cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A ray-homothetic production frontier and efficiency: grain farms in Southern Illinois

A ray-homothetic production frontier is utilized to analyze the technical efficiency of a sample of Illinois grain farms. This functional form allows returns to scale to vary with both output and factor intensity. The results indicate that the farms were, on average, producing 82 percent of their potential output. Technical efficiency was found to be negatively related to farm size and the percent of operated land owned by the farmer. Coauthors are Steven Kraft, Carl Pasurka, and Hassan Y. Aly. Copyright 1990 by Oxford University Press.
How Changes in Families and Schools Are Related to Trends in Black-White Test Scores

Through several decades of research, a great deal has been written about trends in black-white test scores and the factors that may explain the gaps in different subject areas. Only a few studies have examined the changing relationships between gaps in students' test scores and family and school measures in nationally representative data over several periods. This article builds on this previous work and addresses some of its limitations by analyzing nationally representative data in 1972, 1982, 1992, and 2004 that provide consistent measures of high school seniors' mathematics achievement and several school and family measures. Together, these databases for four cohorts of high school seniors provide the opportunity to analyze associations between the gaps in black-white test scores and changes in family background and school characteristics (in terms of both changes in means and coefficients). The analyses reveal positive changes for black students relative to white students between 1972 and 2004, such ...
A New Sine-Squared Pulse and Bar Shaping Network

The Fourier method for time domain synthesis is applied to find the transfer functions of five-, seven-, and nine-pole networks that have an impulse response approximating a sine-squared pulse to an increasing degree of accuracy. Results are compared to a seven-pole Thomson network. Where the departures of the impulse response from the sine-squared curve reach 2 percent of the peak amplitude in a seven-pole Thomson network, the new seven-pole network does not exceed 1.3 percent, whereas the nine-pole network is within 0.7 percent. Practical networks are synthesized from the transfer functions, both of the single-and double-terminated ated type.
Re: trends in physician house calls to medicare beneficiaries.

To the Editor: What stood out most in this important and informative article[1][1] was that while the number of home visits by physicians doubled between 2000 and 2006, family medicine (FM) physicians showed the smallest increase compared with other physicians. This is despite the fact that the top
Spatial relationships between nitrogen status and pitch canker disease in slash pine planted adjacent to a poultry operation.

Pitch canker disease (Fusarium circinatum Nirenberg & O’Donnell) causes serious shoot dieback, reduced growth and mortality in pines found in the southern and western USA, and has been linked to nutrient imbalances. Poultry houses with forced-air ventilation systems produce nitrogen (N) emissions. This study analyzed spatial correlations between pitch canker disease and foliar, forest floor, soil, and throughfall N in a slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii Engelm.) plantation adjacent to a poultry operation in north Florida, USA. Tissue and throughfall N concentrations were highest near the poultry houses and remained elevated for 400 m. Disease incidence ranged from 57e71% near the poultry houses and was spatially correlated with N levels. Similarly, stem mortality ranged from 41e53% in the most heavily impacted area, and declined to 0e9% at distances greater than 400 m. These results suggest that nutritional processes exacerbate changes in disease susceptibility and expression in slash pine. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Evaluation of Circumferential and Longitudinal Strain in a Rabbit Fetal Heart Model Using 4D Echocardiography

Strain determination in fetal hearts is essential but conventional methods do not provide opportunities for orthogonal strain analysis and require the use of EKG-gating. A new non-gated 4D echocardiography method was tested for accuracy in strain computation. Fifteen rabbit hearts were studied. Each heart was mounted in a water tank to facilitate ultrasound scanning, connected to a calibrated pump by a balloon sutured into the left ventricle (LV), and pumped at Stroke Volumes (SV) 1-5 ml and Stroke Rates (SR) 40 and 80 bpm. Three 0.7mm sonomicrometry crystals were secured in the myocardium to conduct longitudinal strain (LS) and circumferential strain (CS) measurements. At each SV and each SR, 4D images were obtained by an X6-1 probe interfaced with the Philips iU-22 ultrasound system while sonomicrometry displacement was recorded. This process was performed pre and post simulated myocardial infarction (MI). 4D images were analyzed offline for strain by a MATLAB-based program. 4D echocardiography-derived strain data correlated with sonomicrometry-derived strain at each SV (CS: R2 = 0.91, p<;0.05; LS: R2 = 0.87, p<;0.05). A decrease in strain post-MI was detected by both echocardiography and sonomicrometry. Non-gated 4D echocardiography is an accurate method for strain determination of fetal hearts.
C-reactive protein stimulates MMP-1 expression in U937 histiocytes through FcγRII and extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway: An implication of CRP involvement in plaque destabilization

Objective— It has been shown that plasma level of C-reactive protein (CRP) is an independent predictor for acute coronary syndromes and is associated with plaque weakening. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of CRP on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) that has been implicated in plaque vulnerability by human U937 histiocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages. Methods and Results— Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of MMP-1 in conditioned medium showed that treatment of U937 cells with 100 μg/mL of CRP for 24 hour led to a 3- to 5-fold increase in MMP-1 secretion. CRP also markedly stimulated MMP-1 release from human monocyte-derived macrophages. In contrast, CRP had no effect on tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) secretion. Northern blot showed that CRP upregulated MMP-1 mRNA expression. Collagenase activity assay showed that CRP increased collagen-degrading activity in cell-conditioned medium. Furthermore, r...
Transforming public health systems: using data to drive organizational capacity for quality improvement and efficiency.

This paper examines the organization, services, and priorities of public health agencies and their capacity to be learning public health systems (LPHS). An LPHS uses data to measure population health and health risks and to evaluate its services and programs, and then integrates its own research with advances in scientific knowledge to innovate and improve its efficiency and effectiveness.Public health agencies' (PHA) organizational characteristics vary across states, as does their funding per capita. Variations in organization, services provided, and expenditures per capita may reflect variations in community needs or may be associated with unmet needs. The status of legal statutes defining responsibilities and authorities and their relationships to other public and private agencies also vary. Little information is available on the efficiency and effectiveness of state and local PHAs, in part due to a lack of information infrastructure to capture uniform data on services provided. There are almost no data on the relationship of quality of services, staff performance, and resources to population health outcomes. By building a capacity to collect and analyze data on population health within and across communities, and by becoming a continuous learning PHA, the allocation of resources can more closely match population health needs and improve health outcomes. Accreditation of every PHA is an important first step toward becoming a learning PHA.Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR) is beginning to shed light on some of these issues, particularly by investigating variation across PHAs. As this emerging discipline grows, there is a need to enhance the collection and use of data in support of building organized, effective, and efficient LPHSs with the PHA capacity to continually improve the public's health.
Dendritic spines of CA 1 pyramidal cells in the rat hippocampus: serial electron microscopy with reference to their biophysical characteristics

Serial electron microscopy and 3-D reconstructions of dendritic spines from hippocampal area CA 1 dendrites were obtained to evaluate 2 questions about relationships between spine geometry and synaptic efficacy. First, under what biophysical conditions are the spine necks likely to reduce the magnitude of charge transferred from the synapses on the spine heads to the recipient dendrite? Simulation software provided by Charles Wilson (1984) was used to determine that if synaptic conductance is 1 nS or less, only 1% of the hippocampal spine necks are sufficiently thin and long to reduce charge transfer by more than 10%. If synaptic conductance approaches 5 nS, however, 33% of the hippocampal spine necks are sufficiently thin and long to reduce charge transfer by more than 10%. Second, is spine geometry associated with other anatomical indicators of synaptic efficacy, including the area of the postsynaptic density and the number of vesicles in the presynaptic axon? Reconstructed spines were graphically edited into head and neck compartments, and their dimensions were measured, the areas of the postsynaptic densities (PSD) were measured, and all of the vesicles in the presynaptic axonal varicosities were counted. The dimensions of the spine head were well correlated with the area of PSD and the number of vesicles in the presynaptic axonal varicosity. Spine neck diameter and length were not correlated with PSD area, head volume, or the number of vesicles. These results suggest that the dimensions of the spine head, but not the spine neck, reflect differences in synaptic efficacy. We suggest that the constricted necks of hippocampal dendritic spines might reduce diffusion of activated molecules to neighboring synapses, thereby attributing specificity to activated or potentiated synapses.
Assessment in Counseling Psychology Do we Practice what we Teach

There is some evidence that the role of psychological assessment in counseling psychology is changing. Relatively little is known about the specific aspects of current training in assessment, however. Training directors of American Psychological Association (APA) approved counseling psychology programs and APA-approved internship sites were surveyed to determine the extent of training in psychological assessment procedures. Results indicated that (a) clinical interview is the most widely used assessment procedure; (b) the role of vocational assessment is changing; (c) different assessment procedures are emphasized in academic and field training; (d) proficiency in different assessment procedures is expected at different points in training; and (e) some differences in the use of assessment procedures exist among internship settings, with counseling centers being the most divergent. Results suggest that to keep training efforts current, those involved in training counseling psychologists need to be aware of...
Benzoyl peroxide: percutaneous penetration and metabolic disposition. II. Effect of concentration

The effect of drug concentrations of 2.5%, 5%, and 10% upon the transepidermal penetration of 14C-benzoyl peroxide in a lotion vehicle was assessed in excised human skin and in vivo in the rhesus monkey. In vitro, penetration of benzoyl peroxide was concentration-dependent, both as to rate and to amount, as measured by the hourly recovery of the metabolite, benzoic acid, from the dermal side of the model. In vivo, the higher the concentration of benzoyl peroxide applied, the greater the amount absorbed, as indicated by the urinary excretion of 14C-benzoic acid. Metabolic disposition of benzoyl peroxide, in turn, was unaffected by drug concentration. In all instances, the benzoyl peroxide absorbed was excreted rapidly in urine as benzoic acid; no hippuric acid was detected at any time. We conclude that (1) use of the excised human skin model for this compound can provide useful data in studies of the effects of vehicle and concentration on topical drug delivery, (2) the transepidermal delivery of benzoyl peroxide, but not its metabolic disposition, is concentration-dependent, and (3) the renal clearance of the systemically absorbed drug is so rapid that it precludes passage through the liver--therefore, no systemic toxicity due to drug accumulation can be expected.
Two Confidence Intervals for the Ratio of Two Probabilities and Some Measures of Effectiveness

Abstract * Research sponsored by the Office of Naval Research under Contract Nonr 1636(00). Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted for any purpose of the United States Government.
Back-driving a truck with suboptimal distance trajectories: a fuzzy logic control approach

This paper provides a suboptimal solution to the problem of automatically back-driving a truck using the natural parabolic paths as the shortest moving distance requirement. By applying fuzzy logic control techniques, a controller with nine rules is developed, which works well even without using a mathematical system model. As long as the states (position and orientation) of the truck are measurable at each discrete-time step during the control process, this controller can drive the truck to follow any feasible trajectories (their smallest radii are no less than the smallest radius of the curve along which the truck can travel), and to move successfully into a prescribed parking lot. In addition to the design of the controller, controllability and stability of the control system are briefly discussed under the condition that only partial information about the current states of the system are available. Simulation results are presented, to demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of this new fuzzy logic controller and to compare its control performance with other fuzzy logic controllers that were designed for the same purpose under the same conditions but without using any optimality criterion.
Candelilla wax emulsion, preparation and stability

Wax in water emulsions were prepared with candelilla wax using a modified conventional method of high pressure homogenization for foods. The resulting emulsions were compared to coconut oil-in-water emulsions. A model based on spectra absorbance analysis was used to evaluate creaming rates of wax-in-water emulsions as well as coconut oil-in-water emulsions, prepared at different homogenization pressures. It showed creaming rates for wax-in-water emulsion were lower than for oil-in-water emulsion. Wax-in-water emulsions prepared at 4100 kPa produced suspended globules of 1.89 μmin size; emulsions prepared at higher homogenization pressures produced smaller average particle sizes, i.e., 0.66 μm at 27560 kPa.
A framework for multimedia playback and analysis of MPEG-2 videos with FFmpeg

iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. Problem Statement 1 1.2 Proposed Approach 2 1.3 Organization 3 CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND 4 2.1 Principles of Video Encoding and Decoding 4 2.2 MPEG-2 Standard 6 2.3 Packet Structures in MPEG Streams 9 2.4 MPEG-2 Profiles and Levels 16 2.5 Other Products Comparison 16 2.6 FFmpeg 17 CHAPTER 3: FRAME LEVEL SEEK LIBRARY 20 3.1 Limitations of FFmpeg Seek 20 3.2 Frame Level Seek Library 20 3.3 Design of Frame Level Seek Library 22 3.3.1 State Machine of FFmpeg Frame Level Seek Library 23 3.4 Frame Level Seek Library File Structure 25 3.5 Seek Table 26 3.6 API Implementation Details 28 3.6.1 Frame Level Seek Library (Fast) 29 3.6.2 Frame Level Seek Library (Slow) 31 3.6.3 Frame Level Seek Library Structure 34 3.6.4 Frame Level Seek Library Data Dependency 35 CHAPTER 4: ENCODING/DECODING EXTENSION LIBRARY 36 4.1 Limitations of FFmpeg Encoding 36 4.2 Encoding Library 37 4.3 Design of Encode Library 37 4.3.1 Encode Library in Operating System 38 4.3.2 Encode Library State Machine 38 4.4 Encode Library File Structure 41 4.5 API Implementation Details 41 4.5.1 Encode Library Engine 44 4.5.2 Encode Library Data Dependency 45
TopiaryExplorer: visualizing large phylogenetic trees with environmental metadata

Motivation: Microbial community profiling is a highly active area of research, but tools that facilitate visualization of phylogenetic trees and associated environmental data have not kept up with the increasing quantity of data generated in these studies. Results: TopiaryExplorer supports the visualization of very large phylogenetic trees, including features such as the automated coloring of branches by environmental data, manipulation of trees and incorporation of per-tip metadata (e.g. taxonomic labels). Availability: http://topiaryexplorer.sourceforge.net Contact: ude.odaroloc@thgink.bor
Intraspecific aggression and colony fusion in the Argentine ant

Unicolonial ants possess an unusual social system characterized by the absence of internest aggression resulting in expansive networks where individuals move freely among distant nests. The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr), can form geographically vast and numerically large unicolonial populations, or supercolonies, a trait that has been linked to its ecological success in the introduced range, and is one of the few invasive ants in which native and introduced populations have been examined to elucidate the origins and maintenance of unicoloniality. Supercolony formation may result from mixing of genetically homogenous and nonaggressive colonies, or initially aggressive colonies harbouring the most common recognition alleles. In this study, we examined interactions between mutually aggressive L. humile colonies in the absence of barriers limiting intercolony encounters to determine whether aggressive interactions result in either colony elimination or fusion into new nonaggressive colonies. By pairing experimental laboratory and field colonies displaying varying levels of intraspecific aggression, we determined that pairs that did not fuse had higher numbers of workers fighting and killed than colony pairs that fused and that genetic and cuticular hydrocarbon similarity between colony pairs was correlated with both levels of intraspecific aggression and colony fusion. We suggest that selective fusion of initially aggressive colonies sharing certain recognition cues may be a proximate mechanism shaping L. humile social structure, leading ultimately to extreme unicoloniality in introduced populations when ecological conditions are favourable.
Editorial: International Partnering Showcase in Optics and Imaging

This PDF file contains the editorial “Editorial: International Partnering Showcase in Optics and Imaging” for OE Vol. 32 Issue 05
A computer algorithm for the synthesis of spatial frequency filters

A digital-computer algorithm is described for synthesizing Fourier transform holograms to be used as spatial frequency filters. The spatial frequency content of the hologram is reduced over that obtained by the conventional off-axis method. Experimental results are shown where a "TI" pattern is reconstructed. An optical analog is also described.
Seasonal Variation of Juvenile Hormone Titers of the Formosan Subterranean Termite, Coptotermes formosanus (Rhinotermitidae)

In lower termites, the soldier is the only sterile caste. Through hormonal control, soldiers seem to promote caste differentiation of workers to the reproductive caste. However, little data exist on how hormonal levels change in soldiers and workers in the field and how this may tie into the seasonal reproductive formation. Our objective was to collect baseline data on hormonal changes in colonies of subterranean termites in the field. Over a 1-yr period, the seasonal variation of juvenile hormone III (JH) titers was determined for Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki soldiers and workers collected monthly from field colonies infesting isolated cypress trees (Taxodium distichum L. Rich.). A total of five colonies were evaluated. Soldier JH titers leveled from February through May, with peak values in June and July. JH titers in workers followed a similar trend. Both soldier and worker JH titers remained at low levels in the fall and winter. This is the first effort to correlate physiological and hormonal aspects with soldier production in the field. Seasonal changes in JH titers as an intrinsic mechanism for reproductive caste differentiation is also discussed.
Links between Annual Variations of Peruvian Stratocumulus Clouds and of SST in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific

Abstract The hypothesis that Peruvian stratocumulus play an important role on both the annual mean and annual variations of sea surface temperature (SST) in the eastern equatorial Pacific is examined. The problem is addressed by performing sensitivity experiments using the University of California, Los Angeles, coupled atmosphere–ocean GCM with different idealized temporal variations of stratocumulus in a region along the coast of Peru. The results obtained are consistent with the notion that Peruvian stratocumulus are a key component of the interhemispherically asymmetric features that characterize the annual mean climate of the eastern equatorial Pacific, including the cold SSTs off Peru and the absence of a southern ITCZ. The principal new finding of this study is that the annual variations (i.e., deviations from the annual mean) of Peruvian stratocumulus are linked to the differences between the amplitude, duration, and westward propagation of the warm and cold phases of the equatorial cold tongue. In...
Defining an Educational Framework for Indoor Air Sciences Education

This work began with the hypothesis that buildings are designed and built to enhance our quality of life. Many buildings fail to perform adequately and cause illnesses and productivity losses to the occupants. Studies in the United States (US) and Europe have made the adverse health effects caused by indoor environmental exposure become more and more apparent. Also, while many buildings are constructed each year, approximately 90% of the buildings that will exist in the developed countries during the first quarter of the next century have already been built. The growing impact of the indoor-pollution problem on people and property values - and its rise as the subject of litigation - have shown the limitations and the lack of comprehensiveness that current educational paradigms for building and health professionals have in addressing the building-occupant relationship. Thus, educational curricula for building and health professionals should include points of interface where health professionals know more about building systems, and building professionals understand more about human response.
Preparation of Graphene with Large Area

Abstract The graphene synthesis process using chemical vapour deposition (CVD) has been regarded as the most feasible route for preparing graphene in large area with good quality suitable for various applications. To obtain electrical, thermal and mechanical properties that are comparable to mechanically exfoliated graphene, a lot of effort has been made throughout the understanding and optimization of the CVD process. Here we review current studies on the graphene synthesis process using CVD to overcome present limitations. It covers from the growth mechanism based on the pyrolysis of carbonaceous precursors on metallic substrates to form graphene, to currently pending issues concerning the utilization of graphene as a device component by either minimizing carrier scattering (through enlarging the graphene domain size) or opening a bandgap (AB-stacked bilayer graphene). The chapter also includes a discussion of the transfer process required in most cases for further use of the graphene grown on metallic substrates. We expect that this presentation will help readers not only to understand current efforts to prepare graphene with better quality, but also to provide a reference for the preparation of other types of large-area 2D-atomic layered materials, such as hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC, e.g. MoS2).
Alhaji Roaming the City! Gender, HIV/AIDS, and Performance in Niger Republic

Unlike in Uganda and Senegal where the political leadership has mobilized the religious body to lead an open and aggressive conscientization campaign against HIV-AIDS infection, the political authority in Niger remained more timid given the Islamic associations resistance against sex education until the mid-1990s. In Niger, the question of promoting HIV-AIDS education in order to prevent infection became linked by the Islamic authority and some churches’ suspicion of the United Nations’ advocacy for population planning, which they saw as population control. However, by 2'008 the alarming spread of the HIV-AIDS virus in Sahelian Muslim countries triggered the mobilization of young urban performing artists, especially in Niamey, to contribute to the campaign promoted by the State and international agencies such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization. Young Nigerien performing artists’ participation in HIV-AIDS prevention campaigns has been one of the most remarkable contributions that defy conservative religious clergy that argues that such an undertaking would inadvertently promote sexual promiscuity. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the feminist counter-narrative stand of male performing artist Abdul Salam through an examination of his satirical composition Sida.
Properties of Sun-like Stars with Planets: ρ1 Cancri, τ Bootis, and υ Andromedae*

Planets have been reported orbiting the Sun-like stars ρ1 Cnc, τ Boo, and υ And based on low-amplitude radial velocity variations. We have derived information on the first two stars from analysis of spectra, as well as parallel records of high-precision Stromgren b and y photometry and Ca II H + K fluxes. In the case of ρ1 Cnc, the upper limit (peak to peak) of nondetection of photometric variability at the orbital period is Δy ~ 0.0004 mag. The possibility of a planetary transit cannot be ruled out completely from the photometric data. Variations of the Ca II fluxes suggest a rotational period of ~42 days, in agreement with the inferred v sin i ~ 2 km s-1. The age of ρ1 Cnc is ~5 Gyr, based on its average Ca II flux and a relation between Ca II flux and age. The star τ Boo, unlike the other reported solar-type stars with planets, is relatively young (~2 Gyr). Despite its young age, it is photometrically nonvariable at the orbital period with an amplitude of Δ(b + y)/2 ~ 0.0004 mag (peak to peak); however, small-amplitude interseasonal variability is seen. No planetary transits were found in the photometry, which limits the inclination of the planet's orbital plane to Earth's line of sight to less than 83° (where 90° is coplanar). The Ca II record shows a weakly significant rotational period near 3.3 days, coincident with the orbital period of the companion. The Ca II record also shows a period of 116 days that has persisted for 30 years and is not seen in the photometric record. The persistence and timescale of this Ca II variation mean that it has no counterpart in Sun-like magnetic activity. The amplitude of the reflex velocity of the parent star (~450 m s-1) is much larger than the radial velocity perturbations expected from the presence of either surface inhomogeneities or line-bisector variations. Thus the anticipated perturbations from those stellar effects do not refute the inference of reflex velocities. We have few Ca II flux measurements for υ And. Its age and rotational period are estimated to be ~5 Gyr and 12 days, respectively. Our results for ρ1 Cnc and τ Boo are consistent with the explanation of planets as the cause of the velocity variations.
Note, Effect of Attorney's Discharge on Duty to Pay Fee

This article examines the California Supreme Court’s decision in Fracasse v. Brent, which upset the century-old rule of Baldwin v. Bennett which required a client to pay the full contract fee to an attorney discharged without cause. The court reasoned that the Baldwin rule unduly restrained a client from exercising his absolute right to discharge his attorney at will. The court concluded that limiting damages by the quantum meruit measure would be more consistent with this right while adequately protecting the discharged attorney's interest. This article concludes that in this case the California Supreme Court has provided the client with substantially increased protection in his purchase of legal services, joining a growing minority of states. Although the court’s reasoning may occasionally be confusing, the result strikes the proper balance between the client’s rights to choose his attorney and the attorney’s interest in fair compensation for the effort he has expended in the client’s behalf. Protection of the expectation interest, never as compelling as the reliance interest in any event, is particularly difficult to justify in the attorney-client contract. Although in the commercial context such a measure of damages may provide a useful restraint on breach of contract, in this case it only frustrates the statutory policy of allowing the client the absolute right to discharge an attorney in whom he has lost confidence. After Fracasse, every attorney is forewarned that every contract he enters into is subject to the client's right of discharge.
THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF FACILITATION TECHNIQUE APPLIED TO THE ANKLE JOINT ON THE BALANCE ABILITY IN YOUNG HEALTHY SUBJECTS

Background: The ankle joint stability is considered important component for the standing balance. Foot and ankle characteristics, such as ankle flexibility and strength, contribute to functional ability in elderly people. Therefore, improvement of the ankle joint stability is essential to obtain the better balance ability. Previously, a variety of approaches applied to the ankle joint to improve the standing balance have been investigated. However, the number of studies which explored the effect of the facilitation technique is few, although the techniques have been used in order to improve balance ability in the patients with neurological disorders. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the immediate effect of the facilitation technique applied to the ankle joint on the balance ability in young healthy subjects by comparing before and after the intervention. Methods:Nine young healthy subjects (fivemale and four female, 25.2± 1.0 ages, height 169.8± 7.8 cm, weight 59. 6± 7.1 kg) were recruited. The subjects who had orthopedic disease that could cause balance disability were excluded. A force platform (Gravicorder, Anima, Tokyo, Japan) was used to measure postural sway. The displacement of the center of pressure (COP) was measured at a 20Hz frequency. The subjects were asked to perform single leg stance with their right leg with their eyes open for 30 seconds and to look at a fixed eye-level target approximately 2m away before and after the intervention. The subjects were asked to sit on a chair, and keep their pelvis upright without leaning on the backrest during the intervention. A physiotherapist held and compressed the medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscle by their both hands and induces the plantarflexion with their forefoot on the floor 30 times. The total length of the body sway (LNG), the rectangle area (REC. area), the environmental area (ENV. area), the root mean square (RMS) and the root mean square area (RMS. area) were calculated as an indicator of the balance ability. A paired t-test was used for statistical analysis to compare the variables before and after interventions. The level of significance was set at p< 0.05. Results: There was a significant decrease of ENV.area, RMS and RMS.area (p< 005). However the values of LNG and REC. area did not show significant decrease. Conclusion(s): This result suggested the facilitation technique of the ankle joint could enable the participants to maintain one leg stance with smaller perturbation. The future research will be recommended to investigate the effect of this intervention on the balance ability in elderly people and patients with neurological disorders. Implications: The facilitation technique can be an effective approach for the improvement of the standing balance. This technique can be applied not only to elderly people but also the patients with neurological disorders who are not able to performvoluntarymovement of the ankle joint as voluntary movement of the joint is not required.
Secretion of primary granules from developing human eosinophilic promyelocytes.

SummaryThis study indicates that the primary large homogenous dense granules of eosinophilic promyelocytes are released into the extracellular space of the marrow by exocytosis while the cell is producing new secretory granules. This process appears to occur in two steps: Initial fusion of several individual granules to form one large myeloperoxidase positive membrane-delimited body, followed by exocytotic release of the granule content. The membrane of this large secretory granule appears to be retained within the cell since empty, myeloperoxidase positive vacuolar structures remain following secretion.
Calcium Greosotate: V. Nature of Phenols Eliminated in Urine.

Summary1. Calcium creosotate administered either in single doses of 0.5 to 2.0 g or in amounts and at intervals approximating its therapeutic application (0.5 g every 2 hours) did not produce bac-teriostatic urine in normal human subjects. 2. Evidence was obtained that practically all of orally administered calcium creosotate which is excreted in rabbit urine is present in conjugated form. 3. Data are presented to show that after hydrolysis of the conjugates a portion of orally administered creosote could be recovered in rabbit urine. This indicates that the methoxy compounds are not more readily destroyed in the body than the other phenols of the mixture.
Application of Serum DNA and hTERT in Diagnose of Lung Cancer

Objective This study designed to assess a quantitative molecular assay of serum DNA and the expression of hTERT in patients with lung cancers to explore a novel noninvasive approach,elevating the sensitivity and specificity in diagnose of lung cancer. We conducted the clinical study to provide a new marker for earlier lung cancer detection. Methods Forty-one informed patients with lung cancers and 22 healthy persons were included as control. DNA was extracted from serum samples with MaGaZorb DNA Mini-Prep Kit and quantificated,then hTERT sequences was amplified by nested PCR using gene primers. Results Mean concentration of serum DNA between patients with lung cancers and healthy persons was 33.464μg/ml and 18.420μg/ml respectively. Concentration of free circulation DNA in patients with lung cancers was higher than the other group (P0.01). The area under the ROC curve by ratio of gray scale was 0.852 (95% CI, 0.750 to 0.953). Amplification of serum hTERT by nested PCR was a approach with moderate veracity to detect lung cancers. Meanwhile, it had a good coherence with pathology (Kappa=0.477,P0.01). Conclusion The level of free circulating DNA in patients with lung cancers was higher than healthy persons. Amplification of serum hTERT by nested PCR was a approach with high sensitivity. So it may be a new, noninvasive approach for early detection of lung cancers.
A High Efficiency Data Structure Applying for the Searching of Chinese Word

Base on the relationship of Chinese words,the author proposed a type of structure of Word Base,which can make the searching of Chinese word width high speed and lessen the space the storage.In this structure,because of the feature that Chinese word is end to end,the Author named it as Interlink Charword Graph.In this paper,the author firstly describes the structure of Interlink Charword Graph,and secondly lists the regulation of construction and analyzes its performance.In the end,the Interlink Charword Graph is implemented with java language.The experimental results demonstrated that the additional time of the recognition per one thousand Chinese words is about 1.7 second.
The surgical management of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction due to tricuspid valve pouch in complete transposition of the great arteries

Subpulmonary stenosis in transposition of the great arteries, resulting from a tricuspid valve pouch bulging into the left ventricular outflow tract through a ventricular septal defect, can be missed at the time of operation in the flaccid, nonbeating heart unless preoperative diagnosis has been established. In our experience, six patients were found to have this lesion. In four patients the tricuspid valve pouch was recognized preoperatively. At operation, retraction of the tricuspid valve pouch into the right ventricle, patch closure of the ventricular septal defect, and a Mustard procedure were performed in three patients; the fourth is awaiting correction following initial palliation with a subclavian-pulmonary shunt. In the other two, the ventricular septal defect was partially or completely obliterated by a tricuspid valve pouch that was missed preoperatively and during exploration at the time of the Mustard procedure. Residual left ventricular outflow tract obstruction was subsequently corrected with a left ventricle-pulmonary artery valved conduit. Echocardiographic and angiocardiographic examinations offer helpful signs for the diagnosis of tricuspid valve pouch. Transatrial retraction of the redundant tricuspid valve tissue into the right ventricle, patch closure of the ventricular septal defect, and Mustard operation are the procedures of choice. A left ventricle-pulmonary artery valved conduit may be required for residual unresectable left ventricular outflow tract obstruction.
Coordination and electronic characteristics of a nitrogen heterocycle pincer ligand

The Fe(II) coordination chemistry of bis(pyrazole-3-yl)pyridine ligands with both proton or methyl substituents on pyrazole nitrogen are investigated, including the willingness of the ligand to undergo redox change. Protons on the pyrazole nitrogen promote intermolecular hydrogen bonding and lead to redox irreversibility; N methylation of those nitrogens eliminates those intermolecular interactions and leads to reversible outer-sphere reducibility. The resulting anion radical of the N-methylated ligand has more spin in the pyridine moiety than in the pyrazolyl pincer ligand arms, but also detectably delocalized into the electron withdrawing pyrazolyl pincer ligand arms; EPR and density functional calculations assist in characterizing the ligand radical anion, as its potassium complex.
Multivariate Analysis Suggests That the Prognostic Impact of Poor Cytogenetics Is Potentially Underestimated in the IPSS.

Introduction: The IPSS-Score, published by Greenberg et al., defines the gold standard in risk stratification of patients suffering from MDS. Nevertheless, the assessment of cytogenetic findings within the IPSS was discussed intensively since its implementation in 1997. Within the IPSS, patients with a high number of bone marrow blasts are rated with a higher risk as compared to those with unfavourable cytogenetics. In a further univariate anylysis, we were able to demonstrate that poor cytogenetics are associated with the same prognostic risk as blast counts >20%. The aim of our present study was to investigate the prognostic impact of poor cytogenetics and bone marrow blast count in a multivariate analysis of a large patient cohort. Patients and Methods: 3169 patients were extracted from our large database, including 3860 patients with MDS and secondary AML following MDS. This data pool was collected in the framework of a cooperative project merging data from the German-Austrian Cooperative MDS Study Group (GACMSG; 55% of pts.) and the MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, USA (45% of pts.). Median age of all study patients was 65.9 years, the female-male ratio 1:1.53. Complex abnormalities occurred in 21.2% of all patients. Multivariate analysis was done using a Cox-regression hazard model with overall survival as primary endpoint. The following groups were established for analysis: Blasts 20%, normal karyotype, complex abnormalities including chromosomes 5 or 7, complex abnormalities not including abnormalities of chromosomes 5 or 7 and −7/7q- (as single abnormality). Results: Former Kaplan-Meier analysis (data presented last year) showed that median survival (ms) in patients with unfavourable cytogenetics (n=516, ms=7.9 months) is similar to those showing >20% bone marrow blasts (n=197; ms=8.9 months). In multivariate analysis, relative Hazard ratio (HR) was 1.50 in pts. with 5–10% blasts, 1.64 in 11–20% blasts and 1.81 in >20% blasts (baseline for relative HR: Conclusions: Our data suggests that complex abnormalities constitute a prognostic risk factor that is as unfavourable as high bone marrow blast counts. As demonstrated by calculated HR, the occurrence of unfavourable cytogenetics raises the prognostically risk disproportionately. Nevertheless, the IPSS assesses poor cytogenetics (rated with 1.0 points) with a lower risk as compared to increased bone marrow blast counts (rated with 1.5 points for 11–20% blasts; 2.0 points for 21–30% blasts). We conclude that the prognosic impact of unfavourable, especially complex abnormalities, is potentially underestimated in the IPSS. Further data will be shown and presented in detail.
The Homogeneous Chaos over Compact Lie Groups

For a compact simply connected Lie group G and related groups, an orthogonal decomposition of L 2 (G, heat kernel measure) is described which reduces, in case G = R d , to the well known decomposition of L 2 (R d , Gauss measure) into orthogonal subspaces determined by products of Hermite polynomials.
Working with cancer: motivation and job satisfaction

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the motivational factors to work with cancer patients, their repercussions in job satisfaction among Portuguese healthcare professionals and to understand the role of sociodemographic and occupational variables in motivation and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach An instrument based on Maslow’s and Herzberg’s theories and developed by Paleologou et al. (2006) was applied to four categories of healthcare professionals. This instrument comprises four work-related motivators (remuneration, achievements, coworkers and job attributes) and a single-item question about job satisfaction. In total, 400 healthcare professionals in a Portuguese oncology hospital participated in this study. Findings Job satisfaction was positively and significantly associated with all motivational factors. Qualifications predicted all motivational factors, although the motivator “coworkers” was also influenced by age. Originality/value Motivation and job satisfaction are related, and some studies investigate the relation between them. However, these constructs are not sufficiently studied among healthcare professionals in oncology hospitals. This study shows that motivational factors to work in a cancer hospital are critical for job satisfaction among healthcare professionals. Moreover, qualifications predicted all motivational factors in this context.
Risk Factors for Repeat Debridement, Spacer Retention, Amputation, Arthrodesis, and Mortality After Removal of an Infected Total Knee Arthroplasty With Spacer Placement.

Abstract Background Chronic periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is most commonly addressed with a 2-stage exchange procedure. The purpose of this study is to examine the natural history of patients who have undergone prosthesis removal and spacer placement and evaluate risk factors for outcomes other than reimplantation. Methods Patients who underwent removal of an infected TKA and placement of an antibiotic spacer for PJI were identified in a Medicare database. Patients with a study outcome within 1 year were then identified: (1) in hospital mortality, (2) knee arthrodesis, (3) amputation, (4) repeat debridement procedure without reimplantation, and (5) reimplantation. Independent risk factors for these outcomes were evaluated with a multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results A total of 18,533 patients were included. Within 1 year postoperatively, 691 patients (3.7%) died in a hospital setting, 852 patients (4.5%) underwent a knee arthrodesis, 574 patients (3.1%) underwent an amputation, 2683 patients (14.5%) underwent a repeat debridement procedure without being reimplanted, 2323 patients (12.5%) retained their spacer, and 11,420 patients (61.6%) underwent spacer removal and reimplantation within 1 year. Numerous independent patient-related risk factors for these outcomes were identified. Conclusion A large number of patients (38.4%) do not undergo reimplantation within 1 year of prosthesis removal and spacer placement. Outcomes after prosthesis removal and antibiotic spacer placement are variable, and there are several independent risk factors for such outcomes that may be used to develop and improve existing treatment strategies for patients presenting with chronic PJI after TKA.
A 420 fW self-regulated 3T voltage reference generator achieving 0.47%/V line regulation from 0.4-to-1.2 V

This paper presents a constant with temperature (CWT) voltage reference generator (VRG) that utilizes only regular transistors in standard CMOS technology. By operating an NMOS transistor as a self-biased current source driving a diode-connected PMOS transistor in the subthreshold region, a sub-pW, temperature stabilized voltage can be generated. To improve line regulation, a self-regulation NMOS is added, creating a 3-transistor (3T) VRG. Measurement results of 38 samples fabricated in 65nm CMOS reveal an average line regulation of 0.47%/V from 0.4 to 1.2 V and an average temperature coefficient of 252.2 ppm/°C, all at an average power consumption of 420 fW at 20° C, thereby enabling a near-zero-power, temperature- and line-stable low-cost voltage reference for next-generation Internet of Things applications.
Dust Explosion Test System Based on Ethernet and OPC Technology

Dust explosion characteristics such as maximum explosion pressure, maximum rate of pressure rise, minimum explosible concentration and limiting oxygen concentration are important characteristics to reflect severity and sensitivity of specified combustible dust. A 20L spherical dust explosion test system was developed for dust explosion risk assessment, and the key technologies were described. The test apparatus was developed according to related international standards, and electrostatic ignition was added as alternative ignition source other than pyrotechnical ignition. The control and data acquisition system include programmable logic controller (PLC), personal computer and data acquisition card. The communication between PLC and computer is based on Ethernet and OPC technology. The software working as a virtual instrument was developed using C#. It supports functions of remote control, data acquisition, data analysis and database management.
Withholding Municipal Services to Facilitate Coastal Retreat: Legal Risks and Possibilities

ABSTRACTSea level rise is a growing problem for U.S. local governments. Retreat from threatened coastlines is the most economically and environmentally sound adaptation strategy in some areas. But ...