cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Newer aspects of the problem of focal infection

Abstract While it must be admitted that the importance of focal infection has been overrated, it must also be stated that, from the point of view of general health, it was a great step forward when, some years ago, attention was called to the fact that infected teeth may be foci of infection, presenting possible starting points for a number of diseases. Little real evidence has been added in the last few years to aid in the solution of the problem. However, in view of the fact that the question concerns the health of a great portion of the population, on one hand, and may produce an unnecessary crippling of the dentures of many people, on the other, as reflected by the experiences with the draftees, one is justified in continuing the study of this important relationship of dental disease and general health. It must be agreed with Reimann and Havens that the attempts to solve the problem by therapeutic means have failed so far. There seems to be hope for better results if the conditions at the start of the disease presented by the patient are more closely studied. We may, however, consider it a proved fact that foci of infection of the teeth may cause and influence systemic diseases. This is true of deciduous as well as of permanent teeth. The fact that not every person who has a dead tooth in his mouth suffers from a general disease may not be taken as an evidence to the contrary, just as not in every instance is tonsillitis followed by a systemic disease. Root canal treatment, with the present improvements in technique, if carried out on well-selected teeth, may, in certain cases, be considered an effective method for the treatment and elimination of periapical infection. It is important to distinguish between active and inactive processes on the apices of dead teeth. This is of diagnostic importance in the individual case. But it is frequently observed that often, for unknown reasons beyond our control, an inactive process becomes an active one. Therefore the demand that all nontreated pulpless teeth, and teeth where the root treatment is not satisfactory for one reason or another, be extraced should remain an unchanged requirement of dental prophylaxis for the improvement of general health.
Feather retention force in broilers ante-, peri-, and post-mortem as influenced by carcass orientation, angle of extraction, and slaughter method

Stunning and slaughter trials were conducted to evaluate the influence of carcass orientation (inverted or supine), angle of feather extraction (parallel or perpendicular to the carcass surface), and slaughter method (exsanguination without or with spinal cord transection) on feather retention force (FRF) in commercial broilers sampled ante-, peri-, and post-mortem. The pectoral, sternal, and femoral feather tracts were sampled before and after stunning contralaterally, with a maximum indicating force gauge, from broilers suspended on a shackle (inverted) or laying on a table (supine). For all trials and sample periods FRF was consistently greater in the femoral area (547 to 679 g) than in the pectoral area (273 to 391 g), with the sternal feather tract requiring the least force at 246 to 343 g. Feathers extracted parallel to the carcass resulted in consistently greater FRF (9 to 29%) than feathers extracted at a perpendicular angle, at all sample periods. Broilers suspended on shackles ante- and peri-mortem had higher FRF values (5 to 30%) than those restrained in shackles in a supine position on a table. Other parameters resulted in minor and inconsistent alterations in FRF. Electrical stunning, when not followed by bleeding, resulted in small reductions in FRF (up to 7%). Bleeding after stunning without or with spinal cord transection resulted in variable peri-mortem FRF changes (+7 to -11% and +11 to -11%, respectively). Only in the pectoral feather tract was there a significant increase (5 to 6%) in FRF as broilers went from the ante- to peri-mortem state. At 2 and 6 min after stunning and initiation of exsanguination, post-mortem FRF was unaffected by carcass orientation for the pectoral and femoral tracts.
A specific spectrophotometric determination of ozone in air in the presence of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides

Abstract A sensitive, specific spectrophotometric method for the determination of ozone in air by the ozonolysis of 1,1-di-phenylethylene (DPE) is described. The yield of formaldehyde from the ozonolysis of several terminal olefins was determined, and DPE was found to give the highest yield, 90%. The method was checked against the EPA iodimetric method, and gives a consistent yield of formaldehyde over the ozone range 0.05–5.00 μg g -1 of air. As sulfur dioxide is used as a reagent, its presence in air does not interfere. Interference by nitrogen oxides and other free radical oxidants is prevented by the addition of mesitol (2,4,6-trimethylphenol). Formaldehyde in air interferes, but can be determined by using the method with DPE omitted from the sampling train, and so accounted for. In the procedure, formaldehyde is determined by the reverse of the West—Gaeke method for sulfur dioxide.
Vitamin E deficiency: A previously unrecognized cause of hemolytic anemia in the premature infant

The late anemia of some premature infants has been found to be due to hemolysis at six to ten weeks. This anemia is correctable by administration of vitamin E. The vitamin E deficiency is probably induced by low vitamin E stores at birth, and dietary insufficiency, or by factors in the diet causing increased use of vitamin E.
Thermochemical Values of Oxygen-Containing Compounds from ab Initio Calculations: 2. High Accuracy Enthalpies of Formation of Alcohols and Ethers

The objective of this series of studies is to develop procedures for calculating high quality enthalpies of formation and differences of enthalpies of typical organic compounds. Can this be achieved using basis set/electron correlation methods (BSECMs) of modest size so that the calculations are routinely applicable to molecules having 12 or more heavy atoms? The answer is a qualified “yes.” The procedure I have explored is based on conversion of ab initio energies into formal steric enthalpy (FSE) values. FSE is the difference of the energy of a target molecule and ∑nidi, the sum of the energies of its constituent structural groups as defined by a set of standard molecules. FSE values are group isodesmic because the same numbers of each structural group appear in both the target molecule and in the summation. To a considerable extent, the isodesmic calculation cancels out errors due to limitations of BSECMs. FSE values can be converted to estimates of gas phase values by a method related to the group inc...
A “Brutal Case” or “Only A Family Jar”? Violence Against Women in San Diego County, 1880-1900

Violence against women in San Diego County during the late 19th century occurred less often than today. It took a variety of forms including spousal abuse, robbery, prostitution-related assaults, and property disputes. Caught within the web of Victorian views of women, the criminal justice system—dominated by White male prosecutors, judges, juries, and police—tended to respond with bipolar extremes: harshness or leniency. In cases where state evidence was overwhelming, justice was severe. But more often, district attorneys were unwilling to prosecute White males accused of abusing their wives and had even less interest in prosecuting men for abusing prostitutes. The study suggests that gender, ethnicity, and social class of the disputants were the most important factors in the disposition of cases involving women as victims.
Taste, salience, and increased NaCl ingestion after repeated sodium depletions.

Previous studies have shown that repeated sodium depletions using the natriuretic–diuretic furosemide induce progressive increases in NaCl ingestion. We investigated the role of taste in this behavioral sensitization in Sprague–Dawley rats using short-term lickometer testing along with 2-h stimulated intake tests. Our results show maximal licking across a range of NaCl concentrations after each of the three depletions, regardless of whether the solutions contained sucrose or were presented alone. Similarly, the presence of sucrose did not affect stimulated NaCl intake in long-term tests, although ingestion of NaCl solutions increased progressively with successive depletions. Finally, both licking and ingestion returned to baseline levels during need-free conditions. These results suggest that sodium imbalance acutely increases the salience of sodium taste and thereby the likelihood of NaCl ingestion, which may, in turn, contribute to progressive increases in NaCl intake that occur with multiple furosemide-induced sodium depletions.
Metal desorption from Fe(1 1 0) and its alloyed surfaces

Abstract We have performed first-principles calculations to study the surface metal–metal bonding and energetics that control desorption on metal and alloy surfaces. The adsorbed and desorbed states of Fe, Cr, and Mo adatoms on the Fe(1 1 0) surface were examined. Their formation and extraction were investigated both as neutral particles and as metal complexes. In addition, the roles which alloying elements play on adatom-surface binding is also a critical question that needs to be addressed. The alloying effect was found to relate to the nature of charge transfer between alloying elements and host metals.
Attitudes of pediatric urologists regarding sports participation by children with a solitary kidney.

ABSTRACTPurpose: Little data are available regarding sports participation and appropriate long-term followup of children with a solitary kidney. We determine the current practice patterns and recommendations among pediatric urologists regarding sports participation and followup of these patients.Materials and Methods: A survey was mailed to the 231 active members of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Section on Urology. The survey included questions regarding counseling of patients with a solitary kidney and physician estimates of long-term risk to overall renal function.Results: Of the 231 surveys 182 were returned for an overall response rate of 79%. Of the respondents 68% recommend that patients with a solitary kidney avoid contact sports. Recommendations in regard to participation in contact sports were further stratified as strongly against participation (27%), against participation with rare exceptions (30%), no recommendation either way (14%), allow participation (25%) and no restrictions be made ...
Comparison of Semantic Similarity Measures for Application Specific Ontology Pruning

Comparing the effects of one drug to another drug, based on their similarity, is important in clinical research. Ontology-derived measures of drug-drug similarity may help to automate such analyses on large data sets. However, general drug ontologies can contain hierarchical distinctions that are irrelevant to a particular clinical application and thus may lead to inaccurate semantic similarity measures. We propose that ontology pruning be used to remove unneeded concepts so that the resulting ontology better reflects the semantic distinctions of a particular domain. In this paper, we present a novel pruning strategy for drug ontologies. For three clinical domains, we derive previously developed semantic similarity measures for the automatically pruned ontology and the full drug ontology against those for the expert derived ontology. We show that the values of similarity measures based on our pruned approach are closer to those of the expert derived ontology than to those of the full ontology. Our pruning approach thus provides a standardized domain-specific measure of drug-drug similarity for clinical applications.
The Correction of Slit-Width Errors

The original purpose of this investigation was to explore the possibility of providing a spectrophotometer with automatic means for correcting the error that results when a continuous source is used with a monochromator having slits of finite width. In connection therewith, it was necessary to make what appears to be the first rigorous analysis of slit-width errors. The results of this analysis can be applied to the experimental determination of any functional relationship when the size of the “probe” is significant.
Diet of labrisomid blenny Auchenionchus variolosus (Valenciennes, 1836) (Labrisomidae) during its larval development off central Chile (2012–2013)

Summary The diet, feeding success (prey number and total volume per gut, and maximum prey width) and trophic niche width of the labrisomid blenny Auchenionchus variolosus (Valenciennes, 1836) was studied during its larval development (3.93–17.26 mm standard length). Individuals were collected in October 2012 and October 2013 in nearshore waters (<500 m offshore) from Bahia Valparaiso, central Chile with Bongo nets. When compared to the same length range, larval A. variolosus collected during 2013 showed larger upper jaw-at-sizes than those from 2012. This coincided with a reduction in relative importance (%IRI) of the main prey item, copepod nauplii, from ~90 to ~73%. Feeding incidence (FI) was high throughout larval development, varying from 97.3 to 100%, being similar throughout the larval development. Prey items per gut (PIPG) ranged from 0 to 35 prey, showing no differences among years. Total volume per gut (TVPG) was positively correlated with larval length, and at given larval size, TVPG ingested by larval A. variolosus was larger during 2013 (0.0607 mm3) than during 2012 (0.0301 mm3). Prey width range was 47.47–700.94 μm and was positively correlated with standard length (SL). Niche breadth was independent of larval size and did not change during larval development in 2012 or 2013. The study helps to understand the trophic interactions occurring in nearshore waters off rocky reef environments from mid-latitudes of the Southeast Pacific coasts.
Targeting the ets binding site of the HER2/neu promoter with pyrrole-imidazole polyamides.

Three DNA binding polyamides (1-3) were synthesized that bind with high affinity (Ka = 8.7·10^9 M^-1 to 1.4·10^10 M^-1) to two 7-base pair sequences overlapping the Ets DNA binding site (EBS; GAGGAA) within the regulatory region of the HER2/neu proximal promoter. As measured by electrophoretic mobility shift assay, polyamides binding to flanking elements upstream (1) or downstream (2 and 3) of the EBS were one to two orders of magnitude more effective than the natural product distamycin at inhibiting formation of complexes between the purified EBS protein, epithelial restricted with serine box (ESX), and the HER2/neu promoter probe. One polyamide, 2, completely blocked Ets-DNA complex formation at 10 nM ligand concentration, whereas formation of activator protein-2-DNA complexes was unaffected at the activator protein-2 binding site immediately upstream of the HER2/neu EBS, even at 100 nM ligand concentration. At equilibrium, polyamide 1 was equally effective at inhibiting Ets/DNA binding when added before or after in vitro formation of protein-promoter complexes, demonstrating its utility to disrupt endogenous Ets-mediated HER2/neu preinitiation complexes. Polyamide 2, the most potent inhibitor of Ets-DNA complex formation by electrophoretic mobility shift assay, was also the most effective inhibitor of HER2/neu promoter-driven transcription measured in a cell-free system using nuclear extract from an ESX- and HER2/neu-overexpressing human breast cancer cell line, SKBR-3.
Anomalous Field Enhancement in Planar Semiconducting Cold Cathodes from Spontaneous Ordering in the Accumulation Region

Wide band gap semiconductors exhibit a low electron affinity and may prove suitable for cold cathode applications. We introduce a simple closed-form analytic approximation for the stability of electrons in the electron accumulation layer of planar Low Electron Affinity (LEA) semiconducting cathodes. This analysis extends our previous results, which used Runge-Kutta numerical integration of the linearized equations of motion for the electric potential and quasi Fermi level. The model shows conditions in which the electrons in the accumulation layer form a two dimensional array of regions of higher and lower electron density. This instability could lead to field enhancement without surface roughness and could account for observed electron emission at low applied fields.
The auditorium site in Rome and the origins of the villa

The archaeology of Roman villas is based on a very rich body of evidence found across the entire Roman world and dating to a very broad chronological spectrum. Yet there are still crucial related issues, such as that concerning the origins of this type of settlement, not to mention the problem of its very homogeneity as a category, that have been debated on the basis of a surprisingly limited amount of factual information. In situations of this kind it is only to be expected that even individual new discoveries can alter the current wisdom. As a case in point, some recent discoveries made in Rome seem to contribute to our understanding of early Roman elite rural settlements and their relationship with Late Republican villas. As frequently happens, the new material has also stimulated a reconsideration of the existing evidence from a different perspective.
Peripheral retinal degenerations and the risk of retinal detachment

Abstract Purpose To review the degenerative diseases of the peripheral retina in relationship with the risk to develop a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and to present recommendations for use in eyes at increased risk of developing a retinal detachment. Design Focused literature review and author’s clinical experience. Results Retinal degenerations are common lesions involving the peripheral retina, and most of them are clinically insignificant. Lattice degeneration, degenerative retinoschisis, cystic retinal tufts, and, rarely, zonular traction tufts, can result in a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Therefore, these lesions have been considered for prophylactic therapy; however, adequate studies have not been performed to date. Conclusions Well-designed, prospective, randomized clinical studies are necessary to determine the benefit-risk ratio of prophylactic treatment. In the meantime, the evidence available suggests that most of the peripheral retinal degenerations should not be treated except in rare, high-risk situations.
Hypnosis for Pain Management in the Older Adult

Pain is a physical, emotional and psychologic phenomenon that is often ignored in older adults causing depression and poor quality of life. Older adults report the use of complementary and alternative medicine in some form with 80% of these users reporting improvement in their health conditions. Although physical pain in the older adult is usually managed with pharmacologic interventions, methods that may reduce the use of prescription drugs may decrease adverse effects that can compromise the physiologic state of the older adult. Hypnosis has continued to gain acceptance within mainstream medicine as an appropriate treatment and can be integrated safely with conventional medicine as an effective treatment for a variety of conditions in the older adult. It is an intervention that can be used for relaxation and pain control, especially when conventional pharmacologic regimens have failed. The purpose of this article is to review the concepts related to pain in older adults; the use of complementary and alternative medicine in the older adult; hypnosis and the older adult (i.e., background, definition, benefits, research, mechanism of action, hypnotizability, and the process); and the implications of using hypnosis for pain management in the older adult.
Some Occupational and Organizational Implications for Designing an Experimental Program in Educational Administration.

The purpose of this paper is to design an experimentally‐oriented program for the training of a new generation of educational a administrators. The rationale for the program is based on selected concepts and propositions of occupational sociology, organization theory, and systems theory. Some of the salient features of the program are as follows: (i) The design is guided by the logic of Campbell's quasi‐experiment. (ii) A principal goal is to stimulate the professionalization of educational administration by increasing (a) the body of systematic knowledge: and (b) the commitment to an ideal of service in education. (iii) Another major goal is to sensitize educational administrators to the dilemmas of organizational change and to strategies for inducing change. (iv) A systems analysis is set forth of five sequentially interrelated processes: goal formation, recruitment of faculty and students, specification of the content of the curriculum, placement of graduates, and an evaluation of the program. (v) A sample curriculum for a three‐year period, guided by six pedagogical conceptions. (vi) A design for an experimental program for four cohorts of students is outlined.
Agonist-Dependent Internalization of γ-Aminobutyric AcidA/Benzodiazepine Receptors in Chick Cortical Neurons

An impermeant benzodiazepine receptor ligand was prepared by derivatization of the aminobenzodiazepine 1012-S with 4-sulfophenylisothiocyanate. The resulting N-(4-sulfophenyl)-thiocarbamoyl derivative of 1012-S (SPTC-1012S) was purified by reverse-phase HPLC, and the predicted structure was verified by mass spectrometry. The apparent affinity of SPTC-1012S (IC50 = 9.8 +/- 2.9 nM) for displacement of [3H]flunitrazepam from intact chick cortical neurons was similar to that of 1012-S (IC50 = 4.0 +/- 0.3 nM). However, at concentrations from 0.1 to 10 microM, 1012-S was consistently more efficacious than SPTC-1012S, a finding indicating that 6-8% of the benzodiazepine receptor pool was not accessible to the impermeant compound. This inaccessible pool was eliminated by permeabilization of the cells with saponin or Triton X-100, a result suggesting that approximately 7% of neuronal benzodiazepine receptors are intracellular. Acute treatment (1-4 h at 37 degrees C) of neurons with 100 microM gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) or 100 nM clonazepam had little effect on the level of [3H]flunitrazepam binding but increased the proportion of intracellular receptors by 61 and 74%, respectively, compared with untreated controls. Similar treatment with 1 mM GABA increased the level of intracellular sites by 154-176%. The effect of GABA on receptor internalization was blocked by cotreatment with the GABAA receptor antagonist R 5135. The results suggest that SPTC-1012S can be used as a probe to study the internalization of the GABAA/benzodiazepine receptor complex under normal conditions or following acute or chronic treatment with agonists.
Planning with Pr/T nets

A plan generating tool for robotic applications is described. The tool, called ROPES (robot plan generating system), is based on modeling STRIPS-like rules by a special type of Petri nets called predicate/transition(Pr/T) nets. Once a set of STRIPS-like rules gets translated into its Pr/T net equivalence, an analysis technique of the Pr/T nets, called the T-invariant method, is utilized to generate robot plans. The research results have indicated that ROPES: provides a domain-independent formalism that blends together the concepts of the state of the world, actions, goals, and plans; supports conjunctive and hierarchical planning: handles nonlinear plans in a effective way; and offers facilities for monitoring plan execution and recovery. >
Laparoscopic adjustable silicone gastric banding.

BACKGROUND Laparoscopic adjustable silicone gastric banding (LASGB) is a relatively new surgical procedure for the treatment of morbid obesity. Gastric banding has been promoted as a treatment for obesity by many surgeons in recent decades. Advantages included technical ease and no intestinal anastomoses with the added risks of anastomotic leak. The most popular banding procedure is the vertical banded gastroplasty; however, this involves creation of a gastric staple line with risks of staple-line disruption. Gastric banding involves creating a gastric pouch by encircling the stomach with some type of material, such as Dacron or Silastic, to create a narrowed efferent tract. Erosion of the band material into the stomach lumen has been a concern with these techniques. In addition, a significant risk of intractable vomiting exists postoperatively, since the band represents a rigid fixed obstruction for emptying the gastric pouch. Vomiting is enhanced when the patient does not follow dietary recommendations, including eating slowly and carefully chewing food before swallowing it. The
Human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes for studies of cardiac ion transporters

Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can differentiate into functional cardiomyocytes (iCell Cardiomyocytes) with ion channel activities that are remarkably similar to adult cardiomyocytes...
Copper transport to mammary gland and milk during lactation in rats.

The delivery of copper to mammary gland and milk and the effects of lactation were examined in rats. Traces of67Cu/64Cu(II) were injected intraperitoneally or intravenously into virgin rats or lact...
Apoptosis in Normal and Coxiella burnetii–Infected Placentas From Alaskan Northern Fur Seals (Callorhinus ursinus):

In 2010, Coxiella burnetii was identified in 75% of northern fur seal placentas from a single rookery in Alaska, but nothing was known about the significance of this organism in the population. Although many infectious organisms cause increased cell death, C. burnetii has been shown to suppress apoptosis of the host macrophages as an intracellular survival mechanism. To determine if infection induces a similar functional change in the placenta, immunohistochemistry for antibodies to cleaved caspase-3 (activated caspase-3) and the (TDT)-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick end labeling (TUNEL) technique were used to compare the amount of placental apoptosis in infected and noninfected placentas. There was a statistically significant difference in the frequency of apoptotic cells between infected and uninfected placentas, with more apoptosis identified in the uninfected placentas. This finding suggests that the survival mechanism of C. burnetii in host macrophages to reduce apoptosis may also be utilized in trophoblasts. The significance of decreased trophoblastic apoptosis for the northern fur seal fetus requires further investigation.
EELS Compositional Imaging of FeF2-C Nanocomposite Used as a New Positive Electrode in Li-Ion Batteries

Advances in Instrumentation and Techniques- Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy for the 21st Century.
Synapse-Associated Protein-97 Isoform-Specific Regulation of Surface AMPA Receptors and Synaptic Function in Cultured Neurons

Members of the synapse-associated protein-97 (SAP97) family of scaffold proteins have been implicated as central organizers of synaptic junctions to build macromolecular signaling complexes around specific postsynaptic neurotransmitter receptors. In this regard, SAP97 has been suggested to regulate the synaptic localization of glutamate receptor type 1 subunits of the AMPA-type glutamate receptors. To test this hypothesis directly, we assessed the effects of SAP97 overexpression on surface expression of synaptic AMPA receptors. We find that recombinant SAP97 not only becomes concentrated at synaptic junctions but also leads to an increase in synaptic AMPA receptors, spine enlargement, and an increase in miniature EPSC (mEPSC) frequency, indicating that SAP97 has both postsynaptic and presynaptic effects on synaptic transmission. Synaptic targeting of SAP97, increased surface AMPA receptors, and increased mEPSC frequency are dependent on the presence of specific alternatively spliced sequences in SAP97 that encode a protein 4.1 binding site. These results suggest that SAP97 can affect the synaptic recruitment of AMPA receptors and spine morphology and that these effects may be regulated by alternative splicing.
Profits: the false prophet in business gaming

Historically, the profits generated during the course of play by companies in a business simulation have been used as a surrogate measure of the managerial ability of team members. Better measures of managerial ability would be gained by measuring and analyzing errors in forecasting over a wide variety of events. The ability to operate within budget constraints and to allocate limited resources among almost limitless needs is also an indicator of managerial ability. Assigning specific responsibilities to each individual on a team, and then evaluating that individual's effort, allow a grade or performance rating to be assigned to each member of the team. Measuring profit performance requires the limitation that all firms must start as equals. Without this imposing limitation, a much richer simulation environment could be established.
Forms and the Sophist

“The complete isolation of each thing from all others is the destruction of all reasoned argument; for all our argument depends on the interrelating of forms.”
Oxygen-sensitive K+ channel(s): where and what?

hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction(HPV) serves as an important regulatory mechanism to match perfusion to ventilation by directing blood flow away from poorly ventilated regions of the lung to ensure maximal oxygenation of the venous blood. Persistent HPV, however, causes pulmonary hypertension that
What other biologic and mechanical factors might contribute to osteolysis

An overwhelming consensus exists that wear particles are the primary driving force in aseptic loosening of orthopaedic implants. Nonetheless, considerable evidence has emerged demonstrating that various other factors can modulate the biologic activity of orthopaedic wear particles. Two of the most studied modulating factors are bacterial endotoxins and implant motion.
Sorption of Cr(VI) by MgAl-NO3 hydrotalcite in fixed-bed column: Experiments and prediction of breakthrough curves

This study describes the sorption of Cr(VI) by MgAl-NO3 hydrotalcite in a fixed-bed column. The sorbent was prepared via coprecipitation method and characterized by XRD, FTIR, BET surface area and pH zpc . The effects of operating parameters such as bed height, flow rate and inlet concentration were investigated in continuous mode. As a result, the exhaustion time increased with the increase of bed height, decrease of flow rate and inlet concentration. A mathematical model based on the constant pattern theory and the Freundlich isotherm was applied to predict the experimental data, and to evaluate the model parameters of the fixed-bed column. The developed model describes well the breakthrough curves at various operating conditions. The calculated volumetric mass transfer coefficient K L a depends directly on these conditions. K L a increased with increasing flow rate and inlet concentration, while remained almost constant with varying bed height.
A 2d + 3d rich data approach to scene understanding

On your one-minute walk from the coffee machine to your desk each morning, you pass by dozens of scenes - a kitchen, an elevator, your office - and you effortlessly recognize them and perceive their 3D structure. But this one-minute scene-understanding problem has been an open challenge in computer vision since the field was first established 50 years ago. In this dissertation, we aim to rethink the path researchers took over these years, challenge the standard practices and implicit assumptions in the current research, and redefine several basic principles in computational scene understanding. The key idea of this dissertation is that learning from rich data under natural setting is crucial for finding the right representation for scene understanding. First of all, to overcome the limitations of object-centric datasets, we built the Scene Understanding (SUN) Database, a large collection of real-world images that exhaustively spans all scene categories. This scene-centric dataset provides a more natural sample of human visual world, and establishes a realistic benchmark for standard 2D recognition tasks. However, while an image is a 2D array, the world is 3D and our eyes see it from a viewpoint, but this is not traditionally modeled. To obtain a 3D understanding at high-level, we reintroduce geometric figures using modern machinery. To model scene viewpoint, we propose a panoramic place representation to go beyond aperture computer vision and use data that is close to natural input for human visual system. This paradigm shift toward rich representation also opens up new challenges that require a new kind of big data - data with extra descriptions, namely rich data. Specifically, we focus on a highly valuable kind of rich data - multiple viewpoints in 3D - and we build the SUN3D data base to obtain an integrated place-centric representation of scenes. We argue for the great importance of modeling the computer's role as an agent in a 3D scene, and demonstrate the power of place-centric scene representation. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, libraries.mit.edu/docs - [email protected])
Efiect of Mesh Reflnement on Various Measures of Convergence for Plain Weave Composites

The increasing popularity of textile composite materials in advanced structures presents challenges that require reliable predictive tools. Finite element analysis has been employed to study the behavior of textile composites and gain greater insight on these materials. However, there has been virtually no study on the convergence of flnite element models of textile composite materials. Herein, a variety of metrics will be studied including volume averaged quantities such as efiective engineering properties and local measures such as point stresses. A plain weave architecture was chosen due to symmetries allowing for a smaller analysis region that could be analyzed using very reflned meshes. The efiect of a glass or graphite material system was investigated as well as the efiect of the waviness of the architecture. Results showed the convergence of some metrics are sensitive to material system while others are sensitive to the waviness of architecture.
Mathematical analysis of the kinetics of competitive inhibition in neurotransmitter receptor binding assays.

The kinetics of competitive inhibition was described by first-order differential equations, and the solution to these equations was derived numerically. The results of this analysis showed that the IC50 of a competitive inhibition curve decreases as equilibrium is approached if the dissociation rate constant of the nonlabeled ligand is equal to or less than that of the labeled ligand. The converse was true for competitive inhibition curves of a nonlabeled inhibitor with a dissociation rate constant greater than that of the labeled ligand. Nonequilibrium competitive inhibition experiments were performed using the muscarinic antagonist and agonist ligands, [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate and [3H]cis-methyldioxolane, and results consistent with the theoretical predictions were observed.
Caffeine consumption, insomnia, and sleep duration: Results from a nationally representative sample.

Abstract Objective Insomnia symptoms have been individually associated with both caffeine consumption and sleep duration abnormalities in prior studies. The goal of this study was to determine whether caffeine consumption was associated with insomnia symptoms from a population perspective and whether this relationship depended on habitual sleep duration. Methods Data were extracted from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (N = 4730). Caffeine consumption was quantified as mg/d from 2 typical days of use, 7 to 10 d apart. Insomnia symptoms were evaluated using frequencies of difficulty falling asleep (DFA), difficulty staying asleep (DSA), non-restorative sleep (NRS), and daytime sleepiness (DS). Habitual sleep duration was assessed as the hours of sleep obtained on a typical night. Binomial logistic regression analysis evaluated the relationships of individual insomnia and sleepiness symptoms (DFA, DSA, NRS, and DS) with caffeine consumption and sleep duration variables, after adjusting for covariates. Results The mean ± SD caffeine consumption was 176.6 ± 201 mg/d. Mean habitual sleep duration was 6.8 ± 1.4 h. Insomnia symptoms were prevalent in 19.1% to 28.4% of the respondents. Although caffeine consumption was associated with all insomnia symptoms in the unadjusted models, the adjusted models demonstrated a trend toward significance with DSA. Sleep duration was inversely associated with the insomnia symptoms in unadjusted and adjusted analysis. Finally, NRS was associated with an interaction between increased caffeine consumption and sleep duration. Conclusion The association between caffeine use and insomnia symptoms depends on habitual sleep duration at a population level.
Preference Optimality and Applications of Pareto-Optimality

To a layman one might explain the meaning of “optimization” as follows: Consider any process whatever which may be described mathematically, and whose outcome may be influenced by a set of possible decisions. Associate with the process a numerical criterion whose value depends on the decision and corresponding outcome of the process. “Optimization” then means that the decision is to be made so as to yield a maximum or a minimum numerical value of the criterion; that is, the criterion serves as a means of comparing different decisions and their outcomes.
Pathogenesis of pituitary tumors.

Despite great advances in our understanding of pituitary hormone regulation, the pathogenesis of pituitary tumors remains unknown. There is evidence for and against the hypothesis that growth hormone-, prolactin-, and ACTH-secreting tumors arise as the result of hypothalamic dysregulation. For each of these types of tumor, 80 to 90 per cent appear to arise de novo within the pituitary. Although possible, it is not yet proved that the remaining 10 to 20 per cent arise as a result of underlying hypothalamic dysregulation.
Untapped Resource: Art Students Cataloging Art Exhibition Catalogs at Virginia Commonwealth University

ABSTRACT In the fall of 1993, the James Branch Cabell Library of Virginia Commonwealth University received a gift of approximately 12,000 art exhibition catalogs formerly housed in the library of the School of the Arts. After considering various options to provide access to this comprehensive collection, it was decided to hire art students to copy catalog the bulk of the collection, under the supervision of two professional librarians. This article describes how the cataloging project was successfully implemented, thanks to a well-designed workflow and well-trained, dedicated student catalogers. Problems specific to cataloging art exhibition catalogs and enhancements made to the catalog records were also highlighted.
BER performance study of HF band FB-MC-SS

In a recent paper, we have proposed a filter bank multicarrier spread spectrum (FB-MC-SS) waveform as a new method for wideband spread spectrum communications in HF bands. We have noted that FB-MC-SS is well suited for this application because of its robustness against narrow and partial band interference and because it has good performance over a wide range of delay and Doppler spreads. In this paper, we further our study and analyze the bit error rate (BER) of FB-MC-SS when applied to HF channels. Our study is a comprehensive one and includes time-varying characteristics of HF channels, channel estimation error, and correlation among subcarriers in the proposed FB-MC-SS system.
Core Values and Partisan Thinking about Devolution

Why do people call for states’ rights and the devolution of national authority? Are they driven by partisan motives, where they like devolution the most when the President is of the opposing party? Or are calls to shift the balance of federal power rooted in sincere support for decentralized political authority? Using survey data from 1987 to 2012, I explore how support for devolution varies across time and individuals. I find that people are not strictly partisan in how they think about devolution. While people are more likely to favor decentralization when the President is of the opposing party, they are no more likely to want devolution when their own party controls state government. Substantive considerations are also important, where those who support limited government increasingly favor the devolution of central authority as the size of the national government increases relative to the size of state and local government.
Row-column transforms: Low-complexity approximation of optimal non-separable transforms

This paper introduces row-column transforms (RCTs) which are 2D non-separable transforms defined with the aid of a set of 1-D linear transforms and a basis ordering permutation. We propose a novel method for the design of row-column transforms that approximate desired complex transforms (such as KLTs, SOTs, etc.) so that most of the performance of the approximated transforms is retained at significantly reduced complexity. Given a non-separable block transform of interest, our method designs an RCT by (i) optimizing a set of 1-D transforms applied to rows and columns of the signal block and (ii) finding the best transform coefficient ordering permutation. Our experimental results show that optimized RCTs closely approach the compression performance of the desired non-separable transforms while retaining the computational complexity of separable transforms.
Primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillators: they work in the real world, too.

The benefit of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in improving mortality in populations at risk for sudden cardiac death has been firmly established by multiple randomized controlled trials (RCTs).1–3 However, patients receiving ICDs in clinical practice differ substantially from those enrolled in landmark RCTs. In the most recent report of the US National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) ICD Registry, including more than half a million ICD implants, ICD recipients were older and sicker, with higher prevalences of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation, than those enrolled in the Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial (SCD-HeFT) and the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial II (MADIT-II).1,3,4 Whether these patients enjoy a similar survival benefit to those enrolled in the clinical trials is less well understood. Determining the benefits of ICDs in the real world is a subject of increasing importance, especially as healthcare costs continue to rise. Article see p 706 In this issue of Circulation: Arrhythmias and Electrophysiology , Parkash et al5 compared the mortality rates in real-world patients in Nova Scotia receiving ICDs for primary prevention of ischemic or nonischemic cardiomyopathy (n=290) with comparable patients not receiving ICDs (n=601), using data from 2 registries. The study also described ICD utilization rates. They found that the ICD patients had significantly improved survival and also that ICD referral/implantation rates suggested significant underutilization. …
Chimeric virus-like particles containing influenza HA antigen and GPI-CCL28 induce long-lasting mucosal immunity against H3N2 viruses

Influenza virus is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, with worldwide seasonal epidemics. The duration and quality of humoral immunity and generation of immunological memory to vaccines is critical for protective immunity. In the current study, we examined the long-lasting protective efficacy of chimeric VLPs (cVLPs) containing influenza HA and GPI-anchored CCL28 as antigen and mucosal adjuvant, respectively, when immunized intranasally in mice. We report that the cVLPs induced significantly higher and sustainable levels of virus-specific antibody responses, especially IgA levels and hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) titers, more than 8-month post-vaccination compared to influenza VLPs without CCL28 or influenza VLPs physically mixed with sCCL28 (soluble) in mice. After challenging the vaccinated animals at month 8 with H3N2 viruses, the cVLP group also demonstrated strong recall responses. On day 4 post-challenge, we measured increased antibody levels, ASCs and HAI titers with reduced viral load and inflammatory responses in the cVLP group. The animals vaccinated with the cVLP showed 20% cross-protection against drifted (Philippines) and 60% protection against homologous (Aichi) H3N2 viruses. Thus, the results suggest that the GPI-anchored CCL28 induces significantly higher mucosal antibody responses, involved in providing long-term cross-protection against H3N2 influenza virus when compared to other vaccination groups.
Fungal Biotransformation of Insoluble Kraft Lignin into a Water Soluble Polymer

Low substrate solubility and slow decomposition/biotransformation rate are among the main impediments for industrial scale lignin biotreatment. The outcome and dynamics of kraft lignin biomodification by basidiomycetous fungi, Coriolus versicolor, were investigated in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The addition of 2 vol % DMSO to aqueous media increased the lignin solubility up to 70%, while the quasi-immobilized fungi (pregrown on agar containing kenaf biomass) maintained their ability to produce lignolytic enzymes. Basidiomycetous fungi were able to grow on solid media containing both 5–25 g/L lignin and up to 5 vol % DMSO, in contrast to no growth in liquid media as a free suspended culture. When a fungal culture pregrown on agar was used for lignin treatment in an aqueous medium containing 2–5% DMSO with up to 25 g/L lignin, significant lignin modification was observed in 1–6 days. The product analysis suggests that lignin was biotransformed, rather than biodegraded, into an oxygenated and...
Analytical Derivation of Nonlinear Spectral Effects and 1/f Scaling Artifact in Signal Processing of Real-World Data

In estimating the frequency spectrum of real-world time series data, we must violate the assumption of infinite-length, orthogonal components in the Fourier basis. While it is widely known that care must be taken with discretely sampled data to avoid aliasing of high frequencies, less attention is given to the influence of low frequencies with period below the sampling time window. Here, we derive an analytic expression for the side-lobe attenuation of signal components in the frequency domain representation. This expression allows us to detail the influence of individual frequency components throughout the spectrum. The first consequence is that the presence of low-frequency components introduces a 1/f[Formula: see text] component across the power spectrum, with a scaling exponent of [Formula: see text]. This scaling artifact could be composed of diffuse low-frequency components, which can render it difficult to detect a priori. Further, treatment of the signal with standard digital signal processing techniques cannot easily remove this scaling component. While several theoretical models have been introduced to explain the ubiquitous 1/f[Formula: see text] scaling component in neuroscientific data, we conjecture here that some experimental observations could be the result of such data analysis procedures.
How to Eliminate Cheating from an Introductory Computer Programming Course

The problem of Computer Science studentsâ€™ cheating in their homework assignments so far has been handled mainly through administrative punishment of the cheaters. The success of such an approach depends to a large degree on the ability of the instructor to recognize the fact of cheating, which is a complicated task. With a large number of students taking the course, identifying the cheaters sometimes requires considerable time. The author of this paper suggests a method of solving the cheating problem by changing the course grading policy. The suggested approach emphasizes the importance of regular checking of studentsâ€™ understanding the course material.