cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis on Health Level and Occupational Health Education of Workers Exposed to Lead in an Electrical Source Technology Company

Objective To investigate the health level,health protection knowledge and related behaviors of lead exposed workers from an energy and technology company in Longgang District of Shenzhen,and to provide scientific protective measures against lead poisoning.Methods Health examinations were conducted among 494 lead workers from an energy and technology company in Longgang District of Shenzhen.A questionnaire survey was carried out among the lead workers to investigate their knowledge understanding,attitude and behaviors of occupational health.Results According to the results of health examinations,328 out of 494 lead workers had one or more abnormal indexes,with the abnormal index rate of 66.4%.Only 166 workers passed the examinations,with the normal rate of 33.6%.Professional training,broadcasting,TV programs,magazines,and newspapers were their main ways to acquire the knowledge.73.3% of the lead workers were aware of the hidden dangerous of their occupation and the knowledge of self-protection.Conclusions It is very important to conduct regular health examination and trainings about occupational health protection so as to increase the awareness of lead workers' self-protection,to form good wholesome habits,and to reduce the occurrence of lead poisoning.
Insoluble Solid Complexes of Norepinephrine and Adenosine Triphosphate

Dilution with H2O of aqueous solutioins 0.5 M in norepinephrine HCl and 0.125 M in ATP (pH range, 3-7) yielded precipitates in 5-10% yield. In contrast, the products obtained by lyophilization of either the concentrated solutions or the filtrates from the precipitates readily dissolved in the original volume of H2O. The insoluble solid obtained at pH 7 had the proper elementary composition and infrared and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra for a 4:1 norepinephrine·ATP complex. The precipitate produced at pH 3 was composed mostly of the 3:1 complex but appeared to contain a small amount of the 4:1 complex. In the preparation of these solids, ATP could be used as the 2Na+, Mg++, or 2(CH3)4N+ salt, but no precipitates were observed when norepinephrine bitartrate or the hydrochlorides of epinephrine or a variety of other phenethylamines were substituted for norepinephrine HCl. The maximum solubility of the complexes in H2O was estimated at 0.2 mM. This value was approximately doubled in 1.5% NaCl or KCl, and increased about 50 times in MgCl2 or CaCl2 of the same concentration. Dilution of aqueous solutions containing norepinephrine and ADP precipitated a 3:1 complex at pH 7, and a 2:1 complex at pH 3. AMP also formed an insoluble complex. The 4:1 norepinephrine·ATP complex was recovered unchanged upon neutralization of a solution in 0.1 N HCl. However, longer exposure to acidic conditions yielded the 3:1 norepinephrine·ADP complex. The 4:1 norepinephrine·ATP complex was more resistant to hydrolysis in 0.1 N HC1 than was ATP or a mixture of norepinephrine and ATP. Insoluble complexes of catecholamines and ATP could account for the calculated hypertonicity and the nondiffusibility of the amines in adrenal medullary granules.
Design of a MEMS-based motion stage based on a lever mechanism for generating large displacements and forces

Conventional miniaturized motion stages have a volume of 50–60 cm3 and a range of motion around 100 μm. Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)-based motion stages have been good alternatives in some applications for small footprint, micron-level accuracy, and a lower cost. However, existing MEMS-based motion stages are able to provide a force of μN level, small displacements (less than tens of microns), and need additional features for practical applications like a probe or a stage. In this paper, a single degree of freedom motion stage is designed and analyzed for a larger displacement, a larger output force, a smaller out-of-plane deformation, and a bigger moving stage for further applications. For these purposes, the presented motion stage is designed with a thermal actuator, folded springs, and a lever, and it is experimentally characterized. Furthermore, three different types of flexure joints are investigated to characterize their capabilities and suitability to serve as the revolute joint of the lever: a beam, a cartwheel, and a butterfly flexure. The presented motion stage has a moving stage of 15 mm × 15 mm and shows a maximum displacement over 80 μm, and out-of-plane deformation under a weight of 120 μN less than 2 μm. The force generated by the actuator is estimated to be 68.6 mN.
Nonlinear PDE and the Wiener Test

In classical potential theory, the discovery of the Wiener Test for boundary regularity for harmonic functions with prescribed boundary values, was a singular achievement. It solved a long standing open problem of the time: find geometric conditions on the boundary of the domain that guarantee that the solution (continuous inside) takes on its boundary values continuously. This result is due to N. Wiener (1924) and first published in [W]. It can be expressed as the divergence of the Dini type integral $$W{T_2}\left( {x;\Omega } \right) \equiv \int\limits_0 {{r^{2 - n}}{C_2}\left( {{\Omega ^c} \cap B\left( {x,r} \right)} \right.\frac{{dr}}{r}} $$ where Ω is the (bounded) domain (contained in R n , n ≥ 3) in question, B(x,r) is a (closed) ball of radius r > 0 centered at x ∈∂Ω = boundary of Ω, and C 2 is the usual variational capacity, $${C_2}\left( K \right) = \inf \left\{ {\int {{{\left| {\nabla \varphi } \right|}^2}dx:\varphi \in C_o^\infty \left( {{R^n}} \right),\varphi > 1onK} } \right\}$$ (1) .
Development as a Process of Regulatory State Specification

Regulatory state is the lowest organizational level of the genomic control system that provides an overall causal explanation of what we perceive as the process of development. The embryonic process is entirely unidirectional and internally controlled. It does not change direction, oscillate, or alter course depending on environmental factors. The less important is the variable specifics of the initial cyto-plasmic bases of spatial anisotropy. The early role of inter-blastomere signaling for increasing complexity by institution of new transcriptional domains can be seen very clearly in certain kinds of eggs that have a more or less invariant early cleavage pattern. The initial stages of signaling in embryos may utilize maternally encoded, anisotropically localized ligands to produce given regulatory states in adjacent recipient blastomeres. The concept of embryonic territory as a polycellular or poly- nuclear regulatory state domain is more general than is the mode of pre-gastrular specification. Multiple transient regulatory states separate the expression of regulators in the initial stages of progenitor field specification from the expression of controllers of cell type-specific differentiation gene batteries.
Free-breathing radial volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination vs breath-hold cartesian volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination magnetic resonance imaging of the liver at 1.5T.

Free-breathing radial volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination vs breath-hold cartesian volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination magnetic resonance imaging of the liver at 1.5T
EMF Stimulates Cartilage Differentiation in Endochondral Ossification Coincident with an Increase in TGFβ Expression

Stimulation of bone and cartilage with appropriately configured low-frequency EMF have generally resulted in an increase in repair in fracture non-unions, osteotomies, spinal fusions, and osteonecrosis. The mechanism by which these fields produce their effects is not known. This can be approached at the cell membrane level - examining signal transduction, or at physiological level - examining cell behavior, notably protein synthesis. This review addresses the second issue. Current information suggests that regardless of signal transduction mechanisms, EMFs have their ultimate effect on cells by altering transcription of extracellular matrix proteins, notably collagen and proteoglycan. Recent information from several laboratories indicate that transcription of growth factors important to bone formation, including IGF-II and BMP 2, 4, and 7, can be increased as well, providing a physiological amplification mechanism by which EMFs act1.2.3.4.
Ordinal convolutional neural networks for predicting RDoC positive valence psychiatric symptom severity scores

Display Omitted RDoC positive valence symptom severity scores are predicted from psychiatric notes.Ordinal convolutional neural networks outperform other supervised models in this task.Ensemble approaches achieve a normalized macro mean absolute score of 85.55.Our performance is within 1% of best score reported on the CEGS NGRID 2016 dataset.Deep nets with ordinal loss and wide features are suitable for ordinal text classification. BackgroundThe CEGS N-GRID 2016 Shared Task in Clinical Natural Language Processing (NLP) provided a set of 1000 neuropsychiatric notes to participants as part of a competition to predict psychiatric symptom severity scores. This paper summarizes our methods, results, and experiences based on our participation in the second track of the shared task. ObjectiveClassical methods of text classification usually fall into one of three problem types: binary, multi-class, and multi-label classification. In this effort, we study ordinal regression problems with text data where misclassifications are penalized differently based on how far apart the ground truth and model predictions are on the ordinal scale. Specifically, we present our entries (methods and results) in the N-GRID shared task in predicting research domain criteria (RDoC) positive valence ordinal symptom severity scores (absent, mild, moderate, and severe) from psychiatric notes. MethodsWe propose a novel convolutional neural network (CNN) model designed to handle ordinal regression tasks on psychiatric notes. Broadly speaking, our model combines an ordinal loss function, a CNN, and conventional feature engineering (wide features) into a single model which is learned end-to-end. Given interpretability is an important concern with nonlinear models, we apply a recent approach called locally interpretable model-agnostic explanation (LIME) to identify important words that lead to instance specific predictions. ResultsOur best model entered into the shared task placed third among 24 teams and scored a macro mean absolute error (MMAE) based normalized score (100(1-MMAE)) of 83.86. Since the competition, we improved our score (using basic ensembling) to 85.55, comparable with the winning shared task entry. Applying LIME to model predictions, we demonstrate the feasibility of instance specific prediction interpretation by identifying words that led to a particular decision. ConclusionIn this paper, we present a method that successfully uses wide features and an ordinal loss function applied to convolutional neural networks for ordinal text classification specifically in predicting psychiatric symptom severity scores. Our approach leads to excellent performance on the N-GRID shared task and is also amenable to interpretability using existing model-agnostic approaches.
Individual expression, cultural specificity and production bias in Ju|’hoan jewelry-making:

Few ethnographers have documented the personal experiences of Khoisan communities and even more obscure are perceptions about San individualism and self-expression. Yet anthropologist Richard Lee, in his book The Dobe !Kung (1984), suggested that !Kung (also known as Zu|’hoasi, Ju|’hoansi or Ju|’hoan) women use different colored beads to create intricately patterned headbands whose designs are named and should be regarded as an original art form. To date, Lee’s claim about Khoisan art in their material culture has not been explicitly corroborated or confirmed. This article questions the significance of named patterns, but substantiates the presence of artistic expression through an experiment with beads involving the Ju|’hoan. Ju|’hoan jewelry reveals aesthetic principles that do not seem culturally specific when it comes to the production of jewelry, but rather more so in the context of wearing it. The concept of production bias further separates culture-specific and material-guided elements of the jewel...
Adjuvant Chemotherapy vs Postoperative Observation Following Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy and Resection in Gastroesophageal Cancer: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

Importance Distant recurrence following preoperative chemoradiotherapy and resection in patients with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma is common. Adjuvant chemotherapy may improve survival. Objective To compare adjuvant chemotherapy with postoperative observation following preoperative chemoradiotherapy and resection in patients with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. Design, Setting, and Participants Propensity score–matched analysis using the National Cancer Database. We included adult patients who received a diagnosis between 2006 and 2013 of clinical stage T1N1-3M0 or T2-4N0-3M0 adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus or gastric cardia who were treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy and curative-intent resection. Patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy were matched by propensity score to patients undergoing postoperative observation. Exposures Adjuvant chemotherapy and postoperative observation. Main Outcomes and Measures Overall survival. Results We identified 10 086 patients (8840 [88%] male; mean [SD] age, 61 [9.5] years), 9272 in the postoperative observation group and 814 in the adjuvant chemotherapy group. Patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy were younger (18-54 years: 252 [31%] vs 1989 [21%]; P P P 2 weeks: 94 [13%] vs 1589 [20%]; P P Conclusions and Relevance For patients with locally advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy and resection, adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with improved overall survival. Our findings have important implications for the postoperative treatment of this patient group for which few data are available.
First do no harm: a look at correctional policies and programs today

Objectives This paper reviews the historical changes in correctional policies and the impact these changes have had on the operations of corrections and correctional programs. Social changes and theoretical perspectives moved corrections away from a focus on rehabilitation to programs characterized by deterrence, incapacitation, and control. Similarly, theoretical criminology encouraged corrections to move away from rehabilitation towards programs designed to provide social opportunities such as employment and housing for offenders. This paper examines whether these changes in policies and programs have been effective in reducing recidivism. The question is: What works in corrections?
Artificial Insemination with Frozen Human Semen: 227 Cases

This study describes the experience of an infertility practice which maintains a frozen semen bank as its primary source of AID. Two hundred and twenty-seven women began AID between January 1st and December 31st, 1974, and the study ended March 31st, 1976. Thus, the study period covered a relatively short duration, 27 months, during which time personnel, patient and donor selection, technics and adjunctive therapy did not vary. During these 27 months, 97 patients conceived for an overall pregnancy rate of 41.9%.
The Doctor Voyeur and the Murderer Inside

W orking with murderers forced me to reexamine my own childhood. As a defense, each of us glosses over the pains of our younger years as we age, slowly replacing the truth with the euphemistic versions we tell strangers, until our recall matches these scrubbed and polished rewrites. Specifically, I began to recall my own relationship with violence. I am also quite sure that this recollection was related to my relentless search for my reasons for choosing this career.
Maximizing NMR signal per unit time by facilitating the e-e-n cross effect DNP rate

The dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) efficiency is critically dependent on the properties of the radical, solvent, and solute constituting the sample system. In this study, we focused on the three spin e–e–n cross effect (CE)'s influence on the nuclear longitudinal relaxation time constant T1n, the build-up time constants of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal, TDNP and DNP-enhancement of NMR signal. The dipolar interaction strength between the electron spins driving the e–e–n process was systematically modulated using mono-, di-, tri-, and dendritic-nitroxide radicals, while maintaining a constant global electron spin concentration of 10 mM. Experimental results showed that an increase in electron spin clustering led to an increased electron spin depolarization, as mapped by electron double resonance (ELDOR), and a dramatically shortened T1n and TDNP time constants under static and magic angle spinning (MAS) conditions. A theoretical analysis reveals that strong e–e interactions, caused by electron spin clustering, increase the CE rate. The three spin e–e–n CE is a hitherto little recognized mechanism for shortening T1n and TDNP in solid-state NMR experiments at cryogenic temperatures, and offers a design principle to enhance the effective CE DNP enhancement per unit time. Fast CE rates will benefit DNP at liquid helium temperatures, or at higher magnetic fields and pulsed DNP, where slow e–e–n polarization transfer rate is a key bottleneck to achieving maximal DNP performance.
Disparities in the Enrollment and Timing of Special Education for Asian American and Pacific Islander Students

School districts in the United States are required to monitor the overrepresentation of students of color in special education, yet recent studies have challenged these trends and suggest students ...
A Proposal for a Reconstruction of the Concept of Autonomy

In many spheres of scholarship, including bioethics and neuroethics, there seems to be a significant misunderstanding involving the conflation of the metaphysical concept of free will with the moral–political concept of autonomy. Ever since Benjamin Libet published the results of his experiments measuring the timing of a decision to move by using electro-encephalography (Libet 1985), neuroscientific findings have been given a new impetus for metaphysical debates, which have mistakenly spilled over in practical philosophy.
Some Musings About Differential Energy Metabolism With Ketogenic Diets

Ketogenic states are of 3 major types: total starvation and those resulting from the consumption of semistarvation, ketogenic diets, and eucaloric ketogenic diets. All are characterized by little or no dietary carbohydrate, resulting in a fat-based metabolism with sustained ketonemia of varying degrees in each state. The latter 2 diets are clinically useful with important impacts on both aspects of the energy balance equation with increased satiety and less hunger on the intake side and probably increased energy expenditure on the output side; both may have important implications for the successful long-term management of obesity. Consideration of older research regarding the hormonal response to carbohydrate-free dieting and recent findings on hepatic glycogen status that occurs with sustained ketonemia support the likelihood that there are profound differences in 24-hour gluconeogenesis rates between ketogenic diets and balanced diets containing substantial carbohydrate. This metabolic distinction could have a meaningful impact to increase the thermic effect of feeding and daily energy expenditure amounting to 100 kcal/d or more with each of the ketogenic diets.
Cardiovascular Events and Mortality in White Coat Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background The long-term cardiovascular risk of isolated elevated office blood pressure (BP) is unclear. Purpose To summarize the risk for cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality associated with untreated white coat hypertension (WCH) and treated white coat effect (WCE). Data sources PubMed and EMBASE, without language restriction, from inception to December 2018. Study selection Observational studies with at least 3 years of follow-up evaluating the cardiovascular risk of WCH or WCE compared with normotension. Data extraction 2 investigators independently extracted study data and assessed study quality. Data synthesis 27 studies were included, comprising 25 786 participants with untreated WCH or treated WCE and 38 487 with normal BP followed for a mean of 3 to 19 years. Compared with normotension, untreated WCH was associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular events (hazard ratio [HR], 1.36 [95% CI, 1.03 to 2.00]), all-cause mortality (HR, 1.33 [CI, 1.07 to 1.67]), and cardiovascular mortality (HR, 2.09 [CI, 1.23 to 4.48]); the risk for WCH was attenuated in studies that included stroke in the definition of cardiovascular events (HR, 1.26 [CI, 1.00 to 1.54]). No significant association was found between treated WCE and cardiovascular events (HR, 1.12 [CI, 0.91 to 1.39]), all-cause mortality (HR, 1.11 [CI, 0.89 to 1.46]), or cardiovascular mortality (HR, 1.04 [CI, 0.65 to 1.66]). The findings persisted across several sensitivity analyses. Limitation Paucity of studies evaluating isolated cardiac outcomes or reporting participant race/ethnicity. Conclusion Untreated WCH, but not treated WCE, is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. Out-of-office BP monitoring is critical in the diagnosis and management of hypertension. Primary funding source National Institutes of Health.
Repeat Resection of a Cavernous Malformation of the Optic Nerve/Chiasm via a Frontotemporal Approach: 2-Dimensional Operative Video

Cavernous malformations are benign vascular lesions that can arise throughout the central nervous system. The occurrence of a cavernous malformation within the optic nerve or chiasm, however, is extremely uncommon. The case described in this video involved a 36-yr-old woman who presented 3 mo after undergoing a left frontotemporal craniotomy for resection of an optic nerve cavernous malformation. She had initially presented to an outside hospital with vision loss, and the left optic nerve lesion was identified and resected. Although her vision had reportedly improved slightly postoperatively, she awoke 3 mo later with bilateral subjective blurriness and new visual field deficits. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed enlargement of the left optic apparatus hemorrhagic lesion, corresponding to residual cavernous malformation. Given the recurrence of hemorrhage and the associated visual symptoms, the patient underwent a redo left frontotemporal craniotomy for resection of the optic nerve and chiasmal lesion. Histopathologic evaluation revealed thick-walled vessels with focal intervening glial tissue, an absence of neoplastic cells, and hemorrhage, consistent with a cavernous malformation. The patient tolerated the procedure well. Postoperatively, she experienced immediate amelioration in her visual symptoms. She was discharged home on postoperative day 3, and her bitemporal visual field deficit continued to progressively improve through her last ophthalmologic appointment 14 mo after surgery. Postoperative and subsequent surveillance neuroimaging demonstrated complete resection of the cavernous malformation without evidence of recurrence. This case demonstrates the techniques utilized to ensure complete resection of the malformation in this very eloquent region. The patient provided consent for publication.
Immunological Basis of In Utero Programming of Adult Disease

The in utero environment is critically important to fetal development and perturbations have been linked to adult diseases. Landmark studies from the Dutch famine showed that babies with low birth weights had significantly higher obesity rates as adults. In several other studies, low birth weight has been correlated with development of type 2 diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular disease and obesity. Maternal diseases, such as hypertension and gestational diabetes, also increase the risk of developing metabolic diseases as an adult. The immune system is implicated in the development of metabolic diseases. The fetal immune system is tolerant of its environment so as to prevent mounting an attack against maternal antigens. At birth, immune cells shift towards a pro-inflammatory phenotype. Disturbances to this delicate balance have been linked to metabolic diseases. In animal models of high maternal corticosteroids and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), pups are born with low birth weights and develop type 2 diabetes (T2D) as adults. In the IUGR model, development of T2D is dependent on interleukin 4 in the neonatal period. Development of the fetal immune system has the potential to effect offspring metabolic health.
Association of a national insurer's reference-based pricing program and choice of imaging facility, spending, and utilization.

Objective To examine the association of a national insurer's reference-based pricing (RBP), program for outpatient advanced imaging-a benefit design to encourage patients to choose lower-price facilities. Data source/study setting Administrative and medical claims data for three self-insured employers that introduced RBP and a comparison group without RBP. Study design Difference-in-difference comparison of pre-RBP (2014) and post-RBP (2015-6) care between intervention and comparison groups. Data collection/extraction method We identified 137 680 imaging procedures (4602 intervention group; 133 078 comparison group) in 2014-2016. Principal findings In the first post-RBP year (2015), there was no change in choice of facility; by the second year, RBP-exposed enrollees were 21.9 pp (95% CI: 18.5, 25.3) more likely to choose a lower-priced facility and net prices were $101.05 (95% CI: -$130.65, -$71.46), a difference of 8.1 percent lower. RBP was associated with higher patient out-of-pocket spending in the first post-RBP year ($31.82; 95% CI: $10.91, $52.73). There was no change in utilization, and higher-priced providers did not lower prices in the postperiod. Net savings represented 0.3 percent of outpatient spending. Conclusions Reference-based pricing for advanced imaging was associated with a shift to lower-priced facilities, but net impact on outpatient spending was modest. Patients paid increased out-of-pocket costs, though the amount declined after the first year of the program.
We’re All Going Crazy Now: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Can Promote More Compassionate Clinical Perspectives

Categorical conceptions of mental disorder divide individuals’ functioning into the categories of normal and abnormal. It is well established that normal functioning is partially culturally defined...
Bundles, Metrics on Bundles, and Homogeneous Spaces

A transitive action ⋅: G × X → X of a group G on a set X yields a description of X as a quotient G∕Gx, where Gx is the stabilizer of any element, x ∈ X. The points of X are identified with the left cosets gGx (g ∈ G). If X is a “well-behaved” topological space (say a locally compact Hausdorff space), G is a “well-behaved” topological group (say a locally compact topological group which is countable at infinity), and the action is continuous, then G∕Gx is homeomorphic to X. In particular these conditions are satisfied if G is a Lie group and X is a manifold. Intuitively, the above theorem says that G can be viewed as a family of “fibers” gGx, all isomorphic to Gx, these fibers being parametrized by the “base space” X, and varying smoothly when the point corresponding to the coset gGx moves in X. We have an example of what is called a fiber bundle, in fact, a principal fiber bundle. This view of G as a family of fibers gGx, with x ∈ X, is a special case of the notion of a fiber bundle.
Activating gender: How identity affects students’ perceptions of music activities:

In adolescence, many students align their music participation choices with the expectations for their gender group. While cultural norms may explain gender disparities in music activities, there is...
Myocardial Contraction Fraction in Outcomes in Transthyretin Amyloidosis

Introduction Myocardial contraction fraction (MCF), the ratio of stroke volume to myocardial volume, is a novel index of myocardial function that is a volumetric measure of myocardial shortening, highly correlated with global longitudinal strain. Previous studies have demonstrated that MCF can distinguish between physiological and pathological causes of hypertrophy and is superior to ejection fraction (EF) in predicting mortality in transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA). The association of MCF on major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in ATTR-CA while on disease modifying therapy has not yet been defined. Hypothesis MCF will predict MACE while EF will not in patients taking tafamidis. Methods Clinical and demographic characteristics of patients initiated on tafamidis were measured. Estimates of end systolic, diastolic volumes, left ventricular mass and volume from M-Mode echocardiography were used to calculate EF and MCF. Subjects were divided according to median values for MCF and EF and followed for at least 12 months to assess MACE, defined as unplanned cardiovascular hospitalization or all-cause mortality. Kaplan-Meier curves compared event rates above and below median MCF and EF, with log-rank testing performed. Results There were 65 subjects initiated on Tafamidis. Median age was 77 years, with 78% male, 50 with wild-type, 15 with mutations (13 V122I, 2 Thr60Ala). Median MCF and EF were 16% and 52% respectively. Subjects below MCF 16% experienced more MACE at 15 month follow-up than above 16% (log-rank p = 0.041), while no difference was observed above or below median EF 52% (log-rank = 0.766). Conclusion MCF of 16% is better able to discriminate risk for unplanned cardiovascular hospitalization than EF of 52%.
Immunological considerations—HLA matching and management of high immunological risk recipients

Lung transplant outcomes remain inferior largely due to mismatching in human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) that leads to chronic rejection and chronic allograft dysfunction. The mismatched donor HLAs can be recognized by the effector T cells or donor-specific HLA antibodies. This review summarizes mechanisms leading to immune responses as a result of HLA mismatching. It specifically focuses on sensitized lung transplant candidates with preformed anti-HLA antibodies, which represent a significant management challenge for physicians. In this review, we describe the diagnostic histocompatibility testing and therapeutic options for managing the sensitized lung transplant patients and discuss how multidisciplinary approach may help to improve lung transplantation outcomes.
Study of Flight School Pilot Incident Data: Implication for Educators

Flight training presents some of the most dangerous times in a pilots flying career. Lack of experience, decision-making abilities and youth can create a recipe for a potential disaster. The majority of pilots complete their training at an established flight school. A collegiate aviation department or a Fixed Base Operator can operate these flight schools. In both situations, there are associated risk factors. This study was completed to identify aircraft incidents that occurred with pilots who were piloting flight school aircraft and to thereby identify possible training weaknesses. The researcher utilized the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS), Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS) to obtain 397 aircraft incidents that occurred at flight schools from January 1978 to July 2007. The incidents were broken down based on the highest pilot certificate held by the pilot; incident categories were established, and then incidents were tabulated in order to generate descriptive statistics. Meaningful data was derived under each of the pilot certificates and recommendations were made to improve safety.
Cognitive Radio Primer

In this chapter, wireless communication technologies relevant to cognitive radios are reviewed. This includes a discussion of some of the capacity limitations in wireless systems, nonideal effects in radio systems, and an overview of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) encoding methods. Cognitive radios are detailed in this chapter. The architectural components as well as algorithms for frequency sensing and spectrum management are reviewed. Finally, some recent standardizations that are based on cognitive radios are reviewed along with a survey of some recent deployments of TV white space (TVWS) technologies, which is an implementation of cognitive radio.
ATTEMPT TO SEPARATE CELLS OF THE GASTRIC MUCOSA

Summary An attempt was made to separate cells of the rabbit gastric mucosa to obtain suspensions of cells of a single type. Gentle trituration of mucosal fragments in a citrate-sucrose-albumin medium followed by filtration and low intensity centrifugation gave a suspension of parietal cells contaminated with nuclei and cellular debris. Further purification of the suspension was frustrated by clumping of the cells, forming a meshwork within which the debris was caught. Measurement of enzymes in the suspensions showed that pepsin activity continued to parallel carbonic anhydrase activity throughout the purification process, although both enzymes disappeared from the suspending medium. Therefore, the preparations were useless as starting material for chemical analysis of the parietal cells. None of several methods designed to prevent clumping and to allow removal of the contaminating material was successful.
Late Oligocene and Early Miocene Muroidea of the Zinda Pir Dome

A series of Oligocene through Early Miocene terrestrial deposits preserved in the foothills of the Zinda Pir Dome of western Pakistan produce multiple, superposed fossil mammal localities. These include small mammal assemblages that shed light on the evolution of rodent lineages, especially Muroidea, in South Asia. Nine small mammal localities span approximately 28–19 Ma, an interval encompassing the Oligocene–Miocene boundary. The Early Miocene rodent fossil assemblages are dominated by muroid rodents, but muroids are uncommon and archaic in earlier Oligocene horizons. The Zinda Pir sequence includes the evolutionary transition to modern Muroidea at about the Oligocene–Miocene boundary. We review the muroid record for the Zinda Pir Dome, which includes the early radiation of primitive bamboo rats (Rhizomyinae) and early members of the modern muroid radiation, which lie near crown Cricetidae and Muridae. The Zinda Pir record dates diversification of modern muroids in the Indian Subcontintent and establish...
Coherent couplings of neutralinos to nuclei from squark mixing

Abstract We show that left-right scalar quark mixing results in a coherent coupling of the lightest neutralino to nuclei which is usually comparable to (and often larger than) that due to gaugino/higgsino mixing. This has implications for dark matter searches.
Complexation of Phosphatidylcholine Lipids with Cholesterol

It is postulated that the specific interactions between cholesterol and lipids in biological membranes are crucial in the formation of complexes leading subsequently to membrane domains (so-called rafts). These interactions are studied in molecular dynamics simulations performed on a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)-cholesterol bilayer mixture and a dilauroylphosphatidylcholine (DLPC)-cholesterol bilayer mixture, both having a cholesterol concentration of 40 mol %. Complexation of the simulated phospholipids with cholesterol is observed and visualized, exhibiting 2:1 and 1:1 stoichiometries. The most popular complex is found to be 1:1 in the case of DLPC, whereas the DPPC system carries a larger population of 2:1 complexes. This difference in the observed populations of complexes is shown to be a result of differences in packing geometry and phospholipid conformation due to the differing tail length of the two phosphatidylcholine lipids. Furthermore, aggregation of these complexes appears to form hydrogen-bonded networks in the system containing a mixture of cholesterol and DPPC. The CH...O hydrogen bond plays a crucial role in the formation of these complexes as well as the hydrogen bonded aggregates. The aggregation and extension of such a network implies a possible means by which phospholipid:cholesterol domains form.
Contaminant Transport Through Single Fracture With Porous Obstructions

Transport of contaminant through a single fracture, modeled as a closely spaced parallel plates aperture, is analyzed theoretically and numerically. Permeable contact regions between the plates are modeled as fixed packs of homogeneous, isotropic, and inert porous material. A nondimensional theoretical expression for estimating the equivalent global permeability of the aperture is presented in terms of the relative volume occupied by the contact regions. Transient transport of contaminant (solute) through this heterogeneous system is analyzed considering injection of fluid with uniform concentration at the inlet of the fracture. For natural systems, it is verified that relative volume and distribution of contact regions affect clean-up time, defined as the time necessary for the complete removal of contaminant, only indirectly by varying the equivalent permeability of the system, otherwise their effect is negligible. The clean-up time of a clear (of contact regions) fracture, is correlated with the Peclet number for 10 -l ≤ Pe ≤ 10 6 .
Details of the drag curve near the onset of vortex shedding

A closer look at the drag curve for a circular cylinder near the onset of vortex shedding reveals that there is a sharp transition in the forces acting on a body moving through a fluid when it produces an unsteady wake. In this Letter results from high‐resolution computer simulations are presented to quantify the change in viscous drag, pressure drag, and base pressure coefficients.
Interdiffusion and diffusion structure development in selected refractory metal silicides

Abstract Solid–solid diffusion couples set up with disks of Mo, W, Re, Nb, or Ta in contact with disks of a single crystal of MoSi 2 were annealed at selected temperatures between 1300° and 1700°C for diffusion structure, determination of interdiffusion coefficients and energies of activation for interdiffusion in various silicides developed in the couples. The couples were analyzed and characterized by SEM and optical microscopy, microprobe analysis, X-ray diffraction and orientation imaging microscopy. From the interdiffusion fluxes determined directly from the concentration profiles, integrated and average effective interdiffusion coefficients were calculated for the components in the various binary and ternary silicide layers. The Mo vs. MoSi 2 couples developed Mo 5 Si 3 and Mo 3 Si layers with non-planar interface morphologies; the Mo 5 Si 3 layer exhibited oriented growth and microcracking. The W vs. MoSi 2 couples developed W 5 Si 3 and (W,Mo) 5 Si 3 layers with little microcracking. The diffusion structure of Re vs. MoSi 2 diffusion couples consisted of layers of Re 2 Si, (Re,Mo)Si and (Re,Mo) 5 Si 3 phases and cracks were blunted in the (Re,Mo) 5 Si 3 layer. The Nb vs. MoSi 2 couples developed the Nb 5 Si 3 and (Nb,Mo) 5 Si 3 phase layers with porosity in the diffusion zone. Layers of Ta 2 Si, Ta 5 Si 3 and (Ta,Mo) 5 Si 3 phases were observed in the Ta vs. MoSi 2 couples. The activation energies ( Q ) for the interdiffusion of both Si and W are calculated to be about 360 and 450 kJ mol −1 in the W 5 Si 3 and (W,Mo) 5 Si 3 layers, respectively. Values of Q for the interdiffusion of both Re and Si are about 190 kJ mol −1 in the Re 2 Si phase, 325 kJ mol −1 in the (Re,Mo)Si phase, and 270 kJ mol −1 in the (Re,Mo) 5 Si 3 phase. For the interdiffusion of Si and Nb in the (Nb,Mo) 5 Si 3 phase, Q values are about 300 and 240 kJ mol −1 , respectively; Q is about 265 kJ mol −1 in the binary Nb 5 Si 3 phase. Zero-flux planes (ZFP) and uphill diffusion are observed for Mo in the (Re,Mo)Si and (Me,Mo) 5 Si 3 layers where Me=W, Re, Nb or Ta; in these layers, the ternary cross coefficient D MoMe Si is about as large as the main ternary interdiffusion coefficient D MoMo Si and the interdiffusion of Mo is enhanced down the Me concentration gradient.
Multivariable control of an integrated propulsion — airframe system

The development of an Integrated Control scheme to enhance the performance of a generic interconnected multivariable dynamical system, consisting of a turbo fan engine and an airframe, in the presence of predominantly destructive dynamical interactions over the flight envelope is considered in this paper. The control scheme consists of two components : a simple static forward loop or feedback loop precompensator to improve the interactions followed by a forward or feedback loop controller to improve the performance. System performance specifications dictate zero steady state errors in the engine and airframe controlled output variables as well as minimal overshoot with rapid and smooth acceleration and deceleration profiles. Furthermore the system must be tolerant to soft and hard output sensor failures by means of analytic redundancy only. A control methodology to satisfy the above specifications is presented here. Necessary and sufficient conditions are presented in order to achieve stable closed loop performance of the overall system by tuning every loop separately (i.e. decentralized stability). This leads to very simple control structures, but even for these rather simple control schemes, a significant improvement over previous integration schemes is obtained.
Electron energy relaxation and noise characteristics of infrared hot-electron transistors

In infrared hot-electron transistors, the energy distribution of the injected electrons after passing through the base can be directly measured at the collector. In this work, a theoretical calculation on the evolution of the electron energy distribution in the base is presented. We applied the calculation to devices with different doping densities, and obtained quantitative agreement with the experiment. The result of this calculation can be used for device optimization. We also derived a generalized expression between noise and capture probability of a QWIP. The noise of a QWIP was found to be larger than the conventional expression for generation-recombination noise.
Cyclic voltammetry with harmonic lock-in detection: Applications to flow streams

The second harmonic frequency is monitored using a conventional lock-in amplifier in a continuous scan cyclic voltammetric experiment. The background charging current is predominantly composed of odd harmonic frequencies, while the analyte Faradaic signal is composed of both odd and even harmonic frequencies. By ‘locking-in’ on the second harmonic frequency one can isolate the Faradaic current from the charging current in the frequency domain. Model compounds (hexaammineruthenium(III) chloride, ferrocene) at carbon and gold microelectrodes as well as carbohydrates at copper microelectrodes were examined in flow injection analysis experiments. Limits of detection an order of magnitude lower than DC amperometry were observed.
Cellular pharmacology and antitumor activity of N-(p-azidobenzoyl)-daunorubicin, a photoactive anthracycline analogue

We have previously utilized N-(p-azidobenzoyl)daunorubicin (NABD), a photoactive analogue of daunorubicin (DNR), to identify unique anthracycline-binding polypeptides in rodent tissues and in tumor cells. Using cultured P388 tumor cells, we have now compared the cellular pharmacology and antitumor activity of NABD with that of DNR. Although rapidly accumulated by cells, the intracellular concentration of NABD was less than 20% that of DNR at steady-state levels. The cellular uptake of both drugs by P388 cells was dependent on extracellular drug concentration in the medium and on temperature. The rapid efflux of NABD and DNR from P388 cells in drug-free medium was reduced at lowered temperature (0 °C). Cytofluorescence microscopy demonstrated that NABD was predominantly localized in the cytoplasm, in contrast to the nuclear localization of DNR. NABD produced dose-dependent inhibition of [3H]thymidine (IC50=10.0 μM) and [3H]uridine (IC50=1.60 μM) incorporation in P388 cells to a lesser degree than DNR ([3H]thymidine, IC50=0.15 μM and [3H]uridine, IC50=0.70 μM). Continuous exposure to NABD inhibited P388 cell proliferation with an IC50 of 0.27 μM, compared with an IC50 of 0.017 μM for DNR. NABD is a pharmacologically active, photoactive analogue of DNR, which possesses properties different from those of the parent drug but similar to those of other anthracycline analogues. Photoaffinity labeling studies with NABD may identify important cytoplasmic constitutents which interact with this type of anthracycline and perhaps with the anthracycline antibiotics in general.
Design of Zero-Emissions Vehicles by Multidisciplinary Student Teams in Multi-Years: A Model for Engineering Design Education

This paper presents a unique experience in educating students from mechanical and electrical engineering majors in a course on senior design projects involving the design and production of two proof-of-concept electric vehicles, the mini-ZEM and ZEM (stands for Zero EMissions) vehicles. The ZEM vehicles combined positive aspects and latest technologies in electric vehicle design, solar/electric power conversions, and ergonomic human power into one affordable and environmentally sustainable vehicle for urban transportation. The 55 mechanical and 10 electrical engineering majors plus 7 students from business participated in this multidisciplinary project spanned over three academic years. The students involved in this multi-year endeavor gained valuable experiences in real-world working environment with multifunctional and multi-year subgroups. The success of this new attempt in conducting senior design projects classes have set a model for faculty members in the authors’ university in conducting similar courses.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Caffeine reduces amphetamine-induced activity in asymmetrical interaction

Caffeine-amphetamine interactions were studied to determine whether attenuation of amphetamine-induced activity by caffeine pretreatment (30 mg/kg) is the result of increased or decreased sensitivity to amphetamine. Caffeine pretreatment attenuated amphetamine activity in the rats without producing a horizontal shift in the dose-response curve. Results support a reduction in sensitivity to amphetamine. A cross-tolerance design revealed an asymmetrical interaction between caffeine and amphetamine. Multiple caffeine treatments (30 mg/kg) produced tolerance and attenuation of subsequent amphetamine activity (1.5 mg/kg). Amphetamine did not produce tolerance or affect subsequent caffeine-induced activity.
Seafloor gravity evidence for hydrothermal alteration of the sediments in Middle Valley, Juan de Fuca Ridge

Abstract Gravity data collected at two different levels, sea-surface and seafloor, are compared and interpreted to characterize the effect of hydrothermal circulation on the sediment density in Middle Valley, a deeply sedimented spreading center on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. The sea-surface gravity data constrain density variations at depth beneath the seafloor, whereas sea-bottom measurements are more sensitive to shallow sources. At least two different types of hydrothermal signatures in the sediments can be distinguished from the gravity data: short-wavelength anomalies associated with sulfide deposits and broader anomalies associated with areas of lithified sediments. In Middle Valley, three distinct gravity anomalies were identified. (a) An anomaly over a sulfide mound, south of Bent Hill, shows that the sulfide body extends to depths of 120 to 180 m and has been fed by several near-surface conduits. (b) An anomaly at the base of the fault bordering the valley to the east is interpreted as a regional anomaly combined with the local effect of lithified sediments and possibly sulfide deposits. (c) An anomaly paralleling an intra-valley fault, that limits the deepest part of the graben, is interpreted as indicating lithification of the upper sediment layer. A high heat flow anomaly is located 1 to 2 km east of this fault, suggesting that sediment lithification occurred in a wide band above the fault and eastward to the current high heat flow area, due to the progressive migration of the hot fluid circulation.