cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Integrating Treatment at the Intersection of Opioid Use Disorder and Infectious Disease Epidemics in Medical Settings: A Call for Action After a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Workshop.

In this article, the authors discuss 5 action steps from a recent workshop on the integration of infectious disease considerations and responses to the opioid use disorder epidemic.
Structured mathematical models to investigate the interactions between Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites and host immune response

Abstract Malaria infection has posed a major health threat for hundreds of years in human history. Yet, due to the complex interactions between a host immune response and the parasite, no sophisticated mathematical models exist to study its dynamics. In this work, we propose a new system of structured partial differential equations that account for the dependence of red blood cell infectivity on maturation level. These equations are coupled with another set of differential equations for investigating the population dynamics of Plasmodium falciparum and its interaction with red blood cells and cells of the immune system. A finite difference scheme is developed to solve the system. Numerical simulations are applied to investigate the interplay between the host immune response and the parasite dynamics, the disease dynamics in acute infection, and treatment effectiveness with different drugs.
Clinical Drug Data, 11th Edition

By Kelly Smith, Pharm.D., BCPS., FASHP., FCCP, Daniel Riche, Pharm.D., BCPS, CDE, and Nickole N. Henyan, Pharm.D., Published by McGraw-Hill Companies, 2 Penn Plaza, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10121-2298, 2010. 1336 p. Price $52.95. This is a comprehensive, well-organized, long-awaited revision of a
Oncology healthcare provider perspectives on caring for diverse patients fifteen years after Unequal Treatment.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to provide a snapshot of U.S. oncology provider perspectives on caring for diverse patients, including self-rated awareness, comfort, skills, practices, challenges, facilitators, and barriers. Methods An online survey was administered to a convenience sample of multidisciplinary oncology providers. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were computed for Likert-style items to investigate differences by level of past diversity training. Qualitative content analysis was conducted on open-response questions. Results Roughly one-third (36.7%) of the 406 survey respondents reported receiving high levels of past diversity training, with statistically significant differences by training amount for self-rated skills and select awareness and practice items (p Conclusion Fifteen years after the publication of Unequal Treatment, the National Academies’ landmark report on healthcare disparities, oncology healthcare providers have ongoing challenges caring for diverse patients and opportunities to implement recommendations from the report. Practice implications Content of diversity trainings should focus on identified gaps and practical challenges. Multi-level supports are needed, including resources and training for oncology providers.
Orbital dynamics of circumbinary planets

We investigate the dynamics of a nonzero mass, circular orbit planet around an eccentric orbit binary for various values of the binary eccentricity, binary mass fraction, planet mass, and planet semi--major axis by means of numerical simulations. Previous studies investigated the secular dynamics mainly by approximate analytic methods. In the stationary inclination state, the planet and binary precess together with no change in relative tilt. For both prograde and retrograde planetary orbits, we explore the conditions for planetary orbital libration versus circulation and the conditions for stationary inclination. As was predicted by analytic models, for sufficiently high initial inclination, a prograde planet's orbit librates about the stationary tilted state. For a fixed binary eccentricity, the stationary angle is a monotonically decreasing function of the ratio of the planet--to--binary angular momentum $j$. The larger $j$, the stronger the evolutionary changes in the binary eccentricity and inclination. We also calculate the critical tilt angle that separates the circulating from the librating orbits for both prograde and retrograde planet orbits. The properties of the librating orbits and stationary angles are quite different for prograde versus retrograde orbits. The results of the numerical simulations are in very good quantitative agreement with the analytic models. Our results have implications for circumbinary planet formation and evolution.
No Justice, No Health: the Black Panther Party's Fight for Health in Boston and Beyond

The Black Panther Party (BPP) evolved from an organization focused on armed self-defense against police brutality to one that framed police violence as part of broader social violence. Protection meant advocating for a wide range of social and economic rights, including the right to health. In this view, the BPP aligned with a broader tradition of community health from the civil rights movement, women’s movement, and other progressive movements. Fred Hampton articulated a radical view that saw the inadequate government social services as a form of oppression. Central to better health was the promotion of social justice and human dignity, incorporated into the BPP “survival programs.” In a few short years, the BPP established more than a dozen clinics across the country and a national sickle cell screening program. Its legacy remains relevant today.
Risk stratification for cellulitis versus noncellulitic conditions of the lower extremity: a retrospective review of the NEW HAvUN criteria

Scholarly consensus is lacking for the risk stratification of patients who present with acute or subacute dermatologic conditions of the lower extremity, particularly cellulitis and its mimickers. This lack of consensus leads to overconsumption of hospital resources and may result in delayed recognition and treatment, adversely affecting patient outcomes. In this retrospective chart review, our aim was to test a set of clinical criteria-acute onset, erythema, pyrexia, history of associated trauma, tenderness, unilaterality (presence on 1 limb only), and leukocytosis-in patients with a known diagnosis of cellulitis or noncellulitis, as determined by dermatology consultation. We hope that these criteria can help clinicians better quantify risk based on history, physical examination, and risk factors, and thus help differentiate emergent and nonemergent dermatologic conditions of the lower extremity.
The racialization of privacy: racial formation as a family affair.

A right to family privacy is considered a cornerstone of American life, and yet access to it is apportioned by race. Our notion of the “racialization of privacy” refers to the phenomenon that family privacy, including the freedom to create a family uninhibited by law, pressure, and custom, is delimited by race. Building upon racial formation theory, this article examines three examples: the Native American boarding school system (1870s to 1970s), eugenic laws and practices (early/mid 1900s), and contemporary deportation. Analysis reveals that state-sponsored limitations on family privacy is a racial project that shapes the racial state. Performing an ideological genealogy with our cases, this article makes three contributions: it illustrates how the state leverages policies affecting families to define national belonging; it reveals how access to family privacy is patterned by race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, and national origin; and it distills how Whiteness and a national racial hierarchy are socially constructed and maintained over time. With the racialization of privacy, we identify how the state seeks to reproduce institutionalized White supremacy and the effects this has on families. We argue that families are the linchpin in state-sponsored racial projects that construct the nation and that the racialization of privacy, as a form of inequality, is a defining characteristic of the color-line.
Determinants of Survival in Skull Base Chondrosarcoma: A National Cancer Database Study.

Abstract Objective Chondrosarcomas of the skull base are rare tumors most commonly treated surgically with or without adjuvant radiation therapy. Using the National Cancer Database (NCDB), we analyzed overall survival (OS), treatment modalities, and prognosticators. Methods The NCDB was queried for all cases of histologically confirmed skull base chondrosarcoma treated between 2004 and 2015, excluding patients with more than one malignant tumor, on palliative care, receiving unrelated concurrent treatments, or having less than 1 month of follow-up. Chi-square test for categorical variables, Cox proportional hazards models, and Kaplan-Meier log-rank analysis were used to test associations with use of adjuvant radiation, OS, and survival time. Results A total of 498 patients with skull base chondrosarcoma were identified in the NCDB. 224 (45.0%) and 198 (39.8%) were treated with either surgery alone or surgery with adjuvant radiation therapy, respectively. Patients more likely to undergo surgery with adjuvant radiation had higher tumor grade (p = 0.008), later year of diagnosis (p = 0.002), positive surgical margins (p Conclusion The mainstay of treatment for skull base chondrosarcoma is surgery, with consideration of adjuvant radiation. This study demonstrated worse overall survival associated with more frail patients and aggressive histology types. It is important to consider these factors when planning the clinical management of these patients.
Molecular Imaging Leadership in Academia and Industry: A Conversation with Mark Mintun

1657 Introduction: Cardiac involvement in sarcoidosis is a complex disorder with challenging therapy options and often inadequate long-term clinical measures of treatment response. Cardiac PET imaging offers the unique ability of non-invasively assess the presence of myocardial inflammation by 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG), and to monitor the overall perfusion and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) during the same imaging session. We aimed to assess the potential added value of the combined perfusion and metabolic cardiac PET imaging in patients treated for suspected cardiac sarcoidosis for assessing therapy response. Following the appropriate sarcoid diet, twenty-five patients were imaged with 40 mCi of Rubidium-82 (Rb82) at rest, and 10 mCi of 18-FDG PET imaging at baseline, after 6 months to one year, and at least after two years of having started clinical therapies with a combination of prednisone, metrotrexate or adalimumab. The standard 17-segment left ventricle model was used for regional assessment. The overall resting LVEF increased from 45±12% at baseline to 53±6.8% after six months, and to a 51±10% after two years of starting the treatment. The change in LVEF was more pronounced between baseline and six months for those patients where the resting perfusion was normal at baseline or normalized at six months, compared to those where the summed resting score remained positive (9.63±6% and 3.25±8.1, respectively, P
Repurposing ebselen for treatment of multidrug-resistant staphylococcal infections

Novel antimicrobials and new approaches to developing them are urgently needed. Repurposing already-approved drugs with well-characterized toxicology and pharmacology is a novel way to reduce the time, cost, and risk associated with antibiotic innovation. Ebselen, an organoselenium compound, is known to be clinically safe and has a well-known pharmacology profile. It has shown potent bactericidal activity against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin- and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA and VRSA). We demonstrated that ebselen acts through inhibition of protein synthesis and subsequently inhibited toxin production in MRSA. Additionally, ebselen was remarkably active and significantly reduced established staphylococcal biofilms. The therapeutic efficacy of ebselen was evaluated in a mouse model of staphylococcal skin infections. Ebselen 1% and 2% significantly reduced the bacterial load and the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and monocyte chemo attractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in MRSA USA300 skin lesions. Furthermore, it acts synergistically with traditional antimicrobials. This study provides evidence that ebselen has great potential for topical treatment of MRSA skin infections and lays the foundation for further analysis and development of ebselen as a potential treatment for multidrug-resistant staphylococcal infections.
Data-Driven Choice of Smoothing Parameters

This chapter is devoted to the problem of choosing the smoothing parameter of a nonparametric regression estimator, a problem that plays a major role in the remainder of this book. We will use S to denote a generic smoothing parameter when we are not referring to a particular type of smoother. The sophistication of the technique used to choose S will depend on the data analyst’s reasons for fitting a nonparametric smooth to the data. If one wishes a smooth to be merely a descriptive device, then the “by eye” technique may be satisfactory. Here, one looks at several smooths corresponding to different values of S and chooses one (or more) which display interesting features of the data. In doing so, the data analyst is not necessarily saying that these features are verification of similar ones in a population curve; he only wishes to describe aspects of the data that may warrant further investigation.
The PowerAtlas: a power and sample size atlas for microarray experimental design and research.

Background Microarrays permit biologists to simultaneously measure the mRNA abundance of thousands of genes. An important issue facing investigators planning microarray experiments is how to estimate the sample size required for good statistical power. What is the projected sample size or number of replicate chips needed to address the multiple hypotheses with acceptable accuracy? Statistical methods exist for calculating power based upon a single hypothesis, using estimates of the variability in data from pilot studies. There is, however, a need for methods to estimate power and/or required sample sizes in situations where multiple hypotheses are being tested, such as in microarray experiments. In addition, investigators frequently do not have pilot data to estimate the sample sizes required for microarray studies.
Performance and Competence

There is an important distinction between knowledge of the general principles of grammar (competence) and the way that knowledge is applied in actual language production or comprehension (performance). Keywords: knowledge versus process; language production; language comprehension; garden path; unacceptability versus ungrammaticality
A Review of “Christians as Political Animals: Taking the Measure of Modernity and Modern Democracy”

Marc Guerra's Christians as Political Animals: Taking the Measure of Modernity and Modern Democracy provides an insightful treatment of the historical and contemporary relationship between Christia...
High power 3-12 /spl mu/m laser diodes, recent advances and future trend

High performance interband laser structures emitting between 3 to 5 /spl mu/m based on the InAsSbP material system have been developed. Lasers based on interband transitions offer advantages of high efficiencies and high output powers while requiring a low threshold power. Currently, three types of interband laser structures are considered as promising high power high temperature lasers: InAs-InAsSb-AlAsSb double heterostructures (DH), InAs-InAsSb-InAsP and InAs-InAsSb strained-layer superlattices (SLS).
Recent developments in the surgical management of perianal fistula for Crohn’s disease

Perianal manifestations of Crohn’s disease (CD) are common and, of them, fi stulas are the most common. Perianal fi stulas can be extremely debilitating for patients and are oft en very challenging for clinicians to treat. CD perianal fi stulas usually require multidisciplinary and multimodality treatment, including both medical and surgical approaches. Th e majority of patients require multiple surgical interventions. CD patients with perianal fi stulas have a high rate of primary nonhealing, surgical morbidity, and high recurrence rates. Th is has led to constant eff orts to improve surgical management of this disease process.
Estrous cycle fluctuations in aggressiveness of house mice

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine whether interfemale, isolationinduced aggression in house mice varies over the phases of the estrous cycle. The results indicated that there were significant variations, with aggression being higher at proestrus and metestrus and lower at estrus and diestrus. Activity level showed fluctuations across the cycle similar to the pattern established by previous research. The results were interpreted in terms of possible adaptiveness.
Structural and magnetic properties of tetragonally distorted iron

Abstract Thin films grown on a substrate hardly ever have a perfect cubic symmetry due to a mismatch in lattice constant between the film and the substrate. If the films are thicker than a few monolayers it is possible to compare their electronic structure with that of a bulk material in a distorted geometry. We have calculated the electronic structure and total energy of tetragonally distorted iron in order to compare with experiments performed on fcc-like iron films grown on Cu(100). Our calculations are consistent with the observed structural and magnetic properties of such films. Our total energy results are also helpful in understanding which types of films will grow on a particular substrate and how many monolayers one can expect to grow before the structure of the iron film relaxes to the equilibrium bcc structure.
Strategies for Social Change

The present book, Strategies for Social Change, fills a significant gap in the scholarly literature on social movements by providing an accessible account of the vital role of strategizing within t...
Treatment of leg telangiectasia by using a long‐pulse dye laser at 595 nm with and without dynamic cooling device

Background and Objective The long-pulse dye laser (PDL) at 595 nm and pulse duration of 1.5 msec has been shown to improve clearance of larger vessels such as those seen in leg telangiectasia. The objectives of this study are twofold. First, to determine the effect of the dynamic cooling device (DCD) in clearance of leg telangiectasia by using a long-pulse PDL at 595 nm. Next, to determine the effect of the DCD in reducing transient discomfort associated with treatment and in reducing epidermal damage (blistering, hyper/hypopigmentation, scarring) caused by the laser. Study Design/Materials and Methods Matched treatment sites were compared at energy densities of 20 and 24 J/cm2 with and without the use of the cryogen spray in 18 patients. In areas treated without the DCD, the laser pulse was delivered through a single layer of Spenco Second Skin. Patients received two treatments 6 weeks apart. Discomfort ratings, clearance of leg telangiectasia, and complications were assessed at 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 6 months. Results A reduction in discomfort ratings was found in most patients using the DCD. Six-month follow-up data revealed at the 20 J/cm2 treatment sites, with or without the DCD, 76.9% showed greater than 50% clearance. At the 24 J/cm2 treatment sites, with or without the DCD, 84.6% showed greater than 50% clearance. Conclusion The long-pulse dye laser at 595 nm with a 1.5-msec pulse duration cleared leg telangiectasia an average of 67.5% with two treatments at 6 months. The major effect of the DCD was on pain reduction. There was no difference in clearance rates when using the DCD vs. cooled Second Skin. Further studies with longer cooling times with the DCD are needed to optimize treatment parameters. Lasers Surg. Med. 27:171–175, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Habituation of P300 from visual stimuli

The P300 event-related brain potential (ERP) was elicited with visual stimuli using an oddball task in which the subjects made button press responses to discriminate target and standard stimuli. Each stimulus occurred randomly with a 0.50 probability, and 10 trial blocks were presented at 10-min inter-block-intervals (IBIs). P300 amplitude declined reliably across trial blocks, and an interaction between trial block number and electrode site was observed. No habituation effects were found for P300 latency or for N100, P200, or N200 amplitude. The results suggest that P300 amplitude from visual stimuli habituates when short IBIs and a sufficient number of trial blocks are employed. Theoretical implications are discussed with respect to attentional resource allocation and context updating.
Asymptotic bootstrap validity for finite markov chains

Two methods of bootstrap, viz., standard, and conditional, are presented for estimating the transition probabilities of a finite state Markov chain. Asymptotic validity of the bootstrap estimates are established for both methods. An applica- tion to a bootstrapped statistic for testing independence is briefly discussed together with some simulation results.
Hypericum LI 160 inhibits uptake of serotonin and norepinephrine in astrocytes.

Extracts of Hypericum perforatum, commonly known as St. John's wort, are frequently used in Germany and other European countries to treat mild to moderately severe depression, but the mechanism of antidepressant activity of Hypericum is not understood. Because known mechanisms of antidepressant activity include inhibition of serotonin and/or norepinephrine uptake, we investigated the effects of standardized extracts of Hypericum LI 160 on the transport of these monoamine neurotransmitters into astrocytes, cells which surround synaptic terminals and regulate neurotransmission by means of their uptake systems. We found that LI 160 inhibited both serotonin and norepinephrine uptake in a dose-dependent manner. The two monoamine transport systems were affected differently by LI 160: for serotonin, the main effect was a 50% decrease in the rate of maximal transport, whereas for norepinephrine, the main effect was a 4.5 fold reduction in the apparent affinity of norepinephrine for its uptake sites. Upon removal of LI 160, uptake was restored, thereby indicating that the inhibition was not due to a toxic effect of Hypericum on the cells. These findings suggest that the ability of LI 160 to inhibit serotonin and norepinephrine uptake may underlie the antidepressant activity of this Hypericum extract.
Location and number of sutures placed for hiatal hernia repair during laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding: does it matter?

Background It has been demonstrated that hiatal hernia repair (HHR) during laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) decreases the rate of reoperation. However, the technical aspects (location and number of sutures) are not standardized. It is unknown whether such technical details are associated with differing rates of reoperation for band-related problems.
Stephen F. Heinemann: A true original

Steve Heinemann, one of the founders of 21st century neuroscience, died on August 6, 2014. To those who had the honor to know him, “Stevie” was a man of personal and professional generosity, contagious energy, scientific integrity, and genuine enthusiasm. His death is a profound loss for all. Stephen F. Heinemann (1939–2014). Image courtesy of Joe Belcovson (The Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA). Steve Heinemann’s arc as a scientist traced that of modern neuroscience overall. Having earned a PhD from Harvard, followed by postdoctoral stints at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford, Steve was one of a cadre of young bacteriophage geneticists who in the early 1970s decided to apply biochemistry and molecular biology to the study of nervous system development and function. Starting his own research group at The Salk Institute, where he spent the entirety of his career, Steve, like several of his contemporaries, adopted the neuromuscular junction as a tractable model synapse. This was a stand-in (or so it was believed at the time) for synapses in the brain. Whereas some studied the neuromuscular junction in frogs or … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: lemke{at}salk.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Estrogen Inhibits Mast Cell Chymase Release to Prevent Pressure Overload-Induced Adverse Cardiac Remodeling

Estrogen regulation of myocardial chymase and chymase effects on cardiac remodeling are unknown. To test the hypothesis that estrogen prevents pressure overload-induced adverse cardiac remodeling by inhibiting mast cell (MC) chymase release, transverse aortic constriction or sham surgery was performed in 7-week-old intact and ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Three days before creating the constriction, additional groups of OVX rats began receiving 17β-estradiol, a chymase inhibitor, or a MC stabilizer. Left ventricular function, cardiomyocyte size, collagen volume fraction, MC density and degranulation, and myocardial and plasma chymase levels were assessed 18 days postsurgery. Aortic constriction resulted in ventricular hypertrophy in intact and OVX groups, whereas collagen volume fraction was increased only in OVX rats. Chymase protein content was increased by aortic constriction in the intact and OVX groups, with the magnitude of the increase being greater in OVX rats. MC density and degranulation, plasma chymase levels, and myocardial active transforming growth factor-β1 levels were increased by aortic constriction only in OVX rats. Estrogen replacement markedly attenuated the constriction-increased myocardial chymase, MC density and degranulation, plasma chymase, and myocardial active transforming growth factor-β1, as well as prevented ventricular hypertrophy and increased collagen volume fraction. Chymostatin attenuated the aortic constriction-induced ventricular hypertrophy and collagen volume fraction in the OVX rats similar to that achieved by estrogen replacement. Nedocromil yielded similar effects, except for the reduction of chymase content. We conclude that the estrogen-inhibited release of MC chymase is responsible for the cardioprotection against transverse aortic constriction-induced adverse cardiac remodeling.
Ultrastructure of Cercomonas sp., a Free-living Ameboid Flagellate

Summary Cercomonas sp. is described at the light- and electron-microscopic levels. The organism is biflagellate and an active swimmer in young cultures. Swimming forms ultimately settle on the surface of the growth vessel, exhibiting an unusual type of gliding, ameboid movement. Muciferous vesicles are present along the length of the organism, and these might facilitate the gliding motion. Cercomonas appears to have many features in common with the swarm cell stage of the mycetozoons.
DIFFERENCES IN MOOD STATES BETWEEN SUCCESSFUL AND LESS SUCCESSFUL KARATE PARTICIPANTS

Several researchers over the past 10 to 15 yr. have explored the relations among personality, athletic participation, and performance. More recently, research has focused on the relationship betwee...
Long-distance mode-division multiplexed transmission using normalized adaptive frequency-domain equalization

We investigate normalized adaptive frequency-domain equalization (NA-FDE) in a 1,000-km mode-division multiplexed (MDM) transmission experiment. We show that master-slave phase estimation can be used to reduce carrier recovery complexity with less than 1 dB Q2-penalty.
Effect of glutamine-enriched total parenteral nutrition on small intestinal gut-associated lymphoid tissue and upper respiratory tract immunity

Background. Our prior work shows that total parenteral nutrition (TPN) causes small intestinal gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) atrophy, lowers small intestinal immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels, and impairs secretory IgA-mediated mucosal immunity of the upper respiratory tract. These experiments examine whether an isonitrogenous 2% glutamine-enriched TPN solution prevents these changes. Methods. Institute of Cancer Research mice were randomized to chow (chow), intravenous feeding of a TPN solution (TPN), or glutamine-enriched TPN (glutamine) groups. After mice were fed for 5 days, lymphocytes were isolated from Peyer's patches, the intraepithelial layer, and lamina propria to determine cell yields and phenotypes. Total small intestinal IgA levels were analyzed by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In a second series of experiments, mice underwent intranasal inoculation with H1N1 virus to establish immunity. After 3 weeks mice were randomized to chow, TPN, or glutamine groups. After feeding for 5 days, mice were rechallenged with intranasal virus and killed at 40 hours to determine viral shedding from the upper respiratory tract. Results. Total lymphocyte yield in the Peyer's patches, the intraepithelial layer, and lamina propria, small intestinal IgA levels, and the CD4+CD8+ ratio in the lamina propria decreased with TPN but remained normal with glutamine. On rechallenge, 87% of the mice in the TPN group shed virus in nasal secretions, whereas only 38% of the glutamine-treated group (p < 0.05 versus TPN) and 7.1% of the chow group (p < 0.002 versus TPN) were virus positive. Conclusions. Isonitrogenous supplementation of TPN with 2% glutamine improves IgA-mediated protection in the upper respiratory tract and normalizes GALT populations.
Some Advantages of One Form of Argument for the Maximin Principle

This paper presents a non-consequentialist defense of Rawls’s general conception of justice requiring that primary social goods be distributed so that the least share is as great as possible. It suggests that a defense of this idea can be offered within a Rossian framework of prima facie duties. The prima facie duty not to harm constrains people from supporting social institutions which do not leave their fellows with goods and resources above a certain threshold. The paper argues that societies in accord with the Rawlsian general conception come closest to meeting this requirement. This way of arguing for the conception enables the defenders of the theory to elude standard objections offered by utilitarians, libertarians, and even other egalitarians.
An empirical typology of private child and family serving agencies

Differences in how services are organized and delivered can contribute significantly to variation in outcomes experienced by children and families. However, few comparative studies identify the strengths and limitations of alternative delivery system configurations. The current study provides the first empirical typology of private agencies involved with the formal child welfare system. Data collected in 2011 from a national sample of private agencies were used to classify agencies into five distinct groups based on internal management capacity, service diversification, integration, and policy advocacy. Findings reveal considerable heterogeneity in the population of private child and family serving agencies. Cross-group comparisons suggest that differences in agencies' strategic and structural characteristics correlated with agency directors' perceptions of different pressures in their external environment. Future research can use this typology to better understand local service systems and the extent to which different agency strategies affect performance and other outcomes. Such information has implications for public agency contracting decisions and could inform system-level assessment and planning of services for children and families.
A low-temperature investigation of trans-diiodo­tetra­kis(tetra­hydro­furan)calcium(II)

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [CaI2(C4H8O)4], at 100 K comprises half each of two independent mol­ecules, each of which is located on a center of inversion, and in each of these, the central Ca atom is bound by two trans I atoms and four tetra­hydro­furan mol­ecules to give a distorted octa­hedral geometry. This compound undergoes a phase change on cooling from room temperature to 100 K, altering the space group from monoclinic P21/c to triclinic P\overline{1}. This change is also accompanied by a reduction in the positional disorder of the coordinated tetra­hydro­furan mol­ecules.
Simulation of an industrial nylon 6 tubular reactor

A commonly used energy-efficient nylon 6 reactor is simulated under steady-state conditions. The effects of various operating conditions and parameters, e.g., feed composition, temperature and flow rate, heat transfer coefficients, and reactor dimensions, on the temperature and molecular weight profiles are studied. A temperature maximum is observed in the reactor under usual conditions of operation. The maximum value of the temperature is sensitive to the feed conditions, and one has to ensure that degradation reactions speeded up at high temperatures do not affect product characteristics. The model and the numerical technique used are fairly simple and account for most of the important features of industrial reactors. Hence, these can be used in the development of digital-control algorithms in the future.
Relationship between sedimentation coefficient distribution and glycogen level in the cestode Hymenolepid diminuta

Abstract 1. 1. A mild quantitative method for isolating the entire molecular weight spectrum of glycogen from the tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta has been used to investigate changes in the molecular weight distribution in response to changes in the level of this polysaccharide. 2. 2. These changes consist of a progressive reduction in the molecular weight when the glycogen level of the worm decreases as a result of host starvation. 3. 3. This is followed by a progressive increase in the molecular weight when the glycogen levels is restored towards its normal phusiology level by incubation of the parasite in vitro with glucose.
Engineering the extendibility of Cu/low-k BEOL technology

Copper dual damascene BEOL technology has been in production now for 14 years and 7 CMOS generations, since it shipped in its first chips in late 1997, and was first ramped to high volume production in mid-1998. Besides benefits in performance and manufacturability, perhaps the main benefit has been to keep the door open for continued Moore's Law scaling of on-chip wiring, where Al(Cu)-based wires could not have extnded - either for fine line current densities and reliability, or multilevel hierarchical scaling for large/thick lines to help circumvent the RC scaling crisis.
Estimation of evolutionary distances from protein spatial structures

New equations are derived to estimate the number of amino acid substitutions per site between two homologous proteins from the root mean square (RMS) deviation between two spatial structures and from the fraction of identical residues between two sequences. The equations are based on evolutionary models, analyzing predominantly structural changes and not sequence changes. Evolution of spatial structure is treated as a diffusion in an elastic force field. Diffusion accounts for structural changes caused by amino acid substitutions, and elastic force reflects selection, which preserves protein fold. Obtained equations are supported by analysis of protein spatial structures.
6α-[18F]Fluoroprogesterone: Synthesis via halofluorination-oxidation, receptor binding and tissue distribution

Abstract We have evaluated 6α-[ 18 F]fluoroprogesterone as a potential imaging agent for progesterone receptor (PgR)-positive breast cancer. 6α-[ 18 F]fluoroprogesterone ( 1 ) was obtained via halofluorination of the C-5 double bond in pregnenolone, followed by oxidation of the 3β-OH group, elimination of HBr from C-4,5, and epimerization at the C-6 center. The relative binding affinity (RBA) of 6α-fluoroprogesterone ( 1 ) to PgR is 11 (R5020 = 100), and its binding selectivity index (BSI, i.e. the ratio of the RBA to the non-specific binding, NSB) is 14.4; these values are similar to those of progesterone. 17α-Acetoxy-6α-fluoroprogesterone ( 2 ) was also prepared by the same method, but was not used for fluorine-18 labeling studies because its binding affinity for PgR is very low (0.9). The synthesis of 1 was adapted to fluorine-18 labeling and although the overall radiochemical yield was low (decay-corrected, 0.3%), progestin [ 18 F] 1 was obtained in moderately high effective specific activity (147 Ci/mmol). In vivo distribution studies using estrogen-primed immature female rats show that 6α-fluoroprogesterone ([ 18 F] 1 ) has low uterine uptake, low target tissue selectivity, and high fat uptake, presumably due to its low RBA and BSI. High uptake in bone, which indicates extensive metabolic defluorination, suggests that the C-6 position of steroids may not be a good site for fluorine-18 labeling.
Epidemic Change Model for the Exponential Family

Abstract We assume that a sequence of independent observations are given from an exponential family. It is hypothesised that the sequence has the same natural parameter θ0. We would like to test if this natural parameter has been subjected to an epidemic change after an unknown point, for an unknown duration in the sequence. The likelihood ratio statistic for testing such an hypothesis is derived and then it's asymptotic null distribution is derived. We discuss the asymptotic behaviour of the maximum likelihood estimates of the change points. We prove that the asymptotic non-null distribution is of the likelihood ratio statistic is normal. Some special cases of the exponential family are considered in detail.
Positive Self-Concept and Expressions of Blackness among African American Intellectual-Activists: Implications for Urban Education.

The focus of this article is a qualitative description of the narrated life experiences of 11 African American intellectual-activists with regard to three major vehicles of overt expressions of Blackness; hair, clothing, and names. The voices of the informants are used to illustrate the importance of these expressions. Because each of the informants is involved with African American educational institutions in urban settings, the impact of their chosen expressions of Blackness on urban schools is also discussed.
Parallel Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm Accelerated by Asynchronous Evaluations

A parallel Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is presented. Particle swarm optimization is a fairly recent addition to the family of non-gradient based, probabilistic search algorithms that is based on a simplified social model and is closely tied to swarming theory. Although PSO algorithms present several attractive properties to the designer, they are plagued by high computational cost as measured by elapsed time. One approach to reduce the elapsed time is to make use of coarse-grained parallelization to evaluate the design points. Previous parallel PSO algorithms were mostly implemented in a synchronous manner, where all design points within a design iteration are evaluated before the next iteration is started. This approach leads to poor parallel speedup in cases where a heterogeneous parallel environment is used and/or where the analysis time depends on the design point being analyzed. This paper introduces an asynchronous parallel PSO algorithm that greatly improves the parallel e ciency. The asynchronous algorithm is benchmarked on a cluster assembled of Apple Macintosh G5 desktop computers, using the multi-disciplinary optimization of a typical transport aircraft wing as an example.
Energy transfer effects during the multichannel decomposition of ethanol

Rate constants and expressions for the initial processes in the decomposition of ethanol have been derived on the basis of existing experimental and estimated results. Energy transfer effects on the multichannel decomposition processes have been determined through the solution of the master equation and on the basis of exponential-down and step-ladder collisional transition models. The predominant (lower threshold) channel is unaffected by the presence of the upper channels and results for the two transition models can be brought into correspondence by using a somewhat higher value for the step-size down parameter in the step-ladder model. For the upper channels and with an exponential-down model, the logarithms of the ratio of the rate constants between perturbed and unperturbed systems can be captured by a sigmoidal shaped curve. In the case of the step-ladder model, the logarithms of this ratio decreases monotonically. Initially, differences between the two models are small (after adjusting the step-size down parameter). The results are compared with the recent simulations of Marinov. The order of magnitude differences in rate constants have been traced to the inclusion in the present study of experimental results pertaining to decomposition and the reverse combination processes in addition to the proper treatment of energy transfer effects during multichannel decompositions. Some observations regarding the parameterization of this type of pressure dependent data for use in simulations are presented. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36:456–465, 2004.
Primate males go where the females are

Ridley (1986) emet une hypothese selon laquelle il existe une relation entre la saisonnalite de la reproduction et le nombre de mâles contenus dans un groupe de primates. Cet article discute cette hypothese
Multi-log/sub 2/N self-routing networks and their applications in high speed electronic and photonic switching systems

A novel class of switching networks has been proposed to remove the time and space bottlenecks in conventional RAM-controlled switching architectures. The proposed networks possess many desirable characteristics for high-speed electronic and photonic switching systems, such as tolerance of faults, O(log/sub 2/N) stages between each inlet-outlet pair, self-routing capability, easy path hunt and easy fault diagnosis. Graph theory provides the basis for the proposed networks. It is shown that the key problem in the construction of this class of networks is related to the coloring problem in graph theory. >
Clinical Implications of Measurements of Interaction Rates in Psychiatric Interviews

Measurements suited to the description and comparison of different psychiatric disorders are still in their infancy. Achievement tests for various functions such as memory, judgment, and reasoning, it is true, are widely used, and some attempts have been made through the so-called projective methods to obtain comparable pictures of the subjective state of the patient, but these are not measurements comparable to the procedures used in physiology and other departments of medicine. The psychiatric disorders have to be described under such headings as "general behavior", "stream of talk", "rapport", and "mood", which are still extremely vague in their meaning, and comparison of these aspects of the patient's behavior and experience from one day to another is usually expressed in terms of "better" or "worse".
A highly sensitive katharometer and its application to the measurement of ethylene and other gases of biological importance

The design and construction of a highly sensitive katharometer is described with special reference to the application of the instrument for the precise determination of traces of ethylene by gas chromatography. Factors influencing katharometer sensitivity, and the relative advantages and disadvantages of katharometers as compared with other types of detectors, are discussed.
Change in the Rotational Period of Comet P/Tempel 2 between the 1988 and 1994 Apparitions

Abstract Comets often exhibit activity on their surface in the form of jets. These jets in turn should influence the rotational state of the nucleus, producing torques that may increase or decrease the period. We have attempted to detect such changes in the rotational state of comet P/Tempel 2 since the preperihelion observations of its last apparition in 1988. This object's side-real period had been determined by Sekanina (1991) to be 8 h 55 m 55 s .2 ±0 s .2 for the 1988 data. CCD observations of P/Tempel 2 made with the 0.9 m telescope on Kitt Peak within a time span of 2 months (October and December 1994), postperihelion, show that the rotational period of this object has changed by a small but significant fraction. Fourier transform methods as well as numerical lightcurve models for the nucleus of P/Tempel 2 are used in the analysis of our data. We find five possible periods for this apparition (8 h 52 m 37 s , 8 h 54 m 29 s , 8 h 56 m 21 s , 8 h 58 m 14 s , 9 h 00 m 07 s ) which are distinctively different from the period found by Sekanina (1991) for the previous apparition. Due to aliasing, we cannot choose among these five periods. These periods represent both spin-up and spin-down solutions. The minimal period change is 26 sec ± 10 sec. Future observations during the next apparition preperihelion, using better sampling, should easily confirm and constrain our result. This is the first direct evidence for a period change based on nuclear lightcurves of a comet. We also discuss Comet Levy (1990c) and the Great Comet of 1744, for which changes in periodicity have been reported in the literature.
Prevalence and Work‐Relatedness of Self‐Reported Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Among U.S. Workers: Analysis of the Occupational Health Supplement Data of 1988 National Health Interview Survey

To estimate the prevalence and work-relatedness of self-reported carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) among U.S. workers, data from the Occupational Health Supplement of 1988 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were analyzed. Among 127 million "recent" workers" who worked during the 12 months prior to the survey, 1.47% (95% CI: 1.30; 1.65), or 1.87 million self-reported CTS, and 0.53% (95% CI: 0.42; 0.65), or 675,000, stated that their prolonged hand discomfort was called CTS by a medical person. Occupations with the highest prevalence of self-reported CTS were mail service, health care, construction, and assembly and fabrication. Industries with the highest prevalence were food products, repair services, transportation, and construction. The risk factor most strongly associated with medically called CTS was exposure to repetitive bending/twisting of the hands/wrists at work (OR = 5.2), followed by race (OR = 4.2; whites higher than nonwhites), gender (OR = 2.2; females higher than males), use of vibrating hand tools (OR = 1.8), and age (OR = 1.03; risk increasing per year). This result is consistent with previous reports in that repeated bending/twisting of the hands and wrists during manual work is etiologically related to occupational carpal tunnel syndrome.
A Novel Method for Removing Residual Acetone from Gelatin Microspheres

Purpose. To develop a method for removing residual acetone from gelatin microspheres.Methods. Free-flowing gelatin microspheres were either heated under vacuum or subjected to a stream of humidified air in a specially designed apparatus for removal of the residual acetone. To understand the removal mechanism, hygroscopic and thermal properties of the microspheres were examined.Results. Heating the gelatin microspheres under vacuum did not reduce the acetone level below 2%, but the use of humidified air under fluidizing condition reduced the residual acetone in gelatin microspheres by an additional two orders of magnitude. The rate of acetone removal was a strong function of the relative humidity (RH) of the air stream; higher RH accelerated acetone removal. Other variables influencing the acetone removal rate are the mean particle diameter and the linear velocity of the humidified air. Under high relative humidities, significant amounts of moisture were absorbed into gelatin microspheres, reducing their g...
A modified Delphi method of solving business problems

A class of managerial problems which involves forecasting, developing new solutions, and maintaining harmony among individuals or groups affected by the solution is discussed. This type of problem is thought to occur frequently in organizations. A structure for solving such problems is proposed which is based upon combining the Delphi method of forecasting and the morphological method of inventing. The case history of the development of a college curriculum is cited as an example of successful use of the new method.