cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Global Standards and Emerging Markets: The Institutional Investment Value Chain and CalPERS' Investment Strategy

Institutional investors, primarily pension funds, dominate global financial markets. Increasingly, these investors are turning their attention to emerging markets and applying both traditional financial and non-financial metrics to their investment decisions. Following the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis, many large institutional investors have come to believe non-financial attributes, particularly in emerging markets, can both indicate potential equity premia and more importantly, be used as risk management tools within investment portfolios. These investors apply non-financial criteria not only to individual firms in emerging markets, but also to whole countries' corporate practices. Countrywide indices such as PricewaterhouseCoopers' Opacity Index back up such investor intuition. While countries and their regulatory regimes are central to external capital investment decisions, convergence to global standards occurs when key actors in the investment value chain demand levels of corporate and social behaviour greater than those currently consistent with countries' regulatory frameworks. We establish this claim through three critical pieces of analysis. First, we show that countries' legal origins are no longer strong determinants for achieving the global standards required for investment in emerging markets (for importance of legal origin see La Porta et. al. 1997). Second, we demonstrate that emerging market countries, when excluded from foreign investment, improve their corporate practices and standards in order to attract that investment in the future. Third, we find that convergence to global standards is not strongly influenced by the wealth of the emerging market country, but rather as a direct reaction to exclusion from foreign investment in the previous period. We examine country-specific investment decisions taken by institutional investors in emerging markets with particular reference to the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) to test this hypothesis.
Prism Adaptation Treatment Improves Inpatient Rehabilitation Outcome in Individuals With Spatial Neglect: A Retrospective Matched Control Study.

Objective To determine whether prism adaptation treatment (PAT) integrated into the standard of care improves rehabilitation outcome in patients with spatial neglect (SN). Design Retrospective matched control study based on information extracted from June 2017-September 2019. Setting Inpatient rehabilitation. Participants Patients from 14 rehabilitation hospitals scoring >0 on the Catherine Bergego Scale (N=312). The median age was 69.5 years, including 152 (49%) female patients and 275 (88%) patients with stroke. Interventions Patients were matched 1:1 by age (±5 years), FIM score at admission (±2 points), and SN severity using the Catherine Bergego Scale (±2 points) and classified into 2 groups: treated (8-12 daily sessions of PAT) vs untreated (no PAT). Main Outcome Measures FIM and its minimal clinically important difference (MCID) were the primary outcome variables. Secondary outcome was home discharge. Results Analysis included the 312 matched patients (156 per group). FIM scores at discharge were analyzed using repeated-measures analyses of variance. The treated group showed reliably higher scores than the untreated group in Total FIM, F=5.57, P=.020, partial η2=0.035, and Cognitive FIM, F=19.20, P<.001, partial η2=0.110, but not Motor FIM, F=0.35, P=.553, partial η2=0.002. We used conditional logistic regression to examine the odds ratio of reaching MCID in each FIM score and of returning home after discharge. No reliable difference was found between groups in reaching MCID or home discharge. Conclusions Patients with SN receiving PAT had better functional and cognitive outcomes, suggesting that integrating PAT into the standard of care is beneficial. However, receiving PAT may not determine home discharge.
The effect of a double dose of cloprostenol sodium on luteal blood flow and pregnancy rates per artificial insemination in lactating dairy cows

Inadequate luteolysis in fertility programs is a problem for lactating dairy cows treated with a single dose of PGF2α. The proportion of cows with complete luteolysis can be increased by administering 2 doses of PGF2α 24 h apart. This study hypothesized that a double dose of cloprostenol sodium (1.0 mg) could take the place of 2 doses 24 h apart due to its enhanced half-life. Cows were allocated to receive 1 of 3 treatments: negative controls: 0.5 mg of cloprostenol sodium (single; n = 337); positive controls: two 0.5-mg doses of cloprostenol sodium 24 h apart (two/24; n = 313); and treated: 1.0 mg of cloprostenol sodium (double; n = 298) at the final PGF2α of Double-Ovsynch. Cows received artificial insemination (AI) 16 h after final GnRH of Double-Ovsynch. Pregnancy diagnosis was determined at 24, 34, 62, and 184 d post-AI. Pregnancy loss was categorized in the following periods: between 24 to 34, 34 to 62, and 62 to 184 d post-AI. Ultrasonography (B-mode and color Doppler) was used to assess luteal function pre- and posttreatment with various doses of cloprostenol sodium. Luteal volume and luteal blood flow (LBF) from d 7 and 14 corpora lutea were determined before treatment (d -1), and 2 and 4 d after treatment. No evidence was observed of an effect of treatment on pregnancy rates per AI at 24, 34, or 62 d post-AI. No effect was observed of treatment on pregnancy losses occurring between d 24 and 34, 34, and 62, and between 62 and 184 d post-AI. However, third-plus parity cows treated with the single treatment had greater pregnancy loss compared with two/24 and double between d 24 and 34 post-AI. Third-plus parity cows that received the double treatment had lower LBF 2 and 4 d after treatment compared with cows treated with single. Amount of LBF present 4 d after treatment was not a predictor of pregnancy or pregnancy loss. A double dose (1.0 mg) of cloprostenol sodium may be a feasible alternative for fertility programs based on nondifferent outcomes to the two/24 treatment, lower pregnancy losses, and reduced LBF disappearance following treatment in third-plus parity cows in comparison with the single treatment.
High-Aspect-Ratio Ag Nanowire Mat Electrodes for Electrochemical CO Production from CO2

Economic CO2 conversion to CO or syngas production requires product-selective, high-throughput, and durable electrolyzers. High-surface-area nanocatalysts combined with gas-diffusion layers (GDLs) ...
Side effects of drugs used in ocular treatment

Abstract The side effects of drugs annuals form a series of volumes in which the adverse effects of drugs and adverse reactions to them are surveyed. The series supplements the contents of Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs: The International Encyclopedia of Adverse Drug Reactions and Interactions. This review of the January 2020–December 2020 publications pertains to drugs used in ocular treatment.
Terahertz Imaging with a Dynamic Aperture

Terahertz imaging with a dynamic aperture achieves sub-wavelength spatial resolution (~λ/10).
Changes to child snacking and parent feeding practices around snacking during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative exploration.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about many changes that potentially altered the home food environment, which has been associated with child health outcomes, such as dietary intake and weight status. There is also some evidence that changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with health behaviors in children, such as an increased intake of high-calorie snack food. The current study aimed to more deeply understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the home food environment of meal and snack time routines and patterns within families of young children. Data for this study are taken from the Kids EAT! Study, a racially/ethnically diverse cohort of families with 2-5 year old children. Qualitative interviews were conducted by phone and video conference with mothers (nâ¯=â¯25) during August/September 2020 and were coded using a hybrid deductive/inductive analysis approach. This allowed coders to identify themes using the interview questions as an organizational template (deductive) while also allowing unique themes to emerge from the qualitative data (inductive). Four overarching themes emerged with multiple sub-themes: 1) Mothers were more directive in the types of food and amounts of food eaten by children; 2) Mothers had less rules around mealtimes; 3) Mothers had increased meal responsibilities; 4) Changes to child snacking. When faced with a change in a structured schedule and increased stress-such as occurred with the COVID-19 pandemic, parents may benefit from advice on how to manage parent feeding practices, including tips on appropriate limit setting, establishing a schedule and routines, and improving accessibility of healthful snacks. Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic may have relevance to other time periods when families face disruptions to routine and during other times of transition.
Shallow Impurity States in Silicon and Germanium

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews current understanding of the shallow acceptor states in silicon and germanium. While these states are analogous to the donor states in a general way, one does not have nearly as detailed a picture of them. Secondly, spin resonance experiments, which have shed so much light on the nature of donor states, have not been successful in the case of acceptor states. Acceptor states are wave packets made up largely of Bloch waves chosen from near the top of the valence band. To understand them, one requires some information about the structure of this band. This information, which has, for the most part, been extracted from cyclotron resonance experiments, is summarized. In germanium spin resonance experiments have not been successful so that one does not have an experimental source for the g factor. The spin orbit interaction in germanium may be expected to be about an order of magnitude larger than in silicon because of the higher atomic number. To obtain the diamagnetic susceptibility, one must, as usual, calculate the energy of the donor state up the second order in the magnetic field H.
Wnt pathways in angiogenesis

Analysis of Wnt‐ or Frizzled‐deficient mice provides genetic evidence that angiogenesis is dependent on Wnt signaling. This evidence involves Wnt2, 4, and 7b, Frizzled 4 and 5, Wnt coreceptor low‐density‐lipoprotein receptor‐related protein 5 (LRP5), and Norrin, a non‐Wnt ligand for Frizzled 4. In addition, known Wnt‐signal modulators, such as secreted Frizzled related proteins (sFRP), can regulate angiogenesis. In the past few years, genetic disorders involving Frizzled 4, Norrin, and LRP5 have been linked to pathological phenotypes in angiogenesis in both mice and humans. Human hereditary disorders of the eye, such as familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) and Norrie disease (ND), are related to aberrant Wnt signaling in pathological retinal angiogenesis. Growing evidence in vitro has also linked Wnts and Wnt cascade components with regulation of angiogenesis. Canonical Wnt signaling can modulate endothelial cell function in vitro, promoting proliferation, survival, and migration of endothelial cells. Known angiogenic factors, like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and interleukin‐8, are direct downstream targets of Wnt signaling and may function in Wnt‐mediated angiogenesis. It is now clear that Wnts and Frizzled function in angiogenesis. Future work will help establish the relative contribution of Wnt signaling to the developing vasculature and pathological angiogenesis.
Access to Justice for Asylum Seekers: Developing an Effective Model of Holistic Representation

This Article argues that collaboration among lawyers, psychological and medical professionals, and human rights experts is paramount to ensuring the high-quality representation that asylum seekers need. As policymakers around the country consider different models for expanding immigration representation, it is vital that representation be defined broadly to include the range of experts integral to an asylum seeker’s case. Multidisciplinary representation is a functional requirement to ensure that asylum claims are fully developed and articulated to adjudicators. The article first explores the legal and financial barriers to accessing counsel. It then addresses the challenges that asylum seekers face when forced to present their cases without access to holistic representation. Next, it discusses barriers to inter-professional collaboration in asylum representation. It concludes by recommending a model of holistic representation for asylum seekers.
GROUND MOVEMENT ANALYSIS OF EARTH SUPPORT SYSTEM

Ground movements associated with a new insitu earth reinforcement lateral support system are analyzed using a two-dimensional plane strain finite element technique specially developed for reinforced soil and soil-structure interaction problems. Incremental construction and nonlinear soil characterization are included. The calculated ground movements are represented in terms of angular and lateral distortions. These were selected as indications of potential building damage ajacent to an open excavation. Typical design charts of angular and lateral distortions in relation to the depth of excavation and reinforcement length are presented. The system described in this paper is unique and in many instances offers a better choice over the conventional temporary earth support systems currently being used. The working stress analysis when coupled with the limit analysis calculation provide not only an adequate design of the system, but also information concerning ground movements critical to building damage adjacent to open cuts. (ASCE)
Modeling Space-Time Dependent Helium Bubble Evolution in Tungsten Armor Under IFE Conditions

During Helium implantation or generation in finite geometries, space dependent parameters and features affect Helium transport through the material. Conventional kinetic rate-theory models assume strictly homogeneous field parameters and as such can not directly resolve space dependent phenomena of helium transport. The current work outlines a new approach to simulate space-dependent helium transport during irradiation in finite geometries. The model and the numerical code, called HEROS, are described and applied to simulate typical IFE relevant helium implantation conditions. A case study using the HAPL IFE reactor design is used to demonstrate the capabilities of the HEROS code. It is shown that the HEROS code is capable of simulating very complex transient and space dependent Helium transport in finite geometries, including the simultaneous transient production of defects and space- and time-dependent temperature and temperature gradients. Space dependent nucleation and growth of helium bubbles during implantation are modeled along with the impact of biased migration and coalescence of Helium bubbles.
Adaptive parallel iterative deepening search

Many of the artificial intelligence techniques developed to date rely on heuristic search through large spaces. Unfortunately, the size of these spaces and the corresponding computational effort reduce the applicability of otherwise novel and effective algorithms. A number of parallel and distributed approaches to search have considerably improved the performance of the search process. Our goal is to develop an architecture that automatically selects parallel search strategies for optimal performance on a variety of search problems. In this paper we describe one such architecture realized in the EUREKA system, which combines the benefits of many different approaches to parallel heuristic search. Through empirical and theoretical analyses we observe that features of the problem space directly affect the choice of optimal parallel search strategy. We then employ machine learning techniques to select the optimal parallel search strategy for a given problem space. When a new search task is input to the system, EUREKA uses features describing the search space and the chosen architecture to automatically select the appropriate search strategy. EUREKA has been tested on a MIMD parallel processor, a distributed network of workstations, and a single workstation using multithreading. Results generated from fifteen puzzle problems, robot arm motion problems, artificial search spaces, and planning problems indicate that EUREKA outperforms any of the tested strategies used exclusively for all problem instances and is able to greatly reduce the search time for these applications.
Management of Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Merkel cell carcinoma is an aggressive neuroendocrine tumor with high rates of local recurrence, micro- and macrometastasis. Its poor prognosis underscores the importance of determining effective treatment protocols. However, given its rarity, there is a paucity of prospective randomized trials to guide evidence-based management. Current guidelines are largely based on retrospective reviews and expert consensus opinion. In general, treatment centers on addressing the primary tumor first, followed by management of nodal and/or metastatic disease. This review discusses therapeutic options by disease stage and highlights where questions remain to be answered.
Personality Antecedents of Customer Citizenship Behaviors in Online Shopping Situations

This study examines the psychological process used in predicting customer citizenship behaviors. Hypotheses are proposed to test the effects of personality traits on customer satisfaction, and customer citizenship behaviors in an online shopping context. Two broader elemental traits—agreeableness and extraversion—are posited to lead to specific state-based traits; namely, perspective taking and empathic concern. In turn, empathic reactions are expected to affect customer satisfaction as well as customer citizenship behaviors. Study results demonstrate that individuals high on empathic concern feel greater satisfaction with the service provider, and display a greater propensity to help other online shoppers.
A Distributed Method for Solving Semidefinite Programs Arising from Ad Hoc Wireless Sensor Network Localization

We describe a distributed or decomposed semidefinite programming (SDP) method for solving Euclidean metric localization problems that arise from ad hoc wireless sensor networks. Using the distributed method, we can solve very large scale semidefinite programs which are intractable for the centralized methods. Our distributed or decomposed SDP scheme also seems to be applicable to solving other Euclidean geometry problems where points are locally connected.
Social theory and globalization: The rise of a transnational state

Globalization is a relatively new concept in the social sciences. What this concept exactly means, the nature, extent, and importance of the changes bound up with the process, is hotly debated.1 But few would doubt that it is acquiring a critical importance for the academic as well as the political agenda of the twenty-first century, or that it poses a distinctive challenge to theoretical work in the social sciences. The historic limitations of social theory, insofar as it has been informed by the study of "national" societies and the nation-state, are brought into focus by the universalizing tendencies and transnational structural transformations bound up with globalization. To what extent is the nation-state a historically specific form of world social organization now in the process of becoming transcended by capitalist globalization? This is the question that underlies the present essay, although the matter I intend to address is more circumscribed.
Case 7: All Is Not Lost

The fiasco in Chap. 6 led as mentioned to a large loss of lot of research funds and no publication.
Graph-based approach to evaluate net routability of a floorplan

This paper presents a fast graph-based algorithm to evaluate routability of a floorplan. A simplified global routing problem is formulated as a constrained maximum independent set problem, and we use a limited number of routing options within a given number of routing layers. To test our approach, we use floorplans generated by the ELF-SP floorplanner that uses an evolutionary algorithm in conjunction with Lagrangian Relaxation. Experimental results show the effectiveness of our method.
Effects of progesterone on enzyme activity of adrenals in organ culture

Abstract Human fetal and mouse adrenals can be maintained for 24 hr or more in a histologically and enzymatically differentiated state in organ culture. Adrenals cultured in the presence of 10 −6 to 10 −4 m progesterone for 24 hr showed enhanced utilization of progesterone and decreased activity of the 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-isomerase enzyme systems when subsequently homogenized and incubated with progesterone-4- 14 C and pregnenolone-7α- 3 H, respectively. These findings may represent examples of control of enzyme activity by substrate and product in mammalian cells in organ culture.
DNA replication and messenger RNA production after induction of wild-type λ bacteriophage and λ mutants

Hybridization techniques have been used to study phage DNA synthesis and mRNA levels after induction of wild-type λ and a number of λ mutants. Mutants of λ defective in the N, O and P cistrons are blocked in DNA replication and produce a very low level of λ mRNA late in the induction period. Mutants defective in the Q cistron show normal DNA replication, but produce much lower levels of λ mRNA than a normal phage. The mRNA results suggest that the pleiotropio defect in synthesis of late proteins shown by N, O, P and Q mutants results from an insufficient number of mRNA copies for the region of the A genome containing the maturation functions. The λ T11 mutant, which has been shown previously to produce greatly elevated levels of λ nuclease, was found to be blocked in DNA replication. There does not, however, appear to be a general correlation between failure of DNA replication and the hypernuclease phenotype, because the DNA-defective. O cistron mutant has been found previously to be normal in nuclease production. The turn-on of λ-specific nucleic acid production in normal λ development after mitomycin and temperature induction has been compared. There is a 20- to 30-minute lag after addition of mitomycin before λ DNA and mRNA levels show an increase; in the case of temperature induction, the turn-on of λ nucleic acid production occurs much earlier. The effect of λ development after temperature induction on host DNA and mRNA production was also studied; no strong inhibition was found.
A systematic study and proposed model of the adsorption of binary metal ion solutes in aqueous solution onto activated carbon produced from pecan shells

Adsorption isotherms of a number of binary solute systems have been obtained. The adsorption behavior of these cations in the presence of other metal ions that display strong or intermediate affinities for adsorption sites has been systematically investigated. In this investigation the following factors have been considered: (1) metal ion site competition; (2) charge accumulation near the carbon surface; and (3) speciation of the metal ions. Two multicomponent adsorption models are proposed, and the results are compared to two models presented in the literature. The performance of these models is evaluated by an analysis of error. It is found that models with three interaction parameters generally provide a better fit of the data. In most cases, the proposed two-parameter model gives acceptable results.
Factors Controlling the Growth of Polyelectrolyte Multilayers

The dependence of polyelectrolyte multilayer thickness on salt concentration, salt type, solvent quality, deposition time, and polymer concentration is evaluated. Polymers are deposited on spinning silicon wafers. For the strong polycation/polyanion pair studied, film thickness is approximately proportional to the number of layers and the salt concentration. The irreversibility of overall molecule adsorption is indicated by the lack of exchange of surface (radiolabeled) for solution polymer. The hydrophobic nature of the driving force for polymer sorption is illustrated by the choice of salt counterion or solvent. Analyzed within the framework of ion exchange, the net energy of ion pair formation is not high, at most a few kT. Salt, competing with polymer segments for the surface, permits localized rearrangements. In the mechanism proposed, excess polymer is accommodated within several layers, rather than in one layer of loops and tails. Steric barriers coupled with slow conformational changes are respons...
Fluorescent Response of NaI (Tl) to Nuclear Radiations

The dependence on thallium concentration of the fluorescent response of NaI (Tl) to gamma rays and charged particles has been examined for crystals containing known mole fractions of Tl in the range from 0.00006 to 0.008. Scintillations were detected with a photomultiplier tube and pulses were displayed on an oscilloscope and recorded photographically. Plots of integrated pulse height vs energy for alpha-particle excitation show a region of nonlinearity which decreases with increasing Tl concentration. At sufficiently high alpha-particle energies a linear relation is approached for all crystals. No deviations from linearity were observed in plots of pulse height vs energy for deuterons or protons in crystals containing a Tl mole fraction of 0.0013. The fluorescent efficiency increases sharply with Tl concentration for mole fractions smaller than about 0.0015 and decreases for higher concentrations, this behavior being more pronounced for deuteron than for alpha-particle excitation. Four separate decay processes characterize the pulse shapes. In addition to the main part of the pulse, which has a rise time (mean life) of about 5.9\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ sec and a long, concentration dependent, exponential decay (decay constant 2.3 to 3.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}7}$ sec, independent of exciting radiation), there are two faster decays: 1, an emission with a decay constant of 1.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ sec from crystals containing Tl mole fractions less than about 0.0002; and 2, a 1.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ sec decay from high Tl content crystals excited by particles having a large specific energy loss. The emission spectrum consists of two bands centered at about 3500 A and 4100 A, their exact positions depending upon the Tl concentration and shifting toward longer wavelengths with increasing Tl concentration. The 1.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ sec emission is from the short wavelength band, and the other emissions are from the band at 4100 A. The dependence of the integrated pulse height on the Tl concentration and specific energy loss of the exciting particle are discussed, and possible explanations of the various decay processes are suggested.
Wavelets: getting perspective

When a person becomes so involved in details that they begin to lose sight of the big picture, it is said "they can't see the forest for the trees!" The wavelet transform is a relatively new signal processing tool that allows us to efficiently analyze the small details and the big picture. Wavelets have been shown to be very useful for signal compression, denoising and pattern recognition. This should not be surprising since they provide an efficient method for analyzing nonstationary signals at varying frequencies. With wavelets, we can analyze low frequencies (the forest) at very fine frequency resolution, and we can analyze high frequencies (the trees) at a very fine time resolution. Indeed, wavelets do allow us to see the forest and the trees!.
Gonadal steroids modulate the growth-associated protein GAP-43 (neuromodulin) mRNA in postnatal rat brain

Gonadal steroid hormone action during early postnatal life determines the growth and connectivity of certain neuronal populations in the hypothalamus. The results of recent studies indicate that steroid hormones modulate the growth-associated protein GAP-43 mRNA in the adult rodent hypothalamus. Since GAP-43 is concentrated in axonal growth cones and has been implicated in axonal elongation and synaptogenesis, the present study investigated the effect of various gonadal hormonal conditions on GAP-43 mRNA levels in postnatal rat brain. On postnatal day 1, male rats were castrated or sham-operated and injected with sesame oil. Additional intact female rats were also injected with oil, while a group of female pups were injected with testosterone propionate. On postnatal day 6, brains were frozen and 16-μm cryostat sections processed and hybridized with a 35S-labeled antisense riboprobe complimentary to GAP-43 mRNA. Slide-mounted sections were stringently washed, apposed to X-ray film and then dipped in liquid emulsion. Evaluation of slide and film autoradiograms revealed an extensive presence of GAP-43 mRNA in the medial preoptic nucleus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and cerebral cortex, while the intensity of hybridization signal in other brain regions including the striatum was low. Quantitative assessment of GAP-43 mRNA in the medial preoptic area revealed that the level of GAP-43 mRNA was highest in the sham-operated male, attenuated after male castration, low in the intact female and markedly augmented in the testosterone-treated female. The pattern of change in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and laminae II and III of the frontal cortex was similar to that observed in the preoptic area. The changes in hybridization signal were positively correlated with changes in serum testosterone levels as determined by RIA. The results of these studies indicate that GAP-43 mRNA levels in the medial preoptic area, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and cerebral cortex are sexually dimorphic and modulated by changes in gonadal steroid hormone levels. The results further suggest that the differential regulation of GAP-43 mRNA by sex steroids in the male and female postnatal brain may influence the phenotype of forebrain neuronal circuitry and thereby determine the phenotype of adult neuronal function.
Short-Term and Long-Term Outcomes for Patients with Autoimmune Pancreatitis After Pancreatectomy: A Multi-institutional Study

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a rare subtype of chronic pancreatitis that may mimic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term and long-term outcomes of pancreatectomy for patients with AIP. In this multi-institutional study, we identified all patients who underwent pancreatectomy for AIP from 1986 to 2011. AIP was confirmed by pathology review. Clinical presentation, operative details, and postoperative outcomes were analyzed. Seventy-four patients (median age, 60 years; 69 % male) with AIP underwent pancreatectomy. The main indication for operation was concern for malignancy (n = 59, 80 %). No patients were found to have pancreatic adenocarcinoma on final pathology. Major complications occurred in ten (14 %) patients, with one perioperative death (1 %). Clinically relevant (grade B/C) pancreatic fistulae occurred in two patients. No patients required reoperation for AIP and 11 (17 %) patients developed recurrent AIP. Although we do not advocate pancreatectomy for AIP, strong suspicion of malignancy may require an operation in selected patients. For patients with AIP, pancreatectomy resulted in few pancreatic fistulae, a low rate of re-intervention, and a 17 % recurrence rate.
The Heirloom Tomato as Cultural Object: Investigating Taste and Space

This article asks how the heirloom tomato emerged as a cultural object in the late twentieth century, from something grown by individual seedsaving gardeners into a status symbol available for $7 a pound at speciality markets. This article finds that a combination of structural changes (increasing industrial farming on the one hand, and the turn to organic, local and ‘authentic’ food experiences on the other) as well as the activities of individual activist chefs and seedsavers has led to the tomatoes' emergence in a broader arena of consumption. But the article also reveals a significant spatial dimension to this apparent change in meaning. The heirloom tomato certainly emerges as a symbol of elite status in the pages of popular magazines and newspapers by the early twenty-first century – but the act of ‘distinction’ and the marketplace in which it happens are spatially demarcated and do not interfere with the access of non-elites to the object. Thus I offer an explanation of how this cultural object is created over time, but at the same time emphasise the importance of attending to location and spatiality in the study of taste, distinction and culture.
The use of mutants to discern the degradation pathway of 3,4'-dichlorobiphenyl in Pseudomonas acidovorans M3GY.

Abstract Pseudomonas acidovorans strain M3GY is a recombinant bacterium with the novel ability to utilize 3,4′-dichlorobiphenyl (3,4′-DCBP) as a growth substrate. This strain was previously shown to oxidize the 3′-ring and produce 4-chlorobenzoate (4-CBa) through the standard biphenyl pathway. Although 4-CBa was metabolized through the meta -fission pathway, the genes encoding the ortho -chlorocatechol pathway were retained. Nevertheless, neither 3-CBa nor 3-chlorocatechol (3-CC) were detected as intermediates during metabolism of 3,4′-DCBP, nor was 4-CBa utilized as a sole carbon source, by this strain. Two mutant strains were produced to resolve these anomalies. Mutant strain M3GY-9 was obtained by Tn 5 insertion and selection for growth on biphenyl, and was unable to grow on 3-CBa. It accumulated 3-CC from 3,4′-DCBP when grown on biphenyl. Thus, M3GY attacks both rings, and the failure to isolate 3-CBa or 3-CC is due to rapid turnover by the enzymes of the ortho -chlorocatechol pathway in the wild-type strain. Mutant strain M3GY-1 grew on 4-CBa, unlike the wild-type strain. Washed cell suspensions of mutant strain MEGY-1 consumed 4-fluorobenzoate, 4-bromobenzoate, and, to a lesser extent 4-iodobenzoate. The mutation that resulted in the ability of mutant strain M3GY-I to effectively utilize 4-CBa as a sole carbon source was associated with a transport mechanism.
The effectiveness of the Geritalk communication skills course: a real-time assessment of skill acquisition and deliberate practice.

Abstract Background Communication skills are critical in Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine because these patients confront complex clinical scenarios. We evaluated the effectiveness of the Geritalk communication skills course by comparing pre- and post-course real-time assessment of the participants leading family meetings. We also evaluated the participants' sustained skills practice. Measures We compare the participants' skill acquisition before and after Geritalk using a direct observation Family Meeting Communication Assessment Tool and assess their deliberate practice at follow-up. Intervention First-year Geriatrics or Palliative Medicine fellows at Mount Sinai Medical Center and the James J. Peters Bronx VA Medical Center participated in Geritalk. Outcomes Pre- and post-course family meeting assessments were compared. An average net gain of 6.8 skills represented a greater than 20% improvement in use of applicable skills. At two month follow-up, most participants reported deliberate practice of fundamental and advanced skills. Conclusions/Lessons Learned This intensive training and family meeting assessment offers evidence-based communication skills training.
Prediction models for psychophysical lifting capabilities and the resulting physiological responses for work shifts of varied durations

This paper presents models for predicting estimates of maximum weights of lift acceptable to industrial workers for 8-hour work shifts. Prediction models are also presented for heart rate and oxygen uptake at the maximum acceptable weight of lift. Experimental data collected on 37 males and 37 females were used in developing and verifying these models. Each subject performed nine variations of a lifting task involving three heights, four frequencies, and three box sizes to determine estimates of acceptable lifts for 8-hour shifts. The final lifting capability prediction models explained 76 to 82% variance in the experimental data. A procedure is also described to determine, from these models, acceptable lifts for work periods of variable lengths. The physiological-response-prediction models, which provide estimates of heart rate and oxygen uptake at the maximum acceptable weight of lift, were, however, relatively inferior to other similar response models available in the literature. This is thought to be due to the differences between the psychophysical and physiological methodologies.
The ability of guinea pigs to synthesize carnitine at a normal rate from ϵ-N-trimethyllysine or γ-butyrobetaine in vivo is not compromised by experimental vitamin C deficiency

Abstract Experimental vitamin C deficiency in guinea pigs is associated with low carnitine concentrations in blood and some tissues. Ascorbic acid is a cofactor for two enzymes in the pathway of carnitine biosynthesis. The effect of experimental vitamin C deficiency on the ability of guinea pigs to synthesize carnitine was investigated in animals fed a vitamin C-deficient diet for 28 days. On days 19 to 28, supplements (0.5 mmol · kg body weight −1 · d − ) of the carnitine precursors ϵ- N -trimethyllysine or γ-butyrobetaine were administered orally. Ascorbate-supplemented, ascorbate-deficient, and pair-fed (to ascorbate-deficient) animals showed an increase in the rate of carnitine biosynthesis (as estimated from measured rates of carnitine excretion) of 32 to 40 μmol · kg body weight −1 · d −1 following supplementation with ϵ- N -trimethyllysine. Likewise, animals in each experimental group showed an increase in the rate of carnitine biosynthesis of 41 to 50 μmol · kg body weight −1 · d −1 after supplementation with γ-butyrobetaine. These results indicate that scorbutic guinea pigs are able to synthesize carnitine at a normal or above-normal rate. For guinea pigs not given a carnitine precursor supplement, rates of free and total carnitine excretion for ascorbate-deficient (but not pair-fed) animals were threefold higher than for ascorbate-supplemented animals during days 19 to 28 of the feeding regimen. Thus, carnitine depletion in vitamin C deficiency likely is due to excessive urinary excretion of carnitine and not to a decreased rate of carnitine biosynthesis.
THE ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF LOBED AND TOOTHED LEAVES IN TEMPERATE FOREST TREES

Leaves with toothed and lobed margins are frequent in deciduous forests but are rare in moist tropical forests. We hypothesize that leaf teeth may be important to deciduous species as sites of precocious, early season photosynthesis. To test this hypothesis we dosed leaves with 14CO2 and used autoradiography to examine the spatial distribution of photosynthesis within immature leaves of 18 woody species of North Carolina Piedmont forests. We found a significant concentration of early season photosynthesis on the margins of eight species with prominent teeth or lobes, but not in seven toothed or lobed leaf species and in none of the four entire-leaf species.
Interactions of anti-sigma factor antagonists of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the yeast two-hybrid system.

Summary Anti-sigma factor antagonists (anti-anti-sigma factors) play critical roles in regulating the expression of alternative sigma factors in response to specific stress signals. The Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG) database has identified the existence of six genes, Rv0516c, Rv1364c, Rv1365c, Rv1904, Rv2638 and Rv3687c (grouped under the cluster COG1366), encoding potential anti-sigma factor antagonists in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These molecules are speculated to regulate the expression of sigma factor SigF of M. tuberculosis in response to stress signals. Since signaling occurs via physical interactions of proteins (protein–protein interaction), we investigated whether the anti-sigma factor antagonists of M. tuberculosis interact with anti-sigma factor RsbW (Rv3287c) or the sigma factor SigF (Rv3286c) in the yeast two-hybrid system. The results revealed that most of the anti-sigma factor antagonists interact with either RsbW or SigF or both. In addition, some anti-sigma factor antagonists also displayed limited interactions between themselves. These interactions suggest that they possibly transduce some signals to SigF and between themselves.
Photoelectrochemical Stability of Electrodeposited Cu2O Films

We report on the photoelectrochemical stability of electrodeposited films of cuprous oxide (Cu2O) in aqueous solutions. p-type Cu2O was electrodeposited from an alkaline lactate solution onto Au substrates with a (111) preferred orientation. The as-deposited films exhibit a strong (111) orientation and a columnar morphology, terminating at the surface with pyramidal features. Stability of the photoelectrochemical response was studied via repeated cycling polarization and by monitoring the photocurrent within a voltage window where only the CuO/Cu2O transformation would occur. The Cu2O film morphology changes from a dense structure to a more stable network of elongated leaf-like crystals. We attributed this behavior to the energy differences among the various crystallographic facets of Cu2O, with the {111} facets being the most stable. Photocurrent evolution over time was explained in terms of an initial increase in surface area at the start of the process, followed by a decrease due to increased recombina...
Operators for program control

Structured programming constructs such as if-then-else and do-while have traditionally been used to give a natural flow to programs written in one of the ALGOL-like languages. Languages with a functional basis, such as APL and LISP, provide (and are characterized by) alternative means of controlling the flow of expression. These include function modularity, the application of functions across data structures, the use of data structures to control program flow, and the mapping of operations across data and across other operations.In APL2, the use of these methods has been enhanced by the generalization of APL data structures, the addition of the primitive operator Each(″), and the ability to define operators. This paper will examine ways in which these features may be used to give a non-procedural look to APL2 functions.
Reactions of chlorine nitrate with HCl and H2O

The kinetics of the reactions of chlorine nitrate with HCl and H2O are characterized using a static photolysis/Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer apparatus. For the homogeneous gas-phase reaction with HCl, an upper limit for the rate constant of less than 8.4 x 10 to the -21st, and for the reaction with H2O, a limit of less than 3.4 x 10 to the -21st cu cm/molecule per s, were obtained at 296 + or - 2 K. The yield of HNO3 is almost unity in both cases, and no synergistic effect is noted between HCl and H2O. The kinetic behavior of the reaction with H2O is well described by simple first-order kinetics, while the behavior of the reaction with HCl is described in terms of the Langmuir adsorption isotherm.
A comparison of petroleum futures versus spot prices as predictors of prices in the future

Abstract Even though studies have indicated that the futures market leads the spot market in price discovery, this paper hypothesizes that the ‘predictive’ significance of each should be the same. A number of different statistical tests are presented to test this hypothesis. When deseasonalized data is employed the predictive significance of each series is found to be the same, but when actual prices are employed, futures prices did correctly anticipate the observed seasonal pattern.
Amorphous structure heat: Temperature dependence of heats of solution for polystyrene in toluene and ethylbenzene

Abstract When a polymer is dissolved in a solvent, the heat measured is a sum of a polymer-solvent interaction term and a term related to the structure that existed in the solid polymer relative to its amorphous liquid state. This latter contribution, termed the “residual” heat, can have an endothermic contribution due to the fusion of crystalline regions and an exothermic contribution due to the disruption of structure in noncrystalline amorphous regions. For atactic polystyrene between 30 and 110°C, it is shown that the “residual” heat is exothermic, decreases linearly with temperature differences below Tg, and extrapolates to zero in the vicinity of Tg. The existence of an exothermic heat above Tg is probably related to a 160°C transition in polystyrene. This “residual” heat was further observed to be independent of the pressure at which the polystyrene was glassified.
Kelvin wave time scale propagation features of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) as measured by the Chen‐MJO index

[1] Kelvin wave time scale propagation features in an indexed measure of the strength of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) are investigated. Examination of reanalysis data and Chen-MJO index data for three 14 May to 21 September periods shows that recurring events near Sumatra frequently associated with convectively coupled (CC) Kelvin waves tend to correspond in a time-lagged manner with increases in indexed MJO strength at various longitudes. The events, characterized by low-level divergence within a cyclonic circulation off the west coast of Sumatra, combined with northward advances in the dynamic equator, tend to lag increases in indexed MJO strength by several days in the Indian Ocean and Maritime Continent and to lead such increases farther to the east. Maximum time-lagged correlation coefficients between increases in indexed MJO strength and a measure of the strength of the divergence events near Sumatra are consistent with a disturbance propagating eastward at Kelvin wave phase speeds. A similar signal is demonstrated in a 32 year data set of the Chen-MJO index by examining time-lagged correlations between increases in indexed MJO strength at various longitudes and corresponding increases for selected events at 80°E and 160°E. The results suggest an enhanced rate of increase in MJO strength as the apparent Kelvin wave signal passes, roughly marking the beginning of an extended period of MJO growth. Potential limitations of the current analysis are discussed. A look at a particular MJO episode provides evidence consistent with the statistical results, while supporting a role of sequential CC Kelvin wave passages in the propagation of the MJO.
Securing mucosal borders--migrant monocytes to the rescue.

Gr1 + "inflammatory" monocytes are emerging as key players in the innate immune response to infection and vaccination. In a recent issue of Immunity , Dunay et al. (2008) report a surprisingly crucial role for inflammatory monocytes in mucosal resistance to the parasitic agent Toxoplasma gondii .
Anatomic determination of humeral head retroversion: The relationship of the central axis of the humeral head to the bicipital groove

The relationship of the central axis of the humeral head to the bicipital groove was studied in 18 fresh cadaver specimens. The central axis was an average of 9 mm posterior to the posterior margin of the bicipital groove. In reproduction of humeral head retroversion during humeral head replacement surgery, the lateral fin of the prosthesis should be placed at this location.
Determination of 3-β-hydroxy sterols with anthrone reagent

Abstract A method for determination of total and free 3-β-hydroxy sterols with anthrone reagent is described. The proposed method differs from previous ones in that the anthrone reagent is stable for weeks at room temperature, and the color developed is stable for 24 hr. An efficient separation of free digitonin and sterol digitonide has been developed. The specificity and application of the method are discussed.
Phase‐plane analysis of feedback control of unstable steady states in a biological reactor

Feedback control of an open loop, unstable, continuous flow, stirred-tank biological reactor was investigated theoretically using several microbial growth models. The closed loop system can be made globally stable, but constraints on the manipulated variable can lead to as many as five steady states, which are either saddle points or locally stable nodes.