cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Signaling with Dividends and Share Repurchases: A Choice between Deterministic and Stochastic Cash Disbursements

We study firms signaling with cash disbursements and show that the choice of a deterministic or a stochastic disbursement depends on a property of the firm's production function that is analogous to absolute risk aversion for a utility function. With decreasing (increasing) absolute risk aversion, the high-quality firm prefers to distinguish itself from the low-quality firm with a stochastic (deterministic) outlay. We then study in detail two common forms of corporate cash distributions: dividends, a deterministic disbursement, and share repurchases, a stochastic disbursement. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.
Enhancement of subsurface brain shift model accuracy: a preliminary study

Biomechanical models that describe soft-tissue deformations provide a relatively inexpensive way to correct registration errors in image guided neurosurgical systems caused by non-rigid brain shifts. Quantifying the factors that cause this deformation to sufficient precision is a challenging task. To circumvent this difficulty, atlas-based method have been developed recently which allow for uncertainty yet still capture the first order effects associated with brain deformations. More specifically, the technique involves building an atlas of solutions to account for the statistical uncertainty in factors that control the direction and magnitude of brain shift. The inverse solution is driven by a sparse intraoperative surface measurement. Since this subset of data only provides surface information, it could bias the reconstruction and affect the subsurface accuracy of the model prediction. Studies in intraoperative MR have shown that the deformation in the midline, tentorium, and contralateral hemisphere is relatively small. The falx cerebri and tentorium cerebelli, two of the important dural septa, act as rigid membranes supporting the brain parenchyma and compartmentalizing the brain. Accounting for these structures in models may be an important key to improving subsurface shift accuracy. The goals of this paper are to describe a novel method developed to segment the tentorium cerebelli, develop the procedure for modeling the dural septa and study the effect of those membranes on subsurface brain shift.
Psychological contracts in organizations : understanding written and unwritten agreements

Introduction Contracting A Modern Dilemma Contract Making The Contract Makers Contemporary Contracts Violating the Contract Changing the Contract Business Strategy and Contracts Trends in the New Social Contract
Stimulation of erythrocyte glycolysis by nicotinamide adenylates.

SummaryThe addition of nicotinamide adenylate compounds was found to maintain, to a significant extent, the glycolytic capacity of fresh human erythrocytes incubated in vitro for 20 hours. The compounds appeared to act also to restore the metabolism of aged cells. Although it is not believed that nucleotides readily enter the intracellular compartment, evidence is presented that erythrocytes can slowly assimilate adenine nucleoside phosphates. The possible role of erythrocyte phosphomonoesterase is discussed.
The Stress Concentration of a Notched Rotor Subjected to Centrifugal Forces

The stress concentration in a ring shaped rotor with a notch or crack in its inner periphery is calculated. The procedure makes use of a singular integral equation. Die Spannungskonzentration in einem ringformigen Rotor mit einer Kerbe oder einem Ris auf der Innenseite wird berechnet. Das Verfahren beruht auf der Losung einer singularen Integralgleichung.
P5-14-13: Favorable Prognosis in Patients with T1a,b Node-Negative Triple Negative Breast Cancers Treated with Multimodality Therapy.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical characteristics, natural history and outcomes in patients with ≤1cm, node-negative triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Materials and Methods: After excluding patients who received neoadjuvant therapy, 1,022 TNBC patients who received definitive breast surgery from 1999 to 2006 were identified from an institutional database. Among these, 194 patients had node-negative tumors ≤1cm and comprise the study population. Clinical data was abstracted and survival outcomes were analyzed. Results: Median follow-up time was 71 months (range 2–143). Median age at diagnosis was 55.5 years (range 27–84). T stage was T1mic in 16 (8.2%), T1a in 49 (25.3%), T1b in 129 (66.5%). The majority of tumors were poorly differentiated (N= 142, 73%), lacked lymphovascular invasion (N= 170, 87.6%) and were screening-detected (69%, N=134). Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) was employed in 129 (66.5%) and mastectomy in 65 (33.5%) patients. 113 (58%) patients received adjuvant chemotherapy and 123 (63%) received whole breast radiation. Patients who received chemotherapy tended to have more adverse clinical and disease features (younger age,T1b, poor tumor grade; all p Conclusion: Excellent 5-year locoregional and distant control rates were achievable in patients with TNBC tumors ≤ 1.0 cm, 58% of whom received chemotherapy. These results identify a group of TNBC patients with favorable outcomes following early detection and multimodality treatment. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-14-13.
Phylogenetic systematics and biomechanics in ecomorphology

Research in all fields of biology increasingly uses phylogenetic systematics to interpret biological data in an evolutionary context. It is becoming widely accepted that comparative studies of the correlation of biological features, such as ecomorphological studies, must frame their analyses within the context of a phylogenetic hierarchy rather than treating each taxonomic unit as an independent replicate. Recent methods for the interpretation of ecological and functional data in the framework of a phylogeny can reveal the degree to which ecomorphological characters are correlated with one another, and are congruent with hierarchical cladistic groups. An example of the ecomorphology of labrid fishes is used here to illustrate the application of several of these methods. The structural design and mechanics of the jaws of labrids are tested for ecomorphological associations with the natural diets of these fishes. Methods for analysis of the correlated evolution of both discrete and continuous quantitative characters within a phylogeny are practiced on a single ecomorphological data set. Techniques used include character coding, character mapping, phylogenetic autocorrelation, independent contrasts, and squared change parsimony. These approaches to diverse biological data allow the study of ecomorphology to account for patterns of phylogenetic ancestry. Biomechanics or functional morphology also plays a vital role in the determination of ecomorphological relationships by clarifying the mechanisms by which morphologies can perform behaviors important to the organism's ecology. The synthesis of systematics with biomechanics is an example of interdisciplinary study in which information exchange can elucidate patterns of evolution in ecomorphology.
Dynamic Traveling Repairperson Problem for dynamic systems

In this paper, we study the dynamic traveling repairman problem (DTRP) for dynamic systems. In the DTRP, customers are arising dynamically and randomly in a bounded region R, and when customers arrive, they wait for the repairperson to visit their location and offer a ?service?-that will take a certain random amount of time s-. In our study, the repairperson is modeled as a dynamic system whose output space contains R and our objective is the average time a customer has to wait to be serviced. We present schemes (for low and high traffic intensities) that guarantee that the expected waiting time for a customer scales within a constant factor of the optimum in terms of traffic intensity.
Multiband Miniaturized Patch Antennas for a Compact, Shielded Microwave Breast Imaging Array

We present a comprehensive study of a class of multiband miniaturized patch antennas designed for use in a 3-D enclosed sensor array for microwave breast imaging. Miniaturization and multiband operation are achieved by loading the antenna with nonradiating slots at strategic locations along the patch. This results in symmetric radiation patterns and similar radiation characteristics at all frequencies of operation. Prototypes were fabricated and tested in a biocompatible immersion medium. Excellent agreement was obtained between simulations and measurements. The tradeoff between miniaturization and radiation efficiency within this class of patch antennas is explored via a numerical analysis of the effects of the location and number of slots, as well as the thickness and permittivity of the dielectric substrate, on the resonant frequencies and gain. Additionally, we compare 3-D quantitative microwave breast imaging performance achieved with two different enclosed arrays of slot-loaded miniaturized patch antennas. Simulated array measurements were obtained for a 3-D anatomically realistic numerical breast phantom. The reconstructed breast images generated from miniaturized patch array data suggest that, for the realistic noise power levels assumed in this study, the variations in gain observed across this class of multiband patch antennas do not significantly impact the overall image quality. We conclude that these miniaturized antennas are promising candidates as compact array elements for shielded, multifrequency microwave breast imaging systems.
Water agarose medium for studying factors affecting germination of conidia of Ampelomyces quisqualis

On water agarose conidial germination of Ampelomyces quisqualis was greatly enhanced in the presence of powdery mildew conidia. All seven species of powdery mildews tested, representing five genera, were effective in increasing germination of the mycoparasite. Aqueous extract of conidia of Oidium euonymi-japonicae was also stimulatory to the mycoparasite. Germination of conidia of A. quisqualis on water agarose decreased as conidial concentration increased. Germination of the mycoparasite's conidia at a low concentration on water agarose was greatly decreased when they were separated by a polycarbonate membrane from conidia of the same species at a high concentration and incubated. After being incubated with conidia of the mycoparasite at a high concentration, water agarose became inhibitory to germination of conidia of the same species at a low concentration, suggesting the presence of a diffusible self-inhibitor. Water agarose is essentially free from nutrients which may support growth of contaminants that interfere with the effect of stimulators or inhibitors.
Automatic maintenance of robot programs

After writing programs for a production robot, an operator must manually teach hundreds or thousands of poses. Teaching poses is extremely time consuming and, unfortunately, periodic reteaching is necessary. The need to reteach is commonly due to: wear, repair, slight movements of workpieces, or replacement of the robot and its tools. Our experience has shown that conventional methods of adjusting pose data do not work reliably. This paper discusses an automatic reteach method. The method has been tested on a production robot in a laboratory environment. In spite of changes in the robot and environment, we want constant shaped and sized tools to arrive consistently at taught work locations within desired tolerances. This means tool pose relative to the work piece is invariant. To assure this invariance, we establish a coordinate frame on the work piece and identify the tool locations relative to this frame. We apply a calibration algorithm to the pose data to accomplish our goal. This paper demonstrates an automatic, economic implementation of kinematic calibration on an industrial manipulator. The method is retrofit to a manufacturing system and does not require real time solution of the calibrated inverse kinematic problem. As a result, the method applies to most manipulators in use today. >
A global overview of gender-based violence

This paper provides an overview of the extent and nature of gender-based violence and its health consequences, particularly on sexual and reproductive health.
Negative social interactions and incident hypertension among older adults.

Objective: To determine if negative social interactions are prospectively associated with hypertension among older adults. Method: This is a secondary analysis of data from the 2006 and 2010 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, a survey of community-dwelling older adults (age 50 years). Total average negative social interactions were assessed at baseline by averaging the frequency of negative interactions across 4 domains (partner, children, other family, friends). Blood pressure was measured at both waves. Individuals were considered to have hypertension if they reported use of antihypertensive medications, had measured average resting systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg or higher, or measured average resting diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or higher. Analyses excluded those who were hypertensive at baseline and controlled for demographics, personality, positive social interactions, and baseline health. Results: Twenty-nine percent of participants developed hypertension over the 4-year follow-up. Each 1-unit increase in the total average negative social interaction score was associated with a 38% increased odds of developing hypertension. Sex moderated the association between total average negative social interactions and hypertension, with effects observed among women but not men. The association of total average negative interactions and hypertension in women was attributable primarily to interactions with friends, but also to negative interactions with family and partners. Age also moderated the association between total average negative social interactions and hypertension, with effects observed among those ages 51–64 years, but not those ages 65 or older. Conclusion: In this sample of older adults, negative social interactions were associated with increased hypertension risk in women and the youngest older adults.
Cache Latency Control for Application Fairness or Differentiation in Power-Constrained Chip Multiprocessors

Limiting the peak power consumption of chip multiprocessors (CMPs) has recently received a lot of attention. In order to enable chip-level power capping, the peak power consumption of last-level (e.g., L2) on-chip caches in a CMP often needs to be constrained by dynamically transitioning selected cache banks into low-power modes. However, dynamic cache resizing for power capping may cause undesired long cache access latencies, and even thread starving and thrashing, for the applications running on the CMP. In this paper, we propose a novel cache management strategy that can limit the peak power consumption of L2 caches and provide fairness guarantees, such that the cache access latencies of the application threads coscheduled on the CMP are impacted more uniformly. Our strategy is also extended to provide differentiated cache latency guarantees that can help the OS to enforce the desired thread priorities at the architectural level and achieve desired rates of thread progress for coscheduled applications. Our solution features a two-tier control architecture rigorously designed based on advanced feedback control theory for guaranteed control accuracy and system stability. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that our solution can achieve the desired cache power capping, fair or differentiated cache sharing, and power-performance tradeoffs for many applications.
Evaluation of Price Policy in the Presence of Water Theft

Mathematical programming models of “representative” farms are commonly used to evaluate policies such as input subsidies and output price supports. On canals in India, upstream farmers routinely use more irrigation water than allotted. In such circumstances, the programming model should encompass farmers' locational heterogeneity. Here, a representative watercourse with thirty farms is calibrated to the eight crops, fifteen irrigation turns, yield responses to water, and seepage in Maharashtra. Not only does water “theft” increase the social cost of price policies, but the policies' increased inducement to theft by upstream farmers leaves those downstream with less water and lower incomes.
Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise: How Corporate Power Shaped the Affordable Care Act

Among the many promises of Barack Obama’s 2008 election campaign was a thorough reform of U.S. healthcare. The radical inefficiency of the existing system was obvious: although per-capita healthcare costs were about twice as high as in other industrialized countries, at least forty-six million people still lacked health insurance and forty-five thousand died each year as a result. 1 The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) will not solve these problems. The reform does contain some positive elements, most notably its subsidies to lowincome individuals, the extension of children’s insurance to age twenty-six (assuming their parents are already insured), and the ban on insurance companies denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions. But these improvements are embedded in a structure that preserves and consolidates a fundamentally flawed system administered by private insurance corporations and populated by virtually unregulated for-profit providers. The crux of the reform is the “individual mandate” requiring everyone to purchase insurance from private companies or pay a fine, a model that is far removed from a system of genuine universal healthcare in which progressive taxation funds a government-administered, single-payer insurance plan. This latter option, often called “Medicare for All,” was never even considered by Congress or the administration, despite being far more efficient and humane than the alternatives. 2 Even a non-compulsory government-run insurance program (the “public option”) was never seriously entertained in the Senate. Here we analyze the healthcare reform as an illustration of the embeddedness of large corporations in U.S. policymaking. The affected industries were centrally involved in the process from the start, guaranteeing that their interests would receive priority, while public opinion and human rights considerations mattered little. The creation of Obamacare offers a lens through which to understand how and why the government embraces the class interests of the corporate elite. 3 Yet the state is not just an instrument of domination; it is also a site of struggle. After reviewing the reform process, we offer some strategic propositions for the Medicare for All movement.
Heart rate response habituation in high-risk premature infants.

The hypothesis suggested by Luria (1963) that infants with central nervous system damage fail to habituate to repeated stimulation was tested using an experimental group whose clinical course suggested a relatively high probability of CNS damage, a control group matched for age in weeks since conception, and a group of normal, fullterm infants. An auditory stimulus at 80 db SPL was presented for 3 sec at 20-sec intervals. Heart rate change averaged across time on Trials 1–5 and Trials 26–30 were compared. The hypothesis was not confirmed, since significant habituation was found on Trials 26–30 for all groups. However, latency of response was significantly longer in high-risk Ss. A developmental trend toward decreased latency of response with increasing gestational age was identified.
Analysis of the E. coli NifS CsdB protein at 2.0 A reveals the structural basis for perselenide and persulfide intermediate formation.

Abstract The Escherichia coli NifS CsdB protein is a member of the homodimeric pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent family of enzymes. These enzymes are capable of decomposing cysteine or selenocysteine into l -alanine and sulfur or selenium, respectively. E. coli NifS CsdB has a high specificity for l -selenocysteine in comparison to l -cysteine, suggesting a role for this enzyme is selenium metabolism. The 2.0 A crystal structure of E. coli NifS CsdB reveals a high-resolution view of the active site of this enzyme in apo-, persulfide, perselenide, and selenocysteine-bound intermediates, suggesting a mechanism for the stabilization of the enzyme persulfide and perselenide intermediates during catalysis, a necessary intermediate in the formation of sulfur and selenium containing metabolites.
The Map of Relational-Cultural Theory

SUMMARY Psychological theory-building has long been dominated by White, European-male perspectives, perspectives that fail to account for the multifaceted experiences of diverse and marginalized populations. Feminist theory seeks to explore, encompass, and understand the wide range of human experience, a territory that is viewed as broad and complex and dynamic. Relational-Cultural Theory as it addresses the critical importance of relational exchange related to development and health provides an elaboration of some of the most basic feminist principles. Perhaps not surprisingly, this evolving theoretical model has emerged out of the relational work of five women and continues now within an ever-expanding and diverse network of women. This paper will present several elements of this work, its relevance to the larger work of feminist theory, and some of the major contributions of the founding “Monday Night Group.”
Near-Infrared Characterization of Disease via Vascular Permeability Probes1

Diagnostic tools to noninvasively measure tissue function are still relatively limited, and the development of new contrast agents that will provide information about vascular leakage are one of the most robust measurements possible. Near-infrared (NIR) measurements from tissue have significant potential to displace x-ray or nuclear medicine scans in these types of applications, yet NIR has distinctly different strengths and weaknesses relative to standard clinical tools. The key challenges for NIR methods to progress into clinical use are threefold; first, measurement methods must be developed that are insensitive to tissue surface effects and shape; second, the technology (both hardware and software) must mature to the point at which physicians are comfortable with lower resolution images or superposition of images on other clinical modalities or simply using numbers to quantify emission intensity; and third, there is a need to develop commercially available function-specific dyes that can be used in humans to probe surrogate markers of the disease or, ideally, molecular signatures of the disease. Significant strides have been made in these areas, and much more can be expected from NIR if all are advanced together. In this issue of Academic Radiology, the report by Fischer et al (1) demonstrates a key innovation in the latter area through evaluation of tissue function by using a combination of two dyes that have very different binding kinetics to plasma proteins and therefore very different effective molecular weights and charges. This study presents a pilot analysis of how inflammation of the vessels in arthritis can be imaged with vascular permeability probes, and, in
Subclinical Left Ventricular Dysfunction in Preeclamptic Women With Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction A 2D Speckle-Tracking Imaging Study

Background— Patients with preeclampsia are at risk for cardiovascular disease. Changes in cardiac function are subtle in preeclampsia and are difficult to quantify with conventional imaging. Strain measurements using speckle-tracking echocardiography have been used to sensitively quantify abnormalities in other disease settings. Methods and Results— We evaluated the feasibility and sensitivity of strain imaging using speckle-tracking echocardiography in women with preeclampsia. Forty-seven women were enrolled in this pilot study and 39 were analyzed: 11 with preeclampsia, 17 without a hypertensive disorder, and 11 with nonproteinuric hypertension. Echocardiographic ejection fraction and global peak longitudinal, radial, and circumferential strain were measured. Longitudinal strain was significantly worsened in women with preeclampsia compared with women without a hypertensive disorder ( P =0.0001). Similar results were observed for radial strain ( P =0.006) and circumferential strain ( P =0.03). Women with preeclampsia also had significantly worsened longitudinal ( P =0.04), radial ( P =0.01), and circumferential ( P =0.002) strain compared with women with nonproteinuric hypertension. Women with preeclampsia did not have a significantly different ejection fraction compared with women without a hypertensive disorder ( P =0.16) and women with nonproteinuric hypertension ( P =0.44). Conclusions— Myocardial strain imaging using speckle tracking is more sensitive than left ventricular ejection fraction to detect differences in left ventricular systolic function in women with and without preeclampsia.
Armchair Auditors: Crowdsourcing Analysis of Government Expenditures

ABSTRACT: Increasingly, there is interest in using information and communications technology (ICT) to help build a “better world.” As an example, the United Kingdom has initiated an “open data” mov...
Cholinergic systems: human diseases, animal models, and prospects for therapy.

Publisher Summary Cholinergic neurons, including those in the basal forebrain, brainstem, and spinal cord, play critical roles in the functions of a variety of neural circuits, and abnormalities of these neuronal populations are responsible for the clinical manifestations of several human neurological disorders. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), basal forebrain cholinergic neurons are among the vulnerable populations of neurons. In individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), large motor neurons of the brainstem and spinal cord degenerate, whereas patients with multiple system atrophy (Shy-Drager syndrome) show lesions of cholinergic cells in Onufrowicz's (Onuf's) nucleus and the intermediolateral cell column of the spinal cord. In each of these illnesses, the dysfunction and death of these neurons are linked to the clinical phenotypes of disease— that is, impairments in attention, learning, and memory in AD, weakness in ALS, and impotence, incontinence and orthostatic hypertension in Shy-Drager syndrome. Recent studies suggest that different populations of cholinergic neurons may respond to different trophic factors, raising the possibility that, in the future, trophic factors may be used to preserve the functions and promote the survival of these subsets of nerve cells. This chapter outlines the current understanding of the involvement of these cholinergic systems in several human diseases and their respective animal models, and suggests directions of research that may lead to future trophic factor therapeutic approaches to restore the functions of these systems.
Deciphering Complexity in Molecular Biophysics with Single-Molecule Resolution

The structural features and dynamics of biological macromolecules underlie the molecular biology and correct functioning of cells. However, heterogeneity and other complexity of these molecules and their interactions often lead to loss of important information in traditional biophysical experiments. Single-molecule methods have dramatically altered the conceptual thinking and experimental tests available for such studies, leveraging their ability to avoid ensemble averaging. Here, I discuss briefly the rise of fluorescence single-molecule methods over the past two decades, a few key applications, and end with a view to challenges and future prospects.
Huck Finn and the Civil Rights Cases: A Case Study in Supreme Court Influence

I intend to show in this study that Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was inherently shaped by, among other factors, a number of momentous decisions of the Supreme Court. These were decisions which strived to project the American society of the ante-bellum period into the post-bellum world. The decisions of the Supreme Court in the post-bellum period, coupled with a severe change in the political and social atmosphere of the late 1870s and early 1880s, combined to create an environment of severe retrogression, specifically when it came to racial integration and interactions. As this Essay will show, the Supreme Court's decisions in this series of cases, while widely believed to have been wrongly decided today, nevertheless had a great deal of influence in halting or stalling many of the advances of the Civil War, the Fourteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Acts. Indeed, I will argue that the judicial retardation of the egalitarian movement of the nation during and immediately after the Civil War had the effect of ossifying the progression towards civil rights and civil liberties in a manner far more dramatic than the political and social anti-egalitarian forces of the time could have hoped to achieve. Additionally, and centrally for the purposes of this Essay, those judicial decisions were instrumental in the reshaping of Twain's classic text.
Stoichiometric Reactions of Acylnickel(II) Complexes with Electrophiles and the Catalytic Synthesis of Ketones

Acylnickel(II) complexes feature prominently in cross-electrophile coupling (XEC) reactions that form ketones, yet their reactivity has not been systematically investigated. We present here our studies on the reactivity of acylnickel(II) complexes with a series of carbon electrophiles. Bromobenzene, α-chloroethylbenzene, bromooctane, and iodooctane were reacted with (dtbbpy)NiII(C(O)C5H11)(Br) (1b) and (dtbbpy)NiII(C(O)tolyl)(Br) (1c) to form a variety of organic products. While reactions with bromobenzene formed complex mixtures of ketones, reactions with α-chloroethylbenzene were highly selective for the cross-ketone product. Reactions with iodooctane and bromooctane also produced the cross-ketone product, but in intermediate yield and selectivity. In most cases the presence or absence of a chemical reductant (zinc) had only a small effect on the selectivity of the reaction. The coupling of 1c with iodooctane (60% yield) was translated into a catalytic reaction, the carbonylative coupling of bromoarenes...
Impregnating the ends of sic heaters with silicon, some metals and mixtures

The silicon and mixes enriched with it have an excellent wetting action on heaters made from silicon carbide.
Microbiological Methods for Sampling Poultry Processing Plant Equipment

Abstract This paper describes several microbiological sampling methods that may be used for determining the cleanliness of poultry processing plant equipment, including surface swabbing, agar contact, hygiene contact slides, dry medium film, impedance, and ATP bioluminescence. Advantages and disadvantages associated with each method are mentioned. This article will be helpful to anyone faced with the task of microbiologically monitoring poultry processing equipment after sanitation.
Photoperiodic Effects on Growth in Microtus pennsylvanicus

Growth and development in Microtus pennsylvanicus was significantly affected by different photoperiodic regimes in the laboratory. Young and subadults maintained under a long photoperiod (18L:6D) gained weight more rapidly than did those under a short photoperiod (6L:18D). Adults under natural conditions of light and temperature lost weight until winter solstice, while growth rates of subadults slowed through November and December. Both age categories gained weight after the winter solstice. Thyroid activity, as reflected by thyroxine levels and iodine-125 uptake by the thyroid, was significantly lower in animals maintained under a short photoperiod than in those maintained under a long photoperiod.
Effects of Age and Burial of House Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) Pupae on Parasitism by Spalangia cameroni and Muscidifurax raptor (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)

The parasitoid wasps Spalangia cameroni Perkins and Muscidifurax raptor Girault & Sanders commonly co-occur in nature and are sometimes released together in efforts to control pest fly populations. Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine how the effectiveness of these wasps in killing house flies, Musca domestica L., and producing wasp progeny is affected by the wasp specie(s) used, host burial, and host age. For effectiveness in killing flies, there was a significant 3-way interaction. S. cameroni alone was consistently more effective than M. raptor alone or than the 2 species combined, regardless of host age and burial. However, the greater effectiveness of S. cameroni was most pronounced for buried hosts and among unburied hosts for young hosts. S. cameroni produced offspring regardless of host burial and host age. Host burial significantly decreased production of S. cameroni offspring only when S. cameroni was present and hosts were young. Host burial significantly reduced production of M. raptor offspring in all situations. M. raptor produced fewer offspring from young hosts than from old hosts under all conditions, producing no offspring from young buried hosts. Combining S. cameroni and M. raptor did not increase their effectiveness at killing hosts. Being with the other species versus a conspecific had no significant effect on production of M. raptor offspring and increased production of S. cameroni offspring only from young buried hosts.
Application of a Pragmatic Interval-Based "Real Space" Approach to Fire-Model Validation Involving Aleatory and Epistemic Uncertainty.

This paper applies a pragmatic interval-based approach to validation of a fire dynamics model involving computational fluid dynamics, combustion, participating-media radiation, and heat transfer. Significant aleatory and epistemic sources of uncertainty exist in the experiments and simulations. The validation comparison of experimental and simulation results, and corresponding criteria and procedures for model affirmation or refutation, take place in “real space” as opposed to “difference space” where subtractive differences between experiments and simulations are assessed. The versatile model validation framework handles difficulties associated with representing and aggregating aleatory and epistemic uncertainties from multiple correlated and uncorrelated source types, including: experimental variability from multiple repeat experiments uncertainty of experimental inputs experimental output measurement uncertainties uncertainties that arise in data processing and inference from raw simulation and experiment outputs parameter and model-form uncertainties intrinsic to the model numerical solution uncertainty from model discretization effects.
Oxygen Fugacity Geothermometry of the Oka Carbonatite

In order to learn more about the petrogenesis of the carbonatite at Oka, Quebec, a solid electrolyte oxygen fugacity sensot was used to study coexisting olivine (Fo*), magnetite, and niobian perovskite (latrappite). Plots of fO,-T data obtained for each of these three minerals show a triple intersection at 710' -f l5'C and an fO, of 1F"''=05 atm. The hypothesis is that this temperature and fOn represents the last solid-liquid-vapor equilibration among these three minerals. The temperature is in agreement with OfO'o work (Conway and Taylor, 1959), and the fO, value is consistent with standard solid and gaseous fO, buffer curves. Wyllie and Tuttle (1960) found the presence of a liquid phase at similar low temperatures throughout a wide range of synthetic carbonate systems at various total pressures. The temperature measured by this technique when compared with synthetic phase equilibria work supports a magmatic origin for the Oka carbonatite.
Consideration on stabilizing grain production in Fujian Province

Food safety is a major issue related to Fujian economic development and social stability.Through years practice,this paper put forward the effective measures to stabilize the grain production in Fujian,it includes strengthening policy support,raising new-type business entity,etc.
Current trends in outcome studies for children with hearing loss and the need to establish a comprehensive framework of measuring outcomes in children with hearing loss in China

Since the 1970s, outcome studies for children with hearing loss expanded from focusing on assessing auditory awareness and speech perception skills to evaluating language and speech development. Since the early 2000s, the multi-center large scale research systematically studied outcomes in the areas of auditory awareness, speech-perception, language development, speech development, educational achievements, cognitive development, and psychosocial development. These studies advocated the establishment of baseline and regular follow-up evaluations with a comprehensive framework centered on language development. Recent research interests also include understanding the vast differences in outcomes for children with hearing loss, understanding the relationships between neurocognitive development and language acquisition in children with hearing loss, and using outcome studies to guide evidence-based clinical practice. After the establishment of standardized Mandarin language assessments, outcomes research in Mainland China has the potential to expand beyond auditory awareness and speech perception studies.
Treatment of endocrine tumors of the pancreas.

Many advances have been made in the recognition, diagnosis, and medical management of patients with functioning pancreatic islet cell tumors during the past decade. This article is an overview of the most frequent of these—organic hyperinsulinism—as well as the less frequent glucagonoma, PPoma, and neurotensinoma syndromes. The major clinical manifestations, diagnostic hormonal tests, and, in certain necessary instances, provocative tests are presented as a part of the approach to medical management.
HOW WELL DO OUTPATIENT PRESCRIPTIONS ADHERE TO GOOD ANTIMICROBIAL STEWARDSHIP

Aim Aims of the study included evaluation of outpatient antibiotic prescribing practices relating to good Antimicrobial Stewardship1 focusing on documentation of indication and duration. Method Prescriptions dispensed at the Outpatient Pharmacy over a 6 week were evaluated. Data collected include patient9s hospital identification in full, the antibiotic prescribed, duration of treatment, indication (in a specifically allocated area on the prescription) and route of administration, prescriber speciality and grade. Data were entered onto Microsoft Excel and reviewed by a committee that included a medical microbiologist and antimicrobial pharmacist. Results Five hundred and six antimicrobial prescriptions were reviewed. Therapeutic antibiotics accounted for 484/506 (95.6%) and the remaining 22/506 (4.4%) were prophylactic therapy. Indications were documented in 186/506 (36.8%) cases and 465/506 (91.9%) documented duration of therapy. By speciality, adherence with indication and duration, respectively, for oral medication, were as follows: Haematology 2/55 (3.6%) and 12/55 (21.8%), General paediatrics 26/42 (61.9%) and 41/42 (97.6%), Oncology 4/37 (10.8%) and 34/37 (91.9%), Dermatology 12/35 (34.3%) and 35/35 (100%), Nephrology 24/30 (80%) and 30/30 (100%), Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) 9/31 (29%) and 31/31 (100%). Oral route of administration was the most frequently prescribed 391/506 (77.3%), with topical and eye/ear drops prescribed in 63/506 (12.4%) and 50/506 (9.9%) respectively. Nebulised therapy accounted for only 2/506 (0.4%) prescriptions. Most commonly prescribed antibiotics were Co-amoxiclav 83/391 (21.2%), Flucloxacillin 50/391 (12.8%), Penicillin 35/391 (9.0%), Azithromycin 27/391 (6.9%) and Trimethoprim 26/391 (6.6%). Adherence to antibiotic guidelines was seen to be appropriate with 496/506 (98%).From the ten prescriptions that did not adhere, Azithromycin accounted for 8/10 (80%) with 50% of these used for prophylaxis, with lack of clear documentation. Conclusion A designated area on the Outpatient Pharmacy prescription for indication and duration can aid better Antimicrobial Stewardship. Duration of therapy was better documented than indication, however it is postulated that this was to ensure adequate supply on outpatient dispensing and not always through following good antimicrobial prescribing practice. On the whole, the most commonly prescribed antibiotics were predominantly prescribed by the specialities within the antibiotic guidelines. Azithromycin, which is restricted to respiratory team, was prescribed outside of the policy by other specialties. This study helped prioritise which specialities require further input to improve adherence with Antimicrobial Stewardship in the outpatient setting. As dermatology and ENT had 100% compliance with specifying duration, we are now reviewing their prescribing education which can be used to enhance the practice of the other specialities.
A new vascular graft technique for hemodialysis

我々は, ポリウレタン製人工血管 (ソラテック®) の臨床応用を重ねるうちに, この人工血管が過度の屈曲により閉塞をきたす危険のあることに気づいた. 今回, その解決策としてコンポジット人工血管内シャントの術式を考案したので報告する.当院で1997年6月より1999年12月までに人工血管内シャント術を施行した患者のうち, 肘関節を越えて前腕にループ状人工血管を植え込んだ31症例を抽出し, 術後の合併症, 開存性について検討した. 今回対象となった術式は, 人工血管の素材によって3種類に分類した. すなわち動脈側吻合部からループの大部分をソラテック®とし, 肘関節を越える部分をE-PTFEで継ぎ足して静脈側に吻合した術式 (コンポジットグラフト) を術式C, 全長にわたってソラテック®を用いたものを術式T, 全長E-PTFEを用いたもめを術式Pとし, それぞれに対応する患者をC, T, P群 (n=15, 5, 11) とした. T群の5例中3例で, 肘関節部での人工血管のキンキングにより2か月以内に閉塞したが, 他の術式ではキンキングによる閉塞はなかった. 1年開存率は, C群で83.3%, P群で90.9%と, T群の40.0%より有意に高かった. 全例, 術後に血清腫は発生しなかった. 術後の浮腫はP群で強かったがC, T群では軽度であった.前腕での静脈側が肘関節を越えるループ状人工血管内シャント術では, コンポジットグラフトとすることにより, ソラテック®の利点 (透析での穿刺使用後の止血のよさ, 早期から穿刺可能なこと) とE-PTFEの利点 (耐屈曲性) の両者を生かし, 欠点 (E-PTFEによる浮腫) を補う術式として期待される.
Negative effect and principle of TCSC to traditional emergency control

With the development of power electronic technology, flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS), such as thyristor controlled series capacitor (TCSC) are widely used. Not only enhancing the control capacity of the system, but also increasing the complexity of the power grid control. At the same time the completed UHV AC/DC hybrid power grid puts forward new requirements for power grid operation and control. In this paper, based on the extended equal-area criterion (EEAC) introduced system of the first swing and reverse swing instability mechanism. Aimed at the access of TCSC to power grid, the problem of lacking of existing security control methods in some system failures that may worsen the problem of unstable modes is furtherly studied. It is noted that the access of TCSC may have negative effects on the security and stability of the power grid. The effects of TCSC will have on the system security and the traditional emergency control are analyzed by the actual power grid data, as well as the corresponding solutions.
Apigenin and naringenin favorably modulate aberrant crypt foci development and colonic cell cytokinetics

B135 Evidence suggests that a diet abundant in fruits and vegetables may be protective against colon cancer development, in part through inhibition of pro-inflammatory processes. Bioactive compounds in citrus, such as flavonoids and limonoids, possess anti-tumorigenic effects in various models of cancer, therefore, the potential protective effects of four citrus flavonoids and one limonoid mixture were investigated in the chemically induced rat colon cancer model. Male SD rats (n =60; 10 rats/group) received diets containing 0.1% apigenin, 0.02% naringenin, 0.1% hesperidin, 0.01% nobiletin, 0.035% limonin glucoside/obacunone glucoside mixture, or a control diet (0% flavonoid/limonoid). Rats received the diets for 10 wk and were injected with azoxymethane (15 mg/kg body weight) at wk 3 and 4. The excised colons were evaluated for aberrant crypt foci (ACF) formation, cell proliferation (PCNA assay), apoptosis (TUNEL assay), and iNOS and COX-2 expression (immunoblot). When compared to the control diet, apigenin lowered the number of high multiplicity ACF (> 4 AC/focus) by 57% (P
Garth Drabinsky’s ‘Grand Moves’: Artistic Ambition and Commercial Illusions in the 1990s

The Canadian producer Garth Drabinsky (b. 1949), who brought The Phantom of the Opera to Toronto in 1989, formed Livent, which originated musicals that transferred to Broadway and the West End such as Kiss of the Spider Woman (1992), Hal Prince’s revival of Show Boat (1993), and Ragtime (1996). Livent declared bankruptcy in 1998, and Drabinsky, with Livent co-founder Myron Gottlieb, was convicted of fraud and forgery.
High-Density Lipoprotein Regulation of Mitochondrial Function

Lipoproteins play a key role in regulating plasma and tissue levels of cholesterol. Apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins, including chylomicrons, very-low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), serve as carriers of triglycerides and cholesterol and deliver these metabolites to peripheral tissues. In contrast, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) mediates Reverse Cholesterol Transport (RCT), a process by which excess cholesterol is removed from the periphery and taken up by hepatocytes where it is metabolized and excreted. Anti-atherogenic properties of HDL have been largely ascribed to apoA-I, the major protein component of the lipoprotein particle. The inflammatory response associated with atherosclerosis and ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury has been linked to the development of mitochondrial dysfunction. Under these conditions, an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation induces damage to mitochondrial structural elements, leading to a reduction in ATP synthesis and initiation of the apoptotic program. Recent studies suggest that HDL-associated apoA-I and lysosphingolipids attenuate mitochondrial injury by multiple mechanisms, including the suppression of ROS formation and induction of autophagy. Other apolipoproteins, however, present in lower abundance in HDL particles may exert opposing effects on mitochondrial function. This chapter examines the role of HDL-associated apolipoproteins and lipids in the regulation of mitochondrial function and bioenergetics.
Clinical anatomy of fecal incontinence in women

Fecal incontinence is a devastating condition that has a severe impact on quality of life. This condition disproportionately affects women and its incidence is increasing with the aging United States population. Fecal continence is maintained by coordination of a functioning anal sphincter complex, intact sensation of the anorectum, rectal compliance, and the ability to consciously control defecation. Particularly important are the puborectalis sling of the levator ani muscle complex and intact innervation of the central and peripheral nervous systems. An understanding of the intricate anatomy required to maintain continence and regulate defecation will help clinicians to provide appropriate medical and surgical management and diminish the negative impact of fecal incontinence. In this article, we describe the anatomic and neural basis of fecal continence and normal defecation as well as changes that occur with fecal incontinence in women. Clin. Anat. 30:901-911, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Misperceptions in cell and cancer biology. What pioneers and followers of cell culture bestowed on these fields

During the period 1907-1912, cell culture pioneers established the basic techniques that ever since have been adopted worldwide by experimental biologists and industry to explore diverse scientific and technological topics. As a result, the knowledge accrued illuminated areas of basic cellular and developmental biology. Inadvertently, however, the cell culture pioneers and their followers also introduced misconceptions that, to this day, have obfuscated progress in the very fields mentioned above. Among the latter, a crucial one has been the seldom explicit premise of quiescence as the default state of cells in multicellular organisms as a fact rather than as a postulate. This misperception has endured due to a lack of critical analysis of its relevance and to the lack of an evolutionary perspective by those cell culture pioneers and their followers. Herein, we describe and discuss why and how the above referred misperception took place and has mostly remained unchallenged. A gigantic effort will be needed to remove from the specialized literature and the textbooks the above mentioned misconceptions so new generations of biologists will reacquaint themselves with evolutionary relevant premises on which to base rigorous experimental protocols and interpretation of data.