cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transcorporeal becoming: the temporalities of Searles and the nonhuman

As critical theories center on co-emergent interspecies relationalities, psychoanalysis continues to reproduce a fantasy of narcissistic omnipotence and exceptionalism. But theories of interspecies becoming have failed to adequately address human ambivalence and conflicts of interest that are inherent in their ideals of dispersive agencies and unfolding potentialities/uncertainties. There is still a need for a theory of subjectivity that can explore the ongoing processes of human disavowals and dissociations that reify the human exceptionalism motivating planetary destruction. Psychoanalysis remains one of the only theories of subjectivity that creates space for ambivalence, conflict, and unconscious motivations. This paper melds psychoanalytic theories of the non-human with critical and indigenous theories of interspecies emergence, to create a space where dispersive agencies, unconscious ambivalences, and the potentialities of multiple temporalities can be held.
Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Outcomes in Louisiana COVID-19 Patients.

Background: Due to the rapidly escalating number of cases and the low baseline of overall health in Louisiana, we sought to determine the prognostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in hospitalized COVID patients in 2 major metropolitan areas with the highest prevalence of cases and exceedingly high rates of obesity and other comorbid conditions. We hypothesized that elevated NLR would be a prognostic indicator of mortality. Methods: This was a review of a prospective registry of adult (18+ years) hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 patients from to two large urban safety net hospitals in Louisiana. Blood cell counts at days 2 and 5 were used to obtain NLR. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis assessed predictive capacity of NLR on mortality. Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival analysis and Cox regression models examined the effect of NLR on survival. Results: The study population of 125 patients was majority African American (88.6%) and female (54.8%) with a mean age and BMI of 58.7 years and 34.2. Most (96.0%) had comorbidities of which hypertension (72.0%), obesity (66.7%), and diabetes (40.0%) were the most common. Mortality was 18.4%. NLR > 4.94 on day 1 predicted intubation (P = 0.02). NLR above established cutoff values on hospital days 2 and 5 each significantly predicted mortality (P < 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively). Conclusions: NLR is a prognostic factor for endotracheal intubation upon hospital admission and independent predictor for risk of mortality in SARS-CoV-2 patients on subsequent hospital days. Clinical research efforts should examine effects of strategies such as arginase inhibition alone and/or inhaled nitric oxide to ameliorate the effects of elevated NLR.
Routes to global glaciation.

Theory and observation suggest that Earth and Earth-like planets can undergo runaway low-latitude glaciation when changes in solar heating or in the carbon cycle exceed a critical threshold. Here, ...
Understanding Weekly COVID-19 Concerns through Dynamic Content-Specific LDA Topic Modeling

The novelty and global scale of the COVID-19 pandemic has lead to rapid societal changes in a short span of time. As government policy and health measures shift, public perceptions and concerns also change, an evolution documented within discourse on social media. We propose a dynamic content-specific LDA topic modeling technique that can help to identify different domains of COVID-specific discourse that can be used to track societal shifts in concerns or views. Our experiments show that these model-derived topics are more coherent than standard LDA topics, and also provide new features that are more helpful in prediction of COVID-19 related outcomes including mobility and unemployment rate.
CHAPTER 4:Computational Prediction of Tumor Neoantigen for Precision Oncology

Advances in immune checkpoint blockade have elicited adaptive immune responses with promising clinical responses to treatments against human malignancies. Emerging data suggest that recognition of patient-specific mutation-associated cancer antigens may allow scientists to dissect the immune response in the activity of clinical immunotherapies. On the other hand, studies indicate that more than 90% of human genes are alternatively spliced. The advent of high-throughput sequencing technology has provided a comprehensive view of both splicing aberrations and somatic mutations across a range of human malignancies. We introduced a computational method that works on both short-read and long-read sequencing data, which allows us to significantly improve the detection of cancer antigens resulting from alternative splicing variants, insertions, deletions and point mutations. Subsequent analysis of these cancer antigen candidates with widely used tools such as netMHC allows for the accurate in silico prediction of neoantigens. These altered peptide sequences may elicit immune responses such as T-cell recognition and tumor cell clearance if they are properly presented by the immune system and have a far-reaching impact on the prediction of clinical benefits to immunotherapy.
Unique Associations Between Specific Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Related Functional Impairments.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to explore the unique relationships between specific attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and functional impairment in school-age children using parent and teacher ratings. METHODS Parents and teachers rated ADHD symptoms and comorbidities (internalizing and oppositional behaviors) as well as impairments (academic, relationship, and classroom behavior) for 8689 children using the Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating Scales. Stepwise regression was used to determine which of the 18 ADHD symptom items were most associated with specific domains of impairment with relevant demographic and clinical characteristics used as covariates (e.g., sex, comorbidities, medication status, and age). RESULTS "Careless mistakes" and "avoids tasks" significantly predicted academic impairment across content areas and across parent- and teacher-rating models. ADHD symptoms accounted for limited variance in impairment in the family and peer relationship domains or in organized activities when oppositional symptoms were entered as a covariate. Regarding teacher-rated classroom behavior, the strongest predictor of impairment was "talks too much." CONCLUSION The findings indicate that the symptoms that were most predictive of impairment varied by domain of impairment.
Patients with Autoimmune Hepatitis Report Lower Lifetime Coffee Consumption.

Coffee drinking has been associated with decreased risk of some autoimmune diseases as well liver disease and outcomes. Environmental factors, such as coffee consumption, are yet to be assessed among patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). We sought to investigate the relationship between coffee consumption and risk of AIH utilizing the Genetic Repository of Autoimmune Liver Disease and Contributing Exposures (GRACE) database. Lifetime coffee drinking was collected from 358 AIH patients (cases) and 564 volunteers (controls) from primary care visits. Groups were compared utilizing the Wilcoxon rank sum test for continuous variables and the Chi-square test for discrete variables. Logistic regression was used to analyze the effects of different coffee parameters (time, frequency, and cups) after adjusting for age, sex, education, smoking status, BMI, and daily activity. 24.6% of AIH patients never drank coffee compared to 15.7% of controls (p < 0.001), and only 65.6% were current drinkers compared with 77% of controls (p < 0.001). Among “ever” coffee drinkers, AIH patients consumed fewer lifetime cups of coffee per month (45 vs. 47 for controls, p < 0.001) and spent less percentage of life drinking coffee (62.5% vs. 69.1% for controls, p < 0.001). Concurrent inflammatory bowel disease was higher among AIH patients than controls (5.7% vs. 1.2%, p < 0.001), yet did not significantly contribute to “never” coffee drinking status. The relationship between lower coffee consumption and AIH persisted even after controlling for covariates. Coffee consumption is lower among patients with AIH compared to controls.
Multivariate analysis of invasive plant species distributions in southern US forests

Invasive plants cause significant impacts in forested areas throughout the world. However, little is known about the relative importance of environmental drivers on the establishment and spread of invasive plants across forests at broader spatial scales. We evaluated which factors are more closely associated with successful plant invasions across southern United States (US) forests and predicted regional susceptibility to invasion by 16 known major invasive plant taxa. We compiled environmental variables and presence-absence data for invasive plants across 52,690 southern US forestland plots surveyed by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the USDA Forest Service. We used an ensemble species distribution modeling approach to model the potential distribution of the invasive plants and evaluated effects of the environmental predictors on species occurrences. Invasive species presence was favored by proximity to land use such as pastures, croplands, and developed areas, as well as by high light availability and soil capacity to retain nutrients and water. Soil organic matter was negatively correlated with invasive species presence. However, the effect of climatic variables and other soil properties, such as pH and soil depth, was species-specific. Climate, land use, and soil organic matter were important but varied in their influence on invasive species distributions. Our results also indicate that most of our focal invasive plants are likely to occupy large forested areas throughout the study region. Thus, estimates of invasion risk should be incorporated into conservation strategies to prevent further establishment of invasive plants in forested areas.
Techniques in Orthopedics: Ankle Instability Chapter

Ankle sprains are common injuries amongst the athletic population. Chronic injuries can result in ankle instability that can be detrimental to an athlete's career. While most of these injuries can be treated conservatively with rest and rehabilitation, residual ankle instability may warrant surgical intervention. This chapter defines ankle instability and provides an overview of the various surgical treatment strategies utilized in the management of these injuries in order to help athletes return to sport.
Migraine Characteristics, Comorbidities, Healthcare Resource Utilization, and Associated Costs of Early Users of Erenumab in the USA: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using Administrative Claims Data

Erenumab is indicated for migraine preventive treatment in adults. The objective of this study was to provide descriptive information on real-world use of erenumab including patient profile and treatment patterns. We completed a retrospective review of US data (through May 2019) from the IBM MarketScan® Early View Databases, identifying adult patients newly treated with erenumab with a migraine claim in the year prior to first erenumab claim (index) and at least 1 year of continuous pre-index medical and pharmacy insurance coverage, to assess pre- and post-erenumab migraine characteristics, comorbidities, healthcare resource utilization, and associated costs. All data were summarized using descriptive statistics. A total of 9753 patients met inclusion criteria. The average (SD) age was 46 (12) years, 85% of patients were female, and 64% had at least one claim for chronic migraine; 70% of erenumab users had an initial dose of 70 mg; 77% of patients in the 6-month follow-up sample (n = 4437) remained on their initial erenumab dose. Persistence at 6-month follow-up was 47.3% with a mean (95% CI) proportion of days covered of 0.68 (0.67, 0.68). In the post-erenumab period, claims for comorbidities of non-migraine headaches and anxiety were reduced and there was a shift to decreased use of acute and preventive medications. Reductions in overall use and associated cost of healthcare resources such as inpatient hospitalization and outpatient office visits were minimal, with slightly more pronounced reductions in the subgroup of patients that were persistent to erenumab. We observed reductions in claims for important migraine characteristics, comorbidities, and a shift to decreased use of acute and preventive migraine medications—observations indicative of the real-world effectiveness of erenumab. Further examination is required as persistence to erenumab, which may be influenced by dose titration, appears to be an important factor in changes to healthcare resource utilization and costs.
A study of the CBR Bearing Capacity Test for Hydrated Geosynthetic Clay Liners

A modified version of the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) penetration test was used to investigate the bearing capacity of hydrated geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs). The bearing capacity of GCLs is a concern because, once hydrated, the soft bentonite may squeeze laterally under concentrated loads. A series of bearing capacity tests were performed to study the influence of GCL product type, surcharge pressure, displacement rate, mold diameter, and termination criterion on lateral bentonite squeezing. Test results show that adhesive-bonded GCLs have a somewhat greater tendency for bentonite squeezing than reinforced GCLs. The magnitude of surcharge pressure during hydration is an important variable for GCL bearing capacity testing. The rate of piston displacement has little influence on the bearing capacity of hydrated GCLs. Confining molds having a diameter {ge} 235 mm are satisfactory for the measurement of GCL bearing capacity. A standard CBR mold with a diameter of 152 mm is not recommended. Termination criteria based on a specified force or a peak in the force-displacement relationship may be unreliable for some tests. A specified displacement termination criterion of 20 mm was found to be more appropriate for the GCL bearing capacity tests conducted in this investigation.
Consumer Learning Styles: Implications for Promotional Strategy

Literature from education suggests that the student learning process is a function of three factors—the environment, teaching style, and learning style. This process is analogous to the consumer learning process in which the environment, marketing stimuli, and consumer learning play a role. Of these factors, consumer learning has received the least attention in marketing literature. This paper provides a review of relevant literature and a framework for the development and application of learning constructs in marketing literature.
The Role of SoTL in the Academy: Upon the 25th Anniversary of Boyer’s Scholarship Reconsidered

This essay works toward two goals: 1) to provide an explanation of how the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning may work within all four of Boyer’s “scholarships” of discovery, integration, application, and teaching and 2) to clarify the distinctions between quality teaching and scholarship of teaching and learning research. To do that, we posit four quadrants of teaching practices based on two continuum: public/private and systematic/unsystematic. The four quadrants: teaching practice, shared teaching, scholarly teaching and, finally, scholarship of teaching and learning, provide academics with a conceptual model to distinguish various approaches to the teaching process from research into that process.
A Potential Biomarker in Sports-Related Concussion: Brain Functional Connectivity Alteration of the Default-Mode Network Measured with Sequential Resting-State fMRI (P5.303)

OBJECTIVE: Assess brain functional and structural connectivity biomarkers specific for sports-related concussion. BACKGROUND: Current diagnosis and monitoring of concussion rely on signs and symptoms, balance, vestibular, and neuropsychological examination. Conventional brain imaging often does not reveal abnormality. Recent work by Johnson et al. demonstrated the alteration of default-mode network (DMN) with resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) in the sub-acute phase after concussion. DESIGN/METHODS: Eight intercollegiate concussed athletes (20±1.3 years old, one repeated case) and 11 control subjects participated in this study. ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) procedure was administered over the course of recovery. High-resolution 3D T1-weighted, T2*-weighted, diffusion-tensor and rs-fMRI images, all with full-brain coverage, were collected from each subject on 1st, 7±1 and 30±1 days after concussion. The rs-fMRI included two 7-min (eyes closed) echo planar image datasets. The correlations with the key hub regions of DMN, isthmi of cingulate cortex (ICCs), were analyzed on all voxels. RESULTS: ImPACT showed significant decline of cognitive scores across multiple categories and a significant increase of symptom score on Day 1 following a concussion, with a full recovery after 5±2.4 days. While the structural connectivity within DMN and gross anatomy appeared unchanged, a significantly reduced functional connectivity to ICCs within DMN from Day 1 to 7 was seen in the concussed group (P<0.028) , notably around anterior cingulate, medial frontal, superior frontal, middle temporal/angular and hippocampus/parahippocampal gyri. This reduction was seen in eight of our nine concussion cases. There was also a trend of improved DMN functional connectivity from Day 7 to 30. This dynamic brain alteration over one month was not seen in the normal control group. CONCLUSIONS: The functional connectivity of DMN measured with sequential rs-fMRI can potentially serve as a biomarker to monitor the dynamically changing brain function after sports-related concussion. Study Supported by: Disclosure: Dr. Zhu has nothing to disclose. Dr. Covassin has nothing to disclose. Dr. Nogle has nothing to disclose. Dr. Doyle has nothing to disclose. Dr. Russell has nothing to disclose. Dr. Pearson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Monroe has nothing to disclose. Dr. Liszewski has nothing to disclose. Dr. DeMarco has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kaufman has nothing to disclose.
A simple method for the assay of guinea-pig anti-insulin serum

The insulin-binding potency of guinea pig anti-insulin serum (GPAIS) is determined following reaction for 30 minutes at room temperature between solutions containing GPAIS and mixtures of unlabeled and131I-labeled insulin. Insulin which has not reacted with the antibodies is extracted from solution by a suspension of finely divided cellulose. From the radioactive contents of supernatant solutions from reaction mixtures containing the sample, an excess of non-precipitating (reference) GPAIS, and the buffered diluent, the potency of the sample can be determined. Factors affecting the assay procedure are considered and it is shown that, within defined limits, results are reproduceable and the method sensitive and rapid. The technique has potential uses for the study of insulin-antibody reactions and has practical applications in the production and rational use of GPAIS.
A comorbidity network approach to predict disease risk

A prediction model that exploits the past medical patient history to determine the risk of individuals to develop future diseases is proposed. The model is generated by using the set of frequent diseases that contemporarily appear in the same patient. The illnesses a patient could likely be affected in the future are obtained by considering the items induced by high confidence rules generated by the frequent diseases. Furthermore, a phenotypic comorbidity network is built and its structural properties are studied in order to better understand the connections between illnesses. Experimental results show that the proposed approach is a promising way for assessing disease risk.
Abstract 17320: Does the Duration of Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Support Influence Survival Following Heart Transplantation?

Introduction: Bridge to transplant strategy with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) has become standard care for advanced heart failure patients. However, the impact of prolonged CF-LVAD support on transplant outcomes is unknown. This study aimed to assess the outcomes after cardiac transplantation in patients receiving long-term CF-LVAD support. Methods: United Network of Organ Sharing provided de-identified patient level data. Between January 2011 and December 2013, 7231 heart transplant recipients were identified. Of these, 2260 (31.3%) were bridged with CF-LVAD. The proportion of CF-LVAD bridged patients increased every year (27.8% in 2011, 29.9% in 2012, 35.7% in 2013, p<0.001). Recipients were stratified by the CF-LVAD duration at the time of transplantation: Group 1 (less than 1 year, n=1471, 65.1%), Group 2 (1 - 2 years, n=548, 24.2%), and Group 3 (more than 2 years, n=241, 10.7%). Results: The mean follow-up period and duration of CF-LVAD support of the entire cohort was 363 ± 270 and 349 ± 294 days, respectively. Recipients in Group 2 and 3 spent more time in status 1A (67.2, 105.1 versus 37.0 days, p< 0.001), had a greater body mass index (29.7, 30.3 versus 27.5, p<0.001) and serum creatinine (1.30, 1.39 versus 1.25, p=0.031), and more often received antibiotics prior to transplant than did patients in Group 1 (16.1, 22.4 versus 13.5%, p=0.001). The unadjusted 30-day survival was significantly worse for Group 3 patients (96.3, 95.8 versus 92.5%, p = 0.029). On the multivariate logistic regression analysis, the duration of CF-LVAD support more than 2 years was a significant risk factor for 30-day mortality (odds ratio, 2.16; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.11-4.23; p = 0.024). The unadjusted 1-year survival rate demonstrated a trend towards worse survival in Group 3 (91.8, 92.2 versus 87.6%, p = 0.069), whereas no such trend was observed on multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Conclusions: The duration of device support more than 2 years was an independent predictor of 30-day mortality. The observed difference may be explained by less favorable baseline characteristics of patients with prolonged device support. Early transplantation within 2-year LVAD support might be warranted.
Technology Partnership Curriculum Initiative: A descriptive case study of its history, development, and implementation

Problem Curricular reform has a pathetic history. Curriculum documents, some of the major tools of reformers, have had a minor effect on transforming education because the power of pedagogy has been ignored (Cuban, 1993). Teachers in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) system voiced similar concerns about curriculum documents. Additionally, they felt that their 2-4-day in-service training did not adequately prepare them to implement curricular changes. This initiative, aimed at restructuring both the content and process of teaching, was to be implemented in a distance-learning pilot project in eight one-teacher schools. Purpose The purpose of this study was to: (1) define the Technology Partnership Curriculum Initiative and to delineate its component parts; (2) chronicle the story of its background and development; and (3) describe its initial implementation during the 1997- 1998 school year. Methodology The study used a descriptive, qualitative case study method. Data collected through interviews, observations, surveys, documents, and artifacts were used to chronicle the story of the Technology Partnership Curriculum Initiative. Data were collected from two primary informants and four secondary informants who were selected by purposive sampling. These data were used to tell the story of the initiative from its beginning through its implementation in the Technology Partnership Pilot Project during its first year. Findings and Conclusions The study highlighted some of the challenges involved in developing and implementing innovative curriculum initiatives. It highlighted the need to (1) provide clear operational definitions of initiatives; (2) provide a substantial amount of time for initial and on-going staff-development training; (3) use research to provide “data feedback”; and (4) develop norms and guidelines for building collaborative relationships between all the entities that are involved in a complex project such as the Technology Partnership Curriculum Initiative.
Information and Data Management and Analysis for Large Systems

Managing the operation of large, networked systems is becoming increasingly complex. Often, critical information about the system is getting lost in a tidal wave of data. A particularly germane example is the electric power grid, as evidenced by the problems experienced in the August 14th 2003 blackout. One of the key causes of the blackout was the people operating the system in various regions through the eastern part of North America did not have access to the “big picture.” The focus of this mini-track is on the management, analysis, and visualization of systems characterized by extremely large sets of data that cover spatial, temporal and contingent dimensions. The mini-track contains four papers.
Managing chronic pain of spinal origin after lumbar surgery: the role of decompressive surgery.

Study Design. A literature review was conducted. Objective. To provide an evidence-based approach for patients with neurogenic symptoms after lumbar surgery. of Background Data. Patients may present with chronic pain of spinal origin after iumbar surgery Fallure to decompress the involved neural structures adequately or progression of the underlying degenerative condition may lead to neurologic symptoms. Methods. A literature search of paer-reviewed publications that investigate etiologles and treatments for neurogenic pain in patients whe have undergone previous spinal surgery was conducted. Results. In the absence of profound or progressive neurologic deficits, most pationts with chronic back and leg pain who have undergone previous spinal surgerv should be treated nonoperatively. Additional decompressive surgical intervention may be justified in patients with well-defined, discrete pathology amenable to surgical correction who have been refractory to conservative care. The surgery typically will include meticulous decompression of the affected neural structures and may include arthrodesis to address any deformity or instability. Conclusions. In a patient presenting with neurogenic symptoms after lumbar surgery, a meticulous workup is required to elucidate the source of these symptoms. Surgical indications are similar to mess for primary lumba spinal surgery and include a well-defined anatomic source of neural compression that is amenable to a surgical solution.
Color superconductivity and chiral symmetry restoration at non-zero baryon density and temperature☆

Abstract We explore the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter as a function of temperature and baryon number density, using a class of models for two-flavor QCD in which the interaction between quarks is modelled by that induced by instantons. Our treatment allows us to investigate the possible simultaneous formation of condensates in the conventional quark-anti-quark channel (breaking chiral symmetry) and in a quark-quark channel leading to color superconductivity: the spontaneous breaking of color symmetry via the formation of quark Cooper pairs. At low temperatures, chiral symmetry restoration occurs via a first-order transition between a phase with low (or zero) baryon density and a high density color superconducting phase. We find color superconductivity in the high density phase for temperatures less than of order tens to 100 MeV, and find coexisting 〈qq〉 and 〈 q q〉 condensates in this phase in the presence of a current quark mass. At high temperatures, the chiral phase transition is second order in the chiral limit and is a smooth crossover for non-zero current quark mass. A tricritical point separates the first-order transition at high densities from the second-order transition at high temperatures. In the presence of a current quark mass this tricritical point becomes a second-order phase transition with Ising model exponents, suggesting that a long correlation length may develop in heavy ion collisions in which the phase transition is traversed at the appropriate density.
The optimal design of desalination systems

Abstract Process analysis and optimization studies have been made for a multi-effect multi-stage flash distillation system and a multistage reverse osmosis system. In the distillation system, the heat supplied to the brine heater, the brine reject concentration, the recirculation rates within each effect, and the allocation of brine temperature and composition among the effects are controlled to arrive at an optimal policy. In the reverse osmosis process, multistage operation is compared with single stage operation. The recirculation rates in each stage, the allocation of brine composition among the stages and the operating pressures in each stage are controlled to arrive at the optimal operating condition. A flow-work exchanger is incorporated into the reverse osmosis system and its quantitative advantages are examined under optimal conditions. A discrete form of the maximum principle in combination with other optimization techniques has been used for most of the optimization studies.
Pediatric social illness: a challenge to nurses

Because of the diversity in pediatrics, both in services offered, people served, and preparation of its health care members, it is difficult to have a universal definition of pediatric social illnesses. However, the trend is to include child abuse, neglect, failure to thrive, accidents, and poisonings in this category of illness. Nurses try to work with children and families to help them to grow emotionally and socially as well as physically. Through adaptation of the many programs currently available nurses stress the concepts of individuality and cultural variation, even when working with groups of children. To be more effective in meeting the challenge of pediatric social illness nurses are recognizing the need for enlarging health goals. Nurses are having to develop a broader base in their assessing, interviewing, counseling, teaching, supporting, providing physical care, referral, and advocating skills in order to meet the emerging needs of these children and their families.
Anomalous strain relaxation in SiGe thin films and superlattices.

We describe anomalous strain relaxation in graded SiGe superlattices and thin films. This relaxation is characterized by the presence of dislocations in the Si substrate, as well as in the lower part of the film or superlattice, and results in a dislocation-free top layer. This challenges the basic assumption, dating back to Van der Merwe, that the substrate does not participate in the strain-relief process. We show that this phenomenon is due to the paucity of nucleation sites, and controlled by the specific Ge concentration profile in the film. Relaxed, defect-free ${\mathrm{Si}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ge}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$ films containing up to 60% Ge have been grown in this manner.
Cure kinetics of light-activated polymers

The purpose of this article is to develop a mathematical model that de- scribes photocure and photopolymerization kinetics. This model is neither wholly phenomenological nor mechanistic, but contains elements of both. We draw an analogy between the classical Avrami approach for first-order phase transformations and the kinetic phenomena that occur during photocuring, and take into account cure inhibition due to a decrease in mobility of the constituents. The result is an explicit algebraic two-parameter expression for the extent of cure versus time. More importantly, the two parameters have physical significance, and to some extent can be predicted a priori. The model is compared to three sets of unrelated data, and excellent agreement is obtained, except for part of the data at the onset of the reactions. Physical insight obtained by comparing our theory with experiments supports the existence of preferred sites for initiating the reaction, and indicates that irradiation is the rate-limiting step in the overall cure process in the limit of small irradiation intensities. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 2887-2894, 1998
Effects of a structural intervention and implementation on physical activity among youth in residential children's homes

This study reports the effects of a structural intervention, ENRICH (Environmental Interventions in Children's Homes) which targeted the physical and social environment within residential children's homes (RCHs) to increase physical activity (PA) among residents (n=799). Participating RCHs (n=29) were randomized to Early (n=17) or Delayed (n=12) groups from 2004 to 2006 and 2006 to 2008, respectively. Children's PA was measured at three time periods (2004, 2006, 2008). Intent-to-treat analysis revealed no intervention impact on PA. Subsequent analyses used process evaluation data to group organizations into high and low PA-promoting RCHs to compare PA level, controlling for assignment to condition. Organizations with high PA-promoting environments were found to have more active youth. Utility of a comprehensive implementation monitoring plan and the need for formative assessment of organizational capacity is discussed.
Modeling the Effects of Hydrogen-Bond Disrupting Solvents on the Structure of Model Peptide Antibiotics

The increase in antibiotic resistant infections is a serious threat to public health. Peptide antibiotics, which can perturb the cell membrane, offer one promising solution. We are investigating the structural properties of peptide antibiotic models composed of the hydrophobic dialkylated amino acid Aib (α-aminoisobutyric acid), which imparts a strong 310-helical bias due to steric hindrance at the α-carbon. Previous studies have shown that insertion of adjacent neutral monoalkylated amino acids into an Aib sequence creates a region of the helix that is highly sensitive to disruption of hydrogen bonds by strongly hydrogen-bonding solvents. In particular, the chemical shift of the amide hydrogen at position six of the octameric peptide AA45, which has two adjacent alanines in the center of the helix, is highly sensitive to the concentration of DMSO. Smaller changes in chemical shift are also observed at position seven on the helix. In this study, we have developed a thermodynamic model that describes the solvent-enabled disruption of internal hydrogen bonds within the helix as a function of DMSO concentration. We observe that the unusual concavity of the titration curve for the amide hydrogen at position six can be modeled as the result of DMSO-driven disruption of the hydrogen bond in the presence of competing hydrogen bonds with the surrounding solvent (chloroform). In addition, we compare the results of this model with NMR structures for the corresponding Aib helix and find that the behavior of the amide hydrogen at both positions six and seven is consistent with the formation of a kink in the helix at that position.
Part I: Speech Characteristics of the Disorder

Practicing speech-language pathologists frequently ask about the existence of information regarding developmental apraxia of speech (DAS) that they can share with the parents of their clients and patients. Hoping to fill a need, a series of letters, addressed to the parent(s) of a child with DAS, has been written. These letters discuss such issues as the nature and causes of DAS, other problems often associated with the disorder, and the treatment of DAS. This initial letter discusses the characteristics involved in the disorder. Included with this letter is an appendix of publications that may be helpful for both parents and speech-language pathologists.
1700 PULMONARY EFFLUENT CELLS, CHEMOTAXIS, AND ELASTASE IN O 2 EXPOSURE

Influx of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and alveolar macrophages (AM) into pulmonary effluent of infants developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia has been found at the 3rd & 7th day with exposure to FiO2>.6 & mechanical ventilation. The finding prompted an evaluation of these cells in O2 exposed newborn guinea pigs (GP). Cell influx into pulmonary effluent, their chemotaxic response to 10−5M N-formyl-methionyl-phenylalanine (FMP) using the double filter Boyden Chamber technique, & effluent elastase, a protease produced by both PMN and AM, measured by elastase activity against succinyl-L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanine-p-nitroanilide was measured in GP after 72 hr. exposure to FiO2>.9 or .21. These data indicate that O2 exposure in newborn GP increase PMN & AM influx into lung effluent & that these cells are more chemotaxic than in controls. Increased cell number & enhanced chemotaxis of lung effluent PMNs & AM may result in the release of toxins to airway epithelium. Effluent elastase activity is significantly reduced by 72 hrs of O2 exposure, possibly as a result of depletion or degradation. (Supp. by HD-13279)
A family of trust: African American parents' stories of adoption disclosure

Dramatic increases in same-race adoptions of African American children have stimulated interest in the experiences of these families, including those related to disclosure. Data from interviews with 27 African American adoptive parents (7 mothers and fathers interviewed conjointly, 13 mothers interviewed alone) from 20 different families revealed the following themes: (a) efforts to prevent trauma to the child; (b) respect for the child's differentness and birth history; (c) developmental decisions in disclosure; (d) children's questions as motivations for disclosure; and (e) parents' feelings about disclosure. Findings confirm the importance of psychoeducation regarding methods and timing of disclosure and provide support for comparative research on contemporary disclosure, including racial differences in process and content.
On the stability of the asymptotic suction boundary-layer profile

This paper presents a discussion of some aspects of the linear stability problem for the asymptotic suction profile. An exact solution of the inviscid equation is first obtained in terms of the usual hypergeometric function and its analytical continuation. This exact solution provides both a corrected version of an earlier treatment by Freeman and an independent check on the more general method suggested for solving the inviscid equation numerically. Various approximations to the characteristic equation, and hence to the curve of neutral stability, are then considered. In particular, it is found that, in a consistent asymptotic treatment of the related adjoint problem, at least one viscous correction to the singular inviscid solution must be considered. Based on the present results for the adjoint problem, it is suggested that Tollmien's original treatment of the viscous corrections must be slightly modified.
VERBESINA SECTION XIMENESIA (COMPOSITAE): BIOSYSTEMATICS AND ADAPTIVE VARIATION'

A B S T R A C T Section Ximenesia is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Two of its taxa, Verbesina encelioides subsp. exauriculata and V. nana, are more western and occur in arid or semiarid regions, whereas the third taxon, V. encelioides subsp. encelioides, is more eastern and occurs in relatively moist regions. A crossing program revealed the absence of isolating barriers between the subspecies of V. encelioides. It is suggested that V. encelioides and V. nana are effectively isolated genetically by differences in ploidy. The study of several morphological characters of both field-collected and garden-grown populations indicates that differential adaptation for aridity has been of primary importance in the evolution of section Ximenesia. The taxa occupying arid regions show a reduction of transpiring surface, reduced reproductive capacity, and reduced dispersibility. IN THE MOST RECENT taxonomic treatment of section Ximenesia (Coleman, 1966a), two species were recognized. Verbesina encelioides (Cav.) Benth. & Hook., an annual, taprooted diploid (n = 17), was divided into two subspecies. Subspecies encelioides is eastern and lowland, occurring primarily in eastern Oklahoma, eastern Texas, and lowland northeastern Mexico. Subspecies exauriculata (Rob. & Greenm.) Coleman is western and highland and occurs throughout
The nature of the red-shift

The space-time metric is derived by following the classical treatment in which the universe is regarded as a static continuous fluid of densityϱ and pressurep. It was necessary to make the assumption thatp+c2ϱ=0 so that the effects of a finite density could be considered. The metric contains a time dilation coefficient which produces a redshift proportional to the density and to the square of the distance between source and observer. Observational data are not inconsistent with a square law within a distance of 30 Mpc. The mean densityϱ may be sufficient to account for the observed redshift even though the system of galaxies is stationary. The density required for a non-expanding interpretation is 6.6·10−27 g cm−3 if the absolute magnitude of the average field galaxy is −20.07.
Sexting Behaviors Among Young Hispanic Women: Incidence and Association with Other High-risk Sexual Behaviors

Several legal cases in the United States in which adolescents were charged with child pornography distribution after sharing nude photographs of themselves with romantic partners or others have highlighted the issue of sexting behaviors among youth. Although policy makers, mental health workers, educators and parents have all expressed concern regarding the potential harm of sexting behaviors, little to no research has examined this phenomenon empirically. The current study presents some preliminary data on the incidence of sexting behavior and associated high risk sexual behaviors in a sample of 207 predominantly Hispanic young women age 16–25. Approximately 20% of young women reported engaging in sexting behavior. Sexting behaviors were not associated with most other high-risk sexual behaviors, but were slightly more common in women who found sex to be highly pleasurable or who displayed histrionic personality traits.
A comparison of empirical force field parameters for molecular mechanics calculations on saturated hydrocarbons

Abstract Nine empirical force fields used in molecular mechanics calculations are tested for their abilities to reproduce experimental geometric and energy data on cis-syn-cis -perhydroanthracene.
Acute tubular necrosis in patients with diabetes mellitus.

We compared the clinical outcomes of patients with (n = 71) and without (n = 185) diabetes mellitus enrolled into the placebo arm of a large, multicenter clinical trial of patients with acute tubular necrosis (ATN). Compared with the nondiabetic patients, diabetic patients were older (65.5 ± 12.9 versus 60.7 ± 18.0 years, P < 0.05), had higher usual serum creatinine concentration (1.7 ± 0.6 versus 1.4 ± 0.5 mg/dL, P < 0.001), and had a higher prevalence of underlying hypertension, coronary artery disease, and congestive heart failure (all P < 0.007). By day 21 after enrollment, neither mortality nor dialysis-free survival was different between the groups. Length of stay for surviving patients, in both the intensive care unit and the hospital, were significantly shorter for the diabetics. Among acute comorbidities predicting mortality or the need for dialysis, sepsis was more prevalent among the nondiabetic patients (18% versus 35%, diabetics versus nondiabetics, P < 0.05). In conclusion, clinical outcomes for diabetic patients with ATN were no worse than for nondiabetic patients, despite their older age and worse underlying renal function. Patients with diabetes mellitus had more chronic cardiovascular disease but were less acutely ill. We speculate that cardiovascular disease is a risk factor for ATN in patients with diabetes mellitus. These results fail to implicate the increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the persistently poor prognosis of patients with ATN.
Design of an atomized organization structure : a graph-theoretic approach

Organizations that are divided into a certain number of groups are said to have an atomized structure. Group approach to organization is recently gaining popularity. There are a number of techniques that can be used to study and develop mathematical models of group functioning. This technique originates from what is called cybernetic design of organization and they are based on the systems approach, mathematical modelling and simulation. The tools developed so far, however, are applied to the groups that have already been denned as parts of a larger organization. What is still needed is a technique upon which the decision concerning creation of groups may be based. The intent of this paper is to propose a graph-based approach for atomized organization structure development. The depth-first search algorithm versus matrix based technique is discussed. It is shown that the group retrieval process may be carried out using easily programmable operations on an adjacency matrix.
Detection and quantitation of circulating immune complexes in arterial blood of patients with rheumatic disease

We developed antigen-nonspecific enzyme-linked immunoassays (ELISA) to quantitate IgG-C3- and IgM-C3-containing circulating immune complexes (CIC) in venous and arterial blood from rheumatic disease patients. Standards were diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-purified, heat-aggregated IgG incubated with fresh human serum (for IgG-C3 CIC) and IgM rheumatoid factor-rich serum incubated with reduced, alkylated IgG and then with fresh human serum (for IgM-IgG-C3 CIC). Venous serum and plasma IgG-C3 and IgM-C3 CIC correlated closely (P less than 0.01). Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) patients had elevated levels of venous IgM-C3 CIC (P less than 0.0001) but not IgG-C3 CIC; patients with vasculitis, inflammatory rheumatic diseases, or noninflammatory rheumatic diseases had mean values similar to normal individuals. Venous IgG-C3 and IgM-C3 CIC did not correlate. Paired venous and arterial samples from 16 rheumatic disease patients averaged comparable amounts of IgG-C3 and IgM-C3 CIC, respectively; venous and arterial IgM-C3 CIC levels in patients significantly exceeded normals (P less than 0.05). Venous and arterial IgG-C3 CIC levels correlated closely (P less than 0.01) as did venous and arterial IgM-C3 levels (P less than 0.05). Thus, arterial CIC offered no advantage over venous determinations for rheumatic disease patients. IgM-C3 CIC were elevated in patients with RA and SLE when IgG-C3 CIC were not. Ig isotype-specific CIC quantitation may be useful for certain rheumatic diseases.
The End of South African Sanctions, Institutional Ownership, and the Stock Price Performance of Boycotted Firms: Evidence on the Impact of Social/Ethical Investing

The authors studied the impact of social-ethical investing on firms targeted during the South African boycott. Findings indicate that the average percentage of institutional ownership of the stocks of the firms with equity interests in South Africa increased at a significantly greater rate than the rest of the market following the end of sanctions. Using event study methodology, the authors find that these stocks significantly outperform the market in this period. This study provides evidence of the stockmark et impact of social-ethical investing and of a positive relationship between corporate social performance and corporate financial performance as measured in stockmarket returns.