cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pain conditions among veterans with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the rates of chronic, noncancer pain conditions in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) System. Method This cross-sectional study used administrative data extracted from VHA treatment records of all individuals receiving VHA services in fiscal year 2008 ( N =5,195,551). The associations between severe psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) and chronic pain (arthritis, back pain, chronic pain, migraine, headache, psychogenic and neuropathic) were evaluated using a series of logistic regression analyses. Results Veterans with schizophrenia [odds ratio (OR)=1.21] and bipolar disorder (OR=2.17) were significantly more likely to have chronic pain overall relative to veterans without these psychiatric conditions. These associations were slightly lower than for the association between depression and pain in this sample (OR=2.61). The highest associations between specific psychiatric diagnosis and pain condition were found with chronic pain, headache and psychogenic pain. Conclusions Noncancer pain conditions occur in elevated rates among patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Future research could further examine possible barriers to adequate pain treatment among people with serious mental illness, as well as the extent to which chronic pain might impact mental health recovery.
Second-Sound Propagation in Dielectric Solids

The conditions necessary for the occurrence of second sound in solids are examined in some generality. The results indicate that second sound can propagate at frequencies greater than the reciprocal umklapp relaxation time and smaller than the reciprocal normal relaxation time. At frequencies less than the reciprocal umklapp relaxation time, the solutions are the same as those for normal thermal conductivity. The frequency range and damping of second sound at various temperatures is computed using relaxation times determined for sodium fluoride.
Reference-based indexing for metric spaces with costly distance measures

We consider the problem of similarity search in databases with costly metric distance measures. Given limited main memory, our goal is to develop a reference-based index that reduces the number of comparisons in order to answer a query. The idea in reference-based indexing is to select a small set of reference objects that serve as a surrogate for the other objects in the database. We consider novel strategies for selection of references and assigning references to database objects. For dynamic databases with frequent updates, we propose two incremental versions of the selection algorithm. Our experimental results show that our selection and assignment methods far outperform competing methods.
A Calmodulin-binding/CGCG Box DNA-binding Protein Family Involved in Multiple Signaling Pathways in Plants

We reported earlier that the tobacco early ethylene-responsive gene NtER1 encodes a calmodulin-binding protein (Yang, T., and Poovaiah, B. W. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 38467-38473). Here we demonstrate that there is one NtER1 homolog as well as five related genes in Arabidopsis. These six genes are rapidly and differentially induced by environmental signals such as temperature extremes, UVB, salt, and wounding; hormones such as ethylene and abscisic acid; and signal molecules such as methyl jasmonate, H(2)O(2), and salicylic acid. Hence, they were designated as AtSR1-6 (Arabidopsis thaliana signal-responsive genes). Ca(2+)/calmodulin binds to all AtSRs, and their calmodulin-binding regions are located on a conserved basic amphiphilic alpha-helical motif in the C terminus. AtSR1 targets the nucleus and specifically recognizes a novel 6-bp CGCG box (A/C/G)CGCG(G/T/C). The multiple CGCG cis-elements are found in promoters of genes such as those involved in ethylene signaling, abscisic acid signaling, and light signal perception. The DNA-binding domain in AtSR1 is located on the N-terminal 146 bp where all AtSR1-related proteins share high similarity but have no similarity to other known DNA-binding proteins. The calmodulin-binding nuclear proteins isolated from wounded leaves exhibit specific CGCG box DNA binding activities. These results suggest that the AtSR gene family encodes a family of calmodulin-binding/DNA-binding proteins involved in multiple signal transduction pathways in plants.
Distribution of Colloidal trace metals in the San Francisco Bay estuary

The size distribution of trace metals (Al, Ag, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Sr, and Zn) was examined in surface waters of the San Francisco Bay estuary. Water samples were collected in January 1994 across the whole salinity gradient and fractionated into total dissolved (<0.2 μm colloidal (10 KDa–0.2 μm) and < 10 kDa molecular weight phases. In the low salinity region of the estuary, concentrations of colloidal A1, Ag, and Fe accounted for ≥84% of the total dissolved fraction, and colloidal Cu and Mn accounted for 16–20% of the total. At high salinities, while colloidal Fe was still relatively high (∼40% of the dissolved), very little colloidal Al, Mn, and Cu (<10%) and no colloidal Ag was detectable. Colloidal Zn accounted for <3% of the total dissolved along the estuary, and colloidal Ni was only detectable (<2%) at the river endmember. All of the total dissolved Cd and Sr throughout the estuary consisted of relatively low molecular weight (<10 kDa) species. The relative affinity of metals for humic substances and their reactivity with particle surfaces appear to determine the amounts of metal associated with colloids. The mixing behavior of metals along the estuary appears to be determined by the relative contribution of the colloidal phase to the total dissolved pool. Metals with a small or undetectable colloidal fraction showed a nonconservative excess (Cd, Cu, Ni, and Mn) or conservative mixing (Sr) in the total dissolved fraction, relative to ideal dilution of river water and seawater along the estuary. The salt-induced coagulation of colloidal A1, Fe, and Cu is indicated by their highly nonconservative removal along the salinity gradient. However, colloidal metals with low affinity for humic substances (Mn and Zn) showed conservative mixing behavior, indicating that some riverine colloids are not effectively aggregated during their transport to the sea. While colloidal metal concentrations correlated with dissolved organic carbon, they also covaried with colloidal Al, suggesting that colloids are a mixture of organic and inorganic components. Furthermore, the similarity between the colloidal metal:A1 ratios with the crustal ratios indicated that colloids could be the product of weathering processes or particle resuspension. Distribution coefficients for colloidal particles (Kc) and for large, filter-retained particles (Kd) were of the same magnitude, suggesting similar binding strength for the two types of particles. Also, the dependence of the distribution coefficients on the amount of suspended particulate matter (the so-called particle concentration effect) was still evident for the colloids-corrected distribution coefficient (Kp+c) and for metals (e.g., Ni) without affinity for colloidal particles.
Aligned conical carbon nanotubes

Aligned conical carbon nanotubes (CCNTs) have been synthesized on catalyst-coated Si (100) substrates by a D.C. plasma-assisted hot filament chemical vapor deposition process. The same technique under slightly different deposition conditions has been used to grow aligned conventional carbon nanotubes. The conical shape is due to secondary graphitic growth on the main nanotube. This growth results in the formation of a series of inverted lampshade-type structures stacked over each other, which gives the CNT the appearance of a cone. The CCNT structures are typically 2 μm at the base with an inner diameter of 100 nm and 2000 nm long. Patterned growth, e.g., arrays of 6 μm × 6 μm square, has been achieved. Field emission from CCNTs for use in flat panel displays is also reported.
Microarrays in biology and medicine

The remarkable speed with which biotechnology has become critical to the practice of life sciences owes much to a series of technological revolutions. Microarray is the latest invention in this ongoing technological revolution. This technology holds the promise to revolutionize the future of biology and medicine unlike any other technology that preceded it. Development of microarray technology has significantly changed the way questions about diseases and/or biological phenomena are addressed. This is because microarrays facilitate monitoring the expression of thousands of genes or proteins in a single experiment. This enormous power of microarrays has enabled scientists to monitor thousands of genes and their products in a given living organism in one experiment, and to understand how these genes function in an orchestrated manner. Obtaining such a global view of life at the molecular level was impossible using conventional molecular biological techniques. However, despite all the progress made in developing this technology, microarray is yet to reach a point where all data are obtained, analyzed, and shared in a standardized fashion. The present article is a brief overview of microarray technologies and their applications with an emphasis on DNA microarray. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 18:171–179, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/jbt.20023
Analysis of gamma-ray continuum spectra to determine the chemical composition

Neutron induced γ-ray spectra from various geological samples were analyzed to evaluate the usefulness of continuum spectra in deriving the chemical composition information. A fast Fourier transform technique has been used to estimate the signal content of selected energy bands of the continuum spectra. Monte Carlo calculations have been performed using the major γ-ray energy sources (due to Fe, Ca, Si and Al) to generate the corresponding detected γ-ray spectra. The experimental spectra are compared to the simulated spectra to check the consistency of the signal distribution between the peak and the continuum. The continuum above and below a chosen γ-ray line is calculated to find what fraction of the lower energy continuum is due to that line. The accuracy of the relative elemental concentrations determined by this method is confirmed through comparison with laboratory elemental analysis of the samples. It is found that using the continuum could greatly increase the sensitivity and precision of the measurement of elemental concentrations determined from γ-ray spectra of thick target sources, for spectra having peaks of poor statistical significance. However, for thin target sources or spectra with very good statistics in their peaks, this method may not be very advantageous.
Psychometrics, Reliability, and Validity of a Wraparound Team Observation Measure

Wraparound is a widely-implemented team-based care coordination process for youth with serious emotional and behavioral needs. Wraparound has a positive evidence base; however, research has shown inconsistency in the quality of its implementation that can reduce its effectiveness. The current paper presents results of three studies used to examine psychometrics, reliability, and validity of a measure of wraparound fidelity as assessed during team meetings called the Team Observation Measure (TOM). Analysis of TOM results from 1,078 team observations across 59 sites found good overall internal consistency (α = 0.80), but constrained variability, with the average team rated as having 78 % of indicators of model adherent wraparound present, 11 % absent, and 11 % not applicable. A study of N = 23 pairs of raters found a pooled Kappa statistic of 0.733, indicating substantial inter-rater reliability. Higher agreement was found between external evaluators than for pairs of raters that included an external evaluator and an internal rater (e.g., supervisor or coach). A validity study found no correlation between the TOM and an alternate fidelity instrument, the Wraparound Fidelity Index (WFI), at the team level. However, positive correlations between mean program-level TOM and WFI scores provide support for TOM validity as a summative assessment of site- or program-level fidelity. Implications for TOM users, measure refinement, and future research are discussed.
An adaptive hybrid surrogate model

The determination of complex underlying relationships between system parameters from simulated and/or recorded data requires advanced interpolating functions, also known as surrogates. The development of surrogates for such complex relationships often requires the modeling of high dimensional and non-smooth functions using limited information. To this end, the hybrid surrogate modeling paradigm, where different surrogate models are combined, offers an effective solution. In this paper, we develop a new high fidelity surrogate modeling technique that we call the Adaptive Hybrid Functions (AHF). The AHF formulates a reliable Crowding Distance-Based Trust Region (CD-TR), and adaptively combines the favorable characteristics of different surrogate models. The weight of each contributing surrogate model is determined based on the local measure of accuracy for that surrogate model in the pertinent trust region. Such an approach is intended to exploit the advantages of each component surrogate. This approach seeks to simultaneously capture the global trend of the function as well as the local deviations. In this paper, the AHF combines four component surrogate models: (i) the Quadratic Response Surface Model (QRSM), (ii) the Radial Basis Functions (RBF), (iii) the Extended Radial Basis Functions (E-RBF), and (iv) the Kriging model. The AHF is applied to standard test problems and to a complex engineering design problem. Subsequent evaluations of the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) and the Maximum Absolute Error (MAE) illustrate the promising potential of this hybrid surrogate modeling approach.
Short-term growth response of deep-water rice to submergence and ethylene

Abstract An angular transducer has been used to measure the short-term growth response in submerged and ethylene-treated deep-water rice plants. The lag time between the start of submergence and the onset of the response is 200 min, indicating that growth-related biosynthetic processes take place before internodal elongation starts. The level of endogenous ethylene in the internodes rises steeply prior to the onset of growth, which is further support for the hypothesis that accumulation of ethylene is a prerequisite for the growth response in submerged plants. The growth rate plotted against time shows a first peak after 6 h followed by a decrease and subsequent increase in the growth rate. Similar growth curves have also been found in other plants after application of indoleacetic acid and gibberellic acid. Partial adaptation of plants to growth hormones may be the reason for biphasic growth-response curves.
Hypercalcemia in association with mesoblastic nephroma: report of a case and review of the literature

Hypercalcemia, often associated with certain types of adult tumors, has also been described in pediatric neoplasms. In childhood, the more common associations include lymphoma, leukemia, rhabdomyosarcoma and rarely neuroblastoma. However, recently, several infants with hypercalcemia were described having renal tumors without bone metastases. The following is a case report of a 2-month-old infant who presented with severe hypercalcemia and a large right-sided abdominal mass, which at surgery was diagnosed as a cellular mesoblastic nephroma.
Hypercarbic arterial acidemia following resuscitation from severe hemorrhagic shock

Arteriovenous pH and PCO2 gradients can develop during low cardiac output states. We have seen a transient rise in arterial PCO2 and a fall in arterial pH in humans receiving closed-chest cardiopulmonary resuscitation immediately following restoration of spontaneous circulation. Using a hemorrhagic shock model in sheep, serial arterial and mixed venous blood gases were sampled and CO2 elimination was measured. When cardiac output was less than 30% of the baseline value and the arteriovenous PCO2 difference was greater than 20 mmHg, the animals were rapidly resuscitated with intravenous 0.9% NaCl and dopamine. Following resuscitation, there was a transient arterial acidosis and hypercarbia due to passage of venous blood with a high CO2 content into arterial blood. The clinical implications in the setting of hemorrhagic shock are that (1) arterial blood gases are poor indicators of the systemic acid-base state, (2) arterial blood gases drawn immediately following volume resuscitation may be misinterpreted and should probably not be used to guide therapy and (3) there is a transient hypercarbic arterial acidosis following volume resuscitation that may have deleterious effects on cardiac and cerebral function in the early post-resuscitative period.
Liberalism, the Duty to Rescue, and Organ Procurement:

After outlining her rights-based theory of justice in Whose Body is it Anyway? Cecile Fabre argues that as a matter of justice needy people have a right to be rescued provided that this would not i...
Probabilistic tracking in a metric space

A new exemplar-based, probabilistic paradigm for visual tracking is presented. Probabilistic mechanisms are attractive because they handle fusion of information, especially temporal fusion, in a principled manner. Exemplars are selected representatives of raw training data, used here to represent probabilistic mixture distributions of object configurations. Their use avoids tedious hand-construction of object models and problems with changes of topology. Using exemplars in place of a parameterized model poses several challenges, addressed here with what we call the "Metric Mixture" (M/sup 2/) approach. The M/sup 2/ model has several valuable properties. Principally, it provides alternatives to standard learning algorithms by allowing the use of metrics that are not embedded in a vector space. Secondly, it uses a noise model that is learned from training data. Lastly, it eliminates any need for an assumption of probabilistic pixelwise independence. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the M/sup 2/ model in two domains tracking walking people using chamfer distances on binary edge images and tracking mouth movements by means of a shuffle distance.
Processing emotional facial expressions influences performance on a Go/NoGo task in pediatric anxiety and depression

Background: This study investigated whether processing emotionally salient information such as emotional facial expressions influences the performance on a cognitive control task in pediatric anxiety and depression. Methods: The sample included 68 participants between 8 and 16 years of age selected into three diagnostic groups: Anxiety Disorder (ANX, n ¼ 23), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD, n ¼ 19), and Low-Risk Normal Control (LRNC, n ¼ 26). Participants completed an Emotional Go/NoGo task in which participants must either respond to (Go trials) or not respond to (NoGo trials) specific facial expressions (angry, fearful, sad, happy, neutral). In order to manipulate the level of cognitive control needed to perform the task, the probability of occurrence of the Go trials was varied across 3 probability conditions (low, moderate, high). Results: Analyses showed that the MDD group had significantly faster reaction times to sad face Go trials embedded in neutral face NoGo trials in the moderate probability condition and that the ANX group had significantly slower reaction times to neutral face Go trials embedded in angry face NoGo trials in the low probability condition. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that processing emotional facial expressions influences the performance on a cognitive control task in children and adolescents diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and major depression. Keywords: Children, adolescents, anxiety, depression, emotional processing, cognitive control. Abbreviations: ANX: Anxiety Disorder group; MDD: Major Depressive Disorder group; LRNC: Low-Risk Normal Control group; CBCL: Child Behavior Checklist; SCARED: Screen for Childhood Anxiety and Related Disorders; CDI: Children’s Depression Inventory; BDI: Beck Depression Inventory.
Acute and long-term cost implications of coronary stenting.

Abstract OBJECTIVES We compared the acute and one year medical costs and outcomes of coronary stenting with those for balloon angioplasty (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty) in contemporary clinical practice. BACKGROUND While coronary stent implantation reduces the need for repeat revascularization, it has been associated with significantly higher acute costs compared with coronary angioplasty. METHODS We studied patients treated at Duke University between September 1995 and June 1996 who received either coronary stent (n = 384) or coronary angioplasty (n = 159) and met eligibility criteria. Detailed cost data were collected initially and up to one year following the procedure. Our primary analyses compared six and 12 month cumulative costs for coronary angioplasty- and stent-treated cohorts. We also compared treatment costs after excluding nontarget vessel interventions; after limiting analysis to those without prior revascularization; and after risk-adjusting cumulative cost estimates. RESULTS Baseline clinical characteristics were generally similar between the two treatment groups. The mean in-hospital cost for stent patients was $3,268 higher than for those receiving coronary angioplasty ($14,802 vs. $11,534, p CONCLUSIONS In contemporary practice, coronary stenting provides equivalent or better one-year patient outcomes without increasing cumulative health care costs.
Assessment of Quinidine Gluconate for Nonlinear Kinetics Following Chronic Dosing

Two different chronic dosing regimens of quinidine gluconate were administered to each of four healthy volunteers in a pilot study to evaluate quinidine for nonlinear pharmacokinetics. Analysis of plasma quinidine levels following the last dose indicates that disproportionate increases in steady-state plasma concentrations can occur in some subjects as the daily dose increases. Measurement of 2'-oxoquinidinone (2'-OXO) and 3-hydroxyquinidine (3-OH) metabolites revealed that the formation of 2'-OXO is proportional to the availability of quinidine base. Hydroxylation was a more variable process. Rate-limited hydroxylation was documented in one subject, and an apparent increase in hepatic microsomal enzyme-mediated hydroxylation was shown in a second subject who ingested large amounts of caffeine daily. By using a highly selective high-performance liquid chromatography assay technique, the total body clearance of quinidine was found to be greater than previously published data. Our results suggest that some individuals may exhibit dose-dependent elimination of quinidine and that the variability in quinidine's pharmacokinetics is related in part to its hydroxylation. Future studies must use highly specific quinidine assays and control for variables that may influence this route of metabolism.
Magnetoencephalography Source Localization Using the Source Affine Image Reconstruction (SAFFIRE) Algorithm

Nonparametric iterative algorithms have been previously proposed to achieve high-resolution, sparse solutions to the bioelectromagnetic inverse problem applicable to multichannel magnetoencephalography and EEG recordings. Using a mmse estimation framework, we propose a new algorithm of this type denoted as source affine image reconstruction (SAFFIRE) aiming to reduce the vulnerability to initialization bias, augment robustness to noise, and decrease sensitivity to the choice of regularization. The proposed approach operates in a normalized lead-field space and employs an initial estimate based on matched filtering to combat the potential biasing effect of previously proposed initialization methods. SAFFIRE minimizes difficulties associated with the selection of the most appropriate regularization parameter by using two separate loading terms: a fixed noise-dependent term that can be directly estimated from the data and arises naturally from the mmse formulation, and an adaptive term (adjusted according to the update of the source estimate) that accounts for uncertainties of the forward model in real-experimental applications. We also show that a noncoherent integration scheme can be used within the SAFFIRE algorithm structure to further enhance the reconstruction accuracy and improve robustness to noise.
Achievement of morphologic and cytogenetic remission with single-agent hydroxyurea in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia with inv(16).

Hydroxyurea, a cell-cycle inhibitor, has been used to treat hyperleukocytosis since the 1960s. With potent oral bioavailability and limited adverse effects when compared to conventional chemotherap...
Addition of citrate to Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans cultures enables precipitate-free growth at elevated pH and reduces ferric inhibition.

Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is an acidophilic chemolithoautotroph that is important in biomining and other biotechnological operations. The cells are able to oxidize inorganic iron, but the insolubility and product inhibition by Fe3+ complicates characterization of these cultures. Here we explore the growth kinetics of A. ferrooxidans in iron-based medium in a pH range from 1.6 to 2.2. It was found that as the pH was increased from 1.6 to 2.0, the maintenance coefficient decreased while both the growth kinetics and maximum cell yield increased in the precipitate-free, low Fe2+ concentration medium. In higher iron media a similar trend was observed at low pH, but the formation of precipitates at higher pH (2.0) hampered cell growth and lowered the specific growth rate and maximum cell yield. In order to eliminate ferric precipitates, chelating agents were introduced into the medium. Citric acid was found to be relatively non-toxic and did not appear to interfere with iron oxidation at a maximum concentration of 70 mM. Inclusion of citric acid prevented precipitation and A. ferrooxidans growth parameters resumed their trends as a function of pH. The addition of citrate also decreased the apparent substrate saturation constant (KS) indicating a reduction in the competitive inhibition of growth by ferric ions. These results indicate that continuous cultures of A. ferrooxidans in the presence of citrate at elevated pH will enable enhanced cell yields and productivities. This will be critical as these cells are used in the development of new biotechnological applications such as electrofuel production. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 1940–1948. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
BRCA1 facilitates microhomology-mediated end joining of DNA double strand breaks.

BRCA1 is critical for the maintenance of genomic stability, in part through its interaction with the Rad50·Mre11·Nbs1 complex, which occupies a central role in DNA double strand break repair mediated by nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination. BRCA1 has been shown to be required for homology-directed recombination repair. However, the role of BRCA1 in NHEJ, a critical pathway for the repair of double strand breaks and genome stability in mammalian cells, remains elusive. Here, we established a pair of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from 9.5-day-old embryos with genotypesBrca1+/+ :p53−/− orBrca1−/− :p53−/− . The Brca1−/− :p53−/− MEFs appear to be extremely sensitive to ionizing radiation. The contribution of BRCA1 in NHEJ was evaluated in these cells using three different assay systems. First, transfection of a linearized plasmid in which expression of the reporter gene required precise end joining indicated that Brca1−/− MEFs display a moderate deficiency when compared with Brca1+/+ cells. Second, using a retrovirus infection assay dependent on NHEJ, a 5–10-fold reduction in retroviral integration efficiency was observed in Brca1−/− MEFs when compared with theBrca1+/+ MEFs. Third,Brca1−/− MEFs exhibited a 50–100-fold deficiency in microhomology-mediated end-joining activity of a defined chromosomal DNA double strand break introduced by a rare cutting endonuclease I-SceI. These results provide evidence that Brca1 has an essential role in microhomology-mediated end joining and suggest a novel molecular basis for its caretaker role in the maintenance of genome integrity.
Fighting for Equal Treatment: How the UAW Won Domestic Partnership Benefits and Discrimination Protection for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Members

This article explores how the United Auto Workers (UAW) came to address the issues of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender/sexual (LGBT) union members. The UAW demonstrated its commitment to LGBT concerns through its successful fight to provide health care benefits to same-sex domestic partners during the contract negotiations of 1999 with the “Big Three” U.S. automakers. The UAW, however, does not fit the structural or demographic profile of a union likely to be proactive on LGBT issues because the union represents predominantly blue-collar men in private sector manufacturing jobs. An intensive qualitative case study of the UAW’s response to sexual orientation concerns was conducted to explore the adequacies of the predominant theories regarding labor unions and sexual orientation. The case study found that the responsiveness of the UAW was associated with individual and collective agency, the support of outside allies, and ideological traditions of social movement unionism.
Superconducting qualification program for TFCX and Alcator DCT magnetic systems

The purpose of the Magnetics Qualification Program is to demonstrate the feasibility of ICCS conductors for TF and PF coils for TFCX and DCT. Conductor requirements for these projects represent an advance over LCP conductors in peak field, overall current density, and in strand-to-strand decoupling. Achievement of these advanced parameters results in significant device performance improvement and cost savings over the performance achievable with the LCP ICCS westinghouse/Airco Conductor.
Cross-cultural exploration of the Indecisiveness Scale: A comparison of Chinese and American men and women

Indecisiveness is the inability to make decisions in a timely manner across situations and domains. The present research explores the construct of indecisiveness across sex and culture, given the past suggestion of group differences in mean scores (Ji, Oka, & Yates, 2000; Rassin & Muris, 2005a). Frost and Shows’ (1993) Indecisiveness Scale was administered to undergraduates in the United States and China (73 men and 88 women per culture). For Americans, a two-factor model of indecisiveness (general indecisiveness and planning indecisiveness) emerged while, for Chinese, a three-factor model (with general indecisiveness split into anxiety- and confidence-related factors) better explained the data. No group differences in mean indecisiveness scores were found, but differences did exist on some factors. The results suggest caution in using the scale cross-culturally, but also point to interesting cultural variations in the nature of indecisiveness. � 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
An acrosome reaction in sperm from the white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus

The A. transmontanus sperm possesses an elongate main body, a conspicuous acrosome, a midpiece, and a flagellum. Three membrane-lined nuclear channels that are helically arranged extend from the acrosomal region to the midpiece. Sperm heads contain material that comigrates on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-gels with actin. An acrosome reaction can be induced in freshwater with ionophore A23187, high pH, high Ca++, or egg water. This acrosomal reaction is a Ca+-Mg+-dependent event. The resulting acrosomal process (10 μm) originates from the subacrosome region and the nuclear channels. Non-filamentous actin apparently polymerizes and forms the process.
New Algorithms for Blind Block Synchronization in Zero-Padding Systems

Blind channel identification using linear redundant filterbank precoders (LRP) has been studied extensively in the literature. Most methods are proposed based on the assumption that block synchronization is perfect. In practice, a blind block synchronization algorithm must be used to justify this assumption. This paper studies the blind block synchronization problem in systems using a zero-padding (ZP) precoder. A previously reported method is reviewed and a new approach for the problem is proposed. Generalized versions of both approaches are then developed using a parameter called repetition index. Simulation results show that when the repetition index is chosen to be greater than unity, the block synchronization error rate performance of the proposed algorithm has a significant improvement over the previously reported method.
Pilot Evaluation of the “ACT Parents Raising Safe Kids” Violence Prevention Program

The Adults and Children Together (ACT) “Parents Raising Safe Kids” Violence Prevention Curriculum is designed to prevent young children from becoming victims or future perpetrators of violence by helping parents understand the effects of violence on children's development and learn nonviolent parenting skills. This study examined the effectiveness of ACT with parents through the first controlled evaluation of the program. Results demonstrate improvements related to all four modules of the ACT program: anger management, social problem solving, nonaggressive discipline, and media violence literacy. All parents surveyed at follow-up reported complete cessation of physical punishment. These, along with other promising results supporting ACT's effectiveness, should encourage others to use this easily implemented, low-cost violence prevention program for parents.
Serum autoantibody to the nucleolar antigen PM-Scl. Clinical and immunogenetic associations.

OBJECTIVE: The inflammatory myopathies are characterized by distinctive autoantibodies that are associated with certain clinical features and immunogenetic patterns. Anti-PM-Scl is one such antibody and is found in pure myositis, myositis in overlap, and systemic sclerosis (SSc). Our purpose was to describe the clinical and immunogenetic associations of the anti-PM-Scl antibody. METHODS: Serum samples from 617 patients with various connective tissue diseases were screened for anti-PM-Scl antibody by indirect immunofluorescence and Ouchterlony double immunodiffusion. Patients with anti-PM-Scl were serologically typed for HLA-DR and DQ, and the genes encoding DQ alpha and DQ beta were characterized by hybridization of sequence-specific oligonucleotide to amplified genomic DNA. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients (4%) had serum anti-PM-Scl. Sixteen had either pure myositis or myositis in overlap, 6 had SSc alone, and 1 had SSc and rheumatoid arthritis. Twenty of the antibody-positive patients had serologic HLA typing performed; 15 (75%) were HLA-DR3 positive, and 17 (85%) expressed the DQw2 allele. None of the 5 DR3 negative patients shared a unique DR or DQ antigen with the DR3 positive patients, and further DNA analysis of 10 patients (4 of whom were DR3 negative) did not reveal any unique DQ alleles. CONCLUSION: Anti-PM-Scl identifies a subset of patients with myositis, SSc, or an overlap of the two disorders, and this antibody has a strong but not exclusive immunogenetic association with the HLA-DR3 antigen.
Multielectron ionization processes in ultrastrong laser fields

The ionization of neon was studied in strong (1014–1016 W/cm2) and ultrastrong (1017–1018 W/cm2) laser fields. Measurements of ionization yields in ultrastrong fields reveal that they are dominated by sequential tunneling ionization of the ion charge states. The rescattering mechanism, identified with the generation of high-order harmonics and multiple electron ionization in strong fields, is modeled for ultrastrong fields and is shown to be reduced by orders of magnitude when compared with strong-field ionization. The results from the model are consistent with the experimental results and indicate that the reduced core size for ions and the Lorentz force in ultrastrong fields combine to reduce rescattering in ultrastrong fields.
Avalanche upconversion in Tm:YALO(3).

We report the sudden appearance of upconversion fluorescence and resonant increasing absorption above a threshold intensity in Tm YALO3 at room temperature. These effects are shown to arise from nonlinear, cooperative, excited-state dynamics. Comparison with quantum theory reveals essential roles both for pairwise cross relaxation and excitation migration among Tm impurity ions.
A receiver-initiated collision-avoidance protocol for multi-channel networks

The medium-access control (MAC) protocols for wireless networks proposed or implemented to date based on collision-avoidance handshakes between sender and receiver either require carrier sensing or the assignment of unique codes to nodes to ensure that intended receivers hear data packets without interference from hidden sources. We present and analyze a new collision-avoidance MAC protocol that we call receiver-initiated channel-hopping with dual polling (RICH-DP). RICH-DP is the first MAC protocol based on a receiver-initiated collision-avoidance handshake that does not require carrier sensing or the assignment of unique codes to nodes In order to ensure collision-free reception of data at the intended receivers in the presence of hidden terminals. The throughput and delay characteristics of RICH-DP is studied analytically, and extensive simulations are presented to verify the analysis and to present a more accurate prediction of how RICH-DP would operate in realistic scenarios. RICH-DP is applicable to ad-hoc networks based on commercial off-the-shelf frequency hopping radios operating in the unlicensed frequency bands.
TODDLER SOCIOEMOTIONAL BEHAVIOR IN A NORTHERN PLAINS INDIAN TRIBE: ASSOCIATIONS WITH MATERNAL PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING

M.C. Sarche, C.D. Croy, C. Big Crow, C. Mitchell, and P. Spicer (2009) provided first-ever information relating the socioemotional development of American Indian toddlers to the immediate context of their mothers' lives. The current study sought to replicate and build on their earlier work by examining the impact of additional maternal risk factors, identified in previous research with non-American Indian populations, on the development of American Indian toddlers: maternal depression, negative social influences, and mother's feelings of isolation. At 27 months, American Indian mothers (N = 110) completed the Parent Demographic Questionnaire, which measured maternal psychosocial characteristics (e.g., depressed affect, social support, drug and alcohol use, isolation) and demographics. Mothers also completed the Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (A.S. Carter & M.J. Briggs-Gowan, 2006) and the Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale of the Parenting Stress Index (R.R. Abidin, 1995, 1997). Some results replicated the original study, but others did not. Reports of a dysfunctional mother-child relationship related to externalizing and internalizing problems, replicating the earlier study. This study also found associations between a dysfunctional mother-child relationship and socioemotional competence as well as dysregulation. The previous finding of a relationship between American Indian identity and socioemotional competence was supported. Adding the effects of maternal depressed affect and isolation significantly increased prediction of toddler behavior problems.
EXPONENTIAL TENSORS: A FRAMEWORK FOR EFFICIENT HIGHER-ORDER DT-MRI COMPUTATIONS

In diffusion tensor magnetic resonance image (DT-MRI) processing a 2nd order tensor has been commonly used to approximate the diffusivity function at each lattice point of the 3D volume image. These tensors are symmetric positive definite matrices and the appropriate constraints required in algorithms for processing them makes these algorithms complex and significantly increases their computational complexity. In this paper we present a novel parameterization of the diffusivity function using which the positive definite property of the function is guaranteed without any increase in computation. This parameterization can be used for any order tensor approximations; we present Cartesian tensor approximations of order 2, 4, 6 and 8 respectively, of the diffusivity function all of which retain the positivity property in this parameterization without the need for any explicit enforcement. Furthermore, we present an efficient framework for computing distances and geodesies in the space of the coefficients of our proposed diffusivity function. Distances & geodesies are useful for performing interpolation, computation of statistics etc. on high rank positive definite tensors. We validate our model using simulated and real diffusion weighted MR data from excised, perfusion-fixed rat optic chiasm.
Intimate Partner Violence during Pregnancy: Best Practices for Social Workers

Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy is a major problem in the United States, with estimates that 3 percent to 17 percent of women experience violence during the perinatal period. Research indicates that IPV during pregnancy is associated with serious, negative health outcomes for the mother and her unborn child. As such, many researchers have suggested that pregnancy offers a unique window for IPV intervention, particularly for social workers in health-care settings. Although assessing for IPV more generally has received increased attention in the social work literature, there is a lack of information about the specific needs for pregnant women. Thus, the purpose of this article is to provide a focused literature review on the scope and impact of IPV during pregnancy and to identify best practices for social workers for intervention and prevention.
Joint Channel Estimation and Co-Channel Interference Mitigation in Wireless Networks Using Belief Propagation

This paper studies signal detection in wireless networks where the uncertainty is due to fading as well as a strong co-channel interference of the same form as that of the desired signal. In particular, unlike for the desired signal, no pilot for the interference signal is available for measuring its fading channel state. Still, the interference is a non-Gaussian process and treating it as Gaussian noise can lead to poor performance. We propose a joint channel estimation and interference mitigation scheme based on belief propagation, which is capable of fully exploiting the statistics of the interference. Simulation results show that the receiver performs significantly better compared to conventional receivers with linear channel estimation.
Inverse Elasticity Rule in a Production Efficiency Problem

Diamond and Mirrlees (1971) and Dasgupta and Stiglitz (1972) show that production e¢ ciency is achieved under the optimal commodity tax when pro…t income is zero. Here, we consider the simplest possible model to analyze production e¢ ciency in the presence of pro…t income: a tax reform problem in an economy with a representative consumer, two goods, and two …rms with decreasing returns to
From polarisation to practice: Puzzles and insights on integrated approaches from public health professionals

Much of the debate in the global health literature about vertical and horizontal programmatic approaches, between narrowly targeted interventions and those providing broader system-wide support, has taken place at the global level. Based on a comparative case study of international donors in the health sector in Peru that varied in their vertical-horizontal orientation, this article examines the extent to which health care practitioners and national policy-makers perceive and attempt to reconcile the tension between these approaches. Informants readily identified advantages and disadvantages of both approaches, but did not perceive a marked vertical-horizontal division, suggesting that tensions appear to be less pronounced in practice than academic debates suggest. A clear consensus did not emerge, and although more people spoke of a mixed approached, they too puzzled over how best to balance trade-offs. In practice, there were examples of more integrated approaches, targeted aspects of horizontal programmes and system-strengthening elements of vertical programmes; however, they were not explicitly identified as such. Practitioner perspectives reinforced the diverse and dynamic nature of disease, both epidemics and country profiles, and suggest that focusing on periods of transition and points of integration may be a fruitful path forward.
Handling occlusions in dense multi-view stereo

While stereo matching was originally formulated as the recovery of 3D shape from a pair of images, it is now generally recognized that using more than two images can dramatically improve the quality of the reconstruction. Unfortunately, as more images are added, the prevalence of semi-occluded regions (pixels visible in some but not all images) also increases. We propose some novel techniques to deal with this problem. Our first idea is to use a combination of shiftable windows and a dynamically selected subset of the neighboring images to do the matches. Our second idea is to explicitly label occluded pixels within a global energy minimization framework, and to reason about visibility within this framework so that only truly visible pixels are matched. Experimental results show a dramatic improvement using the first idea over conventional multibaseline stereo, especially when used in conjunction with a global energy minimization technique. These results also show that explicit occlusion labeling and visibility reasoning do help, but not significantly, if the spatial and temporal selection is applied first.
Cytokine control of PMN phagocytosis : regulatory effects of hypoxemia and hypoxemia-reoxygenation

We investigated the effects of hypoxemia and hypoxemia-reoxygenation (H/R) on interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), or IL-1beta stimulation of whole blood polymorphonuclear...
Conversion of cis -polyacetylene to trans -polyacetylene during doping

An experimental study of the infrared properties of iodine-doped and ammonia-compensated polyacetylene has been carried out. Doping of trans-polyacetylene leads to strong absorption lines at 870 and 1390 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ along with a broad "midgap" absorption at higher frequences. Compensation reduces all of these features in equal proportion. The doping-related absorption in cis-polyacetylene as well as the effects of compensation are essentially identical to that in the trans form. This result shows that the doping in cis samples occurs in trans regions present in the sample or created in it by the doping process.
Inhibition of Influenza Virus Cytotoxicity by Ammonium Ion in Commercial Medium # 199.

SummaryVariations in susceptibility of a cell line to the cytotoxic effects of influenza virus were; traced to the presence of inhibitory concentrations of ammonium ion in 2 commercial lots of medium #199. Ammonium ion in concentrations of 57 and 63 μg NH3-N per ml of medium completely inhibited the cytopathic effects of a concentrated inoculum of influenza B (Lee) virus. This study emphasizes the important need for careful regulation and standardization in the preparation of commercial cell culture media.
Effect of Male Size on Calling Propensity, Song Parameters, and Mating Success in Caribbean Fruit Flies, Anastrepha suspensa (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Sexual selection theory predicts discriminative female mate choice based on differences in male phenotype in lek-mating species. We selected large and small males of the Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa (Loew), and analyzed calling sounds produced by these males. Calling propensity was significantly higher and calling song pulse train interval significantly shorter in large males. In mate choice tests, 70% of mating females mated with a large male. Additionally, the power output (sound pressure level) of precopulatory songs of successfully mating males averaged 10 dB greater than that of mounting males that were rejected by females.