cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compliance from Self-Reported versus Pharmacy Claims Data with Metered-Dose Inhalers

OBJECTIVE:To determine how well self-reported compliance with metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) agrees with compliance determined from pharmacy claims data. Additional analyses were conducted to establish psychometric properties of the questionnaire.METHODS:A cross-sectional survey was performed of all adult enrollees with asthma of a managed care organization. The overall return rate was 63.4% (696/1098). Patients with persistent asthma and at least one prescription claim for a controller MDI during the four months preceding the survey were included. Pharmacy claims data were used to calculate a compliance ratio. Self-reported compliance was based on a four-item questionnaire. The primary end points were the percent-agreement and the overall correlation between the two measures. The questionnaire's internal reliability and construct validity were assessed using Cronbach's α and Pearson's correlations, respectively. Mean item response scores for compliant patients were compared with scores of noncompliant pati...
Concerns of teachers about technology integration in the USA

This study was designed to examine the current trend and pattern of teachers' concerns about technology integration. Eighty‐six in‐service teachers in a graduate course participated in the study at a midwestern state university during the summer semester of 2002. The Stages of Concerns (SoC) Questionnaire was used to assess teachers' seven stages of concern: awareness, informational, personal, management, consequence, collaboration and refocusing. This study found that: (1) teachers' concerns as a whole were very intense in these stages informational, personal and refocusing; (2) there were significant statistical differences in teachers' concerns in most stages of concern among teachers with three levels of perception of their implementation status; (3) the concern profile for each of the three subgroups supported the hypothesis of Hall, George & Rutherford (1977) regarding the development of stages of concern for the three different user groups: inexperienced, experienced and renewing. International imp...
Formulas for asymmetric lead and lag compensators

Lead and lag compensators are commonly used for classical loop shaping and as weighting functions for automated controller synthesis algorithms. The existing formulas for these compensators provide the capability of selecting phase at the frequency of maximum phase lead such that the phase peak or notch is symmetrical on the Bode plot phase chart. This paper develops easy-to-use formulas for lead compensators for choosing the phase at a frequency that is either before, or after the frequency of the maximum phase. For second order compensators, formulas are also provided to specify the degree of asymmetry of the phase peak. Combining these formulas leads to a method for choosing the phase at the frequency of maximum phase for an asymmetric phase peak. An application to a robust controller design problem is shown.
Noisy replication in skewed binary classification

Abstract Skewed binary classification problems arise in estimating the “success” probabilities of new observations due to sparse “successes” and numerous “failures” in a given training data set. Previously Lee (1999. Comput. Statist., to appear) showed that adding small normal noise to replicate the “successes” in the training set could slightly improve estimates in several common classification models, namely, nearest neighbor, neural networks, classification trees, and quadratic discriminant. Now, we form much improved estimates for these same models: generating multiple versions of noise-added training sets from a given data set, we obtain an average of multiple model estimates. This model average is significantly improved both in terms of ROC area and Kullback–Leibler distance. In effect, the technique serves as an effective and model-free regularization for the classification models considered.
The spectral radius in partially ordered algebras

We prove theorems of Perron–Frobenius type for positive elements in partially ordered topological algebras satisfying certain hypotheses. We show how some of our results relate to known results on Banach algebras. We give examples and state some open questions.
Atomic Layer Deposition Grown Hafnia Nanotubes Functionalized with Gold Nanoparticle Composites

Tetrakis(dimethylamido) hafnium(IV) (TDMAHf) precursor and water vapor as an oxidant were employed to synthesize hafnia (HfO2). Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to fabricate highly ordered hafnia nanotubes within the tubular channels of macro-porous silicon (Si) templates. Subsequently, the hafnia nanotubes were harvested from the porous Si template by chemical dissolution of the Si matrix using aqueous NaOH. We synthesized gold-polymer composite from 35 nm diameter gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) modified with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid in order to functionalize the surface of the ALD grown HfO2 nanotubes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM) were used for physical analysis in order to characterize the morphology of the Si template, the AuNPs and the resultant HfO2 tubes functionalized with gold nanoparticles.
Using cultural ecosystem services to inform restoration priorities in the Laurentian Great Lakes

Ecological restoration programs often attempt to maintain or enhance ecosystem services (ES), but fine-scale maps of multiple ES are rarely available to support prioritization among potential projects. Here we use agency reports, citizen science, and social media as data sources to quantify the spatial distribution of five recreational elements of cultural ES (CES) – sport fishing, recreational boating, birding, beach use, and park visitation – across North America's Laurentian Great Lakes, where current restoration investments exceed US$1.5 billion. These recreational CES are widely yet unevenly distributed, and spatial correlations among all except park visitation indicate that many locations support multiple CES benefits. Collectively, these five service metrics correlate with tourism gross domestic product, indicating that local economies benefit from ecosystem conditions that support CES. However, locations of high recreational CES delivery are often severely affected by environmental stressors, suggesting that either ecosystem condition or human enjoyment of these recreational CES is resilient even to substantial levels of stress. Our analyses show that spatial assessments of recreational CES are an informative complement to ecosystem stress assessments for guiding large-scale restoration efforts.
Women Fighting in Jihad

The subject of women fighting in jihad has been a controversial and under-researched topic in classical and contemporary Muslim religious literature. In general, classical authorities did not see women fighting except in the most extraordinary circumstances yet did not expressly forbid it. Today radical Muslims seeking to widen their appeal have modified these conclusions and made it possible for women to participate together with men on the battlefield and in martyrdom operations. This article looks at the classical religious and legal literature to contextualize the arguments being made for females participating in jihad in contemporary times.
INHIBITION OF o‐DIPHENOL OXIDASE BY DICHLORODIFLUOROMETHANE

Dichlorodifluoromethane (f-12) can effectively and irreversibly inhibit the catalytic activity of o-diphenol oxidase (tyrosinase, polyphenol oxidase) in a simple buffered system. The degree of inhibition was influenced by concentration of and duration of exposure to f-12 and by time and vigor of agitation. Under the conditions tested, maximum inhibition of o-diphenol oxidase was obtained using 2.9 mole % f-12 and agitating samples at room temperature and 180 cpm for 20–40 min.
High performance Lempel-Ziv compression using optimized longest string parsing and adaptive Huffman window size

Summary form only given. We present optimizations that improve the compression and computational efficiency of Lempel-Ziv (LZ77) and Huffman algorithms. The compression performance of the LZ77 algorithm can be improved by using an optimized longest match parsing strategy. Another factor that can be considered is the size of the reference to the matching string, which can vary due to the secondary Huffman compression. We present an efficient parsing algorithm that considers both factors while minimizing the computational requirements. Our second optimization technique optimizes static Huffman encoding by efficiently dividing the input into blocks of varying size with uneven character frequency distributions.
Antibodies Targeting Linear Determinants of the Envelope Protein Protect Mice against West Nile Virus

The flavivirus envelope (E) protein mediates cellular attachment and fusion with host cell membranes and is recognized by virus-neutralizing antibodies. We raised antibodies against a broad range of epitopes by immunizing a horse with recombinant West Nile virus (WNV) E protein. To define epitopes recognized by protective antibodies, we selected, by affinity chromatography, immunoglobulins against immobilized linear peptides derived from parts of the E protein. Immunoglobulins binding 9 different peptides from domains I, II, and III of the E protein neutralized WNV in vitro. This indicates that multiple protective epitopes can be found in the E protein. Immunoglobulins recognizing 3 peptides derived from domains I and II of E protein protected mice against a lethal challenge with WNV. These immunoglobulins recognized the E proteins of related flaviviruses, demonstrating that antibodies targeting specific E protein epitopes could be developed for prevention and treatment of multiple flavivirus infections.
Preference Music Ratings Prediction Using Tokenization and Minimum Classification Error Training

In order to address two main limitations of current content-based music recommendation approaches, an ordinal regression algorithm for music recommendation that incorporates dynamic information is presented. Instead of assuming that local spectral features within a song are identically and independently distributed examples of an underlying probability density, music is characterized by a vocabulary of acoustic segment models (ASMs), which are found with an unsupervised process. Further, instead of classifying music based on subjective classes, such as genre, or trying to find a universal notion of similarity, songs are classified based on personal preference ratings. The ordinal regression approach to perform the ratings prediction is based on the discriminative-training algorithm known as minimum classification error (MCE) training. Experimental results indicate that improved temporal modeling leads to superior performance over standard spectral-based music representations. Further, the MCE-based preference ratings algorithm is shown to be superior over two other systems. Analysis demonstrates that the superior performance is due to MCE being a non-conservative algorithm that demonstrates immunity to outliers.
Rural vs urban residence affects risk-appropriate colorectal cancer screening.

Background & Aims Little is known about the effects of geographic factors, such as rural vs urban residence and travel time to colonoscopy providers, on risk-appropriate use of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in the general population. We evaluated the effects of geographic factors on adherence to CRC screening and differences in screening use among familial risk groups. Methods We analyzed data from the 2010 Utah Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System, which included state-added questions on familial CRC. By using multiple logistic regression models, we assessed the effects of rural vs urban residence, travel time to the nearest colonoscopy provider, and spatial accessibility of providers on adherence to risk-appropriate screening guidelines. Study participants (n = 4260) were respondents aged 50 to 75 years. Results Sixty-six percent of the sample adhered to risk-appropriate CRC screening guidelines, with significant differences between urban and rural residents (68% vs 57%, respectively; P P P = .003), and spatial accessibility of providers ( P = .012) were associated significantly with adherence to screening guidelines. However, rural vs urban residence ( P Conclusions There are marked disparities in use of risk-appropriate CRC screening between rural and urban residents in Utah. Differences in travel time to the nearest colonoscopy provider and spatial accessibility of providers did not account for the geographic variations observed in screening adherence.
Comparison of Parameters Associated with Molt Induced by Fasting, Zinc, and Low Dietary Sodium in Caged Layers,

Abstract Three trials were conducted to compare the physiological effects of fasting, the effects of a low level of dietary sodium, and a high dietary level of zinc as induced molting agents for commercial strains of laying hens. Photoperiod modifications were included in the third trial. The Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) laying hens were induced to molt by fasting (FAST) to a body weight loss of 30 to 34% by administration of a diet containing 500 mg/kg sodium (Lo Na) for 42 days or by administration of a diet containing 20,000 mg/kg added zinc (Hi Zn) for 7 (Trial 1) or 10 (Trials 2 and 3) days. Water was available ad libitum and photoperiod was maintained at 17 hr except in Trial 3 in which half of the hens received a photoperiod of 8 hr during the first 42 days of the experiment. Both the FAST and Hi Zn treatments produced a cessation of egg production within five days after the initiation of treatment. Egg production was reduced but did not cease in the Lo Na treatment. Body weights, liver, ovary, oviduct, and right adrenal weights were determined at regular intervals. The FAST treatment produced the greatest degree of body and organ weight loss, while the Lo Na treatment produced the least. The Hi Zn treatment produced intermediate results. Right adrenal weight exhibited no consistent change. The 8-hr photoperiod tended to reduce body weight and significantly reduced the weights of liver, ovary, and oviduct regardless of dietary treatment.
Detection and discrimination using x-radiation

This paper examines the fundamental principles underlying X-ray imaging, describes several critical issues concerning these systems, and indicates areas in which neural network methods may be expected to be important. Special attention is paid to relatively sophisticated techniques such as reconstruction imaging and multiple-energy imaging, and several concepts from imaging science are described. New modalities such as phase imaging and coherent scatter imaging are introduced. Neural network methods have significant potential utility for the operation and evaluation of X-ray imaging systems. In addition they should prove vitally important for the analysis of the tremendous quantities of data which these systems generate. These conclusions are equally applicable to other types of imaging, including nuclear tracer, magnetic resonance and ultrasound.
Toward soft-tissue elastography using digital holography to monitor surface acoustic waves

Measuring the elasticity distribution inside the human body is of great interest because elastic abnormalities can serve as indicators of several diseases. We present a method for mapping elasticity inside soft tissues by imaging surface acoustic waves (SAWs) with digital holographic interferometry. With this method, we show that SAWs are consistent with Rayleigh waves, with velocities proportional to the square root of the elastic modulus greater than 2-40 kPa in homogeneous tissue phantoms. In two-layer phantoms, the SAW velocity transitions approximately from that of the lower layer to that of the upper layer as frequency is increased in agreement with the theoretical relationship between SAW dispersion and the depth-dependent stiffness profile. We also observed deformation in the propagation direction of SAWs above a stiff inclusion placed 8 mm below the surface. These findings demonstrate the potential for quantitative digital holography-based elastography of soft tissues as a noninvasive method for disease detection.
GLI proteins modulate chromatin dynamics in Hedgehog antiapoptotic target genes.

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 12-16, 2008; San Diego, CA LB-171 Hedgehog (HH) proteins are a highly conserved family of secreted intercellular molecules that signal across the plasma membrane to activate GLI transcription factors (GLI 1, 2 and 3), essential effectors of their cellular functions. GLI proteins mediate Hedgehog morphogenetic signaling by regulating the expression of its downstream target genes. Alterations of GLI function can lead to tumor development in different tissues, including pancreas. Therefore, knowledge of the mechanism underlying GLI-mediated transcription could help understand the contribution of this pathway to the initiation and progression of pancreatic carcinogenesis. In this study, we present data supporting the functional interaction between GLI proteins, p300 acetyltransferase and BRG-1, a component of the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex. Initial analysis shows that all three GLI transcription factors are expressed and active in pancreatic cancer cells. While GLI1 behave as activators, GLI2 and 3 can act as both activator and repressors of HH target promoters. Interestingly, cell growth assays demonstrate that GLI1 and 2 can mediate the oncogenic functions of Hedgehog in pancreatic cancer cells. Further study of the mechanism demonstrates that dominant negative forms of the transcriptional coactivators BRG-1 and p300 block activation of the GLI-luciferase reporter as well as 4-1BB promoter construct by HH ligand, constitutive active SMOOTHENED receptor, GLI1 or GLI2. Furthermore, pancreatic cancer cells lacking BRG-1 exhibit defective activation by GLI1 and 2 that is restored upon BRG-1 re-expression. We also find that BRG-1 synergizes with the p300 acetyltransferase to activate the HH target promoters in these cancer cells. GLI1 and 2 interact with p300 and BRG-1 at the promoter of the HH target gene 4-1BB. Finally, GLI1 and 2 activation leads to an increase in acetylation of H3 tails as well as a decrease in the nucleosome density in HH target genes suggesting a potential mechanism by which GLI proteins activate these promoters in pancreatic cancer cells. Thus, these findings are not only important to understand the biology of the HH pathways, but because small molecules are being developed against these transcriptional coactivators, our results may identify additional therapeutic targets to be used in translational approaches for pancreatic cancer.
The role of radiotherapy following radical prostatectomy

Adenocarcinoma of the prostate is currently the number one malignancy in men in the United States and the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths [1]. In part because of these sobering statistics, there has been increasing interest in curative therapy. Radical prostatectomy is emerging as the preferred therapeutic approach for a number of reasons. If neoplasm is organ confined, surgical extirpation offers the best chance of cure. Moreover, increasing evidence suggests that definitive radiation therapy is rarely able to sterilize the prostate [2]. Finally, technical advances have made radical retropubic prostatectomy more acceptable because of decreased morbidity.
Wikileaks, Arab Uprisings, English Riots and Occupy Wall Street: Implications for Internet Policy and Practice from a Business and Industry Outcome Perspective

Wikileaks' traditionally debated tension: privacy versus security. It seems to me the debate should focus not on that tension at a very high level, but on individual accountability and responsibility versus the interests of the larger public. Do we really want a situation of 'no secrets' as some in hacker/social media networks argue? Another Wikileaks distinction: 'leak' an egregious breach of an employment contract, versus 'website' not implemented correctly with proper attention to sensitive info access control. Most corporations are under daily cyber attack and worried about “trusted insiders” misusing proprietary data. Pentagon treats cyberspace as 'fifth domain.' Businesswise, there’s an opportunity if you identify to me Commercial/Government technology likely to be high-end acquisition target for IBM/Lockheed Martin. Another business outcome is private companies applying censorship: Visa/MC/Paypal rejected Wikileaks donations. Yet, 5th estate communications solutions provided cash for Wikileaks. Opportunities: 5th estate sales channels; property insurance; internet alert services; cybersecurity businesses, hotspot locations servicing police/govt; democratized philanthropy via mobile apps benefitting those hurt from info/riots; real estate enterprises purchasing land over 'actual kill switches' controlling underlying transport shutdowns. Wikileaks cables exposed extreme wealth of 'haves' and incensed unemployed which underlies Arab uprisings and England riots. I believe that 5th estate movements with new processes that will actually get solutions to government decision-makers and hold them accountable for implementation are promising. My firm’s solution to creating jobs was just featured in webgovernments.com and is in process to getting the proposal which needs a tax tweak to House Ways & Means Committee.
Isotope: transactional isolation for block storage

Existing storage stacks are top-heavy and expect little from block storage. As a result, new high-level storage abstractions - and new designs for existing abstractions - are difficult to realize, requiring developers to implement from scratch complex functionality such as failure atomicity and fine-grained concurrency control. In this paper, we argue that pushing transactional isolation into the block store (in addition to atomicity and durability) is both viable and broadly useful, resulting in simpler high-level storage systems that provide strong semantics without sacrificing performance. We present Isotope, a new block store that supports ACID transactions over block reads and writes. Internally, Isotope uses a new multiversion concurrency control protocol that exploits fine-grained, sub-block parallelism in workloads and offers both strict serializability and snapshot isolation guarantees. We implemented several high-level storage systems over Isotope, including two key-value stores that implement the LevelDB API over a hashtable and B-tree, respectively, and a POSIX filesystem. We show that Isotope's block-level transactions enable systems that are simple (100s of lines of code), robust (i.e., providing ACID guarantees), and fast (e.g., 415 MB/s for random file writes). We also show that these systems can be composed using Isotope, providing applications with transactions across different high-level constructs such as files, directories and key-value pairs.
Recovering Kapwa: Filipino American Postcolonial Psychology as Decolonizing Praxis

E. J. R. David. (2013). Brown Skin, White Minds: Filipino-/American Postcolonial Psychology (with commentaries). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. 360 pages, $29.99 (paperback). ISBN-13: 9...
Energy dependence of the 119 Sn(p ,n) 119 Sn (IAS) reaction

Angular distributions for the $^{119}\mathrm{Sn}(p,n)^{119}\mathrm{Sb}$ (isobaric analog state) charge-exchange reaction have been measured at several energies between 16 and 20 MeV using both a neutron-proton coincidence method and a conventional pulsed beam time-of-flight method. The results furnish a value for the relative proton decay width of the analog of the $^{119}\mathrm{Sn}$ ground state: ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{p}|\ensuremath{\Gamma}=0.320\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.015$. The data exhibit the well-known "resonancelike" behavior a few MeV above threshold. Nevertheless, excellent fits to both the magnitude and shape of $\ensuremath{\sigma}(\ensuremath{\theta})$ are obtained with a Lane-model-consistent optical potential, provided that the strength of the neutron absorption potential decreases smoothly in a realistic way with decreasing neutron energy. This modified neutron potential also gives improved fits to low-energy neutron elastic scattering and reaction cross section data.
Phase Diagram of Cuprate High-Temperature Superconductors Described by a Field Theory Based on Anharmonic Oxygen Degrees of Freedom

In high temperature superconductors, although some phenomena such as the Mott transition (MT) at low doping are clearly driven by electron correlations, recent experimental data imply that anharmonic oxygen degrees of freedom---characteristic of perovskite materials---are playing a significant role. A key test of the role of anharmonic oxygen is to reproduce the complex cuprate phase diagram from a simple model. Here, we show that a field theory based on nonlinear coupling to anharmonic oxygens, parametrized from ab initio calculations, quantitatively reproduces the cuprate phase diagram for dopings above the MT. Pairing is mediated by renormalized oxygen vibrations transmuted into excitations of the pseudogap. The observed strong dependence of gap to transition temperature ratio on ${T}_{c}$ also emerges from this field theory. This work suggests that including vibrational degrees of freedom is key to developing a complete understanding of the cuprates.
Representations of information structures

In many problems of design of mechanisms and multi-agent systems, the system designer has control over the information environment. What is the optimal design given the goals of the system designer? We discuss several ways of representing information structures. Each representation simplifies a particular class of optimization problems over information structures; we discuss current and potential applications of these representations.
Integrated Fluxgate Magnetometer for Use in Isolated Current Sensing

This paper presents two integrated magnetic sensor ICs for isolated current measurement that have a fluxgate magnetometer co-integrated along with circuitry on a die. The integrated fluxgate has a sensitivity of 250 V/T and a 500 ksps readout circuit and requires only 5.4 mW for fluxgate excitation, which is 20x more power-efficient than the state of the art. The fluxgate magnetometer was used to realize the first fully integrated sensor IC for closed-loop current sensing. It achieves a dynamic range of 112 dB and a nonlinearity below 0.03%. A second realization provides a precision magnetic sensor IC that can be used for open-loop and differential-field current sensing. It features a sensor gain variation of 0.04% (1-sigma), a nonlinearity below 0.2%, a bandwidth of 47 kHz, and a dynamic range of 100 dB.
Results Analysis of HIV Sentinel Surveillance among Drug Addicts in Detention in Nanchang Area

[Objective]To understand the epidemiological characteristics of drug addicts in detention in Nanchang city,analyze the risk factors of HCV infection in this population,provide the evidence for making the control measures. [Methods]The data of HIV sentinel surveillance among drug addicts in detention in 2010 were adopted.The demographic and behavioral characteristics of 800 drug addicts were analyzed with descriptive statistical methods.The risk factors of HCV infection was analyzed with non-conditional logistic regression. [Results]77.87% of drug addicts in detention were injection drug users,50.08% had shared syringes,and 34.88% had commercial sexual behavior.There were 2 HIV-positive patients,7 patients with syphilis and 233(29.12%) HCV-positive patients.Less drug injection times can reduce the risk of HCV infection among drug addicts. [Conclusion]The rate of syringes sharing and HCV infection rate was high in drug addicts in this area.The effective control measures which can reduce the drug injection times and rate of syringes sharing among drug addicts can decrease the risk of HCV infection.
Safety of epidural steroid injections

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Epidural steroid injections (ESI) are a commonly utilized treatment for cervical and lumbar radicular pain. All medical procedures and medications carry an inherent level of risk, that must be balanced with the effectiveness of the treatment to determine the risk to benefit ratio for a patient.Areas covered: This article will outline the risks of ESIs and in doing so help shed light on the procedural risks versus the risks of the medication. Additionally, it will help differentiate minor adverse events from significant permanent complications.Expert Opinion: Catastrophic complications of ESI such as paralysis and stroke unquestionably warrant the recent increased attention given to the safety of these injections. While a single major complication is unacceptable, the relative rate of these major complications must be put in prospective. The true rate is small enough that it is impossible to calculate. All cases are limited to case reports and not detected in even the largest publishe...
Study of HIV-1 subtype diversity and drug resistance among antiretroviral treatment-naive patients in Hefei district

Objective To understand the genetic subtypes and drug resistance associated mutations of HIV-1 stains currently circulating among antiretroviral treatment-naive patients in Hefei.Methods Seventy-nine HIV-1-infected treatment-naive individuals living in Hefei were sampled and their plasma was collected.HIV-1 pol gene were amplified by nest RT-PCR,sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed.Drug-resistance associated mutations in protease and reverse transcriptase regions were analyzed with Standford University HIV/AIDS Drug Resistance Database.Results CRF01-AE predominated in Hefei with 60.0%,followed by CRF07-BC(32.3%),subtype B(6.2%),CRF08-BC(1.5%).The mutation conferring primary and secondary resistance to protease inhibitors(PIs) were detected in 1(1.5%) of 65 treatment-naive individuals; whereas the mutations conferring resistance to reverse transcriptase inhibitors(RTIs) were identified in 2(3.1%) of 65 treatment-naive individuals.The whole rate of drug resistance mutation was about 4.6%(3/65).Conclusions Major genetic subtypes of HIV-1 in Hefei at present were CRF01-AE and CRF07-BC.The prevalence of genotypic drug resistance was low among treatment-naive HIV-1 infected patient in Hefei.
Monitoring and analysis on rural drinking water in Jiangdu city 2008-2010

[Objective]To learn the status of water quality of rural centralized water supply in Jiangdu city,find out the potential factors that affect public health,and actively carry out the effective measures,in order to improve water quality and control the water-related diseases such as waterborne infectious diseases.[Methods]The statistical methods were applied to analyze the monitoring data of water samples collected from 2008 to 2010.[Results]① A total of 1005 water samples were collected during the three years,777 were qualified with the qualified rate of 77.31%.The annual qualified rate was respectively 65.63%(210/320),77.58%(256/330) and 87.61%(311/355),and the difference was significant(P0.01).②22 612 item times were detected in three years,and the total qualified rate was 98.50%.The qualified rate of turbidity,manganese,iron,ammonia nitrogen,total bacterial count was 96.59%,89.81%,93.04%,99.72%,and 98.00%,respectively.The qualified rates in other indexes were 100%.③The qualified rate of water samples in the dry seasons and the wet seasons was 87.66% and 72.74%,respectively.④The qualified rate of un-treatment samples,water samples with deposition treatment and water samples with complete treatment was 55.55%,73.33% and 80.38%,respectively.⑤The qualified rate of surface water samples and ground water samples was 68.13% and 80.37%,respectively.[Conclusion]The qualified rates of water samples increase year by year.The qualified rate in the dry seasons is higher than that in the wet seasons.The qualified rate of water samples with complete treatment is higher than that of un-treatment samples and water samples with deposition treatment.The qualified rate of ground water samples is higher than that of surface water samples.
In vitro testing of antimicrobial agents.

SUMMARY Indications for determining the inhibitory activity of an antimicrobial agent are well defined, and the data provided by such testing are useful for guiding therapy in a cost-effective manner. Susceptibility test methods with inhibition as an endpoint are standardized, and guidelines regarding methodology, quality control, and reporting are published. The ultimate decision concerning reporting, however, should be made jointly by clinical microbiologists, members of the hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics or Infection Control Committee, and infectious disease clinicians. The NCCLS also has published tentative guidelines regarding methods for determining bactericidal activity of antimicrobial agents. Given the many biologic and technical variables that influence these tests, standardization is critical for appropriate interpretation of results. In contrast to tests that measure inhibition, however, the clinical value of bactericidal testing is poorly defined, and additional information gained by conducting well-designed, prospective, blinded clinical trials is needed. Methods for determining synergism/antagonism have not been standardized, which makes interpreting results and comparing results of tests performed at different institutions difficult. With the exception of detecting high-level aminoglycoside resistance in enterococci as a means to predict synergism between these drugs and cell wall-active agents, the clinical relevance of assessing synergism is not well documented.
Plant-Based Nutraceutical Increases Plasma Catalase Activity in Healthy Participants: A Small Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Proof of Concept Trial.

ABSTRACTOxidative stress resulting from dietary, lifestyle and environmental factors is strongly associated with tissue damage and aging. It occurs when there is either an overproduction of reactive oxygen species (i.e., oxidants) or decreased bioavailability of antioxidants that can scavenge them. The objective of this 12-week double-blind placebo-controlled study was to assess the efficacy of a nutraceutical at augmenting antioxidant status. Healthy adults (25–45 y) were randomized to either a treatment group (Product B, n = 23) or a placebo group (control, n = 20). No significant effect of Product B was observed for anthropometric variables or markers of glucose and lipid regulation. Biomarkers of oxidative stress were likewise not altered following the 12-week intervention. Plasma catalase concentrations were significantly elevated following 12 weeks of Product B as compared to the control group (+6.1 vs. −10.3 nmol/min/mL, p = 0.038), whereas other measures of antioxidant capacity were not significan...
The Shaping of Tuscany: Landscape and Society between Tradition and Modernity

To its many tourists and visitors, the Tuscan landscape evokes a sense of timelessness and harmony. Yet, the upheavals of the twentieth century profoundly reshaped rural Tuscany. Uncovering the experiences of ordinary people, Professor Gaggio traces the history of Tuscany to show how the region's modern conflicts and aspirations have contributed to forging its modern-day beauty. He demonstrates how the rise of Fascism was particularly violent in rural Tuscany, and how struggles between Communist sharecroppers and their landlords raged long after the end of the dictatorship. The flight from the farms in the 1950s and 1960s disorientated many Tuscans, prompting ambitious development projects, and in more recent decades the emergence of the heritage industry has raised the spectre of commodification. This book tells the story of how many Tuscans themselves have become tourists in their own land – forced to adapt to rapid change and reinvent their landscape in the process.
Compression Myelopathy due to Typhoid Spondylodiscitis

This is a condition of spinal infection by Salmonella typhi, resulting in spondylodiscitis and epidural abscess resulting in compression myelopathy.
Postoperative Analgesia in Morbid Obesity: An Overview of Multimodal Analgesia and Complimentary Therapies

Morbidly obese patients have profound alterations in both their physiology and anatomy, which modulates their analgesic requirements. While opioids are the mainstay of acute postoperative analgesia, concerns on optimal dosing and side effect profiles call for multimodal techniques in this population. In addition, the surge in popularity of naturaceutical supplements for various ailments including weight loss and pain add yet another layer of complexity. It is prudent to become familiar with best practices on postoperative pain management as applicable to morbidly obese patients, and commonly used herbals. Many herbals interact with medications commonly utilized in the perioperative setting for analgesia and anxiolysis. This chapter will focus on opioid, nonopioid, peripheral, neuraxial, and various complementary alternative medicine techniques.
Avoiding Paradigm-Based Limits to Knowledge of Evolution

Since Darwin (1859) first proposed that evolution proceeds by natural selection, we have learned much about it. The founding of population genetic theory (summaries: Fisher, 1958; Haldane, 1932; Wright, 1931) showed the genetic feasibility of natural selection, removing a major objection to Darwin’s theory (Provine, 1971), and led to extended study of population genetic phenomena (e.g., Nei, 1987; Hartl and Clark, 1989). The “Modern Synthesis” (Jepsen et al., 1949; Mayr and Provine, 1980) brought paleontology and systematics together with population genetics to endorse Darwin’s insights and, many thought, to lay the foundation of steady progress in understanding.
Synthesis and crystal structure of cerium(IV) bis-(phosphite).

The structure of cerium(IV) bis­(phosphite), Ce(HPO3)2, has been solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and has trigonal (P-3m1) symmetry. The cerium(IV) cation exhibits site symmetry -3m. and is octa­hedrally coordinated by O atoms of the phosphite ligands (point group symmetry 3m.). The highly symmetrical compound has a layered structure parallel to the ab plane, and is closely related to zirconium(IV) bis­(phosphite) solved via powder X-ray diffraction with trigonal (P-3 symmetry. Structural details of the two compounds are comparatively discussed.
Complexity of routing problems with release dates and deadlines

Abstract The desire of companies to offer same-day delivery leads to interesting new routing optimization problems. We study the complexity of single depot dispatching problems in which a delivery to a customer must occur within a pre-specified time after the customer places the order. Thus, each order has a release date (when the order can be dispatched from the depot) and a service guarantee that implies a deadline (when the order needs to be delivered). A vehicle delivering an order cannot depart the depot before the order is released, and must arrive at the customer at or before the order’s deadline. We show that single and multiple vehicle variants where customers are located on a half-line can be solved to optimality in polynomial time. This setting, as well as our results, generalize those found in Archetti, Feillet, and Speranza (2015).
Debridement of Central TFCC Tears

The radiocarpal and midcarpal components of the wrist joint are capable of significant freedom of movement and act as a universal joint. The forearm architecture and distal radial ulnar joint (DRUJ) allow rotation through 180 degrees of pronation and supination to further enhance the arm’s ability to position the hand in a vast array of functional positions. The triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) extends the articular surface of the concave distal radius over the convex head of the distal ulna. The motion of each component of this multifaceted joint is extremely complex. Movements involve rotation, translation with shifting axis of movement, and changing points of load transmission. Further, because no muscle is attached to the carpal bones, they are loaded by the geometry of the distal radius and ulna. Stability is provided instead by the intrinsic and extrinsic ligaments, and motion is generated by the carpal bones being pushed or pulled into position. Wrist arthroscopy has made a significant contribution to the diagnosis and treatment of injury to the wrist. With minimal incision and no disruption to the major ligaments of the wrist, the arthroscope provides an unparalleled view of the interior of the wrist joint. Injury of the TFCC can affect the function of both radiocarpal and distal radial ulnar joints. Arthroscopy is especially useful in both the diagnosis and treatment of injury to the TFCC.
Syringeal Structure and Avian Phonation

Studies of syringeal function have historically been hampered by two difficulties, one technical and one perceptual. The technical difficulty is that because the syrinx is at the base of a long trachea and because its functioning is distorted if the surrounding interclavicular airsac is ruptured, direct observation of natural syringeal function has so far proved impossible. Hence, all analyses of syringeal function are based on indirect evidence. Such evidence may be obtained from dissections, manipulations of extracted syrinxes, models, analyses of physiological events associated with phonation, or analyses of the sounds produced.
Experience with Plerixafor in Poor Mobilizers

Using traditional growth factor or chemotherapy-based stem cell mobilization methods, the ability to obtain a stem cell dose that meets the minimum criteria for safety, much less the optimal dose, which increases patients’ tolerance and salutary long-term outcome may be ineffective in up to one third of patients. The FDA approval of plerixafor, an antagonist of the α-chemokine receptor CXCR4 for use with G-CSF, was based on its proven ability to enhance peripheral blood and apheresis collection CD34+ cell content. The current body of experience for this agent provides a toolkit of varied strategies by which patients already proven to be unable to collect or those predicted unlikely to mobilize may yet obtain sufficient cells to receive high dose therapy as planned. This chapter will review the currently available clinical data that illustrates the potential benefit of plerixafor in poorly mobilizing patients and will explore the international experience of this drug in combination with G-CSF or chemotherapy-based mobilization and remobilization treatment protocols.
Impact of acute diabetes decompensation on outcomes of diabetic patients admitted with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Acute hyperglycemia is associated with worse outcomes in diabetic patients admitted with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, the impact of full-scale decompensated diabetes on STEMI outcomes has not been investigated. We utilized the national inpatient sample (2003–2014) to identify adult diabetic patients admitted with STEMI. We defined decompensated diabetes as the presence of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS). We compared in-hospital morbidity and mortality and cost between patients with and without diabetes decompensation before and after propensity-score matching. A total of 73,722 diabetic patients admitted with STEMI were included in the study. Of those, 1131 (1.5%) suffered DKA or HSS during the hospitalization. After propensity-score matching, DKA/HHS remained associated with a significant 32% increase in in-hospital mortality (25.6% vs. 19.4%, p = 0.001). The DKA/HHS group also had higher incidences of acute kidney injury (39.4% vs. 18.9%, p < 0.001), sepsis (7.3% vs. 4.9%, p = 0.022), blood transfusion (11.3% vs. 8.2%) and a non-significant trend towards higher incidence of stroke (3.8% vs. 2.4%, p = 0.087). Also, DKA/HHS diagnosis was associated with lower rates of referral to coronary angiography (51.5% vs. 55.5%, p = 0.023), coronary stenting (26.1% vs. 34.8%, p < 0.001), or bypass grafting (6.2% vs. 8.7%, p = 0.033). Referral for invasive angiography was associated with lower odds of death during the hospitalization (adjusted OR 0.66, 95%CI 0.44-0.98, p = 0.039). Decompensated diabetes complicates ~ 1.5% of STEMI admissions in diabetic patients. It is associated with lower rates of referral for angiography and revascularization, and a negative differential impact on in-hospital morbidity and mortality and cost.
The Role of Hyperbaric Oxygen as Salvage Therapy for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Objective:We sought to evaluate hearing outcomes after salvage therapy with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) for the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL).Study Design:Matched control retrospective case series.Setting:Tertiary neurotology referral center.Patients:Thirty-six patients (>18 years) diagnosed with SSNHL.Intervention:Patients received initial therapy with oral and/or intratympanic (IT) steroids with an incomplete response. Eighteen patients underwent salvage therapy with IT steroids and HBO2 (group 1). Eighteen matched controls underwent salvage therapy with IT steroids alone (group 2).Main outcome measures:The main outcome measure was improvement in pure tone average (PTA) and word recognition score (WRS). Complications as a result of therapy were also monitored.Results:There were no significant differences in age, gender, or hearing between the 2 groups (P > .05). There was no significant difference in mean post-treatment PTA between group 1 (60.3 dB) and group 2 (53.2 dB). There wer...
The Separation of Production

This chapter presents how a group of films were separated from the mainstream in the 1990s from the production end. The appearance of independent production, enabled by the film industry reforms as well as the courage of individuals, was the driving force behind the rise of the second art wave. The new mode of independent filmmaking preferred certain subject matters and stylistic choices, which inspired other in-system film productions to follow. Unlike the first art wave of the Fifth Generation cinema, the second art wave was denied legitimacy domestically and had to rely on international film festival circuits for survival. Consciously aligned with other youth subcultures and forms of modern art, the second art wave gained its alternative positioning, which helped to consolidate the art cinema as a whole.
Abstract 425: Resistin induced Differential Global Protein Expression in Human Macrophage

Background: Human resistin synthesized by macrophages is shown to be associated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, and chronic inflammation. However, there are several missi...
MiR-144 mediates Nrf2 inhibition and alveolar epithelial dysfunction in HIV-1 transgenic rats

Chronic HIV infection causes redox stress and increases the risk of acute and chronic lung injury, even when individuals are adherent to antiretroviral therapy. HIV-1 transgene expression in rats i...
Simulating Motion - Incorporating Spatial Consistency into NYUSIM Channel Model

This paper describes an implementation of spatial consistency in the NYUSIM channel simulation platform. NYUSIM is a millimeter wave (mmWave) channel simulator that realizes measurement-based channel models based on a wide range of multipath channel parameters, including realistic multipath time delays and multipath components that arrive at different 3-D angles in space, and generates life-like samples of channel impulse responses (CIRs) that statistically match those measured in the real world. To properly simulate channel impairments and variations for adaptive antenna algorithms or channel state feedback, channel models should implement spatial consistency which ensures correlated channel responses over short time and distance epochs. The ability to incorporate spatial consistency into channel simulators will be essential to explore the ability to train and deploy massive multiple- input and multiple-output (MIMO) and multi-user beamforming in next-generation mobile communication systems. This paper implements spatial consistency in NYUSIM for when a user is moving in a square area with the side length 15 m. The spatial consistency extension will enable NYUSIM to generate realistic evolutions of temporal and spatial characteristics of the wideband CIRs for mobile users in motion, or for multiple users who are in close proximity to one another.