cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Probabilistic latent query analysis for combining multiple retrieval sources

Combining the output from multiple retrieval sources over the same document collection is of great importance to a number of retrieval tasks such as multimedia retrieval, web retrieval and meta-search. To merge retrieval sources adaptively according to query topics, we propose a series of new approaches called probabilistic latent query analysis (pLQA), which can associate non-identical combination weights with latent classes underlying the query space. Compared with previous query independent and query-class based combination methods, the proposed approaches have the advantage of being able to discover latent query classes automatically without using prior human knowledge, to assign one query to a mixture of query classes, and to determine the number of query classes under a model selection principle. Experimental results on two retrieval tasks, i.e., multimedia retrieval and meta-search, demonstrate that the proposed methods can uncover sensible latent classes from training data, and can achieve considerable performance gains.
Gemella morbillorum prosthetic aortic valve endocarditis

Gemella morbillorum is facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive cocci and are a commensal part of human flora. The reported patient in this case, with a prosthetic bovine aortic valve, presented with fever, poor dental hygiene, new cardiac murmur and signs of congestive heart failure. Blood cultures were positive for a viridans streptococcal species; however, the organism could not be further identified at our institution. Echocardiogram demonstrated a decrease in ejection fraction and vegetation attached to the prosthetic aortic valve associated with a perivalvular abscess. The patient was treated with a 6-week regimen of penicillin G with gentamicin for the first 2 weeks along with cardiac surgery. The results from the 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the viridans streptococcal species were available, which reported the organism as G. morbillorum. This case adds to the literature on G. morbillorum prosthetic valve endocarditis and provides additional evidence to consider infectious endocarditis in the setting of G. morbillorum bacteraemia.
Understanding tourists in religious destinations: A social distance perspective

Abstract This study examines the role of social distance in the relationships between people of different faiths visiting the sacred sites of others, with Lumbini, Nepal, the birthplace of Buddha, as a case study. The findings of this study suggest that Hindus and Christians visited Lumbini because they considered Buddhists more closely aligned to their own faith than other groups were. Further, this paper examines how people view themselves as tourists, pilgrims, tourists and pilgrims, or none of these labels. The self-identified visitor type varies in terms of motivations. In common with extant religious tourism literature, the study shows that those who identify themselves as pilgrims have higher religious motivations, and those who identify themselves as tourists have higher recreational or cultural motivations. In this study, social distance determined the relational structures, similarities and dissimilarities between travelers of different faiths consuming the same tourism spaces.
12.8-ps 1.0-mW charge-buffered active pull-down NTL circuit

An NTL circuit with a charge-buffered active-pulldown emitter-follower stage is described. The circuit utilizes the diffusion capacitance of a charge-storage diode (CSD) as the coupling element between the common-emitter node of the switching transistors and the base of an active-pull-down n-p-n transistor to generate a large dynamic current for the pull-down transistor and to provide a speedup effect on the switching logic stage. Implemented in a 0.8- mu m double-poly trench-isolated self-aligned bipolar process, unloaded gate delays of 12.8 ps/1.0 mW, 15.4 ps/0.71 mW, and 18.0 ps/0.53 mW have been achieved. >
Making carbon dioxide sequestration feasible: toward federal regulation of CO2 sequestration pipelines.

Abstract As the United States moves closer to a national climate change policy, it will have to focus on a variety of factors affecting the manner in which the country moves toward a future with a substantially lower carbon footprint. In addition to encouraging renewable energy, smart grid, clean fuels and other technologies, the United States will need to make substantial infrastructure investments in a variety of industries. Among the significant contributors to the current carbon footprint in the United States is the use of coal as a major fuel for the generation of electricity. One of the most important technologies that the United States can employ to reduce its carbon footprint is to sequester the carbon dioxide (“CO2”) from coal-fired power plants. This article focuses on the legal and policy issues surrounding a critical piece of the necessary sequestration infrastructure: CO2 pipelines that will carry CO2 from where it is removed from fuel or waste gas streams to where it will be sequestered. Ultimately, this article recommends developing a federally regulated CO2 pipeline program to foster the implementation of carbon sequestration technology.
Consensus generation and variant detection by Celera Assembler

Motivation: We present an algorithm to identify allelic variation given a Whole Genome Shotgun (WGS) assembly of haploid sequences, and to produce a set of haploid consensus sequences rather than a single consensus sequence. Existing WGS assemblers take a column-by-column approach to consensus generation, and produce a single consensus sequence which can be inconsistent with the underlying haploid alleles, and inconsistent with any of the aligned sequence reads. Our new algorithm uses a dynamic windowing approach. It detects alleles by simultaneously processing the portions of aligned reads spanning a region of sequence variation, assigns reads to their respective alleles, phases adjacent variant alleles and generates a consensus sequence corresponding to each confirmed allele. This algorithm was used to produce the first diploid genome sequence of an individual human. It can also be applied to assemblies of multiple diploid individuals and hybrid assemblies of multiple haploid organisms. Results: Being applied to the individual human genome assembly, the new algorithm detects exactly two confirmed alleles and reports two consensus sequences in 98.98% of the total number 2 033 311 detected regions of sequence variation. In 33 269 out of 460 373 detected regions of size >1 bp, it fixes the constructed errors of a mosaic haploid representation of a diploid locus as produced by the original Celera Assembler consensus algorithm. Using an optimized procedure calibrated against 1 506 344 known SNPs, it detects 438 814 new heterozygous SNPs with false positive rate 12%. Availability: The open source code is available at: http://wgs-assembler.cvs.sourceforge.net/wgs-assembler/ Contact: gdenisov@jcvi.org
A randomized phase I trial of chronic oral etoposide with or without granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in patients with advanced malignancies

Data from an in vitro human tumor-cloning assay suggested synergistic cytotoxicity when etoposide (VP16) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were combined. To explore this potential, we undertook a prospectively randomized three-arm trial in a phase I setting with various schedules of VP16 and GM-CSF. Thirty-one patients were enrolled in the three-arm trial. Arm A consisted of oral VP16 daily for up to 21 days with cycles repeated every 35 days. Arm B included oral VP16 daily for up to 21 days plus concomitant GM-CSF at 5 micrograms/kg/day s.c. days 1-10. Arm C included oral VP16 daily for up to 21 days plus pretreatment with GM-CSF at the same dose for 5 days (days -6 to -2). VP16 was begun at 25 mg/m2/day on level 1 and increased to 50 mg/m2/day on level 2. Twenty-seven patients were evaluable for toxicity, nine on each arm (six patients on each arm on level 1, three patients on each arm on level 2). Neutropenia on arm B (concomitant VP16 and GM-CSF) was earlier and more profound than on arm A or C. The median absolute neutrophil count and day of nadir for arms A, B, and C were 3295, 988, and 1600/mm3 and days 23, 15, and 26, respectively. Thrombocytopenia was generally uncommon except on arm C level 2, where the median platelet count was 26,000/mm3. One partial response (arm B) in a patient with non-small cell lung cancer was seen. Dose intensity favored arm A. Neither concomitant therapy with VP16 and GM-CSF (arm B) nor pretreatment with GM-CSF (arm C) improved dose intensity over VP16 alone (arm A), and arms B and C were complicated by increased neutropenia and thrombocytopenia.
Evol and ProDy for bridging protein sequence evolution and structural dynamics

Correlations between sequence evolution and structural dynamics are of utmost importance in understanding the molecular mechanisms of function and their evolution. We have integrated Evol, a new package for fast and efficient comparative analysis of evolutionary patterns and conformational dynamics, into ProDy, a computational toolbox designed for inferring protein dynamics from experimental and theoretical data. Using information-theoretic approaches, Evol coanalyzes conservation and coevolution profiles extracted from multiple sequence alignments of protein families with their inferred dynamics. Availability and implementation: ProDy and Evol are open-source and freely available under MIT License from http://prody.csb.pitt.edu/. Contact: ude.ttip@rahab
Impact of Industry in Rural Economies: An Input-Output Approach

Industrialization is an integral part of many rural community development programs across the country. Interest in attracting industry is often based on an ex ante assessment by local groups and officials of the positive benefits accruing to the community or area from industrialization. Obvious benefits to a local economy include increased output, income, and employment. Benefits occur in the form of purchases of labor and inputs by industry from endogenous sectors and the resulting local trade. A complete understanding of these benefits by local groups and officials in rural economies is essential for the planning of effective industrial development programs.
EVOLUTION OF IDENTITY SIGNALS: FREQUENCY‐DEPENDENT BENEFITS OF DISTINCTIVE PHENOTYPES USED FOR INDIVIDUAL RECOGNITION

Identifying broad-scale evolutionary processes that maintain phenotypic polymorphisms has been a major goal of modern evolutionary biology. There are numerous mechanisms, such as negative frequency-dependent selection, that may maintain polymorphisms, although it is unknown which mechanisms are prominent in nature. Traits used for individual recognition are strikingly variable and have evolved independently in numerous lineages, providing an excellent model to investigate which factors maintain ecologically relevant phenotypic polymorphisms. Theoretical models suggest that individuals may benefit by advertising their identities with distinctive, recognizable phenotypes. Here, we test the benefits of advertising one's identity with a distinctive phenotype. We manipulated the appearance of Polistes fuscatus paper wasp groups so that three individuals had the same appearance and one individual had a unique, easily recognizable appearance. We found that individuals with distinctive appearances received less aggression than individuals with nondistinctive appearances. Therefore, individuals benefit by advertising their identity with a unique phenotype. Our results provide a potential mechanism through which negative frequency-dependent selection may maintain the polymorphic identity signals in P. fuscatus. Given that recognition is important for many social interactions, selection for distinctive identity signals may be an underappreciated and widespread mechanism underlying the evolution of phenotypic polymorphisms in social taxa.
4‐valent graphs

Let {pk}k≥2, k≠4 be a sequence of non-negative integers which satisfies 8 + Σk≥3(k — 4)pk = 0. Then there exists an integer p4 such that there exists a 2-connected planar graph with exactly pkk-gons as faces for all k ≥ 2. This paper determines all such p4 when pk = 0 for k ≥ 5 and determines that there is a constant C ≥ 1 such that for some m ≤ p2 + 1/4p3 + C, there exists a 2-connected planar graph with exactly pk faces for each p4 = m + 2w, w a positive integer. When there exists at least one odd k ≥ 3 for which pk ≠ 0, the coefficient 2 of w in the above equation may be replaced by 1. These conclusions do not hold if the coefficients of p2 and p3 are any smaller than 1 and 1/4, respectively.
Comparison of Effects of Chicken Cecal Microorganisms Maintained in Continuous Culture and Provision of Dietary Lactose on Cecal Colonization by Salmonella typhimurium in Turkey Poults and Broiler Chicks

Abstract A mixed bacterial culture derived from the cecal contents of an adult broiler chicken was maintained in continuous-flow culture and tested for effectiveness in Salmonella colonization reduction in broiler chicks and turkey poults. Day-old chicks and poults in two separate experiments were divided into four groups and provided a standard corn-soybean diet with: 1) no culture, no lactose (control); 2) 5% dietary lactose; 3) broth culture by crop gavage; 4) culture by crop gavage and 5% lactose. All groups were challenged orally on Day 3 with 104Salmonella typhimurium. At 10 and 21 d of age the chicks provided culture and lactose had significantly (P
Quotients of Interval Effect Algebras

Nearly every orthostructure that has been proposed as a model for a logic of propositions affiliated with a physical system can be represented as an interval effect algebra; that is, as the partial algebra under addition of an interval from zero to an order unit in a partially ordered Abelian group. If the system is in a state that precludes certain elements of such an interval, an appropriate quotient interval algebra can be constructed by factoring out the order-convex subgroup generated by the precluded elements. In this paper we launch a study of the resulting quotient effect algebras.
Confocal microscopy reveals nerve fiber similarities in fibromyalgia and patients with dry eyes with a normal ophthalmic exam

Small fiber neuropathy has been shown in a subset of fibromyalgia patients, but this is a non-specific finding that has been noted in several chronic pain states. Small nerve fiber morphology can be measured non-invasively in the cornea, an area densely innervated with small fibers, using in-vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). We used this technique to determine if 1) neuropathy is present in the corneas of fibromyalgia patients and 2) if those who suffer from idiopathic, chronic dry eyes (i.e., dry eye symptoms without dry eyes on exam) might also have compromised small fibers.
First and Second Derivative Estimators for Closed Jackson-LikeQueueing Networks Using Perturbation Analysis Techniques

We consider a closed Jackson—like queueing network with arbitrary service time distributions and derive an unbiased second derivative estimator of the throughput over N customers served at some node with respect to a parameter of the service distribution at that node. Our approach is based on observing a single sample path of this system, and evaluating all second-order effects on interdeparture times as a result of the parameter perturbation. We then define an estimator as a conditional expectation over appropriate observable quantities, as in Smoothed Perturbation Analysis (SPA). This process recovers the first derivative estimator along the way (which can also be derived using other techniques), and gives new insights into event order change phenomena which are of higher order, and on the type of sample path information we need to condition on for higher-order derivative estimation. Despite the complexity of the analysis, the final algorithm we obtain is relatively simple. Our estimators can be used in conjunction with other techniques to obtain rational approximations of the entire throughput response surface as a function of system parameters.
Induction of a complete secondary-product pathway in a cultured lichen fungus

Abstract Experimental studies on the secondary metabolism characteristic of lichens have been impeded by the slow growth of the fungi and by the inconsistent results of many attempts to induce the pathways in the fungi isolated from their photosynthetic partners. In the present study, a lichen-specific secondary pathway was consistently induced in a lichen fungus (Cladonia grayi) grown in the absence of the alga. The depside (4-O-demethylsphaerophorin) and two depsidones (grayanic and 4-O-demethylgrayanic acids) found in the natural lichen began to accumulate a few days after the transfer of lightly fragmented mycelia from liquid to solid medium. Induction was enhanced on drier substrates and was correlated with the proliferation of aerial hyphae, where the major product (grayanic acid) accumulated in extracellular patches visible by fluorescence microscopy. The time course was analyzed by quantitative high-performance liquid chromatography of extracts from small cultures grown on nylon filters. Induction was rapid in view of the slow growth of the fungus, and secondary productivity was comparable to that of some nonlichen fungi. These results confirm that the alga is not needed for catalysis in lichen depside and depsidone biosynthesis and suggest instead that the characteristic secondary metabolism of natural lichen is linked to their aerial habit of growth.
Comments on "Detection of Mutual Inconsistency in Distributed Systems"

In the above paper,1authors have given a technique for the detection of mutual inconsistency among the copies of a file, in presence of network partitioning. This technique involves maintaining a "version vector" with each file in a partition. Here, we show that it is impossible to maintain the version vectors when arbitrary reconfigurations can occur after a network partitioning.
Electronic journals and changes in scholarly article seeking and reading patterns

Purpose – By tracking the information‐seeking and reading patterns of science, technology, medical and social science faculty members from 1977 to the present, this paper seeks to examine how faculty members locate, obtain, read, and use scholarly articles and how this has changed with the widespread availability of electronic journals and journal alternatives.Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered using questionnaire surveys of university faculty and other researchers periodically since 1977. Many questions used the critical incident of the last article reading to allow analysis of the characteristics of readings in addition to characteristics of readers.Findings – The paper finds that the average number of readings per year per science faculty member continues to increase, while the average time spent per reading is decreasing. Electronic articles now account for the majority of readings, though most readings are still printed on paper for final reading. Scientists report reading a higher prop...
A theoretical and experimental investigation of long-pulse, electron-beam-produced rare gas plasmas

Visible emission spectroscopy (380-650 nm) has been performed on intense, electron beam (1 kA, 300 ns, 300 kV) produced Ar, Kr, and Xe plasmas at pressures ranging from 10 to 750 torr. Singly ionized and neutral lines dominated the spectra in all cases except argon, where only singly ionized lines occurred. The temperature of the plasma as determined by comparing line intensities was between 1 and 2 eV. A computer model for chemical kinetics of the electron-beam-produced plasmas in Ar, Kr, and Xe was formulated. The model predicts time, pressure, and temperature trends of the ions, neutrals, and electrons, which agree with trends found experimentally. >
Opioid-induced quantal slowing reveals dual networks for respiratory rhythm generation.

Current consensus holds that a single medullary network generates respiratory rhythm in mammals. Pre-Botzinger Complex inspiratory (I) neurons, isolated in transverse slices, and preinspiratory (pre-I) neurons, found only in more intact en bloc preparations and in vivo, are each proposed as necessary for rhythm generation. Opioids slow I, but not pre-I, neuronal burst periods. In slices, opioids gradually lengthened respiratory periods, whereas in more intact preparations, periods jumped nondeterministically to integer multiples of the control period (quantal slowing). These findings suggest that opioid-induced quantal slowing results from transmission failure of rhythmic drive from pre-I neurons to preBotC I networks, depressed below threshold for spontaneous rhythmic activity. Thus, both I (in the slice), and pre-I neurons are sufficient for respiratory rhythmogenesis.
Student Pharmacists’ Perceptions of Barriers to Medication Adherence Counseling

Purpose: To identify the barriers perceived by student pharmacists to counseling on medication adherence in a supermarket community pharmacy chain.Methods: Online surveys were made available to 65 ...
Individualism, Collectivism, and Economic Development

This article investigates how the prevalence of collectivism or individualism in a society relates to the economic development of the society. The central premise of the article is that causality runs in two directions: the collectivist or individualist character of a society will influence the course of economic development, and simultaneously economic growth and changes in economic structure will alter the orientation of the society toward individualism or collectivism. The recognition of this two-way causality suggests four broad hypotheses concerning the interaction between economic and cultural factors: (1) economic development is impeded by collectivism and facilitated by individualism; (2) economic development is facilitated by collectivism and impeded by individualism; (3) economic development promotes collectivism and erodes individualism; and (4) economic development erodes collectivism and promotes individualism. The arguments and evidence that have been marshaled in support of each of these hy...
Training neural networks to count white blood cells via a minimum counting error objective function

Presents a method for applying neural networks to the bone marrow white blood cell counting problem. The idea is to phrase the objective function in terms of total count error rather than the traditional class-coding approach. A batch-mode training scheme based on backpropagation and gradient descent is derived. The test results show that, although yielding lower classification rates, the network trained to minimize count error performs better in counting than a classification network with the same structure.
Anxiety associations with cardiac symptoms, angiographic disease severity, and healthcare utilization: the NHLBI-sponsored Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation.

Abstract Background Anxiety is common among patients presenting with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). In a sample of women with signs and symptoms of ischemia, we examined three anxiety markers as predictors of CAD endpoints including: 1) cardiac symptom indicators; 2) angiographic CAD severity; and 3) healthcare utilization (cardiac hospitalizations and 5-year cardiovascular [CVD] healthcare costs). Methods Participants completed a baseline protocol including coronary angiogram, cardiac symptoms, psychosocial measures and a median 5.9-year follow-up to track hospitalizations. We calculated CVD costs based on cardiac hospitalizations, treatment visits, and CVD medications. Anxiety measures included anxiolytic medication use, Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scores, and anxiety disorder treatment history. Results The sample numbered 514 women with anxiety measure data and covariates (mean age=57.5 [11.1]). One in five (20.4%) women reported using anxiolytic agents. Anxiety correlated with cardiac symptom indicators (anxiolytic use with nighttime angina and nitroglycerine use; STAI scores and anxiety disorder treatment history with nighttime angina, shortness of breath, and angina frequency). Anxiety disorder treatment history (but not STAI scores or anxiolytics) predicted less severe CAD. Anxiolytic use (but not STAI scores or anxiety disorder treatment history) predicted hospitalizations for chest pain and coronary catheterization (HRs=2.0, 95% CIs=1.1–4.7). Anxiety measures predicted higher 5-year CVD costs (+9.0–42.7%) irrespective of CAD severity. Conclusions Among women with signs and symptoms of myocardial ischemia, anxiety measures predict cardiac endpoints ranging from cardiac symptom severity to healthcare utilization. Based on these findings, anxiety may warrant greater consideration among women with suspected CAD.
Atisbos a la subjetividad de los victimarios en el cine y el ciberespacio en México

Este articulo se propone discutir la subjetividad del perpetrador de violencia de genero con base en algunas representaciones cibernetica y filmica. Los principales problemas que aborda son: la articulacion de una politica del odio misogino y homofobico en los comentarios de los lectores a la prensa en linea; el papel de las autoridades en la perpetuacion de la violencia, en la pelicula Senorita extraviada de Lourdes Portillo; la economia del consumo violento de cuerpos desechables en la serie de animacion El Verguillas; y la caracterizacion del goce violento en el documental Narcocultura.
Silicone Breast Implant Skewered by a Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt with Secondary Cerebrospinal Fluid Pseudocyst

We present the case of a 33-year-old woman first seen in May 2013 who had left breast pain because a ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) had skewered a silicone breast implant, with free gel in the implant pocket. The implant penetration was found incidentally by a pulmonary angiogram (Figure 1). The shunt had been placed because of a vestibular schwannoma that could not be completely removed, causing hydrocephalus. Figure 1. CT angiogram image of a 33-year-old woman showing a ventriculoperitoneal shunt within the left silicone breast implant (pink arrow). The shunt was placed for a non-communicating hydrocephalus in the posterior fossa. Medial to the right breast is another prior shunt, properly placed (yellow arrow), from the frontal area of the brain. Of note is that ventriculoperitoneal shunts are placed blindly through thoracic surface tissues with a long trochar. Bilateral breast implants were removed (Figure 2) leaving the functioning VPS in place, but two months later she had headache and …
Quantifying the safety effects of horizontal curves on two-way, two-lane rural roads

The objective of this study is to quantify the safety performance of horizontal curves on two-way, two-lane rural roads relative to tangent segments. Past research is limited by small samples sizes, outdated statistical evaluation methods, and unreported standard errors. This study overcomes these drawbacks by using the propensity scores-potential outcomes framework. The impact of adjacent curves on horizontal curve safety is also explored using a cross-sectional regression model of only horizontal curves. The models estimated in the present study used eight years of crash data (2005–2012) obtained from over 10,000 miles of state-owned two-lane rural roads in Pennsylvania. These data included information on roadway geometry (e.g., horizontal curvature, lane width, and shoulder width), traffic volume, roadside hazard rating, and the presence of various low-cost safety countermeasures (e.g., centerline and shoulder rumble strips, curve and intersection warning pavement markings, and aggressive driving pavement dots). Crash prediction is performed by means of mixed effects negative binomial regression using the explanatory variables noted previously, as well as attributes of adjacent horizontal curves. The results indicate that both the presence of a horizontal curve and its degree of curvature must be considered when predicting the frequency of total crashes on horizontal curves. Both are associated with an increase in crash frequency, which is consistent with previous findings in the literature. Mixed effects negative binomial regression models for total crash frequency on horizontal curves indicate that the distance to adjacent curves is not statistically significant. However, the degree of curvature of adjacent curves in close proximity (within 0.75 miles) was found to be statistically significant and negatively correlated with crash frequency on the subject curve. This is logical, as drivers exiting a sharp curve are likely to be driving slower and with more awareness as they approach the next horizontal curve.
Professional Purity Revolutionary Writing in the Craft Beer Industry

This study focuses on dominant terms whose usage generates a specific identity in the craft beer industry: revolution and crafty. Actors who engage these terms—brewers, writers, and consumers—creat...
The Geriatric Driver Factors That Influence When to Stop Driving

The increase in the growth of the elderly population in the past 2 decades has been paralleled by an increase in the number of active elderly drivers. Consequentially, this growth has been accompanied by a rise in fatal road-related accidents. Due to age-related fragility, elderly drivers are more susceptible to injuries and death following a road-related accident. The increased risk of accidents has become a growing public health issue and has led to certain guidelines and restrictions for elderly drivers. Moreover, the cognitive and physiological decline that exacerbates with age has encouraged preventative measures aimed at optimizing their ability to operate motor vehicles. Some of these include yearly vision, cognitive, motor, and mental assessment tests. Results obtained from these tests may help suggest when an elderly driver becomes unsuitable to drive.
CORRELATION OF INITIAL ENDOMETRIAL BIOPSY AND MIDCYCLE CERVICAL MUCUS FINDINGS IN INFERTILE WOMEN: CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING SUBSEQUENT PREGNANCY PERFORMANCE.

Abstract 1. 1. A series of 112 infertile women has been divided into three groups, as a study method, on the basis of the abnormality or relative normality of the endometrium on initial pretreatment biopsy. 2. 2. The normality and abnormality or inadequacy of their initial pretreatment midcycle cervical mucous specimens has been studied for each endometrial group and related to it, and the mucus has also been studied in those women in each group who subsequently became pregnant and in those who did not, and comparisons have been made. 3. 3. The findings from this study are: (a) it is more important for an infertile woman to have normal endometrium if she is to eventually attain successful pregnancy than to have normal initial cervical mucus, but both factors play an essential role in the process, (b) more infertile women who have normal cervical mucus become pregnant than do those in whom the mucus is deficient, and (c) there is a relationship between the endometrial and cervical mucus factors in infertile women which may be quantitatively expressed for groups having differing degrees of infertility.
The effect of feeder space access and crumble- or pellet-to-fine ratio on 38-day-old broiler performance

SUMMARY Research conducted at universities often exposes broilers to conditions that are less stressful than encountered in typical commercial production. Research utilizing small floor pens and industry-style feed pans frequently provides much greater feeder space access than broilers receive in commercial barns. Feeder space access could be an important variable influencing research results, especially when coupled with crumble- or pellet-to-fine ratio variations. The objective of the study was to assess the effects of feeder space and crumble- or pellet-to-fine ratio on broiler performance. The study utilized a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design using the main effects: high or low crumble- or pellet-to-fine ratio (70:30 vs. 40:60) and increased or industry feeder space access (5.9 cm/bird vs. 1.2 cm/bird). Diets met Agristat nutrient values and were pelleted at the West Virginia University pilot feed mill. A total of 1,840 Hubbard × Cobb straight run broilers were randomly placed in one of 40 pens. Broilers and feed were weighed to calculate feed intake (FI) per bird, live weight gain (LWG) per bird, ending bird weight (EBW), and mortality corrected FCR, percent mortality, and pen coefficient of variation for EWB (d 38). The effect of crumble- or pellet-to-fine ratio depended on the amount of feeder space for overall one to 38 d FI. High crumble- or pellet-to-fine ratio increased feed intake with the effect being more pronounced with increased feeder space. Broilers fed a high crumble- or pellet-to-fine ratio from d one to 38 demonstrated increased LWG and decreased FCR (P
Conformational landscape and the selectivity of cytochrome P450cam.

Conformational heterogeneity and dynamics likely contribute to the remarkable activity of enzymes but are challenging to characterize experimentally. These features are of particular interest within the cytochrome P450 class of monooxygenases, which are of great academic, medicinal, and biotechnological interest as they recognize a broad range of substrates, such as various lipids, steroid precursors, and xenobiotics, including therapeutics. Here, we use linear and 2D IR spectroscopy to characterize the prototypical P450, cytochrome P450cam, bound to three different substrates, camphor, norcamphor, or thiocamphor, which are hydroxylated with high, low, and intermediate regioselectivity, respectively. The data suggest that specific interactions with the substrate drive the population of two different conformations, one that is associated with high regioselectivity and another associated with lower regioselectivity. Although Y96 mediates a hydrogen bond thought necessary to orient the substrate for high reg...
Should ethambutol be recommended for routine treatment of tuberculosis in children? A review of the literature.

Setting Review of the literature referenced from Medline and other sources on the use of ethambutol in children. Objective The most well-known side effect of ethambutol is its ocular toxicity. Its use among children is thus generally discouraged. The present article summarizes the studies published on this subject. Results No authors have reported major ocular side effects among children treated with ethambutol. Conclusion For children aged 5 years or more, ethambutol can be recommended at a dosage of 15 mg/kg/day for routine treatment, without taking more precautions than for adults; this should be included in official recommendations. For younger children, ethambutol can also be used without undue fear of side-effects.
Developing a loyal community: an empirical analysis evaluating antecedents to loyalty in social networking

One of the most influential phenomena in information and communication technology ICT since the advent of the internet has been network effects. The benefits obtained from networking effects is exponentially significant due to the popularity of social networking and the abundance of information being collected through these networks. With the multitude of networks to choose from and relatively low switching costs, sustaining loyalty among the users has become a top priority of network administrators. Using structural equation modelling, a model was developed and tested identifying factors that influence loyalty in social networking. It was shown that trust community members that have connected together along with satisfaction in the network positively influence loyalty. Content quality and system quality are factors that positively influence a users satisfaction in the community. Academic and practical implications are discussed along with recommendations for future research.
An Unusual Cause of Persistent Crying in a Toddler.

Abstract Background Excessive or persistent crying is a common presentation to the pediatric emergency department, and often poses a diagnostic dilemma to emergency physicians. There are several reasons for excessive or persistent crying in children, ranging from benign causes like hunger, to life-threatening causes such as intussusception. Case Report We report an interesting case of a toddler whose cause of excess crying, with no detectable clinical clues, was eventually attributed to a foreign body in the esophagus. A brief review of diagnostic approach to excess crying and management of ingested foreign bodies is presented. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Ingested foreign body is a potential cause of persistent crying, and early recognition can result in definitive treatment and prevention of potential mortality and morbidity.
Book Review: Pore-Scale Geochemical Processes, RIMG Volume 80, ed. by Carl I. Steefel, Simon Emmanuel, and Lawrence M. Anovitz

Book Review: Pore-Scale Geochemical Processes, RIMG Volume 80. Edited by Carl I. Steefel, Simon Emmanuel, Lawrence M. Anovitz. (2015) Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, i–xiv + 491 p. Open Access, ISBN 978-0-939950-96-6. Efforts to understand geochemical processes in Earth’s materials have repeatedly revealed their complexity and the need to understand mechanisms at finer and finer spatial scales. This has driven us to probe deeper than the “continuum scale,” into fractures, pores, grains, coatings, nanopores, and molecules themselves. Recent rapid advances in imaging and computational power have enabled molecules in small spaces to whisper their secrets to us. In this volume, editors Carl Steefel, Simon Emmanuel, and Larry Anovitz have collected in one place the current state of knowledge on pore-scale geochemical processes. The chapters are written by leading experts on an array of topics ranging from materials characterization, to mineralogy and surface chemistry, to reaction thermodynamics and kinetics, and to reactive transport modeling. Quoting Steefel, Beckingham, and Landrot, “New capabilities … offer the potential for a paradigm shift in the Earth Sciences that will allow us to understand and ultimately quantify such enigmas as the apparent discrepancy between laboratory and field rates … and the impact of geochemical reactions on the transport properties of subsurface materials.” It is …
Tic Treatment Goes Tech: A Review of TicHelper.com.

TicHelper.com (“TicHelper”) is an interactive online treatment program for youth with chronic tic disorders (CTDs) or Tourette Syndrome (TS) and their parents. It is based on Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT), an individual, outpatient therapy protocol shown to effectively reduce tics in randomized controlled trials. The TicHelper website offers a user-friendly dashboard that is effective in making it easy to navigate through different treatment modules. Modules parallel core CBIT procedures and consist of interactive exercises, informational videos, and self-report ratings. TicHelper has some weaknesses (e.g., no outcomes research specific to the program has been published to date); however, its strengths (easily navigable, clear instructions, appropriate content) outweigh its weaknesses, making it a potentially useful dissemination tool to make CBIT more accessible to families and youth with tics.
Specificity of fluid resuscitation for septic shock

The guide of fluid resuscitation for septic shock is universal instructional.However,different individuals present different pathophysiologic characteristics.The clinicians should pay attention to the specific children when fluid resuscitation was performed.In this article,we discussed the specificity of fluid resuscitation for septic shock. Key words: Septic shock; Fluid resuscitation; Specificity
Computational receding horizon approach to safe trajectory tracking

This paper presents a receding horizon methodology for trajectory tracking with safe collision conflict resolution for multiple autonomous vehicles. The proposed decentralized scheme is formulated in discrete-time domain where each vehicle's objective function represents deviations from its desired trajectory. The safety constraints penalizing if two or more vehicles get closer than a prescribed safety distance are incorporated using avoidance functions. These avoidance functions are added to the objective functions to be minimized by each vehicle. They also represent the coupling elements in the decentralized scheme allowing for implicit coordination among the vehicles in the case of a possible collision. Vehicles are modeled by the unicycle model subject to bounds on both velocity and angular velocity. The optimization scheme performed by each vehicle uses a sequential quadratic programming method which is well suited for minimization of a scalar nonlinear function subject to nonlinear equality constraints (dynamic model) and multiple inequality constraints (velocity constraints and safety conditions). Outputs of the optimization process are kinematic control inputs for each vehicle. For symmetric cases where the gradient based methods are known to perform poorly (such as singular cases) a limit cycle method is implemented to modify segments of the desired trajectories leading to feasible solutions in terms of the optimization process performed by each vehicle.
Discovery of ovarian cancer tumor vascular markers using immuno-LCM and transcriptional profiling.

5684 The use of reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) to detect cells in the blood of cancer patients based on levels of mRNA expressed in tumor cells has implications for monitoring tumor progression and therapy in cancer patients. This study has utilized splice variant-specific probes to detect a cancer-specific mRNA variant responsible for cell surface expression of pancancer isoforms of a growth related, NADH oxidase protein with protein disulfide-thiol interchange designated tNOX specific for cancer (Morre′ and Morre′. 2003 Free Radical Res. 37:795–808). tNOX is also shed into the serum as a useful pancancer marker for clinical metastatic disease. Using RT-PCR and exon-specific primers, an RT-PCR 150 bp product indicative of tNOX splice variant mRNA was measured in the blood of cancer patients and healthy volunteers. Venous blood samples were collected into 7 ml vacutainers containing potassium EDTA. The specimens were snap frozen and stored at -80° C until RNA extraction. Total RNA from whole peripheral blood was extracted using Fast Lane Cell cDNA kit (Qiagen). Cancer fraction, purity and amounts of total RNA were assessed by electrophoresis in Tris-Acetate-EDTA buffer on 1% agarose gels, with the DNA bands visualized by ethidium bromide staining. We evaluated 32 patients with histologic diagnosis of breast, lung, or ovarian cancer and 22 healthy volunteers. The specificity and sensitivity of the nested RT-PCR procedure was established initially using human cancer cell lines in culture (HeLa cervical carcinoma, BT-20 mammary carcinoma, MCF-10 mammary non-cancer.) Splice variant-specific tNOX primers were designated according to published sequence information (Available from GenBank under Accession No. AF 207881). Each RT-PCR run included a positive control (tNOX-positive cell line or blood donor and blood from a negative donor). Under the assay conditions developed, 100% of patients with cancer were positive for tNOX splice variant mRNA. Samples from individuals free of disease or with disorders other than cancer were negative within the limits of detection of the assay. In conclusion, this assay is a promising tool for detecting circulating cancer cells. Larger cohorts will be required in future studies to define the impact, if any, of this technology to detect splice variant-tNOX mRNA in blood borne cells and it9s utility in cancer management.
Citrullination in Inflammatory-Driven Carcinogenesis of the Colon

Chronic inflammatory diseases are often accompanied by an increased risk of carcinogenesis. Many stimuli can be attributed to the onset of chronic inflammation. In ulcerative colitis, specifically, protein arginine deiminase (PAD) expression and levels of citrullinated proteins are elevated and credited to the initiation of the disease. Subsequently, PAD levels are higher in human samples with inflammatory-driven carcinogenesis of the colon as compared to normal healthy tissue. PAD inhibition with Cl-amidine has successfully suppressed signs of inflammation and tumors in ulcerative colitis and colitis-driven carcinogenesis, respectively. The efficacy of Cl-amidine as a pan-PAD inhibitor indicates the essential role of PADs in ulcerative colitis and inflammatory-driven carcinogenesis of the colon.
The Industrial Revolution: A Cliometric Perspective

The Industrial Revolution in England represented most importantly a change in the growth rate of the efficiency of the economy from close to zero in the years before 1800 to rates typical of those for modern England or the USA by 1860. This paper details the overall change in productivity growth rates and shows also how this created an even greater increase in income per capita from induced capital accumulation. It also details the sectoral sources of this growth. Lastly, the paper considers how this fundamental economic transformation might be explained as a function of institutions, ideas, demography, and human capital investments.
Indications for and outcomes of emergency peripartum hysterectomy. A five-year review.

OBJECTIVE: To review risk factors, management and outcomes of emergency peripartum hysterectomy performed in the last five years at Stony Brook University Hospital. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive and cohort analyses from January 1990 to January 1995. Incidences of emergency peripartum hysterectomy and placenta accreta were determined. Relative risks of hysterectomy for specified risk factors were calculated. RESULTS: There were 39 cases of emergency peripartum hysterectomy, for an overall incidence of 2.7/1,000 births. Indications for emergency hysterectomy were placenta accreta, unspecified bleeding, uterine rupture, myomas and atony with placenta accreta, the most common. The crude relative risk of emergency hysterectomy was 46.9 (n = 37) for cesarean delivery, 15.24 (n = 31) for prior cesarean delivery and 110.83 (n = 21) for placenta previa. CONCLUSION: Cesarean delivery, prior cesarean delivery, placenta accreta and uterine atony were identified as risk factors for emergency peripartum hysterectomy, and abnormal placentation was the primary cause of cesarean hysterectomy.
Profissionalismo público em uma era de transformações radicais: seu significado, desafios e treinamento

Public professionalism lives within a schizophrenic world today. On one hand more people aspire to be professionals than ever before. As the late Everett Hughes, perhaps the most eminent scholar of this topic, once wrote, “professions are more numerous than ever before. Professional people are a larger portion of the labor force. The professional attitude or mood is likewise more widespread; professional status more sought after.” Everywhere in advanced and developing nations public pro­fessionals and professionalism are triumphant in contributing to the GDP growth to shaping and implementing most if not all areas of public policy.
A mechanical reduced order model for elastomeric 3D printed architectures

Direct ink writing of silicone elastomers enables printing with precise control of porosity and mechanical properties of ordered cellular solids, suitable for shock absorption and stress mitigation applications. With the ability to manipulate structure and feedstock stiffness, the design space becomes challenging to parse to obtain a solution producing a desired mechanical response. Here, we derive an analytical design approach for a specific architecture. Results from finite element simulations and quasi-static mechanical tests of two different parallel strand architectures were analyzed to understand the structure-property relationships under uniaxial compression. Combining effective stiffness-density scaling with least squares optimization of the stress responses yielded general response curves parameterized by resin modulus and strand spacing. An analytical expression of these curves serves as a reduced order model, which, when optimized, provides a rapid design capability for filament-based 3D printed structures. As a demonstration, the optimal design of a face-centered tetragonal architecture is computed that satisfies prescribed minimum and maximum load constraints.