cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Organization and environment: The case of correctional personnel training programs

Abstract An intensive field study of 17 correctional personnel training programs was conducted to assess the organization-environment context in which these programs emerged and operated. Content analysis of site visit data revealed that correctional training programs less often served specific organization goal achievement purposes, and more often served as general strategies for coping with external environmental demands and pressures. A theoretical framework for examining organization-environment relations is described, and then used to analyze correctional training programs as a boundary-spanning activity that relates correctional organizations to environmental conditions. Organizational responses to environmental demands are placed along a continuum of adjustment ranging from survival, to adaptation, and innovation. Organizational responses to environmental demands, in turn, are related to training patterns that dovetail with the major needs of organizations and their personnel in efforts to adjust to the environment.
Multiple structural determinants of voltage-dependent magnesium block in recombinant NMDA receptors

The voltage-dependent block of NMDA channels by Mg2+ is an important functional element of NMDA receptors, since relief of block by depolarization plays a key role in some forms of ischemic neurodegeneration and synaptic plasticity. To identify the relevant structural domains responsible for block by Mg2+ and TCP, we used site-directed mutagenesis to change individual amino acids of the rat NR1A subunit in a transmembrane region (599-DALTLSSAMWFSWGVLLNSGIGE-621, mutated residues underlined) previously shown to donate residues that influence ionic selectivity. Ten mutant NR1A subunits were co-expressed in Xenopus oocytes with either the epsilon 1 or NR2A subunits, and receptor properties were analyzed under two-electrode voltage clamp. The mutation N616R virtually abolished voltage-dependent Mg2+ block, reduced Zn2+ block 5-fold and greatly reduced Ba2+ permeability in confirmation of previous reports. This mutation also reduced the potency of TCP as a use-dependent blocker by 200-fold. The remaining low-affinity TCP block did not appear to be use-dependent, suggesting two blocking sites for TCP. None of the other mutations differed significantly from NR1A itself except S617N, which displayed a 6-fold reduction in Mg2+ block. A well-barrier model of permeation through the NMDA receptor channel is presented that quantitatively reproduces voltage-dependent Mg2+ block. This model demonstrates that only minimum changes energy profiles experienced by permeating ions, equivalent to the energy of a single hydrogen or ionic bond, are required to abolish Mg2+ block. These findings indicate that only small structural changes are needed to convert a Mg(2+)-insensitive ion channel to a channel with pronounced voltage-dependent Mg2+ block.
Parametric subsystem set estimation for interconnected systems

The set theoretic approach to parameter estimation is introduced for the robust identification of the local subsystem parameters of an interconnected system. The main contribution of this paper is the introduction of a concept and method to estimate subsystem parameters in the presence of subsystem interactions and external disturbances. The subsystem parameter set estimation problem, from the input-output point of view, can be formulated as several parameter set estimation problems, each with ARMAX model structure. A two-step strategy is proposed to extend the optimal volume ellipsoid algorithm for parameter set estimation to ARMAX models. Simulation results are given to substantiate the theoretical development for subsystem parameter set estimation.
Reactions of γ-acyloxy-β-ketophosphonates: New routes to 3(2h)- and 2(3h)-dihydrofuranones

Abstract Depending on the reaction conditions, γ-acyloxy-β-ketophosphonate anions can undergo either an intramolecular Wittig-like condensation or an unexpected rearrangement which affords an enol ester product.
Tandem mass spectrometry of uranium and uranium oxides in airborne particulates.

A method for detection of uranium in airborne microparticles in real time has been developed. Positive identification of uranium is achieved by isolating UO2+ ions and following their reaction with residual oxygen molecules to yield UO2+.
C-type natriuretic peptide stimulates prolactin secretion by a hypothalamic site of action

The most recently discovered member of the family of natriuretic peptides, C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), exerts many pharmacologic actions similar to its structural homolog A-type natriuretic peptide (ANP). Like ANP it failed to significantly alter prolactin release from dispersed, rat anterior pituitary cells incubated under static or dynamic conditions. Unlike ANP, however, which inhibits prolactin secretion in vivo by a hypothalamic action, CNP injection into the third cerebroventricle significantly stimulated prolactin secretion in ovariectomized, conscious rats. The effect was highly significant 15 min after injection and transient, lasting 30 min in animals injected with 2 nmole CNP. In a companion group of rats, significant inhibition of plasma prolactin levels was observed after central administration of similar doses of ANP. These results suggest differing hypothalamic actions of the CNP and ANP perhaps mediated by multiple natriuretic peptide receptors present in the tissue. Further, they provide additional support for unique roles exerted within the central nervous system by these structural homologs.
Psychodynamic therapy for oppositional defiant disorder: changes in personality, object relations, and adaptive function after six months of treatment.

Michael Bambery (University of Detroit Mercy) and John H. Porcerelli (Wayne State University School of Medicine)Bridging the gap in youth psychotherapy outcome research betweenresearch findings stemming primarily from the tightly controlledresearch laboratory and the “real world” clinical setting has been thevirtuous and necessary focus of many mental health researchers and clin-icians (Weisz, Doss, and Hawley 2005; Westen, Novotny, and Thompson-Brenner 2004). A criticism of many laboratory-based studies is that theydo not reflect actual clinical practice. Weisz, Doss, and Hawley (2005)reported in their methodological analysis of youth psychotherapy out-come research from 1963 through 2002 that across disorders 13% ofstudy sample participants had sought treatment or were self-referred,Downloaded from apa.sagepub.com
Design and fabrication of efficient diffraction transmission gratings on step-index optical waveguides.

High-efficiency and low loss constant periodicity gratings have been fabricated and evaluated on single-mode planar optical wave guides. The most important parameters that will affect the lens performance are the coupling coefficient and the Q (or ρ) factor. The coupling coefficient has been found to be given by Kc = Δneff/(λ0/2). Investigation of the Δneff value has shown that for small groove heights larger Δneff can be obtained for CeO2 deposited grooves than for etched grooves. In grating structures where Q and ρ factors are high, the effect of the higher orders of diffraction is negligible, and there is a good agreement between the experimentally measured characteristics and the prediction from the coupled mode theory. However, minor variations in the fabrication processes (e.g., Δn ≃ 0.02) may cause the diffraction efficiency to vary as much as 15%, while the angular field of view does not seem to be affected by process variations.
Going‐concern audit opinions for bankrupt companies – impact of credit rating

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine whether credit ratings inform auditors' going‐concern (GC) audit opinions for companies facing imminent bankruptcy.Design/methodology/approach – Using data from BankruptcyData.com the authors identify US publicly‐held, financially‐distressed companies that filed bankruptcy from January 1, 2000 through June 30, 2009. Logistic regression is applied by regressing audit opinion type on select financial, industry, and credit rating data.Findings – Results show that the likelihood of an auditor issuing a GC opinion is associated with the credit rating issued by Standard & Poor's (S&P) preceding the audit report date. In results supporting the idea that the auditor's opinion has informational value, the paper also finds that after issuance of a GC report, S&P's credit rating tends to be downgraded.Research limitations/implications – While the findings indicate observable relationships between audit opinions and credit ratings, the models used in primary analysis ...
Synchrotron X-Ray Studies on Lipid Monolayers

This report is an overview about newly developed X-ray techniques used to investigate lipid monolayers, either at the air/water interface or on solid substrates. The physical principles of the method are summarized. In order to demonstrate its power and possibilities, experiments on two different molecules (arachidic acid, L-α-dimyristoylphosphatidic acid) at the air/water interface are outlined. Thus several different “crystalline” phases of these self-organized monolayers are characterized.
Vagal blockade does not prevent adrenocorticotropin, cortisol, and cardiopulmonary responses to thromboxane A2

Previously, we reported that thromboxane A2 (TxA2) mediates heart rate, adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), cortisol, and blood gas responses, although the specific site of action was not identified. In th...
The Mirrortron ion accelerator concept

Summary form only given, as follows. The Mirrortron accelerator uses a sequence of regions of high transient electric field, turned on in synchronism with the arrival of a bunched beam of ions, to accelerate ions. The production of the fields is described. Scaling laws derived for the use of Mirrortrons as heavy-ion drivers for inertial fusion have shown the possibility of achieving accelerating gradients approaching 100 MV/m, 100 times those obtained in the induction-type drivers presently being considered. The key technology for the Mirrortron, the generation of rapidly pulsed magnetic fields, has been developed for other applications. A proof-of-principle experiment utilizing this technology has been constructed.< >
Dissociating Interference-Control Processes between Memory and Response

The ability to mitigate interference is of central importance to cognition. Previous research has provided conflicting accounts about whether operations that resolve interference are singular in character or form a family of functions. Here, the authors examined the relationship between interference-resolution processes acting on working memory representations versus responses. The authors combined multiple forms of interference into a single paradigm by merging a directed-forgetting task, which induces proactive interference, with a stop-signal task, which taps response inhibition processes. The results demonstrated that proactive interference and response inhibition produced distinct behavioral signatures that did not interact. By contrast, combining two different measures of response inhibition by merging a go/no-go task variant and a stop signal produced overadditive behavioral interference, demonstrating that different forms of response inhibition tap the same processes. However, not all forms of response conflict interacted, suggesting that inhibition-related functions acting on response selection are dissociable from those acting on response inhibition. These results suggest that inhibition-related functions for memory and responses are dissociable.
EFFECTS OF BACTERIAL ENDOTOXINS ON METABOLISM. VII. ENZYME INDUCTION AND CORTISONE PROTECTION.

Cortisone acetate administered to mice at the same time as either the LD50 or 2 x LD50 of endotoxin significantly protected against lethality. Delaying the injection of cortisone to 1, 2, or 4 hours after that of endotoxin resulted in loss of protection with the possible exception of a 1 hour delay with the LD50 of endotoxin. Associated with this loss of protection was the failure of the hormone to induce liver tryptophan pyrrolase. Normal mice given only cortisone showed an increase in enzyme activity nearly three times that of control values when assays were carried out either 4 or 17 hours after the hormone was given. Endotoxin-poisoned mice showed normal levels of enzyme activity with concurrent injection of cortisone but depressed levels of enzyme when the cortisone injection was delayed for only 1 hour or more. Apparently, therefore, enzyme induction (or maintenance) is related to survival in endotoxin poisoning. In line with this hypothesis was the observation that inhibitors of enzyme (protein) synthesis were found to potentiate the lethal action of endotoxin and to prevent the protective effect of cortisone. The inhibitors employed were actinomycin D, ethionine, 2-thiouracil, and 8-azaguanine. Activity of liver tryptophan pyrrolase was lowered by endotoxin and elevated by cortisone. When the two were given concurrently, normal enzyme activity was maintained. Chloramphenicol, an active inhibitor of protein synthesis in microorganisms but with limited effect in mammals, was without observable influence in these respects. Mice 18 hours postinfection with Salmonella typhimurium, strain SR-11, given at a level that caused first deaths on the 3rd day, had a lower than normal activity of liver tryptophan pyrrolase and responded to cortisone induction with a smaller increase in enzyme level than that found in control mice. Each is characteristic of endotoxin poisoning. Animals 42 hours postinfection were free of these signs of endointoxication, an observation in agreement with earlier experiments where other measures of endotoxin were employed.
Acuity of auditory images in pitch and time.

We examined the pitch and temporal acuity of auditory expectations/images formed under attentionalcuing and imagery task conditions, in order to address whether auditory expectations and auditory images are functionally equivalent. Across three experiments, we observed that pitch acuity was comparable between the two task conditions, whereas temporal acuity deteriorated in the imagery task. A fourth experiment indicated that the observed pitch acuity could not be attributed to implicit influences of the primed context alone. Across the experiments, image acuity in both pitch and time was better in listeners with more musical training. The results support a view that auditory images are multifaceted and that their acuity along any given dimension depends partially on the context in which they are formed. nt]mis|This research was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant R03 DC05146 to P.J.
Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae initiates formation of neutrophil extracellular traps.

ABSTRACT Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) is a leading cause of otitis media infections, which are often chronic and/or recurrent in nature. NTHI and other bacterial species persist in vivo within biofilms during otitis media and other persistent infections. These biofilms have a significant host component that includes neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). These NETs do not mediate clearance of NTHI, which survives within NET structures by means of specific subpopulations of lipooligosaccharides on the bacterial surface that are determinants of biofilm formation in vitro. In this study, the ability of NTHI and NTHI components to initiate NET formation was examined using an in vitro model system. Both viable and nonviable NTHI strains were shown to promote NET formation, as did preparations of bacterial DNA, outer membrane proteins, and lipooligosaccharide (endotoxin). However, only endotoxin from a parental strain of NTHI exhibited equivalent potency in NET formation to that of NTHI. Additional studies showed that NTHI entrapped within NET structures is resistant to both extracellular killing within NETs and phagocytic killing by incoming neutrophils, due to oligosaccharide moieties within the lipooligosaccharides. Thus, we concluded that NTHI elicits NET formation by means of multiple pathogen-associated molecular patterns (most notably endotoxin) and is highly resistant to killing within NET structures. These data support the conclusion that, for NTHI, formation of NET structures may be a persistence determinant by providing a niche within the middle-ear chamber.
Emotion attention and recognition of facial expressions among close friends and casual acquaintances

The present study examined the link between emotion attention and accuracy of recognizing emotional facial expressions among close friend pairs and acquaintance pairs. Among acquaintance pairs, individuals high on emotion attention were more accurate than those low on emotion attention in reading the acquaintance’s negative expressions of sadness and anger but did not differ from the latter in reading the acquaintance’s happy expressions. Among close friend pairs, those high on emotion attention were also more accurate in reading the friend’s sad expressions and did not differ from the low emotion attention individuals in reading the friend’s happy expressions. However, they were actually less accurate in reading the friend’s angry expressions. This lower accuracy reflected a perceptual bias of systematically misperceiving the friend’s angry expressions as neutral or sad. This finding suggests a defensive mechanism in the perception of the friend’s angry expressions among individuals high on emotion atten...
Consideration of growth factors and bio-scaffolds for treatment of combined grade II MCL and ACL injury

The literature suggests that a Grade II medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury in combination with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury will heal naturally and not compromise patient outcome following ACL reconstruction. Evidence based on bone-patella tendon-bone autograft use is stronger than evidence supporting anatomically placed soft tissue graft use. Current ACL reconstruction practices make greater use of soft tissue grafts, differing fixation methods, and anatomically lower placement on the inner wall of the lateral femoral condyle. Anatomical graft placement aligns the femoral bone tunnel more directly with valgus knee loading forces. Differences in the soft tissue graft-bone tunnel integration and ligamentization timetable following ACL reconstruction also increase concerns regarding residual Grade II MCL laxity and functional deficiency during accelerated functional rehabilitation. MCL dysfunction may increase susceptibility to early ACL graft slippage, elongation, outright failure, and medial femoral condyle lift-off with valgus knee loading. This concept paper discusses the potential role of growth factors and bio-scaffolds for improving Grade II MCL injury healing and mechanical integrity when the injury occurs in combination with an ACL injury that is reconstructed with a soft tissue graft and an anatomical surgical approach.
Switch Scheduling and Network Design for Real-Time Systems

The rapid need for high bandwidth and low latency communication in distributed real-time systems is driving system architects towards high-speed switches developed for high volume data transfer on the Internet. These switches employ complex scheduling algorithms for transferring data cells from the input line to the output line. From a real-time systems perspective, it is necessary to understand the behavior of these switching algorithms and obtain worst-case delay bounds for message transfer across these switches. Many researchers have derived average-case delay bounds for switching algorithms but mission-critical systems require guarantees for the worst-case. In this context, we derive upper bounds on cell delays across commonly available switches. Our bounds provide a starting point for research in this direction. Moreover, we use the delay bounds to construct low-cost networks of switches given a set of processors and their real-time communication requirements. Experiments with the heuristic algorithm that we propose for network design have produced encouraging results. Importantly, the algorithm is independent of the delay analysis technique and better techniques can be incorporated trivially. By addressing the network design problem, we hope to transform the system architecting process from a manual, ad-hoc operation to a simple and automated step that will result in better designs and cost savings.
Dynamics of Warped Flux Compactifications

We discuss the four dimensional effective action for type IIB flux compactifications, and obtain the quadratic terms taking warp effects into account. The analysis includes both the 4-d zero modes and their KK excitations, which become light at large warping. We identify an `axial' type gauge for the supergravity fluctuations, which makes the four dimensional degrees of freedom manifest. The other key ingredient is the existence of constraints coming from the ten dimensional equations of motion. Applying these conditions leads to considerable simplifications, enabling us to obtain the low energy lagrangian explicitly. In particular, the warped Kahler potential for metric moduli is computed and it is shown that there are no mixings with the KK fluctuations and the result differs from previous proposals. The four dimensional potential contains a generalization of the Gukov-Vafa-Witten term, plus usual mass terms for KK modes.
Pharmacogenetics, Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine: Are We There Yet?

The genetic basis of a differential response to drugs has been understood for a limited number of agents for over 30 years. This knowledge has generated hope that the individual basis for response to a wide range of drugs would be quickly known, and individualized drug selection and dosing would be possible for many or all disorders. Understanding the variable response to drugs seems particularly pressing in the field of oncology, in which the stakes are high (failure to cure cancer usually leads to death), drugs commonly have a narrow therapeutic index, and toxicities can be severe (a significant frequency of toxic death is a feature of most acute myeloid leukemia protocols, for example). However, in common with many new technologies, the generalizability and clinical application of pharmacogenetics has proved more challenging than expected. Difficulties include, in many examples, a modest clinical effect relative to genotype, therapy-specific, not broad, applicability and the very major challenge of unraveling the complexity of gene-gene interactions. In addition, ethical and economic challenges to the application of pharmacogenetics have moved to the fore in recent years, particularly in the context of racial differences in outcome of therapy. Genomic, rather than candidate gene approaches to identification of relevant loci are increasingly being explored, and significant progress is being made. However, greater understanding of the complexities of multiple gene modifiers of outcome, and the statistical challenge of understanding such data, will be needed before individualized therapy can be applied on a routine basis.
The Effect of Dietary Lasalocid or Monensin in the Presence of Roxarsone and Graded Methionine Levels on Broiler Performance and Processing Characteristics

Abstract Two, eight-week broiler experiments were conducted in floor pens to study the feeding of either lasalocid (75, 100 or 125 p.p.m.) or monensin (99 or 121 p.p.m.) at three levels of methionine (0, 0.1 or 0.2 percent supplemental) in the presence of roxarsone (50 p.p.m.). Nine day-old chicks of each sex were randomly placed into each pen, with four replicate pens assigned to each of 18 dietary treatments. Group body weights were taken at 28 and 56 days of age for each sex and feed conversion values calculated. At 8 weeks of age, completeness of body feathering over the thigh area of all male birds was visually determined along with percent ready-to-cook yield and abdominal fat scores on selected treatment groups. In a combined analysis of the factorial experiments no significant coccidiostat × methionine interaction was found. Supplementation with 0.10 percent methionine produced a significantly heavier body weight than the unsupplemented diet. Increasing the methionine level by 0.20 percent resulted in a further numerical weight improvement, but did not affect feather scoring. Feed conversion also improved with methionine level; however, ready-to-cook yield and abdominal fat scores were not significantly affected. Feeding of lasalocid levels higher than 75 p.p.m. numerically depressed body weights. Ninety-nine p.p.m. monensin caused a significant weight reduction as compared to the basal diet and all of the lasalocid treatments. Increasing monensin to 121 p.p.m. resulted in a further significant reduction in body weights. No significant differences due to coccidiostat feeding were noted in feed efficiency, body feathering scores, ready-to-cook yield and abdominal fat scores.
Gender, Sainthood and Everyday Practice in South Asian Shi'ism

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Karen G. Ruffle Year: 2011 Pages: 256 Publisher: University of North Carolina Press ISBN: 978-0-8078-3475-6 (hard cover).
Left atrial function and scar after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Background Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) involves extensive radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the left atrium (LA) around the pulmonary veins. The effect of this therapy on LA function is not fully characterized. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether catheter ablation of AF is associated with a change in LA function. Methods LA and right atrial (RA) systolic function was assessed in 33 consecutive patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF referred for ablation using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. Steady-state free precession ECG cine CMR imaging was performed before and after (mean 48 days) AF ablation. All patients underwent circumferential pulmonary vein isolation using an 8-mm tip RFA catheter. High spatial resolution late gadolinium enhancement CMR images of LA scar were obtained in 16 patients. Results Maximum LA volume decreased by 15% (P Conclusion Catheter ablation of AF is associated with decreased LA size and reduced atrial systolic function. This change strongly correlates with the volume of LA scar. This finding may have implications for postprocedural thromboembolic risk and for procedures involving more extensive RFA.
Sex Hormone Suppression Reduces Resting Energy Expenditure and β-Adrenergic Support of Resting Energy Expenditure

Resting energy expenditure (REE) decreases with aging and may decrease in women as a result of the menopause, potentially contributing to weight gain. REE has been observed to fluctuate during the menstrual cycle, suggesting regulation by sex hormones. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of suppressing estrogen and progesterone on REE. Fourteen premenopausal women, 29 +/- 5 yr old (mean +/- sd), were studied in the midluteal menstrual phase (ML) and after 6 d of GnRH antagonist therapy (GnRHant) administered in the follicular menstrual phase. REE was measured by indirect calorimetry in the morning after a 12-h fast and again during beta-adrenergic blockade to determine sympathetic nervous system (SNS) support of REE. Treatment with GnRHant significantly decreased REE (1405 +/- 42 vs. 1334 +/- 36 kcal/d, mean +/- se, ML vs. GnRHant; P = 0.002). Additionally, SNS blockade tended to alter REE more during ML than during GnRHant (-19 +/- 10 vs. 5 +/- 11 kcal/d; P = 0.14). Suppression of sex hormones to postmenopausal levels by GnRHant reduced REE in young healthy women. These findings suggest that the withdrawal of estrogen and/or progesterone attenuates REE, possibly through a SNS-mediated mechanism.
A parallel hp‐FEM infrastructure for three‐dimensional structural acoustics

This paper describes a parallel three-dimensional numerical infrastructure for the solution of a wide range of time-harmonic problems in structural acoustics and vibration. High accuracy and rate of error-convergence, in the mid-frequency regime,is achieved by the use of hp-finite and infinite element approximations. The infrastructure supports parallel computation in both single and multi-frequency settings. Multi-frequency solves utilize concurrent factoring of the frequency-dependent linear algebraic systems and are naturally scalable. Scalability of large-scale single-frequency problems is realized by using FETI-DP—an iterative domain-decomposition scheme. Numerical examples are presented to cover applications in vibratory response of fluid-filled elastic structures as well as radiation and scattering from elastic structures submerged in an infinite acoustic medium. We demonstrate both the numerical accuracy as well as parallel scalability of the infrastructure in terms of problem parameters that include wavenumber and number of frequencies, polynomial degree of finite/infinite element approximations as well as the number of processors. Scalability and accuracy is evaluated for both single and multiple frequency sweeps on four high-performance parallel computing platforms: SGI Altix, SGI Origin, IBM p690 SP and Linux-cluster. Results show good performance on shared as well as distributed-memory architecture. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
G-helix: lithography-based wafer-level compliant chip-to-substrate interconnects

In this work, the fabrication and the reliability of 100 /spl mu/m pitch compliant off-chip G-helix interconnects are presented. A three-mask process was used to successfully fabricate the free-standing compliant interconnect at a pitch of 100 /spl mu/m. The geometry of the interconnect was optimized for mechanical and electrical performance. Also, a thermo-mechanical reliability simulation was performed. It was seen from the simulations that the G-helix interconnect assembly on an organic substrate, without the use of an underfill, could last more than 1000 thermal cycles.
Mismatch Shaping Techniques to Linearize Charge Pump Errors in Fractional- $N$ PLLs

A recent charge pump linearization technique demonstrated 8 dB reduction in spurious tones caused by charge pump current mismatch in delta-sigma fractional-N phase locked loops. In this paper, two purely digital mismatch shaping techniques are proposed to modify and further improve the charge pump linearization technique. Both the techniques suppress spurious tones by randomizing the residual charge pump mismatch error power. The second technique further spectrally shapes the residual charge pump mismatch errors to suppress close-in phase noise. No spurs are observed and -120 dBc/Hz phase noise is achieved at frequency offsets lower than 10 kHz in simulation. A theoretical proof of the spectral shaping of the charge pump mismatch error power is also presented.
Involvement of Immunization-Certified Pharmacists with Immunization Activities

BACKGROUNDImmunization certification courses allow pharmacists to directly administer vaccines to their patients. However, the demographics and level of immunization involvement of immunization-certified pharmacists compared with those noncertified are unknown.OBJECTIVETo document the demographics, professional activities, and job satisfaction of immunization-certified pharmacists compared with pharmacists not certified for immunization.METHODSIn a cross-sectional pilot study, immunization-certified pharmacists were compared with noncertified pharmacists via a postal-mailed questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of demographic and practice site characteristics, involvement in immunization services, and a job satisfaction survey.RESULTSResponse rates were 48% (n = 101) and 36% (n = 158) for immunization-certified and noncertified pharmacists, respectively. Significantly more certified pharmacists were involved in immunizations (99% vs 24%; p < 0.001). Desire to improve the health care of the public and...
Inference for Games with Many Players

We develop an asymptotic theory for static discrete-action games with a large number of players, and propose a novel inference approach based on stochastic expansions around the limit of the finite-player game. Our analysis focuses on anonymous games in which payoffs are a function of the agent's own action and the empirical distribution of her opponents' play. We establish a law of large numbers and central limit theorem which can be used to establish consistency of point or set estimators and asymptotic validity for inference on structural parameters as the number of players increases. The proposed methods as well as the limit theory are conditional on the realized equilibrium in the observed sample and therefore do not require any assumptions regarding selection among multiple equilibria.
Spectroscopic studies of anhydroretinol an endogenous mammalian and insect retro-retinoid

[9] E. F Turner. M. M Harris. 0. Riu. C/1e11?. Sot. 1947. I , 299 330. [ lo] The iiitei-convei-sion between (R,R,)-5 and (R.S,)-5 could be caused by hyand exchange involving traces of ( * ) I or its decomposition products with one or both of the diastereomers and subsequent intermolecular racemization and recoordination of the fluorophosphane. [ l l ] X-iray wuctiire analysis (Rigaku AFC6S diffractometer): (R,R,)-5 crystallized from benrene:diethyl ether, C,,H,,CIFNPPd, M = 510.31, crystal dimensions 0.20xO.lhx0.13mm'.spacegroupP2,2,2,.~ = 9 9 6 7 ( 2 ) , b = 1 0 . 9 9 8 ( 4 ) . ~ = 2 1 . 3 2 ~ ( ? ) A. I,'= 2337.3(7) A3. pirlLd =1.450gcm-'. z = 4 (measurement lemprriiure 25 C ) . Mo,, radiation ( / I = 9.93 cni' ) . 21) = 4-46.4 ,total number or reflections 1923. number of reflections w)ith I 2 3 ~ ( 1 ) 1528. relined parameters 253. analytical absorption correction. R = 0.031. R, = 0.020. S = 2 09. reqidu,il electron density 0.37 c A'. solution and refinement with the teX\nn computer program. H iitoins were placed on idealized positions. Absolute conligiiriition from known chirality of precursor and by analysis of pairs of Iriedel opposites. Further details of the crystal structurc investigation are arai1:ihlc on request from the Director of the Cambndge Crystallograph~c Datx Ccntrc. 1 2 Union Road. GB-Cambridge CB? 1EZ (UK) . o n quoting the lull journal citalion. [I21 L. tleuei-. P. G Jones. R Schmuttler, I F/IIOI.;IIP Chenl. 1990. 46, 243254: T. G . hleycr. P. G . .Ioncs. R. Schmutrler, Z. Narirrforsth. B 1993, 48. 875-885. [13] \b! S. Sheldrick. 0. Stelrer. .I C'/~rnr. S o . Dihon ?i.ror. 1973. 926-929. [I41 H. Obrrhnininer. R. Schmutzler. 0. Stclzer. I17or~. C'he111. 1978. 17, 12541258. [ lS] P. H. Leung, A. C. Willis. S. B. Wild. 117org Chem. 1992, 31. 1406-1310: P. Guggcr. A . C \ViIlis, S. B. Wild. I Chi??, So<,. C / i m . C~mr?ir~i. 1990, 1 1 hY I 1 70 [I61 N K Robcrts. S. B. Wild. J. ,4171. C/wrn. SOC. 1979. 101. 6254-6260.
The specificity of neuropsychological impairment in predicting antidepressant non-response in the very old depressed.

Objective In an earlier report, response inhibition predict antidepressant non-response in late-life depression (Sneed et al., 2007). The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether this effect is specific to response inhibition or whether impairment in other cognitive domains also predicts non-response. Method Older depressed patients (n = 84) enrolled in an 8-week trial of citalopram were classified as impaired or non-impaired relative to the sample on mental status, psychomotor speed, reaction time, spatial judgment, and memory, and contrasted with regard to antidepressant response. Results Patients who were impaired relative to the sample on digit symbol performance did not respond as quickly to citalopram as those who were unimpaired. By the end of the 8-week trial, however, both groups reached the same level of response. Impairment in other domains had no impact on antidepressant response. Conclusions Non-response was not attributable to impairment on any of the neuropsychological tests suggesting that antidepressant non-response is specific to impaired response inhibition. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Secrecy and Unaccountability: Trade Secrets in Our Public Infrastructure

Trade secrecy - the intellectual property doctrine that allows businesses to keep commercially valuable information secret for a potentially unlimited amount of time - is increasingly intruding in the operation of our public infrastructure, like voting machines, the Internet and telecommunications. A growing amount of public infrastructure is being provided by private entities that are holding critical information about their goods and services secret from the public. This Article examines this phenomenon, which is largely unexplored in legal scholarship, and identifies a significant conflict between the values and policies of trade secrecy doctrine and the democratic values of accountability and transparency that have traditionally been present in public infrastructure projects. This Article argues that in this conflict trade secrecy must give way to traditional notions of transparency and accountability when it comes to the provision of public infrastructure. Although there are good reasons for trade secrecy in private commerce, when applied to public infrastructure, the basic democratic values of transparency and accountability should prevail, especially given that the application of trade secrecy doctrine to public infrastructure projects causes some unanticipated outcomes, like hiding information that could be useful for the public at large and for the improvement of the specific infrastructure project at issue. This Article examines the background and history of trade secrecy and contrasts its values with those of democratic government. It then shows the increasing impact of trade secrecy on public infrastructure through three examples. Finally, the Article suggests some potential remedies to this sphere of increasingly conflicting values.
A Finite Element Formulation for Soft Hydrated Tissues

The function of the normal articulating joint or soft tissue component of the human body is a complex three dimensional problem often involving materials which undergo significant nonlinear behavior and multi-body contact with intervening layers of non-Newtonian fluid. Thus prediction of the mechanisms of normal joint or component functioning represents a significant computational undertaking even if complete descriptions of the constituent substances and geometry are known. An even more challenging task is to understand the mechanisms for joint or component degeneration and/or failure. Consider, for example, diarthrodial joints of the human body. Tremendous effort has been devoted to understanding the mechanism for lubrication of such joints because there has been and continues to be a perceived connection between the normal functioning of a diarthrodial joint and its mechanical failure leading to the development of osteoarthritis. Understanding the breakdown of the load bearing material, articular cartilage, under loading requires a knowledge of the deformational characteristics of the tissue. As a second typical example, consider the intervertebral disc of the spine. It is widely believed that mechanical factors contribute significantly to low back pain, and that the intervertebral disc plays an important role in the mechanics of the spine. Furthermore, numerous other back ailments can be directly related to the disc; e.g. disc prolapse and rupture, and disc degeneration. An accurate and complete understanding of these phenomena will require knowledge of the deformational characteristics of the soft tissues of the disc.
High-throughput electrophoretic mobility shift assays for quantitative analysis of molecular binding reactions

We describe a platform for high-throughput electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) for identification and characterization of molecular binding reactions. A photopatterned free-standing polyacrylamide gel array comprised of 8 mm-scale polyacrylamide gel strips acts as a chassis for 96 concurrent EMSAs. The high-throughput EMSAs was employed to assess binding of the Vc2 cyclic-di-GMP riboswitch to its ligand. In optimizing the riboswitch EMSAs on the free-standing polyacrylamide gel array, three design considerations were made: minimizing sample injection dispersion, mitigating evaporation from the open free-standing polyacrylamide gel structures during electrophoresis, and controlling unit-to-unit variation across the large-format free-standing polyacrylamide gel array. Optimized electrophoretic mobility shift conditions allowed for 10% difference in mobility shift baseline resolution within 3 min. The powerful 96-plex EMSAs increased the throughput to ∼10 data/min, notably more efficient than either conventional slab EMSAs (∼0.01 data/min) or even microchannel based microfluidic EMSAs (∼0.3 data/min). The free-standing polyacrylamide gel EMSAs yielded reliable quantification of molecular binding and associated mobility shifts for a riboswitch-ligand interaction, thus demonstrating a screening assay platform suitable for riboswitches and potentially a wide range of RNA and other macromolecular targets.
Bimolecular Decomposition Pathways for Carboxylic Acids of Relevance to Biofuels

The bimolecular thermal reactions of carboxylic acids were studied using quantum mechanical molecular modeling. Previous work1 investigated the unimolecular decomposition of a variety of organic acids, including saturated, α,β-unsaturated, and β,γ-unsaturated acids, and showed that the type and position of the unsaturation resulted in unique branching ratios between dehydration and decarboxylation, [H2O]/[CO2]. In this work, the effect of bimolecular chemistry (water-acid and acid-acid) is considered with a representative of each acid class. In both cases, the strained 4-centered, unimolecular transition state, typical of most organic acids, is opened up to 6- or 8-centered bimolecular geometries. These larger structures lead to a reduction in the barrier heights (20-45%) of the thermal decomposition pathways for organic acids and an increase in the decomposition kinetics. In some cases, they even cause a shift in the branching ratio of the corresponding product slates.
Cloud clearing in the wake of Saturn’s Great Storm of 2010–2011 and suggested new constraints on Saturn’s He/H2 ratio

Abstract Saturn’s Great Storm of 2010–2011 produced a planet-encircling wake that slowly transitioned from a region that was mainly dark at 5 µm in February 2011 to a region that was almost entirely bright and remarkably uniform by December of 2012. The uniformity and high emission levels suggested that the entire wake region had been cleared not only of the ammonia clouds that the storm had generated and exposed, but also of any other aerosols that might provide significant blocking of the thermal emission from Saturn’s deeper and warmer atmospheric layers. Our analysis of VIMS wake spectra from December 2012 provides no evidence of ammonia ice absorption, but shows that at least one significant cloud layer remained behind: a non-absorbing layer of 3–4 optical depths (at 2 µm) extending from 150 to ∼400 mbar. A second layer of absorbing and scattering particles, with less than 1 optical depth and located near 1 bar, is also suggested, but its existence as a model requirement depends on what value of the He/H2 ratio is assumed. The observations can be fit well with just a single (upper) cloud layer for a He/H2 ratio ≈ 0.064 in combination with a PH3 deep volume mixing ratio of 5 ppm. At lower He/H2 ratios, the observed spectra can be modeled without particles in this region. At higher ratios, in order to fit the brightest wake spectrum, models must include either significant cloud opacity in this region, or significantly increased absorption by PH3, NH3, and AsH3. As the exceptional horizontal uniformity in the late wake is most easily understood as a complete removal of a deep cloud layer, and after considering independent constraints on trace gas mixing ratios, we conclude that the existence of this remarkable wake uniformity is most consistent with a He/H2 mixing ratio of 0.055 − 0.015 + 0.010 , which is on the low side of the 0.038–0.135 range of previous estimates.
3 SUPPRESSION OF LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE-INDUCED ACUTE LUNG INJURY BY TAXOL.

Our prior study demonstrated that similar to actin cytoskeleton, mictotubule (MT) network is a key participant in the regulation of endothelial (EC) permeability. Disassembly of MT by pharmacological inhibitors nocodazole and vinblastine results in rearrangement of actin cytoskeleton, stress fiber formation, EC contraction, and increased permeability. MT-stabilizing agent, Taxol, prevented EC barrier dysfunction induced by MT inhibitors and significantly attenuated permeability induced by proinflammatory agonists such as thrombin in cell culture model. We hypothesized that Taxol may prevent inflammation and vascular leak associated with lung injury. The effect of Taxol was assessed employing a model of murine lung injury induced by intratracheal LPS administration (2.5 mg/kg). Our data demonstrate that intravenous Taxol (8.5 mg/kg) injected simultaneously with LPS administration dramatically reduced inflammatory histological changes in lung parenchyma, decreased infiltration of proteins (40%, p HL 58064; HL 60637.
Molecular Pathology of Cutaneous Adnexal Tumors

Cutaneous adnexal neoplasms are relatively rare neoplasms that may occur sporadic or associated with inherited syndromes and visceral neoplasms. Early and correct recognition of these lesions is of outmost importance for patient’s follow-up, prognosis, and therapeutic options, especially since cutaneous lesions may sometimes be the first manifestation of the disease. In certain instances, the presence of usually multiple, specific cutaneous adnexal neoplasms is considered patognomonic for a syndrome. The cutaneous neoplasms are usually benign in nature, often share similar histopathologic features with their sporadic counterparts, and sometimes may provide histologic clues that suggest an associated syndrome.
Candida albicans ISW2 Regulates Chlamydospore Suspensor Cell Formation and Virulence In Vivo in a Mouse Model of Disseminated Candidiasis

Formation of chlamydospores by Candida albicans was an established medical diagnostic test to confirm candidiasis before the molecular era. However, the functional role and pathological relevance of this in vitro morphological transition to pathogenesis in vivo remain unclear. We compared the physical properties of in vitro-induced chlamydospores with those of large C. albicans cells purified by density gradient centrifugation from Candida-infected mouse kidneys. The morphological and physical properties of these cells in kidneys of mice infected intravenously with wild type C. albicans confirmed that chlamydospores can form in infected kidneys. A previously reported chlamydospore-null Δisw2/Δisw2 mutant was used to investigate its role in virulence and chlamydospore induction. Virulence of the Δisw2/Δisw2 mutant strain was reduced 3.4-fold compared to wild type C. albicans or the ISW2 reconstituted strain. Altered host inflammatory reactions to the null mutant further indicate that ISW2 is a virulence factor in C. albicans. ISW2 deletion abolished chlamydospore formation within infected mouse kidneys, whereas the reconstituted strain restored chlamydospore formation in kidneys. Under chlamydospore inducing conditions in vitro, deletion of ISW2 significantly delayed chlamydospore formation, and those late induced chlamydospores lacked associated suspensor cells while attaching laterally to hyphae via novel spore-hypha septa. Our findings establish the induction of chlamydospores by C. albicans during mouse kidney colonization. Our results indicate that ISW2 is not strictly required for chlamydospores formation but is necessary for suspensor cell formation. The importance of ISW2 in chlamydospore morphogenesis and virulence may lead to additional insights into morphological differentiation and pathogenesis of C. albicans in the host microenvironment.
Lethal yellowing vector studies. II. Status of Myndus crudus host plant studies

Myndus crudus Van Duzee appears to be the major, if not sole, vector of LY in Florida (Howard, this volume). Recently, we have been attempting to manage populations of this insect by management of the ground cover under palms.