cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multi-rate Observer Based Sliding Mode Control with Frequency Shaping for Vibration Suppression Beyond Nyquist Frequency*

Abstract: Nyquist frequency limits the frequency range of the continuous-time signals that can be reconstructed through the sampled discrete-time signals. In hard disk drives (HDDs), there exist resonance modes near and beyond the Nyquist frequency in the voice coil motor (VCM). Such resonance modes, if excited, may generate vibration beyond the Nyquist frequency which would seriously degrade the servo performance. To capture such vibration, a multi-rate extended observer is designed based on the nominal dynamic model of the excitation process. This observer estimates both the states and the vibration at a fast rate based on the sampled position error signal (PES) at a slow rate. The estimated states are utilized to design a sliding mode control algorithm at the fast rate with frequency shaping to suppress vibration beyond the Nyquist frequency. Meanwhile, the estimated vibration are incorporated in the control signal to further compensate the actual vibration. Simulation results demonstrate the benefits of the proposed algorithm: large off-track behaviors of the VCM are mostly detected and the vibration beyond the Nyquist frequency are suppressed.
Classifications of college students’ protean and boundaryless orientation to work

Increasingly, individuals navigate their own careers in self-directed (protean) and boundaryless contexts. These concepts have been applied to adult employees but have seen limited application with young adults. Therefore, 205 college students were assessed on the Protean and Boundaryless Career Attitudes scales (Briscoe, Hall, and DeMuth, 2006); i.e., self-directed career management, values-driven, boundaryless mindset, and organizational mobility preferences. Scale items were reworded to focus on college experience. Cluster analysis organized respondents into five distinct protean-boundaryless career types. Three types were similar to those hypothesized for adults, while two types were unique to our sample.
Exogenous amino acids suppress glucose oxidation and potentiate hepatic glucose production in late gestation fetal sheep

Acute amino acid (AA) infusion increases AA oxidation rates in normal late gestation fetal sheep. Because the fetal oxygen consumption rate does not change with increased AA oxidation, we hypothesi...
Ex Vivo Expansion of Cord Blood NK Cell Have In Vivo Efficacy Against Leukemia.

Introduction Allogeneic stem cell transplantation has demonstrated the ability to prevent leukemic relapse via an immune-mediated graft-vs.-leukemia effect. Natural killer (NK) cells have been shown to comprise a significant component of this anti-leukemia effect and have been reported to enhance engraftment and reduce graft-vs.-host disease. Ex-vivo expansion of peripheral blood-derived NK cells has been demonstrated. Cord blood (CB) is a promising alternate source of NK cells with enhanced cytokine/antigen-responsiveness, proliferation and increasing availability. We studied expansion conditions for the generation of CB NK cells for clinical use, and evaluated them in vivo in NOD-SCID/IL2Rg null mice engrafted with human leukemia. Methods Two expansion protocols were compared: CD56 + NK cells were isolated and cultured with irradiated CD56 − feeder cells in RPMI-1640 supplemented with 100ng/mL IL-2 for 21 days. CB mononuclear cells were depleted of CD3 + cells prior to culture. In vivo NK cytolytic activity was measured via chromium release assays on leukemia cell lines (K562, Nalm6) and fresh patient leukemia blasts. Functionality was confirmed in vivo as well by injecting 10 6 K562 cells or 2.5 ×10 4 Nalm6 cells into NOD-SCID/IL2Rg null mice. 2 ×10 6 CB-expanded NK cells were administered on day +1, and an additional 5×10 6 CB NK cells were administered on day +7. NK killing of leukemic targets was then confirmed by flow cytometry. Results Feeder cells mediated >30-fold expansion of CB NK cells, generating a nearly pure population that contained 97% CD3 − CD56 + cells. Expanded CB NK could lyse >90% of K562 targets at an E:T ratio of 10:1, as well as >40% of patient leukemia blast. In CD3 − depleted cultures, similar expansions were observed, however only 55% of these cells were CD3 − CD56 + with the remainder being 10% CD3 + CD56 + NK/T and 35% CD3 + T lymphocytes. In the NOD-SCID~/IL2Rg null model, ex vivo expanded CB NK cells demonstrated the ability to reduce the leukemia burden of both AML (K562) and ALL (Nalm6) cells >50%. Conclusions We have demonstrated the feasibility of expanding CB NK ex vivo to clinically-relevant doses with minimal manipulation. These expanded CB NK cells demonstrated cytotoxic activity in vitro and in vivo against a variety of human leukemic cell lines and patient leukemia blasts. These results provide rationale for immunotherapy of leukemia with CB-derived NK cells.
A View from the Muslim Arabic Press, 1928: The International Missionary Conference in Jerusalem

This essay situates the 1928 meeting of the International Missionary Council (IMC) in Jerusalem in the historical context of British Mandate Palestine. Mission historians represent this conference as a turning point in the ecumenical missionary movement because delegates rejected Euro-centrism and demonstrated openness to partnerships with members of other faiths. Beyond the gates of the conference grounds where British soldiers stood guard, however, Palestinian Muslims and Christians expressed a different view of this gathering in the city of God. Arabic newspapers covered the widespread protests against the meeting, but IMC publications gave little attention to this local response. Blinded by the inspiring Biblical scenery below, John Mott and other IMC leaders failed to exhibit the sort of cultural sensitivity many delegates advocated behind the closed doors of their hilltop conference.
Making Media Commodities from Cultural Practices Implications for Developing Regions

New media technologies and their globalizing power have transformed development practices. Through a case study, I examine how local cultural practices such as traditional art forms – primarily non-monetary activities – in developing regions are brought into contemporary transactional domains through processes of digitization and integration into the Internet. These processes prompt us to consider culture as material capital, surplus value as an important marker of development, and the convergence of the concepts of labor and entrepreneurship. These considerations could challenge the assumption that global pressures are all powerful and set the agenda, and local entities are pliable, reactive, and powerless.
Hypnotherapy to Reduce Hot Flashes: Examination of Response Expectancies as a Mediator of Outcomes:

The mechanism of action responsible for hypnotherapy's effect in reducing hot flashes is not yet known. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of response expectancies as a potential mediator. Hypnotizability was also tested as an effect moderator. Data were collected from a sample of 172 postmenopausal women, who had been randomized to receive either a 5-week hypnosis intervention or structured attention counseling. Measures of response expectancies were analyzed to determine if the relationship between group assignment and hot flashes frequency was mediated by expectancies for treatment efficacy. A series of simple mediation and conditional process analyses did not support mediation of the relationship between treatment condition and hot flash frequency through response expectancy. The effect of hypnotherapy in reducing hot flashes does not appear to be due to placebo effects as determined by response expectancies. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.
Development and Evaluation of a Similarity Measure for Medical Event Sequences

We develop a similarity measure for medical event sequences (MESs) and empirically evaluate it using U.S. Medicare claims data. Existing similarity measures do not use unique characteristics of MESs and have never been evaluated on real MESs. Our similarity measure, the Optimal Temporal Common Subsequence for Medical Event Sequences (OTCS-MES), provides a matching component that integrates event prevalence, event duplication, and hierarchical coding, important elements of MESs. The OTCS-MES also uses normalization to mitigate the impact of heavy positive skew of matching events and compact distribution of event prevalence. We empirically evaluate the OTCS-MES measure against two other measures specifically designed for MESs, the original OTCS and Artemis, a measure incorporating event alignment. Our evaluation uses two substantial data sets of Medicare claims data containing inpatient and outpatient sequences with different medical event coding. We find a small overlap in nearest neighbors among the three similarity measures, demonstrating the superior design of the OTCS-MES with its emphasis on unique aspects of MESs. The evaluation also provides evidence about the impact of component weights, neighborhood size, and sequence length.
Stat6 Promotes Intestinal Tumorigenesis in a Mouse Model of Adenomatous Polyposis by Expansion of MDSCs and Inhibition of Cytotoxic CD8 Response

Abstract Intestinal tumorigenesis in the ApcMin/+ model is initiated by aberrant activation of Wnt pathway. Increased IL-4 expression in human colorectal cancer tissue and growth of colon cancer cell lines implied that IL-4–induced Stat6-mediated tumorigenic signaling likely contributes to intestinal tumor progression in ApcMin/+ mice. Stat6 also appears to promote expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) cells. MDSCs promote polyp formation in the ApcMin/+ model. Hence, Stat6 could have a broad role in coordinating both polyp cell proliferation and MDSC expansion. We found that IL-4–induced Stat6-mediated proliferation of intestinal epithelial cells is augmented by platelet-derived growth factor–BB, a tumor-promoting growth factor. To determine whether polyp progression in ApcMin/+ mice is dependent on Stat6 signaling, we disrupted Stat6 in this model. Total polyps in the small intestine were fewer in ApcMin/+ mice lacking Stat6. Furthermore, proliferation of polyp epithelial cells was reduced, indicating that Stat6 in part controlled polyp formation. Stat6 also promoted expansion of MDSCs in the spleen and lamina propria of ApcMin/+ mice, implying regulation of antitumor T-cell response. More CD8 cells and reduced PD-1 expression on CD4 cells correlated with reduced polyps. In addition, a strong CD8-mediated cytotoxic response led to killing of tumor cells in Stat6-deficient ApcMin/+ mice. Therefore, these findings show that Stat6 has an oncogenic role in intestinal tumorigenesis by promoting polyp cell proliferation and immunosuppressive mediators, and preventing an active cytotoxic process.
Symmetries of the gas dynamics equations using the differential form method

A brief review of the theory of exterior differential systems and isovector symmetry analysis methods is presented in the context of the one-dimensional inviscid compressible flow equations. These equations are formulated as an exterior differential system with equation of state (EOS) closure provided in terms of an adiabatic bulk modulus. The scaling symmetry generators—and corresponding EOS constraints—otherwise appearing in the existing literature are recovered through the application and invariance under Lie derivative dragging operations.
Abstract 16388: Fibrinogen Genetic Variants Promote Atherosclerosis by Altering the Inflammatory Process and Coagulation in Patients With Essential Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus

Introduction: Hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are associated with atherosclerosis and affect coagulation and inflammation. Hypothesis: We aimed to investigate the role of fibrinogen genetic variants (rs180070 and rs2070011) on coagulation and inflammation in patients with combined DM and HTN. Methods: 744 subjects (HTN and DM) were enrolled in our study. Fibrinogen polymorphisms were determined by PCR-RFLP technique. Fibrinogen, interleukin-6 (IL-6), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) CD40L, D-dimers and factors V, X activity were measured with appropriate laboratory methods. Results: In HTN patients, hsCRP levels were higher in the group of patients with higher fibrinogen levels compared to patients with lower and intermediate fibrinogen levels [0.28(0.12-0.42) vs 0.17(0.04-0.38) vs 0.18 (0.09-0.39), p=0.032)]. In addition, we found a significant effect of the rs180070 polymophism on IL-6 levels among HTN and DM. In HTN, IL-6 levels were higher in AA homozygotes of the rs180070 compared to all other genotypes (AG or GG) (4.96±0.69 vs 3.7±0.2, p=0.046). Similarly, DM patients homozygotes for the A allele (rs180070) had higher IL-6 levels (6.72±0.99 vs 4.01±0.35, p=0.016). In multivariable analysis, the only independent predictor of IL-6 levels in DM was the AA genotype [β(SE): 0.216 (1.76), P = 0.047]. In hypertensives, AA (rs180070) homozygosity was the only adjusted independent predictor of IL-6 levels [β(SE): 0.151 (0.642), P = 0.032]. Subgroup analysis of HTN and DM patients did not reveal any differences of CD40L levels in the presence of AA genotype (rs180070) (p=0.919 for DM and p=0.144 for HTN). We did not observe any significant change in IL-6 or CD40L levels with the presence of the AA genotype of the rs2070011 among the studied subgroups. Finally, we found that the AA homozygosity (rs180070) was associated with increases D-dimer levels in both DM and HTN (DM: 741.6±109,4 vs 487.3±35.6, p=0.028, HTN 623.3±79.6 vs 388.6±23.5, p=0.048). Conclusions: The AA homozygosity (rs180070) was associated with higher IL-6 levels and CD40L. We demonstrated for the first time, that the AA homozygosity (rs180070) is associated with increased D-dimer levels. These were also associated with higher fibrinogen levels.
Memory Integrity Protection

With the growth of the personal computers and the internet, computers are now integrated into our lives. With all the conveniences this phenomena also creates more vulnerabilities. An intruder who is physically located on the other side of the earth may gain access to our most secret information by breaking through our firewall and gaining access to the internals of our computing system. Compromised computers may leak our most private information: personal documents, pictures and movies, browsing history, chat history, bank account passwords, etc.
Stratiform Precipitation Processes in Cyclones Passing over a Coastal Mountain Range

AbstractThe Olympic Mountains Experiment (OLYMPEX) documented precipitation and drop size distributions (DSDs) in landfalling midlatitude cyclones with gauges and disdrometers located at various di...
Properly folded and functional PorB from Neisseria gonorrhoeae inhibits dendritic cell stimulation of CD4 + T cell proliferation.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an exclusive human pathogen that evades the host immune system through multiple mechanisms. We have shown that N. gonorrhoeae suppresses the capacity of antigen-presenting cells to induce CD4+ T cell proliferation. In this study, we sought to determine the gonococcal factors involved in this adaptive immune suppression. We show that suppression of the capacity of antigen-pulsed dendritic cells to induce T cell proliferation is recapitulated by administration of a high-molecular-weight fraction of conditioned medium from N. gonorrhoeae cultures, which includes outer membrane vesicles that are shed during growth of the bacteria. N. gonorrhoeae PorB is the most abundant protein in N. gonorrhoeae–derived vesicles, and treatment of dendritic cells with purified recombinant PorB inhibited the capacity of the cells to stimulate T cell proliferation. This immunosuppressive feature of purified PorB depended on proper folding of the protein. PorB from N. gonorrhoeae, as well as other Neisseria species and other Gram-negative bacterial species, are known to activate host Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) signaling. Published studies have demonstrated that purified Neisseria PorB forms proteinacious nanoparticles, termed proteosomes, when detergent micelles are removed. Unlike folded, detergent-solubilized PorB, PorB proteosomes stimulate immune responses. We now demonstrate that the formation of PorB proteosomes from structurally intact PorB eliminates the immunosuppressive property of the protein while enhancing TLR2 stimulation. These findings suggest that gonococcal PorB present in shed outer membrane vesicles plays a role in suppression of adaptive immune responses to this immune-evasive pathogen.
Salient features of the CSU sea-pol radar

Sea-Pol is a marine-deployable meteorological radar developed at Colorado State University. The radar architecture is presented, with a description of the platform motion compensation system and its performance. Initial observations at the Greeley, CO home base as well as during the SPURS-2 field campaign aboard the R/V Revelle are presented.
The Importance of Oocyte Biology for the Future of Fertility Preservation

The demand for fertility preservation in young cancer patients has increased dramatically over the last decade as a result of increased long-term survival after cancer therapy. Currently, more than 13 million cancer survivors are living in the USA, and approximately 450,000 cancer survivors are of reproductive age. Among those, 250,000 are women between the age of 20 and 39 years (Ries et al. 2008). Although advanced cancer treatment is lifesaving for many cancer patients, it can be severely gonadotoxic and lead to infertility and premature ovarian failure. A survey of fertility issues in young cancer patients revealed that fertility after cancer treatment is a major concern (Partridge et al. 2004). As most women of reproductive age wish to preserve fertility, it is important to provide adequate information and offer options for fertility preservation before cancer treatment.
Sham Epistemic Authority and Implicit Racial Bias

ABSTRACTIn this paper, I argue for a way to evaluate beliefs grounded in the testimony of sham epistemic authorities and then apply that principle to beliefs tokened as a consequence of implicit biases. As a result, such implicitly biased beliefs are correctly evaluated as praiseworthy by their possessors, even though the belief is epistemically defective.
'If I pay rent, I'm gonna smoke': Insights on the social contract of smokefree housing policy in affordable housing settings.

Abstract Smoke-free housing policy in multi-unit housing has emerged as a promising tobacco control initiative, yet full compliance remains elusive and is a critical impediment to policy effectiveness. There is a gap in existing research on potential factors preventing optimal smoke-free policy adoption and corresponding solutions. Using qualitative and quantitative data from resident surveys (N = 115) as well as key informant interviews, a focus group, and observational fieldwork, this study 1) assesses smoking behaviors and experience with secondhand smoke in buildings after adoption of a smoke-free policy; 2) examines resident and property management perceptions of the policy; and 3) identifies socioecological factors that influence the policy's effectiveness in affordable housing settings in New York City. Findings indicate that residents view smoking regulations within the context of broader relationships with the housing provider and other residents. We argue that these “social contracts” strongly influence the effectiveness of smoke-free housing policies and must be acknowledged to maximize compliance.
Letter to the editor: female sex workers and HPV vaccine

Schim van der Loeff et al. weigh the pros and cons of offering HPV vaccines to female sex workers (FSWs). This is a pressing question in areas where the vaccine is not routinely available to all an...
Analysis of total fluoride intake for persons over 16 years old in historic heavier illness villages of coal-burning-borne endemic fluorosis areas in Guizhou Province

Objective To understand the status of total fluoride intake for persons over 16 years old after implementation of comprehensive prevention and control measures in historical severe diseased areas of coal-burning-borne endemic fluorosis in Guizhou Province. Methods In 2017, a total of 3 villages were selected as survey sites in Hehua, Jifeng and Jiping villages, which were heavier and did not meet the standards for elimination of the disease areas. Dental fluorosis of all children aged 8 - 12 were examined in these three villages. In each village, 10 households were selected and average daily intake of staple foods, vegetables and drinking water per person over 16 years of age were surveyed. Samples of corn, rice, dried pepper, drinking water, and indoor air were collected and the content of fluoride was measured, and total fluoride intakes for adults were calculated. The survey results were compared with the survey data of 2006. Results The detection rates of dental fluorosis of children aged 8 - 12 in Hehua, Jifeng and Jiping were 16.86% (29/172), 17.90% (29/162), 7.94% (10/126), respectively, and the differences were statistically significant compared to those of 2006 [94.32% (216/229), 100.00% (72/72)、99.63% (267/268), χ2 = 247.97, 136.95, 345.13, P < 0.01]. The fluorosis indices were 0.36, 0.40, and 0.12, respectively. In the three villages, the medians of fluoride in drinking water were 0.040, 0.029 and 0.033 mg/L. The staple food was rice, and their medians fluorine content were 0.019, 0.016, and 0.015 mg/kg, respectively, which decreased 99.89%, 99.96%, 99.95%, compared with those of 2006 (the staple food was corn, with medians of 17.520, 36.620 and 27.770 mg/kg). The medians of fluorine in dried pepper were 2.09, 1.97 and 0.35 mg/kg, respectively, which decreased 99.59%, 99.81%, 99.96%, respectively, compared with those of 2006 (514.21, 1 035.29, 947.78 mg/kg), the differences were statistically significant (Z = 2.079, 2.542, 2.449, P < 0.01). No fluoride was detected in indoor air samples 24 hours a day. The average daily intake of fluorine per person over 16 years in the three villages were 0.304, 0.279, 0.273 mg, which decreased 98.45%, 99.18% and 99.00%, respectively compared to those of 2006 (19.564, 33.837, 27.224 mg). Conclusion Total fluoride levels are significantly lower in people over 16 years of age in the historical severe disease areas of coal-burning-borne endemic fluorosis in Guizhou Province. Key words: Fluorosis, dental; Coal; Total fluoride intake
Unplayed Galant Melodies, the Ubiquity of the Rarest Interval, and the Heyday of the Major Mode

This article examines in a preliminary fashion the potential connections between the usage of Gjerdingen's (1988, 2007) skeletal galant schemata, the heyday of the major mode during the period 1750-1799 (Albrecht & Huron, 2014; Horn & Huron, 2015), and the rare intervals of the diatonic set (Browne, 1981). I discuss the relations between the rarity of the tritone and semitone in the diatonic template and in musical usage (Huron 2006, 2008; David Temperley, personal communication, 2017). I hypothesize that the skeletal usage of schemata emphasizes rare intervals (tritone and semitone) respective to their common counterparts. Though this is predominantly an armchair, speculative inquiry, a preliminary pilot analysis of a small expert-annotated corpus from Gjerdingen (2007) provides tentative support for the hypothesis that the skeletal usage of schemata overemphasizes vertical tritones, but not melodic semitones. The prevalence of skeletal tritones in the schemata abstracted by Gjerdingen suggests that the process of abstraction is associated with finding unambiguous cues for a local tonal context. While the present article relies on Gjerdingen's expert analytical annotations of a small corpus and extraction of a contrapuntal skeleton, I conclude by offering hypotheses for future testing regarding the increased prevalence and salience of tritones on the musical surface in the period 1750-1799, a subset of common-practice tonality.
Special communication for deaf patients during topical anesthesia cataract surgery

Abstract Purpose To report a new method for communication with deaf patients during topical anesthetic cataract surgery. Observation Due to communication difficulty, topical anesthesia was traditionally considered by many cataract surgeons as a contraindication for deaf patients. Retrobulbar/peribulbar-block anesthesia or general anesthesia were recommended. This paper reports a new way of communication using face-tapping and hand-pressing. It worked well with three deaf patients under conventional topical anesthetic cataract surgery. Conclusion and Importance The face-tapping and hand-pressing communication technique with deaf patients under conventional topical anesthetic cataract surgery seemed to work well. Topical anesthesia combined with this “touching language” could be an alternative to traditional local block and general anesthesia for deaf patients undergoing cataract surgery. Large studies are recommended to confirm its safety and validation.
G300(P) Patients with mucopolysaccharidosis and infantile onset pome disease are at increased risk of respiratory morbidity and obstructive sleep apnoea

Introduction Respiratory disease complicates the management of several inherited metabolic diseases, increasing morbidity, mortality. All patients should therefore undergo detailed diagnostic work-up & regular monitoring via a multi-disciplinary approach. Aims To gather epidemiological data on the respiratory manifestations of children with inherited metabolic diseases at a quaternary metabolic center. Method Using a database of all patients with inherited metabolic disease (total patients: 1022), those with input from respiratory/ENT services were identified. Using in-house IT systems, data was collected including patient demographics, diagnosis of airway pathology, management including use of invasive (IV) and non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and follow up data. Results In total 76 patients were identified as requiring input from respiratory/ENT services. Table 1 outlines the main results, detailing the number of patients within each group of inherited metabolic disease, number requiring NIV or IV, mean age at onset of respiratory support and the number of patients with follow up arranged. 26% (17/65) of patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) had a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Conclusion Patients with MPS and IOPD disease require respiratory support in many cases. Those with MPS are at risk of OSA due to glycosaminoglycan deposition and tortuosity of airways. Alveolar hypoventilation due to respiratory muscle dysfunction occurs in those with IOPD leading to type 2 respiratory failure. Recognition of these manifestations is essential, as early intervention has a significant impact in slowing the decline of previously fatal complications improving the quality of life for these patients.
Prognostic and Predictive Value of Circulating and Disseminated Tumor Cells in Breast Cancer: A National Cancer Database (NCDB) Analysis.

Importance:Our understanding of the utility of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) as clinical biomarkers continues to evolve.Objective:This study evaluated (1) clini...
Contrast blush on CT is a poor predictor of active bleeding on pelvic angiography.

Objective Determine if contrast extravasation (CE) on computed tomography (CT), also called CT blush, is a reliable predictor of clinically relevant arterial bleeding from pelvic ring injury. Design Retrospective cohort. Setting Single level I trauma center. Patients/participants A total of 189 patients who underwent pelvic angiography between 1999 and 2015. Intervention Demographic and injury data, including Young-Burgess fracture classification, Injury Severity Score (ISS), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and clinical data including hypotension and heart rate upon presentation were recorded. Charts, radiographs, and interventional radiology reports and studies were reviewed. Main outcome measurements CE on CT scan was noted from reports. Angiography studies were reviewed for active arterial bleeding. Results Mean age was 49 years, with 64% male. CE was noted in 111 patients (66%), with increasing frequency over the study period. Patients under age 55 were less likely to have CE (P < .001). GCS was higher and ISS lower in patients with CE (both P < .05). For CE as predictor of active bleeding, sensitivity was 67%, specificity 34%, and positive predictive value (PPV) was 58% (P = .95). For CE as predictor of overall mortality, the sensitivity, specificity, and PPV were 67%, 33%, and 16%, respectively (P = 1.0). However, hypotension had sensitivity of 83% for active bleeding and 97% for mortality, both P < .001. Conclusions While CT blush was neither a sensitive nor specific predictor of active bleeding on pelvic angiography, hypotension was a sensitive indicator of both bleeding and mortality. These findings suggest that CE is not an independently sufficient indication for pelvic angiography.Level of Evidence: Level III.
Evaluating the impact of road quality in driving behavior of autonomous vehicles

Road quality is one of the most important factors influence the behaviors of vehicles, which may increase the safety of the autonomous vehicle with adaptive cruise control (ACC) model if take into consideration. This paper tends to investigate the impact of ride quality on the driving behavior of autonomous vehicles through the simulation tool, VISSIM. The road impact factor (RIF), a road quality index detected from the accelerometers on the smart mobile devices placed on regular vehicles, is used to describe the road quality. If the detected peak RIF is over a certain value, the communication to the autonomous vehicle will indicate a need to reduce the speed in the micro-simulator “Verkehr In Stadten – SIMulationsmodell” (VISSIM) simulation. The difference between the driving behavior of the ACC vehicles with and without knowing the ride quality will be used to evaluate the impact of ride quality on driving behavior of autonomous vehicles through simulation.
The Ethical Implications of Proportioning Punishment to Deontological Desert

This article details the degree to which the ideal of punishment proportional to desert forces changes in how we think of deontological morality. More specifically, the proportionality ideal forces us to abandon the simple, text-like view of deontological moral norms, and it forces us to acknowledge that those norms are not uniformly categorical in their force.
72-h diurnal RNA-seq analysis of fully expanded third leaves from maize, sorghum, and foxtail millet at 3-h resolution

The purpose of this data set is to capture the complete diurnal (i.e., daily) transcriptome of fully expanded third leaves from the C4 panacoid grasses sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), maize (Zea mays), and foxtail millet (Setaria italica) with RNA-seq transcriptome profiling. These data are the cornerstone of a larger project that examined the conservation and divergence of gene expression networks within these crop plants. This data set focuses on temporal changes in gene expression to identify the network architecture responsible for daily regulation of plant growth and metabolic activities. The power of this data set is fine temporal resolution combined with continuous sampling over multiple days. The data set is 72 individual RNA-seq samples representing 24 time course samples each for sorghum, maize, and foxtail millet plants cultivated in a growth chamber under equal intervals of light and darkness. The 24 samples are separated by 3-h intervals so that the data set is a fine scale 72-h analysis of gene expression in the leaves of each plant type. FASTQ files from Illumina sequencing are available at the National Center for Biotechnology Information Sequence Read Archive.
Chapter 12: Financial Counseling and Coaching

Financial counseling is generally conceptualized as a short-term process concerned with helping people change their financial behavior through applied education and guidance. Counseling typically involves helping people clarify issues, explore options, assess alternatives, make decisions, develop strategies, and plan courses of action in an effort to change financial attitudes and behavior. Similarly, financial coaching blends aspects of financial counseling, financial planning, and personal coaching to help clients establish and reach long-term financial goals through directed behavioral change. This chapter discusses the history of financial counseling and financial coaching, theoretical approaches commonly used in financial counseling, and the current state and professional directions of counseling and coaching.
Justification and the Truth-Connection

1. Introduction 2. Epistemic value 3. Reasons for belief (I) 4. Reasons for belief (II) 5. Assertion 6. Action 7. Justification.
Long-term reliability of Si-Si/sub 0.7/Ge/sub 0.3/-Si HBTs from accelerated lifetime testing

Accelerated lifetime tests were performed on double-mesa structure Si-Si/sub 0.7/Ge/sub 0.3/-Si npn heterojunction bipolar transistors, grown by molecular beam epitaxy, in the temperature range of 175/spl deg/C-275/spl deg/C. The transistors (with 5/spl times/20 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ emitter area) have DC current gains /spl sim/40-50 and f/sub T/ and f/sub max/ of up to 22 GHz and 25 GHz, respectively. It is found that a gradual degradation in these devices is caused by the recombination enhanced impurity diffusion (REID) of boron atoms from the p-type base region and the associated formation of parasitic energy barriers to electron transport from the emitter to collector layers. This REID has been quantitatively modeled and explained to the first order of approximation, and the agreement with measured data is good. The mean time to failure (MTTF) of these devices at room temperature under 1.35/spl times/10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/ current density operation is estimated from extrapolation of the Arrhenius plots of device lifetime versus reciprocal temperature. The results of the reliability tests offer valuable feedback for SiGe heterostructure design in order to improve the long-term reliability of the devices and circuits made with them.
Characterization of bovine viral diarrhea viruses

Titers in susceptible cell cultures of various strains of bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) viruses after passage through Millipore filters of average pore sizes of 220, 100, 50, and 10 mμ are presented. Multiple freezethaw or sonication treatments did not change the filtration properties of cytopathogenic strains, but they did increase the filterability of noncytopathogenic strains. On the other hand, frozen storage (−75°C) from 1 to 4 years, including a single freeze-thaw treatment, increased the filterability of cytopathogenic, but not of noncytopathogenic strains. Treatment of sonicated or freeze-thaw exposed viral preparations with ribonuclease had no effect on ultracentrifugation of either group. Calculations of sizes of the BVD virions based on ultrafiltration data do not appear feasible because of the existence of uncontrolled variables in the unpurified preparations of BVD viruses employed in these studies. However, it appears that the size of BVD viruses may be heterogeneous, and may vary from strain to strain, depending upon their cytopathogenicity for the host cell in which they are cultured.
Guaranteed Correct Sharing of Integer Factorization with Off-Line Shareholders

A fair public-key cryptosystem consists of multi-party protocols in which a plural number of participants (shareholders) are involved in receiving and verifying distributed shares. It will be desirable if multiparty protocols can be streamlined into two-party ones without lowering the quality of fairness: secret is still shared among many (more than two) parties. In this paper we propose a scheme that distributes secret shares of the factorization of an integer to multi-parties without their participation in the protocols for share distribution and verification. A single verifier suffices to verify the correctness of the shares using the public keys of the off-line shareholders. Due to the universal verifiability, a guaranteed correctness of secret sharing is achieved without relying on the honesty of the verifier.
Synthetic models of copper-nitrosyl species proposed as intermediates in biological denitrification

Copper-containing nitrite reductase enzymes catalyze the reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide during denitrification, a key component of the global nitrogen cycle. Insights into the properties of proposed copper–nitrosyl intermediates have been obtained through studies of model complexes. Such complexes comprising both copper and nickel exhibit variable geometries and electronic structures that are influenced by the supporting ligands.
Process Measurements in A vacuum Microplasma Spray System

Summary form only given. A system has been developed and refined for small-scale vacuum plasma spraying of metals. This system operates at arc power 1-3 kW and deposition rates below 0.1 g min-1. The plasma is an argon-hydrogen mixture expanded through a Laval nozzle into chamber pressures in the range 5.3-13 kPa (40-100 torr). The vacuum spray environment, which distinguishes this work from other published plasma spray work at similar power levels, helps to enable the deposition of titanium or tungsten. These materials and others may also be deposited simultaneously with vapor-deposited material in order to synthesize composite materials. This hybrid processing is made possible by the reduction of spray deposition rate to be comparable to vapor deposition rates. Other potential applications include small-scale, reduced-cost versions of conventional plasma spray, such as barrier coatings and biomedical coatings. Sprayed materials and system behavior are discussed in terms of system measurements for tuning of particle trajectory, particle impact state, and coating microstructure. Planar laser Mie scattering was used to visualize particle trajectory fields in order to align them with the plasma jet's core. In stainless steel coatings, spray deposition efficiency (DE) is seen to correlate well with such trajectory alignment.
The Controversy over Generic Antiepileptic Drugs.

ABSTRACT As patent protection ends for the next generation of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), a complex debate continues over generic substitution of AEDs. On one hand, generic drug formulations provide cost savings for patients and society. On the other hand, patients with epilepsy and physicians are wary about the adequacy and efficacy of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) standards for generics. This article reviews current and proposed bioequivalence test procedures, summarizes new generic AED formulations and their costs, and discusses potential pitfalls in the current standards. These shortcomings include certain pharmacokinetic factors and clinical pharmacologic factors that may affect bioequivalence of generic AEDs, and statistical limitations of the standards. While the drug concentration differences between the brand name drug and each generic formulation are unlikely to be substantial, the differences with generic-to-generic switches will be greater and potentially clinically significant. Con...
Isolation enhancement of two closely spaced planar monopole antennas for industrial, scientific, and medical applications

This paper presents a simple yet very effective decoupling mechanism based on the insertion of two adjacent planar monopole rectangular patch antennas separated by λ o /62. The array achieves a total realized gain of 3.48 dB (exciting one port) and 4.78 dB (exciting two ports), a relative bandwidth of 49 % ( 2 – 3.3 ) GHz over which the matching level |S 21 | is less than −10 dB and a coupling level |S 21 | is below or equal to −20 dB. The antenna array offers radiation pattern diversity for different port excitation situation. The gain, decoupling level, radiation pattern diversity, and relatively compact size offered by the proposed antenna provides a good candidate to be implemented in modern wireless communication devices including, but not limited to, systems utilizing the ISM band.
Clinical management of recurrent postictal psychosis

Abstract Although there are numerous reports of interictal psychosis in epileptic patients, there are few studies describing the longitudinal course and treatment of postictal psychosis. The goal of this study was to define the clinical features, natural history, and possible interventional methods in a group of patients with complex partial seizures and postictal psychosis. We studied seven patients who manifested psychotic behavior following an increase in their seizure frequency. Mean follow-up was 83 months. Patients underwent neuropsychiatric testing, cranial magnetic resonance imaging, and extensive EEG evaluation. All but one patient had severe epilepsy. An increased number of seizures was followed by a brief period of lucidity and then psychosis, which lasted between 2 and 14 days and tended to recur (mean, one episode every 4 months). EEGs done during the psychotic episodes generally demonstrated a mild diffuse background slowing without evidence of ictal epileptiform discharges. Evaluation between episodes revealed no persistent psychiatric features. The patients rarely required hospitalization or neuroleptic medications. Patients usually responded to mild sedation, close observation, and a supportive environment.
HEMATOZOA OF THE AVIAN FAMILY PHILEPITTIDAE (THE ASITIES AND SUNBIRD ASITIES)

Blood smears from birds in the Philepittidae, endemic to Madagascar, were examined for the presence of hematozoa. All slides were read on a compound microscope at ×100, ×160, and ×1,000. To date, no species of avian hematozoa has been reported from asities in Madagascar, although parasites have been observed. Leucocytozoon greineri n. sp. is described from the common sunbird asity (Neodrepanis coruscans) and is also reported from the velvet asity (Philepitta castanea). It is a relatively small species of Leucocytozoon, less than 2 times the size of uninfected erythrocytes. The parasite is capped by the host cell nucleus, covering 38% of the parasite perimeter. This represents the first description of hematozoa from this family.
Directory of Useful Decoys, Enhanced (DUD-E): Better Ligands and Decoys for Better Benchmarking

A key metric to assess molecular docking remains ligand enrichment against challenging decoys. Whereas the directory of useful decoys (DUD) has been widely used, clear areas for optimization have emerged. Here we describe an improved benchmarking set that includes more diverse targets such as GPCRs and ion channels, totaling 102 proteins with 22886 clustered ligands drawn from ChEMBL, each with 50 property-matched decoys drawn from ZINC. To ensure chemotype diversity, we cluster each target’s ligands by their Bemis–Murcko atomic frameworks. We add net charge to the matched physicochemical properties and include only the most dissimilar decoys, by topology, from the ligands. An online automated tool (http://decoys.docking.org) generates these improved matched decoys for user-supplied ligands. We test this data set by docking all 102 targets, using the results to improve the balance between ligand desolvation and electrostatics in DOCK 3.6. The complete DUD-E benchmarking set is freely available at http://d...
Genomic profiling to improve embryogenesis in the pig

Over the past decade the technology to characterize transcription during embryogenesis has progressed from estimating a single transcript to a reliable description of the entire transcriptome. Northern blots were followed by sequencing ESTs, quantitative real time PCR, cDNA arrays, custom oligo arrays, and more recently, deep sequencing. The amount of information that can be generated is overwhelming. The challenge now is how to glean information from these vast data sets that can be used to understand development and to improve methods for creating and culturing embryos in vitro, and for reducing reproductive loss. The use of ESTs permitted the identification of SPP1 as an oviductal component that could reduce polyspermy. Microarrays identified LDL and NMDA as components to replace BSA in embryo culture media. Deep sequencing implicated arginine, glycine, and folate as components that should be adjusted in our current culture system, and identified a characteristic of embryo metabolism that is similar to cancer and stem cells. Not only will these characterizations aid in improving in vitro production of embryos, but will also be useful for identifying, or creating conditions for donor cells that will be more likely to result in normal development of cloned embryos. The easily found targets have been identified, and now more sophisticated methods are being employed to advance our understanding of embryogenesis. Here the technology to study the global transcriptome is reviewed followed by specific examples of how the technology has been used to understand and improve porcine embryogenesis both in vitro and in vivo.
iTools: A Framework for Classification, Categorization and Integration of Computational Biology Resources

The advancement of the computational biology field hinges on progress in three fundamental directions – the development of new computational algorithms, the availability of informatics resource management infrastructures and the capability of tools to interoperate and synergize. There is an explosion in algorithms and tools for computational biology, which makes it difficult for biologists to find, compare and integrate such resources. We describe a new infrastructure, iTools, for managing the query, traversal and comparison of diverse computational biology resources. Specifically, iTools stores information about three types of resources–data, software tools and web-services. The iTools design, implementation and resource meta - data content reflect the broad research, computational, applied and scientific expertise available at the seven National Centers for Biomedical Computing. iTools provides a system for classification, categorization and integration of different computational biology resources across space-and-time scales, biomedical problems, computational infrastructures and mathematical foundations. A large number of resources are already iTools-accessible to the community and this infrastructure is rapidly growing. iTools includes human and machine interfaces to its resource meta-data repository. Investigators or computer programs may utilize these interfaces to search, compare, expand, revise and mine meta-data descriptions of existent computational biology resources. We propose two ways to browse and display the iTools dynamic collection of resources. The first one is based on an ontology of computational biology resources, and the second one is derived from hyperbolic projections of manifolds or complex structures onto planar discs. iTools is an open source project both in terms of the source code development as well as its meta-data content. iTools employs a decentralized, portable, scalable and lightweight framework for long-term resource management. We demonstrate several applications of iTools as a framework for integrated bioinformatics. iTools and the complete details about its specifications, usage and interfaces are available at the iTools web page http://iTools.ccb.ucla.edu.
Using a Database Management Program as a Decision Support System for the Cancellation of Business Periodicals and Serials

Abstract Periodicals and serials have been inflating at double-digit rates for years. As no library can shoulder inflation rates over many years, these escalating serial prices lead inevitably to the question, which periodicals to cancel and which to keep. This is not an easy question to answer; evaluating the collection is a complicated and often subjective process. At Purdue we have had to face serial cancellations less frequently than some other research libraries, but in 1996/97 we faced the second one in less than five years. This prompted a search for a more objective method of deselecting serials. This article is about the Decision Support System that was developed for a serial cancellation project in 1997 by the Management and Economics Library at Purdue University.