cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Posttraumatic Nightmare Content in Children and its Relation to Posttraumatic Psychopathology

In adult populations, the more similar a posttraumatic nightmare is to a precipitating traumatic event, i.e., the replicativeness of the nightmare, the more distress one experiences, and the greater the frequency and severity of posttraumatic stress symptoms. Posttraumatic nightmare content in children and its relation to posttraumatic psychopathology remains unclear. Nightmare content and trauma-related themes within children’s posttraumatic nightmares remains relatively unexplored. Trauma-exposed children (n = 17) aged 5-17 years-old provided a posttraumatic nightmare narrative and answered questions about the replicativeness of their posttraumatic nightmare. Nightmare content and trauma-related themes were coded. Two one-way ANOVAs examined posttraumatic nightmare replicativeness to levels of posttraumatic stress and to nightmare distress. Findings showed that in children, posttraumatic nightmare replicativeness was associated with posttraumatic stress but not nightmare distress. The most common trauma-related themes in posttraumatic nightmares were safety and power/control. Girls’ nightmares more often contained pursuit and perceived threat whereas boys’ nightmares more often involved aggression. Our study is the first to examine trauma-related themes and qualitative aspects of posttraumatic nightmares in children with a variety of traumas. Future studies should examine gender differences and trauma-related themes, as these may have implications for our understanding and treatment of nightmares in children.
Ovarian and endometrial immunity during the ovarian cycle

Immune tolerance is crucial for the successful pregnancy, while immune effectors and their products are required to safeguard a fetus from the infectious pathogens. The key immune effectors, such as T, B, and natural killer (NK) cells, monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells take part in regulating the immune responses at the maternal-fetal interface. The immune effectors become involved in intraovarian reproductive processes as well, such as ovulation, production of corpus luteum (CL) and its degeneration and determine the quality and evolution of the oocyte during the folliculogenesis. In the cycling endometrium, NK cells are rapidly infiltrated into the endometrium after ovulation and participate in angiogenesis and spiral artery remodeling process. In this study, we reviewed the characteristics and action mechanisms of immune effectors and their products in the peripheral blood, ovary, and endometrium during the ovarian cycle, since a comprehensive understanding of immune responses during the ovarian cycle and the time of implantation can help us to predict the pregnancy outcome and take effective measures for the prevention of potential obstetrical complications.
Showcasing ElectroDermis

In this video, we showcased "ElectroDermis", a fabrication approach that simplifies the creation of highly-functional and stretchable wearable electronics that are conformal and fully untethered by discretizing rigid circuit boards into individual components. These individual components are wired together using stretchable electrical wiring and assembled on a spandex blend fabric, to provide high functionality in a robust form-factor that is reusable. We describe a series of example applications that illustrate the feasibility and utility of our system.
Building social capital with Facebook: Type of network, availability of other media, and social self-efficacy matter#

Abstract Findings about Facebook's effect on relationships are mixed, possibly due to lack of models that acknowledge differences across users, types of their friends, and use of competing media. To address this, we proposed and tested how Facebook and traditional media influence bridging and bonding social capital in two different networks: core network of high school friends and network of first-semester college friends. Facebook was expected to compensate for traditional media in the first network while social self-efficacy was expected to interact with media use in the latter. Results provide reasonable support for our models. In the network of high school friends, Facebook promotes bonding social capital and traditional media promotes both bridging and bonding social capital. Facebook also promotes bridging social capital but only when it substitutes for traditional media; it harms bridging social capital otherwise. In the network of college friends, Facebook promotes both bridging and bonding social capital and the effect on bonding social capital strengthens with decreasing social self-efficacy of the user. Traditional media too promotes bonding social capital in this network but this effect weakens with decreasing social self-efficacy of the user. Traditional media promotes bridging social capital as well but only for those with high social self-efficacy; it may harm bridging social capital for users with low social self-efficacy. Our results suggest that instead of asking whether Facebook builds relationships and social capital, researchers should focus on finding the conditions in which it does. University officials concerned with students’ adjustment to university life can employ these results to suggest appropriate media when they counsel students about how to maintain and develop social capital in their networks of high school and college friends.
Altars of Ammo: Catholic Materiality and the Visual Culture of World War II

During World War II, US photographers, government censors, and publishers—Catholic and non-Catholic alike—were attracted to images depicting the intersection of Roman Catholic ritual forms and mili...
A BIG DATA APPROACH FOR COMPREHENSIVE URBAN SHADOW ANALYSIS FROM AIRBORNE LASER SCANNING POINT CLOUDS

Abstract. Because of the importance of access to sunlight, shadow analysis is a common consideration in urban design, especially for dense urban developments. As shadow computation is computationally expensive, most urban shadow analysis tools have to date circumvented the high computational costs by representing urban complexity only through simplified geometric models. The simplification process removes details and adversely affects the level of realism of the ultimate results. In this paper, an alternative approach is presented by utilizing the highest level of detail and resolution captured in the geometric input data source, which is an extremely high-resolution airborne laser scanning point cloud (300 points/m2). To cope with the high computational demand caused by the use of this dense and detailed input data set, the Comprehensive Urban Shadow algorithm is introduced to distribute the computation for parallel processing on a Hadoop cluster. The proposed comprehensive urban shadow analysis solution is scalable, reasonably fast, and capable of preserving the original resolution and geometric detail of the original point cloud data.
A two-layer feature selection method using Genetic Algorithm and Elastic Net

Abstract Feature selection, as a critical pre-processing step for machine learning, aims at determining representative predictors from a high-dimensional feature space dataset to improve the prediction accuracy. However, the increase in feature space dimensionality, comparing to the number of observations, poses a severe challenge to many existing feature selection methods considering computational efficiency and prediction performance. This paper presents a new two-layer feature selection approach that combines a wrapper and an embedded method in constructing an appropriate subset of predictors. In the first layer of the proposed method, Genetic Algorithm (GA) has been adopted as a wrapper to search for the optimal subset of predictors, which aims to reduce the number of predictors and the prediction error. As one of the meta-heuristic approaches, GA is selected due to its computational efficiency; however, GAs do not guarantee the optimality. To address this issue, a second layer is added to the proposed method to eliminate any remaining redundant/irrelevant predictors to improve the prediction accuracy. Elastic Net (EN) has been selected as the embedded method in the second layer because of its flexibility in adjusting the penalty terms in the regularization process and time efficiency. This two-layer approach has been applied on a Maize genetic dataset from NAM population, which consists of multiple subsets of datasets with different ratios of the number of predictors to the number of observations. The numerical results confirm the superiority of the proposed model.
Protocolized exercise improves frailty parameters and lower extremity impairment: A promising prehabilitation strategy for kidney transplant candidates.

Background Frailty and decreased functional status are risk factors for adverse kidney transplant (KT) outcomes. Our objective was to examine the efficacy of an exercise intervention on frailty and decreased functional status in a cohort of patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods We conducted a prospective study involving 21 adults with ≥stage 4 CKD who were (a) frail or pre-frail by Fried phenotype and/or (b) had lower extremity impairment [short physical performance battery score ≤10]. The intervention consisted of two supervised outpatient exercise sessions per week for 8 weeks. Results Among our cohort, median participant age was 62 years (interquartile range, 53-67) and 85.7% had been evaluated for KT. Following the study, participants reported satisfaction with the intervention and multiple frailty parameters improved significantly, including fatigue, physical activity, walking time, and grip strength. Lower extremity impairment also improved (90.5%-61.9%, P = .03). No study-related adverse events occurred. Conclusions Preliminary data from this study suggest that a supervised, outpatient exercise intervention is safe, acceptable, feasible, and associated with improved frailty parameters, and lower extremity function, in patients with advanced CKD. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and determine whether this prehabilitation strategy improves KT outcomes.
Variation and consistency in the links between religion and emotion regulation

Emotions play a central role in the religious experience. This suggests that religious institutions, practices, and beliefs may actively shape the emotions of adherents, such as by influencing how they regulate emotions. An emerging literature has documented the various links between religion and emotion regulation. This article reviews these links with regards to various elements of emotion regulation, including beliefs about the controllability of emotions, desired emotions, emotion regulation strategies, and intrinsic versus extrinsic emotion regulation. For each link, emphasis is given to whether it is variable or consistent across religious affiliations, and if variable, what might explain such variation.
68 Cervical abnormalities in a patient with pemphigus vulgaris

A 38 year old nulliparous woman with pemphigus vulgaris (PV) on oral prednisolone and azathioprine was referred to the Gynaecology service for an abnormal cervical cytological smear showing low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. She was asymptomatic, reported no abnormal vaginal bleeding, and had a 10 pack-year history of smoking. Colposcopy was unsatisfactory with inadequate visualisation of the transformation zone due to severe cervico-vaginitis. A small focus of aceto-white epithelium was seen, surrounded by peeling, friable epithelium. HPV DNA test was negative. Punch biopsy demonstrated metaplastic squamous epithelium with intraepidermal suprabasal blister formation with acantholysis. Well-vascularised dermal papillae lined residual basal cells, giving rise to a tombstone appearance. There was no evidence of CIN/CGIN or invasive malignancy. An ulcer was also seen in the left buccal region. Repeat colposcopy after 6 weeks showed a small ulcerated area at the biopsy site with rolled healing edges, and a separate small ulcer. Cervical smear and colposcopy 6 months later were unremarkable. The incidence of cervical PV may be underestimated because women with PV are often managed by dermatologists without gynaecological input. In many published cases, cervical involvement was only detected after gynaecological examination due to symptoms such as dyspareunia, post-coital bleeding or vaginal discharge. Cervical smears of patients with PV typically display acantholysis, which may be misinterpreted as reparative, inflammatory, or neoplastic change. There have been reports of unnecessary hysterectomy due to such misdiagnoses. Review by an experienced cyto-pathologist is required in the event of diagnostic uncertainty.
Unanticipated Admission Following Outpatient Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Identifying Opportunities for Improvement.

BackgroundUnanticipated admissions are a burden to the health care system. Over 400 000 outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomies (LCs) are performed annually in the United States. The aim of this ...
Data-driven Occupancy Profiles for Apartment-style Student Housing

Abstract To support the need for a better understanding of occupant behaviors in buildings, we present occupancy profiles for apartment-style student housing from high-resolution monitored occupancy data. We illustrate differences between data-driven occupancy patterns and the widely-used reference occupancy schedule in Building America’s House Simulation Protocol. We evaluate the sensitivity of predicted savings associated with the installation of occupancy-based heating and cooling controls to differences in occupancy schedules. Results demonstrate a wide variety of occupancy patterns among students. Weekday occupancy schedules are influenced by students’ class schedules with the average probability that students are home mid-day twice that defined by the reference occupancy schedule. However, the differences between the reference and actual occupancy profiles have produced a small change (~3%) in the savings predicted for occupancy-based heating and cooling controls in a cold climate (4.3–7.7%). The potential savings was not sensitive to the variability among student occupancy schedules due to the high probability of occupancy for most hours of the day. Nonetheless, the variety of occupancy patterns among students reveals diversity in students’ behaviors. Better understanding of occupant behavior in buildings provides crucial information for demand and distribution management of electrical grids, behavioral studies, and occupant-centric building design.
The Widow Tax Hit: Much Ado About Nothing?

The widow tax hit ranks high among the fear appeals used by financial advisors to motivate client behavior. The pitch exploits the fact that tax brackets for singles may be only half as large as for married filing joint. Cognitive errors catalogued in behavioral finance, such as the availability heuristic, explain why retired couples can be made to worry about the tax rate the widowed survivor will have to pay, leading to the fear that it may be significantly higher and require a cutback in living standards. This paper is designed to allay that fear and immunize the retiree against sales pitches that manipulate it. The paper demonstrates that for affluent couples taking social security and Medicare, the tax hit from the survivor entering the single brackets is likely to be inconsequential, once necessary reductions in expenditure are taken into account. By contrast, loss of income, as when one social security payment disappears, may indeed threaten living standards, and the paper briefly examines potential solutions ranging from Roth conversions to life insurance. [This version contains minor updates and corrections.]
Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen and the Filiation of Economic Ideas

This article examines the intellectual influences that economists exerted on Nicholas Georgescu Roegen in his formative and mature years. While these include Malthus, Marshall, Pareto and Schumpeter, attention is focused on Marx and Gossen. Karl Marx is the economist whom Georgescu Roegen cited most frequently in his three books. While criticizing several of Marx's views, he noted approvingly that Marx did not consider the economic process as an isolated or closed system. This contrasts with its representation by the neoclassical paradigm, which ignores the absorption of low-entropy resources from the environment and their transformation into high-entropy waste. Georgescu Roegen's 130-page essay on "Hermann Heinrich Gossen: His life and work in historical perspective" was his introduction to the first English-language translation of Gossen's The Laws of Human Relations and the Rules of Human Action Derived Therefrom. This allowed Georgescu Roegen to re-evaluate his own early work on consumer theory, and highlight the importance that Gossen attributed to the role of time in consumer welfare maximization. It also gave him the opportunity to remark on the fate of a genius like Gossen, who was totally ignored in his lifetime and later frequently misunderstood. Georgescu Roegen occupies a secure place in the filiation of economic ideas. His name is now closely associated with the fields of bioeconomics and ecological economics.
Maintaining network connectivity and performance in robot teams: Research Articles

In this paper, we present an experimental study of strategies for maintaining end-to-end communication links for tasks such as surveillance, reconnaissance, and target search and identification, where team connectivity is required for situational awareness. Our main contributions are threefold: (a) We present the construction of a radio signal strength map that can be used to plan multi-robot tasks, and also serve as useful perceptual information. We show how a nominal model of an urban environment obtained by aerial surveillance, is used to generate strategies for exploration. (b) We present reactive controllers for communication link maintenance; and (c) we consider the differences between monitoring signal strength versus data throughput. Experimental results, obtained using our multi-robot testbed in three representative urban environments are presented with each of our main contributions. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Modeling Biomass Allocation and Grain Yield in Bread and Durum Wheat under Abiotic Stress

Differences between two wheat genotypes [ Triticum aestivum and T. durum species (A and D, respectively)] in dry matter (DM) partitioning into stems, leaves and spikes, in response to multiple abiotic stresses were quantified during two years of contrasting rainfall regimes. The impact of normal (N, ~1830 accumulated growing degree days, GDD), and late (L, ~1750 GDD) planting, in combination with normal (450 live seed m -2 ) or large (25% above normal) population density on 1000-kernel weight (TKWT), kernels m -2 (K m -2 ), and grain yield (GY, Mg ha -1 ) was quantified. Years, species, stress treatments, and their interactions explained 67, 73, and 75% of total variance in DM partitioned into stem (R-Stem), leaves (R-Leaves), and spike (R-Spike), respectively, 15 days after anthesis; and 50, 78 and 51% of variance in kernels m -2 , TKWT and GY, respectively, at physiological maturity. The two sets of variables were positively correlated (canonical r=0.90; p<0.0001); however, simple correlation coefficients between individual variables of both sets shifted in magnitude and significance in response to stress treatments. Partial least squares regression models were developed for each wheat species to quantify its response to stress.
Desire for Control: Personality, Social and Clinical Perspectives

Introduction. Measuring Desire for Control. Social Interactions. Social Influence. Achievement Behavior and Intrinsic Motivation. Attributions and Information Processing. Well-Being, Adjustment and Health. Depression. Gambling Behavior. Conclusion.
Validity and Reliability of A-Mode Ultrasound for Body Composition Assessment of NCAA Division I Athletes

This study evaluated the validity and reliability of the BodyMetrix™ BX2000 A-mode ultrasound for estimating percent body fat (%BF) in athletes by comparing it to skinfolds and the BOD POD. Forty-five (22 males, 23 females) National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division-I athletes volunteered for this study. Subjects were measured once in the BOD POD then twice by two technicians for skinfolds and ultrasound. A one-way repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant differences between body composition methods (F = 13.24, p < 0.01, η² = 0.24). This difference was further explained by a sex-specific effect such that the mean difference between ultrasound and BOD POD was large for females (~ 5% BF) but small for males (~ 1.5% BF). Linear regression using the %BF estimate from ultrasound to predict %BF from BOD POD resulted in an R2 = 0.849, SEE = 2.6% BF and a TE = 4.4% BF. The inter-rater intraclass correlation (ICC) for skinfold was 0.966 with a large 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.328 to 0.991. The inter-rater ICC for ultrasound was 0.987 with a much smaller 95% CI of 0.976 to 0.993. Both skinfolds and ultrasound had test-retest ICCs ≥ 0.996. The BX2000 ultrasound device had excellent test-retest reliability, and its inter-rater reliability was superior to the skinfold method. The validity of this method is questionable, particularly for female athletes. However, due to its excellent reliability, coaches and trainers should consider this portable and easy to use A-mode ultrasound to assess body composition changes in athletes.
Polarization Measurements in Neutral Pion Photoproduction

We present measurements of the recoil proton polarization for the ^1H(γ ,p )π^0 reaction for θ^π_(c.m.)=60°–135° and for photon energies up to 4.1 GeV. These are the first data in this reaction for polarization transfer with circularly polarized photons. Various theoretical models are compared with the results. No evidence for hadron helicity conservation is observed. Models that employ factorization are not favored. It appears from the strong angular dependence of the induced polarization at photon energies of 2.5 and 3.1 GeV that a relatively high spin resonance or background amplitude might exist in this energy region.
Robust initial background extraction algorithm based on dynamic analysis

Traditional surveillance system needs a lot of manpower to search video for finding the invaders. Therefore, using manpower to search the videos is very unprofitable. Hence, the developments of intelligent surveillance system are very important issue for surveillance system. object segmentation method is most important technique on intelligent surveillance system, because the results of object segmentation can support intelligent surveillance system to detect and monitor Intrusive object. And background subtraction method is very popular of object segmentation. However, background subtraction methods have a problem in initial background extraction when the scene exist slow-speed objects. Because the discrimination between slow-speed objects and background are very difficult. In the paper, we propose a robust initial background extraction algorithm applied to video sequences with a static camera. The algorithm can classify and extract the background effectively. Even in slow-speed objects in the video sequence, the proposed algorithm can extract the initial background by dynamic analysis and maintained the background accurately.
Force Prediction Using Fingernail Imaging: An Overview

This paper presents a method for automatically calibrating a fingernail imaging system used to detect arbitrary three-dimensional force on the human fingerpad. The calibration is accomplished using a Magnetic Levitation Haptic Device modified to apply calibrated forces through a flat plate to the fingerpad.
Freyd's hierarchy of combinator monoids

The Freyd hierarchy of monoids is introduced. The Freyd hierarchy is a fragment of type-free combinatory algebra lambda -calculus that has some remarkable properties, some of which are presented. One result characterizes the combinators in the hierarchy in terms of some simple ideas from the theory of rewrite rules. The computational/expressive power of the fragment is studied. This includes not only the functions computable by the combinators but also the varieties definable by combinator equations. Certain extraordinary connections between the lowest level of the hierarchy, combinatorics, and topology are also included. >
PAST: a large-scale, persistent peer-to-peer storage utility

This paper sketches the design of PAST, a large-scale, Internet-based, global storage utility that provides scalability, high availability, persistence and security. PAST is a peer-to-peer Internet application and is entirely self-organizing. PAST nodes serve as access points for clients, participate in the routing of client requests, and contribute storage to the system. Nodes are not trusted, they may join the system at any time and may silently leave the system without warning. Yet, the system is able to provide strong assurances, efficient storage access, load balancing and scalability. Among the most interesting aspects of PAST's design are (1) the Pastry location and routing scheme, which reliably and efficiently routes client requests among the PAST nodes, has good network locality properties and automatically resolves node failures and node additions; (2) the use of randomization to ensure diversity in the set of nodes that store a file's replicas and to provide load balancing; and (3) the optional use of smartcards, which are held by each PAST user and issued by a third party called a broker The smartcards support a quota system that balances supply and demand of storage in the system.
Does the final intraoperative PTH level really have to fall into the normal range to signify cure

Intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) helps shorten the duration of surgery and increase the likelihood of surgical cure. Although general consensus agrees that the IOPTH should fall by 50%, there is much debate as to whether the IOPTH needs to fall into the normal range. We retrospectively reviewed a prospective database of patients undergoing surgery for treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism. We included all patients with an IOPTH that fell by >50% by 10 or 15 min, but that did not fall into the normal range (parathyroid hormone remained ≥60 pg/ml). We excluded patients who had undergone prior neck surgery or had known multiple endocrine neoplasia 1 or 2. A total of 1,231 patients underwent a parathyroidectomy, 155 of whom met the study’s inclusion/exclusion criteria (12.6%). A total of 117 patients had an IOPTH fall by 50% by 10 min, and 38 patients’ IOPTH fell by 50% by 15 min. Overall surgical cure rate was 98.7%. One patient from the 10-minute group and one patient from the 15-minute group had persistent disease on follow-up. One patient in the 15-minute group had recurrent disease. With a mean ± SEM 18.1 ± 2.1 months’ follow-up, the recurrence rate in this cohort was 0.6%. The average calcium at last follow-up was 9.4 ± 0.0 mg/dl. Allowing the IOPTH to fall by 50% by 15 min, regardless of whether the IOPTH falls into the normal range, results in a high success rate when performed by experienced surgeons. This helps reduce intraoperative time used waiting for additional parathyroid hormone levels and the risks associated with unnecessary bilateral neck exploration.
Transcatheter duplex ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy for treatment of greater saphenous vein reflux: preliminary report.

Background. Surgical ligation and stripping of the greater saphenous vein has been the gold standard for treatment of saphenofemoral junction incompetence for several years. Although sclerotherapy of the greater saphenous vein has also been advocated by some phlebologists, the procedure can be technically challenging and has resulted in inadvertent nontarget injection. Objective. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of transcatheter duplex-guided sclerotherapy for the treatment of varicose veins due to saphenofemoral junction reflux. Methods. Fifty-one greater saphenous veins in 50 patients were treated with transcatheter sclerotherapy. Using local anesthesia and ultrasound guidance, the greater saphenous vein was entered 15–45 cm below the saphenofemoral junction. An infusion catheter was placed over a guidewire and positioned under ultrasound guidance, and 3% sodium tetradecyl sulfate was administered below the saphenofemoral junction and along the course of an “empty” greater saphenous vein via the catheter. Results. Catheter placement and treatment was possible in all patients, with 2–5 ml of 3% sodium tetradecyl sulfate administered per session. At the 24-hour and 1-week follow-ups, all treated greater saphenous vein segments were closed following initial treatment, with no flow detectable by continuous wave or color Doppler interrogation. No patients required re-treatment, with all veins remaining closed at 2- to 12-months follow-up. There have been no adverse reactions. Conclusion. Transcatheter duplex ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy should improve both the safety and efficacy of treatment compared to conventional ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy and offers an alternative to surgical ligation and stripping for those patients wishing to avoid surgery.
Ecological and Sampling Constraints on Defining Landscape Fire Severity

Ecological definition and detection of fire severity are influenced by factors of spatial resolution and timing. Resolution determines the aggregation of effects within a sampling unit or pixel (alpha variation), hence limiting the discernible ecological responses, and controlling the spatial patchiness of responses distributed throughout a burn (beta variation). As resolution decreases, alpha variation increases, extracting beta variation and complexity from the spatial model of the whole burn. Seasonal timing impacts the quality of radiometric data in terms of transmittance, sun angle, and potential contrast between responses within burns. Detection sensitivity can degrade toward the end of many fire seasons when low sun angles, vegetation senescence, incomplete burning, hazy conditions, or snow are common. Thus, a need exists to supersede many rapid response applications when remote sensing conditions improve. Lag timing, or time since fire, notably shapes the ecological character of severity through first-order effects that only emerge with time after fire, including delayed survivorship and mortality. Survivorship diminishes the detected magnitude of severity, as burned vegetation remains viable and resprouts, though at first it may appear completely charred or consumed above ground. Conversely, delayed mortality increases the severity estimate when apparently healthy vegetation is in fact damaged by heat to the extent that it dies over time. Both responses depend on fire behavior and various species-specific adaptations to fire that are unique to the pre-fire composition of each burned area. Both responses can lead initially to either over- or underestimating severity. Based on such implications, three sampling intervals for short-term burn severity are identified; rapid, initial, and extended assessment, sampled within about two weeks, two months, and depending on the ecotype, from three months to one year after fire, respectively. Spatial and temporal conditions of sampling strategies constrain data quality and ecological information obtained about fire severity. Though commonly overlooked, such considerations determine the objectives and hypotheses that are appropriate for each application, and are especially important when building comparative studies or long-term reference databases on fire severity.
Syncope in children and adolescents

Abstract Objectives. The objectives of this study were to 1) define the incidence of syncope coming to medical attention among children and adolescents, 2) determine the outcome of syncope in these patients, and 3) determine changes over time in the evaluation and charges for evaluating this problem. Background. Syncope occurs commonly in children and adolescents. However, the mid- and long-term outcome of children and adolescents who experience syncope is unknown. Methods. Utilizing the Rochester Epidemiology Project, we determined the incidence, outcome and charges for medical evaluation for patients seeking medical attention for syncope during an early 5-year period (1950 to 1954) and a more recent 5-year period (1987 to 1991). Results. The incidence of syncope coming to medical attention was 71.9 and 125.8/100,000 population for the early and more recent cohort, respectively. The incidence was higher for female than for male patients. The incidence peaked in 15- to 19-year old patients. Acute illness and noxious stimuli were associated with 24% and 23% of the episodes, respectively. Although long-term survival was not different from that of the general population, one child died suddenly, and another had hereditary prolonged QT interval syndrome. These were two of only six patients who had exertional syncope. Total charges for evaluation of syncope were similar in the two time periods. However, charges for testing procedures were greater for the more recent cohort. Conclusions. In general, syncope in children and adolescents is a benign event. Syncope occurring during exercise may identify patients with a potentially fatal condition. Detailed evaluation should be considered for patients who have syncope during exercise or who have a family history of syncope, sudden death, myocardial disease or arrhythmias. It may be prudent to obtain an electrocardiogram for all patients who seek medical attention for syncope. (J Am Coll Cardiol 1997;29:1039–45) © 1997 by the American College of Cardiology
Port reform without tears – the New Zealand experience

New Zealan?s port reforms in 1989 and 1990 were part of a wider programme of economic reform. The paper analyses their effects, concluding that there have been substantial benefits in terms of improved port performance which have helped New Zealand exporters and the economy generally.
Early-life stress produces muscle hyperalgesia and nociceptor sensitization in the adult rat

Chronic pain in adults has been associated with early-life stress. To examine the pronociceptive effect of early-life stress, we evaluated cutaneous and muscle nociception and activity in muscle nociceptors in an animal model of neonatal stress, limited bedding, in the rat. In this neonatal limited bedding (NLB) model, litters are exposed to limited bedding between postnatal days 2 and 9, and controls to standard bedding. In adult NLB-treated rats, mechanical nociceptive threshold in skeletal muscle was significantly lower (∼22%) than in controls. Furthermore, administration of prostaglandin E2 in skin as well as muscle produced markedly prolonged hyperalgesia, an effect prevented by spinal intrathecal injection of oligodeoxynucleotide antisense to protein kinase Ce (PKCe), a second messenger in nociceptors that has been implicated in the induction and maintenance of chronic pain. In electrophysiological studies, mechanical threshold of muscle nociceptors was reduced by ∼31% and conduction velocity significantly increased (∼28%). These findings indicate that neonatal stress induces a persistent hyperalgesia and nociceptor sensitization manifest in the adult and that the second messenger PKCe may be a target against which therapies might be directed to treat a chronic pain syndrome that is associated with early-life traumatic stress.
Nonpoint source pollution risk assessment in a watershed context

Nonpoint source pollution control requires assessment of the influence of dispersed runoff-contributing areas on downstream water quality. This evaluation must consider two separate phases: site-to-stream loading and downstream fluvial transport. Any model, combination of models, or procedure for making this assessment can be generalized to a simple spatial model or framework, which considers runoff or pollutant loading per unit area and down-stream attenuation, with drainage area as a scaling factor. This spatial model has a probabilistic interpretation and can be used in conjunction with a standard dilution model to give a probabilistic estimate of the impacts at the basin mouth of runoff from a specific upstream contributing area. It is illustrated by applying it to an assessment of the probability that various copper concentrations at the mouth of the urbanized South Platte River basin in Denver, Colorado, USA, will be exceeded as a result of runoff from a subbasin within the city. Determining the probability that a concentration of a pollutant at the basin mouth can be attributed to runoff from a discrete area within the basin is useful for targeting and risk assessment because it enables quantitative risk-based comparisons. The spatial framework is also useful for evaluating management and control options, since actions within the basin can be directly linked to water quality at a downstream point.
2010 Special Issue: Using social information to guide action: Infants' locomotion over slippery slopes

In uncertain situations such as descending challenging slopes, social signals from caregivers can provide infants with important information for guiding action. Previous work showed that 18-month-old walking infants use social information selectively, only when risk of falling is uncertain. Experiment 1 was designed to alter infants' region of uncertainty for walking down slopes. Slippery Teflon-soled shoes drastically impaired 18-month-olds' ability to walk down slopes compared with walking barefoot or in standard crepe-soled shoes, shifting the region of uncertainty to a shallower range of slopes. In Experiment 2, infants wore Teflon-soled shoes while walking down slopes as their mothers encouraged and discouraged them from walking. Infants relied on social information on shallow slopes, even at 0^o, where the probability of walking successfully was uncertain in the Teflon-soled shoes. Findings indicate that infants' use of social information is dynamically attuned to situational factors and the state of their current abilities.
Design of an Ultra Precision Diaphragm Flexure Stage for Out-of-Plane Motion Guidance

An ultra-precision diaphragm flexure stage was designed and optimized for pure out-of-plane Z-motion guidance with an effort to minimize parasitic lateral and tilt motions. The diaphragm flexure stage will be used to guide an objective lens along the optical axis in a high performance microscope. A concept with cross-linked radial spoke geometry akin to a bicycle wheel was designed to maximize its in-plane to out-of-plane stiffness ratio. The geometry was then optimized using finite element analysis. Several prototypes were manufactured using an abrasive water jet machining center and tested with a reconfigurable test fixture. Sets of two and four diaphragms were tested. Negligible improvement in parasitic motion was observed between the two and four-diaphragm configurations. The experimental results for out-of-plane stiffness matched the finite element result within 0.3%. Negligible hysteresis in vertical motion was observed. Maximum lateral parasitic motion on the order 2 μm was measured over a Z-motion range of 140 μm. The lateral displacement was linear (R2 =0.998) and repeatable, and could be an artifact of misalignment of the diaphragms in the test fixture.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Sodium bicarbonate in cardiac arrest: A reappraisal

Abstract The routine use of sodium bicarbonate in patients with cardiac arrest has been discouraged, without the benefit of outcome evaluation. Current recommendations include an elaborate stratification of circumstances in which bicarbonate is to be used. The physiological and clinical aspects of bicarbonate administration during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in animal and human studies were reviewed. The onset of significant acidemia or alkalemia is associated with adverse system-specific effects. The administration of bicarbonate may mitigate the adverse physiological effects of acidemia, improve response to exogenously administered vasopressor agents, or simply increase venous return due to an osmolar effect, resulting in increased coronary perfusion pressure. Likewise, bicarbonate may have adverse effects in each of these areas. The preponderance of evidence suggests that bicarbonate is not detrimental and may be helpful to outcome from cardiac arrest. An objective reappraisal of the empirical use of bicarbonate or other buffer agents in the appropriate “therapeutic window” for cardiac arrest patients may be warranted.
Effect of Strain on the Secondary Band Extrema of PbS, PbSe, PbTe, and SnTe

The energy levels associated with the secondary extrema in the energy-band structure of PbS, PbSe, and PbTe, at $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}}=(\frac{\ensuremath{\pi}}{a})(\frac{4}{5},\frac{4}{5},0)$, are calculated using the augmented-plane-wave method. The resulting wave functions, along with those previously calculated for SnTe, are used to obtain isotropic and uniaxial deformation potentials for all the energy levels at this point in the Brillouin zone. The results are compared with the temperature coefficients of the various gaps in the "two-band model" for the galvanomagnetic properties of these compounds. The sign of the calculated $\frac{d{E}_{g}}{\mathrm{dT}}$ and $\frac{d\ensuremath{\Delta}{E}_{v}}{\mathrm{dT}}$ for the lead chalcogenides are in agreement with the experimental results. The agreement for the magnitudes, although not uniformly good for all cases, is satisfactory and presents a coherent picture for the relationship between these compounds.
Increase in brain stem cytokine mRNA levels as an early response to chemical-induced myelin edema

This study examined the early response of pro-inflammatory and regulatory cytokines in the mouse brain following triethyltin (TET)-induced myelin injury characterized by edematous vacuolation. Following an acute intraperitoneal injection of triethyltin (TET) sulfate (3 mg/kg) to 17-day old CD1 mice, significant increases in brain stem TNF-alpha and IL-1alpha mRNA levels occurred at 6 and 24 h, respectively with elevations in TGF-beta1 and MIP-1alpha at 1 h. In the cortex, responses were limited to elevations at 6 h in TNF-alpha, TGF-beta1 and MIP-1alpha. These data suggest that a chemokine/cytokine response can occur with minimal alterations to the integrity of the myelin sheath and may contribute to the initial signaling mechanisms associated with demyelinating disorders.
On the local and global behavior of weak shocks and induced discontinuities in a class of materials with internal state variables

We examine in this paper coupled governing differential equations of weak shocks and induced discontinuities in a class of materials with internal state variables, and under physically reasonable conditions deduce definite specific results concerning their local and global behavior. It is shown that all admissible choices of material parameters can be divided into four classes depending on their magnitudes, and the local and global behavior of shocks and induced discontinuities can have disparate features among the classes.
Azide binding to carbon monoxide dehydrogenase from Clostridium thermoaceticum

Carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH) plays a central role in a recently discovered pathway of anaerobic CO and CO{sub 2} fixation. In this communication, the EPR properties of a paramagnetic species that results from azide treatment of reduced CODH are explored. Azide, an inhibitor of CO oxidation, was found to dramatically alter the EPR spectrum of center C that is normally observed for untreated samples under reducing conditions. Electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) measurements show that azide is bound to the new paramagnetic species. 29 refs., 3 figs.
ON THE ∗-REPRESENTATION OF ONE CLASS OF ALGEBRAS ASSOCIATED WITH COXETER GRAPHS

We investigate *-representations of a class of algebras that are quotient algebras of the Hecke algebras associated with Coxeter graphs. A description of all unitarily nonequivalent irreducible *-representations of finite-dimensional algebras is given. We prove that only trees that have at most one edge of type s > 3 define algebras of finite Hilbert type for all values of parameters.
Emotion regulation at service encounters: coping with the behavior of other customers.

Hospitality consumption often involves sharing the physical environment with other customers. The social nature of the service environment calls for a better understanding of the impact of other customers on a focal customer's consumption experience. In two studies, the current research examined consumers’ emotional reactions to the behavior of others in a restaurant setting and explored the underlying emotion-regulation mechanism in coping with the behavior of others and its effect on encounter satisfaction. The results of the two experimental studies showed that, in general, other customers had a social inhibition effect on consumer behavior at service encounters, reflected in the reduced levels of emotional expressiveness and positivity of emotional responses. The results also suggested that coping moderates the effect of other-consumer-elicited emotional responses on encounter satisfaction: The effect is more pronounced when consumers engage in problem-focused coping. The theoretical and practical imp...
Natural and cellular immune responses in flinders sensitive and resistant line rats

Major depression is associated with impairments in natural and cellular immune responses. This study characterized baseline natural and cellular immune function in the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) genetic animal model of depression and in Flinders Resistant Line (FRL) controls. Splenic natural cytotoxicity per natural killer (NK) cell was significantly lower in the FSL rats, suggesting that NK cells are less activated at rest in the FSL rats than in the FRL controls. Neither lymphocyte proliferative responses nor interleukin-2 production differed between the two strains. Resting baseline concentrations of plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone were similar between the FSL and FRL rats, indicating that hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal axis activation did not mediate immunological differences. FSL rats show abnormalities in natural immunity similar to those found in clinically depressed human beings, indicating that this animal model may be useful in understanding the neural and neuroendocrine mechanisms associated with immune alterations in depression.
Improving the fatty acid composition of corn oil by using germplasm introgression

The general public has shown increasing interest in consuming oils that are beneficial to health. Thus, oil from corn (Zea mays L.), along with most major edible oils, has been the target of genetic alterations to improve the fatty acid composition. The fatty acid profile goals vary, depending upon the intended use for the oil. We have targeted the development of corn oil with 1) low total saturated fatty acids, 2) high total saturated fatty acids, and 3) mid-oleic acid, in each case via two different sources: exotic germplasm identified through an international program to broaden the corn germplasm base and introgression of a wild, grassy relative of corn, Tripsacum (Tripsacum dactaloides L). We have been successful at identifying corn lines with each of the noted traits.