cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
[Non-traumatic acute transverse spinal cord syndromes].

Differential diagnosis of non-traumatic, acute transverse spinal cord syndromes should cover compressive myelopathy (mostly hematomas or tumors), inflammatory myelitis and vascular myelopathies. Since acute pathologies of the spinal cord primarily result in flaccid para- or tetraparesis accompanied by areflexia or hyporeflexia (spinal shock), acute polyradiculoneuritis and the cauda equina syndrome must also be weighed into the differential diagnosis. Paraplegia may ultimately also be of psychogenic origin. The clinical picture is characterized by the rapidity of progression, the possible involvement of pain, and the specific pattern of the deficits. When the latter occurs, localization of the rostrocaudal level and transverse spread are crucial factors. Depending on the affected structure, one differentiates between anterior spinal cord syndromes (anterior spinal artery syndrome, selective involvement of the anterior horn, centromedullary syndromes), long pathway syndrome (isolated in the posterior bundle or combined with pyramidal pathways) and the unilateral Brown-Sequard's syndrome. Infectious myelitis is usually caused by neurotropic viruses or mycoplasmata in conjunction with meningitis or encephalitis; these in turn either induce transverse myelitis accompanied by severe sensomotor deficits or chiefly affect the gray matter, then producing a pattern similar to anterior spinal artery syndrome. In the case of non-infectious inflammatory myelitis, one must differentiate between multiple sclerosis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), idiopathic transverse myelitis and that of the neuromyelitis optica or Devic's disease. Symptomatic transverse myelitis can also be present in association with connective tissue diseases (e.g. SLE, Behcet's disease, Sjogren's syndrome) or sarcoidosis. Notably, when ischemic spinal infarcts are involved, their onset is frequently painful and their manifestation typically subacute, rather than apoplectiform.
Explanation-Based Learning: An Alternative View

In the last issue of this journal Mitchell, Keller, and Kedar-Cabelli presented a unifying framework for the explanation-based approach to machine learning. While it works well for a number of systems, the framework does not adequately capture certain aspects of the systems under development by the explanation-based learning group at Illinois. The primary inadequacies arise in the treatment of concept operationality, organization of knowledge into schemata, and learning from observation. This paper outlines six specific problems with the previously proposed framework and presents an alternative generalization method to perform explanation-based learning of new concepts.
The beam envelope equation-systematic solution for a fodo lattice with space charge

Many approximate solutions for matched beam envelope functions with space charge have been developed; they generally have errors of 2-10% for the parameters of interest and cannot be reliably improved. The new, systematic approach described here provides the K-V envelope functions to arbitrarily high accuracy as a power series in the quadrupole gradient. A useful Simplification results from defining the sum and difference of the envelope radii; S=(a+b)/2 varies only slightly with distance z along the system axis, and D=(a-b)/2 contains most of the envelope oscillations. To solve the coupled equations for S and D, the quadrupole strength K(z) is turned on by replacing K with /spl alpha/K/sub 1/ and letting /spl alpha/ increase continuously from 0 to 1. It is found that S and D may be expanded in even and odd powers of /spl alpha/, respectively. Equations for the coefficients of powers of /spl alpha/ are then solved successively by integration in z. The periodicity conditions and tune integration close the calculation. Simple low order results are typically accurate to 1% or better.
Cranial Arteritis With Liver Involvement

An elderly man with cranial nerve palsies was found to have cranial arteritis. Laboratory studies established concurrent liver disease which improved with treatment. The liver and brain stem pathology is discussed.
Distributed, heterogeneous, multi-agent social coordination via reinforcement learning

Multi-agent systems are becoming more popular in a variety of problem domains that benefit from increased parallelism, system robustness, and scalability, ranging from search and rescue to investment management. Multi-agent systems analysis studies how multiple agents coordinate with each other to maximize some team goal or individual best reward. Coordination achieved through learning provides a great advantage over modeling methods, especially when tasks become very complex and environments more dynamic. Because social primates such as chimpanzees are a highly successful multi-agent system that uses learning to adapt flexibly to changing social and environmental conditions, we are attempting to simulate their social cognition and behavior. The paper presents a foraging task to study how multiple agents can use reinforcement learning to coordinate as a group under social constraints, while also trying to maximize their own reward. Each distributed, heterogenous agent uses the WoLF-PHC algorithm, and with no communication, the agents learn to select the best foraging patch based on the behavior of others through the “Win or Learn Fast” heuristic. The simulation results demonstrate that the agents can perform in a manner similar to the natural social behavior of chimpanzees, and show that we have a working model system for studying more complex chimpanzee social behavior in the future.
Activation of human THP-1 cells and rat bone marrow-derived macrophages by Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide

The mechanism by which Helicobacter pylori, which has little or no invasive activity, induces gastric-tissue inflammation and injury has not been well characterized. We have previously demonstrated that water-extracted proteins of H. pylori are capable of activating human monocytes by a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-independent mechanism. We have now compared activation of macrophages by purified LPS from H. pylori and from Escherichia coli. LPS was prepared by phenol-water extraction from H. pylori 88-23 and from E. coli O55. THP-1, a human promyelomonocytic cell line, and macrophages derived from rat bone marrow each were incubated with the LPS preparations, and cell culture supernatants were assayed for production of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and nitric oxide. THP-1 cells showed maximal activation by the LPS molecules after cell differentiation was induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. Maximal TNF-alpha and PGE2 production occurred by 6 and 18 h, respectively, in both types of cells. In contrast, NO was produced by rat bone marrow-derived macrophages only and was maximal at 18 h. The minimum concentration of purified LPS required to induce TNF-alpha, PGE2, and NO responses in both types of cells was 2,000- to 30,000-fold higher for H. pylori than for E. coli. Purified LPS from three other H. pylori strains with different polysaccharide side chain lengths showed a similarly low level of activity, and polymyxin B treatment markedly reduced activity as well, suggesting that activation was a lipid A phenomenon. These results indicate the low biological activity of H. pylori LPS in mediating macrophage activation.
Pulmonary embolism in pregnant patients: fetal radiation dose with helical CT.

PURPOSE: To calculate mean fetal radiation dose from helical chest computed tomography (CT) by using maternal-fetal geometries obtained from healthy pregnant women and to compare the calculated CT doses with the fetal doses reported with scintigraphy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Maternal-fetal geometries were determined in 23 pregnant women with varying body mass index and fetal gestational age. Monte Carlo techniques were used to estimate the dose that would be received by each fetus from CT scanning performed with the following parameters: 120 kVp; 100 mA; scanning time, 1 second per section; collimation, 2.5 mm; pitch of 1. Craniocaudal extent of the scan was 11 cm, with the most caudal section edge being 5 mm inferior to the xiphoid process. RESULTS: For helical CT, estimated mean fetal doses in micrograys at varying gestational ages were as follows: 3.3–20.2 μGy, first trimester; 7.9–76.7 μGy, second trimester; and 51.3–130.8 μGy, third trimester. These values were all less than mean fetal doses reported ...
Chemostat culture characterization of Escherichia coli mutant strains metabolically engineered for aerobic succinate production: A study of the modified metabolic network based on metabolite profile, enzyme activity, and gene expression profile

Various Escherichia coli mutant strains designed for succinate production under aerobic conditions were characterized in chemostat. The metabolite profiles, enzyme activities, and gene expression profiles were studied to better understand the metabolic network operating in these mutant strains. The most efficient succinate producing mutant strain HL27659k was able to achieve a succinate yield of 0.91 mol/mol glucose at a dilution rate of 0.1/h. This strain has the five following mutations: sdhAB, (ackA-pta), poxB, iclR, and ptsG. Four other strains involved in this study were HL2765k, HL276k, HL2761k, and HL51276k. Strain HL2765k has mutations in sdhAB, (ackA-pta), poxB and iclR, strain HL276k has mutations in sdhAB, (ackA-pta) and poxB, strain HL2761k has mutations in sdhAB, (ackA-pta), poxB and icd, and strain HL51276k has mutations in iclR, icd, sdhAB, (ackA-pta) and poxB. Enzyme activity data showed strain HL27659k has substantially higher citrate synthase and malate dehydrogenase activities than the other four strains. The data also showed that only iclR mutation strains exhibited isocitrate lyase and malate synthase activities. Gene expression profiles also complemented the studies of enzyme activity and metabolites from chemostat cultures. The results showed that the succinate synthesis pathways engineered in strain HL27659k were highly efficient, yielding succinate as the only major product produced under aerobic conditions. Strain HL27659k was the only strain without pyruvate accumulation, and its acetate production was the least among all the mutant strains examined.
EXTENSIONS OF EXTREMUM PRINCIPLES FOR SLOW VISCOUS FLOWS.

Abstract : Several generalizations of theorems of the types originally stated by Helmholtz concerning the dissipation of energy in slow viscous flow have been given recently by Keller, Rubenfeld and Molyneux. These generalizations included cases in which the fluid contains one or more solid bodies and drops of another liquid assuming the drops do not change shape. Some further extensions are given which allow for drops which may be deformed by the flow and include the effect of surface tension. The admissible boundary conditions have also been extended and particular theorems applicable to infinite domains, spatially periodic flows and to flows in infinite cylindrical pipes are derived. Uniqueness theorems are also proved. (Author)
Generalized anxiety disorder in patients with major depression: is DSM-IV's hierarchy correct?

OBJECTIVE: DSM-III imposed a hierarchical relationship in the diagnosis of anxiety disorders in depressed patients, stipulating that anxiety disorders could not be diagnosed if their occurrence was limited to the course of a mood disorder. In the subsequent versions of the DSM this hierarchy was eliminated for all anxiety disorders except generalized anxiety disorder. The authors examined the validity of this remaining hierarchical relationship between mood and anxiety disorders. METHOD: Psychiatric outpatients with major depressive disorder (N=332) were evaluated with a semistructured diagnostic interview and completed paper-and-pencil questionnaires on presentation for treatment. To study the validity of the DSM-IV hierarchical relationship between generalized anxiety disorder and mood disorders, the authors made a diagnosis of modified generalized anxiety disorder for patients with major depressive disorder who met all the criteria for generalized anxiety disorder except for the exclusion criterion. Th...
Automatic Aerial Image RegistrationWithout Correspondence

This paper presents an approach for registering aerial images taken at different time, viewpoints, or heights. Different from conventional image registration algorithms, our approach does not need image matching or correspondence. In this approach, we extract a number of corner features as the basis for registration and create a number of image patches with the corner points as centers on both reference and observed images. In order to let the corresponding patches cover same scene, we use a circle which the radius can be changed as the shape of the image patches. In this way, the image patches can handle the case in which there are rotation and scaling at the same time between reference and observed images. With the orientation differences of patches between these two images, we create an angle histogram with a voting procedure. The rotation angle between the two images can be determined by seeking the orientation difference that corresponds to the maximum peak in the histogram. Once we get the rotation angle, we seek back for the two corresponding patches which the value of orientation difference is the same as the rotation angle. The ratio of radii of these two patches is the value of the scaling. The proposed approach can handle the situation of large rotation and scaling between reference and observed images. It is applied to real aerial images and the results are very satisfying.
An Optimized Feedback Common Mode Active Filter for Vehicular Induction Motor Drives

This paper proposes a common mode (CM) electromagnetic interference active filter devised for application in automotive induction motor drives. The active filter is based on a feedback scheme and it is realized using linear amplifiers. It performs the compensation of the CM voltage at the motor input, allowing an increase of the drive reliability and a reduction of the harmonic content of leakage high-frequency CM currents that affect the vehicle electromagnetic compatibility. A size-optimized layout is proposed and the influence of the power linear amplifier performance on the CM voltage compensation is discussed. General guidelines for the active filter design are given and its experimental implementation is presented. Finally, the filter performance is assessed by simulations and experimental tests.
State Withdrawal and the Impact of Marketization on Rural Russia

The role of the state is greatly misunderstood in post-Soviet affairs. In particular, neither urban bias nor corporatist models help to understand the impact of reforms in rural Russia. The article argues that the best way to understand the impact of marketization on the rural sector is through the concept of state withdrawal. State withdrawals is distinct from state weakness, the former reflecting policy choices and the latter concerning state capacities. This article focuses on several central economic aspects from which the state has withdrawn: state control over wholesale food trade and purchase prices, state regulation of the terms of trade, and state direction over rural capital investment policy. State withdrawal reflects political choices. Policy choices flow from ideological principles that emerge from neoliberal philosophical conceptions of the role of the state in the economy. As a result of neoliberal philosophies of the state, the rural sector has experiences sever economic and social consequences.
Cross-modal Interactions in Time and Space: Auditory Influence on Visual Attention in Hemispatial Neglect

Recent studies indicate that auditory tone presentation and auditory alerting can temporarily ameliorate visuospatial attention deficits in patients with unilateral neglect [Frassinetti, F., Pavani, F., & Ladavas, E. Acoustical vision of neglected stimuli: Interaction among spatially converging audiovisual inputs in neglect patients. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 14, 62--69, 2002; Robertson, I. H., Mattingley, J. B., Rorden, C., & Driver, J. Phasic alerting of neglect patients overcomes their spatial deficit in visual awareness. Nature, 395, 169--172, 1998]. The current study investigated proposed mechanisms of cross-modal interaction to determine conditions in which auditory stimulation affects spatial and nonspatially lateralized attention deficits in a patient with hemispatial neglect. In Experiment 1, a target was presented among related distracters (conjunction search) while a tone was presented either bilaterally or in a congruent or incongruent spatial location with respect to the visual target. Whereas the results suggest a benefit of both general alerting and cross-modal spatial integration on visual search efficiency, the most significant improvement occurred when the target and tone were both presented in contralesional space. In Experiment 2, the effect of auditory alerting on selective attention was examined in a rapid serial visual search procedure with visual targets embedded in a stream of distracters presented at central fixation. When two targets were presented without an alerting tone, the patient missed the second target for up to 1000 msec after the first target appeared (a finding known as the “attentional blink” [AB] and, on average, about 400--500 msec in normals). An alerting tone presented at a fixed temporal location significantly reduced the AB in a tone-duration-dependent manner. Experiment 3 examined the effect of cross-modal space on selective attention in an AB paradigm in which T2 occurred randomly to the left or right of T1 with a spatially congruent or incongruent tone. Discrimination of T2 in contralesional space significantly improved when the tone was presented in the same location, and was impaired when the tone was presented on the ipsilesional side. The findings are discussed as they relate to cross-modal interactions and their influence on spatial and nonspatially lateralized attention deficits in neglect.
A Fast Approximation Algorithm For Minimum Spanning Trees In K-Dimensional Space

We study the problem of finding a minimum spanning tree on the complete graph on n points in Ek, with the weight of an edge between any two points being the distance between the two points under some distance metric. A fast algorithm, which finds an approximate minimum spanning tree with weight at most (1+ϵ) times optimal O(nlogn((logn)k + log (ϵ-1)(logn)k-1ϵ-(k-1))) time, is developed for the Lq, q =2,3, ..., distance metrics. Moreover, if the n points are assumed to be independently and uniformly distributed in the box [0,l]k, then the probability that the approximate minimum spanning tree found is an exact minimum spanning tree is shown to be (1 -o(l/n)).
Water quantity prediction based on particle swarm optimization and evolutionary algorithm using recurrent neural networks

Stormwater pollution is one of most important issues that the District of Columbia faces. Urban stormwater pollution can be a large contributor to the water quality problems of many receiving waters, as runoff transports a wide spectrum of pollutants to local receiving waters and their cumulative magnitude is large. Therefore, evaluations of stormwater runoff quantity are necessary to enhance the performance of an assessment operation and develop better water resources management and plan. However, some computational intelligence methods that have most successful applications on time series prediction have not yet been investigated on water quantity prediction. Only a limited number of neural networks models were applied to the water quantity monitoring. Therefore, we proposed an Elman style based recurrent neural network on the water quantity prediction. A hybrid learning algorithm incorporating particle swarm optimization and evolutional algorithm was presented, which takes the complementary advantages of the two global optimization algorithms. The neural networks model was trained by particle swarm optimization and evolutional algorithm to forecast the stormwater runoff discharge. The USGS real-time water data at Four Mile Run station at Alexandria, VA were used as time series input. The excellent experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method provides a suitable prediction tool for the stormwater runoff monitoring.
Changes in cholesterol homeostasis modify the response of F1B hamsters to dietary very long chain n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids

The plasma lipoprotein response of F1B Golden-Syrian hamsters fed diets high in very long chain (VLC) n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is paradoxical to that observed in humans. This anomaly is attributed, in part, to low lipoprotein lipase activity and is dependent on cholesterol status. To further elucidate the mechanism(s) for these responses, hamsters were fed diets containing supplemental fish oil (VLC n-3 PUFA) or safflower oil (n-6 PUFA) (both 10% [w/w]) and either cholesterol-supplemented (0.1% cholesterol [w/w]) or cholesterol-depleted (0.01% cholesterol [w/w] and 10 days prior to killing fed 0.15% lovastatin+2% cholestyramine [w/w]). Cholesterol-supplemented hamsters fed fish oil, relative to safflower oil, had higher non-high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations (P < 0.001) which were associated with lower hepatic low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor, sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-1c and acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyl transferase-2 (ACAT) mRNA and protein (p < 0.05), and higher hepatic apolipoprotein (apo) B-100 and apo E protein levels. In contrast, cholesterol-depleted hamsters fed fish oil, relative to safflower oil, had lower non-HDL cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations (P < 0.001) which were associated with lower hepatic SREBP-1c (p < 0.05) but not apo B-100, apo E or ACAT-2 mRNA or protein levels. Independent of cholesterol status, fish oil fed hamsters had lower HDL cholesterol concentrations (p < 0.001), which were associated with lower hepatic apoA-I protein levels (p < 0.05). These data suggest disturbing cholesterol homeostasis in F1B hamsters alters their response to dietary fatty acids, which is reflected in altered plasma lipoprotein patterns and regulation of genes associated with their metabolism.
Learning an image manifold for retrieval

We consider the problem of learning a mapping function from low-level feature space to high-level semantic space. Under the assumption that the data lie on a submanifold embedded in a high dimensional Euclidean space, we propose a relevance feedback scheme which is naturally conducted only on the image manifold in question rather than the total ambient space. While images are typically represented by feature vectors in Rn, the natural distance is often different from the distance induced by the ambient space Rn. The geodesic distances on manifold are used to measure the similarities between images. However, when the number of data points is small, it is hard to discover the intrinsic manifold structure. Based on user interactions in a relevance feedback driven query-by-example system, the intrinsic similarities between images can be accurately estimated. We then develop an algorithmic framework to approximate the optimal mapping function by a Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural network. The semantics of a new image can be inferred by the RBF neural network. Experimental results show that our approach is effective in improving the performance of content-based image retrieval systems.
Outmigration, Human Development and Trade: A Central American Case Study

Abstract Controversy surrounds the large increase in international immigration, but little is known about the many drivers of this mobility. While most migration studies have focused on economic motivations, a small literature addresses the impact of human development and, indirectly, capability deprivation. This case study of southern Honduras examines migration patterns between 1988 and 1997 to assess the impacts of human development, non‐traditional agricultural exports (NTAX), and other factors. We develop a time‐based census analysis replicable in other countries lacking specialized household surveys. Our review of the region’s population census data between 1988 and 1997 suggests net outmigration in 75% of the villages. Econometric treatment of village‐level net migration rates before Hurricane Mitch is undertaken. Improved living standards reduced mobility and melons, rather than shrimp mariculture, played a more positive role in labor attraction. Comparisons of census data after and before the mob...
Persistence And Asymmetry In Exchange Rate Volatility

Recent economic downturn in the United States and Europe has affected major currencies around the world. This paper focuses on the behavior of exchange rates over the past decade to study how volatility pattern of these exchange rates responds to any exogenous shocks. The paper focuses on persistence and asymmetry in volatility of major exchange rates due to exogenous shocks. The paper employs a univariate GARCH and an EGRACH model to test the persistence and asymmetry of exchange rate volatility using data from the past decade plus. The results show high persistence and asymmetric behavior in volatility implying that the effect of good news on exchange rates is different from the effect of bad news. The results of this paper have important implications for foreign exchange investors and will provide a better understanding of the foreign exchange market to interested observers.
'The War on Crime is the Only Battle in Which the Black Community Has Not Been Enlisted': Black Agency and Alternatives to the Carceral State

“The war on crime has been one of the few battles in our history in which the black community has not been enlisted...then and now, on urban fronts throughout the country thousands of poor and black people continue to be disproportionately victimized by crime… Crime prevention, however, is a very high priority in the black community, as those of us who are of and in it know.” So remarked the director of the National Urban League’s Administration of Justice, Robert Woodson, at congressional hearings on crime in 1976. Our paper asks: what role, if any, did indigenous black organizations play in responding to crime and the politics around crime during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s? Existing scholarship suggests that during a pitched rise in crime in the 1970s, black politicians and community leaders either stayed silent or endorsed punitive measures, following a “politics of respectability” logic. By contrast, we explore a road not traveled in crime control policy. In the midst of the rise of law-and-order politics, a Black elite movement for community-based crime control developed. Supporters of this movement were neither silent nor punitive; rather, they were deeply concerned with crime and violence and developed a comprehensive alternative that would strike at its roots. Drawing on original archival material from the papers of the Urban League, along with analysis of historical black newspapers, congressional testimony, interviews, and bibliographies, we investigate community-based crime control at multiple levels of American government. John Conyers and the Congressional Black Caucus consistently supported community control in law-and-order debates in Congress in the 1970s, though they mostly failed to pass or were inadequately funded. Meanwhile, several community crime control organizations existed in Black communities across the country. We examine the Community Assistance Project in Chester, PA, a free bail and conflict resolution program under the umbrella of the National Urban League. By studying this movement, we show that the politics around crime were more varied than most accounts allow; more importantly, however, is that black grassroots activism could and did propose an alternative to the expansion of the carceral state.
Phenalenone Polyketide Cyclization Catalyzed by Fungal Polyketide Synthase and Flavin-Dependent Monooxygenase.

Phenalenones are polyketide natural products that display diverse structures and biological activities. The core of phenalenones is a peri-fused tricyclic ring system cyclized from a linear polyketide precursor via an unresolved mechanism. Toward understanding the unusual cyclization steps, the phn biosynthetic gene cluster responsible for herqueinone biosynthesis was identified from the genome of Penicillium herquei. A nonreducing polyketide synthase (NR-PKS) PhnA was shown to synthesize the heptaketide backbone and cyclize it into the angular, hemiketal-containing naphtho-γ-pyrone prephenalenone. The product template (PT) domain of PhnA catalyzes only the C4–C9 aldol condensation, which is unprecedented among known PT domains. The transformation of prephenalenone to phenalenone requires an FAD-dependent monooxygenase (FMO) PhnB, which catalyzes the C2 aromatic hydroxylation of prephenalenone and ring opening of the γ-pyrone ring simultaneously. Density functional theory calculations provide insights int...
Fractionating E-wave deceleration time into its stiffness and relaxation components distinguishes pseudonormal from normal filling.

Background— Pseudonormal Doppler E-wave filling patterns indicate diastolic dysfunction but are indistinguishable from the normal filling pattern. For accurate classification, maneuvers to alter load or to additionally measure peak E ′ are required. E-wave deceleration time (DT) has been fractionated into its stiffness (DTs) and relaxation (DTr) components (DT=DTs+DTr) by analyzing E-waves via the parametrized diastolic filling formalism. The method has been validated with DTs and DTr correlating with simultaneous catheterization-derived stiffness (dP/dV) and relaxation ( τ ) with r =0.82 and r =0.94, respectively. We hypothesize that DT fractionation can (1) distinguish between unblinded ( E ′ known) normal versus pseudonormal age-matched groups with normal left ventricular ejection fraction, and (2) distinguish between blinded ( E ′ unknown) normal versus pseudonormal groups, based solely on E-wave analysis. Methods and Results— Data (763 E-waves) from 15 age-matched, pseudonormal (elevated E / E ′) and 15 normal subjects were analyzed. Conventional echocardiographic and parametrized diastolic filling stiffness ( k ) and relaxation ( c ) parameters and DTs and DTr were compared. Conventional diastolic function parameters did not differentiate between unblinded groups, whereas k , c ( P <0.001) and DTs, DTr ( P <0.001) did. Independent, blinded ( E ′ not provided) analysis of 42 subjects (30 subjects from unblinded training set and 12 additional subjects from validation set, 581 E-waves) showed that R (=DTr/DT) had high sensitivity (0.90) and specificity (0.86) in differentiating pseudonormal from normal once E ′ revealed actual classification. Conclusions— arametrized diastolic filling–based E-wave analysis ( k , c or DTs and DTr) can differentiate normal versus pseudonormal filling patterns without requiring knowledge of E ′.
Lung Adenocarcinoma Staging Using the 2011 IASLC/ATS/ERS Classification: A Pooled Analysis of Adenocarcinoma In Situ and Minimally Invasive Adenocarcinoma

Abstract Background Lung adenocarcinoma accounts for almost 60% of non–small-cell lung cancer. According to the 2011 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), American Thoracic Society (ATS), and European Respiratory Society (ERS) classification and 2015 World Health Organization classification of tumors of the lung, lepidic-predominant adenocarcinomas ≤ 3 cm in size can be classified as adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA), and invasive adenocarcinoma, lepidic predominant. AIS lesions, which are noninvasive, and MIA lesions, which show ≤ 0.5 cm of invasion, have been recommended to be considered stage pTis (adenocarcinoma) and pT1(mi), respectively. We conducted a systematic analysis of the published data to evaluate the prognostic differences between AIS and MIA. Materials and Methods A comprehensive search of published studies was conducted from the electronic databases using relevant search criteria. Studies that reported outcomes for ≥ 8 cases classified as AIS or MIA using the 2011 IASLC/ATS/ERS criteria were selected for the present analysis. A systematic analysis of the extracted data were performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software, version 2.2. Results Nineteen studies published from 2011 to 2015 were eligible. A total of 972 patients were included (429 with AIS and 294 with MIA; 2 studies reported AIS and MIA together, n = 249). The median age was 65.5 years, 63% were female, and 40% were smokers. The 5-year disease-free survival rate for the whole population was 97.9%. The 5-year disease-free survival rate was 100% for AIS and MIA pooled from the studies that reported the 2 groups separately. The 5-year overall survival rate for the entire group was 97.5%, and the 5-year overall survival rate was 100% for AIS and 98.5% for MIA. Conclusion No significant differences were found in the survival rates between patients with lung adenocarcinoma categorized as MIA or AIS. This finding raises questions regarding the evidence for TNM staging of AIS and MIA as recommended by the 2011 IASLC/ATS/ERS and 2015 World Health Organization classification of tumors of the lung and should be reevaluated with further studies.
Growing Old Gracefully: Age Concealment and Gender

In order to investigate some of the relationships between age concealment and gender, 269 adults completed on anonymous questionnaire dealing with signs of aging and the use of techniques to conceal them. Although most of the signs of aging were considered unattractive for both males and females, aging women were seen as particularly unappealing. More women than men were expected to use age concealment techniques and female subjects were indeed more likely to use them. Both men and women who concealed their age were likely to be judged harshly by others, although individuals indicated a willingness to use age concealment techniques themselves. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that there are two different double standards of aging, one indicating that aging is judged differently depending on the gender of the person doing the judging and the target, and one indicating that people may judge the use of age concealment techniques more harshly in others than in themselves.
The dynamic loading response of carbon-fiber-filled polymer composites

We summarize the literature and recent experimental results pertaining to the dynamic (shock) response of carbon-fiber-filled polymer composites used extensively in aerospace, automotive and related industries. Features of the dynamic compressibility of several types of carbon-fiber-based composites are described. These include their dynamic compressibility and an observed anisotropy in dynamic response with fiber orientation, a summary of limited dynamic tensile (spall) strength experiments, and thresholds and modeling of high-pressure shock-driven chemical dissociation. Experimental data from a series of plate impact experiments within our laboratory, designed to interrogate a wide range of input conditions, are described for carbon-fiber–epoxy, –phenolic, and –cyanate ester composites. For the carbon-fiber–phenolic and –cyanate ester composites, equations of state are built for both the composite material and its decomposition products.
The effect of feeding high fat diet to beef cattle on manure composition and gaseous emission from a feedlot pen surface

Dietary manipulation is a common practice to mitigate gaseous emission from livestock production facilities, and the variation of fat level in the diet has shown great influence on ruminal volatile fatty acids (VFA) and enteric methane generation. The changes in dietary fat levels influence rumen chemistry that could modify manure nutrient composition along with odor and gaseous emissions from manure management facilities. A field experiment was carried out on beef cattle feedlots to investigate the effect of four levels of dietary fat concentrations (3 to 5.5 %) on the manure composition and gaseous emissions (methane-CH4, nitrous oxide-N2O, carbon dioxide-CO2 and hydrogen sulfide-H2S) from the feedlot pen surface. The experiment was carried out over a 5-month period from June to October during North Dakota’s summer-fall climatic condition. Air and manure sampling was conducted five times at a 20–30 day intervals. Overall, this research indicated that fat levels in diet have no or little effect on the nutrient composition of manure and gaseous emission from the pens with cattle fed with different diet. Though significant variation of gaseous emission and manure composition were observed between different sampling periods, no effect of high fat diet was observed on manure composition and gaseous emission. It can be concluded that addition of fat to animal diet may not have any impact on gaseous emission and manure compositions.
Investigation on the Situation of Communicable Disease Management in Private Hospitals in Bengbu

Objective To understand situation of communicable disease management in private hospitals in Bengbu and provide the policy-making basis to government for prevent and control of the communicable disease in private hospitals.Methods Adopting the scene inspection,questionnaire and the disinfection effect estimation to inspect and supervise situation of the communication disease in private hospitals.Results The results showed that major private hospitals not only had not formulated system about the communicable disease,but also had not full-time or part-time staff to be responsible for reporting communicable diseases.The report rate of the communicable diseases was only 20.6%,qualified rate of effect was 77.1%.Conclusions The prevention and control of the communicable diseases in private hospitals should be urgently to strengthen.
Comparison of Power Collaborative System With PSASP and Its Application

The collaborative system for power system operation mode calculation,which possesses powerful functions in calculation and analysis as well as in collaborative management,is the first power collaboration software in China,however it does not gain the trust of numerous users not yet.Based on three aspects,i.e.,the architecture,functions and application process,this software is analyzed and compared with Power System Analysis Software Package to prove the fact that the collaborative system for power system operation mode calculation possesses obvious superiority in extension of software architecture,data verification,batch processing of data,data compatibility,log management and the management of data version and data authority.The collaborative system possesses reliable functions in data analysis and management,strong traceability in data manipulation history,flexibility in data analysis and comparison and data sharing,besides,in view of the compatibility with various power system data formats,the work efficiency can be effectively improved by use of the collaborative system.At present the collaborative system for power system operation mode calculation has been put into use is provincial power grids and application results are satisfied.
Generalized social network privacy

Many online services now allow you to designate friendship relations with other users, creating a quickly growing abundance of social network data-sets. As social network analysts have raced to make use of these fascinating new data sources, privacy researchers have been simultaneously working to develop analysis techniques which protect individual privacy. Their efforts have produced a diverse variety of privatization approaches. But how exactly do these techniques affect privacy and how do they compare to each other? This work is an initial step toward the development of a universal view of social network privatization.
Building our sense of place.

The idea of using place as a theme came to me, in part, from an article that my colleague, Don Pathman, MD, sent me. Don and I had been talking about small-town doctors for many years while researching the subject of rural physician recruitment and retention, Don came across an article that really changed my understanding of what it was that I was struggling to learn about rural doctors. The geographer Malcom Cutchin interviewed 15 rural physicians in Kentucky about their lives, focusing in particular on why they stayed in their communities. Cutchin structured his results into a framework that argued that physician integration was based on the enhancement of three factors: security, freedom, and identity. These three elements together were the forces that gave meaning to the physicians in their communities. Just as Cutchin focused on rural communities as the place around which these physicians built their sense of purpose and meaning, it occurred to me that each of us should be looking to find purpose and meaning in the places in which we work. Yi-Fu Tuan, another geographer, points out that place, while tied to the spatial and physical aspects of life, also represents the center of meaning. To the quesBuilding Our Sense of Place
Development of Ultra-Thin Thermal Ground Planes by Using Stainless-Steel Mesh as Wicking Structure

Ultra-thin thermal ground planes (TGPs), which utilize phase-change heat transfer to achieve high performance heat spreading, are of great importance for thermal management of thickness-constrained microsystems. However, both fabrication challenges and performance limitation are encountered when the TGP thickness reduces to $10~\text {cm} \times 5$ cm with a total thickness of 0.28 mm. This TGP can operate with a heat load up to 7.9 W over a heating area of $8~\text {mm} \times 8$ mm, rendering an effective thermal conductivity of 1398 W/m-K. [2016-0097]
Ties that Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves

A much cherished image of Martha Washington in American folklore places her at her husband George’s side at Valley Forge, cheerfully enduring the privations of camp life to support his Revolutionar...
Intracellular Assembly of Nuclear-Targeted Gold Nanosphere Enables Selective Plasmonic Photothermal Therapy of Cancer by Shifting Their Absorption Wavelength toward Near-Infrared Region.

Despite the important applications of near-infrared (NIR) absorbing nanomaterials in plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPT), their high yield synthesis and non-specific heating during the active- and passive-targeted cancer therapeutic strategies remain challenging. In the present work, we systematically demonstrate that in-situ aggregation of typical non-NIR absorbing plasmonic nanoparticles at the nuclear region of the cells could translate them into an effective NIR photo-absorber in plasmonic photothermal therapy of cancer due to a significant shift of the plasmonic absorption band to the NIR region. We evaluated the potential of nuclear-targeted AuNSs as photoabsorber at various stages of endocytosis by virtue of their inherent in-situ assembling capabilities at the nuclear region of the cells, which has been considered as one of the most thermo-labile structures within the cells, to selectively destruct cancer cells with minimal damage to healthy cells. Various plamonic nanoparticles such as rods and ...
Ark Encounter as Material Apocalyptic Rhetoric: Contemporary Creationist Strategies On Board Noah’s Ark

The Ark Encounter (AE) is a tourist site that opened July 2016 in Kentucky, which features a replica of Noah’s ark. I argue that the AE is a material exemplar of the apocalyptic genre, because it makes fear of the second coming present and physical for visitors. Employing a material rhetorical analysis and participant observation, I analyze how the AE constructs an apocalyptic argument based on the topoi of authority, evil, and time. Through its material, visual, and linguistic elements, the AE promotes adherence to a specific Christian identity that includes belief in creationism.
Basal Plate Myometrial Fibers and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Case–Control Study

Introduction Basal plate myometrium (BPMYO), the pathological presence of myometrial fibers in the basal plate, is a common finding on pathological examination of the placenta, yet its clinical correlates are not well studied. As myometrial fibers are frequently located in proximity to poorly converted maternal spiral arteries, our objective was to determine whether BPMYO is associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), a well-known clinical sequela of abnormal maternal artery remodeling. Methods This case-control study included women who delivered a live-born singleton gestation whose placentas were sent for pathological examination. Cases were women with HDP (gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, or HELLP syndrome) as defined by American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Controls were women without HDP. Women with chronic hypertension were excluded. The primary outcome was the presence of BPMYO. Secondary outcomes included the pathologic stage of BPMYO and the incidence of pathologically defined accreta. Each outcome was compared between cases and controls in bivariable and multivariable analyses. Results Of the 306 women who met inclusion criteria, 230 (75%) had HDP. BPMYO was present in 99 (32%) of placentas. Compared to controls, cases were younger, had higher body mass index, and were more likely to have diabetes, be nulliparous, deliver preterm, and have had a prior cesarean. There were no differences in the incidence of BPMYO, stage of BPMYO, or incidence of pathologically defined accreta between cases and controls. These findings persisted after controlling for potential confounders. Conclusions Although BPMYO may be more common in the setting of abnormal placental vasculature, there is no significant association between BPMYO and HDP.
135 Generating socioculturaly relevant strategies to prevent intimate partner violence through theatre

Purpose Intimate partner violence (IPV hereinafter) is a leading cause of injury to women.This study in a local South Asian community was aimed at developing socioculturally relevant IPV prevention strategies. Methods Using participatory methods of theatre, we sought to engage members of a local South Asian community in the development of socioculturally relevant approaches to prevent IPV. We recruited and trained over 30 community members (both adults and youth) to serve as peer educators. In collaboration with peer educators, we created a skit that depicted controlling/abusive behaviours of a partner in an intimate relationship. At a community event, peer educators performed the skit, and event participants were invited to step into the scene and try out different approaches to address a partner’s controlling behaviours. We video-taped these enactments. Results Of the over 200 participants, about 40 individuals stepped forward to try out what they thought were effective approaches to prevent intimate partner violence. While variations existed in the ways in which participants intervened, the analysis of both verbal and non-verbal behaviours identified several salient themes: de-escalation of conflict, encouragement of the couple’s resolving conflict through dialogue and negotiation, imposition of gender norms, and contestations against the abusive partner’s gender-related beliefs. Conclusions The use of theatre and peer educators provided a realistic and familiar milieu, which allowed community members to enact strategies that they perceived fit their sociocultural context. Their enactments reflected beliefs and assumptions related to gender, family, and community norms. Significance and Contributions to Injury and Violence Prevention Science While theatre has been increasingly used to deliver prevention messages in workshop or other psychoeducational settings, the current study is unique in that we used theatre to create socioculturally relevant prevention strategies. This approach can be applicable to other injury prevention efforts to develop socioculturally relevant strategies.