cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shadows and Illuminations: Interpreting and Framing Extraordinary Experience

The ethnographic film Shadows and Illuminations focuses on Kereta, a rural Balinese man in his sixties, who lives in two worlds: the world of his family and community and the world of the spirits. Kereta has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia but his experiences skirt the borders of cultural and spiritual norms, simultaneously manifesting and exceeding Balinese beliefs about the supernatural world and the possibilities for human interaction with it. After presenting Kereta’s life story, the chapter explores how culturally non-normative states of consciousness and their developmental, biographical, and historical roots and connections are subjectively experienced and socially contextualized, with a particular focus on ngeb, a Balinese idiom of distress encompassing trauma reaction, social withdrawal, and silent political protest.
The Business of Bilateral Branding

Global development intervention is intended to benefit donor and recipient communities through strategic and constructive social change. Recipient communities expect to improve social and political conditions, while donor communities expect to be recognized and appreciated for their resource allocation. Donors promote their interests through branding their interventions in ways that are designed to attract public attention. Bilateral donors engage in nation branding as an exercise in soft power. I situate bilateral branding as a product of development intervention through a targeted analysis of dominant bilateral agencies’ use of logos associated with their national agencies or aid programs. The author explores the connection between development branding and business approaches, resonant with an emerging privatization in the field, considering the consequences to engaging effective and ethical development programs. Although national branding campaigns are designed to promote positive images, these communication strategies may encompass multiple goals, from raising legitimacy and encouraging financial support among donor citizens, toward inspiring appreciation from those in recipient communities. But beyond these more explicit goals, we need to consider the potential consequences of these branding strategies to donor–recipient relationships, given the structuring of business approaches engaged.
Global analysis of primary mesenchyme cell cis-regulatory modules by chromatin accessibility profiling

The developmental gene regulatory network (GRN) that underlies skeletogenesis in sea urchins and other echinoderms is a paradigm of GRN structure, function, and evolution. This transcriptional network is deployed selectively in skeleton-forming primary mesenchyme cells (PMCs) of the early embryo. To advance our understanding of this model developmental GRN, we used genome-wide chromatin accessibility profiling to identify and characterize PMC cis-regulatory modules (CRMs). ATAC-seq (Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin using sequencing) analysis of purified PMCs provided a global picture of chromatin accessibility in these cells. We used both ATAC-seq and DNase-seq (DNase I hypersensitive site sequencing) to identify > 3000 sites that exhibited increased accessibility in PMCs relative to other embryonic cell lineages, and provide both computational and experimental evidence that a large fraction of these sites represent bona fide skeletogenic CRMs. Putative PMC CRMs were preferentially located near genes differentially expressed by PMCs and consensus binding sites for two key transcription factors in the PMC GRN, Alx1 and Ets1, were enriched in these CRMs. Moreover, a high proportion of candidate CRMs drove reporter gene expression specifically in PMCs in transgenic embryos. Surprisingly, we found that PMC CRMs were partially open in other embryonic lineages and exhibited hyperaccessibility as early as the 128-cell stage. Our work provides a comprehensive picture of chromatin accessibility in an early embryonic cell lineage. By identifying thousands of candidate PMC CRMs, we significantly enhance the utility of the sea urchin skeletogenic network as a general model of GRN architecture and evolution. Our work also shows that differential chromatin accessibility, which has been used for the high-throughput identification of enhancers in differentiated cell types, is a powerful approach for the identification of CRMs in early embryonic cells. Lastly, we conclude that in the sea urchin embryo, CRMs that control the cell type-specific expression of effector genes are hyperaccessible several hours in advance of gene activation.
Low-Income Housing Tax Credits

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) programme is the primary subsidy mechanism used to support the development of rental housing for low-income households in the United States. The programme adds about 1300 projects and 91 000 units per year. These projects are privately owned. The owners of the projects receive tax credits each year for 10 years in exchange for a commitment to maintain the units at affordable rents for occupancy by low-income households for a period of at least 15 years. The programme is proving to be popular with developers, but it is vulnerable to fluctuations in credit markets.
Implementation of Self-Noise Suppression Techniques for Ultrasonic Correlation Systems

Pseudo-random signal correlation techniques can improve the flaw detection capability of ultrasonic NDE systems. While the correlation-based systems provide significant improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio compared to pulsed systems, their performance is limited by the so-called “self-noise” of the system. Self-noise is a result of imperfect autocorrelation characteristics of the excitation signal. Last year, we suggested some techniques for improving the flaw detection capability of continuous-mode ultrasonic NDE systems [1]. These systems use a continuously transmitted coded waveform as an excitation signal, and the received signal is processed through a correlation filter. This year, we present another new approach and demonstrate performance results and the practicability of each approach.
Prokaryotic carbonic anhydrases of earth’s environment

Carbonic anhydrase is a metalloenzyme catalyzing the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate. Five independently evolved classes have been described for which one or more are found in nearly every cell type underscoring the general importance of this ubiquitous enzyme in Nature. The bulk of research to date has centered on the enzymes from mammals and plants with less emphasis on prokaryotes. Prokaryotic carbonic anhydrases play important roles in the ecology of Earth’s biosphere including acquisition of CO2 for photosynthesis and the physiology of aerobic and anaerobic prokaryotes decomposing the photosynthate back to CO2 thereby closing the global carbon cycle. This review focuses on the physiology and biochemistry of carbonic anhydrases from prokaryotes belonging to the domains Bacteria and Archaea that play key roles in the ecology of Earth’s biosphere.
Other Population Segments

This chapter will describe research related to the psychology of QOL of other population segments such as disabled, drug addicts, prostitutes, emergency personnel, immigrants, teachers, and caregivers.
Management of Postoperative Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) After Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) Repair

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common condition for which approximately 200,000 US women annually undergo surgical repair [Am J Obstet Gynecol 188:108–115, 2003]. After surgical correction, persistent or new lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) can be present. We provide guidance on the current tools to predict, counsel, and subsequently handle postoperative LUTS. The current literature is reviewed regarding LUTS diagnosis and management in the setting of prolapse surgery with an emphasis on newer developments in this area. Counseling regarding postoperative LUTS is key when planning POP surgery. A thorough understanding of patient history is crucial to successful repair. Patients with significant preoperative symptoms, history of neurologic disease, pelvic floor dysfunction, bladder neck obstruction, or higher stages of anterior wall prolapse may be higher risk for postoperative LUTS. UDS with or without reduction and an ambulatory pessary trial can help prognosticate. Patients will likely maintain a positive therapeutic relationship postoperatively for LUTS if counseled preoperatively.
Studying the Reliabilitv Implications of Line Switching Operations

This paper proposes a method for studying the reliability implications of line switching operations in power systems. Two case studies are conducted on RTS and IEEE 118-bus system to illustrate this method. This method is designed to explore previously overlooked areas in reliability evaluation of line switching operations. Line removal test is proposed to obtain simulation data of the system, and then with risk analysis and impact analysis, six reliability indices are used to evaluate reliability performance of each transmission line in the system. Instead of the traditionally used mean value, this method introduces variance into analysis. Weibull distribution is used to reconstruct distributions of reliability indices which provide worst case scenario comparisons in reliability evaluation. Eventually, with results obtained from the proposed reliability evaluation method, categorization for line switching operations is introduced to classify all transmission lines based on their reliability performance. The categories provide reliability implications of line switching operations and can be used for guidance in actual operations.
Comparing the Assimilation of Radar Reflectivity Using the Direct GSI-Based Ensemble-Variational (EnVar) and Indirect Cloud Analysis Methods in Convection-Allowing Forecasts over the Continental United States

AbstractTwo methods for assimilating radar reflectivity into deterministic convection-allowing forecasts were compared: an operationally used, computationally less expensive cloud analysis (CA) sch...
Urinary nanosensors of early transplant rejection.

Nanoparticle sensors of the activity of the protease granzyme B detect early T-cell-mediated rejection of transplanted skin grafts in mice via the release of a proteolytically cleaved fluorescence reporter that filters into urine.
Extracellular Potassium Activity and Axon Excitability

During repetitive action potential discharge, levels of extracellular K+, [K+]e, have been observed to increase. In experiments on squid nerves, Frankenhaeuser and Hodgkin (1956) showed that following nerve impulses K+ accumulates in the periaxonal space between the axon and the surrounding Schwann cell. This was manifest as a progressive reduction in the undershoot of the action potential, which reflects a depolarizing shift of the potassium equilibrium potential.
The Golden Hour After Injury Among Civilians Caught in Conflict Zones

Introduction:The term “golden hour” describes the first 60 minutes after patients sustain injury. In resource-available settings, rapid transport to trauma centers within this time period is standard-of-care. We compared transport times of injured civilians in modern conflict zones to assess the degree to which injured civilians are transported within the golden hour in these environments.Methods:We evaluated PubMed, Ovid, and Web of Science databases for manuscripts describing transport time after trauma among civilian victims of trauma from January 1990 to November 2017.Results:The initial database search identified 2704 abstracts. Twenty-nine studies met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Conflicts in Yugoslavia/Bosnia/Herzegovina, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Cambodia, Somalia, Georgia, Lebanon, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Turkey were represented, describing 47 273 patients. Only 7 (24%) manuscripts described transport times under 1 hour. Transport typically required several hours to days.Conclusion:Anticipated transport times have important implications for field triage of injured persons in civilian conflict settings because existing overburdened civilian health care systems may become further overwhelmed if in-hospital health capacity is unable to keep pace with inflow of the severely wounded.
Predictors of adherence to nicotine replacement therapy: Machine learning evidence that perceived need predicts medication use.

Abstract Background Nonadherence to smoking cessation medication is a frequent problem. Identifying pre-quit predictors of nonadherence may help explain nonadherence and suggest tailored interventions to address it. Aims Identify and characterize subgroups of smokers based on adherence to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Method Secondary classification tree analyses of data from a 2-arm randomized controlled trial of Recommended Usual Care (R-UC, n = 315) versus Abstinence-Optimized Treatment (A-OT, n = 308) were conducted. R-UC comprised 8 weeks of nicotine patch plus brief counseling whereas A-OT comprised 3 weeks of pre-quit mini-lozenges, 26 weeks of nicotine patch plus mini-lozenges, 11 counseling contacts, and 7–11 automated reminders to use medication. Analyses identified subgroups of smokers highly adherent to nicotine patch use in both treatment conditions, and identified subgroups of A-OT participants highly adherent to mini-lozenges. Results Varied facets of nicotine dependence predicted adherence across treatment conditions 4 weeks post-quit and between 4- and 16-weeks post-quit in A-OT, with greater baseline dependence and greater smoking trigger exposure and reactivity predicting greater medication use. Greater quitting motivation and confidence, and believing that stop smoking medication was safe and easy to use were associated with greater adherence. Conclusion Adherence was especially high in those who were more dependent and more exposed to smoking triggers. Quitting motivation and confidence predicted greater adherence, while negative beliefs about medication safety and acceptability predicted worse adherence. Results suggest that adherent use of medication may reflect a rational appraisal of the likelihood that one will need medication and will benefit from it.
From concept to conceptions: Can the Broad View overcome the debate between orthodox and political theories of human rights?:

In Humanity without Dignity, Sangiovanni offers an interesting new approach to human rights theory called the “Broad View” (BV) of human rights. The BV involves an innovative attempt to overcome th...
Making the Diagnosis of Myositis: Muscle Biopsy and Interpretation

Histopathologic examination of skeletal muscle is an important component of the evaluation of a patient with suspected myopathy, especially inflammatory myopathy. Proper biopsy site selection is important and can be guided by clinical examination and ancillary testing. The history should be provided to the pathologist who then processes the specimen for frozen sections at minimum. There is a variety of histochemical and immunohistochemical staining that can be performed. Characteristic findings are seen in most of the inflammatory myopathies. Dermatomyositis is characterized by perivascular, perimysial predominant pathology with a capillary microangiopathy and humoral immune response, whereas polymyositis and inclusion body myositis exhibit invasion of non-necrotic fibers by cytotoxic T cells. In IBM, there is also a degenerative component with rimmed vacuoles and various inclusions. The histopathology in autoimmune necrotizing myopathy is nonspecific myofiber degeneration and regeneration with no or subtle lymphocytic inflammation in most cases. The histopathology of anti-synthetase syndrome, even in patients without a rash, is similar to dermatomyositis.
Acute Liver Failure (ALF) in Pregnancy: How Much Is Pregnancy Related?

Background and aims Acute liver failure (ALF), characterized by sudden onset of coagulopathy (international normalized ratio [INR] ≥ 1.5) and encephalopathy, may occur during pregnancy either as a pregnancy-associated etiology or an unrelated and coincidental liver injury. The U.S. Acute Liver Failure Study Group, comprised of 33 tertiary care liver centers, has enrolled consecutive patients with ALF or acute liver injury (ALI; INR ≥ 2.0 with no encephalopathy), over two decades. Approach and results Etiologies, clinical features, and outcomes of 70 of 3,155 patients (2.2%) who developed ALF or ALI during pregnancy were reviewed to determine how many were pregnancy associated (pregnancy-associated liver disease; PAALD) and how many were attributed to other etiologies. Thirty-five of the 70 were considered PAALD, of whom nearly half were attributed to hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets (HELLP) syndrome and half to acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP), although, in some instances, the distinction was unclear. Virtually all with PAALD had been delivered before hepatology referral, mostly by cesarean section. Acetaminophen toxicity accounted for 21 (60% of the remaining cases), with the remainder resulting from a variety of other causes, but not including viral hepatitis A through E. Although recovery with delivery or supportive measures was possible in most cases, 11 of 70 (16%) required liver transplantation and 8 (11%) died. Swansea criteria to diagnose AFLP were met by all patients with PAALD and also by virtually all women with other forms of ALF. Conclusions Only half of those with ALF during pregnancy appeared to have HELLP or AFLP. Morbidity and mortality for mother and fetus are strongly associated with etiology of liver failure.
The effect of acute stress on salivary markers of inflammation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract Background Salivary biomarkers of inflammation are increasingly used in stress research. This systematic review and meta-analysis provides a quantitative summary of changes in salivary inflammatory markers in response to acute stress. Method The review included 1558 participants (42 unique samples, 33 studies) obtained through electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase), reference treeing, and articles identified by a 2015 review on a similar topic. To be eligible, articles had to be quantitative and assess change in at least one biomarker of salivary inflammation in response to acute stress in adults. The primary outcome was magnitude of change in inflammatory biomarkers (Cohen’s d for repeated measures [dav]). Results Measures of salivary inflammation included: C-reactive protein (CRP), granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-17A, IL-18, IL-21, interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-γ, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Cytokines IL-6 (k = 26, dav = 0.27), IL-10 (k = 11, dav = 0.34), TNF-α (k = 10, dav = 0.57), and IFN-γ (k = 6, dav = 0.28) significantly increased in response to stress. Post hoc sensitivity analyses revealed that IL-1β (k = 19, dav = 0.16) and IL-8 (k = 7, dav = 0.30) also increased from pre- to post-stress, but findings with IFN-γ did not hold after removing one outlier study. Examination of moderators suggested that study methodology and sample demographics moderated some associations. Conclusions This meta-analysis revealed that certain salivary inflammatory cytokines increase in response to acute stress. Significant heterogeneity in results and moderator analyses suggest need for standardization of research protocols. Directions for future research are discussed.
Evaluation of Bilayer Silk Fibroin Grafts for Tubular Esophagoplasty in a Porcine Defect Model.

Surgical reconstruction of tubular esophageal defects with autologous gastrointestinal segments is the gold standard treatment to replace damaged or diseased esophageal tissues. Unfortunately, this approach is associated with adverse complications, including dysphagia, donor-site morbidity, and in some cases patient death. Bilayer silk fibroin (BLSF) scaffolds were investigated as alternative, acellular grafts for tubular esophagoplasty in a porcine defect model for 3 months of implantation. Adult Yucatan mini-swine (n = 5) were subjected to esophageal reconstruction with tubular BLSF grafts (2 cm in length) in combination with transient esophageal stenting for 2 months followed by a 1-month period, where the graft site was unstented. All animals receiving BLSF grafts survived and were capable of solid food consumption, however strictures were noted at graft regions in 60% of the experimental cohort between 2 and 3 months postop and required balloon dilation. In addition, fluoroscopic analysis showed peristaltic function in only 1/5 neotissues. Following swine harvest at 3 months, ex vivo tissue bath evaluations revealed that neoconduits exhibited contractile responses to carbachol, electric field stimulation, and KCl, whereas sodium nitroprusside and isoproterenol induced relaxation effects. Histological (Masson's Trichrome) and immunohistochemical analyses of regenerated tissue conduits showed a stratified, squamous epithelium expressing pan-cytokeratins buttressed by a vascularized lamina propria containing a smooth muscle-rich muscularis mucosa surrounded by a muscularis externa. Neuronal density, characterized by the presence of synaptophysin-positive boutons, was significantly lower in neotissues in comparison to nonsurgical controls. BLSF scaffolds represent a promising platform for the repair of tubular esophageal defects, however improvements in scaffold design are needed to reduce the rate of complications and improve the extent of constructive tissue remodeling. Impact statement The search for a superior "off-the-shelf" scaffold capable of repairing tubularesophageal defects as well as overcoming limitations associated with conventional autologous gastrointestinal segments remains elusive. The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of an acellular, bilayer silk fibroin graft (BLSF) for tubular esophagoplasty in a porcine model. Our results demonstrated that BLSF scaffolds supported the formation of tubular neotissues with innervated, vascularized epithelial and muscular components capable of contractile and relaxation responses. BLSF scaffolds represent a promising platform for esophageal tissue engineering.
Comparing and Integrating Fish Surveys in the San Francisco Estuary: Why Diverse Long-Term Monitoring Programs are Important

Author(s): Stompe, Dylan K.; Moyle, Peter B.; Kruger, Avery; Durand, John R. | Abstract: Many fishes in the San Francisco Estuary have suffered declines in recent decades, as shown by numerous long-term monitoring programs. A long-term monitoring program, such as the Interagency Ecological Program, comprises a suite of surveys, each conducted by a state or federal agency or academic institution. These types of programs have produced rich data sets that are useful for tracking species trends over time. Problems arise from drawing conclusions based on one or few surveys because each survey samples a different subset of species or reflects different spatial or temporal trends in abundance. The challenges in using data sets from these surveys for comparative purposes stem from methodological differences, magnitude of data, incompatible data formats, and end-user preference for familiar surveys. To improve the utility of these data sets and encourage multi-survey analyses, we quantitatively rate these surveys based on their ability to represent species trends, present a methodology for integrating long-term data sets, and provide examples that highlight the importance of expanded analyses. We identify areas and species that are under-sampled, and compare fish salvage data from large water export facilities with survey data. Our analysis indicates that while surveys are redundant for some species, no two surveys are completely duplicative. Differing trends become evident when considering individual and aggregate survey data, because they imply spatial, seasonal, or gear-dependent catch. Our quantitative ratings and integrated data set allow for improved and better-informed comparisons of species trends across surveys, while highlighting the importance of the current array of sampling methodologies.
Non-infectious Benign Diseases of the Pleura

The pleura can be affected by a variety of non-infectious benign conditions of different underlying etiology. These conditions may involve the pleura in a localized or diffuse distribution and are often the result of infections, drug reactions, systemic collagen vascular disease, uremia, pneumothorax, trauma, prior surgical intervention, autotransplantation, or tumors (Cagle and Allen, Respirology 16:430–8, 2011). The importance of the recognition of these lesions lies in the fact that some of these conditions may closely mimic pleural neoplasia, not only clinically or radiologically, but also from a histopathological perspective. Therefore, familiarity with these entities is important for accurate diagnosis and not to mistake them for a malignant process with different therapeutic and prognostic implications.
Interferon-λ at the Center of the Storm.

Type I and III interferons (IFNs) drive effective antiviral functions but differentially affect tissue homeostasis. Using mouse models of severe inflammation, Broggi et al. and Major et al. report in Science that type III IFNs disrupt epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation in the lung.
Enzyme specific isotope effects of the Nap and Nar nitrate reductases

Dissimilatory nitrate reduction (DNR) to nitrite is the first step in denitrification, the main process through which bioavailable nitrogen is removed from ecosystems. DNR fractionates the stable isotopes of nitrogen (14N, 15N) and oxygen (16O, 18O) and thus imparts an isotopic signature on residual pools of nitrate in many environments. Data on the relationship between the resulting isotopic pattern in oxygen versus nitrogen isotopes (18ϵ / 15ϵ) suggests systematic differences exist between marine and terrestrial ecosystems that are not fully understood. DNR can be catalyzed by both cytosolic (Nar) and periplasmic (Nap) nitrate reductases, and previous work has revealed differences in their 18ϵ / 15ϵ isotopic signatures. In this study, we thus examine the 18ϵ / 15ϵ of six different nitrate-reducing microorganisms that encode Nar, Nap or both enzymes, as well gene deletion mutants of the enzymes9 catalytic subunits (NarG and NapA) to test the hypothesis that enzymatic differences alone could explain the environmental observations. We find that the distribution of the 18ϵ / 15ϵ fractionation ratios of all examined nitrate reductases form two distinct, non-overlapping peaks centered around a 18ϵ / 15ϵ proportionality of 0.55 and a 18ɛ / 15ɛ proportionality of 0.91, respectively. All Nap reductases studied to date cluster around the lower proportionality (0.55) and none exceed a 18ϵ / 15ϵ proportionality of 0.68. Almost all Nar reductases, on the contrary, cluster tightly around the higher proportionality (0.91) with no values below a 18ϵ / 15ϵ proportionality of 0.84 with the notable exception of the Nar reductases from the genus Bacillus which fall around 0.62 and thus closely resemble the isotopic fingerprints of the Nap reductases. Our findings confirm the existence of two remarkably distinct isotopic end-members in the dissimilatory nitrate reductases that could indeed explain differences in coupled N and O isotope fractionation between marine and terrestrial systems, and almost but not fully match reductase phylogeny.
Cranial morphology of captive mammals: a meta-analysis

Captive facilities such as zoos are uniquely instrumental in conservation efforts. To fulfill their potential as bastions for conservation, zoos must preserve captive populations as appropriate proxies for their wild conspecifics; doing so will help to promote successful reintroduction efforts. Morphological changes within captive populations may be detrimental to the fitness of individual animals because these changes can influence functionality; thus, it is imperative to understand the breadth and depth of morphological changes occurring in captive populations. Here, we conduct a meta-analysis of scientific literature reporting comparisons of cranial measures between captive and wild populations of mammals. We investigate the pervasiveness of cranial differences and whether cranial morphological changes are associated with ecological covariates specific to individual species, such as trophic level, dietary breadth, and home range size. Cranial measures of skull length, skull width, and the ratio of skull length-to-width differed significantly between many captive and wild populations of mammals reported in the literature. Roughly half of captive populations differed from wild populations in at least one cranial measure, although the degree of changes varied. Carnivorous species with a limited dietary breadth displayed the most consistent changes associated with skull widening. Species with a more generalized diet displayed less morphological changes in captivity. Wild and captive populations of mammals differed in cranial morphology, but the nature and magnitude of their cranial differences varied considerably across taxa. Although changes in cranial morphology occur in captivity, specific changes cannot be generalized for all captive mammal populations. The nature of cranial changes in captivity may be specific to particular taxonomic groups; thus, it may be possible to establish expectations across smaller taxonomic units, or even disparate groups that utilize their cranial morphology in a similar way. Given that morphological changes occurring in captive environments like zoos have the potential to limit reintroduction success, our results call for a critical evaluation of current captive husbandry practices to prevent unnecessary morphological changes.
Legal information retrieval for understanding statutory terms

In this work we study, design, and evaluate computational methods to support interpretation of statutory terms. We propose a novel task of discovering sentences for argumentation about the meaning of statutory terms. The task models the analysis of past treatment of statutory terms, an exercise lawyers routinely perform using a combination of manual and computational approaches. We treat the discovery of sentences as a special case of ad hoc document retrieval. The specifics include retrieval of short texts (sentences), specialized document types (legal case texts), and, above all, the unique definition of document relevance provided in detailed annotation guidelines. To support our experiments we assembled a data set comprising 42 queries (26,959 sentences) which we plan to release to the public in the near future in order to support further research. Most importantly, we investigate the feasibility of developing a system that responds to a query with a list of sentences that mention the term in a way that is useful for understanding and elaborating its meaning. This is accomplished by a systematic assessment of different features that model the sentences’ usefulness for interpretation. We combine features into a compound measure that accounts for multiple aspects. The definition of the task, the assembly of the data set, and the detailed task analysis provide a solid foundation for employing a learning-to-rank approach.
Dynamic dispatch policies for emergency response with multiple types of vehicles

Abstract Emergency medical service (EMS) systems have two main goals when sending ambulances to patients: rapidly responding to patients and sending the right type of personnel to patients based on their health needs. We address these issues by formulating and studying a Markov decision process model that determines which type of ambulances (servers) to send to patients in real-time. The base model considers a loss system over a finite time horizon, and we provide a model variant that considers an infinite time horizon and the average reward criterion. Structural properties of the optimal policies are derived. Computational experiments using a real-world EMS dataset show that the optimal policies inform how to dynamically dispatch ambulance types to patients. We propose and evaluate three classes of heuristics, including a static constant threshold heuristic, a greedy heuristic, and a dynamic greedy threshold heuristic. Computational results suggest that the greedy threshold heuristic closely approximates the optimal policies and reduces the complexity of implementing dynamic policies in real settings.
The Sims position and the Sims vaginal speculum, re-examined

American gynecologist J. Marion Sims (1813–1883) is known for developing the first consistently successful operation for the repair of vesico-vaginal fistula, for inventing the Sims vaginal speculum, and for popularizing the left lateral decubitus position for gynecological examination and treatment. This article reviews the history of the Sims vaginal speculum, charting its evolution from a bent pewter spoon to the lever speculum and finally to its now-familiar form as the two-bladed Sims speculum. The article also reviews the origins of the Sims position, correcting popular misconceptions concerning both the position and the speculum and advocating for greater familiarity with the use of both of these valuable tools by practicing clinicians.
Orthovoltage X-Ray Irradiator for Preclinical FLASH Studies.

Purpose/Objective(s) Flash radiotherapy, the delivery of high radiation dose (> 10 Gy) at ultrahigh dose rates (> 37 Gy/s), has been shown to reduce significantly normal tissue toxicity compared to conventional irradiation, while maintaining tumor control probability at similar level. Great excitement has since ensued about the transformative potential of FLASH radiotherapy. At present, important FLASH research employs complex accelerator technologies of limited accessibilities. Here, we study the feasibility of a novel self-shielded x-ray irradiation cabinet system, as an enabling technology to enhance the preclinical research capabilities of the radiation research community. Materials/Methods The proposed system employs two commercially available high capacity 150 kVp fluoroscopy x-ray sources, RAD-44 or G-1592 tubes, with rotating anode technology in a parallel-opposed arrangement. Simulation was performed using a simulation toolkit. Simulated dosimetric properties of the x-ray beam for both FLASH and conventional dose-rate irradiations were characterized in terms of output, uniformity and symmetry as a function of SSD, beam current, exposure time, and external filters. Dose and dose rate from a single kV x-ray fluoroscopy source at various depths in solid water phantom were verified with measurements using radiographic films. Results The parallel-opposed x-ray sources can deliver doses up to 67 Gy to a 20-mm thick water equivalent medium at FLASH dose-rates of 40 – 240 Gy/s. A uniform depth dose rate within ± 5% deviation is achieved over 8-12 mm in central region of the phantom. Conventional dose-rate irradiation (≤ 0.1 Gy/s) can also be achieved by reducing the tube current and increasing the distance between the phantom and tubes. Either the RAD-44 or G-1592 x-ray source can be used to deliver FLASH and conventional dose-rate irradiations with the field larger than 25 mm and up to 200 mm in length, respectively. These field dimensions are well suitable for small animal and cell culture irradiations. For FLASH irradiation using parallel-opposed source arrangement, entrance and exit doses can be increased by 30% compared to the dose at the phantom center. Beam angling can be employed to reduce the high surface doses by minimizing the beams overlap at the phantom surfaces. For a 10 × 10 mm2 field, for example, 26degree beam angle from vertical axis reduces the entrance dose by 39%, while maintaining FLASH dose rate of 118 Gy/s spanning in 8 mm thickness. Conclusion It is feasible to achieve FLASH dose rate irradiation with kV x-rays using rotating anode x-ray sources in the parallel-opposed arrangement. The system is amendable to self-shielding and readily deployable. Availability of both FLASH and conventional dose rate irradiations in the same platform enables effective comparative research. A cabinet FLASH irradiation system will greatly enhance research in the regular laboratory setting to elucidate the important biological mechanism of the FLASH effect.
Pathophysiology of Urinary Incontinence After Radical Prost Prostatectomy

AbstractTo define the origin of urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy urodynamic studies in 24 incontinent patients were compared to those of 13 continent patients. A statistically significant difference between incontinent and continent patients was found for the mean functional profile length (2.1 versus 3.6cm., respectively, p less than 0.001), maximal urethral closure pressure (39 versus 74cm. water, respectively, p less than 0.001) and maximal urethral closure pressure during voluntary contraction of the external sphincter (107 versus 172cm. water, respectively, p less than 0.002). The differences among maximal detrusor pressure, initial bladder volume at which a detrusor contraction occurs, maximal cystometric capacity and residual urine were not statistically significant between the 2 groups. Urethral instability was present in 1 of the 24 incontinent patients (4.2%) and in none of the 13 continent patients, while detrusor instability was present in 6 (25%) and 3 (23.1%), respectively. U...
Phonons in In 0.53 Ga 0.47 A s / I n P ( 100 ) superlattices by infrared reflectance

Polarized far infrared reflectance has been measured at oblique incidence for 11 ${\mathrm{In}}_{0.53}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{0.47}\mathrm{A}\mathrm{s}/\mathrm{I}\mathrm{n}\mathrm{P}$ superlattices grown lattice matched on InP(100) wafers by chemical beam epitaxy. Both the alloy layer thickness (0.25--20 nm) and number of periods (10--40) were varied. The spectra contained sharp reflectance peaks at the frequencies of the vertically propagating, zone-center, transverse optical (TO), and longitudinal (LO) optical phonons. The contributions of the individual phonon modes of the alloy layers were resolved using a generalized analysis procedure including GaAs-like, disorder induced, and InAs-like LO and TO phonons. A nonlinear variation of the alloy LO phonon frequencies with layer thickness was observed arising from phonon confinement in the alloy layers. From this result, the LO phonon in bulk InAs is predicted to exhibit anomalous dispersion. On both sides of the alloy layers we observed 0.6-nm-thick interface layers of significantly different alloy composition. Surprisingly for a lattice matched system, the InP layers exhibit a slight strain arising from the interface formation.
Enhanced multi-photon emission from single NV center coupled to graphene by laser-shaping

We experimentally demonstrated the enhanced multi-photon emission from single NV center coupled to 2D and 3D graphene by a nanoscale laser-shaping technique. Our results provide new non-classical light source for quantum optics and light harvesting.
All-optical switch on a silicon chip

We demonstrate all-optical switching on silicon using highly confining microstructures. The transmission of the structures is modulated by more than 97% in less than 500 ps using light pulses with energies as low as 40 pJ
Maximal force and tremor changes across the menstrual cycle

Sex hormones have profound effects on the nervous system in vitro and in vivo. The present study examines the effect of the menstrual cycle on maximal isometric force (MVC) and tremor during an endurance task. Nine eumenorrheic females participated in five study visits across their menstrual cycle. In each menstrual phase, an MVC and an endurance task to failure were performed. Tremor across the endurance task was quantified as the coefficient of variation in force and was assessed in absolute time and relative percent time to task failure. MVC decreases 23 % from ovulation to the mid luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. In absolute time, the mid luteal phase has the highest initial tremor, though the early follicular phase has substantially higher tremor than other phases after 150 s of task performance. In relative time, the mid luteal phase has the highest level of tremor throughout the endurance task. Both MVC and tremor during an endurance task are modified by the menstrual cycle. Performance of tasks and sports which require high force and steadiness to exhaustion may be decreased in the mid luteal phase compared to other menstrual phases.
Attachment Style and Early Maladaptive Schemas as Mediators of the Relationship between Childhood Emotional Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence

Theoretical and empirical research suggests possible pathways between women's experiences of childhood emotional abuse (CEA) and later intimate partner violence victimization (IPV-V) and perpetration (IPV-P), including attachment style and early maladaptive schemas. This study tested a model examining the unique mediating effects of insecure attachment and early maladaptive schemas on the relationship between CEA and IPV-V (n = 396) or IPV-P (n = 409) in college women. Contrary to hypotheses that both attachment style and maladaptive schema endorsement would mediate the relationship between CEA and IPV-V and IPV-P, regression analyses indicated the disconnection/rejection schema domain was the only significant mediator between CEA and IPV-V (p = .01). This same relation held for childhood emotional abuse and IPV-P (p < .001). These findings provide preliminary clinical utility for examining schema endorsement, the use of schema therapy (Young, Klosko, & Weishar, 2003), or both with women who have emotiona...
Factors Associated With Psychiatric Hospitalization of Individuals Diagnosed With Dementia and Comorbid Bipolar Disorder

The objective was to determine risk factors of psychiatric hospitalization among a Veterans Administration database of patients with dementia and comorbid bipolar disorder (D+BD). Patients with D+BD had a greater prevalence of psychiatric hospitalization (28% vs 4%). The strongest predictor of psychiatric hospitalization was the presence of an alcohol use disorder (51% risk); patients without alcohol use disorders but under the age of 70 had the next highest risk (33% risk). However, patients with an alcohol use disorder had shorter psychiatric hospitalizations than those without. Compared with patients without BD, D+BD patients were more likely to have alcohol use disorders (15% vs 3%) and any other substance use problem (10% vs 1%). In patients diagnosed with dementia and bipolar disorder, the strongest risk factor for psychiatric hospitalization was an alcohol abuse disorder. These findings suggest that disorders with increased frequency in BD affect the course of dementia.
Characterizations of Highly Expressed Genes of Four Fast-Growing Bacteria

Predicted highly expressed (PHX) genes are characterized for the completely sequenced genomes of the four fast-growing bacteria Escherichia coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Vibrio cholerae, and Bacillus subtilis. Our approach to ascertaining gene expression levels relates to codon usage differences among certain gene classes: the collection of all genes (average gene), the ensemble of ribosomal protein genes, major translation/transcription processing factors, and genes for polypeptides of chaperone/degradation complexes. A gene is predicted highly expressed (PHX) if its codon frequencies are close to those of the ribosomal proteins, major translation/transcription processing factor, and chaperone/degradation standards but strongly deviant from the average gene codon frequencies. PHX genes identified by their codon usage frequencies among prokaryotic genomes commonly include those for ribosomal proteins, major transcription/translation processing factors (several occurring in multiple copies), and major chaperone/degradation proteins. Also PHX genes generally include those encoding enzymes of essential energy metabolism pathways of glycolysis, pyruvate oxidation, and respiration (aerobic and anaerobic), genes of fatty acid biosynthesis, and the principal genes of amino acid and nucleotide biosyntheses. Gene classes generally not PHX include most repair protein genes, virtually all vitamin biosynthesis genes, genes of two-component sensor systems, most regulatory genes, and most genes expressed in stationary phase or during starvation. Members of the set of PHX aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes contrast sharply between genomes. There are also subtle differences among the PHX energy metabolism genes between E. coli and B. subtilis, particularly with respect to genes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The good agreement of PHX genes of E. coli and B. subtilis with high protein abundances, as assessed by two-dimensional gel determination, is verified. Relationships of PHX genes with stoichiometry, multifunctionality, and operon structures are also examined. The spatial distribution of PHX genes within each genome reveals clusters and significantly long regions without PHX genes.
Ethical and legal issues surrounding academic research into online radicalisation: a UK experience

There is a growing body of evidence that terrorists/terrorist groups have increased their use of the Internet to include a move into online social network environments in their efforts to radicalise and potentially recruit and mobilise new members. Both the US and UK governments acknowledge that not enough is known about this phenomenon and there is an urgent need for more substantive research in the area of terrorists' use of computer-mediated communication. However, research in this area carries with it some serious ethical and legal concerns that cannot and should not be ignored. UK law makes it difficult for terrorism studies researchers and other academics to conduct this online research without potentially violating the law. With careful consideration of the ethical concerns surrounding the methods of data collection, and knowledge of and adherence to Data Protection laws, along with notification of proposed research to the proper law enforcement office to insure compliance with the UK Terrorism Act...
Generation of contractile force by cultured Dupuytren's disease and normal palmar fibroblasts

Contractile fibroblasts are believed to be responsible for palmar fascia contracture in Dupuytren's Disease. An in vitro collagen lattice model was used to examine the contractile properties of Dupuytren's fibroblasts from 10 patients undergoing partial fasciectomy, and palmar fascia fibroblasts from 6 patients undergoing carpel tunnel release. Dupuytren's and palmar fascia fibroblasts cultured within a stabilized collagen lattice acquired morphological characteristics similar to those of 'myofibroblasts' in Dupuytren's diseased fascia. Both types of fibroblasts generated contractile forces that resulted in rapid collagen lattice contraction after release of the lattice from points of stabilization. Generation of contractile force by the fibroblasts was inhibited by disruption of the actin cytoskeleton, lack of cells, or serum removal. Afferent neuropeptides (substance P, galanin and neurokinin A) did not promote lattice contraction. These results demonstrate that normal palmar fascia fibroblasts can modulate into Dupuytren's-like fibroblasts and that cultured fibroblasts, from either Dupuytren's diseased or normal palmar fascia, can generate contractile forces that are transmitted to extracellular matrix. In addition, fibroblast contraction is an actin based process which requires specific factor(s) present in serum. It is suggested that in Dupuytren's disease extracellular cues trigger the modulation of fibroblasts to Dupuytren's fibroblasts and the promotion of contractile forces responsible for palmar fascia contrature.
Modelling the threshold voltage of short-channel silicon-on-insulator MOSFETs

A simple analytical model for the threshold voltage of short-channel, thin-film, fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator MOSFETs is presented. The model is based on the analytical solution for the two-dimensional potential distribution in the silicon film, which is taken as the sum of the long-channel solution to the Poisson equation and the short-channel solution to the Laplace equation. The model shows close agreement with numerical PISCES simulation results. The equivalence between the proposed model and the parabolic model of Young (1989) is also proven.