cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microcalcification detectability for four mammographic detectors: Flat-panel, CCD, CR, and screen/film

Amorphous silicon/cesium iodide (a-Si:H/CsI:Tl) flat-panel (FP)-based full-field digital mammography systems have recently become commercially available for clinical use. Some investigations on physical properties and imaging characteristics of these types of detectors have been conducted and reported. In this perception study, a phantom containing simulated microcalcifications (microCs) of various sizes was imaged with four detector systems: a FP system, a small field-of-view charge coupled device (CCD) system, a high resolution computed radiography (CR) system, and a conventional mammography screen/film (SF) system. The images were reviewed by mammographers as well as nonradiologist participants. Scores reflecting confidence ratings were given and recorded for each detection task. The results were used to determine the average confidence-rating scores for the four imaging systems. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was also performed to evaluate and compare the overall detection accuracy for the four detector systems. For calcifications of 125-140 microm in size, the FP system was found to have the best performance with the highest confidence-rating scores and the greatest detection accuracy (Az = 0.9) in the ROC analysis. The SF system was ranked second while the CCD system outperformed the CR system. The p values obtained by applying a Student t-test to the results of the ROC analysis indicate that the differences between any two systems are statistically significant (p<0.005). Differences in microC detectability for the large (150-160 microm) and small (112-125 microm) size microC groups showed a wider range of p values (not all p values are smaller than 0.005, ranging from 0.6 to <0.001) compared to the p values obtained for the medium (125-140 microm) size microC group. Using the p values to assess the statistical significance, the use of the average confidence-rating scores was not as significant as the use of the ROC analysis p value for p value.
Uptake of Archaeobacterial Liposomes and Conventional Liposomes by Phagocytic Cells

Liposomes in the 200 nm size range were prepared fiom the ether lipids extracted fiom various Archaeobucteria (coined archaeosomes), and fiom conventional lipids. The entrapment of peroxidase or carboxyfluorescein was used to compare the in vitro uptake of various liposomes by murine peritoneal macrophages, J774A. 1 macrophages and several non phagocytic cell lines. While liposomes composed of ester lipids dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, or dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine: dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol: cholesterol (1X0.2: 1 S, molar ratio) were taken up by macrophage species, the uptake of archaeosomes was 3 to 53 times greater. Uptake by non phagocytic HEp-2, HeLa, and EJ/28 cells was considerably less. Evidence fiom time-course studies usig cytochalasins B+D, sub-optimal temperature or formaldehyde treatments of macrophages, indicated that the archaeosomes lost structural integrity following internalization within the J774A. 1 phagocytic cells. No cytotoxicity was observed in viability or growth assays with J774A. 1 cells, using high doses of three representative types of archaeosomes and one type of conventionalliposome. Therefore, archaeosomes may be well suited to applications where phagocytic cells are a target site.
Adaptive digital control implemented using residue number systems

The application of residue number systems for the implementation of adaptive digital controllers is presented. Division operations are avoided through the use of iteration to solve for the value of the control. Decoding computations are simplified by the use of a specialized form of the Chinese remainder theorem. Simulation results for adaptive control of a second order system based upon the minimum variance control law and the LMS identification algorithm are presented. This control algorithm may be implemented using only adders and shift registers.
State encoding of finite-state machines targeting threshold and majority logic based implementations with application to nanotechnologies

In this paper, we address the problem of state encoding of finite-state machines (FSMs) targeting threshold and majority logic based implementations, which have applications in nanotechnologies. Previous work on state encoding is based on Boolean logic. These methods try to optimize either the literal count or sum-of-product (SOP) terms count, which are more relevant for CMOS technology based circuits. As progress is made in the material and physical understanding of nanoscale devices, functionally-correct nanoscale circuits based on threshold and majority gates are being successfully demonstrated. However, there exists no methodology or design automation tool for state encoding targeting threshold and majority gate based implementations. We propose such a methodology based on an evolutionary algorithm. Experimental results indicate that large reductions in gate count, area and interconnect count are possible, compared to some traditional state encoding methods.
Power Consumption Determination With Implications in Designing the Single-Phase Transformers Working in ac-Switching Mode

The goal of this paper is to fix a formula for the transformer duty factor (the ratio between the input volt amps and the load active power), as a function of load parameters (phase-shift angle) and firing angles. Basically, it is a statistic study, its input data being a collection of interest quantities waveforms, which are a representative range of the transformer working conditions. Least squares method is funding the mathematical algorithms developed to find approximating functions of the issues discussed in the paper. The input data (waveforms) were collected for a single-phase transformer, respecting the hysteresis loop of its magnetization curve. It was switching both leading and capacitive loads, considering several load phase-shift and firing angles. The mathematical support was MathCAD PLUS 6.0.
Central nervous system candidiasis in the high-risk neonate

Central nervous system involvement in neonatal candidiasis is not rare, although possibly less frequent than in previous decades. In addition to increasing the potential for neurodevelopmental morbidity, this infection poses major challenges in establishing diagnosis and assuring adequate treatment. In the setting of candidemia or other severe invasive candida disease, suggestive imaging studies or inflammatory changes in cerebrospinal fluid should prompt careful consideration of central nervous system candidiasis even if culture of the fluid is negative. Although delivery of amphotericin to cerebrospinal fluid appears much better in premature infants than in older individuals, the availability of other agents with superior delivery to the central nervous system suggests that strong consideration be given to their use as alternative or adjunct therapy if central nervous system involvement appears likely. Careful surveillance for neurodevelopmental sequelae may permit early detection, timely rehabilitative intervention, and potentially better long-term functional outcomes.
THE “predator early warning system” of red-winged blackbirds

Male Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) are known to give alarm calls in response to the approach of a predator, and to encode information about the level of threat in their calling behavior. To determine whether such sentinel males alert females, we conducted a simple field experiment in which we measured the distances at which incubating females flushed from their nests in response to the approach of a human observer. Using a matched-pairs design, we measured flushing distances with a sentinel male present (mean 19.8 m), and when the same male was absent from his territory (mean 10.4 m). Female Red-winged Blackbirds flushed from their nests at significantly greater distances when males were present than when males were absent. These results and those of other studies support the existence of a “predator early warning system” in the Red-winged Blackbird.
Causality enforcement in transient simulation of passive networks through delay extraction

Causality, which deals with the precise timing of signal propagation through passive structures like interconnects, is an important problem in the time domain simulation of distributed passive networks. If unaccounted for, it can lead to significant error in the signal integrity analysis of high-speed digital systems. This paper demonstrates the enforcement of causality on the transient simulation of distributed passive networks based on the extraction of the port-to-port delay. The paper describes a technique to extract the port-to-port delay in passive networks directly from their frequency domain response. The technique can be applied to either S, Y or Z parameters of passive networks and can be extended to multi-port and mixed mode networks.
Gender difference of emotional bias in sharing love.

Article accompanying a poster presentation for the 2011 Computational Neuroscience Annual Meeting. This article discusses gender difference of emotional bias in sharing love.
mDAG: a web-based tool for analyzing microarray data with multiple treatments

Background In microarray experiments involving multiple treatments, pairwise comparisons between all pairs of treatments are desirable but expensive. To cope with this, we previously introduced a method that performed all pairwise comparisons in a post hoc manner. This method employs directed graphs to represent gene response to pairs of treatments. It has been applied and found useful in identifying and differentiating genes sharing similar functional pathways [1,2].
Off-axis sensor rosettes for measurement of the piezoresistive coefficients of silicon

Experimental calibration results for the piezoresistive coefficients of silicon as a function of temperatures are presented. Measurements have been performed using a test chip incorporating a new off-axis 0-45 degrees -90 degrees rosette design. This rosette requires the application of only uniaxial stress for measurement of the three individual piezoresistive coefficients of silicon: pi /sub 11/, pi /sub 12/, and pi /sub 44/. Of even greater potential import, this rosette yields inherently temperature compensated values of the coefficients pi /sub 44/ and pi /sub D/=( pi /sub 11/- pi /sub 12/). P-type off-axis rosettes have been characterized as a function of temperature, and values for the temperature dependencies of pi /sub 44/ and pi /sub D/ are reported. The coefficients pi /sub 44/ in p-type silicon and pi /sub D/ in n-type silicon are needed for an optimized stress sensor on
Towards an Understanding of Chromosomally Mediated Penicillin Resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Evidence for a Porin-Efflux Pump Collaboration

In this issue of the Journal of Bacteriology, Olesky et al. (13) report a novel observation regarding the mechanism by which Neisseria gonorrhoeae developed clinically significant levels of resistance to penicillin. Although yet to be fully defined, their results link changes in the structure of a gonococcal porin (PorB), which was presumed to modulate permeation of penicillin due to precedents set by studies with porins from Enterobacteriaceae (1, 11), with overexpression of a multidrug efflux pump and the development of penicillin resistance in gonococci. The implications of their work for further advancing our knowledge regarding the structure-function relationships of the gram-negative cell envelope, differences between such bacteria in this respect, and the connection of efflux pumps with other cell envelope proteins in the development of antibiotic resistance are substantial. Moreover, the findings justify continued research on basic problems of antibiotic resistance even when the antibiotic in question is no longer used clinically to treat the disease in question.
The Overall Argument of Alston's Perceiving God

Alston's overall aim in Perceiving God is to show that we are rationally justified in believing that our apparent direct perceptions of God's presence (called ‘M-experiences’) are reliable and thus for the most part veridical, the objective, existentially-committed beliefs based on these experiences thereby being prima facie justified, subject to defeat by certain overriders supplied by some background religion. It is argued that our rational justification for believing this is of both an epistemic and pragmatic (or practical) sort, in which an epistemic reason for believing a proposition is truth conducive, rendering the proposition probable, while a pragmatic one concerns the benefits which accrue from belief. We will begin by considering the pragmatic justification, since the case he makes out for epistemic justification is built on its back.
The Chinese Jade Age: Between antiquarianism and archaeology

Recent and abundant archaeological discoveries of Neolithic jade in China have prompted Chinese scholars and archaeologists alike to discuss the concept of the Jade Age as a way to better understan...
Adaptive Medium Access Control for Hybrid Wireless Mesh Networks

This paper presents the dynamic integrated-services MAC (DIS-MAC) protocol designed to enable service differentiation in CDMA-based hybrid wireless mesh networks (WMNs) through an integrated medium access that allows both contention-based and contention-free scheduled access modes. DIS-MAC utilizes dynamic capacity partitioning that adjusts CDMA capacity limits assigned to the two access modes in response to changes in network traffic loading. The contention-based access is made compatible with the IEEE 802.11 standard, while the contention-free scheduled access provides differentiated delay guarantees for real-time traffic over single-hops connecting among mesh routers, clients and gateways. The scheduler enables feedback-enhanced delay target-tracking and delay-bandwidth decoupling. Numerical results show that DIS-MAC provides high resource utilizations and differentiated delay bounds in a WMN environment characterized with heterogeneous real-time and non-real-time traffic sources.
Patterns of sediment composition of Jamaican fringing reef facies

Recent carbonate sediments from Jamaican north coast fringing reefs were collected along three parallel traverses in the vicinity of Discovery Bay. Each traverse extended from near shore across the back reef, reef crest, and fore reef to a depth of 75 m. Relative abundances of the biotic constituents vary between sites, reflecting general patterns of reef community composition. The sediment is dominated by highly comminuted coral fragments (27.1% to 63.1%), plates of the calcareous green alga Halimedu (0.4% to 38.7%), coralline algae (4.7% to 16.2%) and the encrusting foraminiferan Homotremu rubrum (0.7% to 9,5%), with lesser amounts of other taxonomic groups (non-encrusting foraminifera 1.3--5.5%; molluscs 1.4-7.0%; echinoderms 0.9-5.0%). Coral fragments, coralline algae and particles of Homotrema rubrum dominate the sediments of the shallow portions of the fore reef (5-15 m), whereas plates of Hulimedu are most abundant in sediments from the back reef and deeper portions of the fore reef (2 24 m), Q-mode cluster analysis, using sediment constituent data, resulted in the delineation of four reef biofacies over the depth range of this study (1-75 m).
Regulation of microRNA expression in the heart by the ATF6 branch of the ER stress response

A nodal regulator of endoplasmic reticulum stress is the transcription factor, ATF6, which is activated by ischemia and protects the heart from ischemic damage, in vivo. To explore mechanisms of ATF6-mediated protection in the heart, a whole-genome microRNA (miRNA) array analysis of RNA from the hearts of ATF6 transgenic (TG) mice was performed. The array identified 13 ATF6-regulated miRNAs, eight of which were downregulated, suggesting that they could contribute to increasing levels of their mRNAs. The down-regulated miRNAs, including miR-455, were predicted to target 45 mRNAs that we had previously shown by microarray analysis to be up-regulated by ATF6 in the heart. One of the miR-455 targets was calreticulin (Calr), which is up-regulated in the pathologic heart, where it modulates hypertrophic growth, potentially reducing the impact of the pathology. To validate the effects of miR-455, we showed that Calr protein was increased by ATF6 in mouse hearts, in vivo. In cultured cardiac myocytes, treatment with the ER stressor, tunicamycin, or with adenovirus encoding activated ATF6 decreased miR-455 and increased Calr levels, consistent with the effects of ATF6 on miR-455 and Calr, in vivo. Moreover, transfection of cultured cardiac myocytes with a synthetic precursor, premiR-455, decreased Calr levels, while transfection with an antisense, antimiR-455, increased Calr levels. The results of this study suggest that ER stress can regulate gene expression via ATF6-mediated changes in micro-RNA levels. Moreover, these findings support the hypothesis that ATF6-mediated down-regulation of miR-455 augments Calr expression, which may contribute to the protective effects of ATF6 in the heart.
Microwave photonic filters with > 65 dB sidelobe suppression using directly generated broadband, quasi — Gaussian shaped optical frequency combs

We present microwave photonic filters with record > 65dB sidelobe suppression using directly generated, broadband, quasi-Gaussian combs using cascaded-FWM based spectral broadening of combs generated from tailored E-O modulation of CW lasers.
Platelet-derived growth factor-BB enhances MSC-mediated cardioprotection via suppression of miR-320 expression

Delivery of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to myocardium protects ischemic tissue through the paracrine release of beneficial angiogenic and cytoprotective factors. Platelet-deri...
Experiments and Nonequilibrium Analysis of Pipe Blowdown

Phase equilibrium blowdown models are not valid for geometries having small characteristic lengths (volume-to-break-area ratios). For such geometries, the two-phase expansion is too rapid to permit...
Adaptive Burst-Writes (ABW): Memory Requests Scheduling to Reduce Write-Induced Interference

Main memory latencies have become a major performance bottleneck for chip-multiprocessors (CMPs). Since reads are on the critical path, existing memory controllers prioritize reads over writes. However, writes must be eventually processed when the write queue is full. These writes are serviced in a burst to reduce the bus turnaround delay and increase the row-buffer locality. Unfortunately, a large number of reads may suffer long queuing delay when the burst-writes are serviced. The long write latency of future nonvolatile memory will further exacerbate the long queuing delay of reads during burst-writes. In this article, we propose a run-time mechanism, Adaptive Burst-Writes (ABW), to reduce the queuing delay of reads. Based on the row-buffer hit rate of writes and the arrival rate of reads, we dynamically control the number of writes serviced in a burst to trade off the write service time and the queuing latency of reads. For prompt adjustment, our history-based mechanism further terminates the burst-writes earlier when the row-buffer hit rate of writes in the previous burst-writes is low. As a result, our policy improves system throughput by up to 28p (average 10p) and 43p (average 14p) in CMPs with DRAM-based and PCM-based main memory.
Dexamethasone alone and in combination with desipramine, phenytoin, valproic acid or levetiracetam interferes with 5-ALA-mediated PpIX production and cellular retention in glioblastoma cells

Extent of resection of glioblastoma (GBM) correlates with overall survival. Fluorescence-guided resection (FGR) using 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) can improve the extent of resection. Unfortunately not all patients given 5-ALA accumulate sufficient quantities of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) for successful FGR. In this study, we investigated the effects of dexamethasone, desipramine, phenytoin, valproic acid, and levetiracetam on the production and accumulation of PpIX in U87MG cells. All of these drugs, except levetiracetam, reduce the total amount of PpIX produced by GBM cells (p < 0.05). When dexamethasone is mixed with another drug (desipramine, phenytoin, valproic acid or levetiracetam) the amount of PpIX produced is further decreased (p < 0.01). However, when cells are analyzed for PpIX cellular retention, dexamethasone accumulated significantly more PpIX than the vehicle control (p < 0.05). Cellular retention of PpIX was not different from controls in cells treated with dexamethasone plus desipramine, valproic acid or levetiracetam, but was significantly less for dexamethasone plus phenytoin (p < 0.01). These data suggest that medications given before and during surgery may interfere with PpIX accumulation in malignant cells. At this time, levetiracetam appears to be the best medication in its class (anticonvulsants) for patients undergoing 5-ALA-mediated FGR.
Efficient Two-Photon Absorbing Chromophores with Fine-Tuned л-Bridges

A new series of symmetric two-photon absorbing chromophores with various л-bridges were synthesized. It has been shown that the spectra of two-photon absorption and two-photon induced fluorescence can be fined tuned by structural variations in the electronic nature and twist angle of л-bridges of D-л-D type chromophores. These chromophores exhibited large twophoton absorption cross-sections (up to 1800 GM), which were determined by two-photon induced fluorescence technique using femtosecond pulse excitation. The colors of two-photon pumped emission of these chromophores varied from blue to red (433 ∼ 604 nm) as the structure of л-bridges changed.
The C. elegans adult neuronal IIS/FOXO transcriptome reveals adult phenotype regulators

Insulin/insulin-like growth factor signalling (IIS) is a critical regulator of an organism's most important biological decisions from growth, development, and metabolism to reproduction and longevity. It primarily does so through the activity of the DAF-16 transcription factor (forkhead box O (FOXO) homologue), whose global targets were identified in Caenorhabditis elegans using whole-worm transcriptional analyses more than a decade ago. IIS and FOXO also regulate important neuronal and adult behavioural phenotypes, such as the maintenance of memory and axon regeneration with age, in both mammals and C. elegans, but the neuron-specific IIS/FOXO targets that regulate these functions are still unknown. By isolating adult C. elegans neurons for transcriptional profiling, we identified both the wild-type and IIS/FOXO mutant adult neuronal transcriptomes for the first time. IIS/FOXO neuron-specific targets are distinct from canonical IIS/FOXO-regulated longevity and metabolism targets, and are required for extended memory in IIS daf-2 mutants. The activity of the forkhead transcription factor FKH-9 in neurons is required for the ability of daf-2 mutants to regenerate axons with age, and its activity in non-neuronal tissues is required for the long lifespan of daf-2 mutants. Together, neuron-specific and canonical IIS/FOXO-regulated targets enable the coordinated extension of neuronal activities, metabolism, and longevity under low-insulin signalling conditions.
Do You Mind if I Round?: Eliminating the Penny A Structural Analysis

For decades, economists have debated the price-rounding effect on the economy if the penny is eliminated. Deviating from the bulk of the literature, which typically considers case-studies with empirical simulations and data manipulation, I evaluate a multiple household, deterministic model with endogenous currency production. My findings suggest that the elimination of the smallest unit of currency has a “nickel-and-dime” effect on the economy, regardless of the rounding policy. This structural model is constructed and calibrated to emulate a “worst-case scenario”, but it is also robust to the empirical results in the literature.
Notch-associated expression profiles in basal-like and claudin-low breast cancer molecular subtypes

11017 Background: An attractive candidate target for breast cancer (BC) and BC tumor-initiating cells is the Notch signaling pathway. To better understand the potential dependence of breast cancer ...
Platelet-Rich Plasma in Treating Patellar Tendinopathy

Patellar tendinopathy (PT) is a common source of pain and dysfunction in both high-demand and recreational athletes. It can be a difficult condition to treat, and uniform consensus on the optimal treatment strategy is currently lacking. Accordingly, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has emerged as a treatment option for tendinosis that may improve the healing process and speed recovery. It is becoming increasingly evident that PRP comprises a cocktail of growth factors and cellular components that synergize to contribute to its established anabolic effects. However, some PRP formulations also contain various inflammatory mediators that may adversely affect tendon healing. Although PRP is one of the most thoroughly studied biologics in orthopaedic applications, its role in the treatment of PT remains unclear. Though PRP may be considered for the treatment of recalcitrant PT, current consensus on its use is still inconclusive and outcomes are unpredictable. This evidence-based article summarizes the current understanding of PRP’s biological activity, clinical efficacy, and how it may be most effectively used to treat PT.
Clinical comparison of the Roche Septi-Chek® and Dupont Isolator® blood culture systems

A study was conducted to compare the recovery of clinical isolates by the DuPont Isolator® and Roche Septi-Chek® blood culture systems. A total of 5,262 blood culture specimens were processed by the two systems. Of these, 358 cultures contained significant isolates: 219 were positive in both systems, 68 were recovered only by Isolator, 71 were recovered by Septi-Chek only (not statistically significant). Of the isolates recovered in both systems, 159 were positive the same day, 55 were recovered first by Isolator, and 5 were recovered first by Septi-Chek. In cases where Isolator recovered organisms first, the average difference in time was one to two days. Regarding particular groups of organisms, there was no difference between the systems in recovery of Enterobacteriaceae, anaerobes, yeast, and gram-positive bacteria, except for Streptococcus pneumoniae. Septi-Chek recovered S. pneumoniae significantly more often. These results suggest that these two systems are essentially comparable, except with S. pneumoniae , although the Isolator frequently provided results more rapidly.
Two-Dimensional Nanosheets and Layered Hybrids of MoS2 and WS2 through Exfoliation of Ammoniated MS2 (M = Mo,W)

Ammoniated MS2 (M = Mo,W) have been synthesized by reacting LixMS2 with a saturated solution of ammonium chloride. While, largely neutral NH3 is present in the interlayer of ammoniated MoS2, equal amounts of NH3 and NH4+ ions are present in the tungsten analog. The ammoniated MS2 exfoliate readily in a variety of polar solvents with exfoliation being best in water. Ammoniated WS2 forms a more stable colloidal dispersion compared to the Mo analog because the ammonium ions do not deintercalate easily from the layers even on exfoliation. The dispersions are comprised of large nanosheets of MS2 with lateral dimensions in the order of micrometers. The layers could be restacked from the colloidal dispersions by evaporating the solvent. While the colloidal dispersions of ammoniated MoS2 yield NH3-free MoS2 on restacking, the dispersions of ammoniated WS2 yield WS2 intercalated with NH4+ ions. Co-stacking of MoS2 and WS2 nanosheets from a mixture of both the colloidal dispersions results in MoS2–WS2 hybrids in wh...
Dangling-Bond Relaxation and Metastability in P-Type Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon

We discuss the subtle effects involved in observing slow dangling bond relaxation by studying capacitance transients in p-type hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). The data suggest that neutral dangling bonds are reversibly converted into metastable positive charged dangling bonds by hole trapping. These metastable positive dangling bonds reconvert to neutral dangling bonds upon annealing at elevated temperature. The annealing kinetics for this process are the same as those observed for annealing of quenched in conductivity changes in p-type a-Si:H.
Mesoporous Carbon–Vanadium Oxide Films by Resol-Assisted, Triblock Copolymer-Templated Cooperative Self-Assembly

Unlike other crystalline metal oxides amenable to templating by the combined assemblies of soft and hard chemistries (CASH) method, vanadium oxide nanostructures templated by poly(ethylene oxide-b-1,4-butadiene-b-ethylene oxide) (OBO) triblock copolymers are not preserved upon high temperature calcination in argon. Triconstituent cooperative assembly of a phenolic resin oligomer (resol) and an OBO triblock in a VOCl3 precursor solution enhances the carbon yield and can prevent breakout crystallization of the vanadia during calcination. However, the calcination environment significantly influences the observed mesoporous morphology in these composite thin films. Use of an argon atmosphere in this processing protocol leads to nearly complete loss of carbon–vanadium oxide thin film mesostructure, due to carbothermal reduction of vanadium oxide. This reduction mechanism also explains why the CASH method is not more generally successful for the fabrication of ordered mesoporous vanadia. Carbonization under a n...
Antibody Levels against Influenza A(H1N1) and Its Vaccine Immunization Effect among Healthy Population in Shunyi District of Beijing City

[Objective]To know the antibody levels against influenza A(H1N1) among healthy population in Shunyi District of Beijing City,to evaluate the immunization effect of influenza A(H1N1) vaccine,and provide scientific evidence for related departments to develop prevention and control strategies of influenza A(H1NI).[Methods]Totally 202 healthy individuals from 12 towns of Shunyi District were randomly selected and collected venous blood(5 years) for detection of antibody levels before vaccination,and after vaccination part of them were selected for antibody level evaluation and the effect of immunization was evaluated.[Results]Of 202 serum samples,the positive rate of influenza antibody was 46.53%(94/202) which was significantly different with that of population in Beijing City.The Geometric mean reciprocal antibody titers(GMRT) was 32.78,there was no significant difference of positive rate of influenza antibody between genders,but significant difference existed between different age groups,the positive rates were high in the age groups of 25~29 and 10~14.Among the 50 cases of people vaccinated,the antibody-positive rate was 80%(30/50),there was significant difference of seroconversion rate between subjects positive and negative subjects before immunization.The antibody titer was 6 times increased.The Difference of antibody GMRT change in each age group was significant before and after vaccination.The titer increased minimum times in age groups of 25~29 years and ≥60 years.[Conclusion]The incidence of influenza A(HIN1) in Shunyi District is higher than the average levels of Beijing City,The vaccination has made the antibody levels of population meet the requirements of the immune barrier which indicates that vaccination is necessary means to control the epidemic of influenza A(H1N1) during pandemic period..Antibody levels before immunization and age were 2 factors influencing seroconversion.
Research on Adjustment Tests of ZGM133G Medium-speed Coal Pulverizer

Based on the adjustment tests of ZGM133G medium-speed coal pulverizer for the 1 000 MW boiler in a power plant,the characteristics of variable rotational speed of separator,hydraulic loading force and air volume of the coal pulverizer were obtained.The results are of guiding significance for the economic operation of pulverizers.
Repetition: Looping for Geoprocessing

Advances in technology are enabling the collection and storage of massive amounts of GIS data. To learn from this data we need to conduct analysis efficiently. Batch processing is a powerful scripting capability, saving time by automating repetitive tasks. Chapter 8 discussed the three basic workflow structures (sequences, decision-making, and repetition) in terms of pseudocode and Chapter 9 presented the Python syntax for decision-making and describing GIS data. This chapter focuses on Python repetition structures and looping syntax, Python FOR-loops and WHILE-loops, looping with the range function for geoprocessing, nested looping, and listing directory contents. Then the chapter concludes with a tip about debugging whitespace glitches.
A controlled clinical trial of lactulose in hepatic encephalopathy.

In a double blind clinical trial, 11 patients with HE received 80 g of lactulose (1,4-β-galactosidofructose) daily while 10 patients received 60 g of glucose daily as a control. Encephalopathy and blood ammonia were evaluated during the study. Patients receiving lactulose showed statistically significant reduction in both encephalopathy and blood ammonia levels over the 10-day period as compared to the control patients. Controlled clinical trials comparing lactulose and Neomycin are needed.
A personalized mailed brochure was cost-effective for promoting colonoscopy in asymptomatic patients referred for screening.

Source Citation Shankaran V, McKoy JM, Dandade N, et al. Costs and cost-effectiveness of a low-intensity patient-directed intervention to promote colorectal cancer screening. J Clin Oncol. 2007;25:...
Centrifuge dewatering and reconstitution of fine coal: A pilot-plant application of the GranuFlow Process

A continuous pilot-scale test of the GranuFlow Process was conducted using a screen-bowl centrifuge for the dewatering and reconstitution of column-flotation concentrate at a coal preparation plant in Virginia. In this test, a slipstream of the fine clean-coal slurry from the column-flotation concentrate was treated with a bitumen emulsion before dewatering. The treated products from the screen-bowl centrifuge appeared to be dry and in afree-flowing granular form, while the untreated products were wet, sticky and difficult to handle. Test results indicated that the average moisture contents of the dewatered coal products were 35.7%, 35.5%, 32.6%, 29.9% and 26.5% (by weight) with Orimulsion additions of 0.0%, 0.7%, 3.2%, 4.8% and 6.4% (by weight), respectively. The handleability and dust reduction of the dewatered coal products were also vastly improved.
“Taste is not an immutable, but a mutable thing”

1851 was a momentous year in British history. On May 1, the Great Exhibition opened in Hyde Park, welcoming millions of visitors from throughout Britain, Ireland, the European continent, North America, and the British Empire. With the Crystal Palace as its showcase, Britain basked in the glory of its own industrial and technological superiority, the products of its unrivalled Empire, and its liberal economic policies—to which many attributed Britain’s global dominance. “The products of all quarters of the globe are placed at our disposal,” wrote Prince Albert, the man who was largely responsible for conceiving and promoting the Great Exhibition, “and we have only to choose that which is best and cheapest for our purposes, and the powers of production are entrusted to the stimulus of competition and capital.”1 But the Great Exhibition was not only a celebration of Britain’s industrial, economic, and imperial might, it was also a celebration of British civilization. James Wilson, a Scotsman and founder of The Economist magazine, wrote in 1851 that Britain was vastly improved, materially, culturally, and morally, from the beginning of the century. This was the “golden age,” said Wilson, and Britain was “the greatest nation that ever stood in the vanguard of civilization and freedom.”2
The New City Management

In many countries traditional approaches to local government leadership and management are being transformed. Long-established practices and procedures are being questioned and innovations in democratic and managerial practice now proliferate. More than that, the very role and purpose of elected local authorities are being reconsidered and reshaped. In this chapter it will be suggested that these changes amount to the emergence of a ‘new city management’.1 As we shall see, there are connections here to what has been described as the ‘new public management’ (Hood 1991; Dunleavy and Hood 1994). But the new city management is about much more than the development of an array of managerial tools for urban governance — such as customer-driven decision making and the contracting out of public services to private companies. It is also concerned with the changing roles of politicians, managers and citizens in the governance of localities — it promotes innovation in the politics of place as well as innovation in public service management. It will be suggested that successful city management in the twenty-first century must be concerned with democratic renewal as well as with management innovation. Coalition building with local economic and social interests as well as new approaches to community development need to be seen as part of a new management agenda which creates space for able officers to transform the effectiveness of service delivery to citizens.
Introducing a Novel Applicant Ranking Tool to Predict Future Resident Performance: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT The purposes of this study are to (1) introduce our novel Applicant Ranking Tool that aligns with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies and (2) share our preliminary results comparing applicant rank to current performance. After a thorough literature review and multiple roundtable discussions, an Applicant Ranking Tool was created. Feasibility, satisfaction, and critiques were discussed via open feedback session. Inter-rater reliability was assessed using weighted kappa statistic (κ) and Kendall coefficient of concordance (W). Fisher's exact tests evaluated the ability of the tool to stratify performance into the top or bottom half of their class. Internal medicine and anesthesiology residents served as the pilot cohorts. The tool was considered user-friendly for both data input and analysis. Inter-rater reliability was strongest with intradisciplinary evaluation (W = 0.8–0.975). Resident performance was successfully stratified into those functioning in the upper v...
Protective role of FKBP51 in calcium entry-induced endothelial barrier disruption.

Pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) express a cation current, ISOC (store-operated calcium entry current), which when activated permits calcium entry leading to inter-endothelial cell gap fo...
Addressing the opioid epidemic: Treatment capacity expansion to reduce care disparities for opioid addiction disorders

The national opioid epidemic continues to worsen as abuse increases outpace treatment access, with many proposing additional state and federal funding for recovery services. To help public health departments plan effectively, we developed coupled models that optimize regional location of treatment facilities across any given state and simulated benefits on access delays, people receiving treatment, overdoses, and associated mortality. We optimized scenarios under expansion investments ranging from 5 to 20 additional treatment facilities across Massachusetts. Results estimate that optimally locating 20 new facilities would yield annual benefits of 18-day reductions in median treatment access delays, 2,332 prevented overdoses, and 237 avoided overdose-related deaths. These models and results can be useful to policy makers and public health officials by informing investment decisions and various tradeoff questions. Ongoing work is incorporating further complexities into the models and exploring the effectiveness of other interventions, such as treatment relapses, capacity pooling, and social distancing.
Full Faith and Credit of Adjudication of Jurisdictional Facts

P |JIHE construction and application of the so called Full Faith and | Credit Clause of the United States Constitution' and its attending acts of Congress2 have resulted in not a little confusion in the principles involved and the problem has been handled, seemingly, with a lack of understanding by judicial opinion. The attempt here is to clarify, in a measure at least, the thought upon the subject with respect to impeachment of judgments of sister states on the grounds of lack of jurisdiction over the person of the defendant3 and particularly with reference to contradiction of an adjudication or recital of the existence of that jurisdiction. At first the cases were somewhat in confusion4 regarding the effect of a foreign judgments but it is now recognized that the domestic forum, in a
Lightning Analysis of Wind Turbines

Lightning strike damage accounts for one of the greatest number of losses for wind turbines and is among the top two most frequently reported causes of loss in the wind energy insurance claims in the United States (USA). The Midwest and Texas area, where the most wind power is produced in the USA, are subjected to high lightning flash activities. Also, since multi-MW wind turbines are pursued in the recent years, the corresponding wind turbine blades are becoming longer than before. The longer the blade, the greater its risk of being hit by the lightning. An increase in the blade size and extensive use of composite materials lead to significant challenges in the development of lightning strike protection systems for wind turbine blades, and a better understanding of the response of polymer-matrix composites to a lightning strike is essential for such developments. In this chapter, the basic physics of lightning strike and lightning interaction with the wind turbines are discussed. The common lightning strike protections for wind turbines as well as typical lightning damage mechanisms are introduced. In addition, the analytical and finite element numerical approach of predicting the lightning strike-induced electric field is presented. The obtained electric fields are used to estimate the lightning dielectric breakdown of the composite wind turbine blade. Furthermore, the other forms of lightning damage for wind turbine blades, including the rapid heat transfer, thermal ablation, and delamination, are also discussed. Future recommendations for such lightning research of wind turbines are provided.
Geometry-Sensitive Ensemble Mean Based on Wasserstein Barycenters: Proof-of-Concept on Cloud Simulations

ABSTRACTAn ensemble of forecasts generated by different model simulations provides rich information for meteorologists about impending weather such as precipitating clouds. One major form of forecasts presents cloud images created by multiple ensemble members. Common features identified from these images are often used as the consensus prediction of the entire ensemble, while the variation among the images indicates forecast uncertainty. However, the large number of images and the possibly tremendous extent of dissimilarity between them pose cognitive challenges for decision making. In this article, we develop novel methods for summarizing an ensemble of forecasts represented by cloud images and call them collectively the Geometry-Sensitive Ensemble Mean (GEM) toolkit. Conventional pixel-wise or feature-based averaging either loses interesting geometry information or focuses narrowly on some pre-chosen characteristics of the clouds to be forecasted. In GEM, we represent a cloud simulation by a Gaussian mi...
How Does Medical Innovation Create Value? Health, Human Capital and the Labor Market

This paper develops a dynamic framework to value medical innovation that takes explicit account of the link between health, human capital and the labor market. Using a characteristics approach, I model medical innovation as increased efficacy or reduced side effects. The framework is applied to HIV treatments, including a 1996 medical breakthrough (HAART) that transformed HIV infection from a virtual death sentence into a manageable, chronic condition. The main findings are (1) For an HIV+ individual, HAART introduction was worth between $20,000 and $340,000, with higher values corresponding to younger agents or agents with greater work experience. (2) A counterfactual version of HAART without side effects is worth up to an additional $375,000. (3) When no treatment dominates others in terms of efficacy and side effects, agents optimally cycle among available options. In general, sicker agents choose effective treatments despite harsh side effects, but switch to less effective drugs with fewer side effects once their health improves. (4) Treatment cycling is partly determined by the labor market. If non-wage income declines, agents are compelled to work, increasing their frequency of switching to treatments with fewer side effects. More aggressive treatment cycling, in turn, diminishes average health and reduces survival probability. JEL Classification: I1 J2 ∗Special thanks go to my dissertation committee: Barton Hamilton, Tat Chan, Mariagiovanna Baccara, Sebastian Galiani, Juan Pantano and Robert Pollak. I gratefully acknowledge invaluable comments from: Melanie Blackwell, Janet Currie, Amy Finkelstein, Stephanie Heger, Karim Lakhani, Glenn MacDonald, Harry Paarsch, Carl Sanders and participants in the Work, Families and Public Policy Seminar and the 2011 North American Summer Meetings of the Econometric Society, both at Washington University in St. Louis, the Health and Human Capital Conference at the ZEW in Mannheim and the Roundtable on Engineering Entrepreneurship Research (REER) at Georgia Institute of Technology. All errors are my own. Department of Economics, Washington University in St. Louis. Email: papageorge@wustl.edu.
Student conceptions of number in solutions chemistry

Students' understandings of number in solutions chemistry were probed through a qualitative study. Through the use of a semi-standardized interview, students' various ways of understanding number were pooled so that coding categories could be formed. Preliminary data show that students experience number differently with respect to molarity and significant figures.
Multi Servers, No Queue (M/M/k/k)

This chapter pertains to a multi-server, no queue system with exponential inter-arrival and service times. An example is a phone system in a real estate company with five lines available to receive calls. When all lines are busy, new calls are lost. The corresponding difference, equilibrium and reduced equations are listed. The probability on n units, and the performance measures are developed. Examples are presented to guide the reader.
Intracarotid amobarbital procedure. The Wada test

Wada testing has been a standard part of temporal lobectomy evaluation since the early 1960s. Although the procedure was initially used to lateralize language function, it was soon modified to assess risk for postoperative amnesia. The use of the procedure has now evolved to include prediction of degrees of memory decline. This use has been criticized, but more recent research has better described important parameters of the procedure and supported its validity. The Wada test is effective in lateralizing seizure onset, predicting postoperative seizure control, and predicting degree of verbal memory decline following left temporal lobectomy. The validity of Wada test data has also been supported by correlations between Wada memory performance and hippocampal pyramidal cell loss or MR imaging determined hippocampal volumes. It remains to be seen, however, if Wada memory performance and data from other sources such as MR imaging, ictal SPECT, positron emission tomography, or functional MR imaging are redundant or independently contribute to patient diagnosis and management.
Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Impact of Lumacaftor/Ivacaftor in the Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis.

This article has been corrected. Please see J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2019;25(2):285-86. BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a chronic, progressive, genetic disease affecting more than 30,000 people...