cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationship between exertional symptoms and functional capacity in patients with heart failure.

OBJECTIVES The present study was undertaken to investigate the relationship over time between exertional symptoms in heart failure and functional capacity. BACKGROUND Most clinicians rely on exertional symptoms rather than on exercise testing to assess functional capacity in heart failure. However, it remains uncertain whether the subjective symptoms reported by patients provide a reliable index of functional capacity. METHODS Fifty patients with heart failure underwent serial cardiopulmonary exercise testing and evaluation of exertional fatigue and dyspnea over a period of one to four years. Exercise testing was performed using the Naughton treadmill protocol and a MedGraphics metabolic cart. Fatigue and dyspnea were each scored from 0 to 3 (p = none, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, 3 = severe). A composite symptom score was determined by adding together the fatigue and dyspnea scores. RESULTS Patients underwent a total of 185 tests at an average interval of 4.3 months (average tests/patient = 3.7). Composite symptom scores noted at the time of exercise testing correlated significantly with peak exercise minute oxygen consumption (VO2) (r = 0.47, p < 0.01). In addition, the change in symptoms scores and change in peak VO2noted between the baseline and final exercise test correlated significantly (r = 0.50, p < 0.01). However, patients reported few or no symptoms (symptom score ≤2) 45% of the time when peak VO2was <14 ml/min/kg, consistent with a severe functional disability, and 72% of the time when peak VO2was 14 to 18 ml/min/kg, consistent with moderate functional disability. CONCLUSIONS Exertional symptoms reported by patients with heart failure generally correlate with maximal exercise capacity. However, exertional symptoms frequently underestimate the severity of functional disability. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing rather than symptoms should be used to assess functional capacity in heart failure.
MicroRNA Delivery by Cationic Lipoplexes for Lung Cancer Therapy

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in western countries and carries a poor overall five year survival rate. Several studies demonstrate that microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are actively involved in tumor development by serving as tumor suppressors, oncogenes or both. In lung cancer, miRNAs may serve as both diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers as well as regulate in vitro and in vivo tumor progression. However, miRNA-based therapy is faced with several challenges including lack of tissue specificity, lack of optimal delivery systems, poor cellular uptake and risk of systemic toxicity. Here, we report a cationic lipid based miRNA delivery system to address some of these challenges. Among many lung cancer related miRNAs, miR-133b, a tumor suppressor, was selected as a therapeutic target because it directly targets the prosurvival gene MCL-1 thus regulating cell survival and sensitivity of lung cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents. The efficacy of pre-miR-133b containing lipoplexes was evaluated...
Rate equation modelling of epitaxial growth

Abstract A rate equation model describing molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is presented. This formulation of the problem consists of a set of equations that govern the population of islands of varying sizes and heights above the substrate. There is one equation for the time rate of change of the number of islands of each possible size at the j th level above the substrate. Use of this information is made in combination with some simple arguments from statistical mechanics to obtain a qualitatively detailed pair correlation function, and from this the scattered intensity as a function of time. The rate equation approach allows for a compact and fast method of simulation of film growth, complementing the more complete but time consuming Monte Carlo (MC) and molecular dynamics (MD) methods. By varying the different energy parameters in the equations it is possible to model situations in which the interface grows approximately in the layer-by-layer, or in the completely rough, mode. As a particular application we discuss the problem of the interface width growth (IWG) as a function of temperature, deposition rate, and binding energies. This width is essentially the number of incomplete layers (coverage different from either 0 or 1) at any given instant, and is a useful measure of the extent to which the system has made the transition from the bounded to unbounded IWG mode.
Predicting subsequent citations to articles published in twelve crime-psychology journals: Author impact versus journal impact

Four hundred and twenty-eight articles published in 12 crime-psychology journals during the 2003 calendar year were reviewed for subsequent citations in the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI). Fifteen potential predictors were reduced to nine after subjecting the 15 variables to a principal components analysis with varimax rotation. The nine predictors included author characteristics - gender, occupational affiliation (academic-nonacademic), national affiliation (U.S.-other), citations per 2001-2002 first author publications - article characteristics - collaboration (single author-multiple author), article length, reviews, subject matter (corrections/criminology-legal/forensic) - and journal characteristics - journal impact. Negative binomial regression of the citations earned by these 428 journal articles in a 23 to 34 month follow-up (M = 28 months) revealed significant effects for citations per 2001-2002 first author publications, national affiliation, and review articles. These results suggest that author impact may be a more powerful predictor of citations received by a journal article than the periodical in which the article appears.
Improved detection of global copy number variation using high density, non-polymorphic oligonucleotide probes

DNA sequence diversity within the human genome may be more greatly affected by copy number variations (CNVs) than single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Although the importance of CNVs in genome wide association studies (GWAS) is becoming widely accepted, the optimal methods for identifying these variants are still under evaluation. We have previously reported a comprehensive view of CNVs in the HapMap DNA collection using high density 500 K EA (Early Access) SNP genotyping arrays which revealed greater than 1,000 CNVs ranging in size from 1 kb to over 3 Mb. Although the arrays used most commonly for GWAS predominantly interrogate SNPs, CNV identification and detection does not necessarily require the use of DNA probes centered on polymorphic nucleotides and may even be hindered by the dependence on a successful SNP genotyping assay. In this study, we have designed and evaluated a high density array predicated on the use of non-polymorphic oligonucleotide probes for CNV detection. This approach effectively uncouples copy number detection from SNP genotyping and thus has the potential to significantly improve probe coverage for genome-wide CNV identification. This array, in conjunction with PCR-based, complexity-reduced DNA target, queries over 1.3 M independent NspI restriction enzyme fragments in the 200 bp to 1100 bp size range, which is a several fold increase in marker density as compared to the 500 K EA array. In addition, a novel algorithm was developed and validated to extract CNV regions and boundaries. Using a well-characterized pair of DNA samples, close to 200 CNVs were identified, of which nearly 50% appear novel yet were independently validated using quantitative PCR. The results indicate that non-polymorphic probes provide a robust approach for CNV identification, and the increasing precision of CNV boundary delineation should allow a more complete analysis of their genomic organization.
Investigation of the Pade approximant-based wide-angle beam propagation method for accurate modeling of waveguiding circuits

An analytical and numerical study of the accuracy of the beam propagation method that includes approximate treatments of wide-angle propagation based on Pade rational functions is presented. The investigation identifies the error terms associated with a sequence of higher order operators and the range of validity of different approximant operators is studied through examination of two-dimensional (2-D) waveguide structures. An analytical model for the general error in Pade-based wide-angle schemes is developed and compared with numerical simulations of simple waveguiding devices for which the exact solution is known. Guidelines for determining the range of error pertinent to the Pade operator are established.
María de Agreda, Spanish Mysticism and the Work of Spiritual Conquest

Near the end of the month of April in 1631, the imposing figures of three Franciscan friars approached the entrance of the Convento de la Purisima Concepcion in Agreda, a small town in the province...
Effect of impurities on polyethylene adhesion

The peeling strength of an aluminium foil glued to a glass plate with ‘adhesionable’ polyethylene was lowered by incorporating oleic acid into polyethylene. The average thickness τ of the organic film remaining on the aluminium after peeling was a few microns for pure polyethylene, near 20 μ for a mixture of polyethylene 99.6 and oleic acid 0.4 parts, and very small (for instance, 0.5 μ) for a mixture of polyethylene 97 and oleic acid 3 parts. In grossly contaminated polyethylenes, rupture occurred in a weak boundary layer and τ depended on location and extent of these layers.
Bandwidth Analysis in the Curved WDM Waveguide Coupler

The curved WDM waveguide coupler is presented and analyzed in this paper. Compared with the traditional straight coupler, the curved coupler has the advantage of achieving a wider bandwidth. Waveguide theory and the beam propagation method (BPM) are employed to analyze the operation of the couplers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 40: 451–455, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20003
Stabilization of Surficial Slides Using Recycled Plastic Reinforcement

Surficial slope failures, or nuisance slides, constitute a significant economic and manpower burden for many transportation agencies because of the frequent and recurring nature of the slides. TRB recently estimated that annual costs for stabilization of nuisance slides exceed the costs for repair of major landslides; this estimate suggests that annual costs for repair of nuisance slides on the National Highway System alone exceed $100 million. Recent work has shown the feasibility of using slender recycled plastic members for in situ reinforcement of surficial slides in slopes and embankments. This paper describes the activities performed to evaluate the technique and the results and conclusions derived from the work. Topics covered include the description of five instrumented field test sites, material properties of the recycled plastic members used, construction equipment and techniques used to install the members, general performance observed at the field test sites, and the costs of the technique as ...
Functions of Varicella-Zoster Virus ORF23 Capsid Protein in Viral Replication and the Pathogenesis of Skin Infection

The assembly of herpesvirus capsids is a complex process involving interactions of multiple proteins in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus. Based on comparative genome analyses, varicella-zoster virus (VZV) open reading frame 23 (ORF23) encodes a conserved capsid protein, referred to as VP26 (UL35) in other alphaherpesviruses. Mutagenesis using a VZV bacterial artificial chromosome system showed that ORF23 was dispensable for replication in vitro. However, the absence of ORF23 disrupted capsid assembly in a melanoma cell line. Expression of ORF23 as a red fluorescent protein (RFP) fusion protein appeared to have a dominant negative effect on replication that was rescued by ORF23 expression from a nonnative site in the VZV genome. In contrast to its VP26 homolog, ORF23 has an intrinsic nuclear localization capacity that was mapped to an SRSRVV motif at residues 229 to 234 in the extreme C terminus of ORF23. In addition, coexpression with ORF23 resulted in nuclear import of the major capsid protein, ORF40. VZV ORF33.5 also translocated ORF40, which may provide a redundant mechanism in vitro but appears insufficient to overcome the dominant negative effect of the monomeric RFP-ORF23 (mRFP23) fusion protein. ORF23 was required for VZV infection of human skin xenografts, indicating that ORF33.5 does not compensate for lack of ORF23 in vivo. These observations suggest a model of VZV capsid assembly in which nuclear transport of the major capsid protein and associated proteins requires ORF23 during VZV replication in the human host. If so, ORF23 expression could be a target for a novel antiviral drug against VZV.
Transganglionic degenerative atrophy in the substantia gelatinosa of the spinal cord after peripheral nerve transection in rhesus monkeys

The effect of sciatic nerve transection on its centrally located terminals in the spinal cord was analyzed by electron microscopy in adult rhesus monkeys one and three months following lesion. Although the peripheral and intermediate portions of the dorsal roots, where the axons are enveloped by Schwann cells were normal, their central portion and their terminals in the substantia gelatinosa were remarkably altered. Transganglionic degenerative atrophy (TDA) is characterized by three distinct types of electronmicroscopic alterations. The first type exhibits a conspicuous electron density of the terminal and pre-terminal axoplasm. Importantly, shrinkage replaces fragmentation and glial engulfement of the terminal seen in the course of Wallerian degeneration. The second type is characterized by the disappearance of synaptic vesicles from the terminals. The third type of TDA consists of intricate labyrinthine structures, composed of flattened profiles of axonal, dendritic and glial elements. The complex and diverse cellular changes that occur in the upper dorsal horn following peripheral nerve injury may provide the structural basis of plasticity of the primary nociceptive system.
A test of the validity of yield strength envelopes with an elastoviscoplastic finite element model

We have generated an elastoviscoplastic (EVP) rheological model of the lithosphere with an extended Maxwell model containing (in series) a linear elastic component, a creep component based on a flow law for dislocation creep in olivine, and a frictional component simulating Drucker–Prager plasticity based on Byerlee’s rule. Finite element analyses for topographic loading of this oceanic lithosphere were carried out with two separate final loads (100 and 150 MPa) that were reached by four different load growth times (0, 0.1, 1, 10 Myr). Our results for the stress state and deformation of loaded lithosphere at 41.7 Myr into the model run are compared to results generated by the mechanical response of a time-independent elastic–perfectly plastic (EP) lithosphere, using a moment–curvature relationship based on the constant strain-rate yield strength envelope (YSE) and adopting a strain-rate representative of the EVP solution at 41.7 Myr. With identical flexural loading and material parameters, the deflection profiles of the EVP and EP solutions are quite similar, but it is unclear how the EP strain rate could be selected a priori without guidance from the EVP solution. For example, this uncertainty translates to about a 5 per cent error per decade of strain rate in the temperature gradient obtained by matching maximum moment and curvature in our EP models. The stress distributions of the time-dependent EVP model show deviations from the EP model (as defined by the YSE and an elastic core) in crystal plastic (macroscopically continuous dislocation creep) regions, where we observe vertical, lateral and temporal variations in the strain rate. At times much greater than the load growth time, the stress distribution in the lithosphere is independent of the loading rate and depends on the load magnitude only in that portion of the lithosphere that yields to frictional slip. After loading ceases, residual creep zones develop (in the vicinity of the brittle–plastic transition and the elastic–creep transition), driven by high stress in these regions.
Prey species and prey diet affect growth of invertebrate predators

1. The effects of prey species and leaf age used by prey on performance of two generalist invertebrate predators were studied. The focal plant was Plantago lanceolata, which contains iridoid glycosides. 2. Diet of the herbivorous prey influenced their growth rate. 3. The generalist herbivore (Vanessa cardui) and the novel-plant feeder (Manduca sexta) contained very low levels of iridoid glycosides in their haemolymph, whereas the specialist (Junonia coenia) levels were 50–150-fold higher. 4. Predatory stinkbugs (Podisus maculiventris) fed either the novel-plant feeder or the specialist exhibited similar developmental rates. However, stinkbugs ate less of the generalist but grew faster. The growth rate of the stinkbugs was higher when the caterpillar species were raised on the new-leaf powder diet, which contained twice as much protein and iridoid glycosides as the mature-leaf powder diet. 5. Jumping spiders (Phidippus audax) ate more mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) than specialist J.coenia caterpillars, fed either new- or mature-leaf powder diets, and could not gain weight when fed J.coenia. 6. These results indicate that prey quality was not determined solely by the iridoid glycoside concentration in the diet.
Convergence Through Mobile Peer-to-Peer File Sharing in the Republic of Armenia

Armenians are adopting personal computers and the Internet more slowly than are individuals in neighboring and more economically developed countries. However, mobile phone usage is rapidly expanding. The reasons for this pattern of information and communications technology adoption may be cultural, political, or economic, but the delay in some technological access also, paradoxically, fosters creativity. Through peer-to-peer content sharing via mobile devices, the consumption and exchange of digital content has become quite common. Indeed, these uses of the mobile phone exemplify convergence, the integration of digital audio, video, text, and data, as well as a social change in the way media circulates. Ethnographic research and interviews conducted in Armenia during the spring and summer of 2008 examine how, by whom, and what types of digital content are being socially shared through mobile devices. Theoretical possibilities to explain the social utility of this phenomenon are presented as well.
Cone reconstruction in children with Ebstein anomaly: the Mayo Clinic experience.

Objective. Valve repair for pediatric patients with Ebstein anomaly has historically yielded varied results. The cone reconstruction (CR) first described by Da Silva has revolutionized the surgical approach to these patients. This study reports our recent experience with CR in children and young adults with Ebstein anomaly. Design. Electronic medical records were reviewed for all patients 5 mm Hg) was present in 6 patients. There was one late death (motor vehicle accident) and one late re-repair of the tricuspid valve 4 years after initial operation. Conclusions. CR in children and young adults with Ebstein anomaly can be performed with low early mortality and excellent durability at short-term follow-up. CR represents an important surgical option for young patients. It is applicable to patients with a broad range of anatomic variability and precludes valve replacement in the vast majority. CR should be considered prior to the deleterious effects of chronic right ventricular volume overload and the development of systolic dysfunction, which hamper long-term prognosis. Therefore, early referral for surgical evaluation is recommended.
Measurements of Femoral Neck-Shaft Angle in the Growing Beagle

The angles of inclination and anteversion were measured radiographically in 8 beagles, at 4-week intervals from 14 to 38 weeks of age, the time of radiographic physeal closure. Minimal changes in the femoral neck-shaft angles were observed during this observation period. The results indicate that surgical correction of altered femoral neck-shaft angles could be proposed at any time after 3 months of age in the beagle breed.
Management of febrile seizures: Survey of current practice and phenobarbital usage

Abstract A questionnaire survey was mailed to all members of the Child Neurology Society in North America to determine current methods used by pediatric neurologists in the management of febrile seizures and the influence of public awareness of phenobarbital side-effects on practice. Responses were received from 574 of 869 deliver-able questionnaires (66%). The mean number of febrile seizures treated by respondents was 42 ± 58 (mean ± S.D.), of which 22 ± 36 were simple and 19 ± 31 were complex. In the control of the acute, continuing febrile seizure, intravenous phenobarbital, lorazepam, and diazepam were equally preferred and phenytoin was used infrequently. For intermittent administration by parents, diazepam was prescribed by 20% for seizure prevention and by 31% for control of seizure recurrence. Long-term phenobarbital was prescribed by 89% for prevention of complex febrile seizures and by 43% for simple febrile seizures. Parental anxiety was a factor in the prescription of intermittent or long-term therapy by 67% of respondents.
Mismaking Memories Neural Precursors of Memory Illusions in Electrical Brain Activity

Memory illusions—vivid experiences of events that never occurred—could result from inaccuracies either in retrieving memories or in initially storing them. In two experiments, people studied lists of associated words that either did or did not induce later illusory (false) memories of associated but nonpresented lure words. The amplitude of the electrical brain activity during study of words (~500-1,300 ms) that were themselves later correctly remembered reliably distinguished list words that led to such illusory memories from those that did not. This encoding difference associated with subsequent illusory memory (referred to as a DIM)—presumably reflecting item-specific encoding differences—is a neural precursor of memory illusions.
Protein Phosphatase-Mediated Regulation of Protein Kinase C during Long-Term Depression in the Adult Hippocampus In Vivo

The neural substrates of learning and memory are thought to involve use-dependent long-term changes in synaptic function, including long-term depression (LTD) of synaptic strength. One biochemical event hypothesized to contribute to the maintenance and expression of LTD is decreased protein phosphorylation, caused by a decrease in protein kinase activity and/or an increase in protein phosphatase activity. We tested whether the activity of protein kinase C (PKC) decreases after the induction of LTD in area CA1 of the adult hippocampus in vivo, and then investigated the mechanism responsible for the LTD-associated alteration in PKC activity. We found that LTD was associated with a significant decrease in both autonomous and cofactor-dependent PKC activity. The decrease in PKC activity was prevented by NMDA receptor blockade and was not accompanied by a decrease in the level of either PKCα, β, γ, or ζ. Western blot analysis with phosphospecific antibodies revealed that phosphorylation of Ser-657 on the catalytic domain of PKCα (Ser-660 on PKCβII) was decreased significantly after the induction of LTD, and that this dephosphorylation was prevented by the protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid. The decrease in autonomous and cofactor-dependent PKC activity likewise was prevented by okadaic acid. These findings suggest that LTD in the adult hippocampus in vivo involves a decrease in PKC activity that is mediated, at least in part, by dephosphorylation of the catalytic domain of PKC by protein phosphatases activated after LTD-inducing stimulation. Our findings are consistent with the idea that protein dephosphorylation contributes to the expression of LTD.
Use of Membrane Bioreactor for Biodegradation of MTBE in Contaminated Water

An ultrafiltation membrane bioreactor was evaluated for biodegradation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in contaminated water. The system was fed 5 mg/L MTBE in granular activated carbon (GAC) treated Cincinnati tap water containing ample buffer and nutrients. Within 120 days the culture had adapted to membrane operational conditions and was consistently achieving greater than 99.95% biological removal of both MTBE and tert-butyl alcohol. This condition was steadily maintained for the next 200 days of study. Effluent dissolved organic carbon values remained at or below concentrations of the feed GAC treated tap water alone. An increase in biomass concentration as measured by volatile suspended solids was observed to correlate with an increase in MTBE removal efficiency. Some operational observations, including fouling, recovery from an accident, and overall performance, are described.
Measurement of all ten second-order moments of an astigmatic beam by the use of rotating simple astigmatic (anamorphic) optics

The propagation of any general astigmatic laser beam through any paraxial optical system can be characterized to second order by a 4 × 4 matrix of second moments in the transverse spatial and angular coordinates, with this matrix having at most ten independent elements. We show how to interpret the two existing beam invariants that contain these elements in terms of an overall beam quality factor Meff4 and an intrinsic antigmatism factor a. We describe a general procedure for determining all ten parameters for any arbitrary beam by measuring only second-order moments of the beam irradiance in a single transversal plane after the beam has passed through at most four simple astigmatic optical systems. A number of such systems containing, in particular, only one or two rotating cylindrical lenses and a CCD camera are proposed and analyzed in more detail.
Ionization Potentials and Lamb Shifts of the Ground States of 4 He and 3 He

In order to obtain an experimental value for the Lamb shift of the ground state of helium it is necessary to determine a very precise value for the ionization potential. For this pur­pose the wavelengths of the far ultra-violet lines 584·3 (1 1 S -2 1 P ), 537·0 (1 1 S -3 1 P ) and 591·4 A (1 1 S -2 3 P 1 ) of 4 He have been redetermined with much improved accuracy and those of 3 He have been measured for the first time. The standards used were lines of C + and A + in the region 610 to 520 A which were derived by means of the combination principle from lines at longer wavelengths. The final results for the wavelengths of the 4 He lines are 584·3339, 537·0293 and 591·4121 A with an estimated accuracy of ± 0·0005 A. For 3 He the corresponding figures, obtained by adding the measured shifts to the 4 He wavelengths, are 584·3640, 537·0577 and 591·4466 A. The term values of the upper states of these lines relative to the ionization limit have been redetermined by a new measurement of the Bergman series 3 3 D – n 3 F , of the intercombination lines 2 3 P –3 1 D and 2 1 P –3 3 D and a remeasurement of the near ultra-violet 2 1 P – n 1 D and 2 3 P – n 3 D series. Combining these results with those of the far ultra-violet lines the following values for the ionization potentials of 4 He and 3 He are obtained: I. P. ( 4 He) = 198310·8 2 ± 0·15 cm -1 , I. P. ( 3 He) = 198300·3 2 ± 0·15 cm -1 . The isotope shift of the ground state, 10·50 ± 0·05 cm -1 , agrees closely with the theoretical prediction. Experimental values for the Lamb shift are obtained by comparing the observed ioniza­tion potentials with those obtained from the Dirac theory not including quantum electro-dynamic effects. Using Kinoshita’s 39-parameter value, one finds a Lamb shift of —0·7 9 and —0·8 2 ± 0·15 cm -1 for 4 He and 3 He, respectively. [ Added in proof : Using Pekeris’s 203-parameter value one finds —1·1 9 and —1·2 3 cm -1 , respectively.] The value predicted by Kabir, Salpeter & Sucher is —1·3 3 ± 0·2 cm -1 .
Investigation of Combustion and Thermal-Flow Inside a Petroleum Coke Rotary Calcining Kiln With Potential Energy Saving Considerations

Calcined coke is a competitive material for making carbon anodes for smelting of alumina to aluminum. Calcining is an energy intensive industry and a significant amount of heat is exhausted in the calcining process. Efficiently managing this energy resource is tied to the profit margin and survivability of a calcining plant. To help improve the energy efficiency and reduce natural gas consumption of the calcining process, a 3-D computational model is developed to gain insight of the thermalflow and combustion behavior in the calciner. Comprehensive models are employed to simulate the moving petcoke bed with a uniform distribution of moisture evaporation, devolatilization, and coke fines entrainment rate with a conjugate radiationconvection-conduction calculation. The following parametric studies are conducted: rotation angles, tertiary air injection angles, devolatilization zone length, discharge end gas extractions without injecting natural gas, variations of coke bed properties (thermal conductivity and heat capacity), and coke bed sliding speed. A total of 19 cases have been simulated. The results of studying the effect of tertiary air injection angles show that employing 15° tertiary air injection angle provides the best calcining condition than using 30° and 45° injection angles by achieving a higher coke bed temperature and less coke fines entrainment and attrition rate. In an attempt to reduce natural gas consumption, employing gas extraction at the discharge end successfully draws the hot combustion gas from the tertiary air zone towards the discharge end without burning natural gas. The coke bed temperature between 6 and 21 m from the discharge end is successfully raised from 10 to 100 K, but discharge end temperature is reduced 150 K without burning natural gas. The extracted gas at 1,000 K is too low to be returned to the kiln, but it could be used to preheat the tertiary air.
Book Review of How to avoid becoming a victim

The book, Cybercrime: How to avoid becoming a victim, written by H. Thomas Milhorn, MD, Ph.D. sets out to educate its readers about the many different types of cyber crimes and ways in which internet users can protect themselves from becoming victims. According to the author, cyber crime is identified as “any type of activity that uses the Internet to commit a crime (p.1)”. A broad area of cyber crime is covered throughout the book with special emphasis given to defining what constitutes each type of crime, poignant examples of actual crimes, and finally, useful tips for protecting yourself from each type of crime. Indeed, there are 36 chapters in the book, covering almost every conceivable area of cyber crime, areas such cyber bullying and immigration fraud, as well as the more popular predator and credit card fraud. Appendix A provides the readers with information on how to report cyber crimes, specifically which office they should contact. Appendix B provides an essential glossary for cyber terminology. The purpose of this review is to provide readers with an overview as to what to expect from it. Milhorn is a retired professor who has penned over 150 papers (both research and education) as well as four books (three nonfiction and one fiction). He taught for the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he was a professor of Physiology and Biophysics, as well as an associate professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. He holds several certifications and is educated in other areas above and beyond his medical training including: mental health counselor, addictions counseling coursework, and theology. Milhorn’s interests include web design and teaching computer classes for adult students. Although is areas of expertise are not cyber crimes, he does provide a thorough examination of the particular areas. Milhorn’s Curriculum Vitae can be found on his own webpage: http://www.milhorn1.netfirms.com/. Computers are now in every country, and are accessible by a vast majority of persons in industrialized countries. Internet-connected people must know how to protect themselves from the online dangers. Milhorn’s goal with this book is to provide a vast repository of protective measures, both for the novice and the veteran in computer use.
A Review of Leading the 21st-Century Academic Library: Successful Strategies for Envisioning and Realizing Preferred Futures

Leading the 21st-Century Academic Library is a collection of essays that explore how academic libraries can strategically respond to the disruptive changes they continue to experience in the digita...
Biological Activity of Allelochemicals

All plants produce compounds that are phytotoxic to another plant species at some concentration. In some cases, these compounds function, at least in part, in plant/plant interactions, where a phytotoxin donor plant adversely affects a target plant, resulting in an advantage for the donor plant. This review discusses how such an allelochemical role of a phytotoxin can be proven and provides examples of some of the more studied phytochemicals that have been implicated in allelopathy. These include artemisinin, cineoles, β-triketones, catechin, sorgoleone, juglone and related quinones, rice allelochemicals, benzoxazinoids, common phenolic acids, l-DOPA, and m-tyrosine. Mechanisms of avoiding autotoxicity in the donor species are also discussed.
A Protocol for Annotating Parser Differences

We present an annotation scheme for classifying differences in the outputs of syntactic constituency parsers when a gold standard is unavailable or undesired, as in the case of texts written by nonnative speakers of English. We discuss its automated implementation and the results of a case study that uses the scheme to choose a parser best suited to a downstream task that processes nonnative written text.
Effects of alosetron on spontaneous migrating motor complexes in murine small and large bowel in vitro.

Alosetron (Lotronex) is a serotonin subtype 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonist that alleviates symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in female patients. Alosetron may act centrally, involve the alt...
Two Ways to Particularize a Property

Trope theory is an increasingly prominent contender in contemporary debates about the existence and nature of properties. But it suffers from ambiguity concerning the nature of a trope. Disambiguation reveals two fundamentally different concepts of a trope: modifier tropes and module tropes. These types of tropes are unequally suited for metaphysical work. Modifier tropes have advantages concerning powers, relations, and fundamental determinables, whereas module tropes have advantages concerning perception, causation, character-grounding, and the ontology of substance. Thus, the choice between modifier tropes and module tropes is significant and divides the advantages of trope theory simpliciter. In addition, each resulting trope theory is unstable: modifier trope theory threatens to collapse into realism, and module trope theory threatens to collapse into austere nominalism. This invites reflection on the stability of trope theory in general.
The Political Power of Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals

In the United States, as in most of the world, lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals are outnumbered and despised. Unlike most other potentially political groups, gay people are further disempowered by virtue of being born as if into a diaspora—probably randomly distributed about the population at birth. Their quest for political power is disadvantaged by barriers to the formation of political community as well as by lack of access to significant power resources. The relative political powerlessness of gay people stands in a contradistinction to their depiction by advocates of “traditional values” as a powerful movement advancing a “gay agenda” in American politics.Similarly, the attention paid to the occasional electoral victories of openly lesbian and gay candidates distorts the reality that fewer than one tenth of 1% of all elected officials in the United States are openly lesbian, gay, or bisexual. With only two exceptions—Wisconsin and Minnesota—every state that has passed legislation banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is either on the Atlantic Coast or on the Pacific Coast (including Hawaii). Political scientists long have understood that rare local victories—whether they be the enactment of nondiscrimination legislation or the election to office of a member of a group—do not translate into national political power for the group.In the pages that follow, I will attempt to measure the access gay people have to meaningful political resources and to discuss how differential access to these resources disadvantages gay people in the political process.
2,5-dichlorophenol: Not Synthesized by Eastern Lubber Grasshopper1

Defensive secretions of Na38Cl-injected eastern lubber grasshopper, Romalea microptera (Palisot de Beauvois), contained no detectable radioactive 2,5-dichlorophenol or other benzene soluble 38Cl-containing material. It does not appear that this insect synthesizes the chlorinated phenol.
Motives for and Personal and Social Benefits of Airplane Piloting as a Serious Leisure Activity for Women

Using the work of Freysinger (1995), Deci and Ryan (1985, 2000), and Stebbins (2007) as sensitizing concepts, we use analytic inductive methods to analyze interview data from twenty-six women who h...
Sedimentary Characteristics and Facies Research of 3rd Member of Quantou Formation in Yushulin Oilfield

Based on the core description and analysis,combinating of logging and other information,go on a comprehensive study,we identify the sedimentary characteristics of the Lower Cretaceous 3rd member of Quantou formation in Yushulin oilfield,and establish different sedimentary facies,sub-facies and microfacies identifier.
A prototype mobile application for triaging dental emergencies.

Abstract Background Evidence suggests that dental emergencies are likely to occur when preferred care is less accessible. Communication barriers often exist that cause patients to receive suboptimal treatment or experience discomfort for extended lengths of time. Furthermore, limitations in the conventional approach for managing dental emergencies prevent dentists from receiving critical information before patient visits. Methods The authors developed a mobile application to mediate the uncertainty of dental emergencies. The development and study consisted of a needs analysis and quality assessment of intraoral images captured by smartphones, prototype development, refining the prototype through usability inspection methods, and formative evaluation through usability testing with prospective users. Results The developed application successfully guided all users through a series of questions designed to capture clinically meaningful data by using familiar smartphone functions. All participants were able to complete a report within 4 minutes, and all clinical information was comprehended by the users. Conclusions Patient-provided information accompanied by high-resolution images may help dentists substantially in predicting urgency or preparing necessary treatment resources. The results illustrate the feasibility of patients using smartphone applications to report dental emergencies. This technology allows dentists to assess care remotely when direct patient contact is less practical. Practical Implications This study's results demonstrate that patients can use mobile applications to transmit clinical data to their dentists and suggest the possibility of expanding the use of mobile applications to enhance access to routine and emergency dental care. The authors addressed how to enable patients to communicate emergency needs directly to a dentist while obviating patient emergency department visits.
Younger Dual-Eligibles Who Use Federally Qualified Health Centers Have More Preventable Emergency Department Visits, but Some Have Fewer Hospitalizations:

Objective: To determine whether younger dual-eligibles receiving care at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) have lower rates of ambulatory care sensitive (ACS) hospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits. Data Sources: We used the 100% Medicare Part A and Part B institutional claims from 2007 to 2010 for dual-eligibles younger than 65 years, enrolled in traditional fee-for-service Medicare, who received care at an FQHC or lived in a primary care service area with an FQHC. Methods: Our cross-sectional analysis used negative binomial regressions to model ACS hospitalizations and ED visits as a function of prior year FQHC use. The model adjusted for beneficiary age, gender, race, and chronic diseases, as well as county fixed effects, time trends, and race-FQHC use interactions. Results: FQHC use is associated with a decrease in ACS hospitalization rates for whites (2.8 per 1000 persons), but an increase among blacks (2.5 per 1000 persons). FQHC use is also associated with an increase in ACS ...
Mitigating Visually Induced Motion Sickness: A Virtual Hand-Eye Coordination Task

Virtual reality has grown rapidly over the past decade, yet visually induced motion sickness (VIMS), continues to affect the usability of this technology. Aside from medicine, physical hand-eye-coo...
Nutrient and Sediment Reduction through Upflow Filtration of Stormwater Retention Pond Effluent

AbstractWet ponds have often been installed to detain runoff with the intention of mitigating peak flow. However, significant current drivers exist to improve their ability to mitigate pollutants, ...
Technical Note: Just–In–Time in a quality motivated managerial environment

This report is written to explain the basic concept of JIT and how management must be implemented properly in order for JIT to become a reality. In order to illustrate this point various technical information and examples from companies applying JIT are given. First the history and fundamentals of JIT will be assessed to get a clear meaning of the concept of JIT. Finally the techniques of efficient management will be discussed in detail.
The strong poetry of place: a co/auto/ethnographic journey of connoisseurship, criticality and learning

Through a co/auto/ethnographic approach informed by a theoretical bricolage of critical pedagogy, place-based education, science education, human geography, feminism, and indigenous ways of knowing, the authors demonstrate the power of place in and as pedagogy. Using rich personal narratives, they reclaim their stories as an urban island-dweller and nomadic music-dweller, and they illuminate place as an epistemological, ontological and axiological anchor for the Self in the neoliberal wasteland. Specifically, the authors attend to their familial lineages and reasons for migrating from Southern Europe to the USA’s Northeast section, the Northern Mid-Western and to the Southeast. They examine their and their families’ connections with place in relation to the ideological fictions embedded within their shared narrative of “for a better life,” which is the story that was told to them about their families’ migrations. They probe under the surface by asking, “better than what,” “according to whom,” and “why?” In doing so, they peel back the veil of hegemony and expose the ways that economic disadvantage impacted their families’ relationships with their homelands. The article concludes by conceptualizing critical connoisseurship as a means for guiding students to tap into the embodied knowledge of place in order to notice, question, appreciate and critically reflect upon curricular content and subject matter and resist neoliberalism’s removal of person from place and local knowledge.
Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation and Concordance With the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/Heart Rhythm Society Guidelines: Findings From ORBIT-AF (Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation)

Background: It is unclear how frequently patients with atrial fibrillation receive guideline-concordant (GC) care and whether guideline concordance is associated with improved outcomes. Methods and Results: Using data from ORBIT-AF (Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation), we determined how frequently patients received care that was concordant with 11 recommendations from the 2014 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/Heart Rhythm Society atrial fibrillation guidelines pertaining to antithrombotic therapy, rate control, and antiarrhythmic medications. We also analyzed the association between GC care and clinical outcomes at both the patient level and center level. A total of 9570 patients were included. The median age was 75 years (interquartile range, 67–82), and the median CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score was 4 (interquartile range, 3–5). A total of 5977 patients (62.5%) received care that was concordant with all guideline recommendations for which they were eligible. Rates of GC care were higher in patients treated by providers with greater specialization in arrhythmias (60.0%, 62.4%, and 67.0% for primary care physicians, cardiologists, and electrophysiologists, respectively; P P =0.021) but a similar risk of death, stroke, major bleeding, and all-cause hospitalization. Conclusions: Over a third of patients with atrial fibrillation in this large outpatient registry received care that differed in some respect from guideline recommendations. There was no apparent association between GC care and improved risk-adjusted outcomes.
Strict Locality and Phonological Maps

In this article, we identify Strict Locality as a strong computational property of a certain class of phonological maps from underlying to surface forms. We show that these maps can be modeled with...
The Role of the Artificial Neural Network in the Characterisation of Complex Systems and the Prediction of Disease

The physical sciences have, for a number of years, identified certain systems as ‘complex’. Although the definition of complexity has not been precisely defined, its general nature has. Complex systems are those entities that elude simple reductionist analysis because of their unpredictable non-cause and effect behaviour. These systems, which appear chaotic, can often be characterised by non-Newtonian, non-Cartesian, non-linear analysis. The behaviour of the human organism, in many respects, fulfills the broad definition of a complex system. For years, biomedical science has sought to understand the human organism by way of classic linear analysis. Such characterisation has often proved to be wanting. The artificial neural network is a powerful non-linear paradigm for the recognition of complex patterns. With this in mind, it appears to be fitting that the application of the artificial neural network to some more complicated human biomedical problems might be more successful than the traditional linear approaches used in the past. Described here is the progress that has been made in the application of the artificial neural network to the analysis of human disease. Covered herein is a brief review of the manifold applications of the network to the prediction of the presence of specific disease processes as well as the prediction of outcome in such processes. Although most of these are reports of early studies on small numbers of patients, they virtually all show that the artificial neural network outperforms the established paradigms for the same analysis. Nonetheless, more work will be required before the actual worth of this new paradigm is established.