cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Walk the Talk? The Effect of Voting and Excludability in Public Goods Experiments

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of voting and excludability on individual contributions to group projects. We conducted two experiments on excludable and nonexcludable public goods, which provided several important results. First, contrary to our expectations, subjects are generally contributing more to the non-excludable compared to the excludable public good. Second, participating in a vote to choose a public project per se makes no difference in contributions. However, if the project that the individual voted for also gets selected by the group, they contribute significantly more to that project. Third, empathy and locus of control are important driving forces of participation in common projects. Our results have implications on the procedural design of obtaining funding for public projects. First, the public should get involved and have a say in the determination of which project should be realized. Second, it might well pay off to attempt to develop a consensus among the population and obtain near unanimous votes, because in our experiment, subjects discriminate between the project they voted for and the project chosen by the majority. Third, the policy proposers should stress the other-regarding interest of the public good rather than just pecuniary incentives.
Comparing the Economic Views of American and South Korean Teenagers

Drawing directly upon responses to an economics questionnaire, this study offers a comparative perspective on how 125 American and 106 South Korean teenagers understand, view, and interact with their national economies. The study primarily focuses on responses to three questions. Should teenagers work for their parents without pay? What possessions do teenagers consider of most value? What do the terms "rich" and "poor" mean to teenagers? Analysis of the responses revealed that teenagers in both countries have a complex understanding of economic issues and hold a wide range of opinions on the concept of economic wealth and personal economic responsibility. Significantly, the study suggests that popular perceptions depicting teenagers as singularly materialistic may be misguided. The study also explores the extent to which cultural traits impact how teenagers view and interact with their economies.
Mapping of presynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors using fluorescence imaging of neuritic calcium

Abstract Neuronal nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) appear to function at both pre- and postsynaptic sites, to modulate the release of neurotransmitter, and to mediate synaptic transmission, respectively. Localization of functional nAChRs at presynaptic structures has only been possible under the best of circumstances where the presynaptic structure is very large allowing direct nAChR channel recording. We report here a novel and simple method that allows the visualization of stimulus-evoked changes in Fura-2 fluorescence in the presynaptic structures of essentially any neuron type in vitro. Following ‘loading’ of all neurons by incubation with the calcium-sensitive dye, Fura-2-AM, we selectively reduced the fluorescent signal in the postsynaptic neuron by injecting the Fura-2 quenching agent, Mn2+, into the postsynaptic neuron. After quenching, nicotine treatment elicits calcium transients that can be observed in spatially distinct regions of neurite bundles contacting the Mn2+-infused neuron. Thus, the approach described allows one to readily map the distribution of activated nAChRs on presynaptic inputs in vitro.
Simulation of thermal stresses due to grinding

Abstract An efficient finite element procedure has been developed to calculate the temperatures and stresses arising due to a moving source of heat. The procedure is applied to calculate the thermal stresses produced in hardened steels during grinding. The thermal load during grinding is modeled as a uniformly or triangularly distributed, 2D heat source moving across the surface of a half-space, which is insulated or subjected to convective cooling. The grinding of elastic and elastic–plastic workpiece materials has been simulated. The calculated transient stresses and temperatures in an elastic solid are found to be in good agreement with prior analytical and numerical results. In an elastic–plastic workpiece material, for which no analytical solution is available for the residual stress distributions, the finite element calculations show that the near surface residual stress is predominantly tensile and that the magnitude of this stress increases with increasing heat flux values. Based on an analysis of the effects of workpiece velocity, heat flux magnitude and convective cooling, on the residual stress distributions in an elastic–plastic solid, it is seen that the calculated thermal stress distributions are consistent with experimentally measured residual stresses on ground surfaces. Furthermore, the results explain often cited observations pertaining to thermally induced grinding stresses in metals.
A contact mechanics model for quasi-continua

A computational multiscale contact mechanics model is proposed to describe the interaction between deformable solids based on the interaction of individual atoms or molecules belonging to the solids. The contact model, formulated in the framework of large deformation continuum mechanics, is derived from coarsening the molecular dynamics (MD) description of a large assembly of individual atoms, and it thus bears some of the characteristics of the underlying atomic structure. The multiscale contact model distinguishes between atoms interacting within a small neighbourhood within the solids and atoms interacting over large distances between remote regions of the solids. The former furnishes a constitutive relation for the continuum, like the Cauchy-Bom Rule, while the latter is used to model the interaction between distinct bodies. The proposed contact model is formulated as a variational weak form and implemented within an updated Lagrangian finite element method. It is shown that, as the problem size increases, the description of the model can be simplified to yield more efficient computational algorithms. In this respect, the proposed multiscale formulation leads to a smooth transition from MD to continuum contact mechanics. The general behaviour of the contact model is studied, and some numerical examples are given.
Leptin: A pubertal hormone in obese and non-obese children? • 15

Background: Studies in ob/ob, leptin deficient, mice have shown that leptin is necessary for progression through puberty, pregnancy, and parturition. Obese children progress through puberty at earlier ages than non-obese children. Studies in children have shown that leptin concentrations are greater in early puberty than in adults independent of adiposity. Objective: To investigate the 24 hour secretory profile of leptin in obese and non-obese children in early puberty and to measure bone age (BA). Design: Eighteen obese (12F:6M) and 30 non-obese (11F:19M) children in early puberty (pubertal stages 1-2) were admitted overnight for hourly measurement of serum leptin, insulin, and glucose. Bone age was obtained upon completion of the 24 hour study. Results: Mean fasting leptin concentrations were significantly increased in the obese group (26.3 ng/ml) compared to controls (5.9 ng/ml), and correlated with Body Mass Index(BMI) (r=0.82) and arm fat (r=0.87). When statistically controlling for adiposity, there was no difference in mean leptin levels in obese vs. control children. Female leptin concentrations (12.78 ng/ml) were significantly(p<0.008) higher than males (8.62 ng/ml). Obese children were significantly younger than non-obese children at the same pubertal stage. There was no significant difference in bone age between groups. Levels of leptin fluctuated over a 24 hour period in both groups with all children having higher levels at night. Mean insulin and glucose levels were not significantly different between groups. Conclusions: Leptin concentrations were increased in the obese group and correlated with all measures of adiposity. Obese children had similar BA and Tanner stage as the control group despite significantly younger age, suggesting a role for leptin in growth and development. Consistent with previous studies, females had significantly higher leptin levels than males. All children experienced fluctuations in leptin levels over 24 hours with higher levels at night. Leptin may be a stimulus for early pubertal change in obese children.
Alaska red: A general purpose, productive, red-skinned potato

‘Alaska Red’ is the first red-skinned potato bred and selected in Alaska as a clone suitable for the fresh potato market. Its parents are Alaska Clone 11-57-1-59 and ‘Red Beauty’. It is a high yielding, medium specific gravity potato with uniform skin and eye basin color, shallow eyes, uniform oval-to-flattened shape and is very attractive. The flesh is snowy white and remains white after boiling. Alaska Red keeps well in storage at 38°F (3.3°C). Scab of the tubers is the only disease that has been observed. In this subarctic region, flowers abort in the early bud stage. Red-skinned potato varieties available to Alaskan growers for the past quarter century have been unsatisfactory due to one or more of the following characteristics: low dry matter content, poor yield, uneven skin pigmentation and internal or external tuber cracking. Although consumers buy far less red than white-skinned potatoes, the demand brings Florida “reds” to Alaska as well as “reds” from other regions so that there is a year round outlet. Imported “reds” never approach the high quality of Alaskan grown “reds”. During the screening of seedlings, ‘Red Beauty’ was selected as a parental line because of its excellent conformation, skin color and eye arrangement. Low yield and shatter cracking made it unsuitable for commercial production. Alaska Red is a selection from seedlings of the cross Ak. 11-57-1-59 and Red Beauty made in 1965 and is the first red-skinned potato released from Alaska’s potato breeding. It was first evaluated by potato growers in 1972 and released in 1976 by the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Box AE, Palmer, Alaska 99645.
Selling Civil Society: Western Aid and the Nongovernmental Organization Sector in Russia

To what degree can Western countries “purchase” civic engagement and participation in less developed countries that do not share the Western liberal tradition? Drawing on interview data as well as internal documents, this article looks at the effects of Western and international assistance on building civil society and, hence, democracy in Russia by focusing on the Russian nongovernmental organization (NGO) community. Although Western assistance has provided tangible equipment and training for NGOs, overall funding designed to facilitate the growth of civil society has had unintended consequences. Institutions, interests, and incentive structures impede successful collective action toward building a civic community by encouraging both funders and NGO activists to pursue short-term benefits over long-term development. The result is the creation of patron-client ties between the international donor and the Russian recipient rather than horizontal networks of civic engagement among Russian NGOs and their dom...
Molecular Profiling of Premalignant Lesions in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinomas Identifies Mechanisms Involved in Stepwise Carcinogenesis

Lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is thought to arise from premalignant lesions in the airway epithelium; therefore, studying these lesions is critical for understanding lung carcinogenesis. Previous microarray and sequencing studies designed to discover early biomarkers and therapeutic targets for lung SCC had limited success identifying key driver events in lung carcinogenesis, mostly due to the cellular heterogeneity of patient samples examined and the interindividual variability associated with difficult to obtain airway premalignant lesions and appropriate normal control samples within the same patient. We performed RNA sequencing on laser-microdissected representative cell populations along the SCC pathologic continuum of patient-matched normal basal cells, premalignant lesions, and tumor cells. We discovered transcriptomic changes and identified genomic pathways altered with initiation and progression of SCC within individual patients. We used immunofluorescent staining to confirm gene expression changes in premalignant lesions and tumor cells, including increased expression of SLC2A1, CEACAM5, and PTBP3 at the protein level and increased activation of MYC via nuclear translocation. Cytoband enrichment analysis revealed coordinated loss and gain of expression in chromosome 3p and 3q regions, respectively, during carcinogenesis. This is the first gene expression profiling study of airway premalignant lesions with patient-matched SCC tumor samples. Our results provide much needed information about the biology of premalignant lesions and the molecular changes that occur during stepwise carcinogenesis of SCC, and it highlights a novel approach for identifying some of the earliest molecular changes associated with initiation and progression of lung carcinogenesis within individual patients.
THE INFLUENCE OF REDUCED SALT ON THE YIELD, BREAKING FORCE, AND SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF CHUNKED AND FORMED HAM

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of reducing sodium chloride (salt) on sensory and processing properties of chunked and formed ham. Chunked and formed hams were made with 0, .5, 1, 1.5 and 2% added salt. Results indicate that the 1.5% salt treatment possessed characteristics closely resembling the 2.0% salt treatment; however, the 1.5% salt treatment had slight reductions in yield, breaking force, and visual acceptability. Reduction of salt from 2.0% to 1.0% resulted in lower yield and sensory characteristics. Additional reductions in the level of salt below 1.0% further depressed yield and sensory characteristics.
Svaraj, the Indian ideal of freedom: a political or religious concept?

To many Western students of India, svarāj and mokṣa have often seemed to represent two very different ideals of freedom, the former social, political, and modern; the latter individual, spiritual, and traditional. It is not surprising that the Hindu ideal of spiritual freedom is most commonly known by the term mokṣa (liberation), for it is this word that is usually listed as the fourth and supreme goal in the famous four ends of man (puruṣārtha). The first three ends, desire (kāma), success (artha), and morality (dharma), find their fulfillment within society, while mokṣa, it is generally said, takes one beyond society. It is pertinent to note, as Ingalls and others have pointed out, that mokṣa is a relatively late term, which came to be added to the older, first three goals of man. As a noun, mokṣa does not appear until the latest of the Upanisads, and then only three times, in Śvetāśvatara 6.16 and Maitrī 6.20 and 30. In addition, some orthodox schools did not accept the ideal of mokṣa for several more centuries, the Mīmāṁsā denying it until the eighth century A.D.
Observations and modeling of beam-beam effects at the Tevatron collider

This report summarizes recent experience with beam- beam effects at the Tevatron collider. Improvements in the beam lifetime resulting from the implementation of the a helical orbit are analyzed. The effect of second order chromaticity correction is studied.
Comparison of Capacity of Single- and Double-Track Rail Lines

Federal, state, and regional transportation authorities have shown an increased interest in adding or increasing passenger rail service between many city pairs. The most commonly proposed approach has been to operate passenger trains on existing freight railroad infrastructure. However, operation of passenger and freight trains on the same infrastructure poses a variety of challenges because of their different performance characteristics. In addition, track configuration—single versus double track—can significantly influence the interaction effects between trains. The maximum speed of passenger trains has little impact on the performance of freight trains on single-track lines. However, in double-track configurations, the speed of the passenger train has a major impact on freight train delays. Single-track operation can show an asymmetrical delay distribution centered on an average run time, with very few trains arriving close to the minimum run time. A double-track configuration can result in a delay dis...
Effect of ionizing radiation on liver protein oxidation and metabolic function in C57BL/6J mice.

AbstractPurpose: Protein oxidation in response to radiation results in DNA damage, endoplasmic reticulum stress/unfolded protein response, cell cycle arrest, cell death and senescence. The liver, a relatively radiosensitive organ, undergoes measurable alterations in metabolic functions following irradiation. Accordingly, we investigated radiation-induced changes in liver metabolism and alterations in protein oxidation.Materials and methods: C57BL/6 mice were sham irradiated or exposed to 8.5 Gy 60Co (0.6 Gy/min) total body irradiation. Metabolites and metabolic enzymes in the blood and liver tissue were analyzed. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and OxyBlot™ were used to detect carbonylated proteins that were then identified by peptide mass fingerprinting.Results: Analysis of serum metabolites revealed elevated glucose, bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), high-density lipoprotein, and aspartate aminotransferase within 24–72 h post irradiation. Liver tissue LDH and alkaline phosphatase activities we...
Harnessing mutagenic homologous recombination for targeted mutagenesis in vivo by TaGTEAM

A major hurdle to evolutionary engineering approaches for multigenic phenotypes is the ability to simultaneously modify multiple genes rapidly and selectively. Here, we describe a method for in vivo-targeted mutagenesis in yeast, targeting glycosylases to embedded arrays for mutagenesis (TaGTEAM). By fusing the yeast 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylase MAG1 to a tetR DNA-binding domain, we are able to elevate mutation rates >800 fold in a specific ∼20-kb region of the genome or on a plasmid that contains an array of tetO sites. A wide spectrum of transitions, transversions and single base deletions are observed. We provide evidence that TaGTEAM generated point mutations occur through error-prone homologous recombination (HR) and depend on resectioning and the error-prone polymerase Pol ζ. We show that HR is error-prone in this context because of DNA damage checkpoint activation and base pair lesions and use this knowledge to shift the primary mutagenic outcome of targeted endonuclease breaks from HR-independent rearrangements to HR-dependent point mutations. The ability to switch repair in this way opens up the possibility of using targeted endonucleases in diverse organisms for in vivo-targeted mutagenesis.
Hierarchical optimal control of a turning process - linearization approach

Machining process control technologies are currently not well integrated into machine tool controllers and, thus, servomechanism dynamics are often ignored when designing and implementing process controllers. In this paper, a hierarchical controller is developed that simultaneously regulates the servomechanism positions and cutting forces in a lathing operation. The force process and servomechanism system are separated into high and low levels, respectively, in the hierarchy. The high level goal is to maintain a constant cutting force to maximize productivity while not violating a spindle power constraint. This goal is systematically propagated to the lower level and combined with the low level goal to track the reference position. Since there are only control signals at the lower level, in this case the motor voltages, a single controller is designed at the bottom level that will meet both the high level and low level goals. Simulations are conducted to validate the developed methodology.
Financial Market Stability and Monetary Policy

There are three central questions that I want to address today. The first is, what is the first role of the monetary policy on economic performance and stability especially in response to a crisis. I am going to argue that the use of monetary policy in response to the Asian financial crisis was worse than ineffective: it worsened the economic downturn and, worse still, contributed to global economic instability. I want to go from this description of what was wrong with the policies and economic analysis underlying them to the question of why were these economic policies pursued. This is part of what is called the political economy of the crisis, trying to understand the behaviour of the institutions responsible for formulating the policies. I would argue that we have spent too little time thinking about the behaviour of the international economic and financial institutions, given the important role that they play today in the global economy. I am going to argue that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) changed the mandate from Keynes’ original conception. Keynes was one the conceptual founders of the IMF. He believed, or at least hoped, that such an institution would contribute to global stability, not to global instability. What I am going to argue is that it had changed its mandate from focusing on global financial stability and to providing liquidity to countries facing economic downturns, in order to sustain their economies at as close to full employment as possible, to pursuing an agenda that reflected the special interests of the financial community, in its worst manifestation to becoming if not the bill collector of the advanced industrial countries, an institution at least to enhance the likelihood that the creditors will be repaid. How do we explain this change of mandate? I want to suggest that it has to do with the governing structure of the institution. The final question, which I shall have time to touch on only briefly is, what reforms should be undertaken, to make it more likely that the IMF returns to its original mission. (I should say that I believe that there is at least a potential
Ugandan opinion-leaders' knowledge and perceptions of unsafe abortion

While laws in Uganda surrounding abortion remain contradictory a frequent interpretation of the law is that abortion is only allowed to save the womans life. Nevertheless abortion occurs frequently under unsafe conditions at a rate of 54 abortions per 1000 women of reproductive age annually taking a large toll on womens health. There are an estimated 148500 women in Uganda who experience abortion complications annually. Understanding opinion leaders knowledge and perceptions about unsafe abortion is critical to identifying ways to address this public health issue. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 41 policy-makers cultural leaders local politicians and leaders within the health care sector in 2009-10 at the national as well as district (Bushenyi Kamuli and Lira) level to explore their knowledge and perceptions of unsafe abortion and the potential for policy to address this issue. Only half of the sample knew the current law regulating abortion in Uganda. Respondents understood that the result of the current abortion restrictions included long-term health complications unwanted children and maternal death. Perceived consequences of increasing access to safe abortion included improved health as well as overuse of abortion marital conflict and less reliance on preventive behaviour. Opinion leaders expressed the most support for legalization of abortion in cases of rape when the perpetrator was unknown. Understanding opinion leaders perspectives on this politically sensitive topic provides insight into the policy context of abortion laws drivers behind maintaining the status quo and ways to improve provision under the law: increase education among providers and opinion leaders. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (c) The Author 2013; all rights reserved.
Fat in android, trunk, and peripheral regions varies by ethnicity and race in college aged women.

The aim of this study was to determine whether quantity of fat is different across the central (i.e., android, trunk) and peripheral (i.e., arm, leg, and gynoid) regions among young African-American (AA), Asian (AS), Hispanic (HI), and non-Hispanic white (NHW) women. A cohort of 1,161 women (18-30 years) from university physical activity classes were assessed for body composition via dual-emission X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The mean total body fat percent (TBF%, x = 31.0 ± 7.36%, range = 11.4-54.4%) indicates sufficient variability for the aims. A linear mixed model (LMM) revealed an ethnicity by region fat% interaction (P 0.05). AAs had the highest fat% and HI had the second highest fat% for each region. AS had the third highest fat% for the trunk and android regions. For each ethnicity, the gynoid region had the greatest fat%, followed by the android region, whereas the arm region had the lowest fat%. Future research needs to determine if ethnic differences in central body fat in young women are associated with health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance.
Variation in osteocytes morphology vs bone type in turtle shell and their exceptional preservation from the Jurassic to the present

article i nfo Here we describe variations in osteocytes derived from each of the three bone layers that comprise the turtle shell. We examine osteocytes in bone from four extant turtle species to form a morphological 'baseline' ,a nd then compare these with morphologies of osteocytes preserved in Cenozoic and Mesozoic fossils. Two different morphotypes of osteocytes are recognized: flattened-oblate osteocytes (FO osteocytes), which are particularly abundant in the internal cortex and lamellae of secondary osteons in cancellous bone, and stellate osteocytes (SO osteocytes), principally present in the interstitial lamellae between secondary osteons and external cortex. We show that the morphology of osteocytes in each of the three bone layers is conserved through ontogeny. We also demonstrate that these morphological variations are phylogenetically independent, as well as indepen- dent of the bone origin (intramembranous or endochondral). Preservation of microstructures consistent with osteocytes in the morphology in Cenozoic and Mesozoic fossil turtle bones appears to be common, and occurs in diverse diagenetic environments including marine, freshwater, and terrestrial deposits. These data have potential to illuminate aspects of turtle biology and evolution previously unapproachable, such as estimates of genome size of extinct species, differences in metabolic rates among different bones from a single individual, and potential function of osteocytes as capsules for preservation of ancient biomolecules.
ALTERED EXPRESSION OF GENES REGULATING CELL GROWTH, PROLIFERATION, AND APOPTOSIS DURING ADENOSINE 3′,5′-CYCLIC MONOPHOSPHATE–INDUCED DIFFERENTIATION OF NEUROBLASTOMA CELLS IN CULTURE

Abstract An elevation of the intracellular levels of adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) induces terminal differentiation in neuroblastoma (NB) cells in culture; however, genetic alterations during differentiation have not been fully identified. To investigate this, we used Mouse Genome U74A microarray containing ∼6000 functionally characterized genes to measure changes in gene expression in murine NB cells 30 min and 4, 24, and 72 h after treatment with cAMP-stimulating agents. Based on the time of increase in differentiated functions and their status (reversible versus irreversible) after treatment with cAMP-stimulating agents, the induction of differentiation in NB cells was divided into three distinct phases: initiation (about 4 h after treatment when no increase in differentiated functions is detectable), promotion (about 24 h after treatment when an increase in differentiated functions occurs, but they are reversible upon the removal of cAMP), and maintenance (about 72 h after treatment when...
The Influence of Metallic Interfaces on the Properties of Bulk (Hg,A)Ba2Ca2Cu3Ox (A=Pb,Bi) Superconductors

Synthesis and processing parameters for (Hg,A)Ba2Ca2Cu3.1Oy (A=Bi, Pb) were optimized for growth on AgPd and Au substrates (<850° C). Use of Bi2CuO4 as a Bi source combined with variations of BaCaCuO precursor phase assemblages allowed the formation of some liquid phase during the reaction and resulted in dense (Hg,A)Ba2Ca2Cu3.1Oy samples with aligned colonies of grains. Magnetization measurements in fields up to 30 T indicated good intergrain coupling within the large grain colonies. Phase pure samples of (Hg,A)1223 have been synthesized on AgPd and Au foils. Both the AgPd and Au interfaces were found to enhance grain growth and alignment.
Is Abnormal Urine Protein/Osmolality Ratio Associated with Abnormal Renal Function in Patients Receiving Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate?

Background Risk factors for and optimal surveillance of renal dysfunction in patients on tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) remain unclear. We investigated whether a urine protein-osmolality (P/O) ratio would be associated with renal dysfunction in HIV-infected persons on TDF. Methods This retrospective, single-center study investigated the relationship between parameters of renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and P/O-ratio) and risk factors for development of kidney dysfunction. Subjects were HIV-infected adults receiving TDF with at least one urinalysis and serum creatinine performed between 2010 and 2013. Regression analyses were used to analyze risk factors associated with abnormal P/O-ratio and abnormal eGFR during TDF therapy. Results Patients were predominately male (81%); (65%) were Caucasian. Mean age was 45.1(±11.8) years; median [IQR] TDF duration was 3.3 years. [1.5–7.6]. Median CD4+ T cell count and HIV viral load were 451 cells/μL [267.5–721.5] and 62 copies/mL [0–40,150], respectively. Abnormal P/O-ratio was not associated with low eGFR. 68% of subjects had an abnormal P/O-ratio and 9% had low eGFR. Duration of TDF use, age, diabetes and hypertension were associated with renal dysfunction in this study. After adjustment for age, subjects on TDF > 5 years had almost a four-fold increased likelihood of having an abnormal P/O-ratio than subjects on TDF for < 1yr (OR 3.9; 95% CI 1.2–14.0; p = 0.024). Conclusion Abnormal P/O-ratio is common in HIV-infected patients on TDF but was not significantly associated with low eGFR, suggesting that abnormal P/O-ratio may be a very early biomarker of decreased renal function in HIV infected patients.
Overview of the TREC 2012 Medical Records Track.

The TREC Medical Records track fosters research that allows electronic health records to be retrieved based on the semantic content of free-text fields. The ability to find r ecords by matching semantic content will enhance clinical care and support the secondary use of medical records in clinical trials and epidemiological studies. TREC 2012 is the sophomore year of the track, which attracted 24 participating research groups. The track repeated the cohort-finding task from its initial y ear. This task is an ad hoc search task in which systems search a set of de-identified clinical reports to identify co horts for (possible) clinical studies. A topic statement fo r the task describes the criteria for inclusion in a study, and a sy stem returns a list of “visits” ordered by the likelihood tha t the inclusion criteria are satisfied. Physicians created fif ty topics and performed relevance judgments for the track. Top-performing groups each used some sort of vocabulary normalization device specific to the medical domain, supporting the hypothesis that language use within electronic health records is sufficiently different from general use to warrant domain-specific processing. Such devices mus t be used carefully, however, as multiple groups also demonstrated that aggressive use harms baseline performance. Exploiting human expertise through manual query construction proved most effective. Today’s electronic health record (EHR) systems generally p rovide access to records based on structured fields, data elements in the record that have been coded to allow effective access. Yet the majority of the content of a record is often in the provider’s notes and other free-text fields that are no t so structured. Free-text allows providers to express nuan ce and exceptional circumstances that are precluded—by defini tion—from being captured in coded fields. Thus EHR system ease-of-use and record quality concerns argue for the continuing use of free-text, provided that that content can be effectively searched. The TREC Medical Records track was established to focus a research community on the problem of enabling content-based access to the free-text fi elds of EHRs and to build the infrastructure necessary for such research.
The Hymenopterous Poison Apparatus. V. Aneuretus simoni

The poison apparatus of Aneuretus simoni Emery, the only living species of the ant subfamily Aneuretinae, is similar in many respects to those of ponerine ants in that most of the major sclerites typically present in a stinging formicid are present in this species. The furcula, a sclerite found in most members of the Ponerinae and in part responsible for deflection and rotation of the sting in that subfamily, is absent in Aneuretus, although the muscles normally inserting on this sclerite are present. Minute barbs on the lancet tips and the well-developed appearance of the entire apparatus indicate that the poison apparatus in A. simoni may indeed be functional with respect to stinging. Based on this investigation and previous studies of dolichoderine and ponerine species, it appears that the poison apparatus of Aneuretus most closely resembles the apparatus found in the Dolichoderinae.
A comparative study of blood volume in dogs.

Conclusion1. A comparison of 3 methods for the determination of blood volume was made on 10 dogs. 2. The average blood volumes expressed as per cent of body weight for the 3 methods were: T-1824, 10.5%; for red cells tagged with P32, 9.7%; and iodinated protein, 9.4%. 3. The iodinated protein method permitted accurate determinations of plasma volumes for a much longer period after injection than did the other two methods. This method was simple and direct. It permitted calculation of the volume within a few minutes after the samples were obtained. It appeared to have a decided advantage over blood volume estimation with P32 impregnated red blood cells and the T-1824 dye method.
Lift Angle and its Effect on Stresses to the Low-Back

A laboratory study was conducted to study the angle of lift from the trajectory of lifting motion. Six male college students were required to lift three different load levels (40, 70, and 100% of maximum acceptable weight) from the floor to a height of 81 m. Four different box sizes (25, 38, 51 and 63.5 cm) and two different body postures (squat and free style) were employed. Maximum acceptable weights were determined using a psychophysical method. Motion trajectory was investigated by using stroboscopic photography. A biomechanical model was used to study the effects of lift angle on forces and moments imparted to various body joints.Analysis showed that lifting motions are not performed vertically up but rather at an angle to the vertical. The lift angle increased with an increase in the weight of the load (p < 0.01). Biomechanical evaluation showed that the lifting of a load at an angle from the vertical resulted in decreases in both the compressive force at the L5/S1 disc and moments at various body j...
A trigonometric analysis of needle redirection and needle position during neural block.

Background and Objectives Successful regional anesthesia involves a three-dimensional visualization of anatomy and an informed approach to needle placement and repositioning. This study trigonometrically examines the relationship between needle insertion angle and resultant needle position. Methods Needle position during advancement of 2-inch (5.1-cm), 3 ½-inch (8.9-cm), and 5-inch (12.7-cm) needles was trigonometrically determined. Starting at 90°, the angle of needle insertion θ (measured from the perpendicular) was decreased in 5° and 10° increments, and the resultant change in needle position was calculated by using a computer model. Needle depths relevant to the three needle lengths were studied and ranged from 0.5 to 11.0 cm. The effects of needle insertion angle, redirection angle, and depth on resultant needle position were evaluated. Results The mean change in needle position was significantly less with a 5° redirection of the needle than with a 10° needle redirection. In addition, the mean change in needle position was highly correlated with increasing needle depth and acute angle of needle insertion. Conclusions Incremental needle redirection of 5° allows a precise survey of neural and adjacent anatomy and results in approximately one half the change in needle position occurring with a 10° angle of redirection. However, a 10° angle of redirection may result in walking over the desired neural structure.
Studies on irreversible binding of radioactivity from [14C]halothane to rat hepatic microsomal lipids and protein

Radioactivity from 14C-labeled halothane has been shown to bind irreversibly to hepatic cellular constituents, with the greatest amount bound to microsomes. Microsomes from isolated livers that had been perfused for 2 hours with [14C]halothane were solubilized with sodium deoxycholate and sonication, and the resulting solution was chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose, Bio-Gel P-30, and DEAE-Sephadex. The radioactivity was not associated with any known microsomal enzymatic activity or with any protein peak. However, the radioactivity was associated with those fractions containing lipid phosphate. This radioactivity was extractable with chloroform-methanol, and thin-layer chromatography of this extract indicated that it was bound to phospholipids, with the largest amount bound to phosphatidylethanolamine and lecithin. Experiments with [36Cl]halothane yielded similar results. In vivo experiments revealed that, at 12 hours after administration of [14C]halothane, the radioactivity was bound to protein and not to phospholipids.
Effectsof nethalide on insulin activity and binding by rat muscle and adipose tissue.

Preincubation of rat adipose tissue and hemidiaphragm with nethalide, an adrenergic blocking agent, inhibits the effect of insulin on glucose uptake and 14CO2 production from 14C-labeled glucose. With the use of 131I-labeled insulin, it is possible to demonstrate that blocking of the metabolic effects of insulin is not accompanied by any reduction in 131I bound by the tissue. Addition of guinea pig anti-insulin serum does not affect the proportion of bound radioactive material when rat adipose tissue is incubated with radioinsulin, but markedly reduces insulin binding to rat diaphragm muscle. Incubation of the fat pad with radioinsulin for 90 min reduces the proportion of immunologically active insulin in the medium by about 10%. Experiments described indicate a lack of correlation between the metabolic effects of insulin and the binding of this hormone to tissues.
Should elective repair of coarctation of the aorta be done in infancy

Our experience with the subclavian flap repair for coarctation of the aorta over the past 10 years includes 53 patients under 1 year of age. Of this group, 35 were newborn infants. All but two had an associated patent ductus arteriosus and 23 (66%) had associated intracardiac anomalies. All neonates had severe congestive heart failure and operation was carried out promptly after they were stabilized with diuretics and inotropic agents. Prostaglandin infusions have been essential to the care of many of these patients. Operative mortality was two of 53 patients (4%). No patient more than 4 days old at operation has died, and concomitant pulmonary artery banding was performed in five infants with no deaths. Running nonabsorbable suture was used in 21 patients, interrupted nonabsorbable suture in 23, and continuous monofilament absorbable suture in the last nine. Mean follow-up time has been 46 months. Invasive follow-up studies, performed in 11 patients, have revealed residual systolic gradients of 5, 15, and 20 mm Hg in three and 0 mm Hg in one in whom continuous suture technique was used. The other seven had interrupted suture technique, and no gradient was present. Initial follow-up information for the group with absorbable suture repair suggests no residual gradients. No patient had significant upper extremity or hand morbidity. Eight patients had normal blood pressure and normal arm-to-leg gradients after exercise. When absorbable vascular suture is unavailable, an interrupted suture technique is superior to a continuous running repair. In view of the low operative mortality, the excellent growth of the repaired area, yet the likelihood of late development of cardiovascular disease (especially hypertension) if the repair is effected in childhood or adolescence, we favor prompt subclavian flap repair of coarctation of the aorta in all infants with or without symptoms. Concomitant pulmonary artery banding is seldom indicated.
Classical inverse scattering and diffraction tomography

The “direct” or “forward” scattering problem was treated in the preceding two chapters, where the goal was the computation of a scattered field given knowledge of the scattering object and the incident wavefield. In the “inverse scattering problem” (ISCP) the goal is the determination of the scattering object given knowledge of the incident wave and the scattered wave over some restricted region of space. In Chapter 6 we treated so-called “penetrable” scatterers, where the incident wave penetrates into the interior of the obstacle, thus creating an “induced volume source” that then radiates as a conventional volume source of the type treated in earlier chapters. In Chapter 7 we treated non-penetrable scatterers, where the interaction of the incident wave with the obstacle occurs only over the object's surface. We also treated certain inverse problems associated with non-penetrable scatterers in that chapter that included inverse diffraction and the ISCP of determining the shape of a Dirichlet or Neumann scatterer from its scattering amplitude. In this chapter we will treat the ISCP for penetrable scatterers. We will also make the simplifying assumption that the scattering object is embedded in a uniform lossless medium. This assumption will be discarded in the next chapter, where we will treat scatterers embedded in non-uniform and dispersive media. We pointed out in Chapter 5 that the difficulty of the “inverse source problem” (ISP) lies in the fact that the radiated field from which the source is to be determined is known only over space points that lie in some restricted region of space that is outside the support of the (unknown) source.
Interventional dependency graphs: An approach for discovering influence structure

In this paper, we introduce a new type of graphical model, interventional dependency graphs, to encode interactions among processes. These type of graphical models are defined using a measure that captures the influence relationships based on the principle of intervention. Principle of intervention discovers an influence relationship by making assignment to certain variables while fixing other variables to see how these changes influence statistics of variables of interest. Furthermore, we derive some properties of the dynamics that can be inferred from these graphs and establish the relationship between this new graphical model and the directed information graphs used for causal inference.
Menstrual Migraine and Treatment Options: Review.

Objective A review of treatment options for menstrual migraine. Background Migraine affects ∼30 million people in the US. A subset of female migraineurs have migraines that are mainly associated with menstruation. Menstrual migraine (MM) is divided into pure MM and menstrually related migraine. Pure MM attacks occur only with menstruation and have a prevalence of 1%. Menstrually related migraine has a prevalence of 6-7%, and occurs both during menstruation as well as during the rest of the cycle. MM is usually without aura and is more severe, longer lasting, and more resistant to treatment due to the effects of ovarian hormones, specifically estrogen. MM treatment is divided into acute, short-term prophylaxis, and daily prevention. The best-studied acute treatments are triptans. For short-term prophylaxis, triptans, non-triptans, or combinations are used. Some preventive medications may be used daily to prevent MM. Many anti-epileptic medications used in migraine prevention can affect the efficacy of oral contraceptives and hormonal treatments, so caution is indicated when these are used. Methods PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Embase were searched for MM and treatments. Results Many randomized, placebo-controlled, prospective studies have evaluated the efficacy of sumatriptan, rizatriptan, naratriptan, zolmitriptan, and almotriptan in MM. Reviewing numerous studies with statistically significant results, rizatriptan has the best overall evidence for acute treatment of MM, ranging from pain-free responses of 33-73% at 2 hours. Sumatriptan and rizatriptan have shown similar efficacies of 61-63% in terms of 2 hour pain freedom. Rizatriptan showed sustained pain relief between 2 and 24 hours with an efficacy of 63% and sustained pain freedom for MM between 2 and 24 hours with an efficacy of 32%. For short-term prevention of MM, there were four randomized controlled trials for frovatriptan taken twice daily, one trial for zolmitriptan taken three times daily, and two studies for naratriptan taken twice daily, all of which showed statistically significant results. Among studies on non-triptans for short-term prevention of MM, magnesium, estrogen, naproxen sodium, and dihydroergotamine all had statistically significant results. Many antiepileptic medications taken for prevention of MM can cause enzyme induction affecting oral contraceptives (OCs) and hormonal treatments to different degrees. Topiramate has the least effect on OCs at doses below 200 mg/day. Lamotrigine noticeably decreases oral contraceptive levels; however, the evidence for it as a preventive medication is not strong. Conclusion MM can be very difficult to treat. For acute treatments, rizatriptan has the best overall evidence. For short-term prevention, frovatriptan, zolmitriptan, or naratriptan, as well as magnesium, estrogen, naproxen sodium, or dihydroergotamine may be useful.