cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Nasal Valve Shape on Downstream Volume, Airflow, and Pressure Drop: Importance of the Nasal Valve Revisited:

Objectives:The relative importance of the nasal valve relative to the remainder of the nasal airway remains unknown. The goal of this article was to objectively measure the shape of the nasal inlet...
Tunable mid-infrared optical resonator on nanopatterned chalcogenide glasses

We present the incorporation into the chalcogenide glasses of two-dimensional periodic nanopatterns to realize the first of a kind chalcogenide-based planar optical mid-infrared tunable resonant structure. Chalcogenide (ChG) glasses are promising for infrared photonics owing to their transparency in visible to far infrared, where various biomolecules and gases have their characteristic absorption lines, arising from rotational-vibrational transitions. The region of the electromagnetic spectrum in which this absorption occurs, the amount of absorption, and the specific characteristics of the absorption curve are unique to each gas. Thus, gases can be fingerprinted using their absorption characteristics. Utilizing the mid-IR resonance feature of our nanopatterned ChG glass, an innovative approach is proposed to achieve selective gas sensing through the tuning of the sensor resonance, providing an inbuilt selectivity. As an illustration, the presented chalcogenide-based nanostructure is customized to match its resonance wavelength with the absorption band of gaseous methanol, a key plant health indicator. The highly concentrated electromagnetic field at the nanostructure surface allows highly sensitive detection of the target analyte methanol.
The Art Therapy-Projective Imagery Assessment

The Art Therapy-Projective Imagery Assessment (AT-PIA) is a clinical interview consisting of six drawings, to be administered by art therapists in mental health venues to children, adolescents, and adults to identify developmental level, problem areas, strengths, defenses, diagnoses, and potential for engaging productively in a therapeutic relationship. The AT-PIA was developed by art therapists at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, beginning when the school was established in 1973. Through the ensuing years, the series of drawings was adjusted and the administration, art materials, and report format were standardized into its current form (Raymond et al., 2010). The AT-PIA was developed to provide a systematic method of art therapy assessment that is compatible with psychological tests and psychiatric evaluations. It is to be administered and interpreted by art therapists or art therapy students (under supervision) who are trained to assess mental status, personality dynamics, and diagnostic indicators expressed through artwork, verbal associations, and behavior. Interpretations are made both impressionistically (Lally, 2001; Scribner & Handler, 1987) and through matching and research-based methods (Gantt, 2001, 2004; Groth-Marnat, 1999). The AT-PIA, a direct-observation projective assessment, is based on standard clinical use of administrators’ observations, interview procedures, and projective drawing tasks embellished through a wide variety of drawing materials.
Evaluating the Perception Among Rheumatologists of Maintenance of Board Certification in the US.

OBJECTIVE There continues to be a debate about the value and purpose of maintenance of certification (MOC) programs in the US. The goal of this study is to assess the impact, value, and purpose of MOC programs in rheumatology. METHODS A survey was sent to 3,107 rheumatologists in the US. The survey addressed how rheumatologists perceive the value and impact of MOC programs on rheumatology practice and patient care. RESULTS A total of 515 rheumatologists completed this survey. The majority (74.8%) believed there was no significant value in MOC, beyond what is already achieved from continuing medical education. Most rheumatologists did not believe MOC was valuable in improving patient care (63.5%), and the majority felt that the primary reason for creating MOC was either the financial well-being of board-certifying organizations (43.4%) or to satisfy administrative requirements in health systems (30%). Although 65.6% perceived that staying current with new medical knowledge was a positive impact of MOC programs, the MOC was perceived to result in time away from providing patient care (74.6%) and time away from family (74%). When asked about potential effects of requiring MOC, 77.7% reported physician burnout, 67.4% early physician retirement, and 63.9% anticipated an effect on reducing the overall number of practicing rheumatologists. CONCLUSION The majority of rheumatologists do not believe there is significant value for MOC programs. There is evidence for lack of trust in board-certifying organizations, and rheumatologists believe MOC programs contribute to physician burnout, early retirement, and loss in the rheumatology workforce.
The Lingering of Gradients: Theory and Applications

Classically, the time complexity of a first-order method is estimated by its number of gradient computations. In this paper, we study a more refined complexity by taking into account the `lingering' of gradients: once a gradient is computed at $x_k$, the additional time to compute gradients at $x_{k+1},x_{k+2},\dots$ may be reduced. We show how this improves the running time of several first-order methods. For instance, if the `additional time' scales linearly with respect to the traveled distance, then the `convergence rate' of gradient descent can be improved from $1/T$ to $\exp(-T^{1/3})$. On the application side, we solve a hypothetical revenue management problem on the Yahoo! Front Page Today Module with 4.6m users to $10^{-6}$ error using only 6 passes of the dataset; and solve a real-life support vector machine problem to an accuracy that is two orders of magnitude better comparing to the state-of-the-art algorithm.
Maternal comorbidity index and severe maternal morbidity during delivery hospitalizations in Texas, 2011-2014.

Background Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) prevalence was 194.0 per 10 000 deliveries in Texas in 2015. Chronic, behavioral, and pregnancy-induced conditions, as captured by a maternal comorbidity index, increase the risk for delivery-related morbidity and mortality. The objective of the study was to examine the association between maternal comorbidity index and SMM among delivery hospitalizations in Texas. Methods Delivery-related hospitalizations among Texan women aged 15-49 years were identified using the 2011-2014 Texas all-payer inpatient hospitalization public use data files (n = 1 434 441). The primary outcome of interest was SMM, based on the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health's coding scheme. The exposure of interest was a maternal comorbidity index. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to examine the association between maternal comorbidity index and SMM. Results SMM prevalence remained consistent between 2011 and 2014 (196.0-197.0 per 10 000 deliveries, P > .05; n = 1 434 441). Nearly 40% of delivery-related hospitalizations had a maternal comorbidity index of at least 1, and the proportion of deliveries in the highest risk category of comorbidity index (≥5) increased by 12.0% from 2011 to 2014. SMM prevalence was highest among the youngest and oldest age groups. With each unit increase in maternal comorbidity index, the odds of SMM increase was 1.43 (95% CI 1.42-1.43). Conclusions Maternal comorbidity index is associated with SMM; however, the low predictive power of the model suggests that other, unmeasured factors may influence SMM in Texas. These findings highlight a need to understand broader contextual factors (practitioner, facility, systems of care, and community) that may be associated with SMM to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality in Texas.
Transient surface response of layered isotropic and anisotropic half-spaces with interface cracks: SH case

The transient response of the surface of a layered isotropic or anisotropic half-space, with two interface cracks, excited by a plane SH-wave is investigated. The incident field is taken as a bulk wave. The governing equations along with boundary, regularity and continuity conditions across the interface are reduced to a coupled set of singular integral equations. Solutions of these equations are obtained by expanding unknown crack opening displacement (COD) in terms of a complete set of Chebyshev polynomials. As sample problems, the surface response of isotropic as well as anisotropic layered half-spaces with and without crack interactions is computed
Shortest Path Through the Network

Routing messages in a network can be thought of in terms of graphs which allows routing protocols to use well known graph algorithms to determine the best way to reach a given network.
Intrapericardial administration of anti-arrhythmic medications in patients with electrical storm.

Abstract Introduction Electrical storm (ES) is cardiac electrical instability characterized by recurrent episodes of ventricular tachyarrhythmias. ES is associated with increased mortality and morbidity, hence requires prompt intervention. Treatment of underlying etiology is of prime importance in termination of ES. Anti-arrhythmic medications serve as an adjunctive therapy in suppression of ES by reducing myocardial excitability. The anti-arrhythmic conventionally employed is amiodarone in combination with non-selective beta-blockers to reduce the adrenergic input to myocardium. However, anti-arrhythmics at increased concentrations can lead to adverse systemic effects including hemodynamic instability. Hypothesis We hypothesize 1. The use of intravenous or oral anti-arrhythmic therapy for patients in electrical storm is limited by their toxicities and blood pressure lowering effect. Corollary 1. Injection of anti-arrhythmic medications into the pericardial space, an extra-vascular structure encasing the heart, provides an option for use of higher concentration of anti-arrhythmic while limiting systemic absorption. Corollary 2. The pericardial space has direct communication to the epicardium, the outer most layer of cardiac muscle, spatial proximity may allow for effective therapeutic options in electrical storm. We present experimental and clinical evidence in support of these hypothesis.
Home Health Use In Medicare Advantage Compared To Use In Traditional Medicare

Medicare covers home health benefits for homebound beneficiaries who need intermittent skilled care. While home health care can help prevent costlier institutional care, some studies have suggested that traditional Medicare beneficiaries may overuse home health care. This study compared home health use in Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare, as well as within Medicare Advantage by beneficiary cost sharing, prior authorization requirement, and plan type. In 2016 Medicare Advantage enrollees were less likely to use home health care than traditional Medicare enrollees were, had 7.1 fewer days per home health spell, and were less likely to be admitted to the hospital during their spell. Among Medicare Advantage plans, those that imposed beneficiary cost sharing or prior authorization requirements had lower rates of home health use. Qualitative interviews suggested that Medicare Advantage payment and contracting approaches influenced home health care use. Therefore, changes in traditional Medicare home health payment policies implemented in 2020 may reduce these disparities in home health use and spell length.
MEASUREMENTS OF CORONAL FARADAY ROTATION AT 4.6 R

Many competing models for the coronal heating and acceleration mechanisms of the high-speed solar wind depend on the solar magnetic field and plasma structure in the corona within heliocentric distances of 5 R {sub ☉}. We report on sensitive Very Large Array (VLA) full-polarization observations made in 2011 August, at 5.0 and 6.1 GHz (each with a bandwidth of 128 MHz) of the radio galaxy 3C 228 through the solar corona at heliocentric distances of 4.6-5.0 R {sub ☉}. Observations at 5.0 GHz permit measurements deeper in the corona than previous VLA observations at 1.4 and 1.7 GHz. These Faraday rotation observations provide unique information on the magnetic field in this region of the corona. The measured Faraday rotation on this day was lower than our a priori expectations, but we have successfully modeled the measurement in terms of observed properties of the corona on the day of observation. Our data on 3C 228 provide two lines of sight (separated by 46'', 33,000 km in the corona). We detected three periods during which there appeared to be a difference in the Faraday rotation measure between these two closely spaced lines of sight. These measurements (termed differential Faraday rotation) yield anmore » estimate of 2.6-4.1 GA for coronal currents. Our data also allow us to impose upper limits on rotation measure fluctuations caused by coronal waves; the observed upper limits were 3.3 and 6.4 rad m{sup –2} along the two lines of sight. The implications of these results for Joule heating and wave heating are briefly discussed.« less
AI-Robotics and AI Literacy

AI is considered as a rapidly advancing technological domain capable of altering every aspect of our lives and society. However, many developing countries lack the basic infrastructure needed for taking advantage of AI systems, which could worsen the new technological, economic, and social divides. Ensuring the inclusion and equity of AI in education is one of the challenges that we need to solve. How can we support the urgent needs of developing countries and the underprivileged communities so that the divide between “haves” and “have-nots” will not continue to grow? This is the core question that this project is trying to address. This paper introduces the AI-robotics project focusing on developing an open-source affordable AI-robotics tool to address the need to promote AI literacy around the world. CogBots, the AI-empowered educational learning tool, has been in development collaboratively with Google, CogLabs and UNESCO. The project targets upper elementary and middle school students to promote AI literacy, including the 5 Big Ideas in AI, using the AI-powered educational robotics tool and the Teachable Machine by Google Creative Lab providing a machine learning experience.
Characterization of bitter compounds in native and hybrid American hazelnuts.

Abstract The main objective of this study was to identify compounds that contribute to the bitter taste attributes of American hazelnuts (C. americana) and derived hybrids. Sensory-guided Prep-LC fractionation analysis selected four compounds as bitter that were further identified by MS and NMR as carpinontriol B, 2-(3-hydroxy-2-oxoindolin-3-yl)acetic acid 3-O-6′-galactopyranosyl-2″-(2″oxoindolin-3″yl) acetate, giffonin-2-O-[(α- d -glucopyranosyl)-6′-O-(3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acid) and Afzelin, termed compounds 1–4, respectively. The concentrations of compounds 1, 2, 3, and 4 were determined across 88 American hybrid hazelnut genotypes and reported to be present at levels above their bitter threshold values in 94, 75, 25, and 0% of the samples, respectively. Moreover, the concentrations of compounds 1 and 3 were significantly higher for nuts dehusked prior to drying during post-harvest handling, which is expected to result in a higher perceived bitter intensity.
Assessing UV-Induced Degradation in Bifacial Modules of Different Cell Technologies

Bifacial technology enables solar cells to offer higher power output and lower levelized cost of energy compared to their monofacial counterparts. Here, we examined the adverse effects of ultraviolet-induced degradation (UVID) on a variety of high-efficiency silicon wafer-based bifacial cell technologies, including silicon heterojunction (SHJ), interdigitated back contact (IBC), passivated emitter rear contact (PERC), and passivated emitter rear totally-diffused (PERT). Both the front and rear sides of bifacial cells without any encapsulation were exposed to an artificially accelerated UV exposure test. After 2000 h of UV irradiation, the bifacial cells exhibited greater power loss with backside exposure indicating potential sensitivity of the rear passivation to UV. The highest power degradation is observed in SHJ cells, followed by p-PERC and n-PERT cell technologies. The degradation in SHJ cells is attributed to the reduction in V oc and FF, while the degradation in p-PERC and n-PERT cells is correlated with a significant drop in I sc . This suggests that each cell type/make degrades via different degradation pathways.
Feasibility of Fueling PWRs with Fuel Discharged from Breed and Burn Reactors

Abstract The fuel discharged from Breed and Burn (B&B) reactors contains a relatively high content of fissile plutonium (∼10%). This study assesses the feasibility of reducing this fissile content while increasing the fuel utilization by loading the B&B discharged fuel, after reconditioning, into Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR). Two processes are examined for recycling the B&B reactor discharged fuel: the melt–refining process and the AIROX process. Both use processes that can remove a fraction of the fission products and cannot be used for actinide separation. It is found possible to load full PWR core with the reconditioned fuel and operate it to an additional burnup of up to 70,000 MWd/MT IHM (AIROX processed fuel) and 105,000 MWd/MT IHM (melt-refining treated fuel), while maintaining a negative coolant temperature reactivity coefficient. The burnup reactivity swing is significantly smaller than in conventional PWR cores. The B&B reactor fuel is highly proliferation resistant after being discharged from the PWR.
International Exchange as a Transformative Learning Experience: A Case Study.

This study examines the role of international exchange programs on the transformative learning of English-speaking students. A student exchange program at a South Korean university is used for this...
Property and Property Rules

This Article builds on the literature generated by Calabresi and Melamed's framework for protecting entitlements through property and liability rules. Pointing to the gap between academic commentators' conclusions that liability rules are superior in most circumstances and the reality that property rules overwhelmingly predominate in the law, the Article offers a theory of the advantages of property rules that is based on information costs. The starting point for this theory is the observation that assets are heterogeneous in ways that are economically significant but costly to identify and value; liability rules inevitably involve some need for an official to make such valuations. The Article then argues that the preference for liability rules rests on certain convenient but overly simple assumptions that elide the costs of producing information about assets and activities. Second, this Article explores the natural pairing between property rules and owners' rights to exclude others from their property. The "exclusion strategy" for protecting property rights relies on simple on/off signals such as the boundary around a parcel of land to communicate rights and duties to the rest of the world. Within this protected zone, owners have open-ended choices of how to invest in or consume the asset. This Article shows how pairing property rules with an exclusion strategy has advantages that stem from saving information costs, deterring opportunism by potential takers, and discouraging owners from engaging in wasteful self-help. Finally, this Article shows how the information-cost theory illuminates the connection between property rule protection and traditional notions such as residual claimancy and property in the sense of an in rem right to a thing.
The Buffer-Stock Model and the Aggregate Propensity to Consume: A Panel-Data Study of the US States

We simulate a buffer-stock model of consumption, explicitly aggregate over consumers, and estimate aggregate marginal propensities to consume out of current and lagged income using simulated data generated by the model. We calculate the predicted marginal effects of changing persistence of income shocks, aggregate-level uncertainty, and individual-level risk. Next, we estimate marginal propensities for US states using panel-data methods. We find effects of persistence that clearly correspond to the predictions of the model and while the effect of aggregate uncertainty cannot be determined precisely, indicators of individual level uncertainty have strong effects consistent with the model. Overall, the buffer-stock model clearly helps explain differences in consumer behaviour across states.
The contribution of ciliary neurotrophic factor receptors to adult motor neuron survival in vivo is specific to insult type and distinct from that for embryonic motor neurons.

Exogenous ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) promotes motor neuron (MN) survival following trauma and in genetic models of MN disease. Unconditional disruption of the mouse CNTF receptor α (CNTFRα) gene leads to MN loss, demonstrating a developmental role for endogenous CNTF receptor signaling. These data also suggest that CNTF receptors may promote adult MN survival and that appropriately manipulating the receptors could effectively treat adult MN disorders. This effort would greatly benefit from a better understanding of the roles played by CNTF receptors in adult MNs. We have previously found that adult onset disruption of CNTFRα in facial MNs of “floxed CNTFRα” mice by AAV-Cre vector injection leads to significantly more MN loss than in identically treated controls. While indicating that CNTF receptors can promote adult MN survival, the data did not distinguish between potential roles in MN maintenance versus roles in protecting MNs from the injection associated trauma or the toxicity of the chronic Cre recombinase (Cre) produced by the AAV-Cre. Here we used an inducible Cre gene construct to produce adult-onset CNTFRα disruption in facial MNs without the traumatic and toxic effects of the AAV-Cre procedure. The MNs survive without CNTFRα, even when challenged by facial nerve crush or the injection-associated trauma, thereby suggesting, in conjunction with our previous study, that endogenous CNTF receptor signaling can protect MNs against toxic insult, such as that produced by chronic Cre. The data also indicate that in vivo CNTF receptors play very different roles in adult and embryonic MNs.
Doctoral dissertations on suicide from U.S. and Canadian institutions of higher learning, 1990-1995.

Doctoral dissertations on suicide from 1990 to 1995 appearing in Volumes 51-55 and the 1995 issues of Volume 56 of Dissertation Abstracts International are listed. A total of 214 dissertations from 119 North American institutions of higher learning (110 in the United States and 9 in Canada) are compiled and organized by the year in which the dissertation was completed. An average of 40 dissertations were completed annually for the years 1990-1994. The institutions granting the most doctorates are indicated. More than half of the doctoral projects involve topics of youth suicide, with only small numbers of dissertations on any other specific topic.
Lattice dynamics of LaSn/sub 3/

Inelastic neutron scattering techniques have been used to measure the phonon dispersion curves of La${\mathrm{Sn}}_{3}$ at room temperature and the frequencies of a selected number of phonons at 750 and 1200 K. We find that the frequencies of the optical modes in the vicinity of the first ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{15}$ point are lower than those of the corresponding modes in the isostructural compound Ce${\mathrm{Sn}}_{3}$ and decrease with decreasing temperature. The similarity of these results to those obtained in the superconducting elements Zr, Ti, Hf, and Tc suggests that these anomalies are due to the splitting of the flat doubly degenerate ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{5}$ electronic bands just below ${E}_{F}$ by the lattice distortions corresponding to these modes. The force constants obtained by fitting the experimental data to a three-nearest-neighbor Born---von K\'arm\'an model were used to evaluate the phonon density of states, the lattice specific heat, and the atomic temperature factors of Ce and Sn in this compound.
Backscattering from a statistically rough 2‐D surface: Diffraction corrections to geometrical optics cross sections

[1] Diffraction corrections (up to terms ∼1/k2) to the geometric optics backscattering cross sections from a statistically rough 2-D perfectly conducting surface were derived for TE- and TM-polarized electromagnetic waves based on the high-frequency asymptotic expansions of electric and magnetic fields at the surface obtained by Fuks (2004). It was shown that at steep incident angles, where the specular reflections play the main part in scattering, diffraction results can be interpreted as scattering by a fictitious surface, the roughness of which is gentler that the real surface at HH polarization and steeper at VV polarization. The HH/VV polarization ratio (dB), being positive at steep incident angles, gradually decreases as the incident angle increases, and it becomes negative for moderate incident angles.
Affinity characteristics of amylase-binding substance(s) prepared from macroamylase complexes.

Partially purified macroamylase complexes, subjected to chromatography at pH 3.4, were partly or completely dissociated in each of the 30 sera so studied. The protein fractions contained variable quantities of residual undissociated macroamylase. They also contained binding substance(s), as evidenced by ability to bind added amylase. Pancreatic and salivary amylase were separately mixed with each preparation of binding substance(s) and chromatographed. Binding affinity, measured by the activity of newly formed macroamylase, varied considerably. Most of the binding substances bound considerably more salivary than pancreatic amylase; none showed markedly greater affinity toward pancreatic than toward salivary amylase. By and large, there appeared to be an association between the isoamylase pattern of the amylase released from the macroamylase complexes at pH 3.4 and the relative binding affinities of the binding substances toward pancreatic and salivary amylases.
"I swear to God, I only want people here who are losers!" cultural dissonance and the (problematic) allure of Azeroth.

We use ethnographically informed survey and interview data to explore therapeutic and problematic play in the online World of Warcraft (WoW). We focus on how game-play in WoW is driven by shared and socially transmitted models of success that we conceptualize as cultural ideals. Our research reveals associations between having higher online compared to offline success, on the one hand, and gamers’ reports about how their play both adds to and subtracts from their mental wellness, on the other. Fusing William Dressler's notion of “cultural consonance” (an individual's relative consistency with his or her culture) with Leon Festinger's “cognitive dissonance” (the tendency of individuals to suffer distress when they cannot eliminate incompatibilities in conflicting beliefs and attitudes), we develop the notion of “cultural dissonance,” which in this context refers to how conflicts between online and offline lives, and also subsequent attempts to minimize the conflicts through psychological negotiations, impact gamers’ mental health.
Using Eye Tracking to Assess the Impact of Advertising Appeals on Donor Behavior

This research examines print advertisements of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) using eye-tracking technology and a nonverbal, emotional scale to assess donor behavior. Attention to three areas of interest, including the text, face, and brand/logo, was visually tracked. Next, three eye-tracking metrics (Time to First Fixation, Fixation Count, and Total Visit Duration) and corresponding donor behavior were measured. The eye-tracking metrics were effective indicators of an advertisement’s propensity to stimulate donor behavior. The findings in this research show that NPO advertisements should encourage viewers to look at the face in the advertisement layout. The more times the subject went back and looked at the face, and the more total time spent looking at the face, the greater the likelihood they would recommend to others to donate. These characteristics are shown in this research to be those of negative emotional appeals.
Slow early growers have more muscle in relation to adult activity: evidence from Cebu, Philippines

Adult skeletal muscle mass (SMM) protects against type 2 diabetes, but little is known about its developmental antecedents. We examined whether pace of early weight gain predicted adult SMM in a birth cohort from Cebu City, Philippines. In addition, we examined whether increases in SMM associated with adult muscle-building exercise varied according to the early growth. Data came from 1472 participants of the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey. Weight was measured at birth and at 6-month intervals through the age of 24 months. Adult SMM was estimated from anthropometric measurements when participants were 20–22-years old. Interviews provided the information on adult exercise/lifestyle habits. SMM (mean±s.d.) was 20.8±3.9 kg (men) and 13.6±3.4 kg (women). Faster early weight gain predicted a higher adult SMM. After adjustment for height and lifestyle factors, strongest associations with SMM were found for 6–12 months growth in men (β=0.17, P=0.001) and for birth weight in women (β=0.14, P=0.001). Individuals who had grown slowly displayed greater SMM in association with adult weightlifting, basketball playing and physically demanding forms of employment (men) or household chores (women). These results suggest heightened sensitivity of activity-induced muscle hypertrophy among the adults who were born light or who gained weight slowly as infants. Future research should test this finding by comparing responses of muscle mass to an intervention in slow vs fast early growers. Findings suggest that adults who display a reduced SMM following suboptimal early growth may be good candidates for new anti-diabetes interventions that promote muscle-building activities.
Endovascular intervention for renal artery stenosis.

Renovascular diseases are common conditions with important implications on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Renal artery stenosis (RAS) is present in 1–5% of patients with hypertension (HTN) in the US with the vast majority of caused by atherosclerosis. Atheroscelortic RAS is related not only to uncontrolled HTN, but also to renal dysfunction. Atherosclerotic RAS in the USA has been reported to account for approximately 14–16% of new patients requiring dialysis each year. Hence a concerted effort was made in the last decade to treat renovascular stenosis using newly developed endovascular therapies to improve cardiovascular morbidity and renal function. A review on new advances in the endovascular management of renal artery stenosis with low profile stents, embolic protection devices, and drug eluting stents is presented.
Analyzing financial statements for managerial performance measurement and bankruptcy prediction

Abstract Financial statements contain significant information on the financial well-being of a company. In this paper, the author considers techniques for statement analysis and discusses the interpretation of results. Many of the variables arising from such analysis can be used to develop statistical models that are quite successful as early-warning indicators of corporate bankruptcy. The author examines some of these bankruptcy prediction models and discusses their performance.
Erratum to: Relationships among time orientation, consumer innovativeness, and innovative behavior: the moderating role of product characteristics

Consumer innovativeness is a critical factor that determines the success of new product introductions. An important but underexplored antecedent of consumer innovativeness is time orientation. In this article, we propose a conceptual model of the relationships among time orientation, consumer innovativeness, and consumer innovative behavior. We further examine the moderating role of several important product characteristics on these relationships. These characteristics include (1) newness of the product, (2) product complexity, (3) network externalities, and (4) the utilitarian versus expressive nature of the product. We develop a series of research propositions to explicate the relationships in our conceptual model. We delineate the substantive and managerial implications by linking the variables through a comprehensive framework and provide future research directions.
Review of Guillermo del Toro: Film as Alchemic Art

This is the first book length scholarly consideration of del Toro’s work and it will certainly not be the last as del Toro continues to prove himself as one of the most interesting and rewarding filmmakers working today. McDonald and Clark’s book lays a solid foundation for whatever work may follow in this impressive and comprehensive reading of del Toro’s cinema.
Direct band Ge photoluminescence at 1.6 μm coupled to Ge-on-Si microdisk resonators

Germanium microdisks on silicon are fabricated and analyzed under various optical pumping conditions. WGMs are observed in transmission as well as PL via coupling to fiber tapers. It is concluded that heavy doping is required for lasing.
The Sword and the Pen: Women, Politics, and Poetry in Sixteenth‐Century Siena. By Konrad Eisenbichler. (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2012. Pp. xiii, 371. $32.00.)

Hundreds of early modern women wielded their pens with as much acuity as they—or their female contemporaries—did their needles. Italian female writers formed a dynamic subset of that group, contrib...
Enlightenment and the Question of the Other: A Postmodern Audition

This paper examines the other side of Enlightenment which privileges the author? ity and autonomy of reason for human progress and emancipation. It contends that Enlight? enment marginalizes and denigrates the categories of (1) body, (2) woman, (3) nature, and (4) non-West which happen to be four central landmarks of postmodern thought.
Electrophoretic mobility shift assay identifies vitamin D binding protein (Gc-globulin) in human, rat, and mouse sera.

Abstract Serum vitamin D binding protein (DBP, also known as Gc-globulin) is a multifunctional protein capable of binding both vitamin D metabolites and actin. DBP can be visualized when analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by staining. Confirmation of its identity had previously required immunoprecipitation with specific anti-DBP antisera or occupancy of the protein with radioactive vitamin D sterols. We present studies showing that preincubation of G-actin with mammalian sera produced a discernible DBP protein band shift on native gel electrophoresis. Addition of DNaseI, a 33-kDa intracellular protein with an avid actin-binding site, to the incubations resulted in a supershift of DBP–actin complexes to an even more cathodal region of the gels. Following incubations with human, rat, and murine sera the same actin shift occurred as did the actin plus DNaseI supershift. The migrations of each complex were correlated with purified DBP migrations under identical conditions. It was confirmed that the supershifted bands contained DBP by Western blotting and detection of DBP by binding of 25-OH[3H]D3. After intravenous G-actin injections into living mice, a serum DBP–actin complex could be detected on native gels as the uncomplexed DBP band decreased in intensity. This simple, direct-staining technique appears to be suitable for identifying DBP/Gc phenotypes in human populations as well as for semiquantitatively monitoring the plasma actin-scavenger systemin vivoin animal models or in human diseases.
Thermalization of suprathermal N(4S) atoms in He and Ar gases

The potential energies of nitrogen atoms interacting with helium and argon atoms are determined and the rates of thermalization of initially energetic nitrogen atoms traversing bath gases of helium and argon atoms are obtained. The C 6 dispersion coefficients are determined to be 5.79 a.u. for N–He and 39.42 a.u. for N–Ar. Quantum mechanical calculations of the differential scattering cross-sections are carried out and used to find solutions to the kinetic Boltzmann equations. The rates of thermalization are compared with experiments on the translational energy relaxation of nitrogen atoms produced by the photolysis of NO2. The accuracy of the hard sphere approximation in interpreting the data is explored, and found to be satisfactory with hard sphere cross-sections of 1.50 × 10−15 cm2 for helium and 1.98 × 10−15 cm2 for argon.
Negro actors: The added dimensions of color

The following essay is a speculation on the ever‐freshening issue of integrated casting in both professional and educational theatre productions, suggesting both the present limitations and future potentialities of casting Negro actors in roles that have no racial identifications.
SU-E-T-366: Clinical Implementation of MR-Guided Vaginal Cylinder Brachytherapy

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of MR-based vaginal brachytherapy source localization using an in-house MR-visible marker versus the alignment of an applicator model to MR images. Methods: Three consecutive patients undergoing vaginal HDR brachytherapy with a plastic cylinder were scanned with both CT and MRI (including T1- and T2- weighted images). An MR-visible source localization marker, consisting of a sealed thin catheter filled with either water (for T2 contrast) or Gd-doped water (for T1 contrast), was assembled shortly before scanning. Clinically, the applicator channel was digitized on CT with an x-ray marker. To evaluate the efficacy of MR-based applicator reconstruction, each MR image volume was aligned locally to the CT images based on the region containing the cylinder. Applicator digitization was performed on the MR images using (1) the MR visible marker and (2) alignment of an applicator surface model from Varian's Brachytherapy Planning software to the MRI images. Resulting source positions were compared with the original CT digitization. Results: Although the source path was visualized by the MR marker, the applicator tip proved difficult to identify due to challenges in achieving a watertight seal. This resulted in observed displacements of the catheter tip, at times >1cm. Deviations between themore » central source positions identified via aligning the applicator surface model to MR and using the xray marker on CT ranged from 0.07 – 0.19 cm and 0.07 – 0.20 cm on T1- weighted and T2-weighted images, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the current study, aligning the applicator model to MRI provides a practical, current approach to perform MR-based brachytherapy planning. Further study is needed to produce catheters with reliably and reproducibly identifiable tips. Attempts are being made to improve catheter seals, as well as to increase the viscosity of the contrast material to decrease fluid mobility inside the catheter.« less
P05.46. Spiritual needs of veterans: healthcare implications for returning troops

Purpose Spirituality plays an important role for many people. In particular, its crucial role among people at the end-oflife (EoL) has been recognized. Currently one out of 4 deaths in the US is a veteran. The study of spirituality among veterans who are at the EoL is therefore urgently needed. The objectives of this study are to understand the spiritual needs and spiritual care provided to veterans at the EoL in the Veteran Administration (VA) Healthcare System. We particularly focused on how military experience impacts spirituality and the spiritual care for veterans who, at the EoL, are still suffering from these experiences.
The distributional impact of housing discrimination in a non-Walrasian setting

Abstract In a Walrasian housing market, the impacts of discrimination might be expected to be relatively modest. Any agent willing to pay the equilibrium price will be able to obtain a unit eventually, even if he is the last person to be told about available units. An alternative view is that housing markets are essentially non-Walrasian. In such a market there will be no single market-clearing price for housing of a given quality. Similar units will sell for prices that will depend on the relative bargaining strength of the buyers and sellers. In this case discrimination might have more significant effects. We employ an agent-based model of a non-Walrasian housing market to investigate the impacts of access discrimination. We explore the magnitude and distribution of the impacts within the economy.
Racial/ethnic differences in the effects of psychiatric disorders on employment.

Prior research on the disability burden of mental disorders has focused on the non-Latino white population, despite the growing size and importance of racial/ethnic minorities in the labor market and in the US population as a whole. This paper is one of the first to test for racial/ethnic differences in the effects of mental disorder on employment outcomes with data from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiological Studies (CPES). We find that recent psychiatric disorder is associated with a reduction in the likelihood of employment for men of all racial/ethnic groups relative to non-Latino whites with the possible exception of Caribbeans. These findings are driven by the effects of anxiety and affective disorders. For females, only affective disorders appear to detract from employment overall. Much larger negative effects are found for Latino women with anxiety disorders.
Attitudes of medical students and health-care professionals toward people with disabilities

This study used the Attitude Towards Disabled Persons Scale (ATDP) to investigate differences in attitudes toward individuals with physical disabilities among first-year and fourth-year medical students and health-care professionals. Of 851 questionnaires sent out, 310 were returned, and 297 were used in the final analyses. The fourth-year medical students had significantly more positive attitudes toward people with physical disabilities when compared to the first-year medical students. Differences between health-care professionals and fourth-year medical students were nonsignificant. Across the sample, females, compared to males, and whites, compared to Asians, were found to hold significantly more positive attitudes toward people with physical disabilities. Contact with people with physical disabilities did not have to be on an equal-status basis to have a positive effect on attitudes toward people with physical disabilities. The need for health and educational disciplines to further the movement towards integration of people with physical disabilities was emphasized, and suggestions for future research were offered.
Crime modeling and mapping using geospatial technologies

As I began reading this collection of papers, I found myself drawn back in time to my first exposure to crime mapping and spatial statistics. It was 20 years ago during a doctoral seminar taught by...
The influence of film and experiential pedagogy on multicultural counseling self-efficacy and multicultural counseling competence

Scholarly discourse has emphasized the need for culturally competent practices. Additionally, multicultural self-efficacy has been found to be critical in working with clients from diverse backgrounds, however, there is a relative paucity of literature on how to teach counselor trainees to be culturally competent and self- efficacious (Kim & Lyons, 2003). The use of experiential education is one pedagogical tool that has been supported in effectively connecting multicultural theory to practice (Arthur & Achenbach, 2002; Coleman, 2006). In this study, researchers investigated the influence of experiential pedagogical strategies with an emphasis on film on multicultural counseling competence (MCC) and multicultural counseling self-efficacy (MCSE). Results indicated that both MCC and MCSE increased as a result of one semester in a multicultural counseling class. Additional findings and limitations are discussed.
Teachers' Perceptions about Readability and Modification of Authentic Texts Chosen for Teaching Reading in the Vietnamese Context

The article presents EFL teachers’ perceptions towards the readability of authentic texts and the ways of modifying authentic materials used in teaching reading. Essential tools to check the ease of understanding authentic texts are also suggested. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire and test. The findings show that awareness of readability and modification of authentic texts in teaching reading benefited both the teachers in facilitating their teaching process and the learners in their language acquisition. Key words : Reading; Readability; Text readability; Authenticity; Text modification; Language acquisition Journal of NELTA Vol. 15 No. 1-2 December 2010 Page: 89-97 Uploaded date : 4 May, 2011 DOI: 10.3126/nelta.v15i1-2.4613
PROPERTIES OF THE YELLOW ORGANIC ACIDS OF NATURAL WATERS1

Gel filtration profiles obtained from a variety of naturally colored waters indicate that color producing molecules are mostly in the apparent molecular weight range of 700–10,000 relative to dextrans. One fraction seems to have a molecular weight in excess of 50,000. The apparent size of the color molecules was found to be pH dependent, increasing as pH increases. Size increases are attributed to increased functional group ionization and a decrease in the adsorbability on Sephadex. The degree of association of color molecules with iron was also found to be pH dependent, being greater at both high and low pH than in the range of 7–8.
Regulation of rat placental phosphorylase.

Abstract Glycogen phosphorylase (α-1,4-glucan: orthophosphate glucosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.1) from rat placenta has been shown to exist in AMP-dependent and -independent forms that are designated phosphorylase b and a, respectively. Phosphorylase b exhibits a Ka of 1.5·10−4 M for AMP and is stimulated by 0.7 M Na2SO4 in the presence or absence of the nucleotide; in contrast, phosphorylase a is inhibited by Na2SO4. Placental extracts contain a phosphorylase kinase, a phosphorylase phosphatase and a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase which are presumed to be associated with the control of glycogenolysis in this tissue.
Post-transplant food allergy development and chronic diarrhea in pediatric patient taking tacrolimus as major immunosuppressant☆

Abstract Rationale Complications of solid organ transplantation include chronic diarrhea. The pathogenesis is often unknown, but the development of food hypersensitivity is implicated in some patients taking Tacrolimus. Methods A 2-year-old Caucasian female with Argininosuccinic aciduria, post-liver transplant from a related non-food allergic living donor, was referred for evaluation. Treated with Tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil and Prednisone she developed chronic non-mucoid, non-bloody diarrhea, five months post-transplant. Dietary restrictions allowed chicken, rice, peanuts and fruits but did not relieve the diarrhea. Metronidazole for two weeks gave no relief. Liver enzymes were normal, urine SG 1.025 to 1.030 and elevated Tacrolimus level (21.5 Ng/ml). Gastrointestinal biopsies found eosinophilic infiltration of the entire mucosae. Stool examinations for bacteria, viruses, ova, and parasites were negative. Cytomegalovirus, Clostidium difficile, Adenovirus, Rotavirus, Giardia and Helicobacter pylori were negative. In vitro IgE antibodies revealed sensitizations to egg white and peanuts with Peripheral eosinophilia at 10%. Results The patient ate regular table food, eliminating eggs and peanuts, and is diarrhea free without changing the tacrolimus, MMf or steroid treatment. Tacrolimus levels at discharge were 12.8Ng/ml. Conclusions Tacrolimus in post-organ transplant patients increases gut permeability impairing intestinal barriers against uptake of antigens and risks developing food hypersensitivity which should be suspected in patients on immunosuppressive drugs. Proper diagnosis of this condition can lead to appropriate treatment and cure of the diarrhea.