cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ventricular fibrillation sensing and detection by implantable defibrillators: is one better than the others? A prospective, comparative study.

ICD Sensing During VF.Introduction: We prospectively compared the performance of the sensing and detection systems of three leading defibrillator manufacturers: Medtronic, Guidant, and Ventritex. Methods and Results: Ventricular fibrillation signal was digitally recorded during defibrillator implantation and subsequently played back sequentially to a Medtronic Micro Jewel II 7223Cx, a Guidant MINI II 1762, and a Ventritex Cadet V-115C. The devices were programmed for single-zone detection, at nominal settings. Rate cutoff was set at 320 msec (185/min for the MINI). We analyzed 253 episodes from 47 patients. Median undersensing was 0%, 2.1%, and 5.3% for the Jewel, MINI, and Cadet, respectively (P < 0.001 for each paired comparison). Detection time was 4.1 ± 1.6 seconds, 3.4 ± 1.6 seconds, and 4.3 ± 2.2 seconds for the Jewel, MINI, and Cadet, respectively (P < 0.001 between MINI-Jewel and MINI– Cadet; P < 0.01 between Jewel-Cadet). Delayed detection (detection time longer than the mean of all observations + 2 SD) occurred in 3 (1.2%), 7 (2.8%), and 18 (7.1%) episodes for the Jewel, MINI, and Cadet, respectively. Performance for all devices was worse when the short-separation integrated bipolar lead was used and when the episode followed a failed high-energy shock. Conclusion: Statistically significant differences were seen in sensing and detection performance among the devices and device/lead combinations during ventricular fibrillation. These differences are related to specific features of the respective devices and should be taken into account during clinical practice, as well as in future device development.
The Role of Preassembled Cytoplasmic Complexes in Assembly of Flagellar Dynein Subunits

Previous work has revealed a cytoplasmic pool of flagellar precursor proteins capable of contributing to the assembly of new flagella, but how and where these components assemble is unknown. We tested Chlamydomonas outer-dynein arm subunit stability and assembly in the cytoplasm of wild-type cells and 11 outer dynein arm assembly mutant strains (oda1-oda11) by Western blotting of cytoplasmic extracts, or immunoprecipitates from these extracts, with five outer-row dynein subunit-specific antibodies. Western blots reveal that at least three oda mutants (oda6, oda7, and oda9) alter the level of a subunit that is not the mutant gene product. Immunoprecipitation shows that large preassembled flagellar complexes containing all five tested subunits (three heavy chains and two intermediate chains) exist within wild-type cytoplasm. When the preassembly of these subunits was examined in oda strains, we observed three patterns: complete coassembly (oda 1, 3, 5, 8, and 10), partial coassembly (oda7 and oda11), and no coassembly (oda2, 6, and 9) of the four tested subunits with HCbeta. Our data, together with previous studies, suggest that flagellar outer-dynein arms preassemble into a complete Mr approximately 2 x 10(6) dynein arm that resides in a cytoplasmic precursor pool before transport into the flagellar compartment.
Induction of Neoantigen (G) in Human Amnion (“WISH”) Cells by Herpes Virus A

PREVIOUS work has described the presence of a specific soluble complement fixing1 and precipitating2 antigen in. some human tumours. This antigen, called G, was first found in the aqueous phase after the extraction of HeLa cells with fluorocarbon1, and since then in other human cell lines of malignant origin3,4. G antigen has not been found in cells of a variety of non-malignant adult and embryonic human tissues2, and with only one exception, in non-malignant4 cell lines. An apparent correlation has recently been shown between the presence of the G antigen and the heterotransplantability to the hamster cheek pouch of several sublines of the KB cell5.
The ‘sad case’ of Igor Shafarevich

(1994). The ‘sad case’ of Igor Shafarevich. East European Jewish Affairs: Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 19-30.
Explanation for an apparent magneto-electric effect in quark search experiments

Abstract It is pointed out that a spinning magnetic sphere levitated in crossed electric fields can manifest a large effective magneto-electric coefficient. The effect, of purely classical macroscopic origin, is proportional to the sphere's static electric dipole moment and independent of the spin rate. Its consequences can be serious in experiments designed to search for fractional charge on matter. In the Stanford experiment where the electric field is parallel to the supporting magnetic field, the effect does not arise in first order but it is an important problem for all other magnetic levitation experiments where the electric field is horizontal and thus at right angles to the vertical magnetic field.
Variations in the frequency response of electroreceptors dependent on receptor location in weakly electric fish (Gymnotoidei) with a pulse discharge

Variations in electric organ discharge (EOD) pulse shape and variations in electroreceptor frequency response characteristics at different locations along the body were studied in two unidentified species of Gymnotid fish (Hypopomus). The electric organ discharges of the two species, recorded in a head to tail fashion, were quite different. That of one species was biphasic and of shorter duration (< 1 ms) than the monophasic pulse (2 ms duration) of the other. The waveforms of the “local” electric organ discharges (estimated changes in transepidermal voltage due to an EOD) were found to vary in shape and spectral composition along the length of the fish having a biphasic EOD (Fig. 2). The local EOD's of the other species did not show these large variations as judged by the similarity of the amplitude spectra of these local EOD's (Fig. 3). One major class of electroreceptor, burst duration coder, from the species with the biphasic EOD had frequency response characteristics that also varied as a function of the receptor's location on the body, and the nature of these variations suggests that these receptors are specialized to respond optimally to the waveform of the EOD peculiar to that location. Burst duration coders of the second species did not show this sort of variation in frequency response characteristics in accord with the lack of variation of the local EOD's of this species. Purely resistive objects are shown to cause simultaneous increases in some frequency components along with attenuation of other frequency components of local EOD's from certain regions of the body in the species with the biphasic EOD. The variety of receptor types present in these same regions of the body suggests that the animals may be able to utilize information about the electrical environment coded as changes in selected spectral components of the EOD as well as that coded as changes in the over-all amplitude of the EOD.
Urinary Calculus During Methazolamide Therapy

A 68-year-old white man with Paget's disease and open-angle glaucoma was treated with methazolamide, 50 to 100 mg three times daily. Ten months after the medication was initiated he developed ureteral colic and a calcium oxalate stone was surgically removed. Three months after the drug was reinstituted the patient passed three calcium phosphate stones. This suggested a casual relationship between methazolamide and stone formation, although renal calculi also complicate Paget's disease and acetazolamide had been administered briefly.
Disproportionate collapse performance of partially restrained steel frames with bolted T-stub connections

Current design and regulatory documents require the assessment of certain buildings with regard to their vulnerability to disproportionate collapse through notional load-bearing element removal followed by an alternative path analysis. While several recent studies have examined the robustness of steel building frames with fully moment-resistant connections and their ability to sustain local damage to load-bearing elements, only limited research is available regarding the robustness of steel frames with partially restrained (PR) connections. This paper investigates the performance of steel frames with partially restrained connections fabricated from bolted T-stubs following damage to load-bearing columns. A macro-model of a bolted T-stub connection for use in nonlinear analysis is presented, verified through experimental data, and incorporated in a nonlinear finite element model to evaluate the performance of PR frames. Two prequalified T-stub connections are considered, one of which is intended to develop the full moment capacity of the beam. The evaluation is conducted for various floor plans of typical office buildings. The analysis indicates that the frames with strong T-stub connections can resist collapse in damage scenarios involving notional removal of one first-story column, while the robustness of the frames with weak T-stub connections is questionable.
Church-Based Volunteering, Providing Informal Support at Church, and Self-Rated Health in Late Life:

Objective To assess the relationships among volunteer work at church, providing informal support to fellow church members, religious commitment, and change in self-rated health over time.
BLACK ACTIVIST MOTHERING A Historical Intersection of Race, Gender, and Class

The prevalence of poor health among young disadvantaged Black mothers and their children has prompted a revival of maternal activism among Black middle-class urban women. A study of the California-based “Birthing Project,” founded in 1988, reveals that such activism is best understood as a modern-day version of Black activist mothering practiced by African American clubwomen from the time of slavery to the early 1940s. This article demonstrates the legacy of “normative empathy” as a significant motivator for middle-class maternal activism and as a basis for a middle-class critique of Black mothering among the disadvantaged.
Hemodynamic correlates of autonomic reflexes in patients with labile and fixed hypertension.

The autonomic sympathetic reflexes to sustained handgrip, upright tilt and the Valsalva maneuver, were tested in 26 patients with labile and 26 with fixed essential hypertension. Sustained handgrip increased systolic (SAP), diastolic (DAP) and mean arterial (MAP) pressure, heart rate (HR), cardiac index (CI), tension time index (TTI) (p < .01), and had no effect on total peripheral resistance index (TPRI) and left ventricular ejection rate index (LVERI) in both groups of patients. However, the response to upright tilt and the Valsalva maneuver was different in the two groups. Upright tilt in labile hypertensives increased DAP, MAP, HR, and TPRI (p < .001); decreased CI, stroke index (SI) and LVERI (p < .01) and had no effect on SAP. In fixed hypertensives, it decreased SAP, MAP, CI, SI and LVERI (p < .001); increased HR (p < .01) and had no effect on DAP, and TPRI. The diastolic pressure overshoot of the Valsalva maneuver was attenuated in fixed hypertensives compared to labile (p < .001). Additionally, w...
Design of Adaptive Highly Efficient GaN Power Amplifier for Octave-Bandwidth Application and Dynamic Load Modulation

This paper presents a novel adaptive power amplifier (PA) architecture for performing dynamic-load-modulation. For the first time, a dynamically-load-modulated PA design that achieves octave bandwidth, high power and high efficiency simultaneously is experimentally demonstrated. This PA design is based on a commercial GaN HEMT. The output matching scheme incorporates a broadband static matching for high-efficiency at the maximum power level and a wideband dynamic matching for efficiency enhancement at power back-offs. The impedance and frequency tunability is realized using silicon diode varactors with a very high breakdown voltage of 90 V. Experimental results show that a dynamic-load-modulation from maximum power to 10-dB back-off is achieved from 1 to 1.9 GHz, with a measured performance of ≈10-W peak power, ≈10-dB gain, 64%-79% peak-power efficiency, and 30%-45% efficiency at 10-dB power back-off throughout this band.
Five-brane dynamics and inflation in heterotic M-theory

Abstract Generic heterotic M-theory compactifications contain five-branes wrapping non-isolated genus zero or higher genus curves in a Calabi–Yau threefold. Non-perturbative superpotentials do not depend on moduli of such five-branes. We show that fluxes and non-perturbative effects can stabilize them in a non-supersymmetric AdS vacuum. We also show that these five-branes can be stabilized in a dS vacuum, if we modify the supergravity potential energy by Fayet–Iliopoulos terms. This allows us to stabilize all heterotic M-theory moduli in a dS vacuum in the most general compactification scenarios. In addition, we demonstrate that, by this modification, one can create an inflationary potential. The inflationary phase is represented by a five-brane approaching the visible brane. We give a qualitative argument how extra states becoming light, when the five-brane comes too close, can terminate inflation. Eventually, the five-brane hits the visible brane and disappears through a small instanton transition. The post-inflationary system of moduli has simpler stability properties. It can be stabilized in a dS vacuum with a small cosmological constant.
Carcinoma of the Tongue Base Treated by Transoral Laser Microsurgery, Part One: Untreated Tumors, a Prospective Analysis of Oncologic and Functional Outcomes†

Objectives: To report the oncologic and functional outcomes of transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) in the management of untreated primary carcinoma of the tongue base. Study Design: A two center prospective case series analysis. Methods: Fifty-nine patients with pathologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue base were treated with TLM between 1997 and 2005. The pathological T stage distribution was: T1, 16; T2,23; T3,12 and T4,8. Thirty-six patients presented with stage IV disease, 12 with stage III, 7 with stage II and 4 with stage I disease. Neck dissections were performed in 49 patients (83%). Twenty-eight patients (47%) underwent adjuvant radiotherapy. End points analyzed were local control, loco regional control, disease specific survival, and overall survival. Organ function was assessed before and after treatment using a clinical Functional Outcome Swallowing Scale (FOSS) and Communication Scale (CS) staging system. Results: The mean follow up for all patients was 31 months. The 2 and 5-year Kaplan-Meier estimates were: local control, both 90%; loco-regional control, both 88%; recurrence free survival, both 84% and overall survival 91% and 69% respectively. For all patients the median stay in hospital was 4 days. The median length of hospital visit for TLM alone was 2.5 days and 4 days for TLM with neck dissection. Three patients (5%) suffered minor postoperative hemorrhage. The median pre-operative FOSS stage was 0 (normal function.) The median postoperative FOSS stage was stage 1 (Normal function with episodic or daily symptoms of dysphagia.) There were no clinically significant changes in communication function after treatment. Conclusions: Transoral laser surgery is a safe and effective treatment for select early and advanced previously untreated squamous cell cancer of the tongue base. In addition, the low morbidity and mortality and shortened duration of hospitalization associated with TLM make it an attractive therapeutic alternative.
Specification Tests for the Variance of a Diffusion

We propose specification tests for the variance of a diffusion that do not require complete knowledge of the functional form under the null. We first propose a test for the constancy of the variance that, under the null of constancy, has a limiting normal distribution, while under the alternative of either unconditional or conditional heteroskedasticity it diverges at an appropriate rate. We then propose a test for the null of a parametric specification against the alternative of a more general functional form. Under the null, the test has a well-defined limiting distribution, normal in the unconditional and mixed normal in the conditional heteroskedasticity case; under the alternative, it diverges.
ADAPT: the agent development and prototyping testbed

We present ADAPT, a flexible platform for designing and authoring functional, purposeful human characters in a rich virtual environment. Our framework incorporates character animation, navigation, and behavior with modular interchangeable components to produce narrative scenes. Our animation system provides locomotion, reaching, gaze tracking, gesturing, sitting, and reactions to external physical forces, and can easily be extended with more functionality due to a decoupled, modular structure. Additionally, our navigation component allows characters to maneuver through a complex environment with predictive steering for dynamic obstacle avoidance. Finally, our behavior framework allows a user to fully leverage a character's animation and navigation capabilities when authoring both individual decision-making and complex interactions between actors using a centralized, event-driven model.
Isolation and characterization of the gene encoding the testis specific histone protein H2B-2 from the sea urchin Lytechinus pictus

We have cloned and characterized the gene encoding a sperm specific H2B-2 histone subtype from the sea urchin L. pictus. The gene is not clustered with any other histone genes. However, it resembles other histone genes in many respects. The gene contains no intervening sequences or polyadenylation signals. Like other histone genes it contains the conserved 3' hairpin loop sequence and CAAGAAAGA box necessary for the processing of the 3' end of the histone transcript. Upstream of the gene in addition to the TATA box, and two copies of inverted CCAAT Boxes is a conserved sequence element found in many H2B genes. Unlike most histone genes, the H2B-2 gene is expressed in a sex and tissue specific manner only in testis. The sperm H2B-2 subtype encoded by this gene is 142 amino acids in length. The larger size of this H2B protein is accounted for by residues in the N-terminus of the protein consisting of a series of pentapeptide repeats typical of this histone subtype.
Lateral deformation of shallow shells of revolution

Abstract Shallow shells of revolution of radially varying thickness undergoing small deformations proportional to the sine or cosine of the polar angle (lateral deformation) are considered. By use of certain integrals expressing overall equilibrium and compatibility of the shell, it is shown that the solution of the governing differential equations can be reduced to the solution of two coupled second-order differential equations. Explicit solutions for a class of shells whose meridional slope varies as a power of the radius are obtained in terms of Kelvin functions and their integrals.
Estimating Functional Forms in Cost-Prices

Abstract Klaus Conrad (1983) developed the cost-price approach, based upon the notion of partially fixed factor proportions, as an alternative to the traditional neoclassical method of modeling cost and production functions. He showed that a simplified version of his model could be used to estimate a Cobb-Douglas cost function in cost-prices. We have been able to estimate the full form of Conrad's proposed model and extend his technique to the CES and generalized Leontief cost functions. We also illustrate how to model technical change in cost prices and in cost shares.
Safety and tolerability of theta burst stimulation vs. single and paired pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation: a comparative study of 165 pediatric subjects.

Background: Although single- and paired-pulse (sp/pp) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies are considered minimal risk in adults and children, the safety profile for theta-burst TMS (TBS) is unknown. Objective: In this comparative analysis, we explored the rate, severity, and specific symptoms of TMS-related adverse effects (AEs) between sp/ppTMS and TBS in subjects between ages 6 and 18 years. Method: Data from 165 participants from 2009-2014 were analyzed. Assessment of AEs was performed based on baseline and post-TMS administration of a symptom-based questionnaire that rated AEs on a 5-level ordinal scale (minimal, mild, moderate, marked, severe). AE rates and severity were compared using Chi Square or Fisher’s Exact Test depending on data characteristics. Result: Overall, no seizures or severe-rated AEs were reported by 165 pediatric participants. The rate of AE in all TBS sessions was 10.5% (n=76, 95% CI: 4.7 - 19.7%), whereas the rate of AE in all sp/ppTMS sessions was 12.4% (n=89, 95% CI: 6.3 - 21.0%). There was no statistical difference in AE rates between TBS and sp/ppTMS (p=0.71). In all sp/ppTMS and TBS sessions, 20 subjects reported a total of 35 AEs, among these 31 (~88.6%) were rated as “minimal” or “mild.” There was no difference in the severity of AE between TBS and sp/ppTMS (p=1.0). Only one of 76 TBS participants reported an AE rated as more than minimal/mild. Conclusion: Our comparative analysis showed that TBS appears to be as safe as sp/ppTMS in terms of AE rate and severity. This report supports further investigation of TBS in children.
Literary Animal Agents

forgettable William Wordsworth poem titled "Nutting." A shy un dergraduate, I hesitantly volunteered an interpretation of the text as reflecting the squirrels thoughts on the subject of seasonal change. "That's insane," said the truly venerable professor, as the class fell silent. "Animals don't think, and they certainly don't write poetry." Twenty years or so later, this moment of candor remains stun ning, only for different reasons. My reading certainly failed to take into account the poem's original context, attesting instead to sen sibilities peculiar to late-twentieth-century America, where (unlike in Wordsworth's England) squirrels abounded. But the professor's rebuke says much more. Animals locate a paradox of disciplinary concern, one that threatens to render literary studies irrelevant to the species discourses permeating other areas of thought and rapidly evolving through forms like genes, genomes, and proteins. Animals abound in literature across all ages and cultures, but only rarely have they been the focal point of systematic literary study. At once serving as a metaphor for the poetic imagination and voicing the limits of human experience, a figure like Wordsworth's squirrel gains value as dissembling the human, as at best metaphori cally speaking. What matter who's speaking, someone squirrelly says, what matter who's speaking (to corrupt the Samuel Beckett line made famous by Michel Foucault).1 These peculiar operations of agency, these ways of inhabiting literature without somehow being represented therein, present tremendous opportunities for recover ing and interrogating the material and representational problems specific to animality. But this work also necessarily involves com ing to terms with a discipline that appears organized by the studied avoidance of just such questioning. The textual politics of literary animals thus suggests a thorough going critique attuned to the traces of species, to markings of poten tials for different orders of agency beyond the human subject that I SUSAN McHUGH, associate professor of
Paleozoic and Triassic conodonts from the Northwind Ridge of the Arctic Ocean

Abstract Conodonts are present in the basal part of six Arctic Ocean sediment cores recovered from the Northwind Ridge in the Chukchi Borderland area of the western Arctic Ocean. The conodonts include species typical of the Upper Cambrian, Lower and Middle Ordovician, Middle to Upper Pennsylvanian, probable Lower, middle and Upper Permian, and Lower Triassic. Most of the conodont elements, including a few of the Cambro-Ordovician and all of the Upper Permian species, were recovered from the sand fraction of the Northwind Breccia in the basal 1.5 m of core 92-P34. Other Ordovician and younger Paleozoic conodont specimens occur in carbonate clasts incorporated in the Northwind Breccia. The talus breccia occurs in the lower part of the Early Pliocene/Miocene unit A (undifferentiated) and is overlain unconformably by Pleistocene age sediment. A few Paleozoic and Triassic conodonts also occur in clasts recovered from the basal parts of five other Northwind Ridge cores. Upper Permian specimens are the most numerous of the conodont elements and occur together with an abundant ichthyolith assemblage. In addition, the sand fraction of the Northwind Breccia contains poorly preserved foraminifera, holothurians, and sponges spicules that are common in all Arctic Ocean Plio-Pleistocene sediment. Occurrence of conodonts in what is interpreted to be talus derived from bedrock indicates that the enigmatic Northwind Ridge is a true continental fragment that includes marine strata of at least Paleozoic and Triassic age. The nature of the conodonts and other fossils recovered from the breccia suggests that the Northwind Ridge originated as part of the Canadian Arctic Islands.
The cerebellum: An incomplete multilayer perceptron?

Experimental studies have demonstrated the involvement of the cerebellum in showing classical conditioning paradigms including acquisition, extinction, savings, and spontaneous recovery of the conditioned eyelid response in rabbits. A few experimental studies suggest that the cerebellum is also able to show negative patterning (exclusive or) given that a sufficiently large interval between the conditioned stimulus onset and the unconditioned stimulus onset is provided. In this study, we use a detailed simulation of the cerebellum to shed light on the mechanisms underlying the computation of the exclusive or function. The results suggest that the timing of the conditioned response and the computation of the negative patterning paradigm are mutually exclusive.
Fibrinogen Survival with [75Se]Selenomethionine during l‐Asparaginase Therapy

Summary. Fibrinogen anabolism and catabolism in four patients (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia; lymphosarcoma cell leukaemia; generalized lymphosarcoma; hypernephroma) were determined with [75Se]selenomethionine during a period of hypofibrinogenaemia induced by l-asparaginase. The anabolic phase was normal but the fibrinogen survival decreased to 1.5–4.0 days (normal range, 7.8 ± 2.8 days). Heparin therapy did not affect either the fibrinogen levels or abnormal thrombin times. In two patients with widespread Hodgkin's disease in whom l-asparaginase therapy was started after the labelling of fibrinogen with [75Se]selenomethionine, the fibrinogen survival was normal. The results suggest the production of an intrinsically abnormal fibrinogen with a decreased survival during l-asparaginase administration.
DETERMINATION OF Hg AND OTHER TRACE ELEMENTS IN SOIL USING NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS

In the early 1950's, a federal facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, used a process that required the use of Hg to produce8Li. It was disclosed to the public in 1983 that about 2.4 millions pounds of Hg had been released into the ecosystem. The primary route of mercury into the environment was a stream, East Fork Poplar Creek, whose head waters are in the vicinity of the plant. As part of a study to determine the distribution of Hg as well as As, Cr, Sb, Se, U, and Zn along the flood plains of the creek, a procedure using neutron activation analysis was developed and is described below. The procedure, typical sample analysis results for Hg, and quality assurance and control data are discussed in this paper.
Performance of a proportion‐based approach to meta‐analytic moderator estimation: results from Monte Carlo simulations

This research investigates the performance of a proportion-based approach to meta-analytic moderator estimation through a series of Monte Carlo simulations. This approach is most useful when the moderating potential of a categorical variable has not been recognized in primary research and thus heterogeneous groups have been pooled together as a single sample. Alternative scenarios representing different distributions of group proportions are examined along with varying numbers of studies, subjects per study, and correlation combinations. Our results suggest that the approach is largely unbiased in its estimation of the magnitude of between-group differences and performs well with regard to statistical power and type I error. In particular, the average percentage bias of the estimated correlation for the reference group is positive and largely negligible, in the 0.5-1.8% range; the average percentage bias of the difference between correlations is also minimal, in the -0.1-1.2% range. Further analysis also suggests both biases decrease as the magnitude of the underlying difference increases, as the number of subjects in each simulated primary study increases, and as the number of simulated studies in each meta-analysis increases. The bias was most evident when the number of subjects and the number of studies were the smallest (80 and 36, respectively). A sensitivity analysis that examines its performance in scenarios down to 12 studies and 40 primary subjects is also included. This research is the first that thoroughly examines the adequacy of the proportion-based approach. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A life cycle based environmental impacts assessment of construction materials used in road construction

Industrial byproducts such as coal fly ash, coal bottom ash, and recycled concrete pavement (RCP) are being used in considerable amounts as a full or partial replacement of natural aggregates. Studies comparing road construction byproduct materials with natural aggregates are limited. In the present study, a comparison of these byproducts with natural aggregates was carried out with respect to cost, environmental pollutants generated, and energy consumption. Pollutant emission data were aggregated to express results in terms of global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential and various toxicity potentials. For assessment of toxicity potentials, all the toxicities were represented with respect to 1,4 dichlorobenzene. Mixed results were found from the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and no single material performed superiorly in all categories. Fly ash and bottom ash were found attractive in cost, GWP, and acidification potential categories. RCP had higher GWP and acidification potential compared to natural aggregates. In toxicity categories, in some cases fly ash and bottom ash had higher; and RCP, in all cases, had much lower toxicity compared to natural aggregates.
Social Network Based Recommendation Systems: A Short Survey

This paper examines the background of the recommender systems and the state-of-art technologies in this current research area. We examined the needs for recommendation systems and the enhanced performance by using the additional social network information. We compared different types of social network information and how they are used to improve the recommendation systems with a few examples. We also discussed different evaluation methods that are important to measure the performances of a recommendation system. We concluded that the recommendation system is a very important research area and could be applied in many domains. We summarized different measures towards evaluating a recommendation system especially those incorporating the social network information.
COMMENTARY ON THE COCHRANE REVIEW OF STIMULATION OF THE WRIST ACUPUNCTURE POINT P6 FOR PREVENTING POSTOPERATIVE NAUSEA AND VOMITING

acupuncture, electroacupuncture, transcutaneous nerve stimulation, laser stimulation, capsicum plaster, an acu-stimulation device, and acupressure in patients undergoing surgery. Primary outcomes weretherisksofnauseaandvomiting.Secondary outcomes were the need for rescue antiemetic therapy and adverse effects. Data Collection and Analysis: Two review authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted the data. We collected adverse effect information from the trials. We used a random-effects model and reported relative risk (RR) with associated 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). MainResults:Weincluded40trialsinvolving 4,858 participants; four trials reported adequate allocation concealment. Twelve trials did not report all outcomes. Compared with sham treatment P6 acupoint stimulation significantly reduced: nausea (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.83); vomiting (RR0.70,95%CI0.59to0.83),andtheneed forrescueantiemetics(RR0.69,95%CI0.57 to 0.83). Heterogeneity among trials was moderate. There was no clear difference in the effectiveness of P6 acupoint stimulation for adults and children; or for invasive and noninvasive acupoint stimulation. There was no evidence of difference between P6 acupoint stimulation and antiemetic drugs in the risk of nausea (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.60 to 1.13), vomiting (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.771.31), or the need for rescue antiemetics (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.59-1.13). The side effects associated with P6 acupoint stimulation were minor. There was no evidence of publication bias from contour-enhanced funnel plots. Authors’ Conclusions: P6 acupoint stimulation prevented PONV. There was no reliable evidence for differences in risks of postoperative nausea or vomiting after P6 acupoint stimulation compared to antiemetic drugs.
Shifts in reciprocal river-riparian arthropod fluxes along an urban-rural landscape gradient

SUMMARY 1. We measured bidirectional arthropod fluxes at 12 river reaches distributed across an urban-rural gradient of riparian land use and land cover in the Scioto River system of Ohio (U.S.A.). 2. For the terrestrial-to-aquatic arthropod flux (i.e. inputs of terrestrial arthropods to the river from the land), urban development was positively related to density of inputs but negatively related to biomass, partially explained by shifts in community composition and body size. Riparian grassland, typical of rural (i.e. non-urban) landscapes, was positively associated with both density (range: 2.8– 18.9 individuals m 2 day 1 ) and biomass (range: 7.1–58.7 mg m 2 day 1 ) of inputs. 3. For the aquatic-to-terrestrial flux of adult aquatic insects (i.e. emergent aquatic insects exported from the river), riparian grassland cover was positively associated with both density (R 2 = 0.61; range: 12.8–116.8 individuals m 2 day 1 ) and biomass (R 2 = 0.65; range: 1.4–27.9 mg m 2 day 1 ), with relatively larger-bodied taxa dominating emergence at rural reaches. 4. Riparian landscape composition relates to reciprocal fluxes of arthropods (aquatic insects out, terrestrial insects and other arthropods in) in river-riparian systems as we found human landscape disturbances were associated with changes in the taxonomic composition of both aquatic emergence and terrestrial input, and an overall decrease in the magnitude of emergence and terrestrial input. Furthermore, landscape changes that alter arthropod fluxes may have broader consequences for linked river-riparian biodiversity and food webs and should be taken into account in conservation, restoration and management of these systems.
Scraping through the ice: uncovering the role of TRPM8 in cold transduction

The proper detection of environmental temperatures is essential for the optimal growth and survival of organisms of all shapes and phyla, yet only recently have the molecular mechanisms for temperature sensing been elucidated. The discovery of temperature-sensitive ion channels of the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily has been pivotal in explaining how temperatures are sensed in vivo, and here we will focus on the lone member of this cohort, TRPM8, which has been unequivocally shown to be cold sensitive. TRPM8 is expressed in somatosensory neurons that innervate peripheral tissues such as the skin and oral cavity, and recent genetic evidence has shown it to be the principal transducer of cool and cold stimuli. It is remarkable that this one channel, unlike other thermosensitive TRP channels, is associated with both innocuous and noxious temperature transduction, as well as cold hypersensitivity during injury and, paradoxically, cold-mediated analgesia. With ongoing research, the field is getting closer to answering a number of fundamental questions regarding this channel, including the cellular mechanisms of TRPM8 modulation, the molecular context of TRPM8 expression, as well as the full extent of the role of TRPM8 in cold signaling in vivo. These findings will further our understanding of basic thermotransduction and sensory coding, and may have important implications for treatments for acute and chronic pain.
Formatted text document data hiding robust to printing, copying and scanning

A novel formatted text document data hiding algorithm, called inter-word space modulation (ISM) scheme, is proposed in which the spaces between neighboring words are modulated to hide data. In contrast to prior arts, this method does not require original documents for hidden data extraction. The hidden data are robust to printing, copying and scanning. Our experiments show that after printing, ten times of repeated copying, followed by scanning, the hidden data can still be extracted without a single bit error. It is expected that it can find wide applications for secure document processing, including digital notarization.
The dynamics of political corruption: Re-examining the influence of democracy

With the emergence of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), several recent studies have conducted cross-national, empirical analyses of the determinants of political corruption as measured by the CPI. These studies find stable support for the importance of economic factors (such as national wealth and trade) while the role of political factors has been limited. This article develops some conceptual and methodological modifications to the study of democracy's influence on the probability of corruption. These changes demonstrate that the consolidation of a vital democracy maintained over time exercises a more powerful influence over corruption than past research had indicated.
Genetic lesions associated with chronic lymphocytic leukemia transformation to Richter syndrome

Richter syndrome (RS) derives from the rare transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) into an aggressive lymphoma, most commonly of the diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) type. The molecular pathogenesis of RS is only partially understood. By combining whole-exome sequencing and copy-number analysis of 9 CLL-RS pairs and of an extended panel of 43 RS cases, we show that this aggressive disease typically arises from the predominant CLL clone by acquiring an average of ∼20 genetic lesions/case. RS lesions are heterogeneous in terms of load and spectrum among patients, and include those involved in CLL progression and chemorefractoriness (TP53 disruption and NOTCH1 activation) as well as some not previously implicated in CLL or RS pathogenesis. In particular, disruption of the CDKN2A/B cell cycle regulator is associated with ∼30% of RS cases. Finally, we report that the genomic landscape of RS is significantly different from that of de novo DLBCL, suggesting that they represent distinct disease entities. These results provide insights into RS pathogenesis, and identify dysregulated pathways of potential diagnostic and therapeutic relevance.
The Integrated Virtual Environment Rehabilitation Treadmill System

Slow gait speed and interlimb asymmetry are prevalent in a variety of disorders. Current approaches to locomotor retraining emphasize the need for appropriate feedback during intensive, task-specific practice. This paper describes the design and feasibility testing of the integrated virtual environment rehabilitation treadmill (IVERT) system intended to provide real-time, intuitive feedback regarding gait speed and asymmetry during training. The IVERT system integrates an instrumented, split-belt treadmill with a front-projection, immersive virtual environment. The novel adaptive control system uses only ground reaction force data from the treadmill to continuously update the speeds of the two treadmill belts independently, as well as to control the speed and heading in the virtual environment in real time. Feedback regarding gait asymmetry is presented 1) visually as walking a curved trajectory through the virtual environment and 2) proprioceptively in the form of different belt speeds on the split-belt treadmill. A feasibility study involving five individuals with asymmetric gait found that these individuals could effectively control the speed of locomotion and perceive gait asymmetry during the training session. Although minimal changes in overground gait symmetry were observed immediately following a single training session, further studies should be done to determine the IVERT's potential as a tool for rehabilitation of asymmetric gait by providing patients with congruent visual and proprioceptive feedback.
Inhibition of vaccinial hemagglutinins by sera of patients with coronary heart disease and other chronic illnesses.

Serum inhibitory titers to the agglutination of chicken red cells by vaccinial hemagglutinin have been measured in persons with a variety of chronic diseases and in a control sample of the general population. Between the ages of 30 and 74, elevated titers occurred in 63 per cent of the men and 56 per cent of the women with chronic diseases, but in only 40 per cent of the men and 36 per cent of the women in the "control" population. Patients with coronary heart disease tended to show the highest titers. The suggestion is made that the serum inhibitor under study may reflect, in part, relatively "nonspecific" pathological changes and tissue responses provoked by various biological stresses and is a promising approach to the recognition of cardiovascular disease and related disorders.
Concatenation of turbo codes with transmit diversity without channel estimation

Channel estimation has been considered difficult for a time-varying Rayleigh fading channel. The statistics of fading channels are so variant that it is difficult to get an optimal channel model. Overall system complexity reduces without the channel estimation. Concatenating turbo codes to the transmit diversity achieves the coding gain from the concatenated turbo codes and the diversity gain from the transmit diversity. For normalized Doppler frequency, f/sub d/T/sub s/ up to 10/sup -4/ BER degrades by 3 dB for the transmit diversity without channel estimation over the transmit diversity with channel estimation. However, when the transmit diversity with no channel estimation is concatenated with turbo codes, the optimal performance can be obtained even above f/sub d/T/sub s/, 10/sup -4/.
A Soiled Password: Democracy, the Word and Democracy, the Thing

The word‘democracy’ to be distinguished from the thing‘democracy.’ Removal by the Italian parliament of a corrupt and scandalous Premier for a respected, honest technician and a form of civil service government does not infringe the second category. Referendums give strength to a handful of already overmighty rich men controlling media outlets. Witness Fox Radio and TV and the poison of Glen Beck, also the virulent nationalism of the Murdoch and Desmond papers. Note the fifty plus year lag in enfranchising women in Switzerland, a self-evident democratic advance held back by ‘the voice of the people’ in successive referendums. Government should be free from populism and be run by educated, intelligent people both in parliament and the Civil Service. ‘Yes Minister,’ however amusing, has done us a disservice. I would trust a senior civil servant above a press lord any day of the week. Witness the good sense of the Upper House in its current informed and experienced composition. The Lords blocked Tony Blair's plans to by-pass Habeas Gorpus, refusing authoritarian government to an elected Premier with no sense of the rule of law or constitutional principle.
Correlating chip seal performance and construction methods

A survey of U.S. public highway and road agencies that use chip seals as a part of their roadway maintenance program was developed and conducted as a part of NCHRP Synthesis of Highway Practice 342. Ninety-two individual responses from across the United States, Canada, and overseas were received. This paper seeks to correlate individual chip seal performance ratings with the construction practices reported to achieve those ratings. It finds a number of strong correlations. The most important is that the ambient air temperature specification is generally higher [average of 60°F (15°C)] for those respondents reporting excellent or good chip seal performance. The same trend was observed with the average amount of time before full-speed traffic was allowed to traverse a newly sealed road, with the best performing seals having an average wait period 28 h. Finally, respondents reporting the best performing seals used more preseal preparation measures and more detailed traffic control measures. The same responde...
Racial Differences in Thoracic Aorta Atherosclerosis Among Ischemic Stroke Patients

Background and Purpose— Atherosclerosis of the thoracic aorta is an independent risk factor for stroke. There is little information on the impact of race in the prevalence of thoracic aorta atherosclerotic plaques among ischemic stroke patients. This study was an attempt to objectively assess the prevalence, thickness, and burden of thoracic aorta atherosclerotic plaques in a large population of ischemic stroke patients and to compare the differences between American blacks and whites. Methods— This is a retrospective study of clinical data and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) of 1553 ischemic stroke patients (664 blacks, 889 whites) over a period of 4.5 years. Atherosclerotic plaque prevalence, thickness, morphology, and burden (sum of maximum thickness in ascending aorta [AA], aortic arch [AO], and descending aorta [DA]) were assessed with TEE. Charts were reviewed for clinical information. Results— Age and sex were similar among blacks and whites. Analyses of clinical data found that blacks had s...
Differences between C57BL/6 and BALB/cBy Mice in Mortality and Virus Replication after Intranasal Infection with Neuroadapted Sindbis Virus

Neuroadapted Sindbis virus (NSV), given intranasally, caused fatal encephalitis in 100% of adult C57BL/6 mice and 0% of BALB/cBy mice. Most C57BL/6 mice developed severe kyphoscoliosis followed by hind-limb paralysis, while BALB/cBy mice did not. In situ hybridization for detecting NSV RNA and immunohistochemistry for detecting NSV antigen indicated that virus delivered by this route infected neurons of the olfactory region and spread caudally without infection of ependymal cells. Virus antigen was more abundant and infectious virus increased more rapidly and reached higher levels in C57BL/6 mice than in BALB/cBy mice. Surprisingly, infectious virus was cleared faster in C57BL/6 mice, and this was associated with more rapid production of neutralizing antibody. However, viral RNA was cleared more slowly in C57BL/6 mice. In both mouse strains, more infectious virus was present in the lumbar spinal cord than in the cervical spinal cord. These data suggest that genetic susceptibility to fatal NSV encephalomyelitis is determined at least in part by the efficiency of viral replication and spread in the central nervous system. The differences identified in this study provide possible phenotypes for mapping genetic loci involved in susceptibility.
Multi-scale feature selection in stereo

In binocular stereo matching, points in left and right images are matched according to features that characterize each point and identify pairs of points. When one tries to use multiple features, a difficult problem is which feature, or combination of features, to use. Moreover, features are difficult to cross-normalize and so comparisons must take into account not only their output, but also their distribution (their output for different parameters). We present a new approach that uses geometric constraints on the matching surface to select optimal feature or combination of features from multiscale-edge and intensity features. The approach requires the cyclopean coordinate system to set mutually exclusive matching choices. To obtain the matching surface, we solve a global optimization problem on an energy functional that models occlusions, discontinuities, and inter-epipolar-line interactions.