cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fine-Grained Reputation-based Routing in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

Mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) are the best choice for instant networks when no fixed infrastructure is available. MANETs can support applications in a variety of areas like emergency assistance and inter-vehicle communications. Most developed wireless ad-hoc routing protocols are designed to discover and maintain an active path from source to destination with an assumption that every node is friendly. However, it is possible that the participating nodes may be selfish or malicious. A mechanism to evaluate reputation and trust for each node is essential for the reliability of routing protocol in MANETs. We integrate reputation and trust management into routing protocols in MANETs. Reputation mechanism is based on constantly monitoring and updating first-hand and second-hand information. The nodes within the network are able to monitor their neighbors and obtain first-hand information based on the perceived behavior. Second-hand information is obtained from the sharing of first-hand information with other nodes. The nodes thus create total reputation value by a combination of firsthand and second-hand information. The total reputation value is then available to neighboring nodes for routing decisions. Dirichlet distribution is combined with Bayes theorem to provide finer granularity for nodes classification based on their behavior. Fine-grained reputation management is integrated into a routing protocol to explore the possibility and benefits on improvement of reliability in both route discovery and maintenance in MANETs.
Tranexamic acid in trauma: how should we use it?

T CRASH-2 trial results have prompted trauma centers to contemplate whether tranexamic acid (TXA) should be added to their armamentarium for the treatment of bleeding trauma patients. Primary fibrinolysis is integral in the pathogenesis of the acute coagulopathy of trauma (ACOT). Furthermore, some studies have documented that the risk of death in trauma correlates significantly with fibrinolysis. The presence of hyperfibrinolysis (HF) in patients with severe traumatic injuries is associated with a high mortality rate (70Y100%). The use of antifibrinolytic agents in the treatment of the ACOT therefore has significant biologic plausibility. We will review the current knowledge of fibrinolysis in trauma and studies of antifibrinolytic agents to make evidencebased recommendations regarding TXA use in trauma systems with mature hemostatic resuscitation protocols for the treatment of hemorrhagic shock patients.
Vascular amyloid alters astrocytic water and potassium channels in mouse models and humans with Alzheimer’s disease

The neurovascular unit (NVU) comprises cerebral blood vessels and surrounding astrocytes, neurons, perivascular microglia and pericytes. Astrocytes associated with the NVU are responsible for maintaining cerebral blood flow and ionic and osmotic balances in the brain. A significant proportion of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have vascular amyloid deposits (cerebral amyloid angiopathy, CAA) that contribute to the heterogeneous nature of the disease. To determine whether NVU astrocytes are affected by the accumulation of amyloid at cerebral blood vessels we examined astrocytic markers in four transgenic mouse models of amyloid deposition. These mouse models represent mild CAA, moderate CAA with disease progression to tau pathology and neuron loss, severe CAA and severe CAA with disease progression to tau pathology and neuron loss. We found that CAA and disease progression both resulted in distinct NVU astrocytic changes. CAA causes a loss of apparent glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive astrocytic end-feet and loss of water channels (aquaporin 4) localized to astrocytic end feet. The potassium channels Kir4.1, an inward rectifying potassium channel, and BK, a calcium-sensitive large-conductance potassium channel, were also lost. The anchoring protein, dystrophin 1, is common to these channels and was reduced in association with CAA. Disease progression was associated with a phenotypic switch in astrocytes indicated by a loss of GFAP-positive cells and a gain of S100 beta-positive cells. Aquaporin 4, Kir4.1 and dystrophin 1 were also reduced in autopsied brain tissue from individuals with AD that also display moderate and severe CAA. Together, these data suggest that damage to the neurovascular unit may be a factor in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
Analysis of flow distribution and heat transfer in a diesel particulate filter

Abstract Analysis of limiting models of a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) provides insight on its design and operating conditions. Analytical expressions for predicting the filtration velocity, pressure drop, filter heat-up time and speed and width of the temperature front in a DPF are presented. A more uniform filtration velocity with a lower pressure drop can be obtained by either decreasing the inlet velocity, increasing the channel hydraulic diameter or by increasing the DPF aspect ratio (D/L) under constant DPF volume and flow rate. The DPF heat transfer properties depend on the heat capacitance ratio (σ) and the effective heat Peclet number (Peh,e) as well as on the hydraulic parameters. The speed of the temperature front can be increased by decreasing the DPF substrate thickness and volumetric heat capacitance. Higher value of Peh,e decreases the DPF front heat-up time and sharpens the temperature front. When Peh,e is smaller than 8, the temperature front covers the whole DPF length. When it is larger than 128, a sharp front forms covering less than 25% of the DPF length. The effective heat Peclet number attains a maximum value at an intermediate inlet velocity and channel hydraulic diameter. Increasing the DPF aspect ratio (D/L) under constant DPF volume and flow rate can help achieve two important design targets, low pressure drop and a wide temperature front.
Eastwood’s Iwo Jima: critical engagement with Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima

In 2006, director Clint Eastwood made a significant contribution to cinematic history by releasing two films that provided American and Japanese perspectives, respectively, on the bloody battle wag...
Uncle Euler games

ABSTRACT It is often very difficult to get students to really understand what is happening mathematically in a classroom setting. Further, getting the students engaged so that they want to grasp the underlying concepts is even more troubling. One method sure to work is to force the students to participate in an activity which illustrates the principle. One of my favorite “human object lessons” illustrates Euler's method by playing games. In a small group setting, these activities really help students understand what Euler's method does.
How does protein folding get started

Three models for the initiation of protein folding are considered in the light of recent experiments. The three models emphasize the possible roles of: (1) a hydrophobic collapse, (2) formation of secondary structure, or (3) formation of one or more specific interactions. Whether these models are likely to be contradictory or complementary is discussed.
Proving refinement transformations for deriving high-assurance software

The construction of a high-assurance system requires some evidence, ideally a proof, that the system as implemented will behave as required. Direct proofs of implementations do not scale up well as systems become more complex and therefore are of limited value. In recent years, refinement-based approaches have been investigated as a means to manage the complexity inherent in the verification process. In a refinement-based approach, a high-level specification is converted into an implementation through a number of refinement steps. The hope is that the proofs of the individual refinement steps will be easier than a direct proof of the implementation. However, if stepwise refinement is performed manually, the number of steps is severly limited, implying that the size of each step is large. If refinement steps are large, then proofs of their correctness will not be much easier than a direct proof of the implementation. We describe an approach to refinement-based software development that is based on automatic application of refinements, expressed as program transformations. This automation has the desirable effect that the refinement steps can be extremely small and, thus, easy to prove correct. We give an overview of the TAMPR transformation system that we use for automated refinement. We then focus on some aspects of the semantic framework that we have been developing to enable proofs that TAMPR transformations are correctness preserving. With this framework proofs of correctness for transformations can be obtained with the assistance of an automated reasoning system.
Slot jet impingement heat transfer in the presence of jet-axis switching

Abstract Jet-axis switching is an established phenomenon whereby a non-circular, three-dimensional free jet undergoes a major change in cross-sectional shape with increasing downstream distance from the jet origin. This phenomenon has been demonstrated here to also occur for impinging jets. The focus of the present work is to investigate the heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of rectangular slot jets which experience jet-axis switching. The jets in question have initial cross-sectional aspect ratios of 5:1 and 10:1. The jet cross sections, although highly skewed at first, evolve through near circularity and subsequently become skewed in the direction perpendicular to that of the initial skewness. In addition to the two initial aspect ratios, parametric variations were made of the Reynolds number, the distance of the impingement plate from the jet origin, and the contraction experienced by the flow passing through the aperture of the jet-forming orifice (i.e., the blockage ratio). The investigation was implemented by means of numerical simulation from which local and average Nusselt numbers were determined as functions of the foregoing parameters. Higher Reynolds numbers, greater downstream distances of the impingement plate, and greater blockages served to enhance the Nusselt number values. It remains to be seen whether there is an initial jet aspect ratio that is large enough to preclude axis switching and thereby allow two-dimensional modeling.
Neural network combination by fuzzy integral for robust change detection in remotely sensed imagery

Combining multiple neural networks has been used to improve the decision accuracy in many application fields including pattern recognition and classification. In this paper, we investigate the potential of this approach for land cover change detection. In a first step, we perform many experiments in order to find the optimal individual networks in terms of architecture and training rule. In the second step, different neural network change detectors are combined using amethod based on the notion of fuzzy integral. This method combines objective evidences in the form of network outputs, with subjective measures of their performances. Various forms of the fuzzy integral, which are, namely, Choquet integral, Sugeno integral, and two extensions of Sugeno integral with ordered weighted averaging operators, are implemented. Experimental analysis using error matrices and Kappa analysis showed that the fuzzy integral outperforms individual networks and constitutes an appropriate strategy to increase the accuracy of change detection.
Aligning sequence from molecular inversion probes

Summary: Molecular inversion probes (MIPs) allow efficient enrichment of genomic regions of interest for the purpose of targeted sequencing. To date, there is a paucity of simple-to-use software to align sequences derived from this method. Here, we describe a single program that performs mapping, arm removal, and deduplication before outputting alignments in SAM format. Availability: bwa-mips is available at https://github.com/brentp/bwa-mips under the MIT license. Contact: bpederse@gmail.com
A finite element algorithm to study creep cracks based on the creep hardening surface

This work addresses finite element (FE) modelling of creep cracks under reversed and cyclic loads in steels. A constitutive model based on the creep hardening surface developed by Murakami and Ohno has been selected for this purpose. This model is particularly accurate for describing creep under reversed and cyclic loads and requires no additional material constants. An FE algorithm for this model has been derived and implemented into a research code FVP. The algorithm is verified by comparing the numerical predictions with closed form solutions for simple geometries and loading configurations. FE predictions are compared with experimental data for a stationary crack in a compact tension specimen. The stress and strain fields in the vicinity of a crack under a sustained load are compared with those for the intermediate unloading case. Several integral fracture parameters are investigated as to their appropriateness for describing creep cracks under reversed and cyclic loads.
An ensemble learning approach to reverse-engineering transcriptional regulatory networks from time-series gene expression data

Background One of the most challenging tasks in the post-genomic era is to reconstruct the transcriptional regulatory networks. The goal is to reveal, for each gene that responds to a certain biological event, which transcription factors affect its expression, and how a set of transcription factors coordinate to accomplish temporal and spatial specific regulations.
Technical and immunologic progress in simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation

Abstract Background. During the past few years the use of new immunosuppressants and refinements in surgical technique of simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplantation have resulted in markedly improved outcomes. This is a retrospective study of 208 SPK transplants performed at Northwestern University, demonstrating the advances made at a single center that are reflective of the field at large. Methods. An 8.5-year time span was split into 4 distinct eras marking sequential changes in immunosuppression and surgical technique that ensued. SPK transplant outcomes of patient and graft survival and rejection rates were compared. Also examined were end points related to the changing risk profile of the recipients, as well as quality of allograft function and rates of rehospitalizations. Results. Recipients receiving tacrolimus/mycophenolate mofetil-based immunosuppression had patient, kidney, and pancreas survival rates significantly higher than those of earlier cohorts. The elimination of corticosteroids did not reduce survival rates or increase rejection risk. The use of pancreatic exocrine enteric drainage technique over bladder drainage reduced rehospitalizations. Conclusions. Advances in immunosuppression management combined with technical refinements have made SPK transplantation a safer and more effective treatment option for the diabetic, uremic patient. (Surgery 2002;132:545-54.)
The "I" in the Deconstruction of Frontiers through Memory: Postcolonial Diasporas

The North and South relations have changed in terms of migratory flow in the last 50 years. From colonial to postcolonial times, economic and political forces have been influencing men and women all over the world, particularly in Africa because of the heavy colonial inheritance, which explains the tight link between the two worlds. Besides, there has always been a reciprocal fascination between the West and developing countries, at the same time with a kind of distrust between both worlds. Beyond trade relations, the migration movements have surely inscribed those colonial and postcolonial links, those relations between the ‘civilised’ and the ‘barbarous’ world. The human geographical map has been transformed by these migrations. Within this prospect and reality, I propose to look into these migration movements first from a historical point of view, and then through their impact on the subject of the new diaspora in the sense that these migrations have changed the perception of the ‘Other’ in our postcolonial world. I will discuss how these various migrations have created a blurring of the frontiers, real or imaginative. I hope to show in fine also how these post-colonial migration flows created new identities, new maps, those of the diaspora in relation with key issues such as ‘identities and territories’ in the sense given by Homi Bhabha to internationalism, which is the “history of postcolonial migrations.”
Multiple sex pheromones and receptors of a mushroom-producing fungus elicit mating in yeast.

The mushroom-producing fungus Schizophyllum communehas thousands of mating types defined, in part, by numerous lipopeptide pheromones and their G protein-linked receptors. Compatible combinations o...
Ultracold atoms in 1D optical lattices: mean field, quantum field, computation, and soliton formation

In this work, we highlight the correspondence between two descriptions of a system of ultracold bosons in a one-dimensional optical lattice potential: (1) the discrete nonlinear Schrodinger equation, a discrete mean-field theory, and (2) the Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian, a discrete quantum-field theory. The former is recovered from the latter in the limit of a product of local coherent states. Using a truncated form of these mean-field states as initial conditions, we build quantum analogs to the dark soliton solutions of the discrete nonlinear Schrodinger equation and investigate their dynamical properties in the Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian. We also discuss specifics of the numerical methods employed for both our mean-field and quantum calculations, where in the latter case we use the time-evolving block decimation algorithm due to Vidal.
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF A SUMMER SERVICE-LEARNING PROGRAM ON THE SOCIAL DOMINANCE ORIENTATION OF GIFTED ADOLESCENTS

Using bootstrap methodology, this article presents findings from a pre-/post-comparative study that investigated the levels of social dominance in academically-talented adolescents enrolled in a summer academic camp. Students completed community service activities as part of their social science- based community service-learning course. These students were then compared to students in humanities and science courses who did not complete the civic education component. Findings suggested that a statistically significant difference existed in the social dominance orientation (SDO) between the students who participated in service-learning and the students who did not.
Higher Education Change and Social Networks: A Review of Research

This article reviews literature on the potential for understanding higher education change processes through social network analysis (SNA). In this article, the main tenets of SNA are reviewed and, in conjunction with organizational theory, are applied to higher education change to develop a set of hypotheses that can be tested in future research.
Type material in the NCBI Taxonomy Database

Type material is the taxonomic device that ties formal names to the physical specimens that serve as exemplars for the species. For the prokaryotes these are strains submitted to the culture collections; for the eukaryotes they are specimens submitted to museums or herbaria. The NCBI Taxonomy Database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/taxonomy) now includes annotation of type material that we use to flag sequences from type in GenBank and in Genomes. This has important implications for many NCBI resources, some of which are outlined below.
The Microbiome of the Middle Meatus in Healthy Adults

Rhinitis and rhinosinusitis are multifactorial disease processes in which bacteria may play a role either in infection or stimulation of the inflammatory process. Rhinosinusitis has been historically studied with culture-based techniques, which have implicated several common pathogens in disease states. More recently, the NIH Human Microbiome Project has examined the microbiome at a number of accessible body sites, and demonstrated differences among healthy and diseased patients. Recent DNA-based sinus studies have suggested that healthy sinuses are not sterile, as was previously believed, but the normal sinonasal microbiome has yet to be thoroughly examined. Middle meatus swab specimens were collected from 28 consecutive patients presenting with no signs or symptoms of rhinosinusitis. Bacterial colonization was assessed in these specimens using quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA pyrosequencing. All subjects were positive for bacterial colonization of the middle meatus. Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Propionibacterium acnes were the most prevalent and abundant microorganisms detected. Rich and diverse bacterial assemblages are present in the sinonasal cavity in the normal state, including opportunistic pathogens typically found in the nasopharynx. This work helps establish a baseline for understanding how the sinonasal microbiome may impact diseases of the upper airways.
An interchange format for process and device simulation

A standard format for transmitting profiles of semiconductor structures between sites and between tools is described. The standard, called the profile interchange format (PIF), is a flexible and hierarchical format, capable of storing descriptions of semiconductor structures such as those produced and used by process and device simulators. It can store detailed descriptions of the geometry, attribute profiles, material properties, and transient behavior of a single structure or a collection of structures. Two equivalent forms of the PIF are proposed to resolve conflicting demands placed on the format by its two primary uses, which are transmitting profiles between sites and local use as a database for process and device simulation. The 'intersite' form of the PIF, which can be viewed as an extension of the electronic design interchange between sites, most importantly, portability. The 'intertool' form of the PIF is, in concept, equivalent in descriptive capabilities to the intersite form, but is intended to accommodate the needs of profile interchange between tools, most importantly, efficient storage and access of data. The PIF in both modes can be extended and modified to accommodate local needs. >
An Online Bystander Intervention Program for the Prevention of Sexual Violence.

Objective: Because of its high prevalence and serious consequences for victims, sexual violence is a significant problem on college campuses. Sexual assault prevention programs based on the bystander intervention model have been shown to be effective; however, current programs are limited in terms of ease of distribution. To address this issue, we developed and evaluated “Take Care,” an online bystander intervention program. To our knowledge, this is the first empirical evaluation of an online bystander intervention program designed to prevent sexual violence. Method: Ninety-three participants (80.6% female, 19.4% male) recruited from social psychology classes at a midsize university were randomly assigned to view 1 of 2 online programs: Take Care or a control program on study skills. Before viewing the programs, participants completed measures of bystander behaviors and feelings of efficacy for performing such behaviors. Measures were administered again postintervention and at a 2-month follow-up assessment. Results: Participants who viewed Take Care reported greater efficacy for engaging in bystander behaviors at postintervention and 2 months after treatment, compared with those who viewed the control program. In addition, participants who viewed Take Care reported performing relatively more bystander behaviors for friends at the 2-month follow-up assessment, compared with participants who viewed the control program. Conclusions: These results suggest that sexual violence prevention programs may be effectively adapted to an online format.
Tropical Ice Water Amount and Its Relations to Other Atmospheric Hydrological Parameters as Inferred from Satellite Data

Abstract An over-ocean ice water path (IWP) algorithm, using satellite Special Sensor Microwave Water Vapor Sounder (SSM/T-2) data, is presented for clouds during the Tropical Oceans Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment. In developing the retrieval algorithm, clouds are first divided into 10 classes based on their top temperatures and microwave radiative properties. Radiative transfer model simulations are then performed for the different classes to establish a relation between IWP and the depression of 150-GHz brightness temperature. Correction to the effect of supercooled liquid water is done by incorporating data of liquid water path (LWP) retrievals from Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) and relative humidity profiles from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts analyses. The algorithm retrievals are compared with the analyses in the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) dataset. By using collocated SSM/T-2, SSM/I, and ISCCP data, the ...
Savage Comparisons: Dutch Cultural Distinctions in Seventeenth-Century Southern Africa and North America

During the seventeenth century the Dutch built a global economic system that depended on contact and trade with many different peoples and cultures. To create those connections, Dutch writers particularized and described those cultures to elaborate the role local peoples might play in Atlantic and Indian Ocean trade networks. Yet in southern Africa travelers who encountered Khoekhoe people often described them simply as wilden, or savages. Their choice to employ this catchall category of otherness at the Cape of Good Hope and several other sites around the world correlated with a failure to penetrate these locales commercially and could signal a desire to implement a model of colonization based on production by imported unfree or migrant populations. Scholars of the Dutch North American settlements, where the word wilden was the most common term for indigenous Americans, should be aware of the word's global usage and history.
Improving Child Safety Seat Performance Through Finite Element Simulations

In this study, a finite element (FE) model of a child seat was developed. This model along with a HIII 6-year-old child ATD model was validated against four sled tests with different restraint conditions under FMVSS 213 test environments. The simulated results of ATD kinematics and restraint forces correlated well to the test data. In order to reduce the weight of the child seat while keeping its safety performance, different design concepts were explored by FE simulations with a mesh morphing method. It was found that lowering the height of child seat base can effectively reduce the weight and head/knee excursions in frontal crashes at the same time. Reducing the material in low stress areas would reduce the weight but slightly increase the ATD head and knee excursions in crashes. Overall, the modified design with reduced based height and reduced weight in low stress areas has a weight of 1.13 lbs less than the original seat, and the ATD head and knee excursions in FMVSS 213 test conditions with four different restraint conditions all reduced. In addition, it was found that changing the tube shape can potentially change the distribution of the head and knee excursions without much impact on weight. This study demonstrated the feasibility and usefulness for introducing FE simulations into the child seat design process. Future studies using this validated FE child seat model should focus on other crash scenarios, such as those with different impact severities and directions to improve safety performance of the child seat design.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Consumer Trends in Grain Consumption

Worldwide grain consumption is increasing because of increased population and shift in dietary patterns to higher-value animal foods, so that grains are used in feeding. Trends in consumption are affected by availability, price, ethnicity, social norms, food eaten away from home, women in the labor force, health trends, social and other media, and dietary fads. Governments and industry track production, imports, and intake of all foods including grains. These data allow analysis of past trends and may aid in predicting future trends. This article looks at consumption trends for the major grains and their drivers in various parts of the world.
Direct and cost-efficient hyperpolarization of long-lived nuclear spin states on universal 15N2-diazirine molecular tags

Conventional magnetic resonance (MR) faces serious sensitivity limitations which can be overcome by hyperpolarization methods, but the most common method (dynamic nuclear polarization) is complex and expensive, and applications are limited by short spin lifetimes (typically seconds) of biologically relevant molecules. We use a recently developed method, SABRE-SHEATH, to directly hyperpolarize 15N2 magnetization and long-lived 15N2 singlet spin order, with signal decay time constants of 5.8 and 23 minutes, respectively. We find >10,000-fold enhancements generating detectable nuclear MR signals that last for over an hour. 15N2-diazirines represent a class of particularly promising and versatile molecular tags, and can be incorporated into a wide range of biomolecules without significantly altering molecular function.
In Vitro Susceptibility of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus to Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim

Agar-dilution susceptibility tests. An isolated colony was inoculated into broth. After incubation overnight, the resulting culture was diluted 1,000fold and replicated by means of the Steers replica plating apparatus [2] onto a series of MuellerHinton agar plates containing twofold dilutions of SMZ, TMP, or the combination of 16 parts SMZ with one part TMP (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole). After incubation overnight the MIC was read as the lowest concentration without growth, with a faint film of growth, or at most, with a single isolated colony.
Analysis of 1676 cases of bone marrow cell cytology examination from children with blood disorders

Objective: To explore the relationship between children's bone marrow cell morphology and initial clinical diagnosis. Methods: 1676 cases of bone marrow specimens were stained by Wright-Giemsa and special histochemical staining from 2007 to 2011.Bone marrow cell cytology diagnoses were given according to the staining results combined with clinical data. Results: Among the bone marrow cell morphology diagnoses the top three diseases were idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura(ITP),iron deficiency anemia(IDA) and leukemia with coincident rates of 92.3%,88.9%,85.1% separately.The disease with the highest incidence rate of 66.4% was acute lymphocytic leukemia. Conclusion: Bone marrow cell cytology examination were valuable to the definite diagnoses of most children's haematological diseases,and were also meaningful to the differential diagnoses of some obscure diseases.
Analysis of Measles Epidemiological Characteristics in Guizhou Province,2009-2010

Obiective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of measles in Guizhou Province from 2009 to 2010,and provide evidence for strategies and measures of measles elimination.Methods analyze the measles data of 2009-2010 reported by measles surveillance system in Guizhou province with descriptive epidemiology method.Results the reported measles incidence was 0.22 per 100,000 population in 2010(66.15%lower than that in 2009).The measles cases were highly sporadic and mainly small children.The most cases aged 1～7 years old.Cases without clear immune history accounted for 77.55% and 75.81%of total cases in 2009 and 2010.Conclusion the effect of follow-up measles vaccine supplement immunization activities(follow-up MV SIAs) in 2008 is significant.To achieve elimination,Guizhou province need to strengthen the routine immunization program,and conduct catch-up vaccination.
Partial Nephrectomy for Small Renal Masses: Do Teaching and Nonteaching Institutions Adhere to Guidelines Equally?

Abstract Introduction: The American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines recommend partial nephrectomy (PN) as the gold standard for treatment of small renal masses (SRMs). This study examines the change in utilization of partial and radical nephrectomies at teaching and nonteaching institutions from 2003 to 2012. Materials and Methods: The data sample for this study came from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2003 to 2012. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and Clinical Modification codes were used to identify patients undergoing PN and radical nephrectomy for renal masses limited to the renal parenchyma. Teaching hospitals were defined, but not limited to any institution with an American Medical Association-approved residency program. Linear regression, bivariate, multivariate, and odds ratio analysis were used to demonstrate statistical significance. Results: 39,685 patients were identified in teaching hospitals, and 22,239 were identi...
Psychotropic drug therapy knowledge of health care practitioners

The psychotropic drug therapy knowledge of eight types of health care practitioners was studied. An examination, dealing with case studies of schizophrenia, depression and mania, was developed. The categories of practitioners were: (1) clinical pharmacists in psychiatric practice, (2) psychiatrists, (3) physicians (nonpsychiatrists), (4) hospital pharmacists in mental health institutions, (5) hospital pharmacists in nonmental health institutions, (6) community pharmacists, (7) nurses in mental health institutions, and (8) nurses in nonmental health institutions. The specific areas of drug knowledge tested were: diagnosis; drug selection; side effects; adverse reactions; monitoring parameters; influence of other disease states; drug-drug interactions; drug-laboratory test interactions; and clinical drug judgment. Clinical pharmacists in psychiatric practice and psychiatrists had the highest scores, and the scores of these two groups were significantly higher than those of the other groups. Nurses practicing in nonmental health institutions had the lowest scores. The results suggested that clinical pharmacists trained in psychotropic drug therapy may be competent to manage this therapy of patients in mental health institutions. Patients receiving this therapy in nonpsychiatric facilities and in ambulatory environments are being served by physicians, nurses and pharmacists whose knowledge of psychotropic drug therapy may be inadequate.
TU‐FG‐BRB‐03: Basis Vector Model Based Method for Proton Stopping Power Estimation From Experimental Dual Energy CT Data

Purpose: This work aims at reducing the uncertainty in proton stopping power (SP) estimation by a novel combination of a linear, separable basis vector model (BVM) for stopping power calculation (Med Phys 43:600) and a statistical, model-based dual-energy CT (DECT) image reconstruction algorithm (TMI 35:685). The method was applied to experimental data. Methods: BVM assumes the photon attenuation coefficients, electron densities, and mean excitation energies (I-values) of unknown materials can be approximated by a combination of the corresponding quantities of two reference materials. The DECT projection data for a phantom with 5 different known materials was collected on a Philips Brilliance scanner using two scans at 90 kVp and 140 kVp. The line integral alternating minimization (LIAM) algorithm was used to recover the two BVM coefficient images using the measured source spectra. The proton stopping powers are then estimated from the Bethe-Bloch equation using electron densities and I-values derived from the BVM coefficients. The proton stopping powers and proton ranges for the phantom materials estimated via our BVM based DECT method are compared to ICRU reference values and a post-processing DECT analysis (Yang PMB 55:1343) applied to vendorreconstructed images using the Torikoshi parametric fit model (tPFM). Results: For the phantom materials, the average stopping power estimations for 175 MeV protons derived from our method are within 1% of the ICRU reference values (except for Teflon with a 1.48% error), with an average standard deviation of 0.46% over pixels. The resultant proton ranges agree with the reference values within 2 mm. Conclusion: Our principled DECT iterative reconstruction algorithm, incorporating optimal beam hardening and scatter corrections, in conjunction with a simple linear BVM model, achieves more accurate and robust proton stopping power maps than the post-processing, nonlinear tPFM based DECT analysis applied to conventional reconstructions of low and high energy scans. Funding Support: NIH R01CA 75371; NCI grant R01 CA 149305.
Hyperspectral Imaging Instruments

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on instrumentation for hyperspectral imaging technique, with an emphasis on those that have found applications in food quality analysis and control. It provides an introduction of methods for hyperspectral image acquisition. It emphasizes to introduce a variety of essential components for constructing hyperspectral imaging systems, including light sources, wavelength dispersion devices, and detectors. Point scanning, line scanning, area scanning, and single shot are four major methods for acquiring hyperspectral images. Various line-scanning and area-scanning hyperspectral measurement systems have been developed and used successfully for the quality and safety inspection of food and agricultural products. Related instruments for constructing and calibrating scanning imaging systems, such as light sources, wavelength dispersion devices, detectors, standard test charts, calibration sources, and standard reflectance panels, are already commercially available. Single-shot hyperspectral imagers can capture 3-dimensional hypercubes at high speed without any scanning. They represent a new direction in hyperspectral instrument development, while such devices are still in the early development stage. New instrument design concepts are continuously introduced, and current instruments and systems can also be improved to achieve better performance. The advances in hyperspectral imaging instruments, along with the progress in hyperspectral image-processing techniques, will inspire the future development of hyperspectral imaging technology.
The garden is thorny: Teaching kindergarten in the age of accountability

Teachers today are faced with myriad expectations. Whether preparing children for school learning goals, state assessments, or building social skills, it seems that teachers are being asked to do m...
Sympathetic Innervation Promotes Arterial Fate by Enhancing Endothelial ERK Activity

Rationale: Arterial endothelial cells are morphologically, functionally, and molecularly distinct from those found in veins and lymphatic vessels. How arterial fate is acquired during development and maintained in adult vessels is incompletely understood. Objective: We set out to identify factors that promote arterial endothelial cell fate in vivo. Methods and Results: We developed a functional assay, allowing us to monitor and manipulate arterial fate in vivo, using arteries isolated from quails that are grafted into the coelom of chick embryos. Endothelial cells migrate out from the grafted artery, and their colonization of host arteries and veins is quantified. Here we show that sympathetic innervation promotes arterial endothelial cell fate in vivo. Removal of sympathetic nerves decreases arterial fate and leads to colonization of veins, whereas exposure to sympathetic nerves or norepinephrine imposes arterial fate. Mechanistically, sympathetic nerves increase endothelial ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) activity via adrenergic α1 and α2 receptors. Conclusions: These findings show that sympathetic innervation promotes arterial endothelial fate and may lead to novel approaches to improve arterialization in human disease. # Novelty and Significance {#article-title-62}
Can We Pay for Performance in Behavioral Health Care

Pay for performance (P4P) has become a popular strategy to reward quality and cost-efficiency in behavioral health care and other health care disciplines. This column presents the results of a literature review of P4P in behavioral health care. Fifteen empirical studies evaluating the outcomes of behavioral health services provided in a P4P system were identified. The limited data suggest that P4P can achieve its desired effect. More research is needed on outcomes, performance, and unintended consequences.
Magnetic susceptibility measurements of cytochrome c peroxidase and its complexes.

Abstract A highly purified preparation of cytochrome c peroxidase was prepared by reconstituting the enzyme from the apoprotein and protohemin. Paramagnetic susceptibilities of the enzyme and of its complexes with cyanide, azide, cyanate, and fluoride were measured at temperatures from 77° K to 273° K. The susceptibilities of the cyanide and fluoride complexes obeyed Curie's law over the entire temperature range and it was confirmed that these complexes are in purely low spin and high spin states. All of the other complexes, in addition to the free enzyme, were found to deviate from Curie's law above certain temperatures. The effective Bohr magneton numbers (neff) of the enzyme at different pH values were explained by assuming that cytochrome c peroxidase is a mixture of acidic and alkaline forms and that both forms have low spin and high spin states in thermal equilibria. The temperature dependence of the equilibria was also characterized spectrophotometrically for the enzyme at pH 7 and its cyanate complex. The optical measurements were in good agreement with the susceptibility measurements of the corresponding samples. The temperature-dependent changes of n2eff were analyzed on the basis of a thermal equilibrium between high spin and low spin states. Several thermodynamic parameters such as the energy difference (e), the enthalpy difference (ΔH°), and the entropy difference (ΔS°) between the two spin states, the entropy factor (γ), and the compensation temperature (Tc) were estimated from the temperature dependence of the equilibrium constants of the mixed spin states. The relation between ΔH° and ΔS° is discussed and compared with myoglobin and hemoglobin.
EXPERIMENTAL AND SMART (ANN) STUDY FOR TRANSIENT HEAT TRANSFER FROM A FLAT PLATE UNDER AIR IMPINGMENT

An experimental study is conducted to verify the transient heat transfer characteristic for a target plate under air impingement jet. This investigation has been carried out with different sizes of orifice diameters included (D=5, 10, 15 and 20mm). Air jet velocity is varied using a control valve and piping system designed for this purpose . Air leaves the orifice and impinges the constant flux heated plate orthogonally . Reynolds number is varied in the range (Re=7100ــ 11900) representing air jet velocities in the range (Uj=18 ــ 40m/s). The orifice to plate distance ratio is in the range (H/D=2, 4, 6 and 8). The transient heat transfer coefficient is calculated using the semi-infinite solid equation. The local heat transfer coefficients and local variation of Nusselt number are measured for the transient and steady state case, represented by the time period which represent the a dimensionless parameter for the the time elapsed from start of cooling process ( time =0and τ_o=0) till the end of the transient cooling process ( i-e reaching the steady state condition and τ_o=1 )in addition to its variation with distance from the centre. The values are compared to that at the steady state condition An artificial neural network (ANN) is a computational model or a mathematical model based on biological neural networks. It consists of an interconnected groups of artificial neurons and processes information using a connection approach to computation.. Artificial Neural Network using back propagation with transient and steady state has been used. Five different ANN-models, using two algorithms: one for transient state type and steady state type. Correlation was developed for the prediction of Nusselt number in stagnation region, along the distance from plate center region and average Nusselt number using the package MATLAB version (R2014a). Developed correlations of Artificial Neural Network models are based on experimental data for the prediction of Nusselt number. Results show that the Nusselt values are maximum at state of impingement process and decays with time on proceeding of the cooling process and also with space reaching the plate edge.
Acute visual loss in a patient with spinal cord injury

Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), especially those with injury at and above T6, are prone to transient episodes of hypertension induced by noxious triggers below the level of SCI, known as autonomic dysreflexia (AD). An uncommonly reported presentation of AD is posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). A 50-year-old male with the history of paraplegia from SCI presented with sepsis secondary to baclofen pump and urinary tract infections. On hospital day 4, he developed acute bilateral vision loss. The next morning he had a generalized-tonic-clonic seizure followed by cardiac arrest, with return of spontaneous circulation following resuscitation. Magnetic resonance imaging brain demonstrated multifocal areas of hyperintensity on T2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequence, most pronounced in the occipital lobes. Systolic blood pressures (SBP) were under 180 mmHg throughout hospital stay but above his baseline (SBP 90 mmHg). PRES was diagnosed on the basis of clinical and radiologic evidence. With strict blood pressure (BP) control, there was resolution of visual abnormalities, headaches, encephalopathy, and seizures. Although PRES has been most commonly described in malignant hypertension, it can be seen in patients with normotension or moderate hypertension who have low baseline BPs, such as patients with SCI. These patients are prone to AD due to imbalanced sympathetic outflow to vasculature below the level of injury caused by noxious stimulus. This results in massive regional vasoconstriction leading to an uncontrolled rise in BP above baseline. This episode of PRES could have been prevented by identifying patient’s risk, recognizing early signs and potential triggers of AD, and implementing aggressive treatment of the underlying noxious stimuli.
Electron and hole contributions to normal-state transport in the superconducting system Sn 1 − x In x Te

Indium-doped SnTe has been of interest because the system can exhibit both topological surface states and bulk superconductivity. While the enhancement of the superconducting transition temperature is established, the character of the electronic states induced by indium doping remains poorly understood. We report a study of magnetotransport in a series of ${\mathrm{Sn}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{In}}_{x}\mathrm{Te}$ single crystals with $0.1\ensuremath{\le}x\ensuremath{\le}0.45$. From measurements of the Hall effect, we find that the dominant carrier type changes from holelike to electronlike at $x\ensuremath{\sim}0.25$; one would expect electronlike carriers if the In ions have a valence of $+3$. For single crystals with $x=0.45$, corresponding to the highest superconducting transition temperature, pronounced Shubnikov--de Haas oscillations are observed in the normal state. In measurements of magnetoresistance, we find evidence for weak antilocalization (WAL). We attribute both the quantum oscillations and the WAL to bulk Dirac-like hole pockets, previously observed in photoemission studies, which coexist with the dominant electronlike carriers.