cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Document Data Bases.

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the content and format of seven machine-readable bibliographic data bases: Chemical Abstracts Service Condensates, Chemical and Biological Activities, and Polymer Science and Technology, Biosciences Information Service's BA Previews including Biological Abstracts and BioResearch Index, Institute for Science Information Source Tape, and Engineering Index COMPENDEX. Selected issue test tapes of each data base were printed and checked for the types of data that were contained in the issue and the methods in which the data were formatted. This paper compares the physical formats of the tapes and describes the varied treatments given to such data elements as authors, titles, abstracts, etc. Comparison of data bases requires common use of terms. All terms are defined at the beginning of the paper. The authors found great discrepancies in the presentation of essentially similar bibliographic data, and they offer some suggestions for mitigating the discrepancies by use of standards.
Coulometric High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Analysis of Morphine in Biological Fluids

A simple method is described for the determination of morphine in biological fluids (plasma and urine) by high-performance liquid chromatography with coulometric detection. The detector consists of three porous electrodes which are arranged in a way to give maximum selectivity and sensitivity. Quantiation of morphine is performed using naloxone as the internal standard. Sample preparation involves an extraction procedure from plasma and urine. The limit of qualification of the method is 1 ng/mL plasma. The methodology was applied to measure blood levles in rats after subcutaneous administration of a slow-release morphine pellet.
Lattice Boltzmann Modeling of Ultrafast Laser Heating on Metal Film

Lattice Boltzmann method based on Boltzmann transport equation is developed to simulate the nanoscale heat transport in metal film. The Boltzmann transport equation is applicable to describe both electron and phonon scattering processes: the absorption of photon energy by electrons and the subsequent heating of metal lattice (phonons) through electron-phonon collisions. We show that the Boltzmann transport equation can give rise to the well-known two-temperature model. To validate our numerical tool, ultrafast laser heating on metal film is analyzed by lattice Boltzmann method and finite difference method based on two-step model separately, and exactly the same results are obtained. The predicted transient reflectivity changes agree with picosecond laser heating experiments data also.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Stream processing functions

One principle of structured programming is that a program should be separated into meaningful independent subprograms, which are then combined so that the relation of the parts to the whole can be clearly established. This papedr escribes several alternative ways to compose programs. The main method used is to permit the programmer to denote by an expression the sequence of values taken on by a variable. The sequence is represented by a function called a stream, which is a functional analog of a coroutine. The conventional while and for loops of structured programming may be composed by a technique of stream processing (analogous to list processing), which results in more structured programs than the originals. This technique makes it possible to structure a program in a natural way into its logically separate parts, which can then be considered independently.
Gandhi, the civilizational crucible, and the future of dissent

Abstract The recent nuclear tests by India have established that the possibilities for dissent in our times have dangerously narrowed. When a country that was led to its independence by the chief theorist and practitioner of non-violence, Mohandas Gandhi, must demonstrate to the community of nations that it is a `manly' power, that is an indubitable sign of how far any dissent from realpolitik has become merely a distant hope. But, there is still a future for dissent, where dissent will not be couched only, or even, in the various idioms with which the West is familiar. The life and teachings of Gandhi furnish the first clue for an emancipatory politics of knowledge. Gandhi had a profoundly ecological view of life: he recognized neither the infallible authority of texts nor the sanctity of imagined traditions, but he was also the foremost critic of modernity and its cultural practices. Gandhi was tethered, as well, to the ethos of Indian civilization, and in the deep mythic structuring of this civilization, which was more hospitable to plurality than is possible under any nation-state, lie other clues for a politics of knowledge that allows more room for genuine dissent. To move towards a politics of the future, where cultural difference is not compromised by a mere multiculturalism, a thoroughgoing critique of modern categories of knowledge is required.
A morphed intermolecular bending potential of OC–HCl

Abstract A morphed intermolecular bending potential energy surface (PES) has been generated for the dimer OC–HCl. This morphed potential is determined from gas phase spectroscopic data and found to have a global minimum with a well depth of 694.9 cm −1 and linear OC–HCl geometry having R CM = 4.25 A, θ CO = 180.0°, θ HCl = 180.0°, and ϕ = 0.0°. The isomer CO–HCl is predicted with a well depth of 375.9 cm −1 and geometry R CM = 4.05 A, θ CO = 0.0°, θ HCl = 180.0°, and ϕ = 0.0°, which corresponds to a Δ E = 319.0 cm −1 between these potential energy minima.
Effects of ethanol infusion on serum hemoglobin and bile pigments

Efforts to explain the apparent association between alcoholic liver disease and pigment gallstones have, to date, resulted in conflicting conclusions. While some clinical studies suggest hemolysis as the major pathogenetic factor other human and laboratory investigations describe increases in biliary pigment occurring in the absence of detectable hemolysis. In the present acute experiments various ethanol solutions ranging from 25 to 50% (v/v) were infused into miniswine to determine their effects on free hemoglobin in serum and total and unconjugated bilirubin in bile. Rapid and parallel increases in serum ethanol and serum hemoglobin levels were noted. Gradual and reversible increases in unconjugated and total bilirubin were observed after 1 hr. For unconjugated bilirubin the peak levels ranged from two times baseline levels at 25% (v/v) to 12 times baseline levels at 50%. When maximum values of hemoglobin and unconjugated bilirubin were compared in all experiments a strong positive correlation was confirmed. These findings suggest that the acute intravenous administration of ethanol causes intravascular hemolysis over a wide range of concentrations and results in the secretion of significant levels of bilirubin into bile. The role of this mechanism in pigment cholelithiasis remains to be determined.
Electropalatography in the treatment of articulation/phonological disorders

Treatment using electropalatography (EPG) is described. Speech learners wear a custom-made appliance called a pseudopalate in order to view their tongue-to-palate (lingual palatal) contacts on a computer monitor. The results from studies with children who have either articulation or phonology-based problems are discussed. Assessments of contact patterns used by articulation-impaired children suggests that they may produce more atypical articulatory contacts than are noted perceptually. Remediation, using electropalatography, showed that the children benefited from learning new articulatory gestures rather than learning to correct isolated errors. Studies with phonologically-impaired children have shown that perceptually neutralized (or non-contrasted) sounds may actually be produced with consistent articulatory contrasts. This knowledge could assist in identifying sounds that might soon emerge and be more responsive to therapy. Training studies with phonologically-impaired children have shown that a motor approach using sound contrasts to teach a phonetic inventory is an effective way to assist these children. Considerations for candidacy for EPG training are also discussed.
Phantoms slain: Reading Gilligan as a revolutionary text

This article follows Carol Gilligan's work on moral development and gender psychology from its inception through its contemporary refinements and reads the entire opus as a revolutionary text, in terms of method as well as content. An interdisciplinary argument drawing on political philosophy and feminist theory supports a Vygotskian sociocultural‐historical interpretation. Simplistic dualistic models of gender development are rejected in favor of one that describes an embodied cultural‐historical subject capable of agency, resistance, and change. This reading works against the persistent essentialist misinterpretations of Gilligan's writings.
BCS theory of unconventional superconductivity in PrOs4Sb12

Abstract Anisotropic superconductivity has recently been observed in PrOs4Sb12. This superconductor contains at least two phases with different order parameter symmetry. Based upon recent proposals for the order parameters of these phases, we analyze the thermodynamics in this material within weak-coupling BCS theory.
Toward a contingent resource‐based theory: the impact of information asymmetry on the value of capabilities in veterinary medicine

The paper investigates the contingencies which define valuable resources in professional medical services. We identify activities with credence, experience, and search qualities in medical service industries in general, and in veterinary practices more specifically. We propose that different capabilities are needed to deliver different services and test whether the contingent combination of capabilities for particular services is linked to the performance of veterinary practices. For example, we expect that practice capabilities which help to retain clients are necessary for the successful delivery of services with experience qualities. We find evidence of performance benefits of client retention in a sample of 193 veterinary practices. We also find that in markets where competition from a new form of entrant is especially intense, an independent veterinarian’s credence activities combine with its experience and search activities to jointly improve practice profitability. Since the new entrants’ resources are mainly effective in the delivery of services with search qualities, the practice capabilities of the independent veterinarians that allow them to offer services with credence and experience qualities can be seen as a type of isolating mechanism. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Original Articles: Prostate Cancer: Indications for Ultrasound Guided Transition Zone Biopsies in the Detection of Prostate Cancer

ABSTRACTTransrectal prostate ultrasound and systematic sextant biopsies have improved peripheral zone cancer diagnosis but they may miss many cancers arising in the transition zone. Biopsies directed into the transition zone have been used to detect residual prostate cancer in patients diagnosed by transurethral resection and they have been suggested as potentially useful additions to systematic sextant biopsies. To define the indications for transition zone biopsies 187 men underwent evaluation including systematic sextant biopsies and transition zone biopsies. These patients were classified into 4 categories based on clinical presentation. Category 1 included 26 men with palpable nodularity and an elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA), of whom 16 (61.5%) had positive biopsies but none was positive only in the transition zone biopsies. Category 2 consisted of 49 men with sonographic abnormalities in the transition zone, of whom 15 (30.6%) had positive biopsies, including 2 (13.3%) with only positive t...
Optical cloaking with metamaterials

Artificially structured metamaterials have enabled unprecedented flexibility in manipulating electromagnetic waves and producing new functionalities, including the cloak of invisibility based on coordinate transformation1,2,3. Unlike other cloaking approaches4,5,6, which are typically limited to subwavelength objects, the transformation method allows the design of cloaking devices that render a macroscopic object invisible. In addition, the design is not sensitive to the object that is being cloaked. The first experimental demonstration of such a cloak at microwave frequencies was recently reported7. We note, however, that that design7 cannot be implemented for an optical cloak, which is certainly of particular interest because optical frequencies are where the word ‘invisibility’ is conventionally defined. Here we present the design of a non-magnetic cloak operating at optical frequencies. The principle and structure of the proposed cylindrical cloak are analysed, and the general recipe for the implementation of such a device is provided.
Clinical Characteristics, Outcomes, and Microbiologic Features Associated with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia in Pediatric Patients Treated with Vancomycin

Vancomycin is the first-line therapy for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia, but its efficacy in adult patients has been questioned. Less is known about the outcomes of MRSA bacteremia treated with vancomycin in pediatric patients. This study reviews the outcomes and clinical characteristics of MRSA bacteremia in children treated with vancomycin and characterizes the microbiologic and molecular features of the bloodstream isolates. A retrospective cohort study was conducted among pediatric patients with MRSA bacteremia treated with vancomycin for >5 days from 1 August 2005 to 31 May 2007 in a large tertiary care center. MRSA bloodstream isolates were characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility testing, PCR analysis of virulence genes, and Diversilab typing. Clinical records were reviewed for outcomes and comorbidities. A total of 22 pediatric patients with MRSA bacteremia were identified. Eleven cases (50.0%) were considered vancomycin treatment failures. Features significantly associated with vancomycin treatment failure were prematurity (P = 0.02) and isolates positive for Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) (P = 0.008). Features typically associated with community-associated MRSA strains were identified in hospital-associated isolates. A dominant clone was not responsible for the high number of treatment failures. Further studies are needed to determine if vancomycin should be the first-line treatment for MRSA bacteremia in premature infants and for PVL-positive isolates.
Delimitation of essential genes of cassava latent virus DNA 2

Insertion and deletion mutagenesis of both extended open reading frames (ORFs) of cassava latent virus DNA 2 destroys infectivity. Infectivity is restored by coinoculating constructs that contain single mutations within different ORFs. Although frequent intermolecular recombination produces dominant parental-type virus, mutants can be retained within the virus population indicating that they are competent for replication and suggesting that rescue can occur by complementation of trans acting gene products. By cloning specific fragments into DNA 1 coat protein deletion vectors we have delimited the DNA 2 coding regions and provide substantive evidence that both are essential for virus infection. Although a DNA 2 component is unique to whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses, the results demonstrate that neither coding region is involved solely in insect transmission. The requirement for a bipartite genome for whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses is discussed.
Psychometric CHaracteristics of Scores on a Patient Management Problem Test

Total scores on a patient management problem (PMP) test can be divided into two subscores-one based on all options keyed select; the other, on all options keyed omit. A pervasive feature of the component scores, across a variety of examinations studied, is that they are correlated negatively. This negative correlation is reflected in reduced discrimination indices and reliability for the total test scores. The implications of this finding for previous research with PMPs are reviewed.
Metacarpophalangeal analysis in Crouzon syndrome: Additional evidence for phenotypic convergence with the acrocephalosyndactyly syndromes

Crouzon syndrome (CS) is characterized by premature craniosynostosis, orbital proptosis, and midfacial hypoplasia and is related to the acrocephalosyndactylies (ACS) with limb abnormalities. In CS the hands are considered to be normal, but a previous report indicated that there is consistent alteration in the proportions of the bones of the hands, as shown by metacarpophalangeal analysis (MCPP), in at least some cases of CS. The purpose of this study was to extend these findings by examining affected individuals and their supposedly unaffected first degree relatives. If CS does have an effect on hands, then this should only be evident in the affected individuals and, presuming complete penetrance, not present in their unaffected relatives. PA hand films were taken on 12 CS subjects and 16 of their normal relatives. The lengths of the metacarpals and phalanges were measured and the measurements standardized for age and sex by conversion to z-scores using published normal standards. Mean pattern profiles for the 2 groups were plotted. In CS the phalanges, especially the first and second proximal phalanges and the first distal phalanx, were shorter than average, and shorter than those of unaffected relatives. The metacarpals were not significantly smaller than the reference means in CS. The 19 hand measurements were entered into a stepwise forward discriminant function analysis (DFA) to develop a model that would discriminate between CS subjects and their normal first degree relatives. The function generated used the measurements of 8 hand bones to classify correctly CS subjects and their normal relatives 100% of the time. This study confirmed that there is a radiographically detectable abnormality of the hands in CS and that, at least in this sample, relatives did not display such abnormalities. Therefore, it seems that CS shares postcranial effects with true ACS and that these effects are, like the other aspects of CS, fully penetrant.
Colonic Anastomosis in the Presence of Fecal. Peritonitis Using a Disposable Skin Stapler

The purpose of this study was to determine if the method of intestinal anastomosis used by British military surgeons for the management of small bowel injuries could be used to manage colonic trauma when fecal peritonitis may be present. Anastomoses were performed using skin staples in lieu of sutures in pig colons in the presence of fecal contamination and early peritonitis. The times taken to complete the anastomoses were recorded. Animals were euthanatized at 2, 5, and 14 days following surgery. Healing was assessed clinically, at postmortem, and by histological examination. In addition, the anastomoses were tested for integrity by intraluminal distension with water, and for healing strength by tensiometry. The mean +/- SD time taken to perform the anastomoses (n = 18) was 10.8 +/- 2.8 min. There were no clinical or postmortem findings suggestive of anastomotic leakage. Only one anastomosis leaked at an intraluminal pressure of less than 100 cm H2O. Testing of ultimate tensile strength of the colon adjacent to the anastomosis showed that the anastomotic line was significantly weaker than the proximal (p < .05 analysis of variance, ANOVA) and distal colon (p < .001) at 5 days and that the colon proximal to the anastomosis was weaker than the colon distally at all time points; this was statistically significant (p < .01, ANOVA) at 5 days. These results suggest that a primary colonic skin-stapled anastomosis in the presence of fecal peritonitis is quick to perform and has a low risk of failure.
Navigating the Updated Anaphylaxis Parameters

Anaphylaxis, an acute and potentially lethal multi-system clinical syndrome resulting from the sudden, systemic degranulation of mast cells and basophils, occurs in a variety of clinical scenarios and is almost unavoidable inmedical practice. Healthcare professionalsmust be able to recognize its features, treat an episode promptly and appropriately, and be able to provide recommendations to prevent future episodes. Epinephrine, administered immediately, is the drug of choice for acute anaphylaxis. The discussion provides an overview of one set of evidence-based and consensus parameters for the diagnosis and management of anaphylaxis.
Inhibition of mumps virus multiplication by a synthetic polypeptide.

SummaryLysine polypeptides cause marked inhibition of the multiplication of mumps virus in the allantoic sac of the chick embryo. Inhibition was obtained with as little as 1 μg of polypeptide. Polylysine was effective when injected as late as 36 hours after inoculation of virus. The polypeptide caused inhibition of viral multiplication in the allantoic sac when injected either in the allantoic sac or the yolk sac. Possible mechanisms of inhibition of viral multiplication are discussed.
New Schrödinger equations for old: Inequivalence of the Darboux and Abraham-Moses constructions

There exist two methods for generating families of isospectral Hamiltonians: one based on a theorem due to Darboux and the second due to Abraham and Moses based on the Gel'fand-Levitan equation. Both methods start with a general Hamiltonian operator H=-${d}^{2}$/${\mathrm{dx}}^{2}$+V(x), and generate infinite families of new Hamiltonians all with the same eigenvalue spectrum. The new spectrum corresponds either to the addition of new bound states with specified energy eigenvalues or to the deletion of bound-state eigenvalues. Neither process (addition or deletion) alters the reflection or transmission probabilities, although the amplitudes experience a phase change consistent with Levinson's theorem and the change in the number of bound states. In this paper we show that these two methods of generating families of isospectral Hamiltonians are, in general, inequivalent.
Site-specific passive sonar performance prediction

A measurement-based plan and methodology are discussed for predicting a passive sonar performance dB-budget at a specific candidate site for which only single omnidirectional hydrophone data is available. Analysis of 24/7 calibrated hydrophone data supports detailed performance forecasting for a costly, large scale acoustic observatory. The candidate site selected for consideration is in a bottom-limited littoral contiguous to a commercial port with a very high level of surface ship traffic. The acoustic data allows the statistical characterization of horizontal coherence distance, acoustic ambient noise floor and peak absolute acoustic sound pressure for so-called high level events (HLEs) due to the passage of surface ships. Histogram analysis of the absolute level of HLEs is used in conjunction with conventional (time delay-and-sum) beamforming (CBF) sidelobe levels to predict optimum-adaptive beamforming (ABF) array gain improvement (AGI). For the specific site considered, time intervals of AGI for ABF relative to CBF greater than 20 dB are predicted.
The Duty to Counsel: Reviewing a Decade of Litigation

Twenty-three legal cases from the 1980s were studied. The allegation in each of these cases was that the defendant pharmacist should have done something more than correctly process a prescription to prevent harm to the patient from drug use. Four theoretical models of pharmacist legal responsibility are considered: (1) the policy-analysis model, (2) the professional-standards model, (3) the consumer-expectation model, and (4) the power model. It is concluded that the power model, based on superior knowledge and reasonable foreseeability of harm, best defines the pharmacist's legal responsibility, consistent with established legal precedents.
Dynamic and Material Parameters in Brittle Fracture in Ceramics

Some years ago when searching for an explanation of the behavior of materials, specifically brittle materials, under impact loading we considered the potential for designing a model which would incorporate the system’s material properties as well as the impact dynamics. Our specific interests were directed towards the abrasive finishing or grinding process which is unique in that it requires consideration of the real time spatial stress distribution in a repetitive mode. Knowledge of this type is required in as much as it, directly or indirectly, relates to a wide variety of technologically inportant areas1-4; ballistic impact (armour), percussive wear, abrasive machining, two and three body polishing, grinding, erosion processes, general friction and wear, ultrasonic machining and rock excavation.
IC Bond Pad Structural Study by “Ripple Effect”

IC bond pad structural reliability is studied for a variety of experimental pad designs in a 0.18um technology, having patterned metallization to simulate bond-over-active-circuitry (BOAC) situations in top-metal-minus-one and below. Underlying films deformation after wire bond is studied by optical microscopy after removal of the pad Al, with additional measurements by FIB. Pad designs in this study are rated for robustness to cracking according to an optical “ripple effect” deformation scale. “Ripple” is so named because it has a similar appearance to water ripples. It is due to non-uniform deformation in the underlying Al film(s) in the pad structure. Though the Al material is fully constrained within the SiO2 dielectric body, it is able to migrate plastically into local “hills and valleys” during bonding stress, with the top dielectric film bending in conformance. Cracks can then initiate in the undulating upper dielectric when its tensile strength is exceeded. “Ripple” in these pads is seen to vary d...
Modification of the Stokes–Einstein Equation with a Semiempirical Microfriction Factor for Correlation of Tracer Diffusivities in Organic Solvents

Characterized by conceptual simplicity, a semiempirical formula based on the Stokes–Einstein equation and microfriction theory was constructed for correlating tracer diffusivities and, alternativel...
Aspects of Ruminant Intermediary Metabolism in Relation to Ketosis

Both the cow and the sheep are susceptible to ketosis. In the cow the clinical condition is termed primary spontaneous bovine ketosis and in the sheep, pregnancy toxaemia. Bovine ketosis occurs typically in the third to eighth week of lactation in mature heavily lactating diary cows. Pregnancy toxaemia occufs in late pregnancy in ewes bearing two or more lambs. Both conditions are associated with hyperketonaemia, hypoglycaemia and developing inappetence (loss of appetite). The susceptibility to ketosis of these two ruminant species is doubtless due in part to their reliance on gluconeogenesis for their glucose supply. A further factor is that these animals have been bred for high productivity (i.e. of milk and of offspring in cows and sheep respectively) and this inbred productivity may overtax an animal’s metabolic resources. Many of the biochemical characteristics of the spontaneous condition can be elicited by subjecting cows in early lactation on the one hand, and multifoetate ewes on the other, to food deprivation. Data from food-deprivation ketosis in both species will be included below. The present review will deal mainly with the cow, but data from the sheep will be included as necessary. Other reviews on ruminant ketosis have been written (Eergman, 1971 ; Baird et al., 1974a,b; Schultz, 1974).
Microwave Digestion Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry to Determine Mercury Level in Human Hair

[Objective] To establish a method to determine hair mercury by atomic fluorescence spectrometry after microwave digestion.[Methods] Hair samples were prepared by microwave digestion and mercury contents in hair samples were determined by atomic fluorescence spectrometry.[Results] The detection limit of this method for hair samples was 0.026 μg/L for mercury.The specification curve correlation coefficient was 0.999 5.The relative standard deviation was 1.89%-3.23%,and the average recovery ranged from 92.0% to 98.7%.[Conclusion] Strengths of the study lie in the ideal experimental conditions and the accurate,sensitive,and simple method it finally built which applies to the detection of samples in large amount.
A Review of the Research and Development of the Artificial Neural Nets

This paper reviews the history and the current situation of the theory of neural nets.It discusses two aspects: the Vapnik-Cher-vonenkis dimension calculation and the data mining in neural nets.It also touches upon such research areas as calculation theory,methods and application of neural nets.
Effects of inhibitors of EDRF and EDHF on vasoreactivity of perfused rat lungs

Recent studies indicate that the endothelium of isolated rat pulmonary arteries releases two different factors, endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) and hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF), which participate in histamine- and acetylcholine-induced relaxation. There is evidence for EDRF vasoreactivity in perfused lungs, but a role for EDHF, which hyperpolarizes vascular smooth muscle by activating membrane K+ channels, has not been reported. We used the inhibitors of EDRF, 20 microM hemoglobin, 200 microM NG-mono-methyl-L-arginine, and 2 mM L-canavanine, the nonselective blocker of K+ channels, 10 mM tetraethylammonium (TEA), and the inhibitor of ATP-sensitive K+ channels, 20 microM glibenclamide, to compare the roles of EDRF and EDHF in the vasoregulation of meclofenamate-treated, salt solution-perfused rat lungs. The three EDRF inhibitors had little or no effect on baseline perfusion pressure, but each potentiated the peak pressor response to airway hypoxia. Neither of them inhibited the pulmonary vasodilation to 5 microM histamine. TEA, but not glibenclamide, increased baseline pressure and potentiated the peak hypoxic response. Both K+ channel blockers, but not the EDRF inhibitors, also prolonged the hypoxic response by reducing the rate of spontaneous vasodilation. TEA, but not glibenclamide, inhibited histamine vasodilation. These results suggest roles for both EDRF and EDHF in the control of rat pulmonary vascular reactivity. EDRF is apparently not responsible for the low vascular tone of the normoxic lung and does not mediate the vasodilation to histamine, but it does modulate the hypoxic pressor response. The exact role of EDHF is uncertain, but it may also modulate hypoxic vasoconstriction and mediate at least part of the histamine vasodilation.
A Comprehensive Evaluation of a Lifelong Learning Program Program 60

Lifelong learning programs meet older adults' educational needs and further support their health and well-being leading to more successful aging. In particular, university-based lifelong learning programs have provided older adults with opportunities to not only develop skills and knowledge but also expand new social networks with people of different ages. This study evaluated a university-based lifelong learning program, Program 60, to identify the relationships between participants' experiences in the program and their quality of life. An online survey was employed, and 107 participants completed the self-report survey. The participants reported that classes helped increase their emotional satisfaction and that they enjoyed taking classes with younger students. Their experiences in the program reliably predicted psychological and social elements of their quality of life ( p = .004 and p = .019, respectively). Study results provide helpful information for the development of lifelong learning programs that are responsive to the increasing demands of older adults.
Investigation of Thermal and Thermomechanical Properties of Biodegradable PLA/PBSA Composites Processed via Supercritical Fluid-Assisted Foam Injection Molding.

Bio-based polymer foams have been gaining immense attention in recent years due to their positive contribution towards reducing the global carbon footprint, lightweighting, and enhancing sustainability. Currently, polylactic acid (PLA) remains the most abundant commercially consumed biopolymer, but suffers from major drawbacks such as slow crystallization rate and poor melt processability. However, blending of PLA with a secondary polymer would enhance the crystallization rate and the thermal properties based on their compatibility. This study investigates the physical and compatibilized blends of PLA/poly (butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA) processed via supercritical fluid-assisted (ScF) injection molding technology using nitrogen (N2) as a facile physical blowing agent. Furthermore, this study aims at understanding the effect of blending and ScF foaming of PLA/PBSA on crystallinity, melting, and viscoelastic behavior. Results show that compatibilization, upon addition of triphenyl phosphite (TPP), led to an increase in molecular weight and a shift in melting temperature. Additionally, the glass transition temperature (Tg) obtained from the tanδ curve was observed to be in agreement with the Tg value predicted by the Gordon–Taylor equation, further confirming the compatibility of PLA and PBSA. The compatibilization of ScF-foamed PLA–PBSA was found to have an increased crystallinity and storage modulus compared to their physically foamed counterparts.
Predictors of distant metastasis in human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancer.

Background Human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancer is associated with favorable outcomes, prompting investigations into treatment deintensification. The purpose of this study was for us to present the predictors of distant metastases in patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer treated with cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy (CRT) or cetuximab-based bioradiotherapy (bio-RT). Methods In patients with stage III to IVb HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, the Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate distant metastases rates. Univariate analysis (UVA) and multivariate analysis (MVA) were used to identify factors associated with distant metastases. Results Increased distant metastases rates were noted in active smokers versus never/former smokers (22% vs 5%), T4 vs T1 to T3 (15% vs 6%), and cetuximab-based bio-RT versus CRT (23% vs 5%). All remained significant on MVA. Conclusion T4 tumors and active smokers have substantial rates of distant metastases, and trials investigating intensified systemic therapies may be considered. Higher rates of distant metastases observed with concurrent cetuximab are hypothesis generating, but further data are needed. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 940-946, 2017.
Blood Pressure and the Renal Actions of AT 2 Receptors

Angiotensin type-2 receptors (AT2Rs) in the renal proximal tubule inhibit sodium (Na+) reabsorption by inducing renal cyclic GMP formation and internalizing and inhibiting major Na+ transporters Na+-H+ exchanger-3 (NHE-3) and Na+/K+ATPase (NKA). Instead of angiotensin II (Ang II), angiotensin III (Ang III) is the predominant endogenous agonist for this response. Exogenous non-peptide AT2R agonist Compound-21 induces natriuresis and lowers blood pressure (BP) in normal and Ang II-infused hypertensive rodents. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR; both pre-hypertensive and hypertensive) have defective natriuretic responses to Ang III, suggesting a defect in AT2R-mediated natriuresis in SHR that leads to hypertension. The mechanisms of deficient AT2R-mediated natriuresis in SHR are unknown but could involve either pre-receptor or receptor/post-receptor defects.
Khao Yai Winery: An Economic Perspective

The case presents a scenario where two economic interns are trying to provide an economic outlook for Khao Yai Winery management post-ASEAN. Specifically the interns are interested in how the tax on imported wines (tariff) and the income, own-price, and cross-price elasticity impact the local winery. The case provides an overview of the competiveness of wine in Thailand, world prices and prices in Thailand to calculate the effective rate of protection, the impact of the three-tier market system on pricing, government failure, externalities, and the elasticities for the students to perform analysis.
kR^X: Comprehensive Kernel Protection against Just-In-Time Code Reuse

The abundance of memory corruption and disclosure vulnerabilities in kernel code necessitates the deployment of hardening techniques to prevent privilege escalation attacks. As more strict memory isolation mechanisms between the kernel and user space, like Intel's SMEP, become commonplace, attackers increasingly rely on code reuse techniques to exploit kernel vulnerabilities. Contrary to similar attacks in more restrictive settings, such as web browsers, in kernel exploitation, non-privileged local adversaries have great flexibility in abusing memory disclosure vulnerabilities to dynamically discover, or infer, the location of certain code snippets and construct code-reuse payloads. Recent studies have shown that the coupling of code diversification with the enforcement of a "read XOR execute" (R^X) memory safety policy is an effective defense against the exploitation of userland software, but so far this approach has not been applied for the protection of the kernel itself.In this paper, we fill this gap by presenting kR^X: a kernel hardening scheme based on execute-only memory and code diversification. We study a previously unexplored point in the design space, where a hypervisor or a super-privileged component is not required. Implemented mostly as a set of GCC plugins, kR^X is readily applicable to the x86-64 Linux kernel and can benefit from hardware support (e.g., MPX on modern Intel CPUs) to optimize performance. In full protection mode, kR^X incurs a low runtime overhead of 4.04%, which drops to 2.32% when MPX is available.
ROBOT SOCCER: A MULTI-ROBOT CHALLENGE

Robot soccer opened a new horizon for multi-robot research: Teams of autonomous robots need to respond to a highly dynamic and uncertain environment including other teams of robots. Furthermore, soccer robots ha a clear and specific goals to accomplish. The multi-robot system relies both on robust autonomous individual robots and teamwork. We have developed new algorithms for localization, navigation, and teamwork, to demonstrate real-time performance in this multi-robot adversarial task. Robot soccer has also a strong entertainment component attracting researchers and crowds of spectators. RoboCup2001, the international robotic soccer competitions held for the first time in the United States in 2001, joined more than 500 participants, 200 robots, and a few thousand spectators.
Incidence of Silent Stroke in the United States

P134 Background: Recent estimates of stroke incidence in the US range from 715,000–750,000 annually. These estimates, however, do not reflect silent infarcts and hemorrhages. Since population-based studies have found that prevalence of silent stroke is 10–20 times that of symptomatic, estimates of stroke incidence based solely on symptomatic events may substantially underestimate the annual burden of stroke. Silent strokes contribute to vascular dementia, gait impairment, and other major adverse patient outcomes. Methods: Incidence of silent infarcts for different age strata were derived from two US population-based studies of the prevalence of silent infarct-like lesions on MRI, Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities and Cardiovascular Health Study. Prevalence observations in these studies and age-specific death rates from the US Census Bureau were inputted to calculate silent infarct incidence (method of Leske et al). Similarly, incidence rates of silent hemorrhage at differing ages were extrapolated from population-based prevalence observations employing MR GRE imaging in the Austrian Stroke Prevention Study. Age-specific incidence rates were projected onto age cohorts in the 1998 US population to calculate annual burden of silent stroke. Results: Derived incidence rates per 100,000 of silent infarct ranged from 6400 in the age 50–59 strata to 16400 at ages 75–79. Extrapolated incidence rates of silent hemorrhage ranged from 230 in the age 30–39 strata to 7360 at ages > 80. Incidence rates of both subclinical infarcts and hemorrhage increased exponentially with age. Overall estimated annual US occurrence of silent infarct was 9,039,000, and of silent hemorrhage 2,130,000. Conclusion: In 1998, nearly 12 million strokes occurred in the United States, of which ∼750,000 were symptomatic and over 11 million were subclinical. Among the silent strokes, ∼81% were infarcts and ∼19% hemorrhages. These findings demonstrate that the annual burden of stroke is substantially higher than suggested by estimates based solely on clinically manifest events, and suggest that greater research and clinical resources should be allocated to stroke prevention and treatment.
Top Questions in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Coccidioidomycosis

Revised and greatly expanded treatment guidelines for coccidioidomycosis were published last year by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. We have selected 4 questions that commonly arise in the management of patients suspected of this disease and for which there remain divided opinions.
Can parathyroid hyperplasia be predicted preoperatively

Abstract Introduction The purpose of this study was to determine if there are clinical features that raise suspicion for parathyroid hyperplasia. Materials & methods We retrospectively reviewed patients with primary hyperparathyroidism who underwent parathyroidectomy from 1991 to 2017, analyzing demographics, calcium and PTH, and localizing studies for patients with hyperplasia and single adenoma. Results 549 patients underwent parathyroidectomy: 464 (85%) with adenoma, 44 (8%) with double adenoma, 38 (7%) with hyperplasia, and 3 (1%) with cancer. Compared to patients with a single adenoma, patients with hyperplasia were more likely to have negative sestamibi, ultrasound or both exams (92% vs 6%, p Conclusion Parathyroid hyperplasia should be suspected in patients with lower gland weights and negative imaging.
To grow or not to grow: Postantibiotic effect is the question

Temporary inhibition of Escherichia coli growth in vitro after antibiotic administration is proportional to total antibiotic quantity.
Symposium review: Oxylipids and the regulation of bovine mammary inflammatory responses

Inflammation is a critical aspect of the innate immune system that can determine the outcome of several economically important diseases of dairy cattle such as mastitis. The purpose of the inflammatory response is to eliminate the source of tissue injury and then return tissues to normal function. Aggressive or uncontrolled inflammatory responses, however, can damage host tissues and contribute significantly to the pathophysiology associated with mastitis. A precarious balance between pro-inflammatory and pro-resolving mechanisms is needed to ensure optimal pathogen clearance and a prompt return to immune homeostasis. Therefore, inflammatory responses must be tightly regulated to avoid bystander damage to the milk-synthesizing tissues of the mammary gland. Oxylipids are potent lipid mediators that can regulate all aspects of the inflammatory response. The biosynthetic profiles of oxylipids are dependent on both the availability of diverse polyunsaturated fatty acids substrates and their subsequent metabolism through various oxidizing pathways. Changes in lipid metabolism in dairy cows around parturition can profoundly change the composition and concentration of oxylipids in the mammary gland that may be responsible for dysfunctional inflammatory responses during this time. This review will provide a brief overview of the bovine inflammatory response and the role that oxylipids play in contributing to the onset and resolution of inflammation especially as it pertains to mastitis. Factors associated with periparturient cows that can contribute to dysfunctional regulation of inflammation as a function of altered oxylipid biosynthesis and metabolism also will be described. Understanding the role that oxylipids may play in the development of mastitis is key to developing novel prevention and control programs for the dairy industry.
Feasibility Study of a Multi-Purpose Aircraft Concept with a Leading-Edge Embedded Cross-Flow Fan

The research presented focuses on investigating the use of Cross-Flow Fan (CFF) as a high-lift device for a Short Take-off and Landing (STOL) aircraft. The wing-embedded fan performance analysis is...
Promoting Linguistically Diverse Students’ Short-Term and Long-Term Understanding of Chemical Phenomena Using Visualizations

Ensuring that all students, including English language learners (ELLs) who speak English as a second language, succeed in science is more challenging with a shift towards learning through language-intensive science practices suggested by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Interactive visualization technologies have the potential to support science learning for all students, including ELLs, by providing explicit representations of unobservable scientific systems. However, whether and how such technologies can be beneficial for these underserved students has not been sufficiently investigated. In this study, we examine the short-term and long-term effects of interactive visualizations in improving linguistically diverse eighth-grade students’ understanding of properties of matter and chemical reactions during inquiry instruction. The results show that after interacting with the visualizations, both ELLs and non-ELLs showed significant improvement in their understanding of the target concepts at the molecular level on both the immediate test and the delayed test (3 months after the study). In particular, aligned with the goals of the NGSS, all students, including ELLs, were able to demonstrate their understanding of how energy and matter are involved in chemistry through developing molecular models, critiquing models, and constructing scientific explanations. This study shows the potential benefits of using interactive visualizations during inquiry instruction as a resource to help all students, including ELLs who are traditionally underserved in mainstream classrooms, develop a more coherent understanding of abstract concepts of molecular processes during chemical phenomena.
ReadFast: Structural Information Retrieval from Biomedical Big Text by Natural Language Processing

While the problem to find needed information on the Web is being solved by the major search engines, access to the information in Big text, large-scale text datasets, and documents (Biomedical literature, e-books, conference proceedings, etc.) is still very rudimentary (Lin and Cohen (2010) A very fast method for clustering big text datasets. In: ECAI, Lisbon). Thus, keyword-search is often the only way to find the needle in the haystack. There is abundance of relevant research results in the Semantic Web research community that offers more robust access interfaces compared to keyword-search. Here we describe a new information retrieval engine that offers advanced user experience combining keyword-search with navigation over an automatically inferred hierarchical document index. The internal representation of the browsing index as a collection of UFOs (Gubanov et al. (2009) Ibm ufo repository. In: VLDB, Lyon; Gubanov et al. (2011) Learning unified famous objects (ufo) to bootstrap information integration. In: IEEE IRI, Las Vegas) yields more relevant search results and improves user experience.
Training the public health workforce from Albany to Zambia: technology lessons learned along the way.

This article describes lessons learned by the University at Albany Center for Public Health Preparedness (UA-CPHP) in using three technologies to deliver preparedness training for public health pro...