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4,508,400 | Long-term follow up of serum thyroglobin levels and its clinical implications in subjects after surgical removal of "cold" thyroid nodule. Increased thyroglobulin (Tg) serum level in females (n = 49) suffering from scintigraphically "cold" thyroid nodule (395 +/- 168, micrograms/l, mean +/- SD) is significantly higher (p less than 0.001) in comparison with the data obtained from euthyroid healthy persons (28 +/- 10, n = 15) or those diagnosed with scintigraphically functional thyroid nodule (72 +/- 14, n = 15). No correlation between Tg and TSH serum levels has been seen before surgical removal of "cold" nodule (rxy = +0.34). In 49 out of 75 cases (65.3%) struma colloids were confirmed pathohistologically. After surgery, "cold" thyroid nodule was removed, serum Tg level decreased progressively within several days and three months afterwards, Tg level in most patients was mainly within the normal range for a healthy subject. The positive correlation between Tg and TSH was established three months after surgical removal of the nodule (rxy = +0.90). An elevation of serum Tg level was found in 16 out of the 49 patients during different postoperative periods (from 2 to 9 years). Under thyroxine treatment, in most of these patients a significant decrease of serum Tg level was observed. However, in a few treated patients, no change in Tg level was seen. Further clinical control in thyroxine-nonsuppressive patients discovered a compensatory hypertrophy of thyroid tissue and the appearance of a new thyroid nodule later. Present data and clinical experience suggest that long-term follow-up of serum Tg level in | 42235511 |
4,508,401 | patients after surgical removal of "cold" thyroid nodule, brings about to early diagnosis of thyroid tissue postoperative hypertrophy before the appearance of thyroid gland nodule relapse. | 42235511 |
4,508,402 | An easily extendable FFT based four-channel, four-beam receiver with progressive partial spatial filtering in 65nm This paper presents a novel four-channel, four-beam receiver core based on a FFT core that is easily extended to a larger number of beams. This architecture is particulary well suited for MIMO systems where multiple beams are used for increased throughput. Like the FFT, the proposed architecture reuses computations for multi-beam systems. In particular, the proposed architecture redistributes the computations so as to maximize the reuse of the structure that already exist in a receiver chain. In many fashions the architecture is quite similar to a Butler matrix but unlike the Butler matrix it does not use large passive components at RF. Further, we exploit the normally occurring quadrature down-conversion process to implement the tap weights. In comparison to traditional MIMO architectures, that effectively duplicate each path, the distributed computations of this architecture provide partial spatial filtering before the final stage, improving interference rejection for the blocks between the LNA and the ADC. Additionally, because of the spatial filtering prior to the ADC, a single interferer only jams a single beam allowing for continued operation though at a lower combined throughput. The four-beam receiver core prototype in 65nm CMOS implements the basic FFT based architecture but does not include an LNA or extensive IF stages. This four-channel design consumes 56mW power and occupies an active area of 0.65mm2 excluding pads and test circuits. | 19997611 |
4,508,403 | A Smooth and Accepted Transition to the Future of Cities Based on the Standard ISO 37120, Artificial Intelligence, and Gamification Constructors A community and a city in terms of energy are composed of residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors. Besides, standards as ISO 37120 provide indicators that determine if the community is having a sustainable and quality of life. The energy indicator is used in this paper to analyze the level of energy consumption. Another element involved in a city is the user who lives in that place; there is an interaction between the community, buildings, users, and the software and hardware technology. Consequently, social interaction in users plays a primary role in understanding and knowing the user’s patterns and profile them and how they interact in the building, the community, and the city. Thus, creating a smart community or smart city goes beyond that only use one methodology, so this paper proposes to combine gamification, machine learning, and ISO standard to create a strategy that could promote in a better manner the transition to smart communities and cities. Therefore, this paper analyzes the Energy indicator of the ISO standard applied to Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico City Campus (Tec CCM) in a three-level structure: smart building, smart community, and smart city. | 237375461 |
4,508,404 | Improvements in Electrical Characteristics of Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition-Tetraethylorthosilicate–SiO2 by Atomic Hydrogen Passivation via Hot-Wire Technique Performing atomic hydrogen passivation via a hot-wire technique even at a quite low temperature of 300 °C on the tetraethoxyorthosilicate (TEOS)–SiO2 films fabricated by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) markedly reduced interface trap density (Dit) and fixed oxide charge density (Qox) corresponding to the metal oxide silicon (MOS) interface and oxide bulk property, respectively, i.e., Dit=1×1012 to 6.1×1010 eV-1 cm-2, and Qox=2×1011 to 4.4×1010 cm-2. The breakdown value also considerably shifted from 7.98 to 9.87 MV/cm on the average. Furthermore, the passivation effect of atomic hydrogen originating from the reaction between an Al electrode and a SiO2 interface was extracted to estimate the effective passivation effect of atomic hydrogen dissociated using a hot tungsten filament. | 121371711 |
4,508,405 | [Blood pressure control and diabetic retinopathy]. Recently, the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial(DCCT) and United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study(UKPDS) have demonstrated the efficacy and cost effectiveness of glycaemic control in reducing the incidence and progression of retinopathy. And intervention on other risk factors such as hypertension have been studied in an effort to decrease the risk of visual loss due to diabetic retinopathy. Hypertension appears to be a significant risk factor in the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy and should be rigorously controlled. The risk reductions were similar regardless of whether the hypertension was controlled with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor or beta-blocker. | 6791111 |
4,508,406 | New terpolymers as hydrogels for oral protein delivery application The purpose of this study is to develop novel intestinal-specific insulin delivery systems with pH-sensitive swelling and drug release properties. The glucose-6-acrylate-1,2,3,4-tetraacetate (GATA) monomer was prepared under mild conditions. Cubane-1,4-dicarboxylic acid linked to two 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate groups was the crosslinking agent (CA). Methacrylic-type polymeric prodrugs were synthesized by free-radical copolymerization of methacrylic acid (MAA), poly(ethylene glycol)monomethyl ether methacrylate, and GATA in the presence of cubane as a crosslinking agent. The composition of the crosslinked three-dimensional polymers was determined by FTIR spectroscopy. Equilibrium swelling studies were carried out in enzyme-free simulated gastric and intestinal fluids (SGF and SIF, respectively). Insulin was entrapped in these gels and the in vitro release profiles were established separately in both SGF (pH 1) and SIF (pH 7.4). Drug release studies showed that the increasing content of MAA in the copolymer enhances hydrolysis in SIF. In these cases, the biological activity of insulin was retained. These results were used to design and improve protein release behavior from these carriers. | 85332111 |
4,508,407 | [Care for women victims of violence: empowering nurses in the pursuit of gender equity]. OBJECTIVES To study the care of women victims of violence provided by nurses in emergency services and to analyse the practices that target the empowerment of women and gender equity. METHODS A qualitative, descriptive study conducted by means of interviews with 10 nurses of an emergency and obstetrics unit of a university hospital and local emergency service of a city in southern Brazil from January to April 2013. We used thematic content analysis and defined gender as the analytical category. RESULTS Clinical elements refer to nursing procedures and techniques. Non-clinical elements refer to conversation, listening and orientation to the women and their families. CONCLUSION Revealing these actions is important to qualify nursing care in relation to the other health professionals and care services for women victims of violence. | 12073811 |
4,508,408 | Stromelysin (MMP‐3) Synthesis Is Up‐Regulated in Estrogen‐Deficient Mouse Osteoblasts In Vivo and In Vitro Sex steroids are important regulators of bone cell function and osteoblast‐derived matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are key mediators of bone resorption during the initial stage of osteoid removal prior to osteoclast attachment. To investigate the mechanism of bone loss following estrogen deficiency, we examined the effects of estrogen on osteoblast synthesis of MMPs and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Immunolocalization in mouse bone samples ex vivo and primary mouse osteoblast (MOB) cultures was used to document the synthesis of mouse interstitial collagenase (MMP‐13), stromelysin‐1 (MMP‐3), gelatinase‐A (MMP‐2), and gelatinase‐B (MMP‐9). Endosteal bone lining cells from distal femoral head and lumbar vertebral body showed an increase in the pattern of synthesis of stromelysin‐1 following ovariectomy, compared with sham‐operated controls; the synthesis of other MMPs was unaffected. The expression of all classes of MMPs and TIMP‐1 and TIMP‐2 by MOB in culture was demonstrated by reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction. Following the withdrawal of 17β‐estradiol, MOB cultures showed a significant increase in the number of cells synthesizing stromelysin‐1; this effect was enhanced by stimulation with either interleukin‐1 or interleukin‐6. Northern blot analysis showed only a slight increase in stromelysin‐1 mRNA message following the withdrawal of 17β‐estradiol. Our data show an unexpected up‐regulation of stromelysin‐1 synthesis by osteoblasts both in vivo and in vitro following estrogen withdrawal. Although this effect was not reflected in a significant change in stromelysin‐1 mRNA expression in vitro, there is evidence to suggest a role for this enzyme in the early stages | 30373611 |
4,508,409 | of bone loss during the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. | 30373611 |
4,508,410 | In Honor of Margo Wilson Margo Wilson was a consummate scientist and an extraordinary person. In this short piece, we reflect on her qualities as a scholar and consider the nature of her legacy within the context of our three decades of work with her and Martin Daly, her personal and research partner. Within the broad context of the “sociology of knowledge,” we focus on the production of our joint publication about the perpetration of intimate partner violence and examine the challenges and benefits of working collaboratively across disciplines. | 145563511 |
4,508,411 | Quantization of color image components in the DCT domain Several topics connecting basic vision research to image compression and image quality are discussed: (1) A battery of about 7 specially chosen simple stimuli should be used to tease apart the multiplicity of factors affecting image quality. (2) A 'perfect' static display must be capable of presenting about 135 bits/min2. This value is based on the need for 3 pixels/min and 15 bits/pixel. (3) Image compression allows the reduction from 135 to about 20 bits/min2 for perfect image quality. 20 bit/min2 is the information capacity of human vision. (4) A presumed weakness of the JPEG standard is that it does not allow for Weber's Law nonuniform quantization. We argue that this is an advantage rather than a weakness. (5) It is suggested that all compression studies should report two numbers separately: the amount of compression achieved from quantization and the amount from redundancy coding. (6) The DCT, wavelet and viewprint representations are compared. (7) Problems with extending perceptual losslessness to moving stimuli are discussed. Our approach of working with a 'perfect' image on a 'perfect' display with 'perfect' compression is not directly relevant to the present situation with severely limited channel capacity. Rather than studying perceptually lossless compression we must carry out research to determine what types of lossy transformations are least disturbing to the human observer. Transmission of 'perfect', lossless images will not be practical for many years. | 123567011 |
4,508,412 | Planning & Scheduling Applications in Urban Traffic Management Local authorities that manage traffic-related issues in urban areas have to optimise the use of available resources, in order to minimise congestion and delays. In this context, Automated Planning and Scheduling can be fruitfully exploited, in order to provide dynamic plans that help managing the urban road network. In this paper we provide a review of existing planning and scheduling approaches that have been designed for dealing with different aspects of traffic management, with the aim of gaining insights on the limits of current applications, and highlighting the open challenges. | 14452311 |
4,508,413 | Repetitive internal carotid artery compression of the hyoid: a new mechanism of golfer's stroke? As golf grows in popularity, its related injuries have increased.1 Vertebral artery dissection is the most common mechanism of brainstem or cerebellar ischaemic stroke related to golf.1 2 Several studies have concluded that the underlying cause of the aforementioned entity is due to repetitive compression of the hyoid bone which can result in pseudoaneurysms and carotid artery stenosis.3 4 The following is a case report of recurrent cerebral infarctions in an amateur golfer that can be explained by repeated internal carotid artery (ICA) compression of the hyoid bone. A 56-year-old amateur golfer with 30 years of experience presented to the emergency room complaining of a sudden tingling sensation and numbness in his left … | 12607461 |
4,508,414 | Association of Sst I polymorphism in apolipoprotein C3 gene with hypertriglyceridaemia in coronary atherosclerotic heart disease and type II diabetes mellitus in Chinese population. Several independent population studies have reported that the apolipoprotein C3 (APOC3) Sst I polymorphism in apolipoprotein (apo) A1 /C3/A4/A5 gene cluster is associated with Hypertriglyceridaemia (HTG). HTG is a known risk factor for coronary atherosclerotic heart disease(CHD)and type II diabetes mellitus (non-insulin-dependent diabetes, NIDDM). The aim of this study is to investigate the association between the APOC3 gene Sst I polymorphism and the hypertriglyceridaemia in CHD and NIDDM in Chinese population. The genotype and allele frequencies of APOC3 Sst I polymorphism (S1/S2) were analyzed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism in 267 CHD patients, 246 NIDDM patients and 491 unrelated healthy control individuals. The frequencies of minor allele 52 in CHD group, NIDDM group and control group were 0.301, 0.307 and 0.286, respectively. Compared with controls, there was no significant difference in distribution of genotype and allele frequencies of Sst I polymorphic site in CHD patients and NIDDM patients, respectively. However, the frequency of S1 S2 genotype in the HTG subgroup was significantly higher than that of the normal triglyceridaemia subgroup (NTG) in CHD patients (0.542 > 0.357, chi2 = 8.77, P = 0.0124). In NIDDM patients, the frequency of S2 S2 genotype in the HTG subgroup was significantly high, compared with that in the NTG subgroup (0.200 > 0.055, chi2 = 20.21, P = 0.0000), and there was significantly difference in the distribution of allele frequencies in subgroups of NTG and HTG | 22675661 |
4,508,415 | (chi2 = 19.86, P = 0.0000). The level of triglyceride (TG) in S1 S2 genotype patients of CHD group were higher than that of S1 S1 genotype patients (P = 0.036). In NIDDM and controls groups, S2 S2 genotype individuals exhibited a significant increase in plasma TG concentrations, respectively compared with S1 S1 and S1 S2 genotype individuals of each group (P < 0.01). The minor allele S2, which was associated with both CHD with HTG and NIDDM with HTG and may contribute to the susceptibility of hypertriglyceridemia in CHD and NIDDM patients, may be one of the genetic predispositions to both CHD with HTG and NIDDM with HTG in Chinese population. | 22675661 |
4,508,416 | Your garden hose: a potential health risk due to Legionella spp. growth facilitated by free-living amoebae. Common garden hoses may generate aerosols of inhalable size (≤10 μm) during use. If humans inhale aerosols containing Legionella bacteria, Legionnaires' disease or Pontiac fever may result. Clinical cases of these illnesses have been linked to garden hose use. The hose environment is ideal for the growth and interaction of Legionella and free-living amoebae (FLA) due to biofilm formation, elevated temperatures, and stagnation of water. However, the microbial densities and hose conditions necessary to quantify the human health risks have not been reported. Here we present data on FLA and Legionella spp. detected in water and biofilm from two types of garden hoses over 18 months. By culturing and qPCR, two genera of FLA were introduced via the drinking water supply and reached mean densities of 2.5 log10 amoebae·mL(-1) in garden hose water. Legionella spp. densities (likely including pathogenic L. pneumophila) were significantly higher in one type of hose (3.8 log10 cells·mL(-1), p < 0.0001). A positive correlation existed between Vermamoebae vermiformis densities and Legionella spp. densities (r = 0.83, p < 0.028). The densities of Legionella spp. identified in the hoses were similar to those reported during legionellosis outbreaks in other situations. Therefore, we conclude that there is a health risk to susceptible users from the inhalation of garden hose aerosols. | 206983961 |
4,508,417 | Preneoplastic and neoplastic changes in the Leydig cells population in mice exposed to low doses of cadmium The morphological consequences of chronic exposition to low doses of cadmium (Cd) in the Leydig cells population were investigated in 40 sexually mature male mice at morphological and ultrastructural levels. Animals were orally exposed to cadmium (0.015 g/L of CdCl2 in drinking water) for 3, 6, 12 and 18 months and then sacrificed, samples were collected for toxicological, light and electron microscope studies. Vascular lesions were evident from 6 months of Cd exposure, the severity of the morphological changes observed in the testicular vases were highly and clearly correlated to the time of exposure to Cd. The severity of the Leydig cells morphological changes were increasing along the time of exposure. Presence of cytoplasm vacuolization and degenerative images of the cells were frequent after 12 months of Cd exposure. Also two Leydig cells tumours after 12 and 18 months Cd exposure were presented. These results indicate that prolonged exposures to low doses of Cd are able to induce morphological damage on the Leydig cells. | 33813311 |
4,508,418 | Complications in laparoscopic surgery. Over the last few years, laparoscopic surgery has gained widespread acceptance in surgical practice. The indications range has expanded extraordinarily in that time. Some of the practiced procedures are already considered the gold standard, while others are still on the way there. The fascinating technique and results notwithstanding, a number of risks, mistakes, and complications are possible in both the initial and the advanced states. We present our experience from 2118 laparoscopic operations performed between February 1991 to March 1995, focusing on the intraoperative complications (Tables 1, 2). | 46044811 |
4,508,419 | [Efficient fluoride enrichment using mucous membrane adhesives with slow release tablets]. In this paper a possibility to enhance biodisponibility of fluoride is described. Whereas conventional formulations for fluoride application do not succeed in sustaining elevated salivary fluoride levels despite high doses, mucoadhesive slow-release devices permit to obtain a high biodisponibility with low doses. Several mucoadhesive polymers were tested in vitro and in vivo. From the three classes of polymers (polyacrylic acid, polyethylene glycol and modified corn starch), one polyethylene glycol (mol. weight 300,000) and a mixture of modified starch with 5% polyacrylic acid showed a high adhesion together with a good biocompatibility. Tablets made from these substances, containing 0.1 mg of fluoride, were shown to sustain significantly elevated fluoride levels in saliva during several hours. | 36080311 |
4,508,420 | Microseismic studies of an underground site for a new interferometric gravitational wave detector To improve the sensitivity of the future generation of gravitational wave interferometers in the frequency range around 1 Hz it is necessary to decrease the seismic and Newtonian noise affecting the detector performance. This goal is achieved by installing the experimental apparatus in an appropriate underground site, where the Rayleigh surface wave of the microseismic motion should be attenuated. Here we report the results of an experimental campaign devoted to a long term characterization of one of the potential sites for the construction of a third generation of gravitational wave detector: the former mine of Sos Enattos (Sardinia, Italy). We analyzed the seismic stability within the low-frequency sensitivity band of a third generation gravitational observatory and the correlation between the microseismic band and the weather conditions, in particular focusing on the Tyrrhenian sea status. | 120744461 |
4,508,421 | A Novel Anisotropic Diffusion Time Estimation Method A novel estimation method of anisotropic diffusion time based diffusing balance is presented in the image denoising and edge preserving, the method can make diffusing process converge to nontrivial solution, denoising and feature preservation can be reasonable balanced, and eliminate the need to estimate noise intensity, which must be done in other scheme. | 14473861 |
4,508,422 | Reviews : Larry Eugene Jones and James Retallack, eds, Between Reform, Reaction and Resistance: Studies in the History of German Conservatism from 1789 to 1945, Oxford, Berg Publishers, ISBN 0-85496-787-7, 1993; xv + 551 pp.; £44.00 Larry Jones, a distinguished historian of politics in the Weimar Republic, and James Retallack, well-known for his work on conservatism in the Kaiserreich, have collaborated in this fine collection of essays by German, British and North American scholars. Spanning the period from the Vormdrz to the Third Reich, the essays are presented chronologically, but several can also be grouped thematically. Of particular concern to a number of authors is how conservatives responded to moments of intense political crisis and realignment. David Barclay takes on this topic in a study of 1848 and examines how Friedrich William IV’s advisers not only reacted against revolution and reform but also aggressively explored new forms of political and governmental organization. Both Dirk Stegmann and Geoff Eley focus on the years surrounding Bismarck’s fall, a moment | 144894611 |
4,508,423 | Control of scleronomous mechanical system with unknown matrix inertia A scleronomous Lagrangian mechanical system of the general form is considered under the assumption that its matrix of the kinetic energy is not known exactly and the system undergoes undetermined bounded disturbances. A continuous feedback bounded control is proposed which brings the system to a prescribed terminal state in finite time. The approach proposed is based on the Lyapunov direct method. To construct the control law and to justify it, the Lyapunov function given implicitly is used. The algorithm employs a linear feedback control with the gains which are functions of the phase variables. The gains increase and tend to infinity as the phase variables tend to zero; nevertheless, the control forces are bounded and meet the imposed constraint. | 26304161 |
4,508,424 | Using degree courses to build industry relationships In 2002 the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) Hawke’s Bay decided to build a purpose built information technology suite and at the same time upgrade its existing internal network infrastructure. As a result of the subsequent tendering process Allied Telesyn was identified as the preferred provider of networking hardware. When the staff of the Information Technology section of EIT discovered who Allied Telesyn were, they looked for opportunities to develop meaningful relationships beyond hardware purchase and support. Areas investigated included building naming rights, student sponsorship, industry course delivery and graduate employment opportunities. This paper traces the ongoing relationships and explores how opportunities to build meaningful industry connections can be established within the existing programmes that a tertiary institute offers. The paper backgrounds Allied Telesyn and the services they offer and traces the steps that were taken to establish a new course within the existing degree structure. The paper also examines other opportunities for cooperation between the real world and the academic world and looks at the future potential for ongoing relationships. We believe that such relationships are essential for institutes that intend to offer relevant tertiary qualifications that are geared towards meeting the needs of perspective employers. | 166901161 |
4,508,425 | Monte Verde and the antiquity of humankind in the Americas The Smithsonian Institution Press (with a patience one no longer expects of a scholarly publisher) early this year issued the second volume of Tom Dillehay's monograph on Monte Verde, in far southern Chile — 8 years after the first volume (Dillehay 1989; 1997). What is the standing of the site? Is it the long-sought-after proof of a ‘pre-Clovis’ human presence in the Americas? And if it is, why is it by the southern tip of the Western Hemisphere, rather than close to its northern portal from Siberia? | 163055911 |
4,508,426 | Total Iron Binding Capacity and Transferrin Concentration in the Assessment of Iron Status Abstract Transferrin concentration and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) are currently used to assess iron status. Although correlation between TIBC and transferrin is generally considered as good, conversion factors between the two analytes found in literature show large differences. Although the price per test is lower for TIBC, there are a number of analytical advantages of serum transferrin. Due to binding of iron to other plasma proteins (mainly albumin), TIBC methods generally overestimate the iron binding capacity of transferrin. Moreover, no generic reference values are available for TIBC. In contrast to TIBC, internationally accepted interim reference ranges are available for serum transferrin. The introduction of the international CRM 470 protein standard material has lead to a significant reduction in interlaboratory variation for transferring measurements. In view of these observations, determination of transferrin concentration, rather than TIBC, is recommended. However, in non-European populations characterized by a marked genetic variation in transferrin (TF BC and TF CD variants), in certain cases, immunochemical determination of transferrin may lead to errors. In these populations, TIBC measurements may be preferred. | 45447911 |
4,508,427 | Additions to the Pannariaceae of North America Abstract Some additions and corrections to the recent treatment of this family in North America are made. The new species, Fuscopannaria convexa P. M. Jørg,. is described from hypermaritime Alaska. From this region, the hairy subantarctic Psoroma hispidulum Nyl., is recorded as new to North America. Fuscopannaria laceratula (Hue) P. M. Jørg. and Psoroma tenue Henssen are shown to have a wider distribution than previously anticipated, the latter arctic-alpine. Fuscopannaria labrata, a sorediate species, is described as new from maritime cliffs on the Channel Islands, California. The subtropical species Pannaria malmei C. W. Dodge, was incorrectly recorded from North America, and the material is renamed Pannaria rubiginella P. M. Jørg. & Sipm., a species recently described from Juan Fernandez in Chile. The new combination, Santessoniella crossophylla (Tuck.) P. M. Jørg., is made. A key to the two terricolous, Arctic species of Fuscopannaria containing green algae, F. globigera Fryday & P. M. Jørg. and F. viridescens P. M. Jørg. & Zhurbenko, is given. | 86040211 |
4,508,428 | Idiopathic generalized tonic‐clonic epilepsy and photosensitivity: a long‐term follow‐up study Photosensitivity is an abnormal visual sensitivity of the brain in reaction to flickering light sources or patterns and is expressed in the electroencephalogram (EEG) as a generalized spike-polyspikes and wave discharge (photoparoxysmal response, PPR) elicitated by intermittent photic stimulation (IPS), and in more susceptible individuals as clinical seizures (1). The prevalence of photosensitivity in patients with epilepsy ranges from 2 to 20%, and it is also possible to find it in non-epileptic individuals (2,3). It is more commonly associated with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGEs) who corresponds to 20–40% of all epilepsies (4,5). Idiopathic generalized epilepsies are divided, according to the age at onset and the main types of seizures, in five main subsyndromes: childhood and juvenile absence epilepsy, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, and generalized tonicclonic seizures (GTCS) on awakening, during sleep, and at random distribution (5). In particular, GTCS occur in about 80% of photosensitive individuals (1). Generalized tonicclonic seizures generally occur during awakening, drowsiness, relaxation and excessive alcohol intake. The age of onset ranges from early childhood to adolescence, with a peak around puberty. The EEG shows generalized spikewave discharges of 2.5–4.5 Hz (1). It is not clear if patients suffering from GTCS with photosensitivity have a different long-term prognosis in comparison with those patients with GTCS that do not have photosensitivity. The current study examined the question whether the presence of photosensitivity would play a role in the patients’ response to therapy. This was a multicentre, prospective, long-term study evaluating a group of patients suffering | 38740311 |
4,508,429 | from GTCS with and without PPR. They were enrolled from four centres in Italy. The study has been approved by the local Ethics Committees of the four centres. All subjects had been diagnosed according to International League Against Epilepsy criteria (6). Only patients without any history of previous treatment have been enrolled. Patients with insufficient documentation of seizure frequency, poor compliance, progressive neurological diseases, severe psychiatric disorders, drug or alcohol abuse, internal diseases or laboratory abnormalities were not elegible for the study. Sixty-three patients were included in the study; their median (range) age was 11.2 (6.7–20.8) years. They were subdivided into two groups according to the presence or absence of PPR: group A: 27 children (12 males, 15 females) with EEG evidence of photosensitivity; group B: 36 children (17 males, 19 females) without PPR. Cognitive level, evaluated with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, was within the normal range in all patients. The following inclusion criteria were fulfilled: normal brain computerized tomography (performed in 10 children), and ⁄ or magnetic resonance imaging (performed in the other 53 children); normal routine laboratory examinations and normal results for the screening for metabolic diseases, chromosomal and endocrinological abnormalities; absence of a personal history of other types of afebrile seizures. All cases had regular clinical examinations and EEG recordings every 4–6 months. The main clinical and EEG characteristics of the patients studied are reported in Table 1. At the beginning of the study, before starting therapy, interictal EEG was performed in all patients. EEGs were classified into three groups, as | 38740311 |
4,508,430 | previously described (7): (i) typical generalized features: EEGs with irregular or regular synchronous generalized spike-and-wave (GSW) pattern exacerbated or not by IPS and hyperventilation; (ii) atypical Acta Pædiatrica ISSN 0803–5253 | 38740311 |
4,508,431 | The value of computed tomography in the localization of undescended testes. Eight patients with unilateral and four with bilateral (4) unpalpable testes were evaluated with CT for localization. All patients were later submitted to laparascopy and/or surgery and 13 cryptorchid testes and 3 atrophic or agenesic testes were found. CT detected correctly 11 of the cryptorchid testes - (85%) with one false positive and one false negative finding. In the three atrophic or agenesic testes, CT did not identify any image suspicious of being a testis, so there three were no false positive studies here. It is concluded that CT is an accurate noninvasive method for the preoperative detection of cryptorchid testes. | 12754461 |
4,508,432 | Bronchiectasis: the 'other' obstructive lung disease. Bronchiectasis belongs to the family of chronic obstructive lung diseases, even though it is much less common than asthma, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema. Clinical features of these entities overlap significantly. The triad of chronic cough, sputum production, and hemoptysis always should bring bronchiectasis to mind as a possible cause. Chronic airway inflammation leads to bronchial dilation and destruction, resulting in recurrent sputum overproduction and pneumonitis. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, any potential predisposing conditions should be aggressively sought. The relapsing nature of bronchiectasis can be controlled with antibiotics, chest physiotherapy, inhaled bronchodilators, proper hydration, and good nutrition. In rare circumstances, surgical resection or bilateral lung transplantation may be the only option available for improving quality of life. Prognosis is generally good but varies with the underlying syndrome. | 25204961 |
4,508,433 | Simultaneous exhibition of positive and negative cooperativity by purely C-H—O H-bonded (1,3-cyclohexanedione)n (n = 2-6) clusters: A density functional theoretical investigation Investigation of cooperative effect exhibited by purely C-H—O hydrogen bonded (H-bonded) networks in linear and cyclic clusters of (1,3-cyclohexanedione)n (n = 2 to 6) has been carried out using density functional theoretical calculations. Linear clusters were found to show anti-cooperative behavior, while the cyclic clusters showed positive cooperativity. H-bond strengths and binding energies per bimolecular interaction were found to decrease with increasing cluster size for the linear clusters whereas their cyclic counterparts showed opposite trends. The extent of cooperativity has been found to show monotonic behavior for both linear and cyclic clusters and was found to reach an asymptotic limit with increasing cluster size. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis and atoms in molecule (AIM) calculations were found to corroborate the obtained results. | 225559571 |
4,508,434 | Elevated atrial natriuretic peptide level in giant right atrium complicating Marfan's syndrome. We report a rare case of giant right atrial dilatation in a patient with Marfan's syndrome complicated by severe tricuspid regurgitation. Interestingly, the right atrial pressure was normal, but the atrial natriuretic peptide level was markedly elevated. We suggest that the underlying connective tissue abnormality had allowed extensive atrial distension which by causing an increased intramural tension according to Laplace's law stimulated atrial natriuretic peptide secretion. | 34662321 |
4,508,435 | Road to Recovery Novels about child abduction are legion, from short-term crises to long-term sequestering and the unthinkable realm of no return. Part of the public’s fascination with such cases, undoubtedly, has to do with the terribleness of the event, coupled with a desire to see what kind of evil would commit such a deed. Yet abduction literature usually focuses on the bereaved family members, as well: how they get through their days knowing that, out there, someone has their loved one, and who knows what’s happening to that person?—or even whether the victim is alive or dead. Bret Anthony Johnston’s first novel, Remember Me Like This, stakes out some of this territory but has greater ambitions than mere sensationalism. The novel explores the psychology of loss and the mundane aspects of daily bereavement after a child vanishes, not just for days, but as the months stretch into four years. And then—here is Johnston’s bold maneuver—the child returns to the family. Life can begin again but with the recognition that nothing will ever be the same. Johnston sets the novel in the Texas port city that he deftly chronicled in his short story collection, Corpus Christi (2005). This is the city spanned by a harbor bridge that attracts suicides; the city never far from the sea, with unceasing daily heat during the summer; the city that sponsors an annual festival called the Shrimporee. Average people, average lives. Against this backdrop, the Campbells, the family of the abducted boy, also seem unexceptional: the well-meaning but wounded parents | 144592721 |
4,508,436 | Eric and Laura; their remaining son Griff, hurt by his parents’ emotional shutdown; and Eric’s father, a tough old bird named Cecil, who runs a pawnshop. Into the gap that their lives have become, steps the missing older brother, Justin, who reappears one day as if coming back from a long walk. During the years of absence, Laura has taken to volunteering at a Sea Lab to care for a sick dolphin. Eric has also withdrawn from the family, pursuing an affair with a woman across town. Griff has grown older without an older brother. The grandfather’s cynical outlook has only hardened over time. At the beginning of Justin’s absence, their existence was fraught with anxiety, every conversation with neighbors and friends a potential injury: “Who would be the first to speak of him in the past tense? Some nights they went to bed feeling as though they’d been holding their breath for hours.” Laura and Eric’s tries at maintaining intimacy are failures. Yet, as Diane Ackerman once observed, life goes on, having nowhere else to go. Johnston is a great chronicler of domestic normalcy: laundry, shopping, chores, and barbecues—the texture of everyday life, often rendered with a lyricism that uplifts the merest detail: “They ate as the sun dropped behind the fence, and a heathered dusk fell over everything.” Recalling Justin as a child, Laura experiences “Gauzy strands of memory, like she’d walked through a spider-web.” After Justin returns, a hazy light of recovered joy and gratitude hovers over a lot of the action, but | 144592721 |
4,508,437 | the Campbells are also fearful of what’s been done to their son and outraged that the perpetrator is still unpunished. To a great extent, they live in a state of waiting, which is not that outwardly dramatic. What does Justin enjoy now? What does he like to eat? The parents want to know all about their son again, yet doubt their ability to reconnect: | 144592721 |
4,508,438 | VALIDATION OF AN ANALYTICAL METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF INORGANIC AND ORGANIC ARSENIC IN FISH SAUCE BY HYDRIDE GENERATION ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY The validation of an analytical method was carried out for the determination of arsenic components in fish sauce by HG-AAS. The total arsenic content (tAs) was analyzed after digesting the sample by dry and wet combined digestion method in a Teflon flask at 450 °C and then reducing As (V) to As (III) with a mixture of reducing agents KI/ascorbic acid. For inorganic arsenic content (iAs), the sample was hydrolyzed with HCl solution for 14 hours, converted As (V) to As (III), then reacted with hydrazine 1.5%. Extracted in CHCl3 and re-extracted in HNO3. The organic arsenic content (oAs) was calculated by the difference tAs and iAs. Determined the linear concentration range 2 - 30 μg/L and the standard curve was y = 0.0128x + 0.0007 with R² = 0.9996 at the concentration range 2 - 20 μg/L. LODs, LOQs for total and inorganic arsenic contents were found and all they were 0.015 mg/L and 0.05 mg/L, respectively. For total arsenic, the recovery efficiencies on the organic arsenic standard and inorganic arsenic standard all ranged from 81 to 109%;... | 242956121 |
4,508,439 | Mathematical foundations of multiple inheritance: Reflexive-transitive closure of the binary relations The paper is devoted to the mathematical foundations of the linearization algorithms - the method of conflict resolution that occurs in object-oriented programming languages which support multiple inheritance. The main object of study is the reflexive-transitive closure of a binary relation. The basic properties of this closure are found: the criterion to be partial order, closure is the closure operator, denotative representations of closure in terms of its properties and as the least solution of some equation (the structure of the set of all solutions of this equation is established). | 43986321 |
4,508,440 | Quantifying the influence of space on social group structure When studying social behaviour, it can be important to determine whether the behaviour being recorded is actually driven by the social preferences of individuals. Many studies of animal social networks therefore attempt to disentangle social preferences from spatial preferences or restrictions. As such, there are a large number of techniques with which to test whether results from network analysis can be explained by random interactions, or interactions driven by similarities in space use. Selecting which of these methods to use will require determining to what extent space might influence social structure. Here we present a simple method (Social Spatial Community Assignment Test) to quantify the similarity between social and spatial group structure. We then apply this method to both simulated and empirical data of social interactions to demonstrate that it can successfully tease apart social and spatial explanations for groups. We first show that it can resolve the relative importance of space and social preferences in three simulated datasets in which interaction patterns are driven purely by space use, purely by social preferences or a mixture of the two. We then apply it to empirical data from a long-term study of free-ranging house mice. We find that while social structure is similar to spatial structure, there is still evidence for individuals possessing social preferences, with the importance of these preferences fluctuating between seasons. Our method provides a robust way of assessing the overlap between spatial and social structure, which will be invaluable to researchers when investigating the | 229292121 |
4,508,441 | underlying drivers of social structure in wild populations. | 229292121 |
4,508,442 | Chemokine receptors as anti-retroviral targets. The discovery that chemokine receptors act as cofactors indispensable for HIV entry into target cells identified new targets for anti-retroviral therapy. However, much remains to be learned about the nature of their physiological role in the organism, as well as the molecular details of viral entry. The multitude of different receptors permitting HIV entry in vitro and their respective roles in vivo for entry, as well as their implication in distinct pathogenic events have added further complexity to this field of research. This review summarizes knowledge on HIV-coreceptors, their role under normal physiological conditions as well as in HIV pathogenesis and its implications on the development of concepts for the use of coreceptor targeting therapeutic approaches. An overview over antiviral ligands of chemokine receptors reported so far, as well as alternative strategies of antiviral interventions involving chemokine receptors is given. | 37701921 |
4,508,443 | Mutually non-congruent triangles with the same perimeter and the same area This note describes a large-scale modelling activity involving geometry that can be solved with the help of uni-variable calculus. More specifically, it introduces and proves the following theorem: given any non-equilateral triangle, there exist infinitely many mutually non-congruent triangles with the same area and the same perimeter as the given triangle. | 121782221 |
4,508,444 | [Effects of dietary fiber and insulin treatment on serum levels of lipids and lipoprotein (a) in patients with type II diabetes mellitus]. OBJECTIVE As lipoprotein(a) is an independent risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease we determined the effect on serum lipid and lipoprotein(a) levels of dietary fibre and of treatment with insulin in patients with diabetes mellitus type II. METHODS Twelve type II diabetic patients (mean age 62 (SD 10) yrs, body mass index 25.8 (SD 3.5) kg/m2), all treated with oral antidiabetic agents, were studied in a randomised cross-over trial, in which they used breads meals prepared with guar gum (a mean of 11.2 g guar per day) for 3 months in comparison with normal high-fibre bread. Fifteen other patients (age 70 (8), BMI 27.4 (5.6) kg/m2) poorly controlled on oral hypoglycaemic agents, were treated with insulin. RESULTS The guar treatment of the 12 patients resulted in lower total cholesterol (5.24 vs 5.7 mmol/l, p less than 0.1) and LDL cholesterol (3.77 vs 4.33 mmol/l, p less than 0.001) in comparison with normal high-fibre bread. Lipoprotein(a) levels were not different (76 vs 82 mg/l). Insulin therapy in the 15 other patients decreased HbA1c levels after 6 months from 11.0 to 7.7% (p less than 0.001), total cholesterol from 6.8 to 6.1 mmol/l (p less than 0.05), and LDL cholesterol from 4.4 to 4.1 mmol/l (p less than 0.05). Lp(a) decreased only slightly in 11/15 patients, from 491 to 441 mg/l (p = 0.07). CONCLUSION Neither the use of the dietary fibre guar | 1682221 |
4,508,445 | nor improved metabolic control with insulin therapy lowered elevated lipoprotein(a) levels in type II diabetic patients. | 1682221 |
4,508,446 | Bayesian neural networks for industrial applications Demonstrates the advantages of using Bayesian neural networks in regression, inverse and classification problems, which are common in industrial applications. The Bayesian approach provides a consistent way to perform inference by combining the evidence from data with prior knowledge from the problem. A practical problem with neural networks is to select the correct complexity for the model, i.e. the right number of hidden units or correct regularization parameters. The Bayesian approach offers efficient tools for avoiding overfitting, even with very complex models, and facilitates the estimation of the confidence intervals of the results. In this paper, we review the Bayesian methods for neural networks and present comparison results from case studies in the prediction of the quality properties of concrete (regression), electrical impedance tomography (inverse problem) and forest scene analysis (classification). The Bayesian networks provided consistently better results than other methods. | 14041721 |
4,508,447 | Augmented Reality User Interface for Nanomanipulation using Atomic Force Microscopes Models for a user interface for nanomanipulation using atomic force microscopes (AFM) are presented. Nano-scale 3D topography and force infor- mation sensed by the AFM-probe are blended with real time simulations and are fed back to the user. The sample surface is modeled with a spline-based ge- ometry model, upon which a collision detection algorithm determines, whether and how the AFM-tip penetrates the surface. Based on these results, the induced surface deformations are simulated and 3D force feedback information is ob- tained. The simulated information is then blended in real time with the force measurements of the AFM in an augmented reality (AR) human machine inter- face, comprising a computer graphics environment and a haptic interface. | 112161971 |
4,508,448 | Chiroptical properties of nona- and dodecamethoxy cryptophanes. Enantiopure cryptophane derivatives bearing nine (2, 3) and 12 (4) methoxy substituents attached on the six aromatic rings were separated by HPLC using chiral stationary phases. The chiroptical properties of compounds 2-4 were determined from polarimetry, electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) experiments and were compared to those of cryptophane-A (1) derivative. ECD spectra of 1 and 4 were calculated by time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) to determine the absolute configuration (AC) of cryptophane derivatives. The (+)-PP absolute configuration was thus established for the anti-cryptophane-A (1) and its congeners 2 and 4. VCD experiments associated with DFT calculations confirmed the (+)-PP configuration of anti-compounds 2 and 4 and established the (+)-PM configuration of the syn-3 compound as well. This study revealed the preferential all-trans (TTT) conformation of the three ethylenedioxy linkers for the CHCl3@1, CHCl3@3, and CHCl3@4 complexes, whereas the GTT conformation was found the most favorable for the CHCl3@2 complex. | 207562321 |
4,508,449 | Computer-based Approach to Detect Wrinkles and Suggest Facial Fillers Modern medical practice has embraced facial filler injections as part of the innumerable cosmetic procedures that characterize the current age of medicine. This study proposed a novel methodological framework. The Inception model is the core of the framework. By carefully detecting the classification of wrinkles, the model can be built for different applications to aid in the detection of wrinkles that can objectively help in deciding if the forehead area needs to have filler injections. The model achieved an accuracy of 85.3%. To build the Inception model, a database has been prepared containing face forehead images, including both wrinkled and non-wrinkled face foreheads. The face image pre-processing is the first step of the proposed framework, which is important for reliable feature extraction. First, in order to detect the face and facial landmarks in the image, a Multi-task Cascaded Convolutional Networks model has been used. Before feeding the images into the deep learning Inception model for classifying whether the face foreheads have wrinkles or no wrinkles, an image cropping process is required. Given the bounding box and the facial landmarks, face foreheads can be cropped accurately. The last step of the proposed methodology is to retrain an Inception model for the new categories (Wrinkles, No Wrinkles) to predict whether a face forehead has wrinkles or not. Keywords—Deep learning; classification; facial fillers; wrinkle | 203644321 |
4,508,450 | A Budget-Constrained Energy-Efficient Scheduling Algorithm on Cloud-Edge Collaborative Workflows With the development of Internet of Things applications, traditional cloud computing cannot meet the new application requirements, and the mode of cloud edge collaborative processing is becoming more and more important. Cloud computing workflow scheduling algorithm seldom considers the heterogeneity of cloud edge devices, so it is difficult to achieve the balance of completion time, energy consumption, and cost. Cloud-edge collaborative workflow scheduling can reasonably allocate tasks according to the characteristics of dependencies and heterogeneous resources, which can solve the imbalance between performance and cost as well as between performance and energy consumption. Therefore, we propose a heterogeneous earliest completion time scheduling algorithm (W2DG-HEFT) based on a greedy rotation strategy. Considering the differences in computing performance, transmission delay, energy consumption, and cost of cloud edge computing nodes, the candidate queues selected by cloud and edge 2D weights are adjusted and balanced. The HEFT algorithm, which adopts energy consumption awareness and greedy rotation strategy, allocates the appropriate cloud or edge computing nodes according to the task priority in the workflow. Through simulation platform experiment, compared with GPR-HEFT algorithm, when the cost threshold is 2-3 USD per hour, the scheduling completion time on the workflow of 100 tasks is reduced by about 5.4% on average. Compared with MOACS, PSO, and GA, the scheduling completion time on the workflow of 1000 tasks is reduced by 8.28% on average, and the average comprehensive cost is reduced by 23% on the condition of satisfying the time constraints. | 248922021 |
4,508,451 | [Transient elastography as a predictor of oesophageal varices in patients with liver cirrhosis]. INTRODUCTION One of the most serious complications of liver cirrhosis is variceal bleeding. Early recognition of the oesophageal varices is of primary importance in the prevention of variceal bleeding. Endoscopy is the only means to directly visualize varices and measure their size, as one of the most important predictor of the risk of bleeding. During the course of cirrhosis repeated oesophago-gastro-bulboscopic examinations are recommended. As these interventions are expensive and often poorly accepted by patients who may refuse further follow-up, there is a need for non-invasive methods to predict the progression of portal hypertension as well as the presence and the size of oesophageal varices. After several combinations of biological and ultrasonographical parameters proposed for the detection of advanced fibrosis, it was suggested that liver stiffness measured by transient elastography, a novel non-invasive technology may reflect not only fibrosis and portal pressure but it may even predict the presence or absence of large oesophageal varices in patients with cirrhosis. AIM The aim of the authors was to study the diagnostic accuracy of transient elastography using FibroScan for selecting patients who are at risk of bearing large (Paquet-grade ≥ II) oesophageal varices and high risk of bleeding. METHOD The authors performed upper tract endoscopy and transient elastography in 74 patients with chronic liver disease (27 patients with chronic hepatitis and 47 patients with liver cirrhosis). The relationships between the presence of oesophageal varices (Paquet-grade 0-IV) and liver stiffness (kPa), as well as the hematological | 5433971 |
4,508,452 | and biochemical laboratory parameters (prothrombine international normalized ratio, platelet count, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, albumin, and aspartate aminotransferase/platelet ratio index) were investigated. The predictive role of liver stiffness for screening patients with varices and those who are at high risk of variceal bleeding was also analysed. RESULTS Liver stiffness values significantly correlated with the grade of oesophageal varices (Paquet-grade) (r = 0.67, p<0.0001). The liver stiffness value of 19.2 kPa was highly predictive for the presence of oesophageal varices (AUROC: 0.885, 95% CI: 0.81-0.96) and for the presence of high grade varices (P≥II) (AUROC: 0.850, 95% CI: 0.754-0.94). Using the cut-off value of 19.2 kPa, the sensitivity of transient elastography was 85%, specificity was 87%, positive predictive value was 85%, negative predictive value was 87% and validity was 86% for the detection of varices. Liver stiffness values less than 19.2 kPa were highly predicitive for the absence of large (P≥II) varices (sensitivity, 95%; specificity, 70%; positive predictive value, 54%; negative predictive value, 97%). CONCLUSIONS Transient elastography may help to screen patients who are at high risk of bearing large (P≥II) oesophageal varices which predict variceal bleeding and, therefore, need endoscopic screening. Lives stiffness values higher than 19.2 kPa indicate the need for oesophageal-gastro-bulboscopy, while liver stiffness values lower than 19.2 kPa make the presence of large oesophageal varices unlikely. | 5433971 |
4,508,453 | Revisiting The National Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances policy of India: A Critical Evaluation Commonly, this legal instrument, which serves as the foundation for the current global drug enforcement structure centred by the UN System, is misunderstood as merely a convention to integrate all previous international security agreements. This is a fallacious position that provides no historical background for contemporary discussions concerning the modification of a similar international agreement system. From a historic and international relations approach, this essay recreates the development of the Convention. A criticism of fundamental pre-1961 agreements is preceded by a comprehensive evaluation of the government records of a United Nations gathering for adopted families of the a Single Symposium on Narcotic Drugs as well as an examination of a status of the treaty as a "solitary" conference in light of successive treaties. The Single Conference on Controlled Substances constitutes a substantial departure from of the locus of control of earlier international conventions; a shift to a more prohibitive perspective that, in terms of international interactions, could be regarded as a transitional government as opposed to the a mere formalisation of earlier instruments. In this way, the essay stresses the eradication of drug use, which has been deeply ingrained in the cultural, economic, and religious traditions of numerous non-Western societies for millennia. In addition, despite being frequently disregarded, this Agreement has failed to perform its stated function as the "only" international instrument for drug control. As a result of the additional treaties signed in later years and the shifting socioeconomic and political | 253189971 |
4,508,454 | settings, the control system contains substantial inconsistencies. Even if a shift of prescriptive focus has happened, this paper suggests that a single panel discussion of Controlled Drugs should be revived in order to correct past mistakes and contradictions within the government, especially with relation to scheduling and conventional narcotic use. Keywords : — Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances policy, traditional drug. | 253189971 |
4,508,455 | On normal realizations of discrete-time systems with consideration of finite precision implementation In this paper, a novel class of normal realizations for discrete-time systems is derived and characterized. It is shown that these realizations are free of self-sustained oscillations and yield a minimal error propagation gain. The optimal realization problem, defined as to find those normal realizations that minimize roundoff noise gain, is solved analytically. Based on Schur-form, a procedure is achieved to obtain the sparse optimal normal realizations. A design example is presented to demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed sparse realizations to several well-known realizations in terms of minimizing the finite precision effects and reducing system implementation complexity. | 1075621 |
4,508,456 | [Clinical characteristics of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension]. Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Methods: CTEPH cases consecutively admitted into China-Japan Friendship Hospital from September 2015 to June 2019 were enrolled with prospective data collection. The medical histories, clinical characteristics, laboratory tests, imaging manifestation and hemodynamic parameters were analyzed. Patients were divided into high pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) group and low PVR group according to the PVR level>1 000 dyn·s·cm(-5) or not, and clinical characteristics were compared between these two groups. Results: In the 148 cases of CTEPH, right heart catheterization was performed in 103 cases with mPAP (45.1±11.0) mmHg and PVR of (992±430) dyn·s·cm(-5). At diagnosis, 88 (59.5%) cases were in WHO functional class Ⅲ and 27 (18.2%) in class Ⅳ. Most common presenting symptoms were dyspnea (147, 99.3%), chest tightness (68, 45.9%), hemoptysis (42, 28.3%), syncope (30, 20.3%), and most common signs were P2 accentuation (95, 64.9%), edema (65, 43.9%), cyanosis (47, 31.8%), systolic murmur (44, 29.7%) and jugular vein distention (35, 23.6%). In 103 cases with right heart catheterization, 52 were in the low PVR group and 51 in high PVR group. Compared to the low PVR group, high PVR group patients had higher WHO functional class and more jugular vein distention (both P<0.05). In all the 148 cases, previous venous thromboembolism (VTE) was confirmed in 105 (70.9%) patients, with a higher prevalence of previous VTE in low PVR group than that in high PVR group (P<0.001). 30 (20.3%) patients had varicose veins of | 209329671 |
4,508,457 | the lower extremities, and 21 (14.2%) had other thrombophilic disorders including antiphospholipid syndrome, protein C and S deficiency and antithrombin Ⅲ deficiency. Conclusions: Dyspnea, P2 accentuation and edema are the most common clinical presentation of CTEPH. Previous history of VTE is common in CTEPH patients with thrombophilia in some cases. | 209329671 |
4,508,458 | A Theory of B 2 B Exchange Formation The recent explosion of attempts to form B2B exchanges and the large failure rate of these attempts raise questions about when and why B2B exchange formation succeeds. Our model provides a theory of B2B exchange formation by investigating conditions under which B2B exchanges attract enough buyers and suppliers to form. Our most important result is that, when the number of potential suppliers is large enough, successful formation of a B2B exchange hinges on its ability to subsidize suppliers selectively. Since there are externalities among participation decisions, charging the marginal cost of connection does not lead to the e¢cient outcome. O¤ering a subsidy to a selective group of suppliers is to “divide and conquer” them to induce full participation. Selective subsidy is also necessary to insure that the optimal number of suppliers join the exchange. When such subsidy is feasible, the full participation equilibrium becomes the unique subgame-perfect Nash equilibrium. The theory also yields implications for the ownership structure needed to support B2B exchange formation ¤John M. Olin School of Business, Washington University in St. Louis. We wish to thank the Boeing Center on Technology, Information, and Manufacturing for providing funding to support this research and Wes Frick of the Boeing company for sharing with us his knowledge of B2B exchanges and of Boeing’s e¤orts in this regard. We also thank Yuriy Fedyk for his reliable research assistance. | 56262721 |
4,508,459 | Study of nucleolar vacuolation and RNA synthesis in embryonic root cells of Zea mays. The process of nucleolar vacuolation has been quantitatively studied in root cells of the embryo of Zea mays . During germination, we have estimated the percentage of vacuolated nucleoli, the number of vacuoles per nucleolus and the volume density of the vacuoles, the latter by application of the stereological principles of morphometry. In the dormant embryo, no vacuoles can be detected in the nucleolus. When germination occurs at 22 or 16 °C, there is a rapid increase in the percentage of vacuolated nucleoli and in the volume density (V A ), with a maximum after 4 and 8 h. At 6 °C, a temperature which does not permit emergence of the root, the percentage of vacuolated nucleoli increases regularly but never reaches the level observed at 16 and 22 °C. In parallel with the appearance of nucleolar vacuoles, the size of the nucleolus decreases statistically and shows a minimum when vacuolation is maximum. This suggests that the appearance of vacuoles within the nucleolus is the result of loss of material from this organelle. Indeed, electron micrographs show that granular components are lost from the nucleolus during the first 8 h of germination at 16 °C. According to the literature, these granular components are probably ribosomal subunits. An autoradiographic study of tritiated uridine incorporation shows that the nucleolus does not synthesize rRNA at the early beginning of germination. Hence the nucleolus is unable for several hours to rebuild the lost granular elements. Application | 9373071 |
4,508,460 | of actinomycin D, 5-fluoro-uracil and 2-thio-uracil to the seeds, during the first 48 h of soaking, inhibits rRNA synthesis, the vacuolation process, the loss of granular components and the reduction in size of the nucleolus. These results allow us to determine some of the physiological conditions characterizing the appearance of the nucleolar vacuoles. | 9373071 |
4,508,461 | Penalized joint generalized estimating equations for longitudinal binary data In statistical research, variable selection and feature extraction are a typical issue. Variable selection in linear models has been fully developed, while it has received relatively little attention for longitudinal data. Since a longitudinal study involves within‐subject correlations, the likelihood function of discrete longitudinal responses generally cannot be expressed in analytically closed form, and standard variable selection methods cannot be directly applied. As an alternative, the penalized generalized estimating equation (PGEE) is helpful but very likely results in incorrect variable selection if the working correlation matrix is misspecified. In many circumstances, the within‐subject correlations are of interest and need to be modeled together with the mean. For longitudinal binary data, it becomes more challenging because the within‐subject correlation coefficients have the so‐called Fréchet–Hoeffding upper bound. In this paper, we proposed smoothly clipped absolute deviation (SCAD)‐based and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)‐based penalized joint generalized estimating equation (PJGEE) methods to simultaneously model the mean and correlations for longitudinal binary data, together with variable selection in the mean model. The estimated correlation coefficients satisfy the upper bound constraints. Simulation studies under different scenarios are made to assess the performance of the proposed method. Compared to existing PGEE methods that specify a working correlation matrix for longitudinal binary data, the proposed PJGEE method works much better in terms of variable selection consistency and parameter estimation accuracy. A real data set on Clinical Global Impression is analyzed for illustration. | 238228321 |
4,508,462 | Spatial Pattern and the Process of Settlement Expansion in Jiangsu Province from 1980 to 2010, Eastern China Human settlement expansion has very important effects on regional population migration, economic balance and ecosystem services. Understanding the evolution of settlement expansion and regional differences is significant for regional sustainability. The results showed that in the past 30 years, the urbanization rate in Jiangsu province was lower. From 1980 to 2010, the expansion area of urban settlement was larger than that of rural settlement. Urban settlement expanded slowly from 1980 to 2005 and strongly from 2005 to 2010. Rural settlement expanded greatly from 1980 to 1995, and 37.14% of settlement was mostly on cropland. The type of urban settlement expansion from 1980 to 1995 and from 2000 to 2005 was compact expansion. Settlement expansion in the south of Jiangsu province was greater than that in the north of Jiangsu province. The spatial pattern of settlement in most cities was a cluster. In the past 30 years, urban and rural settlement expansion had significantly different impacts on the soil and water environment. Urban settlement expansion was great in the south of Jiangsu province and widened the economic and social gap between the south and north of Jiangsu province. | 96471871 |
4,508,463 | Antidepressants: modest effect after 8 weeks The review included 522 placebo-controlled and head-to-head trials, including 116,477 adult participants with a primary diagnosis of major depressive disorder according to standard operationalised diagnostic criteria. The primary outcomes were efficacy (response rate measured by the total number of patients who had a reduction of at least 50% of the total score on a standardised observer-rating scale for depression) and acceptability (treatment discontinuation measured by the proportion of patients who withdrew for any reason). Outcomes were assessed as close to 8 weeks as possible for all analyses. | 49427671 |
4,508,464 | The End of Barbary Terror: America's 1815 War Against the Pirates of North Africa (review) When Henry G. Barnby published The Prisoners of Algiers in 1966, he referred to the first American-Algerian conflict of 1785–1797 as a “forgotten war.” There is today a striking regain of interest for the drawn-out conflict (1776–1815) commonly known as the Barbary Wars, between the young American republic and the Ottoman regencies of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli. Prompted by the emergence of political Islam in Middle Eastern and international politics and by the terrorist attacks of 9/11 particularly, a spate of new books about the old conflict has appeared recently, many of them showing a presentist inclination to draw links between America’s first contact with the Islamic world two centuries ago and her “War on Terror” today. Frederick C. Leiner’s book, which focuses on the concluding phase of the Barbary Wars, is one example of this literature. As in 1776, Britain emboldened Algiers to attack American ships again during the War of 1812, resulting in the capture of the brig Edwin with a crew of eleven. President Madison instructed Consul Mordecai Noah to redeem the captives, but, since the Dey of Algiers proved inflexible about the ransom, Madison declared war and dispatched a naval squadron to the Mediterranean under the command of Stephen Decatur, hero of the US-Tripolitan War of 1801–1805. A splendid little war it was for the United States. The showdown with Algiers, the strongest Barbary power, was practically a no-show, at best a military promenade. The Algiers navy | 144460271 |
4,508,465 | was, in the words of one American sailor, “a mere burlesque” (p. 113). Quickly smothered by the American squadron, Algiers’s unique battleship Meshuda surrendered in 25 minutes. The high-sounding Barbary War of 1815 claimed only one American loss to enemy fire, while a couple more sailors died from the bursting of their cannon; in his log, Decatur “spent more ink on the bursting of the cannon than he did on the battle itself” (p. 101). Decatur inaugurated “American gunboat diplomacy” (p. 129) by dictating the terms of peace with Algiers and proceeding (in what Leiner calls “unfinished business”) to wrest similar treaties with Tunis and Tripoli, although no state of war existed between the latter regencies and the United States. Leiner builds a vivid narrative of those events, complete with the classic Barbary literature opening that dramatizes a chase and capture on the high seas. No account of the actual capture of the Edwin exists, but Leiner imagines it on the basis of analogy with similar events. Leiner then presents “the four Barbary regencies . . . nominally subject to the rule of the Ottoman sultan at Comptes rendus / Book Reviews 629 | 144460271 |
4,508,466 | Trabecular Micro-Bypass Shunt (iStent®: Basic Science, Clinical, and Future) The trabecular bypass stent offers an alternative to filtration surgery. Patients who may be ideal candidates for considering this procedure are those with prior conjunctival surgery; for example, those who had a 360° peritomy from a scleral buckle might not do well with a trabeculectomy and there is no space for a tube. Highly myopic patients do not tolerate hypotony well, and the iSTB may be an option for some of these patients. I have used the iSTB in patients on anticoagulants who could not stop them, and they needed something beyond medications and laser to lower the IOP in subjects with open-angle glaucoma. Young patients, especially those with one eye, who need rapid visual recovery (for instance to return to work) may be good candidates to consider the iSTB as well. Because of the position used for clear corneal cataract surgery, the temporal approach is best for doing these. Therefore, if you are doing cataract surgery on someone who needs a lower IOP, you already are in the correct position to implant the devices. Patients may need some medications after the procedure to lower the IOP to the level desired. The results from Armenia are encouraging, given an IOP of 11.8 mmHg after 2 iSTB stents and taking daily travoprost. These results are difficult to reach even with a trabeculectomy. When selecting your fist patients, avoid those with the congested episcleral veins, look for patients with wide open angles, and if you can see aqueous veins | 5194221 |
4,508,467 | at the slit-lamp it may indicate a viable outflow system. Probably avoid patients with IOPs over 35 mmHg. The micro-invasive trabecular bypass stents offer an alternative surgical intervention for select patients with open-angle glaucoma. Recent studies show that combining these micro-stents with medications can lead to as low of an intraocular pressure (IOP) as is achieved by many more invasive incisional surgeries. The technique is quite precise and learning the procedure is similar to clear corneal phacoemulsification followed by a goniotomy. Long-term data are starting to come in and the safety is favorable. The IOP success appears to be based on the patency of the outflow system for a given patient. Key factors in determining the success involve the placement of trabecular bypass devices into the canal of Schlemm and require a down-stream patency of the collector channel system and a low episcleral venous pressure. Because accessing the collector system may require placement by a patent channel, the placement of two stents, a longer stent with scaffolding or somehow imaging the outflow system may lead to the best control of the IOP. | 5194221 |
4,508,468 | Isolation of Staphylococcus aureus, Uropathogenic Escherichia coli, and Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Strains from Pasteurized Cheeses and Unpasteurized Cream Sold at Traditional Open Markets in Mexico City. ABSTRACT Fresh cheeses and cream are important garnishes of traditional Mexican food, often purchased at street or itinerant open markets or tianguis. However, there is scarce information regarding the microbiological quality of cheeses and cream sold in tianguis. For 2 years, three dairy stalls from three tianguis in Mexico City were visited once each season, trading practices were registered, and 96 dairy products were purchased. In total 72 fresh pasteurized cheeses that were hand-cut to order (24 Panela, 24 Canasto, and 24 Doble Crema) and 24 unpasteurized Crema de Rancho samples were collected. All dairy products remained without refrigeration for 8 h. Based on the National Guidelines limits, 87.5% of cheeses and 8% of Crema de Rancho samples were of low microbiological quality, and 1 sample of each type of cheese and 3 samples of Crema de Rancho exceeded the guidelines limits for Staphylococcus aureus. All dairy products were negative for Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and all diarrheagenic Escherichia coli pathotypes, including Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. Among the 96 dairy samples, the prevalence of uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) and of mycobacteria strains were determined because food items contaminated with these strains have been associated with urinary tract infections and mycobacteriosis, respectively. UPEC strains were isolated from 43% of cut-to-order cheeses and 29% of Crema de Rancho samples. Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) strains were identified in 12.5% of Doble Crema cheese samples and 21% | 254124471 |
4,508,469 | of Crema de Rancho samples. From the eight NTM-positive samples, 10 strains were identified (3 strains of Mycolicibacterium fortuitum, 2 of Mycobacteroides abscessus, 2 of Mycobacteroides chelonae, 2 of Mycolicibacterium porcinum, and 1 of Mycolicibacterium rhodesiae). All produced biofilms, and 70% had sliding motility (both virulence traits). Trading practices of cut-to-order pasteurized cheeses and unpasteurized Crema de Rancho in tianguis increase the risk of microbiological contamination of these products, including with human pathogens, and their consumption may cause human illness. HIGHLIGHTS | 254124471 |
4,508,470 | A Comparison of Acute Psychiatric Care Under Medicaid Carve-Outs, HMOs, and Fee-for-Service This study compares the use of acute psychiatric hospitalization; selected outcomes, including rehospitalization; as well as costs associated with the health maintenance organization (HMO), carve-out, and fee-for-service models as implemented in the Massachu setts Medicaid program between FY1994 and FY2000. This is a longitudinal analysis that primarily uses unduplicated individual data from the Massachusetts Case Mix database. Analyses focus on 56,518 individuals who were psychiatrically hospitalized on acute units within 57 hospitals. They employ Cox regression to compare rehospitalization among the three programs. The hypotheses were strongly supported: HMOs have the most substantial impacts in minimizing service provision, with the carve-out program having an impact intermediate between the HMO and fee-for-service programs. Lower utilization rates were associated with lower overall rates of hospitalization, shorter lengths of stay, fewer repeated stays, and less geographic access and greater displacement of psychiatric patients to medical units. The final model of rehospitalization has an overall predictive accuracy of 59.6%. | 24109221 |
4,508,471 | The use of the drug «Mastinol-forte» in the treatment of clinical mastitis in dairy cows The article presents the results of clinical trials of the veterinary drug «Mastinol-forte». The effectiveness of the drug in the treatment of the serous-catarrhal form of mastitis was studied in the conditions of a dairy farm. The experiment included cows of a black-and-white Holstein breed weighing 500–550 kg, spontaneously ill with a clinical form of mastitis. Five groups of lactating cows of 2–3 lactation were formed, with a yield of 7–8 thousand l/ year, 18 heads each. The therapeutic efficacy of the drug was evaluated clinically by methods, as well as using a dimastin sample and by counting somatic cells in milk samples. It has been established that the use of the drug «Mastinol-forte» as monotherapy for serouscatarrhal clinical mastitis in cows is well tolerated by animals and gives a positive effect both with intramuscular, subcutaneous, and intracisternal injections. However, the best result was obtained with the combined (subcutaneous and intracisternal) injection of mastinol-forte for 5 days at a dose of 7 ml twice a day. | 246324721 |
4,508,472 | [Superovulation after administration of PMSG in cows of various breeds]. Superovulation response was studied to i. m. administration of 2500 and 3000 i. u. of PMSG (special product Folligon, Intervet Co.) in 67 breeding cows of the Black-Pied Lowland. Slovak Pied and Slovak Pinzgau breeds within the 9th to 12th days of their sexual cycles. The time which had elapsed from these cows' last calving ranged from 50 to 150 days and the number of their prior calvings ranged from one to ten. The best superovulation effect was obtained after the administration of 2500 i. u. PMSG in the Pinzgau breed: these cows had, on the average, 13.20 +/- 2.36 corpora lutea without non-ovulated follicles. At the PMSG dose increased to 3000 i. u., the number of yellow bodies rose to 18.11 +/- 1.12 and that of non-ovulated follicles to 3.46 +/- 0.46. In the Slovak Pied breed the average number of yellow bodies obtained after administration of 2500 i. u. PMSG was 11.74 +/- 1.27 and that of non-ovulated follicles was 0.44 +/- 0.02. At the PMSG dose of 3000 i. u., the number of yellow bodies increased to 15.49 +/- 1.62 and that of non-ovulated follicles increased up to 5.12 +/- 0.81. In the Black-Pied Lowland breed the lowest response was obtained: the i. m. administration of 2500 i. u. PMSG resulted in the formation of 9.5 +/- 0.84 yellow bodies and 1.16 +/- 0.26 non-ovulated follicles, and at the dose of 3000 i. u. the respective numbers were 13.41 +/- 0.89 and 3.07 | 46246421 |
4,508,473 | +/- 0.39. Comparing the superovulation effect in dependence on age, the response of the cows of the Black-Pied Lowland and Slovak Pinzgau breeds to PMSG administration increases until the age of nine years (from 9.79 and 13.6 yellow bodies, respectively, on the average for the first five years to 12.71 and 17.99, respectively, in the ninth year); in the Slovak Pinzgau breed it decreases from 15.83, recorded in the first five years, to 8.28 +/- 1.68 in the ninth year. The number of non-ovulated follicles grows with age in the Slovak Pinzgau breed from 3.46 +/- 0.46 in the first five years to 3.64 between five and nine years of age and up to 4.44 +/- 0.52 after the ninth year, in the Slovak Pied breed from 0.79 to 4.21 +/- 0.38, and in the Black-Pied Lowland breed from 2.69 to 3.20 +/- 0.22 between the fifth and ninth year. | 46246421 |
4,508,474 | ON THE PERTURBATION METHODS FOR SOME NONLINEAR QUANTUM CHEMISTRY MODELS The purpose of this article is to (a) give a sound mathematical foundation to perturbation methods for some nonlinear quantum chemistry models. This contributes to the understanding of computations on molecular systems in situ, such as solvated molecules or molecules subjected to a uniform external electric field and (b) prove in the latter setting a result of non-existence of solutions to the Thomas–Fermi–Von Weizsacker and to the Hartree–Fock equations, which is the nonlinear counterpart of a result by Avron and Herbst.2 | 15949821 |
4,508,475 | Tracking a varying number of people with a visually-controlled robotic head Multi-person tracking with a robotic platform is one of the cornerstones of human-robot interaction. Challenges arise from occlusions, appearance changes and a time-varying number of people. Furthermore, the final system is constrained by the hardware platform: low computational capacity and limited field-of-view. In this paper, we propose a novel method to simultaneously track a time-varying number of persons in three-dimensions and perform visual servoing. The complementary nature of the tracking and visual servoing enables the system to: (i) track several persons while compensating for large ego-movements and (ii) visually control the robot to keep a selected person of interest within the field of view. We propose a variational Bayesian formulation allowing us to effectively solve the inference problem through the use of closed-form solutions. Importantly, this leads to a computationally efficient procedure that runs at 10 FPS. The experiments on the NAO-MPVS dataset confirm the importance of using visual servoing for tracking multiple persons. | 19725771 |
4,508,476 | Towards future adaptive multiprocessor systems-on-chip: An innovative approach for flexible architectures This paper introduces adaptive techniques targeted for heterogeneous manycore architectures and introduces the FlexTiles platform, which consists of general purpose processors with some dedicated accelerators. The different components are based on low power DSP cores and an eFPGA on which dedicated IPs can be dynamically configured at run-time. These features enable a breakthrough in term of computing performance while improving the on-line adaptive capabilities brought from smart heuristics. Thus, we propose a virtualisation layer which provides a higher abstraction level to mask the underlying heterogeneity present in such architectures. Given the large variety of possible use cases that these platforms must support and the resulting workload variability, offline approaches are no longer sufficient because they do not allow coping with time changing workloads. The upcoming generation of applications include smart cameras, drones, and cognitive radio. In order to facilitate the architecture adaptation under different scenarios, we propose a programming model that considers both static and dynamic behaviors. This is associated with self adaptive strategies endowed by an operating system kernel that provides a set of functions that guarantee quality of service (QoS) by implementing runtime adaptive policies. Dynamic adaptation will be mainly used to reduce both overall power consumption and temperature and to ease the problem of decreasing yield and reliability that results from submicron CMOS scales. | 16906071 |
4,508,477 | Formal Scenario-driven Logical Spaces for Randomized Synthetic Data Generation : Simulations and synthetic data are a necessary supplement to real-world experiments in order to alleviate its effort, cost and risks. As demand of data for development and validation increases, simulations too must cor-respondingly be scaled. Variation of simulation parameters affords simulation designers control over the scope of how a simulation is scaled— they can chose a balance between target distribution of simulation variants and the degree of randomness— thereby achieving both the volume and diversity of synthetic data. This paper proposes logical scenarios as basis for simulation variation. Scenarios are formal human-readable scripts of simulations and test drives used within the automotive industry. They are defined at different abstraction levels, one of which is the logical scenario as a parameterized simulation model with description for parameters instead of concrete values. This contribution proposes methodologies to model the parameter descriptions in a modular fashion with parameter ranges, probability distributions and inter-relations. A randomization engine is introduced based on Markov chain Monte-Carlo methods to efficiently sample the modeled space. The result is a variety of simulation-independent concrete scenarios that follow the formal scenario specification. | 246832821 |
4,508,478 | CD82 endocytosis and cholesterol‐dependent reorganization of tetraspanin webs and lipid rafts Tetraspanin CD82 suppresses cell migration, tumor invasion, and tumor metastasis. To determine the mechanism by which CD82 inhibits motility, most studies have focused on the cell surface CD82, which forms tetraspanin‐enriched microdomains (TEMs) with other transmembrane proteins, such as integrins. In this study, we found that CD82 undergoes endocytosis and traffics to endosomes and lysosomes. To determine the endocytic mechanism of CD82, we demonstrated that dynamin and clathrin are not essential for CD82 internalization. Depletion or sequestration of sterol in the plasma membrane markedly inhibited the endocytosis of CD82. Despite the demand on Cdc42 activity, CD82 endocytosis is distinct from macropinocytosis and the documented dynaminindependent pinocytosis. As a TEM component, CD82 reorganizes TEMs and lipid rafts by redistributing cholesterol into these membrane microdomains. CD82– containing TEMs are characterized by the cholesterolcontaining microdomains in the extreme light‐ and intermediate‐density fractions. Moreover, the endocytosis of CD82 appears to alleviate CD82‐mediated inhibition of cell migration. Taken together, our studies demonstrate that lipid‐dependent endocytosis drives CD82 trafficking to late endosomes and lysosomes, and CD82 reorganizes TEMs and lipid rafts through redistribution of cholesterol.—Xu, C., Zhang, Y. H., Thangavel, M., Richardson, M. M., Liu, L., Zhou, B., Zheng, Y., Ostrom, R. S., Zhang, X. A. CD82 endocytosis and cholesterol‐dependent reorganization of tetraspanin webs and lipid rafts. FASEB J. 23, 3273–3288 (2009). www.fasebj.org | 25628071 |
4,508,479 | Deeply Rooted: Maximizing the Strengths of a Historically Black University and Community-based Participatory Research to Understand Environmental Stressors and Trauma among Black Youth. This paper explores a partnership between an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and a community to understand trauma given the high rates of reported violence among youth locally. The accumulative stress of living in high-stress, high-poverty environments coupled with the normative developmental tasks of adolescence is thought to place these youths at risk for negative mental and physical outcomes (Murry et al., 2011). The current research uses a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach and developmental lens to better understand environmental stressors and subsequent trauma among Black youth. Specifically, the paper describes the recruitment, engagement, and equitable partnership between a youth advisory board (YAB), university research team, and community agencies advisory board (CAB). The current work is part of a larger research study designed to explore environmental stressors, coping, and social supports for Black youth residing in low-resource urban communities. The broad objective of the research is to develop a trauma-informed community intervention to improve adolescent mental health. The initial phase of this university-community research, which entails the YAB, CAB, and university discussion groups, is outlined in this paper. Community engagement and trust are key factors described in the literature when collaborating with communities of color. These themes were reiterated by research partners in this study. The research team created coding terms to identify themes from YAB and CAB transcript data, respectively. YAB themes regarding stressors centered around financial strain, anger, and loss/violence. | 221107371 |
4,508,480 | CAB themes regarding adolescent mental health and resources centered around trauma, trust, and sustainability. Initial steps to utilize the themes identified thus far are described. The unique advantages of an HBCU and CBPR to address mental health disparities in ethnic minority communities are also highlighted. | 221107371 |
4,508,481 | Nanostructural and mechanical changes in the sclera following proteoglycan depletion The mechanical properties of ocular tissues, such as the sclera, have a major impact on healthy eye function, and are governed by the properties and composition of the microstructural components. For example, biomechanical degradation associated with myopia occurs alongside a reduction of proteoglycans (PGs). In this study, the role of PG degradation in the nanomechanical properties of the porcine sclera is explored. In-vitro enzymatic degradation of PGs was conducted with α-amylase and chondroitinase ABC enzymes. Collagen fibril morphology and nanomechanical stiffness were measured with atomic force microscopy (AFM). The elastic modulus of the tissue was reduced in all enzyme-treated samples relative to controls. In addition, collagen fibril organization was disrupted by PG depletion. Our data demonstrate that PGs play an important role in determining not only the mechanical properties at these length scales, but also collagen fibril arrangement. | 55748721 |
4,508,482 | LOUP: who's afraid of the big bad loop? We consider the intra-AS route dissemination problem from first principles, and illustrate that when known route dissemination techniques propagate even a single external routing change, they can cause transient anomalies. These anomalies are not fundamental; they are artifacts of the order in which existing proposals disseminate routes. We show that carefully ordering route updates avoids transient looping and black holes. Perhaps surprisingly, this ordering may be enforced in a completely distributed fashion, while retaining familiar correctness, scalability, and convergence properties. | 12650671 |
4,508,483 | Education and cultural development of the health care workforce. Part II. Opportunities for nonprofessional workers. James H. Thrall, MD The Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) have put forth initiatives (1,2) for educational reform aimed at improving the outcome of training for health professionals by defining core and general competencies, respectively, designed to help shape values, attitudes, and behaviors rather than simply enumerating facts to be learned. These initiatives have substantial merit (3) and speak to issues that are fundamental to improving the quality and safety of health care delivery and to improving the satisfaction of patients with the delivery system. However, neither the IOM nor the ACGME have addressed the full extent of the educational and cultural challenges facing the delivery system, because they restrict their focus to health professionals at the top of the delivery pyramid and do not address the educational and cultural challenges posed by the entire health care workforce. In fact, thousands of people come into the health care workforce each year with no formal training for the job they are expected to do. To achieve the ambitious visions of the IOM and ACGME, these workers and thousands more with rudimentary training must be beneficially integrated into the care process and must become culturally aligned with the values underpinning health care delivery. | 1462371 |
4,508,484 | Towards precision informatics of pharmacovigilance: OAE-CTCAE mapping and OAE-based representation and analysis of adverse events in patients treated with cancer drugs A critical issue in the usage of cancer drugs is its association with various adverse events (AEs) in some, but not all, patients. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) is a controlled terminology for AE classification and analysis in cancer clinical trials. The Ontology of Adverse Events (OAE) is a community-based ontology in the domain of AEs. In this study, OAE was first updated by including AE severity grading and OAE-CTCAE mapping. An OAE subset containing CTCAE-related terms and their associated OAE terms was generated to facilitate term usage. A use case study based on a published cancer drug clinical trial demonstrates that OAE provides better hierarchical representation, includes semantic relations, and supports automated reasoning. Demonstrated with a single patient analysis, the OAE framework supports precision informatics for representing AEs and related genetic and clinical conditions in individual patients treated with cancer drugs. | 29431821 |
4,508,485 | Interprofessional education: The fourth focus Three complementary and overlapping foci for interprofessional education (IPE) – preparing individuals for collaborative practice; learning to work in teams; and developing services to improve care – have been presented previously as a threefold classification derived from a systematic review (Barr et al., [2]). This paper adds discussion of a fourth: improving the quality of life in communities. The fourth focus is less often found in the literature and is described more fully in this paper. It embodies six approaches to interprofessional learning, discussed in the paper, that are thought to be particularly relevant to the work of Pathways into Health with American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, and more widely wherever collaborative learning and practice are invoked to improve quality of community life. | 23200821 |
4,508,486 | Impact ionization and photon emission in MOS capacitors and FETs This paper addresses the problem of the origin of majority and minority carriers' substrate currents in MOS devices. In particular, we present a critical analysis of published and original tunneling experiments by means of a novel, physically based model of impact ionization and hot carrier photon emission and re-absorption in the substrate. The model explains some relevant features of substrate minority carrier currents in saturated nMOSFETs, and provides a better understanding of the origin of substrate currents in tunneling MOS capacitors. | 113685721 |
4,508,487 | Some chronobiological considerations related to physical exercise. Variables associated with physical activity show circadian rhythms in resting subjects; these rhythms have both exogenous (due to the individual's lifestyle and environment) and endogenous (due to the "body clock") components. During exercise, many of the rhythms persist, even though some show decreasing amplitude with increasing severity of exercise. Whilst the value of physical fitness is not disputed (for elite athletes, for individuals who just want to be physically fit, or for patients undertaking physical rehabilitation regimens), there are certain times of the day when special care is needed. These times are soon after waking--when there is the possibility of an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and damage to the spine--and late in the day--when there is an increased risk of respiratory difficulties. Since physical exercise is inextricably linked with thermoregulation, there are special considerations to bear in mind when exercise takes place in cold or hot environments. Further, due to the effects of the body clock, exercise and activity during night work and after time-zone transitions presents problems peculiar to these circumstances. In addition, the menstrual cycle affects physical performance, and these circatrigintan rhythms interact with the circadian ones. Bearing in mind these factors, advice that is based upon knowledge of circadian and circatrigintan rhythms can be given to all those contemplating physical activity. Chronobiologically, there is advantage in undertaking physical activity programmes towards the middle of the waking day and not at times when a sleep or nap has just been taken. | 23999621 |
4,508,488 | Should Graphic Warning Labels Proposed For Cigarette Packages Sold in the United States Mention the Food and Drug Administration? INTRODUCTION Under the US Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to implement graphic warning labels (GWLs) on cigarette packages. Neither the original labels proposed by the FDA nor the revised labels include a source to indicate sponsorship of the warnings. This study tests the potential impact of adding a sponsor to the content of GWLs. METHODS We recruited adult smokers (N=245) and middle-school youth (N=242) from low-income areas in the Northeastern US. We randomly assigned participants to view one of three versions of the original FDA-proposed warning labels in a between-subjects experiment: no sponsor, "US Food and Drug Administration," or "American Cancer Society" sponsor. We tested the effect of varying sponsorship on source attribution and source credibility. RESULTS Compared to unsponsored labels, FDA sponsorship increased source attributions that the FDA sponsored the labels among both middle-school, largely non-smoking youth and adult smokers. However, sponsorship had no effect on source credibility among either population. CONCLUSIONS We found no evidence that adding FDA as the source is likely to boost source credibility judgments, at least in the short term; though doing so would not appear to have adverse effects on credibility judgments. As such, our data are largely consistent with the Tobacco Control Act's provisions that allow, but do not require, FDA sponsorship on the labels. IMPLICATIONS This study addresses FDA's regulatory efforts by informing the possible design | 221085871 |
4,508,489 | and content of future cigarette warning labels. Our results do not offer compelling evidence that adding the FDA name on GWLs will directly increase source credibility. Future work may test more explicit FDA source labeling and continue to examine the credibility of tobacco message content among high-priority populations. | 221085871 |
4,508,490 | Evidence for Positive Mood Buffering Among College Student Drinkers Positive experiences play an important role in buffering the effects of negative experiences. Although this process can play out in a myriad of contexts, the college context is one of particular importance because of significant concerns about student stress levels and alcohol abuse. Building on evidence that at least some students drink in response to negative experiences, we considered the possibility that positive moods would moderate college student negative mood—drinking relationships. Using a Web-based daily process study of 118 (57% women) undergraduate student drinkers, the authors reveal that positive moods indeed buffer the effects of negative moods on student drinking, depending on the mood and drinking context. Furthermore, the buffering of ashamed mood appears to explain the buffering of other negative moods. Implications of these findings are considered in terms of the relationship between negative self-awareness and drinking to cope. | 206443421 |
4,508,491 | Primary human immune response to dendritic cell inoculation in humanized mice Models for investigating the use of human dendritic cells (DC) in active immunotherapy are limited. Humanized (Hu) NOD/SCID mice were evaluated for their capacity to respond to injected allogenic DCs. Hu‐mice were generated by implanting human fetal thymus and liver under the kidney capsule, followed 3 weeks later by injection of autologous CD34+ cells. Flow cytometry analysis for human cells in peripheral blood of n=11 mice at 4 months showed: 59+13% CD45+ cells, 83+2% T cells, 9% B cells, and 2% myeloid cells. Human cells were present in bone marrow, 16+7%, spleen, 30+6%, and lymph nodes 2+0.4%. T and B cells were organized in germinal centre‐like structures in the spleen. Mice were inoculated intravenously with luciferase gene marked human, allogenic DCs to localize migration patterns and evaluate immune responses. Bioluminescence imaging showed DCs throughout mice and in organs. Stimulation of spleen cells from DC inoculated mice, in vitro, with matched autologous or allogenic DCs, showed proliferation of CD8+ T cells to only the Hu‐mouse allogenic cells used for injection. CD8+ T cells expressed the perforin degranulation marker, CD107a, and half of these cells were positive for intracellular IFNr, indicating acquired cytotoxic function. Studies are underway to assess responses to CMV antigens. Hu‐mice may be useful for investigating primary immune responses to vaccines. | 87320521 |
4,508,492 | Uptake of clarithromycin by rat lung cells. To evaluate the affinity of clarithromycin (6-O-methylerythromycin A) for lung tissue, the in-vivo and in-vitro uptake of [14C]clarithromycin and [14C]erythromycin by rat lung cells was compared, and the characteristics of the uptake mechanism were investigated. After the administration into the external jugular vein of rats, clarithromycin was found in much higher concentrations in the lung tissue than erythromycin. In isolated lung cells, clarithromycin was also found in greater concentrations than erythromycin. The amount of clarithromycin was ten times that of erythromycin after 5 min incubation. This uptake profile was quite different from that observed in isolated liver cells. Uptake by lung cells for both antibiotics was shown to be an active process, as revealed by the need for cell viability, a suitable environmental temperature and ATP. Clarithromycin uptake proved to be dependent in part upon mitochondrial oxidative respiration. Kinetic analysis indicated that clarithromycin transport was saturable, with a relatively high binding affinity and velocity of uptake. Clarithromycin transport was significantly inhibited by 6-O-methylerythromycin analogues, but was not influenced by other analogues, including erythromycin. Competitive inhibition of clarithromycin uptake was demonstrated by 6,11,12.4"-tetra-O-methylerythromycin, one of the mutual inhibitors. These findings may suggest that clarithromycin utilizes a carrier-mediated transport system in the lung cells, which is common to 6-O-methylerythromycins. This difference of uptake mechanism between both antibiotics may account in part for the greater clarithromycin uptake by the lung cells. | 8600821 |
4,508,493 | Scaling Length Theory of Double-Gate Interband Tunnel Field-Effect Transistors A scaling theory of double-gate interband tunnel field-effect transistors (TFETs) using a physics-based 2-D analytical model is presented. Ignoring the mobile charge in the channel, the electrostatic potential profile and electric field are analytically solved, and the current is calculated by integrating the band-to-band tunneling generation rate over the volume of the device. The analytical model has excellent agreement with the numerical results obtained from a commercial simulator and atomistic nonequilibrium Green function simulations for both heterojunction and homojunction TFETs. The analytical model allows us to quantitatively extract the electrostatic scaling lengths in TFETs and compare the short-channel effect of TFETs with that of MOSFETs. We conclude that double-gate TFETs exhibit superior short-channel performance than their MOSFETs counterparts at a longer gate length (greater than four times the scaling length), but the scalability of the TFETs degrades at a faster rate than MOSFETs do at smaller gate lengths (less than four times the scaling length). | 29027021 |
4,508,494 | Anal submucosal injection: a new route for drug administration in pelvic malignancies. III. Misonidazole distribution in serum, uterus and vagina: an experimental study. The anal and oral administration routes were compared in 40 rats to study the distribution of misonidazole (MIS), a radiation sensitizer, in the serum, uterus and vagina. 14C-labelled MIS was administered in a dose of 0.2 ml water/100 g body weight containing 1 microCi MIS. The dose was given orally in 20 rats and was injected in the anal submucosa in another 20 rats. Animals were then sacrificed after 15, 30, 60 or 120 min or after 24 h. Serum samples was taken at the time of sacrifice; organs were dissected and radioactivity was determined in each by the internal standard method. The study has shown that the highest drug concentration in uterus and vagina relative to serum was achieved by the anal submucosal route. They showed a drug concentration of 10 and 8 times, respectively, of the serum level after 15 min in contrast to oral administration, which in the same period of time produced a drug concentration of 1/5 and 1/4 the serum level. The anal route thus offers an adequate channel for MIS administration to promote radiation responsiveness in cancer of uterus and vagina. | 3363721 |
4,508,495 | Signaling Events During Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate-Regulated Pigment Aggregation in Freshwater Shrimp Chromatophores Crustacean color change results partly from granule aggregation induced by red pigment concentrating hormone (RPCH). In shrimp chromatophores, both the cyclic GMP (3′, 5′-guanosine monophosphate) and Ca2+ cascades mediate pigment aggregation. However, the signaling elements upstream and downstream from cGMP synthesis by GC-S (cytosolic guanylyl cyclase) remain obscure. We investigate post-RPCH binding events in perfused red ovarian chromatophores to disclose the steps modulating cGMP concentration, which regulates granule translocation. The inhibition of calcium/calmodulin complex (Ca2+/CaM) by N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulphonamide (W7) induces spontaneous aggregation but inhibits RPCH-triggered aggregation, suggesting a role in pigment aggregation and dispersion. Nitric oxide synthase inhibition by Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (l-NAME) strongly diminishes RPCH-induced aggregation; protein kinase G inhibition (by rp-cGMPs-triethylamine) reduces RPCH-triggered aggregation and provokes spontaneous dispersion, disclosing NO/PKG participation in aggregation signaling. Myosin light chain phosphatase inhibition (by cantharidin) accelerates RPCH-triggered aggregation, whereas Rho-associated protein kinase inhibition (by Y-27632, H-11522) reduces RPCH-induced aggregation and accelerates dispersion. MLCP (myosin light chain kinase) and ROCK (Rho-associated protein kinase) may antagonistically regulate myosin light chain (MLC) dephosphorylation/phosphorylation during pigment dispersion/aggregation. We propose the following general hypothesis for the cGMP/Ca2+ cascades that regulate pigment aggregation in crustacean chromatophores: RPCH binding increases Ca2+int, activating the Ca2+/CaM complex, releasing NOS-produced nitric oxide, and causing GC-S to synthesize cGMP that activates PKG, which phosphorylates an MLC activation site. Myosin motor activity is initiated by phosphorylation of an MLC regulatory site by ROCK activity and terminated by MLCP-mediated dephosphorylation. Qualitative comparison reveals that this signaling pathway is conserved | 42226721 |
4,508,496 | in vertebrate and invertebrate chromatophores alike. | 42226721 |
4,508,497 | Evolution Characteristics of an Industrial Application Framework 1 1 ABSTRACT Object-oriented application frameworks present one of the most successful approaches to developing reusable assets in industry, but developing frameworks is both difficult and expensive. Framework generally evolve through a number of iterations due to the incorporation of new requirements and better domain understanding. In this paper we present experiences from a proprietary black-box application framework in the telecommunication domain. During six years four major version of the application framework has been developed and over 30 installations at customer sites has been done. We present effort data for the framework development [13] as well as framework-specific data for a set of metrics which have been used in [12] for formulating six hypotheses about framework stability. In this paper we provide information for presenting four of the hypotheses. The effort data gives quantitative support for the claim that framework technology delivers reduced application development efforts. In fact the effort data shows that the average application development effort is less than 2% of the framework development effort[13]. 1 INTRODUCTION During recent years, object-oriented framework technology has become common technology in object-oriented software development [1, 5, 9, 14, 15].The task of developing object-oriented application frameworks is both difficult and expensive [16, 10]. Major challenges in framework development are capturing the core domain concepts and incorporating the variability required by application developers. It is generally hard to foresee in what ways the application developers will reuse a framework. Therefore, frameworks tend to evolve through a number of iterations, leading to new | 16180371 |
4,508,498 | versions, due to the incorporation of new or changed requirements, better domain understanding and fault corrections. | 16180371 |
4,508,499 | Electronic structure of CuAlO2 and CuScO2 delafossites under pressure The electronic structure of CuAlO2 and CuScO2 delafossites is investigated by means of optical absorption measurements under pressure and ab initio band structure calculations. Measurements are carried out on CuAlO2 monocrystals and pulsed laser deposited CuAlO2 and CuScO2 thin films up to 20 GPa. CuAlO2 is an indirect semiconductor that is stable in the pressure range explored here. The pressure coefficients of the indirect and direct gaps are found to be 15 meV/GPa and 2 meV/GPa respectively. CuScO2 is a direct semiconductor and the pressure coefficient of the excitonic peak energy is –5.5 meV/GPa. Two reversible phase transitions are observed in CuScO2. At 13 GPa the delafossite structure becomes unstable and an unidentified intermediate high pressure phase is observed, which coexists with the delafossite phase up to 18 GPa. The intermediate phase is also a wide gap semiconductor, with an step‐like absorption edge at the energy of 3.42 ± 0.02 eV at 14.0 GPa and a positive pressure coefficient. Above 18 GPa, the absorption edge becomes structureless and its form seems to be that of an indirect gap. In the downstroke, the same sequence of changes is observed, with a hysteresis of about 4 GPa, confirming the structural nature of the transitions. These results are interpreted in the light of theoretical ab initio band structure calculations. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) | 98614671 |
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