cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Participatory plant breeding and organic agriculture: A synergistic model for organic variety development in the United States

Organic farmers require improved varieties that have been adapted to their unique soils, nutrient inputs, management practices, and pest pressures. One way to develop adapted varieties is to situate breeding programs in the environment of intended use, such as directly on organic farms, and in collaboration with organic farmers. This model is a form of participatory plant breeding, and was originally created in order to meet the needs of under-served, small-scale farmers in developing countries. A robust body of literature supports the quantitative genetic selection theory of participatory plant breeding, and helps to explain its increasing prevalence among organic breeding projects in the United States. The history of the organic farming movement in the United States highlights the cultural relevance of engaging organic farmers in the breeding process, complementing the biological rationale for participatory plant breeding. In addition, limited private investment in organic plant breeding encourages the involvement of plant breeders at public institutions. This paper synthesizes the biological, cultural, and economic justifications for utilizing participatory plant breeding as an appropriate methodology for organic cultivar development.
A bioinspired elastin-based protein for a cytocompatible underwater adhesive

Abstract The development of adhesives that can be applied and create strong bonds underwater is a significant challenge for materials engineering. When the adhesive is intended for biomedical applications, further criteria, such as biocompatibility, must be met. Current biomedical adhesive technologies do not meet these needs. In response, we designed a bioinspired protein system that shows promise to achieve biocompatible underwater adhesion coupled with environmentally responsive behavior that is “smart” – that is, it can be tuned to suit a specific application. The material, ELY 16 , is constructed from an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) that can be produced in high yields from Escherichia coli and can coacervate in response to environmental factors such as temperature, pH, and salinity. To confer wet adhesion, we utilized design principles from marine organisms such as mussels and sandcastle worms. When expressed, ELY 16 is rich in tyrosine. Upon modification with the tyrosinase enzyme to form mELY 16 , the tyrosine residues are converted to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). Both ELY 16 and mELY 16 exhibit cytocompatibility and significant dry adhesion strength ( > 2 MPa). Modification with DOPA increases protein adsorption to glass and provides moderate adhesion strength ( ∼ 240 kPa) in a highly humid environment. Furthermore, this ELP exhibits a tunable phase transition behavior that can be formulated to coacervate in physiological conditions and provides a convenient mechanism for application underwater. Finally, mELY 16 possesses significantly higher adhesion strength in dry, humid, and underwater environments compared with a commercially available fibrin sealant. To our knowledge, mELY 16 provides the strongest bonds of any rationally designed protein when used completely underwater, and its high yields make it more viable for commercial application compared to natural adhesive proteins. In conclusion, this ELP shows great potential to be a new “smart” underwater adhesive.
Reduced-complexity direction-of-arrival estimation for large-aperture antenna arrays employing spatial ambiguities

Recently, there has been increased interest in using spatially-aliased antenna arrays for direction-finding, whereby the ambiguities associated with the identified angles are resolved using either additional hardware (e.g. sub-arrays) and/or additional numerical processing. In this paper, we describe a direction-of-arrival estimation technique for large-aperture uniform linear arrays whose inter-element spacing causes ambiguities in the measured DOAs. The method assumes knowledge of the frequency of transmission and employs a limited-range MUSIC search of source angles, from which the ambiguous source directions are then identified due to the array's structure. These angles are then used to generate test statistics employing a limited set of time-domain correlation values for pairs of element signals from the array, whereby the maximum of the test statistic corresponds to the true angle of arrival. Numerical evaluations show the viability of the method.
A Comparison of Waist-to-Hip Ratio Cutoff Points in a Large Sample of Southern Iranian Adults with Two Standard Procedures and Asian Studies

Background: One of the popular indicators of developing serious health conditions is the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). The appropriate WHR cutoff points are reported differently in the US department of health and human services (US-DHHS), the world health organization (WHO), and the Asian studies. Objectives: The current study aimed at comparing WHR cutoff points for a large sample of Southern Iranian adults with 2 standard procedures and Asian studies. Methods: In the current cross sectional study, data were collected from 16 341 adults within the age range of 20 to 70 years. Body compositions were determined by the bioelectrical impedance analysis method (BIA). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power (PPV), negative predictive power (NPV), and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to meet the objectives of the investigation Results: The sensitivity and NPV in both classifications were higher in females compared to males. For females and males in both classifications, increase in age was associated with increase in the sensitivity and NPV. In all, the WHO classification was not a good indicator of obesity in males. The US-DHHC was the best to correctly classify the obese or non-obese subjects in various age groups. Conclusions: The suitable cutoff points for Iranian males and females were 0.88 and 0.83, respectively similar to those reported in Southeastern Asian studies. The recommended cutoff point for Iranian males was similar to those reported for Arab males; but the recommended cutoff point for Iranian females was different from that of Arab females. Both the WHO-WHR and US-DHHS classifications were effective to detect obesity among all females. Neither was effective to detect obesity among males under 40 years old.
Retinal Vasculitis in Systemic Disease

Retinal vasculitis may be associated with various systemic vasculitides. It can result in cystoid macular edema, retinal ischemia, and occlusive disease and resultant sight-threatening sequelae such as neovascularization, vitreous hemorrhage, and neovascular glaucoma. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the more common systemic diseases associated with retinal vasculitis, including Behcet’s disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, Susac’s syndrome, and ANCA-associated vasculitides. The diagnostic criteria of these multisystem disorders will be reviewed, as well as their ocular manifestations and presentations. Attention will be given to various imaging modalities including fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography to evaluate their utility and describe typical clinical findings.
Brief of Amicus Curiae Professor Samuel Estreicher in Support of Defendants-Appellees in Chamber of Commerce of United States v. City of Seattle, No. 17-35640 (9th Circuit)

Companies like Uber and Lyft contend that, because drivers are independent contractors and not employees under the U.S.'s various labor and employment laws, any attempt to form unions or bargain collectively for higher wages violates antitrust laws. Until now, that assumption has been widely shared -- but it's based on a failure to understand why concerted activity by workers is protected against antitrust liability. Labor’s antitrust shield was established by the 1914 Clayton Act, in which Congress determined that “the labor of a human being is not an article in commerce.” Conventionally, only workers defined as “employees” are viewed as having the right to organize without violating antitrust laws. Individuals are considered employees only if their boss can control when and how they do their work – what is called the common law’s “right to control” test. Under this view, people who provide their products or services directly to the public are prohibited from banding together with peers to try to raise wages and improve working conditions. For all intents and purposes, these independent contractors are considered business owners. They can form associations to share information and lobby for their interests -- like the American Bar Association or the so-called Freelancers Union -- but cannot form an organization that insists on collective bargaining. Allowing businesses to join together with competitors to fix prices or carve up markets, the argument goes, represents a combination against the welfare of consumers. A Seattle ordinance, passed in 2015, would protect drivers from being fired for engaging in joint action. Given the prevailing “right to control” test, Uber and Lyft drivers may not be protected by all employment laws. But at the very least, they are entitled to engage in collective action without risk of antitrust liability. This is because of the Clayton Act, which preceded by two decades the affirmative legislation of the 1930s. In 1941, the Supreme Court confirmed that the Clayton Act, coupled with a latter statute broadening the scope of a protected “labor dispute,” established the right of workers to organize in their own interests free of civil and criminal liability under the antitrust laws. The antitrust exemption applies to workers who sell only their services, without any significant capital investment. Individuals who are principally engaged in selling goods are not covered by the exemption. Neither are those whose services involve investments in an office space and equipment, hiring staff, and advertising themselves as a business. The only investment that Uber and Lyft drivers make to their "businesses" is to supply their own vehicles. These drivers are “laborers” or “workers” under the Clayton Act exemption from the antitrust laws. Seattle’s involvement in setting a framework for collective bargaining and protection from retaliation does not alter the availability of the exemption for the drivers in seeking to improve their collective situation.
Transplant Versus VAD: Evolving and Future Perspectives

Continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) have become an essential therapeutic option in the standard of care for patients with end-stage heart failure. Clinical outcomes continue to improve through better patient selection, surgical technique, and perioperative management. Current two-year survival rates could exceed 80 % with device support in selected patients, and this is comparable to that of cardiac transplantation. As such, there has been a proliferation in the number of patients receiving device therapy and the centers implanting them. Moreover, CF-LVADs may also provide a platform for innovative treatments, including regenerative and stem cell therapies, to promote functional recovery of the native heart. These advantageous features should encourage the use of CF-LVADs as a replacement for cardiac transplantation in patients with stage D heart failure. However, as compared to transplant, quality of life and device-related costs may be limiting factors. In this relatively nascent field, more clinical trial data, especially from long-term follow-up, will be necessary to evaluate the risks and benefits of durable device support. Ultimately, a head-to-head comparison between the two therapies may need to be considered to answer the inevitable question: can CF-LVAD therapy replace cardiac transplantation as the preferred treatment for advanced heart disease? In the current era, however, it is far more important to appreciate how both strategies may be complementary and under what circumstances, one obviates the other, in order to achieve the best clinical outcome for the patient with end-stage heart failure.
Study of Strain Energy in Deformed Insect Wings

Wing deformation is almost unavoidable in insect flights. In this paper, an approach is introduced to estimate the strain energy in deformed wings during freely hovering of a dragonfly. First, high-speed photogrammetry and three-dimensional surface reconstruction technique are used to quantify the wing kinematics and wing deformation. Finite elements in the absolute nodal coordinate formulation are used to estimate the strain energy associated with wing deformation. The variations of strain and kinetic energy within a stroke cycle are presented and the implications are discussed.
The Effect of Abstraction of Constructs in Data Models on Modeling Performance: An Exploratory Empirical Study

ion of EERM Constructs The Effect of Abstraction of Constructs in Data Models on Modeling Performance: An Exploratory Empirical Study Akhilesh Bajaj The University of Tulsa akhilesh-bajaj@utulsa.edu
Magnetic and Thermal Properties of Solid and Liquid 3 He Near the Melting Curve

Progress in the study of bcc solid 3He and of properties of 3He along the melting curve has been extremely rapid in the past few years. Pomeranchuk cooling and high-field superconducting magnets have made the temperature region below 15 m°K and the magnetic field region above 20 kG accessible to the low-temperature experimentalist. More sophisticated and sensitive measuring techniques such as the sensitive capacitative strain gauges developed by the Florida group and elsewhere, X-ray determination of crystal orientation, and superconducting quantum interference detectors have also contributed in various ways to the rapid progress in this field.
Impact Damage in Ceramics

The modes of impact damage that occur in ceramic materials are described, and the present status of damage analyses that define the dependence of the damage on the primary projectile and material variables is discussed. Finally, the implications of the damage characterization for the prediction of strength degreda-tion and erosion are assessed.
The Pharmacists’ Role in Identifying and Supporting Victims of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking (HT), an egregious human rights violation and escalating form of modern-day slavery, has received increasing global attention over the last decade. Despite the fact that the pharm...
Romantic Art in Practice : Cultural Work and the Sister Arts, 1760-1820

Exploring the relationship between visual art and literature in the Romantic period, this book makes a claim for a sister-arts 'moment' when the relationship between painting, sculpture, pottery and poetry held special potential for visual artists, engravers and artisans. Elaborating these cultural tensions and associations through a number of case studies, Thora Brylowe sheds light on often untold narratives of English labouring craftsmen and artists as they translated the literary into the visual. Brylowe investigates examples from across the visual spectrum including artefacts, such as Wedgwood's Portland Vase, antiquarianism through the work of William Blake, the career of engraver John Landseer, and the growing influence of libraries and galleries in the period, particularly Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery. Brylowe artfully traces the shifting cultural connections between the imaginative word and the image in a period that saw new print technologies deluge Britain with its first mass media.
Lactation Advice Through Texting Can Help (LATCH): An Analysis of Intensity of Engagement via Two-Way Text Messaging

Rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration among women who attend the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are dramatically lower than non-participants....
Synthetic Power Grids from Real World Models

Research communities, vendors, and utilities need access to realistic power system models, however, there are confidentiality concerns that prevent their access to real world data. Similar concerns apply to the exchange of power system models between different organizations. This DOE-sponsored work is part of a broader effort to address these issues by creating tools for automatic generation of realistic publicly available power system models. In particular, this work presents a novel methodology for rapidly generating synthetic AC OPF power system models based on real-world topologies, power system parameters, "realism" metrics, and the desired complexity of the synthetic models. Our technique relies on recent insights into the topological statistics of real-world power systems.
Small fingers, big data: preschoolers' subitizing speed and accuracy during interactions with multitouch technology

This study focused on 18 students 4-5years old in an urban full-day preschool program in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Over the course of a month, students used a touchscreen tablet to interact with Fingu, an app designed to develop students' early number sense. Using backend data generated by the app, 8,153 individual task attempts were recorded. Multilevel growth modeling, with task attempts nested within students, was used to examine the extent to which students' speed of response and response accuracy changed over the course of the study, as well as whether any individual characteristics were associated with either speed or accuracy. Results indicate that, on average, students become both faster and more accurate. Girls were also found to be more accurate than boys, and older students were found to be both slightly slower to respond and less accurate.
Untangling Mathematical Knots with Simulated Annealing and Opposition-Based Learning

The fundamental problem in knot theory is to determine whether a given knot is an unknot. Solving such problem with existing computational algorithms or heuristic methods still remains challenging. In this paper we describe a hybrid algorithm that employs simulated annealing (SA) algorithm and opposition-based learning strategy to simplify and accelerate the simulation of mathematical knot relaxation. In our work, mathematical knots are modeled as closed node-link diagrams with energies charged at each node. A mathematical force model with adaptive step sizes is incorporated into SA for new individual generation. One elementary move with a descending number of nodes is included to prune the conformation and reduce the redundant information following the isotopy consistency. However, the force-directed model may be trapped to a local energy minimum. To overcome such intrinsic limitation, we adopt an opposition force based learning strategy to tackle this problem. With a flexible neighborhood and the instructive disturbance information, the knot geometry is able to untangle quickly and can reach the global minimum state without extra intervention. Illustrative test cases are presented, including three unknots and two classical knots with complex isotopy.
Implementing Active Clinical Training Approach (ACTA) in clinical practice

Active Clinical Training Approach (ACTA) is a newly developed theoretical model of active learning to promote self-directed learning through integrating the process, person, and context model. This study aimed to assess whether the use of Active Clinical Training Approach (ACTA) increases students' engagement in clinical practicum and enhances self-directed learning skills. A descriptive case study design was used. Forty-one students were enrolled in their 12-week clinical rotation, in which 50% of practice time was allocated for ACTA. Data were gathered from a variety of sources including observations and focus groups. Thematic analysis revealed that ACTA appeared to enhance self-directed learning skills through providing students opportunities to identify their learning needs and to practice their learned skills, work collaboratively with the healthcare team and their colleagues and search for evidence to justify their clinical conclusions. ACTA improves nursing students' interactions in clinical practice and supports a shift in student clinical training from student dependency on the clinical instructor to independence in discovering information, solving problems and practicing their learned skills.
The role of technology and the continuum of care for youth suicidality: Systematic review

Background: Youth suicide is a global public health issue, and using technology is one strategy to increase participation in preventive interventions. However, there is minimal knowledge on how technology-enhanced interventions for youth correspond to the stages of care, from illness or risk recognition to treatment follow-up. Objective: This systematic review aims to examine the efficacy of technology-enhanced youth suicide prevention and interventions across the continuum of care. Methods: Four electronic databases were searched up to spring 2019 for youth suicide preventive interventions that used technology. The review was not restricted by study design and eligible studies could report outcomes on suicidality or related behaviors, such as formal treatment initiation. An adapted version of the Methodological Quality Ratings Scale was used to assess study quality. Results: A total of 26 studies were identified. The findings support the emerging efficacy of technology-enhanced interventions, including a decline in suicidality and an increase in proactive behaviors. However, evidence suggests that there are gaps in the continuum of care and recent study samples do not represent the diverse identities of vulnerable youth. Conclusions: The majority of identified studies were conducted in school settings and were universal interventions that aligned with the illness and risk recognition and help-seeking stages of the continuum of care. This field could be strengthened by having future studies target the stages of assessment and treatment initiation, include diverse youth demographics, and examine the varying roles of providers and technological components in emerging interventions.
High Speed Serial Links Risk Assessment in Industrial Post-Silicon Validation Exploiting Machine Learning Techniques

Post-Silicon system margin validation consumes a significant amount of time and resources. To overcome this, a reduced validation plan for derivative products has previously been used. However, a certain amount of validation is still needed to avoid escapes, which is prone to subjective bias by the validation engineer comparing a reduced set of derivative validation data against the base product data. Machine Learning techniques allow to perform automatic decisions based on already available historical data. In this work, we present an efficient methodology implemented with Machine Learning to make an automatic risk assessment decision for derivative products, considering a large set of parameters obtained from the base product. The proposed methodology yields a high performance on the risk assessment decision, which translates into a significant reduction in time, effort, and resources.
Terrorism and Insurance Markets: A Role for the Government as Insurer?

Since September 11, 2001, insurance markets have been struggling to adjust to new information about the magnitude of risks posed by terrorism, and to the loss of tens of billions of dollars in reserves because of claims relating to the September 11 attacks. Insurance coverage for terror-related losses has become more expensive and for some risks difficult or impossible to obtain. As a result, various interest groups have called for the Federal government to provide coverage for terrorism losses, and proposals for increased government involvement are moving forward in Washington. We question the wisdom of any further measures of this sort. They are likely to come too late to address short-term market disruption, and in the long run may well supplant or distort desirable market responses to the new information about terrorism risk. The terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001 created chaos in the insurance industry. Insurers immediately refused to sell more than minimal coverage to any airline for ground damage, placing airlines in difficulty with both creditors and regulators. Property and casualty reinsurers, who will bear the brunt of the $50 billion or more in claims resulting from the destruction of the World Trade Center, announced that they would no longer sell coverage for acts of terrorism. The insurance industry responded by announcing that acts of terrorism would be excluded from coverage under commercial policies in future renewals, a state of affairs that might place the owners of some commercial properties in breach of loan covenants and may leave commercial lenders hesitant to make new loans. The Bush administration quickly obtained temporary authority for the Federal Aviation Administration to provide insurance coverage to airlines for ground damage, a Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Business. University of Chicago Law School. “Airlines Plan to Create Insurance Company, Coverage,” USA Today, March 7, 2002, p. 2B. “Insurers See Terror Coverage Delays Unless U.S. Helps,” Washington Post, January 18,2002, p. E3. “Insurance Chief Warns U.S. Business of Cover Loss: Terror Attacks Widespread Disruption and Breaches of Loan Covenants Predicted Unless Legislation Passed,” Financial Times (London), December 6, 2001, The Americas: p. 12. “Airlines Plan to Create Insurance Company, Coverage,” supra note 1.
Measuring Therapeutic Alliance for Tobacco Cessation Counseling for Behavioral Health Clinicians.

Introduction. Those coping with significant mental illness smoke at a high prevalence rate. Increasingly, behavioral health clinicians (BHCs) are being asked to provide tobacco-dependence interventions. In this context, it is important to measure their success at doing so. While the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) is a well-established measurement of the effectiveness of therapeutic alliance, it is not specific to tobacco-dependence interventions. The Working Alliance Inventory for Tobacco (WAIT-3) has been found valid for tobacco cessation counselors (health providers who address tobacco), but its validity has not been established when BHCs address tobacco cessation as part of addressing all other needs of their patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the WAIT-3 in the context of behavioral health clinicians. Methods. Wisconsin Community Support Programs and Comprehensive Community Services programs distributed an anonymous, brief (14 items) survey to 1,930 of their clients. Measured variables included smoking status, behavioral intentions regarding quitting, and perception of help received from their clinic. Respondents could enter a chance to win a gift card as a thank you. Results. WAIT-3 scores were correlated with quitting-related variables. Compared to those with lower WAIT-3 scores, those with higher scores reported more attempts to quit, were more motivated to quit, were more likely to have a smoking cessation/reduction goal in their general treatment plan, had more conversations about quitting with their BHC, and wanted more help from their BHC to quit. Conclusions. The WAIT-3 may be a valid way to measure the effectiveness of BHCs to address the tobacco use of their patients. Next steps include establishing its predictive validity.
SUB-$\mu\mathrm{W}$ Wireless Infrared Sensor with above-Threshold Measurement Function Based on a Bistable Micromechanical Switch

This work reports on the first ultra-low power infrared (IR) wireless sensor based on an IR micromechanical photoswitch (MP) and a microcontroller capable of quantifying the above-threshold input IR radiation and transmitting the measured value wirelessly. The entire sensor node remains asleep (standby power ∼811 nW) until awakened by the always-alert IR digitizer (i.e., the MP) upon exposure to targeted IR radiation. Unlike existing switch-based zero power sensors that only provide a binary output (i.e., indicate the presence of an IR source), the awakened sensor exploits a thermally-modulated electromechanical pull-in mechanism to measure the incident IR power using the same MP, the value of which is then transmitted wirelessly to a remote gateway. The prototype demonstrated here paves the way for maintenance-free coin battery-powered sensors for longterm and high-granularity remote deployment.
Protein Prenylation: A Perspective on Initial Discoveries

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the initial discoveries in the area of protein prenylation. Platelets contain platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), a growth factor that can stimulate the replication of cells in culture, and partially purified PDGF was used to examine the effects of cholesterol on different types of replicating cells. In the experiments described in the chapter, high concentrations of compactin were added to the cells to block the synthesis of cholesterol, which showed that the compactin also blocked the synthesis of DNA and induced cell rounding. These experiments also sought to determine whether added unesterified cholesterol or plasma lipoproteins could prevent these effects. However, neither of these additives was effective, while added exogenous mevalonic acid prevented both effects. Therefore, radioactive mevalonic acid was added to compactin-treated cells in amounts that could promote shape change reversal; products of the mevalonic acid that could have been involved were searched for, and it was found that much of the radioactivity was insoluble in lipid solvents. The effects of compactin on Swiss 3T3 cells that were either quiescent or traversing through a single cell cycle in response to added PDGF were examined. Compactin not only inhibits the synthesis of DNA in the PDGF-stimulated cells but also causes both the quiescent cells and the replicating cells to acquire a characteristic rounded shape.
Employing the mobility paradigm: the next big leap in digital government?

Among the many effects of Digital Government in recent years, increases in responsiveness and agility of government agencies have been reported. Also, in terms of availability, quality, and sophistication, the gap between information and transaction services in the private sector and in government appears to be narrowing. Mobile applications possibly have the caliber of accelerating this trend. This poster presents a framework, which helps inform and direct the strategic choices when exploring and employing the mobility paradigm in Digital Government.
Response of soybean fungal and oomycete pathogens to apigenin and genistein

Plants recognise invading pathogens and respond biochemically to prevent invasion or inhibit the colonisation of plant cells. Many plant defence compounds are flavonoids and some of these are known to have a broad spectrum of biological activity. In this study, we tested two flavonoids, apigenin and genistein, in amended culture media against seven soybean pathogens, including Colletotrichum truncatum, Macrophomina phaseolina, Phoma exigua, Phytophthora sojae, Pythium ultimum, Rhizoctonia solani, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Both compounds restricted growth of all seven pathogens, although not all equally. For example, inhibition of growth was less (P > 0.05) for C. truncatum than the other pathogens tested. There also was a dosage effect as increased concentrations of either compound significantly (P > 0.05) restricted colony growth. The results suggest that through metabolic engineering, apigenin and genistein may be targets for overproduction in planta to enhance disease resistance in soybean to funga...
The Post Office experience: Designing a large asynchronous chip

The Post Office is an asynchronous, 300000 transistor, full-custom CMOS chip designed as the communication component for the Mayfly scalable parallel processor. Performance requirements led to the development of a design style which permits the design of sequential circuits operating under a restricted form of multiple input change signaling called burst-mode. The Post Office complexity forced the authors to develop a set of design tools capable of correctly synthesizing transistor circuits from state machine and equation specifications, and capable of verifying the correctness of the resultant circuitry using implementation specific timing assumptions. A case study of this design experience is provided. >
Supportive Management of Mucositis and Metabolic Derangements in Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Oral mucositis (OM) is among the most undesirable, painful, and expensive toxicities of cytotoxic cancer therapy, and is disheartening for patients and frustrating for caregivers. Accurate assessment of the incidence of OM has been elusive, but accumulating data suggests that reported OM frequency is significantly less than its actual occurrence. It has been suggested that over 90% of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients receiving radiotherapy (RT) with concurrent cisplatin experience severe OM with symptoms of extreme pain, mucosal ulceration and consequent limitations in swallowing and achieving adequate nutritional intake. This panoply of symptoms inevitably impacts a patients’ quality of life and their willingness to continue treatment. In spite of all the advances made in understanding the pathophysiology of OM, there is still no prophylactic therapy with proven efficacy. Strategies to limit the extent of OM and to manage its symptomatology include basic oral care, supportive medications, nutritional support and targeting aggressive treatments to high-risk patients. This review focuses on OM recognition, preventive measurements, and symptom-management strategies.
The biology of the acanthocephala.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the biology of the acanthocephala. The morphology, functional anatomy, histology, cytology, ultrastructure development, biochemistry, host-parasite relationships, epidemiology, and medical and veterinary helminthology of acanthocephala are briefly discussed. A combination of experimental physiology and histology has given a clearer understanding of how the uterine bell apparatus and proboscis work in comparison to work based on earlier purely histological studies. The movement of the acanthor is also elucidated. The fine structure of acanthocephalan spermatozoa is given. The relationship between acanthocephala and cestoda can now be better understood as a result of advances in knowledge of biochemistry and fine structure. Other comparisons between these two groups are made in relation to intermediary metabolism and finally there is a phylogenetic explanation of peculiarities of acanthocephalan embryonic and larval development.
Lagrangian Stochastic Modeling of Dispersion in the Stable Boundary Layer

Lagrangian stochastic models are well-suited for modeling dispersion in the stable boundary layer, especially in complex terrain. This note briefly describes the formulations and application of a Lagrangian stochastic model to predict dispersion of tracers released within nocturnal drainage flows.
A 1 V 6 b 50 MHz current-interpolating CMOS ADC

A current-interpolation technique is used to implement a 6 b 50 MHz ADC operable with a single battery cell as low as 0.9 V without charge pumping. The prototype chip, fabricated in a 0.35 /spl mu/m standard digital process, occupies an area of 2.4 mm/spl times/2 mm, and consumes 10 mW each in analog and digital supplies, respectively.
Increased debt and industry product markets an empirical analysis

Abstract This paper tests for changes in firms' production and pricing decisions in four industries in which firms have sharply increased their financial leverage. The analysis of product price and quantity data shows that industry product market decisions are associated with capital structure. In three industries, output is negatively associated with the average industry debt ratio. In the one industry which shows a positive association between output and debt ratios, rival firms have low financial leverage and entry barriers are relatively low. Analysis of executive compensation data supports the hypothesis that managers' incentives to maximize shareholders' wealth increase following recapitalization.
Tailoring Carbon Nanotubes to Designed Morphologies for Electron Field Emission Applications

Field emission from carbon nanotubes (CNTs) at low applied electric fields has been demonstrated by a number of groups. However, the emission behavior reported for CNTs varies widely. Most of this variation is attributed to differences in the nanotube morphologies and contents of measured samples. We report here the effect of fabrication techniques including thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and plasma enhanced CVD on the formation of CNTs. The post-deposition process of using atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ZnO on CNTs was also investigated. The results suggest that numerous ZnO "nanobeads" formed on the surface of the CNTs resulting in dramatically improved electron field-emission.
Protein folding: New twists

The solution of the “protein folding problem” is critical to the burgeoning field of protein engineering and design. In this review, we discuss some developments that prompt us to seek an explicit stereo–chemical code for protein assembly. Our analysis leads to the conclusion that, to a good approximation, protein molecules are structural hierarchies of just four types of primitive folding units—including a novel unit called the Ω–loop. This conclusion, in turn, suggests a model of protein assembly called hierarchic condensation in which these nascent structural primitives associate in step–wise fashion, leading to larger modules and further association. Hierarchic organization is a familiar and simplifying pattern in the macroscopic world, so the existence of hierarchic architecture in proteins is a tantalizing finding. Despite their apparent structural complexity, protein molecules may yet turn out to be governed by stereo–chemical rules that are remarkably simple.
Recent advances in geodynamics

Summary A survey is given of recent developments in geodynamics. The first two sections describe briefly the recently accumulated pertinent geological and geophysical facts. Then, the new developments in the physical basis of geodynamics, in the theory of the earth's rotation, in our knowledge of epeirogenesis, in the proposed geotectonic hypotheses, in the theory of faulting, earthquake origination, folding and various miscellaneous phenomena, are described.
A simple tool for handling and loading capillary tubes

Drilling a hole in the blade of a vibrating spatula makes a simple tool for both handling and filling capillary tubes. It is especially useful for filling capillaries with air-sensitive samples in a glove box.
Calculation of electronic properties of boundaries in Ni3Al

Abstract The effects of boron doping on both the Ni-d DOS and the cohesive properties of Ni 3 Al have been studied through the use of supercell models having the local composition of Ni 3 Al with and without B at grain boundaries. The calculations of the density of states are compared with experimental results obtained from electron energy loss near edge structures. The results suggest an increase in the intensity of the Ni-L 2,3 white line when there is Ni enrichment; they also suggest that this increase disappears when B is added to the Ni-enriched model boundary, in agreement with experiment. The relationship between these results and cohesive enhancement as observed in B-doped Ni 3 Al is discussed.
Economics at the FTC: Retrospective Merger Analysis with a Focus on Hospitals

Economists at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) support the agency’s competition and consumer protection missions. In this year’s essay we discuss efforts at the FTC and elsewhere to examine empirically the competitive effects of mergers. This work has ranged from subjective interview-based reports on post-merger behavior to more objective analyses of post-merger performance based on rigorous empirical analysis of prices. In this essay we discuss the merger retrospective literature generally, and focus on the FTC staff’s recent empirical analyses of consummated hospital mergers.
Decision process models and the needs of policy-makers: Thoughts on the foreign policy interface

Many political scientists are not at all convinced that empirically verifiable generalizations about political behavior can ever be produced. There are thus many who believe that political scientists can never exert a significant impact upon the public policy-making process. Perhaps one way of narrowing the gap between the researcher and the policy-maker is to examine the public (foreign) policy decision-making process, pinpoint the leverage points within the process where social and political scientists (who engage in foreign policy analysis) might help, and then list the kinds and methods of analysis that would contribute the most to the process. The work of Harold D. Lasswell, James E. Anderson, E. S. Quade, William D. Coplin, and Charles F. Hermann can help us define the (foreign) policy-making process and locate the points at which scientific analysis can help the (foreign) policy-maker. The matching of these leverage points with types and instances of “relevant” analyses, as well as the methodologies necessary to carry out the analyses results in a matrix of decision tasks and research tasks which may be viewed as an agenda for the conduct of policy relevant research.
Colonization of the developing pancreas by neural precursors from the bowel.

Neurons in ganglia of the myenteric plexus of the duodenum and stomach have recently been demonstrated to innervate pancreatic ganglia and transsynaptically to excite acinar and islet cells. The hypothesis that crest-derived cells first colonize the foregut and secondarily enter the pancreas by way of the pancreatic buds was tested. Studies were done with fetal rats (days E11-E15). Pancreatic rudiments and foregut were explanted separately and in co-culture. The development of neurons in the explants, identified by demonstrating the immunoreactivities of neurofilaments and growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43), provided an indirect assay for the presence of neural precursors in the tissue at the time of explantation. Cells of putative neural crest origin were visualized immunocytochemically using the monoclonal antibody, NC-1. Additional markers included the immunoreactivities of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH), which is expressed by vagal crest-derived cells that colonize the bowel, neuropeptides (substance P and neuropeptide Y [NPY]) found in mature pancreatic neurons, and serotonin (5-HT), which is located in the cell bodies of enteric but not pancreatic neurons. Neurons were detected in cultures of foregut, but not pancreas, when these tissues were explanted by themselves at days E11 and E12. At E11 neural precursors did not leave explants of bowel or migrate into co-cultured pancreatic rudiments. When the foregut was explanted at E12, however, neural precursors migrated away from the bowel, giving rise both to distant ganglia and to neurons within co-cultured pancreatic rudiments. Intrapancreatic ganglia developed in the co-cultures even when the pancreatic attachment to the bowel was severed. Neurons appeared in pancreatic rudiments explanted by themselves on day E13. Neurons developing in pancreatic explants expressed the immunoreactivities of DBH, substance P, and NPY, but not 5-HT. These observations support the idea that pancreatic ganglia develop from crest-derived cells that first colonize the fetal rat foregut and there acquire the ability to colonize the pancreas. A later migration into the pancreatic rudiments of a subset of the original emigres or their progeny between days E12 and E13 gives rise to a network of pancreatic ganglia that can be regarded as an extension of the enteric nervous system.
Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome: a physician tells the story of her survival.

It's a rare disease, this Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome, and caused by what the press likes to refer to as the "killer bacteria" (Group A Streptococcus Type M). And yet in the summer of 1998 I got this disease. Out of the blue. At age 47, in perfect health. And thus began my saga of physician as patient, a story of great suffering and great blessings. I am a better physician because of it, and I have developed deeper, more loving connections with the people closest to me. My story is not told from memory. From the onset of the first symptoms until my awakening in an intensive care unit 14 days later I have total memory loss. I have slowly pieced together as much of these 2 weeks as possible. I have spoken with doctors and nurses, with family and friends. I have copies of all of my medical records. Yet there is an emotional gap, which I can't bridge. The powerful drama of those days is lost to me. This loss is a mercy and a sorrow. The memory loss has proved to be almost as dramatic and powerful as the illness and recovery.
Characterization of a green non‐dormant sunflower (Helianthus annuus) mutant NDG

A sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) mutant was observed in the progeny of a cross between the sunflower cultivar ‘HA 89’ and an amphiploid of a Helianthus divaricatus L. × P21 cross that exhibited loss of dormancy induction in the developing embryo. Seeds of this mutant frequently germinate on the head about 40 days after pollination. The cotyledons of this mutant remain green, whereas some other non-dormant mutants exhibit loss of pigmentation. The objectives of this investigation were to compare levels and activities of abscisic acid (ABA), a plant hormone that induces dormancy in developing embryos, in the non-dormant green mutant (NDG) and ‘HA 89’ from which NDG was derived. Immunoassays showed that abscisic acid was present in NDG and the levels were not significantly different from those in ‘HA 89’. Exposure of excised NDG mutant embryos to 40 μm abscisic acid failed to prevent germination, suggesting that non-dormancy could result from impairment in ABA receptors or from a defect in other proteins participating in the subsequent signalling pathway that normally induces dormancy.
Hysteresis model of bolted-angle connections

Abstract This paper presents a hysteretic model of bolted-angle connections for seismic analysis of semi-rigid steel frames with bolted connections. A semi-rigid beam-to-column connection is divided into a finite number of fiber elements. Hysteretic behavior of the fiber elements under repeated tension and compression has been established using the combined experimental and analytical results. The model has been implemented into a general purpose computer program and agrees well with experimental results. The main features of the model include: (1) Parameters of the model are directly related to a connection design; (2) Hysteresis rules are developed directly from comprehensive experiments specifically designed for modeling.