cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reproducibility and transparency characteristics of oncology research evidence

Abstract Introduction As much as 50%-90% of research is estimated to be irreproducible, costing upwards of $28 billion in the United States alone. Reproducible research practices are essential to improving the reproducibility and transparency of biomedical research, such as including pre-registering studies, publishing a protocol, making research data and metadata publicly available, and publishing in open access journals. Here we report an investigation of key reproducible or transparent research practices in the published oncology literature. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of a random sample of 300 oncology studies published from 2014-2018. We extracted key reproducibility and transparency characteristics in a duplicative fashion by blinded investigators using a pilot tested Google Form. Results Of the 300 studies randomly sampled, 296 studies were analyzed for study reproducibility characteristics. Of these 296 studies, 194 were contained empirical data that could be analyzed for reproducible and transparent research practices. Raw data was available for 9 studies (4.6%). Approximately 5 studies (2.6%) provided a protocol. Despite our sample including 15 clinical trials and 7 systematic reviews/meta-analyses, only 7 included a pre-registration statement. Less than 25% (65/194) of studies provided an author conflict of interest statement. Discussion We found that key reproducibility and transparency characteristics were absent from a random sample of published oncology studies. We recommend required pre-registration for all eligible trials and systematic reviews, published protocols for all manuscripts, and deposition of raw data and metadata in public repositories.
Policy options for addressing the high cost of specialty pharmaceuticals

Abstract The cost to U.S. consumers of specialty drugs is too high, and cost-sharing obligations are reducing patient access to affordable and life-changing medications. While accounting only for approximately 2% of prescriptions filled, specialty drugs accounted for nearly 45% of the U.S. drug spend in 2018, and this rate continues to rise. This review analyzes the current state of the U.S. specialty drug market and recommends six policy options for decreasing out-of-pocket costs to consumers. A systematic review was conducted, gathering articles from peer-reviewed and government resources published from January 2014 to May 2019 using databases such as PubMed, OVID, and the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Articles were reviewed for unique and relevant information relating to cost specialty drugs, industry trends, underlying legislation and policy challenges, and viable policy options. The findings show that, while the cost of specialty drug prices is growing, the rate of growth is projected to slow to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4 to 7% between 2019 and 2023, as compared to a CAGR of 7.2% from 2014 to 2018, largely due to the Food and Drug Administration's approval of 10 new biosimilars in 2018 and early 2019. However, specialty drug spending as a percentage of total spending continues to rise and can cost payers and patients more than USD 3,500 on average per month. We recommend six policy options for reducing consumers' out-of-pocket cost obligations: (1) discourage “pay-for-delay” agreements and patent evergreening; (2) align incentives across the specialty drug supply chain with value-based pricing; (3) tighten orphan drug eligibility or impose a sales tax on drugs if the sales tax exceeds a specified threshold until federal subsidies are recouped; (4) increase transparency in transactions between specialty drug supply chain stakeholders; (5) tax the direct-to-consumer advertising of specialty drugs and use the proceeds to fund public research; and (6) support copay cards and patient assistance programs. While the consensus across the industry is that the out-of-pocket costs of specialty drugs to patients are too high, industry stakeholders must agree about which set of policy options to implement. Lawmakers must explore options for reducing the out-of-pocket costs of specialty medications and gather public input on how to best align stakeholder incentives across the specialty drug supply chain.
RESTRICTIVE ENCAPSULATING CARDIAC ANGIOSARCOMA

The incidence of primary heart malignancies is 0.02%, while primary pericardial neoplasms, such as angiosarcomas, is 0.004%. Cardiac angiosarcomas are extremely aggressive with symptoms usually associated with extent of infiltration and its physiological effects. A 42-year-old female with no
Super-multiplexed vibrational imaging for complex biomedicine (Conference Presentation)

The rapidly increasing need for systems biology stimulates the development of super-multiplexed methods for simultaneous imaging multiple biomolecules with distinct colors. The consensus is that complex biology requires multiplex technology. Fluorescent microscopy has inherent limitation due to the fundamental color barrier. In this end, vibrational imaging coupled with novel probes has the potential to address this grand challenge. Here we will present our recent advance along this direction including novel probe development, new labeling and amplification protocols, and application to tissue imaging. Exciting results on super-resolution super-multiplex imaging and high-dimensional single cell analysis will be discussed.
Money Damages for Fourth Amendment Violations by Federal Officials: an Explanation of Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal

Recently in Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics, then Supreme Court for the first time held that one who has been subjected to an unreasonable search and seizure by federal officers, has a claim for money damages upon which relief may be granted. In upholding this implied right of action under the Fourth Amendment, the Court did not decide whether a federal official enjoys immunity, nor did it detail the scope or limitations of such an action. In this Article, Professor Berch examines the ramifications of the case in the light of prior judicial and congressional fiats, and analyzes its potential impact for the individual victim, and for victims of violations of other constitutional guarantees.
Convalescent Plasma for Patients With Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Matched Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of convalescent plasma (CP) for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains unclear. METHODS: In a matched cohort analysis of hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19, the impact of CP treatment on in-hospital mortality was evaluated using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional-hazards models, and the impact of CP treatment on time to hospital discharge was assessed using a stratified log-rank analysis. RESULTS: In total, 64 patients who received CP a median of 7 days after symptom onset were compared to a matched control group of 177 patients. The incidence of in-hospital mortality was 12.5% and 15.8% in the CP and control groups, respectively (Pâ =â .52). There was no significant difference in the risk of in-hospital mortality between the 2 groups (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] .39-2.20). The overall rate of hospital discharge was not significantly different between the 2 groups (rate ratio [RR] 1.28, 95% CI .91-1.81), although there was a significantly increased rate of hospital discharge among patients 65-years-old or greater who received CP (RR 1.86, 95% CI 1.03-3.36). There was a greater than expected frequency of transfusion reactions in the CP group (2.8% reaction rate observed per unit transfused). CONCLUSIONS: We did not demonstrate a significant difference in risk of mortality or rate of hospital discharge between the CP and control groups. There was a signal for improved outcomes among the elderly, and further adequately powered randomized studies should target this subgroup when assessing the efficacy of CP treatment.
Snap-and-Chat Protocols: System Aspects.

The availability-finality dilemma says that blockchain protocols cannot be both available under dynamic participation and safe under network partition. Snap-and-chat protocols have recently been proposed as a resolution to this dilemma. A snap-and-chat protocol produces an always available ledger containing a finalized prefix ledger which is always safe and catches up with the available ledger whenever network conditions permit. In contrast to existing handcrafted finality gadget based designs like Ethereum 2.0's consensus protocol Gasper, snap-and-chat protocols are constructed as a black-box composition of off-the-shelf BFT and longest chain protocols. In this paper, we consider system aspects of snap-and-chat protocols and show how they can provide two important features: 1) accountability, 2) support of light clients. Through this investigation, a deeper understanding of the strengths and challenges of snap-and-chat protocols is gained.
How to Assemble a Scale-Invariant Gradient

Abstract Intracellular protein gradients serve a variety of functions, such as the establishment of cell polarity and to provide positional information for gene expression in developing embryos. Given that cell size in a population can vary considerably, for the protein gradients to work properly they often have to be scaled to the size of the cell. Here we examine a model of protein gradient formation within a cell that relies on cytoplasmic diffusion and cortical transport of proteins toward a cell pole. We show that the shape of the protein gradient is determined solely by the cell geometry. Furthermore, we show that the length scale over which the protein concentration in the gradient varies is determined by the linear dimensions of the cell, independent of the diffusion constant or the transport speed. This gradient provides scale-invariant positional information within a cell, which can be used for assembly of intracellular structures whose size is scaled to the linear dimensions of the cell, as was recently reported for the cytokinetic ring and actin cables in budding yeast cells.
ASSESSING STATISTICS ANXIETY IN AN ONLINE OR HYBRID SETTING: THE ADAPTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW INSTRUMENT SASOH

With the purpose of developing an instrument for measuring statistics anxiety in the online or hybrid setting, this study tested the newly developed instrument in two stages. Results on item selection and exploratory factor analysis based on pilot testing (n = 115) are presented. Results on classical item analysis, the confirmatory factor analysis, the measurement invariance test results, and the predictive and discriminant validity of the final model based on formal testing (n = 709) are presented. The resulting Statistics Anxiety Scale in the Online or Hybrid setting instrument (SASOH) has 27 items and four dimensions. The four dimensions are Class and Interpretation Anxiety (CI), Fear of Asking for Help Anxiety (FA), Online System Anxiety (OS), and Pre-Conception Anxiety (PC). The results of the confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the four-factor SASOH model represents an adequate description of statistics anxiety in an online or hybrid setting. Moreover, multiple-groups confirmatory factor analysis affirmed that the resulting model achieved at least partial measurement and structural invariance across gender and program. In addition, attitudes toward statistics significantly predicts the four factors of statistics anxiety, and the discriminant validity from mathematics anxiety was confirmed. Recommendations for future studies are also provided.
Enhancement Mode β-(Al x Ga 1-x ) 2 O 3 /Ga 2 O 3 Heterostructure FET (HFET) With High Transconductance and Cutoff Frequency

This letter reports $\beta $ -(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3 (AlGaO/GaO) heterostructure FETs (HFETs) with significant improvement of peak transconductance (g m), current and power gain cutoff frequencies. A modulation doping scheme is used to form a two dimensional electron gas in AlGaO/GaO heterostructures. Highly scaled transistors (gate lengths of 160–200 nm) were fabricated on these wafers with source/drain regrowth, scaled source access lengths and Pt Schottky gates. The fabricated HFETs show an enhancement-mode operation with high transconductance and a peak current density of 74 mA/mm. Small signal measurements show a peak current gain cut off frequency (fT) and power gain cutoff frequency (fmax) of 30 and 37 GHz respectively at 10 V drain voltage. While the cutoff frequencies are highest to date, they are limited by high source resistance at the regrowth interface. We observed a moderate off state breakdown at V GS = −2 V, limited by gate leakage and Schottky gate breakdown with an average field strength of 1.35 MV/cm. The fT.LG product 4.8 GHz- ${\mu }\text{m}$ reported for this device is higher than any other current generation $\beta $ -Ga2O3 transistors which paves the way for future RF device applications.
Electric Fence Artifact on Ambulatory EEG and Review of Common EEG Electrical Artifacts

Ambulatory electroencephalogram (AEEG) can be a cost-effective and valuable alternative to in-patient long-term EEG monitoring. A potential benefit of AEEG is that it allows monitoring in the patient's unique home environment. While this can be more affordable and convenient for the patient, it can also present unique challenges for the reviewer. Unlike long-term monitoring in an epilepsy unit, the AEEG recording occurs in a less controlled environment and most often without immediate EEG technical assistance during the recording. As a result, unique EEG artifacts can occur with AEEG. Their recognition and correct interpretation are crucial for proper EEG analysis. This report presents a case of a patient who underwent a 72-hour AEEG to evaluate symptoms initially concerning for subclinical seizures. During the AEEG recording, the patient had a tactile encounter with an electric fence. This tactile event resulted in a unique, not previously reported, pattern clouding an otherwise normal study. By conducting a brief review of the most common non-physiologic environmental artifacts encountered in modern EEG monitoring, we aim to emphasize the importance of patient education to prevent artifactual pollution. This knowledge can facilitate planning and help avoid environmental influences that may create artifacts when recording in an uncontrolled setting.
Fishing gear performance nearshore is substantiated by spatial analyses

We estimated whether the fish assemblages nearshore represented by electrofishing and gillnetting indexed location of reservoirs in a river basin. We expected that location in the basin would reflect a multiplicity of factors that determine fish habitat and fish assemblage composition, and therefore also anticipated a correlation between fish species composition and spatial variables if the gear type reflected legitimate differences in fish assemblages. We collected 1.6 million fish of 129 species in 22 reservoirs of the Tennessee River basin, USA. Standardized electrofishing represented different aspects of the fish assemblages than standardized gillnetting. Nevertheless, the assemblages documented by each gear type were correlated with the spatial location of the reservoirs in the river basin. Thus, even as these gear types reflected different aspects of existing fish assemblages, they each tracked spatial differences, suggesting that they reflected standing fish assemblages. Our study supports the use of standardized boat electrofishing and gillnetting as proper means for monitoring fish assemblages at large spatial scales. Our results further suggest that a well-designed and standardized sampling protocol can in fact provide an informative bird’s eye view of fish assemblages at regional, national, or continental scales suitable for informing conservation programs.
The Securities Art LLC Non-Fungible Token Bond

This is a legal scholarship in the form of a prospectus for a bond offering titled "The Securities Art LLC Non-Fungible Token Bond." It purports to offer for sale to the public a series of bonds reflecting an investment in a confidential strategy for investing in non-fungible tokens. It is also a reflection on the ontology of securities and the SEC's failure to engage with that question.
IMMIGRATION AND EQUALITY

Philosophical writing about immigration is typically organized around two broad moral principles. The first is the principle of self-governance, according to which a political community has a right to determine its own membership and character - control generally thought to encompass the power to exclude outsiders from the territory. The second is the principle of simple territorial equality, according to which a sovereign must treat equally all people who are present within the territory over which it governs. Immigration scholarship generally assumes that these two principles are correct and is given over to thinking of ways to jointly satisfy these principles. We argue that this approach is mistaken. Under current and foreseeable conditions, it is impossible to jointly satisfy these principles. The best response to this dilemma is to abandon the implausibly strong principle of simple territorial equality and replace it with a more flexible view that draws on our best understandings of political and social equality from outside the immigration context. Doing so demonstrates that policies that give somewhat limited rights to certain immigrants, such as guestworker policies, should not be categorically rejected.
An analysis of logistics pedagogical literature: Past and future trends in curriculum, content, and pedagogy

Purpose – There presently is no comprehensive review which systematizes and summarizes the burgeoning body of logistics educational literature. The purpose of this paper is to provide a guide for both educators and practitioners to assess the history, current status, and future trends in logistics education in order to nurture advancement in logistics education.Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws its conclusions based upon a literature review and categorizes the evolution of logistics education into three areas: defining curriculum, developing content and skills taught, and refining teaching methods.Findings – Logistics education continues to benefit from strong ties to industry. Additionally, four principle macro‐environmental factors were discovered that impact the current status of logistics education: an increase in the number of logistics educational programs, limited supply of logistics‐trained faculty, changes to content requirements, and a changing teaching environment. Future research ...
Euler: The Master of Us All

1. Introduction 2. Biographical sketch 3. Euler and number theory 4. Euler and logarithms 5. Euler and infinite series 6. Euler and analytic number theory 7. Euler and complex variables 8. Euler and algebra 9. Euler and geometry 10. Euler and combinatorics 11. Conclusion Appendix - Opera Omnia.
NEOMYCIN: reconfiguring a rule-based expert system for application to teaching

NEOMYCIN it a medical consultation system in which MYCIN's knowledge base is reorganized and extended for use in GUD0N, a teaching program. The new system constitutes a psychological model for doing diagnosis, designed to provide a basis for Interpreting student behavior and teaching diagnostic strategy. The model separates out Kinds of Knowledge that are procedurally embedded in MYCIN'S rules and so inaccessible to the teaching program. The Key idea is to represent explicitly and separately: a domain-independent diagnostic strategy in the form of meta-rules, Knowledge about the structure of the problem space, causal and data/hypothesis rules, and world facts. At a psychological model, NEOMYCIN captures the forward-directed, "compiled association" mode of reasoning that characterizes expert behavior. Collection and interpretation of data are focused by the "differential" or working memory of hypotheses Moreover, the Knowledge base is broadened so that GUIDON can teach a student when to consider a specific infectious disease and what competing hypotheses to consider, essentially the Knowledge a human would need in order to use the MYCIN consultation system properly.
Effect of Pregame Training Tutorials on Player Performance in Kinect-Based Health Games.

Abstract Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the influence of pregame tutorials on player performance in Kinect® (Microsoft®, Redmond, WA)-based health games and to determine whether the additional exertion caused by longer playtime introduced by the tutorial would influence in-game performance. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two college-age test participants were randomly assigned to two groups: pregame training tutorial and pregame verbal instructions. The variable of interest was the degree to which players were able to accurately perform a series of static arm gestures in order to duplicate specific reference poses. Participants played a Kinect-based bird simulator game called “Burnie” that required the player to hold specific, static poses that correspond to physical therapy treatment actions. This study is a pilot conducted in advance of testing the game with its target audience of pediatric cerebral palsy patients. Results: Analysis of variance did not detect a significant differen...
Transition Policies, Practices, and Promises: Lessons from Three States:

A policy study conducted from 1992 to 1994 investigated how three states have implemented transition services for youth with disabilities. The three states were identified as exemplary in their achievements related to designing and implementing transition policies and services. A research team reviewed relevant documents and conducted approximately 74 interviews with key policymakers and implementors. Qualitative data analysis procedures were used to develop a case study report for each site; a cross-case analysis compared policies and practices across the three states. The analysis found seven themes which were identified as contributing to the successful initiation and continuation of transition policies, practices, and services.
Primary Neoplasms of the Salivary Glands in Animals Compared to Similar Tumors in Man

Thirty primary salivary tumors of animals (22 in dogs, 4 in horses, 2 in cats, 1 in a baboon and 1 in a guinea pig) were classified according to their histologic and biological characteristics and ...
Chemical Composition of Azotobacter vinelandii Cysts

Cysts of Azotobacter vinelandii ATCC 12837 were germinated by exposure to 3.0 mm ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane buffer at pH 7.8, and their outer coats (exines) were purified by differential and isopycnic centrifugation. Electron micrographs of exine showed it to consist of multilayers of a three-membered sheet structure whose thickness was 7.0 to 7.5 nm. The inner, less electron-dense layer (intine) was also prepared from cysts by EDTA treatment, centrifugation, concentration, and dialysis. The exine consisted of 32% carbohydrate, 28% protein, 30% lipid, and 3.2% ash, with the ash comprised of 1.62% calcium, 0.02% magnesium, and 0.34% phosphorus. The amino acid composition of exine was similar to that of gram-negative bacterial cell walls. The intine consisted of 44% carbohydrate, 9.1% protein, 37% lipid, and 4.1% ash, with the ash comprised of 2.45% calcium, 0.02% magnesium, and 0.38% phosphorus. The carbohydrates of both exine and intine contained glucose, mannose, xylose, and rhamnose. Glucosamine and galactosamine were found only in the exines. The fatty acids consisted of normal, iso, and anteiso saturated fatty acids with 10 to 18 carbon atoms and mono-unsaturated C(11), C(16), and C(18) fatty acids. The exines contained mostly bound lipid, but intines contained primarily free lipid.
Pre-First Placements: How Common and How Informed?.

Three hundred fifty-nine school districts in New York State were surveyed to determine whether they offered pre-first/transition classes for children identified as unready for first grade and, if they did, what information was used to make this placement decision. Fifty-seven percent of the 260 respondents (a 72% return) indicated that they had pre-first classes in their districts. Although great variability existed in the information reported to be used to make placement decisions for the pre-first programs, all districts reported using teacher recommendations. While no district used only standardized tests to determine the placement, those tests that were used were generally not designed for placement decisions and were more typically designed for screening. Cautions about the use of pre–first classes and the ways placement decisions are made for them are discussed.
Effects of Non-Differential Exposure Misclassification on False Conclusions in Hypothesis-Generating Studies

Despite the theoretical success of obviating the need for hypothesis-generating studies, they live on in epidemiological practice. Cole asserted that “… there is boundless number of hypotheses that could be generated, nearly all of them wrong” and urged us to focus on evaluating “credibility of hypothesis”. Adopting a Bayesian approach, we put this elegant logic into quantitative terms at the study planning stage for studies where the prior belief in the null hypothesis is high (i.e., “hypothesis-generating” studies). We consider not only type I and II errors (as is customary) but also the probabilities of false positive and negative results, taking into account typical imperfections in the data. We concentrate on a common source of imperfection in the data: non-differential misclassification of binary exposure classifier. In context of an unmatched case-control study, we demonstrate—both theoretically and via simulations—that although non-differential exposure misclassification is expected to attenuate real effect estimates, leading to the loss of ability to detect true effects, there is also a concurrent increase in false positives. Unfortunately, most investigators interpret their findings from such work as being biased towards the null rather than considering that they are no less likely to be false signals. The likelihood of false positives dwarfed the false negative rate under a wide range of studied settings. We suggest that instead of investing energy into understanding credibility of dubious hypotheses, applied disciplines such as epidemiology, should instead focus attention on understanding consequences of pursuing specific hypotheses, while accounting for the probability that the observed “statistically significant” association may be qualitatively spurious.
The case for a milestone-based simulation curriculum in modern neuroendovascular training

The role of simulation in formal neuroendovascular training has not been defined. This report details the general principles underlying the use of simulation in training, the critical aspects of the simulation environment which would aid it as a teaching tool specific to the field of neuroendovascular care, summarizes the available evidence to support a milestone-based curriculum, and outlines an example of what such a curriculum would entail. Building on these foundations, we articulate the rationale for the development and widespread adoption of a simulation curriculum for formal neuroendovascular training.
Dual-Channel Single-Molecule Imaging of pRNA on phi29 DNA-Packaging Motor

Bacteriophage phi29 DNA-packaging motor is geared by six packaging RNAs (pRNA). The pRNA molecules have been reported to serve as building blocks in RNA nanotechnology, and as vehicles for specific delivery of therapeutics to treat cancers and viral infections. The understanding of the 3D structure of pRNA and its location and positioning on the motor are both fundamentally and practically important. A customized single-molecule dual-color imaging system has been constructed to study the structures of pRNA molecules. The system is the combination of a low-temperature (−80 °C) sensitive electron multiplied CCD camera and the prism-type total internal reflection mechanism. A laser combiner was introduced to facilitate simultaneous dual-channel imaging. It has been applied to study the structure, stoichiometry, distance and function of the phi29 DNA packaging motor. Single molecule photobleaching analysis clarified the stoichiometry of pRNA on the motor and elucidated the mechanism of pRNA hexamer assembly. The feasibility of the single-molecule imaging system was demonstrated in single-molecule FRET studies. Distance rulers made of dual-labeled dsDNA and RNA/DNA hybrids were used to evaluate the system. The single-molecule FRET was also applied to the reconstructed the 3D structure of phi29 motor pRNA monomers and pRNA dimers. Ten pRNA monomers labeled with single donor or acceptor fluorophore at various locations were constructed, and eight partner pairs were assembled into dimers. FRET signals were detected and utilized to assess the distance between each donor/acceptor pair. The results provide the distance constraints for computer modeling of the motor. We have also re-engineered the energy conversion protein, gp16, of phi29 motor for single fluorophore labeling to facilitate the single molecule studies of motor mechanism. The potential applications of nanometer localization approaches (SHRImP and SHREC) to the study of the phi29 nanomotor were also investigated.
Factors in graduate nursing student performance.

Decisions based on criterion measures are needed to appraise students for admission to a post-baccalaureate doctoral program in Nursing Science. The tools for measurement with a reasonably accurate determination of an entrant are needed for an admission process. In an endeavor to develop a performance measure for each doctoral applicant from his major professor in his past nursing program, a critical incident is initiated to define, empirically, a set of criterion dimensions. Reilly (1976) used the critical incident technique to collect faculty ratings of graduate student performance in departments of chemistry, English and psychology. Factors were labeled independence and initiative, conscientiousness, critical facility, enthusiasm, research and experimentation, communication, teaching skills, and persistence. The results described this set of potential criteria which might be used in studying graduate student performance. Cleland (1976) discussed within her article the admission criteria of students in a developing doctoral program. As a part of the applicant’s interviewing process, 10 personal characteristics were estimated by the interviewers using a 7-point scale. These items included academic motivation, intellectual capacity, self-direction, acceptance of responsibility, frustration-tolerance level, self-confidence, leadership potential, flexibility, comportment and interpersonal sensitivity. Thus, an approach should be taken to develop rating scales of the behavioral expectation type to measure these constructs for the Doctoral Committee to estimate the degree of fit between the applicant’s and the program’s goals for the Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS) degree. The purpose of this study was to conduct the pilot testing of a criterion rating scale to measure performance for a doctoral program applicant in nursing and examine the factor structure of the critical incidents when used to describe the performance of actual graduate student performance. Reilly’s 46 incidents (1976) collected from the fields of chemistry, English and psychology were decided as the pool of specific behavior examples. Faculty members and students needed to provide some indication as to the impor-
A Graded-Conductivity Dielectric for Mitigation of Breakdown in a Pulse-Forming Line

This paper reports our findings on the computational study of a multi-layer dielectric used in a parallel-plate Blumlein pulse-forming line. This technique is explored with an aim of lowering the electric field inside the line and thus reducing the probability of breakdown. Using stepped transition of conductivity, we explore what distributions and values of conductivity are beneficial for this goal yet without degrading the overall performance of the line.
Efficient multiple layer boundary detection in ground-penetrating radar data using an extended Viterbi algorithm

In landmine detection using vehicle-mounted ground-penetrating radar (GPR) systems, ground tracking has proven to be an eective pre-processing step. Identifying the ground can aid in the correction of distortions in downtrack radar data, which can result in the reduction of false alarms due to ground anomalies. However, the air-ground interface is not the only layer boundary detectable by GPR systems. Multiple layers can exist within the ground, and these layers are of particular importance because they give rise to anomalous signatures below the ground surface, where target signatures will typically reside. In this paper, an ecient method is proposed for performing multiple ground layer-identication in GPR data. The method is an extension of the dynamic programming-based Viterbi algorithm, nding not only the globally optimal path, which can be associated with the ground surface, but also locally optimal paths that can be associated with distinct layer boundaries within the ground. In contrast with the Viterbi algorithm, this extended method is uniquely suited to detecting not only multiple layers that span the entire antenna array, but also layers that span only a subset of the channels of the array. Furthermore, it is able to accomplish this while retaining the ecient nature of the original Viterbi scheme.
Infection of Sentinel Cotton Aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae) by Aerial Conidia ofNeozygites fresenii(Entomophthorales: Neozygitaceae)

Abstract Uninfected adult Aphis gossypii (Homoptera: Aphididae) apterae (sentinel aphids) on cotton leaves were exposed for 8 h to the air over a commercial cotton field in Louisiana during the night of 1–2 July 1995. At 0015 h there were 90,437 primary conidia/m 3 air of the fungus Neozygites fresenii (Entomophthorales: Neozygitaceae) at the midfield position as determined from Rotorod samples. Forty-eight percent ( n = 106) of the sentinel aphids exposed for 8 h at midfield were infected by aerial conidia of N. fresenii. Exposure of sentinel aphids outside the cotton field, at 10 and 100 m downwind and 10 m upwind, resulted in 34.8% ( n = 131), 24.0% ( n = 129), and 17.4% ( n = 146) infected aphids, respectively. These data demonstrate that wind-dispersed aerial conidia of N. fresenii are infective and rapidly and efficiently disperse the pathogen throughout aphid populations within and between fields.
Comparison between single-beam and multiple-beam optical limiters in semiconductors

We report our investigations of multiple-beam optical limiter configurations using GaAs and Si as the nonlinear optical material. Three distinct multiple-beam geometries are discussed. One of these, in which two beams interfere within the semiconductor, takes advantage of transient energy transfer and photorefractive beam coupling to deplete the signal beam. The other two configurations exploit the absorptive and refractive index changes induced in the semiconductor by a strong control beam that arrives at the sample before the signal. For one of these configurations, nonlinear absorption and induced defocusing are used to attenuate the signal in the other, nonlinear absorption and induced deflection are used. We discuss the relative merits of each configuration and compare them to single beam results obtained under identical experimental conditions.
Role of microRNA-15a in autoantibody production in interferon-augmented murine model of lupus ☆

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the regulation of immunity via targeting of mRNA encoding immune response elements. In this report, alterations in the expression of microRNAs as autoantibody levels increase was investigated. The (NZB×NZW)F1 or B/W mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) naturally has increased autoantibodies with aging. IFNα (type I IFN) accelerates B/W disease, however, the effects of a related IFN, IFNλ, which is a type III IFN, is largely unknown. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between IFN-accelerated disease, microRNAs, immunoregulatory B cell subsets and autoantibody production in the autoimmune-prone environment in vivo. B/W mice received osmotic pumps to chronically deliver IFNα and IFNλ for up to 16 weeks. Urine protein level was monitored weekly by urine strips and proteinuria was used as the disease marker. Splenic cells were taken for flow analysis of B cell subsets and levels of microRNAs determined. Plasma were analyzed for autoantibodies and microRNA levels. As a result of treatment, IFNα accelerated proteinuria in a dose dependent manner, while IFNλ single treatment did not show a significant effect, but greatly enhanced low dose IFNα effects in the combination treatment. Both the splenic cellular and plasma miR-15a were elevated in diseased compared to pre-diseased mice as well as autoantibody levels. Autoantibodies and miR-15a levels were significantly correlated. The immunosuppressive B subpopulation, B-10, was reduced following IFNα treatment. In addition in diseased mice, B-10 versus B-2 ratios were reduced in IFN-treated B/W compared to the control PBS treated group. In all B/W the miR-15a was highly expressed in the B-10 subset and this increased with disease development, suggesting that miR-15a has a specific negative effect on the B-10 subpopulation. In conclusion, our data support the involvement of elevated miR-15a in autoimmune disease development in B/W mice and suggest that decreasing this microRNA might be beneficial in B/W mice.
Rate loss in distributed functional source coding

For point-to-point and distributed communication of continuous sources, high-resolution quantization theory provides an achievable rate-distortion trade-off that is simple to compute and motivates practical compression architectures. Moreover, high-resolution analysis gives good inner bounds for the Shannon rate-distortion region when a more general characterization is difficult. In this paper, we analyze the sum-rate gap between coded nonuniform scalar quantization and the Shannon rate- distortion region for a system that requires fidelity in a computation applied to the source variables. We find that the loss can be as low as 0.255 bits/sample, which has previously been observed in the point-to-point setting, and it is achieved using a simple architecture of nonuniform quantization followed by Slepian-Wolf coding.
The 1H and 19F resonance spectra of 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene

The 1H and 19F resonance spectra of 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene in pure liquid and in 5 mole per cent solutions in benzene and acetone were obtained and analysed by an iterative computer calculation. The results for the pure liquid are in good agreement with perturbation calculations performed on this spectrum earlier. It is shown that the deviation between the values of coupling constants obtained earlier in benzene solution, acetone solution and pure liquid are not due to the method of analysis.
Vaccine-induced antibodies to native and recombinant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 envelope glycoproteins

The ability of antibody induced by combination vaccination (human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1LAV) gp160 live recombinant vaccinia virus priming followed by a booster injection with a baculovirus-expressed IIIV-1LAV recombinant gp160 candidate vaccine) to bind to native and recombinant IIIV-1 envelope glycoproteins was measured in 12 uninfected healthy adult volunteers. By using a flow cytometric indirect immunofluorescence assay (FIFA) to detect vaccine-induced antibody to native envelope glycoprotein expressed by target cells infected with HIV-1IIIB (infected-cell FIFA), sera from ten of 12 vaccinees before the rgp160 booster injection were positive, and all vaccinees were positive at higher levels after the rgp160 boost. Evidence for cross-reacting antibody to HIV-1MN, HIV-1RF and HIV-1CC expressed on infected cells was also present after the rgp160 booster injection. High titres of anti-rgp160 antibody were also measured in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay after the boost. None of the sera obtained immediately prior to the rgp160 booster injection, but all sera drawn after the boost, reacted with recombinant gp160 antigen bound to uninfected cell surfaces. The high anti-gp160 binding activity in these assays, the concomitant presence of positivity in infected-cell and rgp160-coated cell FIFA assays, and high anti-rgp160 antibody titre by ELISA in sera from recipients of this prime-boost vaccination regimen suggest that the live vector priming and rgp160 boosting strategy should be pursued in IIIV-1 vaccine development.
Managing Stakeholder Relationships and Nonprofit Organization Effectiveness

This research examined how nonprofit organizations manage their relationships with stakeholders and how these practices relate to perceived organization effectiveness. We conducted semistructured, open-ended interviews with executive directors of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) to discover whom they see as their stakeholders, the types of expectations they encounter from stakeholders, and the practices they use in managing stakeholder relationships. The two nonprofits that were evaluated as most effective used a consistent, thematic rationale in dealing with stakeholder issues: one organization discussed its actions in terms of its mission and core values, the other based its actions in terms of building relationships and networks. Our study suggests that organizations that ground their external relations in issues that are recognized as good nonprofit management, and do so consistently across stakeholder groups, will tend to be rated as more effective by multiple, external evaluators.
Kynurenate is neuroprotective following experimental brain injury in the rat

Pharmacologic inhibition of excitatory amino acid neurotransmission improves physiologic, metabolic, and neurobehavioral outcome following experimental brain trauma. However, no studies to date have demonstrated pharmacologically-induced attenuation of histopathological changes associated with experimental brain injury models. The present study examined the effects of kynurenate, an NMDA and non-NMDA receptor antagonist, on neuronal survival in the hippocampus after lateral fluid-percussion brain injury in the rat. Animals (n = 10/treatment) randomly received an intravenous injection of either kynurenate (300 mg/kg) or buffer (equal volume) 15 min following fluid-percussion brain injury of moderate severity. Two weeks after injury, animals were sacrificed and neuronal cell loss in the hippocampus was examined with Nissl staining. Selective loss of neurons in the CA3 region of the hippocampus, which has previously been characterized in this model of brain injury, was found to be significantly attenuated following kynurenate treatment (P < 0.05). These data suggest that pharmacologic compounds which are known to have beneficial effects on neurobehavioral and physiological outcome following brain injury may also significantly attenuate post-traumatic neuronal cell loss. Our results also support other recent data that pharmacological intervention with an excitatory amino acid receptor antagonist may be of therapeutic value in the treatment of brain injury.
Inhibition by glucose of p-chloromercuribenzoate hemolysis of rat erythrocytes

Abstract 1. 1. Hemolysis of rat erythrocytes by all concentrations employed of phenylmercuric compounds begins immediately without a lag period. 2. 2. The hemolysis is inhibited by glucose both by delaying its onset and by slowing its progress after it has begun. 3. 3. Certain other sugars also have a similar effect. 4. 4. Possible mechanisms are discussed.
The Role of Surface Divergence and Vorticity in the Life Cycle of Convective Rainfall. Part II: Descriptive Model.

Abstract Three stages, prerain, mature and decay, in the life cycle of a convective storm are shown by compiling surface observations from 12 well-organized Florida summertime thunderstorms. In the mature stage, a distinction is made between stationary and moving storms. The prerain phase is characterized by cyclonic inflow, the mature phase shows cyclonic inflow and anticyclonic outflow simultaneously, while in the dissipating stage only anticyclonic outflow exists. Numerical values for the updraft and downdraft areas, upward flux of water vapor, maximum divergence and vorticity, and rainfall are presented. Moving storms last longer (by 25 min), transport roughly four times the moisture of a stationary storm and produce more rain over a larger area. These numbers provide valuable information not previously available for the surface layers of the convective storm environments.
Soybean seedling emergence at high temperatures

‘Bragg’ and ‘Cobb’ soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seeds were germinated in sand at temperatures ranging from 25 to 40°C. Emergence decreased with increasing temperature above 37°C, with virtually no emergence at 40°C. Emergence of 12 other cultivars at 38°C ranged from 25 to 95%. ‘Foster and ‘Coker 338’ were more sensitive to high temperature than the other cultivars.
Recurrent events in a Markov chain

Straightforward and direct methods are presented for finding the probabilities of a recurrent event defined over a t -state, r th-order Markov chain. A special case of this problem is that of the determination of the probabilities of events in a Bernoulli sequence. The recurrent event may be either simple or compound, nonoverlapping or overlapping. Consideration is given to stationary and nonstationary Markov chains. The probabilities determined are for: (a) the occurrence of exactly k events in n trials (b) the occurrence of the k th event on the n trial (c) the occurrence of one or more events in n trials To solve for the above probabilities a transformation is made of the general problem stated to the simpler problem of finding the corresponding probabilities for a set of states defined over an s state, first-order Markov chain. The probabilities of the set of states of the reduced problem are found by the use of forward differential equations developed in the past for a continuous time stochastic birth process. Backward differential equations can also be used. The results are applied to radar detection. They are also applicable to beam splitting problems and the detection of nuclear tracks.
Novel Signaling from the Peripodial Membrane Is Essential for Eye Disc Patterning in Drosophila

The Drosophila eye disc is a sac of single layer epithelium with two opposing sides, the peripodial membrane (PM) and the disc proper (DP). Retinal morphogenesis is organized by Notch signaling at the dorsoventral (DV) boundary in the DP. Functions of the PM in coordinating growth and patterning of the DP are unknown. We show that the secreted proteins, Hedgehog, Wingless, and Decapentaplegic, are expressed in the PM, yet they control DP expression of Notch ligands, Delta and Serrate. Peripodial clones expressing Hedgehog induce Serrate in the DP while loss of peripodial Hedgehog disrupts disc growth. Furthermore, PM cells extend cellular processes to the DP. Therefore, peripodial signaling is critical for eye pattern formation and may be mediated by peripodial processes.