cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermal neutrino portal to sub-MeV dark matter

Thermal relics lighter than an MeV contribute to the energy density of the universe at the time of nucleosynthesis and recombination. Constraints on extra radiation degrees of freedom typically exclude even the simplest of such dark sectors. We explore the possibility that a sub-MeV dark sector entered equilibrium with the Standard Model after neutrino-photon decoupling, which significantly weakens these constraints and naturally arises in the context of neutrino mass generation through the spontaneous breaking of the lepton number. Acquiring an adequate dark matter abundance independently motivates the MeV scale in these models through the coincidence of gravitational, matter-radiation equality, and neutrino mass scales, $({m}_{\mathrm{Pl}}/{T}^{\mathrm{MRE}}{)}^{1/4}{m}_{\ensuremath{\nu}}\ensuremath{\sim}\mathrm{MeV}$. This class of scenarios will be decisively tested by future measurements of the cosmic microwave background and matter structure of the universe. While the dark sector dominantly interacts with Standard Model neutrinos, large couplings to nucleons are possible in principle, leading to observable signals at proposed low-threshold direct detection experiments.
mTOR Inhibitor Everolimus in Regulatory T Cell Expansion for Clinical Application in Transplantation.

Background.Experimental and preclinical evidence suggest that adoptive transfer of regulatory T (Treg) cells could be an appropriate therapeutic strategy to induce tolerance and improve graft survival in transplanted patients. The University of Kentucky Transplant Service Line is developing a novel
Consumption displacement in households with noncommunicable diseases in Bangladesh

The economic burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including treatment costs and income and productivity losses, is a growing concern in developing countries, where NCD medical expenditure may offset consumption of other essential commodities. This study examines the role of NCDs in household resource allocation in Bangladesh. We use the Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2010 to obtain expenditure data on 11 household expenditure categories and 12 food expenditure sub-categories for 12,240 households. Household NCD status was determined through self-report of at least one of the six major NCDs within the household-heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, kidney diseases, asthma, and cancer. We estimated unadjusted and regression-adjusted differences in household expenditure shares between NCD and non-NCD households. We further investigated how consumption of different food sub-categories is related to NCD status, distinguishing between household economic levels. The medical expenditure share was estimated to be 59% higher for NCD households than non-NCD households, and NCD households had lower expenditure shares on food, clothing, hygiene, and energy. Regression results indicated that presence of NCDs was associated with lower relative expenditure on clothing and housing in all economic subgroups, and with lower expenditure on food among marginally poor households. Having an NCD was significantly associated with higher household spending on tobacco and higher-calorie foods such as sugar, beverages, meat, dairy, and fruit, and with lower spending on fish, vegetables, and legumes. The findings indicate a link between NCDs and the possibility of adverse economic effects on the household by highlighting the potential displacement effect on household consumption that might occur through higher medical expenditure and lower spending on essentials. The findings might also point to a need for raising awareness about the link between NCDs and diet in Bangladesh.
Decomposing mutual fund alpha into security selection and security weighting

Abstract I decompose mutual fund alpha into two components: which stocks a mutual fund selects and what weights are placed in those stocks. Although related, each decision has a distinguishable impact on portfolio alpha. I show that deciding how to weight securities is of greater importance than deciding which securities to select. The ability to generate weighting alpha persisting for 12 months while the ability to generate selecting alpha persists for just one. Finally, the performance of mutual funds that both accurately weight and select securities persists for one month and results in significant outperformance.
Muscle ciliary neurotrophic factor receptor α helps maintain choline acetyltransferase levels in denervated motor neurons following peripheral nerve lesion

Systemic ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) administration protects motor neurons from denervating diseases and lesions but produces non-neuromuscular side effects. Therefore, CNTF related therapeutics will need to specifically target motor neuron protective receptor mechanisms. Expression of the essential ligand binding subunit of the CNTF receptor, CNTF receptor α (CNTFRα), is induced in skeletal muscle by denervating lesion and in human denervating diseases. We show here, with muscle-specific in vivo genetic disruption, that muscle CNTFRα makes an essential/non-redundant contribution to maintaining choline acetyltransferase levels in denervated motor neurons following nerve crush, suggesting the muscle CNTFRα induction is an endogenous denervation-induced neuroprotective response that could be enhanced to treat nerve lesion and denervating diseases. Notably, unlike motor neuron gene expression, skeletal muscle gene expression can be specifically targeted with human gene therapy vectors already approved for market.
Mobile Health and Technology Usage by Patients in the Diabetes, Nutrition, and Weight Management Clinic at an Urban Academic Medical Center

Abstract Background: Low-income, minority, and underserved populations are often excluded from mobile health (mHealth) research. This cross-sectional study sought to define how patients at an urban...
The Use of Drones in the Distribution of Energy

For obtaining data on energy consumption for small customers from utilities such as gas meters, electricity meters, water meters etc. is usually used remote meter reading via telecommunication networks combined with techniques of transmission through power lines. Never, however, fails to deduct 100% of the seats with meters and then embarking, the so-called rescue readings. Thus, the need to arrive at topographically heterogeneous sites and take the reading directly. Today at the sampling site run with the cars and the meter is read, either wirelessly or via an optical probe. It is also, at considerably less cost. The drone to fly over the appropriate place and make wireless meter reading via radio drone, too. This increasing the percentage of readings of meters and left with only a meter for servicing. A technique for using drones, we carried out the design and testing of such a reading system. In the first part of the article deals with the problems of navigation and control drone in the field and the second part describes the proper reading of the assumption range to 100-500 meters.
Hyperhomocysteinemia in a Gammopathy Patient: Malnutrition or Interference?

An 85-year-old man with a medical history significant for monoclonal IgM kappa gammopathy (Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia) was being evaluated for malnutrition. The serum homocysteine concentration, performed with a spectrophotometric enzymatic method (Roche cobas c701; Roche Diagnostics), was extremely high at 105.8 μmol/L (Table 1). Results for other laboratory tests were unremarkable. View this table: Table 1. Relevant laboratory results for this patient. 1. What conditions can cause increases (both real …
Portable Automated Surveillance of Surgical Site Infections Using Natural Language Processing: Development and Validation.

Objectives We present the development and validation of a portable NLP approach for automated surveillance of SSIs. Summary of background data The surveillance of SSIs is labor-intensive limiting the generalizability and scalability of surgical quality surveillance programs. Methods We abstracted patient clinical text notes after surgical procedures from 2 independent healthcare systems using different electronic healthcare records. An SSI detected as part of the American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program was used as the reference standard. We developed a rules-based NLP system (Easy Clinical Information Extractor [CIE]-SSI) for operative event-level detection of SSIs using an training cohort (4574 operative events) from 1 healthcare system and then conducted internal validation on a blind cohort from the same healthcare system (1850 operative events) and external validation on a blind cohort from the second healthcare system (15,360 operative events). EasyCIE-SSI performance was measured using sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver-operating-curve (AUC). Results The prevalence of SSI was 4% and 5% in the internal and external validation corpora. In internal validation, EasyCIE-SSI had a sensitivity, specificity, AUC of 94%, 88%, 0.912 for the detection of SSI, respectively. In external validation, EasyCIE-SSI had sensitivity, specificity, AUC of 79%, 92%, 0.852 for the detection of SSI, respectively. The sensitivity of EasyCIE-SSI decreased in clean, skin/subcutaneous, and outpatient procedures in the external validation compared to internal validation. Conclusion Automated surveillance of SSIs can be achieved using NLP of clinical notes with high sensitivity and specificity.
The Molecular ISM of Low Surface Brightness Spiral Galaxies

I summarize some results from the recent CO survey of late-type, low surface brightness (LSB) spiral galaxies by Matthews et al. (2005). We have now detected CO emission from six late-type, LSB spirals, demonstrating that despite their typical low metallicities and low mean gas surface densities, some LSB galaxies contain a molecular medium that is traced by CO. We find that the CO-detected LSB spirals adhere to the same M_H2-FIR correlation as brighter galaxies. We also find a significant drop-off in the detectability of CO among low-to-intermediate surface brightness galaxies with V_rot<~90 km/s, pointing toward fundamental changes in the physical conditions of the ISM with decreasing disk mass.
Fast Evaluation of Viral Emerging Risks (FEVER): A computational tool for biosurveillance, diagnostics, and mutation typing of emerging viral pathogens

Viral pathogen can rapidly evolve, adapt to novel hosts and evade human immunity. The early detection of emerging viral pathogens through biosurveillance coupled with rapid and accurate diagnostics are required to mitigate global pandemics. However, RNA viruses can mutate rapidly, hampering biosurveillance and diagnostic efforts. Here, we present a novel computational approach called FEVER (Fast Evaluation of Viral Emerging Risks) to design assays that simultaneously accomplish: 1) broad-coverage biosurveillance of an entire class of viruses, 2) accurate diagnosis of an outbreak strain, and 3) mutation typing to detect variants of public health importance. We demonstrate the application of FEVER to generate assays to simultaneously 1) detect sarbecoviruses for biosurveillance; 2) diagnose infections specifically caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); and 3) perform rapid mutation typing of the D614G SARS-CoV-2 spike variant associated with increased pathogen transmissibility. These FEVER assays had a high in silico recall (predicted positive) up to 99.7% of 525,708 SARS-CoV-2 sequences analyzed and displayed sensitivities and specificities as high as 92.4% and 100% respectively when validated in 100 clinical samples. The D614G SARS-CoV-2 spike mutation PCR test was able to identify the single nucleotide identity at position 23,403 in the viral genome of 96.6% SARS-CoV-2 positive samples without the need for sequencing. This study demonstrates the utility of FEVER to design assays for biosurveillance, diagnostics, and mutation typing to rapidly detect, track, and mitigate future outbreaks and pandemics caused by emerging viruses.
POS0170 IMPROVING MANAGEMENT OF GLUCOCORTICOID INDUCED OSTEOPOROSIS IN RHEUMATOLOGY

Background: Glucocorticoids (GC) are used in the treatment of various inflammatory conditions and it is estimated that about 1% of US population is treated with long term steroids. High doses of GC particularly those used by rheumatologists have adverse effects on bone health and is associated with rapid bone loss resulting in Glucocorticoid induced Osteoporosis(GIO) and an increased risk of fractures. The risk of bone loss relates to high daily dose and the high cumulative dose of the GC. Despite the availability of effective preventative and treatment options, GIO is often under treated with many patients treated only after a fracture has occurred. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine if providing education to care providers lead to an improvement in the identification, evaluation, and treatment of GIO. Methods: This is a single center, prospective study that was performed at a university based tertiary referral center. Patients over 40 years, receiving a total cumulative dose of GC of >5 grams and/or a single dose of >30 mg of prednisone or equivalent was enrolled. A patient list was generated by our technology group. All providers received intervention in the form of an academic Journal Club, at which the current ACR guidelines regarding GIO was reviewed. Monthly reminders were shared with all providers within our monthly communications. All the pre and post interventional data was analyzed. The continuous variables were analyzed using T-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical variables were analyzed using Chi-square Tests or Fisher’s exact tests. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS9.4, and p value Results: Post education, there was a statistically significant increase in vitamin D replacement and the use of bisphosphonates as well as a reduction in the use of bone mineral density (BMD) tests within the at risk group while on GC. Conclusion: There was a significant improvement between the GIO pre and post-educational data, with increasing use of GIO preventive measures. Importantly, there was also a reduction in BMD testing of patients while still on GC. This research show the importance of provider education as a means of disseminating information and improving the quality of patient care. References: [1]Compston J. Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis: an update. Endocrine. 2018 Jul;61(1):7-16. doi: 10.1007/s12020-018-1588-2. [2]2017 American college of rheumatology guideline for the prevention and treatment of Glucocorticoid-induced Osteoporosis. Arthritis & Rheumatology Vol. 69, No. 8, august 2017, pp 1521-1537. DOI 10.1002/art.40137. [3]Fardet L, Petersen I, Nazareth I. Monitoring of patients on long-term glucocorticoid therapy: a population-based cohort study. Medicine (Baltimore). 2015 Apr;94(15):e647. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000000647. Disclosure of Interests: None declared
Patterns of virtual care among long-term cancer survivors.

335Background: The recent pandemic led to an untypical demand for virtual care visits in our comprehensive cancer center. Our institution responded to this paradigm shift by offering virtual care t...
Double Copy Relation in AdS Space.

We present a double copy relation in ${\mathrm{AdS}}_{5}$ that relates tree-level four-point amplitudes of supergravity, super Yang-Mills, and bi-adjoint scalars.
Stop the Madness: Dementia, "Radical Medicalization," and Straw Men.

The question really comes down to this: what if you were the numerator (Terry 2016)? What if you were the spouse, child or full-time caregiver of an Alzheimer’s patient—the person you’ve watched su...
Ubiquity symposium 'What is computation?': Computation is process

Various authors define forms of computation as specialized types of processes. As the scope of computation widens, the range of such specialties increases. Dennis J. Frailey posits that the essence of computation can be found in any form of process, hence the title and the thesis of this paper in the Ubiquity symposium discussion what is computation. --Editor
An area and power efficient RAKE receiver architecture for DSSS systems

In this paper, an area and power efficient RAKE receiver architecture is proposed for base and mobile-stations employing the direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) technique. One common parallel de-spreader provides precomputed sub-symbols to fingers for the proposed design, and, hence, each finger can operate at a lower clock speed to save power. Our simulation results indicate that the proposed RAKE architecture for a WCDMA system reduces power dissipation by 37% and the circuit complexity by 28% compared with that of a conventional RAKE receiver.
Artifice, Interpretation and Nature: Key Categories in Radiology Work

This paper extends on some prior work on nature, culture and computation. This paper will look at "image work" in a radiology department, i.e, how radiologists use images and other kinds of knowledge in daily clinical work. In particular, the paper will look at the role tacit knowledge and categories have in the work radiologists carry out. How radiologists make use of and contrast analog and digital representations of nature will be explored here because this is key to how radiologists work and think. In other words, the role that computer derived artifacts, correspondence theory and mimesis play in the clinical work of radiology will be discussed.
Using representative-based clustering for nearest neighbor dataset editing

The goal of dataset editing in instance-based learning is to remove objects from a training set in order to increase the accuracy of a classifier. For example, Wilson editing removes training examples that are misclassified by a nearest neighbor classifier so as to smooth the shape of the resulting decision boundaries. This paper revolves around the use of representative-based clustering algorithms for nearest neighbor dataset editing. We term this approach supervised clustering editing. The main idea is to replace a dataset by a set of cluster prototypes. A clustering approach called supervised clustering is introduced for this purpose. Our empirical evaluation using eight UCI datasets shows that both Wilson and supervised clustering editing improve accuracy on more than 50% of the datasets tested. However, supervised clustering editing achieves four times higher compression rates than Wilson editing.
Is There a Disposition Effect in Corporate Investment Decisions? Evidence from Real Estate Investment Trusts

While several studies have documented behavioral biases in the behavior of individual investors, very little is known about the existence of such biases in corporations. We utilize the unique nature of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) to test for the presence of one of the most widely discussed biases, the disposition effect. Using property level REIT data, we find strong statistical evidence that REIT managers tend to sell winners and hold losers, where winners and losers are defined using changes in properties' prices since they were acquired. In addition, we find evidence that this behavior is consistent with the disposition effect. REIT managers are significantly less likely to sell properties that have a loss relative to a reference point based on inflation or historical average returns, controlling for the properties' recent returns. Management of corporations with greater tendencies toward disposition effect behavior tend to sell winner properties at lower prices, all else equal. We find no support for three alternative explanations, optimal tax timing, mean reverting property-level returns, and asymmetric information.
Acute exercise increases nitric oxide synthase activity in skeletal muscle

This study examined the effects of acute exercise on skeletal muscle nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: control, exercise, and exercise...
Microtopographic and depth controls on active layer chemistry in Arctic polygonal ground

Polygonal ground is a signature characteristic of Arctic lowlands, and carbon release from permafrost thaw can alter feedbacks to Arctic ecosystems and climate. This study describes the first comprehensive spatial examination of active layer biogeochemistry that extends across high- and low-centered, ice wedge polygons, their features, and with depth. Water chemistry measurements of 54 analytes were made on surface and active layer pore waters collected near Barrow, Alaska, USA. Significant differences were observed between high- and low-centered polygons suggesting that polygon types may be useful for landscape-scale geochemical classification. However, differences were found for polygon features (centers and troughs) for analytes that were not significant for polygon type, suggesting that finer-scale features affect biogeochemistry differently from polygon types. Depth variations were also significant, demonstrating important multidimensional aspects of polygonal ground biogeochemistry. These results have major implications for understanding how polygonal ground ecosystems function, and how they may respond to future change.
Identification of ancillary fim genes affecting fimA expression in Salmonella typhimurium.

Abstract Regulation of the gene, fimA, encoding the major fimbrial subunit of S. typhimurium S6704 was examined by using a lambda fimA-lacZ lysogen. Transformation of the lambda fimA-lacZ lysogen with various derivatives of the recombinant plasmid that encodes type 1 fimbrial expression, pISF101, indicated that two regions of this plasmid alter beta-galactosidase production. One plasmid is a deletion resulting in the loss of a 28-kDa polypeptide downstream of fimA, while the other plasmid encodes a 24- and a 27-kDa polypeptide. Northern (RNA) blot analyses indicated that the steady-state fimA mRNA levels of these transformants were high. In addition, phenotypic expression of type 1 fimbriae by agar-grown cultures is observed only in those transformants bearing plasmids which show increased beta-galactosidase and fimA mRNA levels.
Nerves Regulate Cardiomyocyte Proliferation and Heart Regeneration

Some organisms, such as adult zebrafish and newborn mice, have the capacity to regenerate heart tissue following injury. Unraveling the mechanisms of heart regeneration is fundamental to understanding why regeneration fails in adult humans. Numerous studies have revealed that nerves are crucial for organ regeneration, thus we aimed to determine whether nerves guide heart regeneration. Here, we show using transgenic zebrafish that inhibition of cardiac innervation leads to reduction of myocyte proliferation following injury. Specifically, pharmacological inhibition of cholinergic nerve function reduces cardiomyocyte proliferation in the injured hearts of both zebrafish and neonatal mice. Direct mechanical denervation impairs heart regeneration in neonatal mice, which was rescued by the administration of neuregulin 1 (NRG1) and nerve growth factor (NGF) recombinant proteins. Transcriptional analysis of mechanically denervated hearts revealed a blunted inflammatory and immune response following injury. These findings demonstrate that nerve function is required for both zebrafish and mouse heart regeneration.
Primary androgen deprivation (AD) followed by active surveillance (AS) for newly diagnosed prostate cancer (PC): A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND Active surveillance (AS) is only recommended for Low-Risk prostate cancer (PC) with <34% biopsies positive. Studies describing the long-term outcome of men treated with androgen deprivation (AD) followed by AS are sparse. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred two men were treated with 12 months of AD in a medical oncology clinic specializing in PC between 1998 and 2007 and were followed for a median of 7.25 years. The biopsy complete response rate after AD and the incidence of disease progression while on subsequent AS was assessed. Baseline age, D'Amico risk category, PSA velocity, percentage core biopsies, and prostate volume were evaluated as potential predictors of disease progression. RESULTS D'Amico risk category for the 102 men: Low: n = 22, Intermediate: n = 30, and High: n = 50. Medians: Age 67.3, PSA 7.8, Gleason 3 + 4, >50% core biopsies positive, stage T1c. Seventy men had a clear biopsy and 31 of these had disease progression leading to additional treatment after a median of 52 months. D'Amico risk category of the 57 men with a positive biopsy after AD or disease progression on AS was: Low: n = 4 (18%), Intermediate: n = 16 (53%), and High: n = 37 (74%). No PC deaths occurred. Three men had clinical progression. In stepwise logistic regression analysis only higher D'Amico risk category and lower prostate volume predicted disease progression. CONCLUSIONS Despite a high prevalence of ≥50% core biopsies positive at baseline, AD induces durable remissions in most men with Low-Risk and about half with Intermediate-Risk PC. Prostate 73: 83–88, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
End-group determination in poly(ethylene terephthalate) by infrared spectroscopy

A complete infrared (IR) spectroscopy experimental procedure was used to determine end-group concentrations of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The correlations of the hydroxyl and carboxyl units were derived independently for accurate calibration results. The intermediate monomer of PET, bis(hydroxyethyl terephthalate), was used to prepare hydroxyl end-group standards and titration measurements were used to determine the carboxyl content for the carboxyl end-group standards. A double-Gaussian form equation was defined to account for the interference between the hydroxyl and the carboxyl absorbance peaks in the PET IR spectrum. Some deviation was found from the assumption traditionally used for end-group determination, stating that carboxyl and hydroxyl are the only end-group units available in PET. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry
Atheroprotective Signaling Mechanisms Activated by Steady Laminar Flow in Endothelial Cells

Many studies of the human vascular tree have shown that atherosclerosis develops at an early age, with areas of the posterior aorta and branch sites showing the earliest fatty streaks. Closer analysis of the branch points showed that the flow dividers, regions of high shear stress with laminar flow, were relatively protected from fatty streak formation. In contrast, there was a predilection for atherosclerosis at the curvatures and lateral walls of branch points.1 These are regions where disturbed flow occurs; importantly, when the time-averaged shear stress is low, the spatial shear stress gradient is very high.1,2 Both monocyte adhesion and endothelial cell (EC) apoptosis also are highest in these areas.3–6 Recently, Cheng et al7 developed a vascular occluder that induced 3 different regions of altered flow: low, high, and low with oscillatory flow. They observed that lesions always developed in regions of low compared with high shear stress. However, the low shear stress was more likely to develop larger lesions with more lipids, expression of inflammatory mediators, and matrix metalloprotease activity than oscillatory flow. When viewed in concert with a study that showed that regions of low shear stress already had a greater number of inflammatory cells resident in the artery wall as a result of increased trafficking,8 it is clear that low flow is proinflammatory and atherogenic. More sophisticated 3-dimensional analysis of flow patterns in human carotid bifurcations has identified prototypic arterial waveforms, “atheroprone” and “atheroprotective,” representing the wall shear stresses in the carotid sinus, which is susceptible to atherosclerotic lesion development, and the distal internal carotid artery, which is resistant.9 Characteristics of the atheroprone waveform include a high oscillatory shear index (≈0.45) and low time-averaged shear stress amplitude (≈0 dyne/cm2). Thus, both the amplitude and flow pattern are key determinants of …
Dissecting pathogenic ApoE pathways with the ADNI dataset: The case for reelin

PVLs rs6827378 4 171658288 Intergenic PVLs, Total WML 7.9 3 10 6 rs7672136 4 171660039 Intergenic PVLs, Total WML 8.7 3 10 6 rs17056158 4 171686848 Intergenic PVLs 7.4 3 10 6 rs11869909 17 5351791 DHX33 Intron PVLs 3.7 3 10 6 DWMLs rs3003888 1 221982925 Intergenic DWMLs, Total WML 4.9 3 10 6 rs893344 2 12013065 Intergenic DWMLs, Total WML 3.3 3 10 6 rs9872854 3 162243178 Intergenic DWMLs, Total WML 1.5 3 10 6 rs2391665 7 28468319 CREB5 Intron DWMLs 6.1 3 10 6 rs7793437 7 28474345 CREB5 Intron DWMLs 8.4 3 10 6 rs7790864 7 28478625 CREB5 Intron DWMLs 8.3 3 10 6 rs6462085 7 28479848 CREB5 Intron DWMLs 9.1 3 10 6 rs780837 1
The impact of state-level restrictions on abortion

This research examines 23 different laws passed by state governments in an effort to restrict the number of abortions. It assesses both laws passed and laws actually enforced after the Supreme Court permitted states to restrict access to abortion in 1989. None of the policy actions by state governments has had a significant impact on the incidence of abortion from 1982 to 1992. Abortion rates continue to reflect past abortion rates, the number of abortion providers, whether the state funds abortions for Medicaid-eligible women, urbanism, and racial composition of the population. Recent restrictive policies have not affected these trends.
MANAGING PARTIAL BENEFIT MARKETING: NEW PERSPECTIVES ON CONTINUING CONCERNS

Most organizations that market services can give clients a wide range of benefits as long as their clients are willing to to pay the negotiated price. These firms are engaged in full benefit marketing. With some professional services, on the other hand, marketers can face restrictions on the benefits they offer clients. Such professional services firms are engaged in partial benefit marketing. Partial benefit marketing leads to conflict between clients and the providers of professional services. This article discusses the problems leading to the conflict and suggests what can be done to reduce the impact of problems and improve client relationships.
Age trends in selective listening

Abstract Groups of 32 children in each of three grades (kindergarten, second, and fourth) listened to a man's voice and a woman's voice, speaking words simultaneously. On one run through the 23 pairs of words, S s were instructed to report what the man's voice was saying; on another, the words spoken by the woman. The stimulus words were systematically varied with respect to the number of syllables they contained. For cach S , the stimulus words were presented on one occasion binaurally (both words in both cars), on another occasion, dichotically (two different words in each ear). The number of correct reports of the word spoken by the desired voice increased with age; the number of intrusive errors (reports of words spoken by the unwanted voice) declined with age. At all age levels, scores were higher under dichotic presentation, but there was no change with age in the advantage derived from this presentation. Children at each age level made more errors on single-syllable than on multi-syllable words, but this difference was greater for older children. An analysis of errors revealed systematic differences among age groups in the nature of wrong guesses. Performanec improved through blocks of trials, at all age levels.
Discovery of new MWW family zeolite EMM-10: Identification of EMM-10P as the missing MWW precursor with disordered layers

We the report discovery of zeolite EMM-10, a new member of the MWW family, and its layered zeolite precursor, EMM-10P. The latter is closely related to the layered precursor MCM-22P but its layers are stacked without vertical alignment. The layers are believed to be twisted off-register or otherwise disordered in-plane but still hydrogen bonded through silanols. The proposed structural disorder is concluded from the X-ray powder diffraction pattern, which is very similar to that of MCM-22P but lacks the discrete interlayer reflections, especially (1 0 1) and (1 0 2). EMM-10P complements the series of three distinct, as-synthesized MWW materials, viz: MCM-22P, MCM-49 and MCM-56, all differing in packing of the MCM-22 monolayers. The EMM-10P precursor was synthesized using a diquaternary ammonium template while the preceding three materials were obtained with hexamethyleneimine as the structure directing agent. Upon calcination EMM-10P partially converts to an ordered MWW structure but, to a large extent, the stacking disorder persists while the layers fuse together. Basic characterization including sorption, electron diffraction, electron microscopy, NMR, and swellability with surfactants, reveals properties similar to MCM-22. EMM-10, therefore, represents a further extension of the already uniquely diverse MCM-22 zeolite family, and corresponds to an anticipated structure variation. It has also broader fundamental implications, illustrating the growing contribution of disordered structures among zeolites and the need for better characterization tools and methods.
Direct cellular assays using off-line capillary electrophoresis with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) offers the ability to assay complex samples such as biological tissues directly. However, one must utilize different MS approaches and perform multiple chemical and enzymatic tests on a sample to more completely characterize complex tissue samples. An off-line capillary electrophoresis-MALDI-MS technique was developed that allows nanoliter volume samples to be separated and multiple assays performed on each sample spot after the separation. The method was used too assay a single atrial gland from the sea slug Aplysia californica. Post-source decay and in-source decay analyses were used to confirm the identity of several peptides. An on-target enzymatic digestion with carboxypeptidase Y was performed to gain additional amino acid sequence information from a peptide not part of the egg laying hormone gene family. Single cells also were analyzed, illustrating the capability to assay mass-limited samples.
Value(s) Deferred: The Excellent University Today

This article examines the Penn State scandal, highlighting what has been lost to contemporary universities in the rise of nonacademic administration, the managed university, and the accompanying di...
Microwave-induced thermal imaging of tissue dielectric properties

A new imaging method, microwave-induced thermal imaging (MITI), was developed to differentiate tissue based on thermal and dielectric properties. Image contrast depends on temporal strain in tissue, which was determined by one-dimensional speckle tracking using a phase-sensitive, correlation-based technique. The underlying mechanisms were analyzed and experimental results on biologic tissue agreed well with theoretical predictions. Because of its strong contrast between water-bearing and lipid-bearing tissue, the technique may enhance existing intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging systems to identify vulnerable arterial plaque.
A new placental enzyme in the metabolism of cocaine: An in vitro animal model

Abstract OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze placental metabolism in a genetically controlled in vitro animal model. STUDY DESIGN: Placentas from Sprague-Dawley rats were centrifuged, and microsomes were isolated. Four treatment groups were incubated with cocaine over four time periods: placental micromes + cocaine, placental microsomes + diisopropyl fluorophosphate (an anticholinesterase) + cocaine, placental microsomes + cocaine + butyrylcholinesterase, and a blank (cocaine only). Gas chromatography was used to quantify cocaine (Limit of quantitation=19 ng/ml) and metabolites. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to verify the identity of the metabolites. RESULTS: Butyrylcholinesterase enhanced cocaine metabolism to ecgonine methyl ester. More than 40% of cocaine was metabolized to norcocaine by rat placenta when diisopropyl fluorophosphate suppressed cocaine. Norcocaine is produced by hepatic N-demethylase action on methyl-bearing nitrogen in cocaine, suggesting that placenta and liver have this capacity. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was essential to the identification of norcocaine, because norcocaine is frequently not identified. CONCLUSIONS: This biotransformation of cocaine to norcocaine may be a primary metabolic pathway induced in the cholinesterase-deficient placenta. This has clinical implications because norcocaine is ninefold more active physiologically than cocaine or ecgononine methylesterase.
Compact fully reconfigurable multi-stage RF photonic filters using high-Q silicon microdisk resonators

We present a fully reconfigurable four-pole, four-zero SOI RF photonic filter with a 3dB bandwidth 38 dB, FSR >600 GHz, and a compact size (<0.15 mm2) using high-Q resonator-based components.
Precipitation in topographically diverse regions

A 1991 AGU Fall Meeting session, Precipitation in Topographically Diverse Regions, focused on the understanding and modeling of precipitation in regions with significant topography, concentrating on the effect of topography on precipitation. Contributions ranged from detailed mesoscale atmospheric models to statistical approaches. Two papers presented detailed physical modeling. A. P. Barros and D. P. Lettenmaier described their work, consisting of a threedimensional finite element model based on the measurement of moist static energy. Application of the model in the Olympic and Cascades mountains demonstrated its potential to model monthly precipitation totals to within 15%. F. Giorgi described some of the work being done at NCAR that is focusing on the regional impacts of global climate change. This work uses a mesoscale meteorological model (Penn State/NCAR MM4) embedded within a general circulation model. There were three papers from the USGS/Colorado State group that described work involving the RHEA-CSU orographic precipitation model that has been coupled with the USGS/s distributed parameter Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS). The orographic precipitation model has been integrated into a geographic information system to facilitate the use of digital elevation data. The PRMS is based on the concept of hydrologic response units, and the results presented illustrated the scale's sensitivity to these. When rectangular boxes were used instead of the usual response units defined by streams and drainage divides, there was no appreciable degradation in the quality of the simulation. The size and number of response units appears to be more crucial than whether they are demarcated by drainage divides and streams or simply arbitrary.
Dopamine terminals synapse on callosal projection neurons in the rat prefrontal cortex.

Dopamine (DA) afferents to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) play an important role in the cognitive functions subserved by this cortical area. Within the PFC, DA terminals synapse onto the distal dendrites of both local circuit neurons and pyramidal projection cells. We have previously demonstrated in the rat PFC that some of the dendrites and spines postsynaptic to DA terminals arise from pyramidal neurons that project to the nucleus accumbens. However, it is not known whether the pyramidal cells that give rise to callosal intercortical connections of the PFC also receive DA synaptic input. To address this question, retrograde tract tracing using an attenuated strain of pseudorabies virus (PRV-Bartha) was combined with immunocytochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) to identify DA terminals in the PFC. Thirty-six to 40 hours following injection of PRV into the contralateral PFC, numerous callosal projection neurons were extensively labeled throughout their dendritic trees, with no evidence of PRV trans-synaptic passage. In tissue prepared for electron microscopy, labeling for PRV was distributed throughout pyramidal cell somata and extended into distal dendrites and dendritic spines. Some PRV-labeled dendrites and spines received symmetric synaptic input from terminals containing peroxidase labeling for TH. These results demonstrate that DA terminals synapse onto the distal dendrites of callosally projecting PFC neurons and suggest substrates through which DA may modulate interhemispheric cortical communication.
Photoluminescence imaging of electronic-impurity-induced exciton quenching in single-walled carbon nanotubes

The electronic properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes can be altered by surface adsorption of electronic impurities or dopants. However, fully understanding the influence of these impurities is difficult because of the inherent complexity of the solution-based colloidal chemistry of nanotubes, and because of a lack of techniques for directly imaging dynamic processes involving these impurities. Here, we show that photoluminescence microscopy can be used to image exciton quenching in semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes during the early stages of chemical doping with two different species. The addition of AuCl3 leads to localized exciton-quenching sites, which are attributed to a mid-gap electronic impurity level, and the adsorbed species are also found sometimes to be mobile on the surface of the nanotubes. The addition of H2O2 leads to delocalized exciton-quenching hole states, which are responsible for long-range photoluminescence blinking, and are also mobile. Photoluminescence microscopy can be used to image exciton quenching in semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes during the early stages of chemical doping.
The Immunotherapy of Canine Osteosarcoma: A Historical and Systematic Review

Osteosarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal neoplasm that accounts for the majority of primary bone tumors in dogs and shares biological and clinical similarities with osteosarcoma in humans. Despite dose intensification with conventional cytotoxic therapies, survival times for dogs and humans diagnosed with high-grade osteosarcoma have not changed in the past 20 years, with the principal cause of mortality being the development of pulmonary metastases. Given the therapeutic plateau reached for delaying metastatic progression with cytotoxic agents, exploration of alterative adjuvant therapies for improving management of osteosarcoma micrometastases is clinically justified. Evidence suggests that osteosarcoma is an immunogenic tumor, and development of immunotherapies for the treatment of microscopic lung metastases might improve long-term outcomes. In this review, the history and foundational knowledge of immune interactions to canine osteosarcoma are highlighted. In parallel, immunotherapeutic strategies that have been explored for the treatment of canine osteosarcoma are summarized. With a greater understanding and awareness for how the immune system might be redirected toward combating osteosarcoma metastases, the rational development of diverse immune strategies for managing osteosarcoma holds substantial promise for transforming the therapeutic landscape and improving disease management in both dogs and human beings.
Post-Colonial Challenges to Grand Theory

Two post-colonial critiques of social scientific theory are discussed. One arises primarily out of the academies of the third world and uses a modified dependency theory to explore the relationship between first and third world academies. The author calls this "new dependency" theory. New dependency theorists criticize the international intellectual division of labor, which fosters the third world's institutional and theoretical dependence on the first world. Some call for the indigenization of third world theory. The second critique was generated in the first world and reflects trends current in literary criticism and philosophy. Variously called deconstruction, reflexive, or critical anthropology, it explores the way domination is part of the theoretical discourse itself. Both approaches are discussed and areas of convergence and divergence are mapped.
Mediastinoscopy: a diagnostic aid in metastatic carcinoma of the breast.

Six patients with metastatic carcinoma of the breast underwent mediastinoscopy to obtain tissue for estrogen receptor analysis and pathologic confirmation of metastatic tumor. The indication for mediastinoscopy was an abnormal mediastinal accumulation of gallium in five patients, only two of whom had an abnormality noted on tomography. All six patients had tumor recovered by mediastinoscopy as demonstrated by pathologic examination and/or estrogen receptor assay, Therefore, the diagnosis of mediastinal metastases in breast cancer may be suggested by either chest roentgenograms, mediastinal tomography, or gallium scintigraphy. Mediastinoscopy is a safe, effective procedure capable of establishing the diagnosis of metastatic carcinoma of the breast and of procuring sufficient tissue for estrogen receptor analysis in patients without more readily accessible sites of metastases.
Fluoroquinolone-resistant Haemophilus influenzae: frequency of occurrence and analysis of confirmed strains in the SENTRY antimicrobial surveillance program (North and Latin America).

Abstract The incidence of fluoroquinolone-resistant (FQR) Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis isolated from clinical specimens remains very rare, and the identification of such strains has been previously limited to case reports from diverse geographic locations. During the 1997 through 1998 SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program, four FQR- H. influenzae (0.13% of all strains) and one FQR- M. catarrhalis strains were identified and confirmed as having elevated MICs to ≥5 FQ class drugs. Among H. influenzae strains, MICs to marketed FQs were ≥0.12 μg/ml with ciprofloxacin MIC results ≥8-fold higher than wild type susceptible strains. The FQR- H. influenzae isolates were then compared with two previously reported strains that were determined to be identical using ribotyping and other molecular methods. In contrast, the SENTRY isolates were all genetically distinct and had mutations in parC and/or gyrA . Isolates having the lowest MIC elevations had a single mutation in gyrA , while isolates with higher MICs had at least one mutation in both studied genes. In general, the single gyr A mutations involved the same position but differed in the amino acid substitution (Ser84Leu or Phe or Ala). The isolates reported outside the SENTRY Program (controls) had an unusual mutation in par C (Gly82Asp) and two mutations in gyr A ; producing the highest recorded FQR MICs. The FQR- M. catarrhalis strain was discovered in late 1997 and has been reported before. Although detection of these FQR isolates remains at H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis isolates, surveillance programs will be an important detection method to determine the extent of emerging novel resistance patterns among clinically prevalent fastidious pathogens.
The silent sinus syndrome: clinical and radiographic findings.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to acquaint the reader with the clinical and imaging features of the silent sinus syndrome, which is relatively unknown. Discussion of the presentation, treatment, and theory regarding pathogenesis of the syndrome follows.CONCLUSION. The silent sinus syndrome consists of painless facial asymmetry and enophthalmos caused by chronic maxillary sinus atelectasis. Although the diagnosis is usually suspected clinically, it is confirmed radiologically by characteristic imaging features that include maxillary sinus outlet obstruction, sinus opacification, and sinus volume loss caused by inward retraction of the sinus walls.
Pediatric sellar and suprasellar lesions

Masses arising in the sella turcica and the suprasellar region are common in children. The type and frequency of the various lesions encountered in childhood differ from the adult presentation. This article reviews the embryology of the pituitary gland and its normal appearance in childhood as well as the imaging and clinical findings of the common and some of the uncommon lesions arising in the sella turcica, the pituitary stalk, the suprasellar cistern and the lower third ventricle in the pediatric population.