cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Graduate business students as surrogates for executives in the evaluation of technology

Manuscript originally submitted June 29, 1994; Revised November 29, 1994; Accepted January 11, 1995 for publication. There have been many technological improvements since the phenomenon of computer use by executives was first discussed by Rockart and Treacy (1982) in the Harvard Business Review. From those early attempts a growing number of top executives have come to rely on software that focuses, compresses, organizes, and delivers information in a format appropriate to strategic management functions. Even more than other levels of management, executives deal with a complex, uncertain, and unstructured world, and their decisions can have a significant impact on the entire organization. Creating new technologies to support senior executives is at the cutting edge of MIS research. The best way to test an information technology (IT) designed to support executives is to have executives use the system. However, executives are not readily available as subjects for research projects. They are typically very busy, highly-paid people who have no interest in spending hours in a laboratory trying out unproven technologies under controlled conditions. Thus, researchers frequently resort to testing new executive IT with student subjects. The use of students as surrogates for executives, or managers in general, has raised a controversy in social science research literature over the past decades (Remus, 1989; Copeland, Francia, and Strawser, 1973; Weick, 1967). Some authors have questioned the external validity of studies conducted with student subjects (Gordon, Slade, and Schmitt, 1986, Hughes & Gibson, 1991; Robinson, Huefner, & Hunt, 1991). They argue that social differences such as age, income, Graduate Business Students as Surrogates for Executives in The Evaluation of Technology
Groupoids in control systems and the reachability problem for a class of quantized control systems with nonabelian symmetries

The aim of this paper is twofold. On one hand we present an approach to the general problem of nonlinear control in the framework of (differentiable) groupoids, which, in our opinion deserves further investigation. On the other hand, using recently-developed algebraic tools, we show that for a control system whose state space is a semisimple Lie group (like SO(3)), it is possible to reach a dense subset of the state space using just two properly chosen discrete controls, and this property is robust with respect to the choice of controls.
Ranging of Aircraft Using Wide-baseline Stereopsis

The purpose of this research was to investigate the efficacy of wide-baseline stereopsis as a method of ranging aircraft, specifically as a possible sense-and-avoid solution in Unmanned Aerial Systems. The study was performed using a baseline of 14.32 meters and two 640 x 480 pixel charge coupled device (CCD) cameras. An experimental research design was used in the study. The wide-baseline stereo system ranged aircraft within 2 kilometers with a mean absolute error of 17.62%. A t-test was performed and there was a significant difference between the mean absolute error of the humans in a separate pilot study performed by the author and the wide-baseline stereo system. The results suggest that the wide-baseline system is more consistent as well as more accurate than humans.
Age 17 Language and Reading Outcomes in Late-Talking Toddlers: Support for a Dimensional Perspective on Language Delay

Purpose This study examined whether late talkers identified at 24–31 months continued to have weaker language and reading skills at 17 years of age than typically developing peers. Method Language and reading outcomes at 17 years of age were examined in 26 children identified as late talkers with normal nonverbal ability and normal receptive language at intake and in 23 typically developing children matched at intake on age, socioeconomic status (SES), and nonverbal ability. Results Although late talkers performed in the average range on all language and reading tasks at 17 years of age, they obtained significantly lower Vocabulary/Grammar and Verbal Memory factor scores than SES-matched peers. The age 17 Vocabulary/Grammar factor had large correlations with the age 17 Verbal Memory and Reading/Writing factors. The age 17 Vocabulary/Grammar and Reading/Writing factors were strongly predicted by comparable factors at 13 years of age. Age 2 Language Development Survey (L. Rescorla, 1989) vocabulary score ex...
Electrical properties of thin nanocrystalline diamond based structures

Abstract Electrical structures based on thin films of nanocrystalline diamond are described as well as their electrical properties. Diamond films with thickness between 0.25 and 1.0 μm and with average grain sizes of 300 nm and less are formed by microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition. Electrical properties of free-standing diamond films and of substrate mounted films are measured over a wide range of voltages with two-terminal electrical contacts. The films exhibited field-activated conductivity consistent with a Poole–Frenkel reduction in ionization energy associated with overlapping Coulombic potentials, well-modeled by Poole's Law. Metallization was performed on diamond films supported on the original silicon substrate and also on free-standing diamond. For the latter, the silicon substrate was removed by back-etching and the diamond film was transferred to a different structure. Both symmetrical and asymmetrical current–voltage characteristics have been obtained. Depending on the type of contacts, the rectification ratios of two-terminal structures range from 1 to 11,000 at high applied voltages.
Aspects of energetics of adult walleye pollock, Theragra chalcogramma (Pallas), from Alaska

Body energy partitioning was examined for field-caught, adult walleye pollock; additional laboratory studies were conducted on fish held under controlled temperature conditions at Seward, Alaska. Average consumption for pollock feeding daily was 0.5% of body weight (3100 cal) at 5°C, resulting in an average growth of 0.12% body weight day−1. These results suggest that large pollock grow at similar rates and have similar food conversion efficiencies to those of Atlantic cod held at similar temperatures. Resting metabolic rates measured on adult fish were combined with similar data from juveniles to calculate a regression of specific metabolic rate against wet weight: y= 173x−026. Maintenance rations amounted to 4.8 cal g−1 day−1 at 5°C, very close to the 0.28% value for juveniles. Estimation of metabolic rate using maintenance ration data resulted in values that were 55% higher than those obtained from oxygen consumption data for unfed fish. Weight loss during starvation was 0.18% of body weight day−1 at 5°C, corresponding roughly to a starvation metabolic rate 50% lower than the resting metabolic rate we report. We estimate that an adult pollock will lose about 37% of its prespawning body weight and about 46% of its body energy during spawning. These losses result, primarily, from changes in the weight of gonad, liver and somatic tissues as opposed to changes in specific energy content of those tissues.
Influence of grain boundary composition on the moisture-induced embrittlement of Ni3(Si,Ti) alloys

Abstract Ni 3 (Si,Ti) alloys containing different levels of boron were tensile tested in air at room temperature at two different strain rates. The grain boundary compositions and fracture modes of these alloys were determined by Auger spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Tensile elongation and fracture mode depend upon the fabrication procedure, heat treatment, and strain rate. Widely different boron concentrations were observed at the grain boundaries, depending on the fabrication procedure and heat treatment. In addition, silicon and titanium were depleted while nickel was enriched at the grain boundaries in all specimens examined. Tensile elongations correlated well with the grain boundary concentration of boron and also with an embrittlement parameter defined as (Si+Ti−B)/Ti. A sharp brittle-ductile transition was found to occur with increasing grain boundary concentration of boron and with decreasing values of the embrittlement parameter (Si+Ti−B)/Ti. The critical grain boundary concentrations corresponding to this transition were found to be sensitive to the strain rate. All the results can be explained in terms of the effect of grain-boundary composition on moisture-induced environmental embrittlement.
Aminoglutethimide in the management of metastatic breast cancer

Aminoglutethimide (AG) with Dexamethasone has been utilized in 26 patients with metastatic breast cancer who had prior response to hormonal manipulation and/or positive estrogen receptor. Objective tumor response (CR + PR) has been achieved in 13 of 26 patients. Responses were seen in soft tissue, bone, and pleura. Six of 26 patients had stable disease and seven of 26 patients had progressive disease. The median duration of response is 12.8 months. The median survival for the responders has not been reached. Non-responding patients had a median survival of five months. Side effects were minimal, including mild lethargy, rash, fever, and weight gain. This regimen is well tolerated and can be used effectively in metastatic hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer.
Jurisdictional disputes over professional work: the institutionalization of the global knowledge expert☆

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to use the sociology of professions, institutional theory, and outsourcing literatures to examine the dramaturgy of exchange relations among the Big Five public accounting firms, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), as it concerns the outsourcing of internal audit services to international external audit firms. Toward this end, a latent content analysis of a variety of public and private documents is performed where we find that the transformation of the jurisdiction of internal auditing to be rife with conflict, characterized by a heated dramaturgy of exchange relations among the Big Five, the AICPA, the IIA, the SEC, and also the US Congress. Rhetorical ploys supporting this dramaturgy incorporated such key terms as: “world class services”, “global economy”, “market forces”, “commodification”, “monetization of professional services”, “knowledge experts”, “the knowledge millennium”, “leveraging knowledge”, “higher order platform of services”, “value chains”—all in addition to making more money. At issue is how the competing factions seek to re-institutionalize societal expectations of proper professional behavior to legitimate a transformation of jurisdictions, for example, to create the “knowledge expert” providing robust services in a global economy.
Generalized nonsuppurative myositis with staphylococcal septicemia

1. Senior B, and Loridan L: Studies of liver glycogenoses with particular reference to the metabolism of intravenously administrated glycerol, N Engl J Med 279:958, 1968. 2. Seifter S, Dayton S, Novis B, and Muntwyler E: The estimation of glycogen with the anthrome reagent, Arch Biochem 25:191, 1950. 3. Hers HG, and Van Hoof F: Enzymes of glycogen degradation in biopsy material, Methods Enzymol 8:525, 1966. 4. Baker L, and Winegrad AI: Fasting hypoglycemia and metabolic acidosis associated to deficiency of hepatic fructose1,6-diphosphatase, Lancet 2:13, 1970. 5. Van Hoof F, Hue L, de Barsy T, Jacquemin P, I~evos P, and Hers HG: Glycogen storage diseases, Biochimie 54:745, 1972. 6. Report on decisions at the 1959 meeting of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (I.C.R.P.), Br J Radiol 33:189, 1960. 7. Hers HG: The control of glycogen metabolism in the liver, Ann Rev Biochem 45:167, 1976. 8. Hue L, and Hers HG: The turn-over of (2-~H) glucose. An assay for the diagnosis of type 1 glycogenosis, in Piras R, and Pontis HG, editors: Biochemistry of the glycosidic linkage. An integrated view-PAABS Symposium, New York, 1972, McGraw-Hill Book Company, p 149-173. 9. Munkres KD, and Woodward DA: On genetics of enzyme locational specificity. Proc Natl Acad Sci 55:1217, 1966. 10. Arion WJ, Wallin BK, Lange AJ, and Ballas LM: On the involvement of a glucose-6-phosphate transport system in the function of microsomial glucose-6-phosphatase, Mol Cell Biochem 6:75, 1975. 11. Bialek DS, Sharp HL, Kane WJ, Elders J, and Nordlie RC: Latency of glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-P) in type IB glycogen storage disease (absr), J PEDIATR 91:938, 1977. 12. Narisawa K, Igarashi Y, Otomo H, and Tada K: A new variant of glycogen storage disease type I probably due to a defect in the glucose-6-phosphate transport system, Biochem Biophys Res Comm 83:1360, 1978.
Protein synthesis in mammalian brain mitochondria.

Abstract Protein synthesis by purified brain mitochondrial preparations from rat (RBM), mouse and guinea pig is inhibited partially by both chloramphenicol (CAP) and cycloheximide (CH). Ribonuclease has no inhibitory action on protein synthesis by RBM. Both soluble and insoluble proteins isolated from RBM labeled in vitro have been found to be labeled. The synthesis of the soluble proteins is strongly inhibited by CH but is virtually insensitive to CAP. The synthesis of insoluble proteins is inhibited by both CAP and CH. These results suggest the presence of two sites in the protein synthesizing system of RBM.
The Dissipation of Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence Responsible for Interstellar Scintillation and the Heating of the Interstellar Medium

The present reexamination of the problem of ISM heating via the damping of plasma irregularities responsible for interstellar scintillations of radio sources gives attention to the effects of recent observational results on the hot plasma of the irregularities and on developments of in the theory of MHD waves. The damping mechanisms considered are linear Landau damping, ion-neutral collisional damping, nonlinear steepening of wave packets, a parametric decay instability, and nonlinear Landau damping. The heat input from all damping mechanisms can be accommodated by the 'fluctifer' region containing the irregularities, if it has features similar to the extended H II envelopes.
Micropropagation of Betula uber (Ashe) fernald

A method of propagation through nodal culture was developed for Virginia round-leaf birch,Betula uber (Ashe) Fernald. Nodal cultures of Virginia round-leaf birch had the greatest shoot elongation on woody plant medium supplemented with 7.5 μM benzyladenine and 2.9 μM gibberellin-3. Shoot elongation was significantly greater when benzyladenine was combined with gibberellin-3 than with benzyladenine alone. In conjunction with propagation, anatomical changes in cuticle and stomata were examined at different stages of culture. Changes in stomatal length, stomatal density, cuticle thickness, and palisade parenchyma layers were noted during the various stages of culture. Propagation through nodal culture provides a feasible method by which Virginia round-leaf birch can be propagated and maintained. The same techniques may be applicable to other endangered hardwood species.
TU-E-330D-06: Assessing Patient Radiation Exposure From Fluoro-Guided Procedures Based On Direct Dose and Dose-Area Products

Purpose: To assess patient radiation exposure from fluoro‐guided procedures based on direct dose and dose‐area product. Method and Materials: Various procedures performed by members of Cardiology and Radiology Departments at SUNY Stony Brook were monitored for radiation exposure to patients' skin.Dose,dose‐area product, fluoro‐time, and beam parameters were recorded for each fluoro‐cine run. Along with clinical data, dosimetry print‐out was reviewed after each procedure to identify possible high doses to any given site of the exposed area and to have appropriate medical care provided timely. Accrued data were analyzed and evaluated in detail. Results: Data from a total of 3040 consecutive cases, 1883 diagnostic and 1157 interventional, performed by 16 and 10 physicians respectively were analyzed. Based on dosimetry print‐out, the total skindose averaged 87 rads for diagnostic procedures, with maximum skindose below 100 rads to any given site found in over 90% of cases, that for interventional procedures respectively were 223 rads, with maximum skindose over 300 rads to any given site found in over 15% of cases. Conclusions: Our experience demonstrated the value of careful monitoring and thorough assessment of radiationdose and dose distribution in keeping medical staff informed timely of their patients' exposures.
Effects of sound direction on the processing of amplitude-modulated signals in the frog inferior colliculus

Single-unit recordings were made from 143 neurons in the frog (Rana p. pipiens) inferior colliculus (IC) to investigate how free-field sound direction influenced neural responses to sinusoidal-amplitude-modulated (SAM) tone and/or noise. Modulation transfer functions (MTFs) were derived from 3 to 5 sound directions within 180° of frontal field. Five classes of MTF were observed: low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, multi-pass, and all-pass. For 64% of IC neurons, the MTF class remained unchanged when sound direction was shifted from contralateral 90° to ipsilateral 90°. However, the MTFs of more than half of these neurons exhibited narrower bandwidths when the loudspeaker was shifted to ipsilateral azimuths. There was a decrease in the cut-off frequency for neurons possessing low-pass MTFs, an increase in cut-off frequency for neurons showing high-pass MTFs, or a reduction in the pass-band for neurons displaying bandpass MTFs. These results suggest that sound direction can influence amplitude modulation (AM) frequency tuning of single IC neurons.
Passive gold agglutination. An alternative to passive hemagglutination

Abstract A method is described for coating colloidal gold with protein for use in passive agglutination. Coating of the gold is quick, reproducible and the sterile filtered product is stable over a long period of storage at 4°C. Colloidal gold coated with each of the 4 subclasses of human IgG was tested with rabbit, monkey and goat antisera and found to be compatible with each. The visual properties of coated gold particles resemble blood cells and appear to be equally sensitive.
Metastatic phenotype of mouse-human melanoma cell hybrids is associated with the presence of chromosome 17 from highly metastatic human melanoma cells

We have previously shown that in interspecific mouse-human melanoma cell hybrids obtained by fusion of nonmetastatic mouse with metastatic human melanoma cells, the metastatic phenotype predominates. The purpose of this study was to identify human chromosome(s) which could be responsible for conferring metastatic potential upon nonmetastatic mouse melanoma cells and therefore harbor the genes important for the metastatic properties of human melanoma cells. Seven mouse-human melanoma hybrids were examined; five were derived from the fusion of nonmetastatic (C19) and metastatic (C3) mouse K-1735 melanoma clones with highly metastatic clone (C15) of human melanoma A375 and the two others had as a human partner a nonmetastatic clone (Cls) of the A375 melanoma. The hybrids were examined during segregation of human chromosomes in vitro and in vivo for metastatic properties in nude mice and for the retaining human chromosomes. In the hybrid H7, which demonstrated the highest metastatic potential, the presence of human chromosomes was studied by GTG-banding and by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. In the other hybrids, only FISH detection of human chromosomes was applied. All hybrids derived from nonmetastatic mouse and metastatic human melanoma cells demonstrated metastatic properties from early passages, when they contained the majority of the human chromosomes. Their metastatic phenotype remained stable during further segregation of most of the human chromosomes except for 17. Chromosome 17 was retained most consistently in all examined hybrids. However, the metastatic phenotype of the hybrids was associated only with the presence of chromosome 17 from the metastatic human donor cells. This chromosome was also found in almost 100% of cells recovered from lung metastases derived from the hybrid cells. In one lung metastasis developed from the H7 hybrid, chromosome 17 was detected as the sole human chromosome and these cells preserved the acquired high metastatic properties. Based on these results we conclude that human chromosome 17 from metastatic melanoma cells (A375 C15), when functional in the mouse genetic background, can be sufficient to render the recipient nonmetastatic mouse cells to a fully malignant phenotype. Additional data suggest that this ability might be related to the expression of the mutated human p53 gene.
Sub-picosecond lifetimes from Doppler-shift attenuation measurements following (α,2p) and (α,pn) reactions of 54Fe in singles experiments

Abstract A procedure is described by which the Doppler-shift attenuation technique is extended to measurement of nuclear-level lifetimes from single experiments following two-nucleon emitting reactions. It is shown that in reactions such as (α,pn) and (α,2p) it is possible to obtain sub-picosecond lifetimes from the careful measurement at several bombardment energies of the line shapes and centroid shifts of γ-rays near and above the threshold for the levels of interest. The values of (100±15) fs, (580±60) fs, and (180±30) fs, (490±50) fs were obtained for the mean lifetimes of levels at 3638.1, 4180.4 keV in 56 Co, and 3755.8, 5255.5 keV in 56 Fe, respectively.
Analysing the visible conformational substates of the FK506-binding protein FKBP12

The 1H-15N 2D NMR correlation spectrum of the widely studied FK506-binding protein FKBP12 (FK506-binding protein of 12 kDa) contains previously unreported peak doublings for at least 31 residues that arise from a minor conformational state (12% of total) which exchanges with the major conformation with a time constant of 3.0 s at 43°C. The largest differences in chemical shift occur for the 80′s loop that forms critical recognition interactions with many of the protein partners for the FKBP family. The residues exhibiting doubling extend into the adjacent strands of the β-sheet, across the active site to the α-helix and into the 50′s loop. Each of the seven proline residues adopts a trans-peptide linkage in both the major and minor conformations, indicating that this slow transition is not the result of prolyl isomerization. Many of the residues exhibiting resonance doubling also participate in conformational line-broadening transition(s) that occur ~105-fold more rapidly, proposed previously to arise from a single global process. The 1.70 A (1 A=0.1 nm) resolution X-ray structure of the H87V variant is strikingly similar to that of FKBP12, yet this substitution quenches the slow conformational transition throughout the protein while quenching the line-broadening transition for residues near the 80′s loop. Line-broadening was also decreased for the residues in the α-helix and 50′s loop, whereas line-broadening in the 40′s loop was unaffected. The K44V mutation selectively reduces the line-broadening in the 40′s loop, verifying that at least three distinct conformational transitions underlie the line-broadening processes of FKBP12.
Assertiveness techniques as speech acts

Abstract This paper reconceptualizes verbal techniques used in assertiveness training as performative speech acts, in which uttering specific phrases “counts” as assertive behavior. It applies work in the philosophy of ordinary language and discourse analysis to understanding the effects of assertive requests and refusals on others, at both linguistic and interpersonal levels. The grammatical and conversational format of 13 specific assertive techniques are compared to conventional conversation. Finally, it discusses the implications of a speech act formulation for further studies of assertiveness.
Event-related brain potentials in the study of language: An introduction

Abstract This introduction explains several aspects of the measurement and analysis of event-related brain potentials, and also discusses some interpretation issues which are especially relevant for language studies. It is intended to provide background for language researchers who are not familiar with the methodology, so that they will be able to understand the accompanying experimental papers in this special issue.
Psychophysiological correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder in Vietnam veterans

We measured event-related brain potential (ERP) component amplitudes and heart rate (HR) to four intensities of randomly presented tones in two matched groups of drug-free male Vietnam veterans: 12 patients diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 6 normal combat veterans. Subjects were evaluated with structured diagnostic interviews and anxiety and depression rating scales. We found a significant group X intensity interaction for P2 peak amplitude at CZ. Subjects were classified as augmenters or reducers: positive P2 slopes as a function of stimulus intensity implying augmentation and negative slopes implying reduction. Nine of 12 PTSD subjects were reducers (sensitivity of 75%) and 5 of 6 normals were augmenters (specificity of 83.3%). By the third and fourth second following tone onset, the mean HR of PTSD subjects increased more than twice that of the normals. HR change scores were significantly responsive to the manipulation of stimulus intensity and to the difference between our two groups. P2 reduction differentiates Vietnam veterans with combat-related PTSD from combat veteran controls, and PTSD subjects are more autonomically arousable than their combat veteran peers.
Study of the swelling behavior of a compacted soil using flexible odometer

Abstract This paper includes an experimental study of the swelling behavior of a compacted soil. The study is performed using a flexible odometer, which allows for lateral deformation during soil expansion and the measurement of the lateral swell pressure. The paper is composed of two parts. The first one describes the flexible device used in this study while the second presents experimental results and discusses the influence of the rigidity of the odometer ring on the swelling behavior of a compacted soil.
Mitochondrial genetics and obesity: evolutionary adaptation and contemporary disease susceptibility

Abstract Obesity is a leading risk factor for a variety of metabolic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Although in its simplest terms, obesity may be thought of as a consequence of excessive caloric intake and sedentary lifestyle, it is also evident that individual propensity for weight gain can vary. The etiology of individual susceptibility to obesity seems to be complex—involving a combination of environmental–genetic interactions. Herein, we suggest that the mitochondrion plays a major role in influencing individual susceptibility to this disease via mitochondrial–nuclear interaction processes and that environmentally influenced selection events for mitochondrial function that conveyed increased reproductive and survival success during the global establishment of human populations during prehistoric times can influence individual susceptibility to weight gain and obesity.
xROLE OF GAMMA KNIFE THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PITUITARY TUMORS

1. Gamma knife therapy is an effective method of delivering radiation to pituitary tumors that have failed surgery and may be used as primary treatment in circumstances in which the patient refuses or is unsuitable for a transsphenoidal procedure. 2. Stereotactic radiosurgery with the gamma knife unit is generally administered in a single session unlike fractionated radiotherapy, which is administered four to five times per week over a 6-week period. 3. Preliminary data suggest that resolution of pituitary hypersecretion is faster with gamma knife therapy than with conventional radiotherapy. 4. Because of the nature of the gamma knife therapy and the fact that the radiation dose conforms to the tumor shape, there is a steep fall-off of radiation to surrounding tissue. Accordingly, the radiation dose to extrapituitary brain is substantially less with gamma knife radiosurgery than with conventional radiotherapy. This suggests that the development of second brain tumors and neurocognitive complications, which are significant risks with conventional radiotherapy, is much less likely with gamma knife surgery. 5. Gamma knife radiosurgery can be used to ablate tumors invading the cavernous sinus. 6. Gamma knife radiosurgery is safe as long as the dose of radiation to the optic structures is kept under 10 Gy. 7. Long-term follow-up is required for pituitary tumors treated by gamma knife therapy so as to determine its efficacy as well as its effects on pituitary function and any resultant complications.
Water balance in very low-birth-weight infants: Relationship to water and sodium intake and effect on outcome

The clinical effects of fluid therapy designed to maintain different degrees of negative water balance during the first five days of life were determined prospectively in 88 very low-birth-weight infants. Infants with birth weights of 750 to 1,500 gm were matched for birth weight in 250 gm increments, RDS or no RDS, asphyxiated or not, and inborn or outborn. Each infant was randomized to either Group 1—fluids managed to allow 1 to 2% loss of BW per day to a maximum loss of 8 to 10%, or Group 2—fluids managed to allow 3 to 5% loss of BW per day to a maximum loss of 13 to 15%. The mean five-day cumulative fluid input in Group 2 was 220 ml/kg less than in Group 1, yet Group 2 lost only 41 gm/kg more than did Group 1 (8.8% of BW lost in Group 1 vs 12.9% of BW lost in Group 2, P
Constipation is reduced by beta-blockers and increased by dopaminergic medications in Parkinson's disease

Abstract Background Constipation is one of most frequent non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) and it may precede the clinical diagnosis of PD by years, with negative effects on quality of life. In contrast to motor features, levodopa is ineffective and possibly detrimental on constipation. Treatment of constipation in PD is non-specific and frequently unsuccessful. Stemming from a clinical observation of unexpected relief of bothersome constipation, abdominal bloating and pain after treatment with the beta-blocker carvedilol in one patient, we have evaluated the association between the use of beta-blockers and the presence of constipation in a large, unselected PD cohort. Methods Retrospective review of the medical records of every patient with a diagnosis of PD seen in the Movement Disorders clinic at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from October 2010 to April 2014. Results 341 medical records with a primary diagnosis of PD were reviewed, 336 of which contained information about constipation. Overall, 205/336 patients (61%) reported constipation. Among the 66 subjects treated with beta-blockers at the time of the encounter of record, only 28 (42.4%) reported constipation. By comparison, among the 270 subjects not treated with beta-blockers, 177 (65.5%) had constipation (χ 2 test p value = 0.001). Multivariate logistic analysis showed an odds ratio (OR) of 0.293 for beta-blockers (95% C.I. 0.161–0.535, p = 0.0001), 2.287 for levodopa (95% C.I. 1.271–4.117, p = 0.006) and 1.805 for dopamine agonists (95% C.I. 1.039–3.136, p = 0.036). Conclusions Beta-blockers are associated with a lower risk of constipation, while dopaminergic treatments appear to increase risk of constipation.
Reliability of paramedic ratings of laryngoscopic views during endotracheal intubation.

Background.Prior studies have related prehospital endotracheal intubation (ETI) difficulty to paramedic visualization of the vocal cords using the Cormack-Lehane (C-L) scale. However, the reliability of paramedic C-L ratings has not been formally studied.Objective.To evaluate the reliability of C-L anda more recently described scale, percentage of glottic opening (POGO), when used by paramedics to rate laryngoscopic views during ETI.Methods.Twenty-five standard slide images of laryngoscopic views were obtained during ETI. The 25 images were duplicated to facilitate evaluation of intrarater agreement (total 50 slides). Seven paramedics rated the degree of vocal cord visualization in each image using C-L (I–IV, ordinal scale; I = full visualization of vocal cords, IV = only epiglottis seen) andPOGO (0–100 continuous scale; 0 = no vocal cords seen, 100 = full visualization of vocal cords). We assessed intra- andinterrater reliabilities using Cohen's multirater kappa for C-L andintraclass correlation coeffici...
A deterministic photon free method to solve radiation transfer equations

A new method to solve radiation transfer equations is presented. In the absence of scattering, material motion, and heat conduction, the photon variables can be eliminated from the fully implicit, multi-group, discrete-ordinate, finite difference (finite element) equations of continuum radiation transfer to yield a smaller set of equations which depends only on temperature. The solution to this smaller set of equations is used to generate the solution to the original set of equations from which the reduced set is derived. The reduced system simplifies to a nonlinear heat equation in the regime of strong absorption and strong emission. We solve the reduced set of equations by the Newton-GMRES method in which the Jacobian update is preconditioned by a linearization of this nonlinear heat equation. The performances of this new method and of the semi-implicit linear method, which is preconditioned by grey transport acceleration combined with diffusion synthetic acceleration, are compared on two test problems. The test results indicate that the new method can take larger time steps, requires less memory, is more accurate, and is competitive in speed with the semi-implicit linear method.
The effects of tobacco smoking on smooth pursuit eye movements

It has recently been shown that tobacco smoking in normal human subjects induces a transient primary-position upbeat nystagmus. We studied the effects of tobacco smoking on smooth pursuit eye movements and found defects in both vertical and horizontal tracking during the first 5 minutes after smoking one cigarette. The smooth pursuit defect consisted of a reduction in upward tracking velocity and the superposition of saccadic square-wave jerks on both vertical and horizontal tracking eye movements. The degree of impairment in upward smooth pursuit correlated with the intensity of tobacco-induced nystagmus present when recording in darkness. We suggest that these alterations are due to summation of nystagmus on normal tracking eye movements rather than primary defects in the smooth pursuit system.
Base composition of terminal polynucleotides isolated from mouse ascite nucleolar RNA.

Abstract Two species of high molecular weight RNA were isolated from the nucleoli of mouse ascite tumor cells. The 3′-terminal nucleotide fragments of these high molecular weight RNA species were obtained after digestion of the RNA with RNase T 1 , oxidation of the terminus with sodium periodate and isolation on aminoethyl cellulose. The terminal fragments behaved differently upon chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. These fragments contained different base compositions as follows: fragment A — Ap 24.7%, Cp 50.3%, and Up 25.0%; fragment B — Ap 40.7%, Cp 16.8%, and Up 43.5%. The terminal polynucleotide sequences of the 41S and 45S RNAs are -Gp(Ap, Up, 2Cp)X OH and -Gp(2Ap, 2Up, Cp)X OH respectively where X is unknown at the present. These data are discussed in regard to the various models proposed for the organization of nucleotide sequences of rRNA within the nucleolar precursors.
Coronary insufficiency after stentless aortic root replacement: risk factors and solutions.

Background. Coronary insufficiency is a dreaded complication of total aortic root replacement (ARR) with few defined risk factors. This study describes the incidence, risk factors, management options, and outcomes of this condition after ARR with stentless porcine valves. Methods. The study consisted of a retrospective analysis of 503 patients (mean age, 68.9 10.2 years) undergoing stentless porcine total ARR (Medtronic Freestyle and St. Jude Toronto) between the years 1993 and 2005 at a single institution. Coronary insufficiency was defined as the need for unplanned bypass grafting during, or after removal from cardiopulmonary bypass to correct wall motion abnormalities, arrhythmias, or right ventricular failure in the absence of known obstructive coronary disease. Results. A total of 13 cases of right coronary artery and no cases of left coronary insufficiency were identified (overall incidence 13 of 503, 2.6%). All were treated with aortocoronary bypass grafting to the right coronary artery using saphenous vein. Compared with patients who did not have coronary insufficiency, patients with this complication were more likely to be female (11 of 13, 85%, versus 201 of 490, 41%; p 0.006), had higher mean body mass index (34.6 12.0 kg/m 2 versus 28.3 3.8 kg/m 2 , p 0.04), and were implanted with smaller prostheses (23.9 2.1 mm versus 25.6 2.4 mm, p 0.026), a finding not explained by the preponderance of female sex. Mean age, ejection fraction, and other demographic variables were similar. Despite longer cardiopulmonary bypass times (238 61 minutes versus 180 35 minutes, p 0.005), operative mortality was not significantly different (1 of 13, 7.7%, versus 29 of 490, 5.9%; p not significant). Conclusions. Coronary artery insufficiency is uncommon after stentless aortic root replacement and more often affects the right coronary artery. Risk factors appear to be female sex, higher body mass index, and small aortic root. Preventive measures include recognition of coronary orientation, routine valve rotation, and adequate coronary button mobilization. When this complication occurs, good outcomes can still be obtained with early recognition and prompt bypass grafting.
Evaluation of Stripping in Virginia's Pavements

Virginia has struggled with stripping of asphalt mixes since the 1970s. Initially, chemical antistripping additives were used; eventually, hydrated lime was required, under certain conditions, when it proved to be effective in a limited set of field tests. The specifications were then changed to require hydrated lime or a chemical additive that could produce a tensile strength ratio (TSR) equivalent to that obtained with hydrated lime. Because of this change, it was believed that chemical additive manufacturers made improvements to produce a new generation of additives that were superior to those previously available. In 1991, a small field study was initiated in Virginia to determine the performance of the new-generation additives and hydrated lime. The pavements still showed significant stripping. A follow-up survey including 74 sites scattered throughout the state verified this finding. No significant difference in the amount of stripping was detected between the mix types or between mixes that used ch...
Combining Reminiscence with Journal Writing to Promote Greater Life Satisfaction in an Assisted-Living Community

Abstract The Leave-A-Legacy Program at Alterra Wynwood in Leominster, Massachusetts, is an example of a successfully emergent, multi-faceted, reminiscence and writing program within an assisted-living community. A group of residents meet voluntarily once a month, along with a facilitator, to read aloud from their journals, write and reminisce. The program has an enthusiastic facilitator who contributes greatly to its success by encouraging its members to translate their newly recalled memories into a journal where they can be clearly organized. Consequently, these memories and stories will be preserved on paper and available to read for many generations. The members benefit from therapeutic reminiscence sessions, which enhance their social relations and improve memory by sharing personal stories from their youth. Additional benefits accrued through the writing program include reduced anxiety and the capability to boost one's immune system.
Spending on New Drug Development

This paper replicates DiMasi et al (2003, 2004) estimates of expenditure on new drug development using publicly available data. The paper estimates that average expenditure on drugs in human clinical trials is around $27m per year, with $17m per year on drugs in Phase I, $34m on drugs in Phase II and $27m per year on drugs in Phase III of the human clinical trials. The paper's estimated expenditure on new drug development is somewhat greater than suggested by the survey results presented in DiMasi et al (2003, 2004). The paper combines a twelve year panel of research and development expenditure for 183 publicly traded firms in the pharmaceutical industry with panel of drugs in human clinical trials for each firm over the same period. The paper estimates drug expenditure by estimating the relationship between research and development expenditure and the number of drugs in development for 1,682 company/years (183 firms multiplied by the number of years for which we have financial and drug development information). The paper also estimates expenditure on drugs in various therapeutic categories. The paper confirms earlier work by the authors that $802m may under estimate the average amount needed to bring a new molecular entity to market. It also confirms that there is significant variation in spending by therapeutic category.
Permanent and Transitory Components of GNP and Stock Prices

This paper uses two-variable autoregressions to characterize transitory components in GNP and stock prices. Shocks to GNP holding consumption constant are almost entirely transitory, and account for large fractions of the variance of GNP growth. If consumption does not change, consumers must think that any GNP change is transitory. The facts that the consumption/GNP ratio forecasts GNP growth and that consumption is nearly a random walk drive this result. An implication is that consumption provides a good estimate of the "trend" in GNP. Prices and dividends behave similarly: shocks to prices holding dividends constant are almost entirely transitory.
A reliability‐improving graph transformation with applications to network reliability

This paper considers a probabilistic graph in which the points are perfectly reliable but the edges operate independently of one another, all with some known probability p. The graph G is in an operating state if the surviving edges induce a spanning connected subgraph of G. The all-terminal reliability R(G,p) of G is the probability that G is in an operating state. A graph transformation, called “the swing surgery,” is introduced, and it is shown that this surgery has important properties. First, if H is the graph obtained by deleting m independent edges from the complete graph, then for any other graph G with the same number of points and edges as H, R(H,p) > R(G,p) for all 0 < p < 1. Moreover, the swing surgery yields a simple topological proof of the well-known result that H has more spanning trees than does G. Another important consequence is that given any graph G there exists a threshold graph T with the same number of points and edges as G such that R(T,p) ≤ R(G,p) for all 0 < p < 1.
Use of phytofiltration technologies in the removal of heavy metals: A review

Biosorption is a relatively new process that has proven very promising in the removal of contaminants from aqueous effluents. Microorganisms as well as plant- and animal-derived materials have been used as biosorbents by many researchers. Biomaterial immobilization and chemical modification improves the adsorption capacity and stability of biosorbents. Biosorption experiments over Cu(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), Cr(III), and Ni(II) demonstrated that biomass Cu(II) adsorption ranged from 8.09 to 45.9 mg g - 1 , while Cd(II) and Cr(VI) adsorption ranged from 0.4 to 10.8 mg g - 1 and from 1.47 to 119 mg g - 1 , respectively. Mechanisms involved in the biosorption process include chemisorption, complexation, surface and pore adsorption-complexation, ion exchange, microprecipitation, hydroxide condensation onto the biosurface, and surface adsorption. Chemical modification and spectroscopic studies have shown that cellular components including carboxyl, hydroxyl, sulfate, sulfhydryl, phosphate, amino, amide, imine, and imidazol moieties have metal binding properties and are therefore the functional groups in the biomass. Column studies using support matrices for biomass immobilization such as silica, agar, polyacrilamide, polysulfone, alginates, cellulase, and different cross-linking agents have been performed to improve the biomass adsorption capacity and reusability. In this review, the salient features of plant-derived materials are highlighted as potential phytofiltration sources in the recovery of toxic heavy and precious metals.
Pituitary apoplexy in the magnetic resonance imaging era: clinical significance of sphenoid sinus mucosal thickening

Object The authors report their experience with pituitary apoplexy and evaluate the clinical significance of sphenoid sinus mucosal thickening found on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Methods The cases of 28 patients (19 males and nine females) with pituitary apoplexy were reviewed retrospectively. The mean age of the patients was 50 years (range 16–83 years), and the mean follow-up duration was 32 months (range 1–104 months). Admission MR imaging demonstrated hemorrhage or infarction in a pituitary tumor in each patient. A clinical grading scale for apoplexy was devised as follows: Grade I, presence of acute headache and/or endocrine abnormality (12 patients); Grade II, presence of the foregoing symptoms as well as cranial nerve deficit (visual and/or oculomotor; 15 patients); and Grade III, presence of all of these symptoms and a decreased level of consciousness (one patient). Twenty-five patients (89%) underwent early transsphenoidal resection within 9 days (80% within 72 hours) of diagnosis. Headache...
Equivalent-circuit model for interdigital transducers with varying electrode widths

A recently developed bulk-wave equivalent-circuit model that allows the electric fields in a transducer to be arbitrary functions of distance along the direction of acoustic propagation has been adapted for surface-acoustic-wave transducers. Experimental results are presented that confirm the validity of this model.
Effect of a membrane permeable metal chelator on iron and hemoglobin-mediated lipid oxidation in washed fish muscle

Abstract The effect of a membrane permeable metal chelator, N′,N′,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)-ethylenediamine (TPEN) on iron and hemoglobin-mediated lipid oxidation in washed cod muscle was evaluated. TPEN stimulated added iron-mediated lipid oxidation in washed cod muscle (pH 6.3) while ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) did not. TPEN delivered iron to cellular membranes of cod muscle more effectively compared to EDTA (p
Facility Update: The Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices: A Status Report

The J. Bennett Johnston, Sr., Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD) is a second-generation synchrotron-radiation facility owned and operated by the state of Louisiana through Louis...
The care/cure dichotomy: nursing's struggle with dualism

A care/cure dichotomy exists between nursing and medicine. Consistent with the nature of most dichotomies, where one part dominates, medicine has emerged as the more valued and prestigious half of the dichotomy. Nursing has steadfastly adhered to the science of caring which, in many ways, impedes the ability to move beyond the dualism of care/cure. This analysis examines the origins and endurance of the care/cure dichotomy in nursing as both externally and internally imposed.