cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A leadership development program for surgeons: First-year participant evaluation

Background In a dynamic health care system, strong leadership has never been more important for surgeons. Little is known about how to design and conduct effectively a leadership program specifically for surgeons. We sought to evaluate critically a Leadership Development Program for practicing surgeons by exploring how the program's strengths and weaknesses affected the surgeons' development as physician-leaders. Methods At a large academic institution, we conducted semistructured interviews with 21 surgical faculty members who applied voluntarily, were selected, and completed a newly created Leadership Development Program in December 2012. Interview transcripts underwent qualitative descriptive analysis with thematic coding based on grounded theory. Themes were extracted regarding surgeons’ evaluations of the program on their development as physician-leaders. Results After completing the program, surgeons reported personal improvements in the following 4 areas: self-empowerment to lead, self-awareness, team-building skills, and knowledge in business and leadership. Surgeons felt “more confident about stepping up as a leader” and more aware of “how others view me and my interactions.” They described a stronger grasp on “giving feedback” as well as a better understanding of “business/organizational issues.” Overall, surgeon-participants reported positive impacts of the program on their day-to-day work activities and general career perspective as well as on their long-term career development plans. Surgeons also recommended areas where the program could potentially be improved. Conclusion These interviews detailed self-reported improvements in leadership knowledge and capabilities for practicing surgeons who completed a Leadership Development Program. A curriculum designed specifically for surgeons may enable future programs to equip surgeons better for important leadership roles in a complex health care environment.
Continuous Flow Device Support in Children Using the HeartWare HVAD: 1,000 Days of Lessons Learned From a Single Center Experience

The purpose of this study is to provide a single center experience with a continuous flow device in adolescents with end-stage heart failure. A retrospective single center analysis of patients aged 18 years or younger implanted with HVAD (HeartWare Inc, Framingham, MA) between October 2012 and March 2014 was performed. Demographics, preimplant and postimplant clinical data, survival, and adverse events (AEs) were recorded. A matched group of adults based on diagnosis, body surface area (BSA), and time period were used for outcome comparisons. Six adolescents with dilated cardiomyopathy were implanted with the HVAD. Median age and BSA were 13.4 years and 1.45 m2, respectively. All were Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) profile-1 or profile-2. Median days on device were 108 with total patient-days on device of 1,017. Four adolescents were discharged home on device all in New York Heart Association 1. Five underwent transplantation with 100% survival. There were 18 AEs with one AE per 170 days on device. Compared with the adult cohort (n = 5), there was no difference in 1 year survival (p = 0.32). HVAD support in adolescents is highly successful as a bridge to transplantation. It provides early rehabilitation and improvement in quality of life. Morbidity is not negligible but appears comparable with that seen in adults.
The use of electronic medical records for recruitment in clinical trials: findings from the Lifestyle Intervention for Treatment of Diabetes trial

The use of the electronic medical record (EMR) system in recruitment in clinical trials has the potential for providing a very reliable and cost-effective recruiting methodology which may improve participant recruitment in clinical trials. We examined a recruitment approach centered on the use of the EMR, as well as other traditional methods, in the Lifestyle Intervention for Treatment of Diabetes (LIFT Diabetes) trial. LIFT Diabetes is a randomized controlled trial designed to investigate the effects of two contrasting interventions on cardiovascular disease risk: a community-based intensive lifestyle program aimed at achieving weight loss and a clinic-based enhanced diabetes self-management program. Eligible participants were overweight/obese (body mass index, BMI ≥25 kg/m2) patients with type 2 diabetes who were aged 21 years or older. Recruitment strategies included the use of the EMR system (primary), direct referrals, media advertisements, and community screenings. A total of 1102 telephone screens were conducted, resulting in randomization of 260 participants (61.5 % from EMR, mean age 56.3 years, 66.2 % women, 48.1 % non-Hispanic blacks) over a 21-month period, with a yield of 23.6 %. Recruitment yields differed by recruitment method, with referrals having the highest yield (27.5 %). A history of cardiovascular disease was the main health reason for exclusion from the study (16.5 %). An additional 8.9 % were excluded for BMI 11 %, and 34.9 % were excluded for other non-medical reasons. Exclusion criteria did not appear to differentially affect enrollment in terms of race or ethnicity. Future clinical studies should tailor their recruitment strategies based on the participant demographics of interest. Efficient methods such as using the EMR system and referrals should be prioritized over labor-intensive, low-yielding methods such as community screenings and mass mailings. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01806727 . Registered on 5 March 2013.
Recent Directions and Future Developments in Geographic Information Systems for Historical Archaeology

Geographic information systems (GIS) have become a core tool of archaeology by allowing the rapid comparison of complex datasets and supporting wholly new forms of analysis. This development is not surprising, since archaeology was one of the first disciplines to embrace the new technology as it became more commonplace in the 1980s. The past three decades have seen a proliferation of archaeological GIS studies, with the majority focusing on prehistoric contexts. While early examples of GIS for historical archaeology do exist, serious engagement with the technology did not emerge until the 2000s. The following article provides a much needed overview of the current state of archaeological GIS for historical archaeology. This includes a brief summary of previous and ongoing research to demonstrate the unique possibilities that emerge when historical archaeologists utilize GIS to its fullest potential. This overview groups the use of GIS into three familiar categories of inventory, geospatial analysis, and mapmaking. Building on this overview, the author examines emerging uses of GIS for historical archaeology. These new directions rely on historical archaeology’s unique approach to studying the past, which relies upon the combination of artifacts, documents, and ethnohistory. These emerging forms of practice include counter-mapping, new forms of immersive 3-D GIS, and the possibilities of computer simulation. The article concludes with a frank discussion of the challenges that may hinder these potentials and the possibility for theory building between historical archaeology and other disciplines.
Coupling flow with nutrient dynamics via BioChemFOAM in the Mississippi River

An enhanced three-dimensional unsteady hydrodynamic, multispecies transport fate model called BioChemFOAM was developed in OpenFOAM-free computational fluid dynamic platform for understanding and predicting nutrient dynamics, namely, transport and transformation, in aquatic ecosystems. The study motivation was to better quantify transport and distribution of nutrient species in the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB), a major source of nutrient contributor from intense agriculture. The study is unique in examining the transport and reactivity rates under complex hydrologic conditions where main conveyance channels and backwaters co-exist. The model has two main components: a new coupling of turbulent flow processes with multiple species to modulate transport and reaction rates simulations at channel/backwater areas and a complex chemical and biological transformation module suited for species reaction rates in backwaters. The coupled model was first tested for an idealistic domain/case borrowed from the ...
Bayesian inference for Birnbaum–Saunders distribution and its generalization

We present a Bayesian approach for parameter inference of the Birnbaum–Saunders distribution [Birnbaum ZW, Saunders SC. A new family of life distributions. J Appl Probab. 1969;6:319–327], as well a...
DESIGN-BASED APPROACHES TO ENGAGE YOUTH IN THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABILITY Abordagens de Design para Engajar os Jovens na Transição para a Sustentabilidade

This research aims to study how the integration of design thinking and participatory design applied to education experiences can promote engagement in sustainability and pro-environmental behavior among young students. The potential of Design to support the culture of sustainability among youth, bridging the value-action gap in pro-environmental behavior and developing sustainable competencies is investigated. The research uses a multi-method approach. This paper summarizes the findings of the exploratory phase consisting in literature review, context analysis, ethnographic observation and pilot application of Participatory Design activities in undergraduate courses. Preliminary findings show that design-based participatory approaches integrated in educational settings offer excellent opportunities to positive intervention to both engage youth in sustainability and support their development.
Unique experiences of direct entry BSN/BS-PhD nursing students: A Delphi study

Abstract Background Given the aging nursing education workforce and the persistent high demand for doctorally-prepared nursing faculty, there is a critical need to increase the number of nurses entering and completing PhD programs. To fill this need, accelerated PhD education pathways, such as the direct entry BSN/BS-PhD education pathway, have become popular. Objective The objective of this study was to explore the unique characteristics of the direct entry BSN/BS-PhD student experience. This study defines and details the experiences of current and past direct entry BSN/BS-PhD students. Design This was a qualitative, descriptive study. Setting Web-based journals and feedback. Participants Our sample includes four former and current direct entry BSN/BS-PhD students. Methods We used the Delphi method to first analyze participants' journal entries on their lived experiences, and then iteratively summarize and classify the experiences into summative themes. Results We found four themes unique to participants' experiences: commitment to science, nursing identity, exploring prospects, and balancing family and student expectations. Conclusions To ensure that BSN/BS-PhD students have a high-quality education, nurse leaders should be aware of the unique perspectives of direct entry BSN/BS-PhD students. Results from this study can be used to evaluate BSN/BS-PhD programs from students' perspectives.
Phenotypic Effects of Sex Chromosome Imbalance

The sex chromosomes show a much wider range of viable aneuploidy than do the autosomes, for several reasons. Each diploid somatic cell has only one active X, and most of the genes on any additional X chromosomes are inactivated. The Y chromosome contains very few genes. Mosaicism, with a normal cell line present, is much more common for sex chromosomes than for autosomes. Figure 19.1 summarizes the known nonmosaic numerical sex chromosome abnormalities. In addition to the examples in this figure, the chromosome constitution XYYYY has been found in a few highly abnormal individuals (Noel et al., 1988)..
Ergonomics/Musculoskeletal Issues

Ergonomics is the practice and research of the interaction between the human and the physical environment with the goal of optimizing human well-being and overall system performance. For public health ergonomics programs, the major goal is the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) associated with lifting and repetitive tasks. These prevention efforts encompass many different areas of ergonomics and public health disciplines ranging from engineering to epidemiology. Systematic and process approaches to physical ergonomic interventions work best to reduce the incidence of work-related MSDs.
Incorporating complex sample design effects when only final survey weights are available

This article considers the situation that arises when a survey data producer has collected data from a sample with a complex design (possibly featuring stratification of the population, cluster sampling, and / or unequal probabilities of selection), and for various reasons only provides secondary analysts of those survey data with a final survey weight for each respondent and “average” design effects for survey estimates computed from the data. In general, these “average” design effects, presumably computed by the data producer in a way that fully accounts for all of the complex sampling features, already incorporate possible increases in sampling variance due to the use of the survey weights in estimation. The secondary analyst of the survey data who then 1) uses the provided information to compute weighted estimates, 2) computes design-based standard errors reflecting variance in the weights (using Taylor Series Linearization, for example), and 3) inflates the estimated variances using the “average” design effects provided is applying a “double” adjustment to the standard errors for the effect of weighting on the variance estimates, leading to overly conservative inferences. We propose a simple method for preventing this problem, and provide a Stata program for applying appropriate adjustments to variance estimates in this situation. We illustrate two applications of the method to survey data from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study, and conclude with suggested directions for future research in this area.
Novel and Biomimetic Functions of Carotenoids in Artificial Photosynthesis

In addition to their universal occurrence in photosynthetic organisms, carotenoid pigments are important components of biomimetic photosynthetic constructs. Much of the photophysics and photochemistry including singlet energy transfer, triplet energy transfer, sequential electron transfer, radical pair recombination, spin states and spin dynamics observed in natural photosynthetic reaction centers and antennas can be mimicked by these constructs. In addition to playing a role in biomimetic energy and electron transfer processes, carotenoid pigments are essential components of artificial photosynthetic membranes where they participate in a redox-loop-based light-driven proton pump.
Impact of Brain Death on Storage of the Heart

Myocardial insult or injury in the brain-dead organ donor stems from many factors, which are initiated and magnified by brain death, and modified beneficially or adversely by such factors as donor management and warm and cold ischemic times. Studies suggest that a prolonged period of ex vivo hypothermic storage of the heart further depletes myocardial energy stores and increases the impairment of cardiac function seen after brain death. However, storage is minimally detrimental if the potential organ donor has received hormonal therapy in the form of thyroid hormone replacement.
Programmed twisting of phenylene–ethynylene linkages from aromatic stacking interactions

Control over the conformation and packing of conjugated materials is an unsolved problem that prevents the rational design of organic optoelectronics, such as preventing self-quenching of luminescent molecules. Exacerbating this challenge is a general lack of widely applicable strategies for controlling packing with discrete, directional non-covalent interactions. Here, we present a series of conjugated molecules with diverse backbones of three or four arenes that feature pentafluorobenzyl ester substituents. Nearly all the compounds reveal intramolecular stacking interactions between the fluoroarene (ArF) side-chains and non-fluorinated arenes (ArH) in the middle of the chromophores; a twisted PE linkage accompanies each example of this intramolecular ArF–ArH stacking. Furthermore, these molecules can resist dramatic changes to emission upon transition from organic solution to thin film when ArF rings prevent interchromophore interactions. By broadening the structural space of conjugated backbones over which ArF–ArH stacking can twist PE linkages reliably and prevent self-quenching of solids with simple synthetic approaches, this work suggests fluorinated benzyl ester substituents adjacent to phenylene ethynylene linkages as supramolecular synthons for the crystal engineering of organic optoelectronic materials.
The impacts of porous rock check dams on a semiarid alluvial fan

Low-tech rock check dams are widely used to address land degradation; however, assessments of their impacts on runoff and sediment are lacking and are often limited to the first few years after construction. In 2008, two small (4.0 and 3.1 ha) instrumented watersheds located 300 m apart on an alluvial fan on the Santa Rita Experimental Range in southern Arizona were treated with 37 porous, loose rock check dams. Ten years after construction, the watersheds are experiencing contrasting responses to treatment. The ratio of runoff to precipitation was higher after check dam construction on one watershed and lower on the other, but not significantly in either case. Statistically significant changes in peak runoff rate are not detectable 10 years after construction at either watershed. However, a statistically significant reduction in sediment concentration was found on one watershed and no change was found at the other. The check dams have altered channel grades. However, backfilling of the dams is nearly complete on one watershed and the other has remaining capacity. The alluvial fan setting poses a complex restoration environment due to high sediment loads that deposit in response to vegetated areas of accumulated sediment creating conditions for channel avulsion and new incising concentrated flow paths. Check dams have a lesser impact on watershed outlet runoff and sediment than on internal watershed channel morphology and vegetation establishment. With monitoring and maintenance, check dams can be an effective tool for grade stabilization, but watershed restoration requires additional practices to address degraded interfluve areas.
Machine Learning for Asset Managers

Successful investment strategies are specific implementations of general theories. An investment strategy that lacks a theoretical justification is likely to be false. Hence, an asset manager should concentrate her efforts on developing a theory rather than on backtesting potential trading rules. The purpose of this Element is to introduce machine learning (ML) tools that can help asset managers discover economic and financial theories. ML is not a black box, and it does not necessarily overfit. ML tools complement rather than replace the classical statistical methods. Some of ML's strengths include (1) a focus on out-of-sample predictability over variance adjudication; (2) the use of computational methods to avoid relying on (potentially unrealistic) assumptions; (3) the ability to “learn” complex specifications, including nonlinear, hierarchical, and noncontinuous interaction effects in a high-dimensional space; and (4) the ability to disentangle the variable search from the specification search, robust to multicollinearity and other substitution effects.
Measuring the temporal prognostic utility of a baseline risk score

In the time-to-event setting, the concordance probability assesses the relative level of agreement between a model-based risk score and the survival time of a patient. While it provides a measure of discrimination over the entire follow-up period of a study, the probability does not provide information on the longitudinal durability of a baseline risk score. It is possible that a baseline risk model is able to segregate short-term from long-term survivors but unable to maintain its discriminatory strength later in the follow-up period. As a consequence, this would motivate clinicians to re-evaluate the risk score longitudinally. This longitudinal re-evaluation may not, however, be feasible in many scenarios since a single baseline evaluation may be the only data collectible due to treatment or other clinical or ethical reasons. In these scenarios, an attenuation of the discriminatory power of the patient risk score over time would indicate decreased clinical utility and call into question whether this score should remain a prognostic tool at later time points. Working within the concordance probability paradigm, we propose a method to address this clinical scenario and evaluate the discriminatory power of a baseline derived risk score over time. The methodology is illustrated with two examples: a baseline risk score in colorectal cancer defined at the time of tumor resection, and for circulating tumor cells in metastatic prostate cancer.
Interview 15 Viviana A. Zelizer

Profile: Viviana A. Zelizer is Lloyd Cotsen ‘50 Professor of Sociology at Princeton University’. Zelizer was born to a Jewish family in Argentina. She attended University of Buenos Aires and studied law for two years before she immigrated to the United States in 1967. She attended Rutgers University where she graduated with a B.A. in 1971.
Harnessing the Ambient Radio Frequency Noise for Wearable Device Pairing

Wearable devices that capture user's rich information regarding their health conditions and daily activities have unmet pairing needs. Today's solutions, which primarily rely on human involvement, are cumbersome, error-prone, and do not scale well. Despite some prior efforts trying to fill this gap, they either rely on some sophisticated sensors, such as electromyogram (EMG) or electrocardiogram (ECG) pads that may not universally exist, or non-trivial design of communication transceivers that cannot be found easily on current commercial devices. Therefore, a pairing scheme for wearable devices that is secure, practical, and convenient is in dire need. In this paper, we propose a novel approach that leverages ambient radio frequency (RF) noise. Our design is based on a key observation that received RF noise power measured in the logarithmic scale at different parts of a human body surface experience the same variation trend, whereas those from different human bodies or off the body are distinct. Wearables make use of the observed noise as the entropy source for the proposed pairing protocol. Extensive experiments show that our scheme has an equal error rate (EER) as low as 1.4% for pairing. Its key generation rate reaches 138 bits/sec, which beats so-far existing pairing schemes. Besides, our scheme can be efficiently executed within 0.97 s. Its incurred energy consumption is as low as 0.27 J for the entire pairing procedure.
Advanced overlay target optimization and Integration in optical metrology

In recent years, simulation-based analysis has become an integral phase in metrology targets design process, performances optimization wise to support on product overlay (OPO) reduction, accuracy and robustness to process variation. Moreover, a simulated unit (stack) represented by its optical and geometrical properties can be used as a mathematicalphysical object for obtaining a deeper understanding of the issues faced while an actual measurement performed. Location based stack calibration allows for both, symmetrical and asymmetrical process variation, a noticeable wafer signature to be attained. Using this information, one can analyze the target-design process-compatibility and asymmetry stability. Furthermore, simulated data can be used, combined with measured data, to establish a more exhaustive perceiving of the process characteristics and risks, hence maxims the measurement performances and stability of the process and target behavior. Likewise, simulation tools can equip integration teams with a more holistic apprehension and quantified data, prior or along real time measurements. In the paper we will cover the simulation theory, use-cases and results.
Spontaneous Eye Blink Rate during the Working Memory Delay Period Predicts Task Performance

Abstract Changes in the spontaneous eye blink rate (sEBR) have been linked to a range of cognitive functions including attention and learning and memory, specifically working memory (WM). A growing body of literature also links sEBR to striatal dopamine (DA) activity with schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease showing increases and decreases respectively in sEBR relative to healthy subjects. Dopamine plays a role in working memory since dopamine neurons project to prefrontal cortex (PFC) through the mesocortical dopamine pathway and their activity has been implicated in WM maintenance, gating, and updating. A weakness of past studies investigating sEBR and WM is that correlations have been reported using blink rates taken at baseline either before or after performance of the tasks used to assess WM. The goal of the present study was to understand how fluctuations in sEBR during the different phases of a Sternberg visual WM task predict task accuracy. In two experiments, where recordings of sEBR were collected inside and outside of a magnetic resonance imaging bore, we observed sEBR to be positively correlated with WM task accuracy during the WM delay period. We also found significant task-related modulation of sEBR, including higher sEBR during the delay period compared to rest, and lower sEBR during task phases (e.g., stimulus encoding) that place high demands on visual attention. Taken together, these results provide further evidence that sEBR could be an important predictor of WM task performance with the changes during the delay period suggesting a role in WM maintenance. Additional analyses that explored the non-linear relationship between sEBR and WM task accuracy found that a 2nd order relationship explained some of the variance, but the fit was not significant. The relationship of sEBR to DA activity and the influence of DA during WM maintenance is discussed.
Purely Sequential Point Estimation of a Function of the Mean in an Exponential Distribution

A purely sequential minimum risk point estimation methodology with an associated stopping time N is designed to come up with a unified strategy in an exponential distribution (Expo). We work under a weighted squared error loss due to the estimator $$g(\overline{X}_{N})$$ of $$g(\beta ),$$ a function of the unknown mean parameter $$\beta (>0)$$ , plus linear cost of sampling from an Expo $$(\beta )$$ population. A series of important first-order and second-order asymptotic (as c, the cost per unit sample, $$\rightarrow 0$$ ) results are laid out including (1) the first- and second-order efficiency properties, (2) the risk efficiency property, and (3) the second-order regret expansion under suitable conditions on g(.).
A Clinically Useful Anger Outcome Scale

In the present report from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project, we describe the development and validation of the Clinically Useful Anger Outcome Scale (CUANGOS). Current anger measures vary in their psychometric quality, clinical utility, and clinically relevant content coverage, and no one scale addresses all three of these key considerations. We aimed to develop a brief, clinically useful anger scale that (a) assesses clinically relevant aspects of anger, (b) performs well across different patient populations, and (c) is brief, accessible, and easy to use in routine clinical practice either as a stand-alone measure or as part of an assessment battery. Analyses included data from 2710 psychiatric outpatients and 1397 partial hospitalization patients. We used data from randomly drawn subsamples to select items with good psychometric properties and sufficient distinction from measurements of other emotional dysfunction, resulting in a 5-item scale. In reliability and validity analyses using the remaining participants, CUANGOS scores showed high internal consistency and appropriate test-retest reliability, as well as excellent discriminant validity from measurements of depression and anxiety. CUANGOS scores converged strongly with clinician ratings of subjective and overt anger and differentiated across all or almost all levels of clinician-rated anger severity. CUANGOS scores were also significantly higher in patients with anger-related disorders versus patients with other psychiatric disorders. Results provide promising evidence for the CUANGOS as a reliable and valid measurement of anger in clinical populations. Moreover, the CUANGOS is brief and feasible to incorporate into routine clinical practice.
The Application of a Hospital Medical Surge Preparedness Index to Assess National Pandemic and Other Mass Casualty Readiness.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This article describes the use and findings of the Hospital Medical Surge Preparedness Index (HMSPI) tool to improve the understanding of hospitals' ability to respond to mass casualty events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. For this investigation, data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Dartmouth Atlas Project, and the 2005 to 2014 annual surveys of the American Hospital Association (AHA) were analyzed. The HMSPI tool uses variables from the AHA survey and the other two sources to allow facility, county, and referral area index calculations. Using the three data sets, the HMSPI also allows for an index calculation for per capita ratios and by political (state or county) boundaries. In this use case, the results demonstrated increases in county and state HMSPI scores through the period of analysis; however, no statistically significant difference was found in HMSPI scores between 2013 and 2014. The HMSPI builds on the limited scientific foundation of medical surge preparedness and could serve as an objective and standardized measure to assess the nation's medical readiness for crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other large-scale emergencies such as mass shootings. Future studies are encouraged to refine the score, assess the validity of the HMSPI, and evaluate its relevance in response to future legislative and executive policies that affect preparedness measures.
Prediction of mammalian meiotic synaptic and recombinational behavior of inversion heterozygotes based on mitotic breakpoint data and the possible evolutionary consequences.

It has been suggested (Ashley, 1988) that it is possible to predict the meiotic behavior of chromosome aberrations of higher vertebrates based on the position of their breakpoints relative to mitotic band pattern. Evidence supporting this hypothesis and details of the expected synaptic, recombinational, and evolutionary effects of inversion with breakpoints in R- vs. G-bands are elaborated in the current paper.
Pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases associated with expanded glutamine repeats: new answers, new questions.

Publisher Summary Eight neurodegenerative diseases are currently known to be caused by expanding polyglutamine repeats. The first to be described was spinal bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA, or Kennedy's disease) in 1991, and the most recent addition to the list was spino-cerebellar ataxia, type 7 (SCA-7) in 1997. These disorders share a number of features. First, all cause dominantly inherited neurodegeneration in overlapping but not identical regions of the brain, resulting in overlapping clinical syndromes. Second, the causative genes have no homologies with each other except for the glutamine repeat. Third, in each disorder the length of the glutamine repeat is inversely correlated with age of disease onset, and often disease severity. Fourth, the number of glutamines in the normal (below about 35) and abnormal range (above about 35) are similar in each disorder, with the exception of SCA6. This set of findings led to the hypothesis that an abnormally long polyglutamine repeat conferred a toxic gain-of-function to each disease protein. The discovery that the abnormal protein aggregates in neuronal nuclei has suggested a plausible model of polyglutamine disease pathogenesis. This chapter reviews the evidence for this model, focusing primarily on Huntington's disease (HD), the most common and most studied of the polyglutamine disorders with an incidence of 1:10.000, and drawing on evidence from the other disorders. The data is organized according to the methods used to obtain them, a scheme which loses the historical flow, but permits direct comparison of results from the different diseases.
Effective Schools and Classroom Instruction

(1986). Effective Schools and Classroom Instruction. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 59, No. 6, pp. 272-274.
Variational Problems with Bounded Control Variables

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the optimization of trajectories of rockets traveling in force fields that give rise to accelerations depending on position and time only, with gravitational force fields being of prime interest. An analysis of optimum rocket trajectories—optimum in the sense of leading to the minimum value of a functional that is a function of the initial and final values of the state variables—has been presented in the chapter. In particular, applications to systems limited with respect to mass flow rate, propulsive power, and thrust acceleration, but operating at constant power, have been examined. Results indicate that, with respect to the control variables the Weierstrass E-function condition, in the form of a maximality condition on a function of the control variables, renders the optimum program for the control variables. This condition is applicable for both bounded and unbounded control variables. For mass flow rate limited systems, the optimum mass flow rate program is of the bang-bang type, provided the external force accelerations are at most linear functions of the position coordinates. For propulsive power limited systems, it has been shown that operation at maximum permissible power is optimum. For thrust acceleration limited systems operating at constant power, either maximum or programmed acceleration may be optimum, depending on the functional to be minimized and on the end conditions.
The elderly and informed consent: effects of vocabulary level and corrected feedback.

Abstract Eighty-seven elderly adults (57-87 years of age) divided into four WAIS vocabulary subgroups (<40, 40-49, 50-59, ≥60) participated in a study of comprehension and memory of an informed consent procedure. Ss in Croup 1 read the consent form and, with the information sheet still present, answered multiple choice questions covering the main points of information. Feedback and corrected answers were then provided. Ss in Group II read the consent form but did not receive the comprehension test or feedback. All Ss were tested for memory of the information 2-3 weeks later. Results indicated that losses in performance increased with decreasing levels of vocabulary. Losses associated with low vocabulary levels appeared to be comprehension-related and did not increase in later tests of memory. The use of corrected feedback provided a significant general improvement at all vocabulary levels but did not reduce the effects due to vocabulary levels.
Ku-band satellite digital transmission systems

A nation-wide data communications service is being placed in service by a major telecommunications carrier. This service will rely on a satellite network being provided and installed by Harris Satellite Communications Corporation. The network supports information data rates from 56 kb/s to 2·048 Mb/s. This data communications network has been architectured to include a number of innovative monitor and control functions, up-link power control, modular equipment shelter design and a modular antenna/feed subsystem. This paper will detail this application.
Cell density and regional distribution of cell types in the cuneate nucleus of the Rhesus monkey

Summary Quantitative histological methods were employed in a manner that permits comparison of structural and functional elements. Cell densities were determined within the cuneate nucleus of the Rhesus monkey. Along a rostro-caudal axis, both cell density and cross-sectional expansion become maximum in the central portion of the nucleus (at the level of the obex), and decrease gradually in a rostral and caudal direction. Lowest values for cell density and cross-sectional area are reached in the caudalmost part of the nucleus. Thus, cells in the central portion predominate numerically over the rest of the nucleus. On the basis of morphological differences 5 cell types were established that occur coextensively throughout the nucleus. However, the percentage distributions of these cell types showed considerable regional differences.
Manual of Clinical Problems in Pulmonary Medicine, 5th Edition

Richard A. Bordow, Andrew L. Ries, and Timothy A. Morris. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000; 624 pp; $37.95
Rh(II) and Rh(I) two-legged piano-stool complexes: structure, reactivity, and electronic properties.

The ligand 1,4-bis[4-(diphenylphosphino)butyl]-2,3,5,6-tetramethylbenzene, 3, was used to synthesize a mononuclear Rh(II) complex [(η1:η6:η1-1,4-bis[4-(diphenylphosphino)butyl]-2,3,5,6-tetramethylbenzene)Rh][PF6]2, 6+, in a two-legged piano-stool geometry. The structural and electronic properties of this novel complex including a single-crystal EPR analysis are reported. The complex can be cleanly interconverted with its Rh(I) form, allowing for a comparison of the structural properties and reactivity of both oxidation states. The Rh(I) form 6 reacts with CO, tert-butyl isocyanide, and acetonitrile to form a series of 15-membered mononuclear cyclophanes [(η1:η1-1,4-bis[4-(diphenylphosphino)butyl]-2,3,5,6-tetramethylbenzene)Rh(CO)3][PF6] (8), [(η1:η1-1,4-bis[4-(diphenylphosphino)butyl]-2,3,5,6-tetramethylbenzene)Rh(CNC(CH3)3)2][PF6] (10), and [(η1:η1-1,4-bis[4-(diphenylphosphino)butyl]-2,3,5,6-tetramethylbenzene)Rh(CO)(CH3CN)][PF6] (11). The Rh(II) complex 6+ reacts with the same small molecules, but over ...
Surface Dark Spotting and Bone Discoloration in Fried Chicken

Abstract Breast with ribs from birds processed with four bleed-out times (30, 60, 90, or 120 sec) were dipped into an egg and milk mixture, rolled in flour, and flash-fried 90 sec in 177 C oil. Left breasts were frozen and then fried to doneness (FF method). Right breasts were oven roasted (177 C oven) to an internal temperature of 79 to 80 C, frozen, and then fried in 163 C oil (FB method) to reheat. Slides of whole pieces and of bones from cooked pieces were used in paired comparison tests by an 18-member panel to evaluate visually the spotting and discoloration due to effects of bleed-out time and preparation method. Bleed-out times of 30, 60, and 90 sec had significantly (P
Selenium Poisoning in Domestic Animals and Its Relationship to Man

(1972). Selenium Poisoning in Domestic Animals and Its Relationship to Man. Clinical Toxicology: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 175-186.
Getting started with the model for improvement: psychology and leadership in quality improvement

Although the case for quality in hospitals is compelling, doctors are often uncertain how to achieve it. This article forms the third and final part of a series providing practical guidance on getting started with a first quality improvement project. Introduction.
Conditioned reinforcement: Neglected or outmoded explanatory construct?

The construct of conditioned reinforcement has been challenged over the past two decades, both as an adequate explanation of behavior in various situations (e.g., behavioral chains) in which it was previously regarded as crucial and in terms of the validity of the concept of conditioned value on which it is based. Recent research is reviewed that answers these criticisms and vindicates the importance of the construct. Also discussed are unanswered empirical issues regarding the concept and its implications for behavioral phenomena of major importance for general-process learning theory, such as autoshaping and imprinting.
Observation of single DNA molecules during pulsed-field gel electrophoresis by fluorescence microscopy

The dynamics of single DNA molecules undergoing steady-state and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis have been studied using T2 DNA molecules labeled with acridine orange and visualized with a fluorescence microscope. It was observed that DNA molecules moving through the gel display an extension-contraction motion, and they tend to bunch up in their leading ends. Furthermore, the molecules often remain hooked around obstacles assuming U-shape conformations and then slip off, with the longer arm driving the chain. In field-inversion gel electrophoresis molecules of intermediate size show a substantially reduced mobility compared to both small- and large-size molecules. In orthogonal field alternating gel electrophoresis (OFAGE) the formation of kinks is promoted when time is allowed between the application of the two orthogonal fields so that the molecule attains a partially relaxed configuration. The formation of kinks provides a significant retardation of the reorientation of the molecules and appears to play an important role in the fractionation attained with OFAGE.
Policies, guidelines, and recommendations for MR imaging safety and patient management. SMRI Safety Committee

The following are policies, guidelines, and recommendations from the Safety Committee of the Society for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (SMRI) concerning various issues related to magnetic resonance (MR) imaging safety and patient management. These policies, guidelines, and recommendations were developed to provide standardized and consistent information for use by health practitioners involved in clinical MR imaging.
A novel treatment approach to H-type esophageal lung in presence of pulmonary artery sling with pneumonectomy and intrathoracic tissue-expander placement.

Congenital tracheal anomalies occur in 1:10, 000 births and can be associated with congenital cardiac disease. This patient presented with right mainstem atresia, right bronchoesophageal fistula without esophageal atresia (H-type esophageal lung), and left pulmonary arterial (PA) sling. Taking this into consideration, surgical management included right pneumonectomy and placement of expandable prosthesis into the thoracic cavity to buttress the mediastinum and prevent tracheal deviation-induced kinking of the PA sling, which provided pulmonary blood flow to the remaining functional lung. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of esophageal lung in conjunction with a PA sling, as well as the first documented use of an expandable prosthesis to prevent acute postpneumonectomy syndrome. This case can provide clinicians with increased clinical knowledge for treatment of this rare and potentially lethal combination of congenital anomalies.
Relationships between fine root dynamics and nitrogen availability in Michigan northern hardwood forests.

Minirhizotrons were used to observe fine root (≤1 mm) production, mortality, and longevity over 2 years in four sugar-maple-dominated northern hardwood forests located along a latitudinal temperature gradient. The sites also differed in N availability, allowing us to assess the relative influences of soil temperature and N availability in controlling fine root lifespans. Root production and mortality occurred throughout the year, with most production occurring in the early portion of the growing season (by mid-July). Mortality was distributed much more evenly throughout the year. For surface fine roots (0–10 cm deep), significant differences in root longevity existed among the sites, with median root lifespans for root cohorts produced in 1994 ranging from 405 to 540 days. Estimates of fine root turnover, based on the average of annual root production and mortality as a proportion of standing crop, ranged from 0.50 to 0.68 year–1 for roots in the upper 30 cm of soil. The patterns across sites in root longevity and turnover did not follow the north to south temperature gradient, but rather corresponded to site differences in N availability, with longer average root lifespans and lower root turnover occurring where N availability was greater. This suggests the possibility that roots are maintained as long as the benefit (nutrients) they provide outweighs the C cost of keeping them alive. Root N concentrations and respiration rates (at a given temperature) were also higher at sites where N availability was greater. It is proposed that greater metabolic activity for roots in nitrogen-rich zones leads to greater carbohydrate allocation to those roots, and that a reduction in root C sink strength when local nutrients are depleted provides a mechanism through which root lifespan is regulated in these forests.
Wavelet-based permeability compensation technique for characterizing magnetic flux leakage images

The magnetic flux leakage method, used for nondestructive evaluation of ferromagnetic objects, generates greyscale images that are representative of the integrity of the specimen. Defective areas typically appear as bright regions in the image. Unfortunately, the task of defect characterization becomes more challenging due to the effects of variations in the test parameters associated with the experiment. One such test parameter is the permeability of the test object. Conventional invariant pattern recognition algorithms are not capable of performing invariance transformations to compensate for such variations. This paper describes a novel technique that uses wavelet basis functions to provide selective invariant features and eliminate image intensity variations from undesirable changes in operational variables. The performance of the invariance transformation is demonstrated by applying the method to magnetic flux leakage images obtained using a finite element simulation of in-line inspection of natural gas transmission pipelines.
Distribution and Probable Origin of the Species in the Deep-Sea Isopod Genus Storthyngura 1)

[Nach morphologischen Merkmalen verteilen sich die 38 bekannten Arten der in der Tiefsee vorkommenden Gattung Storthyngura auf 5 Hauptgruppen. Die geographische Verbreitung der morphologisch verwandten Arten lasst gewisse auffallende Zuge erkennen; alle Gruppen sind in der Antarktis vertreten. Diese Gruppenanalyse macht wahrscheinlich, dass diese Gattung sich in der Antarktis entwickelte und sich zu verschiedenen Zeiten der erdgeschichtlichen Vergangenheit auf die anderen Weltmeere ausgedehnt hat., Nach morphologischen Merkmalen verteilen sich die 38 bekannten Arten der in der Tiefsee vorkommenden Gattung Storthyngura auf 5 Hauptgruppen. Die geographische Verbreitung der morphologisch verwandten Arten lasst gewisse auffallende Zuge erkennen; alle Gruppen sind in der Antarktis vertreten. Diese Gruppenanalyse macht wahrscheinlich, dass diese Gattung sich in der Antarktis entwickelte und sich zu verschiedenen Zeiten der erdgeschichtlichen Vergangenheit auf die anderen Weltmeere ausgedehnt hat.]