cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Imperial smelting furnace fault diagnosis based on rough set and least squares support vector machine

Due to the incompleteness and complexity of fault diagnosis for imperial smelting furnace,a method based on Rough Set(RS) and Least Squares Support Vector Machine(LS_SVM) is proposed to identify the fault of imperial smelting furnace.Firstly,the discretization for the continuous attributes data in diagnostic decision system uses equal frequency scale.Then,diagnostic decision-making is reduced based on rough sets theory,the noise and redundancy in the sample are removed and the key conditions for diagnosis are determined.The model for fault diagnosis is established by combining the reduction results and LS_SVM.The experiment system implemented by this method shows a good diagnostic ability.
Current Perspectives on Minimal and Mild Permanent Hearing Loss in Children

Over the last several decades, audiologists, speech-language pathologists (SLPs), and educators have learned a great deal about the impact of permanent minimal/ mild hearing loss (MMHL) on children...
Attribute-Aware Relationship-Based Access Control for Online Social Networks

Relationship-based access control ReBAC has been adopted as themost prominent approach for access control in online social networks OSNs, where authorization policies are typically specified in terms of relationships of certain types and/or depth between the access requester and the target. However, using relationships alone is often not sufficient to enforce various security and privacy requirements that meet the expectation fromtoday'sOSN users. In thiswork, we integrate attribute-based policies into relationship-based access control. The proposed attribute-aware Re- BAC enhances access control capability and allows finer-grained controls that are not available in ReBAC. The policy specification language for the user-to-user relationship-based access control UURAC model proposed in [6] is extended to enable such attribute-aware access control. We also present an enhanced path-checking algorithm to determine the existence of the required attributes and relationships in order to grant access.
RULE-BASED SPECIFICATION OF ATOMIC-MODELS

This chapter discusses that the discrete event system specification (DEVS) formalism expressed in the atomic-models class of DEVS-Scheme serves as a basis on which higher level formalisms can be implemented. A convenient rule-based programming style is supported by forward-models, a specialized class of atomic-models. Forward-models are based on a forward chaining paradigm. This is one of many alternatives that are implemented for writing models in a rule-based manner. The chapter discusses that to develop a model of forward-models type, rules are written, which together specify the internal transition, external transition, and output functions of a DEVS model. The ability to write models using rules provides an additional level of decomposition or granularity to model specification. Atomic-models could share such functions but they could not share smaller parts of them. Rules, as more granular knowledge units, make it possible to mix and match specifications among models. As a specialization of atomic-models, the class forward-models generate model objects, which inherit all the instance variables and methods of atomic-models. The state-variables of forward-models are specified in the instance variable ind-vars. They include int-activities and ext-activities that contain lists of internal and external activities.
Subcutaneous (SC) Homoharringtonine (HHT) for Patients (pts) with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) in Chronic Phase (CP) after Imatinib Mesylate Failure.

Abstract HHT is a cephalotaxus alkaloid obtained from an evergreen tree that inhibits the synthesis of proteins leading to apoptosis. HHT by intravenous (IV) administration has demonstrated significant activity in pts with CML after failure to interferon (IFN) therapy, with cytogenetic (CG) responses in 30% of cases. A phase I study of SC HHT previously reported in pts in accelerated or blast phase (before imatinib was available), demonstrated efficacy (5 of 10 responses) and adequate tolerance at the same doses used IV. We thus started a phase II study to determine the activity of SC HHT in pts with CML in late CP after imatinib failure. Therapy with HHT consisted of an initial IV loading dose of 2.5 mg/m2 over 24 h, followed by 1.25 mg/m2 SC twice daily for 14 days every 28 days. Six pts have been treated and 5 are evaluable (1 pt lost to follow-up after 1 cycle). Best response to prior imatinib therapy for a median of 64 weeks (range, 12 to 96) was: complete hematologic response (CHR) in 3 pts and complete CG response (CG CR) in 2, and primary resistance in 1 pt. All 5 evaluable pts had also failed IFN, and other therapies: Ara-C (n=2), farnesyl transferase inhibitors (n=2). At the time HHT was started, all had lost CHR. Median age was 52.5 years (range, 36 to 66), time from diagnosis to treatment 58 months (18 to 164), WBC 24.35 x 109/L (6/4 to 43), platelets 308 x 109/L (147 to 536), and peripheral basophils 4/5% (3% to 17%). Mutations of the BCR-ABL kinase domain were identified in 2 pts (2 mutations each: G250E and Y253H in one, D276G and F359I the other). Pts received a median of 4.5 courses of SC HHT (range, 1 to 5). CHR was achieved in all 5 evaluable pts. Of these, 1 achieved a CG CR and a minor CG response (lowest Ph 80% and 90%, respectively). The pt that achieved CG CR had D286G and F359I mutations before therapy with HHT. Interestingly, this pt developed extramedullary blast disease (bones) that required radiotherapy while remaining in CG CR in peripheral blood and bone marrow. All pts developed myelosuppression and 3 had their HHT dose reduced due to prolonged neutropenia. Grade 3–4 non-hematologic toxicity included neutropenic fever (n=1), and fatigue (n=1). We conclude that SC HHT is well tolerated and may have clinical activity in pts with CML after imatinib failure. This study was terminated because of drug availability from this source; a new trial will be conducted obtaining HHT from a different sponsor.
Systematic testing of enzyme perturbation sensitivities via graded dCas9 modulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Dissecting genotype-phenotype relationships in a high-throughput and scalable manner is still an unresolved problem facing metabolic engineers. While the RNA-guided nuclease Cas9 has been repurposed as a programmable transcription regulator, its application has typically been limited to binary on/off regulation and thus misses informative and potentially optimal intermediate levels of gene expression. In this work, we establish a rapid method for fine-tuned, graded expression of pathway enzymes via dCas9 regulation by varying sgRNA target location as the dominant parameter. Next, we utilize this technique to produce graded gene expression and Systematically Test Enzyme Perturbation Sensitivities (STEPS) to identify rate limiting steps in metabolic pathways. Specifically, we utilize this approach in an iterative fashion for the glycerol biosynthesis pathway and ultimately achieve a 5.7-fold increase in titer. We then demonstrate the portability of this approach by applying it to the pentose phosphate pathway in two distinct strain backgrounds. In doing so, we identify and alleviate pathway bottlenecks resulting in a 7.8-fold increase in 3-dehydroshikimate titer and the identification of 3 unique targets for xylose catabolism. This technique easily scales with DNA synthesis, a rapidly decreasing cost, and thus we envision that this technique can be used to complement genome-scale metabolic models by experimentally mapping the flux sensitivity of the entire genome to desired phenotypes.
Analyzing and Predicting User Participations in Online Health Communities: A Social Support Perspective.

Background: Online health communities (OHCs) have become a major source of social support for people with health problems. Members of OHCs interact online with similar peers to seek, receive, and provide different types of social support, such as informational support, emotional support, and companionship. As active participations in an OHC are beneficial to both the OHC and its users, it is important to understand factors related to users’ participations and predict user churn for user retention efforts. Objective: This study aimed to analyze OHC users’ Web-based interactions, reveal which types of social support activities are related to users’ participation, and predict whether and when a user will churn from the OHC. Methods: We collected a large-scale dataset from a popular OHC for cancer survivors. We used text mining techniques to decide what kinds of social support each post contained. We illustrated how we built text classifiers for 5 different social support categories: seeking informational support (SIS), providing informational support (PIS), seeking emotional support (SES), providing emotional support (PES), and companionship (COM). We conducted survival analysis to identify types of social support related to users’ continued participation. Using supervised machine learning methods, we developed a predictive model for user churn. Results: Users’ behaviors to PIS, SES, and COM had hazard ratios significantly lower than 1 (0.948, 0.972, and 0.919, respectively) and were indicative of continued participations in the OHC. The churn prediction model based on social support activities offers accurate predictions on whether and when a user will leave the OHC. Conclusions: Detecting different types of social support activities via text mining contributes to better understanding and prediction of users’ participations in an OHC. The outcome of this study can help the management and design of a sustainable OHC via more proactive and effective user retention strategies. [J Med Internet Res 2017;19(4):e130]
A Review of the Oesophageal Microbiome in Health and Disease

Abstract Microbial members of the gastrointestinal tract, known as the GTI microbiome, are beneficial for host metabolism and digestion, thereby creating a symbiotic relationship with their host (Petersen & Round, 2014). The microbiome has recently emerged as contributing to many intestinal disease states such as gastrointestinal reflux disease, Barrett's oesophagus and oesophageal cancers. Given that the local bacterial population influences individuals’ disease susceptibility, the microbiome of the gastrointestinal tract has been studied intensively over the last decade. Gastrointestinal microbiology has traditionally focused on culturing colonies for the detection of pathogens and diagnosis of gastroenteritis and colitis. Over the past decade, the bacterial population of the oesophagus has been successfully characterized using culture-independent techniques. The primary focus of researchers is now to investigate the functions of the microbiome and how it influences the host. In this review, we discuss the major findings in relation to the oesophageal microbiome, which include: (1) the composition of oesophageal microbiome; (2) the function of the oesophageal microbiome; and (3) the association between the oesophageal microbiome and disease. The review also presents the opportunities for investigators to apply emerging technologies to the oesophageal microbiome.
Cross-cultural human-computer interaction and user experience design: a semiotic perspective

Reading Brejcha’s Cross-Cultural Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) and User Experience Design and subsequently writing a review were pleasurable tasks for me to complete. Brejcha introduces and expa...
Ergodic theory of foliations and a theorem of Sacksteder

We introduce the leafwise geodesic flow of a foliation, a flow on the unit tangent bundle to the leaves which preserves the natural foliation on this manifold. The transverse dynamics of this flow closely mirror the dynamics of the original foliation, and in this paper we outline a program for the study of foliation dynamics based on this observation. For example, the topological entropy of a foliation is defined to be the toplogical entropy of this flow relative to the invariant foliation. This yields a topological entropy close to that defined by Ghys-Langevin-Walczak. The metric entropies of a foliation are defined to be the corresponding relative metric entropies of the leafwise geodesic flow, with respect to invariant measures for the flow. The topological entropy then dominates the metric entropies, and the supremum of the metric entropies over the space of probability measures equals the topological entropy. This extends to foliations the relative variational principle of Ledrappier and Walters. Upper estimates of foliation metric entropies via transverse Lyapunov exponents are given, extending work of Strelcyn, from which we deduce a generalization of a theorem of Sacksteder concerning the existence of linearly contracting holonomy in exceptional minimal sets for codimension-one foliations of differentiability class Holder C1.
Leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions in nitric oxide synthase-deficient mice.

Nitric oxide (NO) is known to be an important endogenous modulator of leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions within the microcirculation. We examined leukocyte rolling and adhesion under baseline ...
New aspects on the chemistry of tea and coffee. II@@@Neue Aspekte zur Chemie von Tee und Kaffee. II

Als Fortsetzung der Ubersicht aus den Jahren 1982/1983 werden nunmehr neuere Veroffentlichungen aus den Jahren 1983/1984 zur Chemie und Technologie von Tee (Blatt, grun und schwarz) und Kaffee (roh, gerostet und instantloslich) referiert, besonders uber die Veranderung der Zusammensetzung wahrend der Herstellung und Lagerung und der Einflus der Zusammensetzung auf die Qualitat der Getranke (155 Referenzen).
Printed Flexible FE Memory Array Testing System

In this paper, a compact testing system is developed to read/write a printed flexible FE (Ferroelectric) memory arrays and evaluate individual FE capacitors. Novel technologies, to the best of our knowledge, for random cell accessing, reading/writing,and analyzing are achieved. This compact system (both hardware and software) is controlled by LabVIEW program installed in a Laptop,and is essentially multi-functional and programmable. This system is designed for writing/reading FE memory cells, individually or in batch, as well as analyzing and displaying FE memory.
Chronic stress produces enduring sex- and region-specific alterations in novel stress-induced c-Fos expression.

Abstract Prolonged or repeated exposure to stress increases risk for a variety of psychological disorders, many of which are marked by dysfunction of corticolimbic brain regions. Notably, women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with these disorders, especially when onset of symptoms follows stressful life events. Using rodent models, investigators have recently begun to elucidate sex-specific changes in the brain and behavior that occur immediately following chronic stress. However, little is known regarding the lasting sequelae of chronic stress, as well as how potential changes may impact responsivity to future stressors. We recently demonstrated that male and female rats show different patterns of dendritic reorganization in medial prefrontal cortex in the days following chronic stress. Here, we examined the immediate and lasting effects of chronic restraint stress (CRS; 3 h/day, 10 days) on neuronal activation, across several corticolimbic brain regions, induced by novel acute stress exposure. Chronically stressed male and female rats were exposed to acute elevated platform stress (EPS) either 1 (CRS-EPS) or 7 (CRS-Rest-EPS) days after CRS. Compared to rats exposed to EPS only, significant reductions in acute stress-induced c-Fos expression were observed in the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) in CRS-EPS male rats, some of which persisted to 7 days post-stress. In contrast, we found little modulation of novel stress-induced c-Fos expression in CRS-EPS female rats. However, CRS-Rest-EPS female rats exhibited a significant enhancement of acute stress-induced neuronal activity in the PVN. Together, these data show that prior chronic stress produces sex- and region-specific alterations in novel stress-induced neuronal activation, which are dependent on the presence or absence of a rest period following chronic stress. These findings suggest that the post-stress rest period may give rise to sex-specific neuroadaptations to stress, which may underlie sex differences in stress susceptibility versus resilience.
Affirmative Action and Its Persistent Effects: A New Perspective:

This article examines how firms respond to federal affirmative action regulation when it is temporary. As intended, affirmative action increases a firm’s black share of employees. Strikingly, the b...
Are Counter-Productive Workplace Behaviors and Workplace Deviance Parallel Constructs? A Meta-Analytic Test of a Common Practice

Workplace aggression is clearly a pressing issue for modern organizations. However, the manner in which workplace aggression is measured by researchers is much less clear. Among the multitude of aggression constructs the two most common enacted workplace aggression constructs, counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) and workplace deviance behaviors (WDBs), are of unique concern. Within the literature on enacted workplace aggression, researchers have adopted a common practice of treating CWBs and WDBs as interchangeable in both their operationalization and measurement. The current meta-analysis advances the literature on enacted workplace aggression by evaluating the distinctness of these two focal constructs through the lens of a social-psychological perspective. We do this by comparing the interpersonal and organizational dimensions of CWBs and WDBs across relationships with individual difference and social-situational predictors. Results demonstrate that while there is some overlap between the two constructs in terms of their antecedents, concerning differences arise in the dimensionality of the two constructs when social-situational factors are considered. We also find that the interpersonal and organizational dimensions are more distinct within WDBs than CWBs. We conclude by making recommendations for future research as well as human resource practices aimed at decreasing the frequency and effects of workplace aggression.
Assessing Bank Deposit Market Power Given Limited Consumer Consideration

Accurate assessments of bank deposit market power are essential for antitrust and monetary policy. Regulators and researchers have traditionally measured market power assuming all consumers consider every bank operating in a given geographic region. However, these measures are generally biased because, in practice, consumers only consider a small fraction of the available banks. I propose a new model of bank deposit competition that provides a market power measure that accounts for consumers' limited consideration of banks. I estimate the model for the twenty largest US Metropolitan Statistical Areas over 2004 to 2018 using rich data on bank deposit interest rates, bank advertising, and the distance between consumers and bank branch locations. Accounting for consumers' limited consideration shows that traditional measures underestimate the market power of online direct banks, poorly capture how market power contributes to heterogeneous bank pass through of federal funds rate changes, and support an inefficient proposal for strengthening bank competition. Whereas assuming full consideration recommends further bank deregulation, I find that the best plan for strengthening competition is to facilitate the launch of an online direct bank by a major technology company.
NetLock: Fast, Centralized Lock Management Using Programmable Switches

Lock managers are widely used by distributed systems. Traditional centralized lock managers can easily support policies between multiple users using global knowledge, but they suffer from low performance. In contrast, emerging decentralized approaches are faster but cannot provide flexible policy support. Furthermore, performance in both cases is limited by the server capability. We present NetLock, a new centralized lock manager that co-designs servers and network switches to achieve high performance without sacrificing flexibility in policy support. The key idea of NetLock is to exploit the capability of emerging programmable switches to directly process lock requests in the switch data plane. Due to the limited switch memory, we design a memory management mechanism to seamlessly integrate the switch and server memory. To realize the locking functionality in the switch, we design a custom data plane module that efficiently pools multiple register arrays together to maximize memory utilization We have implemented a NetLock prototype with a Barefoot Tofino switch and a cluster of commodity servers. Evaluation results show that NetLock improves the throughput by 14.0-18.4x, and reduces the average and 99% latency by 4.7-20.3x and 10.4-18.7x over DSLR, a state-of-the-art RDMA-based solution, while providing flexible policy support.
COVID-19 Testing and Cases in Immigration Detention Centers, April-August 2020.

This study describes monthly test, test positivity, and case rates for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among individuals detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) between April and August 2020.
Nociceptive nerves regulate haematopoietic stem cell mobilization.

Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) reside in specialized microenvironments in the bone marrow—often referred to as ‘niches’—that represent complex regulatory milieux influenced by multiple cellular constituents, including nerves1,2. Although sympathetic nerves are known to regulate the HSC niche3–6, the contribution of nociceptive neurons in the bone marrow remains unclear. Here we show that nociceptive nerves are required for enforced HSC mobilization and that they collaborate with sympathetic nerves to maintain HSCs in the bone marrow. Nociceptor neurons drive granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-induced HSC mobilization via the secretion of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). Unlike sympathetic nerves, which regulate HSCs indirectly via the niche3,4,6, CGRP acts directly on HSCs via receptor activity modifying protein 1 (RAMP1) and the calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CALCRL) to promote egress by activating the Gαs/adenylyl cyclase/cAMP pathway. The ingestion of food containing capsaicin—a natural component of chili peppers that can trigger the activation of nociceptive neurons—significantly enhanced HSC mobilization in mice. Targeting the nociceptive nervous system could therefore represent a strategy to improve the yield of HSCs for stem cell-based therapeutic agents. Stimulation of pain-sensing neurons, which can be achieved in mice by the ingestion of capsaicin, promotes the migration of haematopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow into the blood.
Baseline global longitudinal strain predictive of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity

Cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRD) is a major source of morbidity and mortality in long-term cancer survivors. Decreased GLS predicts decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients receiving anthracyclines, but knowledge regarding the clinical utility of baseline GLS in patients at low-risk of (CTRD) is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether baseline echocardiographic assessment of global longitudinal strain (GLS) before treatment with anthracyclines is predictive of (CTRD) in a broad cohort of patients with normal baseline LVEF. Study participants comprised 188 patients at a single institution who underwent baseline 2-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking echocardiography before treatment with anthracyclines and at least one follow-up echocardiogram 3 months after chemotherapy initiation. Patients with a baseline LVEF 10% from baseline and an overall reduced LVEF <50%. Potential and known risk factors were evaluated using univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Twenty-three patients (12.23%) developed (CTRD). Among patients with (CTRD), the mean GLS was -17.51% ± 2.77%. The optimal cutoff point for (CTRD) was -18.05%. The sensitivity was 0.70 and specificity was 0.70. The area under ROC curve was 0.70. After adjustment for cardiovascular and cancer therapy related risk factors, GLS or decreased baseline GLS ≥-18% was predictive of (CTRD) (adjusted hazards ratio 1.17, 95% confidence interval 1.00, 1.36; p = 0.044 for GLS, or hazards ratio 3.54; 95% confidence interval 1.34, 9.35; p = 0.011 for decreased GLS), along with history of tobacco use, pre-chemotherapy systolic blood pressure, and cumulative anthracycline dose. Baseline GLS or decreased baseline GLS was predictive of (CTRD) before anthracycline treatment in a cohort of cancer patients with a normal baseline LVEF. This data supports the implementation of strain-protocol echocardiography in cardio-oncology practice for identifying and monitoring patients who are at elevated risk of (CTRD).
Improving ACGME Compliance for Obstetric Anesthesiology Fellows Using an Automated Email Notification System.

Background The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education establishes minimum case requirements for trainees. In the subspecialty of obstetric anesthesiology, requirements for fellow participation in nonobstetric antenatal procedures pose a particular challenge due to the physical location remote from labor and delivery and frequent last-minute scheduling. Objectives In response to this challenge, we implemented an informatics-based notification system, with the aim of increasing fellow participation in nonobstetric antenatal surgeries. Methods In December 2014 an automated email notification system to inform obstetric anesthesiology fellows of scheduled nonobstetric surgeries in pregnant patients was initiated. Cases were identified via daily automated query of the preoperative evaluation database looking for structured documentation of current pregnancy. Information on flagged cases including patient medical record number, operating room location, and date and time of procedure were communicated to fellows via automated email daily. Median fellow participation in nonobstetric antenatal procedures per quarter before and after implementation were compared using an exact Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test due to low baseline absolute counts. The fraction of antenatal cases representing nonobstetric procedures completed by fellows before and after implementation was compared using a Fisher's exact test. Results The number of nonobstetric antenatal cases logged by fellows per quarter increased significantly following implementation, from median 0[0,1] to 3[1,6] cases/quarter (p = 0.007). Additionally, nonobstetric antenatal cases completed by fellows as a percentage of total antenatal cases completed increased from 14% in preimplementation years to 52% in postimplementation years (p Conclusion Through an automated email system to identify nonobstetric antenatal procedures in pregnant patients, we were able to increase the number of these cases completed by fellows during 3 years following implementation.
Preparation of hemoglobin derivatives selectively or randomly modified at amino groups.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the preparation of hemoglobin derivatives selectively or randomly modified at amino groups. A particular modification of a protein can be made more general in order to obtain information on a class of amino acid side chains, that is, when the modification is used in a regiorandom manner to modify the amino acid side chains that delineate a particular region of the protein. Such an approach, which is qualitative in nature, is designed simply to identify amino acid side chains that participate in a particular function, rather than to attain the quantitative goal of the regioselective approach. On the other hand, the regioselective approach usually has a quantitative goal of modifying completely one particular side chain. Other differences between the regioselective and the regiorandom modification of protein side chains are presented in the chapter. This approach is used with hemoglobin to locate the chloride-binding sites along the sides of the central dyad axis, to assess the importance of these sites in governing the oxygen affinity of hemoglobin, and to estimate the contribution of some of the chloride-binding sites to the alkaline Bohr effect. The chapter describes the four derivatives of hemoglobin involving either regioselective or regiorandom modifications at certain amino groups.
Prolonged QTc Interval in Patients Seropositive for Ganglionic (α-3) Acetylcholine Receptor Autoantibody (P1.274)

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether ganglionic (α3) acetylcholine receptor autoantibodies (α3-AChR-Ab) are associated with QT prolongation. BACKGROUND: Our hypothesis was prompted by a seropositive patient with acquired long QT syndrome who presented with ventricular fibrillation and was resuscitated from cardiac arrest. DESIGN/METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively medical records of all patients seen at Mayo Clinic in Florida (2007-2013) who were tested for α3-AChR-Ab and had an electrocardiogram (EKG) within one year. Using ANOVA and linear regression, we compared QTc intervals derived by Bazett’s formula and corrected for QRS duration for antibody-positive patients (values exceeding 0.02 nmol/L) and an equal number of antibody-negative patients. RESULTS: Of 146 α3-AChR-Ab-positive patients (median age 61 years, range 18-92; 55 [percnt] female), 107 had an EKG within one year. Sixty-three patients had low antibody values (0.03-0.09 nmol/L), 38 medium (0.10-0.99 nmol/L), and 6 high (>1.00 nmol/L). Mean QTc for women was 446±33 ms (antibody-positive) versus 432±24 ms (antibody-negative; p=0.01). Mean QTc for men was 430±35 ms (antibody-positive) versus 434±39 ms (antibody-negative; p=0.59). Although antibody values and QTc did not correlate significantly for either sex, QT intervals were generally longer in women with medium or high α3-AChR-Ab values than in seronegative control patients (33[percnt] versus 7[percnt], Fischer’s exact test p=0.06). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical presentations of patients with α3-AChR-Ab are diverse. α3-AChR-antibody status correlated significantly with prolonged QTc interval in female but not male patients. The apparent lack of dose-dependence of this newly recognized, but infrequent, accompaniment of autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy suggests that its occurrence may depend on epitope or IgG class. Our findings justify adding α3-AChR-Ab to the list of autoantibodies implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiac dysrhythmias. We hypothesize that autoimmune disruption of α3-ACh receptors in sympathetic and parasympathetic intracardiac neurons may contribute to sympathovagal imbalance and spatial or temporal dispersion of cardiac repolarization. Disclosure: Dr. Cheshire has nothing to disclose. Dr. Venkatachalam has nothing to disclose. Dr. Yamani has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lennon stands to receive royalty payments for commercial assays to detect of Aquaporin 4-specific Autoantibody.
Combinatorial stochastic processes and nonparametric Bayesian modeling

Computer Science has historically been strong on data structures and weak on inference from data, whereas Statistics has historically been weak on data structures and strong on inference from data. One way to draw on the strengths of both disciplines is to develop "inferential methods for data structures"; i.e., methods that update probability distributions on recursively-defined objects such as trees, graphs, grammars and function calls. This is the world of "nonparametric Bayes," where prior and posterior distributions are allowed to be general stochastic processes. Both statistical and computational considerations lead one to certain classes of stochastic processes, and these tend to have interesting connections to combinatorics. I will give some examples of how this blend of ideas leads to useful models in some applied problem domains, including natural language parsing, computational vision, statistical genetics and protein structural modeling.
Production of Aflatoxins by Aspergillus flavus Cultured on Flue-Cured Tobacco

Under favorable growth conditions, Aspergillus flavus can produce aflatoxins on flue-cured tobacco leaves.
Influence of the Probe Laser Wavelength in Transient Reflectance Measurement of Gold

Transient reflectance of gold is measured with ultrafast spectroscopy by tunable probe wavelength. The influence of the probe wavelength on the signal is analyzed. It is found that when probed around 490 nm the signal is most sensitive to electron excitation and there is a simple linear relation between the reflectance change and the electron temperature change after sufficiently weak excitation. The two-temperature model is applied to calculate the electron-phonon coupling factor by fitting the transient reflectance signal.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
A nomogram that predicts pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation also predicts survival outcomes after definitive chemoradiation for esophageal cancer.

Background: Pathologic complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemoradiation for esophageal cancer is associated with improved outcomes. We evaluated whether a nomogram designed to predict who would have a pCR after trimodality therapy could also predict outcome after definitive chemoradiation. Methods: Patients in this retrospective, single-institution analysis had received chemoradiation without surgery for esophageal cancer from 1998 through 2010; 333 such patients had complete information on all variables required for the pCR nomogram: sex; T status (by endoscopic sonography); tumor grade; tumor avidity on positron emission tomography (PET); and esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD)-directed biopsy results after chemoradiation. We used multivariate Cox regression to test potential associations between clinical outcomes [overall survival (OS), locoregional recurrence, and distant metastasis] and patient or treatment factors and the pCR nomogram score; the component variables of the nomogram were not reintroduced into the multivariate analysis. Results: The median follow-up time for all patients (median age 66 years) was 18.2 months (30.7 months for those alive at the time of analysis). Patients with nomogram scores ≤125 (median for all patients) had significantly worse outcomes than patients with scores >125: median OS time 19.7 vs. 48.2 months; diseasefree survival (DFS) time 6.1 vs. 31.1 months; locoregional failure-free survival time 17.7 months vs. not reached; and distant metastasis-free survival time 11.7 months vs. not reached (all P<0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that nomogram score independently predicted each survival outcome, along with other patient and disease factors. Conclusions: The pCR nomogram score predicted survival outcomes in patients receiving definitive chemoradiation for esophageal cancer. Although this nomogram requires further validation, it may prove useful for stratifying patients for clinical trials designed to intensify treatments for patients at the highest risk of relapse.
High SNR capacitive sensing transducer

This paper describes a high signal-to-noise ratio capacitive sensing transducer with high power efficiency and high area efficiency. The circuit is an example of capacitive circuit and is based on a capacitive feedback charge amplifier. 78.6dB SNR in audio band is achieved with less than 0.5 /spl mu/W power consumption by making use of a floating-gate transistor. This design gives us the flexibility of controlling the charge on the floating node. The microphone sensor is interfaced with the amplifier to measure the performance of the transducer.
The performative logic of the Soviet constitutions and the (im)possibility of a political action

Constitutions are tenacious documents that – amended and adjusted – survive a high tide of political turmoil. What helps them endure and earn the title of living documents? This broad question animates the present inquiry into the language of constitutions. Triangulating theoretical insights from the works by J.L Austin, John Searle, and Jacques Derrida, this study examines the five Soviet constitutions in order to uncover the coordinates of the Soviet – and now Russian – political world engendered by them. The analysis finds that (1) over time, the Soviet constitutional texts lost their prescriptive edge and slid into descriptiveness, that (2) the focus on new institutions present in the first constitution of 1918 has not resurfaced in 1993, the year when possibilities for a political renewal seemed to abound, and that (3) the post-Soviet Constitution has grown prohibitive, banning, restricting, and limiting the undesirable actions, entities, and developments. The discussion elaborates on the kind of pol...
Enuresis: evaluation of perplexing symptom

The child with enuresis is a common problem facing the urologist. We have done a retrospective study of 182 enuretic children seen at our Clinic from January, 1970, to December, 1975. There was a 10.4-per cent incidence of vesicoureteral reflux. In only 58 per cent of the children with reflux were positive urine cultures demonstrated. There were no significant complications in studying these children under general anesthesia. Therefore, we believe an aggressive approach is justified.
GMoCA: green mobile cloud applications

Mobile cloud computing enables numerous associated mobile users to access the abundant cloud computing resources, thereby complements the resource constrain of mobile devices. A fundamental issue in the mobile application platform is to make deployment decision for individual tasks when the battery life of the mobile device is a major concern for the mobile user's experience. We propose a deployment scheme to offload expensive computational tasks from thin, mobile devices to powered, powerful devices on the cloud so that we could prolong battery life for mobile devices, meanwhile provide rich user experiences for such mobile applications. We envision that the scheme can be extended to other type of smart devices such as smart printers, smart TVs or sensors where offloading tasks is required to trade-off between performance and battery life.
Geometric phases in the asymptotic theory of coupled wave equations.

Traditional approaches to the asymptotic behavior of coupled wave equations have difficulties in the formulation of a consistent version of the Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization conditions. These difficulties can be circumvented by using the Weyl calculus to diagonalize the matrix of wave operators. In analyzing the diagonalized wave equations, geometric phases enter in an important way, especially in the development of Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization rules. It turns out that a version of Berry's phase is incorporated into the symplectic structure in the ray phase space, influencing the classical Hamiltonian orbits, the construction of solutions to the Hamiltonian-Jacobi equation, and the computation of action integrals. Noncanonical coordinates in the ray phase space are useful in carrying out these calculations and in making the construction of eigenvalues and wave functions manifestly gauge invariant.
Pickling Liquors, Strip Mines, and Ground-Water Pollutiona

In 1964 a waste disposal firm began dumping neutralized spent pickling liquors into an abandoned strip mine in eastern Ohio. In 1970 the disposal pit was enlarged and shortly thereafter significant water pollution problems began to occur. Highly mineralized fluids began to leak from the disposal pit into the surrounding spoil material and eventually into streams and ponds. These solutions are characterized by a low pH and excessive concentrations of dissolved solids, hardness, sulfate, chloride, nitrate, iron, fluoride, aluminum, chromium, nickel, and zinc. In addition to the contamination by steel mill wastes, acid-mine drainage from surrounding areas degrades both surface and ground water. Acid-mine drainage is characterized by a low pH, and high concentrations of dissolved solids, hardness, sulfate, and iron. Geohydrologic and geochemical data clearly illustrate that abandoned strip mines should not be used for the storage of toxic liquid or semiliquid materials.
The problem of the turbulent boundary layer

Existing measurements of low-speed turbulent surface friction on a flat plate, in the absence of pressure gradient and roughness, are shown to be consistent with a simple analysis based on functional similarity in the velocity profile. In particular, the fully developed turbulent boundary layer is found to be unique within the accuracy of the experimental data, with uniqueness defined as the existence of a definite correspondence between local friction coefficient and momentum thickness Reynolds number. The relationships known as the law of the wall and the velocity defect law are found to describe the turbulent velocity profiles accurately for a considerable range of Reynolds numbers, and an effort is made to clarify the physical significance of these formulae. Finally, the proper definition of a length Reynolds number is discussed in terms of the asymptotic local properties of the ideal boundary layer, and numerical values for ideal mean and local friction coefficients are tabulated against Reynolds numbers based on momentum thickness and on distance from the leading edge.
Incongruence between trauma center social workers' beliefs about substance use interventions and intentions to intervene.

This study explored trauma centers social workers' beliefs regarding four evidence-based interventions for patients presenting with substance abuse issues. Previous research has indicated that health care providers' beliefs have prevented them from implementing non-abstinence based interventions. Study results indicated that the majority of social workers believed in the 12-step approach and were least comfortable with the harm reduction approach. However, results showed that in some cases, social workers may have negative personal beliefs regarding non-abstinence based interventions, but do not let their personal beliefs get in the way of utilizing these interventions if they are viewed as appropriate for the client’s situation.
Satellite imagery, human ecology, anthropology, and deforestation in Madagascar

Satellite images were used to determine rates of deforestation over the past 35 years and to identify current deforestation "hotspots" in the eastern rainforests and in the dry endemic forests of southern Madagascar. The analysis of population trends, topography, and coincident ethnographic research points to a number of different factors influencing deforestation in these regions. Each of these factors generates different problems for conservation and development, most of which are not being dealt with adequately.
Simple algorithm to test for linking to Wilson loops in percolation

A simple burning or epidemic type of algorithm is developed in order to test whether any loops in percolation clusters link a fixed reference loop, a problem considered recently by Gliozzi et al. in the context of gauge theory. We test our algorithm at criticality in both two dimensions, where the behavior agrees with a theoretical prediction, and in three dimensions.
Characterization of the adsorption and decomposition of methanol on Ni(110)

Abstract The chemisorption, condensation, desorption, and decomposition of methanol, both CH 3 OH and CH 3 OD, on a clean Ni(110) surface have been characterized using high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy, temperature programmed reaction spectroscopy, and low energy electron diffraction. The vibrational spectrum of the saturated chemisorbed layer, 7.4 × 10 14 molecules cm −2 , is almost identical to the infrared spectrum of liquid or solid methanol. Condensation of multilayers of methanol is facile at 80 K. The only quasi-stable intermediate isolated during the decomposition is a methoxy species, CH 3 O, which decomposes thermally to CO and H. The evolution of both CO and H 2 occurs in desorption limited processes.
The effect of ventilation on spontaneous heating of coal

Abstract Ventilation plays an important role in the spontaneous heating of coal in an underground coal mine. If the ventilation rate is too high, heat is carried away by convection. If the ventilation rate is too low, the reaction rate becomes oxygen-limited. The effect of ventilation on the spontaneous heating of coal was investigated in an isothermal oven in this study. Experiments were conducted on three U.S. coal samples with ventilation rates ranging from 100 to 500 cm 3 /min. Experiments under ventilation were conducted to determine the critical ambient temperature, which is the minimum oven temperature required for a coal sample to achieve thermal runaway. Spontaneous heating tests were then conducted at various ventilation rates at the critical ambient temperature and the results were compared with spontaneous heating tests without ventilation. It was found that there is an optimum ventilation flow to produce the maximum rate of temperature rise at the critical ambient temperature. When the coal sample particle size was increased, a higher critical ambient temperature was required. The results in this study have application in the prevention of spontaneous combustion in underground coal mines.
Efficacy and safety of febuxostat in patients with hyperuricemia and gout

The past decade has witnessed an exponential increase of novel therapeutic modalities for a variety of rheumatic disorders, including gout. During the past few years two novel therapeutic agents have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of hyperuricemia in patients with gout, one of them being febuxostat, a nonpurine selective inhibitor of xanthine oxidase. Review of its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, efficacy and safety profile, and use in gout patients with comorbid conditions reveals that age and gender have no clinically significant effect and dose adjustments based on age or gender are not required. In addition, febuxostat can be used in patients with mild-to-moderate renal or hepatic involvement. Its overall efficacy and safety profile is comparable and, in certain subsets such as gout patients with mild and moderate renal insufficiency, is superior to allopurinol.
Dynamin-Like Protein 1 Reduction Underlies Mitochondrial Morphology and Distribution Abnormalities in Fibroblasts from Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease Patients

Mitochondrial function relies heavily on its morphology and distribution, alterations of which have been increasingly implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we found abnormal mitochondrial distribution characterized by elongated mitochondria that accumulated in perinuclear areas in 19.3% of sporadic AD (sAD) fibroblasts, which was in marked contrast to their normally even cytoplasmic distribution in the majority of human fibroblasts from normal subjects (>95%). Interestingly, levels of dynamin-like protein 1 (DLP1), a regulator of mitochondrial fission and distribution, were decreased significantly in sAD fibroblasts. To explore the potential role of DLP1 in mediating mitochondrial abnormalities in sAD fibroblasts, both the overexpression of a dominant negative DLP1 mutant and the reduced expression of DLP1 by miR RNAi in human fibroblasts from normal subjects significantly increased mitochondrial abnormalities. Moreover, overexpression of wild-type DLP1 in sAD fibroblasts rescued these mitochondrial abnormalities. Based on these data, we conclude that DLP1 reduction causes mitochondrial abnormalities in sAD fibroblasts. We further demonstrate that elevated oxidative stress and increased amyloid β production are likely the potential pathogenic factors that cause DLP1 reduction and abnormal mitochondrial distribution in AD cells.
Advocacy be Not Forsaken! Retrospective Lessons from Welfare Reform:

This article reviews the often uneven and sometimes peripheral role of advocacy as a social work function and explores its current relevancy in regard to agency practices, ethical mandates and the ...