cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Otolaryngology Residency Interviewing Dates and Practices: What Should an Applicant Expect?

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Scheduling otolaryngology interviews may be a challenge for residency applicants due to overlapping interview dates. Our objective was to identify otolaryngology interview date patterns and scheduling conflicts over the past six application cycles. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review of otolaryngology online forums (Otomatch.com and Student Doctor Network). METHODS Online threads related to residency interview dates posted during the 2012 to 2013 through 2017 to 2018 interview seasons on Otomatch.com were reviewed. Program directors were contacted to complete any missing data. The χ- goodness-of-fit test and the χ2 test of independence was used to compare proportions. Analysis of variance was used to compare values across years. RESULTS Data from an average of 98 programs (99%) per year were obtained. The majority of invitations arrived late October (49%), followed by early November (37.1%). Interviews occurred primarily in December (48.4%) and January (37.5%). Programs on average scheduled 2.47 (range, 0-4) interview dates. Most interviews fell on Fridays (28.7%) and Saturdays (22.7%) (P < .0001), with an increasing trend toward interviewing on consecutive days. There was substantial overlap in interview dates, with six dates alone accounting for an average of 31.3% of all interviews in a given interview cycle. CONCLUSIONS The majority of otolaryngology interviews occur in December or January and fall on a Friday or Saturday. There is considerable overlap with the potential for scheduling conflicts. Our findings can help set expectations for applicants regarding interview invitations, as well as a strategy for scheduling interviews. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE NA Laryngoscope, 129:2280-2285, 2019.
Comparison of A-posteriori parameter choice rules for linear discrete ill-posed problems

Abstract Tikhonov regularization is one of the most popular methods for computing approximate solutions of linear discrete ill-posed problems with error-contaminated data. A regularization parameter, μ > 0 , balances the influence of a fidelity term, which measures how well the data is approximated, and of a regularization term, which dampens the propagation of the data error into the computed approximate solution. The quality of the computed solution is affected by the value of the regularization parameter μ . The discrepancy principle is a popular a-posteriori rule for determining a suitable value of μ . It performs quite well when a fairly accurate estimate of the norm of the error in the data is known. A modification of the discrepancy principle, proposed independently by Gfrerer and Raus, also can be used to determine μ . Analysis of this modification in an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space setting suggests that it will determine a value of μ that yields an approximate solution of higher quality than the approximate solution obtained when using the (standard) discrepancy principle to compute μ . This paper compares these a-posteriori rules for determining μ when applied to the solution of many linear discrete ill-posed problems with different amounts of error in the data. Our comparison shows that in a discrete setting, the discrepancy principle generally gives a value of μ that yields a computed solution of higher quality than the value of μ furnished by the modified discrepancy principle.
A Multirate Adaptive Control for MIMO Systems with Application to Cyber-Physical Security

This paper proposes a multirate output-feedback controller for multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems, possibly with non-minimum-phase zeros, using the $\mathcal{L}_{1}$ adaptive control structure. The analysis of stability and robustness of the sampled-data controller reveals that under certain conditions the performance of a continuous-time reference system is uniformly recovered as the sampling time goes to zero. The controller is designed for detection and mitigation of actuator attacks. By considering a multirate formulation, stealthy zero-dynamics attacks become detectable. The experimental results from the flight test of a small quadtotor are provided. The tests show that the multirate $\mathcal{L}_{1}$ controller can effectively detect the zero-dynamics actuator attack and recover stability of the quadrotor.
3352 Surgical Adjuvant of Immunomodulatory Gene Circuits for Treatment of Glioblastoma

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a brain cancer with a devastatingly short overall survival of under two years. The poor prognosis of GBM is largely due to cell invasion and maintenance of cancer initiating cells that evade the brain’s innate and adaptive immune responses which enables escape from surgical resection and drives inevitable recurrence. While targeting the brain’s immune microenvironment has long been proposed as a strategy for treating GBM, translational progress has been slow, underscoring the need to investigate the brain’s immune microenvironment for therapeutic avenues. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Recent advancements in tunable synthetic immunomodulatory gene circuits targeting metastatic cancers has demonstrated the novel ability to use engineering principles to induce infiltrative cancer cells to express combinatorial immunomodulatory outputs that enable T-cell killing4. Our central hypothesis is: we will be able to significantly improve survival with a lasting immune-mediated control of GBM by using synthetic immunomodulatory gene circuits driving GBM cells to express a local combination of immunomodulatory proteins: human IL15, a surface T-cell engager, PD-L1-CD3 bispecific antibody, and the protein, LIGHT (TNFRSF14). Importantly, the co-expression of LIGHT and anti-PD-L1 therapies was recently shown to rescue PD-L1 checkpoint blockage in the preclinical models of brain tumors and significant enhance survival outcomes highlighting the benefits of novel combinations of immunomodulatory proteins for treatment of GBM. To identify genes whose expression is dramatically upregulated in GBM compared to normal human brain cells, a pooled of six thousand lentiviral oncogene promoters that drive expression of a red-fluorescent protein has been infected into three human GBM cell lines. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We have successfully infected our GBM cells and are preparing samples for next generation DNA sequencing to determine highly active promoters in GBM that are not expressed in multiple normal brain cells types, astrocytes and neurons. These chosen promoters will then be used to drive an AND gate logic gene circuit immunotherapy outputs which is currently under development for both in-vitro and in-vivo experiments. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: We anticipate that local expression of multiple immune effectors proteins will significantly enhance tumor control and survival in both synergistic murine and human-murine xenograft pre-clinical models of GBM. Ultimately, our goal is to rapidly translate this technology advance into the clinical trial for adult GBM patients.
Photohydroionization Reduces Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli and Salmonella on Fresh Beef with Minimal Effects on Meat Quality

The photohydroionization (PHI) technology utilizes a combination of UV light and low-level oxidizers to produce antimicrobial action, and thus, is a potential intervention to control pathogen contamination on surface of fresh beef. The objectives of the study were 1) to evaluate the effect of PHI on reduction of selected Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7, non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC; O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145), antimicrobial resistant (AMR) and non-AMR Salmonella strains inoculated on beef flanks, and 2) to evaluate the effect of PHI treatment on the lean color and lipid oxidation of beef during refrigerated storage. Inoculated beef flanks were exposed to PHI treatment for 0 (control), 15, 30, or 60 s at 4°C. Exposure to PHI for 15 s reduced (P ≤ 0.05) pathogens on the surface of fresh beef ranging from 0.3 to 0.9 log CFU/cm². Increasing the exposure time to 60 s did not improve (P > 0.05) reductions over 15 s for the majority of the selected pathogens, but yielded pathogen reductions ranging from 0.5 to 1.1 log CFU/cm². Over all storage times when beef samples were exposed to PHI for 75 s, no difference (P > 0.05) was detected on lean a* value (24.67 versus 24.95), of treated and control fresh beef tissues, respectively. The highest TBARS values after storage for 14 d at 4°C was 0.33 mg MDA/kg of meat indicating that no oxidative rancidity occurred for treated beef samples. The PHI technology with 15 to 75 s exposure time was effective in controlling STEC and Salmonella contaminated on surface of fresh beef without causing adverse effects on fresh beef quality while reducing water and energy use. Further study of PHI treatment parameters under commercial plant conditions and ultimate validation of those parameters will be necessary for commercial implementation.
Using digital biomarkers as objective measures of activity and effort related to caregiving. (P6.195)

Objective: This study examines the feasibility of collecting objective measures related to caregiving and assesses how they compare to conventional caregiver tools. Background: Caregiver instruments using questionnaires assessing subjective aspects of caregiving can be subject to inaccuracies in self-reporting. There is a need for tools that objectively measure and quantify aspects related to caregiving. Home-based, remote-sensing computer systems provide the ability to capture outcome measures related to cognition and everyday functioning. These systems could provide more accurate and unbiased measures related to caregiving and time spent on caregiving. Design/Methods: Data is derived from EVALUATE-AD, a clinical trial to detect standard dementia treatment transitions. Enrolled participants have MCI or early-stage AD patients and live with a care partner. A pervasive sensing and computing system is deployed in each couple’s home continuously providing data on measures related to caregiver engagement (e.g. time together, sleep disruption). Convergent validity is assessed by examining the correlation between novel outcome measures and the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), administered every three months throughout the year-long trial. Results: Eight homes are currently enrolled. Caregivers (n=8) have a mean age of 70 years old and a mean baseline ZBI score of 13.2 (range 3–19). Data from passive wall-mounted infrared (IR) sensors are able to determine the time participants spend together in the same room, time apart in different rooms and time when both participants are out of their home. Caregiver sleep disruption associated with partner awakenings can be assessed by combining information from wristwatch actigraphy and IR sensors. Conclusions: Home-based remote-sensing systems provide a novel method to objectively measure outcomes related to caregiving and time spent on caregiving. These outcomes could be used to assess for quantifiable changes in aspects related to caregiving in future intervention trials and examine the evolution of caregiver engagement as a patient’s condition changes. Disclosure: Dr. Thomas has nothing to disclose. Dr. Riley has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mattek has nothing to disclose. Dr. Witter has nothing to disclose. Dr. Reynolds has nothing to disclose. Dr. Austin has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sharma has nothing to disclose. Dr. Marcoe has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kaye has nothing to disclose.
Outcomes of the Iowa Parent Partner program evaluation: Stability of reunification and re-entry into foster care

Abstract In an effort to facilitate family engagement with services, improve reunification outcomes, and empower the families they serve, child welfare agencies across the country have developed and implemented programs designed to provide peer mentoring. These programs work to identify parents who have successfully navigated the child welfare system in the past and train them to mentor parents who are currently in the system. The current study used a quasi-experimental design and propensity score matching to examine the outcomes for children of families served by the Iowa Department of Human Services Parent Partner program, one of the earliest and most established programs in the country. Results indicated that the children of program participants were significantly more likely to return home at discharge from their foster care placement than the children of matched non-participants. Additionally, Iowa Parent Partner program participants were significantly less likely to have a subsequent child removal within 12 months of the child returning home than matched non-participants. No significant differences were found between the children of program participants and children of matched non-participants in the total time in out of home care or subsequent child removal within 24 months of returning home. These results suggest that participating in the Iowa Parent Partner program can meaningfully improve the outcomes of children and families. Limitations and implications of the current study, as well as recommendations for future research, are discussed.
Economic and environmental impacts of an integrated-state anaerobic digestion system to produce compressed natural gas from organic wastes and energy crops

Abstract Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is a well-developed sustainable technology to convert organic waste streams and energy crops to produce renewable gaseous biofuels, while recycling nutrients and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, the environmental and economic impacts of an integrated-state AD technology (i-AD) producing Compressed Natural Gas (noted as BioCNG) were investigated from dairy-manure, food-wastes, and miscanthus biomass feedstocks, and compared with that of stand-alone liquid-state (LS-AD) and solid-state (SS-AD) AD technologies. A coupled life-cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis (LCA‐TEA) approach was used to estimate the Global Warming Potential (GWP) and the Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of BioCNG ‒ a renewable alternative to fossil-CNG. The results illustrated that the Fossil Energy Ratios (FERs) for BioCNG were between 2.3 and 3.3 in the increasing order as LS‐AD
School Counselors’ Perceptions of Barriers to Implementing a RAMP-Designated School Counseling Program:

This study examined what school counselors perceive to be consistent barriers to implementing a program that adheres to the ASCA National Model. The Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designates ...
Heterogeneous Chemistry of CaCO3 Aerosols with HNO3 and HCl

Calcite (CaCO3) aerosols often serve as an idealized proxy for calcium-rich mineral dust. Their use has also previously been proposed for stratospheric solar radiation management (SSRM). Little is ...
Evaluation of the time to desensitization of the larynx of cats following topical lidocaine application

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to evaluate the time to decreased reactivity of the arytenoid cartilages in cats after application of topical lidocaine.MethodsOne hundred and ten mixed-br...
Evaluation of Musculoskeletal Re-Injury Occurrence in Previously Concussed National Football League Athletes

Introduction Increased risk of musculoskeletal (MSK) injury post-concussion has been reported in collegiate athletes, yet it is unknown if professional football athletes are at the same risk of secondary injury. The objective of this study was to determine if the risk of MSK injury in National Football League (NFL) athletes increases after concussion. Methods NFL injury reports from 2013 to 2017 were collected from public websites. Concussed athletes (n=91) were equally matched to a non-injured control and an athlete with an incident of musculoskeletal (MSK) injury. Results Following their return to sport, concussed athletes were 2.35 times more likely to have a subsequent MSK injury relative to non-injured controls (95% CI: 2.35 [1.25, 4.44], P = 0.01), but were no more likely than athletes with an incident MSK injury (P = 0.55). Likewise, athletes with an incident MSK injury were no more likely to have a subsequent MSK injury than controls (P = 0.08). Discussion Increased odds of MSK injury in the 12-week period following a concussion in professional football athletes warrants future research on the acute effects of concussion and the relationship to MSK injury risk.
Noakes, Richard, Physics and Psychics: The Occult and the Sciences in Modern Britain

None of the physicists seemed to have any qualms about sticking their heads inside the giant magnets. It was a perfectly straightforward experiment to see if magnetic fields created any visual stim...
Approaches to Acquisition and Management of New Knowledge

The computer has become accepted as an informationmanagement tool in many fields. Yet veterinarians are very selective with the level to which we will rely oncomputerized information systems and with the types of information we will manage with computers. Traditionally we have accepted the computer as a means of managing numerical or financial information. More recently we have begun to accept the computer as an information tool for practice management, medical records, and herd health data. Now computer software is giving us the means to develop easy-to-use medical information systems. Two basic software concepts are presented in this paper, hypertext applications and the Problem Knowledge Coupler.™ The concept of "hypertext" was first introduced to the computer community by Ted Nelson in the 1960s. Put simply, hypertext is the means to link textual information to other textual information. Hypertext programs give one the ability to create large, cross-referenced documents with virtually unlimited search capabilities. Hypertext provides a means of navigating through large volumes of information. With the cross-referencing and search capabilities of hypertext documents it becomes possible to develop systems to successfully deal with information overload. With the geometrically increasing volume of information in veterinary medicine simple and effective means for navigation through information are essential.
Clinician and patient attitudes toward use of organs from hepatitis C viremic donors and their impact on acceptance: A contemporary review.

Background The use of Hepatitis C (HCV) NAT positive allografts remains unusual and is clustered at few centers. We conducted a contemporary literature review to assess whether patient and clinician attitudes toward viremic organs impact acceptance. Methods Databases including PubMed, MEDLINE, and SCOPUS databases were reviewed to identify studies focused on evaluating patient and provider perceptions of HCV NAT positive organ use within the DAA era (January 2015-April 2021). Search included MeSH terms related to Hepatitis C, transplantation, and patient and clinician attitudes. Two investigators extracted study characteristics including information on willingness to accept viremic organs, HCV-specific outcomes knowledge, HCV-specific concerns, and factors that contributed to acceptance or non-acceptance. Results Eight studies met all inclusion criteria. These included three pretransplant patient-directed studies, two post-transplant patient-directed studies, one pre- and post-transplant patient-directed study, and two clinician-directed studies. Common themes identified were concerns regarding HCV cure rates, viremic organ quality, DAA cost, stigma, and the possibility of HCV transmission to household members. The perception of decreased waitlist time was associated with viremic organ acceptance. Physician trust played a mixed role in acceptance patterns. Conclusions Knowledge of high cure rates, shorter waitlist times, and higher organ quality appear to have the highest impact on organ acceptance.
Affective Color Fields: Reimagining Rothkoesque Artwork as an Interactive Companion for Artistic Self-Expression

In this art project, we create Affective Color Fields: an interactive artifact that takes in a user's narrative of their emotional experiences and dynamically transforms it into Rothkoesque color fields through emotion classification. Inspired by Mark Rothko's abstract depiction of human emotions and Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological inquiry, we wish to establish an intimate relationship between interactive art and the subject by employing user's own interpretation and framing of life events. Through the performative and improvisational art-making process, users can playfully appropriate our artifact for a rich and personal aesthetic experience.
Country of Origin and Immigrant Earnings: Evidence from 1960-1990

Using 1960-1990 census microdata, this paper presents two analyses that examine how the initial large differences in immigrant earnings by country of origin change with duration in the United States. The first analysis reveals that country of origin adds less to the explanation of earnings among adult male immigrants the longer they reside in the United States. A second complementary analysis reveals a decrease with time in the United States in the earnings dispersion of demographically comparable immigrants across countries of origin. Both results imply convergence in immigrant earnings by country of origin. We further test the sensitivity of these results to emigration bias—a potentially important, though generally ignored problem in studies of immigrant earnings growth. A theoretical analysis assesses the impact of hypothetical patterns of selective emigration on the two convergence results. We then introduce a technique that could be generally applied as an empirical test for emigration bias in immigrant studies. Both the theoretical and empirical analyses suggest that immigrant earnings convergence by country of origin is not an artifact of emigration.
End-to-end information system concept for the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter

The Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) was intended to provide high-performance deep space relay links to landers, orbiters, sample-return missions, and approaching spacecraft in the vicinity of Mars, to demonstrate interplanetary laser communications, to demonstrate autonomous navigation, and to carry out its own science investigations. These goals led to a need for an array of end-to-end information system (EEIS) capabilities unprecedented for a deep space mission. We describe here the EEIS concept for provision of six major types of services by the MTO: relay, open-loop recording, Marscraft tracking, timing, payload data transport, and Earthlink data transport. We also discuss the key design drivers and strategies employed in the EEIS design, and possible extensions of the MTO EEIS concept to accommodate scenarios beyond the original MTO mission requirements.
Chip Shots--Will Functional Genomics Get Functional?

Dendritic cells are the frontline defense against invading microbial pathogens. But do they respond to a virus in the same way that they respond to a bacterium or a yeast? As [Modlin and Bloom][1] explain in their Perspective, gene expression profiling of human dendritic cells reveals that unique subsets of genes are activated in response to different pathogens ([ Huang et al .][2]). [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/294/5543/799 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/294/5543/870
Crystal Growth by Chemical Transport Reactions II: Equilibrium Measurements in the System Cadmium Sulfide‐Iodine

The gas phase equilibria in the system cadmium sulfide-iodine have been studied in the temperature range 400–800 °C. The total pressure of the reaction mixture as a function of temperature was measured with a quartz Bourdon gauge. Absorption spectroscopy was used to evaluate the iodine concentration in the gas phase. From these data the reaction can be described by By considering the iodine dissociation as well as the equilibria between the various sulfur species S2, S4, S6, S8, the equilibrium constant for the above reaction is given by in the entire temperature range studied. Die Gasgleichgewichte im System Cadmiumsulfid/Jod wurden im Temperaturbereich von 400–800 °C untersucht. Der Gesamtdruck der Reaktionsmischung wurde in Abhangigkeit von der Temperatur mit einem Bourdon-Manometer aus Quarz gemessen. Die Jodkonzentration in der Gasphase wurde absorptionsspektroskopisch ermittelt. Auf Grund dieser Daten kann die Reaktion durch die Gleichung wiedergegeben werden. Berucksichtigt man die Joddissoziation und die Gleichgewichte zwischen den verschiedenen Schwefelmolekulen S2, S4, S6, S8, erhalt man fur die Gleichgewichtskonstante obiger Reaktion im gesamten untersuchten Temperaturbereich
New and old concepts in radiotherapeutic treatment

Bone metashses, Radiotherapy, Treatment. X-ray therapy is still the most reliable method of relieving pain from bone metastases; it is also the most effective method to promote the calcification of osteolytic deposits (Fig. 1). Pathological fractures, however, do not heal with X-ray therapy alone in spite of recalcification. The management of pathologic fractures rests on finding a substitution for the bridging callus which is suppressed by both tumor invasion and irradiation according to Bonarigo and Rubin.’ The best support is obtained by internal fixation (pinning) for both imminent and pathological fractures. Metastases located in the vertebrae may involve the spinal canal and laminectomy may be necessary for decompression. In our experience, 80% of pain and disability associated with bone metastasis can be decreased with X-ray therapy; 50% of the patients have complete relief of symptoms. All carcinomas may metastasize to bone; however, a review of the charts of 2865 patients with bone metastases who were treated at M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute from 1946 to 1963’ showed that breast cancer metastatic to bone was the most common bone lesion in women (70% of all metastatic bone tumors in females) accounting for 35% of all the cases in our series. In men, prostate cancer was the primary site in 13% of all our cases of metastatic bone lesions (60% of all metastatic bone tumors in males). In our series, bone metastasis from primary tumors in the lung and the head and neck area followed in incidence. A composite of other large series of cases’ has the same order of frequency, but has a greater percentage incidence for those tumors originating in the prostate (30%). The incidence of bone metastasis from unknown primaries in our series is 5.5%. Careful investigation will detect the primary lesion in a high percentage of these cases; although the possible sites for the
Auger Electron Appearance Potential Spectrum of Ni

Electrons are accelerated onto a solid polycrystalline Ni surface. These primary electrons interact with the surface to produce one of two phenomena: x-ray flourescence, or Auger electron emission. Auger Electron Appearance Potential Spectroscopy (AEAPS) is a process by which the Auger component of the secondary electron flux is analysed to extract qualitative information about the electronic structure of the empty conduction band states. In AEAPS, the threshold behavior of the Auger transitions is examined by taking the first derivative of the secondary electron current with respect to the incident electron energy using the potential modulation technique. Width of the empty band, degree of localization of the conduction band wave functions, overlapping of the 3d band with the 4s, and satellite phenomena are among the important parameters ascertainable by AEAPS. The present AEAPS measurements of L3,2 levels of Ni are compared with the reported data from Soft X-ray Appear nce Potential Spectroscopy (SXAPS) of Ni. SXAPS is a complimentary process of AEAPS in that it examines the secondary x-ray fluorescence from the surface in much the same way as AEAPS examines the total electron yield. AEAPS, used alone, or in conjunction with SXAPS, is considered to be a powerful technique for the systematic investgation of series of metals, such as the transition, or lanthanide series.
Simulating quantum systems on a quantum computer

We show that the time evolution of the wave function of a quantum–mechanical many–particle system can be simulated precisely and efficiently on a quantum computer. The time needed for such a simulation is comparable to the time of a conventional simulation of the corresponding classical system, a performance which can9t be expected from any classical simulation of a quantum system. We then show how quantities of interest, like the energy spectrum of a system, can be obtained. We also indicate that ultimately the simulation of quantum field theory might be possible on large quantum computers.
Myeloid cells in tumour–immune interactions

Despite highly developed specific immune responses, tumour cells often manage to escape recognition by the immune system, continuing to grow uncontrollably. Experimental work suggests that mature myeloid cells may be central to the activation of the specific immune response. Recognition and subsequent control of tumour growth by the cells of the specific immune response depend on the balance between immature (ImC) and mature (MmC) myeloid cells in the body. However, tumour cells produce cytokines that inhibit ImC maturation, altering the balance between ImC and MmC. Hence, the focus of this manuscript is on the study of the potential role of this inhibiting mechanism on tumour growth dynamics. A conceptual predator–prey type model that incorporates the dynamics and interactions of tumour cells, CD8+ T cells, ImC and MmC is proposed in order to address the role of this mechanism. The prey (tumour) has a defence mechanism (blocking the maturation of ImC) that prevents the predator (immune system) from recog...
Some citrus chitinases also possess chitosanase activities

Several acidic chitinase and chitosanase isoforms were found in 4-week-old nonembryogenic sweet orange (‘Valencia’ [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck]) callus tissue. Two isoforms (designated A1-CF1 and A1-CF2) were purified to homogeneity using HPLC size exclusion, anion exchange, and chromatofocusing techniques. Both hydrolase isoforms exhibited activity with either colloidal chitin or solubilized shrimp shell chitosan. Specific activities for the purified isoforms could not be calculated because of the lack of protein and contamination of ampholytes. However, the specific activities for chitinase and chitosanase after anion exchange were respectively 404 nmol GlcNAc per min per mg protein and 2,475 nmol GlcN per min per mg protein. The Mr for both enzymes was 30,500. The homogeneous proteins cross-reacted in western blots with antiserum against a basic class I potato leaf chitinase.
Land tenure and deforestation patterns in the Ecuadorian Amazon: Conflicts in land conservation in frontier settings

Abstract The Cuyabeno Wildlife Production Reserve (Cuyabeno Reserve), located in the northeastern Ecuadorian Amazon, is a special protected area. Using a satellite image time-series, landscape ecology and evolving boundary definitions, shifts in landscape composition are described that focus on the spatial and temporal dynamics of land use and cover change (LUCC) within the vicinity of the Cuyabeno Reserve. Changes in local land tenancy and the implementation of protection buffers have accelerated the process of fragmentation and exacerbated the conflict between development and protection. Further, variations in management strategies and ownership histories confound LUCC patterns, rates, and trajectories.
Design, implementation, and verification of active cache emulator (ACE)

This paper presents the design, implementation, and verification of the Active Cache Emulator (ACE), a novel FPGA-based emulator that models an L3 cache actively and in real-time. ACE leverages interactions with its host system to model the target system (i.e. hypothetical system under study). Unlike most existing FPGA-based cache emulators that collect only memory traces from their host system, ACE provides feedback to its host by modeling the impact of the emulated cache on the system. Specifically, delays are injected to time dilate the host system which then experiences hit/miss latencies of the emulated cache. Such active emulation expands the context of performance measurements by capturing processor performance metrics (e.g. cycle per instruction) in addition to measuring the typical cache-specific performance metrics (e.g. miss ratio).ACE is designed to interface with a front-side bus (FSB) of a typical Pentium®-based PC system. To actively emulate cache latencies, ACE utilizes the snoop stall mechanism of the FSB to inject delays to the system. At present, ACE is implemented using a Xilinx XC2V6000 FPGA running at 66MHz, the same speed as its host's FSB. Verification of ACE includes using the Cache Calibrator and RightMark Memory Analyzer software to confirm proper detection of the emulated cache by the host system, and comparing ACE results with SimpleScalar software simulations.
Postnatal Age Influences Hypoglycemia-induced Neuronal Injury in the Rat Brain

Abstract Acute hypoglycemia is associated with neuronal injury in the mature human and rodent brains. Even though hypoglycemia is a common metabolic problem during development, its effects on the developing brain are not well understood. To characterize the severity of regional brain injury, postnatal day (P) 7, P14, P28 ( N = 20–30/age) and adult rats ( N = 8–12) were subjected to acute hypoglycemia of equivalent severity and duration (mean blood glucose concentration: 30.0 ± 0.1 mg/dL for 210 min). Neuronal injury in the cerebral cortex, striatum, hippocampus and hypothalamus was assessed 24 h, 72 h and 1 wk later by determining the number of degenerating cells positive for Fluoro-Jade B (FJB+) in the region. Compared with age-matched control, greater number of FJB+ cells was present per brain section of P14, P28 and adult hypoglycemia groups ( p p p
Effects of rate and word boundary ambiguity on recall by normal and impaired listeners

Twenty normal-hearing and 20 hearing-impaired persons heard experimental sentences that included two syllables with an ambiguous word boundary and control sentences that did not include an ambiguous word boundary. The sentences were produced at two rates. Difficulty in generating a meaning for the ambiguous word boundary that made sense within the sentence appeared to reduce recall. For the normal-hearing persons, the difficulty with the ambiguous word boundary reduced recall of experimental sentence words when the speech was fast but not when it was slow. For the hearing-impaired persons, the difficulty reduced the recall of the experimental sentence words when the speech was slow but not when it was fast. Two weeks later, the same listeners heard a set of two syllables having ambiguous word boundaries that were isolated from their sentences. Varying speed of speaking affected the segmentation of the two syllables by the normal-hearing more than it affected the segmentation by the hearing-impaired.
Compliance Enhancement A Call for Multidisciplinary Team Approaches

Concern about the cost and quality of health care has stimulated an interest in documenting improved patient outcomes. Large multisite clinical trials, such as MRFIT,1 HDFP,2 SHEP,3 and 4S,4 used multidisciplinary educational and behavioral interventions to demonstrate dramatic reductions in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality through the modification of risk factors. Other large multisite clinical trials, such as TOHP I5 and TOMS,6 used similar strategies to demonstrate significant differences in lifestyle modification and quality of life associated with effective risk reduction. But similar outcomes have not been achieved in clinical practice. Why are we not achieving the same results in clinical practice that we see in randomized controlled clinical trials? We believe one major reason is that the multidisciplinary team approach used in clinical trials to reduce risk is insufficiently incorporated into standard clinical practice. In the case of secondary prevention for coronary artery disease, improved outcomes depend on patients’ following appropriate risk reduction plans. The recent American Heart Association consensus statement “Preventing Heart Attack and Death in Patients With Coronary Disease”7 outlines a set of risk reduction recommendations for clinicians and emphasizes the central role of patient compliance (or “adherence”) in achieving improved medical outcomes. The statement says that “attention to enhancing patient compliance is an integral part of any risk reduction program,” adding that the proportion of patients who continue risk factor interventions over the long term “can be significantly increased by a team approach in which healthcare professionals−including physicians, nurses, and dietitians− manage risk reduction therapy by using follow-up techniques that include office or clinic visits and telephone contact. In many healthcare settings, the team approach will be the preferred technique for optimizing risk reduction.” The need for improved patient compliance extends well beyond those with established coronary artery disease. For …
Disease Management Approaches to Asthma

Despite an increased understanding of the pathophysiology of asthma and effective therapies, the prevalence, morbidity and mortality of asthma have risen dramatically over the last 2 decades. Asthma disease state management (ADSM) programmes provide managed care with a viable alternative to traditional quality assurance measures, through the integration of multiple components of the healthcare delivery system. This coordinated approach has been shown to improve clinical outcomes and increase patient satisfaction.
Early resolution of troubled financial institutions: An examination of the accelerated resolution program

Abstract This paper expands the empirical research on the auctions of failed financial institutions by examining the thrift industry Accelerated Resolution Program as an alternative to the standard auction procedures. Jointly managed by the Office of Thrift Supervision and the Resolution Trust Corporation, the objective of this program was to intervene before insolvency and, thereby, to reduce the regulatory expenditures. Previous research has often found the existence of a wealth transfer to the winning bidders in both commercial bank and thrift auctions. In contrast to this previous research, no evidence is found in this study to conclude that a wealth transfer occurred in standard Resolution Trust Corporation auctions. Furthermore, while the Accelerated Resolution Program yielded positive abnormal returns, there is also no evidence of a wealth transfer.
Fein Receives Edward A. Flinn III Award

Jay S. Fein received the Edward A. Flinn III Award at the Joint Assembly, held 26 May 2009 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The award honors “individuals who personify the Union's motto ‘unselfish cooperation in research’ through their facilitating, coordinating, and implementing activities.”
On a Data and Requirements Driven Multi-Scale Framework Linking Performance to Materials

The initial progress towards the design and development of a framework for automating the process of integrating experimental data with stakeholder specifications describing usability requirements, along with multiscale models for tailoring material and structural behavior characteristics is reported in the present paper. The proposed framework consists of a layered architecture that is comprised of three main layers. The first layer involves the computational infrastructure that implements the low level computational container that encompasses the computational codes that enable the modeling of the forward problem for various physical problems at specific time and length scales. The second layer of the framework implements the cascaded and hierarchical implementation of the inverse problem in terms of a composition of discrete event system and differential equation system specifications. The third element of the proposed architecture utilizes Category theory abstractions and their computational implementations to provide the necessary infrastructure for automating the process of developing synthetic specifications driven from experimental data and performance requirements related to the design and use of material and structural systems.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Phase equilibrium study of the YBaNiO system and structural characterization of the new quasi-one-dimensional oxide Y2BaNiO5

Phase equilibria in the Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}-BaO-NiO system were studied in the temperature range 1,000-1,350{degree}C in air. In addition to previously reported compositions, the new phase Y{sub 2}BaNiO{sub 5} was identified. Conditions for synthesis and stability of Y{sub 2}BaNiO{sub 5} are reported, as well as the dependence of oxygen nonstoichiometry and lattice parameters on conditions of preparation. Single crystals were obtained by rf induction melting and the structure was refined by four circle x-ray diffraction. Y{sub 2}BaNiO{sub 5} is isomorphous with Nd{sub 2}BaNiO{sub 5} and consists of isolated, highly compressed chains of corner-shared NiO{sub 6} octahedra.
Antipyrine Space Studies and Cell Water Estimates in Infants of Low Birth Weight

Extract: Antipyrine space (APS) studies in 44 normally grown (NG) neonates revealed estimates of total body water (TBW) comparable to those found by earlier investigators utilizing desiccation analyses. Body water per kilogram of body weight was higher in the 32 premature infants than in the 12 mature neonates, even after correction for presumed changes in body fat during growth (mean APS/lean mass was 846 ml/kg in premature and 782 ml/kg in mature infants, P 0.10). Prompt decrease in cell water was evident in the mature NG infants (correlation coefficient for ICW/APS versus study age: r = −0.76; ICW versus study age: r = −0.58), whereas such changes were absent in the premature infants (ICW/APS versus study age: r = −0.08; ICW versus study age: r = −0.16). Total water and cell water estimates in 23 intrauterine growth-retarded (IGR) neonates also studied were comparable to those of weight peers (mean APS, 790 ml/kg and ICW, 379 ml/kg in IGR; mean APS, 809 ml/kg and ICW, 375 ml/kg in NG prematures) but considerably in excess of values seen in gestational peers (mean APS, 688 ml/kg and ICW, 324 ml/kg in NG mature infants). The high total body water and cell water values were particularly prominent in the earlier-studied IGR infants (mean APS, 841 ml/kg and ICW, 494 ml/kg); a notable finding was the rapid downward adjustment of cell water to values similar to those in NG mature infants (ICW, 335 ml/kg in later-studied IGR infants and 314 ml/kg in later-studied NG mature neonates). This expansion of cell water in earlier-studied IGR infants persisted despite correction for a presumed total depletion of body fat (ICW/lean mass, 494 ml/kg in IGR infants, and 389 ml/kg in NG mature babies; ICW/APS was 0.56 in IGR neonates and 0.50 in NG mature infants, P < 0.001 for both). These findings indicate a real increase in cell water at birth in the IGR infant. Speculation: Changes in body composition in infants with intrauterine growth retardation (IGR) include sizable expansions, on a per kilogram basis, of all body water compartments. Although these findings resemble those observed in chronic protein-calorie malnutrition, rapid adjustments toward normal in the early hours after birth suggest a more transient, acute expansion, primarily of cell water, in the IGR neonate. These changes may reflect impaired cellular metabolism and increased cell acidity consequent to an increased asphyxial stress of labor and delivery in these infants
Perceptual organization for scene segmentation and description

A data-driven system for segmenting scenes into objects and their components is presented. This segmentation system generates hierarchies of features that correspond to structural elements such as boundaries and surfaces of objects. The technique is based on perceptual organization, implemented as a mechanism for exploiting geometrical regularities in the shapes of objects as projected on images. Edges are recursively grouped on geometrical relationships into a description hierarchy ranging from edges to the visible surfaces of objects. These edge groupings, which are termed collated features, are abstract descriptors encoding structural information. The geometrical relationships employed are quasi-invariant over 2-D projections and are common to structures of most objects. Thus, collations have a high likelihood of corresponding to parts of objects. Collations serve as intermediate and high-level features for various visual processes. Applications of collations to stereo correspondence, object-level segmentation, and shape description are illustrated. >
Leadership practices that encourage strategic thinking

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to define and then investigate the incidence of organizational leadership practices that encourage a culture of strategic thinking.Design/methodology/approach – Discussions with 400 US healthcare executives attending focused educational seminars identified 18 leadership practices that encourage strategic thinking and 117 participants in subsequent seminars completed a survey assessing their use of the practices. Central tendencies, patterns across high and low users, and demographic differences were analyzed.Findings – The two most frequently used practices involved reactions to crises. Executives using most of the practices employed long time horizons and made investments in human resource development and organizational learning. Industry suppliers and those responsible for parts of organizations were more likely to formally develop subordinates' strategic thinking ability.Research limitations/implications – While the study used a convenience sample with self‐rating...
NEW OR OTHERWISE NOTEWORTHY TAXA IN THE GENERA BIDENS AND COREOPSIS FROM TROPICAL AFRICA

RECENTLY A SHIPMENT of some two hundred specimens of African Coreopsidinae, for determination or confirmation, was received from Sir Edward Salisbury, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England. Among them were the novelties described below. It is a pleasure to express my considerable indebtedness to Dr. Salisbury for the opportunity of studying so valuable an assortment of herbarium specimens, many of them from localities that seldom or never before had been visited by collectors. BIDENS (sect. Steppia) cooperi sp. nov.-Herba gracillima, erecta, forsitan perennis, + 3-4 dm. alta. Caules (5 visi) tenerrimi, sulculati, pallidovirides usque subpurpurascentes interdum subglaucescentes, internodiis 6-14 cm. longis et 0.8-1.5 mm. crassis, glabris vel summis adpresso-hispidulis. Folia opposita, pauca (+ 3 juga), suberecta, anguste linearia simpliciaque 3.5-4.5 cm. longa et 0.7-1.2 (raro -2.5) mm. lata, nunc pinnatim 3vel 5-foliolata, petiolo gracili glabro vel ciliato sub 1 cm. longo; lamina vel foliolis integris vel basim versus elongate tenuissimeque dentatis dente setigero margine interdum subrevolutis et minutissime spinulosis, subcarnosis, nervo mediano sparsim setulosis alibi glabris, apice acutis induratisque. Capitula pauca (nunc 1 nunc 3-6 pro unico caule), plerumque corymbose disposita, tenuiter pedicellata vel pedunculata pedicellis pedunculisve adpresse erecteque albido-hispidis saepius 2-6 cm. longis, radiata, pansa ad anthesin + 4 cm. lata et circ. 8 mm. alta. Involucrum extus erecte et adpresse setosum setis albidis; bracteis exterioribus 11-14, pallidis, elongate angusteque linearibus, plus minusve ciliatis, apice subito conspicueque indurato-mucronatis, circ. 4.5-5 mm. longis, quam interioribus lanceolatooblongis apice acutis facile brevioribus. Flores ligulati 10-12, ligula sulfureo-flavi oblanceolato-oblongi circ. 1.5 mm. longi, apice obtuso rotundatove 2vel 3-denticulati. Paleae lineari-oblongae, apice acutae, ? 5 mm. longae. Achaenia ignota. Ovaria obcompressa, apice dense erecto-setosa et biaristata aristis tenuibus sub 1 mm. longis antrorsum hispidulis. Specimens examined: I. Omer Coloper, alt. 8,000 feet, between Addis Ababa and Addis Allem, Abyssinia, Sept. 19, 1926 (type, Kew, my photograph no. 4,410). In my monograph of the genus Bidens (Bot. Ser. Field Mus. Nat. Hist. 16: 61. 1937), this species will trace at once to the 4th letter f given on page 61. From B. chaetodonta var. glabrior given there it differs in its much more delicate habit, its much scantier foliage with narrower leaf-divisions (not