cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Annealing of Cold-Rolled Fe-40A1 Single Crystals

Single crystals of Fe-40Al were cold-rolled to plastic strains in the range 5% to 48%. Discs cut from the rolled crystals at different rolling strains were heated at 10 K/min in a differential scanning calorimeter from room temperature to 973 K. Three exothermic peaks were observed in the temperature ranges of 440--550 K, 610--650 K, and 860--930 K, all the peaks shifting to lower temperatures with increasing strain. The origins of these peaks are discussed in terms of the disorder and vacancies introduced during rolling.
Spatial Reasoning In The Treatment Of Systematic Sensor Errors

In processing ultrasonic and visual sensor data acquired by mobile robots systematic errors can occur. The sonar errors include distortions in size and surface orientation due to the beam resolution, and false echoes. The vision errors include, among others, ambiguities in discriminating depth discontinuities from intensity gradients generated by variations in surface brightness. In this paper we present a methodology for the removal of systematic errors using data fror the sonar sensor domain to guide the processing of information in the vision domain, and vice versa. During the sonar data processing some errors are removed from 2D navigation maps through pattern analyses and consistent-labelling conditions, using spatial reasoning about the sonar beam and object characteristics. Others are removed using visual information. In the vision data processing vertical edge segments are extracted using a Canny-like algorithm, and are labelled. Object edge features are then constructed from the segments using statistical and spatial analyses. A least-squares method is used during the statistical analysis, and sonar range data are used in the spatial analysis.
Frequency dependence of the conductivity and dielectric constant of La2CuO4+y near the insulator-metal transition

Abstract Measurement are reported of the conductivity and the dielectric constant (ɛ 1 ) at frequencies (ω) up to 20 MHz and magnetic fields up to 15 T for a single crystal of La 2 CuO 4+y with y varied in the range 0.001 – 0.01. The frequency dependence of the conductivity at low temperatures follows a power law, which is typical of conventional doped semiconductors. ɛ 1 at high ω is independent of ω and grows as the insulator to metal transition (IMT) is approached, but only for the electric field in the CuO 2 layers, indicating that the IMT is two-dimensional. For the highest oxygen concentration, this excess ɛ 1 was reduced by a factor of 2 at a magnetic field of 15 T perpendicular to the CuO 2 layers.
Therapeutic Humor: Attitudes and Actions by Occupational Therapists in Adult Physical Disabilities Settings

This study examined attitudes and uses of humor by occupational therapists with their adult clients with physical disabilities. A cross-sectional survey of randomly selected occupational therapists from the American Occupational Therapy Association's Physical Disabilities Special Interest Section was used; 283 surveys qualified for the study. All of the respondents had positive attitudes towards humor and a large majority reported using humor. Four key areas of humor were further analyzed: relationships, coping, promoting physical health, and treatment compliance. While a large majority professed to value humor in each area, only about one-third reported using it in the last two areas. Humor attitudes and humor behaviors in each area showed a moderate positive correlation. Both spontaneous and planned use was reported. The results of this survey support humor use in occupational therapy practice to help clients rehabilitate.
The ionization of carbonic acid in Na-Mg-Cl solutions at 25°C

The stoichiometric pK2 * and pK2 * for the ionization of carbonic acid has been determined from emf measurements in NaCl solutions with small amounts of MgCl2 from I=0.5 to 6.0 molal at 25°C. Our results at low ionic strengths (I=0.7) are in agreement with the measurements of Dyrssen and Hansson and Pytkowicz and Hawley. Our results have been analyzed using the ion pairing model and Pitzer's specific interaction equations. From the values of pK1 *, we have determined the Pitzer parameters β0[Mg (HCO3)2] = 0.0193 and β1[Mg (HCO3)2] = 0.0193 which reproduces the pK1 * results to ±0.01. The values of pK2 * were used to determine β0(MgCO3) = 2.833, β1(MgCO3) = -15.069, β2(MgCO3) = -204.90 and Cϕ (MgCO3)=−0.970 which reproduces the pK2 *′ s to ±0.02. The pK2 * results could be reproduced to the same precision with fewer parameters using the ion pairing model [pK(MgCO3)=3.00 and log γ (MgCO3)=0.0560 I].
The Anatomy of Racially Motivated Violence in New York City: A Case Study of Youth in Southern Brooklyn

There has been a dramatic increase in bias related crimes in the city of New York since 1985. The rise in hate violence has been fueled primarily by the actions of young people under the age of 21. This paper analyzes the relationship between socioeconomic factors, the ethnic and racial attitudes of youth, community sentiment and ideologies, and racial identities which incorporate negative attitudes toward other groups. The paper argues that the deterioration of economic prospects for youth has raised anxiety, fear, and competition among youth. Community sentiment and peer group participation channel these anxieties and fears against other ethnic and racial groups by encouraging an oppositional sense of group position and linking membership in the group to particular attitudes towards other groups. Peer groups provide the arena for the expression of negative attitudes towards other groups in the form of ethnic and racial violence, which the youth see as a defense of turf and neighborhood.
Soluble Fas and Cancer

Recent studies have revealed an anticipated link between a soluble receptor antagonist for the proapoptotic protein Fas and cancer. In this issue, Ugurel et al. [(1)][1] demonstrate that sFas[2][2] levels correlate with poor prognosis and decreased overall survival in patients with melanoma. On the
Summary of Worldwide Clinical Trials of Aztreonam in Patients with Lower Respiratory Tract Infections

Aztreonam was administered to 226 patients with lower respiratory tract infections--primarily pneumonia (181 patients)--due to gram-negative bacilli. The clinical response rate was 93%, and the microbiologic cure rate was 78%. Most patients received 1-g or 2-g intravenous doses of aztreonam three times daily for at least five days. Ninety-eight of the 226 patients were involved in a randomized comparison of aztreonam with tobramycin; the latter drug was administered to a group of 34 patients. The overall microbiologic cure rates for the two drugs were 86% and 71%, respectively. Aztreonam is effective for the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections due to susceptible gram-negative bacilli.
Thrombotic and nonthrombotic hepatic artery complications in adults and children following primary liver transplantation with long-term follow-up in 1000 consecutive patients*

Arterial complications have a major impact on survival after liver transplantation (LTx). The aim of this study was to examine arterial complications in adults and children after LTx. A total of 1000 consecutive primary LTx patients [mean age 40.5 years: 600 males, 400 females, 834 adults; 166 children (age <18 years)] were studied. Forty-two patients (4.2%; 31 adults, 11 children) developed hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT). Thrombosis in children occurred significantly early (mean 5.4 days) compared with adults (mean 418.7 days, P = 0.0001). Nonthrombotic complications occurred in 30 patients (29 adults, one child). Overall, 13-year patient survival after HAT was 43.2% (72.7% children, 32.9% adults). For nonthrombotic complications, 54.3% of adults died and 69.4% grafts were lost. An overall incidence of 4.2% thrombotic and 3.2% nonthrombotic complications was observed. Rate of HAT was higher in children, but survival was better compared with adults.
Direct Time Integration of Maxwell's Equations in Nonlinear Dispersive Media for Propagation and Scattering of Femtosecond Electromagnetic Solitons

The initial results for femtosecond electromagnetic soliton propagation and collision obtained from first principles, i.e., by a direct time integration of Maxwell's equations are reported. The time integration efficiently implements linear and nonlinear convolutions for the electric polarization and can take into account such quantum effects as Kerr and Raman interactions. The present approach is robust and should permit the modeling of 2D and 3D optical soliton propagation, scattering, and switching from the full-vector Maxwell's equations.
Two Prenatal Alcohol Use Screening Instruments Compared With a Physiologic Measure

Objective : To compare two prenatal alcohol use screening instruments with a physiologic measure of prenatal alcohol use. Design : Retrospective comparison of the Prenatal Alcohol Use Interview (PAUI) and the ACOG Antepartum Record with CDTect. Setting : An inner-city, high-volume, prenatal clinic. Participants : Fifty-six women selected and enrolled at their first prenatal visits. Main Outcome Measure : An assessment of relative sensitivity and specificity of two prenatal alcohol use screening instruments. Results : Women identified as Drinkers by the CDTect were more likely to be identified as Drinkers by the PAUI (59%) than by the ACOG Antepartum Record (19%). Also, the PAUI had a lower false negative rate (41%) than the ACOG record (80%). That is, the PAUI was less likely to identify as Quitters women the CDTect identified as Drinkers than was the ACOG record. Conclusion : The PAUI is a more sensitive screen than the ACOG record and should be the instrument preferred for screening prenatal alcohol use.
Inter-Category Variation in Location Search

When searching for place entities such as businesses or points of interest, the desired place may be close (finding the nearest ATM) or far away (finding a hotel in another city). Understanding the role of distance in predicting user interests can guide the design of location search and recommendation systems. We analyze a large dataset of location searches on GPS-enabled mobile devices with 15 location categories. We model user-location distance based on raw geographic distance (kilometers) and intervening opportunities (nth closest). Both models are helpful in predicting user interests, with the intervening opportunity model performing somewhat better. We find significant inter-category variation. For instance, the closest movie theater is selected in 17.7% of cases, while the closest restaurant in only 2.1% of cases. Overall, we recommend taking category information into account when modeling location preferences of users in search and recommendation systems.
Archetypal Internet-Scale Source Code Searching

To gain a better understanding of what, how, and why programmers search for code on the Internet, we conducted a web-based survey to understand the source code searching behavior of programmers, specifically, their search motivations, search targets, tools used, and code selection criteria. Data was collected from 69 respondents, including 58 specific examples of searches. We applied open coding to these anecdotes and found two major archetypes and one minor archetype, as well as, a range of sizes for search targets. The first archetype was searching for source code that could be excised and dropped into a project. The second archetype was searching for examples of source code to provide information, for example, using the World Wide Web as an enormous desk reference. The targets of these searches could vary in size from a few lines of code to an entire system. The minor archetype was searching for reports and repairs of defects. Factors affecting the final selection of a candidate piece of code included: peer recommendations; availability of help from other programmers; and the level of activity on a project.
Welfare Estimation Using Aggregate and Individual-Observation Models: A Comparison Using Monte Carlo Techniques

Due to the weak behavioral foundations of aggregate demand models, zonal travel cost models have been largely abandoned in favor of models based on individual observations. However, sample selection difficulties in individual-observation models often require the use of distribution-sensitive limited-dependent variables estimators. In this paper I use Monte-Carlo simulations to investigate whether the bias from aggregation is worse than possible bias from these narrowly specified estimators. Somewhat surprisingly, the results indicate that zonal models often outperform the individual-observation models, especially when using an aggregate model that incorporates intrazonal variance of the explanatory variables.
Monte Carlo Analyses of the NEO Beam Electron Beam Facility for Space Solar Cell Radiation Qualification

MCNPX Monte Carlo electron transport analyses are used to characterize the electron beam facility at NEO Beam. The electron flux and energy profiles are quantified along the beam path leading to a better understanding of solar cell damage. Experimental results are compared to the MCNPX simulations.
The effect of physical exercise on reverse cholesterol transport

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are recognized for their role in coronary artery disease (CAD) risk reduction. Plasma HDL plays a pivotal role in the reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) process. Physical exercise is well recognized as a modality that affects HDL metabolism. The purpose of this discussion is to describe the effects of physical exercise on RCT.
Current Practices in Field Force Automation: Decision Support and Information Management for the Field Force

In the past, field operations have mostly been a stepchild of information and communication technology (ICT) enabled organizational overhaul and process re-design. Recently, increased technological (mobile wirelessly connected) capability, economic necessity, and new external factors (such as the higher frequency of large-scale emergencies, for example, of the magnitude of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the US) have raised interest in and commitment to on-site information management and to a drastically improved in-situ decision making capacity of field operations. Field force automation (FFA) techniques and process changes have been introduced in field operations of organizations in both the private and public sectors. This study seeks to establish a baseline of current FFA practices in both sectors. Among other areas, we explore, what the work-related and organizational specifics of field operations are, also with respect to ICTs, how process completion and efficiency are measured, and how effective FFA is with regard to information management. FFA, it appears is still in its infancy, and the full extent of potential efficiency and productivity gains might need more time to emerge.
Increasing throughput in an automated packaging line with irreducible complexity

Avery Dennison, a leading supplier of pressure-sensitive labeling material, was faced with the challenge of finding the most cost-effective way of increasing the theoretical throughput capacity of their Pesmel® automated packaging system by 20%. Unfortunately, everyone had different ideas about what the best method would be for effecting the increase, but no one could substantiate their claims. Simulation removed the guesswork from the decision-making process ensuring that the improvements made would yield the desired results.
Inactivated influenza vaccination for people with spinal cord injury

Abstract Trautner BW, Atmar RL, Hulstrom A, Darouiche RO. Inactivated influenza vaccination for people with spinal cord injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:1886-9. Objective To examine the antibody responses of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) to the commercially available trivalent influenza vaccine. Design Prospective trial of patients and controls. Setting Veterans Affairs medical center. Participants Forty people with SCI and 40 able-bodied subjects. Intervention Intramuscular administration of inactivated influenza vaccine. Main outcome measures Antibody responses were determined by using the standard hemagglutination-inhibition test before and 4 weeks after vaccination. Serum antibody responses were assessed as follows: (1) percentage of each cohort achieving a 4-fold or greater rise in antibody titer, (2) percentage of each cohort achieving a postvaccination antibody titer of 32 or more, and (3) postvaccination geometric mean antibody titers. Results The serum antibody responses to each vaccine antigen were similar for the SCI and the control cohorts for the 3 outcomes. Neither the time since injury (≤1y vs >1y) nor the level of injury (paraplegia vs quadriplegia) affected the vaccine antibody responses in the SCI cohort. Subjects older than 65 years had lower postvaccination serum antibody levels than those younger than 65 years ( P Conclusions People with SCI responded to influenza vaccination in a manner similar to able-bodied subjects and would be expected to benefit from vaccination.
The Concise Handbook of Family Cancer Syndromes

11. Cowden syndrome (gingival multiple hamartoma syndrome) 1051 12. Esophageal cancer, tylosis with (nonepidermolytic palmoplantar keratosis and Howel-Evans’ syndrome) 1052 13. Fanconi’s anemia (includes pancytopenia, Fanconi’s type) 1053 14. Gastric cancer, familial 1054 15. Hodgkin’s disease, familial 1054 16. Li-Fraumeni syndrome 1055 17. Melanoma, familial with or without dysplastic nevi (includes dysplastic nevus syndrome, familial atypical mole–malignant melanoma syndrome, and melanoma–astrocytoma syndrome) 1056
Distributed Data Fusion and Maritime Domain Awareness for Harbor Protection

Protecting a harbour against intentional and accidental threats is extremely difficult. Harbours are not closed systems. Rather, they are focal points for the movement of people and cargo, both in land and on water. As such, threats can arise from many sources that range from the smuggling of illegal and dangerous goods to the placement of mines to damage or destroy shipping. To detect the many different types of threats, a harbour must be monitored by multiple sensing systems with different sensing modalities. To be practical, such a large sensing system must be cost effective to install, can be readily upgraded, and should be robust to sensor and communication failures. In this chapter we discuss the role that distributed data fusion can play in harbour protection. We define and discuss distributed data fusion algorithms and illustrate how they could be used in port surveillance and Maritime Domain Awareness applications.
Structure of the Education System in California

In the United States, responsibility for education is delegated to the States, and in each state the structure of the educational system varies. We turn now to conditions prevailing in California, particularly the problems of disparity in school finances, the growing importance of the Federal Government in financing public education, the structure of the system of higher education and the bureaucratization of the entire educational enterprise.
Acquisition of Noncontiguous Class Attributes from Web Search Queries

Previous methods for extracting attributes (e.g., capital, population) of classes (Empires) from Web documents or search queries assume that relevant attributes occur verbatim in the source text. The extracted attributes are short phrases that correspond to quantifiable properties of various instances (ottoman empire, roman empire, mughal empire) of the class. This paper explores the extraction of noncontiguous class attributes (manner (it) claimed legitimacy of rule), from factseeking and explanation-seeking queries. The attributes cover properties that are not always likely to be extracted as short phrases from inherently-noisy queries.
A Review of “Measured Meals: Nutrition in America”: by Jessica Mudry. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2009. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2006. 212 pp

For food and nutrition professionals and consumers alike, having an idea about how many calories, grams of fat, protein, and carbohydrate food contains, as well as its vitamin and mineral content, ...
Supporting high-quality video streaming with SDN-based CDNs

Videos and other multimedia contents become increasing popular among users of the Internet nowadays. With the improvement of underlying infrastructure of the Internet, users are allowed to enjoy video contents with much higher quality than last decade. Content delivery networks (CDNs) are a type of content hosting solution that widely used across the Internet. Content providers offload the task of content hosting to CDN providers and redirect users' requests to CDNs. Video contents, especially high quality videos at real-time has occupying a major part of the Internet traffic. It is challenging to handle such workloads even for a large- scale CDN. Load balancing algorithms are critical to address this issue. However, traditional load balancing algorithms such as round-robin and randomization are unaware of user side requirements. Therefore, it is not uncommon that requests for high-quality videos at real-time are not satisfied. In this paper, we try to fulfill such requests by integrating software-defined networking technology with CDN infrastructure. We also propose revised load balancing algorithms and develop simulations to verify our approaches. The results show that the proposed algorithms achieve much higher user satisfaction in bandwidth-idle environments.
Relating network topology to network mechanics

Soft tissues are comprised of underlying fiber networks of collagen and other fibrous proteins and biopolymers. Thus, the ability to model the deformation of fiber networks is critical to understanding the mechanics of tissues in vivo and in vitro [1]. Complicating the issue, protein fiber networks are comprised of a range of different topologies that behave differently under load. There is a clear need for a method to derive network parameters that characterize the network and allow for the prediction of their behavior. In this study, we characterized several different random fiber network types based on their intrinsic mechanical and topological properties. Such characterization would improve our ability to select microscale network topologies that match the mechanical properties we observe in healthy and diseased native tissues [2]. It would also improve our ability to discern the outcome of microstructural changes in tissues (such as from remodeling or injury) on their overall mechanics.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Local control of metastatic sarcoma.

Purpose of reviewSurvival rates for children with metastatic sarcoma have remained dismal despite intensified multiagent chemotherapy protocols. The local treatment of metastatic disease has been promoted as a way to eliminate colonies of genetically unstable, heterogeneous metastatic cells in an at
Relationship between neonatal pneumonia and plasma fibrinogen

Objectives To investigate the relationship between the development and progression of pneumonia in newborn and the gene polymorphism of fibrinogen β-455A / G, and the level of plasma fibrinogen (FG). Methods One hundred and fifty-six newborns with pneumonia (94 male and 62 female, aged 20 hours to 30 days after birth) hospital- ized in Changchun Children's Hospital from January 2005 to April 2007 were enrolled in the study. Polymorphism of gene fibrinogen β-455A / G and level of FG were evaluated with PCR zymography and the method of Clauss solidificaion. Re- sults AA gene frequency and A allele frequency in pneumonia group was much higher than that in the control. The level of FG (467.53 ± 27.50) was higher in pneumonia group than that in the control. AA gene frequency of gene fibrinogen β- 455A / G increased markedly in newborns with pneumonia and other complications. Odds ratio (OR) of newborns with AA genotype, AG genotype, GG genotype, allele A, allele G were 11.39, 14.46, 9.56, 6.87, 0.15, respectively. Levels of FG in patients with different β-455A / G genotypes were different, FG was highest in AA genotype, second in GA geno- type, and lowest in GG genotype. The difference of FG level between patients with GG and GA genotypes, as well as be- tween patients with AG and AA genotypes were significant. Conclusions Development and progression of pneumonia in newborns were associated with polymorphism of fibrinogen β-455A/G. Newborns with different genotypes had different levels of FG, which might be involved in the development of neonatal pneumonia.
Epidemiology of Measles in Ji'an,1998-2009

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of measles in Ji'an from 1998 to 2009,and provide evidence for the development of measles elimination strategies.Methods The analysis of measles epidemiology was conducted by using the measles incidence data from 1998 to 2009 in Ji'an collected from national disease information reporting system,the population data in Ji'an obtained from Ji'an Statistical Bureau and Excel.Results A total of 2 131 measles cases were reported in Ji'an during this period without death.The average annual incidence was 3.86/105,the incidence declined from 6.19/105 in 1998 to 0.82/105 in 2009.Totally 1 086 cases occurred in age group of 0-4 years old,accounting for 84.75%.The proportion of the cases in children within 12 months old had increased by years since 2004,which accounted for 2.95%,14.09%,17.02%,28.40%,19.27% and 56.41% respectively.The seasonality of measles incidence was obvious,most cases occurred during March to June,accounting for 64.34% of the total.Conclusion The incidence of measles in Ji'an declined obviously from 1998 to 2009.The cases were mainly the children less than 14 years old,and the cases in children aged less than 12 months increased by years.
Towards a Diagnostic Toolkit for the Language of Agency

ABSTRACTAgency—broadly, the capacity to produce effects—is a critical aspect of human activity, yet its multifaceted character makes analysis difficult. Drawing from functional linguistics, we propose a linguistic toolkit for analyzing the degree to which and manner in which speakers represent themselves as acting intentionally and autonomously. After a brief review of relevant agency literature, we propose three sets of grammatical tools, demonstrating their efficacy with a brief case study of 4 adult secondary learners’ educational narratives. We find that our toolkit offers insight both across contexts within an individual and across individuals in a single context.
Chen Lanbin and the Establishment of International Relationships in China

After the Opium Wars,the Western powers consolidated and expanded their interests in China and established a system of Sino international relationships.In this situation,Chen Lanbin as the first Chinese envoy to USA prevented the US Congress from passing anti-Chinese acts,actively sought compensations after the Denver anti-Chinese riots,defended the legal rights of the Chinese workers,and fought against the frenzied anti-Chinese waves.He was a responsible and admirable diplomat.
Study on Preparation and Properties of Nano-HA Composites Reinforced by Carbon Fibers after Modified by Sol-gel Method

The carbon fibers disposed with p-aminobenzoic acid were coated with HA layers using sol-gel method. The nano-HA composites were reinforced by modified C-fibers using power metallurgy method. The mechanical properties of the nano-HA composites at the different C-fiber contents were measured. The results show that there are a lot of portrait flutes on the surface of the C-fibers after modified by disposal with p-amino benzoic acid. The surface of the modified C-fibers has high roughness. After dip in the HA sol for 5 times,the surface of C-fibers have a compact and fastness HA layer. HA layer on the carbon fibers of sintered compacts can better contact the carbon fibers and HA matrix to improve the mechanical properties of the composites. When the content of C-fibers is 3vol% and 4vol%,the sol-gel modified C-fibers / HA composites have the highest bending strength of 84. 6 MPa and flexural toughness of 1. 92 MPa·m1 /2,which are 3. 45 times and 2. 43 times as high as those of the HA matrix.
Freud, Janet and evolution: of statuettes and plants.

Abstract The systems of Janet and Freud are briefly presented, compared, and interpreted as different variations of the application of the theory of evolution to psychopathology. Although both men accepted a hierarchical view of the psyche, Freud held that there existed an ubiquitous and inherent conflict between phylogenetic strata of the mind, while Janet maintained that with the exception of disease states, the psyche was a unified organizational structure.
Collaborative Metaliteracy: Putting the New Information Literacy Framework into (Digital) Practice

ABSTRACTThis article describes a course-integrated collaborative project between a subject librarian, a communication professor, and an instructional designer that illustrates how the TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) framework, developed by Mishra and Koehler (2006), and the new ACRL Framework for Information Literacy (Framework) converge to support student learning in an online course in public speaking. Aligning TPACK with the Framework hones the behavioral, affective, cognitive, and metacognitive skills in the metaliterate learner. The authors illustrate how TPACK and the Framework can support the subject-specific content areas of public speaking by integrating information literacy learning objects throughout the entire online course.
Fictional characters in non-fiction works

Drawing mainly on postings to Index-L in the period 2008―II, Madeleine Davis explores the various approaches indexers have taken to the indexing of fictional characters in non-fiction works. She concludes that there are no 'authoritative' pronouncements on the subject, that any rules there may have been have become less prescriptive than they once were, and that (as so often in indexing) the only rule is that 'it all depends'.
Language, literacy and diversity: moving words, by C. Stroud and M. Prinsloo

In a time when the movement of people, languages and literacies across temporal and spatial scales is complicated by globalization and information technologies, Language, literacy and diversity: mo...
Subjective Reports of Trouble Tolerating Sound in Daily Life versus Loudness Discomfort Levels

Purpose A retrospective analysis of tonal and speech loudness discomfort levels (LDLs) relative to a subjective report of sound tolerance (SRST) was performed to explore the relation between the 2 commonly used clinical measures. Method Tonal LDLs and SRST were measured for 139 U.S. military veterans who were recruited into a study providing intervention for tinnitus. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were computed to assess the relation between the tonal and speech LDLs and the SRST. Results Only weak correlations were found between tonal LDLs and SRST and between speech LDLs and SRST. Conclusion If LDLs ratings of SRST measured the same phenomenon, the measures would be strongly negatively correlated. The weak correlations found between the measures suggest that LDLs do not accurately represent a patient's ability to tolerate sound in daily life.
La función Planificadora del Gobierno Regional. Aspectos básicos

La certeza de una persona que existe "un manana", le incita a pensar sobre aquello que realizara al "otro dia". Simetricamente, una comunidad de personas unidas por el territorio, la raza, el lenguaje, un pasado comun, tambien es interpelada por la certidumbre que en el porvenir brota un futuro, en el cual viviremos y al que debemos enfrentar. Por consiguiente, reflexionar en como se vive en el presente y como se vivira en el futuro es sin duda un permanente y crucial desafio de la humanidad. ?Que nos deparara el porvenir? ?Que hacemos para vivir mejor? ?Esperamos sin hacer nada, o actuamos en el presente para que lo que venga nos encuentre preparados?
How ICE lights the pyroptosis fire

Immune antigen-presenting cells and skin and mucosal epithelia vigorously respond to invasive microbial infection. When NOD-like receptors (NLRs) or AIM2-like receptors (ALRs) in the immune cell cytosol sense microbial products, they assemble the canonical inflammasome, which activates caspase-1 (initially called ICE).1 Caspases-4/5 in humans and caspase-11 in mice, expressed by immune cells and epithelial barrier cells, directly sense cytosolic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram− bacterial cell walls.2 These caspases are directly activated in an LPS–inflammatory caspase complex (the noncanonical inflammasome).3, 4 Inflammatory caspase activation causes a ‘fiery’ death, pyroptosis, that is morphologically and functionally distinct from apoptosis or necroptosis.5, 6 Caspase-1, but not other inflammatory caspases, also process and cause release of inflammatory cytokines (including IL-1β, IL-18) that cause fever. Triggering the noncanonical inflammasome indirectly activates the canonical inflammasome.3
Priming of influenza viral RNA transcription by capped heterologous RNAs.

Influenza virus is a negative-stranded RNA virus, i.e., the viral messenger RNA (mRNA) is complementary to the genome RNA (which is segmented), and the virion contains the enzyme system which transcribes the genome RNA into the viral mRNA. This virus employs a unique mechanism for the initiation of the synthesis of its mRNA. Specifically, the virion-associated transcriptase system needs to cannibalize capped heterologous RNAs, i.e., eukaryotic cellular mRNAs and/or their precursors, in order to synthesize the viral mRNA. This process involves the clipping off by a virion-associated endonuclease of a small piece of the eukaryotic mRNA near its 5’-end, followed by the utilization of this RNA fragment as a primer to initiate the synthesis of the viral mRNA. The methylated cap structure (m7GpppNm, where Nm = 2’ -O-methylated nucleoside) found at the 5J -end of all mammalian cellular mRNAs is part of the RNA fragment that is used as primer and transferred from the cellular to the viral mRNA, and this cap structure is absolutely necessary for the viral nuclease and the priming reaction. In fact, the 5;-methylated cap structure is more stringently required for priming influenza viral mRNA synthesis than for the process in which it had previously been shown to play a role, the translation of mRNAs in cell-free systems. This mechanism for viral mRNA synthesis explains why influenza virus requires the functioning of the host-cell nuclear RNA polymerase II in order to replicate: newly synthesized host mRNAs and/or their precursors are needed as primers for viral mRNA synthesis.
GX15-070 and Bortezomib Induce Up-Regulation of BH3 Single Domain Pro-Apoptotic Proteins Puma and Noxa and Is Associated with Synergistic Anti-Tumor Activity in Rituximab-Sensitive, Rituximab-Resistant Cell Lines (RSCL and RRCL), and Primary Lymphoma Patient Specimens.

Abstract The interactions between the members of the BH3 domain family of proteins play an important role in the development, progression, and prognosis in various subtypes of B-cell lymphomas. Therapies that selectively favor a pro-apoptotic environment are attractive strategies to overcome chemotherapy resistance in B-cell lymphomas. We previously reported that by targeting Bcl-2 family proteins with either Bcl-2 anti-sense oligonucleotides or GX15-070, a novel pan-inhibitor of the Bcl-2 family members, improved rituximab and/or chemotherapy activity in vitro and/or in vivo (Ramanarayanan J, et al, BJH 2004; 127:519–30 and Hernandez-Ilizaliturri F, et al, Blood 2006; 108:2502a/2523a). Recently, investigators have demonstrated that the proteasome is an important regulator of various members of Bcl-2 family proteins. In our efforts to increase the therapeutic options for B-cell lymphoma patients we studied the biological effects of GX15-070 in combination with the proteosome inhibitor bortezomib in a panel of rituximab-sensitive (RSCL) and rituximab-resistant cell lines (RRCL). Resistant clones were generated by chronic exposure of Raji, RL, or DHL-4 cells to escalating doses of rituximab with (4RH) or without (2R) human complement. In addition, we utilized lymphoma cells isolated from patients with treatment-naive or refractory/relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL). NHL cells were exposed in vitro to escalating doses of GX15-070 (0, 2, 5, 10 and 20μM) and/or Bortezomib (0, 2, 10 and 20nM) for 24 and 48 hrs. Changes in the expression of BH3 domain Bcl-2 proteins were studied by Western blot (i.e. Bcl-2, Mcl-1, Bcl-XL, Bad, Bid, Bax, Bak, Puma, and Noxa). NHL cell lines and DLBCL cells isolated from patients were exposed to different concentrations of GX15-070 (0 to 20μM) with or without Bortezomib (0 to 20nM). Cell viability was determined by the Cell Titer-Glow luminescent assay, and DNA synthesis was evaluated by standard [3H]-Thymidine incorporation assays at 24 and 48 hrs. Statistical differences were analyzed by Chi-square test. In vitro exposure of RRCL and RSCL to GX15-070 resulted in a significant up-regulation of Puma while in vitro exposure of the same cells to bortezomib led to a dose- and time-dependent up-regulation of Noxa and Bak. In vitro exposure of RRCL, RSCL, and primary lymphoma specimens to GX15-070 and bortezomib resulted in significant synergistic activity compared to controls. In summary, deregulation of apoptosis by BH3 inhibition with GX15-070 and bortezomib: 1. induces the expression of BH3 single domain proteins Puma and Noxa; 2. results in cell death and antiproliferation not only in RSCL and RRCL, but also from “treatment-refractory” primary DLBCL patient samples. Our findings strongly suggest that GX15-070 added to bortezomib may result in a novel and potent therapeutic strategy against aggressive B-cell lymphomas.
Estimated seepage rates from selected ditches, ponds, and lakes at the Camas National Wildlife Refuge, eastern Idaho.

Abstract The Camas National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) in eastern Idaho, established in 1937, contains wetlands, ponds, and wet meadows that are essential resting and feeding habitat for migratory birds and nesting habitat for waterfowl. Initially, natural sources of water supported these habitats. However, during the past few decades, changes in climate and surrounding land use have altered and reduced natural groundwater and surface-water inflows, resulting in a 5-meter decline in the water table and an earlier, and more frequent, occurrence of no flow in Camas Creek at the Refuge. Due to these changes in water availability, water management that includes extensive groundwater pumping is now necessary to maintain the wetlands, ponds, and wet meadows. These water management activities have proven to be inefficient and expensive, and the Refuge is seeking alternative water-management options that are more efficient and less expensive. More efficient water management at the Refuge may be possible through knowledge of the seepage rates from ditches, ponds, and lakes at the Refuge. With this knowledge, water-management efficiency may be improved by natural means through selective use of water bodies with the smallest seepage rates or through engineering efforts to minimize seepage losses from water bodies with the largest seepage rates. The U.S. Geological Survey performed field studies in 2015 and 2016 to estimate seepage rates for selected ditches, ponds, and lakes at the Refuge. Estimated seepage rates from ponds and lakes ranged over an order of magnitude, from 3.4 ± 0.2 to 103.0 ± 0.5 mm/d, with larger seepage rates calculated for Big Pond and Redhead Pond, intermediate seepage rates calculated for Two-way Pond, and smaller seepages rates calculated for the south arm of Sandhole Lake. Estimated seepage losses from two reaches of Main Diversion Ditch were 21 ± 2 and 17 ± 2 percent/km. These losses represent seepage rates of about 890 and 860 mm/d, which are one- to two-orders-of-magnitude larger than seepage rates from the ponds and lake. The depth-integrated vertical hydraulic conductivity (Kv) for sediment underlying the ponds and lake was the primary control of seepage rates. The Kv's were 30 and 34 m/d for Big Pond, 14 and 18 m/d for Toomey Pond, 8 and 10 m/d for Two-way Pond, and 47 m/d for the north arm of Sandhole Lake.
The effect of evaporation on the erodibility of mudflats in a mesotidal estuary

Abstract Large areas of mesotidal estuaries become subaerial during low tide. Here we study the effect of several meteorological and hydrodynamic parameters on the erodibility of mudflat substrates when they are subaerial. Field measurements carried out over a two-week period in September 2011 in Plum Island Sound, Massachusetts USA, indicate that high evaporation rates and long subaerial periods are associated to low sediment erodibility. Sediment concentrations in the water column during submergence depend on bottom shear stresses triggered by tidal currents. Surprisingly, they are also related to the total evaporation that occurred in the previous emergence period. We conclude that low erodibility of mudflat sediments is linked to subaerial desiccation at low tide. This strengthening effect is not lost during the following submerged period, thus limiting the erosive effect of tidal currents. We thus show that not only subaqueous but also subaerial processes might control the erodibility of mudflats. Long-term evaporation rates can therefore directly affect the stability of mudflats in mesotidal environments.
On Anti-Integrator-Windup and Global Asymptotic Stability

Abstract This article focuses on critically stable linear systems and proposes an approach to address anti-integrator windup that guarantees global asymptotic closed-loop stability and a desired closed-loop performance. Specifically, given a dynamic state or output feedback compensator "containing" integral action, that has been designed ignoring constraints, the compensator dynamics are modified, via a standard anti-windup modification, whenever the input is saturated. The compensator gains and the anti-windup gain matrix are then designed such that the behavior of the closed-loop system under the dynamic feedback controller can be reduced, arbitrarily fast, to that under a static feedback compensator that is globally stabilizing. The ability of the modified compensator to reject constant exogenous signals is also quantified.
Surgical experience and the practice of pancreatoduodenectomy.

Background Experienced surgeons demonstrate improved pancreatoduodenectomy outcomes, but little is known about what distinguishes their practice. Furthermore, the concept of experience has been variably interpreted in the surgical literature. We investigated how 4 interpretations of experience influence pancreatoduodenectomy management decisions. Methods A survey assessing pancreatoduodenectomy practice patterns was distributed by 6 surgical societies. Regression analysis identified behaviors associated with 4 forms of experience: years in practice, surpassing the learning curve (≥50 pancreatoduodenectomies), high annual volume (≥25 pancreatoduodenectomy/year), and high career volume (>200 pancreatoduodenectomy). Results In the study, 861 surgeons responded, representing 6 continents. Senior surgeons were more likely to use pancreatogastrostomy, dunking/invagination, and external stents (all P P P Conclusion Experience encompasses several components, each of which seems to influence decision making in different ways.
Selective Aortic Arch and Root Replacement in Repair of Acute Type A Aortic Dissection

Background Controversy exists regarding the optimal extent of repair for type A aortic dissection. Our approach is to replace the ascending aorta, and only replace the aortic root or arch when intimal tears are present in those areas. We examined intermediate outcomes with this approach to acute type A aortic dissection repair. Methods Between March 2005 and October 2016, 195 patients underwent repair of acute type A aortic dissection. Repair was categorized by site of proximal and distal anastomosis and extent of repair. Mean follow-up was 31.0 ± 30.9 months. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess survival. Multiple variable Cox proportional hazards modeling was utilized to identify factors associated with overall mortality. Results Overall survival was 85.1%, 83.9%, 79.1%, and 74.4% at 6, 12, 36, and 60 months, respectively. Eight patients required reintervention. The cumulative incidence of aortic reintervention at 1 year with death as a competing outcome was 3.95%. Multiple variable regression analysis identified factors such as age, preoperative renal failure, concomitant thoracic endograft, postoperative myocardial infarction and sepsis, and need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as predictive of overall mortality. Neither proximal or distal extent of repair, nor need for reintervention affected overall survival (proximal: hazard ratio 1.63, 95% confidence interval: 0.75 to 3.51, p = 0.22; distal: hazard ratio 1.12, 95% confidence interval: 0.43 to 2.97, p = 0.81; reintervention: hazard ratio 0.03, 95% confidence interval: 0.002 to 0.490, p Conclusions A selective approach to root and arch repair in acute type A aortic dissection is safe. If aortic reintervention is needed, survival does not appear to be affected.
Impaired coronary arteriolar function after cardioplegic-ischemia/reperfusion in pig with metabolic syndrome

Introduction Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with inactivation of coronary endothelial small/intermediate (SK Ca /IK Ca ) conductance calcium-activated potassium channels and dysregulation of coronary arteriolar endothelial function in animals and humans. We investigated the effects of cardioplegia-ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and NS309 pretreatment on the in-vitro coronary arteriolar responses to endothelium-dependent vasodilators substance P and ADP in pigs with or without MetS. Case description The MetS pigs were developed by feeding with a hyper-caloric, fat/cholesterol diet and the control animals fed with a regular diet for 12 weeks (n=8/group). Coronary arterioles (90-180 micrometers in diameter) were dissected from the harvested left ventricle tissue sample of pigs with and without MetS. The changes in diameter were measured with video microscopy. Microvessel was perfused in the presence or absence of selective SK Ca /IK Ca activator NS309 (10 -5 M). The in-vitro coronary arterioles were then subjected to 60 minutes of cardioplegia-hypoxia (15°C) and 60 minutes of re-oxygenation. Results and Conclusions At the end of reperfusion, the microvessel was treated with the endothelium-dependent vasodilators substance P and ADP. The relaxation responses to the substance P and ADP after cardioplegia-I/R were significantly decreased in MetS vessels versus control (Lean), respectively (P Ca /IK Ca activator NS309 (10 -5 M) significantly improved the recovery of coronary endothelial function showing increased response to substance P and ADP as compared with no pretreatment alone (P Take home message This study demonstrates that cardioplegic-ischemia/reperfusion impairs endothelial function and inactivation of endothelial SK Ca /IK Ca channels of the coronary microcirculation in the setting of metabolic syndrome.
Parasitic Effect Analysis in Memristor-Array-Based Neuromorphic Systems

Neuromorphic systems using memristors as artificial synapses have attracted broad interest for energy-efficient computing applications. However, networks based on these purely passive devices can be affected by parasitic effects such as series resistance and sneak path problems. Here, we analyze the effects of parasitic factors on the performance of memristor-based neuromorphic systems. During vector-array multiplication, the line resistance can cause significant distortion of the output current and the activity of the corresponding neurons. An approach to compensate the line resistance effects based on an approximate model consisting of only few known parameters is proposed and shows excellent ability to capture the complex network behavior. During training and feature detection, the series resistance can cause significant degradation of the learned dictionary, with only a few dominant neurons being trained. Using a scaling factor based on the proposed simple model, these effects can be successfully mitigated, and the correct network operations can be restored. These results provide insight and practical measures on the parasitic effects for implementation of the neuromorphic system using memristor arrays.