cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil in young adults.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil is rare in people under 40 years of age. Only 11 cases have been treated at the M.D. Anderson Hospital since 1944. Their 5-year survival was decreased (14%) when compared to the total group of patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil (48%). Young adults had higher clinical staging than the total group. Ninety-one percent of the young patients had neck nodal metastasis, with 55% staged N3. Of the entire group, 76% had neck nodal metastasis with 23% staged N3. Case histories indicate a lack of suspicion of tonsillar cancer on the part of patients and physicians. The average total delay from symptoms to diagnosis was 11 months. Response rates of radiotherapy alone were excellent (no failures) in patients with staging T1, T2, TX, N0, and N1. However, five (45%) of the 11 young patients had T3 or T4 primaries and all died, four with regional failure. Six of the 11 young patients had N3 staging and five of these died, all with regional failure except one. Planned combined treatment should be used more frequently in young adults with high staging.
An upwind differencing scheme for the equations of ideal magnetohydrodynamics

Abstract Recently, upwind differencing schemes have become very popular for solving hyperbolic partial differential equations, especially when discontinuities exist in the solutions. Among many upwind schemes successfully applied to the problems in gas dynamics, Roe's method stands out for its relative simplicity and clarity of the underlying physical model. In this paper, an upwind differencing scheme of Roe-type for the MHD equations is constructed. In each computational cell, the problem is first linearized around some averaged state which preserves the flux differences. Then the solution is advanced in time by computing the wave contributions to the flux at the cell interfaces. One crucial task of the linearization procedure is the construction of a Roe matrix. For the special case γ = 2, a Roe matrix in the form of a mean value Jacobian is found, and for the general case, a simple averaging procedure is introduced. All other necessary ingredients of the construction, which include eigenvalues, and a complete set of right eigenvectors of the Roe matrix and decomposition coefficients are presented. As a numerical example, we chose a coplanar MHD Riemann problem. The problem is solved by the newly constructed second-order upwind scheme as well as by the Lax-Friedrichs, the Lax-Wendroff, and the flux-corrected transport schemes. The results demonstrate several advantages of the upwind scheme. In this paper, we also show that the MHD equations are nonconvex. This is a contrast to the general belief that the fast and slow waves are like sound waves in the Euler equations. As a consequence, the wave structure becomes more complicated; for example, compound waves consisting of a shock and attached to it a rarefaction wave of the same family can exist in MHD.
To go or not to go: the "itchy" effect on the destiny of hematopoietic stem cells.

Protein ubiquitylation is an evolutionarily conserved post-translational covalent modification that forms an isopeptide bond between the activated ubiquitin and the target protein 1. It is consisted of three-step enzymatic processes involving E1 ubiquitin-activating enzymes, ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s), and E3 ubiqutin ligases (E3s). E3s contribute to the specificity of this system by selectively targeting a particular target(s) and to the regulation of many cellular physiological processes such as cell proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation. Aberrant expression or dysfunction of E3s results in autoimmune diseases, tumorigenesis, and neurodegenerative disorders. However, it is not until recently that some E3s are recognized to function in the homeostasis of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) 2, 3, 4, 5.
Measurement of moisture outgassing of the plastic-bonded TATB explosive LX-17

Abstract Moisture outgassing during isothermal heating of LX-17, a plastic-bonded explosive consisting of 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB), was monitored. A moisture outgassing measurement system was constructed to directly monitor the water vapor released from the heated material in real time using an aluminum oxide probe mounted in the stainless steel sample chamber. The total pressure in the sample chamber was also monitored. After an initial high vacuum pump down at room temperature and nitrogen backfill, solid samples were heated and monitored for 2 weeks at 65 °C. Moisture outgassing occurred mainly in the first 10–20 h, reaching approximately 50–70 ppm (parts water per million parts LX-17). The total pressure exceeded the water vapor partial pressure, indicating that outgassing of other species occurred. Good agreement (within an order of magnitude) with previous moisture outgassing studies on TATB-based materials was demonstrated. In addition, the data appeared to validate use of a recently developed kinetic model for predicting moisture outgassing rates of solid TATB formulations.
Associations with Intraocular Pressure in Latinos: The Los Angeles Latino Eye Study

Purpose To evaluate the association of biologic factors with intraocular pressure (IOP) in a Latino population. Design Population-based cross-sectional study. Methods Latinos 40 years and older (n = 5,958) from the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study without a history of ocular hypotensive treatment underwent an interviewer-administered questionnaire and a complete ocular and clinical examination. IOP was obtained by applanation tonometry and was based on the mean of three measurements. Multivariable regression models were used to evaluate the independent association of biological factors with IOP. Results Higher systolic blood pressure, higher central corneal thickness, and diabetes mellitus were the major factors associated with elevated IOP. Other positively correlated variables included age, female gender, higher diastolic blood pressure, larger body mass index, darker colored irides, and nuclear sclerosis. Axial length and family history of glaucoma had no association with IOP. Conclusions Several systemic and ocular characteristics are associated with elevated IOP in Latinos. By identifying and recognizing these risk factors, we can define subgroups of the population that may be most at risk of having elevated IOP.
An update on the use of health information technology in newborn screening.

Newborn screening (NBS) has high‐stakes health implications and requires rapid and effective communication between many people and organizations. Multiple NBS stakeholders worked together to create national guidance for reporting NBS results with HL7 (Health Level 7) messages that contain LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes) and SNOMED-CT (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine–Clinical Terms) codes, report quantitative test results, and use standardized computer‐readable UCUM units of measure. This guidance (a LOINC panel and an example annotated HL7 message) enables standard HL7 v2.5.1 laboratory messages to carry the information required for reporting NBS results. Other efforts include HL7 implementation guides for reporting point-of-care (POC) NBS results as well as standardizing follow-up of patients diagnosed with conditions identified through NBS. If the guidance is used nationally, regional and national registries can aggregate results from state programs to facilitate research and quality assurance and help ensure continuity of operations following a disaster situation.
Three stimuli for visual motion perception compared

Two arrangements yielding induced motion were used to explore the relative effectiveness of three stimulus conditions known to produce perception of motion—namely, image displacement, ocular pursuit, and object-relative displacement. In these arrangements, object-relative displacement, which resulted in induced motion, was in conflict either with ocular pursuit or with image displacement. The outcomes of these conflicts were determined by measuring the extent of induced motion. Image displacement proved more effective in competing with object-relative displacement than did ocular pursuit, which in one arrangement yielded to object-relative displacement entirely. The same pattern of results was obtained both with the usual arrangement of the moving-center type and with a stationary-center display.
Adjustment of heterosexual and homosexual couples in pairing relationships: An exploratory study

Abstract An exploratory study was conducted to examine the level of success of heterosexual and homosexual couples in their “permanent” pairing relationships. Subjects completed seven self‐report measures of various aspects of their relationships. All couples showed high levels of success; however, homosexual couples had significantly lower levels compared to married couples. Homosexual females had significantly lower scores on self‐esteem and generalized contentment, suggesting that being lesbian and a woman may be a twofold problem. Some evidence of cross gender sex‐role endorsement occurred in all three groups but not in homosexual subjects exclusively as is the societal expectation.
Prevention of Influenza Pneumonitis by Sialic Acid–Conjugated Dendritic Polymers

Influenza A viral infection begins by hemagglutinin glycoproteins on the viral envelope binding to cell membrane sialic acid (SA). Free SA monomers cannot block hemagglutinin adhesion in vivo because of toxicity. Polyvalent, generation 4 (G4) SA-conjugated polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer (G4-SA) was evaluated as a means of preventing adhesion of 3 influenza A subtypes (H1N1, H2N2, and H3N2). In hemagglutination-inhibition assays, G4-SA was found to inhibit all H3N2 and 3 of 5 H1N1 influenza subtype strains at concentrations 32-170 times lower than those of SA monomers. In contrast, G4-SA had no ability to inhibit hemagglutination with H2N2 subtypes or 2 of 5 H1N1 subtype strains. In vivo experiments showed that G4-SA completely prevented infection by a H3N2 subtype in a murine influenza pneumonitis model but was not effective in preventing pneumonitis caused by an H2N2 subtype. Polyvalent binding inhibitors have potential as antiviral therapeutics, but issues related to strain specificity must be resolved.
Comparative study of name disambiguation problem using a scalable blocking-based framework

In this paper, we consider the problem of ambiguous author names in bibliographic citations, and comparatively study alternative approaches to identify and correct such name variants (e.g., "Vannevar Bush" and "V. Vush"). Our study is based on a scalable two-step framework, where step 1 is to substantially reduce the number of candidates via blocking, and step 2 is to measure the distance of two names via coauthor information. Combining four blocking methods and seven distance measures on four data sets, we present extensive experimental results, and identify combinations that are scalable and effective to disambiguate author names in citations.
Structural basis of membrane binding by Gla domains of vitamin K-dependent proteins.

In a calcium-dependent interaction critical for blood coagulation, vitamin K–dependent blood coagulation proteins bind cell membranes containing phosphatidylserine via γ-carboxyglutamic acid–rich (Gla) domains. Gla domain–mediated protein-membrane interaction is required for generation of thrombin, the terminal enzyme in the coagulation cascade, on a physiologic time scale. We determined by X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy the lysophosphatidylserine-binding site in the bovine prothrombin Gla domain. The serine head group binds Gla domain–bound calcium ions and Gla residues 17 and 21, fixed elements of the Gla domain fold, predicting the structural basis for phosphatidylserine specificity among Gla domains. Gla domains provide a unique mechanism for protein-phospholipid membrane interaction. Increasingly Gla domains are being identified in proteins unrelated to blood coagulation. Thus, this membrane-binding mechanism may be important in other physiologic processes.
Arrestees' perceived needs for substance-specific treatment: exploring urban-rural differences.

An interview study among a group of arrestees in seven county jails was conducted in the state of Ohio between June 1999 and September 2001, examining the prevalence of alcohol and drug dependence within the group and assessing the need for substance-abuse treatment. Four of the county jails where interviews were conducted are in urban areas, and three are in rural areas. The present study focused on demographic variables, situation-related factors, current drug dependence diagnoses, past treatment experience, and jail location–rural or urban. It sought to assess whether these factors predicted arrestees' perceived needs for substance-specific treatment (for alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and/or opiate addiction); and, further, whether any predictors of a perceived need for treatment would be identical for arrestees housed in rural jails and those housed in urban jails. The results show that some of the factors assessed do exert differential effects on rural and urban arrestees' perceived needs for substanc...
The methodologic quality of clinical trials on regional anesthesia for cataract surgery

Abstract Objective To assess the methodologic quality of published randomized trials of regional anesthesia management strategies for cataract surgery. Design Literature review and analysis. Method We performed a systematic search of the literature to identify all articles pertaining to regional anesthesia for cataract surgery on adults. Overall quality scores and scores for individual methodologic domains were based on the evaluations of two investigators experienced in methodologic research who independently reviewed all relevant articles using a quality abstraction form. Main outcome measures Study quality in each of five domains: representativeness, bias and confounding, intervention description, outcomes and follow-up, and statistical quality and interpretation. Results Eighty-two randomized clinical trials were identified with a mean overall quality score of 44%. The mean domain scores ranged from 37% for representativeness to 58% for outcomes and follow-up. Forty percent or fewer studies received the maximum score for reporting the setting, the population, and the start and end dates; describing the inclusion and exclusion criteria; adequately randomizing subjects; and adequately masking individuals participating in the study. Key outcomes were often inadequately reported, including the distribution of patient-reported pain scores and the mean surgical time. Conclusions Greater attention to methodologic quality and detailed reporting of study results will improve the ability of readers to interpret the results of clinical trials assessing regional anesthesia for cataract surgery.
Burn wound healing and treatment: review and advancements

Burns are a prevalent and burdensome critical care problem. The priorities of specialized facilities focus on stabilizing the patient, preventing infection, and optimizing functional recovery. Research on burns has generated sustained interest over the past few decades, and several important advancements have resulted in more effective patient stabilization and decreased mortality, especially among young patients and those with burns of intermediate extent. However, for the intensivist, challenges often exist that complicate patient support and stabilization. Furthermore, burn wounds are complex and can present unique difficulties that require late intervention or life-long rehabilitation. In addition to improvements in patient stabilization and care, research in burn wound care has yielded advancements that will continue to improve functional recovery. This article reviews recent advancements in the care of burn patients with a focus on the pathophysiology and treatment of burn wounds.
Constitutive dynein activity in She1 mutants reveals differences in microtubule attachment at the yeast spindle pole body.

The organization of microtubules is determined in most cells by a microtubule-organizing center, which nucleates microtubule assembly and anchors their minus ends. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells lacking She1, cytoplasmic microtubules detach from the spindle pole body at high rates. Increased rates of detachment depend on dynein activity, supporting previous evidence that She1 inhibits dynein. Detachment rates are higher in G1 than in metaphase cells, and we show that this is primarily due to differences in the strengths of microtubule attachment to the spindle pole body during these stages of the cell cycle. The minus ends of detached microtubules are stabilized by the presence of γ-tubulin and Spc72, a protein that tethers the γ-tubulin complex to the spindle pole body. A Spc72–Kar1 fusion protein suppresses detachment in G1 cells, indicating that the interaction between these two proteins is critical to microtubule anchoring. Overexpression of She1 inhibits the loading of dynactin components, but not dynein, onto microtubule plus ends. In addition, She1 binds directly to microtubules in vitro, so it may compete with dynactin for access to microtubules. Overall, these results indicate that inhibition of dynein activity by She1 is important to prevent excessive detachment of cytoplasmic microtubules, particularly in G1 cells.
Limited Joint Mobility in Childhood Diabetes: Discovery, Description, and Decline

Context: The discovery of limited joint mobility (LJM) as the earliest clinically apparent complication of diabetes in children and adolescents nearly 40 years ago provided insights into the mechanism of diabetes complications. Results: LJM, due to periarticular connective tissue thickening and stiffness, varied from single joint involvement bilaterally to obvious hand deformity and limitation of movement of the spine. Thick, tight, waxy skin was apparent with more severe changes; biopsy indicated thickening of the dermis and epidermis with accumulation of collagen and loss of skin appendages. Substantial growth impairment was associated with all levels of LJM. Risk for microvascular disease over a 16-year period was actuarially increased nearly 4-fold by the presence of LJM. Long-term glycemic control influenced the onset of LJM; for every unit increase in average glycated hemoglobin from onset there was a 46% increase in the risk of LJM. Between 1976–78 and 1998, the prevalence of LJM decreased from 30 ...
Human skin pigmentation as an adaptation to UV radiation

Human skin pigmentation is the product of two clines produced by natural selection to adjust levels of constitutive pigmentation to levels of UV radiation (UVR). One cline was generated by high UVR near the equator and led to the evolution of dark, photoprotective, eumelanin-rich pigmentation. The other was produced by the requirement for UVB photons to sustain cutaneous photosynthesis of vitamin D3 in low-UVB environments, and resulted in the evolution of depigmented skin. As hominins dispersed outside of the tropics, they experienced different intensities and seasonal mixtures of UVA and UVB. Extreme UVA throughout the year and two equinoctial peaks of UVB prevail within the tropics. Under these conditions, the primary selective pressure was to protect folate by maintaining dark pigmentation. Photolysis of folate and its main serum form of 5-methylhydrofolate is caused by UVR and by reactive oxygen species generated by UVA. Competition for folate between the needs for cell division, DNA repair, and melanogenesis is severe under stressful, high-UVR conditions and is exacerbated by dietary insufficiency. Outside of tropical latitudes, UVB levels are generally low and peak only once during the year. The populations exhibiting maximally depigmented skin are those inhabiting environments with the lowest annual and summer peak levels of UVB. Development of facultative pigmentation (tanning) was important to populations settling between roughly 23° and 46° , where levels of UVB varied strongly according to season. Depigmented and tannable skin evolved numerous times in hominin evolution via independent genetic pathways under positive selection.
Estimating consequences of three-body forces

Classifying the strengths of three-body forces 3BFs with the condition that observables must be cut-off independent, i.e., renormalized at each order, leads to surprising results with relevance for example for thermal neutron capture on the deuteron. Details and a better bibliography in ref. [1].
Quantum field theory in a colliding plane-wave background

Although linear quantum field theory on the background of a single gravitational plane wave is trivial, colliding plane-wave solutions are likely to feature interesting quantum effects; these might yield insight into similar effects in other more general inhomogeneous and dynamical spacetimes. This paper presents the initial results of an investigation into the behavior of quantum fields in colliding plane-wave backgrounds. Throughout the paper, we restrict our attention to the analysis of quantum field theory on the Khan-Penrose spacetime. Since spacetime is flat before the arrival of either plane wave, there exists a unique, well-defined set of in modes and a corresponding in vacuum state. We introduce a physically plausible prescription for constructing a unique canonical set of out-mode solutions, and we evaluate the Bogolubov transformation between the in and out modes explicitly for a massless scalar field propagating on the Khan-Penrose spacetime. We then use these results to approximately compute the spectrum of created particles in the out region. Next, we study the quantity $〈{T}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}〉\ensuremath{\equiv}〈0, \mathrm{in}|{T}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}|0, \mathrm{in}〉$, the renormalized in-vacuum expectation value of the stress-energy tensor for a massless, conformally coupled ($\ensuremath{\xi}=\frac{1}{6}$) scalar field. In a colliding plane-wave spacetime, $〈{T}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}〉$ vanishes everywhere except in the interaction region. To compute $〈{T}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}〉$ in the interaction region, we make a number of assumptions about its general form; these assumptions are entirely reasonable for the specific geometry of the Khan-Penrose spacetime, but they may not hold for a general colliding plane-wave solution. Combined with the conservation property of $〈{T}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}〉$ and the choice of $\ensuremath{\xi}=\frac{1}{6}$, our assumptions reduce the determination of $〈{T}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}〉$ throughout the interaction region to the solution of a coupled system of first-order partial differential equations for two functions. These equations cannot be solved exactly; but they can be used to obtain crucial information on the behavior of $〈{T}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}〉$ near the singularity of the Khan-Penrose spacetime. Although our method of computing $〈{T}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}〉$ is unlikely to be adequate for other colliding plane-wave solutions we use the information obtained through our calculations to speculate about $〈{T}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}〉$ in more general colliding gravitational-wave spacetimes. We argue that these speculations have important consequences for cosmology, but they must be verified by further calculations.
The functions of commission I of the international scientific radio union

The distinctive task of Commission I of the International Scientific Radio Union (URSI) is to extend the ability of all radio scientists to make valid measurements as a necessary means for the international exchange of scientific and engineering results. The Commission concentrates on: improved measurement methods applicable either to new phenomena or to closer tolerances for familiar phenomena, the highest national and international levels of accuracy, and progress for the long term. The Commission functions by surveying both progress and deficiencies in radio measurements and standards, by evaluating new results for their lasting contribution to the measurement structure of radio, by recommending the general adoption of proven advances and the pursuit of further research to remove deficiencies, and by giving its recommendations force and effect through the efforts of its members. A sketch of the international and national URSI organizations and operations is given. The functions are performed mainly by organizing technical meetings devoted to measurement and instrumentation, by encouraging pertinent publications, and by committee interactions with other international organizations having related interests. The organization has exerted significant impact on time and frequency standards, on international uniformity of radio standards, and on precision coaxial connectors as an aid to more accurate radio techniques.
Neighbourhood food environments: are they associated with adolescent dietary intake, food purchases and weight status?

Neighbourhood environments may influence various health behaviours, including dietary intake. A recent literature review highlighted numerous studies reporting that greater access to neighbourhood grocery stores was associated with better dietary intake and lower obesity rates among adults(1). In contrast, greater access to convenience stores and restaurants, including fast food, has been associated with less favourable diet quality and increased obesity, although the findings are not consistent(2). The distribution of food stores and inequities in access to healthy foods may be a particular concern in the USA(3) and has been widely cited as a promising target for large-scale public health interventions addressing obesity and healthy eating(4). To date, many studies have focused on adults, with less attention on youth(5,6). Given that adolescence is marked by increasing independence over decisions including what to eat, where to go and how to spend money, this may be an important age during which food access affects dietary choices. Although studies among adults have focused primarily on residential access to food outlets, other studies highlight the proliferation of fast food and other food outlets around schools(7–9). Thus, it is important to consider neighbourhoods surrounding both homes and schools to more fully understand environmental influences on youth. In addition, distinguishing between the dose of environmental exposure (i.e. the density of food stores or the number of food stores contained within a given area around one's home or school) v. access (i.e. proximity or distance to the nearest food store) remains poorly understood in this population. The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent to which food outlet proximity and density, particularly around adolescents' homes and schools, was associated with dietary intake, food purchases and weight status.
Adenotonsillectomy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children: Outcome Evaluated by Pre- and Postoperative Polysomnography

Objective:To evaluate the outcome of adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children using objective data from polysomnography supplemented by subjective proxy reports from the OSA-18 quality of life instrument.Study Design:Prospective cohort study.Methods:Children 3 to 14 years of
Estimating network internal link loss behavior from end-to-end multi-cast measurements

We study the use of multi-cast probes to infer network internal loss behavior from losses observed in multi-cast receivers. First part of the paper analyzes the estimation problem based on the assumption that there is no temporal correlation between link losses for different probes. We have applied expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm to this problem. We compared the results of EM with a direct approach developed in R. Cacerer et al. (1999). The second part of the paper is based on the assumption of Markov temporal correlation between packet losses. We applied EM algorithm to this problem with E-step approximated by Gibbs sampling, completely factorized variational and structured variational approximation. We observed from simulation that the links closer to observed nodes give more accurate results and that structured variational approximation improves simple variational approximation results considerably
Perception from the First-Person Perspective

This paper develops a view of the content of perceptual states that reflects the cognitive significance those states have for the subject. Perhaps the most important datum for such a theory is the intuition that experiences are ‘transparent’, an intuition promoted by philosophers as diverse as Sartre and Dretske. This paper distinguishes several different transparency theses, and considers which ones are truly supported by the phenomenological data. It is argued that the only thesis supported by the data is much weaker than those typically considered in the literature, and has no obvious implications for the existence of sensory intermediaries. It does, however, have implications for the content of perceptual experience. It is argued that combining the first personal project with the transparency intuition yields an error theory of perception. The counterintuitive implications of this error theory are mitigated, however, by an account of perceptual beliefs which allows for them to be true even if the perceptual states are non-veridical.
Growth Morphology and Electronic Structure of Ultra-Thin TaOx Films on Ag(100)

A study of the growth morphology and electronic structure of TaOx films on the Ag(100) substrate has been performed to determine the properties of ultra-thin TaOx films without the influence of a mixed interfacial oxide (i.e., a disordered SiO2/TaOx interface for growth on Si). The TaO, films were grown by thermal evaporation of Ta in an oxygen atmosphere of 1 × 101−6 Torr. Growth on a Ag(100) surface held at room temperature results in an amorphous TaOx overlayer, as determined by low energy electron diffraction. The onset of ordering of these films occurs for a post-anneal at ∼500°C. A diffraction pattern that corresponds to a multi-domain overlayer structure is observed for anneals at ∼550°C. Deposition of Ta without oxygen results in the formation of Ta islands. These results indicate that there is a very weak adsorbatesubstrate interaction. Photoemission measurements of the TaOx films show the formation of a band gap with the valence band maximum residing at 3.5 eV below the Fermi level. Core level shifts of ∼3.5 eV are observed for the Ta with no indication of metallic Ta at the surface.
Clinical Application of C-Reactive Protein Across the Spectrum of Acute Coronary Syndromes

Background: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The ability to formulate recommendations regarding clinical use of hsCRP is limited by a paucity of data regarding several key issues. The purpose of this study was to evaluate hsCRP across the spectrum of ACS. Methods: hsCRP was measured on admission in 3225 patients with ACS. hsCRP concentrations were compared in patients who suffered an adverse cardiac outcome within 10 months of study entry and in patients who had no adverse event. Because of heterogeneity in the relationship between hsCRP and clinical outcomes, evaluation was limited to patients from whom samples were collected within 48 h of symptom onset. Results: Patients in the highest quartile of hsCRP compared to those in the lowest quartile were at increased risk of death at 30 days [adjusted hazard ratio (adjHR) 4.6, P 3 mg/L was associated with increased 10-month mortality (adjHR 2.3, P = 0.002), whereas in STEMI a relationship with mortality was seen at hsCRP >10 mg/L (adjHR 3.0, P = 0.008). Increased concentrations of hsCRP were strongly associated with the development of heart failure at 30 days (adjHR 8.2, P = 0.001) and 10 months (adjHR 2.6, P = 0.014). Conclusion: Increased baseline concentrations of hsCRP are strongly associated with mortality and heart failure across the ACS spectrum. hsCRP measurement should be performed early after presentation and index diagnosis-specific cutpoints should be used.
Student Engagement and Student Learning: Testing the Linkages.

This study examines (1) the extent to which student engagement is associated with experimental and traditional measures of academic performance, (2) whether the relationships between engagement and academic performance are conditional, and (3) whether institutions differ in terms of their ability to convert student engagement into academic performance. The sample consisted of 1058 students at 14 four-year colleges and universities that completed several instruments during 2002. Many measures of student engagement were linked positively with such desirable learning outcomes as critical thinking and grades, although most of the relationships were weak in strength. The results suggest that the lowest-ability students benefit more from engagement than classmates, first-year students and seniors convert different forms of engagement into academic achievement, and certain institutions more effectively convert student engagement into higher performance on critical thinking tests.
Analytical compensation for spatially variant detector response in SPECT with varying focal-length fan-beam collimators

The authors present a new method to compensate for the spatially variant detector response in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with varying focal-length fan-beam (VFF) geometry. In this method, the deblurred projection is explicitly expressed as an integral of the collimator blurred data and the fully calibrated system kernel matrix with certain transforms. It needs a little more computation time than the conventional filtering techniques but provides much more accurate compensation. This method also represents a unified framework for detector response compensation in parallel-hole fan-beam and VFF SPECT with a circular scan orbit.
Development of a Protolype Anthropomorphic Ultrasound Phantom: 1992 CIVCO/SDMS Innovation in Ultrasound Award

The objective of this project was to develop inexpensive, portable, anthropomorphic ultrasound phantoms that can be readily reproduced for use in sonography education programs. Hydrophilic organic polymer, water, polyester fiberfill, latex and nylon tubing have been used to construct prototype phantoms of a pediatric upper and lower abdomen, adult female pelvis, and adult neck regions. A nontoxic, biodegradable, hydrophilic organic polymer in a 1:12 ratio with water produced suitable primary construction media. Images obtained of the prototype phantoms were judged by experienced sonographers to adequately simulate human ultrasonic images. The sound propagation speed through the organic polymer was equivalent to that of soft tissue. Using this technique, sonographic imaging in representative human body regions may be simulated using inexpensive organic polymer and consumer products. Phantom portability and ease of construction facilitates use of this design for demonstrations and hands-on scanning exercise...
Political Information Technology and Public Choice: Background

When voters vote, their choices are influenced by what they know about candidates. What is not known is similarly influential. What voters know and do not know depends on how much it costs to become informed politically. Individuals take into consideration the costs of political information in political transactions, just as in the market.
Some Rheological Aspects of the Peel Strength of Rubbery Adhesives

Abstract The strength of adhesion between two types of SBS triblock elastomer and polyethylene terephthalate (Mylar) has been measured using a peeling geometry. Three aspects of the measured strength have been studied: its dependence upon thickness of the elastomeric adhesive layer, its dependence upon the speed of peeling, and the occurrence in some circumstances of tearing failure of the elastomer, rather than interfacial separation. The bond with the stiffer SBS elastomer (Kraton 1101) had a peel strength that was independent of thickness over the range studied: 0.1–6 mm. However, the peel strength with the softer SBS material (Kraton 3202) increased linearly with thickness before reaching a constant value at thicknesses greater than about 2 mm. This difference in the dependence of the peel strength upon thickness of the adhesive layer for the two elastomers is attributed to the formation of a relatively thin plastically-yielded layer at the peel front in the former case but not in the latter. The depe...
Budget Stabilization Fund in Interaction with Balanced Budget Requirements

In this chapter, I examine how the budget stabilization fund (BSF) interacts with balanced budget requirements (BBR); that is, in what way and to what extent the saving behavior of state governments is affected by the adoption of the stabilization fund in a BBR environment. While BBR are a long-standing institution, BSF is new. Though these two budgetary institutions were adopted for different reasons, both could have exerted substantive influences on state saving behavior, depending on the unique design features of the two in each state. This chapter empirically tests the effects of BSF and BBR on state savings covering three economic cycles. The 25-year (1979–2003) panel data also include information on state economy, social services, politics, and economic cycles. The results show that the adoption of a BSF can raise state savings level by 2.5% points; however, the effects depend crucially on the design of BSF, and that BBR rules requiring state own-source revenue to match budgeted expenditures and requiring the legislature to pass a balanced budget may also boost the savings level.
The environmental distribution of canine respiratory tract neoplasms.

The environmental distribution of 51 canine patients with primary carcinoma of lungs and bronchi, 57 with carcinoma of nasal passages and paranasal sinuses and 57 with carcinoma of the tonsil was determined. A control group consisted of 74 dogs with neoplasms of the stomach and intestine. The environment was divided into urban and rural segments based on atmospheric pollution data and industrialization concentration around Philadelphia. No significant differences were noted in the patient distribution between urban and rural zones for cancer of the lungs and bronchi or nose and sinuses compared to patients with gastrointestinal neoplasia or total hospital population, A significant urban association was calculated for dogs with tonsillar carcinoma, 73.7% of which resided in the urban zone compared to 60.8% of the total population and 47.4% of dogs with gastrointestinal neoplasms.
Dissecting a volcano

Eruption forecasting is a central goal in volcanology. In recent years, eruption forecasts have achieved great success due to the increased monitoring of active volcanoes. However, understanding the physical processes responsible for volcanic unrest remains a challenge. In the January issue of American Mineralogist , Viccaro et al. (2016) linked signals of seismic unrest to magma mixing events responsible for the 2010 eruption at Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland. Their study represents a multi-disciplinary effort in which integration of petrological and geophysical observations leads to a better understanding of how volcanoes work, by providing a look into Eyjafjallajokull’s magmatic plumbing system and estimates of its magmatic ascent rates. This information is key to interpreting monitoring data and successfully forecasting eruptions.
Truth without Action: The Myth of Higher-Education Accountability

This reflection utilizes Kevin Casey’s 2007 article, Truth without Action, as a springboard to address contemporary issues related to autonomy, accountability and accreditation in higher-education. With escalating costs, rising unemployment and deepening consumer debt, it is natural for government officials to seek out a cause, or more accurately, a scape-goat for the evolving crisis. Over the last few decades, starting with A Time for Results in 1980, following with The State Post-secondary Review Entities (SPREs) in 1992; and continuing with the Spellings Commission on the Future of Higher Education Report in 2006, federal agents have politicized American education and issued indictments against higher-education. Tuition costs are too high, graduation rates are too low and student learning-outcomes remain ineffable. With the recent re-election of President Obama, “the Education Department will continue to play an active role in regulating and attempting to influence colleges and universities.” (Nelson, 2012) Amy Laitinen, deputy director for higher-education at the New America Foundation and former Education Department policy advisor, recently stated, “The President himself, not just his advisors, is very interested in the college cost and the college outcome issue.” (Nelson, 2012)
Endoscopic sinus surgery on chronic sinusitis

Objective To evaluate the effect and influence factor of endoscopic sinus surgery(ESS) on chronic sinusitis.Method 260 cases with chronic sinusitis treated with ESS were analzyed.According to the standard criteria Chinese ENT Association(Haikou,1997),there were 40 cases of typeⅠ,154 cases of type Ⅱ and 66 cases of type Ⅲ.Long term follow-up was observed for 2 to 12 months.Results The cure rate was 95.0% for typeⅠ,83.8% for typeⅡand 63.6 % for type Ⅲ.There was significant difference in cure rate among the three type(P0.01).The complication rate was 5%.Conclusion ESS is efficacy in the treatment of chronic sinusitis.
John Greenleaf Whittier

Calling the women’s rights issue a “paltry grievance” when compared to needs of slaves, Whittier wrote from the head office of the American Anti-Slavery Society. He supported their right to speak to mixed audiences, but expressed anxiety about the “startling opinions” that were emerging within the movement, and urged them not to divert their energies into writing about women’s rights.
Inductive learning of reactive action models

An important area of learning in autonomous agents is the ability to learn domain-specific models of actions to be used by planning systems. In this paper, we present methods by which an agent learns action models from its own experience and from its observation of a domain expert. These methods differ from previous work in the area in two ways: the use of an action model formalism which is better suited to the needs of a reactive agent, and successful implementation of noise-handling mechanisms. Training instances are generated from experience and observation, and a variant of GOLEM is used to learn action models from these instances. The integrated learning system has been experimentally validated in simulated construction and office domains.
Development of integrated rule-based control and equivalent consumption minimization strategy for HEV energy management

This paper presents an integrated energy management strategy, which combines Rule-based control and Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy (Rule-ECMS), for a single shaft parallel HEV. The presented strategy is implemented in dSPACE real-time simulator and integrated with low-level powertrain component controllers. The performance of the Rule-ECMS strategy is compared with rule-based control for both Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) and Highway Fuel Economy Test (HWFET) drive cycles.
Implementation Aspects of Model Management: A Focus on Computer-Assisted Analysis

When considering how to employ a computer for modeling and analysis, there is a tendency to limit the scope to database management and the appropriate solution procedures. Another function, surprisingly neglected, is model management. Clearly, there are functional requirements of model management directly related to database management, such as: Language design; File organization; Query and reporting components; and, Aides for analysis.
Personalised Specific Curiosity for Computational Design Systems

The Personalised Curiosity Engine (PQE, pronounced “pique”) is a framework for computational design systems that models the curiosity of an individual user. This model is then used to synthesise designs that stimulate that user’s curiosity. PQE extends our previous research in modelling surprise and curiosity by adding a model of a specific user to generate designs that are personally creative for that user: novel and valuable for them, but not necessarily for society. We describe PQE as a framework, and then describe Q-chef: a design system applying PQE in the domain of recipe generation with a goal of diversifying its user’s diet over time. We evaluate our framework with several simulations of Q-chef components that serve as a proof-of-concept of the role of personalised curiosity modelling in computational design.
Probabilistic Per-Packet Real-Time Guarantees for Wireless Networked Sensing and Control

The mission-critical nature of wireless networked sensing and control (WSC) systems, such as the control of industrial plants, requires stringent real-time delivery of packets. Due to inherent dynamics and uncertainties in wireless communication, real-time communication guarantees are probabilistic in nature. In this paper, a probabilistic framework is therefore proposed for per-packet real-time delivery guarantee. The notion of real-time in this paper differs from the existing work in the sense that it ensures, in an execution history of arbitrary length, every packet is successfully delivered before its deadline with a probability no less than a user-specified threshold (e.g., 99%). The framework has several novel building blocks: First, “R3 (requirement-reliability-resource) mapping” translates the upper layer probabilistic real-time communication requirement , and the lower layer links reliability into the resource (i.e., optimal number of transmission opportunities) reserved for each packet. Second, “EDF (earliest deadline first) based real-time scheduling” as well as the “admission test” and “traffic load optimization” maximize system utility while satisfying per-packet real-time communication requirements. The proposed admission test is proved to be both sufficient and necessary, and the simulation results show that the proposed framework ensures probabilistic per-packet real-time communication.
“Where Your Ethnic Kids Go”: How Counselors as First Responders Legitimate Proper Course Placements for Community College Students

ABSTRACTPrevious research on remediation has examined course placement practices, but little is known about first responders and how their beliefs about proper course placements help maintain patterns in course access. This study examined how taken-for-granted racial beliefs were used as legitimate knowledge by community college counselors. Haney Lopez’s (2000) race as commonsense theoretical perspective was used to analyze interview data from 34 counselors in 2 southern California community colleges. Data showed that counselors recreated race categories and racial hierarchy, and they did so by reinforcing beliefs about white students as intelligent and deserving higher placements and Latina/o students as comparatively lower in ability and deserving remediation. The results suggest that counselors begin institutionalizing racial sorting immediately as first-time students begin to enroll. The findings highlight the importance of racial mindfulness in policy, practice, and research.