cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New beta-lactam antibiotics in granulocytopenic patients. New options and new questions.

Abstract Infectious complications are a frequent cause of morbidity and, at many centers, the major cause of death in patients with cancer. The increased risk and severity of Infectious sequelae result from profound alterations in normal host defenses that occur secondary to the underlying malignancy and the treatment thereof. During the last decade, early empiric antibiotic therapy has become standard practice in the Initial management of febrile granulocytopenic patients and has contributed significantly to the improved outcome among patients undergoing cancer therapy. Although early death due to unsuspected or inadequately treated bacterial infection has been largely overcome, new problems—also with life-threatening implications—have emerged. As the use of cancer chemotherapy continues to increase, new populations of patients are being placed at increased risk of infection. Defining the host and environmental factors that contribute to this risk assumes central importance for delineating those patients who require the most intense surveillance. Changing medical practices (e.g., increased use of indwelling catheters) have contributed to the emergence of new pathogens. Recent drug developments (e.g., the third-generation cephalosporins and extended-spectrum penicillins) offer new treatment options, as well as generate controversy and confusion. For example, authorities disagree on the optimal duration and modifications in treatment that are required by cancer patients who remain granulocytopenic and who thus are at continued risk of multiple infectious episodes or superinfections. A question of current interest is whether combination therapy with synergistic agents is important in light of the development of the third-generation cephalosporins and extended-spectrum penicillins. Several of these new antibiotics have an exceedingly broad spectrum of activity that includes Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as Enterobacterlaceae, Serratia, Citrobacter, indole-positive Proteus, and anaerobes (including Bacteroides fragilis). However, the third-generation cephalosporins are not as active against staphylococci and streptococci as are the first-generation cephalosporins, and none is effective against enterococci. Nonetheless, these agents achieve serum levels that can be 10 to 100 times greater than the minimal inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations of gram-negative bacteria, raising the possibility that these drugs might be effective as single agents. The advantages of the third-generation cephalosporins are their minimal toxicity and long serum half-lives. Although these new drugs are expensive, their cost must be evaluated within the context of their efficacy and clinical application.
Oxidation of iridium

Iridium wires self-reistance-heated to temperatures in the range of 1675 to 2260°C (1948 to 2533 K) were oxidized in naturally convected oxygen at pressures in the range of 0.00132 to 1.32 atmospheres (134 to 1.34× 105 Pa). The experimental results were closely corre-lated by a theoretical rate equation based upon control of the oxidation rates by diffusion of Ir(g), IrO2(g) and IrO3(g) through the gaseous boundary layer. Values were obtained for the standard-state free-energies of formation of IrO2(g) and IrO3(g), and their temperature dependencies were described by empirical equations.
Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be...Lawyers

This essay treats a legal education as an investment, and asks the question of whether, based on known costs and expected benefits, such investment should be undertaken. The inquiry will necessarily differ from one potential law student to another. But for three posited “typical students” at private law schools, the investment is shown to generally be a bad one.
An algebra for probabilistic databases

An algebra is presented for a simple probabilistic data model that may be regarded as an extension of the standard relational model. The probabilistic algebra is developed in such a way that (restricted to /spl alpha/-acyclic database schemes) the relational algebra is a homomorphic image of it. Strictly probabilistic results are emphasized. Variations on the basic probabilistic data model are discussed. The algebra is used to explicate a commonly used statistical smoothing procedure and is shown to be potentially very useful for decision support with uncertain information. >
A formal assessment of gene flow and selection in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta.

Recent studies of the introduced fire antSolenopsis invicta suggest that introduced polygyne (with multiple queens per nest) populations are strongly influenced by male-mediated gene flow from neighboring monogyne (single queen per nest) populations and selection acting on a single locus, general protein-9(Gp-9). This investigation formally tests this hypothesis and determines if these processes can account for the genotypic structure of polygyne S. invicta. To increase the statistical power of this test, we considered the genotypes of polygyne queens and workers at both Gp-9 and the closely linked, selectively neutral locus Pgm-3. We then constructed and analyzed a novel mathematical model to delimit the effects of monogyne male gene flow and selection on the joint genotypes at the Pgm-3/Gp-9 superlocus. Using this framework, a hierarchical maximum-likelihood method was developed to estimate the best- fitting gene flow and selection parameters based on the fit of our model to data from both the current study and an earlier one of the same population. In each case, selection on polygyne queens and workers alone, with no monogyne male gene flow, provides the most parsimonious explanation for the observed genotype frequencies. The apparent discrepancy between this result and the empirical evidence for monogyne male gene flow indicates that undocumented factors, such as other forms of selection in polygyne males or workers, are operating in introduced polygyne S. invicta.
Caspase 8 and Human Villous Cytotrophoblast Differentiation

The fusion of villous cytotrophoblast into the placental syncytium is the quintessential process in maintenance of a healthy pregnancy. Efficient fusion requires a phosphatidylserine (PS)-rich cytotrophoblast surface, expression of fusion proteins, cessation of cell cycling, and rearrangement of cytoskeleton to accommodate membrane joining. Significant debate surrounds the potential role of apoptosis-related proteins, particularly caspase 8. The hypothesis that caspase 8 proteolytic activity is required for villous cytotrophoblast syncytialization rests on a foundation of three specific claims; cytotrophoblast PS efflux is an indication of early apoptosis, caspase 8 activation precedes intercellular fusion, and inhibition of caspase 8 proteolytic activity diminishes syncytialization. Our analysis of these claims reveals weaknesses that justify a reevaluation of the role of caspase 8 in villous cytotrophoblast fusion. In models of physiologic intercellular fusion, including villous cytotrophoblast, PS efflux is unrelated to apoptosis and is controlled by ATP-dependent transporters. Only a small amount of prefusion activation of caspase 8 occurs in mononuclear cytotrophoblast, and the significance remains controversial. Specific caspase 8 inhibitions with specific peptide inhibitors or antisense oligonucleotides or silencing with siRNA substantiate potential differentiation-related roles, unrelated to initiation of intercellular fusion, for both procaspase 8 and activated caspase 8. From this analysis a new and testable model of villous cytotrophoblast differentiation and fusion is presented.
Quantitative comparison of MR imaged focused ultrasound lesions and cell death zones in the in vivo rabbit brain

The purpose of this study is to evaluate cell viability in MR imaged focused ultrasound (FUS) lesions using cell viability staining with Triphenyl Tetrazolium Chloride (TTC) combined with light and electron microscopy. Ten paired ultrasonic lesions were created in 5 rabbit brains in vivo. T2-weighted fast spin echo (FSE) MRI was performed to detect the FUS lesions in the brain 4 hours after treatment, after which the animals were immediately sacrificed. Lesion sizes were measured on TTC stained specimens, histological sections stained with hematoxlin and eosin (H&E), and T2-weighted MR images. The results showed that the lesion sizes measured from MRI correlated well with those measured from H&E sections (r=0.90). The measurements of the lesion from MRI slightly overestimated lesion sizes on TTC stained wet tissues by approximately one MRI pixel (0.3 mm). The differences between the lesion diameters measured with the three techniques were within the range of 0.1-0.7 mm. Electron microscopy demonstrated nuclear and cytoplasmic ultrastructural damage within the grey-white, non-TTC staining lesion zone, whereas the TTC positively staining, normal tissue, showed preservation of neuronal ultrastructure. Therefore, MR imaged lesions represent a cell death zone in rabbit brain 4 hours after FUS ablation, with slight overestimation by approximately one MRI pixel.
Inventory-Service Optimization in Configure-to-Order Systems

This study is motivated by a process-reengineering problem in personal computer (PC) manufacturing, i.e., to move from a build-to-stock operation that is centered around end-product inventory towards a configure-to-order (CTO) operation that eliminates endproduct inventory. In fact, CTO has made irrelevant the notion of preconfigured machine types and focuses instead on maintaining the right amount of inventory at the components. CTO appears to be the ideal operational model that provides both mass customization and a quick response time to order fulfillment. To quantify the inventory-service trade-off in the CTO environment, we develop a nonlinear optimization model with multiple constraints, reflecting the service levels offered to different market segments. To solve the optimization problem, we develop an exact algorithm for the important case of demand in each market segment having (at least) one unique component, and a greedy heuristic for the general (nonunique component) case. Furthermore, we show how to use sensitivity analysis, along with simulation, to fine-tune the solutions. The performance of the model and the solution approach is examined by extensive numerical studies on realistic problem data. We present the major findings in applying our model to study the inventory-service impacts in the reengineering of a PC manufacturing process.
A taphonomic study of δ13C and δ15N values in Rhizophora mangle leaves for a multi-proxy approach to mangrove palaeoecology

Abstract The response of mangrove ecosystems to environmental change can be examined with stable isotopic tracers of C and N. The δ13C and δ15N of a taphonomic series of Rhizophora mangle L. (Red mangrove) leaves were analyzed from Twin Cays, Belize, to facilitate reconstruction of past mangrove ecosystems. On Twin Cays, fresh leaves of dwarf R. mangle trees (∼0.5 m high) were found to have more negative δ15N values (mean=−10‰) and more positive δ13C values (mean=−25.3‰) compared to tall R. mangle trees (mean δ15N=0‰, δ13C=−28.3‰). These isotopic differences can be related to nitrogen and phosphorus availability [Ecology 83 (2002) 1065]. We investigated three taphonomic stages in the fossilization of R. mangle leaves into peat with the following: (1) senescent leaves; (2) fallen leaves on the surface of the peat; and (3) sub-fossil leaves found within mangrove peat. In addition, by examining natural leaf assemblages we established that δ13C and δ15N of R. mangle leaves were not altered during senescence, despite a significant (50%) decrease in the N%. Modern dwarf and tall trees could still be identified from δ13C and δ15N analyses of the leaf assemblages found directly below a tree. Dwarf and tall trees could also be identified from δ13C analyses of leaves that had decomposed for four months. Although dwarf and tall trees could not be statistically separated after four months according to δ15N analyses, leaves with very negative δ15N (−7‰) were only collected below dwarf trees. Leaf fragments were present in ∼50 cm long cores of peat from four sites on the island, and their isotopic compositions were determined. The ranges of δ13C (−29 to −22‰) and δ15N (−11 to +2‰) values from sub-fossil leaves were similar to the ranges from modern leaves (δ13C=−29 to −23‰, δ15N=−11 to +1‰). The sub-fossil leaf isotopic compositions were independent values, in comparison to the uniform values of the surrounding peat. Because of the stability and persistence of the stable isotopic signals, they could contribute significantly to a multi-proxy approach to mangrove palaeoenvironmental reconstruction.
Performance Model Selection for Learning-based Biological Image Analysis on a Cluster

Microscopic images with increased scale and content call for high performance computing when applying automatic tools for biological image analysis. Speed of analysis can be improved at various stages. In learning-based models, selecting suitable algorithms for a given problem can be a lengthy process given the large pool of algorithms and the variety of biological problems. In this paper, we describe a portable method for efficiently and adaptively selecting an effective model for biological image classification as a step toward the goal of achieving high throughput biological image analysis. We implemented a high performance tool which extends the bioimage classification and annotation platform BIOCAT by deploying the model selection process on a cluster using a distributed design based on remote method invocation. The high performance model selection, when tested and compared using ten benchmarking data sets, is shown to not only dramatically increase the speed of the learning process, but also bring improved accuracy to several state-of-the-art data sets for bioimage classification. These achievements are attributed to the combined power of BIOCAT's adaptive model selection as well as the capability of distributed model evaluation. The tool is deployable to various types of distributed environments.
Faculty and students perceive common tenets associated with medical student curriculum reform

Objectives: Medical school faculty and students actively engaged in curriculum reform often experience angst. Change management literature emphasizes that grounding change in common values is critical to managing stakeholder angst and ultimately successful change. However the literature provides only limited descriptions of the shared underlying features as perceived by faculty and students associated with curriculum reform. This study sought to bridge this gap by identifying the underlying student and faculty beliefs associated with success in medical student education programs and reform. Methods: A qualitative study approach using an appreciative inquiry interview methodology was selected given its proven success as an inquiry technique for change management. To identify cross-cutting curriculum success tenets, a purposeful sample of 24 stakeholders participating in an established curriculum and/or new integrated curriculum were selected: 12 students and 12 faculty seven of whom were curriculum/college leaders. Two rounds of appreciative inquiry interviews focusing on successes associated with medical student education were conducted. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, coded, and then analyzed to delineate common themes and crosscutting tenets using constant comparative methodology. Results: Analysis revealed six underlying themes associated with success for students and faculty: engagement of students and faculty in education, sense of community and collaboration, faculty/student relationships, active learning, faculty excitement/willingness to teach leads to impactful student learning, and identity/professional formation. Conclusions: The identified tenets associated with successful medical student education programs can be used to manage a critical element of curriculum form: stakeholder change angst.
Screening in the Dark: Ethical Considerations of Providing Screening Tests to Individuals When Evidence is Insufficient to Support Screening Populations

During the past decade, screening tests using computed tomography (CT) have disseminated into practice and been marketed to patients despite neither conclusive evidence nor professional agreement about their efficacy and cost-effectiveness at the population level. This phenomenon raises questions about physicians' professional roles and responsibilities within the setting of medical innovation, as well as the appropriate scope of patient autonomy and access to unproven screening technology. This article explores how physicians ought to respond when new screening examinations that lack conclusive evidence of overall population benefit emerge in the marketplace and are requested by individual patients. To this end, the article considers the nature of evidence and how it influences decision-making for screening at both the public policy and individual patient levels. We distinguish medical and ethical differences between screening recommended for a population and screening considered on an individual patient...
An Assessment of Droplet Size and Liquid Water Content Derived from Dual-Wavelength Radar Measurements to the Application of Aircraft Icing Detection

Abstract Multiple parameters are needed to adequately describe the icing condition of clouds, yet those that can be accurately measured using remote sensors are usually limited. In this paper, a detection and classification method using two parameters derived from dual-wavelength (Ka and X bands) radar measurements is explored. The first of these is the radar-estimated size (RES), defined as the cube root of the sixth and third moment size distribution ratio. The RES is shown to be useful in characterizing icing environments through simulations using modified gamma droplet size distributions with realistic bounds based on several sets of in situ measurements. The RES is also relatively easy to retrieve using dual-wavelength radar measurements. The second parameter is the liquid water content (LWC), the total mass of liquid droplets of all sizes. The LWC may be estimated by taking advantage of the difference in attenuation due to the presence of liquid water between the X- and Ka-band radars. In situ measu...
Cyclosporine: immunology, pharmacology and therapeutic uses.

Human and animal investigations since the mid-1970s have demonstrated the effectiveness of cyclosporine (CsA) as an immunosuppressive agent. In the area of transplantation immunity, it has been shown to enhance success of renal, bone marrow, and liver transplantation. Moreover, certain models of autoimmune disease have been effectively treated with CsA, and a number of studies have reported encouraging results with CsA therapy for ocular inflammatory disorders, notably Behcet's disease. The most serious side effects of CsA are nephrotoxicity and hypertension; thus, conservative dosages of the drug and careful monitoring of renal function during treatment are recommended. The purpose of this review is to provide clinicians and researchers with a clear perspective of both the potential benefits and shortcomings of this agent.
Diurnal Variation of the Trade-Wind Boundary Layer

Abstract Cloud fraction observations and trade-wind inversion base heights from both GATE and the undisturbed period of ATEX are examined for diurnal variation. The cloud fraction tends to be larger in the morning than in the afternoon. The inversion base height has a morning maximum and an afternoon minimum. A time series of horizontal divergence is calculated using ATEX wind data. The maximum divergence occurs in the morning at about 0700 LST. A one-dimensional time-dependent trade-wind boundary layer model is used to study diurnal variations. A scheme is used that includes solar heating below as well as within the inversion in the cloud-covered portion of the model boundary layer. Using this parameterized heating distribution, the model reasonably simulates the observed diurnal variations. Model experiments are carried out to ascertain the effects of the solar heating distribution and horizontal divergence on diurnal variation. The model-simulated diurnal variation of the cloud cover, inversion height,...
Point-Source and Non-Point-Source Problems Affecting Seabird Populations

Industrial pollutant discharges and oil spills currently represent the principal point-source hazards to seabird populations. Several examples of severe disruptions to localized colonies include the near extirpation of brown pelicans and double-crested cormorants in southern California by DDT; gull, tern, and cormorant breeding failures caused by PCBs and dioxins in the Great Lakes; and major seabird“wrecks”after oil spills such as the Amoco Cadiz, the Exxon Valdez, or the 1990 Arabian Gulf spills. Runoff of agricultural chemicals may affect seabirds as point-sources because of localized discharge into the sea at river mouths. Other regional problems include predation and disturbance by introduced animals and humans. Non-point-sources of significant seabird mortality or breeding failure include entanglement in fishing gear (especially drift nets and long-lines), persistent organochlorine pollutants bioaccumulated through the food web, human predation (especially at breeding colonies), and plastic fragments (now globally distributed at sea). During the past three decades legislation and enforcement have made significant progress in reducing many of the point-sources affecting seabird populations, and several international treaties have addressed fishing, marine pollutants, and plastics. Seabird colonies adjacent to human population centers remain in jeopardy, however, especially from continuous human encroachment and land development. Accurate seabird population censuses and pollution monitoring are becoming important assessment methods, using seabirds as bio-indicators of environmental quality.
Creation of a Safety Culture: Reducing Workplace Injuries in a Rural Hospital Setting:

A newly organized employee safety program, with an 11-step design, has been introduced at Valley General Hospital in Monroe, Washington, with the intention of changing the "culture of safety." A 1-year report of the results indicates that the overall incidence of injury claims, lost-time injuries, and needlestick injuries were reduced after the program was implemented and timely reporting of claims within 24 hours was increased. The hypothesis, that by creating more visibility for the employee safety program a decrease in injury rates would occur, was confirmed.
The Effect of Anisotropic Valleys on Phonon Scattering and the Magnetotransport Properties of n-Type PbTe

The success of PbTe as a thermoelectric material has generated growing interest in its charge carrier transport properties. The Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) is solved in a way which takes anisotropy, non-parabolicity, and inelastic scattering fully into account, and an inaccuracy arising from the standard treatment of phonon emission scattering is corrected. The method is used to calculate the conductivity and Hall coefficient of n-PbTe over a wide range of temperatures and doping levels, and it is found that room temperature measurements of PbTe may underestimate the true carrier concentration in some cases by a factor of 2. Experimental results on both bulk and epitaxial samples are in reasonable agreement with the predictions. A conducting p-type layer is also observed in the epitaxial films, exhibiting both persistent photoconductivity and sensitivity to air exposure.
Can Might Make Rights?: Enhancing Rule of Law Efforts: Planning, Funding, and Local Ownership

Evaluating the effectiveness of rule of law assistance is complicated because rule of law promotion efforts are tied to the fate of the larger post-intervention reconstruction effort. Whether one defines rule of law assistance broadly, to encompass macro-political efforts such as forging the conflict settlement blueprint, or narrowly, to include only justice-sector-related assistance, failures in governance reforms, economic reconstruction, or security measures will undermine or defeat even well-designed rule of law assistance efforts. But as noted, even when viewed in the most favorable light, rule of law assistance has frequently yielded only very modest results. For example, in a 2001 study, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) reported on the limited impact of eight years of U.S. aid intended to assist the states of the former Soviet Union to develop sustainable rule of law institutions and traditions. The report concluded that progress was slow, that conditions in key states (Russia and the Ukraine) had deteriorated, and that the limited results elsewhere in the former Soviet Union “may not be sustainable in many cases.” The study correctly noted that “establishing the rule of law is a complex and long-term undertaking in the new independent states” and that impediments to success included “limited political consensus on the need to reform laws and institutions,” “a shortage of domestic resources,” and problems in the design and management of assistance programs by U.S. agencies. Conditions in post-intervention states are typically far less hospitable to rule of law efforts than those in the former Soviet Union.
Biodistribution study of 2-nitroimidazole indocyanine green conjugate dye conjugates

Using a fluorescence imager we studied the biodistribution of a new hypoxia probe, piperazine-2-nitroimidazole-ICG in murine tumor models. It showed much higher fluorescence intensity and tumor retention in comparison with its predecessors
A discussion of the pH-dependent protonation behaviors of poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) and poly(ethylenimine-ran-2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (P(EI-r-EOz)).

In this article, we present results of our experimental and atomistic simulation studies of the pH-dependent protonation behaviors of poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) and poly(ethylenimine) (PEI). The potentiometric titration profiles of the PDMAEMA polymer and its unpolymerized monomer (i.e., DMAEMA) were measured under identical conditions in order to study the influence of the covalent linkage of the amine groups on their protonation behavior. The titration curves of poly(ethylenimine-ran-2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (P(EI-r-EOz)) random copolymers with varying monomer composition were measured in order to study the effect of the spacing between the EI monomers on the protonation behavior of the P(EI-r-EOz) copolymer. The results of these two sets of measurements demonstrate that the connectivity and tight spacing between amine groups in a polyamine chain causes the retardation of the protonation of the amine groups relative to the same compounds in their isolated state. The same titration m...
Abstract 1848: Expression of an androgen transporter, organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B3, impacts progression and treatment of prostate cancer

Organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATPs) are membrane transporters that facilitate the movement of large substrates into cells. One family member, organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B3 (OATP1B3) is aberrantly overexpressed in prostate cancer and has been shown to influx both endogenous small molecules and chemotherapy reagents. Our hypothesis is that the OATP1B3 affects tumor growth by influxing testosterone. However, little is known about the cause of OATP1B3 expression in cancer and the impact of OATP1B3 transport on tumor growth. Therefore, we completed a study investigating putative hypoxia elements in the OATP1B3 promoter region, characterizing the impact of OATP1B3 androgen transport on prostate cancer growth, and examining the effect of OATP1B3 on the efficacy of standard prostate cancer treatments. The results showed that OATP1B3 co-localized with HIF 1-alpha in prostate cancer tissues from patients, correlated significantly to HIF1A in xenograft tumors under castration (P=0.005), and confirmed HIF-1alpha elements in the SLCO1B3 promoter region. In addition, radioactive transport assays with Xenopus oocytes showed that OATP1B3 transports testosterone and dihydrotestosterone 50- to 250-fold over passive diffusion at low physiological concentrations. A prostate cancer cell line expressing OATP1B3 grew faster than untransfected in response to androgens at all concentrations. Finally, OATP1B3 increased cell sensitivity to docetaxel treatment. In summary, these data show that hypoxia and castration increases OATP1B3 expression in cancer, OATP1B3-mediated androgen transport significantly impacts prostate cancer growth and OATP1B3 impacts the efficacy of docetaxel. These data provides evidence that OATP1B3 impacts prostate cancer growth and treatment. Future studies could screen for specific inhibitors of OATP1B3-mediated androgen transport. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1848. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1848
Effect of Reflective Practice on Student Recall of Acoustics for Speech Science

Researchers have developed models of learning through experience; however, these models are rarely named as a conceptual frame for educational research in the sciences. This study examined the effe...
Mobilization Techniques Utilized by Leading Global E-Commerce Sites

The objective of this study is to improve our understanding of website mobilization techniques. The landing pages of Alexa's 527 top global shopping sites were analyzed for mobilization technique, mobile usability, and data requirements. It also investigates how mobile technique impacts Google mobile search results. The study found that 89.3% of top global shopping sites are mobile-friendly. The most popular mobile technique is to redirect mobile users to a separate URL, commonly known as m.sites, utilized by 44.1% of sites, followed by dynamic serving, utilized by 23.8%, and responsive, utilized by 23.0% of sites. Keyword analysis using the SEMRush service found a statistically significant difference in keywords following Google's algorithm change to favor mobile sites.
COMPUTER SIMULATION OF GALVANOSTATIC CHARGE CURVE BASED ON EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT

A computer simulation of galvanostatic charge curve based on equivalent circuit is presented, accompaning with an application program named CHASI for Windows. By which, a simulative charging experiment can be worked out with a computer, and the equivalent circuit of a corrosion system can be identified by measuring its galvanostatic charge curve.
Intelligent Safety and Stability Control and and Control Decision-Making Support Technology

Security stability early warning and control decision making support are necessary application functions of Smart Grid Dispatching Supporting System.In addition to description of the characteristics of the security stability analysis and control decision -making calculations,this paper argues that automation and self -adaptability are main features of the security stability analysis and control decision making support. The paper introduces the automatic and adaptive technologies of security stability analysis and control decision,including automatically preparing input -data,executing the task of analysis computation and output analysis result.Adaptive technologies serve to automatically adjust the input -data according to the operating mode of the power system and the weather conditions around of the power grid,and properly deals with the interactive impacts among factors of security stability, and dynamically dispatches computation resource according to the task and the state of the hardware system.On the basis of above technologies,Wide Area Monitoring Analysis Protection-Control (WARMAP) system is developed to support security and stability analysis and control measures in power system planning,scheduled security and safety check,ultra-short safety prediction,dispatching safety check and on-line analysis and control.
Active protection against PCB physical tampering

A printed circuit board (PCB) acts as the backbone of any electronic system hardware by providing mechanical support and electrical connections to its active and passive components. Traditionally, the PCB of a system has been considered trusted and robust during field operation. However, there are numerous recent reports on physical tampering of PCB in the field for malicious alteration of its functionality (e.g. adding/replacing a component through soldering, snooping a trace, and bypassing a connection). Through such alteration, an adversary can leak secret information from PCB or bypass security protection implemented in a system. This paper presents a novel approach to detect tampering in a PCB after it is deployed and to actively prevent system operation when tampering is detected. To our knowledge, this is the first report on active protection against PCB tampering in field. The proposed autonomous monitoring and prevention can enable active defense against physical tampering of electronic hardware, thus maintaining the integrity of a system against various security issues arising from such tampering.
Weighted p-harmonic functions and rigidity of smooth metric measure spaces

Abstract Let ( M n , g , e − f d v ) be a smooth metric measure space of dimensional n. Suppose that v is a positive weighted p-eigenfunction associated to the eigenvalue λ 1 , p on M, namely e f d i v ( e − f | ∇ v | p − 2 ∇ v ) = − λ 1 , p v p − 1 , in the distribution sense. We first give a local gradient estimate for v provided the m-dimensional Bakry–Emery curvature R i c f m bounded from below. Consequently, we show that when R i c f m ≥ 0 then v is constant if v is of sublinear growth. At the same time, we prove a Harnack inequality for weighted p-harmonic functions. Moreover, we show global sharp gradient estimates for weighted p-eigenfunctions. Then we use these estimates to study geometric structures at infinity when the first eigenvalue λ 1 , p is maximal. Our achievements generalize several results proved earlier by Li–Wang, Munteanu–Wang ( [11] , [12] , [17] , [18] ).
Bright Red Rectal Bleeding: The Bottom Line from Neonates to Older Adults: Gastrointestinal Imaging.

A critical factor in imaging evaluation and interpretation is having an understanding of how the differential diagnosis for rectal bleeding changes with patient age.
Molecular Testing in Breast Cancer

Molecular testing in breast cancer has changed how breast cancers are classified clinically and how the most effective therapies for individual patients are determined. Single-marker molecular tests like HER2 testing by FISH have become part of standardized testing in all newly diagnosed breast cancers. Panel-based molecular testing has made more recent contributions to prognostic and predictive testing in breast cancers. Their clinical utility, methodology, and current limitations will be discussed.
Including pair-production events in the system response function for energy-imaging integrated deconvolution algorithm

In previous research, our group developed a gamma-ray image reconstruction method using Compton events from a 3-D position-sensitive CdZnTe detector, which is capable of deconvolving the source image at any specific energy, as well as the incident spectrum at any specific direction. This gamma-ray energy-imaging integrated deconvolution method takes place in integrated spatial and energy space using the maximum-likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM) algorithm. By including Compton scattering events in the system model, the MLEM solution estimates the incident gamma-ray spectrum in the source direction free of the Compton continuum for source energies lower than 1.02 MeV. In order to correctly reconstruct images for higher energy events, pair-production effect needs to be included in the system model. Since it is impossible to pre-calculate the system response function due to the huge number of possible recorded events, analytic formulas are derived to allow the calculation of the system response function during the reconstruction. After including pair-production events in the system response function, the deconvolved spectrum reflects the incident spectrum and is free of single and double escape peaks.
Falsely Low Urine Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol COOH Levels from Metal Lid Specimen Containers with a Low-Density Polyethylene Lining.

To the Editor: Our laboratory offers a multianalyte LC-MS/MS urine drug testing panel to assist with compliance monitoring for patients enrolled in chronic pain management programs (1). Recently, we investigated switching from a plastic-only urine collection container (Globe Scientific; item number: 6220) to a metal lid type (Covidien; item number: 2200SA). Both of the containers, not including the lids, were composed of polypropylene. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)1 lined the inside of the metal lid to ensure a secure fit when closed. The plastic-only container did not have a liner. The quantitative influence of the specimen container was originally investigated by splitting spiked urine specimens and inverting the metal lid container …
Immigrant Family Resilience in Context: Using a Community-Based Approach to Build a New Conceptual Model

Immigrant families settling in the United States face pressures to acculturate and become self-sufficient, yet their lives are highly regulated by restrictive and punitive policies and programs that may hinder their ability to cope with exposure to trauma and to build resilience. We theorize that U.S. policies and practices may exacerbate immigration-related trauma experiences and/or create new traumas and stressors for families. To demonstrate our reasoning, we use exemplar cases from our community-based participatory research project in partnership with immigrant women. We situate and contextualize the lived experiences and uncertainties of immigrant families and offer a new conceptual model for understanding how macro-level forces may impede immigrants' resilience. The model includes uncertainty and family separation; ecosystemic trauma and stress, including institutional betrayal trauma; limited navigational capital; and erosion of collectivism and community solidarity. Implications for future research and theory development are discussed.
Perceived Barriers to Physical Activity during Pregnancy among Participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) in Southern California

Regular exercise during pregnancy is known to be associated with many benefits for the mother and her baby. Pregnant women are recommended to engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity phy...
Interactive HPC Gateways with Jupyter and Jupyterhub

MSI at the University of Minnesota has adopted a goal of supporting Interactive HPC as a first class service. This paper describes the implementation of a gateway for user-friendly, reproducible computing in an HPC environment using the Jupyter notebook server and Jupyterhub. For this project, we developed novel components and techniques enabling interoperability of Jupyter with the distinct requirements of an institutional HPC center. These include modules providing integration with batch job scheduling, control of job profiles, and integration with a central authentication service. To achieve software sustainability, we designed these elements for generic applicability, and several have now been accepted as components of the Jupyterhub open source project.
A personal chronology of audiovisual systems research

In this invited lecture, I present an informal overview of seven years' research into the design of real-time systems for the creation, manipulation and performance of simultaneous image and sound. This research explores the intersection of abstract communication and interactivity, as part of a more general inquiry into the formal languages of the responsive medium, and of nonverbal communications protocols in cybernetic systems. I present a combination of live demonstrations and video documentations in order to illustrate the various systems, reveal some common threads, and propose some design desiderata.
Radiology Paging a Good Mathematician: Why Math Can Contribute More to Medicine Than You Might Think

(2008). Radiology Paging a Good Mathematician. Math Horizons: Vol. 15, Uplifting Mathematical Applications, pp. 5-9.
CHAPTER 46 – Osteomalacia

The term osteomalacia describes a disorder of adult bone. This chapter reviews adult osteomalacia with a primary focus on its antecedents. It describes the clinical settings in which osteomalacia likely occurs and briefly summarizes elements of diagnosis and management of this condition. To begin, it briefly summarizes normal bone mineralization and the disruptions in this process that lead to osteomalacia. Successful therapy of osteomalacia requires elimination of its underlying factors in individual cases. This chapter illustrates that where osteomalacia is based on excessive exposure to fluoride, etidronate, or non absorbable antacids, the offending exposure must be terminated. Unfortunately, the skeletal half-life of fluoride and bisphosphonate is long, and resolution of osteomalacia may require years of follow-up. Such patients do respond, at least partially, to vitamin D and calcium therapy. Aluminum excess is successfully treated by infusions of desferroxamine.
Role of human sulfide: quinone oxidoreductase in H2S metabolism

The first step in the mammalian metabolism of H2S is catalyzed by sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase (SQOR). Human SQOR is an integral membrane protein, which presumably interacts with the inner mitochondrial membrane in a monotopic fashion. The enzyme is a member of a family of flavoprotein disulfide oxidoreductases (e.g., glutathione reductase) that utilize a Cys-S-S-Cys disulfide bridge as an additional redox center. SQOR catalyzes a two-electron oxidation of H2S to sulfane sulfur using coenzyme Q as electron acceptor. The enzyme also requires a third substrate to act as the acceptor of the sulfane sulfur from a cysteine persulfide intermediate. Here, we describe a method for the bacterial expression of human SQOR as a catalytically active membrane-bound protein, procedures for solubilization and purification of the recombinant protein to >95% homogeneity, and spectrophotometric assays to monitor SQOR-mediated H2S oxidation in reactions with different sulfane sulfur acceptors.
HORMONAL CONTROL OF REPRODUCTION AND GROWTH | Endocrinology of Fish Growth

The processes of feeding and growth in fish are coordinated with each other and with the life history of the animal. Food intake is controlled by appetite centers in the brain that integrate external and internal sensory information (e.g., presence of food) and other internal cues (hormones that indicate internal nutrient status, stage of sexual maturation, etc.). Some of the hormones that promote food intake, in turn, stimulate growth. Feeding and growth of fish are affected by many environmental factors, including temperature and photoperiod.
Thoracic metastases from breast cancer: a single-institution's experience.

Objective Thoracic metastasis from breast cancer (TMBC) is a relatively uncommon condition, and few reports of its therapeutic palliation and patient outcomes exist. We therefore reviewed retrospectively our radiotherapeutic experience of TMBC. Methods Between 1981 and 2003, 19 patients were treated with radiation (with doses raging from 10 Gy to 50 Gy) for palliation of TMBC. Results The mean age was 55.4 years. Mediastinal lymph node disease was the most common form of TMBC. TMBC developed within five years of breast cancer diagnoses in 11 patients (58%). Among the evaluable symptomatic individuals, subjective palliation was complete in 78% of the cases. The complete objective response (e.g., complete resolution of clinically manifested superior vena caval obstruction or imaging-demonstrated atelectasis) rate was 50%. There was no significant difference in survival between patients presenting with airway obstruction and women who were not in respiratory distress, asymptomatic and symptomatic patients, and women with and without concurrent extrathoracic metastases. Conclusion Although the prognosis of women with TMBC was quite ominous, radiotherapy should be considered in very symptomatic patients because justifiable palliation can be effected in some individuals.
Solar Water Splitting: Photocatalyst Materials Discovery and Systems Development

Hydrogen promises to be an attractive transportation fuel in the post-fossil fuel era. Relatively abundant and clean burning (water being the principal byproduct), hydrogen offers the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, there are significant technical barriers that require solutions before hydrogen can be implemented in large scale. These are: · Sources (e.g. hydrocarbon, water) · Transportation · Storage Each of the aforementioned barriers carries with it important considerations. First, would a hydrocarbon-based hydrogen source be of any benefit compared to conventional fossil fuels? Second, will a system based on centralized generation and distribution be viable? Finally, methods of on-board storage, whether they are liquefaction, adsorption, or intercalation, are far from optimized. The scope of this program is limited to hydrogen generation, specifically generation using solarinitiated water electrolysis. Though concept of making hydrogen using water and sunlight may sound somewhat far-fetched, in reality the concept is very real. Since the discovery of solar-generated hydrogen, termed photoelectrochemical hydrogen, nearly 30 years ago by Fujishima and Honda, significant advances in both fundamental understanding and technological capability have been made. Using solar radiation to generate hydrogen in a fashion akin to using solar to generate electricity offers many advantages. First, hydrogenmore » can be generated at the point of use, reducing the importance of transportation. Second, using water as the hydrogen source eliminates greenhouse gas evolution and the consequences that come with it. Finally, because the process uses very little electricity (pumps and compressors predominantly), the quantity of chemical fuel produced far exceeds the amount of electricity consumed. Consequently, there is some level of truth to the notion that photoelectrochemically-derived hydrogen offers the potential to nearly eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation landscape. This report focuses primarily on the technical issues inherent to developing an economically viable photoelectrochemical hydrogen system. This involves research intended to address technology gaps as well as research to address commercial feasibility. Though a firm cost target is not identified explicitly, much of the economics are presented in terms of “dollars per gallon of gasoline equivalent” ($/gge). Obviously this is a moving target, but it is important to understand cost in terms of current gasoline pricing, since the intended target is gasoline replacement. However, this does put the cost contribution into a perspective that at least allows for a reasonable assessment of technological viability. It also allows for the identification of need areas beyond the obvious technology gaps.« less
Algunas consideraciones sobre los temas de los cuentos tradicionales de Castilla y León

The comparison of the animal tales and tales of magic in three large collections of traditional tales provides an inventory of tales of the types mentioned in the areas of Castile and Leon. The fact that the tales were collected during a limited period gives precise information regarding the popularity and preservation of the various themes and types. Based on the catalogue of Aarne-Thompson, the inventory includes sorne 160 types of tales. The most popular tales are generally the same in the three collections. In the most recent one, a tendency to shorten the tale is apparent, and there is a considerable number of very short tales. In any case, the inventory gives evidence of the vitality of the oral tale in popular culture.