cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gardnerella vaginalis infection and sexual contact in female children

Gardnerella vaginalis (GV) infection has been reported as being acquired via sexual contact in adults and as an indicator of sexual contact in female children (DeJong, 1985). The purpose of this study was to determine if GV infection was more commonly found in 191 female children who gave a history of sexual contact and/or were infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) or Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) (Group 1), compared with 144 female children evaluated for possible sexual abuse and found to have no such history or infection with GC or CT (Group 2), or 31 female children (friends of the authors) without such a history or GC or CT infection (Group 3). Vaginal GV was found in 5.3% of Group 1, 4.9% of Group 2 and 6.4% of Group 3 (p > .05). Also, vaginal GV infection was not related to the type of sexual contact or race, but did increase with age in white female children. Because vaginal GV infection is not more commonly found in children with a history of sexual contact than those without such a history, the finding of GV in a vaginal culture in an individual case would not be a reliable marker of sexual contact. Routine culturing for GV is not recommended as part of a sexual abuse workup.
Violent victimization, confluence of risks and the nature of criminal behavior: Testing main and interactive effects from Agnew's extension of General Strain Theory

Abstract Purpose Important facets of the association between violent crime victimization and criminal offending remain unsettled. Drawing on key aspects of General Strain Theory, this study examined whether violent crime victimization affects overall offending proclivity as well as the character—violent vs. nonviolent—of criminal behavior. Additionally, it tested a recent theory extension positing that larger effects of violent victimization will be found among individuals with a greater confluence of criminogenic risk factors. Methods Multi-level latent variable item-response models are used to examine data from a sample of nearly 3,000 tenth-grade students from thirty Kentucky counties. Results Quantitative analyses indicated that greater violent victimization was associated with both higher scores on a latent index of overall offending and with an elevated propensity for violent criminality in particular. Contrary to expectations, effects of violent victimization on overall offending and the propensity for violence were not higher for individuals with higher scores on a multidimensional risk index. Conclusion In support of General Strain Theory, violent victimization elevates the overall amount of criminal offending and increases odds that crimes involve violent rather than nonviolent behaviors. However, variations in the preceding effects across levels of criminogenic risk are not consistent with the theory.
Transparent Y2O3 by hot-pressing

Transparent Y2O3 specimens have been fabricated by vacuum hot pressing in graphite dies at temperatures ranging from 1300–1500°C for 1–2 hours. Specimens were produced with a grain size of less than one micron. Optical transmittance was greater than 80 per cent to six microns in the infra-red.
Mechanical behavior of Tien-Liao mudstone in hollow cylinder tests

A series of hollow cylinder tests were conducted to study the stressstrain characteristics and the yield surface of Tein-Liao mudstone, a soft rock widely distributed in southwestern Taiwan. These tests were carried out under different stress paths designed to utilize the versatility of the hollow cylinder testing system. The test results were used to establish the yield surface of the mudstone in the principal stress space. The experimental results were used to examine the accuracy of existing yield criteria, such as the Coulomb criterion, the extended Hoek-Brown model, and the Kim-Lade model. Among the three yield criteria examined, the Kim-Lade model provided the best agreement with the experimental results, although both the extended Hoek-Brown model and the Kim-Lade model are adequate for modeling the yield surface of the mudstone.Key words: rock, yield surface, stress path, hollow cylinder test.
Coded Hierarchical Modulation for Wireless Progressive Image Transmission

A robust coded scheme for progressive multimedia transmission is proposed for additive white Gaussian noise, flat Rayleigh fading channels, and frequency-selective channels using different unequal error protection methods in combination. Hierarchical modulation is coupled with a packetization/combining strategy and an efficient channel encoder consisting of a cyclic redundancy check outer coder concatenated with an inner rate-compatible punctured convolutional coder. Distortion-optimal hierarchical parameters are jointly chosen with the set of channel coding parameters on a packet-switched wireless network with fixed length packets. A lower bound for the performance improvement of the proposed system is derived and shown to give significant gains at lower packet sizes and higher transmission rates. The proposed system is also shown to outperform several existing schemes for realistic wireless channels.
Reflections on the varieties of hypnotizables: a commentary on Terhune and Cardeña.

This commentary reflects on the varieties of high hypnotizable subjects suggested in the works by Barber, Barrett, Pekala and colleagues, and Terhune and Cardena (2010). These different studies point to the existence of different types of low, medium, and high hypnotizable subjects. However, types of high hypnotizables have received the most attention. Two main concerns are raised in this commentary: (a) drawing parallels between the suggested typologies is not without problems given methodological differences among different studies, and (b) the low base rates of these special types is likely not to appeal to a typical clinician, already resistant to testing for hypnotizability, to conduct initial assessments so as to tailor suggestion to fit specific typologies.
Computation of the gradient-induced electric field noise in 12-lead ECG traces during rapid MRI sequences

Background Successful physiological monitoring using a 12-lead ECG during MR imaging is essential for safe conduction of cardiovascular interventions within a MR scanner. However, ECG artifacts induced by magnetic field gradients severely affect the signal quality and fidelity. Previously, the gradient-induced artifacts were reduced by blocking ECG transmissions during all gradient ramps [1], which has been shown feasible while the method is not suitable for short-TR sequences. Theoretical and experimental
Brief web-based intervention for college students with comorbid risky alcohol use and depressed mood: does it work and for whom?

College is a time of increased risk for problematic alcohol use and depressed mood. The comorbidity of these conditions is well documented, but is less well understood, with few interventions designed to prevent or reduce the related consequences. The current study evaluated a web-based personalized intervention for students (N=311) who reported an AUDIT score of 8 or more, a BDI-II score of 14 or more, and reported drinking four (women) or five (men) or more drinks on at least one occasion in the past month. METHOD: Invited participants were randomly selected from all enrolled undergraduates at a large, public, Pacific Northwestern University. Participants completed a screening and baseline assessment, and those who met study eligibility criteria were randomized to one of four conditions (alcohol only, depressed mood only, integrated, and referral-only control). Follow-up occurred one-month post-intervention. RESULTS: While no main effects for the interventions were found, there were moderation effects, such that students in the alcohol only and integrated conditions who had lower levels of depressed mood or alcohol-related problems at baseline showed greater reductions in alcohol-related problems at follow-up compared to students in the control condition. Implications for interventions are discussed. Language: en
Advances in PLC Technology for DWDM Applications

Advances in processing and design have improved performance of PLC ROADM. Insertion losses below 6 dB, with 0.5 dB filter passbands greater than 46 GHz have been achieved.
Progressive barite dissolution in the Costa Rica forearc – Implications for global fluxes of Ba to the volcanic arc and mantle

Abstract Barium concentrations were measured in pore fluids and sediments from the shallow forearc of the Costa Rica subduction zone to investigate the impact of progressive barite dissolution coupled to SO 4 2 - depletion on the residual sediment Ba flux to the volcanic arc and mantle. At the Costa Rica subduction zone, the entire sediment section entering the trench is underthrust beneath the prism sediments of the overriding plate. Dissolved SO 4 2 - concentrations measured in the reference sediment section in the incoming plate at ODP Site 1039/1253 vary between 13 and 29 mM. At ODP Site 1040/1254, 1.6 km arcward from the trench, SO 4 2 - is depleted in the ∼370 m of prism sediments as well as in the upper 30 m of the underthrust sediments. This suggests that, upon subduction, SO 4 2 - diffusion from seawater into the underthrust sediment section ceases and the available pore fluid SO 4 2 - at the top of the section is consumed by active microbial SO 4 2 - reduction. Because the only remaining source of SO 4 2 - is in the underthrust sediments, the depth of SO 4 2 - depletion in the underthrust sediments must increase with distance from the trench. Dissolved Ba2+ concentrations in the uppermost underthrust sediments at Site 1040/1254 are several orders of magnitude greater than in the reference sediment section at Site 1039/1253, indicating intense barite dissolution coupled to SO 4 2 - depletion. This is corroborated by a 50% decrease in the barite content within this unit. As a result of tectonic compaction, the dissolved Ba2+ released from barite dissolution is transported seaward and reprecipitated as barite when reaching SO 4 2 - -rich fluids. As SO 4 2 - depletion continues arcward, greater losses of sedimentary barite must occur in the subducting sediments. If all the barite is dissolved from the subducting sediment section, 60% of the incoming bulk sediment Ba will be distilled from the sediments in the shallow forearc. Balancing the Ba output flux with this lower input flux requires a much larger sediment component recycled to the volcanic arc than previously suggested. These results indicate that diagenetic mobilization of Ba from barite can have a profound impact on the chemical composition of sediments recycled to the arc and mantle, and should be considered in the global budget of subducted sediments.
Effect of heat treatment temperature on tensile strength and hardness of isostatically compacted aluminum alloy blend

The strength and density of powder metallurgy (P/M) parts are influenced by powder characteristics, consolidation technique and sintering conditions. In the case of an alloy the properties are further improved by heat treatment. However, the properties of such P/M parts, which are not subsequently subjected t o a forging operation, are always lower than those obtained by conventional techniques for wrought metals and alloys. The objective of this study is t o investigate the effect of one of the processing variables, heat treatment, on the tensile strength and hardness of an isostatically compacted aluminum alloy corresponding t o 6061 (1.0 pct Mg, 0.6 pct Si, 0.25 pct Cu and 0.25 pct Cr). Although aluminum powder metallurgy is now practiced quite extensively, relatively few r e s e a r c h papers on this subject have been published.1"4 Aluminum-copper alloys (2xxxs e r i e s and A1-Mg-Si alloys (6xxx s e r i e s ) are usually solution heat t r e a t e d for dissolving maximum amounts of solute elements such as copper, magnesium and silicon in the aluminum solid solution at the highest possible temperature below the eutectic melting point . Homogenization of the solid solution thereby achieved increases the strength and hardness properties of the component with increasing solution heat treating temperature. For heat treatable alloys in the 2xxx and 6xxx s e r i e s , this treatment is conventionally done at temperatures in the range of 940 t o 970°F (777 to 794 K) which is close t o the eutectic melting temperature for most alloys in the s e r i e s except the alloy 6061. This aluminum-magnesium-silicon alloy contains 1.0 pct magnesium and 0.6 pct silicon, whichforms 1.5 pct magnesium silicide. Since some of the magnesium silicide remains undissolved when heat treating the alloy at the conventional temperature of 970°F (794 K) which is below the complete dissolution temperature of 1025°F (824 K), the strength of the alloy should be improved further by heat treating at higher temperatures.%° Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of solution heat treatment temperature on the tensile strength and hardness of 6061 components made from isostatically compacted powder of this blend. The commercial grade powderblend, 601AC, containing 1.0 pct magnesium, 0.6 pct silicon and 0.25 pet copper and which is similar in composition to commercial 6061 alloy, was processed in the following manner. The blend was isostatically compacted at a pressure of 40,000 ps i (276 MN/m2) in a
An adequately robust early TNF-α response is a hallmark of survival following trauma/hemorrhage

Contrary to the current dogma, survival in the setting of severe, acute T/HS appears to be associated with an immediate increase in serum TNF-alpha. It is currently unclear if this response was the cause of this protection, a marker of survival, or both. This abstract won a Young Investigator Travel Award at the SHOCK 2008 meeting in Cologne, Germany.
Expatriate assignment, adjustment and effectiveness: an empirical examination of the big picture

This study extends the international literature by empirically testing a model of expatriate adjustment that examines the relationships between organizational antecedents (i.e., reasons for assignment), a more comprehensive set of adjustment behaviors, self-reported performance, and subordinate-rated managerial effectiveness. Using data from 194 expatriate managers and 505 subordinates working in the multinational hotel industry, structural equations modeling results supported the hypothesized model. The conceptual and empirical contributions of this study as well as the managerial implications are discussed.
Identification of a multipotent astrocytic stem cell in the immature and adult mouse brain

Abstract The mammalian brain contains a population of neural stem cells (NSC) that can both self-renew and generate progeny along the three lineage pathways of the central nervous system (CNS), but the in vivo identification and localization of NSC in the postnatal CNS has proved elusive. Recently, separate studies have implicated ciliated ependymal (CE) cells, and special subependymal zone (SEZ) astrocytes as candidates for NSC in the adult brain. In the present study, we have examined the potential of these two NSC candidates to form multipotent spherical clones—neurospheres—in vitro. We conclude that CE cells are unipotent and give rise only to cells within the glia cell lineage, although they are capable of forming spherical clones when cultured in isolation. In contrast, astrocyte monolayers from the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, spinal cord, and SEZ can form neurospheres that give rise both to neurons and glia. However, the ability to form neurospheres is restricted to astrocyte monolayers derived during the first 2 postnatal wk, except for SEZ astrocytes, which retain this capacity in the mature forebrain. We conclude that environmental factors, simulated by certain in vitro conditions, transiently confer NSC-like attributes on astrocytes during a critical period in CNS development.
Does leaving a main pancreatic duct stent in place reduce the incidence of precut biliary sphincterotomy-associated pancreatitis? A randomized, prospective study.

Background Pancreatitis is the most common major complication of ERCP and precut endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES). Prophylactic pancreatic duct (PD) stent placement has been shown to reduce the incidence and severity of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) in high-risk settings. Objective To determine whether leaving a main PD stent in place after precut ES would reduce the incidence and severity of PEP. Design Single-center, randomized, prospective study. Setting Tertiary care ERCP referral center. Patients Consecutive patients who underwent ERCP with a clear indication for biliary access and standard biliary ES whereby free cannulation of the bile duct was not possible and precut ES was undertaken. Interventions When free bile duct cannulation for ES was not possible and selective PD cannulation was achieved, a PD stent was placed. Using the PD stent as a guide, we used a needle-knife sphincterotome to perform precut ES. The patients were then randomized to either leaving the PD stent in place for 7 to 10 days (stent group) or immediate removal after the procedure (stent removed group). The remaining patients who did not undergo selective PD cannulation and stent placement were not randomized (no stent group) and had a free-hand needle-knife ES performed. Main Outcome Measurements Patients were prospectively followed for the development of complications. Standardized criteria were used to diagnose and grade the severity of PEP. Results A total of 151 patients were enrolled. The groups were similar with regard to patient demographics and patient and procedure risk factors for PEP. The overall incidence of PEP was 13.2% (20/151). It occurred in 4.3% (2/46), 21.3% (10/47), and 13.8% (8/58) of patients in the stent, stent removed, and no stent groups, respectively. The stent group had a significantly lower frequency and severity of PEP compared with the stent removed group (4.3% vs 21.3%; P = .027 for frequency and 0% vs 12.8%; P = .026 for moderate and severe pancreatitis). Limitations Single center. Randomization scheme not optimal. Conclusions These data suggest that placing and maintaining a PD stent for needle-knife precut ES reduces the frequency and severity of postprocedure pancreatitis.
The span of apprehension: Form Identification as a function of amount of information displayed

Observers were asked to identify each member of a brief display of geometrie forms. The information content of the displays was manipulated by varying the number of forms displayed and the number of relevant dimensions of each form. The main findings were: (a) Performance was approximately invariant with the number of forms displayed and depended to a minor degree upon the relevant information in each form. (b) Serial-position curves were obtained that had a strong primacy effect, (c) The number of correct identifications per trial was approximately normally distributed, with greater variance than if the forms were independentlyidentified.These findings are discussed in relation to both “coding rate” and “memory capacity” models of immediate visual memory. Neither model accounts for the data. Undetermined organizational factors are suggested to play a role in immediate visual memory. This task appears to depend upon form Identification processes different from those indicated by RT measures.
Histogram transformation for improved compression of CT images

CT images represent a unique challenge for medical image compression; they have many pixels with very high and very low intensity values, often with sharp edges between the two, and the intensity values have quantitative significance, representing the attenuation coefficient in Hounsfield units (HU). Thus, the intensity ranges which represent bone or various soft tissues are essentially known in advance. When viewing a CT image, different window and level settings for mapping the 12-bit intensity values to an 8-bit display are used, depending on the objects of interest. When viewing objects with very high or low values, large window values are used, so that differences in intensity values on the order of 10 or 20 HU are not significant and are scarcely noticed in practice. Conversely, when viewing soft tissues, small windows are used to capture subtle but important distinction, and an intensity difference of 10-20 HU can be highly significant. CT compression schemes, therefore, should have a mechanism to increase the representation accuracy of intensity values corresponding to soft tissue relative to those corresponding to bone and air. We describe a simple technique to force compression algorithms to assign more importance to specific intensity ranges by transforming the histogram of the image prior to compression, and show sample results. The technique significantly increases the ratio by which the images can be compressed while retaining acceptable image quality at both large and small window settings in common clinical use.
563 ATYPICAL PRESENTATION OF TRISOMY 13 MOSAICISM

We have seen two unrelated cases of Trisomy 13 mosaicism with the main presenting symptom of severe bilateral deafness and microtia respectively. To our knowledge such a presentation of Trisomy 13 mosaicism has not been reported previously. Although the clinical symptoms of Trisomy 13 mosaics are variable, mental retardation and cleft palate are the most frequent findings. The first case was a 10 year old mentally retarded male with severe bilateral deafness, duplication of the ureters and a port wine nevus. The second case presented with a right sided microtia, a heart murmur and bilateral simian creases. His psychomotor development at 6 months was normal. Chromosome analysis from the peripheral blood lymphocytes culture revealed in both cases Trisomy 13 in 15% of cells. Our experience indicates that the diagnosis of Trisomy 13 mosaicism should be considered in children with deafness or microtia associated with minor malformations.
Computer-assisted analysis of public discourse: a case study of the precautionary principle in the US and UK press

Content analysis of newspaper publications has become a major scientific method of the analysis of public discourse. Within the framework of content analysis, we suggest a computer-assisted method to extract the most important topics of this discourse in an objective, quantifiable manner. The method combines frequency and proximity analysis of the text population, selection of the key words, text modification based on a key word dictionary, factor analysis of the modified text population, and factor interpretation. We illustrate the concept by applying the method to study the major topics discussed in the US and UK prestige press that relate to the precautionary principle. Precautionary principle is a concept of preventing environmental damage under scientific uncertainty. The analysis demonstrates the difference between the major topics of the precautionary principle discussion in the US and UK press. In the US, it revolves around an emphasis on the action on global warming, international trade on genetically modified food, environment pollution, the risks of new technologies, and cost-benefit analysis (CBA). In the UK, the major discussion topics include threats to agriculture and farmers, climate change economics, national and EU regulations, and commercial fishing. Other discussion topics, such as health and pollution, water safety regulations, meat safety and trade, and GMO regulations are shared between the countries. The US sample demonstrates more negative views towards the precautionary principle, which is presented as a threat to the US economic interests.
Isolation and sequence of a cDNA encoding the major structural protein of peripheral myelin.

Abstract The myelin sheath is a multilayered membrane, unique to the nervous system, which functions as an insulator to increase greatly the velocity of axonal impulse conduction. We have used the techniques of differential screening and hybrid selection to identify a cDNA clone encoding the Schwann cell glycoprotein P 0 , the major structural protein of the peripheral myelin sheath. The sequence of this protein, deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the cloned cDNA, indicates that P o is an integral membrane protein containing a single membrane-spanning region, a large hydrophobic extracellular domain, and a smaller basic intracellular domain. The structure of the protein suggests that each of these domains plays an essential role in generating the highly ordered structure of the myelin sheath. Furthermore, we find that the induction of P 0 mRNA coincides with the initiation of myelin formation, and we propose a model in which the glycoprotein serves as a molecular guidepost for this process.
Leading by Example: Female Members of Parliament as Political Role Models

One argument advanced in favor of descriptive representation is that female politicians serve as role models, inspiring other women to political activity. While previous research finds female role models affect women's psychological engagement, few studies report an impact on women's active participation, and none have done so in cross-national research. Our work also is the first to consider whether the impact of female role models is, as the term implies, greater among the young. Using three cross-national datasets, we find that where there are more female members of parliament (MPs), adolescent girls are more likely to discuss politics with friends and to intend to participate in politics as adults, and adult women are more likely to discuss and participate in politics. The presence of female MPs registers the same effect on political discussion regardless of age, but the impact on women's political activity is far greater among the young than the old.
The case of the three usability tests: an experience report

In this paper, we describe three tests used to establish the effectiveness and accuracy of three documents, two for hardware products (affixing labels by customers or customer support to show hardware upgrade status), and one for installation of a software product, usually performed by customers.
Magnetic flux ropes in the Venus ionosphere: In situ observations of force-free structures?

Force-free magnetic structures with cylindrical geometry appear under a variety of conditions in nature. Filamentary helical magnetic structures are observed to be associated with prominences and flares in the solar atmosphere, and can arise in superconductors and laboratory plasmas. Another example of cylindrcal quasi-force-free configurations appears to exist in the Venus ionosphere. Magnetic flux ropes with diameters of approximately 20-30 km have been observed by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter to be a nearly ubiquitous feature of the dayside Venus ionosphere. Models of flux ropes suggest that many of these structures tend to be quasi-force-free, while others are correlated with pressure variations in the ambient thermal plasma.
Quantifying event correlations for proactive failure management in networked computing systems

Networked computing systems continue to grow in scale and in the complexity of their components and interactions. Component failures become norms instead of exceptions in these environments. Moreover, failure events exhibit strong correlations in the time and space domains. In this paper, we develop a spherical covariance model with an adjustable timescale parameter to quantify the temporal correlation and a stochastic model to characterize spatial correlation. The models are further extended to take into account the information of application allocation to discover more correlations among failure instances. We cluster failure events based on their correlations and predict their future occurrences. Experimental results on a production coalition system, the Wayne State Computational Grid, show the offline and online predictions made by our predicting system can forecast 72.7-85.3% of the failure occurrences and capture failure correlations in a cluster coalition environment.
Aromatics from biomass pyrolysis vapour using a bifunctional mesoporous catalyst

Zeolites with uniform intracrystal mesopores, designated MSU-MFI, were prepared using silane-modified polymers as mesopore-generating agents. X-ray diffraction analysis of this catalyst showed Braggs peaks representative of MFI structure. Catalyst characterization by nitrogen physisorption revealed a mesoporous structure with high surface area, pore size and volume. The MSU-MFI catalysts developed in this study were selective toward aromatic chemical production from poplar pyrolysis vapour. Yields of generalized products and aromatics were comparable to those obtained from conventional microporous ZSM-5 analogs as demonstrated by pyroprobe-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and thermogravimetric analysis. While ZSM-5 was more selective to smaller C6 aromatics and naphthalenes, MSU-MFI catalysts were more selective to C8 and C9 monoaromatics. The incorporation of gallium(III) ions in MSU-MFI using the incipient wetness method increased aromatic yields by up to 15% over Ga-free catalysts and decreased the coke production by up to 6% (p < 0.05). Due to high yields and low coke formation, Ga-MSU-MFI offers an improved option for making non-oxygenated aromatic chemicals from photosynthetic biomass.
Requirement for α-CaMKII in Experience-Dependent Plasticity of the Barrel Cortex

The mammalian sensory neocortex exhibits experience-dependent plasticity such that neurons modify their response properties according to changes in sensory experience. The synaptic plasticity mechanism of long-term potentiation requiring calcium-calmodulin-dependent kinase type II (CaMKII) could underlie experience-dependent plasticity. Plasticity in adult mice can be induced by changes in the patterns of tactile input to the barrel cortex. This response is strongly depressed in adult mice that lack the gene encoding α-CaMKII, although adolescent animals are unaffected. Thus, α-CaMKII is necessary either for the induction or for the expression of plasticity in adult mice.
Eight-Week Traditional Mat Pilates Training-Program Effects on Adult Fitness Characteristics.

We investigated responses of adult, novice practitioners (n = 9) to an 8-week traditional mat Pilates program (P) that met 1 hr/day three times/week. Classes consisted primarily of beginner and intermediate level exercises. Compared to an active control group (C; n = 13) that showed no improvements, those in P significantly (p < .05) improved relative body fat (-1.2% BF), sit-and-reach (+7.5 cm), shoulder reach (+6.9 cm), curl-up (+14 reps), and low back extension (+7 reps) scores, as well as circumferences at the waist (-2.7 cm), chest (-1.7 cm), and arm (-0.5 cm). Baseline differences were noted only for curl-ups and low back extensions, with P being lower than C Body composition, muscular endurance, and flexibility significantly improved after 8 weeks of traditional mat Pilates.
Energy efficient neurons with generalized inverse Gaussian interspike interval durations

We develop a linkage between the mathematical analysis of a single neuron and the statistical connection of that neuron to the rest of the brain. The core of a stochastic neuron model is the selection of a conditional probability density, f T|Λ (·|λ), for the random time T that it takes the neuron's postsynaptic potential to cross a possibly varying threshold given that the neuron's random excitation intensity Λ has assumed a particular value λ. For reasons we develop in detail, we have selected a certain subfamily of inverse Gaussian (IG) probability densities to serve in this capacity. We assume the neuron is energy efficient in the sense that it maximizes the Shannon mutual information it conveys to its targets per Joule of energy it expends to generate and propagate its train of neural spikes. Using information theory, calculus of variations and Laplace transforms, we derive and solve a pair of coupled integral equations that describe how Λ must be distributed in order for the neuron to maximize bits transmitted per Joule expended (bpJ). The first equation's solution establishes that the at-this-point unknown bpJ-maximizing probability density f Λ (λ) must induce via f t|Λ (·|λ) a random ISI duration whose probability density f T (t) belongs to the generalized inverse Gaussian (GIG) family. The algebraic shape factor of this fr(t) has the form t−(3/2+D) where D > 0, as compared with the 3 standard IG density's shape factor t−3/2. This result agrees with work on best matching of experimentally observed ISI durations reported in the literature. The solution of the second integral equation yields the exact form of the bpJ-maximizing f Λ (λ). This formula for f Λ (λ) is our principal result in that A is created not by the neuron being modeled but by those of the brain's neurons whose spike trains are afferent to one or more of the modeled neuron's excitatory synapses. Accordingly, f Λ (λ) serves as the abovementioned bridge that specifies how an energy efficient brain needs to match the long term statistics of each of its neuron's inputs to that neuron's particular design.
Creating Metadata for Digitized Books: Implementing XML and OAI-PMH in Cataloging Workflow

Libraries have been trying to find a faster and better way to provide access to resources they hold or resources available elsewhere. The abundance of digitized books produced by mass digitization projects requires libraries to assess the effectiveness of current workflows and to explore new ways to process and present them. In order to provide access to these resources in a timely matter, libraries must develop a new workflow that can process the records en masse. This article discusses the new workflow that the University of Illinois Library uses to create separate bibliographic metadata records for digitized books. The workflow implements the eXtensible Markup Language and Open Archives Initiative-Protocol for Metadata Harvesting to create cataloging records for digitized books, which makes it possible to provide access to these resources via the Online Public Access Catalog, and to share the resources with other libraries.
A psychiatric unit becomes a psychiatric-medical unit: Administrative and clinical implications

Increasing awareness of the frequent concurrence of medical and psychiatric illness has led to a resurgence of interest in psychiatric-medical units. This paper describes the conversion of a 19-bed general hospital psychiatric unit to a psychiatric-medical model. The conversion involved hiring a full-time chief and changing priorities for elective admission, but did not involve major changes in staffing; community-based psychiatrists continued to admit the majority of patients. Arrangements were made for medical house staff coverage of emergent medical problems, while daily medical care remained in the hands of the psychiatrists and their private medical consultants. In the year following the transition numerous patients with combined acute medical and psychiatric illness not treatable in the previous model were accepted and successfully treated. Quantitative study of annual statistics from the pre- and posttransition years revealed the following: The average age of patients increased from 46 to 54 years. The proportion of patients over 65 increased from 19% to 34.9%. The proportion of patients with identified concurrent medical diagnoses increased from 54.7% to 69.1%. Dispositions to nursing homes and chronic care facilities decreased from 10.5% to 8.9%. Length of stay increased from 19.3 to 23.1 days. The average daily hospital bill for psychiatric inpatients rose by 24.6%, compared with a hospital-wide average increase of 16.3%. Although the change in model appeared to offer effective treatment to previously underserved patients, it implied a significant shifting of patients and of costs. Administrative implications are discussed, and a list of preconditions for a successful conversion are suggested.
Ecological conservation through aesthetic landscape planning: a case study of the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway.

A consequence of expanding residential development into rural areas is the potential alteration of ecological communities. Certain novel land-use policies seek practical solutions by accommodating social needs for housing while conserving biodiversity. This study investigates whether regulations designed to protect the aesthetic characteristics of a river corridor simultaneously mitigate negative effects of development on avian biodiversity, despite the absence of explicit conservation objectives. Using housing data from the US Census (1990 and 2000) and the Audubon Christmas Bird Count (1987–2000), we examined changes in housing density, avian communities, and the relationship between these two variables in a location that has adopted aesthetic landscape planning, the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway. We found that overall species diversity increased in the Riverway, but remained constant in reference areas, although the relative increase in housing density in the two areas did not differ. We also found that omnivore populations decreased in the Riverway and increased in reference sites. On the whole, our study provides preliminary evidence that aesthetic landscape planning, such as employed in the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway, might constitute a politically viable approach to conserve ecological resources.
Assessment on pile effective lengths and their effects on design—I. Assessment

Abstract Various methods for determining depths to fixity as required in an equivalent cantilever pile model, including the current practical method (LRFD method) and the proposed method with a comprehensive numerical procedure, are described and discussed. Suitability and applicability of the methods are carefully assessed with applications to steel H piles.
Short-term memory processes in normal and retarded children

Abstract General and operational distinctions were drawn between “acquisition” and “retention” phases of short-term memory (STM) to elucidate hypotheses from theories predicting inferior STM in mentally deficient children. Acquisition was estimated by level of relatively immediate recall. Retention was defined as the slope of the function relating S's performance on immediate recall trials to S's performance on delayed-recall trials. The purpose was to determine whether retardates would be inferior to normal children both in acquisition and retention. Thirteen educable retardates and 13 normals, matched with the retardates for MA, were given multiple immediate- and delayed-recall tests on a series of 24 nonrepeated five-digit sequences; an additional sample of 13 normals was tested on a series of six-digit messages under the same recall conditions in an attempt to match the retardates on acquisition level. Delayed recall was measured under conditions of both low and high retroactive interference. Both item and order properties of recall were estimated. The results, indicated (a) a retardate acquisition deficit on both item and ordered recall, (b) no normal-retardate retention slope differences on item recall, and (c) a tendency toward a retardate retention slope superiority on ordered recall. These findings were interpreted as verifying the assumption of a retardate deficit in immediate recall. No support was derived for the hypothesis of a retardate inferiority in retention.
CTH08-2: EXIT Chart Analysis for Doubly Generalized LDPC Codes

The design of generalized low-density parity-check (GLDPC) codes at both check and bit nodes over AWGN channel is considered in this paper. The new codes are referred to as doubly generalized LDPC codes. EXIT charts are used to optimize the parameters of these codes. Closed forms of EXIT functions for some subcodes are presented. Both analysis and simulations show that this method can provide more flexibility in constructing codes with good threshold.
Monotone Nonparametric Regression and Confidence Intervals

Several variations of monotone nonparametric regression have been developed over the past 30 years. One approach is to first apply nonparametric regression to data and then monotone smooth the initial estimates to “iron out” violations to the assumed order. Here, such estimators are considered, where local polynomial regression is first used, followed by either least squares isotonic regression or a monotone method using simple averages. The primary focus of this work is to evaluate different types of confidence intervals for these monotone nonparametric regression estimators through Monte Carlo simulation. Most of the confidence intervals use bootstrap or jackknife procedures. Estimation of a response variable as a function of two continuous predictor variables is considered, where the estimation is performed at the observed values of the predictors (instead of on a grid). The methods are then applied to data involving subjects that worked at plants that use beryllium metal who have developed chronic ber...
Prenatal and postnatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure, airway hyperreactivity, and Beta-2 adrenergic receptor function in sensitized mouse offspring.

Despite data associating exposure to traffic-related polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in asthma, mechanistic support has been limited. We hypothesized that both prenatal and early postnatal exposure to PAH would increase airway hyperreactivity (AHR) and that the resulting AHR may be insensitive to treatment with a β2AR agonist drug, procaterol. Further, we hypothesized that these exposures would be associated with altered β2AR gene expression and DNA methylation in mouse lungs. Mice were exposed prenatally or postnatally to a nebulized PAH mixture versus negative control aerosol 5 days a week. Double knockout β2AR mice were exposed postnatally only. Prenatal exposure to PAH was associated with reduced β2AR gene expression among nonsensitized mice offspring, but not increases in DNA methylation or AHR. Postnatal exposure to PAH was borderline associated with increased AHR among sensitized wildtype, but not knockout mice. In the first study that delivers PAH aerosols to mice in a relatively physiological manner, small effects on AHR and β2AR gene expression, but not β2AR agonist drug activity, were observed. If confirmed, the results may suggest that exposure to PAH, common ambient urban pollutants, affects β2AR function, although the impact on the efficacy of β2AR agonist drugs used in treating asthma remains uncertain.
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for ambient air particulate monitoring: correlation of total and speciated aerosol particle counts.

A statistical analysis of ambient air particle monitoring, namely PM2.5, is presented to elucidate the correlations between laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)-based speciated aerosol monitoring and non-speciated aerosol monitoring (i.e., total particle counts). LIBS was used in a real-time, conditional-processing mode to identify individual aerosol particles containing detectable quantities of either calcium or sodium, as based on the resulting atomic emission signals. Using this technique, real-time measurements of speciated aerosol particle concentrations and analyte mass concentrations were evaluated for a total of 60 1-hour sampling periods spread over a 5-week period. For each 1-hour sampling period, total aerosol counts were simultaneously monitored using a commercial light scattering-based instrument. Over the 30 sampling periods, aerosol counts (both total and LIBS-based) were found to vary by more than one order of magnitude. For aerosol particles in the 500 nm to 2.5 μm size range, significant correlations were found between the two sampling methods, resulting in correlation coefficients (r2) ranging from 0.22 to 0.93. In addition, transient fluctuations in aerosol counts on a timescale of 5 to 10 minutes were successfully observed simultaneously with the two monitoring techniques, thereby demonstrating the temporal resolution of LIBS.
An Evaluation of the Evidence Associating the Phenolic Phytochemicals in Food With Cancer Chemoprevention

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: TO inform dietitians about the anticancer activity of food phenolic phytochemicals so that they can respond accurately when asked if certain foods prevent cancer. Phytochemicals are promoted as possible anticancer agents and the popular literature has sensationalized the health benefits of phytochemicals. Phenolic phytochemicals are one class of phytochemicals and flavonoids are the most ubiquitous phenolics. We reviewed over 60 scientific publications to assess the anticancer activity of food phenolic phytochemicals. The anticancer activities of plant phenolics include antioxidant ability, affecting enzyme systems involved in carcinogenesis, inhibiting the growth of tumors in lab animals and inhibiting the growth of human cancer cells in vitro. Total flavonoids were not associated with reduced cancer risk in the only known large-scale epidemiological study done to date. The conclusions we drew were: (1) phenolic phytochemicals are biologically active in mammals; (2) phenolic phytochemicals can be anticarcinogenic in laboratory animals when introduced as aglycones at relatively high concentrations; (3) the study of plant phenolics as cancer chemopreventers is at an early stage. Many characteristics of plant phenolics are still unclear, i.e. the mechanism by which they exert their anticarcinogenic activity, whether they inhibit spontaneously occurring cancer in lab animals, how they are metabolized by humans, and if their presence and level in human diets correlates with decreased cancer risk at specific sites. If food phenolic phytochemicals were found to be anticarcinogenic in humans, and if their anticancer mechanisms were understood, dietitians could recommend specific foods to clients at high risk for developing specific cancers. Investigating the over one thousand year old Chinese practice of using food to mediate disease would benefit the research in this area. Currently, there is not enough evidence for phenolic phytochemicals as cancer chemopreventers to allow dietitians to recommend certain foods as anticancer agents. The current evidence does strengthen the National Cancer Institute's recommendation to eat more fruits and vegetables.
TWINS stereoscopic imaging of multiple peaks in the ring current

Global, ion equatorial flux distributions and energy spectra are presented from stereoscopic Two Wide-Angle Imaging Neutral-Atom Spectrometers (TWINS) 1 and TWINS 2 energetic neutral atom (ENA) images for two time periods, 29 May 2010, 1330–1430 UT and 26 May 2011, 1645–1715 UT. The first is just after the main phase of a weak (minimum SYM/H ≈ −70 to −80 nT) corotating interaction region-driven geomagnetic storm. The second is during a relatively quiet period. The global ion distributions show multiple spatial peaks that are coincident with peaks in the AE index. The energy spectra have a primary maximum in the 15–20 keV range. Below the energy maximum, the flux is Maxwellian. Above the main maximum, the flux is either significantly below that of a Maxwellian or has a second component with a maximum in the 40–50 keV range. For the 29 May 2010, 1330–1430 UT time period, the flux from the TWINS stereoscopic images is compared to the results from TWINS 1 and TWINS 2 alone illustrating the advantage of stereoscopic viewing. The flux deconvolved from the TWINS images also shows spatial and temporal correlations with Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) in situ measurements. Magnetic field dipolarizations observed by GOES support the existence of a peak in the ion flux in the midnight/dawn sector. In summary, increased spatial resolution from TWINS stereoscopic ENA images is demonstrated. Multiple peaks in the ion flux of trapped particles in the ring current are observed. THEMIS electrostatic analyzer in situ ion flux measurements and GOES geosynchronous magnetic field measurements are consistent with the spatial and temporal structure obtained.