cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of a trauma-informed self-care measure with child welfare workers

Abstract The purpose of the current study was to revise and test the preliminary trauma-informed self-care (TISC) measure to clarify items, test additional items related to the trauma-informed and self-care literature, confirm the preliminary factors, and to further test the reliability and validity of the revised measure. The sample consisted to 177 child welfare workers who completed paper and pencil surveys. Measures included a revised TISC measure, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction, psychological well-being, and organizational supports and resources. Results indicated a three factor 10-item TISC-R measure with the following subscales: Utilizing Organizational Resources, Organizational Practices, and Professional Self-Care. Overall reliability was good (0.84) with reliability coefficients for subscales ranging from 0.68 to 0.88. As expected, the TISC-R measure was negatively associated with burnout and secondary traumatic stress, and positively associated with compassion satisfaction, psychological well-being, and organizational resources provided. The brief TISC-R measure may be a practical tool that child welfare case managers and supervisors could use to assess, monitor and improve trauma-informed self-care practices to help workers who often face high stress environments. Future research on the utility of the measure with child welfare workers and other helping professions who work with traumatized individuals is needed.
Past-month cannabis use among U.S. individuals from 2002-2015: An age-period-cohort analysis.

Abstract Background: Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug among U.S. adolescents and adults, but little is known about factors that drive trends in cannabis use prevalence. To better understand drivers of these trends, we aimed to estimate age, period, and cohort effects on past-month cannabis use among U.S. individuals age 12 and older from 2002 to 2015. Methods: We conducted an age-period-cohort analysis on past-month cannabis use among participants ages 12 and older using the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an annual cross-sectional nationally-representative survey of drug use. Additionally, we examined how age, period, and cohort effects differed across gender. Participants (n = 779,799) self-reported cannabis patterns using a computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI). Results: Past-month cannabis use in this population increased from 6.0% in 2002 to 8.1% in 2015. Distinct age, period, and cohort effects were observed. Compared to participants ages 12–13, participants ages 18–21 (PR: 16.8, 95% CI: 15.6, 18.1) and 22–25 (PR: 13.2, 95% CI: 12.2, 14.4) had dramatically higher prevalence of past-month cannabis use. Compared to participants in 2002, participants in 2014 (PR: 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.4) and 2014 (PR: 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.4) had slightly higher prevalence of past-month cannabis use. Compared to the 1940s birth cohort, the 1950s birth cohort (PR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.5, 2.2) had a higher prevalence of past-month cannabis use. Conclusions: Past-month cannabis use is prevalent and increasing among U.S. adults. Distinct age, period, and cohort effects are at play, though age effects are strongest.
Overview of the MEDIQA 2019 Shared Task on Textual Inference, Question Entailment and Question Answering

This paper presents the MEDIQA 2019 shared task organized at the ACL-BioNLP workshop. The shared task is motivated by a need to develop relevant methods, techniques and gold standards for inference and entailment in the medical domain, and their application to improve domain specific information retrieval and question answering systems. MEDIQA 2019 includes three tasks: Natural Language Inference (NLI), Recognizing Question Entailment (RQE), and Question Answering (QA) in the medical domain. 72 teams participated in the challenge, achieving an accuracy of 98% in the NLI task, 74.9% in the RQE task, and 78.3% in the QA task. In this paper, we describe the tasks, the datasets, and the participants’ approaches and results. We hope that this shared task will attract further research efforts in textual inference, question entailment, and question answering in the medical domain.
Improved Energy Arbitrage Optimization with Detailed Flow Battery Characterization

This paper elaborates on the characterization of vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) performance for energy arbitrage optimization based on the experimental data obtained in-house. Typical figures-of-merit used for evaluating VRFBs include coulombic, voltaic, and energy efficiencies. However, these metrics along with the deliverable power vary as a function of discharge/charge current during cycling. Thus, using a basic energy storage model with constant efficiency and fixed maximum power is not a rigorous approach for predicting the performance of VRFBs in applications with variable supply/demand of electricity. Moreover, optimization based on such an oversimplified treatment may result in inaccurate battery dispatch signal and may overestimate arbitrage profit. Here, we propose a more detailed VRFB model with dynamic efficiency and maximum power limits as a function of state of charge (SOC). These data were obtained using lab-scale VRFB cells over a range of operating conditions. The dynamic model's performance is compared to the basic model for various day-ahead electricity price profiles. Substantial difference between the predictions of two modeling approaches on the battery dispatch and profits was observed. The results indicate that the dynamic model provides more accurate predictions on the battery performance for applications with intermittent energy profile.
A spectral CT study on iodine augmentation of radiation therapy and its potential for combination with chemotherapy

High-Z based nanoparticles (NP) are emerging as promising agents for both cancer radiotherapy (RT) and CT imaging. NPs can be delivered to tumors via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect and they preferentially accumulate in tumor’s perivascular region. Both gold and iodine NPs produce low-energy, short-range photoelectrons during RT, boosting radiation dose. Using spectral CT imaging, we sought to investigate (1) if iodine nanoparticles augmentation of RT increases vascular permeability in solid tumors, and (2) if iodine-RT induced changes in tumor vascular permeability improves delivery of nanoparticle-based chemotherapeutics. In vivo studies were performed in a carcinogen-induced and genetically engineered primary mouse model of soft tissue sarcoma. Tumor-bearing mice in test group were intravenously injected with liposomal-iodine (Lip-I) (1.32 g I/kg) on day 0. On day 1, both test (with Lip-I) and control (without Lip-I) mice received RT (single dose, 10 Gy). One day post-RT (day 2), all mice were intravenously injected with liposomal gadolinium (Lip-Gd) (0.32 g Gd/kg), a surrogate of nanoparticle chemotherapeutic agent. Three days later (day 5) mice were imaged on our hybrid spectral micro-CT system. A dual source pre-clinical CT prototype system that combines a photon counting detector (PCD) and an energy integrating detector (EID) in a single hybrid system served as our imaging device. The results demonstrate that Lip-I augmented RT, resulting in increased tumor vascular permeability compared to control mice treated with RT alone. Consequently, Lip-I +RT treated mice demonstrated a 4- fold higher intra-tumoral accumulation of Lip-Gd compared to RT alone treated mice. In conclusion, our work suggests that Lip-I augments RT-induced effects on tumor vasculature, resulting in increased vascular permeability and higher intratumoral deposition of chemotherapeutic nanoparticles.
Cost-effectiveness of in-home automated external defibrillators for children with cardiac conditions associated with risk of sudden cardiac death.

Background Children at high risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD) (>6% over 5 years) receive an implantable cardioverter–defibrillator (ICD), but no guidelines are available for those at lower risk. For children at intermediate risk for SCD (4%–6% over 5 years), the utility and cost-effectiveness of in-home automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are unclear. Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of in-home AED for children at intermediate risk for SCD. Methods Using hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) as the proxy disease, a theoretical cohort of 1550 ten-year-old children with HCM was followed for 69 years. Baseline annual risk of SCD was 0.8%. Outcomes were SCD, severe neurologic morbidity (SNM), cost, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Model inputs were derived from the literature, with a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per QALY. Results Among children at intermediate risk for SCD, in-home AED resulted in 31 fewer cases of SCD but 3 more cases of SNM. There were 319 QALYs gained. Although costs were higher by $28 million, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $86,458, which is below the willingness-to-pay threshold. Conclusion For children at intermediate risk for SCD and HCM, in-home AED is cost-effective, resulting in fewer deaths and increased QALYS for a cost below the willingness-to-pay threshold. These findings highlight the economic benefits of in-home AED use in this population.
Fly Larvae in Wastewater Discharges: A Potential Source of Food and Organochlorine Contaminants for some Southern California Fishes

A widely recognized pathway for uptake and accumulation of organic contaminants by demersal fishes is through consumption of infaunal organisms (i.e., those having direct contact with contaminated sediments). Recent studies indicate that demersal fishes near a large sewage outfall in southern California consume larvae of a terrestrial fly, Clogmia albipunctata, which are entrained with the treated effluent and discharged to the ocean. Fly larvae consumption represents a possible method for accumulation of organic contaminants that is unique to marine fishes with non-selective feeding habits that occur near the ocean outfall. An estimated 37–138 kg (wet weight) of fly larvae are discharged daily during summer to the ocean via the Orange County Sanitation Districts (OCSD) wastewater outfall; winter discharges are expected to be lower due to lower production and temperature limitations of the fly life cycle. Fly larvae were present in the guts of ten demersal and pelagic fish species collected near the outfall between July 1993 and August 1998. The highest frequencies of fly larvae (up to 100%) occurred in the guts of white croaker, Genyonemus lineatus, and chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus. Because infauna are still abundant and diverse near the outfall, fly larvae consumption appears to represent a feeding preference instead of a response to lower prey abundances. Fly larvae tissues collected at the wastewater treatment plant contained sub-part-per-million levels of organochlorine compounds, including PCB and DDT. However, lipid-normalized organochlorine concentrations in fly larvae tissues were not appreciably higher than levels in infauna or zooplankton tissues. Although the study design provided only limited sample sizes for some sample types, this initial study suggests that fish consumption of fly larvae represents a mechanism for direct transfer of contaminants and may contribute to uptake and accumulation of lypophyllic organochlorines in fish near the outfall.
Pursuing Graduation: Differences in Work Experience Supports for Young SSI Recipients Pursuing Diplomas or Certificates:

Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or Section 504 Plans may earn a diploma or a certificate of completion when leaving secondary education. This study examined differences in ca...
Trajectories of Exposure to Psychological Domestic Abuse and the Relevance of Differential Development for Predicting Violent Offending in Adulthood

This study sought to examine patterns of change and continuity in psychological domestic abuse as a strain-related process that may be predictive of violent offending in adulthood. This study also ...
Reactive crystallization in HfO2 exposed to molten silicates

Abstract Hafnia is of interest in thermal and environmental barrier coatings, but little is known about its response to molten silicate attack. This article investigates that response using two model silicate melts, compares it with pure ZrO2 and examines the effect of YO1.5 additions. HfO2 was found to form HfSiO4 with acidic melts but undergoes grain boundary penetration in basic melts, which do not exhibit reactive crystallization. The latter can be exacerbated by microcracking resulting from the thermal expansion anisotropy of monoclinic HfO2. Y additions generally degrade the ability to form hafnon (and zircon), and exacerbate grain boundary penetration, especially in HfO2 where Y is present as a fluorite second phase. The fluorite controls grain growth in monoclinic HfO2 and suppresses microcracking, but dissolves faster, especially in basic melts. The results are presented in the context of the relevant thermodynamics and kinetics. The implications for coating applications are discussed.
Similar Multi-Modal Image Detection in Multi-Source Dermatoscopic Images of Cancerous Pigmented Skin Lesions

The pursuit in similar image detection is constantly increasing in the computer vision field. This is even more prominent in the medical imaging field. Medical image sets such as cancerous pigmented skin lesions have a long tendency of including images with multiple modalities. The diagnostic algorithms such as classifiers that categorize the skin lesions rely on unique set of images for best performance. In this paper we developed a distance-based approach to image similarity detection. We applied six methods of image distances which utilized features from image histogram. The sensitivity and effectiveness of each method as well as the determination of threshold is discussed.
Stimulant Use Interventions May Strengthen ‘Getting to Zero’ Initiatives in Illinois: Insights from a Modeling Study

Objective(s): Young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) are a key population identified in the Illinois Getting to Zero (GTZ) initiative who have experienced disproportionate HIV incidence. Rising stimulant use has been determined to impede the effectiveness of ART and pre-exposure prophylaxis for suppressing HIV transmission in populations. This modeling study explores the impact of stimulant use on HIV incidence among YBMSM, given the limited development of dedicated or culturally appropriate interventions for this population, and assesses the impact of these interventions on downstream HIV transmission in the context of achieving GTZ goals. Methods: A previously developed agent-based network model (ABNM), calibrated using data for YBMSM in Illinois, was extended to incorporate the impact of stimulant use (methamphetamines, crack/cocaine, and ecstasy) on sexual networks and engagement in HIV treatment and prevention continua. The model simulated the impact of a residential behavioral intervention (BI) for reducing stimulant dependency and an outpatient biomedical intervention (mirtazapine) for treating methamphetamine dependence on improved engagement in the HIV treatment and prevention continua. The downstream impact of these interventions on population-level HIV incidence was the primary intervention outcome. Results: Baseline simulated annual HIV incidence in the ABNM was 6.9(95% CI: 6.83,7.04) per 100 person years (py) and 453 (95% CI: 445.9,461.2) new infections annually. A residential targeted to 25% of stimulant users yielded a 27.1% decline in the annual number of new infections. Initiating about 50% of methamphetamine users on mirtazapine reduced the overall HIV incidence by about 11%. A 25% increase in antiretroviral treatment (ART) and preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake in the non-stimulant using YBMSM population combined with a 25% uptake of BI for stimulant users produces an HIV incidence consistent with HIV elimination targets (about 200 infections/year) identified in the GTZ initiative. Conclusions: Targeted behavioral and biomedical interventions to treat stimulant dependency are likely to provide additive benefits to expanding ART and PrEP uptake for everyone in accomplishing GTZ initiatives for HIV elimination.
The Extent of Russell Kirk's Support of the Free Market

Scholarship on Russell Kirk (1918–1994) tends to ignore or underemphasize his writings on economics, and scholars who have written about this area of his thought have insufficiently stressed his support for the free market. This article contends that Kirk became more supportive of the free market over the course of his career as he read deeper into the field and wrote more on the subject. It analyzes key passages from his textbook Economics: Work and Prosperity (1989) and other late works and compares them with writings from earlier in his career to show a market-friendly evolution in his thought on topics such as trade, government intervention in the economy, and overpopulation.
Deletion of Abi3 gene locus exacerbates neuropathological features of Alzheimer's disease in a mouse model of Aβ amyloidosis.

Recently, large-scale human genetics studies identified a rare coding variant in the ABI3 gene that is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, pathways by which ABI3...
Variation in Influenza Virus Genes

Influenza viruses can be classified into three types: A, B, and C. Strains of the same type share serologically cross-reactive matrix (M) proteins and nucleoproteins (NP), which are the major components of the virus. Recent technological advances have resulted in the cloning and sequencing of genes of many members of each type. The results indicate that the genetic information of influenza viruses is not static and that the amount and pattern of variation differs for the three types of influenza virus. The purpose of this chapter is to review the variation seen within the different types, with an emphasis on human influenza viruses. Also, we consider factors that may contribute to this variation and attempt to correlate the differences seen among the three types with differences in the biological properties and epidemiology of these viruses Finally, an attempt is made to compare variation of influenza viruses with that seen in other RNA viruses.
Real Estate Investment

Real estate is a multidimensional investment asset class. Trading markets, geography, property types, leverage, and investment structures all define the dimensions. Each of the four quadrants of public debt, private debt, public equity, and private equity are characterized by different attributes and contribute to an investor's portfolio in differing and sometimes complimentary ways. Real estate has two special characteristics. One is that assets tend to hold some of their value even through egregious market cycles and, second, each property evidences both debtlike and equity-like investment behaviors. Despite certain difficulties with valuation and a lack of transparency international investment is an expanding field and derivatives are being explored. The relationship across the quadrants of the real estate investment universe have proven to provide ample room for creating diversified portfolios. Keywords: apartment; appraisers; cash flow; closed-end funds; collateral; commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBSs); conduit lenders; core; credit tenant; debt-equity hybrid; derivatives; diversification; endowments and foundations; funds of funds; family trusts; geography; hotels; indexes; industrial; inflation hedging; institutional real estate investment universe; leverage; National Counsel of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF); net asset value (NAV); net lease; non-recourse; office; open-end commingled funds; opportunistic; option value; pension funds; persistence; private equity; publicly traded real estate equity market; quadrants; real estate investment trusts (REITs); real estate operating companies (REOCs); real estate risk; replacement cost; Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC); retail; risk management
Hydrothermal synthesis and structural characterization of the three-dimensional framework solids (NH4)[V2(OH)(PO4)2(H2O)]·H2O and Rb6[(Mo9V3O6)(PO4)10(H2PO4)3(OH)9]·8.5H2O

Abstract Hydrothermal synthesis has been employed to prepared two three-dimensional, open-framework solids with tetranuclear metal oxide cores. The reaction of VCl4, H3PO4, 1,3-diaminopropane and H2O in the mole ratio 1:7,4:8.6:1004 at 200°C for 87 h yielded (NH4) [V2(OH)(PO4)2(H2O)]·H2O(1·H2O), while the reaction of Rb2MoO4, Rb2V2O6, vanadium metal, n-Bu4NBr, H3PO4 and H2O in the mole ratio 2:1.1:1:1:145:392 at 240°C for 48 h produced Rb6[(Mo9V3O6)(PO4)10(H2PO4)3(OH)9]·8.5H2O (2·8.5H2O). The structure of 1·H2O is constructed from tetranuclear units of edge- and corner-sharing V(III) octahedral linked into a three-dimensional framework through phosphate tetrahedra. Compound 2·8.5H2O exhibits structurally distinct tetranuclear units of edge- and corner-sharing Mo(V) and Mo(III)/V(III) octahedra linked through phosphate tetrahedra into a open-framework solid with hexagonal channels. Both 1·H2O and 2·8.5H2O exhibit microporosity as evidenced by Type 1 water sorption isotherms. Crystal data: H8O12P2V2 (1·H2O), monoclinic P2 I n , a=9.803(2), b = 9.688(2), c = 9.858(2) A , β = 102.91(3)°, V = 912.6(3) A ; structure solution and refinement converged at 0.0448 for 1481 reflections. H32O75 5P13V3Mo9Rb6 (2·8.5H2O), hexagonal P6 3 m , a = 16.563(2), c = 12.534(3) A , V = 2977.8(7) A 3 ; R = 0.0570 for 3022 reflections.
Double-resonance techniques for high resolution Raman spectroscopy

Over the last six years stimulated Raman spectroscopy (SRS) has established itself as a viable technique for obtaining rotationally resolved Raman spectra of gas-phase molecules.1 Instrumental linewidths of the order of 0.002 cm−1 are routinely achieved using cw probe lasers and near- Fourier-transform-limited-bandwidth pulsed pump lasers. However, as is often the case for Raman techniques, a major limitation is found in the relatively poor sensitivity of SRS compared to laser- induced fluorescence or resonant laser ionization techniques.
Assembling atomic resolution views of the immunological synapse

Antigen-dependent T-cell activation is initiated by the organized interactions of a host of cell-surface receptors in the interface between the T cell and an antigen-presenting cell. Recent structural studies of many of the receptors that comprise this 'immunological synapse', including integrins, cadherins and co-stimulatory molecules, reveal in detail the molecular interactions that bridge the synapse. Additionally, structural analyses of the cytoplasmic tails of integrins and co-stimulatory receptors in complex with intracellular signaling proteins are providing insight into the mechanisms that couple receptor clustering on the cell surface with the initiation of cytoplasmic signaling.
Germination of urediniospore clusters of Uromyces appendiculatus and Puccinia recondita

The ability of urediniospores of Uromyces appendiculatus and Puccinia recondita to germinate when in clusters of two to six was compared to germination of individual spores. Although the percentage of the total number that germinated was generally somewhat less for clusters than for singly dispersed spores, the percentage of the clusters having at least one germinated spore was greater than the percentage of germinated singlets. Germination of clusters increased with the number ( N ) of spores in the cluster, and for small values of singlet germination the increase was approximately N -fold.
Schizophrenia and Dialysis

Open-trial reports of substantial clinical improvement in most schizophrenic patients on hemodialysis for their psychiatric condition prompted the present study to determine the efficacy of hemodialysis under double-blind, controlled conditions. Fifteen schizophrenic outpatients were randomly assigned to either a real-sham or sham-real dialysis treatment sequence. Presented in detailed, graphic form, results of repeated measurement and other analyses of symptom and behavioral data collected initially, at crossover, and at the end of treatment revealed no differential effects between real and sham dialysis. These results provide important experimental evidence of the lack of therapeutic efficacy of hemodialysis in schizophrenia.
Patterns of evolution in human speech processing and animal communication

We consider Sussman et al.'s suggestion that auditory biases for processing low-noise relationships among pairs of acoustic variables is a preadaptation for human speech processing. Data from other animal communication systems, especially those involving sexual selection, also suggest that neural biases in the receiver system can generate strong selection on the form of communication signals.
Characterizing heat transfer within a commercial-grade tubular solid oxide fuel cell for enhanced thermal management

A thermal transport model has been developed for analyzing heat transfer and improving thermal management within tubular solid oxide fuel cells (TSOFCs). The model was constructed via a proven electrochemical model and well-established heat transfer correlations. Its predictions compare favorably with other published data. Air temperatures consistently approach that of the fuel cell. This is primarily due to the high operating temperature of the cell (1000°C), the moderate magnitudes of radiation and airflow, and cell geometry. The required inlet air temperature (for thermally steady-state operation) has linear dependence on operating voltage and fuel utilization. Inlet air temperature has an inverse proportionality with respect to air stoichiometric number (i.e., inverse equivalence ratio). The current standard for airflow within TSOFCs was found to be excessive in consideration of the regenerative preheat effect within the supply pipes that feed air to the cell. Thermal management of simple TSOFC systems could be enhanced if commonly used air stoichiometric numbers were decreased.
Myofibrillar creatine kinase in Duchenne and avian muscular dystrophy.

Abstract The presence and activity of the fraction of creatine kinase (CK) which was associated with myofibrils and located in the M line of the sarcomeres was determined in normal and dystrophic avian muscle and in normal and dystrophic (Duchenne) human muscle. Myofibrils were isolated from homogenates of muscle and washed nine times so as to remove non-myofibrillar CK. In myofibrils from dystrophic muscle the enzyme CK was localized to the M line using immunofluorescent techniques and was enzymatically active. These results suggest that in both avian and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, there is not a myofibrillar disorder of the phosphocreatine shuttle.
Computational modeling of biodegradable blends of starch amylose and poly-propylene carbonate

Abstract The current study investigates the nature of interactions between starch (amylose portion) and poly-propylene carbonate by employing DFT based B3LYP and semi-empirical AM1 and PM3 methods on five complexes. The computed negative binding energies confirm the stability of the complexes. Favorable interactions between amylose and poly-propylene carbonate were indicated by the formation of hydrogen bonds. The number of hydrogen bonds identified per poly-propylene carbonate monomer attains a saturation value of 0.57 for AM1 and 0.51 for PM3 for larger complexes. The average binding energy per hydrogen bond was computed to be −12.76 kJ/mol for AM1 and −9.79 kJ/mol for PM3 method. The decrease in the computed vibrational frequencies of the hydroxyl OH and carbonyl C O frequencies of the complexes agrees qualitatively with experimental results, further confirming the presence of favorable interactions. Molecular modeling was thus successful in providing useful insight into the nature of interactions between starch and PPC.
Aortic Stenosis and Perioperative Risk With Noncardiac Surgery

AbstractAortic stenosis (AS) is characterized as a high-risk index for cardiac complications during noncardiac surgery. The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines defi...
Continuous regional anesthesia before surgical peripheral sympathectomy in a patient with severe digital necrosis associated with Raynaud's phenomenon and scleroderma.

Abstract Background and Objective: Digital ischemia and necrosis caused by Raynaud’s phenomenon in patients with connective tissue diseases may not respond to medical therapy and may have major adverse effects on quality of life. We describe the use of continuous ambulatory regional anesthesia for diagnosis and treatment before peripheral sympathectomy in a patient with secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon. Case Report: A 55-year-old man with progressive systemic sclerosis and secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon presented with severe pain and digital necrosis that were refractory to maximal medical treatment and thoracic sympathectomy. Continuous ambulatory regional analgesia increased digital temperature from 32.3°C at baseline to 34.4°C after 80 minutes. An increase in digital flow was documented by Doppler ultrasound measurements made ventrally at the point of greatest pulsation of the radial artery. Subsequent peripheral sympathectomy resulted in restoration of nutrient flow with healing of ulcers and alleviation of pain. Conclusions: Continuous ambulatory regional anesthesia appears effective as a treatment bridge for vasospasm and ischemia associated with secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon. The enhancement of peripheral blood flow achieved with the regional anesthetic technique suggests that surgical peripheral sympathectomy may provide long-term benefits.
Sensory acceptance of Japanese green tea and soy products is linked to genetic sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil

Abstract Genetic sensitivity to 6‐n‐propylthiouracil (PROP), a heritable trait, has been linked to increased sensitivity to and increased dislike of other bitter compounds. Many phy‐tochemicals with reputed chemopreventive activity have a bitter taste. This study tested the hypothesis that PROP‐sen‐sitive women would be more likely to reject Japanese green tea and selected soy products. Both foods contain bitter flavonoids that are thought to be useful in cancer prevention and control. Study subjects, 53 normal‐weight, healthy young women, were divided into PROP nontasters (n = 14), regular tasters (n = 28), and supertasters (n = 11) on the basis of their PROP detection thresholds and mean response ratios to PROP compared with NaCl solutions. The subjects tasted a range of soy products, including tofu, miso, plain soymilk, vanilla‐flavored soymilk, and five different concentrations of Japanese green tea. Taste intensity and he‐donic preference ratings were measured using nine‐point category scales. PROP s...
SU-E-I-54: A Database for Estimating Scanner-Specific CT Organ Dose

Purpose: To develop a database for estimating scanner‐specific organ dose in a voxelized patient model for any spectral shape and angular tube current modulation setting. The database enables the estimation of organ dose for both existing and novel acquisition techniques without requiring Monte Carlo simulations. Methods: The transport of monoenergetic photons through three phantoms was simulated with the PENELOPE Monte Carlo radiation transport routines at 5 – 150 keV in 1 keV increments at 1000 projections in 0.36 degree increments. The source‐to‐detector distance for each simulation was 100 cm, with a source‐to‐isocenter distance of 50 cm. The lateral and axial extents of the detector were 100 cm and 16 cm respectively, while the detector pixel resolution was 0.25 mm. The first phantom was a 0.5 mm resolution anthropomorphic voxelized female phantom, while the other two phantoms were standard head and chest CTDI cylinders modeled using mathematical quadrics. Results: The simulations resulted in a normalized dose deposition table for numerous organs quantifying the typical dose deposited in the organ per emitted photon for each energy level and projection angle. The values in this table can be multiplied by an incident spectrum and number of photons at each projection angle and summed across all energies and angles to estimate the total organ dose. Similarly, the CTDIvol for a particular acquisition can be estimated from the dose deposition tables for the CTDI phantoms. The estimated CTDIvol can be used along with a physical CTDIvol measurement to convert the organ dose calculated from the database to a scanner specific estimate. Conclusions: The proposed database and procedure enable the estimation of scanner‐specific organ dose for CT scans utilizing any spectral shape and angular tube current modulation scheme without requiring Monte Carlo simulations. This project is funded in part by the US Food and Drug Administration, Office of Women's Health (OWH), and by the Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Engineering (ORISE). Performance of Monte Carlo simulations were made possible by NSF grant OCI‐0923037.
Matrix Decomposition Algorithms for Modified Spline Collocation for Helmholtz Problems

We consider the solution of various boundary value problems for the Helmholtz equation in the unit square using a nodal cubic spline collocation method and modifications of it which produce optimal (fourth-) order approximations. For the solution of the collocation equations, we formulate matrix decomposition algorithms, fast direct methods which employ fast Fourier transforms and require O(N2 log N) operations on an N × N uniform partition of the unit square. A computational study confirms the published analysis for the Dirichlet problem and indicates that similar results hold for Neumann, mixed, and periodic boundary conditions. The numerical results also exhibit superconvergence phenomena not reported in earlier studies.
Projection models for stereo display of chest CT

The widespread adoption of chest CT for lung cancer screening will greatly increase the workload of chest radiologists. Contributing to this effort is the need for radiologists to differentiate between localized nodules and slices through linear structures such as blood vessels, in each of a large number of slices acquired for each subject. To increase efficiency and accuracy, thin slices can be combined to provide thicker slabs for presentation, but the resulting superposition of tissues can make it more difficult to detect and characterize smaller nodules. The stereo display of a stack of thin CT slices may be able to clarify three-dimensional structures, while avoiding the loss of resolution and ambiguities due to tissue superposition. The current work focuses on the development and evaluation of stereo projection models that are appropriate for chest CT. As slices are combined into a three dimensional structure, maximum image intensity, which is limited by the display, must be preserved. But, compositing methods that effectively average slices together typically reduce contrast of subtle nodules. For monoscopic viewing, orthographic maximum-intensity projection (MIP), of thick slabs, has been employed to overcome this effect, but this method provides no information of depth or of the geometrical relationships between structures. Our comparison of various rendering options indicates that a stereographic perspective transformation, used in conjunction with a compositing model that combines maximum-intensity projection with an appropriate brightness weighting function, shows promise for this application. The main drawback uncovered was that, for the images used in this study, the lung volume was undersampled in the z-direction, resulting in certain unavoidable image artifacts.
Temporal variation in nutrient status of a floodplain forest soil

Abstract Seasonal variation in nutrient status of a floodplain soil was studied in a silver maple (Acer saccharinum L.) forest in central Illinois. Statistically significant temporal differences were measured in the concentration of NH4-N, NO3-N, and extractable P. Patterns of variation in NH4-N and NO3-N were related to organic C content and mineralization processes in the soil. Variation in extractable P was affected by flood-induced anaerobic conditions and soil pH. Temporal variation in soil nutrient status was one of the most dynamic features of nutrient cycling in the floodplain forest ecosystem. The potential for seasonal variation in the availability of nutrients should be considered when chemical data are used to characterize forest soil fertility and site productivity. Samples should be collected at several points in time if possible.
Managing metadata: Networks of practice, technological frames, and metadata work in a digital library

The organizations that develop information systems are usually composed of members and groups with different technological backgrounds and experiences. While these different backgrounds are necessary to support the many dimensions of information system development, at the same time they can result in barriers to sharing organizational knowledge, and can thus impede this work. Understanding how the technological backgrounds of organizational groups are constituted and mediated thus provides useful insight into how information system development occurs in organizational contexts. This article contributes to this discussion with a qualitative and interpretive case study of a small team engaged in creating metadata for a digital library. A number of unexpected and recalcitrant problems were encountered that delayed this metadata work. Drawing on theories of networks of practice, technological frames, and perspective making and perspective taking, the article uses ethnographic- and action research-based interviews, to probe project members' understanding of metadata. The analysis identified different networks of practice and technological frames in the project, including the IT workers, who had a systems administration perspective, and the faculty members, who had a theoretical research perspective. The tensions caused by these differences are described, as are the ways in which the project resolved them. Two findings are that the intercommunal negotiation was established not just between individual networks of practice in the project, but with reference to an emerging community of practice that served as a boundary object, and that intercommunal negotiation also had to be carried out diachronically across time, with this latter form of negotiation being difficult to achieve.
The use of a sulfadiazine-sulfathiazole mixture in the treatment of children.

Summary 1. A mixture containing equal parts of sulfadiazine and sulfathiazole wasinvestigated with regard to its absorption, excretion, therapeutic efficacy, and toxicity in children and infants. 2. The sulfadiazine-sulfathiazole mixture was quickly absorbed from thegastrointestinal tract and readily eliminated by way of the kidneys. Peak levels as high or higher than from equal weight amounts of sulfadiazine were reached in the blood within four hours after drug administration. 3. The therapeutic results with the sulfonamide combination in 200 childrenwith acute bacterial infections were uniformly satisfactory and conspicuous in many instances because of the speed of clinical improvement and cure. 4. The clinical toxicity of the sulfadiazine-sulfathiazole mixture was remarkablylow. Crystalluria was infrequent, despite the intentional omission of adjuvant alkali therapy and no signs of renal irritation were encountered. The incidence of allergic reactions also appeared decreased. 5. The mechanism leading to reduction of toxicity and higher therapeutic efficacy by the employment of sulfonamide mixtures, instead of single compounds, is discussed.
Multiple-agent adaptation in whole-book recognition

In order to accurately recognize textual images of a book, we often employ various models including iconic model (for character classification), dictionary (for word recognition), character segmentation model, etc., which are derived from prior knowledge. Imperfections in these models affect recognition performance inevitably. In this paper, we propose an unsupervised learning technique that adapts multiple models on-the-fly on a homogeneous input data set to achieve a better overall recognition accuracy fully automatically. The major challenge for this unsupervised learning process is, how to make models improve rather than damage one another? In our framework, models measure disagreements between their input data and output data. We propose a policy based on disagreements to adapt multiple models simultaneously (or alternately) safely. We will construct a book recognition system based on this framework, and demonstrate its feasibility.
Ethnicity, Culture, and Child Maltreatment

Increasingly, child maltreatment research has begun to address ethnicity and culture in both empirical studies and theoretical articles. Despite the expansion of these efforts, cross-cultural research in child maltreatment has raised more questions than it has answered; and it has highlighted the elusiveness of culture-specific constructs to scientific study. Research to date has been hampered by several challenges including the failure to disentangle ethnicity and culture. In this article, we provide a review of research in this area and offer a critique and recommendations for enhancing the study of the role of culture and ethnicity in child maltreatment.
The effect of the β-exotoxin fraction of Bacillus thuringiensis on the citrus red mite

Abstract Laboratory tests and a greenhouse study were conducted to determine the response of the citrus red mite to the β-exotoxin fraction of Bacillus thuringiensis . The results showed that the fraction produced high mortality in adult mites. Eggs and immature states were similarly affected. Greenhouse studies demonstrated that the test material was toxic for at least 45 days after application.
Phytosterols in cereal by-products

Phytosterols are hypocholesterolemic. Like corn fiber oil, the lipid extracts of certain cereal by-products may be rich sources of these health-promoting compounds. The objective of this research was to examine the phytosterol content and composition of various cereal by-products. Total lipids in rice bran, wheat bran, wheat germ, durum wheat (bran and germ mixture), oat bran, oat hull, and corn fine fiber were extracted, and the sterol profiles of the extracted lipids were analyzed by GC. Rice bran contained the most lipids (22.2%), followed by wheat germ, durum wheat, oat bran, wheat bran, and oat hull; corn fine fiber contained the least amount of lipids (1.7%). Sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol were the major phytosterols in these lipid extracts, whereas brassicasterol was detected only in wheat samples. Rice bran oil contained considerable amounts of cycloartenol and 24-methylenecycloartanol, which were unique to these samples. Total sterol concentrations in extracted lipids were similar for rice bran, wheat bran, wheat germ, and durum wheat (21.3–15.1 mg/g), but they were very low in oat bran lipids and oat hull lipids (3.4 and 8.2 mg/g, respectively). Corn fine fiber lipids contained the highest amount of sterols (48.3 mg/g). Rice bran appears to be the best source of phytosterols, with the highest oil content and high concentration of sterols.
Growth methods for high purity Ge and Ge: Ga homoepitaxy

The intent of this article is to provide methods to prepare Ge and Ge: Ga homoepitaxy with residual group III and V impurity concentrations below 1013 cm-3. Methods for growing high purity Ge and Ge: Ga epitaxy have not been previously established. However, high purity layers of these types are required for fabricating a new type of far-infrared photon detector. The growth methods described here employ the halides of germanium (GeCl4) and of gallium (GaCl3) as sources in chemical vapor deposition. The undoped Ge epitaxy prepared contains residual impurity concentrations below our sensitivity limit of 2 X 1013 cm-3. The undoped growth method is modified to prepare Ge: Ga epitaxy with a measured residual donor concentration of 5 X 1012 cm-3.
Coloration indicates body size in Calopteryx maculata (Odonata: Calopterygidae)

Abstract Calopteryx maculata has become a model system for studying behaviour and reproduction in odonates. Its iridescent coloration is thought to be important in intraspecific interactions but no study has yet measured coloration in a quantitative manner. In a recent study, Fitzstephens & Getty (2000. Animal Behaviour 60: 851-855) showed that lipld levels predict coloration as determined by Munsell chips, such that fat males were blue and lean males were green. In this study we quantified color in C. maculata with a spectrometer to test the prediction of Fitzstephens & Getty (2000) using quantitative measures. We found that body size, but not lipid levels, correlates with color. In our study, larger males were green and smaller males blue. Territorial males did not differ from non-territorial males in color, size, or lipid levels. Coloration thus predicts size in male C. maculata, but the significance of this in intraspecific interactions remains unclear.
Some effects of antagonists and analogs of vitamin B6 in yeast.

Abstract The effects of various antimetabolites of vitamin B 6 have been studied and compared using Saccharomyces carlsbergensis (A.T.C.C. 4228) as a test organism. It was noted that the function of the antimetabolites which contained both 3-hydroxyl and 5-hydroxymethyl groups differed in some way from the function of antimetabolites which lacked one or both of these two hydroxyls. Inhibition indices of a variety of representative antimetabolites of vitamin B 6 were determined using the three forms of vitamin B 6 and pyridoxine 4,5-diacetate as a source of vitamin B 6 . Evidence was presented to show that 4-deoxypyridoxine 5-monoacetate per se possessed antimetabolite activity. With subinhibitory concentrations of ω-methylpyridoxine and ω-ethylpyridoxine, growth of yeast was enhanced. Such effects were most evident with ω-butylpyridoxine; ω-isopropylpyridoxine also showed similar activity.
Cerebral resuscitation: Advances and controversies

Brain protection is the prevention or amelioration of neuronal damage occurring after a hypoxic or ischemic event. Controversies in this field focus on whether incomplete global ischemia may produce a worse insult than does complete global ischemia; whether barbiturates provide protection following complete global ischemia; and whether the calcium entry blockers have a role in brain protection. Current knowledge dictates that incomplete ischemia coupled with hyperglycemia will cause a severe cerebral lactic acidosis and produce a worse insult than does complete ischemia. In the absence of hyperglycemia complete cerebral ischemia produces more neuronal damage. The barbiturates have been shown to provide protection in focal ischemia and incomplete global ischemia in which neuronal function is still present, but have not been shown to provide protection following complete global ischemia. Those calcium entry blockers with cerebral vascular selectivity may well provide some brain protection following complete cerebral ischemia by ameliorating the post-ischemic hypoperfusion state.
Toughness enhancement by polycarbosilane coating on SiC whiskers incorporated in Si3N4 matrix composite

Si3N4 matrix composite was fabricated by hot pressing with 20% SiC whiskers coated with polycarbosilane (PCS). The preceramic polymer on the whiskers was pyrolysed during sintering to form a carbon-rich layer at the whisker/matrix interface. Mechanical properties were measured, and compared to those of the composites with whiskers purified with HCl and HF. Elastic modulus and bending strength of the composite with PCS-coated whiskers were lower than those of the composites with other whiskers. Fracture toughness was measured by single-edge notched beam (SENB) and single-edge precracked beam (SEPB) methods. The toughness, including crack-growth resistance measured by the SEPB method, increased from 7.2 MPam1/2 to 7.9 MPam1/2 by PCS-coating on the whisker, while the toughness measured by the SENB method decreased from 6.5 MPam1/2 to 5.7 MPam1/2. The layer derived from PCS facilitated debonding at the whisker/matrix interface and activated the wake-toughening. Optical microscopic observation of the crack propagation near the interface confirmed enhancement of interfacial debonding by the PCS-coating.