cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aggressive, socially disruptive and antisocial behaviour associated with fronto-temporal dementia.

BACKGROUND Research suggests an association between frontal and temporal injury and antisocial conduct. We studied the frequency of antisocial behaviours in fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) where pathology is anterior frontal-temporal, compared with Alzheimer's disease (AD) where pathology is primarily posterior temporal-parietal. METHOD The presence of antisocial conduct was compared in 22 FTD versus 22 AD subjects. All FTD patients had anterior frontal or temporal hypoperfusion with single photon emission computed tomography, whereas those with AD had posterior temporal-parietal hypoperfusion. RESULTS Ten FTD and one AD subject showed antisocial behaviours, which included assault, indecent exposure, shoplifting and hit-and-run driving. Three FTD subjects were arrested. This difference was highly significant (P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS Degeneration of frontal and temporal lobes predisposes to antisocial behaviour. This study supports a relationship between frontal-temporal dysfunction and certain types of antisocial activities.
Laparoscopic adrenal metastasectomy: appropriate, safe, and feasible

The role of adrenalectomy in management of isolated metastatic adrenal tumors is increasingly established. Laparoscopy is becoming the preferred approach for these resections. We evaluated surgical and oncological outcomes of patients who underwent laparoscopic versus open adrenal metastasectomy and assessed the effect of such surgery on postoperative adjuvant therapy and survival. We reviewed our institutional experience with adult patients who underwent an adrenal metastasectomy from 1997 to 2013. We assessed preoperative tumor size, operating room (OR) time, status of resection margin, and length of stay (LOS), as well as oncological outcomes including the use of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy within 1 year of surgery and 5-year survival. The χ 2 test, Mann–Whitney U test, and Kaplan–Meier curve were used for statistical analysis. Thirty-eight patients were identified. Lung was the primary site of malignancy (52.6 % of cases). Of the metastasectomies, 55.2 % (n = 21) were performed laparoscopically and 44.7 % (n = 17) were open. In the laparoscopic group, median tumor size was 2.6 cm versus 4.8 cm in the open group (p = 0.09). Median OR time and complication rates were similar between the 2 groups. The laparoscopic group, however, trended toward a shorter LOS (3 days laparoscopic vs. 4 days for open; p = 0.07). At 1 year, 37 % of all patients had not required any adjuvant chemotherapy or adjuvant radiotherapy. This series confirms that adrenal metastasectomy leads to favorable oncological outcomes in select patient groups, with over one-third of patients not requiring adjuvant therapy for at least 1 year after their resection. Laparoscopic approach leads to excellent oncological resection margins without increasing OR time and with a possible reduction in LOS.
Emerging therapies for polycystic kidney disease

Polycystic kidney diseases are the most common, monogenetic, inherited diseases in humans. Numerous human genes or gene loci are associated with a renal cystic phenotype. Currently, there are no treatments available to slow the development of renal cystic pathology; however, animal studies have identified several potential approaches to intervene in the disease process. The most advanced therapy is the use of vasopressin V2 receptor antagonists, which reduce renal cAMP, a known promoter of renal cystic enlargement. Other therapies under study include the use of c-myc antisense oligonucelotides and epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Considering the diverse genes that cause renal cysts and the multiorgan involvement of these diseases, multiple therapeutic approaches will eventually be necessary to treat these diseases.
Wave-function vortex attachment via matrix products: Application to atomic Fermi gases in flat spin-orbit bands

Variational wave functions that introduce zeros (vortices) to screen repulsive interactions are typically difficult to verify in unbiased microscopic calculations. An approach is constructed to insert vortices into ansatz wave functions using a matrix-product representation. This approach opens the door to validation of a broad class of Jastrow-based wave functions. The formalism is applied to a model motivated by experiments on ultracold atomic gases in the presence of synthetic spin-orbit coupling. Validated wave functions show that vortices in atomic Fermi gases with flat Rashba spin-orbit bands cluster near the system center and should therefore be directly visible in time-of-flight imaging.
Hydrogen: The Ultimate Energy Source

Nuclear fusion of hydrogen provides an attractive source of energy for the Hydrogen Economy. There is plenty of raw material: the oceans and lakes of the world can supply enough heavy hydrogen to satisfy our present needs for countless millenia to come. The process is clean; the only lasting product is inert helium. The exploration of possible methods to unlock this source of energy spans 30 years and as many countries. A solution of this, perhaps the central technological problem of our time, remains elusive, although we are apparently approaching it.
Toward an Understanding of Addiction

Given the large number of women with drug use and addiction problems, nurses have frequent opportunities to intervene to promote positive changes in drug use behavior. Classifications of drugs commonly used and terms relevant to drug use are presented. A discussion of different perspectives on addiction and a theory of change for addictive behaviors provides a foundation for working with women who have addictions.
Task-specific utility in a general Bayes net vision system

TEA is a task-oriented computer vision system that uses Bayes nets and a maximum expected-utility decision rule to choose a sequence of task-dependent and opportunistic visual operations on the basis of their cost and (present and future) benefit. The authors discuss technical problems regarding utilities, present TEA-1's utility function (which approximates a two-step lookahead), and compare it to various simpler utility functions in experiments with real and simulated scenes. >
A general mechanical model for |f| &#945; spectral density random noise with special reference to flicker noise 1/|f|

Any class of reasonable time-dependent perturbations occurring at random, under certain internal contraints, generates random noise having a spectral density varying as |f|αover an arbitrarily large range of spectral frequency f only for - 2 ≤ α ≤ 0. A class is the set of all perturbations which are equivalent under some individual indenpendent scaling of amplitute, scaling of time, and translation of time. A subclass is characterized by P(τ) and A2(τ). P(τ) is the lifetime probability desity. A2(τ) is a mean square amplitude of perturbations having lifetime τ. For a given class, |f|α ∞ and |f|α0are the frequency-smoothed laws in the limits of infinite and zero frequencies, respectively. Any reasonable perturbation has α ∞ ≤ - 2 and α 0 ≥ 0. To generate random noise having an |f|αlaw over an arbitrarily large range of f from a subclass chosen from any class characterized by α ∞ and α 0 , it is necessary that α ∞ ≤ α ≤ α 0 . For α ∞ 0 , it is necessary and sufficient that such subclasses satisfy the condition, P(τ)A2(τ) ≈ Bτ- α - 3with B constant, over a suitable range of τ, and that P(τ)A2(τ) not be larger than Bτ- α - 3outside the range. This general mechanical model is of immediate value in the formulation and criticism of specific physical models of |f|αnoise, including flicker noise, and in computer simulation of |f|αnoise.
Cyclooxygenase-2 in the Kidney

Prostaglandins are produced constitutively by many tissues in the body, including brain, gut, and kidney, and their synthesis increases at sites of inflammation. Cyclooxygenase (COX), the enzyme responsible for the initial rate-limiting metabolism of arachidonic acid to prostaglandin G2 and
A New Postclassic Chronology for Yautepec, Morelos

We describe the derivation of a new archaeological chronology for the Postclassic period at Yautepec, Morelos. We first apply cluster analysis to ceramic type frequencies for 47 excavated contexts to identify groups of related ceramic collections. This classification is then extended to several hundred additional collections using discriminant-function analysis. The groups are evaluated successfully against stratigraphy and radiocarbon dates, resulting in their designation as chronological phases. Radiocarbon determinations are then used to assign calendar dates to the phases. The new chronology consists of one Middle Postclassic phase (Pochtla), two Late Postclassic phases (Atlan, Molotla), and one Early Colonial phase (Santiago). We also explore issues concerning the extension of this chronology to other Postclassic sites in the Yautepec Valley.
Protein kinase C ζ: A novel regulator of both phosphorylation and de-phosphorylation of cardiac sarcomeric proteins

Our experiments investigated associations of specific isoforms of protein kinase C (PKC) with individual proteins in the cardiac troponin complex. Troponin I (cTnI) associated with PKCϵ and ζ and troponin T (cTnT) associated with PKC α, δ, and ϵ. Based on its association with cTnI, we hypothesized that PKCζ is a major regulator of myofilament protein phosphorylation. To test this, we infected adult cardiac myocytes with adenoviral constructs containing DsRed monomer-tagged wild type (WT) and the following constitutively active forms of PKCζ: the pseudo-substrate region (A119E), 3′-phospho-inositide-dependent kinase-1 (T410E), and auto-phosphorylation (T560E). The A119E and T410E mutants displayed increased localization to the Z-discs compared with WT and T560E. Immunoprecipitations were performed in myocytes expressing PKCζ using PKC phospho-motif antibodies to determine the phosphophorylation of cTnI, cTnT, tropomyosin, myosin-binding protein C, and desmin. We did not find serine (Ser) phosphorylation of cTnI or cTnT. However, we observed a significant decrease in threonine (Thr) phosphorylation of cTnI and cTnT notably by PKCζ T560E. Ser phosphorylation of tropomyosin was increased by all three active mutants of PKCζ. Ser/Thr phosphorylation of myosin-binding protein C increased primarily by PKCζ A119E. Both PKCζ A119E and T410E mutants increased desmin Ser/Thr phosphorylation. To explain the apparent Thr dephosphorylation of cTnI and cTnT, we hypothesized that PKCζ exists as a complex with p21-activated kinase-1 (Pak1) and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), and this was confirmed by immunoprecipitation Western blot. Our data demonstrate that PKCζ is a novel regulator of myofilament protein phosphorylation.
Heat shock protein modulation of KATP and KCa channel cerebrovasodilation after brain injury

Fluid percussion brain injury (FPI) impairs pial artery dilation to activators of the ATP-sensitive (KATP) and calcium-activated (KCa) K+ channels. This study investigated the role of heat shock pr...
The caloric demand of lactation does not alter spontaneous meal patterns, nutrient intakes, or moods of women

The regulation of food and fluid intake in lactating women was examined by comparing maternal intake during lactation, 6 weeks postpartum, to intake in two groups of nonpregnant, nonlactating women. All subjects completed a questionnaire and then filled out a food-intake diary for seven consecutive days. Lactating women did not differ from body weight-matched, nonlactating controls in their total daily intakes or their meal patterns. However, they consumed a significantly smaller percentage of the recommended dietary allowances (RDA) per day than did their nonlactating counterparts. Lactating women were also significantly more calm both pre- and postmeal than were either of the control groups. These results indicate that the lactating women, at 6 weeks postpartum, did not increase their intake to compensate for the caloric demands of lactation. This may indicate that the lactating women catabolize weight gained during pregnancy faster than accounted for in the RDA, or that lactating women increase their metabolic efficiency.
Broken or dislodged poly-L-lactic acid bioabsorbable tacks in patients after SLAP lesion surgery.

Purpose: To document the complication of bioabsorbable poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) tack breakage and repair failure after arthroscopic stabilization of SLAP lesions. Methods: Six patients (average age, 38 years) were referred to the senior author because of persistent postoperative pain and disability after arthroscopic stabilization of an unstable SLAP lesion was performed with bioabsorbable PLLA tacks. A total of eight tacks were used in the six patients, and the time from index procedure to evaluation at our facility averaged 9.5 months (range, 8 to 12 months). Three patients experienced an identifiable reinjury an average of 4 months after the index procedure was performed. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a broken or dislodged tack in all cases. All patients were taken to the operating room for arthroscopic evaluation of the biceps anchor, tack fragment removal, and restabilization of the SLAP lesion as needed. Results: At repeat arthroscopy, all shoulders were found to have minimal healing of the SLAP lesion with failure of the bioabsorbable tack. Chondral injury was noted in 2 cases. In all cases, revision SLAP repair was performed with the use of arthroscopic suture repair. At an average follow-up of 14 months (range, 8 to 17 months), all patients reported alleviation of symptoms. Five patients had returned to work with no or minimal symptoms. One patient experienced significant improvement in function and range of motion but did not return to work. Conclusions: Bioabsorbable PLLA tack breakage or dislodgement is a potential postoperative complication after SLAP lesions are arthroscopically stabilized. This event may result in postoperative reports of pain or mechanical symptoms. Surgeons who use these devices must be aware of the potential complications when they evaluate postoperative patients with persistent complaints. MRI may be helpful in identifying tack fragments. Subsequent arthroscopy to evaluate biceps anchor healing, remove tack fragments, and restabilize the labral lesion may be indicated. Level of Evidence: Level IV, case series.
From Homeless to Hopeless and Healthless?: The Health Impacts of Housing Challenges Among Former Foster Care Youth Transitioning to Adulthood in California

A childhood history of placement in the foster care system makes the emerging adult period more complicated and problematic in a variety of ways including meeting basic needs, such as housing and health. We conducted focus groups with 31 former foster youth in San Francisco and Oakland, California to explore their housing and health care circumstances since "aging out" of the foster care system. Five key themes were identified: 1) housing circumstances have direct and indirect impacts on access to health care; 2) housing instability can impede the flow of information between social services staff and youth; 3) housing circumstances and health care differed for men and women; 4) service agency rules and structures may be developmentally mismatched with participant needs; and 5) emerging adults experience repercussions of institutional life including the suspicion of authority and mistrust of medical providers.
Fabrication and testing of CVD diamond single-material MEMS resonators with piezoresistive detection

Using piezoresistive detection and piezoelectric actuation, the fabrication and testing of polycrystalline diamond based single-material MEMS (SMM) resonators, with a resonant frequency of 48.2 KHz and a quality factor of 160 in air, is reported for the first time. A 0.6-µm-thick boron-doped poly-C with a resistivity of 9 Ω·cm is used as a piezoresistor. A 50-nm-thick highly-doped poly-C inter-layer, with a resistivity of 5×10−3 Ω·cm, was used between the metal and the piezoresistor to reduce the contact resistance. A 3-µm-thick undoped poly-C film, with a resistivity > 109 Ω·cm, was used as an insulating as well as a structural material.
Farmers' Subjective Probabilities in Northern Thailand: An Elicitation Analysis

The ability of agricultural decision makers to formulate logical expectations about the outcome of risky events in crop production and marketing is investigated. Measures of Northern Thailand farmers' perceptions of yield, price, and net income are attempted using an elicitation approach which includes a significant monetary reward. This approach is found to be feasible. The expectations derived are logical and consistent when compared to harvest results and farmers' actual production practices. Farmers' expectations about sources of risk and the correlation of socioeconomic characteristics with expectation accuracy are analyzed. Economic decision theory recognizes the importance of decision makers' expectations about future uncertain events. These expectations often are expressed as subjective probability distributions (Dillon, Roumasset). However, they have not been widely used in empirical analyses because they are difficult to observe and measure. This paper discusses an empirical elicitation approach, the accuracy and consistency of the elicited expectations, and various relationships in the results. Specifically, the paper reports an experiment in Thailand to elicit farmers' subjective probability distributions of price, yield, and net income of selected crops. First, the concept of subjective probability is discussed followed by a description of the study area and the elicitation procedure. Then elicited expectations are compared to the actual harvest results. Using the stochastic dominance criterion, we analyze the elicited net income distributions to determine if actual production plans were consistent with stated beliefs. Third, we hypothesize and test the following relationships using expected values and variance measures of the distributions: (a) the correlation between the expected value of prices and yields, (b) comparison of the coefficients of variation of expected prices and yields, (c) correlation between the expected values and variances of the distributions, and (d) comparison of the sample cross-section variance of actual prices and yields with the average variance of the price and yield distributions. Finally, the absolute difference between the actual results and the expected value of rice prices and yields are regressed on socioeconomic characteristics of the decision
A Lunar Array Precursor Station to monitor the lunar ionosphere

The lunar surface offers several advantages for astronomical observations at low radio frequencies. These include shielding from terrestrial interference on the farside, shielding from solar emission half the time, and stable, easily calibrated array baselines. Low frequency radio astronomy offers compelling science in multiple areas, from cosmology to extrasolar planets. It is likely to be one of the first large-scale scientific deployments on the lunar surface. But the lunar ionosphere could limit observations at the lowest frequencies during lunar daytime. This has serious implications for observations of solar and heliospheric radio bursts, whose radio emission occurs below 1 MHz except when the emitting regions are very close to the Sun. The objective of the LAPS (Lunar Array Precursor Station) instrument described here is to measure the absorption of low frequency radio signals by the lunar ionosphere as a function of time and frequency. These measurements will greatly increase our understanding of the magnitude and evolution of electron density near the lunar surface during all phases of the lunar day-night cycle. They will directly determine the minimum usable observing frequency as a function of time.
An unusual otoscopic finding associated with a type II first branchial cleft anomaly.

Objective We report an interesting case involving a child with a branchial cleft anomaly with two fistulous tracts, one of which was associated with an unusual otoscopic finding. Case report A seven-year-old girl presented with an apparent type II first branchial cleft cyst after an acute infection. Parotidectomy and excision of the tract were performed, with subsequent development of pre-auricular swelling three months later. Further surgery was performed to remove a second duplication anomaly of the external auditory canal. Otomicroscopy showed a fibrous band arising from the wall of the canal and attached to the tympanic membrane at the umbo. Conclusion Otoscopic findings on physical examination can be important diagnostic clues in the early recognition of branchial cleft anomalies. The classification system proposed by Work may fail to describe some branchial cleft lesions.
Dynamic crack deflection and penetration at interfaces in homogeneous materials: experimental studies and model predictions

Abstract We examine the deflection/penetration behavior of dynamic mode-I cracks propagating at various speeds towards inclined weak planes/interfaces of various strengths in otherwise homogeneous isotropic plates. A dynamic wedge-loading mechanism is used to control the incoming crack speeds, and high-speed photography and dynamic photoelasticity are used to observe, in real-time, the failure mode transition mechanism at the interfaces. Simple dynamic fracture mechanics concepts used in conjunction with a postulated energy criterion are applied to examine the crack deflection/penetration behavior and, for the case of interfacial deflection, to predict the crack tip speed of the deflected crack. It is found that if the interfacial angle and strength are such as to trap an incident dynamic mode-I crack within the interface, a failure mode transition occurs. This transition is characterized by a distinct, observable and predicted speed jump as well as a dramatic crack speed increase as the crack transitions from a purely mode-I crack to an unstable mixed-mode interfacial crack.
Multi-scale analysis of snow dynamics at the southern margin of the North American continental snow distribution

Abstract Snow provides a key water source for stream flow and agricultural production across western North America and drinking water for large populations in the Southwest. Accurate estimates of snow cover spatial distribution and temporal dynamics are important at regional and local scales as snow cover is projected to decrease due to global climate change. We examined regional-scale temporal trends in snow distribution across central and northern Arizona using two tiles of 2928 daily images of MOD10 snow product. The analysis included the entire MODIS archive time period, October 1, 2003–June 1, 2014, and a 245,041 km2 area of 51 HUC8 watersheds. We also examined the effects of a regional forest restoration effort, known as the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI), aimed at enhancing snow accumulation and retention for increased groundwater recharge through forest thinning and burning treatments. We analyzed 66 Landsat TM/ETM + images spanning 26 years between 1988 and 2014 at five sites and one hyperspectral image from 2014 at two sites. The MOD10 snow product performs well in estimating Arizona's thin and discontinuous snow distribution. Mann-Kendall time-series analysis indicate significantly increasing trends in the annual number of snow cover days (SCD) over the 12-year period in 1.6% of the region at elevation transitions such as the Mogollon Rim in central Arizona, while significantly decreasing trends are observed at a few locations of lower elevations leading to the desert margins in eastern Arizona. The observed temporal trends are mostly consistent with ground-based SNOTEL snow measurements. An Arizona specific, Landsat sensor-derived binary classification model, similar to the MOD10 product, was developed at a local scale. It performs better than commonly-used simple threshold-based approaches, but demonstrates the continued challenges associated with Landsat sensor-derived snow classification in Arizona likely due to its coarse temporal resolution. Landsat-derived multi-temporal Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) analysis indicate that treated (thinned and thinned-and-burned) forest sites had significantly greater NDSI values than untreated control sites. Snowpack at treated sites also appeared to persist longer into the spring season with potentially greater contributions to groundwater recharge in this semi-arid region. The high-resolution hyperspectral data analysis indicate that sites treated to approximately 24% forest canopy cover appear to have an optimum threshold for accumulating and maintaining snowpack. It balances canopy cover versus canopy gap, which reduces snow interception and sublimation by canopy, while providing enough shade. These results are encouraging for the 4FRI, the first and largest forest restoration effort in the US history, aimed at improving watershed health and function in the face of changing climate.
Escaping the biofilm in more than one way: desorption, detachment or dispersion

Biofilm bacteria have developed escape strategies to avoid stresses associated with biofilm growth, respond to changing environmental conditions, and disseminate to new locations. An ever-expanding body of research suggests that cellular release from biofilms is distinct from a simple reversal of attachment and reversion to a planktonic mode of growth, with biofilm dispersion involving sensing of specific cues, regulatory signal transduction, and consequent physiological alterations. However, dispersion is only one of many ways to escape the biofilm mode of growth. The present review is aimed at distinguishing this active and regulated process of dispersion from the passive processes of desorption and detachment by highlighting the regulatory processes and distinct phenotypes specific to dispersed cells.
Fighting and Bullying Among Asian Americans and Latinos Testing the Roles of Self-Efficacy, Ethnic Identity, and Ethnicity

This study examined ethnicity and ethnic identity (EI) as moderators in the relationship between self-efficacy (SE) and fighting and bullying. We sampled 315 Asian American and Latino early adolesc...
Increased Light Availability Reduces the Importance of Bacterial Carbon in Headwater Stream Food Webs

Many ecosystems rely on subsidies of carbon and nutrients from surrounding environments. In headwater streams that are heavily shaded by riparian forests, allochthonous inputs from terrestrial systems often comprise a major part of the organic matter budget. Bacteria play a key role in organic matter cycling in streams, but there is limited evidence about how much bacterial carbon is actually assimilated by invertebrate and fish consumers, and how bacterial carbon assimilation varies among streams. We conducted stable isotope tracer additions of 13C-acetate, that is assimilated only by bacteria, and 15N-ammonium, that is assimilated by both bacteria and algae, in two small, shaded streams in the Adirondack region of New York State, USA. Our goal was to determine whether there is an important trophic link between bacteria and macroconsumers, and whether the link changes when the light environment is experimentally altered. In 2009, we evaluated bacterial carbon use in both streams with natural canopy cover using 10-day dual-isotope tracer releases. The canopy was then thinned in one stream to increase light availability and primary production and tracer experiments were repeated in 2010. As part of the tracer experiments, we developed a respiration assay to measure the δ13C content of live bacteria, which provided critical information for determining how much of the carbon assimilated by invertebrate consumers is from bacterial sources. Some invertebrate taxa, including scraper mayflies (Heptagenia spp.) that feed largely on biofilms assimilated over 70% of their carbon from bacterial sources, whereas shredder caddisflies (Pycnopsyche spp.) that feed on decomposing leaves assimilated less than 1% of their carbon from bacteria. Increased light availability led to strong declines in the magnitude of bacterial carbon fluxes to different consumers (varying from −17 to −91% decrease across invertebrate taxa), suggesting that bacterial energy assimilation differs not only among consumer taxa but also within the same consumer taxa in streams with different ecological contexts. Our results demonstrate that fluxes of bacterial carbon to higher trophic levels in streams can be substantial, that is over 70% for some taxa, but that invertebrate taxa vary considerably in their reliance on bacterial carbon, and that local variation in carbon sources controls how much bacterial carbon invertebrates use.
A note on Lovász removable path conjecture

Lovasz [8] conjectured that for any natural number k, there exists a least natural number f(k) such that, for any two vertices s, t in any f(k)-connected graph G, there exists an s-t path P such that G−V (P ) is k-connected. This conjecture is proved only for k ≤ 2. Here, we strengthen the result for k = 2 as follows: for any integers l > 0 and m ≥ 0, there exists a function f(l, m) such that, for any distinct vertices s, t, v1, ..., vm in any f(l, m)-connected graph G, there exist l internally vertex disjoint s-t paths P1, ..., Pl such that for any subset I ⊂ {1, ..., l}, G− ∪i∈IV (Pi) is 2-connected and {v1, v2, ..., vm} ⊂ V (G)− ∪1≤i≤lV (Pi).
Individualizing Utopia Individualist Pursuits in a Collective Cohousing Community

Through a fourteen-month ethnography of a cohousing community, this study explores how community members reexamine and redefine their collectivist values in an attempt to develop their ideal commun...
Application of TURBOMMAX Air Suspending Centrifugal Blower in Tableland Wastewater Treatment Plants

The blower is the important equipment of aeration system in sewage plant.The structure and technical characteristics of TURBOMMAX air suspending centrifugal blower were simply introduced.Compared to the traditional roots blower,it had the advantages of high efficiency,reliable operation,low noise,without auxiliary system,small occupation of land,and small maintenance workload.Based on the practical construction,the application prospect of air suspending centrifugal blower was discussed in plateau wastewater treatment plants.
Measurement of the Permittivity and Conductivity for Porcine Fat at Low Temperature Between 8 and 12GHz

Microwave rewarming have been researched for many years, but the dielectric properties of biomaterial are always absent. The goal of the thesis is to discover a reliable and effective method to accurately determine the dielectric of some biomaterials at low temperature. At first, the discussion of the microwave methodology for the dielectric is presented. By comparison, the transmission line method is chosen as it can be easily implemented while still retaining a satisfactory precision. The precision of the method is proved by measuring the dielectric of polymer. Then the dielectric properties of porcine fat have been measured at temperature range from -43℃ to 30℃, frequent range from 8.0GHz to 12GHz. The corresponding numerical solutions are determined with the help of software applications. At last, the discussion continues further with the generalization of the dielectric property for biomaterial varied with temperature and frequency based on the experimental data.
Amniocentesis Under Ultrasound Guidance with Aspiration Transducer

Amniocentesis is now part of the work up of a large number of pregnant women. The value of compound ultrasound scanning in localizing the placenta and in selecting an optimal place for amniocentesis is well known and many reports concerning its usefulness have appeared in the last years. We want to report our experience with ultrasound-guided amniocentesis using the aspiration transducer. Even though the aspiration transducer has been widely used for renal cyst aspiration, there are very few reports on its use in amniocentesis. With preliminary longitudinal and transverse B-mode scanning of the lower abdomen, the uterus, the placenta and fetal parts are identified. Subsequently, a good place for amniocentesis with enough amniotic fluid and away from fetal parts and especially the head is located and marked on the patient’s skin. Under sterile technique and monitoring with the aspiration transducer, amniocentesis is performed. Because of fetal movements, this is a much safer way to do this procedure since you are seeing the echo-free amniotic space in the actual moment of needle insertion. You can also easily measure the depth of the amniotic cavity from the skin. It has been reported that an additional advantage of aspiration transducer is the visualization of the spike that the needle produces in the A-mode as it enters the amniotic cavity, allowing you to know exactly where or how deep the needle is positioned. In our experience, the spike from the needle is seen only in about 50% of the cases.
Evaluation of Enoxaparin Dosing as a Risk Factor for Bleeding in Lung Transplant Recipients

Background: Lung transplant recipients commonly develop complications that lead to anticoagulation. Standard FDA-approved enoxaparin dosing in this population results in a high incidence of above-goal anti-Xa levels, but its association with bleeding remains unclear. Objective: To evaluate the association between enoxaparin dosing and bleeding in lung transplant recipients and assess the relationship between dosing and anti-Xa levels. Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study of adult lung transplant recipients who received therapeutic enoxaparin between 2000 and 2012 at a tertiary academic center. We dichotomized enoxaparin dosing regimens into standard dose (FDA-approved doses with a 10% rounding margin) and reduced dose. Clinicians ordered anti-Xa levels as deemed clinically appropriate. The primary outcome was major bleeding or clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding. Results: Of 222 patients treated with enoxaparin, 33 (14.9%) had bleeding events, of which half (17/33) were major...
Review: agent-based models and hypothesis testing: An example of innovation and organizational networks

Hypothesis testing is uncommon in agent-based modeling and there are many reasons why (see Fagiolo et al. (2007) for a review). This is one of those uncommon studies: a combination of the new and old. First, a traditional neoclassical model of decision making is broadened by introducing agents who interact in an organization. The resulting computational model is analyzed using virtual experiments to consider how different organizational structures (different network topologies) affect the evolutionary path of an organization's corporate culture. These computational experiments establish testable hypotheses concerning structure, culture, and performance, and those hypotheses are tested empirically using data from an international sample of firms. In addition to learning something about organizational structure and innovation, the paper demonstrates how computational models can be used to frame empirical investigations and facilitate the interpretation of results in a traditional fashion.
How to See Colorado: The Federal Writers' Project, American Regionalism, and the "Old New Western History"

One of the four arts projects of the Works Progress Administration, the Federal Writers' Project created travel guides to each of the forty-eight states. Colorado's distance from the national editorial office—both geographically and culturally—highlights the very real differences between local and national visions of Colorado and the West and offers rich material for studying the evolution of regionalism and western history.
Folded cascode current source with dual mirrors current feedback

A high performance BJT current source in a folded cascode configuration is shown to achieve high output resistance, wide voltage swing and wide-band frequency response. The design employs dual pnp-npn current mirrors for current feedback between the base and the emitter in order to maintain the constant collector current. Simulation results show that the performance of the proposed folded cascode current source is superior to the conventional current sources, achieving for example an output resistance of 71ΜΩ and an impedance bandwidth product of 2.87Ώ-Ηz at 1mA output current and 1.6V input voltage. The proposed scheme can be implemented with MOSFETs and also provide for an efficient design in current feedback amplifiers.
Probe vehicle lane identification for queue length estimation at intersections

ABSTRACTVehicles instrumented with Global Positioning Systems, also known as GPS probe vehicles, have become increasingly popular for collecting traffic flow data. Previous studies have explored the probe vehicle data for estimating speeds and travel time; however, there is very limited research on predicting queue dynamics from such data. In this research, a methodology was developed for identifying the lane position of the GPS-instrumented vehicles when they are standing in the queue at signalized intersections with multiple lanes, particularly in the case of unequal queue. Various supervised and unsupervised clustering methods were tested on data generated from a microsimulation model. Among the tested methods, the Optimal Bayes Rule that utilizes probability density functions estimated using bivariate statistical mixture models was found to be effective in identifying the lanes. The methodology for lane identification was tested for queue length estimation. This research confirms that the lane identif...
Developmental Outcome Following Hemispherectomy for Hemimegalencephaly

Investigators at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, studied the effect of early hemispherectomy on development in a consecutive series of 12 infants with hemimegalencephaly (HME) and epileptic encephalopathy.
Technical Note: Automated quantitative analysis of planar scintigraphic resolution with the ACR SPECT phantom.

PURPOSE Evaluating gamma camera image quality is a routine task required for annual physics surveys and laboratory accreditation. A common method is visual assessment of a planar view of the American College of Radiology (ACR) phantom, for which a satisfactory result is to resolve 7.9 mm diameter cold rods with high contrast. The objective was to investigate an automated quantitative measure of planar image quality for more precise evaluation of gamma camera performance. METHODS Planar images were automatically co-registered to a template of the phantom's cold rod pattern. Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was measured for each cold rods sector by automatic placement of regions of interests on each rod and on each gap between rods. A quadratic fit to CNR vs. rod diameter yielded the Minimum Detectable Rod Diameter (MDRD) corresponding to a CNR threshold of 4. This methodology was applied to planar images acquired on a variety of gamma cameras according to ACR guidelines and also to planar images generated by Monte Carlo simulation. RESULTS The automated MDRD analysis had reproducibility of 0.1 mm in repeat phantom scans with random repositioning between scans. The MDRD was 5.8 mm for modern fully digital gamma cameras and 6.2 mm for an older analog gamma camera, whereas visual assessment was identical for all cameras. Simulated Monte Carlo images had MDRD of 5.6 mm using the following parameters: 3.5 mm FWHM intrinsic detector resolution, LEHR collimators, 9.0% FWHM energy resolution, and 15% energy window. Further simulations revealed that collimator design and detector resolution have a substantial impact on MDRD but that energy window width and energy resolution have a minor or negligible impact. The small difference between the Monte Carlo simulations and the modern fully digital gamma cameras was attributed to nonlinearities associated with event positioning and depth-of-interaction effects, which were not modeled in the simulations. CONCLUSIONS Automated MDRD analysis of planar phantom images is a robust technique that provides more precise and meaningful evaluation of camera performance than visual assessment. MDRD is a suitable measure for quality assurance and for annual physics surveys of gamma cameras.
Trend differences in men and women in rural and urban U.S. settings.

Abstract Background Smoking prevalence is declining at a slower rate in rural than urban settings in the United States (U.S.), and known predictors of smoking do not readily account for this trend difference. Given that socioeconomic and psychosocial determinants of health disparities accumulate in rural settings and that life-course disadvantages are often greater in women than men, we examined whether smoking trends are different for rural and urban men and women. Method We used yearly cross-sectional data (n = 303,311) from the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) from 2007 through 2014 to compare cigarette smoking trends in men and women across rural and urban areas. Current smoking status was modelled using logistic regression controlling for confounding risk factors. Results Regression derived graphs predicting unadjusted prevalence estimates and 95% confidence bands revealed that whereas the smoking trends of rural men, urban men, and urban women significantly declined from 2007 to 2014, the trend for rural women was flat. Controlling for demographic, socioeconomic and psychosocial predictors of smoking did not explain rural women's significantly different trend from those of the other three groups. Conclusion Rural women lag behind rural men, urban men and urban women in decreasing smoking, a health disparity finding that supports the need for tobacco control and regulatory policies and interventions that are more effective in reducing smoking among rural women.
Teletherapy for stage C adenocarcinoma of the prostate

From 1967 to 1977, 22 patients with clinical stage C adenocarcinoma of the prostate received external beam radiation therapy with curative intent. The crude rate of survival was 100 per cent at 2 years and 64 per cent (14 of 22) at 5 years post-radiation. Metastatic disease developed in 14 patients (64 per cent) 1 to 5 years after radiation therapy, 5 of whom (23 per cent) died of the disease. Eight patients (36 per cent) who were followed 5 to 14 years after radiation therapy achieved a status free of disease. When results were analyzed according to grade 100 per cent of the patients with grade 1 (well differentiated) carcinoma survived free of disease 7 to 14 years post-radiation and 40 per cent with grade 2 (moderately differentiated) carcinoma survived free of disease 5 to 7 years. Of those patients with grade 3 (poorly differentiated) carcinoma none became free of disease and 63 per cent died of cancer 3 to 5 years after radiotherapy. Local control was achieved in 100 per cent of the patients with grade 1 tumors, in 70 per cent with grade 2 disease and in 50 per cent with grade 3 cancer. We conclude that the degree of tumor differentiation is a major determinant in the response of stage C adenocarcinoma of the prostate to external beam radiation therapy.
The Association of Firearm Caliber With Likelihood of Death From Gunshot Injury in Criminal Assaults.

Importance A foundational issue in firearms policy has been whether the type of weapon used in an assault affects the likelihood of death. Objective To determine whether the likelihood of death from gunshot wounds inflicted in criminal assaults is associated with the power of the assailant’s firearm as indicated by its caliber. Design, Setting, and Participants Cross-sectional study with multivariate analysis of data on shooting cases extracted by the authors from police investigation files for assaults that took place in Boston, Massachusetts, between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2014. These data were analyzed between October 1, 2017, and February 18, 2018. In all cases the victim sustained 1 or more gunshot wounds in circumstances that the Boston Police Department deemed criminal. The working sample included all 221 gun homicides and a stratified random sample of 300 nonfatal cases drawn from the 1012 that occurred during the 5-year period. Seven nonfatal cases were omitted because they had been misclassified. Exposures The primary source of variation was the caliber of the firearm used to shoot the victim. Main Outcomes and Measures Whether the victim died from the gunshot wound(s). Results The final sample of 511 gunshot victims and survivors (n = 220 fatal; n = 291 nonfatal) was predominantly male (n = 470 [92.2%]), black (n = 413 [80.8%]) or Hispanic (n = 69 [13.5%]), and young (mean [SD] age, 26.8 [9.4] years). Police investigations determined firearm caliber in 184 nonfatal cases (63.2%) and 183 fatal cases (83.2%). These 367 cases were divided into 3 groups by caliber: small (.22, .25, and .32), medium (.38, .380, and 9 mm), or large (.357 magnum, .40, .44 magnum, .45, 10 mm, and 7.62 × 39 mm). Firearm caliber had no systematic association with the number of wounds, the location of wounds, circumstances of the assault, or victim characteristics, as demonstrated by χ2tests of each cluster of variables and by a comprehensive multinomial logit analysis. A logit analysis of the likelihood of death found that compared with small-caliber cases, medium caliber had an odds ratio of 2.25 (95% CI, 1.37-3.70;P = .001) and large caliber had an odds ratio of 4.54 (95% CI, 2.37-8.70;P Conclusions and Relevance Firearms caliber was associated with the likelihood of death from gunshot wounds in criminal assault. Shootings with larger-caliber handguns were more deadly but no more sustained or accurate than shootings with smaller-caliber handguns. This conclusion is of direct relevance to the design of gun policy.
Copper chelation as targeted therapy in a genetic mouse model of oncogenic BRAF-driven thyroid cancer.

e23148Background: Over half of papillary thyroid cancers (PTC) contain the MAPK pathway activating, oncogenic BRAF V600E mutation. Early clinical trials using inhibitors to this mutant protein or i...
Two-dimensional melting via sine-Gordon duality

Motivated by the recently developed duality [Pretko and Radzihovsky, Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 195301 (2018)] between the elasticity of a crystal and a symmetric tensor gauge theory, we explore its classical analog, which is a dual theory of the dislocation-mediated melting of a two-dimensional crystal, formulated in terms of a higher derivative vector sine-Gordon model. It provides a transparent description of the continuous two-stage melting in terms of the renormalization-group relevance of two cosine operators that control the sequential unbinding of dislocations and disclinations, respectively, corresponding to the crystal-to-hexatic and hexatic-to-isotropic fluid transitions. This renormalization-group analysis reproduces the seminal results of the Coulomb gas description, such as the flows of the elastic couplings and of the dislocation and disclination fugacities, as well as the temperature dependence of the associated correlation lengths.