cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of Medicare Changes on Occupational Therapy in Skilled Nursing Facilities: Pilot Study

This study examined the effects of Medicare's Prospective Payment System (PPS) on occupational therapy practice in skilled nursing facilities (SNF). According to a billing audit, interviews with occupational therapists (OT), and a comparison with the Standards of Practice, PPS has changed the focus of intervention in several ways. The findings indicate less therapy time spent in activities of daily living (ADL) and a perception among therapists of an overall change in the quality of intervention-including barriers to the practitioner's ability to be client-centered. A comparison to the Standards of Practice suggests a discrepancy between American Occupational Therapy Association ideals and actual practice in some areas.
Ionospheric observation of VLF electrostatic noise related to harmonics of the proton gyrofrequency.

Ionospheric VLF electrostatic noise observed by sounding rocket, noting proton gyrofrequency harmonics effects within emission attenuation bands
The selective ionotropic-type quisqualate receptor agonist AMPA is a potent neurotoxin in immature rat brain

Direct unilateral intrastriatal stereotaxic injections of the selective ionotropic-type quisqualate receptor agonist, AMPA, in postnatal day 7 rats produced tonic-clonic seizure activity. Quantitative analysis of the severity of brain injury was assessed by comparison of the disparities in the weights of injected and contralateral cerebral hemispheres 3 days after the excitotoxin injection. The amount of AMPA that produced half-maximal brain injury was 9.5 nmol as assessed by comparison of disparities in cerebral hemisphere weights. In contrast, quisqualate was 26 times less potent. The marked susceptibility of the developing rat brain to AMPA toxicity may provide a useful model to assess the neuroprotective effectiveness and selectivity of ionotropic quisqualate receptor antagonists.
International geomagnetic reference field : the sixth generation

In August 1991 the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy revised the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) for the fifth time. This Sixth Generation IGRF now consists of 10 spherical harmonic models of the main geomagnetic field at five year intervals from 1945 through 1990 and a secular variation model extending the main field model of 1990 through 1995. For the interval 1945-1985 the models are definitive (DGRFs), in that it is unlikely that the underlying data sets will be significantly improved so there is no plan for future revision of the models. The present revision consists of adoption of a definitive main field model for 1985, DGRF 1985, a main field model for 1990 with secular variation coefficients for 1990-1995, IGRF 1990, and a provisional model, PGRF 1985, for 1985-1990 defined as the linear interpolation between DGRF 1985 and IGRF 1990. All main field models are of degree and order 10. The secular variation model is of degree and order 8. The models were derived from five candidate main field models at 1985, five at 1990, and three candidate secular variation models at epoch 1992.5. Weighted averages of the candidate models were specified to arrive at the final models. A brief description of the development of the IGRF is given, useful formulae are reviewed, and contour maps of the geomagnetic elements D, I, H, X, Y, Z, and F at 1990 are included. The nature of and philosophy behind the IGRF are discussed and a new procedure for deriving the IGRF is proposed.
Lee's Miserables: Life in the Army of Northern Virginia from the Wilderness to Appomattox

A vivid account of life in Lee's army; Based on research in more than 1,200 wartime letters and diaries by more than 400 Confederate officers and enlisted men, Lee's Miserables offers a compelling social history of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia during its final year, from May 1864 to April 1865. The book uses the words of the soldiers themselves to provide a richly detailed view of the army's experiences in camp, on the march, in combat, and under siege - from the battles in the Wilderness to the final retreat to Appomattox.
Radio propagation research at the University of Texas at Austin

The greatest reward that I received from my work in the field of Antennas and Propagation was the association with hundredosf wonderful people. This included employees of the Electrical Engi- Texas at Austin in all capacities - faculty, proneering Research Laboratory of The University of fessional and staff members, technicians and support personnel, and many graduate students. It also provided contacts which frequently turned into friendships with luminaries from other institutions and government agencies
Effects of Corexit 9527 on the hatchability of mallard eggs

The present paper reports the results of a study of the effects of Corexit 9527 dispersant, crude oil, and crude oil/Corexit 9527 mixtures on mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) embryos. Mallard eggs treated with 20 ul of crude oil, Corexit 9527, 30:1 oil/Corexit 9527, 5:1 oil/Corexit 9527, and 5 ul Corexit 9527 and 5:1 oil/Corexit 9527 had significantly (P less than or equal to 0.01) lower hatching success than the untreated control eggs. The comparisons between treated groups and the control and among treated groups were used to create a general toxicity ranking; (Corexit 9527 = 5:1 oil/Corexit 9527) > Prudhoe Bay crude oil > 30:1 oil/Corexit 9527.
Effect of dietary molybdenum upon chicks and poults.

SummaryGrowth of chicks and poults was depressed by approximately 25% by the addition of 300 p.p.m. molybdenum to their rations. The addition of copper to the rations containing molybdenum caused slightly improved growth. There was no evidence of anemia or diarrhea in birds on the high molybdenum diets. Poults fed high molybdenum rations for over 4 weeks had normal feather pigmentation.
Single-sensor processing and sensor fusion of GPR and EMI data for land mine detection

In our previous work, we have shown theoretically that model-based Bayesian approach to the detection of landmines affords significant performance gains over standard thresholding techniques. These performance gains hold for both time- and frequency-domain electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensors. Our methodology merges physical models of the evoked target response with a probabilistic description of the clutter. Under a specific set of assumptions, our technique provides both an optimal detection algorithm and performance evaluation measures expressed as probability of detection and probability of false alarm. This approach also provides a formal framework for incorporating target and/or environmental uncertainties into the processing algorithms. The significant performance improvements observed theoretically have been verified on both time-domain and frequency-domain EMI data collected in the field. In this paper, we review our previous theoretical work, and we use actual data collected in the field to illustrate the improvement obtained by appropriately accounting for environmental uncertainties. We present new results in which a suboptimal processor provides nearly identical performance to that of the optimal processor but with much greater computational efficiency. We also present result that indicate that such an approach can be applied successfully to ground penetrating radar data. Specifically, we consider data taken by the BRTRC/Wichmannn system. In addition to processing the data from each type of sensor individually, as well as the combination of sensor, will be discussed.
High-resolution Optical Trap Measurements Of A Ringed DNA Translocase

Ringed ATPases are ubiquitous in the cell, involved in such diverse tasks as cell division, chromosome segregation, DNA recombination, strand separation, and conjugation. Despite their importance, the mechanism of coordination between the subunits of ringed ATPases remains poorly understood. Viral DNA packaging, a process driven by a ringed, homomeric DNA translocase, provides a model system to study this coordination. The Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage phi29 packaging motor has been proposed to operate by sequential action of its subunits, each packaging DNA in stepwise increments of 2 base pairs (bp) per ATP hydrolyzed. Here, we present the first direct observations of individual packaging steps of this motor with recently developed high-resolution optical tweezers. Surprisingly, we find that packaging occurs in increments of 10 bp, each consisting of four 2.5-bp substeps. The dwell time statistics between these 10-bp “bursts” indicate that the motor loads multiple ATPs prior to translocation, and suggest a two-phase mechanochemical cycle in which ATP binding and translocation are temporally segregated. These studies reveal a much more complex coordination between motor ATPases than previously anticipated that contrasts sharply with most published models. In addition, the observation of a non-integer step size demands new models for motor-DNA interactions. Our findings are not only relevant to other viral packaging systems, but may also provide insight into the mechanisms of the large class of ringed molecular motors that share many structural similarities.
Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a Lyapunov function with 'a quadratic form plus an integral term'

The objective of this paper is to use a Lyapunov function to study the stability of a loop system containing a single nonlinearity in an infinite sector angle. We obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a Lyapunov function with ‘ a quadratic form plus an integral term’, which is a generalization of the Popov frequency criterion and Curran's papers. A numerical example illustrates the advantage of the obtained criteria.
Toward Controlling The Ion Selectivity By Manipulating Individual Subunits Among Four In A Tetrameric K+ Channel

The ion permeation in all the K+ channels is governed by a selectivity filter that is assembled by backbone carbonyls from four identical conservative sequences, Thr-X-Gly-Tyr-Gly. Varying any part of this sequence for all four subunits often disables the K+ selectivity. However, it is unclear how the selectivity is altered with an individual subunit among four. Understanding of this mechanism will uncover the contribution of each individual subunit to the overall ion selectivity, i.e. functional stoichiometry. So far this research has been limited due to difficulty in obtaining hetero-tetrameric channel proteins. We are studying this mechanism with a unique model K+ channel, chlorella virus-encoded Kcv. We have found that the wild-type and tagged Kcv (with an extension of eight asparagines at the N-terminal) can be co-synthesized in vitro and self-assembled into various homo- and hetero-tetramers, as visualized through electrophoresis. Most notably, when purified directly from the SDS gel, each hetero-tetramer exhibited perfect K+ channel functions in the lipid bilayer (this is difficult to achieve for other membrane proteins). Using this protein as the background, we obtained all types of hetero-tetramers containing different numbers of the mutant Kcv at the selectivity filter (G65C). The electrophysiology test revealed that the proteins with up to two mutant subunits in the tetramer still retain the K+ selectivity, but the selectivity is disabled for tetramers containing more than two mutant subunits. (FEBS Letters 581 (2007) 1027-1034)
The Mechanism of Direct Heme Transfer from the Streptococcal Cell Surface Protein Shp to HtsA of the HtsABC Transporter

Abstract The heme-binding proteins Shp and HtsA are part of the heme acquisition machinery found in Streptococcus pyogenes. The hexacoordinate heme (Fe(II)-protoporphyrin IX) or hemochrome form of holoShp (hemoShp) is stable in air in Tris-HCl buffer, pH 8.0, binds to apoHtsA with a Kd of 120 ± 18 μm, and transfers its heme to apoHtsA with a rate constant of 28 ± 6s–1 at 25 °C, pH 8.0. The hemoHtsA product then autoxidizes to the hexacoordinate hemin (Fe(III)-protoporphyrin IX) or hemichrome form (hemiHtsA) with an apparent rate constant of 0.017 ± 0.002 s–1. HemiShp also rapidly transfers hemin to apoHtsA through a hemiShp·apoHtsA complex (Kd = 48 ± 7 μm) at a rate ∼40,000 times greater than the rate of simple hemin dissociation from hemiShp into solvent (ktransfer = 43 ± 3s–1 versus k–hemin = 0.0003 ± 0.00006 s–1). The rate constants for hemin binding to and dissociation from HtsA (k′hemin ≈ 80 μm–1 s–1, k–hemin = 0.0026 ± 0.0002 s–1) are 50- and 10-fold greater than the corresponding rate constants for Shp (khemin ≈ 1.6 μm–1 s–1, k–hemin = 0.0003 s–1), which implies that HtsA has a more accessible active site. However, the affinity of apoHtsA for hemin (khemin ≈ 31,000 μm–1) is roughly 5-fold greater than that of apoShp (khemin ≈ 5,300 μm–1), accounting for the net transfer from Shp to HstA. These results support a direct, rapid, and affinity-driven mechanism of heme and hemin transfer from the cell surface receptor Shp to the ATP-binding cassette transporter system.
Polarization-independent frequency conversion for quantum optical communication

We demonstrate upconversion from 1.56 to 0.633 μm that preserves the polarization state of an arbitrarily polarized input. The upconverter uses bidirectional sum-frequency generation in bulk periodically poled lithium niobate and a Michelson interferometer to stabilize the phase.
Adoption Patterns of Advanced Information Technologies in the Construction Industries of the United States and Korea

The results of a survey conducted by the ASCE Wireless Construction Committee are presented. The goal of the effort is to better understand how much construction contractors have advanced in adopting information technologies in general and wireless communications in particular. Responses were collected from 152 U.S. and 31 Korean firms. It was found that, overall, the strongest interest among the responding contractors is in document and content management applications. Differences between Korean and U.S. contractors are discussed. The data indicate that the use of information technology by contractors is generally higher in Korea than in the United States. Both practitioners and scientists will be able to use the presented study because the data reveal the managers' perceptions of the most promising opportunities for and highest barriers to implementation of advanced communication systems in construction. With the information provided, interested readers of this journal will be able to focus their attention on pursuing specific opportunities and removing barriers to future adoptions.
Use of diodes to enable μLoop ® test structures for buried defects and voltage to grayscale calibration

Two test structures that address key problems for voltage contrast inspection are introduced. These structures both utilize diodes to provide unique capability. The first structure illustrates how a two-pass area accelerated inspection can be used for detection of buried defects such as gate shorts or via opens. Like standard μLoop ® test structures, the first inspection pass is able to detect the existence of all the defects affecting the structure while only scanning a small fraction of the structure. The purpose of the second inspection pass is to look for physical signs of the defect, but none are generally visible for buried defects. The key to this structure is that diodes are used to indicate the location of the buried defect. The second structure is used to map voltage to grayscale. This structure takes advantage of the well-known fact that there is a 0.6V drop across a forward biased diode.
Free-shape subwindow search for object localization

Object localization in an image is usually handled by searching for an optimal subwindow that tightly covers the object of interest. However, the subwindows considered in previous work are limited to rectangles or other specified, simple shapes. With such specified shapes, no subwindow can cover the object of interest tightly. As a result, the desired subwindow around the object of interest may not be optimal in terms of the localization objective function, and cannot be detected by a subwindow search algorithm. In this paper, we propose a new graph-theoretic approach for object localization by searching for an optimal subwindow without pre-specifying its shape. Instead, we require the resulting subwindow to be well aligned with edge pixels that are detected from the image. This requirement is quantified and integrated into the localization objective function based on the widely-used bag of visual words technique. We show that the ratio-contour graph algorithm can be adapted to find the optimal free-shape subwindow in terms of the new localization objective function. In the experiment, we test the proposed approach on the PASCAL VOC 2006 and VOC 2007 databases for localizing several categories of animals. We find that its performance is better than the previous efficient subwindow search algorithm.
THE ACTIVATING, TRANSFORMING, AND CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS OF THE RABBIT PAPILLOMA VIRUS (SHOPE) UPON IMPLANTED TAR TUMORS

The effects of the rabbit papilloma virus upon tar tumor tissue are widely various, as the present paper and previous ones attest. It enables some of the benign tar tumors of domestic rabbits (papillomas, carcinomatoids) to establish themselves after implantation,—which they are unable to do under ordinary circumstances, being dependent upon favoring factors; and it may drive them to active proliferation without altering their morphology. Some growths it fails to influence and some it converts into virus papillomas. Often, however, it brings about cytological changes which are indicative of a combination of its influence with that of the undetermined factor motivating the original tumor. The resulting neoplasm exhibits a blend of characteristics. The virus makes some benign tar tumors become cancerous forthwith, the malignancy developing without intermediate virus papillomatosis. It can be readily imposed upon some of the squamous cell carcinomas which tar elicits in its natural host, the cottontail rabbit, and it may drive such tumors to proliferate faster, or alter them morphologically, or do both. Its stimulating effect is especially pronounced in the case of those tar cancers that are slow-growing. Since the virus can influence tar cancers markedly, one can scarcely suppose it to be devoid of effect upon the cancers of the same type which derive from the papillomas it has itself engendered. Other implications of the work are discussed.
Development of student innovation skills through industry-university research collaboration

When university groups are involved in joint R&D projects with industrial companies, students learning is intensified and focused on practical aspects of design and fabrication of electronic components and systems. In current presentation we discuss the development of specific skills which undergraduate and graduate students of UMass do acquire in development of RF technology working closely with engineering teams of companies such as MACOM Technology Solutions, RF Micro Devices, Raytheon and others. Students coming to a company site should possess a strong knowledge in solid-state and quantum electronics, RF circuitry design, and device processing. As interns with a company their learning starts with discussion of potential products under development. Before sending a wafer to processing students need to understand the entire set of technical parameters, and processing technology used in production. After first experimental wafer is tested, the most crucial step is to find the ways to improve the performance of a product by re-designing the component and the circuitry, attempting to change the fabrication, if possible. It is at that step the creative thinking most often generates new ideas and patents.
Inverse determination of thermal conductivity for one-dimensional problems

Two finite difference procedures are presented for the inverse determination of the thermal conductivity in a one-dimensional heat conduction domain. The thermal conductivity is reconstructed from the inverse analysis based on the assumption that the temperature measurements are either available continuously over the entire domain or at discrete grid points. The convergence and stability of the computational algorithms are investigated. It is concluded that both procedures are first-order accurate methods. A comparison of the exact thermal conductivity with the one estimated was made to confirm the validity of the numerical procedures. The close agreement between the two results confirms that the proposed finite difference techniques are effective procedures for the inverse determination of thermal conductivity in a one-dimensional heat conduction domain. The methods are applicable for linear and nonlinear spatially- as well as temperature-d ependent thermal conductivities. Additionally, the special feature of the present techniques is that a priori knowledge of the functional form for the thermal conductivity is not mandatory. Nomenclature C = arbitrary constant F = function defined by Eq. (10) / = function defined at the boundary G = function defined by Eq. (10) g — heat generation, W/nr k = thermal conductivity, W/m-°C kM = initial thermal conductivity calculated at dT/dx — 0 in the discrete formulation, W/m-°C k(} = initial thermal conductivity calculated at dT/dx = 0 in the continuous formulation, W/m-°C q = heat flux, W/m2 T = temperature, °C t = time, s / = selected time in the continuous formulation, s /,- — selected time in the discrete formulation, s A' = spatial coordinate, m XM = spatial coordinate where dT/dx = 0 in the discrete formulation, m A',, = spatial coordinate where dT/dx = 0 in the continuous formulation, m Subscripts /, /, k = indices Superscript = approximated value
In Vivo Effects of Enterotoxin from Clostridium perfringens Type A in the Rabbit Colon: Binding vs. Biologic Activity

Rabbit colonic loops were exposed to purified enterotoxin from Clostridium perfringens type A and perfused for analysis of the effects of the enterotoxin on transport and surface structure of the colon. The colon showed no apparent response to the enterotoxin in the transport of fluid and electrolytes as compared with untreated animals. There was a significant increase in levels of luminal fluid protein, corresponding to an observed increase in secretion of mucus. Histologic sections showed no epithelial damage, but scanning electron microscopy showed an increase in the number of mucous fields over the value in control animals. The colon showed little or no overt response to enterotoxin treatment, but isolated colonic epithelial cells bound 125I-labeled enterotoxin at levels even greater than those observed in cells from the ileum, where the enterotoxin has considerable biologic activity. Thus, although binding of enterotoxin is necessary for its biologic activity, biologic activity does not necessarily follow binding to specific receptors.
Flagellate erythema secondary to bleomycin.

A 31-year-old man with testicular seminoma underwent combination chemotherapy with bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin. During the first treatment cycle, 2 days after the second bleomycin infusion, he developed a violaceous, itchy and erythematous rash on …
The Beginnings of Organic Photochemistry

Although sunlight induced photochemistry must have occurred on the planet Earth for billions of years, the chemical changes caused by light have attracted systematic scientific scrutiny only relatively recently. How did scientists first conceive the idea that the interaction of materials with light could not only cause physical phenomena, but could also alter their chemical nature? When sunlight began to be employed as a heat source for distillation, the eventual discovery of photochemical reactions was assured. One can envision three types of changes that would have aroused the curiosity of laboratory chemists: color changes; the evolution of gas bubbles (oxygen in photosynthesis); and the precipitation of a photoproduct less soluble than its precursor. Less predictable was the observation that sunlight caused crystalline santonin to burst because it is converted into a product with a different crystal lattice. In the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries a variety of photochemical reactions, some observed by chance, others uncovered in carefully planned studies, ultimately led to a major systematic investigation that established photochemistry as a viable branch of chemistry.
A case of pediatric B-Lymphoblastic leukemia presenting with a t(9;12)(p24;q11.2) involving JAK2 and concomitant MLL rearrangement with apparent insertion at 6q27

Background: B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the most common malignancy in pediatric patients and the leading cause of cancer-related death in children and young adults. Translocations of 9p24 involving JAK2 (9p24) and gain-of-function mutations of JAK2 with subsequent activation of the JAK2 kinase have been described in several hematological malignancies including B-ALL. However, rearrangements involving JAK2 are rare in B-ALL as only few cases have been described in the literature. Findings: Herein, we present a case of pediatric B-ALL whose conventional cytogenetics revealed an abnormal karyotype with a reciprocal translocation involving 9p24 (JAK2) and 12p11.2. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies using the RP11-927H16 Spectrum Green JAK2 probe on previously G-banded metaphases confirmed the involvement of JAK2 in this rearrangement. Further FISH studies on the same previously G-banded metaphases using the LSI MLL probe helped to characterize an insertion of MLL into 6q27 as an additional abnormality in this karyotype. FISH studies performed on interphase nuclei also revealed an abnormal clone with MLL rearrangements in 23.6% of the nuclei examined as well as an abnormal clonal population with a deletion of the 5'IGH@ region in 88.3% of the nuclei examined. Conclusions: Rearrangements of 9p24 can result in constitutive activation of JAK2, and have been observed in B-ALL. Rearrangements of the MLL gene have also been described extensively in B-ALL. However, rearrangements of MLL with a partner at 6q27 and in conjunction with a translocation involving JAK2 have not been previously described. This case pinpoints the importance of FISH and conventional cytogenetics to characterize complex rearrangements in which JAK2 and MLL are involved. The therapeutic targeting of JAK2 and MLL in cases like this may be prognostically beneficial.
Single Transmembrane Spanning Heterotrimeric G Protein-Coupled Receptors and Their Signaling Cascades

Heptahelical of serpentine receptors such as the adrenergic receptors are well known to mediate their actions via heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins. Likewise, receptors that traverse the cell membrane once have been shown to mediate their biological actions by activating several different mechanisms including stimulation of their intrinsic tyrosine kinase activities or the kinase activities of other proteins. Some of these single transmembrane receptors have an intrinsic guanylyl cyclase activity and can stimulate the cyclic GMP second messenger system; however, over the last few years, several studies have shown the involvement of heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins in mediating signals that eventually culminate in the biological actions of single transmembrane spanning receptors and proteins. These receptors include the receptor tyrosine kinases that mediate the actions of growth factors such as epidermal growth factor, insulin, insulin-like growth factor as well as receptors for atrial natiuretic hormone or the zona pellucida protein (ZP3) and integrins. In this review, the significance of the coupling of the single transmembrane spanning receptors to G proteins has been highlighted by providing several examples of the concept that signaling via these receptors may involve the activation of multiple signaling cascades.
The role of essentialism in children's concepts.

Publisher Summary This chapter emphasizes “essentialism” as a folk psychological understanding and distinguishes between essentialism as a philosophical position and essentialism as a folk belief. The former addresses the nature of reality; the latter addresses the nature of people's ordinary belief systems. The question that frames this research is where essentializing comes from and how deeply engrained is it in language and conceptual systems. At this point the possible roots of an essentialist assumption have been much disputed. Essentialism could be the by-product of Western philosophy or cultural traditions. It is argued that people are deep-down essentialists even without the benefit of science. The study of adults in this culture cannot provide evidence on the issue, because with adults the effects of schooling and scientific training cannot be teased apart. Children, however, provide an excellent test case, because they have had little exposure to or knowledge of either Western philosophy or scientific theories. Children also enable a strong test of the centrality of essence-like constructs, given children's well-documented focus on object appearances.
A Novel Technique to Suppress Harmonic Distortion in Class-D Amplifiers

Class-D amplifiers have become very popular for audio-frequency power amplifiers. Their efficiency makes them attractive for high power or battery operated applications. The disadvantages of class-D amplifiers are almost all related to the undesirable high frequency harmonics caused by the modulation process. Passive LC filters are typically used to reduce these high frequency distortions. Higher order types of these filters require many bulky and expensive inductors. In this paper, the effective order for the class-D output restoration filter is effectively increased by adding a feedforward network to reduce the unwanted high frequency harmonics in the amplifier's load. A class-AB current source in the feedforward path counteracts the high frequency carrier and its associated sidebands. Initially, an analytical solution is developed and then implemented with discrete component models in SPICE. A frequency domain analysis is presented for the feedforward compensation technique as well as optimization by parametric variation. SPICE simulations verify the performance of the system by demonstrating the reduction of total harmonic distortion
Economic Impact of POI and Prolonged Length of Stay

Postoperative ileus (POI) increases the duration of hospital stay and, therefore, health care costs, accounting for an estimated $750 million in 1986, and up to $1 billion by the year 2000, in health expenditure. Under the U.S. Medicare system, patients requiring colorectal resections are assigned to diagnosis-related group 148 (DRG 148, colorectal resection with complications) or diagnosis-related group 149 (DRG 149, colorectal resection without complications) for hospital payments. The reimbursement is very different for these paired DRGs (149, $8310; 148, $20,291), and these payments are essentially fixed despite any increased expenditures by the hospital due to complications during the postoperative course. Therefore, the increased length of stay and hospital resource utilization that results from postoperative ileus leads to increased cost to the insurer and decreased margins to the hospital in a DRG system.
Palate Shape and Depth: A Shape‐Matching and Machine Learning Method for Estimating Ancestry from Human Skeletal Remains

In the past, assessing ancestry relied on the naked eye and observer experience; however, replicability has become an important aspect of such analysis through the application of metric techniques. This study examines palate shape and assesses ancestry quantitatively using a 3D digitizer and shape-matching and machine learning methods. Palate curves and depths were recorded, processed, and tested for 376 individuals. Palate shape was an accurate indicator of ancestry in 58% of cases. Cluster analysis revealed that the parabolic, hyperbolic, and elliptical shapes are discrete from one another. Preliminary results indicate that palate depth in Hispanic individuals is greatest. Palate shape appears to be a useful indicator of ancestry, particularly when assessed by a computer. However, these data suggest that palate shape is not useful for assessing ancestry in Hispanic individuals. Although ancestry may be determined from palate shape, the use of multiple features is recommended and more reliable.
A Two-Way Automaton with Fewer States than Any Equivalent One-Way Automaton

This correspondence presents an example of a two-way automaton which has significantly fewer states than any one-way automaton accepting the same set of tapes. Thus, in this particular case, memory space can be saved by using a two-way automaton. This savings in space, however, is accompanied by an increase in recognition time.
Coherent states for general potentials. II. Confining one-dimensional examples

We apply our minimum-uncertainty coherent-states formalism, which is physically motivated by the classical motion, to two confining one-dimensional systems: the harmonic oscillator with centripetal barrier and the symmetric P\"oschl-Teller potentials. The minimum-uncertainty coherent states are discussed in great detail, and the connections to annihilation-operator coherent states and displacement-operator coherent states are given. The first system discussed provides an excellent bridge between the harmonic oscillator and more general potentials because, even though it is a nonharmonic potential, its energy eigenvalues are equally spaced. Thus, its coherent states have many, but not all, of the properties of the harmonic-oscillator coherent states.
Perceived Status of the Elderly in the Nigerian Family

The purpose of this study was to show how the traditional bonds between the elders and younger members of the family are gradually becoming weak. The major focus of inquiry is the nature and decline of status in old age. Powerlessness, alienation, loss of respectability, loss of authority are the major points of analysis.Findings in this study indicated a high positive correlation between these variables and old age in Nigeria.
Is Idiosyncratic Volatility Really Priced

Recent literature has documented both a positive and a negative relation between idiosyncratic risk derived from standard asset pricing models and return. Fu (2009) resolves this debate by explicitly modeling expected as opposed to total idiosyncratic risk and finds a strong positive relation between expected idiosyncratic volatility and returns, suggesting missing systematic risk factors or inefficient markets. We document that this positive relation between idiosyncratic volatility and returns only exists for small firms which are difficult to arbitrage. The relation between idiosyncratic volatility and returns is strong for the smallest quartile of stocks, but decreases with size and becomes non-existent for the largest quartile of firms. Furthermore, portfolios formed on size (as a proxy for the difficulty of arbitrage) and idiosyncratic volatility only yield economically significant Jensen (1968) alphas for small stock portfolios. However, due to the high costs of trading these stocks, zero-cost portfolios based on idiosyncratic volatility and size do not yield significant positive returns when conservative trading costs are considered. This implies that the compensation for bearing idiosyncratic risk is limited to stocks that are difficult to arbitrage and therefore does not suggest missing factors or inefficient markets. The results are robust to alternate measures of idiosyncratic volatility and the difficulty (cost) of arbitrage as well as across time. This evidence is consistent with an efficient market.
Learning by Doing: Mentoring Group-Based Undergraduate Research Projects in an Upper-Level Political Science Course

Undergraduate research (UGR) is a “high-impact practice” that has been consistently shown to effectively promote desirable student-learning outcomes (SLOs) including critical thinking, logic, written and oral communication, problem solving, and interpretation of evidence, especially among minority and disadvantaged students. Mentoring quality UGR experiences in regular upper-level political science courses, however, is a difficult and time-consuming activity. This article describes an attempt to provide an intensive, semester-long, and group-based UGR experience in an upper-level American politics course. It discusses how this experience was designed to deliberately foster specific institutional UGR SLOs and summarizes student perceptions of the overall effectiveness of the experience.
Ion transport by the isolated mantle epithelium of the freshwater clam, Unio complanatus.

Transepithelial ion transport was studied in three types of shell-facing mantle epithelia of the freshwater clam, Unio complanatus. These were 1) the epithelium isolated from near the margin of the...
Perpendicular laser cooling with a rotating-wall potential in a Penning trap

We investigate the impact of a rotating-wall potential on perpendicular laser cooling in a Penning ion trap. By including energy exchange with the rotating wall, we extend previous Doppler laser-cooling theory and show that low perpendicular temperatures are more readily achieved with a rotating wall than without. Detailed numerical studies determine optimal operating parameters for producing low-temperature, stable two-dimensional crystals, important for quantum information processing experiments employing Penning traps.
Corporate Tax Shelters and the Accountant-Client Privilege

Randolph J. Buchanan reviews the accountant privilege under section 7525 and concludes that, because of the ambiguity surrounding the tax-shelter exception, the IRS should provide further guidance to assist accountants and broaden the privilege.
Extreme Precipitation and Emergency Room Visits for Gastrointestinal Illness in Areas with and without Combined Sewer Systems: An Analysis of Massachusetts Data, 2003–2007

BackgroundCombined sewer overflows (CSOs) occur in combined sewer systems when sewage and stormwater runoff are released into water bodies, potentially contaminating water sources. CSOs are often c...
Hyperglycaemic activity and metabolic effects of 3-aminopicolinic acid.

Administering 3-aminopicolinate to rats starved for 24h immediately initiated a progressive increase in blood glucose concentration. Hyperglycaemia was not the result of glycogenolysis, nor was it due to an inhibition of insulin release, since it caused marked hyperinsulinaemia. The rate of [6- 3 H]glucose disappearance from the blood of the intact rat was not altered by 3-aminopicolinate, indicating that it does not cause hyperglycaemia by inhibiting glucose utilization or by causing a redistribution of total body glucose. 3-Aminopicolinate increased the rate of fall in the specific radioactivity of blood [6- 3 H]-glucose, indicating dilution of the glucose pool by newly synthesized glucose. The rate of 14 C incorporation into blood glucose from [ 14 C]alanine and [ 14 C]lactate was increased 90 and 35% respectively, whereas that from [ 14 C]glycerol and [ 14 C]xylitol was either unaffected or slightly decreased by 3-aminopicolinate administration. Liver phosphoenolpyruvate of rats was increased to four to seven times the normal concentration 10min to 1h after injections of 50–300mg of 3-aminopicolinate/kg body wt. and the amounts of 2-phosphoglycerate and 3-phosphoglycerate were increased to three to four times normal. The high concentrations of liver phosphoenolpyruvate, 2-phosphoglycerate and 3-phosphoglycerate, as well as the enhancement of gluconeogenesis from lactate and alanine, but not from glycerol or xylitol, is compatible with an enhancement of gluconeogenesis at a step between pyruvate and the triose phosphates. After injections of 3-aminopicolinate, liver malate, citrate, aspartate, alanine, lactate and pyruvate were also increased, but to lesser extents than was phosphoenolpyruvate. The increases in some of these metabolites were approximated after an intravenous infusion of glucose, so their elevated concentration after 3-aminopicolinate administration could have been, in part, a consequence of the hyperglycaemia. The possibility is considered that 3-aminopicolinate stimulates gluconeogenesis in vivo by facilitating Fe 2+ activation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase as it does with the purified enzyme in vitro [MacDonald & Lardy (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253 , 2300–2307]. In this effect 3-aminopicolinate may simulate the physiological role of the naturally occurring ferroactivator protein [Bentle & Lardy (1977) J. Biol. Chem. 252 , 1431–1440].
The President's Legislative Influence from Public Appeals

Despite scholars' long-standing appreciation of modern American presidents' plebiscitary powers, no study offers evidence that public appeals systematically facilitate influence, and some research indicates they can actually decrease presidential bargaining power. Our analysis resolves this disparity, developing a theoretical perspective of plebiscitary appeals and testing it on data from the nationally televised addresses of Presidents Eisenhower through Clinton. The perspective suggests that appeals should generate influence, but that this influence depends on presidents strategically choosing issues to promote to the public. In particular, a president will promote issues on which his position is popular, but for which Congress would not otherwise enact his preferred policy. To test this perspective, we analyze a simultaneous-equations model of the causes and policy consequences of presidential appeals over budgetary policy. The results support the hypotheses, establishing the effectiveness of public strategies and conditions to which this effectiveness is limited. n July 27, 1981, less than forty-eight hours before the House was scheduled to vote on President Reagan's proposed income tax reduction of over 25 percent, the president promoted his proposal in a nationally televised address. Speaker of the House Thomas P. (Tip) O'Neill, Jr. surmised that prior to the address, "we [the Democrats] had this won."' Yet following Reagan's speech, a number of Democrats switched positions, opting to vote with the president. Why did these members abandon their party? As described by an aide to Representative Beverly Byron, one of the Democrats that switched positions, Byron's office was "inundated with calls" in support of Reagan's proposal the morning after his speech. Offices across the Hill gave similar reports.2 In the end, the tax cut won by a vote of 238 to 195. Fifteen years later, with the partisanship of the presidency and House reversed (the Senate was again Republican), President Clinton promoted his budget proposals to the public following a breakdown in negotiations with Congress. Ultimately, these efforts helped enable Clinton to achieve his policy goals. As recounted by a Chief Clerk of the House Appropriations Committee, "The Republicans pushed their agenda too far, and Clinton was able to capitalize on the situation with the public ... the next
The Univariate Normal Distribution

HE NORMAL DISTRIBUTION is central to much of statistics. In this chapter and the two following, we develop the normal model from the univariate, bivariate, and then, finally, the more general distribution with an arbitrary number of dimensions.
Sexually Transmitted Infections

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are approximately 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) each year in the United States. There are over 30 pathogens that can be transmitted sexually including those that are bacterial (e.g., chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis) and viral (e.g., herpes, human papillomavirus, human immunodeficiency virus). Adolescents and young adults aged 15–24 years are at the highest risk of acquiring STIs and as of the mid-2010s account for nearly half of all new STI cases each year in the United States. There are group disparities in STI rates that cannot be explained by individual-level behaviors and instead societal influences must be examined. Keywords: disease; health; sex; sexual behavior; sexuality
Key gaps in pathologic reporting for appendiceal mucinous neoplasms: time for universal synoptic reporting?

Abstract Introduction The prognosis of appendiceal mucinous neoplasms (AMN) is directly related to their histopathology. Existing classification schemes encompass tumors with widely divergent clinical behaviors within a single diagnosis, making it difficult for clinicians to interpret pathology reports to counsel patients on optimal management. We sought to examine pathology reports generated for AMN for inclusion of essential histologic features. Methods Pathology reports of appendectomy specimens with a diagnosis of AMN (2002-2015) at our center (“internal”) and from referring institutions (“external”) were retrospectively reviewed for inclusion of the following 5 essential items: layer of invasion, mucin dissection (low grade neoplasms only), perforation, margins, and serosal implants. Results Sixty-nine patients were included, 54 with external reports available. Benign/low grade tumors comprised 29.0% and 27.8% of internal and external reports, respectively. Thirty-seven internal reports (53.6%) were signed out by specialist gastrointestinal pathologists. External reports were 66.7% complete for layer of invasion, 26.7% for mucin dissection, 64.8% for perforation, 68.5% for margins, 53.7% for serosal implants, and 18.5% for all items. Internal reports were 75.4% complete for layer of invasion, 40.0% for mucin dissection, 40.6% for perforation, 82.6% for margins, 69.6% for serosal implants, and 17.4% for all items. Eight external (14.8%) and 24 internal (34.8%) reports were synoptic. Synoptic reports were more likely to be complete for all key items both external and internal. Conclusion Most pathology reports are incomplete for essential features needed for management and discussion of AMN with patients. Synoptic reports improve completeness of reporting for these tumors.