cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alternative methods of ventilatory support for the patient with ventilatory failure due to spinal cord injury.

ABSTRACTVentilatory insufficiency and impaired airway secretion clearance are common complications of spinal cord injury (SCI) and can lead to respiratory failure which is the leading cause of death in both the acute and chronic stages. Standard invasive management options such as intubation, tracheostomy and electrophrenic respiration have been reviewed. The review findings are consistent with our clinical experience in that these invasive options appear to entail unacceptably high morbidity and risks of mortality. A number of detailed parameters are suggested for evaluating the respiratory functioning of the individual in order to determine the most acceptable and successful non invasive systems for both ventilatory support and evacuation of airway secretions. They are physiological substitutes for the action of the inspiratory and expiratory muscles. These techniques are described in detail. We conclude that noninvasive techniques can safely and effectively obviate the need for intubation, tracheostomy...
Case Studies on the Role of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) Approach on the Establishment and Promotion of Trust

abstractThis article uses case studies to explore the IPD contractual approach from the standpoint of trust. It comprises two case studies of comparable IPD healthcare projects: Project A utilizes a single multi-party contract and lean construction; while Project B is transitional IPD-like by nature, incorporating a joining IPD agreement in addition to several two-party contracts. On Project B, team players are co-located and benefit from having past business relationships with one another. Project A, however, lacks these two attributes. These case studies identified attributes that establish and promote trust in IPD projects. These findings validate a theoretical IPD-Trust schema already established in the current published research; furthermore, the findings introduce seven new trust-building attributes leveraged by IPD. Additionally, the study compared trust across the two projects, and found that having pre-existing trust resulting from past business relationships, forming the best team, and co-locati...
Toward Culturally Sensitive Financial Education Interventions with Latinos

ABSTACTTo expand the financial capability of Latinos, culturally sensitive interventions are needed. A literature search was conducted to examine how financial education interventions have been used to improve financial outcomes for Latinos. Just 7 peer-reviewed intervention studies were identified, suggesting a substantial gap in knowledge in this area. Although conclusions about the effectiveness of financial education interventions with Latinos are limited, each study finds positive changes in financial attitudes or behaviors. Using Resnicow’s (1999) cultural sensitivity framework, surface and deep structure methods of tailoring financial education were identified. Implications for designing and testing culturally sensitive financial education interventions are discussed.
Challenges with Evidence-Based Management of Stable Ischemic Heart Disease.

Stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD) is a highly prevalent condition associated with increased costs, morbidity, and mortality. Management goals of SIHD can broadly be thought of in terms of improving prognosis and/or improving symptoms. Treatment options include medical therapy as well as revascularization, either with percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting. Herein, we will review the current evidence base for treatment of SIHD as well as its challenges and discuss ongoing studies to help address some of these knowledge gaps. There has been no consistent reduction in death or myocardial infarction (MI) with revascularization vs. medical therapy in patients with SIHD in contemporary trials. Angina and quality of life have been shown to be relieved more rapidly with revascularization vs. optimal medical therapy; however, the durability of these results is uncertain. There have been challenges and limitations in several of the trials addressing the optimal treatment strategy for SIHD due to potential selection bias (due to knowledge of coronary anatomy prior to randomization), patient crossover, and advances in medical therapy and revascularization strategies since trial completion. The challenges inherent to prior trials addressing the optimal management strategy for SIHD have impacted the generalizability of results to real-world cohorts. Until the results of additional ongoing trials are available, the decision for revascularization or medical therapy should be based on patients’ symptoms, weighing the risks and benefits of each approach, and patient preference.
The Incidence of Adrenal Insufficiency in Myeloma Patients Receiving Pulse-Dose Dexamethasone

Introduction: Glucocorticoids (GC9s) are major drugs in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM). Chronic administration of supra-physiological doses of GC9s suppresses the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and is associated with secondary adrenal insufficiency (AI). In MM, GC9s are usually administered in weekly high dose pulses. Due to long GC-free periods in such therapy, GC-induced AI is not usually considered to be a consequence of GC therapy in MM (Krasner, AS. JAMA, 1999. 282(7): p. 671-6). Here we report on the incidence of AI in MM patients treated at our center with pulse-dose GC. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients with MM treated with GC-based regimens. Patients were required to have at least a random serum cortisol or a standard 250 mcg ACTH stimulation test result available in their medical record during dexamethasone-based chemotherapy. Patients were excluded if they were on dexamethasone more than 1 day a week, were lost to follow-up, had prior use of synthetic progestational agents such as megestrol or had been on oral glucocorticoids for any other medical indication. Diagnosis of AI was established by a frankly low AM serum cortisol level ( Results: A total of 45 patients were included in this study with median age of 62 (range, 49-89). Fifteen (33.3%) of patients were diagnosed with AI. The median random cortisol level in AI group was 2.3 ug/dL (range, 0.3-7.4 ug/dL) compared to 9.9 ug/dL (range, 1.0-21.2 ug/dL) in the non-AI group. The median time between the last dexamethasone dose and the serum cortisol assay was 5 days (range, 1-21). The median number of GC-based chemotherapy cycles taken before diagnosis of AI was 15 (range, 2-60). The median cumulative dexamethasone consumption was 1280 mg (range, 180-5220 mg). There was no correlation between developing AI and dose or duration of dexamethasone treatment. We observed clinical trend between cumulative doses of ≥1500 mg ( P = 0.055) or use of clarithromycin ( P =0.079) and developing AI, without reaching a statistically significant difference. Conclusion: The rate of AI was 33% among patients with MM on weekly pulse-dose dexamethasone. As such, patients should be periodically evaluated for this to enable early detection and proper management. Disclosures Borrello: BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding; WindMIL Therapeutics: Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau.
Seeing, Believing and So Forth

“Seeing is believing,” they say. This hoary bromide suggests a common belief in the importance of perception-especially visual perception-in the acquisition of knowledge. This is not just a platitude about how we form beliefs about the world, beliefs which might be true or false. It is rather a sort of folk testimony to the importance of visual evidence in confirming, as well as acquiring, hypotheses, conjectures or beliefs. Of course sometimes things are not as they seem. Visual illusion, hallucination, tromp l’oeil and other “tricks of the eye” are well familiar, but typically are not taken to suggest anything like a sort of general skepticism about visual perception. Such problems are seen more as pointing to boundary conditions for the fidelity of direct visual perception than as counter-examples to it.
Interleukin-1β and -6 release from immune cells by DOPA-based melanin as free pigment or complexed to carboxymethylcellulose

We have observed that many polysaccharides can promote the oxidation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) into melanin-like pigments leading to the formation of water-soluble polysaccharide/melanin complexes. These pigments were characterized by size exclusion chromatography and FT-IR spectroscopy. The effect on the secretion of interleukin (IL) -1β and IL-6 from immune cells by DOPA-based melanin synthesized in the presence or absence of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) was evaluated. We observed that the melanin/CMC complex had a more potent effect on both IL secretions compared to the melanin prepared from DOPA in the absence of any polysaccharide. The study of the effect of melanins on the IL secretion by immune or other cells will help illuminate the potential contributions of this broad class of pigments to pathological conditions like Parkinson9s disease or ochronosis.
Cryo-EM Visualization of Lipid and Polymer-Stabilized Perfluorocarbon Gas Nanobubbles - A Step Towards Nanobubble Mediated Drug Delivery

Gas microbubbles stabilized with lipids, surfactants, proteins and/or polymers are widely used clinically as ultrasound contrast agents. Because of their large 1–10 µm size, applications of microbubbles are confined to the blood vessels. Accordingly, there is much interest in generating nanoscale echogenic bubbles (nanobubbles), which can enable new uses of ultrasound contrast agents in molecular imaging and drug delivery, particularly for cancer applications. While the interactions of microbubbles with ultrasound have been widely investigated, little is known about the activity of nanobubbles under ultrasound exposure. In this work, we demonstrate that cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) can be used to image nanoscale lipid and polymer-stabilized perfluorocarbon gas bubbles before and after their destruction with high intensity ultrasound. In addition, cryo-EM can be used to observe electron-beam induced dissipation of nanobubble encapsulated perfluorocarbon gas.
Theoretical analysis of diffusion of solutes during the solidification of alloys

When an alloy solidifies and the composition of the solid differs from the composition of the liquid, atoms of the alloying elements rejected at the solid-liquid interface have to diffuse toward the bulk liquid. Diffusion may be supported by convection. Theoretical calculations have been made for a liquid without convection, for a liquid involving natural convection, and for solidification of a liquid alloy at the surface of a rotating disk as an example of forced convection.
Continuous fermentation of xylose to short chain fatty acids by Lactobacillus buchneri under low pH conditions

Abstract Short chain fatty acid fermentation was carried out using Lactobacillus buchneri ATCC 4005 under anoxic conditions at low pH values using xylose as substrate. Fermentation studies were conducted with free cells and with cells immobilized on alumina fibers in batch, fed-batch, and continuous reactors. The results indicate that xylose is readily utilized by L. buchneri as a carbon source with an estimated maximum specific growth rate (µmax) of 0.15 h−1 for free cell and immobilized cell fermentations. Lactic and acetic acids were produced at high concentration levels of 67 g L−1 and 32 g L−1, respectively in fed-batch fermentation without any apparent cell inhibition. Volumetric productivities of 6.4 g L−1h−1 for lactic acid, and 4.3 g L−1h−1 for acetic acid were obtained at a dilution rate of 0.5 h−1. The Luedeking-Piret model that relates cell growth to product formation is utilized to develop a mathematical model of the continuous fermentation system. The model predictions for volumetric acid productivities as a function of dilution rates are presented, and are shown to agree well with experimental data. This study is the first demonstration of a continuous fermentation process for the conversion of xylose to lactic and acetic acids using L. buchneri at a pH value of 4.0.
Obesity and Stroke

Understand the detrimental effect of obesity prevalence in the USA. Identify obesity as a risk factor for stroke due to its exacerbation of hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and the metabolic syndrome. Understand how lowering the risk for obesity correlates with a lower risk for stroke.
An Enabling Global Institutional Order: Contingent Sovereignty, Positive Conditionality, and the Promotion of Democracy and Human Rights

Many political theorists concerned with international and global issues rightly regard the existing global institutional order (GIO) as an obstacle to democracy. As a result, they often think in terms of constraining entities such as International Financial Institutions, either by making them more directly democratically accountable or by subordinating them to new proposed institutions, such as parliaments or assemblies, that would check or control them. These ideas have much merit, but they primarily treat the symptoms of an ailing GIO without addressing the underlying pathology: its baseline resistance or hostility to democracy. In this paper I propose conceiving of the GIO as a system through which democracy might be directly enabled and investigating how that possibility could be realized. Instead of taking the GIO’s hostility to democracy as given, the approach developed here treats the GIO as a revisable and potentially integrated system. Building on the work of Held, Pogge, and others, the paper emphasizes reforming the normative constitution of existing institutions, re-imagining them as components in a coherent and cohesive system designed to enable democratization. It also evaluates specific mechanisms for promoting democratic norms through this system.
A CRITERION-REFINED MEASURE OF DEPRESSED MOOD

This paper reports on a subjective measure of mood which was generated during the development of an experimental model of depression. In a laboratory situation where money is used to systematically modify mood along a continuous dimension of depression-elation, the measure finally selected as “best” for quantifying the magnitude of change was that combination of items which maximized the empirical relationship with a logarithmically scaled stimulus. While the experimental data were derived from normal subjects the resulting measure, which is highly sensitive to these experimentally induced mood swings, may have similar sensitivity to treatment-induced changes in patients with affective mood disturbances.
Calamities and Conflict Affecting Rural China 1929–1933

In the following chapters we explore various aspects of agricultural productivity in rural China from 1929 to 1933. But before this we feel it important in this chapter to provide an in-depth review of exactly what was happening in China during the survey years. Buck’s survey was not only the largest land utilization study ever conducted in China, but villages were also surveyed at different points in time. The abbreviated list of calamities, catastrophes, and conflicts includes drought and famine, floods, civil war, banditry, the rise of communism and military action against communists, Japanese invasions and annexations of Manchuria, and the Sino-Japanese War in Shanghai. In some areas of China none of these events occurred, in others all of them.
Early Postoperative Pain Predicts 2-Year Functional Outcomes following Knee Arthroplasty.

Pain control following knee arthroplasty is extremely important to both patients and surgeons to improve the perioperative experience; however, the implication of early pain control on long-term outcomes following knee arthroplasty remains poorly understood. We hypothesized that poor early pain control results in poor functional outcomes 2 years following total (TKA) and unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA). This retrospective study reviewed 242 TKA and 162 UKA performed at a single institution by two surgeons. Mean visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores were collected for first 3 postoperative days. Patients were prospectively evaluated using short form (SF-12), the Western Ontario and McMaster University osteoarthritis index (WOMAC), and the Knee Society functional score (KSFS) questionnaires. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated between mean VAS pain scores and functional outcome scores at 2 years. In the TKA group, poorly controlled perioperative pain correlated with poorer functional scores at 2 years. There was a significant negative correlation between early mean VAS pain scores (mean, 3.2 ± 2.0) and most 2-year functional outcomes including SF-12 physical score (r = −0.227, p ≤ 0.01), WOMAC pain scores (r = −0.268, p ≤ 0.01), WOMAC stiffness scores (r = −0.224, p
HPV vaccine requirements, opt-outs and providers' support: Key studies missing from a recent systematic review.

Vaccination requirements are of perennial interest to parents, policymakers and researchers. In the last decade, school vaccination requirements have generated substantial media attention, with hum...
Drones and Surveillance Cultures in a Global World

Digital technologies are essential to establishing new forms of dominance through drones and surveillance systems; these forms have significant effects on individuality, privacy, democracy, and American foreign policy; and popular culture registers how the uses of drone technologies for aesthetic, educational, and governmental purposes raise questions about the exercise of individual, governmental, and social power. By extending computational methodologies in the digital humanities like macroanalysis and distant reading in the context of drones and surveillance, this article demonstrates how drone technologies alter established notions of war and peace, guilt and innocence, privacy and the common good; in doing so, the paper connects postcolonial studies to the digital humanities. ResumeLes technologies numeriques sont essentielles pour etablir de nouvelles formes de domination par le biais des drones et des systemes de surveillance. Ces formes ont des effets importants sur l’individualite, la vie privee, la democratie et la politique etrangere americaine. La culture populaire denombre un eventail de ces effets employant des technologies de drones pour des objectifs esthetiques, educatifs et gouvernementaux d’une maniere qui souleve des questions sur la mise en pratique du pouvoir individuel, gouvernemental et social. En etendant des methodologies statistiques des Humanites numeriques, tels que la macroanalyse et la lecture globale, dans le contexte des drones et de la surveillance, cet article demontre la facon dont les technologies numeriques modifient fondamentalement les notions deja etablies de la guerre et de la paix, de la culpabilite et de l’innocence, de la vie privee et du bien commun. De ce fait, cet article lie les etudes post-coloniales aux Humanites numeriques.Mots-cles: Drones; Surveillance; Humanites numeriques; etudes post-coloniales; Mondialisation; Cultures numeriques
From Black Holes to Glueballs: The QCD_3 Tensor Glueball at Strong Coupling

A strong coupling calculation of glueball masses based on the duality between supergravity and Yang-Mills theory is presented. Earlier work is extended to non-zero spin. Fluctuations in the gravitational metric lead to the 2^{++} state on the leading Pomeron trajectory with a mass relation: m(0^{++}) < m(2^{++}) < m(1^{-+}). Contrary to expectation, the mass of our new 0^{++} state (m^2=5.4573) associated with the graviton is smaller than the mass of the ${\tilde 0}^{++}$ state (m^2=11.588) from the dilaton, which in fact is exactly degenerate with the tensor 2^{++}.
The 21st Century Cures Act: A Competitive Apps Market and the Risk of Innovation Blocking

The 21st Century Cures Act and the recently published "final rule" define standardized methods for obtaining electronic copies of electronic health record (EHR) data through application programming interfaces. The rule is meant to create an ecosystem of reusable, substitutable apps that can be built once but run at any hospital system "without special effort." Yet, despite numerous provisions around information blocking in the final rule, there is concern that the business practices that govern EHR vendors and health care organizations in the United States could still stifle innovation. We describe potential app ecosystems that may form. We caution that misaligned incentives may result in anticompetitive behavior and purposefully limited functionality. Closed proprietary ecosystems may result, limiting the value derived from interoperability. The 21st Century Cures Act and final rule are an exciting step in the direction of improved interoperability. However, realizing the vision of a truly interoperable app ecosystem is not predetermined.
Effect of Serum Urate Lowering With Allopurinol on Blood Pressure in Young Adults: A Randomized, Controlled, Crossover Trial.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether serum urate reduction with allopurinol lowers blood pressure (BP) in young adults and the mechanisms mediating this hypothesized effect. METHODS We conducted a single-center, randomized, double-blind, crossover clinical trial. Adults ages 18-40 years with baseline systolic BP ≥120 and <160 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥80 and <100 mm Hg, and serum urate ≥5.0 mg/dl for men or ≥4.0 mg/dl for women were enrolled. Main exclusion criteria included chronic kidney disease, gout, or past use of urate-lowering therapies. Participants received oral allopurinol (300 mg daily) or placebo for 1 month followed by a 2-4 week washout and then were crossed over. Study outcome measures were change in systolic BP from baseline, endothelial function estimated as flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels. Adverse events were assessed. RESULTS Ninety-nine participants were randomized, and 82 completed all visits. The mean ± SD age was 28.0 ± 7.0 years, 62.6% were men, and 40.4% were African American. In the primary intent-to-treat analysis, systolic BP did not change during the allopurinol treatment phase (mean ± SEM -1.39 ± 1.16 mm Hg) or placebo treatment phase (-1.06 ± 1.08 mm Hg). FMD increased during allopurinol treatment periods compared to placebo treatment periods (mean ± SEM 2.5 ± 0.55% versus -0.1 ± 0.42%; P < 0.001). There were no changes in hsCRP level and no serious adverse events. CONCLUSION Our findings indicate that urate-lowering therapy with allopurinol does not lower systolic BP or hsCRP level in young adults when compared with placebo, despite improvements in FMD. These findings do not support urate lowering as a treatment for hypertension in young adults.
Analysis and Synthesis of Respiratory Rate for Female Patients

In this paper, a new method for estimating the respiratory rate (RR) signal using pulse oximeter is proposed. The PPG signal acquired from female patients is composed by three main elements which are the PPG signal itself, the motion artifacts and the respiratory rate. This paper analyzes eight (8) female patients from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston. The information (data) is collected from ‘physionet.org’. The PPG normally has a significant amount of power ranging from 0 to 10 Hz and the motion artifacts are around 0 to 0.5 Hz. Therefore, the first step is to remove the motion artifacts and then extract the RR from rest of the PPG+RR signal. A record of 480 seconds (8 minutes) is analyzed from each female patient. All operations are performed in time domain digital signal processing. The algorithm performs several operations using median and moving average filters to estimate the RR component. The results give an efficiency of 96.5% considering an average error of +/− 0.62 breathes per minute.
Large and massive neutron stars: Implications for the sound speed in dense QCD

The NASA telescope NICER has recently measured x-ray emissions from the heaviest of the precisely known two-solar mass neutron stars, PSR J0740+6620. Analysis of the data [Miller et al., Astrophys. J. Lett. 918, L28 (2021); Riley et al., Astrophys. J. Lett. 918, L27 (2021)] suggests that PSR J0740+6620 has a radius in the range of $R_{2.0} \approx (11.4-16.1)$ km at the $68\%$ credibility level. In this article, we study the implications of this analysis for the sound speed in the high-density inner cores by using recent chiral effective field theory ($\chi$EFT) calculations of the equation of state at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order to describe outer regions of the star at modest density. We find that the lower bound on the maximum speed of sound in the inner core, $\textbf{min}\{c^2_{s, {\rm max}}\}$, increases rapidly with the radius of massive neutron stars. If $\chi$EFT remains an efficient expansion for nuclear interactions up to about twice the nuclear saturation density, $R_{2.0}\geqslant 13$ km requires $\textbf{min}\{c^2_{s, {\rm max}}\} \geqslant 0.562$ and $0.442$ at the $68\%$ and $95\%$ credibility level, respectively.
Legal Reasoning From the Top Down and From the Bottom Up: The Question of Unenumerated Constitutional Rights

I. TOP-DOWN AND BOTTOM-UP REASONING I want to approach the subject of my debate with Professor Dworkin-unenumerated constitutional rights-by distinguishing two types of legal reasoning: what I shall call reasoning from the top down and reasoning from the bottom up. In top-down reasoning, the judge or other legal analyst invents or adopts a theory about an area of law-perhaps about all law-and uses it to organize, criticize, accept or reject, explain or explain away, distinguish or amplify the existing decisions to make them conform to the theory and generate an outcome in each new case as it arises that will be consistent with the theory and with the canonical cases, that is, the cases accepted as authoritative within the theory. The theory need not be, perhaps never can be, drawn "from" law; it surely need not be articulated in lawyers' jargon. In bottom-up reasoning, which encompasses such familiar lawyers' techniques as "plain meaning" and "reasoning by analogy," one starts with the words of a statute or other enactment, or with a case or a mass of cases, and moves from there-but doesn't move far, as we shall see. The topdowner and the bottom-upper do not meet. I am associated with several top-down theories. One, which is primarily positive (descriptive), is that the common law is best understood on the "as if" assumption that judges try to maximize the wealth of society. Another, primarily normative, is that judges should interpret the antitrust statutes to make them conform to the dictates of wealth maximization. In the development of the lat
A Differential Operator Approach to Equational Differential Invariants

Hybrid systems, i.e., dynamical systems combining discrete and continuous dynamics, have a complete axiomatization in differential dynamic logic relative to differential equations. Differential invariants are a natural induction principle for proving properties of the remaining differential equations. We study the equational case of differential invariants using a differential operator view. We relate differential invariants to Lie’s seminal work and explain important structural properties resulting from this view. Finally, we study the connection of differential invariants with partial differential equations in the context of the inverse characteristic method for computing differential invariants.
Congenital heart disease: Tricuspid atresia and mitral atresia associated with transposition of great vessels

Abstract 1. 1. Thirty-three cases of tricuspid atresia and twenty-eight cases of mitral atresia have previously been reported. 2. 2. We report one additional ease of tricuspid atresia associated with transposition of the aorta and atresia of the pulmonary artery, and one additional ease of mitral atresia associated with complete transposition of the great vessels. Other anomalies were present in both of these cases. No cases were found in the literature in which there were these same combinations of defects. 3. 3. The clinical and embryologic aspects of each of these lesions are discussed.
Ribonucleotide reductase of rabbit bone marrow. I. Purification, properties, and separation into two protein fractions.

Ribonucleotide reductase activity was increased in extracts of bone marrow from rabbits treated with methyl phenyldiazenecarboxylate, a hemolytic agent which results in an increased number of reticulocytes in blood. The enzyme has been partially purified from bone marrow of rabbits treated with this agent. Enzymatic reduction of cytosine ribonucleotides requires a dithiol, magnesium ions, and ATP and is stimulated by ferrous ions. CDP is a better substrate than CTP or CMP. The purified extracts can be separated into two protein fractions which must be combined for activity, indicating that the enzyme system consists of more than one component.
Application of boundary element techniques to the motion of aerosol particles

We combine a numerical, boundary element method with analytical techniques to predict the motion of isolated, nonspherical particles moving at low Reynolds number through a Newtonian fluid. The boundary element method is used to determine the constant components of the resistance matrix (a geometry specific matrix relating a particle’s linear and angular velocities to the applied forces and torques). Once the resistance matrix has been constructed, direct simulation of the translation and rotation of the particle in streaming flow can be performed. Applications in aerosol characterization have led us to do this analysis for chain-agglomerate particles. We obtain excellent agreement with the limited, published, experimental data.
The Nurse Reinvestment Act of 2002 and Nursing Shortage in United States

The U.S. Congress passed into law Nurse Reinvestment Act of 2002 following growing concerns about the shortage of nursing. By 2002, nursing schools were experiencing a decrease in enrollment at a time when health care organizations were rapidly losing nurses because of a highly stressful environment. Over the past two decades, the mean age of registered nurses (RN) rose to more than 45 years, and 2004 RNs represented the oldest occupational group in United States. Projections indicate that by 2020, health care organizations will face a shortage of more than 330,000 nurses. Interventions will need to be in place with emphasis on retention and recruitment to prevent nurses from leaving positions. In this paper, I explore the effect of the Nurse Reinvestment Act of 2002 the nursing shortage in the United States.
Axionic field theory of (3+1)-dimensional Weyl semimetals

From a direct calculation of the anomalous Hall conductivity and an effective electromagnetic action obtained via Fujikawa's chiral rotation technique, we conclude that an axionic field theory with a nonquantized coefficient describes the electromagnetic response of the $(3+1)$-dimensional Weyl semimetal. The coefficient is proportional to the momentum space separation of the Weyl nodes. Akin to the Chern-Simons field theory of quantum Hall effect, the axion field theory violates gauge invariance in the presence of the boundary, which is cured by the chiral anomaly of the surface states via the Callan-Harvey mechanism. This provides a unique solution for the radiatively induced CPT-odd term in the electromagnetic polarization tensor of the Lorentz violating spinor electrodynamics, where the source of the Lorentz violation is a constant axial 4-vector term for the Dirac fermion. A direct linear response calculation also establishes anomalous thermal Hall effect and a Wiedemann-Franz law, but thermal Hall conductivity does not directly follow from the well known formula for the gravitational chiral anomaly.
Load balancing methods for ray tracing and binary tree computing using PVM

Abstract We propose efficient load balancing methods for two computational problems namely ray tracing and bottom-up binary tree computing in a distributed environment. In the context of ray tracing, we propose a variant of a static load balancing technique presented in [15] where the sampling is based on partitioning the object space. Our approach partitions the image instead and uses an efficient scheduling technique for load balancing. Computations carried out on a binary tree arise naturally in image processing and network optimization problems. Many of these problems are solved efficiently in parallel by the popular tree contraction technique [1]. In this paper, we explore the tree-contraction technique in a distributed setting using the grain packing method [9]. Implementations of our algorithms on a cluster of workstations using Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) [6] demonstrate nearperfect load balancing.
Associations between physical activity and perceived stress/hassles in college students

Physical activity is often recommended as a strategy for managing stress. Although associations among physical activity, stress, and hassles have been documented among adults and children, they have not been studied extensively in college populations. This cross-sectional study employed an ethnically diverse sample of 814 male and female students from three types of colleges in southern California to examine the relationship between physical activity and two indices of stress. Anonymous paper-and-pencil questionnaires were used to assess a number of psychosocial and behavioral constructs, including perceived stress, hassles, and leisure time physical activity. Significant gender, ethnic and college differences were found in levels of physical activity, perceived stress, and hassles. Hierarchical linear models showed a significant negative relationship between physical activity and hassles. Considering the deleterious effects of stress and sedentary behavior on health, these results have implications for lifetime physical and mental health. Thus, health promotion programs for college students may benefit from incorporation of physical activity strategies to reduce stress. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A generalized Gleason---Pierce---Ward theorem

The Gleason---Pierce---Ward theorem gives constraints on the divisor and field size of a linear divisible code over a finite field whose dimension is half of the code length. This result is a departure point for the study of self-dual codes. In recent years, additive codes have been studied intensively because of their use in additive quantum codes. In this work, we generalize the Gleason---Pierce---Ward theorem on linear codes over GF(q), q = p m , to additive codes over GF(q). The first step of our proof is an application of a generalized upper bound on the dimension of a divisible code determined by its weight spectrum. The bound is proved by Ward for linear codes over GF(q), and is generalized by Liu to any code as long as the MacWilliams identities are satisfied. The trace map and an analogous homomorphism $${x\mapsto x-x^p}$$ on GF(q) are used to complete our proof.
Indirect selection of thermal tolerance during experimental evolution of Drosophila melanogaster.

Natural selection alters the distribution of a trait in a population and indirectly alters the distribution of genetically correlated traits. Long-standing models of thermal adaptation assume that trade-offs exist between fitness at different temperatures; however, experimental evolution often fails to reveal such trade-offs. Here, we show that adaptation to benign temperatures in experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster resulted in correlated responses at the boundaries of the thermal niche. Specifically, adaptation to fluctuating temperatures (16–25°C) decreased tolerance of extreme heat. Surprisingly, flies adapted to a constant temperature of 25°C had greater cold tolerance than did flies adapted to other thermal conditions, including a constant temperature of 16°C. As our populations were never exposed to extreme temperatures during selection, divergence of thermal tolerance likely reflects indirect selection of standing genetic variation via linkage or pleiotropy. We found no relationship between heat and cold tolerances in these populations. Our results show that the thermal niche evolves by direct and indirect selection, in ways that are more complicated than assumed by theoretical models.
Improving sequence-matching algorithms by working from both ends.

Abstract Recent algorithms (e.g. Ukkonen, Fickett) align nucleic acid sequences (starting from the left) by bounding the allowed distance between subsequences by d , aligning, then incrementing d until all of both sequences are aligned. Aligning from both ends is more efficient. If the single-ended algorithm has computational cost CN κ ( C , κ = constants; N = sequence length, the double-ended algorithm often has cost C( N 2 ) κ .
Characterization of the memory gene dunce of Drosophila melanogaster.

Abstract The dunce (dnc) gene of Drosophila melanogaster encodes cAMP phosphodiesterase (PDEase) and is required for learning/memory and female fertility. The gene is structurally complex, demonstrated in part by Northern blotting experiments which detected multiple RNAs ranging in size from 4·2 to 9·6 kb (1 kb = 103 bases or base-pairs). To characterize these RNAs and to understand their sequence heterogeneity, we isolated and analyzed 29 new and independent cDNA clones representing the dnc RNAs. Restriction mapping, hybridization analysis and sequence determination of these cDNA clones and the corresponding genomic exons resolved these into six different classes. Exons defined by the cDNA clones are distributed over more than 148 kb of genomic DNA, with some exons being used alternatively among the RNAs. The RNAs are transcribed from at least three initiation sites; two of these were mapped by parallel S1-nuclease and primer extension experiments. In addition, some of the heterogeneity is generated by using varying lengths of a 3′-untranslated trailer sequence. Altogether, the results indicate that the size and sequence heterogeneity of dnc transcripts results from transcription initiation at multiple sites, alternative splicing, and processes which generate different 3′ ends. The existence of multiple protein products is suggested by the alternative use of exons which code for portions of the open reading frame. The protein variation potentially includes N-terminal differences coded for by transcript-specific 5′ exons and internal differences arising from the optional inclusion of a 39 base-pair exon and from the alternative use of two 3′ splice sites separated by six base-pairs. Expression of a cDNA clone in yeast containing a large portion of the open reading frame produced cAMP PDEase activity identical in properties to the Drosophila enzyme affected by the dnc mutation. The results suggest that the remarkable structural complexity of dnc may reflect an intricate control of the spatial and/or temporal expression of various isoforms of cAMP PDEase.
The enzymic cleavage of linoleic acid to C9 carbonyl fragments in extracts of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) fruit and the possible role of lipoxygenase

Abstract 1. 1. Homogenates and acetone powders of cucumber fruits catalyse the enzymic conversion of linoleic acid to aldehyde and oxoacid fragments in high yield, up to 60% with acetone powder extracts. 2. 2. The major products are trans2-nonenal—a major component of the characteristic odour of cucumber—and 9-oxononanoic acid. 3. 3. The cleavage reaction is a heat-labile, aerobic process, optimal at pH 6 (approx.). 4. 4. Substrate specificity studies indicate that a lipoxygenase-type of reaction is involved in the cleavage process. 5. 5. The acetone powder extracts have lipoxygenase activity and the proportion of linoleic acid hydroperoxide to carbonyl fragments depends upon incubation conditions. 6. 6. Linoleic acid hydroperoxide isomers are also converted to carbonyl fragments by acetone powder extracts; the 9-hydroperoxide is cleaved at the 9–10 position whereas 12–13 cleavage is predominant with the 13-hydroperoxide isomer.
Quantification of functional recovery following rat sciatic nerve transection.

Functional recovery following experimental nerve injury has been notoriously difficult to quantify precisely. The current gold standard in the rat sciatic nerve model involves analysis of footprints of the recovering animal, and computation of the sciatic function index (SFI). We performed transection injuries and measured recovery both by walking track analysis and by a newer, simpler, more quantitative test of motor recovery, the extensor postural thrust (EPT). We demonstrate a high correlation between both testing modalities and suggest a role for EPT measurements as an easier, more consistent measure of motor recovery following experimental rat sciatic nerve transection.
DSENT - A Tool Connecting Emerging Photonics with Electronics for Opto-Electronic Networks-on-Chip Modeling

With the rise of many-core chips that require substantial bandwidth from the network on chip (NoC), integrated photonic links have been investigated as a promising alternative to traditional electrical interconnects. While numerous opto-electronic NoCs have been proposed, evaluations of photonic architectures have thus-far had to use a number of simplifications, reflecting the need for a modeling tool that accurately captures the tradeoffs for the emerging technology and its impacts on the overall network. In this paper, we present DSENT, a NoC modeling tool for rapid design space exploration of electrical and opto-electrical networks. We explain our modeling framework and perform an energy-driven case study, focusing on electrical technology scaling, photonic parameters, and thermal tuning. Our results show the implications of different technology scenarios and, in particular, the need to reduce laser and thermal tuning power in a photonic network due to their non-data-dependent nature.
Walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) behavior in midwater trawls

Abstract Trawls are standard tools for surveying fisheries resources, yet they are selective in what they retain, and thus provide potentially misleading information about fish populations. In order to evaluate the potential for selective retention in a midwater survey trawl used in conjunction with acoustic surveys of walleye pollock, fish behavior was examined using an integrated approach of optical, acoustic and recapture net methods. A stereo-camera system was used to provide length, position and orientation information, and a dual-frequency identification sonar was used to track fish targets in the trawl. Fish escaping the trawl were sampled using recapture, or pocket, nets mounted to the outside of the trawl. Most fish were found to be oriented along the main trawl axis, facing the forward trawl opening. Nearest distance to the trawl panel did not appear to be length-dependent, however, at night when ambient light levels were lower, fish maintained less distance to the trawl panel compared to daytime observations. Consequently, significantly more fish escapes occurred at lower light levels. Trajectories of fish escaping the trawl were highly variable compared with fish that herded into the net, or those whose retention state was unknown. Greatest escapement into pocket nets was observed from the bottom panel of the trawl at night. These findings suggest that survey trawl samples will be less biased due to selectivity when trawls are conducted during the day.
Determinations of atomic partial charges for nucleic acid constituents from x-ray diffraction data. I. 2'-Deoxycytidine-5'-monophosphate.

The first experimentally derived set of partial charges for a nucleotide has been determined. A high-resolution x-ray data set (5122 independent observed reflections to sin(θ)/λ = 0.995 A−1) has been collected at T = −150°C for 2′-deoxycytidine-5′-monophosphate monohydrate in the zwitterionic form. Radial refinement was carried out on the data, a refinement method that allows variation of atomic valence sphere radii and populations and hence directly yields the partial charges of atoms in a structure [Coppens, P., Guru Row, T. N., Leung, P., Stevens, E. D., Becker, P. J. & Yang, Y. W. (1979) Acta Crystallogr., Sect. A35, 63–72]. The atomic partial charges thus determined are in general qualitative agreement with theoretical values, but significant differences exist, indicating a reassessment of the applicability of the theoretical sets currently in use is necessary. The ab initio charges determined by Nuss and Kollman [(1979) J. Med. Chem.22, 1517–1524] are closest to experiment in the sugar and base regions, while the Del Re charges of Renugopalakrishnan et al. [(1971) Biopolymers10, 1159–1167] match best in the phosphate region. The presence of an additional hydrogen on N3 appears to have a small effect on the charge densities of all base atoms, rather than a large localized effect on adjacent atoms. Inspection of deformation density maps for the hydrogen bonds in this crystal suggests possible differences between those bonds that include a nitrogen atom as part of the bond and those that do not.
Real and Illusory Control Over Exposure to HIV in College Students and Gay Men1

Reasons for unsafe sex were examined using an illusions of control framework. Heterosexual college students (N= 301) and gay men (N= 248) were surveyed regarding perceived control over exposure to HIV, of vulnerability to HIV, use of illusory control in chance situations, and real and illusory strategies for protection against HIV. As predicted, the use of illusory control in chance situations was associated with more illusory HIV protection in both samples. Illusory protection strategies were associated with feeling less vulnerable to HIV which was mediated by perceptions of control over exposure to HIV. Suggestions for intervention include providing information about the illusory nature of some protective strategies and a focus on failing to protect oneself from STDs.
Lead- and calcium-mediated inhibition of bovine rod cGMP phosphodiesterase: interactions with magnesium.

Abstract Previously we showed that cGMP hydrolysis in rat whole retinal homogenates exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition following developmental lead exposure and a concentration-dependent inhibition with direct Pb 2+ exposure. Additionally, developmental lead exposure resulted in a dose-dependent increase in retinal cGMP and rod Ca 2+ levels. To determine whether Pb 2+ or Ca 2+ directly inhibited the rod-specific cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) and to examine the kinetic mechanism of this inhibition, purified bovine rod cGMP PDE was assayed in the presence of varying concentrations of cGMP, and Mg 2+ , Pb 2+ , and/or Ca 2+ . Increasing concentrations of the substrate, cGMP, resulted in a shift of the Pb 2+ and Ca 2+ concentration-response curves to the left, indicating a decrease in the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations of Pb 2+ from nanomolar to picomolar levels. Increasing concentrations of the cofactor, Mg 2+ , resulted in a shift of the Pb 2+ and Ca 2+ concentration-response curves to the right, indicating a decrease in the inhibition of PDE activity by Pb 2+ or Ca 2+ . A plot of 1/velocity vs 1/Mg 2+ as a function of Pb 2+ revealed that picomolar concentrations of Pb 2+ competitively inhibited PDE relative to millimolar concentrations of Mg 2+ . Consistent with this finding, Mg 2+ reversed the Pb 2+ -induced inhibition of PDE. Our recent kinetic analysis showed that Mg 2+ and cGMP bind at interacting sites on the PDE in a random order. The present results reveal that Pb 2+ may bind at the same site but with 4-6 log units higher affinity than Mg 2+ , thus preventing the hydrolysis of cGMP. These findings provide a novel mechanism for understanding the Pb 2+ -induced inhibition of cGMP PDE. These results may have implications for other enzymes using Mg 2+ as a cofactor and suggest that Mg 2+ may be useful in these situations for reversing the inhibition by Pb 2+ .
Transistor amplifier stages with prescribed gain and sensitivity

The problem of designing transistor amplifier bias circuits is one of resolving conflicting requirements of operating-point stability, gain, and gain sensitivity. In this article, a procedure is developed which permits the solution of the amplifier design problem by means of an orderly sequence of calculations.