cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantum dots tailored with poly(para-phenylene vinylene).

In polymer−nanoparticle composites, uniform dispersion of the nanoparticles carries advantages over cases where nanoparticle aggregation dominates. Such dispersion has been particularly difficult to obtain in the case of composites prepared from nanoparticles and conjugated polymers. Here, we show that cadmium selenide nanocrystals, or quantum dots, can be integrated into thin films of poly(para-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) without aggregation. The two key departures from previous studies of quantum-dot/electronic polymer composites are (1) the synthesis of high-quality quantum dots directly in novel, functional ligands, thus eliminating the need for ligand exchange, and (2) polymerization chemistry that grafts PPV to the quantum dot surface. Solid-state photoluminescence spectra of composite materials prepared by these novel techniques reveal the critical importance of the quantum dot−polymer interface that will enable new investigations in nanoparticle-based light-emitting devices.
RATIONALIZING VACCINE INJURY COMPENSATION

Legislation recently adopted by the United States Congress provides producers of pandemic vaccines with near-total immunity from civil lawsuits without making individuals injured by those vaccines eligible for compensation through the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The unusual decision not to provide an alternative mechanism for compensation is indicative of a broader problem of inconsistency in the American approach to vaccine-injury compensation policy. Compensation policies have tended to reflect political pressures and economic considerations more than any cognizable set of principles. This article identifies a set of ethical principles bearing on the circumstances in which vaccine injuries should be compensated, both inside and outside public health emergencies. A series of possible bases for compensation rules, some grounded in utilitarianism and some nonconsequentialist, are discussed and evaluated. Principles of fairness and reasonableness are found to constitute the strongest bases. An ethically defensible compensation policy grounded in these principles would make a compensation fund available to all individuals with severe injuries and to individuals with less-severe injuries whenever the vaccination was required by law or professional duty.
Organizational Performance and Regulatory Compliance as Measured by Clinical Pertinence Indicators Before and After Implementation of Anesthesia Information Management System (AIMS)

Previous studies have suggested that electronic medical records (EMR) can lead to a greater reduction of medical errors and better adherence to regulatory compliance than paper medical records (PMR). In order to assess the organizational performance and regulatory compliance, we tracked different clinical pertinence indicators (CPI) in our anesthesia information management system (AIMS) for 5 years. These indicators comprised of the protocols from the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP), elements of performance (EP) from The Joint Commission (TJC), and guidelines from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). A comprehensive AIMS was initiated and the CPI were collected from October 5, 2009 to December 31, 2010 (EMR period) and from January 1, 2006 to October 4, 2009 (PMR period). Fourteen CPI were found to be common between the EMR and PMR periods. Based on the statistical analysis of the 14 common CPI, there was a significant increase (p?<?0.001) in overall compliance after the introduction of EMR compared to the PMR period. The increase in overall compliance was significantly progressive (p?=?0.013) from year to year over 2006 and 2010. Of the 14 CPI, Documentation of a) medication doses, and b) monitoring of postoperative physiological status, mental status, and pain scores showed significant improvement (p?<?0.001) during the EMR period compared to the PMR period.
Can computed tomography angiography of the brain replace lumbar puncture in the evaluation of acute-onset headache after a negative noncontrast cranial computed tomography scan?

Objectives The primary goal of evaluation for acute-onset headache is to exclude aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Noncontrast cranial computed tomography (CT), followed by lumbar puncture (LP) if the CT is negative, is the current standard of care. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the brain has become more available and more sensitive for the detection of cerebral aneurysms. This study addresses the role of CT/CTA versus CT/LP in the diagnostic workup of acute-onset headache. Methods This article reviews the recent literature for the prevalence of SAH in emergency department (ED) headache patients, the sensitivity of CT for diagnosing acute SAH, and the sensitivity and specificity of CTA for cerebral aneurysms. An equivalence study comparing CT/LP and CT/CTA would require 3,000 + subjects. As an alternative, the authors constructed a mathematical probability model to determine the posttest probability of excluding aneurysmal or arterial venous malformation (AVM) SAH with a CT/CTA strategy. Results SAH prevalence in ED headache patients was conservatively estimated at 15%. Representative studies reported CT sensitivity for SAH to be 91% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 82% to 97%) and sensitivity of CTA for aneurysm to be 97.9% (95% CI = 88.9% to 99.9%). Based on these data, the posttest probability of excluding aneurysmal SAH after a negative CT/CTA was 99.43% (95% CI = 98.86% to 99.81%). Conclusions CT followed by CTA can exclude SAH with a greater than 99% posttest probability. In ED patients complaining of acute-onset headache without significant SAH risk factors, CT/CTA may offer a less invasive and more specific diagnostic paradigm. If one chooses to offer LP after CT/CTA, informed consent for LP should put the pretest risk of a missed aneurysmal SAH at less than 1%.
Repeatability of Egg Quality Traits in the Coturnix Quail

Abstract Padgott and Ivey (1959), Wilson et al. (1961) and Howes and Ivey (1961) discussed and evaluated the Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix japonica, as a pilot animal for research. Jaap (1964) indicated that the Coturnix, due to its tremendous reproductive potential, may take the place of the chicken for research in poultry genetics. Marks and Kinney (1964) reported heritability estimates for various reproductive traits in the quail. In addition, these authors pointed out that if the quail is to be used as a pilot animal for genetic studies, information regarding the similarity of the genetic parameters of quail with those of domestic fowl should be useful. Jones et al. (1964) discussed the problems involved in identification of eggs from different females. The authors reported that the eggs produced by an individual were of similar size, shape, and color. The similarity was sufficiently great that by selecting the females on the basis…
Interpolation of shared π-bonds in cyclofusene

Cyclofusene is a corona-condensed benzenoid whose graph-theoretic representation consists of hexacycles with exactly two non-adjacent shared II-bonds. We showed that the number of linear chains, k, is an upper bound for m, the number of shared II-bonds. Furthermore, this upper bound is achievable. In this paper, we show that given a positive even integer m < k, there exists m shared II-bonds. In other words, the number of shared II-bonds in cyclofusene has the even interpolation property.
Lectin Binding Sites in Marine Amoebae

Summary The binding characteristics of 7 different FITC-conjugated lectins with 7 species and 1 strain of marine amoebae were examined. This survey identified 8 different binding compartments in the cell. Although there was little congruity in binding action, even within a single genus, the survey did highlight cases where lectin binding has diagnostic application in the identification of closely related and morphologically similar amoebae. Moreover, one strain of amoeba, Paramoeba HB showed unique cytoplasmic binding with Triticum vulgaris agglutinin (WGA). The fine structure of this amoeba was examined and a vesicular cytoplasmic region was identified as the probable site of WGA-binding. The applicability of lectin binding for the identification and study of marine amoebae is discussed.
Tip Gap Effects on the Unsteady Behavior of a Tip Leakage Vortex

The effects of tip gap on the unsteady behavior of a tip leakage vortex downstream of an idealized axial compressor rotor blade have been investigated in a linear cascade wind tunnel, extending the study of Ma and Devenport. The wind tunnel features a moving end wall to simulate the relative motion between the rotor and casing, and vortex generator pairs attached to the moving end wall that produce an idealized unsteady vortical inflow. Detailed three-component mean velocity and turbulence measurements have been made just downstream of the blade trailing edges for a series of tip gaps, from 0.83 to 3.3% chord, and phase averaged with respect to the relative position of the blades and vortex generator wakes, to reveal the structure of this flow and its dependence on tip gap. Significant fluctuations in the size, strength, structure, and position of the tip leakage vortex are produced by the vortical inflow even though it is one to two orders weaker than the tip leakage vortex. Interestingly, the amplitude of these effects increases with tip gap as the tip vortex strengthens. For small tip gaps, the disturbance to the leakage vortex appears to be a consequence of direct interaction with the inflow vortices. However, for larger tip gaps it is the indirect action of the inflow vortices interfering with the shedding of circulation from the blade tip that appears to be the dominant source of unsteadiness in the leakage vortex.
Additional diffuse functions in basis sets for dipole-bound excited states of anions

The existence of dipole-bound excited states has largely been shown by previous computation through the use of the standard LCAO-MO creation with numerous and diffuse atom-centered functions. Earlier work has suggested that the standard aug-cc-pVDZ basis set augmented with a small set of diffuse Rydberg-like orbitals is sufficient for the computation of dipole-bound ground states in anions. In this work, we explore the addition of four, even-tempered s-type functions augmenting the aug-cc-pVDZ set for the computation of dipole-bound excited states. It is shown herein that the inclusion of these orbitals is more cost-effective and internally accurate than atom-centered functions. Both vertical and adiabatic excitation energies are negligibly affected by the centering location of these additional diffuse functions. However, the excited state harmonic vibrational frequencies can be influenced by the placement of these additional diffuse functions, especially for the lowest energy modes.
Optimal foraging: A case for random movement

The bumblebee, Bombus flavifrons, forages randomly with respect to direction on Polemonium foliosissimum. This foraging pattern is as predicted for a system where there is a low probability of revisiting any given flower upon returning to a patch. This low revisitation probability is a function of the floral resource arrangement. It is further shown that B. flavifrons is using the resource distribution to direct its movements. A large percentage of all movements are to nearest neighbors with maximal foraging efficiency gained through minimization of flight distances.
Discourse Structure in Nonnative English Discourse: The Effect of Ordering and Interpretive Cues on Perceptions of Comprehensibility

A frequently discussed hypothesis concerning the source of cross-linguistic communication difficulty in written discourse is conflicting organizational patterns (Kaplan, 1966, 1987). Extending the argument to oral discourse, Young (1982) argued that spoken English discourse produced by Chinese speakers evidenced a discourse-level topic-comment structure that native English speakers find difficult to follow. However, Tyler (1988) argued that the perception of incoherence might better be understood as the cumulative result of interacting miscues at the discourse level, that is, miscues in syntactic incorporation, lexical discourse markers, tense/aspect, and lexical The study reported here aims at testing these competing hypotheses. One hundred fifteen subjects rated four versions of the Chinese-produced English discourse presented in Young's study for comprehensibility. Results indicated that the effect of discourse miscues on comprehensibility was highly significant (F = 70, p <.0001). However, there was no significant effect for order of ideas (F = .47, p <.49).
Characterization of a coproporphyrin-protein complex from Rhodobacter capsulatus.

Abstract Rhodobacter capsulatus strain AJB530 excretes large amounts of coproporphyrin into the culture supernatant. The coproporphyrin was precipitable with ammonium sulfate, suggesting that it was part of a macromolecular complex. Analysis of an ammonium sulfate fraction indicated that the coproporphyrin was bound to a 66-kDa protein with a p I ′ of 4.0. The same protein was found in the culture supernatant of the bch + strain PAS100.
A Satisficing Choice Model

Although the assumption of utility-maximizing consumers has been challenged for decades, empirical applications of alternative choice rules are still very new. We add to this growing body of literature by proposing a model based on the idea of a “satisficing” decision maker. In contrast to previous models (including recent models implementing alternative choice rules), satisficing depends on the order in which alternatives are evaluated. We therefore conduct a visual conjoint experiment to collect search and choice data. We model search and product evaluation jointly and allow for interdependence between them. The choice rule incorporates a conjunctive rule for the evaluations and, contrary to most previous models, does not rely on compensatory trade-offs at all. The results strongly support the proposed model. For instance, we find that search is indeed influenced by product evaluations. More importantly, the model results strongly support the satisficing stopping rule. Finally, we perform a holdout prediction task and find that the proposed model outperforms a standard multinomial logit model.
Attitudes of emergency medical service providers toward naloxone distribution programs

Training and distributing naloxone to drug users is a promising method for reducing deaths associated with heroin overdose. Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers have experience responding to overdose, administering naloxone, and performing clinical management of the patient. Little is known about the attitudes of EMS providers toward training drug users to use naloxone. We conducted an anonymous survey of 327 EMS providers to assess their attitudes toward a pilot naloxone program. Of 176 who completed the survey, the majority were male (79%) and Caucasian (75%). The average number of years working as an EMS provider was 7 (SD=6). Overall attitudes toward training drug users to administer naloxone were negative with 56% responding that this training would not be effective in reducing overdose deaths. Differences in attitudes did not vary by gender, level of training, or age. Providers with greater number of years working in EMS were more likely to view naloxone trainings as effective in reducing overdose death. Provider concerns included drug users’ inability to properly administer the drug, program condoning and promoting drug use, and unsafe disposal of used needles. Incorporating information about substance abuse and harm reduction approaches in continuing education classes may improve the attitudes of provider toward naloxone training programs.
Erratum to “Transplanted Sheets of Human Retina and Retinal Pigment Epithelium Develop Normally in Nude Rats” by R.B. Aramant and M.J. Seiler [Experimental Eye Research 75 (2002) 115–125]

PII of original article: S0014-4835(02)00125-2.* Address correspondence to: Magdalene Seiler, Department ofOphthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Louisville, School ofMedicine, 301 E. Muhammed Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY 40202, USA.E-mail address: magdalene.seiler@louisville.edu (M.J. Seiler).
Distributed automatic target recognition using multi-agent UAV swarms

In modern day warfare, reconnaissance operations such as automatic target recognition(ATR) using unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs) constitute a strategic war tactic. Traditionally, ATR is performed by UAVs that fly within the reconnaissance area to collect image data through sensors and upload the data to a central base station for analyzing and identifying potential targets. The centralized approach to ATR introduces several problems including scalability with the number of UAVs, network delays in communicating with the central location, and, susceptibility of the system to malicious attacks on the central location. These challenges can be addressed using a distributed system for performing ATR. In this paper, we describe a multi-agent system called COMSTAR-UAV (Cooperative Multi-agent System for automatic TArget Recognition using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) that uses swarming techniques inspired from insect colonies to perform ATR in a distributed manner.
Ion-exchange selectivity of diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and naproxen in ureolyzed human urine

This research advances the knowledge of ion-exchange of four non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - diclofenac (DCF), ibuprofen (IBP), ketoprofen (KTP), and naproxen (NPX) - and one analgesic drug-paracetamol (PCM) - by strong-base anion exchange resin (AER) in synthetic ureolyzed urine. Freundlich, Langmuir, Dubinin-Astakhov, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models were fit to experimental equilibrium data using nonlinear least squares method. Favorable ion-exchange was observed for DCF, KTP, and NPX, whereas unfavorable ion-exchange was observed for IBP and PCM. The ion-exchange selectivity of the AER was enhanced by van der Waals interactions between the pharmaceutical and AER as well as the hydrophobicity of the pharmaceutical. For instance, the high selectivity of the AER for DCF was due to the combination of Coulombic interactions between quaternary ammonium functional group of resin and carboxylate functional group of DCF, van der Waals interactions between polystyrene resin matrix and benzene rings of DCF, and possibly hydrogen bonding between dimethylethanol amine functional group side chain and carboxylate and amine functional groups of DCF. Based on analysis of covariance, the presence of multiple pharmaceuticals did not have a significant effect on ion-exchange removal when the NSAIDs were combined in solution. The AER reached saturation of the pharmaceuticals in a continuous-flow column at varying bed volumes following a decreasing order of DCF > NPX ≈ KTP > IBP. Complete regeneration of the column was achieved using a 5% (m/m) NaCl, equal-volume water-methanol solution. Results from multiple treatment and regeneration cycles provide insight into the practical application of pharmaceutical ion-exchange in ureolyzed urine using AER.
Fluorescence assessment of the maximum quantum efficiency of photosynthesis in the western North Atlantic

Abstract The maximum quantum efficiency (oII) of phytoplankton photosystem II photochemistry was assessed using a pump and probe fluorometer on an offshore-onshore transect from the oligotrophic blue waters of the western Sargasso Sea to the eutrophic waters of lower Delaware Bay. Low values of the ratio of variable to maximum fluorescence (Fv/Fm) of dark adapted samples provided evidence for reduced quantum efficiences surface waters (z = 10 m) of the Sargasso Sea. In contrast, higher values of Fv/Fm in estuarine samples indicated near maximal oII in lower Delaware Bay, with intermediate values of Fv/Fm observed over the continental shelf. Variations of Fv/Fm in surface samples (5 or 10 m depth)_were associated with changes in hydrographic features that were consistent with the hypothesis that reduced values of oII in Sargasso Sea surface waters were due to nutrient limitation of phytoplankton photosynthetic energy conversion. In contrast, Fv/Fm of samples collected from the chlorophyll maximum layer were independent of distance from shore and water mass characteristics.
The preparation and characterization of some rare earth picolinate complexes

Abstract Picolinate complexes of several members of the rare earth series have been prepared by precipitation from aqueous solution. Vacuum drying of the products at room temperature yielded monohydrates. In order to obtain anhydrous picolinates it was necessary to vacuum dry the monohydrates at 200°C for prolonged periods. I.R. spectra are reported for each of the compounds prepared.
rhs Genes Are Potential Markers for Multilocus Sequence Typing of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Strains

DNA sequence-based molecular subtyping methods such as multilocus sequence typing (MLST) are commonly used to generate phylogenetic inferences for monomorphic pathogens. The development of an effective MLST scheme for subtyping Escherichia coli O157:H7 has been hindered in the past due to the lack of sequence variation found within analyzed housekeeping and virulence genes. A recent study suggested that rhs genes are under strong positive selection pressure, and therefore in this study we analyzed these genes within a diverse collection of E. coli O157:H7 strains for sequence variability. Eighteen O157:H7 strains from lineages I and II and 15 O157:H7 strains from eight clades were included. Examination of these rhs genes revealed 44 polymorphic loci (PL) and 10 sequence types (STs) among the 18 lineage strains and 280 PL and 12 STs among the 15 clade strains. Phylogenetic analysis using rhs genes generally grouped strains according to their known lineage and clade classifications. These findings also suggested that O157:H7 strains from clades 6 and 8 fall into lineage I/II and that strains of clades 1, 2, 3, and 4 fall into lineage I. Additionally, unique markers were found in rhsA and rhsJ that might be used to define clade 8 and clade 6. Therefore, rhs genes may be useful markers for phylogenetic analysis of E. coli O157:H7.
Multi-scale modeling of polyimides

Abstract A coarse-grained model for a set of three polyimide isomers is developed. Each polyimide is comprised of 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and one of three APB isomers: 1,3-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene, 1,4-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene or 1,3-bis(3-aminophenoxy)benzene. The coarse-grained model is constructed as a series of linked vectors following the contour of the polymer backbone. Beads located at the midpoint of each vector define centers for long range interaction energies between monomer subunits. A bulk simulation of each coarse-grained polyimide model is performed with a dynamic Monte Carlo procedure. These coarse-grained models are then reverse-mapped to fully atomistic models. The coarse-grained models show the expected trends in decreasing chain dimensions with increasing meta linkage in the APB section of the repeat unit, although these differences were minor due to the relatively short chains simulated here. Considerable differences are seen among the dynamic Monte Carlo properties of the three polyimide isomers. Decreasing relaxation times are seen with increasing meta linkage in the APB section of the repeat unit. The packing behavior of the three isomers is compared with the atomistic and coarse-grained models.
Enabling Technologies for Next-Generation Optical Packet-Switching Networks

The optical packet-switching network is considered to be one of the most promising solutions for end-to-end delivery of high-bitrate data, video, and voice signals across optical networks of the future. Optical label switching (OLS) technology incurs simpler extraction and processing of the labels so that the optical packets can be routed with low latency to the destinations. We have developed several key enabling technologies for integrated optical networks, including optical label generation, label swapping, optical buffering, clock recovery, and wavelength conversion. We have designed and experimentally demonstrated these enabling techniques that can provide efficient broadband services in future optical networks
Maximum delay in buffered multistage interconnection networks

The author studies maximum delay in buffered multistage interconnection networks. His model differs from most in its assumptions about the traffic entering the network. Instead of using a stochastic model for the entering traffic, it is assumed that the entering traffic is unknown but satisfies certain regularity constraints. In case these constraints would not otherwise be satisfied, it is possible to devise and analyze processing (and the associated delay) that can be performed so that the constraints are satisfied. The constraints considered are well suited for bounding parameters of interest. For example, bounds on maximum network delay for each user of the network are easily obtained. The methods presented can be applied to a wide variety of models for network operation and configuration. >
LIDAR detection of plankton in the ocean

For a variety of oceanographic applications, airborne LIDAR is very attractive, because of its ability to cover large areas in a short amount of time and at low cost compared with traditional research vessel surveys. One application we have investigated is the detection of plankton in the ocean. We have found that zooplankton layers can be detected, structure within those layers can be tracked, and relative estimates of abundance can be made. This paper describes the NOAA LIDAR and some of the results related to detection of zooplankton in the upper ocean.
The Sociology of Political Representation and Deliberation

The language of democracy and citizenship is infused with a complicated idea: political representation. While political theorists have explored what representation and deliberation should be like, most research on how political discussion actually happens fails directly to address these theoretical standards. This article shows the importance of representation and deliberation to our contemporary ideas about democracy and citizenship. It shows that there is no clear line between deliberation and everyday conversation. Instead, everyday talk constitutes the foundation on top of which citizens build ideas about politics. These, in turn, are the bedrock of democratic representation.
Monoamine Oxidase in Schizophrenia: An Overview

by Richard Jed Wyatt,Steven G. Potkin,T. Peter Bridge,Bruce H. Phelps, andC. David WiseAbstractA brief history and summary ofstudies designed to elucidate therole of monoamine oxidase (MAO)in schizophrenia are presented. Themajority of these studies have re-ported a decrease in the platelet en-zyme activity of chronic schizo-phrenic patients when compared tocontrols. Difficulties encounteredwhen comparing MAO activity mea-sured in different patient popula-tions are also considered. Finally,the significance of decreased plateletMAO activity is discussed with re-spect to its possible etiological rolein some forms of schizophrenia.We began our examination ofmonoamine oxidase (MAO) inschizophrenic patients in an attemptto understand another phenomenon.We had noted (Wyatt, Saavedra, andAxelrod 1973b) that an enzyme (anonspecific methyltransferase) in theplatelet, which seemed capable offorming the hallucinogen dimethyl-tryptamine (DMT) from tryptamine(Wyatt, Saavedra, and Axelrod1973b), was more active in schizo-phrenic patients than in controls. Weknew of few clinical situations inwhich an enzyme was more active ina disease state; usually, the activity isdecreased. One reason for this ap-parent increase in activity, wethought, might be a decrease inanother enzyme involved in tryp-tamine metabolism. The other impor-tant enzyme was, of course, MAO,and Dr. Murphy had already demon-strated a decrease in its activity insome patients with affective disor-ders (Murphy and Weiss 1972).As we began to notice thatschizophrenic patients' platelet MAOactivity as a group was lower thanthat in controls, we recalled thatBirkhauser (1940) had seen the samephenomenon in autopsied brains ofschizophrenics [a number of sub-sequent studies (Wyatt and Murphy1975) have
Low-cost microwave/millimeter-wave impedance measuring scheme using a three-probe microstrip circuit

A simple, compact, and low-cost three-probe microstrip impedance measuring scheme has been developed. The impedance of an unknown load can be determined by measuring the coupling power levels at the three probes. The algorithm, formulas, and bandwidth criteria developed are very simple and can be easily used. The power coupling is arbitrary, and no precise directional coupler is required. Using a switch, only one power meter is needed to detect the output power levels of the three probes. The phase information is obtained by amplitude measurement. A detailed analysis and calibration method are developed. The calibration is based on three known standards (a short, an open, and a matched load). The reflection coefficient is calculated from power measurements at three locations along a uniform line terminated by an unknown load. The operating frequency bandwidth depends on the selection of probe locations. A prototype device has been built at X-band. >
Determinants of disability in older coronary patients

Abstract Background Patient-reported physical function is a major component of disability determinations and an important contributor to health-related quality of life. Prior studies of coronary disability have shown a surprisingly poor correlation between real-life activity profile and exercise capacity measured on the treadmill. The goal of the current investigation was to evaluate the relative importance of medical factors, sex, fitness-related measures, and psychologic factors as determinants of patient-reported physical function score in older persons with established coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods Determinants of disability were studied in 51 community-dwelling patients >65 years old (71 ± 5 years, range 65-83 years) with established chronic CHD. Patient-reported physical function score (scaled 0-100) was measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form physical function section. Independent variables included clinical and demographic data, treadmill testing, rest and exercise echocardiography, measures of body composition, strength, aerobic fitness, and a depression score. Results Patients with a diagnosis of myocardial infarction had a lower physical function score than did patients with other CHD diagnoses (68 ± 19 vs 82 ± 22, P R = 0.62), treadmill test duration ( R = 0.61), depression score ( R = –0.60), handgrip strength ( R = 0.42), and comorbidity score ( R = –0.39). Peak aerobic capacity ( R 2 = 0.38) and depression score (cumulative R 2 = 0.60) were the best independent predictors of physical function. Women had lower physical function scores than men (64 ± 22 vs 78 ± 20, P Conclusions Peak aerobic capacity and depression score were the best independent predictors of patient-reported physical function score in older coronary patients. These data focus on the potential for exercise training and treatment of mental depression to prevent and treat coronary disability in older coronary patients. (Am Heart J 2002;143:151-6.)
Surprising facts about implementing ERP

An ERP environment emphasizes constant change and reassessment of organizational processes and strategic vendor alliances. Processes are standardized, but they aren't static. Unlike the legacy systems that inhibit making changes, regular ERP updates force change on already dynamic organizations. The real difficulty in implementing an ERP isn't because it's a new system or because it means making changes. The challenge is that it instills discipline into an undisciplined organization. And while it helps the organization as a whole respond to changes in market demands and customer needs, employees don't necessarily see this cultural change as an improvement.
Increased Environmental Uncertainty and Changes in Board Linkage Patterns

Increases in competitive uncertainty and resource dependence accompanied the deregulation of the airline industry. In such a situation, firms might use interlocking among boards of directors as a c...
Setting Reactions in Dental Amalgam Part 1. Phases and Microstructures Between One Hour and One Week

The literature on the setting mechanisms of dental amalgams made from powders of silver-rich alloys of tin and/or copper has been critically reviewed. In Part 1 of the review, the microstructure and phase content of recently set amalgams are described. The composition, morphology, and location of product phases are emphasized, since these features are clues to the setting reaction. Thus, Part 1 provides the background needed to understand the kinetics of the setting reactions, which is the topic of Part 2 of the review.
Optical arbitrary waveform generation based optical-label switching transmitter with all-optical label extraction

This paper introduces a modulation-format transparent optical-label switching transmitter based on optical arbitrary waveform generation. Packets consisting of 100 Gb/s payloads with 40 Gb/s labels and all-optical label extraction are demonstrated.
Causal modeling of secondary science students' intentions to enroll in physics

The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of the theory of planned behavior model developed by social psychologists for understanding and predicting the behavioral intentions of secondary science students regarding enrolling in physics. In particular, the study used a three-stage causal model to investigate the links from external variables to behavioral, normative, and control beliefs; from beliefs to attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control; and from attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control to behavioral intentions. The causal modeling method was employed to verify the underlying causes of secondary science students' interest in enrolling physics as predicted in the theory of planned behavior. Data were collected from secondary science students (N = 264) residing in a central Texas city who were enrolled in earth science (8th grade), biology (9th grade), physical science (10th grade), or chemistry (11th grade) courses. Cause-and-effect relationships were analyzed using path analysis to test the direct effects of model variables specified in the theory of planned behavior. Results of this study indicated that students' intention to enroll in a high school physics course was determined by their attitude toward enrollment and their degree of perceived behavioral control. Attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control were, in turn, formed as a result of specific beliefs that students held about enrolling in physics. Grade level and career goals were found to be instrumental in shaping students' attitude. Immediate family members were identified as major referents in the social support system for enrolling in physics. Course and extracurricular conflicts and the fear of failure were shown to be the primary beliefs obstructing students' perception of control over physics enrollment. Specific recommendations are offered to researchers and practitioners for strengthening secondary school students' intentions to study physics.
Aromatic Amino Acids Required for Pili Conductivity and Long-Range Extracellular Electron Transport in Geobacter sulfurreducens

It has been proposed that Geobacter sulfurreducens requires conductive pili for long-range electron transport to Fe(III) oxides and for high-density current production in microbial fuel cells. In order to investigate this further, we constructed a strain of G. sulfurreducens, designated Aro-5, which produced pili with diminished conductivity. This was accomplished by modifying the amino acid sequence of PilA, the structural pilin protein. An alanine was substituted for each of thefive aromatic amino acids in the carboxyl terminus of PilA, the region in which G. sulfurreducens PilA differs most significantly from the PilAs of microorganisms incapable of long-range extracellular electron transport. Strain Aro-5 produced pili that were properly deco- rated with the multiheme c-type cytochrome OmcS, which is essential for Fe(III) oxide reduction. However, pili preparations of the Aro-5 strain had greatly diminished conductivity and Aro-5 cultures were severely limited in their capacity to reduce Fe(III) compared to the control strain. Current production of the Aro-5 strain, with a graphite anode serving as the electron acceptor, was less than 10% of that of the control strain. The conductivity of the Aro-5 biofilms was 10-fold lower than the control strain's. These results demonstrate that the pili of G. sulfurreducens must be conductive in order for the cells to be effective in extracellu- lar long-range electron transport. IMPORTANCE Extracellular electron transfer by Geobacterspecies plays an important role in the biogeochemistry of soils and sed- iments and has a number of bioenergy applications. For example, microbial reduction of Fe(III) oxide is one of the most geo- chemically significant processes in anaerobic soils, aquatic sediments, and aquifers, and Geobacterorganisms are often abundant in such environments. Geobacter sulfurreducens produces the highest current densities of any known pure culture, and close relatives are often the most abundant organisms colonizing anodes in microbial fuel cells that harvest electricity from wastewa- ter or aquatic sediments. The finding that a strain of G. sulfurreducens that produces pili with low conductivity is limited in these extracellular electron transport functions provides further insight into these environmentally significant processes.
Autonomic Nervous System Pharmacogenomics: A Progress Report

Pharmacogenetics, the inherited basis for interindividual differences in drug response, has rapidly expanded with the advent of new molecular tools and the sequencing of the human genome, yielding pharmacogenomics. We review here recent ideas and findings regarding pharmacogenomics of components of the autonomic nervous system, in particular, neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, postsynaptic receptors with which the parasympathetic and sympathetic neurotransmitters, acetylcholine (ACh) and norepinephrine, respectively, interact. The receptor subtypes that mediate these responses, M(1-3) muscarinic cholinergic receptors (mAChRs), and alpha(1A,B,D)-, alpha(2A,B,C)-, and beta(1,2,3)-adrenergic receptors (AR), show highly variable expression of genetic variants; variants of mAChRs and alpha(1)-ARs are relatively rare, whereas alpha(2)-AR and beta-AR subtype variants are quite common. The largest amount of data is available regarding variants of the latter ARs and represents efforts to associate certain receptor genotypes, most commonly, single nucleotide polymorphisms, with particular phenotypes (e.g., cardiovascular and metabolic responses). In vitro and in vivo studies have yielded inconsistent results; definitive conclusions are limited. We identify several conceptual and methodological problems with available data: sample size, ethnicity, tissue differences, coding versus noncoding variants, limited studies of haplotypes, and interaction among variants. Thus, although progress has been made in identifying genetic variation that influences drug response fo autonomic nervous system components, we are still at the early stages of defining the most critical genetic determinants and their role in human physiology and pharmacology.
Innervation of the supranasal sac of the puff adder.

Many snakes of the subfamily Viperinae (true, or OldWorld, vipers) possess a supranasal sac, a recess beneaththesupranasalscalewhoseinconspicuousslit-likeopeninglies between the supranasal and nasal scales (Boulenger,1896; Schmidt, 1930; Parker, 1932). A supranasal sac isalso found beneath the internasal scale and openingbetween it and the nasal scale in the related subfamilyCausinae (night adders) (Lynn, 1935). Parker (1932) andLynn (1935) found that the region of the supranasal sacwas innervated by the ophthalmic division of the trigemi-nal nerve (V1), but they were unable to ﬁnd nerve endingson the epithelium of the sac. Nevertheless, they believedthat the supranasal sac had a sensory function. Sharingtheir belief, we have searched for nerve endings on thesupranasal sac of the puff adder,
Cloud-to-ground lightning downwind of the 2002 Hayman forest fire in Colorado

[1] The Hayman forest fire occurred near Denver, burning ∼138,000 acres during 8 June–2 July 2002. It produced aerosol that filled the troposphere over Colorado, allowing an investigation of the effects of increased aerosol concentration on cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning polarity. Compared to climatological values over eastern Colorado, the 2002 fire period showed enhancements in satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD; up to 0.4 units greater), and the percentage of +CG lightning more than doubled in the domain average. However, spatial patterns were different in the fire's vicinity, with increases in AOD but not in +CGs. Denver soundings during the fire were compared to climatology, and showed environmental differences that are associated with increased +CG percentage, in particular higher cloud base and reduced warm-cloud depth. Thus, our findings provide only mixed support for the idea that smoke aerosols impact CG polarity, and suggest a possible link between drought conditions and increased +CG percentage.
Bridging the gap between statistical analysis and decision making in public health research

Statisticians have eagerly taken on the role of presenting statistical summaries of quantitative data. In areas of health, this means providing point and interval estimates for quantities of interest such as diagnostic risks and treatment effects or providing curve estimates for quantities of interest such as survival probabilities across time. Methods for providing such summaries are highly formalized and constantly evolving. While decision making is the incentive for nearly all such efforts, the process that transforms statistical summaries into decisions usually remains informal and ad hoc. Statisticians have not eagerly accepted the role of promoting formalized decision-theoretic techniques. This paper will argue that the gap between statistical synthesis and decision making is an unnatural and undesirable one, because it undermines the impact of quantitative information. An argument for bridging the gap by expanding the role of statisticians will be presented.
Highly Polarized Single-Chip ELED Sources Using Oppositely Strained MQW Emitters and Absorbers

Integrated polarizer components with polarization extinctions 40 dB are desirable for state-of-the-art photonic integrated circuits. We demonstrate 60-dB polarization extinction from a single-chip InGaAsP-InP broadband source by combining an edge light-emitting diode consisting of compressively strained quantum wells (QWs) with an absorber consisting of tensile strained QWs. A 600-m polarizer exhibits only 5 dB of insertion loss.
A WEE1 Inhibitor Analog of AZD1775 Maintains Synergy with Cisplatin and Demonstrates Reduced Single-Agent Cytotoxicity in Medulloblastoma Cells

The current treatment for medulloblastoma includes surgical resection, radiation, and cytotoxic chemotherapy. Although this approach has improved survival rates, the high doses of chemotherapy required for clinical efficacy often result in lasting neurocognitive defects and other adverse events. Therefore, the development of chemosensitizing agents that allow dose reductions of cytotoxic agents, limiting their adverse effects but maintaining their clinical efficacy, would be an attractive approach to treat medulloblastoma. We previously identified WEE1 kinase as a new molecular target for medulloblastoma from an integrated genomic analysis of gene expression and a kinome-wide siRNA screen of medulloblastoma cells and tissue. In addition, we demonstrated that WEE1 prevents DNA damage-induced cell death by cisplatin and that the WEE1 inhibitor AZD1775 displays synergistic activity with cisplatin. AZD1775 was developed as a WEE1 inhibitor from an initial hit from a high-throughput screen. However, given the lack of structure-activity data for AZD1775, we developed a small series of analogs to determine the requirements for WEE1 inhibition and further examine the effects of WEE1 inhibition in medulloblastoma. Interestingly, the compounds that inhibited WEE1 in the same nanomolar range as AZD1775 had significantly reduced single-agent cytotoxicity compared with AZD1775 and displayed synergistic activity with cisplatin in medulloblastoma cells. The potent cytotoxicity of AZD1775, unrelated to WEE1 inhibition, may result in dose-limiting toxicities and exacerbate adverse effects; therefore, WEE1 inhibitors that demonstrate low cytotoxicity could be dosed at higher concentrations to chemosensitize the tumor and potentiate the effect of DNA-damaging agents such as cisplatin.
Islam, Ethnicity, and Global Engagement

Religious revivalism and ethnicity have unclear consequences for Muslims' engagement with different global communities. For instance, while religious revivalism may increase the salience of relations with the Muslim world, this need not come at the expense of the salience of relations with other global communities. This is because political identities are both multidimensional and non-exclusive, two features that existing empirical research on political identity has not adequately captured. Analyzing original survey data from Indonesia using statistical techniques that preserve both the multidimensionality and non-exclusivity of political identity, this paper shows that religion has a cosmopolitan rather than particularistic influence on public opinion about global engagement among Indonesian Muslims. Javanese ethnicity has a countervailing relationship on engagement with the Muslim world, but not with other global communities. These findings contribute to important debates on religion and global public opinion in the Muslim world, as well as to recent debates in Indonesian studies about the relative salience of religion versus region. Methodologically, they introduce new empirical tools for scholars of political identity (and other multidimensional, non-exclusive ordered choice problems) that match the conceptual bases of contemporary research.
Strategic CRM: Improving the Business of Academic Libraries

An argument can be made that libraries are businesses, with users as their customers. Given the increasing scarcity of funding and pressure for proving value, academic libraries could benefit from leveraging certain business practices to increase user satisfaction. Creating a comprehensive strategy for building long-term user relationships can solidify support for libraries by engaging with all stakeholders to improve their library experiences. The Customer Relationship Management philosophy described here provides an opportunity for institutions to show their total value to all users and stakeholders and in doing so, improve the business of academic libraries.