cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Natural history of achondroplasia: A retrospective review of longitudinal clinical data

There are limited data on the longitudinal frequency and severity of the symptoms and complications of achondroplasia. We undertook a retrospective electronic chart review of 114 patients to develop a more thorough understanding of the lifetime impact of achondroplasia. Craniocervical stenosis (involving the foramen magnum with or without cervical vertebrae C1 and/or C2) was noted in nearly 50% of patients with craniovertebral junction imaging; however, corrective decompression surgery was only needed in 6% of patients. No children in our cohort died at 4 years of age or under. Kyphosis was present in most patients but usually resolved in early childhood. Cervical and lumbar stenosis were diagnosed in children and adults while, genu varum, elbow contractures, and radial head dislocations were identified during childhood. Central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea were present in children, while the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea was shown to recur in adulthood. Cardiovascular risk factors were present in only 7% of patients. A range of mental health disorders were identified, with most diagnoses being made before 18 years of age. Our data show that achondroplasia has a significant impact on patients' physical health, and complications continue to be reported and require intervention throughout patients' lifetimes. This highlights the need for continuous support beyond pediatric care, by adult care clinicians experienced with managing the long-term complications of achondroplasia.
Applying Model-Based Systems Engineering to the Development of a Test and Evaluation Tool for Unmanned Autonomous Systems

In this paper, we apply the Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) concepts and approaches to the early phases of the development of a Test & Evaluation (T&E) tool for Unmanned Autonomous Systems (UASs). This helps meet the design requirements and maintain traceability (of design requirements and decisions for satisfying stakeholder’s needs). UAS development is driving toward increasing levels of autonomy for unmanned systems. The dynamic, non-deterministic behavior of intelligent autonomous systems presents the testers with a significant challenge. The ability to predict the behavior and evaluate performance of increasingly intelligent systems, especially those that employ vision-based behaviors, is seen as a critical T&E shortfall. To address this challenge, we propose, in this paper, to use a high-fidelity simulation environment. This can significantly aid in the evaluation of UAS behaviors and their perception mechanisms. Such a high-fidelity simulator enables the testes to safely conduct a wide variety of mission scenarios to test an autonomous system by providing truth data to compare with the UAS’s perceptions. A major challenge here is to manage the system modeling complexity and maintain traceability of design decisions made at each level of the development to meet stakeholder’s needs. In this paper, we follow MBSE methodology and use Systems Modeling Language (SysML - a domain-specific modeling language for systems engineering used to specify, analyze, design, optimize, and verify systems) to establish a systematic framework for designing a T&E tool for UASs and to transform stakeholder’s needs into design requirements to maintain traceability.
Thermomechanically active electrodes power work-dense soft actuators

The effect of chain extender structure and composition on the thermomechanical properties of liquid crystal elastomers (LCE) synthesized using thiol–acrylate Michael addition is presented. The intrinsic molecular stiffness of the thiol chain extender and its relative molar ratio to acrylate-based host mesogens determine the magnitudes of the thermomechanical strains, temperatures at which they are realized and the mechanical work-content. A non-linear structure–property relationship emerges, wherein higher concentrations of flexible extenders first magnify the thermomechanical sensitivity, but a continued increase leads to weaker actuation. Understanding this interplay leads to a composite material platform, enabling a peak specific work production of ∼2 J kg−1 using ∼115 mW of electrical power supplied at 2 V. Composites of LCE with eGaIn liquid metal (LM) are prepared, which act as heaters, while being capable of actuation themselves. The thermomechanically active electrodes convert the electrical power into Joule heat, which they efficiently couple with the neat LCE to which they are bound. This system harnesses the nascent responsiveness of the LCE using electrodes that work with them, instead of fighting against them (or passively standing in the way). Specific work generated increases when subjected to increasing levels of load, reaching a peak at loads ∼260× the actuator weight. These ideas are extended to tri-layered actuators, where LCE films with orthogonal molecular orientations sandwich LCE–LM composite heaters. Torsional actuation modes are harnessed to twist under load.
Initial testing of pegfilgrastim (Neulasta Onpro) on-body injector in multiple radiological imaging environments

Purpose An increasing number of implantable or external devices can impact whether patients can receive radiological imaging examinations. This study examines and tests the Neulasta (pegfilgrastim) Onpro on-body injector in multiple imaging environments. Methods The injector was analyzed for four imaging modalities with testing protocols and strategies developed for each modality. In x-ray and computed tomography (CT), scans with much higher exposure than clinical protocols were performed with the device attached to an anthropomorphic phantom. The device was monitored until the completion of drug delivery. For magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the device was assessed using a hand-held magnet and underwent the magnetically induced displacement testing in a 1.5T clinical MRI scanner room. For ultrasound, magnetic field changes were measured around an ultrasound scanner system with three transducers. Results For x-ray and CT no sign of device error was identified during or after the high radiation exposure scans. Drug delivery was completed at expected timing with expected volume. For MRI the device showed significant attractive force towards the hand-held magnet and a 50-degree deflection angle at 50 cm from the opening of the scanner bore. No further assessment from the gradient or radiofrequency field was deemed necessary. For ultrasound the maximum magnetic field change from baseline was measured to be +11.7 μT in comparison to +74.2 μT at 4 inches from a working microwave. Conclusions No device performance issue was identified under the extreme test conditions in x-ray or CT. The device was found to be MR Unsafe. Magnetic field changes around an ultrasound system met the limitation set by manufacture. Patient ultrasound scanning is considered safe as long as the transducers do not inadvertently loosen the device.
Use of Alcoholics Anonymous as Part of Medical School Education: Students’ and Educators’ Perspectives

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to discover the utility, barriers, and experiences with the use of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a learning resource in the medical school curriculum. A third-year medical student cohort and a psychiatric educator group were queried about learned experiential lessons, attendance requirements, attitudes, and obstacles encountered. Forty-three educators, whose familiarity with AA varied widely, responded to the survey. Forty-seven percent required AA attendance and reported it was a positive experience for their students. Eighty-four percent felt students should attend AA and identified obstacles to its implementation. Separately, descriptive impressions of students (N = 95) who attended AA meetings were collected. Their responses were positive 46%, neutral 43%, or negative 11%. Respondents found AA meeting experiences generally positive, and although impediments to implementation of this experience still exist, they may be overcome with concerted efforts of psychiatr...
Subject suppression or lexical PRO?: the case of derived nominals in Hungarian

The paper examines Hungarian data in the light of Grimshaw's (1990) theory. Grimshaw's claim that (only) complex event nominals have an argument structure is confirmed. On the other hand, it is argued that the argument structure of a Hungarian complex event nominal is identical to that of the corresponding verb. The apparent differences cannot be attributed to external argument suppression, which is the analysis Grimshaw proposes for English. Rather, they need to be accounted for with reference to Case-assignment and the availability of a PRO subject with controlled or arbitrary interpretation. PROarb is shown to have both a quasi-universal and a quasi-existential reading. PRO is not syntactic, however, but receives a theta-role in lexical structure.
Induction over the unexplained: integrated learning of concepts with both explainable and conventional aspects

ABSTRACT This paper presents a new approach to combining explanation-based and empirical learning called Induction Over the Unexplained (IOU). Unlike other approaches to integrated learning, which use one method to focus the other or provide it with information, IOU uses each method to learn a different part of the final concept definition. It is therefore suited for learning concepts with both explainable and unexplainable aspects. An initial nonincremental feature-based implementation of IOU is presented together with an example illustrating IOU's advantage over a purely empirical or analytical system and over other integrated learning systems such as IOE.
Absorption of Calcium in Man: Effect of Disease, Hormones and Vitamin D

The kinetics of the absorption and retention of calcium were calculated from measurements in vitro of isotope content of the forearm by counting in a large volume liquid scintillation counter after the oral administration of 47Ca (Lutwak and Shapiro, 1964). The fecal excretion of unabsorbed tracer, and the urinary excretion of absorbed isotope were also followed. These measurements permitted an estimate of the rates of transfer of calcium from the gut to the arm during the initial absorptive phase and the subsequent turnover of tracer calcium retained during the first phase.
The Prefrontal Cortex and Temporal Integration

The associative cortex of the frontal lobe, commonly termed the prefrontal cortex, undergoes considerable expansion in the course of evolution. It reaches its greatest development in the human brain, constituting nearly one-third of the neocortex. Its phylogenetic expansion outstrips that of other cortical regions and also that of the mediodorsal (MD) nucleus of the thalamus, a nucleus so heavily and distinctly projecting to the prefrontal cortex that the latter is conventionally defined as the cortical territory of MD projection.
Reproducibility of mRECIST in assessing response to transarterial radioembolization therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the reproducibility of Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lesions undergoing transarterial radioembolization (TARE) therapy and to determine whether mRECIST reproducibility is affected by the enhancement pattern of HCC. One hundred and three HCC lesions from 103 patients treated with TARE were evaluated. The single longest diameter of viable tumor tissue was measured by two radiologists at baseline; response to therapy was evaluated according to mRECIST. The enhancement pattern of HCC lesions was correlated with their mRECIST response. The response rate between mRECIST and RECIST 1.1 was compared. Wilcoxon signed-rank test, paired t test, Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (ρc), Bland-Altman plot, kappa statistics, and Fisher's exact test were used to assess intra- and interobserver reproducibilities and to compare response rates. There were better intra- than interobserver agreements in the measurement of single longest diameter of viable tumor tissue (bias = 0 cm intraobserver versus bias = 0.3 cm interobserver). For mRECIST, good intraobserver (ĸ = 0.70) and moderate interobserver (ĸ = 0.56) agreements were noted. The mRECIST response for HCC lesions with homogeneous enhancement at both baseline and follow-up imaging showed better intra- and interobserver agreements (ĸ = 0.77 and 0.60, respectively) than lesions with heterogeneous enhancement at both scans (ĸ = 0.54 and 0.40, respectively). In the early follow-up period mRECIST showed a significantly higher response rate than RECIST (40.8% versus 3.9%; P = 0.025). Conclusions: In HCC patients treated with TARE, mRECIST captures a significantly higher response rate compared with RECIST; it also demonstrates acceptable intra- and interobserver reproducibilities for HCC lesions treated with TARE, and mRECIST reproducibility may be lower for HCC lesions with heterogeneous distribution of the viable tumor tissue. (Hepatology 2015;62:1111-1121)
Sustainable Polymers from Biomass‐Derived α‐Methylene‐γ‐Butyrolactones

Sustainable polymers based on the biomass-derived renewable α-methylene-γ-butyrolactones, including α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone, γ-methyl-α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone, and β-methyl-α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone, are reviewed. Polymerization methods employed for the synthesis of such polymers are classified into four different categories according to polymerization types or mechanisms: free radical polymerization, coordination polymerization, group-transfer and anionic polymerization, and zwitterionic polymerization. In addition to synthetic methods, polymer properties, polymerization characteristics, as well as polymerization and stereochemical control mechanisms are also described. Keywords: sustainable polymers; renewable monomers; methylene butyrolactones; polymerization
Más allá del diagnóstico fotodinámico: buscando la excelencia en el diagnóstico del cáncer vesical no músculo-invasivo

Resumen La cistoscopia es el metodo de eleccion en el diagnostico positivo del cancer vesical no musculo-invasivo. La tasa de tumores que pasan inadvertidos durante la cistoscopia puede llegar al 30%; esto es debido a factores como la existencia de formas tumorales planas, de pequeno tamano o de dificil visualizacion. El diagnostico fotodinamico ha conseguido disminuir la tasa de tumores que pasan inadvertidos, y ha conseguido mejorar el diagnostico de lesiones planas; con el consiguiente aumento del tiempo libre de recidiva y disminuyendo el numero de actuaciones endoscopicas iterativas; pero a costa de una tasa de falsos positivos elevada. En los ultimos anos se han desarrollado una serie de sistemas opticos que pretenden; solos o asociados; mejorar la sensibilidad diagnostica de la cistoscopia sin menoscabo de su especificidad. Entre estos sistemas debemos destacar algunos como Narrow Band Imaging, la Tomografia de Coherencia Optica y la Endomicroscopia Laser Confocal.
Ammonia- and lithia-doped manganese dioxide for 3 V lithium batteries.

Specific discharge capacities in excess of 200 mAh/g and good reversible cycling behavior between 3.8 and 2.0 V has been observed in a lithium cell for {alpha}-MnO{sub 2} phases with the hollandite structure. A combination of lithia (Li{sub 2}O) doping and ammonia (NH{sub 3}) treatment of the active material powder having the composition {alpha}-[0.143Li{sub 2}O{center_dot}0.007NH{sub 3}]{center_dot}MnO{sub 2} gave the best electrochemical performance in liquid organic electrolyte (1:1 EC:DMC, 1 M LiPF{sub 6}) coin cells, with metallic Li as the negative electrode. The added lithia forms a defect close-packed array of oxide anions and stabilizes the interior of the 2x2 tunnel of the hollandite structure by partially filling the crystallographic position (0,0,0.5) of the tetragonal unit cell (I4/m) with O{sup 2-} from the added Li{sub 2}O. Ammonia treatment is hypothesized to partially fill other lattice vacancies still available within the 2x2 tunnel with the nitrogen atoms from NH{sub 3} taking the same position as the oxide anion in the array. The NH{sub 3} can further stabilize the cell during lithium insertion/extraction because of its favorable hydrogen bonding ability and Lewis base characteristics.
Scavenging of a coagulating fine aerosol by a coarse particle mode

Aerosol emissions from coal combustion and waste incineration often have a bimodal mass distribution. The coarse mode consists mainly of entrained ash. The fine (submicron) mode may form by volatilization of a small fraction of mineral matter followed by reoxidation and recondensation. Fine mode particles may grow by coagulation into a size range near 0.1 μm, where they are stable over the process residence time. Alternatively, the fine mode may be scavenged by diffusion to the coarse mode. In this paper, we derive a simple analytical criterion for determining whether diffusion to the coarse mode will suppress growth of the fine mode. The analysis is based on two different analytical methods: (1) the self-preserving analysis, and (2) the monodisperse aerosol model and a (numerical) moment method. The half-life, t12, of the fine mode depends strongly on its initial mass concentration, m0, and on the first moment of the coarse mode size distribution, M1c: t12 ∼ m04/M1c5. There is a fairly sharp separation between the regime where a stable fine mode aerosol develops (t12 ⪢ tresidence) and the regime of almost complete scavenging of the fine mode by the coarse mode (t12 ⪡ tresidence). Through m0, the half-life depends on gas temperature and chemical composition in a complex way.
Religious attitudes and practices of hospitalized medically ill older adults

Objectives To examine the prevalence of religious beliefs and practices among medically ill hospitalized older adults and relate them to social, psychological and health characteristics. Methods and procedures Consecutive patients age 60 or over admitted to the general medicine cardiology and neurology services of Duke University Medical Center were evaluated for participation in a depression study. As part of the evaluation, information on religious affiliation, religious attendance, private religious activities, intrinsic religiosity and religious coping was collected. Demographic, social, psychological and physical health characteristics were also assessed. Bivariate and multivariate correlates of religious belief and activity were examined using Pearson correlation and linear regression. Results Of the 542 patients evaluated, detailed information on religious beliefs and behaviors was collected on 455 cognitively unimpaired patients. Over one-half (53.4%) of the sample reported attending religious services once per week or more often; 58.7% prayed or studied the Bible daily or more often; over 85% of patients held intrinsic religious attitudes; and over 40% spontaneously reported that their religious faith was the most important factor that enabled them to cope. Religious variables were consistently and independently related to race (Black), lower education, higher social support and greater life stressors, and religious attendance was associated with less medical illness burden. Religious attendance was also related to lower depressive symptoms, although the association weakened when other covariates were controlled. Conclusions Religious practices, attitudes and coping behaviors are prevalent among hospitalized medically ill older adults and are related to social, psychological and physical health outcomes. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.
A 3-tuple information retrieval query interface with ontology based ranking

Currently keyword search is a prominent data retrieval method for the Web because the simple and efficient nature of the keyword processing allows it to process a large amount of information with fast response. However, keyword search approaches do not formally capture the clear meaning of a keyword query and fail to address the semantic relationships between keywords. As a result, its recall rate and precision rate are often unsatisfactory, and therefore its ranking algorithms fail to properly reflect the semantic relevance of keywords. This means that the accuracy (the precision and the recall rate) of search results is often low. Therefore, we proposed a new 3-tuple query interface and corresponding ranking algorithm. And we presented a comparison of the search accuracy of our new query interface and conventional search approaches.
Enough's enough: conversations with myself and other practitioners.

Amidst considerable media focus on the stresses and strains on health services personnel who choose to leave the service, the author interviewed child mental health colleagues about how they coped with organizational stress in the UK National Health Service (NHS). The themes that emerged suggest that clinical staff feel senior managers have lost touch with what is described as the primary task — that of caring for the children and families that use the service. Practitioners feel undervalued and overwhelmed by nonclinical activities. Although stressed, the kinds of coping mechanisms described are likely to maintain high levels of stress, rather than reduce them. It is suggested that the cognitive dissonance paradigm explains both the stressful nature of practitioner experience and the tendency for clinical staff to work even harder in circumstances of perceived oppression. Perceptual Control and general systemic theories may help provide a framework in which to understand the dynamic forces at work that m...
DNA of ciliated protozoa

DNA was isolated from macronuclei and micronuclei of the ciliated protozoan, Stylonychia mytilus under conditions that minimize the possibility of DNA degradation. Macronuclear DNA has an S value of 10 to 11 in sucrose gradients. Macronuclear DNA has an average molecular weight of 1.15×106 daltons and a range of molecular weights of 1.0×106 to 1.95×106 daltons. The average length of macronuclear DNA, measured by electron microscopy, is 0.80 microns and the range is 0.2 to 2.2 microns. Almost all micronuclear DNA pieces are too long to be measured by electron microscopy. The shortest piece of micronuclear DNA found was 15.0 microns in length.
Voting on welfare reform Stemming migration, assisting the needy, or promoting economic growth?

This paper examines the influences on voting by members of the House of Representatives on the Carter Administration's welfare reform legislation. The analysis finds some support for the hypothesis that voting by national legislators responded to the potential mobility of welfare recipients from low to high benefit states. Defining the public interest as promoting economic growth and the special interest as increasing redistribution, the results also provide evidence in support of the Stigler hypothesis that politically secure legislators are better able to vote the public, as opposed to the special, interest.
In situ measurement of the remanence curve of magnetic recording media

A measurement technique is described that yields a normalized remanence curve of the recording medium under the actual conditions of the write process directly as a function of the write-head current. This could be a more useful result than the standard representation as a function of the applied field. The result, however, could be represented in the standard form if the head field function and the flying height were known. The measurement consists of writing a low-frequency, saturated all-ones pattern and subsequently overwriting an all-ones pattern, at the same frequency but displaced in phase, using the head-current value for which the remanence is to be measured. The head field has the same direction as the original field for the part of the bit cell unaffected. It has the position direction for the remaining part, reducing or partially reversing the magnetization of this part of the bit cell to the corresponding remanence value. On reading this record with a inductive read head, the area under each voltage pulse yields the remanent magnetization for the overwrite current used. >
Response transients in a Pd–Ni/AlN/n-Si hydrogen sensor

Abstract The response transient from Pd and Pd–Ni alloy gated MIS hydrogen sensors with AlN as the insulating layer is investigated. Often we observe two distinct components of the transient response after switching on (or off) the hydrogen. On turn on, the initial rise of the response is followed by an overshoot which then slowly decays to the final steady state signal. We call the combination of the overshoot with this latter decay, the reverse transient. Some of our data also show a symmetric transient after hydrogen turn off. This paper presents results of a study of reverse transients observed in our devices. The temperature dependence of these reverse transient decay rates allows the estimate of the corresponding activation energies as 90 kJ/mol and 110 kJ/mol, respectively, for Pd and Pd–Ni gated devices. The closeness of these values suggests that the underlying mechanism is independent of the nature of the gate. A possible mechanism might be associated with the redistribution of low mobility negative charges within the AlN.
White, black, and Hispanic male youths in central city labor markets

Data from the 1% 1980 Census Public Use Sample are used to estimate the determinants of employment and wage rates for out-of-school male youths residing in central cities. Separate calculations are undertaken for white, black, and Hispanic youths. Independent variables include individual, family background, and local labor market characteristics. Three basic findings emerge. First, racial inequality persists, with whites showing the best outcomes, Hispanics second, and blacks at the bottom. Second, underlying these unequal outcomes are rather different patterns of effect for personal and family characteristics by race. Note-worthy here is the Hispanic pattern of low reliance on schooling and high reliance on family. Finally, net of these effects, intercity differences are interesting and important. These include negative effects of city size and race composition effects which show white gains where blacks and Hispanics are a larger share of the population.
Universal scaling and initial energy distribution for magnetron

Summary form only given. A general dimensionless approach based upon the complex form of Poynting's theorem has been applied to the analysis of the relativistic planar magnetron. An important aspect of this formulation is the way in which it interrelates the basic scaling involved in energy storage, radiation generation through beamwave interaction, and the nonlinearities which eventually cause saturation. Attention was focused on energy storage and basic scaling in the early stages of magnetron preoscillation and on their relation to initial spoke formation. The capacity of a resonant structure to store electromagnetic energy can be shown to depend upon the product of a group of dimensional factors and a universal dimensionless capacitance defined along the dispersion relation for the structure
Distribution of peptide YY in the gastrointestinal tract of the rat, dog, and monkey

Abstract The objective of this study was to characterize the distribution and concentration of peptide YY (PYY) in the gastrointestinal tract of the rat, dog, and monkey. In the rat, the greatest concentration of PYY was detected in the ileum and colon. The concentrations of PYY in the ileum and colon were 72 ± 49 and 768 ± 180 ng/g tissue, respectively. In the dog, PYY was found primarily in extracts of the mucosal layer of the ileum and colon, with smaller amounts in the distal jejunum. The concentration of PYY in the mucosal layers of the canine distal jejunum was 113 ± 25 ng/g tissue, proximal jejunum 302 ± 56, mid jejunum 507 ± 151, distal ileum 691 ± 184, and colon 1706 ± 774 ng/g tissue. In the monkey gastrointestinal tract, PYY was detected predominantly in mucosal extracts of the jejunum, ileum, and colon. The concentration of PYY in the mucosal layer extract of the jejunum was 92 ± 23, ileum 615 ± 127, and colon 1013 ± 243 ng/g tissue.
The impact of perinatal depression on the evolution of anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

We sought to examine the evolution of postpartum anxiety, obsessions and compulsions over time, and the influence of depression on their clinical course. This was a prospective cohort of obstetric patients enrolled at a tertiary care women’s hospital. Women were recruited immediately postpartum and followed for 6 months. Women were screened for depression, state-trait anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms and dichotomized by the presence of depression. Four hundred sixty-one women agreed to participate in the study and completed the 2 weeks postpartum assessment; 331 (72 %) women completed the assessment at 6 months postpartum. At 2 weeks postpartum, 28 (19.9 %) women with depression had anxiety symptoms, compared to 4 (1.3 %) women who screened negative for depression (p < 0.001). Similarly, 36 (25.7 %) women with depression endorsed obsessions and compulsions compared to 19 (8.4 %) women without depression (p < 0.001). A significant interaction effect was present with anxiety over time such that by 6 months postpartum, there were no differences in symptoms in women with and without depression (p = 0.860). Conversely, the differences in obsessions and compulsions between depressed and non-depressed women persisted (p = 0.017). Women with postpartum depression are more likely to experience comorbid state-trait anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in the immediate postpartum period. While state-trait anxiety symptoms tend to resolve with time, obsessive-compulsive symptoms persist. Understanding these temporal trends is critical to tailor appropriate monitoring and treatment.
The Effect of Self-Reference on Learning and Retention:

This experiment compared 2 study methods that involved self-referencing. Three groups of college students studied a chapter from a child psychology text. One group used the survey, question, read, ...
Calcific periarthritis involving multiple sites in identical twins.

Identical twins with calcific periarthritis demonstrable at multiple sites first developed painful episodes of inflammation at age 22.The occurrence of this disorder in twins has not been reported previously. This observation, particularly if supported by additional cases with familial involvement, supports the possibility that the disease might be due to genetic inheritance of a metabolic defect.
Enhancing the resolution of electron energy loss spectroscopy by digital signal processing techniques

Abstract A novel spectra analysis method is outlined which enhances markedly the resolution of high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. The method involves Fourier transformation of the measured spectrum, followed by deconvolution of the instrument response function, spectral estimation using the maximum entropy method, and a line shape analysis with Gaussian and Lorentzian functions. In this way broadening due to the instrument response is eliminated, and both the spectral resolution and sensitivity are improved dramatically. The merits of the method are demonstrated with HREELS data for the CO/Ru(001) system for which there are also comparable data from FTIR experiments.
Major Regulatory Changes and the Impact on Diagnostic Imaging in the United States 2005 to 2012

Federal regulation of diagnostic imaging in the United States has increased dramatically in recent years. The primary statutes aimed at curbing escalating costs and reorienting the national priorities of health care have a direct effect on the specialty of diagnostic imaging. This paper surveys the major regulations and current issues that pose challenges to the practice of diagnostic imaging in the United States, from the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 through the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.
Report of the Committee on Chemistry of Natural Waters, 1952–1953

The activities during the year of the individual Committee members working in their own lines of specialization embraced practically all fields of water chemistry. However, the interests of the group were primarily focused on the problem of water quality as related to irrigation agriculture. This report of the Committee consists largely of a special paper relating to problems associated with judging water quality in irrigation agriculture prepared by one member of the Committee, L. D. Doneen. This report was circulated among the membership for discussion. Doneen's paper, together with discussion by several members of the Committee, appears on pages 943 to 950 of this issue of the Transactions.
The visual pigments of birds. I. The turkey.

Abstract Digitonin extracts of the retinae of sixty-five Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys were found to possess two photopigments: a red-sensitive component (iodopsin) with absorption maximum in the region of 562 mμ and a typical rhodopsin with a maximum at about 504 mμ. Both are retinene 1 pigments. Iodopsin comprised about one-third of the total photopigment content of the extract. The results are in agreement with data previously obtained with the chicken retina but they did not include the finding of a photopigment at 544 mμ as reported for the pigeon retina.
Postsynaptic neuroligin enhances presynaptic inputs at neuronal nicotinic synapses

Neuroligins are cell adhesion molecules that interact with neurexins on adjacent cells to promote glutamatergic and GABAergic synapse formation in culture. We show here that neuroligin enhances nicotinic synapses on neurons in culture, increasing synaptic input. When neuroligin is overexpressed in neurons, the extracellular domain induces presynaptic specializations in adjacent cholinergic neurons as visualized by SV2 puncta. The intracellular domain is required to translate the SV2 puncta into synaptic input as reflected by increases in the frequency of spontaneous mini-synaptic currents. The PDZ-binding motif of neuroligin is not needed for these effects. Together, the extracellular and proximal intracellular domains of neuroligin are sufficient to induce presynaptic specializations, align them over postsynaptic receptor clusters, and increase synaptic function. Manipulation of endogenous neuroligin with β-neurexin-expressing cells confirms its presence; repressing function with dominant negative constructs and inhibitory shRNA shows that endogenous neuroligin helps confer functionality on existing nicotinic synaptic contacts. Endogenous neuroligin does not appear to be required, however, for initial formation of the contacts, suggesting that other components under these conditions can also initiate synapse formation. The results indicate that postsynaptic neuroligin is important for functional nicotinic synapses on neurons and that the effects achieved will likely depend on neuroligin levels.
On the in-plane vibrations of rotating rings

The general problem of the in-plane vibrations of a rotating ring is investigated. The potential and kinetic energy functionals including the effects of extensional and shear deformation and of rotatory inertia respectively are derived. The governing differential equations for the inextensional case are derived by using Hamilton's principal and shown to have additional terms not present in previous works. Numerical studies which show the importance of these additional terms are presented.
A traffic shaping model for optimizing network operations

The management of technology in multi-service computer networks, such as university networks, has become a challenge with the explosive growth of entertainment oriented peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic. Traffic shaping is one of the tools used to manage bandwidth to improve system performance by allocating bandwidth between P2P and non-peer-to-peer (NP2P) traffic. We present a model for traffic shaping and bandwidth management that considers the trade-offs from allocating different amounts of bandwidths for different application categories and use data from a university network. The current policy allocates varying bandwidths over the day to P2P and NP2P traffic to reflect the importance of not letting entertainment based traffic choke the network during the day time at the expense of the more important traffic, such as Web traffic. We highlight the difficulties in obtaining data in the form required for analysis, and the need to estimate demand for allocations not covered by current policy. We present a goal programming model for this estimation task. We also model the traffic shaping problem as a Markov decision process and develop an algorithm for determining the optimal bandwidth allocation to maximize the utility of all users. Finally we use a numerical example to illustrate our approach.
Hypothermia enhances contractility in cerebral arteries of newborn lambs.

Abstract Hypothermia is the major factor influencing autoregulatory properties of the cerebral circulation in human infants undergoing hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass. The present investigation evaluated the effect of decreased temperature on the contractility of isolated middle cerebral arteries obtained from newborn lambs. Reducing bath temperature from 37 to 21°C caused a temperature-dependent increase in contractile tension, achieving 1.32 ± 0.09 g above resting tension (0.75 g). Pretreatment with nonselective (α1 and α2) α-adrenoceptor antagonist, phentolamine (10-5 M), with an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, NG-nitro- l -arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (10-4 M), and with a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indometbacin (10-5 M), did not affect the contractile response to a decrease in bath temperature from 37 to 21°C. Furthermore, cerebral arteries were responsive to both norepinephrine (constriction) and sodium nitroprusside (relaxation) and the sensitivity of cerebral arteries to the sympathetic neurotransmitter norepinephrine appears to be enhanced at low temperatures. We postulate that direct cerebral vasoconstriction and enhanced adrenergic contractility may be responsible for increased cerebrovascular resistance during and after hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass with possible ischemic cerebral injury and neurological sequelae.
First-Principles Investigation of Electronic Structure and Dynamic Properties of SrCl2 under High Pressure

We present an investigation of electronic structure and dynamic properties of SrCl2 under high pressure using density functional theory (DFT). The calculated electronic structures show that SrCl2 is an insulator with a band gap of 5.22 eV at ambient conditions. The band gap initially increases with pressure, then decreases upon further compression leading to band overlap metallization. The pressure of metallization is predicted to be 102 GPa. The calculated phonon curves indicates that the sequence of the pressure-induced structural transition of SrCl2 is from fluorite structure (Fm3m) to orthorhombic structure (Pnma), then to hexagonal structure (P63/mmc).
Special quasirandom structures to study the (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 random alloy

The local structure of ${\mathrm{K}}_{0.5}{\mathrm{Na}}_{0.5}\mathrm{Nb}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ is investigated using first-principles methods with an optimized special quasirandom structure (SQS). Through a comparison of the computed pair distribution functions with those from neutron powder diffraction data, the SQS approach demonstrates its ability to accurately capture the local structure patterns derived from the random distribution of K and Na on the perovskite $A$-site. Using these structures, local variations in Na-O interactions are suggested to be the driving force behind the $R3c$ to $Pm$ phase transition. A comparison between the SQS and a rocksalt structure shows the inability of the latter to account for the local variability present in a random solid solution. As such, the predictive nature of the SQS demonstrated here suggests that this approach may provide insight in understanding the properties of a wide range of bulk oxide alloys or solid solutions.
Improved all-weather atmospheric sounding using hyperspectral microwave observations

We introduce a new hyperspectral microwave remote sensing modality for atmospheric sounding, driven by recent advances in microwave device technology that now permit receiver arrays that can multiplex multiple broad frequency bands into more than ∼ 100 spectral channels, thus improving both the vertical and horizontal resolution of the retrieved atmospheric profile. Global simulation studies over ocean and land in clear and cloudy atmospheres using three different atmospheric profile databases are presented that assess the temperature, moisture, and precipitation sounding capability of several notional hyperspectral systems with channels sampled near the 50–60-GHz, 118.75-GHz, and 183.31-GHz absorption lines. These analyses demonstrate that hyperspectral microwave operation using frequency multiplexing techniques substantially improves temperature and moisture profiling accuracy, especially in atmospheres that challenge conventional non-hyperspectral microwave sounding systems because of high water vapor and cloud liquid water content. Retrieval performance studies are also included that compare hyperspectral microwave sounding performance to conventional microwave and hyperspectral infrared approaches, both in a geostationary and low-earth orbit context, and a path forward to a new generation of high-performance all-weather sounding is discussed.
Impact of Hypothermic Preservation on Tissue Yield and Viability in Pig Pancreata

Abstract Introduction Chronic shortage of quality human cadaveric pancreata limits islet transplantation. Porcine islet xenotransplantation is being explored to increase the donor pool. For clinical-ready islets, centralized animal husbandry, Current Good Manufacturing Practice–regulated processing facilities, and organ transportation support are required. Amount of cold ischemia time (CIT) before isolation significantly affects transplantation. The goal of this study was to determine the maximum safe CIT of whole pancreata before islet isolation. Materials and Methods Pancreata were rapidly removed from Yorkshire pigs (age, 14–22 days) and stored in modified University of Wisconsin solution or in EuroCollins solution at 4 ° C. Pancreata were processed with Results Up to 12 hours in cold storage had no significant impact on overall islet yield after 7 days of in vitro culture compared with controls; islet yield at the end of the maturation process was 28,700 ± 500 islet equivalents per pancreas (mean ± SEM control yield, 30,300 ± 900 islet equivalents per pancreas); islet purity was 75 ± 5% compared with 74 ± 5% in controls. Islet viability was significantly reduced at 12 hours compared with controls (80 ± 6% vs 96 ± 5%; P P = NS) but was markedly increased during the 24-hour study (3.3 ± 0.1 at 24 hours), indicating a progressive loss of adenosine triphosphate tissue stores. Conclusions Young pig pancreata can be hypothermically stored for up to 12 hours without affecting islet yield and purity; however, islet viability is reduced. These data highlight the need for uniform shipping parameters to standardize islet quality, ideally with CIT
Neuroleptic-resistant schizophrenics.

ABSTRACT According to Crow's postulated positive-negative distinction, negative symptoms of schizophrenia are less responsive to neuroleptic drugs. Not all research evidence supports that expectation, however, so that neuroleptics need not be withheld from any schizophrenic patients. Other aspects of Crow's hypothesized distinction have indicated possible promising results, but more research is required.
Nitric oxide synthase isoform expression in a porcine model of granulation tissue formation.

Background. This study was designed to determine whether the nitric oxide (NO) pathway is involved in wound granulation tissue formation. Methods. A section of the pig abdominal wall (excluding the skin) was excised, creating an incisional hernia. The resulting defect was repaired with silicone sheeting in a manner that mimics a temporary abdominal wall closure. During the 14-day experimental period, porcine omentum adhered to the peritoneal edges of the defect and a highly vascularized granulation tissue formed on both sides of the sheeting. Granulation tissue thickness and wound fluid volume were monitored by ultrasonography and epigastric artery flow velocity was monitored by color Doppler flow analysis at days 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, and 14. Fluid was serially harvested from the wound compartment at days 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, and 14 for nitrite/ nitrate (NOx) analysis. Finally, granulation tissue was harvested at day 14 for immunohistochemical and molecular analyses. Results. There was a significant increase in granulation tissue thickness and wound fluid volume during the 14-day study period. Blood flow to the wound increased significantly by day 4 and returned toward baseline by day 14. Wound fluid NOx levels significantly increased from days 7 to 11 and then decreased to near baseline values by day 14. Wound fluid arginine levels significantly decreased when compared with peritoneal fluid and plasma levels at day 14, while wound fluid ornithine levels significantly increased. Immunohistochemical analysis of granulation tissue at day 14 revealed nitric oxide synthase (NOS) 2 was present in the majority of the cells in the granulation tissue. NOS 3 was expressed in endothelial cells only, and NOS 1 expression was not observed in the granulation tissue. Conclusions. This study suggests that NO, NOS 2, and arginine may play critical roles in granulation tissue formation and wound healing. Arginase and NOS 2 may compete for available arginine as a substrate, thereby limiting later NO production in favor of sustained ornithine synthesis. (Surgery 2001;129:341-50.)
Familial aggregation and linkage analysis of autoantibody traits in pedigrees multiplex for systemic lupus erythematosus

Autoantibodies are clinically relevant biomarkers for numerous autoimmune disorders. The genetic basis of autoantibody production in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other autoimmune diseases is poorly understood. In this study, we characterized autoantibody profiles in 1,506 individuals from 229 multiplex SLE pedigrees. There was strong familial aggregation of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), anti-La/SSB, anti-Ro/SSA, anti-Sm, anti-nRNP (nuclear ribonucleoprotein), IgM antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies (Abs) and rheumatoid factor (RF) across these families enriched for lupus. We performed genome-wide linkage analyses in an effort to map genes that contribute to the production of the following autoantibodies: Ro/SSA, La/SSB, nRNP, Sm, dsDNA, RF, nuclear and phospholipids. Using an approach to minimize false positives and adjust for multiple comparisons, evidence for linkage was found to anti-La/SSB Abs on chromosome 3q21 (adjusted P=1.9 x 10(-6)), to anti-nRNP and/or anti-Sm Abs on chromosome 3q27 (adjusted P=3.5 x 10(-6)), to anti-Ro/SSA and/or anti-La/SSB Abs on chromosome 4q34-q35 (adjusted P=3.4 x 10(-4)) and to anti-IgM aPL Abs on chromosome 13q14 (adjusted P=2.3 x 10(-4)). These results support the hypothesis that autoantibody production is a genetically complex trait. Identification of the causative alleles will advance our understanding of critical molecular mechanisms that underlie SLE and perhaps other autoimmune diseases.