cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differential effects mediated by GABAA receptors in thalamic nuclei in lh/lh model of absence seizures

Abstract Absence seizures represent synchronized burst-firing of thalamocortical neurons, which are driven by tonic GABAergic output of nucleus reticularis thalami (NRT). Activation of GABA A receptors on NRT neurons reduces NRT output and retards thalamocortical burst-firing. Although this mechanism in NRT may underlie antiabsence effects of benzodiazepines, it does not explain observations that barbiturates can worsen absence seizures. In this study we tested the hypothesis that clonazepam and phenobarbital produce differential effects on GABA A receptors in the lh/lh genetic model of absence seizures after microinjection into NRT compared to VLa, a prototypic relay nucleus containing thalamocortical neurons. In NRT, phenobarbital (16–1600 nmol/cannula), clonazepam (160–2200 pmol/cannula) and muscimol (8.8–263 pmol/cannula) significantly suppressed absence seizure frequency. In VLa, phenobarbital (1.6 nmol) and muscimol (0.88 pmol) increased seizure frequency, whereas higher doses (160 nmol and 88 pmol, respectively) significantly suppressed seizure frequency. In contrast, clonazepam produced no effect on seizure frequency even at a dose of 2.2 nmol; this same dose significantly suppressed absence seizures after microinjection into NRT. These findings suggest that activation of GABA A receptors in NRT may suppress absence seizures, and that phenobarbital may worsen absence seizures through actions on GABA A receptors in thalamocortical cells (VLa). Region-specific GABA A receptor isoforms may underlie the contrasting effects of clonazepam after microinjection into NRT and VLa.
Back to the future: virtualization of the computing environment at the W. M. Keck Observatory

Over its two decades of science operations, the W.M. Keck Observatory computing environment has evolved to contain a distributed hybrid mix of hundreds of servers, desktops and laptops of multiple different hardware platforms, O/S versions and vintages. Supporting the growing computing capabilities to meet the observatory’s diverse, evolving computing demands within fixed budget constraints, presents many challenges. This paper describes the significant role that virtualization is playing in addressing these challenges while improving the level and quality of service as well as realizing significant savings across many cost areas. Starting in December 2012, the observatory embarked on an ambitious plan to incrementally test and deploy a migration to virtualized platforms to address a broad range of specific opportunities. Implementation to date has been surprisingly glitch free, progressing well and yielding tangible benefits much faster than many expected. We describe here the general approach, starting with the initial identification of some low hanging fruit which also provided opportunity to gain experience and build confidence among both the implementation team and the user community. We describe the range of challenges, opportunities and cost savings potential. Very significant among these was the substantial power savings which resulted in strong broad support for moving forward. We go on to describe the phasing plan, the evolving scalable architecture, some of the specific technical choices, as well as some of the individual technical issues encountered along the way. The phased implementation spans Windows and Unix servers for scientific, engineering and business operations, virtualized desktops for typical office users as well as more the more demanding graphics intensive CAD users. Other areas discussed in this paper include staff training, load balancing, redundancy, scalability, remote access, disaster readiness and recovery.
Revitalizing Communities through Drug Education

The social structural problems in communities can be attacked through using the surface symptoms, such as drug abuse, to bring together concerned citizens. An educational experience can be designed which, besides giving information, provides experiences and opportunities to share in revitalizing the social patterns of the community. A case study, focusing on drug abuse, serves as a base for the description of the process of community education.
Morphology and projections of neurons in Remak’s nerve of the domestic fowl revealed by intracellular injection of biocytin

Micro-injections of biocytin were made into neurons in whole-mount preparations of Remak's nerve of the domestic fowl to visualise the morphology and projections of Remak's neurons. Remak's neurons were classified into four distinct morphological types. Remak type-I and -II neurons had a morphology resembling that of mammalian sympathetic neurons. Type-I neurons (found only in juxta-jejunal ganglia) had numerous primary dendritic processes (8-14) with large dendritic fields and extensive dendritic arborizations. Type-II neurons had 2-9 primary dendritic processes, large dendritic fields and sparse dendritic branching. These were found in similar numbers in juxta-rectal and juxta-jejunal ganglia. Remak type-III neurons were the most numerous cell type of juxta-rectal ganglia. They had small cell somata and short dendritic processes that branched infrequently. Remak type-IV neurons (found only in juxta-jejunal ganglia) had a morphology resembling that of invertebrate neurons in that they possessed a prominent long tapering axon from which most of the numerous long dendritic processes emerged. In juxta-jejunal ganglia, all type-IV and most type-I, -II and -III neurons projected orally, whereas axons of juxta-rectal neurons (types II and III) projected either orally or aborally, or projected directly into a lateral nerve bundle supplying the gut. These regional differences in neuron types and axonal projections suggest that different neural circuits exist between Remak's nerve and the small and large intestine.
Conditioning and place-specific sensitization of increases in activity induced by morphine in the VTA

The conditionability of increases in locomotor activity induced by morphine administration into the ventral tegmental area was studied in rats. Morphine produced a clear increase in locomotor activity that was reversed by the opiate receptor blocker, naloxone, and blocked by the neuroleptic, pimozide, suggesting the mediation of this effect by the ascending mesolimbic dopamine system. The increase in locomotor activity showed sensitization with repeated morphine administrations and this sensitization was found to be specific to the environment in which morphine was administered. Conditioning tests also revealed that, in the absence of morphine, increased locomotor activity was elicited by the administration environment. Pimozide blocked the development of the conditioned sensitization. These data demonstrate that a learned association developed between this excitatory action of morphine and the administration environment. These results have important implications for the role of conditioning factors in relapse to drug use and may provide an explanation for conditioning data obtained when morphine is administered systemically.
New Startup Method Using Internal Momentum Management of Variable-Speed Control Moment Gyroscopes

gyroscopes is developed. The method provides closed-loop internal momentum tracking control to enable the flywheels to start from rest and reach desired wheel speeds. The proposed controller functioning as a variable-speed control moment gyroscope steering law is developed in terms of the gimbal rates and the flywheel accelerations, which are weighted by a singularity measure. Specifically, using null motion, a strategy is developed to simultaneously perform gimbal reconfiguration for singularity avoidance andinternal momentum management for flywheel startup. A Lyapunov-based stability analysis is used to prove asymptotic attitude tracking and exponential internal momentum tracking despite the effects of uncertain, time-varying satellite inertia properties and uncertain actuatorinertiaproperties.Numericalsimulationsillustratetheperformanceoftheadaptivecontrollerasavariablespeed control moment gyroscope steering law.
The multiple choice Rorschach; a critical examination of its scoring system.

(1946). The Multiple Choice Rorschach: A Critical Examination of its Scoring System. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 237-242.
Effects of exogenous ecdysones on the molt cycles of fourth and fifth stage american lobsters, Homarus americanus

Abstract 1. 1. Bilateral ablation of the eystalks of the lobster, Homarus americanus, results in the acceleration of proecdysial preparations and precocious initiation of ecdysis. 2. 2. Injection of either α-ecdysone or 20-hydroxyecdysone into fourth stage lobsters in stage D0 of the molt cycle accelerated proecdysial preparations and led to precocious initiation of ecdysis. 3. 3. Lobsters which initiated precocious ecdysis in response to 20-hydroxyecdysone died during the initial stage of ecdysis (E1) whereas the α-ecdysone-injected lobsters either completed ecdysis successfully or died in the later stages of ecdysis (E2 or E3). 4. 4. α-Ecdysone was ineffective in inducing proecdysis and shortening the molt cycle in fifth stage lobsters when injected during early postecdysial stages but was effective when injected late in the intermolt stage and in early proecdysis (D0).
Audit Committees: How Good Are They?

Audit committees must bear some of the blame for recent corporate scandals. Perhaps they were asleep at the switch. But how much financial expertise do audit committee members really have? And how often do they discuss materiality issues with auditors? A national survey of 300 audit committee members provides some answers—and not all of them are comforting. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Treatment of Typhoid Fever and Other Systemic Salmonelloses with Cefotaxime, Ceftriaxone, Cefoperazone, and Other Newer Cephalosporins

Third-generation cephalosporins have been considered for the treatment of systemic salmonelloses because of emerging resistance among Salmonella species to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Twelve patients with typhoid/paratyphoid fever, nine with nontyphoid salmonella bacteremia, and two with Salmonella meningitis were treated with cefotaxime; one leukemic patient with Salmonella dublin bacteremia received ceftizoxime. All infections were cured except for one in a patient with sickle cell anemia; this patient's illness recurred but was cured with a second course of cefotaxime followed by ceftriaxone. A review of the literature documented cures with cefotaxime in 50 of 61 patients with typhoid/paratyphoid fever, all of four with salmonella osteomyelitis, 12 of 14 with salmonella meningitis, and 44 of 49 with non-typhoid salmonella bacteremia. Ceftriaxone and cefoperazone cured, respectively, 23 of 25 and 32 of 33 patients with typhoid/paratyphoid fever. The relapse rates of typhoid fever treated with cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, and cefoperazone were 6%, 4%, and 0%, respectively. Cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, and cefoperazone are acceptable alternative antibiotics for the treatment of salmonelloses caused by multiresistant organisms.
Olfactory metamorphosis in the coastal tailed frog Ascaphus truei (Amphibia, Anura, Leiopelmatidae).

The structure of the olfactory organ in larvae and adults of the basal anuran Ascaphus truei was examined using light micrography, electron micrography, and resin casts of the nasal cavity. The larval olfactory organ consists of nonsensory anterior and posterior nasal tubes connected to a large, main olfactory cavity containing olfactory epithelium; the vomeronasal organ is a ventrolateral diverticulum of this cavity. A small patch of olfactory epithelium (the “epithelial band”) also is present in the preoral buccal cavity, anterolateral to the choana. The main olfactory epithelium and epithelial band have both microvillar and ciliated receptor cells, and both microvillar and ciliated supporting cells. The epithelial band also contains secretory ciliated supporting cells. The vomeronasal epithelium contains only microvillar receptor cells. After metamorphosis, the adult olfactory organ is divided into the three typical anuran olfactory chambers: the principal, middle, and inferior cavities. The anterior part of the principal cavity contains a “larval type” epithelium that has both microvillar and ciliated receptor cells and both microvillar and ciliated supporting cells, whereas the posterior part is lined with an “adult-type” epithelium that has only ciliated receptor cells and microvillar supporting cells. The middle cavity is nonsensory. The vomeronasal epithelium of the inferior cavity resembles that of larvae but is distinguished by a novel type of microvillar cell. The presence of two distinct types of olfactory epithelium in the principal cavity of adult A. truei is unique among previously described anuran olfactory organs. A comparative review suggests that the anterior olfactory epithelium is homologous with the “recessus olfactorius” of other anurans and with the accessory nasal cavity of pipids and functions to detect water-borne odorants. J. Morphol. 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Library instruction and information literacy 2013

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy. Design/methodology/approach – Introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2013. Findings – Provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions. Originality/value – The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.
Influence of mobility and lifetime variations on drift-field effects in silicon-junction devices

An analysis of devices with drift fields formed by an impurity gradient is carried out allowing for lifetime and mobility variations with impurity concentration. In the case of silicon n-on-p photovoltaic solar cells, a field width of about twice the diffusion length of the minority carriers maximizes the collection efficiency. For lifetimes longer than one microsecond the optimum field width is about 25 µm, a value governed by the absorption characteristics rather than the diffusion length. In most cases, increasing the concentration ratio above 3 orders of magnitude is of little or no assistance in improving the collection efficiency. It is also shown that if the constant relating lifetime to high energy-particle flux is a strong function of impurity concentration, there is little advantage in using drift-field solar cell structures to enhance radiation resistance.
Recipient Morbidity After Living and Deceased Donor Liver Transplantation: Findings from the A2ALL Retrospective Cohort Study

Patients considering living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) need to know the risk and severity of complications compared to deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT). One aim of the Adult-to-Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Cohort Study (A2ALL) was to examine recipient complications following these procedures. Medical records of DDLT or LDLT recipients who had a living donor evaluated at the nine A2ALL centers between 1998 and 2003 were reviewed. Among 384 LDLT and 216 DDLT, at least one complication occurred after 82.8% of LDLT and 78.2% of DDLT (p = 0.17). There was a median of two complications after DDLT and three after LDLT. Complications that occurred at a higher rate (p 40). In summary, complication rates were higher after LDLT versus DDLT, but declined with center experience to levels comparable to DDLT.
Dimensions of Religiosity and Access to Religious Social Capital: Correlates with Substance Use Among Urban Adolescents

Although some evidence indicates that religiosity may be protective against substance use in the urban youth population, limited research has investigated the effects of multiple dimensions of religiosity on substance use in this population. In this study, a sample of 301 urban adolescents was used (a) to test the effects of three dimensions of religiosity (social religiosity, perceived religious support, and private religiosity) as well as proximity to religious institutions and (b) to determine their correlates with tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use. It was hypothesized that all three dimensions of religiosity would act as protective factors against all types of substance use and that proximity to religious institutions from adolescents’ routine locations would also serve as a protective factor against any type of substance use. Results of logistic regression analysis showed that social religiosity and perceived religious support were protective against marijuana and tobacco use, respectively. Private religiosity was not protective against any type of substance use. Proximity to religious institutions was protective against alcohol use. These findings suggest the importance of examining multiple dimensions of religiosity when investigating substance use in urban youth and offer initial evidence of the importance of proximity to religious institutions as a protective factor against substance use.
Vascular homeostasis: insights from a fibrotic mouse

Efficient delivery of cancer chemotherapeutic agents depends on the permeability of the tumor vasculature. The natural hyperpermeability of tumor vessels increases absorption of macromolecular drugs into tumor tissue, suggesting that further enhancement of this process could be beneficial to the
Ultrastructural immunogold localization of subcellular sites of TNF-α in colonic Crohn's disease

Tumor necrosis factor-a, a proinflammatory cytokine, might have an important role(s) in initiating, modifying, and/or sustaining chronic inflammatory factor-a-containing subcellular organelles included lipid bodies (fibroblasts, eosinophils, macrophages, mast cells, colonic epithelial cells, neutrophils), secretory granules (eosinophils, Paneth cells), phagolysosomes (macro- phages, colonic epithelial cells), and Golgi structures and vesicle membranes (neutrophils). A gradient of extracel. lular tumor necrosis factor-a immunoreactivity sur- rounded eosinophils, mast cells, and macrophages. P values of gold counts4tm2 were significant for all cells,
Responses of vascular endothelial cells to angiogenic signaling are important for tumor cell survival

Neoplastic cells overexpress several angiogenic cytokines, which stimulate neovascularization. Whether the responses of the host endothelial cells to these signaling molecules affect tumor cells during early tumorigenesis has not been investigated. We investigated pre-angiogenic tumor cell survival and angiogenesis initiation by two murine tumor lines (4T1 mammary carcinoma and B16 melanoma), which constitutively expressed GFP, in dorsal skin-fold window chambers of mice treated with extracellular domain of Tie-2 (ExTek) or bFGF. ExTek reduced tumor cell survival, retarded tumor growth, and inhibited angiogenesis onset compared with controls. bFGF increased tumor cell survival and promoted earlier angiogenesis and tumor growth. Neither bFGF nor ExTek affected cell proliferation in vitro. RT-PCR showed mRNA expression of bFGF receptor 2 (FGFR2) IIIb, which does not bind bFGF efficiently, by 4T1 cells and B16 cells express FGFR1 but not FGFR2. B16 cells expressed angiopoietin (Ang) 2, but neither cell line expresses Ang1. Both tumor lines express VEGF. These findings suggested that effects of bFGF and ExTek on tumor cell survival and angiogenesis were not due to direct action but were instead a result of paracrine factors secreted by endothelial cells. These subsequent signals from endothelial cells promote early survival and proliferation of disseminated tumor cells before onset of angiogenesis.
Disappointment in Decision Making Under Uncertainty

Decision analysis requires that two equally desirable consequences should have the same utility and vice versa. Most analyses of financial decision making presume that two consequences with the same dollar outcome will be equally preferred However, winning the top prize of $10,000 in a lottery may leave one much happier than receiving $10,000 as the lowest prize in a lottery. This paper explores the implications of disappointment, a psychological reaction caused by comparing the actual outcome of a lottery to one's prior expectations, for decision making under uncertainty. Explicit recognition that decision makers may be paying a premium to avoid potential disappointment provides an interpretation for some known behavioral paradoxes, and suggests that decision makers may be sensitive to the manner in which a lottery is resolved. The concept of disappointment is integrated into utility theory in a prescriptive model.
Fracture of the canine tibial tarsal bone.

Fracture of the tibial tarsal bone was encountered in two dogs. In one case, coaptation in flexion resulted in joint stiffness and persistent lameness. In the other, open reduction and transverse pinning of each fragment to the adjacent fibular tarsal bone was followed by uncomplicated healing and normal function of the tarsus. Resume. On a rencontre, chez deux chiens, un cas de fracture de l'os tibiotarsien. Dans un cas, la coaptation de flexion a resulte en raidure de l'articulation et en claudication persistante. Dans l'autre cas, une reduction ouverte et un epinglage transversal de chaque fragment a l'os adjacent peroneotarsien e ete suivi d'une guerison sans complications et d'un fonctionnement normal du tarse. Zusammenfassung. Bruch des Schienbien-Fusswurzel Knochens kamen in zwei Hunden vor. In einem Fall hatte das Aufeinanderpassen in Biegung Gelenksteifheit und anhaltende Lahmheit zur Folge. In dem anderen folgte blutigem Knochenbruchreposition und querlaufencer Nage-lung von jedem Fragment an den benachbarten Wadenbein-Fusswurzel Knochen, eine unkom-plizierte Heilung und Normale Funktion des Tarsus.
A comparative analysis of the relationship between learning styles and mathematics performance

As an effort to account for disparities in mathematics performance between American and East Asian middle school students, the present research aims to compare the relationship between learning styles (competitive and cooperative) and mathematics performance among middle school students between the USA and the three top-performing East Asian countries (Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea) in 2003 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Results from hierarchical linear model (HLM) with students nested within schools demonstrated three key findings: (a) competitive learning had a statistically significant positive though small relationship with mathematics performance in all four countries, (b) cooperative learning had a statistically significant positive though small relationship with mathematics performance in the three East Asian countries but not in the USA, and (c) the relationship between competitive learning and mathematics performance was as strong as the relationship between cooperative learning and mathematics performance across the three East Asian countries. Although American students are stronger competitive and cooperative learners than their East Asian peers, they are not effective users of either learning style for the improvement of mathematics performance likely because of the way that both learning styles are practiced in American mathematics classrooms. Teacher education may hold the key to improve the educational practice of different learning styles as a strategy to improve mathematics performance of students in the USA and beyond.
Efficient Kernel Discriminant Analysis via QR Decomposition

Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) is a well-known method for feature extraction and dimension reduction. It has been used widely in many applications such as face recognition. Recently, a novel LDA algorithm based on QR Decomposition, namely LDA/QR, has been proposed, which is competitive in terms of classification accuracy with other LDA algorithms, but it has much lower costs in time and space. However, LDA/QR is based on linear projection, which may not be suitable for data with nonlinear structure. This paper first proposes an algorithm called KDA/QR, which extends the LDA/QR algorithm to deal with nonlinear data by using the kernel operator. Then an efficient approximation of KDA/QR called AKDA/QR is proposed. Experiments on face image data show that the classification accuracy of both KDA/QR and AKDA/QR are competitive with Generalized Discriminant Analysis (GDA), a general kernel discriminant analysis algorithm, while AKDA/QR has much lower time and space costs.
Expression and Function of CD44 in Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma

CD44, a cell surface glycoprotein, has been increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of epithelial ovarian cancer, the deadliest gynecologic malignancy in women. Here, we review recent reports on the expression and function of CD44 in epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Further functional data for CD44 in peritoneal adhesion and metastatic progression and its association with stem cells is highlighted. Recent studies utilizing CD44 for therapeutic targeting are also discussed.
A Virtual Reality Environment for Designing and Fitting Neural Prosthetic Limbs

Building and testing novel prosthetic limbs and control algorithms for functional electrical stimulation (FES) is expensive and risky. Here, we describe a virtual reality environment (VRE) to facilitate and accelerate the development of novel systems. In the VRE, subjects/patients can operate a simulated limb to interact with virtual objects. Realistic models of all relevant musculoskeletal and mechatronic components allow the development of entire prosthetic systems in VR before introducing them to the patient. The system is used both by engineers as a development tool and by clinicians to fit prosthetic devices to patients
New Foundations for Imperative Logic I: Logical Connectives, Consistency, and Quantifiers*

Imperatives cannot be true or false, so they are shunned by logicians. And yet imperatives can be combined by logical connectives: “kiss me and hug me” is the conjunction of “kiss me” with “hug me”. This example may suggest that declarative and imperative logic are isomorphic: just as the conjunction of two declaratives is true exactly if both conjuncts are true, the conjunction of two imperatives is satisfied exactly if both conjuncts are satisfied—what more is there to say? Much more, I argue. “If you love me, kiss me”, a conditional imperative, mixes a declarative antecedent (“you love me”) with an imperative consequent (“kiss me”); it is satisfied if you love and kiss me, violated if you love but don't kiss me, and avoided if you don't love me. So we need a logic of three-valued imperatives which mixes declaratives with imperatives. I develop such a logic.
The German Question

The extraordinarily difficult, almost exasperating character of the German Question is created by its many various aspects. There is the economic one: what are the relations between German and European, as well as world economies? Would not an economically strong Germany upset foreign markets and make other countries dependent upon her? There is the political issue: what ought to be the position of Germany in Europe? Is Germany able and willing to participate in a balance of power system, or would she invariably try to use her power exclusively for her own advantage? What role will Germany play in the conflict between East and West? There are problems of German internal organizations and frontiers: is a unified Germany not a constant threat to world peace? But does not a dismemberment of Germany create an eternal irredenta? There are moral and intellectual issues: what role has National Socialism played in German history? Will it not come back again, perhaps under another name, as soon as some external restraints are removed? Or is National Socialism, with its aggression and terror, only an accident for which non-Germans are at least as responsible as the Germans themselves? Have we the right to make Germans particularly accountable for a general development which only manifested itself first in Germany, and victimized the German people itself?
Stories of Hope and Decline Interest Group Effectiveness in National Special Education Policy

This study analyzes parent and professional organizations' effectiveness in national special education policy from 1975 to the present. Of specific interest are the relationships between groups' po...
Auditory processing and learning/memory following erythropoietin administration in neonatally hypoxic–ischemic injured rats

Abstract Background: Hypoxia–ischemia (HI) is a common injury arising from prematurity/complications at birth and is associated with later language, auditory, and learning impairments. Objective: To investigate the efficacy of two doses (300 or 1000 U/kg) of Erythropoietin (Epo) in protecting against neuropathological and behavioral impairments associated with HI injury in rats. Methods: HI injury (right carotid artery cauterization and 120 min of 8% O2) was induced on postnatal day 7 (P7) and Epo or saline was administered i.p. immediately following the procedure. Auditory processing and learning/memory were assessed throughout development. Results: Both doses of Epo provided behavioral protection following HI injury. Rats given 300 or 1000 U/kg of Epo performed significantly better than HI animals on a short duration complex auditory processing procedure, on a spatial Morris water maze assessing spatial learning/reference memory, and a non-spatial water maze assessing associative learning/reference memory. Conclusions: Given Epo's extant clinical use (FDA approved for pediatric patients with anemia secondary to prematurity), the current results add to a growing body of literature supporting the use of Epo as a potential protective agent for neurological and behavioral impairments following early HI injury in infants.
Aluminium Hydroxide Hydrotalcite

Aluminum hydroxide is an antacid that is available as a gel, usually in combination with magnesium salts. It is used primarily as an antacid in the management of peptic …
Abuses in the L-Visa Program: Undermining the U.S. Labor Market

In a globalized business environment, it should come as no surprise that corporations conducting business activities in multiple national jurisdictions may need to place their experienced, high-level managerial and executive personnel and workers with highly specialized talents, in offices located in countries other than the ones where they were originally employed. Congress created the L-1 visa program in 1970 in order to facilitate this exact type of international intracompany employee transfer-and since then, the program has been used by multi-national companies with offices in the United States to temporarily transfer foreign employees to work in their U.S offices, subsidiaries, and affiliates.Under current law, before transferring an employee from abroad, multi-national companies are not required to prove or attest that there are no adequately qualified U.S. workers available to fill the positions that are eventually awarded to L-1 visa beneficiaries. Is this appropriate? Are L-1 employees coming to the United States to complement U.S. workers, or to replace and displace them? If so, do U.S. workers deserve some degree of protection? Some other visa categories require companies that petition for temporary work visas to attest that no U.S. worker will be displaced or have their wages or working conditions adversely affected by the new temporary worker. Should these or other additional safeguards be part of the L-visa program for the benefit of U.S. workers and the labor market? This paper seeks to address these questions based on analysis of available data, research and literature.
Review of State DOTs Policies for Overweight Truck Fees and Relevant Stakeholders’ Perspectives

AbstractOf all roadway vehicles, trucks inflict the greatest deterioration to pavements and bridges owing to their heavy gross weights and axle loads. States issue permits to trucks beyond legal weight limits and collect fees to compensate for additional damage. To study the extent to which state departments of transportation (DOTs) have allowed passage of overweight loads, the first objective of this paper was to characterize overweight load permit practices among all U.S. states, and the second objective was to identify stakeholders’ perspectives on how to modernize current overweight permit practices. Through an analysis of existing fee policies, this research has characterized the state of the practice in permit fees for overweight loads on public roadways, and evaluated these practices. The subsequent data showed a wide array of policies on overweight permitting, such that a single interstate overweight freight trip might encounter several diverse overweight permitting policies. Although the range of...
Causal Attributions for Poverty in Italy: What Do People Think About Impoverishment

What do people think about impoverishment? Has the poor to be blamed? Are community or society mainly responsible for his condition? Or Bad Luck? This paper analyses the causal attributions for poverty in order to better understand people's viewpoint. According to literature, we can detect three main attributions, depending on explaining poverty as ascribable to individual, external-tangible or fatalistic factors. The data analyzed refer to a research which has been carried out in 2012, in Italy, and has involved around 1000 participants. A Principal Component Analysis has allowed to ‘weed-out’ the items by identifying three main components. Following analyses have showed significant relations between attributions and factors like sex, age, education level and economic condition.
Razor-and-Blades pricing revisited

Abstract From razors and blades to printers and ink cartridges to smartphones and monthly usage charges to media devices and content, razor-and-blades pricing is commonplace. The argument for such a business model is compelling: entice consumers to adopt with a low initial price for the ‘razor,’ build up an installed base, and more than make up for the initial subsidy by charging a high price for replacement ‘blades.’ The problem is, many consumer enticement, customer lock-in, and competitive lock-out mechanisms look less and less tenable given modern-day developments such as the Internet, Google searches, social media, the hacker revolution, the ‘maker movement,’ rapidly improving technology, leaky supply chains, and global markets. This article characterizes the what, why, and how of razor-and-blades pricing; then examines the present-day tenability of such a pricing practice; and concludes with an impetus and a call for innovation—innovation in, perhaps, the pricing of and the purchasing arrangement for the initial razor; the value proposition from the razor and the razor-and-blades system; the architecture of the razor-and-blades system; and the delivery, especially in terms of customer experience, of value from the razor-and-blades system.
Control of Salmonella on Beef Tissue Surfaces in a Model System by Pre- and Post-Evisceration Washing and Sanitizing, With and Without Spray Chilling.

Beef tissue was inoculated with a nalidixic acid resistant strain of Salmonella California and processed under conditions simulating pre- and post-evisceration carcass washing and sanitizing. These treatments, using distilled water to wash and 2% acetic acid to sanitize, reduced the population of salmonellae by as much as 2-log10 cycles when compared to samples which were washed only in distilled water. Increasing the acid temperature to 55°C reduced the bacterial populations further. Spray chilling, when used in series with the pre- and post-evisceration treatments, apparently resulted in recovery of some injured Salmonella .
Atomoxetine-Induced Electrocardiogram Changes

An 11-year-old boy with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who developed palpitations and unusual cardiac repolarization changes on the electrocardiogram (ECG) during standard dose treatment with atomoxetine is reported from Parkview Clinic and Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
Laryngeal ultrasound and vocal fold movement in the pediatric cardiovascular intensive care unit

Objectives/hypothesis Vocal fold motion impairment (VFMI) is a known sequela of cardiovascular surgery. The gold standard for the evaluation of vocal fold movement is flexible nasolaryngoscopy (FNL). Although safe, FNL does cause measurable physiologic changes. Noxious stimuli in cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) neonates may cause imbalance between the pulmonary and systemic circulations and potentially circulatory collapse. The goals of this project were to determine the accuracy of laryngeal ultrasound (LUS) compared to FNL to identify VFMI in CVICU neonates and compare their physiologic impact. Study type Case control. Design Prospective case-control study. Methods Forty-six consecutive infants from the CVICU were recruited, 23 with VFMI and 23 without based on FNL findings. They then underwent LUS, which was subsequently reviewed by two pediatric radiologists blinded to the FNL results. Physiologic parameters were recorded before and after the procedures. Data analysis was performed with Cohen's kappa and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results Agreement between LUS and FNL was substantial (κ = 0.78). Laryngeal ultrasound had a sensitivity of 0.84 and specificity of 0.95 for identifying VFMI. In terms of physiologic impact, LUS caused statistically significantly less change in diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.01), pulse (P = 0.001), and O2 saturation (P = 0.004) compared to FNL. Arytenoid rotation could be seen clearly, and the vocal fold-arytenoid angle in abduction was most predictive of symmetry and movement (P = 0.17). However, it was difficult to determine vocal fold closure patterns with LUS. Conclusion Laryngeal ultrasound is a comparable to FNL for evaluating vocal fold mobility with less physiologic impact. Level of evidence 3b. Laryngoscope, 127:167-172, 2017.
Wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse für eine dauerhafte Motivation

Sie erfahren, welche Methoden heute bekannt sind, die nachweisbare Effekte fur das personliche Wohlbefinden haben. Sie erfahren, welchen besonderen Belastungen gerade Jobjager ausgesetzt sind und wie der JobClub ihnen helfen kann besser damit umzugehen. Das Kapitel zeigt, wie man im JobClub wirksame Mittel zur gegenseitigen Wertschatzung lernen und praktizieren kann. Sie lernen die Hintergrunde der Positiven Psychologie, einer neuen wissenschaftlichen Disziplin, kennen. Das PERMA-Modell des bekannten Forschers Martin Seligman kann Ihnen helfen, innere Widerstandskraft aufzubauen. Zudem beschreibt das Kapitel, wie Sie Ihre emotionale Kraft einsetzen konnen, um mit Mottozielen mehr innere Uberzeugung zur Erreichung Ihrer Ziele zu gewinnen.
The Evolving Management of Patients With Clinical Stage I Seminoma.

Objective To determine trends in management and factors associated with men receiving either chemotherapy or radiation therapy post orchiectomy for clinical stage I (CSI) seminoma in a contemporary setting. Patients and Methods The National Cancer Data Base was queried for all patients with CSI seminoma from 1998 to 2012. Adjuvant treatment after orchiectomy was classified into 3 groups: surveillance, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Yearly trends in management are described. Subgroup analysis for the years 2010-2012 was completed using logistic regression to determine predictors of receiving treatment. Results Of 80,385 patients with testicular cancer, 16,931 had CSI seminoma. There was a progressive decline in the use of post-orchiectomy treatment from 1998 to 2012. In the years 2010-2012 (n = 5816), 59.9% of patients chose surveillance compared with 25.1% receiving radiotherapy and 15.0% receiving chemotherapy. Regression modeling demonstrated that men aged 18-30 were less likely (odds ratio [OR] 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.69-1.00, P = .048) to receive treatment than those aged 31-37. Increasing pathologic stage was associated with a greater likelihood of treatment (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.52-2.06), whereas patients treated at academic hospitals were less likely to receive adjuvant therapy (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.62-0.94). Conclusion Despite a trend toward increased use of post-orchiectomy surveillance for patients with CSI seminoma, a significant portion of patients are still receiving treatment. Pathologic stage and treating hospital type have the strongest association with management decisions. Improved guideline adherence may reduce the potential for adverse effects after chemotherapy or radiation therapy for CSI seminoma.
Performance of Finite Element Algorithms on an Array Processor-Minicomputer Based System

Finite element analysis is a marriage of classical mechanics, numerical methods and computer technology. As new computer hardware is developed, solution algorithms are affected. In order to be able to take advantage of such advances one has to understand more accurately the behavior of new devices and the interaction between them.
Biomod2EZ − An R script suite for visualizing projected niche model ensembles and reporting statistical results.

Biomod2EZ is a suite of R scripts to use in conjunction with the Biomod2 R package by Thuiller et al. (2016) that is used to create ensemble ecological niche models using up to 11 different modeling techniques. Biomod2EZ adds to the functionality of Biomod2 by incorporating a report generation feature, detailed script annotation, and sample dataset/tutorial to ease the transition from ecological niche modeling using a Graphical User Interface to the coding environment of the R framework.
Association of a Surgical Task During Training With Team Skill Acquisition Among Surgical Residents: The Missing Piece in Multidisciplinary Team Training

Importance The human patient simulators that are currently used in multidisciplinary operating room team training scenarios cannot simulate surgical tasks because they lack a realistic surgical anatomy. Thus, they eliminate the surgeon’s primary task in the operating room. The surgical trainee is presented with a significant barrier when he or she attempts to suspend disbelief and engage in the scenario. Objective To develop and test a simulation-based operating room team training strategy that challenges the communication abilities and teamwork competencies of surgeons while they are engaged in realistic operative maneuvers. Design, Setting, and Participants This pre-post educational intervention pilot study compared the gains in teamwork skills for midlevel surgical residents at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center after they participated in a standardized multidisciplinary team training scenario with 3 possible levels of surgical realism: (1) SimMan (Laerdal) (control group, no surgical anatomy); (2) “synthetic anatomy for surgical tasks” mannequin (medium-fidelity anatomy), and (3) a patient simulated by a deceased donor (high-fidelity anatomy). Interventions Participation in the simulation scenario and the subsequent debriefing. Main Outcomes and Measures Teamwork competency was assessed using several instruments with extensive validity evidence, including the Nontechnical Skills assessment, the Trauma Management Skills scoring system, the Crisis Resource Management checklist, and a self-efficacy survey instrument. Participant satisfaction was assessed with a Likert-scale questionnaire. Results Scenario participants included midlevel surgical residents, anesthesia providers, scrub nurses, and circulating nurses. Statistical models showed that surgical residents exposed to medium-fidelity simulation (synthetic anatomy for surgical tasks) team training scenarios demonstrated greater gains in teamwork skills compared with control groups (SimMan) (Nontechnical Skills video score: 95% CI, 1.06-16.41; Trauma Management Skills video score: 95% CI, 0.61-2.90) and equivalent gains in teamwork skills compared with high-fidelity simulations (deceased donor) (Nontechnical Skills video score: 95% CI, −8.51 to 6.71; Trauma Management Skills video score: 95% CI, −1.70 to 0.49). Conclusions and Relevance Including a surgical task in operating room team training significantly enhanced the acquisition of teamwork skills among midlevel surgical residents. Incorporating relatively inexpensive, medium-fidelity synthetic anatomy in human patient simulators was as effective as using high-fidelity anatomies from deceased donors for promoting teamwork skills in this learning group.
The Role of Excess Liquid Assets in Monetary Policy of Small Open Developing Economies

The central bank in an open developing economy often balances the national foreign exchange market by selling liquid assets (typically domestic sovereign securities) to commercial banks and other institutional investors that would otherwise be motivated to invest in foreign financial assets. Therefore, securities denominated in domestic currency, ostensibly sold in the name of “mopping up excess reserves”, serve as a compensation transmission mechanism under which international reserves and the exchange rate target are central. This transmission mechanism allows the central bank to target the exchange rate while also pursuing an independent monetary policy under free capital mobility, thus to a large degree circumventing the Trilemma. In addition, the securities serve the other purpose of reducing the volatility of the portfolio of bank assets. In an imperfectly competitive security market, this compensation strategy is less expensive than would result if the strategy is to be implemented in a purely competitive securities market.
Kinetic Theory and Fast Wind Observations of the Electron Strahl

We develop a model for the strahl population in the solar wind - a narrow, low-density and high-energy electron beam centred on the magnetic field direction. Our model is based on the solution of the electron drift-kinetic equation at heliospheric distances where the plasma density, temperature and the magnetic field strength decline as power laws of the distance along a magnetic flux tube. Our solution for the strahl depends on a number of parameters that, in the absence of the analytic solution for the full electron velocity distribution function (eVDF), cannot be derived from the theory. We however demonstrate that these parameters can be efficiently found from matching our solution with observations of the eVDF made by the Wind satellite's SWE strahl detector. The model is successful at predicting the angular width (FWHM) of the strahl for the Wind data at 1 au, in particular by predicting how this width scales with particle energy and background density. We find that the strahl distribution is largely determined by the local temperature Knudsen number γ ∼ |T dT/dx|/n, which parametrizes solar wind collisionality. We compute averaged strahl distributions for typical Knudsen numbers observed in the solar wind, and fit our model to these data. The model can be matched quite closely to the eVDFs at 1 au; however, it then overestimates the strahl amplitude at larger heliocentric distances. This indicates that our model may be improved through the inclusion of additional physics, possibly through the introduction of 'anomalous diffusion' of the strahl electrons.