cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physiotherapy management of patients with HIV-associated Kaposi's sarcoma.

Background Kaposi's sarcoma is the most common form of cancer in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Although Kaposi's sarcoma lesions may contribute to significant physical impairments, there is a lack of scientific literature detailing the role of physiotherapy in the treatment of HIV-associated Kaposi' sarcoma. The present Case Report includes two males, aged 36 and 39 years, seropositive for HIV, with invasive Kaposi's sarcoma. Method and Results Patient A was evaluated for bilateral foot pain caused by plantar surface Kaposi's sarcoma lesions that rendered him unable to walk. He progressed to walking 400 feet after a treatment regimen of gait training with the use of custom plastazote sandals. Patient B was evaluated for right lower extremity lymphoedema secondary to invasive Kaposi's sarcoma. He experienced an 18% reduction in limb volume, a 38% reduction in pain and a 20° increase in terminal knee flexion after therapeutic exercise and the use of compressive bandaging and garments. Conclusions This Case Report suggests that physiotherapy interventions may be valuable in the conservative management of patients with HIV-associated Kaposi's sarcoma. Copyright © 2004 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
Stalled Flight: Horatian Remains in Baudelaire's "Le Cygne"

Dedicated to Victor Hugo and opening with thoughts of Virgil's Andromache, Baudelaire's "Le Cygne"1 situates poetic memory within a world of multiple influences. At first glance, the poem seems to follow a well-worn structure. It opens with the traditional nod to precursors remembrances of both Hugo and Virgil before progressing to the speaker's own personal memory of a past event the remembrance of seeing a swan in the heart of Paris.2 And yet, the significance of the swan continues to puzzle critics. Perhaps the most interesting question surrounding the poem remains that posed by Richard Terdiman: "What's the swan doing in Baudelaire's 'Le Cygne'?"3 Despite numerous hypotheses, critics have overlooked the possibility that even this most personal memory is the glimpse of yet another precursor: Horace's swan from Ode 2.20. In fact, comparison of the two poems yields more than just the revelation of another literary precursor disguised as a material and personal memory: in Horace's poem, the metaphor of the swan guarantees the future immortality of the poet, an immortality that renders lamentations or mourning unnecessary. But the swan reappears as an allegory in Baudelaire, an allegory in which the swan represents the truth of time's passage and the poet's eventual mortality. For Baudelaire, the swan no longer guarantees the pure presence of the lyric voice, as it does in Horace. Rather, it reveals the ghostly memories of other poets, memories that show up as fragments of the speaker's own past.4 The lyrical voice no longer preempts mourning but calls upon grief's very necessity by revealing, at its very core, the mortal remains of another. In Horace's Ode 2.20, the poet writes of his own immortality by literalizing the classical metaphor of the poet as swan. Even among Horace
Morality and Value

In his essay 'Morality and Egoism' (Mind lxxxv, January 1976), C. H. Whiteley defines the morality of a society as 'the practice of requiring or banning certain types of action and praising or blaming certain dispositions of character'.' He says that unlike rules imposed upon a society 'by a minority of powerful persons, [m]oral rules and ideals are those which have the general support of the members, in that most of them are in favour of these rules being obeyed and these ideals pursued'. Having thus defined morality 'as being concerned with standards of conduct which are to be supported by a common consensus', Whiteley goes on to infer from his definition, among other things, something about the content of morality, namely that it 'need favour the satisfaction of interests, or ... cannot expect general support'. He writes:
The behavioral treatment of test anxiety: Recent research and future trends

The methodology of previously unreviewed studies dealing with the behavioral treatment of test-anxious college students was examined. In combination, the studies suggest that combinations of desensitization and study counseling procedures were most effective in alleviating anxiety and improving academic performance. The generality of reported findings, however, is limited by the use of highly motivated volunteers. Suggestions for further systematic research programs, such as developing strategies effective for “unmotivated” students, are presented.
Duality relation for 32-vertex model on the triangular lattice

The duality relation is derived for a vertex model on the triangular lattice. Vertex configurations are limited to the 32 that have an odd number of incoming arrows, and vertex energies are invariant to rotations ofp/3 and reversal of all arrows. Special cases of the model include the triangular Ising model and Baxter's three-spin model, for each of which the duality relation gives the critical temperature.
Quality Assessment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Genotyping in a Large Laboratory Network

Quality assessment exercises were conducted to evaluate the reproducibility of IS6110 DNA fingerprinting performed by eight laboratories in the National Tuberculosis Genotyping and Surveillance Network. Three panels, each with 8 to 16 isolates, were typed at all laboratories, resulting in 280 images. When the pattern obtained by the majority for each isolate was used as the standard, exact matches were obtained for 73% of patterns; 90% and 97% of patterns matched within one- and two-band differences, respectively. A second approach involved retyping of randomly selected isolates at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retyping was done for 8–19 isolates per laboratory (76 total). Paired images matched exactly for 54% of isolates and within one and two band differences, 78% and 93%, respectively. We evaluated reasons for mismatching. We also evaluated the reproducibility of spoligotyping using a test panel of 13 isolates; a discrepancy of 1 in 91 results was noted.
Acoustic localization of mortar and small arms fires

This paper compares three methods that estimate the location of an acoustic event based on measurements of its time-of-arrival (TOA) and direction-of-arrival (DOA) at a set of microphone arrays. We propose first a Least-Square (LS) estimator for source location for this combined DOA-TOA measurement model. We then look at the Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimator, comparing both estimators to the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRB). Our third estimator is based on the Maximum A Posteriori (MAP) formulation and is designed to handle the association problem, where detections at different arrays must be matched if they correspond to a single event. Simulations show that the LS estimator performs slightly better than the ML estimator when the observation noise is not the expected one. Both methods exhibit a bias in the range estimate, which accounts for most of the square error. The MAP estimator, applied to live fire data, was accurate and successfully resolved multiple targets from outlier and multipath noise.
Emergency Peripartum Hysterectomy due to Placenta Previa/Accreta: 10 Years' Experience

Summary Objective To identify risk factors for and sonographic findings, complications and outcomes of emergency peripartum hysterectomy due to placenta previa/accreta. Materials and Methods This was a retrospective review and descriptive study of women who underwent emergency peripartum hysterectomy due to placenta previa/accreta at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between 1992 and 2001. All emergency peripartum hysterectomies were considered by the responsible physician to be a lifesaving procedure. Each chart was reviewed with emphasis on risk factors, sonographic findings, complications and outcomes. Results There were 16 cases of emergency peripartum hysterectomy due to placenta previa/accreta (0.6/1,000 births). The mean hospitalization time was 8 days (range, 5–24 days) and the mean operation time was about 150 minutes (range, 85–335 mins). The estimated mean blood loss was 3,800 mL (range, 2,700–12,000 mL) and the mean amount of whole blood transfused was 15 units (range, 10–38 units). Two cases of bladder injury occurred when dissecting the bladder from the lower uterine segment and cervix. Conclusion The association of placenta previa and prior cesarean delivery with placenta accreta and emergency peripartum hysterectomy is well documented. Emergency peripartum hysterectomy remains a potentially lifesaving procedure with which every practitioner of obstetrics must be familiar. In facilities that have interventional radiological services and well-trained angiographers available on a 24-hour basis, prophylactic placement of catheters for possible selective embolization may be considered in patients with placenta previa and a prior cesarean section and sonographic findings of placenta accreta. There should be a clear, tried and tested protocol for dealing with massive obstetric hemorrhage to decrease maternal morbidity and mortality.
Adverse Effects of Testosterone Therapy in Adult Men: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Context: The risks of testosterone therapy in men remain poorly understood. Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analyses of testosterone trials to evaluate the adverse effects of testosterone treatment in men. Data Sources: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL from 2003 through August 2008. Review of reference lists and contact with experts further identified candidate studies. Study Selection: Eligible studies were comparative, randomized, and nonrandomized and reported the effects of testosterone on outcomes of interest (death, cardiovascular events and risk factors, prostate outcomes, and erythrocytosis). Reviewers, working independently and in duplicate, determined study eligibility. Data Extraction: Reviewers working independently and in duplicate determined the methodological quality of studies and collected descriptive, quality, and outcome data. Data Synthesis: The methodological quality of the 51 included studies varied from low to medium, and...
Collective Bargaining in Catholic Schools: What Does Governance Have to Do with It?.

This article outlines the significant legal decisions regarding collective bargaining in Catholic Schools, identifies the governance structures employed in Catholic schools and the methods of translating these governance structures into documents required by civil law, and concludes with the citation of two recent court decisions that demonstrate the method of incorporation and the day-to-day governance practices utilized in Catholic schools that are of great importance to educational leaders.
A covariance kernel for svm language recognition

Discriminative training for language recognition has been a key tool for improving system performance. In addition, recognition directly from shifted-delta cepstral features has proven effective. A successful example of this paradigm is SVM-based discrimination of languages based on GMM mean supervectors (GSVs). GSVs are created through MAP adaptation of a universal background model (UBM) GMM. This work proposes a novel extension to this idea by extending the supervector framework to the covariances of the UBM. We demonstrate a new SVM kernel including this covariance structure. In addition, we propose a method for pushing SVM model parameters back to GMM models. These GMM models can be used as an alternate form of scoring. The new approach is demonstrated on a fourteen language task with substantial performance improvements over prior techniques.
Retinomorphic system design in three dimensional SOI-CMOS

Three dimensional (3D) silicon on insulator (SOI)-CMOS technology offers opportunities for integration of truly complex neuromorphic systems that do not suffer from the limitations that hinder neuron-like local connectivity in 2D CMOS technologies. In this paper, we outline the rationale for morphing neural structures into 3D SOI-CMOS systems. We discuss design challenges for mixed signal neuromorphic circuits in single tier and 3D SOI-CMOS. We also report on a SOI-CMOS compatible photodetector with photosensitivity of 30,000 (A/W), which is the highest ever reported in the literature.
Image-based transfer function design for data exploration in volume visualization

Transfer function design is an integrated component in volume visualization and data exploration. The common trial-and-error approach for transfer function searching is a very difficult and time consuming process. A goal oriented and parameterized transfer function model is therefore crucial in guiding the transfer function searching process for better and more meaningful visualization results. The paper presents an image based transfer function model that integrates 3D image processing tools into the volume visualization pipeline to facilitate the search for an image based transfer function in volume data visualization and exploration. The model defines a transfer function as a sequence of 3D image processing procedures, and allows the users to adjust a set of qualitative and descriptive parameters to achieve their subjective visualization goals. 3D image enhancement and boundary detection tools, and their integration methods with volume visualization algorithms are described. The application of this approach for 3D microscopy data exploration and analysis is also discussed.
Use of the Medial Femoral Condyle Vascularized Bone Flap in Traumatic Avascular Necrosis of the Navicular: A Case Report

The medial femoral condyle vascularized bone flap has a high success rate in published literature regarding its use in nonunions and avascular necrosis of the upper and lower extremities. It is reported to have minimal donor site morbidity and the ability to provide structural support and torsional strength to load-bearing areas. The flap has found particular success in the treatment of scaphoid nonunions. The tarsal navicular, similar to the scaphoid, is largely articular cancellous bone with little surface area for vascular inflow. These anatomic features make the navicular prone to nonunion and avascular necrosis in traumatic scenarios. We describe a case of nonunion and avascular necrosis of the tarsal navicular occurring as sequelae of a high-impact midfoot injury sustained in an automobile accident. After an initial attempt at open reduction and internal fixation with midfoot bridge plating, subsidence and nonunion resulted. An attempt at arthrodesis of the talonavicular and naviculocuneiform joints was then undertaken. This too failed, leading to the development of additional collapse and avascular necrosis. The site was treated with a medial femoral condyle vascularized bone flap. In this single case, the patient returned to pain-free ambulation and reported excellent outcomes and functional capacity. Although we present a successful case, a larger case series is necessary to establish the use of this flap as a reliable option for the treatment of nonunion and avascular necrosis of the tarsal navicular.
Visualization of physical processes near a black hole

ABSTRACT The simulation of the physics near a black hole has received significant attention in recentyears with the development of the techniques of Numerical Relativity. This work is concerned withthe dynamics of dense, hot relativistically moving fluid near a black hole event horizon as it has ahead-on collision with the black hole. Since the resulting fluid dynamics is quite complex and occursin a region of large spacetime curvature, there are several challenges to be overcome in visualizingsome of the physical variables. We describe the salient features of the physics involved and thetechniques used to visualize the fluid properties and present an example of the collision between a'dense concentration of hot fluid and a non-rotating black hole. We also discuss some of the needs foreffective visualization which need to be addressed in the near future. 1. INTRODUCTION The simulation of the physics of matter in regions where the gravitational field is a dominantinfluence has made significant strides during the last ten years .
Simulation of electromagnetic fields in a microelectrode array

An area of significant potential in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS)-related technology is the construction of microelectrode arrays that can be used to preferentially kill nearby biological cells while leaving cells more distant from the array intact. This paper details some of the basic considerations related to this research area, and goes on to explore electromagnetic field strength and its spatial variation around a simple simulated microelectrode array near a biological medium with /spl delta/ and /spl epsiv/ characteristics similar to that of human blood. Simulations were conducted at maximum field strengths of |1.1| volts at a frequency of 100 kHz and 1 MHz.
Acoustic analysis of wild chimpanzee pant hoots: Do Kibale Forest chimpanzees have an acoustically distinct food arrival pant hoot?

Recordings were made of 193 pant hoots given by 6 adult males during ad lib sampling over a 16-month period in 1988 and 1989. The presence or absence of a let-down phase, and acoustic measures of the let-down and climax phases of the calls, were compared for different call contexts to determine if an acoustically distinct pant hoot was given uniquely upon arrival at fruiting trees. The greatest proportion of pant hoots with a let-down (LD pant hoots) occurred immediately upon arrival at fruiting trees. However, LD pant hoots also occurred at other times during feeding bouts. The frequency and duration of the first exhaled element of 19 letdown phases were measured, and four measures were made on the highest pitched element of 49 climax phases: duration, maximum and minimum frequencies, and average frequency. No differences were found in these acoustic measures that distinguished calls given immediately upon arrival at a food tree from calls given later during feeding bouts. Thus no evidence was found that an acoustically distinct pant hoot was given uniquely upon arrival at fruiting trees. However, the analyses did suggest that identifiable pant hoot variants are given in different social contexts. The proportion of LD pant hoots decreased in more interactive social contexts, and other acoustic features may be available to distinguish this pant hoot variant at long distances. We suggest that different pant hoot variants might broadcast information specific to social, as opposed to ecological, context. 0 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Effect of preinjury warfarin use on outcomes after head trauma in Medicare beneficiaries

Background Elderly Americans are at increased risk of head trauma, particularly fall related. The effect of warfarin on head trauma outcomes remains controversial.
Agent-based model of epithelial host–pathogen interactions in anastomotic leak

Abstract Background There is a growing recognition of the significance of host–pathogen interactions (HPIs) in gut biology leading to a reassessment of the role of bacteria in intestinal anastomotic leak. Understanding the complexities of the early postsurgical gut HPI requires integrating knowledge of both epithelial and bacterial behaviors to generate hypotheses of potential mechanisms of interaction. Agent-based modeling is a computational method well suited to achieve this goal, and we use an agent-based model (ABM) to examine alterations in the HPI affecting reestablishment of the epithelial barrier that may subsequently lead to anastomotic leak. Methods Computational agents representing Pseudomonas aeruginosa were added to a previously validated ABM of epithelial restitution. Simulated experiments were performed examining the effect of radiation on bacterial binding to epithelial cells, plausibility of putative binding targets, and potential mechanisms of epithelial cell killing by virulent bacteria. Results Simulation experiments incorporating radiation effects on epithelial monolayers produced binding patterns akin to those seen in vitro and suggested that promotility integrin–laminin associations represent potential sites for bacterial binding and disruption of restitution. Simulations of potential mechanisms of epithelial cell killing suggested that an injected cytotoxin was the means by which virulent bacteria produced the tissue destruction needed to generate an anastomotic leak, a mechanism subsequently confirmed with genotyping of the virulent P aeruginosa strain. Conclusions This study emphasizes the utility of ABM as an adjunct to traditional research methods and provides insights into the potentially critical role of HPI in the pathogenesis of anastomotic leak.
The business cycle associated with exchange-rate-based stabilization

This article examines the effects of disinflation on economic activity in countries characterized by chronic inflation. Such countries have a long history of inflation at rates exceeding those in industrial countries as well as labor and capital markets that have adjusted to function in an inflationary environment. A sample of disinflation in several Latin American countries and in Israel demonstrates that stabilization efforts in countries with chronic inflation often do not induce the usual Phillips curve tradeoff in the medium run. Specifically, stabilization programs that use the exchange rate as the main nominal anchor are often associated with a business cycle that begins with a boom and ends with a recession. Stabilization programs that use money supply as the nominal anchor generally induce the expected Phillips curve result: lower inflation is accompanied by a recession after the program is implemented.
Reference book indexes reviewed

Article on a study of the frequency and nature of remarks about indexes found in reviews of reference books.
Reservoir Heterogeneities of Some Cretaceous Sandstones

A more detailed understanding of the various sedimentary and directional parameters that control both porosity and permeability in sandstone reservoirs is essential in order to predict reservoir behavior. Thirteen separate sedimentary or directional measurements were made on 1,125 cores collected from outcrops of the Woodbine and Paluxy Formations of North Texas. The various sandstone bodies are of shallow marine origin, and represent marine blanket sands that may be preserved as reservoir rocks. Grid systems were superimposed on large outcrops and random samples were collected and used to duplicate statistically reservoir characteristics. Vertical control sections within or near the outcrops were sampled and used to represent individual wells within the reservoir. Total variability of all measured sedimentary parameters within a sedimentary unit in both random and vertical sections is very small. From a prediction viewpoint, one vertical section can be used to establish a satisfactory model for a random section within a sedimentary unit. Permeability in these sandstones decreases as the mean grain size becomes smaller, as the sediment becomes more poorly sorted, and as the secondary cement in the rock increases. Porosity decreases as the percent cement increases. If preferred directional properties exist, permeability should increase along the preferred orientation direction and decrease in the direction normal to it.
HYDROLYSIS OF SOYBEAN TRYPSIN INHIBITOR BY THE γ SUBUNIT OF 7SNGF AND EGF‐BP: Demonstration of Proteolytic Activity

Although soybean trypsin inhibitor (STI) does not inhibit the esterase activity of either epidermal growth factor binding protein (EGF BP) or the gamma subunit of 7SNGF, it does behave as a substrate for proteolysis. Cleavage of the active site peptide bond of STI does occur when incubated in the presence of either EGF-BP or the gamma subunit of 7SNGF. The hydrolysis id pH dependent with maximum proteolysis at pH 6.0-7.0. the newly formed C-terminal arginine residue in modified STI can be released by carboxypeptidase B digestion. Both enzymes are inhibited by low concentrations (2-4 microgram/ml) of the microbial protease inhibitors leupeptin and antipain. These inhibitors are specific for trypsin-like proteases. Since both enzymes can be found as part of high molecular weight complexes with growth factors these results confirm the hypothesis that they are involved during a postranslational modification event.
Radar investigations of the planets

Planetary radar astronomy's greatest handicap is the extremely feeble power content of an echo. This echo is always masked by relatively strong background noise so that special signal processing is required. The basic task is the detection and measurement of the echo power. However, when the signal strength is greater than the requirements of simple detection, it is desirable to measure the power distribution in time or in frequency. When the signal is still stronger, it is possible to divide the power into the two dimensions of time delay and frequency shift simultaneously, and thus produce a radar "map" of the target. Some of the special techniques and devices which are required to make these measurements, as well as some of the results of applying these techniques to Venus, Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter, are described. There are several groups working in this field and the author has stressed the work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory merely because of his familiarity with it.
Code comparisons of ionization balance in nonequilibrium argon plasmas

Abstract Nine different codes, developed at Livermore and elsewhere, were used to predict the degree of ionization in high-density, optically thin, nonequilibrium (NLTE) argon plasmas. There are surprisingly large differences at temperatures such that most Ar ions have fewer than three bound electrons, where the atomic data used by the codes are expected to be in reasonable accord. We found that the ionization balance is as sensitive to the number of energy levels allowed to each charge state, a number often chosen arbitrarily, as it is to wholesale changes in various atomic-rate coefficients.
Defining available restorative space for implant overdentures

It is important to diagnostically evaluate available restorative space prior to implant placement. Failure to accurately assess restorative space may result in esthetically and structurally compromised prostheses and patient dissatisfaction. This article describes various techniques for evaluating restorative space in edentulous patients. Information gained will help dentists during treatment planning, attachment selection, and prosthesis design prior to surgical implant placement.
Culture and Continuity in Family Firms

The culture of the family firm plays an important role in determining the success of the business beyond the first generation.
Edge Effects on Nesting Dickcissels (Spiza Americana) in Relation to Edge Type of Remnant Tallgrass Prairie in Kansas

Abstract Edge effects on grassland-nesting birds should be less pronounced or absent near cropland edges of grasslands that lack wooded-edge habitat often used by nest predators and brood parasites. We compared nest predation, brood parasitism and densities of dickcissel (Spiza americana) nests in relation to distance from woodland and cropland edges of Kansas tallgrass prairie. Daily nest predation rates did not differ (P > 0.25) among distance intervals (≤50 m, 51–100 m, ≤100 m and >100 m) from either edge type or among 50-m intervals adjacent to each edge type. Brood parasitism rates by the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) were higher ≤100 m vs. >100 m from woodland edges (P = 0.04), being highest ≤50 m from woodland edges (P = 0.09). Parasitism rates were not related to distance from cropland edges, although parasitism rates ≤50 m from woodland and cropland edges were statistically similar (P = 0.16). Dickcissel nest densities were lower ≤50 m from woodland edges relative to farther distance inte...
Petrographic Characteristics of Petroleum-Bearing Formations

A review of the petrographic characterization of petroleum-bearing formations, critical for formation damage analysis, is presented. The rock fabric and texture concepts are introduced. Petrographic properties are described in terms of the relevant parameters, including the spherical pore shape approximation, cross-sectional area open for fluid flow, pore connectivity and coordination number, pore and pore-throat size distributions, and textural parameters. The dispersed clay morphology and formation damage tendency are also discussed.
An Adaptive Approach Towards the Selection of Multi-Factor Authentication

Authentication is the fundamental defense against any illegitimate access to a computing device or any sensitive online applications. Due to recent trends of emerging security threats, authentication using only a single factor is not reliable to provide adequate protection for these devices and applications. Hence, to facilitate continuous protection of computing devices and other critical online services from an un-authorized access, multi-factor authentication emerges as a viable option. Many authentication mechanisms with varying degrees of accuracy and portability are available for different types of computing devices connected with various communicating media. As a consequence, several existing and well-known multi-factor authentication strategies have already been utilized to enhance the security of various applications. Keeping this in mind, this research is focused on designing a robust and scalable framework for authenticating a legitimate user efficiently through a subset of available authentication modalities along with their several features (authentication factors) in time-varying operating environments (devices, media and surrounding conditions) on a regular basis. This paper highlights the creation of a trustworthy framework to quantify different authentication factors in terms of selection of different types of devices and media. In addition, a novel adaptive selection strategy for the available authentication factors incorporating the trustworthy values, previous history of selection as well as surrounding conditions is proposed in the paper. Selection through adaptive strategy ensures the incorporation of the existing environmental conditions within the selection of authentication factors and provides better diversity in the selection of these factors. Simulation results show that the proposed selection approach performs better than other existing selection strategies, namely, random and optimal selections in different settings of operating environments.
THE EFFECT OF HYPOTHERMIC CIRCULATORY ARREST TIME ON CEREBRAL FUNCTION, MORPHOLOGY, AND BIOCHEMISTRY - AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY

Thirty-two pairs (n = 64) of Mongolian gerbils were surface cooled to 18° C and randomly subjected to 0 to 180 minutes of bilateral carotid occlusion in the neck. They were rewarmed after release of the carotid occlusion. After rewarming, one member of each pair was allowed to survive 7 days and then was put to death for brain histologic study; the other was subjected to brain preservation by quick freezing for subsequent biochemical studies. In the survivors, neurologic function was depressed during the 7 subsequent days, and the depression was in direct relation to the time of carotid occlusion (p = 0.0005). The proportion of normal hippocampal neurons decreased in direct proportion to the length of carotid occlusion (p
BDM affects nucleotide binding and force generation steps of the cross-bridge cycle in rabbit psoas muscle fibers

The effect of 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) on elementary steps of the cross-bridge cycle was studied with the sinusoidal analysis technique in skinned rabbit psoas muscle fibers. Our results showed that isometric tension and stiffness decreased progressively with an increase in the BDM concentration. The MgATP and MgADP binding constants increased 27 and 6 times, respectively, when BDM was increased from 0 to 18 mM, whereas the phosphate binding constant did not change significantly. The equilibrium constants of the ATP isomerization and detachment step were not sensitive to BDM, whereas the equilibrium constant of the attachment (power stroke) step decreased with BDM. Thus, in the presence of BDM, the number of attached cross bridges decreases; more cross bridges accumulate in the detached state, causing isometric tension and stiffness to decline. However, our detailed analysis shows that the decrease in the number of attached cross bridges is approximately 40%, which is not adequate to account for the 84% decrease in the isometric tension when 18 mM BDM was present. Therefore we suggest that a thin-filament activation mechanism is also affected by BDM.
Evaluation of Comprehensive Benefits of Agricultural Standardization Demonstration Zones in Changde

This research describes mainly practices to promote the construction of agricultural standardization demonstration zones in Changde City,such as,building leadership mechanism for agricultural standardization,developing different standards for different agriculture industries,paying close attention to ‘ three systems' building and promoting agricultural standardization according to different regions;Secondly,this paper evaluates agricultural standardization demonstration zones' comprehensive benefits from five angles,including the promotion of agricultural technology,economic,technological progress,quality control,social and ecological benefits;Thirdly,some problems are pointed out to promote the development of agriculture standardization demonstration zones in Changde City.Finally,in order to solve those problems,the paper advances some suggestions,including building a sound extension system of agricultural science and technology,establishing a talent incentive mechanism,strengthening the supervision of using organic fertilizers and increasing farmers' awareness of agricultural standardization through publicity and education.
Rigid-Plastic Analysis of Cold Heading by the Matrix Method

An effective treatment of rigid zones was introduced into the computational procedure of the matrix method. This improvement made it possible to solve, by the matrix method, problems where rigid zones are involved and their boundaries are not known. With this improved version of the method, the cold-heading process was analysed in detail. The computed results show excellent agreement with those by experiment in terms of load-displacement relationship, bulge contours, flow lines, and rigid-zone boundaries.
DF-ORAM: A Practical Dummy Free Oblivious RAM to Protect Outsourced Data Access Pattern

Oblivious RAM (ORAM) is a security-provable model that can be used to protect a client’s access pattern to remote storage. Existing ORAM constructions were designed mainly for communication efficiency, but the server-side storage efficiency was generally neglected. This paper proposes DF-ORAM, which has the following features when N blocks each of B bits are outsourced: (i) server-side storage overhead is 3N bits (i.e., no dummy blocks); (ii) no server-side computational cost; (iii) server-client communication cost is \(O(\log N\cdot B)\) bit per query; and (iv) client-side storage cost is \(O(\lambda \cdot B)\) bits where \(\lambda \) is a security parameter. Asymptotical and implementation-based evaluation demonstrate DF-ORAM to be the most communication-efficient and storage-efficient one among the existing ORAMs that do not require server-side computation.
Multiple Gestation: General Aspects

There is no doubt that the complexity of human twinning cannot be understood without knowledge of placentation and that placental examination is vital to this endeavor. Examination of the placenta contributes to the determination and confirmation of zygosity as well as an understanding of abnormal events. With the advent of assisted reproductive technology, twins and higher multiple gestations are becoming more common. Since multiple gestations represent a disproportionate portion of complications with higher rates of prematurity, perinatal morbidity, perinatal mortality, and malformations than singletons, placental examination has become especially important.
Semantic model for fast tagging of word lattices

This paper introduces a semantic tagger that inserts tags into a word lattice, such as one produced by a real-time large-vocabulary speech recognition system. Benefits of such a tagger include the ability to rescore speech recognition hypotheses based on this metadata, as well as providing rich annotations to clients downstream. We focus on the domain of spoken search queries and voice commands, which can be useful for building an intelligent assistant. We explore a method to distill a pre-existing very large named entity disambiguation (NED) model into a lightweight tagger. This is accomplished by constructing a joint distribution of tagged n-grams from a supervised training corpus, then deriving a conditional distribution for a given lattice. With 300 tagging categories, the tagger achieves a precision of 88.2% and recall of 93.1% on 1-best paths in speech recognition lattices with 2.8ms median latency.
Transformation of the greenhouse gas CO2 by molten electrolysis into a wide controlled selection of carbon nanotubes

Abstract This paper demonstrates a highly favored route for the synthesis of controlled nanostructures at high rate, high yield, and low cost by molten carbonate electrolysis splitting of CO2. We show the wide, portfolio of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) that can be produced by controlling the electrolysis conditions in this one-pot synthesis. For example solid core carbon nanofibers are formed with C-13 isotope CO2, whereas hollow core CNTs are formed with natural abundance CO2 (which contains 99% C-12 and 1% C-13). Shown are the first doped electrosynthesized carbon nanotubes, prepared with added electrolytic LiBO2 for boron doping, and salts for phosphorous, nitrogen or sulfur CNT doping is probed. Boron doping greatly enhances conductivity of the CNTs. Electrolytic CaCO3 produces thin-walled CNTs, while excess electrolytic oxide yields tangled CNTs. Addition of up to 50 mol% Na2CO3 to a Li2CO3 electrolyte, decreases electrolyte costs and improves conditions for intercalation in Na-ion CNT anodes. Addition of BaCO3 increases electrolyte density. Longer electrolysis time leads to proportionally wider diameter CNTs. Synthetic components (steel cathode, nickel anode and inorganic carbonate electrolyte) are available and inexpensive. Advantages include (1) production is limited only by the cost of electrons (electricity) providing a substantial cost reduction compared to conventional CVD and polymer spinning syntheses and (2) the only reactant consumed in the formation of the CNTs is CO2, transforming this greenhouse gas into a stable, valuable product and providing an economic incentive to the removal of anthropogenic CO2 from flue gas or from the atmosphere.
Generalized H 2 / H ∞ Control of Discrete Time Systems

Abstract A control problem that combines H 2 and H ∞ design objectives for discrete time systems is considered. Under a minimal set of assumptions, we give formulas for solving the problem of minimizing an upper bound for the generalized H 2 norm of a closed loop transfer matrix subject to an H ∞ constraint on another closed loop transfer matrix; both, full information and output feedback cases are solved. The formulas are given in terms of a finite dimensional convex program over a constraint set defined by linear matrix inequalities.
Is there any cost of being helped? A theoretical analysis of interpersonal helping behavior recipients in Chinese organizations

Abstract Because of its important impact on organizational effectiveness, interpersonal helping behavior (IHB) has received a tremendous amount of scholarly attention. Little research, however, has explored IHB from the recipient's perspective in the Chinese context where cultural values and emphases are different from those of in Western contexts. Therefore, the author develops a theoretical model and systematically investigate the impact of receiving IHB on an employee's performance appraisal, manager's liking of the employee, perceived generalized self-efficacy (GSE), and organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) in the Chinese context. In particular, the author proposes the following. First, receipt of IHB has a negative impact on a Chinese employee's GSE and OBSE. Second, managerial performance appraisal and manager's liking mediate the relationship between receipt of IHB and a Chinese employee's GSE, and between receipt of IHB and a Chinese employee's OBSE. Third, a Chinese employee's organizational tenure moderates the relationship between receipt of IHB and a Chinese employee's GSE, and between receipt of IHB and a Chinese employee's OBSE. By investigating consequences of receipt of IHB in Chinese organizations, this theoretical model provides important insights into managing the receiving aspect of IHB without discouraging the demonstrating aspect of IHB.
A numerically efficient technique for handling Ill-conditioned MoM matrices

This paper presents a technique for handling Method of Moments (MoM) matrices with high condition numbers, by utilizing a matrix conditioning approach based on the Singular Value-Decomposition (SVD) algorithm. The proposed technique is robust, and it can be applied to a variety of ill-conditioned matrices, regardless of the source of their ill-conditioning. We show, for example, that the proposed technique is capable of handling, with equal ease, MoM matrices that are ill-conditioned either because of internal resonance, or low-frequency breakdown, or even because of poor meshing of multiscale geometries. Illustrative examples are included to demonstrate the efficacy of the method for several representative problems.
Amphibian sacculus and the forced Kuramoto model with intrinsic noise and frequency dispersion

The amphibian sacculus (AS) is an end organ that specializes in the detection of low-frequency auditory and vestibular signals. In this paper, we propose a model for the AS in the form of an array of phase oscillators with long-range coupling, subject to a steady load that suppresses spontaneous oscillations. The array is exposed to significant levels of frequency dispersion and intrinsic noise. We show that such an array can be a sensitive and robust subthreshold detector of low-frequency stimuli, though without significant frequency selectivity. The effects of intrinsic noise and frequency dispersion are contrasted. Intermediate levels of intrinsic noise greatly enhance the sensitivity through stochastic resonance. Frequency dispersion, on the other hand, only degrades detection sensitivity. However, frequency dispersion can play a useful role in terms of the suppression of spontaneous activity. As a model for the AS, the array parameters are such that the system is poised near a saddle-node bifurcation on an invariant circle. However, by a change of array parameters, the same system also can be poised near an emergent Andronov-Hopf bifurcation and thereby function as a frequency-selective detector.
Surrogate war: politics of conflict in sports and space

States seek avenues of international conflict to satisfy domestic and foreign policy aims within an anarchic world system. The methods of conflict have changed from century to century to encompass ...
Teaching Process Improvement and Team Building Using Origami

[This abstract is based on the author's abstract.] An experimental exercise was used in an undergraduate quality management class. The exercise continues for the duration of the semester. In the exercise, student teams produce origami figures. Each ..
Fitness-for-Duty Evaluations of Physicians and Health Care Professionals: Treating Providers and Protecting the Public

Health care providers practicing their profession with reasonable skill and safety is essential for the safety and well-being of the public. Physicians and other health care professionals may have their fitness for duty questioned by a variety of agencies tasked with oversight of the behavior of health care professionals. Mental health clinicians performing a fitness-for-duty evaluation of a physician or other health care professional will be required to conduct a comprehensive assessment, taking into account the impact of any disabling conditions, and provide opinions regarding the prognosis with treatment, the side effects of treatment, and the present and future impacts on the practice of medicine. The evaluating clinician will be asked for recommendations about whether treatment or professional workplace supervision may be needed to decrease the risk of future deterioration of professional capacities.
Modeling Airport Business Risks, Enplanement Volatility, and Valuation of Flexibility Options in Airport Expansion Projects

Airport capital improvement programs involve considerable flexibility in investment timing and engineering design. Even though the valuation of flexibility options may depend on several factors, th...
Double Outlet Right Ventricle

Double outlet right ventricle (DORV) is a definition and spectrum of complex structural abnormalities in the heart that implies that both great vessels arise from the right ventricle. This section outlines the anatomic types of DORV, the physiology, and anesthetic considerations of parturients with this cardiac anomaly.
Association Between Individual and Intimate Partner Factors and Cervical Cancer Screening in Kenya.

Introduction Cervical cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women in Kenya. Although cervical cancer screening could reduce illness and death, screening rates remain low. Kenyan women's individual characteristics and intimate partner factors may be associated with cervical cancer screening; however, a lack of nationally representative data has precluded study until recently. The objective of our study was to examine individual and intimate partner factors associated with cervical cancer screening in Kenya. Methods We conducted secondary data analysis of responses by women who completed the cervical cancer screening and domestic violence questions in the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, 2014 (N = 3,222). By using multivariable regression analyses, we calculated the association of cervical cancer screening with age, religion, education, wealth, recent exposure to family planning on television, head of household's sex, and experience of intimate partner violence. Results Rates of cervical cancer screening among women in Kenya increased with age. The wealthiest women and women with post-secondary education had greater odds of reporting being screened for cervical cancer than the poorest women and uneducated women. Christians and women exposed to prevention messaging on television had higher odds of screening than Muslims and women with no exposure. Victims of intimate partner violence had lower odds of being screened than women who had not experienced intimate partner violence. Conclusion Identified barriers to screening in this sample mirror previous findings, though with additional nuances. Model fit data and theoretical review suggest that additional, unmeasured variables may contribute to variability in cervical cancer screening rates. Inclusion of additional variables specific to cervical cancer in future national surveys could strengthen the ability to identify factors associated with screening.
Review of different approaches of the left recurrent laryngeal nerve area for lymphadenectomy during minimally invasive esophagectomy

In order to perform the total mediastinal lymphadenectomy during minimally invasive esophageal resection, doing the lymphadenectomy along the left recurrent laryngeal nerve (LRLN) may be a difficult part of this intervention. One reason is the need for the correct visualization of the area; another is not wanting to compromise the integrity of the nerve. In this review article the different modalities for approaching this upper mediastinal area by thoracoscopy are described.