cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endocrine and cytotoxic therapies for the management of advanced local breast cancer. Current clinical investigation.

There is a need for more clinical investigation in advanced local breast cancer. Both chemotherapy and endocrine therapy improve disease-free and overall survival and are now a routine part of standard patient care. Dose-intensive chemotherapy should be reserved for younger patients in large, controlled clinical trials. For operable patients, adequate surgical therapy of the breast and axilla remains a standard of care and provides the most important piece of prognostic information (i.e., the number of involved axillary lymph nodes). Tamoxifen treatment of the estrogen receptor-positive postmenopausal patient remains the standard, although chemotherapy may add a further increment to disease-free survival.
The Design of OS/2

Written by the leading architect of 32-bit OS/2 and an operating systems expert, this book examines in detail the internal structure of the new 32-bit version of OS/2. The comprehensive coverage provides insights into the decisions and philosophy underlying the design of OS/2.
The Curiosity at Work in Deconstruction

Beginning with Jacques Derrida’s Beast and the Sovereign , I identify two forms of curiosity: 1) scientific curiosity, which proceeds through objective dissection and 2) therapeutic curiosity, which proceeds through observational confinement. Through an analysis of Derrida’s treatment of both sorts of curiosity, I notice and develop a third, deconstructive form of curiosity. Through repeated turn to the work of Sarah Kofman, I characterize this third curiosity as, by turns, linguistic, animal, and critical. As linguistic, this curiosity is a penchant for wordplay and a keenness for the unsteady reservoirs of signification, resisting any clean dissection of meaning or the confinement of terms. As animal, it tracks a scent, regularly suspending its paw, as if to emphasize the meandering and precarious quality of knowledge. And as critical, it combats the illusions of pure revelation and instead draws attention to the conjuring trick, the systematic substitution of signs, undergirding it. Finally, I consider in what way Derrida’s resistance to philosophy may be read on the grounds not of a singular wonder but of multiple curiosities.
Lessons Learned Implementing Gunshot Detection Technology: Results of a Process Evaluation in Three Major Cities

This article describes the experiences and lessons learned from the implementation of gunshot detection technology (GDT) in three US cities. Data were derived from stakeholder interviews, community...
Radiometric calibration methods for day/night whole sky imagers and extinction imagers

This paper discusses the new radiometric calibration methods and results that we have developed to apply to day/night whole sky imager data and extinction imager data. Day/night whole sky imagers detect the presence and location of clouds and categorize them by opacity. The new day and night cloud algorithms for these instruments are documented elsewhere, and these algorithms depend on the use of the new calibrations we have developed. In this paper, we document our calibration methods for determining the absolute radiance of the whole sky imager scene at each pixel in the images as well as the results of the calibrations. The extinction imagers are new systems we developed that determine beam transmittance and path extinction for horizontal paths through the atmosphere. These instruments and their algorithms are documented elsewhere, and they also depend on the new calibration results. The extinction imager algorithms only require relative radiances, as opposed to absolute radiances. The calibration steps for the two instruments are quite similar, and they include dark correction; linearity calibration, which corrects for nonlinearities in the signal versus flux relationship; absolute calibration (for the whole sky imager); and uniformity calibration, which corrects for pixel-to-pixel nonuniformities. These developments include methods for handling uniformity calibrations in a system using a fisheye lens and the calibration of both visible and short-wave IR systems. This paper presents both the new methods and results in support of the papers documenting the algorithms.
Signaling Pathways in Leukemic Stem Cells

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and leukemic stem cells (LSCs) utilize many of the same signaling pathways for their maintenance and survival. In this review, we will focus on several signaling pathways whose roles have been extensively studied in both HSCs and LSCs. Our main focus will be on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and several of its regulators and downstream effectors. We will also discuss several other signaling pathways of particular importance in LSCs, including the WNT/β-catenin pathway, the NOTCH pathway, and the TGFβ pathway. For each of these pathways, we will emphasize differences in how these pathways operate in LSCs, compared to their function in HSCs, to highlight opportunities for the specific therapeutic targeting of LSCs. We will also highlight areas of crosstalk between multiple signaling pathways that may affect LSC function.
Projective tests as indicators of life history strategy: Evidence using Loevinger’s sentence completion test

Life history strategy represents individual variation in the degree to which bioenergetic resources are allocated toward growth, maintenance, and reproduction. Individual differences in life history strategies are thought to underlie many of the individual differences studied in Psychology. It was hypothesized that responses on the Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development are partially reflective of an individual’s life history strategy. This hypothesis was tested in three studies, each representing a different level of analysis. The results of Study 1 suggest near unity between ego-level and life history strategy at the conceptual level. In Study 2 a moderate association between rated ego-level and rated life history strategy was found. Additional analyses showed that this association remained when controlling for verbal IQ and that developmental change in each construct was correlated. In Study 3, it was found that responses to the sentence stems could be used directly to assess life history strategy. Combined, the results add to the evidence that responses on projective tests using a sentence stem format are associated with life history strategy. Future research could focus on identifying and constructing sentence stems that provide the maximum information about an individual’s life history strategy.
Prevalence and Predictability of Low-Yield Inpatient Laboratory Diagnostic Tests

Importance Laboratory testing is an important target for high-value care initiatives, constituting the highest volume of medical procedures. Prior studies have found that up to half of all inpatient laboratory tests may be medically unnecessary, but a systematic method to identify these unnecessary tests in individual cases is lacking. Objective To systematically identify low-yield inpatient laboratory testing through personalized predictions. Design, Setting, and Participants In this retrospective diagnostic study with multivariable prediction models, 116 637 inpatients treated at Stanford University Hospital from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2017, a total of 60 929 inpatients treated at University of Michigan from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2018, and 13 940 inpatients treated at the University of California, San Francisco from January 1 to December 31, 2018, were assessed. Main Outcomes and Measures Diagnostic accuracy measures, including sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive values (NPVs), positive predictive values (PPVs), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), of machine learning models when predicting whether inpatient laboratory tests yield a normal result as defined by local laboratory reference ranges. Results In the recent data sets (July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2017) from Stanford University Hospital (including 22 664 female inpatients with a mean [SD] age of 58.8 [19.0] years and 22 016 male inpatients with a mean [SD] age of 59.0 [18.1] years), among the top 20 highest-volume tests, 792 397 were repeats of orders within 24 hours, including tests that are physiologically unlikely to yield new information that quickly (eg, white blood cell differential, glycated hemoglobin, and serum albumin level). The best-performing machine learning models predicted normal results with an AUROC of 0.90 or greater for 12 stand-alone laboratory tests (eg, sodium AUROC, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.91-0.93]; sensitivity, 98%; specificity, 35%; PPV, 66%; NPV, 93%; lactate dehydrogenase AUROC, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.93-0.94]; sensitivity, 96%; specificity, 65%; PPV, 71%; NPV, 95%; and troponin I AUROC, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.91-0.93]; sensitivity, 88%; specificity, 79%; PPV, 67%; NPV, 93%) and 10 common laboratory test components (eg, hemoglobin AUROC, 0.94 [95% CI, 0.92-0.95]; sensitivity, 99%; specificity, 17%; PPV, 90%; NPV, 81%; creatinine AUROC, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.96-0.97]; sensitivity, 93%; specificity, 83%; PPV, 79%; NPV, 94%; and urea nitrogen AUROC, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.94, 0.96]; sensitivity, 87%; specificity, 89%; PPV, 77%; NPV 94%). Conclusions and Relevance The findings suggest that low-yield diagnostic testing is common and can be systematically identified through data-driven methods and patient context–aware predictions. Implementing machine learning models appear to be able to quantify the level of uncertainty and expected information gained from diagnostic tests explicitly, with the potential to encourage useful testing and discourage low-value testing that incurs direct costs and indirect harms.
Context and Perception: Implications for Leadership:

This article focuses on the behaviors and activities of one superintendent as he tried to implement a change agenda in his district The superintendent's and administrators’ perceptions are presente...
Abstract TP292: Effect of Improved Management Strategies on Study Retention Rates

Introduction: Average national dropout rates of participants enrolled in a research trial are reported to be 30%. Factors contributing to loss of stroke patient retention include the lack of unders...
Development of Concise Physical Performance Test Batteries in Young Athletes.

Purpose This study aimed 1) to define the principal components of physical function assessed by 10 common lower extremity physical performance tests and 2) to derive a reduced-item set of physical performance tests that efficiently and accurately measures raw performance and limb symmetry on each underlying component in pediatric and adolescent athletes. Methods This study included healthy, uninjured volunteers (n = 100) between the ages 6 and 18 yr (mean age = 11.7 ± 3.6 yr; 52 females). Subjects performed the stork balance, stork balance on BOSU® Balance Trainer, single leg squat (SLS), SLS on BOSU, clockwise and counterclockwise quadrant single leg hop (SLH), forward SLH, timed SLH, triple crossover SLH, and lower quarter Y-Balance Test™. Item reduction was performed using principal components analysis (PCA). We developed separate principal components analysis for average raw performance and side-to-side limb symmetry, with secondary analyses to evaluate consistency of results by age and sex. Results We identified two components for average raw performance (accounting for 65.2% of the variance in total test battery) with a reduced-item set composed of five tests, and four components for limb symmetry (accounting for 62.9% of the variance in total test battery) with a reduced-item set of seven tests. The most parsimonious test suitable for screening both average raw performance and limb symmetry would consist of five tests (stork balance on BOSU, SLS on BOSU, forward SLH, timed SLH, and lower quarter Y-Balance Test™). Age- and sex-specific test batteries may be warranted. Conclusion Comprehensive screening for lower extremity average raw performance and limb symmetry is possible with short physical performance test batteries.
Decision-making for sustainable transport and mobility: Multi actor multi criteria analysis: edited by Cathy Macharis and Gino Baudry. United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing, 256pp, 2018, $157.40 (hardcover), ISBN 9781788111799

The book Decision-Making for Sustainable Transport and Mobility aims to present a methodology of evaluation and ex ante project decision-making (DM) based on transport, mobilities, and spatial chan...
Experiences of Computing Students with Disabilities

Computing students with disabilities face a variety of difficulties in computing education and careers including inaccessible technology, difficulty arranging accommodations, attitudinal barriers, and a lack of mentors. This panel of computing students and recent graduates with disabilities will describe their experiences both in and out of the classroom. The goal is to provide the audience with an opportunity to hear first-hand how their educational needs were met as non-traditional computing students. In addition to the panelists' short presentations, the moderator will facilitate a dialog between the members of the audience and the panelists.
“I AM HERE AND I MATTER”: Virtue signaling and moral-political stance in progressive activists’ Facebook posts

Abstract In this article I operationalize the term “virtue signaling”, a term generally pejoratively used towards people’s assertions of values on social media platforms, as “moral-political stancetaking”, an activity that is actually quite common on- and offline and that works to exert peer pressure toward onlookers and addressees so that they will adopt certain values. Using analytical frameworks of small stories and stance, I examine a narrative sequence from one political activist, demonstrating how she situates long-term aspects of her biography in relation to present moral-political crises in order to make assertions that culminate in the construction of a moral-political framework for the progressive grassroots organizations that she leads. Through this analysis I assert that the notion of virtue signaling, while new to the social media era, fits well within repertoires of communicative behavior that long pre-date the rise of social media.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor associated ocular hypertension (from presumed trabeculitis).

Abstract Purpose Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are associated with a range of immune-related adverse ophthalmic events. To date, there are scant reports of ocular hypertension coupled with ICI-associated uveitis. However, in instances of ocular hypertension in the context of only mild uveitic reaction and absence of synechiae, trabeculitis is considered. This series describes our observations of presumed trabeculitis in the setting of ICI therapy and investigates the clinical findings, treatment and outcome of these patients. Observations Two eyes of 2 patients (both male aged 65 and 43) developed a mild anterior uveitis and elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) with open angles and no evidence of peripheral anterior synechiae in association with ICI treatment for their malignancy; and were considered to have presumed unilateral trabeculitis. The patients underwent 10 cycles (6.53 months) and 2 cycles (3.33 months) respectively of ICI therapy before developing ophthalmic symptoms. Neither patient was on systemic or topical steroid treatment at time of diagnosis and there was no suspicion of a viral etiology for the inflammation. Following management, the anterior uveitis resolved and IOP rapidly returned to normal in both eyes: ICI therapy was discontinued in both patients (and uneventfully re-challenged at a lower dose in one patient) and both eyes were treated with a combination of topical and/or oral glaucoma medications and topical steroids. Conclusions and Importance Uveitic ocular hypertension has been described with ICI. However, another immune-related mechanism for ocular hypertension with unique clinical characteristics, includes trabeculitis. We describe two cases of trabeculitis in the setting of ICI-therapy. The intraocular inflammation and elevated intraocular pressure which characterizes trabeculitis often responds rapidly to conservative treatment. In both patients checkpoint inhibitor therapy was discontinued and, in one patient, was re-challenged at a lower dose without recurrence. Immunotherapy is now more widely used for cancer treatment and its potential ocular manifestations should be shared with the ophthalmic community.
Muscle force contributions to ankle joint contact forces during an unanticipated cutting task in people with chronic ankle instability

Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare muscle force contributions to ankle joint compression and anteroposterior shear forces between people with chronic ankle instability (CAI) and healthy controls (CON) during an unanticipated cutting task. Eleven people with CAI and 11 CON performed an unanticipated cutting task as three-dimensional motion capture, ground reaction force (GRF), and muscle activation data were collected. A musculoskeletal modeling was used to calculate talocrural joint compression and anteroposterior shear forces and parse out the contributions to these forces from ankle-spanning muscles and from GRF. Independent t-tests were used for statistical analysis. People with CAI exhibited greater anterior shear force peaks during early (p = 0.048, d = 0.98) and late (p = 0.017, d = 1.21) stance compared to CON. The difference in early stance shear force appeared to arise from greater GRF contribution (p = 0.026, d = 1.12) in CAI group, whereas the difference in late stance shear force appeared to arise from greater contribution of lateral gastrocnemius (p = 0.026, d = 1.12), medial gastrocnemius (p = 0.048, d = 0.98), tibialis posterior (p = 0.017, d = 1.22), fibularis brevis (p = 0.035, d = 1.05), and fibularis longus (p = 0.023, d = 1.15). People with CAI exhibit greater anterior shear, but not compressive forces in talocrural joint during an unanticipated cutting task. The differences in anterior shear force were the result of passive and active contributions from GRF during early stance and lower leg muscles during late stance, respectively.
Quotas under Dynamic Bertrand Competition

We present a new model of dynamic Bertrand competition, where a quota is treated as an intertemporal constraint rather than as a capacity constraint as is common in the literature. The firm under a quota then can still vary the rates of exports over time provided that its total sales within the period do not exceed the quota. We show that a quota results in higher prices than a tariff of equal imports. We also show that firms never play mixed strategies, which contrasts from the result from a one-shot game, in which the only equilibrium under a quota is in mixed strategies.
Symposium Introduction - Corporate Criminal Liability

This is the Introduction to Stetson University's College of Law Symposium Issue on Corporate Criminal Liability. The papers from this symposium came from a discussion forum held as part of the Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) conference. This Introduction provides an overview of corporate criminal liability and also a roadmap of the papers that are part of this volume.
Physiologic and pathologic effects of increased fibrinolytic activity in man. With notes on the effects of exercise and certain inhibitors on fibrinolysis.

Abstract Spontaneous fibrinolytic activity, as tested in vitro, is more rapid when the plasma is obtained from a person undergoing stress. The mechanisms responsible for this rapid lysis and its physiologic meaning are obscure. The rapid lysis of blood drawn after exercise or childbirth is not accompanied by a fall in the concentration of fibrinogen in the plasma. Excessive fibinolysis is also noted in patients with chronic hepatic-disease, but its relation to the hemorrhagic complications of such disorders is not known. Rarely is fibrinolysis so violent and rapid that it appears to be responsible for a hemorrhagic state. With few exceptions, in every convincing case report in the literature the patient was undergoing childbirth or surgery or had suffered severe hemorrhage. In virtually every instance, careful studies showed an appreciable concentration of fibrinogen in the circulating plasma. Studies of patients with fibrinolytic purpura support the contention that the ideal therapeutic agent for the solution of intravascular thrombi would be an activator which would be adsorbed to the fibrin clot, rather than an active proteolytic enzyme such as plasmin.
Alu-PCR: characterization of a chromosome 6-specific hybrid mapping panel and cloning of chromosome-specific markers.

Abstract The Alu -polymerase chain reaction ( Alu -PCR) was applied to selectively amplify DNA sequences from human chromosome 6 using a single primer (A1) directed to the human Alu consensus sequence. A specific amplification pattern was demonstrated for a panel of eight somatic cell hybrids containing different portions of chromosome 6. This PCR pattern permits the identification of submicroscopic DNA alterations and can be utilized as a reference for additional chromosome 6-specific hybrids. To obtain new chromosome 6-specific markers we established two libraries from PCR-amplified sequences using two somatic cell hybrids (MCH381.2D and 640-5A). Out of a total of 109 clones that were found to be chromosome 6 specific, 13 clones were regionally assigned. We also included a procedure that allows the isolation of chromosome 6-specific markers from hybrids that contain human chromosomes other than 6. Our results will contribute to the molecular characterization of chromosome 6 by fostering characterization of somatic cell hybrids and by the generation of new regicnally assigned DNA markers.
Strategies for the modulation of phase II metabolism in a series of PKCε inhibitors

Extensive phase II metabolism of an advanced PKCe inhibitor resulted in sub-optimal pharmacokinetics in rat marked by elevated clearance. Synthesis of the O-glucuronide metabolite as a standard was followed by three distinct strategies to specifically temper phase II metabolic degradation of the parent molecule. In this study, it was determined that the introduction of proximal polarity to the primary alcohol generally curbed O-glucuronidation and improved PK and physical chemical properties while maintaining potency against the target. Utilization of a Jacobsen hydrolytic kinetic resolution to obtain optically enriched final compounds is also discussed.
Using Electron Scattering to Probe the Environment of Cluster Cooling Flows

The electron-scattered surface brightness profiles are calculated for a strong central source embedded in a cluster cooling flow, and the profiles are used to discuss the physical state of the gas in the flow and the behavior of the central source. The effects of temporal variations in the luminosity of the central source are calculated for a burst model and a source whose luminosity increases linearly with time. If the emission from the central AGN is polarized, the surface brightness profiles have cusps along the direction of the projection of the normal to the polarization vector on the sky. The 2D surface brightness profiles produced by beamed radiation are calculated.
Opiate addicts lack error-dependent activation of rostral anterior cingulate.

Abstract Background Healthy individuals performing response suppression tasks activate anterior cingulate cortex with occurrence of false alarm error responses to nontargets. Fundamental questions include whether this error-related activation provides a signal contributing to behavioral control and, given generally poorer performance on such tasks by addicts, whether this signal is disrupted in addiction. Methods We used rapid, event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging to study 13 individuals with opiate dependence and 26 healthy control individuals performing a Go/NoGo task. Results Compared with controls, opiate addicts exhibited an attenuated anterior cingulate cortex error signal and significantly poorer task performance. In controls, the individual level of event-related anterior cingulate cortex activation accompanying false alarm error positively predicted task performance, particularly sensitivity in discriminating targets from nontargets. Conclusions The attenuation of this error signal in anterior cingulate cortex may play a role in loss of control in addiction and other forms of impulsive behavior.
The Use of Unextracted Soybeans for Chicks 1. Comparison of Infra-Red Cooked, Autoclaved and Extruded Soybeans

Abstract SOYBEAN meal has long been used as a primary protein source in poultry diets. However, a great deal of interest has developed in recent years in the use of unextracted soybeans to take advantage of the energy contribution of the oil and eliminate the cost of extraction. Studies to date have been concerned with heating conditions (Stephenson and Tollett, 1959; Renner and Hill, 1960) and the use of mechanical pressure or flaking to maximize performance of chicks fed unextracted soybeans (Carew et al., 1959, 1961; Renner and Hill, 1963; Carew and Nesheim, 1962). More recently, infra-red cooking has been evaluated as a means of processing unextracted soybeans for poultry (Featherston and Rogler, 1966). Chicks fed infrared heated beans grew as rapidly as those fed a cornsoybean meal diet. However, when soybean oil was added to the cornsoybean meal diet to maintain diets isocaloric, the heated beans did not support a . . .
Four-pion final state in pp annihilations at 0.7 to 1.1 GeV/c

Abstract Results are reported on the reaction p p → π + π + π − π − at six lab momenta spanning the region from 0.686 to 1.098 GeV/c. The cross section for this process drops from 5.2 ± 0.4 mb at 0.686 GeV/c to 2.9 ± 0.2 mb at 1.098 GeV/c. Resonance production is determined by means of a model which includes Bose symmetrization and Breit-Wigner amplitudes. The likelihood fit to the resonance channels yields a few per cent ϱππ, approximately 10% in each of the channels fππ, ϱϱ, and A2π, and about 40% ϱf production, with errors on the order of 5%. Excellent fits to the mass distributions are obtained. Essentially all production and decay angular distributions are found to be uniform, with only a few small deviations from isotropy reported. The angular correlations between like and unlike charged pion pairs are also found to be fit extremely well by the simple model of resonance production with Bose symmetrization.
Resolving the Molecular Determinants of Cadherin Catch Bond Formation

Classical cadherin Ca2+-dependent cell-cell adhesion proteins play key roles in embryogenesis and in maintaining tissue integrity. Cadherins mediate robust adhesion by binding in multiple conformations. We recently showed that one of these conformations, called an X-dimer, forms catch bonds that strengthen and become longer lived in the presence of mechanical stress. Here we use single molecule force clamp spectroscopy with an Atomic Force Microscope along with Molecular Dynamics and Steered Molecular Dynamics simulations to identify key interactions that mediate X-dimer catch bond formation and to resolve the role of Ca2+ ions in this process. We show that tensile force bends the cadherin extracellular region such that they form force-induced hydrogen bonds that lock X-dimers into tighter contact. When Ca2+ concentration is decreased, these hydrogen bonds are eliminated and catch bond formation is abolished. Based on these results, we formulate a simple ‘flex and lock’ kinetic scheme that quantitatively describes X-dimer catch bonds.
Some theoretical aspects of capillary on-column injections

The classical solvent effect is normally assumed to function as a band-narrowing mechanism in capillary oncolumn injections, but there are reasons to doubt the validity of this assumption. Peak conformation can be seriously affected by the nature of the solvent used. When employed to permit “cold non-vaporizing on-column” injections into a heated oven, “secondary cooling” introduces a number of problems, one of the more serious of which is a “thermal de-focus”; this may account for some of the lowered resolution observed when current on-column injectors are used in this manner.
PMH2: TREATMENT COURSE AND CHARGES FOR DEPRESSED PATIENTS TREATED WITH SERTRALINE, VENLAFAXINE, AND VENLAFAXINE XR IN THE MANAGED CARE SETTING

OBJECTIVES: Little information is available comparing the treatment course and charges of newly diagnosed patients with depression treated with either sertraline (SER), venlafaxine (VEN) or venlafaxine sustained-release (VXR) in the managed care setting. This analysis aimed to determine the impact on treatment course and depression-related charges of selecting SER, VEN or VXR as first line pharmacotherapy for newly diagnosed patients. METHODS: Retrospective intent-to-treat analysis of an integrated database of medical and pharmacy charges (PharMetric's Integrated Outcomes database 07/98–06/99) including patients aged 18–65 who were diagnosed with depression [ICD-9: 296.2, 296.3, 300.4, 311] and who initiated SER, VEN or VXR therapy within the same 30-day period. Patients with documented previous mental disorders/treatment were excluded. Depression-related treatment charges for the 6-month period following treatment initiation were compared using log-linear regression. Cohorts were comparable with respect to prescribing physician (psychiatry vs. other). RESULTS: 19,129 patients were included in the analysis (SER = 15,222; VEN = 1032; VXR = 2875). VXR patients were more likely to augment therapy compared to VEN or SER (18% vs. 13% and 12%; p < 0.05). VEN patients were more likely to switch to other medications than VXR or SER (33% vs. 21% and 16%; p < 0.05). After controlling for differences in age, gender, managed care plan, pre-treatment history of resource utilization, physician specialty type, index RX year, and switching/augmentation, VEN and VXR patients incurred 13% and 30% higher depression-related charges, respectively, than patients initiated on SER (p < 0.05 for both comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of depression with sertraline was associated with significantly less augmentation/switching, and lower depression-related charges than venlafaxine or sustained release venlafaxine. The results of this study lend insight useful in making prescribing/formulary decisions for patients with newly diagnosed depression.
Clusters of Consumer Interests and Opinion Leaders' Spheres of Influence

This article reports a test of King and Summers’ hypothesis that opinion leadership overlaps among topics when interest in them overlaps. Patterns of association in opinion leadership for 16 topics...
Breast Feeding Practices in Rural Jamaica

A plan was devised to combat malnutrition and gastroenteritis among infants and children in Jamaica which included promotion of breastfeeding. This study carried out in northeast Jamaica in 1974 was undertaken to provide baseline information for later evaluation of breastfeeding promotional activities. A total of 180 mothers with infants 0-12 months old were interviewed to ascertain: 1) what their infants were being fed 2) when breastfeeding was discontinued and when supplementation with liquids and solids was begun and 3) why the mothers were feeding their infants the way they did. Questions were also asked on the disease history of the infants and the infants were weighed and measured. The report presents data on methods of feeding at different ages reasons for weaning and starting bottle feeding weight and length for age and weight for height compared to Harvard standards percent of standard weight for age by feeding method and incidence of diarrhea by feeding method. The study found that breastfeeding was widely practiced but that most mothers introduced supplementary bottles very early due to doubts about the quality and quantity of their own milk. Predominantly breastfed infants were better off nutritionally than predominantly bottlefed infants according to weight and height standards and the incidence of diarrhea was found to increase according to the proportion of bottle feeding.
Numerical analysis of pre- and post-critical response of elastic continua at finite strains

Abstract Based on the method of finite-elements, and the exact formulation of finite and incremental elasticity, the paper presents techniques for the numerical analysis of the pre- and post-critical behavior of elastic continua which are subjected to conservative loads and which undergo large deformations with finite strains. A combined incremental and iterative scheme is used in such a manner that convergence to the equilibrium state is attained at each state of loading, independently of the inaccuracy which may be involved in the characterization of the preceding state. The initial undeformed configuration of the elastic continuum is divided into a finite number of tetrahedra, and a linear variation of the displacement field within each tetrahedron is assumed. The first and second variations of the total potential energy at each loading stage are then developed in the form of a finite number of equations which characterize the response (the total response from the undeformed state, as well as the incremental one) and stability of the continuum. At each loading stage a pseudo-eigenvalue problem is formulated, by means of which an estimate can be made of the increment of load required to reach the critical state. The results are illustrated by means of two examples for compressible rubber-like materials for which a computer program has been developed. The first example demonstrates a snap-through instability, while the second example demonstrates a bifurcation-type instability. A formution for incompressible materials in plane strain is also presented.
Brief paper: Reach set computation and control synthesis for discrete-time dynamical systems with disturbances

The paper is devoted to the formulation of the reachability problem for discrete-time dynamical systems with disturbances. The concept of maxmin and minmax forward and backward reach sets is addressed. Invariance of the backward reach set is discussed. The emphasis of the paper is on discrete-time linear systems, for which the ellipsoidal computational method is described. The synthesis of maxmin and minmax closed-loop control for steering the system to a given target set using ellipsoidal backward reach set approximations is explained. The ellipsoidal method covered in the paper is implemented in the Ellipsoidal Toolbox for MATLAB, a popular collection of ellipsoidal calculus routines freely available online.
Perceptions of Success and the Question of Consensus in Natural Resource Collaboration: Lessons from an Inactive Collaborative Group

To better understand the relationship between collaborative process and results, we interviewed participants of an inactive collaborative group and analyzed their perceptions of success and the role of consensus in the group's process and outcomes. The main objective of the Intermountain Public Land Cooperative (IMPLC, a pseudonym) was to craft a consensus community alternative for the local Bureau of Land Management (BLM) resource area's Resource Management Plan. Participants perceived many benefits from collaboration, including improved communication and relationships, and high-quality input to the BLM planning process. However, the group was unable to reach consensus and one-quarter of those interviewed indicated that they were less likely to collaborate in the future due to their IMPLC experience. The IMPLC case highlights both benefits and costs of using consensus in collaboration.
Conversion of 124 into 123 + CuO: microstructure and phase diagram

Conversion of 124 into 123 + CuO is interesting because it can produce non-superconducting CuO islands and highly strained local regions, both of which may act as flux pinning centers. Microstructural studies (TEM) show localized regions with high strain fields resulting from the lattice mismatch between 124 and 123 along the c axis. Enhanced Tc (95 K) was found in partly converted samples. The partial pressure of oxygen necessary for conversion from YBa2Cu4O8 (124) to YBa2Cu307 (123) decreases with decreasing temperatures, and below 850°C the boundary between 123 and 124 phase regions is found to fall approximately as log ρ(θ2) = 19.3 -22000/T. The phase diagram of the Y-Ba-Cu-O system is given as a function of temperature and partial pressure of oxygen over the range between 500°C and 1000°C and 10-6< P[O2] < 102 bar.
Vision-based tracking using intelligent excitation

This paper addresses the problem of visual tracking using a conventional model reference adaptive control framework for it. The adaptive controller is capable of maintaining a relative position for a trailer vehicle with respect to a lead vehicle of unknown size. The only information about the lead vehicle can be deduced from the subtended angle in the image plane of the trailing vehicle. Neither the dimension of the lead vehicle, nor its velocity are assumed to be known to the follower. The control objective of maintaining a prespecified relative range is achieved via an intelligent excitation signal, the properties of which are analysed in this paper. Simulations illustrate the theoretical results.
Transmission loss in a shallow ocean over a two-layer seabed

Abstract Three mathematical models of a two-layer seabed are considered. The first assumes that both layers are elastic solids, the second that the upper layer is poroelastic while the substrate is elastic, and the third that both layers are poroelastic. The first and third models are found to produce reasonable agreement with data and each other, but the second model produces poor predictions because of mathematical incompatibilities of the poroelastic and elastic models.
Intravesical chemotherapy for superficial bladder cancer

Superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder usually can be well handled by transurethral resection or by fulguration. Because of the high rate of recurrence of these tumors, their multifocal presentation, and the progression in some patients to invasive and metastatic disease, urologists have long sought a therapeutic modality that would be effective with low toxicity. The intravesical instillation of chemotherapeutic agents was first introduced in 1948 by Semple' when he used Podophyllin. The purpose of this paper will be to update the reader .on intravesical agents being used both as therapy to ablate superficial bladder cancer remaining in the bladder after surgery, and as prophylaxis to prolong the disease-free status of these patients whose bladders have been rendered tumor free.
Weathering, landscape, and carbon in four paired research watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico

The U.S. Geological Survey Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets Program in eastern Puerto Rico involves a double pair-wise comparison of humid-tropical montane streams on granitic bedrock and fine-grained volcaniclastic bedrock. For each bedrock type, one catchment is covered with mature rainforest, and the other catchment is affected by grazing, cropping, and minor urbanization. Biogeochemical budgets were monitored for fifteen years and included water, major dissolved constituents, nutrients, carbon, and sediment. To adjust for differences in runoff, the relation between annual runoff and annual yield were used to project the yields for all the rivers to an intermediate common runoff. Observed and adjusted rates of physical denudation greatly exceed rates expected for a dynamic equilibrium, except for the forested river on volcaniclastic bedrock. Deforestation and agriculture can explain the accelerated physical erosion in the two developed catchments. Something else, possibly climate or forest-quality change, must explain the excessive erosion in the forested river on granitic bedrock. Particulate organic carbon yields are closely linked to sediment yields, which are in turn, far in excess of equilibrium yields. This implies that much of the particulate carbon transport in the four rivers is being caused by enhanced erosion perhaps due to human activities or environmental change. Dissolved organic and inorganic carbon show a weak runoff signal, and there is no evidence of human perturbations to dissolved carbon production or silicate weathering in the four watersheds.
Nuclear Structure and Galactic γ-Ray Activity.

The observation of galactic {gamma} lines following the decay of radioactive nuclei provides a direct link between nuclear physics experiments in earth-based laboratories and astrophysical observations with space-based observatories. Two examples are presented to illustrate this interplay: the measurement of the lifetime of {sup 44}Ti to allow an improved determination of the {sup 44}Ti mass of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A from the observed {gamma} ray activity and the measurements of excited states in {sup 24}Si to determine the reaction rate of {sup 23}Al(p,{gamma}){sup 24}Si which might be important for a reduced production of {sup 22}Na in novae.
Post-Institute Connections: Implementation and Outcomes of a Diffusion-Based Electronic Mail Instructional Model.

Electronic mail's capability to provide opportunities for language exchange, establish ties with other cultures, and facilitate contact with other educators makes it an excellent medium to introduce foreign language teachers to the power of computer-based technologies in education. This study describes diffusion-based electronic mail instruction integrated into the four National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center 1994 summer institutes that 86 foreign language educators attended. Instruction was designed to introduce institute participants to electronic mail to provide them with a means of communication as they completed post-institute collaborative projects. Results of this study suggest that the diffusion-based instruction was effective in encouraging participants to use electronic mail. Participants who received electronic mail instruction used electronic mail significantly more than comparable foreign language teachers who did not attend the institutes.
Vibrations of belts and belt drives

Abstract During its operation, a power transmission belt can undergo axial, transverse and torsional motion. Models available for analyzing the free and forced vibrations of the belt are discussed. The effects of initial tension, transport velocity, bending rigidity, support flexibility, large displacements and belt and pulley imperfections are discussed. Vibrations of belt drives are also considered, and the influence of several complicating factors are mentioned. This article reviews the state-of-the-art in vibration analysis of power transmission belts. Many contributions found in the literature are brought together, and some new results are also included.
Neurologic soft signs and low birthweight: their association and neuropsychiatric implications.

Abstract Background: We examine the relationship between neurologic soft signs and cognitive deficits, learning disorders, and psychiatric problems in low birthweight (LBW) and normal birthweight (NBW) children. Methods: Representative samples of LBW and NBW children were selected from the 1983–1985 newborn discharges of two major hospitals in Michigan. Eight hundred-twenty three children (75% of the target sample) were evaluated at ages 6 and 11. A standardized neurologic evaluation was used by neurologists to measure neurologic soft signs at age 6 (children with frank neurologic impairment were excluded). IQ was measured by WISC-R and behavior problem lists were rated by mothers and teachers. Standard tests of academic achievement were used to identify learning disorders. All assessments were blind to LBW status. Using multiple regression analysis, applying generalized estimating equations (GEE), we estimated the effects of soft signs on 3 behavioral domains, based on information from multiple informants and times of assessment. Results: LBW was associated with a two-fold increased risk for soft signs. Soft signs increased the risk for subnormal IQ and for learning disorders in children with normal IQ. Soft signs were associated with excess internalizing problems in LBW and NBW children, and with attention and externalizing problems in LBW children; the excess in externalizing problems in LBW children was observed only at age 6. Conclusions: Soft signs are a marker of high risk for cognitive and psychiatric problems. Of particular concern is their presence in LBW children, in whom they are associated with more severe cognitive deficits and more pervasive psychiatric problems.
On a Primary Efficacy Endpoint

In some confirmatory clinical trials, data on the number of episodes of a particular type during baseline and treatment phase periods are collected. The primary efficacy variable proposed by the sponsor to compare the test drug with placebo is Y=(B - T)/(B + T), where B and T are x-day rates of episodes for baseline and the treatment phase, respectively. In this article, it is argued that this efficacy variable does not have clinical interpretation as required by the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) E9 guidelines (1). It is claimed that the difference D = B-T would be a natural and legitimate efficacy endpoint as it represents a reduction in the frequency of episodes. The relative difference RD = D/B is also examined for its feasibility. It is indicated that using Y as the dependent variable instead of D (or RD) lowers the p-values for the pooled t-test and the Wilcoxon test. It is concluded that the proposed efficacy variable Y is obscurant in nature and introduces statistical bias in favor of the test drug. The arguments against the use of the response variable Y are also valid for clinical trials designed to increase the rate of an outcome.
Antismoking advertising: figuring out what works.

(2002). Antismoking Advertising: Figuring Out What Works. Journal of Health Communication: Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 157-162.
Confirmation, transitivity, and Moore: the Screening-Off Approach

It is well known that the probabilistic relation of confirmation is not transitive in that even if E confirms H1 and H1 confirms H2, E may not confirm H2. In this paper we distinguish four senses of confirmation and examine additional conditions under which confirmation in different senses becomes transitive. We conduct this examination both in the general case where H1 confirms H2 and in the special case where H1 also logically entails H2. Based on these analyses, we argue that the Screening-Off Condition is the most important condition for transitivity in confirmation because of its generality and ease of application. We illustrate our point with the example of Moore’s “proof” of the existence of a material world, where H1 logically entails H2, the Screening-Off Condition holds, and confirmation in all four senses turns out to be transitive.
Properties of aluminum-fluoride catalysts prepared by the fluoridation of aluminum oxide with trifluoromethane

Abstract High-purity AlF3 has been prepared by allowing γ-Al2O3 to react with gaseous trifluoromethane at 670–770 K under 101 kPa total pressure. The use of gaseous trifluoromethane is a new, general method for preparing metal fluorides from metal oxides. AlF3 prepared using this procedure retained the physical form of the starting γ-Al2O3. A 1 16 -in. γ-Al2O3 extrudate, for example, yielded an AlF3 extrudate with comparable physical dimensions and crush strengths. X-Ray diffraction, BET surface area, pore volume, and surface acidity measurements were employed to characterize various AlF3 samples. Significant decreases in surface area and pore volume as well as surface acidity occurred upon increasing the concentration of AlF3 from 90 to 100%. This behavior presumably results from the fluoridation of residual γ-Al2O3. AlF3 extrudates were utilized as supports for Pt and Pd catalysts. Specific benzene hydrogenation activities of these catalysts are comparable to those of Pt and Pd on γ-Al2O3. In a unique application, Pd AlF 3 was used to hydrogenate m-diethylbenzene in superacid ( HF TaF 5 ) solution.