cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Radiopharmaceutical regulation and food and drug administration policy

The regulatory policy of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on radiopharmaceuticals flows from a rigid, traditional, drug-like interpretation of the FDC Act on the licensing of radiopharmaceuticals. This contributes to significant delays in the drug-approval process for radiopharmaceuticals, which are very costly to the nuclear medicine community and the American public. It seems that radiopharmaceuticals would be better characterized as molecular devices. Good generic rule-making principles include: use of a risk/benefit/cost analysis; intent based on sound science; performance standards prepared by outside experts; a definite need shown by the regulatory agency; to live with the consequences of any erroneous cost estimates; and design individual credential requirements so that additional training results in enhanced professional responsibility. When these common elements are applied to current FDA policy, it seems that the agency is out of sync with the stated goals for revitalizing federal regulatory policies as deemed necessary by the Clinton administration. Recent FDA rulings on positron-emission tomography, Patient Package Inserts, and on medical device service accentuate the degree of such asynchronization. Radiopharmaceutical review and licensing flexibility could be dramatically improved by excluding radiopharmaceuticals from the drug category and reviewing them as separate entities. This new category would take into account their excellent record of safety and their lack of pharmacological action. Additionally, their evaluation of efficacy should be based on their ability to provide useful scintiphotos, data, or responses of the physiological system it portends to image, quantitate, or describe. To accomplish the goal of transforming the FDA's rigid, prescriptive policy into a streamlined flexible performancebased policy, the Council on Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals proposal has been presented. In addition, it is suggested that the United States Pharmacopeia write radiopharmaceutical review standards, that an independent scientific body review the data submitted, and that the FDA either accept or reject the recommendation.
Preventing Regulatory Capture: Coalitions, Autonomy, and Regulatory Bargains in Public Health Law

This paper investigates three examples where public health agencies implemented policy innovations in difficult political environments. It then connects these descriptions to an analysis of agency capture theories, their limits, and the development of the state in a pluralist democracy. The first episode occurred during the 1990s, when USDA sought to target foodborne pathogens through new regulatory rules. The effort culminated with implementation of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) framework to harness the private sector’s knowledge about how to improve safety conditions, along with a more demanding pathogen testing regime. Across town, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) undertook an effort to assert jurisdiction over tobacco products, a goal opposed by tobacco companies. After the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the FDA regulation, the FDA and congressional allies sought statutory changes and eventually helped to enact the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2010. The third story discusses the evolution of the CDC as its health surveillance capacity has grown, and the under-appreciated role the agency plays in shaping public health responses – including some with considerable implications for powerful economic actors such as pharmaceutical companies. These examples showcase how Americans live and work in a public health context different from what existed two or three decades ago. The cases also reflect how agency-driven policy innovations played a major role in some of those changes. I compare these experiences to the work of agencies performing functions less associated with public health, such as immigration or firearms regulation, and discuss some preliminary ideas about how the public health agencies managed to use their partial autonomy to advance bold but reasonable reforms despite a political context that did not favor their work.
Age Changes in Prosocial Responding and Moral Reasoning in Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Age changes' measures of prosocial responding and reasoning were examined. Participants' reports of helping, empathy-related responding, and prosocial moral reasoning were obtained in adolescence (from age 15-16 years) and into adulthood (to age 25-26 years). Perspective taking and approval/interpersonal oriented/stereotypic prosocial moral reasoning increased from adolescence into adulthood, whereas personal distress declined. Helping declined and then increased (a cubic trend). Prosocial moral judgment composite scores (and self-reflective empathic reasoning) generally increased from late adolescence into the early 20s (age 17-18 to 21-22) but either leveled off or declined slightly thereafter (i.e., showed linear and cubic trends); rudimentary needs-oriented reasoning showed the reverse pattern of change. The increase in self-reflective empathic moral reasoning was for females only. Thus, perspective taking and some aspects of prosocial moral reasoning-capacities with a strong sociocognitive basis-showed the clearest increases with age, whereas simple prosocial proclivities (i.e., helping, sympathy) did not increase with age.
Pink Discoloration in Italian Varieties of Cheese

Abstract A pink discoloration which occurs in Italian varieties of cheese was associated with the nondialyzable fat-free fraction of the cheese. The color was sensitive to air and pH changes. It was not extractable from the nondialyzable fraction with a wide variety of polar and nonpolar solvents, even in the presence of protein dispersing agents or after acid or pepsin digestion of this fraction.
JFlow: practical mostly-static information flow control

A promising technique for protecting privacy and integrity of sensitive data is to statically check information flow within programs that manipulate the data. While previous work has proposed programming language extensions to allow this static checking, the resulting languages are too restrictive for practical use and have not been implemented. In this paper, we describe the new language JFlow, an extension to the Java language that adds statically-checked information flow annotations. JFlow provides several new features that make information flow checking more flexible and convenient than in previous models: a decentralized label model, label polymorphism, run-time label checking, and automatic label inference. JFlow also supports many language features that have never been integrated successfully with static information flow control, including objects, subclassing, dynamic type tests, access control, and exceptions. This paper defines the JFlow language and presents formal rules that are used to check JFlow programs for correctness. Because most checking is static, there is little code space, data space, or run-time overhead in the JFlow implementation.
CRITICAL MAGNETIC FIELDS OF SUPERCONDUCTING SnTe.

Abstract The dependence of the superconducting critical magnetic fields of the superconducting semiconductor SnTe upon carrier concentration has been determined. A correlation between the occurrence of superconductivity and the appearance of heavy holes in a second valence band is noted.
Recurrent Umbilical Cord Torsion Leading to Fetal Death in 3 Subsequent Pregnancies

Abstract During a span of 3.5 years, a 30-year-old, gravida 9, para 3 woman experienced 3 pregnancies complicated by umbilical cord torsion and constriction. In each case, the complication resulted in acute vascular compromise and intrauterine fetal demise. Gross examination disclosed cord constriction and torsion at the fetal end of the cord in each instance. Histologic sections from the cord torsion sites demonstrated fibrosis and deficiencies in Wharton's jelly in each case. Cytogenetic studies prepared using fetal villous tissue demonstrated normal karyotypes in fetal cells from the first 2 pregnancies (46,XX and 46,XY, respectively). The karyotype from the third pregnancy showed a 46,XX,del(X)(q24) mutation in 3 of 15 cultured cells, while 12 of 15 cells possessed a normal 46,XX karyotype. This cytogenetic abnormality was not believed to represent the cause of fetal demise in this case. To our knowledge, this is the first report of umbilical cord torsion in 3 pregnancies within one family. The famili...
STAGES IN PATTERNS OF POPULATION CONCENTRATION AND DISPERSION

The recent phenomenon of relative metropolitan decline and non-metropolitan growth is set into two broader frameworks: first, decentralization is an expected consequence of earlier industrialization and metropolitanization; and, second, the change follows a parallel shift in power, industrialization, and urbanization from the core to the periphery of the country. Evidence is found for both. The older industrial states thus exhibit non-metropolitan growth, whereas many newly industrializing states continue to show vigorous metropolitanization.
TRIPS Wars: Developing Countries Strike Back

This chapter focuses on the "TRIPS Wars," which involved the developed countries' repeated strikes on the sovereignty, autonomy and policy space of developing countries. These strikes began with the establishment of the TRIPS Agreement, which was then followed by the increasing efforts to establish TRIPS-plus non-multilateral agreements.Notwithstanding these repeated strikes, developing countries have been learning fast. After a decade of mobilization and adjustments, they have now slowly acquired the ability to launch counter-strikes. These counter-strikes are important because they may provide the flashpoints at which tensions and conflicts arise within the international intellectual property regime.This chapter begins by discussing the impact of the TRIPS Agreement and TRIPS-plus non-multilateral agreements on developing countries. It then examines the developing countries' counter-strikes at the WTO — including those at the Doha Round negotiations, within the TRIPS Council and before the Dispute Settlement Body. The chapter concludes by highlighting the developing countries' efforts to establish pro-development initiatives at WIPO and other international regimes.
The Network of Knowledge

Scientific method must involve a broad view of lots of different ideas. A theory is judged by its relation to many different observations and many other theories. Scientific knowledge must be a coherent network of statements, both empirical and theoretical. No piecemeal or isolated view of single theories and single experiments can do justice to the scientific method.
GERMINATION OF NATIVE AND EXOTIC PLANT SEEDS DISPERSED BY COYOTES (CANIS LATRANS) IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Abstract Seeds collected from coyote scats in southern California were tested for germination. Eighteen of 38 plant species germinated. Native species that germinated included Arctostaphylos glauca, Arctostaphylos sp., Heteromeles arbutifolia, Opuntia littoralis, Prosopis glandulosa, Prunus ilicifolia, and Washingtonia filifera. Exotic species that germinated included Annona cherimola, Cucumis sp., Ficus sp., Lycopersicon esculentum, Panicum miliaceum, Phoenix sp., Prunus sp., and Pyracantha sp. Additional species thought to be exotic that germinated were Fragaria sp., Vitis sp., and an unidentified species. Compared to seeds directly off the plant, O. littoralis germinated significantly more frequently following passage through coyotes, whereas H. arbutifolia germinated significantly less often. Although coyotes are dispersing exotic plant seeds in viable condition, none of the seeds identified in this study were considered invasive.
Pathogenetic studies of motor fluctuations in Parkinson’s disease

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic mechanisms for levodopa have been studied in relation to the pathogenesis of the motor fluctuations which complicate advanced Parkinson’s disease. Since levodopa clearance from the general circulation was found to be similar in patients with wearing-off or on-off phenomena and those with a stable response to levodopa, peripheral pharmacokinetic factors are unlikely to be involved. Efficacy half-time for levodopa, on the other hand, was significantly reduced in patients with mainly wearing-off fluctuations in comparison to those manifesting a stable response to oral levodopa; individuals with predominantly on-off phenomenon had an even more extreme reduction in the duration of the antiparkinsonian action of levodopa. Conversion from oral to intravenous levodopa treatment immediately stabilized plasma levodopa levels in both the wearing-off and on-off groups; motor variability also decreased, especially in those with wearing-off phenomenon. During 11 days of continuous intravenous levodopa therapy, additional reductions in motor fluctuations occurred in both groups, but at a significantly faster rate in patients with wearing-off than in those with on-off responses. These results suggest that wearing-off phenomenon may arise as a consequence of the degeneration of dopamine terminals due to natural disease progression with a resultant inability to buffer variations in levodopa availability; on-off phenomenon, may reflect additional postsynaptic dopamine receptor dysregulation, possibly in response to the resultant, nonphysiologic fluctuations in synaptic dopamine.
Mapping the Complexities of Race on the Landscape of the Colonial Caribbean, United States Virgin Islands, 1770–1917

Colonial race relations in the Virgin Islands developed as a graded color/class system that invested the category of whiteness with power and blackness with slavery. Between the two ends of the socioracial spectrum a population of freepersons of color emerged. Examination of two landscapes, one rural and the other urban, demonstrates how socially defined racial groups used landscapes to create, maintain, and transform racial identities. Focus on a Moravian estate landscape in each setting reveals a strong commitment to the ideology of white superiority espoused by the colonial authorities and landowning elite. After freepersons of color were granted full citizenship (1830) and the abolition of slavery (1848), socially defined racial groups in rural and urban settings used distinctly different spatial and social strategies to make claims about their racial identities in an environment of continued white privilege.
Two Treaties, and Global Influences of the American Civil Rights Movements, Through the Black International Tradition

The Black International Tradition is essential for understanding the necessity of critical scholarship in law and other disciplines, as we remember the birth of the modern Civil Rights Movement a half-century ago. Laid down over 400 years, and without the permission of either federal authority in Washington or controlling white interests, this Tradition is an integral part of Black people’s history on American soil. It includes Black claims and responses over the last 150 years to the news of mass organized Black struggle in overseas lands, as this process has supported the historic struggle against racism. The Civil Rights Movement has had its own global impact, including on the international peace movement, comparative constitutional law and on two Nobel Peace Prizes, through the historic work of DuBois, Ghandi, King, and the African National Congress in South Africa. Part of the authority of the Tradition bears on the impact of key treaties in the United States which each served as a fulcrum for contemporary African American debates and claims at the local level about the content of their international interests, including interests in international law, and how they related to the correct route towards liberation. This article thus explores the impact, respectively, of the Treaty of Berlin of 1885, which carved up Africa for European colonial interests, and the United Nations Charter of 1946, which defined a new world order under international law following World War II. The former helped frame issues about Black emigration back to Africa, while the latter framed the continuing essential question of whether African American rights and international outreach are to be grounded only in American law and policy, or will also be strongly grounded under international human rights law.
Revision of Thisiomorphus Pic (Coleoptera: Mycteridae: Eurypinae) with descriptions of eleven new species from Central and South America and a key to genera of Neotropical Eurypinae.

The Neotropical eurypine genus Thisiomorphus is revised, based on external structural features of adults. Twelve species are recognized, including the following eleven new species (type areas in parentheses): T . festivus (Panama, Colon Prov.), T . osaensis (Costa Rica, Puntarenas Prov.), T . davidsoni (Brazil, Chapada), T . inaequalis (Ecuador, Napo Prov.), T . caeruleus (Panama, Panama Prov.), T . brasiliensis (Brazil, Amazonas), T . solisi (Costa Rica, Guanacaste Prov.), T . andrewsi (Panama, Chiriqui Prov.), T . bolivianus (Bolivia, Santa Cruz Dept.), T . curticornis (Ecuador, Sucumbios Prov.), and T . convergens (Brazil, Para). A key to the 13 described eurypine genera of Central and South American is provided, along with a key to species of Thisiomorphus . The keys are supplemented with images of habitus and selected structural features, and maps of known distributions are provided.
Photovoltaic Effect in Thin Ferroelectric Films

Polarization-dependent photovoltaic currents are observed in continuously illuminated ferroelectric thin films under conditions of polarization reversal. Following reversal, an initial current rapidly decays to an essentially steady current, which then decays slowly with the current decreasing in proportion to the logarithm of elapsed time. These polarization-dependent currents are attributed to the action of internal fields on photocarriers where the fields result from the incomplete screening of the polarization field.
EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF LOW TO MEDIUM-DOSE VERSUS HIGH-DOSE ASPIRIN AFTER PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION: EVIDENCE BEYOND THE CURRENT-OASIS 7 TRIAL

In the CURRENT-OASIS 7 trial, there was no significant difference in 30-day outcomes with the use of high-dose vs low-dose Aspirin in patients undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI). However less is known regarding the long-term safety and efficacy of varying Aspirin doses post PCI.
New Mycetophilidae from California.

During the fall, winter and early spring of 1915–16 a number of species of fungi was collected by the writer, in the environs of Stanford University for the purpose of studying Mycetophilid fauna.
Role of adrenalin in recovery of inhibited conditioned reactions.

SummaryConditioned reactions which had been inhibited by lack of reinforcement in rats may be restored by insulin coma in normal as well as in adrenodemedulMted rats. Apparently a secretion of adrenalin which is observed under conditions of insulin coma and electroshock does not play an integral part in the mechanism of the restoration of inhibited conditioned reactions. This interpretation is supported by the fact that the injection of adrenalin remains ineffective in the normal animals as far as restoration of inhibited conditioned reactions is concerned, whereas insulin coma and electroshock restore these reactions. It is inferred from these experiments that the restitution of inhibited conditioned reactions is linked up with a hypothalamic-cortical discharge previously established by Murphy and Gellhorn and is not due to the liberation of adrenalin which invariably accompanies the excitation of hypothalamic centers under conditions of insulin coma and electroshock.
New Synthetic Route to a Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor

A new synthetic route to a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitor was developed and demonstrated on a multigram scale. This approach takes advantage of the cheap and readily available Boc-trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline methyl ester as starting material which was derivatized through an SN2 reaction. Several leaving groups were studied, and the nosylate group showed superiority over other derivatives. Formation of an amide using the most costly starting material, 3,3-difluoropyrrolidine, was performed late in the synthesis to minimize its economical impact on the overall cost of the API.
Prevalent Trend and Control Strategies of Leishmaniasis in Maoxian County of Sichuan Province

Objective To understand the epidemic dynamics and the current situation of disease control and prevention of leishmaniasis in Maoxian county,and provide evidence for the disease control strategies.Methods Processed patients' medical records were collected from medical institutions and network reports after verification.Investigated the implementation situation of disease control and prevention in epidemic areas.Adopted comprehensive disease control and prevention measures by diagnosing and treating patients,guarding dogs,preventing and killing phlebotomus and offering people health education.Results There were 58 leishmaniasis cases in the whole county from 1990 to 2010.The epidemic analysis showed an increasing and spreading tendency year by year since 2005.Cases mainly happened in Yadu village which adjacent to Heishui county,a severely leishmaniasis affected area,accounted for 39.66% of the total cases.Patients were almost males.Children under the age of 10 accounted for 58.62% of all patients.Incidence during February to May accounted for 51.72% of the whole year.84.48% patients had a course of disease within 6 months.The detection on domistic dogs with rk39 immunochromatographic strip showed 8.00% positive.The infectious vector,phlebotomus sinensis,was dominant species with the density peaked in the middle and late August.Conclusion Dogs are the reservoir hosts of leishmaniasis in Maoxian county.Guarding dogs well,reducing dog density by eliminating dogs,seeking infected and sick dogs are the main measures to control the prevalence of leishmaniasis.Lessening phlebotomus' contact with dogs and people is one of the important methods to cut off the transmission of leishmaniasis.Increasing the dosage of antimony sodium gluconate in treatment and improving the medication have a remarkable treatment effect,and the recurrence rate decreased significantly.
62-Year-Old Woman With Acute Hypotension and Hypoxia After Surgical Repair of Hip

Resident in Internal Medicine, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Rochester, MN (C.T.L., Y.N.R.); Advisor to residents and Consultant in Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (C.R.B.). A 62-year-old woman presented to the emergency department after a mechanical fall onto her left hip. She had been in her usual state of health earlier that day, but after the fall she experienced intractable leg pain and was unable to bear weight on her left hip. She reported no chest pain, dyspnea, palpitations, light-headedness, or dizziness before the event. Her medical history was notable for hypertension and nicotine and alcohol dependence. Her initial physical examination revealed evidence of severe left hip tenderness and pain with motion. The remainder of her examination findings were unremarkable. Radiography of the left hip revealed a left intertrochanteric hip fracture with minimal displacement. She underwent prompt surgical repair with internal fixation using a cephalomedullary nail. The patient tolerated the procedure well with no complications and minimal blood loss. Postoperatively, she received deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis with subcutaneous heparin. Her pain subsided considerably after the operation. At 36 hours postoperatively, the patient experienced sudden shortness of breath with severe respiratory distress. On examination, she was somnolent and had a blood pressure of 90/54 mm Hg and a heart rate of 131 beats/min. She was tachypneic (respiratory rate, 20 breaths/min) and hypoxic (oxygen saturation, 90% with a face mask delivering 40% fraction of inspired oxygen). The patient was afebrile and drowsy but was able to follow commands. Cardiac examination revealed a right ventricular (RV) precordial heave, elevated jugular venous pressure, and cool extremities with a weakly palpable pulse. Auscultation identified a right-sided third heart sound but no murmurs. Lung examination revealed diffuse bilateral crackles but no decreased breath sounds at the base or dullness to percussion suggestive of a pleural effusion. She had bilateral mild pitting edema on the lower
AN ENHANCED ENVIRONMENTAL MULTIMEDIA MODELLING SYSTEM (FEMMS): PART II - USER INTERFACE AND FIELD VALIDATION

Environmental quantitative risk assessment requires the development of multimedia modeling tools to address dynamic site conditions at field scale. This work is the second part in a two-part series. A new fuzzy-set enhanced environmental multimedia modeling system (FEMMS) has been presented in Part I. Environmental multimedia modeling often involves a sizeable amount of parameters and data. The challenges have been the difficulties to quantify the uncertainties and to manage the data and main modules. Besides the efforts of developing a new EMMS for useful functionality and engineering applicability, a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) has been developed in this research for the FEMMS to provide support for the processing of model input and output as well as to facilitate technology transfer. To assess the developed FEMMS and its user interface system with real case application, a larger scale application with field data is conducted to examine the performance of FEMMS in this study. The field-scale validation presented in this paper indicates that the developed FEMMS is able to (1) predict the time and space varying chemical concentrations in a multimedia environment involving air, soil, and groundwater; (2) characterize the potential risk to human health presented by contaminants released from a contaminated site; and (3) quantify the uncertainties associated with modelling systems and subsequently providing robustness and flexibility for the remediation-related decision making. It also shows that, with the aid of fuzzy-set approach and the developed GUI, FEMMS is a reliable decision making tool to address complex environmental multimedia pollution problems and to provide technical support to strategy makers in managing the contaminated environmental sites.
Friedrich Schlegel and Romantic Irony

Friedrich Schlegel obviously enjoyed being ironic and allusive about irony, offering glances and indirections in the form of aphorisms and Delphic fragments calculated to quicken the imagination but never making altogether clear exactly what he meant by the ‘schillernde Phanomen’ of his new irony.6 His emphasis is all suggestion, generating sparks of insight, a philosophy of aspiration and self-doubt. A considerable range of apercus leading towards a definition are available, however, in the Lyceum and Athenaeum fragments; they both encourage and frustrate our attempt to see Romantic irony plain.
A Database of Pairwise Aligned 3-D Structures for the Acetylcholinesterases, Lipases and Other Homologous Proteins

The comparison of results from 3-D structure alignments obtained by a variety of different algorithms and those determined by domain experts reveals significant differences. Simply finding the best RMSD between the corresponding C α positions in two structures is not enough to match biologically meaningful features, and hence provide the most meaningful structure alignment. Yet an accurate comparative analysis of structure reveals a great deal about the biological function of related proteins. A recently described combinatorial extension algorithm has been further refined by the use of protein properties relevant to structural and functional features to provide good structure alignments. The resulting database of automated pairwise alignments is reported and contains acetylcholinesterases (9), lipases (15), haloalkane dehalogenases (11), and cholesterol esterases (2) structures for which more than 200 residues could be aligned with an RMSD of less than 4.0A. Results for the alignment of a specific acetylcholinesterase to a lipase is compared to the previously performed manual alignment. The database and associated tools for visualizing the structure alignments are available via the Web at the URL http://cl.sdsc.edu/align_db.html.
Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism Higher Education: Administrators’ View of ACPHA Accreditation—An Exploratory Study

ABSTRACTFor 25 years, the ACPHA (Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration) accreditation has provided assurance about the quality of hospitality education in the United States. This study examines the role that the ACPHA has had in the development of standards for hospitality education and explores the perceived benefits and underlying motives for pursuing accreditation. The findings indicate that the perceived benefits of the ACPHA accreditation are external accountability and program improvement, increased marketing advantage in recruiting, and increased leverage for university resources. Furthermore, accredited schools pursued accreditation to 1) increase the value of their educational offerings, and 2) earn a better academic reputation within the campus community and among the public. The study also finds that certain standards (assurance of student learning, instructional resources, and mission and outcomes) could be challenging for hospitality programs to meet.
Constraints on tree structure in concept formation

We describe ARACHNE, a concept formation system that, uses explicit constraints on tree structure and local restructuring operators to produce well-formed probabilistic concept trees. We also present a quantitative measure of tree quality and compare the system's performance in artificial and natural domains to that of COBWEB, a well-known concept formation algorithm. The results suggest that ARACHNE frequently constructs higher-quality trees than COBWEB, while still retaining the ability to make accurate predictions.
Inhaled Fluticasone-Salmeterol Better Than Fluticasone Alone for Moderate to Severe Asthma.

The combination of fluticasone and salmeterol (Advair), with the steroid dose adjusted for disease severity, reduces the number of severe asthma exacerbations more than fluticasone (Flovent) alone (number needed to treat [NNT] = 50 over 26 weeks), with no difference in terms of potential harms, such as intubation or asthma-related death.
Invasion of a dominant floral resource: effects on the floral community and pollination of native plants.

Through competition for pollinators, invasive plants may suppress native flora. Community-level studies provide an integrative assessment of invasion impacts and insights into factors that influence the vulnerability of different native species. We investigated effects of the non-native herb Lythrum salicaria on pollination of native species in 14 fens of the eastern United States. We compared visitors per flower for 122 native plant species in invaded and uninvaded fens and incorporated a landscape-scale experiment, removing L. salicaria flowers from three of the invaded fens. Total flower densities were more than three times higher in invaded than uninvaded or removal sites when L. salicaria was blooming. Despite an increase in number of visitors with number of flowers per area, visitors per native flower declined with increasing numbers of flowers. Therefore, L. salicaria invasion depressed visitation to native flowers. In removal sites, visitation to native flowers was similar to uninvaded sites, confirming the observational results and also suggesting that invasion had not generated a persistent buildup of visitor populations. To study species-level impacts, we examined effects of invasion on visitors per flower for the 36 plant species flowering in both invaded and uninvaded fens. On average, the effect of invasion represented about a 20% reduction in visits per flower. We measured the influence of plant traits on vulnerability to L. salicaria invasion using meta-analysis. Bilaterally symmetrical flowers experienced stronger impacts on visitation, and similarity in flower color to L. salicaria weakly intensified competition with the invader for visitors. Finally, we assessed the reproductive consequences of competition with the invader in a dominant flowering shrub, Dasiphora fruticosa. Despite the negative effect of invasion on pollinator visitation in this species, pollen limitation of seed production was not stronger in invaded than uninvaded sites, suggesting little impact of competition for pollinators on its population demography. Negative effects on pollination of native plants by this copiously-flowering invader appeared to be mediated by increases in total flower density that were not matched by increases in pollinator density. The strength of impact was modulated across native species by their floral traits and reproductive ecology. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
A radiation oncologist’s guide to contour the parotid gland

The parotid gland is the largest of the salivary glands and is primarily responsible for salivation and prevention of dry mouth as well as oral health. Routinely, the parotid gland is near target in head and neck cancer cases. It is critical that attention be given to avoid unnecessary dose to the parotid glands to preserve saliva, taste, and oral health. The facial nerve (CN VII) passes through the gland and divides it into the superficial and deep lobes. Anteriorly, it overlies the lateral surface of the masseter muscle; laterally, it is surrounded by subcutaneous fat planes of the cheek; and posterosuperiorly, it is bounded by the external auditory canal. The deep lobe is medial to CN VII and is bound by the parapharyngeal space medially, the mastoid process of the temporal bone posteriorly, and the ramus of the mandible anteriorly. Superiorly, the deep lobe extends to the level of the stylomastoid foramen.1,2 It should be noted that, inferiorly, below the angle of the mandible, the parotid tail inserts between platysma and sternocleidomastoid muscle in the area of the posterior submandibular space. Although the gland is divided into the 2 lobes, this anatomical distinction does not aid in the contouring process. However, the retromandibular vein, which is seen coursing through the deep lobe just along the medial margin of CN VII, may be useful for the radiation oncologist. There may be circumstances in which it would
Optimizing endometrial cancer follow-up and survivorship care for rural and other underserved women: Patient and provider perspectives

Abstract Objectives This study describes patient and provider attitudes on transitioning cancer surveillance visits and treatment of comorbid conditions to the primary care setting in a rural patient population as a strategy for minimizing financial and travel related barriers for patients while simultaneously enhancing quality and availability of health care options. Methods Focus group discussions and telephone interviews were conducted with endometrial cancer (EC) survivors and primary care providers (PCPs) to provide insights into post-treatment follow-up practices and the acceptability of transitioning follow-up to primary care setting utilizing a cancer survivorship care plan model. Results EC survivors expressed high levels of satisfaction with their oncology care and suggested that transitioning to PCPs for follow-up care would be convenient yet challenging. Challenges cited include: 1) patient perceptions of deficits in PCP's understandings of cancer surveillance; 2) inability to identify a personal PCP; and 3) lack of communication between oncologists and PCPs. PCP participants similarly identified the need for extensive EC training and effective communication strategies with oncologists as necessary factors for accepting responsibility for EC follow-up care. Both groups offered strategies to create a more team based approach to EC survivorship care. Conclusions Increasing the role of the PCP in the ongoing care of EC survivors was generally considered acceptable by both patients and providers in both rural and urban women. Successful coordination of care between cancer survivors, oncologists and PCPs will be a critical step in improving the cancer care delivery of our rural patient and provider population.
The Combination of Specimen Tracking with an Advanced AutoLog in a Laboratory Information System

The ability to provide timely laboratory results is an important aspect of quality which must be continually monitored. In order to complete all testing before the maximum turnaround time requirements are exceeded, laboratorians need to have immediate and automatic access to the location of specimens and the status of tests ordered on each specimen. Any such automated approach must be able to monitor continually the status of work in progress, while simultaneously linking it to a specimen tracking (history) system that allows real-time tracing of the path of specimens through all laboratory operations. The authors have greatly advanced the capabilities of the AutoLog technology and have added to it a tracking system that captures specimen movement with minimum user assistance. This has been accomplished without the need to implement total process automation.
Biomarker-driven targeted therapies for gastric/gastro-esophageal junction malignancies

Gastroesophageal malignancies often contain high amounts of genetic and molecular alterations that result in an aggressive disease capable of rapidly metastasizing to distant organs and early development of drug resistance. Most patients in the Western hemisphere present with locally advanced or metastatic disease that is treated with systemic chemotherapy used either in the neoadjuvant or palliative setting, respectively. This article will review the various recent advances in the development of targeted therapies for the treatment of advanced gastric and gastroesophageal cancer.
Author Correction: Energy use and life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of drones for commercial package delivery.

In the original version of this Article, the first sentence of the sixth paragraph of the “Comparing emissions” section, the Results originally incorrectly read as ‘In the base case, delivery of a small (0.5 kg) package with the small quadrotor drone has lower impacts than delivery by diesel truck, ranging from a 59% reduction in GHGs in California, to a 17% reduction in Missouri’. The correct version states ‘54%’ instead of ‘59%’ and ‘23%’ instead of ‘17%’. The fourth sentence of the same paragraph originally incorrectly read as ‘In the base case, delivery of a medium-sized (8 kg) package has 17% lower GHGs than delivery by truck in California, is about equivalent to delivery trucks for the U.S. average electricity mix, but has 77% higher GHGs than truck delivery in Missouri, which has a carbon-intensive electricity grid’. The correct version states ‘In the base case, delivery of a medium-sized (8 kg) package has 9% lower GHGs than delivery by truck in California, is about 24% higher than delivery trucks for the U.S. average electricity mix, and has 50% higher GHGs than truck delivery in Missouri, which has a carbon-intensive electricity grid. The last sentence of the seventh paragraph of the same section originally incorrectly read as ‘Because of the importance of electricity used to power the octocopter, charging with low-carbon electricity of 200 g GHG/kWh can reduce delivered package GHGs by 34% compared to diesel trucks’. The correct version states ‘37%’ instead of ‘34%’. These errors have been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
Serial execution Josephus problem

In this paper, we will study a generalized version of Josephus where a serial execution occurs at each iteration and give a non-recursive formula for the initial positions of survivors.
Minimal Invasive Fixation Can Decrease Infection Rates in Diabetic and Obese Patients With Severe Ankle Fracture and Syndesmotic Injury.

Background. Ankle fractures involving syndesmosis disruption cause severely unstable joint conditions. Traditional invasive operations put certain patient groups at an increased risk of infection. ...
Localization of vibrational modes leads to reduced thermal conductivity of amorphous heterostructures

We investigate the vibrational heat transfer mechanisms in amorphous Stillinger-Weber silicon and germanium-based alloys and heterostructures via equilibrium and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations along with lattice dynamics calculations. We find that similar to crystalline alloys, amorphous alloys demonstrate large size effects in thermal conductivity, while layering the constituent materials into superlattice structures leads to length-independent thermal conductivities. The thermal conductivity of an amorphous ${\mathrm{Si}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}$ alloy reduces by as much as $\ensuremath{\sim}53%$ compared to the thermal conductivity of amorphous silicon; compared to the larger reduction in crystalline phases due to alloying, we show that compositional disorder rather than structural disorder has a larger impact on the thermal conductivity reduction. Our thermal conductivity predictions for a-Si/a-Ge superlattices suggest that the alloy limit in amorphous SiGe-based structures can be surpassed with interface densities above $\ensuremath{\sim}0.35\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{\mathrm{nm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. We attribute the larger reduction in thermal conductivity of layered Si/Ge heterostructures to greater localization of modes at and around the cutoff frequency of the softer layer as demonstrated via lattice dynamics calculations and diffusivities of individual eigenmodes calculated according to the Allen-Feldman theory [P. B. Allen and J. L. Feldman, Phys. Rev. B 48, 12581 (1993)] for our amorphous SiGe-based alloys and superlattice structures.
Dangerous Herbal Weight-Loss Supplements

The United States and Mexico are among the most obese nations in the world. Weight-loss supplements containing herbs are popular on both sides of the US/Mexico border, but there is scant information as to their efficacy or safety. Two herbal products have recently been touted as being effective and safe for weight loss: candle nut tree seeds (‘Nuez de la India’) and yellow oleander seed (‘Codo de Fraile’). Both these products are dangerous and have caused serious health problems in various countries. People should be aware not to self-medicate with certain herbal supplements for weight loss.
B-type natriuretic peptide measurements in diagnosing congestive heart failure in the dyspneic emergency department patient.

Increasing focus has recently been directed toward the different parameters of drug-eluting stents-stent design, delivery-vehicle materials, and drug properties-and the manner in which each of these elements may affect the function of the stents. Several specific characteristics of design may affect restenosis, although design optimization often presents a choice between acute procedural success and long-term biological stability. The influence of design parameters such as strut thickness and cell configuration is described. Polymer material has frequently been used to coat drug-eluting stents, although some agents, such as paclitaxel, can be attached directly to the stent's surface, obviating the need for a polymer layer. The properties of agents used in drug-eluting stents and how those properties affect delivery and long-term outcome are discussed, as is the influence of the disease state of the target vessel on stent safety and efficacy.
Crises of Profitability and Weakening CEO-Firm Bonds at Large U.S. Firms, 1950-2015

Over the past few decades in the United States, bonds have weakened between firms and their workers, and CEOs have not escaped this trend: CEO tenure has declined, and outside CEO hires have increa...
Feasibility Study to Produce First Wall Fusion Reactor Spectra Around a 14-MeV Neutron Point Source

A detailed analysis is made showing the feasibility of producing a neutron spectrum that will closely match the first wall neutron environment of any proposed future fusion reactor. An intense neutron source based on the deuterium--tritium reaction and producing 1 to 3 X 10/sup 15/ 14-MeV neutrons per second in a small volume, <1 cm/sup 3/, is used as the primary source. The spectrum is tailored by surrounding this source with a spherical blanket composed of concentric shells of lithium, uranium (93% /sup 235/U), and beryllium. The irradiation volume of approx. 100 cm/sup 3/ is located between the source and the inside of the blanket and can be used for the purpose of radiation damage evaluations.
Effect of person on nervous, stable and crossbred pointer dogs

Through selective mating and line breeding of pointer dogs we have developed and continued two strains which are fairly behaviorally distinct. We now have data accumulating from the crossing of these two lines. Although the offspring from the crosses are still young, it can be seen that some stable male parents have had nonenvironmental, i.e., genetic, effects. The offspring are in many respects like their nervous mothers, but in some behavior, notably social behavior, they can be mistaken for the stable strain of dog. Heart rates have mimicked those of the nervous mothers and seem in no way influenced by the stable ancestry in “Effect of Person” tests. There is a marked difference between stable and unstable dogs in the effect of “Person” on heart rate: the unstable dogs show practically no cardiac response to “Person” (petting), whereas the normal dogs show the usual marked bradycardia to petting.
Psychophysiological Cueing and the Vigilance Decrement Function

Vigilance is the mental capacity by which observers maintain their attention across time. It is most commonly operationalized as the ability to detect rare and critical signals. Due to inherent constraints in human processing capacities, the longer one expects an observer to keep watch, the more likely it is that a searched-for signal will be missed. Consequently, without some means of computer or automation-based assistance, failures in operator vigilance are likely to occur. Mackworth called this characteristic decline in performance over time the ‘vigilance decrement.’ Many modern-day operational tasks that entail life-or-death consequences require vigilant monitoring, mostly of visual stimuli. Consequently, it is unsurprising that research has sought to establish and validate methods of counteracting such an adverse behavioral trend. One such strategy is cueing. Cuing provides the operator with a reliable prompt concerning signal onset probability. Traditional protocols have based such cues on task-related or environmental factors. The present work addresses the methodological concerns of using cues based on these factors in the design of effective vigilance cueing systems. This present work proposes an alternative perspective supported by empirical research to explore and validate this novel approach. This study examines the efficacy of cueing when based on an operator’s psychophysiological state (i.e., cortical blood oxygenation) in a novel vigilance task incorporating dynamic rather than static visual displays. Results pertaining to performance outcomes, physiological measures (heart rate variability), and perceived workload and stress are interpreted via Signal Detection Theory and the Resource Theory of vigilance.