cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does Tax Enforcement Disparately Affect Domestic versus Multinational Corporations Around the World

Global tax enforcement has received increased attention since the Financial Crisis, with much stated focus on curbing perceived harmful tax practices of multinational entities. Yet multinationals can avoid tax in multiple countries whereas domestic firms cannot. We therefore examine whether there is a differential relation between changes in enforcement spending and the tax avoidance of domestic versus multinational entities. Using OECD data on 47 countries from 2005 to 2013, we find increases in home-country enforcement spending are related to less firm-level tax avoidance for domestic firms relative to multinational entities. Although we find no differential relation between changes in tax enforcement and home-country tax avoidance between multinational and domestic firms, multinationals increase their tax avoidance in foreign countries when home-country enforcement increases, which allows them to maintain a consistent level of worldwide tax avoidance. Results are robust to multiple measures of tax enforcement and avoidance across multiple countries and databases.
The role of diagnostic hysteroscopy in diagnosis of incomplete uterine septum in patients with recurrent pregnancy loss in the era of transvaginal 3D ultrasound scan

To determine the accuracy of transvaginal 3D ultrasound scan (TV 3D US) in detecting partial septate uterus (PSU) in patients with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). This retrospective study included 113 patients with an initial diagnosis of unexplained RPL, who were subsequently found to have PSU on diagnostic hysteroscopy and who had TV 3D US prior to surgery. The diagnosis of PSU was made at the time of a diagnostic hysteroscopy based on ESHRE-ESGE classification of Mullerian anomalies. Based on hysteroscopic findings, patients were divided into two groups: those with PSU and a central point of indentation at an acute angle < 90° (PSUAA) [30.1%], and those who had PSU and a central point of indentation at an obtuse angle (PSUOA) [69.9%]. We compared the mean internal indentation length at the fundal midline (IILFM) in millimeters on TV 3D US and on diagnostic hysteroscopy. For the purpose of this study, a diagnosis of PSU on hysteroscopy was made if IILFM measured ≥ 10 mm. The mean IILFM (mm) on hysteroscopy was significantly higher than the mean IILFM (mm) measured on TV 3D US in patients with PSUAA (18.5 ± 6.5 vs 4.9 ± 4.4; P < 0.001), in patients with PSUOA (14.1 ± 3.8 vs 4.3 ± 3.4; P < 0.001), and in the overall population (15.3 ± 5.1 vs 4.1 ± 4.4; P < 0.001). The data suggest that mean IILFM in patients with RPL and PSU can be underestimated on TV 3D US. Therefore, its diagnostic accuracy in such patients may need further evaluation.
Spatial organization of the kelp microbiome at micron scales

Macroalgae are colonized by complex and diverse microbial communities that are distinct from those on inert substrates, suggesting intimate symbioses that likely play key roles in both macroalgal and bacterial biology. Canopy-forming kelp fix teragrams of carbon per year in coastal kelp forest ecosystems, yet little is known about the structure and development of their associated microbial communities. We characterized the spatial organization of bacterial communities on blades of the canopy-forming kelp Nereocystis luetkeana using fluorescence in situ hybridization and spectral imaging with a probe set combining phylum, class and genus-level probes to target >90% of the microbial community. We show that kelp blades host a dense microbial biofilm, generally less than 20 μm thick, in which disparate microbial taxa live in close contact with one another. The biofilm is spatially differentiated, with tightly clustered cells of the dominant symbiont Granulosicoccus sp. (Gammaproteobacteria) close to the kelp surface and filamentous Bacteroidetes and Alphaproteobacteria relatively more abundant near the biofilm-seawater interface. Further, a community rich in Bacteroidetes colonized the interior of kelp tissues. Microbial community structure and cell density increased along the length of the kelp blade, from sparse microbial colonization of newly produced tissues at the meristematic base of the blade to an abundant microbial biofilm on older tissues at the blade tip. Finally, kelp from a declining population hosted fewer microbial cells compared to kelp from a stable population, indicating that biofilms are characteristic of health and that biofilm loss may be related to the condition of the host.
Adrenal Washout CT: Point-Not Useful for Characterizing Incidentally Discovered Adrenal Nodules.

This article does not include an abstract. Please see the accompanying Counterpoint by Karen G. Grajewski and Elaine M. Caoili.
The Political Economy of Terrorism: The Future of Terrorism

Despite the war on terror, the one certainty is that terrorism will continue as a tactic associated with conflicts. As long as there are grievances, there will be conflict and, thus, terrorism. Terrorism will always be present owing to its cost effectiveness and its favoring of the weak against the strong. A bomb that costs a mere few hundred dollars may cause hundreds of millions in damage – for example, the 1993 bombing of the north tower of the World Trade Center. Desperation and frustration are key motives for terrorism. Its cruelty can, at times, make it an end in itself. Since the start of the modern era of terrorism in the late 1960s, terrorism experts have used current experiences and trends to predict the future of terrorism. Predictions are based on two paradigms: (i) an induction derived from recent events, and (ii) forecasts stemming from statistical methods. Both paradigms have their shortcomings. When experience is used, predictions tend to be reactive, coming from an unanticipated driver – for example, the shift from leftist-based to fundamentalist transnational terrorism. Such predictions are useful until the next major unseen upheaval. Policy ends are better served if changing grievances, players, and tactics are recognized near their onset so that countervailing actions can be proactively engineered at the outset of change. Forecasts based on statistical techniques are less accurate as they are projected into the future. As in the case of experience-based predictions, a statistical-fitted trend cannot foresee shocks that throw off forecasts.
Analytic stability boundaries for compressional and global Alfven eigenmodes driven by fast ions. I. Interaction via ordinary and anomalous cyclotron resonances

Conditions for net fast ion drive are derived for beam-driven, sub-cyclotron compressional (CAE) and global (GAE) Alfven eigenmodes, such as those routinely observed in spherical tokamaks such as NSTX(-U) and MAST. Both co- and counter-propagating CAEs and GAEs are investigated, driven by the ordinary and anomalous Doppler-shifted cyclotron resonance with fast ions. Whereas prior results were restricted to vanishingly narrow distributions in velocity space, broad parameter regimes are identified in this work which enable an analytic treatment for realistic fast ion distributions generated by neutral beam injection. The simple, approximate conditions derived in these regimes for beam distributions of realistic width compare well to the numerical evaluation of the full analytic expressions for fast ion drive. Moreover, previous results in the very narrow beam case are corrected and generalized to retain all terms in ω / ω c i and | k ∥ / k ⊥ |, which are often assumed to be small parameters but can significantly modify the conditions of drive and damping when they are non-negligible. Favorable agreement is demonstrated between the approximate stability criterion, simulation results, and a large database of NSTX observations of cntr-GAEs.
Genetic Inhibition of sFRP3 Prevents Glial Reactivity in a Mouse Model of Accelerated Aging.

Purpose Aging is the most significant risk factor for neurodegenerative disorders that are typified by cognitive deficits. Our recent work utilizing BubR1 hypomorphic (BubR1H/H) mice, an accelerated aging model, has revealed that genetic inhibition of the endogenous Wnt pathway inhibitor secreted frizzled related protein 3 (sFRP3) plays a neuroprotective role. Neuroinflammation has been suggested as a pathological hallmark of age-related neurodegeneration mediating cognitive impairment. However, whether sFRP3 inhibition has a neuroprotective effect on neuroinflammatory gliosis in BubR1H/H mice is unknown. Methods To investigate neuroprotection from aging-related neuroinflammation by sFRP3 in vivo, we generated double Bub R1H/H;sfrp3 knockout mice and performed immunohistological analysis with cell type-specific markers for astrocytes (glial fibrillary acidic protein), and microglia (ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1). Given that the hippocampus is a brain structure critical for learning and memory, and is uniquely affected in aging-related neurodegeneration, we evaluated morphological changes on astrocytes and microglia via confocal imaging. Results We demonstrate that BubR1H/H mice exhibit significantly increased levels of astrogliosis and an increased trend of microglial activation in the hilus and molecular layer of the young adult hippocampus, thus suggesting that BubR1 insufficiency accelerates glial reactivity. Importantly, our results further show that genetic inhibition of sFRP3 significantly recovers the astrogliosis and microglial activation observed in BubR1H/H mice, suggesting a critical neuroprotective role for sFRP3 in age-related neuroinflammation. Conclusion Our findings suggest that sFRP3 inhibition may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for neurodegeneration.
Ferroelectric Transistors for Synaptic Devices: Challenges and Prospects

Ferroelectric device based doped Hf0 2 is an emerging non-volatile memory that is able to store multilevel weights of the deep neural network (DNN) models and enables the compute-in-memory paradigm. In this invited paper, we will present our recent progresses in ferroelectric transistor (FeFET) design for inference as well as in-situ training. Physical insights of the history effect in the intermediate state programming are presented. System-level performance of using FeFET for inference is benchmarked against with SRAM and other emerging non-volatile memories at 32nm and 7nm, showing its significant benefits in throughput and energy efficiency.
Particle-Tracking Proton Computed Tomography—Data Acquisition, Preprocessing, and Preconditioning

Proton CT (pCT) is a promising new imaging technique that can reconstruct relative stopping power (RSP) more accurately than x-ray CT in each cubic millimeter voxel of the patient. This, in turn, will result in better proton range accuracy and, therefore, smaller planned tumor volumes (PTV). The hardware description and some reconstructed images have previously been reported. In a series of two contributions, we focus on presenting the software algorithms that convert pCT detector data to the final reconstructed pCT images for application in proton treatment planning. There were several options on how to accomplish this, and we will describe our solutions at each stage of the data processing chain. In the first paper of this series, we present the data acquisition with the pCT tracking and energy-range detectors and how the data are preprocessed, including the conversion to the well-formatted track information from tracking data and water-equivalent path length from the data of a calibrated multi-stage energy-range detector. These preprocessed data are then used for the initial image formation with an FDK cone-beam CT algorithm. The output of data acquisition, preprocessing, and FDK reconstruction is presented along with illustrative imaging results for two phantoms, including a pediatric head phantom. The second paper in this series will demonstrate the use of iterative solvers in conjunction with the superiorization methodology to further improve the images resulting from the upfront FDK image reconstruction and the implementation of these algorithms on a hybrid CPU/GPU computer cluster.
Physiological and Perceptual Responses to Self-Selected Exercise Pace on A Track Versus Treadmill

Objective: To investigate differences between a controlled and non-controlled exercise modality when walking and running at self-selected pace. Methods: Male and female participants (N=30, 21.07±0.88 years of age) engaged in four sessions testing VO2max, one-mile walk and run on an indoor track, and one-mile walk and run on a laboratory treadmill. With a significance level set at p<0.05, the following results were found. Results: Walking and running heart rate and rating of perceived exertion were significantly higher on the treadmill compared to the track (p<0.05). However, energy expenditure showed no significant difference between exercise modality (p=0.611). Treadmill exercise resulted in higher VO2 values for males during both walk and run pace (p=0.041 and p=0.002, respectively). Conclusions: Exercise programming is an individualized process which should consider differences among modalities, settings, and affective responses. We observed an increased perceived effort during treadmill exercise while maintaining similar energy expenditure. The provisions of autonomy and individuality may decrease perceived effort while maintaining energy expenditure, thus providing positive affective responses promoting adherence. With these differences between modalities in mind, exercise professionals should consider appropriate adjustments to intensity when targeting specific adaptations. These adjustments may also influence adherence to a prescribed program.
Low-molecular-mass labile metal pools in Escherichia coli: advances using chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Labile low-molecular-mass (LMM) transition metal complexes play essential roles in metal ion trafficking, regulation, and signalling in biological systems, yet their chemical identities remain largely unknown due to their rapid ligand-exchange rates and weak M–L bonds. Here, an Escherichia coli cytosol isolation procedure was developed that was devoid of detergents, strongly coordinating buffers, and EDTA. The interaction of the metal ions from these complexes with a SEC column was minimized by pre-loading the column with 67ZnSO4 and then monitoring 66Zn and other metals by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) when investigating cytosolic ultrafiltration flow-through-solutions (FTSs). Endogenous cytosolic salts suppressed ESI-MS signals, making the detection of metal complexes difficult. FTSs contained ca. 80 µM Fe, 15 µM Ni, 13 µM Zn, 10 µM Cu, and 1.4 µM Mn (after correcting for dilution during cytosol isolation). FTSs exhibited 2–5 Fe, at least 2 Ni, 2–5 Zn, 2–4 Cu, and at least 2 Mn species with apparent masses between 300 and 5000 Da. Fe(ATP), Fe(GSH), and Zn(GSH) standards were passed through the column to assess their presence in FTS. Major LMM sulfur- and phosphorus-containing species were identified. These included reduced and oxidized glutathione, methionine, cysteine, orthophosphate, and common mono- and di-nucleotides such as ATP, ADP, AMP, and NADH. FTSs from cells grown in media supplemented with one of these metal salts exhibited increased peak intensity for the supplemented metal indicating that the size of the labile metal pools in E. coli is sensitive to the concentration of nutrient metals.
Definitive Hematopoietic Stem Cells Minimally Contribute to Embryonic Hematopoiesis

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are rare cells that arise in the embryo and sustain adult hematopoiesis. Although the functional potential of nascent HSCs is detectable by transplantation, their native contribution during development is unknown, in part due to the overlapping genesis and marker gene expression with other embryonic blood progenitors. Using single cell transcriptomics, we defined gene signatures that distinguish nascent HSCs from embryonic blood progenitors. Applying a new lineage tracing approach, we selectively tracked HSC output in situ and discovered significantly delayed lymphomyeloid contribution. Using a novel inducible HSC injury model, we demonstrated a negligible impact on larval lymphomyelopoiesis following HSC depletion. HSCs are not merely dormant at this developmental stage as they showed robust regeneration after injury. Combined, our findings illuminate that nascent HSCs self-renew but display differentiation latency, while HSC-independent embryonic progenitors sustain developmental hematopoiesis. Understanding the differences among embryonic HSC and progenitor populations will guide improved de novo generation and expansion of functional HSCs.
Shallow Unsupervised Models Best Predict Neural Responses in Mouse Visual Cortex

Abstract Task-optimized deep convolutional neural networks are the most quantitatively accurate models of the primate ventral visual stream. However, such networks are implausible as models of the mouse visual system because mouse visual cortex has both lower retinal resolution and a shallower hierarchy than the primate. Moreover, the category supervision deep networks typically receive is neither ethologically relevant to the mouse in semantic content, nor realistic in quantity. As a result, standard supervised deep neural networks have proven quantitatively ineffective at modeling mouse visual data. Here, we develop and evaluate models that remedy these structural and functional gaps. We first demonstrate that shallow hierarchical architectures applied to lower resolution images improve match to neural responses, both in electro-physiological and calcium imaging data. We then show that networks trained using contrastive embedding methods, a recent unsupervised learning objective that requires no semantic labeling, achieve neural prediction performance that substantially exceed that of the same architectures trained in a supervised manner, across a wide variety of architecture types. Combining these better structural and functional priors yields models that are the most quantitatively accurate match to mouse visual responses to natural scenes, significantly surpassing that of prior attempts using primate-specific models, and approaching the inter-animal consistency level of the data itself. We further find that these shallow unsupervised models transfer to a wide variety of non-categorical visual tasks better than categorization-trained models. Taken together, our results suggest that mouse visual cortex is a low-resolution, shallow network that makes best use of the mouse’s limited resources to create a light-weight, general-purpose visual system – in contrast to the deep, high-resolution, and more task-specific visual system of primates.
Natural Aging Increases Focused Ultrasound-Induced Blood-Brain Barrier Opening in Wild-Type Mice

Focused Ultrasound (FUS) paired with systemically-introduced microbubbles (MB) is a widely-used noninvasive technique for transiently opening the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB). FUS-BBBO is implicated in the treatment of several age-associated neuropathological disorders. The prevalence of these diseases in aged populations necessitates an investigation into and an understanding of the effect of age on the brain's response to FUS-BBBO. Here we show that advanced natural aging increases the brain's susceptibility to FUS-BBBO by increasing the volume of BBBO in response to equivalent sonication parameters. Additionally, the BBBO volume correlates positively with cavitation dose (CD). However, the extent of BBBO in response to cavitation is greater in two- compared to one-year old mice. Taken together, these results indicate an increased sensitivity in aged compared to younger mice, highlighting an important consideration in therapeutic planning.
Cognitive Developmental Theory and Spiritual Development

Traditional conceptions of cognitive development have failed to account for changes in adult cognition as well as more subjective and intuitive features of human experience. This paper reviews recent theories and research in cognitive development and spirituality with the aim of providing connections between the two domains. Neo-Piagetian and postformal theories of cognitive development suggest that advances in cognition are domain-specific, dependent on individual experience, and can occur at any point in the lifespan. However, theories of spiritual development have not adequately addressed these points. Thus, a novel account of spiritual development is presented that addresses these features with respect to individuals' changing conceptions of their relation to an External Power.
A novel method for chip integration and packaging for millimeter-wave to terahertz band applications

In this paper a novel chip integration and packaging methodology for millimeter-wave to terahertz band applications is demonstrated. The new method is based on peg and socket connection where the line and pads on the MMIC chip mate the lines and pads on the wafer. The socket is micromachined in the wafer and has the exact dimensions of the active chip (peg) with extended membranes to support the lines and pads on the wafer. The lines on the wafer are then transitioned to waveguide using a recently developed grounded-CPW line to waveguide transition. Metalized micro-cylindrical bumps are fabricated on the pads and lines to enhance contact. In order to validate the performance of the proposed integration methodology a prototype is designed and microfabricated at J-band and excellent measured performance is reported in the desired frequency range (220–260 GHz). The new method is a strong candidate for a standardized integration and packaging technique at MMW to THz frequencies and is expected to find a wide range of applications in this area due to its scalability, low fabrication cost, compact form-factor and superb RF performance.
Benchmarking Mechanical Ventilation Services in Teaching Hospitals

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the technical efficiency of mechanical ventilation nonsurgery (DRG 475) among University Hospital Consortium (UHC) hospitals that consists of volunteer, teaching hospitals across the nation. The data for this study was retrieved from the 1997 UHC database that includes charge and discharge information for 69 hospitals. Data on 7961 patients classified with mechanical ventilation were aggregated to the hospital level. We retained data from a total of 62 hospitals, the other seven hospitals had missing data. The research questions were (1) Do UHC hospitals differ significantly in their efficiencies in the treatment of mechanically ventilated patients? (2) What inputs and outputs contribute most to the inefficiencies associated with mechanical ventilation? Of the 62 hospitals analyzed using data envelopment analysis technique, 10 were considered efficient and 52 were inefficient as compared to their benchmark peers. Efficient and inefficient hospitals did significantly differ between the transferred output variable and between the respiratory, laboratory, and radiology input variables. All inputs demonstrated excessive resource utilization among inefficient hospitals as compared to efficient hospitals. A total reduction of about d19 million dollars in ancillary services would need to occur for inefficient hospitals to approach the frontier of efficient hospitals. This study demonstrates that mechanical ventilation is costly, yet the specified ancillary services are capable of being reduced yielding technical efficiency as demonstrated by 10 efficient hospitals.
Substrate- and Inhibitor-induced Conformational Changes in Enzymes Measured by Tritium-Hydrogen Exchange II. YEAST PYRUVATE DECARBOXYLASE

Abstract The effects of substrates and inhibitors on the conformation of yeast cytoplasmic pyruvate decarboxylase (2-oxo-acid carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.1) has been examined using the technique of automated tritium-hydrogen exchange. This experimental approach, as used in this study, reflects primarily the number of solvent-inaccessible or "core" hydrogens in the protein. Yeast cytoplasmic pyruvate decarboxylase is a multisubunit enzyme, molecular weight 208,000, and contains thiamine pyrophosphate as a co-factor at the active site. We find that 850 out of a total of 1600 amide hydrogens are measurable by tritium exchange at pH 6.5, 0°. There are 225 (or 14% of the total) very slowly exchanging hydrogens which we believe arise either from solvent-inaccessible regions of the subunits or from interface areas between the subunits. Upon addition of substrate, pyruvate, inhibitor, α-ketoglutarate, or mercuric chloride, a marked conformational change occurs in which 50% of the very slowly exchanging hydrogens become rapidly exchanging. Lactate and formaldehyde have no effect. Mercuric chloride causes a partial conformational change, but the enzyme is still capable of binding pyruvate and exhibiting a further release of slowly exchanging hydrogens. The effects of pyruvate and mercuric chloride are not additive; therefore, we believe that they are acting at common areas on the enzyme. The enzyme is not dissociated into subunits by the substrate. Thus, this enzyme has a conformationally regulated accessibility to its active site. It is proposed that the conformational changes we observe may be very similar to those obtained during allosteric modification of enzymes and may involve a reorganization of subunit interfaces.
Growing colorectal tumors: minimizing microbial and stromal competition and assessing in vitro selection pressures.

Development of primary colorectal cancer cell lines ishampered by contamination from regional microbes, overgrowthof stromal cells, and purported genetic drift from selectionpressures in vitro. We initiated 32 primaryadenocarcinomas, 3 recurrences and 6 distant metastases incell culture. Twelve cell lines from eleven tumors weregenerated (26.8%) overall. Nine of 32 primary tumorsyielded 10 cell lines, 5 were lost to contamination, 13 wereoverwhelmed by stromal cells, and 5 demonstrated no growth.Addition of isobutyl methyl xanthine (IBMX) to culturelimited fibroblastoid growth. There was no associationbetween tumor location (p = 0.535, mid-P), degree ofdifferentiation (p = 0.850, mid-P) or clinicopathologic stage(p = 0.400, mid-P), and the ability of cells to becomeestablished in culture. The majority of cell lines hadsimilar nuclear DNA content and expression of cell-surfaceantigens compared with their parent tumors. Microbialcontamination and stromal cell overgrowth present thegreatest obstacle to capturing a representative bank ofcolon tumors in vitro.
Modeling iCAR via multi-dimensional Markov Chains

iCAR is a new wireless system architecture based on the integration of cellular and modern ad hoc relaying technologies. It addresses the congestion problem due to limited channel access in a cellular system and provides interoperability for heterogeneous networks. The iCAR system can efficiently balance traffic loads and share channel resource between cells by using ad hoc relaying stations (ARS) to relay traffic from one cell to another dynamically. Analyzing the performance of iCAR is nontrivial as the classic Erlang-B formula no longer applies when relaying is used. In this paper, we build multi-dimensional Markov chains to analyze the performance of the iCAR system in terms of the call blocking probability. In particular, we develop an approximate model as well as an accurate model. While it can be time-consuming and tedious to obtain the solutions of the accurate model, the approximate model yields analytical results that are close to the simulation results we obtained previously. Our results show that with a limited number of ARSs, the call blocking probability in a congested cell as well as the overall system can be reduced.
Immunologic and genetic comparison of Streptococcus equi isolates from the United States and Europe.

A series of isolates of Streptococcus equi from the United States and Europe were compared by the bactericidal test, immunoblotting, DNA restrictions, and Southern hybridization analysis. All isolates tested were sensitive to the same bactericidal serum. In addition, immunoblotting revealed no differences in M proteins prepared by acid or mutanolysin extraction. Immunoblotting of acid extracts of the isolates with mucosal nasopharyngeal mucus from a convalescent horse revealed the presence of the 41,000- and 46,000-Mr polypeptide fragments of the M protein of S. equi known to be important in stimulating mucosal nasopharyngeal immune responses. DNA restriction analysis of total cell DNA digests, as well as Southern hybridizations using an S. equi M protein gene probe, did not detect any differences among these isolates. Our results, therefore, confirm the antigenic homogeneity of the M proteins of S. equi isolates and suggest that variation in this antigen is not a reason for the failure of commercial vaccines in the field. Interestingly, the protoplast M proteins of all isolates showed remarkable size homogeneity, in contrast to the size variation reported in M proteins of group A streptococci. Images
Dark repair in bacteriophage systems: overview.

Bacteriophages have proven to be extremely useful and informative biological systems with which to study various aspects of DNA repair. In these introductory comments and in the succeeding papers in this section, emphasis is placed on DNA repair in two specific bacteriophage—T4 and λ.
A technique for solving 2D method-of-moments problems involving large scatterers

The article demonstrates that a Method-of-Moments solution for large, smooth, two-dimensional scatterers, requiring matrices that are several hundreds to several thousands in size, can be constructed efficiently by using a combination of transformations based upon FFT and partial QR decomposition of off-diagonal blocks. The primary contribution of the article is to demonstrate that these techniques, applied in tandem, can typically reduce the active RAM requirements by a factor of 60-100 for moderately large problems, and by as much as 225 (estimated) for matrix sizes around 100,000. It is also estimated that an effective flop rate of about 8-35 N2 In N to 0.01N3 can be achieved via this transformation. The reduction factors for RAM requirements and the accuracy of the solution are demonstrated for the problem of a 2D elliptic cylinder with a large aspect ratio, requiring matrix sizes up to 10,000.
Landlords and Lodgers: Socio-Spatial Organization in an Accra Community by Deborah Pellow

Deborah Pellow. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2002. xviii and 261 pp., maps, diagrams, photos, notes, appendix, and index. $89.95 cloth (ISBN 0-275-97600-9). Humanistically oriented sense-of-place studies...
Evidence-based treatment for mental disorders in children and adolescents.

In the past decade, increased emphasis has been placed on identifying treatments for childhood disorders that are supported by empirical evidence of their effectiveness. This process was spearheaded by an American Psychological Association division 12 task force that identified evidence-based Treatments—mostly for disorders of adulthood. Because of the publication of the task force results, other studies have been published that contribute to the knowledge base of evidence-based treatment, and these studies are briefly reviewed. Across evidence-based treatments, common features of effective treatments, such as parent involvement, use of a treatment manual, and the emphasis on generalization of treatment effects to natural settings, are also identified and reviewed Introduction
Sweetpotato vine management for confined food production in a space life-support system

Abstract Sweetpotato (Ipomea batatas L.) ‘Whatley–Loretan’ was developed for space life support by researchers at Tuskegee University for its highly productive, nutritious storage roots. This promising candidate space life-support crop has a sprawling habit and aggressive growth rate in favorable environments that demands substantial growing area. Shoot pruning is not a viable option for vine control because removal of the main shoot apex drastically inhibits storage-root initiation and development, and chemical growth retardants typically are not cleared for use with food crops. As part of a large effort by the NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training in Advanced Life Support to reduce equivalent system mass (ESM) for food production in space, the dilemma of vine management for sweetpotato was addressed in effort to conserve growth area without compromising root yield. Root yields from unbranched vines trained spirally around wire frames configured either in the shapes of cones or cylinders were similar to those from vines trained horizontally along the bench, but occupying only a small fraction of the bench area. This finding indicates that sweetpotato is highly adaptable to a variety of vine-training architectures. Planting a second plant in the growth container and training the two vines in opposite directions around frames enhanced root yield and number, but had little effect on average length of each vine or bench area occupied. Once again, root yields were similar for both configurations of wire support frames. The 3–4-month crop-production cycles for sweetpotato in the greenhouse spanned all seasons of multiple years during the course of the study, and although electric lighting was used for photoperiod control and to supplement photosynthetic light during low-light seasons, there still were differences in total light available across seasons. Light variations and other environmental differences among experiments in the greenhouse had more effects on vine length than on root yield. Average vine length correlated positively with total hours of daylight received across seasons, and responses for one plant per container were higher above a threshold duration of solar exposure, suggesting that the vines of two plants per container compete for available light. In addition to the adaptability of sweetpotato to various vine-training architectures and across seasons in terms of maintaining root productivity, the open, interior volumes of the support frames tested in this study will provide future opportunity to enhance sweetpotato root yield in space by adding novel interior lighting, such as from intracanopy arrays of light-emitting diodes. This work was sponsored by NASA grant NAG 5 1286.
Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase activity in hematopoietic disorders; a correlative study by biochemical and cytochemical techniques.

Abstract : The principal diagnostic values of this determination in the hematopoietic disorders studied is in the exclusion of chronic myelocytic leukemia. If the alkaline phosphatase activity is high, the diagnosis of chronic myelocytic leukemia would seem unlikely. The cytochemical technique appeared to be more reliable in this exclusion.
CHAT analysis of the influence of specific risk factors on late results after carotid endarterectomy.

Abstract The CHAT classification separates various current and historical presentations of cerebrovascular disease in an effort to determine important prognostic clues for management and prognosis. To evaluate known risk factors for late stroke and death, we followed up for an average of 44 months 633 patients who had undergone 714 carotid operations. We analyzed the indication for surgery (by CHAT) and the effect of preoperative risk factors (age, hypertension, cardiac disease, tobacco use, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, renal disease, pulmonary disease, and total risk factor score) on the end points of late stroke and death. Ipsilateral stroke was uncommon after carotid endarterectomy: with life-table analysis, the probability of late stroke at 5 years after carotid endarterectomy was 3%. Among the 127 patients with amaurosis fugax, the incidence of late stroke and of mortality was a combined total of 1% per year, and the 17 patients who had been first seen with permanent ocular stroke (blindness) fared equally well. The 28 patients who were first seen with vertebrobasilar symptoms and were treated by carotid endarterectomy also fared particularly well, with no late strokes or deaths within the first 5 years. Logistic regression analyses revealed that the various indications for carotid endarterectomy were associated with differing patterns of risk factors as significant predictors of late stroke or death. For patients first seen with asymptomatic lesions, only diabetes was an important predictor for late stroke ( p = 0.05) and renal disease was the only marker for early death ( p = 0.05). On the other hand, those factors were not significant risk factors for patients first seen with amaurosis fugax, for whom tobacco use was a negative predictor for stroke ( p = 0.06) and male gender a negative predictor for early death ( p = 0.03). After cortical transient ischemic attacks and carotid endarterectomy, there were no risk factors predictive of late stroke or of death. For patients with prior stroke, age was a very strong predictor of stroke ( p = 0.01) and both age and a history of cardiac disease were significant risk factors for early death ( p = 0.007). In contrast to the results in reports of patients treated medically for transient ischemic attacks and stroke, we found that several risk factors appeared to play relatively minor roles. In conclusion, stroke after carotid endarterectomy was uncommon, least common after ocular symptoms, and most likely after permanent cortical stroke. Specific risk factors were less important for patients after carotid endarterectomy than for the medically treated stroke patient. (J Vasc Surg 1992;16:575–87.)
Diversity characteristics of the 2008-2009 pharmacy college application service applicant pool.

Objective. To characterize the 2008-2009 Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) applicant pool in terms of diversity-related variables compared with admissions-related variables. Methods. The relationships between the diversity variables of ethnicity, gender, parental education, and prepharmacy education, and the admissions-related variables of grade point average (GPA), pharmacy college admission test (PCAT) score, and acceptance rates were evaluated. Results. There were 16,246 applicants to PharmCAS during the 2008-2009 pharmacy college and school admission cycle. Female applicants and non-underrepresented minorities (non-URMs) achieved higher mean GPAs, and male applicants and non-URMs had higher mean PCAT scores. Higher parental education was associated with higher mean GPA and PCAT scores. Mean PCAT score and GPA increased as prepharmacy education increased, with the exception of a bachelor’s degree, which was associated with a lower GPA. Acceptance rates were higher among female applicants, non-URMs, and applicants with higher prepharmacy education and parental education. Conclusions. Female applicants, non-URMs, applicants with higher than a bachelor’s degree, and applicants whose parents attained a doctoral degree were associated with higher mean GPAs and PCAT scores and were accepted to a higher proportion of the colleges and schools to which they applied. Colleges and schools of pharmacy can use these data as a benchmark when evaluating admissions processes.
Juvenile animal abuse: Practice and policy implications for PNPs.

Abstract Animal abuse has long been recognized as a sign of family violence and a warning sign of future aggression in children and adolescents. As leaders in youth violence prevention, pediatric nurse practitioners need to be aware of the prevalence and types of juvenile animal cruelty and its relationship to human violence. In doing so, they can champion for health care and related policies for this disturbing problem, described by Ascione as an underreported and understudied issue that may add to the understanding and prevention of youth violence."[One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child] is when the child who kills or tortures [an animal] is not caught, or if caught is not punished."—Anthropologist Margaret Mead (1964, p. 21)
Current status of clinical 25-hydroxyvitamin D measurement: An assessment of between-laboratory agreement

Background Historically, methodological differences and lack of standardization led to between-laboratory variability in 25(OH)D results. Recent observations raised concern about persisting variability. This quality assurance exercise investigated 25(OH)D result comparability between laboratories.
The fatty acid composition of seeds and leaves of Nicotiana species

Abstract Fatty acid analyses of seeds in 62 Nicotiana species and leaves in 56 Nicotiana species are presented. The total fatty acid content on a dry wt basis ranged from 25 to 40 %of seeds and from 2.1 to4.4% of green leaves. Linolenate was the dominant fatty acid in the leaves of all species studied, comprising 50–63% of the total fatty acid content. In seeds of most species linoleate predominated, constituting 69–79% of the total fatty acid content. Fourteen of 21 species in the section Suaveolentes and one species in the section Noctiflorae had relatively high proportions (10–38%) of linolenate. In two linolenate-rich species studied, linolenate was the major fatty acid of triacylglycerols which predominated in the seed lipids.
Exploring The Public’s Views On The Health Care System: A National Survey On The Issues And Options

ABSTRACT: Instead of assessing support for specific health reform initiatives, this study examines fundamental attitudes that shape views about the provision and financing of health insurance. We f...
A Diuretic Protocol Increases Volume Removal and Reduces Readmissions Among Hospitalized Patients With Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Despite the widespread use of loop diuretics to treat acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), robust data supporting their role and optimal dosing strategies are scarce. This analysis aimed to compare clinical outcomes of patients admitted with ADHF who received a diuretic dosing protocol with those who received the usual diuretic therapy. We performed an observational medical records review to compare the use of a nurse-driven diuretic dosing protocol with usual diuretic dosing for patients admitted with ADHF during a 1-year period. Using a propensity scoring model, comparisons were made between groups for total weight loss, length of stay (LOS), 30-day readmissions, in-hospital mortality, 30-day mortality, and acute kidney failure. Sixty-eight of the 596 patients admitted with ADHF during the study period received the diuretic protocol. Protocol use was associated with an additional 2.63-kg weight loss (P=.003) but a trend toward increased LOS compared with patients receiving usual care (P=.097). However, patients receiving the protocol had a significantly lower risk of 30-day readmission (odds ratio, 0.46, 95% confidence interval, 0.22–0.95). Protocol use was not associated with significant differences in kidney failure, inpatient mortality, or 30-day mortality. A diuretic dosing protocol for patients admitted with ADHF improves weight loss and may lower 30-day readmissions, at the cost of potentially increasing LOS.
What does it mean when we screen? A closer examination of perinatal depression and psychosocial risk screening within one MCH home visiting program.

Perinatal depression screening has become an imperative for maternal and child health (MCH) home visitation programs. However, contextual life experiences and situational life stress may be equally important in determining program response. As one component of a larger research study with an urban MCH home visitation program, we examined the results from multiple measures of depression and anxiety symptoms, social support and stressful life events in a sample of 30 newly enrolled program participants. We compared commonly used tools in identifying women who were “at risk” for perinatal depression. The analysis used published and agency practice cut-off scores, examined correlations between measures, and reflected on the role of stressful life events in this assessment. In this low-income, predominantly African-American sample, the assessed tools were inconsistent in identifying “at risk” women for perinatal depression, ranging from 22 % (Edinburgh Perinatal Depression Scale) to 75 % (Center for Epidemiological Studies, Depression Scale) depending on the instrument. Depression and anxiety were correlated across most measures, although provider-collected data did not correlate as anticipated with other measures. The combination of screening for perinatal depression and stressful life events offered an additional perspective on possible symptom alleviation and psychosocial intervention that could occur within the home visiting program. Our experience suggests that introducing a brief inventory of stressful life events accompanying perinatal depression screening allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of women’s experiences than perinatal depression screening alone. We encourage psychosocial risk screening which integrates assessment of social support, stressful life events and perinatal depression symptoms.
The effect of age on hospital outcomes in severe acute pancreatitis.

Background/Aims: The role of age as an important independent risk factor in severe acute pancreatitis is debated. We evaluated clinical outcomes, including in-hospital mortality and
Na-jarosite dissolution rates: The effect of mineral composition on jarosite lifetimes

Abstract Na-jarosite dissolution rates measured at temperatures 277 K, 295 K, and 323 K and at pH ∼ 1, 2, 8, and 10 in dilute solutions yield the following rate equation: r = 0.0946 e - 26 , 921 RT ( a H + ) 0.830 + 4.36 e - 52 , 272 RT ( a OH - ) 0.317 Dissolution rates are minimized between pH 3 and 4 and increase with increasing activity of both H+ and OH−. Overall, Na-jarosite dissolution rates are comparable, but slightly faster than K-jarosite dissolution rates, suggesting that K–Na substitution in the 8-coordinated A site has a minimal effect on dissolution rate. Slightly faster Na-jarosite dissolution rates yielded shorter estimated lifetimes in aqueous systems, but similar activation energies compared to K-jarosite. Calculated Na-jarosite lifetimes for 1 mm jarosite particles (maximum potential jarosite particle size observed at Meridiani Planum) range from less than 1 year at pH 10 and 295 K to 200 years at 277 K at pH 3–4. These calculated lifetimes represent a maximum far-from equilibrium fluid-Na-jarosite contact time for Meridiani Planum.
A novel mouse model of diisocyanate-induced asthma showing allergic-type inflammation in the lung after inhaled antigen challenge

Abstract Background: Exposure to diisocyanates, a group of highly reactive, low-molecular-weight compounds, is a major cause of occupational asthma. In contrast to mouse models of atopic asthma, previous mouse models of diisocyanate-induced asthma have failed to show lung inflammation with characteristics of human disease. Objective : Our goal was to establish a novel mouse model of diisocyanate-induced asthma in which lung inflammation reminiscent of that seen in human asthma is generated after inhaled antigen challenge. Methods : BALB/c mice were epicutaneously sensitized to hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and then challenged with an HDI-protein conjugate administered by means of an intranasal droplet. Results : HDI sensitization resulted in development of contact hypersensitivity and HDI-specific antibody production. Most importantly, however, vigorous inflammatory responses with characteristics of human asthma were generated in the lung after inhaled HDI challenge. Challenge of sensitized, but not unsensitized, mice resulted in airway eosinophilia, mucus hypersecretion, and production of T H 1-type (IFN-γ) and T H 2-type (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13) cytokines by lung inflammatory cells. Despite the mixed T H 1/T H 2 response induced by HDI sensitization, use of cytokine-deficient mice revealed that airway eosinophilia was mediated by T H 2 cytokines and not by IFN-γ. Conclusion : We report a novel mouse model of diisocyanate-induced asthma that, in contrast to previous models, demonstrates antigen-induced lung inflammation with characteristics of human disease. This model will allow investigation of the immunopathogenesis of diisocyanate-induced asthma and should provide insight into this common form of occupational disease. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2002;109:873–8.)