cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Naturalistic Follow-Up of Drinking Behavior Following Participation in an Alcohol Administration Study

Abstract Administration of alcohol to alcohol-dependent individuals for research purposes, while contributing significantly to the fund of knowledge on etiology and treatment of alcohol dependence, has often raised clinical and ethical concerns that such exposure may adversely affect the individual's motivation to reduce drinking or abstain from drinking. In an attempt to evaluate these concerns, we conducted a naturalistic follow-up of subsequent drinking among individuals who participated in an alcohol self-administration study and also received a brief motivational intervention. Twenty-one non-treatment–seeking alcoholics participated in a study examining the effects of naltrexone on alcohol self-administration. Assessment of drinking during the 3 months following the laboratory study indicated that participants had significantly reduced the total number of drinking days and the number of drinks consumed per occasion, as compared to baseline levels. The findings suggest that participation in alcohol administration research does not adversely influence the subsequent drinking of alcohol-dependent individuals. Further, when the alcohol administration research is conducted carefully, with specific attention to the clinical needs of the participants, the risks of adverse effects on participants' drinking behavior is minimal, and, in fact, there is scientific benefit to society and clinical benefit to the participants with regard to their alcoholism.
Ground-Based Detection of Aircraft Icing Conditions Using Microwave Radiometers

The potential role of ground-based remote sensors in the detection of atmospheric conditions conducive to aircraft icing is evaluated. Zenith measurements of liquid water and profiles of atmospheric temperature were made by microwave radiometers located at Stapleton International Airport, Denver, Colorado. Radiometer data and sky cover observations for a two-year period were correlated with icing occurrences reported by aircraft pilots in the area. Data limitations in this study include the following: 1) the radiometer observations were made at one location and in the zenith direction only, whereas icing conditions may be highly variable in space; 2) because pilot reports vary greatly with time of day, aircraft route, etc., the reports do not systematically verify the presence of icing conditions in all situations. Given these limitations, it is concluded that the liquid measurement makes a critical contribution to the detection of icing conditions. This measurement is not generally available (e. g., from radiosondes), except from sensors like the radiometer.
Identification of specific crosslinked histones after treatment of chromatin with formaldehyde

Treatment of chromatin or nuclei with formaldehyde or glutaraldehyde results in the appearance of crosslinked histones as analyzed on SDS gels. The identity of two major crosslinked products was determined by iodinating the product and analzying the tryptic peptides. The results show that one product is a dimer of histones IIb2 and IIb1 and another product is a dimer of histones IIb2 and IV. These species represent no more than 15% of the total cellular histone.
An fMRI study of semantic processing in men with schizophrenia

As a means toward understanding the neural bases of schizophrenic thought disturbance, we examined brain activation patterns in response to semantically and superficially encoded words in patients with schizophrenia. Nine male schizophrenic and 9 male control subjects were tested in a visual levels of processing (LOP) task first outside the magnet and then during the fMRI scanning procedures (using a different set of words). During the experiments visual words were presented under two conditions. Under the deep, semantic encoding condition, subjects made semantic judgments as to whether the words were abstract or concrete. Under the shallow, nonsemantic encoding condition, subjects made perceptual judgments of the font size (uppercase/lowercase) of the presented words. After performance of the behavioral task, a recognition test was used to assess the depth of processing effect, defined as better performance for semantically encoded words than for perceptually encoded words. For the scanned version only, the words for both conditions were repeated in order to assess repetition-priming effects. Reaction times were assessed in both testing scenarios. Both groups showed the expected depth of processing effect for recognition, and control subjects showed the expected increased activation of the left inferior prefrontal cortex (LIPC) under semantic encoding relative to perceptual encoding conditions as well as repetition priming for semantic conditions only. In contrast, schizophrenics showed similar patterns of fMRI activation regardless of condition. Most striking in relation to controls, patients showed decreased LIFC activation concurrent with increased left superior temporal gyrus activation for semantic encoding versus shallow encoding. Furthermore, schizophrenia subjects did not show the repetition priming effect, either behaviorally or as a decrease in LIPC activity. In patients with schizophrenia, LIFC underactivation and left superior temporal gyrus overactivation for semantically encoded words may reflect a disease-related disruption of a distributed frontal temporal network that is engaged in the representation and processing of meaning of words, text, and discourse and which may underlie schizophrenic thought disturbance.
High performance associative memory with distance based training algorithm for character recognition

The consequence of reducing the impact of the synaptic weights from neurons farther away from the neuron under consideration on a modular two-dimensional Hopfield network using Hebbian learning rule is examined for image processing applications. A generalized modular architecture is developed by defining each module with a group of neighboring neurons and all modules communicating with each other. A spatially decaying distance factor is introduced into the Hebbian rule to reduce the effect of neurons from farther modules. A biologically inspired visual perception concept has been adopted for defining the variation of the distance factor. The performance of the new technique is evaluated by conducting several experiments on character images and it is observed that the proposed method increases the learning ability and convergence rate of the network. The nature of the distance factor helps the removal of several synaptic weights farther away from a particular neuron and this leads to the reduction of complexity of the network in terms of both software and hardware implementation.
An Evaluation of Fructooligosaccharide in Diets for Broiler Chickens and Effects on Salmonellae Contamination of Carcasses

Two similar trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of fructooligosaccharide (FOS) on live performance and carcass characteristics of broilers and on incidence and level of salmonellae on prechill broiler carcasses. The FOS was fed at two levels (0 and .375%) in a complete factorial arrangement with two levels (0 and 55 mg/kg) of bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD) in nutritionally complete diets. Broilers were grown to 49 days of age, and samples were processed to determine dressing percentage, abdominal fat content, and most probable number salmonellae on prechill carcasses. The addition of FOS to nutritionally complete broiler diets at .375% had little consistent effect on growth rate, feed utilization, mortality, carcass dressing percentage, abdominal fat content, or incidence or severity of salmonellae contamination of processed broiler carcasses. There appeared to be an antagonism between FOS and BMD on both live performance and salmonellae contamination of processed broiler carcasses.
A Democratic Polity?: Three Views of Policy Responsiveness to Public Opinion in the United States

The capacity of a politicalsystem to respond to the preferences of its citizens is centralto democratic theory and practice. Research and theory about the impact of public opinion on policy making in the United States, however, have produced decidedly mixed views. A number of analysts find a strong and persisting impact of public opinion on public policy. Others reject the idea that the public has consistent views at all or, even if it does, that those views exercise much influence over policy making. In this article, we evaluate the state of the art in the debates over the opinion-policy link in the rapidly growing body of research on public opinion and policy making. After an extensive review and critique of the theoretical and empirical research developing “strong” and “weak” effect views of the impact of opinion on policy, we conclude that a third “contingent” view, highlighting the historical, institutional, and political contingencies, provides the best understanding of the impact of opinion on policy.
The Foreign Language Methods Course

a study of the curricular content of the FL methods course. An analysis of 157 FL methods course syllabi from 144 colleges and universities yields an image of the knowledge base for foreign language education. The data collected here enhance our understanding of the status quo in teaching foreign language methods, and provide an empirically-based foundation for future development of the course. The syllabi show what teacher educators believe future FL
Ethics Management in Municipal Governments and Large Firms: Exploring Similarities and Differences

This study compares the ethics management strategies of large cities and firms with the purpose of examining whether public-private sector differences that have been hypothesized in the literature ...
FAMILY CAREGIVING AND THE USE OF FORMAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY

The aim of this qualitative case study was to describe a family caregiver's experience with the use of formal community support services. The emotional responses to caregiving and to the gradual relinquishing of the caregiving role also are described. A 76-year-old wife caring for her husband who had Alzheimer's disease was interviewed over a 3-month period. Two of the caregiver's providers of formal services also were interviewed. Four themes emerged from analysis of transcribed interviews describing the caregiver's experience with formal services. These themes reflected the caregiving needs that precipitated service use and the effects of formal support, including their roles in the transition from home care to residential care. The findings, in this case, suggested that formal support played an influential role in "giving permission" for the caregiver to place her husband in institutional care. Implications for nurses, other health professionals, policy makers, and for further research are drawn from t...
Excitatory and anti-oscillatory actions of nitric oxide in thalamus.

The dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) not only serves as the obligatory pathway for visual information transfer from the retina to neocortex but can also generate intrathalamic rhythmic activities associated with different arousal states and certain pathological conditions. The gating activity of thalamocortical circuits is under neuromodulatory control by various brainstem nuclei as well as intrinsic thalamic neurons (e.g. thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) neurons and dLGN interneurons). In this study, we examined the effect of the putative neuromodulator nitric oxide (NO) on thalamic neuron excitability. There are multiple potential sources of NO in thalamus: cholinergic terminals originating from brainstem nuclei, GABAergic TRN neurons, and local GABAergic interneurons. Using whole cell recording techniques in in vitro thalamic slices, we found that the NO donor SNAP produced a robust, long-lasting depolarization in TRN neurons, a weaker depolarization in thalamocortical relay neurons, and no effect in local interneurons. SNAP preferentially depolarized stereotypical TRN neurons that could produced strong burst discharge. In contrast, SNAP had little effect on atypical burst and non-burst TRN cells. The NO donor SIN-1 and the endogenous NO precursor, l-arginine, mimicked the SNAP-mediated actions. The NO-mediated depolarizations were blocked by the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor ODQ indicating involvement of the cGMP pathway. In addition, the phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor zaprinast depolarized and occluded the NO-mediated depolarization in TRN neurons. At the circuit level, NO activation significantly attenuated intrathalamic rhythmic activities likely resulting from the shifting of the firing mode of thalamic neurons, perhaps both TRN and thalamocortical neurons, from burst- to tonic-discharge mode. These alterations in thalamic neuron excitability not only change rhythmic circuit activity, but could also influence sensory information processing through thalamocortical circuits.
When Cells Become Organelle Donors

More than 40 variations of intercellular organelle transfer, such as a mitochondria or lysosome originating in one cell being transported to another cell, have been described. We review the mechanisms and subcellular structures by which, and conditions under which, transfer occurs, with particular attention paid to the role of external cell stress in activating transfer. We propose a research agenda for answering key questions in this burgeoning field.
Time of Pruning Effects on Cold Hardiness of Butterfly Bush

A study was conducted over a two-year period to determine how time of pruning affects cold hardiness of butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii (Franchet) ‘Royal Red’). Plants were pruned in November, January, or March, and pruned and non-pruned plants were exposed to six freezing temperatures two weeks after pruning treatments were applied. In addition, plants pruned in previous seasons were included in subsequent freezing treatments. Plants were rated for injury 2 or 3 weeks after treatment (WAT), and for mortality at 6 WAT. In fall 2001, at – 6C (21.2F), injury ratings were higher in pruned than non-pruned plants. At all other treatment temperatures, injury to pruned and non-pruned plants was similar. In fall 2001, mortality increased with decreasing temperatures and was higher in pruned plants than in non-pruned controls, regardless of treatment temperature. In winter and spring 2002, injury and mortality increased with decreasing temperatures, but were not affected by pruning treatments. In fall 2002, temperature decreased as injury rating and mortality increased, regardless of pruning treatment and pruned plants had a higher injury rating and mortality than non-pruned across all temperatures. In winter 2003, injury rating and mortality increased with decreasing temperatures and pruning did not affect either. Spring 2003 plants, which had deacclimated prior to freeze treatment, were not affected by pruning or freezing treatments.
Complications after Feeding Jejunostomy Tube Placement for Gastroesophageal Cancer

RESULTS: We reviewed 1,847 CTs among 491 patients who met inclusion criteria (59% men), with inter-rater reliability 0.85 for the panel. Mean age was 60 12 years; mean follow-up time 13 8 months. Ventral incisional hernia occurred in 41% and differed across diagnoses: urologic/gynecologic (30%), colorectal (53%), and all others (56%) (p<0.001). In CPH analysis, incision location, cancer type (Table), open operation (HR 2.07 [95% CI, 1.18-3.63]), surgical site infection (HR 1.58 [95% CI, 1.06-2.34]), and body mass index (HR 1.06 [95% CI, 1.03-1.08]) were associated with VIH, adjusting for stage, age, chemotherapy, smoking, and steroid use.
Blood Does Not a Contract Make: A Response to Professor Nancy Kim

This essay is a solicited response to Professor Nancy Kim's Article, Reasonable Expectations in Sociocultural Context, published at 45 Wake Forest L. Rev. 641 (2010). In contradistinction to Professor Kim's demand for greater recognition of diverse forms of contract formation, I argue that our larger society requires a more uniform standard to determine which contracts are enforceable. Nevertheless, I acknowledge that we are all also members of various subcultures, but when seeking enforcement of a contract within that subculture, I argue that we should go to forums established by that subculture.
Antibody Responses in Cell Cultures from Draining and Non-Draining Rabbit Lymph Nodes Primed with Native or Polymerized Human Albumin

In vitro model systems which can readily be manipulated to yield information about inductive and regulatory mechanisms of the antibody response have been developed in this laboratory (1, 2, 3). The present study stresses two additional experimental parameters: the separate culture of cells from the lymphoid organs which drain and do not drain the site of injection of antigen, and the use of native versus polymeric forms of antigen for primary immunization. The usefulness of these parameters was suggested by the findings of a previous study (1) in which a high molecular weight antigen, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, was injected locally; the primary antibody response was confined to the draining lymph nodes, but immunologic memory spread to the non-draining node, Thus the draining and non-draining nodes could be employed as sources of distinctive cell populations for different types of in vitro experiments. The utility of these parameters in the analysis of many aspects of the antibody response is strongly supported by the results of the current experiments.
Escapism; or, The Soul of Globalization

This essay attempts to define into existence the supergeneric category of “escapism” by way of analyzing Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's The Sound of Music. The essay (following the genre-defining procedures of Tzvetan Todorov) argues that there are three rules of escapism: all problems must be solved by personal relations, the escapism must be self-conscious, this self-conscious escapism must be muddled with an actual escape. But the sign of escapism by which it can be initially recognized is inescapability. The opposite of Utopian, escapism is Topian: what is escaped is not a place but the unloveliness of that place. According to the third rule, an actual location must ostensibly be escaped—in The Sound of Music, post-Anschluss Austria. It is, however, the unloveliness of performing in public, as felt by Captain von Trapp on behalf of the musical, that must be transmuted within Austria, and the public stage of escapism is continuous from there to Broadway to (via the film) the world. It is by way of the world reach of The Sound of Music that we can conceive of escapism as the soul of globalization: the essence of globalization is that there is no elsewhere, which means that to escape the profane world can only be to repurpose it as sacredly lovable. When The Sound of Music resorts at the end to the tombs of the abbey, however, it puts a period to its own escapism.
Applicability of Human Flying Qualities Requirements for UAVs, Finding A Way Forward

This report is a part of an eort to dene a longitudinal ying qualities criterion for autonomous UAVs. This criterion will allow UAVs to be evaluated similarly to piloted aircraft for mission eectiveness and airworthiness. A logical step in development of this criterion is to take a look back at criteria that were developed for piloted aircraft to gain insight into their creation, and to determine if any of the piloted ying qualities criteria would be applicable to UAVs. A candidate methodology for a new ying qualities criterion is presented in this report. Piloted ying qualities criteria are reviewed and analyzed for their use in unmanned aircraft. Candidate criteria are also identied for future development of the UAV ying qualities criterion.
On diameter controls and smooth convergence away from singularities

Abstract We prove that if a family of metrics, g i , on a compact Riemannian manifold, M n , have a uniform lower Ricci curvature bound and converge to g ∞ smoothly away from a singular set, S, with Hausdorff measure, H n − 1 ( S ) = 0 , and if there exists connected precompact exhaustion, W j , of M n ∖ S satisfying diam g i ( M n ) ≤ D 0 , Vol g i ( ∂ W j ) ≤ A 0 and Vol g i ( M n ∖ W j ) ≤ V j where lim j → ∞ ⁡ V j = 0 then the Gromov–Hausdorff limit exists and agrees with the metric completion of ( M n ∖ S , g ∞ ) . This is a strong improvement over prior work of the author with Sormani that had the additional assumption that the singular set had to be a smooth submanifold of codimension two. We have a second main theorem in which the Hausdorff measure condition on S is replaced by diameter estimates on the connected components of the boundary of the exhaustion, ∂ W j . This second theorem allows for singular sets which are open subregions of the manifold. In addition, we show that the uniform lower Ricci curvature bounds in these theorems can be replaced by the existence of a uniform linear contractibility function. If this condition is removed altogether, then we prove that lim j → ∞ ⁡ d F ( M j ′ , N ′ ) = 0 , in which M j ′ and N ′ are the settled completions of ( M , g j ) and ( M ∞ ∖ S , g ∞ ) respectively and d F is the Sormani–Wenger Intrinsic Flat distance. We present examples demonstrating the necessity of many of the hypotheses in our theorems.
Memory Effects In Manganese Perovskites

Manganese doped perovskites are promising materials for non-magnetic data storage. Systems with low doping concentration, such as Mn:YAlO3 are high-quality optical crystals, demonstrating significant photorefractive effect. Optically and electrically induced quasi-permanent change in low-field conductivity was observed in the materials with high concentration of manganese such as single crystals and films of LaGa1-xMnxO3(x= 0.1–1). These memory effects can last for a long time at room temperature and can be easily erased by heating up to 230 C. We explain our experimental results by photoinduced or thermoinduced local phase transition with the oxidation of Mn ions.
Chronic active and lupoid hepatitis caused by a laxative, oxyphenisatin.

Abstract In six patients with chronic constipation, chronic active liver disease developed after one to two years of daily ingestion of laxative preparations containing oxyphenisatin; in a seventh liver disease occurred after ingestion of laxatives of unknown composition. Clinical features were jaundice, fatigue, firm hepatomegaly and, occasionally, spider angiomas and splenomegaly. Laboratory abnormalities included an increase in transaminase activity of 10 to 40 times, decreased prothrombin, depressed serum albumin and raised globulin. Two patients had positive LE-cell tests, two others had antinuclear antibody and three had smooth-muscle antibody; none had hepatitis-associated antigen. Liver biopsies showed areas of collapse and fibrosis, with stromal lymphocytic infiltrate and focal areas of hepatocytolysis. All patients improved after changing laxatives. Challenge with oxyphenisatin in three patients caused abrupt rises in transaminase activity. A toxic etiology should be considered, therefore, in al...
Perceived physical availability of alcohol at work and workplace alcohol use and impairment: testing a structural model.

The causes of alcohol misuse in the workforce have been of long-term interest to researchers, managers, and policymakers (Frone, 2013). However, prior research has focused primarily on alcohol misuse that occurs away from work. Surprisingly little research has focused on the potential causes of alcohol use and impairment during the workday despite the fact it may play a more proximal role in poor performance and dysfunctional behavior at work (Frone, 2013). An important general question, therefore, is to what extent do characteristics of the workplace represent risk factors for alcohol use and impairment during the workday? Based on general alcohol availability theory and research (e.g., Abbey, Scott, & Smith, 1993; Her, Giesbrecht, Room, & Rehm, 1999; Livingston, Chikritzhs, & Room, 2007; Single, 1988; Smart, 1977, 1980), one potentially important cause of alcohol use and impairment during the workday is the perceived physical availability of alcohol at work. Although Ames and Janes (1992) pointed out over 20 years ago that little was known about this relation, little has changed during the intervening two decades. Therefore, the goal of this study is to (a) briefly review the definition and prevalence of perceived physical availability of alcohol at work and (b) test a conceptual model linking perceived physical availability of alcohol at work to workplace alcohol use and impairment using a national sample of U.S. workers.
Epidemiological characteristics of hand,foot and mouth disease in Anyang city,2012

Objective To determine the infection and epidemiology about HFMD in Anyang city 2012,and to provide the scientific information for the next stage of prevention and control work.Methods Realtime PCR was used for detecting the types of enterevims from the patient samples.Information was analyzed by SPSS software.Results EV71 was the main pathogen that caused HFMD in Anyang city 2012,it accounted for 46.11% in whole cases; CA16 and other types of enterevims also occupied a certain proportion with 8.37% and 11.48% respectively.The infection of EV71 was especially common in the summer.HFMD was most frequently seen in young children,with no gender differences.Cluster analysis showed that EV71 was the dominant pathogen in urban area and other types of enterevims were more common in rural areas.Conclusion Human enterevims 71(EV71) infections show rising trend in Anyang city.The early and rapid detection is critical for prevention and control of EV71 infection,with particular attention to different clinical features in urban and rural areas.
Cause-result Diagram Analysis of CNC Lathes Failures

CNC lathes are typically high-tech mechatronic equipment.In order to analyze failure efficiently when it happens,the cause-result diagram,a failure analysis method after happening of the failure was introduced.It regards the failure of product or system as effect and the factors causing system failure as cause,plots and then gets the main factor from various complicated factors.The failure that the axes size of gear machined by CNC lathes exceeded its tolerance accidentally was analyzed by using the cause-result diagram.As a case,the analysis process was presented particularly,and the experiment result shows that the failure analysis by using the cause-result diagram is right.
Anal manometric findings before and after hemorrhoidectomy: a preliminary report.

BACKGROUND A difference of opinion exists as to whether patients with symptomatic hemorrhoids, patients after hemorrhoidectomy, and patients with no hemorrhoids have different anal physiologies. METHODS Twenty-four patients with symptomatic hemorrhoids undergoing hemorrhoidectomy were investigated using anorectal manometry. There were 12 male and 12 female patients with a mean age of 42 years (range: 23 to 72 years). The anorectal manometry was performed one day before the operation and 8 to 12 weeks after the operation. Another normal group, comprised of 138 volunteers, was included and matched for age and gender. RESULTS The anorectal inhibitory reflex was present in all the normal group (NG), symptomatic hemorrhoid (SH), and post-hemorrhoidectomy (PH) patients. No major incontinence was noted clinically. The mean resting pressure (MRP) in the SH group (mean: 84.5 +/- 28.7 cmH2O, range: 26 to 166 cmH2O) was significantly greater than in the NG (mean: 74.4 +/- 14.9 cmH2O, range: 61 to 116 cmH2O) and the PH groups (mean: 63.7 +/- 23.6 cmH2O, range: 20 to 116 cmH2O) (p = 0.032 and 0.005, respectively). After hemorrhoidectomy, the MRP was significantly decreased compared to the normal group (p = 0.018). The other manometric data showed no statistical change in these three groups. CONCLUSION The results indicate that persons with SH have a higher MRP than normal. Overactivity of the internal sphincter muscle may be a cause rather than a result of symptomatic hemorrhoids. Compared with the SH and normal groups, the MRP was significantly decreased to prevent recurrent symptomatic hemorrhoids in the PH group. Though the MRP was significantly decreased, no major incontinence was noted after hemorrhoidectomy, and this might be due to the increase in rectal compliance and mean squeeze pressure.
Entrapment Neuropathies: Clinical Overview

Causes include congenital defects, trauma, and inflammation. Some forms are overdiagnosed, particularly carpal tunnel syndrome. Others—such as thoracic outlet syndrome and anterior interosseous nerve syndrome—are rare. Diagnosis and management are relatively straightforward in most cases, but much remains to be learned about the natural course and prevention of these disorders.
One Sketch to Rule Them All: Rethinking Network Flow Monitoring with UnivMon

Network management requires accurate estimates of metrics for traffic engineering (e.g., heavy hitters), anomaly detection (e.g., entropy of source addresses), and security (e.g., DDoS detection). Obtaining accurate estimates given router CPU and memory constraints is a challenging problem. Existing approaches fall in one of two undesirable extremes: (1) low fidelity general-purpose approaches such as sampling, or (2) high fidelity but complex algorithms customized to specific application-level metrics. Ideally, a solution should be both general (i.e., supports many applications) and provide accuracy comparable to custom algorithms. This paper presents UnivMon, a framework for flow monitoring which leverages recent theoretical advances and demonstrates that it is possible to achieve both generality and high accuracy. UnivMon uses an application-agnostic data plane monitoring primitive; different (and possibly unforeseen) estimation algorithms run in the control plane, and use the statistics from the data plane to compute application-level metrics. We present a proof-of-concept implementation of UnivMon using P4 and develop simple coordination techniques to provide a ``one-big-switch'' abstraction for network-wide monitoring. We evaluate the effectiveness of UnivMon using a range of trace-driven evaluations and show that it offers comparable (and sometimes better) accuracy relative to custom sketching solutions.
Adsorb-Sim Modules for Simulation of Adsorption in Micropores: Activated Carbon, Zeolites, Silica and Random Media

Abstract Second and third generation models of microporous adsorbents are being tested and compared with experiment. Adsorption simulation (AdsorbSim) modules have been developed for zeolites, silica, activated carbon, and various random media. Input data are intermolecular potentials for the adsorbate fluids and second virial coefficients for adsorption of single gases. No additional information is needed to simulate adsorption of mixtures. Isotherms, isosteric heats, selectivities, and configurational properties (energy and density distributions) are calculated by grand canonical ensemble Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation. Computer-generated color graphics provide visualization of the complex three-dimensional structure of the fluids adsorbed in the model micropores.
Water Mediated Wittig Reactions of Aldehydes in the Teaching Laboratory: Using Sodium Bicarbonate for the in Situ Formation of Stabilized Ylides

The synthesis of alkenes using the Wittig reaction is a traditional part of many undergraduate organic chemistry teaching laboratory curricula. The aqueous medium version of the Wittig reaction presented is a reliable adaptation of this alkene formation reaction as a very safe alternative in the introductory organic chemistry laboratory. The specific aqueous Wittig reactions discussed use a one-pot reagent setup and greener methods that the students can complete within 30 min with partial workup in one laboratory period. The aqueous Wittig reactions presented have been implemented to various aldehydes and take advantage of dilute sodium bicarbonate (“baking soda”) as the only base needed for in the in situ formation of stabilized ylides. Outcomes from the implementation of the proposed aqueous Wittig procedure into the organic chemistry teaching laboratory curriculum are presented. Described also are reaction workup, purification, and analysis of products using 1H NMR and IR spectroscopy.
Characterization of C-band SOA-based bidirectional tunable fiber laser with two nested fiber ring cavities

We report a simple, stable, inexpensive SOA-based bidirectional tunable fiber laser, which consists of three SOAs and two nested fiber ring cavities. A beam combining gain of more than + 4.77 dB is demonstrated.
Locoregional Therapy for Cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma represents the second most common primary hepatic malignancy and carries an overall poor prognosis. While surgical resection offers the only chances for cure, few patients are surgical candidates at the time of diagnosis. Chemotherapeutic treatment with gemcitabine and cisplatin is the standard chemotherapeutic regimen, but this offers only marginal overall survival benefits. With advances in minimally invasive techniques in the past decade, locoregional therapies with thermal ablation and transarterial techniques are increasingly being investigated as treatment options. This review explores emerging technologies and their potential role in treating cholangiocarcinoma.
Self-aware inventory system based on RFID, sensors and IBM security directory integrator

Radio frequency Technology (RFID) is an automatic identification technology It consists of a transponder or "tag". The tag is the data carrying element of an RFID system. The "reader" contains a radio frequency receiver and sometimes a transmitter, a control unit and an antenna to provide data retrieval or communication with the tag. The following project proposes to build a Self-Aware Inventory System based on IBM Security Directory Integrator (IBM SDI), RFID and sensors. IBM Security Directory Integrator can convert data received into a form which can then be processed further. This system consists of ultrasonic sensors, RFID tagged objects and an RFID reader which would gather information and detect current status of objects within the system. The end user would be alerted with regular updates about contents of the system and required actions to be performed. A typical application/implementation of such a system would lie in Internet of Things (IoT). For example, a RFID System enabled refrigerator. Here, the tags on perishable and non-perishable item will be sensed by the RFID reader and information such as expiry date, type of item, or quantity is recorded into the database. This data would then be processed by IBM SDI and converted into a form which can then be displayed on a customized GUI.
Application of a Cost-Benefit Model to the Evaluation of a Military Training Management Information System:

A method to facilitate the comparative evaluation of automated systems based on quantitative predictions and measurements of system impacts is described. A model of the costs and benefits resulting...
How friends-of-friends referrals cause network inequality: Evidence from a field experiment

Network centrality benefits individuals in a broad range of contexts including health, education, and labor markets. However, research on mechanisms that cause actors to become central in social ne...
Metallurgy (communication arising): Stainless-steel corrosion and MnS inclusions

The pitting corrosion of stainless steels that occurs in environments containing chloride usually initiates at manganese sulphide particles in the steel. Ryan et al.1 describe the presence of a wide chromium-depleted zone around MnS inclusions in a stainless steel (316F grade), suggesting that pitting could be triggered by an attack on these chromium-depleted zones instead of at the MnS inclusions themselves2,3,4. Here we investigate several different stainless steels, including the same 316F sample used by Ryan et al.1, and find no evidence of chromium-depleted zones in any of them. Further analysis is evidently needed to clarify the mechanism of pitting in these materials.
Mechanism of CO2 Corrosion Inhibition by Phosphate Esters

The mechanisms of corrosion inhibition of mild steel by phosphate esters in a CO{sub 2} containing environment is studied by using various inhibitor solution characterization techniques (residual analysis, dynamic surface tension, emulsion tendency). Corrosion inhibition and inhibitor film persistence is monitored over time by using a rotating cylinder electrode (RCE) system and linear polarization resistance (LPR) technique. Corrosion rate-time/concentration profiles are obtained for all phosphate esters studied. Optical profilometry is used to assess surface microstructure as related to inhibitor film persistence. The effect of phosphate ester`s chemical structure (aromatic vs. aliphatic hydrophobic group, degree of ethoxylation, mono- vs. di-ester) on inhibitor performance is investigated in terms of their volubility, hydrolytic stability, emulsion properties, iron/calcium salt/complex formation and oil/water partitioning. A synergy between phosphate esters and imidazolines is also investigated.
CoDiNMF: Co-Clustering of Directed Graphs via NMF

Co-clustering computes clusters of data items and the related features concurrently, and it has been used in many applications such as community detection, product recommendation, computer vision, and pricing optimization. In this paper, we propose a new co-clustering method, called CoDiNMF, which improves the clustering quality and finds directional patterns among co-clusters by using multiple directed and undirected graphs. We design the objective function of co-clustering by using min-cut criterion combined with an additional term which controls the sum of net directional flow between different co-clusters. In addition, we show that a variant of Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF) can solve the proposed objective function effectively. We run experiments on the US patents and BlogCatalog data sets whose ground truth have been known, and show that CoDiNMF improves clustering results compared to other co-clustering methods in terms of average F1 score, Rand index, and adjusted Rand index (ARI). Finally, we compare CoDiNMF and other co-clustering methods on the Wikipedia data set of philosophers, and we can find meaningful directional flow of influence among co-clusters of philosophers.
What Limits Protein Folding

Recent work shows that the barriers that produce slow protein folding are not intrinsic to the folding process. It appears that slow folding is caused by off-pathway misfolding steps, and that the rate-limiting step is the reorganization necessary to correct the misfolding. When folding is fast in the absence of a misfolding-reorganization barrier, the rate-limiting step appears to be the initial molecular collapse. Available evidence suggests that these same conclusions hold for many other proteins.
Evaluation of a Method to Identify and Categorize Section Headers in Clinical Documents

Objective: Clinical notes, typically written in natural language, often contain substructure that divides them into sections, such as “History of Present Illness” or “Family Medical History.” The authors designed and evaluated an algorithm (“SecTag”) to identify both labeled and unlabeled (implied) note section headers in “history and physical examination” documents (“H&P notes”). Design: The SecTag algorithm uses a combination of natural language processing techniques, word variant recognition with spelling correction, terminology-based rules, and naive Bayesian scoring methods to identify note section headers. Eleven physicians evaluated SecTag's performance on 319 randomly chosen H&P notes. Measurements: The primary outcomes were the algorithm's recall and precision in identifying all document sections and a predefined list of twenty-nine major sections. A secondary outcome was to evaluate the algorithm's ability to recognize the correct start and end boundaries of identified sections. Results: The SecTag algorithm identified 16,036 total sections and 7,858 major sections. Physician evaluators classified 15,329 as true positives and identified 160 sections omitted by SecTag. The recall and precision of the SecTag algorithm were 99.0 and 95.6% for all sections, 98.6 and 96.2% for major sections, and 96.6 and 86.8% for unlabeled sections. The algorithm determined the correct starting and ending text boundaries for 94.8% of labeled sections and 85.9% of unlabeled sections. Conclusions: The SecTag algorithm accurately identified both labeled and unlabeled sections in history and physical documents. This type of algorithm may assist in natural language processing applications, such as clinical decision support systems or competency assessment for medical trainees.
Facilitating Social Inclusion

Autism is a developmental disorder defined by a particular constellation of deficits in social and communication skills and by limited and unusual interests and behaviors. Although the social handicap is gradually gaining acceptance as one of the primary, if not the primary deficit underlying autism, social deficits also arise out of problems in other areas (e. g., poor receptive language, unusual sensory interests) and from the marked limitations in social experience that characterize autistic children and adolescents. Social handicaps secondary to experience may be more modifiable in the long run than those that are direct manifestations of more basic biological abnormalities in development. To the degree that we can modify experience, we may be able to make changes in the social motivation and behaviors of autistic children and adolescents.
Engineering Adult Stem Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy

Stem cells are rare populations of multipotent and undifferentiated progenitors, demonstrating an unlimited self-renewal capacity and high plasticity. After isolation from embryonic or adult tissues, stem cells can be expanded and manipulated ex vivo for therapeutic use. With recent advances in our understanding of stem cell biology, their pluripotency and longevity, and especially, the realization of their tumoritropic migratory property, stem cells are thought to be ideal candidates as vehicles for long-term and tissue-specific transgene delivery for cancer therapeutics. Stem cell-based approaches directly modifying, attracting, or enhancing the function of immune effector cells, such as T cells or APCs, and enhancing tumor killing have been proven feasible. However, the clinical efficacy of the engineered adult stem cells for specific and targeted cancer treatment has yet to be attested. With increased venues of stem cell generation, separation, ex vivo expansion, and improvement in targeted gene delivery vehicles, it is expected that broadened applications and improved clinical outcome of adult stem cell-based cancer treatment could be realized in the near future. Here, we review the rationale and current status of adult stem cell-based cancer immune therapy in experimental models and early clinical trials and extend our discussion to prospects for clinical application.
Integrating Database Management and Expert Systems

Future Information Systems will include Large Scale Knowledge Bases and Reasoning components. The backbone of such systems will be provided by Artificial Intelligence and Databases. Specifically, by the technologies in the areas of Knowledge Based or Expert Systems and of Database Management Systems. As evidenced by several recent professional meetings and publications, the integration of the two technologies has attracted a large number of researchers.
Electron beam computed tomography for the quantification of aortic valvular calcification.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY Calcific aortic stenosis is common in the elderly; indeed, 30-60% of patients with mild 'senile' aortic stenosis will progress to severe obstruction. Nonetheless, predictors of progression are incompletely defined, and non-invasive technologies capable of quantifying aortic valve calcium are needed. The reliability of electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) was evaluated for quantification of aortic valve calcium content. METHODS Nineteen patients with and without restrictive valve calcification underwent EBCT scanning. Separate calcium scores, 30 s apart, were obtained in all patients, and the Spearman correlation coefficient was calculated between measurements. The relationship between dichotomized mean calcium score and aortic valve area was also investigated. RESULTS There was excellent correlation between calcium scores (R = 0.99, p = 0.0001), as well as a significant inverse relationship between calcium scores in the upper and lower ranges and aortic valve area (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION EBCT can be used for reproducible quantitation of aortic valve calcification. While at their extremes, calcium scores are inversely related to aortic valve area, further evaluation is needed to define the precise nature of this relationship throughout the spectrum of stenosis severity. EBCT holds promise in the longitudinal assessment of valvular calcification progression and its response to potential medical therapies.
Right Ventricular Failure Post Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Heart failure epidemic has been on the rise over the last few decades. With limited organ donors, the number of left ventricular assist device implantation (LVAD) has been on the rise. LVAD support comes with different complications including right ventricular failure (RVF). The incidence of RVF post LVAD implantation is estimated to be around 10–40%. Mechanism of RVF post LVAD implantation has a complex pathophysiology that involves patient hemodynamics, biochemical profile, comorbidities, and pump mechanics. Predicting RVF has been an extensive area of research. Multiple risk scores have been developed to predict RVF post-op and the need of a right ventricular assist device. Moreover, multiple echocardiographic and hemodynamic parameters have been reported in the literature that could predict RVF. After diagnosis, management of RVF remains complex and involves judicious optimization of hemodynamics and biochemical profile in the perioperative period. Despite optimal management many patients will end up developing chronic RVF, which has been associated with worse outcome even among patients undergoing heart transplantation. Additionally, RVF has been reported to be a strong risk factor for acute kidney injury and progression to renal failure post LVAD implantation. This chapter reviews the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of RVF post LVAD implantation.
Modeling endangered mammal species distributions and forest connectivity across the humid Upper Guinea lowland rainforest of West Africa

Species distribution data provide critical baseline information for conservation planning and decision making. However, in many of the Earth’s most biodiverse regions, such data are lacking for many species. Here, we used ecological niche modeling and connectivity analyses to model distributions of endangered species and protected area connectivity across the Upper Guinea Forest (UGF) Global Conservation Hotspot of West Africa. We estimated the current distributions of African forest elephant Loxodonta cyclotis (Vulnerable), western chimpanzee Pan troglodytes verus (Critically Endangered), and pygmy hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis (Endangered) across the region and optimized connectivity in two main forest complexes in the region. We used occurrence data for the period 2010–2016 for the three species from two well-sampled national parks in Liberia (Sapo National Park and Gola National Park), and remotely sensed MODIS enhanced vegetation index data for the period 2010–2015. Our models predicted a total of 75,157 km2 of suitable habitat for chimpanzees in the region, 79,400 km2 for elephants, and 290,696 km2 for hippos. Of these areas, for chimpanzees, 30% of the area predicted falls within the boundaries of proposed or designated protected areas, and likewise 30% for elephants, and 19% for hippos. Liberia had the largest blocks of contiguous forest suitable for these species compared to other countries in the region but this forest was largely unprotected. This study identifies priority areas for biodiversity conservation and forest connectivity in the region, and reemphasizes the practicality of these tools to optimize conservation planning and implementation.