cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Returns to physician human capital: Evidence from patients randomized to physician teams

Physicians play a major role in determining the cost and quality of healthcare, yet estimates of these effects can be confounded by patient sorting. This paper considers a natural experiment where nearly 30,000 patients were randomly assigned to clinical teams from one of two academic institutions. One institution is among the top medical schools in the U.S., while the other institution is ranked lower in the distribution. Patients treated by the two programs have similar observable characteristics and have access to a single set of facilities and ancillary staff. Those treated by physicians from the higher ranked institution have 10–25% less expensive stays than patients assigned to the lower ranked institution. Health outcomes are not related to the physician team assignment. Cost differences are most pronounced for serious conditions, and they largely stem from diagnostic-testing rates: the lower ranked program tends to order more tests and takes longer to order them.
Would You Like that iPhone Locked or Unlocked?: Reconciling Apple's Anticircumvention Measures with the DMCA

When Apple's iPhone first hit the stores it was an epochal media event.2 Apple, long a leader in high-end computers and personal electronics, was poised to make its entry into a highly-competitive market with a new mobile phone that promised groundbreaking technological capabilities in a sleek, ergonomic package. Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, extolled the iPhone's virtues to an eager press, and, shortly thereafter, Apple's stock jumped dramatically.3 Apple's loyal devotees lined up in anticipation days before the phone's June 29, 2007 release.4 It took Apple a mere seventy-four days to sell one million handsets.5 But some time after the fanfare had settled down, public perception of the iPhone shifted. As consumers began to use the iPhone, the once-beloved phone began to acquire its share of discontents. Consumers expressed frustration in response to 300-page phone bills,6 expensive roaming charges,7 and, perhaps most vocally, to the technological methods Apple used to police its exclusive agreement with AT&T. 8
Torsade de pointes in a child with acute rheumatic fever

Ventricular arrhythmias are uncommon in acute rheumatic carditis. We report the case of a child who presented with rheumatic carditis, prolonged corrected QT interval, and torsade de pointes. The episodes of torsade were controlled with beta-blockade and cardiac pacing. The child subsequently died as a result of brain injury; the autopsy revealed classic findings of acute rheumatic carditis.
The consensus problem in fault-tolerant computing

The consensus problem is concerned with the agreement on a system status by the fault-free segment of a processor population in spite of the possible inadvertent or even malicious spread of disinformation by the fault segment of that population. The resulting protocols are useful throughout fault-tolerant distributed systems and will impact the design of other decision systems to come. This paper surveys research on the consensus problem, compares approaches, outlines applications, and suggests directions for future work.
Prospective evaluation of human chorionic gonadotropin in the differentiation of undescended testes from retractile testes

ABSTRACTPurpose: We prospectively evaluated the efficacy of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in the treatment of undescended testis and sought to determine whether HCG assists in the differentiation of undescended testis from retractile testis.Materials and Methods: Patients with undescended testes were offered HCG. Testis position, laterality and the presence or absence of a hypoplastic scrotum were noted. The same physician (G. W. K.) recorded physical findings prospectively and stated clinical impression of descent.Results: A total of 67 patients with 90 undescended or retractile testes were treated and evaluated with HCG. Of the 64 undescended testes 13 (20%) descended with HCG therapy, with none requiring subsequent surgery. Of the 26 retractile testes 15 (58%) descended with HCG (p <0.001). Based on physical examination, 100% of retractile testes descended if the testis was in the high scrotal position but only 40% descended if the testis was in the superficial pouch or inguinal area. In the undes...
Specific Factor and Optimal Intervention to Achieve Non‐Economic Objectives

In this article the author explores the optimal policies to achieve non‐economic objectives in the presence of a specific factor and demonstrates that the same policies—though not necessarily at the same level—are required as in the traditional two‐by‐two trade model. In addition, it is shown that a direct subsidy on the specific factor will be the optimal policy for the exploitation of domestic‐owned resources.
The ex utero intrapartum treatment procedure: Looking back at the EXIT.

Abstract Purpose The ex utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) procedure was developed originally for management of airway obstruction after fetal surgery, and indications have continued to expand for a variety of fetal anomalies. The authors review their single-institution experience with EXIT. Methods Retrospective review of all patients who underwent an EXIT procedure from 1993 to 2003 (n = 52) was performed. Variables evaluated include indication for EXIT, gender, gestational age at EXIT, birth weight, maternal blood loss, operative complications, operative time, and survival rate. Technique, personnel, and anesthesic management were reviewed. Results Long-term follow-up was available for all patients. Fifty-one of 52 patients were born alive; currently, 27 of 52 patients (52%) are alive. All deaths have been in patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Forty-five patients underwent EXIT for reversal of tracheal occlusion for congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Of these patients, 30 underwent tracheal clip removal. Two patients had repair of tracheal injury from clipping at EXIT. Fifteen patients underwent bronchoscopy and tracheal balloon removal. Five patients underwent EXIT procedure for neck masses. Tracheostomy was performed in 3 of these patients. One patient was intubated successfully, and 1 patient underwent resection of the neck mass while on placental support. Two patients underwent EXIT procedure and tracheostomy for congenital high-airway obstruction syndrome. Average gestational age at delivery was 31.95 ± 2.55 weeks. Average birth weight was 1,895 ± 653 g. Average maternal blood loss was 970 ± 510 mL. Average operating time on placental support was 45 ± 25 minutes with a maximum of 150 minutes. Conclusions EXIT procedures can be performed with minimal maternal morbidity and with good outcomes. It is an excellent strategy for establishing an airway in a controlled manner, avoiding "crash" intubation or tracheostomy. Longer procedures on placental support allowing for definitive management of neck masses and airway obstruction have been realized. EXIT procedures have evolved from an adjunct to fetal surgery to a potentially life-saving procedure in fetuses with airway compromise at birth.
Long-Term Synaptic Potentiation in the Superior Cervical Ganglion

Brief tetanic stimulation of the preganglionic nerves to the superior cervical ganglion enhances the postganglionic response to single preganglionic stimuli for 1 to 3 hours. This long-term potentiation of transmission through the ganglion is apparently not attributable to a persistent muscarinic action of the preganglionic neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, since neither the magnitude nor the time course of the phenomenon is reduced by atropine. The decay of long-term potentiation can be described by a first-order kinetic process with a mean time constant of 80 minutes. We conclude that long-term potentiation, once considered a unique property of the hippocampus, is in fact a more general feature of synaptic function. This form of synaptic memory may significantly influence information processing and control in other regions of the nervous system, including autonomic ganglia.
Comparison of regression and neural network models for prediction of inspection profiles for aging aircraft

Currently under phase 2 development by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Safety Performance Analysis System (SPAS) contains ‘alert’ indicators of aircraft safety performance that can signal potential problem areas for inspectors. The Service Difficulty Reporting (SDR) system is one component of SPAS and contains data related to the identification of abnormal, potentially unsafe conditions in aircraft and/or aircraft components/equipment. SPAS contains performance indicators to assist safety inspectors in diagnosing an airline's safety ‘profile’ compared with others in the same peer class. This paper details the development of SDR prediction models for the DC-9 aircraft by analyzing sample data from the SDR database that have been merged with aircraft utilization data. Both multiple regression and neural networks are used to create prediction models for the overall number of SDRs and for SDR cracking and corrosion cases. These prediction models establish a range for the number of SDRs outside which safety advisory warnings would be issued. It appears that a data ‘grouping’ strategy to create aircraft ‘profiles’ is very effective at enhancing the predictive accuracy of the models. The results from each competing modeling approach are compared and managerial implications to improve the SDR performance indicator in SPAS are provided.
Outcomes after the Ladd procedure in patients with heterotaxy syndrome, congenital heart disease, and intestinal malrotation.

Abstract Purpose Heterotaxy syndrome (HS) patients often present with congenital heart disease and intestinal malrotation. Controversy exists regarding the management of these patients. Risk of midgut volvulus, morbidity from elective operations, and overall prognosis must be weighed when considering a Ladd procedure on asymptomatic HS/intestinal malrotation patients. Methods This is a retrospective review comparing HS and non-heterotaxy syndrome (NHS) patients undergoing a Ladd procedure at Children's Hospital Boston (Mass) from January 1997 to September 2007. Results Thirty-one HS and 51 NHS patients were identified. After a Ladd procedure, HS patients remained in the hospital 12.9 days, had a 9.7% risk of small bowel obstruction, and a 9.7% in-hospital mortality. If allowed to develop abdominal symptoms, 27% of HS patients with intestinal malrotation had a midgut volvulus at surgery. Intra-HS group comparison demonstrated longer hospital stays in symptomatic patients (P = .01). Mortality was greater in the HS than NHS patients, but deaths were related to cardiac disease and not to the Ladd procedure. Conclusions Elective Ladd procedures are well tolerated by HS patients. Given the risk of midgut volvulus and in light of improved survival beyond infanthood, once identified, HS patients with asymptomatic malrotation should be offered a prophylactic Ladd procedure.
CMU robust vocabulary-independent speech recognition system

Efforts to improve the performance of CMU's robust vocabulary-independent (VI) speech recognition systems on the DARPA speaker-independent resource management task are discussed. The improvements are evaluated on 320 sentences randomly selected from the DARPA June 88, February 89, and October 89 test sets. The first improvement involves more detailed acoustic modeling. The authors incorporated more dynamic features computed from the LPC cepstra and reduced error by 15% over the baseline system. The second improvement comes from a larger database. With more training data, the third improvement comes from a more detailed subword modeling. The authors incorporated the word boundary context into their VI subword modeling and it resulted in a 30% error reduction. Decision-tree allophone clustering was used to find more suitable models for the subword units not covered in the training set and further reduced error by 17%. >
Rapid and sensitive analysis of 8-methoxypsoralen in plasma

A new method has been developed to extract 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) from human plasma and to prepare samples for high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Plasma samples are passed through solid phase extraction cartridges that are essentially HPLC "microcolumns" consisting of a bonded silica sorbent that, after activation, selectively retain 8-MOP and then release it when exposed to an eluting solvent. The 8-MOP collected from the cartridge is analyzed by reversed phase HPLC. With this new technique, the 8-MOP is completely recovered and as little as 10 ng/ml can be detected in a 1-ml plasma sample. The average plasma level in a series of 17 patients who had ingested Oxsoralen (approximately 0.6 mg/kg) was 117 ng/ml (+/- 79).
Educational challenges in implementing genomic medicine.

Clinical medicine is about to embark on an exciting, although harrowing, period of innovation, the result of astonishing advances in genomic science. The current workforce—physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and others—will soon need to adapt to substantial change, driven by genomics, in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. If errors of omission and commission are to be prevented, sustained efforts in workforce education will be needed on the part of medical schools, training programs, and professional societies. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2013); 94 2, 192–195. doi:10.1038/clpt.2013.38
Heteronuclear molecules in an optical dipole trap

We report on the creation and characterization of heteronuclear $^{40}\text{K}^{87}\text{R}\text{b}$ Feshbach molecules in an optical dipole trap. Starting from an ultracold gas mixture of $^{40}\text{K}$ and $^{87}\text{R}\text{b}$ atoms, we create as many as 25 000 molecules at 300 nK by rf association. Optimizing the association process, we achieve a conversion efficiency of 25%. We measure the temperature dependence of the rf association process and find good agreement with a phenomenological model that has previously been applied to Feshbach molecule creation by slow magnetic-field sweeps. We also present a measurement of the binding energy of the heteronuclear molecules in the vicinity of the Feshbach resonance and provide evidence for Feshbach molecules as deeply bound as 26 MHz.
Preliminary Design and Engineering of Pipe Ramming Installations

AbstractInstallation of new buried pipes and culverts, and replacement of existing ones utilizing trenchless technologies, is increasing in popularity because these methods mitigate many of the surface disturbances associated with conventional open-cut placement. Pipe ramming is an efficient technique that allows installation of casings in soils that can present difficulties for other trenchless technologies. Despite increasing usage, little technical guidance is available to owners and engineers who plan installations with pipe ramming. This paper provides an overview of the pipe ramming technique, possible design procedures, and governing mechanics associated with pipe ramming, with the goal of providing a baseline for engineered installations and identifying areas for further research. Methods to estimate soil resistance to ramming, analysis of ground deformations, and ground vibrations are discussed and compared with measurements observed in field installations. Soil resistance predictions based on co...
A Fortran code for the scattering of EM plane waves by two cylinders at normal incidence

A Fortran code for the scattering of electromagnetic plane waves from two infinitely long penetrable cylinders with circular cross sections at normal incidence is presented. The radius and the refractive index of each cylinder are arbitrary as well as the separation of the cylinders. The program calculates the Mueller scattering matrix elements ( S ij ), various cross sections, and the square of the scattered amplitutes. All computations are done by using single precision arithmetic procedures. The code can be run on many different computers with minor modifications. The restrictions for each of the supported environments and the range of input parameters (size parameter, refractive index, and the separation of the cylinders) are discussed. To our knowledge, such a code has not been presented before.
Bone mineral content: data analysis.

We reviewed the literature related to intrauterine bone mineral content (BMC) curves and the expression of BMC measurements in infants. From this review, it appears that the curves developed by Greer and by Minton for the radius are extremely similar and that both should be used as the reference curves. It also appears that expression of assessment results in terms of BMC and bone width (BW) permits an evaluation of growth of bone mass versus growth of size of the bone scanned. Although the BMC/BW ratio might be a useful but unproved conceptual adjunct, expression of photon absorptiometry results in terms of the BMC/BW ratio alone does not confer any specific advantage and theoretically could mask important specific information about bone mass and size.
An approach to the numerical solutions of geometric programs

An algorithm for solving ordinary geometric programs is presented. The algorithm is based on the reduced system associated with geometric programs and is highly flexible in that it allows the use of several nonlinear optimization techniques.
The influence of iron and sulfur mineral fractions on carbon tetrachloride transformation in model anaerobic soils and sediments.

Abstract The objective of this research was to identify the dissolved species or solid phase mineral fraction(s) best correlated with rates of carbon tetrachloride (CT) reductive transformation in systems modeling sulfate-reducing and iron oxide-rich soils and sediments. We used sulfide (S(-II))-treated goethite as our model system, but also studied Fe(II) and S(-II)-treated goethite, Fe(II)-treated goethite, pure FeS, and Fe(II)-treated FeS in order to isolate and evaluate the influence of different mineral fractions on reaction rates. Initial rates of CT transformation were measured for different pH values and concentrations of added Fe(II), as well as different aging times and conditions. The following dissolved species and iron and sulfur mineral fractions were quantified and compared with CT transformation rates: aqueous Fe2+ and S(-II), surface associated Fe(II) (including weakly and strongly bound Fe(II)), FeS(s), and Cr(II) reducible solid phase S. Over the pH range of 6–10, CT transformation rates were correlated with surface associated Fe(II), while at pH 8, rates were correlated with weakly bound Fe(II). Aging of S(-II)-treated goethite led to oxidation of surface sulfur and a change in the concentration of weakly bound Fe(II), but did not change the relationship between initial rates and weakly bound Fe(II). The results of this research suggest that surface associated Fe(II) and weakly bound Fe(II) could serve as indicators of the potential for abiotic CT dechlorination in natural soils under sulfate-reducing conditions.
Use of implosive therapy scenes to assess the fears of women with bulimia in two response modes

The present study utilized implosive therapy scenes to assess fear reactions to cues hypothesized to be instrumental in the development and maintenance of bulimia. Twenty-three normal-weight purging women with bulimia and 26 female control subjects rated their anxiety while imagining that they were the characters in eight audiotaped scenes. The bulimic group reported significantly more anxiety than did the control subjects overall ( p p p p
Principles and techniques of endoscopic mucosal resection

Techniques of endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) can dramatically improve the ability to diagnose and treat superficial lesions in the gastrointestinal tract. Early cancers, subepithelial tumors, and sessile polyps can be safely and completely removed in a single procedure. Recovery of the entire lesion with margins enables precise staging and evolution of the most effective management plan. Because necessary instruments are routinely stocked in most endoscopy units, EMR can be readily incorporated into practice. The procedure carries low complication rates, provided that endoscopists are familiar with indications and steps for implementation. This article is intended to acquaint those not performing EMR with the procedure and to review pertinent clinical experience.
Analytical solutions of crack tip plasticity zone shape for a semi-infinite crack

In this work, closed-form analytical solutions for the plasticity zone shape at the lip of a semi-infinite crack are developed. The material is assumed isotropic with a linear elastic-perfectly plastic constitution. The solutions have been developed for the cases of plane stress and plane strain. The three crack modes, mode I, II and III have been considered. Finally, prediction of the plasticity zone extent has been performed for both the Von Mises and Tresca yield criterion. Significant differences have been found between the plane stress and plane strain conditions, as well as between the three crack modes’ solutions. Also, significant differences have been found when compared to classical plasticity zone calculations using the Irwin approach.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
LOCAN: A general FORTRAN program for latency-operating characteristic (LOC) analysis

A FORTRAN program to compute latency-operating characteristics (LOCs) is presented. Latency and accuracy scores from within-subject designs having equal cell frequencies and containing no missing data are appropriate. Output includes both latency measures (mean and median reaction times) and accuracy mea­ sures (d', d 12 • log odds. and log eta) for each latency band. The user determines the number of latency levels into which the data are partitioned. Input, output, and program subroutines are discussed.
Labour market discrimination against migrant workers in an Indian state: The case of Punjab

Based on an extended human capital model, some earnings functions have been estimated for Punjab in the first part of the article. Later on, we investigate the earnings differentials between natives and migrants based on their productivity‐related charac teristics and labour market discrimination. Since a majority of migrants come from the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh and lag behind the rest of migrants in most productivity characteristics, the two groups of workers are analysed separately. The study finds that while migrants in each group face discrimination, its extent is greater for workers from Uttar Pradesh. The important factors that favour natives and contribute to the native‐migrant earnings gap include schooling, experience and the number of days worked. The factors that favour migrants and tend to reduce the gap include overtime, single/multi‐earner family member and gifts/bonus received variables.
Stress decreases the ability to resist smoking and potentiates smoking intensity and reward

We have developed a novel human laboratory model to examine two primary aspects of stress-precipitated tobacco relapse: (1) Does stress reduce the ability to resist the first cigarette? (2) Once the first cigarette is initiated, does stress facilitate subsequent smoking? Using a within-subject design, daily smokers (n = 37) who were nicotine deprived overnight received a personalized imagery induction (stress or neutral) on two separate days, and then had the option of initiating a tobacco self-administration session or delaying initiation for up to 50 min in exchange for three levels of monetary reinforcement. Subsequently, the tobacco self-administration session entailed a 1-hour period in which subjects could choose to smoke using a smoking topography system. Following the stress induction, subjects were less able to resist smoking, smoked more intensely (increased puffs, shorter inter-puff interval, and greater peak puff velocity), and perceived greater satisfaction and reward from smoking. Stress sig...
Scrolling and pagination for within document searching: The impact of screen size and interaction style

Increasingly, users are performing more sophisticated types of tasks, like web browsing and particularly information search, across computing platforms including desktops/laptops, tablets, and smartphones. While much research has been done to improve efficiency for each of these devices in the area of information search, no investigations have taken a pragmatic approach to determining the real efficiency costs across current state of the art devices and typical browser-based searching paradigms. We examine comparative task execution times for within document searching tasks under three different conditions: varying screen sizes (desktop, tablet, smartphone), varying interaction devices (mouse & keyboard and touchscreen) and varying interaction techniques (scrolling and pagination). In addition, we examine components of the task: scanning, skimming and raiding and combine reading rates and KLM measures to try to predict task execution time.
FACTUAL INPUTS FOR ALLOCATION DECISIONS CONCERNING SCARCE WATER RESOURCES

: Factual inputs which may be useful for completing first-order assessments to aid decision-making on the allocation of scarce water resources are compiled. Water needs of major manufacturing industry groups and of minerals industries show wide variations in several measures of water use intensity. The chemicals and allied products and primary metals industries dominate the total water intake and consumptive water use by manufacturing industries. Consumptive use per employee for the petroleum and coal products industry group is nearly 2.5 times higher than that for any other industry group. Estimates of the water requirements per unit energy output for energy-processing systems vary by as much as an order of magnitude. Agricultural water use is larger than that of any other industry but water use for irrigation is not expected to increase significantly by the year 2020. In California, the production of crop calories and proteins per unit of irrigation water applied may vary by more than an order of magnitude. Crops which offer larger monetary returns per acre are irrigated most frequently.
A UWB-IR Transmitter Using Frequency Conversion in Nonlinear Transmission Lines With 16 pJ/pulse Energy Consumption

We present a new architecture for an ultrawideband impulse radio transmitter using Bragg frequency ringing on a nonlinear transmission line. This technique has the potential to generate microwave pulses with energy consumption in the 16-22 pJ/pulse range and shows unique properties, including energy consumption scaling with the inverse of frequency, and the ability to generate frequencies exceeding the fT of the driver circuit. We fabricate 10, 20, and 30 GHz transmitters in 0.13-μm RF-CMOS to establish the energy scaling property. We demonstrate wireless transmission over several meters using a low-sensitivity, off-the-shelf receiver and show a best energy performance of 16 pJ/pulse.
Effects of the beta-adrenergic agonist L644,969 on muscle protein turnover, endogenous proteinase activities, and meat tenderness in steers.

Eight MARC I11 composite (1/4 Hereford, 114 Angus, 114 Pinzgauer, and 1/4 Red Poll) steers weighing approximately 350 kg were fed 0 or 3 ppm of the P-adrenergic agonist Le44,QeQ (Merck Sharp and Dohme Laboratories, Rahway, NJ) for 6 wk in a high-concentrate diet. Feed efficiency was higher (P .05). Calpastatin activity was higher (P .05) in p- or mcalpain or in cathepsins B or B+L or cystatin(s1 between P-adrenergic agonist-fed and control steers. The myofibril frag- mentation index was greater (P < .05) in control steers after 1, 3, 7, and 14 d postmortem and the Warner-Bratzler shear force was lower (P < ,051 in control steers after 7 and 14 d postmortem. These data indicate that the P-adrenergic agonist-in- duced muscle hypertrophy may have resulted from reduced proteolytic capacity due to increased calpastatin activity.
Neurocognitive function in users of MDMA: the importance of clinically significant patterns of use.

Background. Use of MDMA (ecstasy), a serotonin neurotoxin, has been associated with memory impairment and psychological dysfunction. This study examined cognitive functioning in abstinent MDMA users and MDMA-naive controls.Method. Participants completed measures of intelligence, motor function, attention, memory span, verbal fluency, immediate and delayed verbal memory, and working memory. They were also assessed for the presence of psychopathology. In addition to comparing cognitive function in MDMA users relative to controls, the possibility that clinically dysfunctional MDMA use increases the risk of cognitive impairment was examined.Results. MDMA users exhibited relative deficits in mnemonic and executive functions. Additionally, users that met DSM-IV substance use disorder criteria for lifetime MDMA abuse or dependence exhibited a number of additional deficits relative to those who did not meet these criteria.Conclusion. These findings suggest that clinically dysfunctional, rather than purely recreational, MDMA use is associated with cognitive impairment. Future research studies of diverse samples of users may shed light on the mechanisms that underlie these differences.
Flit: a bulk transmission protocol for RFID-scale sensors

RFID-scale sensors present a new frontier for distributed sensing. In contrast to existing sensor deployments that rely on battery-powered sensors, RFID-scale sensors rely solely on harvested energy. These devices sense and store data when not in contact with a reader, and use backscatter communication to upload data when a reader is in range. Unlike conventional RFID tags that only transmit identifiers, RFID sensors need to transfer potentially large amounts of data to a reader during each contact event. In this paper, we propose several optimizations to the RFID network stack to support efficient bulk transfer while remaining compatible with existing Gen 2 readers. Our key contribution is the design of a coordinated bulk transfer protocol for RFID-scale sensors that maximizes channel utilization and minimizes energy lost due to idle listening while also minimizing collisions. We present an implementation of the protocol for the Intel WISP, and describe several parameters that are tuned using empirical measurements that characterize the wireless channel. Our results show that the burst protocol improves goodput in comparison to vanilla EPC Gen 2 tags, improves energy-efficiency, allows multiple RFID sensors to share the channel, and also coexists with passive, non-sensor tags.
Neutrino factory based on muon storage rings to muon colliders: physics and facilities

Intense muon sources for the purpose of providing intense high energy neutrino beams (/spl nu/ factory) represents very interesting possibilities. If successful, such efforts would significantly advance the state of muon technology and provides intermediate steps in technologies required for a future high energy muon collider complex. High intensity muon production, capture, cooling, acceleration and multi-turn muon storage rings are some of the key technology issues that needs more studies and developments, and will briefly be discussed here. A muon collider requires basically the same number of muons as for the muon storage ring neutrino factory, but would require more cooling, and simultaneous capture of both /spl plusmn//spl mu/. We present some physics possibilities, a muon storage ring based neutrino facility concept, site specific examples including collaboration feasibility studies, and upgrades to a full collider.
Combination of gemcitabine and docetaxel in the treatment of children and young adults with refractory bone sarcoma.

BACKGROUND. The combination of gemcitabine and docetaxel has demonstrated promise in sarcomas diagnosed in adults. In the current study, the toxicity and efficacy of this combination were evaluated in pediatric sarcomas. METHODS. A retrospective case review of 22 patients with recurrent or refractory bone or soft-tissue sarcomas who received gemcitabine (at a dose of 675 mg/m2 intravenously on Days 1 and 8) and docetaxel (at a dose of 75–100 mg/m2 intravenously on Day 8) was undertaken. RESULTS. The patients (ages 8–23 years) received a total of 109 courses of chemotherapy (median, 4 courses; range, 1–13 courses). Seventeen patients had osteosarcoma, 2 patients had Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT), 1 patient had a malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH), 1 patient had a chondrosarcoma, and 1 patient had an undifferentiated sarcoma. Of the 14 patients evaluable for response, the patient with an MFH achieved a complete response (CR), 3 patients with osteosarcoma achieved a partial response (PR), and 2 patients (1 with ESFT and 1 with osteosarcoma) had stable disease (SD). The overall objective response (CR + PR) rate was 29%. Median duration of response (CR + PR + SD) was 4.8 months (range, 1.6-13 months). The toxicity was manageable and consisted primarily of thrombocytopenia and neutropenia. CONCLUSIONS. In the current study, gemcitabine in combination with docetaxel was found to be well tolerated and demonstrated antitumor activity in children and adolescents with recurrent or refractory osteosarcoma and MFH. Further evaluation of this drug combination is warranted in these patients. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
Child behavior after adenotonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Objective: To study the behavior of children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) before and after adenotonsillectomy using a standardized behavioral rating scale completed by caregivers. Design and Setting: Prospective study of children with OSAS at the University of New Mexico Children's Hospital, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Methods: Children between 2.5 and 18 years of age were included in the study and underwent adenotonsillectomy if the results of polysomnography showed an obstructive apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) of 5 or greater. Caregivers completed the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) before surgery and a second time within 6 months of surgery. Pre- and postoperative BASC t scores were compared using a paired t test. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to evaluate the contributions of several covariants to these change scores. Results: The study population included 52 children. The mean age was 7.1 (range 2.5–14.9) years, and the mean AHI was 16.2 (range 5.0–88.0). Preoperative mean BASC t scores for all behavioral scales and composites were greater than 50. The behavioral scales that showed significant improvement after adenotonsillectomy were aggression, atypicality, depression, hyperactivity, and somatization (p ≤ .001). Age, ethnicity, parental education, parental income, and AHI were not correlated with changes in BASC scores. Conclusions: A high proportion of children with OSAS have externalizing (hyperactivity and aggression) and internalizing (anxiety, depression, and somatization) behavioral problems. These problems improve significantly after adenotonsillectomy. The improvement is dramatic regardless of sex, age, ethnicity, parental education, parental income, or the relative severity of OSAS.
Paleoindian Exploitation of Mammals in Eastern Washington State

Eleven mammalian archaeofaunas associated with the Western Stemmed Point Tradition (WSPT) in the Columbia Basin of intermontane northwestern North America and recovered from eastern Washington State suggest that local Paleoindians were variable in subsistence pursuits. The 11 faunas are strongly if imperfectly nested taxonomically, suggesting that they all derived from the same metacommunity. Taxonomic abundances evidenced by several faunas indicate a focus on large mammals (>25 kg body weight), others indicate a focus on small mammals (<5 kg body weight), and still others indicate generalized exploitation of a diverse array of mammalian body sizes. Early WSPT assemblages point to a broad diet, whereas late WSPT assemblages show a focus on artiodactyls. Middle and late Holocene mammalian faunas from the same and nearby areas indicate that Archaic-stage subsistence was more focused on large mammals than local early Paleoindian adaptations. The traditional model that specialized big-game-hunting Paleoindians were followed chronologically by more generalized or broad-spectrum adaptations of the Archaic is not supported in the Columbia Basin.
Comparison of Spatial Distribution of Heliothis spp. Larvae and Injured Squares in Cotton as Estimated by Three Sampling Methods

In 2 years, the spatial distribution of Heliothis zea (Boddie) and H. virescens (F.) larvae on cotton squares as determined by three sampling methods, 10-square, 25-consecutive-square, and 2-linear-meter, fit a Poisson distribution in 56 of 64 tests in fields 1 to 3 weeks before insecticide applications and during the growing season when insecticides were applied 13 to 17 times. Both years, the spatial distribution of injured squares determined by the 10-square method fit a Poisson distribution in 34 of 35 tests. The first year, the 25-consecutive-square method fit a negative binomial distribution in 19 of 20 tests, and a common k = 1.87 was estimated. The next year, distribution of injured squares from the 10-square method fit a Poisson distribution in 15 of 15 tests. In 9 of 11 tests, spatial distributions of injured squares determined by both the 25-consecutive square and the 2-linear-meter methods fit a negative binomial distribution, and estimated values of common k were 0.65 and 1.15, respectively. Nevertheless, each sampling method would detect an infestation at the economic threshold levels of 5 and 10% damaged squares in South Carolina.
On the Scientific Status of the Conscious Capitalism Theory

This note is a response to Rajendra Sisodia's commentary on my article on the topic of Conscious Capitalism (in this issue of California Management Review). First, it raises new concerns based on Sisodia's commentary and challenges the scientific status of the Conscious Capitalism theory. It focuses on refutability, consistency, and generality, as these three characteristics are essential features of any scientific theory. Second, it responds to Sisodia's various comments.
Three Years or Six to Audit? Substance and Procedure in Intermountain

In the 2011 Intermountain case the IRS wished to interpret “omits from gross income” to mean “reports but understates gross income” and extend the period for audit of understated capital gains from three years to six. It took that position without notice-and-comment and in the context of the hot pursuit of a particular tax shelter. After losing in tax court special review, with all 13 Tax Court judges concurring, the IRS made the motions of going through notice-and-comment to get Chevron deference on appeal. Neither the IRS nor anybody else seems to have paid much attention to why Congress might choose one statute of limitations over another. Rather than looking at costs and benefits, the lawyers have been looking at the meaning of words and at how much deference is owed to unargued assertions. There exist obvious reasons why Congress would choose a shorter audit time for understatements than for omissions, however, reasons which are crucial to the interpretation of the statute and whose neglect bears heavily on the question of whether the IRS has devoted more resources to study, used more expertise, listened more to outside comment, and been equally as impartial as the courts. The case provides good reason for not providing even Chevron’s level of deference to Treasury interpretations of statutes, much less to expand Chevron deference to interpretation adopted to win particular lawsuits.
CONSISTENT ESTIMATORS OF THE ASYMPTOTIC VARIANCES OF DIFFERENTIABLE STATISTICAL FUNCTIONALS

Consistenoy of a slightly modified jackknife estimator of the asymptotio variance of a differentiable statistical functional is established. This modified jackknife estimator is shown to require less stringent eonditions for its consistency than the original jaokknife estimator in very general situations. The computation aspeot of the modified jackknife estimator is also eonsidered. An exampleis given to illustrate the application of the theory.
Principle and Application of SIEMENS Partial Discharge Monitoring

On-line partial discharge measuring and analysis can monitor the generator's insulation effectively, thereby the insulation defect is diagnosed early, unexpected malfunction can be prevented. Radio frequency monitoring and partial discharge analyzer are two main on-line monitoring methods for generator partial discharge, which have been put into application widely. This paper mainly describes the principles of signal measuring, noise restraining, malfunction positioning in SIEMENS partial discharge monitoring system, and the characteristics and application in generator are analyzed.
An Integrated Experimental and Computational Approach for Characterizing the Kinetics and Mechanism of Triadimefon Racemization.

Enantiomers of chiral molecules commonly exhibit differing pharmacokinetics and toxicities, which can introduce significant uncertainty when evaluating biological and environmental fates and potential risks to humans and the environment. However, racemization (the irreversible transformation of one enantiomer into the racemic mixture) and enantiomerization (the reversible conversion of one enantiomer into the other) are poorly understood. To better understand these processes, we investigated the chiral fungicide, triadimefon, which undergoes racemization in soils, water, and organic solvents. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gas chromatography / mass spectrometry (GC/MS) techniques were used to measure the rates of enantiomerization and racemization, deuterium isotope effects, and activation energies for triadimefon in H2 O and D2 O. From these results we were able to determine that: 1) the alpha-carbonyl carbon of triadimefon is the reaction site; 2) cleavage of the C-H (C-D) bond is the rate-determining step; 3) the reaction is base-catalyzed; and 4) the reaction likely involves a symmetrical intermediate. The B3LYP/6-311 + G** level of theory was used to compute optimized geometries, harmonic vibrational frequencies, nature population analysis, and intrinsic reaction coordinates for triadimefon in water and three racemization pathways were hypothesized. This work provides an initial step in developing predictive, structure-based models that are needed to identify compounds of concern that may undergo racemization. Chirality 28:633-641, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
One-sided Violence in Refugee-hosting Areas

Previous research demonstrates that refugee populations can threaten the security of receiving countries. This study, in contrast, seeks to examine the physical security challenges refugees face in host states. It utilizes a new, geographically referenced data set on subcountry refugee demographics to test the hypothesis that locations home to larger refugee populations are more likely to experience one-sided attacks by conflict actors. Results demonstrate that refugee accommodation is a significant predictor of one-sided violence in Africa. In particular, combatants commit significantly more acts of violence against civilians in locations home to larger numbers of self-settled refugees compared to other locations. These findings suggest that scholars and practitioners account for possible dangers presented by refugee flows and threats to refugees simultaneously.
Periodic Trends in Highly Dispersed Groups IV and V Supported Metal Oxide Catalysts for Alkene Epoxidation with H2O2

Supported metal oxides are important catalysts for selective oxidation processes like alkene epoxidation with H2O2. The reactivity of these catalysts is dependent on both identity and oxide structure. The dependence of the latter on the synthesis method can confound attempts at comparative studies across the periodic table. Here, SiO2-supported metal oxide catalysts of Ti(IV), Zr(IV), Hf(IV), V(V), Nb(V), and Ta(V) (all of groups IV and V) were synthesized by grafting a series of related calixarene coordination complexes at surface densities less than ∼0.25 nm–2. Select catalysts were investigated by solid state NMR, UV–visible, and X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopies. As-synthesized and calcined materials were examined for the epoxidation of cyclohexene and styrene (1.0 M) with H2O2 (0.10 M) at 45 and 65 °C. Nb catalysts emerge as high-performing materials, with calcined Nb–SiO2 proceeding at a cyclohexene turnover frequency of 2.4 min–1 (>2 times faster than Ti–SiO2) and with ∼85% selectivity towa...
Frequent Sleep-Related Bitemporal Focal Seizures in Transient Epileptic Amnesia Syndrome: Evidence from Ictal Video-EEG

Summary Two patients who shared similar presenting clinical features of anterograde and retrograde autobiographical amnesia typical of transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) underwent prolonged video electroencephalogram (VEEG) monitoring and were found to have sleep-activated epileptiform activity and frequent subclinical bitemporal seizures predominantly during sleep. Case one is a 59 year old woman whose presenting complaint was memory impairment. Over 18 months, she had three distinct eight hour long episodes of confusion and disorientation with persistent anterograde and retrograde autobiographical amnesia. VEEG recorded frequent interictal bitemporal sharp waves confined to sleep, and 14 subclinical seizures, also mostly during sleep. Case two is a 50 year old woman with known focal epilepsy also presented with memory complaints. Over the course of one year, she had two discrete two hour long episodes of amnesia, with ongoing anterograde and retrograde autobiographical amnesia. VEEG recorded independent bitemporal sharp waves, and 14 subclinical seizures during sleep and drowsiness. Memory impairment improved in both patients with successful treatment of their seizures. While the etiology of accelerated long term forgetting (ALF) and remote memory impairment (RMI) in transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) is unknown, these cases suggest frequent sleep-related seizures may contribute, and highlight the importance of video-EEG monitoring. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Suppression of inhibitory G protein signaling in forebrain pyramidal neurons triggers plasticity of glutamatergic neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens core

Cocaine and other drugs of abuse trigger long-lasting adaptations in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in the mesocorticolimbic system, and this plasticity has been implicated in several key facets of drug addiction. For example, glutamatergic neurotransmission mediated by AMPA receptors (AMPAR) is strengthened in medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the NAc core and shell during withdrawal following repeated in vivo cocaine administration. Repeated cocaine administration also suppresses inhibitory signaling mediated by G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels in pyramidal neurons of the prelimbic cortex, an important source of glutamatergic input to the NAc core that has been implicated in cocaine-seeking and behavioral sensitization. Here, we tested the hypothesis that suppression of GIRK channel activity in forebrain pyramidal neurons can promote plasticity of glutamatergic signaling in MSNs. Using novel conditional knockout mouse lines, we report that GIRK channel ablation in forebrain pyramidal neurons is sufficient to enhance AMPAR-dependent neurotransmission in D1R-expressing MSNs in the NAc core, while also increasing motor-stimulatory responses to cocaine administration. A similar increase in AMPAR-dependent signaling was seen in both D1R- and D2R-expressing MSNs in the NAc core during withdrawal from repeated cocaine administration in normal mice. Collectively, these data are consistent with the premise that the cocaine-induced suppression of GIRK-dependent signaling in glutamatergic inputs to the NAc core contributes to some of the electrophysiological and behavioral hallmarks associated with repeated cocaine administration.
An optimized external sort algorithm

A novel external sorting paradigm whereby disk access is minimized is presented. It is much faster (up to 10 times) than the traditional 2-way merge sort in most cases. In addition, it does not require extra space on the hard disk for temporary storage.