cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling of thermal stresses and distortions in x-ray masks employing the embedded absorber structure

The distortions that arise from thermal stresses in X-ray masks which employ the embedded absorber structure are modelled and analyzed. By using a quasi two-dimensional model, both in-plane and out-of-plane distortions were characterized and their dependence on the fractional absorber coverage was calculated. These distortions were found to be large when the absorber was initially deposited at a high temperature; however they can be greatly reduced by adding a buffer layer between the absorber and membrane. The Young's modulus and the linear expansion coefficient of this buffer layer are chosen such that the mask distortions are compensated for. Without the buffer layer, the shear and peeling stresses at the absorber-membrane interface were found to increase exponentially with distance near the absorber edges and may cause fatigue. These results were found in agreement with computer simulations.
Regulation of Neural Progenitor Cell Proliferation by D609: Potential Role for ERK

Tricyclodecan-9-yl-xanthogenate (D609) has been shown to possess both neuroprotective and anti-proliferative properties. We investigated the role of D609 in reducing the proliferation of neural progenitor cells in vitro. D609 decreased the expression of cyclin D1 after 1 day but not 2 or 4 days in culture, indicating the possible degradation/inactivation of drug in the medium. Consistent with this notion, spectral analysis showed the maximum absorbance of D609 (100 μM) at 300 nm, which decreased by ~30 % following incubation at 37 °C for 24 h. Further experiments revealed that incubation of neural progenitor cells with D609 decreased the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) but not Akt. In addition, increasing the concentration of B27 (1–4 %), but not FGF2, diminished the effect of D609 on cell proliferation. These results together suggest that D609 may curtail the proliferation of neural progenitor cells by decreasing the ERK-mediated expression of cyclin D1 and may have a therapeutic potential in containing the proliferation of tumor stem cells.
Dynamics of proton tautomerism in 2,5-dihydroxy-p-benzoquinone: A 13C NMR and CNDO study

Abstract The temperature and solvent dependence of the 13C NMR spectra of 2,5-dihydroxy-p-benzoquinone have been investigated. The variations of the line shapes are analyzed in terms of chemical exchange of the two equivalent intramolecular hydrogen bonds. The interpretation of the rate parameters suggests an interconversion mechanism in which the two hydroxylic protons move in a two consecutive step mechanism. This is supported by the shape of the potential surface for the motion of the hydroxylic protons, calculated by CNDO.
Studies on vaccine control and immunogenicity of polysaccharides of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

An immunoelectrophoretic method was devised for quantitation of 14 polysaccharide components in the pneumococcal vaccine, and for determination of their stability in the final container. By this method the individual polysaccharide types, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6A, 8, 9N, 12F, 18C, 19F, 23F, and 25 (Danish nomenclature), were found to be present at 80%-123% of the manufacturer's listed concentrations. Pneumococcal polysaccharide types 3, 6A, 9N, and 19F, used as representative types, were heated at 37C for 24 hr and stored at 4 C. The concentrations of these polysaccharides remained constant over a 12-month period, and the molecular sizes of types 3 and 9N were stable during storage. In contrast, the molecular sizes of types 6A and 19F declined gradually during the 12-month storage period. Pneumococcal type 19F polysaccharide was conjugated to various proteins, i.e., bovine serum albumin, human immunoglobulin, and pneumococcal R61 cell wall protein, by the method of reductive amination. Immunization of mice with 19F polysaccharide-protein conjugates resulted in formation of more antibody than was found in the control group. Young mice exposed to pneumococcal type 19F polysaccharide-protein conjugate during gestation and suckling exhibited a greater antibody response than did mice that received no type 19F polysaccharide-protein conjugate while suckling or received the conjugate only when they were only two weeks of old.
Bridging process and structure through criteria

Abstract Scholars in design face two central challenges in design methods inquiry: firstly, to integrate process and solution, and secondly, to examine developmental junctures leading to innovation. With these goals in mind, we maintain that design criteria deserve greater attention and illustrate this position with a study of noted designers' use of criteria. The primary finding was that five criteria functions were considered during the design process. The study also explored potential relationships between designer variables (i.e., professional expertise and personality type) and criteria use.
INVESTIGATION OF THE AXIAL STIFFNESS OF A BOLT USING A THREE-DIMENSIONAL FINITE ELEMENT MODEL

The axial stiffness of a bolt plays a critical role in the prediction of the self-loosening process of threaded connections subject to oscillatory excitation. Since self-loosening is one of the most frequent failure modes for threaded connections, it is important to understand the mechanisms of this behavior. In this paper a three-dimensional finite element model of a single bolt threaded into a plate is used to determine values for the axial stiffness of the bolt. The model is loaded by pulling the nodes around the outside of the bolt head in the axial direction while holding the bottom of the plate fixed. Several analyses are performed to investigate the axial stiffness of the bolt. Quasistatic analysis predicts a linear relationship between the reaction force and the axial stretch of the bolt, indicating that the axial stiffness is constant. Dynamic analyses yield similar results if the prescribed accelerations are limited, though the predicted stiffness values are lower than those from the quasistatic analyses. Different dynamic loading patterns also yield slightly different stiffness values. Investigations from this research can be used to better predict the self-loosening process.
Frequency spectra of the cries of normal infants and those with Down’s Syndrome

Samples of tape recorded crying obtained from four male mongoloid infants six months of age, and four normal infants matched for age and sex were fed into the Panoramic Sonic Analyzer in order to survey the frequency (c. p. s.) content of the cries. While the frequency ranges did not differ for the two groups, the cries of the normal infants were richer in spectral content, more active, less variable in sound level and more homogeneous as a group than those of the mongoloid infants.
Data visualization for decision support in environmental management

Abstract Today, environmental managers increasingly rely on advances in remote sensing, computer mapping, geographic information systems and quantitative modeling. These modern technologies have greatly increased the quantity and quality of data available to characterize existing and projected environmental conditions. However these data can be very abstract. The connection between data and the environmental conditions they represent is critical as the goal of environmental management is to achieve desired ends in the environment, even if decisions are largely based on data.
Outcomes of spot stenting versus long stenting after intentional subintimal approach for long chronic total occlusions of the femoropopliteal artery.

Abstract Objectives This study sought to compare the outcomes of spot stenting versus long stenting after intentional subintimal approach for long femoropopliteal chronic total occlusions (CTO). Background The optimal stenting strategy following the subintimal recanalization of long femoropopliteal chronic total occlusions has not been investigated. Methods A total of 196 limbs in 163 patients, implanted with bare nitinol stents after subintimal approach in long femoropopliteal occlusions (lesion length 25 ± 8 cm), were retrospectively analyzed. The primary patency was compared between spot stenting (n = 129) and long stenting (n = 67). Results Baseline characteristics and immediate procedural results were similar between groups. Adjusted-primary patency (47% vs. 77%, p Conclusions The primary patency was significantly higher with spot stenting than with long stenting following subintimal approach for long femoropopliteal chronic total occlusions. The risk of restenosis was especially higher when long stenting was extended to the distal popliteal artery.
The Behavioral Analysis of Interpersonal Intimacy in Group Development

Numerous theories of group development point to the importance of intimacy to the facilitation of group awareness, yet none articulates the behavioral dimension of this process. Using Bennis and Shepard's theory of group development as an illustration of this omission, it is argued that the analysis of intimate relations in small groups must move beyond the exclusive reliance on personality variables to articulate this process. The aim of this study is to develop a method for detecting the behavioral occurrence of intimate (primary) relations, apply this to a study of self-analytic groups, and test the hypothesis that such relations constitute a necessary condition for enhanced group awareness.A comparison of two self-analytic groups that differed in their respective abilities to analyze their ongoing processes revealed a significantly greater prevalence of overt primary relations in the relatively more effective group.
Null plane quantum electrodynamics

Abstract Covariant Feynman rules are given which permit calculations in NGED as easily as in the usual theory. The equivalence between the theories can be seen explicitly when all diagrams are summed. It holds already prior to renormalization.
Heckscher–Ohlin and specific-factors trade models for finite changes: how different are they?

Abstract In competitive international trade theory two of the basic models are the Specific Factors Model and the Heckscher/Ohlin model, with dimensionality 3 × 2 and 2 × 2 respectively. A surprising result in Heckscher/Ohlin is that the effect on factor prices of an infinitesimal change in a commodity price depends neither on the importance of the industry nor on the differences between sectors in the flexibility of technology. For finite price changes this need no longer be the case, and the model form itself may change endogenously as production patterns get altered. Furthermore, the extent of the response of the wage rate to a price increase in the more labor-intensive commodity becomes less severe the greater is the discrepancy between the degree of labor-intensity difference between sectors in the Heckscher–Ohlin model but more severe in the Specific-Factors model.
Control of cAMP in lung endothelial cell phenotypes. Implications for control of barrier function.

Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) form a more restrictive barrier to macromolecular flux than pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs); however, the mechanisms responsible for ...
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a New Natural Host of Impatiens necrotic spot virus in California

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) plants exhibiting severe stunting and leaves that showed interveinal yellowing, thickening, and deformation were found in an experimental trial adjacent to an artichoke field in Monterey County, CA in October of 2008. Percent incidence of symptomatic plants ranged from 20 to 39% in cvs. Bordeaux, Lazio, and Tigercat. Symptomatic plants were positive for Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV; family Bunyaviridae, genus Tospovirus) and were negative for Tomato spotted wilt virus, Cucumber mosaic virus, and Tobacco mosaic virus when tested with immunostrips (Agdia Inc., Elkhart, IN). The INSV-positive spinach was used for mechanical transmission to Nicotiana benthamiana, Chenopodium quinoa, and spinach. All inoculated plants were positive for INSV with immunostrips. To further confirm the presence of INSV, reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was conducted. Total RNA was extracted from the symptomatic spinach plants using a RNeasy Plant Kit (Qiagen Inc., Valencia, CA) and used as a template in RT-PCR using forward (5'-GGATGTAAGCCCTTCTTTGTAGTGG-3') and reverse (5'-CCTTCCAAGTCACCCTCTGATTG-3') primers specific to the INSV nucleoprotein (N) gene (GenBank Accession No. DQ425096). Amplicons of the expected size (approximately 364 bp) were obtained from both field-infected and mechanically inoculated spinach plants. Four amplicons were sequenced and compared with INSV N gene sequence in GenBank to confirm the identity of the products. Sequences obtained had 99% nucleotide identity with INSV sequences available under the GenBank Accession Nos. L20885, DQ523597, DQ523598, X66872, L20886, D00914, AB109100, and DQ425096. INSV can be one of the most serious viral pathogens of ornamental plants in North America and Europe. The host range of INSV is expanding and recent reports of INSV infection of vegetables include lettuce, peppers, peanut, and potato (1-4). To our knowledge, this is the first report of natural occurrence of INSV in spinach in California. Since INSV is vectored by thrips, its expanding natural host could make it an economically important problem in California and the United States. References: (1) S. T. Koike et al. Plant Dis. 92:1248, 2008. (2) R. A. Naidu et al. Online publication. doi:10.1094/PHP-2005-0727-01-HN, Plant Health Progress, 2005. (3) S. S Pappu et al. Plant Dis. 83:966, 1999. (4) K. L. Perry et al. Plant Dis. 89:340, 2005.
Leaning embodies desire: Evidence that leaning forward increases relative left frontal cortical activation to appetitive stimuli

We often lean toward things or people we desire. Does the converse happen as well? Does simply leaning forward increase patterns of neural activation associated with desire? Desire can be conceptualized as similar to the broader construct, approach motivation. Research has found that manipulated body postures reduce approach motivation (Harmon-Jones and Peterson, 2009; Riskind and Gotay, 1982). The present experiment tested whether leaning forward, a body posture associated with approach motivation, would increase approach motivation. We measured a pattern of neural activation associated with approach motivation, relative left frontal cortical activation, in response to pictures of appetitive (desserts) vs. neutral objects (rocks) while participants leaned forward or reclined backward. Leaning forward increased relative left frontal cortical activation to appetitive vs. neutral pictures; the reclining condition produced no differences between stimuli.
Forkhead box M1 transcription factor: A novel target for cancer therapy

FoxM1 signaling has been reported to be associated with carcinogenesis. Therefore, the FoxM1 may represent a novel therapeutic target, and thus the development of agents that will target FoxM1 is likely to have significant therapeutic impact on human cancer. This review describes the mechanisms of signal transduction associated with FoxM1 and provides emerging evidence in support of its role in the carcinogenesis. Further, we summarize data on several FoxM1 inhibitors especially "chemopreventive agents" and these agents could be useful for targeted inactivation of FoxM1, which indeed could become a novel approach for the prevention and/or treatment of human cancer.
Error Augmentation and the Role of Sensory Feedback

Brain injury often results a partial loss of the neural resources communicating to the periphery that controls movements. Consequently, the prior signals may no longer be appropriate for getting the muscles to do what is needed – a new pattern needs to be learned that appropriately uses the residual resources. Such learning may not be too different from the learning of skills in sports, music performance, surgery, teleoperation, piloting, and child development. Our lab has leveraged what we know about neural adaptation and engineering control theory to develop and test new interactive environments that enhance learning (or relearning). One successful application is the use of robotics and video feedback technology to augment error signals, which tests standing hypotheses about error-mediated neuroplasticity and illustrates an exciting prospect for rehabilitation environments of tomorrow.
Commentary: The Clark Fork Settlement: Collaboration, Consensus, and Hydropower Project Relicensing

In 1993, in an attempt to avoid the traditional lengthy, costly, and often controversial process of relicensing hydropower projects, Avista Corporation initiated a novel collaborative approach that brought together a number of disparate actors to craft a consensus relicensing application. The company's interest in a cooperative settlement was driven by continuing changes in the economic, political, and regulatory environment of relicensing. Over the last three decades various regulatory actors have placed a greater emphasis on environmental protection, increased competition in the electricity industry, and opened the relicensing process to new participants. There were three primary issues in the settlement discussions: the level of funding Avista would commit to environmental mitigation, species protection and habitat restoration, and the future operation of hydropower projects. The negotiated settlement provides the company with a degree of cost and regulatory certainty, while environmental organizations and government wildlife agencies gain an accelerated time-frame for mitigation and protection activities and a secure funding commitment. The Clark Fork settlement is evidence that negotiated compromises to relicensing applications may in certain circumstances become an effective means to balance economic and environmental values.
The physics of molecular motors.

Molecular motors convert chemical energy into mechanical force and movement. Operating at energies just above those of the thermal bath, these motors experience large fluctuations, and their physical description must be necessarily stochastic. Here, motor operation is described as a biased diffusion on a potential energy surface defined by the interactions of the motor with its track and its fuel. These ideas are illustrated with a model of the rotary movement of the Fo motor.
Pm34: a new powdery mildew resistance gene transferred from Aegilops tauschii Coss. to common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Powdery mildew is a major fungal disease in wheat growing areas worldwide. A novel source of resistance to wheat powdery mildew present in the germplasm line NC97BGTD7 was genetically characterized as a monogenic trait in greenhouse and field trials using F2 derived lines from a NC97BGTD7 X Saluda cross. Microsatellite markers were used to map and tag this resistance gene, now designated Pm34. Three co-dominant microsatellite markers linked to Pm34 were identified and their most likely order was established as: Xbarc177-5D, 5.4cM, Pm34, 2.6cM, Xbarc144-5D, 14cM, Xgwm272-5D. These microsatellite markers were previously mapped to the long arm of the 5D chromosome and their positions were confirmed using Chinese Spring nullitetrasomic Nulli5D-tetra5A and ditelosomic Dt5DL lines. Pm2, the only other known Pm gene on chromosome 5D, has been mapped to the short arm and its specificity is different from that of Pm34.
The Decompensated Monofixation Syndrome (An American Ophthalmological Society Thesis)

Purpose To describe the clinical features and response to treatment of patients with decompensated monofixation syndrome (MFS) and to propose a hypothesis for a decompensation mechanism in such patients. Methods Fourteen adults with MFS who had been symptomatically stable for a mean duration of 25 years developed diplopia in the absence of neurologic or orbital disease. After retrospective chart review, they underwent detailed orthoptic testing. Results from this cross-sectional analysis were compared with similar data from 16 control subjects with stable MFS. Results Compared to stable MFS patients, decompensated subjects had significantly poorer horizontal fusional amplitudes but greater torsional fusional amplitudes; they were also more likely to have a small vertical strabismus and to have received initial treatment later. Stable subjects, however, also had subnormal horizontal as well as torsional fusional amplitudes. There was no difference between groups with respect to refractive error, amblyopia, type or prior treatment of strabismus, stereoacuity, or angle of deviation. After treatment, all patients regained monofixational alignment, but up to one-third had continued diplopia. Symptoms recurred in two patients whose treatment was initially successful. Conclusions Patients with MFS lose fusional amplitudes over time. In some cases this results in development of sensory torsion with secondary decompensation and diplopia. The rate of decompensation averages 7% per year from ages 20 to 70. Treatment for decompensation offers excellent motor results, but sensory symptoms may persist and recurrent symptoms may develop. Monitoring and maintenance of fusional vergence amplitudes should be part of the routine care for patients with MFS.
A Method for Helping Discover the Dependencies of a Relation

One of the problems plaguing a data base designer is the inherent difficulty of extracting from a user the complete semantics of the relations utilized to define the conceptual model of a data base.
Prenatal treatment with retinoic acid accelerates type 1 alveolar cell proliferation of the hypoplastic lung in the nitrofen model of congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Abstract Purpose Retinoids play an important role in lung development. A recent study has demonstrated that prenatal treatment with retinoic acid (RA) stimulates alveologenesis in hypoplastic lungs in the nitrofen model of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Furthermore, it has also been demonstrated that the differentiation from alveolar epithelial cells type II (AECs-II) into alveolar epithelial cells type I (AECs-I), which is the key process in lung development, is disturbed in this model. We hypothesized that retinoids promote alveologenesis by stimulating differentiation of AECs-II to AECs-I at the end of gestation; and therefore, we investigated the effect of RA on the pulmonary expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), a marker for AECs-I, and thyroid transcription factor 1 (Ttf-1), a marker for AECs-II, in nitrofen-induced hypoplastic lungs. Materials and Methods Pregnant rats were exposed to either olive oil or 100 mg nitrofen on day of gestation (D) 9. Five milligrams per kilogram of RA was given intraperitoneally on D18, D19, and D20; and fetuses were recovered on D21. We had 4 study groups: control (n = 7), control + RA (n = 7), CDH (n = 6), and CDH + RA (n = 6). The expression of ICAM-1 and Ttf-1 was analysed in each lung by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. One-way analysis of variance test was used for statistical analysis. Results Expression levels of ICAM-1 were significantly reduced in CDH lungs compared with normal controls, whereas levels increased significantly in CDH group after the addition of RA ( P P Conclusions Our results demonstrate that prenatal treatment with RA accelerates AEC-I proliferation in the hypoplastic lung in CDH.
Spectroelectrochemical Sensing Based on Multimode Selectivity Simultaneously Achievable in a Single Device. 8. Selectivity at Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Polyelectrolyte Blend Modified Optically Transparent Electrodes

The feasibility of using polymer blend thin films covalently attached to indium tin oxide−glass, via the silane coupling agent (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane, for performing spectroelectrochemical modulation is demonstrated in aqueous solutions. The polymer blends were formulated by entrapping three polyelectrolytespoly(vinylbenzyltrimethylammonium chloride) (PVTAC), poly(acrylic acid), and Nafionin cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix for the purpose of selectively incorporating solution-phase anions and cations. Ru(BiPy)32+ (BiPy = 2,2‘-bipyridine), Ru(CN)64-, and Fe(CN)63- were chosen as the analytes for their suitable optical and electrochemical properties. Peak current enhancements, compared with the bare electrode under the same conditions, ranging from 2 to 7 were observed for these systems with the largest being for Fe(CN)63- at an electrode coated with PVA−PVTAC blend. The optical absorbance change under attenuated total reflection during cyclic voltammetry (spectroelectrochemical modula...
The Beinning of the End of Principlism

Book reviewed in this article: Principles of Biomedical Ethics. By Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress.
A hybrid static/dynamic DVS scheduling for real-time systems with (m, k)-guarantee

Energy reduction is critical to increase the mobility and to extend the mission period in the development of today's pervasive computing systems. On the other hand, however, energy reduction must be subject to the requirements not to compromise the quality of service (QoS) that these systems need to provide. While most of the current research in energy-aware real-time scheduling has been focused on hard real-time systems, a large number of practical applications and systems exhibit more soft real-time nature. In this paper, we study the problem of minimizing energy for soft real-time systems with the requirements of QoS-guarantee. The QoS requirements are deterministically quantified with the (m, k)-constraints, which require that at least m out of any k consecutive jobs of a task meet their deadlines. To deal with the dynamic characteristics of such applications and systems, we propose a hybrid static/dynamic scheduling approach that can efficiently reduce the energy consumption while guaranteeing the (m, k)-constraints. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed techniques outperform previous research significantly in terms of both the energy savings and QoS that can be achieved
S1P activates store-operated calcium entry via receptor- and non-receptor-mediated pathways in vascular smooth muscle cells

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) has been shown to modulate intracellular Ca2+ through both G protein-coupled receptors and intracellular second messenger pathways. The precise mechanism by which S1P ...
What Soldiers Do: Sex and the American GI in World War II France. By Mary Louise Roberts. (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2013. Pp. xii, 340. $30.00.)

This provocative study adds significant new information to a growing literature that explores what broadly has been called the “dirty details” or “underbelly” of American GIs’ behavior in the Europ...
The Use of Isolated Soybean Protein in Synthetic Diets for Chicks

Abstract ALPHA protein, 2 an isolated soybean protein, has been used in synthetic diets by various investigators as a source of purified vegetable protein. Neumann et al. (1950) have used it successfully for the production of a vitamin B12 deficiency in baby pigs. Carlson et al. (1949) and Sunde et al. (1950) used alpha protein in diets designed to study growth of the chick. Although their diets contained sources of vitamin B12 the authors observed high mortality and poor growth unless the diets were supplemented with natural feedstuffs, such as, yeast, fish meal or cereal products. These results were interpreted as evidence that the diets were deficient in an unidentified growth factor or factors. Alpha protein was first used in this laboratory in the summer of 1949 and in most trials satisfactory growth was obtained. An occasional failure to obtain satisfactory growth, coupled with the observations of Carlson et al. (1949) and . . .
The Medical Device and Laboratory Product Problem Reporting Program.

Health care technology, those objects and techniques used in health care practice, is so important and customary today, it is difficult to realize that not too long ago physicians had few beneficial devices, drugs, or procedures to offer patients. It was only in the nineteenth century that advances in diagnosis, marked by the invention of the stethoscope, and in therapy, denoted by the introduction of ether anesthesia, inaugurated the era of modem medicine. Over the century and a half that followed, we developed an extra-ordinary armory of diagnostic and therapeutic tools, which have significantly improved life expectancy and raised the quality of life for countless persons all over the world. These advances also have created ethical, economic, organizational, and political problems concerning their appropriate use and distribution.
The Role of Intellectuals and Political Oratory in Modern Democracies

The role of intellectuals in an era where information and knowledge circulates, vertiginously, with negligible restrictions is under scrutiny. Multimedia, the internet, and social media have reached a very impressive status, which has led some to argue that the "race‟ of intellectuals is going extinct and that their role in decline. Classic intellectuals of the last century made some effort to elevate and honour the intellectual's contribution to modern democracy. One of them, Noberto Bobbio, defended the notion that the intellectual has a role to play, by pursuing a methodological and discursive monitoring of the political discourse and coherence of the politicians. He was always aware of the illnesses of our time: the superficiality of the politicians, the vacuity of their discourse, and the incoherence between political programs, campaign promises, and the reality of governance in modern societies. Although not in decline, the role of the intellectual should be redefined like the objectives of his intervention in the public space.
Effects of azithromycin on C-reactive protein and myocardial enzyme levels in patients with mycoplasma pneumonia and its clinical effects

OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical efficacy of azithromycin by detecting serum myocardial enzymes and C-reactive protein(CRP)activity in patients with mycoplasma pneumonia(MP)before and after treatment with azithromycin. METHODS 144cases of observation group were divided into 60cases with severe MP group and 84cases with mild MP group.At the same period 108cases of healthy children were enrolled as the control group.CRP and myocardial enzyme including aspartate aminotransferase(AST),lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),creatine kinase(CK)and its co-workers enzyme(CKMB)were compared and analyzed before and after treatment.RESULTS Before treatment,in severe MP group,mild MP group the serum AST,LDH,CK,CK-MB and CRP were higher than those of the control group(P0.05),except for mild MP group and the control group CK levels in children was no significant difference(P0.05).After azithromycin treatment, serum AST,LDH,CK-MB and CRP in severe MP group,mild MP group were significantly decreased(P0.05).The total effective rate was 94.4%,adverse reactions were mild.CONCLUSION Children with severe pneumonia may exist myocardial injury,AST,LDH,CK-MB and CRP can be used for evaluation of children with pneumonia and as concomitant important indicators of myocardial injury,azithromycin can significantly and effectively reduce these indicators.
Vocal fold motion outcome based on excellent prognosis with laryngeal electromyography

Objectives/Hypothesis As laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) becomes more refined, accurate predictions of vocal fold motion recovery are possible. Focus has been on outcomes for patients with poor prognosis for vocal fold motion recovery. Limited information is available regarding the expected rate of purposeful vocal fold motion recovery when there is good to normal motor recruitment, no signs of denervation, and no signs of synkinetic activity with LEMG, termed excellent prognosis. The objective of this study is to determine the rate of vocal fold motion recovery with excellent prognosis findings on LEMG after acute recurrent laryngeal nerve injury. Study Design Retrospective review. Methods Patients undergoing a standardized LEMG protocol, consisting of qualitative (evaluation of motor recruitment, motor unit configuration, detection of fibrillations, presence of synkinesis) and quantitative (turns analysis) measurements were evaluated for purposeful vocal-fold motion recovery, calculated after at least 6 months since onset of injury. Results Twenty-three patients who underwent LEMG for acute vocal fold paralysis met the inclusion criteria of excellent prognosis. Eighteen patients (78.3%) recovered vocal fold motion, as determined by flexible laryngoscopy. Conclusion Nearly 80% of patients determined to have excellent prognosis for vocal fold motion recovery experienced return of vocal fold motion. This information will help clinicians not only counsel their patients on expectations but will also help guide treatment. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 2016
Influence of the time of interaction of an alloy based on SmCo5 with low-pressure hydrogen on the phase composition

By the methods of differential thermal analysis and X-ray phase analysis, we have investigated the interaction of an alloy based on SmCO5 with additives of the SmCO3 phase under initial hydrogen pressures of 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6 МРа at temperatures of 713 and 913 K with holding for 2 and 5 h. At 713 K, only the compound SmCO3 interacts with hydrogen with the formation of unidentified phases. In holding at 913 K under a pressure of 0.3 and 0.4 МРа for τ = 2 and 5 h, the alloy partially disproportionates into samarium hydride and cobalt. It has been established that the complete disproportionation occurs in holding at pressures of 0.5 and 0.6 МРа and for τ = 2 and 5 h. In vacuum, at 1223 K, disproportionation products recombine in the initial phases.
Chapter 4 – Special Topics of Lebesgue Integral and Applications

This chapter discusses the relationship between differentiation and integration on a set of real numbers, R. It explores the conditions under which the fundamental theorem of calculus is valid. This exploration leads to interesting and unexpected measure-theoretic ideas. The main result in this direction is the Lebesgue-Radon-Nikodym theorem. The chapter also presents some of the main theorems in probability closely related to measure theory and Lebesgue integration. According to Lebesgue's theorem, a monotone function has a finite derivative almost everywhere. The main tool used in the proof is the Vitali's Covering Theorem. Vitali's theorem has many applications in classical analysis, particularly in the theory of differentiation. If f is the difference of two monotone functions, then f is differentiable almost everywhere. Differentiation and integration are inverse operations to each other on the space of smooth functions. It has been widely accepted that probabilities should be studied as special sorts of measures. In the study of probability distributions, the center point and the overall spread of information of the distribution are of great interest. These usually can be obtained by computing the mean value and standard deviation.
Three-dimensional change in the cervical spine in a cross-legged sitting position after a time lapse

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the kinematic changes of the cervical spine during cross-legged sitting. [Subjects and Methods] In total, 19 healthy participants were recruited from among healthy students of Silla University. Each participant sat cross-legged with the right leg over the left and gazed at a target presented at 45° below the horizontal line of sight or at an object placed directly ahead, at 90° relative to horizontal for 10 minutes. [Results] With the 45° downward gaze, there was no significant difference in cervical angle between the 0–5-min and 5–10-min time periods. However, the angle in the sagittal plane increased with time, while the frontal and transverse plane angles decreased. With the 90° forward gaze, there was no significant difference in cervical angle between the 0–5-min and 5–10-min time periods. However, the frontal plane angle increased as time elapsed, while the sagittal and transverse plane angles increased between 0 and 5 min and decreased between 5 and 10 min. [Conclusion] Our results suggest that prolonged cross-legged sitting could produce malalignment of the cervical spine in three planes of motion.
Costly Curves: How Human-Like Shapes Can Increase Spending

Can exposure to body shapes affect spending preferences? Because Western society associates thinness with economic value, we argue that a shape resembling thin human body types activates concepts related to positive financial outcomes, such as responsibility and hard work. The results of five experiments show that exposure to thin, human-like shapes influences consumer self-efficacy judgments and spending outcomes, depending on the perceiver’s weight. In line with social comparison, we demonstrate that seeing a thin (vs. wide) human-like shape leads consumers with a high body mass index to make more indulgent decisions. Financial self-efficacy is highlighted as the underlying mechanism, and high resemblance to the human form is identified as a critical moderator. The findings of this research acknowledge visual similarity’s role in stereotype knowledge activation and weight stereotypes’ broad scope of influence.
Case 94: Abnormal Acinarization of the Pancreas in Response to Secretin

70-year-old man was evaluated with secretin-stimulated magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP).
Design of inverse dynamics tracking control system and voice based interfacing mechanism to the WMRA

Majority of wheelchair users with neuromuscular diseases experience upperbody muscular weakness, which limit their ability to perform common activities of daily living. A Wheelchair Mounted Robotic Arm (WMRA) can assist these individuals to perform various tasks independently. This research paper is focused on designing a control system and interfacing mechanism to a newly designed WMRA. The proposed interfacing mechanism is based on virtual image and voice activated signals. The paper outlined the implementation through three dimensional imagining and a virtual workspace model of the real world for the arm to navigate through. The user speaks a simple command through a microphone and then be run through a control algorithm to drive the robotic arm. Inverse dynamics based control scheme is implemented to command the active joints of the robot, based on an input from the virtual CAD environment. The preliminary simulation results show that the virtual model joint trajectories are well tracked with minimal error. The paper also outlined the overall implementation of the system using Robot Operating System based interfacing system.
Physics-Informed Network Models: a Data Science Approach to Metal Design

Functional graded materials (FGM) allow for reconciliation of conflicting design constraints at different locations in the material. This optimization requires a priori knowledge of how different architectural measures are interdependent and combine to control material performance. In this work, an aluminum FGM was used as a model system to present a new network modeling approach that captures the relationship between design parameters and allows an easy interpretation. The approach, in an un-biased manner, successfully captured the expected relationships and was capable of predicting the hardness as a function of composition.
Staging communism: state control and the Chinese Model Opera

In this paper, we draw on the case of Chinese Model Opera during the Cultural Revolution to demonstrate not only an extreme case of political control over cultural production but to consider the role of the state’s involvement in the consumption side of cultural politics. In addition to a textual analysis of the videos and librettos of 11 Model Operas, we analyze 274 reports and reviews related to Model Operas in the People’s Daily (Renmin Ribao) from the period 1964 to 1976, as well as supplement government documents. Our analysis of Chinese Model Opera extends our theoretical understanding of the potential relationships between political power and culture. Totalitarian regimes that take culture seriously, understanding art as a crucial resource in the reconstruction of society, may expand their involvement to direct not just what type of art is produced, but the conditions of its viewing, interpretation, and evaluation.
Cancer and Alcohol: An Overview of Tumorigenesis

The word cancer, derived from the Greek term for crab (carcinos), was coined by the father of medicine, Hippocrates (460–370 BC), in describing the physical resemblance of malignant tumors that had spread throughout the human body. Today, we know cancer to be a collection of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells (Kleinsmith 2006).
Hospitalization costs of cystic fibrosis in the United States: a retrospective analysis.

Objective: To determine patient, hospital, and clinical characteristics associated with the length of stay (LOS), total hospital charges, and total hospital costs in cystic fibrosis (CF).Methods: H...
Promoting reinvention of a multiplication-of-fractions algorithm: A study of the Learning Through Activity research program

Abstract Whereas proficiency in performing the canonic multiplication-of-fractions algorithm is common, understanding of the algorithm is much less so. We conducted a teaching experiment with a fifth-grade student, based on an initial hypothetical learning trajectory (HLT), to promote reinvention of the multiplication-of-fractions algorithm. The instructional intervention built on two concepts, recursive partitioning and distributive partitioning. As a study of the Learning Through Activity research program, our goal was to promote particular activity on the part of the student through which she could abstract the necessary concepts. The results of the teaching experiment were analyzed and, based on conclusions from the research, a revised HLT was generated. Recursive partitioning and distributive partitioning proved to be a strong foundation for construction of the algorithm.
Suicide Symposium: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Risk Assessment and the Emotional Aftermath of Patient Suicide

Introduction The loss of a patient to suicide is a common experience among mental health practitioners and trainees. Research suggests that younger, less experienced clinicians are often most keenl...
Microbiome Variation in an Intertidal Sea Anemone Across Latitudes and Symbiotic States

Many cnidarians form symbiotic relationships with brown dinoflagellate algae in the genus Symbiodinium. Bacteria are important to this symbiosis, with diverse functions such as providing nutrients to the symbiont and pathogen protection to the cnidarian. Disrupted bacterial communities are associated with thermally stressed cnidarians, which have a higher likelihood of expelling their symbionts, an event called bleaching. To better understand the association between thermal tolerance and bacterial community structure, we studied communities associated with an exceptionally thermal tolerant cnidarian, Anthopleura elegantissima. This intertidal symbiotic sea anemone is distributed from the subtropical waters of Baja California to subarctic Alaska, and experiences daily temperature fluctuations of up to 20oC. It is also flexible in its symbioses, predominantly hosting Symbiodinium, but occasionally hosting the green algae Elliptochloris marina or existing without symbionts in an aposymbiotic state. We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize the natural variation of microbial communities associated with Anthopleura elegantissima in these three symbiotic states and across a latitudinal gradient. In this study, we identified a core microbiome, made up predominantly of taxa typically found in coastal seawater. We found that the communities associated with A. elegantissima were weakly linked to latitude. Diversity analyses revealed significantly higher species richness values for microbial communities associated with anemones hosting E. marina. Lastly the microbiome communities associated with different symbiotic states were compositionally distinct. Taken together, our results suggest that the structure of microbial communities associated with these temperate cnidarians is tightly linked to symbiotic state and weakly linked to other biogeographic phenomena.
How do crossmodal correspondences and multisensory processes relate to synesthesia

Abstract Synesthesia is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory modality evokes additional (usually) sensory experiences in an unrelated modality (e.g., sounds evoking colors). Much has been written about the definition of synesthesia, but as it remains a behaviorally defined phenomenon, definitional requirements are premature at this early stage (indeed, precision of word use often follows, rather than precedes, conceptual understanding). Synesthesia is thought to arise from either increased connectivity or reduced inhibition between associated sensory areas that usually do not interact. While the condition is typically studied in individuals who experience developmental variants of the condition, nonsynesthetes can experience analogous sensations via hallucinogens or as a result of sensory deprivation,1 raising the possibility that synesthesia exists as a latent feature in all individuals. Research has long sought to identify the relationship between synesthesia and more common multisensory interactions, including crossmodal correspondences (commonly agreed upon multisensory associations, such as small, white objects pairing with high-pitched sounds). In this chapter we review evidence both in support of and in opposition to models relating synesthesia and crossmodal correspondences, and suggest future research to distinguish between them. As a first approximation, we note that idiopathic synesthesia often involves apparently arbitrary correspondences (e.g., the color blue and the number 5 have nothing in common with one another) whereas multisensory associations usually “make sense” (e.g., an ameboid shape and a jagged shape resemble their auditory counterparts, the pseudowords bouba and kiki, respectively). Yet as we shall see, this distinction is not always true.
Effect of nano-TiO2 on C–S–H phase distribution within Portland cement paste

We investigate the mechanisms by which titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) interact with cement hydration products. To this end, we synthesize nanomodified cement samples with 1 wt% and 5 wt% of TiO2. We investigate the physical properties using depth-sensing-based methods such as statistical nanoindentation and microscopic scratch testing. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy yields the chemistry, whereas micromechanics modeling provides insights into the nanostructure. The macroscopic plane strain modulus increases by 16% and 83%, respectively, and the macroscopic indentation hardness increases by 37% and 40%, respectively. The fracture toughness rises by 3% and 11%, respectively. Environmental scanning electron microscopy reveals a 30% reduction in crack width for TiO2 cement nanocomposites compared to plain cement. Meanwhile, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and statistical deconvolution show an increase in the fraction of high-density calcium silicate hydrates (by 22% and 12%, respectively), and in the fraction of calcium hydroxide (by 101% and 251%, respectively). Within the framework of the colloidal and granular models of C–S–H, the increase in stiffness and strength after nano-TiO2 modification of cement paste is due to the closely packed structure and the high atomic coordination number of high-density C–S–H. Similarly, due to the high dimensional stability of high-density C–S–H and calcium hydroxide, our results explain the reported improvements in drying shrinkage and creep properties following cement modification with nano-TiO2.