cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intraoperative Management of Hyperglycemia in the Cardiac Surgical Patient

The stress response of cardiac surgery leads to hyperglycemia, and undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass magnifies this response greatly. Counter-regulatory hormones, the cytokine response, and the automatic nervous system are all part of the coordinated host response that can lead to hyperglycemia. Postoperative hyperglycemia is associated with worsened perioperative outcomes, and there are data demonstrating this to also be true for the intraoperative period. Many factors affect intraoperative glucose control, including cardiopulmonary pump (CPB) prime fluid composition, temperature while on CPB, and medications such as catecholamines and glucocorticoids. Intraoperative glucose control has a significant impact on postoperative outcomes. No optimal intraoperative insulin regimen has been identified, but continuous intravenous infusions appear to be superior to intermittent sliding scale dosing. In addition, the technique of hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp shows the greatest promise of achieving normoglycemia while on CPB.
Reinforcement-Responsibility Differences in Birth Order, Grade Level, and Sex of Children in Grades 4, 5, and 6

This study was concerned with examining reinforcement-responsibility, a measure of locus of control, and its possible relationship to several demographic variables; sex, birth order, and grade level. The sample consisted of 800 elementary school children in Grades 4, 5, and 6. Data were analyzed by a 2 × 3 × 3 unbalanced factorial design with a co-variate adjustment (sex by birth order by grade level). Results indicated that only-born children assume credit for a lesser number of positive events than first- or later-borns, that fourth graders were more inclined than fifth and sixth graders to assume credit for their successes and less likely to accept responsibility for their failures, and females were more accepting of blame for failures than males (p ≤ .05) for all comparisons.
Oxygen uptake in larval bollworms (Heliothis zea) infected with the fungus Nomuraea rileyi

Abstract 1. 1. Healthy 6- to 12-day-old Heliothis zea (bollworm) larvae showed a mean oxygen uptake of 3.1 μl O2/mg body wt per hr. 2. 2. Similar larvae infected with the fungus Nomuraea rileyi had a mean uptake of 4.01 μl O2/mg per hr. 3. 3. The weights of the two groups of insects did not differ. 4. 4. T-test showed a significant (P
Micro confocal line scanning system for high density microfluidics

This paper describes development of a micro confocal line scanning system for multiplexed biochip applications. The hybrid integration of ID MEMS microlens scanner and confocal pinhole, laser diodes, and photodiode allows to create handheld sized autonomous confocal excitation and detection microsystem. Without use of bulky external microscopes, we have successfully demonstrated laser induced fluorescent excitation and detection from multiple of microfluidic channels using the micro confocal line scanning system.
Science Versus Language

Author's Summary.— A review of the rapid increase in the number of science courses in colleges and universities and the encroachment of this expansion upon the foreign language field. It is proposed to meet the disparaging attitude of some science men toward the languages upon their own ground by making language instruction more scientific.
Distinguishing Resistive Small Delay Defects from Random Parameter Variations

As technology scales, resistive defects, particularly via voids, are becoming an increasing problem. While such defects may only cause a small timing increase along some signal paths during test, they often grow and lead to early life failures in the field. Testing for small delay defects is therefore receiving considerable attention in recent years because the traditional burn-in approach to screen out such “infant mortality” failures is becoming prohibitively expensive in nanometer scale technologies. Unfortunately, random process variations can give rise to variability in circuit timing comparable to the resistive delay faults being targeted. This makes it critical to distinguish between the two so as to avoid discarding slow parts that are not reliability risks and can in fact be appropriately speed binned and safely used. In this paper we present a innovative strategy to show how this can be done by observing the relative change to switching delay of the slow path with variation in the power supply voltage. Our proposed approach exploits a novel key observation that the relative delay contribution of a performance outlier transistor increases noticeably with decreasing VDD, while the relative delay contribution from resistive delay defects decreases with increasing VDD.
Predicting Outcome in Patients with Rhabdomyosarcoma: Role of [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography

Purpose To evaluate whether [ 18 F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) response of the primary tumor after induction chemotherapy predicts outcomes in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). Methods and Materials After excluding those with initial tumor resection, 107 patients who underwent FDG-PET after induction chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from 2002 to 2013 were reviewed. Local control (LC), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were calculated according to FDG-PET response and maximum standardized uptake value (SUV) at baseline (PET1/SUV1), after induction chemotherapy (PET2/SUV2), and after local therapy (PET3/SUV3). Receiver operator characteristic curves were used to determine the optimal cutoff for dichotomization of SUV1 and SUV2 values. Results The SUV1 ( P =.02) and OS ( P =.02), but not LC. After 12 weeks (median) of induction chemotherapy, 45 patients had negative PET2 scans and 62 had positive scans: 3-year PFS was 72% versus 44%, respectively ( P =.01). The SUV2 ( P =.005) and was associated with LC ( P =.02) and OS ( P =.03). A positive PET3 scan was predictive of worse PFS ( P =.0009), LC ( P =.05), and OS ( P =.03). Conclusions [ 18 F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography is an early indicator of outcomes in patients with RMS. Future prospective trials may incorporate FDG-PET response data for risk-adapted therapy and early assessment of new treatment regimens.
Image-aided element shape generation method in discrete-element modeling for railroad ballast

The discrete-element method (DEM) provides more realistic results compared with those of continuum analysis for unbound construction materials such as railroad ballast. This paper introduces a digital-image aided particle-shape generation method for DEM to consider the shape effects of aggregate particles on assembly behavior. The BLOKS3D DEM program is used in this research with the capability of representing angular aggregates as discrete elements with user-defined particle morphological properties from imaging-based shape indices. A three-dimensional (3D) image analysis approach is available to construct discrete elements with shapes close to the morphological properties of actual aggregate shapes. A large-sized shear box is then used in direct-shear tests to validate this image-aided particle-shape generation DEM. The purpose of validation is to match the laboratory test results with the DEM simulation results by using one single set of model parameters. To that end, the sensitivity of DEM model parameters are investigated by conducting DEM shear-box simulations using different combinations of model parameters realistically chosen on the basis of previous research studies. The validation process is finally accomplished by statistically demonstrating that the DEM shear-box simulation results using one set of parameters can predict the laboratory shear-box test results reasonably well under various normal stress levels.
Scientific Assessments of Climate Change Information in News and Entertainment Media

An elite survey of members of the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union conducted in 2007 reveals that the vast majority of climate scientists positively assess both national print news reports and Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Truth as informative, with lower grades being assessed on climate change content that appeared on network and cable television news as well as in Michael Crichton’s novel State of Fear. Multivariate analysis reveals that more positive scientific assessments are associated in most cases with the level of confidence scientists have in the research conducted by their colleagues as well the severity of the impact they anticipate from global warming in the years ahead.
Evaluation of unilateral referrals on neonatal hearing screening

ObjectiveExamination of neonatal hearing screening practices around the world suggests that more attention is placed on infants who fail bilaterally on their hearing screen than infants who refer (fail) in one ear. Some programmes only report bilateral failures as positive hearing screens. This study investigates how limitations of the screening techniques demand continued audiologic evaluations in unilateral referrals.SettingThe study sample consisted of all infants born at a single academic paediatric hospital between February 1998 and February 2002.MethodsThere were 16,007 infants screened using ALGO automated auditory brainstem response. Eighteen of the infants who failed the screen in one ear but passed in the other ear were found to have permanent hearing loss, and had their subsequent clinical course and audiologic management analysed. The final audiologic outcome after four years in both the pass and fail ear were examined.ResultsOne group of unilateral referrals (n = 6) had obvious anatomic reaso...
Effect of an insulin-induced decrease in blood glucose on the human diabetic retinal circulation.

Abstract The effect of an insulin-induced decrease in blood glucose on the retinal blood flow (Q) was studied in 12 type II diabetics, using bidirectional laser Doppler velocimetry (BLDV) and monochromatic fundus photography. Q was first measured during hyperglycemia and then during normoglycemia which was achieved within approximately 3 hours by intravenous insulin administration. At normoglycemia, Q was 15% lower than at hyperglycemia ( P P
Attention, Negative Affect, and Altruism: An Ecological Validation

This field study attempted to replicate the finding that sadness decreases generosity and also to test the plausi bility of the suggestion that sadness decreases generosity because it decreases the radius of attention. Donations to a well-known charity were collected both prior to and after movies which had independently been rated as sad or neutral. The sad movies produced significantly lower donation rates than the neutral movies. An attention manipulation did not alter this relationship, suggesting that the negative mood effect is not mediated by a decreased radius of attention.
Localization of Inanimate Moving Targets Using Dual-Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar and Time-Frequency Analysis

An important task in urban sensing applications is to accurately localize moving and vibrating targets in the presence of significant background clutter. A dual-frequency CW radar, which estimates the range of a target based on the phase difference between two closely spaced frequencies, has been shown to be a cost-effective approach for range estimation of a moving target. Previous work has shown that the use of Fourier transform and time-frequency analysis techniques provides an estimate of Doppler signature and enhanced signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), thereby enabling the range estimation of moving targets and significantly improving the estimation accuracy. In this paper, we consider the combined use of these technologies with a synthetic aperture array for the localization of inanimate moving targets. The synthetic array aperture provides the capability of high-resolution spatial localization of inanimate moving targets, as well as determining the orientation of the rotation or vibration.
Upper critical field of Mo-Ni heterostructures

Upper critical field and its anisotropy have been measured on two very short wavelength Mo-Ni heterostructures of different degrees of perfection, lambda = 13.8A (disordered structure) and lambda = 16.6A (layered structure). In both cases the parallel critical field has an unexpected temperature dependence, a large and temperature dependent anisotropy, and over 60% enhancement over the Clogston-Chandrasekhar limit. Data are fit to the Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg theory and the spin-orbit scattering times are found to be 1.79 x 10 T s and 2 x 10 T s, respectively.
Ascorbate Increases Human Oxaluria and Kidney Stone Risk

Currently, the recommended upper limit for ascorbic acid (AA) intake is 2000 mg/d. However, because AA is endogenously converted to oxalate and appears to increase the absorption of dietary oxalate, supplementation may increase the risk of kidney stones. The effect of AA supplementation on urinary oxalate was studied in a randomized, crossover, controlled design in which subjects consumed a controlled diet in a university metabolic unit. Stoneformers (n = 29; SF) and age- and gender-matched non-stoneformers (n = 19; NSF) consumed 1000 mg AA twice each day with each morning and evening meal for 6 d (treatment A), and no AA for 6 d (treatment N) in random order. After 5 d of adaptation to a low-oxalate diet, participants lived for 24 h in a metabolic unit, during which they were given 136 mg oxalate, including 18 mg 13C2 oxalic acid, 2 h before breakfast; they then consumed a controlled very low-oxalate diet for 24 h. Of the 48 participants, 19 (12 stoneformers, 7 non-stoneformers) were identified as responders, defined by an increase in 24-h total oxalate excretion > 10% after treatment A compared with N. Responders had a greater 24-h Tiselius Risk Index (TRI) with AA supplementation (1.10 +/- 0.66 treatment A vs. 0.76 +/- 0.42 treatment N) because of a 31% increase in the percentage of oxalate absorption (10.5 +/- 3.2% treatment A vs. 8.0 +/- 2.4% treatment N) and a 39% increase in endogenous oxalate synthesis with treatment A than during treatment N (544 +/- 131 A vs. 391 +/- 71 micromol/d N). The 1000 mg AA twice each day increased urinary oxalate and TRI for calcium oxalate kidney stones in 40% of participants, both stoneformers and non-stoneformers.
Transcutaneous localization of arterial bleeding by two-dimensional ultrasonic imaging of tissue vibrations

Arterial bleeding into a free space is known to cause local vibrations in tissue. To study the effectiveness of utilizing these tissue vibrations in localizing the site of arterial bleeding, we have developed an algorithm for ultrasonically imaging these tissue vibrations. Simulation results indicate that our algorithm can correctly detect vibrations in the presence of pulsatile wall motion, blood flow and noise with the sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 99%. Preliminary results from an animal study indicate that our algorithm can detect vibrations from bleeding arteries as well as from organs such as liver and spleen.
Matching Explicit and Modal Reasoning about Programs: A Proof Theoretic Delineation of Dynamic Logic

We establish a match between two broad approaches to reasoning about programs: modal (dynamic logic) proofs on the one hand, and explicit higher-order reference to program semantics, on the other. We show that Pratt-Segerberg's first-order dynamic logic DL proves precisely program properties that are provable in second-order logic with set-existence restricted to a natural class of formulas, well-known to be related to computation theory. The set-existence principle is for computational formulas, i.e. of the form forallRexistxoarrF where R is relational, F quantifier-free. Depending on the exact nature of the programs considered, some fine tuning is needed. We establish a descriptive match, of independent interest, between programming languages L and particular classes DL of computational formulas, in the following sense: the semantics of programs alphaisinL is explicitly definable, in all relational structures, by a formula phialpha of DL; and for every formula phi of DL there is a program in L whose termination is equivalent to phi. In particular, we match the class of regular programs with random assignments to computational formulas that are "sequential", and the regular programs (without random assignments) to formulas we dub "definite", and that obey a natural variable scoping condition
Open surgery induces a dramatic decrease in circulating intact IGFBP-3 in patients with colorectal cancer not seen with laparoscopic surgery

As shown earlier by the authors via Western blot analysis, open (OS) but not laparoscopic surgery (LS) induces a qualitative decrease in plasma insulin-like growth factor–binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) levels on postoperative day 1 (POD 1). Intact IGFBP-3 has tumor suppressive effects, but its degradation products do not. Enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA) inevitably measures both. In this study, using a novel combined Western blot and ELISA analysis method, precise plasma levels of intact IGFBP-3 on POD2 after open and closed colorectal cancer resection (stage I–III) were determined. This study included 15 OS patients with a mean incision length of 26.7 ± 15.5 cm and 16 LS patients with a mean incision length of 5.3 ± 3.1 cm. Intact IGFBP-3 levels were determined via ELISA and Western blot analysis in plasma collected preoperatively and postoperatively. In the OS patients, the mean preoperative concentration of intact 43–45 kDa IGFBP-3 protein was 1920 ± 1430 ng/ml. It decreased dramatically on POD2 to 355 ± 545 ng/ml (p < 0.005). In the LS group, no significant difference was noted between the preoperative level (1305 ± 807 ng/ml) and the POD2 level (922 + 714 ng/ml). Open cancer resection, unlike its minimally invasive alternative, induces a dramatic decrease in concentration of intact IGFBP-3, which may have important implications with regard to colon cancer recurrence.
The effects of the small GTPase RhoA on the muscarinic contraction of airway smooth muscle result from its role in regulating actin polymerization.

The small GTPase RhoA increases the Ca2+ sensitivity of smooth muscle contraction and myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation by inhibiting the activity of MLC phosphatase. RhoA is also a known re...
A probabilistic method for constructing wave time-series at inshore locations using model scenarios

article i nfo Continuous time-series of wave characteristics (height, period, and direction) are constructed using a base set of model scenarios and simple probabilistic methods. This approach utilizes an archive of computationally inten- sive, highly spatially resolved numerical wave model output to develop time-series of historical or future wave conditions without performing additional, continuous numerical simulations. The archive of model output contains wave simulations from a set of model scenarios derived from an offshore wave climatology. Time- series of wave height, period, direction, and associated uncertainties are constructed at locations included in the numerical model domain. The confidence limits are derived using statistical variability of oceanographic parameters contained in the wave model scenarios. The method was applied to a region in the northern Gulf of Mexico and assessed using wave observations at 12 m and 30 m water depths. Prediction skill for significant wave height is 0.58 and 0.67 at the 12 m and 30 m locations, respectively, with similar performance for wave period and direction. The skill of this simplified, probabilistic time-series construction method is comparable to existing large-scale, high-fidelity operational wave models but provides higher spatial resolution output at low computational expense. The constructed time-series can be developed to support a variety of applications including climate studies and other situations where a comprehensive survey of wave impacts on the coastal area is of interest. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Terminal FeI-N2 and FeII...H-C interactions supported by tris(phosphino)silyl ligands.

Taking hold: Monoanionic tris(phosphino)silyl ligands ([SiP6R-3]=[(2-R-2PC-6H-4)-3Si]−) stabilize unusual five-coordinate Fe^I complexes. The silane [SiP^(Ph)_3]H reacts with mesityliron(II) to give [(SiP^(Ph)_3)Fe^(II)Mes], which displays a C—H agostic interaction. Treatment with HCl and reduction affords the terminally bonded Fe^I—N_2 complex [(SiP^(Ph)_3)FeN_2] (see scheme; structures show only donor atoms of [SiP^(Ph)_3]), which yields hydrazine under protolytic conditions.
Stress analysis of the cracked-lap-shear specimen - An ASTM round-robin

This ASTM Round Robin was conducted to evaluate the state of the art in stress analysis of adhesively bonded joint specimens. Specifically, the participants were asked to calculate the strain-energy-release rate for two different geometry cracked lap shear (CLS) specimens at four different debond lengths. The various analytical techniques consisted of 2- and 3-dimensional finite element analysis, beam theory, plate theory, and a combination of beam theory and finite element analysis. The results were examined in terms of the total strain-energy-release rate and the mode I to mode II ratio as a function of debond length for each specimen geometry. These results basically clustered into two groups: geometric linear or geometric nonlinear analysis. The geometric nonlinear analysis is required to properly analyze the CLS specimens. The 3-D finite element analysis gave indications of edge closure plus some mode III loading. Each participant described his analytical technique and results. Nine laboratories participated.
Demonstrating Localized Intrinsic Biodegradation of Chlorinated Aliphatic Hydrocarbons Using Time Series Sampling

Localized intrinsic biodegradation of chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) was investigated by pumping from a monitoring well screened in a low conductivity carbonate mudstone. Two time series tests were conducted to assess the relative potential for intrinsic biodegradation in occur in the mudstone compared to the surrounding highly productive carbonate aquifer. Water samples were collected during pumping and analyzed for CAHs (tests 1 and 2). and water quality parameters (pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, redox), election donors and acceptors, and biodegradation indicators (chloride, alkalinity) (test 2). During both lime series tests, concentrations of TCE breakdown products— DCE, vinyl chloride and ethane—decreased significantly after pumping 500 gallons of water from the well. During lest 2. concentrations of electron donors and acceptors and biodegradation indicators decreased, whereas dissolved oxygen and redox remained at low levels. Multiple lines of evidence demonstrated that that intrinsic bioremediation of CAHs is occurring in the mudstone, including: (1) presence of anaerobic conditions in the mudstone conducive for reductive dechlorination: (2) progression of electron acceptors and presence of methanogenic conditions; (3) available supply of electron donors in the mudstone: (4) occurrence of TCE breakdown products; and (5) increased chloride and alkalinity concentrations in the zone of active biodegradation. Time series testing indicated that during the early stages of pumping, effluent consisted mainly of ground water derived from the mudstone unit. With continued pumping, an increasing percentage of effluent water was derived from the less contaminated, permeable carbonate units which bounded the mudstone layer. Differences in permeabilities between the carbonate aquifer and mudstone layer probably accounted for the varying degree of intrinsic biodegradation observed between the two systems. Future remedial efforts should consider avoiding ground water extraction from the mudstone and disturbing the intrinsic biodegradation processes that are reducing contaminant mass in the aquifer.
B cells are essential for vaccination-induced resistance to virulent Toxoplasma gondii.

T lymphocytes and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) are known mediators of immune resistance to Toxoplasma gondii infection, but whether B cells also play an important role is not clear. We have investigated this issue using B-cell-deficient (μMT) mice. If vaccinated with attenuated T. gondii tachyzoites, μMT mice are susceptible to a challenge intraperitoneal infection with highly virulent tachyzoites that similarly vaccinated B-cell-sufficient mice resist. Susceptibility is evidenced by increased numbers of parasites at the challenge infection site and by extensive mortality. The susceptibility of B-cell-deficient mice does not appear to be caused by deficient T-cell functions or diminished capacity of vaccinated and challenged B-cell-deficient mice to produce IFN-γ. Administration of Toxoplasma-immune serum, but not nonimmune serum, to vaccinated B-cell-deficient mice significantly prolongs their survival after challenge with virulent tachyzoites. Vaccinated mice lacking Fc receptors or the fifth component of complement resist a challenge infection, suggesting that neither Fc-receptor-dependent phagocytosis of antibody-coated tachyzoites nor antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity nor antibody-and-complement-dependent lysis of tachyzoites is a crucial mechanism of resistance. However, Toxoplasma-immune serum effectively inhibits the infection of host cells by tachyzoites in vitro. Together, the results support the hypothesis that B cells are required for vaccination-induced resistance to virulent tachyzoites in order to produce antibodies and that antibodies may function protectively in vivo by blocking infection of host cells by tachyzoites.
A meta-controller method for improving run-time self-architecting in SOA systems

This paper builds on SASSY, a system for automatically generating SOA software architectures that optimize a given utility function of multiple QoS metrics. In SASSY, SOA software systems are automatically re-architected when services fail or degrade. Optimizing both architecture and service provider selection presents a pair of nested NP-hard problems. Here we adapt hill-climbing, beam search, simulated annealing, and evolutionary programming to both architecture optimization and service provider selection. Each of these techniques has several parameters that influence their efficiency. We introduce in this paper a meta-controller that automates the run-time selection of heuristic search techniques and their parameters. We examine two different meta-controller implementations that each use online learning. The first implementation identifies the best heuristic search combination from various prepared combinations. The second implementation analyzes the current self-architecting problem (e.g. changes in performance metrics, service degradations/failures) and looks for similar, previously encountered re-architecting problems to find an effective heuristic search combination for the current problem. A large set of experiments demonstrates the effectiveness of the first meta-controller implementation and indicates opportunities for improving the second meta-controller implementation.
Efficient Parameterized Algorithms for Biopolymer Structure-Sequence Alignment

Computational alignment of a biopolymer sequence (e.g., an RNA or a protein) to a structure is an effective approach to predict and search for the structure of new sequences. To identify the structure of remote homologs, the structure-sequence alignment has to consider not only sequence similarity, but also spatially conserved conformations caused by residue interactions and, consequently, is computationally intractable. It is difficult to cope with the inefficiency without compromising alignment accuracy, especially for structure search in genomes or large databases. This paper introduces a novel method and a parameterized algorithm for structure-sequence alignment. Both the structure and the sequence are represented as graphs, where, in general, the graph for a biopolymer structure has a naturally small tree width. The algorithm constructs an optimal alignment by finding in the sequence graph the maximum valued subgraph isomorphic to the structure graph. It has the computational time complexity O(k^{t} N^{2}) for the structure of N residues and its tree decomposition of width t. Parameter k, small in nature, is determined by a statistical cutoff for the correspondence between the structure and the sequence. This paper demonstrates a successful application of the algorithm to RNA structure search used for noncoding RNA identification. An application to protein threading is also discussed.
Enlarging Pancreatic Schwannoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

A 72-year-old female presented with dyspepsia for 2 years and an incidental mass in the head of the pancreas on abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan. Patient had multiple negative endoscopic ultrasound guided biopsies. She was followed up for 3 years with serial imaging until an abdominal CT scan showed an increase in size of the pancreatic mass. Physical examination was unremarkable. Laboratory tests including tumor markers were normal. Given the enlarging size of the mass and its impingement on the portal vein, the consensus was to proceed with surgery. Histology revealed a 3.5 cm mass showing a spindle cell neoplasm with mild atypia. The lesion was well defined and nerve tissue was noted at the periphery. On immuno-stains, the spindle cells were positive for S-100 protein and negative for pan-cytokeratin, CD-34, CD- 117, smooth muscle actin and Melan A, consistent with the diagnosis of a pancreatic schwannoma.
The Many-Headed Muse: New Music and its myths

§ The late fifth-century BC ‘New Music Revolution’ is often presented as a watershed in the history of lyric culture and one of its most significant features identified as the greater importance of aulos-music in song-and-dance performance. In this context, a series of lyric fragments are read as testimonies for a debate about this musical change: the poetic exchange between Melanippides (fr. 758 Page) and Telestes (fr. 805 Page) about Athena’s mythical rejection of the aulos; a fragment of Telestes on the archaeology of aulos music; and a fragment of Pratinas (fr. 708 Page) condemning the supremacy of Music over Song in contemporary performance, all quoted by Athenaeus (Deipnosophistae 14, 616e-617f). My presentation takes these fragments as a case study and reconsiders the link between lyric texts and ‘historical contextualization’ provided by Athenaeus. In addition to opening new interpretive possibilities for these lyric fragments, this study allows us to reevaluate our use of Athenaeus as source. In a close-reading of the Deipnosophistae passage, I show how the author’s presentation of aulos-playing in the late fifth century is a literary montage of Aristotle’s arguments on aulos-playing in book 8 of the Politics. Interpreting the lyric passages in the light of Athenaeus’ remarks is thus to fall victim of a methodological vicious circle: the author’s supposed ‘historical contextualization’ of the poems is actually the combination of his interest for the Peripatetics’ socio-politics of music and his knowledge of, or access to, non-canonical texts.
Spatial resolution uniformity, isotropy, and the effect of depth of interaction information in a 1mm3 resolution, limited-angle PET system

Limited-angle tomography PET systems use configurations that result in incomplete and irregular sampling of projection data. In a two paneled, 1mm resolution PET system dedicated to breast imaging with 1mm depth-of-interaction (DOI) resolution, we measure both the uniformity and isotropy of the spatial resolution. Uniformity measures the variation in spatial resolution over the field of view (FOV), and isotropy measures the difference in resolution in the x, y, and z dimensions. Reconstructing data from point sources in air placed across the FOV with MLEM, we measure spatial resolution across the FOV in 3 dimensions. At the center of the FOV, the resolution was 0.775 mm, 1.296 mm, and 0.782mm in x, y, and z, respectively. We examine the impact of MLEM iterations on the measured uniformity and isotropy of spatial resolution. We compare MLEM resolutions to metrics in literature, see some correspondence, and discuss their limitations. We step a point source in 100 µm steps to show the ability of the system to resolve closely spaced points. The system separates point sources by more than one FWHM at 0.700mm spacing. DOI resolutions impact is studied by varying the binning resolution of interactions in crystals along the direction away from the region of interest. Resolution in all directions is substantially impacted by DOI rebinning. Resolution in the DOI direction (orthogonal to the panels) degrades from 1.296mm FWHM at 1mm DOI resolution to 5.908mm with 16mm DOI resolution showing the importance of DOI and sampling from oblique lines of response in limited-angle systems.
Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics and Fitness Costs Associated with Information Preservation May Explain Longevity Differences between Species

The aging process in most organisms is enormously complex, involving a multitude of integrated molecular pathways that define and modulate the gradual cellular, tissue and system-level changes that evoke the aging phenotype. Despite this sophistication, the root causes underlying the susceptibility of an organism to aging may be comparatively straightforward. Here, I posit that organismal aging can be explained using a three-legged framework derived from established principles of physics (nonequilibrium thermodynamics and Newtonian), evolutionary theory, and information theory. I suggest that this logic also demonstrates that aging is biologically inevitable. It is argued here that stipulations derived from the second law of thermodynamics and Newtonian mechanics may be critical in defining evolutionary fitness landscapes that vary according to the ability of the organism to resist the loss of data in information-encoding biomolecules (DNA), and in some organisms possibly other biocomponents subject to irreversible fidelity loss, and that this may largely explain the differences in longevity amongst many organisms.
Life Cycle Cost Integration for the Rehabilitation of Wastewater Infrastructure

In 2000, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) ranked America’s wastewater infrastructure a grade of “D” and stated that the U.S. needs to invest roughly $140 billion over the next 20 years in its wastewater treatment systems. Of that total, roughly $10 billion is needed for upgrading existing wastewater collection system, $22 billion for construction of new sewer system, and $45 billion for controlling Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). With the increasing need for wastewater infrastructure rehabilitation, the need for effective infrastructure management system under budgetary constraints is crucial. The use of Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) for infrastructure management can contribute to the goals of reducing construction, operation, and maintenance costs. One mathematical tool that is viable for LCCA is probabilistic dynamic programming, which recommends optimal Maintenance & Rehabilitation (M&R) methods for each segment in the network. In many cases, the aggregate cost of applying the suggested M&R techniques to all segments within a network is often higher than available budgets. This paper describes a procedure to prioritize M&R programs to acquire a networkoptimal solution. Efficient use of limited funds in construction, maintenance and operation of sewer systems will result in better quality of infrastructure and improved economic well-being of
Wavelet Spectral Finite Element Modeling for Health Monitoring of Adhesively Bonded Joints

Wave propagation in an adhesively bonded lap joint is studied experimentally and the results are used to validate the Wavelet Spectral Finite Element (WSFE) lap joint model. A single lap joint made up of aluminum adherands bonded using epoxy adhesive is used as the test structure. A piezo electric (PZT) transducers bonded on the test structure is used as the pulser, which is excited with a tone burst signal. The structure is mode-tuned to determine the optimum excitation frequency range. The dynamic forces exerted on the test structure by the bonded PZT are determined using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and employed as the input forces for the WSFE simulations. The results obtained from WSFE and experiments are compared at multiple locations on the test structure for several excitation frequencies. The WSFE and experimental results show a very good agreement and waves propagating past the lap joint are very sensitive to adhesive strength.
A Solid-Phase Radioimmunoassay for the Measurement of Antibody to Aspergillus in Invasive Aspergillosis

A solid-phase radioimmunoassay (SPRIA) to measure antibody responses to Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus antigens in invasive aspergillosis (IA) was developed and compared with immunodiffusion (ID) and counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE). SPRIA detected significant elevations in levels of aspergillus antibody in 15 (79%) of 19 patients with IA. Fewer patients with IA were positive by ID (five of 19) or CIE (four of 19). Only seven (8%) of 58 subjects with other fungal or bacterial infections were positive by SPRIA, as was one (5%) of 20 by ID and CIE. Weak cross-reactivity between aspergillus and candida antigens was demonstrated by SPRIA. IgG levels in patients with IA and control subjects were equivalent. Thus, an antibody response to Aspergillus can be detected in a greater percentage of patients with IA by SPRIA than by ID or CIE. Although a few patients without aspergillosis had elevated levels of aspergillus antibody, a rise in antibody level was specific for IA.
Research Status and Development Trend of Smart Grid

The future development trend of electric power grid is smart grid, which include such features as flexible, clean, secure, economic, friendly and so on.The concept and function characteristics of smart grid are introduced in this paper firstly;then the progress of research on smart grid home and abroad as well as the relation between key technologies and smart gird are analyzed in detail, and it is pointed out that the Agent based distributed cooperation, control, simulation and decision-making, system integeration of distributed enengy, knowledge based comprehensive decision support are the key development trend of smart grid in future.The construction of smart grids in China is a very complicated system engineering, for this reason some concrete suggestions are made, such as fully taking advantages of integrated management, carrying out architectural design of smart grids in China;drafting pilot plans and implementation schemes;coordinating secure and economic operation of power generation, transmission and distribution;paying special attention to theoretical and technological innovation and application;overall considering the planning, construction, renovation and technology upgrating of power grid, to push the research and construction of smart grid in China actively and orderly.
The Advantages of Short-Term Vesical Drainage after Antireflux Operation

Abstract Early removal of the vesical catheter after routine ureteroneocystostomy in children was not associated with any increase in surgical complications but significantly shortened hospitalization, reduced the incidence of nosocomial infections and significantly lessened morbidity.
A Field Study of the Extended Communication Effects of a One-Shot Promotional Event

The communication effects over time resulting from a one-time promotional event were examined using a multi-attribute attitude model. Results indicate that positive shifts in beliefs and attitudes from the promotional event for the advertised brand were not accompanied by decreases in attitudes for competing brands over time.
Abstract 24: MicroRNA-27b Is a Regulatory Hub in Lipid Metabolism and Is Altered in Dyslipidemia

Cellular and plasma lipid levels are tightly controlled by complex gene regulatory mechanisms. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression and have emerged as important modulators of lipid homeostasis, but the extent of their role has not been systematically investigated. In this study, we performed high-throughput small RNA sequencing and detected approximately n=150 miRNAs in mouse liver. We then employed an unbiased, in silico strategy to identify miRNA regulatory hubs in lipid metabolism, and miR-27b was identified as the strongest such hub in human and mouse liver. In addition, hepatic miR-27b levels were determined to be sensitive to plasma hyperlipidemia, as evidenced by its 3-fold up-regulation in the liver of mice on a high-fat diet (42% calories from fat). Further, we showed in a human hepatocyte cell line (Huh7) that miR-27b regulates the expression (mRNA and protein) of several key lipid-metabolism genes. Finally, hepatic levels of miR-27b and its target genes, which include ANGPTL3 and GPAM , were inversely regulated in a mouse model of severe dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis. Conclusion: miR-27b is responsive to lipid levels, and acts as a “regulatory hub” in lipid metabolism, controlling multiple genes involved in dyslipidemia.
NEPTUNE: Real Time Stream Processing for Internet of Things and Sensing Environments

Improvements in miniaturization and networking capabilities of sensors have contributed to the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) and continuous sensing environments. Data streams generated in such settings must keep pace with generation rates and be processed in real time. Challenges in accomplishing this include: high data arrival rates, buffer overflows, context-switches, and object creation overheads. We propose a holistic framework that addresses the CPU, memory, network, and kernel issues involved in stream processing. Our prototype, Neptune, builds on our Granules cloud runtime. The framework maximizes bandwidth utilization in the presence of small messages via the use of buffering and dynamic compactions of packets based on payload entropy. Our use of thread-pools and batched processing reduces context switches and improves effective CPU utilizations. NEPTUNE alleviates memory pressure that can lead to swapping, page faults, and thrashing through efficient reuse of objects. To cope with buffer overflows we rely on flow control and throttling the preceding stages of a processing pipeline. Our benchmarks demonstrate the suitability of the Neptune and we contrast our performance with Apache Storm, the dominant stream-processing framework developed by Twitter. At a single node, we are able to achieve a processing rate of ~2 million stream packets per-second. In a distributed setup, we achieved a rate of ~100 million packets per-second.
Exploring the Effects of the Privacy‐Handling Management Styles of Social Networking Sites on User Satisfaction: A Conflict Management Perspective

The issue of consumer information privacy, arguably the most substantial and persistent problem confronting e-commerce companies in general and online social networking service providers in particular, often results in unsatisfied customers. Researchers have investigated privacy from various perspectives and in a multitude of settings, yet there have been few attempts to understand privacy versus satisfaction, particularly from the perspective of conflict management. Because users’ privacy can be negatively affected by social networking sites (SNS), this study focuses on the privacy conflicts between SNSs and their users. Drawing on conflict management theory, this article investigates the effects of different conflict management styles exhibited by an SNS on users’ satisfaction with its privacy practices, which then affects their intention to disclose personal information. The SNS examined in this study is Facebook, the most popular SNS with the largest number of users. Data were collected using an online survey and were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results suggest that the two cooperative conflict management styles demonstrated by the SNS—accommodating and problem-solving—positively affect users’ satisfaction with the privacy practices of the SNS both directly and indirectly through perceived privacy risk control. With regard to uncooperative styles, an avoiding style negatively affects user satisfaction directly, whereas an asserting style negatively affects user satisfaction indirectly through perceived privacy risk. The results also support that satisfaction is positively related to intention; users who are satisfied with the privacy practices of SNSs are more willing to disclose personal information than unsatisfied ones.
Poxvirus Cytopathogenicity: Effects on Cellular Macromolecular Synthesis

The initial observations by Enders (1954) and his collaborators that virus-cell interaction culminates in the destruction of the infected cells in culture made it possible to study these alterations at both the morphological and biochemical levels. Highly cytocidal viruses, during the process of either productive or abortive virus replication, ultimately kill the cell. Notable examples of this type of viruses are the picornaviruses, the rhabdoviruses, the herpesviruses, and the poxviruses. Early studies of virus cytopathology were mainly descriptive in nature, documenting the various types of virus-induced morphological alterations to cells. With the advent of new biochemical techniques, it became possible to scrutinize the mechanisms by which these viruses altered the infected cells. The main objective of these studies has been to define the initial step of virus-induced alteration and to characterize the nature of the viral product(s) which initiates the steps leading to the ultimate death of the cell.
Defects of Platelet Signal Transduction

Blood platelets play an essential role in hemostasis. The primary physiological function of platelets is to form hemostatic thrombi that prevent blood loss and maintain vascular integrity, which requires a robust and precise response of platelets to vascular injury. On the other hand, platelet activation must be tightly controlled. Dysregulated thrombus formation (thrombosis) causes blockage of blood vessels, leading to ischemia. Platelets in normal circulation are in a non-adherent “resting” state. Upon vascular injury, platelets are activated following initial adhesion to adhesive proteins like von Willebrand factor (VWF) and collagen or by soluble platelet agonists like ADP, thrombin, and thromboxane A2 (TXA2). These adhesive proteins and soluble agonists induce signal transduction via their respective receptors and receptor-specific signaling pathways. The various receptor-specific platelet activation signaling pathways converge into common signaling events, such as activation of PKC and Ca2+ mobilization, which stimulate platelet shape change, granule secretion, and ultimately induce the “inside-out” signaling process leading to activation of the ligand binding function of integrin αIIbβ3. Ligand binding to integrin αIIbβ3 mediates platelet adhesion and aggregation and triggers “outside-in” signaling, resulting in platelet spreading, granule secretion, stabilization of platelet adhesion and aggregation, and clot retraction. Defects in platelet signal transduction may lead to bleeding disorder. This chapter briefly introduces normal signal transduction of platelet activation followed by detailed description of inherited defects in the signaling molecules in platelets including receptors and kinases, leading to impaired platelet function and bleeding disorders (Table 1).