, Edge-Pair, All-Uses and Prime Path Coverage

With recent increased expectations for quality, and the growth of agile processes and test driven development, developers are expected to do more and more effective unittesting. Yet, our knowledge of when to use the variousunit level test criteria is incomplete. The paper presentsresults from a comparison of four unit level software testing criteria. Mutation testing, prime path coverage, edgepair coverage, and all-uses testing were compared on twobases: the number of seeded faults found and the numberof tests needed to satisfy the criteria. The comparisonused a collection of Java classes taken from varioussources and hand-seeded faults. Tests were designed andgenerated mostly by hand with help from tools that computetest requirements and muJava. The findings are that mutationtests detected more faults and the other three criteriawere very similar. The paper also presents a secondarymeasure, a cost benefit ratio, computed as the number oftests needed to detect each fault. Surprisingly, mutation required the fewest number of tests. The paper also discusses some specific faults that were not found and presents analysis for why not.
O'Neill: Long Day's Journey into Night. By Brenda Murphy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001; pp. 250. $59.95 hardcover, $21.95 paperback.

Using both published and unpublished sources, Brenda Murphy's carefully researched account of important productions of Eugene O'Neill's realistic, autobiographical masterpiece devotes the first twenty percent of the text to the famous New York premiere and continues with briefer accounts of major productions in English, foreign-language productions, and film and television adaptations. As appendixes, Murphy also includes a production chronology from 1956 to 2000, a discography and videography. The fifteen black and white photographs are portraits and close-ups, notably excepting one image from the first Jose Quintero New York production (displaying the much-discussed stained glass window treatment behind the four principals) and one nearly full stage shot of the famous interior from the first Stockholm production.
An implementation of a computational theory of visual surface interpolation

Abstract Computational theories of structure-from-motion ( Ullman, The Interpretation of Visual Motion , MIT Press, 1979 ) and stereo vision ( Marr and Poggio, Proc. R. Soc. London Ser. B 204 , 1979, 301–328 ) only specify the computation of three-dimensional surface information at particular points in the image. Yet, the visual perception is clearly of complete surfaces. To account for this, a computational theory of the interpolation of surfaces from visual information was presented in Grimson. ( From Images to Surfaces: A Computational Study of the Human Early Visual System , MIT Press, 1981 ; A Computational Theory of Visual Surface Interpolation , MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab Memo, No. 613, 1981 ; and Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London Ser. B 298 , 1982, 395–427 ). The problem is constrained by the fact that the surface must agree with the information from stereo or motion correspondence, and not vary radically between these points. Using the image irradiance equation ( Horn, MIT Project MAC Tech. Rep. MACTR-79, 1970 ; The Psychology of Computer Vision , McGraw-Hill, 1975 ; and Artif. Intell. 8 , 1977, 201–231 ), an explicit form of this surface consistency constraint can be derived ( Grimson, MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab Memo, No. 646, 1981 ). To determine which of two possible surfaces is more consistent with the surface consistency constraint, one must be able to compare the two surfaces. To do this, a functional from the space of possible functions to the real numbers is required. In this way, the surface most consistent with the visual information will be that which minimizes the functional. In Grimson, a set of conditions was derived which ensures that the functional has a unique minimal surface. Based on these conditions, a number of possible functionals were proposed. In Brady and Horn (MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab Memo, No. 654, 1981 ), it was shown that this set of possible functionals forms a vector space, spanned by the functional of quadratic variation and the functional of the square Laplacian. Analytic arguments were given in Grimson to support the choice of the quadratic variation as the functional whose minimal surface is the “best” interpolation of the known points. In this paper, algorithms for computing the minimal surface are derived. Using this implementation of the computational theory derived in Grimson the differences between minimal surfaces computed using quadratic variation and those computed using the square Laplacian are illustrated. These examples provide additional support for the choice of the quadratic variation. The performance of the algorithm in interpolating both random dot and natural stereograms which have been processed by the Marr-Poggio stereo algorithm ( Grimson, Computing Shape Using a Theory of Human Stereo Vision, Ph.D. Thesis, MIT, Cambridge, 1980 and Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London Ser. B 292 , 1981, 217–253 ) is also illustrated.
Recognizing and Supporting Students with Mental Health Disorders: The REDFLAGS Model

The increasing prevalence of Mental Health Disorders (MHDs) and campus violence tragedies has called attention to the issue of MHDs on college campuses. The current article provides an overview of the prevalence and severity of MHDs among college students. In addition, a review of the most common MHDs on college campuses is included. Students with MHDs are at increased risks for a variety of negative consequences. Students who received treatment for MHDs reported a more positive daily functioning and demonstrated significantly higher retention rates. However, a large proportion of the students who are living with MHDs do not receive treatment. Furthermore, college counselors typically only interact with a small proportion of the students who are living with MHDs. Faculty members have more frequent interactions with students and are a valuable resource for recognizing students who are living with MHDs. The REDFLAGS Model, an acronym that identifies eight behavioral indicators of MHDs in students is introduced. A description of how educators can use the REDFLAGS Model as a tool for recognizing signs of MHDs in their students is described. It is not recommended that educators provide treatment for MHDs to their students. Rather, educators can use The REDFLAGS Model to recognize signs of MHDs in students and support them by making referrals to the college counseling center or to other resources. A resource list of mental health support services that are available for college students is included. The resource list can be customized to include resources at specific universities in particular geographic areas.
The role of activator concentration and precipitate formation on optical and dosimetric properties of KCl:Eu2+ storage phosphor detectors

Purpose: The activator ion (Eu2+ in KCl:Eu2+) plays an important role in the photostimulated luminescence (PSL) mechanism of storage phosphor radiation detectors. In order to design an accurate, effective, and robust detector, it is important to understand how the activator ion concentration affects the structure and, consequently, radiation detection properties of KCl:Eu2+. Methods: Potassium chloride pellets were fabricated with various amounts of europium dopant (0.01–5.0 mol.% Eu2+). Clinical radiation doses were given with a 6 MV linear accelerator. Radiation doses larger than 100 Gy were given with a 137Cs irradiator. Dose response curves, radiation hardness, and temporal signal stability were measured using a laboratory PSL readout system. The crystal structure of the material was studied using x ray diffraction and luminescence spectroscopy. Results: The most intense PSL signal was from samples with 1.0 mol.% Eu. However, samples with concentrations higher than 0.05 mol.% Eu exhibited significant degradation in PSL intensity for cumulated doses larger than 3000 Gy. Structural and luminescence spectroscopy showed clear evidence of precipitate phases within the KCl lattice, especially for high activator concentrations. Analysis of PL emission spectra showed that interactions between Eu-Vc dipoles and Eu-Vc trimers could explain trends in PSL sensitivity and radiation hardness observations. Conclusions: The concentration of the activator ion (Eu2+) significantly affects radiation detection properties of the storage phosphor KCl:Eu2+. An activator concentration between 0.01 and 0.05 mol.% Eu in KCl:Eu2+ storage phosphor detectors is recommended for linear dose response, good PSL sensitivity, predictable temporal stability, and high reusability for megavoltage radiation detection.
Activation of GILZ gene by photoactivated 8-methoxypsoralen: Potential role of immunoregulatory dendritic cells in extracorporeal photochemotherapy

Extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP) is a widely used method for either immunization against cutaneous T cell lymphoma or immunosuppression of graft-versus-host disease and organ transplant rejection (OTR). Leukapheresed blood is routed through a chamber, in which 8-methoxypsoralen is activated by ultraviolet energy (PUVA), thereby causing DNA crosslinks in processed leukocytes. Return of ECP-processed mononuclear leukocytes to the patient then modulates aberrant T cell immunity. Since interaction with the ECP flow chamber induces monocyte-to-dendritic antigen presenting cell (DC) maturation, we examined the possibility that PUVA may direct the most heavily exposed monocytes to differentiate into tolerogenic DC, while the least exposed DC might remain immunogenic. Expression of the glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ) gene is a distinguishing marker of tolerogenic DC. We report that PUVA directly stimulates GILZ expression. PUVA-exposed DC up-regulated GILZ, down-regulated costimulatory CD80 and CD86, became resistant to Toll-like receptor-induced maturation, increased IL-10 production and decreased IL-12p70 production, all features of immunosuppressive DC. Knockdown of GILZ with siRNA reduced IL-10 and increased IL-12p70 production, demonstrating that GILZ is critical for this profile. PUVA-induction of GILZ expression by DC may help explain how ECP suppresses GVHD and OTR. Conversely, those ECP-processed monocytes minimally exposed to PUVA may mediate ECP's immunogenic effects.
Fiber optic sensor response to low levels of fat in skim milk.

A fiber optic transmission technique using single fibers to deliver and receive light was investigated for measuring the milkfat content of homogenized skim milk. Light transmission through skim milk for wavelengths of 400 to 1000 nm was measured using a fiber optic spectrophotometer. Transmission was measured for distances of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 mm and for milk containing 0.05 to 0.21 wt% milkfat. Skim milk was centrifuged, and the resulting fractions mixed to yield samples with 5 different milkfat levels. Three optical responses were tested for correlation with milkfat content. One used a light intensity measurement at a single transmission distance of 4 mm, the second used the light intensity ratio of two wavelengths at a single transmission distance of 4 mm, and the third used six different transmission distances to determine a light extinction coefficient at a single wavelength. The calibration equations from all three methods were able to predict sample milkfat content with a RMSE of 0.008 to 0.012 wt%. Statistical analysis did not find a significant difference between the three methods. Hence, for simplicity using a single transmission distance is attractive for further sensor design.
Fortran 95 implementation of QNSTOP for global and stochastic optimization

A serial Fortran 95 implementation of the QNSTOP algorithm is presented. QNSTOP is a class of quasi-Newton methods for stochastic optimization with variations for deterministic global optimization. This discussion provides results from testing on various deterministic and stochastic optimization functions.
Variation in Comedication Use According to Kidney Transplant Immunosuppressive Regimens: Application of Integrated Registry and Pharmacy Claims Data

Abstract Background Modern immunosuppression therapies (ISx) have many side effects, and transplant recipients must take an array of “comedications” to help mitigate complications. Comedication use patterns are not well described in large, representative samples because of lack of data. Methods We integrated national U.S. transplant registry data with pharmacy records (2005–2010) from a large pharmaceutical claims clearinghouse to examine treatments for anemia, metabolic disorders, and infections in relation to ISx regimens in months 6–12 post-transplantation (N = 22,453). Associations of ISx with comedication use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]) were quantified with multivariate logistic regression including adjustment for recipient, donor, and transplant factors. Results Compared to a reference regimen of tacrolimus, mycophenolic acid, and prednisone, sirolimus-based ISx was associated with significantly more common use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (aOR 2.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.06–3.09), iron (aOR 2.26, 95% CI 1.92–2.65), statins (aOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.33–1.63), fibrates (aOR 2.35, 95% CI 1.90–2.90), and phosphorous binders (aOR 2.85, 95% CI 1.80–4.50). Patterns were similar after adjustment for first-year estimated glomerular filtration rate, except the association with phosphorous binders was no longer significant. Cyclosporine-based ISx was associated with more common erythropoiesis-stimulating agent use, including after estimated glomerular filtration rate adjustment (aOR 1.61, 95% CI 1.24–2.10). Compared to those who were being administered triple ISx, recipients receiving tacrolimus-based dual and monotherapies had lower use of statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers (ACEi/ARBs), and antibacterial agents. Recipients of steroid-free ISx were less commonly treated for post-transplantation diabetes. Conclusions Alternate ISx regimens are associated with varying treatment requirements for hematologic, metabolic. and infectious complications. Comedication use should be considered in the cost-effectiveness and individualization of ISx regimens.
NO regulates PDGF-induced activation of PKB but not ERK in A7r5 cells: implications for vascular growth arrest

In addition to the well-documented role of nitric oxide (NO) as a vasodilator, NO has also been implicated in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) growth arrest. Signaling mechanisms responsible for growth factor receptor-mediated VSMC proliferation include the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and possibly the protein kinase B (PKB) cascade. Thus the present study was designed to test the hypothesis that, in A7r5 vascular smooth muscle-derived cells, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced activation of either ERK or PKB is regulated by NO, which then modulates cellular proliferation and/or apoptosis. PKB-alpha was the predominant isoform of PKB expressed in A7r5 cells and was also expressed in rabbit carotid arteries and aortae. Phosphorylation of PKB-alpha and ERK induced by PDGF-BB was maximal within 5-15 min in A7r5 cells. Preincubation of A7r5 cells with the NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) resulted in a biphasic regulation of PDGF-stimulated PKB-alpha phosphorylation and bioactivity. Acute exposure to SNAP significantly augmented PDGF-induced activation of PKB-alpha, whereas prolonged incubation led to a marked diminution in PDGF-induced activation of PKB-alpha. In contrast, SNAP did not affect PDGF-induced activation of ERK at any time point. The cGMP-independent effects of SNAP on PDGF-induced activation of PKB-alpha were established with the use of an inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase, ODQ, as well as a cell-permeable analog of cGMP, 8-bromo-cGMP. Prolonged treatment of A7r5 cells with SNAP led to a significant decrease in DNA synthesis without an appreciable increase in apoptosis. These data suggest that, after prolonged exposure to SNAP, NO selectively attenuates PDGF-induced increase in PKB-alpha activation, which in turn may contribute to diminished VSMC proliferation by mechanisms involving growth arrest but not apoptosis.
Color Doppler sonography of ovarian masses: a multiparameter analysis.

This study analyzed vessel location, maximum systolic velocity, impedance, and waveform shape in 25 benign and 25 malignant surgically excised and pathologically examined ovarian masses as depicted by transvaginal or transabdominal color Doppler sonography, or both. Those parameters that achieved statistical significance (P>0.05) between the two types of masses includedvessel location, impedance, and waveform shape. Malignant masses typically were characterized by centrally located vessels that had low impedance without a diastolic «notch» in the waveform
On the Damaging Side Effects of the Welfare System: How, Why and What to Do

The welfare system, the system of entitlements and mandates aimed at protecting citizens from poverty, occupies a distinctive place in political economy. Most of the programs are relatively new as economic institutions go, the earlies ones having taken form only a century ago, and they have spread like wildfire, far ahead of economists’ capacity to understand the range of their costs alongside their benefits. As I see it, however, recent advances in theoretical understanding offer a warning that many welfare programs, in their present design and scale at any rate, are doing serious damage to western economies. At the same time these advances point to a reform in the tax financing of welfare programs and to further initiatives toward increased wages and employment that would serve to control the damage.
Blindness and Therapy in Late Medieval French and Italian Poetry

An examination of the ways in which late medieval lyric poetry can be seen to engage with contemporary medical theory. This book argues that late medieval love poets, from Petrarch to Machaut and Charles d'Orleans, exploit scientific models as a broad framework within which to redefine the limits of the lyric subject and his body. Just as humoral theory depends upon principles of likes and contraries in order to heal, poetry makes possible a parallel therapeutic system in which verbal oppositions and substitutions counter or rewrite received medical wisdom. The specific case of blindness, a disability that according to the theories of love that predominated in the late medieval West foreclosed the possibility of love, serves as a laboratory in which to explore poets' circumvention of the logical limits of contemporary medical theory. Reclaiming the power of remedy from physicians, these late medieval French and Italian poets prompt us to rethink not only the relationship between scientific and literary authority at the close of the middle ages, but, more broadly speaking, the very notion of therapy. Julie Singer is Assistant Professor of French at Washington University, St Louis.
Wide-detector axial CT versus 4 cm detector helical CT for transcatheter aortic valve replacement: iodine dose, radiation, and image quality.

Abstract Purpose This study aims to compare transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) planning on 16 cm wide-detector computed tomography (CT) to TAVR planning on 4 cm detector CT. Materials and methods A total of 36 patients who had TAVR planning axial CT on a wide-detector scanner (protocol 1) were compared to 36 patients who had helical 4 cm detector CT (protocol 2). Results Vascular attenuation was greater for protocol 1, but image noise, contrast-to-noise ratio, and signal-to-noise ratio were the same. Radiation dose was lower and iodine dose was less for protocol 1. Conclusion Protocol 1 had greater vascular attenuation and similar image quality but lower radiation and less iodine compared to protocol 2.
Spectral Analysis of Baseline Electrocardiogram During Atrial Fibrillation Predicts Response to Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy in Patients with Persistent Atrial Fibrillation

Background We evaluated the ability of spectral analysis of the baseline ECG during atrial fibrillation (AF) to predict the response of persistent AF to antiarrhythmic drug therapy. Methods Patients with persistent AF who were admitted for dofetilide loading were prospectively enrolled in the study. Atrial activity was extracted from the ECG using an Independent Component Analysis method and then subjected to a Modified Periodogram. The regularity index was computed as the ratio of the power in the dominant frequency and all its harmonics to the total power in the spectrum. Patients were followed at 1 month, 3 months and every 3 months thereafter. Results Of 28 patients enrolled in the study, 14 (50%) converted acutely to sinus rhythm during the 3-day hospital loading period. The clinical and echocardiographic characteristics of patients with and without acute pharmacologic conversion were similar. The regularity index was significantly higher in those who converted to sinus rhythm compared to those who did not (0.71±0.20 vs. 0.38±0.13, respectively; p<0.0001). A regularity index ≥0.44 had a 79% sensitivity and 93% specificity to predict acute conversion and was associated with a nearly 5-fold increase in the acute conversion rate (odds ratio = 4.89; 95% confidence interval 1.74 to 13.75; p = 0.003). The regularity index was the only independent predictor of acute conversion. Neither acute conversion, nor the regularity index predicted sinus rhythm maintenance, after a median follow-up of 10 months. Conclusion Increased regularity index predicts acute conversion of persistent AF during dofetilide loading, but does not predict long-term sinus rhythm maintenance. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
The neural basis for sleep regulation — Data assimilation from animal to model

Sleep is important for normal brain function, and sleep disruption is comorbid with many neurological diseases. There is a growing mechanistic understanding of the neurological basis for sleep regulation that is beginning to lead to mechanistic mathematically described models. It is our objective to validate the predictive capacity of such models using data assimilation (DA) methods. If such methods are successful, and the models accurately describe enough of the mechanistic functions of the physical system, then they can be used as sophisticated observation systems to reveal both system changes and sources of dysfunction with neurological diseases and identify routes to intervene. Here we report on extensions to our initial efforts [1] at applying unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) to models of sleep regulation on three fronts: tools for multi-parameter fitting; a sophisticated observation model to apply the UKF for observations of behavioral state; and comparison with data recorded from brainstem cell groups thought to regulate sleep.
Progressive object modeling with a continuum manipulator in unknown environments

It is important to enable a robot to manipulate a target object that has no 3-D model information and is situated in an environment with other unknown objects nearby. This poses an open problem of how to combine perception and manipulation to enable the robot to build an appearance-based model of the target object on the spot to facilitate further manipulation of the object while avoiding the other unknown obstacles in the way. In this paper, we introduce an approach to enable a continuum manipulator, which is apt to maneuver through a crowded environment, to gradually build a 3-D surface model of the target object by moving an RGB-D sensor around the object while also detecting and avoiding surrounding unknown obstacles. Our approach interleaves perception and manipulation such that perception guides the manipulator movement, which in turn allows more perception of the target object for object model building and further manipulator motion. Our approach is characterized by a progressive strategy to register RGB-D images of the target object to build and extend a partial model of the object and the corresponding motion planning strategy for the continuum robot to carry out model building and avoid obstacles at the same time. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, experiments on progressive model building of real objects from real RGB-D images are conducted, where a simulated continuum robot plans and executes its motion to carry the RGB-D camera around a target object for taking those images in an augmented reality setting.
Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) occurs when components of the diaphragm fail to form completely allowing abdominal contents to herniate into the thoracic cavity early in gestation. Pressure from abdominal contents impinges on pulmonary development resulting in pulmonary hypoplasia and subsequent pulmonary hypertension. Most cases of CDH are diagnosed prenatally on routine ultrasound, but some cases may first be noted in the delivery room. Bag mask ventilation can cause barotrauma to the unaffected lung and result in pneumothorax. Initial management of patient with CDH includes intubation at or shortly after birth. Gentle ventilation with low peak inspiratory pressures, adequate PEEP, and permissive hypercapnia is initiated. CDH is not a surgical emergency and repair is done once patients are medically optimized. ECMO is used as a rescue therapy in patients who decompensate prior to, during, or after repair. Surgical repair can be done through a thoracic or abdominal approach but most large lesions are repaired via an open abdominal approach. Monitoring should include standard ASA monitors, invasive blood pressure measurement, and pre and post-ductal oxygen saturation measurements. Intraoperative concerns include maintaining adequate ventilation, ensuring hemodynamic stability, monitoring for blood loss, and preventing a pulmonary hypertensive crisis. Nitric oxide and ECMO therapy are often on standby during the repair. Sedation and controlled ventilation are typically continued during the immediate postoperative course as patients are still at high risk of decompensation.
A study of problems encountered in Granger causality analysis from a neuroscience perspective

Granger causality methods were developed to analyze the flow of information between time series. These methods have become more widely applied in neuroscience. Frequency-domain causality measures, such as those of Geweke, as well as multivariate methods, have particular appeal in neuroscience due to the prevalence of oscillatory phenomena and highly multivariate experimental recordings. Despite its widespread application in many fields, there are ongoing concerns regarding the applicability of Granger causality methods in neuroscience. When are these methods appropriate? How reliably do they recover the system structure underlying the observed data? What do frequency-domain causality measures tell us about the functional properties of oscillatory neural systems? In this paper, we analyze fundamental properties of Granger-Geweke (GG) causality, both computational and conceptual. Specifically, we show that (i) GG causality estimates can be either severely biased or of high variance, both leading to spurious results; (ii) even if estimated correctly, GG causality estimates alone are not interpretable without examining the component behaviors of the system model; and (iii) GG causality ignores critical components of a system's dynamics. Based on this analysis, we find that the notion of causality quantified is incompatible with the objectives of many neuroscience investigations, leading to highly counterintuitive and potentially misleading results. Through the analysis of these problems, we provide important conceptual clarification of GG causality, with implications for other related causality approaches and for the role of causality analyses in neuroscience as a whole.
How students process equations in solving quantitative synthesis problems? Role of mathematical complexity in students' mathematical performance

Mathematical complexity impedes introductory physics students' ability to combine equations on synthesis problems.
INTER-ATRIAL SADDLE THROMBUS: CROSSING THE PFO

Venous thromboembolic events with clot across a patent foramen ovale (PFO) are rare and present unique challenges to acute management A 64-year old healthy, active male presented with 4-days of exertional dyspnea first noted while chopping wood. His symptoms progressed so that simple positional
Management of Dismounted Complex Blast Injury Patients at a Role V Military Treatment Facility: Special Considerations

Since 2001, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, served as military Role V hospitals in the National Capital Area and in 2011 combined to form the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). Throughout this time, dismounted complex blast injury patients received comprehensive care at these facilities. This included a team of surgeons, subspecialty consultants, case managers, rehabilitation specialists, medics, corpsmen, and technicians. A dedicated trauma service oversaw the management of all those wounded in combat. This trauma service established a system of quality assurance, safety, performance improvement, and research with the complex surgical patient at the center. The American College of Surgeons verified WRNMMC as a trauma center based upon the institutional successes of the trauma program. The lessons learned from this historic program are presented here.
Land Use and Tenure Insecurity in the Drylands of Southern Ethiopia

This paper examines changing patterns of land rights and use in Borana and Guji zones, southern Ethiopia. It seeks to understand how heterogeneous groups of pastoralists and agropastoralists gain a...
Other Compressive Neuropathies

Although carpal tunnel syndrome (median nerve compression at the wrist) and cubital tunnel syndrome (ulnar nerve compression at the elbow) represent the vast majority of compressive neuropathies of the upper extremity, there are a host of other compression neuropathies that may affect the shoulder, upper arm, forearm, wrist, and hand. Although less frequent, it is vital to understand these alternative sites of compression and the corresponding syndromes in order to provide a patient with an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. Keen history taking and a detailed physical examination is paramount in differentiating between different sites of nerve compression, as nerve conduction and electromyographic testing will often fail to identify a subset of etiologies and results can be ambiguous at times. A failure to interpret the true site of nerve compression can lead to erroneous surgical treatment and failure to alleviate symptoms. Questions in this chapter deal with the following less common compressive neuropathies such as suprascapular nerve entrapment, pronator syndrome, radial tunnel syndrome, and Guyon’s canal compression.
Determination of the Macroscopic Isovector Potential from Nucleon-Nucleus Scattering

The nucleon-nucleus elastic scattering represents the largest of all partial cross-sections. It is usually described in terms of the optical model potential (OMP). In the past few years much work has been done in the understanding and parameterization of the OMP.
Study of Low-Reynolds Number Separated Flow Past the Wortmann FX 63-137 Airfoil

Flow past a Wortmann FX 63-137 airfoil is analyzed using the unsteady NavierStokes (NS) analysis developed earlier by the authors. The analysis is formulated using conservation form of the governing NS equations in terms of stream function, ψ, and vorticity, ω, in generalized coordinates. A Schwarz-Christoffel mapping technique is developed to provide surface-oriented coordinates for the Wortmann FX 63-137 airfoil. Suitable 1-D clustering transformations are used, not only to obtain a bounded computational domain, but, also to resolve the dominant length scales of the problem. Direct numerical simulation (DNS) methodology is used to obtain flow results at Re = 1,000 with αf varying from −5° to 10°; simulations are also performed at αf = 0° with Re = 10,000 and 100,000 without any turbulence model.
Fecal Bile Acids in Health and Disease

Normal healthy adults consuming a mixed western diet excrete up to 500 mg of bile acids in feces each day. These acids are derived from the small proportion of micelles and bile acid conjugates that are not reabsorbed in the terminal ileum and enter the colon. Prior to excretion these substances and deconjugated and undergo a range of transformations mediated by the intestinal bacteria[l]. In addition to the secondary bile acids, lithocholic acid and deoxycholic acid (Figure 1), which normally dominate the fecal bile acid profile, a complex mixture of minor bile acids are excreted along with trace amounts of cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid[2]. Although fecal loss of bile acids is quite normal there is a growing body of evidence that abnormal fecal levels of the substrates may be associated with the risk of developing colorectal cancer[3]. This chapter will review some of the dietary and microbiological factors that influence the excretion of bile acids.
Evaluation of Current Methods of Testing Differential Gene expression and Beyond

One frequent question in the study of microarrys concerns the number of replicates required to obtain vaild data. We used the T-matrix data from the NCI-60 cancer cell lines dataset to investigate this question. Five testing methods were evaluated. We selected two cancer groups for comparisons, ovarian (OV) vs. breast (BR) and leukemias (LE) vs. renal carcinoma (RE), to perform hypothesis testing for detecting the genes expressed differentially between cancer groups. Our goal is to examine the pattern and performance of each testing method and the required sample size. The first four testing methods are t-test based methods with different strategies of computing sampling variance, including the uses of sampling variance, pooled variance, and common variance. The 5th test is a permutation test based on the t-test with pooled variance. Our results show that there are more genes with statistically significant differences in expression in the LE vs. RE comparison than between the OV vs. BR. The permutation works similarly to the t-test itself. Overall, the pooled variance approach proved a better strategy. For sample size, as expected, the number of significant genes increased as the number of cell lines increased for the same testing method. However, we found that the results derived from 3 cell lines are very different from the other results. It may imply that more than three cell lines or replicates are needed in the microarray study in order to attain enough power to detect the differential gene expression
Bladder calculi causing irreducible urogenital prolapse

Over 200 000 surgeries for vaginal prolapse are done annually, and these are rarely urgent. However, when the rare event of bladder stones causes incarcerated procidentia, surgical intervention should not be delayed, due to unrelenting pain and end-organs effects. We present such a case below. A 71-year-old woman presents to our department with massive uterovaginal and rectal procidentia. This massive prolapse was found to be irreducible due to numerous dahllite stones in the bladder, and was causing obstructive uropathy with left-sided hydronephrosis. A multidisciplinary approach was necessary to surgically correct the prolapse and implement complete removal of all the stones. The simultaneous occurrence of uterovaginal prolapse, rectal prolapse and urolithiasis is uncommon. Stone formation is a result of chronically infected urine presenting a nidus for stone formation. This presentation has occurred very rarely over the last 70 years of the world’s literature. Surgical cures can be achieved by either the vaginal or abdominal routes but should be treated emergently to alleviate pain, prevent renal impairment from obstructive uropathy and decrease infectious morbidity.
Implementing a graduate social work course concerning practice with sexual and gender minority populations

The course Social Work With Sexual and Gender Minorities was offered as a summer social work elective in the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at a Midwestern university over two consecutive year...
Development of BioRad NGC and GE ÄKTA pure systems for highly automated three column protein purification employing tandem affinity, buffer exchange and size exclusion chromatography

Affinity purification, such as Protein A (ProA) followed by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) remains a popular method to obtain research scale proteins. With the need for higher throughput protein production increasing for discovery research, there is substantial interest in the automation of complex protein purification processes, which often start with a ProA step followed by SEC. However, the harsh elution conditions from ProA based chromatography can destabilize some proteins resulting in particulates, which in turn can cause column fouling and potential cross-contamination of subsequent purifications. We modified both Bio Rad NGC and AKTA Pure systems to run a three-column process (ProA to buffer exchange to SEC) enabling automated tandem affinity to SEC purification while minimizing the risk of SEC column fouling and subsequent cross-contamination. The intervening buffer exchange column, unlike the final SEC column, can be rapidly regenerated using harsh methods between runs, and these automated systems are capable of processing up to six samples per day without user intervention.
Demonstration of an Innovative Reading Comprehension Diagnostic Tool

This demonstration introduces and presents an innovative online cognitive diagnostic assessment, developed to identify the types of cognitive processes that readers use during comprehension; specifically, processes that distinguish between subtypes of struggling comprehenders. Cognitive diagnostic assessments are designed to provide valuable information by measuring specific processes emphasized during learning, and can provide instructionally relevant results aligned with curriculum that other large-scale, standardized assessments cannot provide (e.g., [1]). This hands-on session includes information behind how the technology of MOCCATM ([2]) was developed, as well as how a reader would experience taking this assessment, how a teacher/educator would find the results of a user’s assessment, and which instructional techniques to then use. Interpretation of assessment results and instructional recommendations are obtainable online. Future directions for the continued development of online digital learning regarding how to generate appropriate cognitive processes (e.g., inferences) during reading are ongoing and discussed.
Myoelectric Control of a Soft Hand Exoskeleton Using Kinematic Synergies

Soft hand exoskeletons offer a lightweight, low-profile alternative to rigid rehabilitative robotic systems, enabling their use to restore activities of daily living (ADL) in those with hand paresis due to stroke or other conditions. The hand exoskeleton with embedded synergies (HEXOES) is a soft cable-driven hand exoskeleton capable of independently actuating and sensing 10 degrees of freedom (DoF) of the hand. Control of the 10 DoF exoskeleton is dimensionally reduced using three manually defined synergies in software corresponding to thumb, index, and 3-finger flexion and extension. In this paper, five healthy subjects control HEXOES using a neural network which decodes synergy weights from contralateral electromyography (EMG) activity. The three synergies are manipulated in real time to grasp and lift 15 ADL objects of various sizes and weights. The neural network's training and validation mean squared error, object grasp time, and grasp success rate were measured for five healthy subjects. The final training error of the neural network was 4.8 ± 1.8% averaged across subjects and tasks, with 8.3 ± 3.4% validation error. The time to reach, grasp, and lift an object was 11.15 ± 4.35 s on average, with an average success rate of 66.7% across all objects. The complete system demonstrates real time use of biosignals and machine learning to allow subjects to operate kinematic synergies to grasp objects using a wearable hand exoskeleton. Future work and applications are further discussed, including possible design improvements and enrollment of individuals with stroke.
Rates of myogenesis and myofiber numbers are reduced in late gestation IUGR fetal sheep

Intrauterine growth-restricted (IUGR) fetuses are born with reduced skeletal muscle mass. We hypothesized that reduced rates of myogenesis would contribute to fewer and smaller myofibers in IUGR fetal hindlimb muscle compared to the normally growing fetus. We tested this hypothesis in IUGR fetal sheep with progressive placental insufficiency produced by exposing pregnant ewes to elevated ambient temperatures from 38 to 116 days gestation (dGA; term = 147 dGA). Surgically catheterized control (CON, n = 8) and IUGR (n = 13) fetal sheep were injected with intravenous 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) prior to muscle collection (134 dGA). Rates of myogenesis, defined as the combined processes of myoblast proliferation, differentiation, and fusion into myofibers, were determined in biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior (TA), and flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) muscles. Total myofiber number was determined for the entire cross-section of the FDS muscle. In IUGR fetuses, the number of BrdU+ myonuclei per myofiber cross-section was lower in BF, TA, and FDS (P < 0.05), total myonuclear number per myofiber cross-section was lower in BF and FDS (P < 0.05), and total myofiber number was lower in FDS (P < 0.005) compared to CON. mRNA expression levels of cyclins, cyclin-dependent protein kinases, and myogenic regulatory factors were lower (P < 0.05), and inhibitors of the cell cycle were higher (P < 0.05) in IUGR BF compared to CON. Markers of apoptosis were not different in IUGR BF muscle. These results show that in IUGR fetuses, reduced rates of myogenesis produce fewer numbers of myonuclei, which may limit hypertrophic myofiber growth. Fewer myofibers of smaller size contribute to smaller muscle mass in the IUGR fetus.
User-Experience Design and Library Spaces: A Pathway to Innovation?

Libraries have responded to the rapid change in communication and information technology by developing an understanding of how their clienteles perceive and plan to use libraries in the 21 st century. This article positions user-experience design and specifically Don Norman’s ideas about behavioral, cognitive, and reflective responses of consumers to products as a pathway for libraries to innovate through spatial design and behavioral practices. After a brief introduction to experience design, this study connects Norman’s design levels to emerging trends and innovations in library spaces.
Blue-Laser Enhancer-Free Singlet Oxygen Generation in Water and Heavy Water

We detect the generation of enhancer-free singlet oxygen in distilled water and heavy water upon illumination with 405-nm laser radiation by measuring the quenching of the uric acid spectral peak at 294 nm.
Sequential Multimaterial Additive Manufacturing of Functionally Graded Biopolymer Composites

Cellulose, chitin, and pectin are three of the most abundant natural materials on Earth. Despite this, large-scale additive manufacturing with these biopolymers is used only in limited applications...