cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fluorescent tagged episomals for stoichiometric induced pluripotent stem cell reprogramming

Non-integrating episomal vectors have become an important tool for induced pluripotent stem cell reprogramming. The episomal vectors carrying the “Yamanaka reprogramming factors” (Oct4, Klf, Sox2, and L-Myc + Lin28) are critical tools for non-integrating reprogramming of cells to a pluripotent state. However, the reprogramming process remains highly stochastic, and is hampered by an inability to easily identify clones that carry the episomal vectors. We modified the original set of vectors to express spectrally separable fluorescent proteins to allow for enrichment of transfected cells. The vectors were then tested against the standard original vectors for reprogramming efficiency and for the ability to enrich for stoichiometric ratios of factors. The reengineered vectors allow for cell sorting based on reprogramming factor expression. We show that these vectors can assist in tracking episomal expression in individual cells and can select the reprogramming factor dosage. Together, these modified vectors are a useful tool for understanding the reprogramming process and improving induced pluripotent stem cell isolation efficiency.
Integrated services: the plan for the future

Sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) represent a move away from the purchaser-provider relationship adopted by the NHS in England to plan its services.
Demographic Trends in the Use of Intraoperative Neuromonitoring for Scoliosis Surgery in the United States.

Background Intraoperative neuromonitoring (ION) such as motor-evoked potential (MEP), somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) and electromyography (EMG) are used to detect impending neurological injuries during spinal surgery. To date, little is known on the trends in the use of ION for scoliosis surgery in the United States. Methods A retrospective review was performed using the PearlDiver Database to identify patients that had scoliosis surgery with and without ION from years 2005 to 2011. Demographic information (such as age, gender, region within the United States) and clinical information (such as type of ION and rates of neurological injury) were assessed. Results There were 3618 patients who had scoliosis surgery during the study period. ION was used in 1361 (37.6%) of these cases. The number of cases in which ION was used increased from 27% in 2005 to 46.9% in 2011 (p Conclusions The use of ION for scoliosis surgery gradually increased annually from 2005 to 2011. Age and regional differences were noted with neuromonitoring being most commonly used for scoliosis surgery in non-elderly patients and in the Northeastern part of the United States. No differences were noted in the risk of neurological injury in patients that had surgery with and without ION. Although the findings from this study may seem to suggest that ION may not influence the risk of neurologic injury, this result must be interpreted with caution as inherently riskier surgeries may utilize ION more, leading to an actual reduction in injuries more dramatic than observed in this study.
It’s the End of the Wood as We Know It: Insects in Veteris (Highly Decomposed) Wood

The final decay stage of wood, termed veteris wood, is a dynamic habitat that harbors high biodiversity and numerous species of conservation concern and is vital for keystone and economically important species. Veteris wood is characterized by chemical and structural degradation, including absence of bark, oval bole shape, and invasion by roots, and includes red rot, mudguts, and sufficiently decayed wood in living trees and veteran trees. Veteris wood may represent up to 50% of the volume of woody debris in forests and can persist from decades to centuries. Economically important and keystone species such as the black bear [Ursus americanus (Pallas)] and pileated woodpecker [Dryocopus pileatus (L.)] are directly impacted by veteris wood. Nearly every order of insect contains members dependent on veteris wood, including species of conservation concern such as Lucanus cervus (L) (Lucanidae) and Osmoderma eremita (Scopoli) (Scarabaeidae). Due to the extreme time needed for formation, veteris wood may be of particular conservation concern. Veteris wood is ideal for research because invertebrates within it can be collected immediately after sampling. Imaging techniques such as Lidar, photogrammetry, and sound tomography allow for modeling the interior and exterior aspects of woody debris, including veteran trees, and, if coupled with faunal surveys, would make veteris wood and veteran trees some of the best understood keystone habitats.
Extracapsular extension is not a significant prognostic indicator in non-squamous cancers of the major salivary glands

Extracapsular extension (ECE) is a well-established prognostic feature in squamous cell cancers of the head and neck. Although some extrapolate data from mucosal head and neck cancer to include ECE as a high-risk feature in salivary gland cancers, data is lacking about ECE’s prognostic value for these malignancies. We investigate whether ECE is a significant prognostic indicator in pathologic node-positive cancers of the major salivary glands. A retrospective study of adult salivary gland cancer cases diagnosed from 2004 to 2013 in the NCDB was conducted. Demographic, tumor, treatment, and survival variables were included in the study. Univariate Kaplan-Meier analyses, as well as multivariate Cox survival regressions were performed. Positive ECE status was associated with significantly worse survival in salivary SCC (HR 1.687; p = 0.002) but not non-squamous salivary cancers (HR 1.000; p = 0.998) on multivariate analysis. While post-operative radiotherapy was not associated with improved survival for patients without high-risk adverse features (high grade or positive surgical margins), its use was associated with better survival for ECE-positive salivary SCC patients without one of these additional adverse features (HR 0.064; p = 0.010). Although ECE is a significant prognostic indicator in salivary SCC, its prognostic significance for non-squamous salivary cancers may be limited. Radiotherapy may improve survival in cases with at least one high-risk adverse feature: high grade; positive surgical margins; and for salivary SCC specifically, positive ECE status.
Nonprofit and Philanthropic Studies Education: The Need to Emphasize Leadership and Liberal Arts

AbstractA case is put forth for the development of education for nonprofit leadership, based upon the liberal arts as a foundation for understanding. Selected examples are provided of such curricul...
Structure–Function Relations in the Lymphoid System

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the structure–function relations in the lymphoid system. Cornerstones of the laboratory analyses during the great surge of immunobiology have been investigations with inbred mice, inbred rats, and with both outbred and inbred chickens. Cells originating in the yolk sac of the embryo experience an odyssey, which results in their development into mature hematopoietic cells. It seems likely that cells of the yolk sac contain the precursors of all the major hematopoietic elements. Such cells circulate in the fetal blood and reside during embryonic development in fetal hematopoietic tissue, which in most animals is concentrated in the fetal liver. In yolk sac, differentiation of the potential hematopoietic elements is restricted to differentiation to fetal erythrocytes. These hematopoietic elements produce a characteristic fetal hemoglobin.
Computer Experiments with Lattice Models

High-speed computers have made possible an interesting class of investigations. Starting with an atomic model of a crystal lattice or liquid, the behavior of the model is directly computed to elucidate physical phenomena. Complex models with many degrees of freedom, displaying phenomena resistant to analytical treatment and to definitive study by experimental means, have been employed, and the results have been surprising and enlightening. The picturesque term “computer experiments” is appropriate for such work. In a sense this is a third estate of physics.
Exact graph search algorithms for generalized traveling salesman path problems

The Generalized Traveling Salesman Path Problem (GTSPP) involves finding the shortest path from a location s to a location t that passes through at least one location from each of a set of generalized location categories (e.g., gas stations, grocery stores). This NP-hard problem type has many applications in transportation and location-based services. We present two exact algorithms for solving GTSPP instances, which rely on a unique product-graph search formulation. Our exact algorithms are exponential only in the number of categories (not in the total number of locations) and do not require the explicit construction of a cost matrix between locations, thus allowing us to efficiently solve many real-world problems to optimality. Experimental analysis on the road network of North America demonstrates that we can optimally solve large-scale, practical GTSPP instances typically in a matter of seconds, depending on the overall number and sizes of the categories.
Dynamic and tissue-specific proteolytic processing of chemerin in obese mice.

Chemerin is a chemoattractant involved in immunity as well as an adipokine, whose activity is regulated by successive proteolytic cleavages at its C-terminus. Chemerin’s C-terminal sequence and its proteolytic cleavage sites are highly conserved between human and mouse, as well as in other species. We produced, purified and characterized different mouse chemerin forms. Ca2+ mobilization assay showed that the EC50 values for mchem161T and mchem157R were 135.8 ± 158 nM and 71.2 ± 55.4 nM, respectively, whereas mchem156S and mchem155F had a 20-fold higher potency with an EC50 of 4.6 ± 1.8 nM and 3.6 ± 3.0 nM, respectively, likely representing the two physiologically active forms of chemerin. No agonist activity was found for mchem154A. Similar results were obtained in a chemotaxis assay. To identify and quantify the in vivo mouse chemerin forms in biological samples, we developed specific ELISAs for mchem162K, mchem157R, mchem156S, mchem155F and mchem154A, using antibodies raised against peptides from the C-terminus of the different mouse chemerin forms. The prochemerin form, mchem162K, was the major chemerin form in plasma with its increase matching the increase of total plasma chemerin in obese mice. During the onset of obesity in high-fat diet fed mice, mchem156S was elevated in plasma. In contrast, mchem155F was the dominant form in epididymal fat extracts. Our study provides the first direct evidence that mouse chemerin undergoes extensive, dynamic and tissue-specific proteolytic processing in vivo, similar to human chemerin, underlining the importance of measuring individual chemerin forms in studies of chemerin biology in mouse models.
Investigations at SBA-2061

SBA-2061 is a shell midden located on the narrow coastal plain (Figure 6-1) some 3 km east of SBA-1807 and 1 km west of Canada de la Gaviota (Figure 2-2). The site was discovered in 1986 after grading cut a 10-m-wide swath through the northern site area, and left spoils covering another 10 m on either side. Examination of grading spoils and a cut bank revealed numerous fragments of estuarine shell associated with a low-density scatter of chipped and ground stone artifacts. During initial examination of the site, similarities in the composition of the shellfish assemblage to that of SBA-1807 led me to suspect that SBA-2061 was also of early Holocene age, an inference later confirmed by radiocarbon dating.
Leveraging the entire cohort in drug safety monitoring: part 1 methods for sequential surveillance that use regression adjustment or weighting to control confounding in a multisite, rare event, distributed data setting

Abstract Objective Study designs involving self-controlled or exposure-matched samples are commonly used to monitor postmarket vaccine and drug safety, and they use a subset of the available larger cohort. This article overviews group sequential methods designed for observational data safety monitoring that use the whole exposed and unexposed cohorts by implementing regression adjustment or weighting to control confounding. Methods We summarize what is known about the performance of “whole cohort” methods in multisite health plan data networks such as the Sentinel System of the Food and Drug Administration, where outcomes are rare, individual-level patient data cannot be pooled across sites, site heterogeneity is large, and data are dynamically updated over time. Results Group sequential estimation and testing methods that use regression or weighting can flexibly handle electronic health care data's unpredictability, including an uncertain rate of new product uptake, variable composition of the population over time, and data changes due to dynamic administrative updates. Regression and weighting methods generally have higher power, faster signal detection, and fewer practical challenges compared with some design-based confounder adjustment methods. Conclusion Group sequential regression adjustment and weighting approaches are feasible and underused in practice. They leverage more information than designs that involved sampling and increase power to detect rare adverse effects without increasing bias.
Cyber-physical System Security of Vehicle Charging Stations

Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), also known as charging stations, are available for charging electric vehicles. EVSE contain computers that are connected to the Internet. These systems serve important control functions such as authorization, charging electric vehicles, and connecting to the local power grid. Charging stations authorize users and vehicles using RFID cards, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi. Moreover, there are many sensing, communication and computational components in EVSEs that are potentially vulnerable to cyber-security attacks. We have observed that these vulnerabilities can be potentially exploited by hackers to compromise the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of a network of charging stations, or even the power grid. Given the tremendous growth in the electric vehicle market in the next few years, it is important to design dependable charging stations. Designing trustworthy charging stations require a deeper understanding of the cyber-physical interactions within the charging station, as well as how the cyber and physical components affect each other. This paper presents a cyber-physical system approach to understanding the interaction of various components within smart charging equipment. Furthermore, the different types of vulnerabilities and attacks, and approaches to improve CPS security are also explained.
A "Literacy Awakening": The Role of Study Abroad and International Service Learning for Preservice Teachers' Literacy Engagement.

The purpose of this study was to explore how preservice teachers (PST) became aware of literacies in global and local contexts and to understand how PST conceive of literacy after experiencing an international service learning (ISL) study abroad program in rural South Africa. For this qualitative grounded theory study, we used critical literacy and humanizing pedagogy as theoretical frames for designing the program and analyzing data. Findings show PST experienced a “literacy awakening.” They became more aware of nuanced and complex ways literacies function in a community and imagined how their understandings would shape future teaching.
Effects of Observation With and Without Technology on Learning in Introductory and Advanced Courses

Cost and time constraints make it challenging to include hands-on laboratory experiences in psychology courses, yet engaging laboratory experiences can increase scientific literacy and appreciation...
Promoting Retention of Alternative Certified Teachers Through Professional Development

Due to the nature of alternative preparation paths to classroom teaching and the unique challenges these teachers face, alternative certified teacher quality and retention are questionable. The pur...
Respiratory disease and virus shedding in rhesus macaques inoculated with SARS-CoV-2

An outbreak of a novel coronavirus, now named SARS-CoV-2, causing respiratory disease and a ~2% case fatality rate started in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Following unprecedented rapid global spread, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Although data on disease in humans are emerging at a steady pace, certain aspects of the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 can only be studied in detail in animal models, where repeated sampling and tissue collection is possible. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2 causes respiratory disease in infected rhesus macaques, with disease lasting 8-16 days. Pulmonary infiltrates, a hallmark of human disease, were visible in lung radiographs of all animals. High viral loads were detected in swabs from the nose and throat of all animals as well as in bronchoalveolar lavages; in one animal we observed prolonged rectal shedding. Taken together, the rhesus macaque recapitulates moderate disease observed in the majority of human cases. The establishment of the rhesus macaque as a model of COVID-19 will increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease and will aid development and testing of medical countermeasures.
Minimally Invasive Lateral Retropleural and Retroperitoneal Approaches in Patients with Thoracic and Lumbar Osteomyelitis: Description of the Techniques and a Series of 14 Patients.

Background The growing interest in minimally invasive approaches to the thoracic and lumbar spine is mostly secondary to the high surgical morbidity and complication rates associated with conventional open approaches. The objective was to report the largest series of patients with thoracic and lumbar vertebral osteomyelitis who underwent multilevel corpectomies using the minimally invasive lateral (MIL) retropleural and retroperitoneal approaches. Methods The surgical techniques of the MIL approaches are illustrated and described in detail. The MIL retropleural approach was performed in 9 patients, MIL retroperitoneal approach in 3 patients, and combined MIL retropleural/retroperitoneal approach in 2 patients with thoracic, lumbar and thoracolumbar vertebral osteomyelitis, respectively. Results Multilevel corpectomies were successfully accomplished in all 14 patients using the MIL approaches (11 patients with 2-level corpectomy, 2 patients with 3-level corpectomy, and 1 patient with extension of a 3-level corpectomy to 6 levels). Correction of kyphotic deformity was achieved postoperatively in all 14 patients and remained stable with no proximal junctional kyphosis for a median of 10 months of follow-up on 10 patients; 4 patients were lost to follow-up after discharge from the hospital. Posterior instrumentation was performed in 12 patients to further support the spinal alignment. Conclusions The MIL retropleural and retroperitoneal approaches described in this manuscript are feasible and safe in achieving multilevel corpectomies, anterior column reconstruction, and spinal deformity correction in patients with thoracic, lumbar, and thoracolumbar vertebral osteomyelitis.
6 – Probability Manifolds

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses probability manifolds. It explains that amplitude functions within the framework of a probability manifold give a hidden variables description of quantum mechanics. In particular, the important concepts of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics including its dynamics can be derived from probabilistic concepts on a classical phase space. A probability manifold is closely related to a generalized probability space. They generate an important class of such spaces that are not classical probability spaces. Traditional quantum mechanics is just classical mechanics that has been averaged over a generalized probability space using amplitude functions.
DIFFERENT FOOD VARIES FOR AMINOACIDS IN MOTH LARVAE

Different moths larvae feeding upon different food plants, belonging to different families were selected for the histochemical observations of aminoacids present in their alimentary canal. The larvae selected were Earias fabia Stoll. (Bhindi shoot and fruit borer) feeding on malvacaeous sp., Hellula undalis Fabr. (Cabbage borer) feeding on Brassica sp. and Phathoramaea operculela Zell. (Potato tuber moth) feeding on solanaceous sp. Histochemical observations made on aminoacids (Tryosine and Tryptophane) in the digestive tract of the above mentioned larvae revealed significant correlation in regard to their food habits.
Pilot Study of a Treatment Using Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills for Adults with Overweight/Obesity and Emotional Eating

The current study was a preliminary investigation of Live FREE, a pilot study of a treatment that included a combination of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and behavioral weight loss techniques for overweight/obese adult emotional eaters. Live FREE was based on the premise that impaired emotion regulation skills promote emotional eating behavior and lead to weight gain. Consistent with the ORBIT model of behavioral treatment development, the primary study aim was to refine the treatment protocol. Adults with overweight/obesity (n = 10) who self-identified as emotional eaters were enrolled in Live FREE and completed baseline and post-treatment assessments. The intervention delivered 10-weeks of emotion regulation skills training followed by 6-weeks of behavioral weight loss treatment in a group-based format. Pilot study findings resulted in several changes to the treatment protocol. Changes included reducing the number of skills introduced, extending session length, and reviewing DBT material. Ninety percent of subjects completed the program, and all of these participants attended 14–16 sessions total. Preliminary data showed significant improvements in BMI, emotional eating, emotion regulation, and DBT skills use over the course of the program. The Live FREE program was refined and is ready to be examined for clinically significant effects. Targeting emotion regulation in overweight/obese adult emotional eaters may be an effective strategy for enhancing weight loss. Future investigations should use a larger sample size, a longer follow-up period, and a randomized controlled trial design to examine the efficacy of Live FREE. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov. NCT04185506; retrospectively registered on 12/2/19. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04185506?cond=Freedom+from+emotional+eating&draw=2&rank=1
Deep Learning Approach to the Detection of Scattering Delay in Radar Images

In radar imaging, stochastic target models are routinely used to describe distributed scatterers. In such models, the reflectivity of a target or clutter is a realization of a stochastic process with certain autocorrelation properties. While most targets reflect the impinging electromagnetic radiation instantaneously, some targets with complicated geometry and/or material composition may exhibit delayed scattering. Detecting such delays will provide valuable data for target identification. However, the scattering delay can be confused with the signal propagation delay, and this difference is sometimes rather subtle. Due to the stochastic nature of the radar data, the classification errors are inevitable. The misclassification rate depends on the parameters characterizing the radar system, imaging scene, and observation settings. A convolutional neural network is applied to the problem of discrimination between the instantaneous and delayed targets in synthetic aperture radar images. A trained neural network demonstrates the discrimination quality commensurate with that of the benchmark maximum likelihood-based classifier.
International pressure and domestic bargains

Japanese drug control policy has been relatively underexplored by the prominent literature on the international drug trade. This article reveals that, although adopted largely in response to U.S. pressure, recent Japanese regulations on money laundering related to the drug trade, and their predecessors, have been primarily shaped by domestic political dynamics.
Microenvironmental Regulation of Macrophage Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Profiles in Pulmonary Hypertension.

The recruitment and subsequent polarization of inflammatory monocytes/macrophages in the perivascular regions of pulmonary arteries is a key feature of pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, the mechanisms driving macrophage polarization within the adventitial microenvironment during PH progression remain unclear. We previously established that reciprocal interactions between fibroblasts and macrophages are essential in driving the activated phenotype of both cell types although the signals involved in these interactions remain undefined. We sought to test the hypothesis that adventitial fibroblasts produce a complex array of metabolites and proteins that coordinately direct metabolomic and transcriptomic re-programming of naive macrophages to recapitulate the pathophysiologic phenotype observed in PH. Media conditioned by pulmonary artery adventitial fibroblasts isolated from pulmonary hypertensive (PH-CM) or age-matched control (CO-CM) calves were used to activate bone marrow derived macrophages. RNA-Seq and mass spectrometry-based metabolomics analyses were performed. Fibroblast conditioned medium from patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension or controls were used to validate transcriptional findings. The microenvironment was targeted in vitro using a fibroblast-macrophage co-culture system and in vivo in a mouse model of hypoxia-induced PH. Both CO-CM and PH-CM actively, yet distinctly regulated macrophage transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles. Network integration revealed coordinated rewiring of pro-inflammatory and pro-remodeling gene regulation in concert with altered mitochondrial and intermediary metabolism in response to PH-CM. Pro-inflammation and metabolism are key regulators of macrophage phenotype in vitro, and are closely related to in vivo flow sorted lung interstitial/perivascular macrophages from hypoxic mice. Metabolic changes are accompanied by increased free NADH levels and increased expression of a metabolic sensor and transcriptional co-repressor, C-terminal binding protein 1 (CtBP1), a mechanism shared with adventitial PH-fibroblasts. Targeting the microenvironment created by both cell types with the CtBP1 inhibitor MTOB, inhibited macrophage pro-inflammatory and metabolic re-programming both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, coordinated transcriptional and metabolic reprogramming is a critical mechanism regulating macrophage polarization in response to the complex adventitial microenvironment in PH. Targeting the adventitial microenvironment can return activated macrophages toward quiescence and attenuate pathological remodeling that drives PH progression.
Implications of the Relationship Between Volume and Performance in the USA

Compared to many other countries, no national policy in the United States mandates volume minimums for hospitals or surgeons because of criticisms regarding the rigor of the data and its analyses, and because of the unintended consequences for patients and their families that such a policy would have. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) created a task force in 2015 to re-examine the contemporary relationship between volume and outcomes in order to give guidance in terms of credentialing and privileges for surgeons. For practical reasons, it is likely that the ultimate solution for the US will be a balance between centralization of high-risk procedures to high-volume centers and nationwide improvement of the facilities, resources and processes of care at low-volume centers, where a large percentage of the US population still receives surgical care.
“A Viable Path for Education”—Indigenous-Language Immersion and Sustainable Self-Determination

This article examines Indigenous-language immersion (ILI) schooling, an innovative approach in which most or all instruction occurs in the Indigenous language, with a strong culture-based curriculu...
Filter banks with maximum coding gain and energy compaction

We derive a set of necessary and sufficient conditions for maximizing the coding gain in an orthonormal filter bank. These are referred to as the decorrelation and majorization conditions. While each condition individually is only necessary and not sufficient, we show that together they form a set of necessary and sufficient conditions. We then show how to design the analysis filter responses in a way that satisfies these conditions.
A Measure for Nearly Decentralized Fixed Modes using High Order Residues

In this paper, high-order residues (HiORs), a generalization of the classical residue concept, are defined. Two different ways to compute HiORs are presented. These HiORs are then used to derive general high order eigenvalue sensitivity expressions. Also a measure to assess Decentralized Fixed Modes (DFMs) and Nearly DFMs (NDFMs) is obtained in terms of HiORs. This measure is significant in determining mode shift under uniformly bounded feedback gains. A 32nd order power system is used to illustrate the proposed methodologies. When compared to some existing methods, the proposed approach gives better results.
Leveraging the FRBR model for music discovery and data sharing: Autobiographical note

Purpose – In 2008, Indiana University received a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for a project entitled “Variations/FRBR: variations as a testbed for the FRBR conceptual model”. The V/FRBR initiative aims to provide a real world, production implementation in a music digital library system of the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) suite of reports from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) that are being presented as revolutionizing library discovery systems. This paper seeks to examine this issue.Design/methodology/approach – This paper discusses the issues encountered in creating an interoperable data model that implements FRBR concepts. It uses the work of the V/FRBR initiative to describe how FRBR can be used in both a generic and a music‐specific environment.Findings – An abstract data model representing FRBR at three levels of specificity (two generic and one music‐specific) is defined, along with...
Are Turnaround Specialists Special? An Examination of CEO Reputation and CEO Succession

This paper examines the economic consequences for firms that hire CEOs who have a reputation for being turnaround specialists. Abnormal returns around announcements that turnaround specialists have been hired as CEOs are significantly positive and more than 6 percentage points larger than the returns associated with announcements of other CEO successions. Significant differences exist in the attributes of firms that hire turnaround specialists as CEOs versus firms that hire others as CEOs in ways consistent with several hypotheses that I develop. Specifically, firms that hire turnaround specialists face a higher probability of distress, lower profit rates, and lower pre-succession stock returns than firms that hire others as CEOs. Firms that hire turnaround specialists reduce operating scale and show significant improvement in operating performance on average, indicating that the turnaround specialists’ reputation is commensurate with their abilities and managerial style.
Hormones of the placenta

Abstract The placenta is an endocrine organ with the diverse talents for producing gonadotropins, estrogens, and progestins; the scientific literature bearing upon this has been reviewed. Placental endocrine function has also been considered from an evolutionary and comparative point of view, and the contributions of advances in protein and steroid hormone chemistry have been outlined. It is hoped that gains in these areas will be applied to the challenges which reside in clinical application and in the realm of fundamental mechanisms of hormone action, formation, and metabolism.
Some principles for developing new data fusion systems

Data fusion systems are being proposed for a wide variety of applications around the world. The desire to obtain the maximum benefit from expensive sensors and information systems has prompted this interest. By applying data fusion methods, more efficient and cost effective systems are hoped to be developed. Various testbeds are being developed to evaluate methods at levels of data abstraction and meaning. Of these testbeds and reviews of existing systems can help in design of new ones. This paper attempts to assist developers of new data fusion systems in a general manner by presenting a few principles that the author and coworkers have gleaned from study and practical experience. The principles are thus subject to debate and scrutiny of time and may require changes and further clarification in the future. These principles are: fuse the people first, know your data sources, know your environment, choosing your data sources, how many sources, use expert knowledge, what algorithms, use levels of abstraction and feedback. Expansion of these principles and their justification are given.
Synthesis of Pulcherriminic Acid by Bacillus subtilis

The pathway of pulcherriminic acid synthesis in Bacillus subtilis strains AM and AM-L11 (a leucine-requiring auxotroph) was investigated. Determinations of radioactivity in pulcherriminic acid synthesized by cells growing in media containing (14)C-labeled amino acids indicated that B. subtilis produced pulcherriminic acid from l-leucine. The organism utilized the carbon skeletons of two l-leucine molecules to synthesize one molecule of pulcherriminic acid. Similar results were obtained with starved cell suspensions. Growing cells formed significant amounts of pulcherriminic acid only in media including a carbohydrate such as starch. However, carbohydrate carbon was not required for the synthesis of pulcherriminic acid molecules. Data obtained with cell suspensions supported the hypothesis that cyclo-l-leucyl-l-leucyl is an intermediate in pulcherriminic acid biosynthesis and indicated that molecular oxygen is required for the conversion of cyclo-l-leucyl-l-leucyl to pulcherriminic acid. A pathway for the synthesis of pulcherrimin from l-leucine in B. subtilis is proposed.
Surgical outcomes of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy: analysis of the american college of surgeons national surgical quality improvement program.

Importance Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and cytoreductive surgery have been shown to benefit selected patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis. However, these procedures are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Available data investigating the outcomes of HIPEC are mostly limited to single-center studies. To date, there have been few large-scale studies investigating the postoperative outcomes of HIPEC. Objective To determine the associated 30-day morbidity and mortality of cytoreductive surgery–HIPEC in the treatment of metastatic and primary peritoneal cancer in American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program centers. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective review of HIPEC cases performed for primary and metastatic peritoneal cancer diagnoses was conducted. The cytoreductive surgical procedures were sampled, and disease processes were identified. Patient demographics, intraoperative occurrences, and postoperative complications were reviewed from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program from 2005-2011. Main Outcomes and Measures Thirty-day mortality and morbidity. Results Of the cancers identified among the 694 sampled cases, 14% of patients had appendiceal cancer, 11% had primary peritoneal cancer, and 8% had colorectal cancer. The American Society of Anesthesiologists classification was 3 for 70% of patients. The average operative time was 7.6 hours, with 15% of patients requiring intraoperative transfusions. Postoperative bleeding (17%), septic shock (16%), pulmonary complications (15%), and organ-space infections (9%) were the most prevalent postoperative complications. The average length of stay was 13 days, with a 30-day readmission rate of 11%. The rate of reoperation was 10%, with an overall mortality rate of 2%. Conclusions and Relevance American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program hospitals performing HIPEC have acceptable rates of morbidity and mortality.
Decay of 35 min 111Sn to levels of 111In

Abstract The EC/ β + and γ-decay of 35 min 111 Sn to levels of 111 In has been studied with Ge(Li) and NaI(Tl) detectors. A total of 16 γ-rays between 373 and 2325 keV are definitely assigned to the decay scheme. Excited states of 111 In are established at 536 ( 111m In), 1101, 1153, 1610, 1915, 2107, 2178, 2213 and 2325 keV. The isomer 7.3 min 111m In is produced in 0.09% of the 111 Sn decays. The spin-parity assignment of 111 Sn is 7 2 + and those of 111 In and 111m In are 9 2 + and 1 2 − , respectively. The EC transitions to all of the observed higher levels of 111 In, except possibly the one at 1543 keV are allowed, leading to assignments of 5 2 , 7 2 , or 9 2 + for those levels. We obtained no evidence for any transitions to 1 2 + or 3 2 + levels similar to those in 115 In and 117 In that have been suggested as the lowest members of a rotational band.
Assessing Referential Communication Skills: The Use of a Non-Standardized Assessment Procedure

This article describes a method used to assess the degree to which school-aged children with communication disorders are competent with one aspect of referential communication, an important pragmatic skill. The focus of the article is on the development and use of a nonstandardized assessment probe that could have utility as part of a comprehensive diagnostic test battery for language disorders or for language therapy. Rationales for the use of nonstandardized probes, and results from presentations of the probe to a heterogeneous group of children with diagnosed communication disorders are discussed.
Learning how to restructure: absorptive capacity and improvisational views of restructuring actions and performance

This paper examines the role of learning in corporate restructuring. Drawing from two viewpoints of organizational learning, absorptive capacity and organizational improvisation, we examine whether experience with corporate restructuring modes (sell-offs, spin-offs) influences subsequent restructuring and financial performance. Consistent with an absorptive capacity view, cumulative and repetitive experience with sell-offs was related to the adoption of an ensuing sell-off and to higher performance. Conversely, and consistent with an organizational improvisation view, short-term and contemporaneous experience with spin-offs was related to the subsequent use of spin-offs and to increases in financial performance. The findings contribute to a dynamic explanation of corporate restructuring and its influence on financial performance, illustrate differences between learning in a repetitive situation and learning when repetition is rare, and indicate when absorptive capacity and organizational improvisational views are most profitable. Overall, these findings show that different kinds of restructuring experiences were associated with different modes of restructuring and performance records. Considered collectively, the organizational learning perspective offers insights into why some corporate restructuring strategies appear as intentional and deliberate actions while others resemble more spontaneous and simultaneous responses. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Uncertain futures: Individual risk and social context in decision-making in cancer screening

A core logic of cancer control and prevention, like much in public health, turns on the notion of decision-making under conditions of uncertainty. Population-level data are increasingly used to develop risk profiles, or estimates, that clinicians and the consumer public may use to guide individual decisions about cancer screening. Individual risk perception forms a piece of a larger social economy of decision-making and choice that makes population screening possible. Individual decision-making depends on accessing and interpreting available clinical information, filtered through the lens of personal values and both cognitive and affective behavioral processes. That process is also mediated by changing social roles and interpersonal relationships. This paper begins to elucidate the influence of this "social context" within the complexity of cancer screening. Reflecting on current work in risk and health, I consider how ethnographic narrative methods can enrich this model.
Social integration, individual perceptions of collective efficacy, and fear of crime in three cities

Several rival explanations have been advanced to account for fear of crime among neighborhood residents. Social integration is the least developed concept in this regard. We assess the mediating role that perceptions of neighborhood collective efficacy, defined as the trustworthiness of neighbors and their willingness to intervene as informal social control agents, have in the relationship between social integration and fear of crime. Our data were obtained from random sample surveys of residents conducted in three cities. Structural equation models indicate that social integration operates through perceptions of collective efficacy in predicting fear of crime, and similar results appear across three cities.
What the Tortoise Said to Achilles

Practitioners and investigators often view clinical trials from very different perspectives-the former in terms of individuals and the latter in terms of groups. The following whimsical dialogue highlights the philosophical foundations of these contrasting perspectives and illustrates their potential impact on patient care and public policy. The title alludes to a piece by Lewis Carroll regarding Zeno's paradox, purportedly proving that the fleet-footed Achilles cannot outrun the plodding Tortoise in a foot race.
Synthesis of poly(vinyl alcohol-g-4-vinylpyridine hydrochloride) for application as a surfactant in emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate

A redox initiation system composed of ceric ion and poly(vinyl alcohol) was used to successfully synthesize poly(vinyl alcohol-g-4-vinylpyridine hydrochloride). The aqueous solutions of this polycationic surfactant exhibited no sharp CMC value and tended to become turbid upon standing. This turbidity was related to the formation of crystalline-like aggregates in solution, and was thermally reversible. PMMA latices were unstable when formulated with turbid surfactant solutions, but when surfactant solutions were thermally equilibrated, the final PMMA latices were stable.
Michelin tire baby syndrome: familial constriction bands during infancy and early childhood in four generations.

We report on an infant with an unusual pattern of transitory familial constriction bands distributed symmetrically and circumferentially over the neck, forearms, and lower legs. Family history showed the occurrence of similar bands among individuals in 4 generations transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait. Neck and limb distribution in the other affected family members was also symmetrical and circumferential, with spontaneous resolution taking place during childhood. This case represents another example of the Michelin tire baby syndrome, also known as multiple benign circumferential skin creases of the limbs, and further demonstrates its autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
On Being Specific

Dr. Elsmere urges that student teachers be given more specific suggestions and criticism and that they be required to meet more specific requirements.
Wavelet-based identification of objects from a distance

In remote sensing, accurate identification of concealed far objects is difficult. Here, to detect concealed objects from a distance, the wideband technology is utilized. As the wideband data includes a broad range of frequencies, it can reveal information about both the surface of the object and its content. To better detect the object and to improve the accuracy of target identification, the collected wideband data is processed in the wavelet domain. Information about the target is spread over different wavelet subbands, and it is possible to better discriminate the target from background for which their frequency content is placed in the same frequency range. Simulation is done at different frequency ranges and different powers to identify targets. In conclusion, wavelet-based processing of collected wideband data helps to appropriately estimate the presence of a target in the scene, and improves the process of target identification.
Amino acid regulation of RNA synthesis during recovery of Escherichia coli from Mg2+ starvation

Abstract The mechanism of regulation of RNA synthesis during recovery of Escherichia coli from Mg2+ starvation was studied. 1. 1. The synthesis of RNA by cells recovering from Mg2+ starvation can be divided into three stages. During stage 1 (0 to 1 h) RNA synthesis proceeds rapidly. RNA synthesis declines to approx. 20–40 % of the initial rate during stage 2 (1 to 4 h). After this period (stage 3) RNA synthesis rapidly accelerates. 2. 2. The slowdown of RNA synthesis during stage 2 can be overcome by supplementing the recovery medium with a complete mixture of amino acids, or by adding chloramphenicol. 3. 3. The results indicate that a general amino acid deficiency during stage 2 results in a depression of RNA synthesis. The mechanism of depression of RNA synthesis appears to be identical to that which occurs when “stringent” strains of E. coli are starved for a required amino acid.
Comment on “The Incidence of Fire in Amazonian Forests with Implications for REDD”

Aragao and Shimabukuro (Reports, 4 June 2010, p. 1275) reported that fires increase in agricultural frontiers even as deforestation decreases and concluded that these fires lead to unaccounted carbon emissions under the United Nations climate treaty9s tropical deforestation and forest degradation component. Emissions from post-deforestation management activities are, in fact, included in these estimates—but burning of standing forests is not.
Testing the Null Hypothesis in Meta-Analysis: A Comparison of Combined Probability and Confidence Interval Procedures

Combined significance tests (combined p values) and tests of the weighted mean effect size are both used to combine information across studies in meta-analysis. This article compares a combined significance test (the Stouffer test) with a test based on the weighted mean effect size as tests of the same null hypothesis. The tests are compared analytically in the case in which the within-group variances are known and compared through large-sample theory in the more usual case in which the variances are unknown. Generalizations suggested are then explord through a simulation study