cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Pulmonary Embolism Response Team: initial experiences and future directions

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common cardiovascular condition resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Consensus recommendations suggest risk stratification of patients into three main categories: high-risk or 'massive' PE, intermediate-risk or 'submassive' PE, and low-risk PE. Given the relative dearth of prospective, randomized clinical trials delineating optimal selection of the diverse medical, interventional, and surgical treatment approaches, clinical care requires a multidisciplinary expert approach to patients with PE. Areas covered: The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) was the first of its kind to create a multidisciplinary, rapid response team for acute PE, integrated within a research and educational framework. The MGH PERT has treated more than 700 patients with PE, the majority of which are in the 'massive' or 'submassive' categories. The PERT Consortium™ was founded in 2015 as a collaborative network between the growing number of PERT programs internationally, with greater than 80 institutions participating within one year of establishment. Expert commentary: Since its advent, the PERT model has expanded throughout the United States and internationally through a collaborative institutional and research network. PERT may represent a new standard for the care of patients with acute PE.
Mentoring Pediatric Victims of Interpersonal Violence Reduces Recidivism

Pediatric interpersonal violence is a public health crisis resulting in morbidity and mortality and recidivism. St. Louis City and surrounding areas have the highest rates of youth interpersonal violence nationally. St. Louis Children's Hospital (SLCH) Social Work in conjunction with Pediatric Emergency Medicine established a novel emergency department (ED)-initiated program to determine whether co-location of services followed by outpatient mentoring reduced the rate of morbidity, mortality, and recidivism in youths experiencing interpersonal violence. SLCH developed the "Empowering Youth Through Interpersonal Violence Prevention Program," co-locating initial social work services and emergency medical services in the pediatric ED. Youths, ages 8 to 17 years, presenting for interpersonal violence were approached for immediate social work counseling and subsequent individualized outpatient mentoring, developed from national best practices and model programs. A prospective 2:1 randomized, controlled pilot study assessing for youth morbidity, mortality, and recidivism was conducted for program service feasibility from 2012 to 2014. The study was followed by a 1-year retrospective analysis of program service integration as a hospital standard-of-care evaluating the same outcome measures. Of the 24 youths who participated in the pilot study and received the intervention, there was a 4% rate of morbidity and recidivism. Conversely, there was a 3.4% rate of mortality, 6.7% rate of morbidity, and 11.8% recidivism rate in those who refused to participate in services. EYIPP was offered as a service from 2014 to 2015 and 57 youths participated with a 3.5% rate of both morbidity and recidivism. During this time, 78 eligible youths declined services with a 1.1% rate of morbidity, and 2.3% recidivism rate. This novelprogram reduces recidivism, morbidity, and mortality in youths presenting to SLCH for interpersonal violence-related injuries suggesting that co-location of social services in the ED, followed by individualized mentoring may be important for engagement.
Cenozoic Muricidae Of The Western Atlantic Region Part Ix-Pterynotus, Poirieria, Aspella, Dermomurex, Calotrophon, Acantholabia, And Attiliosa; Additions And Corrections

A total of 124 names have been applied to western Atlantic species referred herein to the muricid genera Pterynotus, Poirieria, Aspella, Dermomurex, Calotrophon, Acantholabia and Attiliusa. Of these, 97 are valid and are treated systematically; an additional two are cited as "species.'' These include the following numbers of taxa: Pterynotus - 24; Poirieria - 35; Aspella - 4; Dermomurex - 25; Calotrophon - 6; Acantholabia - 2; Attiliosa - 3. There are 43 species in the Recent fauna, but only 29 are confined to the Recent, the remainder are both living and fossil. Of the 97 valid taxa, 12 are new species and are named herein. These are: Pterynotus (Pterynotus) praepatagiatus, from the Chipola Formation; Poirieria (Panamurex) gibsonsmithi, from the Cantaure Formation and Poirieria (Panamurex) improcerus, from the Cantaure and Caujarao formations; Poirieria (Panamurex) rutschi, from the Punta Gavilan Formation; Dermomurex (Dermomurex) sarkini, from the Moin Formation; Dermomurex (Takia) portelli, from the Suwannee Limestone and River Bend Formation; Calotrophon venezuelanus, from the Mare Formation; Poirieria (Paziella) petuchi, Poirieria (Panarnurex) eugeniae, Dermomurex (Dermornurex) wordsfoldi, Dermomurex (Dermomurex) sarasuae and Dermomurex (Dermomurex) binghamae, all from the Recent.
Chapter 7 – Low-latitude boundary layer

Publisher Summary The magnetospheric low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL) is a layer of plasma lying immediately earthward of the magnetopause (MP). The most important point to remember is that a lot of plasma is flowing tailward, mostly on closed field lines. To conserve momentum, the plasma must maintain this electric field, especially at the magnetopause, for both southward and northward IMF. An important result of a superposed epoch analysis is that the dayside LLBL has a dense outer part that can be distinguished from its dilute inner part. Whereas the plasma in the OBL is dominated by solar wind particles, the partial densities of solar wind and magnetospheric particles in the inner boundary layer (IBL) are lower, comparable to plasma sheet. Particles drifting out into the surface layer from the OBL experience a smaller electric field, hence a smaller drift than the bulk of the plasma; they are consequently left behind in the IBL as well in the PS. The particles lost from the surface layer are continuously replaced from the plasma interior, that is, from OBL. Thus the plasma velocity remains unchanged while the mass is gradually decreasing. An antisunward LLBL flow component at highest latitudes produces an electric field associated with a sunward flow component at lower latitudes, both on the dawn and dusk sides. Observations of the ionospheric convection signature at high latitudes during periods of prolonged northward IMF show that a four-cell convection pattern can frequently be observed. For northward IMF the flow distributions are suggestive of plasma penetration taking place at the poleward edge of the cusp, combined with a sunward convection there. These results indicate that the exterior cusp flow structure is compatible with the preferential presence of reconnection at low-latitudes for southward IMF and at high-latitudes in the lobes for northward IMF.
Educational experiences of ELL educators: searching for instructional insights to promote ELL students’ learning

Sustained academic growth of the Mexican population in the public schools of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas has precipitated a need for new and innovative ways to effectively educate English-language learners (ELLs). In place of common external factors typically used such as attendance, socioeconomic status, and test scores to address ELL’s learning, this study uses the lived educational descriptions of ELL teachers, who were once ELL students, to mine for new instructional insights to promote ELL student learning. To that effect, discourse analysis was utilized to ascertain the identity(s) of ELL educators, who were once ELL students. The convergence of the N-Identity and I-Identity leads to a third, albeit just as important D-Identity that provides much needed insight for school directors, curriculum facilitators, administrators, and educators who teach ELL students every day.
From Mathematica to Live Performance: Mapping Simple Programs to Music

This paper focuses on selected simple programs used to model generative processes for basic elements of music material such as rhythm, pitch and texture, as well as large-scale works of music. After presenting decisions on sound mapping procedures, I’ll introduce the system NKM, A New Kind of Music, designed by Peter Overmann, director of software technology for the Mathematica programming environment. NKM is a system controlled by cellular automata (CA), modeling a number of processes in nature. The CA presented in the paper belong to a group of elementary rules that encapsulate four classes of complexity, from simple to universally complex, conceived by Stephen Wolfram and presented in his book A New Kind of Science. All of the examples were generated in Mathematica, the software by Wolfram Research Inc. Mathematical basis for the examples can be found in the book A New Kind of Science. 1
Revegetation Strategies for Northern Temperate Glacial Marshes and Meadows

Today the temperate mid-continent of North America is an intensively agricultural region, with most land in crop or livestock production. Tile and ditch systems drain water from the swales and depressions of the level to rolling glacial terrain, facilitating both crop growth and transportation. Early explorers that could find “no way through the interminable lakes and swamps ”in the mid-1800s would traverse a grid of improved roads (generally every 1.6 km or 1 mile) if they traveled there today. Prior to these cultural improvements, wetlands covered between 15% and 60% of the landscape, the extent varying with landform (Galatowitsch and van der Valk 1994, Detenbeck et al. in press). Grass and sedge (Carex spp.) dominated meadows occupied shallow, ephemerally flooded areas, whereas emergent and submersed aquatic vegetation (Sparganium, Sagittaria, Scirpus, Potamogeton) occupied persistently flooded areas in deeper marshes (Stewart and Kantrud 1971). More than 75% of the wetlands have been drained in the region (Dahl and Johnson 1991, Detenbeck et al. in press), most 25-75 years ago (Figure 1) (Hewes 1951, Prince 1997). Drained wetlands vary in moisture level from those thoroughly drained by tile and intensively farmed every year to sites drained with shallow ditches and farmed only during dry years.
Who's Driving? Human Cytomegalovirus, Interferon, and NFκB Signaling.

As essential components of the host’s innate immune response, NFκB and interferon signaling are critical determinants of the outcome of infection. Over the past 25 years, numerous Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) genes have been identified that antagonize or modulate the signaling of these pathways. Here we review the biology of the HCMV factors that alter NFκB and interferon signaling, including what is currently known about how these viral genes contribute to infection and persistence, as well as the major outstanding questions that remain.
Correction to: Isolation, Purification, and Culture of Primary Murine Sensory Neurons

In chapter 15, section 2.3, the unit "180 μg/ml mouse laminin in HBSS. Prepare 150 μl per coverslip" is corrected to "18 μg/ml mouse laminin in HBSS. Prepare 150 μl per coverslip."
Dual endothelin receptor inhibition enhances T-DM1 efficacy in brain metastases from HER2-positive breast cancer

The effective treatment of cerebral metastases from HER2-positive breast cancer remains an unmet need. Recent studies indicate that activated astrocytes and brain endothelial cells exert chemoprotective effects on cancer cells through direct physical interaction. Here we report that the endothelin axis mediates protection of HER2-amplified brain metastatic breast cancers to the anti-HER2 antibody-drug conjugate ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1). Macitentan, a dual inhibitor of endothelin receptors A and B, improves the efficacy of T-DM1 against breast cancers grown in the brain. We show that direct contact of brain stroma with cancer cells is required for protection to T-DM1. Our data suggest that targeting the endothelin axis may be beneficial when anti-signaling agent and cytotoxic agent are combined. These findings may contribute to the development of therapeutic approaches with enhanced efficacy in the brain microenvironment.
O2 sensitive, local regulation of CSF H+ activity.

It has been known for many years that the H+ activity of the CSF was somehow protected from acidosis occurring in the blood and that this protection was partially achieved by a mechanism which could cause HCO 3 - differences between CSF and blood.
The prostaglandin receptor EP4 triggers remodelling of the cardiovascular system at birth

Survival of newborn placental mammals depends on closure of the ductus arteriosus (DA), an arterial connection in the fetus which directs blood away from the pulmonary circulation and towards the placenta where oxygenation occurs1. Here we show that morphological changes resulting in closure of the DA in mice are virtually identical to those observed in larger mammals, including humans2, and that maintenance of the DA in the open, or patent, state in fetal mice is dependent on prostaglandin synthesis. This requirement is absent in mice lacking the prostaglandin E2 EP4 receptor (EP4(−/−) mice). In EP4(−/−) mice of the 129 strain, remodelling of the DA fails to occur after birth, resulting in a left-to-right shunt of blood and subsequently in death. This suggests that the neonatal drop in prostaglandin E2 (refs 3,4,5,6,7) that triggers ductal closure is sensed through the EP4 receptor. In contrast, 5% of EP4(−/−) mice of mixed genetic background survive, and selective breeding of these mice leads to a 21% survival rate, suggesting that alleles at other loci can provide an alternative mechanism for ductal closure.
Investment Funds and Related Topics: Guest Editor's Introduction

Financial research on China continues to draw the attention and interest of scholars around the globe, but mutual funds and exchange-traded funds have not been explored as much as other topics. It is my honor to be the guest editor of a special issue devoted to these newer topics in Chinese financial research. The first article, “Mutual Fund Investment Strategies and Preferences: Evidence from China” by Jingjing Yang, Jing Chi, and Martin Young, classifies Chinese mutual funds as either quasi-index, transient, or dedicated. Using sophisticated research methods, it shows that Chinese mutual funds tend to hold stocks characterized by low market risk, low liquidity, good operating and stock performance, and large firm size; in addition, that they prefer to hold stocks of state-controlled listed firms rather than privately controlled ones. This article is the first major study of the investing behavior of Chinese mutual fund managers. The second article, “Investor Sentiment and Investment Behavior in the Chinese Mutual Fund Market” by Jen-Sin Lee, Pi-Hsia Yen, and Kam C. Chan, studies the relationship between investor sentiment and investment behavior among mutual fund investors in China. It finds that investment behavior varies across different investor sentiments, especially in a volatile period as compared to a stable period. Unlike the Yang, Chi, and Young article, this one studies the behavior of mutual retail investors. The third article, “Does Warrant Trading Matter in Tracking Errors of ChinaFocused Exchange-Traded Funds?” by Wai-Cheong Shum, Andy C.N. Kan, and Tao Chen, investigates the impact of warrant trading on tracking errors by Chinafocused ETFs in Hong Kong. The results suggest that tracking errors in these ETFs are amplified after the first-time warrant listing, implying that derivative products encourage speculative investment in underlying assets.
The use of home Non-Invasive ventilation in Cystic Fibrosis in a large Uk regional paediatric Service.

Background: There are no evidence-based guidelines when to initiate Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) in children. Aim: To review the use of NIV in all patients with Cystic Fibrosis, within a large regional paediatric service in UK. Methods: A retrospective case note review of patients within the regional CF service, >300 children (0-18 years,) who have used NIV. For each child DOB, genes, markers of lung health and nutritional status were noted. The date, presence of humidification and mode of initial ventilation was noted. Whether the child had a chest hrCT scan pre NIV setup and any post setup complications were noted. Referral for lung transplant, as well as the current clinical condition on 1/10/2019 was noted. Results: Since 2006, 14 children have used NIV. 1 child9s records were excluded as archived. Of the 13 children with CF, at the time of NIV set up, all had FEV1 Conclusions: Within a large paediatric CF service, NIV has been used infrequently but safely. In our population NIV has been used in those with the most severe disease as a bridge to transplant or for palliation. The role of a CT scan pre-setup needs to be evaluated and the indications for initiation need to be determined.
Course Delivery Format, Global Openness, and Openness to Experience in International Business Classes

This research studies the impact of taking an international business course (IB) under both online and face-to-face methods on changes in the attitudinal construct global openness. This research al...
Dosing Common Medications in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients with Obesity: A Review

Medication management in children and adolescents with obesity is challenging because both developmental and pathophysiological changes may impact drug disposition and response. Evidence to date indicates an effect of obesity on drug disposition for certain drugs used in this population. This work identified published studies evaluating drug dosing, pharmacokinetics (PK), and effect in pediatric patients with obesity, focusing on 70 common medications used in a pediatric network of 42 US medical centers. A PubMed search revealed 33 studies providing PK and/or effectiveness data for 23% (16 of 70) of medications, 44% of which have just one study and can be considered exploratory. This work appraising 4 decades of literature shows several promising approaches: greater use of PK models applied to prospective clinical studies, dosing recommendations derived from both PK and safety, and multiyear effectiveness data on drugs for chronic conditions (e.g., asthma). Most studies make dose recommendations but are weakened by retrospective study design, small study populations, and no controls or historic controls. Dosing decisions continue to rely on extrapolating knowledge, including targeting systemic drug exposure typically achieved in adults. Optimal weight-based dosing strategies vary by drug and warrant prospective, controlled studies incorporating PK and modeling and simulation to complement clinical assessment.
Managing Cover Crops in No-Till Farming Systems

Cover crops have long been used in agricultural production systems as a result of providing varying agronomic and environmental benefits. Although no-till (NT) is a leading approach to sustain crop production, reduce soil degradation, mitigate environmental concerns, and enhance ecosystem services, implementing cover crops can further enhance NT performance. In order to successfully adapt cover crops into NT systems, several factors should be considered. Goals should be determined based upon an individual’s farming system, as success of one approach may vary depending on climatic and environmental conditions or simply management approaches. Proper management of cover crops can lead to improved soil function and health, have agronomic and economic benefits, and enhance environmental quality. The objective of this chapter is to provide a background of cover crop management approaches and selected potential benefits in NT cropping systems.
Rude customers and service performance: roles of motivation and personality

On the basis of the self-determination theory, we develop and test an integrative framework that explains when and why customer incivility impairs employee service performance. Using multisource da...
Small RNAs couple embryonic developmental programs to gut microbes

Abstract Maternal exposure to microbes and other environmental factors is known to induce adaptive changes in the progeny, but little is understood about how development of the progeny is changed. We show that Caenorhabditis elegans undergoes additional embryonic cell divisions in response to maternal gut microbes such as one producing the biopolymer γ-poly-DL-glutamic acid. The divisions coincide with anatomical changes including left-right asymmetric cell alignment, doubling the association between intestinal cells and primordial germ cells, and improved fecundity. The developmental changes are regulated by soma-to-germline transmission of endogenous RNAi and the miR-35 microRNA family, which targets the LIN-23/CDC-25 pathway. Our findings challenge the widespread assumption that C. elegans has an invariant cell lineage that consists of 959 somatic cells and provide insights into how organisms optimize embryogenesis to adapt to environmental changes through epigenetic controls.
Finite element model analysis of scattering by objects in complex seafloor environments

Underwater object detection and classification efforts are complicated by object burial within complex seafloor interfaces, which can alter the acoustic scattering signature in a variety of ways based on the level of object burial, orientation, frequency, grazing angle, and the variation of the seafloor topography. In this investigation, three-dimensional finite element models of acoustic scattering from objects in seafloor sediment were developed, to explore the effects that interface bathymetry and roughness have on the acoustic scattering, and to capture these effects within the model. Models were developed for comparison with measured acoustic scattering data from objects in real in situ ocean environments. Far-field scattering results outside the model domain were achievable through a numerical Green's function determination process. A high fidelity model that can account for the effects of interface rippling and mounding, small-scale roughness, and target/environment asymmetry has great appeal for detection and classification efforts. [Work supported by the Office of Naval Research and by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program.]
Terrorism, Democratization, and U.S. Foreign Policy

Members of the American foreign policy establishment argue that the United States should combat transnational terrorism by encouraging democratization. Yet, empirical studies indicate that democratization may increase political violence, thereby raising the question: why would American policymakers favor democratization when the empirical record shows that this course of action is so dangerous? This study develops a game theoretic model to analyze the effect of democratization on terrorism. The model demonstrates that the United States uses the commitment problems created by democratization to solve the moral hazard problem created by supporting autocratic hosts. These empirical implications are tested using a combination of two datasets.
Flexural-Torsional Buckling of Planar Frames

A method of analyzing flexural-torsional buckling frame failure is presented. The differential equations and equations of equilibrium and continuity at interior joints are derived by minimizing a total potential energy function for the structure. Although the paper is concerned with rectangular rigid frames, the equations are also applicable to single-span beams, continuous beams, and gabled frames. The differential equations are solved by numerical integration and the solution is used to set up a "buckling determinant," which is evaluated for increasing estimates of the critical load until a value is found that makes the determinant zero. This value is the critical load for the structure. The effect of lateral bracing at the knees of a rigid frame on the flexural-torsional buckling load of the frame is investigated for three loading conditions: Lateral load at the top of the left column, transverse loads at third points of the beam section of the frame, and axial loads at the tops of the columns. The results are presented in graphical form.
Consequences of on-line optimization in highly nonlinear chemical processes

Abstract The effects of on-line optimization, wherein process set-points are adjusted in response to changing economic conditions in order to maximize the profit, are investigated on a simple chemical process. The present results show that running a process with on-line optimization can lead to the process operating at a lower profit than if no optimization were used at all. This effect is not just that the on-line optimizer fails to other find higher profit maxima as prices change, but rather that on-line optimization can lead to lower-profit performance at the initial set of price. The lower-profit performance will occur if price fluctuations cause the profit maximum at which the process operates to disappear at some point in the fluctuation.
No more surprising than a broken pitcher? Maternal and child health in the early years of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau.

The priorities and activities of international health organizations have historically been determined at the metropolitan level or through a confluence of central and local interests. The case of maternal and child health and the Pan American Sanitary Bureau during the first half of the 20th century demonstrates a different phenomenon. Rather than sparking interest and actions in maternal and child health in Latin America, the PASB ignored this area even though the agency was repeatedly urged by numerous countries in the region over several decades to provide support. This article begins with an examination of the emergence of maternal and child health circa 1900 in Europe, North America, and Latin America, identifying political, demographic, ideological, economic, and cultural commonalities and differences in these regions. We then turn to the PASB's early history and modus operandi, the pressure exerted by Latin American countries upon the PASB to pay attention to maternal and child health, and the Bureau's unwillingness to work in this area. Next we explore concomitant developments in maternal and child health and eugenics within Latin America in the 1920s and 1930s and the PASB's first steps in this area. Finally we discuss the conflict over the PASB's role in maternal and child health on several dimensions: as a manifestation of differing cultural priorities in the U.S. and Latin America; as a question of struggle for organizational power within the PASB; and as part of a richer understanding of the diffusion of early 20th-century public health and medical practices.
An unusual timing of blood coagulation in deer mice (Peromyscus leucopus)

Blood from albino mice clots in glass tubes (Lee–White test) in approximately two minutes. The tube can be inverted and the coagulated blood does not move for hours. In contrast, blood from winter and summer deer mice (Peromyscus leucopus) from Iowa, and summer deer mice (N = 89) from Connecticut, Georgia, and Texas (USA) either did not clot at all or formed a transient clot which became liquid within 1–5 minutes. A small (1/10 of specimen volume) clump remained in most specimens. The mechanism of the phenomenon is unknown, but may be an exceptionally enhanced spontaneous clot lysis.
Immigration and the Source Country

This chapter examines the effect of migration on the source country. The standard labor supply and demand model shows that immigration causes the destination country to gain welfare while the source country loses welfare. There are more complex outcomes, however. This chapter first focuses on income remittances. The second half of this chapter covers the brain drain. The policy debate has been complicated by the lack of consensus on the actual costs and benefits of the brain drain for the source country. Offsetting the obvious negative consequences, the brain drain may also increase remittances back to the source country, and overseas opportunities provide incentives for all people in the source country to acquire more education.
Positive column population calculations for the evaluation of dispersive effects in He-Ne lasers

Sizable shifts in the oscillation frequency of a He–Ne laser with variations in the dc discharge current have been observed. The shifting effects are believed to be due principally to changes in the populations of the helium 23S level and the neon 1s5 level. A simplified model is proposed for the approximate evaluation of these populations. A slightly modified version of the model, under regenerative conditions, is then used to evaluate the current shifting effects and the results are compared with experimental observations. The approach used is of sufficient generality to be applicable to most He–Ne lasers operating under optimum gain conditions. The results suggest that laser operation at 1.15 μ, rather than 6328 A, may considerably reduce the effects of current variations on the oscillation frequency. For constant pressure‐diameter product conditions, theory predicts that the current‐shifting effects will vary approximately inversely with tube diameter.
Examining Dehydration and Hypoxic Stress in Wheat Plants Using a Porous Tube Plant Nutrient Delivery System Developed for Microgravity

The Porous Tube Plant Nutrient Delivery System (PTPNDS) was designed for NASA to grow plants in microgravity of space. The system utilizes a controlled fluid loop to supply nutrients and water to plant roots growing on a ceramic surface moistened by capiflary action. A PTPNDS test bed was developed and utilizing remote sensing systems, spectral analyses procedures, gas-exchange, and fluorescence measurements, we examined differences in plant water status for wheat plants (Triticum aestivum, cv. Perigee) grown in a modified growth chamber during the summers of 2003 and 2004. Some differences in plant performance were detectable in the gas-exchange and fluorescence measurements. For instance, in both years the plants grown with the most available water had the lowest rates of photosynthesis and exhibited higher proportions of non-photochemical quenching particularly under low light levels. In addition, small differences in mean leaf water content between treatments were detected using spectral reflectance analyses.
Visual outcomes after laser photocoagulation for threshold retinopathy of prematurity.

Abstract Objective To determine the long-term visual acuity after diode laser photocoagulation for threshold retinopathy of prematurity. Design Retrospective, noncomparative case series. Intervention Photocoagulation of the peripheral avascular retina with a diode laser indirect ophthalmoscope. Main outcome measures The principal outcome evaluated was best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). The most recent refractions for these eyes were also collected for analysis. Participants Thirty-five infants with threshold retinopathy of prematurity treated with laser photocoagulation from 1991 to 1996. Results After bilateral laser treatment, 14 (56%) of 25 patients who were capable of accurate visual acuity testing had 20/50 or better BCVA in at least 1 eye with 11 (44%) of 25 patients having at least 20/50 BCVA in both eyes. After unilateral treatment, four (40%) of ten had 20/50 or better BCVA in the treated eye while five (50%) of ten laser-treated eyes had a BCVA at least equal to the untreated fellow eye. Compared to eyes with 4 or more diopters (D) of myopia, those with less than 4 D of myopia were 6.4 times more likely to achieve 20/50 or better BCVA (95% confidence interval, 1.7–22.7). The average age at follow-up was 3.7 years. Conclusions After laser photocoagulation for threshold retinopathy of prematurity, 29 (48%) of 60 eyes had 20/50 or better visual acuity. Eyes with 4 or more D of myopia were significantly less likely to achieve 20/50 or better visual acuity than eyes with less than 4 D of myopia.
Complete design of fuzzy systems using a real-coded genetic algorithm with imbedded constraints

This paper investigates the applicability and feasibility of real-coded GAs for the complete development of fuzzy systems with imbedded constraints; i.e., automatic design of both fuzzy membership functions and rules subject to certain constraints. In this paper, a real-coded GA called RGA is developed, in which chromosomes are represented as real vectors. The constraints associated with the fuzzy systems are explicitly considered and satisfied during the training process of the fuzzy systems by the RGA. The satisfaction of the constraints is done primarily by using tailor-made genetic operators, which are designed based on the coding structure and the required characteristics of the fuzzy systems. We apply the RGA to the design of three fuzzy systems, called fuzzy decision models (FDMs), to model and forecast economic activities in the crude oil tanker sector of maritime transportation. The effects of the RGA's control parameters on the performance of the RGA, including the crossover and mutation rates, multiple mutation, and selection pressure, are investigated in this paper. Our results indicate that the RGA is robust in developing appropriate FDMs with strong modeling and forecasting capability.
Oligopolies with (Somewhat) Environmentally Conscious Consumers: Market Equilibrium and Regulatory Intervention

We consider a horizontally differentiated duopoly where consumers care about the product's �greenness.� Firms can be asymmetric: they may differ in the product's intrinsic value and may also differ in their chosen level of greenness. We examine the choice of greenness and the implications of various policy interventions. We show that (i) the choices of product greenness are strategic substitutes, (ii) the high-intrinsic quality firm produces the greener product, (iii) the low-quality firm's greenness may increase with the cost of its provision or decrease with consumer willingness to pay for it, (iv) a minimum quality standard (MQS) leads the greener firm to lower its environmental quality and can even reduce average quality, (v) greenness is underprovided even if consumers fully internalize the externality, and (v) an MQS can reduce welfare if the greenness of the high-quality firm exceeds the MQS, even when environmental quality is underprovided. The effects of policy interventions on profits differ qualitatively across polices and firms: A firm that lobbies for one type of intervention may lobby against another similar one, and a firm may lobby for an intervention while its competitor may lobby against it. A subsidy for the development costs of a green product can financially hurt both firms.
The policy context of patient centered medical homes: perspectives of primary care providers.

BACKGROUND Interest in the patient centered medical home (PCMH) model has increased significantly in recent years. Despite this attention, information is limited regarding the influence of policy context on implementation of the PCMH model. Using comparative, qualitative data, we identify several key policy impediments to PCMH implementation, and propose practical guidelines for addressing these issues.
Input/output control of IBM system /370 model 125 through dedicated input/output processors

Abstract A special purpose microprogram processor for I/O-control is described which is used in the medium size multiprocessor system Mod. 125. It employs certain novel characteristics aimed at the special requirements of I/O-control. In particular there exists a mechanism to access I/O very tightly through directly programmable latch registers, a time slicing/trapping facility for synchroneous control of concurrent I/O-operations and special instruction set characteristics. This microprocessor can effectively be subdivided to execute several independent control programs/tasks and this split can be dynamically adjusted to match varying loads of I/O-control jobs. The application of this underlying philosophy is outlined by several examples: Control of punched card machines, line printers and teleprocessing line control.
Electrostatic Interactions between a Nonuniformly Charged Sphere and a Charged Surface

Abstract The behavior of colloidal systems is often controlled by electrostatic interactions. Published studies deal mostly with uniformly charged particles; nonuniformly charged objects require a more complicated treatment. Here, we describe a boundary element method developed to study the interaction between a sphere with a nonuniform surface charge and a charged plate. By means of a simple example, we show that charge heterogeneity has a dramatic effect on the interaction energy.
Comparative study of the relationship between monomer structure and reactivity for two polyhydroxyalkanoate synthases.

Using organically synthesized hydroxyalkanoate coenzyme A thioesters, the activities of two short-chain polyhydroxalkanoate (PHA) synthases were investigated – Ralstonia eutropha PHA synthase (a type I PHA synthase) and Ectothiorhodospira shaposhnikovii PHA synthase (a type III synthase). The results indicate that the two synthases have similar activities towards most of the monomers tested. 3-Hydroxybutyryl CoA was found to be the most efficient substrate for both synthases. Changes in the side-chain length of the monomers affect monomer reactivity, with shortening of the side-chain length having the more severe effect. Hydrophobicity in the side chain appears to play an important role in the catalytic reaction. The configuration and the position of the hydroxyl group also affect the reactivity of a monomer. Monomers with the [S] configuration can not be recognized by either synthase. Moving the hydroxyl group from the β carbon to the α carbon has a much more severe effect on the reactivity of the monomer than moving the hydroxyl group to the γ carbon. The results demonstrate that the in vitro system can be used to prepare entirely novel polymers that may not be obtainable from living cells because of metabolic restrictions.
Dynamic response of oceanic hydrates to sea level drop

[1] During sea-level drop, water and gas pressures within oceanic hydrate systems can exceed the total vertical stress and this can drive slope failure and gas venting. We investigate this behavior with a multi-phase fluid and heat flow model. During sea-level drop, fluid pressures drop much less than the total stress due to both the high gas compressibility and hydrate dissociation. In permeable sediments, hydrate dissociation, water expulsion and gas mobility combine to induce underpressure and downward water flow from the seafloor. This study provides a causal mechanism for slope failure and fluid exchange that occur in hydrate systems during sea-level fall.
Evolutionary relationships of eukaryotic kingdoms

The evolutionary relationships of four eukaryotic kingdoms—Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, and Protista—remain unclear. In particular, statistical support for the closeness of animals to fungi rather than to plants is lacking, and a preferred branching order of these and other eukaryotic lineages is still controversial even though molecular sequences from diverse eukaryotic taxa have been analyzed. We report a statistical analysis of 214 sequences of nuclear small-subunit ribosomal RNA (srRNA) gene undertaken to clarify these evolutionary relationships. We have considered the variability of substitution rates and the nonindependence of nucleotide substitution across sites in the srRNA gene in testing alternative hypotheses regarding the branching patterns of eukaryote phylogeny. We find that the rates of evolution among sites in the srRNA sequences vary substantially and are approximately gamma distributed with size and shape parameter equal to 0.76. Our results suggest that (1) the animals and true fungi are indeed closer to each other than to any other “crown” group in the eukaryote tree, (2) red algae are the closest relatives of animals, true fungi, and green plants, and (3) the heterokonts and alveolates probably evolved prior to the divergence of red algae and animal-fungus-green-plant lineages. Furthermore, our analyses indicate that the branching order of the eukaryotic lineages that diverged prior to the evolution of alveolates may be generally difficult to resolve with the srRNA sequence data.
Centered and staggered Fourier derivatives and Hilbert transforms

When ringing derivatives are used in seismic modeling, migration, and other wave propagation problems in heterogeneous media, they interact with boundaries of blocks or layers of different physical properties, generating noncausal and nonphysical waves. These spurious waves can be as strong as reflected or converted waves and other legitimate physical events, leading to errors and misinterpretations. Therefore, compact (i.e., short and nonringing) derivatives should be used.
In Vivo Alteration in Type-1 and Type-2 Cytokine Balance: A Possible Mechanism for Elevated Total IgE in HIV-Infected Patients

Abstract The progression of HIV infection has been associated with an increase in the plasma levels of total IgE. The mechanisms responsible for the increased IgE have not been elucidated. The type-1 and type-2 cytokine imbalance associated with HIV infection has been proposed as a possible mechanism for elevated IgE. The current study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between total IgE, type-1 and type-2 cytokines from a large HIV+ patient population. HIV+ patients were found to have elevated total IgE that inversely correlated with numbers of CD4+ T-cells. HIV+ plasma was also found to have decreased IFN-γ and IL-12p70 levels as well as increased IL-10 levels compared to HIV-negative individuals. HIV+ patients with more advanced disease, as defined by absolute CD4+ counts, demonstrated more marked differences. Furthermore, the relative ratios of IFN-γ:IL-10 and IL-12:IL-10 were decreased in HIV+ patients compared to HIV-negative individuals. The alterations in the plasma cytokines suggest a switch from a predominance of type-1 cytokines to type-2 cytokines that may enhance IgE synthesis. These data suggest that measurement of plasma IgE and/or cytokines may have prognostic or therapeutic monitoring value in HIV+ patients.
Human cerebral amyloidosis

Two types of familial cerebral amyloid angiopathy or hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis (HCHWA) have been described: the Icelandic type (HCHWA-I) and the Dutch type (HCHWA-D). Both are autosomal-dominant forms of amyloidosis restricted to the small vasculature of the brain and are clinically characterized by recurrent strokes leading to an early death. In spite of their clinico-pathological similarities, the amyloid fibrils are structurally different. In the case of HCHWA-I, the amyloid protein is a degradation product of Cystatin C, a normal serum protein and an inhibitor of cysteine proteases. On the other hand, the amyloid protein in HCHWA-D has been shown to be related to Alzheimerapos;s disease β-protein, and preliminary observations indicate that similar amyloid subunits are present in sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy and asymptomatic elderly people with amyloidosis. The processing of the β-protein precursor in different cell types may account for the heterogeneous pattern of clinical manifestations and amyloid deposition in this group of disorders, which we designate “beta-amayloid diseases.”
Teaching and Learning in Agronomy : One Hundred Years of Peer-Reviewed Conversations

The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) published its first peer-reviewed article about teaching in Volume 1 of the Proceedings of the American Society of Agronomy (PASA), and has built on that foundation for 100 yr. Articles have also appeared in the Journal of the American Society of Agronomy (JASA) from 1913 to 1948, in Agronomy Journal (AJ) from 1949 to 1971, in the Journal of Agronomic Education (JAE) from 1972 to 1991, and in the Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education (JNRLSE) from 1992 through the present. The ASA CD archives were used to locate publications through 2001, and the ASA/JNRLSE websites for 2002-2006 papers. The objectives of this article were to: (i) celebrate the centennial milestone by recounting the collective accomplishments of teaching manuscripts, and (ii) identify key trends in ASA teaching publications over the society's first 100 yr. In the 1920s, 28 papers were published, focusing on the development of courses and curricula for the emerging study of agronomy. From 1954 to 1971, articles on agronomic education were included in JASA or AJ, but set apart in a separate category. With journals dedicated to teaching (JAE and JNRLSE), the modern era (1972-2006) has seen much higher publication rates. Initiatives have included: writing skills, simulation models, international development, capstone courses, diversity support, engaging games, reflective memoirs, decision cases, new undergraduate programs, and web lessons. Through JNRLSE, ASA is well-positioned to be a leader in the publication of peer-reviewed teaching materials into the 21st century.
Ion beam enhanced deposition of titanium-nitride on INCONEL 718

Abstract A wear-resistant titanium-nitride film was successfully formed on the commercial superalloy INCONEL 718 with a plasma source ion-implantation unit operated in the ion-beam enhanced-deposition mode. The process was carried out at ambient temperature by alternately depositing titanium with a dc cathode sputter source followed by nitrogen implantation utilizing a plasma. Auger spectroscopy was used to determine the composition-depth profile of the surface film. Transmission electron microscopy indicated the film to be adherent and fine-grained. Tribological property improvements are attributed to both higher hardness and lower coefficient of friction of the titanium-nitride film.
Echo Height Measurements with the WSR-88D: Use of Data from One Versus Two Radars

Abstract The new Doppler radars of the National Weather Service (i.e., the WSR-88D radars) are operated continuously in a volume scanning mode (called Volume Coverage Pattern, VCP) with the elevation tilt angles fixed for several VCPs. Because of the fixed VCPs, the radar data can be used to determine the heights of precipitation echo features only to limits of accuracy that depend upon the elevation angles used in the VCP, the radar beamwidth, and the range of echoes. Data from adjacent WSR-88D radars, if used simultaneously, could reduce significantly the height uncertainties inherent in single radar measurements. This is illustrated for idealized situations and also for an event involving a long-lived, tornadic thunderstorm. The use of coordinated scan strategies and combined data analysis procedures for adjacent WSR-88D radars during significant thunderstorm events should be considered for operational applications.
Relationship between systemic oxygen supply dependency and gastric intramucosal PCO2 during progressive hemorrhage.

Background: As systemic oxygen delivery (DO 2 ) is reduced, oxygen consumption (VO 2 ) is maintained until a critical level is reached (DO 2 crit) below which VO z becomes supply-dependent and anaerobic metabolism ensues. We examined the relationship between gastric intramucosal PcO 2 (Pi CO2 ) and the onset of systemic supply dependency. We also compared Pi CO2 to mixed venous and portal venous blood P CO2 (P mvCO2 and P pvCO2 ) to assess their utility as premonitory indicators of supply dependency. Methods: Six dogs were subjected to stepwise hemorrhage to effect a progressive decrease in Do 2 . Inflection points for changes in V O2 , Pi CO2 , P mvCO2 , and P pvCO2 versus Do 2 were determined. Results: Mean DO 2 crit was 6.0 ± 0.7 mL.kg -1 .min -1 , whereas the Do 2 at which inflection points occurred for Pi CO2 and ; Ppv CO2 were 13.2 ± 1.4 and 11.2 ± 1.5 mL.kg -1 .min -1 , respectively (p < 0.05 for both). Conclusion: Continuous monitoring of Pi CO2 using capnometric recirculating gas tonometry can serve as an early indicator of systemic hypoperfusion before the onset of systemic supply dependency.