cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Corporate legal structure and bank loan spread

Abstract This study examines how a firm's corporate legal structure may affect its borrowing costs. Corporate legal structure refers to the legal fragmentation of a firm into multiple, separately incorporated entities. This fragmentation is bound to be a factor when lenders determine the pricing of debt and design of contract terms because they can enter into legally enforceable agreements only with specific legal entities. Using a sample of private loans to parent companies in the United States, I find that a more complex corporate legal structure is associated with higher loan spread. The findings are robust to several firm and loan characteristics and are incremental to the effects of other forms of organizational structure, namely business and geographic diversification. Subsequent evidence suggests that the effect of a corporate legal structure on borrowing costs is, at least partly, explained by recovery risk.
Stable isotopic signatures in modern wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) hairs as telltale biomarkers of nutritional stress

Assessing the challenges faced by wildlife populations is key to providing effective management but is problematic when dealing with populations in remote locations. Analyses of the stable carbon a...
Pat Greene: From Jarhead to Egghead

This case challenges the adage, “You can take a man out of the Marines, but you can't take the Marines out of the man.” Newly transitioning as a Marine officer into his first civilian job, Pat Greene will need to learn how to flex his leadership communication style to meet the demands of his new work culture. The case illustrates the contingent and situational nature of effective communication, or in other words, how a communication style that may be highly effective in one context can be a real misfit in another. This case is designed to introduce a model for communication strategy that takes into account the influence of context, work culture, and role expectations on leadership voice and style. The model can be used to (1) analyze how things got to where they are, and (2) coach Greene to modify his style intentionally for better results in the future. Key discussion points may include (1) contrasting communicating out of habit to communicating with awareness and intention; (2) the value of style flexing effectively across contexts, audiences, and situations; and (3) the pros and cons of “tell/sell” and “consult/join” approaches. This case is suitable for traditional MBA and executive audiences, particularly ones that include a significant number of transitioning military and/or “career switching” learners. Excerpt UVA-BC-0271 Rev. Dec. 1, 2020 Pat Greene: From Jarhead to Egghead As Pat Greene climbed into his car, he smiled wryly to himself. Only a moment before, his wife had playfully reminded him: “You know, Pat, today you go from being a jarhead to an egghead. I know you can do it. Good luck today!” With that she had given him a big kiss, and he was on his way. Today, in late September 2016, would be Greene's first day as director of content development at DoDApps, a small start-up in Tyson's Corner, Virginia, that contracted with the US Department of Defense (DoD). “So much change at once,” he thought to himself. “Business school, separating from the Marines, and now a new job, all in a matter of months.” And Stacy's baby bump was just starting to show; in five more months, he would be a new dad. In his driveway in Ashburn, Virginia, Greene studied alternate routes on his car's GPS. Normally, he would want to choose the fastest route to work. Today, however, he wanted to give himself plenty of time. Washington metro traffic was notoriously hard to predict. But more importantly, he wanted to use his drive time for putting on his game face. He'd heard stories from other transitioning military members, so he knew leading in the civilian world would be different. But just how different remained to be seen. . . .
Assessment of preceptor understanding and use of levels of entrustment.

Abstract Introduction This study determined the need to calibrate preceptors' use of levels of entrustment (LOE) in the evaluation of students performing entrustable professional activities (EPAs). Methods Two introductory and four advanced pharmacy practice experience-focused cases were developed which described a fictional student, a practice site, and timing of a rotation. The cases included EPA-based tasks assigned to the student. Participants were to assign a LOE to the student for each EPA-based task. Results Sixty of 317 preceptors participated in the study. Statistically significant differences in mean assigned LOE were found between preceptors by age (P Conclusions Differences in assigned LOE were found based upon preceptor age, completion of a residency, and daily hours spent with experiential students. However, these differences did not result in changes to whether the student would pass or fail the rotation. Findings suggest that preceptors are consistent in assigning LOE to EPA-based tasks performed by students. In addition, preceptor development programming appears to be effective in establishing a standardized understanding of LOE among preceptors.
Reverse End-to-Side (Supercharging) Nerve Transfer: Conceptualization, Validation, and Translation:

Partial nerve recovery either after expectant observation following an injury in-continuity or after nerve repair is not an uncommon occurrence. Historically, treatment strategies in these situations-late repair, revision repair, or acceptance of a mediocre result-were unsatisfying. The reverse end-to-side, or supercharging, nerve transfer was conceived to offer a more palatable option. Partially validated primarily through small animal research, supercharging has been rapidly translated to clinical practice. Many have extended the indications beyond the original intent, though the final place of this technique in the peripheral nerve surgeon's armamentarium is still yet to be determined.
STOCK MARKET VOLATILITY: A COMPARISON OF COMPUTER AND CELLULAR HARDWARE COMPANIES

Stock market volatility has been omnipresent in the information technology sector. This manuscript compares the stock performance of computer and cellular hardware companies across six different twenty-month periods between the years 1996-2006. The focus periods include the browser era, the Y2K era, the post-Y2K era, the post-9/11 era, the outsourcing era and the mobile/wireless era. The lowest stock market returns are in the Y2K or post-9/11 eras for all eight firms. The highest stock market returns for the eight companies in the study focus on four different eras. The results imply that while computer and cellular hardware companies have a tendency to decline in price in a down market, positive return periods in a bull market are not highly correlated within the industry. JEL: D0; G1; L8
Improving the Language Skills of Pre-kindergarten Students: Preliminary Impacts of the Let’s Know! Experimental Curriculum

Improving children’s oral language skills is an important focus of educational research and practice; however, relatively few interventions have demonstrated impacts on these skills. This work makes a unique contribution to our understanding of the effects of language-focused interventions in pre-kindergarten settings by examining impacts on both lower- and higher-level language skills as well as overall language comprehension. The goal is to assess the impacts of business-as-usual pre-kindergarten with implementation of two versions of an experimental curriculum supplement, Let’s Know!, designed to enhance three component language skills (vocabulary, comprehension monitoring, and text-structure knowledge) and overall language comprehension in pre-kindergarteners. Eleven pre-kindergarten teachers and 49 low socioeconomic-status students participated. Teachers were randomly assigned to either business-as-usual, Let’s Know! Broad, or Let’s Know! Deep, unless they participated in a previous pilot study, in which case they were randomly assigned to either Let’s Know! Broad or Deep. The Broad version included five different lesson types, whereas the Deep version included three lesson types with additional practice. Children’s gains were assessed proximally with measures of vocabulary, comprehension monitoring, and text-structure knowledge and distally with a measure of language comprehension. Children in both experimental versions significantly improved their vocabulary skills relative to children who received business-as-usual instruction. For comprehension monitoring, children who received the Deep and Broad versions improved their scores relative to BAU children for Units 1 and 3, respectively. Improvement in language comprehension was only found for children who received Let’s Know! Deep compared with business-as-usual. This study provides initial evidence that the Let’s Know! curricula may serve to foster young children’s vocabulary, comprehension monitoring, and language comprehension skills.
Accelerated insulin aggregation under alternating current electric fields: Relevance to amyloid kinetics

The time-dependent nucleation phase is critical to amyloid fibrillation and related to many pathologies, in which the conversion from natively folded amyloidogenic proteins to oligomers via nucleation is often hypothesized as a possible underlying mechanism. In this work, non-uniform AC-electric fields across two asymmetric electrodes were explored to control and examine the aggregation of insulin, a model amyloid protein, in aqueous buffer solution at constant temperature (20 °C) by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy. Insulin was rapidly concentrated in a strong AC-field by imposed AC-electroosmosis flow over an optimal frequency range of 0.5–2 kHz. In the presence of an AC-field, direct fibrillation from insulin monomers without the formation of oligomer precursors was observed. Once the insulin concentration had nearly doubled its initial concentration, insulin aggregates were observed in solution. The measured lag time for the onset of insulin aggregation, determined from the abrupt reduction in insulin concentration in solution, was significantly shortened from months or years in the absence of AC-fields to 1 min–3 h under AC-fields. The ability of external fields to alter amyloid nucleation kinetics provides insights into the onset of amyloid fibrillation.
In Brief: Proposed European space missions

New candidates for possible future scientific missions were selected by the European Space Agency’s Space Science Advisory Committee at its 17–18 October meeting. Among the eight candidates are four solar system missions. The Laplace mission would perform coordinated observations of Europa, the Jovian satellites, Jupiter’s magnetosphere, and its atmosphere and interior. Tandem is a mission that would explore two Saturn satellites—Titan and Enceladus—in situ and from orbit to investigate their origins, interiors, and evolution as well as their astrobiological potential.
Suppositories as Drug Delivery Systems

Suppositories are dosage forms inserted into body cavities, most commonly the rectum, to deliver drugs to the systemic circulation and/or local tissues. Suppositories can be valuable additions to the symptom control armamentarium, especially for patients unable to take drugs orally due to nausea and vomiting, advanced disease, or neurological deficit. In recent years, prescribers have increasingly requested that pharmacists prepare extemporaneous suppository dosage forms for symptom control medications. But because these dosage forms are not commonly compounded today, many prescribers who order the drugs, pharmacists who compound them, and nurses who administer them are unfamiliar with the criteria for properly formulated suppositories. This paper describes appropriate methods for compounding of rectal, vaginal, and other types of suppositories. It provides information useful to prescribers, compounders, and all health care personnel involved in the provision of medications.
Comprehending Quantum Theory from Quantum Fields

At the primary level of reality as described by quantum field theory, a fundamental particle like an electron represents a stable, discrete, propagating excited state of its underlying quantum field. QFT also tells us that the lowest vacuum state as well as the excited states of such a field is always very active with spontaneous, unpredictable quantum fluctuations. Also an underlying quantum field is known to be indestructible and immutable possessing the same value in each element of spacetime comprising the universe. These characteristics of the primary quantum fields together with the fact that the quantum fluctuations can be cogently substantiated to be quantum coherent throughout the universe provide a possible ontology of the quantum theory. In this picture, the wave function of a quantum particle represents the reality of the inherent quantum fluctuations at the core of the universe and endows the particle its counter intuitive quantum behavior.
A Closed-Form Solution to the Liquidity Discount Problem: With an Application to the Liquidity Crisis

During the recent financial crisis, we witnessed unprecedented compressions of asset prices. In a recent paper, Chen [2012] proposed a liquidity discount model that can successfully explain large price falls. In this article, we provide alternative valuations to the Chen model. Building on the same framework, we provide a new polynomial representation of the liquidity discount. We also simplify the Chen model to a closed-form solution in a situation where there is no trading in the marketplace. We demonstrate in analytical forms that convexity in a security payoff is absolutely positively related to liquidity discounts. Finally, we contribute to the literature in relating the Chen model to trading volume (e.g., Karpoff [1986, 1987]). Using the price and trading volume data of the nine largest financial firms in the United States, we find strong support of the Chen model.
Simulation optimization with countably infinite feasible regions: Efficiency and convergence

This article is concerned with proving the almost sure and global convergence of a broad class of algorithms for solving simulation optimization problems with countably infinite number of feasible points. We first describe the class of simulation optimization algorithms under consideration and discuss how the estimate of the optimal solution should be chosen when the feasible region of the underlying optimization problem is countably infinite. Then, we present a general result that guarantees the global convergence with probability one of the simulation optimization algorithms in this class. The assumptions of this result are sufficiently weak to allow the algorithms under consideration to be efficient, in that they are not required to either allocate the same amount of computer effort to all the feasible points these algorithms visit, or to spend an increasing amount of computer effort per iteration as the number of iterations grows. This article concludes with a discussion of how our assumptions can be satisfied and also generalized.
LONGITUDINAL RELATIONS AMONG INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT AND IDENTITY DURING THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF COLLEGE: A STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING ANALYSIS

This study examined the relationship between intellectual development and identity from the beginning of the student's freshman year in college to the end of the sophomore year. Hierarchical structural equation modeling was performed on the data utilizing LISREL VI. The optimal structural model included significant positive longitudinal paths from time one to time two for both intellectual development and identity. In addition, the cross-lagged path from identity to intellectual development was significant and positive. The results of this investigation suggest that one's sense of identity as a college freshman plays an important role in his or her intellectual development at the end of the sophomore year. Results for intervention possibilities and further research are discussed.
Different effects of 1, 10-phenanthroline on chronic liver injury induced by dimethylnitrosamine or ethionine in rats

Abstract Although 1, 10-phenanthroline (1, 10-P, 2 mg/100 g) prevents acute liver injury induced by dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), it does not protect female rats against liver damage caused by chronic treatment with DMN (2 mg/ 100 g). Liver damage was ascertained by measuring distribution and total activity of β-glucuronidase, rate of collagen synthesis, total collagen content of the liver, and amount of isocitric dehydrogenase (ICDH) in the serum. However, after simultaneous treatment with 1, 10-P and DMN for three weeks, the total amount of noncollagenous liver proteins and of microsomal protein and aniline hydroxylase activity were higher than in livers of rats receiving DMN alone. The proliferation of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum in livers of dogs treated for a 14-week period with 1, 10-P was demonstrated by ultrastructural techniques. Chronic liver injury induced by feeding female rats with a 0.3% d, 1-ethionine diet for five weeks was prevented by simultaneous administration of 1, 10-P (2 mg/100 g, i.p. 3 times weekly). It is suggested that when administered chronically, 1, 10-P acts as an inducer of the liver microsomal system and therefore increases the activity of liver mixed-function oxidases. This explains why chronic administration of 1, 10-P does not protect rats against injury caused by DMN. Ethionine hepatotoxicity, which does not seem to be related to the microsomal activity, is substantially decreased by as yet unknown mechanisms.
Latencies for chromatic and achromatic visual mechanisms.

Abstract Relative visual onset latency and offset latency (visual persistence) were measured (using perceived simultaneity methodsl for pulsed chromatic stimuli presented under two conditions: as luminance increments of 0.2 or 0.3 log unit above a prevailing achromatic background field, or in hue substitution , matched in luminance to the achromatic field so as to eliminate spatio-temporal luminance transients. In the first experiment, for the hue substitution condition, both onset and offset latencies were found to be slow relative to latencies for the increment condition, and varied with wavelength according to a function resembling trichromatic saturation discrimination (slowest latency at 570 nm). Latencies to increment pulses of equal luminance did not vary with wavelength. In a second experiment, offset latency was measured as a function of pulse duration and pulse luminance level. The observed decrease in offset latency with pulse duration was markedly steeper at short pulse durations for chromatic increments than for hue substitution stimuli. Offset latency decreased with increasing pulse luminance for incremental stimuli but not for hue substitution stimuli. These results are interpreted as reflecting the temporal response properties of chromatic neural mechanisms (the hue substitution data) and the achromatic mechanism (the increment data).
A Conserved Role for Human Nup98 in Altering Chromatin Structure and Promoting Epigenetic Transcriptional Memory

The interaction of nuclear pore proteins (Nups) with active genes can promote their transcription. In yeast, some inducible genes interact with the nuclear pore complex both when active and for several generations after being repressed, a phenomenon called epigenetic transcriptional memory. This interaction promotes future reactivation and requires Nup100, a homologue of human Nup98. A similar phenomenon occurs in human cells; for at least four generations after treatment with interferon gamma (IFN-γ), many IFN-γ-inducible genes are induced more rapidly and more strongly than in cells that have not previously been exposed to IFN-γ. In both yeast and human cells, the recently expressed promoters of genes with memory exhibit persistent dimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me2) and physically interact with Nups and a poised form of RNA polymerase II. However, in human cells, unlike yeast, these interactions occur in the nucleoplasm. In human cells transiently depleted of Nup98 or yeast cells lacking Nup100, transcriptional memory is lost; RNA polymerase II does not remain associated with promoters, H3K4me2 is lost, and the rate of transcriptional reactivation is reduced. These results suggest that Nup100/Nup98 binding to recently expressed promoters plays a conserved role in promoting epigenetic transcriptional memory.
Effect of a standard exercise protocol on shoulder pain in long-term wheelchair users

Purpose: To analyze the effectiveness of a 6-month exercise protocol on shoulder pain experienced by wheelchair users during functional activities. Subjects: Forty-two wheelchair users, 35 males and seven females: average age of 35 years and an average duration of wheelchair use of 14 years. Methods: Subjects were randomly assigned to treatment (n=21) and control (n=21) groups. The treatment group received instruction in five shoulder exercises which they performed daily for 6 months. The exercise protocol included two exercises for stretching anterior shoulder musculature and three exercises for strengthening posterior shoulder musculature. Outcome measures: All subjects completed a self-report questionnaire and the Wheelchair Users Shoulder Pain Index (WUSPI) initially and at bimonthly intervals during the 6-month intervention. Results: Seventy-five per cent of the subjects reported a history of shoulder pain since beginning wheelchair use. The average initial performance-corrected (PC-WUSPI) score of the 42 subjects was 17.7 (±21.3) with a range of 0–103.2 points. Over 83% of the subjects (35 of 42) completed the 6-month study. Subjects in the treatment group decreased their PC-WUSPI score by an average of 39.9%, compared to decreases of only 2.5% in the control group. Conclusions: These findings supported the effectiveness of this exercise protocol in decreasing the intensity of shoulder pain which interferes with functional activity in wheelchair users.
Breast Tumor Biochemical Responses to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Can Be Observed Using Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy

Non-invasive measurements of near-infrared absorption and scattering coefficients reveal important early physiologic changes in tumors in response to pre-surgical (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy. Such early biochemical changes could be used to predict final pathological outcome.
A comparison of secondary ion and photon yields from ion bombarded CuNi alloys

Abstract The secondary ion and photon yields produced by 7 keV Ar + ion bombardment of a series of polycrystalline CuNi alloys under ultrahigh vacuum conditions have been compared. By measuring the relative alloy sputtering rates and the ion and photon yields at steady state conditions, the matrix effects on both relative ionization and excitation probabilities have been investigated. The Ni excitation and ionization efficiencies decrease when Cu is alloyed with Ni. On the other hand, the addition of Ni to Cu initially depresses the Cu ionization and excitation efficiencies. These efficiencies are subsequently enhanced as the Ni content of the alloy is increased. The ratio of both ion and photon emission probabilities of Cu compared to Ni remains independent of alloy composition, i.e. yields are similarly enhanced from the same surface. The initial decrease in yields from the low Ni content alloys makes predictions about the nature of the enhancement mechanism difficult. These results do not favour any simple surface electronic structure model.
Effects of cell concentration and exogenous prostaglandin on the interaction and responsiveness of human peripheral blood leukocytes

Abstract The role of cell-to-cell interactions and the effects of endogenous and exogenous prostaglandin on the mitogenic and antigenic responsiveness of peripheral blood leukocytes from five adult human subjects were evaluated. Cells were activated by phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or a homogenate of Actinomyces viscosus (AVIS), a gram-positive suspected pathogen, in the presence or absence of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) or indomethacin. A cell concentration range from 0.1 to 10 × 105 was studied using flat-bottom microtest wells. Cells from all five donors, who ranged in age from 33 to 46 years and who were healthy and clinically and radiographically free of inflammatory periodontal disease, could be induced to respond to AVIS blastogenically by increasing the cell concentration. PGE2 at 10 μM suppressed responsiveness to AVIS at all cell concentrations, while the PHA response was suppressed at some concentrations and enhanced at others. Regression analysis of the log-log transformation of the data indicated that a single cell type may be responsible for the PHA response. In contrast, the responses to AVIS appeared to be more complex. In order to obtain a significant DNA synthetic response, 5- to 10-fold more cells were required than for PHA, and two cell types participated.
Medial Locking Plate Versus Screw Fixation for Fixation of the Ludloff Osteotomy

A prospective cohort study of the Ludloff osteotomy, stabilized with either lag screws or a locking plate, was undertaken from May 2001 to November 2010, involving patients treated for hallux valgus with a first intermetatarsal angle greater than 15°. All patients were assessed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) and Roles and Maudsley scores before and after surgery. The cohort included 119 procedures in 112 patients, 91 (76.47%) of which were fixated with lag screws and 28 (23.53%) with locking plates. The participants were categorized as active (n = 69 procedures) or athletic (n = 50 procedures). The overall mean patient age was 45.5 ± 14.2 years. No statistically significant differences were found between the fixation groups relative to age, preoperative AOFAS and Roles and Maudsley scores, and postoperative AOFAS scores. Postoperatively, the mean Roles and Maudsley score for the lag screw group was 1.8 ± 0.6 and that for the locking plate group was 2.2 ± 0.7 (p < .009). In both groups, the AOFAS scores improved significantly (p < .0001) after surgery. The mean interval to return to activity in the athletes was 3.6 ± 1.1 months and was 3.9 ± 1.2 weeks in the active group (p = .16). Also, 4 of the active patients (5.8%) failed to return to their desired activity level. Overall, 6 (5%) recurrent hallux valgus deformities were observed, 5 (4.2%) in the lag screw group and 1 (.8%) in the locking plate group (p = .57). Of the 6 recurrences, 5 occurred (4.2%) in patients older than 50 years (p = .05).
Evaluation of the oxidation of organic compounds by aqueous suspensions of photosensitized hydroxylated-C60 fullerene aggregates.

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiated polyhydroxylated fullerene (fullerol) nanomaterials are examined for their potential to degrade organic compounds via reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated by a photosensitization process. Organic compounds were selected for their sensitivity to individual species of reactive oxygen (hydroxyl radical (·OH−) for degradation of salicylic acid (SA); singlet oxygen (1O2) for degradation of 2-chlorophenol (2CP), and superoxide (O2·−) for oxidation of ethanol) and were monitored over time in aqueous suspensions of fullerol aggregates. Only the 2CP showed significant degradation underscoring the specificity of the fullerol in producing singlet oxygen in these conditions. Monitoring these processes via high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) confirmed that organic compounds degraded primarily by ROS over a range of fullerol concentrations, pH values, and temperatures.
Emotional Facial and Vocal Expressions During Story Retelling by Children and Adolescents With High-Functioning Autism

Purpose People with high-functioning autism (HFA) have qualitative differences in facial expression and prosody production, which are rarely systematically quantified. The authors' goals were to qu...
Parental Self-Efficacy and Morbidity in Pediatric Asthma

This study investigated the relationship between parental self-efficacy and asthma-related morbidity. Participants included 139 parents of children (ages 5-8) who were diagnosed with asthma and were primarily from lower-income and minority backgrounds. Parents completed a 22-item measure of self-efficacy; factor analysis was conducted on this measure, yielding two factors: learned helplessness and self-efficacy. Correlational analyses indicated that higher scores on the learned helplessness factor were significantly related to increased asthma-related morbidity for the majority of morbidity variables. The self-efficacy factor was significantly related to days of school missed. Regression analyses conducted with the factor scores and the morbidity variables provide further support that the learned helplessness factor accounts for a significant amount of the variance in asthma morbidity for many of the variables studied, while the self-efficacy factor was related to only a few. Although improving health outcomes of children with asthma is a multifaceted process, the results of this study suggest that targeting parental self-efficacy, particularly with parents who are experiencing high levels of perceived learned helplessness, may be a helpful component of an intervention program with this population.
Band folding and energy-gap formation in Ag-Au superlattices.

The electronic band structures of superlattices consisting of alternating (111) slabs of Ag and Au were investigated with use of angle-resolved photoemission. The fundamental electronic effects of a superlattice potential, including band folding and the formation of energy gaps at the new zone boundaries, were clearly observed.
Principles of Optimal Sequential Planning

Abstract A concept of sequential planning is presented as extension and generalization of “pure” sequential procedures. According to it, observations are collected in groups of variable sizes. The article discusses optimality of sequential plans in terms of a suitable risk function that balances an observation cost and a group cost. It is shown that only non-randomized sequential plans based on a sufficient statistic need to be considered in order to achieve optimality. Performance of several classes of plans is evaluated.
Gyral morphology in the posterior Sylvian region in families affected by developmental language disorder

This study describes the family aggregation of gyral morphology in the posterior perisylvian region in families that contain one or more children with a developmental language disorder. The probands in these families were 8 male and 2 female children referred through therapy programs and schools for children with language and reading problems. Family members included both biological parents (10 m, 10 f) and all available siblings (6 m, 4 f). Gyral morphology in the members of these families was compared with control subjects (10 m, 10 f) who were without a personal or family history of developmental language disorders. Gyral morphology was evaluated using T1-weighted sagittal scans from a GE Signa 1.5T magnet, 5 mm consecutive slices through the full brain volume. A less common type of Sylvian fissure morphology was more frequently found in the hemispheres of language-disordered subjects and their first-degree relatives than in control subjects. In addition, the pattern of Sylvian fissure morphology across generations within the families suggests that this feature might be inherited from either parent. The elevated rate of extra gyri in the posterior perisylvian region in families affected by language disorder links an anomaly within a language-related brain region with familial risk for this disorder.
Immunization of NSCLC Patients with Antigen-pulsed Immature Autologous Dendritic Cells

Only a handful of NSCLC patients have been included in dendritic cell (DC) vaccine clinical trials. We had previously reported a series of 16 individuals with stages IA-IIIB NSCLC who received autologous DC vaccines matured with dendritic cell/T cell-derived maturation factor (DCTCMF). Here we report the results of a continuation study with similar inclusion criteria, immunization protocol, and analysis, using an immature DC vaccine. Of the 14 participants, 7 had undergone surgical resection (stage I/II), with or without adjuvant therapy, and 7 with unresectable stage III had been treated with chemo-radiation alone. Autologous DCs were pulsed with apoptotic bodies derived from an allogeneic NSCLC cell line that over-expresses Her2/neu, CEA, WT1, Mage2, and survivin. DCs were not exposed to any maturation stimulus. Individuals received two intradermal vaccines (average 8.1x10(7) DC per immunization) 1 month apart. Immune responses were measured by IFN-gamma ELISPOT, comparing relative number of antigen-reactive T-cells from pre-vaccine to timepoints post-immunization. Immunologic responses were seen in 4/7 stage III unresectable, and 6/7 stage I/II surgically resected patients, including 3/3 resected patients who had also received adjuvant chemo-radiation. There were no related adverse events. One of seven surgically resected patients recurred and 4/7 stage III patients progressed. Three of five patients with progressive disease showed no immunologic response. Data indicate that immature DC pulsed with apoptotic tumour cells have similar biologic activity to a DCTCMF-matured DC preparation delivered in a similar clinical protocol. Therapeutic efficacy is unknown and clinical outcomes are anecdotal.
Affect, Black Rage, and False Alternatives in the Hip-Hop Nation:

This essay looks to the work of iconic rap artist Tupac Shakur to illuminate the role of Black rage as a common denominator between rap’s most conscious and gangsta iterations. Specifically, by the...
Predicting length of stay, functional outcome, and aftercare in the rehabilitation of stroke patients. The dominant role of higher-order cognition.

Research in recent years has revealed factors that are important predictors of physical and functional rehabilitation: demographic variables, visual and perceptual impairments, and psychological and cognitive factors. However, there is a remaining uncertainty about prediction of outcome and a need to clinically apply research findings. This study was designed to identify the relative importance of medical, functional, demographic, and cognitive factors in predicting length of stay in rehabilitation, functional outcome, and recommendations for postdischarge continuation of services.The influence of these factors was determined by comparing diagnostic, medical, demographic, functional, and neuropsychological information that was retrospectively obtained by reviewing the records of 86 patients admitted for comprehensive rehabilitation due to stroke (n = 36) or orthopedic injury (n = 50). Multiple linear regression with statistical adjustment to control for overprediction of variance was used to predict outco...
The impact of pharmacologic therapy on the costs of asthma.

Continued growth of health care as a major sector of the U.S. economy has brought concern about whether health care services can be made more efficient and effective. Much of this concern is global in nature, relating to comprehensive issues in preventive and therapeutic services. Yet, examination of specific conditions provides insight into explicit approaches to achieving more effective care. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of one health condition, asthma, and will 1) introduce the health economic concepts that define the costs of illness for asthma; 2) discuss the outcomes that are relevant to effective asthma management from a health systems perspective; 3) review the concepts underlying the study of cost-effectiveness of asthma care; and 4) examine the existing and emerging literature on the cost-effectiveness of asthma care.
Effect of solvent on the stability and electron-transfer kinetics of 1,8-bis(2-pyridyl)-3,6-dithiaether copper(II)

Abstract The kinetics of ferrocene reduction of the dithiaether copper(II) complex, [Cu(pdto)]2+ [pdto = 1,8-bis(2-pyridyl)-3,6-dithiaoctane], has been studied in the solvents acetone, acetonitrile, methanol and dimethylsulphoxide. Data have been obtained in 0.10 M n-Bu4NPF6 and with no added electrolyte. Formal potentials have been measured for the participating couples by cyclic voltammetry, and rate constants have been estimated for [Cu(pdto)]2+-[Cu(pdto)]+ self-exchange in each solvent. The effect of copper(II)-solvent interactions on the reaction mechanism and on estimated self-exchange rate constants are discussed. Stability constants for [Cu(pdto)]2+ have also been determined in a range of dipolar solvents to assess solvent interactions.
Evidence of heme-heme interaction in heme-spin-labeled hemoglobin.

Summary Two kinds of valency hybrid hemoglobins containing spin-labeled ferric heme in one type of subunit were prepared. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of the α-(αSLFe +++ -βFe ++ O 2 ) and 3-(α-Fe ++ O 2 -βSLFe +++ ) spin-labeled hemoglobins were different, suggesting their non-equivalent conformational properties in hemoglobin. Deoxygenation of α-spin-labeled hemoglobin altered the resonance amplitude and the line shape reversibly while that of β-spin-labeled hemoglobin altered the line shape. The change in α-spin-labeled hemoglobin is explained by either change in the heme-label distance or the relaxation time of the heme iron in the α-subunit upon oxygen binding to the β-subunit.
Some effects of the shape of a small defect in eddy-current NDE

Available theoretical models for predicting defect responses in eddy-current NDE apply only to defects of spheroidal shape. In this paper, the boundary-element integral-equation approach is extended to allow for defects of more irregular shape. Sample results for cylindrical and conical voids are presented and discussed.
Corona-producing ice clouds: a case study of a cold mid-latitude cirrus layer

A high (14.0-km), cold (-71.0 °C) cirrus cloud was studied by ground-based polarization lidar and millimeter radar and aircraft probes on the night of 19 April 1994 from the Cloud and Radiation Testbed site in northern Oklahoma. A rare cirrus cloud lunar corona was generated by this 1–2-km-deep cloud, thus providing an opportunity to measure the composition in situ, which had previously been assumed only on the basis of lidar depolarization data and simple diffraction theory for spheres. In this case, corona ring analysis indicated an effective particle diameter of ∼22 μm. A variety of in situ data corroborates the approximate ice-particle size derived from the passive retrieval method, especially near the cloud top, where impacted cloud samples show simple solid crystals. The homogeneous freezing of sulfuric acid droplets of stratospheric origin is assumed to be the dominant ice-particle nucleation mode acting in corona-producing cirrus clouds. It is speculated that this process results in a previously unrecognized mode of acid-contaminated ice-particle growth and that such small-particle cold cirrus clouds are potentially a radiatively distinct type of cloud.
A result on the stability of linear differential equations with random coefficients

In this paper we consider linear differential equations with random coefficients. Conditions are presented which guarantee that the solution converges with probability one to the zero vector. The results are applicable to wide classes of random coefficients and do not require them to be Gaussian.
Nonnegative Solutions of Quasilinear Elliptic Problems with Nonnegative Coefficients

Abstract The existence of nonnegative nontrivial solutions to the problem y″ + N − 1 x y′ + λq(x)f(y) = 0y′(0) = y(1) = 0 is discussed when the function q ( x ) is allowed to be zero on a set of positive measure and f : [0, ∞) → [0, ∞) is continuous, strictly increasing, and allowing for the case f (0) = 0. A description of the set of λ's for which there is a solution is obtained based on the properties of f .
Ferroelastic domain study by atomic force microscope (AFM)

Abstract In the present study, the authors have employed, for the first time, AFM for observing the surfaces of ferroelastic materials. Studies of ferroelectric/ferroelastic domains are important for understanding the devices based on acousto-optic and opto-electronic properties and the aging behavior of the ferroelectric/ferroelastic crystals. This paper reports the first such study of domains on the ferroelastic lead vanadate crystal surface. Both stripes and needle-shaped domains are observed. The typical width of the tip of needle domains is ~100 A. Sharp and round tips of needles have been detected very clearly with developed surface features.
Loss of silent-chromatin looping and impaired imprinting of DLX5 in Rett syndrome

Mutations in MECP2 are associated with Rett syndrome, an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder. To identify genes targeted by Mecp2, we sequenced 100 in vivo Mecp2-binding sites in mouse brain. Several sequences mapped to an imprinted gene cluster on chromosome 6, including Dlx5 and Dlx6, whose transcription was roughly two times greater in brains of Mecp2-null mice compared with those of wild-type mice. The maternally expressed gene DLX5 showed a loss of imprinting in lymphoblastoid cells from individuals with Rett syndrome. Because Dlx5 regulates production of enzymes that synthesize gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), loss of imprinting of Dlx5 may alter GABAergic neuron activity in individuals with Rett syndrome. In mouse brain, Dlx5 imprinting was relaxed, yet Mecp2-mediated silent-chromatin structure existed at the Dlx5-Dlx6 locus in brains of wild-type, but not Mecp2-null, mice. Mecp2 targeted histone deacetylase 1 to a sharply defined, approximately 1-kb region at the Dlx5-Dlx6 locus and promoted repressive histone methylation at Lys9 at this site. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-combined loop assays showed that Mecp2 mediated the silent chromatin-derived 11-kb chromatin loop at the Dlx5-Dlx6 locus. This loop was absent in chromatin of brains of Mecp2-null mice, and Dlx5-Dlx6 interacted with far distant sequences, forming distinct active chromatin-associated loops. These results show that formation of a silent-chromatin loop is a new mechanism underlying gene regulation by Mecp2.
Programmable Millimeter Wave (MMW) Radars For Gun Fire Control

The Fire Control Division at ARRADCOM, Dover, NJ is developing the Lightweight Integrated MMW Sensor (LIMS) and the Advanced Fire Control Radar (AFCOR). The AFCOR is a dual-frequency (Ku and 94 GHz) coherent pulse doppler radar for improved track of low-angle airborne targets. The LIMS is a 94 GHz experimental sensor being developed to optimize ECCM and LPI characteristics while maximizing the range at which a target can be detected and tracked. The LIMS system consists of a programmable signal processor integrated with an experimental, coherent, solid-state, 94 GHz transceiver having a 1 GHz instantaneous bandwidth. The MMW sensor's waveform has good range resolution and utilizes a high duty cycle (low peak power, but high average power) for extended range detection compatible with the peak power limitations of MMW solid-state sources. The waveform modulation will be a combination of frequency hop (on a dwell-to-dwell basis), interrupted CW, and biphase code. The MMW sensor will, ultimately, incorporate PSP (Programmable Signal Processor) controlled RF power management for enhanced LPI. Polarization processing may be incorporated for stationary target discrimination and classification. A VHSIC radar processor is being procured from Westinghouse Corporation to provide: (1) Real-time processing in a comnact package for LIMS, and (2) Provide high throughput rate for simultaneous multiple target search and track for AFCOR.
A system for automatic structure discovery and reasoning-based navigation of the web

Abstract In this paper, we highlight the main research directions currently pursued by the investigators for the development of new tools to improve Web accessibility for users with visual disabilities. The overall principle is to create intelligent software agents used to assist visually impaired individuals in accessing complex on-line data organizations (e.g. tables, frame structures) in a meaningful way. Accessibility agents make use of knowledge representation structures (automatically or manually derived) to assist users in developing navigation plans; these are employed to locate given pieces of information or to answer user's desired goals.
An Examination of Behavior and Hazards Faced by Physically Disabled People During the Loma Prieta Earthquake

There is a need to study hazards faced by physically disabled people during earthquakes. A literature review showed the importance of occupant behavior as a factor that contributes to casualty during earthquakes. A survey questionnaire was used to study the behavioral responses of 33 disabled residents, none of whom sustained injury, during the Loma Prieta earthquake of 17 October 1989. An occupant risk analysis methodology was developed to study the sequence of activities of the disabled people. Severe restrictions in the physical capabilities of the respondents did not appear to increase their exposure to hazards. Overall, the physically disabled occupants did not think of themselves as vulnerable, and those who felt vulnerable initiated self-protective action in response to the hazards present in their immediate surroundings.
FOAM BEHAVIOR IN PARTIALLY MISCIBLE BINARY SYSTEMS

A number of physical properties of the binary system ethylene glycol and ethyl salicylate have been measured recently. Thus measured values of surface tensions and vapor pressures as functions of composition and temperature are available, and from these may be calculated the Gibbs surface excesses of ethyl salicylate in solutions represented in the phase diagram by the one-phase area. The results of these calculations can be expressed as a series of cosorption contours superimposed on the phase diagram, showing maximum surface activity at a point (epicenter) on the co-existence curve. The epicenter would coincide with the consolute point only when the surface tensions of the two pure liquid components are equal: usually they are not equal, so that the epicenter of the contours is displaced on the co-existence curve toward the component of higher surface tension. This work reports the foam stabilities of solutions for which Gibbs surface excess concentrations are known. The foam stability contours (isaphro...
Spin polarization and electronic structure of ferromagnetic Mn5Ge3 epilayers

Germanium-based alloys hold great promise for future spintronics applications, due to their potential for integration with conventional Si-based electronics. High-quality single phase Mn5Ge3(0001) films, grown by solid-phase epitaxy on Ge(111) and GaAs(111), exhibit strong ferromagnetism up to the Curie temperature TC ∼ 296 K. Point Contact Andreev Reflection (PCAR) measurements on Mn5Ge3 epilayers reveal a spin-polarization P = 42 ± 5% for both substrates. We also calculate the spin polarization of bulk Mn5Ge3 in the diffusive and ballistic regimes using density-functional theory (DFT). The measured spin polarization exceeds the theoretical estimates of PDFT = 35 ± 5% and 10 ± 5% for the diffusive and ballistic limits, respectively. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)