cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Potential Immune-Related Adverse Events Associated With Monotherapy and Combination Therapy of Ipilimumab, Nivolumab, and Pembrolizumab for Advanced Melanoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: The use of ipilimumab, nivolumab, and pembrolizumab as monotherapies or in combination has transformed the management of advanced melanoma even though these drugs are associated with a new profile of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). The incidence of irAEs from clinical trials of these agents is an important factor for clinicians when treating patients with advanced melanoma. In the current study, we aimed to profile the incidence of potential irAEs of these agents when used as monotherapy and as combination therapy. Methods: We searched the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases; clinicaltrials.gov; and websites of regulatory agencies in the USA, Europe, Australia, and Japan for phase 1-3 trials of ipilimumab, nivolumab, and pembrolizumab for advanced melanoma. Random effect meta-analysis was utilized to profile the incidence of potential irAEs. Results: A total of 58 reports of 35 trials including 6,331 patients with advanced melanoma and reporting irAE data were included in the meta-analyses. We found higher incidences of potential irAEs in combination therapies vs. monotherapies for most of the types of irAEs. Among the monotherapies, ipilimumab users had the most frequent incidence of potential irAEs related to the gastrointestinal system (diarrhea, 29%; and colitis, 8%) and skin (rash, 31%; pruritus, 27%; and dermatitis, 10%), with hypophysitis in 4% of the patients. The most frequent potential irAEs among nivolumab users were maculopapular rash (13%), erythema (4%), hepatitis (3%), and infusion-related reactions (3%), while they were arthralgia (12%), hypothyroidism (8%), and hyperglycemia (6%), among pembrolizumab users. Conclusion: Especially the combination therapies tend to elevate the incidence of potential irAEs. Clinicians should be vigilant about irAEs following combination therapy as well as gastrointestinal and skin irAEs following ipilimumab therapy, in addition to being aware of potential irAEs leading to hyperglycemia, thyroid, hepatic, and musculoskeletal disorders following nivolumab and pembrolizumab therapy.
Attention in games: An experimental study

Abstract A common assumption in game theory is that players concentrate on one game at a time. However, in everyday life, we play many games and make many decisions at the same time and have to decide how best to divide our limited attention across these settings. In this paper we ask how players solve this attention-allocation problem. We find that players’ attention is attracted to particular features of the games they play and how much attention a subject gives to a given game depends on the other game that the person is simultaneously attending to.
EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR

During the course of purifying nerve growth factor from the submaxillary gland of the mouse, Cohen (1960) and Levi-Montalcini and Cohen (1960) noticed that daily injections of certain gland extract fractions into newborn mice produced developmental changes that could not be ascribed to nerve growth factor. These changes included precocious opening of the eyelids (7 days compared to the usual 14 days) and a similar early eruption of the incisors. Using these gross anatomical changes as an assay, Cohen (1962) proceeded to isolate the active factor — a polypeptide which he termed epidermal growth factor (EGF).
Impact of Perioperative Urinary Tract Infection on Surgical Site Infection in Patients Undergoing Primary Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background The literature lacks clear consensus regarding the association between postoperative urinary tract infection (UTI) and surgical site infection (SSI). Additionally, in contrast to preoperative asymptomatic bacteriuria, SSI risk in patients with preoperative UTI has been incompletely studied. Therefore, our goal was to determine the effect of perioperative UTI on SSI in patients undergoing primary hip and knee arthroplasty. Methods Using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, all patients undergoing primary hip and knee arthroplasty were identified. Univariate and multivariate regressions, as well as propensity matching, were used to determine the independent risk of preoperative and postoperative UTI on SSI, reported as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Postoperative UTI significantly increased the risk for superficial wound infection (OR 2.147, 95% CI 1.622-2.842), deep periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) (OR 2.288, 95% CI 1.579-3.316), and all SSIs (superficial and deep) (OR 2.193, 95% CI 1.741-2.763) (all P Conclusion Postoperative UTI was associated with SSI, reinforcing the need to minimize factors which predispose patients to the risk of UTI after surgery. The lack of association between preoperative UTI and SSI suggests that hip and knee arthroplasty can proceed without delay, although initiating antibiotic treatment is prudent and future prospective investigations are warranted.
The correlation between clinical benefit and financial cost of cancer drugs.

7071Background: The cost of many cancer drugs is very high, but it is unclear if these costs are associated with commensurate improvement in outcomes. We aimed to assess the association between the...
Metastability in high entropy alloys

Abstract The high entropy effect is often insufficient to fully stabilize single-phase solid solutions (SPSS), yielding only few, mostly metastable SPSS. While the prospective space of favorable SPSS formation is smaller than commonly assumed, larger degrees of metastability can open up the vast High Entropy Alloy space. We argue that HEAs form metastable SPSS through polymorphic solidification upon rapid cooling. To quantify a HEA's metastability, we propose the critical cooling rate of SPSS formation RCSPSS, analogous to RCGlass. Thereby, we can compare multicomponent alloys by their metastability and SPSS or glass forming ability, which is determined by their underlying atomic dispersity.
Gluten extraction from deoxynivalenol contaminated wheat by wet milling

Abstract The wet milling process can be a valuable alternative for deoxynivalenol (DON) contaminated wheat grain, taking advantage of DON water solubility. The present research was conducted on hard red spring wheat (HRSW) and durum wheat (DW) samples contaminated with DON. The wheat samples were dry milled into farina and semolina, which were further subjected to three different small-scale wet milling tests, dough-washing (Martin process), moderately sheared dough-water dispersion (medium shear) process, and highly sheared flour-water dispersion (high shear) process. Gluten samples extracted from all the wet milling processes had DON levels below the limit of quantification (
A Natural Law Approach to Biomedical Ethics

Ethical issues related to the practice of medicine are typically analyzed using the four principles outlined by Beauchamp and Childress: Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-Maleficence, and Justice. This principlist approach to medical ethics purports to be acceptable to a wide range of people by avoiding contentious foundational issues. Yet, as many critics have pointed out, principlism has significant shortcomings. While it is true that most people can agree on the need to respect the four principles, this superficial agreement masks deep disagreement about their precise meaning, especially when they are in conflict. Melissa Moschella believes that natural law theory has the resources to overcome these difficulties by offering a richer account of the human good that can (1) provide content to the notions of beneficence and non-maleficence, (2) explain how autonomy relates to the human good and therefore how to weigh it against other values in cases of conflict, and (3) offer a conception of justice that is integrated within an account of human flourishing, by contrast with a utilitarian conception that pits the public good against the well-being of the individual. This essay aims to outline and defend a natural law framework to biomedical ethics as a viable alternative to principlism.
Isoform-selective decrease of glycogen synthase kinase-3-beta (GSK-3β) reduces synaptic tau phosphorylation, transcellular spreading, and aggregation.

Summary It has been suggested that aberrant activation of glycogen synthase kinase-3-beta (GSK-3β) can trigger abnormal tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation, which ultimately leads to neuronal/synaptic damage and impaired cognition in Alzheimer disease (AD). We examined if isoform-selective partial reduction of GSK-3β can decrease pathological tau changes, including hyperphosphorylation, aggregation, and spreading, in mice with localized human wild-type tau (hTau) expression in the brain. We used adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) to express hTau locally in the entorhinal cortex of wild-type and GSK-3β hemi-knockout (GSK-3β-HK) mice. GSK-3β-HK mice had significantly less accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau in synapses and showed a significant decrease of tau protein spread between neurons. In primary neuronal cultures from GSK-3β-HK mice, the aggregation of exogenous FTD-mutant tau was also significantly reduced. These results show that a partial decrease of GSK-3β significantly represses tau-initiated neurodegenerative changes in the brain, and therefore is a promising therapeutic target for AD and other tauopathies.
Does Medication Sampling Improve Compliance with Brief Advice? Results from a Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial.

Introduction The 5As model is a standard component of most guidelines for tobacco treatment. Unfortunately, provider adherence to this model is modest. Aims Providing physicians with adjunctive tools to adhere to 5As guidelines may serve as a catalyst for brief advice delivery. Methods This was a secondary data analysis of a cluster randomized clinical trial assessing the uptake and impact of free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) sampling versus standard care in primary care. Patients reported receipt of separate elements of the 5As model, assessed one month following a baseline visit. Analyses compared patients who recalled receipt of brief advice among those who received NRT vs. standard care. Additional analyses examined demographic predictors of receiving brief advice. Results/findings Medication sampling did not improve compliance with ask, advise, or assess. Receipt of "assistance" was significantly higher among NRT recipients (70%) (p ≤ 0.0001). The NRT sampling group was more likely to have received all components (p = 0.004). As age increased, being asked (p = 0.006), advised (p = 0.05), and assessed (p = 0.003) decreased. Non-Whites reported higher rates of assessment (p = 0.02). Conclusions Provision of NRT sampling increased provider compliance with some elements of the brief advice model, thus enhancing the impact of cessation advice within primary care. Trial registration This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02096029.
Thirty-Five Years of Reforms in Uganda: Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

The first decade of reforms (1986-1996) in Uganda following the coming into power of the present National Resistance Movement (NRM) government under President Yoweri Museveni in 1986 is hailed as the most successful. This was a period when security was re-established in most of the country, government bureaucracy reformed and basic public services re-instated (at least, in urban areas). Out of the three priorities, the NRM government succeeded most in re-establishing security and in particular securing the monopoly of state on violence. However, Uganda’s reality demonstrates two conflicting narratives about the government’s performance over the past 30 years: “Uganda as a success” and “Uganda in crisis”. The continued tension between the state bureaucracy, supposedly apolitical and meritocratic, and the patronage-based political establishment gnaws at public sector efficiency. In the absence of strong national commitment and a clear strategic direction, the public sector reform agenda is likely to continue to be driven by donors, lack coherence and deliver mixed results.
Cicatricial Pemphigoid Brunsting-Perry Variant Masquerading as Neutrophil-Medicated Cicatricial Alopecia.

A 72-year-old male presented with scarring alopecia on the scalp vertex, multiple crusted plaques on the hairline, and a history of vesicular eruption on the face. The scalp showed crusted plaques with loss of follicular ostia. No follicular pustules or compound follicles were present. An initial transverse scalp biopsy showed perifollicular neutrophils, lymphocytes, and plasma cells along with dermal fibrosis. Focal epidermal/dermal and follicular/adventitial dermal clefts were apparent but were thought to be secondary to fibrosis, and the biopsy was interpreted to represent a neutrophil-mediated cicatricial alopecia. Concurrently, direct immunofluorescence (DIF) analysis demonstrated linear junctional deposition of IgG and C3. A repeat scalp biopsy revealed more prominent epidermal/dermal clefts, fibrosis, mixed infiltrate with neutrophils, lymphocytes, histiocytes and plasma cells and prominent follicular/adventitial dermal clefts with perifollicular neutrophils. Given the combination of clefts, perijunctional neutrophils, and positive DIF findings, it became clear that this eruption represented the Brunsting-Perry variant of cicatricial pemphigoid. Here, we illustrated that a neutrophil-rich form of cicatricial pemphigoid can masquerade as a neutrophil-mediated scarring alopecia. In evaluating a specimen suspected to be a neutrophil-mediated scarring alopecia, one should be alert to the presence of subepidermal and perifollicular clefting, and consider cicatricial pemphigoid. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
NASA's Scientific Agenda for Gpm Mission

The objectives of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission are to: 1) Understand the horizontal and vertical structure of rainfall, its macro- and micro-physical nature, and its associated latent heating, 2) Train and calibrate retrieval algorithms for constellation radiometers, 3) Provide sufficient global sampling to significantly reduce uncertainties in short-term rainfall accumulations, and 4) Extend scientific and societal applications. The GPM mission design consists of a core satellite, constellation satellties, precipitation validation sites for error characterization, and a precipitation processing center. This viewgraph presentation profiles the science goals of the mission, and its capability for producing climate data and weather predictions.
umuC-Independent, recA-Dependent Mutagenesis

Although targeted UV-radiation mutagenesis appears to require both the recA and umuC genes in Escherichia coli, examples of recA-dependent but umuC-independent mutagenesis exist, e.g., gamma-radiation mutagenesis (Mutat. Res. 128, 1, 1984) and streptozotocin mutagenesis (Mutat. Res. 166, 229, 1986). Most of the information on umuC-independent mutagenesis comes from studies on ionizing radiation mutagenesis. These results will be reviewed here. Analyses of the various suppressor and back mutations that result in argE3 and hisG4 ochre reversion and an analysis of trpE9777(+1 frameshift) reversion were performed on umuC and wild-type cells gamma irradiated in the presence and absence of oxygen. In wild-type cells, the presence of oxygen enhances gamma-radiation mutagenesis. Although the umuC strain showed the gamma-radiation induction of base substitution and frameshifts when irradiated in the absence of oxygen, the umuC mutation blocked all oxygen-dependent base-substitution mutagenesis, but not all oxygen-dependent frameshift mutagenesis. For anoxically-irradiated cells, the yields of GC→AT and AT→GC transitions were largely umuC independent, while the yields of (AT or GC)→TA transversions were heavily umuC dependent. Therefore, the data for anoxically-irradiated cells support the hypothesis that gamma irradiation produces two kinds of DNA lesions that require recA-dependent misrepair to induce mutations. For base-substitution mutagenesis, one kind of lesion requires the umuC gene and produces transversion mutations, while a second kind of lesion produces transition mutations and does not require the umuC gene. For cells irradiated in the presence of oxygen, there seems to be an additional kind of lesion whose mutagenic potential for base substitutions (but not frameshifts) is completely dependent on the umuC gene.
Line spring model and its applications to part-through crack problems in plates and shells

The line spring model is described and extended to cover the problem of interaction of multiple internal and surface cracks in plates and shells. The shape functions for various related crack geometries obtained from the plane strain solution and the results of some multiple crack problems are presented. The problems considered include coplanar surface cracks on the same or opposite sides of a plate, nonsymmetrically located coplanar internal elliptic cracks, and in a very limited way the surface and corner cracks in a plate of finite width and a surface crack in a cylindrical shell with fixed end.
Have Collapses in Infrastructure Spending Led to Cross-Country Divergence in Per Capita GDP?

This paper explores whether the post-1980 decline in infrastructure investment in developing countries is a source of growing disparities in world per capita GDP. I start by reviewing the literature on the infrastructure-productivity link, arguing that a balanced reading of previous studies points to a significant effect of infrastructure provision on productivity. I then empirically study whether retrenchments in infrastructure provision have played a role in growing disparities using a data set of country-level infrastructure stocks for 121 countries since 1960. Cutbacks in infrastructure investment appear to be at most a minor cause of growing divergence in per capita incomes.
Poverty as an Everday State of Exception

This essay applies the provocative theory of Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben to Poverty Law. It is forthcoming as a book chapter in a multidisciplinary volume of papers exploring the relations between accumulation and insecurity. Professor Nice distills Agamben's theory of the state of exception, that the dominant paradigm of modern democracy is founded on the state's power to exclude from rights those who are otherwise included within the political order. Professor Nice posits that the state's abandonment of poor people exemplifies an everyday example of the state of exception. She illustrates how poor people lack meaningful constitutional protection, legal entitlement, policy consideration, and political mobilization, and she argues they are left to eke out a meager subsistence that brings Agamben's image of the "bare life" into stark relief. While broadly summarizing the state of Poverty Law, Professor Nice offers specific details regarding how economic justice has been made "unintelligible," culling from constitutional jurisprudence, legislative and policy analysis, and law and society scholarship. She concludes that the bare life of poverty is the result of this overall dialogic default on the question of economic justice, and suggests that a demand for rights may be the only way out (or in).
A quantitative approach to vascularity of cervices in term and nongravid uteri.

Abstract The question of vascularity in gravid and nongravid uteri has been approached quantitatively. Ten term and 10 nongravid uteri were studied, with three designated areas from the cervix sampled. With use of planimetry, the following were found: (1) no statistically valid differences in number of vessels in each tissue sample; (2) variable results as regards mean area of whole vessels in sample; (3) greater mean percentage of tissue areas occupied by vessel lumens in term as compared to nongravid uteri.
Dirac, dynamic information retrieval of atomic codes. 1. Physical design criteria

Abstract This communication describes a computer code, acronym DIRAC, to assist atomic physicists to control and process a library of computer codes. The objectives of DIRAC are to facilitate the preparation of input, the storage of output within the computer's memory hierarchy, and the comparative analysis of results of the codes from the library. At the present time, the library consists of codes for calculating electron and photon processes in atomic systems with L-S coupling. Library members can used to identify and store experimental results. The DIRAC system is based on the availability of an interactive graphics device and has been implemented on IBM-2250's attached to either the IBM System 360/65 of 360/91.
VHF-band RFI in geographically remote areas

The Experiment to Detect the Global EoR Signature (EDGES) is a radio spectrometer operating between 90 and 205 MHz using a single broadband dipole. The instrument recently completed a deep, three-month continuous measurement campaign in the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) where it reached sufficient sensitivity to constrain the cosmological epoch of reionization (EoR). EDGES has also been used to conduct short, shallow RFI surveys in remote regions in the United States, including northern Maine and the Catlow Valley in southeast Oregon. Here, we show results on the RFI spectrum seen by EDGES at each of these locations and implications for upcoming low-frequency arrays such as MWA, LWA, LOFAR, and PAPER.
Triadic Relations in a Game of Pachisi

A triad is the smallest network form where one can study how a link affects a link or a node affects a link indirectly connected. Through triads, one can glimpse the more complex relational dynamics in larger networks. Studies of various triadic relationships have gained growing interest among OM scholars in recent years as both researchers and practitioners recognize that such a triadic framework allows us to appreciate the relational complexity in larger supply networks. We adapted the Pachisi game to demonstrate the triadic relational dynamics among firms in a supply network. We have played this game in various undergraduate and graduate classes. This simple game has enabled us to introduce such topics as supply networks and coalition strategies in a lively classroom environment. We have received positive feedback from the students validating an effective learning experience.
Quasi-Static Scheduling of Embedded Software Using Equal Conflict Nets

Embedded system design requires the use of efficient scheduling policies to execute on shared resources, e.g. the processor, algorithms that consist of a set of concurrent tasks with complex mutual dependencies. Scheduling techniques are called static when the schedule is computed at compile time, dynamic when some or all decisions are made at run-time. The choice of the scheduling policy mainly depends on the specification of the system to be designed. For specifications containing only data computation, it is possible to use a fully static scheduling technique, while for specifications containing data-dependent control structures, like the if-then-else or while-do constructs, the dynamic behaviour of the system cannot be completely predicted at compile time and some scheduling decisions are to be made at run-time. For such applications we propose a Quasi-static scheduling (QSS) algorithm that generates a schedule in which run-time decisions are made only for data-dependent control structures. We use Equal Conflict (EC) nets as underlying model, and define quasi-static schedulability for EC nets. We solve QSS by reducing it to a decomposition of the net into conflict-free components. The proposed algorithm is complete, in that it can solve QSS for any EC net that is quasi-statically schedulable.
Effects of Aging on Thyroarytenoid Muscle Regeneration

Objectives/hypotheses Regenerative properties of age-associated changes in the intrinsic laryngeal muscles following injury are unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the regenerative properties of the thyroarytenoid muscle (TA) in an aging rat model. The hypothesis was that, following myotoxic injury, old animals would exhibit a decrease in mitotic activities of muscle satellite cells when compared with younger rats, suggesting reduced regenerative potential in the aging rat TA.
Stochastic Seasonality, Contemporaneous Inference, and Forecasting in the Presence of Extreme Weather

Contemporaneous inference from economic data releases for policy and business decisions has become increasingly relevant in the high pace of the information age. The released data are typically filtered to eliminate seasonal patterns to reveal underlying trends and cycles. The nature of economic seasonal behavior is such that average seasonality, not actual seasonality, is filtered from the data. First, the paper suggests adjustments of the inference accounts for the stochastic seasonality. We formalize the issue and present a simple method to the informal inferential practice. Second, we provide a data-based method that allows for temperature adjustment to improve forecasting outcomes. With the assumption of climate change taking place, these methods are particularly important as weather patterns become more extreme.
Increased prevalence of airway reactivity in children with eosinophilic esophagitis.

Summary Rationale Asthma is prevalent in children with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) estimated at 24–42% in prior studies versus 9% for the general population. However, pulmonary function and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in children with EoE have not been previously defined. Methods A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted of children ages 7–18 years with EoE and healthy controls. Methacholine bronchial challenge and exhaled nitric oxide were assessed. As measures of atopy and immune activation, peripheral blood was analyzed for total IgE, specific IgE to selected aeroallergens, eosinophil count, and serum cytokines including eotaxin. Results EoE subjects (n = 33) and healthy controls (n = 37) demonstrated similar, normal baseline spirometry. AHR occurred in 33% of children with EoE and 11% of healthy controls (P = 0.04; 95% confidence intervals [19%, 52%] and [4%, 26%], respectively). The majority of EoE subjects with AHR had no prior diagnosis of asthma. Overall, 69.7% of EoE subjects had either asthma or AHR. For EoE subjects, total serum IgE was the only biomarker associated with a greater risk of AHR (OR = 9.643, 95%CI 1.633, 56.925). EoE subjects with and without asthma were similar to healthy controls in mean levels of serum cytokines (IL-5, IL-9, EGF, FGF-2, eotaxin). In exploratory analyses, the subgroup with EoE and asthma without asthma controller therapy had higher mean FGF-2 than EoE subjects without asthma (110 pg/ml vs. 65 pg/ml, P = 0.0426). Conclusions Asthma and AHR may be more prevalent than previous estimates in children with EoE. For subjects with EoE, elevation in serum IgE was associated with a greater risk of AHR. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2015;9999:1–8. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
GUBERNATORIAL INFLUENCE AND STATE BUREAUCRACY

Previous research has concentrated on differences in gubernatorial power across states. Relatively little research attention has been devoted to the sources of gubernatorial influence over state agencies. Based on data collected from state administrators in 1978, this study examines the effects of four sets of factors on the perceived influence of the governor over the state administrative apparatus. These sets are: formal powers of the governor, characteristics of the agencies, characteristics of the positions held by administrators, and personal characteristics of these officials. Results show that these factors account for nearly one-fourth of the variance in the influence of the governor over state agencies, as reported by agency heads.
Poster: FLAMBES: evolving fast performance models

Large clusters and supercomputers are simulated to aid in design. Many devices, such as hard drives, are slow to simulate. Our approach is to use a genetic algorithm to fit parameters for an analytical model of a device. Fitting focuses on aggregate accuracy rather than request-level accuracy since individual request times are irrelevant in large simulations. The model is fitted to traces from a physical device or a known device-accurate model. This is done once, offline, before running the simulation. Execution of the model is fast, since it only requires a modest amount of floating point math and no event queueing. Only a few floating point numbers are needed for state. Compared to an event-driven model, this trades a little accuracy for a large gain in performance.
Particle size, resource concentration, and the distribution of net-spinning caddisflies.

The dimensions of net meshes constructed by hydropsychid Trichoptera vary both within and between species. Despite these catchnet differences, the diets of most Hydropsychidae studied in Utah streams were statistically indistinguishable. There was no relationship between the size of available resources and catchnet construction among species assemblages inhabiting 10 different localities. A particle-size model of caddis communities, suggesting that taxa feed selectively on particle sizes corresponding to the dimension of catchnet meshes, is not supported by these data.Diatom concentration increased regularly with downstream passage in two different drainages. The identity and number of coexisting hydropsychid species and the size of their catchnets were strongly correlated with diatom concentration. Taxa with large catchnet mesh were the only residents at sites where diatom concentration was very low; as resource concentration increased downstream, species with successively smaller mesh joined the coexisting guild. Together, the broad dietary similarities and distributional pattern from Utah streams suggest that resource concentration, rather than particle size, is the basis of community organization among the hydropsychid Trichoptera.
Symmetrical windowing for quantum states in quasi-classical trajectory simulations.

A microscopically reversible approach toward computing reaction probabilities via classical trajectory simulation has been developed that bins trajectories symmetrically on the basis of their initial and final classical actions. The symmetrical quasi-classical (SQC) approach involves defining a classical action window function centered at integer quantum values of the action, choosing a width parameter that is less than unit quantum width, and applying the window function to both initial reactant and final product vibrational states. Calculations were performed using flat histogram windows and Gaussian windows over a range of width parameters. Use of the Wigner distribution function was also investigated as a possible choice. It was demonstrated for collinear H + H2 reactive scattering on the BKMP2 potential energy surface that reaction probabilities computed via the SQC methodology using a Gaussian window function of 1/2 unit width produces good agreement with quantum mechanical results over the 0.4–0.6 ...
Occlusal plane rotation: aesthetic enhancement in mandibular micrognathia

Patients afflicted with extreme degrees of mandibular micrognathia typically have vertically deficient rami as well as sagittally deficient mandibular bodies. This results in deficient posterior facial height, an obtuse gonial angle, excessively steep occlusal and mandibular planes, and a compensatory increase in anterior facial height. The entire maxillomandibular complex is overrotated in a clockwise direction. Standard orthognathic surgical correction fails to address this rotational deformity. As a consequence, the achieved projection of the lower face is inadequate, posterior facial height is further reduced, and occlusal and mandibular planes remain steep. Eleven patients with severe mandibular micrognathia underwent a surgical correction involving occlusal plane rotation to its normal orientation relative to Frankfort horizontal. This was accomplished by Le Fort I osteotomy to shorten the anterior maxilla (creating open bites in seven patients and making preexisting open bites worse in four patients) and sagittal split ramus osteotomies to advance and rotate the mandibular body counterclockwise, thus closing the surgically produced open bite. Counterclockwise rotation of the mandible afforded significantly greater sagittal displacement at the B point (mean 17 mm) than at the first molar (mean 10 mm) and produced adequate degrees of projection of the lower face when accompanied by a modest sliding genioplasty (mean 6.9 mm). Total advancement at the pogonion was a mean of 25.2 mm. In addition, posterior facial height was preserved, and mandibular and occlusal planes were normalized to mean angles of 27 and 10 degrees, respectively. At follow-up, which ranged from 9 to 24 months with a mean of 14.1 months, the mean sagittal relapse at the B point was 1.9 mm. Although heretofore considered unstable and therefore not clinically accepted, maxillomandibular counterclockwise rotation to normalize the occlusal plane rotational deformity provides stable, aesthetically superior results in patients with extreme degrees of mandibular micrognathia. Extended follow-up will be necessary to document long-term stability.
“Brands as Intentional Agents”: Questions and extensions

Abstract The notion that consumers' relationships with brands can be characterized in ways that resemble their relationships with people is gaining considerable ground in the areas of consumer behavior and branding. Kervyn, Fiske and Malone's “Brands as Intentional Agents” offers additional support for this basic proposition. The authors argue that the ability to translate research on human social interaction relationships with brand relationships provides useful insights into brand positioning and brand communications. This author, while raising a few general questions about the SCM and BIAF models, identifies additional research questions in the consumer behavior and branding domains that might be informed by the basic components of the SCM model.
Artificial Neural Network Modeling for Improved On-Wafer Line-Reflect-Match Calibrations

We model a load using an artificial neural network (ANN) to improve an on-wafer line-reflect-match (LRM) calibration of a vector network analyzer (VNA). The ANN is trained with measurement data obtained from a thru-reflect-line (TRL) calibration. The accuracy of the LRM calibration using the ANN-modeled load compares favorably to a benchmark multiline TRL calibration with an average worst-case scattering parameter error bound of 0.017 over a 40-GHz bandwidth.
Structural-functional correlations of diabetic nephropathy

Patient 1. A 30-year-old woman had had type-I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus (IDDM) for 27 years. At the time of evaluation, she weighed 50 kg, was 157 cm tall, and had a blood pressure of 114/80 mm Hg. She had background retinopathy and no clinical neuropathy. Her urine was positive for protein by dipstick and the albumin excretion rate was 2500 /tg/min. Her hemoglobin A1 was 8.9%; serum creatinine, 1.2 mg/dl; and creatinine clearance, 79 mI/mm/i .73 m2. As part of the study of renal structure and function in siblings concordant for IDDM, she underwent a percutaneous renal biopsy. Light microscopy revealed that 30% of the glomeruli were globally sclerosed. The others all had moderately severe diffuse mesangial expansion. Many afferent and efferent glomerular arterioles showed varying amounts of hyalinosis, with some vessel walls completely replaced by the waxy, homogeneous, pink hyaline material. Mild diffuse interstitial expansion was evident, and patchy areas of more marked interstitial fibrosis were found, mainly in association with atrophic tubules or sclerotic glomeruli. Electron microscopic morphometric analysis showed the mesangial volume fraction (that is, fraction of glomerular volume occupied by mesangium [VvMesJ) to be 0.40 (upper limit of normal, 0.22). The VvMes cells measured 0.11 and VvMes matrix 0.26; the ratio of mesangial matrix to total mesangium was 0.65 (normal ratio 0.5). The surface density of the peripheral glomerular basement membrane (that is, the filtration surface per unit of tuft area {SvPGBM]) was 0.087 (lower limit of normal, 0.095) and the GBM width was 661 nm (upper limit of normal, 450 nm). Patient 2. The 28-year-old sister of Patient 1 developed IDDM at age 5. She had no retinopathy or neuropathy. She weighed 60 kg, was 164 cm tall, and had a blood pressure of 102/64 mm Hg. The urine was negative for protein by dipstick; urine albumin excretion rate was 75 g/min. Her hemoglobin A1 was 14%; serum creatinine, 0.9 mg/dl; and creatinine clearance, 71 ml/min/l .73 m2. Light microscopic evaluation of her renal biopsy specimen was similar to that of her sister. Morphometric analysis revealed a VvMes of 0.45, a ratio of mesangial matrix to total mesangium of 0.63, an SvPGBM of 0.83, and a GBM width of 712 nm.
Activin modulates the intracellular signaling system activated by gonadotropin-releasing hormone: dual effect on calcium messenger system and protein kinase-C pathway.

This study was performed to assess the effects of activin on intracellular mechanisms involved in GnRH action. When rat pituitary cell cultures were pretreated with activin-A (5-80 ng/ml) for 3 days, subsequent FSH and LH release (percentage of total cellular FSH and LH released during 4 h) in response to GnRH (10(-10)-10(-6) M) was not significantly different from that in cells pretreated with medium alone. In contrast, activin pretreatment increased the potency of both A23187 (Ca2+ ionophore) and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate [a protein kinase-C (PKC) activator] as secretagogues for FSH and LH release. FSH or LH release in response to another Ca(2+)-mobilizing secretagogue, maitotoxin (an activator of the GnRH receptor-associated Ca2+ channel), was not increased by activin. Although PKC is capable of influencing the actions of Ca2+, which is believed to be the second messenger for GnRH action, neither GnRH- nor maitotoxin-stimulated gonadotropin release was increased by activin even when the influence...
Metamorphism and deformation at different structural levels in a strike-slip fault zone, Ross Lake fault, North Cascades, USA

Continental crust is displaced in strike-slip fault zones through lateral and vertical movement that together drive burial and exhumation. Pressure–temperature–deformation (P–T–d) histories of orogenic crust exhumed in transcurrent zones record the mechanisms and conditions of these processes. The Skagit Gneiss Complex, a migmatitic unit of the North Cascades, Washington (USA), was metamorphosed at depths of ∼25–30 km in a continental arc under contraction, and is bounded on its eastern side by the long-lived transcurrent Ross Lake fault zone (RLFZ). The P–T–d conditions recorded by rocks on either side of the RLFZ vary along the length of the fault zone, but most typically the fault separates high-grade gneiss and plutons from lower-grade rocks. The Ruby Mt–Elijah Ridge area at the eastern margin of the Skagit Gneiss exposes tectonic contacts between gneiss and overlying rocks; the latter rocks, including slivers of Methow basin deposits, are metamorphosed and record higher-grade metamorphism than in correlative rocks along strike along the RLFZ. In this area, the Skagit Gneiss and overlying units all yield maximum P–T conditions of 8–10 kbar at >650 °C, indicating that slices of basin rocks were buried to similar mid-crustal depths as the gneiss. After exhumation of fault zone rocks to <15 km depth, intrusion of granitoid plutons drove contact metamorphism, resulting in texturally late andalusite–cordierite in garnet schist. In the Elijah Ridge area of the RLFZ, an overlapping step-over or series of step-overs that evolved through time may have facilitated burial and exhumation of a deep slice of the Methow basin, indicating that strike-slip faults can have major vertical displacement (tens of kilometres) that is significant during the crustal thickening and exhumation stages of orogeny.
Modeling the time and cost to drill an offshore well

Abstract The objective in drilling a hydrocarbon well is to make hole as quickly as possible subject to the technological, operational, quality, and safety constraints associated with the process. These objectives are frequently conflicting and depend on factors that are subject to significant private and market uncertainty. There is no way to identify all of the relevant characteristics of drilling operations, but through use of statistical analysis and empirical modeling, it is possible to develop relations that characterize and benchmark drilling performance under a suitable set of assumptions. The purpose of this paper is to develop the conceptual framework to model the time and cost to drill an offshore well and to illustrate the methodology on a test set of wells in the Gulf of Mexico. The physical characteristics of the wellbore and operational aspects of drilling, including variables such as the drilled interval, horizontal displacement, aspect ratio, number of casing strings, and mud weight, serve as the primary descriptive factors in the functional relations constructed.
A mixed-methods study of the impact of organizational culture on workforce retention in child welfare

Abstract The recruitment and retention of a stable, qualified workforce has been an on-going challenge for the child welfare system. Prior research has identified both individual and organizational factors influencing retention and turnover in child welfare. The current study uses mixed methods to examine the impact of perceived organizational culture on workers' intention to remain employed. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed that perceived organizational culture, as understood as being comprised of both relationships and values, could be related to worker retention. Based on the qualitative findings, the researchers selected quantitative measures to operationalize the various aspects of organizational culture. Results from the logistic regression indicated that intention to remain employed was significantly related to organizational culture. Implications for practice are discussed.
Synthesis of orthogonally protected optically pure β-amino acids: Constrained phenylalanine analogs 3- tert -butoxycarbonylamino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2-naphthoic acid benzyl ester

Abstract The synthesis of orthogonally protected β-amino acid 3- tert -butoxycarbonylamino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2-naphthoic acid benzyl ester (Boc-βAtc-OBn) is described. The route to these constrained phenylalanine analogs features a SmI 2 -mediated aziridine cleavage resulting in a β-amino ester. The stereochemistries have been determined by X-ray crystallographic analyses.
AGENT-BASED CONTROL OF DISCRETE SPATIALLY DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS

Abstract From a control system perspective, spatially distributed systems offer challenges because of their distributed nature, nonlinearity, and high order. In addition, the control structure for these spatially distributed networks combine discrete and distributed components, in the form of complex arrays of sensors and actuators. Manipulation of the network states may require simultaneous control actions in different parts of the system and may need transients through several operating regimes to achieve the desired operation. A hierarchical, agent-based control structure is presented whereby local control objectives may be changed in order to achieve the global control objective. The performance of the hierarchical agent-based control approach is illustrated in a case study where the interaction front between two competing autocatalytic species is moved from one spatial configuration to another. The multi-agent control system is able to effectively explore the parameter space of the network and intelligently manipulate the network flow rates such that the desired spatial distribution of species is achieved.
Occipital osteodiastasis: presentation of four cases and review of the literature.

Background. Occipital osteodiastasis (OOD) is a form of birth injury characterized by a tear along the innominate (posterior occipital or supraoccipital-exoccipital) synchondrosis with separation of the occipital squama from the lateral or condylar parts of the occipital bone. The condition, frequently mentioned in the older literature as relatively common and invariably fatal, has been attributed to excessive pressure exerted over the subocciput during delivery, resulting in a forward and upward displacement of the anterior margin of the occipital squama into the posterior cranial fossa, with posterior fossa hemorrhage and other intracranial complications. Most likely as the result of improved obstetric techniques, this severe form of OOD has become quite rare or non-existent. A less severe form compatible with survival has been suggested, but so far only one case has been reported in some detail.¶Materials and methods. This paper reports the occurrence of this less severe form of OOD diagnosed roentgenographically in two infants who survived: a newborn and a 3-month-old child. Two additional cases of a similar lesion but of postnatal onset are also described: a 3-month-old infant with the diagnosis of child abuse who also survived and a 2-year-old girl who was involved in a fatal motor-pedestrian collision.¶Results. Based on cases in the literature and the present material, three forms of OOD can be considered: a classic, fatal form; a less severe variant compatible with survival; and OOD of postnatal onset. The diagnosis can be made on lateral skull or cervical spine roentgenograms showing specific changes in the area of the innominate synchondrosis.
Media Effects on Russian Students’ Attitudes toward the United States of America

Russian students were surveyed to compare media consumption and attitudes toward the United States of America and find relationships between the use of media and the image of the United States. Television and the Internet were the most popular sources of the information about the United States. To get news, students who had never been to the United States used Russian media, mostly television, while those who visited the USA used primarily Web sites from American and international media. Russian students studying in America were more likely to believe that Americans were depicted accurately by American television than Russian students studying in Russia. “Americanized Russians” had more favorable overall attitude toward the United States than “Russian Russians.” Standard regressions showed that the use of Internet affected the overall attitude.
The resolution of close minima

Abstract Interval methods enable us to isolate nearby roots of a function with a resolution that depends only on the number of digits carried. A one-dimensional example illustrates the point. Similar methods are available for higher dimensional examples. The methods can be applied to minimization problems.
Stability on Time-Dependent Domains

We explore the key differences in the stability picture between extended systems on time-fixed and time-dependent spatial domains. As a paradigm, we take the complex Swift–Hohenberg equation, which is the simplest nonlinear model with a finite critical wavenumber, and use it to study dynamic pattern formation and evolution on time-dependent spatial domains in translationally invariant systems, i.e., when dilution effects are absent. In particular, we discuss the effects of a time-dependent domain on the stability of spatially homogeneous and spatially periodic base states, and explore its effects on the Eckhaus instability of periodic states. New equations describing the nonlinear evolution of the pattern wavenumber on time-dependent domains are derived, and the results compared with those on fixed domains. Pattern coarsening on time-dependent domains is contrasted with that on fixed domains with the help of the Cahn–Hilliard equation extended here to time-dependent domains. Parallel results for the evolution of the Benjamin–Feir instability on time-dependent domains are also given.