cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toward a Socioecological Conception of Health

Several academic fields in colleges and universities have claimed jurisdiction over research and practice regarding human health or specialized facets of it. Occasionally cooperating, but more frequently competing among themselves, these fields have been driven by underlying assumptions about a free-market, economic approach to health delivery systems and a still-dominant idea that health is merely a personal quality or state of being. With societal interest in health at an unprecedented high level, it is appropriate to examine critically this dominant conception of health and the market-oriented, competitive relationship that exists among these academic fields. The ensuing analysis begins with such a critique and then presents an alternative conception of health. This socioecological conception retains an emphasis upon individuals but expands the definition of health to include societal and environmental phenomena. Such a broad conception of health appears timely, and some of its implications are identif...
Structural Features of the Aβ Amyloid Fibril Elucidated by Limited Proteolysis

Although the gross morphology of amyloid fibrils is fairly well understood, very little is known about how the constituent polypeptides fold within the amyloid folding motif. In the experiments reported here, we used trypsin and chymotrypsin to conduct limited proteolysis studies on synthetic amyloid fibrils composed of the Alzheimer's disease peptide Aβ(1−40). In both reactions, the extreme N-terminal proteolytic fragment is released from fibrils as rapidly as it is from the Aβ monomer, while other proteolytic fragments are generated much more slowly. Furthermore, aggregated material isolated by centrifugation of intermediate digestion time points from both proteases contains, in addition to full-length material, peptides that possess mature C-termini but truncated N-termini. These data strongly suggest that the N-terminal region of Aβ is not involved in the β-sheet network of the amyloid fibril, while the C-terminus is essentially completely engaged in protectivepresumably β-sheetstructure. In both dige...
Dexamethasone increases plasma HVA but not MHPG in normal humans.

Abstract Several recent studies in animals and man indicate that corticosteroids may alter catecholaminergic activity in both the peripheral and central nervous systems. We administered 1 mg of the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, to 12 drug-free healthy volunteers and measured plasma homovanillic acid (HVA) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG). Dexamethasone was administered at 11 p.m. and blood was collected at 4 p.m. on the preceding and subsequent days. Dexamethasone administration resulted in a significant increase in plasma HVA but did not consistently affect MHPG. All subjects showed a suppression of serum cortisol to values
Improvement of Interface State and Channel Mobility Using 4H-SiC (0-33-8) Face

In this paper, we characterized MOS devices fabricated on 4H-SiC (0-33-8) face. The interface state density of SiO2/4H-SiC(0-33-8) was significantly low compared to that of SiO2/4H-SiC(0001). The field-effect channel mobility obtained from lateral MOSFET (LMOSFET) was 80 cm2/Vs, in spite of a high p-well concentration of 5x1017 cm-3 (implantation). The double implanted MOSFET (DMOSFET) fabricated on 4H-SiC(0-33-8) showed a specific on-resistance of 4.0 mΩcm2 with a blocking voltage of 890 V.
Computational Complexity Measures for Many-objective Optimization Problems☆

Abstract Multi-objective Optimization Problems (MOPs) are commonly encountered in the study and design of complex systems. Pareto dominance is the most common relationship used to compare solutions in MOPs, however as the number of objectives grows beyond three, Pareto dominance alone is no longer satisfactory. These problems are termed “Many-Objective Optimization Problems (MaOPs)”. While most MaOP algorithms are modifications of common MOP algorithms, determining the impact on their computational complexity is difficult. This paper defines computational complexity measures for these algorithms and applies these measures to a Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA) and its MaOP counterpart.
Numerical calculation of axisymmetric electrostatic modes for cold finite-length non-neutral plasmas

A numerical calculation of mode frequencies for cold, non‐neutral plasmas is reported. The numerical method can be applied to any axisymmetric plasma shape in a trap. Here, it is used to study axisymmetric electrostatic modes in a long conducting cylinder. These modes were previously studied by Prasad and O’Neil [Phys. Fluids 26, 665 (1983)] and by Dubin [Phys. Rev. Lett. 66, 2076 (1991)]. In contrast to Dubin’s calculation, the effects of a nearby cylindrical wall, including its influence on the shape of the plasma equilibrium, are considered. It is found that for plasmas with aspect ratios (length divided by diameter) near unity the numerical results can be approximately obtained by judiciously combining Dubin’s calculation, and the Trivelpiece–Gould dispersion relation for infinitely‐long geometry. For aspect ratios larger than about three, the Trivelpiece–Gould dispersion relation can be used in a simple way to obtain the numerically‐computed mode frequencies with an accuracy of 1%, or better. The potential use of this calculation as a plasma diagnostic is also discussed, and it is argued that at the present level of accuracy (1–2%) its usefulness is marginal, but that an improvement by an order of magnitude might make it more interesting.
The Effect of Methanol Washing of Plasticized Polyvinyl Chloride on Biomaterial‐Contact‐Mediated CD11b (mac‐1) Expression in a Rat Recirculation Model

Our objective was to assess whether using a methanol wash to reduce the level of plasticizer present on the surface of medical-grade polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has a moderating effect on the expression of CD11b (mac-1) on neutrophils in rats undergoing recirculation. The study was carried out on 3 groups of 10 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 350 and 450 g. In the 2 test groups, the animals were exposed to 48 cm2 of di-(2-ethyl-hexyl)-phthalate (DEHP)-plasticized PVC in a parallel plate recirculating test cell through which blood was recirculated at 1.5 ml/min. In the first test group, the PVC was untreated; in the second test group, the PVC was washed in methanol to reduce the level of plasticizer on the surface. The test cell was connected to the right femoral circulation, and recirculation was established for a period of 60 min. Blood samples were taken at 0, 30, and 60 min for assessment of CD11b expression on neutrophils using flow cytometric analysis. In a third group of 10 control experiments, rats underwent the entire surgical procedure, but without recirculation through the test cell. There was statistically significant (p < 0.001) lower Cdllb expression on neutrophils in the blood of rats perfused through the cell containing methanol-washed PVC after 30 min and at 60 min. CD11b expression was significantly (p < 0.001) lower in the control group than in both test groups at both the 30 and 60 min time points and at the 60 min time point on comparison with the group where blood was perfused through methanol-washed PVC. These results demonstrate that the biomaterial-contact-mediated upregulation of CD11b may be significantly reduced by employing a methanol-washing technique on the plasticized PVC. Although this technique does not entirely eliminate the expression of CDllb on neutrophils, the difference is significant and suggests the role of the plasticizer in the development of this inappropriate inflammatory response.
Termination of equine atrial fibrillation by quinidine: an optical mapping study.

Abstract Objective To perform the first optical mapping studies of equine atrium to assess the spatiotemporal dynamics of atrial fibrillation (AF) and of its termination by quinidine. Animals Intact, perfused atrial preparations obtained from four horses with normal cardiovascular examinations. Materials and methods AF was induced by a rapid pacing protocol with or without acetylcholine perfusion, and optical mapping was used to determine spatial dominant frequency distributions, electrical activity maps, and single-pixel optical signals. Following induction of AF, quinidine gluconate was perfused into the preparation and these parameters were monitored during quinidine-induced termination of AF. Results Equine AF develops in the context of spatial gradients in action potential duration (APD) and diastolic interval (DI) that produce alternans, conduction block, and Wenckebach conduction in different regions at fast pacing rates. Quinidine terminates AF and prevents subsequent reinduction by reducing the maximal frequency and increasing frequency homogeneity. Conclusions Heterogeneity of APD and DI promote alternans and conduction block at fast pacing rates in the equine atrium, predisposing to the development of AF. Quinidine terminates AF by reducing maximum frequency and increasing frequency homogeneity. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that quinidine increases effective refractory period, thereby decreasing frequency.
Infrared spectroscopic analysis of anions adsorbed from bisulfate-containing solutions on Pt(111) electrodes

Abstract In situ FTIR spectroscopy has been used to study the potential dependent changes in anion structure and composition at the surface of Pt(111) electrodes in HSO − 4 -containing solutions. From the infrared differential normalized relative reflectance data, the maximum rate of intensity changes for three infrared bands can be obtained. Two modes associated with the adsorbed anion and one mode assigned to solution-phase bisulfate all have extrema coinciding with the spike in the anomalous region of the cyclic voltammetry. The adsorbed species is not adequately described as either sulfate or bisulfate; the data are more consistent with an adsorbed H 3 O + SO 2− 4 ion pair, possibly with the three unprotonated sulfate oxygens interacting with Pt sites. A weak band at 940 cm −1 correlates with the 1200–1250 cm −1 band and is assigned to the SO(H 3 O + ) stretch of the ion pair. A band at 1040 cm −1 , which disappears with incresaingly more positive sample potentials, is assigned to the symmetric stretching mode for solution-phase bisulfate ions.
ROUTING MULTIPLE WIDTH COMMUNICATIONS ON THE CIRCUIT SWITCHED TREE

Dynamically reconfigurable architectures offer extremely fast solutions to various problems. The Circuit Switched Tree (CST) is an important interconnect used to implement such architectures. A CST...
Purification and characterization of genetic variants of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase.

This paper describes the physicochemical characteristics in partially purified enzyme on subjects with the Pd A, Pd AB, and Pd B variants of 6-phosphogluconic dehydrogenase (6PGD). For these studies, whole blood was purified about 225-fold using ion exchange chromatography on DEAE cellulose column and fractionation with ammonium sulfate. 6PGD emerges as a single peak between 0.01 m and 0.1 m phosphate buffer on the column and is precipitated in the 55–80% fraction of ammonium sulfate. This purified enzyme can be stored frozen for several months without appreciable loss of activity and contains no detectable activity of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glutathione reductase. The three variants of partially purified 6PGD varied from each other in two respects. The transitional temperature is 47.8 C for Pd A, 45.4 C for Pd AB, and 41.1 C for Pd B. The Km for 6PGA is 30 μm for Pd A, 21 μm for Pd AB, and 15 μmfor Pd B. These observations add further strength to the concept that the polymorphism in 6PGD represents alterations in either the configuration or structure of the protein molecule itself.
Population Estimation Using Geographically Weighted Regression

In view of the variability in the accuracy of the land use/cover data derived from satellite data, population estimation using a global ordinary linear regression (OLS) model cannot deal with the spatial non-stationarity problem. This research applied a local geographically weighted regression (GWR) model using four land use area variables (high-density urban use, low-density urban use, cropland, and forest) for population estimation in the city of Atlanta, Georgia at the census tract level, and found that the four-class local GWR model could help improve the accuracy of population estimation over a four-class global OLS model by 28%. The spatial non-stationarity seemed to be affected by the core-periphery locations in the city. This research also confirmed that a regional regression approach based on census tracts aggregated by counties could minimize spatial non-stationarity, and produced more accurate population estimation than that for the study area as a whole using the global OLS model, thus pointin...
Intragraft TGF-β1 mRNA: A correlate of interstitial fibrosis and chronic allograft nephropathy

Intragraft TGF-β 1 mRNA: A correlate of interstitial fibrosis and chronic allograft nephropathy . Chronic allograft nephropathy is a relentlessly progressive process and a major cause of long-term graft dysfunction and ultimate failure. Interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy, and glomerular and vascular lesions characterize this mechanistically unresolved disorder. Given the prominent role of TGF- β 1 in tissue repair and in fibrosis, we have explored the hypothesis that fibrosis and chronic allograft nephropathy would be distinguished by intragraft TGF- β 1 mRNA expression. This postulate was tested by mRNA phenotyping of RNA isolated from 127 human renal allograft biopsies. Reverse transcription assisted polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify and identify ingraft gene expression. Our investigation demonstrated a significant correlation between intra graft TGF- β 1 mRNA display and renal allograft interstitial fibrosis and chronic allograft nephropathy. In contrast, intragraft expression of mRNA encoding immunoregulatory cytokines, IL-2, IFN- γ , IL-4, IL-10, or cytotoxic attack molecules, granzyme B and perforin was not a correlate of interstitial fibrosis or chronic allograft nephropathy. Our studies identify, for the first time, a significant association between intragraft TGF- β 1 mRNA expression and renal allograft interstitial fibrosis, and advance a candidate molecular mechanism for chronic allograft nephropathy.
Imaging CXCL12-CXCR4 Signaling in Ovarian Cancer Therapy

Chemokine CXCL12 and receptor CXCR4 have emerged as promising therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer, a disease that continues to have a dismal prognosis. CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling drives proliferation, survival, and invasion of ovarian cancer cells, leading to tumor growth and metastasis. Pleiotropic effects of CXCR4 in multiple key steps in ovarian cancer suggest that blocking this pathway will improve outcomes for patients with this disease. To quantify CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling in cell-based assays and living mouse models of ovarian cancer, we developed a click beetle red luciferase complementation reporter that detects activation of CXCR4 based on recruitment of the cytosolic adapter protein β-arrestin 2. Both in two-dimensional and three-dimensional cell cultures, we established that bioluminescence from this reporter measures CXCL12-dependent activation of CXCR4 and inhibition of this pathway with AMD3100, a clinically-approved small molecule that blocks CXCL12-CXCR4 binding. We used this imaging system to quantify CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling in a mouse model of metastatic ovarian cancer and showed that treatment with AMD3100 interrupted this pathway in vivo. Combination therapy with AMD3100 and cisplatin significantly decreased tumor burden in mice, although differences in overall survival were not significantly greater than treatment with either agent as monotherapy. These studies establish a molecular imaging reporter system for analyzing CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling in ovarian cancer, which can be used to investigate biology and therapeutic targeting of this pathway in cell-based assays and living mice.
Structure of the DBL3x domain of pregnancy-associated malaria protein VAR2CSA complexed with chondroitin sulfate A.

Plasmodium falciparum–infected erythrocytes bind to chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) in the placenta via the VAR2CSA protein, a member of the P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein-1 family, leading to life-threatening malaria in pregnant women with severe effects on their fetuses and newborns. Here we describe the structure of the CSA binding DBL3x domain, a Duffy binding-like (DBL) domain of VAR2CSA. By forming a complex of DBL3x with CSA oligosaccharides and determining its structure, we have identified the CSA binding site to be a cluster of conserved positively charged residues on subdomain 2 and subdomain 3. Mutation or chemical modification of lysine residues at the site markedly diminished CSA binding to DBL3x. The location of the CSA binding site is an important step forward in the molecular understanding of pregnancy-associated malaria and offers a new target for vaccine development.
Defeated chameleons darken dynamically during dyadic disputes to decrease danger from dominants

Research on intraspecific aggression has typically focused on dominant individuals, but a better understanding of the consequences and mechanisms of agonistic encounters requires a balanced perspective that includes knowledge of subordinate animal behaviors. In contrast to signals of fighting ability, signals of submission are an understudied component of agonistic communication that could provide important insights into the dynamics, function, and evolution of intraspecific competition. Here, I use a series of staged agonistic trials between adult male veiled chameleons Chamaeleo calyptratus to test the hypothesis that rapid skin darkening serves as a submissive signal to resolve agonistic activity. Concordant with this hypothesis, I found that losing chameleons darkened over the course of aggressive trials while winners brightened, and the likelihood of darkening increased when individuals were attacked more aggressively. Additionally, I found that the degree of brightness change exhibited by individual chameleons was tied to both overall and net aggression experienced during a trial, with chameleons who received high levels of aggression relative to their own aggression levels darkening to a greater extent than individuals receiving relatively less aggression. Lastly, I found that aggression increased for losers and winners prior to the onset of darkening by the eventual loser but that both chameleons reduced aggression after the losing chameleon began to darken. Based on the theoretical prediction that signals of submission should be favored when retreat options are restricted, I suggest that limited escapability imposed by chameleon morphology, physiology, and ecology favored the evolution of a pigment-based signal of submission in this group.
Temperatures and H 2 O contents of low-MgO high-alumina basalts

Experimental evidence is used to estimate H2O contents in low-MgO high-alumina basalts (HABs) ( 8wt.% MgO) could have H2O contents reaching no more than 1–2wt.%. The more common low-MgO HABs could have existed as liquids within the crust with H2O contents of 4 wt.% or higher at temperatures<1100°C. Magmas with these high H2O contents will saturate with and exsolve aqueous fluid upon approaching the surface. They cannot erupt as liquids and must grow crystals at shallow depths, thus accounting for the abundant phenocrysts in low-MgO HABs and BAs.
Hydrodynamics of Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglow

The detection of delayed emission at X-ray optical and radio wavelengths (afterglow) following gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) suggests that the relativistic shell that emitted the initial GRB as the result of internal shocks decelerates on encountering an external medium, giving rise to the afterglow. We explore the interaction of a relativistic shell with a uniform interstellar medium (ISM) up to the nonrelativistic stage. We demonstrate the importance of several effects that were previously ignored and must be included in a detailed radiation analysis. At a very early stage (few seconds), the observed bolometric luminosity increases as t -->2. On longer timescales (more than ~10 s), the luminosity drops as t -->−1. If the main burst is long enough, an intermediate stage of constant luminosity will form. In this case, the afterglow overlaps the main burst; otherwise there is a time separation between the two. On the long timescale, the flow decelerates in a self-similar way, reaching nonrelativistic velocities after ~30 days. Explicit expressions for the radial profiles of this self-similar deceleration are given. As a result of the deceleration and the accumulation of ISM material, the relation between the observed time, the shock radius, and its Lorentz factor is given by t=R/16γ -->2c, which is a factor of 8 different from the usual expression. We show that even though only a small fraction of the internal energy is given to the electrons, most of the energy can be radiated over time. If the fraction of energy in electrons is greater than ~10%, radiation losses will significantly influence the hydrodynamical evolution at early times (less than ~1 day).
Reliability of 'live' ratings of the speech of stutterers.

On two occasions, separated by 4 mo., 8 college-age stutterers gave a short spontaneous speech to and conversed with a group of judges, each of whom rated each S on each of 7 dimensions of speech using the equal-appearing intervals scaling procedure. Ratings 3 mo. later were obtained from the same judges using audio-recordings of the second ‘live’ session. Intraclass correlation procedures were used to estimate the reliability of the ratings. For 4 dimensions of dysfluent speech the mean scale values for all three rating sessions were highly reliable and equally reliable ratings were obtained from the ‘live’ and audio-taped samples. For 3 dimensions of non-stuttered speech, the ratings were not satisfactorily reliable.
Optimal broadcast and summation in the LogP model

We consider several natural broadcasting problems for the LogP model of distributed memory machines recently proposed by Culler et al. For each of these problems, we present algorithms that yield an optimal communication schedule. Our algorithms are absolutely best possible in that not even the constant factors can be improved upon. We also devise an (absolutely) optimal algorithm for summing a list of elements (using a non- commutative operation) using one of the optimal broadcast algorithms.
Impaction grafting: doing it right.

Impaction grafting has emerged as a useful technique in the armamentarium of the revision total hip arthroplasty surgeon. The original technique proposed by Ling has been associated with complications, including femoral shaft fractures, recurrent dislocations, and uncontrolled component subsidence. Modifications in that technique seem to be associated with a reduction in complications. The radial impaction grafting technique permits the use of revision femoral components with variable stem lengths, neck lengths, and neck offsets. The technique seeks to improve the quality of bone impaction and reduce the incidence of subsidence. Initial results have been encouraging.
Classically exact overlayer dynamics: Diffusion of rhodium clusters on Rh(100)

A new method is presented for describing the classical dynamics (e.g., diffusion, desorption) of adsorbed overlayers of atoms or molecules, starting from arbitrary interatomic potentials. Provided that a certain dynamical criterion is met, the method yields classically exact results, but with many orders of magnitude less computation than direct molecular dynamics. The approach provides, for what we believe to be the first time, a connection between stochastic lattice-gas dynamical methods and the interatomic potential function. As a sample application, the diffusion constants are computed for two-dimensional rhodium clusters of up to 75 atoms on the Rh(100) surface at T = 2000 K. For clusters larger than n = 15 atoms, the diffusion constant scales as n/sup -1.76//sup +- //sup 0.06/, and the dominant mechanism for the diffusion is found to be atoms running along the edges of the cluster blocks.
Electronic surface states in beryllium.

The \ensuremath{\Gamma}--M Be surface state found in two recent experiments is confirmed to be highly localized by a study of local density electronic states near the Fermi level of ultrathin Be films (n layers with n=1, 2, and 3). For n=3, a state at \ensuremath{\Gamma} is found 2.0 eV below ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}_{F}$ (experiment: 2.8 eV) and 1.9 eV above the film level which corresponds to the bulk band edge (experiment: 2.0 eV); good agreement in view of known limitations of local-density-approximation one-electron energies. That state at \ensuremath{\Gamma} falls in energy and its intersection with ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}_{F}$ along both \ensuremath{\Gamma}--M and \ensuremath{\Gamma}--K moves out from \ensuremath{\Gamma} with increasing n. The n-layer occupied states at M are not uniquely identifiable with either pure bulk or pure surface states, this is again in agreement with experimental indications that they are rather delocalized (as opposed to the one at \ensuremath{\Gamma}). The surface core-level 1s shift is estimated from the three-layer film (the thinnest system which can exhibit such a shift) as 0.21 eV (experiment: 0.50 eV). Previous restricted Hartree-Fock calculations on bulk and ultrathin-film Be differ markedly both from these results and from experiment; the discrepancies and their sources are considered.
INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE OF COMMON STOCKS IN RELATION TO INSIDER OWNERSHIP

In this paper, the authors empirically examine whether corporations with high degrees of insider ownership enjoy superior returns compared with firms with more diffuse ownership. In addition, the authors evaluate the effects of insider ownership on security returns in relations to the well-known effects of size and earnings yield (or price-earnings) ratios. Results indicate that, in addition to Basu's price-earnings effect, insider ownership is a new statistically significant variable that is associated with abnormal returns. This return anomaly might occur because the market pays an inadequate price for top managements' equity ownership, a firm-specific fundamental variable that has a theoretical foundation in agency theory.
More Hype Than HOPE

To the Editor: In the recently published Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE study),1 treatment with the ACE inhibitor ramipril was reported to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality independent of blood pressure (BP) reduction. High-risk “normotensive” (BP=140/80 mm Hg) patients (n=9541) were randomized to receive either 10 mg of ramipril or placebo in addition to their current medical regimen. They were followed for 4.5 years. The group receiving ramipril had an approximately 35% reduction in cardiovascular events despite no significant reduction in blood pressure. The reported blood pressure reduction was 3 mm Hg systolic and …
Real-time fault-tolerant hypercube multicomputer

A real-time fault-tolerant design for a d-dimensional hypercube multiprocessor with two modes of operation is presented and its reconfigurability is examined. The augmented hypercube, at stage one, has a spare node connected to each node of a subcube of dimension i, and the spare nodes are also connected as a (d−i)-dimensional hypercube. At stage two, the process is repeated by assigning one spare node to each (d−i−j)-dimensional spare subcube of stage one. Two modes of operations are considered, one under heavy computation or hard deadline and the other under light computation or soft deadline. By utilising the capabilities of wave-switching communication modules of the spare nodes, faulty nodes and faulty links can be tolerated. Both theoretical and experimental results are presented. Compared with other proposed schemes, the proposed approach can tolerate significantly more faulty components with a low overhead and no performance degradation.
Hazardous substances events associated with the manufacturing of chemicals and allied products.

This report describes events involving the acute release of hazardous substances reported to the Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) system for 1993-2000. HSEES, maintained by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), collects data on the industries/services associated with events. This analysis focuses on fixed-facility events that occurred during the manufacturing of chemicals and allied products (i.e. categorized according to the 1990 Industrial Classification System (ICS) of the US Bureau of the Census). This is the most frequently reported industry category in the surveillance system, with over 12000 events (28% of all events and 35% of fixed-facility events). Further classification found that the majority (71%) of these events involved the manufacturing of industrial and miscellaneous chemicals (ICS code 192), and 21% plastics, synthetics, and resins (ICS code 180). A total of 2676 persons reported injuries in 307 fixed-facility events. Most of the injured persons were employees (42%), followed by the general public (38%), students (15%), and responders (5%). Thirty-five percent of all injured persons and 46% of all injured employees had respiratory symptoms. Releases frequently occurred in processing vessels, and the majority was due to equipment failure. A review of the data indicates that manufacturers of chemicals and allied products could help reduce morbidity and mortality by taking preventive actions such as performing regular maintenance of processing equipment, regular training of employees and encouraging them to wear respiratory protection, and educating the public on what to do in the event of a release from these facilities.
A Briefing Tool that Learns Individual Report-Writing Behavior

We describe a briefing system that learns to predict the contents of reports generated by users who create periodic (weekly) reports as part of their normal activity. We ad- dress the question whether data derived from the implicit supervision provided by end-users is robust enough to sup- port not only model parameter tuning but also a form of feature discovery. The system was evaluated under realis- tic conditions, by collecting data in a project-based univer- sity course where student group leaders were tasked with preparing weekly reports for the benefit of the instructors, using the material from individual student reports.
Model-IQ: Uncertainty Propagation from Sensing to Modeling and Control in Buildings

A fundamental problem in the design of closed-loop Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) is in accurately capturing the dynamics of the underlying physical system. To provide optimal control for such closed-loop systems, model-based controls require accurate physical plant models. It is hard to analytically establish (a) how data quality from sensors affects model accuracy, and consequently, (b) the effect of model accuracy on the operational cost of model-based controllers. We present the Model-IQ toolbox which, given a plant model and real input data, automatically evaluates the effect of this uncertainty propagation from sensor data to model accuracy to controller performance. We apply the Model-IQ uncertainty analysis for model-based controls in buildings to demonstrate the cost-benefit of adding temporary sensors to capture a building model. We show how sensor placement and density bias training data. For the real building considered, a bias of 1% degrades model accuracy by 20%. Model-IQ's automated process lowers the cost of sensor deployment, model training and evaluation of advanced controls for small and medium sized buildings. Such end-to-end analysis of uncertainty propagation has the potential to lower the cost for CPS with closed-loop model based control. We demonstrate this with real building data in the Department of Energy's HUB.
Factors that contribute to the transneuronal spread of herpes simplex virus.

In viral encephalitis and retinal necrosis, different herpes simplex virus (HSV) strains spread between neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) by distinctly different routes. The steps of viral infection and spread in a single neuron type and nearby glial cells in vivo have been determined for three different strains of HSV (F, H129, and McIntyre-B). The corneas of mice were inoculated with equivalent titers of the strains. Two to 5 days later, the animals were killed. The spread of viral proteins within trigeminal cells was examined using immuno- and electron microscopy and Western blots with anti-HSV polyclonal antiserum. McIntyre-B virus infection resulted in fewer labeled ganglion cells, possibly as a result of reduced viral production in the corneal epithelium or trigeminal ganglion cells. Although the McIntyre-B strain was at least as, if not more efficient, at retrograde transport than the other strains, the amount of McIntyre-B virus that was transported in the trigeminal roots in an anterograde direction was significantly less than the other strains. Uptake by ganglionic satellite cells was qualitatively similar for the three strains, but maturation and release of virus from satellite cells to other neurons were reduced in the McIntyre-B strain. These characteristics may account for the preferential retrograde transneuronal spread of McIntyre-B strain. J. Neurosci. Res. 49:485–496, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Further Research Relative to Trice's Study of Juniors' and Seniors' Self-Reports of Scholastic Aptitude Scores:

Trice (1990), extending the work of Goldman, Flake, and Matheson (1990), by studying the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) self-reports of juniors and seniors at a women's liberal arts college reported that the total SAT mean for students not reporting their scores was significantly lower (M = 802, SD = 164) than those who reported scores (M = 881, SD = 198; t = 2.04, p < .05). Using their earlier data from university freshmen and sophomores (Goldman, et a/ . , 19901, the present researchers found results similar to Trice's in that the 83 university students who did not report their SATs had a total mean significantly lower (M = 876, SD = 119) than those 200 who reported scores (M = 977, SD = 151; t = 6.02, p< ,001). Also, the present researchers compared high school and university grade point average means for those who reported and those who did not report them. Although the differences were small and not significant, agxn, those who did not report GPAs had lower means than those who reported them (high school GPAs not reported: n = 88, M = 2.80, SD = .46 vs high school GPAs reported: n = 183, M = 2.81, SD = .51; and university GPAs not reported: n = 173, M=2.37, SD = .79 vs university GPAs reported: n = 126, M = 2.49, SD = ,701. Trice (1990) further demonstrated the difficulty of relying on self-report data by comparing the correlation of self-report SAT-Verbal scores and actual college GPAs (r = .37) with the correlation of actual SAT-Verbal scores and actual GPAs ( r = .44). The present researchers found similar results for their analysis although their correlations were smaller, i.e., self-report SATVerbal scores and actual university GPA correlated .20 while actual SAT-Verbal scores and actual university GPA correlated .35. In addition, they made this comparison for SAT-Mathematics scores and again found similar results, i.e., self-report SAT-Mathematics scores and actual university GPA correlated .27 while actual SAT-Mathematics and actual university GPA correlated .44. These findings further point out the distortions in college students' self-reported data as they tend to overestimate their actual achievement and in fact lower achieving students may not even report their academic accomplishments. Gaps still remain in this research area because Trice, being at a woman's college, was unable to study junior and senior men. Also, with respect to the present researchers' work it would be interesting to see a breakdown of the data by class (freshmen and sophomores) and by sex.
Optical Adjacency Matrix Associative Processor

A new bidirectional optical associative processor is described for searching a hierarchical database that is stored as an adjacency matrix. The paper discusses how the processor can answer relatively complex queries on a knowledge base when the queries are formulated as combinations of set closures, unions, intersections, and complementations. Thus, a processor that performs general set operations results, as well as a system that can answer various knowledge base queries and guide a knowledge base search. These are new operations for associative processors that increase their utility. This new associative processor operates on entities and their attributes. It can be viewed as a type lattice processor (since the entities and attributes form a hierarchy known as a type lattice), as a closure processor (since it performs closure operations that list all attributes of an entity [or entities] or all entities with a given attribute [or attributes]), or as an adjacency processor (since the connection matrix used stores adjacent associations of attributes and entities).
Capacity and linear precoding for packet retransmissions

The paper presents a method for enhancing wireless ARQ system performance by combining packet retransmissions through frequency-selective channels. As a measure of system performance, we derive the total mutual information (or channel capacity) provided by multiple transmissions of a packet through different channels. Retransmissions are uniquely linear precoded and/or truncated in relation to the original transmission. With the objective of maximizing total throughput, optimal linear precoders are developed for zero-padded packet transmissions. These precoders effectively implement power loading with the right singular vectors of the original transmission channel serving as basis vectors. Simulation results validate the increase in the overall mutual information and throughput from optimized precoding.
Large variation in steroid concentrations and insulin-like growth factor binding proteins exists among individual small antral follicles collected from within cows at random stages of the estrous cycle.

Variation in the biochemical status of individual small ( 0.4; P < 0.05) with IGFBP-4 and -5. The results indicate that steroid concentrations and IGFBP activities vary substantially among small antral follicles collected from within and among individual animals and that increasing production of E2, the hallmark of a developing follicle, was associated with reduced activity of all IGFBP except IGFBP-3, thereby implicating these IGFBP in the regulation of follicular recruitment.
RANDOMIZED ALLOCATION WITH NONPARAMETRIC ESTIMATION FOR A MULTI-ARMED BANDIT PROBLEM WITH COVARIATES

We study a multi-armed bandit problem in a setting where covariates are available. We take a nonparametric approach to estimate the functional relationship between the response (reward) and the covariates. The estimated relationships and appropriate randomization are used to select a good arm to play for a greater expected reward. Randomization helps balance the tendency to trust the currently most promising arm with further exploration of other arms. It is shown that, with some familiar nonparametric methods (e.g., histogram), the proposed strategy is strongly consistent in the sense that the accumulated reward is asymptotically equivalent to that based on the best arm (which depends on the covariates) almost surely.
HAST applications: acceleration factors and results for VLSI components

Results and acceleration factors between several highly accelerated stress test (HAST) conditions and 85 degrees C/85% relative humidity tests are given for NMOS EPROMs (erasable programmable read-only memories) and CMOS RAMs (random-access memories). Two failure regimes exist in time: the earliest is below 25% cumulative failures and is due to passivation defects; beyond that, failures are due to passivation moisture saturation or wearout. Results are sensitive to device/process, passivation integrity, and test apparatus cleanliness. Failure predictions are dependent on which failure regime is used. >
Mortality of Intrathoracic Sarcoidosis in Referral vs Population-Based Settings: Influence of Stage, Ethnicity, and Corticosteroid Therapy

Study objectives To compare the sarcoidosis mortalityin referral settings (RS) and population-based settings (PS), and toidentify the contribution of stage, ethnicity, and corticosteroidtherapy (CST) to their disparate outcomes. Design Allobservational studies identified in a MEDLINE search and bibliographicreview published in the English language since 1960 dealing with thecourse and prognosis of sarcoidosis in large, unsorted, adult,ambulatory RS and PS providing long-term follow-up were reviewed andsubjected to meta-analysis. Measurements and results Sarcoidosis mortality in RS (4.8%), in which 17% of patients had themost unfavorable prognosis as judged by stage (stage III), was 10-foldthat reported in PS (0.5%), in which 11% of patients were identifiedat this stage. The magnitude of this disparity could not be accountedfor solely by adverse selection, as indicated by stage or by ethnicity.Patients in RS received CST with sevenfold the frequency of PS, and itsprovision was highly correlated with stage-normalized mortality. Conclusion The prognosis of patients with intrathoracicsarcoidosis in PS is far more favorable than that obtained in RS.Sarcoidosis mortality is largely independent of ethnicity. Thepossibility cannot be excluded that excessive employment of CST mayunfavorably influence the long-term course of the disease in someindividuals.
Histone acetyltransferase p300 is a coactivator for transcription factor REL and is C-terminally truncated in the human diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell line RC-K8

Abstract Human c-Rel (REL) is a member of the NF-κB family of transcription factors. REL’s normal physiological role is in the regulation of B-cell proliferation and survival. The REL gene is amplified in many human B-cell lymphomas and overexpression of REL can transform chicken lymphoid cells. In this report, histone acetyltransferase p300 enhanced REL-induced transactivation and interacted with REL both in vitro and in REL-transformed chicken spleen cells and the B-lymphoma cell line RC-K8, in which REL is constitutively active and required for proliferation. However, due to a deletion in the EP300 locus, only a C-terminally truncated form of p300 is expressed in RC-K8 cells. These results suggest a role for p300 in REL-mediated oncogenic activity in B lymphoma.
Rapid Olfactory Adaptation Induced by Perithreshold Odorant Concentrations in Human Observers

A recent study from our laboratory described the development and use of a novel psychophysical method to characterize the onset time course of rapid olfactory adaptation (Smith et al., Chem Senses 35:717–725 2010). In the present study, we used this same approach to measure adaptation-induced changes in olfactory sensitivity following exposure to different self-adapting perithreshold-level stimuli. We used a custom-built liquid-dilution olfactometer to estimate two-odor discrimination thresholds for 600-ms presentations of a vanilla odorant alone and 500 ms after the onset of a 1,500-ms simultaneous vanilla adapting stimulus. Our previous findings suggest that a 500-ms exposure to a suprathreshold stimulus is sufficient to induce an asymptotic level of rapid olfactory adaptation in most participants. Twenty normosmic college-aged volunteers (ages 18–24; 14 females) served as subjects in this experiment. Thresholds were initially estimated for the 600-ms vanilla target alone, then compared in the presence of a simultaneous adapting stimulus set to 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 times the participant’s initial threshold to assess the effects of adapting odorant level on adaptation magnitude. The results suggest that significant decreases in odorant sensitivity were evident even with subthreshold adapting odorant levels, but that the magnitude of adaptation was unaffected by adapting odorant concentration.
New approaches for detecting groups of targets

In military operations, targets are often deployed in well defined groups, such as tank divisions. It is possible to exploit this information and develop algorithms to detect such groups of targets for automated target cueing (ATC). These candidate areas would then be revisited by a higher resolution sensor. The paper describes one such ATC algorithm, which significantly reduces the amount of area revisited by an automatic target recognition (ATR) system. In addition, the authors demonstrate that performance can be greatly improved by reconfirming the existence of a valid target group during the higher resolution revisits. >
Out of breath: GM-CSFRα mutations disrupt surfactant homeostasis

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disorder in which surfactant homeostasis in the lung is impaired, causing respiratory distress and, in severe cases, respiratory failure. Most cases of PAP are associated with the formation of autoantibodies against the cytokine granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), which is required for normal surfactant homeostasis and lung function. New studies now identify three patients in whom PAP was caused by mutations in the gene encoding the ligand-binding α chain of the GM-CSF receptor.
Casework and the medical metaphor

After discussing metaphors in general, the author describes the medical metaphor--or medical model--that was for many years the basis of casework. The author suggests that the medical model has had a detrimental influence on the profession of social work, and he offers alternative models.
Prevalence and correlates of category versus letter fluency discrepancies in Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients typically exhibit greater category than letter fluency impairment, but the prevalence of this discrepancy has not been studied in a large group of patients. In the present study of 217 AD patients, we found that 145 subjects (66.8 %) demonstrated the expected pattern of better letter fluency (FAS test, i.e, generating as many words as possible in 1 minute beginning with “F”, “A,” and “S”) than category fluency (animal generation). However, an unexpectedly large group of patients exhibited the opposite pattern of category fluency equal to or better than letter fluency ( n = 72, 33.2%). Paired t -tests between groups revealed no significant differences on demographic variables such as age, gender, education level, or duration of illness. However, the smaller group exhibiting the unexpected fluency pattern exhibited significantly higher Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE; Folstein, Folstein, & McHugh, 1975 ) scores compared to the larger group. Comparisons were made between group performance on other neuropsychological tasks, using MMSE performance as a covariate, but no significant differences were found. Therefore, the present results do not offer strong support for the neuropsychological (and possibly neuroanatomical) distinctiveness of the two fluency subgroups.
Determinants of Reporting Nonrecurring Charges Subsequent to Corporate Acquisitions

This study examines the recurring nature of nonrecurring earnings charges following acquisitions and the characteristics that determine the likelihood of recording these charges. In a sample of 636 merger/acquisitions, 58% of Acquiring firms recorded at least one nonrecurring charge with respect to a Target firm. Pooling-of-interests Acquirers are more aggressive than purchase method Acquirers in early years following an acquisition. The logistic regression results show the odds of recording a nonrecurring charge are significantly greater when there is CEO turnover, high institutional ownership, use of the pooling-of-interests method, and when cash-only is used as consideration. This study also affirms the Financial Accounting Standards Board decision to eliminate the pooling-of-interests method for acquisitions for the reason that the purchase accounting method will lead to less nonrecurring charges.