cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interstitial volume implants with I-125 seeds.

Abstract Interstitial implants with I-125 seeds are generally carried out using a dosimetric system that is based on implanting a specified number of mCi, depending on the average dimension of the gland. On the other hand, traditional interstitial radium implants are carried out using either the Patterson Parker or the Quimby systems. An absorbed dose of 6000 rad delivered over a 7 day period is considered optimal for most sites using either of these systems. In the case of permanent interstitial implants using I-125 seeds, the allowance that must be made for gradually declining dose rate changes the dose to be delivered by several orders of magnitude. Furthermore, it is not clear at the present time whether the dose delivered should vary with the volume of the implant and if so in what manner. In this paper, we describe a protocol in which the mCi and the number of seeds to be implanted are selected on the basis of delivering a prescribed dose in rad. Two specific doses within an implant have been identified. One is the minimum peripheral dose (MPD), defined as the lowest dose found at the intersection of the periphery of each seed array and a plane halfway between the planes carrying the seeds. Another one is the maximum central dose, defined as the maximum dose found in a plane halfway between the planes carrying the seeds. A simple and unique way of accurately assessing the glandular volume at surgery is also described.
The Progressive Power of Realism

John Vasquez's assessment of realism suffers from three serious flaws. First, his reliance on Imre Lakatos's (1970) model of scientific progress is problematic, because the Lakatosian model has been largely rejected by contemporary historians and philosophers of science. Second, Vasquez understates the range and diversity of the realist research program and mistakenly sees disagreements among realists as evidence of theoretical degeneration. Finally, he overlooks the progressive character of contemporary realist theory, largely because he does not consider all the relevant literature. Disagreements within and across competing research programs are essential to progress and should be welcomed, but Vasquez's effort suggests that criticism will be most helpful when it seeks to do more than merely delegitimate a particular research tradition.
Analyses made to order: Using transformation to rapidly configure a multidisciplinary environment

Aerospace problems are highly multidisciplinary. Four or more major disciplines are involved in analyzing any particular vehicle. Moreover, the choice of implementation technology of various subsystems can lead to a change of leading domain or reformation of the driving equations. An excellent example is the change of expertise required to consider aircraft built from composite or metallic structures, or those propelled by chemical or electrical thrusters. Another example is in the major reconfiguration of handling and stability equations with different control surface configuration (e.g., canards, t-tail v four-post tail).
Parametric Study of Flutter for an Airfoil in Inviscid Transonic Flow

With the use of a state of the art inviscid computational fluid dynamic harmonic balance aerodynamic-Euler-based code, a systematic, parametric investigation is presented into how the several structural parameters and freestream Mach number of a transonic flow affect the flutter characteristics of a typical two-degree-of-freedom transonic airfoil configuration. The computational efficiency of the time-linearized option of the harmonic balance aerodynamic model allows a much more thorough exploration of the parameter range than has been possible previously.
In vivo metabolism of CCl4 by rats pretreated with chlordecone, mirex, or phenobarbital.

The propensity of chlordecone (CD) to potentiate hepatotoxic and lethal effects of CCl4 is well established. Mirex (M), a close structural analogue of CD, or phenobarbital (PB), powerful inducers of hepatic microsomal drug metabolizing enzymes, are much weaker potentiators of CCl4 toxicity. The purpose of this study was to test the possibility that CD potentiates the toxicity of CCl4 by increasing the metabolism of CCl4 to a greater degree than either PB or M. We compared the in vivo metabolism of CCl4 in rats pretreated with CD, M, or PB, by measuring the hepatic content of 14CCl4, the expiration of 14CCl4, expiration of 14CCl4-derived 14CO2, and lipid peroxidation. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-270 g) were pretreated with a single oral dose of CD (10 mg/kg), M (10 mg/kg), or corn oil vehicle (1 ml/kg). PB pretreatment consisted of an ip injection of sodium PB (80 mg/kg) in saline (0.9%) for 2 successive days. Twenty-four hours later, 14CCl4 (0.1 ml/kg; sp act: 0.04 mCi/mmol) was administered ip in corn oil and the radioactivity present in the expired air was collected for 6 hr. Excretion of the parent compound as represented by the 14C label in the toluene trap was unchanged by any of the pretreatments. Expiration of 14CO2 measured during the 6 hr after CCl4 administration was increased in animals pretreated with PB or CD. In vivo lipid peroxidation measured as diene conjugation in lipids extracted from the livers was increased to a similar extent in animals pretreated with PB and CD, whereas the serum transaminases (ALT, AST) were significantly elevated only in animals pretreated with CD.M did not affect 14CO2 production and was without a significant effect on the lipid peroxidation. The radiolabel present in the liver at 6 hr showed no difference in hepatic content of free 14CCl4 among the groups, but the covalently bound label present in the lipid fractions of the livers pretreated with PB was elevated in comparison to CD and M treatments. These data indicate that a single oral administration of CD (10 mg/kg) 24 hr prior to CCl4 administration (100 microliter/kg) enhances the oxidative metabolism of CCl4 but to a lesser extent than PB (80 mg/kg, ip, twice), which is in inverse relationship to the potentiation of the hepatotoxic and lethal effects of CCl4 associated with these pretreatments.
Environmental Trends and Opportunities for Computer System Power Delivery

The Green environmental movements will have significant impact on the design of future power systems for computer data centers and computer systems. This paper will explore some of the trends in future computer systems and data centers. The impact of new environmental regulations will be studied in the context of improved power conversion devices.
High precision actuator control

We consider the controller design problem when the input signal is known in advance and the performance is measured as maximum absolute tracking error. We design a two-parameter controller that allows one to achieve very precise nominal tracking while keeping the control input rate within desired limits. We apply the method to a first example and uncover the structure of the controller parameters. Finally, we apply the method to a realistic model of actuator for micro-surgery. The simulation results show that the design method can be used successfully to impose stringent time-domain specifications on the resulting closed loop system.
Automated System Identification of Digitally-Controlled Multi-phase DC-DC Converters

Real-time system identification is desirable for designing a proper feedback controller in a practical system. Digital control provides the potential advantages of on-line programmability to apply adaptive control. The digital nature of the feedback signal facilitates the communication between the converter and the processing unit (e.g., microcontroller). These features of digital control make it possible to estimate the real-time system parameters by means of system identification in situ (in-place), and then design and configure the controller accordingly. In this paper, an automated system identification method for digitally-controlled multi-phase DC-DC converters is set forth. Fourier analysis is utilized because of the potential for closed-loop identification and high measurement signal-to-noise ratio. The phase loss and zero-order-hold due to digital control are considered. The identification results for single- and multi-phase DC-DC converters closely match those obtained from conventional network analyzer and models. The proposed method can be done by a stand-alone digital controller; therefore it eliminates the expense of external test equipment. The identification results can be used for controller configuration without pre-existing knowledge of the power stage parameters. This opens up a possibility of moving the determination of the loop compensation from a lab bench to a factory floor or even to an end customer's application.
Retention of 100 eV Tritium in Tungsten at High Fluxes

Tungsten ideally suited for many fusion applications due to its high threshold for sputtering as well as its very high melting point. If tungsten is to be used as a plasma-facing material in a fusion reactor, it is necessary to know its hydrogen isotope recycling and retention characteristics. The Tritium Plasma Experiment (TPE) has been used in a research program to determine the retention of tritium in 99.95% pure tungsten exposed to high fluxes of 100 eV tritons. Plasma exposures were performed at a temperature of 623 °K. The flux of ions ranged from 1021 to 1022 ions/m2/sec. After exposure to the tritium plasma, the samples were transferred to an outgassing system containing an ionization chamber for detection of the released tritium. The retention results closely followed a power law. Modeling was performed on the retention as a function of flux and the outgassing characteristics.
"Narcotics helped, I thought." Recurrent traumatization and recovery from drug dependence.

Editor: Derri Shtasel, MD, MPHAS is a 34-year-old, married, white, graphic-design student of mixed European descent. Her early childhood and teenage years were marked by sexual, physical, and emoti...
Immigrant dairy workers' perceptions of health and safety on the farm in America's Heartland

BACKGROUND: Dairy farming is dangerous. Yearly, farms grow fewer and larger by employing immigrant workers, who have limited industrial agriculture experience and safety and health training. METHODS: We examined results of five focus groups with 37 Hispanic, immigrant dairy workers. Analysis followed a grounded theory approach and employed ATLAS.ti. RESULTS: Reported injury experience affirmed the hazardous nature of dairy. Some workers received appropriate worker compensation benefits, whereas others were instructed to deny work-relatedness. Some employers covered medical injury costs out-of-pocket, whereas others did not. Cows were a major injury source. Pressure to work and weather were noted as injury risk factors. Worker compensation was poorly understood, and immigration status and fear of deportation influenced injury and hazard reporting. CONCLUSION: Injury management practices range from benevolent to threatening. Workers compensation is poorly understood and undocumented status is an occupational hazard. We underscore the need for further research and immigration policy change. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Language: en
Optimization of novel spectral estimator for fractionated electrogram analysis is helpful to discern atrial fibrillation type

A novel spectral estimator is used to discern paroxysmal versus persistent atrial fibrillation fractionated electrograms.The estimator is improved by selectively imparting antisymmetry to basis vectors used to construct the power spectrum.This preprocessing step leads to improved differentiation of spectral parameters in paroxysmal versus persistent atrial fibrillation fractionated electrograms.The improvement is potentially useful to better discern regions of atrial fibrillation substrate that should be targeted for catheter ablation.This method has been shown to provide better discernment of atrial fibrillation type as compared with the Fourier transform estimator. IntroductionParoxysmal versus persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) can be distinguished based on differences in the spectral parameters of fractionated atrial electrograms. Maximization of these differences would improve characterization of the arrhythmogenic substrate. A novel spectral estimator (NSE) has been shown previously to provide greater distinction in AF spectral parameters as compared with the Fourier transform estimator. Herein, it is described how the differences in NSE spectral parameters can be further improved. MethodIn 10 persistent and 9 paroxysmal AF patients undergoing electrophysiologic study, fractionated electrograms were acquired from the distal bipolar ablation electrode. A total of 204 electrograms were recorded from the pulmonary vein (PV) antra and from the anterior and posterior left atrial free wall. The following spectral parameters were measured: the dominant frequency (DF), which reflects local activation rate, the DF amplitude (DA), and the mean spectral profile (MP), which represents background electrical activity. To optimize differences in parameters between paroxysmal versus persistent AF patients, the NSE was varied by selectively removing subharmonics, using a threshold. The threshold was altered in steps to determine the optimal subharmonics removal. ResultsAt the optimal threshold level, mean differences in persistent versus paroxysmal AF spectral parameters were: ΔDA=+0.371mV, ΔDF=+0.737Hz, and ΔMP=-0.096mV. When subharmonics were not removed, the differences were substantially less: ΔDA=+0.301mV, ΔDF=+0.699Hz, and ΔMP=-0.063mV. ConclusionsNSE optimization produces greater spectral parameter difference between persistent versus paroxysmal AF data. Quantifying spectral parameter differences can be assistive in characterizing the arrhythmogenic substrate.
Approximating Satisfiable Satisfiability Problems

We study the approximability of the Maximum Satisfiability Problem (MAX SAT) and of the boolean k -ary Constraint Satisfaction Problem (MAX k CSP) restricted to satisfiable instances. For both problems we improve on the performance ratios of known algorithms for the unrestricted case. Our approximation for satisfiable MAX 3CSP instances is better than any possible approximation for the unrestricted version of the problem (unless P=NP). This result implies that the requirement of perfect completeness weakens the acceptance power of non-adaptive PCP verifiers that read 3 bits. We also present the first non-trivial results about PCP classes defined in terms of free bits that collapse to P.
Scale-free brain activity: past, present, and future

Brain activity observed at many spatiotemporal scales exhibits a 1/f-like power spectrum, including neuronal membrane potentials, neural field potentials, noninvasive electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals. A 1/f-like power spectrum is indicative of arrhythmic brain activity that does not contain a predominant temporal scale (hence, ‘scale-free’). This characteristic of scale-free brain activity distinguishes it from brain oscillations. Although scale-free brain activity and brain oscillations coexist, our understanding of the former remains limited. Recent research has shed light on the spatiotemporal organization, functional significance, and potential generative mechanisms of scale-free brain activity, as well as its developmental and clinical relevance. A deeper understanding of this prevalent brain signal should provide new insights into, and analytical tools for, cognitive neuroscience.
New directions for zoo animal welfare science

Abstract In recent years, zoos and aquaria have intensified efforts to develop approaches and tools for assessing the welfare of populations and individual animals in their care. Advances made by welfare scientists conducting studies on exotic, farm, laboratory, and companion animals have led to the emergence of a new perspective on welfare assessment in zoos. This perspective: (1) emphasizes the importance of supplementing resource-based assessments with animal-based approaches that require measures of the behavioral and/or physical state of individual animals, (2) focuses on the subjective experiences of individual animals, and (3) considers positive affective states. We propose that the zoo community also should increase efforts to integrate measures of positive affect into both population-level studies and tools for monitoring individual well-being. For years, zoo welfare researchers have conducted trans-disciplinary, multi-institutional studies to identify risk factors associated with poor welfare. In the future, large-scale research projects, as well as epidemiological studies specifically designed to examine the patterns of welfare issues within populations, should integrate behavioral, physiological, and biological measures of good well-being (e.g. play, exploratory behaviors, measures of immunological function). While the results of population-level studies can be used to refine animal care guidelines, individual animals should be monitored to ensure that their needs are being met. Furthermore, after determining how to elicit positive affective states in individual animals, the zoo community should attempt to promote these states by offering positive experiences. We describe two strategies that zoos can currently pursue to facilitate the occurrence of positive affective states: (1) provide animals with stimulating opportunities to overcome challenges, make choices, and have some level of control over their environments, and (2) promote appropriate and beneficial keeper−animal relationships. Ultimately, we hope that as welfare researchers gain a better understanding of how to assess and promote good well-being, zoos and aquaria can apply these findings to actively strive toward achieving the best possible welfare for all animals in their care.
Therapeutic Alliance Researchers' Perspectives on Alliance-Centered Training Practices

Although the therapeutic alliance is an evidence-based psychotherapy element, scant literature exists on best practices for alliance-focused training. This qualitative study explored the perspectives of 10 psychotherapy alliance researchers on current and ideal alliance-centered training approaches. Data derived from interview transcripts of the proceedings of 2 semistructured discussions at professional conferences. Results indicated that most participants viewed current alliance training as unstructured, while also expressing an interest in developing a more structured, gold standard approach. Participants also highlighted the psychotherapist’s role in alliance development and the importance of clinicians’ personal improvement strategies. Little consensus emerged concerning barriers to ideal alliance-training practices.
Subcellular localization of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein.

Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) is essential for the assembly of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins. Within the endoplasmic reticulum, it transfers lipid from the membrane to the forming lipoprotein. Recent evidence suggests that it may also function within the Golgi apparatus. To address this hypothesis, we developed a polyclonal antibody to MTP and used it in a series of studies on mouse liver and McArdle-RH7777 (McA) cells. Western blot analysis demonstrated the presence of MTP within mouse hepatic-Golgi apparatus-rich fractions. In addition, in vitro lipid transfer assays demonstrated the presence of triglyceride transfer activity within the Golgi fractions. Immunohistochemical studies with mouse liver demonstrated the presence of MTP within all hepatocytes, but not in nonparenchymal cells. The subcellular location of MTP in McA cells was investigated using confocal microscopy. MTP colocalized with the trans-Golgi network (TGN) 38 and Golgi SNARE (soluble N-ethylmalemide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) of 28 kDa (GS28), markers for the trans- and cis-Golgi apparatus, respectively. Morphometric analyses indicated that ∼17% of the MTP signal colocalized with the TGN38, while 33% of the trans-Golgi marker colocalized with the MTP. Approximately 17% of the MTP signal colocalized with the GS28, whereas 53% of the cis-Golgi marker colocalized with the MTP. The results provide unequivocal evidence for the location of MTP within the Golgi apparatus, and further highlight the importance of this organelle in the assembly of lipoproteins.
Getting to the heart of regeneration in zebrafish

A scientific and clinical prerogative of the 21st century is to stimulate the regenerative ability of the human heart. While the mammalian heart shows little or no natural regeneration in response to injury, certain non-mammalian vertebrates possess an elevated capacity for cardiac regeneration. Adult zebrafish restore ventricular muscle removed by surgical resection, events that involve little or no scarring. Recent studies have begun to reveal cellular and molecular mechanisms of this regenerative process that have exciting implications for human cardiac biology and disease.
Collective Bargaining, Transfer Rights, and Disadvantaged Schools.

Collective bargaining is common in American public education, but its consequences are poorly understood. We focus here on key contractual provisions—seniority-based transfer rights—that affect teacher assignments, and we show that these transfer rights operate to burden disadvantaged schools with higher percentages of inexperienced teachers. We also show that this impact is conditional: It is substantial in large districts, where decisions are likely to follow rules, but it is virtually zero in small districts, where decisions tend to be less formal and undesirable outcomes can more easily be avoided. The negative consequences are thus concentrated on precisely those districts and schools—large districts, high-minority schools—that have been the nation’s worst performers and the most difficult to improve.
A fit-gap analysis of e-business curricula vs. industry needs

Despite the dot-com bust, e-business continues to expand, as many large, traditionalbusinesses embrace it as a key component of their competitive strategies [8]. ForresterResearch has estimated that e-business is expected to grow to $6.8 trillion worldwideby the year 2004, with its impact felt in almost every segment of the global economy[6].E-business is
Liquid cold storage of platelets: a revitalized possible alternative for limiting bacterial contamination of platelet products.

ACTERIAL CONTAMINATION of blood products is a recurring problem that can pose a significant risk to the transfusion recipient. With the advent of the closed system for platelet apheresis collections, the cause for concern has decreased, 1 but it has not been completely alleviated. For platelet products, bacterial contamination is especially problematic because they are stored in plasma at room temperature where bacterial pathogens can rapidly multiply to produce a significant bioburden. This was highlighted in 1986 when a group of cases of platelet transfusion-associated bacteremia was reported, and the storage period, which previously had been increased to 7 days, was reduced to 5 days to limit the time for bacterial growth in inadvertently contaminated units. 2 This has not fully eliminated the problem, and in 1990, the Food and Drug Administration received reports of six deaths as a result of bacterial sepsis; five were caused by contaminated platelets and one was caused by contaminated red blood cells) In addition, there may be the occurrence of nonfatal sepsis in as many as 1 in 1,700 transfusions of pooled platelet concentrates, 1 making platelet transfusionassociated bacteremia the most common transfusion-associated infection challenge today. 4 A simple way to decrease the growth of bacteria in stored platelets would be to store them at 4~ which retards the growth of most strains of bacteria. Although these conditions were easily adapted for storage of red blood cells, platelets were found to be significantly and irreversibly affected by exposure to cold temperatures. The coldqnduced changes negatively impact on in vivo platelet recovery and survival. It was for this reason that cold storage of platelets was abandoned. Recent
In the Voices of Parents: Suggestions for the Next IDEA Reauthorization

Since its initial passage in 1975, parent involvement had been a cornerstone of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). However, parents face many barriers in voicing their concerns to professionals. One way for parents to share their insights and create systemic change is during an IDEA reauthorization. Yet, although the public is afforded the opportunity to provide feedback during a reauthorization, individual parent input is frequently under-represented. In this study, across urban, suburban, and rural regions of a state, we asked parents of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (N = 49) to provide videotaped testimonies about their concerns regarding IDEA. After qualitatively analyzing their testimonies, we found that parents wanted the next IDEA reauthorization to add supports (including applied behavior analysis services and teacher–student ratios), provide specificity regarding certain provisions (i.e., transition, least restrictive environment, and eligibilit...
Simulation of Multivariate Gaussian Fields Conditioned by Realizations of the Fields and Their Derivatives

This paper investigates conditional simulation technique of multivariate Gaussian random fields by stochastic interpolation technique. For the first time in the literature a situation is studied when the random fields are conditioned not only by a set of realizations of the fields, but also by a set of realizations of their derivatives. The kriging estimate of multivariate Gaussian field is proposed, which takes into account both the random field as well as its derivative. Special conditions are imposed on the kriging estimate to determine the kriging weights. Basic formulation for simulation of conditioned multivariate random fields is established. As a particular case of uncorrelated components of multivariate field without realizations of the derivative of the random field, the present formulation includes that of univariate field given by Hoshiya. Examples of univariate field and a three component field are elucidated and some numerical results are discussed. It is concluded that the information on the derivatives may significantly alter the results of the conditional simulation.
New lower bounds on the maximum number of mutually orthogonal Steiner triple systems

Two Steiner triple systems (STS) are orthogonal if their sets of triples are disjoint, and two disjoint pairs of points defining intersecting triples in one system fail to do so in the other. We define the quantity σ(n) as the size of a maximum collection of pairwise orthogonal STS of order n. Special starters in the finite fields are used to improve the best known lower bounds on σ(n) for prime-powers n ≡ 1 (mod 6), n > 500. Additionally, hill-climbing and isomorphisms are used together to show σ(n) ≥ 3 or 4 for certain other small n, including some orders n ≡ 3 (mod 6). Asymptotic existence for three mutually orthogonal STS is a consequence.
Reason and Normative Embodiment in Plato's Republic: On the Philosophical Creation of Disability

This essay argues that the tendency to exclude individuals with disabilities from philosophical discourse is rooted in the attempt to apply rationally-derived principles to human embodiment. To establish this thesis, this essay focuses on Plato's Republic as one of the first, foundational philosophical texts to specifically argue that a city governed by reasonableness should actively kill individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities because such individuals embody injustice as the lack of order. This essay concludes that because philosophical discourse is predicated upon on rationality and rational principles, the exclusion of individuals with disabilities due to considerations of normative conceptions of embodiment will always remain an inherent possibility within human reasoning. However, historical and contemporary attempts to philosophically derive a normative conception of human embodiment will also necessarily fail to adequately address human embodiment insofar as such rationalized schemas exclude individuals and deny inevitable borderline cases to appear rationally coherent.
An efficient approach to learning inhomogeneous Gibbs model

The inhomogeneous Gibbs model (IGM) (Liu et al., 2001) is an effective maximum entropy model in characterizing complex high-dimensional distributions. However, its training process is so slow that the applicability of IGM has been greatly restricted. In this paper, we propose an approach for fast parameter learning of IGM. In IGM learning, features are incrementally constructed to constrain the learnt distribution. When a new feature is added, Markov-chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling is repeated to draw samples for parameter learning. In contrast, our approach constructs a closed-form reference distribution using approximate information gain criteria. Because our reference distribution is very close to the optimal one, importance sampling can be used to accelerate the parameter optimization process. For problems with high-dimensional distributions, our approach typically achieves a speedup of two orders of magnitude compared to the original IGM. We further demonstrate the efficiency of our approach by learning a high-dimensional joint distribution of face images and their corresponding caricatures.
Preventing relapse in bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder is a life long condition characterized by an irregular pattern of acute episodes separated by periods of full or partial remission. While keeping patients well after a remission is a primary therapeutic goal, relapse rates have remained high despite the wide spread use of lithium. There are now well powered double blind placebo controlled studies demonstrating the efficacy of lithium [1], valproate [2], lamotrigine [3], olanzapine [4-6], and aripiprazole for one or more outcome measure related to prophylaxis.
MAINTAINING (ENVIRONMENTAL) CAPITAL INTACT

The idea of sustainability is an odd composite of imagination and accounting. Environmental history is a permissive historical subdiscipline, and this essay is about the environmental–economic–intellectual history of an environmental idea, sustainability, which is historical in the sense that it is very old, and historical, too, in the sense that it is an idea about history, or about imagining the future in relation to the past. One of the oddities of the last several decades is that these old ideas have been transformed into the most celebrated of all the dicta of environmental policy, or an aspiration of UN commissions, “strategy consultancies”, and very large government agencies (“sustainability is our ‘true north.’”)
Towards a query optimizer for text-centric tasks

Text is ubiquitous and, not surprisingly, many important applications rely on textual data for a variety of tasks. As a notable example, information extraction applications derive structured relations from unstructured text; as another example, focused crawlers explore the Web to locate pages about specific topics. Execution plans for text-centric tasks follow two general paradigms for processing a text database: either we can scan, or “crawl,” the text database or, alternatively, we can exploit search engine indexes and retrieve the documents of interest via carefully crafted queries constructed in task-specific ways. The choice between crawl- and query-based execution plans can have a substantial impact on both execution time and output “completeness” (e.g., in terms of recall). Nevertheless, this choice is typically ad hoc and based on heuristics or plain intuition. In this article, we present fundamental building blocks to make the choice of execution plans for text-centric tasks in an informed, cost-based way. Towards this goal, we show how to analyze query- and crawl-based plans in terms of both execution time and output completeness. We adapt results from random-graph theory and statistics to develop a rigorous cost model for the execution plans. Our cost model reflects the fact that the performance of the plans depends on fundamental task-specific properties of the underlying text databases. We identify these properties and present efficient techniques for estimating the associated parameters of the cost model. We also present two optimization approaches for text-centric tasks that rely on the cost-model parameters and select efficient execution plans. Overall, our optimization approaches help build efficient execution plans for a task, resulting in significant efficiency and output completeness benefits. We complement our results with a large-scale experimental evaluation for three important text-centric tasks and over multiple real-life data sets.
Viability of zoonotic pathogens Escherichia coli and Salmonella in swine manure slurries with and without a urease inhibitor and thymol

Aims: To determine the effects of urine, a urease inhibitor and ⁄or an odourreducing antimicrobial compound, on zoonotic pathogens in swine manure slurries. Methods and Results: Swine faeces were collected and blended with different amounts of urine. Marker strains of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 were inoculated into the manure slurries with or without the urease inhibitor, N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide, or the antimicrobial compound thymol. In slurries containing approximately 1 : 1 or 2 : 1 of urine and faeces, the decreases in colony forming units (CFU) of Salm. Typhimurium and E. coli were similar and few counts were observed after 14 days. When the urine content of the slurry was increased to 5 : 1, both strains died off rapidly. When NBPT was added to the slurries, pathogen CFU was not affected in the 1 : 1 slurry. The 2 : 1 and 5 : 1 slurries had higher urea content and NBPT increased CFU of both pathogens. Thymol addition rapidly killed the pathogens and few CFU of Salmonella or E. coli were observed after day 1. Conclusions: These experiments demonstrate that urea hydrolysis in swine manure affects pathogens. Inhibition of urea hydrolysis may promote pathogen viability. Significance and Impact of the Study: Manure amendments that prevent urea hydrolysis may promote pathogen persistence. Additional treatments with antimicrobials may be required to kill pathogens.
Output feedback pole placement and R-degeneracy of linear systems

It is proved that for generic p*m linear systems of McMillan degree n, mp>n implies generic pole assignability by constant output feedback laws. >
EFFECT OF ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCE REACTIVATION DURING THE PERIOD OF PEAK EXPANSION IN THE OSTEOCLAST POPULATION

Background Delays in the appearance of osteoclasts at compression sites occur following orthodontic appliance reactivation when this is done during the period of osteoclast recruitment. This study examined changes in alveolar bone after appliance reactivation at a time coinciding with the peak expansion of the osteoclast population following the first appliance activation. Methods Orthodontic appliances were activated with 40 g on maxillary molars followed by a reactivation with the same force after 4 days in one group and sham reactivation in the other. Rats were killed at 0, 1, 3, 6, and 10 days thereafter. Orthodontic movement was measured cephalometrically. TRAP and interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α) were measured biochemically, and changes in osteoclasts and root resorption were assessed at both compression and tension sites histomorphometrically. Results Teeth in the reactivated group displayed more initial displacement than controls but no more tooth movement 10 days following appliance reactivation. Also, increases in osteoclast numbers and surface percent, as well as alveolar bone Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), became evident in the treated animals only 10 days after reactivation. However, IL-1α was elevated in alveolar bone within 1 hr following appliance reactivation but returned to baseline by day 1. There were no treatment-related difference in nuclear number per osteoclast or trabecular surface per osteoclast. Significant treatment-related increases in root resorption were evident at compression sites by day 10. Conclusions These findings indicate that after appliance reactivation during the height of osteoclastic stimulation, a second cohort of osteoclasts can be recruited, but only after a delay of several days. This delay is not due to a failure to produce IL-1α in the tissues. Anat. Rec. 251:80–86, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Addressing A Compensation Anomaly In An Academic Setting

Faculty compensation is a serious matter. Rewards for performance are an expectation. Managers recognize that rewards often drive performance and productivity. Faculty members who perform well expect to be rewarded well. Faculty members expend considerable time and effort developing evaluation instruments and procedures for assessing and rewarding peer performance. Depending on how the reward process is implemented faculty performance rewards may not result as expected. This paper contrasts faculty compensation models including one that produces a high performance, low compensation anomaly for higher paid faculty.
Special issues in transfusion medicine.

This article reviews four controversial aspects of transfusion practices: the clinical circumstances, survival, and complications of massive transfusion; specific problems related to neonatal transfusion practices and the surgical support of the small child, including the appropriate age for red cells to be transfused, cytomegalovirus transmission, and the reduction in homologous donor exposures; the clinical presentation, incidence, and prevention of transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease; and the biochemistry, function, genetics, and clinical indication for replacement therapy of anti thrombin III.
In vivo measurements of human retinal structure using optical coherence tomography

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has recently been developed as a new technique for high resolution measurements of biological tissue.1,2 OCT is an extension of low coherence interferometry techniques for optical ranging measurement,3,4 which permits the measurement of false color, cross-sectional images. OCT is particularly attractive in ophthalmic applications where it can non-invasively provide quantitative measurements of a variety of ocular diseases. We have previously demonstrated imaging of tire anterior chamber of a human eye in vitro, in cold-induced cataracts of a calf eye in vitro, in the retinal structure of a bisected human eye in vitro, and in the retinal structure of a rabbit eye in vivo. In this paper we report, as we know it, the first in vivo, transpupillary measurements of the human retina.
Evaluation of Sexual Function Before and After Hip Arthroscopic Surgery for Symptomatic Femoroacetabular Impingement

Background:It is unknown if chronic hip pain due to femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) may cause sexual difficulties. Available evidence suggests that hip arthroscopic surgery may be effective for the treatment of symptomatic FAI; however, sexual function before and after hip arthroscopic surgery has not been reported.Purpose/Hypothesis:The purpose of this study was to determine the presence and significance of sexual difficulties in patients with chronic hip pain due to symptomatic FAI both before and after hip arthroscopic surgery. The hypotheses were that (1) chronic hip pain due to symptomatic FAI has a negative effect on sexual function, (2) hip arthroscopic surgery improves the level of sexual function postoperatively, (3) the characteristics of sexual difficulties may be dependent on sex or age, (4) patients lack knowledge of potential sexual activity changes in the preoperative and postoperative periods, and (5) patients desire a greater level of discussion regarding potential changes in sexual fu...
Real-Time Search in Dynamic Worlds

For problems such as pathfinding in video games and robotics, a search algorithm must be real-time (return the next move within a fixed time bound) and dynamic (accommodate edge costs that can increase and decrease before the goal is reached). Existing real-time search algorithms, such as LSS-LRTA*, can handle edge cost increases but do not handle edge cost decreases. Existing dynamic search algorithms, such as D* Lite, are not real-time. We show how these two families of algorithms can be combined using bidirectional search, producing Real-Time D* (RTD*), the first real-time search algorithm designed for dynamic worlds. Our empirical evaluation shows that, for dynamic grid pathfinding, RTD* results in significantly shorter trajectories than either LSS-LRTA* or naive real-time adaptations of D* Lite because of its ability to opportunistically exploit shortcuts.
Determination of renal stone composition in phantom and patients using single-source dual-energy computed tomography

available at http://jurology.com/ Editorial Comment: Small steps are being made in improving the accuracy of computerized tomo- graphic imaging for defining stone composition. Defining the compositions of mixed stones will be challenging but use of the effective atomic number facilitates identification of the predominant stone type. This group has taken steps to decrease radiation exposure, which has been considered an issue with this technique.
Interleukin Gene Marker for Febrile Seizures

The use of polymorphisms for interleukin IB (IL-1B) exon 5 and interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) as markers of susceptibility to febrile seizures was evaluated in Taiwanese children (group 1: 51 with febrile convulsions and group 2: 83 normal controls) at China Medical College Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Optimal Control of PV-Wind-Storage Hybrid Power System Based on Variable Weight Adaptive Filtering

This paper proposed an optimal control strategy for photovoltaic( PV)-w ind-storage coordination based on variable w eight adaptive filtering to smooth the fluctuations of the output pow er in the PV-w ind-storage hybrid pow er system.Based on traditional w eighted moving filtering algorithm,the relationship of the output of energy storage system,the fluctuation rates and the filtering bandw idth w as analyzed; the balance index of the state of charge( SOC) of energy storage system and the fluctuation rates of the output pow er connected to the grid w ere used as constraint conditions to optimize the w eight of the w eighted moving filtering algorithm and the filtering bandw idth. Under the given constraint of fluctuation rate,the coordination optimal control of hybrid pow er system including PV,w ind pow er and energy storage system w as achieved.The example results show that the smoothing performance of PV-w ind pow er of the proposed variable w eight adaptive filtering method is better than that of traditional first-order low-pass filtering method. Under the premise of maintaining a reasonable level of SOC,the fluctuation of PV-w ind output pow er is smoothed significantly,the charging or discharging times of energy storage system are reduced and the service life of energy storage system is improved.
Research of Synthesize Effects for Electromagnetic Signal

The electromagnetic environment in space is more and more of complexity.Especially the radio communication’s expanding result in enormous number of CW signals.Analysis and simulation about synthesis for space electromagnetic signals show that the effect is greater than man’s intuition.The effect for many mobile communication stations should not be ignored.
Reversal of donor myocardial dysfunction by triiodothyronine replacement therapy

Triiodothyronine deficiency after brain death can result in progressive deterioration of cardiac function in potential organ donors. We report on the use of triiodothyronine replacement in improving myocardial function, allowing the use of donor hearts that might have been considered unsuitable for transplantation. From July to September 1992, of 24 organ procurements and transplantations, six donors were receiving high doses of inotropes with elevated left-sided filling pressures. Donor characteristics were as follows: five were male donors and one was a female donor, with mean age 16.50 +/- 7.50 years (8 to 30 years), mean weight 49.17 +/- 13.64 kg (25 to 63 kg), average time from clinical brain death to procurement 94.50 +/- 73.53 hours (49 to 240 hours), and two donors had arrest periods of up to 10 minutes. Despite large inotrope infusions, echocardiograms showed depressed left ventricular function (mean ejection fraction 39.17 +/- 5.85) and hemodynamic instability was present with elevated ventricular filling pressures. Triiodothyronine replacement (maximal dose 0.6 microgram/kg) was initiated an average of 139.17 +/- 32.00 minutes (115 to 185 minutes) before procurement. At the time of procurement, ventricular filling pressures were lower, hemodynamic condition stabilized, and pressor requirements decreased. Hearts were preserved in University of Wisconsin solution with a mean ischemic time of 188.83 +/- 36.86 minutes (149 to 237 minutes).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Introduction: The Rise of Analytic Philosophy of Religion

There is little need to explain or defend the unique status which human language has occupied and continues to occupy in most fields of human endeavor. Certainly no other human device or invention has influenced the development of human civilization more than human language. Language is doubly important for any intellectual or philosophical pursuits — including, and perhaps especially, philosophy and the philosophy of religion. Every major investigation into any of the many areas of the philosophy of religion and every one of the many disputes among different schools of thought and different individual thinkers have depended upon the sophistication and complexity as well as the subtleties and fine details that human language allows. The same is true, of course, to a greater or lesser extent, for all philosophical inquiry; however, the use of language to engage in any intellectual pursuit poses unique and serious questions — both methodological and substantive.
A kernel-based mixed effect regression model for earthquake ground motions

Abstract This paper presents a semi-parametric mixed-effect regression approach for analyzing and modeling earthquake ground motions, taking into account the correlations between records. Using kernels, the proposed method extends the classical mixed model equations to complicated relationships. The predictive equation is composed of parametric and nonparametric parts. The parametric part incorporates known relationships into the model, while the nonparametric part captures the relationships which cannot be cast into a simple parametric form. A least squares kernel machine is used to infer the nonparametric part of the model. The resulting semi-parametric model combines the strengths of parametric and nonparametric approaches, allowing incorporation of prior, well-justified knowledge into the model while retaining flexibility with respect to the explanatory variables for which the functional form is uncertain. Equations for pointwise confidence and prediction intervals around the conditional mean are provided. The validity of the proposed method is demonstrated through numerical simulations and using recorded ground motions.
Cleaning practices in the hospital setting: Are high-touch surfaces in isolation and standard precaution patient rooms cleaned to the same standard?

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to identify differences in cleaning practices between isolation rooms and standard precaution rooms in the hospital setting. An ultravoilet marking system was used to evaluate high-touch surfaces throughout the patient environment. Results reveal the importance of refining training systems to reflect staff perceptions and improve evaluation processes across systems in an effort to reduce health care–associated infections.