cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What's your angle? Size correction and bar-glenoid orientation in "Lucy" (A.L. 288-1)

There has been much debate as to the locomotor repertoire of Lucy (A.L. 288-1) and other specimens of Australopithecus afarensis, ranging from fully committed bipeds to species that spent a significant time in the trees as well as on the ground. We examined the bar–glenoid angle, a character purported to indicate arboreal propensities, and its implications for this specific debate and the more general challenge of extracting behavioral information from fossils. We examined the bar–glenoid angle in ontogenetic samples of Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla gorilla, Gorilla gorilla beringei, Pongo pygmaeus, Homo sapiens, and A.L. 288-1 (“Lucy”). We found that there is no allometry in the bar–glenoid angle for the great apes, but a weak correlation for humans. Moreover, the data scatters for the African apes and humans converge at the smaller size ranges, and Lucy's value for bar–glenoid angle falls precisely in this area of overlap. Therefore, we conclude that the bar–glenoid angle is not tightly correlated with function and, as such, cannot be used as a morphological signal of arboreal behavior, especially in the smaller size ranges, at which arboreal and nonarboreal species overlap. Our work does not resolve issues concerning Lucy's precise locomotor repertoire but adds new information to consider. The total morphological pattern, plus an appreciation of the underlying variance in morphological and behavioral characters in extant species, is key for making functional inferences from the morphology of fossils.
ON THE STATUS OF VOWEL SHIFT IN ENGLISH

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the status of vowel shift in English. External morphophonemic, allophonic, and phonotactic rules are learned by children as a part of the early phonology acquisition process. Internal morphophonemic rules, particularly vowel shift, are learned considerably later and by means of a different process, that of deductive abstraction based on the written representational system of the language. Negative feedback or negative instances strongly interfere with this overlaid function. The result in actual language use is that it is more difficult for English speakers to learn contradictory spellings than complex phonological information. The result in the experiment which has been reported here is that subjects were unable to learn contradictory alternation patterns. This distinction is an important aspect of a speaker's knowledge of English. An adequate grammar of English phonology must recognize and incorporate such information.
Analyzing Group Differences

Many research questions in applied linguistics involve comparisons of group performance. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is the procedure of choice in the majority of such analyses. This chapter identifies appropriate uses of ANOVA, explains how to conduct a statistically sound ANOVA, and also discusses null hypothesis testing and the importance of reporting and interpreting effect sizes in the context of means-based analyses. Use of some other statistical tools that are part of the general linear model (t-tests and multiple regression) for group mean comparisons are described with worked hypothetical examples. The chapter also describes the process of checking statistical assumptions, interpreting statistical output, and calculating effect sizes.
Alzheimer - Parkinson Disease Spectrum and Diffuse Lewy Body Disease

Diffuse Lewy body disease (DLBD) is a recently recognized primary degenerative dementia that shares pathological features with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and with Parkinson's disease (PD) (5,6,10–13,16). Clinically, it is difficult to diagnose DLBD (2) and most patients come to autopsy with a diagnosis of AD or less commonly progressive supranuclear palsy (5), because of rigidity and axial dystonia in some patients, or CreutzfeldtJacob disease, because of myoclonus or periodic complexes on electroencephalograms in some patients (18). In the majority of subjects, cognitive decline overshadows motor abnormalities. Despite degeneration in the substantia nigra and diencephalon that is indistinguishable from PD, some patients have had no apparent extrapyramidal features.
Deep Brain Stimulation for Tremor in Parkinson’s Disease

Rest tremor, muscular rigidity, and bradykinesia are the cardinal features of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Rest tremor is present in over 70% of patients with PD, and, in most cases, occurs early in the course of the disease. Two subtypes of tremor-related PD have been described: tremor-predominant PD and benign tremulous Parkinsonism. In both cases the tremor may be poorly responsive to levodopa and other medications and significantly impact activities of daily living and quality of life. These patients are excellent candidates for deep brain stimulation (DBS). In this chapter, we describe a tremor-predominant patient who responded well to subthalamic nucleus (STN) DBS. We discuss the use of the STN and thalamic targets for DBS.
Broadly neutralizing antibodies for the treatment and prevention of HIV infection.

Purpose of reviewSeveral anti-HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) with exceptional breadth and potency, and targeting different HIV-1 envelope epitopes have entered clinical trials. bNAbs are being evaluated for their potential as long-acting alternatives to antiretrovirals in HIV-1 preven
Wolbachia-infected ant colonies have increased reproductive investment and an accelerated life cycle.

Wolbachia is a widespread group of maternally-transmitted endosymbiotic bacteria that often manipulates the reproductive strategy and life history of its hosts to favor its own transmission. Wolbachia mediated phenotypic effects are well characterized in solitary hosts, but effects in social hosts are unclear. The invasive pharaoh ant, Monomorium pharaonis, shows natural variation in Wolbachia infection between colonies and can be readily bred under laboratory conditions. We previously showed that Wolbachia-infected pharaoh ant colonies had more queen-biased sex ratios than uninfected colonies, which is expected to favor the spread of maternally-transmitted Wolbachia. Here, we further characterize the effects of Wolbachia on the short- and longer-term reproductive and life history traits of pharaoh ant colonies. First, we characterized the reproductive differences between naturally infected and uninfected colonies at three discrete time points and found that infected colonies had higher reproductive investment (i.e. infected colonies produced more new queens), particularly when existing colony queens were three months old. Next, we compared the long-term growth and reproduction dynamics of infected and uninfected colonies across their whole life cycle. Infected colonies had increased colony-level growth and early colony reproduction, resulting in a shorter colony life cycle, when compared to uninfected colonies.
Shoring Up Autocracy: Participatory Technologies and Regime Support in Putin’s Russia:

How do autocrats build support? This study argues that autocrats create and maintain participatory technologies—elite-mass communication strategies that promote two-way interaction between citizens...
Analysis of common shoulder injuries in collegiate baseball players.

Objectives: Baseball players are highly susceptible to shoulder injuries due to repetitive overhead throwing. The purpose of this study was to investigate men’s collegiate baseball shoulder injury ...
Differences between predicted outer membrane proteins of Pasteurella multocida, Histophilus somni, and genotype 1 and 2 Mannheimia haemolytica strains isolated from cattle.

Common bacterial causes of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) include Histophilus somni, Mannheimia haemolytica, and Pasteurella multocida. Within M. haemolytica, two major genotypes are commonly fou...
A Numerical Scheme for Wave Turbulence: 3-Wave Kinetic Equations.

We introduce a finite volume scheme to solve isotropic 3-wave kinetic equations. We test our numerical solution against theoretical results concerning the long time behavior of the energy and observe that our solutions verify the energy cascade phenomenon. Up to our knowledge, this is the first numerical scheme that could capture the long time asymptotic behavior of solutions to isotropic 3-wave kinetic equations, where the energy cascade can be observed. Our numerical energy cascade rates are in good agreement with the theoretical one obtained by Soffer and Tran. Our finite volume algorithm relies on a new identity, that allows one to reduce the number of terms needed to be approximated in the collision operators.
The relationship among GIS-oriented spatiotemporal databases

We overview three major types of GIS-oriented spatiotemporal databases: (1) point-based, (2) region-based, and (3) constraint-based. We analyze the relationship among these spatiotemporal databases and show how they can be translated into each other. We illustrate the translations with an example from National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) databases. Finally, we also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using the various types of spatiotemporal databases.
Geometric signal processing

A wide variety of sensing techniques allow the direct measurement of the three-dimensional (3-D) coordinates of closely spaced points in a scene. A optical profilometer or a single light-stripe range sensor measures a one-dimensional depth profile z i = f(x i ) of a surface along a line specified by a y value. A single-view range imaging sensor [Bes88b] generates a two-dimensional set of samples z ij = f(x i , y j ) that represent surface points in a scene. Such sensors might also yield surface dependent properties p ij at each measured point, such as reflectance. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems [HL83] and computerized tomography (CT) systems [BGP83] measure various properties of 3-D points in a volume p ijk = f(x i , y j , z k ). A video camera is a good sensor for recovering planar curves \( \left( {{x_i},\,{y_i}} \right) = \vec f\left( {{s_i}} \right) \) that define the shape of a two-dimensional object in a plane specified by a fixed z value. In each case, a digital signal directly representing scene geometry is produced by the sensor. Typically, the signal is noisier than one would prefer and is therefore processed using digital signal/image processing techniques to clean up the digital sensor data for further computations, such as extracting descriptions of geometric primitives.
Stochastic partial differential equations in turbulence related problems

Publisher Summary The theory of stochastic differential equations has become popular because of its importance in applications. An attempt has been made to bridge the distance between divergent ways of thinking that are reflected in theory and practice. This chapter presents the relevant results in probabilistic analysis, especially Gaussian measures in function spaces and the theory of stochastic partial differential equations (PDEs) of Ito type. The problems in turbulence provide the major source of stochastic PDEs. The chapter discusses the analysis of linearized Navier-Stokes equations with a random forcing. It further discusses stochastic equations for waves in random media. It presents certain model equations in turbulent transport theory. Some Markovian model equations in turbulence are treated from the viewpoint of stochastic differential equations. The problems of wave propagation in turbulent media are governed by hyperbolic systems with random coefficients.
A Survey on Recent Advances of Computer Vision Algorithms for Egocentric Video.

Recent technological advances have made lightweight, head mounted cameras both practical and affordable and products like Google Glass show first approaches to introduce the idea of egocentric (first-person) video to the mainstream. Interestingly, the computer vision community has only recently started to explore this new domain of egocentric vision, where research can roughly be categorized into three areas: Object recognition, activity detection/recognition, video summarization. In this paper, we try to give a broad overview about the different problems that have been addressed and collect and compare evaluation results. Moreover, along with the emergence of this new domain came the introduction of numerous new and versatile benchmark datasets, which we summarize and compare as well.
A restrictive inflow pattern does not predict implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy in primary prevention.

Background: Current guidelines for the use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are broad and significantlyincreasethecostofcaringforpatientswithheartfailure.Inanefforttoidentifythespecificsubset of patients who benefit from this therapy, the predictive value of numerous echocardiographic parameters have been studied. Severe diastolic dysfunction has been shown to predict adverse events in a group of patientswho receivedan ICD for secondaryprevention,but has not beentestedin thosewho receiveICDs for primary prevention. Hypothesis: We testedthe hypothesis that a restrictivemitral inflow pattern on echocardiographywill predict the risk of appropriatetherapy in this patientpopulation. Methods: This retrospective study identified 145 consecutive patients who met primary prevention criteria for ICD implantation and had an echo performed no more than 1 year prior to receiving the ICD. A restrictive patternwas defined as a mitral inflow E/A>2 or a decelerationtime <150 ms. Results:Arestrictivepatternwaspresentin69patients(40.7%ofthegroup).AppropriateICDtherapyoccurred in 8 (11.5%) subjects with a restrictive pattern and 14 (18.4%) with a nonrestrictive pattern over 680 days of average follow-up (P = not significant). Cox regression analysis showed the presence of a restrictive pattern was nothelpful in predictingtime to first ICD therapy.
What Would Socrates Do?: Self-Examination, Civic Engagement, and the Politics of Philosophy

1. Introduction: Socrates in democratic times 2. Beyond 'Socratic citizenship': transforming accountability 3. Socrates in drag: love beyond the polis 4. Fearless speech in democracy: radicalizing frank speaking 5. Midwifing Athens: Socratic associations 6. Socrates' atopia revisited 7. Conclusion: what would Socrates do?
Controlled Trial of Direct Physician Order Entry: Effects on Physicians' Time Utilization in Ambulatory Primary Care Internal Medicine Practices

Objective: Direct physician order entry (POE) offers many potential benefits, but evidence suggests that POE requires substantially more time than traditional paper-based ordering methods. The Medical Gopher is a well-accepted system for direct POE that has been in use for more than 15 years. The authors hypothesized that physicians using the Gopher would not spend any more time writing orders than physicians using paper-based methods. Design: A randomized controlled trial of POE using the Medical Gopher system in 11 primary care internal medicine practices. Measurements: The authors collected detailed time use data using time motion studies of the physicians and surveyed their opinions about the POE system. Results: The authors found that physicians using the Gopher spent 2.2 min more per patient overall, but when duplicative and administrative tasks were taken into account, physicians were found to have spent only 0.43 min more per patient. With experience, the order entry time fell by 3.73 min per patient. The survey revealed that the physicians believed that the system improved their patient care and wanted the Gopher to continue to be available in their practices. Conclusions: Little extra time, if any, was required for physicians to use the POE system. With experience in its use, physicians may even save time while enjoying the many benefits of POE.
Nighttime medium‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbances at low geomagnetic latitudes

[1] Nighttime medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) are a commonly-observed structure in the middle latitude ionosphere during the months surrounding the solstices and low solar flux conditions. MSTIDs consist of one or more narrow bands exhibiting uplift in F-region electron density which are elongated from northwest to southeast in the northern hemisphere and southwest to northeast in the southern hemisphere. These electrified structures propagate westward and toward the equator in a direction perpendicular to their long dimension. Previously, this type of MSTID was not thought to occur at magnetic latitudes equatorward of the equatorial anomalies, or approximately ±15° geomagnetic latitude. Here, we present observational evidence from a field-aligned narrowfield imaging system of MSTIDs existing very close to the magnetic equator. We discuss the implications of this observation in terms of the development and propagation of MSTIDs.
Continuous Quality Improvement in Daily Clinical Practice: A Proof of Concept Study

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is an iterative process of: planning to improve a product or process, plan implementation, analyzing and comparing results against those expected, and corrective action on differences between actual and expected results. It is little used in clinical medicine. Anemia, a complex problem in End Stage Renal Disease patients, served to test the ability of an unique electronic medical record (EMR) optimized for daily care to empower CQI in practice. We used data collected during daily care, stored in the EMR, and organized to display temporal relationships between clinical, laboratory, and therapeutic events. Our aims were optimal hemoglobin with minimum epoetin, and maintaining stable hemoglobin and epoetin. The study was done on 250 patients treated by maintenance hemodialysis (HD), receiving epoetin prior to February 1, 2010 and followed to July 31, 2011. Repleting iron, ensuring iron sufficiency, slow epoetin reduction, and decision support tools enabling data display over long periods in patient-centered reports were key elements. Epoetin dose, adjusted 6–8 weekly, was based on current clinical conditions and past responses. Hemoglobin increased by months 1–2; epoetin decreased from month 4. By months 16–18, epoetin had decreased 42% to 9,720 units/week while hemoglobin increased 8% to 123.6 g/L. Hemoglobin and epoetin were stable from month 7 onward. New epoetin orders decreased 83%. Transferrin saturation increased after the study start. Individual patient hemoglobin variation decreased by 23%, range by 27%. Mortality, 11.78 per 100 patient years, was 42% less than United States dialysis patient mortality. Allowable epoetin charges decreased by $15.33 per treatment and were $22.88 less than current Medicare allowance. The study validates the hypothesis that an EMR optimized for daily patient care can empower CQI in clinical medicine and serve to monitor medical care quality and cost.
Influence of van der Waals Forces from Metallic Substrates on Fluids Supported on Self-Assembled Monolayers Formed from Alkanethiols

We report that contact angles of liquids supported on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed from alkanethiols on metallic substrates are measurably influenced by van der Waals forces that act between the liquids and metallic substrates (through the SAMs). Van der Waals forces between gold and hexadecane separated by SAMs are evaluated using Lifshitz theory and found to quantitatively describe the measured decrease in contact angles of hexadecane supported on SAMs formed from alkanethiols (CH3(CH2)mSH, 2 < m < 17) of decreasing length. Lifshitz theory is also used to predict an increase in the contact angles of drops of perfluorononane placed under hexadecane on SAMs formed from alkanethiols of decreasing length; our experimental measurements confirm this prediction. The effects of different substrates (silver, copper, and silicon dioxide) on contact angles of hexadecane supported on SAMs are also calculated and compared to measurements reported in the literature. Our results demonstrate that van der Waa...
Radio propagation far beyond the horizon at about 3.2 cm wavelength

A series of measurements on transmissions of 3.2cm wavelength at ranges far beyond the radio horizon has been made over various paths, at arbitrary periods of time. These have established the existence of an essentially permanent extra diffraction signal field Whilst its level does not change appreciably with time, the character of this signal can vary from that typical of a scattering process to that due to a coherent mode of propagation. Further, although the observed signal attenuation rate with distance is similar to that expected for a scattered field, the average level is found to be some 10–15 dB below that predicted from theory There appear to be factors affecting the long range propagation of 3.2cm waves through the lower atmosphere which are incompletely understood. Although no extensive analysis of meteorological conditions has been made, there is some evidence to show that the existence of extensive well-pronounced anticyclonic systems results in poor propagation conditions for the extra-diffraction signals.
Effect of Thread Profile Angle and Geometry Clearance on the Loosening Performance of a Preloaded Bolt-Nut System Under Harmonic Transverse Excitation

A mathematical model is proposed for investigating the effect of the thread profile angle, thread and hole clearances on the loosening behavior of a preloaded bolt-nut system that is subjected to cyclic transverse excitation. Experimental verification of the analytical model results is provided for various levels of the initial bolt preload and frictional characteristics. Comparison of the experimental and analytical results on the clamp load decay with the number of cycles verifies that the proposed model predicts the loosening performance with good accuracy.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
In vivo self-renewing divisions of haematopoietic stem cells are increased in the absence of the early G1-phase inhibitor, p18INK4C.

In vivo self-renewing divisions of haematopoietic stem cells are increased in the absence of the early G1-phase inhibitor, p18 INK4C
Radiation heating through transparent and opaque walls

Abstract A transparent material has been used through which radiation flux passes to heat the fluid. The fluid is placed in a container in which it is in contact with a transparent wall. The fluid is so well stirred that its temperature can be taken to be the same throughout. The temperature of the fluid is a function of time. A wall of thickness 0 It is assumed that all the radiation flux entering the wall at the outside wall (x = 0) is reaching the inside wall (x = L). In an actual case some of the radiation flux is absorbed in the transparent wall. At the outside wall, convective heat transfer takes place to the surroundings. At the inside wall, there is convective heat transfer taking place to the fluid. The solution to this boundary value problem is obtained by the use of the “inversion theorem” for the Laplace transformation. Similarly, a solution to the fluid heated through an opaque wall is obtained. In this case, it is assumed that no radiation flux is passing through the outside wall, or in other words, a perfectly opaque wall is assumed. The two solutions are compared for identical heat-transfer parameters for transparent (glass) and opaque (copper) walls. The results indicate that the glass wall heats up faster and reaches a higher steady-state temperature than the copper wall. The steady-state temperature of the glass wall increases with an increase in the wall thickness. The steady-state temperature of the copper wall is independent of the wall thickness. This effect gives glass an advantage over copper as wall material.
Symptom Burden in Chronically Ill Homebound Individuals

Objectives: To document the degree of symptom burden in an urban homebound population. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: The Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors (MSVD) program. Participants: All individuals newly enrolled in the MSVD. Measurements: Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), which consists of 10 visual analogue scales scored from 0 to 10; symptoms include pain, tiredness, nausea, depression, anxiety, drowsiness, appetite, well-being, shortness of breath, and other. Results: ESAS scores were completed for 318 participants. Most participants were aged 80 and older (68%) and female (75%); 36% were white, 22% black, and 32% Hispanic. Forty-three percent had Medicaid, and 32% lived alone. Ninety-one percent required assistance with one or more activities of daily living, 45% had a Karnofsky Performance Scale score between 0 and 40 (unable to care for self), and 43% reported severe burden on one or more symptoms. The most commonly reported symptoms were loss of appetite, lack of well-being, tiredness, and pain; the symptoms with the highest scores were depression, pain, appetite, and shortness of breath. Participants were more likely to have severe symptom burden if they self-reported their ESAS, had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or diabetes mellitus with end organ damage, or had a Charlson Comorbidity Index greater than 3 and less likely to have severe burden if they had dementia. Conclusion: In chronically ill homebound adults, symptom burden is a serious problem that needs to be addressed alongside primary and specialty care needs.
Parameterizing parallel multiplicative lagged-Fibonacci generators

Abstract Monte Carlo computations are commonly considered to be naturally parallel. However, one needs to exercise care in parallelizing the underlying pseudorandom number generator (PRNG) to avoid correlations within, and between, random number streams. PRNGs are normally parallelized using one of the following two paradigms: (i) cycle division and (ii) parameterization. Most of the popular PRNGs based on linear recurrences, such as linear congruential generators (LCGs), generalized feedback shift-register generators (GFSRs), and additive lagged-Fibonacci generators (ALFGs) have been parallelized using both these paradigms. While the (nonlinear) multiplicative lagged-Fibonacci generators (MLFG) is considered superior to the ALFG in quality, it had so far been parallelized only via the cycle division paradigm, which has its limitations. In this paper, we describe parallelization of the MLFG using parameterization, and discuss its implementation in the Scalable Parallel Random Number Generators ( SPRNG ) [ACM Trans. Math. Software 26 (2000) 436] parallel pseudorandom number generation software. We also present empirical results demonstrating the quality, and quantitatively compare the parallel ALFGs and MLFGs quality.
Convergence tests of several moment-method solutions

Matrix elements used in previously published two- and three-dimensional moment-method solutions are here used for arrays of large numbers of cells arranged to approximate a thin dielectric slab. Richmond's two-dimensional solutions for both transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) excitation and the three-dimensional solutions considered appear to approach the analytical solution in the limit of zero slab thickness.
Chemical manipulation of multifunctional hydrocarbons on silicon surfaces

Abstract Over the last three decades reactions of organic and organometallic compounds on silicon surfaces have been of great interest. This interest has been fueled by potential applications of such modification approaches to form stable coatings, to improve adhesion properties of organic and inorganic films on semiconductors, and to design suitable molecular electronics components. Despite enormous amount of work on chemistry of various compounds on silicon surfaces, the major driving force behind selective assembly and molecular ordering on reactive silicon surfaces and the preference for chemical reactivity of multifunctional compounds, have never before been a subject of a comprehensive review. As more complex molecular building blocks for multiple applications become available, there is a need to understand and quantify chemical handles on how to manipulate surface reactions in such a way that highly selective processes would take place. Classical kinetics and thermodynamics approaches to surface modification will be the main focus of this review. A large number of well-developed and well-understood reactions on silicon surfaces combined with better computational approaches to describe multiple surface reaction pathways will now allow us to predict, in many cases quantitatively, the selectivity of surface reactions in a variety of experimental conditions. In the past few years numerous examples of these approaches have been published. They provide a foundation for the general understanding and prediction of the chemical properties of a variety of multifunctional compounds. Most importantly, such predictions will be further used to optimize chemical modification processes both in a research laboratory and on the industrial scale. The current review will focus on the chemical control of the selectivity in reactions of multifunctional organic and organometallic molecules on silicon substrates. After a very brief review of the potential monofunctional candidate reactions and a summary of the experimental conditions, the balance of kinetic and thermodynamic factors will be discussed and the application and prediction of surface selectivity will be outlined. The examples of selective surface modification will be further considered on the most common silicon surfaces: Si(100) and Si(111), as well as on partially hydrogenated silicon substrates. Finally, some future directions for the development and the use of multifunctional compounds on silicon will be extended into the third dimension.
Rhino-sinus involvement in children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Objective Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is commonly associated with adenotonsillar hypertrophy. We hypothesized that respiratory perturbations extend to other regions of the upper respiratory tract in such children, particularly to rhino-sinus regions. Study Design A prospective case control study using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the upper airway and surrounding tissues of OSAS and controls. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to evaluate radiographic changes within the: paranasal sinuses, middle ear and mastoid air cells, and the nasal passages. Results We studied 54 OSAS (age 5.7 ± 3.0 years) and 54 controls (age 6.2 ± 2.0 years, P = NS). Children with OSAS had significantly more opacification of: maxillary sinuses (P < 0.05), sphenoid sinuses (P < 0.01), and mastoid air cells (P < 0.01). They also had significantly more: middle ear effusions, (P < 0.001), prominence of inferior nasal turbinate(s) (P < 0.05), and deviation of the nasal septum (P < 0.05). Conclusions Childhood OSAS is associated with a wide range of upper respiratory tract perturbations and is not limited to adenoid and tonsillar hypertrophy. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2010; 45:993–998. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
SnortFlow: A OpenFlow-Based Intrusion Prevention System in Cloud Environment

Security has been one of the top concerns in clouds. It is challenging to construct a secure networking environment in clouds because the cloud is usually a hybrid networking system containing both physical and virtually overlaid networks. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) have been widely deployed to manipulate cloud security, with the latter providing additional prevention capabilities. This paper investigates into an OpenFlow and Snort based IPS called "SnortFlow", in which it enables the cloud system to detect intrusions and deploy countermeasures by reconfiguring the cloud networking system on-the-fly. The evaluation results demonstrate the feasibility of SnortFlow and provide the guidance for the future work.
Hapten‐Specific T Cell Response to Azobenzenearsonate‐N‐Acetyl‐L‐Tyrosine (ABA‐tyr) in Lewis Rats: II. Induction and Suppression of ABA‐Specific Helper Cell Activity for Antibody Production

Immunization of Lewis rats with azobenzenearsonate-N-acetyl-l-tyrosine (ABA-tyr) in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), produces a hapten-specific helper T cell response measured by an increase in plaque forming cells (PFC) against a different hapten. The response seen is primarily direct (IgM) PFC unless B cells are primed by injection of trinitrophenylated keyhole limpet hemocyanin (TNP-KLH) prior to immunization with ABA-tyr. The response requires both ABA and TNP to be on the same carrier molecule which can be as diverse as bovine serum albumin (BSA), poly l-glutamine-lysine-tyrosine (l-GLT); however, a d-amino acid polypeptide does not work. The in vitro demonstration of such help was successful only with peritoneal exudate lymphocytes, not spleen or lymph node cells. Repeated pretreatment of rats by intraperitoneal injection of ABA-tyr in incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) induced an unresponsiveness for helper activity to subsequent immunization with the same antigen in CFA. Passive transfer of lymphoid cells from spleens and lymph nodes from rats pretreated with ABA-tyr in IFA followed by boosting with ABA-tyr in CFA induced unresponsiveness to subsequent induction of hapten-specific help.
The Incidence of λ Boötis Stars via an Extension of the MK Spectral Classification System to Very Young A-Type Stars

In this paper we introduce an extension to the MK system of spectral classification that allows the precise classification of pre–main-sequence (PMS) A-type stars, including most Herbig Ae stars. This classification scheme characterizes the star by a standard MK type, the presence and strength of emission and/or shell lines, and the strength of the Balmer decrement. It can be used to summarize temporal spectral changes in PMS A-type stars, and to search for peculiar types. We have used this scheme to classify 38 Herbig Ae stars as well as 22 PMS stars in the young open clusters NGC 2264, NGC 7160, and IC 348. We have also used this extended system to search for λ Bootis stars among PMS A-type stars. We have found one definite λ Bootis star among the Ae stars, and one marginal λ Bootis star in NGC 2264, yielding statistics not significantly different from those of the λ Bootis stars in the field. This, in addition to other considerations from previous studies, leads us to conclude that the λ Bootis mechanism is operable from very early ages (PMS) to well into the main-sequence life (a few times 108 yr) of only 2%–3% of A-type stars.
The Completeness of AIDS Case Reporting in New York City

Objective. —To assess the completeness of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) case reporting in New York City (NYC), and to determine whether the completeness of reporting differs in various populations. Design. —Retrospective record review of hospital laboratory logs, death certificates, hospital discharge records, and patient registries at private physicians' offices and hospital outpatient clinics. Setting. —Public and private hospitals, and private physicians' offices in NYC. Patients. —Adults and adolescents with AIDS or with illnesses suggestive of AIDS were identified using both population-based and nonrandom sampling techniques. These persons were matched with the NYC AIDS case registry, and the medical records of nonmatching persons were reviewed to determine whether they met the 1987 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance case definition for AIDS. Main Outcome Measures. —The completeness of reporting was calculated for the five individual projects and for the aggregate database by gender, race/ethnicity, risk, borough of residence, age, first AIDS diagnosis, and year of diagnosis. Results. —Of 7015 persons with AIDS identified in the five projects, 5912 (84%) had been previously reported (range, 77% to 89%). The completeness of reporting ranged from 81% to 87% in all major gender, race/ethnicity, risk, borough of residence, and age subgroups. In a multivariate analysis, the odds of being unreported were significantly higher among outpatients in hospital clinics, out-of-state residents, persons with diagnoses other thanPneumocystis cariniipneumonia, and persons recently diagnosed with AIDS. Conclusions. —This study indicates that the NYC AIDS surveillance system functioned effectively during the first decade of the AIDS epidemic. Completeness-of-reporting studies are an integral part of AIDS surveillance, providing data that are critical for assessing the validity of the AIDS surveillance database. (JAMA. 1993;269:2995-3001)
Research opportunities in search of federal flood policy

Continuing increases in flood losses raise a variety of issues, and suggest numerous important research opportunities, from: (1) evidence of persistently incorrect economic analysis of structural flood control; (2) lack of understanding of how subsidies (for navigation, structural versus non-structural mitigation, and parts of agriculture) have defeated or subverted flood policies; and (3) lack of understanding of the distortions of urban form resulting from manipulation of hazard mitigation, induced development and inappropriate incentives for municipalities. Without adequate understanding of these topics, policy will fail to reduce flood losses and improve location of investments, and flood policy will continue to be effectively a legitimating rationale for other purposes. But policy-supportive research in re-analysis, historical analysis, and empirical work awaits only recognition of its value. Failure to do the useful work, however, bodes ill for responses to global change and other threats; the research proposed here would help establish methods badly needed for human dimensions research.
Detection and occurrence of antimicrobially resistant E. coli in groundwater on or near swine farms in eastern North Carolina

The use of antibiotics for growth promotion and disease treatment by the commercial swine industry has led to high proportions of multiple antibiotic-resistant enteric bacteria being shed by these animals and concerns about the environmental spread of these bacteria. A study was conducted to quantify the extent of release of antibiotic-resistant E. coli from swine farms into groundwater. Four study sites, two swine farms and two reference sites (crop farms), with known groundwater flow paths were screened for E. coli four times over the course of one and a half years. A total of 100 biochemically-confirmed E. coli were collected from the four sites. There were statistically significantly higher E. coli levels at the two swine farm sites than at the reference sites. The bacterial isolates were tested for antibiotic resistance using a panel of 17 drugs that are typical of human and veterinary use. There were 19 and 71 E. coli isolates from swine farms #1 and #2, respectively, with most (68%) being resistant to 1–6 antimicrobials. Only one E. coli isolate from each of the reference sites showed antimicrobial resistance traits. The results of this study demonstrate that antibiotic-resistant E. coli strains are present in groundwaters of swine farms with a typical lagoon and land application system for waste management.
Long-term outcome of laparoscopic repair of paraesophageal hernia

It has been reported that the laparoscopic repair of paraesophageal hernias is associated with higher complication and recurrence rates than the open methods of repair. We identified 136 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic repair of a paraesophageal hernia between 1993 and 1999. Patient demographics and symptom scores for regurgitation, heartburn, chest pain, and dysphagia at presentation and at last follow-up were recorded (0=none, 1=mild, 2=moderate, 3=severe). The operative records were reviewed, and early and late complications were noted. Only patients with a follow-up of 1 were included in the analysis. The median age was 64 years, and there was a female preponderance (1.8∶1). Most patients had some medical comorbidity; the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores were <2 in eight patients and ≥2 in 117 patients. Three laparoscopic operations were converted to open procedures. There were nine intraoperative complications, five early complications, and three related deaths (morbidity and mortality rates of 10.2% and 2.2%, respectively). Follow-up data were available for 83 patients (66%), and the mean follow-up time was 40 months (range, 12–82). The percentage of patients experiencing chest pain, dysphagia, heartburn, and regurgitation in the moderate to severe range dropped from a range of 34–47% to 5–7% (p<0.05). Three patients underwent repeat laparoscopic repair for symptomatic recurrence. The laparoscopic repair of paraesophageal hernias provides excellent long-term symptomatic relief in the majority of patients and has a low rate of symptomatic recurrence. The complication and death rates may be related in part to the higher incidence of comorbidities in this somewhat elderly patient population.
Transient vibrations and instability in flexible guns. II, Response characteristics

Abstract The transient response of a gas-propelled hypervelocity gun is a synthesis of the motion of the rotationally symmetric mode and of the bending mode of the system. The numerical results show that, except at the muzzle, the effect of the bending modes of vibrations are relatively unimportant for higher velocity projectiles. Therefore the vibrations are mainly the wave-like response of the rotationally symmetric mode. The response is local and decays exponentially when the speed of the moving step pressure is near the resonant speed. When speed exceeds a critical value, large amplitude and high frequency vibrations set in.
Chronic desipramine treatment reduces regional neuropeptide Y binding to Y2-type receptors in rat brain

Chronic treatment of rats with desipramine and imipramine (5 mg/kg/twice daily/i.p.) for 14 days caused a significant reduction in the binding of [3H]propionyl NPY to membranes prepared from frontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, hypothalamus and hippocampus. There was no change in binding of [3H]propionyl NPY in the parieto-occipital cortex, striatum or amygdala. Scatchard analysis of binding data from frontal cortical and hippocampal membranes showed that [3H]propionyl NPY bound to a single site with a Kd of approximately 0.3 nM. The loss of [3H]propionyl NPY binding in hippocampal and frontal cortical membranes revealed that chronic tricyclic antidepressant treatment produced a reduction in the number of binding sites with no change in the affinity for the ligand. Chronic desipramine treatment did not alter the ability of NPY (0.01-25 microM) to stimulate inositol phosphate accumulation in rat frontal cortical slices as compared to saline-treated animals. The lack of change of NPY-induced inositol phosphate accumulation following chronic desipramine treatment showed that there was no change to Y1 NPY-type receptors which are linked to the hydrolysis of inositol phospholipids. However, the ability of NPY (0.05-0.5 microM) to inhibit forskolin (1 microM) stimulated adenylate cyclase via Y2 NPY-type receptors in rat frontal cortical slices was significantly reduced following chronic desipramine treatment. This finding suggests that the reduction of [3H]proprionyl NPY binding in selective brain regions may be the result of an antidepressant-induced loss of Y2-type NPY receptors which are negatively linked to adenylate cyclase.
A computer study of battery energy storage and power conversion equipment operation

This paper presents and discusses results from a computer simulation of a battery energy storage/converter system connected to a representative utility substation. Switching of load, voltage waveforms, voltage levels, fault conditions, and power flow reversal are investigated for both line- and forced-cornmutated converters in the application. The interactions among the battery, the converter and its controls, and the substation are discussed. The investigations have pointed out areas in which further consideration must be given to component selection for the battery/utility interface equipment, for example, dc reactor sizing, harmonic filtering, power factor control, thyristor firing control, and dc current interruption.
Neuropeptide Y (NPY)-like immunoactive nerve fibers in the human and monkey (Macaca fascicularis) kidney

Nerve fibers immunoreactive for neuropeptide Y (NPY) are demonstrated for the first time by the indirect immunofluorescence technique in the human and monkey kidney. NPY-like immunoactivity (NPY-LI) is shown in a bundle of nerve fibers in the surrounding connective tissue of arteries and to a lesser extent, veins, mainly at the juxtamedullary region. Varicose nerve terminals are shown associated with blood vessels and passing between tubules in the mid and lower cortex. NPY-LI nerve fibers are also seen surrounding afferent and occasionally efferent arterioles at the vascular pole of the glomeruli. The distribution of NPY-LI nerve fibers in the monkey and human kidneys is similar to that of other species, only the quantity of the nerve fibers varies.
Early extubation after abdominal aortic reconstruction

Abstract Objective: To assess the safety of early ( Design: A retrospective chart review of 192 consecutive elective infrarenal aortic surgical procedures from January 1990 to March 1994 at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale was undertaken. Measurements and Main Results: Combined general and epidural anesthesia was used extensively (187 patients; 97.4%). Early extubation was accomplished in 166 (86.5%) patients. Time to extubation was dependent on clinical factors and not by protocol. All early extubations occurred in the operating room or recovery room with a median time from skin closure of 12 minutes. Ten patients were extubated from 2 to 12 hours after the procedure, 14 patients more than 12 hours after the procedure, and 2 patients were not extubated and subsequently expired. Of the 166 patients extubated within 2 hours, 8 (4.8%) required reintubation. Factors found univariantly to be significantly associated with failure of early extubation include obesity, abnormal chest x-ray postoperatively, prior myocardial infarction, and prior coronary revascularization (p Conclusion: Early extubation (
Hand preferences for simple reaching in juvenile chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Continuity in development.

Hand preferences were assessed in 51 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes; 28 male and 23 female) ranging from 2 to 5 years of age). Simple reaching served as the measure of lateral bias in hand preference during 2 assessments separated by I year. A significant sex by hand preference interaction was found with a greater prevalence of right-handed males than females. No significant differences were found between age and either strength or direction of hand preference. A significant interaction was found between rearing and strength of hand preference. Mother-reared chimpanzees showed significantly greater strength in hand preference than nursery-reared chimpanzees. Finally, a significant positive correlation was found between tests of hand preference conducted over a I-year interval. These data suggest that in chimpanzees hand preferences are established by 2 years of age and are stable throughout the juvenile developmental period.
Using lexical familiarity judgments to assess verbally mediated intelligence in aphasia

In this study, a task using forced-choice lexical familiarity judgments of irregular versus archaic words (a newly developed measure called the Lexical Orthographic Familiarity Test; LOFT) was compared to a standardized oral word-reading measure (the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading; WTAR) in a group of 35 aphasic adults and a comparison group of 125 community dwelling, nonbrain damaged adults. When compared to the comparison group, aphasics had significantly lower scores on the WTAR but not the LOFT. Although both the WTAR and LOFT were significantly correlated with education in the nonbrain-damaged group, only the LOFT was correlated with education and also with the Barona full scale IQ index in the aphasic group. Lastly, WTAR performance showed a significantly greater relationship to the severity of language disorder in the aphasic group than did the LOFT. These results have both theoretical and clinical implications for the assessment of language-disordered adults, as they indicate that patients with aphasia may retain aspects of verbally mediated intelligence, and that the LOFT may provide a better estimate of premorbid functioning in aphasia than other currently available measures.