cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A pilot study on the effects of prednisone withdrawal on serum hepatitis B virus DNA and HBeAg in chronic active hepatitis B

We investigated the efficacy of a short course of prednisone therapy in 20 patients with histologic evidence of chronic active hepatitis B. Sixteen of 20 prednisone-treated patients who were initially serum hepatitis B virus DNA-positive had a transient elevation of their serum ALT activity on withdrawal of prednisone. Subsequently, 14 of these 16 patients (87.5%) became persistently negative for serum hepatitis B virus DNA, and 10 also lost their HBeAg. In addition, there was a significant fall in serum ALT levels and HBsAg titers up to 12 months of follow-up in the prednisone-treated group. Five of 20 (25%) prednisone-treated patients experienced a transient episode of hepatic decompensation coinciding with the peak of enzyme elevation. To contrast, only 3 of 15 (20%) initially hepatitis B virus DNA-positive matched untreated patients followed during the same time period became negative for serum hepatitis B virus DNA, and no significant changes in serum ALT values or HBsAg titers were noted over the 12-month study period. Thus, patients with chronic active hepatitis B appear to be responsive to immunologic manipulation with prednisone as indicated by a pronounced rebound immune response and clearance of hepatitis B virus DNA with improvement in liver disease activity.
when they took the “muni”: political culture and anti-austerity protest in rural northwestern Costa Rica

Anthropologists have long been interested in capitalist development, in resistance, and in rural political movements, yet few have studied economic structural adjustment programs or the debt-related protests that are increasingly common in developing countries. In the case of a 1988 peasant “strike” in northwestern Costa Rica, structural changes combined with other misfortunes to spark mobilization. Although the new understandings underlying this movement owed much to state actions, macrolevel policies alone cannot explain them, since local expectations and political culture are the prisms through which actors view their experiences and possibilities. This suggests that anthropologists, whose emphasis on field research and the active historical subject contrasts with other social scientists' “higher” levels of analysis, may contribute to explaining debt-related upheavals.
Oscillation period of MEPP frequency at frog neuromuscular junctions is inversely correlated with release efficacy and independent of acute Ca2+ loading.

Periodic oscillations in miniature endplate potential (MEPP) frequency have been described at the frog neuromuscular junction. It is assumed that the periodic oscillations in MEPP frequency reflect cytosolic oscillations in intracellular Ca 2+ concentration. In the course of a study related to describing the differences between weak and strong neuro­muscular junctions by using the post-tetanic potentiation of MEPP fre­quency, we noted periodic oscillations in MEPP frequency in the first few minutes after a tetanus. The period of this oscillation (i. e. the time interval of one complete oscillation cycle) was inversely related to syn­aptic release efficacy, as measured by quantal content released per 100 μ m of nerve terminal length. Junctions of high release efficacy have an oscillation period of 20 s or less whereas the oscillations in weaker junc­tions have periods of up to 60 s or longer. This relation is very similar during post-tetanic recovery in either a calcium containing Ringer solution or in a zero calcium-EGTA Ringer solution, indicating that external calcium is not necessary to express the phenomenon. We also found that the oscillations are apparent in resting junctions preceding a tetanus and that they are similar in period and show the same inverse relation to synaptic strength.
Weak Pressure Gradient Approximation and Its Analytical Solutions

AbstractA weak pressure gradient (WPG) approximation is introduced for parameterizing supradomain-scale (SDS) dynamics, and this method is compared to the relaxed form of the weak temperature gradient (WTG) approximation in the context of 3D, linearized, damped, Boussinesq equations. It is found that neither method is able to capture the two different time scales present in the full 3D equations. Nevertheless, WPG is argued to have several advantages over WTG. First, WPG correctly predicts the magnitude of the steady-state buoyancy anomalies generated by an applied heating, but WTG underestimates these buoyancy anomalies. It is conjectured that this underestimation may short-circuit the natural feedbacks between convective mass fluxes and local temperature anomalies. Second, WPG correctly predicts the adiabatic lifting of air below an initial buoyancy perturbation; WTG is unable to capture this nonlocal effect. It is hypothesized that this may be relevant to moist convection, where adiabatic lifting can r...
The Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 Gene Collection

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common inhabitant of soil and water, is an opportunistic pathogen of growing clinical relevance. Its genome, one of the largest among bacteria [5570 open reading frames (ORFs)] approaches that of simple eukaryotes. We have constructed a comprehensive gene collection for this organism utilizing the annotated genome of P. aeruginosa PA01 and a highly automated and laboratory information management system (LIMS)-supported production line. All the individual ORFs have been successfully PCR-amplified and cloned into a recombination-based cloning system. We have isolated and archived four independent isolates of each individual ORF. Full sequence analysis of the first isolate for one-third of the ORFs in the collection has been completed. We used two sets of genes from this repository for high-throughput expression and purification of recombinant proteins in different systems. The purified proteins have been used to set up biochemical and immunological assays directed towards characterization of histidine kinases and identification of bacterial proteins involved in the immune response of cystic fibrosis patients. This gene repository provides a powerful tool for proteome- and genome-scale research of this organism, and the strategies adopted to generate this repository serve as a model for building clone sets for other bacteria.
An optoelectronic switch based on a triangular-barrier structure

A GaAs-InGaP triangular-barrier optoelectronic switch, grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), is reported in the paper. Owing to the avalanche multiplication and hole confinement in the device operation, S-shaped negative-differential-resistance (NDR) performances are observed in the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics under both normal and reverse operation modes. The device also showed a flexible optical function related to the potential barrier height controllable by incident light. The dependency of the carrier transport mechanism on illumination, as well as the I-V characteristics at different temperatures, are investigated.
Porcine lens nuclei as a model for comparison of 3 ultrasound modalities regarding efficiency and chatter

Purpose To validate a porcine lens model by comparing density and ultrasound (US) with known human standards using the Infiniti Ozil with Intelligent Phacoemulsification (torsional), Whitestar Signature Micropulse (longitudinal), and Ellips FX (transversal) modalities. Setting Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Design Experimental study. Methods Lens nuclei were formalin soaked in hour-based intervals and divided into 2.0 mm cubes. Density was characterized by crushing experiments and compared with known human measures. Efficiency and chatter were examined. Results The mean weight to cut thickness in half ranged from 16.9 g ± 5.5 (SD) in the 0-hour group to 121.3 ± 47.5 gm in the 4-hour group. Lenses in the 2-hour group (mean 70.2 ± 19.1 g) best matched human density ( P =.215). The mean efficiency ranged from 0.432 ± 0.178 seconds to 9.111 ± 2.925 seconds; chatter ranged from zero to 1.85 ± 1.927 bounces. No significant difference was detected when comparing the 2-hour formalin group with human lenses in torsional and transversal US. There was no significant difference between transversal and torsional modalities, consistent with human studies. Although longitudinal (6 milliseconds on, 12 milliseconds off) was significantly more efficient at 50% power than at 25%, there was no significant difference compared with transversal or torsional US. Conclusions Animal lenses soaked for 2 hours in formalin were most comparable to human lenses. Longitudinal US may be an acceptable alternative to torsional and transversal US. Financial Disclosure Dr. Olson has been a consultant to Abbott Medical Optics, Inc., Becton, Dickinson and Co., and Allergan, Inc., and received grant support from Abbott Medical Optics, Inc. and Allergan, Inc. No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Scanning electron microscopic and glycosphingolipid biosynthetic studies of differentiating mouse neuroblastoma cells.

A fundamental problem in neurobiology today is understanding of the differentiation process of a neuronal precursor cell into a particular functional nerve cell. Cloned neuroblastoma cells (1–3) isolated from mouse C-1300 tumors have been used in various neurochemical (4–14) and neuroelectrogenetic (15,16) studies in recent years.
The Kallikrein-Kinin System and Hypertension

Tissue (glandular or renal) kallikrein (E.C. 3.4.21.35) belongs to a subgroup of serine proteinases and processes low molecular weight kininogen substrate to release vasoactive kinin peptides (1). The well-recognized function of tissue kallikrein is mediated by lysyl-bradykinin (Lys-BK or kallidin) and bradykinin (BK), which consist of 10 and 9 amino-acid peptides, respectively. Kinins are then degraded by enzymes such as kininases I and II and neutral endopeptidase (NEP) to produce a number of kinin metabolites or inactive fragments. Intact kinins bind to kinin B2 receptors, whereas kinin metabolites, such as Des-Arg9-BK or Des-Arg10-Lys-BK, bind to kinin B1 receptors. The physiological functions of the KKS are mediated by the constitutively expressed B2 receptor. Unlike the B2 receptor, the B1 receptor is expressed at low levels in the heart, vasculature, and kidney and is induced by trauma or inflammation (2). The binding of kinins to their respective receptors activates second messengers such as NO, cGMP, prostacyclin, and cAMP, which trigger a broad spectrum of biological effects including vasodilation, smooth muscle contraction and relaxation, inflammation, and pain (3, 4). Figure 1 shows the inter-relationship of the tissue kallikrein-kinin system components.
Nocturnal Epilepsy Animal Models

Animal models of nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy are not as easy to produce as other animal models of human epilepsy. This is in part due to the main feature of these seizures – they occur during sleep, so are not readily observable. They are of course, complex partial seizures, so have many features of those originating from temporal lobe structures. One reason the classification of “temporal lobe epilepsy” has fallen from widespread use is that these seizures can originate from foci adjacent to, but removed from the temporal cortex.
Interactions between plants and primates shape community diversity in a rainforest in Madagascar

Models of ecological community assembly predict how communities of interacting organisms may be shaped by abiotic and biotic factors. Competition and environmental filtering are the predominant factors hypothesized to explain community assembly. This study tested the effects of habitat, phylogenetic and phenotypic trait predictors on species co-occurrence patterns and abundances, with the endemic primates of Madagascar as an empirical system. The abundance of 11 primate species was estimated along gradients of elevation, food resource abundance and anthropogenic habitat disturbance at local scales in south-east Madagascar. Community composition was compared to null models to test for phylogenetic and functional structure, and the effects of phylogenetic relatedness of co-occurring species, their trait similarity and environmental variables on species' abundances were tested using mixed models and quantile regressions. Resource abundance was the strongest predictor of community structure. Where food tree abundance was high, closely related species with similar traits dominated communities. High-elevation communities with lower food tree abundance consisted of species that were distantly related and had divergent traits. Closely related species had dissimilar abundances where they co-occurred, partially driven by trait dissimilarity, indicating character displacement. By integrating local-scale variation in primate community composition, evolutionary relatedness and functional diversity, this study found strong evidence that community assembly in this system can be explained by competition and character displacement along ecological gradients.
Strategies for the Control of Colorectal Cancer

An overview of this issue is presented, with a discussion of its application to control of colorectal cancer. A brief update on new findings in molecular and genetic aspects is also given. Finally, strategies for control of colorectal cancer are discussed.
Stroke and a valvular lesion in a patient with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer

The mechanism and severity of stroke varies in the setting of malignancy. We report a case of a 68-year-old man with lung adenocarcinoma, who experienced acute neurological symptoms. Imaging studies showed multiple acute ischaemic infarcts in cerebral and cerebellar hemispheres. Further work up was consistent with non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE). We highlight, through a review of the literature, the importance of transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) in defining the above diagnosis. The treatment of NBTE consists of systemic anticoagulation and therapy of the underlying malignancy. Enoxaparin is preferred over warfarin to achieve this goal. He received systemic targeted therapy with erlotinib. A TOE performed 8 months later showed complete resolution of the vegetation.
Tree morphologic plasticity explains deviation from metabolic scaling theory in semi-arid conifer forests, southwestern USA

A significant concern about Metabolic Scaling Theory (MST) in real forests relates to consistent differences between the values of power law scaling exponents of tree primary size measures used to estimate mass and those predicted by MST. Here we consider why observed scaling exponents for diameter and height relationships deviate from MST predictions across three semi-arid conifer forests in relation to: (1) tree condition and physical form, (2) the level of inter-tree competition (e.g. open vs closed stand structure), (3) increasing tree age, and (4) differences in site productivity. Scaling exponent values derived from non-linear least-squares regression for trees in excellent condition (n = 381) were above the MST prediction at the 95% confidence level, while the exponent for trees in good condition were no different than MST (n = 926). Trees that were in fair or poor condition, characterized as diseased, leaning, or sparsely crowned had exponent values below MST predictions (n = 2,058), as did recently dead standing trees (n = 375). Exponent value of the mean-tree model that disregarded tree condition (n = 3,740) was consistent with other studies that reject MST scaling. Ostensibly, as stand density and competition increase trees exhibited greater morphological plasticity whereby the majority had characteristically fair or poor growth forms. Fitting by least-squares regression biases the mean-tree model scaling exponent toward values that are below MST idealized predictions. For 368 trees from Arizona with known establishment dates, increasing age had no significant impact on expected scaling. We further suggest height to diameter ratios below MST relate to vertical truncation caused by limitation in plant water availability. Even with environmentally imposed height limitation, proportionality between height and diameter scaling exponents were consistent with the predictions of MST.
Rectification of the Light Pressure Force Acting on a Three-State Atom

Recent experiments1 on laser-cooled atoms in optical molasses have unexpectedly yielded temperatures far below the Doppler limit of two-level theories. Other anomalous findings include “supermolasses2” created by misaligned cooling beams that holds atoms much longer than the ordinary molasses, and inhomogeneities in the distribution of atoms in a magnetic molasses trap.3 In the present paper we would like to bring forward the idea that the inhomogeneities and the supermolasses are another manifestation of the multi-state level structure of realistic atoms: They possibly result from long-wavelength components of the optical forces created by nonlinear mixing of the wave vectors of the cooling laser beams. We will discuss our numerical experiments on the two-dimensional motion of a three-level atom in two standing waves whose wave vectors are tilted from one another. It turns out that the variation of the kinetic energy of the atom in slightly misaligned laser fields may exceed by orders of magnitude the oscillations of the kinetic energy observed when the beams are precisely parallel.
A comparison of statistical and empirical detection limits

Quantitatable detection limits for 43 diverse analytes analyzed by a variety of analytical methods determined by 2 statistical methods and one empirical method were compared. One statistically derived quantitatable detection limit is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's minimum level (ML), which is 10 times the standard deviation of replicates of a single concentration or 3.18 times the method detection limit (MDL). The other statistical method is the alternate minimum level (AML), which is based on statistical calculations of replicates of multiple concentrations but places more weight on the lower concentrations. The empirical method is based on the analysts' experience with actual samples. All 3 approaches agree to within a factor of 5 nearly 70% of the time. This agreement suggests an uncertainty factor of 5 for laboratory analysis at the lowest concentrations at which instruments can perform quantitative analysis. The results also show that both statistical methods probably adequately account for normal matrix effects.
Drug Resistance in Protozoa

Treatment failures have been recorded in the chemotherapy of protozoal diseases almost since such therapy began. Failures may have a number of causes, only one of which is true pathogen resistance to the drug. Perhaps the major obstacle to our comprehension of the problems of drug resistance is our lack of basic understanding of the biology of protozoal infections in humans. Parasites may show reduced sensitivity to chemotherapy because of hidden forms in drug-impermeable areas such as abscesses or the CNS, differences in susceptibility of the various stages of protozoan life cycles, dependence on the host immune response of drug efficacy, individual variations in pharmacokinetics, inadequate dosing, oxygen dependence of some drugs, or simply inherent variations among strains or species of parasites in drug sensitivity. This last factor is especially important for drugs that are effective only when given at or near the maximally tolerated dose.
New Strategies in Removing Noncoherency From Signals With Large Distortion-to-Noise Ratios

With the rapid integration level of circuits and systems, how to test those complex systems in an efficient manner, in terms of test time, cost, and proficiency, has become a vital task. Among them, signal spectral analysis or testing is a dominating way to characterize the dynamic performance of analog signals. To obtain coherent sampling, especially when signals have large distortion-to-noise ratios, has been a challenge for many years. This brief presents two new methods to resolve this issue. In comparison to previous methods, these new methods are capable of achieving accuracy as well as computational efficiency. All these methods are verified via theoretical analysis, simulations results, and measurement results.
Value Creation by Active Investors (and Its Potential for Addressing Social Problems)

A distinguished Columbia academic discusses the methods and outcomes of “active investing” with the co-founder of a leading private equity firm and a former senior partner of a well-known hedge fund. In the case studies used by both panelists to illustrate their investment selection and management processes, the investors provided not only capital, but oversight and expertise that helped bring about significant increases in the productivity and value of their portfolio companies. What's more, in both cases, the changes that contributed to high returns for investors also ended up having major benefits for the companies' non-investor stakeholders, especially their consumers. In the first of the two cases, Paul Hilal explains the thinking behind Pershing Square's $1.1 billion purchase of 14% of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 2012. With the help of intensive “fundamental” analysis of the company, Hilal recognized that Canadian Pacific was substantially underperforming its rival, the Canadian National Railway, in a number of important ways. And when CP's management and board rejected his plan for changes, Hilal led a proxy battle that ended in a landslide victory for the proposed slate of directors, including Hilal himself. Then, after bringing in a new CEO, the restructured board presided over operating changes that, during Pershing's four-year ownership, increased the market value of CP from $8 billion to $30 billion. By 2016, when Pershing sold its investment (for $4 billion), Canadian Pacific was “shipping 20% more freight … 40% faster than ever before, with record on-time performance, 40% fewer locomotives, 35% fewer people, and 14% improved fuel efficiency—all while maintaining an industry-leading safety record.” In the second case, Russ Carson describes the success of Welsh, Carson, Anderson, and Stowe in turning its purchase in 1998 of a single oncology practice in Denver into a publicly traded company with more than 90 outpatient cancer centers throughout the U.S. When it was sold in 2011, US Oncology was producing $4 billion in revenue while employing 1,000 oncologists, who, as significant equity owners, shared in the success of Welsh Carson. Using modern management techniques to create “enormous efficiencies out of an extraordinarily fragmented system,” Carson and his colleagues created “the single largest—and, by all accounts, most reputable—outpatient provider of cancer services in the country.” One of the keys to this success was “getting the doctors to spend their time seeing patients, not looking for records,” which contributed greatly to Welsh Carson's ability to improve “both the quantity and quality of cancer care in the 90 communities that we were operating in.”
Atrio-ventricular block from metastatic lung cancer to the aortic root.

A 51-year-old man with stage IV squamous cell lung cancer presented with complete heart block and a left fascicular …
Dictionary learning-based spatiotemporal regularization for 3D dense speckle tracking

Speckle tracking is a common method for non-rigid tissue motion analysis in 3D echocardiography, where unique texture patterns are tracked through the cardiac cycle. However, poor tracking often occurs due to inherent ultrasound issues, such as image artifacts and speckle decorrelation; thus regularization is required. Various methods, such as optical flow, elastic registration, and block matching techniques have been proposed to track speckle motion. Such methods typically apply spatial and temporal regularization in a separate manner. In this paper, we propose a joint spatiotemporal regularization method based on an adaptive dictionary representation of the dense 3D+time Lagrangian motion field. Sparse dictionaries have good signal adaptive and noise-reduction properties; however, they are prone to quantization errors. Our method takes advantage of the desirable noise suppression, while avoiding the undesirable quantization error. The idea is to enforce regularization only on the poorly tracked trajectories. Specifically, our method 1.) builds data-driven 4-dimensional dictionary of Lagrangian displacements using sparse learning, 2.) automatically identifies poorly tracked trajectories (outliers) based on sparse reconstruction errors, and 3.) performs sparse reconstruction of the outliers only. Our approach can be applied on dense Lagrangian motion fields calculated by any method. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on a baseline block matching speckle tracking and evaluate performance of the proposed algorithm using tracking and strain accuracy analysis.
A short-term biomarker modulation prevention study of anastrazole in women at increased risk for breast cancer

1514 Background: Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) reduce the risk of breast cancer. Acceptance of SERMs is low due to toxicities. Agents with a better toxicity profile and surrogate endpoint biomarkers to evaluate the effect of preventive agents are needed. In addition to reducing the risk of recurrence of breast cancer, the aromatase inhibitors (AI) have been shown to reduce the risk of contralateral breast cancer in large phase III adjuvant studies. Our objective in this prospective short-term prevention study was to evaluate the effect of anastrozole on surrogate endpoint biomarkers in breast tissue and serum of women with breast cancer who are at increased risk for developing a contralateral second primary breast cancer. Methods: Women with a history of stage I, II breast cancer who were scheduled to start anastrozole for standard adjuvant treatment were eligible. After signing informed consent, patients underwent baseline fine needle aspiration (FNA) of the unaffected breast and serum c...
Rheological studies of functional polyurethane composite: Part 1. Rheology of polyurethane composite, its compounds with and without solid additives (aluminum flakes)

The rheological dynamic characteristics of the functional Polyurethane composite as well as its compounds (triethanolamine (TEOA) and toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI)) with and without solid additive...
A Randomized, Controlled Trial Evaluating Polydextrose as a Fiber in a Wet and Dry Matrix on Glycemic Control

Functional fibers can help Americans increase their fiber intake by incorporating extracted or synthesized fibers into food products. The United States Food and Drug Administration has recently proposed that "added" fibers must demonstrate a physiological health benefit, such as glucose control, to be included on the Nutrition Facts label as a dietary fiber. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of polydextrose (PDX), a water-soluble glucose polymer resistant to mammalian digestion, on postprandial glucose concentrations when added to relatively high moisture (beverage) versus low moisture (bar) food products. The study was designed as 2 parts with each being controlled, randomized, singe-blinded, cross-over trials. A total of 34 and 19 healthy subjects were asked to consume PDX in a beverage and bar, respectively. PDX was investigated at 0, 8, 12, and 16 g in the beverage and 0 and 12 g in the bar. Blood samples were collected before beverage/bar consumption and for 3 h thereafter to evaluate changes in plasma glucose and insulin concentrations. The 12 g PDX condition had significant impact on both outcomes as glucose was significantly increased in both matrices (P > 0.05) and insulin was increased in bar form only (P > 0.05). PDX was well tolerated at all dosages and matrices investigated. PDX did not lower postprandial glucose or insulin in either matrix at the doses provided; therefore, data do not support reporting PDX as a dietary fiber on the Nutrition Facts label under the current proposed rule using glycemic control as the endpoint for physiological benefit.
ACCELERATION OF CONVERGENCE OF NAVIER–STOKES CALCULATIONS

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews a multi-grid method designed to accelerate the convergence of implicit methods applied to solve the Navier-Stokes equations at high Reynolds number. The procedure is based upon the multi-grid theory devised by Brancht, extended by Ni and Johnson for the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations, and formulated by Denton for explicit finite-volume calculations. Now convergence for steady state flows or time accuracy independent of the choice of initial conditions for unsteady flow will occur only after the disturbances signifying the body's presence propagate throughout the region contained within the body's domain of influence. A procedure called “local time stepping” is currently receiving renewed interest for accelerating numerical convergence. The multi-grid theory offers potentially greater numerical efficiencies than the above procedure. During each step of the calculation, the solution can be advanced simultaneously on several different grids, from fine to coarse, with a different time step chosen for each grid. Time steps can be chosen on the coarser grids large enough so that during each step information can travel distances far beyond the distances between nearest neighbors of the finer grids everywhere throughout the flow field.
Deep neural network training for whispered speech recognition using small databases and generative model sampling

State-of-the-art speech recognition solutions currently employ hidden Markov models (HMMs) to capture the time variability in a speech signal and deep neural networks (DNNs) to model the HMM state distributions. It has been shown that DNN–HMM hybrid systems outperform traditional HMM and Gaussian mixture model (GMM) hybrids in many applications. This improvement is mainly attributed to the ability of DNNs to model more complex data structures. However, having sufficient data samples is one key point in training a high accuracy DNN as a discriminative model. This barrier makes DNNs unsuitable for many applications with limited amounts of data. In this study, we introduce a method to produce an excessive amount of pseudo-samples that requires availability of only a small amount of transcribed data from the target domain. In this method, a universal background model (UBM) is trained to capture a parametric estimate of the data distributions. Next, random sampling is used to generate a large amount of pseudo-samples from the UBM. Frame-Shuffling is then applied to smooth the temporal cepstral trajectories in the generated pseudo-sample sequences to better resemble the temporal characteristics of a natural speech signal. Finally, the pseudo-sample sequences are combined with the original training data to train the DNN–HMM acoustic model of a speech recognizer. The proposed method is evaluated on small-sized sets of neutral and whisper data drawn from the UT-Vocal Effort II corpus. It is shown that phoneme error rates (PERs) of a DNN–HMM based speech recognizer are considerably reduced when incorporating the generated pseudo-samples in the training process, with + 79.0 and + 45.6% relative PER improvements for neutral–neutral training/test and whisper–whisper training/test scenarios, respectively.
Indications for Surgery in Patients with Minimally Symptomatic Primary Hyperp Ara Thyroidism

Primary hyperparathyroidism often presents with minimal symptoms. Surgery has been advocated for those patients who are severely hypercalcemic, are young, have reduced bone density or reduced renal function, and have marked hypercalciuria. The natural history of primary hyperparathyroidism and the basis for these recommendations are discussed.
Atherosclerosis of the Aorta and Prevention of Neurological Dysfunction After Cardiac Surgery

On May 6, 1953, John H Gibbon Jr., a Philadelphia surgeon, performed the world’s first successful open heart procedure in which total heart–lung bypass was employed.1 Since that time, aortic manipulation and postoperative neurological complications have coexisted. Aortic atherosclerosis remains a significant marker of coronary artery disease, perioperative vascular events, stroke, and even renal dysfunction. Although cardiac surgery is unique in that manipulation of the ascending aorta is almost routine, surgical handling of a diseased aorta is not always without risk.
The influence of Chinese cultural values on consumer perceptions and behavioral intention towards an apparel mass customization website

Mass customization may deliver superior value to consumers compared to mass production because it provides personalized products with prices close to mass produced products. This assertion was made under the conditions and assumptions in Western societies where individual needs, rights, and interests are greatly valued. It is not known whether mass customization will deliver similar value to consumers in other societies, where different value systems exist. The purpose of the present study was to examine Chinese consumers’ responses toward mass customization and the influence of Chinese cultural values on these responses. This study focused on web-based apparel mass customization and investigated a) the effects of product price and customization level on consumers’ perceived value and b) the effects of perceived value on consumers’ behavioral intention. Additionally, this research examined the moderating roles of Chinese cultural values on the relationships between the marketing attributes (price and customization level) and perceived value and between perceived value and behavioral intention. The study used a between-subject experimental design involving manipulations of price and customization level. Four different treatments of a t-shirt website, resulting from the combination of two price levels and two customization levels, were used as the stimuli. A total of 344 participants from China participated in the study. Each respondent browsed one of the four randomly assigned treatments and completed an online questionnaire. Structural equation models were used to test the hypotheses. Results showed that higher price significantly reduced Chinese consumers’ perception of economic value and efficiency, as hypothesized. Mass customization significantly enhanced consumers’ perceptions of product quality, enjoyment, and escapism, as hypothesized. However, respondents did not perceive enhanced economic value from the mass customization treatments. As hypothesized, perceived value explained behavioral intention.
Cannabinoid receptor type-1 partially mediates metabolic endotoxemia-induced inflammation and insulin resistance

Abstract Circulating levels of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or endotoxin are chronically elevated in obesity (metabolic endotoxemia), resulting in low-grade inflammation. Metabolic endotoxemia has been identified as a triggering factor for obesity-associated metabolic complications such as insulin resistance. Furthermore, LPS has been shown to modulate endocannabinoid synthesis and notably to induce cannabinoid receptor type-1 (CB1) ligand synthesis. CB1 activation promotes inflammation, increases food intake and impairs insulin signaling. Therefore, we hypothesized that LPS acts through a CB1-dependent mechanism to aggravate inflammation and promote insulin resistance. Male Wistar rats fed a chow diet were implanted with mini-osmotic pumps delivering a low dose of LPS (n = 20; 12.5 μg/kg body weight (BW)/hr.) or saline (n = 10) continuously for six weeks. LPS-treated rats were injected daily with a CB1 antagonist (Rimonabant, SR141716A; 3 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (ip); LPS + CB1x; n = 10) or vehicle (1 mL/kg, LPS; n = 10). Control and LPS rats' food intake was matched to the LPS + CB1x group level. Despite no significant differences in body weight among groups, chronic exposure to low-level LPS altered hepatic endocannabinoid signaling, increased inflammation, and impaired insulin sensitivity and insulin clearance (P
Deciphering and Controlling Structural and Functional Parameters of the Shells in Vesicle-Templated Polymer Nanocapsules

Vesicle-templated nanocapsules are prepared by polymerization of hydrophobic acrylic monomers and cross-linkers in the hydrophobic interior of self-assembled bilayers. Understanding the mechanism of capsule formation and the influence of synthetic parameters on the structural features and functional performance of nanocapsules is critical for the rational design of functional nanodevices, an emerging trend of application of the nanocapsule platform. This study investigated the relationship between basic parameters of the formulation and synthesis of nanocapsules and structural and functional characteristics of the resulting structures. Variations in the monomer/surfactant ratio, temperature of polymerization, and the molar fraction of the free-radical initiators were investigated with a multipronged approach, including shell thickness measurements using small-angle neutron scattering, evaluation of the structural integrity of nanocapsules with scanning electron microscopy, and determination of the retenti...
Motorvatin’: 28 Songs from the Green Book Era—Volume One

America’s car culture is legendary. Since the early twentieth century, recording artists have echoed the public’s admiration for various makes and models of automobiles. They have also frequently c...
Teaching effective policy memo writing and infographics in a policy programme

The Scholarship on education and practice has recently encouraged the inclusion of writing assignments in the classroom. Writing-across-the-curriculum (WAC) programmes have been implemented across universities and colleges, promoting structured writing assignments outside of language-based programmes and courses. The collective knowledge on the subject highlights the effectiveness of frequent short assignments as being better for achieving learning goals, in comparison with more traditional, longer term papers often assigned in upper-division and graduate political science courses. This paper outlines our efforts to revise the curriculum in two of the courses in our policy-focused master’s program. In particular, we focus on two types of policy writing, policy memos and infographics. In this paper, we discuss the background of the program and courses, our choices of assignments, and their design and implementation. Further, we present evidence of how these assignments contributed to student learning in the courses.
Reversible diffusion-weighted imaging lesions in acute ischemic stroke: A systematic review.

Objectives To systematically review the literature for reversible diffusion-weighted imaging (DWIR) lesions and to describe its prevalence, predictors, and clinical significance. Methods Studies were included if the first DWI MRI was performed within 24 hours of stroke onset and follow-up DWI or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR)/T2 was performed within 7 or 90 days, respectively, to measure DWIR. We abstracted clinical, imaging, and outcomes data. Results Twenty-three studies met the study criteria. The prevalence of DWIR was 26.5% in DWI-based studies and 6% in FLAIR/T2-based studies. DWIR was associated with recanalization or reperfusion of the ischemic tissue with or without the use of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) or endovascular therapy, earlier treatment with t-PA, shorter time to endovascular therapy after MRI, and absent or less severe perfusion deficit within the DWI lesion. DWIR was associated with early neurologic improvement in 5 of 6 studies (defined as improvement in the NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score by 4 or 8 points from baseline or NIHSS score 0 to 2 at 24 hours after treatment or at discharge or median NIHSS score at 7 days) and long-term outcome in 6 of 7 studies (defined as NIHSS score ≤1, improvement in the NIHSS score ≥8 points, or modified Rankin Scale score up to ≤2 at 30 or 90 days) likely due to reperfusion. Conclusions DWIR is seen in up to a quarter of patients with acute ischemic stroke, and it is associated with good clinical outcome following reperfusion. Our findings highlight the pitfalls of DWI to define ischemic core in the early hours of stroke.
Dietary supplementation with Lactobacillus- and Propionibacterium-based direct-fed microbials and prevalence of Escherichia coli O157 in beef feedlot cattle and on hides at harvest.

The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of Escherichia coli O157 in the feces and on the hides of finishing beef cattle fed a standard diet and those fed diets supplemented with direct-fed microbials. Two hundred forty steers received one of four treatments throughout the feeding period: (i) control: no added microbials; (ii) HNP51: high dose of Lactobacillus acidophilus strain NP 51 (109 CFU per steer daily) and Propionibacterium freudenreichii (109 CFU per steer daily); (iii) HNP51+45: high dose of NP 51 (109 CFU per steer daily), P. freudenreichii (109 CFU per steer daily), and L. acidophilus NP 45 (106 CFU per steer daily); or (iv) LNP51+ 45: low dose of NP 51 (106 CFU per steer daily), P. freudenreichii (109 CFU per steer daily), and NP 45 (106 CFU per steer daily). Samples were collected from each animal and analyzed for the presence of E. coli O157 using immunomagnetic separation methods on day 0 (feces), 7 days before harvest (feces), and at harvest (feces and hide). At the end ...
Navigating Music Teaching in Uncertain Times

As schools reopen and students return back to the classrooms, music teachers are faced with the challenge of how and what we could do (and continue to do) to support the well-being and music learni...
Jacobi-Style Iteration for Distributed Submodular Maximization.

This paper presents a novel Jacobi-style iteration algorithm for solving the problem of distributed submodular maximization, in which each agent determines its own strategy from a finite set so that the global submodular objective function is jointly maximized. Building on the multi-linear extension of the global submodular function, we expect to achieve the solution from a probabilistic, rather than deterministic, perspective, and thus transfer the considered problem from a discrete domain into a continuous domain. Since it is observed that an unbiased estimation of the gradient of multi-linear extension function~can be obtained by sampling the agents' local decisions, a projected stochastic gradient algorithm is proposed to solve the problem. Our algorithm enables the distributed updates among all individual agents and is proved to asymptotically converge to a desirable equilibrium solution. Such an equilibrium solution is guaranteed to achieve at least 1/2-suboptimal bound, which is comparable to the state-of-art in the literature. Moreover, we further enhance the proposed algorithm by handling the scenario in which agents' communication delays are present. The enhanced algorithmic framework admits a more realistic distributed implementation of our approach. Finally, a movie recommendation task is conducted on a real-world movie rating data set, to validate the numerical performance of the proposed algorithms.
Ethical Considerations in the Implantation of Neuromodulatory Devices.

Objectives Neuromodulatory devices are increasingly used by neurosurgeons to manage a variety of chronic conditions. Given their potential benefits, it is imperative to create clear ethical guidelines for the use of these devices. We present a tiered ethical framework for neurosurgeon recommendations for the use of neuromodulatory devices. Materials and methods We conducted a literature review to identify factors neurosurgeons should consider when choosing to offer a neuromodulatory device to a patient. Results Neurosurgeons must weigh reductions in debilitating symptoms, improved functionality, and preserved quality of life against risks for intraoperative complications and adverse events due to stimulation or the device itself. Neurosurgeons must also evaluate whether patients and families will maintain responsibility for the management of neuromodulatory devices. Consideration of these factors should occur on an axis of resource allocation, ranging from provision of neuromodulatory devices to those with greatest potential benefit in resource-limited settings to provision of neuromodulatory devices to all patients with indications in contexts without resource limitations. Neurosurgeons must also take action to promote device effectiveness throughout the duration of care. Conclusions Weighing risks and benefits of providing neuromodulatory devices and assessing ability to remain responsible for the devices on the level of the individual patient indicate which patients are most likely to achieve benefit from these devices. Consideration of these factors on an axis of resource allocation will allow for optimal provision of neuromodulatory devices to patients in settings of varied resources. Neurosurgeons play a primary role in promoting the effectiveness of these devices.
A monstrous genre—violent “man”

Ersula J. Ore's Lynching: Violence, Rhetoric, and American Identity begins and ends with a poignant narration of her own seizure by the police. Its poetry does not belie the terror. Rather, the ter...
Distribution and phasing of sequence motifs that facilitate CRISPR adaptation

CRISPR-associated proteins (Cas1 and Cas2) integrate foreign DNA at the "leader" end of CRISPR loci. Several CRISPR leader sequences are reported to contain a binding site for a DNA-bending protein called integration host factor (IHF). IHF-induced DNA bending kinks the leader of type I-E CRISPRs, recruiting an upstream sequence motif that helps dock Cas1-2 onto the first repeat of the CRISPR locus. To determine the prevalence of IHF-directed CRISPR adaptation, we analyzed 15,274 bacterial and archaeal CRISPR leaders. These experiments reveal multiple IHF binding sites and diverse upstream sequence motifs in a subset of the I-C, I-E, I-F, and II-C CRISPR leaders. We identify subtype-specific motifs and show that the phase of these motifs is critical for CRISPR adaptation. Collectively, this work clarifies the prevalence and mechanism(s) of IHF-dependent CRISPR adaptation and suggests that leader sequences and adaptation proteins may coevolve under the selective pressures of foreign genetic elements like plasmids or phages.
Commentary on the Special Issue on Emotions in Reading, Learning, and Communication: A Big Step Forward, More Giant Leaps to Come

The articles in this special issue take an important step in beginning to test the PET framework. Together, these articles illustrate the importance of considering individual differences in attitud...
Secondary structure in polyuridylic acid: Non-classical hydrogen bonding and the function of the ribose 2′-hydroxyl group

Abstract The role of non-classical hydrogen bonding in RNA structure has been investigated using polyuridylic acid, which has a labile ordered structure at temperatures near 0 °C, as a model system. By comparing the proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of poly(U) in the transition region with that of uridine and the dimer UpU we find evidence that both the imino N( 3 )-H and the ribosyl 2′-OH protons are hydrogen bonded. The characteristics of the former are consistent with participation in N( 3 )-HOC bonding primarily between residues in the same strand. As yet we cannot unambiguously assign the acceptor for the 2′-OH in ordered poly(U): because of its apparent stability and the acceptable stereochemistry, we presently favor a bond between ribose 2′-OH and O(1′) connecting adjacent nucleotides of the same strand. This arrangement could contribute to the co-operativity of the poly(U) helix formation. The recently proposed 2′-OHO(1′) interactions in crystalline yeast transfer RNA Phe suggest similar interactions might play a role in the conformational stability of natural RNAs. A second conformational transition below the major transition in the ultraviolet can be detected in poly(U) by monitoring the H( 6 ) proton of uracil.