cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Health Benefits of Nature: Introduction to the Special Section

This special section of Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being brings together four original articles at the intersection of the environment and well-being. As a field of inquiry, positive psychology cuts across disciplinary boundaries to encompass many fields, including psychology, sociology, economics, and public health. The articles in this special section underscore the importance of environmental psychology for this interdisciplinary agenda. Whether the forms and structures within which people interact are humanmade or natural, the environment is crucial to the development, maintenance, and expression of human potentials. The environment, both built and natural, can promote social interaction, community cohesion, and mental health. Features of the built environment (e.g. bicycle paths, tree-lined streets, community gardens) and natural environment (e.g. natural landscapes, habitats, and wildlife) can also promote physical health by spurring physical activity. Finally, the environment can be conducive to mental health by reducing mental fatigue and replenishing vital resources that have been depleted by stress. Environmental psychology will continue to play an important role in our understanding of human health and well-being. This special section spotlights some of the noteworthy work to date that will, we hope, stimulate new investigations. APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, 2011, 3 (3), 229 doi:10.1111/j.1758-0854.2011.01056.x
Optimizing Customer Forecasts for Forecast‐Commitment Contracts

We study a “Forecast-Commitment” contract motivated by a manufacturer's desire to provide good service in the form of delivery commitments in exchange for reasonable forecasts and a purchase commitment from the customer. The customer provides a forecast for a future order and a guarantee to purchase a portion of it. In return, the supplier commits to satisfy some or all of the forecast. The supplier pays penalties for shortfalls of the commitment quantity from the forecast, and for shortfalls of the delivered quantity from the customer's final order (not exceeding the commitment quantity). These penalties allow differential service among customers. In Durango-Cohen and Yano (2006), we analyzed the supplier's problem for a given customer forecast. In this paper, we analyze the customer's problem under symmetric information, both when the customer is honest and when he strategically orders more than his demand when doing so is advantageous. We show that the customer gains little from lying, so the supplier can use his control over the contract parameters to encourage honesty. When the customer is honest, the contract achieves (near-)coordination of the supply chain in a great majority of instances, and thus provides both excellent performance and flexibility in structuring contracts.
Law, Obligation, and a Good Faith Claim of Justice

In A Theory of Law, Philip Soper makes a number of bold claims concerning legal and political theory. Among these are claims that (1) legal theory-theory about "What is law?"-has reached a dead end at which it no longer responds to questions of concern to anyone other than professional philosophers (pp. 1-7); (2) political theory-theory about "Why should one obey the law?"-blithely assumes a positivist concept of law that itself guarantees the conclusion that there is no general prima facie obligation to obey (pp. 7-12); (3) legal and political theory should be connected by posing as the central question of both, "What is law that it should be obeyed?" (pp. 7-12, 91-100); and (4) joining these theoretical endeavors permits the development of an adequate and relevant nonpositivist theory of law that also solves the problem of political obligation (pp. vii, 91-100). Soper sets an agenda that is too ambitious for complete philosophical treatment in a book of modest length, but his claims are stimulating and sufficiently developed to be worthy of serious consideration.
Essential Phenomena of General Intelligence

We present a set of cognitive phenomena that should be exhibited by a generally intelligent system. To date, we know of few systems that address more than a handful of these phenomena, and none that are able to explain all of them. Thus, these phenomena should motivate a system's design, test its generality, and can be used to point out fundamental shortcomings. The phenomena encourage autonomous learning, development of representations, and domain independence, which we argue are critical for general intelligence.
Fuzzy Inference for Variable Structure Control

Today's technology requires controls capable of handling highly nonlinear, time-varying, uncertain systems. Variable structure control VSC is one such control method. Variable structure control is invariant to system perturbations and external disturbances; however, a high-frequency control chattering exists that renders the VSC impractical for most applications. Fuzzy inference can be used to reduce the chattering. By using fuzzy inference to determine the switching scheme of the VSC, the original robustness and fast response time of the VSC can be retained while reducing the control chattering. Optimization of the fuzzy parameters using genetic algorithms will also produce a system with improved response time and accuracy.
On the capacity of Markov sources over noisy channels

We present an expectation-maximization method for optimizing Markov process transition probabilities to increase the mutual information rate achievable when the Markov process is transmitted over a noisy finite-state machine channel. The method provides a tight lower bound on the achievable information rate of a Markov process over a noisy channel and it is conjectured that it actually maximizes this information rate. The latter statement is supported by empirical evidence (not shown in this paper) obtained through brute-force optimization methods on low-order Markov processes. The proposed expectation-maximization procedure can be used to find tight lower bounds on the capacities of finite-state machine channels (say, partial response channels) or the noisy capacities of constrained (say, run-length limited) sequences, with the bounds becoming arbitrarily tight as the memory-length of the input Markov process approaches infinity. The method links the Arimoto-Blahut algorithm to Shannon's noise-free entropy maximization by introducing the noisy adjacency matrix.
Estrogen as an immunomodulator.

Abstract> Estrogen's role in the sex differences observed in autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis have remained unclear. Complicating the understanding of the immunomodulatory effects of estrogen are (1) the effects of estrogen on multiple components of the immune response; (2) its varied effects on different systems in which it appears pro-autoimmune, as in murine lupus, or anti-inflammatory, as in EAE; and (3) its effects on other hormones which are potentially immunomodulatory. Recent reports have shed light on the role of estrogen in the modulation of lymphocyte survival and expansion and in the elaboration of Th1 versus Th2 cytokines and on the mechanisms by which estrogen can activate via multiple signaling and genomic pathways in immune cells.
XUV optics characterization at the National Institute of Standards and Technology

Abstract The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is establishing a complete measurement program for the characterization of extreme ultraviolet (XUV) multilayer optics. In this paper we describe our existing and proposed efforts in surface figure and surface finish metrology, X-ray diffraction, and XUV reflectometry.
Attributions and other inferences: Processing information about the self versus others

Abstract This study focuses on the attributional inferences involved in the comprehension of behaviors and on possible differences between the process of comprehending one's own behaviors and those of another person. Both the content of attributional judgments and the time taken to make the judgments were measured, in a design involving the comprehension of behaviors that were high or low in desirability and distinctiveness and that were understood as the subject's own versus another person's. Results show that the inferential processes in the comprehension of one's own and another's behavior are generally similar. Exceptions are where organized knowledge about the self (a self-schema) is brought into use and where differences in “perspective” between self and other influence processing. Discussion centers on the implications of the results for theories of comprehension and inference, including extensions needed to handle the self/other distinction.
Eye Movements, Perceptual Span, and Reading Disability.

Skilled readers move their eyes during reading on the average of every quarter of a second. During the time that the eye is fixated, new information is brought into the processing system. While the average fixation duration is 200-250 msec, the range is from 100 msec to over 500 msec. The distance the eye moves in each saccade is between 1 and 20 characters with the average being 7-9 characters. Thus, the most impres sive fact about fixations and saccades is that there is considerable vari
Zinagrandinolides A−C, Cytotoxic δ-Elemanolide-Type Sesquiterpene Lactones from Zinnia grandiflora

Three new δ-elemanolide-type sesquiterpene lactones, zinagrandinolides A−C (1−3), and the known δ-elemanolide 4 have been isolated by a bioassay-guided fractionation of a cytotoxic hexane extract of the aerial parts of Zinnia grandiflora. The structures of 1−3 were determined on the basis of high-resolution mass and NMR data. All compounds exhibited strong cytotoxicity against the cancer cell lines NCI-H460, MCF-7, SF-268, and MIA Pa Ca-2 and the normal human fibroblast cell type WI-38, but none showed significant selectivity.
Hydrothermal synthesis of hydroxyapatite rods

Abstract Hydroxyapatite (HAP) rods were synthesized from dicalcium phosphate anhydrous (CaHPO 4 , DCPA) and calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) by the hydrothermal method from 120 to 180 °C. Both cuttlebone (aragonite polymorph of CaCO 3 ) and CaCO 3 chemical (calcite polymorph of CaCO 3 ) were used as CaCO 3 sources. The nucleation and growth of HAP rods mainly occurred on DCPA particles, while some HAP rods also grew from aragonite particles. The nucleation and growth of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) particles on the surface of calcite particles were observed at the beginning of the reaction of DCPA and calcite, and some HAP rods were also found to grow out of β-TCP particles. After the hydrothermal reaction at 140 °C for 24 h, most products are HAP with a small amount of β-TCP synthesized as a byproduct. The HAP rods synthesized were ∼200 nm in width and several microns in length. The reaction mechanism and growth process of HAP rods are discussed.
Bmad: A relativistic charged particle simulation library☆

Abstract Bmad is a subroutine library for simulating relativistic charged particle beams in high-energy accelerators and storage rings. Bmad can be used to study both single and multi-particle beam dynamics using routines to track both particles and macroparticles. Bmad has various tracking algorithms including Runge–Kutta and symplectic (Lie algebraic) integration. Various effects such as wakefields, and radiation excitation and damping can be simulated. Bmad has been developed in a modular, object-oriented fashion to maximize flexibility. Interface routines allow Bmad to be called from C / C ++ as well as Fortran programs. Bmad is well documented. Every routine is individually annotated, and there is an extensive manual.
Thermodynamics and kinetics of immersion of coal by n-alcohols

Abstract The heats of immersion of Pocahontas No. 3 coal (325 mesh) have been measured at 36°C for a series of n-alcohols in a Calvet MS 70 microcalorimeter. The 200 mg coal samples were outgassed at ∼ 1 × 10 −5 torr for 1h at room temperature. The evacuated sample bulbs with break-off tips were broken in 5 cm 3 of the alcohols after establishment of an initial steady state. The rate at which the steady state was reestablished after immersion of the coal was followed. The heat of immersion decreased non-linearly from 20.2 J/g for methanol to 5.8 J/g for n-dodecanol. The immersion times of coal by methanol and n-dodecanol were 330 and 475 min/g, resp. A maximum in immersion time of 1220 min/g was observed for n-butanol. The results suggest limited penetration of the immersion liquids into the coal structure as the alcohol chain length increases.
WITHDRAWN: Parameterization of Rainfall Models with 1 Emphasis on Extremes

Temporal rainfall is usually represented as a series of storms with different duration D and average intensity ID, separated by dry periods. Inside each storm, rainfall intensity fluctuates, producing different average values Id in different intervals of duration d ≤ D. We consider storm models of this type to predict the distribution of the annual maximum of Id. Of special importance is the dependence of the upper tails of ID and Id on D and (d, D, ID), respectively. From the analysis of 23 hourly rainfall records, we conclude that all marginal and conditional upper tails of ID and Id have lognormal shape. The upper tail of Id is largely independent of D and is the same as the upper tail of ID for D = d. Both tail distributions scale in a multifractal way with duration. These findings greatly simplify the parameterization of the model and the estimation of rainfall extremes. We compare extreme rainfall results from this model with those produced by methods that use only the marginal upper tail of Id and the number of wet d intervals in one year, and with the empirical distributions from the historical annual maxima.
Three repeat isoforms of tau inhibit assembly of four repeat tau filaments.

Tauopathies are defined by assembly of the microtubule associated protein tau into filamentous tangles and classified by the predominant tau isoform within these aggregates. The major isoforms are determined by alternative mRNA splicing of exon 10 generating tau with three (3R) or four (4R) ∼32 amino acid imperfect repeats in the microtubule binding domain. In normal adult brains there is an approximately equimolar ratio of 3R and 4R tau which is altered by several disease-causing mutations in the tau gene. We hypothesized that when 4R and 3R tau isoforms are not at equimolar ratios aggregation is favored. Here we provide evidence for the first time that the combination of 3R and 4R tau isoforms results in less in vitro heparin induced polymerization than with 4R preparations alone. This effect was independent of reducing conditions and the presence of alternatively spliced exons 2 and 3 N-terminal inserts. The addition of even small amounts of 3R to 4R tau assembly reactions significantly decreased 4R assembly. Together these findings suggest that co-expression of 3R and 4R tau isoforms reduce tau filament assembly and that 3R tau isoforms inhibit 4R tau assembly. Expression of equimolar amounts of 3R and 4R tau in adult humans may be necessary to maintain proper neuronal microtubule dynamics and to prevent abnormal tau filament assembly. Importantly, these findings indicate that disruption of the normal equimolar 3R to 4R ratio may be sufficient to drive tau aggregation and that restoration of the tau isoform balance may have important therapeutic implications in tauopathies.
Ethical Choice in the Medical Applications of Information Theory

Background Alongside advances in medical information technology (IT), there is mounting physician and patient dissatisfaction with present-day clinical practice. The effect of introducing increasingly complex medical IT on the ethical dimension of the clinical physician’s primary task (identified as direct patient care) can be scrutinized through analysis of the EMR software platform.
Theory of nonpropagating hydrodynamic solitons

Abstract A resonator can support localized finite amplitude disturbances whose frequency is below cutoff. These modes might be characterized as hydrodynamic polarons and in various limits obey a nonlinear Schrodinger equation or a Zakharov equation. Distortions of these modes oscillate at deep subharmonic frequencies.
Harriet Martineau’s Epistemology of Gossip

Kristen A. Pond, “Harriet Martineau’s Epistemology of Gossip” (pp. 175–207) This essay is a fresh examination of Harriet Martineau’s only domestic novel, Deerbrook (1838). Though the novel seems like an interruption to those writings considered more typical of the author, and more successful, this essay traces the way in which Deerbrook ’s preoccupation with epistemology connects it in important ways to the rest of Martineau’s oeuvre. While in most of her writing Martineau gives preference to what the Victorians considered to be empirical and rational ways of knowing, in Deerbrook she focuses on more typically feminized knowledge forms that rely on speculation and intuition, in particular the discourse of gossip. This essay argues that gossip’s main function in Deerbrook is not as plot device or didactic warning; rather, it functions as an epistemological category that challenges Enlightenment presumptions to certain knowledge. Read as a source of knowledge rather than a female vice, gossip becomes the tool through which Martineau raises the possibility of alternative forms of knowledge that might counter, or at least complicate, assumptions about what constitutes certain truth and right knowledge.
Evidence for an HLA-C-like locus in the orangutan Pongo pygmaeus.

HLA-B and C are related class I genes which are believed to have arisen by duplication of a common ancestor. Previous study showed the presence of orthologues for both HLA-B and C in African apes but only for HLA-B in Asian apes. These observations suggested that the primate C locus evolved subsequent to the divergence of the Pongidae and Hominidae. From an analysis of orangutan Tengku two HLA-C-like alleles (Popy C*0101 and Popy C*0201) were defined as well as three HLA-B-like (Popy-B) alleles. By contrast, no Popy-C alleles were obtained from orangutan Hati, although three Popy-B alleles were defined. Thus an HLA-C-like locus exists in the orangutan (as well as a duplicated B locus), implying that the primate C locus evolved prior to the divergence of the Pongidae and Hominidae and is at least 12–13 million years old. Uncertain is whether all orangutan MHC haplotypes contain a C locus, as the failure to find C alleles in some individuals could be due to a mispairing of HLA-C-specific primers with certain Popy-C alleles. These results raise the possibilities that other primate species have a C locus and that the regulation of natural killer cells by C allotypes evolved earlier in primate evolution than has been thought.
American Art Museums: Sanctuary or Free-For-All?

The conflict between elitism and populism in the development of American art museums is analyzed in the light of the gap between intention and accomplishment with regard to their public education mission. In the course of examining the origins and changing character of these institutions, it is suggested that although a public mission was adduced to justify their existence and gain access to public subsidy, in fact, art museums were never really designed to be "democratic." Almost in spite of this, however, they are reaching a far broader public than their founders could have imagined. In the process, the nature of the art viewing experience has changed, as have the definitions of what constitutes Art. The conflict between elitism and populism is a perennial feature of American art museums. Proponents of populism, or the democratization of access to the fine arts for the many, identify the public education function of art museums as their most important role. Elitists, on the other hand, consider collecting, preserving, and studying art works to be the museum's central purpose. Yet public education has been claimed as a basic function by American art museums since their founding. Almost all explicitly assume this obligation in their charters, reiterate the goal in public statements, and most have actually undertaken activities which they defined as educational. Nevertheless, until recently very few have systematically pursued this aim if it meant sacrificing the others. This essay looks at why museum people talk so much about their responsibility to a public about whom they remain deeply ambivalent. To understand the nature of this ambivalence it is not enough to recognize that art museums have other interests, though this is central to understanding the gap between the stated purpose and its realization. Neither is it sufficient to explain the outcomes in terms of intentions, real or imputed to important actors. Rather, it is important to examine the American art museum both as a *Address correspondence to the author, Graduate Faculty, New School for Social Research, 65 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003. ?D 1984 The University of North Carolina Press
Optical Design And Instrumentation Of The Keck Observatory

The Keck Observatory Ten Meter Telescope has a Ritchey-Chretien optical design which maximizes the field of view for an f/15 focus at about 20 arcminutes. An f/25 infrared focus provides a 9 arcminute field. The optical design and the optical tolerances will provide 0.5 arcsecond images (80% enclosed energy diameter) over these fields of view. This is equivalent to 0.25 arcsecond FWHM seeing conditions. Instrumentation is designed to allow for rapid, semi-automatic instrument exchanges. At major foci, the instruments will be contained in interchangeable modules having a common weight and center of gravity that attach kinematically to the telescope.
Using Secondary Data Sources for Pharmacoepidemiology and Outcomes Research

The increased availability of electronic medical records and administrative health care databases is adding to the popularity of pharmacoepidemiology and outcomes research studies. Despite their availability, practitioners may be reluctant to use these databases because they lack familiarity with database research in general. The basic principles of research are the same regardless of the data source, but there are a few special considerations. When using secondary data sources for research purposes, special care must be taken to select an appropriate source to ensure that relevant information is available to answer the research question at hand. Special attention must also be paid to selecting the appropriate codes to represent the outcomes and exposures of interest; therefore, a general understanding of coding schemes is necessary. Although time may be saved by not prospectively collecting data, the process of manipulating the data for analysis in secondary databases can be complex. Analysis of data from secondary sources may require special procedures to overcome the lack of randomization. By familiarizing themselves with these special issues, practitioners can use secondary sources to conduct studies that make valuable contributions to the improvement of patient care.
Polymorphism in Benzene, Naphthalene, and Anthracene at High Pressure

Optical observations, in which a microscope was used with the diamond-anvil pressure cell, were carried out on benzene, naphthalene, and anthracene up to temperatures of about 600 degrees C and pressures of approximately 40 kilobars. New high-pressure phases of benzene (benzene III) and anthracene (anthracene II) were observed, and the existence of the high-pressure polymorph, naphthalene II, was verified. All three materials decompose initially to a reddish-orange liquid, and ultimately to amorphous carbon. The decomposition temperatures decrease with increasing molecular size.
The Evidence of Nature and the Nature of Evidence

s c a l h r e t s s “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people,” wrote conservationist John Muir over a century ago, “are beginning to find out that going o the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a ecessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are seful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivrs, but as fountains of life.” Muir was not breaking new round. Since ancient times, people intuitively have been rawn to places of natural beauty, seeking tranquility, estoration, spiritual fulfillment, and even better health. Modern research offers tantalizing clues that corroborate his tradition. Consider the benefits of trees. Studies have ound that post-surgical patients recover more smoothly hen they can view trees through their hospital windows; that public housing residents enjoy stronger social bonds, less violence, and (among girls) greater concentration, impulse control, and delayed gratificationwhen there are trees near their apartments; and that in neighborhoods with trees,newbornsare less likely tobe small forgestational age, children are less prone to become overweight, and elders ive longer. An article in this issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine adds to the literature on the health benefits of trees. A beetle—the emerald ash borer—has wiped out millions of ash trees across 15 U.S. states over the last decade. Donovan and colleagues hypothesized that the loss of trees might threaten health—specifically, by increasing mortality from cardiovascular and lower respiratory disease. Their independent variables were the presence andduration of emerald ash borer infestation, at the county level, and the extent of ash tree loss (estimated based on county-level tree canopy data and state-level data on the proportion of ash in each state’s canopy, a parameter that nowhere exceeded 7.9%). The dependent variable was cause-specific mortality, also at the county level. Regression analysis controlled for such potential confounders as race and ethnicity, income, and education but not for smoking, diet, cholesterol, family history, or air quality. The authors found that ash tree loss was
Natural radio noise--A mini-review

Natural radio noise in telecommunication systems can be accounted for by the contribution which it makes to antenna noise temperature. Attenuation due to water vapor and oxygen, clouds, and precipitation is accompanied by thermal noise which further degrades the applicable signal-to-noise ratio. Extraterrestrial noise may be of thermal or nonthermal origin and may cover a continuum of frequencies or occur at discrete frequencies. The spectral index n (the exponent giving the variation of noise power density with wavelength) is -2 for a black body and between 0 and -2 for thermal emission in general. The mechanism responsible for much of the extensive nonthermal extraterrestrial noise is synchrotron radiation, characterized by a positive spectral index.
Four-Choice Win-Stay Water Escape Acquisition by Rats

Rats were capable of acquiring a four-choice win-stay water-escape task. While preventing access to the incorrect choice sections on information runs affected the first choices made on test runs, it did not affect rate of acquisition.
SU-E-T-437: Dosimetric Effect of Uncorrected Rotations in Lung SBRT with Stereotactic Imaging Guidance

Purpose: The stereoscopic imaging guidance can detect three translational and three rotational corrections for the treatment setup in lung SBRT. The rotational corrections may not be performed if a 6‐degree treatment table is not available. We aim to investigate the dosimetric effect of uncorrected rotations for Lung SBRT. Methods: Twelve patients with NSCLC who received SBRT were selected for this study. To simulate uncorrected rotations, the planning CT and contours were rotated around the iso‐center by 1°, 2°, 3°, 4°, 5° in all three axes. For each patient, the initial plan was then applied to the rtated CT and contours, and the dose to the rotated CT was recalculated using a Monde Carlo dose calculation method. The ratio of D1, D95 and D99 of the PTV between plans on the original and rotated CT were computed. Results: The ratios of D95 for different rotations were: 100.0±0.6% (1°), 99.6±0.7% (2°), 99.4±1.0% (3°), 98.7±2.4% (4°), 98.6±1.0% (5°). The ratios of D1 were: 99.8±0.7% (1°), 99.6±0.8% (2°), 99.6±0.7% (3°), 99.5±1.0% (4°), 99.4±1.0% (5°). The ratios of D99 were: 99.0±1.1% (1°), 98.7±1.5% (2°), 98.1±2.2% (3°), 96.2±4.8% (4°), 96.0±4.4% (5°). Compared to the dose distribution in the original plans, less than 1% reduction in D95 of the PTV was observed if the uncorrected rotations were less than 3°. D1 of the PTV was less than 1% for uncorrected rotations up to 5°. D99 of the PTV exceeded 4% for uncorrected rotation greater than 4°. Conclusion: The rotation of less than 3° in all directions has negligible dose effects in Lung SBRT under stereoscopic image guidance.
Discrete multi-armed bandits and multi-parameter processes

The general multi-armed bandit problem is reformulated and solved as a control problem over a partially ordered set. The approach taken provides a technically convenient framework for bandit-like problems. It also adds insight to the structure of strategies over partially ordered sets.
Yola counselli n. sp., described from Cameroon (Coleoptera Dytiscidae)

Yola counselli n. sp. is described on the basis of seven adult specimens from Cameroon. Distinguishing character states are given for the new species, which is probably closest related to Y. grandicollis Peschet 1921 and Y. darfurensis Balfour-Browne 1947. The bidessine species, Uvarus retiarius Guignot 1939, is recorded for the first time in Cameroon.
Answering top-k queries with multi-dimensional selections: the ranking cube approach

Observed in many real applications, a top-k query often consists of two components to reflect a user's preference: a selection condition and a ranking function. A user may not only propose ad hoc ranking functions, but also use different interesting subsets of the data. In many cases, a user may want to have a thorough study of the data by initiating a multi-dimensional analysis of the top-k query results. Previous work on top-k query processing mainly focuses on optimizing data access according to the ranking function only. The problem of efficient answering top-k queries with multi-dimensional selections has not been well addressed yet.This paper proposes a new computational model, called ranking cube, for efficient answering top-k queries with multi-dimensional selections. We define a rank-aware measure for the cube, capturing our goal of responding to multi-dimensional ranking analysis. Based on the ranking cube, an efficient query algorithm is developed which progressively retrieves data blocks until the top-k results are found. The curse of dimensionality is a well-known challenge for the data cube and we cope with this difficulty by introducing a new technique of ranking fragments. Our experiments on Microsoft's SQL Server 2005 show that our proposed approaches have significant improvement over the previous methods.
Labial fusion causing urinary incontinence in a postmenopausal female: a case report

Urinary incontinence is not described in the literature as the presenting symptom of labial fusion. This report discusses a 72-year-old postmenopausal woman who presented with complaints of urinary incontinence and was diagnosed to have complete labial fusion. Following failure of conservative treatment with topical estrogen cream a surgical separation of the fusion was performed. The surgical therapy alleviated all incontinence symptoms.
The Life Cycle of Ca2+ Ions in Dendritic Spines

Spine Ca2+ is critical for the induction of synaptic plasticity, but the factors that control Ca2+ handling in dendritic spines under physiological conditions are largely unknown. We studied [Ca2+] signaling in dendritic spines of CA1 pyramidal neurons and find that spines are specialized structures with low endogenous Ca2+ buffer capacity that allows large and extremely rapid [Ca2+] changes. Under physiological conditions, Ca2+ diffusion across the spine neck is negligible, and the spine head functions as a separate compartment on long time scales, allowing localized Ca2+ buildup during trains of synaptic stimuli. Furthermore, the kinetics of Ca2+ sources governs the time course of [Ca2+] signals and may explain the selective activation of long-term synaptic potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) by NMDA-R-mediated synaptic Ca2+.
Control of surface mineralization using collagen fibrils.

Surface structure in the form of roughness and organized patterning can affect osteoblastic adhesion and proliferation. This study investigates the effect of reconstituted collagen fibrils on the deposition pattern of a homogeneous inorganic mineral (sodium chloride). The patterns were monitored from nanometer to millimeter scales using atomic force and light microscopies. Initially, mineral deposits formed blocks following the contour of the collagen fibrils. At later times, dendritic structures formed. This demonstrates that collagen fibrils can affect the surface deposition pattern of saline minerals. It is also shown that collagen fibril diameter and the stoichiometry of the inorganic and organic phases effect the surface distribution of minerals.
ALMA and asteroid science

When the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) is completed, it will synthesize angular resolution as fine as 5 milliarcseconds. With such resolution and ALMA's large number of stations and collecting area, it will be possible to rapidly map the shapes, large-scale surface features, and surface temperature distributions of the 700 largest objects in the main asteroid belt and the hundred largest Jupiter Trojans. Such information would provide great insights into the dynamics and history of the asteroid belt, and potentially determine the surface compositions of otherwise spectrally ambiguous objects.
A study of reaction mechanisms for the 7Li(p, 2d)4He reaction at 45 MeV

Abstract The first kinematically complete experiment involving a (p, 2d) reaction is reported. It is found that at 45 MeV bombarding energy a significant part of the 7 Li(p, 2d) 4 He reaction cross section arises from contributions from sequential decay processes through excited states of 6 Li. A new three-body break-up mechanism involving the quasi-free interaction of the proton with the bound triton is discussed.
ENZ waveguide of Al-doped zinc oxide for telecommunication applications

We investigate the incorporation of an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) material into a waveguide structure in order to suppress dispersion associated with the interaction of light with material in the core, guiding layer. ENZ metamaterials can provide a mechanism for air-core waveguides by introduction of a cladding medium exhibiting a refractive index less than unity. We study the application of aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), a transparent conducting oxide, as the candidate for ENZ waveguides. For this purpose, we design a metamaterial cladding layer with ENZ properties derived from nanoparticles of AZO, and investigate the resulting loss and dispersion of guided optical signals.
Impact of Thermal Injury on Wound Infiltration and the Dermal Inflammatory Response

Healing of the burn wound is a critical component of the burn patient's successful recovery. While inflammation is a critical component of the healing process, it is unknown whether the inflammatory response differs between non-burn and burn wounds. To study this, mice were subjected to major burn injury or sham procedure. Wound cells were collected by implantation of polyvinyl alcohol sponges beneath the burn site in injured mice or beneath uninjured skin in sham mice (i.e., non-burn wound). Three days thereafter, skin, wound fluid, and infiltrating cells were collected for analysis. Significant levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, and keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC) were observed in burn wound tissue and the wound fluid from both non-burn and burn wounds. Burn injury induced 3-fold higher levels of KC and 50-fold higher levels of IL-6 in the wound fluid compared with non-burn injury. Significant numbers of the cells from both burn and non-burn wounds were CD11b(+), GR1(+), and F4/80(+), suggestive of a myeloid suppressor cell phenotype, whereas CD3(+) T-cells were negligible under both conditions. LPS induced TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-10, MCP-1, KC, and nitric oxide production in both cell populations, however, IL-6, IL-10, MCP-1, and KC levels were suppressed in burn wound cell cultures. These findings indicate that significant differences in the wound inflammatory response exist between burn and non-burn cutaneous wounds and that the unique characteristics of the inflammatory response at the burn site may be an important contributing factor to post-burn wound healing complications.
Isolated calcaneofibular ligament injuries treated with osteopathic manipulative treatment: A case series

Abstract This case series addresses several examples of isolated calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) injuries and potential mechanisms of injury. Though previously assumed to be an uncommon injury, it should be considered in patients that have ankle inversion injuries or post-inversion sequelae that do not fit the classic inversion sprain criteria. To injure only the CFL, the foot must be maximally stressed in dorsiflexion and pronation. Post-injury, the patient would have to use the foot in dorsiflexion and/or pronation to feel the injury, which is not part of a normal gait cycle. The application of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) to treating isolated calcaneofibular ligament injuries is instructive of the efficacy of the osteopathic approach in these cases and suggests that further research is warranted. It is possible that these injuries may be underreported. The data in one practice are analyzed.
Expanding Collaboration in Academia: Case Study of the Development of Construction Products

AbstractMuch of the twentieth century featured construction projects in the built environment developed through significant specialization within design and construction sectors. Several different project delivery schemes have evolved in the last quarter century that focused on a collaborative approach. In academia, this parallel shift toward collaboration has been slower, but students (and faculty) are beginning to learn to value their counterparts’ perspective. This case study explores a new way that collaborative academic efforts can be expanded beyond the constructor—architect paradigm. Focused on the improvement of productivity and safety in construction, an ongoing 5-year effort between programs in construction management and industrial design at a major U.S. university produces new construction products and tools. The study explores the iterative development of the program, investigates the process employed, and details how collaboration in academia can play a role in the improvement of tactile con...
Identification of a poison in toxic scallops from a Gonyaulax tamarensis red tide.

Abstract The poison in stored extracts of the hepatopancreas of scallops that became toxic during a red tide caused by Gonyaulax tamarensis has been extensively purified and the product shown to be identical to saxitoxin in its toxicity to mice and TLC behavior in six solvent systems.
Measurements of Deuterium Quadrupole Coupling in Formic Acid

The 101–000 rotational transition was observed in HCOOH, HCOOD, and DCOOH using a maser spectrometer. Quadrupole hyperfine structure was completely resolved in HCOOD and DCOOH. The measured quadrupole coupling strength along the OD‐bond direction was eqQ = 391 kHz and HCOOD and eqQ = 249 kHz along the DC‐bond direction in DCOOH. These coupling constants and the deuterium quadrupole coupling in NH2D are compared with the corresponding force constants and the results are in fairly good agreement with the theory of Salem.
Cost structure of laparoscopic and open sigmoid colectomy for diverticular disease: similarities and differences.

PURPOSE: Although laparoscopic colectomy has demonstrated a variety of advantages, it remains unclear whether the reductions in length of stay and faster return of bowel function will offset potential increases in cost caused by operating time and instrumentation. The purpose of this study was to compare the direct cost structure of elective open and laparoscopic resection for sigmoid diverticulitis. METHODS: We compared consecutive elective open and laparoscopic sigmoid colectomies (n = 71 and n = 61, respectively) performed from March 1, 1999, through December 31, 2000. Data collected included age, gender, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesia score, indication for surgery, morbidity, mortality, conversion (laparoscopic only), operating time, and length of hospital stay. Direct cost data were provided by Stanford’s integrated hospital cost management and decision software. Indirect costs and total costs were not addressed. Data were analyzed by Student’s t-test and chi-squared test where appropriate. Significance was set at P < 0.05. All data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean. RESULTS: There were 132 elective sigmoid colectomies for diverticular disease (61 laparoscopic and 71 open procedures). There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to age, male/female ratio, or body mass index. Operating time was similar (109 ± 7 minutes for laparoscopic procedures vs. 101 ± 7 minutes for open procedures). The laparoscopic group had a significantly shorter length of stay (3.1 ± 0.2 vs. 6.8 ± 0.4 days), fewer pulmonary complications (1 (1.6 percent) vs. 4 (5.6 percent)) and fewer wound infections (0 vs. 5 (7 percent)). Conversion to open colectomy was required in 4 (6.6 percent) of 61 patients. Readmission occurred in three laparoscopic colectomy patients (4.9 percent) and four open colectomy patients (5.6 percent). There was one operative death in the laparoscopic group (1.6 percent) and no deaths in the open group. Total direct cost per case was significantly less for laparoscopic procedures ($3,458 ± 437) than for open colectomies ($4321 ± 501; P < 0.05, Student’s t-test), and operating costs were not significantly different between the groups. CONCLUSION: The data demonstrate that laparoscopic colectomy is a cost-effective means of electively managing sigmoid diverticular disease. This operative approach may become very important in an era of increasing constraints on hospital occupancy rates and access to nursing services in many regions of the country.
Clomiphene Citrate and hMG: An Alternative Stimulation Protocol for Selected Failed in Vitro Fertilization Patients*

This study was carried out to evaluate the potential role of the combination clomiphene citrate/human menopausal gonadotropin (CC/hMG) for patients who failed previous in vitrofertilization (IVF) attempts with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRH- a) and/ or exogenous gonadotropins. Patients were stimulated with CC/hMG (n=93) after unsuccessfully undergoing 182 gonadotropin cycles with (n=106) or without (n=76) luteal-phase GnRH- a. Cancellation rate, length of stimulation, and peak estradiol levels did not differ significantly between the two regimens. Although fewer oocytes were retrieved when the CC/hMG combination was used, 16 patients were able to successfully achieve a pregnancy (26.2% delivery rate/ transfer). When daily follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were measured in two successive cycles in those women who conceived with the CC/hMG stimulation, baseline levels did not differ when compared with a previous GnRH-a/hMG cycle. Nevertheless, serum FSH levels rose rapidly and remained higher in the GnRH- a/hMG cycle, reaching significantly higher levels on day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration. Selected patients who failed previous IVF attempts with gonadotropins with or without GnRH analogs may benefit from the addition of CC to their ovarian stimulation protocol.
Coping with technology uncertainty in transportation fuel portfolio design

Abstract In this paper, we present a stochastic programming model to cope with uncertainty brought by cellulosic ethanol technology evolvement in transportation fuel portfolio design problems. The model takes into account a range of possible technology evolvement scenarios, and identifies a solution to the energy portfolio, together with the corresponding infrastructure needs, that complies with existing environmental requirements and is cost-effective, reliable, and adaptable to future technology changes. Using a California case study, we demonstrate that the proposed stochastic model produces a more reliable solution than its deterministic counterparts.
A non-staggered, conservative, ∇⋅B→=0, finite-volume scheme for 3D implicit extended magnetohydrodynamics in curvilinear geometries

In the development of spatial difference schemes for magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), the preservation of continuum properties such as conservation of mass, momentum, and energy, as well as required electromagnetic constraints (∇⋅B→=∇⋅j→=0, where j→=∇×B→ is the electrical current), is desirable to preserve numerical accuracy. Moreover, simplicity of the scheme is also a desirable feature, particularly when an implicit implementation is considered (the focus of this paper). We propose here a finite-volume, cell-centered (non-staggered) scheme for the extended MHD formulation that: (1) is suitable for implicit implementations in arbitrary curvilinear geometries, (2) is conservative, (3) preserves both the magnetic field and the electrical current solenoidal to machine precision, and (4) is linearly and nonlinearly stable in the absence of numerical and physical dissipation. Crucial to the viability of the scheme is the use of a clever interpolation scheme (ZIP [Hirt, J. Comput. Phys. 2 (1968) 339–355]), the proper treatment of boundary conditions in curvilinear geometry, and a novel treatment of geometric source terms in the momentum equation that ensures their exact cancellation in the absence of pressure forces.
Extensive projections of myenteric serotonergic neurons suggest they comprise the central processing unit in the colon.

Background 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin) is an important regulator of colonic motility and secretion; yet the role of serotonergic neurons in the colon is controversial. Methods We used immunohistochemical techniques to examine their projections throughout the enteric nervous system and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) networks in the murine proximal to mid colon. Key Results Serotonergic neurons, which were mainly calbindin positive, occurred only in myenteric ganglia (1 per 3 ganglia). They were larger than nNOS neurons but similar in size to Dogiel Type II (AH) neurons. 5-HT neurons, appeared to make numerous varicose contacts with each other, most nNOS neurons, Dogiel Type II/AH neurons and glial cells. 5-HT, calbindin and nNOS nerve fibers also formed a thin perimuscular nerve plexus that was associated with ganglia, which contained both nNOS positive and negative neurons, which lay directly upon the submucosal pacemaker ICC network. Neurons in perimuscular ganglia were surrounded by 5-HT varicosities. Submucous ganglia contained nNOS positive and negative neurons, and calbindin positive neurons, which also appeared richly supplied by serotonergic nerve varicosities. Serotonergic nerve fibers ran along submucosal arterioles, but not veins. Varicosities of serotonergic nerve fibers were closely associated with pacemaker ICC networks and with intramuscular ICC (ICC-IM). 5-HT2B receptors were found on a subpopulation of non-5-HT containing myenteric neurons and their varicosities, pacemaker ICC-MY and ICC-IM. Conclusions & Inferences Myenteric serotonergic neurons, whose axons exhibit considerable divergence, regulate the entire enteric nervous system and are important in coordinating motility with secretion. They are not just interneurons, as regularly assumed, but possibly also motor neurons to ICC and blood vessels, and some may even be sensory neurons.