cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surgical Aptitude Testing among Ophthalmology Residency Applicants: Current Utilization and Residency Program Directors' Perspectives

Purpose To investigate the proportion of United States ophthalmology residency programs that utilize surgical aptitude testing during the applicant interview, and the perspectives of program directors (PDs) regarding surgical aptitude testing of applicants. Design This is a cross-sectional survey. Methods An anonymous survey constructed on REDCap was emailed to the PD of each ophthalmology residency accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Main outcome measures are proportion of programs which include surgical aptitude testing during the applicant interview, and proportion of PDs who (1) believe the current residency application process adequately assesses applicants' surgical aptitude; (2) believe surgical aptitude testing results predict surgical success; and (3) favor inclusion of surgical aptitude testing for applicant evaluation. Results Of 115 PDs, 63 completed the survey (54.8%). One (1.6%) reported current use of surgical aptitude testing during the interview and 6 (9.5%) used such testing previously. Fifty-five (87.3%) respondents do not believe the residency application process adequately assesses surgical aptitude. Most respondents (40/63, 63.5%) do not support using results from currently available surgical aptitude testing strategies performed during the interview to rank applicants; 47 (74.6%) do not believe results of such testing predict ultimate surgical potential. However, 35 (55.6%) would use surgical aptitude data for applicant screening if valid testing could be performed before the interview. Conclusion While most PDs do not believe the current ophthalmology residency application process adequately assesses surgical aptitude, screening for surgical aptitude during the application process is seldom employed, largely due to a perceived lack of valid testing strategies available.
Modeling of Molecular Networks

In biomolecular systems, various non-identical molecules interact in diverse ways. The field of systems biology aims to understand how the components and interactions of biological systems give rise to the system’s behavior and phenotypes. Researchers have used molecular networks and dynamic models to represent and understand biological systems. In this chapter, we introduce the network representation and the graph measures that quantify its topological properties. We describe how to build a discrete dynamic (Boolean) model of a biological system from experimental data, and how to use the model to provide insights into emergent phenomena and make useful predictions. We also introduce methods to bridge the network’s topological and dynamical properties. We use real biological system involved in complex disease to demonstrate the theoretical framework. Discrete dynamical models, especially Boolean networks, benefit from the current high-throughput technologies and large amounts of qualitative data and provide insight to large-scale systems, where continuous modeling is not possible yet.
The History of Isolated Hepatic Perfusion for Liver Metastases and Current Indications for Use

Unresectable liver metastases are a frequent cause of cancer-related mortality in a variety of solid tumors. While cytotoxic therapies may offer meaningful improvements in overall survival for some cancers (e.g., colorectal cancer), other tumor types, such as ocular melanoma, have limited effective therapies. Isolated hepatic perfusion allows for regional delivery of cytotoxic drugs to the liver with limited systemic side effects. Furthermore, isolated hepatic perfusion has been shown to improve outcomes in select patients with diffuse liver metastasis. The technique has been refined over the past few decades. When performed at specialized centers, isolated hepatic perfusion is associated with low morbidity and mortality.
A HIPAA strategy for dental schools

Certain health care organizations, including dental schools, should be readying themselves to comply with the numerous requirements described within the administrative simplification section of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The intent of administrative simplification is to streamline the management of health care transactions while protecting the privacy of certain written, oral, and electronic patient information. There are no field-tested plans for implementing the law because only recently has the health care industry begun to respond to the multitude of requirements. It is essential that each organization create a customized compliance plan that best fits its structure and needs. The purpose of this paper is to propose a five-stage theoretical strategy that could assist a dental school in achieving HIPAA compliance. The first stage involves the selection of a HIPAA task force. The second stage selects the applicable HIPAA requirements, determines the current states of confidentiality and security, manages the electronic transactions standards, and composes a gap analysis. The third stage examines risk analysis and management. The fourth stage encompasses technical modifications, policies and procedures, legal input, and training. The fifth stage addresses the maintenance of the implementation.
Improved Estimation of Proxy Sea Surface Temperature in the Arctic

AbstractArctic sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are estimated mostly from satellite sea ice concentration (SIC) estimates. In regions with sea ice the SST is the temperature of open water or of the ...
A Review of Ethics of Public Administration

This work attempt to apply ethics to the field of administration. Philosophy, when analysed for its social nature have the potential of shaping the foundation of social nature and forming a more rational outcome. However, much as been said on the ethics of public administration, this work joins the discussion by analyzing several philosophical arguments concerning the ethics of public administration. This work restricts its scope to the application of the standard normative theories which has been advocated by a selected number of philosophers which this work holds in esteem. This research was carried out with the philosophical method of textual analysis.
Creating Inclusive College Classroom: Granting Epistemic Credibility to Learners

This chapter examines how faculty members might create classrooms that include some voices and exclude others from a shared creation of knowledge and learning in the classroom. Drawing from interview data from 25 faculty members, findings show that instructors often focus on student academic diversity rather than social identities. By ignoring social identities, faculty often exclude already underrepresented and silenced students. Creating more inclusive classrooms does not necessarily have to be linked to specific pedagogies, but rather, epistemological stances. Classrooms can become more inclusive through the authentic granting of epistemic credibility, or the recognition that students are both receivers and producers of knowledge. This chapter includes specific recommendations to make college classrooms more inclusive, and ways to gauge whether our efforts are working.
Postoperative acetabular component position in revision hip arthroplasty: a comparison of the anterior and posterior approaches.

Background:While previously considered unsuitable for revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA), the direct anterior approach (DAA) can be extended to allow for safe acetabular component revision. In ...
Aggregate Corporate Tax Avoidance and Cost of Capital

We identify a pecuniary externality arising from corporate tax avoidance. Firms share risk with the government via taxation. The lower the tax rate applied to a firm’s earnings, the more risk is borne by its shareholders. As more firms engage in avoidance in the aggregate, the variance of the market’s after-tax cash flow increases. Consequently, the covariance of a firm’s cash flow with the market cash flow, and thereby its cost of capital, increases. This occurs both for firms that avoid taxes and for those that do not. Consistent with our prediction, we find that firms’ implied cost of capital is positively related to aggregate corporate tax avoidance. This result holds not only for tax-avoiding but, crucially, also for non-tax-avoiding firms. As we predict, the pecuniary externality is stronger for firms whose cash flow covaries more with the market cash flow, and is driven by tax avoidance strategies that reduce a firm’s marginal tax rate as opposed to reducing its tax base.
Randomized control trial of postpartum visits at 2 and 6 weeks.

BACKGROUND The postpartum period is critical, and women are at highest risk of perinatal complications; however, patient attendance at postpartum clinic visits is low. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine whether decreasing the time to an initial postpartum visit from 6 weeks to 2 weeks can increase the attendance rates of patients in routine postpartum visits. STUDY DESIGN We conducted a parallel, randomized, nonblinded trial at a publicly insured clinic comparing a single 6-week postpartum visit (control) with 2 visits at 2 and 6 weeks after delivery (intervention). The primary outcome was attendance at 1 or more routine postpartum visits. Secondary outcomes were emergency department visits within 30 days after delivery and nonroutine clinic visits. Multivariable regression was performed to identify predictors of clinic nonattendance. To demonstrate a significant increase from the baseline clinic attendance rate of 70% to 85%, 250 participants were needed. RESULTS Between November 2018 and March 2020, 250 patients were randomized and analyzed. The patient population had multiple comorbidities, notably obesity (53%), diabetes mellitus (30%), mental health disorders (22%), and hypertensive disorders (21%). The attendance at 1 or more postpartum visits was not significantly different among the control and intervention arms (58% vs 70%; P=.065). The 2-week visit had an attendance rate of 41% (51 of 125), and the 6-week visit had an attendance rate of 60% (151 of 250). After adjusting for confounders, significant predictors of postpartum visit nonattendance included younger age, multiparity, and being a patient from the high-risk obstetrical clinic. The rate of emergency department visits was similar between the control and intervention arms (8% vs 6%; P=.635). However, more patients in the control arm come to the clinic for nonroutine visits (30% vs 16%; P=.010). In response to a patient satisfaction survey on the optimal timing of the postpartum visit, most respondents (59%) would have preferred both the 2- and 6-week visits. CONCLUSION The addition of a 2-week postpartum visit to the 6-week postpartum visit did not increase the likelihood of attendance of patients in a routine visit but did decrease the number of urgent clinic visits.
Can adolescents with eating disorders be treated in primary care? A retrospective clinical cohort study.

Family-Based Treatment (FBT) is considered the first-line intervention for adolescent anorexia nervosa. However, access to this treatment is limited. Treatment programs for other pediatric mental health conditions have successfully overcome barriers to accessing evidence-based intervention by integrating mental health services into primary care. This study evaluated the proof-of-concept of a novel modification of FBT, Family-Based Treatment for Primary Care (FBT-PC) for adolescent restrictive eating disorders designed for delivery by primary care providers in their practices. This retrospective clinical cohort study evaluated 15 adolescents with restrictive eating disorders receiving FBT-PC and 15 adolescents receiving standard FBT. We examined improvement in BMI percentile, reduction in weight suppression, and clinical benchmarks of eating disorder recovery including weight restoration to > 95% of expected body weight (EBW) and resolution of DSM-5 criteria for eating disorders. In both groups, effect sizes for increased BMI percentile exceeded Cohen’s convention for a large effect (FBT-PC: d = .94; standard FBT: d = 1.15) as did effect sizes for reduction in weight suppression (FBT-PC: d = 1.83; standard FBT: d = 1.21). At the end of treatment, 80% of the FBT-PC cohort and 87% in the standard FBT group achieved > 95%EBW and 67% in the FBT-PC group and 60% in the standard FBT group no longer met DSM-5 criteria for an eating disorder. There were no cohort differences in the number of treatment drop-outs or referrals to a more intensive level of eating disorder treatment. Findings suggest that primary care providers have potential to improve weight and clinical status in adolescents with restrictive eating disorders. Based on these results, more rigorous testing of the FBT-PC model is warranted. Family-Based Treatment (FBT) is considered the first-choice intervention for adolescent anorexia nervosa. However, finding a qualified provider in this modality is difficult. Treatment programs for other pediatric mental health conditions have successfully overcome barriers to accessing quality treatment by integrating mental health services into primary care. This study evaluated the proof-of-concept of a novel modification of FBT, Family-Based Treatment for Primary Care (FBT-PC) for adolescent restrictive eating disorders designed for delivery by primary care providers in their practices. This study examined weight gain in 15 adolescents with restrictive eating disorders receiving FBT-PC and 15 adolescents receiving standard FBT. At the end of treatment, both groups showed large improvements in BMI percentile and large decreases in weight suppression. Each group had the same number of drop-outs and referrals to more intensive eating disorder treatment. Findings suggest that primary care providers have potential to improve weight and clinical status in adolescents with restrictive eating disorders. Based on these preliminary results, more rigorous testing of the FBT-PC model is indicated.
Development of an antiseizure drug screening platform for Dravet syndrome at the NINDS contract site for the Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program.

Objective Dravet syndrome (DS) is a rare but catastrophic genetic epilepsy, with 80% of patients carrying a mutation in the SCN1A gene. Currently, no antiseizure drug (ASD) exists that adequately controls seizures. In the clinic, individuals with DS often present first with a febrile seizure and, subsequently, generalized tonic-clonic seizures that can continue throughout life. To facilitate the development of ASDs for DS, the contract site of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program (ETSP) has evaluated a mouse model of DS using the conditional knock-in Scn1aA1783V/WT mouse. Methods Survival rates and temperature thresholds for Scn1aA1783V/WT were determined. Prototype ASDs were administered via intraperitoneal injections at the time-to-peak effect, which was previously determined, prior to the induction of hyperthermia-induced seizures. ASDs were considered effective if they significantly increased the temperature at which Scn1aA1783V/WT mice had seizures. Results Approximately 50% of Scn1aA1783V/WT survive to adulthood and all have hyperthermia-induced seizures. The results suggest that hyperthermia-induced seizures in this model of DS are highly refractory to a battery of ASDs. Exceptions were clobazam, tiagabine, levetiracetam, and the combination of clobazam and valproic acid with add-on stiripentol, which elevated seizure thresholds. Significance Overall, the data demonstrate that the proposed model for DS is suitable for screening novel compounds for the ability to block hyperthermia-induced seizures and that heterozygous mice can be evaluated repeatedly over the course of several weeks, allowing for higher throughput screening.
Importance of addressing malnutrition in cancer and implementation of a quality improvement project in a gastrointestinal cancer clinic

Malnutrition is exceedingly common in cancer patients, with some of the highest rates seen in gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies. Malnutrition and cachexia in cancer patients is associated with worse quality of life, poor treatment tolerance, and increased morbidity and mortality. The importance of early recognition of malnutrition in cancer patients is key, and numerous screening tools have been validated to aid practitioners in this diagnosis. In this paper, we summarize the importance of identifying and managing malnutrition in GI cancer patients as well as its impact on clinical outcomes. We then focus on presenting our own novel quality improvement project that aims to expand access to dietitian services in a GI cancer clinic at a large safety-net hospital system. Utilizing evidence-based quality improvement methodologies including the Model for Improvement and Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, we increased the proportion of GI oncology patients seen by a dietitian from 5% to 20% from October 2018 to July 2019. In particular, we outline the challenges faced in the implementation process of a malnutrition screening tool built into the electronic medical record in an outpatient oncology clinic. We focus on the tool's ability to capture a greater number of patients with malnutrition and its clinical impact.
The Undergraduate Consumer Behavior Course: Current Status and Pedagogies

This paper reports the results of a survey measuring the current status of the undergraduate consumer behavior course in American four year colleges and universities. Specific attention is given to the pedagogies of consumer behavior instructors.
Andrew Marvell: The Chameleon, by Nigel Smith

Nigel Smith begins this new biography of Andrew Marvell by asserting that Marvell's legacy for the eighteenth century was set by events between 1678–1681 and by the last three years of the poet's l...
Point-to-Point Shortest Path Algorithms with Preprocessing

This is a survey of some recent results on point-to-point shortest path algorithms. This classical optimization problem received a lot of attention lately and significant progress has been made. After an overview of classical results, we study recent heuristics that solve the problem while examining only a small portion of the input graph; the graph can be very big. Note that the algorithms we discuss find exact shortest paths. These algorithms are heuristic because they perform well only on some graph classes. While their performance has been good in experimental studies, no theoretical bounds are known to support the experimental observations. Most of these algorithms have been motivated by finding paths in large road networks. We start by reviewing the classical Dijkstra's algorithm and its bidirectional variant, developed in 1950's and 1960's. Then we review A* search, an AI technique developed in 1970's. Next we turn our attention to modern results which are based on preprocessing the graph. To be practical, preprocessing needs to be reasonably fast and not use too much space. We discuss landmark- and reach-based algorithms as well as their combination.
It’s in the Way that You Use it: Revisiting Trade and Human Rights in the Case of Online Censorship

This paper engages in the "trade and human rights" debate by critically analyzing the way in which this discourse is narrated in the WTO cases involving China.The article assumes that there is direct link between enforcing WTO decisions and dismantling aspects of China’s censorship regime as it limits cross-border flow of goods and services and affects freedom of speech and information.
An alpha-glucose-1-phosphate phosphodiesterase is present in rat liver cytosol.

Abstract UDP-glucose:glycoprotein glucose-1-phosphotransferase (Glc-phosphotransferase) catalyzes the transfer of alpha-Glc-1-P from UDP-Glc to mannose residues on acceptor glycoproteins. The predominant acceptor for this transfer in both mammalian cells and Paramecium is a cytoplasmic glycoprotein of 62-63 kDa. When cytoplasmic proteins from rat liver were fractionated by preparative isoelectric focusing following incubation of a liver homogenate with the 35S-labeled phosphorothioate analogue of UDP-Glc ([beta-35S]UDP-Glc), the acceptor was found to have a pI of about 6.0. This fraction, when not labeled prior to the focusing, became very heavily labeled when mixed with [beta-35S]. UDP-Glc and intact liver microsomes, a rich source of the Glc-phosphotransferase. In addition, it was observed that the isoelectric fractions of the cytosol having pI values of 2-3.2 contained a degradative activity, alpha-Glc-1-P phosphodiesterase, that was capable of removing alpha-Glc-1-P, monitored through radioactive labeling both in the sugar and the phosphate, as an intact unit from the 62-kDa acceptor. Identification of the product of this cleavage was substantiated by its partial transformation to UDP-Glc in the presence of UTP and UDP-Glc pyrophosphorylase. The alpha-Glc-1-P phosphodiesterase had a pH optimum of 7.5 and was not effectively inhibited by any of the potential biochemical inhibitors that were tested. Specificity for the Glc-alpha-1-P-6-Man diester was suggested by the diesterase's inability to degrade UDP-Glc or glucosylphosphoryldolichol. This enzyme may be important in the regulation of secretion since the alpha-Glc-1-P present on the 62-kDa phosphoglycoprotein appears to be removed and then rapidly replaced in response to secretagogue.
Judulang v. Holder and the Future of 212(c) Relief

On December 12, 2011, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Judulang v. Holder, a case addressing the Board of Immigration Appeals’ use of the comparable grounds approach for determining eligibility for relief under former section 212(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The Court held that this approach was arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act, and remanded for the agency to determine a new way for determining the eligibility of deportable aliens for 212(c) relief. The purpose of this article is to place the Court’s decision in its proper historical context and to chart the paths forward that are open to the agency in light of the Court’s flawed holding. Contrary to the rhetoric of the decision, as well as numerous commentators, the fundamental issue in Judulang arose because of the agency’s determination to extend relief to a class of aliens, those charged with deportability, who were not covered by the clear language of section 212(c). The flaws inherent in the comparable grounds approach thus must be seen in this light, not through the alternative narrative whereby Judulang is the product of a restrictive and arbitrary approach to deporting resident aliens. As well as clarifying what Judulang is about and how it arose, this article goes beyond the Court’s holding and assesses the theories on which the agency could base its ultimate policy for affording deportable aliens an opportunity to apply for 212(c) relief. Although there are several options open to the agency post-Judulang, this article concludes that the most rational path forward would extend 212(c) eligibility to deportable aliens if the conduct undergirding the charge of deportability would have also exposed the alien to inadmissibility. This approach, implicitly sanctioned by the Supreme Court in Judulang, would represent the best chance for keeping 212(c) cases out of the Supreme Court and giving 212(c) relief, repealed in 1996, the belated burial it deserves.
Galaxy Surveys in the Era of Large Ground-Based Observatories

Summary. I review the observing strategies and recent results of various galaxy surveys over a wide range in redshift using 10 m class telescopes, and compare them to the two major galaxy surveys currently being proposed for the GTC: OTELO and GOYA. Both surveys focus on a region of the observational parameter space that has not been explored extensively yet. I conclude that these GTC galaxy surveys can be indeed highly competitive despite the late arrival of the GTC to the exclusive club of large ground-based observatories, but only if a substantial amount of observing time and resources are allocated for such surveys.
An attractive approach to distributed multiresolutional estimation

An optimal algorithm for multiresolutional estimation is derived using wavelet transforms. Distributed filtering with feedback is used. Wavelet transforms are utilized as a bridge linking different resolution levels, and to convert dense error covariance matrices into sparse ones. Therefore, computationally efficient algorithms can be obtained. The algorithm can be employed for dynamic multiresolutional sensor/data fusion. The discrete wavelet transformation is reviewed, with particular emphasis on wavelet transformations on random sequences. >
Can We Manage Our Multispecies Fisheries

Abstract Fishery resources (fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, and reptiles) of the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ, 3–200 nautical miles from the coast) are currently regulated under several pieces of key legislation enacted during the early 1970s. At that time fishery science was only beginning to appreciate the interactions among species and fisheries as being potential impediments to simultaneous realization of competitive management goals. Many of the important management problems currently faced in the EEZ are exacerbated by the incompatibility of regulations promulgated separately under these statutes, for what are ecologically- or technologically-related species. Reconciling the management of interacting species and fishermen will require an institutional framework for evaluating the multispecies/multifishery consequences of management decisions, and for articulating a clear set of compatible management goals for the various constituents. Traditional single-species biological reference points ...
Immunogold localization of the regulatory subunit of a type II cAMP-dependent protein kinase tightly associated with mammalian sperm flagella.

We have shown previously that the regulatory subunit (RII) of a type II cAMP-dependent protein kinase is an integral component of the mammalian sperm flagellum (Horowitz, J.A., H. Toeg, and G.A. Orr. 1984. J. Biol. Chem. 259:832-838; Horowitz, J.A., W. Wasco, M. Leiser, and G.A. Orr. 1988. J. Biol. Chem. 263:2098-2104). The subcellular localization of this flagellum-associated RII in bovine caudal epididymal sperm was analyzed at electron microscope resolution with gold-conjugated secondary antibody labeling techniques using anti-RII monoclonal antibodies. By immunoblot analysis, the flagellum-associated RII was shown to interact with mAb 622 which cross reacts with both neural and nonneural isoforms of RII. In contrast, a neural specific monoclonal antibody (mAb 526) failed to interact with flagellar RII. In the midpiece of the demembranated sperm tail, gold label after mAb 622 incubation was primarily associated with the outer mitochondrial membrane. Although almost all specific labeling in the midpiece can be assigned to the mitochondria, in the principal piece, there is some labeling of the fibrous sheath. Labeling of the outer dense fibers and the axoneme was sparse. Specific labeling was virtually absent in the sperm head. Sections of sperm tails incubated in the absence of primary antisera or with mAb 526 showed little labeling. A beta-tubulin monoclonal antibody localized only to the 9 + 2 axoneme. These results raise the possibility that a type II cAMP-dependent protein kinase located at the outer mitochondrial membrane plays a role in the direct cAMP stimulation of mitochondrial respiration during sperm activation.
Spermine participates in oxidative damage of guanosine and 8-oxoguanosine leading to deoxyribosylurea formation.

Oxidation of single- or double-stranded DNA containing a 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanosine lesion with the one-electron oxidant Na2IrCl6 in the presence of spermine led to formation of a covalent adduct t...
The contribution of consonantal and vocalic information to the perception of Korean initial stops

Abstract In word-initial position, Korean voiceless tense, lax, and aspirated stops differ in acoustic properties that fall within the conventional “consonant” portion, as well as properties falling within the “vowel” portion beginning at voicing onset. Experiment 1 investigated the relative importance of these properties to stop identification by testing Korean listeners' perception of cross-spliced stimuli whose initial consonant portion specified one phonation type and whose vowel portion specified another type. Experiment 2 tested whether the voiced vowel portion alone could cue the phonation type of a deleted initial consonant. The results of both experiments showed that vowel portions from syllables with lax onsets were necessary and largely sufficient to cue lax stops. For vowel portions from syllables with aspirated or tense onsets, the role of vocalic information in stop identification depended on the particular combination of cross-spliced portions (Experiment 1); in the absence of any consonant portion (Experiment 2), both tense and aspirated vowel portions were usually heard as having had tense onsets. The perceptual patterns are interpreted in terms of the acoustic properties of the stimuli. Low vocalic f 0 provided the most salient information for lax stops; tense and aspirated stop identification depended on a combination of VOT, f 0 , and H 1− H 2 characteristics. The perceptual dominance of f 0 over VOT for lax stops is consistent with the size of the f 0 differences in word- (and phrase-) initial position, as well as the prominent role of the resulting tonal patterns in Korean intonational phonology.
Results of a pilot study of the effects of celecoxib on cancer cachexia in patients with cancer of the head, neck, and gastrointestinal tract.

Background. Animal models suggest that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors may be beneficial in suppressing cancer cachexia. We investigated the effect of short-course celecoxib on body composition, inflammation, and quality of life (QOL) in patients with cancer cachexia in a phase II clinical pilot trial. Methods. Eleven cachectic patients with head and neck or gastrointestinal cancer were randomly assigned to receive placebo or celecoxib for 21 days while awaiting the initiation of cancer therapy. Body composition, resting energy expenditure, QOL, physical function, and inflammatory markers were measured on days 1 and 21. Results. Patients receiving celecoxib experienced statistically significant increases in weight and body mass index (BMI), while patients receiving placebo experienced weight loss and a decline in BMI. Patients receiving celecoxib also had increases in QOL scores. Conclusions. Cachectic patients receiving celecoxib gained weight, experienced increased BMI, and demonstrated improved QOL scores. Compliance was good and no adverse events were seen. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2008
Random-Damage Finite Element for Studying Micromechanical Failure Mechanisms in Advanced Composites

A finite element procedure for simulating damage progression in an advanced composite material loaded in fiber-direction tension has been developed. The eight-node, eight-degree-of-freedom element is used to model a small cell of a composite, the properties of which were determined from micromechanical simulations. A Monte Carlo simulation technique is used in the micromechanical simulation to characterize the random degradation paths that this cell can follow when subjected to axial tension. These results are synthesized using a neural network to efficiently determine the expected value and variance of the degradation of the random-damage finite element given the current state of the element. Results from failure simulations of Kevlar/epoxy composites are presented and compared to experimental results.
LACK OF MOLECULAR SELECTIVITY IN GIF-TYPE OXIDATIONS

Abstract The relative molecular reactivities of cycloalkanes in Gif-type reactions correspond to the cross-sections of the substrates indicating an absence of selectivity expected for a highly exothermic, diffusion controlled rate-limiting step.
Synthesis and preliminary evaluation of (+)-CBI-indole2: an enhanced functional analog of (+)-CC-1065

Abstract The synthesis and comparative preliminary evaluation of (+)-CBI-indole2 (3) are detailed in efforts that further demonstrate a direct relationship between the chemical stability of the agents and their biological potency/DNA alkylation intensity.
Primary production and irradiance during an intermonsoon cruise to the Arabian Sea (November, 1995)

The Process-6 cruise, of the Arabian Sea Expedition of the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study, occurred during an intermonsoon, in October-November 1995. A variety of water column conditions were sampled in terms of euphotic zone depths, autotrophic biomass, resident phytoplankton populations, and nutrients. We use measurements of the rate of primary production, quantities of chlorophyll a, the properties of phytoplankton absorption, daily time course of submarine PAR, and estimates of quantum yield to examine the variability seen. Both phytoplankton absorption and variations in quantum yields contribute to variations in primary production. Offshore populations exhibit a reduction in the apparent maximum quantum yield.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A Quick Guide to Selecting Great Informational Books for Young Children

The children's literature market has experienced enormous growth in recent years, providing teachers with an abundance of resources with which to teach reading. High-quality informational texts abound. Yet, teachers often are uncertain about how to select appropriate informational texts to use with younger readers when including them in read-alouds, guided reading, and learning centers. The purpose of this article is to provide a quick checklist to help primary teachers choose quality, age-appropriate texts.
Object reacquisition using invariant appearance model

We present an approach for reacquisition of detected moving objects. We address the tracking problem by modeling the appearance of the moving region using stochastic models. The appearance of the object is described by multiple models representing spatial distributions of objects' colors and edges. This representation is invariant to 2D rigid and scale transformation. It provides a good description of the object being tracked, and produces an efficient blob similarity measure for tracking. Three different similarity measures are proposed, and compared to show the performance of each model. The proposed appearance model allows to track a large number of moving people with partial and total occlusions and permits to reacquire objects that have been previously tracked. We demonstrate the performance of the system on several real video surveillance sequences.
Identification of isomeric N-glycan structures by mass spectrometry with 157 nm laser-induced photofragmentation

Characterization of structural isomers has become increasingly important and extremely challenging in glycobiology. This communication demonstrates the capability of ion-trap mass spectrometry in conjunction with 157 nm photofragmentation to identify different structural isomers of permethylated N-glycans derived from ovalbumin without chromatographic separation. The results are compared with collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments. Photodissociation generates extensive cross-ring fragment ions as well as diagnostic glycosidic product ions that are not usually observed in CID MS/MS experiments. The detection of these product ions aids in characterizing indigenous glycan isomers. The ion trap facilitates MSn experiments on the diagnostic glycosidic fragments and cross-ring product ions generated through photofragmentation, thus allowing unambiguous assignment of all of the isomeric structures associated with the model glycoprotein used in this study. Photofragmentation is demonstrated to be a powerful technique for the structural characterization of glycans.
Robust segmentation of Japanese text into a lattice for parsing

We describe a segmentation component that utilizes minimal syntactic knowledge to produce a lattice of word candidates for a broad coverage Japanese NL parser. The segmenter is a finite state morphological analyzer and text normalizer designed to handle the orthographic variations characteristic of written Japanese, including alternate spellings, script variation, vowel extensions and word-internal parenthetical material. This architecture differs from conventional Japanese wordbreakers in that it does not attempt to simultaneously attack the problems of identifying segmentation candidates and choosing the most probable analysis. To minimize duplication of effort between components and to give the segmenter greater freedom to address orthography issues, the task of choosing the best analysis is handled by the parser, which has access to a much richer set of linguistic information. By maximizing recall in the segmenter and allowing a precision of 34.7%, our parser currently achieves a breaking accuracy of ~97% over a wide variety of corpora.
Space-Time Structure of Weak and Electromagnetic Interactions

The generator of electromagnetic gauge transformations in the Dirac equation has a unique geometric interpretation and a unique extension to the generators of the gauge group SU(2) × U(1) for the Weinberg-Salam theory of weak and electromagnetic interactions. It follows that internal symmetries of the weak interactions can be interpreted as space-time symmetries of spinor fields in the Dirac algebra. The possibilities for interpreting strong interaction symmetries in a similar way are highly restricted.
Antiviral principles of Propionibacteria-isolation and activity of propionins B and C.

SummaryFurther purification of propionin, an antiviral agent active against Columbia SK virus infections in mice, from cellular extracts of Propionibacterium freudenreichii by dialysis, paper chromatography and gel filtration on Sephadex is described. The active agent is shown to be a mixture of two substances, referred to as propionins B and C and a method of obtaining a fraction rich in these two substances, essentially by gel filtration on Sephadex is also described. Some preliminary data on the probable molecular size and chemical nature is also presented.
Germanium-germanium multiple bonds: The singlet electronic ground state of Ge2H2

We have investigated the singlet states of the potentially GeGe triply bonded parent compound Ge2H2 by ab initio theoretical techniques. The stable minima and their relative energies are surprisingly similar to those found in previous studies of Si2H2. Thus, we find a dibridged structure to be lowest lying, with germylidene and trans-bent structures about 10 and 18 kcal/mol higher, respectively. As in Si2H2, the linear structure is not a minimum on the potential energy surface.
Microvascular decompression in hemifacial spasm resulting from a cerebellopontine angle lipoma: case report.

Objective Hemifacial spasm caused by a cerebellopontine angle lipoma is extremely rare. We describe a patient with left-sided hemifacial spasm caused by vascular compression of the facial and vestibulocochlear cranial nerves by the anteroinferior cerebellar artery embedded within a cerebellopontine angle lipoma. Clinical presentation A 77-year-old man presented with a 10-year history of left-sided facial spasms that progressively worsened over time and significantly interfered with his ability to read, drive, and interact in social situations. Neurological examination showed obvious left hemifacial spasm, including orbicularis oculi and levator labii muscles. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed characteristic abnormal signal within the cerebellopontine angle cistern that was consistent with lipoma abutting the anteroinferior cerebellar artery. Intervention Surgical exploration with standard retrosigmoid craniectomy and subarachnoid dissection of the cerebellopontine angle was performed. The offending anteroinferior cerebellar artery branch was dissected away from the VIIth and VIIIth cranial nerves. Teflon felt was interposed between the artery and nerves after the artery was dissected off the surface of the lipoma. Electrophysiological monitoring showed resolution of the abnormal hemifacial spasm response during the procedure. No attempt was made to resect the lipoma, given the risk to injury of the brainstem and perforating blood vessels. Postoperatively, the patient's symptoms were completely resolved. Conclusion This case demonstrates that relief of the vascular compression, when present, of the VIIth cranial nerve is sufficient for resolution of hemifacial spasm symptoms, even when associated with nearby, benign lesions.
Systems Theory and Organization Change: A Case Study

A case study of a social welfare agency demonstrates that this organization can control its development as an autonomous system and need not merely shift with the times in response to the changing involvement of the federal government in social welfare programs. A theoretical framework of organizational change utilizes Parson's AGIL for this analysis.
Price squeezes in electric power: The new battle of Concord

Abstract If competition is desired in wholesale power markets, antitrust courts—and those who take signals from them—should give more careful consideration and analysis to price squeeze allegations in the future.
A BIOPHYSIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF SETTLED LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY HOUSING DUSTS

The levels and composition of agricultural dusts ar e influenced by animal species, production strategy , housing type and ventilation efficiency. Agricultural dust within animal houses is complex and consists of fee d particles, microbes and their products, dander, fecal matter, gases, metals and other organic and inorganic components. Livestock and poultry production facilities may be categorized as confinement, semi-confinement or pasturebased. Characterization of animal husbandry buildin g dust will provide insight into understanding expo sures experienced by animals, workers and farm visitors. The goal was to characterize biophysiochemical feat ures of livestock dusts from swine, small ruminant, equine, poultry and cattle husbandry units. Settled dust s amples were collected from livestock and poultry housing units at the University Farm and other livestock farms ac ross the state. Morphological features were determined by el ectron microscopy and gravimetry. Biochemical evaluation consisted of pH determination and trace metal detec tion via mass spectrometry. Biological assessment c entered on bacterial characterization via selective media, DNA analysis and endotoxin quantitation. Morphological analyses revealed higher levels of respirable and t horacic particles in poultry, swine, small ruminant and equine units compared to the dairy unit (p<0.01). Dusts we re slightly acidic with the exception of the NCAT s mall ruminant unit (p<0.05). Dust endotoxin levels were consistent and bacterial species detected include Listeria and Escherichia coli . These findings suggest animal husbandry buildings harbor higher levels of smaller respirable and thoracic dust particles compared to inhalable p articles. This information may be helpful in unders tanding dust exposures experienced by animals, farmers and agricultural workers.
Hyperkinesis and Learning Disabilities Linked to the Ingestion of Artificial Food Colors and Flavors

The historical background of hyperkinesis and learning disabilities (H-LD) is reviewed briefly and followed by a discussion of food additives. Focus on artificial food colors and flavors as important etiologic agents is explained and supported by the favorable response of 30 to 50% of various samples of H-LD children managed with the Kaiser-Permanente (K-P) Diet.
Quasi-impact damage initiation and growth of thick-section and toughened composite materials

Abstract Results are presented for a study of damage initiation and growth in thick-section and toughened continuous fiber-reinforced composites resulting from a spherical indenter/impactor. The proposed analytical/computational model consists of several sub-models. A three-dimensional mesh generator is used for generating initial meshes for laminated composites containing various matrix cracks and delaminations. A stress analysis is developed in the framework of finite deformation for calculating stresses and strains of the composites with and without internal damage. A robust contact analysis proposed for handling the contact condition of cracked interfaces for matrix cracks/delaminations induced during indentation loading. A failure analysis is developed for predicting the damage initiation and propagation. A fracture mechanics based, simplified criterion is proposed for predicting the critical load for delamination growth. The proposed model predicts that the damage of thick-section composites may be initiated from the layer right below the indenter due to the compressive load, or the interior shear matrix cracks due to transverse shear. This contradicts the conclusions for thin, brittle laminated composites, in which surface cracking is in general the initial damage mode. It is shown that the delamination induced by the shear cracks is dominated by fracture modes II and III for growth of thick-section composites due to indentation loading. It is also interesting to observe that complicated contact zone exists for different delaminations.
Gating of neuronal transmission in the hippocampus: efficacy of transmission varies with behavioral state

Electrical stimuli were applied to the angular bundle of the freely moving rat, and the neuronal responses were recorded ipsilaterally in the dentate gyrus and the CA1 field of the hippocampus. The number of neurons responding monosynaptically in the dentate gyrus was relatively small when the animal was alert and not moving but was much greater both during slow-wave sleep and during rapid eye movement sleep. In Ca1, however, the trisynaptic population response was considerably smaller during rapid eye movement sleep and when the animal was alert than during slow-wave sleep. These findings are interpreted in terms of a set of behaviorally dependent "neural gates". Measurement of the synaptic current at the dentate gyrus induced monosynaptically by stimulation of the angular bundle further suggests that the mechanism by which gating occurs at this level is either a tonic inhibitory synaptic influence exerted upon the granule cells during the alert state, a tonic excitatory influence during slow-wave sleep, or both.
Feedback operator for a pseudoparabolic optimal control problem

The feedback operator of a linear pseudoparabolic problem with quadratic criterion is obtained by decoupling of the optimality condition. The feedback operator is shown to be related to the solution of a Riccati equation formulated in theB*-algebra of bounded linear operators onL2(Ω). This approach shows that the linear feedback operator may be considered as a bounded operator fromL2(Ω) intoH01(Ω). Finally, we give a theorem establishing the convergence behavior for the feedback operators for these problems as they formally approach an analogous problem of parabolic type.
Ionic liquid and polymeric ionic liquid coatings in solid-phase microextraction

Abstract Sample preparation is often considered to be a bottleneck in most analytical methods. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) consolidates sampling and sample preparation into one step. The unique properties of ionic liquids (ILs) and polymeric ILs (PILs) have been exploited as sorbent coatings in SPME. Due to their tunable structures, these materials exhibit unique selectivity for various analytes. This article discusses the overall progression of IL and PIL-based sorbent coatings in SPME. The structural engineering and design of selective sorbent coatings is discussed to demonstrate the versatility of these materials in numerous applications.
Future Chemical Energy Networks

Much speculation on the future nature of electic utilities has concerned transmission; e.g., complications from access by multiple generators and how to effect higher line loadings to accommodate them. This paper proposes an alternative concept: pipeline transmission of a liquid fuel produced from domestic coal by nuclear heat at centralized facilities to multiple, dispersed sites for local generation and distribution of power.Copyright © 1991 by ASME