cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Introduction of the Conducted Electrical Weapon into a Hospital Setting

Background: The TASER((R)) X26 Conducted Electrical Weapon (CEW) provides painful stimuli and neuromuscular incapacitation to potentially violent persons. Use by law enforcement in society is common. Presenting a CEW is known to de-escalate some situations. Health care personnel sometimes encounter violent persons within the confines of the hospital. CEW use by health care security personnel has not been described. Objective: The objective is to describe results from the introduction of the CEW into a hospital environment. Methods: Upon introducing the CEW into an urban hospital campus, standardized reports were made describing all CEW use by hospital security. Reports were retrospectively reviewed for the first 12 months of CEW use. Collected data included force options used, potential injuries avoided, witness comments, outcomes, and whether the CEW required full activation or if inactive presentation was sufficient to control the situation. Rates of security personnel injuries were also gathered. Descriptive analysis was applied. Results: Twenty-seven CEW deployments occurred: four were inactive presentation, 20 were presentation with LASER sight activation, and three were probe deployments with a 5-s delivery of electrical current. Two persons required evaluation for minor injuries not related to CEW use. Witnesses reported that in all incidents, injuries were likely avoided due to CEW presentation or use. CEW use aborted one suicide attempt. Personnel injury rates decreased during the study period. Conclusion: CEW introduction into a health care setting demonstrated the ability to avert and control situations that could result in further injury to subjects, patients, and personnel. This correlates with a decrease in injury for hospital personnel. Further study is recommended for validation. Language: en
Evaluating Prostate Cancer Knowledge in Rural Southeastern Indiana County

Purpose: Prostate cancer is the most prevalent form of non-cutaneous cancer in the male population and a major cause of death in men. The purpose of this study was to evaluate knowledge of prostate cancer screening among rural men in Ripley county, Indiana. Methods: An 11 item survey was developed and distributed in two family practices, multiple retail sites, and eateries located within Ripley County, Southeastern, Indiana Findings: A convenience sample of 59 men over the age of 50 was recruited by the primary investigator (PI). Through descriptive analysis, the data demonstrates men in Ripley County, Indiana are aware of current prostate cancer screening guidelines. Although they indicated knowing updated information regarding prostate cancer screening, many have not obtained screening. Study findings point to the need for educational programs designed to improve prostate cancer screening rates in this population. Conclusion: Results demonstrate men state they have enough information regarding prostate cancer screening, however many have not obtained screening. The influence of the healthcare provider, spouse, and the men obtaining prostate cancer screening were found to have relationships. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v14i1.27 Keywords: prostate cancer screening, survey, theory, models,
Estimation of time dependent parameters in general parabolic evolution systems

Abstract In this paper we develop a convergence theory for estimating time dependent parameters in a general class of parabolic system. We apply this theory to several problems of interest, such as estimating transport and biodegradation parameters in a contaminant transport model and the stiffness coefficient in an Euler–Bernoulli beam equation.
Humeral head abrasion: An association with failed superior labrum anterior posterior repairs

Hypothesis An abrasion on the humeral head under the articulating portion of the biceps tendon has been observed in patients with pain and stiffness after superior labrum anterior posterior (SLAP) repair. This study examined this humeral head abrasion (HHA) and its association with various diagnoses involving pathology of the biceps-labral complex. We hypothesized that it would be more common in failed SLAP repairs than other diagnoses. Materials and methods A retrospective chart review was performed of 253 patients who underwent shoulder arthroscopy by a single surgeon during a 5-year period. Postoperative diagnoses were used to confirm one of the following diagnoses: failed SLAP repair, biceps tendonitis, SLAP lesion with biceps tendonitis, and isolated SLAP lesion. Operative reports and surgical images were analyzed to identify the presence or absence of HHA. Demographic data, including age, sex, handedness, and onset of injury, were also collected. The frequency of this lesion among the different diagnoses and patient characteristics was compared by χ 2 analysis. Results HHA was observed in 13 of 18 patients (72.2%) with failed SLAP repairs, in 8 of 18 (44.4%) with biceps tendonitis, in 11 of 20 (55%) with SLAP lesion and biceps tendonitis, and in 1 of 71 (1.4%) with isolated SLAP lesions, significantly differing in frequency by diagnosis ( P P = .004). Discussion HHA is common in patients with a pathologic biceps-labral complex, especially those with failed SLAP repair. We speculate that this lesion is due to inflammation of the biceps tendon resulting in increased biceps-humeral head contact pressure.
What Is Standard Initials Systemic Therapy in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract Historically, systemic therapies for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have met with minimal success. Recently, an improved understanding of cancer biology has been translated into therapies that target pathways critical for RCC growth and survival and produce more robust clinical impact. The risks and benefits of several approaches to systemic therapy in metastatic RCC are reviewed. The need for chronic therapy of novel agents and potential for toxicity raise questions in regard to the timing of therapy and value of combination therapy over sequential single agents. Further insight into the biology of response, resistance, and toxicity is needed to allow for rational patient selection and enhanced application of systemic therapies. As new standard therapies for metastatic RCC emerge, clinical trial conduct remains a priority to further optimize patient outcome.
Bacillus anthracis genome organization in light of whole transcriptome sequencing

Emerging knowledge of whole prokaryotic transcriptomes could validate a number of theoretical concepts introduced in the early days of genomics. What are the rules connecting gene expression levels with sequence determinants such as quantitative scores of promoters and terminators? Are translation efficiency measures, e.g. codon adaptation index and RBS score related to gene expression? We used the whole transcriptome shotgun sequencing of a bacterial pathogen Bacillus anthracis to assess correlation of gene expression level with promoter, terminator and RBS scores, codon adaptation index, as well as with a new measure of gene translational efficiency, average translation speed. We compared computational predictions of operon topologies with the transcript borders inferred from RNA-Seq reads. Transcriptome mapping may also improve existing gene annotation. Upon assessment of accuracy of current annotation of protein-coding genes in the B. anthracis genome we have shown that the transcriptome data indicate existence of more than a hundred genes missing in the annotation though predicted by an ab initio gene finder. Interestingly, we observed that many pseudogenes possess not only a sequence with detectable coding potential but also promoters that maintain transcriptional activity.
Adaptive Modal Gain Equalization Techniques in Multi-Mode Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifiers

We demonstrate two adaptive methods to equalize mode-dependent gain (MDG) in multi-mode erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (MM-EDFAs). The first method uses a spatial light modulator (SLM) in line with the amplifier pump beam to control the modal powers in the pump. The second method uses an SLM immediately after the MM-EDFA to directly control the modal powers in the signal. We compare the performance of the two methods applied to a MM-EDFA with a uniform erbium doping profile, supporting 12 signal modes in two polarizations. We show that root-mean-squared MDGs lower than 0.5 and 1 dB can be achieved in systems having frequency diversity orders of 1 and 100, respectively, while causing less than a 2.6-dB loss of mode-averaged gain.
Maintaining solvent accessible surface area under rotamer substitution for protein design

Although quantities derived from solvent accessible surface areas (SASA) are useful in many applications in protein design and structural biology, the computational cost of accurate SASA calculation makes SASA-based scores difficult to integrate into commonly used protein design methodologies. We demonstrate a method for maintaining accurate SASA during a Monte Carlo search of sequence and rotamer space for a fixed protein backbone. We extend the fast Le Grand and Merz algorithm (Le Grand and Merz, J Comput Chem, 14, 349), which discretizes the solvent accessible surface for each atom by placing dots on a sphere and combines Boolean masks to determine which dots are exposed. By replacing semigroup operations with group operations (from Boolean logic to counting dot coverage) we support SASA updates. Our algorithm takes time proportional to the number of atoms affected by rotamer substitution, rather than the number of atoms in the protein. For design simulations with a one hundred residue protein our approach is approximately 145 times faster than performing a Le Grand and Merz SASA calculation from scratch following each rotamer substitution. To demonstrate practical effectiveness, we optimize a SASA-based measure of protein packing in the complete redesign of a large set of proteins and protein-protein interfaces.
Coupled ion binding and structural transitions along the transport cycle of glutamate transporters

Molecules of glutamate can carry messages between cells in the brain, and these signals are essential for thought and memory. Glutamate molecules can also act as signals to build new connections between brain cells and to prune away unnecessary ones. However, too much glutamate outside of the cells kills the brain tissue and can lead to devastating brain diseases. In a healthy brain, special pumps called glutamate transporters move these molecules back into the brain cells, where they can be stored safely. However, when brain cells are damaged—by, for example, a stroke or an injury,—the glutamate stored inside spills out, killing the surrounding cells. This leads to a cascade of dying cells and leaking glutamate, which causes even more damage and slows the recovery. Glutamate transporters ensure that there are more glutamate molecules inside cells than outside. However, it requires energy to maintain this gradient in the concentration of glutamate molecules. The transporters get this energy by moving three sodium ions into the cell with each glutamate molecule, and moving one potassium ion out of the cell. However, it is not clear how these transporters ensure that they move the glutamate molecules and the sodium ions at the same time. Now, Verdon, Oh et al. have uncovered the 3D structure of a glutamate transporter homologue at each step of the transport process. These structures reveal that, on the outside of the cell membrane, sodium ions attach to the so-called ‘transporter domain’ and make it better able to bind glutamate. The transporter domain then carries the sodium ions and glutamate through the cell membrane and releases them into the cell. Verdon, Oh et al. suggest that a potassium ion then binds to the empty transport domain, stabilizing it into a more compact shape that easily makes the return trip to the outside of the cell. Most experiments on glutamate transporters, including the work of Verdon, Oh et al., are carried out on model proteins taken from bacteria. An important challenge for the future will be to obtain structural information on human glutamate transporters, as these could be therapeutic targets for the treatment of various neurological conditions.
Attenuation of Neomycin Ototoxicity by Iron Chelation

Increasing evidence suggests that aminoglycoside ototoxicity is mediated by the formation of an aminoglycoside-iron complex and that the creation of this complex is a preliminary step in generation of free radical species and subsequent hair cell death. In this study we have assessed the ability of the iron chelator deferoxamine to attenuate the hearing loss induced by an ototoxic dose of the aminoglycoside neomycin (100 mg/kg per day for 14 days). Experiments were carried out on pigmented guinea pigs weighing 250 to 300 g. Changes in auditory sensitivity were characterized by monitoring shifts in compound action potential (CAP) thresholds, recorded through indwelling electrodes implanted at the round window, vertex, and contralateral mastoid. Results show that animals receiving neomycin alone suffered a mean threshold shift exceeding 35 dB at all test frequencies (2.0, 4.0, and 8.0 kHz) 30 days after initiation of treatment. In comparison, all animals receiving cotherapy of neomycin and deferoxamine (150 mg/kg twice daily for 14 days) maintained their CAP threshold, suggesting significant protection from neomycin ototoxicity. A statistical comparison of treatment groups showed that in the animals receiving cotherapy with neomycin and deferoxamine, deferoxamine produced a significant protective effect against neomycin-induced ototoxicity (P < 0.001). These results provide further evidence of the intrinsic role of iron in aminoglycoside ototoxicity and suggest that deferoxamine may have a therapeutic role in attenuating the cytotoxic action of aminoglycoside antibiotics.
The nurse as a psychiatric consultation team member.

A better understanding of the psychological aspects of illness and hospitalization necessitates increased attention to the patient's interpersonal transactions with care-givers in the general hospi...
Neighborhood Contexts Experienced by Young Mexican-American Women: Enhancing Our Understanding of Risk for Early Childbearing

Young Mexican-American women are disproportionately affected by teen pregnancy and early childbearing. While many of the studies that have investigated this population’s high risk for early childbearing have focused predominantly on micro-level factors, a growing body of research has demonstrated the importance of neighborhood-level factors in shaping risk for this outcome. In order to elucidate the role of neighborhood context with regards to early childbearing among adolescent Mexican-American women, it is important to understand what these young women consider to be their neighborhood context and how they experience these contexts. This study utilized a mixed-methods design incorporating participatory photography, photo-elicitation, and focus groups in order to gain a more nuanced understanding of how neighborhood context is conceptualized and experienced by Mexican-American young women, and how these experiences may influence risk for early childbearing. Major findings include: (1) participants view the blocks on which they live as their neighborhood, but their exposure to neighborhood context extends beyond these blocks and includes the transient spaces they move through daily; and (2) within their neighborhood contexts, participants are influenced by experiences of discrimination and the presence of gangs and violence. These findings point to the importance of neighborhood-level factors in the lives of adolescent Mexican-American women, and may be used to inform future studies looking at the role of neighborhood context in shaping risk for early childbearing among this population.
Transient effects of tendon disconnection on the survivability of a TLP in moderate-strength hurricane conditions

The primary objective of this paper is to investigate the dynamic stability and survivability of a four-column classic TLP (tension-leg platform) under less-than-extreme storm conditions where one or more tendons have been lost due to damage or disconnect. The transient responses of the platform and tendon tensions at the moment of disconnection are particularly underscored. The numerical simulation is based on the BE-FE hybrid hull-tendon-riser coupled dynamic analysis in time domain. Compared to the common industry practice of checking the system without a failed tendon in the beginning, the maximum tension on the neighboring tendon can be significantly increased at the moment of disconnection due to the snap-like transient effects, which can lead to unexpected failure of the total system. It is also found that the transient effects can be reduced with the presence of TTRs (top-tensioned risers) with pneumatic tensioners. It is also seen that the TLP cannot survive in the 100-yr hurricane condition after losing one tendon.
Geometric modelling for design for manufacture

Any unresolved geometric problem in the primary geometric representation of a design will propagate in the sequence of derived geometries in unpredictable ways, making the identification and correction of such errors extremely difficult. A geometric modeling system designed to overcome these difficulties and to achieve design for manufacture is presented. This modeling system is being developed as part of a rule-based rapid prototyping system using three- and five-axis machining centers. The system provides for integrated manufacturing rules in the beginnings of the design process, guaranteed geometric integrity of the designed part, and combined geometric representation of stock, fixtures, and part. >
Measuring Changes in Client-Level Treatment Process in the Therapeutic Community (TC) with the Dimensions of Change Instrument (DCI)

The Dimensions of Change Instrument (DCI) measures treatment process in residential therapeutic community (TC) settings. It summarizes eight factors of treatment process from a client perspective. We present evidence of the reliability of the DCI for assessing both adult (N = 519) and adolescent (N = 474) client perceptions of treatment process. The DCI factors significantly increase over time, with increases consistently seen across all DCI factors for adults. We highlight areas for future DCI modifications to broaden its applicability to adolescents. Our findings show that clinicians can use the DCI to evaluate adult client progress and target areas for improving quality of care.
Highly available and heterogeneous continuous media storage systems

A number of recent technological trends have made data intensive applications such as continuous media (audio and video) servers a reality. These servers store and retrieve large volumes of data using magnetic disks. Servers consisting of multiple nodes and large arrays of heterogeneous disk drives have become a fact of life for several reasons. First, magnetic disks might fail. Failed disks are almost always replaced with newer disk models because the current technological trend for these devices is one of annual increase in both performance and storage capacity. Second, storage requirements are ever increasing, forcing servers to be scaled up progressively. In this study, we present a framework to enable parity-based data protection for heterogeneous storage systems and to compute their mean lifetime. We describe the tradeoffs associated with three alternative techniques: independent subservers, dependent subservers, and disk merging. The disk merging approach provides a solution for systems that require highly available secondary storage in environments that also necessitate maximum flexibility.
Acupuncture and postpartum pyogenic sacroiliitis: a case report

Introduction Pyogenic sacroiliitis, a rare form of septic arthritis, occurs in patients following trauma, intravenous drug use, genitourinary infections and pregnancy. Here we report a rare case where both acupuncture and pregnancy served as predisposing risk factors to the development of this infection.
Parameter estimation for a modified Weibull distribution, for progressively type-II censored samples

In this paper, the estimation of parameters based on a progressively Type-II censored sample from a modified Weibull distribution is studied. The likelihood equations, and the maximum likelihood estimators are derived. The estimators based on a least-squares fit of a multiple linear regression on a Weibull probability paper plot are compared with the MLE via Monte Carlo simulations. The observed Fisher information matrix, as well as the asymptotic variance-covariance matrix of the MLE are derived. Approximate confidence intervals for the parameters are constructed based on the s-normal approximation to the asymptotic distribution of MLE, and log-transformed MLE. The coverage probabilities of the individual s-normal-approximation confidence intervals for the parameters are examined numerically. Some recommendations are made from the results of a Monte Carlo simulation study, and a numerical example is presented to illustrate all of the methods of inference developed here.
Independent impacts of age and hearing loss on spatial release in a complex auditory environment

Listeners in complex auditory environments can benefit from the ability to use a variety of spatial and spectrotemporal cues for sound source segregation. Probing these abilities is an essential part of gaining a more complete understanding of why listeners differ in navigating the auditory environment. Two fundamental processes that can impact the auditory systems of individual listeners are aging and hearing loss. One difficulty with uncovering the independent effects of age and hearing loss on spatial release is the commonly observed phenomenon of age-related hearing loss. In order to reveal the effects of aging on spatial hearing, it is essential to develop testing methods that reduce the influence of hearing loss on the outcomes. The statistical power needed for such testing generally requires a larger number of participants than can easily be tested using traditional behavioral methods. This work describes the development and validation of a rapid method by which listeners can be categorized in terms of their ability to use spatial and spectrotemporal cues to separate competing speech streams. Results show that when age and audibility are not covarying, age alone can be shown to substantially reduce spatial release from masking. These data support the hypothesis that aging, independent of an individual’s hearing threshold, can result in changes in the cortical and/or subcortical structures essential for spatial hearing.
Dialysis unit and patient characteristics associated with reuse practices and mortality: 1989-1993.

The diverse patient and dialysis unit characteristics in the United States pose challenges for assessing the safety and efficacy of reuse practices. A 10% random sample of period-prevalent hemodialysis patients from units practicing conventional dialysis (<25% of patients with high-efficiency/high-flux dialysis) were analyzed. The data included 13,926 patient observations in 1989-1990 and 20,422 in 1991-1993. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Health Care Financing Administration facility survey Medicare data were analyzed with a Cox regression model, evaluating the risk of reuse compared with no reuse and adjusting for comorbidity, unit characteristics, and profit status. In 1989-1990, freestanding and hospital-based units that did not reuse dialyzers were not significantly different from each other in mortality rates. In 1991-1993, however, no-reuse, freestanding, for-profit units had higher risks (relative risk [RR] = 1.23, P = 0.003) compared with no-reuse, hospital-based, nonprofit units. No-reuse, hospital-based, for-profit units, in contrast, were associated with a lower mortality risk (RR = 0.70, P = 0.0001). An isolated higher risk associated with peracetic acid manual reuse in freestanding units (1989-1990) was identified in for-profit units only. In the 1991-1993 period, an increased mortality risk was noted in hospital-based, nonprofit units practicing formaldehyde automatic reuse, and in freestanding, for-profit units using glutaraldehyde, which accounted for <5% of all units. All other interactions of reuse germicide and technique were not different from no-reuse. The varying mortality rates identified in both no-reuse and reuse units using conventional dialysis suggest that other factors, such as dialysis therapy and anemia correction (both known predictors of patient survival), have a greater influence on U.S. mortality than reuse germicides and techniques.
Nonrandom extinction patterns can modulate pest control service decline

Changes in biodiversity will mediate the consequences of agricultural intensification and expansion for ecosystem services. Regulating services, like pollination and pest control, generally decline with species loss. In nature, however, relationships between service provision and species richness are not always strong, partially because anthropogenic disturbances purge species from communities in nonrandom orders. The same traits that make for effective service providers may also confer resistance or sensitivity to anthropogenic disturbances, which may either temper or accelerate declines in service provision with species loss. We modeled a community of predators interacting with insect pest prey, and identified the contexts in which pest control provision was most sensitive to species loss. We found pest populations increased rapidly when functionally unique and dietary-generalist predators were lost first, with up to 20% lower pest control provision than random loss. In general, pest abundance increased most in the scenarios that freed more pest species from predation. Species loss also decreased the likelihood that the most effective service providers were present. In communities composed of species with identical traits, predators were equally effective service providers and, when competing predators went extinct, remaining community members assumed their functional roles. In more realistic trait-diverse communities, predators differed in pest control efficacy, and remaining predators could not fully compensate for the loss of their competitors, causing steeper declines in pest control provision with predator species loss. These results highlight diet breadth in particular as a key predictor of service provision, as it affects both the way species respond to and alter their environments. More generally, our model provides testable hypotheses for predicting how nonrandom species loss alters relationships between biodiversity and pest control provision.
"Therapist-patient sex syndrome": the perils of nomenclature for the forensic psychiatrist.

The escalating problem of sexual misconduct has heightened clinicians' awareness of the consequences of therapist-patient sexual relations. One consciousness-raising device, the definition of "therapist-patient sex syndrome," may pose more problems than remedies in the forensic, rather than clinical context. The author reviews the conceptual, diagnostic, and teleological dimensions of this addition to diagnostic nomenclature.
Information Asymmetry and Listing of Acquiring Firms

In this study, I examine announcement period returns and long-term returns to acquiring firms following the completion of a merger. I offer an explanation for negative merger performance based on asymmetric information. My evidence indicates that there is a link between trading venue and information asymmetry. In addition, the losses from the merger wave of 1998-2002 appear to be linked to trading venue.
Pre-biopsy PSA and biopsy gleason sum; evaluating the independence of two independent variables

14555 Background: Traditionally PSA, Gleason sum and Clinical Stage are considered independent predictors of outcome for prostate cancer. The purpose of this study is to investigate a codependence ...
Zoning and Land Use Planning: Plans are Not Enough

Some commentators describe comprehensive land use planning as a potential remedy for suburban sprawl. But in fact, states that require municipal comprehensive plans can be just as automobile-oriented as more permissive states. Why is this the case? Because like zoning codes, municipal comprehensive plans often favor low-density single-use development, wide streets and other factors that encourage automobile-dependent development.
On the estimation of seismic detection thresholds

abstract The incremental detection capability of a seismic station, i.e., the probability of detection as a function of event magnitude, is usually estimated either by using the exponential magnitude-frequency relationship of earthquakes (the recurrence method) or by comparing the station detections to an independent reference system (the direct method) . The recurrence method usually yields significantly lower 90 per cent thresholds than the direct method, while a hypothetical “true” threshold would lie between these values. This is explained theoretically as resulting from the global variance of observed signal amplitudes for a given seismic event. A maximum likelihood estimation procedure is developed for the direct method, and approximate confidence limits on the estimated detection thresholds are derived. The two estimation techniques are applied to determine the event detection capability of the NORSAR array for the Japan-Kuriles-Kamchatka region, and the results are related to previously published estimates.
Stability of medical students' attitudes toward aging and death.

Le but de l'etude est de montrer si l'experience medicale universitaire peut modifier les attitudes envers le vieillissement et la mort
How elementary-age children read polysyllabic polymorphemic words.

Developing readers of English appear to favor phonograms over grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs) to read unknown words. For polysyllabic polymorphemic (PSPM) words, the morphophonemic nature of English means elementary-age children may focus on roots and affixes. Does developing readers’ PSPM word reading accuracy relate to the morphological units, the nonmorphological, or both? In this study, 3rd and 4th graders (N = 202) read PSPM words (N = 45), and models were constructed to answer this question. A nonmorphological polysyllabic model showed a main effect of phonological awareness; a Vocabulary Size × Word Frequency interaction, with larger vocabularies improving accuracy for low-frequency words; and a GPC Knowledge × Word Frequency interaction, with a slight negative GPC knowledge effect for all but low-frequency words. A polymorphemic model showed main effects of word-specific root word knowledge, general root word reading, vocabulary, and word frequency. A Morphological Awareness × Morphological Transparency interaction showed morphological awareness affected accuracy for shift words more than transparent ones. In a combined model, effects were the same, except GPC knowledge positively affected accuracy for very low-frequency words, vocabulary and frequency had only main effects, and a bigram frequency effect was found. The polysyllabic model reduced child and item variance by 45% and 43%, respectively; the polymorphemic model by 62% and 67%; and the combined model by 69% and 69%. The results suggest that elementary-age developing readers rely on morphological information to read PSPM words. Implications for models of reading and reading intervention are discussed.
A SIMPLIFIED MEDIUM FOR GROWTH AND SPORULATION OF PILOBOLUS SPECIES

(1976). A Simplified Medium for Growth and Sporulation of Pilobolus Species. Mycologia: Vol. 68, No. 6, pp. 1254-1258.
The Fiscal Impact of Local Property Tax Abatement in Indiana

Property tax abatement is widely used by local governments in the U.S. with the goal of attracting and retaining businesses. This analysis examines the efficacy of such abatement using data on Indiana counties from 2002 through 2011. The analysis suggests that local tax abatement tends to be correlated with higher effective tax rates in a county. These correlations exist in the absolute size of abated property relative to the existing assessed value of property taxes and in the frequency of use of tax abatements. In addition, there is not a strong relationship between abatement and the growth of assessed value over time. The implication is that, on average, the use of abatements as a tool for growing a property tax base is not particularly effective. These findings cast doubt on the ability of Indiana’s system of property tax abatements to increase the tax base or control property tax rates.
AM/OFDM versus AM/QAM for mixed analog/digital subcarrier multiplexed lightwave transmission

Hybrid multichannel AM/QAM subcarrier multiplexed (SCM) lightwave systems are attractive for mixed analog/digital video-data transport over hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) networks. In this paper we show that significant bit-error-rate (BER) improvements can be obtained using AM/OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) vis-a-vis AM/QAM, when corrupted by both clipping-impulse and Gaussian noise. It is shown that the clipping effect on the BER of an OFDM signal can be negligible for a large range of laser optical modulation depths, and therefore, virtually no limit is imposed on the channel capacity. It is further shown that OFDM introduces little effect on the analog AM channels, as opposed to use of QAM systems.
Redefining beta-blocker use in hypertension: selecting the right beta-blocker and the right patient

Randomized controlled trials have concluded that the cardiovascular outcome of first-step treatment of hypertension with traditional vasoconstricting beta-blockers is inferior to treatment with other antihypertensive drug classes. Beta-blocker use is also associated with undesirable side effects. Consequently, some recent guidelines consider beta-blockers an inferior option for first-step treatment of hypertension. Despite this, beta-blockers are still widely prescribed, and likely overused, in the management of hypertension. It is the contention of this perspective that beta-blockers do have an important role in treating hypertension, but their use needs to be much better targeted, by better identification of both the right patient and the right beta-blocker. Identifying the right patient involves consideration of underlying mechanisms of hypertension. In the absence of comorbidities for which a beta-blocker is indicated, beta-blockers would not seem to be the preferred treatment for patients with either sodium/volume-mediated hypertension, for which they are usually ineffective, or for those with renin-angiotensin system-mediated hypertension, for which angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers provide equal antihypertensive efficacy with evidence of better outcome and fewer adverse effects. Beta-blockers would instead appear to be best suited for patients with sympathetically driven, that is, neurogenic, hypertension, whether as a first-step drug, such as in patients with hypertension in the acute post-stroke period, in so-called "hyperkinetic" patients, and in patients with labile hypertension, or as an add-on drug in patients with resistant hypertension. In choosing among the beta-blockers, combined alpha/beta-blockade offers advantages over beta-blocker monotherapy and merits greater clinical and research attention. Finally, unreliable bioavailability greatly interferes with the effectiveness of lipophilic, but not nonlipophilic, beta-blockers. Clinical effectiveness could be improved with greater focus on the beta-blockers with the more favorable pharmacokinetics.
Do you dare to compare? Associations between maternal social comparisons on social networking sites and parenting, mental health, and romantic relationship outcomes

Social comparisons on social networking sites can be problematic for some individuals. However, this has never been examined in a parenting context, where the pressure for mothers to portray themselves as perfect parents may be high. The aim of the current study was to examine associations between making social comparisons on social networking sites with mothers parenting, mental health, and romantic relationship outcomes. In the iMom Project, 721 mothers completed a number of questionnaires regarding their social media use, parenting behaviors, and health outcomes. Results revealed that making social comparisons on social networking sites was related to parenting outcomes (in the form of higher levels of parental role overload, and lower levels of parental competence and perceived social support), relationship outcomes (in the form of more conflict over social networking sites and perceiving less positive coparenting relationships) and higher levels of maternal depression. This study adds to a growing literature suggesting that making social comparisons online may be associated with a number of negative outcomes, and extends it to the context of mothering. This study has implications for the way that mothers use social media, specifically in the use of social comparisons. Social comparisons on social media are common.Such comparisons were associated with negative outcomes for mothers.These extended to the parenting, relationship, and mental health domains.Implications include helping mothers become critical thinkers on social media.
Neutron Emission by Plasma Cavitons

Observation of neutron emission from a radio-frequency gas discharge in deuterium at input powers as low as 100 W is reported. The effect is caused by the formation of localized resonant nonlinear ...
A vertically-stacked anti-polar diode (VAD) pixel for organic semiconductor image sensors

A novel pixel structure is demonstrated to provide simple patterning for switchable 2-terminal devices with almost 100% fill factor. A blocking diode is grown directly on top of an organic photodiode to provide a vertically stacked structure that can easily be integrated in series.
Online Therapy for Adolescent Mental Health

Adolescents in need of mental health care face many barriers to receiving appropriate treatment. Mental health services delivered or enhanced through the Internet or other technologies, also known as e-mental health care, offer accessible interventions to those in need of therapy. Computerized and Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapies (cCBTs and iCBTs) have been widely studied in adults and have been found to be as effective as face-to-face therapy. There is a growing body of evidence showing the potential benefits of cCBT, iCBT, and other online therapies for adolescents with depression, anxiety, and other behavioral problems. Successful implementation of online therapy for adolescents in schools, clinics, and at home may help close the gap between the high demand for mental health care and the low availability of services.
Primary processes in the bacterial reaction center probed by two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy.

In the initial steps of photosynthesis, reaction centers convert solar energy to stable charge-separated states with near-unity quantum efficiency. The reaction center from purple bacteria remains an important model system for probing the structure-function relationship and understanding mechanisms of photosynthetic charge separation. Here we perform 2D electronic spectroscopy (2DES) on bacterial reaction centers (BRCs) from two mutants of the purple bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus, spanning the Q y absorption bands of the BRC. We analyze the 2DES data using a multiexcitation global-fitting approach that employs a common set of basis spectra for all excitation frequencies, incorporating inputs from the linear absorption spectrum and the BRC structure. We extract the exciton energies, resolving the previously hidden upper exciton state of the special pair. We show that the time-dependent 2DES data are well-represented by a two-step sequential reaction scheme in which charge separation proceeds from the excited state of the special pair (P*) to P+HA- via the intermediate P+BA- When inhomogeneous broadening and Stark shifts of the B* band are taken into account we can adequately describe the 2DES data without the need to introduce a second charge-separation pathway originating from the excited state of the monomeric bacteriochlorophyll BA*.
Between fact and interpretation: On the social misconstruction of reality

It is no secret that in the academy today knowledge is under attack. It has become, so to speak, an untrustworthy commodity. This crisis is most evident in the so-called culture wars, pitting the critics of objective scholarship against its traditionalist defenders. The critics of knowledge practice what might be called a hermeneutics of suspicion. No manifestations of knowledge, they claim, are innocent, value-free, or untainted. Instead, all claims to knowledge are implicated in the maintenance of power-relations or domination. This standpoint presents us with a stark reversal of the traditional Enlightenment correlations among knowledge, progress, and human happiness. Whereas the philosophes were convinced that truth would ultimately set humanity free, the contemporary critics of knowledge set forth a diametrically opposite claim: that the intellectual methods that we assumed were the key to our emancipation science, rationality, and social engineering are what in fact have kept us in chains. Needless to say, these critics of knowledge, often associated with a nebulous postmodernism, are very quick to exempt their own discourse from the nihilistic implications of such arguments: it is the traditional pretensions to knowledge that one should watch out for; their own pretensions, conversely, are unproblematic and unassailable. Perhaps Michel Foucault best expressed the new mood of hyperskepticism when, referring to modern society, he avowed: the "point is not that everything is bad, but that everything is dangerous."
Investigating introductory astronomy students’ perceived impacts from participation in course-based undergraduate research experiences

Participation in course-based research experiences in astronomy can lead to a variety of desired cognitive and affective outcomes.
An Oceanographic Perspective on Microbial Life at Low Temperatures

At the typical subzero temperatures of polar oceans, neither the growth nor survival strategies of heterotrophic microorganisms, in particular bacteria, are well understood. Protistan and viral predation on bacteria in high-latitude seas is a subject of current interest, but the potential inhibition of bacterial acquisition of food by very low temperatures remains the most debated issue in polar marine microbiology. If significant limitations are imposed on bacterial heterotrophy in seawater by nearfreezing temperatures, then the flow of organic matter through the microbial loop and associated respiratory loss of carbon from the system (Yager, 1996) will also be limited. If the temperature limitations are differential (if phytoplankton growth can outcompete bacterial growth at subzero temperatures), as documented by Pomeroy and Deibel (1986), then the highly efficient food webs, often weighted towards higher trophic levels, that characterize polar marine ecosystems (Petersen and Curtis, 1980) are mechanistically explained.
Cellular Gsh Metabolism During Hypoxia

In recent years, we have studied the effect of hypoxia on hepatic GSH homeostasis. O2 dependence of GSH synthesis was studied in cells under different steady-state O2 with met or cys as precursor amino acids. GSH synthetic rate with met decreased from 0.71 to (J.16 nmol/106 cells/min under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively. Half-maximal change (P50) occurred at 5 µM O2, a value similar to the P50 for steady-state content of S-adenosylmethionine. Studies with mitochondrial inhibitors show that GSH synthesis from met was rate-limited by the ATP-dependent formation of SAM. GSH synthesis from cys was more resistant to O2 deficiency (P50 = 1 µM O2). O2 dependence of NADPH supply for GSSG reduction was studied in hepatocytes by infusions of diamide under conditions in which the infusion rate approximates the steady-state rate of NADPH supply. In aerobic cells, the critical infusion rate was 5.3 nmol/106 cells/min, above which cells did not maintain cellular GSH and NADPH pools. The criticial infusion rate in anoxic cells was < 2.0 nmol/106 cells/min; thus, anoxia decreased NADPH supply to maintain cellular GSH. Exposure of rats to chronic hypoxia (10.5% O2, 10 days) caused significant decreases in several of the hepatic GSH-dependent detoxication enzymes.
Encroachment and Secondary Succession

There are estimations suggesting that approximately 60 million ha of grasslands in the American southwest have been encroached by various woody species and converted to savannas, shrublands, or woodlands (Humphrey 1958; Grover and Musick 1990). Interestingly, this is more than the total estimated area of these grasslands (Laurenroth 1979). Thus, the composition, cover, density, productivity, and structure of most if not all of these grasslands have changed. In addition, it has been suggested that 220–330 million ha of all North American grasslands have been encroached by woody species (Knapp et al. 2008). Not all of this woody plant encroachment is by woody legumes, but a considerable amount is (Van Auken 2009). Prosopis, Senegalia, and Vachellia are genera with major encroaching species in southwestern North American grasslands, but they are not the only species.
Transmembrane signals in the activation of T lymphocytes.

The induction of T lymphocyte proliferation is thought to involve cell-cell interaction and molecular communications (1). The nature of the intercellular communication on a cell-cell contact basis is not understood; what evidence is available points to important molecular communications. It is generally accepted that T cells are triggered to proliferate by two signals (Fig. 1). The mitogen in the relative but not complete absence of accessory cells can induce T cells to enter a G1 phase of the cell cycle from a resting G0 or “restricted” G1 phase of the cell cycle. This first stage of activation is associated with cellular enlargement or blastogenesis and both protein and RNA synthesis. The lymphocyte does not enter DNA synthesis (S phase) unless a second signal is presented. This second process is thought to be initiated by mitogen interaction directly or indirectly with adherent accessory cells, (i.e., monocytes/macrophages) which results in the production of interleukin 1 (IL-1). The IL-1 thus acts on T lymphocytes to induce the production on interleukin 2 (IL-2), and the appearance of cell surface receptors for IL-2. Little is known of the metabolic events associated with IL-1 and IL-2 action. T cells triggered by mitogen to enter the cell cycle transit aG1-S boundary as a result of the second signal and complete the cycle. The subsequent divisions do not require re-exposure to the mitogen but do require the presence of IL-2. The majority of the studies to date have concentrated on early events following mitogen addition to peripheral blood lymphocytes with the assumptions that the events occur in T cells and are contributory to the replication process.
Investigation of an empirical creep law for rock salt that uses reduced elastic moduli

Early attempts to predict the creep response of rock salt around underground rooms at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) produced closure estimates that were one-third to one-fourth of values measured in situ (Morgan et. al., 1985). A subsequent study (Morgan, et al., 1986) of the WIPP reference elastic secondary creep model (Krieg, 1984) used to make these predictions revealed that room closures and even closure rates could be increased by reducing the elastic constants. This study also indicated that a vertical cylindrical shaft configuration could be substituted for more complicated and expensive rectangular room configurations in studying constitutive parameters for rock salt. Sjaardema and Krieg (1986) used these results to determine how much the WIPP reference value of Young's modulus E had to be reduced to increase the creep closure and closure rate of a hypothetical borehole in rock salt by factors of 3.5 to 4. They found that E had to be divided by 12.5 to produce the desired results. 12 refs., 5 figs.