cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling Methyl Isothiocyanate Soil Flux and Emission Ratio from a Field following a Chemigation of Metam‐Sodium

Metam-sodium had become the most heavily used soil fumigant in recent years as the deadline approached for methyl bromide to phase out in January 2005. After application, metam-sodium decomposes rapidly to methyl isothiocyanate (MITC), a highly toxic compound capable of killing a wide spectrum of soil-borne pests. Inhalation risk of MITC ranked high among airborne agricultural pesticides in California. Information about off-gassing intensity and percentage of emission is essential for exposure risk assessment and mitigation measures, but is limited, especially for new application methods such as drip chemigation. Air concentrations of MITC were monitored around a field treated with metam-sodium through surface drip irrigation system. The field was tarped with plastic films before the chemigation. The air concentrations at receptor locations were simulated for the period of air monitoring with the Industrial Source Complex (ISC3) Dispersion Model, and soil flux density of MITC at various periods after chemigation was estimated through a back-calculation procedure. The estimated soil flux density of MITC showed a diurnal pattern, with the daytime flux stronger than nighttime. However, the average air concentration at nighttime was higher than that at daytime. Soil flux density peaked at 4.30 microg m-2 s-1 in the first 12-h period after chemigation, then declined with time. The MITC emission percentage in the first 60-h was 2.65% of applied mass, of which 57% occurred in the first 24-h after chemigation. The study indicated that the tarped bed drip application method of metam-sodium had a relatively good control of MITC emission from soil.
The influence of T cell receptor and cytokine genes on sarcoidosis susceptibility in African Americans.

Abstract The pathogenesis of sarcoidosis, a multisystem granulomatous disorder, is mediated through immunoregulatory pathways. While sarcoidosis clusters in families, inherited risk factors remain undefined. In search of possible sarcoidosis susceptibility genes, we examined anonymous polymorphic genetic markers tightly linked to six different candidate gene regions on chromosomes 2q13, 5q31, 6p23-25, 7p14-15, 14q11 and 22q11. These candidate regions contain T cell receptor, interleukin (IL) and interferon regulatory factor (IRF) genes. Our study population consisted of 105 African-American sarcoidosis cases and 95 unrelated healthy controls. The allelic frequency distribution of two out of the six markers, IL-1 alpha marker ( p = 0.010) on 2q13 and the F13A marker ( p = 0.0006) on 6p23-25, was statistically significantly different in cases compared with controls. The two alleles most strongly associated with sarcoidosis were IL-1 alpha∗137 (Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.60; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.36–4.98) and F13A∗188 (OR = 2.42; 95% CI = 1.37–4.30). Individuals that had both of these alleles were at a six-fold increased risk for sarcoidosis (OR = 6.19; 95% CI = 2.54–15.10). Restricting the analysis to cases with at least one first or second-degree relative affected with sarcoidosis increased the OR to 15.38. IL-1 levels are elevated in sarcoidosis and the F13A marker is tightly linked to a gene that codes for a newly identified interferon regulatory factor protein (IRF-4), which is thought to play a role in T cell effector functions. Our results suggest genetic susceptibility to sarcoidosis may be conferred by more than one immune-related gene that act synergistically on disease risk.
Separation of glucooligosaccharides and polysaccharide hydrolysates by gradient elution hydrophilic interaction chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection.

Commercial glucooligosaccharide mixtures (Polycose) and polysaccharide hydrolysates (acid and enzymatic) were fractionated by hydrophilic interaction chromatography and observed by pulsed amperometric detection. Seven peaks were observed when 625 ng of glucose oligomers in Polycose were fractionated. The between-run precision of retention times (n = 10, 100 micrograms, 15 peaks) ranged from a relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of 0.09 to 0.40%; between-run precision of peak areas (n = 10) for the same separations had values that ranged from 2.66 to 14.4%. Injection-to-injection time was 48 min. When polysaccharide hydrolysates were fractionated using a gradient program capable of resolving all of the oligosaccharide species, dextran-derived alpha-(1-->6)-glucooligosaccharides were retained to a greater degree than amylose-derived alpha-(1-->4)-glucooligosaccharides, which were retained to a greater degree than beta-(2-->1)-fructooligosaccharides derived from inulin. Excluding the peaks that eluted before glucose or fructose, 25 to 35 peaks were observed after fractionation of the hydrolysates. Differences in elution profiles were observed between acid and enzymatic hydrolysis products of the same polysaccharide as well as between hydrolysis products of different polysaccharides. In conjunction with high-performance size-exclusion chromatography, the method demonstrated the effect of preheating starch before hydrolysis with isoamylase.
The effect of prior reward magnitude on the successive negative contrast effect

Separate groups (N = 10) of albino rats received nondifferential large (L), nondifferential small (S), or no reward training prior to differential reward training (Groups L-LS, S-LS, and LS, respectively) in a nonchoice brightness discrimination apparatus. A fourth condition received small reward in each discriminandum throughout training. Results suggested that the extent of simultaneous negative contrast was greater for Group L-LS than for Group S-LS and clearly indicated that the development of discrimination and negative contrast effects was retarded for the prior reward conditions relative to the standard differential conditioning group (LS).
Mixing effects on Z-boson properties in E6 theories.

The existence of a new neutral gauge boson (Z') in superstring-inspired E/sub 6/ models may lead to modifications of the properties of the usual Z boson of the standard model via Z-Z' mixing. The width and partial decay modes of Z as well as asymmetries at e/sup +/e/sup -/ and p-barp colliders are shown to be reasonably sensitive to such mixing. A wide range of E/sub 6/ models is examined.
The Vitamin B Complex in Relation to Food Intake During Hyperthyroidism.

Dogs 1 and 2 had maintained their appetite for a diet of dog biscuit for at least 3 months. After 5 gm. of desiccated thyroid were added to their daily ration they exhibited a loss of appetite and consequent loss of weight for approximately 2 weeks. During the next 3 weeks occasional administrations of vitamin B were followed by restoration of the urge to eat. The diet was then changed to the artificial one developed by Cowgill1 and daily doses of vitamin B were administered, whereupon appetite was restored and the animals proceeded to regain their initial body weight.Dogs 3 and 4 had exhibited the characteristic anorexia on the artificial food mixture in 23 and 31 days respectively. When 5 gm. of desiccated thyroid were added to their daily dietary, anorexia supervened in dog 3 in 12 days, while dog 4 lost its appetite in 21 days. These results harmonize with the theory of Plimmer,2 and Cowgill and Klotz3 that the amount of vitamin B required by the organism is determined chiefly by its caloric requirement.
Ochratoxin a forms a carbon-bonded c8-deoxyguanosine nucleoside adduct: implications for c8 reactivity by a phenolic radical.

The ability of the carcinogenic fungal toxin Ochratoxin A (OTA, 1) to react with deoxyguanosine (dG) has been assessed using electrospray mass spectrometry and NMR. Photoexcitation of OTA (100 μM) in the presence of 50 mol equiv of dG led to the isolation and identification of the C8-deoxyguanosine nucleoside adduct 4. Importantly, the same adduct was formed upon oxidative activation of OTA using horseradish peroxidase (HRP)/H2O2 or the transition metals Fe(II) and Cu(II), as evidenced by mass spectrometry. Because the mutagenicity and subsequent carcinogenicity of OTA are believed to stem from oxidative DNA damage (strand scission and oxidative base products) and formation of guanine-specific DNA adducts, the adduct 4 confirms the ability of OTA to react covalently with dG and has important implications for the mechanism of action of OTA and other chlorophenolic toxins that undergo oxidation to yield phenoxyl radicals. The C8 position of dG is susceptible to radical attack, as was amply proven through fo...
In vivo electrochemical evidence for an enkephalinergic modulation underlying stereotyped behavior: reversibility by naloxone.

Abstract The effect of the enkephalin pentapeptide analog (WY 42,896) on amphetamine-induced stereotypy was studied in male, albino rats. WY 42,896 significantly inhibited amphetamine-induced stereotype. The inhibition of the head-bobbing and sniffing components was significantly reversed by naloxone. Disinhibition of the rearing components by naloxone reached borderline significance. In vivo electrochemical measurements in rat caudate showed that WY 42,896 inhibited both basal and amphetamine-induced dopamine release. This inhibition was prevented by naloxone. These data show an enkephalinergic-dopaminergic interaction in rat striatum, both behaviorally and biochemically, and suggest a presynaptic site of action of the enkephalin on dopamine neurons.
Synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-(4-fluorophenoxy)-2-phenyl-ethyl piperazines as serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors with a potentially improved adverse reaction profile.

Abstract Three new 2-(4-fluorophenoxy)-2-phenyl-ethyl piperazines, 1-(3-chlorophenyl)-4-[2-(4-fluorophenoxy)-2-phenylethyl]-piperazine 7 , 1-[2-(4-fluorophenoxy)-2-phenylethyl]-4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-piperazine 8 , and 1-[2-(4-fluorophenoxy)-2-phenylethyl]-4-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)-piperazine 9 , modeled after the potent antidepressant fluoxetine and coupled with several functionalized piperazines, have been prepared by chemical synthesis as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) with a potentially improved adverse reaction profile. Typical SSRIs, although very effective in the treatment of depression, still face the troublesome side effect of sexual dysfunction. A number of pharmacological agents-notably, drugs in the piperazine class-have been used to reverse SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction, and evidence for developing an improved SSRI by coupling a fluoxetine congener with the pharmacophore of a reversal agent holds promise. Preliminary data indicates that the hydrochloride (HCl) salts 10 , 11 , and 12 each exhibit single-site binding at the site of the serotonin reuptake transporter (SERT). However, each of the three compounds are much less potent than typical SSRIs, showing micromolar (μM) affinity for the SERT with IC 50 values of 1.45 μM, 3.27 μM, and 9.56 μM, respectively. Further biological evaluation of compounds 10 , 11 , and 12 is needed before definitive conclusions can be made with regard to each compound's potential for use as an SSRI-type candidate which is devoid of sexual side effects. Nevertheless, the initial findings are quite encouraging, thus lending credence to the idea of hybridizing an SSRI congener with that of the pharmacophore of an agent known to reverse or treat SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction.
Progress In Methods Of Measuring The Free Water Content Of Snow

Providing ground truth for the backscatter and absorption effects of a snow cover on electromagnetic waves has long been a problem. One characteristic of the snow cover which has been particularly difficult to measure is its free, or liquid, water content - the fraction of the snow's volume which exists in the liquid state. Five methods which have been used for measuring this parameter are described and their merits and deficiencies discussed. Two of the methods are calorimetric, measuring the free water content as a function of the heat added to or removed from a snow sample while completely melting or freezing it. The third uses the freezing point depression observed on adding a salt solution to a snow sample to calculate the snow's free water content. In the fourth procedure, a snow sample is completely dissolved in ethyl or methyl alcohol. The corresponding decrease in temperature is inversely related to the free water content of the snow. The final technique is electronic: above a certain frequency, the electrical capacitance of snow is related to its density and free water content. With accurate calibration, devices which measure snow capacitance are likely to be the simplest and fastest means of providing free water measurements.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Polyurea With Hybrid Polymer Grafted Nanoparticles: A Parametric Study

The basis of this research is to mitigate shock through material design. In this work, we seek to develop an understanding of parametric variations in polyurea-based nano-composite materials through experimental characterization and computational modeling. Blast-mitigating applications often utilize polyurea due to its excellent thermo-mechanical properties. Polyurea is a microphase-separated segmented block copolymer formed by the rapid reaction of an isocyanate component and an amine component. Block copolymers exhibit unique properties as a result of their phase-separated morphology, which restricts dissimilar block components to microscopic length scales. The soft segments form a continuous matrix reinforced by the hard segments that are randomly dispersed as microdomains. The physical properties of the separate phases influence the overall properties of the polyurea. While polyurea offers a useful starting point, control over crystallite size and morphology is limited. For compositing, the blending approach allows superb control of particle size, shape, and density; however, the hard/soft interface is typically weak for simple blends. Here, we overcome this issue by developing hybrid polymer grafted nanoparticles, which have adjustable exposed functionality to control both their spatial distribution and interface. These nano-particles have tethered polymer chains that can interact with their surrounding environment and provide a method to control well defined and enhanced nano-composites. This approach allows us to adjust a number of variables related to the hybrid polymer grafted nanoparticles including: core size and shape, core material, polymer chain length, polymer chain density, and monomer type. In this work, we embark on a parametric study focusing on the effect of silica nanoparticle size, polymer chain length, and polymer chain density. Preliminary results from experimental characterization and computational modeling indicate that the dynamic mechanical properties of the material can be significantly altered through such parametric modifications. These efforts are part of an ongoing initiative to develop elastomeric composites with optimally designed compositions and characteristics to manage blast-induced stress-wave energy.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
From Artaxerxes to Abu Ghraib: on religion and the pornography of imperial violence

In the wake of September 11, 2001, much has been written about religious groups commonly called ‘terrorist’, building on an older literature whose equally tendentious buzzwords were ‘cult’ and ‘fundamentalism’. In general, the conclusions advanced within such works tilt sometimes in the direction of alarm, and sometimes in that of reassurance. The amount of academic attention devoted to a given threat ought reflect its seriousness, based on calculations of the likelihood that threat will be realized and the destruction it can unleash. Among the most dangerous of situations is that in which an extremely powerful state bent on conquest finds and deploys religious arguments that encourage its aggressive tendencies and imperial ambitions. Believing that it may be useful to consider data sufficiently removed from the present to afford some critical distance, I have devoted much of my research in recent years to the role played by religion in Achaemenid Persia (550–330 bce), the largest, wealthiest, most powerful empire of antiquity before the emergence of Rome. As a convenient summary of that research, I propose to discuss two Achaemenian data, each of which can assume emblematic status. Only after that exercise will I return to contemporary materials and issues.
Coexistence and relative abundance in plant communities are determined by feedbacks when the scale of feedback and dispersal is local

1. Negative plant-soil feedback occurs when the presence of an individual of a particular species at a particular site decreases the relative success of individuals of the same species compared to those other species at that site. This effect favors heterospecifics thereby facilitating coexistence and maintaining diversity. Empirical work has demonstrated that the average strengths of these feedbacks correlate with the relative abundance of species within a community, suggesting that feedbacks are an important driver of plant community composition. Understanding what factors contribute to the generation of this relationship is necessary for diagnosing the dynamic forces that maintain diversity in plant communities. 2. We used a spatially explicit, individual-based computer simulation to test the effects of dispersal distance, the size of feedback neighbourhoods, the strength of pairwise feedbacks and community wide variation of feedbacks, community richness, as well as life-history differences on the dependence of relative abundance on strength of feedback. 3. We found a positive dependence of relative abundance of a species on its average feedback for local scale dispersal and feedback. However, we found that the strength of this dependence decreased as either the spatial scale of dispersal and/or the spatial scale of feedback increased. We also found that for spatially local (i.e. relatively small) scale interaction and dispersal, as the mean strength of feedbacks in the community becomes less negative, the greater the increase in abundance produced by a comparable increase in species-specific average feedback. We found that life-history differences such as mortality rate did not generate a pattern with abundance, nor did they affect the relationship between abundance and average feedback. 4. Synthesis. Our results support the claim that empirical observations of a positive correlation between relative abundance and strength of average feedback serves as evidence that local scale negative feedbacks play a prominent role in structuring plant communities. We also identify that this relationship depends upon local scale plant dispersal and feedback which generates clumping and magnifies the negative feedbacks.
HyperSentry: enabling stealthy in-context measurement of hypervisor integrity

This paper presents HyperSentry, a novel framework to enable integrity measurement of a running hypervisor (or any other highest privileged software layer on a system). Unlike existing solutions for protecting privileged software, HyperSentry does not introduce a higher privileged software layer below the integrity measurement target, which could start another race with malicious attackers in obtaining the highest privilege in the system. Instead, HyperSentry introduces a software component that is properly isolated from the hypervisor to enable stealthy and in-context measurement of the runtime integrity of the hypervisor. While stealthiness is necessary to ensure that a compromised hypervisor does not have a chance to hide the attack traces upon detecting an up-coming measurement, in-context measurement is necessary to retrieve all the needed inputs for a successful integrity measurement.HyperSentry uses an out-of-band channel (e.g., Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI), which is commonly available on server platforms) to trigger the stealthy measurement, and adopts the System Management Mode (SMM) to protect its base code and critical data. A key contribution of HyperSentry is the set of novel techniques that overcome SMM's limitation, providing an integrity measurement agent with (1) the same contextual information available to the hypervisor, (2) completely protected execution, and (3) attestation to its output. To evaluate HyperSentry, we implement a prototype of the framework along with an integrity measurement agent for the Xen hypervisor. Our experimental evaluation shows that HyperSentry is a low-overhead practical solution for real world systems.
Scholarly Work and the Shaping of Digital Access

In the cycle of scholarly communication, scholars play the role of both consumer and contributor of intellectual works within the stores of recorded knowledge. In the digital environment scholars are seeking and using information in new ways and generating new types of scholarly products, many of which are specialized resources for access to research information. These practices have important implications for the collection and organization of digital access resources. Drawing on a series of qualitative studies investigating the information work of scientists and humanities scholars, specific information seeking activities influenced by the Internet and two general modes of information access evident in research practice are identified in this article. These conceptual modes of access are examined in relation to the digital access resources currently being developed by researchers in the humanities and neuroscience. Scholars’ modes of access and their “working” and “implicit” assemblages of information represent what researchers actually do when gathering and working with research materials and therefore provide a useful framework for the collection and organization of access resources in research libraries.
A SAW filter bank using hyperbolically tapered transducers

It is shown that the hyperbolically tapered transducer is capable of launching a relatively narrow SAW (surface acoustic wave) beam from some point across a wide transducer aperture. The center of this narrow SAW beam varies linearly with frequency across the transducer. Thus, the transducer performs the spatial frequency sorting as it launches a wave. This makes it an ideal candidate for a filter bank or frequency-division multiplexer. A 14-channel multiplexer has been developed with a total bandwidth of 120 MHz centered at 180 MHz, (1 octave) out-of-band rejection of 40 dB and an insertion loss of 19 dB. Cascading filters demonstrates an out-of-band rejection of over 80 dB with an insertion loss around 30 dB. >
Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer Among Motor Vehicle Mechanics

In our meta-analysis (Goodman et al., 2004) the quality score for Swanson et al. (1993) should be zero instead of 2 because the response rate in this study was >90%. This corrected score qualifies the Swanson et al. paper as a Tier II lung cancer study. After inclusion of Swanson et al., the meta-RR estimate for Tier II changes from 1.17 (95% CI: 1.01–1.36) to 1.18 (95% CI: 1.02–1.37). In addition, when reviewing individual studies we state that the study by Olsen and Jensen (1987) considered latency. In fact, latency was considered only in the later analyses of this dataset. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Art Therapy with an Oncology Care Team.

Oncology nurses are particularly vulnerable to "burnout" syndrome due to the intensity of their work and the ongoing losses they experience while providing oncology care to their patients. High levels of stress in the workplace left untended lead to high job turnover, poor productivity, and diminished quality of care for patients. Attention to staff issues of grief and emotional release, along with a supportive work environment, minimizes burnout. Art therapy is an effective tool for helping staff process their grief and other emotions, as well as build team morale. This article describes how art therapy has been used in diverse ways to address these staff issues at a large Midwest academic hospital. One project, the creation of a "Healing Quilt," is described in detail. Through this intervention the entire staff had an opportunity to use art therapy for self-care and team-building.
Tumor-immune interaction, surgical treatment, and cancer recurrence in a mathematical model of melanoma.

Malignant melanoma is a cancer of the skin arising in the melanocytes. We present a mathematical model of melanoma invasion into healthy tissue with an immune response. We use this model as a framework with which to investigate primary tumor invasion and treatment by surgical excision. We observe that the presence of immune cells can destroy tumors, hold them to minimal expansion, or, through the production of angiogenic factors, induce tumorigenic expansion. We also find that the tumor–immune system dynamic is critically important in determining the likelihood and extent of tumor regrowth following resection. We find that small metastatic lesions distal to the primary tumor mass can be held to a minimal size via the immune interaction with the larger primary tumor. Numerical experiments further suggest that metastatic disease is optimally suppressed by immune activation when the primary tumor is moderately, rather than minimally, metastatic. Furthermore, satellite lesions can become aggressively tumorigenic upon removal of the primary tumor and its associated immune tissue. This can lead to recurrence where total cancer mass increases more quickly than in primary tumor invasion, representing a clinically more dangerous disease state. These results are in line with clinical case studies involving resection of a primary melanoma followed by recurrence in local metastases.
Basque attitude towards political violence: its correlation with personality variables, other sociopolitical attitudes, and political party vote

The Basque are a strongly nationalistic European people in northern Spain and southern France with an ancient ethnic tradition and a language unrelated to any other known. Their recent history has been overshadowed by a terrorist organization perpetrating political violence within the boundaries of the Basque Country and often beyond its borders within the Spanish state. Research on the Basque, with an emphasis on the comparison of psychological characteristics (studied by the use of an instrument developed for that purpose by the author of this article and another colleague, Jesus Guerra, of the University of the Basque Country), has provided an opportunity to review attitudes towards violence within the general population, analyze different groups constituted according to differences in attitude as well as political party vote, and to compare them with regards to differences in personality. The distribution of these attitudes within the sample population, as well as some hypotheses as to their origins, are presented, discussing their possible relationship to social and psychological variables at work within Basque society. Psychopathological indicators permit an estimation of the degree of abnormality associated with the attitude towards political violence. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Emotional modulation of pain and spinal nociception in fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by widespread pain, as well as affective disturbance (eg, depression). Given that emotional processes are known to modulate pain, a disruption of emotion and emotional modulation of pain and nociception may contribute to FM. The present study used a well-validated affective picture-viewing paradigm to study emotional processing and emotional modulation of pain and spinal nociception. Participants were 18 individuals with FM, 18 individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 19 healthy pain-free controls (HC). Mutilation, neutral, and erotic pictures were presented in 4 blocks; 2 blocks assessed only physiological-emotional reactions (ie, pleasure/arousal ratings, corrugator electromyography, startle modulation, skin conductance) in the absence of pain, and 2 blocks assessed emotional reactivity and emotional modulation of pain and the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR, a physiological measure of spinal nociception) evoked by suprathreshold electric stimulations over the sural nerve. In general, mutilation pictures elicited displeasure, corrugator activity, subjective arousal, and sympathetic activation, whereas erotic pictures elicited pleasure, subjective arousal, and sympathetic activation. However, FM was associated with deficits in appetitive activation (eg, reduced pleasure/arousal to erotica). Moreover, emotional modulation of pain was observed in HC and RA, but not FM, even though all 3 groups evidenced modulation of NFR. Additionally, NFR thresholds were not lower in the FM group, indicating a lack of spinal sensitization. Together, these results suggest that FM is associated with a disruption of supraspinal processes associated with positive affect and emotional modulation of pain, but not brain-to-spinal cord circuitry that modulates spinal nociceptive processes.
Design of a structured light sensor for in situ calibration

This paper highlights a ranging sensor that can be calibrated at standoffs of 1 to 3 feet with a depth of field of /spl ap/1 ft. Tests at a 16" standoff have produced a 0.004 inch standard deviation in height measurement errors. The data density and field of view are programmable. The sensor is positioned robotically, allowing it to provide accurate, shed-range measurements prior to manipulation tasks. The sensor head is relatively inexpensive (/spl ap/$10 k) and is designed for in situ calibration. This approach is intended to allow replacement components to be installed, calibrated, and validated without decontamination. Calibration, validation and data acquisition are all designed to be performed remotely and in a highly automated fashion. These in situ features of the design are targeted for the interest of industry with the aim of producing a sensor having a longer lifetime and a lower maintenance cost.
On the use of relevance feedback in IR-based concept location

Concept location is a critical activity during software evolution as it produces the location where a change is to start in response to a modification request, such as, a bug report or a new feature request. Lexical-based concept location techniques rely on matching the text embedded in the source code to queries formulated by the developers. The efficiency of such techniques is strongly dependent on the ability of the developer to write good queries. We propose an approach to augment information retrieval (IR) based concept location via an explicit relevance feedback (RF) mechanism. RF is a two-part process in which the developer judges existing results returned by a search and the IR system uses this information to perform a new search, returning more relevant information to the user. A set of case studies performed on open source software systems reveals the impact of RF on IR based concept location.
Overcrowding: not just an emergency department issue.

Emergency nurses struggle with overcrowding each and every day. The reality of trying to provide care for sicker patients, inpatients, and more patients than the emergency department’s physical space can handle has created an overcrowding situation that extends well beyond the emergency department. As emergency nurses, we work tirelessly to meet the demands placed on us and our profession to care for our patients. How much further can the seams of an overburdened system be stretched? What is being done to address this problem, and how did this challenging situation emerge? In the early 1990s, it was forecasted that managed care would result in the need for very few inpatient beds and that emergency departments would only see patients with major trauma. These predictions were just one of the reasons that nursing was not a sought-after profession. As nursing school enrollments decreased, so did nursing faculty positions, paving the way for what is said to be the worst nursing shortage in history. According to a 2004 National League for Nurses study, more than 125,000 qualified applicants were turned away from nursing schools last year, with inadequate nursing faculty being the main
A Novel Knowledge Representation Framework for Computing Sub-Graph Isomorphic Queries in Interaction Network Databases

In emerging applications such as biological networks and evolving social networks, computing sub-graph isomorphism is a necessary artifact for answering many interesting questions. Efficient computation of sub-graph isomorphism, however, has remained a difficult problem in artificial intelligence and databases. In logic programming, isomorphic sub-graph search has met with limited success mainly due to representation hurdles, large memory needs and lack of a suitable procedure. In this paper, we demonstrate that a simple representation of undirected graphs enables logic based computation of isomorphic sub-graphs very efficiently. We also present a graph and query rewriting technique to compute such queries using logic programming languages such as XSB or Prolog. The space and memory requirement for this framework is extremely low even for very large networks due to the representation technique, and the manner in which the procedure functions.
Terminal arbors of single ON‐center and OFF‐center X and Y retinal ganglion cell axons within the ferret's lateral geniculate nucleus

The lateral geniculate nucleus of the ferret contains not only eye-specific layers, but a further subdivision of layers A and A1 into inner and outer sublaminae that contain, respectively, ON-center and OFF-center cells (Stryker and Zahs, '83). To study how the arbors of single retinal ganglion cell axons correlate with these cellular divisions, we have examined the morphology of physiologically classified retinal axons in the ferret's lateral geniculate nucleus. As in cats, we could classify retinal axons as X or Y on the basis of a number of physiological criteria. X and Y axons have distinct patterns of termination in the lateral geniculate nucleus. Contralateral X axons innervate lamina A and ipsilateral axons lamina Al. X axons are further segregated in these laminae so that ON-center axons terminate in the inner sublamina, and OFF-center axons in the outer sublamina. We did not observe any branches of X axons innervating the medial interlaminar nucleus or the midbrain. Y axons have much larger terminal arbors and exhibit greater variation in their terminations. Generally, within layers A and Al, ON-center Y axons innervate the inner sublamina and OFF-center Y axons innervate the outer sublamina. However, they often innervate both sublaminae, and occasionally have a few boutons in the inappropriate lamina as well. Y axons also terminate in the dorsal C laminae, the interlaminar zones, and the medial interlaminar nucleus; branches of these axons course toward the midbrain, presumably to innervate the superior colliculus. Thus, whereas the Y pathway in the ferret is one of high divergence, the X pathway appears to be the substrate for segregated ON and OFF channels through the lateral geniculate nucleus.
Phase I trial of liposomal encapsulated doxorubicin (Myocet; D-99) and weekly docetaxel in advanced breast cancer patients

Background: We conducted a phase I trial to determine the safety and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of non-pegylated liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin (Myocete; D-99) administered with weekly docetaxel in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients. Patients and methods: Twenty-one patients with no prior chemotherapy for MBC received D-99 (60 or 50 mg/m 2 ) intravenously (i.v.) on day 1 and escalating doses of docetaxel (25, 30 and 35 mg/m 2 ) i.v. on days 1 and 8 in cohorts of three to six patients. Treatment cycles were repeated every 21 days for a maximum of six cycles. Results: The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was 50 mg/m 2 of D-99 in combination with 25 mg/m 2 of weekly docetaxel. The most common grade 4 toxicity was neutropenia that occurred in 42 (41%) of treatment cycles, with 10 hospitalizations for febrile neutropenia. Serious protocol-defined cardiac events occurred in three (14%) patients, with two (10%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1% to 30%) developing congestive heart failure (CHF) after a total cumulative anthracycline dose (adjuvant doxorubicin + D-99) of 540 mg/m 2 . Conclusions: D-99 in combination with weekly docetaxel, at the doses and schedule as administered in this trial, is not recommended for phase II testing. Additional trials, using different doses and schedules, are required to evaluate the potential side-effects and efficacy of D-99 and docetaxel.
Nuclear Localization of Tegument-Delivered pp71 in Human Cytomegalovirus-Infected Cells Is Facilitated by One or More Factors Present in Terminally Differentiated Fibroblasts

Herpesviral virions contain a tegument layer that consists primarily of viral proteins. The delivery of fully functional proteins to infected cells upon virion envelope fusion to the plasma membrane allows herpesviruses to modulate cellular activities prior to viral gene expression. Certain tegument proteins can also regulate viral processes. For example, the pp71 tegument protein encoded by the UL82 gene of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) stimulates viral immediate early (IE) gene expression and thus acts to initiate the productive lytic infectious cycle. In terminally differentiated fibroblasts infected with HCMV, tegument-delivered pp71 traffics to the nucleus and degrades the cellular transcriptional corepressor Daxx to initiate viral IE gene expression and lytic replication. However, when HCMV infects incompletely differentiated cells, tegument-delivered pp71 remains in the cytoplasm, allowing the nucleus-localized Daxx protein to silence viral IE gene expression and promote the establishment of a latent infection in certain cell types. We sought to determine whether undifferentiated cells block the trafficking of tegument-delivered pp71 to the nucleus or whether differentiated cells facilitate the nuclear transport of tegument-delivered pp71. Heterogenous cell fusion experiments demonstrated that tegument-delivered pp71 found in the cytoplasm of undifferentiated NT2 cells could be driven into the nucleus by one or more factors provided by fully differentiated fibroblasts. Our data raise the intriguing possibility that latency is the default program launched by HCMV upon viral entry into cells and that lytic infection is initiated only in certain (differentiated) cells that can facilitate the delivery of incoming pp71 to the nucleus.
Relative Contributions of a Set of Health Factors to Selected Health Outcomes

Although many researchers agree that multiple determinants impact health, there is no consensus regarding the magnitude of the relative contributions of individual health factors to health outcomes. This study presents a method to empirically estimate the relative contributions of health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and the physical environment to health outcomes using nationally representative county-level data and statistical approaches that account for potential sources of bias. The analyses for this study were conducted in 2014. Data were from the 2010–2013 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Data covered 2,996 of 3,141 U.S. counties. Ordinary least squares modeling was used as a baseline model. Multilevel latent growth curve modeling was used to estimate the relative contributions of health factors to health outcomes while accounting for measurement errors and state-specific characteristics. Almost half of the variance of health outcomes was due to state-level variation rather than county-level variation. When adjusted for measurement errors and state-level variation using multilevel latent growth curve modeling, the relative contribution of clinical care decreased and that of social and economic factors increased compared with the baseline model. This study presents how potential sources of bias affected the estimates of the relative contributions of a set of modifiable health factors to health outcomes at the county level. Further verification of these approaches with other data sources could lead to a better understanding of the impact of specific health determinants to health outcomes, and will provide useful information on policy interventions.
Psychosocial Outcomes after Bilateral Hand Transplantation.

Since the first successful hand transplantation in 1998, there have been multiple reports about surgical technique, transplant survival, and immunosuppression. However, very limited published data exist on psychosocial outcomes following hand transplantation.We report psychosocial outcomes in a patient with bilateral hand transplants at the midforearm level with serial follow-ups over 3.5 years. Different metrics used to study psychosocial outcomes included the following: SF-12, CES-D, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Rosenberg SE, and EQ-5D.Preoperatively, our patient did not have any evidence of depression (CES-D = 3), had a nonstressful relationship with his spouse (Dyadic Adjustment Scale = 100), and self-esteem was in the normal range (Rosenberg SE = 21). These metrics and his additional scales (SF-12 MCS, EQ-5D, and EQ-VAS) did not change appreciably and were within the normal range for the entire duration of 3.5-year follow-up at all different time points.With the increasing popularity of hand transplantation and the increasing awareness of the importance of psychosocial parameters in overall success, appropriate, comprehensive, and standardized measurements are important. These should be an integral part of patients' screening and follow-up.
An E-ARCH model for the term structure of implied volatility of FX options

We construct a statistical model for the term-structure of implied volatilities of currency options based on daily historical data for 13 currency pairs over a 19-month period. We examine the joint...
A Carbon Flux Super Site. New Insights and Innovative Atmosphere-Terrestrial Carbon Exchange Measurements and Modeling

This final report presents the main activities and results of the project “A Carbon Flux Super Site: New Insights and Innovative Atmosphere-Terrestrial Carbon Exchange Measurements and Modeling” from 10/1/2006 to 9/30/2014. It describes the new AmeriFlux tower site (Aiken) at Savanna River Site (SC) and instrumentation, long term eddy-covariance, sodar, microbarograph, soil and other measurements at the site, and intensive field campaigns of tracer experiment at the Carbon Flux Super Site, SC, in 2009 and at ARM-CF site, Lamont, OK, and experiments in Plains, GA. The main results on tracer experiment and modeling, on low-level jet characteristics and their impact on fluxes, on gravity waves and their influence on eddy fluxes, and other results are briefly described in the report.
Attentional Bias for Sexual Threat Among Sexual Victimization Survivors: A Meta-Analytic Review

The current meta-analysis examined the effects of sexual victimization (SV) on attentional bias for sexual threat. This relationship was also examined among victims of SV with and without a current diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The broader aim was to elucidate potential mechanisms operating between SV and negative health outcomes. As hypothesized, the findings supported a positive relationship between SV and attentional bias toward sexual threat stimuli, and subanalyses indicated that PTSD symptomatology significantly contributed to this association.
Changes in Bone Mass with Age and Alcoholism

A technique for taking standardized bone samples has been described. Fat-free, dry weight of standardized bone samples was recorded in men and women who had died suddenly between the ages of twenty and eighty-five years and in osteoporotic patients. Decrease in bone mass was found to occur in both sexes but to a greater degree, and twenty years earlier, in women than in men. This change seems related to the climacteric in both sexes rather than to aging. Samples from young alcoholics were similar in weight to postclimacteric normal persons, whereas osteoporotic patients had values less than any of the others. Measurements of cortical thickness made on standard roentgenograms of the upper part of the radial shaft correlated well with the weights of iliac-crest biopsy samples, suggesting that changes in the latter reflect general skeletal changes.
The Geographies of Air Transport

Andrew R. Goetz and Lucy Budd, eds. Farnham, UK: Ashgate, 2014. xv and 283 pp., figures, tables, bibliography, index. $109.95 cloth (ISBN 978-1-40945-331-4), $109.95 e-book-PDF (ISBN 978-1-40945-33...
Exploring Administrators’ Perceptions of Light-Duty Assignment

Through the lens of organizational justice, this study explored administrators’ perceptions of light-duty assignment in police agencies in Illinois. The majority consider light-duty assignment a ne...
Effect of topological disorder on structural, mechanical, and electronic properties of amorphous silicon nitride: An atomistic study

We present a first-principles study of the effect of atomic variability on the structural, mechanical, and electronic properties of amorphous silicon nitride. Using a combination of molecular dynamics and density functional theory calculations, we predict an ensemble of statistically independent, well-relaxed, and stress-free amorphous silicon nitride structures. We analyze the short-, intermediate-, and long-range orders of the structures generated using radial distribution functions, ring statistics, bond angle distributions, and translational invariance parameters. Though energetically very similar, these structures span a wide range of densities (2.75--3.25 g/cm${}^{3}$) and bulk moduli (115--220 GPa) in good agreement with the fabrication-dependent experimental range. Chemical bonds and atomic defects are identified via a combination of bond distance cutoff and maximally localized Wannier function analysis. A significant number of the amorphous structures generated ($\ensuremath{\sim}$30$%$) are defect free providing an ideal reference to characterize the formation energy of the various point defects and their defect energy levels. An analysis of the Kohn-Sham density of states and energetics of the structures reveals that defects in amorphous dielectrics have a distribution of associated properties (e.g., formation energies and electronic energy levels) due to variations in local atomic structure; this should be taken into consideration in physics-based continuum models of these materials.