cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Civic Engagement and Nonprofit Lobbying in California, 1998-2003

Which types of nonprofit organizations make claims to the state by lobbying and what explains their involvement in the activity? Although many studies focus on organization-level characteristics, the authors argue that nonprofit lobbying is driven by two different dynamics that operate at the field level: cross-sector competition and social change mission. Analyzing data on nonprofit organizations in California from 1998 to 2003, the authors show that nonprofits in mission-driven fields are more likely to lobby than nonprofits in other fields, but cross-sector competition does not seem to influence lobbying at the field level. The authors also find that many organization-level characteristics matter and nonprofits with lobbying experience tend to make the activity a regular component of their organizational repertoire. These findings have a variety of implications for work on civic engagement and the authors conclude with a discussion of the implications.
Comparisons of eccrine sweat gland anatomy in genetic, chromosomal, and other diseases, and a suggested procedure for use of sweat gland measurements in differential diagnosis.

Statistical analysis of the dimensions of microdissected eccrine sweat glands (duct length, coil volume, ratio of coil volume to duct length, and axis ratio of coil) was performed for several diseases (cystic fibrosis of the pancreas, Werdnig-Hoffmann disease, tetralogy of Fallot, chronic renal disease, and trisomies 13, 18, and 21) using both individual and grouped age-matched control patients. Duct length, coil volume, and the ratio of the two all rise with age. Eccrine gland duct length was found to be significantly large in tetralogy of Fallot and Werdnig-Hoffmann disease and small in chronic renal disease (less so in males than in females, trisomy 13 and trisomy 18). Secretory coil volume was significantly smaller than normal in trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and in chronic renal disease, and the ratio of coil volume to duct length was low in trisomy 21 and chronic renal disease. The shape of the secretory coil (axis ratio) was possibly abnormal in trisomy 13. Gland dimensions were normal for cystic fibrosis. Using the multivariate procedure of discriminant analysis, it was found that sweat gland measures significantly contributed to the differentiation of diseases, after adjustments were made for variations in age-at-death. This suggested the possibility that criteria for distinction of clinically similar genetic, metabolic, or chromosomal diseases by study of the anatomic properties of eccrine glands obtained by skin biopsy could be developed. A procedure of analysis comparing the “percentage of normal” of gland dimensions for each disease to control values, and thereby differentiating disease categories on the basis of the “percentage of normal” values, is presented.
The Binary Eutectic of NSAIDs and Two-Phase Liquid System for Enhanced Membrane Permeation

The eutectic properties of binary mixtures of some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with ibuprofen were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and phase equilibrium diag...
Intensive care unit use and mortality in the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: To examine utilization and outcomes of intensive care unit (ICU) use for the elderly in the United States.
Nonuniform cleavage cracking across persistent grain boundary

The nonuniform characteristics of cleavage cracking across high-angle grain boundaries are analyzed in considerable detail. To break through a grain boundary, a cleavage front would first penetrate across the boundary at its central part, with the side sections being locally arrested. Such a front behavior causes a strong crack trapping effect and a large increase in required crack growth driving force. Eventually, as the persistent grain boundary areas are separated apart, the crack front bypasses the grain boundary. The critical condition of the unstable crack propagation is determined by both the local fracture resistance and its increase rate with respect to the expansion of the break-through window. The grain boundary toughness is dominated by the effective grain boundary ductility.
An Unsung Ally of Neuroscience: The Department of Veterans Affairs

The annual appropriation for the Department of Veterans Affairs is substantially more than $40 billion. This is widely understood and appreciated as a grateful nation’s obligation to its veterans. What is less widely understood is the role of the VA in advancing clinical care, educating health care personnel, and supporting a diverse research portfolio. Clinical neuroscience is advanced in neurology, mental health, and geriatrics in VA, reflecting an aging population subject to neurodegenerative disorders and one in which mental illness is a significant factor. Spinal cord injury and research for new treatments for it are high priority areas within VA, and multiple sclerosis is also emerging as a priority. Research into stroke, Alzheimer disease, and Par-kinson disease is emphasized as is research on substance abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and chronic mental illness. VA plays a major role in the training of mental health and neurology residents, supporting approximately 20% of the positions...
The role of abstraction in non-native speech perception.

The end-result of perceptual reorganization in infancy is currently viewed as a reconfigured perceptual space, “warped” around native-language phonetic categories, which then acts as a direct perceptual filter on any nonnative sounds: naive-listener discrimination of non-native-sounds is determined by their mapping onto nativelanguage phonetic categories that are acoustically/articulatorily most similar. We report results that suggest another factor in non-native speech perception: some perceptual sensitivities cannot be attributed to listeners' warped perceptual space alone, but rather to enhanced general sensitivity along phonetic dimensions that the listeners' native language employs to distinguish between categories. Specifically, we show that the knowledge of a language with short and long vowel categories leads to enhanced discrimination of non-native consonant length contrasts. We argue that these results support a view of perceptual reorganization as the consequence of learners' hierarchical inductive inferences about the structure of the language's sound system: infants not only acquire the specific phonetic category inventory, but also draw higher-order generalizations over the set of those categories, such as the overall informativity of phonetic dimensions for sound categorization. Non-native sound perception is then also determined by sensitivities that emerge from these generalizations, rather than only by mappings of non-native sounds onto native-language phonetic categories. & 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
The dielectric strength and life of impregnated-paper insulation-III

STUDIES of the causes and mechanism of the failure of impregnated-paper insulation are commonly obscured by the burning due to the final complete breakdown. In a number of years of study of the more accessible properties of impregnated paper and their relation to stability and breakdown, constant attention has been given to the restriction of this burning and a nearer view of the beginnings of failure. Simple fuses and even rapid circuit breakers in the primary circuit of the testing transformer are of no avail. Some improvement is obtained by the use of a thyratron in the grounded lead of the sample with suitable connection to a rapid circuit breaker in the primary. But by far the best results, and indeed very complete success, have been reached by a method for detecting the first occurrence of gaseous ionization within the test specimen. This method is a development of the pioneer work of Paine1 and the subsequent applications of Arman and Starr and of Whitehead and Shaw,2 using resonance methods for following the oscillations which arise in the ionization of gas spaces in the insulation wall. New features which have been added are increased sensitivity, improved balancing of the Schering bridge for the frequency of maximum oscillations, the use of greater amplification, and a sensitive recording instrument for registering the first occurrence of internal ionization. The complete setup, as described in this paper, is called the “ionization recorder.” With this instrument it is possible to detect the beginnings of failure in a completely impregnated specimen initially free of gas spaces or voids, often to within one layer of the impregnated structure, and also to follow its growth, with interruption at any desired stage on the way to complete breakdown. So far, the instrument has been applied only to the study of the influence of paper density on dielectric strength and stability, and the comparative behavior of two types of paper and two types of oil. From the results it will be seen that a very intimate picture of breakdown and its causes is presented.
The Cultural Production of Science in Reform-based Physics: Girls’ Access, Participation, and Resistance

Recent literature in science education suggests that, to transform girls‘ participation, learning, and identities within school science, we must think about ways to engage girls in different kinds of educational activities that promote broader meanings of science and scientist. This study was designed to examine more deeply this call for a changed science curriculum and its implications for girls‘ participation, interest, and emerging science identities. In this ethnographic study, I examine the culturally produced meanings of science and scientist in a reform-based physics classroom that used a curriculum called Active Physics, how these meanings reproduced and contested larger sociohistorical (and prototypical) meanings of science and scientist, and the ways girls participated within and against these meanings. The girls in this upper middle class school were mostly concerned with accessing and maintaining a good student identity (rather than connecting to science in any meaningful way) and resisted promoted meanings of science and scientist that they perceived as threatening to their good student identities. Their embrace of the ways school defined success (via grades and college admission) produced a meaning of Active Physics as a way to get credentials on a transcript and ensured their disconnection from real-world, meaningful science and science identities. The story of girls‘ participation and resistance in Active Physics complicates our quest for gender-fair science and highlights the power of sociohistorical meanings of schooling and science in producing educational subjects.
Cloning and characterization of the mouse Mcoln1 gene reveals an alternatively spliced transcript not seen in humans

Background: Mucolipidosis type IV (MLIV) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder characterized by severe neurologic and ophthalmologic abnormalities. Recently the MLIV gene, MCOLN1, has been identified as a new member of the transient receptor potential (TRP) cation channel superfamily. Here we report the cloning and characterization of the mouse homologue, Mcoln1, and report a novel splice variant that is not seen in humans. Results: The human and mouse genes display a high degree of synteny. Mcoln1 shows 91% amino acid and 86% nucleotide identity to MCOLN1. Also, Mcoln1 maps to chromosome 8 and contains an open reading frame of 580 amino acids, with a transcript length of approximately 2 kb encoded by 14 exons, similar to its human counterpart. The transcript that results from murine specific alternative splicing encodes a 611 amino acid protein that differs at the c-terminus. Conclusions: Mcoln1 is highly similar to MCOLN1, especially in the transmembrane domains and ion pore region. Also, the late endosomal/lysosomal targeting signal is conserved, supporting the hypothesis that the protein is localized to these vesicle membranes. To date, there are very few reports describing species-specific splice variants. While identification of Mcoln1 is crucial to the development of mouse models for MLIV, the fact that there are two transcripts in mice suggests an additional or alternate function of the gene that may complicate phenotypic assessment.
An analytical method for optimum maintenance of substations

An analytical method for determining the optimum maintenance of substations based on stochastic modeling is presented in this paper. The analytical method includes reliability modeling of operation states, and different types of maintenance for individual components, which provides more detail information comparing with traditional modeling. Importance analysis is performed to quantify the reliability contribution of each individual component towards a specific load point, which also gives the priority of a component's maintenance significance. Moreover, economical analysis is also included in this paper, which calculates the expected benefit that can be achieved for a load point with corresponding maintenance schedule. An application of using the proposed method for evaluating substation maintenance schedule is given. The optimal maintenance schedule and the corresponding expected reliability and benefit are presented in this paper.
Selection and Design of Input Devices for Assistive Technologies

Assistive technologies have the potential to support a variety of activities for a wide range of user capabilities. A critical design issue is the selection of an input device for the technology. Our research provides guidelines for the selection and design of input devices.
Esterification of soybean sterols in vitro and their influence on blood cholesterol level.

SummarySoybean sterols inhibit the increase in blood cholesterol of rats receiving a diet containing 2% cholesterol and 1% sodium taurocholate. The degree of inhibition increased as the soybean sterol concentration of the diet was increased. It was also observed that pancreatic cholesterol esterase catalyzes the esterification of soybean sterols albeit at a slower rate than with cholesterol. Bile salts and a fatty acid source are required for their esterification. The mechanism of action of soybean sterols in inhibiting cholesterol absorption is discussed.
Neural Network Weight Matrix Synthesis Using Optimal Control Techniques

Given a set of input-output training samples, we describe a procedure for determining the time sequence of weights for a dynamic neural network to model an arbitrary input-output process. We formulate the input-output mapping problem as an optimal control problem, defining a performance index to be minimized as a function of time-varying weights. We solve the resulting nonlinear two-point-boundary-value problem, and this yields the training rule. For the performance index chosen, this rule turns out to be a continuous time generalization of the outer product rule earlier suggested heuristically by Hopfield for designing associative memories. Learning curves for the new technique are presented.
Modeling landscape patterns of understory tree regeneration in the Pacific Northwest, USA

Vegetation maps serve as the basis for spatial analysis of forest ecosystems and provide initial information for simulations of forest landscape change. Because of the limitations of current remote sensing technology, it is not possible to directly measure forest understory attributes across large spatial extents. Instead we used a predictive vegetation mapping approach to model Tsuga heterophylla and Picea sitchensis seedling patterns in a 3900-ha landscape in the Oregon Coast Range, USA, as a function of Landsat TM imagery, aerial photographs, digital elevation models, and stream maps. Because the models explained only moderate amounts of variability (R2 values of 0.24 - 0.56), we inter- preted the predicted patterns as qualitative spatial trends rather than precise maps. P. sitchensis seedling patterns were tightly linked to the riparian network, with highest densities in coastal riparian areas. T. heterophylla seedlings exhibited complex patterns related to topography and overstory forest cover, and were also spatially clustered around patches of old-growth forest. We hypothesize that the old growth served as refugia for this fire-sensitive species following wildfires in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Low levels of T. heterophylla regenera- tion in hardwood-dominated forests suggest that these patches may succeed to shrublands rather than to conifer forest. Predictive models of seedling patterns could be developed for other landscapes where georeferenced inventory plots, remote sensing data, digital elevation models, and climate maps are available.
Passive trunk loading influences muscle activation during dynamic activity.

Introduction: Repetitive loading of the low back tissues induces tension relaxation with a corresponding variation in the myoelectric response of the neuromuscular system, which may influence low back health. The purpose of this study was to observe trunk muscle activities before and after a passive cyclic trunk flexion–extension exercise. Methods: Nineteen participants were subjected to sagittal plane loading of the low back tissues. These individuals performed toe-touching before and over 1 hour after load termination. Results: Lumbar paraspinal activity cessation occurred significantly sooner over time during lumbar and pelvic flexion post-loading, as compared with pre-loading. Lumbar paraspinal activity then re-initiated later in lumbar extension. There was no change in peak or average muscle activity during the procedures. Conclusions: It is apparent that passive loading of the viscoelastic lumbar tissues results in a prolonged neuromuscular adaptation, followed by possible neuromuscular compensation sustained within 1 hour of load termination. Muscle Nerve, 2011
A 52 GHz Frequency Synthesizer Featuring a 2nd Harmonic Extraction Technique That Preserves VCO Performance

This paper introduces a 2nd harmonic extraction technique and its implementation in a 46.4–58.1 GHz frequency synthesizer. The frequency doubling approach is based on tapping second harmonic signals at the VCO supply and tail nodes and amplifying them to provide a differential output. Since the amplifiers do not load the VCO outputs, the proposed technique does not affect either the tuning range or the frequency of the VCO. Moreover, a novel noise bypass technique is utilized to ensure that the amplifiers do not degrade the VCO phase noise. As a result, the frequency synthesizer achieves 22.4% tuning range (46.4–58.1 GHz) and phase noise below –118 dBc/Hz while consuming 66 mW from a 1 V supply. The stacked common gate amplifier can also be utilized for voltage regulation, providing a relatively constant FOM performance over a 2X power dissipation range. The synthesizer occupies 0.6 mm $ \times $ 1 mm in IBM 32 nm SOI CMOS.
A path based approach to quantifying the progression of Alzheimer's disease

Histological studies suggest that different pathological changes occur in the subfields of hippocampi in aging and in Alzheimer0s disease. The pathological changes due to Alzheimer's disease follows a neural system and are consistent with subjects. The aim of this study is to study the path in vivo the changes in normal control, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimers disease patients using high resolution MRI scanned at 3 Tesla. T1 weighted images were obtained from the ADNI database. The dataset consists of 11 control patients, 13 MCI patients, and 9 AD patients. The hippocampal subfields were segmented using the Freesurfer image-analysis suite (Version 6.0). The volume of the subfields and the path along the medial axis of the subfields were studied. The results suggest that the intensity along the medial axis shows more variation on the CA1 region than other subfields in cases of Alzheimer disease, MCI and normal control patients. The changes are more prominent in the early section of the CA1 suggesting the progressive nature of the disease. The mean intensity value along the medial axis of CA1 subfield shows change in AD, MCI and NC but similar change are not seen in other subfields.
E-cigarettes and smoking cessation in real-world and clinical settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Summary Background Smokers increasingly use e-cigarettes for many reasons, including attempts to quit combustible cigarettes and to use nicotine where smoking is prohibited. We aimed to assess the association between e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking cessation among adult cigarette smokers, irrespective of their motivation for using e-cigarettes. Methods PubMed and Web of Science were searched between April 27, 2015, and June 17, 2015. Data extracted included study location, design, population, definition and prevalence of e-cigarette use, comparison group (if applicable), cigarette consumption, level of nicotine dependence, other confounders, definition of quitting smoking, and odds of quitting smoking. The primary endpoint was cigarette smoking cessation. Odds of smoking cessation among smokers using e-cigarettes compared with smokers not using e-cigarettes were assessed using a random effects meta-analysis. A modification of the ACROBAT-NRSI tool and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool were used to assess bias. This meta-analysis is registered with PROSPERO (number CRD42015020382). Findings 38 studies (of 577 studies identified) were included in the systematic review; all 20 studies with control groups (15 cohort studies, three cross-sectional studies, and two clinical trials) were included in random effects meta-analysis and sensitivity analyses. Odds of quitting cigarettes were 28% lower in those who used e-cigarettes compared with those who did not use e-cigarettes (odds ratio [OR] 0·72, 95% CI 0·57–0·91). Association of e-cigarette use with quitting did not significantly differ among studies of all smokers using e-cigarettes (irrespective of interest in quitting cigarettes) compared with studies of only smokers interested in cigarette cessation (OR 0·63, 95% CI 0·45–0·86 vs 0·86, 0·60–1·23; p=0·94). Other study characteristics (design, population, comparison group, control variables, time of exposure assessment, biochemical verification of abstinence, and definition of e-cigarette use) were also not associated with the overall effect size (p≥0·77 in all cases). Interpretation As currently being used, e-cigarettes are associated with significantly less quitting among smokers. Funding National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, FDA Center for Tobacco Products.
Human T-cell leukemia virus type I tax/rex DNA and RNA in cutaneous T- cell lymphoma

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and T-cell lines from patients with Sezary syndrome (SS) and skin lesions from patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for DNA sequences homologous to the human retroviruses human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV)-I and -II. Results obtained using primers and probes from the tax/rex region of HTLV-I indicate that 72% (18/25) of SS patients PBMCs, 80% (20/25) of T-cell lines established from SS-PBMC, and 30% (3/10) of skin lesions from MF patients were positive for HTLV-I tax/rex region DNA. Sequence analysis of the 127-bp fragment amplified by the tax/rex primers from 4 of these individuals was found to be identical to that in prototypic HTLV-I. Negative results were obtained using primers and probes from the HTLV-I gag region and the HTLV-II gag and tax regions. No PCR products were obtained using all primers and probes using DNA from 9 healthy blood donors and 10 cord bloods. Expression of HTLV-I tax/rex mRNA was found in 4 of 8 Sezary patients, as determined by RNA-PCR, indicating that this viral region is being transcribed in vivo. Exposure to Tax/Rex protein in SS-patients is supported by the fact that serum antibodies against p27rex and p40tax was observed in 43% and 29% of these SS patients, respectively. Although the causal relationship between the HTLV-I tax/rex region and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) remains unclear, these findings support the presence of a truncated HTLV-I retrovirus in CTCL patients.
T = 3 2 levels in F 15 and O 15

The $^{20}\mathrm{Ne}$($^{3}\mathrm{He}$, $^{8}\mathrm{Li}$) reaction has been used to study the particle-unstable nucleus $^{15}\mathrm{F}$. The ground state of $^{15}\mathrm{F}$ is observed as a broad peak at a mass excess of 16.9\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2 MeV with a width greater than 900 keV. A well defined narrower peak is observed at a mass excess of 18.088\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.025 MeV and with a width of 240\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}30 keV. It is shown to be the mirror of the ${5/2}^{+}$ first excited state of $^{15}\mathrm{C}$. The analog of the ${5/2}^{+}$ state was observed in $^{15}\mathrm{O}$ at ${E}_{x}=12.255\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.013$ MeV. This state is shown to proton decay to the $T=1$ first excited state of $^{14}\mathrm{N}$ and to have a width of 135\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}15 keV.
Simple Scaling of Multi-Stream Jet Plumes for Aeroacoustic Modeling

When creating simplified, semi-empirical models for the noise of simple single-stream jets near surfaces it has proven useful to be able to generalize the geometry of the jet plume. Having a model that collapses the mean and turbulent velocity fields for a range of flows allows the problem to become one of relating the normalized jet field and the surface. However, most jet flows of practical interest involve jets of two or more co-annular flows for which standard models for the plume geometry do not exist. The present paper describes one attempt to relate the mean and turbulent velocity fields of multi-stream jets to that of an equivalent single-stream jet. The normalization of single-stream jets is briefly reviewed, from the functional form of the flow model to the results of the modeling. Next, PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) data from a number of multi-stream jets is analyzed in a similar fashion. The results of several single-stream approximations of the multi-stream jet plume are demonstrated, with a 'best' approximation determined and the shortcomings of the model highlighted.
672 Feno and Asthma Control

Background and Aims Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lower airways, whose treatment is conducted by guidelines in use, depending on clinical markers of disease control (ACT=asthma control test score) and spirometric values. Due to situations in which there is discrepancy between the two categories of parameters, we aimed this study to examine whether FENO measurement may be an additional argument in guiding the treatment. Method The prospective study lasted five months and included 30 patients diagnosed as moderate persistent asthma, aged 5–17 years, nonsmokers; ACT score, FEV1 and FENO were assessed. Results 12 patients had ACT> 19, normal FEV1 values and FENO 18 patients had ACT 32ppb. Conclusion FENO value correlates better than FEV1 with clinical asthma control score, so it can be an additional marker in therapeutic decision.
Cost and Utility in the Diagnostic Evaluation of Stroke

The diagnostic evaluation in a patient presenting with acute stroke has several purposes depending on the clinical circumstances. These include identifying stroke mimics, differentiating ischemic stroke from intracerebral hemorrhage in the acute setting, clarifying stroke localization, and determining the stroke mechanism to guide secondary prevention. The neurologist needs to be aware of the cost implications of different approaches to the diagnostic evaluation.
RNAi-Mediated, Stable Resistance to Triticum mosaic virus in Wheat

Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV) was discovered in 2006 and affects wheat (Triticum spp.) production systems in the Great Plains of the United States. Genetic resistance is available in a few commercial varieties; however, it is not effective above 20°C. RNA interference (RNAi) was evaluated as an alternative strategy to generate resistance to TriMV. An RNAi pANDA-mini-based hairpin expression vector was created from 272 bp of the TriMV coat protein (CP) sequence. Immature embryos of the wheat cultivar ‘Bobwhite’ were co-transformed by biolistic particle delivery system with the pANDA::TriMVCP vector and pAHC20, containing the bar gene for glufosinate selection. T₀ plants were analyzed by PCR for the presence of the RNAi TriMV CP fragment. Transgenic T₁ lines were tested for transgene expression via reverse transcription PCR Virus resistance was evaluated by mechanical inoculation with TriMV and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). Several lines were identified that were resistant, having little or no viral RNA. Resistant lines underwent single plant selection to the T₆ generation. Real-time PCR and ELISA showed that T₆ lines had a high level of resistance when challenged with the virus. To test if the transgene would behave similarly in an adapted variety, homozygous transgenic T₃ lines were crossed with the virus-susceptible winter wheat, ‘Overley.’ Real-time PCR results indicate decreased viral titer by as much as 20-fold in the T₆ transgenic lines, the F₁ crosses, and the BC₁F₁ lines when compared with control plants, providing evidence that this RNAi-silencing construct can provide stable resistance to TriMV and has great potential benefits to both breeders and producers.
Population burden and burden of disease in Ji'nan city,2009-2012

Objective To explore the population burden and disease burden in Ji'nan city from 2009 to 2012,and to provide scientific basis for making hygienic plan and health resource development. Methods Abbreviated life table and cause eliminated life table were compiled with Excel 2003. Excel 2003 and SPSS 13. 0 were used to analyze demographic characteristics,dependency ratio,and disease burden. Results During the 4 years,the proportion of elderly population was 7. 99%- 8. 19% for male and 10. 22%- 10. 29% for female. The youth population burden coefficient for the males was 14. 02%- 16. 54%,and that for the females was 13. 24%- 15. 61%. The proportion of child population was 49. 17%- 57. 47% for male and 65. 90%- 77. 60% for female. The gross dependency ratio for male presented a dow ndraught trend( 32. 02% to 29. 36%),but that for female increased( 24. 32% to 30. 73%). Life expectancy showed a rising tendency,with an increased life expectancy of 2. 39 years( 2. 21 years in male and 2. 23 years in female). Malignancy was the leading death cause inducing losses of w orking force and social value among the residents,and injury was a primary death causing the familial losses. Conclusion With the increase of life expectancy,the aging become a serious problem and accidnetal injury and malignant tumor are major diseases to be controled in Ji'nan city.
Implementation of a respiratory rehabilitation protocol: weaning from the ventilator and tracheostomy in difficult-to-wean patients with spinal cord injury

AbstractPurpose: Following repeated weaning failures in acute care services, spinal cord injury (SCI) patients who require prolonged mechanical ventilation and tracheostomy are discharged to their homes or skilled nursing facilities, with a portable mechanical ventilator (MV) and/or tracheostomy tube (TT) with excess risk of complications, high cost and low quality of life. We hypothesized that many difficult-to-wean patients with cervical SCI can be successfully managed in a rehabilitation clinic. The aim of our study was to develop a respiratory rehabilitation, MV weaning and TT decannulation protocol and to evaluate the effectiveness of this protocol in tetraplegic patients.Methods: A multidisciplinary and multifaceted protocol, including respiratory assessment and management themes, was developed and performed based on the findings from other studies in the literature. Tetraplegic patients with the diagnosis of difficult-to-wean, who were admitted to the rehabilitation clinic after having been dischar...
Layer-by-layer assembly of readily detachable chitosan and poly(acrylic acid) polyelectrolyte multilayer films

Free-standing layer-by-layer (LbL) assembled thin films have recently found utility in a broad range of applications. Previously reported free-standing LbL films have generally required covalent modifications to improve aqueous stability and render these films suitable for biomedical applications. Here, we engineered chitosan and poly(acrylic acid) containing polyelectrolyte multilayer films, which are readily detached from hydrophilic silicon in aqueous conditions. These films demonstrate remarkable stability over 28 days in simulated in vivo conditions (pH 7.4, phosphate buffered saline at 37 °C) without the incorporation of any covalent crosslinking modifications. These films exhibit moduli (27–420 kPa) resembling that of many biological tissues including tendon, show high visible light transmittance of greater than 50%, and prevent fibronectin adsorption. The properties of this new detachable LbL film architecture indicate its promise for use in a variety of applications, particularly in medicine and biotechnology. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017, 55, 127–131
Regularization of the Burnett Equations via Relaxation

The classical Chapman–Enskog expansions for the pressure deviator P and heat flux q provide a natural bridge between the kinetic description of gas dynamics as given by the Boltzmann equation and continuum mechanics as given by the balance laws of mass, momentum, energy supplemented by the expansions for P and q. Truncation of these expansions beyond first (Navier–Stokes) order yields instability of the rest state and is inconsistent with thermodynamics. In this paper we propose a visco-elastic relaxation approximation that eliminates the instability paradox. This system is weakly parabolic, has a linearly hyperbolic convection part, and is endowed with a generalized entropy inequality. It agrees with the solution of the Boltzmann equation up to the Burnett order via the Chapman–Enskog expansion.
Biomarkers in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Chronic heart failure is increasing in prevalence throughout the world and is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries (Phan et al., Int J Cardiol 158:337–343, 2012). Clinical research has focused primarily on patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), but it is now understood that up to half of all patients with heart failure have preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) (Phan et al., Int J Cardiol 158:337–343, 2012). The patients who suffer from HFpEF are usually older, have worse systemic hypertension, and are more often female compared to patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. Mortality can be high for patients with HFpEF, with 70 % of all-cause mortality attributed to cardiovascular etiologies (Phan et al., Int J Cardiol 158:337–343, 2012). Multiple biomarkers have demonstrated a role in HFpEF and may be used to help aid in clinical decision-making. These include traditional markers such as naturetic peptides and troponin, as well as novel markers such as ST2 and Galectin-3.
Error-Induced Blindness: Error Detection Leads to Impaired Sensory Processing and Lower Accuracy at Short Response–Stimulus Intervals

Empirical evidence indicates that detecting one's own mistakes can serve as a signal to improve task performance. However, little work has focused on how task constraints, such as the response-stimulus interval (RSI), influence post-error adjustments. In the present study, event-related potential (ERP) and behavioral measures were used to investigate the time course of error-related processing while humans performed a difficult visual discrimination task. We found that error commission resulted in a marked reduction in both task performance and sensory processing on the following trial when RSIs were short, but that such impairments were not detectable at longer RSIs. Critically, diminished sensory processing at short RSIs, indexed by the stimulus-evoked P1 component, was predicted by an ERP measure of error processing, the Pe component. A control analysis ruled out a general lapse in attention or mind wandering as being predictive of subsequent reductions in sensory processing; instead, the data suggest that error detection causes an attentional bottleneck, which can diminish sensory processing on subsequent trials that occur in short succession. The findings demonstrate that the neural system dedicated to monitoring and improving behavior can, paradoxically, at times be the source of performance failures.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The performance-monitoring system is a network of brain regions dedicated to monitoring behavior to adjust task performance when necessary. Previous research has demonstrated that activation of the performance monitoring system following incorrect decisions serves to improve future task performance. However, the present study provides evidence that, when perceptual decisions must be made rapidly (within approximately half a second of each other), activation of the performance-monitoring system is predictive of impaired task-related attention on the subsequent trial. The data illustrate that the cognitive demands imposed by error processing can interfere with, rather than enhance, task-related attention when subsequent decisions need to be made quickly.
Terrorism analysis and Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project: the missing element

ABSTRACTThe decision in the case of Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project raised important issues about civil liberties in the United States (2010), including freedom of speech and freedom of association, in relation to U.S. foreign policy actions. While the decision has the potential to infringe on certain liberties, the decision itself was based on very limited information on the nature of terrorism, the foreign terrorist organizations involved, and the processes by which terrorist groups can be induced to peacefully re-enter domestic political systems. There are also concerns about what can be the arbitrary designation of groups as foreign terrorist organizations. These issues raise serious questions about the role of the Supreme Court in the overall political system and judgments in cases involving terrorism and foreign policy.
Monstar disclinations in the polarization of singular optical beams

The control of spatial and polarization modes of optical beams enables the production of topological singularities encoded on the polarization of the light. This allows the study of topological disclinations not easily found in the natural setting. In this article we report on the observation of new features in disclinations realized with singular optical beams. They were prepared using three spatial modes bearing optical vortices in non-separable superpositions with circular polarization states. The disclinations involve asymmetric rotational dislocations, whose optical counterparts in the optical far field are known as C-points, and which are classified as monstars. They have been known to have a singularity index that can be positive, or negative as reported by us recently. Here we report on monstars with an index of zero. Monstars are characterized by having sectors bound by radial lines that involve curved lines radiating from the singularity. We found that kinks in otherwise smooth line patterns of asymmetric disclinations are scars of a separate but related pattern of line-slope discontinuities, carried optically by C-lines in the far field. These scars are indicative of the underlying structure or symmetry of the pattern. We present a general formalism to understand and generate monstars, along with measurements: the experimental results are in excellent agreement with theoretical modelings.
Moonlighting GAPDH and the Maintenance of DNA Integrity: Preservation of Genetic Information and Cancer Facilitation

Perturbations in DNA or chromatin structure may present an existential threat both to cell function and to cell viability. Accordingly, mechanisms that protect DNA nucleotide sequences or which maintain chromatin structure provide the necessary means for cell survival. Recent evidence indicates that moonlighting GAPDH fulfills important roles in the recognition and removal of DNA damage and provides requisite proteins to ensure not only DNA repair but also their protection against inactivation as well as the preservation of telomere structure. This includes its participation in base excision repair, the recognition of mismatched DNA bases as well as its teleomeric binding, which maintains that unique DNA structure. Conversely, these moonlighting GAPDH functions may also permit cancer cells to evade destruction as a consequence of cancer radio- or chemotherapy.
Occupational Fungal Exposure in the United States

The objective of this book chapter is to provide a review of recent advances in our understanding of fungal exposures encountered in United States occupational environments and the impacts that these exposures have on worker health. Occupational exposure can occur to a broad diversity of fungal bioaerosols that include spores, conidia, hyphae, yeasts, chlamydospores, and submicron fragments. Pulmonary exposure to fungal bioaerosols in the work environment can lead to some respiratory morbidities. In some cases, exposure to dimorphic fungal conidia can also result in a symptomatic pulmonary infection that can disseminate and become life threatening. Transcutaneous penetrating injuries sustained while handling vegetation may additionally implant fungal spores or hyphae and result in a subcutaneous infection. Workers may also be susceptible to dermatophytes that can proliferate in occluded regions of the skin such as interdigital spaces and cause a cutaneous infection. Occupational environments and work related tasks that can lead to fungal exposure are reviewed. Strategies to avoid worker fungal exposures including engineering and administrative controls as well as personal protective equipment are additionally provided.
Using VisorFlow to Control Information Flow without Modifying the Operating System Kernel or its Userspace

VisorFlow aims to monitor the flow of information between processes without requiring modifications to the operating system kernel or its userspace. VisorFlow runs in a privileged Xen domain and monitors the system calls executing in other domains running either Linux or Windows. VisorFlow uses its observations to prevent confidential information from leaving a local network. We describe the design and implementation of VisorFlow, describe how we used VisorFlow to confine naive users and malicious insiders during the 2017 Cyber-Defense Exercise, and provide performance measurements. We have released VisorFlow and its companion library, libguestrace, as open-source software.
Boolean Logics and Logic Gates

This chapter presents basic logic gates, Boolean algebra theorem for simplifying Boolean function, and integrated circuit classification such as SSI, MSI, LSI, and VLSI.
A simulation study of IP-based vertical handoff in wireless convergent networks: Research Articles

The advances in wireless networks and IP technologies has brought ubiquitous access to all-IP information into reality. For wireless IP services, IP-based handoff is a critical issue to the performance of application-level services. Although mobile IP (MIP) and its extensions, as network layer solutions, have been proposed as de facto standard, transmission throughput degradation due to packet loss, registration delay, and transport layer blocking are unavoidable because of MIP handoff mechanisms. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of a transport layer handoff approach, mobile stream control transmission protocol (mSCTP), and compare it with that of a network layer solution, MIP. mSCTP is based on stream control transmission protocol (SCTP), which is the third general purpose transport layer protocol from IETF. We investigate the use of mSCTP for seamless vertical handoff without any change in IP protocol stack by its multi-homing feature and dynamic address reconfiguration (DAR) extension. We evaluate the performance of mSCTP and MIP by introducing handoff delay, end-to-end transmission throughput, and packet loss, and verify our observations by a simulation study of the two protocols in UMTS/802.11b integrated networks using NS-2 network simulator. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Central Nervous System Emergencies

Emergency management of central nervous system malignancies is an unfortunate reality facing the oncologist. Although expeditious treatment is certainly the cornerstone of management, the astute clinician should carefully weigh a combination of multidisciplinary therapeutic options to ensure optimal outcome for the patient, with an eye toward both treatment sequelae and anticipation of future need for further treatment.
Protein Phosphorylation and Signal Transduction

The phenotype and behavior of a cell, just as those of the organism in which it resides, are constantly influenced by a variety of external signals that eventually determine such apparently diverse phenomena as cellular taxis, proliferation, differentiation, and even death (apoptosis). The corresponding extracellular signals are equally varied, e.g., nutrient flux, hormones, peptide growth factors, interferons and other cytokines, and antigens. The term “signal transduction” refers to the acquisition and subsequent transmission of a given signal.
Palmitate metabolism by isolated sheep rumen epithelial cells.

Ruminal palmitate metabolism was examined using an isolated cell system. Palmitate oxidation to 14CO2 by rumen epithelial cells isolated from the rumens of mature sheep was linear during the course of a 2-h incubation (11.1 nmoles.million cells-1.2 h-1) and 3.6 times the rate of palmitate oxidation by cells isolated from neonatal rumen (3.1 nmoles.million cells-1.min-1). Subsequent experiments were conducted with mature rumen epithelial cells. Neither acetate (50 mM), propionate (10 mM), dibutyryl cAMP (.2 mM), nor insulin (10 mU/mL) altered palmitate oxidation to CO2. However, butyrate (10 mM) addition reduced (P less than .05), and ammonia (15 mM) tended to reduce (P less than .10), palmitate oxidation (51.6 and 82.0% of control, respectively), whereas addition of glucose (2.5 mM) increased (P less than .05) palmitate oxidation (151% of control). Of the compounds tested, only propionate, butyrate, and ammonia reduced palmitate oxidation to total acid-soluble metabolites. Propionate (10 mM) addition completely abolished palmitate oxidation to acid-soluble metabolites. Succinate addition (5 to 50 mM) increased palmitate oxidation to CO2 but exhibited no consistent effect on palmitate oxidation to either acid-soluble metabolites or beta-hydroxybutyrate. Propionate completely abolished palmitate oxidation to beta-hydroxybutyrate, suggesting that propionate-induced inhibition of palmitate oxidation is not mediated via succinate. The data indicate 1) that rumen epithelium is capable of oxidizing palmitate, 2) that ruminal palmitate oxidation may be subject to regulation by developmental factors, and 3) that palmitate metabolism seems to be influenced more by ruminally derived metabolites than by factors derived exclusively from the general circulation.
The epistemography of journalism 335: complexity in developing journalistic expertise

As bloggers and mobile phone eye-witnesses increasingly supplement the 'news,' it is more important than ever to understand how professional journalists develop their expertise. In this paper, we examine an intermediate level reporting practicum course to explore the learning processes therein. Using a new method called Epistemic Network Analysis, we also explore emergent relationships within developing journalistic expertise. Understanding these relationships should be useful for journalism education as well as the design of research on learning environments.