cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Geographically Dispersed Technological Capability Building and MNC Innovative Performance: The Role of Intra-firm Flows of Newly Absorbed Knowledge

Abstract This study identifies key mechanisms linking multinationality with the knowledge advantages of multinational corporations (MNCs). These mechanisms are the absorption of new knowledge by one individual MNC unit and the subsequent flows of such newly absorbed knowledge to other geographically distant units of the same firm. The intra-MNC and inter-unit flows of such newly absorbed knowledge include exchanges between a parent and its overseas subsidiaries and those between subsidiaries. Through analyzing the U.S. patent data of the world's largest firms in the electrical equipment industry, our study shows that those two mechanisms are complementary in affecting MNC innovative performance. More notably, given the geographically dispersed new knowledge absorption within an MNC, only the flows of the newly absorbed knowledge between the parent and subsidiaries, in contrast to those between subsidiaries, are positively associated with MNC innovative performance. This study contributes to the MNC literature. Managerial implications are also discussed.
New therapeutic options in the management of chilhood brain tumors: Article Reviewed

The rate of aging is not uniform among all individuals. Thus, determination of the biological age of an individual and possibly the biological age of his or her organ systems poses a special challenge to the gerontologist. This could be accomplished if specific biomarkers of aging were available, which would allow standardization of studies, help us understand the various determinants of aging, monitor the impact of various interventions on the rate of aging, and possible allow estimates of life expectancy and predictions of future morbidity. Specific criteria need to be developed for accepting a parameter as a biomarker of aging, since an age-related alteration in a biological parameter does not necessarily qualify. Potential biomarkers of human aging include in vitro proliferative capacity of fibroblasts, glycation of collagen, and DNA unwinding rate.
A Model for Dynamic Crack Propagation in a Double-Torsion Fracture Specimen

A simple one-dimensional mathematical model for rapid fracture and crack arrest in a double-torsion fracture specimen is developed. The model indicates that the crack speed is limited by the torsional wave speed, which depends upon the shear wave speed and the cross-sectional geometry. By appropriate design of the specimen, it appears that some control can be exercised over the portion of the fracture toughness-crack speed relation that the crack tip samples. Analyses are performed for both speed-independent and speed-dependent fracture toughnesses. Qualitatively the predicted crack history for this specimen has many of the characteristics predicted and measured in the more traditional specimens.
Original Research: Enactment of Gay Rights Laws in U.S. States and Trends in Adolescent Suicide: An Investigation of Non-Hispanic White Boys

Objective: To estimate the decline in adolescent suicide rates in temporal relation to enactment of state laws offering protection from discrimination against sexual minorities. Methods: From 1990 to 1999, 9,639 non-Hispanic White boys aged 11–18 years committed suicide in the United States. We compared rates before and after enactment of laws prohibiting discrimination on sexual orientation. Results: States that enacted antidiscrimination laws had a reduction of 29.1 suicides per million non-Hispanic White boys per year relative to states that have never enacted these laws. Relative to the same states before enactment of protective laws, the rate reduction was 19.7 suicides per million boy-years. Conclusions: Efforts to reduce heterosexual societal prejudice may affect a severe health outcome. Validation of the ecologic assumptions in this analysis is necessary. Complementary approaches are needed to enhance our understanding of this finding.
CT planning studies for robotic total knee arthroplasty.

Aims The aim of this study was to analyze the true costs associated with preoperative CT scans performed for robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (RATKA) planning and to determine the value of ...
Needing to know about the crisis back home: Disaster information seeking and disaster media effects following the 2015 Nepal earthquake among Nepalis living outside of Nepal

Abstract In 2015, Nepal was hit by a series of powerful earthquakes. More than a million Nepalis currently live outside of their home country while maintaining deep social and economic ties. When Nepal was hit by the disastrous earthquakes, the traditional channels of communication were disrupted affecting the immigrants' ability to check on their friends and family members’ safety. The purpose of this study was to understand the communication behavior of Nepali immigrants during this event, and how the exposure to information about damage and destruction affected their mental well-being. This study conducted a survey of Nepalis living outside of the country (N = 228). Findings showed that Nepali immigrants first learned about the events through a phone call from a friend or relative, consistent with previous findings that people use personable channels of communication to alert those in their social network in an unexpected disaster event. This study found that social media, especially, Facebook was the second most used platform to share the news. Additionally, exposure to personal accounts on media outlets, including social media, influenced Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms (PTSS), more than the exposure to images and videos of the events. Implications and recommendations for future studies are further discussed.
Impact of the evolving United States Preventative Services Task Force policy statements on incidence and distribution of prostate cancer over 15 years in a statewide cancer registry

Abstract Background The United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) guideline on Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)-based prostate cancer screening evolved both in 2008 (Grade I for men 75 years) and in 2012 (Grade D for all ages). Materials and methods A statewide cancer registry operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Health was accessed to analyze over a 15-year period prostate cancer rates across different categories including age, stage, and geographic distribution. Results Local prostate cancer rates decreased significantly when comparing before and after USPSTF's guideline changes: 2002–2008 vs. 2009–2012 vs. 2013–2016 (p Conclusions Incident prostate cancer cases diagnosed in Pennsylvania have decreased over the past 15 years with a recent rise in distant carcinomas potentially attributable to the USPSTF recommendations against PSA-based screening. Although the USPSTF revised their PSA-based prostate cancer screening guideline in 2018 (Grade C for men 55–69 years and Grade D for men > 70 years), the implications of the aforementioned observations on mortality outcomes merit further follow-up.
Surgical Anatomy of the Axillary Artery: clinical implications for open shoulder surgery

Background Axillary artery injury is a devastating complication related to anterior shoulder surgery and can result in significant morbidity and/or mortality. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the course of the axillary artery in relation to bony landmarks of the shoulder and identify variations in artery position with humeral external rotation. Materials and methods Dissection of 18 shoulders (9 fresh whole-body cadavers) with simulated vessel perfusion using radiopaque dye was performed. The axillary artery position was measured from multiple points including 2 points on the coracoid base (C1 and C2), 3 points on the coracoid tip (C3-C5), 4 points on the glenoid: superior, middle, and inferior glenoid (D1-D4), and 2 points on the lesser tuberosity (L1 and L2). Fluoroscopic measurements were taken and compared at 0° and 90° of external rotation (F1 vs. F1′ and F2 vs. F2′). Manual and fluoroscopic measurements were compared with one another using Kendall’s τb correlation. Results There were 6 male and 3 female cadavers with an average age of 67.2 ± 9.3 years (range: 49-77 years). The mean distance from the axillary artery to the coracoid base (C1 and C2) measured 21.1 ± 7.3 and 22.3 ± 7.4 mm, respectively, whereas the mean distance to the coracoid tip (C3, C4, and C5) measured 30.7 ± 9.3, 52.1 ± 20.2, and 46.5 ± 14.3 mm, respectively. Measurements relative to the glenoid face (D1, D2, and D3) showed a progressive decrease in mean distance from superior to inferior, measuring 31.6 ± 10.3, 16.5 ± 7.5, and 10.3 ± 7.3 mm, respectively, whereas D4 (inferior glenoid to axillary artery) measured 17.8 ± 10.7 mm. The minimum distance from the axillary artery to any point on the glenoid was as close as 4.1 mm (D3). There was a statistically significant difference in F1 (0° external rotation) vs. F1′ (90° external rotation) (18.5 vs. 13.4 mm, P = .03). Kendall’s τb correlation showed a strong, positive correlation between manual and fluoroscopic measurements (D4: 16.0 ± 12.5 mm vs. F1: 18.5 ± 10.7 mm) (τb = 0.556, P = .037). Conclusion The axillary artery travels an average of 1-1.8 cm from the inferior glenoid margin, which puts the artery at significant risk. In addition, the artery is significantly closer to the inferior glenoid with humeral external rotation. Surgeons performing anterior shoulder surgery should have a thorough understanding of the axillary artery course and understand changes in the position of the artery with external rotation of the humerus.
Probing the top-Higgs Yukawa CP structure in dileptonic $ t\overline{t}h $ with M$_{2}$-assisted reconstruction

Constraining the Higgs boson properties is a cornerstone of the LHC program. We study the potential to directly probe the Higgs-top CP-structure via the $$ t\overline{t}h $$ channel at the LHC with the Higgs boson decaying to a bottom pair and top-quarks in the dileptonic mode. We show that a combination of laboratory and $$ t\overline{t} $$ rest frame observables display large CP-sensitivity, exploring the spin correlations in the top decays. To efficiently reconstruct our final state, we present a method based on simple mass minimization and prove its robustness to shower, hadronization and detector effects. In addition, the mass reconstruction works as an extra relevant handle for background suppression. Based on our results, we demonstrate that the Higgs-top CP-phase (α) can be probed up to cos α < 0.7 at the high luminosity LHC.
The Impact of Emigration on Source Countries

Much of the literature on cross-border migration has focused on the impact of immigration on receiving countries with less attention paid to the impact of emigration on sending countries. Ghosh and Weinstein provide an overview of the push and pull factors that play a role in the decision to emigrate. The chapter draws attention to the linkages between the underlying factors that cause emigration and the impact of emigration on sending countries. Though the global impact of international migration may be positive, the efficiency gains from labor mobility are not shared equally across countries or across regions within sending countries. By specifically examining provinces across China, Ghosh and Weinstein find that, while there are short-term effects from the loss of labor and brain drain, the long-term effects accrue via emigrant networks that can promote trade, foreign direct investment and entrepreneurial activities, remittances and possibly brain gain, if emigrants return to their native country. Still, emigration in China likely exacerbates inequality between wealthier coastal provinces and inland areas. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of the policy implications of emigration.
Cooperation in a Repeated Prisoners' Dilemma with Ostracism

The unique Nash equilibrium of the finitely repeated n-person Prisoners' Dilemma calls for defection in all rounds. One way to enforce cooperation in groups is ostracism: players who defect are expelled. If the group's members prefer not to diminish its size, ostracism hurts the legitimate members of the group as well as the outcast, putting the credibility of the threat in doubt. Nonetheless, we show that ostracism can be effective in promoting cooperation with either finite or infinite rounds of play. The model can be applied to games other than the Prisoners' Dilemma, and ostracism can enforce inefficient as well as efficient outcomes.
a Simplified Smahtr Benchmark Problem Set

The Small, Modular Advanced High Temperature Reactor (SmAHTR) is a preconceptual design for a fluoride salt-cooled small modular reactor (SMR) [1]. In this paper, a stylized 2D benchmark problem set has been created based on SmAHTR. Certain gaps and considerations in burnable poison and control rod content were unspecified/undetermined in the preconceptual design, but those gaps were filled for the stylized problem set. With those features, this problem set could then be used for benchmarking neutron transport methods as well as its low order methods in 2D single assembly and full core configurations.For this benchmark set, continuous energy Monte Carlo calculations were performed. Those calculations provided keff values of 0.9459 (± 11 pcm) and 1.1436 (± 12 pcm) in the full core configuration with all the control rods fully inserted and withdrawn, respectively. The single assembly calculations yielded an eigenvalue, kinf , of 0.9987 (± 15 pcm) and 1.2117 (± 15 pcm) with all of the control rods either inserted or removed, respectively. In the full core configuration, the worth of all the control rods and burnable poison particles were determined to be 197.6 (± 0.16) mk and 311.6 (± 0.23) mk, respectively. The corresponding results in the single assembly configurations are 213 (± 0.21) mk and 337.4 (± 0.20) mk, respectively. A near-critical configuration was also determined for the reactor by inserting control rods in some assemblies, thus providing a case with a keff value of 0.9909 (± 12 pcm).
DECO: a framework for jointly analyzing de novo and rare case/control variants, and biological pathways.

Motivation Rare variant-based analyses are beginning to identify risk genes for neuropsychiatric disorders and other diseases. However, the identified genes only account for a fraction of predicted causal genes. Recent studies have shown that rare damaging variants are significantly enriched in specific gene-sets. Methods which are able to jointly model rare variants and gene-sets to identify enriched gene-sets and use these enriched gene-sets to prioritize additional risk genes could improve understanding of the genetic architecture of diseases. Results We propose DECO (Integrated analysis of de novo mutations, rare case/control variants and omics information via gene-sets), an integrated method for rare-variant and gene-set analysis. The method can (i) test the enrichment of gene-sets directly within the statistical model, and (ii) use enriched gene-sets to rank existing genes and prioritize additional risk genes for tested disorders. In simulations, DECO performs better than a homologous method that uses only variant data. To demonstrate the application of the proposed protocol, we have applied this approach to rare-variant datasets of schizophrenia. Compared with a method which only uses variant information, DECO is able to prioritize additional risk genes. Availability DECO can be used to analyze rare-variants and biological pathways or cell types for any disease. The package is available on Github https://github.com/hoangtn/DECO.
Support Vector Machines

This chapter contains sections titled: Motivation for Margin-Based Loss Margin-Based Loss, Robustness, and Complexity Control Optimal Separating Hyperplane High-Dimensional Mapping and Inner Product Kernels Support Vector Machine for Classification Support Vector Implementations Support Vector Regression SVM Model Selection Support Vector Machines and Regularization Single-Class SVM and Novelty Detection Summary and Discussion
Looking for (E)Harmony

A growing company has an opportunity to sign a major client: an online dating service. But that service is notorious for having forbidden ads indicating a search for same-sex partnerships. That policy goes against the corporation's own ethics and the personal views of many of its employees. Yet the company needs a large contract such as this one to sustain itself. What should the company decide to do? Excerpt UVA-BRI-1003 Rev. Jun. 21, 2011 LOOKING FOR (E)HARMONY Peter Cook, founder and CEO of AFI International Consulting, knew little about online dating sites, but he realized that as a potential client, eHarmony—one of the largest and most successful online dating sites—posed a dilemma for his company. He needed to resolve it before the next month's shareholder meeting. The management at eHarmony had recently approached AFI to chalk out a new plan for achieving its financial targets in the current economic downturn. This was a big opportunity for AFI; the company had been struggling financially, turning out dismal fourth-quarter revenues and losing one of its biggest clients, a leading investment bank. With over 20 million registered users and $ 250 million in revenues in 2009, eHarmony was growing strongly; the online dating service had the potential to be a financial boon for AFI and could help lead it out of economic stagnation. Yet eHarmony's exclusivity—its refusal to let gays and lesbians use its site—went against the grain of AFI's inclusive and diverse culture. AFI and Diversity From the start, Cook and AFI management had worked hard to hire employees with a myriad of different beliefs, cultures, and ideologies. Cook believed strongly that this work force diversity—including sexual orientation—had been one of the primary reasons for AFI's strong initial growth. He had seen firsthand that the best solutions to complex problems often came from different perspectives or points of view. In many presentations and speeches, Cook had said, “We believe a key factor to our success and the impact we make with our clients comes from the vast range of viewpoints and creativity that AFI employees have to offer.” . . .
The Effects of Initial Condition Selection on the Evolution of a Turn Circle Intercept Feedback Controller

We explore the effects of four different initial condition selection methods on the evolution of a feedback controller for the Turn Circle Intercept problem. In this problem, an Attacker with constant speed and bounded turn rate attempts to intercept a constantly turning Target in minimum time. This type of problem arises frequently in air combat and formation maintenance scenarios for winged aircraft. In general, calculating a feedback controller’s true fitness requires evaluation from an infinite number of initial conditions. Since this is not practical for nonlinear systems such as this, we instead approximate the fitness by averaging the feedback controller’s performance from a subset of initial conditions. How these initial conditions are selected and where they are located within the state space can have a large impact on the performance of the algorithm and resulting evolved solutions. In this research, we aim to quantify these differences by comparing four different methods for selecting initial conditions: Grid Sampling, Uniform Random Sampling, Randomized Step-Back Sampling, and Hybrid Random Sampling.
The Antigenic Structure of Bovine Serum Albumin: T-Cell, B-Cell, And Ia Determinants

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) is a single polypeptide chain of 582 amino acids. It is composed of three structural and functional domains which are phylogenetically related1. Each domain is an independent folding unit2 and current evidence suggests that during synthesis the formation of the disulfide bonds proceeds linearly from the amino to the carboxy terminus as the protein emerges from the polyribosome and is secreted3. Native surface structure, however, appears to form in the opposite direction4, ie., from the carboxy to the amino terminus, indicating that the three dimensional structure of each domain begins to assemble only after synthesis of that domain is complete and then by nucleation around a structure residing within the carboxy terminal double disulfide loop of each domain4,5.
Risk Involvement and Risk Perception Among Adolescents and Young Adults

Adolescents as a group know about the connections between many risky behaviors and negative outcomes. However, it is unclear whether adolescents who engage in risky behavior differ in risk perceptions from those who do not. We proposed that risk differences between risk-involved and risk-uninvolved adolescents depend on how risk questions are framed. High school and college students estimated their risk of smoking and unprotected sex by replying to four different questions. The results revealed that, for both high school and college students, smokers saw their outcome risk (risk of negative outcomes) as higher than that of nonsmokers. A similar finding was obtained for sexual behavior, though only for high school students. No significant differences between risk groups were obtained when risk was measured by asking about behavior risk (general riskiness of the behavior). Overall, the data suggest that adolescents engaged in risky behavior do not have a complete appreciation of their exposure to harm. Programs intended to prevent or reduce risky behavior need to take a multifaceted approach to persuasion about risk.
Manufacturing integrated market driven quality

Describes how the furnace hot process group at an IBM semiconductor manufacturing facility improved customer satisfaction by focusing on the way it interacted with its customers. The challenge was not to work harder, but to work smarter. Determining which areas needed the most improvement, actions taken to implement these improvements, and how progress was measured are discussed. >
A cost-effective distributed file service with QoS guarantees

Large-scale, value-added Internet services composed of independent cooperating or competing services will soon become common place. Several groups have addressed the performance, communication, discovery, and description aspects of these services. However, little work has been done on effectively composing paid services and the quality-of-service (QoS) guarantees that they provide. We address these issues in the context of distributed file storage in this paper. In particular, we propose, implement, and evaluate a cost-effective, QoS-aware distributed file service comprising a front-end file service and back-end (third-party) storage services. Our front-end service uses mathematical modeling and optimization to provide performance and availability guarantees at low cost by carefully orchestrating the accesses to the back-end services. Experimental results from our prototype implementation validate our modeling and optimization. We conclude that our approach for providing QoS at low cost should be useful to future composite Internet services.
Chief knowledge officers: managing knowledge for organizational effectiveness

The Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO) is often portrayed as a catalyst for knowledge management programs. However, this organizational entity is new, often not well understood and frequently not without controversy. In this chapter, the CKO function, the rationale for its existence and the challenge people in this role face are examined. The theoretical underpinnings for such a position and the importance of the implicit-to-explicit knowledge conversion process to a CKOs knowledge management program are explored, as is the potential for knowledge exchange protocols to facilitate this process. Finally, arguments for potentially not implementing a CKO function are discussed.
Combinatorial therapy for triple negative breast cancer using hyperstar polymer-based nanoparticles

We report the ability of a novel combinatorial therapy obtained from nanoparticles of hyperstar polymers encompassing drugs to selectively target triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell proliferation through STAT3 and topoisomerase-II pathways. This nano-cocktail was at least two to four fold better than the individual drugs and 6-20 times more selective than the parent drugs.
Effects of Reducing Agents on the Electrical Properties of Electrically Conductive Adhesives

Electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs) are a promising alternative for lead-containing solders in electronic packaging. However, the conductivity of ECA is lower than that of solders due to the physical contact between conductive fillers and insulative organic lubricants on Ag flakes. In this study, a group of reducing agents were introduced into a typical ECA formulation. During the curing process, the reducing agents can reduce metal oxide within ECAs. At the same time, the consumption of oxygen with the reducing agents prevents further oxidation of the metal fillers in the ECA. The oxidation product, carboxylic acids, could partially replace or remove the long chain steric acid (C-18) surfactant on the Ag flakes, improve the electrons tunneling between the Ag flakes, and act as a fluxing agents in the ECAs. As such, the multiple effects of reducing agents in ECAs improved the conductivity significantly. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermomechanical analysis (TMA) studies indicated the improved electrical performance was achieved without sacrificing the mechanical and physical properties of ECAs.
Peptide-mediated behaviors in marine organisms : evidence for a common theme

Biology has many common themes such as DNA, RNA, the other biopolymers, and their building blocks. Chemical communication systems have similar common themes. An example is the common usage of amino acids, sugars, and nucleotides as food cues. It is likely that communication systems began with the evolution of specific meanings for preexisting molecules. One class of molecules used in specific communication is peptides. These peptides are generated as part of the body odor of organisms in aquatic environments and can act at a distance or by contact. Evidence is given for a common type of peptide receptor system. Four peptide-mediated behaviors, three in diverse crustacean groups and one in a mollusc, are discussed. The behaviors are of major survival importance, are cued by nanomolar concentrations of peptides generated by serine proteases, and the basic carboxy terminal amino acid is required. The behaviors include attraction to new shells, attraction to living prey, release of larvae, and induction of larval settlement behavior. Studies with pure di- and tripeptides show the same molecules evoke larval release behavior, shell attraction responses, and larval settlement behavior. The pure compounds are effective at nanomolar or lower concentrations. Similar peptides function as specific cues in vertebrates in response to wounding. Thus, peptide communication using serine protease-generated peptides appears to be a common theme.
Animal Navigation: The Longitude Problem

Summary Determining longitude is incredibly difficult — for humans. Are animals fooling us into thinking that they have bicoordinate maps? New experiments show that at least some creatures effortlessly solve the seemingly insoluble problem of longitude.
Affective functioning among early adolescents at high and low familial risk for depression and their mothers: a focus on individual and transactional processes across contexts.

This study aimed to characterize affective functioning in families of youth at high familial risk for depression, with particular attention to features of affective functioning that appear to be critical to adaptive functioning but have been underrepresented in prior research including: positive and negative affect across multiple contexts, individual and transactional processes, and affective flexibility. Interactions among early adolescents (ages 9–14) and their mothers were coded for affective behaviors across both positive and negative contexts. Primary analyses compared never-depressed youth at high (n = 44) and low (n = 57) familial risk for depression. The high risk group showed a relatively consistent pattern for low positive affect across negative and positive contexts at both the individual and transactional level. In contrast to prior studies focusing on negative contexts that did not support disruptions in negative affect among high risk youth, the data from this study suggest variability by context (i.e. increased negativity in a positive, but not negative, context), and individual vs. transactional processes (e.g., negative escalation). Findings are discussed in concert with attention to affect flexibility, contextual and transactional factors.
General Formulation of a Perturbation Theory for Unsteady Cavity Flows

The problem of a two-dimensional cavity flow of an ideal fluid with small unsteady disturbances in a gravity free field is considered. By regarding the unsteady motion as a small perturbation of an established steady cavity flow, a fundamental formulation of the problem is presented. It is shown that the unsteady disturbance generates a surface wave propagating downstream along the free cavity boundary, much in the same way as the classical gravity waves in water, only with the centrifugal acceleration owing to the curvature of the streamlines in the basic flow playing the role of an equivalent gravity effect. As a particularly simple example, the surface waves in a hollow potential vortex flow is calculated by using the present theory.
Degree-guided map-reduce task assignment with data locality constraint

The map-reduce framework is used in many dataintensive parallel processing systems. Data locality is an important problem with map-reduce as tasks with local data complete faster than those with remote data. We propose a degree-guided task assignment algorithm, which uses very little extra information than the currently implemented Random Server algorithm. We analyze a simple version of the degree-guided algorithm, called Peeling algorithm, and the Random Server algorithm in a discrete-time model using evolution of random graphs. We characterize the thresholds below which no queueing takes place and compute the effective service rates for both algorithms. The degree-guided algorithm achieves the optimal performance in the region of practical interest and significantly outperforms the Random Server algorithm. The performance characteristics derived from discrete time model are confirmed with simulation in continuous time.
Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Injuries: Differences Among Older and Younger Occupational and Physical Therapists

Introduction Occupational and physical therapists are at significant risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and injuries. As the therapy workforce ages, and shortages of therapists are predicted, it is important to evaluate differences in injuries and injury behaviors between older and younger therapists. Methods Half of all occupational and physical therapists practicing in Wisconsin were randomly selected for a cross sectional study examining the relationship between aging and characteristics of self-reported work injuries and musculoskeletal symptoms. Results Data from a sample of 1,158 therapists revealed older workers to have similar injury incidence rates, however, days away from work due to injury were higher among older workers. Overall, older and younger therapists were more similar than different, especially in regards to work behaviors. Older therapists tended to report more severe pain symptoms than younger therapists and were two and a half times more likely to report that they changed jobs due to their pain symptoms. Conclusions Older and younger therapists have similar work-related injury experiences. Older workers may be more vulnerable to lost work time and may experience more severe pain symptoms. Many interventions exist to prevent work-related injuries to therapists and more guidance in the best way to integrate these interventions (e.g., mechanical lift devices) into therapy practice is needed.
Smoking cessation in pregnant women.

Cigarette smoking is considered the most significant modifiable cause of adverse pregnancy outcomes in US women. Despite these well-known adverse effects, many women fail to quit smoking during pregnancy. Socially disadvantaged women are at especially high risk for continued smoking. Brief office-based interventions by physicians have shown a doubling of cessation in pregnant women, so the potential impact across patient populations is considerable. Recommended steps for physician intervention include the following: asking about smoking, advising smokers to stop, assisting patients in stopping, and arranging follow-up. Relapse prevention methods using office-based and social support systems are also important to improve long-term maintenance of cessation in women who do quit smoking during pregnancy. Dissemination of office-based cessation systems with potential use of pharmacologic therapies and in combination with community-based interventions will help increase cessation rates in pregnant smokers. These combined efforts will help remedy the public health burden of fetal exposure to tobacco.
The Voluntary Contributions Mechanism with Uncertain Group Payoffs

This paper reports the results of an experimental study which introduces an endogenous probability of public good provision into the voluntary contributions mechanism. Specifically, the two treatments allow for nonprovision even with positive contributions. In one treatment, the provision probability rises with increased contributions (while preserving the dominant strategy equilibrium of zero contributions). The results show that uncertainty per se lowers individual but not group contributions, lagged marginal incentives significantly predict contributions, and individuals significantly react to own-deviations from average group contributions. This has implications for work teams or professional sports teams who see increased probability of group rewards given higher effort levels.
Spatiotemporal modulation of attention during smooth pursuit eye movements.

THE present investigation examined how attention is distributed across both space and time during smooth pursuit eye movements. This was accomplished by measuring manual button pressing latencies to the sudden appearance of a peripheral target during the onset, maintenance, or offset of the pursuit response to a step-ramp target motion. The results showed that manual response latencies were shorter for stimuli flashed ahead of the pursuit target than for those presented in its wake. In addition, the latencies to the peripheral target appearance were shorter overall during pursuit maintenance compared to pursuit onset or offset. Taken together, these results indicate that attention is significantly modulated both in space and time during smooth pursuit eye movements.
Platelet function testing to assess effectiveness of platelet transfusion therapy.

Abstract Background: Posttransfusion corrected count increments (CCI) following administration of platelets is the standard method for assessing effectiveness of platelet transfusion therapy. However, improvement in platelet count following transfusion may not necessarily indicate improvement in platelet function or restoration of primary hemostatic capacity. To address this possibility, we investigated the effectiveness of platelet transfusion based on results of the Platelet Function Analyzer (PFA-100 ® ) and post-transfusion CCI. Investigation design and methods: Platelet transfusion requests with different indications received at the blood bank were evaluated for inclusion in the investigation. Pre-transfusion, the following laboratory tests were performed: (1) PFA-100 assays (blood collected in 3.2% buffered sodium citrate) performed with CEPI and CADP test cartridges; (2) complete blood count (in EDTA) and platelet count; and (3) routine coagulation profile including PT, PTT, fibrinogen and D-Dimer. Only patients with normal coagulation profiles were included. The same set of tests were performed on a new blood sample collected 10–60 min post-transfusion. Chart review and clinical evaluation for response to platelet therapy were performed on each occasion of transfusion. Results: Thirty-one patients, five of whom were transfused on more than one occasion were evaluated. Thirty-five transfusion incidents were included. Posttransfusion outcomes were divided into two groups––those that resulted in shortening (>40 s) or normalization of the closure time (Group A) and those that had no change or greater prolongation of the closure time (Group B) when compared to the pre-transfusion value. Seventeen and eighteen transfusion episodes were categorized as Groups A and B, respectively. In Group A with improved PFA testing, nine patients had bleeding as indication for transfusion and six of these had concomitant improvement in their clinical picture as confirmed by control of hemorrhage. In contrast in Group B with no improvement in PFA testing, seven patients had bleeding as indication for transfusion and none showed cessation of hemorrhagic symptoms. These findings were statistically significant ( p =0.0114). Similar evaluation using the post-transfusion CCI showed no correlation to bleeding symptoms in these patients ( p =0.500). Conclusions: In this evaluation, platelet function testing using the PFA-100 ® provided a better indication of transfusion outcome than did the post-transfusion CCI. Using this approach, PFA-100 ® may be an effective aid for supporting platelet transfusion decisions and may further aid in improving management of the hospital blood bank platelet inventory.
In vitro elution of gentamicin from Plaster of Paris beads.

Objective— To determine the in vitro elution characteristics of gentamicin from Plaster of Paris–gentamicin (POP-gent) beads. Study design— In vitro, controlled, experimental study. Methods— The POP-gent beads were made using a bead mold from 20 g calcium sulfate hemihydrate, 5 mL (500 mg) gentamicin solution, and 3 mL of phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Control beads were made similarly, using 30 g of dried powder and 8 mL of PBS. Beads were left in the mold overnight, gas-sterilized with ethylene oxide, and stored at room temperature for 5 months before testing. Bead chains were placed in sterile tubes containing porcine serum, and tubes were placed in a 37°C incubator on a rocker. Serum was removed at intervals over 14 days and the concentration of gentamicin determined by fluorescent polarization immunoassay. Serum antibacterial activity was determined against an equine origin Escherichia coli. Results— POP-gent beads released gentamicin for the 14-day sampling period. Eighty percent of the gentamicin incorporated in the beads was released over the first 48 hours. Eluent from POP-gent beads inhibited the growth of E coli at all time periods. No gentamicin was eluted from control beads and control eluent did not inhibit growth of E coli. Conclusions— In this experimental model, POP-gent beads released bactericidal drug for 14 days. Eighty percent of the gentamicin incorporated into the beads was released during the first 48 hours. The drug retains its bactericidal activity after ethylene oxide sterilization and storage at room temperature for up to 5 months. Clinical Relevance— Pop-gent beads may be a useful repository device to deliver gentamicin locally in tissues.
Compact Photonic Crystal Spectrometers for Lab-on-a-chip Biosensing Applications

A key function required in integrated optical sensing is the ability to analyze the spectrum of optical signal. Photonic crystals (PCs), due to their unique dispersion properties, are proper choices to realize such compact spectrometers in an integrated platform. The superprism effect in PCs has been proposed for compact wavelength demultiplexers
Abstract P3-13-06: Osteocytic Connexin 43 Hemichannels in Prevention of Bone Metastasis

Bone metastases are major, potentially fatal complications in patients with advanced cancers including breast, prostate and lung cancers. The gap junction-forming protein connexin 43 (Cx43) has been known to inhibit primary tumor cell growth. In addition to gap junctions, Cx43 also forms halves of gap junctions known as hemichannels which allow communication between the intracellular and extracellular environments. Cx43 hemichannels in osteocytes have been shown to open when induced by mechanical stimulation as well as by treatment with alendronate (AD), an efficacious and commonly used bisphosphonate drug. The opening of hemichannels is known to release small molecules important for bone formation and remodeling. To confirm the opening of Cx43 hemichannels in the presence of AD, we measured uptake of ethidium bromide (EtBr) in MLO-Y4 cells after the addition of AD. As expected, an increase in Cx43 hemichannels EtBr uptake was observed after AD treatment. To elucidate the effect(s) of osteocyte Cx43 hemichannels on cancer cell growth and migration, we treated MLO-Y4 osteocytes with AD. Conditioned media (CM) was collected after treatment and were used to incubate with metastatic MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and PC3 prostate cancer cells. Cell migration was measured using wound healing and transwell migration assays, and cell proliferation was measured using the soft agarose anchorage-independent growth assay. The CM collected from MLO-Y4 osteocytes treated with AD reduced cancer cell migration and proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. However, direct treatment with AD had no effect on the cell migration or proliferation of the MDA-MB-231 cells. These data validated that the decrease in migration and proliferation was not a result of direct action by AD on the cancer cells. In order to elucidate the direct functional involvement of Cx43 hemichannels in cell migration, we treated the MLO-Y4 cells with Cx43 (E2) antibody, a specific antibody which blocks hemichannel activity but not gap junction channels formed by Cx43. The inhibitory effect of the CM on the migration and proliferation of MDA-MB-231 and PC3 cells was diminished. Interestingly, the inhibitory effects of osteocytes on cancer cell migration were not observed when using osteoblasts. Together, these results suggest the functional importance of osteocytic Cx43 hemichannels in attenuating cancer cell migration and growth. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-13-06.
Some Two-Level Factorial Plans With Split Plot Confounding'

Experimental plans are presented for split plot experiments in which the whole plot treatments and the split plot treatments each consist of combinations of two-level factors. The technique of split plot confounding, whereby interactions among split plot factors are confounded with various whole plot contrasts, is utilized to construct some full and fractional replicate plans.
Pbx1 regulates nephrogenesis and ureteric branching in the developing kidney.

Abstract Pbx1 encodes a TALE homeodomain transcription factor that regulates developmental gene expression in a variety of tissues. Loss-of-function studies have demonstrated a critical role for Pbx1 in cellular proliferation and patterning and suggest its involvement in numerous regulatory pathways. In this study, examination of metanephric development in Pbx1 −/− embryos was conducted to further elucidate Pbx1 -dependent processes during organogenesis. Prior to death at E15.5, Pbx1 −/− embryos displayed kidneys that were reduced in size, axially mispositioned, and in more severe cases, exhibited unilateral agenesis. Analysis with molecular markers revealed the effective induction of tubulogenic mesenchyme; however, Pbx1 −/− kidneys contained fewer nephrons and were characterized by expanded regions of mesenchymal condensates in the nephrogenic zone. Despite the restricted expression of Pbx1 in metanephric mesenchyme, developing nephrons, and stroma, decreased branching and elongation of the ureter were also observed. Moreover, heterologous recombination studies with explant cultures verified that Pbx1 −/− renal defects arose exclusively from mesenchymal dysfunction. Taken together, these data establish a role for Pbx1 in mesenchymal–epithelial signaling and demonstrate that Pbx1 is an essential regulator of mesenchymal function during renal morphogenesis.
A Boundary Integral Analysis of Lugs Attached to Cylindrical Pressure Vessels

Integral equations are derived to calculate the stresses and displacements in the neighborhood of a load-carrying rigid attachment in a shallow cylindrical shell. The integral equation formulation is simplified by modifying existing Green functions for the unbounded shell to account for simply supported boundary conditions at the ends of the vessel. The resulting equations are solved numerically. Three forces and three moments applied to the attachment are the loadings considered. Results for circular attachments agree with those found by other authors using different solution methods and with experiments.
The Value of Thyroprotein in Starting, Growing and Laying Rations I. Growth, Feathering and Feed Consumption of Rhode Island Red Broilers

Abstract THREE reports have appeared in recent years which suggested that thyroprotein might be a desirable ingredient for commercial broiler rations. These previous trials were done with small numbers for each dosage level and the chicks were reared in batteries rather than under practical farm conditions. Moreover, the statistical significance of the differences in response to treatment was not determined. Thus a need was apparent for a more extensive test of these findings under commercial production conditions with the attendant crowding, contact with intestinal discharges, and other normal brooding hazards. The work reported here is an attempt to provide further information on the value of thyroprotein when fed to broiler chicks under conditions approximating those in the field. REVIEW OF LITERATURE It is difficult to evaluate the literature on the effects of feeding thyroprotein to growing chicks. Not only have different investigators used different dosages, but the thyroprotein used has varied . . .
A new algorithm with plane waves and wavelets for random velocity fields with many spatial scales

Abstract A new Monte Carlo algorithm for constructing and sampling stationary isotropic Gaussian random fields with power-law energy spectrum, infrared divergence, and fractal self-similar scaling is developed here. The theoretical basis for this algorithm involves the fact that such a random field is well approximated by a superposition of random one-dimensional plane waves involving a fixed finite number of directions. In general each one-dimensional plane wave is the sum of a random shear layer and a random acoustical wave. These one-dimensional random plane waves are then simulated by a wavelet Monte Carlo method for a single space variable developed recently by the authors. The computational results reported in this paper demonstrate remarkable low variance and economical representation of such Gaussian random fields through this new algorithm. In particular, the velocity structure function for an imcorepressible isotropic Gaussian random field in two space dimensions with the Kolmogoroff spectrum can be simulated accurately over 12 decades with only 100 realizations of the algorithm with the scaling exponent accurate to 1.1% and the constant prefactor accurate to 6%; in fact, the exponent of the velocity structure function can be computed over 12 decades within 3.3% with only 10 realizations. Furthermore, only 46,592 active computational elements are utilized in each realization to achieve these results for 12 decades of scaling behavior.