cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rise and fall of the Acadian altiplano: Evidence for a Paleozoic orogenic plateau in New England

Abstract High elevation orogenic plateaus are formed by a complex interplay of deep and surficial processes and influence a variety of Earth systems. However, few exposures of plateau mid-crust are presently recognized, hindering understanding of the deeper processes. We present evidence for the existence of an orogenic plateau during and after the Devonian Acadian orogeny whose mid-crustal roots are exposed in the New England Appalachians. The four-dimensional crustal evolution of this paleo-plateau is constrained by the integration of new petrologic and geochronologic databases, petrochronology, and geophysical imaging. Doubly thickened crust, widespread amphibolite to granulite-facies metamorphic conditions, a paleo-isobaric surface, and protracted mid-crustal anatexis indicate the development of a high elevation, low relief plateau by 380 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology shows a distinct thermochronologic signature with very slow cooling rates of 2–4 °C/m.y. following peak metamorphic conditions. Thermochronologic data, trace element and Nd isotope geochemistry, and monazite petrochronology suggest a 50 m.y. lifespan of the plateau. Orogen parallel ductile flow and extrusion of gneiss domes resulted in plateau collapse, crustal thinning, and homogeneous exhumation at ca. 330–300 Ma. Thinning and exhumation of the plateau crust may have led to the sharp 12–15 km step in Moho depth in western New England, possibly by reactivating the suture between Laurentia and accreted Gondwanan-derived terranes. The formation of the Acadian altiplano may have influenced Li-pegmatite genesis, foreland basin evolution, and Paleozoic paleoclimate, while its recognition may provide a window into the deeper processes of orogenic plateaus including partial melting, plutonism, and collapse by ductile extension.
Cognitive mapping: Anchoring our brain’s sense of space in a dynamic world

In complex environments, we rely on knowing our current location and pathways to others in order to flexibly navigate. But viable routes often change. New research suggests how the brain tracks where we are regardless of paths available to us.
Verified Software Units

Modularity - the partitioning of software into units of functionality that interact with each other via interfaces - has been the mainstay of software development for half a century. In case of the C language, the main mechanism for modularity is the compilation unit / header file abstraction. This paper complements programmatic modularity for C with modularity idioms for specification and verification in the context of Verifiable C, an expressive separation logic for CompCert Clight. Technical innovations include (i) abstract predicate declarations – existential packages that combine Parkinson & Bierman’s abstract predicates with their client-visible reasoning principles; (ii) residual predicates, which help enforcing data abstraction in callback-rich code; and (iii) an application to pure (Smalltalk-style) objects that connects code verification to model-level reasoning about features such as subtyping, self, inheritance, and late binding. We introduce our techniques using concrete example modules that have all been verified using the Coq proof assistant and combine to fully linked verified programs using a novel, abstraction-respecting component composition rule for Verifiable C.
Consumer Views on Health Applications of Consumer Digital Data and Health Privacy Among US Adults: Qualitative Interview Study.

Background: In 2020, the number of internet users surpassed 4.6 billion. Individuals who create and share digital data can leave a trail of information about their habits and preferences that collectively generate a digital footprint. Studies have shown that digital footprints can reveal important information regarding an individual’s health status, ranging from diet and exercise to depression. Uses of digital applications have accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic where public health organizations have utilized technology to reduce the burden of transmission, ultimately leading to policy discussions about digital health privacy. Though US consumers report feeling concerned about the way their personal data is used, they continue to use digital technologies. Objective: This study aimed to understand the extent to which consumers recognize possible health applications of their digital data and identify their most salient concerns around digital health privacy. Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews with a diverse national sample of US adults from November 2018 to January 2019. Participants were recruited from the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, a nationally representative panel. Participants were asked to reflect on their own use of digital technology, rate various sources of digital information, and consider several hypothetical scenarios with varying sources and health-related applications of personal digital information. Results: The final cohort included a diverse national sample of 45 US consumers. Participants were generally unaware what consumer digital data might reveal about their health. They also revealed limited knowledge of current data collection and aggregation practices. When responding to specific scenarios with health-related applications of data, they had difficulty weighing the benefits and harms but expressed a desire for privacy protection. They saw benefits in using digital data to improve health, but wanted limits to health programs’ use of consumer digital data. Conclusions: Current privacy restrictions on health-related data are premised on the notion that these data are derived only from medical encounters. Given that an increasing amount of health-related data is derived from digital footprints in consumer settings, our findings suggest the need for greater transparency of data collection and uses, and broader health privacy protections.
Promoting learning health system feedback loops: Experience with a VA practice-based research network card study.

Abstract Background We tested the capacity of the 60-site VA Women's Health Practice-Based Research Network (WH-PBRN), embedded within VA, to employ a multisite card study to collect women Veterans' perspectives about Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) and to rapidly return findings to participating sites and partnered national policy-makers in support of a Learning Health System (LHS) wherein evidence generation informs ongoing improvement. Methods VA primary care clinic clerks and nurses distributed anonymous surveys (patient feedback forms) at clinics for up to two weeks in fiscal year 2017, asking about CIH behavior and preferred delivery methods. We examined the project's feasibility, representativeness, acceptability, and impact via a tracking system, national administrative data, debriefing notes, and three surveys of WH-PBRN Site Leads. Results Twenty geographically diverse and largely representative VA Medical Centers and 11 Community-Based Outpatient Clinics volunteered to participate. Over six months, N = 1191 women Veterans responded (median 57; range 8–151 per site). In under three months, we returned local findings benchmarked against multisite findings to all participating sites and summary findings to national VA partners. Sites and partners disseminated results to clinical and leadership stakeholders, who then applied results as warranted. Conclusions VA effectively mobilized an embedded PBRN to implement a timely, representative, acceptable and impactful operations project. Implications Card studies by PBRNs within large, national healthcare systems can provide rapid feedback to participating sites and national leaders to guide policies, programs, and practices. Level of Evidence Self-selected respondents could have biased results.
Polyaneuploid Cancer Cell Dormancy: Lessons From Evolutionary Phyla

Dormancy is a key survival strategy in many organisms across the tree of life. Organisms that utilize some type of dormancy (hibernation, aestivation, brumation, diapause, and quiescence) are able to survive in habitats that would otherwise be uninhabitable. Induction into dormant states is typically caused by environmental stress. While organisms are dormant, their physical activity is minimal, and their metabolic rates are severely depressed (hypometabolism). These metabolic reductions allow for the conservation and distribution of energy while conditions in the environment are poor. When conditions are more favorable, the organisms are then able to come out of dormancy and reengage in their environment. Polyaneuploid cancer cells (PACCs), proposed mediators of cancer metastasis and resistance, access evolutionary programs and employ dormancy as a survival mechanism in response to stress. Quiescence, the type of dormancy observed in PACCs, allows these cells the ability to survive stressful conditions (e.g., hypoxia in the microenvironment, transiting the bloodstream during metastasis, and exposure to chemotherapy) by downregulating and altering metabolic function, but then increasing metabolic activities again once stress has passed. We can gain insights regarding the mechanisms underlying PACC dormancy by looking to the evolution of dormancy in different organisms.
A coronavirus outbreak and sector stock returns: a tale from the first ten weeks of 2020

This paper examines early impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on stock returns of 11 sectors using the firm-level stock price data from 10 countries. Results show that investors across sectors and cou...
Objective Assessment of Spectacle Wear in Infants and Toddlers Using a Wearable Sensor.

Purpose To assess the feasibility of using a thermal microsensor to monitor spectacle wear in infants and toddlers, to determine the inter-method reliability of two methods of estimating spectacle wear from sensor data, and to validate sensor estimates of wear. Methods Fourteen children, 3 to <48 months of age, and one adult were provided pediatric spectacles containing their spectacle prescription. A thermal microsensor attached to the spectacle headband recorded date, time, and ambient temperature every 15 minutes for 14 days. Parents were asked for daily spectacle wear reports, and the adult recorded wear using a smartphone app. Sensor data were dichotomized (wear/non-wear) using two methods: temperature threshold (TT) and human judgment (HJ). Kappa statistics assessed inter-method reliability (child data) and accuracy (adult data). Results Data from two child participants were excluded (one because of corrupted sensor data and the other because of no parent log data). Sensor data were collected more reliably than parent wear reports. The TT and HJ analysis of child data yielded similar reliability. Adult sensor data scored using the HJ method provided more valid estimates of wear than the TT method (κ = 0.94 vs. 0.78). Conclusions We have demonstrated that it is feasible to deduce periods of spectacle wear using a thermal data logger and that the sensor is tolerated by children. Translational Relevance Results indicate that it is feasible to use a thermal microsensor to measure spectacle wear for use in clinical monitoring or for research on spectacle treatment in children under 4 years of age.
Sex Offender Registration in a Pandemic

This Essay, part of a symposium examining how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the criminal justice system, addresses whether, and how, state and local governments maintained their requirement that individuals convicted of sex offenses meet with authorities in person to confirm and update their registry information. Focusing in particular on the first months of 2020, the tale told highlights the distinctiveness of registration: while many governmental operations were suspended, or went online, in-person registration very often persisted. As a result, registrants were required to travel to a government office (perhaps by public transport), wait in a closed space very possibly with poor ventilation, sometimes for extended periods of time, where social distancing might not have been feasible. If they failed to satisfy the registration requirement they faced significant criminal punishment. The in-person registration requirement remained in effect even though registrants often share many of the same health and age-related characteristics of the broader at-risk population, risks often aggravated by sanitary problems associated with chronic homelessness (e.g., lack of access to soap for hand washing) that registrants often experience. As a result, in-person registration posed the threat of registrants transmitting and contracting the virus, affecting not only the registrants themselves, but also friends, family, and employers, as well as the governmental authorities with whom they had to interact. As states and localities undertook aggressive measures to stem the spread of COVID-19, the persistence of in-person registration provides a stark reminder of the continued exceptionalism of registration and the population it targets (individuals convicted of sex offenses). The Essay explores the reasons accounting for this distinctiveness and provides some thoughts on how and why in-person registration persisted in the early stages of the pandemic when so many other governmental operations were suspended or significantly modified.
Insurance Coverage of Pediatric Bariatric Surgery: a Cross-Sectional Analysis of the USA.

Pediatric bariatric surgery is increasingly recognized as a safe and effective option for the management of obesity and obesity-related conditions. However, insurance coverage is a key barrier to accessing these procedures. Criteria are variable and often not evidence-based. In an effort to characterize common patterns in insurance coverage, we report coverage criteria for adolescents relative to adults. We surveyed medical policies of the 50 highest market share health insurance providers in the USA. Private insurer coverage criteria included age, Tanner staging, skeletal maturity, body mass index, procedures covered, medical weight management requirements, co-morbidities, and multidisciplinary team criteria. These were then compared to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) guidelines. Two thirds (n = 33, 66%) of companies provided inclusion criteria for adolescents. All policies covered RYGB (n = 33), most covered sleeve gastrectomy (n = 32, 97.0%). Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (n = 32, 97%), hypertension (HTN) (n = 27, 81.8%), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (n = 11, 33.3%) were the three most commonly cited co-morbidities used as inclusion criteria. Tanner staging or skeletal maturity were most commonly used (n = 10, 30.3%). Similarly, twenty (60.6%) insurers required medical weight management programs. Multi-disciplinary teams were required by 81.8% of adolescent policies (n = 27) as described by the ASMBS. Seventeen (51.5%) policies defined providers for these teams, and 10 (30.3%) provided other defined criteria. Contrary to ASMBS guidelines, companies commonly require Tanner staging and/or skeletal maturity criteria as well as participation in medical weight management programs. Also, multi-disciplinary team are frequently required but not well defined.
Broome’s Too-Quick Objection

Normativity seems characteristically, perhaps essentially, explained by claims about the competition between normative reasons. John Broome’s ‘quick objection’ aims to show that rationality cannot ...
Textbook Considerations for an MFT Qualitative Research PhD Course: The Relevance of Harding'sQualitative Data Analysis from Start to Finish

Jamie Harding’s (2013) Qualitative Data Analysis from Start to Finish is a new, user-friendly book for beginning qualitative research students. The thrust of the book deals with analyzing qualitative data from interviews and focus groups. This reviewer considers the relevance of Harding’s book for a Qualitative Research course in an MFT doctoral program. Keywords: Qualitative Data Analysis, Qualitative Research Course, Interviews, Focus Groups
Patient-Reported Outcome Instruments for Physical Symptoms Among Patients Receiving Maintenance Dialysis: A Systematic Review.

Background Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) receiving dialysis have poor health-related quality of life. Physical symptoms are highly prevalent among dialysis-dependent patients and play important roles in health-related quality of life. A range of symptom assessment tools have been used in dialysis-dependent patients, but there has been no previous systematic assessment of the existing symptom measures' content, validity, and reliability. Study Design Systematic review of the literature. Settings & Population Patients with ESRD on maintenance dialysis therapy. Selection Criteria for Studies Instruments with 3 or more physical symptoms previously used in dialysis-dependent patients and evidence of validity or reliability testing. Intervention Patient-reported physical symptom assessment instrument. Outcomes Instrument symptom-related content, validity, and reliability. Results From 3,148 screened abstracts, 89 full-text articles were eligible for review. After article exclusion and further article identification by reference reviews, 58 articles on 23 symptom assessment instruments with documented reliability or validity testing were identified. Of the assessment instruments, 43.5% were generic and 56.5% were ESRD specific. Symptoms most frequently assessed were fatigue, shortness of breath, insomnia, nausea and vomiting, and appetite. Instruments varied widely in respondent time burden, recall period, and symptom attributes. Few instruments considered recall periods less than 2 weeks and few assessed a range of symptom attributes. Psychometric testing was completed for congruent validity (70%), known-group validity (25%), responsiveness (30%), internal consistency (78%), and test-retest reliability (65%). Content validity was assessed in dialysis populations in 57% of the 23 instruments. Limitations Consideration of physical symptoms only and exclusion of single symptom–focused instruments. Conclusions The number of available instruments focused exclusively on physical symptoms in dialysis patients is limited. Few symptom-containing instruments have short recall periods, assess diverse symptom attributes, and have undergone comprehensive psychometric testing. Improved symptom-focused assessment tools are needed to improve symptom evaluation and symptom responsiveness to intervention among dialysis-dependent patients.
West Nile Virus Infection in New York City: the Public Health Perspective

West Nile virus belongs to the Japanese encephalitis serocomplex of flaviviruses that includes the medically important St. Louis encephalitis, Murray Valley encephalitis, and Kunjin viruses. Most West Nile virus infections among humans are subclinical, with overt disease occurring in approximately 1 of 100 infections. The most common mosquito species in New York City, and many other northern urban areas, is Culex pipiens, a competent vector for a variety of mosquito-borne viral encephalitides. Viral meningitis and encephalitis are 2 of 70 reportable diseases or conditions in New York City and New York State. In recent years the New York City Department of Health has been actively promoting the importance of physician reporting of unusual disease clusters or manifestations because of concerns about both the early detection of new or reemerging infectious diseases and the threat of bioterrorism. The media was likely the most effective conduit for informing the public about the disease and the city's public health response. The ongoing public health response to the West Nile virus outbreak included active surveillance to fully define the geographic extent of the outbreak and to evaluate the need for additional mosquito control measures. Public health messages regarding protective measures for avoidance of West Nile virus infection and West Nile disease surveillance should therefore be particularly targeted at older persons.
Oral manifestations of hemochromatosis. Report of a case.

Abstract Although mucosal pigmentation is commonly associated with hemochromatosis, the dental literature apparently contains no case reports describing the oral pigmentation seen in this disease. The case of a 37-year-old woman with classic hemochromatosis and associated oral pigmentation is described.
Renal Handling of Adipokines

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is now considered as one of the strongest risk factors for all cause mortality and cardiovascular events. However, the link between CKD and systemic events is unclear. T
Lymphotoxin α1β2 expression on B cells is required for follicular dendritic cell activation during the germinal center response.

CD19-deficient mice were used as a model to study follicular dendritic cell (FDC) activation because these mice have normal numbers of FDC-containing primary follicles, but lack the ability to activate FDCs or form GCs. It was hypothesized that CD19 expression is necessary for B-cell activation and upregulation of membrane lymphotoxin (mLT) expression, which promotes FDC activation. Using VCAM-1 and FcγRII/III as FDC activation markers, it was determined that the adoptive transfer of CD19+ wild-type B cells into CD19-deficient hosts rescued GC formation and FDC activation, demonstrating that CD19 expression on B cells is required for FDC activation. In contrast, CD19+ donor B cells lacking mLT were unable to induce VCAM-1 expression on FDCs, furthermore FcγRII/III upregulation was impaired in FDCs stimulated with mLT-deficient B cells. VCAM-1 expression on FDCs, but not FcγRII/III, was rescued when CD19-deficient B cells expressing transgenic mLT were cotransferred into recipient mice with CD19+, mLT-deficient B cells, suggesting that FDC activation requires the CD19-dependent upregulation of mLT on activated B cells. Collectively, these data demonstrate that activated B cells are responsible for the initiation of FDC activation resulting in a microenvironment supportive of GC development and maintenance.
Intergranular pitting corrosion of CoCrMo biomedical implant alloy

CoCrMo samples of varying microstructure and carbon content were electrochemically corroded in vitro and examined by scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction techniques. The rate of corrosion was minimized (80% reduction from icorr = 1396 nA/cm(2) to icorr = 276 nA/cm(2) ) in high-carbon CoCrMo alloys which displayed a coarser grain structure and partially dissolved second phases, achieved by solution annealing at higher temperatures for longer periods of time. The mechanism of degradation was intergranular pitting corrosion, localized at phase boundaries and grain boundaries of high energy (high-angle and low lattice coincidence, Σ11 or higher); grain boundaries of lower energy did not appear to corrode. This suggests the possibility of grain boundary engineering to improve the performance of metal implant devices. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 102B: 850-859, 2014.
Analysis of M / G /1-Queues with Setup Times and Vacations under Six Different Service Disciplines

Single server M/G/1-queues with an infinite buffer are studied; these permit inclusion of server vacations and setup times. A service discipline determines the numbers of customers served in one cycle, that is, the time span between two vacation endings. Six service disciplines are investigated: the gated, limited, binomial, exhaustive, decrementing, and Bernoulli service disciplines. The performance of the system depends on three essential measures: the customer waiting time, the queue length, and the cycle duration. For each of the six service disciplines the distribution as well as the first and second moment of these three performance measures are computed. The results permit a detailed discussion of how the expected value of the performance measures depends on the arrival rate, the customer service time, the vacation time, and the setup time. Moreover, the six service disciplines are compared with respect to the first moments of the performance measures.
Peptide YY: Metabolism and effect on pancreatic secretion in dogs

Abstract Peptide YY is an ileocolonic peptide that inhibits meal-stimulated pancreatic secretion when infused in a dose of 400 pmol/kg · h. In this study pancreatic secretion was monitored in response to increasing doses of secretin or cholecystokinin-octapeptide (62.5, 125, 250, and 500 ng/kg · h) during the simultaneous infusion of either saline or peptide YY (400 pmol/kg · h). Peptide YY significantly (p
Naval Power Systems: Integrated power systems for the continuity of the electrical power supply.

Mirroring the terrestrial power system, naval warships have employed electrical power systems for over 100 years. The design philosophy for naval power systems is expressed well by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Design Practices and Criteria Manual, Electrical Systems for Surface Ships, Chapter 300:
Adhesion studies for flip-chip assemblies

Delamination at polyimide-epoxy interfaces is a major concern in microelectronic packaging (flip-chip assemblies). Typical interfacial fracture toughness values for such interfaces range from 10-60 J/m/sup 2/ and the failure mode is predominately adhesive. In this study, the adhesive strengths of commercial and model underfill resins are evaluated using interfacial fracture mechanics and the adhesion mechanisms are elucidated using various microscopy and surface analysis techniques. We show that selection of the proper chemistry of the epoxy resin or treating the polyimide surface can produce tough interfaces with interfacial fracture toughness values 100 J/m/sup 2/ and a failure mode that is predominately cohesive!.
The role of alpha-actinin-4 in human kidney disease

Mutations in the Alpha-actinin-4 gene (ACTN4) cause a rare form of familial focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in humans. Individuals with kidney disease-associated ACTN4 mutations tend to have mild to moderate proteinuria, with many developing decreased kidney function progressing to end stage kidney disease. All of the disease-causing ACTN4 mutations identified to date are located within the actin-binding domain of the encoded protein, increasing its binding affinity to F-actin and leading to abnormal actin rich cellular aggregates. The identification of ACTN4 mutations as a cause of human kidney disease demonstrates a key cellular pathway by which alterations in cytoskeletal behavior can mediate kidney disease. Here we review the studies relevant to ACTN4 and its role in mediating kidney disease.
Benefit of omental blood flow in Alzheimer's disease: effect on deteriorating neurons

It has been commonly believed that a decrease in cerebral blood flow (CBF), which routinely occurs in Alzheimer's disease (AD), results from the death of critical intracerebral neurons that no longer require the maintenance of an adequate blood supply. This belief is presently being challenged by the idea that it is not neuronal death that causes a decrease in CBF, but actually a decrease in the CBF which leads to the death of neurons seen in AD. In association with dead neurons located within the AD brain are varying numbers of deteriorating neurons. Increasing the CBF to still viable but deteriorating neurons in AD is believed to delay and even improve the clinical manifestations of AD. This increase in CBF has proven effective in treating a group of patients with AD. The increase in CBF was accomplished surgically by placing an intact pedicled omentum directly on the AD brain. While surgery is not a long-term answer in the treatment of AD, the surgical procedure should be evaluated by a carefully controlled study while awaiting the future development of a pharmaceutical method to control the disease.
PREPARATION OF SPHEROPLASTS FROM VIBRIO COMMA

Chatterjee, B. R. (Baylor University College of Medicine, Houston, Texas), and Robert P. Williams. Preparation of spheroplasts from Vibrio comma . J. Bacteriol. 85: 838–841. 1963.—Spheroplasts were prepared from several strains of Vibrio comma by lysozyme treatment combined with freezing and thawing of the organisms. The optimal concentration of lysozyme was 50 μg/ml, although some spheroplasts formed at a concentration of 10 μg/ml. Higher concentrations (200 μg/ml) caused lysis of cells along with spheroplast formation. Treatment was carried out in broth cultures containing 15% sucrose, and if the osmotic tension was lowered the spheroplasts lysed. Some motile, spherical cells were present in every preparation. Addition of 3% glycine to broth cultures resulted in rapid transformation of the vibrios into large, spherical bodies. However, these were actively motile, and were not sensitive to a lower osmotic tension. Therefore, they could not be considered as spheroplasts. Images
Prostate concentrations of endogenous androgens by radioimmunoassay.

Abstract A method for simultaneously determining concentrations of major androgens in prostate has been developed. Extraction techniques used to isolate the androgens from minced tissue include homogenization with high-speed blades in Delsal's solvent mixture, adsorption to silica gel, followed by column and one thin-layer chromatography (t.l.c.). Radioimmunoassays (RIA) of small aliquots of t.l.c. eluates are used to quantitate picogram amounts of 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and 5α-androstanediols (Diol) and to estimate testosterone (T) and androstenedione (Ad). Contamination of blanks was reduced to RIA sensitivity limits primarily by treatment of glassware in a self-cleaning oven. The specificity of the method for each androgen was established by t.l.c. separations of known prostate metabolites, antisera specificities, and parallelism of sample aliquots to androgen RIA standards. The overall precision, in terms of coefficients of variation, was 21% for DHT and 24% for Diol. T and Ad could not be measured with acceptable precision because their very low concentrations in prostate (≤0.5 ng/g tissue) were less than RIA sensitivity limits. Accuracy studies indicated recoveries ranging from 96% for Diol to 121% for DHT. In human benign hypertrophie prostate tissue, DHT averaged 153 ng/g soluble protein (5.8 ng/g tissue) which was 17 times higher than values obtained in human spleen and kidney; Diol in prostate showed no consistent differences from values noted in kidney or spleen.
PROFILE OF OUTSTANDING CLINICAL TEACHERS

This study was designed to provide a profile of behaviors and characteristics of outstanding clinical teachers which others undertaking that professional role could use as a model for their own teaching behavior. Chief residents at 67 medical school pediatric residency training programs nominated a single faculty member whom they thought to be one of their department's best attending physicians. Those selected averaged 11.7 years of experience attending; 64% were subspecialists. Among the questionniare items was one asking the nominated physician to identify the 5 qualities which he felt were his strongest attributes as a teacher. His nominator made a similar appraisal of him. Aggregated rankings and paired correlations of the most frequently selected strengths were: While there is general agreement on the qualities most important to attending, individual teachers perceive themselves quite differently than do those they teach.
Image texture as a remotely sensed measure of vegetation structure

Abstract Ecologists commonly collect data on vegetation structure, which is an important attribute for characterizing habitat. However, measuring vegetation structure across large areas is logistically difficult. Our goal was to evaluate the degree to which sample-point pixel values and image texture of remotely sensed data are associated with vegetation structure in a North American grassland–savanna–woodland mosaic. In the summers of 2008–2009 we collected vegetation structure measurements at 193 sample points from which we calculated foliage-height diversity and horizontal vegetation structure at Fort McCoy Military Installation, Wisconsin, USA. We also calculated sample-point pixel values and first- and second-order image texture measures, from two remotely sensed data sources: an infrared air photo (1-m resolution) and a Landsat TM satellite image (30-m resolution). We regressed foliage-height diversity against, and correlated horizontal vegetation structure with, sample-point pixel values and texture measures within and among habitats. Within grasslands, savanna, and woodland habitats, sample-point pixel values and image texture measures explained 26–60% of foliage-height diversity. Similarly, within habitats, sample-point pixel values and image texture measures were correlated with 40–70% of the variation of horizontal vegetation structure. Among habitats, the mean of the texture measure ‘second-order contrast’ from the air photo explained 79% of the variation in foliage-height diversity while ‘first-order variance’ from the air photo was correlated with 73% of horizontal vegetation structure. Our results suggest that sample-point pixel values and image texture measures calculated from remotely sensed data capture components of foliage-height diversity and horizontal vegetation structure within and among grassland, savanna, and woodland habitats. Vegetation structure, which is a key component of animal habitat, can thus be mapped using remotely sensed data.
Takeovers, Market Monitoring, and International Corporate Governance

We theoretically and empirically examine the role of the international takeover market in improving corporate governance standards across countries by curtailing dominant shareholder influence - globally, a principal source of agency risk. In our model, firms are privately informed of takeover synergies and suffer from dominant shareholder moral hazard. But in equilibrium, firms with superior growth-options cross-list in countries with active takeover markets - such as the US - and voluntarily dilute the dominant shareholder's ownership to credibly reduce their (equity-based) expected cost of acquisitions globally. Empirical tests using a sample of 364 foreign firms cross-listing in the US, primarily during 1990-2004, substantially support the main predictions from the model. In the post-listing phase, dominant shareholder ownership and post-listing dilution, along with other proxies for high growth options and strong governance mechanisms, significantly influence the hazard rate, the total number, and the financing mode of acquisitions globally.
The After Breast Cancer Pooling Project: rationale, methodology, and breast cancer survivor characteristics

The After Breast Cancer Pooling Project was established to examine the role of physical activity, adiposity, dietary factors, supplement use, and quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer prognosis. This paper presents pooled and harmonized data on post-diagnosis lifestyle factors, clinical prognostic factors, and breast cancer outcomes from four prospective cohorts of breast cancer survivors (three US-based and one from Shanghai, China) for 18,314 invasive breast cancer cases diagnosed between 1976 and 2006. Most participants were diagnosed with stage I-II breast cancer (84.7%). About 60% of breast tumors were estrogen receptor (ER)+/progesterone receptor (PR)+; 21% were ER-/PR-. Among 8,118 participants with information on HER-2 tumor status, 74.8% were HER-2- and 18.5% were HER-2+. At 1-2 years post-diagnosis (on average), 17.9% of participants were obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), 32.6% were overweight (BMI 25-29 kg/m2), and 59.9% met the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (≥ 2.5 h per week of moderate activity). During follow-up (mean = 8.4 years), 3,736 deaths (2,614 from breast cancer) and 3,564 recurrences have been documented. After accounting for differences in year of diagnosis and timing of post-diagnosis enrollment, five-year overall survival estimates were similar across cohorts. This pooling project of 18,000 breast cancer survivors enables the evaluation of associations of post-diagnosis lifestyle factors, QOL, and breast cancer outcomes with an adequate sample size for investigation of heterogeneity by hormone receptor status and other clinical predictors. The project sets the stage for international collaborations for the investigation of modifiable predictors for breast cancer outcomes.
The major product of porcine transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus gene 3b is an integral membrane glycoprotein of 31 kDa.

The open reading frame potentially encoding a polypeptide of 27.7 kDa and located as the second of three ORFs (gene 3b) between the S and M genes in the genome of the Purdue strain of porcine transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus (TGEV) was cloned and expressed in vitro to examine properties of the protein. Gene 3b has a postulated role in pathogenesis, but its truncated form in some laboratory-passaged strains of TGEV has led to the suggestion that it is not essential for virus replication. During synthesis in vitro in the presence of microsomes, the 27.7-kDa polypeptide became an integral membrane protein, retained its postulated hydrophobic N-terminal signal sequence, and underwent glycosylation on apparently two asparagine linkage sites to attain a final molecular mass of 31 kDa. A 20-kDa N-terminally truncated, nonglycosylated, nonanchored form of the protein was also made via an unknown mechanism. The existence of both transmembrane and soluble forms of the gene 3 product in the cell is suggested by immunofluorescence patterns showing both a punctuated perinuclear and diffuse intracytoplasmic distribution. No gene 3b product was found on gradient-purified Purdue TGEV by a Western blotting procedure that would have detected as few as 4 molecules/virion, indicating the protein probably is not a structural component of the virion.
From supramolecular triangle to heteroleptic rhombus: a simple bridge can make a difference

Multicomponent, self-assembled rhomboidal constructs are reported, in which bis-terpyridines possessing 120° or 60° directionality and ZnII or CdII in a stoichiometric ratio (1 : 1 : 2) initially form rhomboid and triangle mixtures; whereas, a tris-terpyridine reacts with the 60°-based bis-ligand and metal to quantitatively form a heteroleptic, centrally fused, rhomboidal structure.
Leveraging open-source development in large-scale science data management systems

When completed, NASA's EOSDIS Core System (ECS) will be the world's largest Earth science data system, managing almost nine petabytes of data and disseminating more than two terabytes each day. The system's original design assumed that all science data archive, processing and dissemination would be done using high performance subsystems with complex distributed object interfaces between them. These interfaces made it difficult for others to extend the system without incurring the prohibitively high costs of supporting this infrastructure. Over the past three years, most of these interfaces have been replaced with greatly simplified script and file-based interfaces. NASA also has encouraged science and Data Center groups to modify and extend the system's core functionality. As these extensions began to emerge, it was apparent that new configuration management and system deployment methods would be needed to leverage each group's extensions across the ECS Data Centers. NASA has adapted several Open Source development techniques to address this need. This paper will describe how the ECS architecture and supporting development methods have evolved to support Open Source development concepts while at the same time satisfying ECS's challenging requirements. It also will describe how these changes have helped lower the system's overall costs and decrease the time it takes for new capabilities to become operational. We plan to build on the success of these initial changes to encourage additional EOSDIS user participation through many new roles: client and portal providers, data providers, algorithm providers, data processing centers, data service providers, distribution centers and data managers.
Limits from the soft X-ray background on the temperature of old neutron stars and on the flux of superheavy magnetic monopoles

Using recent observations of the diffuse, soft X-ray background, we obtain upper limits of 49 eV to the average surface temperature and 10/sup 32/ ergs s/sup -1/ to the total photon luminosity of old (approx.10/sup 10/ yr) neutron stars in the Galaxy. If neutron stars are kept hot through monopole-induced nucleon decay, this limit corresponds to a monopole flux limit of F/sub M/(sigma/sub 0/..beta..)< or =3r x 10/sup -23/ cm/sup -2/ sr/sup -1/ s/sup -1/, where the cross section for catalyzed nucleon decay times the monopole-nucleon relative velocity is sigma..nu.. = 10/sup -28/(sigma/sub 0/..beta..c) cm/sup 2/ (..beta.. = ..nu../c), and r = L/sub TOT//L/sub ..gamma../ is the ratio of the total luminosity to the photon luminosity of a neutron star whose surface temperature Troughly-equal50 eV. For conventional neutron star equations of state rroughly-equal1, while for the more exotic ones r can be O(10/sup 3/-10/sup 4/). Although our temperature limit places a very stringent limit on the monopole flux, it does not significantly constrain other mechanisms for heating old neutron stars.
Effect of rutin on induced proteinuria in albino rats.

SummaryIn albino rats with proteinuria induced by the administration of bovine albumin, rutin in high dosage did not appear to alter significantly (1) the degree of proteinuria, (2) the organ or body weights, (3) the total serum protein content, (4) kidney protein content, (5) the serum creatinine concentration, or (6) the rate of excretion of creatinine in the urine. No toxic manifestations attributable to rutin were observed. A color change in rutin solution, from yellow in alkaline medium to colorless in acid medium was noted.
Time-frequency approximations with applications to filtering, modulation, and propagation

Signals with time-varying spectral content arise in a number of situations, such as in shallow water sound propagation, biomedical signals, machine and structural vibrations, and seismic signals, among others. The Wigner distribution and its generalization have become standard methods for analyzing such time-varying signals. We derive approximations of the Wigner distribution that can be applied to gain insights into the effects of filtering, amplitude modulation, frequency modulation, and dispersive propagation on the time-varying spectral content of signals.
Light (phototherapy)-induced riboflavin deficiency in the neonate

Phototherapy with blue light decomposes riboflavin, which has a maximum absorption at 450 nm. A study was designed to determine whether riboflavin deficiency developed in neonates who received phototherapy for moderate hyperbilirubinemia. Twenty-one infants with normal erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity were investigated. Five infants with moderate hyperbilirubinemia who did not require phototherapy served as the controls. Riboflavin deficiency was determined from the degree of saturation of erythrocyte glutathione reductase, a method shown to reflect riboflavin nutritional status in the neonate. Sixteen of 21 infants who were exposed to phototherapy developed riboflavin deficiency; all who had phototherapy for 49 hours or more developed the deficiency. That the concentration of serum bilirubin or the duration of hyperbilirubinemia was not a factor is supported by the fact that none of the controls became deficient. This observation may have important metabolic and clinical consequences for the neonate.
Finite nuclei in relativistic models with a light chiral scalar meson

Relativistic chiral models with a light scalar meson appear to provide an economical marriage of successful relativistic mean-field theories and chiral symmetry. The scalar meson serves as both the chiral partner of the pion and the mediator of the intermediate-range nucleon-nucleon ([ital NN]) attraction. However, while some of these models can reproduce the empirical nuclear matter saturation point, they fail to reproduce observed properties of finite nuclei, such as spin-orbit splittings, shell structure, charge densities, and surface energetics. These deficiencies imply that this realization of chiral symmetry is incorrect. An alternative scenario, which features a heavy chiral scalar and dynamical generation of the [ital NN] attraction, is discussed.
Depression in Parkinson's Disease

Depression is very common in Parkinson’s disease (PD), but its severity and particular symptoms vary. It can often be difficult to diagnose because many of the symptoms typically associated with depression (eg, sleep difficulties, fatigue) can be seen in nondepressed patients with PD, and signs thought to represent depression (eg, lack of facial expression, slowness) can be produced by PD itself. Apathy, although a possible feature of depression, can exist apart from depression and is often associated with cognitive impairment. Therefore, when evaluating patients with PD for possible depression, one should concentrate on the psychological or ideational aspects of the illness. One must determine whether the patient feels sad or hopeless or has a marked inability to enjoy life. Once it has been determined that the patient has clinically significant depressive symptoms, it is important to let him or her know that depression is an aspect of PD requiring treatment, just like the motor manifestations of the disease. The idea of adding antidepressant medications and the possibility of psychotherapy should be introduced. A very reasonable first-choice antidepressant is either sertraline or paroxetine. Because of isolated case reports of worsening motor function associated with institution of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), one should keep track of when the medication was started so that the patient can be seen again within a month. It is important from a psychological perspective to have regular follow-up visits when treating depression. If the SSRIs are ineffective or not tolerated, nortriptyline is a good next choice. It has fewer anticholinergic effects and is less likely to cause or worsen orthostatic hypotension than other tricyclic antidepressants. Amitriptyline, although an old favorite of neurologists, is very sedating and has too much anticholinergic activity to be well tolerated in the higher doses needed to treat depression. If a patient could benefit from a dopamine agonist from a motor standpoint and his or her depressive symptoms are mild, consider using pramipexole, which may improve mood and motivation (although this has not yet been proven in a well-controlled trial). It is a good idea to keep patients on antidepressant therapy at least 6 months; many patients require long-term treatment. If a patient is severely depressed, he or she should be referred to a psychiatrist, who may consider admission to the hospital and possible electroconvulsive therapy.
Observational assessment systems use for basic and applied research

Three observational assessment systems, the Time-Sample Behavioral Checklist, the Staff-Resident Interaction Chronograph, and the Clinical Frequencies Recording System, are shown to have remarkable utility for a wide range of basic and applied research questions. The assessment systems have already been employed to measure independent and dependent variables in a number of treatment outcome and staff training studies and as measures in more basic studies of environmental history effects for chronic mental patients. Current and planned investigations employing the observational measures are outlined. These include psychometric studies of the instruments themselves, investigations of various parameters of ongoing treatment programs, and empirical validations of proposed nosological diagnostic schemas. Finally, several metamethodological issues germaine to observational assessment, in general, are noted, including the observation vs. interpretation debate and the role of precise observational measurement in applied research contexts.