cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Association Rule Mining and Crowdsourcing for Automated Generation of a Problem-Medication Knowledge Base

Increased amounts of data contained in electronic health records (EHRs) has led to inefficiencies for clinicians trying to locate relevant patient information. Automated summarization tools that create condition-specific data displays rather than current displays by data type have the potential to greatly improve clinician efficiency. These tools require new kinds of clinical knowledge (e.g., problem-medication relationships) that is difficult to obtain. We compared association rule mining and crowdsourcing as automated methods for generating a knowledge base of problem-medication pairs using a single source of clinical data from a commercially available EHR. The association rule mining and crowdsourcing approaches identified 19,586 and 31,440 pairs respectively. When comparing the top 500 pairs from each approach, only 186 overlapped. Manual inspection of the pairs indicated that crowdsourcing identified mostly common relationships, while association rule mining identified a combination of common and rare relationships. These findings indicate that the approaches are complementary, and further research is necessary to combine the approaches and better evaluate the approaches to generate an all-inclusive, highly accurate problem-medication knowledge base.
Medicare Coverage, Supplemental Insurance, and the Use of Mammography by Older Women

Background On January 1, 1991, the Medicare program began offering reimbursement for screening mammography every two years. This study examined the use of mammography in women covered by Medicare during the first two years that the screening benefit was offered. Methods Medicare bills for 1991 and 1992 from a nationally representative sample of 4110 women 65 years of age or older were examined to determine the degree of compliance with recognized guidelines for screening mammography and the extent to which the use of mammography was associated with having supplemental insurance, which shields patients from the out-of-pocket costs associated with using Medicare benefits. Results A total of 36.9 percent of older U.S. women had mammography during the first two years of the Medicare benefit for screening mammography. Only 14.4 percent of the women lacking supplemental insurance had mammography, as compared with 44.7 percent of those with employer-sponsored supplemental insurance, 40.1 percent of those with se...
Pennsylvanian Fan-Delta Sandstones, Palo Duro Basin, Texas: ABSTRACT

Pennsylvanian sedimentation in the Palo Duro basin was strongly influenced by tectonic events. Highlands surrounding the basin were uplifted early in the Pennsylvanian Period and were major sources of clastic sediment. Arkosic sandstones ("granite wash") contain abundant feldspar and granite rock fragments derived from exposed Precambrian basement rocks. Granite wash deposits are thickest in the northeastern and northwestern parts of the basin, and lobes of sandstone extend to the southern basin margin. Individual beds, which are 10 to 40 ft (3 to 15 m) thick and are laterally discontinuous, cannot be correlated more than a few tens of miles. Granite wash deposits vary from medium sandstone to conglomerate, and upward-fining sequences are common. These sandstones contain scours and large-scale trough or foreset cross-beds. Limestone commonly is interbedded with granite wash sandstone and shale. Thick wedges of Pennsylvanian granite wash adjacent to mountain fronts are characteristic fan-delta deposits. Coarse clastic material was carried off the uplifts to adjacent fans by high-gradient braided streams. Near the source areas, sediments are entirely terrigenous clastics, which were probably deposited in subaerial delta-plain environments. Coal and thin limestone beds are interbedded with delta-plain sandstones. Carbonates become more abundant downdip where they were deposited periodically in subaqueous, distal-fan delta environments. Periodic movement along faults may have been responsible for the initiation of major clastic cycles. End_of_Article - Last_Page 2116------------
Industrial production of soy sauce

Soy sauce is a seasoning agent with a salty taste and a distinct aroma suggestive of meat extracts. The sauce is made by fermentation of a combination of soy beans and wheat in water and salt. This paper covers the method for production of fermented soy sauce, and that for acid-hydrolysis of defatted soy bean proteins. The microorganisms involved in soy sauce production, and biochemical and chemical changes in soy bean and wheat during fermentation influence greatly the sensory attributes and quality of soy sauce. Recent progress in industrialization of soy sauce manufacture is discussed.
Cloning and characterization of 414 polymorphic porcine microsatellites

We report the sequences, sizes, and number of alleles of 414 new porcine microsatellites that were cloned in our laboratory and 21 microsatellites derived from GenBank DNA sequences. We also confirm the usefulness of porcine microsatellite primer pairs derived from short interdispersed elements.
The Use of Information in Repeated Games with Imperfect Monitoring

The present paper formalizes the idea that improved monitoring helps coordination in long term relationships. Specifically, the pure-strategy sequential equilibrium payoff set is shown to expand (in the sense of set inclusion) in repeated games with inperfect monitoring, when the quality of the signal improves in Blackwell's sense. Furthermore, the directions of the expansion are identified.
Ligninase-catalyzed hydroxylation of phenols

Abstract Lignin peroxidase (ligninase) catalyzes the hydroxylation of phenols in the presence of dihydroxyfumarate and molecular oxygen at pH 4 with a turnover number of 1.7 s −1 . After 3 h, 50% of a 2mM phenol solution reacts to give catechol and hydroquinone in a respective ratio of 4.5:1. The hydroxylase and dihydroxyfumarate oxidase reactions are strongly uncoupled; 10-fold more dihydroxyfumarate is oxidized, presumably to diketosuccinate, than phenol is hydroxylated. This hydroxylation reaction is distinct from all other reported reactions involving ligninase, in that hydrogen peroxide is not involved as the external oxidant. Hence the chemistries associated with ligninase compounds I and II are not involved in the hydroxylation reaction, although this cannot be ruled out for dihydroxyfumarate oxidation. Instead, superoxide and hydroxyl radicals are involved in the hydroxylation and ligninase compound III is an active intermediate. Phenol hydroxylation, therefore, is the first reported catalytically active role for ligninase compound III. In addition to phenol, p - and m -cresols, and l -tyrosine are also hydroxylation substrates.
Do high interest rates deter speculative attacks? – Evidence and some theory

Abstract This paper presents the first empirical evidence on the efficacy of raising interest rates ex ante as a deterrent to speculative attacks. Using a dataset that covers 54 countries from March 1964 through December 2005, we find strong evidence that raising interest rates in advance has significantly different impacts in different country groups. It significantly reduces the probability of attacks in countries that have a de facto hard peg but increases it in de facto soft-pegging countries. This finding is robust to alternative measure of monetary policy and to different specifications and samples. We then present a simple two-stage signaling model to offer a theoretical explanation for our empirical findings.
Isolation and connection: unbounded sound in the films of Paul Thomas Anderson

When Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master was released in September of 2012, many critics hailed it for its inventive and spellbinding filmmaking while simultaneously noting – and often criticizing – its enigmatic and perplexing narrative. This article argues that one can most productively understand and explore The Master in two ways: (1) as an entry in Anderson's larger oeuvre, and (2) as an unusual instance in US filmmaking in which much of the film's meaning emerges via sound–image relationships and music rather than character action, dialogue and narrative development. In particular, I focus on Anderson's use of what I call unbounded sound, which refers to sound whose source cannot be definitively pinpointed within the film frame. This term encompasses offscreen diegetic sound, but it also includes nondiegetic sound and sound that occupies an ambiguous space between the diegetic and nondiegetic poles. Throughout his career, Anderson's soundtracks – and especially his uses of unbounded sound – have helpe...
Relief etching technique for scanning and transmission electron microscopy characterization of submicron precipitates in aluminum alloys

Abstract The size, type, and distribution of insoluble dispersoids and age-hardening precipitates influence the processing and final properties of aluminum alloys, and accurate characterization of these submicron precipitates is often required. A modified version of a relief etching technique introduced by Ryvola and Morris now allows rapid determination of their size, shape, and distribution in the scanning electron microscope in addition to facilitating accurate chemical and microstructural analyses by transmission electron microscope/STEM analytic and diffraction techniques. The etching procedure is applicable to almost all second phases commonly found in aluminum alloys and is simple to use.
Reformulation of the Nosé–Hoover thermostat for heat conduction simulation at nanoscale

This paper investigates the heat conduction phenomena at nanoscale by reformulating the Nose–Hoover thermostat for nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation. Inspired by the Nose–Hoover mechanics, the feedback temperature force caused by the temperature control is reformulated to a more general level, aiming at (1) controlling the temperature locally at several distinct spots and (2) eliminating the rigid-body translation and rotation which are unexpectedly introduced into the system due to the feedback temperature force, so that accurate trajectories of atoms can be generated and the heat conduction simulation at nanoscale can be performed successfully. Correspondingly, the definition of temperature is modified; the expression of the Hamiltonian is generalized. To demonstrate the capability and feasibility of this newly formulated algorithm, we studied heat conduction phenomenon in a beam-like finite size specimen via our in-house developed computer code. The results, temperature distributions across the specimen, are shown to reach steady state after a period of time which cannot be achieved by the original Nose–Hoover thermostat. Also, it is concluded that the heat conduction at nanoscale exhibits the same feature of Fourier’s law at macroscopic scale, namely that the heat flux is linearly proportional to the temperature gradient, if the temperature is averaged over a sufficiently large time interval and large spatial region. The thermal conductivity can thereafter be calculated based on the linear relation between the heat flux and the temperature gradient. It is found that the obtained numerical value of thermal conductivity matches the experimental result very well.
Testing for Trend in the Presence of Autoregressive Error

A popular model for assessing dependence on time is the time series model composed of a linear trend plus a zero mean autoregressive (AR) process. Although considerable effort has been devoted developing tests for linear trend in the presence of serial correlation, the testing procedures used in practice are less than satisfactory for portions of the parameter space for the AR coefficient. This is because the variance of the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) estimator of the trend coefficient is heavily dependent on the parameters of the AR process. A test based on the Gauss–Newton procedure is shown to have more uniform behavior over the parameter space than tests based on FGLS. The test based on Gauss–Newton procedure also has good power.
Unilateral proptosis secondary to a retroorbital tumor: fibrous histiocytoma or xanthogranulomatous lesion.

Abstract A patient was first examined because of unilateral decreased vision, proptosis, and generalized headaches secondary to a retro-orbital tumor. An unusual orbital tumor with intracranial in-volvement was found. The pathological diagnosis was fibrous histiocytoma or xanthogranulomatous lesion.
Initial docking of ER‐derived vesicles requires Uso1p and Ypt1p but is independent of SNARE proteins

ER-to-Golgi transport in yeast may be reproduced in vitro with washed membranes, purified proteins (COPII, Uso1p and LMA1) and energy. COPII coated vesicles that have budded from the ER are freely diffusible but then dock to Golgi membranes upon the addition of Uso1p. LMA1 and Sec18p are required for vesicle fusion after Uso1p function. Here, we report that the docking reaction is sensitive to excess levels of Sec19p (GDI), a treatment that removes the GTPase, Ypt1p. Once docked, however, vesicle fusion is no longer sensitive to GDI. In vitro binding experiments demonstrate that the amount of Uso1p associated with membranes is reduced when incubated with GDI and correlates with the level of membrane-bound Ypt1p, suggesting that this GTPase regulates Uso1p binding to membranes. To determine the influence of SNARE proteins on the vesicle docking step, thermosensitive mutations in Sed5p, Bet1p, Bos1p and Sly1p that prevent ER-to-Golgi transport in vitro at restrictive temperatures were employed. These mutations do not interfere with Uso1p-mediated docking, but block membrane fusion. We propose that an initial vesicle docking event of ER-derived vesicles, termed tethering, depends on Uso1p and Ypt1p but is independent of SNARE proteins.
Proteomic identification of anti-cancer proteins in luteolin-treated human hepatoma Huh-7 cells

Luteolin has been shown to exhibit anti-cancer activity against several forms of cancers, including human hepatic cancers. Many in vitro studies have reported anti-oxidant effects of luteolin. Here, we demonstrate using ROS (reactive oxygen species) detection in the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, Huh-7, that anti-cancer action of luteolin are mediated through an increasing in intracellular ROS levels. To identify proteins potentially involved in this mechanism, a two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE)-based-proteomic approach was employed. Proteomic analysis revealed that several proteins were associated with the anti-cancer effects of luteolin. Interestingly, these proteins included peroxiredoxin 6 (PRDX6) and prohibitin (PHB), which are implicated in ROS metabolism and apoptosis. Western blot analyses confirmed the expression of these proteins in Huh-7 cells following luteolin application. On the basis of these results, we suggest that PRDX6 and PHB are key targets of luteolin that the mechanism of luteolin-induced apoptosis in Huh-7 cells is mediated through effects involving intracellular ROS.
Low-dose ouabain protects against excitotoxic apoptosis and up-regulates nuclear Bcl-2 in vivo

Sodium-potassium ATPase (Na+,K+-ATPase) regulates the electrochemical gradient in cells, thereby providing fluid and ionic homeostasis. Additionally, interaction of the Na+,K+ pump with cardiac glycosides can activate intracellular signaling cascades (resulting in cell growth) and up-regulate transcription factors that promote cell survival. We used an in vivo excitotoxicity model to assess if Na+,K+-ATPase plays a role in neuronal apoptosis. After unilateral, intrastriatal injection of the glutamate receptor agonist kainic acid into postnatal day 7 rats, Na+,K+ pump function was increased at 12 h after excitotoxic challenge, and levels of neuron-specific enzyme subunits were preserved (up to 24 h after injection) in membrane-enriched striatal fractions. In addition, co-injection of kainic acid with a low-dose (0.01 nmol) of the cardiac glycoside ouabain significantly (P<0.05) reduced striatal apoptosis (at 24 h post-injection) without diminishing Na+,K+-ATPase activity. To evaluate the possible mechanisms for this neuroprotection, we examined the levels of nuclear factor kappa B and Bcl-2 after cardiac glycoside exposure. Low-dose ouabain increased nuclear Bcl-2 (but not nuclear factor kappa B) protein levels at 6 h post injection. Our results suggest that Na+,K+-ATPase allows for progression of apoptosis in excitotoxically-injured neurons, and that sublethal concentrations of ouabain provide neuroprotection against excitotoxicity. The mechanism for this ouabain neuroprotection could be intracellular cascades linked to the Na+,K+-ATPase-ouabain interaction that modulate subcellular Bcl-2 levels. Targeted, therapeutic inhibition of apoptosis through cardiac glycosides may represent an effective strategy against excitotoxicity-mediated neuronal injury.
SMART: A selective controlled-flooding routing for delay tolerant networks

Delay-Tolerant network (DTN) is a network in which no simultaneous end-to-end path exists. And the messages delivered in the DTN usually have large delivery latency due to network partition. These special characteristics make DTN routing a challenging problem. In this paper, we propose a DTN routing protocol SMART. SMART uses travel companions of the destinations (i.e. nodes that frequently meet the destination) to increase the delivery opportunities. In the first phase of SMART, a fixed number of copies of a message are injected into the network to forward the message to the companions of the destination. In the second phase of SMART, a companion of the destination only forwards the message to a fixed number of the destination’s companions. Our analysis and simulation results show that SMART has a higher delivery ratio and smaller delivery latency than opportunistically controlled-flooding schemes and has a significantly smaller routing overhead than pure flooding schemes.
Saharan aerosols over the tropical North Atlantic — Mineralogy

Abstract Quantitative aerosol samples were collected on filters during three major Saharan dust outbreaks as they passed across the tropical North Atlantic Ocean during the summer of 1974. The sampling sites were: Sal Island, Cape Verde Islands; Barbados, West Indies; Miami, Florida. The dominant mineral group was mica—illite; the mean concentration at each station ranged from 54% at Sal Island to 64% at Barbados. Quartz was the second most abundant mineral with concentrations ranging from 20% at Sal Island to 14% at Barbados and Miami. Also present were kaolinite, chlorite, microcline, plagioclase and calcite — all at concentrations less than 10%. At each sampling site, the composition of the dust was relatively constant during all three dust episodes. However, there were significant differences between the mean composition at Sal Island and those at Barbados and Miami; the most notable difference was that the concentration of quartz decreased and that of the clays increased during the transit of the Atlantic. These changes are ascribed to the more rapid removal of quartz (relative to the clays) because of its relatively larger mass median diameter and, consequently, its greater settling velocity in the atmosphere. The dusts did not contain any primary halite or gypsum; abundant amounts of gypsum were measured in the samples but this gypsum was found to be a conversion product of calcite reacting with atmospheric sulfur species. The mineralogy of the Saharan dusts is similar to that of the clay fraction of sediments in the tropical North Atlantic with the exception of montmorillonite which was barely detectable in the dusts; this discrepancy may be ascribed, at least in part, to differences in analytical techniques. The mineralogy of Saharan dust is similar to that of an average shale. This similarity can be attributed to genetic factors and to the effect of winnowing.
An extended siderophore suite from Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 revealed by LC-ICPMS-ESIMS.

Siderophores are thought to play an important role in iron cycling in the ocean, but relatively few marine siderophores have been identified. Sensitive, high throughput methods hold promise for expediting the discovery and characterization of new siderophores produced by marine microbes. We developed a methodology for siderophore characterization that combines liquid chromatography (LC) inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) with high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS). To demonstrate this approach, we investigated siderophore production by the marine cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. Three hydroxamate siderophores, synechobactin A–C, have been previously isolated and characterized from this strain. These compounds consist of an iron binding head group attached to a fatty acid side chain of variable length (C12, C10, and C8 respectively). In this study, we detected six iron-containing compounds in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 media by LC-ICPMS. To identify the molecular ions of these siderophores, we aligned the chromatographic retention times of peaks from the LC-ICPMS chromatogram with features detected from LC-ESIMS spectra using an algorithm designed to recognize metal isotope patterns. Three of these compounds corresponded to synechobactins A (614 m/z), B (586 m/z), and C (558 m/z). The MS2 spectra of these compounds revealed diagnostic synechobactin fragmentation patterns which were used to confirm the identity of the three unknown compounds (600, 628, and 642 m/z) as new members of the synechobactin suite with side chain lengths of 11, 13, and 14 carbons. These results demonstrate the potential of combined LCMS techniques for the identification of novel iron–organic complexes.
Somatostatin and substance P inhibit catecholamine secretion from isolated cells of guinea-pig adrenal medulla

Abstract Chromaffin cells isolated from guinea-pig adrenal glands secrete catecholamines in response to acetylcholine, nicotine, pilocarpine, veratridine, and high [K + ]. Both substance P and somatostatin inhibit acetylcholine-induced catecholamine secretion. The maximal inhibition of acetylcholine-induced catecholamine secretion produced by substance P and by somatostatin is approximately 60%: the concentrations of the peptides required for half-maximal inhibition of secretion are approximately 0.8 and 2 μ M . respectively. The maximal inhibition of catecholamine secretion produced by somatostatin and that caused by substance P are not additive. The effects of the peptides on secretion are readily reversible. Somatostatin and substance P also inhibit nicotine-induced catecholamine secretion, but they do not inhibit catecholamine secretion stimulated by pilocarpine, veratridine, or high [K + ]. Thus, these peptides specifically inhibit catecholamine secretion linked to stimulation of nicotinic receptors. The inhibition of acetylcholine-induced catecholamine secretion by somatostatin is noncompetitive with respect to acetylcholine, Na + or Ca 2+ . Immunoreactive somatostatin and substance P are present in guinea-pig adrenal glands. It is suggested that these peptides may play a role in the regulation of catecholamine secretion from the adrenal medulla.
Sub-millisecond post exposure bake of chemically amplified resists by CO2 laser heat treatment

Chemically amplified photoresists require a post exposure bake (PEB), typically on a hot plate at 90-150°C for 30-120 seconds, to catalytically deprotect the polymer backbone. During PEB, excessive diffusion of the photo-generated acid results in loss of line edge definition, blurring of latent images and changes in the line edge roughness. Both acid diffusion and deprotection are thermally activated processes, with the relative rates affected by the time/temperature profile of the PEB. In this work, we introduce an alternate PEB method involving 500 μs time scale heating over a temperature range of 130°C to 450°C using a continuous wave CO 2 laser. A methodology is developed for characterizing this laser PEB and comparing the behavior with conventional hot plate PEB. The thermal stability of several polymer and photoacid generator (PAG) resist systems were studied and shown to be stable at these high temperatures due to the short heating duration. Sensitivity of resists under hot plate and laser PEB were measured. Under moderate temperatures, the laser PEB sensitivity can exceed that of hot plate PEB by an order of magnitude. Quantitative determination of the acid diffusion was obtained using resist bilayers (PAG loaded / PAG free). Despite the five orders of magnitude difference in PEB time, systems with l-PEB and hot-plate PEB exhibit comparable imaging quality under deep ultraviolet exposure.
Job Displacement and Mortality: An Analysis Using Administrative Data

We use administrative data on the quarterly employment and earnings of Pennsylvanian workers in the 1970s and 1980s matched to Social Security Administration death records covering 1980–2006 to estimate the effects of job displacement on mortality. We find that for high-seniority male workers, mortality rates in the year after displacement are 50%–100% higher than would otherwise have been expected. The effect on mortality hazards declines sharply over time, but even twenty years after displacement, we estimate a 10%–15% increase in annual death hazards. If such increases were sustained indefinitely, they would imply a loss in life expectancy of 1.0–1.5 years for a worker displaced at age forty. We show that these results are not due to selective displacement of less healthy workers or to unstable industries or firms offering less healthy work environments. We also show that workers with larger losses in earnings tend to suffer greater increases in mortality. This correlation remains when we examine predicted earnings declines based on losses in industry, firm, or firm-size wage premiums.
Enhancing Risk‐Controlled Returns on Excess Japanese Yen

This paper examines the zero‐cost risk reversal as a tool for increasing returns to excess yen while limiting risk. With domestic interest rates near zero, firms holding Japanese yen face little opportunity to deposit cash for meaningful gain unless excess funds are invested in an other currency. The conversion strategy is profitable as long as the value of the yen appreciates less than the interest rate differential between the currencies, taking advantage of an apparent empirical regularity frequently referred to as ‘forward exchange bias.’ A problem arises, however, because dollar‐yen exchange rate fluctuation adds variability to returns stated in yen. This increased risk counters prudent cash management principles such as stability of returns and liquidity. We consider the possi bility that effective use of a zero‐cost currency options collar can substantially limit exchange‐rate risk and improve returns to yen holders. Data from July 1997 through June 2002 show that a one‐year strategy of reinvesting collared monthly Eurodollar returns produced a median annual yen return of 1.76 per cent, more than 8 times the median 0.21 per cent Euroyen return; risk also increases but approximately 98 per cent of returns resulting from this strategy fell between ‐6.05 per cent and +12.58 per cent.
Attitudes and self-reported practices of hand surgeons regarding prescription opioid use

Opioids are routinely prescribed after hand surgery, but there is limited research about surgeon variation in prescription patterns and attitudes toward the use of these drugs. We sought to examine hand surgeons’ attitudes, beliefs, and self-reported practices regarding the use of opioids. An invitation to an online cross-sectional survey was sent to 3225 hand surgeons across the USA via email, of whom 502 (16 %) responded. We used previously published data to compare hand surgeons’ concerns about potential adverse opioid-related events with those of primary care physicians. Most hand surgeons (76 %) reported prescription opioid abuse to be a big or moderate problem in their communities, and 89 % felt that opioids are overused to treat pain. Nearly all (94 %) were very or moderately confident about their clinical skills regarding opioid prescribing, but only 40 % reported always or often asking about a history of opioid abuse or dependence before scheduling surgery. Most (75 %) were very or moderately comfortable refilling opioid prescriptions following fracture surgery, while only 13 % were comfortable doing so after minor elective surgery. Nearly half (49 %) reported being less likely to prescribe opioids compared to 1 year ago, and 67 % believed that the best approach to reduce postoperative opioid use is to discuss pain management and expectations with the patient before surgery. Compared to primary care physicians, hand surgeons were less likely to be concerned about potential adverse patient (e.g., opioid-related addiction [67 vs. 84 %], death [37 vs. 70 %], sedation [57 vs. 71 %]) and prescriber (e.g., malpractice claim [22 vs. 46 %], prosecution [15 vs. 45 %], censure by state medical boards [16 vs. 44 %]) outcomes. Hand surgeons have become aware of the extent and public health implications of the prescription opioid epidemic, and many are taking an active role by reducing their reliance on these drugs. Additional research using pharmacy data is needed to confirm the extent to which hand surgeons’ reliance on prescription opioids is actually decreasing.
Persistent Insomnia is Associated with Mortality Risk

Abstract Background Insomnia has been associated with mortality risk, but whether this association is different in subjects with persistent vs intermittent insomnia is unclear. Additionally, the role of systemic inflammation in such an association is unknown. Methods We used data from a community-based cohort to determine whether persistent or intermittent insomnia, defined based on persistence of symptoms over a 6-year period, was associated with death during the following 20 years of follow-up. We also determined whether changes in serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels measured over 2 decades between study initiation and insomnia determination were different for the persistent, intermittent, and never insomnia groups. The results were adjusted for confounders such as age, sex, body mass index, smoking, physical activity, alcohol, and sedatives. Results Of the 1409 adult participants, 249 (18%) had intermittent and 128 (9%) had persistent insomnia. During a 20-year follow-up period, 318 participants died (118 due to cardiopulmonary disease). In adjusted Cox proportional-hazards models, participants with persistent insomnia (adjusted hazards ratio [HR] 1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-2.45) but not intermittent insomnia (HR 1.22; 95% CI, 0.86-1.74) were more likely to die than participants without insomnia. Serum CRP levels were higher and increased at a steeper rate in subjects with persistent insomnia as compared with intermittent ( P = .04) or never ( P = .004) insomnia. Although CRP levels were themselves associated with increased mortality (adjusted HR 1.36; 95% CI, 1.01-1.82; P = .04), adjustment for CRP levels did not notably change the association between persistent insomnia and mortality. Conclusions In a population-based cohort, persistent, and not intermittent, insomnia was associated with increased risk for all-cause and cardiopulmonary mortality and was associated with a steeper increase in inflammation.
Application of a ferrocyanide-phosphomolybdate reaction to an automated determination of serum glucose

Abstract An automated method for the determination of serum glucose is presented. It involves the reduction of alkaline ferricyanide to ferrocyanide by glucose and the subsequent reaction of ferrocyanide with molybdate in phosphoric acid medium to form a colored product. At the rate of 40 determinations per hour the method requires the use of 0.2 ml serum, and can determine glucose levels within the range 0–500 mg%. Recovery experiments gave yields of 98.8–100.5 mg%. The standard deviation for 50 specimens analyzed in duplicate was 3.51 mg%. Results obtained by this method average 4.4 mg% less than the Folin-Wu values, and 3.5 mg% less than the conventional automated alkaline ferricyanide reduction procedure.
Do sport-specific stressors predict athletic injury?

Previous research concerning the relation between life stress and athletic injury has not assessed the separate predictive contribution of sport-related stress and stressors in other life domains. We propose that stressful life events that occur within the same environmental context as the outcome may have an impact that goes beyond general life stress. The present study eliminates the potential confounding of the two classes of life events, as well as potential masking effects of social desirability. In a prospective study involving 425 high school athletes (236 males and 189 females) in four sports, preseason measures of both sport-specific and non-sport stressful life events were administered. Injury time loss was tracked during the subsequent season. The results indicated that sport-specific stressful events accounted for statistically signficant injury time loss variance beyond that accounted for by general negative life stress only for female athletes. Implications of the findings for interpreting previous research and for designing future studies are discussed.
Diverse Synaptic Terminals on Rat Stapedius Motoneurons

Stapedius motoneurons (SMN) mediate the contraction of the stapedius muscle, which protects the inner ear from injury and reduces the masking effects of background noise. A variety of inputs to SMNs are known to exist, but their terminal ultrastructure has not been investigated. We characterized the synaptic terminals on retrogradely labeled SMNs found just ventromedial to the facial motor nucleus. About 80% of the terminals contained round synaptic vesicles. One type (Sm Rnd) had small, round vesicles filling the terminal with occasional dense core vesicles and formed an asymmetric synapse. Sm Rnd terminals were small with lengths of apposition to the SMN less than 3 μm. Partial reconstructions from serial sections demonstrated that these terminals formed up to three synapses per terminal. Another terminal type (Lg Rnd) had large, round vesicles and asymmetric synapses. Most Lg Rnd terminals were small but some were extensive, e.g., abutting the SMN for up to 10 μm. One of these terminals formed at least seven synapses. Another terminal type (Pleo) had pleomorphic vesicles and symmetric active zones that, in some cases, were invaginated by spines from the SMN. A fourth uncommon terminal type (Het Rnd) had round vesicles of heterogeneous sizes and asymmetric synapses. A fifth rare terminal type (Cist) had large, round vesicles and an accompanying subsurface cistern in the SMN. These were generally the same kinds of terminals found on other motoneurons, but the high proportion of round vesicle synapses indicate that SMNs receive mostly excitatory inputs.
Psychiatric challenges in the first 6 years after traumatic brain injury: cross-sequential analyses of Axis I disorders.

Abstract Ashman TA, Spielman LA, Hibbard MR, Silver JM, Chandna T, Gordon WA. Psychiatric challenges in the first 6 years after traumatic brain injury: cross-sequential analyses of Axis I disorders. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85(4 Suppl 2):S36–42. Objective To examine the preinjury rates of Axis I disorders and the prospective rates within the first 6 years after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and cross-sequential. Setting Community-based research and training center. Participants Persons (N=188) who had sustained TBI within 4 years of enrollment into the project were interviewed at either 2 and 3 assessments. Each assessment was approximately 1 year apart. Several Axis I diagnoses were analyzed to detect cross-sectional differences (by age and time postinjury) and average individual changes over the multiple measurement time points. Interventions Not applicable. Main outcome measure Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Results The odds ratios changed longitudinally within each subject, indicating a decreased probability of having an Axis I diagnosis over time. There were few cross-sectional differences in age; therefore, age at the time of injury had little impact on Axis I diagnoses. Cross-sectional time since injury was not associated with more psychiatric disorders, whereas cross-sectional preinjury history of psychiatric disorders was predictive of postinjury psychiatric disorders. After controlling for cross-sectional effects, the frequencies of Axis I disorders increased in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorders in the first assessment postinjury and declined in subsequent assessments. Conclusions Cross-sequential analyses that control for cross-sectional and longitudinal differences produced a more complete description of psychiatric disorders after TBI.
The Construction of a Courtroom The Judicial System and Autopoiesis

This article uses autopoietic theory to explain the dual construction of Philadelphia Landlord-Tenant (L-T) Court’s organizational patterns and the construction of my understanding of these patterns. Autopoiesis characterizes biological, individual, and social systems as fundamentally self-referential and asserts that the relationship between systems is defined by continuous responses to environmental changes made by each system. By using a combination of methodologies and extensive fieldwork, I participated in the organizational patterns that I was observing. The central pattern observed was L-T Court’s propagation of its own version of landlord and tenant law that directly contradicts substantial portions of the judicial, legislative, and administrative law the court is mandated to apply. Autopoietic theory provides a powerful framework to understand the organizational behavior of this courtroom and the epistemological dimensions of researchers’ relationship with the organizations that they observe.
PP bond photophysics in an Ar–PP–Ar diphosphene

The details of the photophysics of a diphosphene DmpPPDmp (Dmp: 2,6-Mes2C6H3) have been examined experimentally and computationally. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy has been used to probe the dynamics of the S1 and S2 excited states of DmpPPDmp, through excitation at 480 and 400 nm, respectively. The molecule returns to S0 on sub-nanosecond timescales; no irreversible photochemistry is observed. The S2 state is observed in the transient spectra with an absorption feature at the red end of the visible spectrum. Its lifetime was measured to be 275 fs. The S1 state does not absorb appreciably in the probe wavelength range. Excitation into either of these states leads to transient absorption signals in the 400–600 nm region that exhibit a rise time longer than the measured instrument response function, indicating that they do not arise from the initially excited state. These bands decay biexponentially, with lifetimes of ∼20 ps and of a few hundred ps. Calculations at the CASSCF(8,6)/6-31G** and CASPT2(8,6)/6-31G**//CASSCF(8,6)/6-31G** levels support these assignments, and underpin an initial working model that involves participation of phenyl torsional twisting motions and the possibility of rapid intersystem crossing to the low-lying triplet manifold.
Estimating microbial inactivation parameters from survival curves obtained under varying conditions - The linear case

When the isothermal semi-logarithmic survival curves of heat inactivated microbial cells or spores are known to be linear it is possible to calculate their survival parameters from curves obtained under nonisothermal conditions, provided that the temperature history ('profile') satisfies certain simple mathematical requirements. These requirements have been identified. The concept was tested by retrieving the survival parameters of a Listeria-like organism from generated survival curves for linear and nonlinear heating profiles on which noise had been superimposed. The availability of such a procedure eliminates the need to determine the survival parameters under perfect isothermal conditions, which are difficult to create for technical reasons. It will also enable determination of the survival parameters in the actual medium of interest, which may contain particles or may be too viscous to be treated in a capillary or narrow tube as is currently done. The method can also be used to assess survival parameters in nonthermal inactivation. A treatment with a dissipating chemical agent or anti-microbial is an example. In principle, the concept can be extended to the more general situation where the isothermal or iso-concentration semi-logarithmic survival curves are clearly nonlinear, but this will require a modification of the model and a different numerical calculation procedure.
Warcon: a wargame construction toolset for military simulations

The use of wargames in the Air Force curriculum to date has been hindered by the significant amount of time and effort required to develop new wargames, as well as by drastically varying interfaces that impose a steep learning curve on the student. We describe an ongoing effort to develop an advanced wargame construction toolset, called Warcon, that will empower Air Force instructors to create small-scale instructional wargames that embody modern warfare principles. The aim of this toolset is to make the authoring process accessible to a wide range of instructors, via an intuitive visual interface and advanced authoring assistance that eliminate the need for programming. The toolset will feature a customizable adjudication engine with advanced features for modeling effects-based operations, psyops, Military Operations Other Than War, and other aspects of modern warfare. The toolset will present students with a standardized interface, allowing them to build experience with one wargame that will carry to the next, thereby enabling them to focus on the content. Using the proposed toolset, Air Force instructors will be able to design and deploy new wargames into their teaching curriculum more rapidly.© (2004) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Gas chromatographic determination of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, methane, krypton, and carbon dioxide at room temperature

Hydrogen, N, O, Kr methane and carbon dioxide gas chromatographic examination, discussing life detection device for Mars landing
Stable and radiogenic isotopes as tracers for the origin, mixing and subsurface history of fluids in submarine shallow-water hydrothermal systems

The shallow-water hydrothermal system in Tutum Bay on the west side of Ambitle Island, Papua New Guinea provides us with an exceptional opportunity to study isotope systematics in a near shore setting. Compared to seawater, the hydrothermal fluids in Tutum Bay have lower values for dD, d 18 O, d 13 C, and 87 Sr and higher values for 3 H, d 34 S(SO4) and d 18 O(SO4). The d 18 O and dD records for vents 1 and 4 indicate that fluid compositions remained stable over an extended period. Interpretation of isotope data clearly demonstrates the predominantly meteoric origin of Tutum Bay hydrothermal fluids, despite their location in a marine environment. d 18 O and dD values are identical to mean average annual precipitation in eastern Papua New Guinea. The hypothesis that these fluids are a simple product of mixing between seawater and onshore hydrothermal fluids from the Waramung (W-1) and Kapkai (W-2) thermal areas has been rejected, because the observed d 37 Cl, 3 H, d 34 S(SO4) and d 18 O(SO4) values cannot be explained by a simple mixing model. The application of d 18 O(SO4) and d 13 C thermometers in combination with 3 H values corroborates the three-step model of Pichler et al. [Pichler, T., Veizer, J., Hall, G.E.M., 1999. The chemical composition of shallow-water hydrothermal fluids in Tutum Bay, Ambitle Island, Papua New Guinea and their effect on ambient seawater. Marine Chemistry 64 (3) 229–252], where (1) phase separation in the deep reservoir beneath Ambitle Island produces a high temperature vapor that rises upward and subsequently reacts with cooler ground water to form a low pH, CO2-rich water of approximately 150–160 8C, (2) caused by the steep topography, this CO2-rich fluid moves laterally towards the margin of the hydrothermal system where it mixes with the marginal upflow of the deep reservoir fluid. This produces a dilute chloride water of approximately 165 8C, and (3) possibly the entrainment of minor amounts of ground or seawater during its final ascent. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Lost in the labyrinth: Wayfinding behavior in a public library—predictable? Maybe not

Wayfinding is how humans orient and navigate in space, and it requires wayfinders to seek and process spatial information, such as architectural cues, signs, and maps. This topic has been researched in many areas, but rarely public libraries, facilities that wayfinders enter with both general and spatial information needs (i.e., the need to use spatial information to locate an item that will provide information to satisfy the underlying information need). This poster presents one component of a multi-method case study with the purpose to explore user wayfinding behavior in a medium-sized public library. The poster focuses on how users navigate from the library entrance, which routes are most popular, and areas that experience the highest traffic. Preliminary findings regarding node-to-node (stop- to-stop) connections show that in many cases, multiple people connect the same two nodes via different segments; often, one of these is a predominant connecting segment employed by the majority of cases observed making this connection. These findings indicate that there may be two groups of wayfinders: people who navigate the most direct route and those who navigate another path. This suggests that theories attempting to predict wayfinding behavior need to consider that not all wayfinding behavior may be predictable to the same degree.
Molecular mechanics in silicon chemistry. some applications to cyclic and polycyclic silanes

Abstract The MM2 program for molecular mechanics calculations has been applied to variety of cyclic and polycyclic silanes. The procedure gives very good reproduction of structural parameters for even moderately strained silanes (e.g. ???lacyclopent-3-ene), but should be applied with caution for highly strained ???anes (e.g. silacyclobutanes). Conformational energy differences are predicted ??? least fairly well in cases where such experimental data exists. This powerful ???ol is hence at a level of development for compounds containing Si-C and ???-H bonds that allows its use for a variety of problems of interest in silicon chemistry. A correlation of reactivity with calculated bond angle strain at Si presented.
Comparison of kinetic analysis of source rocks and kerogen concentrates

Abstract Shales and kerogen concentrates from the Green River, Rundel, Ohio, Draupne, and Phosphoria formations were examined by Pyromat II micropyrolysis and kinetic parameters were determined by the shift-in- T max , discrete distribution, modified Friedman, and modified Coats-Redfern methods. Overall, the shales and corresponding kerogens exhibited very similar kinetic parameters. Green River, Rundel, and Ohio shales and kerogens exhibited principal discrete activation energies of 54–57 kcal/mol, narrow distributions, and T max at 25°C/min heating rate around 480°C. Draupne and Phosphoria shales and kerogens exhibited kinetic parameters typical of Type II source rocks—principal discrete activation energies of 54–57 kcal/mol, broad distributions, and T max at 25°C/min around 459°C. The discrete distribution kinetic parameters were used to calculate oil generation at laboratory and geological heating rates. Each shale and corresponding kerogen exhibited generation curves and 50% generation temperatures that were very similar. The principal difference was that the kerogens exhibited slightly more oil generation at low temperatures compared to the corresponding shales. Some kerogens exhibited curves which were also shifted to slightly lower temperatures than those of the corresponding shales. For these specific shales and kerogens, the results indicate that kerogen isolation does little to affect the pyrolysis kinetic parameters. Although from a limited number of samples, these results suggest kerogen isolation may not be necessary to derive valid kinetic parameters.