cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
WE-C-M100F-10: Evaluation of the Beam Segmentation Algorithm in the KonRad IMRT Treatment Planning System

Purpose: Reducing the treatment time for IMRT patients is highly desirable. For step‐and‐shoot IMRT plans, the delivery time of a treatment fraction is determined by the number of beam segments, and to a lesser extent by the total number of monitor units (MUs). The objective of this work was to study the segmentation efficiency of the new clinical Siemens KonRad inverse treatment planning system (TPS) and compare it to the CMS XiO TPS. Method and Materials: For head and neck, liver and prostate cancer patients, step‐and‐shoot IMRT plans were designed using both CMS XiO and Siemens KonRad. Number, direction and energy of beams were the same in both systems. The plans were optimized to achieve the same clinical objectives concerning dose to the target volume and to the relevant organs‐at‐risk. The number of intensity levels were minimized until the clinical objectives could not be achieved anymore. DVHs, EUD, mean‐ and maximum‐doses were compared, as well as the number of beam segments and MUs. Finally the beams of each plan were delivered individually on a MapCheck device to verify the agreement between calculations and measurements to be less than 3%–3 mm distance‐to‐agreement. Results: Plans optimized with KonRad resulted in fewer segments and lower number of MUs and therefore reduced delivery time, while achieving similar dose distributions. CMS XiO plans exhibited a slightly steeper dose fall‐off outside the target volumes, however the difference was not clinically significant. DVHs to organs‐at‐risk were comparable. All calculated dose distributions passed the 3%–3 mm dose verification check. Conclusion: Both commercial systems produce clinical similar plans. The sequencer of the KonRad system is more efficient, reducing the number of beam segments and therefore delivery time on average by more than 20%.
Enhanced Phagocytosis in Neonatal Monocyte-Derived Macrophages is Associated with Impaired SHP-1 Signaling

Resident macrophages represent a first line of defense through the ingestion of microbial pathogens. Phagocytosis mediated by immunoglobulin-binding Fc receptors is a complex series of events involving tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. In the present study we determined that the phagocytic capacity of neonatal monocyte-derived macrophage (MDM) was enhanced in comparison to adult MDM. Cross-linking of surface FcγRIIa receptors enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins in both groups, followed by a reduction in tyrosine phosphorylation in adult but not neonatal MDM. Expression of the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1 was similar in neonatal and adult MDM; however, baseline SHP-1 activity levels were diminished in neonatal MDM. Cross-linking of FcγRIIa receptors induced a greater increase in SHP-1 activity in adult MDM vs. neonatal MDM. The cytoplasmic adapter protein Cbl is a SHP-1 ligand and negatively affects phagocytosis. As determined by co-immunoprecipitation assays, SHP-1 and Cbl did not associate to the same extent in neonatal as compared to adult MDM. Our data suggest that the enhanced phagocytic capacity of neonatal MDM is associated with decreased SHP-1 activity and alteration of downstream signaling pathways.
Biodistribution of cocaine during perinatal period in rats.

ABSTRACTDifferences in cocaine-induced central nervous system toxicity in pregnant and postpartum rats have been observed. For example, a 20 mg/kg, intraperitoneal dosage of cocaine that was tolerated during pregnancy caused tonic-clonic convulsions and death during the postpartum period. In the present study, bio distribution of cocaine during different perinatal periods was investigated to understand the differences in toxicity. Nonpregnant, 22-day pregnant, and postpartum rats were injected with 3H cocaine (12mg/20μci/kg, i.v.). Rats were sacrificed under ether anesthesia at predetermined time intervals. Brain, serum, fetal brain and placenta (from pregnant rats) samples were isolated, solubilized, and counted in a scintillation counter for radioactivity. Peak levels of cocaine were observed at 15 and 60 minutes after injection in maternal serum and brain, respectively, in 22-day pregnant rats. However, peak levels of cocaine were observed at 30 minutes after the injection in placental and fetal brain ...
Optical Resonance Sensing in Surface Bloch Modes on Woodpile Photonic Crystals

Low loss and high sensitivity are confirmed in surface Bloch modes on (100) and (001) dielectric woodpile photonic crystals. A flat-top (100) woodpile surface is also designed for optical resonance sensing.
Flame spread over an inclined thin fuel surface

Abstract Downward flame spread velocity over a thin α-cellulose sheet was measured from the vertical to the horizontal positions under external radiant fluxes of 0, 0.9, 1.4 and 2.0W/cm 2 . The flame spread velocity had little dependency on the angle of inclination of the sheet with the stable lower flame. When the lower flame became unstable, wavy flames, cellular flames and flame rolls were observed below the lower surface. With these unstable lower flames, the flame spread velocity increased significantly reaching several cm/s. Qualitative analysis based on the Rayleigh instability mechanism describes well the effects of the inclination angle and the external flux on the instability of the lower flame.
Relationships between personal demographics and motivation of information technology professionals to participate in professional development research-in-progress

Modern organizations are increasingly dependent on information technology (IT) enabled business systems. Development of IT systems requires a competent IT professional (ITP) staff, however, organizations are hampered by a severe shortage of qualified ITPs. Government studies recommend retaining existing ITPs and establishing professional development programs to help them obtain and maintain desired competencies. Research from related disciplines indicate that over time technical workers participate less in professional development, but still little is known about the relationships between personal demographics and participation in professional development.The major premise of this study is that since most professional development programs are voluntary, ITPs must first be motivated to participate before participation will occur. In addition, research suggests that motivation of ITPs may be related to personal demographics and, therefore, should be considered when designing and implementing professional development programs. Based upon this premise, the major objective of this study is to examine the relationships between selected personal demographics and the motivation of ITPs to participate in professional development.Survey data collected from a sample of ITPs will be analyzed first using descriptive statistics to identify graphical relationships between selected personal demographics and motivation to participate in professional development activities. Next correlation and regression analysis will be used to determine the significance of those relationships. Finding of significant relationships will improve the understanding the professional development process of ITPs, leading to more effective organizational interventions for promoting the professional development of existing ITPs.
Approach To Complications Of Anti‐Cancer Therapy In Emergency Practice

Summary Greater awareness of the benefit of medical management of neoplasia has resulted in greater client demand for therapy and increased use of chemotherapy by practitioners. Complications of anticancer therapy, therefore, can be expected to an increasing complaint of clients contacting emergency and critical Care facilities. The efficacy of chemotherapy consists of a does dependent cytotoxic effect on rapidly dividing neoplastic cells. As these drugs charcteristically have a narrow therapeutic to toxic ratio, damage to normal host tissues is the major risk with aggressive protocolos. The most common adverse effects are myelosuppression with fever and spesis secondary to neutropenia and gastrointestinal toxicity with vomiting or diarrhea. With awareness of the toxicity of specific anticancer durgs, the practicing emergency clinician can rationally intervene to overcome what is often short term, but life-threatening crisis.
The risk of intraocular juvenile xanthogranuloma: Survey of current practices and assessment of risk

Abstract Background: Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is an uncommon, usually uncomplicated disease of childhood. Ocular involvement, however, can result in glaucoma and blindness if left untreated. The incidence of ocular complications and how best to screen for their occurrence is unknown. Objective: We attempted to ascertain management and referral practices among ophthalmologists and dermatologists and to characterize the risk for ocular complications in children with JXG. Methods: A total of 431 dermatologists and 438 ophthalmologists were surveyed. In addition, the literature was reviewed. Results: The response rates were 28% (dermatologists) and 44% (ophthalmologists). Most believed screening was important, but referral and surveillance practices varied widely. The survey incidence of ocular complications in patients with cutaneous JXG was approximately 0.3% (7 of 2371). The literature incidence was 0.4% (1 of 260). Children at maximum risk were 2 years of age or younger, had multiple skin lesions, and had newly diagnosed JXG. Conclusion: Ophthalmologic screening of patients with JXG should be particularly targeted to patients with risk factors of multiple skin lesions, new diagnosis, and age of 2 years or younger.
Use of Hill Shape with Various Nitrogen Timing Splits to Improve Fertilizer Use Efficiency

The efficient use of fertilizer nitrogen (N) is critical for potato production in regions with sandy soils as concerns for groundwater contamination have become more apparent. The interactive effects of different hill shapes and distribution of in-season N fertilizer applications at various timings were evaluated in a 3-year potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Russet Burbank) field experiment on a sandy soil in central Wisconsin. A split-plot design was used with hill shape (standard, shaped-plateau, or pointed) as the main plots and 202 kg N ha−1 divided into two, three, or four applications as the split plots. Broader, flatter hills provided tuber yield increases of 7 to 10 %, tuber size and grade improvements of 8 to 25 %, and increased tuber N uptake an average of 22 % in some years; however, post-emergence hilling operations negatively affected yield and tuber size and grade out in 1 of 2 years. Splitting the N into three in-season applications (emergence, early tuberization, and tuberization + 20 days) increased tuber yield by about 4 % or tuber size by 19 % in years where rain increased leaching potential on this sandy soil, but further splitting increased the proportion of small tubers that passed a 5.1-cm screen. This study confirmed that more blocky-shaped hills with only one hilling operation at emergence can significantly benefit potato yield and quality, and fertilizer N use efficiency on these sandy soils.
Clinical and pathologic features of fibrillary glomerulonephritis.

Clinical and pathologic features of fibrillary glomerulonephritis. A diagnosis of fibrillary glomerulonephritis was made in 31 renal biopsies from 28 patients on the basis of the electron microscopic identification of glomerular deposits of randomly arranged fibrils that resembled amyloidosis but were larger. This accounted for approximately 1% of all nontransplant renal biopsy diagnoses. Renal biopsy specimens with parallel arrays of 30 nm to 50 nm microtubules (that is, immunotactoid glomerulopathy) were not included in the study. The patients had a mean age of 49 years with a range of 21 to 75. The male to female ratio was 1:1.8 and the ratio of Whites to Blacks was 8.3:1, which differs from the 3:1 ratio in our overall biopsy population. All patients had proteinuria (mean 6.0 g/day), and most had hematuria and renal insufficiency. After a mean follow-up of 24 months, there was 48% renal survival. The light microscopic appearance of the fibrillary glomerulonephritis was quite varied. Capillary wall thickening and matrix expansion were the most frequent alterations. Nineteen percent of specimens had crescents. Morphometric ultrastructural analysis demonstrated a mean fibril diameter of 22.4 ± 7.4 nm. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that IgG was the dominant and often the only immunoglobulin class in immune deposits, and subclass analysis revealed that IgG4 was the dominant or exclusive subclass in all specimens tested. We hypothesize that the relatively homogeneous nature of the immunoglobulin in the immune deposits is the basis for the fibril formation.
Computer simulation of astrophysical plasmas

The role of sophisticated numerical models and simulations in the field of plasma astrophysics is discussed. The need for an iteration between microphysics and macrophysics in order for astrophysical plasma physics to produce quantitative results that can be related to astronomical data is stressed. A discussion on computational requirements for simulations of astrophysical plasmas contrasts microscopic plasma simulations with macroscopic system models. An overview of particle-in-cell simulations (PICS) is given and two examples of PICS of astrophysical plasma are discussed including particle acceleration by collisionless shocks in relativistic plasmas and magnetic field reconnection in astrophysical plasmas.
Assembly of nucleocapsids with cytosolic and membrane-derived matrix proteins of vesicular stomatitis virus.

During budding of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), the viral matrix (M) protein binds the viral nucleocapsid to the host plasma membrane and condenses the nucleocapsid into the tightly coiled nucleocapsid-M protein (NCM) complex observed in virions. In infected cells, the viral M protein exists mostly as a soluble molecule in the cytoplasm, and a small amount is bound to the plasma membrane. Despite the high concentrations of M protein and intracellular nucleocapsids in the cytoplasm, they are not associated with each other except at the sites of budding. The experiments presented here address the question of why M protein and nucleocapsids associate with each other only at the plasma membrane but not in the cytoplasm of infected cells. An assay for exchange of soluble M protein into NCM complexes in vitro was used to show that both cytosolic and membrane-derived M proteins bound to virion NCM complexes with affinities similar to that observed for virion M protein, indicating that both cytosolic and membrane-derived M proteins are competent for virus assembly. However, neither cytosolic nor membrane-derived M protein bound to intracellular nucleocapsids with the same high affinity observed for virion NCM complexes. Cytosolic M protein was able to bind intracellular nucleocapsids, but with an affinity approximately eightfold less than that observed in virion NCM complexes. Membrane-derived M protein exhibited little or no binding activity for intracellular nucleocapsids. These data indicate that intracellular nucleocapsids, and not intracellular M proteins, need to undergo an assembly-initiating event in order to assemble into an NCM complex. Since neither membrane-derived nor cytosolic M protein could initiate high-affinity binding to intracellular nucleocapsids, the results suggest that another viral or host factor is required for assembly of the NCM complex observed in virions.
Electronically Selective Chemical Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes: Correlation between Raman Spectral and Electrical Responses

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) demonstrate remarkable electronic and mechanical properties useful in developing areas such as nanoelectromechanical systems and flexible electronics. However, the highly inhomogeneous electronic distribution arising from different diameters and chirality in any given as-synthesized SWNT samples imposes severe limitations. Recently demonstrated selective chemical functionalization methods may provide a simple scalable means of eliminating metallic tubes from SWNT transistors and electronic devices. Here, we report on combined electron transport and Raman studies on the reaction of 4-bromobenzene diazonium tetrafluoroborate directly with single and networks of SWNT transistors. First, Raman studies are carried out on isolated individual SWNTs grown on SiO2/Si substrates by chemical vapor deposition with and without metal contacts. Metallic tubes are found to have, on average, higher reactivity toward diazonium reagents. However, a considerable degradation of electrica...
Postparotidectomy facial nerve paralysis: possible etiologic factors and results with routine facial nerve monitoring.

Objective: Analyze the incidence and factors responsible for postparotidectomy facial nerve paralysis when the surgery is performed with the routine use of facial nerve monitoring. Study Design: A prospective, nonrandomized study. Methods: Seventy consecutive patients underwent parotidectomy with intraoperative facial nerve monitoring. Two devices were used: a custom mechanical transducer and a commercial electromyograph-based apparatus. All patients were analyzed, including those with cancer and those with deliberate or accidental sectioning of facial nerve branches. The outcome variables were the motor facial nerve function according to the House-Brackmann grading scale (HB) at 1 week (temporary paralysis) and 6 to 12 months (definitive paralysis). Facial nerve grading was performed blindly from reviewing videotapes. Results: The overall incidence of facial paralysis (HB > 1) was 27% for temporary and 4% for permanent deficits. Most of the deficits were partial, most often concerning the marginal mandibular branch. Temporary deficits with HB scores of greater than 2 were only present in patients with parotid cancer or infection. Permanent deficits were present in three patients, including one patient with facial nerve sacrifice. Factors significantly associated with an increased incidence of temporary facial paralysis include the extent of parotidectomy, the intraoperative sectioning of facial nerve branches, the histopathology and the size of the lesion, and the duration of the operation. Conclusions: Despite a stringent accounting of postoperative facial nerve deficits, these data compare favorably to the literature with or without the use of monitoring. An overall incidence of 27% for temporary facial paralysis and 4% for permanent facial paralysis was found. Although the lack of a control group precludes definitive conclusions on the role of electromyograph-based facial nerve monitoring in routine parotidectomy, the authors found its use very helpful.
A Fracture Mechanics Approach to Characterizing Cyclic Debonding of Varied Thickness Adhesive Joints to Electroprimed Steel Surfaces

Abstract Applications of adhesive bonding for automotive structures have been increasing in recent years due to improvements in the types of adhesives available and in improved knowledge of bonding procedures. Consequently, there exists a demand for design techniques to assess the influence of bondline thickness on adhesive joint strength. One design approach currently being used is based on limiting shear stresses in the adhesive while designing to eliminate peel stresses. Another design approach is based on fracture mechanics and accounts for shear and peel stresses and both static and fatigue modes of failure. The present study applies fracture mechanics to investigate the mixed-mode response of cracked-lap-shear (CLS) joints bonded with unprimed and electroprimed steel surfaces. Three bondline thicknesses equal to 0.254, 0.813, and 1.27 mm were evaluated for unprimed and primed bondlines. For the experimental portion of the study, debond growth rates (da/dN) were measured using a remote imaging system...
Spectrophotometry of Proline in Plasma and Urine

A procedure is presented for proline quantification in serum filtrates and urine hydrolysates. Interference from primary amino acids is greatly reduced by nitrozation. After nitrozation and neutralization, proline is reacted with ninhydrin in a concentrated electrolyte solution. The resulting red proline—ninhydrin product is salted out, extracted into benzene, and measured at 520 nm. The extent and nature of interference from various amino acids have been determined, as has the effect of urinary constituents. Procedural variables have also been studied. Preliminary data are presented for urinary proline/creatinine ratios for 6-to 12-month-old infants.
Effect of piezoelectric transducer nonlinearity on phase shift interferometry.

If the nonlinearity of the motion of a piezoelectric transducer (PZT) can be described as a quadratic function, the integrated intensity of one frame in phase shift interferometry can be calculated using the Fresnel integral. For a PZT with smaller nonlinearity, the rms phase error is almost linearly proportional to the quadratic coefficient. The effects of PZT nonlinearity on the three- and the four-bucket algorithms are compared.
Toward a Smart Grid: Integration of computational intelligence into Power Grid

The development of an intelligent electric grid of future, a smart grid, has attracted significant amount of attention recently from academia, industry, and government as well. Among many efforts toward this objective, computational intelligence research could provide important technical support to help the society to accomplish this goal. In this paper, I present a high level discussion on the vision of smart grid and how computational intelligence research can provide critical technical support to this vision. Specifically, wide area situational awareness and adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) based intelligent control are used as two examples in this work to illustrate the potential technical contributions of computational intelligence research toward the long-term objective of a smart grid. Numerous recent activities in the society on smart grid as well as future challenges and opportunities in this field are also highlighted and discussed in this paper.
Information Theoretic Bounds on the Capacity of Peer-to-Peer Wireless Networks with Hop-by-Hop Routing

Considered is a network of N nodes which wirelessly communicate among themselves in peer-to-peer fashion. For such a network, we apply well known information-theoretic concepts, but applied to switching networks (rather than to physical links), to find an easily computed upper bound on the rate at which information may be carried for any number of nodes, any internodal connectivity pattern, and any hop-by- hop routing algorithm. Found is the maximum factor by which a given traffic matrix, corresponding the relative exogenous demand among each pair of nodes, may be scaled, subject to constraints that (1) each node transmits to only one intended receiver at a time, (2) each node receives from only one transmitter at a time, and (3) no node can transmit and receive simultaneously. Sample results are presented.
Mechanistic Studies of Tyrosine Hydroxylase

Tyrosine hydroxylase catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of the catecholamine neurotransmitters, the hydroxylation of tyrosine to dihydroxyphenylalanine1. The other substrates for the reaction are molecular oxygen and a tetrahydropterin. In addition, tyrosine hydroxylase requires one atom of ferrous iron per active site for activity2,3; the role of the iron atom is unknown. While the central position of tyrosine hydroxylase in the function of the central nervous system has resulted in a great deal of interest in the enzyme over the years, very little is known about the actual mechanism of catalysis. This report describes recent studies towards elucidating the mechanism of this important monooxygenase.
Political Capitalism and the Rise of Sovereign Wealth Funds

Sovereign wealth funds are neither novel nor constitute any decisive shift towards state control. States and markets are co-constitutive, but states have power precisely because of their ability to define property rights and thus draw the boundary between public and private activity. The way they draw that boundary determines the nature of capitalism in any specific market. ‘Sovereign wealth fund’ is a nominal label covering three distinct types of organization that distribute property rights in different ways. The first acts to buffer states from the economic problems associated with large-scale resource exports. The second helps states simultaneously develop industry and an industrial bourgeoisie. The third is a vehicle for patrimonial rent extraction via political capitalism. The current spectacular increase in the number and holdings of sovereign wealth funds thus does not presage a distinct shift away from the (easily exaggerated) neoliberalism of the last two decades.
Heritabilities of some type appraisal traits and their genetic and phenotypic correlations with production.

Summary Estimates of heritability for 27 type traits and milk and fat production and of genetic correlation of type traits with production were obtained by a within-herd-year analysis of 842 daughter-dam pairs of the Holstein-Friesian breed. Heritability estimates for fat and milk production were higher (.42 and .40) than most reported previously. Most of the type traits studied had heritability estimates not significantly different from zero. Those traits with relatively high estimates were: milking quality, depth of barrel, udder texture, strength of udder attachment, depth of udder, and temperament. Estimates of genetic correlations of type traits with production were inconclusive, owing to lack of confidence in the components of the correlation coefficient. Phenotypic correlations between 26 type traits and production were estimated. A few other phenotypic correlations thought to be of interest were also estimated. The highest correlation found was between fat and milk production. Type traits which had estimated phenotypic correlations greater than .15 with production were dairy character, withers, depth of barrel, udder shape, depth of udder, and feeding habits. All of these correlations were less than .21. Selection indexes for breeding value for milk production were computed, utilizing seven variables having the highest heritabilities and phenotypic correlations with production. The index using all seven variables was found to have a correlation with actual breeding value of .58. Using milk production alone to estimate breeding value had a correlation with breeding value of .53. Since selection based on only milk production is nearly as accurate as using seven variables, it appears that in any practical situation selection for milk production could be based on milk production alone.
Effects of humidity on foil and vial packaging to preserve glucose and lactate test strips for disaster readiness.

Objective Efficient emergency and disaster response is challenged by environmental conditions exceeding test reagent storage and operating specifications. We assessed the effectiveness of vial and foil packaging in preserving point-of-care (POC) glucose and lactate test strip performance in humid conditions. Methods Glucose and lactate test strips in both packaging were exposed to mean relative humidity of 97.0 ± 1.1% in an environmental chamber for up to 168 hours. At defined time points, stressed strips were removed and tested in pairs with unstressed strips using whole blood samples spiked to glucose concentrations of 60, 100, and 250 mg/dL (n = 20 paired measurements per level). A Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare stressed and unstressed test strip measurements. Results Stressed glucose and lactate test strip measurements differed significantly from unstressed strips, and were inconsistent between experimental trials. Median glucose paired difference was as high as 12.5 mg/dL at the high glucose test concentration. Median lactate bias was −0.2 mmol/L. Stressed strips from vial (3) and foil (7) packaging failed to produce results. Conclusions Both packaging designs appeared to protect glucose and lactate test strips for at least 1 week of high humidity stress. Documented strip failures revealed the need for improved manufacturing process. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;0:1–7)
Total exchange in faulty SIMD hypercubes

We develop algorithms for performing total exchange (all-to-all broadcast) in an n-dimensional faulty SIMD hypercube, Q/sub n/, with up to n/spl minus/1 node faults. In an SIMD hypercube, during a communication step, nodes can exchange information with their neighbors only across a specific dimension. We describe a sequence of algorithms which take N log N, N log n, 3N/spl minus/7, 2.5N/spl minus/7 steps for this problem. By carefully analyzing these algorithms and a property of certain ordering of dimensions, we obtain an improved algorithm which takes 2N steps. >
Efficient computation of the discrete pseudo-Wigner distribution

A description is given of a novel algorithm, the fast Fourier transform in part (FFTP), for the computation of the discrete pseudo-Wigner distribution (DPWD). The FFTP computes the cosine and sine parts of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) separately by employing real inverse sinusoidal twiddle factors. Unlike the conventional methods which directly utilize the complex DFT, the FFTP yields real output since the DPWD is always real. In addition, the new method reduces the computational cost by making full use of symmetries and removing redundancies in the FFTP computation. The authors also describe a simple algorithm for computing the discrete Hilbert transform (DHT) to produce the nonaliased DPWD. A pipeline structure for real-time and a bulk processing technique for offline implementations of the method are presented. >
The Evolution of Income Concentration in Japan, 1886–2005: Evidence from Income Tax Statistics

Abstract This paper studies the evolution of income concentration in Japan from 1886 to 2005 by constructing long-run series of top income shares and top wage income shares, using income tax statistics. We find that (i) income concentration was extremely high throughout the pre-WWII period during which the nation underwent rapid industrialization; (ii) a drastic de-concentration of income at the top took place in 1938–1945; (iii) income concentration remained low during the rest of the century but shows some sign of increase in the last decade; and (iv) top income composition in Japan has shifted dramatically from capital income to employment income over the course of the twentieth century. We attribute the precipitous fall in income concentration during WWII primarily to the collapse of capital income due to wartime regulations and inflation. We argue that the change in the institutional structure under the occupational reforms made the one-time income de-concentration difficult to reverse. In contrast t...
PRINCIPLES OF BEHAVIOURAL TAXONOMY AND THE MATHEMATICAL BASIS OF THE TAXONOME COMPUTER PROGRAM

Types are modes in a multidimensional distribution, and can be found either by operating on a Q-matrix of distances between individuals or by calculating densities in Cartesian sub-spaces. Pursuing the former approach, reasons are given for preferring the family of rp ‘coefficients of likeness’ to Mahalanobis' D or other distance measures. A general formula is presented for rp, applicable to factors of any obliqueness and any assigned weight, permitting classification by what an individual docs as well as by what he is. Classification procedures require recognition of the differences between types as homostats and as segregates. A homostat is a set of unusually similar people: a segregate is a series with above average similarities which thus has continuity, although there may be negligible resemblance between first and last members. A Boolean algorithm will objectively find homostats and sort them into phenomenal and nuclear clusters, and a further algorithm will operate on these to locate segregates. These steps have been combined in a computer program called Taxonome, two examples of the application of which are given. Search for types is a topographical descriptive procedure in which finding the ‘texture’ of a whole domain is as important as the location of individual types. Type analysis contributes to non-linear prediction, to theories of type origin, and to higher order systematization and conceptualization.
Late Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis Caused by Staphylococcus hemolyticus

We describe a case of late PVE in a 78-year-old man that was caused by Stapylococcus hemolyticus and occurred 5 years after aortic valve replacement. This is the first reported case of PVE due to this organism.
First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: Can We Do Better?

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most devastating solid tumor malignancies. Majority of patients have metastatic disease upon diagnosis. Five-year survival is less than 5% for all stages of pancreatic cancer combined. Gemcitabine has been the standard palliative therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer over the past decade. Many studies attempted to develop combination regimens, but they failed to improve overall survival in the metastatic settings. The combination of gemcitabine and erlotinib was the first combination regimen to show improvements in survival benefit compared with gemcitabine alone and became the first-line combination therapy in advanced pancreatic cancer. The search for better treatment strategies to prolong survival in this deadly disease is very much needed and is a worldwide effort. There were many studies presented at the 2010 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting focused on first-line therapy in metastatic pancreatic cancer. This article highlights a few phase III and II studies that have demonstrated encouraging results. Image: Yale-New Haven Hospital. New Haven, CT, USA
Anaerobic soil disinfestation: A chemical-independent approach to pre-plant control of plant pathogens

Abstract Due to increasing regulations and restrictions, there is an urgent need to develop effective alternatives to chemical-dependent fumigation control of soilborne pests and pathogens. Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is one such alternative showing great promise for use in the control of soilborne pathogens and pests. This method involves the application of a carbon source, irrigation to field capacity, and covering the soil with a plastic tarp. While the mechanisms of ASD are not completely understood, they appear to be a combination of changes in the soil microbial community composition, production of volatile organic compounds, and the generation of lethal anaerobic conditions. The variety of materials and options for ASD application, including carbon sources, soil temperature, and plastic tarp type, influence the efficacy of pathogen suppression and disease control. Currently, both dry (e.g., rice bran) and liquid (e.g., ethanol) carbon sources are commonly used, but with different results depending on environmental conditions. While solarization is not an essential component of ASD, it can enhance efficacy. Understanding the mechanisms that mediate biological changes occurring in the soil during ASD will facilitate our ability to increase ASD efficacy while enhancing its commercial viability.
New Technology Can Help Avoid a Second Enron

If Enron had filed in XBRL, its reported revenues, cash flows from operations, and profits would have been compared against industry standards. Its growth rate and the growth rate of its purported cash flows from operations would have been so far above industry norms that it would have been flagged for an SEC staff review. It looked too good to be true, and an examination by the SEC's Corporate Finance Department would have showed that it was too good to be true.
Sharing the Stage: Ethical Dimensions of Narrative Inquiry in Music Education.

In this autoethnographic study, I identify and critique the ethical dimensions of the research relationship from a narrative inquiry into a transgender student’s experience in school music. Josselson notes that while many scholars have discussed conducting ethical research in theoretical terms, actual dilemmas of practice are seldom written about. The “dilemmas of practice” I encountered include the effort to honor Rie’s privilege to identify herself and determine how she is represented in the work, her “say” in the construction of her story and the purposes to which it used, and, as critical storytelling is not a neutral endeavor, the textual choreography necessary to balance my responsibility as researcher to observe and critique the implications of Rie’s story with her vulnerability in sharing intimate details of her personal journey. By contemplating and detailing the specific ethical dilemmas associated with researching and writing Rie’s story, I illuminate the connections of theory to practice and p...
Truth Replaced by Silence: A Field Experiment on Private Censorship in Russia

Through highly visible acts of repression, authoritarian regimes can send informative signals to private actors about what types of speech are off-limits and might draw the punitive attention of the state. These acts not only encourage private actors to censor themselves but also to censor other private actors, a behavior we refer to as regime-induced private censorship. Our paper is the first to provide systematic empirical evidence on the extent and targets of such censorship behavior. We use a field experiment conducted throughout the Russian Federation in September 2014 to investigate the private censorship behavior of private media firms. The results suggest that private actors censor the messages of other private actors when those messages include anti-regime language, calls for collective action, or both. These results are partially consistent with previous empirical findings in that they show that private actors censor content with a collective action appeal even when the message itself is non-political. Our results, however, build upon previous work by showing that anti-regime messages that do not contain a call for collective action are still censored under some authoritarian regimes. Our results highlight the importance of forms of censorship other than state censorship when discussing repression, dissent, and public opinion formation in authoritarian regimes.
An Exploration Of The Impact Of Online Delivery In Prerequisite Courses On CIS Majors Course Sequence

On-line courses have become an important component of the delivery of courses in all areas of education. The validity of online delivery is challenged if Web students perform poorly in subsequent major courses. This paper investigates the level of success, failure, potential, and limitation of on-line delivery in the CIS area at MSCD. The result of this research will provide a framework for developing a methodology for this kind of study, allowing academic institutions to evaluate the success and utility of online courses.
Myocardial infarction in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery.

Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and other industrialized nations. Patients with coronary artery disease are at high risk for myocardial infarction following noncardiac surgery. The authors identify 28 such patients with a 43% mortality rate. Ninety-three percent of infarctions occurred within the first two postoperative days. Chest pain was the presenting symptom in only 39% of these patients. Other presenting signs and symptoms included hypotension, heart failure, alteration of mental status, various atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, and cardiac tamponade from ventricular rupture. Advanced age and identified coronary atherosclerosis seemed to be dominant risk factors.
Taxonicity and network structure of generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder: An admixture analysis and complex network analysis

Abstract Background Recent years have witnessed sustained efforts to delineate the nosology of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), especially in light of its substantial comorbidity with major depressive disorder (MDD). Traditional diagnostic conceptualizations regard these disorders as categorically distinct; however, extant literature attests to appreciable similarities. The application of admixture analyses and complex network analyses has become more prevalent in recent years to investigate the presence of meaningful subgroups in mental disorders and to address qualitative similarity in network structure across disorders. To date, no studies have extended these analytic techniques to determine whether GAD and MDD constitute independent syndromes. The current study used a clinical sample comprising individuals diagnosed with primary GAD or primary MDD to examine potential subgroups and network structure using symptoms of each disorder as indicators. Methods The current sample comprised 111 individuals who received primary diagnoses of either GAD or MDD and completed a battery of assessments related to anxiety and depression. Results Results of the admixture analyses converged on a single class solution, suggesting that individuals with GAD derive from the same population as those with MDD. Furthermore, results of the complex network analyses did not reveal differences in centrality parameters across disorders, suggesting qualitative similarity. Limitations The cross-sectional nature of this study precludes conclusions about the temporal and causal dynamics of these disorders Conclusion GAD and MDD exhibit robust similarities, as evidenced by the converging results of the admixture analyses and complex network analyses. This conclusion complements the findings of transdiagnostic research, which has identified common mechanisms underlying multiple emotional disorders.
Effect of Choline on Phosphatide Metabolism of Gholine-Deficient and Cholestero-Fed Rabbits.∗

SummaryIn rabbits maintained on a high-fat, low-protein, choline-deficient diet for a period of 14 days, the synthesis of liver phosphatides was markedly increased. A single dose of intravenous choline was associated with a further increment in phosphatide synthesis, while chronic choline supplements depressed liver phosphatide synthesis. The plasma phosphatide concentration and synthesis were markedly elevated in all the fat-fed animals. The aortic phosphatide synthesis remained unaltered. Choline administration to cholesterol-fed rabbits did not alter the plasma or liver phosphatide metabolism.
Determination of cinnarizine capsules by HPLC

Aim To eatablish a method for determining the content of Cinnarizine Capsules.Method The HPLC analysis was performed on Kromasil C18 column(4.6 mm×250 mm,5 μl) with mobile phase of CH3OH-0.2triethanolamine-triethylamine(v:v:v=85 : 15 :0.03),the flow rate was1.0 mL·min-1,the detection wavelength was at 254nm and the column temperature was 30℃.Results The linear range of Cinnarizine was 19.79~197.94 mg·L-1,and the average recovery was 99.5% with RSD being 0.6(n=9)% Conclusion This method is accurate,reliable and appropriate to control the quality of Cinnarizine Capsules.
Investigation on the serological analysis of children (1～5 years old) with hepatitis B in Shaoguan

Objective To evaluate the impact of hepatitis B vaccination program (Expanded Program of Immunization, EPI) and the carrier status of children in Shaoguan city of Guangdong province. Methods Stratified sampling method was used in this study. Serum from children (1～5 years old at the nursery school in 2008) of the Shaoguan city was collected and the levels of HBsAg and anti-HBs were measured. Results Serum from 1 485 children were analyzed. The positive rate of HBsAg was 0.88%, and the level of HBsAg was increased with age. The positive rate of HBsAg in male and female was 0.93% and 0.82%, respectively, and the difference was not significant (χ2=0.0586,P0.05). The percentage of positive rate in Nanxiong (0.97%) was not significantly different from Wujiang (0.8%) (χ2=0.0808,P0.05). The positive rate of anti-HBs was 65.86%, and the percentage was decreasing with age. The positive rate of anti-HBs in male (65.01%) was not significantly different from the female (66.80%)(χ2=1.5424,P0.05). The percentage of positive rate of anti-HBs in Wujiang (66.27%) is similar to Ruyuan (65.47%)(χ2=0.0688,P0.05). Conclusions After implementation of the hepatitis B immunization programming in Shaoguan, the HBsAg carrier status was reduced significantly for the children aged 1～5 years old. The positive rate of anti-HBs is low, and the immunizing dose for neonatal should be increased
Effects of salinomycin on ruminal characteristics and performance of grazing beef steers.

Grazing trials were conducted for 2 yr using weanling Brahman crossbred beef steers to evaluate graded levels of salinomycin (0, 50, 100 or 150 mg. head-1.d-1) for 161 d and to evaluate salinomycin in a free-choice mineral supplement (99 d). The 40 and 48 steers in trials 1 and 2 had average initial weights of 198 and 285 kg, respectively. In trial 1, steers were group-fed to consume either 0, 50, 100 or 150 mg of salinomycin.head-1.d-1 in .9 kg ground corn while grazing bermudagrass pastures. Both linear (P less than .01) and quadratic (P less than .05) effects were observed for steer performance as salinomycin level increased from 0 to 150 mg.head-1.d-1. Linear increases (P less than .01) in ruminal NH3-N (mg/100 ml) and in the molar proportion of propionate and decreases (P less than .01) in butyrate and acetate/propionate were detected. In trial 2, mineral supplements with and without salinomycin were fed free-choice to steers on bermudagrass pasture. The mean salinomycin intake of 38 mg.head-1.d-1 was lower than anticipated as a result of the instability of salinomycin in the mineral supplement and the slightly lower intake (65 g/d) than anticipated (75 g/d). Performance of steers was not influenced by salinomycin supplementation in trial 2. The ionophore salinomycin at intakes over 50 mg.head-1.d-1 appears to increase the performance of steers grazing bermudagrass pasture.
Dynamics and Controls of Hexapod Machine Tools

To enable widespread adoption of hexapod machine tools as a new machining paradigm in industry, research on the development of advanced methodologies for modelling, system parameter identification and controls has been initiated. This paper presents the work-in-progress which involves both theoretical and experimental analyses. The research activities are segmented into two major areas: controls and dynamics. By conducting the research in parallel, the results of each segmented area supplement the other, which in turn provides a better comprehension of the controls and dynamics of hexapod machine tool performance.
Functional Scanning Probe Imaging of Nanostructured Solar Energy Materials.

ConspectusFrom hybrid perovskites to semiconducting polymer/fullerene blends for organic photovoltaics, many new materials being explored for energy harvesting and storage exhibit performance characteristics that depend sensitively on their nanoscale morphology. At the same time, rapid advances in the capability and accessibility of scanning probe microscopy methods over the past decade have made it possible to study processing/structure/function relationships ranging from photocurrent collection to photocarrier lifetimes with resolutions on the scale of tens of nanometers or better. Importantly, such scanning probe methods offer the potential to combine measurements of local structure with local function, and they can be implemented to study materials in situ or devices in operando to better understand how materials evolve in time in response to an external stimulus or environmental perturbation.This Account highlights recent advances in the development and application of scanning probe microscopy method...
Case 29-2016

A 53-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus presented with pain and a lump in the left breast that had persisted for 5 days. Four months earlier, she had noted a smaller lump in a different location of the left breast. A diagnostic procedure was performed.