cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The measurement of gaps in the quality of hotel services.

Abstract Hotel services quality was examined in relation to the services quality model suggested by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry to describe the quality gaps in service delivery and the service experience. Previous works by Gronroos and Nightingale were utilized to establish parameters for fit to the model. Rather than another attempt to define service quality, the issue was approached from the null perspective, the perspective that quality can be measured more effectively and more efficiently by its non-existence, i.e. the gaps in service quality. These findings could have considerable impact for hotel service marketers. We recommend replication and extension by the hospitality research community.
A neuropsychological study of panic disorder: negative findings.

Abstract Background: Gray, 1982 proposed that the septo-hippocampal system, which plays an important role in learning and memory, may partially mediate anxiety. Thus, patients with anxiety disorders may manifest neurocognitive performance deficits. We hypothesized that patients with panic disorder would demonstrate learning and memory deficits relative to normal comparison subjects. Method: Comprehensive neuropsychological batteries were administered to 69 panic disorder subjects and 19 normal volunteers. Results: There were no significant group differences in any neuropsychological performance domain including learning, memory, attention, visuospatial functioning, and psychomotor speed. Multiple regression conducted to evaluate the contribution of clinical symptoms to neuropsychological impairment within the panic disorder sample revealed that anxiety severity did not affect neuropsychological test performance. Limitations: Most patients had mild or moderate, rather than severe, panic disorder. Conclusion: Neuropsychological dysfunction was not associated with panic disorder.
Some features of the spread of epidemics and information on a random graph

Random graphs are useful models of social and technological networks. To date, most of the research in this area has concerned geometric properties of the graphs. Here we focus on processes taking place on the network. In particular we are interested in how their behavior on networks differs from that in homogeneously mixing populations or on regular lattices of the type commonly used in ecological models.
Structural and conformational changes of β-lactoglobulin B: an infrared spectroscopic study of the effect of pH and temperature

Infrared spectra of 2.5 mM solutions of beta-lactoglobulin B were recorded as a function of pH (from pH 2 to pH 13) and as a function of temperature (from -100 degrees C to +90 degrees C). An analysis of the pH- and temperature-induced changes in the secondary structure was performed based on changes in the conformation-sensitive amide I bands of beta-lactoglobulin. Whereas the total amount of beta-structure remains constant (56-59%) between pH 2 and pH 10, the proportions of the various beta-components do change. In particular, the dimerization of the monomeric protein, induced by raising the pH from 2 to 3 , leads to an increase in the intensity of the 1636 cm-1 band (associated with antiparallel beta-sheet), at the expense of the 1626 cm-1 band (associated with exposed beta-strands). Both the thermal and alkaline denaturation of beta-lactoglobulin occur in two distinct stages. Although the spectra (i.e., the structures) after complete thermal or alkaline denaturation are clearly different, the spectrum of the protein after the first stage of thermal denaturation (at about 60 degrees C) is the same as that after the first stage of alkaline denaturation (at pH 11), suggesting a common denaturation intermediate, which probably represents a crossover point in a complex potential hypersurface.
Simplified approach to the application of the geometric collective model

The predictions of the geometric collective model (GCM) for different sets of Hamiltonian parameter values are related by analytic scaling relations. For the quartic truncated form of the GCM---which describes harmonic oscillator, rotor, deformed $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-soft, and intermediate transitional structures---these relations are applied to reduce the effective number of model parameters from four to two. Analytic estimates of the dependence of the model predictions upon these parameters are derived. Numerical predictions over the entire parameter space are compactly summarized in two-dimensional contour plots. The results considerably simplify the application of the GCM, allowing the parameters relevant to a given nucleus to be deduced essentially by inspection. A precomputed mesh of calculations covering this parameter space and an associated computer code for extracting observable values are made available through the Electronic Physics Auxiliary Publication Service. For illustration, the nucleus $^{102}\mathrm{Pd}$ is considered.
Theory of GaAsoxide interface states

Abstract The discrete GaAsoxide interface states observed by Lagowski et al . can be explained by defects in the GaAs surface: The deep levels are in agreement with our predictions for surface antisite defects, and the shallow levels (observed for thick oxides) agree with our predictions for surface oxygen impurities on anion and cation sites.
Completely mature pulmonary metastasis from testicular teratocarcinoma. Case report and review of literature.

A case of a young man with a primary embryonal and teratocarcinoma of the left testis, with periaortic and iliac lymph node metastases is presented. In addition to the usual primitive malignant features of this tumor, a tendency towards differentiation of the endodermal and mesodermal elements into adult structures was noted in both primary and metastatic lymph node deposits. Exclusively adult tissues derived from these germ layers were found in a solitary pulmonary nodule removed 3 years after orchiectomy and retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy, and 2 years after this pulmonary nodule appeared to have stopped enlarging. It was grossly and microscopically identical to a chondro-adenomatous hamartoma of the lung except for the presence of mature striated skeletal muscle and stratified squamous epithelium. This phenomenon is consistent with Melicow's postulate which states that teratoma development is parallel to progressive and rapid maturation of the fertilized ovum. This case report is apparently unique in that the pulmonary lesion consists of fully mature quiescent tissue while both primary testicular tumor and the lymph node metastases exhibited highly malignant biologic behavior and histologic appearance.
Performance evaluation of service execution in opportunistic computing

Opportunistic computing has emerged as a new paradigm in computing, leveraging the advances in pervasive computing and opportunistic networking. Nodes in an opportunistic network avail of each others' connectivity and mobility to overcome network partitions. In opportunistic computing, this concept is generalised, as nodes avail of any resource available in the environment. Here we focus on computational resources, assuming mobile nodes opportunistically invoke services on each other. Specifically, resources are abstracted as services contributed by providers and invoked by seekers. In this paper, we present an analytical model that depicts the service invocation process between seekers and providers. Specifically, we derive the optimal number of replicas to be spawned on encountered nodes, in order to minimise the execution time and optimise the computational and bandwidth resources used. Performance results show that a policy operating in the optimal configuration largely outperforms policies that do not consider resource constraints.
Dispersive transport from negatively correlated defect centers

Abstract The transient current response arising from time-of-flight experiments on a material whose trapping levels are predominantly associated with a well-defined negatively correlated defect is calculated. The resulting behavior is controlled by the relative magnitude of two characteristic times, the transit time, τt, and the time necessary for interconversion of a neutral acceptor to a neutral donor, τ. If τt τ, two kinks characterize I(t). The current is initially independent of time, but eventually becomes dispersive, decaying as t −1 2 prior to τt and as t −3 2 afterwards. The dispersion results from the spread of times necessary to interconvert the neutral defects.
MaPLE: A MapReduce Pipeline for Lattice-based Evaluation and its application to SNOMED CT

Non-lattice fragments are often indicative of structural anomalies in ontological systems and, as such, represent possible areas of focus for subsequent quality assurance work. However, extracting the non-lattice fragments in large ontological systems is computationally expensive if not prohibitive, using a traditional sequential approach. In this paper we present a general MapReduce pipeline, called MaPLE (MapReduce Pipeline for Lattice-based Evaluation), for extracting non-lattice fragments in large partially ordered sets and demonstrate its applicability in ontology quality assurance. Using MaPLE in a 30-node Hadoop local cloud, we systematically extracted non-lattice fragments in 8 SNOMED CT versions from 2009 to 2014 (each containing over 300k concepts), with an average total computing time of less than 3 hours per version. With dramatically reduced time, MaPLE makes it feasible not only to perform exhaustive structural analysis of large ontological hierarchies, but also to systematically track structural changes between versions. Our change analysis showed that the average change rates on the non-lattice pairs are up to 38.6 times higher than the change rates of the background structure (concept nodes). This demonstrates that fragments around non-lattice pairs exhibit significantly higher rates of change in the process of ontological evolution.
Sex, role models, and specialty choices among graduates of US medical schools in 2006-2008.

Background Undergraduate education studies have suggested instructor sex can influence female students to pursue a discipline. We sought to evaluate a similar hypothesis in medical students. Study Design We obtained Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) data about the specialization of 2006–2008 graduates of US medical schools, the sex of their faculty and department chairs, and sex of residents in the residency programs in which they enrolled. We used logistic regression to examine associations between faculty and leadership sex and female students' pursuit of 5 surgical specialties along with 3 nonsurgical specialties for context. We used Wilcoxon rank-sum tests to evaluate whether women entered residency programs with a higher proportion of female residents. Results In 2006–2008, US medical school graduates included 23,642 women. Women were substantially under-represented among residents in neurosurgery, orthopaedics, urology, otolaryngology, general surgery, and radiology; women constituted 47.4% of US graduates specializing in internal medicine and 74.9% in pediatrics. We found no significant associations between exposure to a female department chair and selection of that specialty and no consistent associations with the proportion of female full-time faculty. Compared with male students, female students entered residency programs in their chosen specialty that had significantly higher proportions of women residents in the year before their graduation. Conclusions Although we did not detect consistent significant associations between exposure to potential female faculty role models and specialty choice, we observed that female students were more likely than males to enter programs with higher proportions of female residents. Sex differences in students' specialization decisions merit additional investigation.
Planning versus action: Different decision-making processes predict plans to change one’s diet versus actual dietary behavior

Most health decision-making models posit that deciding to engage in a health behavior involves forming a behavioral intention which then leads to actual behavior. However, behavioral intentions and actual behavior may not be functionally equivalent. Two studies examined whether decision-making factors predicting dietary behaviors were the same as or distinct from those predicting intentions. Actual dietary behavior was proximally predicted by affective associations with the behavior. By contrast, behavioral intentions were predicted by cognitive beliefs about behaviors, with no contribution of affective associations. This dissociation has implications for understanding individual regulation of health behaviors and for behavior change interventions.
Higher‐Order Systematic Comoments and Asset Pricing: New Evidence

We provide evidence supporting Rubinstein's (1973) model that if returns are not normal, measuring risk requires more than just measuring covariance. Higher-order systematic comoments should be important to risk-averse investors who are concerned about the extreme outcomes of their investments. Our paper shows that the Fama-French factors [SMB (return on small stocks less the return on big stocks), HML (return on high book-to-market stocks less the return on low book-to-market stocks)] as well as the momentum and market liquidity factors can be explained by the higher-order systematic comoments, and it lends support to the traditional covariance risk-based theory without having to resort to behavior assumptions.
Dynamical flow characterization of transitional and chaotic regimes in converging–diverging channels

Numerical investigation of laminar, transitional and chaotic flows in converging–diverging channels are performed by direct numerical simulations in the Reynolds number range 10 < Re < 850. The temporal flow evolution and the onset of turbulence are investigated by combining classical fluid dynamics representations with dynamical system flow characterizations. Modern dynamical system techniques such as timedelay reconstructions of pseudophase spaces, autocorrelation functions, fractal dimensions and Eulerian Lyapunov exponents are used for the dynamical flow characterization of laminar, transitional and chaotic flow regimes. As a consequence of these flow characterizations, it is verified that the transitional flow evolves through intermediate states of periodicity, two-frequency quasi-periodicity, frequency-locking periodicity, and multiple-frequency quasi-periodicity before reaching a non-periodic unpredictable behaviour corresponding to low-dimensional deterministic chaos.Qualitative and quantitative differences in Eulerian dynamical flow parameters are identified to determine the predictability of transitional flows and to characterize chaotic, weak turbulent flows in converging–diverging channels. Autocorrelation functions, pseudophase space representations and Poincare maps are used for the qualitative identification of chaotic flows, assertion of their unpredictable nature, and recognition of the topological structure of the attractors for different flow regimes. The predictability of transitional flows is determined by analysing the autocorrelation functions and by representing their attractors in the reconstructed pseudophase spaces. The transitional flow behaviour is examined by the geometric visualization of the evolution of the attractors and Poincare maps until the appearance of a strange attractor at the onset of chaos. Eulerian Lyapunov exponents and fractal dimensions are quantitative parameters to establish the onset of chaos, the persistence of chaotic flow behaviour, and the long-term persistent unpredictability of chaotic Eulerian flow regimes. Lastly, three-dimensional simulations for converging–diverging channel flow are performed to determine the effect of the spanwise direction on the route of transition to chaos.
Views From the Field: Conservation Educators’ and Practitioners’ Perceptions of Education as a Strategy for Achieving Conservation Outcomes

This article presents data from a mixed-methods study that collected data through surveys (n = 656), interviews (n = 15), and discussion groups (n = 75) to explore the use of social strategies such as education and outreach by non-governmental organizations and government agencies to reach outcomes related to biodiversity conservation and resource management. We examine and juxtapose perceptions of conservation practitioners with those of conservation educators regarding the efficacy of education to reach conservation or resource management goals. We explore how to facilitate integration among policy, science, and education efforts, and we suggest theoretical augmentations for conceptions of education and social strategies within conservation organizations.
The real value of testing

A decade ago, Tony Hoare noted that "The real value of tests is not that they detect bugs in the code but that they detect inadequacies in the methods, concentration, and skills of those who design and produce the code." As usual, Tony saw far ahead of the current reality. At that time, Microsoft Research was very focused on a specific aspect of software development (finding code defects). Over the intervening years, Microsoft Research's efforts in this area grew greatly and our research agenda broadened considerably. This talk will trace the evolution of Microsoft Research's efforts to improve software development and explore how testing fits into the more people-centric approach that we have reached.
Conformational aspects of inhibitor design: enzyme-substrate interactions in the transition state.

Abstract The theory of absolute reaction rates suggests that enzymes, like other catalysts, can enhance the rate of a reaction only to the extent that they bind the altered substrate in the transition state (S ‡ ) more tightly than they bind the substrate in the ground state (S). ES dissociation constants commonly fall in the physiological range, but recent kinetic studies indicate that formal ES ‡ dissociation constants of less than 10 −20 M are achieved by enzymes of several classes. Studies with stable analogues suggest that these remarkable powers of discrimination involve a tendency of the enzyme to close around S ‡ in such a way as to maximize binding contacts; that several parts of the substrate contribute to S ‡ binding; and that their contributions to binding affinity can be strongly synergistic.
Life-cycle and techno-economic analysis of utility-connected algae systems

Abstract For many years, it has been suggested that mitigation of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions can be achieved by fixing CO 2 as algal biomass. New EPA regulations limit greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants, and thus power plants have additional impetus to decide if co-location with algal ponds is a feasible strategy for CO 2 mitigation. Herein we provide some illustrative benchmarking calculations based on fundamental relationships to highlight the general concerns for algae-utility co-location. We introduce our own life-cycle and techno-economic analysis software to analyze utility-specific concerns, such as total pond area, the percentage of CO 2 in the flue gas, and the CO 2 utilization efficiency. The results indicate that localized strategies should be pursued to reduce the excessive energy requirements for long-distance CO 2 delivery. Furthermore, research should focus on improving the ability of growth reactors to efficiently utilize CO 2 . Improvements in CO 2 delivery methods, such as absorption of CO 2 into liquid media, could greatly reduce energy inputs and thus improve the process economics and sustainability.
Adjuvant and neoadjuvant imatinib therapy: Current role in the management of gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Although surgery remains the mainstay for the treatment of primary gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), a significant number of patients experience disease recurrence within 5 years of surgery. The emergence of imatinib therapy for the treatment of patients with advanced GIST has offered unprecedented improvements in clinical outcomes for these patients. Prospective clinical trials have supported the efficacy and safety of imatinib before and after surgical resection of GIST. The American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z9001 pivotal trial revealed that 1 year of adjuvant imatinib therapy provides significantly superior recurrence-free survival in patients with GIST after surgical resection, when compared to placebo. Additional trials and case studies have also begun to define the potential clinical benefit of imatinib in the neoadjuvant setting. Optimized risk stratification paradigms will be required to ensure the appropriate selection of patients to undergo treatment with imatinib in these settings. Risk stratification schemes are evolving that potentially will include mutation status and tumor rupture, and predictive nomograms have recently been proposed. The recent European Society of Medical Oncology and National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines mention use of adjuvant imatinib for ≥1 year in patients with KIT+, resectable GIST at high risk of recurrence. Moreover, the guidelines support the use of neoadjuvant imatinib in cases of limited disease if it would facilitate less extensive surgery and organ sparing. This article reviews pivotal efficacy and safety data for adjuvant imatinib and explores the potential clinical benefit of neoadjuvant imatinib in patients with GIST.
Throughput-driven synthesis of embedded software for pipelined execution on multicore architectures

We present a methodology for pipelined software synthesis of streaming applications. First, we develop a versatile task assignment algorithm capable of optimizing realistically-arbitrary cost functions for two cores. The algorithm is exact (i.e., theoretically optimal) contrary to existing heuristics. Second, our approximation technique provides an adjustable knob to trade solution quality with algorithm runtime and memory. Third, we develop a recursive heuristic for more cores. FPGA-based emulated experiments validate our theoretical results. The exact algorithm yields 1.7 × throughput improvement. The approximation method offers a range of tradeoff points (e.g., 3 × faster with 20 × less memory) while degrading the throughput only 1p to 5p.
Effects of geometric design on freeway capacity: Impacts of truck lane restrictions

This paper presents a framework for estimating analytical expressions for the capacity reductions caused by a subset of vehicles forced to slow down at horizontal/vertical curves on multilane freeways. In each lane the underperforming stream is described in terms of its desired speed distribution (either discrete or continuous), and it is explicitly modeled as a stochastic process that disturbs light vehicles as per Newell's kinematic wave theory of moving bottlenecks. The model is applied for estimating the impact of truck lane restrictions. It is found that system capacity is maximized either (i) when each truck type uses a different lane or (ii) when they share the same lane, depending on the relative proportion of heavy trucks. Moreover, this application sheds some light to the puzzling empirical result in several places around the world, where time and time again it is observed that the operational improvements of truck lane restrictions are small or negligible.
Variations in free‐phase gases in peat landforms determined by ground‐penetrating radar

[1] The spatial variability of biogenic gas produced by methanogenic archaea is difficult to assess within saturated peat soils and is often poorly quantified. This study uses ground-penetrating radar to noninvasively estimate the vertical distribution of biogenic free-phase gas (FPG) in two distinct peat landform types in the Glacial Lake Agassiz Peatland, Minnesota: a near-crest bog and a midslope lawn (i.e., both as defined by surface vegetation communities). Ground-penetrating radar velocities retrieved from common midpoint surveys were modeled using the Complex Refractive Index Model to estimate free-phase gas volumes along one-dimensional vertical profiles. Near-crest bog landforms are characterized by vertical variability in gas content with accumulations along the peat column up to 24% by volume of FPG localized within the deep peat (e.g., 2–4 m depth). Midslope lawn sites show lower total volumes (up to 12% free-phase gas) and less variability that result in a more even free-phase gas distribution throughout the vertical profile. High-resolution data also suggests the presence of thinner layers (<1 m) containing up to 40% free-phase gas at a near-crest site. Our results suggest that spatial distribution of free-phase gas along the peat column may vary in the Glacial Lake Agassiz Peatlands depending on peat landform. Statistical analysis supports vertical variability of ground-penetrating radar velocity data with a 95% confidence limit. Our results could potentially be upscaled using surface vegetation communities to estimate landscape-scale gas storage potential in peat landforms.
Alvimopan for the Management of Postoperative Ileus After Bowel Resection: Characterization of Clinical Benefit by Pooled Responder Analysis

Background A pooled post hoc responder analysis was performed to assess the clinical benefit of alvimopan, a peripherally acting mu-opioid receptor (PAM-OR) antagonist, for the management of postoperative ileus after bowel resection.
Monoclonal Antibodies Specific for Rat Relaxin. III. Passive Immunization with Monoclonal Antibodies throughout the Second Half of Pregnancy Reduces Cervical Growth and Extensibility in Intact Rats

Relaxin is required for normal delivery in the rat. The mechanism (s) whereby relaxin contributes to rapid and safe delivery of the fetuses, however, has not been established. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if relaxin enables normal delivery by promoting the growth and modifying the tensile properties of the uterine cervix. To that end, a monoclonal antibody specific for rat relaxin, designated MCA1, was used to passively neutralize endogenous relaxin in intact pregnant rats. MCAl or PBS vehicle was administered iv to rats daily from days 12–22 of pregnancy. Cervices were removed at 1200 h on day 22. Cervices obtained from MCAl-treated rats were much smaller and far less extensible than cervices obtained from control rats. Moreover, cervices from MCAl-treated rats were less able to accommodate stress created by extension than cervices from control rats. Passive neutralization of relaxin had no influence on 1) the weights of other reproductive tissues (uterus, placenta, and ovary), 2) t...
Efficacy of a Quaternary Ammonium Teat Dip for Preventing Intramammary Infections

Abstract Efficacy of a .5% quaternary ammonium teat dip under natural exposure to mastitis pathogens was 77.1% against Stapbylococcus aureus and 18.0% against Streptococcus species of environmental origin. Incidence of coliform and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections was too low for valid evaluation. All coliform infections occurred during the last month of the trial and were traced to damp sawdust bedding in freestalls. The product did not reduce infections with Micrococcus species but yielded an efficacy of 71.2% against Corynebacterium bovis.
RNA synthesis in the preimplantation rabbit embryo: Radioautographic analysis

Abstract Radioautographic experiments show that the marked increase in 3 H-uridine incorporation, at the onset of cavitation, previously demonstrated biochemically for whole embryos occurs in all cells of the embryo in an apparent “synchronous” manner. Pulse label experiments indicate that essentially all the RNA synthesis in the early blastocyst occurs in the nucleus. Marked localization of incorporated uridine occurs in the nucleolus of cells in both the embryoblast and trophoblast. Relatively more nucleoplasmic labeling occurs in the embryoblast, suggesting that more transcription from nonnucleolar genes is occurring in these cells.
Sexual Victimization and Physical Health: An Examination of Explanatory Mechanisms

There is a growing body of research illustrating a significant relationship between a history of sexual victimization and the development of physical health problems; however, few researchers have examined variables that mediate this relationship. The present study examined two potential mediating variables: experiential avoidance and current stress. Results indicated that current stress significantly mediated the relationship between adult sexual assault and physical health complaints, and experiential avoidance may be a partial mediator. Implications of the findings and future directions are discussed.
Role of Si on the Diffusional Interactions Between U-Mo and Al-Si Alloys at 823 K (550 °C)

U-Mo dispersions in Al-alloy matrix and monolithic fuels encased in Al-alloy are under development to fulfill the requirements for research and test reactors to use low-enriched molybdenum stabilized uranium alloy fuels. Significant interaction takes place between the U-Mo fuel and Al during manufacturing and in-reactor irradiation. The interaction products are Al-rich phases with physical and thermal characteristics that adversely affect fuel performance and result in premature failure. Detailed analysis of the interdiffusion and microstructural development of this system was carried through diffusion couples consisting of U-7 wt pct Mo, U-10 wt pct Mo and U-12 wt pct Mo in contact with pure Al, Al-2 wt pct Si, and Al-5 wt pct Si, annealed at 823 K (550 °C) for 1, 5 and 20 hours. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were employed for the analysis. Diffusion couples consisting of U-Mo in contact with pure Al contained UAl3, UAl4, U6Mo4Al43, and UMo2Al20 phases. Additions of Si to the Al significantly reduced the thickness of the interdiffusion zone. The interdiffusion zones developed Al- and Si-enriched regions, whose locations and size depended on the Si and Mo concentrations in the terminal alloys. In these couples, the (U,Mo)(Al,Si)3 phase was observed throughout the interdiffusion zone, and the U6Mo4Al43 and UMo2Al20 phases were observed only where the Si concentrations were low.
Electronic and optical properties of all polymorphic forms of silicon dioxide

With use of the self-consistent orthogonalized linear combination of atomic orbitals method in the local-density approximation, the electronic structures and the optical properties of eight different polycrystalline phases of ${\mathrm{SiO}}_{2}$ have been studied: They are \ensuremath{\alpha}-quartz, \ensuremath{\beta}-quartz, \ensuremath{\beta}-tridymite, \ensuremath{\alpha}-cristobalite, \ensuremath{\beta}-cristobalite, keatite, coesite, and stishovite. The band structure, density of states, and valence-charge distribution for each phase are studied in relation to their local-bonding structure. The octahedrally coordinated stishovite phase has a higher covalent binding character than the 4:2-coordinated polycrystals. The interband optical absorption for each crystal is also calculated, thus allowing the dielectric function and the electron-energy-loss function to be derived. For \ensuremath{\alpha}-quartz, for which much experimental data are available, the calculated optical absorption and the electron-energy-loss function are in good agreement with the measurements. Apart from the main strong excitonic peak at 10.3 eV, the other three structures at 11.4, 14.2, and 17.0 eV in the absorption curve are reproduced by the calculation without the need to invoke excitonic resonances.It is pointed out that the calculated band gap in \ensuremath{\alpha}-quartz does not reflect directly the measured optical gap because transitions near the zone center are symmetry forbidden. It is also argued that the sharp peak at 10.4 eV in the electron-energy-loss spectrum of \ensuremath{\alpha}-quartz is mainly due to the fact that ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}_{1}$(\ensuremath{\omega}) vanishes at this frequency. Correlations between structural properties such as mass density, average bond length, and average bond angle with the calculated band gap ${\mathit{E}}_{\mathit{g}}$ and the static dielectric constant ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}_{1}$(0) in the polycrystals are explored. It is found that there is no apparent correlation between ${\mathit{E}}_{\mathit{g}}$ or ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}_{1}$(0) with the average Si-O-Si angle. There are strong correlations with the mass density (or the crystal volume). The high-mass-density phase has a smaller band gap and a larger ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}_{1}$(0) value. There is a weak correlation between the average bond length and ${\mathit{E}}_{\mathit{g}}$, but not with ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}_{1}$(0).
Nonlinear optics in (111)-GaAs photonic crystal cavities

We successfully perform second harmonic and sum frequency generation in L3 and crossbeam photonic crystal cavities fabricated in (111)-GaAs.
Antibody Diversification: the Somatic Mutation Model Revisited

I would like to re-examine a previously proposed model for V gene diversification (Cohn, 1970, 1971; Weigert et al., 1970).
Making Trade Organizations Environment Friendly

The Greening of Trade Law: International Trade Organizations and Environmental Issues. Edited by Richard H. Steinberg. London: Blackwell Publishing, 2002. 336 pp., $70.00 cloth (ISBN: 0-7425-1045-X), $29.95 paper (ISBN: 0-7425-1046-8). The Greening of Trade Law is a collection of sophisticated essays that contribute to the larger debate about trade and the environment by comparing and contrasting a number of trade organizations in terms of the extent to which they have developed environment friendly rules and institutional arrangements. In the process, it seeks to explain some of the more significant variations in this realm. Although this exercise does not yield a comprehensive account of the trade–environment debate, it does allow for a systematic consideration of an important dimension of this debate. (See Sampson and Chambers 2002 for an up-to-date survey of the debate.) Richard Steinberg and his collaborators present an analysis that is well argued and likely to provoke a lively discussion. The first step The Greening of Trade Law takes involves placing individual trade organizations—ranging from global arrangements like the World Trade Organization (WTO) to regional arrangements like the European Union (EU), the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), and the Asia Pacific Economic Council (APEC)—on what Steinberg calls the “environment-friendliness rule development continuum” (p. 287). The ultimate conclusion of this analysis is that trade organizations vary considerably, with APEC appearing to be the least environment friendly, the European Union the most environment friendly, and the others occupying the middle ground—the World Trade Organization lies more toward the APEC end; NAFTA lies more toward the EU end. Although this conclusion makes intuitive sense, the process of arriving at it masks several significant conceptual and methodological complications. The most basic of these centers on the criteria for …
Testing a theory for health‐related quality of life in cancer patients: A structural equation approach

The purpose of this study was to test a Roy Adaptation Model-based theory of health-related quality of life in patients with newly diagnosed cancer. Using a structural equation model, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was regarded as a latent variable measured by 4 empirical indicators representing the 4 biopsychosocial response modes of the Roy Adaptation Model (RAM). The response modes are physiologic, self-concept, interdependence, and role function. These were empirically represented by physical symptoms, affective status, social support, and functional support, respectively. In this secondary analysis, 3 RAM propositions were tested in a sample of 375 newly diagnosed postsurgical cancer patients 60 years and over. These were: (a) that the 4 response modes are interrelated; (b) that environmental stimuli of gender, race, age, income, marital status, cancer treatment, and severity of illness influence the biopsychosocial response modes; and (c) that the biopsychosocial responses soon after diagnosis predict biopsychosocial responses 3 months later. The analyses did not support the proposition that all 4 response modes were interrelated. The results, however, revealed that severity of illness and adjuvant cancer treatment had the strongest association with the biopsychosocial responses and should be considered the focal environmental stimuli. The remaining environmental stimuli can be considered contextual. Also, the proposition that initial biopsychosocial responses predicted later responses was supported.
Caregiver involvement in hospice interdisciplinary team meetings: a case study.

Involving caregivers in hospice interdisciplinary team (IDT) meetings has been offered as a potential solution to caregivers' unmet communication needs. This case study details one caregiver's participation in her mother's hospice interdisciplinary team care planning meetings, both in person and via videophone technology. This preliminary case is offered as part of a larger National Cancer Institute sponsored study investigating involvement of caregivers in team meetings using videophone technology. This analysis highlights communication differences between the two mediums as well as measures caregiver outcomes. Findings noted differences in team leadership and verbal validation and remediation between the two mediums. Caregiver outcomes revealed potential benefits of their involvement in team meetings. Caregiver-team communication issues are noted including the need for standardized caregiver assessment and team education and training.
Effects of Environment, Genetics and Data Analysis Pitfalls in an Esophageal Cancer Genome-Wide Association Study

Background The development of new high-throughput genotyping technologies has allowed fast evaluation of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on a genome-wide scale. Several recent genome-wide association studies employing these technologies suggest that panels of SNPs can be a useful tool for predicting cancer susceptibility and discovery of potentially important new disease loci. Methodology/Principal Findings In the present paper we undertake a careful examination of the relative significance of genetics, environmental factors, and biases of the data analysis protocol that was used in a previously published genome-wide association study. That prior study reported a nearly perfect discrimination of esophageal cancer patients and healthy controls on the basis of only genetic information. On the other hand, our results strongly suggest that SNPs in this dataset are not statistically linked to the phenotype, while several environmental factors and especially family history of esophageal cancer (a proxy to both environmental and genetic factors) have only a modest association with the disease. Conclusions/Significance The main component of the previously claimed strong discriminatory signal is due to several data analysis pitfalls that in combination led to the strongly optimistic results. Such pitfalls are preventable and should be avoided in future studies since they create misleading conclusions and generate many false leads for subsequent research.
Identifying Network Motifs that Buffer Front-to-Back Signaling in Polarized Neutrophils

Neutrophil polarity relies on local, mutual inhibition to segregate incompatible signaling circuits to the leading and trailing edges. Mutual inhibition alone should lead to cells having strong fronts and weak backs or vice versa. However, analysis of cell-to-cell variation in human neutrophils revealed that back polarity remains consistent despite changes in front strength. How is this buffering achieved? Pharmacological perturbations and mathematical modeling revealed a functional role for microtubules in buffering back polarity by mediating positive, long-range crosstalk from front to back; loss of microtubules inhibits buffering and results in anticorrelation between front and back signaling. Furthermore, a systematic, computational search of network topologies found that a long-range, positive front-to-back link is necessary for back buffering. Our studies suggest a design principle that can be employed by polarity networks: short-range mutual inhibition establishes distinct signaling regions, after which directed long-range activation insulates one region from variations in the other.
Do Competitive Districts Necessarily Produce Centrist Politicians

Using the first dimension of DW nominate scores for the U.S. House and Senate over the period 1956–2004, we analyze how the degree of ideological polarization between the parties varies as a function of district ideology, defined in terms of Democratic presidential support in the district. We find, as expected, that the more Democratic-leaning the district at the presidential level the more liberal are the representatives from the district, and that for any given level of Democratic presidential support, Democrats elected from such districts are, on average, considerably more liberal than Republicans elected from such districts. However, we also find that—consistent with theoretical expectations of spatial models that have recently been put forward—the ideological difference between the winners of the two parties is as great or greater in districts that, in presidential support terms, are the most competitive—a finding that contradicts the intuitive expectation that the pressure for policy convergence is greatest when the election is most competitive.
Using technology to enhance the quality of home health care: three case studies of health information technology initiatives at the visiting nurse service of New York.

Abstract: There is a growing recognition among health services researchers and policy makers that Health Information Technology (HIT) has the potential to address challenging issues that face patients and providers of healthcare. The Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY), a large not-for-profit home healthcare agency, has integrated technology applications into the service delivery model of several programs. Case studies, including the development and implementation, of three informatics initiatives at VNSNY are presented on: (1) Quality Scorecards that utilize process, outcomes, cost, and satisfaction measures to assess performance among clinical staff and programs; (2) a tool to identify patients at risk of being hospitalized, and (3) a predictive model that identifies patients who are eligible for physical rehabilitation services. Following a description of these initiatives, we discuss their impact on quality and process indicators, as well as the opportunities and challenges to implementation.
Predicting arsenic concentrations in groundwater of San Luis Valley, Colorado: implications for individual-level lifetime exposure assessment

Consumption of inorganic arsenic in drinking water at high levels has been associated with chronic diseases. Risk is less clear at lower levels of arsenic, in part due to difficulties in estimating exposure. Herein we characterize spatial and temporal variability of arsenic concentrations and develop models for predicting aquifer arsenic concentrations in the San Luis Valley, Colorado, an area of moderately elevated arsenic in groundwater. This study included historical water samples with total arsenic concentrations from 595 unique well locations. A longitudinal analysis established temporal stability in arsenic levels in individual wells. The mean arsenic levels for a random sample of 535 wells were incorporated into five kriging models to predict groundwater arsenic concentrations at any point in time. A separate validation dataset (n = 60 wells) was used to identify the model with strongest predictability. Findings indicate that arsenic concentrations are temporally stable (r = 0.88; 95 % CI 0.83–0.92 for samples collected from the same well 15–25 years apart) and the spatial model created using ordinary kriging best predicted arsenic concentrations (ρ = 0.72 between predicted and observed validation data). These findings illustrate the value of geostatistical modeling of arsenic and suggest the San Luis Valley is a good region for conducting epidemiologic studies of groundwater metals because of the ability to accurately predict variation in groundwater arsenic concentrations.
Stability analyses of bleeder pillars in longwall mines by displacement-discontinuity method

Abstract Caving in coal mines releases significant amounts of dust and gas. This is exhausted from the mine by forcing the air to travel through the caved zones into a set of roadways known as bleeders. These bleeder entries are operated for the life of the mine, and therefore, they have to be kept in stable condition. Caving operations in coal mines are associated with longwall mines and complete pillar extraction. The pillars adjoining the caved zone sometimes show rib failures, posing a hazard for mine personnel travelling through the entry. In this paper, we present the results from analyses of bleeder pillars that are near the caved zones and are susceptible to damage because of the transfer of load during the caving process. In this study, bleeder pillars were simulated in a displacement discontinuity program. Results showed that the vertical stresses on bleeder pillars increased while the safety factor of bleeder pillar decreased during the caving process; however, when the caved zone completely consolidated, both the stresses and safety factor did not change for the remaining extraction. When similar extraction was performed at deeper depths, vertical stress on pillars increased significantly.
The Vocational Interest Inventory: Development and Validation

Described is the Vocational Interest Inventory (VII), a unique guidance instrument to assist people in making post-high school educational and vocational decisions. Given since 1970 to 25,000 high school students annually as part of a statewide testing program, its forced-choice format is particularly appropriate for young, undecided clients whose interests are not well differentiated. Based on Anne Roe's occupational classification system, the VII has eight years of research support for its reliability, construct and predictive validity, and five-fold strategy to minimize sex bias in interest measurement.
Identifying patterns in spatial information: a survey of methods

Explosive growth in geospatial data and the emergence of new spatial technologies emphasize the need for automated discovery of spatial knowledge. Spatial data mining is the process of discovering interesting and previously unknown, but potentially useful patterns from large spatial databases. The complexity of spatial data and implicit spatial relationships limits the usefulness of conventional data mining techniques for extracting spatial patterns. In this paper, we explore the emerging field of spatial data mining, focusing on different methods to extract patterns from spatial information. We conclude with a look at future research needs. C
Altered masticatory function and perceptual estimates of chewing experience.

editor's note: The Veterans Administration has been most perceptive and concerned about health changes that occur in the aging population for whom it provides long-term care. We are pleased to encourage and publish the basic clinical research done by the VA dental staff.
Why context matters - and what can we do about it?

Context is everything else that's relevant to the given software design problem, including the obvious, the subtle, the invisible, and the unknowable - the design's environment. Because the software design environment contains limitless numbers of ill-defined factors, the key to our success is determining and incorporating "just the right number" of design-relevant factors.