cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategies and tactics in NMR imaging relaxation time measurements. I. Minimizing relaxation time errors due to image noise--the ideal case.

Abstract The effect of NMR image noise on errors in calculated values of relaxation times is quantitatively assessed by use of relaxation time noise figures, which are derived on the basis of statistical principles as functions of pulse delay, repetition, and recovery intervals for several types of pulse sequences. Two strategies for determining relaxation times are considered: two point (ratio of intensities for two experiments) and multipoint (least-squares fit of intensities to pulse-sequence functions for n experiments). For given total measurement times, values of pulse interval times are found which give minimum relaxation time noise figures. A comparison of ratio methods shows that the best is a combination saturation-recovery, inversion-recovery (SR/IR) technique. For short measurement times (less than about 10T1) this optimized SR/IR ratio determination is also superior to the best multipoint method, a series of inversion-recovery experiments with equally incremented inversion-recovery times. An examination of the effect of signal averaging on the relaxation time noise shows that up to a measurement time characteristic of the particular method used (e.g., for times up to about 5T1 for the SR/IR ratio determination, 100T1 for the multipoint inversion-recovery method), increased measurement time is more effectively allotted to longer pulse intervals than to signal averaging. Numerical examples are tabulated which can help one to set optimum values for pulse intervals, given a rough estimate of the relaxation time to be determined.
THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT AND THE CONTROL OF STATE CRIME: PROSPECTS AND PROBLEMS

Over the past two decades, crimes committed by nation states has received strong theoretical and empirical attention from critical criminologists. Much of this work has highlighted the lack of internal and external mechanisms to control such injurious behavior. Potentially, this has now changed. In the summer of 1998, delegates from nearly 140 countries created the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC). Entering into force in the summer of 2002, the ICC has unprecedented international jurisdiction over the crimes of genocide, war, “aggression,” and those against humanity. This paper provides a brief history of international law and attempts to develop an ICC. It then examines the functioning and structure of the ICC as established in the Rome Statute. We then proceed to analyze the potential which the ICC posses to control state criminality. Our analysis concludes with discussions of how the ICC might be modified to better act as a deterrent to such offending.
Proposed International Spinal Cord Injury Pain (ISCIP) Classification:: Preliminary Validation Data.

Members of the ISCIP classification group prepared 75 clinical vignettes (brief case histories); these were assigned to a category of the classification by at least 3 experts who took part in the development of the ISCIP classification. (An example of a vignette is provided in the box, “Vignette Example.”) Vignettes were randomly divided into sets of 25 that were incorporated into 3 different versions of a survey distributed using Zoomerang (Market Tools, Inc) to 3 groups of potential participants. Members of 2 SCI-related organizations were randomly selected and invited via e-mail to participate; the members of the ISCIP group also nominated colleagues. For each vignette, these clinicians were asked to decide first on the number of pain components present, then to classify it (or them) by selecting the correct type from a list of combinations of tier 1 and 2 categories, and finally to type in corresponding tier 3 information on pain source, pathology, and/ or specific pain syndrome. Selections indicating uncertainty within subtype were available as well.
Acute threat to the social self: shame, social self-esteem, and cortisol activity.

Objective Our Social Self Preservation Theory asserts that situations which threaten the "social self" (ie, one's social value or standing) elicit increased feelings of low social worth (eg, shame), decrements in social self-esteem, and increases in cortisol, a hormone released by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. To test our theoretical premise, cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses to the performance of laboratory stressor tasks were compared in participants who performed these tasks in the presence or absence of social-self threat. Methods Pre- and poststressor emotion, self-esteem, heart rate, blood pressure, and salivary cortisol were compared in 81 participants randomly assigned to complete speech and mental arithmetic stress tasks with social evaluation present (n = 41) or absent (n = 40). Results As hypothesized, participants in the social evaluation condition exhibited greater increases in shame and greater decrements in social self-esteem. Other psychological states (eg, anxiety, performance self-esteem) did not show differential changes as a function of the social context. Salivary cortisol increased in social evaluation condition participants but did not increase in participants who performed the same tasks in the absence of social evaluation. Cortisol increases were greater in participants who experienced greater increases in shame and greater decreases in social self-esteem under social-self threat. Conclusion Threat to the social self is an important elicitor of shame experience, decreases in social self-esteem and cortisol increases under demanding performance conditions. Cortisol changes may be specifically tied to the experience of emotions and cognitions reflecting low self-worth in this context.
Measurement of the electron beam mode in Earth's foreshock

High frequency electric field measurements from the AMPTE IRM plasma wave receiver are used to identify three simultaneously excited electrostatic wave modes in the earth's foreshock region: the electron beam mode, the Langmuir mode, and the ion acoustic mode. A technique is developed which allows the rest frame frequecy and wave number of the electron beam waves to be determined. It is shown that the experimentally determined rest frame frequency and wave number agree well with the most unstable frequency and wave number predicted by linear homogeneous Vlasov theory for a plasma with Maxwellian background electrons and a Lorentzian electron beam. From a comparison of the experimentally determined and theoretical values, approximate limits are put on the electron foreshock beam temperatures. A possible generation mechanism for ion acoustic waves involving mode coupling between the electron beam and Langmuir modes is also discussed.
A Parametric Study of the Impact of Various Error Contributions on the Flux Distribution of a Solar Dish Concentrator

Dish concentrators can produce highly concentrated flux for the operation of an engine, a chemical process, or other energy converter. The high concentration allows a small aperture to control thermal losses, and permits high temperature processes at the focal point. A variety of optical errors can influence the flux pattern both at the aperture and at the absorber surface. Impacts of these errors can be lost energy (intercept losses), aperture compromise (increased size to accommodate flux), high peak fluxes (leading to part failure or life reduction), and improperly positioned flux also leading to component failure. Optical errors can include small scale facet errors ('waviness'), facet shape errors, alignment (facet pointing) errors, structural deflections, and tracking errors. The errors may be random in nature, or may be systematic. The various sources of errors are often combined in a 'root-mean-squared' process to present a single number as an 'error budget'. However, this approach ignores the fact that various errors can influence the performance in different ways, and can mislead the designer, leading to component damage in a system or poor system performance. In this paper, we model a hypothetical radial gore dish system using Sandia's CIRCE2 optical code. We evaluate the peakmore » flux and incident power through the aperture and onto various parts of the receiver cavity. We explore the impact of different error sources on the character of the flux pattern, and demonstrate the limitations of lumping all of the errors into a single error budget.« less
Concentration-dependent mitogenic and antiproliferative actions of 2-methoxyestradiol in estrogen receptor-positive human breast cancer cells.

Abstract We compared in this study the effects of 2-methoxyestradiol (2-MeO-E 2 ) on the growth of two estrogen receptor (ER)-negative human breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435s) and two ER-positive human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and T-47D). 2-MeO-E 2 exerted a concentration-dependent antiproliferative action in the ER-negative MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435s cells. The presence or absence of exogenous 17β-estradiol (E 2 ) in the culture medium did not affect the potency and efficacy of 2-MeO-E 2 ’s antiproliferative action in these ER-negative cells. When the ER-positive MCF-7 and T-47D cells were cultured in a medium supplemented with 10 nM of exogenous E 2 , 2-MeO-E 2 at 750 nM to 2 μM concentrations exerted a similar antiproliferative effect. However, when the ER-positive cell lines were cultured in the absence of exogenous E 2 , 2-MeO-E 2 at relatively low concentrations (10–750 nM) had a moderate mitogenic effect, with its apparent efficacy 75–80% of that of E 2 . This mitogenic effect of 2-MeO-E 2 was ER-mediated and largely attributable to 2-MeO-E 2 ’s residual estrogenic activity on the basis of our following findings: (i) its effect was only manifested in the ER-positive cells but not in the ER-negative cells; (ii) its effect in the ER-positive cells was partially or fully abolished when exogenous E 2 was concomitantly present in the culture medium; (iii) 2-MeO-E 2 retained 1–2% of E 2 ’s binding affinity for the human ERα and ERβ, and its mitogenic effect was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner by ICI-182,780, a pure ER antagonist; and (iv) its effect was not due to its metabolic conversion to 2-hydroxyestradiol. Our timely findings are of importance to the on-going clinical trials designed to evaluate 2-MeO-E 2 ’s effectiveness for the treatment of different types (ER-positive or ER-negative) of human breast cancer. This knowledge will improve the design of clinical trials as well as the interpretation of clinical outcomes when 2-MeO-E 2 is used as a single agent therapy or as part of a combination therapy for human breast cancer.
Axiomatic-like performance analysis (ALPA)

Abstract It is shown that axioms developed at the design stage for program verification can be used to derive time cost equations for purposes of performance analysis. It is also shown that the axioms can be applied to existing programs to derive time cost equations. Flow in a program is the basis for time cost analysis. A triplet of the form Θs{; Q s};Ψ (similar to that of Hoare's triplet [1]) is used to establish flow in program Q, with computing powers of Θ for input, and Ψ for output. This triplet is modified to a quadruple to accommodate the time cost function, and is used in axioms proposed for various conventional nodes. A given program can be mapped into these nodes and related axioms can be applied to the nodes to identify alternative flow paths in the program. Time cost analysis can then be made by tracing the flow in the program.
Structure–reactivity relationship for alcohol oxidations via hydride transfer to a carbocationic oxidizing agent

Second-order rate constants were determined for the oxidation of 27 alcohols (R1R2CHOH) by a carbocationic oxidizing agent, 9-phenylxanthylium ion, in acetontrile at 60 °C. Alcohols include open-chain alkyl, cycloalkyl, and unsaturated alcohols. Kinetic isotope effects for the reaction of 1-phenylethanol were determined at three H/D positions of the alcohol (KIEα-D = 3.9, KIEβ-D3 = 1.03, KIEOD = 1.10). These KIE results are consistent with those we previously reported for the 2-propanol reaction, suggesting that these reactions follow a hydride-proton sequential transfer mechanism that involves a rate-limiting formation of the α-hydroxy carbocation intermediate. Structure–reactivity relationship for alcohol oxidations was deeply discussed on the basis of the observed structural effects on the formation of the carbocationic transition state (Cδ+OH). Efficiencies of alcohol oxidations are largely dependent upon the alcohol structures. Steric hindrance effect and ring strain relief effect win over the electronic effect in determining the rates of the oxidations of open-chain alkyl and cycloalkyl alcohols. Unhindered secondary alkyl alcohols would be selectively oxidized in the presence of primary and hindered secondary alkyl alcohols. Strained C7C11 cycloalkyl alcohols react faster than cyclohexyl alcohol, whereas the strained C5 and C12 alcohols react slower. Aromatic alcohols would be efficiently and selectively oxidized in the presence of aliphatic alcohols of comparable steric requirements. This structure–reactivity relationship for alcohol oxidations via hydride-transfer mechanism is hoped to provide a useful guidance for the selective oxidation of certain alcohol functional groups in organic synthesis. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Linearity and enhanced sensitivity of the Shipley AZ-1350B photoresist

The properties of the Shipley AZ-1350B positive photoresist used with the Shipley AZ-303A developer were investigated. It was found that the use of AZ-303A developer results in a significant improvement of the sensitivity and the linearity of the photoresist. The unexposed etch rate of the photoresist was 35 A ± 5 A/sec. Gratings of high efficiency have been successfully fabricated using the above combination of photoresist and developer.
ESTIMATION OF THE ADVERSE IMPACT OF A POLICE PROMOTION EXAMINATION

Sixty-five male sergeants in the U.S. Park Police, Department of Interior, competed for promotion to lieutenant in the fall of 1978. Candidates were rank-ordered based on a weighted sum of a written job knowledge test score and an oral interview fitness and merit ranking. Five promotions would be made based upon the rank order; the top nine candidates were white. However, there was no difference in mean scores on either the test or the interview score between the group of 52 whites and the group of 12 blacks. There was also a negative relationship between age of candidate and score on written test.
How do you like your quail prepared

Abstract A few toxic outbreaks by quail ingestion have been described, none in Spain, and the toxin has not yet been identified. The authors described a toxic outbreak by quail that had ingested Galeopsis ladanum seeds and developed and tested an animal model. A rhabdomyolysis outbreak caused by the eating of contaminated quail was studied clinically and epidemiologically. Quails’ crops were analyzed and patients were studied. An animal model was developed. Alkaloid content in G. ladanum seeds and quail meat was measured. Twenty patients suffered from rhabdomyolysis (myalgia, increase of muscular enzymes, and myoglobinuria) after ingestion of quail that had eaten G. ladanum seeds, as could be seen by their presence in quails’ crops. Six patients needed hospital care, but evolution of the disorder was benign. Rats fed with quail that had eaten G. ladanum seeds had higher creatine kinase levels than control rats (p = 0.0588). Several alkaloids, including stachydrine, that may have been responsible for the toxicity were detected in seeds. Another unidentified alkaloid was detected in the quail. Quail that have eaten G. ladanum seeds are toxic for human beings, causing rhabdomyolysis. A plant alkaloid may be the toxin involved in inducing the rhabdomyolysis in the outbreak.
The use of rFVIIa in non-haemophilia bleeding conditions in paediatrics A systematic review

From its original envisioned use in patients with hemophilia and inhibitors, recombinant factor VIIa has been increasingly used in a variety of non-hemophilia bleeding/hemorrhagic situations with great efficacy. Most of the reported work has been in adult patients. This paper sets out to review its use in the pediatric non-hemophilia patients and the varied conditions it has been tried and used. Most of the published literature has shown that this agent is efficacious, safe and can be used as an adjunctive measure in the achievement of hemostasis. However, most of the published work is mainly anecdotal, case reports or small series. Randomized trials in children are eagerly awaited.
The presence of three neuroactive peptides in putative glycinergic amacrine cells of an avian retina

Amacrine cells are retinal interneurons which serve to mediate transmission between bipolar and ganglion cells. To date, in addition to several classical neurotransmitters, a number of neuroactive peptides have been localized to these cells. We have previously demonstrated in the chicken that both peptide-transmitter and peptide-peptide colocalization exists in some amacrine cells. In this report, we show that 3 neuroactive peptides (enkephalin, neurotensin and somatostatin) are present in subpopulations of amacrine cells which also possess a high affinity uptake system for glycine. These observations suggest that the simultaneous visualization by autoradiography of [3H]glycine-uptake and immunocytochemistry of peptides may be useful for distinguishing between different types of putative glycinergic amacrine cells.
Close encounters with DNA

Over the past ten years, the all-atom molecular dynamics method has grown in the scale of both systems and processes amenable to it and in its ability to make quantitative predictions about the behavior of experimental systems. The field of computational DNA research is no exception, witnessing a dramatic increase in the size of systems simulated with atomic resolution, the duration of individual simulations and the realism of the simulation outcomes. In this topical review, we describe the hallmark physical properties of DNA from the perspective of all-atom simulations. We demonstrate the amazing ability of such simulations to reveal the microscopic physical origins of experimentally observed phenomena. We also discuss the frustrating limitations associated with imperfections of present atomic force fields and inadequate sampling. The review is focused on the following four physical properties of DNA: effective electric charge, response to an external mechanical force, interaction with other DNA molecules and behavior in an external electric field.
Faecal proteinases of the fungus-growing ant, Atta texana: Properties, significance and possible origin

Abstract The proteolytic activity previously reported in the faecal fluid of fungus-growing ants is due to the presence of three enzymes. These enzymes have been partially purified and characterized. One is a serine proteinase; the other two are metalloendopeptidases. The physical and catalytic properties of the enzymes reflect their adaptive role in the ants' fungus-culturing activities, and also suggest that they are of microbial origin.
Overlapped-speech detection with applications to driver assessment for in-vehicle active safety systems

In this study we propose a system for overlapped-speech detection. Spectral harmonicity and envelope features are extracted to represent overlapped and single-speaker speech using Gaussian mixture models (GMM). The system is shown to effectively discriminate the single and overlapped speech classes. We further increase the discrimination by proposing a phoneme selection scheme to generate more reliable artificial overlapped data for model training. Evaluations on artificially generated co-channel data show that the novelty in feature selection and phoneme omission results in a relative improvement of 10% in the detection accuracy compared to baseline. As an example application, we evaluate the effectiveness of overlapped-speech detection for vehicular environments and its potential in assessing driver alertness. Results indicate a good correlation between driver performance and the amount and location of overlapped-speech segments.
HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS. MORPHOLOGY BY NEGATIVE STAINING.

Abstract Human cytomegalovirus grown in cultures of human fetal skin-muscle cells was examined by high resolution electron microscopy using the phosphotungstate method for negative contrast. The virus particle shows evidence of icosahedral shape and consists of a capsid (960 A diameter) composed of 162 elongated hollow capsomeres (135 A × 95 A) and an inner core (750 A diameter). Some particles are surrounded by an envelope, and some cores apparently contain a “ringlike” substructure. Varicella, herpes simplex, and human cytomegaloviruses appear to be indistinguishable by the described morphological criteria.
Police response to physical assault and stalking victimization: A comparison of influential factors

The current study uses the National Violence Against Women Survey to examine factors associated with criminal justice system involvement in incidents of male physical violence and stalking against women. While both stalking and physical domestic assault incidents are more likely to be reported to the police if the victim is female or if the offender has used threats, only physical domestic assaults are less likely to be reported to the police when the offender is familiar. Additionally, when considering formal police responses, there are very few similarities across the models for physical domestic assault and stalking. These findings show that physical domestic assault and stalking are two unique types of crimes and should be considered separately in any analysis of factors affecting legal decisions and responses to domestic violence.
Sampling distributions of the entropy in visual scanning

Identifying true statistical dependencies in visual-scanning data involves showing that the observed scanning pattern is significantly more ordered than that which would be produced by a stratified random-sampling model. In the past, entropy has been used as the index to measure statistical order or dependency. Due to the unknown nature of the underlying sampling distributions of entropy, however, researchers have had to use relatively less powerful nonparametric statistical tests to determine significance. In this paper we present relevant portions of the family of sampling distributions of entropy and show that they are sufficiently normally distributed to allow the use of a more powerful parametric statistical test when attempting to distinguish among the different models of sampling.
Comparing Stochastic Point-Source and Finite-Source Ground-Motion Simulations: SMSIM and EXSIM

Comparisons of ground motions from two widely used point-source and finite-source ground-motion simulation programs (SMSIM and EXSIM) show that the following simple modifications in EXSIM will produce agreement in the motions from a small earthquake at a large distance for the two programs: (1) base the scaling of high frequencies on the integral of the squared Fourier acceleration spectrum; (2) do not truncate the time series from each subfault; (3) use the inverse of the subfault corner frequency for the duration of motions from each subfault; and (4) use a filter function to boost spectral amplitudes at frequencies near and less than the subfault corner frequencies. In addition, for SMSIM an effective distance is defined that accounts for geometrical spreading and anelastic attenuation from various parts of a finite fault. With these modifications, the Fourier and response spectra from SMSIM and EXSIM are similar to one another, even close to a large earthquake ( M 7), when the motions are averaged over a random distribution of hypocenters. The modifications to EXSIM remove most of the differences in the Fourier spectra from simulations using pulsing and static subfaults; they also essentially eliminate any dependence of the EXSIM simulations on the number of subfaults. Simulations with the revised programs suggest that the results of Atkinson and Boore (2006), computed using an average stress parameter of 140 bars and the original version of EXSIM, are consistent with the revised EXSIM with a stress parameter near 250 bars.
Texture-Based Segmentation and Analysis of Emphysema Depicted on CT Images

In this study we present a texture-based method of emphysema segmentation depicted on CT examination consisting of two steps. Step 1, a fractal dimension based texture feature extraction is used to initially detect base regions of emphysema. A threshold is applied to the texture result image to obtain initial base regions. Step 2, the base regions are evaluated pixel-by-pixel using a method that considers the variance change incurred by adding a pixel to the base in an effort to refine the boundary of the base regions. Visual inspection revealed a reasonable segmentation of the emphysema regions. There was a strong correlation between lung function (FEV1%, FEV1/FVC, and DLCO%) and fraction of emphysema computed using the texture based method, which were -0.433, -.629, and -0.527, respectively. The texture-based method produced more homogeneous emphysematous regions compared to simple thresholding, especially for large bulla, which can appear as speckled regions in the threshold approach. In the texture-based method, single isolated pixels may be considered as emphysema only if neighboring pixels meet certain criteria, which support the idea that single isolated pixels may not be sufficient evidence that emphysema is present. One of the strength of our complex texture-based approach to emphysema segmentation is that it goes beyond existing approaches that typically extract a single or groups texture features and individually analyze the features. We focus on first identifying potential regions of emphysema and then refining the boundary of the detected regions based on texture patterns.
Estandarización de las tasas de captura en la pesquería de gamba (Haliporoides diomedeae) frente a la costa central de Chile, 2002-2008

Resumen es: La gamba (Haliporoides diomedeae) es un crustaceo penaeidea, capturado desde el ano 2002 como especie objetivo por la flota arrastrera de crustaceos que ...
Vibration Sensing and Energy Harvesting Using Ultra-Long Vertically Aligned Array of Barium Titanate Nanowires

In this paper, novel ultra-long aligned array of Barium Titanate (BaTiO3) nanowires (NWs) was used to fabricate piezoelectric sensors and investigate their vibration sensing and energy harvesting potential. The acceleration sensing characteristics of the piezoelectric BaTiO3 NWs based sensor was presented by conducting vibration excitation experiments induced from an electromagnetic shaker. Two different top electrode configurations which include a melted Indium and a short cantilever Indium beam located over the BaTiO3 NWs surface were utilized to study the acceleration sensing and energy harvesting scope respectively. The results shown validate their excellent energy conversion capabilities and demonstrate linear behavior over a wide frequency spectrum which elucidates their potential to be developed as advanced sensors and high efficiency vibrational energy harvesting devices.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Panel of Prototypical Recombinant Infectious Molecular Clones Resistant to Nevirapine, Efavirenz, Etravirine, and Rilpivirine

We created a panel of 10 representative multi-nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-resistant recombinant infectious molecular HIV-1 clones to assist researchers studying NNRTI resistance or developing novel NNRTIs. The cloned viruses contain most of the major NNRTI resistance mutations and most of the significantly associated mutation pairs that we identified in two network analyses. Each virus in the panel has intermediate- or high-level resistance to all or three of the four most commonly used NNRTIs.
Combination of PI3K/mTOR inhibition demonstrates efficacy in human chordoma.

Background: Chordomas are rare tumors of the axial skeleton for which surgical resection remains the most reliable means of cure. PI-103 is a inhibitor of PI3K/AKT and mTOR activation. This study aims to determine whether the PI3K/mTOR pathway was active in chordomas and whether their inhibition could lead to decreased proliferation and increased apoptosis. Materials and Methods: Thirteen human chordoma were tested for activation of the PI3K/mTOR pathway. The human chordoma cell line UCH-1 was treated with increasing doses of PI-103. Inhibition of AKT and mTOR was examined and assays assessing proliferation and apoptosis were performed. Results: The chordoma specimen demonstrated activation of the PI3K/mTOR pathway. PI-103 inhibited the AKT and mTOR activation in the UCH-1 cell line. PI-103 inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in UCH-1. Conclusion: The PI3K/AKT and mTOR signaling pathway is constitutively activated in chordoma. PI-103 decreases proliferation and induces apoptosis in the UCH-1 via inhibition of the PI3K/mTOR pathway.
(Invited) Nanocrystals Embedded High-k Nonvolatile Memories – Bulk Film and Nanocrystal Material Effects

The principle of the nanocrystals embedded high-k nonvolatile memory device has been reviewed. The high-k stack could be fabricated with a simple and low cost one pumpdown sputtering method followed by rapid thermal annealing. The memory function of the device is controlled by material properties of the high-k and the embedded nanocrystal. Factors influencing the type of trapped charges, the charge trapping capacity, and reliability with respect to operation parameters and environment are discussed. This kind of device is potentially important for high density and highly reliable electronic products.
Retinal detachments following intraocular lens implantation.

Abstract Pseudophakic retinal detachments are more difficult to manage than the phakic variety, primarily because of increased difficulties in visualizing the peripheral retina. A review of the characteristics of 70 pseudophakic retinal detachments revealed that they were similar to those following routine cataract extraction, although we noted a mild tendency for periretinal membrane formation to be more commonly associated with the former group. Despite problems in viewing pseudophakic detachments, our data suggest that their repair rate closely approximates that for aphakic eyes, assuming allowances are made for the number of cases with significant peri retinal membranes that are accepted for surgery. Visual results following successful surgery may be somewhat lower than those in comparable aphakic eyes.
A method of cooperative control using occasional non-local interactions

Current approaches to distributed control involving many robots generally restrict interactions to pairs of robots within a threshold distance. While this allows for provable stability, there are performance costs associated with the lack of long-distance information. We introduce the acute angle switching algorithm, which allows a small number of long-range interactions in addition to interactions with nearby neighbors, without sacrificing provable stability. We prove several formal properties of the acute angle switching algorithm, including system-wide connectivity. Further, we show simulation results demonstrating the efficacy and robustness of multi-robot systems based on the acute angle switching algorithm
Method of comparing graph differencing algorithms for software differencing

Software differencing is the process of identifying differences between two versions of software. Finding the differences is important for applications such as efficient testing, merging, and auditing. Software differencing reduces to the problem of graph differencing for which the most general case is intractable. Graph differencing is important in several fields and several notions of graph differences exist. In this paper we describe an experimental method for comparing graph differencing algorithms for software differencing, develop a new definition of graph difference for identifying the semantic differences in software and conjecture about the definitionpsilas relation to another mathematical definition, and finally use these in a comparative study of graph differencing algorithms.
Atherosclerosis and Dementia A Cross-Sectional Study With Pathological Analysis of the Carotid Arteries

Background and Purpose—Previous ultrasound-based studies have shown an association between carotid artery atherosclerosis and dementia. Our aim was to investigate this association using postmortem examination. Methods—Postmortem morphometric measurements of carotid stenosis and intima-media thickness were performed in individuals with dementia (n=112) and control subjects (n=577). Multivariate logistic regression models were applied. Results—High-grade left internal carotid stenosis (≥70%) was associated with increased odds for dementia (OR, 2.30; 95% CI, 1.14–4.74; P=0.02). Intima-media thickness was not associated with dementia. Conclusions—The likelihood of dementia is increased with high-grade left internal carotid artery atherosclerosis after adjusting for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors.
Valued Lives in Violent Places: Black Urban Placemaking at a Civil Rights Memorial in New Orleans

This article explores the history, use, and significance of a civil rights memorial to Martin Luther King Jr, located in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans. Situating this memorial as an important site for black urban placemaking, I focus on a religious vigil against urban violence that was held there in late 2008. Using historical and ethnographic data, I demonstrate how participants in the vigil claim and inhabit the memorial in order to raise awareness about the impact of violence, while simultaneously asserting the social value of black people and communities. I argue that this action unfolds with particular urgency in the post-Katrina period, to counter the perceived devaluation, criminalization, and social exclusion of black people. Participants in the vigil thus rework spatial, social, and symbolic boundaries to shift relatedness and to ensure survival and social membership. The article goes beyond traditionally territorialized understandings of place and placemaking to demonstrate how the actions, interactions, and moral frameworks emerging at this particular place are part of a larger black geography and spatial imaginary, one with the capacity to transform the conceptualization and experience of urban space, place, and community.
Parabolic focal conics and polygonal textures in lipid liquid crystals (

Polygonal defect arrays in lipid liquid crystals prepared from dipalmitoyl-, dimyristoyl-, and dilaurylphosphatidylcholine with various concentrations of water have been observed and characterized using optical microscopy. These arrays appear similar to the polygonal arrays previously observed in thermotropic smectic and cholesteric liquid crystals. The parabolic focal conic model proposed by Rosenblatt, Pindak, Clark and Meyer for the polygonal arrays in thermotropic smectic liquid crystals also describes the observed properties in the smectic A phase of lipid liquid crystals. The polygonal arrays become progressively more birefringent as the strains inducing them are increased. The parabolic focal conic model does not completely describe the details of the more bire
Stability of the conduction regime of natural convection in a tall vertical annulus

The stability of natural convection in a vertical annular enclosure has been studied by the linear theory. It was found that for all Prandtl numbers the instability sets in as a wave travelling upward. For low Prandtl numbers, the larger the curvature the more stable the flow; the reverse is true for high Prandtl numbers. The theoretical predictions of the mode of instability were verified for air. A multicellular flow pattern was observed to drift upward with the predicted wave speed. The measured wavelength of the cells is in good agreement with the linear analysis.
In situ measurements of CLO at mid‐latitudes: Is there an effect from Mt. Pinatubo?

Observations of ClO from 20 to 60 deg N made before and after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo are compared for changes which may result from increased sulfate aerosol surface area. Using ozone as a vertical coordinate and examining data at similar latitudes and seasons, elevated abundances of ClO are found at low latitudes (20 to 30 deg N), an effect which decreases with increasing latitude. For the flights compared, there appear to be no differences, within the uncertainty of the measurements, at latitudes poleward of 40 deg N. These results are consistent with the idea that the hydrolysis of N2O5 on sulfate aerosols becomes saturated at moderate aerosol loadings.
Resin supported acyl carrier protein labeling strategies

The post-translational modifying enzymes phophopantetheinyl transferase and acyl carrier protein hydrolase show utility in the functional modification of acyl carrier proteins. Here we develop these tools as immobilized biocatalysts on agarose supports. New utility is imparted through these methods, enabling rapid and label-independent protein purification. Immobilization of acyl carrier protein is also demonstrated for rapid activity assays of these 4′-phosophopantetheine modifying enzymes, displaying a particular advantage in the case of phosphopantetheine removal, where few orthogonal techniques have been demonstrated. These tools further enrich the suite of functional utility of 4′-phosophopantetheine chemistry, with applications to protein functionalization, materials, and natural product biosynthetic studies.
Prognostic factors for local and distant control in Ewing sarcoma family of tumors

Background: Advances in the treatment of Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT) are the result of improvements in systemic and local therapies. The individual contributions of each treatment component cannot be analyzed separately; improvements in local and systemic control can influence each other. Patients and methods: We reviewed the records of 220 patients treated on institutional protocols from 1979 to 2004. Factors predictive of local and distant recurrence were analyzed. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 13.7 years. Ninety-five patients relapsed at a median of 1.6 years. The 5-year overall survival estimate was 63.5% 6 3.5%. The estimated 5-year cumulative incidence (CI) of local failure was 25.1% 6 3.0%. Local failure was associated with treatment era (P < 0.001), tumor size (P = 0.037) and type of local control (P = 0.021). Systemic treatment intensification improved local control. The estimated 5-year CI of distant recurrence was 22.5% 6 2.9%. Patients with localized disease (P < 0.001), smaller tumors (P = 0.018) and those who received surgery 6 radiation for local control (P = 0.023) had lower CI of distant failure. Conclusions: Successful treatment of ESFT requires optimal systemic and local therapy. Both treatment modalities are intertwined and the control of both local and distant disease is the result of the combined approach.
Modeling 3D Magma Dynamics Using a Discontinuous Galerkin Method

Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) and matrix-free finite element methods with a novel projective pressure estimation are combined to enable the numerical model- ing of magma dynamics in 2D and 3D using the library deal.II . The physical model is an advection-reaction type system consisting of two hyperbolic equations to evolve porosity and soluble mineral abundance and one elliptic equation to recover global pressure. A combination of a discontinuous Galerkin method for the advection equa- tions and a finite element method for the elliptic equation provide a robust and efficient solution to the channel regime problems of the physical system in 3D. A projective and adaptively applied pressure estimation is employed to significantly reduce the compu- tational wall time without impacting the overall physical reliability in the modeling of important features of melt and segregation, such as melt channel bifurcation in 2D and 3D time dependent simulations.
A Modified Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) High Gain Antenna (HGA) Controller Based on Flight Performance

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was launched on June 18, 2009 and is currently in a 50 km mean altitude polar orbit around the Moon. LRO was designed and built by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. The spacecraft is three-axis stabilized via the attitude control system (ACS), which is composed of various control modes using different sets of sensors and actuators. In addition to pointing the spacecraft, the ACS is responsible for pointing LRO s two appendages, the Solar Array (SA) and the High Gain Antenna (HGA). This study reviews LRO s HGA control system. Starting with an overview of the HGA system, the paper delves into the single input single output (SISO) linear analysis followed by the controller design. Based on flight results, an alternate control scheme is devised to address inherent features in the flight control system. The modified control scheme couples the HGA loop with the spacecraft pointing control loop, and through analysis is shown to be stable and improve transient performance. Although proposed, the LRO project decided against implementing this modification.
Biosynthetic (recombinant) human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor: effect on normal bone marrow and leukemia cell lines.

To examine the biologic properties of the molecule encoded by the human gene for granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), we expressed the cloned complementary DNA (cDNA) in transfected monkey COS cells and purified the resultant protein. Purified biosynthetic human GM-CSF was added to cultures of normal hematopoietic progenitor cells in semisolid media, and the resulting colonies were characterized cytochemically. Non-adherent light-density bone marrow cells from healthy adult volunteers were maximally stimulated with GM-CSF (approximately 250 pmol/L, and four types of colonies were consistently identified by aspirating the individual colonies and staining with a triple stain for specific and nonspecific esterases and eosinophilic granules. Pure neutrophilic granulocyte (G), mixed granulocyte- macrophage (GM), pure macrophage (M), and pure eosinophil (EO) colonies were observed, the mean incidences on day 8 being 70%, 20%, 5%, and 5%, and on day 14, 7.5%, 16.6%, 50.9%, and 25.0%, respectively. In all types of colonies, complete maturation to segmented forms or typical macrophages was detected. GM-CSF did not enhance the growth of BFU-E from normal peripheral blood buffy coat cells in the simultaneous presence of erythropoietin alone or erythropoietin with purified erythroid-potentiating activity. GM-CSF stimulated HL-60 and KG-1 colony formation twofold and fivefold, respectively; consistent differentiation induction towards monocytic and eosinophilic lineages was observed in HL-60 but not in KG-1. These in vitro findings indicate that GM-CSF is a multilineage stimulator for progenitor cells of G, GM, M, and EO colonies.
Paid family leave's effect on hospital admissions for pediatric abusive head trauma

Paediatric abusive head trauma (AHT) is a leading cause of fatal child maltreatment among young children. Current prevention efforts have not been consistently effective. Policies such as paid parental leave could potentially prevent AHT, given its impacts on risk factors for child maltreatment. To explore associations between California's 2004 paid family leave (PFL) policy and hospital admissions for AHT, we used difference-in-difference analyses of 1995–2011 US state-level data before and after the policy in California and seven comparison states. Compared with seven states with no PFL policies, California's 2004 PFL showed a significant decrease in AHT admissions in both <1 and <2-year-olds. Analyses using additional data years and comparators could yield different results.
Whither democracy? Religion, politics and Islam

The question raised by the article is: can democracy be religious and, if so, how? Can religious faith be reconciled with modern democratic political institutions? The article takes its departure from the biblical admonition to believers to be ‘the salt of the earth’ – a phrase that militates against both world dominion and world denial. In its long history, Islam (like Christianity) has been sorely tempted by the lure of worldly power and domination. Nor is this temptation entirely a matter of the past (witness the rise of the Christian right and of ‘political Islam’ in our time). Focusing on contemporary Iran, the article makes a constitutional proposal which would strengthen the democratic character of the Iranian Republic without canceling religious faith. If adopted, the proposal would reinvigorate the ‘salt’ of Muslim faith thus enabling believers to live up to the Qur‘anic summons for freedoms, justice and service in the world.
Greek Script and Georgian Scribes on Mt. Sinai

In a joint article on the Koridethi Gospels, published by K. Lake and the writer some years since, attention was called to the eclectic character of the Greek alphabet employed in the Koridethi codex, and emphasis laid on the mechanical and unnatural ductus of the writing. I there advanced the hypothesis that these peculiarities, when taken in connection with certain others, tended to show that the scribe was not a Hellene by birth, but probably a foreigner, and that the presence of a Coptic word in one of the adscriptions would show that the MS. was written in an area not too far removed from Egypt. Sinai was suggested as the possible place of origin. My arguments were attacked by J. de Zwaan and, although on certain fundamental points I felt obliged to differ with his interpretation, I could at the time adduce no further data in support of my contentions.
Acoustic variation during passage reading for speakers with dysarthria and healthy controls.

Abstract Purpose Acoustic variation in a passage read by speakers with dysarthria and healthy speakers was examined. Method 15 speakers with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), 12 speakers with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and 14 healthy speakers were studied. Acoustic variables included measures of global speech timing (e.g., articulation rate, pause characteristics), vocal intensity (e.g., mean sound pressure level and intensity modulation), and segmental articulation (i.e., utterance-level second formant interquartile range (F2 IQR)). Acoustic measures were obtained from three segments operationally defined to represent the beginning, middle, and end of a reading passage. Two speaking conditions associated with common treatment techniques for dysarthria were included for comparison to a habitual speaking condition. These conditions included a slower-than-habitual rate (Slow) and greater-than-habitual intensity (Loud). Results There was some degree of acoustic variation across the three operationally-defined segments of the reading passage. The Slow, Loud and Habitual conditions yielded comparable characteristics of variation. Patterns of acoustic variation across the three passage segments also were largely similar across speaker groups. Conclusions Within-task acoustic variation during passage reading should be considered when making decisions regarding speech sampling in clinical practice and research. The contributions of speech disorder severity and linguistic variables to within-task acoustic change warrant further investigation. Learning outcomes Readers will be able to (1) discuss the motivation for studying and understanding within-task variation in contextual speech, (2) describe patterns of acoustic variation for speakers with dysarthria and healthy speakers during passage reading, (3) discuss the relationship between non-habitual speaking conditions and within-task variation, (4) understand the need to consider within-speaker, within-task variation in speech sampling.