cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Low signal correction scheme for low dose CBCT: the good, the bad, and the ugly

Reducing radiation dose in C-arm Cone-beam CT (CBCT) image-guided interventional procedures is of great importance. However, reducing radiation dose may increase noise magnitude and generate noise streaks in the reconstructed image. Several approaches, ranging from simple to highly complex methods, have been proposed in an attempt to reduce noise and mitigate artifacts caused by low detector counts. These approaches include apodizing the ramp kernel used before backprojection, using an adaptive trimmed mean filter based on local flux information, employing penalized-likelihood approaches or edge-preserving filters for sinogram smoothing, incorporating statistical models into the so-called model based iterative reconstruction framework, and more. This work presents a simple yet powerful scheme for low signal correction in low dose CBCT by applying local anisotropic diffusion filtration to the raw detector data prior to the logarithmic transform. It was found that low signal correction efficiently reduced noise magnitude and noise streaks without considerably sacrificing spatial resolution. Yet caution must be taken when selecting the parameters used for low signal correction so that no spurious information is enhanced and noise streaks are effectively reduced.
Response by Kamel to Letter Regarding Article, "Pregnancy and the Risk of Aortic Dissection or Rupture: A Cohort-Crossover Analysis".

We thank Chun-Ka Wong et al for pointing out that Marfan syndrome poses an increased risk of aortic complications during pregnancy.1 Although we fully agree with the authors, reports of pregnancy-related aortic complications in patients with Marfan syndrome from specialist centers …
Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer of Nicotine and Food Cues in Deprived Cigarette Smokers

Introduction Smoking-related cues can promote drug-seeking behavior and curtail attempts to quit. One way to understand the potential impact of such cues is to compare cue-elicited behaviors for smoking and other reinforcers (eg, food) using the Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer paradigm, which measures how much control cues can exert over reward-seeking responses. Methods We tested the influence of appetitive cues on smokers' behavior following 12 hours of abstinence from smoking and eating. First, we equated the value of cigarette and food by assessing a Willingness-to-Pay measure for each reinforcer. Second, we evaluated behavioral differences between cues with Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer. In two phases, participants learned (1) the association between distinct stimuli and cigarette or food outcomes and, (2) specific instrumental responses that yielded such outcomes. Motivated behavior was probed under extinction in a subsequent transfer test assessing instrumental responding in the presence of the cues. Results Participants showed an increase in specific responding (eg, instrumental response associated with cigarette) when faced with the corresponding appetitive cue (eg, stimulus associated with cigarette) despite absence of outcome. Notably, they made more cigarette-seeking than food-seeking instrumental responses, suggesting that cues representative of cigarette outcomes exert stronger influences on behavior than non-drug (food) cues. Using a measure of subjective preference, we also observed that greater preference for cigarette-compared to food-cues correlated with increased cigarette-seeking behavior in the test phase. Conclusion Taken together, these results highlight how drug and non-drug cues differentially influence reward-seeking behaviors during deprivation, which has implications for smoking cessation treatment and relapse. Implications This study examines the motivational influence of both drug and non-drug cues within a single sample of cigarette smokers. Our results demonstrate that the motivational properties of smoking cues differ from cues relating to other types of reward, such as food. This research informs smoking cessation programs to target the salience of nicotine cues and the maladaptive drug-seeking behaviors prompted by them.
More appositives in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your Linguistics

In this paper I lay out a proposal for a typology of appositive relative clauses. By studying the characteristics of appositive relative clauses in five languages (Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian and English), I identify three types of appositive relative clauses: non-integrated, semi-integrated and (fully)-integrated. The empirical investigation leads to the following findings: 1. Mandarin Chinese and Japanese appositive relative clauses belong to the class of fully integrated appositives; 2. English appositive relative clauses are diametrically different from the fully integrated ones. I classify them as non-integrated appositives; 3. Italian and French have two types of appositives: semi-integrated and non-integrated; 4. Reduced relative clauses can also be appositive: if pre-nominal, they are fully integrated; if post nominal, they are semi-integrated. The empirical data is accounted for by a proposal that is based on the following elements: 1. the syntax of non-integrated and semi-integrated appositive relative clauses involves a CommaP projection and/or a ForceP projection; fully integrated appositives lack both of these projections; 2. the non-integrated appositives’ relative pronoun is E-type; 3. the syntax of prenominal appositive relative clauses prevents them from licensing an overt relative pronoun, and therefore an E-type pronoun; 4. the CommaP triggers the intonational break at PF and, following Koev (2013) in spirit, it introduces a variable for the content of the constituents in its scope, thereby preventing such constituents from being bound from operators and quantifiers in the host clause. The empirical data analyzed and the account proposed leave us with an interesting fine-grained typology of appositives, thereby confirming a trend in the research on appositives pointing to the conclusion that we are dealing with a more variegated set of constructions than previously thought.
Serum S100 Proteins as a Marker of Disease Activity in Large Vessel Vasculitis

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are widely used biomarkers in giant cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu arteritis (TAK); however, both can be normal in smoldering disease,1–3 and other biomarkers have proven unhelpful.4 A search for improved biomarkers is warranted. C
Bioaerosols Over the Indo-Gangetic Plain: Influence of Biomass Burning Emission and Ambient Meteorology

Bioaerosols (particles of biological origin) can be produced from living or dead plants and animals. They can potentially serve as the cloud condensation and ice nuclei (CCN and IN). Their role in global carbon cycle further highlights importance of studying their variability to link up with climate relevance parameters. Focusing on tropical region reveals that it holds wealthy number of human population and has massive vegetation cover-area. From Indian region, production estimates of bioaerosols from human population (current: ~1.25 billion; of which over 45% resides in Indo-Gangetic Plain: IGP) and Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks (100 in numbers, situated from north to south and east to west) is not known. Most of the forest fires in India occur during March–June (hot and drier season). The detailed information on chemical composition, fingerprinting and radiative forcing from regional forest fires is also lacking. Unlike natural sources (forest cover and fires), the seasonal variability of pollutants emission characteristic and chemical, optical and radiative forcing are relatively well studied from anthropogenic biomass (post-harvest paddy- and wheat-residue and biofuels) burning emission in India. However, the abundance of bioaerosols and their variability over a large stretch of IGP (north-west to north-east) was not well documented. Towards this, we have undertaken a year-long campaign to study and document (first-attempt) bioaerosols variability over a complete annual cycle from central IGP. We observed a parallel enhancement in concentrations of fine-particulate matter (PM2.5 in October–November: 158 ± 89 µg m−3 as compared to June–September months: 40 ± 18 µg m−3; two-tailed t = 8.2, p 4 mm daily) precipitation, whereas it showed positive correlations with RH and low precipitation amount (<4 mm). Studying bioaerosols and establishing its linkage to health and climate appear to be of utmost importance.
Superior metastasis-free survival for patients with high-risk prostate cancer treated with definitive radiation therapy compared to radical prostatectomy: A propensity score-matched analysis.

Abstract Purpose For high-risk prostate cancer (HR-PCa) in men with a life expectancy of at least 10 years, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends radiation therapy (RT) plus androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) with category 1 evidence or radical prostatectomy (RP) as an acceptable initial therapy. Randomized evidence regarding which therapy is optimal for disease control is lacking for men with HR-PCa. We performed a propensity-score-matched comparison of outcomes for men with localized HR-PCa treated with primary RT or RP. Methods and materials The medical records of patients with localized HR-PCa who were treated at our institution between 2002 and 2011 were reviewed. Patient and disease characteristics, treatment details, and outcomes were collected. A combination of nearest-neighbor propensity score matching on age, Adult Comorbidity Evaluation-27 comorbidity index, prostate-specific antigen, biopsy Gleason scores, and clinical T-stage as well as exact matching on prostate-specific antigen, biopsy Gleason scores, and clinical T-stage was performed. Outcomes were measured from diagnosis. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used to compare metastasis-free and overall survival. Results A total of 246 patients were identified with 62 propensity-score-matched pairs. ADT was administered to 6.5% and 80.6% of patients receiving RP and RT, respectively. Five-year rates of metastasis for RP and RT were 33% and 8.9%, respectively (P = .003). Overall survival was not different. Delay of salvage therapy was longer for patients undergoing primary RT (P Conclusions At our institution, treatment with primary RT resulted in superior metastasis-free survival over RP. This was not accompanied by an improvement in OS.
An Engineering Approach to Modeling Complex Flow Behaviour of Polymer Solutions

The concept of energy dissipation and storage in a linear viscoelastic fluid in oscillatory deformation is used as a basis for generalizing the definition of the Fanning friction factor. First order characteristics of dissipative eddies are used to apply the model to turbulent flow, and the definition of the fluid relaxation time is extended to account for nonlinear properties. The resulting model is used as a basis for correlation of drag reduction data for both fresh and degraded polyacrylamide solutions of various concentrations in a range of tube sizes on a common line with the Newtonian solvent. The model predictions are consistent with other observations on the relation between drag reduction and polymer concentration, degradation, tube diameter, and boundary layer properties.
Communication architecture for processing spatio-temporal continuous queries in sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks have revolutionized distributed micro-sensing because of their ease of deployment, ad hoc connectivity and cost-effectiveness. They have also enabled collecting and monitoring data from a very large area or possibly several independent areas geographically separated from each other and such a process is known as spatio-temporal data monitoring. In this paper, we define an energy-aware routing infrastructure that enables distributed query processing and supports processing of spatio-temporal queries within the network. As operator execution demands high computation capability, we propose a possible use of a heterogeneous sensor network where query operators are assigned to sparsely-deployed resource-rich nodes within a dense network of low power sensor nodes. We have designed an adaptive, decentralized, low communication overhead algorithm to determine optimal operator placement on the resource-rich nodes such that data transfer cost in the network is minimized. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to build an energy-aware communication architecture to enable in-network processing of spatio-temporal queries.
The Effect of Lattice Temperature on Abnormal Subgrain Growth Simulations using a Monte Carlo Technique

Abnormal subgrain growth occurs in single-phase materials when the structure contains special subgrains that have growth advantage compared to others in their vicinity by virtue of having unique boundary properties such as low energy and high mobility. Monte Carlo simulations of abnormal subgrain growth were carried out for a wide range of such abnormal growth conditions. For a given abnormal growth condition, the simulation results were found to be sensitive to the choice of the lattice temperature used. When the lattice temperature was too low, the growth kinetics and the shape of the abnormal grain was influenced by the lattice geometry. At higher lattice temperatures, the lattice effects were reduced but the simulation results were scattered around the theoretical prediction of the maximum stable size ratio of the abnormal subgrain to the matrix subgrain. Simulations in which the local lattice temperature was scaled according to the relative boundary energy appeared to reduce the scatter associated with constant lattice temperature simulations, but a discrepancy between theory and simulation was noticed, with the simulations predicting consistently lower values than theoretical. Further simulations with larger system sizes are required in order to better understand the mesoscale issues associated with abnormal subgrain growth.
An Auction-Based Negotiation Protocol for Agents with Nonlinear Utility Functions

Multi-issue negotiation protocols have been studied widely and represent a promising field since most negotiation problems in the real world involve multiple issues. The vast majority of this work has assumed that negotiation issues are independent, so agents can aggregate the utilities of the issue values by simple summation, producing linear utility functions. In the real world, however, such aggregations are often unrealistic. We cannot, for example, just add up the value of car's carburetor and the value of car's engine when engineers negotiate over the design a car. These value of these choices are interdependent, resulting in nonlinear utility functions. In this paper, we address this important gap in current negotiation techniques. We propose a negotiation protocol where agents employ adjusted sampling to generate proposals, and an auction mechanism is used to find social-welfare maximizing deals. Our experimental results show that our method substantially outperforms existing methods in large nonlinear utility spaces like those found in real world contexts. Further, we show that our protocol is incentive compatible.
FINITE GROUPS OF 2-LOCAL 3-RANK AT MOST 1

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the concepts of finite groups of 2-local 3-rank at most 1. It focuses on the case in which the centralizer of every involution of G is 2-constrained. Using some standard theorems, the case in which G is of characteristic 2-type—every 2-local subgroup of G is 2-constrained and has a trival core and SCN 3 (2) is nonempty in G—is obtained. As Thompson's work on N-groups and 3'-groups indicates, this case divides into three major subcases. In the extension of Thompson's N-group analysis to the classification of groups with solvable 2-local subgroups, Janko treated the case e(G) = 1.
Generative planning for hybrid systems based on flow tubes

When controlling an autonomous system, it is inefficient or sometimes impossible for the human operator to specify detailed commands. Instead, the field of AI autonomy has developed goal-directed systems, in which human operators specify a series of goals to be accomplished. Increasingly, the control of autonomous systems involves performing a mix of discrete and continuous actions. For example, a typical autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) mission involves discrete actions, like get GPS and set sonar, and continuous actions, like descend and ascend, which involve continuous dynamics of the vehicle. Accordingly, we develop a hybrid planner that determines a series of discrete and continuous actions that achieve the mission goals. In this paper, we describe a novel approach to solving the generative planning problem for hybrid systems, involving both continuous and discrete actions. The planner, Kongming, incorporates two innovations. First, it employs a compact representation of all hybrid plans, called a Hybrid Flow Graph, which combines the strengths of a Planning Graph for discrete actions and Flow Tubes for continuous actions. Second, it encodes the Hybrid Flow Graph as a mixed logic linear/nonlinear program, which it solves using an off-the-shelf solver. We empirically demonstrate that Kongming can efficiently plan for real-world scenarios that are based on science missions performed at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI).
Pulmonary Fibrosis and Oxidative Stress

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an interstitial lung disease characterized by progressive fibrosis of the alveolar interstitium. The pathogenesis is thought to involve abnormal re-epithelialization and dysregulated remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) after alveolar injury. There is growing evidence through human and animal studies that oxidative stress plays a role in this dysregulation. Markers of oxidative stress have been identified in the lungs of IPF patients and aberrant antioxidant activity exacerbates pulmonary fibrosis in animal models. In addition, the ECM is a critical component in regulating cellular homeostasis and appropriate wound healing. Recent investigations support that the matrix is a target of oxidative stress in the lung and IPF. ECM degradation products, produced by reactive oxygen species, may promote fibrogenesis by influencing epithelial, mesenchymal, and inflammatory cell activity. The impact of the interactions of oxidative stress and the matrix of the lung remains unclear and may prove to be an important target for new therapies in IPF. Utilizing oxidative species, antioxidants, enzymes, or the tissue matrix as therapeutic targets to control oxidative stress in IPF will continue to be an area of active research and innovative discoveries in the coming years.
Fermi Surface Nesting and Phonon Frequency Gap Drive Anomalous Thermal Transport.

The lattice thermal conductivity, ${k}_{L}$, of typical metallic and nonmetallic crystals decreases rapidly with increasing temperature because phonons interact more strongly with other phonons than they do with electrons. Using first principles calculations, we show that ${k}_{L}$ can become nearly independent of temperature in metals that have nested Fermi surfaces and large frequency gaps between acoustic and optic phonons. Then, the interactions between phonons and electrons become much stronger than the mutual interactions between phonons, giving the fundamentally different ${k}_{L}$ behavior. This striking trend is revealed here in the group V transition metal carbides, vanadium carbide, niobium carbide, and tantalum carbide, and it should also occur in several other metal compounds. This work gives insights into the physics of heat conduction in solids and identifies a new heat flow regime driven by the interplay between Fermi surfaces and phonon dispersions.
Caregiver perception of speech quality in patients with ankyloglossia: Comparison between surgery and non-treatment.

Abstract Objectives Our objective was to determine if there are differences in caregiver perception of speech for patients that undergo frenulectomy compared to patients that were not surgically treated. Introduction Ankyloglossia is a controversial topic without standardized treatment guidelines. Although there have been several studies suggesting that breastfeeding does improve after frenulectomy, there is a paucity of literature that investigates the relationship between ankyloglossia and speech. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted to identify patients with ankyloglossia. Patients were categorized into surgical treatment (frenulectomy) and non-treatment groups. Caregivers of both groups were contacted by phone and surveyed on speech quality and tongue mobility using Likert scores. Mann Whitney-U testing was used to determine if there were significant differences in perceived speech quality between the surgical and non-surgical groups. Results The caregivers of seventy-seven patients participated in the phone survey: 46 (60%) children in the surgical group and 31 (40%) children in the non-surgical group who participated in the phone survey. There were no differences in difficulty with speech (p = 0.484) and tongue mobility (p = 0.064) between the two groups. However, patients that underwent surgical intervention for ankyloglossia reported less difficulty with tongue tasks (p Conclusions It appears that children with ankyloglossia might have similar speech quality following frenulectomy in comparison to speech quality without treatment. Children who undergo frenulectomy may experience improvements in tongue tasks. This data should encourage further research on the management of speech concerns in children with ankyloglossia.
Testing of anisole and methyl acetate as additives to diesel and biodiesel fuels in a compression ignition engine

Abstract This paper investigates the effects of anisole and methyl acetate (as fuel additives) on the performance and emission characteristics of a compression-ignition (i.e., diesel) engine. Anisole and methyl acetate can be obtained from methylation of phenol and acetic acid, respectively. Phenol and acetic acid are compounds which are abundant in bio-oil derived from pyrolysis of wood and is thus renewable in nature. Using methyl acetate as a diesel fuel additive in compression-ignition engines has rarely been reported in the literature. The objective of the current work is to provide testing results of methyl acetate and perform comparisons with anisole as fuel additives for both diesel and biodiesel fuels. The effects of loads, additive type, and base fuels were tested. The tested loads include 0, 1.26, 2.52, and 3.78 bar brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) and the base fuels include No.2 diesel and biodiesel from waste cooking oil. The additive concentrations were kept at 10% by volume. Engine performance, exhaust emissions, and in-cylinder combustion were measured and analyzed. For diesel-anisole (DA) blends, it was seen that the blends were comparable to diesel in terms of performance but with slightly higher fuel consumption rates. HC and CO emissions reduced slightly, however, NOx and soot concentration increased. Diesel-methyl acetate (DM) blends were comparable to diesel in terms of performance with a slight increase in the fuel consumption rates. HC and CO emissions decreased with added methyl acetates. NOx and soot concentration increased. Both anisole and methyl acetate of 10% by volume in biodiesel were tested and it was observed that both blends were slightly better than pure biodiesel in terms of performance. HC and CO emissions reduced for both blends. NOx and soot concentration however increased as compared to pure biodiesel. From the experiments, it is believed that both anisole and methyl acetate can be used as suitable additives to diesel and biodiesel in terms of performance; however, the emissions of NOx and soot can pose a challenge.
Estimates of Testing for Latent Tuberculosis Infection and Cost, United States, 2013.

Objectives:Tracking trends in the testing of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) can help measure tuberculosis elimination efforts in the United States. The objectives of this study were to estima...
Increasing Groundwater Availability and Seasonal Base Flow Through Agricultural Managed Aquifer Recharge in an Irrigated Basin

Author(s): Kourakos, G; Dahlke, HE; Harter, T | Abstract: Groundwater aquifers provide an important “insurance” against climate variability. Due to prolonged droughts and/or irrigation demands, groundwater exploitation results in significant groundwater storage depletion. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is a promising management practice that intentionally places or retains more water in groundwater aquifers than would otherwise naturally occur. In this study, we examine the possibility of using large irrigated agricultural areas as potential MAR locations (Ag-MAR). Using the California Central Valley Groundwater-Surface Water Simulation Model we tested four different agricultural recharge land distributions, two streamflow diversion locations, eight recharge target amounts, and five recharge timings. These scenarios allowed a systematic evaluation of Ag-MAR on changes in regional, long-term groundwater storage, streamflow, and groundwater levels. The results show that overall availability of stream water for recharge is critical for Ag-MAR systems. If stream water availability is limited, longer recharge periods at lower diversion rates allow diverting larger volumes and more efficient recharge compared to shorter diversion periods with higher rates. The recharged stream water increases both groundwater storage and net groundwater contributions to streamflow. During the first decades of Ag-MAR operation, the diverted water contributed mainly to groundwater storage. After 80 years of Ag-MAR operation about 34% of the overall diverted water remained in groundwater storage while 66% discharged back to streams, enhancing base flow during months with no recharge diversions. Groundwater level rise is shown to vary with the spatial and temporal distribution of Ag-MAR. Overall, Ag-MAR is shown to provide long-term benefits for water availability, in groundwater and in streams.
Pharmacist Presence Decreases Time to Prothrombin Complex Concentrate in Emergency Department Patients with Life-Threatening Bleeding and Urgent Procedures

Abstract Background Reversal of anticoagulation with four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC) is critical, yet the optimal timing to 4F-PCC administration and whether quicker administration improves hemostasis remains unknown. Objective The objective of this study was to determine if pharmacist presence is predictive of faster time to 4F-PCC. Methods This retrospective cohort study included patients receiving 4F-PCC for life-threatening bleeding or urgent procedure in the emergency department (ED) from 2014 to 2018. Patients with pharmacists at bedside (PharmD group) were compared with physician teams alone (control group). The primary outcome was time from ED presentation to 4F-PCC administration. Results Of 252 patients evaluated, 116 patients (46%) were included (n = 50 PharmD group; n = 66 control group). Most patients presented on warfarin (68.1%), and of the life-threatening bleeds (94%), intracranial hemorrhage was most common (67.2%). The median time to 4F-PCC administration was significantly shorter in the PharmD group (66.5 vs. 206.5 min, p Conclusion A pharmacist at the bedside of patients who present to the ED with life-threatening bleeding or need for emergent procedure decreased time to 4F-PCC administration by 140 min, even after accounting for confounders. Faster time to 4F-PCC was associated with significantly shorter intensive care unit and hospital LOS.
Metformin Decreases Caveolin-1 Expression in Differentiated Human Preadipocytes

BackgroundWe have previously shown that increased caveolin-1 expression impairs leptin-dependent activation of cellular signaling pathways and may be responsible for attenuating leptin-mediated inc...
Model for Arithmetical Programing for Handicapped Children.

An alternative to current arithmetical programing for the handicapped is presented. Components of the instructional system include (a) a learning unit, (b) an interactive unit, (c) a verbal information processing unit, and (d) a conceptual processing unit. The instructional system offers a multiple option curriculum for the development of quantitative concepts by the handicapped.
Clinical characteristics of children with Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome

Objective As a rare congenital malformation of the female reproductive urinary system, Herlyn-Werner-wunderlich (HWW) syndrome is composed of uterus didelphys, double cervix, double vagina, oblique vaginal septum and ipsilateral anomaly of urinary system (e.g. renal agenesis). Its clinical symptoms generally appear after an onset of menarche in adolescence. Vaginal septal resection is the only effective treatment. It can relieve patient symptoms and improve the prognosis. With the popularization of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the diagnosis of HWW syndrome is rising in children. The aim of our study was to explore the clinical characteristics of HWW syndrome in children . Methods Retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 5 hospitalized children with HWW syndrome from January 1, 2015 to March 31, 2018. The average age was 7.39 (1.74-12) years. All cases were diagnosed as HWW syndrome by ultrasound, MRI and surgery. Results The median follow-up period was 14 (1-36) months. Clinical types were I (n=1) and Ⅱ (n=4). The predominant clinical symptom was vaginal purulent secretion. The procedures were cystoscopic vaginal septal resection (n=3), cystoscopic vaginal septal resection (n=1) and vaginal dilatation & septal resection (n=1). One case had postoperative urinary dripping while another case of recurrent vaginal purulent secretion was relieved after vaginal irrigation. Other symptoms improved significantly. Conclusions HWW syndrome is rare in children. The predominant symptom is intermittent vaginal purulent secretion or urinary leakage. Ultrasound may be employed as a first choice for examination and MRI aids a definite diagnosis. During the treatment of vaginal septum, hymen should be properly protected. Postoperative vaginal flushing is essential. Early diagnosis and treatment of vaginal septal syndrome can not only alleviate symptoms, but also reduce complications. Key words: Child; Diagnosis; Gynatresia; Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich Syndrome
Strategy at the State Level

The field of public administration has neglected the subject of strategy-making at the state level. This is an unfortunate gap in our knowledge, because high-level strategy shapes administrative practices at lower levels in important ways. We can correct this deficiency by borrowing the concept of grand strategy from International Relations and modifying it for our purposes. Leaders of states craft governing strategies that identify national priorities and the main lines of national policy, and then reform institutions to give effect to their strategic choices. Governing strategies are fragile and vary substantially over time and place. A range of questions relating to state-level strategy should be pursued by researchers. The subject should be incorporated in curricula of public administration programs as well.
Cross-sectional, quantitative analysis of motor function in females with HNRNPH2-related disorder.

Abstract Aims To describe the gross motor function of individuals with HNRNPH2-related disorder (OMIM 300986, Mental Retardation, X-linked, Syndrome, Bain Type; MRXSB) and determine the associations between clinician-measured motor function and caregiver-reported mobility scores. Methods Developmental histories of 17 female participants with HNRNPH2-related disorder (mean age 11.2 years, range 2.7–37.1 years) with various genotypes within and adjacent to the nuclear localization sequence (NLS) were analyzed. Participants performed the Gross Motor Function Measure-88 (GMFM-88) and caregivers completed developmental histories and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT). Results All participants had measurable and quantifiable motor impairments. A strong positive correlation between the clinician-measured GMFM-88 total score and the caregiver-reported PEDI-CAT mobility domain score was established. Motor deficits were noted more often in individuals who were nonverbal. The 2 participants with genotypes adjacent to the NLS appear to have milder motor phenotypes. Conclusions The GMFM-88 and PEDI-CAT are useful and feasible measures of mobility in individuals with HNRNPH2-related disorders. Convergent validity was established between the clinician-measured GMFM-88 raw scores and caregiver-reported PEDI-CAT mobility domain scores. Factors including verbal status and genotype may impact motor abilities.
Special Purpose Temporal Processing in Hippocampal Fields CA1 and CA3

The kind of learning you are doing now is characterized by rapid acquisition (the speed of reading), enormous capacity (further learning does not force out or interfere with prior learning) and persistence: what you learn from a page can potentially last decades. These features are extremely unusual for any biological mechanism, for which homeostasis is the norm. The only known mechanism having these properties is synaptic long-term potentiation, or LTP, and it is therefore the leading, and currently the only, candidate mechanism for rapid, persistent, high-capacity learning. In contrast, slowly accreted learning of the kind that occurs when one learns motor skills such as riding a bicycle or playing racquetball, may be subserved by a different set of mechanisms.
Generalized Entropy and Projection Clustering of Categorical Data

We generalize the notion of entropy for a set of attributes of a table and we study its applications to clustering of categorical data. This new concept allows greater flexibility in identifying sets of attributes and, in a certain case, is naturally related to the average distance between the records that are the object of clustering. An algorithm that identifies clusterable sets of attributes (using several types of entropy) is also presented as well as experimental results obtained with this algorithm.
Separation of fly ash using density gradient centrifugation

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the development of a lightweight concrete using high percentages of fly ash. It is easier to produce a lightweight concrete if the starting materials are of lower density; the separation of fly ash into fractions of lower bulk density is investigated in the chapter. Fly ash can be separated based upon density differences among different particles, and both bulk and trace element chemistry vary with particle density. Most of the trace elements are associated with the denser particles of fly ash. This data indicates that significant improvements in leachate quality are achieved by eliminating the fly ash of highest density from any products that might be formed. Although insufficient low-density material can be isolated from fly ash, it significantly impact lightweight concrete production, and the use of the low density fractions in more specialized applications remains a possibility.
Role of fructans redistributed from vegetative tissues in grain filling of wheat and barley

The storage of fructans in the internode of cereals is an important phenomenon because it serves as a supplement to contributions from the remaining green tissue to the filling of grains in the head and thus to yield. Stem remobilization of fructans to the kernel was last reviewed in 1993 (1) when the reported contribution was estimated at 11–44 percent of the grain dry weight. Contributions of stem fructan to the weight gain of the kernel have utilized mass balance as the chief method for acquiring data. Some have supplemented this data by tagging the carbon molecules stored in the stem and then measuring the amount of tag remobilized to the grain. Stable isotope enrichment ( 13 C), and radiolabeled CO 2 have been used to tag carbon moved to the stem and then to the grain. All of these methods yield estimates that are relatively accurate, but by the complex nature of the measurement are not quantitatively precise. Cereals have two ways to buffer the genotype by environment interaction on kernel weight gain. One is in the development of transport tissues with in the head and individual spikelet, the other is reserve storage in the stem. Changing these buffering systems to optimize grain weight could result in record high and low yields depending on the growing conditions and cultivar planted. Fructan accumulation may have other adaptive advantages but the stem storage for supplementing assimilates during kernel growth is an important role for maintaining yield during environmental stress.
Velocity and stress fields of polymeric liquids flowing in a periodically constricted channel: Part 2. Observations of non-Newtonian behavior

Abstract The apparatus described in the preceding Part 1 of this work has been used to investigate the flow behavior of a 20% polystyrene solution in a periodically constricted channel. Local velocity and stress measurements made over a range of flow rates, corresponding to creeping flow and shear-rate based Weissenberg numbers as large as 15, exhibited clear departures from Newtonian behavior. These departures included normal stress growth delay, local maxima and sign reversal in the shear stress near the flow cell surfaces, and significant deviation of the axial velocity profile from Newtonian predictions. Finite element simulations for creeping flow of the generalized Newtonian, upper convected Maxwell and White-Metzner fluids predict all of these features to some extent, but in general fail to describe the overall behavior of the fluid. A simplified analysis, using the Maxwell model with a shear-thinning velocity profile, indicates that the most striking non-Newtonian effect, the shear stress sign reversal, is associated with elastic recoil as fluid elements near the wall move from a region of high shear rate into a region of low shear rate. That this can occur only if the shear rates along the wall exceed the Newtonian predictions is consistent with our observations.
The Conscience of Croatia

This is a review of the facts regarding Croatian Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac's resistance to the Nazis and the Ustashe during WWII and his prosecution/imprisonment by the communists in Yugoslavia following the war. Croatia came out from under communist control in 1992. Documents related to his trial prove that Stepinac was a strong opponent of the Ustashe, and that he was framed by Tito’s communist regime. The proceedings reveal how the communists distorted the record and manufactured evidence to cast the Catholic Church and her leaders in a bad light. Communist-manufactured evidence designed to prosecute Stepinac has made its way into the case against Pius XII.
Valvular pulmonary stenosis. A report of 100 surgically treated cases.

Abstract One hundred cases of surgically treated valvular pulmonary stenosis are reported. Review of symptoms and signs revealed no consistent relation to the severity of the lesion. Results as evaluated by reduction of gradient and mortality show good success with transarterial pulmonary valvulotomy under hypothermia and inflow occlusion. In the 42 cases in whom pre- and postoperative assessment of the resting right ventricular gradient was available, only 8 had residual gradients exceeding 30 mm. Hg. Only 1 patient required resection of infundibular tissue. The over-all mortality was 10 per cent and operative mortality was 6. The incidence of pulmonary incompetence was 46 per cent. However, this lesion has been of negligible clinical significance in this series. It is concluded that pulmonary valvulotomy using hypothermia and inflow occlusion is adequate in cases of isolated valvular pulmonary stenosis without significant interatrial communication or infundibular hypertrophy.
Frequency dependent dielectric constants of discrete random media

Numerical computations of the effective dielectric constant of discrete random media are presented as a function of frequency. Such media have a complex dielectric constant giving rise to absorption of a propagating wave both due to geometric dispersion or multiple scattering as well as absorption, if any, due to the viscosity of the particles and the matrix medium. We are concerned with the absorption due to multiple scattering. The scattering characteristics of the individual particles are described by a transition or T-matrix. The effects of two models of the pair correlation function which arises in the multiple scattering analysis are considered. Pie conclude that the well stirred approximation (WSA) is good for sparse concentrations and/or high frequencies whereas the Percus-Yevick approximation (P-YA) is preferred for higher concentrations.
Infrared hole-burning spectroscopy of matrix-isolated ReO 4 − molecules

CO2-laser–diode-laser hole-burning spectroscopy has been used to measure the temperature-dependent homogeneous linewidth of the ReO4− infrared active internal-vibrational mode (ν3) in alkali halide lattices. Hole widths as small as 20 MHz (FWHM) have been observed in an inhomogeneously broadened line of width as large as 1 cm−1. Our measurement of the homogeneous linewidth over 4 orders of magnitude indicates that elastic acoustic phonon scattering is the dominant T2 relaxation process from 10 to 600 K.
Consumer Gifting Behaviors

Abstract Occurrences of interpersonal gift-giving and self-gifting situations are prevalent in our society. However, previous research has not looked at the possible relationship between the two. This paper surveyed individuals regarding their personal gifting behaviors. Not surprisingly, respondents were more likely to buy for others than themselves; however, individuals did report self-gifting from six to ten times per year. Females in virtually every category were significantly more likely to gift than malesboth in interpersonal gifting and self-gifting. Non-married individuals were, in some situations, more prone to self-gifting than married individuals. Very few respondents experienced regret (dissonance) after purchases were made.
Oxygen saturation monitoring in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU): Evaluation of a new alarm management

Objective: Oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring is an integral part of patient care in intensive care units. Unfortunately, the clinical application of this technology has been adversely affected by the unacceptably high rate of false alarms, which has resulted in desensitizing the clinicians to SpO2 alarms The SatSeconds TM alarm management feature (Nellcor TM ) incorporates an integral alarm. The primary hypothesis is that there will be progressive reduction in percentage saturation using the SatSeconds TM alarm feature depending on the integral settings. Study design: 29 patients were monitored for 2 hours each with the study monitor. Upper and lower oxygen saturation alarm limits were determined individually and manually recorded and preset on the test oximeter for later analysis of alarm events. Test oximeter display values were not used for patient management. Audible alarms were silenced throughout the study. Results: Alarm events were recorded while the SatSeconds TM alarm management feature was set at various points. With application of the SatSeconds TM alarm management feature, there was an overall decrease in alarms to 40% with a setting of 50 SatSeconds TM . Conclusion: Application of an integrated alarm system such as SatSeconds TM alarm management feature allows caregivers to respond to clinically relevant alarms.
Giant blastoconidia of Candida albicans. A case report and review of the literature.

Abstract We describe a patient with extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma who developed systemic candidiasis after treatment with a cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy regimen. Histologically, the fungal organisms demonstrated markedly enlarged blastoconidia with a variety of morphologic forms, mimicking other mycotic organisms, such as Cryptococcus neoformans, Blastomyces dermatitidis, and Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. The in vivo occurrence of such giant forms is rare, and when observed histologically may result in an erroneous diagnosis or a diagnosis of multiple mycotic organisms.
Low-residue soldering of military electronics

In support of the Montreal Protocol and a directive from former President George Bush to phase out production of ozone-depleting chemicals (ODCs), Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) mandated the elimination of ODCs from TI operations by the end of 1994. ODCs were used extensively in the TI Defense Systems and Electronics business for cleaning circuit card assemblies (CCAs) after soldering. In 1991, TI began evaluating low-residue flux (LRF)/controlled atmosphere soldering (CAS) as an alternative to cleaning rosin flux residues from CCAs with ODCs. This paper details TI's evaluation and successful implementation of the LRF/CAS process in the production of military electronics. This process is approved for use on 60 military programs at TI ESD in McKinney, Texas, USA.
The Alpha Bias in Asset Allocation Performance Measurement

Professional asset allocators frequently report positive alphas, and the generation of alpha is widely discussed in the context of asset allocation. This paper demonstrates that two-fund asset allocation strategies contain a positive-alpha bias and derives an expression for the alpha of an asset allocator. An examination of the properties of the alpha of an asset allocator show that while it does capture an element of asset allocation ability, it is influenced by a factor unrelated to ability and subject to manipulation so that randomly chosen positions can lead to long-term positive estimated alphas. Only extremely large but impractical sample sizes can eliminate the bias, which can add as much as 25 basis points to the performance of a manager using a random number generator. Artificially setting the beta to the proportion of periods in the market can eliminate this bias, but alpha still cannot separate capable asset allocators from those using random number generators. Widely-used alternatives such as Henriksson-Merton, Treynor-Mazuy, and the Sharpe ratio show some ability to discriminate but have unacceptably large Type I errors. Thus, this paper provides new results that show why asset allocators are so enthusiastic about reporting alphas, why such results must be looked upon with skepticism, and why alternatives do not perform any better. In general, alpha and these performance evaluation techniques are able to recognize good managers, but bad managers are lumped in with good ones.
Ultraviolet/visible polarimetric signatures for discrimination

The feasibility of polarization technology to solve some of the stressing problems faced by BMDO has been demonstrated theoretically and experimentally. Aim point selection and the ability to discriminate targets from decoys, debris, etc. have been identified as the most stressing requirements for current BMDO interceptors. Simulations predict and field tests confirm that polarization technology has the potential to satisfy these requirements. Studies indicate that polarization signatures are more sensitive to target shape and dynamics than radiometric data. Polarized self emission signatures were found to provide the precise orientation of an object in precessional motion. The additional information gained from polarization may enhance an interceptor's capability to distinguish a target from decoys. Methods for the detection of linearly polarized UV radiation from missiles is briefly summarized. A novel optical system which simultaneously measures linear polarization Stokes vector elements on a single focal place is introduced. Preliminary measurements of polarized light from UV lamp reflections and from model rocket motor tests have been made with this system.