cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Camera calibration and performance evaluation of depth from defocus (DFD)

Real-time and accurate autofocusing of stationary and moving objects is an important problem in modern digital cameras. Depth From Defocus (DFD) is a technique for autofocusing that needs only two or three images recorded with different camera parameters. In practice, there exist many factors that affect the performance of DFD algorithms, such as nonlinear sensor response, lens vignetting, and magnification variation. In this paper, we present calibration methods and algorithms for these three factors. Their correctness and effects on the performance of DFD have been investigated with experiments.
Evolution of readiness indicators

The United Nations (UN) established "e-Government Readiness Index" (eGRI) and "e-Participation Index" (ePI) as indicators to gauge capacity and willingness of Member States for evaluating their e-Government initiatives. UN claims eGRI to be a true global ranking programmatic tool. It measures relative indices of UN's Member States with respect to each other for the particular year as well as their own positions with respect to the past years, thereby portraying evolving patterns of Member States' e-Government performance. Over a period of time, feedback from ongoing process of e-Readiness evaluation and a number of resources accumulating UN's knowledge base about e-Government have helped to shift the focus of these surveys from measuring "investments made in deployment of information and communication technologies (ICT)" to "the degree of connectedness in terms of back office information integration for efficient ways of offering e-Governance." Assumptions made while designing issue-based UN Surveys pose a series of limitations in terms of interpreting the results.However, eGRI can be definitely used effectively by Member States for human development through technologies in respective parts of the world. UN's advocacy for building a skilled human capital for a future knowledge-based society is one of the valuable offerings made by these Surveys. Socio-economic uplifting of citizens through ICT and the principle of "inclusion for all" offer a strong guiding framework for Member States to craft related policies, design large scale ICT-led projects and deployment of ICT in the future. Since all the imperatives, rankings, views and suggestions expressed by UN through these Surveys are highly "context" dependent, failure to understand this core principle could take governments off the fundamental path of "inclusion for all." Devising a risk-to-reward index, trust index and citizen satisfaction index are some of the possible ways to better inform e-Readiness Index in the future.
The Venus spectrum - New evidence for ice

Abstract Kuiper has announced that the Venus cloud reflection spectrum shows no depression whatever at 1.93 microns, where carbon dioxide absorption is small, and has concluded that the broad absorption feature centered at 2.05 microns in an ice-cloud reflection spectrum is therefore not compatible with Venus. A critical review of his procedure shows that his use of a lunar reference spectrum to establish the continuum in this region has introduced a serious error. The actual Venus reflectivity is depressed almost 14% at 1.93 microns and even further at 2.13 microns, consistent with a 30% depression at 2.05 microns. Ice clouds are entirely compatible with such a dip, and also match the rest of the Venus infrared spectrum better than any other material tested. Kuiper's spectra are not in conflict with prior measurements of water vapor on Venus, which is on the order of 0.01 precipitable em, but may very somewhat with time.
Mechanism of action of pentazocine on gastrointestinal motor function.

Abstract Pentazocine administered in doses of 0.5–3 mg/kg to anesthetized and unanesthetized dogs is unassociated with a change in the rate of slow-wave potentials in the pyloric antrum from the normal 4–5 waves per minute. A decrease in slow-wave propagation velocity in the proximal pyloric antrum was noted after pentazocine, leaving unchanged the propagation velocity in the distal 2 cm of the pyloric antrum. The pyloric sphincter is apparently unaffected by pentazocine in the doses utilized in these experiments. In addition, pentazocine is associated with a transient increase in action potentials (spiking) and an increase in amplitude of duodenal motility leaving unaffected the normal duodenal slow-wave rate of about 17–19/min. Immediately thereafter, spiking and duodenal motility are abrogated and the duodenal tone is markedly diminished. Respiratory rate is diminished and the pattern shows irregularities after pentazocine. It is postulated that the interposition of a normal distal pyloric segment between the proximal pyloric antrum above and the immobile and hypotonic duodenum below permits pressure gradients to develop which impede the normal rate of gastric emptying.
Vascular effects of a heme oxygenase inhibitor are enhanced in the absence of nitric oxide.

Abstract Background Vascular endothelium and smooth muscle express heme oxygenase (HO) that metabolizes heme to biliverdin, iron and carbon monoxide (CO). Carbon monoxide promotes endothelium-independent vasodilation, but also inhibits nitric oxide formation. This study examines the hypothesis that an inhibitor of HO promotes endothelium-independent vasoconstriction, which is attenuated in the presence of unabated nitric oxide formation. Methods In vivo studies were conducted in anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats instrumented with flow probes and arterial catheters. In vitro experiments were performed on pressurized first-order gracilis muscle arterioles isolated from male SD rats superfused with oxygenated modified Krebs buffer. Results Vascular smooth muscle and endothelium showed positive HO-1 and HO-2 immunostaining. In anesthetized rats the HO inhibitor chromium mesoporphyrin (CrMP; 45 μmol/kg intraperitoneally) had minimal effect on hindlimb resistance. However, in animals pretreated with N ω -nitro- l -arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 300 mg/kg intraperitoneally), CrMP substantially increased hindlimb resistance. In contrast, in rats infused with phenylephrine to increase blood pressure and vascular tone, CrMP had no effect on hindlimb resistance. In isolated arterioles denuded of endothelium, CrMP (15 μmol/L) caused a powerful vasoconstriction, which was abolished in the presence of a functional endothelium. In arterioles with intact endothelium pretreated with L-NAME (1 mmol/L), or with L-NAME and sodium nitroprusside (10 to 30 nmol/L), CrMP promoted a similarly powerful vasoconstriction as in vessels denuded of endothelium. Conclusions These results suggest that smooth muscle-derived CO may contribute to endothelium-independent regulation of vascular tone by providing a vasodilatory influence. Furthermore, the dilatory effects of endogenous CO are offset by a unique interaction between the CO and nitric oxide systems.
Clinical and Echocardiographic Correlates of Symptomatic Tachydysrhythmias After Noncardiac Thoracic Surgery

Background Supraventricular tachydysrhythmias (SVTs) following thoracic surgery occur with significant frequency and may be associated with increased morbidity. Prospective data on the etiology and importance of these dysrhythmias are sparse. Methods In 100 patients undergoing pulmonary resection without history of atrial dysrhythmias or previous thoracic surgery, we examined the effects of predefined risk factors by history, pulmonary function, and echocardiography on the incidence of postoperative SVT. Serial echocardiograms were performed preoperatively, on postoperative day 1, and again between postoperative days 2 to 6 (median=3) to evaluate cardiovascular function and to estimate right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) by the tricuspid regurgitation jet (TRJ) Doppler velocity method. Results Symptomatic postoperative SVT occurred in 18 (18%) of the 100 patients studied at a median of 3 days after surgery and was disabling in 12 of 18 (67%). Digoxin loading was ineffective in controlling the ventricular response in 16 of 17 episodes. In the patients developing SVT, postoperative echocardiography revealed significant elevation of TRJ Doppler velocity (2.7±0.6 m/s vs 2.3±0.6 m/s, p Conclusions These prospective data suggest that increased right heart pressure but not fluid overload or right heart enlargement predisposes to clinically significant SVT after pulmonary resection. SVT may be an important marker of poor cardiopulmonary reserve in patients who develop significant morbidity after thoracic surgery. Early interventions to reduce right heart pressure may decrease the incidence of postoperative SVT and potentially improve overall surgical outcomes. (CHEST 1995; 108:349-54)
Should B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Be Measured Routinely to Guide the Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Heart Failure?

Perhaps more than in any other cardiovascular disorder, the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure rely heavily on the scholarship, skills, and judgment of the practicing physician. Proper management of this syndrome requires clinicians to integrate elements of the history, physical examination, and laboratory evaluations together with knowledge of multiple pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments in an attempt to produce unpredictable degrees of improvement in patients who have a disabling and inexorably progressive disease. There is no diagnostic test for heart failure, and most therapies for the disorder need to be individually titrated, often with the intent of reproducing the treatment strategies used in clinical trials without any means of demonstrating a prognostic benefit in individual patients. Because of these challenges, the diagnosis of heart failure is frequently missed, and useful treatments for heart failure are commonly underutilized. The situation is complicated by the fact that the vast majority of patients with heart failure are managed by primary care physicians and not by cardiologists. See p 2964 Given all of these difficulties, it is easy to understand why clinicians would be excited about a potential solution to the challenges posed by the syndrome of heart failure. What if one could perform a simple, inexpensive blood test that could be used not only to make the diagnosis, but also to guide the need for and effectiveness of treatment? In theory, such a test would provide clinicians with an intermediate end point similar to the measurement of blood pressure or blood lipids. The treatment of both hypertension and hyperlipidemia has been greatly facilitated by the universal availability of simple tests that allow physicians to not only make the diagnosis of these disorders but to monitor the success of each step in treatment—strengthened by the knowledge that the normalization of blood pressures and/or blood …
The armadillo infundibulum: correlative histochemistry, scanning and transmission electron microscopy of the ventricular surface.

Abstract The ependymal and supraependymal cells of the armadillo infundibulum (INF) were investigated by correlative histochemistry, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Eighteen armadillos (8 adult females, 6 adult males, 2 immature females and 2 immature males) were examined. The following supraependymal elements were observed: (a) individual pleiomorphic cells made up of neurons, macrophages, and astrocytic-glial cells; (b) numerous spherical blebs of various sizes occurring singly or in clusters; (c) axons, traversing the surface alone or in association with macrophages and other SEC; (d) multicellular clusters containing SEC, macrophages, axons and other cell types. There were neurosecretory axons or blebs on and below the ependymal cell layer and a unique arrangement of multipolar cells and their processes, traversing the INF floor for several millimeters. The presence of neurosecretory axons at the INF ventricular surface, spherical blebs and SEC in contact with one another via long filaments or vast networks of smaller axons on the surface and numerous macrophages in close apposition to possible metabolic and transport sites give evidence of organized activity in a regulatory system.
Atlantic Cod Pepsin Characterization and Use as a Rennet Substitute

Abstract Pepsin (E.C. 3.4.4.1) was isolated from the stomach lining of Atlantic cod (A.C. Gadus Morhua ). A.C. Pepsin was assayed with hemoglobin as substrate and had a temperature dependent pH optimum (2.5-3.0) and Km’(0.25-0.65mM). A.C. pepsin exhibited low temperature adaption, as judged by a temperature coefficient of 1.4, an Arrhenius activation energy of 7.3 kcal/mole with hemoglobin as substrate and thermal instability under both acidic and alkaline conditions. The milk clotting activity of A.C. pepsin was also investigated. A.C. Pepsin exhibited a relatively low ratio of milk clotting to peptic activity, did not clot milk efficiently above pH 6.4, showed a greater decrease in clotting activity on dilution than did calf chymosin. However, A.C. pepsin clotted milk at 15°C more efficiently than calf chymosin. Laboratory scale batches of Cheddar cheese were prepared using A.C. pepsin, porcine pepsin or calf rennet as milk clotting enzymes. All cheeses were judged to be acceptable by a sensory panel and the intensity of Cheddar flavor was calf rennet > A.C. pepsin > porcine pepsin. A.C. pepsin resulted in greater loss of N and fat to the whey than did the other clotting enzymes and this appears to be related to rapid degradation of curd proteins prior to cheddaring. It is suggested that the A.C. pepsin would be advantageous for cold renneting of milk because of its relatively low temperature coefficient.
Development of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering Guidance for the Barge Impact Design of Navigation Structures

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) guidance, Engineering Technical Letter 1110-2-563, was developed for the design of navigation structures subject to barge impact loading. The new guidance was developed with the use of the results from full-scale experiments conducted under the Innovations for Navigation Projects Research and Development Program. An empirical impact force model was derived from the experimental data, and probabilistic procedures were developed to assist with the design and analysis of navigation structures for impact loads from transiting vessels. Uncertainties in loadings due to a wide range of events from both natural and human sources are crucial in the design of these critical structures. These uncertainties are defined in terms of the distributions for impact angles, velocities, and tow masses, as well as the need to account for loss of power and control events. The methods developed in the guidance for the design and analysis of these structures are focused on defining the return periods for the usual, unusual, and extreme loads for the navigation structures. An example of the probabilistic procedures developed in the guidance is highlighted for the design of an upper guide wall at a navigation project.
Drosophila in the Study of Neurodegenerative Disease

As populations benefit from increasing lifespans, neurodegenerative diseases have emerged as a critical health concern. How can the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, contribute to curing human diseases of the nervous system? A growing number of neurodegenerative diseases, as well as other human diseases, are being modeled in Drosophila and used as a platform to identify and validate cellular pathways that contribute to neurodegeneration and to identify promising therapeutic targets by using a variety of approaches from screens to target validation. The unique properties and tools available in the Drosophila system, coupled with the fact that testing in vivo has proven highly productive, have accelerated the progress of testing therapeutic strategies in mice and, ultimately, humans. This review highlights selected recent applications to illustrate the use of Drosophila in studying neurodegenerative diseases.
Blunt pelvic trauma.

Blunt pelvic trauma results in significant morbidity and mortality from associated genitourinary, neurological, vascular, and visceral damage. Diagnosis begins in the ED with the initial trauma evaluation. Proper treatment using a multidisciplinary approach and cooperation between orthopedist, urologist, trauma surgeon, and emergency physician should minimize complications.
Spatiotemporal control of ultrashort optical pulses by refractive-diffractive-dispersive structured optical elements.

Structured optical elements that control the spatial and temporal characteristics of femtosecond light pulses are analyzed and synthesized. We show that unique spatiotemporal effects can be attained based on the diffraction, refraction, and dispersive effects that appear in the femtosecond regime. We argue that the design requirements for ultrafast optics are beyond the achromatization considerations that are usually applied to incoherent illumination because of the need to consider coherent effects. Despite fundamental limitations in the space–time control of ultrashort pulses, we show the potential of this technique to improve simultaneously the spatial and the temporal resolution of a lens and to generate ultrafast pulse sequences.
Top-down facilitation of multistage decisions for face recognition

Visual processing in humans is, without a doubt, far superior that that in machines, especially when the end goal is object or face recognition. Neural results from visual object and face recognition in humans provide an excellent model for developing better techniques in machine vision. In this study, we present a particular neural result pertaining to the use of low spatial frequency (LSF) imagery to facilitate recognition of high spatial frequency (HSF) representations of faces and objects and apply it first as a general technique for the classification problem and second as a high-performance recognition method to deal with face recognition on blurry imagery. We demonstrate significant improvement over baseline results using a directly comparable published algorithm. We also discuss the problem and our technique for solving it terms of a mutually beneficial collaboration between the fields of computer vision and neuroscience.
Design considerations for nanoshell-based sensors

We study the effect of variability on the robustness of nanoshell based sensors. On the one hand, nanoshells with higher aspect ratios have better quality factors, but their resonance wavelength is more prone to variability than that of nanoshells with lower aspect ratios. Our study takes into account the effect of aspect ratio on both the resonance wavelength and the quality factor and explore design methods for robust nanoshell-based sensors with as high a quality factor as possible.
Screening for Reversible Osteoporosis: Is Cortisol a Culprit?

In this issue, Chiodini and colleagues show that the prevalence of hypercortisolism is 3.3% in patients with suspected osteoporosis but no known signs or symptoms of cortisol excess. This finding s...
The difficulties of building generic reliability models for software

The Software Engineering research community have spent considerable effort in developing models to predict the behaviour of software. A number of these models have been derived based on the pre and post behaviour of the development of software products, but when these models are applied to other products, the results are often disappointing. This appears to differentiate Software from other engineering disciplines that often depend on generic predictive models to verify the correctness of their products. This short paper discusses why other engineering disciplines have managed to create generalized models, the challenges faced by the Software industry to build these models, and the change we have made to our process in Microsoft to address some of these challenges.
Quicker Than the Eye? Sleight of Hand and Cinemas of Scientific Discovery from Chronophotography to Cognitive Film Theory

ABSTRACT This article explores the topic of scientific discovery in two cases of intersections between imaging technologies and sleight-of-hand magic in the domain of nontheatrical film and media. The first case is the French psychologist Alfred Binet’s use of chronophotography to study magicians in the 1890s. The second is the reanimation of Binet’s study by cognitive (neuro)scientists beginning in the early 2000s using eye-tracking cameras and other digital-imaging devices. The author focuses on how both cases treat the magician as a medium of discovery and how both use optical devices to “see” visual processes related to the experience of wonder.
On the topology of manifolds with completely integrable geodesic flows

We show that if M is a compact simply connected Riemannian manifold whose geodesic flow is completely integrable with periodic integrals, then M is rationally elliptic, i.e. the rational homotopy of M is finite dimensional. We also show that rational ellipticity is shared by simply connected compact manifolds whose cotangent bundle admits a multiplicity free compact action that leaves invariant the Hamiltonian associated with some Riemannian metric. In particular it follows that if M is a Riemannian manifold whose geodesic flow is completely integrable by the Thimm method, then M is rationally elliptic. Other questions concerning the global behaviour of geodesics on homogeneous spaces are discussed.
Phase 2 Trial of Weekly Intravenous 1,25 Dihydroxy Cholecalciferol (Calcitriol) in Combination With Dexamethasone for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

BACKGROUND: Preclinical data indicate that there is substantial antitumor activity and synergy between calcitriol and dexamethasone. On the basis of these data, the authors conducted a phase 2 trial of intravenous (iv) calcitriol at a dose of 74 μg weekly (based on a recent phase 1 trial) and dexamethasone in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). METHODS: A 2-stage Kepner-Chang design was used. Oral dexamethasone at a dose of 4 mg was given weekly on Days 1 and 2, and iv calcitriol (74 μg over 1 hour) was administered weekly on Day 2 from 4 to 8 hours after the dexamethasone dose in patients with CRPC. Laboratory data were monitored weekly, and renal sonograms, computed tomography scans, and bone scans were obtained every 3 months. Disease response was assessed by using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) and standard criteria for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response. The calcitriol dose was delineated by from the authors' recent phase 1 trial. RESULTS: Of 18 evaluable patients, 15 patients were Caucasian (83%). No patients had a complete or partial response by either RECIST or PSA response criteria. Fourteen patients had progressive disease, 2 patients refused to continue treatment (after 64 days and 266 days), and 2 patients remain on the trial (for 306 days and 412 days).The median time to disease progression was 106 days (95% confidence interval, 80-182 days). Fourteen episodes of grade 3 or 4 toxicity were noted in 7 patients (hyperglycemia, hypocalemia, chest pain, dyspnea, hypercalcemia, hypophosphatemia, cardiac arrhythmia, and pain). Only 1 episode of grade 3/ 4 toxicity was related definitely to calcitriol (hypercalcemia). No treatment-related deaths were noted. CONCLUSIONS: High-dose, iv calcitriol at a dose of 74 μg weekly in combination with dexamethasone was well tolerated but failed to produce a clinical or PSA response in men with CRPC. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
A cellulose-like conformation accessible to the xanthan backbone and implications for xanthan synergism

Abstract Molecular modelling has been used to show that branching at the 3-position of every second glucose unit in the backbone of the xanthan molecule does not preclude the backbone from adopting a two-fold cellulose-like conformation. A stereochemically acceptable model of this type is defined with a pitch of 10·51 A (slightly longer than that of cellulose). This is a model structure for the conformation of xanthan in cooperative interactions with galactomannans, that has been proposed as the molecular basis for the synergistic (gelling) properties of these two polysaccharides in solution.
Relationship between the number of stops and headway for a fixed-route transit system

Abstract This study investigates relationships between two basic parameters of the fixed-route transit system operation: number of stops (stations) and headway. These two parameters are important determinants of the level of service and the cost of operation. Assuming a single route transit system, a model was developed to determine the optimum combination of the number of stops and headway which can be operated by a given fleet size. It was found that, for each given fleet size, there exists for each of the two parameters a unique value which minimizes the average user travel time. The sensitivities of the values to the changes in fleet size and passenger volume are also conducted using examples.
Proteus and the Digital: Scalar Transformations of Seawater’s Materiality in Ocean Animations:

This article analyzes the discursive and conceptual equation of the ocean and the database. Considering how the chemical and vital properties of seawater serve to transform what is ‘stored’, the language of flow and fluidity is inadequate to describe what seawater actually does to things – it encrusts them, rusts them, adheres burgeoning life-forms to them. Seawater asks us to rethink terrestrial notions of the archive or database as informed by the language of earth and sediment, and instead consider the ocean-as-database in terms of seawater’s capacity for protean transformation. Although the protean properties of seawater are meaningful at a macro scale, on increasingly microscopic scales, multiple processes of abstraction make seawater commensurate with digitality. The author considers the stakes of focusing on different scales of seawater and its materiality, taking as her examples two different data visualizations/animations: Google Ocean (scaling the ocean down to the size of a computer screen) and...
Multiple forms of porcine pancreatic α-amylase

Abstract Porcine pancreatic α-amylase can be fractionated into two components by DEAE-cellulose chromatography and by disc electrophoresis. The basis for fractionation is tentatively ascribed to a charge difference. The two components displayed the same specific activity and their thermal and pH stability, as well as the variation of V max and K m with pH, were identical within experimental error. It is concluded that the multiple forms of the amylase are physically distinct, but structurally related, with a common active site.
The Weyr Characteristic

(1999). The Weyr Characteristic. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 106, No. 10, pp. 919-929.
The Dea(r)th of Student Responsibility.

More than eleven hundred university students were surveyed to determine attitudes toward learning and accountability. Apathy, absenteeism, and grade inflation emerged as contributing to the lack of student accountability. This article suggests institutional changes to reanimate college classrooms: explicit expectations; smaller, engaged classes; absenteeism consequences; grading consistency; elimination of the extra credit model; and reorganizing responsibility for retention and enrollment.
Marketing mix strategies for closing the gap between green consumers' pro-environmental beliefs and behaviors

A substantial gap – or disconnect – exists between the stated pro-environmental beliefs and actual consumption behaviors of purportedly green consumers. Given this complicating factor, the construction and execution of successful green marketing strategies generally require more than broad-brush development and applications of short-term marketing plans. This study was initiated to evaluate the influence of managed green marketing mix elements on the dimensions of consumer-based brand equity in a green marketing context, in an effort to develop insights that will allow green marketers to close this gap. The potential moderating influence of consumers' environmental concerns and their consideration of the future consequences of current behaviors are also investigated. A model is developed and tested using a snowballing sample of consumer and five global brands selected from Interbrand. Seven discrete green marketing implications – each related either to the strategic management of green products, promotion...
Utilization of sorbed compounds by microorganisms specifically isolated for that purpose

A bacterium obtained by enrichment on nonsorbed phenanthrene was unable to degrade phenanthrene sorbed to polyacrylic beads and had little activity on phenanthrene sorbed to lake-bottom sediment. A bacterium obtained by enrichment on phenanthrene sorbed to polyacrylic beads readily mineralized the compound sorbed to the beads or the sediment. Degradation by the second bacterium of phenanthrene sorbed to beads 38–63 μm or 63–150 μm in diameter was more rapid than the rate of desorption of the hydrocarbon in the absence of the bacterium. Little degradation of sorbed, nonleachable phenanthrene in soil was effected by another isolate obtained by enrichment with the nonsorbed hydrocarbon, but a mixed culture and the bacterium obtained by enrichment on the sorbed compound extensively degraded phenanthrene. Because microorganisms specifically obtained for their capacity to degrade sorbed phenanthrene are more active than species not specialized for use of the bound compound, we suggest that microorganisms enriched on nonsorbed compounds may not be appropriate for evaluation of biodegradation and bioremediation of sorbed compounds.
Bound reduction using pairs of linear inequalities

We describe a procedure to reduce variable bounds in mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) as well as mixed integer linear programming (MILP) problems. The procedure works by combining pairs of inequalities of a linear programming (LP) relaxation of the problem. This bound reduction procedure extends the feasibility based bound reduction technique on linear functions, used in MINLP and MILP. However, it can also be seen as a special case of optimality based bound reduction, a method to infer variable bounds from an LP relaxation of the problem. For an LP relaxation with m constraints and n variables, there are O(m 2) pairs of constraints, and a naive implementation of our bound reduction scheme has complexity O(n 3) for each pair. Therefore, its overall complexity O(m 2 n 3) can be prohibitive for relatively large problems. We have developed a more efficient procedure that has complexity O(m 2 n 2), and embedded it in two Open-Source solvers: one for MINLP and one for MILP. We provide computational results which substantiate the usefulness of this bound reduction technique for several instances.
Accuracy of EEG dipole source localization using implanted sources in the human brain.

Abstract Objectives : The location of electrical sources in the brain can be estimated by calculating inverse solutions in which the location, amplitude and orientation of the electrical sources are fitted to the scalp EEG. To assess localization accuracy of the moving dipole inverse solution algorithm (ISA), we studied two patients who had depth electrodes implanted for presurgical planning of epilepsy surgery. Methods : Artificial dipoles were created by connecting a single sine wave pulse generator to different pairs of electrodes in multiple orientations and depths. Surface EEG recordings of the resulting pulses were evaluated with the ISA using a 4-shell spherical head model and plotted on the subjects' MRI. Dipole localization errors were evaluated with respect to the number of averaged pulses, different electrode montages and different dipole locations and orientations. Results : Dipoles located at 40–57 mm from the scalp surface had localization errors that were greater than those located at 62–85 mm. Localization accuracy improved with increasing numbers of pulses and recording electrodes. Results with a standard 10–20 array of 21 electrodes showed an average localization error of 17 mm, whereas 41 electrodes improved this to 13 mm. Mean angular errors were 31 and 30 degrees, respectively. Conclusions : The ISA was able to differentiate between tangential and radial dipoles. We conclude that our implementation of the ISA is a useful and sound method for localizing electrical activity in the brain.
INTERSTATE INCOME INEQUALITY IN THE UNITED STATES: MEASUREMENT, MODELLING AND SOME CHARACTERISTICS

Five points are made in this study. First, using a well-recommended measure, interstate income inequality is reported for each year from 1950 through 1989, and its very small magnitude is pointed out along with the U-shaped profile. Second, it is shown that a simple quadratic-form model fits the data extremely well. Third, inequality indices for 1977 and 1988 are recomputed after adjusting for interstate price-level variations, and large reductions in the indices, and a virtual disappearance of the increase in inequality after 1978, are noted. Fourth, a simple decomposition shows that income changes account for most of the inequality change in each decade. Last, states that have contributed most to inequality are identified.
Robot multiple contact control

This paper addresses the problem of contact force control for multiple contacts distributed over multiple links in a robot. This is of importance when performing complex tasks in unstructured environment, particularly in humanoid robot applications. The proposed multicontact control framework provides a new way of defining the operational space coordinates, which facilitates the specification of multiple contact control. The contact force space on multiple links is constructed as an operational space for the highest priority task. Motion control, given lower priority, can be executed using the rest of degree of freedom within the null-space of the force control. The dynamic control structure, then, provides a means to control each contact force and motion independently. This dynamic decoupling enables each contact force controller to utilize linear control theories. In particular, the contact force controllers adopt full state feedback control and estimation methods to produce robust performance with respect to modeling and parameter uncertainties. The effectiveness of the multiple contact control framework was demonstrated using a PUMA560 manipulator, with multiple contacts on the end-effector and third link. The demonstrated tasks involved controlling each of the contact forces with null-space motion.
Correlation of changes in the outer‐zone relativistic‐electron population with upstream solar wind and magnetic field measurements

A study has been made of the correlation of the population of relativistic electrons in the outer-zone magnetosphere with the properties of the solar wind (speed, density, magnetic field) during a solar minimum period. The study is based upon observations made in the Spring of 1995 with sensors aboard 1994-026 and WIND. It is found that a large relativistic electron enhancement depends upon a substantial solar-wind speed increase associated with precursor solar-wind density enhancement, and, in particular, upon a southward turning of the interplanetary magnetic field.
Nucleation and Spherulitic Growth Rates in Thin Films With Embedded Thermocouples

Fine bare wire thermocouples (12.5 and 25 μm) embedded in polymer films have been used to generate cooling curves in a series of studies, reported earlier, involving crystallization at cooling rates as high as 2000°/min and comparable to those used in film manufacture in industry. The rapid cooling method has resulted in the extension of basic studies of crystallization to supercoolings previously inaccessible using existing methods. The results have been very enlightening and have verified existing theories, but have also generated unique information and heretofore unobserved significant changes in behavior of several polymers. The most startling result is the conclusion that the growth face of a crystal is at a higher temperature than any temperature that can be measured, thus raising serious questions regarding the interpretation of experimental data. The current study investigates the effects of embedding thermocouples in thin films of linear polyethylene on the nucleation and growth rates of spheruli...
Status and future opportunities for conversion of synthesis gas to liquid fuels

This review provides an account and an evaluative assessment of technological advances in the manufacture of liquid fuels from synthesis gas (hydrogen and carbon oxides), and suggests opportunities for future research deemed promising for the installation of practical processes. Manufacture of syngas from coal, gas or biomass is not part of this review. Significant progress has been achieved for synthesis of oxygenate and hydrocarbon fuels on all technological levels: scientific research, engineering development and pioneering plant installations. For oxygenate fuels, improved synthesis technology has been provided by novel catalysts, innovative engineering for plant simplification, and methodology for coproduction of chemicals and of electricity. For hydrocarbon fuels, improvements have been achieved by utilizing fixed fluid bed synthesis, by a novel combination of middle distillate synthesis plus hydrocracking and by promising slurry phase operation. The review summarizes new understanding of the chemistry of syngas catalysis. Economic considerations are discussed, with new emphasis on fuel performance values. The main barrier to commercial production of synfuels is their cost relative to gasoline from petroleum. There are opportunities to improve synfuel economics by technology which has the potential: 1. (a) to lower manufacturing cost by 10–30%; 2. (b) to synthesize products which justify 25% higher prices (fuels of premium engine performance or chemical-electricity coproducts); and 3. (c) to produce fuels with valuable environmental benefits. Liquid fuels from biomass may offer a special economic incentive if a future CO2 tax is imposed. Specific opportunities for future research, to develop new and improved technology for oxygenate and for hydrocarbon fuels, are suggested in terms of technical objectives and potential benefits. Promising research concepts are indicated, based on research advances discussed herein.
Nonlinear impedance of mineral‐electrolyte interfaces: Part II. Galena, Chalcopyrite, and Graphite

The impedance of the interface between an acidic electrolyte and monomineralic, polished electrodes of galena, graphite, and chalcopyrite has been investigated at current densities in the nonlinear range (up to 5mA/cm2). The potential across a single interface relative to a reference electrode was measured in response to a current sinusoid of low frequency, 0.002 Hz. Polarization curves, or linear plots of current density versus electrode potential, consisted of distorted Lissajous patterns. Onset of a new electrochemical reaction resulted in a decrease in impedance of the interface, and hence increase in slope of the polarization curve. For some reactions, the electrical characteristics were diagnostic of bulk mineral composition. Diagnostic reactions include (1) mineral dissolution and gas evolution reactions at extreme anodic and cathodic potentials, (2) reactions at intermediate potentials which involve reaction products from previous reactions. Response is thus dependent on previous reactions and the...
Chemisch erzeugte angeregte Zustände

Bei vielen chemischen Reaktionen entstehen organische Molekule in elektronisch angeregten Zustanden. Solche chemisch erzeugten angeregten Zustande stimmen (mit einer Ausnahme) mit den angeregten Zustanden uberein, die durch Lichtabsorption entstehen, und sie unterliegen den molekularen Umwandlungen, die man von solchen Zustanden erwartet („Photochemie ohne Licht”). Die angeregten Molekule konnen auch in Energieubertragungs-Experimenten verwendet werden. Dieser Fortschrittsbericht befast sich mit der chemischen Erzeugung angeregter Zustande, ihren chemischen Reaktionen sowie mit der Rolle, die chemisch erzeugte angeregte Zustande moglicherweise in der Biologie spielen.
Administrative training and modernisation in Zaire

This paper analyses the rise and fall of the Ecole Nationale d’ Administration (ENDA) of Kinshasa from 1961 to 1971 in the context of the modernisation forces of a new country. Alongside the historical peculiarities of the setting, the ENDA experience illustrates strikingly many of the themes surrounding similar institutions in other developing countries [Schaffer, 1974]. These themes include the institution's search for an appropriate role and for security, its struggle for status and survival, its conflict with the university establishment, the competitive bids for influence of technical assistance agencies, and the need to adapt to a rapidly changing environment.
PFAT5 and the Evolution of Lipid Admixture Stability

PFAT5 is defined by United States Pharmacopeia Chapter 729 as follows: the "percentage of fat residing in globules larger than 5 µm (PFAT5) for a given lipid injectable emulsion [is] not to exceed 0.05%." The unstable aggregates are trapped in lungs, liver, and the reticuloendothelial system. Large particles will accumulate in pulmonary capillaries, which are between 4 and 9 µm in diameter. Over the years, there has been an evolution of methods to characterize and define intravenous fat emulsion (IVFE) stability when combined as a total nutrient admixture (TNA). Many studies have claimed IVFE stability measuring mean particle size, zeta potential, and visual checks. Interestingly, none of the studies that claimed the TNA as stable identified an unstable one through testing. This report reviews those parameters and shows they were not a valid measure of lipid stability. The PFAT5 parameter has emerged as the only validated measure of lipid stability. There are clinical consequences of using lipids that exceed the PFAT5 limit. This parameter is applicable to both manufactured and compounded lipid preparations. The clinician should be aware of the limitations of much of the literature concerning the lipid stability assessment. More stability studies are needed using PFAT5 to identify the actual limits of TNA compounding.
Compact reduced-order modeling of weakly nonlinear analog and RF circuits

A compact nonlinear model order-reduction method (NORM) is presented that is applicable for time-invariant and periodically time-varying weakly nonlinear systems. NORM is suitable for model order reduction of a class of weakly nonlinear systems that can be well characterized by low-order Volterra functional series. The automatically extracted macromodels capture not only the first-order (linear) system properties, but also the important second-order effects of interest that cannot be neglected for a broad range of applications. Unlike the existing projection-based reduction methods for weakly nonlinear systems, NORM begins with the general matrix-form Volterra nonlinear transfer functions to derive a set of minimum Krylov subspaces for order reduction. Moment matching of the nonlinear transfer functions by projection of the original system onto this set of minimum Krylov subspaces leads to a significant reduction of model size. As we will demonstrate as part of comparison with existing methods, the efficacy of model reduction for weakly nonlinear systems is determined by the achievable model compactness. Our results further indicate that a multipoint version of NORM can substantially improve the model compactness for nonlinear system reduction. Furthermore, we show that the structure of the nonlinear system can be exploited to simplify the reduced model in practice, which is particularly effective for circuits with sharp frequency selectivity. We demonstrate the practical utility of NORM and its extension for macromodeling weakly nonlinear RF communication circuits with periodically time-varying behavior.
Mechanisms of 1D crystal growth in reactive vapor transport: indium nitride nanowires.

Indium nitride (InN) nanowire synthesis using indium (In) vapor transport in a dissociated ammonia environment (reactive vapor transport) is studied in detail to understand the nucleation and growth mechanisms involved with the so-called “self-catalysis” schemes. The results show that the nucleation of InN crystal occurs first on the substrate. Later, In droplets are formed on top of the InN crystals because of selective wetting of In onto InN crystals. Further growth via liquid-phase epitaxy through In droplets leads the growth in one dimension (1D), resulting in the formation of InN nanowires. The details about the nucleation and growth aspects within these self-catalysis schemes are rationalized further by demonstrating the growth of heteroepitaxially oriented nanowire arrays on single-crystal substrates and “tree-like” morphologies on a variety of substrates. However, the direct nitridation of In droplets using dissociated ammonia results in the spontaneous nucleation and basal growth of nanowires dir...
Duration of Effect of Thyroxine and Thiouracil in Young Chickens

ABSTRACT IT IS a well-known fact that the basic function of thyroid hormone in vertebrates is to regulate the rate of energy exchange (oxidative metabolism). It is also widely known that thiourylenes such as thiouracil inhibit in vivo synthesis of thyroid hormone, thus causing a state of hypothyroidism. In spite of these well-established relationships, there have been several disagreements apparent in various reports concerning the metabolic effects of thyroprotein and thiouracil in the fowl. Sulman and Perek (1947) stated that thiouracil feeding lowered the basal metabolic rate (MR) in White Leghorn hens, but their data do not seem to justify this conclusion. Romijn (1950) reported that 6-methyl-2-thiouracil depressed resting metabolism in 10-week-old and 3-month-old chickens, but not in birds which were five months old. Singh and Shaffner (1950) concluded that oxygen consumption in young, fasting chickens was lowered after thiouracil feeding and raised by thyroprotein in the diet, and similar results . . .
Immunology of delayed food allergy

Studies here and abroad are stockpiling evidence that immunoglobulin E explains only a small part of food allergy. Involvement of the entire immune system is evident if the more prevalent delayed-type food allergy is to be explained. To adequately diagnose food hypersensitivity a testing technique must be used that identifies delayed food allergy, such as the patch test here described, along with a test that diagnoses immediate immunoglobulin E-mediated food allergy.
First trimester diagnosis and early in utero treatment of obstructive uropathy

The earliest diagnosis and treatment of obstructed fetal bladder is reported. Placement of vesico-amniotic shunt at 14.5 weeks of gestation enabled preservation of bilateral renal function and maintenance of normal amniotic fluid volume with normal pulmonary development. The shunt functioned adequately for more than 12 weeks. At birth, a mild 'prune' belly was the only deformity noted.
Targeted proteomics: a bridge between discovery and validation

New technologies in mass spectrometry are beginning to mature and show unique advantages for the identification and quantitation of proteins. In recent years, one of the significant goals of clinical proteomics has been to identify biomarkers that can be used for clinical diagnosis. As technology has progressed, the list of potential biomarkers has grown. However, the verification and validation of these potential biomarkers is increasingly challenging and require high-throughput quantitative assays, targeting specific candidates. Targeted proteomics bridges the gap between biomarker discovery and the development of clinically applicable biomarker assays.