cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seismicity of San Diego, 1934-1974

Twelve quarry explosions in the city of San Diego have been used to determine the following crustal velocity model for the region around it: h 1 = 1.5 k m α 1 = 3.50 k m / sec β 1 = 1.90 k m / sec ⁡ h 2 = 26.5 k m α 2 = 6.35 k m / sec ⁡ β 2 = 3.65 k m / sec h 3 = ∞ α 3 = 8.00 k m / sec β 3 = 4.60 k m / sec A computer program employing this model has been used to recalculate the epicenters of all events previously located in the San Diego area, utilizing data from the California Institute of Technology seismic network as well as recent new stations within the city. Tests on the accuracy of the location process indicate that over 50 per cent of the solutions can be expected to be within 2 km of the true epicenters and that 90 per cent will be within 4 km. A total of 37 earthquakes can now be identified with some confidence as having occurred within the study area (32.5°-33.0°N, 116.75°-117.5°W) from 1934 through 1974. Some events previously thought to be earthquakes are now found to have been quarry blasts. The great majority of the earthquakes lie either offshore or less than 10 km inland, in regions of known faulting paralleling the Coronado Escarpment and the Rose Canyon fault zone. Three earthquakes are located within 2 km of the La Nacion fault. Nine of the 11 events since 1963 have taken place within or around the south end of San Diego Bay. Depths are poorly controlled, but seem to be generally less than 8 km. Magnitudes range from 2.3 to 3.7.
Estimating Permanent and Transitory Components of GNP Using Consumption Information

This paper estimates permanent and transitory components of GNP using an unobserved components model that incorporates consumption information. Agents that discriminate between permanent and transitory as well as anticipated and unanticipated changes in GNP signal the persistence of a change in GNP by the size of their consumption response. Consumption data have previously been employed to discern permanent and transitory properties of GNP using a vector autoregressive (VAR) model. The unobserved components approach used in this paper has several advantages over the VAR approach and provides new evidence concerning the two components.
Semicrystalline Dihydroxyacetone Copolymers Derived from Glycerol

The ring-opening polymerization of glycerol-derived six-membered cyclic dimethylacetal dihydroxyacetone carbonate (MeO2DHAC) have been studied both in solution and bulk conditions with organic cata...
The Significance of Physical Education in Modern Life

(1938). The Significance of Physical Education in Modern Life. The Journal of Health and Physical Education: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 3-58.
Application of minimum structure to cellular plastics

The concept of structural membrane or minimum structure has been investigated as part of research intended to explore the parameters of utilizing cellular plastics for the construction of shell structures. Experimental work to date indicates that it is feasible to use these materials for primary structural applications provided that strict discipline is imposed in the selection of the structural shape.
Effects of Active Site Mutations on Specificity of Nucleobase Binding in Human DNA Polymerase η

Human DNA polymerase η (Pol η) plays a vital role in protection against skin cancer caused by damage from ultraviolet light. This enzyme rescues stalled replication forks at cyclobutane thymine–thymine dimers (TTDs) by inserting nucleotides opposite these DNA lesions. Residue R61 is conserved in the Pol η enzymes across species, but the corresponding residue, as well as its neighbor S62, is different in other Y-family polymerases, Pol ι and Pol κ. Herein, R61 and S62 are mutated to their Pol ι and Pol κ counterparts. Relative binding free energies of dATP to mutant Pol η•DNA complexes with and without a TTD were calculated using thermodynamic integration. The binding free energies of dATP to the Pol η•DNA complex with and without a TTD are more similar for all of these mutants than for wild-type Pol η, suggesting that these mutations decrease the ability of this enzyme to distinguish between a TTD lesion and undamaged DNA. Molecular dynamics simulations of the mutant systems provide insights into the mole...
Visual abilities distinguish pitchers from hitters in professional baseball.

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to evaluate the possibility that differences in sensorimotor abilities exist between hitters and pitchers in a large cohort of baseball players of varying levels of experience. Secondary data analysis was performed on 9 sensorimotor tasks comprising the Nike Sensory Station assessment battery. Bayesian hierarchical regression modelling was applied to test for differences between pitchers and hitters in data from 566 baseball players (112 high school, 85 college, 369 professional) collected at 20 testing centres. Explanatory variables including height, handedness, eye dominance, concussion history, and player position were modelled along with age curves using basis regression splines. Regression analyses revealed better performance for hitters relative to pitchers at the professional level in the visual clarity and depth perception tasks, but these differences did not exist at the high school or college levels. No significant differences were observed in the other 7 measures of sen...
A Model of Precapillary Sphincter Dynamics

Summary A control system model of local microhemocircu1ation by precapillary sphincter is developed. The model incorporates rrany of the measureab1e salient characteristics of various current theories of this control function. It is described and analysed for input/output stability, and parameter sensitivity. Using limited data bases available from the literature, these aspects of the model are studied through digital computer simulation. Results support the analysis and validate its use in predicting behavior, including the role of system parameters for different inputs. The model has applications in pathology, pharmacology, and microcirculation in general.
Pharmacy Student Knowledge, Confidence and Attitudes Toward Medical Cannabis and Curricular Coverage

Objective. To assess pharmacy student confidence in their knowledge of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis use in the US and their attitudes toward curricular coverage of medical cannabis. Methods. Students were asked to complete an electronic survey to measure knowledge and confidence in various domains of medical cannabis treatment, including qualifying conditions, adverse effects, and other patient care skills. Results. There were 238 students who completed the survey. Responses to all domains and their corresponding confidence levels displayed a lack in confidence. The only domain wherein students had confidence in was their ability to retrieve related drug information. Nearly 80% of students felt that the topic of medical cannabis should be added to existing curricula within the next five years. Conclusion. With the prevalence of cannabis programs and knowledge gap, pharmacy schools should consider coverage of medical cannabis in the curricula.
Achieving Goal-Concordant Care: A Conceptual Model and Approach to Measuring Serious Illness Communication and Its Impact

Abstract Background: High-quality care for seriously ill patients aligns treatment with their goals and values. Failure to achieve “goal-concordant” care is a medical error that can harm patients and families. Because communication between clinicians and patients enables goal concordance and also affects the illness experience in its own right, healthcare systems should endeavor to measure communication and its outcomes as a quality assessment. Yet, little consensus exists on what should be measured and by which methods. Objectives: To propose measurement priorities for serious illness communication and its anticipated outcomes, including goal-concordant care. Methods: We completed a narrative review of the literature to identify links between serious illness communication, goal-concordant care, and other outcomes. We used this review to identify gaps and opportunities for quality measurement in serious illness communication. Results: Our conceptual model describes the relationship between communication, ...
Examining the relationship between vertical coordination strategies and technical efficiency: Evidence from the Brazilian ethanol industry

The sugarcane industry in Brazil, one of the world's leading producers of ethanol and sugar, is undergoing significant changes driven by geographic expansion and technological innovations. These changes are forcing sugarcane producers and processors, to re‐evaluate their vertical coordination and growth strategies. This paper presents an empirical analysis of the relationship between the vertical coordination strategies at the production‐processing interface of the Brazilian ethanol supply chain and the technical efficiency of the mills. It utilizes data envelopment analysis and a Tobit censored model in combination with unique data on 204 mills that account for around half of Brazil's sugar and ethanol production. Results indicate that vertical integration and the location of the mill have a statistically significant impact on efficiency. The findings show that the technical efficiency is not the main driver of vertical integration implying that such decisions are primarily motivated by strategic considerations. The mills are likely to forgo gains in technical efficiency in exchange for improving their strategic position through vertical integration. These findings shed light on the underlying motivation for the observed level of vertical integration that accompanies the expansion of the Brazilian sugarcane industry. [EconLit citations: L22, Q12, Q16].
Quantifying the impact of simple DNA parameters on the cyclization J-factor for single-basepair-addition families

We use Monte Carlo simulation to quantify the change in cyclization J-factor within a dramatically simplified model of DNA that involves parameters for uniform stiffnesses, intrinsic twist, and intrinsic bending (including nonplanar bending). Plots of J versus DNA length over multiple periods of helical repeat are fit to a simple functional form in order to project the behavior of J over a broad range of these model parameters. In some instances, this process allows us to find families of DNA molecules (within our model) with quite different material properties, but very similar plots of J versus length, so similar as to likely to be indistinguishable by experiments. This effect is seen both for the parameter-pair of bend angle and stiffness scaling, as well as for the parameter-trio of helical repeat, bend angle, and bend non-planarity.
Nutritional Requirements in Fermentation Processes

Specific nutritional requirements of microorganisms used in industrial fermentation processes are as complex and varied as the microorganisms in question. Not only are the types of microorganisms diverse (bacteria, molds and yeast, normally), but also the species and strains become very specific as to their requirements. Microorganisms obtain energy for support of biosynthesis and growth from their environment in a variety of ways. The following quotation is reprinted by permission of Prentice-Hall, Incorporated, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Carotenoids in Early Life

This chapter summarizes the effects of carotenoids in reproduction and provides epidemiological and experimental evidence on decreasing health risks during pregnancy and early postnatal life.
Fast focus of attention for corals from underwater images

Coral reef ecosystems is essential in healthy ocean and marine fishery. In the past decades, substantial of images and videos haven been collected from these cruises. These images are analyzed to quantify coral abundance in certain specific areas. However, the current manual analysis are time-consuming and labor intensive. In this paper, we proposes a fast automated tool for coral identification only based on sparse annotated labels by using deep learning method. There are two challenges to identify coral from such sparse labels and large images: one is to obtain denser labeled training data and the other is to improve the speed of testing on large images. In order to solves these problems, we propose a label augmentation algorithm to generate more labels and coarse-to-fine approach to find the location of corals quickly. Our methods were validated using the coral image dataset collected in Pulley Ridge region in the Gulf of Mexico, which substantial speed up the process of quantifying the corals while preserving accuracy.
Early life lessons: The lasting effects of germline epigenetic information on organismal development

Background An organism's metabolic phenotype is primarily affected by its genotype, its lifestyle, and the nutritional composition of its food supply. In addition, it is now clear from studies in many different species that ancestral environments can also modulate metabolism in at least one to two generations of offspring. Scope of review We limit ourselves here to paternal effects in mammals, primarily focusing on studies performed in inbred rodent models. Although hundreds of studies link paternal diets and offspring metabolism, the mechanistic basis by which epigenetic information in sperm programs nutrient handling in the next generation remains mysterious. Our goal in this review is to provide a brief overview of paternal effect paradigms and the germline epigenome. We then pivot to exploring one key mystery in this literature: how do epigenetic changes in sperm, most of which are likely to act transiently in the early embryo, ultimately direct a long-lasting physiological response in offspring? Major conclusions Several potential mechanisms exist by which transient epigenetic modifications, such as small RNAs or methylation states erased shortly after fertilization, could be transferred to more durable heritable information. A detailed mechanistic understanding of this process will provide deep insights into early development, and could be of great relevance for human health and disease.
Role of minimally invasive surgery for rectal cancer

Rectal cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Surgical resection for rectal cancer usually requires a proctectomy with respective lymphadenectomy (total mesorectal excision). This has traditionally been performed transabdominally through an open incision. Over the last thirty years, minimally invasive surgery platforms have rapidly evolved with the goal to accomplish the same quality rectal resection through a less invasive approach. There are currently three resective modalities that complement the traditional open operation: (1) Laparoscopic surgery; (2) Robotic surgery; and (3) Transanal total mesorectal excision. In addition, there are several platforms to carry out transluminal local excisions (without lymphadenectomy). Evidence on the various modalities is of mixed to moderate quality. It is unreasonable to expect a randomized comparison of all options in a single trial. This review aims at reviewing in detail the various techniques in regard to intra-/perioperative benchmarks, recovery and complications, oncological and functional outcomes.
A comperative experimental study between the film effectiveness of trench and diffusion film holes

Abstract Gas turbine airfoils have been consistently exposed to very high temperature gases to extract maximum power. Therefore, there is a growing need to protect the airfoil surfaces from the potentially surface damaging high temperature gases. Film cooling holes and trenches are one possible solution to the aforementioned problem. This thermal protection scheme which has been in practice for some considerable time, is an active area for optimization and will be our major theme of this research paper. Trenches as the name suggests are troughs on the surfaces to be cooled that are constantly filled with the coolant. The cooling air is carried over the hot surfaces by the passing hot gases to create a thin blanket over the surface. In order to achieve the best possible coolant spread over the hot surfaces, a new trench geometry that combines the positives of a slanted circular feed hole and a multi-sided trench has been adopted in this study. That geometry with its axis parallel to the flow direction served as our baseline geometry. The second geometry was identical to the baseline in all aspects except that the trenches and feed holes were rotated about the normal to the test plate by 30° to create a compound-angle-trench. The third geometry was a 7o-7o-7o diffusion hole. Pressure Sensitive Paint (PSP) technique was utilized to test these geometries for their film cooling effectiveness. Major conclusions of this study are: a) The streamwise as well as spanwise coverage of trench geometries are superior to those of 7-7-7 diffusion holes, b) The compound-angle-trench geometry produced the highest film effectiveness in both streamwise and spanwise directions and c) the blowing ratio of 1 was found to be the optimum value for the best streamwise and spanwise film effectiveness distribution.
Learning, Fast and Slow

In Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011) Kahneman describes two modes of thinking: System 1 and 2. System 1 operates quickly, automatically, and unconsciously, drawing on our vast reservoir of stored know...
Birth outcomes affecting infants of mothers with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Background Women with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face increased risk of adverse maternal pregnancy outcomes, yet less is known about infant outcomes. Objectives To examine birth outcomes of infants born to mothers with IDD and assess associations with demographics and IDD-type. Methods We used data from the Big Data for Little Kids project, which links Wisconsin birth records to Medicaid claims for live births covered by Medicaid from 2007 to 2016. We identified IDD using maternal prepregnancy Medicaid claims and ran Poisson regression (with a log link function) with robust variance clustered by mother to compare prevalence of outcomes between singleton births with and without mothers with IDD. We adjusted the associations for demographic factors and estimated prevalence ratios (PR) as the effect measure. We assessed outcomes by IDD-type (intellectual disability, genetic conditions, cerebral palsy, and autism spectrum disorder) to explore differences by categories of IDD. Results Of 267,395 infants, 1696 (0.6%) had mothers with IDD. A greater percentage of infants with mothers with IDD were born preterm (12.8% vs 7.8%; PR 1.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.42, 1.89), small for gestational age (8.5% vs 5.4%; PR 1.42, 95% CI 1.25, 1.61), and died within 12 months of birth (3.2% vs 0.7%; PR 4.93, 95% CI 3.73, 6.43) compared to infants of mothers without IDD. Prevalence ratios were robust to adjustment for demographics factors. Estimates did not meaningfully differ when comparing different IDD-types. Conclusions A greater porportion of infants born to mothers with IDD who were covered by Medicaid had poor outcomes compared to other infants. Prevalence of poor infant outcomes was greater for mothers with IDD even after accounting for demographic differences. It is imperative to understand why infants of mothers with IDD are at greater risk so interventions and management can be developed.
Comparing the value of community benefit and Tax-Exemption in non-profit hospitals.

Objective We examined the characteristics of non-profit hospitals providing more community benefits and charity care than value of their tax exemptions and how this relationship changed between 2011 and 2018. Data sources Primary dataset was schedule H Form IRS 990 data. This data was merged with the American Hospital Association, Medicare Hospital Cost Report, and the America Community Survey. Study design We measured six categories of tax benefits and 17 types of community benefits. Subtracting the average value of community benefits provided by for-profit hospitals, we computed incremental community benefit and charity care provided by each non-profit hospital. Extraction methods A nationally representative sample was created of 11 776 non-profit hospital-year observations from 1472 unique hospitals over the 2011 to 2018 period was created. Descriptive analyses and random effect logistic regression were used to show associations between hospital characteristics and difference between incremental net community benefits and the value of tax-exemption. Principal findings After adjusting for community benefits provided by for-profits hospitals, on average, non-profit hospitals spent 5.9% (CI: 5.8%-6.0%) of their total expenses on community benefits; 1.3% (CI: 1.2%-1.3%) on charity care; and received 4.3% (CI: 4.2%-4.4%) of total expenses in tax exemptions. A total of 38.5% of non-profit hospitals did not provide more community benefit and 86% did not provide more charity care than the value of their tax exemption. Hospitals with fewer beds, providing residency education and located in high poverty communities were more likely to provide more incremental community benefits and charity care than the value of their tax exemption, while system affiliation had a negative association. Conclusion The amount of community benefits and charity care provided by non-profits varied substantially across non-profit hospitals. Establishing minimum requirements for non-profit hospitals or publicly ranking hospitals based on their community benefit or charity care contributions, could encourage greater community benefits and charity care.
The British Empire after A.G. Hopkins's American Empire

Where does the United States fit into global histories of modern empire? This essay contends that A.G. Hopkins's depiction of nineteenth century America as the modern world's first postcolonial pol...
Oncoplastic breast-conservative surgery for breast cancers: a uni-institutional case-control study.

The current study was designed to compare oncological outcomes between oncoplastic (OBCS) and conventional breast-conserving surgery (BCS). Data collected retrospectively from two groups of patients diagnosed with breast cancer, cases group (OBCS) and control group (BCS), were analyzed. A total of 277 women were included in the analysis: 193 (69.7%) in the cases group and 84 (30.3%) in the control group. Resected volume was larger in the OBCS group (438.05 ± 302.26 cm3 vs 223.34 ± 161.75 cm3; p < 0.001). Re-excision was required for 7.1% of patients receiving BCS versus 4.7% in the OBCS group (p = 0.402). After long-term follow up, no local recurrences occurred in the OBCS group, while 2.4% of patients receiving BCS had local relapse (p = 0.045). Compared with BCS, OBCS increases oncological safety in terms of re-excision rate and local recurrence.
Delayed diagnosis of palatal adenoid cystic carcinoma: Review of diagnostic workup and image features of perineural spread.

Objectives Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is the malignancy most likely to spread perineurally. Delayed diagnosis often leads to undetected perineural spread (PNS). Better understanding of diagnostic processes, clinical and imaging features in ACC may allow earlier diagnoses. Materials and methods A retrospective records search of the University of Washington Radiology archive identified patients with palatal ACC diagnosis and pre-treatment MDCT and/or MRI. Demographic data, clinical findings, diagnostic workup history and image features including the presence of PNS were recorded. Results 44 patients met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Symptoms included pain, mass, numbness, and sinonasal congestion. The most common finding on clinical examination was visible or palpable palatal mass. 55% of patients were evaluated by a dentist pre-diagnosis. Most common initial impressions were infection and/or dental disease. PNS was identified in 81.8% of patients, most commonly at pterygopalatine fossa, palatine foramina/canals, Vidian canal, or foramen rotundum. PNS was statistically significantly associated with paresthesia (p = 0.003) but not with tumor size, age, gender, or tobacco history. 44% of patients were diagnosed ≥1 year from initial symptoms, with a mean delay of 18.3 (range Conclusions This study represents the first analysis of the nature of the diagnostic process of palatal ACC. Majorities of patients were evaluated by a general dentist pre-diagnosis. PNS was identified in a majority of patients and all the patients who presented with paresthesia had evidence of PNS. Despite patients presenting with paresthesia, palatal ACC is often initially misdiagnosed resulting in delayed diagnosis.
Analysis of small and middle size enterprises approaches to suppliers

This paper is focused on problems of small and middle size enterprises with suppliers and especially with vendors rating. Paper is based on research in 157 small and middle size enterprises, which was concerned on supply chain and logistic metrics. More than 66 % of respondents cooperated with 10 or less key suppliers, which are annually confronted with offers of competitive enterprises. The three most important indicators using for vendors rating are price of deliveries, quality and suppliers responsibility.
Why Europe Grew Rich and Asia Did Not: Science and technology in India, 1600???1800

Introduction In the two chapters that form the third and final part of this work, the focus is once again on India and the Indian path of economic development. This chapter explores the growing Indian interest in scientific and technical knowledge from the late sixteenth to the late eighteenth century. The next chapter turns to the early nineteenth century when the sophisticated Indian knowledge order continued to offer enormous possibilities, but the constraints of British rule narrowed the economic options. Within a few decades of the rise of British power, the reservoir of technical know-how that had been amassed over the previous 200 years began to be dissipated. Colonial India was, therefore, a very different place than the India of the early-modern period.
On some hypergraph problems of paul erdős and the asymptotics of matchings, covers and colorings

This article summarizes progress on several old hypergraph problems of Paul Erdős and a few questions to which they led. Quite unexpectedly, there turned out to be substantial connections between the problems under discussion, surely some indication (if any were needed) that Erdős’ questions were the “right” ones. Here’s a quick synopsis.
A time borrowing selectively clocked skewed logic for high-performance circuits in scaled technologies

In high performance designs, dynamic circuits, such as domino logic, are used because of their high speed. However, due to its low noise margin, domino circuits do not scale effectively. Skewed logic circuit can be used to achieve design having performance comparable to that of domino but with better scalability. We proposed selectively clocked skewed logic (SCSL) as an alternative to domino logic for high-performance, noise-immune, low-power circuits. Moreover, a time borrowing technique that is usually used in domino designs can also be applied to further improve the performance of SCSL circuits. This paper proposes time borrowing selectively clocked skewed logic (TB-SCSL) style for high-performance applications. Results from the simulation on 16-bit carry lookahead adders (CLA) in 0.25/spl mu/m technology show that TB-SCSL can achieve approximately 15% higher performance compared to the normal SCSL.
Cyclopentadienyl(3,5‐dimethoxybenzyl)(nitrosyl)(triphenylphosphine)rhenium

(+)-(S) [109283-17-2] C32H31NO3PRe (MW 694.78) InChI = 1S/C18H15P.C9H11O2.C5H5.NO.Re/c1-4-10-16(11-5-1)19(17-12-6-2-7-13-17)18-14-8-3-9-15-18;1-7-4-8(10-2)6-9(5-7)11-3;1-2-4-5-3-1;1-2;/h1-15H;4-6H,1H2,2-3H3;1-5H;;/q;;;-1;+1 InChIKey = UREYBALJHKCGBZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N (−)-(R) [109362-39-2] InChI = 1S/C18H15P.C9H11O2.C5H5.NO.Re/c1-4-10-16(11-5-1)19(17-12-6-2-7-13-17)18-14-8-3-9-15-18;1-7-4-8(10-2)6-9(5-7)11-3;1-2-4-5-3-1;1-2;/h1-15H;4-6H,1H2,2-3H3;1-5H;;/q;;;-1;+1 InChIKey = UREYBALJHKCGBZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N (reagents for enantioselective synthesis of organic compounds with chiral methyl groups1) Physical Data: mp 204–205 °C; [α]21589 ±116° (CH2Cl2, c 0.3–0.6 mg mL−1). Solubility: sol CH2Cl2, benzene, ether, and THF; slightly sol hexane. Form Supplied in: bright orange crystals. Analysis of Reagent Purity: IR, and 1H, 13C, and 31P NMR spectroscopies, microanalysis, and polarimetry.1 Preparative Methods: reaction of the methyl ester (+)-(S)-(Cp)Re(NO)(PPh3)(CO2Me) (S-1)2 with 3,5-dimethoxyphenylmagnesium iodide in toluene at −24 °C gives 3,5-dimethoxybenzoyl complex (+)-(S)-(Cp)Re(NO)(PPh3)(CO(3,5-(MeO)2C6H3)) (S-2; 85%). Refluxing (+)-(S-2) with BH3·THF or BD3·THF in THF gives the title reagents (+)-(S)-3 or (+)-(S)-3-α-d2 (95–84%). The opposite enantiomers (−)-(R)-3 or (−)-(R)-3-α-d2 can be similarly made from (−)-(R-1).1 Purification: crystallization from benzene/hexane. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: the solid reagent is stable for days in air. However, it should be prepared, stored, and reacted under a dry nitrogen atmosphere.
HIGH-FIELD SUPERCONDUCTING ACCELERATOR MAGNETS

LBL-14400 Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 'I! Accelerator & Fusion Research Division Presented at the Ninth International Cryogenic Engineering Conference, Kobe, Japan, May 11-14, 1982 HIGH-FIELD SUPERCONDUCTING ACCELERATOR MAGNETS C. Taylor, R. Meuser, S. Caspi, W. Gilbert, W. Hassenzahl, C. Peters, and R. Wolgast May 1982 Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC03-76SF00098
Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Emerging Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in Women?

Although prevalence estimates vary, national data indicate that approximately 50% of women in the United States will experience at least one form of extreme, or traumatic, stress at some point in their lives.(1) Commonly reported traumas include, but are not limited to: sexual or physical assault, life-threatening accidents, fires or natural disasters, losing a close friend or family member to violence, witnessing a traumatic injury or death, and/or combat. Although the overall prevalence of exposure to trauma is somewhat lower among women compared to men, women are 2-to-3 times more likely to develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following a traumatic event.(1,2) Thus, despite its historical linkages to war-related traumas in male combat Veterans,(3) PTSD is-- from a prevalence perspective-- largely a woman's disease.(4) Yet, with few exceptions,(5,6) much of the emerging research on trauma, PTSD and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been conducted in predominantly male cohorts.(7-10). Language: en
La comunità irlandese a Roma, 1377-1870 : il case study storiografico

The aim of this essay is to provide a historiographical overview of the Irish community in Rome throughout a period which goes from the Middle Ages until the second half of the nineteenth century. More precisely the period examined goes from 1377, the year of the Papacy’s return from the Avignon exile, until 1870, when the city was annexed to the kingdom of Italy. Given the long period examined, this article does not provide a comprehensive picture and, consequently, should be seen as a work in progress which will be revised and improved thanks to further archival and bibliographical research.
Paranormal Beliefs, Alienation and Anomie in College Students

The Paranormal Belief Scale, Alienation Scale, and Anomie Scale were given to 168 college students. Significant hypothesized relationships linked belief in Superstition with greater alienation and anomie and greater belief in Spiritualism with greater alienation. No evidence was found that greater Traditional Religious Belief was associated with significantly less alienation or anomie.
Relationships between anatomical characteristics and ozone sensitivity of leaves of several herbaceous dicotyledonous plant species at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Abstract Many plant species in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have experienced cell death, visible leaf injury, and reductions in overall growth attributable to ambient ozone exposure levels. The overall objective of this research was to determine if ozone sensitivity of leaves of herbaceous dicotyledonous species was related to differences in leaf anatomical characteristics such as stomatal density, cross-sectional cell areas, percentage of intercellular spaces, number of layers of palisade parenchyma and thicknesses of epidermal and mesophyll tissues. Results demonstrate that three ozone sensitive species, Sassafras albidum, Rudbeckia laciniata , and Rubus canadensis had higher stomatal densities and more intercellular spaces among palisade cells compared with less sensitive species ( Magnolia tripetela, Aster divaricatus , and Liquidamber styraciflua ). There were no statistically significant relationships between ozone sensitivity and cross-sectional area of spongy mesophyll cells, number of palisade parenchyma cell layers or thicknesses of epidermal or mesophyll tissues. These data support the hypothesis that ozone sensitivity is associated with leaf characteristics that relate to the ability of ozone to diffuse into leaves (high stomatal densities) and the ability of ozone to diffuse among the target cells (high percentage of intercellular spaces among palisade parenchyma cells).
Clinical Implications of Using the Arm Motor Ability Test in Stroke Rehabilitation

Abstract O'Dell MW, Kim G, Finnen LR, Polistena C. Clinical implications of using the Arm Motor Ability Test in stroke rehabilitation. Objectives To identify all published studies using the Arm Motor Ability Test (AMAT), a standardized, laboratory-based measure for selected upper extremity activities of daily living (ADLs); and to summarize its current uses and provide recommendations for its future use. Data Sources An Ovid online search was performed using the terms "Arm Motor Ability Test" and "AMAT." The reference lists of all articles obtained were reviewed for additional studies not appearing in the literature search. In addition, the original manual for the use and administration of the AMAT was reviewed. Study Selection All studies examining the psychometric properties of the AMAT or using the AMAT as an outcome measure were identified. Articles simply mentioning the AMAT without providing data and case reports or abstracts (other than those addressing a specific aspect of the scale of interest) were excluded. Data Extraction Studies were reviewed by the primary author. No formal system of quality review was used. Data Synthesis The AMAT has been used as an outcome measure in stroke rehabilitation research examining upper extremity robotics, functional electrical stimulation, and cortical stimulation. The most recent version contains 10 ADL tasks, each of which is composed of 1 to 3 subtasks. Of the 3 domains originally proposed, only the "functional ability" domain is routinely assessed. Psychometric studies have demonstrated good reliability and at least reasonable construct validity. The instrument's sensitivity to change over time is less well established, and no recommendation can be made regarding a minimal clinically important difference. Conclusions We recommend that the 10-item version of the AMAT and assessment of only the functional ability domain be adopted as standard going forward. Further research should include examination of sensitivity over time, minimal clinically important change, reliability and validity in the mid and lower range of scores, and in neurologic diagnoses other than stroke.
Limited epithelial carcinoma of the ovary treated with curative intent by the intraperitoneal installation of radiocolloids

Between January 1960 and September 1972, 104 patients with limited epithelial carcinoma of the ovary received intraperitoneal radiocolloid. Fifty-six of these patients also received external beam radiation therapy to the pelvis (pelvic RT). Five-year actuarial no-evidence-of-disease survival rates were 95% for stage Iai, 82% for Iaii, 73% for Ib, 67% for Ic, 67% for IIa, 67% for IIb without gross residual tumor (GRT), 25% for IIb with GRT, and 50% for III with minimal or no GRT. The addition of pelvic RT following radiocolloid could not be shown to affect survival of patients with Stage I and IIa tumors. Small bowel complications were related to the use of pelvic RT, however, occurring in 2.2% of patients treated with radiocolloid alone and 24% of patients treated with colloid and pelvic RT (p less than 0.005). In patients who underwent abdominal surgery following treatment of ovarian cancer, no excessive complication rate was observed. We conclude that for patients with stages Iaii through IIa, postoperative radiocolloid appears to provide the greatest chance of survival with the least chance of complication. For patients with Stage IIb and III lesions in whom there is minimal or no GRT, radiocolloid followed by pelvic RT produced survival rates comparable or superior to any other form of postoperative therapy.
Spectroscopic classification of tropical forest species using radiative transfer modeling

Abstract Leaf spectroscopy may be useful for tropical species discrimination, but few studies have provided an understanding of the spectral separability of species or how leaf spectroscopy scales to the canopy level relevant to mapping. Here we report on a study to classify humid tropical forest canopy species using field-measured leaf optical properties with leaf and canopy radiative transfer models. The experimental dataset included 188 canopy species collected in humid tropical forests of Hawaii. The leaf optical model PROSPECT-5 was used to simulate the leaf spectra of each species, which was used to train a classifier based on Linear Discriminant Analysis, and a canopy radiative transfer model 4SAIL2 to scale leaf measurements to the canopy level. The relationship linking classification accuracy at the leaf level to biodiversity showed an asymptotic trend reaching a maximum error of 47% when applied to the entire 188 species experimental dataset, and 56% when a simulated dataset showing amplified within-species spectral variability was used, suggesting uniqueness of the spectral signature for a significant proportion of species under study. The maximum error in canopy-level species classification was higher than leaf-level classification: 55% when canopy structure was held constant, and 64% with varying and unknown canopy structure. However, when classifying fewer species at a time, errors dropped considerably; for example, 20 species can be classified to 82–88% accuracy. These results highlight the potential of imaging spectroscopy to provide species discrimination in high-diversity, humid tropical forests.
Recent advancements in the gas-phase MicroChemLab

Sandia's hand-held MicroChemLabTM system uses a micromachined preconcentrator (PC), a gas chromatography channel (GC) and a quartz surface acoustic wave array (SAW) detector for sensitive/selective detection of gas-phase chemical analytes. Requisite system size, performance, power budget and time response mandate microfabrication of the key analytical system components. In the fielded system hybrid integration has been employed, permitting optimization of the individual components. Recent improvements in the hybrid-integrated system, using plastic, metal or silicon/glass manifolds, is described, as is system performance against semivolatile compounds and toxic industrial chemicals. The design and performance of a new three-dimensional micropreconcentrator is also introduced. To further reduce system dead volume, eliminate unheated transfer lines and simplify assembly, there is an effort to monolithically integrate the silicon PC and GC with a suitable silicon-based detector, such as a magnetically-actuated flexural plate wave sensor (magFPW) or a magnetically-actuated pivot plate resonator (PPR).
Product structure (BOM)-based product similarity measures using orthogonal procrustes approach

In geometry, two configurations are called similar if they can be brought to a complete match by rigid motions and dilations. In the simplest case, product designs X and Y have the same dimensionality and same number of points which can be brought into a one to one correspondence by substantive considerations. Under orthogonal transformations, product design Y can only be rotated and reflected in order to approximate product design X. As for the ''as close as possible'' or ''relatively close'' criterion, a reasonable definition would be to measure the distances between corresponding points, square these values, and add them to obtain the sum-of-squares criterion L. In this paper, a product structure (BOM)-based product similarity measures using orthogonal procrustes approach is proposed. A structural product is first transformed into bill of materials (BOM), the structural similarity measurement between a product query and target product is calculated and evaluated using orthogonal procrustes approach. The results show that the proposed product structure similarity measure method can help companies find desired product information based on BOM feature.
On the closed form solution of Troesch's problem

Abstract The closed form solution of Troesch's problem is developed in terms of Jacobian elliptic functions. From the closed form solution two interesting properties of Troesch's problem can be found. The first is the location of a pole, the second is branching or bifurcation behavior. Depending on the value of the parameter n, the problem possesses a continuous solution and possibly one or more discontinuous solutions. Numerical evaluation of the closed form solution as well as numerical integration is carried out for n = 5(1)10 to show the effects of the discontinuous solutions on the numerical computations.
Safety of hospitalized ventilator-dependent children outside of the intensive care unit.

Objective. Hospitalization of clinically stable ventilator-dependent children in an intensive care unit (ICU) remains the standard in most pediatric centers. The aim of this study was to determine whether chronically ventilator-dependent children could be hospitalized safely in a non-ICU setting. Methods. All ventilator-dependent children who were hospitalized on the pediatric wards at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles from December 1992 through June 1996 were reviewed retrospectively (N = 63) and compared with the general pediatric ward population hospitalized during the same period. Data collected included the number of unexpected ICU transfers from the pediatric ward and the number of deaths that occurred on the ward. Results. The ventilator-dependent children on the pediatric wards had 11 emergency readmissions to the ICU for unexpected deterioration. This represented an unexpected ICU transfer rate of 2.7 per 1000 patient-days on the wards. The general pediatric ward population had an unexpected ICU transfer rate of 3.3 per 1000 patient-days, which was not significantly different from that of ventilator-dependent children on the wards. There were three ward deaths among the ventilator-dependent children, but all of these patients had advance directive status (do not resuscitate). This represented a rate of seven deaths per 10 000 patient-days on the wards, which was not significantly different from those of nonventilator-dependent ward patients (eight deaths per 10 000 patient-days). Conclusions. We conclude that ventilator-dependent children hospitalized outside of the ICU do not have an increased incidence of deaths and unexpected ICU admissions compared with nonventilator-dependent inpatients. We speculate that hospital care of stable ventilator-dependent children can be provided safely outside of an ICU and at lower cost.
Effects of simultaneous septal-visual, septal-anterior and anterior-posterior lesions upon relearning a black-white discrimination

Summary Rats were trained on a black-white discrimination task, and then were assigned to one of the following groups: (1) normal control S s; (2) S s with septal lesions; (3) S s with anterior neocortical ablations; (4) S s with visual neocortical ablations; (5) S s with anterior and visual neocortical ablations; (6) S s with anterior neocortical and septal lesions; (7) S s with visual neocortical and septal lesions. Following a 21 day recovery interval all S s were tested for retention of the black-white habit. Deficits of varying magnitude occured in operated groups. Data from the normal septal, anterior and visual groups replicated previous studies. S s with anterior neocortical and septal lesions behaved like S s with anterior neocortical lesions. S s with anterior and visual neocortical ablations and S s with visual neocortical and septal lesions relearned at about the same rate. The results suggested that the anterior neocortex and septal area might be components of the same system.
Reinforcement learning for declarative optimization-based drama management

A long-standing challenge in interactive entertainment is the creation of story-based games with dynamically responsive story-lines. Such games are populated by multiple objects and autonomous characters, and must provide a coherent story experience while giving the player freedom of action. To maintain coherence, the game author must provide for modifying the world in reaction to the player's actions, directing agents to act in particular ways (overriding or modulating their autonomy), or causing inanimate objects to reconfigure themselves "behind the player's back".Declarative optimization-based drama management is one mechanism for allowing the game author to specify a drama manager (DM) to coordinate these modifications, along with a story the DM should aim for. The premise is that the author can easily describe the salient properties of the story while leaving it to the DM to react to the player and direct agent actions. Although promising, early search-based approaches have been shown to scale poorly. Here, we improve upon the state of the art by using reinforcement learning and a novel training paradigm to build an adaptive DM that manages the tradeoff between exploration and story coherence. We present results on two games and compare our performance with other approaches.
A scale-invariant approach to flood-frequency analysis

In order to study historical flood-frequency records we plot the log of the number of floods on a river per unit time in which the peak discharge exceeds a specified value against the log of that value. For ten benchmark stations we find good correlations with scale-invariant (fractal) statistics. We suggest that the underlying physical processes associated with the generation of floods are sufficiently scale invariant over time scales from one to one hundred years that they provide a rational basis for the application of scale-invariant statistics. Our results fall within the range of flood-frequency estimates made by other statistical techniques. We propose that the ratio of the ten-year peak discharge to the one-year peak discharge β is a quantitative measure of flood potential. With scale invariance β is also the ratio of the one-hundred year flood to the ten-year flood. We find that the values of β for ten stations on rivers throughout the country range from 2.04 to 8.11 and find strong regional variations that can be correlated in terms of climate. Our results are consistent with the observed fractal statistics in sedimentary sections. We have also carried out R/S analyses for the ten stations and have obtained values of the Hurst exponent. We find that the Hurst exponent cannot be used for flood-frequency forecasting.
Altered Neural Cell Fates and Medulloblastoma in Mouse patched Mutants

The PATCHED (PTC) gene encodes a Sonic hedgehog (Shh) receptor and a tumor suppressor protein that is defective in basal cell nevus syndrome (BCNS). Functions of PTC were investigated by inactivating the mouse gene. Mice homozygous for the ptc mutation died during embryogenesis and were found to have open and overgrown neural tubes. Two Shh target genes, ptc itself and Gli, were derepressed in the ectoderm and mesoderm but not in the endoderm. Shh targets that are, under normal conditions, transcribed ventrally were aberrantly expressed in dorsal and lateral neural tube cells. Thus Ptc appears to be essential for repression of genes that are locally activated by Shh. Mice heterozygous for the ptc mutation were larger than normal, and a subset of them developed hindlimb defects or cerebellar medulloblastomas, abnormalities also seen in BCNS patients.