cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conceptual and Moral Problems of Genetic and Non-Genetic Preventive Interventions

The burgeoning field of genetic medicine utilizes knowledge of the molecular basis of heredity to diagnose, predict the likelihood of, prevent, and treat disease. Because genetic medicine has the potential to push our diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities beyond present boundaries, it is appropriate to ask whether it also raises unique ethical problems. A prevailing view is that it does; many contributions in the popular press—for example, Dangerous Diagnostics (Nelkin and Tancredi, 1994), Exploding the Gene Myth (Hubbard and Wald, 1993)—suggest that genetic medicine traverses new territory, posing unique conceptual challenges and ethical risks that lie beyond the realm of ordinary, non-genetic medical interventions.
A place to heal: a qualitative focus group study of respite care preferences among individuals experiencing homelessness*

ABSTRACTHomeless patients have longer hospital stays than housed persons due, in part, to a lack of safe discharge locations. Respite care for homeless individuals decreases hospital length of stay and readmissions rates. This study aimed to develop client-centered recommendations for medical respite care. We conducted four focus group interviews (n = 25 participants) between August 2010 and February 2013 of homeless adult residents in Minnesota. Four domains of respite care were identified from content analysis of interviews: physical, relational, facilitation, and amenities. Novel recommendations include (a) a facility equipped to address mental health and substance dependence needs, (b) a standardized training protocol for respite staff, (c) the creation of a patient advocate, and (d) the creation of a respite case manager to facilitate post-discharge instructions and connection to primary care and social services. These new and actionable recommendations could help inform policies and the development ...
The Association Between Cannabis Use and Schizotypy

Schizotypy generally refers to a set of behavioral, cognitive, perceptual, and affective traits that are found in the general population. Schizotypy can be best conceptualized as psychosis-proneness; that is, individuals who have a genetically inherited vulnerability (i.e., schizotaxia) develop a personality organization (i.e., schizotypy) that increases their risk of developing schizophrenia. Schizotypy is measured by a variety of self-report questionnaires, including the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), which assesses various positive (e.g., unusual perceptual experiences), negative (e.g., social isolation), and disorganized (e.g., odd/eccentric thinking) aspects of this construct. Many studies have examined the relationship between cannabis use and schizotypy and support exists for the view that cannabis users show higher scores on positive and disorganized features of schizotypy. Other studies, however, have challenged this view. Future research should focus on employing more laboratory measures of schizotypy, among diverse samples, and using longitudinal designs.
Ascending aortic size in aortic coarctation depends on aortic valve morphology: Understanding the bicuspid valve phenotype

Abstract Background In roughly half of patients with coarctation of the aorta (CoA), the aorta may be enlarged. It is uncertain whether enlargement is independent of aortic valve morphology. We sought to compare aortic size in CoA with a tricuspid valve (TAV) to those with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Methods Sixty-eight CoA patients and 20 healthy controls with prior cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging were included. CMR was retrospectively reanalyzed to measure aortic root and mid-ascending aorta. The maximum aortic diameter was compared between CoA with TAV, CoA with BAV, and control groups. Results CoA with TAV patients ( n =27) had smaller aortic root diameters than CoA with BAV ( n =41) (32±4.9 vs. 37±5.8mm, p =0.001), despite being older (40 vs. 32years, p =0.01). Similarly, TAV CoA patients had a smaller mid-ascending aortic diameter (28±4.5 vs. 33±6.9mm, p =0.019) than BAV patients. TAV CoA was similar to controls in all metrics. Twenty-four patients (35%) with CoA had dilated aortas (>37mm), of which 79% had BAV. A history of hypertension did not predict larger aortic root or mid-ascending aortic dimensions. Conclusions In patients with CoA, TAV is associated with smaller aortic size compared to those with BAV, and similar to healthy controls. Aortic size in CoA is independent of hypertension. Therefore, aortopathy associated with BAV is likely a reflection of the BAV phenotype rather than CoA or its physiologic effects. This distinction may have implications for the frequency and types of monitoring and treatment of CoA patients.
Variabilities in probabilistic seismic hazard maps for natural and induced seismicity in the central and eastern United States

Abstract Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) characterizes ground-motion hazard from earthquakes. Typically, the time horizon of a PSHA forecast is long, but in response to induced seismic...
Engineering controls in veterinary oncology: A survey of 148 ACVIM board-certified oncologists and environmental surveillance in 20 specialty hospitals.

Engineering controls (EC, facility and equipment barriers between hazards and people) are used to avoid exposure to chemotherapy drugs. In this study, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine board-certified veterinary oncologists were surveyed about their use of containment primary EC (C-PEC) and supplemental EC (closed system transfer devices, CSTD). The survey was completed by 148 (38%) of practicing diplomates. All used EC. Both C-PEC and CSTD were used at 92% of hospitals; however, US Pharmacopoeial Convention Chapter (USP ) standards were met at only 19% of hospitals and oncologists did not know the type of C-PEC at 18% of hospitals. Next, surface contamination and EC use were assessed with environmental surveillance for carboplatin, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and vincristine in 20 veterinary specialty hospitals using a commercially available kit. No contamination with carboplatin, doxorubicin, or vincristine was detected, however, there was contamination with cyclophosphamide at 4 hospitals. Based on this study, most veterinary oncologists use C-PEC and CSTD, but few meet USP standards. Current measures appear effective for preventing contamination with IV drugs, but additional measures are needed for oral drugs.
Unit Step Response as Figured from Inverse Transform

The unit step response of a system is second in order of importance after the impulse response. Before, we figured the unit step response either by directly solving the relevant differential equations, or by simply integrating the impulse response. Here we figure the unit step response by starting with the system transfer function, dividing by s, and then by finding the inverse Laplace transform of the resulting function. The division by s is needed since 1/s is the Laplace transform of the unit step function! Notice that the frequency spectrum of the unit step function samples all frequencies, but more strongly at DC and low frequencies; this is in contrast to the impulse which samples all frequencies uniformly. By doing frequency multiplication the only remaining step is to do the inverse transform (which is frequency integration); but in the impulse response integration approach we have to first do the frequency integration (to get impulse response) and then do time integration (to get step response). We illustrate the unit step response derivation via a handful of examples where we picked the impedance as our transfer function. We apply the method on various RLC networks starting with the transfer function, dividing by s, and then doing inverse transform. Along the way we study some interesting details of those circuits and do some variations on them.
Hysteretic electro-mechanical coupling response of PZT fibers: Constitutive modeling and experiments

ABSTRACTPiezoelectric (lead zirconate titanate, PZT) fibers show hysteretic behavior when subjected to cyclic mechanical loading, under tension, and cyclic electric field. The hysteretic response under the above loading conditions is manifested due to microstructural changes such as reorientation of dipolar domains in the crystalline regions and other possible permanent microstructural changes such as cracking. In describing the above macroscopic behavior of PZT fibers a constitutive model based on a multiple natural configuration approach is formulated. It is assumed that the body has multiple natural configurations associated with the original and newly formed configurations. The new microstructure is formed when the body is subjected to external stimuli, i.e., stress and electric field, leading to reorientation of the dipoles in the crystalline regions. A constitutive model for the electro-mechanical coupling behavior is formulated by defining Gibbs potential in terms of the stress, electric field, and...
On Data Integration Problems With Manifolds

This article focuses on data integration problems where the predictor variables for some response variable partition into known subsets. This type of data is often referred to as multi-view data, a...
New Stoichiometric and Catalytic Pentamethylcyclopentadienyl Organoactinide Chemistry

This paper reviews recent results on the synthesis and properties of thorium and uranium bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) chlorides, hydrocarbyls, chlorohydrocarbyls, and hydrides. These are some of the most reactive and chemically diverse organoactinides prepared to date. Reaction patterns of the metal-carbon sigma bonds which are discussed include C-H and H-H activation. Hydrogenolysis has afforded the first molecular actinide hydrides. The hydrides exhibit appreciable hydridic character. They also activate molecular hydrogen and olefins. The olefin activation and hydrogenolysis reactions can be coupled to effect homogeneous, catalytic olefin hydrogenation. The differences between thorium and uranium chemistry appear largely to reflect differences in accessible oxidation states and in metal-ligand bond polarity.
Thermal van der Waals and optical forces among molecular and macroscopic bodies (Conference Presentation)

Van der Waals (vdW) forces play an integral role in the binding and interaction energies of molecules in condensed phases; their long-range, many-body nature can modify phonons in molecular crystals and thereby impact thermodynamic stability. Typical macroscopic descriptions of such optical forces tend to ignore important atomistic effects arising at short (nanometric) scales, while microscopic treatments tend to ignore long-range, geometry-dependent electromagnetic effects. We describe an ab-initio approach to model such fluctuation-induced forces in mesoscopic systems comprising large molecules in the vicinity of macroscopic bodies, conjoining atomistic treatments of electronic and vibrational fluctuations derived from density functional theory in the former, with continuum descriptions of electromagnetic response in the latter, thereby accounting for many-body and multiple scattering effects to all orders. Such long-range electromagnetic effects become particularly important in situations where the finite sizes and shapes of the molecules and continuum bodies combine to create phonon polaritons with highly delocalized (nonlocal) charge distributions. We find that even in small molecules, but especially in elongated low-dimensional molecular systems, these effects modify van der Waals forces by orders of magnitude and produce qualitatively different behavior compared to predictions based on simple dipolar or pairwise approximations, valid only in atomically small or dilute molecular systems. In particular, we focus on the interactions of fullerenes, carbyne wires, and graphene sheets with one another and with a gold surface. We compare forces with and without phonon and at multiple temperatures, and compare our predictions to those obtained from commonly used dipolar and continuum treatments. In particular, we show that phonons can delocalize molecular charge distributions from a few angstroms to several nanometers, in ways that depend strongly on the shape of the molecules and their proximity to the surface. Even for small fullerenes, phonons can lead to force deviations at tens of nanometer separations from the surface compared to treatments lacking phononic effects, while for higher dimensional molecules such as elongated carbyne wires and graphene sheets, the nonlocality of these interactions produces nonmonotonic power laws that cannot be qualitatively captured by dipolar and/or continuum models.
Reconsidering the Number of Women With HIV Infection Who Give Birth Annually in the United States

Objectives:The annual number of women with HIV infection who delivered infants in the United States was estimated to be 8700 in 2006. An accurate, current estimate is important for guiding perinata...
How I treat the blast phase of Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms.

The classic Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)–negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are a heterogeneous group of hematopoietic stem-cell diseases, characterized by activated JAK/STAT signaling and significant phenotypic mimicry, including a propensity for evolution to myeloid blast phase disease. Effective therapeutic options are limited for patients with Ph− MPNs in the blast phase (MPN-BP), and allogeneic stem-cell transplantation is the only known cure. Our increasing understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of this group of diseases, coupled with the increasing availability of targeted agents, has the potential to inform new subset-specific therapeutic approaches. Ultimately, progress in MPN-BP will hinge on prospective clinical and translational investigations with the goal of generating more effective treatment interventions. This case-based review highlights the molecular and clinical heterogeneities of MPN-BP and incorporates a treatment algorithm that underscores the importance of a personalized approach to this challenging group of diseases.
Does Occupancy Status Matter in Subprime Mortgage

By using submortgage data, we found that investors are being charged with a significant risk premium over owner occupants; besides that, they are also facing a more restricted loan; with the market getting hotter, this risk premium and restrictions are getting even worse. Being treated like that, our findings show that investors were actually not more risky than owner occupants in terms of both prepayment and default. We suspect the reason for this puzzle is that when the market getting hotter, there are more speculative investors who commit occupancy fraud to get a more favorable loan. And these speculative investors were actually recorded as owner occupants on loan documents, which increased our estimation of the hazard of owner occupants group. And our information asymmetry test actually reaffirmed our suspect. Therefore, this paper, for the first time, give statistical evidence on occupancy fraud, and we also proposed a statistical scanning way to reduce to potential occupancy fraud.
Evaluation of an Engineered Hybrid Matrix for Bone Regeneration via Endochondral Ossification

Despite its regenerative ability, long and segmental bone defect repair remains a significant orthopedic challenge. Conventional tissue engineering efforts induce bone formation through intramembranous ossification (IO) which limits vascular formation and leads to poor bone regeneration. To overcome this challenge, a novel hybrid matrix comprised of a load-bearing polymer template and a gel phase is designed and assessed for bone regeneration. Our previous studies developed a synthetic ECM, hyaluronan (HA)-fibrin (FB), that is able to mimic cartilage-mediated bone formation in vitro. In this study, the well-characterized HA-FB hydrogel is combined with a biodegradable polymer template to form a hybrid matrix. In vitro evaluation of the matrix showed cartilage template formation, cell recruitment and recruited cell osteogenesis, essential stages in endochondral ossification. A transgenic reporter-mouse critical-defect model was used to evaluate the bone healing potential of the hybrid matrix in vivo. The results demonstrated host cell recruitment into the hybrid matrix that led to new bone formation and subsequent remodeling of the mineralization. Overall, the study developed and evaluated a novel load-bearing graft system for bone regeneration via endochondral ossification.
Use of Drug Treatment Services Among Adults With Opioid Use Disorder: Rates, Patterns, and Correlates

Objectives:The study examined rates, patterns, and correlates of drug treatment services use among adults with opioid use disorder compared with adults with other drug use disorders.Methods:Data we...
Abstract B03: E-cigarette vapor exposure skews competition between colonizing oral Streptococci to allow biofilm formation of S. mutans and activation of stress and survival pathways in the oral cavity

E-cigarette (e-cig) use is rising, but much is unknown about the effects of its vapor. This vapor contains chemicals such as propylene glycol, a known antimicrobial, and nicotine, whose derivatives are carcinogenic. Here, we study the effects of vaping on resident bacteria of the oral cavity and on oral cell inflammation, which is linked to tumorigenesis. Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Streptococcus gordonii species are significant residents in the oral cavity, with S. mutans the primary cause of dental caries. Growth and biofilm formation is enhanced upon exposure to traditional cigarette smoke in vitro. We aim to analyze the interplay between e-cigarette vapor and oral streptococci colonizing of the oral epithelium. S. mutans, S. sanguinis, and S. gordonii were treated using nicotine-free and 3mg nicotine vapor, as well as double-shot menthol freeze flavored 3mg nicotine vapor in a vape chamber designed to phenocopy physiologically relevant exposure. Next, we analyzed the effects on growth and biofilm formation. Nicotine-independent inhibition of growth occurred upon exposure in all three species. Interestingly, biofilm formation was enhanced in S. mutans while decreased in S. sanguinis and S. gordonii. Upon exposure to the same conditions in the vape chamber, oral epithelial cells showed activation of survival pathways, such as ERK 1/2, by Western blot. Upon coculturing of bacterial and oral epithelial cells at a multiplicity of infection of one for five hours exposed to the same conditions, we observed activation of survival and inflammatory pathways, by Western blot. The pioneer colonizers S. gordonii and S. sanguinis generally antagonize caries-causing S. mutans, which can become a predominant member of the community under appropriate conditions, leading to dental caries formation. The observed decrease in the biofilm formation of the commensals S. sanguinis and S. gordonii upon e-cig vapor exposure indicates the opportunistic colonization of S. mutans, whose biofilm-forming abilities increased. Following e-cig usage, dental caries, periodontitis, and eventually cancer in the oral epithelium may result from this dysbiosis of the microbiome in the oral cavity. Citation Format: Matthew Caldwell, Alma Catala Valentin, Joshua Bernard, Sean Moore, Claudia D. Andl. E-cigarette vapor exposure skews competition between colonizing oral Streptococci to allow biofilm formation of S. mutans and activation of stress and survival pathways in the oral cavity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Microbiome, Viruses, and Cancer; 2020 Feb 21-24; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(8 Suppl):Abstract nr B03.
Physician Responsiveness to Positive Blood Culture Results at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Hospital-Is Anyone Paying Attention?

Background Patients presenting with suspected infections are typically placed on empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics. With mounting evidence supporting the efficacy of using the narrowest spectrum of antimicrobial therapy to cover the suspected pathogen, current guidelines recommend decreasing the breadth of coverage in response to culture results both in relation to microbe identification and antibiotic sensitivity. Methods A retrospective chart review of electronic health records at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Minnesota was performed for 208 positive blood cultures with antibiotic spectrum analysis from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. The time of reporting for pathogen identification and subsequent pathogen susceptibilities were compared to the time at which any alterations to antibiotic coverage were made. The breadth of antibiotic coverage was recorded using a nonlinear spectrum score. The use of this score allowed for the reliable classification of antibiotic adjustments as either deescalation, escalation, or no change. Results The percentage of cases deescalated was higher in response to physician (house staff or attending physician) notification of pathogen susceptibility information when compared with a response to pathogen identification alone (33.2% vs 22.6%). Empiric antibiotics were not altered within 24 hours in response to pathogen identification in 70.7% of cases and were not altered within 24 hours in response to pathogen sensitivity determination in 58.6% of cases. However, when considering the time frame from when empiric antibiotics were started to 24 hours after notification of susceptibility information, 49.5% of cases were deescalated and 41.5% of cases had no net change in the antibiotic spectrum score. The magnitude of deescalations were notably larger than escalations. The mean (SD) time to deescalation of antibiotic coverage was shorter (P =.049) in response to pathogen identification at 8 (7.4) hours compared with sensitivity information at 10.4 (7) hours, but may not be clinically relevant. Conclusion Health care providers at the Minneapolis VAMC appear to be using positive blood culture results in a timely fashion consistent with best practices. Because empirically initiated antibiotics typically are broad in spectrum, the magnitude of deescalations were notably larger than escalations. Adherence to these standards may be a reflection of the infectious disease staff oversight of antibiotic administration. Furthermore, the systems outlined in this quality improvement study may be replicated at other VAMCs across the country by either in-house infectious disease staff or through remote monitoring of the electronic health record by other infectious disease experts at a more centralized VAMC. Widespread adoption throughout the Veterans Health Administration may result in improved antibiotic resistance profiles and better clinical outcomes for our nation's veterans.
Predicting Polymers' Glass Transition Temperature by a Chemical Language Processing Model.

We propose a chemical language processing model to predict polymers’ glass transition temperature (Tg) through a polymer language (SMILES, Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System) embedding and recurrent neural network. This model only receives the SMILES strings of a polymer’s repeat units as inputs and considers the SMILES strings as sequential data at the character level. Using this method, there is no need to calculate any additional molecular descriptors or fingerprints of polymers, and thereby, being very computationally efficient. More importantly, it avoids the difficulties to generate molecular descriptors for repeat units containing polymerization point ‘*’. Results show that the trained model demonstrates reasonable prediction performance on unseen polymer’s Tg. Besides, this model is further applied for high-throughput screening on an unlabeled polymer database to identify high-temperature polymers that are desired for applications in extreme environments. Our work demonstrates that the SMILES strings of polymer repeat units can be used as an effective feature representation to develop a chemical language processing model for predictions of polymer Tg. The framework of this model is general and can be used to construct structure–property relationships for other polymer properties.
Targeting metabotropic glutamate receptors for the treatment of depression and other stress-related disorders.

Abstract The discovery of robust antidepressant effects of ketamine in refractory patients has led to increasing focus on agents targeting glutamatergic signaling as potential novel antidepressant strategy. Among the agents targeting the glutamatergic system, compounds acting at metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors are among the most promising agents under studies for depressive disorders. Further, the receptor diversity, distinct distribution in the CNS, and ability to modulate the glutamatergic neurotransmission in the brain areas implicated in mood disorders make them an exciting target for stress-related disorders. In preclinical models, antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of mGlu5 negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) have been reported. Interestingly, mGlu2/3 receptor antagonists show fast and sustained antidepressant-like effects similar to that of ketamine in rodents. Excitingly, they can also induce antidepressant effects in the animal models of treatment-resistant depression and are devoid of the side-effects associated with ketamine. Unfortunately, clinical trials of both mGlu5 and mGlu2/3 receptor NAMs have been inconclusive, and additional trials using other compounds with suitable preclinical and clinical properties are needed. Although group III mGlu receptors have gained less attention, mGlu7 receptor ligands have been shown to induce antidepressant-like effects in rodents. Collectively, compounds targeting mGlu receptors provide an alternative approach to fill the outstanding clinical need for safer and more efficacious antidepressants. This article is part of the special Issue on “Glutamate Receptors – mGluRs”.
Mindful Gaming: User Experiences with Headspace and Walden, a Game

Headspace is a gamified app designed to teach mindfulness, and Walden is an experimental game that moves beyond traditional game mechanics in order to encourage mindful play. Through semi-structured interviews and contextual inquiry think-aloud sessions, this phenomenological case study compares user experiences with these two pieces of software. Findings include descriptions of how participants experienced mindfulness as contemplative self-reflection, as a long-term process, as a byproduct of play, and as a tension between exploration and completing objectives. These findings are analyzed in relation to extant theories of game design and mindfulness, especially Brian Upton’s theory of ludic semiotics [1]. The resulting insights have informed the first and third authors’ development of two new pieces of software: a mindfulness practice module that is a component of a new version of Walden designed for use in schools, and a study aid called Lofi Hip Hop Worlds to Study In. This outcome highlights the relevance of qualitative user experience research for the iterative, playcentric design [2] of educational technologies.
Process Mining Combined with Expert Feature Engineering to Predict Efficient Use of Time on High-Stakes Assessments

The Big Data for Education Spoke of the NSF Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub and ETS co-sponsored an educational data mining competition in which contestants were asked to predict efficient time use on the NAEP 8th grade mathematics computer-based assessment, based on the log file of a student’s actions on a prior portion of the assessment. In this work, a combined approach of process mining and expert feature engineering was used to build a large set of features that were then trained with an Extreme Gradient Boosting machine learning model to classify students based on whether they would use their time efficiently. Predictions were evaluated throughout the competition on half of a hidden data set and then the final results were based on the second half of the hidden data set. The approach used here earned the top score in the competition. The work presented elaborates on the combined technique for analyzing computer-based assessment log-file data with the hope that this approach will offer valuable insights for future predictive model building in educational data mining.
Development of PROSTVAC immunotherapy in prostate cancer

PROSTVAC immunotherapy is a heterologous prime-boost regimen of two different recombinant pox-virus vectors; vaccinia as the primary immunotherapy, followed by boosters employing fowlpox, to provoke immune responses against prostate-specific antigen. Both vectors contain transgenes for prostate-specific antigen and a triad of T-cell costimulatory molecules (TRICOM). In a placebo-controlled Phase II trial of men with minimally symptomatic, chemotherapy-naive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, PROSTVAC was well tolerated and associated with a 44% reduction in death. With a novel mechanism of action, and excellent tolerability, PROSTVAC has the potential to dramatically alter the treatment landscape of prostate cancer, not only as a monotherapy, but also in combination with other novel agents, such as immune check point inhibitors and novel androgen receptor blockers. A Phase III trial recently completed accrual.
The nuclear-polyhedrosis virus of Heliothis zea (boddie) and Heliothis virescens (fabricius)

Abstract The nuclear-polyhedrosis virus propagated in larvae of the bollworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie), reared on a semisynthetic diet was effective against field populations of H. zea on grain sorghum, corn, and cotton, and the tobacco budworm, H. virescens (Fabricius), on cotton. A single application of the virus at 9.96 × 10 11 polyhedral inclusion bodies (PIBs)/acre gave effective control of H. zea on grain sorghum. Highly significant reductions in H. zea infestations on corn were obtained in three experiments with several applications of 6 × 10 11 PIBs/acre. In two tests against H. zea and H. virescens on cotton, the virus, applied several times at 6 × 10 11 PIBs/acre, compared favorably with insecticides recommended on cotton. In another test on cotton in which no insecticide was used, the virus, applied at 6 × 10 11 and 6 × 10 12 PIBs/acre, controlled heavy populations of both Heliothis species.
Loglinear-Based Quasi Cubes

A data cube is a popular organization for summary data. A cube is simply a multidimensional structure that contains in each cell an aggregate value, i.e., the result of applying an aggregate function to an underlying relation. In practical situations, cubes can require a large amount of storage, so, compressing them is of practical importance. In this paper, we propose an approximation technique that reduces the storage cost of the cube at the price of getting approximate answers for the queries posed against the cube. The idea is to characterize regions of the cube by using statistical models whose description take less space than the data itself. Then, the model parameters can be used to estimate the cube cells with a certain level of accuracy. To increase the accuracy, and to guarantee the level of error in the query answers, some of the “outliers” (i.e., cells that incur in the largest errors when estimated), are retained. The storage taken by the model parameters and the retained cells, of course, should take a fraction of the space of the full cube and the estimation procedure should be faster than computing the data from the underlying relations. We use loglinear models to model the cube regions. Experiments show that the errors introduced in typical queries are small even when the description is substantially smaller than the full cube. Since cubes are used to support data analysis and analysts are rarely interested in the precise values of the aggregates (but rather in trends), providing approximate answers is, in most cases, a satisfactory compromise. Although other techniques have been used for the purpose of compressing data cubes, ours has the advantage of using parametric (loglinear) models and the retaining of outliers, which enables the system to give error guarantees that are data independent, for every query posed on the data cube. The models also offer information about the underlying structure of the data modeled by them. Moreover, these models are relatively easy to update dynamically as data is added to the warehouse.
NF/Observatory Networking with Linux

An observatory in New Mexico uses Linux to network the computers providing remote control of its optical telescope
Quantitative generalizations of languages

In the traditional view, a language is a set of words, i.e., a function from words to boolean values. We call this view “qualitative,” because each word either belongs to or does not belong to a language. Let Σ be an alphabet, and let us consider infinite words over Σ. Formally, a qualitative language over Σ is a function A: \(\Sigma^\omega\rightarrow\mathbb{B}\). There are many applications of qualitative languages. For example, qualitative languages are used to specify the legal behaviors of systems, and zero-sum objectives of games played on graphs. In the former case, each behavior of a system is either legal or illegal; in the latter case, each outcome of a game is either winning or losing. For defining languages, it is convenient to use finite acceptors (or generators). In particular, qualitative languages are often defined using finite-state machines (so-called ω-automata) whose transitions are labeled by letters from Σ. For example, the states of an ω-automaton may represent states of a system, and the transition labels may represent atomic observables of a behavior. There is a rich and well-studied theory of finite-state acceptors of qualitative languages, namely, the theory of theω-regular languages.
5 - Synthesis of Earthquake Science Information and Its Public Transfer: A History of the Southern California Earthquake Center

Earthquake science has made significant stride because of the plate tectonic revolution, wide acceptance of the fault model, and advances in computer technology. The increasing societal need for mitigating earthquake hazard has also been an important factor for its development. This chapter describes the concept of a master model, which is proposed as a framework for unifying multidisciplinary observations pertinent to earthquakes in Southern California. It also explores the concept of a master model serving as the dual purpose at the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC). The first-generation master model was constructed in response to the public's need for information on future earthquakes in Southern California after the Landers earthquake of 1992. This model gave a consensus view of the scientific community on future earthquakes in Southern California and also stimulated creative science through vigorous interactions among various disciplines involved in earthquake studies. The first-generation master model unifies the multidisciplinary data through its end product—namely, the Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA). The discovery of seismic guided waves trapped in the fault zone of the Landers earthquake of 1992 and the temporal change in their properties associated with possible healing of the fault measured in repeated controlled experiments can offer a field estimation of the parameters of the rate- and state-dependent friction law, which can be used to develop a computer model of earthquake occurrence relevant to the time scale of interest to SCEC.
Regulation and Function of Lactate Oxidation in Streptococcus faecium

Regulation of the synthesis and function of an l(+)-specific lactate-oxidizing enzyme system found in a homofermentative Streptococcus was investigated. With the exception of fructose, aerobic growth at the expense of a variety of substrates resulted in the formation of a lactate oxidation system; anaerobic growth resulted in a marked reduction or complete loss of lactate-oxidizing activity. Growth on fructose, under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, invariably produced a decrease in the activity of the lactate oxidation system. A negative control, activated by an early intermediate product of glycolysis, appeared to be responsible for repression of the lactate-oxidizing enzyme(s). The enzyme system confers upon the organism the ability to grow aerobically at the expense of l(+)-lactic acid.
Should the Victims' Rights Movement Have Influence Over Criminal Law Formulation and Adjudiciation?

The victims' rights movement has come into increasing influence in setting criminal justice policy. What can be said about where its influence should be heeded, and where it should not? With regard to substantive criminal law in particular, should the victims' rights movement have influence over its formulation and adjudication? The short answer, on which I'll elaborate, is that it ought to have influence over criminal law formulation but not necessarily over criminal law adjudication. It ought to have influence over criminal law formulation because there is great benefit in formulations that track shared lay intuitions of justice, and the victims' rights movement is the dominant organization of lay persons involved in criminal justice reform. Victims' rights organizations ought to have limited influence over adjudication - and individual victims ought to have no influence - because an offender's liability and punishment ought to depend upon his blameworthiness (including, primarily, the seriousness of his offense) not on his good or bad luck as to the forgiving or vindictive nature of his victim.
Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Ca Uptake, Content and Release

Kielley & Meyerhoff (1948) first described a Mg-activated ATPase in a microsomal fraction from muscle. Ebashi (1961; Ebashi & Lipmann, 1962) and Hasselbach & Makinose (1961) later identified this as the membrane associated Ca-ATPase or “relaxing factor” in muscle responsible for lowering cytoplasmic [Ca]. This Ca-pump has been the subject of intensive study since that time (see recent reviews: Ikemoto, 1982; Hasselbach & Oetliker, 1983; Tanford, 1983; Martonosi & Beeler, 1983; Inesi, 1985, 1987; Fleischer & Tonomura, 1985; Entman & Van Winkle, 1986; Schatzmann, 1989).
Gaseous phosphorus compounds: Part V. The dissociation energy and heat of formation of carbon monophosphide☆

Abstract The chemical equilibrium CP(g) + P(g) ⇌ P2(g) + C(g) has been studied by means of the Knudsen effusion technique combined with mass spectrometric analysis of the vapor. The enthalpy of reaction, ΔHO298− was determined as 6.3 ± 4.0 kcal/mole. Combined with the literature value for the dissociation energy of P2, the dissociation energy of gaseous carbon monophosphide was calculated as DO298 = 123.2 ± 4.0 kcal/mole or DOO = 122.1 ± 4.0 kcal/mole. The corresponding value for the standard heat of formation is ΔHOf.298 = 127.5±4.5 kcal/mole. This compares with the selected JANAF value of 111.7 ± 23.1 kcal/mole.
Diagnostic value of Gram stain and culture of sputum and endotracheal aspirates in bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia.

Except for the positive control, none of the 64 samples was positive for HRV-5. This result suggests that HRV5 is not implicated in the pathogenesis of either primary or secondary Sjogren’s syndrome. Recently, a 933-bp retrovirus sequence amplified by reverse transcriptase P C R has been isolated from the saiivary gland of a patient with primary Sjogren’s syndrome [6]. This sequence was a part of a gene containing overlapping open reading frames encoding part of the protease and reverse transcriptase proteins. Phylogenetic analysis showed that this sequence was related to type B and type D retroviruses and came from an exogenous retrovirus designated HRV-5. This preliminary result suggested that HRV-5 may be associated with Sjogren’s syndrome. Our study provides no evidence that HRV-5 is involved in the etiology of primary or secondary Sjogren’s syndrome. Further studies are needed to investigate a pathogenic role for HRV-5, its epidemiology and its role in other human diseases.
Medial preoptic area afferents to periaqueductal gray medullo-output neurons: a combined Fos and tract tracing study

We have shown recently that the medial preoptic area (MPO) robustly innervates discrete columns along the rostrocaudal axis of the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG). However, the location of PAG neurons responsive to MPO activation is not known. Anterograde tract tracing was used in combination with Fos immunohistochemistry to characterize the MPO --> PAG pathway anatomically and functionally within the same animal. Focal electrical or chemical stimulation of MPO in anesthetized rats induced extensive Fos expression within the PAG compared with sham controls. Fos-positive neurons were organized as 2–3 longitudinal columns. The organization and location of these columns overlapped remarkably well with the distribution of fibers and terminals in PAG labeled by Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHA-L) injected into the same MPO stimulation site. This indicates that MPO inputs may terminate on the soma or proximal dendrites of neurons exhibiting elevated Fos. A second series of experiments investigated whether MPO stimulation excited PAG neurons with descending projections to the medulla. Retrograde labelling of PAG neurons projecting to the medial and lateral regions of the rostroventral medulla (RVM) was combined with MPO-induced Fos expression. The results showed that a substantial population (37–53%) of Fos-positive PAG neurons projected to the ventral medulla. This indicates that MPO stimulation engages PAG- medullary output neurons. Taken together, these results suggest that the MPO --> Pag --> RVM projection constitutes a functional pathway. This circuit may coordinately regulate neuroendocrine, motor, and autonomic adjustments necessary for the elaboration of sexual behaviors.
The Accidental Law Librarian by Anthony Aycock

One of the most challenging aspects of librarianship, either academic or public, is when a patron approaches you with a legal question. The patron may be feeling stressed and frustrated, having alr...
Friends with Benefits

Friends-with-benefits relationships (FWBRs) occur when two unmarried individuals, who do not identify their relationship as romantic or dating, engage in sexual interaction (ranging from kissing to sexual intercourse) on repeated occasions. Friends with benefits (FWBs) represent a relational hybrid, an attempt to combine the best of friendships (intimate self-disclosure and social support) and romantic relationships (sexual interaction). Although simple and easily understood, the FWB label belies considerable ambiguity and complexity. FWBRs encompass a variety of relational motivations, histories, and contexts. Recent research has identified at least seven types of FWBRs that differ in the nature of the friendship and partners’ romantic histories and motivations. FWBRs are likely popular with emerging adults (roughly, the 20–35 age range), because it corresponds with their desires for identity development and personal (and relational) experimentation. Keywords: casual sex; friendship; Friends with Benefits; interpersonal communication; sexual intercourse
Isolation and characterization of human liver aldehyde dehydrogenase.

Abstract An NAD-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase was isolated from the soluble fraction of human liver homogenates and purified 23-fold. The enzyme activity increases with increasing pH values, but at pH 10 and above irreversible inactivation is observed. Acetaldehyde, glycolaldehyde, and a number of other aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes are substrates for the enzyme. The semialdehyde, glyoxylic acid, is not a substrate. No evidence for the existence of two enzymes of different substrate specificities was found. The apparent Km values for the aldehydes are exceptionally low, ranging from 0.52 to 6.2 µm at pH 9.6. The enzyme is not stimulated by coenzyme A, and the enzymatic reaction is irreversible. The Km value for NAD is 0.6 mm, which is 30 to 60 times higher than that of a similar enzyme found in bovine liver. The molecular weight was estimated to be 90,000 by gel filtration techniques. Aldehyde dehydrogenase is sensitive to a number of inhibitors, including tetraethylthiuram disulfide (disulfiram), which produced 50% inhibition of the enzyme activity at a concentration of 0.1 mm. Kinetic studies with the partially purified enzyme suggest that decreased levels of NAD, such as occur after ethanol ingestion in vivo, would have a marked effect on enzyme activity. In addition, the enzyme may be important in oxidizing biologically active aldehydes derived from endogenous sources.
A Photometric Study of the Lower Main Sequences of the Hyades and the Field Stars

In recent years, the Van Vleck Observatory has undertaken a program of broad-band photoelectric photometry of the stars on its parallax program and of similar stars which are possible members of nearby clusters. Most of the cluster and field stars are K and M dwarfs inhabiting the lower main sequence. The photometry includes the R and I bands of the Kron system as well as the normal B and V magnitudes. The data has been obtained with the 1.3m and no. 20.9m telescopes of the Kitt Peak National Observatory and the 0.6m Perkin telescope of the Van Vleck Observatory.
SOS—Satisfied or Stuck, Why Older Rural Residents Stay Put: Aging in Place or Stuck in Place in Rural Utah*

As rural communities undergo substantial demographic and economic changes, understanding the migration intentions and their antecedents of rural elderly persons becomes increasingly important. Using data drawn from a survey of adults from 24 rural Utah communities conducted in 2008, we examine whether rural residents 60 years of age or older plan to remain in their present communities (N= 621). We use structural equation models (SEM) to estimate the relationships between a variety of individual and community-level background measures, including perceptions of local service quality, leaving one's community for health care, Internet use, attachment to and satisfaction with community, and plans to age in place. Results suggest that even as the rural context of economic decline, population loss, and distance to medical services may reduce the viability of staying in a community, a desire to remain in the community is primarily a function of perceptions of the quality of local services and community satisfaction. This research highlights the need to better understand the interplay between the availability of medical services and perceptions of distance as well as to understand the complex relationship between individual and community level characteristics for migration intentions.