cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New development approaches and the adaptability of international agencies: the case of the World Bank

Certain “realist” views of the international economic regime construe international financial agencies as straightforward reflections of the power and interests of nation states. However, the World Bank's responsiveness to a wide range of demands for new development priorities and approaches also depends on the compliance of its huge staff. The staff's discretion in shaping, implementing, discrediting, or resisting these approaches requires an organizational-theoretic analysis of the sources of acceptance of or resistance to particular initiatives. Role-set theory accounts for many of the motivational sources of resistance. The capabilities to resist new initiatives through “bureaucratic politics” can be understood through March and Simon's emphasis on the importance of absorbing uncertainty. On the basis of these theories and findings on attitudes expressed by Bank staff, strategies can be developed to enhance the Bank's responsiveness to such initiatives as greater emphasis on the alleviation of poverty. Theory and findings also provide a basis for speculating on the characteristics required of an international agency to warrant treating it as an autonomous variable in the international system.
Evidence for priming across intervening sentences during on-line sentence comprehension

Three experiments investigated factors contributing to syntactic priming during on-line comprehension. In all of the experiments, a prime sentence containing a reduced relative clause was presented prior to a target sentence that contained the same structure. Previous studies have shown that people respond more quickly when a syntactically related prime sentence immediately precedes a target. In the current study, ERP and eyetracking measures were used to assess whether priming in sentence comprehension persists when one or more unrelated filler sentences appear between the prime and the target. In experiment 1, a reduced P600 was found to target sentences both when there were no intervening unrelated fillers, and when there was one unrelated filler between the prime and the target. Thus, processing the prime sentence facilitated processing of the syntactic form of the target sentence. Experiments 2 and 3, eye-tracking experiments, showed that target sentence processing was facilitated when three filler sentences intervened between the prime and the target. These experiments show that priming effects in comprehension can be observed when unrelated material appears after a prime sentence and before the target. We interpret the results with respect to residual activation and implicit learning accounts of priming.
Cytomegalovirus seropositivity is significantly associated with mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome.

Although mycosis fungoides (MF) may arise through persistent antigen stimulation, cytomegalovirus (CMV) is not a known risk factor. To study the incidence of seropositivity to viral infections, we compared MF and Sezary Syndrome (SS) patients to healthy bone marrow donors and other historical control groups. Baseline screening serologies at baseline were performed on 116 biopsy-proven MF/SS patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center from 1992 to 2001 and on healthy bone marrow donors evaluated by the transplant service from 1988 to 2001. Antibodies to HTLV-I/II, HIV-1, EBV, and CMV were measured using standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) and membrane enzyme immunoassay (MEIA) assays. One hundred thirteen (97.4%) of all MF/SS patients had positive CMV IgG serologies at initial presentation. Early- and late-stage patients' seropositivity rates were significantly higher than healthy bone marrow donor controls (chi(2).05(df=1) = 71.79). By stage, 98.1% of early-stage MF patients (IA, IB, IIA; 52/53) and 96.8% of late-stage MF and SS patients (IIB-IVB; 61/63) were seropositive compared with healthy bone marrow donors whose seropositivity rate was 57.3% (757/1322). Because the rate of CMV seropositivity increases with age, a subset of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) patients 55 years or younger were compared to age-matched healthy donor controls; their seropositivity rate for CMV was also significantly higher (chi(2).05 05(df=1) = 20.4). EBV titers were positive by serology in 13 patients who were examined prospectively. CMV seropositivity is highly associated with MF and SS, even in the earliest stages of the disease, and is significantly higher than that of healthy and immunocompromised controls.
Ethionine alters the urinary excretion of N1-methylnicotinamide.

Nicotinamide is methylated via S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) and excreted in the urine as N1-methylnicotinamide. Since S-adenosylethionine (AdoEth) inhibits nicotinamide methyltransferase, ethionine (0.75 mg/g body wt) was given to rats and its effect on the urinary excretion of N1-methylnicotinamide was examined. Nicotinamide (0.5 mg/g body wt) gave a 13.6-fold increase in the 24-h urine concentration of N1-methylnicotinamide. However, ethionine given 4 h prior to nicotinamide completely prevented this increase by nicotinamide. It appears that ethionine via AdoEth inhibits nicotinamide methyltransferase in vivo and lowers the urine level of N1-methylnicotinamide.
Properties of Semiconductor Surface Inversion Layers in the Electric Quantum Limit

The strong surface electric field associated with a semiconductor inversion layer quantizes the motion normal to the surface. The bulk energy bands split into electric sub-bands near the surface, each of which is a two-dimensional continuum associated with one of the quantized levels. We treat the electric quantum limit, in which only the lowest electric sub-band is occupied. Within the effective-mass approximation, we have generalized the energy-level calculation to include arbitrary orientations of (1) the constant-energy ellipsoids in the bulk, (2) the surface or interface, and (3) an external magnetic field. The potential associated with a charged center located an arbitrary distance from the surface is calculated, taking into account screening by carriers in the inversion layer. The bound states in the inversion layer due to attractive Coulomb centers are calculated for a model potential which assumes the inversion layer to have zero thickness. The Born approximation is compared with a phase-shift calculation of the scattering cross section, and is found to be reasonably good for the range of carrier concentrations encountered in InAs surfaces. The low-temperature mobility associated with screened Coulomb scattering by known charges at the surface and in the semiconductor depletion layer is calculated for InAs and for Si (100) surfaces in the Born approximation, using a potential that takes the inversion-layer charge distribution into account. The InAs results are in good agreement with experiment. In Si, but not in InAs, freeze-out of carriers into inversion-layer bound states is expected at low temperatures and low inversion-layer charge densities, and the predicted behavior is in qualitative agreement with experiment. An Appendix gives the phase-shift method for two-dimensional scattering and the exact cross section for scattering by an unscreened Coulomb potential.
A Model for Predicting Droplet Entrainment at a Quench Front in Thermal Hydraulic Analysis Codes

The ability to accurately predict droplet entrainment at a quench front is required to effectively calculate the interfacial mass, momentum, and energy transfer, which characterizes nuclear reactor safety, system design, analysis, and performance. The present study proposes a model for droplet entrainment at a quench front, based on the best-understood physics related to the quenching phenomenon that is characteristic to Light Water Reactor (LWR) safety analysis. The model is developed based on a film boundary layer and stability analysis that attempts to match the characteristic time and length scales of the entrainment phenomenon. Data from fundamental tube reflood tests have been reduced and utilized for model development, while more-prototypical independent reflood test data have been used for model evaluation. This model has been implemented into the COBRA-TF (COolant Boiling in Rod Arrays – Two Fluid) transient three-field (continuous liquid, droplet, and vapor) two-phase heat transfer and fluid flow systems analysis computer code. Independent code calculations have been performed to confirm the viability of the model for a range of prototypical LWR reflood calculations.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Top quark mass measurement at CDF Run-II

CDF has resumed the top quark mass measurement with upgraded detectors and Tevatron complex. High statistics should allow us to determine the top mass with an uncertainty of a few GeV/c{sup 2} by the end of Run II. The current measured value, using an integrated luminosity of {approx} 108 pb{sup -1}, is 177.5{sub -9.4}{sup +12.7} (stat.) {+-} 7.1(syst.) GeV/c{sup 2} (lepton + jets with one b-jet tagged mode: the current best mode), which is consistent with RunI measurements.
Aspects of the embryology and neural development of the American lobster.

It is feasible to study the anatomical, physiological, and biochemical properties of identifiable neurons in lobster embryos. To exploit fully the advantages of this preparation and to lay the foundation for single-cell studies, our recent goals have been to 1) establish a quantitative staging system for embryos, 2) document in detail the lobster's embryonic development, 3) determine when uniquely identifiable neurons first acquire their transmitter phenotypes, and 4) identify particular neurons that may serve developmental functions. Behavioral, anatomical, morphometric, and immunocytochemical studies have led to a detailed characterization of the growth and maturation of lobster embryos and to the adoption of a percent- staging system based upon the eye index of Perkins (Fish. Bull., 70:95–99, 1972). It is clear from these studies that the lobster nauplius molts at approximately 12% embryonic development (E12%) into a metanauplius, which subsequently undergoes a complete molt cycle within the egg. This molt cycle climaxes with the emergence of the first-stage larva shortly after hatching. Serotonin and proctolin, neurohormones widely distributed in the lobster nervous system, appear at different times in development. Serotonin immunoreactive neurons begin to appear at approximately E10%, with the adult complement being established by E50%. In contrast, proctolin immunoreactive neurons appear later and attain their full complement over a protracted period including larval and juvenile stages. The development of serotonergic deutocerebral neurons and their targets, the olfactory and accessory lobes in the brain, are also examined. The olfactory lobes are forming by E10% and have acquired their glomerulur organization by E50%, whereas the formation of the accessory lobes is delayed; the early rudiments of the accessory lobes are seen by E50%, and glomeruli do not form until the second larval stage.
Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in a two-dimensional electron gas in a spatially random magnetic field

We report measurements of transport in a two-dimensional electron gas in a spatially random magnetic field in which the average magnetic field extends from the classical regime $〈{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{c}〉\ensuremath{\tau}l1$ into the quantum Hall regime. Experiments make use of a rough Nd-Fe-B permanent magnet on the surface of a GaAs heterostructure. Effective mass, transport and total scattering times, and $g$-factor-enhancement values (all measured from Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations) are comparable to those found for potential scattering in a uniform magnetic field.
Exhaustive and heuristic search approaches for learning a software defect prediction model

In this paper, we propose a software defect prediction model learning problem (SDPMLP) where a classification model selects appropriate relevant inputs, from a set of all available inputs, and learns the classification function. We show that the SDPMLP is a combinatorial optimization problem with factorial complexity, and propose two hybrid exhaustive search and probabilistic neural network (PNN), and simulated annealing (SA) and PNN procedures to solve it. For small size SDPMLP, exhaustive search PNN works well and provides an (all) optimal solution(s). However, for large size SDPMLP, the use of exhaustive search PNN approach is not pragmatic and only the SA-PNN allows us to solve the SDPMLP in a practical time limit. We compare the performance of our hybrid approaches with traditional classification algorithms and find that our hybrid approaches perform better than traditional classification algorithms.
Non-fatal suicide attempt by intentional stab wound: Clinical management, psychiatric assessment, and multidisciplinary considerations

Background: Suicide by means of self-inflicted stab wounds is relatively uncommon and little is known about this population and their management. Materials and Methods: Retrospective review of adult trauma patients admitted to our Level-1 trauma center between January 2005 and October 2009 for management of non-fatal, self-inflicted stab wounds. Results: Fifty-eight patients were evaluated with self-inflicted stab wounds. Four patients died due to their injuries (mortality, 7%). Of the non-fatal stab wounds, 78% were male ranging in age from 19-82 (mean: 45 years). The most common injury sites were the abdomen (46%), neck (33%), and chest (20%). In terms of operative interventions, 56% of abdominal operations were therapeutic, whereas 100% of neck and chest operations were therapeutic. When assessing for suicidal ideation, 44 patients (81%) admitted to suicidal intentions whereas 10 patients (19%) described accidental circumstances. Following psychiatric evaluation, 8 of the 10 patients with accidental injuries were found to be suicidal. Overall, 54 patients (98%) met criteria for a formal psychiatric diagnosis with 48 patients (89%) necessitating inpatient or outpatient psychiatric assistance at discharge. Conclusions: Compared to previous reports of stab wounds among trauma patients, patients with self- inflicted stab wounds may have a higher incidence of operative interventions and significant injuries depending on the stab location. When circumstances surrounding a self-inflicted stabbing are suspicious, additional interviews by psychiatric care providers may uncover a suicidal basis to the event. Given the increased incidence of psychiatric illness in this population, it is imperative to approach the suicidal patient in a multidisciplinary fashion.
Evaluation of anastomotic strength and drug safety after short-term sunitinib administration in rabbits

Abstract Background Sunitinib (Sutent) is a Food and Drug Administration–approved receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor found to reduce postoperative adhesion formation in animal models. The objective of the present study was to evaluate anastomotic healing and potential drug-related toxicities after short-term sunitinib administration in New Zealand White rabbits. Materials and methods Under an approved study protocol, 40 rabbits underwent a laparotomy followed by colonic transection and anastomosis. Animals were randomly assigned to treatment with oral sunitinib (10 mg/kg/d) or placebo, received one preoperative dose followed by 10 postoperative doses, and were divided into two groups following the procedure: group I animals were euthanized on completion of drug treatment and group II animals were euthanized 30 d after completion of treatment. Prior to study completion, animals underwent an echocardiogram and laboratory test results were obtained. At necropsy, intestinal bursting strength (in mmHg) was evaluated. Results All animals survived until designated euthanasia. There was no evidence of intra-abdominal sepsis or intestinal obstruction. Sunitinib-treated animals were found to have lower intestinal anastomotic strength compared with placebo-treated animals, as measured by bursting pressure at euthanasia, and a greater percentage of bursting at the anastomosis. On echocardiography, all ejection and shortening fractions were within established normal reference values. There were no significant differences in liver enzymes between animals. There were no wound infections, dehiscence, or delayed wound healing in any animal. Conclusions These results caution against the administration of sunitinib in cases involving intestinal anastomoses because of the elevated risk of anastomotic leak. No evidence of cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, or detrimental effect on wound healing was found in any animal.
Hormonal control of bone collagen synthesis in vitro. Effects of insulin and glucagon.

The direct effects of porcine insulin and glucagon on bone collagen and non-collagen protein synthesis have been examined in cultures of calvaria obtained from 21-day fetal rats. Bones were incubated for 24 to 96 h and [3H]proline was added for the last 2 h of culture. Incorporation of the label into collagenase-digestible protein (CDP) and noncollagenprotein (NCP) was determined using purified bacterial collagenase. Insulin increased the labeling of CDP by 60 to 115% at concentrations of 10−9 to 10−6M. A smaller stimulatory effect was observed on NCP. The effect on CDP appeared after 12 to 24 h of culture, was maintained for 96 h in the continuous presence of the hormone, but was lost within 3 h of removal of insulin from the culture medium. Insulin appeared to have a direct effect on collagen synthesis and not on collagen breakdown. Insulin did not affect the incorporation of [3H]uridine or [3H]thymidine into the RNA and DNA fractions of bone at 24 h. Insulin opposed the inhibitory effects of parathyroi...
The Role of Oxygen in the Photoluminescence of Porous Silicon: Some Recent Observations

The role of oxygen in the luminescence from porous silicon is examined using a synchrotron spectroscopic technique often known as XEOL (X-ray Excited Optical Luminescence) and associated optical XAFS (X-ray Absorption Fine Structures using photoluminescence yield). The tunability of synchrotron light permits the probing of the inner valence and the core levels of silicon and oxygen in porous silicon. These processes are associated with site specificity and probing depth variations depending on the absorption coefficient. Luminescence excited with photons in the inner valence region (15–40 eV) and at the oxygen K-edge are reported. From these results together with previous and new Si K-edge and L3,2-edge studies, a picture of the role of oxygen emerges.
Cell Signaling: Wingless and Glypicans Together Again

The role of the Glypican proteoglycans in Wingless signaling has been controversial. New studies show that the Glypican Dally-like can have both positive and negative effects on Wingless signaling; moreover, signaling can be regulated by removing Dally-like from the cell surface.
Concerns and Perceptions of Beginning Secondary Science and Mathematics Teachers.

This study is an exploratory research project to: (1) identify the concerns that beginning science and mathematics teachers have about being a new teacher; and (2) identify the perceptions that these teachers have about the effectiveness of their preservice program in relation to their concerns. Program, in this context, is defined as pedagogy coursework, content coursework, and undergraduate experiences relevant to teaching. The participants for this study consisted of 11 beginning (less than 2 years experience) secondary and middle school science (n = 8) and mathematics (n = 4; dual assignment) teachers who were involved in the Salish Project at Purdue University during the 1993–1994 school year. The national Salish Project, in which Purdue University is a participant, is a research project designed to study secondary science and mathematics preservice programs across the nation. The primary data sources for the study were telephone interviews using an interview guide. The interview guide consisted of four questions that asked about the school community, what was learned by the participants during their first year of teaching, advice that the participants would like to give to new teachers, and how well the preservice program prepared them for their first year of teaching. The interview transcripts were analyzed using a cross-case inductive analysis based from a phenomenological perspective. The new teacher concerns that emerged were: class assignments, curriculum development, time management, classroom management, and presentation of the content. Curriculum development, class assignments, and presentation of content have significant implications for the secondary science and mathematics preservice program. The perceptions that emerged about the preservice program were: content course work is too specific; some of the pedagogical coursework has limited usefulness; there is a need for more field experiences; and being an undergraduate teaching assistant eases the transition in becoming a teacher. All four of these perceptions have implications for the improvement of a secondary science preservice program. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 81:29–50, 1997.
Hemolytic uremic syndrome incidence in New York.

A comparison of New York’s traditional communicable disease surveillance system for diarrhea-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome with hospital discharge data showed a sensitivity of 65%. Escherichia coli O157:H7 was found in 63% of samples cultured from hemolytic uremic syndrome patients, and samples were more likely to be positive when collected early in illness.
K+-induced ion and water movements in the frog spinal cord and filum terminale

The K+-induced changes in extracellular space were measured in the frog filum terminale, a glial preparation not contaminated by neurons. Comparison of the data with frog spinal cord, consisting of both neurons and glia, suggests that glia are the cellular entities responsible for swelling in response to K+. The glial response to K+ has four distinct phases, the first of which is due to the metabolic production of CO2. In the spinal cord the neurons indirectly contribute to the swelling and water movement via generation of CO2. Swelling in amphibian glia differs from that seen in mammalian glia with respect to a reduced dependence on carbonic anhydrase. Furthermore, in frog glia Cl− movements are not sufficient to balance the net cation movements (Na+ + K+), making it necessary to postulate the accumulation of either lactate or bicarbonate.
Surgical treatment of pediatric desmoid tumors. A 12-year, single-center experience.

Background Pediatric desmoid tumors (PDTs) represent a group of rare, distinct lesions. While sparse, available literature suggests that PDT are particularly aggressive and difficult to control when compared with their adult counterpart.
Tobacco use among American Indian adolescents: protective and risk factors.

Abstract Purpose: To determine the prevalence of, and identify protective and risk factors for, current tobacco use among American Indian adolescents. Methods: Data from the Voices of Indian Teens Project were used to determine the prevalence of cigarette and smokeless tobacco (ST) use among a sample of 2390 American Indian adolescents, aged 13 to 20 years. Approximately 49% of the sample were female. Data were collected in Fall 1993 among participants from 10 high schools located in five western American Indian communities. The instrument consisted of scales that assessed psychosocial beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors as well as tobacco use. Logistic regression was used to identify protective and risk factors for tobacco use. A replication subsample was used to test the final models. Results: Approximately 50% of American Indian adolescents in this sample reported some type of cigarette use, and approximately 21% reported using smokeless tobacco. Academic orientation was the only protective factor for cigarette use that replicated in both subsamples. Death/loss and other stressful life events were the risk factors for cigarette and/or ST use that replicated in both subsamples. Conclusions: The prevalence of tobacco use was high in this sample of American Indian adolescents. Several risk and protective factors were identified, the knowledge of which may inform preventive interventions in this population.
Construction worker detection in video frames for initializing vision trackers

Monitoring the location of resources on large scale, congested, outdoor sites can be performed more efficiently with vision tracking, as this approach does not require any pre-tagging of resources. However, the greatest impediment to the use of vision tracking in this case is the lack of detection methods that are needed to automatically mark the resources of interest and initiate the tracking. This paper presents such a novel method for construction worker detection that localizes construction workers in video frames. The proposed method exploits motion, shape, and color cues to narrow down the detection regions to moving objects, people, and finally construction workers, respectively. The three cues are characterized by using background subtraction, the histogram of oriented gradients (HOG), and the HSV color histogram. The method has been tested on videos taken in various environments. The results demonstrate its suitability for automatic initialization of vision trackers.
Radical‐type reactivity of the methylenedimethylsulfonium ion, (CH3)2S+ ? CH2˙

Ab initio molecular orbital calculations at the MP2/6–31G*//6–31G* + ZPVE level of theory suggest that the ion (CH3)2S+CH2˙ is 75 kJ mol−1 higher in energy than ionized ethyl methyl sulfide. However, this distonic ion is stable toward isomerization to the conventional structure: the two ions show distinctly different reactivity in a dual-cell Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. Molecular orbital calculations further indicate that the charge site of the ion is on the sulfur atom whereas the odd-spin density is localized on the CH2 group. The chemical properties of the ion reflect this description. The coordinatively saturated sulfonium charge site is chemically inert. This radical cation possesses unique chemical reactivity in that its reactions are associated with the radical site. Most of these reactions involve a homolytic bond cleavage in the neutral molecule, resulting in abstraction of an atom or a radical by the ion. The reaction efficiency correlates with the homolytic bond dissociation energy of the bond being broken in the neutral molecule, suggesting a simple radical abstraction mechanism for these reactions. Hence, the methylenedimethylsulfonium ion is best described as on electrophilic radical with an inert charge site.
Synthesis and structure of mono-THF solvates of bis(cyclopentadienyl)samarium(II) complexes: (C5Me5)2 Sm(THF) and [C5H2(SiMe 3)3][C5H3(SiMe3)2]Sm(THF)

Abstract X-ray crystallographic data have been obtained on the mono-THF solvates of the organosamarium(II) complexes (C5Me5)2Sm(THF) and [C5H2(SiMe3)3][C5H3)(SiMe3)2]Sm(THF). (C5Me5)2]Sm(THF). (C5Me5)2Sm(THF) crystallizes from toluene in space group P21/n with a = 9.7606(13), b = 16.6557(17), c = 14.0710(16) A, β = 90.446(10)°, V = 2287.4(5) A3 and Dcalcd = 1.431 g cm−3 for Z = 4. Least-squares refinement of the model based on 2879 reflections converged to a final RF = 3.1%. {[C5H2(SiMe3)3][C5H3(SiMe3)2]-Sm(THF)}(C6H12)0.5 crystallizes from hexane in space group P 1 with a = 9.3600(17), b = 11.0311(21), c = 20.4697(33) A, α = 83.290(14), β = 80.569 (14), γ = 88.785(15)°, V = 2071.2(6) A3 and Dcalcd = 1.225 g cm−3 for Z = 2. Least-squares refinement of the model based on 5988 reflections converged to a final RF = 3.1%. In these bent metallocenes, the THF oxygen atoms do not adopt the sterically least crowded positions and lie off the plane defined by the two ring centroids and the samarium by 1.54 A for (C5Me5)2Sm(THF) and by 0.85 A for [C5H2(SiMe3)3][C5H3(SiMe3)2]Sm(THF).
TOWARD AN OLD NEW PARADIGM THE HALF-CENTURY FLIRTATION WITH MASS SOCIETY

Judging from the three-page Editorial Foreword which introduced readers to the first issue of The Public Opinion Quarterly in January 1937, the founding editors' hoped to promote the scientific study of interrelationships among three potent new social forces: mass opinion, which they contrasted to the opinion of a much smaller elite public; mass communication, which they saw as increasingly centered on the new media of radio and motion pictures, and as including advertising, public and press relations, and government propaganda; and public opinion measurement and reporting, just beginning to be based on scientific sampling and including well-publicized national polls like those of Gallup, Roper, and Crossley, private opinion polling, and market and consumer research more generally. Why did POQ's founding editors, all prominent scholars at major U.S. institutions, decide to dedicate their new journal to this particular set of social factors, what they summarized as public opinion from the perspective of "scholarship, government, business, advertising, public relations, press, radio, motion pictures"? A strong influence, one that would dominate the study of public opinion and mass communication over the next three decades, can be seen in the opening sentences of their first Editorial Foreword:
Transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms of addiction

Investigations of long-term changes in brain structure and function that accompany chronic exposure to drugs of abuse suggest that alterations in gene regulation contribute substantially to the addictive phenotype. Here, we review multiple mechanisms by which drugs alter the transcriptional potential of genes. These mechanisms range from the mobilization or repression of the transcriptional machinery - including the transcription factors ΔFOSB, cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) - to epigenetics - including alterations in the accessibility of genes within their native chromatin structure induced by histone tail modifications and DNA methylation, and the regulation of gene expression by non-coding RNAs. Increasing evidence implicates these various mechanisms of gene regulation in the lasting changes that drugs of abuse induce in the brain, and offers novel inroads for addiction therapy.
Reconstructing random media. II. Three-dimensional media from two-dimensional cuts

We report on an investigation concerning the utilization of morphological information obtained from a two-dimensional (2D) slice (thin section) of a random medium to reconstruct the full three-dimensional (3D) medium. We apply a procedure that we developed in an earlier paper that incorporates any set of statistical correlation functions to reconstruct a Fontainebleau sandstone in three dimensions. Since we have available the experimentally determined 3D representation of the sandstone, we can probe the extent to which intrinsically 3D information (such as connectedness) is captured in the reconstruction. We considered reconstructing the sandstone using the two-point probability function and lineal-path function as obtained from 2D cuts (cross sections) of the sample. The reconstructions are able to reproduce accurately certain 3D properties of the pore space, such as the pore-size distribution, the mean survival time of a Brownian particle, and the fluid permeability. The degree of connectedness of the pore space also compares remarkably well with the actual sandstone. However, not surprisingly, visualization of the 3D pore structures reveals that the reconstructions are not perfect. A more refined reconstruction can be produced by incorporating higher-order information at the expense of greater computational cost. Finally, we remark that our reconstruction study sheds lightmore » on the nature of information contained in the employed correlation functions. thinsp {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}« less
TARGETING ALLERGEN TO FCγRI: A STRATEGY TO TREAT ALLERGIC DISEASE?

Purpose of review Targeting allergens to surface receptors on antigen presenting cells may provide a therapeutic strategy for allergic disease. This article discusses the immunomodulatory capacity of a molecule (H22-Fel d 1), which targets the major cat allergen, Fel d 1, to the high affinity IgG receptor, Fc gammaRI, on human dendritic cells. Recent findings The fusion protein, H22-Fel d 1, induced a semi-mature phenotype in dendritic cells characterized by production of inflammatory cytokines with no change in surface markers, suggesting tolerogenic capacity. At the T-cell level, H22-Fel d 1 stimulated increased proliferation coupled with amplification of T cells expressing IL-5 and IL-10. Further analysis revealed induction of diverse T cell subtypes characteristic of Th0, regulatory Th1 and regulatory Th2 cells. Notably, this effect was restricted to T cells isolated from cat-allergic patients. Despite the increase in IL-5-expressing T cells, responses induced by H22-Fel d 1 appeared to be regulated by IL-10. Comparison with nonreceptor-targeted allergens from cat and house dust mite confirmed that qualitative T-cell changes induced by H22-Fel d 1 were unique. Summary H22-Fel d 1 induces a novel variation of the Th2 response, which incorporates elements of a protective T-cell response. Exploiting Fc gammaRI-mediated pathways for allergen delivery may offer a new approach for treatment.
The effectiveness of job rotation to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders: protocol of a cluster randomized clinical trial

Job rotation has often been used in situations where the level of exposure cannot be reduced due to the characteristics of the job or through physical measures. However, the effectiveness of the job rotation strategy at preventing musculoskeletal complaints lacks adequate scientific data. A cluster randomized controlled trial will be used to investigate the effectiveness of job rotation to prevent musculoskeletal disorders in industrial workers. The randomized cluster was based in characteristics of production sectors. A total cluster will be 4 sectors, and 957 workers will be recruited from a textile industry and randomly allocated into intervention or control groups. Both groups will receive training on ergonomics guidelines. In addition, the intervention group will perform job rotation, switching between tasks with low, moderate, and high risk for musculoskeletal complaints. The primary outcome will be the number of working hours lost due to sick leave by musculoskeletal injuries recorded in employee administrative data bases. Secondary outcomes measured via survey include: body parts with musculoskeletal pain, the intensity of this pain, physical workload, fatigue, general health status, physical activity level, and work productivity. Secondary outcome measures will be assessed at baseline and after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. The cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed from the societal and company perspective. Prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders is beneficial for workers, employers, and society. The results of this study will provide new information about the effectiveness of job rotation as a strategy to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders. NCT01979731 , November 3, 2013
Minor components of olive oils. II.trans-9¬10-epoxystearic acid in orujo oil

An orujo oil (sulfur olive oil) has been shown to contain several elasses of oxygenated fatty acids amounting to more than 10% of the total oil. Epoxy acids amount to 3.6% of the fatty acids of this oil and monohydroxy acids constitute a turther 6%. The major epoxy acid has been proven to betrans-9¬10-epoxystearic acid.
Plasmonic “Nanowave” Substrates for SERS: Fabrication and Numerical Analysis

The Nanowave substrate, comprising a close-packed array of nanospheres onto which a thin metal shell of silver or gold is deposited, was first fabricated in our laboratory in 1984 and used as a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active substrate for the sensitive and reproducible detection of analytes. More than twenty-five years after the first experimental demonstration of the effectiveness of this substrate, numerical simulations are sufficiently powerful and versatile to mimic this geometry in three-dimensional space and confirm the experimentally measured plasmonic behavior at the substrate’s surface. The study confirms that an in-plane polarized incident plane wave generates strong enhancements in the interstitial spaces between individual metal-coated nanospheres, thus producing closely packed arrays of hot spots underlining the strong SERS effect of the Nanowave substrate structures. The surface-averaged SERS enhancement exhibited by the Nanowaves was evaluated and compared for different met...
Postmortem preservation and alteration of in vivo bone collagen isotope ratios in relation to palaeodietary reconstruction

Since its introduction in 19771, stable isotope analysis of bone collagen has been widely used to reconstruct aspects of prehistoric human and animal diets2–11. This method of dietary analysis is based on two well-established observations, and on an assumption that has never been tested. The first observation is that bone collagen 13C/12C and 15N/14N ratios reflect the corresponding isotope ratio of an animal's diet1–5,12. The second is that groups of foods have characteristically different 13C/12C and/or 15N/14N ratios13,14. Taken together, the two observations indicate that the isotope ratios of collagen in the bones of a living animal reflect the amounts of these groups of foods that the animal ate. Thus, it has been possible to use fresh bone collagen 13C/12C ratios to determine the relative consumption of C3 and C4 plants15–17, while 13C/12C and 15N/14N ratios have been used to distinguish between the use of marine and terrestrial foods14. The 15N/14N ratios of fresh bone collagen probably also reflect the use of leguminous and non-leguminous plants as food5, but this has not yet been demonstrated. Prehistoric consumption of these same groups of foods has been reconstructed from isotope ratios of collagen extracted from fossil bone1–11. Implicit in the application of the isotopic method to prehistoric material is the assumption that bone collagen isotope ratios have not been modified by postmortem processes. Here I present the first examination of the validity of this assumption. The results show that postmortem alteration of bone collagen isotope ratios does occur, but that it is possible to identify prehistoric bones whose collagen has not undergone such alteration.
Decision feedback sequence estimation for unwhitened ISI channels with applications to multiuser detection

Decision feedback sequence estimation (DFSE), which is a reduced-complexity alternative to maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE), can be used effectively for equalization of intersymbol interference (ISI) as well as for multiuser detection. The algorithm performs very well for whitened (minimum-phase) channels. For nonminimum-phase channels, however, the algorithm is not very effective. Moreover, DFSE requires a noise-whitening filter, which may not be feasible to compute for time-varying channels such as a multiuser direct-sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) channel. Noise-whitening is also cumbersome for applications that involve bidirectional equalization such as the global system for mobile communication (GSM) system. In such conditions, it is desirable to use the Ungerboeck (1974) formulation for sequence estimation, which operates directly on the discrete-time unwhitened statistic obtained from conventional matched filtering. Unfortunately, DFSE based on matched filter statistics is severely limited by untreated interference components. We identify the anticausal interference components, using an error probability analysis. This leads us to a modified unwhitened decision feedback sequence estimator (MUDFSE) in which the components are canceled, using tentative decisions. We obtain approximate error probability bounds for the proposed algorithm. Performance results indicate that the modified algorithm, used on unwhitened channels with relatively small channel correlations, provides similar performance/complexity tradeoffs as the DFSE used on the corresponding whitened minimum-phase channels. The algorithm is especially attractive for multiuser detection for asynchronous DS-CDMA channels with long spreading codes, where it can achieve near-MLSE performance with exponentially lower complexity.
Modeling and Adding Intelligibility to Human Activity

Over the past 20 years, a lot of effort has gone into making the vision of ubiquitous computing a reality. A major focus of this effort has been on the understanding of human activity as input to enable the design and implementation of context-aware applications. Context-awareness is a vital enabling technology for ubiquitous virtual reality applications. However, it is only recently that we have developed both the ability to sense human activity and model it for appropriate use in these applications. Now that we can build interesting and useful applications, one of the challenges is in making the leap from modeled human behavior to inferring human intent in context aware applications. With the expectation that many applications will make incorrect inferences, I argue that what is needed is a focus on intelligibility, or an understanding of why an application is behaving in a particular way. We also need to focus on making these applications usable by end-users. I will describe my grouppsilas work in sensing and modeling human activity in a variety of domains including office work, driving, and health. I will also describe work on making complex modeling systems intelligible to end-users who need to form reasonable mental models of these systems in order to use them.
To Life: Optimism Bias and Technological Ties in the Face of the Worst

This essay addresses a recent media controversy. Two journalists actively questioned the appropriateness of a popular blog that chronicles a young woman's fight with cancer. Elaine Replogle (2014) unfolds the facts of this case and discusses the role of fame and status in understanding the journalists' response to the blog. Here, I extend that conversation, exploring how our culture's optimism bias, as well as the increasing importance of our technological ties, informs our understanding of both the blog and its critics.
On the Adequacy of Mixed Quantum-Classical Dynamics in Condensed Phase Systems

A detailed study of mixed quantum-classical approximations for radiative and nonradiative processes in condensed phase systems is presented and each approximation is compared to exact fully quantum mechanical dynamics. The problems are formulated in terms of a quantum mechanical time correlation function, and the corresponding mixed quantum-classical descriptions are obtained following the general methodology of Wigner-Kirkwood based on the expansion in powers of Planck’s constant. Illustrative examples of the performance and applicability of mixed quantum-classical treatments include vibrational and electronic energy relaxation processes, and the calculation of vibronic absorption spectrum.
Feasibility of nonhyperbolic moveout inversion in transversely isotropic media

Inversion of reflection traveltimes in anisotropic media can provide estimates of anisotropic coefficients required for seismic processing and lithology discrimination. Nonhyperbolic P-wave moveout for transverse isotropy with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI media) is controlled by the parameter η (or, alternatively, by the horizontal velocity Vhor), which is also responsible for the influence of anisotropy on all time‐processing steps, including dip‐moveout (DMO) correction and time migration. Here, we recast the nonhyperbolic moveout equation, originally developed by Tsvankin and Thomsen, as a function of Vhor and normal‐moveout (NMO) velocity Vnmo and introduce a correction factor in the denominator that increases the accuracy at intermediate offsets. Then we apply this equation to obtain Vhor and η from nonhyperbolic semblance analysis on long common midpoint (CMP) spreads and study the accuracy and stability of the inversion procedure. Our error analysis shows that the horizontal velocity becomes relat...
Bedside estimation of risk as an aid for decision-making in cardiac surgery.

Abstract Background . Evaluations of the cardiac-surgery mortality rates of hospitals and surgeons can be fair and realistic only when the observed mortality rates are compared with expected rates with preoperative risk factors taken into account. Risk-approximation calculations also can assist patients and physicians in discussing the risk of cardiac surgery, especially if the estimation of surgical mortality takes all of the important risk factors into account. Methods . A logistic regression model was developed in which 47 potential risk factors were considered, and a method requiring only simple addition and graphic interpretation was designed for approximating the estimated risk easily and quickly, with paper and pencil alone. Results . The estimates provided by the simplified model correlated well with the observed mortality rates. Conclusions . A simple approximation of a logistic regression model has been found to be helpful in discussions between physicians and patients contemplating aortocoronary bypass or valve-related surgery.
Can anatomists teach living anatomy using ultrasound as a teaching tool

The utilization of bedside ultrasound by an increasing number of medical specialties has created the need for more ultrasound exposure and teaching in medical school. Although there is a widespread support for more vertical integration of ultrasound teaching throughout the undergraduate curriculum, little is known about whether the quality of ultrasound teaching differs if performed by anatomists or clinicians. The purpose of this study is to compare medical students' evaluation of ultrasound anatomy teaching by clinicians and anatomists. Hands-on interactive ultrasound sessions were scheduled as part of the gross anatomy course following principles of adult learning and instructional design. Seven teachers (three anatomists and four clinicians) taught in each session. Before each session, anatomists were trained in ultrasound by clinicians. Students were divided into groups, rotated teachers between sessions, and completed evaluations. Results indicated students perceived the two groups as comparable for all factors except for knowledge organization and the helpfulness of ultrasound for understanding anatomy (P < 0.001). However, results from unpaired samples t-tests demonstrated a nonstatistically significant difference between the groups within each session for both questions. Moreover, students' test performance for both groups was similar. This study demonstrated that anatomists can teach living anatomy using ultrasound with minimal training as well as clinicians, and encourage the teaching of living anatomy by anatomists in human anatomy courses using ultrasound. Repeating this study at a multicenter level is currently being considered to further validate our conclusion.
A Perspective on the Special Issue of Literacy

The ambiguity in the title of this Endnote is inten tional. This is a special issue on deafness and literacy, and the intent here is to discuss a few "special literacy issues" relative to deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The major objectives are as follows: (1) to describe briefly a broad perspective on reading and writing, that is, the literacy perspective; (2) to apply this perspective to one major, contentious reading component—word identification; and (3) to provide suggestions for fur ther research and instructional efforts with deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Without oversimplifying, it is possible to proffer salient highlights of the literacy perspective, including its major positions: cognitive in formation processing, naturalism, and social con structivism. It is argued that adherence to only one of these positions may not advance our understanding of the literacy difficulties of deaf and hard-of-hearing stu dents. In addition, a fixation on any one position may cause considerable confusion with respect to interpret ing and applying the research findings associated with word identification. In essence, the argument will be that these three positions should not be construed as an either-or situation; rather, there is, or should be, strong reciprocal relations among them.