cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Markers for severity of illness associated with decreased snoring in toddlers born ELGA.

Aim To describe the prevalence of paediatric sleep disordered breathing (SDB) symptoms in extremely low gestational age infants and identify neonatal risk factors, including early exposure to hypoxia and hyperoxia.
ReaxFFSiO Reactive Force Field for Silicon and Silicon Oxide Systems

To predict the structures, properties, and chemistry of materials involving silicon and silicon oxides; interfaces between these materials; and hydrolysis of such systems, we have developed the ReaxFFSiO, reactive force field. The parameters for this force field were obtained from fitting to the results of quantum chemical (QC) calculations on the structures and energy barriers for a number of silicon oxide clusters and on the equations of state for condensed phases of Si and SiO2 from QC. We expect that ReaxFFSiO will allow accurate dynamical simulations of bond breaking processes in large silicon and silicon oxide systems. ReaxFFSiO is based closely on the potential functions of the ReaxFFCH reactive force field for hydrocarbons, so that it should also be useful for describing reactions of organics with Si and SiO2 systems.
Identification of myosin light chains in Rana pipiens skeletal muscle and their expression patterns along single fibres

SUMMARY Isoforms of myosin heavy chain (MHC) and myosin light chain (MLC) influence contractile kinetics of skeletal muscle. We previously showed that the four major skeletal muscle fibre types in Rana pipiens (type 1, type 2, type 3 and tonic; amphibian nomenclature) contain four unique MHC isoforms. In the present study we defined the MLCs expressed in each of these R. pipiens fibre types. The MLC composition of single MHC-typed fibres was determined from western blots using a panel of monoclonal MLC antibodies. A total of seven MLCs were identified, including four types of MLC1, two of MLC2 and a single MLC3. Twitch fibre types (types 1, 2 and 3) expressed MLC1 f and MLC2 f , while tonic fibres contained a unique set of isoforms, MLC1 Ta , MLC1 Tb and MLC2 T . MLC3 was expressed primarily in type 1, type 1-2 and type 2 fibres. Surprisingly, some frogs displayed a striking pattern of MLC expression where a unique isoform of MLC1 (MLC1 x ) was coexpressed along with the normal MLC1 isoform(s) in all fibre types. MLC1 x was either expressed in all fibres of a given frog or was completely absent. The intraspecific polymorphism in MLC1 expression is likely to have a genetic basis, but is unlikely to be caused by allelic variation. The ratio of MLC3/MLC1 increased in direct proportion to the percentage of type 1 MHC, but was only weakly correlated. The variability in MLC3/MLC1 within a fibre type was extremely large. Both the MHC isoform and MLC3/MLC1 ratio varied significantly between 1 mm segments along the length of fibres. For all segments combined, MLC3/MLC1 increased with the percentage of type 1 MHC, but the correlation between segments was weaker than between fibres.
It’s In the Way That You Use It Attachment and the Dyadic Nature of Humor During Conflict Negotiation in Romantic Couples

In a behavioral observation study with dating couples, we examined (a) how attachment orientations predict humor use and (b) how people respond to their partners' use of humor. Couples were videotaped while trying to resolve a relationship conflict. Each discussion was rated on several theoretically relevant dimensions. Highly avoidant individuals used more aggressive humor and less affiliative humor during their discussions, whereas highly anxious individuals used more self-defeating humor. Individuals also tailored their humor use to partners who were highly anxious and distressed. Aggressive humor was received more negatively by partners who sought more care. Affiliative humor was favorably received, especially when partners were more distressed, whereas self-defeating humor elicited negative responses from highly distressed partners. Both highly anxious and avoidant individuals reacted unfavorably when they were the recipients of the humor styles they used most often. The implications of these results for our understanding of relationships and humor are discussed.
Combining Maps and Distributed Representations for Shift-Reduce Parsing

Simple Recurrent Networks (Srns) have been widely used in natural language processing tasks. However, their ability to handle long-term dependencies between sentence constituents is rather limited. Narx networks have recently been shown to outperform Srns by preserving past information in explicit delays from the network’s prior output. Determining the number of delays, however, is problematic in itself. In this study on a shift-reduce parsing task, we demonstrate a hybrid localist-distributed approach that yields comparable performance in a more concise manner. A SardNet self-organizing map is used to represent the details of the input sequence in addition to the recurrent distributed representations of the Srn and Narx networks. The resulting architectures can represent arbitrarily long sequences and are cognitively more plausible.
Travelling waves in radially symmetric parabolic systems

On montre que toutes les solutions ondes planes de propagation ou stationnaire de certains systemes paraboliques a symetrie radiale peuvent etre trouvees en resolvant une equation differentielle scalaire associee
Segmentation of brain images using adaptive atlases with application to ventriculomegaly

Segmentation of brain images often requires a statistical atlas for providing prior information about the spatial position of different structures. A major limitation of atlas-based segmentation algorithms is their deficiency in analyzing brains that have a large deviation from the population used in the construction of the atlas. We present an expectation-maximization framework based on a Dirichlet distribution to adapt a statistical atlas to the underlying subject. Our model combines anatomical priors with the subject's own anatomy, resulting in a subject specific atlas which we call an "adaptive atlas". The generation of this adaptive atlas does not require the subject to have an anatomy similar to that of the atlas population, nor does it rely on the availability of an ensemble of similar images. The proposed method shows a significant improvement over current segmentation approaches when applied to subjects with severe ventriculomegaly, where the anatomy deviates significantly from the atlas population. Furthermore, high levels of accuracy are maintained when the method is applied to subjects with healthy anatomy.
Role of a nosX Homolog in Streptococcus gordonii in Aerobic Growth and Biofilm Formation

Oral streptococci such as Streptococcus gordonii are facultative anaerobes that initiate biofilm formation on tooth surfaces. An isolated S. gordonii::Tn917-lac biofilm-defective mutant contained a transposon insertion in an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a homolog of NosX of Ralstonia eutropha, a putative maturation factor of nitrous oxide reductase. Located downstream are two genes, qor1 and qor2, predicted to encode two putative NADPH quinone oxidoreductases. These three genes are cotranscribed, forming a putative oxidative stress response (osr) operon in S. gordonii. Inactivation of nosX, qor1, or qor2 resulted in biofilm-defective phenotypes. Expression of nosX, measured by the β-galactosidase activity of the nosX::Tn917-lac mutant, was growth-phase dependent and enhanced when grown under aerobic conditions or in the presence of paraquat. Real-time reverse transcription-PCR revealed that nosX-specific mRNA levels were increased approximately 8.4 and 3.5 fold in biofilm-derived cells grown on plastic and glass, respectively, when compared to planktonic cells. Expression of nosX increased 19.9 fold in cells grown under aerated aerobic conditions and 4.7 fold in cells grown under static aerobic conditions. Two ORFs immediately adjacent to the osr operon encode a putative NADH oxidase (Nox) and a putative thiol-specific antioxidant enzyme (AhpC, for alkyl hydroperoxide peroxidase C). Expression of nox and ahpC was also significantly increased in cells grown under aerated and static aerobic conditions when compared to anaerobic conditions. In addition, nox expression was increased in biofilm cells compared to planktonic cells. These genes may be part of an island that deals with oxidoreductive response, some of which may be important in S. gordonii biofilm formation.
ADVANCES IN THE PROCESSING OF LARGE BIOMEDICAL DATA BASES USING SPECIALIZED COMPUTERS, IMPROVED DEVICE TECHNOLOGY, AND COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN.

Many new requirements for the computer processing of large biomedical data bases have arisen during the past decade which exploit the creation of images via computed tomography, the processing of images generated by conventional radiographic techniques, the simulation of large biological systems, and the processing of x-ray crystallographic measurements of biological macromolecular structures. These requirements for ever increasing computational power are motivating advances in the computers which carry out the processing. Several important trends in the technology and design of processors relevant to the biomedical environment will be described, including the newest approaches to computational tasks at various complexity levels, the use of advanced device technology to improve performance, and the growing reliance upon computer-aided design methods to lower development costs for new processor designs.
A framework for risk management and end-of-life (EOL) analysis for nanotechnology products: A case study in lithium-ion batteries

The objective of this study is to formulate a framework to assess environmental impacts and risk associated with products containing nanomaterials. The research presented here focuses on the end-of-life (EOL) management and recycling of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. The concerns regarding nanoenabled Li-ion batteries are both timely and important as these products are already in the marketplace and moving into the waste stream. While further research is underway, the initial material engineering assessment and process analysis show that current battery recycling operations may need to be modified and process parameters adjusted to accommodate these new Li-ion batteries or unexpected and unwanted impacts may occur. Preliminary findings indicate that filtration systems may release nanoparticles into the atmosphere; process outputs may be contaminated by unexpected nanostructures; and process wastes may contain hazardous or toxic nanomaterials. As described, additional research is necessary to further quantify these impacts and to validate recommendations for process improvement.
First Report of Bacterial Leaf Spot on Leafy Brassica Greens Caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola in South Carolina.

As of 2001, South Carolina ranked second in the United States in acreage of turnip greens (Brassica rapa) and collard (B. oleracea) and third in acreage of mustard (B. juncea). In June 2001, a leaf disease was found on turnip greens (cv. Alamo), mustard (cvs. Southern Giant Curled and Florida Broadleaf), and rape salad greens (B. napus var. napus cv. Essex) on a commercial farm in Lexington County, South Carolina. Symptoms appeared after a heavy rainstorm that included blowing sand. The disease was found in May and June 2002 on three additional farms in the same county on turnip greens cv. Topper and Royal Crown and collard cv. Top Bunch. Symptoms included small tan spots, water soaking, yellowing, and brown necrosis of leaves after spots coalesced on the lower halves of plants. Yellowing was more prevalent on older than on younger leaves. Leaf samples were collected in 2001 and 2002 from the affected hosts on the four farms. Bacterial streaming was evident from these samples and 27 strains were isolated ...
Recovery of Three Fish Species to Flood and Seasonal Drying in a Tallgrass Prairie Stream

The recovery of three fish species following a catastrophic flood (>50 y recurrence interval) and seasonal drying were studied in Kings Creek basin at the Konza Prairie Biological Station in northeastern Kansas. Fish collected from three tallgrass prairie headwater springs were marked and recaptured to determine if headwater springs were a source of fish recolonizing intermittent sections downstream and to estimate population sizes in the headwater springs. Three fish species (Campostoma anomalum, Phoxinus erythrogaster, and Etheostoma spectabile) were collected. Catch rates and population estimates of fish nine days post-flood were approximately half of the values obtained during subsequent sampling periods. Recolonization of an intermittent section was primarily by age-0 fish that seemingly were displaced downstream by flood events. The distribution of fish within the upper subbasins of the South Branch of Kings Creek was limited to perennial spring-fed reaches. The short duration of continuous flow and regular drying in these tributaries might limit the dispersal of individuals between populations in this landscape.
Midseason Pest Status of the Cotton Aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) in California Cotton - Is Nitrogen a Key Factor?

Field experiments were conducted from 1996 to 1998 to assess the effects of nitrogen fertilization rates and planting dates on the population dynamics of the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, during the midgrowing season of California cotton. Cotton aphids reached higher densities in high nitrogen fertilized plants (227 kg N/ha, rate currently used by cotton growers) than in low nitrogen fertilized plants (57 kg N/ha). In addition, late-planted cotton (May–June), which had more nitrogen content, also harbored higher aphid populations than early plantings (April). Overall, aphid abundance was positively correlated with plant nitrogen content. In a moderate aphid pressure year (1996), planting the cotton early (April) was effective in keeping the aphid population below the midseason economic threshold. However, in a high aphid pressure year (1997), it was necessary to drastically reduce the nitrogen fertilization to 57 kg N/ha to maintain the aphid density under this threshold. Recent cultural practices in California cotton include higher rates of nitrogen fertilization, which increases nitrogen content of plants. The current data suggest that this practice (i.e., high fertilization) is an important factor contributing to the increased severity of the cotton aphid as a pest of California cotton during the midseason.
XML for Catalogers and Metadata Librarians

Timothy W. Cole and Myung-Ja K. Han. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2013, 388 pp., ISBN: 978-1-59884-519-8, $110.00.What is XML (Extensible Markup Language), and why is it important to cat...
Epitaxy of Nb 3 Sn Films on Sapphire

Films of Nb3Sn vapor deposited at low rates and high temperatures on $$(1\bar 102)$$ sapphire form an epitaxial single crystal matrix with a domain structure of misoriented regions bounded by low-angle dislocation boundaries. Nucleation of other orientations at the interface result in a highly oriented but polycrystalline film through approximately the first thousand Angstroms of film thickness. After this point random orientations become overgrown by epitaxial regions. At slightly lower temperatures many small grains with a second epitaxial relationship also nucleate at the interface. These rotated grains persist through greater thicknesses than random orientations. The misorientation defect structure of the single crystal matrix is analyzed by transmission electron microscopy.
Preparation of Cross-Section Tem Specimens of Semiconductors Containing Tungsten Interconnects Using Chemical Mechanical Polishing and Chemically Assisted Ion Beam Milling, and Use of Afm to Evaluate the Success of These Procedures

TEM of semiconductors containing tungsten interconnects is hampered by the problem of tungsten being intrinsically opaque to the electron beam, and at the same time typically being much thicker than the rest of the specimen. This work describes a technique which can predictably and reproducibly thin tungsten to electron transparency using chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). Chemically-assisted ion beam etching (CAIBE) techniques were also investigated, but found to be of little benefit. The key to development and evaluation of these methods was the AFM.
Natural Language Processing to Quantify Security Effort in the Software Development Lifecycle

Addressing security in the software development lifecycle is an ever-present concern for software engineers and organizations. From a management and monitoring perspective, it is difficult to measure 1) the amount of effort being focused on security concerns during active development and 2) the success of security related design and development efforts. Such data is simply not recorded. If reliable measurements were available, software project leaders would have a powerful tool to assess risk and inform decision making. This would enable managers to direct development and testing to assure a desired level of security in their software products, to protect both their organizations and customers. To fill this need and provide such data, we propose a technique for performing topic detection on data commonly available in most software development projects: text artifacts from issue tracking and version control systems. We apply machine learning and natural language processing techniques to create classifiers capable of accurately detecting whether a given text snippet is related to the topic of security. Realization of such a capability will give software teams the ability to analyze current and past levels of security effort, revealing immediate project focus and the long-term impacts of security tasking. We validate our approach via experiments on data from the large-scale open source Chromium software project. Our results show that a Naive Bayes classification scheme using an n-gram feature-space is an appropriate and effective approach to automated topic detection of software security text snippets, and that effective training data can be derived from public data sources without the need for manual intervention.
Myocardial cooling: Beneficial effects of topical hypothermia

The importance of profound hypothermia in protecting the myocardium during cardioplegic arrest is well known. However, as is often the case in patients with severe coronary artery disease, regions of the myocardium distal to critical stenoses supplied solely by small collateral vessels are underperfused and inadequately cooled. The following study was undertaken in a canine model of chronic progressive coronary occlusion to assess the importance of added topical hypothermia in augmenting myocardial cooling in regions of collateral flow. Twelve dogs had hydroscopic Ameroid constrictors placed at the origin of the circumflex coronary artery and mid-left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. Eight weeks later, after angiographic demonstration of vessel occlusion and collateral development, myocardial ischemia was confirmed by atrial pacing (180 beats/min) and noting ST changes. Animals underwent 60 minutes of aortic cross-clamping. Hearts were protected with topical hypothermia (normal saline, temperature 4° C) and blood cardioplegia (temperature 10° C, pH 8.0, potassium chloride 30 mEq/L, 1 ml initially and then 500 ml every 30 minutes). Subendocardial temperatures in both normal and collateralized myocardial regions were measured with thermistor probes after each injection and following the addition of topical hypothermic lavage (1 L). The results of myocardial temperature measurements showed that in areas of the myocardium supplied by normal coronary arteries (high interventricular septum) the addition of topical hypothermia resulted in no further significant cooling when compared to that attained following blood cardioplegia alone (12.6° ± 1° C versus 11.8° ± 0.7° C). In contrast, areas supplied by collateral vessels were dependent upon the addition of topical hypothermia for maximal cooling (distal LAD 16.5° ± 1.3° C versus 12.4° ± 0.7° C, p
The Modern Treatment of Thoracic Disc Disease

Summary Herniations of thoracic intervertebral discs, with or without associated bony spurs, can produce pain, leg weakness, and bladder difficulty secondary to spinal cord and nerve root compression. The history of their surgical and nonsurgical treatment has been poor, complete paralysis often developing as the result of a direct attack on the disc by the ordinary laminectomy approach. More recently, lateral approaches to the thoracic spine have been developed, and these promise to reduce the morbidity associated with this lesion.
Increased muscle carnitine palmitoyltransferase II mRNA after increased contractile activity.

The capacity of skeletal muscle to oxidize fatty acids increases with endurance training. The oxidation of long-chain fatty acids occurs in mitochondria and is initiated by a carnitine-dependent transport step in which three enzymes help fatty acyl groups enter the matrix compartment. The purpose of this study was to determine whether pretranslational regulation of one of these three enzymes, carnitine palmitoyltransferase II (CPT II), as estimated from the level of CPT II mRNA, plays a role in the doubling of CPT activity in skeletal muscle of rats subjected to daily 2-h bouts of running on treadmills (P. A. Mole, L. B. Oscai, and J. O. Holloszy. J. Clin. Invest. 50: 2323-2330, 1971). After 100 min/day of running on motor-driven treadmills for 2 wk, CPT II mRNA in the plantaris muscle was unchanged when normalized per unit of extracted RNA but was 50% higher (P < 0.05) over sedentary controls when normalized per unit of muscle wet weight. To test whether additional contractile activity would make CPT II mRNA even higher, continuous indirect electrical stimulation was imposed on the tibialis anterior muscles. After 9 days of chronic stimulation, CPT II mRNA was 63, 221, and 137% greater than control (P < 0.001) when normalized to extracted RNA, muscle wet weight, and whole muscle, respectively, compared with the muscle in the control rats. These data indicate that pretranslational regulation of CPT II occurs in response to increased contractile activity in skeletal muscle.
Which SSRIs most effectively treat depression in adolescents

We don't know which selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most effective and safe because no studies have compared these antidepressants with each other. Three SSRI antidepressant medications--fluoxetine, sertraline, and escitalopram--produce modest improvements (about 5% to 10%) in standardized depression scores without a significant increase in the risk of suicide-related outcomes (suicidal behavior or ideation) in adolescent patients with major depression of moderate severity.
Density functional theory simulations and experimental measurements of a-HfO 2 /a-Si 3 N 4 /SiGe, a-HfO 2 /SiO 0.8 N 0.8 /SiGe and a-HfO 2 /a-SiO/SiGe interfaces

A comprehensive set of density functional theory (DFT) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations is presented for interfaces between a-HfO 2 high-K oxide and Si 0.5 Ge 0.5 (001) with several amorphous stoichiometric and substoichiometric SiOxNy interlayers (a-SiO 0.8 N 0.8 , a-SiO 0.4 N 0.4 , a-Si 3 N 2 , a-Si 3 N 4 and a-SiO) to determine their electrical passivation properties. In general the sub-stoichiometric interlayers had superior electrical properties because they minimized Ge-O and Ge-N bond formation and had low internal bond strain. The stack with oxygen deficient a-SiO interlayer demonstrated superior electric properties because it avoided all dangling bond formation. Experimental studies confirmed that a sub-stiochiometric SiON layer decreases the defects density of HfO 2 (001)/Si 0.5 Ge 0.5 (001) MOSCAPs.
The Lake Keowee, South Carolina Earthquakes of February through July 1986

In the early morning of 13 February 1986, an earthquake with a duration magnitude (M D ) of 3.2 rumbled through northwestern South Carolina. The event was centered near Lake Keowee in Oconee County in a region of prior low level seismicity. Approximately eighty aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from −1.0 to 2.0 were recorded during the next six days. The locations of five aftershocks were accurately determined, utilizing data from portable seismographs deployed in the epicentral area. Depths of the two earthquakes with a location quality of B or better were between 3 and 4 km. First motion focal mechanism solutions for the mainshock suggest oblique slip along a plane striking northeast or northwest. The P axis was oriented northeast-southwest in support of the directions obtained from mechanisms of other local earthquakes and from direct measurements of the maximum horizontal stress in the regions. A second mainshock (M D = 2.8) occurred in the vicinity of Lake Keowee on 11 June 1986 and was followed by over sixty earthquakes during the next five weeks. Focal mechanism solutions from first motion data obtained for the mainshock resemble those of the 13 February event and suggest oblique slip along a northeast or northwest striking plane. Depths of the best located aftershocks were approximately 1 km. Two tests were applied to the data to assess the reliability of the depth estimates. These involve the determination that the plot of RMS travel time residual versus fixed solution depth exhibits a single, sharp RMS minimum at the depth obtained from a free solution (depth uniqueness) and that the final free solution depth is not dependent upon the choice of starting depth (depth stability). Free solution depths obtained for the majority of the better located aftershocks were found to be unique and stable at depths between 1 and 4 km. A northeast trending anomaly is prominent in the geophysical data for this area. This anomaly is interpreted to result from an abrupt, lateral change in lithology along a shallow, northeast striking plane. The earthquakes do not appear to be associated with this feature. Instead, these earthquakes appear to be associated with a shallow body and may represent slip along northeast or northwest striking joints. The proximity of these earthquakes to Lake Keowee suggests the possibility of reservoir triggering. No correlation between seismicity and reservoir level is evident prior to the February events. Rapid fluctuations in water level did precede the events in June and July, providing possible triggering mechanisms.
Computational/analytical study of the transient hot wire-based thermal conductivity measurements near phase transition

Abstract The performance of the commonly-used transient hot wire technique for measuring the thermal conductivity of materials near their liquid-solid transition point is reported in this paper. Adopting a 1-D transient formulation, the computational methodology is discussed in detail and predictions of the wire temperature are compared to the limiting analytical solutions without and with phase change. By varying the initial solid-state temperature of an eicosane sample, six cases which undergo phase change to different extent were studied. The results exhibit a monotonic dependence of the predicted thermal conductivity value on the initial temperature of the solid medium. As the initial temperature of the solid-state sample approaches the melting point, the predicted thermal conductivity value moves toward the value of the liquid eicosane. Recommendations were provided for performing measurements of thermal conductivity using the transient how wire technique involving phase change.
Training and evaluating object detection pipelines with connected components

This paper describes methods to evaluate (and train) pixel classifiers when connected components is used as a post-processing step. In previous work the method was used to train a convolutional neural network for image segmentation and we provided pseudo-code for a disjoint-set based algorithm that efficiently calculates the Rand Error and its gradient. This paper describes the modifications we have found useful for applying the same approach to small (moving) object detection in low-frame rate, low spatial resolution video where objects of interest have low probability, and are spatially small and compact. We suggest the Rand Error is a suitable error for evaluating these detectors compared to centroid based error measures because of its monotonic receiver-operator characteristics (ROC curve).
Cell Expression: Proteins and Their Characterization

This chapter aims to consider how to interpret the structure of proteins, the product of cellular expression through typical tools used to characterize polymer structure. Both polymers and proteins can have large chain lengths, although there are differences in the variance in chain length, as proteins are typically much more narrow in their distribution. Proteins are also more complex as they are derived from a larger ensemble of amino acid monomers. Here overlapping concepts found in polymer science that overlap with protein analysis and characterization are discussed.
Development and Characterization of 12 Novel Polymorphic Microsatellite Loci for the Mammal Chewing Louse Geomydoecus aurei (Insecta: Phthiraptera) and a Comparison of Next-Generation Sequencing Approaches for Use in Parasitology.

Abstract Next-generation sequencing methodologies open the door for evolutionary studies of wildlife parasites. We used 2 next-generation sequencing approaches to discover microsatellite loci in the pocket gopher chewing louse Geomydoecus aurei for use in population genetic studies. In one approach, we sequenced a library enriched for microsatellite loci; in the other approach, we mined microsatellites from genomic sequences. Following microsatellite discovery, promising loci were tested for amplification and polymorphism in 390 louse individuals from 13 pocket gopher hosts. In total, 12 loci were selected for analysis (6 from each methodology), none of which exhibited evidence of null alleles or heterozygote deficiencies. These 12 loci showed adequate genetic diversity for population-level analyses, with 3–9 alleles per locus with an average HE per locus ranging from 0.32 to 0.70. Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) indicated that genetic variation among infrapopulations accounts for a low, but signif...
Effective noise antenna factor FA estimate at depth

This paper presents atmospheric noise measurements as a function of depth at low-frequencies for collections performed underwater. The presented results can be used to understand the impact of atmospheric noise on underwater reception.
Reoperative mitral valve surgery via right thoracotomy: decreased blood loss and improved hemodynamics

BACKGROUND AND AIMS OF THE STUDY Reoperative mitral surgery via sternotomy can be associated with significant complications, including excessive blood loss and injuries to the heart, great vessels and patent coronary artery grafts. The right antero-lateral thoracotomy offers excellent exposure with less risk from re-entry. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between 1982 and 1992, 221 patients had repeat mitral valve procedures at our institution. Fifteen of these 221 underwent mitral valve replacement via right thoracotomy. Indications for surgery in each group included bioprosthetic valve failure, paravalvular leak and bacterial endocarditis. Fifteen patients having reoperative mitral valve surgery via right thoracotomy approach were compared with a control group of 33 patient who underwent surgery via repeat sternotomy. All thoracotomy patients underwent mitral replacement or repair with ventricular fibrillation without aortic cross-clamping. Operative time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, requirement for inotropic support, blood loss within the first six postoperative hours, number of blood units transfused, length of ICU stay, days to discharge, and 30-day survival were compared between the two groups. In addition, the preoperative PaO2/FiO2 (P/F) ratio was evaluated as a prognostic indicator. RESULTS Bypass time (162 +/- 43 min thoracotomy group vs. 131 +/- 34 min sternotomy group), operative time (389 +/- 100 min thoracotomy group vs. 450 +/- 25 min sternotomy group), ICU stay (6 +/- 8 days thoracotomy group vs. 5 +/- 6 days sternotomy group), P/F ratio (352 +/- 142 thoracotomy group vs. 423 +/- 108 sternotomy group), and 30-day survival (93% thoracotomy group vs. 91% sternotomy group) were not found to be significantly different between groups. Of great significance was the reduction in blood loss (277 +/- 152 ml thoracotomy vs. 651 +/- 504 ml sternotomy, p < 0.05) and blood transfused (2.0 +/- 1.7 units thoracotomy vs. 6.5 +/- 3.3 units sternotomy, p < 0.01) with the thoracotomy approach. Also of significance was a reduction in frequency with which significant inotropic support was needed to separate from cardiopulmonary bypass (26% vs. 63%, p < 0.05). Despite decreased access to the heart for de-airing maneuvers, no cerebrovascular events whatsoever were noted with the thoracotomy approach. CONCLUSION The right thoracotomy approach is recommended for redo mitral valve surgery. Despite these advantages, severe pulmonary dysfunction (as indicated by a P/F ratio less than 300) correlated with a prolonged hospital course in four thoracotomy patients; such patients should have repeat sternotomy.
Efficacy and safety of adjunctive drug-coated balloon therapy in endovascular treatment of common femoral artery disease.

Abstract Background Surgical endarterectomy with or without patch angioplasty has been considered the gold standard for treatment of symptomatic common femoral artery (CFA) disease. Surgical risks include wound infection, hematoma and lymph leak in approximately 17% of patients. Endovascular therapy has less procedure-related morbidity and mortality. Endovascular approaches achieve patency rates of 60% to 90% at 1 and 2 years utilizing atherectomy and balloon angioplasty . CFA stenting has been limited due to concerns of stent kinking, thrombosis and restenosis . Combined directional atherectomy with drug-coated balloon to treat CFA disease in patients with Rutherford II/III patients has been studied recently. We sought to study the safety and outcomes of adjunct drug-coated balloon (DCB) therapy in symptomatic CFA disease patients, including critical limb ischemia (Rutherford IV), after achieving procedural success. Objective To evaluate the additive efficacy of drug coated balloon in treating CFA disease. Methods Using retrospective single center data, we analyzed the outcomes of patients who underwent CFA interventions. In this non-randomized study, all patients from December 2010 to December 2014 with CFA disease underwent atherectomy (orbital, plaque excision or both) with adjunctive scoring balloon angioplasty (Ath/PTA). After December 2014, patients treated with combination atherectomy and DCB, (Ath/DCB), underwent final drug delivery to the vessel wall with drug-coated balloon. Distal embolic protection devices were used in the majority of patients. Primary efficacy endpoint was 1-year primary patency and freedom from clinically driven target lesion revascularization (CD-TLR). Patency of vessels was assessed at 12-month interval using duplex ultrasound. Results Seventy de novo common femoral artery stenotic lesions were treated in both groups. Mean age was 69 in (Ath/PTA) group and 72 in Ath/DCB group. Patients in each group had similar risk factor profiles including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, smoking, coronary artery disease , myocardial infarction, prior coronary revascularization , congestive heart failure , cerebrovascular accidents and chronic kidney disease . The Ath/DCB group had more advanced disease presentation by Rutherford classification (intermittent claudication in 61% and critical limb ischemia in 39% versus intermittent claudication in 76% and chronic limb ischemia in 24%) when compared with the Ath/PTA group. Primary efficacy endpoint was met in 85% and 94% (p = 0.26) in the Ath/PTA and Ath/DCB groups respectively. All patients had run-off angiography at the end of procedure to ensure patency. Conclusion Adjunctive drug-coated balloon therapy does not increase the primary patency rate when compared with atherectomy and scoring balloon angioplasty alone at 1-year in common femoral artery disease treatment.
Group Psychotherapy Research: Current Status and Future Trends on the Dawn of the New Millennium

For the past two decades, the group psychotherapy research literature has been dominated by the efficacy study. Over this period of time, this laboratory-based work has acquired a number of methodological requisites all aimed at maximizing its internal validity in order that causal inferences can be made with increasing confidence. These very refinements in methodology, however, have led to increasing criticisms regarding the meaningfulness and relevance of the findings to “real-world” settings. This paper briefly reviews these developments and offers predictions, gleaned from the current literature, about future directions of research. In particular, three areas are highlighted: (1) the development of effectiveness studies, (2) the greater sophistication of process research, and (3) a renewal of the very early interest in group therapy treatment of medical conditions.
Sol-gel processing of some electroceramic powders

This review deals with the solution-sol-gel processing (SSG) of powders such as BaTiO3, MgTiO3, PbTiO3, Bi4Ti3O12, La2Ti2O7, Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3, Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 and Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3. Fine powders of good sinterability can be easily obtained at low temperatures although the process can be expensive and time consuming. We propose a nanocomposite route which utilizes nanophases of different components as a cost-effective alternative to sol-gel process for powder preparation.
Layout-Based 3D Solid Modeling of IC Structures and Interconnects Including Electrical Parameter Extraction

A suite of software tools have been developed to model IC structures including interconnects based on layout design and processing information. The modeling capabilities include 3D rendering of solid objects, surface meshing, electrical parameter (mainly capacitance) extraction for arbitrarily shaped objects. This software ensemble provides a direct link between design parameters and electrical performance. Analysis of a four transistor SRAM cell is used as an example.
The Physiologic Impact of Pectus Excavatum Repair

The adverse physiologic effects of pectus excavatum and subsequent resolution following correction have been a subject of controversy. There are numerous accounts of patients reporting subjective improvement in exercise tolerance after surgery, but studies showing clear and consistent objective data to corroborate this phenomenon physiologically have been elusive. This is partially due to a lack of consistent study methodologies but even more so due to a mere paucity of data. As experts in the repair of pectus excavatum, it is not uncommon for pediatric surgeons to operate on adult patients. For this reason, this review evaluates the contemporary literature to provide an understanding of the physiologic impact of repairing pectus excavatum on pediatric and adult patients separately.
Habitat associations of bats in a working rangeland landscape.

Land-use change has resulted in rangeland loss and degradation globally. These changes include conversion of native grasslands for row-crop agriculture as well as degradation of remaining rangeland due to fragmentation and changing disturbance regimes. Understanding how these and other factors influence wildlife use of rangelands is important for conservation and management of wildlife populations. We investigated bat habitat associations in a working rangeland in southeastern North Dakota. We used Petterson d500x acoustic detectors to systematically sample bat activity across the study area on a 1-km point grid. We identified calls using Sonobat autoclassification software. We detected five species using this working rangeland, which included Lasionycteris noctivagans (2,722 detections), Lasiurus cinereus (2,055 detections), Eptesicus fuscus (749 detections), Lasiurusborealis (62 detections), and Myotis lucifugus (1 detection). We developed generalized linear mixed-effects models for the four most frequently detected species based on their ecology. The activity of three bat species increased with higher tree cover. While the scale of selection varied between the four species, all three investigated scales were explanatory for at least one bat species. The broad importance of trees to bats in rangelands may put their conservation needs at odds with those of obligate grassland species. Focusing rangeland bat conservation on areas that were treed prior to European settlement, such as riparian forests, can provide important areas for bat conservation while minimizing negative impacts on grassland species.
Monomethyl Fumarate Protects the Retina From Light-Induced Retinopathy.

Purpose We determine if monomethyl fumarate (MMF) can protect the retina in mice subjected to light-induced retinopathy (LIR). Methods Albino BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally injected with 50 to 100 mg/kg MMF before or after exposure to bright white light (10,000 lux) for 1 hour. Seven days after light exposure, retinal structure and function were evaluated by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and electroretinography (ERG), respectively. Retinal histology also was performed to evaluate photoreceptor loss. Expression levels of Hcar2 and markers of microglia activation were measured by quantitative PCR (qPCR) in the neural retina with and without microglia depletion. At 24 hours after light exposure, retinal sections and whole mount retinas were stained with Iba1 to evaluate microglia status. The effect of MMF on the nuclear factor kB subunit 1 (NF-kB) and Nrf2 pathways was measured by qPCR and Western blot. Results MMF administered before light exposure mediated dose-dependent neuroprotection in a mouse model of LIR. A single dose of 100 mg/kg MMF fully protected retinal structure and function without side effects. Expression of the Hcar2 receptor and the microglia marker Cd14 were upregulated by LIR, but suppressed by MMF. Depleting microglia reduced Hcar2 expression and its upregulation by LIR. Microglial activation, upregulation of proinflammatory genes (Nlrp3, Caspase1, Il-1β, Tnf-α), and upregulation of antioxidative stress genes (Hmox1) associated with LIR were mitigated by MMF treatment. Conclusions MMF can completely protect the retina from LIR in BALB/c mice. Expression of Hcar2, the receptor of MMF, is microglia-dependent in the neural retina. MMF-mediated neuroprotection was associated with attenuation of microglia activation, inflammation and oxidative stress in the retina.
Understanding and control of interactions between carbon nanotubes and polymers for manufacturing of high-performance composite materials

Abstract Composite materials combining carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polymers have been widely sought to achieve high strength, high toughness, and, in some cases, multifunctional performance. In large part, this is because individual CNTs have outstanding mechanical, electrical and thermal properties; and the nanometer-scale diameter and high aspect ratio enable tailored load transfer to polymers via van der Waals interactions, π interactions, and covalent bonding. While most early research focused on using CNTs as a filler to polymer matrices at low loadings, recent emphasis has been placed on processing methods that leverage organized CNT assembles (e.g., forests, sheets, or fibers). Realization of such composites requires understanding of the how CNT-polymer interactions govern processability and mechanical properties. As such, this review summarizes the fundamental principles that govern CNT-polymer interaction, and how polymer characteristics coupled with CNT network properties influence polymer wetting and infiltration, governing the final composite morphology. Various approaches to infiltration of CNT materials with polymers are explained, in the context of both their governing principles and the overall manufacturing process, and the resulting mechanical properties are discussed. We conclude by highlighting challenges for research and development toward CNT-based structural materials that may find use in future aircraft, spacecraft, and other domains.
Rolipram treatment during consolidation ameliorates long-term object location memory in aged male mice.

Abstract Normal aging is accompanied by cognitive and memory impairments that negatively impact quality of life for the growing elderly population. Hippocampal function is most vulnerable to the deleterious effects of aging, and deficits in hippocampus-dependent memories are common amongst aged individuals. Moreover, signaling networks such as the cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway, which are critical for memory consolidation, are dampened in healthy aged subjects. Phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes that break down cAMP are also affected by aging, and increased break down of cAMP by PDEs may contribute to reduced activity of the cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling network in the brain of aged individuals. Here, we report that the PDE4 inhibitor rolipram administered during consolidation of hippocampus-dependent object location memory improves aged-related spatial memory deficits in aged mice.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ONLINE ACL INJURY PREVENTION EDUCATION FOR SPORTS COACHES

Background:The efficacy of ACL injury prevention programs (IPP) have been well-defined by sports medicine researchers over the past decade, but the adoption and implementation of effective ACL IPP ...
The Queer Hispanic Caribbean: Contemporary Revisions of Its Genealogies

This chapter is an invitation to reflect on the current state of queer aesthetic production and activism in the Hispanic Caribbean region. I am interested in a selection of primary accounts that offer a particular looking back to political queer genealogies, particularly forms of contestation and agency from the 1970s. By focusing on a regional understanding of a critical queer gaze emanating from the Hispanic Caribbean, I am interested in pointing out the ways in which forms of survival, memory, creation, and struggle stand in opposition or resistance to dominant neoliberal narratives of queer life.
Analyzing clinical and system drivers of satisfaction in the intensive care unit as a component of high quality care.

Abstract Background Quality improvement in the intensive care unit has transitioned from focusing on mortality to improving care and reducing morbidity. Objective This study prospectively investigated clinical and system drivers of family satisfaction in a large quaternary hospital ICU. Methods A validated tool was distributed to family members and a registry chart analysis was conducted. The aims were to assess associations with high or low family satisfaction to evaluate unit-level satisfaction. Candidate predictors were selected from univariate logistic regressions and finalized in a multivariate model by a stepwise selection approach. Results Overall, 75% (n = 188) of respondents (n = 250) indicated high satisfaction. Respondents with higher satisfaction had a Plan of the Day posted (OR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.63, 6.89, p = 0.001), and did not live with the patient (OR =0.5, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.96, p = 0.044). Conclusion This study indicates that communication and transparency of plans contributes to family satisfaction with ICU care.