Optimization of 2D CT Data Sets for Three-Dimensional

Computer-generated anatomic modeling using radiologic data is a well-known entity. Currently, state of the art 3D modeling systems lack the variable thresholding, user interactive, capabilities of 3D imaging software.1 We investigated clinical parameters - cr scan plane, 2D filter algorithm, surrounding medium - and tested a simple mathematical thresholding algorithm based upon experimentation with a cr phantom, to evaluate a semiautomated approach to 3D craniofacial imaging and model generation. (Figure 1)Mechanical Engineerin

Judicial Incentives and Indeterminacy in Substantive Review of Administrative Decisions

Uppsatsen tydliggör och beskriver innehållet i elva lokala överenskommelser (LÖK) mellan civilsamhället och offentlig sektor. Studien visar också hur relationen mellan parterna avspeglas i texterna. Uppsatsen visar också på hur olika idéer och synsätt i överenskommelserna kan få praktiska konsekvenser för civilsamhället

Judicial Incentives and Indeterminacy in Substantive Review of Administrative Decisions

In the Chevron and State Farm cases the Supreme Court announced what appeared to be controlling standards for substantive review of administrative decisions. Instead, the Chevron framework has broken down, and State Farm has been all but ignored by agencies and the courts, including the Supreme Court. This article accounts for this breakdown by analyzing the impact of judicial incentives on substantive review in administrative law

A Genetic Locus Regulates the Expression of Tissue-Specific mRNAs from Multiple Transcription Units

129 GIX- mice, unlike animals of the congeneic partner strain GIX+, do not express significant amounts of the retroviral antigens gp70 and p30. Evidence is presented indicating that the GIX phenotype is specified by a distinct regulatory gene acting on multiple transcription units to control the levels of accumulation of specific mRNA species. The steady-state levels of retroviral-homologous mRNA from the tissues of GIX+ and GIX- mice were examined by blot hybridization using as probes DNA fragments from cloned murine leukemia viruses. RNA potentially encoding viral antigens was reduced or absent in GIX- mice, even though no differences in integrated viral genomes were detected between these congeneic strains by DNA blotting. Tissue-specific patterns of accumulation of these RNA species were detected in brain, epididymis, liver, spleen, and thymus, and several distinct RNA species were found to be coordinately regulated with the GIX phenotype. Measurements of RNA synthesis suggest a major role for transcriptional control in the regulation of some retroviral messages

Report on R. V. Akademik Vernadsky cruise 39, stage IV, June 17 - July 17, 1989

Participation by U. S. personnel on Cruise 39, Leg IV (June 17 - July 17, 1989) of the Marine Hydrophysical Institute's research vessel Akademik Vernadsky provided valuable information, documented in the present report for planning future cooperative projects with Soviet oceanographers. Detailed descriptions are given of the ship, its scientific laboratories, computers and onboard instrumentation. Planning and operating procedures are described and examples are given of daily work plans, seminars, menus and social activities. Personal accounts by the U. S. participants are also included. Many of the shipboard activities were recorded on VHS video cassettes. The oceanographic data collected in the Gulf Stream survey region during Leg IV are documented in the report. Copies of data sets were provided to the U. S. participants in exchange for U. S. data from the region during the survey period.Funding was provided by Vetelsen, the Education Office of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and a Dr. Willam B. Richardson Summer Fellowship provided by Alden Products Company

Multimodal Integration and Vividness in the Angular Gyrus During Episodic Encoding and Retrieval.

Much evidence suggests that the angular gyrus (AnG) is involved in episodic memory, but its precise role has yet to be determined. We examined two possible accounts within the same experimental paradigm: the "cortical binding of relational activity" (CoBRA) account (Shimamura, 2011), which suggests that the AnG acts as a convergence zone that binds multimodal episodic features, and the subjectivity account (Yazar et al., 2012), which implicates AnG involvement in subjective mnemonic experience (such as vividness or confidence). fMRI was used during both encoding and retrieval of paired associates. During study, female and male human participants memorized picture-pairs of common objects (in the unimodal task) or of an object-picture and an environmental sound (in the crossmodal task). At test, they performed a cued-recall task and further indicated the vividness of their memory. During retrieval, BOLD activation in the AnG was greatest for vividly remembered associates, consistent with the subjectivity account. During encoding, the same effect of vividness was found, but this was further modulated by task: greater activations were associated with subsequent recall in the crossmodal than the unimodal task. Therefore, encoding data suggest an additional role to the AnG in crossmodal integration, consistent with its role at retrieval proposed by CoBRA. These results resolve some of the puzzles in the literature and indicate that the AnG can play different roles during encoding and retrieval as determined by the cognitive demands posed by different mnemonic tasks.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We offer new insights into the multiplicity of processes that are associated with angular gyrus (AnG) activation during encoding and retrieval of newly formed memories. We used fMRI while human participants learned and subsequently recalled pairs of objects presented to the same sensory modality or to different modalities. We were able to show that the AnG is involved when vivid memories are created and retrieved, as well as when encoded information is integrated across different sensory modalities. These findings provide novel evidence for the contribution of the AnG to our subjective experience of remembering alongside its role in integrative processes that promote subsequent memory

Virtual volatility

We introduce the concept of virtual volatility. This simple but new measure shows how to quantify the uncertainty in the forecast of the drift component of a random walk. The virtual volatility also is a useful tool in understanding the stochastic process for a given portfolio. In particular, and as an example, we were able to identify mean reversion effect in our portfolio. Finally, we briefly discuss the potential practical effect of the virtual volatility on an investor asset allocation strategy.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, elsart.cls, Accepted to Physica A. Added few comments that clarify data used for empirical wor

Long‐Term Health Spending Persistence among the Privately Insured in the US

There is little current information regarding the long‐term persistence of health spending in the United States, in particular among the population aged under 65 (pre‐Medicare eligibility). We describe and model the extent of persistence over a six‐year period (2003–08) using medical and pharmacy claims for over 3 million employees, retirees and dependants derived from the Truven Health MarketScan database. Overall, substantial persistence in spending exists, particularly at the extremes of the distribution and for pharmaceutical spending. Error components models are estimated to separate transient from persistent variation in spending, and dynamic probit models are estimated to assess the predictive power of demographic and co‐morbid conditions and prior high spending in determining the likelihood of future high spending. A better understanding of the persistence of health spending can inform the selection and evaluation of appropriate interventions to address high costs, and can help forecast the likelihood and severity of adverse selection in public and private programmes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134842/1/fisc12120_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134842/2/fisc12120.pd

Quantum Clock Synchronization Based on Shared Prior Entanglement

We demonstrate that two spatially separated parties (Alice and Bob) can utilize shared prior quantum entanglement, and classical communications, to establish a synchronized pair of atomic clocks. In contrast to classical synchronization schemes, the accuracy of our protocol is independent of Alice or Bob's knowledge of their relative locations or of the properties of the intervening medium.Comment: 4 page