cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Ultimate Junket, Chaperoned

It said something about how far the United States had come – or how far it had fallen – in its first century: In April and May 1889, American newspapers exultantly reported that when President Benjamin Harrison traveled from Washington, DC to New York City for a centennial celebration of George Washington’s presidency, he rode in “the most gorgeous and best appointed train ever run in America, or in the world.” (That is the subject of the booklet reproduced below on pages 74-100.) The President’s train was “fitted up with every appliance that luxury could desire,” gushed the Los Angeles Times. The Chicago Railway Age declared, “royalty in Europe has never traveled with such completeness of luxurious appointments in a railway train as were afforded the President of the United States and his party.” The party included members of Harrison’s Cabinet, Chief Justice Melville Fuller and Justices Samuel Blatchford, Stephen J. Field, and William Strong (retired) of the Supreme Court, and several friends and relatives. There was a time – back in the Founding Era, around the turning of the 18th century to the 19th – when comparing the conditions under which American government leaders lived and worked to the decadent luxuriance of European nobility was the among the harshest of journalistic insults. But by the time of the Gilded Age – around the turning of the 19th century to the 20th – it could be high praise. And now, today – in the not-yet-named-Era-or-Age around the turning of the 20th century to the 21st – reporting on the travel luxuries of high government officials is a mixed bag, which might be taken to be a sign of more change, or that the more things change the more they stay the same, or that something ought to change.
Intellectual Property for Market Experimentation

Intellectual property protects investments in the production of information, but the literature on the topic has largely neglected one type of information that intellectual property might protect: information about the market success of goods and services. A first entrant into a market often cannot prevent other firms from free-riding on information about consumer demand and market feasibility. Despite the existence of some first-mover advantages, the incentives to be the first entrant into a market may sometimes be inefficiently low, thereby giving rise to a net first-mover disadvantage and discouraging innovation. Intellectual property may counteract this inefficiency by providing market exclusivity, thus promoting earlier market entry and increasing the level of entrepreneurial activity in the economy. The goal of encouraging market experimentation helps to explain certain puzzling aspects of intellectual property doctrine and provides a coherent basis for appreciating some of the current criticisms of intellectual property rights.
The Effect of Substrate Microtopography on Osseointegration of Titanium Implants

Osteointegration is a complex cascade of events that lead to the structural and functional connection between bone and an implant. Implant surface properties can mediate osteointegration through interactions with cells. Studies show that proliferation, differentiation, local factor production, mechanical and biophysical regulatory factors, and response to local and systemic hormones are sensitive to implant surface chemistry, topography, and hydrophilicity. This article provides an overview of how Ti and Ti alloyed implant surface properties modulate different aspects of osteointegration both in vitro and in vivo to explain their clinical success.
Coronary Heart Disease: Risk Factors and Secondary Prevention

Patients with coronary heart disease are at high risk for myocardial infarction and sudden death. The secondary prevention of acute coronary events will require interrupting the atherosclerotic process through risk-factor modification. Hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and cigarette smoking are discussed as powerful but modifiable risk factors. Primary and secondary prevention studies of lipid-lowering therapy, antihypertensive therapy, and smoking cessation are reviewed. Specific treatment recommendations are made for the coronary disease patient with hyperlipidemia, hypertension, or cigarette addiction.
Determination of Phosphorus and Nitrogen Environmental Load From Six Different Bedding Types Used in an Equine Facility

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the environmental load of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) from six different bedding materials used in an equine facility. Six horses were housed on six bedding materials—peat moss (PM), wood shavings (WS), wood pellets (WP), straw (ST), chopped straw (CS), and corn cob hulls (CC)— for 7 days each in a Latin Square design. Waste was removed once daily, weighed, mixed, and a 10% sample was saved. At the end of each 7-day period, all samples were pooled, mixed, and a representative sample was analyzed for concentration of P and N. Daily waste removed was highest in ST, followed by CS, WS, WP, PM, and CC (21.1 kg/day, 17.8 kg/day, 16.7 kg/day, 15.5 kg/day, 10.6 kg/day, and 10.5 kg/day, respectively; P
Smart work centers as “creative workspaces” for remote employees

This paper focuses on the creative potential offered to remote workers by an innovative workplace, i.e. Smart Work Center (SWC), that acquired momentum with the diffusion of smart working, a holistic approach in managing employees’ flexibility. In conceptualizing SWCs as "creative workspaces", we draw on literature on workplace creativity to identify a number of factors related to work environment influencing individual creativity. Then, in light of specific SWC’s features, we developed a set of research propositions explaining how SWCs can support creativity among employees working in these spaces, both directly (through material elements) and indirectly (through culture and social relations).
Multi-parameter Microwave Inverse Scattering with Group Sparsity Constraints

We present a multi-parameter inverse scattering method with group sparsity constraint, which improves the image reconstruction results in case the images of different parameters have similar shape or structure. In inverse scattering imaging, the system of equations to be solved is often under-determined where the number of measurements is less than the number of image pixels. This becomes even worse for objects described by a multi-parameter material model where the total number of unknowns grows by a factor of the number of material parameters. However, in many cases, images of different material parameters, such as permittivity and conductivity, share similar structure or shape, where group sparsity regularization can be used to effectively capture this prior information. We compare the inverse scattering of 3-parameter dispersive material objects using Tikhonov, sparsity, and group-sparsity regularization. After minimizing to the same measurement objective function error, compared with Tikhonov and sparsity regularization, the group sparsity regularized inversion produces a better shape and contrast reconstruction of all 3 parameters and achieves the lowest overall image pixel value error.
The Actin Cytoskeleton in Myelinating Cells

Myelinating cells of both the peripheral and central nervous systems (CNSs) undergo dramatic cytoskeletal reorganization in order to differentiate and produce myelin. Myelinating oligodendrocytes in the CNS show a periodic actin pattern, demonstrating tight regulation of actin. Furthermore, recent data demonstrate that actin polymerization drives early cell differentiation and that actin depolymerization drives myelin wrapping. Dysregulation of the actin cytoskeleton in myelinating cells is seen in some disease states. This review highlights the cytoskeletal molecules that regulate differentiation of and myelination by cells of the PNS and CNS, informing our understanding of neural development, in particular myelination.
Multi-view Reconstruction of Wires using a Catenary Model

Reliable detection and reconstruction of wires is one of the hardest problems in the UAV community, with a wide ranging impact in the industry in terms of wire avoidance capabilities and powerline corridor inspection. In this work, we introduce a real-time, model-based, multi-view algorithm to reconstruct wires from a set of images with known camera poses, while exploiting their natural shape – the catenary curve. Using a model-based approach helps us deal with partial wire detections in images, which may occur due to natural occlusion and false negatives. In addition, using a parsimonious model makes our algorithm efficient as we only need to optimize for 5 model parameters, as opposed to hundreds of 3D points in bundle-adjustment approaches. Our algorithm obviates the need for pixel correspondences by computing the reprojection error via the distance transform of binarized wire segmentation images. Further, we make our algorithm robust to arbitrary initializations by introducing an on-demand, approximate extrapolation of the distance transform based objective. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm against false negatives and random initializations in simulation, and show qualitative results with real data collected from a small UAV.
Foraging ecology drives social information reliance in an avian eavesdropping community.

Vertebrates obtain social information about predation risk by eavesdropping on the alarm calls of sympatric species. In the Holarctic, birds in the family Paridae function as sentinel species; however, factors shaping eavesdroppers' reliance on their alarm calls are unknown. We compared three hypothesized drivers of eavesdropper reliance: (a) foraging ecology, (b) degree of sociality, and (c) call relevance (caller-to-eavesdropper body-size difference). In a rigorous causal-comparative design, we presented Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) alarm calls to 242 individuals of 31 ecologically diverse bird species in Florida forests and recorded presence/absence and type (diving for cover or freezing in place) of response. Playback response was near universal, as individuals responded to 87% of presentations (N = 211). As an exception to this trend, the sit-and-wait flycatcher Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) represented 48% of the nonresponses. We tested 12 predictor variables representing measures relevant to the three hypothesized drivers, distance to playback speaker, and vulnerability at time of playback (eavesdropper's microhabitat when alarm call is detected). Using model-averaged generalized linear models, we determined that foraging ecology best predicted playback response, with aerial foragers responding less often. Foraging ecology (distance from trunk) and microhabitat occupied during playback (distance to escape cover) best predicted escape behavior type. We encountered a sparsity of sit-and-wait flycatchers (3 spp.), yet their contrasting responses relative to other foraging behaviors clearly identified foraging ecology as a driver of species-specific antipredator escape behavior. Our findings align well with known links between the exceptional visual acuity and other phenotypic traits of flycatchers that allow them to rely more heavily on personal rather than social information while foraging. Our results suggest that foraging ecology drives species-specific antipredator behavior based on the availability and type of escape cover.
A phonetic study of length and duration in Kyrgyz vowels

This paper examines the phonetic correlates of the (phonological) vowel length contrast in Kyrgyz to address a range of questions about the nature of this contrast, and also explores factors that affect (phonetic) duration in short vowels. Measurement and analysis of the vowels confirms that there is indeed a significant duration distinction between the Kyrgyz vowel categories referred to as short and long vowels. Preliminary midpoint formant measurements show that there may be some accompanying spectral component to the length contrast for certain vowels, but findings are not conclusive. A comparison of F0 dynamics and spectral dynamics through long and short vowels does not yield evidence that some long vowels may in fact be two heterosyllabic short vowels. Analysis shows that duration is associated with a vowel’s presence in word-edge syllables in Kyrgyz, as anticipated based on descriptions of word-final stress and initial prominence. However, high vowels and non-high vowels are found to consistently exhibit opposite durational effects. Specifically, high vowels in word-edge syllables are longer than high vowels in medial syllables, while non-high vowels in word-edge syllables are shorter than non-high vowels in medial syllables. This suggests either a phenomenon of durational neutralisation at word edges or the exaggeration of durational differences word-medially, and is not taken as a case of word-edge strengthening. Proposals for how to select from between these hypotheses in future work are discussed.
Direct Cloning Method for Expression of Recombinant Proteins with an Inositol Hexakisphosphate Inducible Self-Cleaving Tag.

Protein purification is the most basic and critical step for protein biophysical and biochemical studies to understand its function and structure. Various fusion tags and proteases have been developed and assembled in expression and purification system. However, it is one of the fields that continues to innovate to develop improved systems that are more efficient, simpler, and less expensive. An efficient self-cleavage C-terminal fusion system was developed using the inositol hexakisphosphate-inducible Vibrio cholerae MARTXVc toxin cysteine protease domain (CPD). CPD fusion proteins are expressed from the T7 promoter and purified using a 6xHis-tag with immobilized-metal affinity chromatography. The C-terminal CPD-tag is removed by self-cleavage at the final purification stage. Here, we describe an efficient cloning method using Gibson assembly, followed by expression and purification of tagless recombinant proteins of interest using CPD self-cleavage.
Hepatitis B: Prevalence, Hope.

In the transcript of his Nobel Oration for the 1976 Award in Physiology or Medicine, Baruch S. Blumberg refers to David Surrey Dane nine times.1 Dane joined the Queen’s Belfast Microbiology Department in 1955. He was soon promoted to Senior Lecturer, then Reader. In 1966 Dane was called to a Chair of Microbiology at the University of London tenable at the Bland-Sutton Institute and the Middlesex Hospital. Baruch S. (Barry) Blumberg (Fig. 1), David Surrey Dane (Fig. 2), Michael G.P. Stoker (Fig. 3) and Wolf Szmuness were responsible for wide-ranging advances in alleviation of pandemic Hepatitis B. This quartet of physician scientists each had outstanding World War II records and post-war guidance: each was a personable and talented leader2,3,4,5,6,7. Open in a separate window Fig 1 Baruch Samuel Blumberg (1925-2011). Oil on canvas, 1993 by Paul Brason, RP (b.1952), 118” X 86”, Balliol College Portraits Collection No. 174. Master of Balliol 1989-94. Baruch Blumberg entered the U.S. Navy in 1942 and rose to command a U.S. Navy Landing Ship (Tank). Blumberg was winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize and elucidator of the hepatitis virus which still infects over 270 million persons. Reproduction rights granted solely for this Medical History.
In reply: The authors reply

IN REPLY : We thank the readers for their interest in our paper. Drs. Goldstein, Mascitelli, and Rauf point out the concerning epidemiologic increase in the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) among individuals under the age of 50 and suggest folate as a potential cause.[1][1] The underlying
The Impact of Customer Value Management on Potential Profits - A Proposed Management Accounting Framework

Purpose- The purpose of this study is to propose a customer value management framework to improve the potential profits using the Management accounting techniques. Design/methodology/approach- Based on the literature, this study identifies and adapts the most appropriate management accounting techniques to manage the customer value and hence improve potential profits. It also tests the perceptions of managers and management accountants of the Egyptian service sector concerning the relative merits of such a framework. Findings- The most significant finding is that the current study accepted the revised model because it provided better fit indices compared with the fit indices of the hypothesized model. A key finding in the current study that has not been investigated in previous studies is that the customer value analysis has a positive and significant impact on companies’ profitability. The study also found that there is an indirect relationship between customer profitability analysis and companies’ profitability. Other factors in the proposed framework have significant positive relationships. Originality/value- This paper contributes to management accounting literature by proposing a framework for managing customer value for the potential profits improvement purpose, using customer profitability analysis; customer value analysis; and value add-costing techniques together with the proposed sequences. It is also a practical contribution to improving the potential profits of the Egyptian service sector.
An Unusual Case of Bilateral Hemorrhagic Chemosis in the Intensive Care Unit.

Critically ill patients cannot complain about eye problems. Eyecare is often overlooked in the intensive care units (ICUs) because treatment is mainly focused on failures of organ which results in eye complications which are preventable. Therefore, we report a case of a patient admitted to the ICU who developed unusual bilateral hemorrhagic chemosis. Although, chemosis has been encountered often in the ICU, hemorrhagic chemosis without prior direct trauma is unusual.
Botulinum Toxin A in Tissue Expander Breast Reconstruction: A Double-blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.

Subpectoral tissue expander breast reconstruction is often associated with muscle spasms, pain, and discomfort during tissue expansion. In this study, we hypothesized that an intraoperative injection of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) in the pectoralis major muscle reduces the pain associated with tissue expansion and improves women's physical well-being. Methods Between May 2012 and May 2017, women undergoing immediate subpectoral tissue expander breast reconstruction were randomized to administer 100 units of BTX-A or a placebo injection. A numeric pain intensity scale and the physical well-being scale of the BREAST-Q: Reconstruction Module were used to test our hypothesis. Data on postoperative oral narcotic consumption were not collected. Results Of the 131 women included in the analysis, 48% were randomized to placebo and 52% to BTX-A. The preoperative median pain intensity score was 0 [interquartile range (IQR), 0-1], and the median preoperative BREAST-Q score was 91 (IQR, 81-100). The median slopes for the change in pain intensity scores from baseline throughout tissue expansion for those randomized to placebo and BTX-A were -0.01 (IQR, -0.02 to 0.00) and -0.01 (IQR, -0.02 to 0.00), respectively (P = 0.55). The median slopes for the change in BREAST-Q scores from baseline throughout tissue expansion for those randomized to placebo and BTX-A were 0.04 (IQR, -0.17 to 0.14) and 0.02 (IQR, -0.06 to 0.13), respectively (P = 0.89). Conclusion In this study, we found that an intraoperative intramuscular injection of 100 units of BTX-A in the pectoralis major muscle did not reduce postoperative pain and patient-reported physical well-being when compared with placebo.
G331(P) Are we missing pathological causes of prolonged jaundice by streamlining our investigations

Aims Prolonged jaundice is common, occurring in 2–15% of all neonates. NICE guidelines published in 2010 on screening babies with prolonged jaundice were debated and were felt to result in an excess of unnecessary investigations in healthy babies with an otherwise unremarkable examination. These investigations included total and conjugated bilirubin, urine culture, G6PD where ethnically appropriate, full blood count, blood group determination and Coomb’s test. We initially audited 50 of our patient assessments and investigations against advised national guidelines. Subsequently, we introduced a simple proforma to assist clinicians in assessing for red flag features on history and examination, and reduced recommended investigations to total and conjugated bilirubin only if baby did not have any concerning features on review. The purpose of this re-audit was to assess whether this change in practice was safe, or had it hampered our ability to identify pathological jaundice, and did it result in better use of resources and improved patient/parent satisfaction. Methods This prospective re-audit study analysed 105 proformas over a six month period for data on a number of parameters including gestation, age at referral, feeding, weight gain, urine and stool colour. Outcomes for patients with unconjugated or conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia or those who were admitted were followed up. The gastroenterology team was consulted for information on any patients who were screened during the audit period and subsequently diagnosed with pathological jaundice. Results No patients with a diagnosis of pathological jaundice were ‘missed’ during either audit cycle. One patient with conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia was diagnosed with alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency having been flagged up by the streamlined screening process. Our rate of follow-up investigations increased from 10% to 24.7% in the re-audit cycle. 3.8% of patients were screened too early. Conclusions The proforma was effective in identifying patients with potentially pathological causes of prolonged jaundice. Reducing investigations resulted in significant savings (potentially £107 per patient) and better use of NHS resources. We have since updated our intranet guidelines, aiming to educate practitioners and reduce unnecessary referrals. We plan to assess whether we can safely reduce our follow-up investigation rate.
ISO Human-Computer Interaction Standards: Finding Them and What They Contain:

An HFES Task Force is considering if, when, and which, HFES research publications should require the citation of relevant standards, policies, and practices to help translate research into practice...
Incidence of and Risk Factors for Postoperative Venous Thromboembolism in Benign Hysterectomy.

STUDY OBJECTIVE Describe the incidence of and risk factors associated with postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients undergoing hysterectomy for benign indications with emphasis on the impact of route of surgery. DESIGN Retrospective cohort. SETTING National Surgical Quality Improvement Project Database. PARTICIPANTS Data of women aged 18 years and older who underwent hysterectomy for benign indications between 2014 and 2018 were abstracted. INTERVENTIONS Cases were identified by Current Procedural Terminology codes and International Classification of Diseases codes. Patient demographics, preoperative comorbidities, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification system scores, total operating time, length of stay, readmission, reoperation, VTE including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism were collected. Cases were stratified by route of hysterectomy. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS t test and multivariable logistic regression were used for analysis. A total of 94 940 patients underwent hysterectomy, of which 23 081 (24.3%) underwent abdominal hysterectomy, 56 656 (59.7 %) laparoscopic hysterectomy, and 15 203 (16.0%) vaginal hysterectomy. The overall incidence of VTE was 0.4%. The incidence of VTE was higher for abdominal (0.7%), than laparoscopic (0.3%, p <.001), and vaginal hysterectomy (0.2%, p <.001). Higher ASA classification was independently associated with postoperative VTE. Age, race, body mass index, uterine weight, operative time, multiple medical comorbidities, and smoking status were not independently associated with increased risk of VTE. CONCLUSION Postoperative VTE after hysterectomy for benign indications is rare. The risk of postoperative VTE is higher in patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy compared with minimally invasive hysterectomy including laparoscopic and vaginal routes of surgery. In addition, the risk of VTE may be higher with higher ASA class.
SERVICE LIFE PREDICTION: A STATE OF THE ART

The lack of reliable data on service life has long been a barrier to the effective selection, use and maintenance of building and construction materials. Recognizing the need to address this barrier, in 1981, the Conseil International du Bâtiment pour la Recherche, l'Etude et la Documentation (CIB) and the Reunion Internationale des Laboratoires d'Essais et de Recherches sur les Materiaux et les Constructions (RILEM) formed a joint committee on Prediction of Service Life of Building Materials and Components (CIB W80/RILEM 71-PSL). The Committee prepared a state of the art report which included the identification of key research needs and included a general methodology for addressing service life prediction. This paper includes a summary of the above-mentioned report, along with the author's version of the “ten commandments” of service life prediction.
Criteria for Selection for STAPP

A prerequisite for any kind of psychotherapy of short duration has to do with the discovery of the various common personality characteristics which are shared by those patients who are good candidates to receive it. Thus the specification of selection criteria for appropriate candidates becomes one of the first tasks of the psychiatric evaluation.
Magnetic fusion energy and space development

Large-scale space development will require efficient propulsion and power systems. Magnetic fusion energy conceptual designs are surveyed and indicate that fusion could provide attractive solutions to this need. Using deuterium and helium-3 as fuel gives fusion products that are primarily charged particles and could be guided by magnetic fields to allow high efficiency. The main 21st-century source of /sup 3/He appears to be the lunar surface. Procuring /sup 3/He and producing efficient, economical fusion power will require significant technical developments but both technologies plausibly can be developed on a relevant time scale, i.e. early in the 21st century. Possible future directions for space fusion energy research are discussed. >
Generating optical tractor beams of improved stability with metasurfaces

A tractor beam is a propagation invariant beam that pulls objects towards a light source. Here, an efficient tractor beam with improved stability is generated by illuminating a dielectric metasurface with a Gaussian beam.
Credit as Coping: Rethinking Microcredit in the Cambodian Context

This article explores the uses and meanings of microcredit in one Cambodian community, drawing on qualitative research to argue that what it is claimed that microcredit provides is substantively different from what it means in practice for many rural Cambodian borrowers. In particular, my findings suggest three key disconnects between the rhetoric and reality of microlending. First, while microfinance institutions (MFIs) assert that loans are used for and repaid via microenterprise, my data suggest that loans are primarily used for a variety of non-productive purposes, and are most frequently repaid through wage labour both within and outside the country. Second, whereas MFIs assert that microcredit offers a substitute for high-interest informal loans, in practice microcredit is often used alongside informal credit and drives the need for higher-interest informal borrowing. Third, whereas loans are argued to offer proactive ways of livelihood improvement, in practice borrowers often struggle to repay loan...
Self‐Organizing Policy Networks: Risk, Partner Selection, and Cooperation in Estuaries

Policy actors seek network contacts to improve individual payoffs in the institutional collective action dilemmas endemic to fragmented policy arenas. The risk hypothesis argues that actors seek bridging relationships (well-connected, popular partners that maximize their access to information) when cooperation involves low risks, but seek bonding relationships (transitive, reciprocal relationships that maximize credibility) when risks of defection increase. We test this hypothesis in newly developing policy arenas expected to favor relationships that resolve low-risk dilemmas. A stochastic actor-based model for network evolution estimated with survey data from 1999 and 2001 in 10 U.S. estuaries finds that actors do tend to select popular actors as partners, which presumably creates a centralized bridging structure capable of efficient information transmission for coordinating policies even without any government mandate. Actors also seek reciprocal bonding relationships supportive of small joint projects and quickly learn whether or not to trust their partners.
Preventing Sudden Cardiac Death during Marathons with Pre-Race Aspirin

Objectives: Prevention of sudden cardiac death is the number one clinical priority in sports cardiology. While the overall cardiovascular risk of long distance running is acknowledged as low, the frequency of cardiac arrests and sudden death has increased in middle-aged males during marathons since the year 2000. An evidence-based strategy for protecting susceptible runners from these acute cardiac events during races is considered based on identification of the underlying cause. Method: Review of articles in Pub Med on adverse cardiac events during marathons. Findings: Recent epidemiological studies have identified an increasing frequency of cardiac arrest in middle-aged males during marathons since the year 2000 with atherosclerotic heart disease as the main cause of sudden cardiac death. Same-aged asymptomatic middle-aged male physician-runners showed a post-race polymorphonuclear leukocytosis with sequential increases in interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein as a likely consequence of rhabdomyolysis after “hitting the wall”. Increased fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor and D-dimer with in vivo platelet activation indicated a concurrent hemostatic imbalance with pro-coagulant effects. Cardiac troponins I and T and NT-pro-B-type natriuretic peptide were elevated after races as additionally predictive of acute cardiac events in asymptomatic persons. Conclusions: High short-term risk for acute cardiac events in asymptomatic middle-aged male runners is shown by stratification of validated biomarkers, which may render non-obstructive coronary atherosclerotic plaques vulnerable to rupture during marathons. Pre-race aspirin usage is prudent to reduce these events mediated by atherothrombosis based on conclusive evidence for prevention of first acute myocardial infarctions in same-aged healthy male physicians. Prospective studies are needed to determine the efficacy of pre-race low-dose aspirin for curtailing the increasing frequency of race-related cardiac arrest and sudden death in susceptible runners.
Power corrections in QCD: A matter of energy resolution.

We consider powerlike corrections in QCD which can be viewed as power suppressed infrared singularities. We argue that the presence of these singularities depends crucially on the energy resolution. In the case of poor energy resolution, i.e., inclusive cross sections, there are constraints on infrared singularities expressed by the Kinoshita-Lee-Nauenberg (KLN) theorem. We rewrite the theorem in covariant notations and argue that the KLN theorem implies the extension of the Bloch-Nordsieck cancellation of logarithmic singularities to the case of linear corrections. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
Study of the response of silicon-barrier detectors to protons and α-particles

Abstract A study of silicon-barrier detector response was made using beams of protons and α-particles which had been backscattered from a high- Z target. A technique for measuring effective window thickness in terms of an equivalent metal electrode is presented. Also presented is a method for determining the relative energy per electron-hole pair for different incident particles in silicon: using this method, it is found that e ( α -particles)/ e (protons) = 0.978±0.006.
Multigenerational flavor-color-hypercolor unification

A vertical-horizontal symmetric ${[\mathrm{SO}(10)]}_{V}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}{[\mathrm{SO}(10)]}_{H}$ flavor unifying scheme characterized by a natural generation structure is presented. No-go theorems associated with SO(10) embeddings are trivially avoided. All the fermions are assigned to a single irreducible representation, and the intergenerational structure is dictated by the presence of a hypercolor subgroup for which SU(4) is the only tenable candidate. The theory predicts exactly four generations and suggests a color (Pati-Salam) -hypercolor symmetry at medium energies.
Calcium Feedback to cGMP Synthesis Strongly Attenuates Single-Photon Responses Driven by Long Rhodopsin Lifetimes

Rod photoreceptors generate amplified, reproducible responses to single photons via a G protein signaling cascade. Surprisingly, genetic perturbations that dramatically alter the deactivation of the principal signal amplifier, the GPCR rhodopsin (R∗), do not much alter the amplitude of single-photon responses (SPRs). These same perturbations, when crossed into a line lacking calcium feedback regulation of cGMP synthesis, produced much larger alterations in SPR amplitudes. Analysis of SPRs from rods with and without feedback reveal that the consequences of trial-to-trial fluctuations in R∗ lifetime in normal rods are also dampened by feedback regulation of cGMP synthesis. Thus, calcium feedback trumps the mechanisms of R∗ deactivation in determining the SPR amplitude, attenuating responses arising from longer R∗ lifetimes to a greater extent than those arising from shorter ones. As a result, rod SPRs achieve a more stereotyped amplitude, a characteristic considered important for reliable transmission through the visual system.
Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for myelodysplastic syndromes: lingering uncertainties and emerging possibilities.

Abstract The landscape of transplantation in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) has evolved rapidly in the last decade, driven mostly by advances in patient selection through better risk stratification, increasing age of allogeneic recipients, introduction of reduced-intensity conditioning regimens, increased availability of unrelated donors, new donor sources, and improvements in transplant technology and supportive care. Despite these advances, several issues, mostly centering on approaches to improve post-transplant survival while minimizing transplant-related mortality, continue to present significant challenges. Advances in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of MDS have made it feasible to construct clinically useful risk models that integrate prognostic genes with conventional risk parameters for better selection of patients likely to benefit from hematopoietic cell transplantation. Simultaneous research efforts in several areas, including comorbidity assessment, novel preparative regimens, optimal pretransplant cytoreductive strategy, and post-transplantation therapies, are expected to improve long-term disease-free survival and quality of life.
A node-weight equalization problem with circuit-based computations

Circuit-based computation has contributed to designing efficient, highly-scalable, and reliable distributed control systems. As in load-balancing problems, uniform assignment of node weights is an important function in this domain. Intuitively, iterative computation for balancing workloads based on graph circuit structure seems to always converge to an optimal solution. However, no previous literature provides a proof that circuit-based computation for load balancing guarantees to average all the weights in a given mesh network topology. We therefore analyze the property of circuit-based computations for a node-weight equalization problem (NWEP) whose objective is making the average deviation of graph weights converge on zero. This paper provides a graph theory-based verification of circuit-based computations for NWEP, and a way to shorten the computation time required to solve the NWEP.
Illness-engendered poverty among the elderly.

This paper presents an overview of the economic situation of elderly women in the United States. Its focus is on “illness-engendered poverty,” a type of poverty that results form the inadequacies of Medicare coverage of long-term care ad the subsequent need of many elderly to “spend down” into poverty in order to qualify for means-tested, publicly financed health and social programs, The consequences of Medicaid eligibility requirements and system incentives on the economic and social well-being of older women and their families are discussed.
The Easy Path From Many To Much: the Numerosity Heuristic

Abstract People are especially sensitive to numerosity as a cue for judging quantity or probability. That is, people sometimes judge amount or likelihood on the basis of the number of units into which a stimulus is divided without fully considering other important variables (e.g., the size of the units). People appear to be especially likely to make use of this "numerosity heuristic" when their cognitive resources are taxed. Consistent with this idea, five experiments showed that people are especially likely to overinfer quantity or probability from numerosity (a) when they are asked to make inherently difficult judgments, (b) when they are asked to render judgments while performing a concurrent task, and (c) when they are forced to make especially rapid judgments. In addition to their implications for the numerosity heuristic, the broad implications of these findings for the study of judgment are discussed.
A comparison of in vitro and in vivo stability in mice of two morpholino duplexes differing in chain length.

The stability of hybridized duplexes is an important criterion for any radiopharmaceutical application of DNAs or their analogues such as phosphorodiamidate morpholinos (MORFs). Objective: The stabilities in vitro and in mice of the duplex between MORF and its complement (cMORF) were investigated for two different chain lengths, a 15-mer MORF compared to the identical MORF but elongated to a 25-mer. Methods: The hybridization characteristics of the 15-mer MORF with its complementary 15-mer and that of the 25-mer with its complementary 25-mer MORF were measured using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis. For radiolabeling with 99mTc, the 15- and 25-mer MORF, both with a primary amine via a 10-member linker on the 3‘ equivalent end, were conjugated with NHS-MAG3. The 15- and 25-mer cMORFs were conjugated via their amines to carbodiimidazole treated poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic acid) (PA) such that about 50 cMORFs were attached to each polymer molecule in both cases (estimated MWs about 300 and 4...
Ultrasonic wave propagation in human cortical bone—I. Theoretical considerations for hexagonal symmetry

Abstract From the theory of wave propagation in an anisotropic elastic medium are derived the basic equations relating the five independent second-order elastic stiffness constants (fourth-rank tensor) to the ultrasonic wave speeds in a hexagonal medium, with special emphasis on determining the microtextural symmetry of human cortical bone. In addition, the three pure mode directions of high symmetry in a hexagonal medium are explicitly shown. Finally, expressions relating the ‘technical moduli’ such as Young's modulus, shear modulus and bulk modulus to the elastic compliances are presented for the most general case (triclinic symmetry) and then are specialized for the hexagonal system.
Decay of an unstable state.

The first-passage-time problem associated with the decay of an unstable state is considered and analytic expressions for the first-passage-time distributions are derived. These expressions are quite general and are applicable to a large class of stochastic processes.
Changes in CDOM fluorescence from allochthonous and autochthonous sources during tidal mixing and bacterial degradation in two coastal estuaries

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) was collected and concentrated using 1 kDa cutoff tangential flow filtration (TFF) from marine (∼33 salinity), mid-estuarine (∼15 salinity), and freshwater (<1 salinity) portions of the Chesapeake and San Francisco Bays. Natural bacterioplankton were also collected during the same transects on 0.22-μm pore size filters. TFF permeates from freshwater, mid-estuarine and marine stations were used to create a series of salinity samples ranging from 0 to 33 by increments of 3. Freshwater CDOM was added in the same proportion to each salinity sample to determine changes in spectral signals during simulated estuarine mixing. A series of incubations was conducted in which concentrated CDOM was added to TFF permeates (<1 kDa, low fluorescence) in a nine-membered matrix such that each station's CDOM was added to each station's TFF permeate. Each incubation was then inoculated with a filter from its respective collection location. Subsamples from bacterial incubations were collected at various times and analyzed by high resolution three-dimensional fluorescence excitation–emission spectroscopy (EEMs) to determine if changes in ionic strength encountered during estuarine mixing affect the bioavailability and optical properties of CDOM. Five EEMs peaks were identified for each mixing experiment and microbial subsample; Exmax: 330–350 nm/ Emmax: 420–480 nm, Exmax: 250–260 nm/ Emmax: 380–480 nm, Exmax: 310–320 nm/ Emmax: 380–420 nm, Exmax: 270–280 nm/ Emmax: 300–320 nm, and Exmax: 270–280 nm/ Emmax: 320–350 nm. These peak ratios were monitored over the time course of the experiment. Changes in several spectral properties during the simulated estuarine mixing were observed indicating CDOM conformational changes as it moves through the estuary. We hypothesized these changes may impact the biodegradability of CDOM as it moves from upland sources to the coastal ocean. Changes in DOC concentration during incubation indicated that allochthonous CDOM was a more utilizable substrate for estuarine and marine bacteria. There were also differences in peak ratios observed during incubation with allochthonous and autochthonous CDOM. There were Emmax peak shifts dependent on the source of CDOM and bacteria, with more red shifting (toward higher wavelengths) in upper reaches of the estuary and more blue-shifting at the oceanic end-member. We conclude that bacterial degradation of specific components of autochthonous and allochthonous CDOM may impact the spectral characteristics observed throughout an estuary and that CDOM optical properties are partially a function of the CDOM's origin and mixing history.
Innovation in a military research laboratory: an initial exploratory study

Many organisations recognise the importance of innovation yet still struggle with what it means to be innovative. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to report the results of an exploratory study to examine perceptions regarding the practice of innovation in the US Air Force's science and technology (S&T) community. To relate our research to theory, we used the dynamic capabilities framework as a lens to interpret the results. Based on our research, the primary reasons the S&T community pursues innovation are a desire to be state-of-the-art, better use technology and respond to the customer. However, innovation was not well integrated into their business and technology strategies, which may result in ad hoc innovation efforts that are incongruent. Therefore, the S&T community may be better served by providing its workforce the organisational processes to better facilitate game-changing innovation.
SU-FF-T-91: Unusually Large Fluctuation of Monitor Unit (MU) Efficiency in Large-Field IMRT Plans Using Sliding-Window Technique

Purpose: To examine the Monitor Unit (MU) efficiency (prescription dose in cGy as a percentage of the total MU) of large-field IMRT using sliding-window and step-and-shoot techniques and their implication to patient whole-body dose. Method and Materials: Seven large-field IMRT plans for pelvic/abdominal cancers were generated on the Eclipse treatment planning system using 18 MV photon beams. The MU efficiency of each plan was calculated for both the sliding window and the step-and-shoot (with 15 intensity levels) techniques for a 120-leaf multileaf collimator on a Varian 2100CD linear accelerator. The impact on patient whole-body dose resulted from accelerator leakage was estimated from the ratio of total treatment MUs of the two techniques. Results: The MU efficiency for large-field IMRT using either sliding-window or step-and-shoot technique (< 20%) is lower than that of medium-field-size prostate plans (∼30%). As expected, the MU efficiency of step-and-shoot technique is better than that of sliding window for all seven plans. However, unusually large fluctuation of MU efficiency (to as low as 5.5%) was observed among the plans using sliding-window technique. In the extreme case, the use of step-and-shoot resulted in a 130% increase in MU efficiency over sliding-window as opposed to the typical increase of 10 – 30%. The implication on patient whole-body dose is enormous as the total MU needed to deliver 70 Gy would be 127,000 for sliding-window and only about 55,000 for step-and-shoot. In this case, the whole-body dose due to leakage x-ray and neutrons is reduced by a factor of 2.3 using step-and-shoot technique instead of sliding-window. Conclusion: The MU efficiency for large-field IMRT is low and large MU is usually required to deliver a given prescription dose. Since step-and-shoot technique yields consistently better MU efficiency than that of sliding-window, it should be used for large-field IMRT delivery.
Emotion, romantic involvement, and loneliness: Gender differences among inner states and choice of entertainment

Four hundred and four undergraduates (85% upper middle class Caucasian, 4% Black, remainder Asian and Hispanic) at a private northeastern university were surveyed regarding their personal relationship status, loneliness, and affect states during the two-week period preceding the survey, and choice of entertainment during that period. Results indicated that for females, the state of a love relationship and feelings of loneliness are related to choice of media entertainment, but affect is not. For males, negative affect was a predictor of several categories of media use.
Theory of gas sensors: response of an electrochemical sensor to multi-component gas mixtures

A first-principles model of the operation of an electrochemical metal oxide gas sensor had been previously used to analyze the response when the sensor was exposed to a simple gas mixture (e.g. O 2 /CO/CO 2 ). Here, the model is extended to study the sensor response to a complex gas mixture containing two reducing gases e.g. O 2 /CO/CO 2 /H 2 /H 2 O. In a first version, it is assumed that there is no interaction between the reducing and product gases (e.g. CO and H 2 O or H 2 and CO 2 ). The response to the complex gas mixture is deduced using the values of the model parameters obtained by fitting the experimental results for the simple gas mixtures O 2 /CO/CO 2 and 02/H2/H20 individually. In the second version, the so-called 'water-gas' reaction between adsorbed species is included. A wide variety of response is predicted depending upon the electrode material, the reactivities of the gases and the rate of reactions involving product gases. This analysis is helpful in providing insight and design guidance in optimizing sensor operation for specific applications.