cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Obtaining large undisturbed soil‐cores in metal and transparent cylinders

Water-spreading for the purpose of increasing the ground-water supply has been practiced to a limited extent in southern California in natural river-channels and on debris-cones and fans where soils are composed primarily of sands, gravels, and cobbles. In the San Joaquin Valley, spreading is contemplated on the valley-floor between the major stream-channels. Here the soils are loamy sands and sandy loams belonging to several soil-series. Some are older alluviums having a hardpan substratum.
Loss to Follow-up in a Sample of Americans 70 Years of Age and Older: The LSOA 1984–1990

Loss to follow-up is a problem in longitudinal samples, and the literature on response rates in panels of older persons suggests that they may be more vulnerable to nonrandom attrition and its consequent biases. The event history approach used in this study to determine the correlates of nonresponse addresses important shortcomings of previous analyses by incorporating time-varying covariates. Nonresponse is not random; persons of older ages, lower education, who live alone, rent (not own), have more functioning impairments, or have another sample person in the household are more likely to become nonrespondents. However, correction accounting for the effect of these correlates of nonresponse, as well as unobserved characteristics potentially affecting nonresponse, suggests that the association between these characteristics and the probability of nonresponse is not large enough to introduce bias. While these results are not portable to other analyses or panels, they do indicate that in this case, significant nonrandom nonresponse does not bias all related analytic results. A LTHOUGH the increasing availability of panel data has •**• been a great boon to researchers studying characteristics that change with age and over time, analysis of panel
Energy Efficient Relaying and Coalition-Forming in Relay Networks

Relaying is often advocated for improving system performance by enhancing spatial diversity in wireless networks. In this paper, we address the issue of energy tradeoff made by relay nodes between transmitting their own data and forwarding other nodes' information in fading channels. We first propose a power control policy in a two-node relay network under which total energy consumption across both nodes is minimized while meeting both outage probability requirements. Based on this power control algorithm, we consider the problem of forming optimal partial coalitions of relays in an N node system subject to selfish constraints: A node participates in a relay pair (or chain) if and only if the energy cost of relaying is lower than the cost of direct transmission by the node to the destination itself. We develop a simple (1,2)-polynomial time bi-criteria approximation for this NP-hard problem. The energy cost provided by the approximation is at most that of the optimal relay pairing, while the constraints are violated by at most a factor of two. The running time of the approximation algorithm is polynomial, as it requires the solution of a relaxed linear programming instance of the original integer programming problem.
Synthetic Population Generation at Disaggregated Spatial Scales for Land Use and Transportation Microsimulation

The execution of agent-based microsimulation requires an initial set of agents with detailed socioeconomic and demographic attributes to support subsequent behavioral and market models. Data limitations and privacy reasons often restrict the scope and detail with which a synthetic population can be generated by the traditional population synthesis approach. For the accommodation of the growing requirement of microsimulation on spatial resolution and variety, considering new data sources that overcome the data limitations and support population synthesis at more disaggregated levels is necessary. This paper presents a two-stage population synthesis approach not only to improve the accuracy of population generation with imperfect microdata and marginal data, but also to use additional data sets when the spatial details of the synthetic population are interpolated. A general iterative proportional fitting (IPF) method is used in the first stage to estimate the joint distribution of household and individual c...
Grain Rotation in Thin Films of Gold

Transmission electron microscope observations of microstructural development in thin films of gold are presented. In a sequential annealing experiment, we find that individual grains are constantly rotating and that this contributes to the rearrangement of grain boundaries by allowing their individual energies to vary.
Mixed Model Evaluation of Related Sires for Milk Yield Eliminating Age and Interaction of Sire with Herd-Year-Season

Abstract A method of best linear unbiased evaluation of related sires for milk yield considering age and interaction of sire with herd-year-season was developed. It was based on simplification of mixed model equations for multiple traits and multiple random classifications when all traits are recorded for each individual and design matrices are the same for all traits. The resulting modified least squares equations were used for milk yield and age at calving under a model with sire, herd-year-season, and sire by herd-year-season. For unrelated sires, this permits consideration of an arbitrarily large number of classes of herd-year-seasons and sires by herd-year-season. Absorption involves inversion of matrices of order t for t traits and unrelated sires. For groups of c related sires inverses of order tc are needed. Resulting absorbed equations of order ts for s sires must be solved. Sire, sire by herd, and error components of variance and covariance for first lactation milk yield and age at calving were used to examine implications for sire evaluation. Conditions justifying evaluation with only actual milk yield or only age-corrected milk yield were derived.
Binge eating in the bariatric surgery population: A review of the literature

Objective: This article reviews the status of the literature addressing clinically significant binge eating in the bariatric surgery patient. The goal is to provide a background that will guide patients, surgeons, and mental health practitioners toward the most successful long-term surgical outcome when binge eating is identified. Method: Pubmed and Medline search with subsequent reference list search of identified articles. We searched literature through April 2006 on the influence of binge eating (BE) on surgical outcome. Results: Those with pre-surgical BE are more likely to retain the eating pathology and, if they do, to have poorer weight loss outcome. Many people who binge ate prior to surgery report continued feelings of loss of control when eating small amounts of food after surgery. Studies that employed the DSM-IV definition of a binge episode reported absence of BE after surgery, unlike those that modified binge criteria after surgery. Conclusion: Clinically significant BE is related to poorer surgical outcomes, and additional interventions may be needed to improve long term outcomes. Though surgery does alter body's physiology, claims that the psychological aspects of BE are “cured” by obesity surgery must be viewed with caution. Researchers and practitioners must reach a consensus on how to define BE after gastric surgery so that future long-term prospective studies may further evaluate the effect of BE on surgical outcome and vice versa. © 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2007
Dual-mode decoding of product codes with application to tape storage

In this paper, we propose a dual-mode decoding technique for product codes in which the rows and columns may comprise either Reed-Solomon (RS) codewords or LDPC codewords. The first decoding mode uses standard hard-decision decoding algorithms on the rows and columns, after which a maximum-likelihood (ML) packet-erasure decoding algorithm is employed for the column code in a second decoding mode. For the second mode, the column code takes on a different character in which "slices" of the row code are treated as packets which are symbols in the column code. The ML decoder for this packet-level column code resolves the erroneous packets (erasures) flagged by the row code or a packet-level CRC code during the first decoding mode. By exploring an application to tape storage, we demonstrate that this dual-mode decoding method can dramatically improve the performance of a product code. Moreover, the complexity added by the second mode is manageable.
Dynamics of epigenetic phenomena: intergenerational and intragenerational phenotype 'washout'

Epigenetic studies of both intragenerational and transgenerational epigenetic phenotypic modifications have proliferated in the last few decades. However, the strong reductionist focus on mechanism that prevails in many epigenetic studies to date has diverted attention away what might be called the ‘dynamics’ of epigenetics and its role in comparative biology. Epigenetic dynamics describes how both transgenerational and intragenerational epigenetic phenotypic modifications change in non-linear patterns over time. Importantly, a dynamic perspective suggests that epigenetic phenomena should not be regarded as ‘digital’ (on–off), in which a modified trait necessarily suddenly disappears between one generation and the next. Rather, dynamic epigenetic phenomena may be better depicted by graded, time-related changes that can potentially involve the ‘washout’ of modified phenotype both within and across generations. Conceivably, an epigenetic effect might also ‘wash-in’ over multiple generations, and there may be unexplored additive effects resulting from the pressures of environmental stressors that wax, wane and then wax again across multiple generations. Recognition of epigenetic dynamics is also highly dependent on the threshold for detection of the phenotypic modification of interest, especially when phenotypes wash out or wash in. Thus, studies of transgenerational epigenetic effects (and intragenerational effects, for that matter) that search for persistence of the phenomenon are best conducted with highly sensitive, precise quantitative methods. All of the scenarios in this review representing epigenetic dynamics are possible and some even likely. Focused investigations that concentrate on the time course will reveal much about both the impact and mechanisms of epigenetic phenomena.
Aquatic sports dermatoses: Part 1. In the Water: Freshwater Dermatoses

The first of this three-part series on water-related dermatoses involving the athlete will include sports occurring with the majority of time spent in the water. These sports include swimming, diving, scuba, snorkeling and water polo. Numerous authors have described dermatologic conditions commonly seen in swimmers. This series provides an updated and comprehensive review of these water dermatoses. In order to organize the vast number of skin conditions related to water exposure, we divided the skin conditions into groupings of infectious and organism-related dermatoses, irritant and allergic dermatoses and miscellaneous dermatoses. The vast majority of skin conditions involving the water athlete result from chemicals and microbes inhabiting each environment. When considering the effects of swimming on one's skin, it is also useful to differentiate between exposure to freshwater (lakes, ponds and swimming pools) and exposure to saltwater. This review will serve as a guide for dermatologists, sports medicine physicians and other medical practitioners in recognition and treatment of these conditions.
RF and Microwave Measurement Techniques — train professionals with hands-on experience and promote understanding of theory

This paper describes the teaching pedagogy of the RF and Microwave Measurement Techniques course at the University of Central Florida. This course is intended to provide a platform to train professionals with hands-on experience and promote understanding of theory by effectively adapting the course content and evolving the teaching pedagogy.
The α-tubulin gene family in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and differential gene expression during cold acclimation

The α-tubulins and β-tubulins are the major constituents of microtubules, which have been recognized as important structural elements in cell growth and morphogenesis, and, recently, for their role in regulation and signal transduction. We have identified 15 full-length cDNAs for the members of the α-tubulin gene family in hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The genes were clustered into 5 homeologous groups of 3 genes. Representatives of the 5 homeologous groups were mapped to different chromosome arms, and the genome of origin was determined for each gene. Changes in mRNA levels were observed for the paralogous members of the gene family during cold acclimation. Three members of the family had initial decreases in mRNA levels in response to cold treatment, which were followed by increases, each with a different pattern of reinduction. One gene-family member showed increased mRNA for up to 14 d during cold acclimation and had decreased levels after 36 d of cold treatment; a fifth paralogous mem...
The Pb-Sn-Te phase diagram and its application to the liquid phase epitaxial growth of Pb1−xSnxTe

Abstract The ternary phase diagram of Pb 1− x Sn x Te has been calculated using a modified simple solution thermodynamic model. Interaction parameters between the binary solids and between elements in the liquid have been determined by fitting a polynomial in temperature to experimental liquidus and solidus data. The resulting calculation is in excellent agreement with extensive measurements of the solidus. The principal features of interest are that for x ≲ 0.18, the Sn composition in the solid is approximately the same as that in the liquid and independent of growth temperature. As the Sn content of the liquid increases to 0.30, the solid composition, x , saturates to a value dependent primarily on the growth temperature with the largest values of x corresponding to the highest growth temperature.
Nonlinear model predictive control based on predicted state error convergence

Systems subject to nonholonomic constraints or nonintegrable conservation laws may be modeled as driftless nonlinear control systems. Such systems are not stabilizable using continuous time-invariant state feedback. Time varying or piecewise continuous feedback are the only stabilization strategies currently available. This paper presents a new feedback stabilization algorithm for this class of systems by choosing the control action based on a gradient matrix to reduce the predicted state error. This approach is similar to the model predictive control but does not consider optimality nor constraints explicitly. As a result, the on-line computation load is greatly reduced. Existing stability analysis techniques for model predictive control are not directly applicable due to the lack of local stabilizability. We show that under the full rank condition of a gradient matrix, the closed loop system is globally asymptotically stable. Examples of several nonlinear control systems are included to illustrate the proposed method.
Toward vocabulary independent telephone speech recognition

Vocabulary-independence of speech recognition systems has become an important issue because of the need for flexible vocabulary and the high cost of speech corpus collection. We outline the necessary steps to achieve the goal of vocabulary-independent speech recognition, and relate our experimental experience with telephone speech recognition. Two sets of experiments were conducted: (1) 34-command recognition, in which we compared vocabulary-independent (VI) and vocabulary-dependent (VD) systems as well as phonetic and word based systems, and (2) 42-city name recognition, in which our vocabulary independent recognition performance (8.5% W. Err.) was much better than the VI performance (18%) reported by the Oregon Graduate Institute (OGI) and very close to OGI's VD performance (8%). We conclude that we have made some strides toward vocabulary independence, but much remains to be done; we identify the areas of improvement that are likely to lead to the goal. >
An empirical study of the effects of minimization on the fault detection capabilities of test suites

Test suite minimization techniques attempt to reduce the cost of saving and reusing tests during software maintenance, by eliminating redundant tests from test suites. A potential drawback of these techniques is that in minimizing a test suite, they might reduce the ability of that test suite to reveal faults in the software. A study showed that minimization can reduce test suite size without significantly reducing the fault detection capabilities of test suites. To further investigate this issue, we performed an experiment in which we compared the costs and benefits of minimizing test suites of various sizes for several programs. In contrast to the previous study, our results reveal that the fault detection capabilities of test suites can be severely compromised by minimization.
NUTRIENT RESERVES AND CLUTCH-SIZE REGULATION OF NORTHERN SHOVELERS IN ALASKA

Abstract We determined patterns of nutrient-reserve use by female Northern Shovelers (Anas clypeata) nesting at Minto Flats, Alaska, and compared them with those of female shovelers nesting in the Prairie Pothole Region of Manitoba, Canada. Individual variation in somatic lipid was best explained by nest initiation date; females that initiated nests early had larger lipid reserves than females that delayed nest initiation. These results contrast with those from Manitoba, which showed that females used lipid reserves and stored protein during egg production. Incubating females from Alaska did not use protein or mineral reserves, but lipid reserves decreased significantly throughout incubation. Females in Alaska and Manitoba used lipid reserves similarly during incubation. We conclude that endogenous nutrient availability does not proximately limit clutch size during laying for this population of shovelers, possibly due to the high productivity of wetlands in interior Alaska and/or the long photoperiod that...
Abstract 365: Continuing to Improve the D2B Process

Objective: Early reperfusion of patients with STEMI, with a target door to balloon (D2B) time < 90 min, is a core measure of acute myocardial infarction treatment. “Time is muscle” and efforts are continually made to decrease the time from first medical contact to reperfusion, thereby decreasing cardiac morbidity and mortality. SBUH is a primary PCI referral center challenged by an extended hospital network and a predominately community voluntary EMS, meeting community standards. Process review identified two promising interventions to improve D2B times; increasing community and EMS awareness of the importance of an initial referral to a PCI capable center and obtaining and transmitting ECGs from the field. Procedure: Community education and incorporation of the EMS teams as stakeholders in monthly D2B performance review meetings were implemented. The effects of efforts to increase community awareness and provide directed, timely feedback to EMS on process and outcome were assessed. Results: Overall STEMI calls increased from 368 in 2011, to 453 in 2012, and 467 in 2013. The number and percentage of patients directly presenting to SBUH (a PCI capable hospital) versus a local referral center increased progressively from 142 [48.6%] in 2011, to 201 [53.0%] in 2012, and 227 [56.5%] in 2013. In contrast to initial presentation at a local community transfer hospital, direct presentation to the PCI capable hospital reduced first contact to reperfusion time by 60 minutes. EMS demonstrated a progressive increase in the number of ECG’s obtained in the field [2009-25, 2010-39, 2011-46, 2012-65, 2013-98]; 62% of STEMI’s brought in by our EMS were called in the field in 2013. First ECG in the field compared to first ECG in the ED reduced D2B time by an average of 18.7/ median of 15.0 minutes. D2B times showed a progressive improvement in median time from 57 in 2011 to 54 minutes in 2013 and in the percentage of patients receiving reperfusion within 90 minutes. Accompanying the reduction in D2B times, PCI mortality fell from a baseline of 1.9% with O/E of 1.01 in 2011 to 1.4% with O/E of 0.75 in 2013; AMI mortality fell from a high of 5.2% with an O/E of 0.99 in 2011 to 3.4% with an O/E of 0.69 in 2013 with an accompanying decrease in the median STEMI LOS from 3.1 to 2.8 days . Conclusions: Efforts to improve community awareness of the value of early presentation to a PCI capable hospital center and EMS obtaining and transmitting ECGs in the field are effective interventions to improve rapid reperfusion efforts in STEMI. Community awareness of the warning signs of a heart attack is an additional significant contributor to early effective reperfusion efforts and decreasing cardiac mortality.
After Inception: How Enduring is Job Creation by Startups?

We analyze a Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS) dataset broken out by firm age to determine how total employment in startups changes as startups age. Conventional thinking on employment from startups is that many of the new jobs created by startups evaporate over the course of just a few years as firms exit the market. By tracking cohorts of firms started from 1977–2000, we find this to not be the case. While many firms exit over the life of each cohort (destroying jobs), other firms also grow (creating jobs). This growth in employment partially balances out the jobs lost by closing and shrinking firms. We also look at how recessions affect employment in these cohorts of firms. We find that starting a firm during a recession does not affect employment levels five years later, but cohorts of firms exposed to prolonged recessions did experience significantly lower employment levels.Key Findings• Cohorts of firms started each year retain, on average, 80 percent of their initial total employment to age five.• Older cohorts of firms exhibit increasingly higher employment retention rates over five years, but these rates are not substantially higher than those of new startup cohorts.• Cohorts that start during a recession hire fewer people in the first few years following their birth, but they catch back up to the same levels of employment at age five.• Prolonged recessions, on the other hand, appear to lower employment among cohorts. Cohorts at age five that had survived through portions of three recession years had roughly 10 percent less employment (as compared to their startup years) than cohorts of firms that encountered no recessions in their first five years.Part of the Kauffman Foundation Research Series: Firm Formation and Economic Growth.
Cerebral Folate Deficiency Syndromes

Neurologists and geneticists at the University of Barcelona, Spain and other centers analyzed cerebral folate levels in 584 children with neurologic disorders that required diagnostic lumbar puncture.
Surgical operative time increases the risk of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in robotic prostatectomy.

Introduction Technological advancements have reduced the morbidity associated with cryosurgery, leading to an increased interest in this modality for the treatment of organ-confined prostate cancer. In this study, we critically examine the current role of cryoablation of the prostate to better understand how to counsel patients regarding this treatment option. Methods A database was compiled over a 3-year period (2008-2011) of 30 patients who underwent cryoablation for organ-confined prostate cancer. Indications for cryosurgery included primary treatment, focal treatment (institutional review board-approved prospective study), and salvage cryotherapy for radiation failure. The primary outcomes were biochemical response via prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement and morbidity associated with cryoablation. Cryotherapy failure was defined as an increasing postcryotherapy PSA level ≥ 2 ng/mL above the post-treatment nadir, a positive prostate biopsy, or radiographic evidence of metastatic disease. Results Of the 30 patients who underwent cryoablation from 2008 to 2011, 26 patients had complete follow-up data for analysis. Of these patients, 17 (65.38%) had total gland cryotherapy, 5 (19.23%) had salvage cryotherapy for radiation failure, and 4 (15.38%) had focal cryotherapy. The mean patient age was 68 years (54-89); median preoperative PSA was 5.5 ng/mL (1.7-15.9); median prostate volume was 35 mL (15-54); mean Gleason score was 7; and the median PSA at study conclusion was 0.7 (0.02-3.4) ng/mL. Of the 17 patients who had total prostate cryotherapy, 11 (64.7%) had significant factors precluding primary treatment by a surgical and/or radiation approach, including neurological disorders (2), morbid obesity (1), rectal cancer treated with radiation (1), kidney/pancreas transplant (2), ileoanal pouch secondary to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (1), renal failure (1), and age (3). There were no intra- or postoperative complications. After a median follow-up of 18 months (1-40), none of the patients with multiple comorbidities had biochemical failures. Two patients from the salvage group experienced treatment failure requiring androgen deprivation therapy. Conclusions This critical analysis of a single-surgeon experience at a large academic prostate cancer program revealed that the contemporary role of cryosurgery is, in select patients with comorbidities, preventing surgical and/or radiation therapy. Additionally, cryosurgery has a role in treating radiation failures. Further studies are necessary to investigate focal cryotherapy as an option for primary treatment, but our preliminary results are promising, without any biochemical failures in our focal therapy cohort.
Monitoring Hemodynamic Changes in Stroke-Affected Muscles Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

The oxygenation level of a tissue is an important marker of the health of the tissue and has a direct effect on performance. It has been shown that the blood flow to the paretic muscles of hemiparetic post-stroke patients is significantly reduced compared to non-paretic muscles. It is hypothesized that hemodynamic activity in paretic muscles is suppressed as compared to non-paretic muscles, and that oximetry can be used to measure this disparity in real-time. In order to test this hypothesis, a custom-made oximetry device was used to measure hemodynamic activity in the forearm extensor muscles in post-stroke patients' paretic and non-paretic sides and in a control population during three exercise levels calibrated to the subject's maximum effort. The change in oxygenation (ΔOxy) and blood volume (ΔBV) were calculated and displayed in real-time. Results show no apparent difference in either ΔOxy or ΔBV between control subjects' dominant and non-dominant muscles. However, the results show a significant difference in ΔOxy between paretic and non-paretic muscles, as well as a significant difference between normalized post-stroke and control data. Further work will be necessary to determine if the observed difference between the paretic and non-paretic muscles changes over the course of physical therapy and can be correlated with functional improvements.
OPIOID ABUSE SITUATION AND THE CHARACTERISTICS AMONG METHADONE MAINTENANCE TREATMENT PATIENTS IN HANGZHOU CITY

Objective:To understand the epidemiological characteristics of drug abuse in Yuhang district of Hangzhou,and to explore the epidemic causes and trends of drug abuse.Methods:Using cluster sampling,all participants were investigated by self- made questionnaire at baseline investigation in methadone maintenance treatment clinics.Results:Heroin is the main abusing substance(99.4%); injection and "chasing the dragon"were the two dominated administration of drug use; "ignorance and curiosity"(72.09%) and "medical(pain,weight- loss) use"(14.1%) are the two main causes of abuse for the first time; "psychological dependence factors"(53.5%) for patients were the leading cause of relapse during treatment; abuse for the first time is mainly concentrated in the population of people who are at the age of 40(97.2%),with low culture degree(accounted for about 59.3% of junior high school and below),unemployed,or job- waiting(67.2%).Conclusion:It's urgent to strengthen the health education on harm reduction,improve the cognition of high- risk groups and even the national drug hazards,establish an effective prevention mechanism,and promote comprehensive rehabilitation for drug addicts.
The application of hydrocolloid dressing in neonatal nasal ventilation

Objective: To explore the effect of hydrocolloid dressing application in preventing nasal trauma when newborns were applied nasal ventilation.Methods: 62 newborns who need respiratory support of nasal ventilation were divided into two groups randomly.Each group includes 31 cases.the observed group were covered the hand-cut hydrocolloid dressing on the newborns's noses,and then put the suitable prong in the nostrils securely.However the control group aren't covered the hydrocolloid dressing.Results: After weaning off CPAP,there are no one with nasal's trauma in the observed group.There are 24 cases with nasal traumas in the control group,including 11 cases with nasal reddening,9 cases with nasal septum shifting,4 cases with nasal pressed sores.Conclusion: Application of hydrocolloid dressing in nasal ventilation had better efficacy.
Fault-tolerant Scheduling Algorithm for Maximizing Reliability of Service-Oriented Simulation System

The real-time fault-tolerant scheduling problem of service-oriented distributed simulation system was studied based on PB model, in which the heterogeneity of system was considered. Firstly, two propositions were put forward according to the characters of simulation system and corresponding scheduling rules were given. Secondly, reliability cost of simulation task was analyzed and two formulas for counting the worst case response time of primary and backup version tasks were put forward. Finally, two different algorithms were advanced, RC-RTFT and MW-RTFT. Primary version tasks were scheduled by the integration rule of minimum reliability cost and minimum worst case response time heuristic rule in RC-RTFT, whereas in MW-RTFT which were scheduled by minimum worst case response time. And in both algorithms, backup version tasks were scheduled by minimum worst case response time heuristic rule. The simulation result of algorithms shows that the load balance and stability characteristic of RC-RTFT is acceptable, and as computation complexity considered, and RC-RTFT is better than MW-RTFT.
Mild hypothermia therapy for brain recovery after cardiopulmonary resuscitation and analysis of prognostic factors

Objective To explore the prognostic factors of mild hypothermia therapy in patients after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the prognostic value of the active electroencephalogram (AEEG).Methods Mild hypothermia therapy was applied in 42 patients after CRP whose circulation was stable on the basis of systemic treatment. Body temperature (jugular bulb temperature) was controlled at 31 - 34 ℃ for 3 - 6 days before rewarming. During treatment, routine examinations were made, and electroencephalogram was monitored and Hockday grade was estimated. Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) was use to evaluate the nervous system function of patients who survived for 3 months. Results There were varying degrees of difference between the good prognosis group (good recovery, moderate disability, n= 19) and the poor outcome group (severe disability, vegetative state, death, n=23) in the time of CPR after cardiac arrest (minutes: 4. 11±1.80 vs. 13.08±11.37), Glasgow coma scale (GCS) after the recovery (5.48±1.32 vs.4.13 ± 1.61), blood base excess (mmol/L: -10. 27±6.23 vs. -13. 18±7. 29) and lactate concentration (mmol/L: 6. 82±3. 12 vs. 8.47±4. 14, P＜0. 05 or P＜0. 01). There were significant differences between Hockday stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ in the rates of good prognosis in 37 patients who underwent the AEEG monitoring [85.7% (12/14) vs. 37.5% (3/8), P＜0.05]. Conclusion The duration between CPR and cardiac arrest,GCS after resuscitation, blood base excess and lactate concentration can help determine the prognosis of patients after mild hypothermia therapy; electroencephalogram monitor is a helpful measure to determine the neurological outcome of patients after mild hypothermia therapy. Key words: Mild hypothermia; Cerebral resuscitation; Prognosis; Electroencephalogram
Denoising of gravity gradient data using an equivalent source technique

ABSTRACTThe inherent relationship among different components of gravity gradiometer data requires applied processing to be consistent among the components. This restricts the applicability of some traditional potential-field processing techniques, but it highlights opportunities for methods uniquely suited for such data sets. The equivalent source technique is one such method. We have applied fast equivalent source construction to two aspects of gravity gradient data processing. First, we denoised multicomponent data and obtained estimates of the incoherent errors for the observations. Second, we have proposed a method that can be used to estimate errors associated with the denoised data. Through synthetic and field examples, we have evaluated the effectiveness of equivalent source processing for denoising and noise estimation.
Body size at sexual maturity in the eteline snappers Etelis carbunculus and Pristipomoides sieboldii: subregional comparisons between the main and north-western Hawaiian Islands

New estimates of median body length at sexual maturity (L50) are presented for females of ehu (Etelis carbunculus) and kalekale (Pristipomoides sieboldii) in the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI); these are compared with published estimates for females of each species in the north-western Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). This case study illustrates the general importance of identifying regional and subregional variations in species’ life histories when estimating parameters for input to stock assessments. L50 values differed somewhat between the two species, but greatly between the MHI and NWHI for each species. Size-standardised ovary weights were greater in the NWHI v. MHI for all-sized fish of both species and nominally greater at larger body sizes among the mature females of both species in the MHI compared with the NWHI. L50 was smaller in the MHI compared with NWHI for females of both species. The mean (±s.e.m.) L50 for female ehu was 23.4±0.3- v. 27.2±1.0-cm fork length (FL) in the MHI v. NWHI respectively. For female kalekale, the respective estimates were 23.8±0.3 and 28.6±0.7cm FL. Possible determinants of these subregional geographic variations in L50, including latitude, productivity and history of extraction by Hawaiian bottomfish fisheries, are discussed.
Peptoid Backbone Flexibilility Dictates Its Interaction with Water and Surfaces: A Molecular Dynamics Investigation

Peptoids are peptide-mimetic biopolymers that are easy to synthesize and adaptable for use in drugs, chemical scaffolds, and coatings. However, there is insufficient information about their structural preferences and interactions with the environment in various applications. We conducted a study to understand the fundamental differences between peptides and peptoids using molecular dynamics simulations with semiempirical (PM6) and empirical (AMBER) potentials, in conjunction with metadynamics enhanced sampling. From studies of single molecules in water and on surfaces, we found that sarcosine (model peptoid) is much more flexible than alanine (model peptide) in different environments. However, the sarcosine and alanine interact similarly with a hydrophobic or a hydrophilic. Finally, this study highlights the conformational landscape of peptoids and the dominant interactions that drive peptoids toward these conformations.
Data Marketplace as a Platform for Sharing Scientific Data

Data marketplace is an emerging service model to facilitate data exchange between its producers and consumers. While the service has been motivated by a business model for data and has established itself in the commercial sector over the last few years, it is possible to build a data sharing platform for the scientific community on this model. This article analyzes the motivational and technical challenges for scientific data exchange and proposes use of data marketplace service model to address them.
Eastern Europe and the Euro Area

The recent string of economic difficulties and financial collapses in Eastern Europe revived the interest in monetary and exchange rate arrangements as linchpins of reform efforts in the former communist economies. Given the geographical location, the advent of the European Monetary Union (EMU) is, indeed, the major factor determining the shape of this reform effort.
Basics of Laser Machining

This chapter introduces the basic physical mechanisms in laser machining processes. Laser machining can be divided into one, two and three-dimensional processes by differentiating the kinematics of the erosion front during beam/material interaction. All laser machining processes exhibit common characteristics such as molten layer formation, possible plasma formation, and beam reflection from the erosion front. This chapter also discusses the major components required for a laser machining system: the laser, the beam delivery subsystem, the workpiece positioning subsystem, and auxiliary devices. Finally, possible real-time sensing techniques and approaches for closed-loop control of laser machining processes are discussed.
Context-dependent post-dispersal predation of acorns in a California oak community

Abstract Seed dispersal and predation play important roles in plant life history by contributing to recruitment patterns in the landscape. Mast-seeding – extensive synchronized inter-annual variability in seed production – is known to influence the activity of acorn consumers at source trees, but little is known about its effect on post-dispersal predation. We conducted a planting experiment over three years to investigate the relationship between habitat-level post-dispersal predation and landscape-wide acorn production of three sympatric oak species (Quercus spp.). We measured post-dispersal predation in three oak-dominated habitats – savanna (under Q. lobata), forest edge (under Q. agrifolia), and woodland (under Q. douglasii) – as well as in chaparral and open fields. Overall, landscape-level predation was similarly high among study years, averaging 61.4%. Neither species nor mass of planted acorns affected predation. Habitat had a significant effect on post-dispersal predation risk with acorns disappearing most rapidly in chaparral and least rapidly in woodlands. However, a significant interaction between year and habitat (Z = −4.5, P
Injury pattern recognition to discriminate competing causes of liver injury.

Background Competing causes of liver injury may be difficult to discriminate. Characterization of the typical phenotype of each injury defined by latency, time to improvement and biochemical pattern, could be helpful to identify the most likely of competing causes. Methods Liver injury characteristics of both bortezomib-associated drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation associated with bortezomib are derived from PubMed listed publications. Results Bortezomib-associated DILI has very short latency of days and AP is found elevated, while liver injury due to HBV reactivation occurs after several months of bortezomib therapy. Therefore, a patient's liver injury pattern occurring 3 months into bortezomib therapy should be attributed to HBV reactivation. Discussion Identification of liver injury characteristics for competing causes of liver injury can be helpful to identify the most likely cause and improve clinical outcome.
Firm Growth Factors: A State of the Art Review and Research Issues

Factors that enable and constrain firm growth are one of most widely studied topics in the economic literature. The impact of firm growth on economic development, employment and innovation activities is the main reason for this major interest. The literature addressing determinants of the business environment is large and offers numerous important insights into the role of institutions in firm growth. However, despite a large body of work on firm dynamics and their influence on growth for firms in developed economies, the evidence for less-developed economies is scarce. This literature review shows that evidence is particularly scant in relation to explaining the role of firms’ internal capabilities in firm growth, in a less-developed country context. In addition, although the effect of social conditions on the emergence of innovative firms is relatively recent, few academic works explore the social conditions needed to enable the emergence of firms with innovation capabilities.
Stopping the Runaway Train: The Case for Privatizing Amtrak

When Congress created Amtrak in 1970, passenger-rail advocates hoped that it would become an efficient and attractive mode of travel. More than 40 years of Amtrak operations have disappointed them, as Amtrak has become the highest-cost mode of intercity travel and remains an insignificant player in the nation’s transportation system. Nationally, average Amtrak fares are more than twice as much, per passenger mile, as airfares. Despite these high fares, per-passenger-mile subsidies to Amtrak are nearly nine times as much as subsidies to airlines, and more than 20 times as much as subsidies to driving. When fares and subsidies are combined, Amtrak’s costs per passenger mile are nearly four times as great as airline costs. Partly because of these high costs, Amtrak is an insignificant mode of travel. The average American flies close to 2,000 miles a year and travels by car around 15,000 miles a year but rides Amtrak only about 20 miles a year. Nor do the environmental benefits of passenger trains justify Amtrak’s subsidies. Buses use far less energy per passenger mile than Amtrak. Cars in intercity travel are typically as energy efficient as Amtrak. While Amtrak is currently more energy efficient than flying, airline energy efficiency is improving faster than Amtrak’s, and by 2025 air travel is likely to use less energy per passenger mile than trains. Recent efforts to reform Amtrak have proven futile as entrenched interests, ranging from labor unions to local activists, have kept Amtrak an inefficient carrier heavily dependent on government subsidies. No amount of reform will overcome the fundamental problem that, so long as Amtrak is politically funded, it will extend service to politically powerful states even if those states provide few riders. Budgetarily, Amtrak has become a runaway train, consuming huge subsidies and providing little or no return. Four decades of subsidies to passenger trains that are many times greater than subsidies to airlines and highways have failed to significantly alter American travel habits. Simple justice to Amtrak’s competitors as well as to taxpayers demands an end to those subsidies. The only real solution for Amtrak is privatization. Private operators would enjoy substantial cost savings over Amtrak and would be free to serve those routes that attract the most passengers rather than the ones that are backed by the most political muscle. Private railroads would also be more likely to develop innovations that will attract new riders.
Role of the cortex in visuomotor control of arm stability.

We examined cortical activity and connectivity during control of stabilization in a constant arm position (i.e., visuomotor control of arm posture). Our findings provide evidence for cortical invol...
Evaluation of Feedback and Feedforward Coupling of Synthetic Aperture Navigation with LTE Signals

An indoor pedestrian localization system which is based on cellular long-term evolution (LTE) carrier phase measurements and synthetic aperture navigation (SAN) is developed. The proposed system relies on a moving antenna array to determine the direction-of-arrival (DOA) of received LTE signals, while suppressing multipath signals. Two schemes are studied to couple LTE carrier phase measurements with SAN: (1) feedforward LTE-SAN and (2) feedback LTE-SAN. The performance of both coupling schemes is validated experimentally in a challenging indoor environment, in which the proposed system traversed a distance of 126.8 m in 100 seconds, while receiving LTE signals from 6 eNodeBs. The position root mean-squared error (RMSE) exhibited by the proposed LTE-SAN approach was 5.20 m and 4.32 m with feedforward and feedback coupling, respectively, compared with 7.19 m using a standalone LTE approach.
Association of Hypercholesterolemia with Alzheimer's Disease Pathology and Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy.

Background Animal studies have shown that diet-induced hypercholesterolemia (HC) increases amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation and accelerates Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. However, the association of HC with AD in human studies has not been consistently established. Objective We aimed to investigate the relationship between HC and risk of AD neuropathology in a large national sample with autopsies. Methods This study used neuropathological and clinical data from 3,508 subjects from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) who underwent autopsies from 2005 to 2017. Demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as neuropathological outcomes were compared between subjects with and without HC. Associations between HC and AD neuropathology were examined by multivariate ordinal logistic regressions adjusting for potential confounders. Results HC was not associated with any AD neuropathology in a model only adjusting for demographic variables. However, HC was significantly associated with higher CERAD neuritic and diffuse plaque burden, higher Braak stage, and more severe cerebral amyloid angiopathy when analyzed in a multivariate model controlling for comorbidities. Additional adjusting for cerebrovascular conditions did not diminish these associations. The association between HC and increased risk of neuritic plaques weakened but remained significant even after controlling for ApoE genotype. Conclusion This study suggested that HC was associated with increased severity of AD pathology, which could only be partially accounted for by ApoE genotype. The associations were not mediated by cerebrovascular conditions.
Cutavirus: A newly discovered parvovirus on the rise.

Abstract Cutavirus is a new member of the Parvoviridae family. It was first discovered in 2016 through unbiased metagenomics performed on fecal samples collected from patients with diarrhea, and also in skin biopsies collected from patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL, also known as mycosis fungoides). We have systematically reviewed the literature to describe the discovery, genomic organization, prevalence, and geographic distribution of cutavirus.