cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CARDIOEMBOLIC STROKE IN A PATIENT WITH LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE OCCLUDER: A THERAPEUTIC DILEMMA

Left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion Watchman device is gaining prevalence, especially in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) who are at long term risk of bleeding with anticoagulation therapy. 79 year old Caucasian female with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation status post ablation
Maximizing the impact of virtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety disorders

The impact of virtual reality on access to exposure therapy and recovery from anxiety is unrealized, but an argument can be made that this is about to change. Virtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety disorders is safe, effective, and, in most cases, as effective as in vivo exposure therapy. Clinician attitudes toward virtual reality are now more positive than negative. Moderately priced virtual reality systems are commercially available. Self-guided and fully automated programs for specific fears are new, scalable, potentially game-changing developments. Future research that assesses cultural bias and external validity will position virtual reality exposure therapy to address mental health disparities, to realize its potential to increase access to effective treatment for anxiety disorders, and to improve public health.
Experiential Therapy: The Case of Sam

Theoretical frameworks emerge in response to the ever-changing needs of direct service professionals to best remediate consumer’s struggles with the intersectional complexity of the human condition. And as such, these emerging theories share certain philosophical underpinnings, and evidence-based applications. Thus, integrating theory into therapy is a fluid and responsive process. This holds especially true for social work professionals that wish to merge theory into therapy with the use of experiential work in their clinical practice. This writing will explore the nature of theory, the interconnected nature of experiential therapy as theory, and the therapeutic process. A case centering on a young, single, multi-cultural, transgendered person’s conflicted emotional experience connected to his desire to transition will highlight the synergistic application of theory into therapy through experiential work. This writing explains the therapeutic factors at play in the use of experiential therapy that leads a consumer to identify unresolved emotional experiences and work toward resolution.
Terahertz Portable Handheld Spectral Reflection (PHASR) Scanner

We report on the development and characterization of a handheld terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopic scanner for broadband imaging between approximately 0.25 and 1.25 THz. We designed and fabricated a 3D-printed fiber-coupled housing which provides an alignment-free strategy for the placement and operation of the THz optics. Image formation is achieved through telecentric beam steering over a planar surface through a custom f- $\theta $ scanning lens. This design achieves a consistent resolution over the full $12\times 19$ mm field of view. Broadband spectral imaging is demonstrated using a 1951 United States Air Force Resolution Test Target. The consistency of the resolution over the wide field is validated through Boehler Star resolution measurements. Finally, a practical scenario of subsurface imaging on a damaged section of an aircraft wing is demonstrated. The THz PHASR is a field-deployable imaging system with the versatility to be applied to a much broader range of targets and imaging scenarios than previously possible, from industrial non-destructive testing to clinical diagnostic imaging.
Research on Consumers’ Attitudes towards Online and Offline Shopping

This paper collects data by means of questionnaire survey and analyzes the data to study consumers’ psychological survey and the relationship between consumer characteristics and online and offline shopping, so as to speculate how to maximize their own interests for online and offline businesses. In the early stage, a wide range of data through questionnaires are used in this research. A total of 300 questionnaires are collected, 282 of which are valid. Excel and Python are used to analyze the relationship between various factors. The relationship between each other is inferred by analyzing the linear relationship and the data distribution. Through analysis, it shows that most people still prefer online shopping, which has become a development trend. Only a minority of consumers over the age of 30 remain enthusiastic about offline shopping. Most of the online products are clothes, cosmetics, skin care products, snacks, etc., while offline products tend to be fresh products, drinks, and clothing, etc. In addition, online shopping has become a trend in the future. Offline merchants should improve consumers’ shopping experience by emphasizing more on the actual consumption experience and feelings brought by shopping and improve other supporting services that can be implemented offline to attract more consumers’ offline shopping.
The Short Path from Wishful Thinking to Scientific Fraud

Scientists have the same weaknesses and temptations as people in any other line of work. One could argue that scientists require a stronger moral foundation since they receive considerable resources from grant funding, but they do not have a direct supervisor. Faculty are their own bosses, a situation that many people would regard as desirable. In order to maintain that status, university professors must bring in money. The competition for funding increases every year as more scientists are hired in universities and state and federal budgets do not keep up with that growth. Since universities depend on the income that professors generate, and government funding is not keeping pace, there is increasing pressure to work with corporations, patent or even found a company. While the traditional pressures on scientists had more to do with prestige and recognition, today recognition goes hand-in-hand with being a producer. It is an enormous challenge to manage many projects and responsibilities without a mistake or ethical lapse. Many research misconduct cases arise because of sloppy work, not checking a student’s manuscript or quickly writing the last section of a grant application without proper reflection. When seen in the light of history, we can see that moral failing has been part of science from the beginning, but today the challenges are greater than ever because of the financial pressure.
Snakebites Reported to the Kentucky Regional Poison Control Centers for the Years 2012-2016.

Introduction Snake envenomations cause significant morbidity and mortality. The goals of this study were to assess the epidemiology of snakebites in Kentucky and treatment strategies used by physicians reporting to the Kentucky Regional Poison Control Centers. Methods This was a descriptive epidemiologic study compiling clinical data on snakebites reported to the Kentucky Regional Poison Control Centers from 2012 to 2016. We built a database of the patient demographics, treatment, and clinical course of each snakebite reported in the study period. Attention was paid to all antivenom interventions and use of contraindicated therapies. Results We compiled 674 total records. Patient age was 34±18 y (mean±SD), with males (71%) predominating. Most (97%) bites were to a distal upper or lower extremity. The majority (78%) occurred at a private residence. Most reports came between May and September (88%). Of the 674 patients, 24% (n=159) were classified as moderate or severe. Two hundred thirty (34%) patients were admitted to the hospital. Forty-six patients (7%) received surgical consultation, and 12 (2%) underwent surgical intervention. One hundred fifty-three patients received antivenom, with 6±3 vials used per patient. Length of stay was 3±2 d when antivenom was administered and 2±2 d when not administered. Six cases of coagulopathy were noted. Multiple contraindicated therapies were noted. Conclusions Snake envenomations are a prevalent public health concern for residents of Kentucky, chiefly during summer months. Significant medical intervention is being performed for many patients, with a high prevalence of contraindicated therapies. More data are needed to fully characterize the epidemiologic impact and appropriateness of the interventions being applied.
Optimal Replication of Contingent Claims under Portfolio Constraints

We determine the minimum cost of superreplicating a nonnegative contingent claim when there are convex constraints on portfolio weights. We show that the optimal cost with constraints is equal to the price of a related claim without constraints. The related claim is a dominating claim, that is, a claim whose payoffs are increased in an appropriate way relative to the original claim. The results hold for a variety of options, including some path-dependent options. Constraints on the gamma of the replicating portfolio, constraints on portfolio amounts, and constraints on the number of shares are also considered. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.
Late Manifestation of Massive Jejunal and Cecal Varices Post Liver and Small Bowel Transplantation in a Patient With Microvillus Inclusion Disease.

We report the case of an 18-year-old male with a medical history of microvillous inclusion disease (MID) and notable surgical history of small bowel, liver, and pancreas transplant who presented with massive jejunal and cecal varices. Endoscopy findings demonstrated a large grape-like cluster, with subsequent CT angiography (CTA) showing other variceal lesions in the cecum. The patient was transferred to the original transplant center for recommended open surgical evaluation and combined interventional radiology (IR) embolization of varices. MID is a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in the Myosin VB (MYO5B) gene leading to a lack of myosin Vb. Patients subsequently develop liver damage at birth, which necessitates a small bowel/liver transplant in childhood.
Interferon drives hepatitis C virus scarring of the epigenome and creates targetable vulnerabilities following viral clearance.

Background & aims Chronic hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection is a leading etiologic driver of cirrhosis and ultimately hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Of the approximately 71 million individuals chronically infected with HCV, 10-20% are expected to develop severe liver complications in their lifetime. Epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation and histone modifications become profoundly disrupted in disease processes including liver disease. Methods To understand how HCV infection influences the epigenome and whether these events remain as 'scars' following cure of chronic HCV infection, we mapped genome-wide DNA methylation, four key regulatory histone modifications (H3K4me3, H3K4me1, H3K27ac, and H3K27me3) and open chromatin by ATAC-seq in parental and HCV-infected immortalized hepatocytes and the Huh7.5 HCC cell line, along with DNA methylation and gene expression analyses following elimination of HCV in these models through treatment with interferon-α or a direct-acting antiviral (DAA). Results Our data demonstrate that HCV infection profoundly impacts the epigenome (particularly enhancers), HCV shares epigenetic targets with interferon-α targets, an overwhelming majority of epigenetic changes induced by HCV remain as 'scars' on the epigenome following viral cure Similar findings are observed in primary human patient samples cured of chronic HCV infection. Supplementation of interferon-α/DAA antiviral regimens with DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2'deoxycytidine synergizes in reverting aberrant DNA methylation induced by HCV. Finally, both HCV-infected and cured cells displayed a blunted immune response, demonstrating a functional effect of epigenetic scarring. Conclusions Integration of epigenetic and transcriptional data elucidates key gene deregulation events driven by HCV infection and how this may underpin the long-term elevated risk for HCC in patients cured of HCV due to epigenome scarring.
Predictors of Poor Outcome in Bacterial Meningitis: Retrospective Analysis of Nationwide Inpatient Sample (P5.046)

OBJECTIVE: Cross sectional retrospective analysis was done to identify complications and predictors of poor outcome in bacterial meningitis. BACKGROUND: Large sample, real world data analysis for identifying predictors of poor outcome in bacterial meningitis is lacking. DESIGN/METHODS: Retrospective search of Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) was done to identify patients with primary diagnosis of bacterial meningitis (ICD-9 code 320.x, 320.xx). Patients with secondary diagnosis of intracranial hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor or brain metastasis were excluded in order to minimize nosocomial and iatrogenic bacterial meningitis cases from the sample. In hospital death or patients undergoing tracheostomy or gastrostomy or jejunostomy were defined as having poor outcome. Complications were identified using their respective ICD-9 diagnostic codes. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify predictors of poor outcome. RESULTS: Total 10,231 patients with bacterial meningitis were found from year 2000 to 2011. Out of which 1174 (11.5[percnt]) patients had poor outcome; including 888 (8.7[percnt]) in hospital deaths. Median length of stay was 8 days. Major complications identified were seizures (14[percnt]), ischemic stroke (4.4[percnt]), hydrocephalus (3.3[percnt]), intracranial abscess (2.6[percnt]), respiratory failure (16.3[percnt]). In multivariate analysis, every decade increase in age, teaching hospital status and development of complications like hydrocephalus, ischemic stroke, seizures, intracranial abscess and respiratory failure were predictors of poor outcome. Every calendar year increase was small but significant negative predictor of poor outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective study, every decade increase in age, teaching hospital status and development of complications like hydrocephalus, ischemic stroke, seizures, intracranial abscess and respiratory failure were predictors of poor outcome. Every calendar year increase was a negative predictor of poor outcome. Study Supported by: Disclosure: Dr. Dharaiya has nothing to disclose. Dr. Modi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Maraka has nothing to disclose.
Ten Rules for Midface Lifting for the Repair of Lid Retraction

There are ten useful tips to recall when performing a midface lift in the treatment of lower lid retraction. These include having realistic expectations, identifying what layer is causing the retraction, and dissecting in a virgin plane. It is also useful to place a spacer graft and keep the lid on stretch for a week. The final outcome may not be known for several months.
The environment and pediatric overweight: a review for nurse practitioners.

Purpose: The primary aim of this article is to review environmental determinates on eating and physical activity behaviors that lead to overweight status in the pediatric population. Data sources: Selected articles on pediatric obesity and overweight and federal government publications addressing pediatric overweight, physical activity, and dietary habits. Conclusions: Obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of disease and death in the United States and is considered a major public health threat to Americans of all ages. An energy-dense diet coupled with low physical activity creates an environment conducive to obesity. Obesity warrants immediate attention and nurse practitioners (NPs) must implement proactive strategies to prevent the development of chronic disease in American children and adolescents. An initial key to successful prevention is identification of environmental supports and barriers that influence pediatric overweight. Implications for practice: NPs must identify at-risk and overweight youth and translate current research findings into their practices. Designing and implementing age and family appropriate strategies that address positive and negative environmental influences is crucial to prevent or reduce the overweight epidemic.
Another Limit on Refiling Voluntarily Dismissed Cases

In Illinois, civil litigants enjoy an express statutory right to dismiss a pending civil case and refile it within a year regardless of any prohibitive time limits. 735 ILCS 5/13-217. Such a right is not found in the federal district courts or in many American state courts. This right has been limited by the res judicata doctrine. Hudson v. Chicago, 228 Ill.2d 464 (2008). Now, in a “case of first impression,” an appellate court has recognized another significant limit, judicial estoppel. In Smeilis v. Lipkis, 2012 IL App (1st) 103385, the court estopped the plaintiffs as they “have (1) taken two positions, (2) that are factually inconsistent, (3) in separate . . . proceedings, (4) with intent the trier of fact accept the facts alleged as true, and (5) have succeeded in the first proceeding and received some benefit from it.” In Smeilis, the plaintiffs initially sued a hospital and a nursing home for medical malpractice. They settled with the hospital after presenting a neurosurgeon as an expert who said the patient needed surgery while at the hospital, and that any later surgery, while at the nursing home after the hospital stay, would likely not have helped. Plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed after settlement and timely refiled against the nursing home. There, the plaintiffs presented a new expert, a neurologist, who said surgery within days after the transfer to the nursing home would have left the patient “in a better condition than her current state.” In finding judicial estoppel barred the second suit notwithstanding the statutory right, the court distinguished earlier cases where parties were not judicially estopped from using different experts to opine differently in two cases. Here, the two experts were said to differ on a fact, not an opinion. The court ruled that when a patient first exhibits a “neurological abnormality” is a fact, though requiring expert witness testimony. A dissent was not sure plaintiffs benefitted from the inconsistency and found troubling the distinction between a pleading amendment (allowed) and a refiling (not allowed). After Hudson and Smeilis, the dangers in voluntary dismissals and refiling are great. Claimants should avoid utilizing their statutory right whenever possible.
Handling changes in MRI acquisition parameters in modeling whole brain lesion volume and atrophy data in multiple sclerosis subjects: Comparison of linear mixed-effect models

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain provides important outcome measures in the longitudinal evaluation of disease activity and progression in MS subjects. Two common measures derived from brain MRI scans are the brain parenchymal fraction (BPF) and T2 hyperintense lesion volume (T2LV), and these measures are routinely assessed longitudinally in clinical trials and observational studies. When measuring each outcome longitudinally, observed changes may be potentially confounded by variability in MRI acquisition parameters between scans. In order to accurately model longitudinal change, the acquisition parameters should thus be considered in statistical models. In this paper, several models for including protocol as well as individual MRI acquisition parameters in linear mixed models were compared using a large dataset of 3453 longitudinal MRI scans from 1341 subjects enrolled in the CLIMB study, and model fit indices were compared across the models. The model that best explained the variance in BPF data was a random intercept and random slope with protocol specific residual variance along with the following fixed-effects: baseline age, baseline disease duration, protocol and study time. The model that best explained the variance in T2LV was a random intercept and random slope along with the following fixed-effects: baseline age, baseline disease duration, protocol and study time. In light of these findings, future studies pertaining to BPF and T2LV outcomes should carefully account for the protocol factors within longitudinal models to ensure that the disease trajectory of MS subjects can be assessed more accurately.
Why All the Counting? Feminist Social Science Research on Children's Literature

This article addresses the question of why counting has figured so prominently in feminist social science studies of children's literature. It documents the quantitative approach to children's books used by both liberal and radical feminists, gives an account of why this approach has been so popular among feminist social scientists, and outlines some of the achievements and limitations of this approach. The article also indicates some reasons why recent, multicultural feminist, social science studies have used a more qualitative approach to children's literature, as well as some reasons to expect that one might count on a greater balance of qualitative and quantitative studies in the future.
Separable effector T cell populations specialized for B cell help or tissue inflammation

We identified specialized B helper and tissue inflammatory CD4(+) T cell subsets that developed concurrently from common naive precursors during the primary immune response. These separable populations were distinguishable by their expression of adhesion and chemoattractant receptors that directed their homing to the appropriate effector sites in vivo and also showed intrinsic differences in their ability to support B cell antibody production and produce effector cytokines in vitro. Thus, our data show a previously unappreciated functional specialization among CD4(+) effector T cells, further defining their diversity and role in adaptive immunity.
Providing Comprehensive Health Care to Children With Chronic Illness

Objectives. To test whether a program of outreach and comprehensive health care for children with chronic disorders provides more complete care and reduces unmet health needs compared with traditional care. Design. A pretest-posttest randomized control trial. Setting. An inner-city municipal teaching hospital. Sample. Two hundred nineteen systematically enrolled mothers of children with diverse chronic physical health conditions. Interventions. A comprehensive outreach program, Pediatric Home Care (PHC), contrasted with Standard Care. Measurements and Results. Nine elements of comprehensive care established in the literature as components of a basic package of care for those with chronic conditions. The PHC intervention addressed gaps in services and improved both the acquisition and maintenance of elements of comprehensive care. Conclusions. These data suggest mechanisms through which comprehensive care programs may contribute to the improvement in psychological and social outcomes previously reported for those in the PHC intervention.
Bilateral removal of the mandibular and medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes through a single ventral midline incision for staging of head and neck cancers in dogs: a description of surgical technique

Currently, there is no standard protocol for removal of regional lymph nodes for the staging of head and neck cancers in dogs. Palpation and fine needle aspiration of mandibular lymph nodes are most commonly performed for staging of head and neck cancers. Although cytology is commonly performed for staging of head and neck, cancers histopathology is required for definitive lymph node staging. When regional lymph node biopsy is performed, mandibular lymph nodes are most commonly sampled due to their accessibility. The medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes may be the most relevant draining lymph node of the head and neck, but they are not routinely sampled due to their anatomic location medial to the salivary glands. The technique described here will allow for a standardized surgical approach for the efficient removal of both mandibular and medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes for staging of head and neck tumours via a single ventral midline approach.
The emission and absorption of waves by charged particles in magnetized plasmas

A semiclassical theory describing the emission and absorption of waves is applied to the interaction of charged particles with waves in magnetized plasmas. Spontaneous emission of all cold plasma wave modes is calculated in detail. The method gives the absorption coefficient for the waves and a diffusion equation in momentum space for the particles describing the effects of the induced processes.
Graduated levels of group therapy for substance abusers

Abstract A three-level group therapy program for substance abusers is described. Each level is characterized by different emphases on educational, behavioral, and dynamic intervention strategies.
Typology and Old Testament Prophets in Guillaume Le Clerc’s Fergus

The late thirteenth-century verse romance Fergus by Guillaume Le Clerc has received a wide range of critical review. Some consider it a true epigonal text replete with incongruous and comical elements and written in the style of Chretien de Troyes, though never living up to his standards. Others are more appreciative of Guillaume’s work, judging it to be a well-written, coherent, and innovative reworking of old themes in new and, at times, unexpected ways. Still others recognize in Fergus a clever parody. Most recently, it has been suggested that Fergus contains an important typological element that reveals the poet’s intent and overarching message. This article proposes a new typological construction and examines if this construction informs an overarching message for Guillaume’s text.
The binding and degradation of nisin by mixed ruminal bacteria.

We found that nisin catalyzed potassium efflux from glycolyzing Streptococcus bovis JB1 cell suspensions and that the steady state concentration of residual potassium was dependent upon the amount of nisin added. The relationship between nisin concentration and potassium depletion was a saturation function that had considerable cooperativity. By pre-incubating mixed ruminal bacteria with nisin and removing them prior to S. bovis JB1 addition, it was possible to estimate the ability of mixed ruminal bacteria to bind or degrade nisin. Low concentrations of mixed ruminal bacteria did not bind or degrade all of the nisin in 6 h, but little nisin remained if the mixed ruminal bacteria were present at more than 50 μg protein ml−1. Because cell-free ruminal fluid (10% v/v) inactivated the nisin in less than 2 h, and this inactivation could be counteracted by autoclaving, ultra-filtration or proteinase inhibitor, it appeared that there was an enzymatic degradation of nisin. Mixed ruminal bacteria degraded nisin rapidly, but this degradation did not prevent potassium depletion from mixed ruminal bacteria. These latter results indicated that nisin binding was faster than nisin degradation. The idea that nisin binding could protect nisin from degradation was supported by the observation that intact nisin could be extracted from mixed ruminal bacteria. These observations support the hypothesis that bacteriocins can be used to modify ruminal fermentation, but further work will be needed to see if these peptides can be produced economically.
Perioperative bowel habits of women undergoing gynecologic surgery: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES To describe perioperative bowel habits of women undergoing gynecologic surgery. METHODS This prospective cohort study included women undergoing gynecologic surgery. Before surgery, participants completed the Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS), a validated instrument describing stool characteristics consistent with transit categories: slow (BSFS 1-2), normal (BSFS 3-5), and fast (BSFS 6-7). For 2 weeks after surgery, the participants recorded daily medications and bowel movements (BM), and completed BSFS. The χ(2) test, the Fisher exact test, analysis of variance, t tests, and ordinal regression were used. RESULTS Preoperatively, most (70%) of 340 women had normal stool transit, with 15% having slow transit and 7% having fast transit. Complete postoperative data were available for 170 (50%). Mean ± SD time to first postoperative BM was 2.8 ± 1.4 days with transit classification: 48% normal, 32% slow, and 20% fast. CONCLUSIONS Most women had normal stool transit both preoperatively and postoperatively. Time to first BM was longer after open surgery by approximately 3 days.
Evaluating Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion for plastic flow in model metallic glasses

Abstract The yielding of metallic glasses (MGs) is generally considered to be dependent on pressure or normal stress, which is usually described by the Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion. Experimentally, the orientation of the shear band angle or fracture angles in MG is roughly 40° to 42° in uniaxial compression and 50° to 59° in uniaxial tension, both with respect to the loading direction. However, the amounts of deviation from the maximum shear stress direction (45°) under uniaxial tension and compression are quite different, which seems to be inconsistent with the Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion. Here we carried out molecular dynamics simulations to study the incipient plasticity of model Dzugutov glasses subjected to various uniaxial and biaxial stress states. The yield points are defined as the sharp rise of the population of atoms participating in non-affine deformations, in addition to the traditional offset method. The yield surfaces thus created agree well with the Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion. Furthermore, the orientations of the embryonic shear bands (instead of the fully-grown shear bands, or fracture planes) are measured, which also follow predictions based on the Mohr–Coulomb criterion. Our simulation results call for orientational measurement of incipient shear bands in experiments to critically examine the Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion in MG systems.
Enhancement of electromagnetic pulse emission from ultrashort laser pulse irradiated solid targets

Ultrashort laser pulses (~100 fs duration) are known to generate charge separation in solid, liquid and gas targets through a variety of nonlinear mechanisms. This process results in the emission of a broadband electromagnetic pulse (EMP) in the microwave and terahertz (THz) regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Possible applications of this phenomenon include remote RF and THz generation for material detection and diagnostics. We investigate the energy and spectrum of the EMP emitted from copper and glass targets irradiated by single 800 nm, 38 fs duration pulses with varying energy. The detector is two feet from the target and the detection bandwidth is 2-18 GHz. We also demonstrate our ability to enhance the emitted EMP energy from a copper target by more than an order of magnitude by irradiating the target with a 1064 nm, 14 ns duration pulse at a specific time delay relative to the ultrashort pulse. We attribute the increased optical to RF energy conversion to enhanced absorption of the ultrashort pulse by the nanosecond pulse-generated plasma at the surface of the target.
Ethics, Institutions, and Business Relations: A Study of Collusive Incentives for Institutional Shareholders to Monitor Firm Managers

Our theory asserts that at low levels of ownership institutions may support management to preserve other business relations. At higher levels of ownership, institutions more actively monitor management because the gains from equity ownership exceed the cost of management review and of possible lost business. Corporate performance first decreases and then increases with the institution's ownership. Furthermore, the institutional ownership‐performance relation, especially the critical ownership level that separates management aligned institutions from efficiently monitoring ones, varies with management specific parameters (managerial effort disutility), firm specific parameters (firm size) and whether or not the institutional owner is pressure sensitive.
An Application-based Performance Evaluation of NASA's Nebula Cloud Computing Platform

The high performance computing (HPC) community has shown tremendous interest in exploring cloud computing as it promises high potential. In this paper, we examine the feasibility, performance, and scalability of production quality scientific and engineering applications of interest to NASA on NASA's cloud computing platform, called Nebula, hosted at Ames Research Center. This work represents the comprehensive evaluation of Nebula using NUTTCP, HPCC, NPB, I/O, and MPI function benchmarks as well as four applications representative of the NASA HPC workload. Specifically, we compare Nebula performance on some of these benchmarks and applications to that of NASA's Pleiades supercomputer, a traditional HPC system. We also investigate the impact of virtIO and jumbo frames on interconnect performance. Overall results indicate that on Nebula (i) virtIO and jumbo frames improve network bandwidth by a factor of 5x, (ii) there is a significant virtualization layer overhead of about 10% to 25%, (iii) write performance is lower by a factor of 25x, (iv) latency for short MPI messages is very high, and (v) overall performance is 15% to 48% lower than that on Pleiades for NASA HPC applications. We also comment on the usability of the cloud platform.
Prevalence and predictors of depressive, anxiety and substance use disorders in HIV-infected and uninfected men: a longitudinal evaluation.

Background. There is little agreement on whether the prevalence of psychiatric disorder is elevated in HIV-seropositive (HIV +) populations compared with uninfected persons. However, evaluation of this issue has been limited by difficulties of sampling, study design and failure to control for other risk factors for disorder.Methods. Prevalence and clinical characteristics of DSM-III-R major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder, adjustment disorder, and alcohol and substance abuse/dependence were evaluated in a representative sample of HIV + men attending primary care physicians' offices in a defined geographical area. Lifetime prevalence at baseline and 1-year rates during longitudinal follow-up were determined for the 113 HIV + men, as well as 57 HIV – men, via standardized interview. Multivariate analyses considered unique and combined effects of HIV serostatus and other risk factors on likelihood of disorder.Results. Although there were no differences in lifetime rates prior to baseline, HIV + men were at greater risk for disorders during the prospective study period. For MDD, this effect was maintained even after controlling for other risk factors. Several of these other factors bore their own effects: regardless of HIV serostatus, men were susceptible to psychopathology if at baseline they were younger, had a lifetime psychiatric history, or had poor social supports or a low sense of personal mastery.Conclusions. The risk of certain psychiatric disorders appears uniquely elevated in HIV + men. Since other factors also influence risk, interventions designed to minimize psychopathology during HIV infection should attend to both HIV-related and non-HIV-related risk factors.
Motility of Gastro-Intestinal Tract of Rats on Vitamin D Deficient Diet with Varied Minerals

ConclusionsIt would appear from our observations that the cause of the hypomotility of the gastro-intestinal tract of rachitic rats is due to a lack of vitamin D and not to the unbalanced minerals of the diet.
WHAT IF JUDGES HAD BEEN WRITTEN BY A PHILISTINE

Judges 13-16, the saga of Samson, is a text that, in popular imagination, is typically described as depicting the exploits of the heroic Samson against the Philistine barbarians. But, in fact, as commentators have often pointed out, Samson, although endowed with superhuman strength in this tale, is otherwise something of a fool and a boor: posing an unfair riddle at his wedding feast, engaging again and again in acts of violent destruction, and revealing the secret of his uncut hair to Delilah even though she has made clear that she intends to summon the Philistines to seize him after rendering him powerless. Yet however stupid Samson and however forthright Delilah are depicted as being in their interactions together, popular imagination again has almost always remembered Delilah as the evil seductress who leads the helpless Samson astray. Philistine interpreters, though, might well have remembered Delilah as an equivalent of the Israelite hero Jael: as a woman who, in terms of ethnicity, seems to stand outside of the dispute in which she plays a role; as a woman who is not necessarily a part of the household of a father or husband; and as a women depicted in terms of erotic imagery that is primarily maternal in nature. From a Philistine point of view, that is, Delilah might well bear the epithet Israelite tradition awards to Jael in Judg. 5:24: "most blessed of women."
Once-daily high-dose pindolol for SSRI-refractory depression

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) augmentation with the 5-HT1A antagonist pindolol has met with mixed results. Recent studies using positron emission tomography (PET) suggest that pindolol doses used in these studies were too low to effect 5-HT1A autoreceptor blockade. To test the hypothesis that a single higher dose of pindolol would effectively augment antidepressant responses in SSRI-refractory patients, nine subjects with major depression unresponsive to paroxetine 40 mg/day given for 2 months or more were randomized to AM pindolol 7.5 mg (n=4) or placebo (n=5). Subjects were administered the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D), the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), the Bech-Rafaelsen Melancholia Scale, and the Zung Depression Inventory at baseline and weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4. Subjects receiving pindolol exhibited significant improvements in all ratings beginning at week 2 which continued through week 4. Aside from transient dizziness and a five-point decrease in systolic/diastolic blood pressure associated with pindolol, no adverse effects were reported. Although results must be verified in a larger sample, these findings support previous studies indicating that pindolol can accelerate antidepressant responses during SSRI therapy. In addition, results reported here suggest that a single high dose of pindolol (7.5 mg) is a more effective augmentation strategy in SSRI-refractory patients compared with the same total dose given at 2.5 mg tid.
2005 ACR Presidential Oration: Collective Wisdom: Lessons for the Future

Review of presidential orations delivered since the inception of the ACR in 1923 yields insight into problems that have faced radiology over the years and the aggressive way they have been dealt with by the College. A major example occurred in 1987 when the ACR proposed developing its own relative value scale in response to the Hsiao RBRVS proposed for all of medicine. Not popular at the time, this initiative proved eventually to benefit radiologists. Self-referral, escalating in recent years, is felt to require a similar strong response, the proposal for reimbursement of imaging only to designated providers who provide high quality imaging as documented by accreditation.
Structural, magnetic, and electronic properties of the Co-Fe-Al oxide spinel system: Density-functional theory calculations

A systematic study of nine binary and ternary spinel oxides formed from Co, Al, and Fe is presented by means of density functional theory. Analysis of the structural, magnetic, and electronic properties through the series of materials is carried out. Preference for the octahedral spinel sites are found in the order Fe<Co<Al. The electronic band gaps of Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} and Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} are shown to remain largely unchanged as Al is substituted into the lattice forming M{sub 2}AlO{sub 4} (M=Fe,Co), but increase greater than 1 eV for MAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} as the octahedral M metal sites are lost. However, for stoichiometric FeAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}, the unsatisfied valence state of Fe results in partial occupation of the conduction band. The results and chemical trends are discussed in terms of atomic site and orbital energies, and in relation to potential photoelectrolysis activity for the splitting of water as a renewable means of hydrogen production.
Early Miocene sequence development across the New Jersey margin

Sequence stratigraphy provides an understanding of the interplay between eustasy, sediment supply and accommodation in the sedimentary construction of passive margins. We used this approach to follow the early to middle Miocene growth of the New Jersey margin and analyse the connection between relative changes of sea level and variable sediment supply. Eleven candidate sequence boundaries were traced in high-resolution multi-channel seismic profiles across the inner margin and matched to geophysical log signatures and lithologic changes in ODP Leg 150X onshore coreholes. Chronologies at these drill sites were then used to assign ages to the intervening seismic sequences. We conclude that the regional and global correlation of early Miocene sequences suggests a dominant role of global sea-level change but margin progradation was controlled by localized sediment contribution and that local conditions played a large role in sequence formation and preservation. Lowstand deposits were regionally restricted and their locations point to both single and multiple sediment sources. The distribution of highstand deposits, by contrast, documents redistribution by along shelf currents. We find no evidence that sea level fell below the elevation of the clinoform rollover, and the existence of extensive lowstand deposits seaward of this inflection point indicates efficient cross-shelf sediment transport mechanisms despite the apparent lack of well-developed fluvial drainage.
Red cell life span in acclimatization to altitude.

SummarySix individuals taken from sea level to 14,900 feet showed a normal red cell life span during the period of acclimatization; therefore, the polycythemia secondary to altitude is due entirely to an increase in the rate of red cell formation.
Maize pollen concentrations in Neotropical lake sediments as an indicator of the scale of prehistoric agriculture

We evaluated the potential of maize pollen concentrations in lake sediment profiles to serve as indicators of the extent of prehistoric agriculture in neotropical lake basins using records from a n...
Effects of thyrotropin-releasing hormone on phencyclidine- and ketamine-induced spinal depression in neonatal rats.

Abstract The effects of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) were examined on the monosynaptic reflex and on the activity of motoneurons in the spinal cord of the neonatal rat to elucidate the mechanism of action of TRH and its ability to reverse the spinal depression caused by phencyclidine and ketamine. Phencyclidine (2–32 μM) and ketamine (25–200 μM) produced a concentration-dependent depression of the monosynaptic reflex with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 8.4 and 77.5 μm, respectively. This depression, however, was significantly attenuated by simultaneous application of TRH (0.03–1 μM) in a concentration-dependent manner. The dose-response curves for phencylidine and ketamine were shifted to the right in the presence of TRH (0.1 μM) with an increase in the respective IC50 of 2- to 3-fold. The incidence of generation of motoneuron spikes, elicited by dorsal root stimulation, was significantly increased by TRH in each neuron tested, concomitantly with an increase in the spontaneous firing rate. These results suggest that TRH directly excites alpha-motoneurons to reverse the spinal depression produced by phencylidine and ketamine.
Genetic Interaction of Centrosomin and Bazooka in Apical Domain Regulation in Drosophila Photoreceptor

Background Cell polarity genes including Crumbs (Crb) and Par complexes are essential for controlling photoreceptor morphogenesis. Among the Crb and Par complexes, Bazooka (Baz, Par-3 homolog) acts as a nodal component for other cell polarity proteins. Therefore, finding other genes interacting with Baz will help us to understand the cell polarity genes' role in photoreceptor morphogenesis. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we have found a genetic interaction between baz and centrosomin (cnn). Cnn is a core protein for centrosome which is a major microtubule-organizing center. We analyzed the effect of the cnn mutation on developing eyes to determine its role in photoreceptor morphogenesis. We found that Cnn is dispensable for retinal differentiation in eye imaginal discs during the larval stage. However, photoreceptors deficient in Cnn display dramatic morphogenesis defects including the mislocalization of Crumbs (Crb) and Bazooka (Baz) during mid-stage pupal eye development, suggesting that Cnn is specifically required for photoreceptor morphogenesis during pupal eye development. This role of Cnn in apical domain modulation was further supported by Cnn's gain-of-function phenotype. Cnn overexpression in photoreceptors caused the expansion of the apical Crb membrane domain, Baz and adherens junctions (AJs). Conclusions/Significance These results strongly suggest that the interaction of Baz and Cnn is essential for apical domain and AJ modulation during photoreceptor morphogenesis, but not for the initial photoreceptor differentiation in the Drosophila photoreceptor.
EVIDENCE FOR A COMPLEX INTERACTION BETWEEN THE SUBTYPES OF THE ALPHA 1-ADRENOCEPTOR

Ligand binding studies with WB 4101 revealed that the rat aorta contains both the alpha 1a- and alpha 1b-adrenoceptor subtypes. Results obtained following treatment with the irreversible antagonists phenoxybenzamine, chlorethylclonidine or SZL-49 (4-amino-6,7-dimethoxy-2-quinazolinyl-4-(2-bicyclo[2,2,2]octa-2,5- dienylcarbonyl-2-piperazine) suggest that there is a complex interaction between the alpha 1-adrenoceptor subtypes in the aorta. Chlorethylclonidine affects only the alpha 1b-adrenoceptor, whereas the predominant action of SZL-49 is on the alpha 1a-subtype. Chlorethylclonidine significantly inhibited the response to either methoxamine or phenylephrine, agents which are selective alpha 1a-adrenoceptor agonists. Following inactivation with either chlorethylclonidine or SZL-49, the response of the rat aorta to phenylephrine was only partially antagonized by either prazosin or WB 4101. SZL-49 also inhibited the response of the rat tail artery to electrical stimulation. The response of the tail artery obtained following inactivation with SZL-49 was effectively antagonized by prazosin. Phenylephrine, prazosin or WB 4101 afforded complete protection from chlorethylclonidine adrenoceptor inactivation, while these same ligands were only partially effective against SZL-49. Either SZL-49 or chlorethylclonidine significantly impaired the irreversible adrenoceptor blocking actions of phenoxybenzamine. These results suggest: (1) only the alpha 1a-adrenoceptor subtype appears to be associated with nerve terminals in the tail artery, (2) there may be a complex interaction between the alpha 1-adrenoceptor subtypes such that both receptors must be intact and functional to observe normal agonist and antagonist interactions, (3) there may be three sites of action for agonists associated with the rat aorta.