cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Documentation Displaces Teaching in an Academic Emergency Department.

Author(s): Baugh, Joshua J.; Monette, Derek L.; Takayesu, James K.; Raja, Ali S.; Yun, Brian J. | Abstract: Introduction: Adverse effects of administrative burden on emergency physicians have been described previously, but the impact of electronic health record documentation by academic emergency attendings on resident education is not known. In this observational study of a quaternary care, academic emergency department, we sought to assess whether the amount of time attending physicians spent on documentation affected the amount of time they spent teaching.Methods: A fourth-year emergency medicine (EM) resident observed 10 attending physicians over 42 hours during 11 shifts, recording their activities every 30 seconds. Activity categories were developed iteratively by the study team and validated through co-observation by an EM education fellow with a kappa of 0.89. We used regression analysis to assess the relationship between time spent documenting and time spent teaching, as well as the relationship between these two activities and all other attending activity categories.Results: Results demonstrate that time spent documenting was significantly and specifically associated with less time spent teaching, controlling for patient arrivals per hour; every minute spent on documentation was associated with 0.48 fewer minutes spent teaching (pl0.05). Further, documentation time was not strongly associated with time spent on any other activity including patient care, nor did any other activity significantly predict teaching time.Conclusion: Findings suggest that academic attendings may face a trade-off between their documentation and teaching duties. Further study is needed to explore how administrative expectations placed on academic emergency physicians might interfere with trainee education.
THE INFLUENCE OF VISUAL FIXATION ON HOP TEST PERFORMANCE.

Background It has been recognized that anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries typically occur when athletes are attending to a secondary task or object, including teammates, opponents, and/or a goal. Commonly applied tests after ACL injury include a series of hop tests to determine functional status, yet do not control for visual fixation. Purpose To examine the influence of visual fixation during two functional hop tests in healthy individuals. Study design Repeated measures. Methods Participants performed the crossover triple hop for distance (XHOP) on the left lower limb, and the medial triple hop for distance (MHOP) on the right. For the hop test only conditions, participants were not instructed where to fix their vision while performing the hop test. The visual fixation condition required participants to fix their vision on an alternating plus/minus sign at the center of a display monitor located in front of the participant while performing each hop test, respectively. A retest session occurred 48-72 hours after the initial test session in order to examine reliability. Results Thirty-four healthy adults (age: 24.0 ± 3.9 years) completed testing procedures, performing the XHOP and MHOP under standard and visual fixation conditions. Of those participants, twelve completed a retest session for reliability analysis. Hop distance was not altered by the addition of visual fixation (p = 0.27), with trivial effect sizes found across conditions (d = 0.02 - 0.07); however, the addition of visual fixation slightly improved within- and between-session intrarater reliability, standard error of measurement, and minimal detectable change of the MHOP. Conclusion Hop distance during the XHOP and MHOP was not influenced by visual fixation. Measurement of both the XHOP and MHOP was reliable, but lacked precision. Measurement properties for the MHOP including within- and between-session reliability, standard error of measurement, and minimal detectable change improved slightly with the addition of visual fixation compared to normal MHOP procedures. Level of evidence 2b.
Secularization and Persecution: Lessons from Russia, Ukraine, and Beyond

This chapter presents empirical and theoretical challenges to the theory that secularization begets toleration while society’s movement away from secularity leads to intolerance. Contradicting that theory, Soviet secularization ended the era of imperial toleration, aborted nascent religious freedom, and entailed relentless religious persecution. Yet, after the demise of communism, Russia’s desecularization brought about a combination of neo-imperial toleration with neo-Soviet repression. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s desecularization has generated a pluralistic and tolerant regime of interfaith and church–state relations. I argue that the Soviet case epitomizes revolutionary secularizations that have affected much of the world outside of the North Atlantic region. Secularization theory has marginalized the revolutionary cases. It thus has obscured the revolutionary, violent, and persecuting modality of secularization in the West itself and elsewhere.
Formulas for Rotation and Angular Velocity Arising from Shake Table Kinematics and Kirchhoff Rod Model Implementation

AbstractThis technical note presents a pair of formulas to rotate a unit vector to another unit vector and compute the corresponding angular velocity. These formulas arose independently in two of o...
DNS Does Not Suffice for MEC-CDN

Mobile edge computing (MEC) can transform mobile networks into a new infrastructure tier for services requiring low response times, such as those providing content to emerging AR/VR, autonomous driving, and other types of applications. To be successful, the CDNs operating in this MEC infrastructure tier MEC-CDNs will need to ensure end user applications gain access to a cache server in a fast and accurate manner. This paper sheds light on the challenges that the current mobile DNS architecture poses toward achieving this goal, and presents ideas on how to re-architect the existing DNS architecture to enable CDNs to provide low-latency content delivery from the edge.
Civil Service Reform Is Dead: Long Live Civil Service Reform:

The federal civil service system is widely regarded as obsolete. The pay of federal employees bears little relation to the market, narrowly defined jobs hamper the assignment of tasks, and byzantin...
A Typology of Esport Players

In recent years, esports have grown from a small number of local gaming activities undertaken by a few recreational participants to a multi-billion dollar industry with professional leagues, franch...
An Effective Predictive Maintenance Approach based on Historical Maintenance Data using a Probabilistic Risk Assessment: PHM14 Data Challenge

This paper presents an effective health assessment and predictive maintenance technique for industrial assets. The technique and algorithms applied to data sets provided by the Prognostics and Health Management Society 2014 Data Challenge. The data contains usage and part consumption for three years. In short, the usage data contains a parameter that roughly measures asset usage, and the part consumption data includes information regarding part replacement and maintenance actions. The first two years of data are considered as "Training" data and the third year is considered as "Testing" data. The proposed method built on the probability of the failure risk during training dataset. The main objective is to develop a model based on first two years data set (training) and determine the high risk and low risk times of failure for each individual asset for the third year.Training data shows many maintenance activities with 14 different codes. The principle difficulty is to detect the Preventive Maintenance (PM) in the training data. The paper presents the method in three main steps: the first step is to recognize the PM pattern based on time and type of maintenance activity via the training data. The second step is to determine the high-risk time intervals based on PM times by checking the frequency of the failures at specific times between each PM. The third step is to predict the high risk time intervals in the testing data using the information acquired from the training data. The score predicted by this probabilistic risk assessment method won the first place in the PHM Data Challenge Competition.
Comparison of social media platforms in terms of marketing performances of food companies

The objective of this study was to evaluate to what extent social media platforms are effective on the marketing performances of food companies. Facebook was the most effective platform in terms of some performance criteria such as time-saving, easy access to customers, customer feedback, brand awareness, marketing costs, order taking frequency, and sales amount. The most effective platforms after Facebook in terms of marketing performance are Instagram and Twitter, respectively. Marketing costs and product sales are factors that affect the attitude of food companies towards social media platforms.
Analysis and Design Considerations of Input Parallel Output Series-Phase Shifted Full Bridge Converter for a High-Voltage Capacitor Charging Power Supply

Capacitor charging power supplies (CCPS) are used for pulsed-power applications such as electromagnetic guns, radar applications, and pulsed lasers for aesthetic medicine, among many other application fields. This paper describes the design and analysis of an Input Parallel Output Series-Phase Shifted Full Bridge converter (IPOS-PSFB) for CCPS. In CCPS application, attaining long-lifetime of the high voltage (HV) pulsed capacitor is critical. The proposed system possesses low output current ripple to improve the lifetime of the pulsed capacitor. With the output voltage not being constant, modifications on the output current ripple equations for selecting an appropriate output inductor parameter is required. The proposed system employs a Constant Current - Constant Power (CC-CP) charging profile instead of a Constant-Current (CC) charging profile. Comparative evaluation of the CC-CP charging profile is presented to elucidate the advantage of employing CC-CP. Circuit simulation and experimental results from a hardware prototype are included to validate the design and to show the effectiveness of the proposed system.
A Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1-derived influenza vaccine induces balanced adaptive immune responses and protects mice from lethal influenza virus challenge

Abstract Influenza virus is a major respiratory viral pathogen responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands worldwide each year. Current vaccines provide protection primarily by inducing strain-specific antibody responses with the requirement of a match between vaccine strains and circulating strains. It has been suggested that anti-influenza T-cell responses, in addition to antibody responses may provide the broadest protection against different flu strains. Therefore, to address this urgent need, it is desirable to develop a vaccine candidate with an ability to induce balanced adaptive immunity including cell mediated immune responses. A live viral vector technology should exhibit safety, immunogenicity, effectiveness in the presence of pre-existing immunity, and the ability to induce mucosal immune responses. Here, we used VC2, an established Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 vaccine vector, to express the influenza HA protein. We show that this virus is capable of generating potent and specific anti-influenza humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. We further show that a single vaccination with the VC2-derived influenza vaccine protects mice from lethal challenge with influenza virus. Our data support the continued development of VC2-derived influenza vaccines for protection of human populations from both seasonal and pandemic strains of influenza. Finally, our results support the potential of VC2-derived vaccines as a platform for the rapid development of vaccines against emerging and established pathogens, particularly respiratory pathogens.
Are People-Centered Intelligences Psychometrically Distinct from Thing-Centered Intelligences? A Meta-Analysis.

The Cattell–Horn–Carroll (CHC) or three-stratum model of intelligence envisions human intelligence as a hierarchy. General intelligence (g) is situated at the top, under which are a group of broad intelligences such as verbal, visuospatial processing, and quantitative knowledge that pertain to more specific areas of reasoning. Some broad intelligences are people-centered, including personal, emotional, and social intelligences; others concern reasoning about things more generally, such as visuospatial and quantitative knowledge. In the present research, we conducted a meta-analysis of 87 studies, including 2322 effect sizes, to examine the average correlation between people-to-people intelligences relative to the average correlation between people-to-thing-centered intelligences (and similar comparisons). Results clearly support the psychometric distinction between people-centered and thing-centered mental abilities. Coupled with evidence for incremental predictions from people-centered intelligences, our findings provide a secure foundation for continued research focused on people-centered mental abilities.
Native Vote: American Indians, the Voting Rights Act, and the Right to Vote

1. From vanishing American to voter: the enfranchisement of American Indians 2. On account of race or color: the development of the Voting Rights Act 3. A milestone on the reservation: the Voting Rights Act comes to Indian country 4. Niha Whol Zhiizh (it's our turn): Indian voting 5. Going to court for a seat at the table: Fort Belknap versus Blaine County 6. Lakotas in the legislature: the Bone Shirt case 7. A fair opportunity: the impact of the Voting Rights Act 8. From extermination to electorate: Indians in American politics.
The Cambridge Introduction to George Eliot

Preface 1. Life 2. Historical contexts 3. Literary influences 4. Works 5. Afterlife Further reading.
Takaful: An Innovative Approach to Insurance and Islamic Finance

In many of its applications, Islamic finance presents a novel approach to modern financial transactions. Because it developed outside the current financial industry, the underpinnings of Islamic finance sharply contrast with traditional financial instruments. Yet, the application of Islamic principles to finance brings Islamic finance wholly into the modern era. In fact, modern Islamic financial practice is largely a product of the traditional financial transactions that have developed over time. This does not mean that Islamic finance is indistinguishable from the current financial trends. It is still a unique approach that fulfills a dual purpose: granting Muslims an alternative to traditional financial instruments, while making these instruments an attractive option in modern economies. However, adopting Islamic finance in modern economies poses unique challenges. The United States‘ corporate and legal structures, in particular, provide interesting examples of some issues confronting corporations that offer Islamic products. Islamic finance covers the full gamut of modern financial areas, from loans to insurance. This paper focuses on insurance, or takaful—the name given to the practice of insurance under principles of Islamic finance. Takaful insurance is not only an innovative approach to Islamic finance, but also a viable alternative to conventional insurance. This paper will begin with an exploration of the underpinnings of the modern Islamic financial system with regards to its impact on takaful. Next, the paper will lay the foundations and forms of
Use of Drug Discrimination Learning in Behavioral Toxicology: Classification and Characterization of Toxins

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on drug discrimination learning, a research design used exclusively in behavioral pharmacology. Within behavioral pharmacology, this general design is used primarily in the assessment of the stimulus properties of recreational and abused drugs. The design is also extensively used in drug characterization. Once discriminative control is established to a particular drug, other compounds can be co-administered with the training drug to determine if and to what extent these compounds either antagonize or potentiate the discriminative control of the training drug. The assessment of drug interactions by the drug discrimination procedure has focused primarily on drug antagonism, however, assessments of potentiation have also been made. It has been noted that the noradrenergic antagonist yohimbine potentiated the stimulus effects of amphetamine, a potentiation thought to be mediated by the antagonistic effects of yohimbine at α2 presynaptic autoreceptors. Given that the amphetamine stimulus may be noradrenergically mediated, the antagonism of presynaptic autoreceptors should increase overall noradrenergic activity and potentiate its stimulus effects. This chapter discusses the application of drug discrimination learning to drug classification and characterization. The chapter also elaborates the application of drug discrimination to behavioral pharmacology and behavioral toxicology.
The Limits of Judicial Independence: Ideological Implications of Court-Curbing

How broadly does the Supreme Court respond to Court-curbing? Is the effect of Court-curbing only to prevent laws from being held unconstitutional? Does Court-curbing affect all justices equally? What are the ideological effects of Court-curbing? In this chapter, we turn to these and other questions. The previous chapter presented the first of two systematic analyses of the consequences of Court-curbing for judicial decision making. We saw there that when it perceives waning diffuse support – as mediated by congressional position-taking – the Court exercises self restraint and invalidates fewer laws on constitutional grounds. This chapter delves more deeply into the judicial response to Court-curbing. To do so, the analysis turns to the ideological content of the Supreme Court's decisions in statutory cases. While it is noteworthy that congressional hostility affects the use of judicial review to invalidate laws as unconstitutional, it remains to be seen whether the effect of congressional hostility is limited to constitutional cases. There is no reason the Conditional Self-Restraint model's predictions must be limited to constitutional cases, and there are several reasons why one may expect that Court-curbing will affect the Court's decisions in statutory cases as well as constitutional cases. First, Court-curbing is not about legislative efforts to reverse Court decisions per se; rather Court-curbing is about political responsiveness to public discontent with the Court. If the Court's public support is waning, then there is no reason to believe that statutory decisions will not affect the Court's institutional legitimacy.
Molecular pathogenesis of chronic wounds: The role of β-catenin and c-myc in the inhibition of epithelialization and wound healing

Lack of understanding of the molecular mechanisms and pathogenesis of impaired healing in chronic ulcers is a serious health issue that contributes to excessive limb amputations and mortality. Here we show that β-catenin and its downstream targets in keratinocytes, c-myc, and keratins K6 and K16, play important roles in the development of chronic wounds. In contrast to normal epidermis, we observed a significant nuclear presence of β-catenin and elevated c-myc expression at the nonhealing wound edge of chronic ulcers from 10 patients. In vitro studies indicated that stabilization of nuclear β-catenin inhibited wound healing and keratinocyte migration by blocking epidermal growth factor response, inducing c-myc and repressing the K6/K16 keratins (cytoskeletal components important for migration). The molecular mechanism of K6/K16 repression involved β-catenin and arginine methyltransferase (CARM-1) acting as co-repressors of glucocorticoid receptor monomers. We conclude that activation of the β-catenin/c-myc pathway(s) contributes to impaired healing by inhibiting keratinocyte migration and altering their differentiation. The presence of activated β-cate-nin and c-myc in the epidermis of chronic wounds may serve as a molecular marker of impaired healing and may provide future targets for therapeutic intervention.
A 24-GHz Transmitter with an On-Chip Antenna in 130-nm CMOS

A transmitter with an on-chip dipole antenna operating in the 24-GHz ISM band was fabricated in 130-nm CMOS. It provides 8-dBm output power and 7.7% rms EVM while consuming 100-mW power. An integer-N synthesizer consuming 36-mW power is also integrated. The signal transmitted by the chip has been picked up 95 m away using a horn antenna. This work demonstrates that communication between a base station and an integrated circuit with on-chip antenna over a distance of 100 m is possible
Resolution and reconstitution of the mitochondrial electron transport system. II. Reconstitution of succinoxidase from individual components.

Abstract 1. Reconstitution of a complex which catalyzes the oxidation of succinate by molecular oxygen has been achieved by combining purified enzymes from bovine heart mitochondria with phospholipids and Q10. The activity was dependent on succinate dehydrogenase, cytochromes b, c, and c1, and cytochrome oxidase but no requirement for an additional non-heme iron protein could be shown. 2. The successful resolution of cytochrome b from other respiratory components by cleavage with 1.33 m guanidine was dependent on the presence of both succinate and glycerol. 3. In order to achieve maximal activity, periods of incubation at 37° up to several hours were required, particularly when soybean phospholipids were used. 4. The rate of oxidation of succinate by this complex was comparable to that of phosphorylating submitochondrial particles.
The social bases of declining infant mortality: lessons from a nineteenth-century Italian town.

Studies of the historical decline of infant mortality in the West have relied mainly on aggregate-level data. We use the Italian population register and related sources to look more directly at the social forces bearing on declining infant mortality. We focus on the town of Casalecchio di Reno, an agricultural community near Bologna, for a period (1865–1921) in which the town shifted from sharecropping to a wage-labour economy, and mortality rates declined sharply. The implications of various social and demographic factors for the likelihood of infant death are examined and related to explanations of the historical decline in infant mortality.
Measuring the opportunity cost of holding money: More evidence on the term structure of interest rates☆

Abstract This paper tests the statistical importance and forecasting performance of a term structure money demand equation relative to two competing specifications. The evidence indicates that the term structure specification is preferred to one using a long-term interest rate, but not a short-term rate. Forecasts for 1981–1982 reveal that the term structure model is preferable to both alternatives.
Science as Comic Metaphysics

The Worlds of Herman Kahn . The Intuitive Science of Thermonuclear War. By Sharon Ghamari-Tabrizi . Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2005. 395 pp. $26.95, £17.95, €24.90. ISBN 0-674-01714-5. In the course of exploring the many facets of the life of the influential nuclear strategist, the author also addresses how we deal with "the unknown unknowns of national security."
ELECTRON-TRANSFERRING FLAVOPROTEIN (ETF) ACTIVITY IS DEFICIENT IN GLUTARIC ACIDURIA TYPE II (GA-II) AND ETHYLMALONIC-ADIPIC ACIDURIA (EMA) FIBROBLASTS

GA-II and a mild variant, EMA, result from impaired mitochondrial dehydrogenation of multiple acyl-CoA's, due to deficient ETF or ETF dehydrogenase (DH) activity, which transfer electrons from the acyl-CoA DH (ADH) to coenzyme Q. In two GA-II, one female and one male, and in 3 EMA/mild GA-II patients, medium chain ADH (MCADH) activities in GA-II and EMA fibroblast mitochondrial supernatants (MS), measured by a dye assay, were 55% (p 0.1). With a dye reduction method in which MS ETF transfers electrons from 39 pmoles pure pig liver MCADH to an acceptor dye, ETF activity in GA-II was 29% (p<0.05; N=10) and in EMA 62% of control (p<0.05; N=14). When assayed with 165 pmoles MCADH, ETF activities in control MS increased three-fold and in GA-II and EMA MS were 8% (p<0.01) and 36% of control (p<0.05). Since flavin adenine dinucleotide (20μM) increased ETF activity in GA-II and EMA to only 15% and 51% of control, FAD binding to ETF is probably not defective in GA-II and EMA. Anti-mycin-A increased electron flux to the acceptor dye and control ETF activity 40%, but ETF activities in GA-II and EMA MS were still 15% and 46% of control. These cases of GA-II and EMA appear due to severe and mild ETF deficiencies, respectively.
Virtual bellows: constructing high quality stills from video

Cameras with bellows give photographers flexibility for controlling perspective, but once the picture is taken, its perspective is set. We introduce 'virtual bellows' to provide control over perspective after a picture has been taken. Virtual bellows can be used to align images taken from different viewpoints, an important initial step in applications such as creating a high-resolution still image from video. We show how the virtual bellows, which implements the projective group, is an exact model fit to both pan and tilt. Specifically, we identify two important classes of image sequences accommodated by the virtual bellows. Examples of constructing high-quality stills are shown for the two cases: multiple frames taken of a flat object, and multiple frames taken from a fixed point. >
“The Cariboo Cafe:” Helena Maria Viramontes discourses with her social and cultural contexts

(1989). “The Cariboo Cafe:” Helena Maria Viramontes discourses with her social and cultural contexts. Women's Studies: Vol. 17, Across Cultures: The Spectrum of Women's Lives, pp. 71-85.
Effects of periodic communication on distributed decision-making

A set of performance scenarios as a function of periodic communication is hypothesized and leads to an analysis of optimal communication rates. In general, the performance should decrease over time until new information arrives concerning the global state. To explore the hypothesis, a model of distributed game automata that make decisions probabilistically concerning group or coalition formation. The uncertainty in the players' coalition strategies can be reduced by increasing communication but at the expense of more overhead. In a job scheduling application, the players make good decisions concerning group formation only if there is sufficient communication. The results agree with the hypothesized trade-off of decision quality versus communication overhead. >
Modeling study of turbulent mixing over the continental shelf: Comparison of turbulent closure schemes

limitation is imposed. During upwelling-favorable winds, the majority of turbulent mixing occurs in the top and the bottom boundary layers and in the vicinity of the vertically and horizontally sheared coastal jet. Turbulent mixing in the coastal jet is primarily driven by shear-production. The near-surface flow on the inner shelf becomes convectively unstable as wind stress forces the upwelled water to flow offshore in the surface layer. During downwelling-favorable winds, the strongest mixing occurs in the vicinity of the downwelling front. The largest turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation are found near the bottom of the front. Turbulence in the bottom boundary layer offshore of the front is concentrated between recirculation cells which are generated as a result of symmetric instabilities in the boundary layer flow. INDEX TERMS: 4219 Oceanography: General: Continental shelf processes; 4568 Oceanography: Physical: Turbulence, diffusion, and mixing processes; 4255 Oceanography: General: Numerical modeling; 4279 Oceanography: General: Upwelling and convergences;
Why are spherical stellar systems relaxed

Spherical stellar systems, from globular star dusters to compact galaxy clusters, appear to be dynamically relaxed. In galaxies and galaxy clusters, collisional relaxation acts too slowly to produce the observed result; and a new argument suggests that the same may be true of globular star clusters. “Violent relaxation” requires special initial conditions and seems unable to produce sufficiently extended halos. It is here proposed that dynamical relaxation may result from tidal perturbations by external systems. If this explanation is correct, it has important implications for the early history of galaxies and galaxy clusters.
An audit of ambulatory cassette EEG monitoring in children

This audit evaluated the role and usefulness of ambulatory cassette EEG recordings without simultaneous video monitoring in children with paroxysmal episodes including epilepsy. Fifty-four children underwent ambulatory EEG recordings for 48 hours over a 12 month period. Only 31 of the 54 children experienced one of their typical clinical episodes during their recordings. Fifteen of these 31 patients were considered to have epilepsy, only three of whom had a clinical episode at the time of their recording and in all three the EEG demonstrated abnormal (generalized spike and slow wave or focal, rhythmic slow wave) activity. All 10 patients who were considered to have non-epileptic episodes showed no electrical change during their EEG recordings. The results of the ambulatory cassette EEG recordings were considered to have been helpful and to have contributed to the management of only 17 (31%) of the 54 patients in this audit. Stricter clinical criteria for undertaking ambulatory recordings and improved technology are likely to increase the role and usefulness of this procedure.
A Pen-and-Paper Coronary Risk Estimator for Office Use With Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE To develop a pen-and-paper coronary heart disease (CHD) 10-year risk estimator for patients with type 2 diabetes based on the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) risk equation (based on 4000 patients with diabetes but only available electronically). PATIENTS AND METHODS We used data collected from adults with type 2 diabetes from 6 primary care practices that participated in a randomized trial in Rochester, Minn; patients were enrolled in the study from July 2001 to December 2003, with follow-up through June 2004. We used multivariable linear regression of the CHD risk estimate to formulate prediction equations to estimate average ( 30%) 10-year CHD risk according to sex, age, diabetes duration, smoking, hemoglobin A 1c level, systolic blood pressure, ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and microalbuminuria categories. We selected cut points for the predicted score, seeking to (1) maximize the number of patients with total agreement between our estimator and the UKPDS risk equation, (2) avoid any patient's risk being either overestimated or underestimated by 2 risk categories, and (3) overestimate rather than underestimate coronary risk. RESULTS A total of 535 patients with type 2 diabetes participated in this study, 400 in the generation cohort and 135 in the validation cohort. Of the 400 patients in the generation cohort, our estimator had an 82% total agreement with the UKPDS calculation, 11% overestimated risk, and 7% underestimated UKPDS coronary risk (weighted κ=0.77). Results were similar in the 135 patients in the validation cohort (κ=0.79) and in an independent validation cohort of 52 patients attending a referral diabetes clinic (κ=0.68). CONCLUSION The pen-and-paper estimator facilitates the point-of-care estimation of coronary risk in situations in which use of a desktop or handheld version of the electronic UKPDS risk engine is not practical or feasible. In our experience, estimation of risk using this tool, when done with patients, can further patients' insight into their risk of coronary events, often leading to enlight-ened discussions about modification of individual risk factors.
Behavior of atherosclerotic plaque components after in vitro angioplasty and atherectomy studied by high field MR imaging

Abstract Aims: Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we developed in vitro models to image the response of fatty, fibrous, and calcified plaques to in vitro models of angioplasty and atherectomy, and tested the resistance of collagenous cap and lipid core to radial compression. Methods and Results: We studied the effects of balloon compression on 10 fibrous plaques with a complete collagenous cap (group A), 6 fatty plaques without cap (group B), and 5 calcified plaques (group C). Atherectomy was performed on nine other fibrous lesions (group D). In group A, fibrous cap, lipid core, and plaque did not change after radial compression despite a decrease in luminal obstruction due to medial stretching. In group B, a reduction of plaque (−30%) and lipid core (−35%) were observed. Compression dissected calcified plaques at the shoulder level. In group D, atherectomy reduced collagenous cap by 54%, and plaque by 35%. Conclusions: In these models, MRI shows 1) the high resistance of collagenous caps to radial compression, 2) a stretching effect of compression on disease-free walls, enlarging lumen in case of fibrous plaque, but a reduction and redistribution of lipid cores in case of fatty plaques, 3) the rupture of calcified arteries at the plaque shoulder, and 4) the reduction of fibrous components by atherectomy but not by angioplasty. By characterizing plaque composition, MRI may allow a predictable response of atherosclerotic arteries to interventional procedures.
Advanced silver-based metallization patterning for ULSI applications

Abstract Silver metallization is being investigated for potential use in future integrated circuits. Unlike the proposed copper metallization, Ag thin films can be reactive ion etched at reasonable rates using a CF4 plasma. This etch technology is an atypical ‘dry-etch’ process since the formation of volatile products is not the main removal mechanism. The primary film removal mechanism, however, is the subsequent resist strip process. The effects of process conditions on the etch rate and post-etch surface roughness is also characterized. Our study shows that the silver etch process in the CF4 plasma depends strongly on the reactive neutrals and the removal rate is enhanced significantly by the presence of energetic ions as well.
Effects of aging and atherosclerosis on endothelial and vascular smooth muscle function in humans.

Abstract Background Nitric oxide is an endothelium dependent dilator, which may protect against atherosclerosis. Several studies have shown a decrease in nitric oxide activity with aging, however none have assessed aging and atherosclerosis separately. We tested the hypothesis that aging blunts both basal and receptor-mediated endothelial nitric oxide release in humans. Methods We examined whether forearm blood flow responses to intra-arterial acetylcholine, and nitroprusside, were altered with aging, with and without co-infusion of an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase ( N G -mono-methyl-l-arginine) in three groups of human subjects; a group with clinical atherosclerotic vascular disease ( n =31, 21 M), otherwise healthy elderly ( n =17, 13 M), and healthy young controls ( n =15, 8 M). Results There was no difference in basal flows between the three groups. There was also no difference in the dilatation to either acetylcholine or nitroprusside responses between the AVD and the healthy elderly group; however, aging significantly decreased acetylcholine or nitroprusside responses when compared to the young controls ( p Conclusions Forearm blood flow responses to endothelium dependent and independent stimuli are blunted with aging, independent of the presence of atherosclerotic disease. Moreover, the normal aging process may induce significant global vascular dysfunction (involving the endothelium and the vascular smooth muscle); to as great a degree as clinically manifest atherosclerosis.
Upland cotton growth and yield response to timing the initial postplant irrigation

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) production in arid and semiarid regions depends on well-managed irrigation systems for optimum yield and production efficiency. Water deficit stress early in the growing season can affect the subsequent growth and development of short-season cotton. A 2-yr field study was conducted in southern Arizona to determine the optimum timing of the initial postplant irrigation for a short-season upland cotton variety based on midday leaf water potential (LWP) measurements, and to evaluate the season-long effects of delayed irrigation on subsequent plant growth patterns. In both years, the short-season upland variety, DPL 20, was planted into a Pima clay loam soil [fine-silty, mixed (calcareous), thermic Typic Torrifluvent] that had received a preplant irrigation of 152 (1993) or 254 mm (1994) approximately 3 wk prior to planting. Treatments, designated T1, T2, and T3, received the initial postplant irrigation when the average midday LWP of the uppermost, fully expanded leaf measured -1.5, -1.9, and -2.3 MPa, respectively. Daily midday LWP measurements were taken using the pressure chamber technique. Soil water was measured at 25-cm depth increments using neutron attenuation. Plant height, number of mainstem nodes, nodes above white flower (NAWF), and canopy closure were measured at weekly intervals. All treatments reached maturity, as measured by NAWF ≤ 5, at approximately the same time during the growing season. Complete canopy closure was delayed in the T3 plots resulting in reduced interception and utilization of available solar radiation early in the growing season. When treatments were initiated, approximately 84% (T1), 62% (T2), and 32% (T3) of the total plant-available water (field capacity less permanent wilting point) was present in the upper 1.5 m of the soil profile. Yields were 1263, 1244, and 1110 kg lint ha -1 in 1993 and 1229, 1176, and 1095 kg lint ha -1 in 1994 for T1, T2, and T3, respectively. Lint yields were significantly different in 1993 (P = 0.001), indicating that timing the initial postplant irrigation affected plant growth and lint yield potential.
Total synthesis of (±)-Lycodine

Abstract (±)-Lycodine ( 1 ) has been synthesized in five steps from cyanoenone 4 . The approach has also been applied to a new synthesis of (±)-lycopodine ( 2 ). Both alkaloids are available in better than 20% overall yield from enone 4 .
Stability of nuclear RNA in mammalian cells.

Abstract The kinetics of entry of [3H]adenosine into ATP, cellular RNA, and nuclear RNA of mouse L cells were determined and analyzed. A molar accumulation curve for RNA was estimated from the specific radioactivities of RNA and ATP; this curve was resolved graphically into stable and unstable components. The stability of the unstable component (mostly heterogeneous nuclear RNA) was estimated by applying first-order decay analysis. Heterogeneous, nuclear RNA decays with an apparently uniform half-life of 23 minutes, considerably greater than some previous estimates. It is synthesized at an instantaneous rate of 5.4 × 10−2 pg/cell per minute and reaches a steady-state level of 1.8 pg/cell in the nucleus, or 7% of the total cellular RNA. Only about 2% of the heterogeneous RNA synthesized in L cells enters polysomes as messenger RNA. The implications of these values are discussed with reference to similarly determined values for sea urchin embryos.
Thin-section and freeze-fracture studies of crayfish stretch receptor synapses including the reciprocal inhibitory synapse

The crayfish slow-adapting abdominal stretch receptor organ is innervated by three inhibitory and several excitatory axons. A previous study by Tisdale and Nakajima ('76) showed that under certain fixation conditions inhibitory and excitatory synapses can be distinguished on the basis of synaptic vesicle structure. Using this morphological criterion we describe six types of synapses in the receptor: (1) the inhibitory axo-dendritic synapse, (2) the excitatory neuromuscular synapse, (3) the inhibitory neuromuscular synapse, (4) the axo-axonic synapse which suggests presynaptic inhibition on the excitatory synapse, (5) the axo-axonic synapse which suggests presynaptic inhibition on the inhibitory synapse, (6) the reciprocal inhibitory axo-axonic synapse, which is a new type of synapse. The presence of these six types of synapse suggests that inhibitory and excitatory axons interact synaptically in a complicated manner, resulting in a delicate control of receptor function. In freeze fracture we have observed the presynaptic membrane structures of inhibitory and excitatory synapses. The active zone of the inhibitory synapse has ridges with loosely aggregated particles on the tops of the ridges and indentations (vesicle attachment sites) along their sides. The active zone of the excitatory neuromuscular synapse consists of bands of particle aggregates which are situated on slightly elevated membrane regions and surrounded by wide, relatively particle-free, flat membrane areas.
Maximization of the marginal likelihood of grouped survival data

SUMMARY Grouped failure time data occur in studies where subjects are monitored periodically to determine whether failure has occurred in the intervening interval. Here the model under consideration is Cox's (1972, 1975) proportional hazards model, but the commonly used method of partial likelihood needs modification with grouped data due to a potentially large number of ties. This paper demonstrates how the Monte Carlo EM algorithm (Wei & Tanner, 1990) can be used on grouped data to find the maximum likelihood estimate from the marginal likelihood based on the incomplete ranks of the event times. The methodology is exemplified with a data set with precise failure times after artificially introducing grouping.
Identification and characterization of a bacterial cytochrome P450 for the metabolism of diclofenac.

The bacterium Actinoplanes sp. ATCC 53771 is known to perform drug metabolism of several xenobiotics similarly to humans. We identified a cytochrome P450 enzyme from this strain, CYP107E4, and expressed it in Escherichia coli using the pET101 vector. The purified enzyme showed the characteristic reduced-CO difference spectra with a peak at 450 nm, indicating the protein is produced in the active form with proper heme incorporation. The CYP107E4 enzyme was found to bind the drug diclofenac. Using redox enzymes from spinach, the reconstituted system is able to produce hydroxylated metabolites of diclofenac. Production of the human 4′-hydroxydiclofenac metabolite by CYP107E4 was confirmed, and a second hydroxylated metabolite was also produced.
Empathy and complex task performance: two routes to leadership

Abstract When we perceive someone as a leader, it is often because we are impressed with his/her mental abilities and his/her ability to perform complex tasks. Yet, there is a small but growing body of conceptual work suggesting that our perception of someone as a leader is affected by his/her emotional abilities as well. This article develops a model proposing two distinct behavioral routes that influence perception of an individual as a leader in a small group. One route influences people to perceive leadership from displays of emotional abilities, such as empathy. The other route influences people to perceive leadership from displays of mental abilities, such as complex task performance. Our test of the hypothesized model using structural equation modeling showed a good fit and support for the proposed relationships.
Support System Effects on the NASA Common Research Model

An experimental investigation of the NASA Common Research Model was conducted in the NASA Langley National Transonic Facility and NASA Ames 11-Foot Transonic Wind Tunnel Facility for use in the Drag Prediction Workshop. As data from the experimental investigations was collected, a large difference in moment values was seen between the experimental and the computational data from the 4th Drag Prediction Workshop. This difference led to the present work. In this study, a computational assessment has been undertaken to investigate model support system interference effects on the Common Research Model. The configurations computed during this investigation were the wing/body/tail=0deg without the support system and the wing/body/tail=0deg with the support system. The results from this investigation confirm that the addition of the support system to the computational cases does shift the pitching moment in the direction of the experimental results.
Weibull Failure-Time Mixture Models for Evaluating Efficacy in the Presence of a Biomarker

A predictive marker is a marker that predicts the differential efficacy of a particular therapy based on marker status. Standard statistical methods compare treatments, not validate prediction. We propose a failure-time mixture model that achieves both objectives. We also explain how to evaluate efficacy in biomarker subpopulations. We use the maximum likelihood method to estimate the mixture model. We explain the computational aspects of the model and discuss the underlying statistical inference. We discuss sample size determination. We illustrate the methodology with a computer-generated data set The proposed mixture model is simple and capable of assisting investigators seeking to design marker-based clinical trials in their analyses.
MEASUREMENT OF THE FREE AND THE H-BONDED AMIDES OF MYOGLOBIN.

Abstract It has become abundantly clear that the rather slowly exchanging hydrogens of a protein do not simply relate to α-helix content. Some of the other inferences reached in the early period of protein hydrogen exchange work do still appear to be valid, namely, that most side chain hydrogens exchange “instantaneously” and that H-bonded amides exchange very slowly. However, in conflict with the older equation of slow hydrogens with α-helix are the more recently demonstrated facts that proteins possess H-bonded amides other than those in α-helix, which may also be expected to exchange very slowly, and that amides even when free can exchange measurably slowly, though perhaps not nearly as slowly as those in hydrogen bonds. Thus, rather than absolute separation between “instantaneous” and slow hydrogen exchange classes, differentiation between relatively faster and relatively slower kinetic classes seems indicated. Such a separation might provide a measure of structure representing the over-all number of H-bonded amides rather than just α-helix. A successful test of this expectation was carried out with myoglobin. To perform this test, the fairly rapidly exchanging hydrogens of myoglobin were preferentially labeled by brief exposure to tritiated water, and their exchange-out behavior was studied. The exchange-out of these faster hydrogens convincingly match theoretical exchange curves for free amide groups. These theoretical curves were constructed using the numbers of free amide groups in the myoglobin crystallographic model and hydrogen exchange rates found for such groups in model polymers. By a less demanding variant of this same exchange-in/exchange-out approach, the number of abnormally slowly exchanging hydrogens was independently determined and found to match the number of internally H-bonded amides in the myoglobin model structure. The good agreement found is taken as establishing the identity of the free and the H-bonded amides of myoglobin with distinguishable kinetic classes of exchanging hydrogens. The results demonstrate that, for this protein, free amides show simple and predictable hydrogen exchange behavior, that essentially all H-bonded amides exchange much more slowly, and that essentially all the other side chains exchange considerably faster. Evidence was found for the importance of an “opening”-dependent pathway for slowly exchanging, H-bonded hydrogens of myoglobin, as opposed to some direct exchange mechanism not dependent on conformational movement. The present study also provides another parameter common to both crystalline and dissolved myoglobin, namely, the number of H-bonded (donor) peptide groups.