cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Versatile Testbed for CubeSat Atomic Clock Development: EOM vs Laser Current Modulation

Atomic clocks for compact satellite missions have limitations on size, weight, and power (SWaP), while requiring ever greater levels of frequency stability and accuracy. To aid in the development of next-generation low SWaP Coherent Population Trapping (CPT) clocks, we are developing a CubeSat Atomic Clock Testbed (CuSACT). This testbed will give us the capability to vary single aspects of CPT-clock design while keeping all others constant. In this presentation, we will provide an overview of CuSACT, and discuss our preliminary results comparing direct injection-current modulation of a VCSEL with electro-optic phase modulation of the VCSEL.
1881. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Safety Program for Improving Antibiotic Use: Results From a National Antibiotic Stewardship Intervention of 402 United States (US) Hospitals

Background The AHRQ Safety Program for Improving Antibiotic Use aims to improve antibiotic (abx) use in acute, long-term, and outpatient care settings by enhancing abx stewardship programs (ASP) and engaging frontline providers to incorporate stewardship into daily abx decision-making, with an emphasis on viewing appropriate prescribing as a patient safety issue. We report on the impact of implementation of the Acute Care Safety Program on abx use and Clostridioides difficile in a cohort of US hospitals.
Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection Not Beneficial for Nonoperative Treatment of Rotator Cuff Disease.

The review found no evidence that supports any additional benefit of platelet-rich plasma injections compared with various control interventions, including saline placebo, in the non-operative treatment of rotator cuff disease in adults.
Separable influences of reward value on visual processing and choice

Primate vision is characterized by constant, sequential processing and selection of visual targets to fixate. Although expected reward and reward value are known to influence both processing and selection of visual targets, the relationship between these effects remains unclear. Using a novel paradigm, we simultaneously measured the effects of expected reward on target selection and sensitivity to visual motion in monkeys. Monkeys freely chose between two visual targets and received a juice reward with varying probability for eye movements made to either of them. Targets were stationary apertures of drifting gratings, causing the endpoints of eye movements to these targets to be systematically biased in the direction of motion. We used this motion-induced bias as a measure of sensitivity to visual motion on each trial and utilized multiple measures to examine global and local effects of reward outcomes on choice and sensitivity to motion. Specifically, we used different reinforcement learning models to fit choice behavior and estimate reward values based on the integration of reward outcomes over multiple trials. Moreover, to compare the effects of reward value on choice and sensitivity to motion directly, we considered correlations between each of these variables and integrated reward outcomes on a wide range of timescales. We found that in addition to choice, sensitivity to visual motion was also influenced by reward value. However, choice was determined by the difference in reward values of the two options whereas sensitivity to motion was influenced by the sum of values. Moreover, models that best predicted visual processing and choice used sets of reward values based on different types of reward integration and timescales. Together, our results demonstrate separable influences of reward value on visual processing and choice, and point to the presence of multiple brain circuits for integration of reward outcomes.
Anion photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional investigation of vanadium carbide clusters.

The influence of source conditions on vanadium-carbon cluster formation in a methane-vanadium plasma is explored and analyzed by photoelectron spectroscopy, revealing that the metal-carbon ratio has substantial influence over the cluster products. Experiments that employ large methane content produce carbon-rich mono-and divanadium carbides. The carbon-rich clusters show a preference for the formation of cyclic neutral and linear ionic structures. When the methane concentration is decreased, V m C n clusters are formed with m = 1-4 and n = 2-8. The photoelectron spectra of clusters formed under these conditions are indicative of a three-dimensional network. We have measured a significantly lower vertical electron affinity for the VC 2 , V 2 C 3 , and V 4 C 6 clusters compared with proximate species. Interestingly, the VC 2 species is a proposed building block of the M 8 C 12 Met-Car cluster, and the 2,3 and 4,6 clusters correspond to the 1/4 and 1/2 Met-Car cages, respectively. This correlation is taken as evidence of their importance in the formation of the larger Met-Car species. These results are supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations carried out at the PBE/GGA level.
Condensed-Phase Ethanol Conversion to Higher Alcohols over Bimetallic Catalysts

The catalytic condensation of ethanol to n-butanol and higher alcohols continues to attract attention as new outlets are sought for this bio-renewable feedstock. Results are presented here for the ...
Sharing Information (or Not) for Computer Development

This chapter describes how computer developers shared information about technology innovations in the early 1940s and through World War II. During this period, much information about computer development was isolated in university laboratories where people worked under national security restrictions. In the absence of formal communication channels for sharing information, computer developers relied on personal relationships and face-to-face meetings to learn about new designs and approaches to automatic machine calculation. In this period, information was largely shared among people who had established contacts with leaders in the field of computer development, yet they often found that they had difficulty sharing information because of differences in terminology they developed in isolated laboratories.
Estimating Credit Rating Transition Probabilities for Corporate Bonds

In this paper we take the task of motivating and exhibiting the potential of conditioning on economywide state variables in improving the forecasting of the Credit Rating Transition Probability (CRTP) Matrix. The improvement in CRTP matrix forecasting accuracy by utilizing state variable information is significant, both statistically and economically, in in-sample and out-of-sample experiments. As a byproduct of examining the one-step ahead forecasting power of state variables in the information set of the researcher we undertake a study of the variation of credit migration (which includes default risk) over the business cycle. We find that an increase in nominal short and long and real rates, a lower equity return and a higher equity return volatility are associated with higher relative downgrade intensities. We compare our results with the predictions of credit risk models. We deal with the implications of possible non-Markovian behavior of the credit rating process. Issuer-specific information is introduced in the form of time dependence and rating momentum. We examine whether the information provided by the state variables is subsumed or is augmented by incorporating various parametric or nonparametric types of time and occurrence dependence in the credit rating transition process. Even though there is significant evidence of time acceleration and downward rating momentum the pattern of state variable sensitivities remains mostly intact. Taking into consideration industry classification reveals the different sensitivity of certain sectors to term structure variables with forecasting, relative value, possibly hedging and correlation implications. The financial sector in particular is more sensitive to interest rates. Finally we examine unobservable to the econometrician heterogeneity which turns out not to alter the conclusions in an appreciable fashion.
The Periodic Synthesis of S-Adenosylmethionine:Protein Methyltransferases during the HeLa S-3 Cell Cycle

Abstract The activities of three S-adenosylmethionine:protein methyltransferases (protein methylase I, II, and III) were measured throughout the mitotic cycle of synchronized HeLa S-3 cells in an attempt to determine the biological function of these enzymes. 1. The activities of protein methylase I and II, which catalyze the methylation of protein-arginine residues and carboxyl groups, increase more or less continuously until they have doubled by the end of G2 phase. These increases were not obviously correlated with major cell cycle events such as DNA replication or histone synthesis and modification. 2. The activity of protein methylase III (S-adenosylmethionine:protein-lysine methyltransferase) remains relatively constant through G1 and early S phase of the cell cycle, then begins increasing until it reaches over three to four times its initial level by the end of G2. The increase in protein methylase III activity is temporally correlated with the increased mono- and dimethylation of the e-amino groups of histone lysine residues. 3. By inhibiting protein and RNA synthesis it was determined that this increase in protein methylase III activity in late S and G2 of the HeLa cell cycle was probably due to the de novo synthesis of enzyme molecules of those times. 4. The same 3- to 4-fold increase in the activity of protein methylase III occurs at the usual time after mitosis even if DNA and histone synthesis were prevented by treatment of the cells with cytosine arabinoside. In such treated cells, the enzyme apparently "overmethylated" the already mono- and dimethylated lysine residues of previously synthesized histone molecules to the di- and trimethyllysine state. These data suggest that protein methylase III synthesis is not triggered by the appearance of its normal substrate but rather is coupled with some other unknown cell cycle event.
Structural adjustment and forest resources - the impact of World Bank operations

Over two decades, the World Bank has undertaken many structural adjustment operations with governments of developing countries. During negotiations for structural adjustment loans (SALs), partner governments agree to specific policy reforms, whose implementation becomes a condition for disbursement of SAL funds. Conditionality varies with local circumstances, but generally supports privatization of state enterprises, liberalization of the domestic economy, and openness in international trade. Structural adjustment operations have often been controversial because they are explicitly political. Opposition, or support reflects ideological perspectives, perceptions of who gains, and who loses economically from a SAL, or beliefs about its environmental, and social impacts. Environmental groups express particular concern about SALs' impacts on the rate of deforestation. Debate about adjustment, and deforestation has been fueled largely by anecdotes, and a few country cases bases on limited time-series data. The authors broaden the analysis by combining a complete record of Bank SAL operations, with a 38-year socioeconomic database for 112 developing countries. They find that adjustment has greatly affected imports, exports, consumption, and production in many forest products sectors (such as fuel-wood, sawn-wood, panels, pulp, and paper). Some activities have increased, and some declined, but overall, the effects have balanced each other. The net impact on domestic round-wood production, the authors' proxy for forest exploitation, has been almost exactly zero. Their results suggest that growth in round-wood production is explained well by population growth, urbanization, and world demand for forest products. Their findings suggest that adjustment has not promoted domestic deforestation, but it has increased net imports of wood products, implying some displacement of pressure onto other countries' forest resources. They also find that devaluations have significantly increased the exploitation of forest resources.
High-Redshift, Radio-Loud Quasars

I discuss two programs to study radio-loud quasars at high (z>4) redshift. Quasars are the most luminous, non-transient objects known and are observed to the earliest cosmic epochs. At lower redshifts, radio-loud quasars are associated with host galaxies having deVaucoleurs profiles. By association, identifying and studying a sample of high-redshift, radio-loud quasars provides important clues to the early Universe and potentially probes early-type galaxy formation. The first aspect of this proceeding discusses an extensive search for high-redshift, radio-loud quasars culled from matching the FIRST radio catalog with the 2nd generation Palomar Sky Survey. The second aspect of this proceeding concerns studying the radio properties of optically-selected z>4 quasars. At the time of this conference, only seven z>4 quasars were in the literature. The first program discussed herein uncovers three new such sources, while the second program identifies an additional five. We use the new samples to study the evolution of the radio-loud fraction, finding no evolution in this quantity between redshift z>2 and z>4 for -26>M(B)>-28.
Caring as an Epistemic Relationship: Noddings, Peirce, and Triadic Caring

Rather than ground care theory on monadic descriptions of agent-centered virtues, or on principles like justice, Nel Noddings builds her moral framework upon the dyadic relationship between a carer and the cared-for. Unfortunately, in certain cases, Noddings’s descriptions of how to respond to a cared-for’s rejection of one’s attempts to care seems to leave those seeking guidance from the ethic of care without support for continued care-based action. When a cared-for continuously rejects a carer’s actions, and when the carer continues to judge that caring requires withholding endorsement of the cared-for’s project, then the carer seemingly is left to appeal to non-care-based resources for guidance, such as virtues associated with inner strength or appeals to justice-based ethical principles. In what follows, I explicate the contours of this problem and offer a redress that provides guidance from within care theory. To make this argument clear, I draw upon the work of Charles Sanders Peirce in order to assert that caring involves triadic, and not dyadic, relationships.
Reducing exposure to pregnant radiation workers

2715 Objectives Practicing ALARA principles are a fundamental policy in Nuclear Medicine Technology. These principles are utilized to ensure that radiation workers receive a dose that is far below the NRC limit of 5 rem whole body exposure. However, if a woman declares herself as pregnant, the embryo/fetus is only allowed 0.5 rem exposure. This massive reduction in allowable dose makes the concept and practical application of ALARA principles even more important to pregnant radiation workers. The focus of this research is to assess the effectiveness of the current protocol at Froedtert Hospital in terms of limiting exposure to pregnant workers. Currently, during the months that the worker declares her pregnancy, the worker no longer works with any aspect of PET imaging or therapy administration. Methods In this retrospective study, exposure information was obtained from the participants’ exposure reports based on readings from monthly whole-body badges. Data was collected from the nine months prior to the declared pregnancy as a baseline comparison. Results Preliminary results showed the hospital average was 33 mrem during the pre-pregnancy period, with a reduction to 20 mrem during pregnancy. The datasets were further analyzed with a paired t-test utilizing both the pre-pregnancy and pregnancy datasets. This testing determined the values to be different to a very high degree of statistical significance (CI 0.001) with the obtained p-value being 3.0E-5. Conclusions The indications of this study are significant when the concept of ALARA is taken into consideration. It is important that all technologists practice ALARA principles and its’ importance is even more paramount in the protection of a developing fetus. Due to the results of this study, the current practice will remain in effect at Froedtert Hospital. Research Support United States. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NRC Regulations Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations 20.1201:8.
Cost of equity in homeland security resource allocation in the face of a strategic attacker

Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent in homeland security since September 11, 2001. Many mathematical models have been developed to study strategic interactions between governments (defenders) and terrorists (attackers). However, few studies have considered the tradeoff between equity and efficiency in homeland security resource allocation. In this article, we fill this gap by developing a novel model in which a government allocates defensive resources among multiple potential targets, while reserving a portion of defensive resources (represented by the equity coefficient) for equal distribution (according to geographical areas, population, density, etc.). Such a way to model equity is one of many alternatives, but was directly inspired by homeland security resource allocation practice. The government is faced with a strategic terrorist (adaptive adversary) whose attack probabilities are endogenously determined in the model. We study the effect of the equity coefficient on the optimal defensive resource allocations and the corresponding expected loss. We find that the cost of equity (in terms of increased expected loss) increases convexly in the equity coefficient. Furthermore, such cost is lower when: (a) government uses per-valuation equity; (b) the cost-effectiveness coefficient of defense increases; and (c) the total defense budget increases. Our model, results, and insights could be used to assist policy making.
Role of the Nuclear Receptor Coactivator AIB1/SRC-3 in Angiogenesis and Wound Healing

The nuclear receptor coactivator amplified in breast cancer 1 (AIB1/SRC-3) has a well-defined role in steroid and growth factor signaling in cancer and normal epithelial cells. Less is known about its function in stromal cells, although AIB1/SRC-3 is up-regulated in tumor stroma and may, thus, contribute to tumor angiogenesis. Herein, we show that AIB1/SRC-3 depletion from cultured endothelial cells reduces their proliferation and motility in response to growth factors and prevents the formation of intact monolayers with tight junctions and of endothelial tubes. In AIB1/SRC-3 +/− and −/− mice, the angiogenic responses to subcutaneous Matrigel implants was reduced by two-thirds, and exogenously added fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 2 did not overcome this deficiency. Furthermore, AIB1/SRC-3 +/− and −/− mice showed similarly delayed healing of full-thickness excisional skin wounds, indicating that both alleles were required for proper tissue repair. Analysis of this defective wound healing showed reduced recruitment of inflammatory cells and macrophages, cytokine induction, and metalloprotease activity. Skin grafts from animals with different AIB1 genotypes and subsequent wounding of the grafts revealed that the defective healing was attributable to local factors and not to defective bone marrow responses. Indeed, wounds in AIB1 +/− mice showed reduced expression of FGF10, FGFBP3, FGFR1, FGFR2b, and FGFR3, major local drivers of angiogenesis. We conclude that AIB1/SRC-3 modulates stromal cell responses via cross-talk with the FGF signaling pathway.
Practical issues in evolving neural network controllers for video game agents

This tutorial will draw upon a significant accumulation of practical knowledge that is rarely explained comprehensively in research publications or textbooks to illuminate how evolutionary algorithms can be combined effectively with neural networks in video games.
Leadership style and activating potential moderators of the relationships among leader emotional displays and outcomes

Abstract The present study argues that leader emotional displays are important to consider both within and outside of transformational/charismatic paradigms and must look beyond positive and negative affect. Accordingly, this experiment examined the effects of emotion valence as moderated by leadership style (transformational vs. transactional) and activating potential (high vs. low) on follower satisfaction, evaluations of the leader, and creative task performance. Findings showed differential effects of positive and negative emotions for different leader styles for evaluations of transformational leadership and leader effectiveness and for follower performance. Additionally, positive emotions with higher-activating potential resulted in more desirable outcomes than those lower in activating potential, but the reverse was true for negative emotions. Findings are discussed in light of research and practical implications.
Hohlraum designs for high velocity implosions on NIF

Experiments measuring the velocity of hohlraum-driven implosions on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) are described, including a demonstration of the required fusion-fuel velocity V fuel > 350 km/s with a 520 TW, 1.86 MJ laser pulse.
Characterization of information in phase of radar range profiles

This work characterizes information in the phase of radar range profiles with respect to the estimation of features of a target present in the measured signal. A physics-based high-frequency parametric model is employed to describe the radar backscatter. Information is quantified by the error standard deviation of target parameter estimates from noisy radar signals with phase either included or discarded. Phase information is shown to provide a factor of six, and four, increase in achievable target position and amplitude estimation, respectively, for X-band signals. The inclusion of phase for target parameter estimation enables significantly improved discrimination of frequency-dependent scattering characteristics.
Blindness following bilateral radical neck dissection

Blindness after bilateral radical neck dissection is a rare complication. A recent patient, who suffered total blindness after simultaneous bilateral radical neck dissection, is the fifth case reported. It is, however, the first with pathological study of the optic tracts. Detailed microscopic examination revealed bilateral intraorbital hemorrhagic optic nerve infarction without evidence of embolization or ophthalmic artery occlusion. The probable etiology of this event is an episode of prolonged hypotension. An additional etiologic factor may be increased resistance to blood flow caused by venous hypertension, resulting from bilateral internal jugular vein ligation.
Simulations of multiphase reactive flows in fluidized beds using in situ adaptive tabulation

A novel algorithm, in situ adaptive tabulation (ISAT), has been implemented into a multiphase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code to treat complex chemistry calculations. In this work, isothermal silane pyrolysis in a fluidized bed reactor is presented to test the feasibility and explore the capabilities of ISAT with a finite-volume two-fluid code (MFIX). Based on the results of simulations, an error tolerance of 10−5 is found to be satisfactory for maintaining the accuracy for the examples investigated. Due to the rapidly changing time step used in the CFD code, the performance enhancement was found initially to be minimal. However, the performance is significantly improved when ISAT is called using a fixed time step.
Emergence of Anoxia in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem

Eastern boundary current systems are among the world's most productive large marine ecosystems. Because upwelling currents transport nutrient-rich but oxygen-depleted water onto shallow seas, large expanses of productive continental shelves can be vulnerable to the risk of extreme low-oxygen events. Here, we report the novel rise of water-column shelf anoxia in the northern California Current system, a large marine ecosystem with no previous record of such extreme oxygen deficits. The expansion of anoxia highlights the potential for rapid and discontinuous ecosystem change in productive coastal systems that sustain a major portion of the world's fisheries.
3α, 5β-Reduced cortisol exhibits antagonist properties on cerebral cortical GABAA receptors

The tetrahydro-reduced derivatives of progesterone and deoxycorticosterone, allopregnanolone, and tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone are potent positive modulators of GABAA receptors that are elevated by hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activation in rodents. In humans, 11-deoxycortisol and cortisol are important hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis steroids. We hypothesized that C3,5 reduction of 11-deoxycortisol and cortisol generates steroids with GABAA receptor activity. 3α,5β-Reduced cortisol dose-dependently inhibited muscimol-stimulated chloride flux and tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone potentiation of muscimol responses. Cortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, 5α-dihydrocortisol, 3α,5α-reduced cortisol, 3α,5α-reduced 11-deoxycortisol, and 3α,5β-reduced 11-deoxycortisol had no activity at 1 μM and weaker negative modulatory activity at 10 μM. We conclude that cortisol metabolism may produce antagonistic GABAergic activity.
Microscopic Characterization of the Interface between Aromatic Isocyanides and Au(111): A First-Principles Investigation

Molecular assemblies comprising aromatic rings have received widespread attention as possible components of molecular electronic devices. An essential prerequisite to understand their stability and transport properties is the microscopic characterization of the interface formed with metallic leads. We present a comprehensive study, based on density functional theory (DFT) of the interface between the Au(111) surface and 1,4-phenylenediisocyanide, the simplest representative of aromatic isocyanides. We find that low coverage is favored at low temperature; this prediction is accessible to experimental validation as the metal work function shift upon adsorption has opposite signs, depending on the coverage. The computed binding energy between the isocyanide groups and the surface (∼0.5 eV) is smaller than that obtained for benzenethiols, but the presence of surface defects may considerably increase binding, by about 0.8 eV. The computed N⋮C stretching frequencies on atop sites show a blue shift, compared wit...
A Facile Synthesis of Benzyl 2-Amino-3-azido-4-O-p-methoxybenzyl-6-O-benzyl-2,3-dideoxy-α-d-glucopyranoside: A Key Intermediate in the Formation Of A Didemnin B Analog

Abstract Although the deprotection of amides by hydrazinolysis is a well established method in carbohydrate chemistry, this reaction is dependent upon the nearby substituents. In our facile synthesis of intermediate benzyl 2-amino-3-azido-4-O-p-methoxybenzyl-6-O-benzyl-2,3-dideoxy-α-d-glucopyranoside (3), we found that the use of trifluoroacetamides provided a more efficient protection strategy.
Mary Magdalen and the mendicants: The preaching of penance in the late Middle Ages

This essay examines de sanctis sermons written to commemorate the feast day of Saint Mary Magdalen in order to extract the social meaning of penance in the late Middle Ages. Since sermons were the ‘mass media’ of the day, they provide a glimpse into how the obligation of penance was presented by preachers, mostly friars, in the later medieval period. Through an analysis of what the friars preached about Mary Magdalen - the paradigmatic penitential saint - light can be thrown on how the reformulation of the sacrament of penance at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 helped to rejuvenate the cult of the Magdalen and how, in turn, the saint came to represent the sacrament of penance in the late medieval period.
Perceiving Multiple Affordances for Objects

Three experiments examined whether the perception of one of an object's affordances affects the detection of another affordance. In Experiment 1, participants were presented with collections of artifacts, such that one third had only the Affordance 1 (OAFF 1, e.g., scoop-with), another third had only Affordance 2 (OAFF 2, e.g., pierce-with), and the remaining objects had both affordances (OAFF 1,2). Neither affordance was the one for which the artifacts had been designed. Tasks 1 and 2 required participants to identify objects with Affordances 1 and 2, respectively. The results showed the perception of first affordance decreased the likelihood of identifying the second affordance for OAFF 1,2. Experiment 2 determined that OAFF 2 were not simply better instances of the second affordance than OAFF 1,2. Experiment 3 demonstrated the basic pattern of results was specific to judgments of objects' functions (affordances) and was not obtained with judgments of physical properties (color, shape). Finally, Experim...
Intraplantar injection of dextrorphan, ketamine or memantine attenuates formalin-induced behaviors

The possible prophylactic effects of local injection of NMDA receptor antagonists that are currently used in humans was investigated in the present study. Intraplantar pretreatment with either 5 mM dextrorphan (DEX), 10 mM memantine (MEM) or 10 mM ketamine (KET) significantly attenuated formalin-induced lifting and licking behaviors, however flinching behavior was not effected. Control experiments indicated that these drug actions could be attributed to local and not systemic effects of the antagonists. We hypothesize that these actions result from blocking NMDA receptors present on unmyelinated sensory axons in the skin. These data suggest that peripheral NMDA receptors contribute to nociceptor activation and can be manipulated to reduce pain of peripheral origin. Since DEX, MEM and KET are currently used in humans and considered clinically safe, they have potential therapeutic value in the treatment of physiologic or pathologic pain states which are induced or maintained by peripheral nociceptor activity. Topical or local application would avoid the side effects that can accompany systemic or intrathecal injection of NMDA antagonists.
Review: the structure of simple phosphate glasses

Recent developments of phosphate glasses for a variety of technological applications, from rare-earth ion hosts for solid state lasers to low temperature sealing glasses, have led to renewed interest in understanding the structures of these unusual materials. In this review, spectroscopic and diffraction studies of simple phosphate glasses, including v-P2O5 and binary phosphate compositions, are described. Special attention is given to the structures of anhydrous ultraphosphate glasses, which have received close attention from the glass community only in the past six years.
Difference in projections to the lateral and medial facial nucleus: anatomically separate pathways for rhythmical vibrissa movement in rats.

The present paper demonstrates that the lateral and medial subdivisions of the rat facial motor nucleus (NVII) receive differing mesencephalic and metencephalic projections. In order to study brain projections to facial nucleus, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was injected iontophoretically into the entire facial nucleus or the following subdivisions: lateral, dorsolateral, medial, intermediate, and ventral. In the mesencephalic region, the retrorubral nucleus was found to project to the contralateral medial subdivision of NVII, while the red nucleus was found to project to the contralateral lateral subdivision of NVII. Other mesencephalic projections to the facial nucleus arose from the deep mesencephalic nucleus, oculomotor nucleus, central gray including inter stitial nucleus of Cajal and nucleus Darkschewitsch, superior colliculus and substantia nigra (reticular). In the metencephalic region, the Kolliker-Fuse nucleus, parabrachial nucleus, and the ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus projected mainly to the ipsilateral lateral subdivision of NVII. In addition, the trapezoid, pontine reticular, vestibular, and motor trigeminal nuclei were observed to have predominantly ipsilateral connections to the facial nucleus. In contrast, projections from the myelencephalic region were to both the lateral and medial subdivision of NVII. The medullary reticular nucleus, ambiguus nucleus, spinal trigeminal nucleus and parvocellular reticular nucleus projected to both lateral and medial subdivisions of NVII with an ipsilateral predominance. The gigantocellular and paragigantocellular reticular nuclei, raphe magnus, external cuneate nucleus and the nucleus of the solitary tract also projected to the facial motor nucleus. Surprisingly, no direct projections to the NVII were observed from diencephalic and telencephalic regions. Our findings that the lateral subdivision of NVII which innervates vibrissa-pad-muscles (Dom et al. 1973; Martin and Lodge 1977; Watson et al. 1982) receives different metencephalic and mesencephalic projections than medial subdivision which controls pinna movement (Henkel and Edwards 1978), suggest that the functional difference between these subdivisions is mediated by the anatomically separate pathways. We confirmed our anatomical findings by eliciting exclusively vibrissa responses by electrical stimulation of the nuclei which project to the lateral subdivision of NVII.
TU-A-203-01: QUANTEC and the Clinical Physicist

Designing dose distributions that minimize the risk of radiation‐induced normal tissue toxicity is one of the hardest parts of treatment planning. Commonly, many planners use the tolerance guidelines set forth in the famous 1991 ‘Emami paper’. A wealth of more recent information exists but is dispersed over many, diverse publications. Therefore, AAPM and ASTRO funded the QUANTEC (Quantitative Analysis of Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic) effort, wherein over 60 volunteer physicists and radiation oncologists collaborated in an expert review of the literature from the “3DCRT” era. Consensus dosimetric guidelines for 16 normal organs were published in early 2010 (International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics V76, #3S supplement). For some complications, the QUANTEC recommendations are in general concordance with the Emami guidelines but for others there are notable differences and the mathematical models of normal tissue complication risk built accordingly reveal wide variations among the different studies. The reasons for these differences and what needs to be done to reconcile them with previous and future clinical practice will be discussed for selected disease sites and organs. Course outline: 1. A user's guide to QUANTEC: All the organ‐complication articles have the same format and address the same topics: clinical significance, complication endpoints, organ volume definition, literature review, non‐dosimetric risk factors, mathematical/biological models, special situations, recommended dose‐volume limits, future studies. The difficulties QUANTEC encountered relative to each section are instructive, as they indicate problems in the way outcomes are reported in the literature. These will be described to aid in understanding the limitations of the Quantec reviews and to improve the state of knowledge going forward. [Presenter: Andrew Jackson, MSKCC] 2. What's new since Emami: For some major dose‐limiting complications, the QUANTEC and ‘Emami’ guidelines differ substantially — for others there is general concordance. Examples of each sort will be presented along with suggestions as to clinical application. [Presenter: Larry Marks, MD, UNC] Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the broad goals and methods of the QUANTEC review. 2. Identify several organs where the dose/volume' outcome data presented by QUANTEC is ‘significantly’ different from what was presented by Emami in 1991. 3. Broadly understand the shortcomings of the QUANTEC review and methods and opportunities for acquiring additional and improved information.
Recursive generation of individual S-matrix elements: Application to the collinear H + H2 reaction☆

Abstract It is shown that individual (state-to-state) S -matrix elements can be generated from the 1,1 element of the inverse of a small tridiagonal matrix. The tridiagonal matrix is produced via the Lanczos algorithm from discretized integral equations for the amplitude density. The convergence of | S α′α | 2 for the collinear H + H 2 reaction is shown graphically.
Glucose regulates pancreatic preprosomatostatin I expression

Rainbow trout were used as a model system to evaluate the role of glucose in regulating the expression of preprosomatostatin I. Glucose increased pancreatic levels of preprosomatostatin I mRNA in vivo, in concert with elevated plasma somatostatin levels, and in vitro. Glucose-stimulated expression of preprosomatostatin I mRNA required the uptake, phosphorylation, and subsequent metabolism of the sugar in pancreatic islets. These results suggest that glucose modulates both the production and release of somatostatin.
Case Report: Prolonged Remission of Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus and Thyroid Autoimmunity Following Immunotherapy for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia

ABSTRACT A 6-year-old girl developed transient diabetes mellitus while receiving L-aspar-aginase, prednisone, vincristine, 6-mercapto-purine, and methotrexate as chemotherapy for acute lymphocytic leukemia that went into remission after 3 years of therapy. The patient subsequently developed autoimmune thyroid disease with hypothyroidism. Islet-cell antibodies were detected 1 year after anti-leukemic chemotherapy was stopped and 5 years before she developed overt insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). It is suggested that the immunosuppressive drugs received during anti-leukemic therapy may have delayed the appearance of IDDM and thyroid autoimmunity in a genetically susceptible patient.
Regional Differences In Bladder Enlargement And In Vitro Contractility After Outlet Obstruction In The Rabbit

ABSTRACTPurpose: Bladder outlet obstruction leads to bladder enlargement and subsequent decreases in contractile function in vivo and in vitro. We determined whether there were regional differences in bladder wall properties and in vitro contractile responses after 2 weeks of bladder outlet obstruction.Materials and Methods: Male rabbits underwent cystometry. The bladder was then filled to 40 ml. and the surface was marked with 2-zero silk knots placed approximately 1 cm. apart. The distance between the knots was measured at 20, 40 and 80 ml. The animals then underwent the creation of surgical obstruction. After 2 weeks the obstruction was removed. Cystometry and measurements were repeated and strips were obtained from defined dorsal and ventral areas. Contractile responses to electrical field stimulation, adenosine triphosphate, carbachol and KCl were determined and compared with strips from unobstructed controls.Results: In vivo expansion during bladder filling occurred evenly throughout the bladder wal...
Multiscale Compressive Video Acquisition

A low cost SWIR video camera prototype was built by combing compressive sensing multi-scale video (CS-MUVI) acquisition framework with the single pixel camera (SPC). The performance of the system was demonstrated by our experimental results.
Analysis of perioperative factors and cost comparison of single-incision and traditional multi-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Background Recent technological advances in single-incision platforms have allowed many general surgeons to add single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) to their armamentarium. However, adopting new surgical technologies comes at a cost to the patient and the surgeon. This study compared retrospective case-matched SILC and traditional multi-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (MILC) to evaluate the effects of SILC on perioperative outcomes and patient cost.
Formal education and back-related disability. In search of an explanation.

Study Design. The present study is a 2-year prospective study with repeated measurements. Objectives. To examine the association of education with back-related disability along with four sets of variables that might explain this relatioship; clinical, behavioral, and environmental factors; occupational variables; health care use; and interactions between stressful events and coping strategies. Summary of Background Data. Although education has been found to be associated with back-related disability in previous reports, this relationship remains to be explained. Examination of this association may yield a better understanding of the causes and natural history of disability resulting from back pain. Methods. Subjects were 1213 enrollees of a Health Maintenance Organization (HMP) who consulted a primary care physician for back pain in 1989-1990, completed a baseline telephone interview, and had a follow-up evaluation after 1 and 2 years, using a modified version of the Roland-Morris Scale to measure disability. Results. Subjects who completed 13 years or more of schooling had less disability and a greater decline in their disability over time than those who completed less schooling. Occupational characteristics and somatization were among the strongest explanatory factors. Cigarette smoking contributed to the explanation of the cross-sectional association. Conclusions. Education is associated cross-sectionally and longitudinally with disability resulting from back pain. A wide range of variables may mediate the education-back-related disability association, including a propensity to report diffuse physical symptoms (somatization), lifestyle (e.g., cigarette smoking), and occupational factors.
Enhancing Decision Topology Assessment in Engineering Design

Abstract : Implications of decision analysis (DA) on engineering design are important and well-documented. However, widespread adoption has not occurred. To that end, the authors recently proposed decision topologies (TD) as a visual method for representing decision situations and proved that they are entirely consistent with normative decision analysis. This paper addresses the practical issue of assessing the DTs of a designer using their responses. As in classical DA, this step is critical to encoding the DA's preferences so that further analysis and mathematical optimization can be performed on the correct set of preferences. We show how multi-attribute DTs can be directly assessed from DM responses. Furthermore, we show that preferences under uncertainty can be trivially incorporated and that topologies can be constructed using single attribute topologies similarly to multi-linear functions in utility analysis. This incremental construction simplifies the process of topology construction. The methods are demonstrated using a design decision making problem of a welded beam.
The thermal sensitivity of nitrification as a function of the concentration of nitrogen substrate

Abstract The joint influence of substrate concentration and temperature upon the rates of microbially mediated ammonia oxidation and nitrite oxidation is analyzed using rate laws reported in the literature. This analysis shows that (1) a family of substrate isoconcentrates is required to describe the thermal sensitivity of each oxidation step; (2) the optimum temperature of each step increases as the logarithm of its substrate concentration; and (3) the thermal rate-maximum of each step increases as its substrate concentration raised to a fractional power. From these relations and published parameter values, the progressions of optimum temperature and maximum rate with substrate concentration are calculated for each step. The thermal sensitivity of ammonia oxidation is thus seen to differ substantially from that of nitrite oxidation. The limits of validity and two potential applications of these results are discussed.
The reduction of left ventricular hypertrophy after renal transplantation is not influenced by the immunosuppressive regimen.

Background Cardiovascular (CV) disease is the first cause of death after kidney transplantation. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is one of the main CV risk factors. It has been reported that the antiproliferative properties of everolimus (EVE) treatment may decrease left ventricular mass. The aim of this study was to evaluate the evolution of LVH in two groups of kidney transplant recipients receiving immunosuppressive treatment with low-dose calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) + EVE or CNI + mycophenolate mofetil (MMF).
The Strong Chebyshev Distribution and Orthogonal Laurent Polynomials

The strong Chebyshev distribution and the Chebyshev orthogonal Laurent polynomials are examined in detail. Explicit formulas are derived for the orthogonal Laurent polynomials, uniform convergence of the associated continued fraction is established, and the zeros of the Chebyshev L-polynomials are given. This provides another well-developed example of a sequence of orthogonal L-polynomials
Predictors and Characteristics of Erikson's Life Cycle Model Among Men: A 32-Year Longitudinal Study.

To assess Erikson's life cycle model, 86 men, initially selected for health, were prospectively studied at age 21, and reassessed 32 years later at age 53. Using the Vaillant and Milofsky (1980) modification of Erikson's model, 48 men (56%) achieved generativity, an advanced developmental stage, at follow-up. Results generally support Erikson's model and show that generativity was significantly associated with successful marriage, work achievements, close friendships, altruistic behaviors, and overall mental health. Successful young adult predictors of Erikson's model at midlife included a warm family environment, an absence of troubled parental discipline, a mentor relationship, and, most importantly, favorable peer group relationships. Significant predictors of Erikson's model were of moderate effect size and involve young adult social relationships rather than physical symptoms or parental social class standing.
Deletion of 14q24.1∼q24.3 in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a hidden chromosomal anomaly detected by array-based comparative genomic hybridization

Abstract A 4-year-old patient, who was newly diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), was referred to us for cytogenetic evaluation. He had a normal karyotype by G-banded chromosome analysis, and a deletion of the ETV6 (alias TEL ) gene was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis using DNA probes specific for t(12;21), which leads to ETV6/RUNX1 (alias TEL/AML1 ) gene fusion, but no translocation was found between the two genes. To find out if there were possibly additional subtle chromosomal changes undetectable by routine cytogenetics, high-density 385K oligo array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) assay was performed. Besides the confirmation of the 12p deletion, a deletion of a 12-megabase (Mb) chromosomal segment on 14q24.1∼q24.3 was also detected. Within the deleted 12-Mb region, there were a total of 155 genes and at least 28 of these were cancer-related genes. A similar approach by array CGH in patients with ALL, especially in those patients with 12p deletion, could help to determine the significance of this rare event.