cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Cognitively-Grounded Approach: Customer Behavior Pattern Discovery in an Online Shopping Environment

While shopping online, customers’ needs and goals may change dynamically based on the information they encounter. While these changes create emergent information needs, decisions about what information to present are typically made before customers have visited a website, using data such as purchase histories and logs of web page visited (i.e. clickstream data). The research lays the foundation for an alternative approach: developing predictions about what information to present based on inferences made from cognitively-grounded models of the customer. The research test hypotheses about how various factors (such as time pressure) may impact customers’ cognition and behavior while shopping online. The main data sources are think-aloud protocols and clickstreams of the participants, as well as preand post-experiment questionnaires. This work is expected to improve understanding of how contextual, personal, and product-related factors help shape online shopping behavior, and to generate insights into the cognitive processes that inform this behavior.
Effect of Sodium Pentachlorophenate on Exoskeletal Calcium in the Grass Shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio

Exposure of the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, to media containing sodium pentachlorophenate (Na-PCP) led to an apparent increase in the dry weight of exuvia as well as an increase in the total quantity of calcium. The actual calcium concentration (μg Ca/mg dry exoskeleton) in exuvia did not vary significantly in relation to Na-PCP exposure. Whether the observed changes in exuvia from shrimp exposed to Na-PCP are due to a decrease in the resorption of the old exoskeleton preceding ecdysis remains to be clarified.
Transmuscular Quadratus Lumborum Block Reduces Length of Stay in Patients Receiving Total Hip Arthroplasty

Background Total hip arthroplasty is a common procedure being performed at an increasing rate in the United States. Recovering from this surgery to the extent that one can participate in criteria for discharge relies heavily on effective postoperative analgesia. Many regional anesthetic techniques are deployed in this realm. The recent utilization of quadratus lumborum (QL) blocks with success in other procedures warrants investigation in the hip arthroplasty population. Methods Twenty patients received general anesthesia for elective total hip arthroplasty. Ten cases included a preoperative ultrasound-guided transmuscular quadratus lumborum block with 30 cc 0.5% ropivacaine. Ten cases that lacked this regional procedure. The primary outcome was length of hospital stay. Secondary outcomes include total procedure time, intraoperative and postoperative fentanyl administration, and mean postoperative visual analog pain scores (VAS 1 - 10). Results Length of stay was shorter in patients receiving QL block (2.9 days) versus patients not receiving QL block (5.1 days) (P value 0.0146). Intra-operative use of fentanyl was lower in patients receiving QL block (183.5 mcg) versus patients not receiving QL block (240 mcg) (P value 0.0376). PACU narcotic utilization, 24-hour VAS score, and length of operative procedure lacked statistical significance, though the study was not powered for these outcomes. Conclusions QL block employment in hip surgery produces significant reduction in length of stay and intraoperative fentanyl use. While quadratus lumborum blocks are rapidly becoming a popular option due to its quality and spread of analgesia, more adequately powered prospective research must be performed to appropriately elucidate significant trends.
On the conversion of plastic work to heat in Mg alloy AZ31B for dislocation slip and twinning deformation

Abstract In this study the conversion of plastic work to heat of a hot-rolled magnesium alloy AZ31B is investigated using a mechanism-based approach. Shear-compression specimen loading orientations are selected to promote plastic deformation principally through either basal slip, combined pyramidal and prismatic slip, or extension twinning. Loading orientations were selected based on predictions from a crystal plasticity model. High strain-rate adiabatic deformation was accomplished using a compression Kolsky bar. During each experiment the deforming gauge section temperature rise is recorded using a single-point infra-red detector. From the specimen deformation, thermal measurements, and crystal plasticity calculations of mechanism activity, the conversion of plastic work to heat was inferred. Specimens where basal, prismatic, and pyramidal slip accounted for the majority of plastic deformation exhibited similar percentage of plastic work converted to heat. Specimens where extension twinning was highly active exhibited a comparatively lower fraction of plastic work converted to heat.
The Evolution of State-Based Dental Sealant Programs in Oregon Within the Context of the State Health Care Transformation Process.

Context The 2007 Oregon Smile Survey of first, second, and third graders found that, since the first (2002) Smile Survey, all major measures of Oregon children's oral health had worsened. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 2 interventions proven effective in preventing dental caries (cavities) in a population: community water fluoridation and school dental sealant programs. Repeated attempts at the state level to mandate water fluoridation had failed. State government therefore moved to increase the number of school dental sealant programs. Objectives The objective of this article is to demonstrate how 2 interventions and subsequent statewide collaboration addressed the deterioration of children's oral health from 2002 to 2007. Design An 11-year observational study to increase the number of schools in Oregon with dental sealant programs in the state of Oregon during health care transformation. Interventions (1) Providing state general funds for a state school dental sealant program and (2) establishing an incentivized sealant metric for the Coordinated Care Organizations contracted to serve the Medicaid population. Results In school year (SY) 2006-2007, only 26% (n = 92) of the state's eligible elementary schools had dental sealant programs. By SY 2013-2014, the use of state general funds increased the number of schools served to 78% (363 schools). By SY 2017-2018, with the establishment of the sealant metric, state and local programs served 92% (n = 473) of the eligible early elementary grades and 65% (n = 172) of the newly eligible middle school grades. Conclusion Providing state general funds and establishing a sealant metric increased the number of schools served by school dental sealant programs and may have contributed to recent improvements in oral health.
Development of a vacuum-evaporative thermotransformer for the cooling system at a nuclear power plant

The study addresses the development of a method for the optimal design of vacuum-evaporative heat pump plants (HPP) for a cooling system of technological equipment of the second circuit at a nuclear power plant (NPP) using modern methods of thermodynamic analysis and thermoeconomic optimization. We have proposed two circuits for inclusion of a vacuum-evaporative HPP into a cooling system of the second circuit at NPP. The first circuit implies the use of HPP in combination with an existing cooling tower. It makes it possible to cool water additionally from 30 °C to 25 °C after a cooling tower. Only HPP cools water to the required parameters in the second circuit. A thermodynamic model to forecast static characteristics of HPP has been developed. We analyzed thermodynamic properties of water as a refrigerant and evaluated their influence on mode parameters and energy efficiency of a vapor compression cycle. It was established that water fully complies with all environmental safety requirements for operation substances of heat pumps. Its use makes it possible to provide high energy performance of a cycle in comparison with synthetic refrigerants. The problematic aspects of water use include high temperature, which is characteristic of a vapor-water cycle at the end of the compression process. However, it is possible to level the influence of temperature on energy and operational parameters of a plant by using a two-section condenser with utilization of heat from vapor overheating. We selected rational circuit-cycle solutions for a vacuum-evaporative HPP using a graph-analytic apparatus for constructing C-curves. The rational circuit-cycle solutions ensure efficient operation of a plant for cooling of technological equipment of the second circuit at NPP. The system’s capital capacity has been estimated as well. We used modeling of thermohydraulic processes in a circulation circuit of a refrigerant, performed thermoeconomic optimization and determined mode-and-structural characteristics of a plant that correspond to the minimum of resulting costs during its operation.
Can genetic modification go wrong, and what if it does?

Abstract Humans began to alter the genetic composition of organisms at the dawn of civilization. Although natural modification in response to evolutionary forces is an on-going process, it does not elicit the concern that human-mediated modification does. Reports of harm fall into two general categories, those that affect food safety and those that lead to environmental concerns. Most reports single out crop plants despite the fact that all types of organisms get modified. Because human-mediated modification has been going on both casually and deliberately for millennia, it is possible to look back, examine the effects from specific modifications, and characterize any possible harm that results from them. Many reports of harm turn out to have no association with human-mediated modification. In general, harmful effects to food safety from modification have been rare and minor. Most environmental issues range from subtle to localized problems. Importantly, the type of negative effects seen is completely unrelated to the process used to make modifications and instead, is a function of the type of trait that has been altered. It is highly implausible that any future modifications could have greater adverse effects than the worse effect seen thus far.
What constitutes urgent endoscopy? A social media snapshot of gastroenterologists' views during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background and study aims There is a consensus among gastroenterology organizations that elective endoscopic procedures should be deferred during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the decision to perform urgent procedures and to defer entirely elective procedures is mostly evident, there is a wide “middle ground” of time-sensitive but not technically urgent or emergent endoscopic interventions. We aimed to survey gastroenterologists worldwide using Twitter to help elucidate these definitions using commonly encountered clinical scenarios during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A 16-question survey was designed by the authors to include common clinical scenarios that do not have clear guidelines regarding the timing or urgency of endoscopic evaluation. This survey was posted on Twitter. The survey remained open to polling for 48 hours. During this time, multiple gastroenterologists and fellows with prominent social media presence were tagged to disseminate the survey. Results The initial tweet had 38,795 impressions with a total of 2855 engagements. There was significant variation in responses from gastroenterologists regarding timing of endoscopy in these semi-urgent scenarios. There were only three of 16 scenarios for which more than 70 % of gastroenterologists agreed on procedure-timing. For example, significant variation was noted in regard to timing of upper endoscopy in patients with melena, with 44.5 % of respondents believing that everyone with melena should undergo endoscopic evaluation at this time. Similarly, about 35 % of respondents thought that endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography should only be performed in patients with choledocholithiasis with abdominal pain or jaundice. Conclusion Our analysis shows that there is currently lack of consensus among gastroenterologists in regards to timing of semi-urgent or non-life-threatening procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. These results support the need for the ongoing development of societal guidance for these “semi-urgent” scenarios to help gastroenterologists in making difficult triage decisions.
Universal Masking in the Covid-19 Era.

We understand that some people are citing our Perspective article (published on April 1 at NEJM.org)1 as support for discrediting widespread masking. In truth, the intent of our article was to push...
A review of patient questions from physicist—patient consults

Author(s): Atwood, Todd F; Brown, Derek W; Juang, Titania; Moore, Kevin L; McConnell, Kristen A; Steers, Jennifer M; Murphy, James D; Mundt, Arno J; Pawlicki, Todd | Abstract: PurposeTo provide insight into the types of questions asked to medical physicists by patients during one-on-one physicist-patient consults at one institution.Materials and methodsMedical physicists trained in patient communication techniques met with patients to provide an overview of the treatment planning and delivery processes, discuss the patient's treatment plan, and answer any technical questions. From August 2016 to December 2019, 152 physicist-patient consults were conducted. In the initial months of the study (August 2016-December 2017), following each physicist-patient consult, all patient questions were documented by the physicists. For the remaining time period (January 2018-December 2019), any newly encountered questions were periodically added to the list. The questions were compiled into a comprehensive list and organized into categories.ResultsThere were a total of 88 unique patient questions. These questions fit into four topical categories. Fifty-four questions (61.4%) were in the "Treatment Planning and Delivery Questions" category, 15 questions (17.1%) were in the "General Radiation Questions or Concerns" category, 13 questions (14.8%) were in the "Safety and Quality Assurance Questions" category, and 6 questions (6.8%) were in the "Medical Questions" category. Overall, patients were primarily concerned about how radiation works, the treatment planning and delivery processes, and what is being done to keep them safe throughout their treatment.ConclusionPhysicist-patient consults provided an opportunity to address the technical aspects of radiation therapy with patients in greater detail. The fact that patient questions could be conveniently grouped into only four topical categories indicates that it may be straightforward for other medical physicists to prepare for effectively addressing technical questions during physicist-patient consults.
Self-Persuasion: An Experimental Evaluation of a Sexual Aggression Preventive Intervention for U.S. College Men:

Grounded in the self-persuasion paradigm (an indirect persuasion approach, which places people in situations that motivate them to change their behavior), this study evaluated a brief, online inter...
Do Public Health Departments Improve Population Health? The Impact of City-level Health Departments over 1916-1933

Over the early twentieth century, urban centers across the United States adopted full-time public health departments. Using an event-study design, we show that opening full-time administration had no impact on mortality (all-cause, infant, by-cause). Then, we use city financial records to explain why health departments were ineffective. First, cities with and without health departments had comparable spending on public health. Second, per capita expenditures (and per capita expenditures interacted with a health department) correlate with infant mortality reductions. While urban public health administration as a bureaucratic apparatus appears unnecessary, public health system funding may be more meaningful for local health.
An Uncommon Incidence of Pulmonary Hypertension Associated With Neurofibromatosis Type 1: A Case Report:

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is often a difficult condition to diagnose, since it occurs insidiously and is a diagnosis of exclusion. Patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NFT1) have been associated with severe exacerbations of PH. To our knowledge, less than 20 cases of PH in NFT1 patients have been reported. However, the severity of presenting symptoms requires physicians to be aware of this association and pursue the appropriate diagnostic workup. In our report, we present a 54-year-old NFT1 patient who presented with worsening dyspnea secondary to PH, which was being treated with trepostanil and macitetan. She required a right heart catheterization to assess her pulmonary artery pressures (which remained elevated). She was placed on tadalafil in addition to trepostanil and macitetan and noted significant resolution of her symptoms. Further studies are required to explore the association between PH and NFT1 and examine the efficacy of triple therapy with endothelin receptor antagonists, phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors, and parenteral prostanoids in the initial treatment of PH in the aforementioned patient population.
Chronic neuronal perturbation mediated by RAGE, a receptor for β-sheet fibrils and S100/calgranulins

Many studies have addressed means through which the vasculature responds to acute stress, such as changes in environmental oxygen concentration in ischemia/ reperfusion injury and exposure to toxic bacterial products, while elucidation of mechanisms underlying chronic vascular dysfunction has been more difficult. Although more sustained changes in vascular properties could simply reflect the persistent action of mediators associated with the acute vascular response, such as elaboration of cytokines, there are also likely to be factors related to the chronic disease process which drive pathogenicity. Our current concept of atherogenesis provides an example of this viewpoint [1]. Accumulation of modified lipoproteins in the vessel wall leads to activation of vascular cells, especially endothelium and smooth muscle, causing them to recruit mononuclear phagocytes and lymphocytes to a lesional site which becomes a chronic inflammatory focus W. This view suggests the relevance of a two-hit model underlying such chronic vascular processes in which an underlying perturbant, such as modified lipoproteins, provides a first hit which then perpetuates an exaggerated host response to subsequent environmental challenges.
Animal Models of OTC Deficiency and Their Gene Therapy

In 1976 Demars(148) reported that a sparse fur mouse whose phenotype was due to an X-chromosomal defect was prone to develop bladder stones which on analysis turned out to be orotic acid. Because orotic aciduria occurs in human OTC deficiency, OTC activities of the livers of these sparse fur (spf) mice were assayed and it was found that they indeed had an OTC deficiency. The male spf mouse is smaller than its litter mates, has no fur and wrinkled skin at birth which persists from five to seven days and then disappears to a variable extent as the males develop some hair and grow somewhat less than normal. The OTC activity in this spf/Y mouse liver had an activity of 22% of the control Oak Ridge 22A or C57BL mouse liver enzyme at the usual pH optimum of 7.6 to 8(148)(Table 6–1). However, male spf mice showed an increasing OTC activity as the pH of the medium was increased, the curve being sigmoidal in shape and reaching a maximum of 200% of the controls at pH 10. The midpoint of the sigmoid curve was 8.8. The normal mouse liver has an activity 80% of the spf/Y maximum at pH 10. The ornithine concentrations at half maximal velocity (Km) were approximately 0.2 mM in the normal and 0.6 mM in the spf livers at pH 8(148). When the Km for carbamyl phosphate, leucine inhibition and heat stability were tested, normal and spf males were the same.
Coastal and Open Ocean Waters

The entire water mass covering the bottom, or benthic zone, of the ocean is generally termed the pelagic zone. It is arbitrarily divided into two major subdivisions: the coastal waters or neritic zone, and the open ocean waters. Although the dividing line between these two areas is not well defined, the water over the continental shelves is considered neritic (Hedgpeth, 1957). The range of variation in physical factors typically is greater in coastal water than in oceanic water. These factors vary seasonally as well as geographically, for run-off from land and freshwater systems results in sediment, salinity, and nutrient fluctuations. Since coastal areas are shallow (less than 200 meters), wave action stirs up bottom sediments, allowing mixing and recycling of nutrients. The chemical composition of waters near the shore also varies more than that of oceanic water.
A Review of “Scientific Evidence in Criminal Cases”

In the considered judgment of this reviewer, this new book by Moenssens, Moses, and Inbau is one of the best books of its type on the market today. In a little over 600 pages, the authors manage to survey the forensic sciences in just enough depth to give the layman sufficient data to discuss a topic intelligently. No attempt has been made to make this a definitive treatise, a training manual for scientists, a compendium of research efforts, or a textbook for practitioners. Each category of evidence is covered as to methodology, significance, and courtroom usage.
The Intervalgram: An Audio Feature for Large-Scale Cover-Song Recognition

We present a system for representing the musical content of short pieces of audio using a novel chroma-based representation known as the 'intervalgram', which is a summary of the local pattern of musical intervals in a segment of music. The intervalgram is based on a chroma representation derived from the temporal profile of the stabilized auditory image [10] and is made locally pitch invariant by means of a 'soft' pitch transposition to a local reference. Intervalgrams are generated for a piece of music using multiple overlapping windows. These sets of intervalgrams are used as the basis of a system for detection of identical melodic and harmonic progressions in a database of music. Using a dynamic-programming approach for comparisons between a reference and the song database, performance is evaluated on the 'covers80' dataset [4]. A first test of an intervalgram-based system on this dataset yields a precision at top-1 of 53.8%, with an ROC curve that shows very high precision up to moderate recall, suggesting that the intervalgram is adept at identifying the easier-to-match cover songs in the dataset with high robustness. The intervalgram is designed to support locality-sensitive hashing, such that an index lookup from each single intervalgram feature has a moderate probability of retrieving a match, with few false matches. With this indexing approach, a large reference database can be quickly pruned before more detailed matching, as in previous content-identification systems.
Review of: Investigating Computer-Related Crime

In Investigating Computer-Related Crime Stephenson examines the nature and extent of cyber crime and its impact on business community. He identifies various investigative and computer forensic techniques, describes techniques for gathering and preserving evidence, and finally suggest ways to prepare to deal with the problem. While computer crime is a broader concept, Stephenson focuses on “cyber crime” to limit his investigation of crimes that occur in the context of “networked issues, especially including global networks such as the internet” (p. 3).
The Future of Mediation: A Sociological Perspective

During the period 2005 through 2007, I interviewed forty renowned mediation teacher-practitioners in the United States and Canada, each of whom has published several major works on mediation. While these experts were concerned with best practices and promoting particular approaches to mediation, it became increasingly evident that each also wanted to identify sociological factors which appear to be shaping the mediation field. In fact, during the course of these interviews, it became evident that these experts appeared to share a common set of concerns about the future of mediation and its continuing promise as a form of dispute resolution.In general, these teacher-practitioners were concerned with certain trends, including emerging divisions within the field and their related effects. They showed interest, somewhat paradoxically, in a movement toward conformity now materializing in the contemporary mediation field. In sociological terms, both centripetal (center-seeking) social forces and centrifugal (center-fleeing) social forces are shaping mediation's future. Interviewees pointed out that both forces were significant in the field. On one hand, centripetal forces are pushing mediation toward a more homogenous practice compatible with the legal process. On the other hand, centrifugal forces are causing mediation to splinter into particularized practices aimed at unique disputing environments, cultures, and philosophies.
Intergenerational Justice Between Authors in the Digital Age

Authors' copyright rights have traditionally been limited, because such limitations were believed to be necessary to advance copyright law's constitutionally-mandated utilitarian purpose - "to promote the progress of science and the useful arts." But authors today - especially authors of digital works - are increasingly turning to extra-copyright measures, including encryption and "clickwrap" licenses, to customize their rights in their works of authorship. Because such privately-ordered rights are arguably outside of copyright law's framework, they are not necessarily subject to its utilitarian mandate, and need not be made subject to limitations imposed by copyright law on authors' rights. Even though such private ordering regimes may not be subject to copyright law's utilitarian mandate justifying limitations on authors' rights, other powerful justifications implicit in the copyright regime support the imposition of limitations on authors' rights. This article advances one such theoretical justification. Building upon the foundational work of John Rawls, who has articulated a theory of justice as fairness, the article develops a theory of justice between generations of authors. This theory requires that the rights of each "generation" of authors - including the rights that they might attempt to assert through private ordering measures - be limited for the benefit of subsequent generations of authors. While not limited to authors' rights in digital works, the theory of intergenerational justice between authors the article advances is particularly relevant to the burgeoning private ordering regime, in which authors of digital works are increasingly using private ordering measures to create for themselves virtually unlimited rights - in disregard of the interests of future generations of authors - even while they are benefiting from the limitations copyright law has imposed on the rights of their predecessor generation of authors. Authors of electronic books, for example, are increasingly using "clickwrap" licenses and encryption controls to prohibit their readers from copying any portion of their books, even while these authors have benefited from incorporating elements of earlier works into their own works. Motion picture companies are increasingly using technological measures like encryption devices to control access to and copying of their films released on DVD, even while the filmmakers have benefited from copying elements of earlier works in developing their films. By the use of such private ordering measures, present-day authors are able to reap the benefits of the limitations on authors' rights previously imposed by copyright law, while casting aside any limitations on their rights for the benefit of future authors. The article contends that the use of such private ordering measures to establish unlimited rights in creative works is inconsistent with intergenerational justice obligations imposed upon authors to preserve the raw materials of the creative process for the benefit of future generations of authors.
Regulation of enzymatic activity through subunit interaction. A possible example.

Abstract Extracts of Staphylococcus aureus contain a deoxycytidylate deaminase which is activated by deoxycytidine triphosphate and inhibited by deoxythymidine triphosphate. The rate of product formation is dependent on the square of the protein concentration, and chromatography on Sephadex columns suggests that the molecular weight of the enzyme depends on the effectors. In the presence of effectors the enzyme may tentatively be assigned a molecular weight of 60,000, whereas in their absence the molecular weight approximates 29,000. These properties suggest that 2 inactive subunits are converted to a dimer whose activity depends on the relative concentrations of the two effectors. As far as we are aware, this is the first example of an enzyme which has such readily demonstrable concentration dependent activation under assay conditions suggesting that monomer-dimer interconversions regulate its activity.
The Meaning of Anxiety

In the revised edition of this now-classic study, the distinguished author of Love and Will deepens his exploration into anxiety theory. Dr. May challenges the idea that mental health means living without anxiety, and he explores anxiety's potential for self-realization as well as ways to avoid its destructive aspects.
Stroke Induces Nuclear Shuttling of Histone Deacetylase 4

Background and Purpose—Histone deacetylases (HDACs) 4 and 5 are abundantly expressed in the brain and have been implicated in the regulation of neurodegeneration. Under physiological conditions, HDACs 4 and 5 are expressed in the cytoplasm of brain cells where they cannot directly access chromatin. In response to external stimuli, they can shuttle to the nucleus and regulate gene expression. However, the effect of stroke on nuclear shuttling of HDACs 4 and 5 remains unknown. Methods—Using a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion, we examined the subcellular localization of HDACs 4 and 5 in the peri-infarct cortex during brain repair after stroke. Results—Stroke significantly increased nuclear HDAC4 immunoreactivity in neurons, but not in astrocytes or in oligodendrocytes, of the peri-infarct cortex at 2, 7, and 14 days after middle cerebral artery occlusion. Neurons with nuclear HDAC4 immunoreactivity distributed across all layers of the peri-infarct cortex and were Ctip2+ excitatory and parvalbumi...
The Multipliers for the Pair (L p (G), L q (G)), 1 ≦ p, q ≦ ∞

In the previous chapter we discussed multipliers for the pair (L P (G), L q (G)) when p = q. Our attention in this chapter will be focused on the case where p ≠ q. The problem of describing the multipliers in this situation is equally if not more difficult than in the case p = q. In order to obtain a description of the multipliers as convolution operators we shall have to introduce a class of mathematical objects which properly contains the space of pseudomeasures employed previously, namely, the space of quasimeasures. The description of multipliers as multiplication by bounded functions is no longer possible, but an analogous result will be obtained using the Fourier transform of certain quasimeasures. Unfortunately these transforms are again quasimeasures and not in general functions. We shall define a Fourier transform for L P (G), p>2, in terms of quasimeasures and show, in particular, that there exist f∈L p (G), p>2,whose Fourier transforms are not measures. We shall also examine various inclusion relationships for the spaces M(L p (G), L q (G)) and obtain a characterization of these spaces as dual spaces of certain Banach spaces.
Media and Nation Building: How the Iban Became Malaysian

Media and Nation Building: How the Iban Became Malaysian. John Postill. New York: Berghahn, 2006. 231 pp.
Remotely detected differential pulse transit time as a stress indicator

The human cardiovascular system, controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS), is one of the first sites where one can see the “fight-or-flight” response due to the presence of external stressors. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of detecting mental stress using a novel measure that can be measured in a contactless manner: Pulse transit time (dPTT), which refers to the time that is required for the blood wave (BW) to cover the distance from the heart to a defined remote location in the body. Loosely related to blood pressure, PTT is a measure of blood velocity, and is also implicated in the “fight-or-flight” response. We define the differential PTT (dPTT) as the difference in PTT between two remote areas of the body, such as the forehead and the palm. Expanding our previous work on remote BW detection from visible spectrum videos, we built a system that remotely measures dPTT. Human subject data were collected under an IRB approved protocol from 15 subjects both under normal and stress states and are used to initially establish the potential use of remote dPPT detection as a stress indicator.
Optimization of Novel Extracellular Polysaccharide Production by an Enterobacter sp, on Wood Hydrolysates.

An environmental isolate identified as Enterobacter cloacae has been found to produce a highly viscous, anionic extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) from a weak mineral acid hydrolysate of hardwood. Production of this EPS has been optimized on the hydrolysate (initial pH, 6.3; NH4Cl amendment, 0.1%) so that crude yields approaching 9.83 g/liter were obtained. Although this EPS is polydisperse, its molecular mass as determined by gel exclusion chromatography centers at approximately 1,700 kDa. Solutions of this EPS have been examined rheologically under a variety of conditions and compare favorably with both xanthan and alginate.
Spatial Relationship and Colocation of Crimes in Jefferson County, Kentucky

Crime is a major social issue in U.S. cities. Understanding the spatial pattern of crimes is imperative for developing informed policy and effective policing strategies that will reduce crime in local communities. This article examines the spatial distribution of major crimes in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Using crime data spanning the period between 2009 and 2011, this study looked into the spatial relationships and colocation patterns among different types of crime across the county. Specifically we tried to uncover which crime types tend to colocate with each other and where the colocations exist in the county. More than thirty types of crime (excluding sex crimes) were first reclassified into ten categories, and aggregated into each of the 575 census block groups. Principal component analysis was used at the census block group level to extract components from reclassified crime data to identify the categories of crime that are heavily loaded together and therefore share similar location patterns. Four...
Fourier Preprocessing for Hand Print Character Recognition

A pattern-recognition method, making use of Fourier transformations to extract features which are significant for a pattern, is described. The ordinary Fourier coefficients are difficult to use as input to categorizers because they contain factors dependent upon size and rotation as well as an arbitrary phase angle. From these Fourier coefficients, however, other more useful features can easily be derived. By using these derived property constants, a distinction can be made between genuine shape constants and constants representing size, location, and orientation. The usefulness of the method has been tested with a computer program that was used to classify 175 samples of handprinted letters, e.g., 7 sets of the 25 letters A to Z. In this test, 98 percent were correctly recognized when a simple nonoptimized decision method was used. The last section contains some considerations of the technical realizability of a fast preprocessing system for reading printed text.
Alendronate plus cholecalciferol for the treatment of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a common medical condition in older individuals, responsible for approximately 1.5 million fragility fractures in the USA each year. Alendronate sodium with cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) is a newly developed combination formulation for the treatment of osteoporosis in women and for increasing bone mass in men with osteoporosis. It complements the existing once-weekly dosage formulation of alendronate sodium alone, providing, in addition to alendronate, a 2800 international unit (IU) dose of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), equivalent to 400 IU daily. Its efficacy in reducing fracture risk is expected to be at least as good as that of once-weekly alendronate given for the same indications.
Transhepatic catheter-directed thrombectomy and thrombolysis of acute superior mesenteric venous thrombosis.

PURPOSE To evaluate clinical outcomes after percutaneous treatment of superior mesenteric vein (SMV) thrombosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective chart review was conducted of all patients with SMV thrombosis treated with percutaneous catheter-directed thrombectomy/thrombolysis. The demographics of the study population, potential causative factors contributing to SMV thrombosis, and morbidity and mortality associated with therapy were assessed. RESULTS Eleven patients (mean age, 44.3 years ± 12.8) with SMV thrombosis were treated with percutaneous transhepatic catheter-directed thrombectomy/thrombolysis. Potential causative factors included recent major abdominal surgery, thrombophilic conditions, pancreatitis, and repetitive abdominal trauma. The mean duration between the onset of symptoms and percutaneous treatment was 8.6 days ± 6.5. Computed tomography confirmed the clinical diagnosis in nine patients (81.8%). One patient (9.1%) had a bleeding complication, which was treated by chest tube drainage without long-term sequelae. One patient (9.1%) with refractory SMV thrombosis died of sepsis and multiple organ failure. No recurrent episode of SMV thrombosis or mortality was documented during a mean follow-up of 42 months ± 22.5. CONCLUSIONS Percutaneous transhepatic catheter-directed thrombectomy/thrombolysis for SMV thrombosis is associated with a rapid improvement in symptoms and low incidences of long-term morbidity and mortality. Percutaneous thrombectomy and thrombolysis should be considered in all patients with acute SMV thrombosis without evidence of bowel necrosis.
A potential mechanism in medroxyprogesterone acetate teratogenesis

MPA (medroxyprogeste)rone acetate) has been shown to be te)ratogenic in rabbits but not in rats or mice (Andrew and Staples 1977). Since normal steroid action appears to be mediated in large part through interaction with specific steroid receptors it was postulated that the species difference in teratogenicity might be due to a difference in the interaction of MPA with target cells. A primary event in steroid-cell interaction is the binding of a steroid to intracellular receptors. Studies were initiated to measure the specific nature of MPA binding to glucocorticoid and progestin receptors in appropriate rat and rabbit target tissues. The competition of MPA with 3H-dexamethasone binding in liver cytosol (glucocorticoid receptor) and with 3H-progesterone binding in uterine cytosol (progesterone receptor) was determined. In rabbit liver cytosol MPA was as effective at competing for specific dexamethasone binding as the natural glucocorticoids and considerably more effective than the nonspecific steroids. In rat liver cytosol MPA was only 10% as effective as the natural glucocorticoids and the competition could not be distinguished from that of nonspecific steroids. A similar species difference was not seen in uterine cytosol; MPA competed with progesterone in a similar fashion in both rat and rabbit. These data demonstrate a distinct species difference in the competitive nature of MPA for the glucocorticoid receptor but not for the progestin receptor. The results suggest that MPA or possibly a metabolite may be teratogenic in rabbits by binding with specific glucocorticoid receptors to inhibit or alter normal steroidal function in embryo-fetal development. (Authors modified)
A good death: A qualitative study of patients with advanced AIDS

The objective of this study was to identify and describe the domains that define a "good" versus "bad" death from the perspective of patients with advanced AIDS. We analyzed qualitative data from face-to-face interviews with 35 patients with C3 AIDS. An experienced research interviewer asked the patients to describe a good and bad death. Investigators used the principles of grounded theory to analyze the interview transcripts and identify the major domains defining a "good" versus a "bad" death. We identified 15 domains, of which 12 were mentioned by at least two participants. The 12 domains include: symptoms, quality of life, people present, dying process, location, a sense of resolution, patient control of treatment, issues of spirituality, death scene, physician-assisted suicide, aspects of medical care, and acceptance of death. Within these, we identified 38 sub-categories representing specific aspects of the domains that shape a "good" versus "bad" death for the patients in this study. The identified 12 major domains encompass the major determinants of a "good" versus "bad" death from the perspective of patients with advanced AIDS. A better understanding of these domains may enable clinicians to more fully appreciate the experiences of their dying patients and identify ways to improve the care they provide at the end of life.
Nef protein of HIV-1 induces apoptotic cytolysis of murine lymphoid cells independently of CD95 (Fas) and its suppression by serine/threonine protein kinase inhibitors

The Nef protein of HIV-1 is suggested to play a role in depletion of uninfected CD4+ T cells leading to the development of AIDS. The recombinant soluble Nef protein was shown to bind to cell surfaces of various murine lymphoid cell lines, including T and B lymphocytes, mastocytoma cells and macrophages. Cross-linking of the cell-bound Nef protein with anti-Nef antibodies induced apoptotic cytolysis of the cells. Although primary lymphocytes from young mice resisted Nef binding and Nef-induced cytolysis, treatment of the cells with concanavalin A or phytohemagglutinin made them susceptible to these activities, indicating that cellular activation is required for the apoptosis. The Nef-induced apoptosis also occurred with murine cells not expressing CD95 (Fas). These findings were quite similar to those obtained for human blood cells, suggesting that the mouse is applicable for analysis of Nef activities. The Nef-induced apoptosis was efficiently suppressed by serine/threonine protein kinase inhibitors, H7, fasudil hydrochloride and M3, which did not inhibit CD95 (Fas)-mediated apoptosis. On the other hand, bisindolylmaleimide, a protein kinase C inhibitor which inhibits CD95 (Fas)-mediated apoptosis, did not affect Nef-induced apoptosis. These results suggest that the Nef-induced apoptosis of murine cells involved a serine/threonine protein kinase-dependent signal transduction pathway distinct from the CD95 (Fas)-mediated system.
Imperative Expectations and Impediments for a Mechanical Engineering Program

This paper addresses indispensable values essential for students who pursue bachelor degrees in mechanical engineering. It presents topics such as the required curriculum for rigorous education of students and full implementation of the code of professional conduct and ethics by faculty and staff. In addition, this article introduces the vital steps and processes needed to assure that the students entering a program, graduate as individuals of character, sensitive to the needs of the community, competent to contribute to society, and civil in their habits of thought and action. Furthermore, significance of having ethical, knowledgeable, up-to-date, and motivated faculty members, as well as, a sound technical and well rounded program for achievement of high standards by students are discussed.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Increasing access to medical oncology consultation in older patients with stage II-IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer.

Background Resectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was once considered a disease whose sole therapy was surgical resection. Therefore it was managed by surgeons. However, with growing evidence of the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy, such patients should also be evaluated by a medical oncologist.
Multi-aperture coherent imaging

Aperture synthesis offers the potential for high resolution images in a relatively compact system. We describe our multiaperture IMAGE testbed which uses coherent detection to measure the complex field in spatially separated apertures. We describe a post-detection optimization algorithm which is used to synthesize a composite image whose angular resolution exceeds that of a single aperture. We present experimental results in which we image extended targets at a simulated range using a compact range developed for this purpose.
Organization sustainability communication (OSC)

U.S. organizations are more active communicator of sustainability practices.Korean companies emphasized collectivism and power distance values more.U.S companies displayed more values related to uncertainty avoidance.Korean companies communicate more about process and outside org. movement. As stakeholders most frequently access Web sites to learn about environmental issues, it would be effective to display messages addressing sustainability on organizational Web sites. This study aimed to compare and contrast the content of organization sustainability communication (OSC) displayed on the Web sites of the top 100 companies in South Korea and the United States. U.S. organizations are significantly more active in communicating their values or practices regarding organizational sustainability to their stakeholders through their Web sites. Data indicated that the Web sites of South Korean companies emphasized collectivism ('harmony,' 'environmental heritage,' 'enterprise management,' 'performance for community,' and 'family theme' values) and power distance values ('hierarchy information,' 'vision statement,' and 'proper titles of executives') more so than their U.S. counterparts. However, U.S. companies displayed more values related to uncertainty avoidance ('customer service,' 'guided navigation,' and 'link to more specific information').
Accessing the triplet excited state in perylenediimides.

Here, we present a strategy designed to permit access to the PDI triplet manifold that preserves the desirable colorfastness and visible light-absorption properties associated with these dyes. To this end, three new Pt(II) complexes each bearing two PDI moieties tethered to the metal center via acetylide linkages emanating from one of the PDI bay positions have been synthesized, structurally characterized, and thoroughly examined by nanosecond laser flash photolysis. Upon ligation, the bright singlet-state fluorescence of the PDI chromophore is quantitatively quenched, and no long wavelength photoluminescence is observed from the Pt(II)−PDI complexes in deaerated solutions. In each of the Pt−PDI chromophores, quantitatively similar transient absorption difference spectra were obtained; the only distinguishing characteristic is in their single-exponential lifetimes (τ = 246 ns, 1.0 μs, and 710 ns). Triplet-state sensitization experiments of “free” PDI−CCH using thioxanthone confirmed the PDI triplet state ...