cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PrEParing for Preexposure Prophylaxis.

Background In 2012 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Truvada (emtricitabine [FTC] 200 mg/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate [TDF] 300 mg) for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV. There was a substantial decline in new HIV diagnoses which has since stabilized. Objective The plateau is thought to be because preventative efforts are not reaching high-risk groups. About 1.2 million adults in the United States could benefit from PrEP but only 80,000 individuals are taking it. This article aims to increase provider awareness of PrEP so primary care providers feel confident discussing risk reduction options, initiating, and monitoring PrEP. Methods A case based approached is used to achieve the objective. Results Target populations, baseline labs, follow up labs and monitoring parameters, and side effects of medication will be reviewed. Patient counseling with regards to dosing, administration, side effects and adverse events will be discussed. Conclusions HIV prevention is an integral public health goal. PrEP is a way to achiveeve continued reduction in HIV incidence. PCPs should be offering PrEP to at risk individuals. Implications for nursing Many nurse practitioners work as primary care providers, this article hopes to increase the confidence of PCPs in prescribing PrEP to those who would benefit from it.
Noise performance of very large antenna arrays

The maximum size and resolution of receiving antenna arrays is found to be limited by signal-to-noise ratio considerations. For square arrays containing no active elements, a practical limit at 30 GHz appears to be on the order of 10 meters for communications and one to two meters for radiometry. These limitations can be overcome by use of active devices at various levels of the array organization. The nature of the resulting tradeoffs is indicated. Explicit formulas are developed for both passive and active arrays, and sample computations and the computer programs are given.
Evolution and Adaptive Significance of Larval Midgut Alkalinization in the Insect Superorder Mecopterida

The phylogenetic distribution of reported midgut pH values among larval Mecopterida supports a model in which the common ancestor of this group possessed an alkaline midgut, with subsequent loss of this trait in the lineage leading to the muscomorphan Diptera. The relationship between midgut pH and diet guild rank within the Lepidoptera and Diptera was tested by assigning numerical values to diet guilds (i.e., fruit, grasses, herbs, trees and shrubs, and organic detritus). Lepidopteran superfamilies were found to differ significantly in both midgut pH and in diet guild rank. Regression of mean superfamily midgut pH against mean superfamily diet guild rank yielded an R 2 of 0.79 (N = 10), whereas regression of species midgut pH against species diet guild rank yielded an R 2 of only 0.15 (N = 60). Species feeding on foliage of plant taxa high in tannins and on Solanaceae have midgut pH values above 9, and midgut pH in species feeding on these taxa is positively related to diet guild. In contrast, species feeding on the foliage of plant taxa containing terpenes, DIMBOA, glucosinolates, and pyrrolizidine alkaloids have midgut pH values near 8, and midgut pH of these species is either not related to diet guild (all species) or is negatively related to diet guild rank when the analysis is limited to the Noctuoidea. The data suggest that decreased midgut pH in species feeding on plants containing terpenes, DIMBOA, glucosinolates, and pyrrolizidine alkaloids may be an adaptive response that overrides selection for high pH in the presence of tannins and that midgut pH may be one factor contributing to the limitation of the host plant range of many species of lepidopteran herbivores.
Reducing transmission of COVID-19 using a continuous negative pressure operative field barrier during oral maxillofacial surgery

Oral and maxillofacial surgery in patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, presents a high risk of exposure and cross contamination to the operative room personnel. We designed, simulated and implemented a continue negative pressure operative field barrier to provide an additional layer of protection, using standard equipment readily available in most operative rooms during oral and maxillofacial procedures.
Five-year prospective neuroticism–stress effects on major depressive episodes: Primarily additive effects of the general neuroticism factor and stress.

The past decades of research on predictors of depression have frequently emphasized interactive diathesis-stress questions: What kinds of vulnerabilities under stressful circumstances increase risk of developing depression? This study addresses 3 theoretically important gaps in our knowledge regarding diathesis-stress models of depression: the role of temperament (neuroticism), interactive versus additive effects of neuroticism-stress relationships, and effects of stressor characteristics (acute vs. chronic, major vs. minor events, interpersonal vs. noninterpersonal content). We addressed these gaps in the prediction of major depressive episodes (MDEs) in a sample of high schoolers (n = 559) oversampled for high neuroticism and assessed for presence of MDEs annually for 5 years. Survival analyses provided relatively consistent support for the main effects of the broad vulnerability factor of the general neuroticism factor, acute stressors, and chronic stressors in the prediction of MDEs. In contrast, the majority of our analyses failed to support interactive neuroticism-stress accounts of MDE risk. Integrating our results with the extant literature reinforces the notion that both the general neuroticism factor and stress prospectively predict depressive disorders and highlight that their main effects are significantly larger than their interaction. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Gut microbes effects on host metabolic alterations in health and disease.

Gut microbiota, specifically, their composition, metabolites, and signaling, are associated with both systemic and local metabolic reprogramming. Systemic metabolic reprogramming is linked to the d...
Digital force prediction for milling

Abstract This paper presents a fully digital, integrated approach for milling force prediction with arbitrary end mill-work material combinations. The approach includes: 1) structured light scanning to identify the end mill’s cutting edge macro-geometry along the tool axis; 2) structured light scanning to measure the cutting edge cross-sectional rake and relief profiles; 3) finite element analysis of orthogonal cutting to determine the force model coefficients that relate the force to chip area using the work material’s constitutive model and tool’s rake and relief profiles; and 4) time domain simulation with inputs that include the measured cutting edge macro-geometry, finite element-based force model, and measured structural dynamics. Milling force predictions are compared to in-process measurements to validate the method.
“Vale verga” (“it’s worth a cock (nothing)”): the queer of color world-making consejos of Fernanda, an aging undocumented muxer/jota

This essay is an immersion into the productive and intergenerational healing functions of what I refer to as queer of color world-making consejos (advice or lessons) from Fernanda, an aging undocum...
Forgotten Scientific Miracles

Why do we in the US spend more money on healthcare than anyone else in the world but keep getting sicker, fatter, and more susceptible to healthcare shocks such as the covid-19 pandemic than anyone else? What is the solution to this problem? In this paper, I argue that three causation-correlation errors that we made in the vetting and gatekeeping of scientific research findings—as the findings flowed down the healthcare hierarchy from scientists to doctors and their patients—landed us in the healthcare quagmire. By leveraging the wisdom and power of crowds, we can use three strategies–– low-carb, high-dose micronutrients, and cause-based treatments strategies––to obtain superior solutions to the problem at little or no cost. These strategies are disruptive to the business models of the status quo healthcare players who have presided over the quagmire and profited from it. Resistance from these status quo healthcare players can be expected.
Diagnostic Accuracy of Synovial Lactate, Polymerase Chain Reaction, or Clinical Examination for Suspected Adult Septic Arthritis

Abstract Background Adult septic arthritis can be challenging to differentiate from other causes of acute joint pain. The diagnostic accuracy of synovial lactate and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) remains uncertain. Objective Our aim was to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of synovial lactate, PCR, and clinical evaluation for adults with possible septic arthritis in the emergency department (ED). Methods We report a prospective sampling of ED patients aged ≥ 18 years with knee symptoms concerning for septic arthritis. Clinicians and research assistants independently performed history and physical examination. Serum and synovial laboratory testing was ordered at the discretion of the clinician. We analyzed frozen synovial fluid specimens for l - and d -lactate and PCR. The criterion standard for septic arthritis was bacterial growth on synovial culture and treated by consultants with operative drainage, prolonged antibiotics, or both. Diagnostic accuracy measures included sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, interval likelihood ratios, and receiver operating characteristic area under the curve. Results Seventy-one patients were included with septic arthritis prevalence of 7%. No finding on history or physical examination accurately ruled in or ruled out septic arthritis. Synovial l - and d -lactate and PCR were inaccurate for the diagnosis of septic arthritis. Synovial white blood cell count and synovial Gram stain most accurately rule in and rule out septic arthritis. Conclusions Septic arthritis prevalence in ED adults is lower than reported previously. History and physical examination, synovial lactate, and PCR are inadequate for the diagnosis of septic arthritis. Synovial white blood cell count and Gram stain are the most accurate tests available for septic arthritis.
Diastereoselective Pd-Catalyzed Aryl Cyanation and Aryl Borylation

In Chap. 2, a Pd-catalyzed diastereoselective anion capture cascade reaction is discussed. Building on the Pd-catalyzed carboiodination reaction en route to (+)-corynoline, a Pd-catalyzed aryl cyanation is discussed. The alkyl nitrile was synthesized in high yield and d.r. The second method generates borylated chromans as a single diastereomer in good yield. The alkyl boronate was further functionalized to showcase its utility.
Modern ultra-wideband communications: recent overview and future prospects

Regarding the modulation schemes and multiple access techniques, modern ultra-wideband (UWB) communication displays unique features in wideband, high-speed data transmission, low-power consumption and high security comparing to other wireless communication systems. We present a general review of historical development, key features and typical applications on UWB, then briefly discuss its recent progress in IEEE standards, application potentials for broadband wireless access and current benefits. Future development on UWB transmission schemes and challenges of system design, are concisely proposed in contrast to those of several other typical communication systems.
COVID-19 Experience in a Wisconsin Academic Medical Center.

Background Several studies describing Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been reported; however, to our knowledge, no case series has been published from the Midwest. Objective To describe demographic characteristics and outcomes of patients admitted with COVID-19 to a Wisconsin academic medical center. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of data obtained for COVID-19 patients admitted from March 14, 2020, through April 19, 2020. Results One hundred sixty-eight patients were admitted. Outcomes measured include time in the intensive care unit (53%), mechanical ventilation (18%), and death (19%). ICU patients had higher rates of diabetes, obesity, and higher inflammatory markers. The majority of patients admitted were African American (68%). Conclusion This case series highlights demographic similarities and differences, as well as outcomes, among COVID-19 patients in a Wisconsin Academic Medical Center compared to those reported in other geographic regions.
Off the Grid: Prepaid Power and the Political Economy of Waste in Palestine

What can a political economy of waste demonstrate about contemporary Palestine? With Oslo Palestinian refuse came to be defined as the de facto property of the would-be Palestinian state. The PA authorized itself to become the sole actor in charge of defining, valuing, and arranging waste in space. The PA achieved this through centralization of waste disposal in two regional, PA-run landfills beginning in 2007 and through the subsequent closure of hundreds of municipal dumpsites across the West Bank. This dramatically raised disposal costs to municipalities. Refuse became a financial burden that each garbage-producing individual, business, or locality was expected to pay. This essay focuses on the technique the PA deployed to extract payment for waste services from residents: it connected waste management fees to prepaid electricity meters being installed across the territory. I draw on long-term fieldwork in Palestine beginning in 2007 to explore how the decision to connect waste fees to prepaid electricity meters was made thinkable and practicable. Through automation of waste fee payment, the relationship between Palestinian governance and its subjects was rearranged. I argue that connection of waste fees to prepaid electricity meters transformed the mediating role of waste in the relationship between residents and municipal service. It rendered the municipality a more extractive and simultaneously less intimate actor in residents’ lives. It served to separate residents from their waste and made their refuse both more public and less polysemic.
Sex differences in recovery of motor function in a rhesus monkey model of cortical injury.

Stroke disproportionately affects men and women, with women over 65 years experiencing increased severity of impairment and higher mortality rates than men. Human studies have explored risk factors that contribute to these differences, but additional research is needed to investigate how sex differences affect functional recovery and hence the severity of impairment. In the present study, we used our rhesus monkey model of cortical injury and fine motor impairment to compare sex differences in the rate and degree of motor recovery following this injury. Aged male and female rhesus monkeys were trained on a task of fine motor function of the hand before undergoing surgery to produce a cortical lesion limited to the hand area representation of the primary motor cortex. Post-operative testing began two weeks after the surgery and continued for 12 weeks. All trials were video recorded and latency to retrieve a reward was quantitatively measured to assess the trajectory of post-operative response latency and grasp pattern compared to pre-operative levels. Postmortem analysis showed no differences in lesion volume between male and female monkeys. However, female monkeys returned to their pre-operative latency and grasp patterns significantly faster than males. These findings demonstrate the need for additional studies to further investigate the role of estrogens and other sex hormones that may differentially affect recovery outcomes in the primate brain.
Rising incidence of interpersonal violence in Pennsylvania during COVID-19 stay-at home order.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and associated policies have had important downstream consequences for individuals, communities, and the healthcare system, and they appear to have been accompanied by rising interpersonal violence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of injuries owing to interpersonal violence after implementation of a statewide stay-at-home order in Pennsylvania in March 2020. METHODS: Using the Pennsylvania Trauma Outcome Study registry, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with gunshot wounds, stab wounds, and blunt assault-related injuries attributable to interpersonal violence treated at Pennsylvania trauma centers from March 16 to July 31 of 2018, 2019, and 2020. RESULTS: There were fewer total trauma admissions in 2020 (17,489) vs 2018 (19,290) and 2019 (19,561). Gunshot wounds increased in 2020 to 737 vs 647 for 2019 and 565 for 2018 (P = .028), whereas blunt assault injuries decreased (P = .03). In all time periods, interpersonal violence primarily impacted urban counties. African American men were predominantly affected by gunshot wounds and stab wounds, whereas Caucasian men were predominantly affected by blunt assault injuries. There were more patients with substance abuse disorders and positive drug screens during coronavirus disease than in comparison periods: (stab wound population 52.3% vs 33.9% vs 45.9%, coronavirus disease era vs 2018 vs 2019, respectively P = .0001), (blunt assault injury population 41.4% vs 33.1% vs 33.5%, coronavirus disease era vs 2018 vs 2019, respectively P < .0001). There was no correlation between the incidence of interpersonal violence and coronavirus disease 2019 rates at the county level. CONCLUSION: The implementation of a stay-at-home order was accompanied by rising incidence of gunshot and stab wound injuries in Pennsylvania. Preparedness for future resurgences of coronavirus disease 2019 and other pandemics calls for plans to address injury prevention, recidivism, and access to mental health and substance abuse prevention services.
Neutron scattering study of crystal fields in CeRhIn 5

Neutron scattering results for the tetragonal compound ${\mathrm{CeRhIn}}_{5}$ give evidence for two crystal field (CF) excitations at 6.9 and 23.6 meV. The scattering can be fit assuming a set of CF parameters ${B}_{2}^{0}=\ensuremath{-}1.03\mathrm{meV},$ ${B}_{4}^{0}=0.044\mathrm{meV},$ and ${B}_{4}^{4}=0.122\mathrm{meV}.$ To compare our results with previous work, we calculate the susceptibility and specific heat for this CF scheme, including a molecular field term $\ensuremath{\lambda}=35\mathrm{m}\mathrm{o}\mathrm{l}/\mathrm{e}\mathrm{m}\mathrm{u}$ to account for the Kondo effect. We also include a calculation based on these CF parameters, which uses the noncrossing approximation to the Anderson model to estimate the effect of Kondo physics on the susceptibility, specific heat, and neutron linewidths.
Elements of ancient Jewish nationalism

Contrary to the widespread view that nationalism is a modern phenomenon, Goodblatt argues that it can be found in the ancient world. He argues that concepts of nationalism compatible with contemporary social scientific theories can be documented in the ancient sources from the Mediterranean Rim by the middle of the last millennium BCE. In particular, the collective identity asserted by the Jews in antiquity fits contemporary definitions of nationalism. After the theoretical discussion in the opening chapter, the author examines several factors constitutive of ancient Jewish nationalism. He shows how this identity was socially constructed by such means as the mass dissemination of biblical literature, retention of the Hebrew language, and through the priestly caste. The author also discusses each of the names used to express Jewish national identity: Israel, Judah and Zion.
Your Hands within My Hands Are Deeds: Poems of Love in "The Bridge"

The Bridge is the great accessible surprise of modern poetry: its lines reach sweepingly outward to overtake and encompass new vistas even as its poet moves out of an awareness of what he has been, of where he has been before. And to some extent, The Bridge remains unrivalled by other poems of concerted action, other poems that affirm a precise way for one to move. There have been long poems, such as "Song of the Open Road," luring us outward toward a dim, lovely golden age of the future. Whitman rocks with us till our bodies melt away, till we go up, immortal, in smoke. And there have been long poems hugging a firm and solid shore of the past, such as The Waste Land. Eliot makes our viewing so keen, with all our dissatisfactions intact, that we are weighed down with our own sharpness. But few poems attempt to stand so fully in the present, in the light of the poet's own intelligence, as The Bridge. Few aspire to such a rise of optimism stemming from all that has gone before. What the poet draws out for readers of The Bridge is an act of continuity, and the continuity of the poem is its most remarkable triumph. As a person, as a son, as a citizen, Hart Crane had all the reasons in the world to feel he had no future. He had made no steady home for himself, he had found no single one to love, and in a barbaric age, an age he called "appalling and dull at the same time,"1 he had taken up the course of complex lyric poetry. But the poet of The Bridge will make up for all this?even as he stays close to the dangers of falling apart, close to the difficulties of holding oneself together. The poet of The Bridge is most concerned with the struggle to realize a fu ture for himself in his own poem, to discover a direction that will free him to write more poetry. But the only way such a direction can take shape is through the poet's encompassing the past of his poem, carrying it with him, trans formed, as he moves beyond it. This achievement, perhaps in an individual more assured of his future, could have been all patterned formula, revolving around the projection of some value from the past into the future. This would have conditioned the future, however, as ready-made, fully wrapped up, cer tain, more gone by than the past. Poetically, the results would have been un
Ray-Effect Mitigation Methods for Two-Dimensional Neutron Transport Theory

Using projection operators, we rederive x-y geometry discrete ordinates-to-spherical harmonics (SN → PN-1.) fictitious sources defined in the literature as ray-effect mitigating devices. We define ...
Measures in the Composite Case

In Chapter 4 we developed the formalism of associated power series for measures on Z p . It is necessary to develop it in general. We do this in the present chapter, which could (and should) have been done immediately following Chapter 4. In all this work, a prime p is given a special role. Values of functions lie in C p . In dealing with this composite case, it is also useful to follow Katz, and associate to a measure not only a power series, but an analytic function on the “formal multiplicative group.” This is explained in §2. The introduction of additional notation to handle this composite case, however, made it worthwhile to separate the two cases. Measures on Z p itself, without the extra d, occur both in their own right, and as auxiliaries to the composite case, so it is useful to have their properties tabulated separately.
Community Discharge of Nursing Home Residents: The Role of Facility Characteristics.

Objective Using a socio-ecological model, this study examines the influence of facility characteristics on the transition of nursing home residents to the community after a short stay (within 90 days of admission) or long stay (365 days of admission) across states with different long-term services and supports systems. Data Source Data were drawn from the Minimum Data Set, the federal Online Survey, Certification, and Reporting (OSCAR) database, the Area Health Resource File, and the LTCFocUs.org database for all free-standing, certified nursing homes in California (n = 1,127) and Florida (n = 657) from July 2007 to June 2008. Study Design Hierarchical generalized linear models were used to examine the impact of facility characteristics on the probability of transitioning to the community. Principal Findings Facility characteristics, including size, occupancy, ownership, average length of stay, proportion of Medicare and Medicaid residents, and the proportion of residents admitted from acute care facilities are associated with discharge but differed by state and whether the discharge occurred after a short or long stay. Conclusion Short- and long-stay nursing home discharge to the community is affected by resident, facility, and sometimes market characteristics, with Medicaid consistently influencing discharge in both states.
DIAGNOSTICS FOR NEUTRAL BEAM HEATED TOKAMAKS.

Diagnostic techniques for neutral-beam-heated tokamak plasmas fall into three categories: (1) magnetic diagnostics for measurements of gross stored energy, (2) profile diagnostics for measurements of stored thermal and beam energy, impurity content and plasma rotation, and (3) fast time resolution diagnostics to study MHD fluctuations and micro-turbulence.
Nonradioactive Analysis of Dynamic Protein Palmitoylation

Methods to study protein S-palmitoylation dynamics have previously relied on metabolic labeling with [(14)C]palmitate, which requires additional safety precautions and long exposures. Nonradioactive alkynyl palmitate analogs have been developed for in-gel fluorescence detection and affinity purification. Cells metabolically labeled with the commercially available analog 17-octadynoic acid are lysed and then combined with azide-linked reporter tags for efficient conjugation by copper-catalyzed click chemistry in phosphate buffer. This approach has been demonstrated to label hundreds of endogenous palmitoylated proteins and is compatible with traditional pulse-chase methods. This protocol describes the reagents and procedures for labeling and detection of dynamic palmitoylation in mammalian cells.
Breast milk levels of cortisol and Secretory Immunoglobulin A (SIgA) differ with maternal mood and infant neuro-behavioral functioning

Abstract Cortisol’s concentration in breast milk of mothers ( N =32) was found positively correlated with maternal self-reported hostility, and with neonatal performance on the NBAS Autonomic Stability cluster. Greater Secretory Immunoglobulin A (SIgA) in milk was linked with mothers’ heightened depression, and with neonates’ superior NBAS Orientation scores.
An EEG-behavioral study of sodium hydroxybutyrate in humans.

Abstract 1. 1. GHB given in sufficient oral dosage to humans induces a slow synchronized EEG similarto the naturally occurring EEG of “slow” sleep. 2. 2. There is an abrupt EEG transition from the awake alpha record to delta and theta slowing without associated clouding of consciousness. 3. 3. Two types of paradoxical EEG-behavioral dissociation were noted: (a) alpha rhythms were seen with unconscious subjects; (b) delta and theta slowing was briefly seen in awake responsive subjects. 4. 4. It is speculated that, in the intact human, the principal action of GHB is to exert a direct inhibitory influence on reticular centers which ordinarily function to inhibit the onset of slow sleep.
The campus Web: a connecting device or a trap?

The World Wide Web is the most significant advance in mass dissemination of information since the invention of the printing press. Because electronic information is largely display independent, it is accessible to persons with disabilities who have the use of a computer with adaptive technology. Unfortunately, some Web design erects new, needless barriers to the use of this medium. This article outlines some of the problems, describes international activities aimed to transcend these problems and also suggests some simple, immediate solutions.
Effect of Part-Time Work on High School Mathematics and Science Course Taking

The effect of part-time work intensity on high school course work completed in mathematics and science and its indirect effect on 12th-grade achievement was explored. Longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample were used to test the models through path analysis. Socioeconomic status and previous achievement were included as exogenous variables for control purposes, and part-time work intensity was hypothesized to negatively affect course work completed in the 2 subjects, as well as 12th-grade achievement through course work during high school. Results suggest that, controlling for the background variables, there was a significant negative effect of part-time work intensity on course work and that its indirect effect on 12th-grade achievement through course work was larger than its direct effect.
Diets of syntopic finescale dace, Phoxinus neogaeus, and northern redbelly dace, Phoxinus eos: a reflection of trophic morphology

We examined relative abundance, distribution, and gut contents of Phoxinus eos and P. neogaeus in a small northern Michigan bog lake. P. eos were usually 5–100 x more abundant than P. neogaeus, but both species were more abundant near the lake margin than offshore. Both species fed primarily on algae and invertebrates associated with the bog mat, but differences in diet were associated with differences in trophic morphology. As expected, because of its relatively longer intestine and smaller mouth, P. eos consumed relatively more plant matter, especially green algae, and fewer macroinvertebrates than P. neogaeus. These dietary conclusions were supported by analysis of two independent data sets. Further work is needed to discriminate between the effects of body size and trophic morphology on diet.
Applications of corporate social monitoring systems; types, dimensions, and goals

This article discusses the development and application of various types of corporate social monitoring systems. Boycotts are a relatively simple form of social monitoring system which aim to produce changes in corporate social behavior. Boycotts may be organized by a single group, or by a number of groups simultaneously. Rating systems may be organized around a single issue, such as the Sullivan Principles rating scheme, or may include multiple companies and multiple issues, such as shopping guides or ethical investment systems.
Step Energies and Roughening of Strained Layers

A comment on the Letter by Y. H. Xie, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 3006 (1994). The author so the Letter offer a Reply.
Photodechlorination of polychlorobenzene congeners in surfactant micelle solutions

Photochemical reactions of polychlorobenzene congeners in aqueous solutions containing surfactant micelles have been investigated. All photolysis experiments were performed with a Rayonet RPR-100 merry-go-round photoreactor utilizing 253.7-nm monochronnatic ultraviolet (UV) lamps. Photoreduction through photodechlorination was shown to be the main decay pathway in which lesser chlorinated congeners and benzene were formed as intermediates. Final products included H + and Cl - in approximately stoichiometric amounts. In addition, some minor pathways were observed including photochlorination (the reverse reaction), photoisomerization, and finally photohydrolysis, through which phenol was formed
Spawned with a silver spoon? Entrepreneurial performance and innovation in the medical device industry

Entrepreneurs in high-technology industries often have prior experience at incumbent firms, but we know little about how knowledge obtained at the prior employer impacts entrepreneurial performance. Drawing on previous work from strategy, economics, and organizational sociology, I assess the impact of industry experience on entrepreneurial performance and innovation in medical device start-ups. I find that spawns (ventures started by former employees of incumbent firms) perform better than other new entrants. Interestingly, my findings suggest that this superior performance is not driven by technological spillovers from parent to spawn, but rather by nontechnical knowledge related to regulatory strategy and marketing. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prolonged remission of fulminant castrate-resistant prostate cancer: a case report

Castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is the main cause of prostate cancer (PC) morbidity and mortality. Newer therapies have only modestly improved survival. CRPC patients’ various comorbidities mean one must treat them cautiously. Cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and dexamethasone (CVD) therapy has a favorable risk-benefit profile, and diethylstilbestrol (DES) was used widely in PC. The patient we describe responded remarkably to combination treatment with CVD plus DES. The 77-year-old man had fulminant CRPC with multiple comorbidities and bony metastases in March 2008. In May 2008, his prognosis was dismal: performance status score, 4; pancytopenia; 51 × 109/l platelets; abnormal coagulation profile consistent with disseminated intravascular coagulopathy; and cranial images consistent with dural metastases. We administered one dose of CVD (cyclophosphamide [300 mg/m2 IV], vincristine [1 mg IV], and dexamethasone [0.75 mg PO b.i.d.]) plus DES (1 mg PO b.i.d.). He responded quickly with no clinically significant toxicity. His performance status improved and platelet count increased to 89,000 × 109/l. We administered maintenance CVD (cyclophosphamide, 150 mg/day PO for 21 days every 28 days; vincristine, 1 mg IV weekly; dexamethasone, 0.5 mg PO b.i.d.) plus DES (1 mg PO b.i.d.) for 5 months. In January 2011, nearly 3 years after his initial treatment, he remained alive and well. CVD plus DES may help selected patients with advanced CRPC who are too ill to tolerate or benefit from other therapies.
Terahertz behavior of optical components and common materials

As short range, ground based, surveillance systems operating at terahertz frequencies continue to evolve, increasing attention is being directed towards the behavior of dielectric materials at terahertz frequencies as well as the behavior of optical components used to control terahertz radiation. This work provides an overview of several terahertz optical components such as frequency selective filters, laser output couplers, artificial dielectrics, and electromagnetic absorbers. In addition, a database was established that contains terahertz properties of common materials that have been largely unexplored in this region of the spectrum. The database consists of transmittance and reflectance spectra of a variety of materials measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques from 175 GHz - 2 THz. In addition, ultra-stable, CO2 optically pumped, far-infrared gas lasers were used to collect fixed-frequency transmittance data at 326 GHz, 584 GHz, and 1.04 THz. A Gunn oscillator was used for measurements at 94 GHz.
Web image prediction using multivariate point processes

In this paper, we investigate a problem of predicting what images are likely to appear on the Web at a future time point, given a query word and a database of historical image streams that potentiates learning of uploading patterns of previous user images and associated metadata. We address such a Web image prediction problem at both a collective group level and an individual user level. We develop a predictive framework based on the multivariate point process, which employs a stochastic parametric model to solve the relations between image occurrence and the covariates that influence it, in a flexible, scalable, and globally optimal way. Using Flickr datasets of more than ten million images of 40 topics, our empirical results show that the proposed algorithm is more successful in predicting unseen Web images than other candidate methods, including forecasting on semantic meanings only, a PageRank-based image retrieval, and a generative author-time topic model.
Epitaxial formation of rare earth silicides by rapid annealing

Rapid electron beam and lamp heating have been used to form thin epitaxial films of rare-earth suicides by reacting overlayers of the rare earths with (111) Si substrates. Of the metals Y, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu, all but Gd are found to form epitaxial suicide layers by rapid solid-phase reaction, while suicides of Gd, Dy, Tm, Yb and Lu have been formed epitaxially by liquid phase reaction. For all but Er this is the first demonstration of epitaxial growth on Si. Details obtained from ion beam channeling analysis and transmission electron microscopy confirm the expected epitaxial structure and also show that the Si vacancies in the suicide form an ordered superlattice, rather than a random array as had been assumed before.
Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca variations in environmental and biological sources: A survey of marine and terrestrial systems

Abstract The relative concentrations of strontium to calcium (Sr/Ca) and barium to calcium (Ba/Ca) in mammalian bioapatite are common biogeochemical indicators for trophic level and/or dietary preferences in terrestrial foodwebs; however, similar research in marine foodwebs is lacking. This study combined environmental and biological Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca data from both terrestrial and marine settings from 62 published books, reports, and studies along with original data collected from 149 marine mammals (30 species) and 83 prey items (18 species) and found that variations in Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios of biological and environmental samples are appreciably different in terrestrial and marine systems. In terrestrial systems, environmental sources account for most of the variations in Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios. In contrast, environmental sources in marine systems (i.e., seawater) are comparatively invariant, meaning most of the variations in Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios originate from biological processes. Marine consumers, particularly non-mammalian and mammalian vertebrates, show evidence of biopurification of Ca relative to Sr and Ba, similar to what is observed in terrestrial systems; however, unlike terrestrial systems, variations in Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios of environmental sources are overprinted by bioaccumulation of Sr and Ba at the base of marine foodwebs. This demonstrates that in marine systems, spatial or temporal differences may have little to no effect on Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios of marine vertebrates, making Sr/Ca, and to a lesser extent Ba/Ca, potentially useful global proxies for trophic level and dietary preferences of marine vertebrates.
A stochastic analysis of glenoid inclination angle and superior migration of the humeral head

Background Superior glenoid inclination, which is a relatively upward facing of the glenoid in the plane of the scapula, has been associated with rotator cuff pathology. Increased glenoid inclination may cause superior humeral head migration, which can cause impingement of the supraspinatus tendon. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that inclination angle affects the probability of superior humeral head migration.
Persistence of prolonged light-induced conductance change in arthropod photoreceptors on recovery from anoxia.

FOR a wide variety of photoreceptor cells, it has been shown that light alters the conductance of the cell membrane, giving rise to the voltage response of the cell1–4. It is generally accepted that the primary event in the photo-excitation process is a light-induced isomerisation of the photopigment chromophore. The mechanisms linking this isomerisation to the conductance change remain unknown. It has been suggested recently that the transduction process may depend on oxidative metabolism. Intracellular recordings from photoreceptors of the honeybee (A pis)5, horseshoe crab (Limulus)5 and barnacle (Balanus)—observed recently by one of the authors (A.M.) in collaboration with R. Lantz—have shown that the light-induced conductance increase during illumination can be reversibly blocked by anoxia. Neither the site nor the mechanism of the action of anoxia on the transduction process is known. The light-induced spectral transitions of the photopigments are known, however, to take place under a variety of conditions including anoxia6–10.
It's My Life, Now: The Impact of Professional Development School Partnerships on University and School Administrators

It is a professional way of life for me. I fully believe in and I'm committed to partnerships in education to improve teaching and learning and foster and promote improved teacher education programs for both pre-service and inservice tasks. (school-based administrator)
Towards minimizing read time for NAND flash

On NAND flash, a primary source of increased read time comes from the fact that in the presence of noise, the flash medium must be read several times using different read threshold voltages to find the optimal read location, which minimizes bit-error-rate. This paper proposes an algorithm to estimate the optimal read threshold in a fast manner using a limited number of re-reads. Then it derives an expression for the resulting BER in terms of the minimum possible BER. It is also shown that minimizing BER and minimizing codeword-error-rate are competing objectives in the presence of a limited number of allowed re-reads, and a tradeoff between the two is proposed.
Localization and Molecular Determinants of the Hanatoxin Receptors on the Voltage-Sensing Domains of a K+ Channel

Hanatoxin inhibits voltage-gated K+ channels by modifying the energetics of activation. We studied the molecular determinants and physical location of the Hanatoxin receptors on the drk1 voltage-gated K+ channel. First, we made multiple substitutions at three previously identified positions in the COOH terminus of S3 to examine whether these residues interact intimately with the toxin. We also examined a region encompassing S1–S3 using alanine-scanning mutagenesis to identify additional determinants of the toxin receptors. Finally, guided by the structure of the KcsA K+ channel, we explored whether the toxin interacts with the peripheral extracellular surface of the pore domain in the drk1 K+ channel. Our results argue for an intimate interaction between the toxin and the COOH terminus of S3 and suggest that the Hanatoxin receptors are confined within the voltage-sensing domains of the channel, at least 20–25 A away from the central pore axis.
Methadone inhibition of glycogen synthase and phosphorylase in rat skeletal muscle.

The activities of glycogen synthase (I and total) and phosphorylase (a and total) in crude extracts of isolated extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles of the rat incubated in vitro in the absence or presence of methadone were very low. Addition of glycogen during homogenization increased the activities of both enzymes in control muscles. Even at optimal concentrations of glycogen, however, the activities of both enzymes from methadone-treated muscles were significantly lower than their activities in control muscles. The activity of phosphoglucomutase was not altered by incubation with methadone or by homogenization with glycogen. It is suggested that the addition of optimal amounts of glycogen during extraction of the enzymes enhances the extractability of glycogen synthase and increases the activity of phosphorylase by some other mechanism and that these processes are interfered with when the muscles are pretreated with methadone.
Effect of multiple-modes on the switching efficiency of waveguide couplers

The switching efficiency of rectangular waveguide couplers is investigated for a case where multiple-modes exist in the waveguides perpendicular to the direction of coupling but only a single-mode exists in the direction of coupling. It is found that, given a reasonable distribution of input energy over the possible modes, the existence of multiple-modes perpendicular to the direction of coupling has only negligible effects on the performance of the couplers. These results, while applicable to planar waveguide couplers, are of particular interest for vertically arranged couplers. >
High-throughput protein crystallization

Abstract The combinatorial chemistry industry has made major advances in the handling and mixing of small volumes, and in the development of robust liquid-handling systems. In addition, developments have been made in the area of material handling for the high-throughput drug screening and combinatorial chemistry fields. Lastly, improvements in beamline optics at synchrotron sources have enabled the use of flash-frozen micron-sized (10–50 μm) crystals. The combination of these and other recent advances will make high-throughput protein crystallography possible. Further advances in high-throughput methods of protein crystallography will require application of the above developments and the accumulation of success/failure data in a more systematic manner. Major changes in crystallography technology will emerge based on the data collected by first-generation high-throughput systems.
Is the hygiene hypothesis an example of hormesis

The "hygiene hypothesis" has been suggested to explain the rising incidence of allergic disorders in developed countries. The postulated mechanism is that infectious and/or microbial agents stimulate the immune system toward TI11 (allergy fighting) rather than Th2 (allergy promoting) response. This paper reviews the evidence related to early life infectious/microbial exposures and subsequent atopic disorders and evaluates whether these data suggest a hormetic effect. Our review indicates an insufficient and contradictory association for bac terial/viral infections, with protective effects being either absent or specific to certain infections and/or populations. Chronic, heavy parasitic burdens appear to confer protection against atopic disorders, but are associated with considerable patholoLgy. Moreover, light parasitic burden may increase allergic responses (i.e., no "low dose" beneficial effect). In contrast, there is consistent evidence that general microbial exposures, particularly gut commensals, may be protective against allergy development, which is consistent with a hormetic effect (i.e., potentially beneficial effects at low doses and detrimental effects at high levels). Conclusion: General microbial exposures in relation to the "hygiene hypothesis" may represent a hornietic effect, although further research with more rigorous study methods (i.e., prospective designs and measurement of exposure timing, dose, route, etc.) are needed.
cis-3,4-Diaminocyclopentanol complexes of platinum(II)

Abstract A series of platinum(II) complexes have been prepared using cis-1,2-diaminocyclopentane and cis-3,4-diaminocyclopentanols; specifically, cis-[PtCl2(cis-1,2-diaminocyclopentane)] (A), cis-[PtCl2(cis,syn-3,4-diaminocyclopentanol)] (B), cis-[PtCl2(cis,anti-3,4-diaminocyclopentanol)] (C), and bis(cis,anti-3,4-diaminocyclopentanol)platinum(II) tetrachloroplatinate (D). The complexes were synthesized from K2PtCl4 and the corresponding cis-diamines. Crystal structures of the Pt(II) complexes have been determined by X-ray single crystal diffraction. Parameters are as follows: space group P21/n (no. 14), a=7.8133(4), b=13.5959(7), c=9.8561(7) A, β=113.201(4)°, V=962.33(19) A3, Z=4 for A; space group P21/n (no. 14), a=6.6076(2), b=11.3481(4), c=11.9739(4) A, β=98.364(2)°, V=888.30(9) A3, Z=4 for B; space group P21/c (no. 14), a=12.7358(2), b=20.8072(5), c=12.1253(3) A, β=112.6139(13)°, V=2966.1(2) A3, Z=12 for C; space group P21/c (no. 14), a=10.0248(3), b=8.9029(5), c=11.1253(6) A, β=109.174(3)°, V=937.85(15) A3, Z=2 for D. The coordination spheres about the Pt atoms are slightly distorted square planar geometries owing to the presence of the geometrically strained five-membered PtN2C2 ring.