cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phase equilibria for tetralin-water and 1-methylnaphthalene-water mixtures at elevated temperatures and pressures

Abstract Christensen, S.P. and Paulaitis, M.E., 1992. Phase equilibria for tetralin-water and 1-methylnaphthalene-water mixtures at elevated temperatures and pressures. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 71: 63-83. Vapor-liquid and liquid-liquid equilibrium phase compositions and vapor-liquid critical points have been measured for tetralin-water and 1-methylnaphthalene-water mixtures at temperatures from 300-400 ° C and pressures up to the mixture critical pressure. A flow experimental technique was used for the measurements of phase compositions to minimize thermal degradation of the hydrocarbon at elevated temperatures and to facilitate sampling at elevated pressures. The apparatus contains a high-pressure view cell equipped with sapphire windows to allow visual observation of phase separation, the number of coexisting phases, and critical opalescence. Observations of critical endpoints for three-phase, vapor-liquid-liquid equilibrium have also been made for both hydrocarbon-water mixtures using a static equilibrium cell. These critical endpoints are shown to be sufficient for classifying the pressure-temperature projection of each binary mixture.
Modularity and Fractionation in Complex Systems: A Value‐Centric Approach1

Systems Complexity is driven by more connectivity among constituents and increased environmental uncertainties. Modularity is a system's mechanism to manage complexity in the presence of environmental heterogeneities. Here, a general design decision framework for modularity and fractionation in complex systems is presented. This framework incorporates spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the environment, adaptability of the system and costs associated with modularity. It is argued that as the space-time heterogeneity of the environment increases, higher levels of modularity are needed. To determine the optimal level of modularity, a four-level modularity pyramid is introduced. This pyramid takes into account functional and physical dimensions of modularity and allows for resource sharing to enables dynamic modularity. Moving up from each level is quantified by an M+ operation that calculates the net value of increased modularity for each sub-system. In the end, a detailed case for F6 Satellite systems is presented, quantified and simulated.
Postkeratoplasty Anterior and Posterior Corneal Surface Wavefront Analysis: Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty versus Penetrating Keratoplasty

Purpose. To compare the higher-order aberrations (HOAs) due to the anterior and posterior corneal surfaces in patients that underwent either Descemet-stripping-automated-endothelial-keratoplasty (DSAEK) or penetrating keratoplasty (PK) for endothelial dysfunction and age-matched controls. Methods. This retrospective, observational, case series included 28 patients after PK, 30 patients after DSAEK, and 30 healthy controls. A Scheimpflug imaging system was used to assess the HOAs due to the anterior and posterior corneal surfaces at 4 mm and 6 mm optical zones. Total, 3rd and 4th order HOAs were considered. Intra- and intergroup differences were assessed using the Friedman and the Kruskal-Wallis tests, respectively; paired comparisons were performed using Duncan's multiple range test. Results. Total, 3rd and 4th order HOAs due to both corneal surfaces at 4 mm and 6 mm optical zones were significantly higher in the PK group, intermediate in the DSAEK group, and lower in controls (). The most important HOAs components in both PK and DSAEK groups were trefoil and coma from the anterior corneal surface () and trefoil from the posterior corneal surface (). Conclusions. The optical quality of both corneal surfaces appeared significantly higher after DSAEK than after PK, which can increase the postoperative patient's quality of vision and satisfaction.
Nanopores and Apparent Permeability of Gas Flow in Mudrocks (Shales and Siltstone)

Gas-producing mudrock systems are playing an important role in the volatile energy industry in North America and will soon play an equally important role in Europe. Mudrocks are composed of very fine grained particles, and their pores are very small, at the scale of nanometers. Gas production from these strata is much greater than what is anticipated given their very low Darcy permeability. In this paper, images of nanopores obtained by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) are presented for the first time. Gas flow in nanopores cannot be described simply by the Darcy equation. Processes such as Knudsen diffusion and slip flow at the solid matrix separate gas flow behaviour from Darcy-type flow. We present a formulation for gas flow in the nanopores of mudrocks based on Knudsen diffusion and slip flow. By comparing this new gas flow formulation and Darcy flow for compressible gas, we introduce an apparent permeability term that includes the complexity of flow in nanopores, and it takes the form of the Darcy equation so that it can easily be implemented in reservoir simulators. Results show that the ratio of apparent permeability to Darcy permeability increases sharply as pore sizes reduce to smaller than 100 nm. Also, Knudsen diffusion's contributions to flow increase as pores become smaller. Unlike Darcy permeability, which is a characteristic of the rock only, permeation of gas in nanopores of mudrocks depends on rock, gas type and operating conditions.
Continental Margin Off Western Africa: Cape St. Francis (South Africa) to Walvis Ridge (South-West Africa)

Approximately 17,000 km of continuous gravity, magnetic, and seismic-reflection profiles were recorded to determine the structure of the continental margin from Cape St. Francis to Walvis Ridge, and of the adjacent Agulhas and Cape deep-ocean basins. These and previous sea-floor and land data suggest that basement structures are the result of the breakup of Gondwanaland and the dispersion of the fragments to their present positions. This breakup may have been initiated as early as the Carboniferous Period, but most of the dispersion has taken place since Middle Jurassic. Igneous activity during the early phase may have led to the emplacement of ridges along the continental margin. Later, block faulting and volcanism along the fracture zones that delineate the flow lines of the drifting continents produced Walvis Ridge, Cape Rise, and the Agulhas Plateau. One of these fracture zones, the Agulhas fracture zone, dominates the structural grain of the continental margin and deep-ocean floor off the African southern coast. Sediments as thick as 7 km buried the fragmented continental basement and adjacent oceanic basement off the west coast and formed a broad continental rise and abyssal plain within Cape basin. The source of much of this clastic debris is believed to be the Orange River. In contrast, sedimentation off the southern coast since the breakup of Gondwanaland has been very limited, mostly being restricted to the narrow St. Francis basin atop the shelf. The adjacent continental slope and Agulhas basin have only a thin sediment cover. Much of the sediment that was present on the slope has slumped into the narrow Agulhas fracture zone at the base of the slope. Numerous swells on the southwestern end of the Walvis Ridge, undulating topography of the ocean floor in the western part of the Cape basin, swells on the upper continental rise, and the rough topography of the Agulhas Plateau were formed by the movement of the South Atlantic Bottom Water that enters Cape basin on the west side, flows along the southern flank of Walvis Ridge, and then is deflected southward by the continental slope. Pleistocene eustatic changes in sea level considerably modified the shelf, upper slope, and the eastern end of Walvis Ridge by wave action, turbidity currents, and the Benguela Current.
The Electrical Behavior of Nitro Oligo(Phenylene Ethynylene)'s in Pure and Mixed Monolayers

In order to realize molecular electronic devices, molecules with electrically interesting behavior must be identified. One molecule that has potential for use in devices is an oligo(phenylene ethynylene) (OPE) molecule with nitro sidegroup(s). These “nitro” molecules have been reported to show electrical switching with memory behavior, as well as negative differential resistance (NDR). However, different research groups testing the nitro molecules in different test beds have observed different electrical behaviors. In this work, we assembled two different nitro monolayers: one completely composed of nitro molecules and the second a mixed matrix where nitro molecules were separated by dodecanethiol molecules. We used scanning tunneling microscopy to image each of the monolayers and observed that the nitro molecules were effectively inserted into the ordered dodecanethiol monolayer. We tested the electrical behavior of the pure monolayer, as well as the mixed monolayer, in our nanowell test device. The nanowell devices were fabricated on micron-size gold lines patterned on oxide-coated silicon wafers. The gold lines were covered with a silicon dioxide layer, through which a nanometer size well was milled. This nanowell device was filled with a self-assembling monolayer of organic molecules, and capped with titanium and gold. The nanowell electrical results showed switching with memory for the pure nitro monolayer, but not for the mixed monolayer. This switching behavior consisted of a molecule starting in a high conductivity state and switching to a low conductivity state upon application of a threshold voltage. The high conductivity state could only be returned by application of an opposite threshold voltage.
Compositional and microstructural evolution during annealing of Terfenol-D nanoparticulate films

Although highly magnetostrictive thin films of Terfenol-D have been produced by a variety of methods, high-quality thick films have proved to be far more challenging to produce. To date, thick film processes have resulted in nanoparticulate films that contain significant porosity that reduces stiffness and results in oxidation and poor magnetostrictive performance. With the goal of understanding micro structural and compositional factors that affect performance, nanoparticulate Terfenol-D thick films were produced by laser ablation of microparticle aerosols combined with supersonic impaction. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photon spectroscopy, and magnetic measurements were performed on nano-particles and on films as-deposited and after annealing in vacuum or in a reducing atmosphere. These measurements show that segregation occurs during oxidation of the films, prior to annealing, and results in films with poor magnetostriction. The segregation persists during annealing with no visible changes to the morphology or density of the nanoparticulate films exposed to temperatures as high as 800 °C. These results suggest that oxidation and segregation must be avoided to produce highly magnetostrictive thick films.
State Characteristics and Crisis Outcomes: A Test of the Spatial Model

Two recent books, Interstate Crisis Behavior, 1816–1980 by Russell Leng and Untying the Knot of War by Cliff Morgan, have focused on the study of international crises. The two studies follow fundamentally different approaches, with Leng following an inductive strategy and Morgan developing a deductive theory, but there appears to be a great deal of overlap in the questions studied and in the variables examined. This research attempts to evaluate each of these previous studies in light of the other. By using Leng's data to test Morgan's hypotheses we hope to discover areas in which the theory requires additional development and areas in which the current data may be an inadequate basis from which to draw inferences. Our results suggest that the theory does need to be extended in certain directions; e.g., to incorporate misperceptions regarding the balance of military capabilities. Furthermore, the results suggest that the current version of the data may not allow valid inferences regarding the impact of cr...
Helping African American Children Self-Manage Asthma: The Importance of Self-Efficacy

BACKGROUND: Asthma is the leading cause of chronic illness among children in the United States, with a disproportionately higher incidence among minority children. In an attempt to increase understanding of the factors that may influence self-management of chronic disease, the study examined the relationship between self-efficacy belief and asthma self-management in urban African American children. METHODS: Using a descriptive correlational research design, the participants (81 African American children between 7 and 12 years old) completed the Asthma Inventory for Children (AIC), which measured asthma self-management behaviors, and Asthma Belief Survey (ABS), which measured asthma self-efficacy. RESULTS: Results of this study demonstrated a statistically positive correlation (p < .01, r = .53) between the child's asthma self-management and the child's self-efficacy belief toward his or her asthma. The mean item scores for the AIC, which measures the number of asthma management behaviors utilized by the participants, ranged from 1.88 to 5.00 with a mean of 3.69 and a standard deviation of 0.59. The mean scores of the ABS, which measures the level of self-efficacy beliefs for asthma management among the participants, ranged from 1.73 to 5.00 with a standard deviation of 0.58. CONCLUSIONS: In chronic illness such as asthma, self-management is key to the long-range personal, academic, and professional success of children and adults with such conditions. Implications are drawn for the preparation of health care providers, teachers, and counselors who work with school-age children with asthma.
Impact of Imported Daughters on Evaluations of Their Sires

Abstract Degree of bias in Modified Contemporary Comparison evaluations from including imported daughter was investigated to determine its impact on sire evaluation and subsequent development of conversion formulas between countries. Separate Modified Contemporary Deviations were computed from all daughters, only daughters with US dams, and only daughters with Canadian dams (daughters considered to be imported) for 31 Canadian Holstein bulls with a Repeatability of at least 40% in each subset. The deviations from daughters of Canadian dams were lower than those from daughters of US dams. Deviations weighted by product of Repeatabilities were significantly lower for both milk (113kg) and fat (2.5kg) for the subset of imported daughters. Lower evaluations for Canadian bulls did not affect conversion factors appreciably because 88% of daughters had US dams. However, demonstrations of bias (apparently due to merit of mates) led to implementation of separate Canadian unknown-parent groups in animal model evaluations. For unknown dams of recently born cows, PTA for milk yield were about 250kg lower for Canadian dams than for US dams. Daughter yield deviations averaged only 10kg milk and .1kg fat less for daughters of Canadian dams than for daughters of US dams. Correlations between subsets of daughters were near 1.
Educating Part-Time MBAs For The Global Business Environment

To be successful managers in the business world of the 21 st century, MBA students must acquire global skills of business acumen, reflection, cultural sensitivity, and multi-cultural teamwork. Developing these skills requires international experience, but educating part-time MBAs creates a special challenge demanding both rigor and efficiency. This paper describes an innovative way to address this challenge. Based on the study tour concept, the course incorporates a three-part multinational opportunity analysis project for a full semester, and provides students a chance to interact with professors and students from a university in another country. The students develop critical global skills with only an abbreviated travel experience abroad.
Face shape extraction and recognition using 3D morphing and distance mapping

We describe a novel approach for creating a 3D face structure from multiple image views of a human face taken at a priori unknown poses by appropriately morphing a generic 3D face. A 3D cubic explicit polynomial is used to morph a generic face into the specific face structure. This allows the creation of a database of 3D faces that is used in identifying a person (in the database) from one or more arbitrary image view(s). The estimation of a 3D person's face and its recognition from the database of faces is achieved through the use of a distance map metric. The use of this metric avoids either resorting to the formidable task of establishing feature point correspondences in the image views, or even more severely, relying on the extremely view-sensitive image intensity (texture). Experimental results are shown for images of real faces, and excellent results are obtained.
Polycrystalline silicon-carbide surface-micromachined vertical resonators-part I: growth study and device fabrication

This manuscript is the first of a two-part series describing the fabrication and testing of MHz frequency, polycrystalline silicon-carbide (poly-SiC) micromechanical resonators made from films deposited by atmospheric-pressure chemical-vapor deposition (APCVD). In Part I, the development of deposition and patterning techniques suitable for the fabrication of vertically actuated, clamped-clamped beam resonant structures is detailed. Recipe development involved film deposition and material analysis on both planar and patterned substrates. We found that a carbonization-based deposition process modeled after epitaxial growth of 3C-SiC on Si produced the highest quality poly-SiC films for use with sub-micron thick polysilicon sacrificial layers, regardless of topology. Devices utilizing beam thicknesses up to 1 /spl mu/m were fabricated and successfully released. Details about the testing of the released structures are presented in Part 2 of this series (see Wiser, Tabib-Azar, Mehregan, and Zorman, "Polycrystalline silicon-carbide surface-micromachined vertical resonators-Part II: Electrical testing and material property extraction", J. Microelectromech. Syst., vol. 14, no. 3, Jun. 2005).
Estimation of Diffusion Coefficient of Lithium in Carbon Using AC Impedance Technique

The validity of estimating the solid phase diffusion coefficient, Ds , of a lithium intercalation electrode from impedance measurement by a modified electrochemical impedance spectroscopy~EIS! method is studied. A macroscopic porous electrode model and concentrated electrolyte theory are used to simulate the synthetic impedance data. The modified EIS method is applied for estimating Ds . The influence of parameters such as the exchange current density, radius of active material particle, solid phase conductivity, porosity, volume fraction of inert material, and thickness of the porous carbon intercalation electrode, the solution phase diffusion coefficient, and transference number, on the validity of Ds estimation, is evaluated. A simple dimensionless group is developed to correlate all the results. It shows that the accurate estimation of Ds requires large particle size, small electrode thickness, large solution diffusion coefficient, and low active material loading. Finally, a ‘‘full model’’ method is developed for the
Δ5, 3β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Activity in the Rat Parietal Yolk Sac during Pregnancy

Significant �, 3$3-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3�-HSD) activity was observed in homogenates of rat parietal yolk sac (PYS) incubated with [3 HI -labeled pregnenolone or dehydroepiandrosterone in the presence of NAD+. The enzyme(s) is localized exclusively in the trophoblastic giant cells which constitute the maternal surface of the PYS. The specific activity of 3j3-HSD in PYS is maximal on Day 13 of pregnancy and then drops precipitously. Total 3�-HSD activity of PYS on Days 13 and 14 is comparable to that of the chorioallantoic placenta on the days of its maximal activity (Days 15-19 of pregnancy). The potential for the production of significant amounts of progesterone by the PYS suggests that this extraembryonic membrane is a true steroid hormone producing organ. Furthermore, since a progesterone primed uterus is required for the maintenance of pregnancy, the presence of 3�l-HSD activity in the PYS indicates a role for proges
Bone Formation Under the Elevated Sinus Membrane Using Venous Coagulum.

Introduction: Insufficient bone height is a common obstacle to placing dental implants in the posterior maxilla. Sinus grafts have been shown to be a highly predictable way to increase bone height in the posterior maxilla. This case series illustrates a technique using venous coagulum and simultaneous implant placement under the elevated sinus. Bone formation is demonstrated clinically, radiographically, and histologically. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of histomorphometric results and microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) using this technique.Case Series: A total of five sinus elevations with simultaneous placement of two dental implants were performed with venous blood coagulum as the sole filling biomaterial. At the time of uncovering, after 8 to 9 months of healing, biopsies were harvested from the lateral wall of the maxilla. This study illustrates bone formation under five elevated sinuses, with simultaneous placement of dental implants, using venous coagulum as the sole filli...
Discovering spatiotemporal mobility profiles of cellphone users

Mobility path information of cellphone users play a crucial role in a wide range of cellphone applications, including context-based search and advertising, early warning systems, city-wide sensing applications such as air pollution exposure estimation and traffic planning. However, there is a disconnect between the low level location data logs available from the cellphones and the high level mobility path information required to support these cellphone applications. In this paper, we present formal definitions to capture the cellphone users' mobility patterns and profiles, and provide a complete framework, Mobility Profiler, for discovering mobile user profiles starting from cell based location log data. We use real-world cellphone log data (of over 350K hours of coverage) to demonstrate our framework and perform experiments for discovering frequent mobility patterns and profiles. Our analysis of mobility profiles of cellphone users expose a significant long tail in a user's location-time distribution: A total of 15% of a user's time is spent on average in locations that each appear with less than 1% of time.
E-Book Usage on a Global Scale: Patterns, Trends, and Opportunities

This study examines worldwide usage of over 600,000 e-books from EBL and ebrary. Using multiple modes of analysis, the study shows that there are variations in usage by geographic region as well as by subject. The study examines usage in relation to availability of titles, different types of usage per session, usage of the top ten percent of titles, and intensive and extensive use. These patterns can be used for benchmarking and as a model for local e-book studies.
Transcriptional analysis reveals distinct subtypes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: implications for personalized therapy

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable disease, caused by the loss of the upper and lower motor neurons. The lack of therapeutic progress is mainly due to the insufficient understanding of complexity and heterogeneity underlying the pathogenic mechanisms of ALS. Recently, we analyzed whole-genome expression profiles of motor cortex of sporadic ALS patients, classifying them into two subgroups characterized by differentially expressed genes and pathways. Some of the deregulated genes encode proteins, which are primary targets of drugs currently in preclinical or clinical studies for several clinical conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we discuss in-depth the potential role of these candidate targets in ALS pathogenesis, highlighting their possible relevance for personalized ALS treatments.
“Pulse for Pulse in Harmony with the Universal Whole”: Hearing “Self-Reliance” Anew

Prentiss Clark, “‘Pulse for Pulse in Harmony with the Universal Whole’: Hearing ‘Self-Reliance’ Anew” (pp. 319–341) This essay recounts how Ralph Waldo Emerson, the nineteenth-century thinker perhaps most associated with individualism, is equally, and perhaps necessarily, a student of the intimacies in which we exist. More specifically, the essay contests the explanatory power criticism generally attributes to what Emerson called “self-reliance” by delineating how “self-reliance” (the idea and the 1841 essay by this name) participates in Emerson’s broad work of investigating what he termed “man’s true position in the universe” and its implications for one9s conduct of life. In this reading, which draws from Emerson’s neglected as well as canonical essays, lectures, and sermons, “the infinitude of the private man”—the “one doctrine” Emerson says he teaches in all his lectures—has less to do with the singular human self as such than with our standing ever amid innumerable and consequential relations and accountable for all it entails. Ultimately, this essay hopes to demonstrate how Emerson speaks, from the first, to the ethical potential of rediscovering our connections—connections to ourselves, fellow persons, nature, and beyond (even when at the distances to which our differences can put us).
Effect of Air-Assist on Liquid Jet Penetration and Dispersion in a Cross-Flow of Hot, High-Pressure Air

This paper describes an experimental investigation of the effects of air-assist upon the penetration and dispersion of a liquid fuel jet that is injected into cross-flowing air. The spray patterns across the central longitudinal plane were investigated at flow conditions similar to those encountered at the combustor inlet of a modern gas turbine engine. Temperatures of the cross-flow and assist air were at 316 and 427°C, while test-channel pressures were set at 2.02 and 2.53MPa. Jet-A fuel was injected through a wall-recessed plain orifice into a rectangular test-channel where the cross-flow air velocity was Ucross-flow=75m/s. Assist air was injected from four slots surrounding the fuel orifice within the wall-recessed well. The air-assist jets impinged upon the fuel jet at a 45° angle. Pressure drops across the air-slots were limited to ≤4% of test-channel pressure to simulate the difference between stagnation and static pressures on a typical fuel-air mixer/injector. Thus, the assist-air-to-liquid fuel mass-flow ratios (ALR) were limited to 0.41, which was much lower than those used in traditional airblast atomizers with ALR in the range of 1 to 10. Momentum-flux ratios (J) of the fuel jet to cross-flow were varied between J=5 to 40. A 355nm planar laser was used to illuminate the spray’s central plane to capture images of liquid droplets Mie-scattering. An attempt was made at correlating the trajectories of the jet using an effective momentum-flux ratio Jeff that accounts for air-assist jets’ momentum. It was discovered that air-assist had limited influence on the spray’s outer-edge penetration, while it strongly enhances the penetration of the inner-edge and spray centerline. Air-assist’s effects were also found to be proportional to ALR. Contrary to the results of airblast jet-in-cross-flow researches, it was found that at J∼5, when the sprays’ inner-edges were close to the wall, air-assist enhanced the inner-edge penetration in a manner that was not well-captured by Jeff. Finally, it was also observed that sprays at 2.53MPa were more sensitive to J and air-assist variations than sprays at 2.02MPa.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
A note on60Co decay

Theγ-rays from60Co have been studied with a 30 cm3 Ge(Li) detector. Gamma rays of energies 826.4 and 2,158.9 keV which are expected on the basis of the60Co decay scheme were sought but not observed. Their intensities are 12.3 for the 664 keV second-forbidden uniqueβ-transition.
Robust process for the design and development of automotive noise control systems (a.k.a. acoustic integration)

The process of developing a vehicle for optimal interior noise levels is an enormous effort on the part of a large team of individuals. Since any given vehicle program will continually evolve during the development process, an effective and robust noise control strategy and process must be implemented to ensure that vehicle performance targets are realized in production. However, robust does not mean "performance overkill" to provide for all possible contingencies, since this approach would be prohibitively expensive and massive. This paper outlines a process by which vehicle development allows for managing performance tradeoffs with other packaging and performance concerns, while continually monitoring performance, cost and mass to target.
Research and Extension Roles in Development of Computer-Based Technologies in Integrated Pest Management

Computer-based technologies have greatly advanced insect pest management. However, as their size and complexity have increased, they have become more oriented toward insect management than insect science. Because these technologies consume a significant percentage of entomology's scarce computer expertise, it is important that the advancement of entomology as a science be the point of emphasis. This suggests that changes in priorities are necessary in the areas of research and development at all levels—from the development of farmer-oriented (end user) systems to the individual research entomologist to the funding agency level. This paper presents one perspective on these issues.
Role of miRNA in the Regulation of Inflammatory Genes in Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B-Induced Acute Inflammatory Lung Injury and Mortality

Exposure to Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) causes food poisoning, acute inflammatory lung injury, toxic shock syndrome, and often death. In this study, we investigated whether microRNA (miRNA) play a role in regulating SEB-driven inflammation in the lungs. Exposure to SEB caused immune cell infiltration, robust cytokine and chemokine production, compromised lung function, and 100% mortality in mice. We assessed miRNA and mRNA expression in lung infiltrating mononuclear cells following exposure to SEB and found 89 miRNA that were dysregulated (>2-fold) compared with vehicle controls. In silico analysis revealed that the miRNA exhibited biological functions pertaining to cell death and survival, cellular proliferation, and cell cycle progression. Through the use of q-RT PCR, we validated 9 specific miRNA (miR-155, miR-132, miR-31, miR-222, miR-20b, miR-34a, miR-192, miR-193*, and let-7e) and observed that they were predicted to bind the 3'-UTR of a number of genes that were either involved in the stringent regulation of inflammation (Smad3, Tgfb, Runx1, and Foxo3) or those that contributed to its exacerbation (Stat3, Ptgs2, Ccnd1, Ccne1, NfκB, and Tbx21). Further, by increasing or decreasing the levels of miR-132 (a miRNA highly induced by SEB), we noted the corresponding decrease or increase in the levels of its predicted target FOXO3. As a result of FOXO3 suppression by miR-132, we saw increase in Ifn-γ, Ccnd, and Ccne1. Taken together, our data support the role for miRNA in actively participating and orchestrating SEB-mediated inflammation in the lungs and provide several therapeutic targets for the treatment of SEB-driven toxicity via the modulation of miRNA.
Surveillance of viral diarrhea in Baoan District of Shenzhen City

[Objective]To understand the incidence of viral diarrhea in Baoan District.[Methods]A total of 403 stool samples were collected from diarrhea patients in Baoan District between May 2011 and April 2012 to detect norovirus and rotavirus by using real time polymerase chain reaction(real time PCR).[Results]The viral positive rate was 37.22% in diarrhea patients,the detection rates of norovirus and rotavirus were 20.35% and 18.86%.Norovirus and rotavirus were detected in every month of the year.The positive rate of norovirus was high from June-October,and the peak of rotavirus appeared in Autumn and Winter.The viral positive rate and detection rate of rotavirus in children was significantly higher than those in adults.[Conclusion]Norovirus and rotavirus were the major pathogens in this area.It is necessary to strengthen the surveillance of all viral diarrhea patients.
Study of immunization effectiveness in people vaccinated with a bivalent HFRS vaccine

Objective To investigate and study the effectiveness of a purified bivalent inactivated HFRS vaccine.Methods The Purified Bivalent HFRS Vaccine was used to inoculate people(16-60 years of age) on d0 and d14 to provide basic immunity and a booster immunization was provided after 6 months.Subjects were assigned to a control group or vaccinated group,and a cohort study was conducted for 3 years to compare the groups.Results During the period studied,the incidence of HFRS in the control group was zero,and the incidence in the vaccinated group was 6.51/100000;the difference was statistically significant(χ2=21.77,P0.01).The vaccine protection rate surpassed 100% in the 3 years studied.Conclusion Vaccination with the Purified Bivalent HFRS Vaccine on d0 and d14 to provide basic immunity and a booster immunization provided after 6 months was effective.
A quantitative assessment of sleep laboratory activity in the United States.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To determine the total number of active sleep laboratories in the United States and the number of polysomnograms conducted on a yearly basis in these laboratories. METHODS All members of the AASM and all AASM accredited sleep laboratory directors received a questionnaire addressing their laboratory and its volume. In three states, multiple telephone calls to AASM members were used to correctly identify the absolute number of labs and their PSG volume in those states. Extrapolating from the number of labs studies identified per questionnaire relative to the correct number (per calls) in those states and, then applying this ratio to the entire US, the total number of labs and studies was determined. RESULTS Our data suggests that there are, in the year 2001, 1,292 sleep laboratories conducting 1,165,135 polysomnograms per year. This comes to 427 PSG's/year per 100,000 population in the United States. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that there are a relatively large number of sleep laboratories in the US conducting a substantial number of PSG's. However, there was considerable variability in this volume between states that did not relate to known markers of healthcare utilization. These numbers have likely increased since 2001.
Cytochrome P450 Organization and Function Are Modulated by Endoplasmic Reticulum Phospholipid Heterogeneity.

Cytochrome P450s (P450s) comprise a superfamily of proteins that catalyze numerous monooxygenase reactions in animals, plants, and bacteria. In eukaryotic organisms, these proteins not only carry out reactions necessary for the metabolism of endogenous compounds, but they are also important in the oxidation of exogenous drugs and other foreign compounds. Eukaryotic P450 system proteins generally reside in membranes, primarily the endoplasmic reticulum or the mitochondrial membrane. These membranes provide a scaffold for the P450 system proteins that facilitate interactions with their redox partners as well as other P450s. This review focuses on the ability of specific lipid components to influence P450 activities, as well as the role of the membrane in P450 function. These studies have shown that P450s and NADPH–cytochrome P450 reductase appear to selectively associate with specific phospholipids and that these lipid–protein interactions influence P450 activities. Finally, because of the heterogeneous nature of the endoplasmic reticulum as well as other biologic membranes, the phospholipids are not arranged randomly but associate to generate lipid microdomains. Together, these characteristics can affect P450 function by 1) altering the conformation of the proteins, 2) influencing the P450 interactions with their redox partners, and 3) affecting the localization of the proteins into specific membrane microdomains.
Appropriate Red Blood Cell Transfusion Utilization Among Hospitalized Medical Patients

Purpose of Review Blood transfusion is one of the most common procedures performed in hospitalized patients and while in some instances it can save lives, it is not a benign procedure. Blood transfusions are associated with increasing cost, a limited supply, a multitude of complications and threaten patient safety and quality of care.
Surgical Treatment of Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation: Valve Repair Versus Replacement.

Ischemic mitral regurgitation (MR), which occurs in about 20–30% patients with a prior myocardial infarction, is associated with worsening heart failure and an increase in cardiovascular mortality. It should be treated surgically if certain hemodynamic severity criteria are met and in patients who continue to experience symptoms of heart failure despite optimal medical therapy. However, current guidelines do not suggest which of the available approaches to mitral valve surgery-mitral valve (MV) repair or replacement (MVR) is superior for this indication. While MV repair is reported to confer improved survival, MVR may provide higher rates of freedom from recurrent MR. This article attempts to provide the reader with a comprehensive review and comparison of current techniques of mitral valve surgery in patients with severe ischemic MR. The first randomized trial to compare MV repair versus MVR in patients with severe ischemic MR, the Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network (CTSN) trial, was recently concluded and reported no significant difference in the primary outcome of left ventricular end systolic volume index between the two approaches at either 1- or 2-year follow-ups. Data comparing approaches of MV repair and MVR for ischemic MR is largely limited to small, non-randomized retrospective trials. The only randomized trial data to examine this issue suggested no difference in mortality with either MVR or MV repair; however, MVR was shown to be consistently associated with higher rates of MR recurrence. Certain echocardiographic features have been reported to predict poor outcomes with MVR and may help refine the selection of the surgical approach in the individual patient.
Context matters: Context-related drivers of and barriers to climate information use

Abstract This review addresses a critical research gap concerning why climate information (CI) is used (or not) and contributes to narrowing the knowledge-action gap to improve climate adaptation. The article reviews research on factors that are endemic to the context of CI use and that can influence whether use happens. It synthesizes factors that promote or impede use at three levels of social aggregation: the micro, meso, and macro levels. The organizing principle of the micro, meso, and macro levels enables a consideration of the nested social layers that comprise the context of CI use. The micro level consists of factors at the smallest level of social aggregation, individuals who use (or do not use) CI. The meso level consists of larger social aggregates, organizations, with leadership, decision-making processes, and technical and human capacity that influence CI use. Finally, the macro level is comprised of the political environment in which individuals and organizations operate, and which may be more or less supportive of CI use. Though the review is focused on the context of water management, the implications are much broader. A conceptual model is introduced to help explain how context shapes CI use. While the interactions between producers and users and the ways in which users see CI influence whether CI use happens, use only happens if elements in the micro, meso, and macro level contexts align to support use. That is, even when the best conditions for interactions between producers and users exist, these interactions alone may be insufficient in a context that stymies CI use, for political reasons or due to organizational dynamics. By attending to context, this new conceptual model shows where and how to strategically invest in supporting CI use.
Sequence-Based Analysis of Lipid-Related Metabolites in a Multiethnic Study

Small molecule lipid-related metabolites are important components of fatty acid and steroid metabolism—two important contributors to human health. This study investigated the extent to which rare and common genetic variants spanning the human genome influence the lipid-related metabolome. Sequence data from 1552 European-Americans (EA) and 1872 African-Americans (AA) were analyzed to examine the impact of common and rare variants on the levels of 102 circulating lipid-related metabolites measured by a combination of chromatography and mass spectroscopy. We conducted single variant tests [minor allele frequency (MAF) > 5%, statistical significance P-value ≤ 2.45 × 10−10] and tests aggregating rare variants (MAF ≤ 5%) across multiple genomic motifs, such as coding regions and regulatory domains, and sliding windows. Multiethnic meta-analyses detected 53 lipid-related metabolites-locus pairs, which were inspected for evidence of consistent signal between the two ethnic groups. Thirty-eight lipid-related metabolite-genomic region associations were consistent across ethnicities, among which seven were novel. The regions contain genes that are related to metabolite transport (SLC10A1) and metabolism (SCD, FDX1, UGT2B15, and FADS2). Six of the seven novel findings lie in expression quantitative trait loci affecting the expression levels of 14 surrounding genes in multiple tissues. Imputed expression levels of 10 of the affected genes were associated with four corresponding lipid-related traits in at least one tissue. Our findings offer valuable insight into circulating lipid-related metabolite regulation in a multiethnic population.
Split Liver Transplantation and Pediatric Waitlist Mortality in the United States: Potential for Improvement

Background.In the United States, 1 in 10 infants and 1 in 20 older children die on the liver transplant waiting list. Increasing split liver transplantation could increase organ availability for these children, without decreasing transplants in adults.Methods.Using United Network for Organ Sharing S
Effect of Exhaustive Exercise on the Rat Heart

Several investigators [1, 12, 13, 14, 20, 26] have observed ultrastructure changes in rats’ hearts following prolonged, exhaustive exercise. King and Gollnick [12] and Banister et al. [1] reported changes in mitochondria ultrastructure similar to changes observed with ischemia [5, 6]. Mitochondrial changes with exhaustive exercise were not found by Tomanek and Banister [26] nor by Maher et al. [16]. Tomanek and Banister however did report changes in the transverse tubules and intercalated discs similar to those reported by Denker et al. [5] for ischemic dog hearts. Maher et al. [16] reported a reduction in tension output and force-velocity relationship in trabecular muscle from exhausted rat hearts. A decrease in tension output of the heart is also associated with ischemia [25]. Since the heart rate of a rat may exceed 600 beats/min during exercise [27] we became interested in investigating the possible role of ischemia in producing the ultrastructure and functional changes observed in hearts from exhausted rats. We investigated the effects of exhaustion on myocardial glycogen depletion and on histochemical activities of myofibrillar ATPase, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide diaphorase (NADH-D) and periodic acid — Schiff reaction (PAS, glycogen). Electrocardiograms were also obtained during and immediately following exhaustive exercise. Glycogen depletion was assessed in the plantaris to assure that the rats had run to exhaustion.
Retinal blood vessels semantic segmentation method based on modified U-Net

Automatic segmentation of retinal blood vessels from fundus images plays a key role in the computer aided diagnostic system, which is helpful for the early treatment of many fundus diseases including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and hypertension. In this paper, a modified U-Net is proposed to train semantic segmentation models for retinal blood vessels. In addition, we use Condition Random Field to integrate the global information. The comparison between our method and other typical methods is given to evaluate the proposed method. Our experiments shows that our scheme leads to improved accuracy on DRIVE datasets and having obtained an average accuracy of 86.5% for retinal blood vessels segmentation task.
Better Guarantees for Sparsest Cut Clustering.

The field of approximation algorithms for clustering is a very active one and a large number of algorithms have been developed for clustering objectives such as k-median, min-sum, and sparsest cut clustering. For most of these objectives, the approximation guarantees do not match the known hardness results, and much effort is spent on obtaining tighter approximation guarantees [1, 4, 5, 8, 6, 9, 10]. However, for many practical clustering problems such as clustering proteins by function, or clustering images by subject, there is some unknown correct “target” clustering; in such cases the pairwise information is merely based on some heuristics and the real goal is to achieve low error on the data. In these settings, the implicit hope is that approximately optimizing objective functions such as those mentioned above will in fact produce a clustering of low error, i.e., a clustering that is close pointwise to the truth. Formally, for a set of n data points the error of a clustering the error of a clustering C′ = {C ′ 1, ..., C ′ k} with respect to target clustering C = {C1, ..., Ck} is the fraction of points on which C and C′ disagree under the optimal matching of clusters in C to clusters in C′, i.e.
The Development of Urologic Complications in Relationship to Bladder Pressure in Spinal Cord Injured Patients

The medical records of 88 patients followed through our spinal cord injury clinic were reviewed to determine if elevated intravesical pressures result in more urologic complications than are seen with low pressure bladders. Fifty-two of the patients were noted to have a high bladder pressure (sustained detrusor pressure greater than 40 cm water) on cystogram while 36 had low pressures. All patients had routine urine cultures, urodynamics, ultrasonography, radioisotope renal scans, and excretory urograms. Bladder management was directed at maintaining a low bladder pressure and included one or more of the following: intermittent catheterization, anticholinergics, alpha blockers, transurethral sphincterotomy, or indwelling catheters. Average follow-up was 6 years. Mild degrees of hydronephrosis were noted in seven (14 percent) of the patients with a high pressure bladder and in one (3 percent) with a low pressure bladder. Pyelonephritis was noted in two (4 percent) with high bladder pressure and two (5 percent) with low bladder pressure. Preservation of renal function occurred as the result of patient compliance with bladder management and bladder pressure. Sustained high detrusor pressure, when not corrected, leads to upper tract deterioration which was reversed by aggressive lower tract management.
Nonendocrine Tumors of the Pancreas

Current magnetic resonance (MR) techniques have been shown to be effective at imaging the pancreas and evaluating pancreatic diseases. These techniques include: (a) breath-hold spoiled gradient echo, which avoids phase artifact caused by respiration and peristalsis, (b) T1-weighted fat-suppressed spoiled gradient echo or spin echo, which removes chemical shift artifact and improves the dynamic range of the intra-abdominal tissue signal intensities, (c) immediate postgadolinium spoiled gradient echo, which maximizes contrast between tumor and pancreas, and (d) single shot T2-weighted echo train spin echo [e.g., half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo (HASTE)], which evaluates the caliber of the common bile and pancreatic ducts and assesses the complexity of pseudocyst fluid composition. These techniques are generally most reliable at ≥1.0T. T2-weighted fat-suppressed spin-echo imaging is useful to improve the conspicuity of high signal intensity masses such as islet cell tumors, or for detection of associated liver metastases (SEMELKA and ASCHER 1993; SEMELKA et al. 1990, 1991b, 1993; CHEZMAR et al. 1991).