cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing the reliability of criteria used to identify postcranial bones in sheep, Ovis, and goats, Capra

Criteria developed to distinguish between selected postcranial elements of sheep and goats are evaluated using modern specimens from the collections of the Field Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of Anthropology and the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan. Elements considered are: the distal humerus, proximal and distal radius, distal tibia, distal metapodials, astragalus, calcaneus, and the first and second phalanx. This evaluation includes an assessment of 1385 elements from 49 goat and 84 modern sheep skeletons. It also includes a blind test on elements drawn from 20 specimens taken by six analysts with differing levels of experience. Overall, the criteria evaluated are highly reliable, especially in goats and only slightly less so in sheep. A major exception is the distal tibia, where diagnostic criteria tested proved substantially less reliable than other criteria evaluated here. Strongly positive results were also obtained when the sample was partitioned by sex, domestic status, and age. Results of the blind test show some variability depending on the level of experience of the analyst, underscoring the need for training and access to adequate modern reference collections before attempting to apply these criteria to archaeological assemblages. The results of this assessment stand in stark contrast to those obtained in an earlier assessment of the reliability of criteria used to distinguish between mandibles and mandibular teeth of sheep and goats. In all but a few teeth, dental criteria proved to be much less reliable, especially in goats. They were also significantly less reliable in the identification of both younger and older animals. Unlike dental criteria, there are no biases introduced by variable reliability of postcranial criteria that distort taxon-specific harvest profiles based on long-bones.
Aromatic and heteroatom-containing organic compounds in the lunar samples.

The data concerning the indigenous organic compounds in the lunar samples has been consistent. The Apollo 11 sample appeared to be moderately contaminated, and most investigators found known terrestrial artifacts in these samples. The Apollo 12 data indicated that perhaps benzene and toluene were indigenous to the Moon at concentrations below 100 parts per billion. Other, more ‘complex’ organic molecules (in particular of aromatic structure) might also be present, but in concentrations below 1 ppb. In general, the structural types reported have been relatively simple; perhaps indicating that what little organic chemistry occurs on the lunar surface can best be described as reactions between individual atoms of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.
Lipoprotein transport gene abnormalities underlying coronary heart disease susceptibility

There is a close association between lipoprotein abnormalities and cor­ onary heart disease susceptibility. Since 1982, the genes for the lipoprotein transport proteins have been isolated and at least partially characterized. Mutations in these genes are now being defined that underlie the common abnormalities found in heart attack victims. This review presents our current state of knowledge on this subject.
Boundary Conditions Condsiderations for Continuous Shape Function Cartesian Beam Dynamics Models

*The predictive capabilities of an existing Cartesian coordinate-based beam dynamic model using continuous shape functions are investigated. This investigation is performed by studying a dynamics problem in which a beam is cantilevered to a rigid rotating table at one end and attached to the table by way of a tether spring at the other end. This previously studied problem is of interest because of the nature of the boundary conditions at the tethered end. Specifically the boundary conditions involve combinations of the displacements and spatial derivatives of the displacements at the tethered end. The predicted transient displacement and steady-state axial stress are compared with results from a previous study which used a non-Cartesian-based formulation. While the displacements are found to be reasonable, the axial stress predictions are qualitatively incorrect under conditions where the beam has buckled. In addition, it is shown that the boundary conditions at the tethered end are violated, and the magnitude of the violation increases as the axial stress predictions deviate further from the correct result. These results provide compelling evidence that the predictive shortcomings of the approach are related to the failure to satisfy the boundary conditions. While compelling evidence has been provided, a lack of conclusive proof stems from the failure to demonstrate that the predictive shortcoming can be removed by solving a set of differential algebraic equations that were generated by appending algebraic equations describing the boundary conditions to the ordinary differential equations describing the base system. Despite this lack of proof the study provides insight into the subject of boundary conditions and Cartesian coordinate continuous shape function beam formulations. Given the inherent difficulties in solving differential algebraic equations and the variety of methods available, additional work to obtain a meaningful solution is justified.
Seizures in dogs.

Epileptic seizures are the most common neurologic problem in the dog. The ability of a clinician to start proper management of these cases does not require elaborate equipment or specialized skills. The purpose of this article is to give clinicians a perspective on how to identify those dogs with a seizure disorder, to classify the type of seizure disorder, understand reasons for the development of the seizure, establish a prioritized differential diagnoses list based on the seizure history and classification, determine which diagnostic tests are most useful in arriving at a definitive diagnosis, and finally, how to develop a rational, long-term therapeutic plan in treating controlled and refractory canine epilepsy.
An omnidirectional gait control using a graph search method for a quadruped walking robot

Two major approaches exist for devising gait control for a legged machine: 1) finding a sequence of leg and body movements of a robot on the basis of kinematic and possibly dynamic considerations assuming all foot placements are valid; and 2) selecting leg and body movements first on the basis of feasibility of foot placements and then accepting those that also satisfy kinematic and possibly dynamic constraints. Consider now the problem of a legged robot pursuing a quarry. With the first approach, the robot will be limited to operating over a relatively flat terrain. If the terrain is uneven, however, the robot will have no choice but to take recourse to the second approach even though it is computationally more demanding. The work done so far in the second approach is limited by either the constraint that the overall direction of ambulation of the robot is known in advance, or by the constraint that the foot placements are limited to the points of a grid superimposed on the topographic map of the terrain. In this paper, the authors discuss how a free gait can be generated for following a quarry without invoking such constraints.
Independent Meshing of Contact Surfaces in 3D Boundary Element Method Contact Analysis

This paper deals with the development of two new boundary element algorithms for solving 3D, frictional, and linear elastostatic contact problems. The main contribution of this research is that solving 3D boundary element models with nonconforming discretizations becomes possible for the first time by using the proposed algorithms. The new algorithms provide the contact constraint equations that will be added to the underdetermined linear system of equations. These algorithms are implemented in a new 3D boundary element code using c++ and verified using several numerical examples. For the models studied, the results using the new boundary element algorithms match well with the finite element results and clearly demonstrate the feasibility of the new boundary element approach for 3D contact analysis.
Influence of duty cycle on the time course of muscle fatigue and the onset of neuromuscular compensation during exhaustive dynamic isolated limb exercise.

We investigated the influence of altered muscle duty cycle on the performance decrements and neuromuscular responses occurring during constant-load, fatiguing bouts of knee extension exercise. We e...
Detection system built from commercial integrated circuits for real-time measurement of radiation dose and quality using the variance method

A small, specialised amplifier using commercial integrated circuits (ICs) was developed to measure radiation dose and quality in real time using a microdosimetric ion chamber and the variance method. The charges from a microdosimetric ion chamber, operated in the current mode, were repeatedly collected for a fixed period of time for 20 cycles of 100 integrations, and processed by this specialised amplifier to produce signal pulse heights between 0 and 10 V. These signals were recorded by a multi-channel analyser coupled to a computer. FORTRAN programs were written to calculate the dose and dose variance. The dose variance produced in the ion chamber is a microdosimetric measure of radiation quality. Benchmark measurements of different brands of ICs were conducted. Results demonstrate that this specialised amplifier is capable of distinguishing differences of radiation quality in various high-dose-rate radiation fields including X rays, gamma rays and mixed neutron-gamma radiation from the research reactor at Texas A&M University Nuclear Science Center.
Proteins secreted from the early ovine conceptus block the action of prostaglandin F2 alpha on large luteal cells.

In this study we evaluated whether the early conceptus secretes a factor that blocks the action of prostaglandin (PG) F2�, on cultured ovine large luteal cells. PGF,,� inhibited progesterone production by lipoprotein-stimulated large luteal cells and this antisteroidogenic action was blocked in a dose-dependent manner by conceptus proteins secreted from Day 15 embryos. Purified ovine trophophoblast protein-l (0TP-1) did not exhibit the anti-PGF,,1 activity, but secreted conceptus proteins devoid of 0TP1 did prevent the anti-steroidogenic effects of PGF,�. This activity does not appear to be a nonspecific effect of protein since neither serum albumin nor thyroglobulin, gamma globulin, insulin, LH, secreted ovine endometrial proteins, or heat-inactivated secreted conceptus proteins had this action, After molecular-sizing chromatography we found a high- and a low.molecular weight fraction with luteal protective activity. Neither of the secreted conceptus protein fractions blocked the binding of 3H-PGF,,, to large luteal cells. However, conceptus proteins did block the antisteroidogenic action of phorbol ester and calcium ionophore on large luteal cells, suggesting that secreted conceptus proteins act after activation of the free calcium/protein kinase C intracellular effector pathways. Thus, the early ovine conceptus secretes a luteal protective protein(s) that may be important for maintaining the corpus luteum during early pregnancy; however, the physiologic significance of this luteal protective protein(s) cannot be stated without further investigation.
Commentary: Effects of a Double-Bind Environment

The rehabilitation of a paraplegic prisoner presents an ethical dilemma that poses questions not easily answered. Because an outside perspective often can make us view situations in different and enlightening ways, Rehabilitation Nursing has asked a distinguished nurse ethicist to provide a commentary on “Rehabilitation of a Paraplegic Prisoner: Conflicts for Patient and Nurses.”
The simplicity complex: exploring simplified health messages in a complex world

SUMMARY A challenge in individual and public health at the start of the 21st century is to effectively communicate health and science information about disease and complex emergencies. The low health literacy of millions of adults in the USA has been referred to as a ‘silent killer’. A popular approach to improving health communication and health promotion to low health literate consumers has been to simplify the language of health information. The expected result has been that individuals and groups will better understand information and will then make informed decisions about their health and behaviors. This expectation has grown to include the belief that the public will be better prepared to take appropriate action in complex natural and man-made emergencies. Demonstrating the efficacy of this approach remains, in large part, uninvestigated. And it is becoming more evident that health literacy itself is complex and multifaceted. This article applies linguistic and sociolinguistic models in order to better articulate the role of simplification in health communication and health promotion. Focusing on two models from sociolinguistics— pragmatics and text theory—the article discusses their usefulness in rethinking message simplification. The discussion proposes that a richer, more theory-based understanding of text structures and functions, along with other powerful constructs, including cultural appropriateness, relevancy and context, are needed to close the gaps between health messages, health messengers and patients/the public. The article concludes by making recommendations for future study to empirically test the strengths and limitations of these models and constructs.
Antibodies and Antimatter: The Resurgence of Immuno-PET

The completion of the human genome, coupled with parallel major research efforts in proteomics and systems biology, has led to a flood of information on the roles of individual genes and proteins in normal physiologic processes and their disruptions in disease. In practical terms, this information has opened the door to increasingly targeted therapies as specific molecular markers are identified and validated. The ongoing transition from empiric to molecular medicine has engendered a need for corresponding molecular diagnostics, including noninvasive molecular imaging. Convergence of knowledge regarding key biomarkers that define normal biologic processes and disease with protein and imaging technology makes this an opportune time to revisit the combination of antibodies and PET, or immuno-PET.
Type IV Neonatal Early-Onset Group B Streptococcal Disease in a United States Hospital

Group B streptococcus (GBS) serotypes causing neonatal disease vary by geographic region. Surveillance at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, revealed a case of neonatal early-onset sepsis caused by type IV GBS. Neonatal type IV disease occurs in the Middle East but has not recently been described in U.S. infants.
Site-Specific Seismic-Hazard Analysis that is Completely Probabilistic

Equation (4) page 1842, of Cramer (2003) does not properly represent what is described in the paragraph containing that equation. Tianqing Cao (written comm., …
Toll-Like Receptor 2 and NLRP3 Cooperate To Recognize a Functional Bacterial Amyloid, Curli

Amyloids are proteins with cross-β-sheet structure that contribute to pathology and inflammation in complex human diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, type II diabetes, and secondary amyloidosis. Bacteria also produce amyloids as a component of their extracellular matrix during biofilm formation. Recently, several human amyloids were shown to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome, leading to the activation of caspase 1 and production of interleukin 1β (IL-1β). In this study, we investigated the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by bacterial amyloids using curli fibers, produced by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Escherichia coli. Here, we show that curli fibers activate the NLRP3 inflammasome, leading to the production of IL-1β via caspase 1 activation. Investigation of the underlying mechanism revealed that activation of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) by curli fibers is critical in the generation of IL-1β. Interestingly, activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by curli fibers or by amyloid β of Alzheimer's disease does not cause cell death in macrophages. Overall, these data identify a cross talk between TLR2 and NLRP3 in response to the bacterial amyloid curli and generation of IL-1β as a product of this interaction.
Optimization Topics Related to Small Power Producing Facilities Operating under Energy Spot Pricing Policies

Small Power Producing Facilities will become more and more common as the various provisions of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) are taken advantage of by utility and customers. These facilities incorporate several features which allow the user to increase his operational flexibilty with respect to the local utility. These facilities can be: local generation, local dependent generation, local energy storage facility, and shiftable load schedule. The only true control the utility has over the actual operation of such facilities is through the judicious selection of the energy prices proposed to such users both for the sale and purchase of energy. It is likely that most utilities will react to this novel user-utility relationship by implementing time-varying energy prices to better reflect their own production costs. These time varying energy prices are often referred to as Spot Prices and are rather commonly used in Europe. A key issue is then the simulation of the various SPPF loads under various spot pricing policies and as they would be seen from the utility's point of view. The purpose of the paper is to describe a general and flexible model for a large variety of SPPFs and to demonstrate its use on a number of operations planning and plant design problems.
Review of Azithromycin Ophthalmic 1% Solution (AzaSite(®)) for the Treatment of Ocular Infections.

AzaSite® (azithromomycin 1.0%) ophthalmic solution was approved in 2007 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the first commercially available formulation of ophthalmic azithromycin for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis. AzaSite® utilizes a vehicle delivery system called DuraSite®, which stabilizes and sustains the release of azithromycin to the ocular surface, leading to a longer drug residence time, less frequent dosing, and an increase in patient compliance. AzaSite® is a broad spectrum antibiotic, effective against Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and atypical bacteria. AzaSite® has been studied for the treatment of ocular conditions beyond its clinical indication. A number of clinical studies have evaluated its efficacy and safety in the management of ocular conditions such as bacterial conjunctivitis and blepharitis on both the pediatric and adult populations. This article aims to evaluate the peer-reviewed published literature on the use of azithromycin 1.0% ophthalmic for current and possible future ophthalmic uses.
Affirmative Action and the Occupational Advancement of Minorities and Women During 1973-2003: Affirmative Action and Occupational Advancement

The share of minorities and women comprising high-paying skilled occupations such as management, professional, and technical occupations has been increasing since the 1960s, while the proportion of white men in such occupations has been declining. What has been the contribution of affirmative action to the occupational advancement of minorities and women from low-wage unskilled occupations into high-wage skilled ones in U.S. firms? I examine this by comparing the occupational position of minorities and women at firms holding federal contracts, and thereby mandated to implement affirmative action, and noncontracting firms, over the course of 31 years during 1973–2003. I use a new longitudinal dataset of over 100,000 large private-sector firms across all industries and regions uniquely suited for the exploration of this question obtained from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. My key findings show that the share of minorities and women in high-paying skilled occupations grew more at federal contractors subject to affirmative action obligation than at noncontracting firms during the three decades under study, but these advances took place primarily during the pre- and early Reagan years and during the decade following the Glass Ceiling Act of 1991.
Plasma Membrane Microdomains Containing Vesicular Stomatitis Virus M Protein Are Separate from Microdomains Containing G Protein and Nucleocapsids

Immunogold electron microscopy and analysis were used to determine the organization of the major structural proteins of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) during virus assembly. We determined that matrix protein (M protein) partitions into plasma membrane microdomains in VSV-infected cells as well as in transfected cells expressing M protein. The sizes of the M-protein-containing microdomains outside the virus budding sites (50 to 100 nm) were smaller than those at sites of virus budding (approximately 560 nm). Glycoprotein (G protein) and M protein microdomains were not colocalized in the plasma membrane outside the virus budding sites, nor was M protein colocalized with microdomains containing the host protein CD4, which efficiently forms pseudotypes with VSV envelopes. These results suggest that separate membrane microdomains containing either viral or host proteins cluster or merge to form virus budding sites. We also determined whether G protein or M protein was colocalized with VSV nucleocapsid protein (N protein) outside the budding sites. Viral nucleocapsids were observed to cluster in regions of the cytoplasm close to the plasma membrane. Membrane-associated N protein was colocalized with G protein in regions of plasma membrane of approximately 600 nm. In contrast to the case for G protein, M protein was not colocalized with these areas of nucleocapsid accumulation. These results suggest a new model of virus assembly in which an interaction of VSV nucleocapsids with G-protein-containing microdomains is a precursor to the formation of viral budding sites.
Structure of Convection and Magnetic Field Without Rotation

Using the developed numerical code, we perform non-rotating high-resolution calculations of solar global convection, which resolve convective scales of less than 10 Mm. The main conclusions of this study are the following. (1) The small-scale downflows generated in the near surface layer penetrate down to deeper layers and excite small-scale turbulence in the region of \(>\) \(0.9R_\odot \), where \(R_\odot \) is the solar radius. (2) In the deeper convection zone (\(<\) \(0.9R_\odot \)), the convection is not affected by the location of the upper boundary. (3) Using an LES (Large Eddy Simulation) approach we achieved small-scale dynamo action and maintained a field of \(0.15-0.25B_\mathrm {eq}\) throughout the convection zone, where \(B_\mathrm {eq}\) is the equipartition magnetic field to the kinetic energy. (4) The overall dynamo efficiency significantly varies in the convection zone as a consequence of the downward directed Poynting flux and the depth variation in the intrinsic convective scales. For a fixed numerical resolution the dynamo relevant scales are better resolved in the deeper convection zone and are therefore less affected by numerical diffusivity, i.e. the effective Reynolds numbers are larger.
Mast Cell Neutral Proteases

ABSTRACT The three major components on a weight basis of rat serosal and human pulmonary mast cell secretory granules are histamine, heparin proteoglycan and neutral proteases. Neutral proteases appear to account for more than 50% of the total secretory granule protein and at least 20% of the total cell protein. Rat mast cells contain chymase, a chymotryptic endopeptidase of 28,000 MW, and carboxypeptidase A, a C-terminal exopeptidase of about 38,000 mw. Human mast cells have neither of these enzymes, but instead contain tryptase, a tryptic endopeptidase of 144,000 mw. Under physiologic conditions, mast cell neutral proteases bind tightly to heparin; secretion of the proteases and heparin as a complex may serve to limit the diffusion of each individual component from their site of release and to modulate subsequent enzyme-substrate interactions. Histamine is free to diffuse away from its connective tissue site of secretion. Due to its ability to augment vasopermeability, histamine should allow diffusion of soluble substances into the area where mast cell proteases were released and immobilized. For example, the cleavage of human C3 to C3a and other peptides by tryptase that occurs in vitro may also occur in vivo and be acilitated by the histamne-dependent diffusion of C3 From serum into connective tissue. The nrolonged presence of active neutral proteases at sites of mast cell activation may influence the growth and repair of connective tissue and the chronicity of immediate hypersensitivity reactions.
Multiple Neuropeptide Y Receptors Regulate K+ and Ca2+ Channels in Acutely Isolated Neurons From the Rat Arcuate Nucleus

We examined the effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and related peptides on Ca2+ and K+ currents in acutely isolated neurons from the arcuate nucleus of the rat. NPY analogues that activated all of the known NPY receptors (Y1-Y5), produced voltage-dependent inhibition of Ca2+ currents and activation of inwardly rectifying K+ currents in arcuate neurons. Both of these effects could occur simultaneously in the same cells. In some cells, activation of Y4 NPY receptors also caused oscillations in [Ca2+]i. NPY hyperpolarized arcuate neurons through the activation of a K+ conductance and increased the spike threshold. Molecular biological studies indicated that arcuate neurons possessed all of the previously cloned NPY receptor types (Y1, Y2, Y4, and Y5). Thus activation of multiple types NPY receptors on arcuate neurons can regulate both Ca2+ and K+ conductances leading to a reduction in neuronal excitability and a suppression of neurotransmitter release.
Biofuels – Snake Oil for the Twenty-First Century

Biofuels made from corn or soy beans are heavily subsidized by Federal and state governments based on claims that their use improves environmental quality and reduces the U.S. dependency on foreign oil supplies. This article refutes these claims and documents how the farm lobby aided by money from ethanol producers results in numerous subsidies that cost the American taxpayer more than $6 billion a year with costs projected to triple by 2022.
Optimal randomized classification in adversarial settings

The problem of learning to distinguish good inputs from malicious has come to be known as adversarial classification emphasizing the fact that, unlike traditional classification, the adversary can manipulate input instances to avoid being so classified. We offer the first general theoretical analysis of the problem of adversarial classification, resolving several important open questions in the process. First, we significantly generalize previous results on adversarial classifier reverse engineering (ACRE), showing that if a classifier can be efficiently learned, it can subsequently be efficiently reverse engineered with arbitrary precision. We extend this result to randomized classification schemes, but now observe that reverse engineering is imperfect, and its efficacy depends on the defender's randomization scheme. Armed with this insight, we proceed to characterize optimal randomization schemes in the face of adversarial reverse engineering and classifier manipulation. What we find is quite surprising: in all the model variations we consider, the defender's optimal policy tends to be either to randomize uniformly (ignoring baseline classification accuracy), which is the case for targeted attacks, or not to randomize at all, which is typically optimal when attacks are indiscriminate.
Using Diffraction Tomography to Estimate Marine Animal Size

In this article we consider the development of acoustic methods which have the potential to size marine animals. The proposed technique uses scattered sound in order to invert for both animal size and shape. The technique uses the Distorted Wave Born Approximation (DWBA) in order to model sound scattered from these organisms. The use of the DWBA also provides a valuable context for formulating data analysis techniques in order to invert for parameters of the animal. Although 3-dimensional observations can be obtained from a complete set of views, due to the difficulty of collecting full 3-dimensional scatter, it is useful to simplify the inversion by approximating the animal by a few parameters. Here, the animals are modeled as 3-dimensional ellipsoids. This reduces the complexity of the problem to a determination of the 3 semi axes for the x, y and z dimensions from just a few radial spokes through the 3-dimensional Fourier Transform. In order to test the idea, simulated scatter data is taken from a 3-dimensional model of a marine animal and the resultant data are inverted in order to estimate animal shape
A unified description of attachment-based crystal growth.

Crystal growth is one of the most fundamental processes in nature. Understanding of crystal growth mechanisms has changed dramatically over the past two decades. One significant advance has been the recognition that growth does not only occur atom by atom, but often proceeds via attachment and fusion of either amorphous or crystalline particles. Results from recent experiments and calculations can be integrated to develop a simple, unified conceptual description of attachment-based crystal growth. This enables us to address three important questions: What are the driving forces for attachment-based growth? For crystalline particles, what enables the particles to achieve crystallographic coalignment? What determines the surface on which attachment occurs? We conclude that the extent of internal nanoparticle order controls the degree of periodicity and anisotropy in the surrounding electrostatic field. For crystalline particles, the orienting force stemming from the electrostatic field can promote oriented ...
Quasi-Static, Cyclic Fatigue and Fracture Behavior of Alloy Steel for Structural Applications: Influence of Orientation

In this paper, the results of a study aimed at understanding the extrinsic influence of test specimen orientation, with respect to a wrought alloy-steel plate, on the stress-controlled cyclic fatigue properties and fracture behavior of a structural steel is highlighted. The alloy steel chosen was ASTM A572 grade 50. Samples of this alloy steel, prepared from both the longitudinal and transverse orientations, were cyclically deformed over a range of maximum stress and the corresponding number of cycles to failure (NF) was recorded. The influence of test specimen orientation and intrinsic microstructural effects on cyclic fatigue life and fracture behavior are presented and discussed. Overall, the macroscopic fracture mode was essentially identical regardless of orientation of the test specimen with respect to the wrought plate. The microscopic mechanisms governing cyclic deformation, fatigue life, and final fracture behavior are presented in light of the mutually interactive influences of magnitude of applied stress, intrinsic microstructural effects, orientation of test specimen, and deformation characteristics of the key microstructural constituents.
Solving Equations (and Systems of Equations) Under Uncertainty: How Different Practical Problems Lead to Different Mathematical and Computational Formulations

Many practical problems are naturally reduced to solving systems of equations. There are many efficient techniques for solving well-defined systems of equations, i.e., systems in which we know the exact values of all the parameters and coefficients. In practice, we usually know these parameters and coefficients with some uncertainty—uncertainty usually described by an appropriate granule: interval, fuzzy set, rough set, etc. Many techniques have been developed for solving systems of equations under such granular uncertainty. Sometimes, however, practitioners use previously successful techniques and get inadequate results. In this—mostly pedagogical—paper, we explain that to obtain an adequate solution, we need to take into account not only the system of equations and the granules describing uncertainty: we also need to take into account the original practical problem—and for different practical problems, we get different solutions to the same system of equations with the same granules. This need is illustrated mainly on the example of interval uncertainty, the simplest type of uncertainty.
A New Method for the Determination of Carbonate in FGD Slurry

A new method which combined gas volumetric method with acid-base titration method, was discussed for determination of carbonate in FGD slurry in this paper.National first-class standard substance, guarantee reagent, chemical reagent and gypsum samples were determined, respectively.The determination results showed that the new method was correct and reliable for determination of carbonate in FGD slurry.
New Zero-knowledge Undeniable Signatures - Forgery of Signature Equivalent to Factorisation.

We propose a new zero-knowledge undeniable signature scheme which is based on the intractability of computing high-order even powers modulo a composite. The new scheme has a number of desirable properties: (i) forgery of a signature (including existential forgery) is proven to be equivalent to factorisation, (ii) perfect zero-knowledge, (iii) e cient protocols for signature veri cation and nonsignature denial: both measured by O(log k) (multiplications) where 1=k bounds the probability of error. For a denial protocol, this performance is unprecedented.
Molecular and regulatory properties of adrenergic receptors.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the classification of adrenergic receptors and effectors, nature of the adrenergic receptors, and assessment of the activating function of isolated receptors. Receptors are the first step in the response of a target cell to a hormone or a drug. Thus, it is not surprising that receptor function might be dynamically regulated. Two distinct mechanisms of regulation can be envisaged. First, the number of receptors present in the plasma membrane of a target cell can be modulated. For the adrenergic receptors, a wide variety of agonists, antagonists, and hormones can increase or decrease the number of cell surface adrenergic receptors. These effects likely involve altered rates of synthesis or degradation of the plasma membrane receptors. This type of regulation may be related to long-term regulation of hormone responsiveness. A second mechanism for regulation of receptor function is the modulation of the activating function of a receptor (the ability of a receptor to elicit activation of an effector system) by covalent modification. This may contribute more to the acute regulation of responsiveness of a target tissue.
Breast cancer: The 21-gene recurrence score - biology remains at the forefront.

The 21-gene recurrence score is a genetic assay developed to estimate the likelihood of distant recurrence in patients with oestrogen-receptor-positive, lymph-node-negative breast cancer treated with adjuvant endocrine therapy. Now, two studies explore how the 21-gene recurrence score has been used to inform treatment decisions in this setting and beyond.
Legitimizing Soviet Trade

Women retail workers in Tsarist Russia were treated poorly. They worked long hours for terrible wages, and were subjected to sexual harassment. Moreover, because of their miserly pay, and the concomitant expectation that they dress attractively, women often resorted to prostitution to make ends meet. Researcher A. M. Gudvan confirmed this general picture. He found that “in most cases, women had to pay their prospective employers ‘in kind’ to get a job in the first place. Their only recourse was to turn to prostitution, and what began as occasional prostitution would become a permanent source of income.”2
From QOL to QALYs: Comparing nononcologic outcomes in prostate cancer survivors across treatments.

Abstract Objective We aim to highlight the progression from the early definition of nononcologic outcomes in prostate cancer (PC) to measurement and use of preferences to ensure appropriate treatment decisions in men with localized disease. Methods We review the assessment of nononcologic outcomes after PC treatment and ways to use the outcomes to augment patient care. Results PC treatments may have similar oncologic efficacy in men with certain clinical features, but they differ in their nononcologic outcomes. Tools to assess these outcomes have been developed and are useful in areas from treatment reimbursement to shared decision-making. Conclusions The ability to measure and make useful data on nononcologic outcomes evolved substantially over the past 20 years. Current work suggests that individual preference assessment for nononcologic outcomes is a promising means of matching patients with appropriate treatment.
Impact of fluidic agitation on human pluripotent stem cells in stirred suspension culture

The success of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) as a source of future cell therapies hinges, in part, on the availability of a robust and scalable culture system that can readily produce a clinically relevant number of cells and their derivatives. Stirred suspension culture has been identified as one such promising platform due to its ease of use, scalability, and widespread use in the pharmaceutical industry (e.g., CHO cell-based production of therapeutic proteins) among others. However, culture of undifferentiated hPSCs in stirred suspension is a relatively new development within the past several years, and little is known beyond empirically optimized culture parameters. In particular, detailed characterizations of different agitation rates and their influence on the propagation of hPSCs are often not reported in the literature. In the current study, we systematically investigated various agitation rates to characterize their impact on cell yield, viability, and the maintenance of pluripotency. Additionally, we closely examined the distribution of cell aggregates and how the observed culture outcomes are attributed to their size distribution. Overall, our results showed that moderate agitation maximized the propagation of hPSCs to approximately 38-fold over 7 days by keeping the cell aggregates below the critical size, beyond which the cells are impacted by the diffusion limit, while limiting cell death caused by excessive fluidic forces. Furthermore, we observed that fluidic agitation could regulate not only cell aggregation, but also expression of some key signaling proteins in hPSCs. This indicates a new possibility to guide stem cell fate determination by fluidic agitation in stirred suspension cultures. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 2109-2120. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Bending behaviors of 3D-printed Bi-material structure: Experimental study and finite element analysis

Abstract This paper investigates the bending behaviors of a bi-material structure (BMS) using both experimental and numerical methods The BMS is a composite material built by a 3D-printed, open-cellular brittle plaster structure filled with a silicone elastomer. The composition and configuration of the two materials determine the overall mechanical properties. Four-point bending test results show a non-linear elastic property, enhanced strength and toughness of BMS samples compared to either material phase alone. Such behavior is believed to be a result of delayed microcrack propagation in the brittle phase and a hardening effect of elastomer. In the numerical study, finite element analysis (FEA) is employed to verify these hypotheses. The FEA incorporates a brittle cracking material model for the plaster and a hyperelastic model for the silicone. The brittle cracking model enables the estimation of element degradation as a result of crack development and thus eliminates the need for the extremely refined mesh. Simulation result confirms the non-linear elastic transition and crack-induced material degradation and visualizes the silicone strengthening mechanism that can avoid rapid structural rupture.
Very early onset inflammatory bowel disease

Very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD) represents a unique and growing subset of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Some VEO-IBD patients present with immunodeficiency and possess loss of function genetic mutations involving immune pathways that cause their IBD. A search for Mendelian causes of IBD is likely most beneficial when the presentation involves extra-intestinal autoimmunity or involves intestinal histopathology that is atypical for IBD. While a subset of these young patients will have highly aggressive courses (and likely present with immunodeficiency), the majority of patients with VEO-IBD appear to have disease courses similar to that of their older counterparts. Most notably, many of these young children will require long courses of immunosuppression simply as a result of the profoundly early presentation-thus increasing their long-term risks of cancer and opportunistic infections.
Progression to surgery: online versus live seminar.

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate progression to surgery rates for live and online seminar and assess weight loss outcome comparisons at 1-year postoperation. Setting University Hospital Network, Allentown, PA, USA. Methods The entry point into our program was an information seminar where prospective patients are educated about obesity, bariatric surgery, indications and contraindications, risks and benefits, and our center's process. Between January of 2009 and November of 2011, only live information seminars were offered. In November of 2011, we started offering an online information seminar to reach those who are unable to attend a live seminar. Tracking of live versus online seminar attendance was documented in our database. Results Between November 1, 2011 and September 30, 2015, 3484 people completed an information seminar. Of those, 2744 attendees came to a live seminar while 740 completed the online seminar. A significantly higher number of live seminar attendees, 78.1% (2144/2744) progressed to an office visit compared with online seminar attendees 66.5% (492/740), P P P = .65) and initial body mass index (46.3 ± 7.4 for live seminar versus 45.3 ± 7.1 for online seminar, P = .09) were very similar between the groups. Online seminar attendees' age (42.7 ± 12.1) was younger than that of the live seminar attendees' (47.3 ± 12.3) ( P Conclusion Our results demonstrated that live seminar attendees are more likely to progress to surgery and therefore should continue to be offered.
Die persönliche Anamnese

Die Anamnese eines Herzpatienten enthalt oft eine Menge solcher Hinweise und Anhaltspunkte, die ich „Schlussel“nenne. Dennoch bildet sie haufig den am meisten vernachlassigten Abschnitt der ganzen Untersuchung. Die Schuld daran tragen gewohnlich Eile und mangelnde Systematik bei der Befra gung. Manchmal hangt das auch so zusammen: der untersuchende Arzt, z. B. ein junger Medizinalpraktikant, hat einen Uberwertigkeitskomplex und behandelt den Patienten, den er aufzunehmen hat, als ware er noch nie vorher untersucht worden. Er kummert sich nicht um Befund, Beurteilung und Behandlungsbericht anderer Arzte, die sich etwa schon mit dem Patienten befast haben, was in einem kleinen Krankenhaus, bei irgendeinem Praktiker oder beim Hausarzt der Fall gewesen sein kann. Glucklicherweise tritt an Stelle dieser Nichtachtung der Voruntersucher nach und nach mehr Respekt fur diese — wobei die Einsicht der jungen Mediziner, das sie selber die Praktiker der Zukunft sind, diese Entwicklung fordert.
Searching in harsh environments

Many consider “searching” a solved problem, and for digital text processing, this belief is factually based. The problem is that many “real world” search applications involve “complex documents”, and such applications are far from solved. Complex documents, or less formally, “real world documents”, comprise of a mixture of images, text, signatures, tables, etc., and are often available only in scanned hardcopy formats. Some of these documents are corrupted. Some of these documents, particularly of historical nature, contain multiple languages. Accurate search systems for such document collections are currently unavailable. We describe our efforts at building a complex document information-processing prototype. This prototype integrates “point solution” (mature) technologies, such as document readability enhancement, OCR capability, signature matching and handwritten word spotting techniques, search and mining approaches, among others, to yield a system capable of searching “real world documents”. The described prototype demonstrates the adage that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. Our previous complex document benchmark development efforts are likewise presented. Having described “real world” search issues, we focus on spelling correction in adverse environments. Two environments are discussed: foreign name search and medical term search. In support of the Yizkor Books project of the Archives Section of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, novel foreign name search approaches that favorably compare against the state of the art are developed. By segmenting names, fusing individual results, and filtering via a threshold, our approach statistically significantly improves traditional Soundex and n-gram based search techniques used in the search of such texts. Thus, previously unsuccessful searches are now supported. Using a similar approach, within the medical domain, automated term corrections are made to reduce transcription errors. Finally, we focus analyzing social media, an additional, non-traditional search environment. By searching and mining such data, unknown or unexpected trends are detected. We explore and demonstrate the validity of the approach in the healthcare space.
Improving Wake-Up-Word and General Speech Recognition Systems

The aim of this paper is to design a whole speech recognition system that can work in both the Wake-up-word (WUW) and the General Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) Systems with high accuracy. WUW is a modern technology in Speech Recognition (SR) that is not yet widely recognized. This new ARS system will be used to solve one of the biggest problems in speech recognition, which is how to discriminate between the uses of a word or phrase in an alerting and a referential context. Moreover, by using this paradigm the accuracy of commands that are used to interact with machines, such as one word or an entire sentence, will improve to have 100% accuracy. Due to the increasing number of speech commands in life, this model will be the best solution for applications that use the speech commands to active the computers, such as medical assistance, human-robot interaction, telecommunications industry, home automation, and security access control.