cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Changes in self-perceived abilities among male and female medical students after the first year of clinical training.

Background: It is known that male and female medical students have different experiences in their clinical training.Aims: To assess whether male and female medical students change in their self-rated work habits and interpersonal habits during the first year of clinical training.Method: Longitudinal study of self- and peer-assessment among 224 medical students in 3 consecutive classes at a private US medical school. Students rated themselves on global work habits (WH) and interpersonal attributes (IA). Students also rated and were rated by 6–12 peers on the same scale.Results: In the second year of medical school, there were no differences between men and women in quartiles of self-assessed WH or IA. At the end of the third year, however, women were more likely to be in the lower quartiles of self-assessed WH (X2 = 6.77; p = 0.03), as well as the highest quartiles of self-assessed IA (X2 = 11.36; p = 0.003). In both years, women rated their own WH skills significantly lower than they rated their peers, wh...
DYNAMIC INTERPRETATION OF BARYON AND MESON MASS FORMULAE.

Abstract A dynamical interpretation of baryon and meson mass formulae offers an explanation for associated production, for parity non-conservation, and for the T = 1 2 rule.
In situ transmission electron microscopy study of ion-irradiated copper: comparison of the temperature dependence of cascade collapse in fcc- and bcc-metals

Abstract The kinetics which drive cascade formation and subsequent collapse into point-defect clusters are investigated by analyzing the microstructure produced in situ by low fluence 100 keV Kr ion irradiations of fcc-Cu over a wide temperature range (18–873 K). The yield of collapsed point-defect clusters is demonstrated unequivocally to be temperature dependent, remaining approximately constant up to lattice temperatures of 573 K and then abruptly decreasing with increasing temperature. This drop in yield is not caused by defect loss during or following ion irradiation. In addition, this temperature dependence can be explained by a thermal spike effect. These in situ yield measurements are compared to previous ex situ yield measurements in fcc-Ni and bcc-Mo.
The impact of restaurant consumption among US adults: effects on energy and nutrient intakes.

Objective To examine the effect of fast-food and full-service restaurant consumption on adults’ energy intake and dietary indicators. Design Individual-level fixed-effects regression model estimation based on two different days of dietary intake data was used. Setting Parallel to the rising obesity epidemic in the USA, there has been a marked upward trend in total energy intake derived from food away from home. Subjects The full sample included 12 528 respondents aged 20–64 years who completed 24 h dietary recall interviews for both day 1 and day 2 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2004, 2005–2006, 2007–2008 and 2009–2010. Results Fast-food and full-service restaurant consumption, respectively, was associated with an increase in daily total energy intake of 813·75 kJ (194·49 kcal) and 858·04 kJ (205·21 kcal) and with higher intakes of saturated fat (3·48 g and 2·52 g) and Na (296·38 mg and 451·06 mg). Individual characteristics moderated the impacts of restaurant food consumption with adverse impacts on net energy intake being larger for black adults compared with their white and Hispanic counterparts and greater for middle-income v . high-income adults. Conclusions Adults’ fast-food and full-service restaurant consumption was associated with higher daily total energy intake and poorer dietary indicators.
Conversation, speech acts, and memory

Speakers frequently have specific intentions that they want others to recognize (Grice, 1957). These specific intentions can be viewed as speech acts (Searle, 1969), and I argue that they play a role in long-term memory for conversation utterances. Five experiments were conducted to examine this idea. Participants in all experiments read scenarios ending with either a target utterance that performed a specific speech act (brag, beg, etc.) or a carefully matched control. Participants were more likely to falsely recall and recognize speech act verbs after having read the speech act version than after having read the control version, and the speech act verbs served as better recall cues for the speech act utterances than for the controls. Experiment 5 documented individual differences in the encoding of speech act verbs. The results suggest that people recognize and retain the actions that people perform with their utterances and that this is one of the organizing principles of conversation memory.
Geodesic prediction for limited feedback multiuser MIMO systems in temporally correlated channels

Limited feedback in multiuser multi-antenna systems is a practical technique for providing partial channel state information (CSI) to the transmitter. Unfortunately, it is known that the number of feedback bits per mobile terminal must be scaled with the number of transmit antennas and system signal to noise ratio. Therefore very high resolution codebooks are needed to approach the theoretically achievable sum rate. In this paper, we propose a geodesic prediction algorithm to 1) reduce the feedback overhead under temporally correlated channels, and 2) improve on the sum rate ceiling observed with a fixed codebook size. The proposed algorithm provides local refinement of the CSI thereby achieving higher resolution CSI at the transmitter despite of using a fixed codebook size. Furthermore, feedback can be performed infrequently to lower the average feedback rate. Numerical results are provided to illustrate the performance of the proposed algorithm.
Lingering Terminal Illness and the Family: Insights From Literature

Literature invites us to enter into the human dilemma in a manner that is different from but no less penetrating than clinical observation. The writer's craft uncovers realities other than the statistically measurable and objective. In languages far from the strictly literal and closer to indirection, symbolism, and aesthetics, the literary artist probes imagination and consciousness. He presents us with transcripts of conversations replete with intonations, and we thereby become privy to motivations and inner thoughts. The artistry of a piece of fiction, autobiographical essay, poem, or drama propels us into empathetic relationships. We feel with the emotions of the involved dramatis personae; we witness their interactions; we experience their points of view. And by such participation, we, the readers, come to perceive and even refine our own. Themes of chronic illness, dying, and bereavement are certainly not alien to literature. This paper explores several literary moments that may help the professional who is working with these issues to have a broader appreciation of the subtleties of these human experiences.
Differing methods of accounting ocean carbon sequestration efficiency

[1] Presently, much of CO2 fossil-fuel emissions are removed from the atmosphere through natural ocean uptake of CO2. Many schemes have now been proposed by which the accumulation of anthropogenic CO2 in the atmosphere could be slowed with intentional further storage of CO2 in the ocean. Our review of the literature indicates inconsistency in whether ambient ocean carbon uptake is included when accounting for the effectiveness of such schemes. This inconsistency is a consequence of differing choices of atmospheric boundary condition. In the case of one particular form of ocean sequestration, namely direct injection of liquefied CO2 emissions into the ocean interior, this choice is the determination of whether the atmospheric CO2 concentration responsively increases due to leakage of injected carbon from the ocean or retains a specified value. We first show how results of simulations using these two different boundary conditions can be related with the convolution of an atmosphere pulse release. We then use a numerical model to present a more complete analysis of the role of these boundary conditions. Finally, we suggest that a responsive atmospheric CO2 boundary condition is appropriate for predicting future carbon concentrations, but a specified atmospheric CO2 boundary condition is appropriate for evaluating how much CO2 storage should be attributed to an ocean storage project.
Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury

Case Presentation : A 63-year-old man with prior mitral valve repair, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and mild chronic renal insufficiency (creatinine 1 year earlier, 1.2 mg/dL) presents to the emergency department with progressive dyspnea on exertion and new anterior T-wave inversions. Subsequent laboratory testing confirms a myocardial infarction (troponin I, 11.0 ng/mL) and worsening renal insufficiency in the setting of recently being started on chlorthalidone for hypertension (creatinine, 2.7 mg/dL). Diuretics are discontinued; intravenous fluids are infused; and therapy for an acute coronary syndrome, including aspirin, clopidogrel, nitrates, and intravenous unfractionated heparin, is initiated. After 48 hours, creatinine improves to 1.8 mg/dL (estimated glomerular filtration rate, 46 mL/min), and the patient undergoes cardiac catheterization with iopamidol (Isovue, Bracco Diagnostics Inc, Princeton, NJ) contrast after receiving 1 hour of prophylactic sodium bicarbonate infusion. A complex bifurcation lesion of the left anterior descending artery/first diagonal branch is identified (Figure 1A). What is this patient's risk of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI), and which measures may modify that risk significantly? This Clinician Update reviews the recent literature on the acute kidney injury that follows the administration of iodinated contrast medium. Figure 1. A, A complex culprit lesion in the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and first diagonal branch (D1). B, After 250 cm3 iopamidol contrast dye, successful drug-eluting stent placement in the LAD-D1 bifurcation lesion. Patients at risk for CI-AKI have comorbidities that will exacerbate the primary pathogenesis of the injury: contrast-induced vasoconstriction leading to diminished blood flow to the renal medulla. These comorbidities include diabetes mellitus, congestive heart failure, acute hypotension (requiring pressors or intra-aortic balloon pump), ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and volume depletion. Patients with chronic kidney disease are also at risk for contrast-induced acute kidney injury because compensatory mechanisms to maintain filtration function are diminished, and a smaller number of nephrons must excrete …
The Importance of Peripheral Sequences in Determining the Metal Selectivity of an in Vitro-Selected Co2+-Dependent DNAzyme

DNAzymes are catalytically active DNA molecules that use metal cofactors for their enzymatic functions. While a growing number of DNAzymes with diverse functions and metal selectivities have been reported, the relationships between metal ion selectivity, conserved sequences and structures responsible for selectivity remain to be elucidated. To address this issue, we report biochemical assays of a family of previously reported in vitro selected DNAzymes. This family includes the clone 11 DNAzyme, which was isolated by positive and negative selection, and the clone 18 DNAzyme, which was isolated by positive selection alone. The clone 11 DNAzyme has a higher selectivity for Co2+ over Pb2+ compared with clone 18. The reasons for this difference are explored here through phylogenetic comparison, mutational analysis and stepwise truncation. A novel DNAzyme truncation method incorporated a nick in the middle of the DNAzyme to allow for truncation close to the nicked site while preserving peripheral sequences at both ends of the DNAzyme. The results demonstrate that peripheral sequences within the substrate binding arms, most notably the stem loop, loop II, are sufficient to restore its selectivity for Co2+ over Pb2+ to levels observed in clone 11. A comparison of these sequences’ secondary structures and Co2+ selectivities suggested that metastable structures affect metal ion selectivity. The Co2+ selectivity of the clone 11 DNAzyme showed that the metal ion binding and selectivities of small, in vitro selected DNAzymes may be more complex than previously appreciated, and that clone 11 may be more similar to larger ribozymes than to other small DNAzymes in its structural complexity and behavior. These factors should be taken into account when metal-ion selectivity is required in rationally designed DNAzymes and DNAzyme-based biosensors.
The severe accident mitigation concept and the design measures for core melt retention of the European Pressurized Reactor (EPR)

For the mitigation of severe accidents, the European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR) has adopted and improved the defense-in-depth approaches of its predecessors, the French “N4” and the German “Konvoi” plants. Beyond the corresponding evolutionary changes, the EPR includes a new, 4th level of defense-in-depth that is aimed at limiting the consequences of a postulated severe accident with core melting. It involves a strengthening of the confinement function and the avoidance of large early releases. The latter requires the prevention of scenarios and events that can result in high loads on the containment, e.g., a failure of the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) at high internal pressure. This is achieved by dedicated design measures. The paper gives an short overview of the general concept and the strategies for: primary circuit depressurization, H2 mitigation and the avoidance of energetic Fuel Coolant Interactions (FCIs). It then describes, in detail, the conceptual solution for the stabilization and long-term cooling of the molten core. The EPR melt retention strategy supports itself on the use of an ex-vessel core catcher located in a compartment lateral to the pit. The related spatial and functional separation isolates the core catcher from the various loads during RPV failure and, at the same time, avoids risks resulting from an unintended initiation of the system during power operation. Within the core catcher, the melt will be passively flooded with water from the Internal Refueling Water Storage Tank (IRWST). Due to the effective cooling of the melt from all sides a stable state will be reached within hours and complete solidification of the melt is achieved after a few days. The core catcher can optionally be supplied by the Containment Heat Removal System (CHRS). In this active mode of operation, the water levels inside spreading compartment and reactor pit rise and the pools become subcooled, so further steaming is avoided. This results in a depressurization of the containment in the long-term.
Measurement of Temperature Gradients Inside a Medium Voltage Current Transformer

Current transformers are series devices used in power systems for measurement and protection purposes. Useful operational life of these devices is largely determined by the highest temperature seen by them during various loading conditions. In this paper, we describe a unique experimental setup designed to measure top-oil as well as hot-spot temperature profiles of a medium voltage current transformer. Several thermocouples and fiber optic sensors were embedded in the core and winding of the current transformer. Temperatures could be measured at externally applied currents with an accuracy of plusmn 2 degC. Such temperature profiles are very useful for thermal modeling that eventually leads to life prediction of a transformer.
Using recurrence quantification analysis determinism for noise removal in cardiac optical mapping

Selecting signal processing parameters in optical imaging by utilizing the change in Determinism, a measure introduced in Recurrence Quantification Analysis, provides a novel method using the change in residual noise Determinism for improving noise quantification and removal across signals exhibiting disparate underlying tissue pathologies. The method illustrates an improved process for selecting filtering parameters and how using measured signal-to-noise ratio alone can lead to improper parameter selection.
The Mechanical Ventilator: Past, Present, and Future

The use of ventilatory assistance can be traced back to biblical times. However, mechanical ventilators, in the form of negative-pressure ventilation, first appeared in the early 1800s. Positive-pressure devices started to become available around 1900 and today9s typical intensive care unit (ICU) ventilator did not begin to be developed until the 1940s. From the original 1940s ventilators until today, 4 distinct generations of ICU ventilators have existed, each with features different from that of the previous generation. All of the advancements in ICU ventilator design over these generations provide the basis for speculation on the future. ICU ventilators of the future will be able to integrate electronically with other bedside technology; they will be able to effectively ventilate all patients in all settings, invasively and noninvasively; ventilator management protocols will be incorporated into the basic operation of the ventilator; organized information will be presented instead of rows of unrelated data; alarm systems will be smart; closed-loop control will be present on most aspects of ventilatory support; and decision support will be available. The key term that will be used to identify these future ventilators will be smart!
Digital Background Calibration of Higher Order Nonlinearities in Pipelined ADCs

This paper presents a modified digital background calibration technique to compensate for higher order nonlinearities in a pipelined ADC. The proposed technique uses multiple dithers in a correlation-based background calibration scheme to estimate and compensate higher order nonlinearities. Benefits of this new method in terms of convergence rate and digital complexity over previous work are discussed. Another significant advantage of this scheme is that the convergence of the estimated parameters does not depend on the statistics of the input signal. That makes the calibration effective for any input signal. The proposed technique is implemented in a 12-bit pipelined ADC using the same architecture as in (Keane et al., 2005) for comparison. After calibration, the simulation shows signal to noise ratio of 72 dB and converge after 2 times 108 samples.
Uromodulin in Kidney Injury: An Instigator, Bystander, or Protector?

Uromodulin, also known as Tamm-Horsfall protein, is a glycoprotein expressed exclusively by renal tubular cells lining the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle. Although the physiologic functions of this protein remain elusive, significant progress has been made during the last decade that highlights the importance of uromodulin in the pathophysiology of various diseases, such as medullary cystic kidney disease, urinary tract infections, and nephrolithiasis. Meanwhile, there is renewed interest in the role of uromodulin in kidney injury, both acute and chronic. In this article, we review the existing evidence that supports a role for uromodulin in acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, and renal inflammation. Contrary to the conventional view of uromodulin as an instigator in kidney injury, new data from uromodulin knockout mice show a protective role for this protein in acute kidney injury, possibly through downregulating interstitial inflammation. In chronic kidney disease, uromodulin excretion, when adjusted for kidney function, is increased; the significance of this is unclear. Although it has been suggested that uromodulin exacerbates progressive kidney injury, we propose that the elevation in uromodulin secretion is instead reactive to injury and reflects an increase of uromodulin in the renal parenchyma, where it slows the injury process.
Freedom, Form, and Formlessness: Euripides’ Bacchae and Plato's Republic

Liberalism begins with the free individual; the liberal state comes into being in order to preserve that freedom. Part of that freedom, to use the language of John Stuart Mill, is choosing one's own life plan, escaping the forms and lifestyles imposed on us by history or nature. Two texts from ancient Athens—Euripides’ Bacchae and Plato's Republic—explore the challenge posed by what I call “the escape from form.” The Bacchae, while capturing our longing for a freedom from form, portrays the devastation of a city invaded by just that freedom; the Republic, while capturing the epistemological and political need for form, portrays a frightening vision of a city so bound by form that it becomes immobile. Socrates’ self-critique in his reconsideration of the artisan in Republic 10, however, unites the forms his Callipolis demands with the multiplicity of human identities that the god Dionysus brings to Thebes in Euripides’ tragedy.
The Relative Stabilities of Some Molecular Addition Compounds of Boron.

Abstract Using boron trifluoride as a reference acceptor molecule, the methyl derivatives of oxygen, sulphur and selenium have an order of electron-pair donor power: O > S > Se. With both borine and trimethylborine, however, the order of co-ordination is S > Se, O. Moreover, the adducts (CH 3 ) 2 S·BH 3 and (CH 3 ) 2 Se·BH 3 are more stable than their boron trifluoride analogues. The weakness of boron trifluoride as an acid was further demonstrated by its quantitative displacement by diborane from the complex (CH 3 ) 3 P·BF 3 . In Group V b the order of co-ordination of methyl derivatives towards BH 3 is apparently P > N > As > Sb, compared with the order N > P > As > Sb shown by all other Group-III b acceptor molecules so far investigated. Possible explanations for these observations are discussed.
The View From The Tip Of The Iceberg

In recent years there has been a growing interest in refining the technique of ego defense analysis. All of these approaches share in common an attempt to work closely with the patient's free associations, to interpret at a level that is accessible to the patient's consciously observing ego, and to avoid bypassing the analysis of the patient's most surface-level resistances in an effort to understand unconscious conflict. These innovations reflect a commendable effort to work in a way that is rigorously empirical, that respects the patient's autonomy, and that minimizes the pressure of the analyst's transferential authority in the patient's acceptance of the analyst's interpretations. Despite the undeniable value of these technical innovations, such approaches to ego defense analysis may inadvertently result in certain overemphases in technique that may unnecessarily constrain the analytic process. They may result in a sort of obsessive tunnel vision that is overly focused on small details to the exclusion of the larger picture. An approach that counterbalances the microscopic and the macroscopic analysis of ego defense is recommended.
Estimating forest conversion rates with annual forest inventory data

The rate of land-use conversion from forest to nonforest or natural forest to forest plantation is of interest for forest certification purposes and also as part of the process of assessing forest sustainability. Conversion rates can be estimated from remeasured inventory plots in general, but the emphasis here is on annual inventory data. A new estimator is proposed based on analysis of plot-level variables that indicate when a change in forest condition occurs between inventory remeasurements. A weighted maximum likelihood estimator is derived that incorporates the binomial nature of the indicator variables, mapped plot conditions, and varying remeasurement periods. Example applications demonstrate the utility of the proposed methodology. This approach is broadly useful for estimating the annual rate of change from an initial condition to another condition from annual forest inventory data.
Missionization among the Coastal Chumash of Central California: A Study of Risk Minimization Strategies

Anthropologists have long been interested in missionization, acculturation, and political subjugation of traditional peoples. In recent years scholars have generated voluminous amounts of data on Spanish colonialism and its effects on the native population of the Americas. This article specifically examines the missionization of the Chumash occupying the coastal region of central California. Although the abandonment of Chumash villages occurred over a 40-year period, the vast majority of the Chumash people—over 85 percent—migrated to the missions between 1786 and 1803. We suggest that the decision to move to the missions may have been based on a desire to minimize risk and was considered an acceptable alternative under the pressures of several interrelated catastrophic events: the period between 1780 and 1830 was characterized by high climatic variability, several years of droughts, and significantly elevated sea surface temperatures. This was a particularly difficult period of high subsistence risk, and the traditional Chumash buffers of trade and political alliances failed under intense pressures of missionization. Compounding these conditions were European diseases that decimated the Chumash people. Primary sources used for this research include mission documents and registers produced by Franciscan missionaries between 1786 and 1834. Information on paleoenvironmental conditions is derived from high-resolution dendrochronological and marine sedimentary records.
Islamic Law in Saudi Arabia: A Responsive View

In 1978, Philippe Nonet and Philip Selznick released Law and Society in Transition: Toward Responsive Law, which became a classic work in the field of law and society. In the book, the authors stat...
Extension of state-space averaging to resonant switches and beyond

It is shown that the state-space averaging method can be extended by linear network theory from the domain of pulse-width-modulated converters to a much larger class of converters, including resonant switch converters, current programmed mode, and others. The canonical model concept is also extended, and it is shown that the effect of resonant switching is to introduce a feedback block into the generalized canonical model. These results are applied to linear zero-current and zero-voltage resonant switches, a novel class of nonlinear resonant switch converters, and the current programmed mode. Equivalent circuit models are developed for both full and half-wave operation, and experimental verification is presented. >
Ocular delivery of macromolecules

Biopharmaceuticals are making increasing impact on medicine, including treatment of indications in the eye. Macromolecular drugs are typically given by physician-administered invasive delivery methods, because non-invasive ocular delivery methods, such as eye drops, and systemic delivery, have low bioavailability and/or poor ocular targeting. There is a need to improve delivery of biopharmaceuticals to enable less-invasive delivery routes, less-frequent dosing through controlled-release drug delivery and improved drug targeting within the eye to increase efficacy and reduce side effects. This review discusses the barriers to drug delivery via various ophthalmic routes of administration in the context of macromolecule delivery and discusses efforts to develop controlled-release systems for delivery of biopharmaceuticals to the eye. The growing number of macromolecular therapies in the eye needs improved drug delivery methods that increase drug efficacy, safety and patient compliance.
Experimental and Theoretical Determination of Helium Production in Copper and Aluminum by 14.8-MeV Neutrons

AbstractFast-neutron-induced total helium production cross sections can be determined from a combination of spectrum-integrated measurements and theoretical calculations. The calculations provide information on the energy-dependent cross-section shape that is generally unavailable from the limited experimental data. The measurements in turn provide a normalization for the calculations. In the present work, total helium production cross sections for copper and aluminum bombarded with ~14.8-MeV neutrons from the T(d,n) reaction have been measured by high-sensitivity gas mass spectrometry, and independently calculated using the Hauser-Feshbach statistical model. The experimental results are 51 ± 3 mb for copper and 143 ± 7 mb for aluminum, with corresponding values of 50 and 139 mb obtained from the theoretical calculations. The agreement demonstrates that this statistical model has the potential to predict total helium production cross sections for fusion energy neutrons. Comparison of the experimental resu...
Case-Based Analogical Reasoning: A Pedagogical Tool for Promotion of Clinical Reasoning

Context: One of the most common instructional methods utilized to promote learning transfer in health profession education is examination of a single patient case. However, in non-healthcare settin...
Use of Videos as Supplemental Education Tools Across the Cancer Trajectory.

Background Patients who are dealing with life changes as a result of a cancer diagnosis often search for information about the disease and its treatment. Knowledge gained from this information helps patients with cancer during survivorship and improves their active participation with the healthcare team. To provide patients with the information they need, healthcare providers must offer various methods for the delivery of educational materials. The use of video as a delivery mechanism should be considered as one option for patient content acquisition. Objectives This article describes the use of videos as supplemental education tools before, during, or after one-on-one patient teaching interactions. Methods A literature review was performed that focused on locating, reviewing, and synthesizing published data from clinical studies related to the use of video in patient education. Findings Videos deliver material in a way that is flexible and often familiar to patients. For example, delivery can occur via smartphone, electronic health record, computer, DVD, or television, and it does not require reading or a high level of literacy. Healthcare providers in oncology settings should consider establishing a process for instructional video development as part of a multimedia patient education library.
Time and distance heterogeneity in the neighborhood spillover effects of foreclosed properties

AbstractIn this paper, we examined heterogeneity in the simultaneous space-time impact of foreclosures on neighborhood property values. Foreclosures with longer foreclosure processes were associated with negative neighborhood price externalities from the time the foreclosing household still had ownership of the property and continued through the Real Estate Owned period. However, foreclosures with shorter foreclosure processes were associated with negative neighborhood price externalities that did not occur until at least three months after the foreclosure auction and were much smaller in magnitude. Results suggest a negative neighborhood effect of extending the length of the foreclosure process. Policy encouraging foreclosure “workout” efforts, which when unsuccessful extend the duration of the foreclosure process, should take these additional price externalities into account.
Relationship of the Managerial Compensation Package with Managerial Equity Holdings and Firm Characteristics

We study the relationship of the portions of salary, bonus, option and restricted stock grants, as a percentage of the total value of the CEO pay package, with total compensation, managerial equity holdings, firm equity risk, and several other variables. Using proportions captures important interactions among the components; a change in one affects the portions of the other three. We test hypotheses to determine if compensation contracts are designed primarily to control risk faced by the manager. We find that the portions of salary and bonuses are positively related to the value of managers' equity positions and their proportional holdings of firm shares, and negatively correlated with the size of the compensation package and firm equity risk. The results for option and restricted grants are generally the opposite. With respect to these major finds there is little difference in the structure of compensation between firms with positive and negative earnings.
Pharmacotherapy implications of revised chronic heart failure guidelines.

OBJECTIVE To provide an overview of major drug therapy recommendations within recently revised chronic heart failure (CHF)guidelines. DATA SOURCES Guideline statements and English-language articles from MEDLINE pertinent to CHF. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION Recently published guidelines from the American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) and the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) served as the focus of this review. Prospective comparative trials, review articles, and editorials were also considered. DATA SYNTHESIS Recommendations within the ACC/AHA and HFSA guidelines continue to provide a systematic, evidence-based approach regarding CHF management. The HFSA guidelines recommend that the severity of clinical disease and functional limitation be characterized using the New York Heart association (NYHA) functional classification system. A key feature of the ACC/AHA guidelines is the use of a staging system that recognizes the development and progression of heart failure. Both guidelines stress the importance of neurohormonal blockade with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-adrenergic blockers. Moreover, the guidelines expand the role of aldosterone antagonists, angiotensin II receptor blockers, and hydralazine/isosorbide dinitrate, particularly in combination with standard treatments. Diuretics and digoxin remain symptomatic treatments only. CONCLUSIONS This article summarizes key drug therapy recommendations from the revised ACC/AHA and HFSA guideline statements. Pharmacists caring for CHF patients should be familiar with these recommendations and aid in their implementation.
Cytology of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici on an artificial medium.

Puccinia graminis Pers. f. sp. tritici Eriks. & Henn. evidently could not readily synthesize nuclear materials on an artificial medium and presumably solved this deficiency by transporting older nuclei to the young mycelia. Locations and configurations of nuclei in fixed specimens indicated that the nuclei migrate through the septal pores and through anastomoses of adjacent hyphae. Urediospores were produced in diffused uredia on the colony surface and in locules composed of pseudoparenchymatous hyphae. In addition to the urediospores, the locules also contained three types of aeciospores and two types of teliospores.
Na- and Cs-exchange in a clinoptilolite-rich rock: Analysis of the outgoing cations in solution

Batch cation-exchange experiments were performed by placing 4 g of clinoptilolite-rich rock into 100 mL of 1 M concentrations of NaCl or CsCl solution for differing times and temperatures. The solutions were analyzed for the outgoing cations Na, K, Ca, and Mg by ICP-AES. The goal of these experiments was to determine the behavior (i.e., effect of temperature, release rate, and time) of Na, K, Ca, and Mg exchanging out of the solid and into the liquid in either NaCl or CsCl solutions. For the Na-exchanged samples, the concentration of the outgoing divalent cations increased with time and increased temperature, with the majority of the exchange occurring in the first 10 h. Potassium behaved in a different manner, with approximately 20% exchange occurring within 0.5 h. With increased exchange time, K concentrations actually decreased slightly, indicating some re-exchange back into the solid from the liquid. After 24 h, samples in the four storage conditions averaged approximately 20% K, 80% Ca, and 50% Mg exchange out of the sample and into the liquid. For the Cs-exchanged samples, the concentration of the outgoing divalent cations increased with time and increased temperature, with the majority of the exchange occurring in the first 10 h. The outgoing monovalent cations behaved in a different, and somewhat unpredictable, manner. The majority of the exchange for both Na and K occurred within the first 0.5 h. Increased time had little effect on exchange; in fact, both exhibited some re-exchange back into the liquid. Also, more exchange occurred at lower than higher temperatures. With increased exchange time, K concentrations decreased slightly, indicating some re-exchange back into the solid from the liquid. After 24 h, samples in the four storage conditions averaged approximately 85% Na, 50% K, 80% Ca, and 40% Mg exchange out of the sample and into the liquid.
Space Detector Systems

This chapter provides an account of space detector systems. The photomultiplier tube (PMT) is a useful space detector for UV and visible radiation detection in passive and laser space sensor remote sensing application. There are two types of PMT: the end-window photocathode type and the side-window photocathode type. Earth's infrared radiation can be measured either by observing the rise in the temperature of a material used to collect the radiation or by measuring the current effects because of the direct interaction of photons with electrons present in the detector. An infrared detector is characterized by its size, temperature, wavelength response, detectivity, frequency response, and background radiation. The charge-coupled device (CCD) has found useful applications in space imaging and sounding, where it can replace the photographic emulsion plate, the vidicon tube, and single detector elements. The chapter discusses the primary factors involved in the selection of an appropriate cooling system for new space applications.
Realization and Dissemination of the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90) above 962 °C

Abstract:Above 962 °C, the ITS-90 is realized at the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada by a standard radiation thermometer with a known spectral responsivity and a silver freezing-point blackbody. Together with Planck's law, the temperature scale can be extrapolated to temperatures in excess of 2500 °C, albeit with uncertainties that increase with higher temperatures. This realization can then be disseminated to other radiation thermometers via a variable-temperature blackbody for use in, for example, calibration laboratories. In the future, it is expected that new high-temperature fixed points with transition temperatures exceeding 3000 °C will allow an interpolated high-temperature realization and lower uncertainties.
The adaptive significance of variation in avian incubation periods

ABSTRACT In spite of strong selection by time-dependent mortality on the length of the embryo development (incubation) period, time to hatching varies substantially among species, independently of body size. One view, strongly supported by the work of Thomas Martin and his colleagues, maintains that this variation reflects parental strategies to minimize their own mortality risk at the nest—strategies that influence egg temperature and embryo growth rate. A second, not incompatible, view maintains that variation in the incubation period reflects a trade-off between the growth rate of the embryo and its subsequent quality as a free-living individual. We evaluate several lines of evidence relating nest attendance by adults and the quality of the immune system to the length of the incubation period. Particularly important is the role of sibling competition in selecting for rapid embryo growth and early hatching, and the fact that many species with prolonged incubation periods are raised either as single chic...
Use of uninformative priors to initialize state estimation for dynamical systems

Abstract The admissible region must be expressed probabilistically in order to be used in Bayesian estimation schemes. When treated as a probability density function (PDF), a uniform admissible region can be shown to have non-uniform probability density after a transformation. An alternative approach can be used to express the admissible region probabilistically according to the Principle of Transformation Groups. This paper uses a fundamental multivariate probability transformation theorem to show that regardless of which state space an admissible region is expressed in, the probability density must remain the same under the Principle of Transformation Groups. The admissible region can be shown to be analogous to an uninformative prior with a probability density that remains constant under reparameterization. This paper introduces requirements on how these uninformative priors may be transformed and used for state estimation and the difference in results when initializing an estimation scheme via a traditional transformation versus the alternative approach.
Problems Associated with Toilet Training

Appropriate toileting is an important skill for independent living. A number of toilet training procedures have been shown to be effective to increase toileting skills among children and individuals with disabilities. However, behavioral problems such as self-injury, aggression, and noncompliance exhibited by trainees may complicate training and decrease the likelihood of a successful outcome. In addition, barriers to implementation and performance problems by parents or others conducting the training can also create difficulties. In this chapter, we describe some of the common problems associated with toilet training and briefly suggest some potential solutions.
Governing the Global Land Grab

Following the 2007â€“2008 world food price crisis, the value of developing world agricultural land shot up, raising concerns about a â€˜land grabâ€™, In response, the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) promulgated the Voluntary Guidelines on the Governance of Tenure of Land, Forests and Fisheries (VGGT) in an effort to strengthen the land rights of customary users. How do we explain the VGGT's emergence? The argument I make is that the VGGT was largely due to the efforts of a group of nonâ€ governmental organizations that effectively transformed debates over developing world agricultural land from an economic or consequentialist issue of increasing farm productivity and output into a moral or deontological one of protecting the human rights of those who worked the land through customary use. The article addresses the utility of the VGGT as an instrument for strengthening land rights along with its limits.
Inhibition of ubiquitin-activating enzyme protects against organ injury after intestinal ischemia-reperfusion.

Excessive inflammation contributes to organ injury from intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) in many clinical conditions. NF-κB signaling is very important in regulating inflammatory response. In ...
Cloning of uvrA, lexC and ssb genes of Escherichia coli.

Abstract We have constructed a recombinant plasmid carrying a DNA fragment of the E. coli chromosome that specifically complements the uvrA , lexC and ssb mutations of this bacterium. Preliminary experiments indicate that this complementation is due to the presence of the structural genes on this plasmid.
Éxito!: Making an Impact in Training Latinos for Doctorates and Cancer Research.

Latinos lag behind other racial/ethnic groups in pursuit of master's and doctoral degrees in public health and the health sciences. Exito! is modeled after the Minority Training Program in Cancer Control Research (MTPCCR), which found that Latino participants went on to doctoral programs at a lower rate (12%) than African American (36%) and Asian participants (33%). Exito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training is designed to increase the number of Latinos who pursue doctoral degrees and careers in cancer health disparity (CHD) research. The program has three components: recruitment with partnering universities and associations, an ethnically tailored intensive 5-day summer institute (SI), and 6-month paid internships offered on a competitive basis. Up to 20 master's level students/master's level health professionals are selected annually to participate in the SI; faculty are leaders in Latino CHD research. Funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) from 2011 to 2015, Exito! recruited 101 summer institute participants and awarded 21 internships. Analyses of pre- and post-institute surveys showed significant increases in confidence to apply to a doctoral program and academic self-efficacy among summer institute participants, and significantly increased research skills among interns. Forty-three percent of Exito! program alumni applied to a doctoral program (our main outcome) and 29.7% were currently enrolled. This is nearly double the rate for MTPCCR Latino participants (17%) for the corresponding time period. Exito! is a model pipeline program for encouragement of Latinos on to doctoral programs (e.g., PhD and DrPH) with the potential to increase the pool of cancer health disparity researchers.
Brexit, the Election of Donald Trump and Activism in South Africa, Lessons for Democracy: The Contribution of Justice Sandile Ngcobo

Ngcobo Jâ€™s conception of democracy is more in keeping with the ancient understanding, found in the Athenian city-state, traditional African societies and in the writings of Karl Marx. The traditional conception, affirmed by Rousseau, requires the direct participation of the population in the decision-making processes that affect their lives. The Athenian notion of the participation of the population in a town hall meeting is not practical in a large nation state. Ngcobo J developed a hybrid model that combines elected representatives and participatory democracy. Under this model, the lawmaker is required to provide for meaningful modes of participation by bringing the opportunity for participation to the people through provincial participation. In the annals of comparative constitutional law, Ngcobo Jâ€™s opinion is an outlier, which represents a unique and fresh perspective of democracy much like the Constitutional Courtâ€™s development of socio-economic rights and the use of the reasonableness standard to determine the legality of government conduct. Ngcobo J does not equate political equality with equality of opportunity. Apart from requiring the government to provide for citizen participation in the polity, he imposes a further duty on the government to take affirmative steps like educational programs road shows, workshops, media programs and publications to make citizen participation a reality for the historically disadvantaged and those with unequal education. His perspective offers a cogent instruction to the rest of the world, in this period where democracy is under serious strain.
Proceedings of the 28th ACM symposium on Principles of distributed computing

This volume contains 27 regular papers and 36 brief announcements selected for the 28th ACM SIGACT-SIGOPS Symposium on Principles of Distributed Computing, held on August 10-12 2009 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The contributed regular papers are selected from 110 submissions. The brief announcements are selected from 57 submissions, 31 of them fresh and 21 original submissions not accepted as regular contributions but encouraged to resubmit as brief announcements. This volume also includes abstracts of keynote addresses by Sarita V. Adve, Bruce A. Hendrickson, and Robbert van Renesse, as well as abstracts for papers from Yahoo! Research, Facebook, and Google presented in an invited session on industrial applications of distributed algorithms. The industrial session and the first two keynotes were organized in collaboration with SPAA'09, which this year is co-located with PODC. After a week of preliminary electronic discussions, the regular papers were selected during a physical program committee meeting on April 2nd in Austin, Texas. The meeting was attended by 26 of the 31 committee members, with the remaining five members connected by phone. Every submission was carefully read and evaluated by at least 3 PC members. In keeping with the tradition of previous years, a selection of papers has been invited to appear in a special issue of Distributed Computing dedicated to PODC 2009.