cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A HYBRID BAYESIAN NETWORK-BASED MULTI-AGENT SYSTEM AND A DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE FOR THE DRUG CRIME KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

In this paper, we describe an approach for building a hybrid Bayesian network-based multi-agent system for drug crime knowledge management. We use distributed artificial intelligence architecture to create a multi-agent information system that integrates distributed knowledge sources and information to aid decision-making. Our comparison of the hybrid system with a previously developed stand-alone expert system Sherpa, which was in use at a large drug crime investigation facility, shows that the current system compares similar to the existing system in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of knowledge management. We illustrate how the proposed hybrid bayesian network-based can be implemented in the distributed computing network environment.
Polymer–Solvent Interaction Parameter χ

14.1 Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 14.2 Methods of Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 14.3 General Features and Significance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Privacy-Preserving Data Mining and the Need for Confluence of Research and Practice

Privacy-preserving data mining (PPDM) refers to data mining techniques developed to protect sensitive data while allowing useful information to be discovered from the data. In this article, we review PPDM and present a broad survey of related issues, techniques, measures, applications, and regulation guidelines. We observe that the rapid pace of change in information technologies available to sustain PPDM has created a gap between theory and practice. We posit that without a clear understanding of the practice, this gap will be widening which, ultimately, will be detrimental to the field. We conclude by proposing a comprehensive research agenda intended to bridge the gap relevant to practice and as a reference basis for the future related legislation activities.
Microwave & magnetic (M2) proteomics reveals CNS-specific protein expression waves that precede clinical symptoms of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Central nervous system-specific proteins (CSPs), transported across the damaged blood-brain-barrier (BBB) to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood (serum), might be promising diagnostic, prognostic and predictive protein biomarkers of disease in individual multiple sclerosis (MS) patients because they are not expected to be present at appreciable levels in the circulation of healthy subjects. We hypothesized that microwave & magnetic (M2) proteomics of CSPs in brain tissue might be an effective means to prioritize putative CSP biomarkers for future immunoassays in serum. To test this hypothesis, we used M2 proteomics to longitudinally assess CSP expression in brain tissue from mice during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of MS. Confirmation of central nervous system (CNS)-infiltrating inflammatory cell response and CSP expression in serum was achieved with cytokine ELISPOT and ELISA immunoassays, respectively, for selected CSPs. M2 proteomics (and ELISA) revealed characteristic CSP expression waves, including synapsin-1 and α-II-spectrin, which peaked at day 7 in brain tissue (and serum) and preceded clinical EAE symptoms that began at day 10 and peaked at day 20. Moreover, M2 proteomics supports the concept that relatively few CNS-infiltrating inflammatory cells can have a disproportionally large impact on CSP expression prior to clinical manifestation of EAE.
The optimization of laser prostatectomypart I: Free beam side fire coagulation

Abstract Objectives. To study laser-tissue interaction and develop unifying principlesfor the optimization of free beam side fire neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser coagulation prostatectomy. Methods. The heating patterns and coagulation volumes created by different right angle deflecting fibers were studied at different wattages and times in potato and canine models. Results. In the potato, higher wattage resulted in deeper and more rapid heating. Thehigh power density fibers created lesions of smaller volume which increased less with rising wattage than those fibers of lower power density. In the canine model, carbonization decreased heat penetration, and “popcorn” decreased superficial temperature without altering lesion size as long as it occurred without carbonization. As lasing progressed, smaller incremental increases in coagulation depth were achieved. Conclusions. To optimize coagulation laser prostatectomy, the surgeon should operate at the highest wattage which does not cause carbonization. The visualized intraoperative laser-tissue interaction allows the adjustment of laser power during the case as needed.
Design and Assembly of New Nonviral RNAi Delivery Agents by Microwave-Assisted Quaternization (MAQ) of Tertiary Amines

RNA interference (RNAi) is a gene-silencing phenomenon whereby double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) triggers the sequence-specific degradation of homologous mRNA. RNAi has been quickly and widely applied to discover gene functions and holds great potential to provide a new class of therapeutic agents. However, new chemistry and delivery approaches are greatly needed to silence disease-causing genes without toxic effects. We reasoned that conjugation of the cholesterol moiety to cationic lipids would enhance RNAi efficiencies and lower the toxic effects of lipid-mediated RNAi delivery. Here, we report the first design and synthesis of new cholesterol-conjugated cationic lipids for RNAi delivery using microwave-assisted quaternization (MAQ) of tertiary amines. This strategy can be employed to develop new classes of nonviral gene delivery agents under safe and fast reaction conditions.
Micromagnetic modeling of magnoise in magnetoresistive read sensors

Practical methods for micromagnetic modeling of broadband magnetic thermal fluctuation noise in magnetoresistive CPP read sensors/heads are described using a matrix form of the linearized Gilbert equations. The scaling of magnetic signal/noise vs. device size and geometry is considered in detail, as are the individual normal-mode fluctuations of free and reference layers. Natural-mode stability analysis methods for spin-torque effects is also briefly considered.
Salvage of ischemic myocardium by ibuprofen during infarction in the conscious dog.

Abstract Because nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs differ in potency and degree of prostaglandin inhibition, they may have different effects on ischemic myocardium. The effect of ibuprofen, an agent of this type, on myocardial infarct size was measured 2 days after occlusion of the left circumflex coronary artery in conscious dogs. Treatment was randomized in dogs after occlusion: Intravenous infusions of ibuprofen (6.25 mg/kg per hour) were administered to 13 dogs and saline solution (0.9 percent) to 13 control dogs over a period of 6 hours. The boundary of the occluded coronary bed, or anatomic risk region, was defined by postmortem coronary arteriography. Masses of infarct and occluded bed were measured by planimetry of weighed transverse sections of the left ventricle. Ibuprofen decreased infarct size compared with that in control dogs, both as percent of the left ventricle (mean ± standard error of the mean 7.5 ± 1.4 versus 15.2 ± 3.1, p
Repulsive interactions between uncharged bilayers. Hydration and fluctuation pressures for monoglycerides.

Pressure versus distance relations have been obtained for solid (gel) and neat (liquid-crystalline) phase uncharged lipid bilayers by the use of x-ray diffraction analysis of osmotically stressed monoglyceride aqueous dispersions and multilayers. For solid phase monoelaidin bilayers, the interbilayer repulsive pressure decays exponentially from a bilayer separation of approximately 7 A at an applied pressure of 3 x 10(7) dyn/cm2 to a separation of approximately 11 A at zero applied pressure, where an excess water phase forms. The decay length is approximately 1.3 A, which is similar to the value previously measured for gel phase phosphatidylcholine bilayers. This implies that the decay length of the hydration pressure does not depend critically on the presence of zwitterionic head groups in the bilayer surface. For liquid-crystalline monocaprylin, the repulsive pressure versus distance curve has two distinct regions. In the first region, for bilayer separations of approximately 3–8 A and applied pressures of 3 x 10(8) to 4 x 10(6) dyn/cm2, the pressure decays exponentially with a decay length of approximately 1.3 A. In the second region, for bilayer separations of approximately 8–22 A and applied pressures of 4 x 10(6) to 1 x 10(5) dyn/cm2, the pressure decays much more gradually and is inversely proportional to the cube of the distance between bilayers. These data imply that two repulsive pressures operate between liquid-crystalline monocaprylin bilayers, the hydration pressure, which dominates at small (3–8 A) bilayer separations, and the fluctuation pressure, which dominates at larger bilayer separations (greater than 8 A) and strongly influences the hydration properties of the liquid-crystalline bilayers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
On the discriminative control of concurrent responses: the relations among response frequency, latency, and topography in auditory generalization.

Human subjects were used in a study of auditory generalization following multiple-response discrimination training. The relations observed among stimulus intensity, response probability, and response latency were invariant with respect to whether the two vocal responses conditioned were topographically discrete, as in one experiment, or topographically continuous, as in another. The major findings were: 1 . The probabilities associated with a specific response were maximal over several stimulus values at the extreme ends of the continuum, then dropped sharply at stimuli intermediate to the initial SD's as the probability of the alternative response increased. 2 . Overall response latency was inversely related to the relative frequency of the two responses at each stimulus value. When the two responses were most nearly equal in probability, latencies were maximal; when one response had close to unit or zero probability, latencies were minimal. 3 . Analysis of the latencies of the two responses, taken separately, revealed: (a) an increase in latency as the difference between the test stimulus and the initial SD increased; (b) a sharp discontinuity in the latency gradient and reversal in trend at intermediate stimulus intensities; and (c) at a given stimulus value, latencies associated with the stochastically dominant response were consistently shorter than those of the nondominant response. 4 . No changes in response topography (fundamental frequency) were correlated with the characteristic changes in probability and latency during stimulus generalization.
High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of phenobarbital and phenobarbital metabolites in human urine

A HPLC assay using UV detection and post-column alkalinization was developed to quantify possible urinary excretion products of phenobarbital in human urine. After filtration the urine was injected directly onto the HPLC column for analysis of phenobarbital, p-hydroxyphenobarbital, phenobarbital N-glucosides and phenobarbital N-glucuronides. The accuracy and precision of the assay were within +/- 15% and the limit of detection (LOD) was 1 microM, suitable for pharmacokinetic studies. Phenobarbital was administered orally to five male subjects and urine was collected for a period of 96-108 h. Phenobarbital, p-hydroxyphenobarbital, and phenobarbital N-glucosides were detected and quantified in the urine of all five subjects. The phenobarbital N-glucuronides were not detected in the urine. This assay provides a rapid method with improved selectivity to analyze urine for phenobarbital and its metabolites.
Interactive Role of Adhesivity and Angle in Mucus Clearance by Simulated Cough

Effects of viscoelastic properties of mucus simulants similar to that of healthy individuals and patients with severe lung diseases and adhesivity of mucus at four discrete angles (0°, 15°, 30°, and 45°) of a model trachea on displacement of mucus during cough at velocities in the range between 5 meters/second (m/s) and 30 m/s were investigated. Results indicated that displacement of mucus aliquot was enhanced significantly on adhesive surface compared to that on non-adhesive surface at all angles of the trachea, for both types of simulants in the velocity range studied. Results also showed that displacement increase with increasing angle of the trachea with respect to horizontal.© 2009 ASME
Studies on Drug Release from a Carbomer Tablet Matrix

AbstractThe purpose of this investigation was to study the drug release mechanisms for tablet matrices of carbomer. Carbomer is a polymer of acrylic acid which is cross-linked with polyalkenyl polyether. The drug and the carbomer were blended and directly compressed into tablets using a laboratory Carver press. The influence of the level of carbomer, the type of drug, and the pH of dissolution media were investigated by measuring drug release kinetics. In general, the release of a relatively neutral molecule (e.g. theophylline) in the pH 7.2 phosphate buffer solution appears to exhibit nearly zero-order kinetics via a diffusion-controlled mechanism for all polymer levels studied (10-85%).The drug release process based on diffusion can be described by the general expression:Mt = k1t1/2 + k2twhere M, represents the amount of the drug released at time t, and k1, k2 are related to kinetic constants characteristic of the drug delivery systems. The release kinetics are modified when an ionic species, such as so...
Toxicogenomics: Impact on human health

Toxicology is the science of adverse effects of chemicals, drugs, environmental agents, and stressors. Genomics defines the structure, sequence (code), and function of the entire DNA complement of organisms. The interfaceof these diverse disciplines is called toxicogenomics and is based upon the application of genomic technologies to define globally the changes in gene expression (both mRNA and proteins) as a consequence of exposures. DNA microarray technology enables the simultaneous measurement of transcription of thousands of genes using microchips containing thousands of probes of complementary DNA (cDNA) immobilized in a predetermined array. The ultimate application of this technology to toxicology holds great promise but faces several formidable problems. With the solution to these problems, it will be possible to develop a substantial database of Chemical Effects in Biological Systems (CEBS). Such a database will provide the capacity to relate specific changes in gene expression to specific adverse effects and to look for similar pathways in different organisms. Such data will provide an objective way of assessing surrogate systems for reporting or predicting potential adverse effects in humans. While the potential for toxicogenomics is thus very high for studying active substances, the task must be approached in a deliberate, incremental manner to insure that only high-quality data are compiled and analyzed. This workshop will present the latest results of research conducted in leading international laboratories studying endocrine-mediated toxicity.
Spoken Web: creation, navigation and searching of VoiceSites

The Spoken Web is a voice-based equivalent of the World Wide Web (WWW), developed by IBM Research Laboratory, India, primarily designed for rural and semi-urban people to provide information of value to them through their mobile or landline phones. This demonstration aims to present the use of VoiceSites for information creation and access for the rural population. VoiceSites can be accessed by calling a phone number and end-users can listen to the content over phone and navigate through voice or the phone keypad. While one demonstration is of creating a VoiceSite, the other is for browsing a multitude of VoiceSites that would also demonstrate conducting transactions across VoiceSites. We will also present the mechanism to search for content on VoiceSites. These demonstrations will help in presenting the concept of the Spoken Web, which we foresee, can have the same effect in the developing regions community which the WWW has done to the developed world over the last decade.
Racism and Sexism as Correlates of African American Women’s Psychological Distress

Historically, researchers have neglected the lives of African American women, and very little research has looked specifically at concurrent examinations of multiple oppressions associated with multiple minority identities as predictors of mental health. The current study aimed to increase our knowledge about African American women by examining the relations between external and internalized racism and sexism and African American women’s psychological distress. One hundred sixty participants were recruited through a number of United States’ organizations via the internet. Results indicated that when external and internalized oppression based on race and gender were examined concomitantly, only sexist events emerged as a positive predictor of distress.
Recognition and Signaling by Toll-Like Receptors

AbstractToll-like receptors (TLRs) are transmembrane proteins that detect invading pathogens by binding conserved, microbially derived molecules and that induce signaling cascades for proinflammatory gene expression. A critical component of the innate immune system, TLRs utilize leucine-rich-repeat motifs for ligand binding and a shared cytoplasmic domain to recruit the adaptors MyD88, TRIF, TIRAP, and/or TRAM for downstream signaling. Despite significant domain conservation, TLRs induce gene programs that lead not only to the robust production of general proinflammatory mediators but also to the production of unique effectors, which provide pathogen-tailored immune responses. Here we review the mechanisms by which TLRs recognize pathogens and induce distinct signaling cascades.
Tunneling and slicing: towards scalable BMC

Bounded model checking (BMC) provides complete design coverage with respect to a correctness property up to a bounded depth. However, with successive unrolling of the design, each BMC instance at depth k becomes bigger in size and harder to solve. We propose a novel scalable approach to decompose disjunctively a BMC instance, into simpler and independent subproblems, based on tunnels i.e., a set of control paths. We simplify each subproblem using slicing, data path simplification and tunnel specific control flow constraints, and solve them independently. We implemented such a tunneling and slicing-based reduction (TSR) approach in satisfiability-modulo-theory (SMT)-based BMC framework. Such a TSR-based approach improves the overall performance of BMC when applied to verification of low- level embedded industry programs.
Efficient Heuristics for Planning GMPLS Transport Networks

With the multi-granularity switching capability taken into consideration in WDM-based transport networks, most existing routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) planning algorithms become economically infeasible. Therefore, efficient implementation of the whole traffic hierarchy defined in generalized multi-protocol label switching (GMPLS) has to be delivered by suitably designed routing, grouping, and assignment planning algorithms. This requires defining a new transport planning problem, which we call the routing and multi-granular paths assignment (RMGPA) problem. The objective of the problem is to minimize the total weighted node port count. Due to the computational complexity of the problem, only very-small-sized problems can be solved exactly through mixed integer linear programming (MILP) optimization. In this paper, we propose novel heuristics that are capable of solving large-sized problems in a reasonable amount of time.
Sleep loss and REM sleep loss are hyperalgesic.

Study Objectives: Disturbed sleep is observed in association with acute and chronic pain, and some data suggest that disturbed and shortened sleep enhances pain. We report the first data showing, in healthy, pain-free, individuals, that modest reductions of sleep time and specific loss of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep produces hyperalgesia the following morning. Design: Two repeated-measures design protocols were conducted: (1) a sleep-loss protocol with 8 hours time-in-bed, 4 hours time-in-bed, and 0 hours time-in-bed conditions and (2) a REM sleep-loss protocol with 8 hours time-in-bed, 2 hours time-in-bed, REM deprivation, and non-REM yoked-control conditions. Setting: The studies were conducted in an academic hospital sleep laboratory. Participants: Healthy pain-free normal sleepers, 7 in the sleep-loss protocol and 6 in the REM sleep-loss protocol, participated. Measurements: Finger-withdrawal latency to a radiant heat stimulus tested at 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM and the Multiple Sleep Latency Test conducted at 10:00 AM, noon, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM were measured. Results: Finger-withdrawal latency was shortened by 25% after 4 hours of time in bed the previous night relative to 8 hours of time in bed (p <.05), and REM sleep deprivation relative to a non-REM yoked-control sleep-interruption condition shortened finger-withdrawal latency by 32% (p<.02). Conclusion: These studies showed that the loss of 4 hours of sleep and specific REM sleep loss are hyperalgesic the following day. These findings imply that pharmacologic treatments and clinical conditions that reduce sleep and REM sleep time may increase pain.
"BEST" homonuclear adiabatic decoupling for 13C- and 15N-double-labeled proteins.

Abstract The cyclic irradiation sidebands appearing in homonuclear adiabatic decoupling are calculated in detail, which reveals the origin of the antisymmetric sidebands. The sidebands can be inverted by inserting an initial decoupling with a different period, but the same f 1 rms as the main decoupling that is required for Bloch–Siegert shift compensation. The sidebands can be eliminated in a broad decoupling range by adding spectra of opposite sidebands. Based on this scheme, an offset-independent double-adiabatic decoupling, named Bloch–Siegert Shift Eliminated and Cyclic Sideband Trimmed Double-Adiabatic Decoupling, or “BEST” decoupling for short, is constructed, which not only compensates the Bloch–Siegert shift as shown earlier by Zhang and Gorenstein (1998) but also eliminates residual sidebands effectively.
Inelastic Photoproduction of J/psi and Upsilon by Gluons

Amplitudes are derived for the quantum-chromodynamic subprocess $\ensuremath{\gamma}g\ensuremath{\rightarrow}(\frac{J}{\ensuremath{\psi}})g$, with a specific wave function used to represent the $\frac{J}{\ensuremath{\psi}}$ as a $c\overline{c}$ system. The results are used to obtain the normalized total cross section ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}$ for the inelastic process $\ensuremath{\gamma}N\ensuremath{\rightarrow}(\frac{J}{\ensuremath{\psi}})X$, predictions for the $z$ and ${p}_{T}$ dependence of inelastic $\frac{J}{\ensuremath{\psi}}$ photoproduction, and predictions for the $\frac{J}{\ensuremath{\psi}}$ helicity. The predictions apply as well to electroproduction at small ${Q}^{2}$.
Priorities for solar and space physics

The Space Science Board's Committee on Solar and Space Physics is presently preparing a report for NASA on the priorities for new space science programs in solar and space physics, much as the Astronomy Survey (NAS-Field Report) and Solar-System Exploration Committees (NASA-SSEC Report) did for their respective disciplines. This National Academy report is intended to define a program of space missions and associated ground-based activities that NASA should undertake from now through the 1990's that will make substantial advances in our understanding of the physics of the sun and heliosphere, space plasmas, magnetospheres of the earth and other planets, and the ionosphere and upper atmosphere of the earth.
Wang-Zwische Double-Lumen Cannula Leads to Total Cavopulmonary Support in a Failing Fontan Sheep Model

Background We are developing a total cavopulmonary support system for failing Fontan physiology using the percutaneous Wang-Zwische double-lumen cannula (DLC). Methods We developed a sheep model of failing Fontan physiology through a right thoracotomy in 5 sheep. An extracardiac conduit was anastomosed to the inferior vena cava and superior vena cava, and a graft was applied to connect the conduit and the right pulmonary artery (PA) to create total vena cava-to-PA diversion, excluding the right heart. The DLC (commercialized as AvalonElite, Avalon Laboratories LLC, Rancho Dominguez, CA) was coupled with a CentriMag pump (Levitronix Waltham, MA) to form a cavopulmonary support system. The DLC was inserted through the right jugular vein and the superior vena cava into the extracardiac conduit with the infusion lumen opening aligned with the right PA bridge. Blood was withdrawn from the superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava through the drainage lumen and pumped into the right PA through the infusion lumen, with flow adjusted to 4.0 ± 0.5 L/min. Results A successful Fontan model was created without cardiopulmonary bypass. After total venous blood diversion from the vena cava to the right PA artery, failing Fontan physiology developed, evidenced by elevated central venous pressure and dropping mean PA pressure and systolic arterial pressure. The DLC was successfully inserted, and hemodynamics were normalized in all 5 sheep for the duration of the 2-hour study. Conclusions We created a model of failing Fontan circulation in sheep without cardiopulmonary bypass. The DLC system achieved total cavopulmonary support for 2 hours in our failing Fontan sheep model.
Characterization of MPEG-4 traffic over IEEE 802.11b wireless LANs

Several traffic characterization studies have been performed on wireless LAN with the main objective of realizing good and accurate models, in particular to model the errors in the wireless channel. In this paper we are more interested in the effects of those errors on the higher layer protocol. Using two freely available tools to send and receive real-time streams and collect and analyze traces, we send MPEG-4 encoded video frames over a 11 Mbit/s, 802.11b wireless LAN to characterize the errors in the channel and the effect of those errors on the quality of the movie. We performed an experiment considering three distances from the access point (10, 50 and 75 feet away) and four packet sizes (500, 750, 1000 and 1500 bytes). We found that a tradeoff exists between the packet size and the amount of information lost. Small packets affect B and/or P frames most of the time and when they, affect I frames the amount of information lost is minimal. On the other hand, small packets also produce bigger error bursts, affecting I frames more. Packets of 750 bytes are a good compromise. In addition, we found that the distribution of the error length and error free length in number of packets is similar to those found in the former 2 Mbit/s wireless LAN.
Absolute intensities of spectral lines in carbon dioxide bands near 2050 cm −1

The absolute intensities of individual lines of eleven relatively weak bands of (C-12)(O-16)2, (C-13)(O-16)2, (O-16)(C-12)(O-18), and (O-16)(C-12)(O-17) near 2050/cm were measured and recorded at room temperature and 0.01/cm resolution with the Fourier transform spectrometer located in the McMath solar telescope complex located at the National Solar Observatory on Kitt Peak. Each spectrum was obtained with an integration time of one hour, the temperature and pressure were monitored during this time, and the signal-to-rms noise in the 5 micron region was approximately 4000 for all scans. The intensities were determined from analysis of 1-2/cm segments of spectra using nonlinear least-squares spectral curve fitting, and analyzed to determine the vibrational band intensity and F-factor coefficients for each of the bands. The results are pertinent to a wide variety of problems in atmospheric physics and for the analysis of remote-sensing data.
Piper Betel Leaf: A Reservoir of Potential Xenohormetic Nutraceuticals with Cancer-Fighting Properties

Plants contain a much greater diversity of bioactive compounds than any man-made chemical library. Heart-shaped Piper betel leaves are magnificent reservoirs of phenolic compounds with antiproliferative, antimutagenic, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties. Widely consumed in South Asian countries, the glossy leaf contains a multitude of biophenolics such as hydroxychavicol, eugenol, chavibetol, and piperols. Convincing data underscore the remarkable chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive potential of betel leaves against a variety of cancer types. The leaf constituents modulate an extensive array of signaling molecules such as transcription factors as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) to control multiple nodes of various cellular proliferation and death pathways. Herein, we provide an overall perspective on the cancer-fighting benefits of the phenolic phytochemicals in betel leaves and a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms responsive to dose-driven ROS-mediated signaling cascades conscripted by bioactive phenolics to confer chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive advantages. Intriguingly, these ROS-triggered responses are contextual and may either elicit a protective xenohormetic antioxidant response to premalignant cells to constitute a chemopreventive effect or generate a curative chemotherapeutic response by pro-oxidatively augmenting the constitutively elevated ROS levels in cancer cells to tip the balance in favor of selective apoptosis induction in cancer cells while sparing normal ones. In conclusion, this review provides an update on how distinct ROS levels exist in normal versus cancer cells and how these levels can be strategically modulated and exploited for therapeutic gains. We emphasize the yet untapped potential of the evergreen vine, betel leaf, for chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic management of cancer.
Social surrogacy: How favored television programs provide the experience of belonging

The current research examines the Social Surrogacy Hypothesis: parasocial relationships in favored television programs can provide the experience of belonging. Four studies support the hypothesis. Study 1 demonstrated that people report turning to favored television programs when feeling lonely, and feel less lonely when viewing those programs. Study 2 demonstrated that experimentally activating belongingness needs leads people to revel longer in descriptions of favored (but not non-favored) television programs. Study 3 demonstrated that thinking about favored (but not non-favored) television programs buffers against drops in self-esteem and mood and against increases in feelings of rejection commonly elicited by threats to close relationships. Finally, Study 4 demonstrated that thinking about favored television programs reduces activation of chronically activated rejection-related words. These results yield provocative preliminary evidence for the Social Surrogacy Hypothesis. Thinking about valued television programs appears to yield the experience of belongingness.
Determinants of patient satisfaction in a large, municipal ED: The role of demographic variables, visit characteristics, and patient perceptions

We investigated predictors of patient satisfaction in a large, municipal emergency department (ED). Patients were telephoned 10 days postvisit, and satisfaction was assessed using a structured survey with 22 items measuring several domains, as well as the estimated length of stay. The dependent variables consisted of ratings of overall satisfaction and likelihood of recommending the ED to others. Data were obtained from 437 (38.7%) patients. Univariate statistics revealed strong relations between indicators of perceived care and both dependent variables, with weaker and mixed findings pertaining to demographics and visit characteristics. The final logistic regression predicting overall satisfaction included the following items (P < .05): degree to which staff cared for the patient as a person, perceptions of safety, understandability of discharge instructions, nurse's technical skills, and satisfaction with wait for physician. Likelihood to recommend was associated with (P < .05): degree to which staff cared for the patient as a person, understandability of discharge instructions, perceptions of safety, age, and insurance status. Patients' perceptions of care, rather than demographics and visit characteristics, most consistently predicted satisfaction. However, differences were observed between the specific predictors for overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend, providing a possible explanation for inconsistencies observed in the literature.
Reducing avoidable rehospitalization in ESRD: a shared accountability.

The issue of rehospitalization captured the attention of hospitals and other health care providers when the Readmission Reduction Program was implemented on October 1, 2012, as authorized under Section 3025 of the Affordable Care Act.[1][1] This program was based on a study of rehospitalization
Spectroscopy of Icy Moon Surface Materials

Remote sensing of icy objects in the outer solar system relies upon availability of appropriate laboratory measurements. Surface deposits of specific substances often provide our most direct route to understanding interior composition, thereby informing theories of endogenic surface modification, exogenic surface processing and processes involving exchange of material with the interiors. Visible to near-infrared reflectance spectra of properly prepared compounds are required to enable retrieval of surface abundances through linear and nonlinear mixture analysis applied to spacecraft observations of icy bodies. This chapter describes the techniques, conditions and approaches necessary to provide reference spectra of use to theoretical models of icy satellite surface compositions, and summarizes the current state of knowledge represented in the published literature.
Evaluation of Intestinal Protozoan Morphology in Human Fecal Specimens Preserved in EcoFix: Comparison of Wheatley’s Trichrome Stain and EcoStain

As a result of disposal problems related to the use of mercury compounds, many laboratories have switched from mercuric chloride-based Schaudinn’s and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) stool preservatives to other, non-mercury-based preservatives. A comparison of organism recoveries and morphologies of the intestinal protozoa was undertaken with PVA containing the EcoFix zinc-based Schaudinn’s preservative (Meridian Diagnostics, Inc.); both Wheatley’s modification of Gomori’s trichrome stain (WT) and EcoStain (ES) were used to stain 51 human fecal specimens. Morphology, clarity of nuclear and cytoplasmic detail, overall color differences, and the ease or difficulty in detecting intestinal protozoa in fecal debris were assessed for the two permanent stained smears. Overall, organism morphology of the intestinal protozoa stained with WT and that of protozoa stained with ES were not equal in nuclear and cytoplasmic detail or range of color. However, the same organisms were identified in stained fecal smears with either WT or ES, with the exception of situations in which organism numbers were characterized as rare. Included were 67 protozoan challenges (number of organisms): Entamoeba histolytica-Entamoeba dispar (5), Entamoeba coli (9), Entamoeba hartmanni (6), Endolimax nana (12), Iodamoeba butschlii (8), Blastocystis hominis (19), Giardia lamblia (6), Dientamoeba fragilis (2), yeast (2), and leukocytes (2). Five specimens were negative for parasites but contained fecal debris that was compared for morphologic detail and color range. The ES produces a more gray-green monotone with very little pink or red tone; contrast among the various colors is less than that seen with WT. Stain intensity for all organisms was acceptable, and there were no problems with stain deposition. The quality of the protozoan morphology with ES was often comparable to that with WT (36 of 67 [53.7%]) and, in some cases, better (24 of 67 [35.8%]). Organisms on the WT-stained smear exhibited better morphology in a few instances (4 of 67 [6%]), and in three instances, there were discrepant organism numbers.
Systematics of the Northern Andean Isoëtes karstenii complex

Abstract The Isoetes karstenii complex includes those species characterized by laevigate megaspores, acute to free ala apices, a highly reduced labium, and distributions in the high altitude paramos of Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. These species have been variously treated in the literature. Many early authors placed all Andean laevigate-spored specimens in Isoetes lechleri, a central Andean species, while one later author recognized up to eight northern Andean species distinct from I. lechleri. This research represents a revisionary study to determine the number and identity of the taxa in this complex. Multivariate and descriptive analyses of morphological data and chromosome counts were performed. Five species are recognized including the previously described I. karstenii and I. palmeri. One variety is transferred from I. lechleri to I. karstenii (I. karstenii var. anomala). Three of the recognized species are newly described: I. fuliginosa, I. hemivelata and I. precocia. Chromosome counts revealed...
Computerized Testing of Nonparticipatory L2 Listening Comprehension Proficiency: An ESL Prototype Development Effort

operational the construct of foreign/second language (L2) proficiency, researchers and practitioners continually debate theories concerning the nature of language proficiency (10; 21; 22), the functional relationship of proficiency to classroom instruction and materials development (4; 9; 26; 30; 42; 53; 60), and the measurement of its component skills (6; 11; 18; 24; 28; 31; 33; 35; 54). However, even as the debates rage about the definition of the construct and about the validity and utility of various kinds of proficiency measures, the perceived need grows for valid, reliable, and cost-efficient proficiency tests for use in education, industry, and government. In fact, although a decade has passed since the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies recommended that a common, nationally recognized standard for measuring developed foreign language (FL) proficiency be adopted in this country (56: p. 23), the imperative for developing methods of assessing FL proficiency is almost as great today as it was in the early 1980s. The need to create tests of proficiency in the less commonly taught languages (LCTs), especially in the area of listening comprehension, is particularly acute. In their 1982 survey of materials development needs in the LCTs in the United States, Clark and Johnson asserted that no "appropriate and readily available external-to-program" measures of developed functional language proficiency existed for many of the LCTs at that time (p. 69). As the 1990s begin, oral proficiency measures and guidelines for some of the LCTs have been created, but the situation has not changed appreciably for the LCTs as far as the assessment of listening comprehension proficiency is concerned. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), for example, are engaged in developing oral proficiency guidelines and tests for certain LCTs: Swahili, Lingala, and Hausa (54: p. 108). However, tests of proficiency in listening comprehension have yet to be devised for these languages, for many of the other LCTs, and, for that matter, even for many of the commonly taught lan-
Promoting the Library Through the Collection Development Policy: A Case Study

Libraries are facing significant challenges from several different fronts. To stay relevant, libraries need to better communicate their value and how they contribute to the mission of their institutions. One strategy to consider is creating a marketing program to better understand library user needs, help shape library collections and services to meet those needs, and then ensure awareness of those collections and services. The Health Sciences Library at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center utilized and updated their collection development policy as the impetus to create a new marketing program for the library. Initial results have been promising.
Forensic DNA Banding Patterns: How to Simulate & Explain DNA Fingerprinting in a Classroom with No Budget

Understanding how DNA banding patterns in a gel can aid in the conviction or exoneration of suspects and be utilized for positive identification of biological fathers in paternity cases can be intimidating. In reality, the logistics and technology used in such cases are rather straightforward. This exercise is designed for use in high school environments as a stand-alone paper lab and as a primer to an actual wet-lab experience, if available. Upon conclusion of the experience, students will have confidence in understanding how DNA fingerprinting can constitute strong evidence in forensic analysis.
Pharmacology of bile acid receptors: Evolution of bile acids from simple detergents to complex signaling molecules

For many years, bile acids were thought to only function as detergents which solubilize fats and facilitate the uptake of fat-soluble vitamins in the intestine. Many early observations; however, demonstrated that bile acids regulate more complex processes, such as bile acids synthesis and immune cell function through activation of signal transduction pathways. These studies were the first to suggest that receptors may exist for bile acids. Ultimately, seminal studies by many investigators led to the discovery of several bile acid-activated receptors including the farnesoid X receptor, the vitamin D receptor, the pregnane X receptor, TGR5, α5 β1 integrin, and sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2. Several of these receptors are expressed outside of the gastrointestinal system, indicating that bile acids may have diverse functions throughout the body. Characterization of the functions of these receptors over the last two decades has identified many important roles for these receptors in regulation of bile acid synthesis, transport, and detoxification; regulation of glucose utilization; regulation of fatty acid synthesis and oxidation; regulation of immune cell function; regulation of energy expenditure; and regulation of neural processes such as gastric motility. Through these many functions, bile acids regulate many aspects of digestion ranging from uptake of essential vitamins to proper utilization of nutrients. Accordingly, within a short time period, bile acids moved beyond simple detergents and into the realm of complex signaling molecules. Because of the important processes that bile acids regulate through activation of receptors, drugs that target these receptors are under development for the treatment of several diseases, including cholestatic liver disease and metabolic syndrome. In this review, we will describe the various bile acid receptors, the signal transduction pathways activated by these receptors, and briefly discuss the physiological processes that these receptors regulate.
The Schizosaccharomyces pombe homolog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae HAP2 reveals selective and stringent conservation of the small essential core protein domain.

Abstract The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is immensely diverged from budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on an evolutionary time scale. We have used a fission yeast library to clone a homolog of S. cerevisiae HAP2, which along with HAP3 and HAP4 forms a transcriptional activation complex that binds to the CCAAT box. The S. pombe homolog php2 (S. pombe HAP2) was obtained by functional complementation in an S. cerevisiae hap2 mutant and retains the ability to associate with HAP3 and HAP4. We have previously demonstrated that the HAP2 subunit of the CCAAT-binding transcriptional activation complex from S. cerevisiae contains a 65-amino-acid "essential core" structure that is divisible into subunit association and DNA recognition domains. Here we show that Php2 contains a 60-amino-acid block that is 82% identical to this core. The remainder of the 334-amino-acid protein is completely without homology to HAP2. The function of php2 in S. pombe was investigated by disrupting the gene. Strikingly, like HAP2 in S. cerevisiae, the S. pombe gene is specifically involved in mitochondrial function. This contrasts to the situation in mammals, in which the homologous CCAAT-binding complex is a global transcriptional activator.
Improvements to keystroke-based authentication by adding linguistic context

Traditional keystroke-based authentication methods rely on timing of and between individual keystrokes, oblivious to the context in which the typing is taking place. By incorporating linguistic context into a keystroke-based user authentication system, we are able to improve performance, as measured by EER. Taking advantage of patterns in keystroke dynamics, we show that typists employ unique behavior relative to syntactic and lexical constructs, which can be used to help identify the typist.
Nonparametric Bayesian matrix factorization for assortative networks

We describe in detail the gamma process edge partition model that is well suited to analyze assortative relational networks. The model links the binary edges of an undirected and unweighted relational network with a latent factor model via the Bernoulli-Poisson link, and uses the gamma process to support a potentially infinite number of latent communities. The communities are allowed to overlap with each other, with a community's overlapping parts assumed to be more densely connected than its non-overlapping ones. The model is evaluated with synthetic data to illustrate its ability to model as-sortative networks and its restriction on modeling dissortative ones.
Consumption of Pornography, Perceived Peer Norms, and Condomless Sex

Sexual scripts in pornography rarely include condoms. Many U.S. college students consume pornography and have unprotected sex. Yet no study appears to have investigated whether pornography consumption is correlated with having unprotected sex among U.S. college students. This article reports results from two studies of pornography consumption and condomless sex among U.S. college students. Pornography consumption was directly associated with a higher likelihood of condomless sex in study 1. This finding was replicated in study 2. Study 2 also explored whether perceptions of peers' use of condoms partially mediates the association between pornography consumption and condomless sex. Pornography consumption was associated with lower estimations of peers' condom use, and lower estimations of peers' condom use were associated with personally engaging in condomless sex.
Gathering struggles : Creative tensions in baptist worship

The liturgical theologian considers the tensions always present and helping to determine the nature of Baptist worship. He identifies these as relevance and identity, representation and participation, structure and freedom, expression and impression, being and becoming, in and out.
P-branch operation of CD 3 F and CH 3 F Raman FIR lasers

Multi-kolowatt pulses with limited wavelength tunability have been produced in several bands between 186 and 817 μm by pumping v3 P-branch transitions in12CH3F and12CD3F with the 10.6 μm band of a ten-atmosphere CO2 laser. The FIR emissions are all restricted to the immediate neighborhood of the resonances associated with successive J-numbers, but there is some evidence that additional off-resonant emission could be produced with stronger pumping. The optimum operating pressure for the various molecule/J-number combinations range from 7 to 75 torr and increase rapidly with increasing J-number.