cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Labor Management in the Southern Textile Industry Comparing Qualitative, Quantitative, and Qualitative Comparative Analyses

This article explores a method developed by Ragin called qualitative comparative analysis or QCA. QCA would appear to offer two attractive possibilities: (a) it combines a consideration of systematic and ideographic elements in a single analysis; and (b) it overcomes some notable limitations of traditional quantitative and qualitative methods. The aim of the authors is to contrast the logic and results of QCA with traditional qualitative and quantitative analyses through a consideration of labor management practices in the southern textile industry. The authors argue that QCA represents a bridge between traditional qualitative and quantitative approaches, because it draws on some aspects of each. It is not, however, without its own limitations, because it leaves out some very admirable aspects of these other methodologies. This analysis suggests that different methodological strategies should be used to complement one another, because each provides valuable insights that can be checked and augmented by th...
An evaluation of anticoagulant therapy in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction.

T HE possibility that anticoagulants may be of value in the prevention and treatment of acute myocardial infarction was suggested by a series of animal experiments in which the incidence of artifically induced intravascular clots was observed to be dramatically reduced by the use of heparin.‘e4 In 1941 and 1942, heparin or Dicumarol was first used clinically in individual cases or in small series of cases of acute myocardial infarction. The first American report concerned exclusively with the use of Dicumarol in acute coronary occiusion appeared in December, 1945, when Wright5 described his experience with seventy-six cases. Between the time of that report and 1949, over twenty individual series of cases were published in the American literature. As reflected in these reports, the greatest experience with this means of therapy was obtained by Peters, Guyther, and Brambe16s7 in Baltimore, by Nichol8-1a in Miami, by Parker and Barker 11~12 at the Mayo Clinic, and by Wright and his associates13-l7 in New York. Although the early reports seemed consistently favorable, the results were in no instance based upon a sufficiently large series of properly controlled cases to warrant statistical analysis. These initial observations did, however, lead to the more extensive study carried out by the American Heart Association’s committee for the evaluation of anticoagulants in the treatment of coronary occlusion with myocardial infarction. This large-scale investigation1GJ8Jg at sixteen leading hospital centers provided data for statistical analysis of 1,031 cases of acute myocardial infarction. Of this number, 442 received conventional treatment for coronary thrombosis while 589 received heparin or Dicumarol or both. Of those patients not receiving anticoagulant therapy, 23.4 per cent died as compared to a mortality of 16.0 per cent in the group receiving this form of treatment. It appeared from these findings that approximately one-third of the expected deaths was prevented by the administration of anticoagulant drugs. Similarly, when the percentage of cases developing thrombo-embolic complications was examined, it was found that in the control group 26.0 per cent developed one or more of these complications as compared with 10.9 per cent in the treated group. The greatest benefits in the reduction of mortality were in patients 60 years of age or over. The crude death rates for patients less than 60 years in both the treated and control
Grafting Efficiency of Hydroxy‐Terminated Poly(methyl methacrylate) with Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Poly(methyl methacrylate)s (PMMAs) containing a terminal hydroxy group or multiple hydroxy groups as pendants were grafted to multiwalled carbontubes (MWNTs) by esterification in toluene at 100 °C. The recovered polymer with a low level of MWNTs and the PMMA-g-MWNTs with up to 12 wt.-% grafted polymer were characterized using spectroscopic, microscopic, and thermogravimetric analyses. The percentage of polymer present in the PMMA-g-MWNT samples is very low based upon the concentration of the acid groups in the tubes.
Thioridazine 5-Sulfoxide Diastereoisomers in Serum and Urine from Rats and Man After Chronic Thioridazine Administration

Two diastereoisomeric pairs of thioridazine 5-sulfoxide (T5SO)(ring sulfoxide) were detected in serum and urine from rats and patients following chronic thioridazine administration. The isolation and identification of each pair of isomers was by thin layer chromatography, high pressure liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry. Equal concentrations of T5SO pairs were present in serum and urine specimens from both rats and man. Therefore, the biotransformation and renal clearance of the isomers does not appear to be stereoselective in either species. An evaluation of chromatographic systems used in previous metabolic studies of thioridazine, and reasons for the lack of prior recognition of thioridazine 5-sulfoxide isomers is also presented.
Proton magnetic relaxation in solution of lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) hemoglobins

Abstract 1. 1. The longitudinal relaxation times of protons in aqueous solutions of four (out of the existing six) pure ferri-hemoglobin components of lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) were measured in respect to temperature dependence between 2° and 40°. 2. 2. In agreement with earlier observations by other techniques it was found that one of the minor fractions (Fraction 2) has distinctly different proton relaxation characteristics compared to the three major ones (3, 4 and 5). 3. 3. The results obtained for the major components allowed the calculation of kinetic parameters for the exchange of water protons between the sixth coordination place at the heme iron and bulk of the solvent, while the result obtained for the Component 2 probably indicates the very fast exchange mechanism. 4. 4. The accessibility of the heme iron to water protons as derived by these measurements was correlated with other characteristics of the minor and major components of lamprey hemoglobins, such as the reversible oxygenation and tendency of monomers to aggregate into larger units.
Physician-patient psychosocial characteristics influencing medical decision-making.

Abstract This study explores certain physician-patient psychosocial characteristics influencing medical decision-making about length of hospitalization and discharge medications in the hospitalized treatment of patients with chronic asthma. The physician's personal orientation toward the treatment of patients was operationalized as low or high physician sensitivity. Briefly, high sensitivity physicians treat their patients as whole persons while low sensitivity physicians treat them as instances of pulmonary pathology. Significant differences were observed between low and high sensitivity physicians in the number of discharge medications they wrote for both asthma and nonasthma medications and in the length of hospitalization of their patients. The patient's mode of coping with the illness was operationalized as low, moderate, or high levels of panic-fear symptomatology. Low panic-fear scores are characteristics of patients who tend to minimize their symptoms while high panic-fear scores are characteristics of patients who tend to emphasize their symptoms. Patients with extreme low or high panic-fear levels were reacted to quite differently by low and high sensitivity physicians. This affected decisions about discharge medications and length of hospitalization. In short, high sensitivity physicians prescribed less steroid medications to extreme low and high panic-fear patient groups and hospitalized them longer relative to the moderate panic-fear group. By comparison, low sensitivity physicians prescribed more steroid medications to the extreme patient groups and hospitalized them for shorter durations. A comprehensive and detailed understanding of the influences of physician characteristics on medical decision-making will require additional studies to assess specific individual differences in perceptual, cognitive, and affective capacities.
Colonoscopy in Octogenarians: A Prospective Outpatient Study

OBJECTIVES: The number of octogenarians (age ≥80 yr) referred for colonoscopy is increasing. Reported success rates regarding colonoscopy completion and adequacy of colonic preparation are poor overall in this group. This may be the result of age-related differences or biases due to retrospective data. The aims of this study were to prospectively determine differences between octogenarians and nonoctogenarians in adequacy of colonic preparation, success in completing colonoscopy, and complications of conscious sedation. METHODS: Prospective cohort study of 250 consecutive outpatients (150 nonoctogenarians and 100 octogenarians) referred for colonoscopy. Colonic preparation tolerance was assessed before colonoscopy, and the success rate and preparation were evaluated after the procedure. Conscious sedation complications were compared. RESULTS: In octogenarians and nonoctogenarians preparation tolerance (86% and 90%, respectively) was similar. Endoscopic success rate was slightly lower in octogenarians (90% vs 99%, p = 0.002). Preparation was poor in 16% of octogenarians compared with 4% of nonoctogenarians (p = 0.001). This was independent of the type of preparation used. Oxygen desaturation was more common in octogenarians (27% vs 19%, p = 0.0007) and associated with a higher meperidine dose (1.05 vs 0.75 mg/kg). No adverse outcomes occurred in either study group. CONCLUSIONS: Colonic preparations were well tolerated and colonoscopic success rates were high in octogenarians and nonoctogenarians. However, poor colonic preparation was four times as likely in octogenarians and was the most important impediment to adequate colonoscopy.
Numerical prediction of thunderstorms—has its time come?

An approach to developing numerical prediction of convective storms and storm environments over the next decade is outlined. the principal scientific challenges are described, along with some early progress made in meeting them.
Bridge coupled drift tube linacs

Abstract Modern linac designs for treating radioactive waste achieve high proton currents through funneling at low energy, typically around 20 MeV. The resulting switch to a high-frequency accelerating structure poses severe performance and fabrication difficulties below 100 MeV. Above 100 MeV, proven coupled-cavity linacs (CCLs) are available. However, at 20 MeV one must choose between a high-frequency drift-tube linac (DTL) or a coupled-cavity linac with very short cells. Potential radiation damage from the CW beam, excessive RF power losses, multipactoring, and fabricability all enter into this decision. At Los Alamos, we have developed designs for a bridge-coupled DTL (BCDTL) that, like a CCL, uses lattice focusing elements and bridge couplers, but that unlike a CCL, accelerates the beam in simple, short, large aperture DTL modules with no internal quadrupole focusing. Thus, the BCDTL consumes less power than the CCL linac without degrading beam performance and is simpler and cheaper to fabricate in the 20 to 100 MeV range.
Theory of relative native- and impurity-defect abundances in compound semiconductors and the factors that influence them.

An ab initio pseudo-atomic-orbital method [Phys. Rev. B 36, 6520 (1987)] is used to predict relative point-defect abundances and the factors that influence them in a number of III-V and II-VI compound semiconductors. A study is presented of the trends in the native--point-defect concentrations including vacancies, interstitials, and substitutional defects as a function of stoichiometry, temperature, chemical potential, host material, and the presence of extrinsic impurities. The concentrations are predicted from equilibrium statistical mechanics by making use of the defect-formation energies.
Evaluation of simulation training in cardiothoracic surgery: the Senior Tour perspective.

Objective The study objective was to introduce senior surgeons, referred to as members of the "Senior Tour," to simulation-based learning and evaluate ongoing simulation efforts in cardiothoracic surgery. Methods Thirteen senior cardiothoracic surgeons participated in a 2½-day Senior Tour Meeting. Of 12 simulators, each participant focused on 6 cardiac (small vessel anastomosis, aortic cannulation, cardiopulmonary bypass, aortic valve replacement, mitral valve repair, and aortic root replacement) or 6 thoracic surgical simulators (hilar dissection, esophageal anastomosis, rigid bronchoscopy, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy, tracheal resection, and sleeve resection). The participants provided critical feedback regarding the realism and utility of the simulators, which served as the basis for a composite assessment of the simulators. Results All participants acknowledged that simulation may not provide a wholly immersive experience. For small vessel anastomosis, the portable chest model is less realistic compared with the porcine model, but is valuable in teaching anastomosis mechanics. The aortic cannulation model allows multiple cannulations and can serve as a thoracic aortic surgery model. The cardiopulmonary bypass simulator provides crisis management experience. The porcine aortic valve replacement, mitral valve annuloplasty, and aortic root models are realistic and permit standardized training. The hilar dissection model is subject to variability of porcine anatomy and fragility of the vascular structures. The realistic esophageal anastomosis simulator presents various approaches to esophageal anastomosis. The exercise associated with the rigid bronchoscopy model is brief, and adding additional procedures should be considered. The tracheal resection, sleeve resection, and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy models are highly realistic and simulate advanced maneuvers. Conclusions By providing the necessary tools, such as task trainers and assessment instruments, the Senior Tour may be one means to enhance simulation-based learning in cardiothoracic surgery. The Senior Tour members can provide regular programmatic evaluation and critical analyses to ensure that proposed simulators are of educational value.
Evidence for mesenchymal-like sub-populations within squamous cell carcinomas possessing chemoresistance and phenotypic plasticity

Variable drug responses among malignant cells within individual tumors may represent a barrier to their eradication using chemotherapy. Carcinoma cells expressing mesenchymal markers resist conventional and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted chemotherapy. In this study, we evaluated whether mesenchymal-like sub-populations within human squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) with predominantly epithelial features contribute to overall therapy resistance. We identified a mesenchymal-like subset expressing low E-cadherin (Ecad-lo) and high vimentin within the upper aerodigestive tract SCCs. This subset was both isolated from the cell lines and was identified in xenografts and primary clinical specimens. The Ecad-lo subset contained more low-turnover cells, correlating with resistance to the conventional chemotherapeutic paclitaxel in vitro. Epidermal growth factor induced less stimulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase pathways in Ecad-lo cells, which was likely due to lower EGFR expression in this subset and correlated with in vivo resistance to the EGFR-targeted antibody, cetuximab. The Ecad-lo and high E-cadherin subsets were dynamic in phenotype, showing the capacity to repopulate each other from single-cell clones. Taken together, these results provide evidence for a low-turnover, mesenchymal-like sub-population in SCCs with diminished EGFR pathway function and intrinsic resistance to conventional and EGFR-targeted chemotherapies.
Technical aspects of daily online positioning of the prostate for three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy using an electronic portal imaging device.

Abstract Purpose To develop a real-time electronic portal imaging device (EPID) procedure to identify intraprostatic gold markers and correct daily variations in target position during external beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer. Methods and materials Pretherapy electronic portal images (EPIs) were acquired with a small portion of the therapeutic 18-MV dose from an orthogonal pair of treatment fields. The position of the intraprostatic gold markers on the EPIs was aligned with that on the simulation digitally reconstructed radiographs. If the initial three-dimensional target displacement (3DI) exceeded 5 mm or rotations exceeded 3°, the beam was realigned before the remainder of the dose was delivered. Field-only EPIs were then acquired for all fields and offline analysis was performed to determine the final 3D target placement (3DF). Results Twenty patients completed protocol-specified treatment, and all markers were identified on 99.6% of the pretherapy EPIs. Overall, 53% of treatment fractions were realigned. The mean 3DI was 5.6 mm in all patients (range 3.7–9.3), and the mean 3DF was 2.8 mm (range 1.6–4.0), which was statistically significant (p Conclusions Frequent field misalignment occurs when external fiducial marks are used for patient alignment. Misalignments can be readily and rapidly identified and corrected with an EPID-based online correction procedure that integrates commercially available equipment and software.
China's Ritual Feasts: Elite Men, Social Change, and the Imagination of Rural Authenticity in Luzhou, Sichuan

In the southern Sichuan city of Luzhou, as in other Chinese cities and towns, social and economic relationships are cemented with ritual feasting. The practice invites comparison to potlatch as a competitive, reciprocal giving system (Barnett 1938). Feasting as explored by Mayfair Yang (1994), James Watson (1987), Andrew Kipnis (1997), and Yunxiang Yan (1996), among others, has long been a part of Chinese social life and ethical practice. Traditionally, feasting has been part of larger ritual events such as weddings and funerals.
Caffeine intoxication: a case of paroxysmal atrial tachycardia.

Caffeinism is a syndrome resulting from the excessive ingestion of caffeine and characterized primarily by cardiovascular and central nervous system manifestations. A variety of tachyarrhythmias and extrasystoles are believed to reflect the toxic, cardiotonic effects of caffeine. A case of paroxysmal atrial tachycardia (PAT) related to caffeine abuse is presented. Caffeinism may be an underlying condition associated with PAT. The importance of considering this and other less frequent conditions as potential causes for this arrhythmia is stressed.
Trends in sunscreen recommendation among US physicians.

Importance Sunscreen is an important part of sun protection to prevent skin cancer but may not be recommended as often as guidelines dictate. Objective To evaluate trends in sunscreen recommendation among physicians to determine whether they are following suggested patient-education guidelines regarding sun protection, and to assess data regarding physician sunscreen recommendations to determine the association with patient demographics, physician specialty, and physician diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey was queried to identify patient visits to nonfederal outpatient physician offices at US ambulatory care practices (January 1, 1989–December 26, 2010) during which sunscreen was recommended. Main Outcomes and Measures Frequency of sunscreen recommendation. Results According to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, there were an estimated 18.30 billion patient visits nationwide. Physicians mentioned sunscreen at approximately 12.83 million visits (0.07%). Mention of sunscreen was reported by physicians at 0.9% of patient visits associated with a diagnosis of skin disease. Dermatologists recorded the mention of sunscreen the most (86.4% of all visits associated with sunscreen). However, dermatologists reported mentioning sunscreen at only 1.6% of all dermatology visits. Sunscreen was mentioned most frequently to white patients, particularly those in their eighth decade of life, and least frequently to children. Actinic keratosis was the most common diagnosis associated with sunscreen recommendation. Conclusions and Relevance Despite encouragement to provide patient education regarding sunscreen use and sun-protective behaviors, the rate at which physicians are mentioning sunscreen at patient visits is quite low, even for patients with a history of skin cancer. The high incidence and morbidity of skin cancer can be greatly reduced with the implementation of sun-protective behaviors, which patients should be counseled about at outpatient visits.
Design, biological activity and NMR-solution structure of a DNA analogue of yeast tRNA(Phe) anticodon domain.

Design of biologically active DNA analogues of the yeast tRNA(Phe) anticodon domain, tDNAPheAC, required the introduction of a d(m5C)-dependent, Mg(2+)-induced structural transition and the d(m1G) disruption of an intra-loop dC.dG base pair. The modifications were introduced at residues corresponding to m5C-40 and wybutosine-37 in tRNA(Phe). Modified tDNAPheAC inhibited translation by 50% at a tDNAPheAC:ribosome ratio of 8:1. The molecule's structure has been determined by NMR spectroscopy and restrained molecular dynamics with an overall r.m.s.d. of 2.8 A and 1.7 A in the stem, and is similar to the tRNA(Phe) anticodon domain in conformation and dimensions. The tDNAPheAC structure may provide a guide for the design of translation inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents.
On the joint distribution of the insertion path length and the number of comparisons in search trees

Abstract A search tree grown from an n -long random file of numerical records is studied. Each node of the tree accommodates an ordered subfile consisting of at most ( m −1) records; no particular assumptions are made about how the local search within a node is executed. The depth and the total number of comparisons of the search are shown to be asymptotically Gaussian with means a 1 ln n , a 2 ln n , and covariance matrix ∥ a ij ln n ∥. The a 's depend on m and the first and second order moments of the local search time. The locally binary and sequential cases serve as an illustration.
Clustering of dystonia in some pedigrees with autosomal dominant essential tremor suggests the existence of a distinct subtype of essential tremor

There is an ongoing debate whether essential tremor (ET) represents a monosymptomatic disorder or other neurologic symptoms are compatible with the diagnosis of ET. Many patients with clinically definite ET develop dystonia. It remains unknown whether tremor associated with dystonia represent a subtype of ET. We hypothesized that ET with dystonia represents a distinct subtype of ET. We studied patients diagnosed with familial ET and dystonia. We included only those patients whose first-degree relatives met diagnostic criteria for ET or dystonia with tremor. This cohort was ascertained for the presence of focal, segmental, multifocal, hemidystonia or generalized dystonia, and ET. We included 463 patients from 97 kindreds with autosomal dominant mode of inheritance (AD), defined by the vertical transmission of the disease. ET was the predominant phenotype in every ascertained family and each was phenotypically classified as AD ET. "Pure" ET was present in 365 individuals. Focal or segmental dystonia was present in 98 of the 463 patients; 87 of the 98 patients had ET associated with dystonia, one had dystonic tremor and ten had isolated dystonia. The age of onset and tremor severity did not differ between patients with "pure" ET and ET associated with dystonia. We did not observe a random distribution of dystonia in AD ET pedigrees and all patients with dystonia associated with ET were clustered in 28% of all included pedigrees (27/97, p < 0.001). Our results suggest that familial ET associated with dystonia may represent a distinct subtype of ET.
Titanium ion structures in BaOB2O3SiO2 glasses

Abstract The magnetic properties of BaOB2O3SiO2 glasses containing TiO2 concentrations up to 10 mol% have been studied. The magnetisation at 4.2 K has been measured as a function of total Ti concentration, Ti+3/Ti+4 ratio, and also subsequent to heat treatment at various oxygen pressures, temperatures and times. In addition, the EPR spectra of selected samples have been measured over a wide range of temperature. The observed susceptibility is less than that expected from free ions and the EPR exhibits a host of low field lines. The results are interpreted in terms of clusters of magnetic ions with an anti-ferromagnetic interaction.
THE INTERACTION OF THE DIRAC MAGNETIC MONOPOLE WITH MATTER

It has been previously determined that an electron has no bound states in the field of the magnetic monopole. Seeking to establish the character of the monopole's interaction with the more complex fields of atoms and molecules, this paper investigates charged particles, of arbitrary magnetic moment, moving simultaneously in the field of the monopole and an external electric field. It is concluded that the monopole can be coupled to matter with energies comparable to, but not significantly greater than, the chemical bond, reservations being made in the case of hydrogen where the lowest energy state depends upon the mass of the monopole.Speculation regarding the creation of monopoles by primary cosmic radiation and their consequent motion in the earth's magnetic field instigated an experimental attempt to arrive at an upper limit for the rate of such creation. The results of this experiment determine that the number of monopoles arriving at the surface of the earth is less than ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}$ per ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ per sec.
Sadly, the Future is No Longer What it Was

Leyland Kirby, 2009, 3 CDs, History Always Favours the Winners, #HAFTW001CD When I received my copy of Leyland Kirby's three-disc Sadly, the Future is No Longer What it Was—packaged in three lovely...
Septal lesions enhance hyperactivity induced either by amphetamine or lesions of the nucleus accumbens septi

Abstract Spontaneous locomotor activity was measured in 4 groups of rats subjected to either septal, accumbens, combined septal-accumbens or sham operations. Accumbens but not septal lesions increased activity above control levels and the combined septal-accumbens lesion markedly increased activity levels above that produced by the accumbens lesion. Thus, septal lesions appeared to exaggerate the activity changes produced by the accumbens lesions. Furthermore, both septal and combined septal-accumbens lesions enhanced the hyperactivity induced by 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg d -amphetamine-HCl but attenuated the hyperactivity induced by 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg scopolamine-HCl. Rats with accumbens lesions did not differ from controls in their response to amphetamine or scopolamine. Thus, septal lesions modified both lesion and drug-induced changes in locomotor activity.
A multisignal detection of hazardous materials for homeland security

The detection of hazardous materials has been identified as one of the most urgent needs of homeland security, especially in scanning cargo containers at United States ports. To date, special nuclear materials have been detected using neutron or gamma interrogation, and recently the nuclear resonance fluorescence has been suggested. We show a new paradigm in detecting the materials of interest by a method that combines four signals (radiography/computer tomography, acoustic, muon scattering, and nuclear resonance fluorescence) in cargos. The intelligent decision making software system is developed to support the following scenario: initially, radiography or the computer tomography scan is constructed to possibly mark the region(s) of interest. The acoustic interrogation is utilized in synergy to obtain information regarding the ultrasonic velocity of the cargo interior. The superposition of the computer tomography and acoustic images narrows down the region(s) of interest, and the intelligent system guides the detection to the next stage: no threat and finish, or proceed to the next interrogation. If the choice is the latter, knowing that high Z materials yield large scattering angle for muons, the muon scattering spectrum is used to detect the existence of such materials in the cargo. Additionally, the nuclear resonance fluorescence scan yields a spectrum that can be likened to the fingerprint of a material. The proposed algorithm is tested for detection of special nuclear materials in a comprehensive scenario.
FORMAL METHODS IN CIS: HETEROGENEOUS DATABASES GUEST EDITORS' INTRODUCTION

There has been much progress recently in cooperative information systems: new problems are being attacked, new techniques are being developed. As the field matures and as its applications become deployed in a wider range of domains and locales, there is increasing interest in formal methods to understand, analyze, design, verify, and validate cooperative information systems. Since the science of cooperative information systems (CIS) unabashedly borrows from several traditional disciplines, the techniques and formal methods that it applies are also of a wide variety. This issue presents some of the best papers in this subfield of CIS. These papers are unified by their relationship to heterogeneous databases and information environments. Even within this subset of CIS, it is interesting to see methods whose traditional counterparts are in artificial intelligence, software engineering, and database semantics and query processing. Lee, Madnick, and Siegel address one of the fundamental problems in CIS, namely, that of the semantic interoperability of information systems that arise in different contexts. Context is the holy grail of a number of sciences that deal with meaning. This paper proposes an approach that has many useful properties for enabling the exchange of information among diverse data sources. It models context and interoperation at the knowledge level, term coined by Allen Newell in artificial intelligence; it uses techniques pioneered by Ray Reiter, also in artificial intelligence. This enables an abstract characterization of the meaning of information independent of its specific realization in a particular system. Lee and Wu also concern themselves with the interoperability of autonomous databases. They propose hyperrelations—extended from the relations of traditional database theory—as a uniform and succinct means to represent the local schemas
On application-level approaches to avoiding TCP throughput collapse in cluster-based storage systems

TCP Incast plagues scalable cluster-based storage built atop standard TCP/IP-over-Ethernet, often resulting in much lower client read bandwidth than can be provided by the available network links. This paper reviews the Incast problem and discusses potential application-level approaches to avoiding it.
Completely Conservative, Covariant Numerical Methodology

For a distance dependent potential o, Newtonian dynamics is characterized by conservation of energy, linear momentum, and angular momentum. In addition, the basic dynamical equations are covariant, that is, invariant under fundamental coordinate transformations. In this paper, it is shown that related N-body problems can be solved numerically in such a fashion that, independently of the time step, the identical conservation laws continue to be valid for the approximating difference equations. In addition, the numerical method is covariant.
Strategic consensus in operations strategy

Abstract Many companies' operations strategies resemble roadmaps: they are very detailed, yet poorly communicated across the organization and inflexible in reacting to environmental changes. In contrast, an operations strategy which is clearly outlined, widely understood and allows flexibility to adapt to changes in the environment more closely resembles a compass. For a strategy to be effective it must not only be appropriate (i.e., be well-fitted to its competitive environment) but it also must be communicated and widely understood throughout the organization. This research examines the theoretical arguments regarding why such strategic consensus is important and presents an exploratory analysis of data from seven manufacturing plants. One of the weaknesses of the extant literature on operations strategy is that the majority of studies rely on responses provided by a single informant per company. This study employs a combination of survey and case study methods to gather data from seven manufacturing plants within the metalworking industry. The results of the study suggest that there are strategic areas where there is substantial disagreement between levels of the firm. Across the sample, operators tended to rate investments in technology disproportionately higher than managers. In addition to this systematic variation, individual case studies revealed that operators and managers in some firms exhibited significant inconsistencies in their manufacturing priorities, indicating a lack of strategic consensus. Furthermore, the methodology employed in this study illustrates one approach to obtaining more holistic, multiple respondent research on operations strategy.
Minimally invasive surgery – an overview

ABSTRACT:Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is not currently commonly performed in most general veterinary practices. Some veterinary surgeons (VS) may be reluctant to progress to MIS owing to limitations they may associate with it, such as: equipment set-up cost, the requirement for additional training, the learning curve and the initially increased surgical time.1 MIS is, however, becoming favoured in specialist veterinary hospitals for performing several diagnostic and interventional procedures. This article will give a basic overview of what can be achieved using minimally invasive techniques and the equipment and patient care that is required.
What are the pathology education requirements for all nonpathology ACGME-accredited programs in an academic center?

This study aimed to determine institution-wide graduate medical education (GME) requirements in pathology (exclusive of pathology residency and fellowships) at an academic center. All documents related to residency review committee (RRC) program requirements were searched for the key words “pathology,” “laboratory,” “autopsy,” and
Some asymptotic properties of Luce's beta learning model

This paper studies asymptotic properties of Luce's beta model. Asymptotic results are given for the two-operator and four-operator cases of contingent and noncontingent reinforcement.
Effect of Addition of a Diblock Copolymer on Blend Morphology and Performance of Poly(3-hexylthiophene):Perylene Diimide Solar Cells

The use of a diblock copolymer and a novel dissymmetric perylene leads to improvement in the efficiency of poly(3-hexylthiophene):perylene diimide solar cells. In films with the diblock copolymer, transmission electron micrographs indicate formation of smaller domain sizes, and the photoluminescence of the perylene component is partially quenched.
An elastic–plastic analysis of spherical indentation: Constitutive equations for single-indentation unloading and development of plasticity due to repeated indentation

Abstract The unloading response of elastic–plastic materials indented by a rigid spherical indenter and the development of plasticity due to repeated indentation are examined in the light of finite element simulations performed for a wide range of effective elastic modulus-to-yield strength ratio E ∗ / Y and strain hardening exponent. Equations of the dimensionless residual indentation depth and plastic work vs maximum indentation depth are extracted from finite element solutions. A relation of the residual indentation depth is derived for isotropic strain hardening materials using the concept of effective strain. Constitutive contact equations are given for elastic–perfectly plastic and isotropic strain hardening materials subjected to indentation unloading. The evolution of plasticity is tracked in four consecutive indentation cycles. For elastic–perfectly plastic materials with high E ∗ / Y , only the first indentation cycle is inelastic, implying elastic shakedown behavior characterizes steady-state deformation, whereas for materials with low E ∗ / Y , plastic deformation continues to occur with increasing indentation cycles, indicating that plastic work is dissipated in all subsequent indentation cycles. Repeated indentation of elastic–perfectly plastic materials with low E ∗ / Y shows the existence of elastic deformation, shakedown, and ratcheting regions, with plastic strain accumulation occurring near the center of the contact region without the growth of the plastic zone, as opposed to continuous plastic deformation in the vicinity of the contact edge and plastic zone growth with increasing indentation cycles for kinematic strain hardening behavior, which is attributed to the shift of the yield surface.
Activity of ciprofloxacin against resistant clinical isolates

The in-vitro activity of ciprofloxacin, a new quinolone derivative, was determined by broth microdilution for 518 clinical isolates. The MICs for 90% of the organisms were 2 mg/l for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 8 mg/l for P. maltophilia, 4 mg/l for other Pseudomonas spp., 1 mg/l for Acinetobacter anitratus, 0.03-0.5 mg/l for differing species of Enterobacteriaceae, 2 mg/l for Streptococcus faecalis, 0.25 mg/l for coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. and 2 mg/l for S. aureus. Furthermore, on a weight basis, the activity of ciprofloxacin was equivalent or superior to that of cefotaxime, ceftazidime, gentamicin, imipenem, latamoxef, piperacillin, oxacillin and vancomycin. In general, ciprofloxacin appears to be highly active against organisms resistant to many broad spectrum antimicrobials, including norfloxacin, gentamicin, cefotaxime, and ceftazidime, with MICs for 90% of organisms in the range of 0.03 to 16 mg/l.
Variation in inpatient racial composition among acute-care hospitals in New York State

This study examined the racial composition of inpatients among 282 short-stay, non-Federal hospitals in New York State. The primary data sources were two inpatient censuses conducted by Blue Cross in late 1975. These were augmented with data from the American Hospital Association's 1975 Annual Survey and the 1970 U.S. Census. Substantial disparity in racial mix was evident. Within New York City, for example, 24 out of 94 hospitals had fewer than 10% nonwhite patients, while 21 hospitals had 50% or more and 7 had 80% or more nonwhites. The proportion of patients covered by Medicaid was found by multiple regression analysis to be a major correlate of the proportion of patients who were nonwhite. Other factors positively associated with the proportion nonwhite included the proportion of patients admitted from the emergency room or outpatient department; presence of a residency program; and availability of family planning services. Analysis of two quality of care indicators revealed that, taking total patient load into account, hospitals with more nonwhite patients tended to have fewer nurses and total assets. In spite of nonwhite gains in access and utilization, the hospital system can still be characterized as 'separate and unequal'. It is suggested that a renewed effort to integrate health care facilities can have a positive impact on both majority and minority populations in this period of fiscal retrenchment.
PRODUCTION OF EPIBENTHIC DIATOMS IN A SOUTHERN CALLIPORNIA IMPOUNDED ESTUARY1, 2

In situ epibenthic diatom productio was determined for four sites within Bolsa Bay (Orange Coutry), California, to assess the effect of estuative impoundment by a tidal gate. Mean annual values of 26 and 41 mg C m−2 h−1 were found in the finner sediment of the outer bay whereas mean annual values of 41 and 59 mg C m−2 h −1 were found in the coarser, more stable sediment of the inner bay. Low production in the vicinity of the mouth of a flood control channel is thought to be caused by heavy metal inhibition in conjuction with sediment instability, a shl/allow photic zone and heavy grazing pressure. Seasonal production peaks in spring and falll were found to be closely correlated with the concentration of nitrate and silicate but not with phosphate. This study shows that even though Bolsa Bay has been cut off from the sea, drained and subjected to fill, it is as productive as other coastal wetlands throughout the world.
Automating the injection of believable decoys to detect snooping

We propose a novel trap-based architecture for enterprise networks that detects "silent" attackers who are eavesdropping network traffic. The primary contributions of our work are the ease of injecting, automatically, large amounts of believable bait, and the integration of various detection mechanisms in the back-end. We demonstrate our methodology in a prototype platform that uses our decoy injection API to dynamically create and dispense network traps on a subset of our campus wireless network. Finally, we present results of a user study that demonstrates the believability of our automatically generated decoy traffic.
Patterns of postnatal growth in HIV‐infected and HIV‐exposed children

HIV infection can contribute to disturbances in both linear growth and weight gain in early childhood, with disturbances often apparent as early as 3 months of age. There is little evidence for a difference in the early growth of HIV-exposed but uninfected children compared to healthy controls. Owing to the close association of growth with immune function and clinical progression, an understanding of growth patterns may be an important tool to ensure the provision of appropriate care to HIV-infected and exposed children. Timely growth monitoring may be used to improve the clinical course and quality of life of these children.
Minimally invasive video-assisted mitral valve surgery: a 12-year, 2-center experience in 1178 patients.

Objective To review a 2-institution experience with minimally invasive mitral valve surgery over a 12-year period. Methods We prospectively collected data on all patients having minimally invasive mitral valve surgery through a right minithoracotomy between May 1996 and May 2008. Results A total of 1178 patients included 941 (79.9%) patients having mitral valve repair and 237 (20.1%) having mitral valve replacement. The mean age was 61.1 ± 13.9 years, mean ejection fraction was 52.8% ± 12.1%, and 221 patients (18.8%) were having reoperations. Operative mortalities for mitral valve repair and mitral valve replacement were 2.1% and 4.6%, and for isolated primary MVP and MVR were 0.2% and 3.6%, respectively. Repair techniques included annuloplasty (98.2%), leaflet resection (40.7%), sliding plasty (21.0%), chordal transfer (9.0%), and neochordae placement (7.4%), with no or trivial residual MR in over 97% of patients. In patients having mitral valve replacement, a bioprosthesis was placed in 101 patients (42.6%) and a mechanical valve in 136 (57.4%). Concomitant procedures included atrial fibrillation ablation (22.5%), tricuspid valve surgery (5.4%), and atrial septal defect closure (9.4%). Nineteen patients (1.6%) experienced intraoperative conversion to sternotomy. Twenty-two patients (1.9%) had a reoperation at a mean of 732 ± 1014 days. Independent predictors of in-hospital mortality included New York Heart Association class III/IV (odds ratio 3.62), diabetes (odds ratio 2.81), bypass time > 180 minutes (odds ratio 2.63), preoperative atrial fibrillation (odds ratio 2.53), and age > 70 years (odds ratio 2.29). Prior cardiac surgery was not a significant predictor of mortality. Conclusions Video-assisted mitral valve surgery is safe with high rates of repair, low morbidity, and excellent outcomes. Reoperation after previous median sternotomy is not an independent predictor of mortality with this approach. Operative risk is increased if surgery is delayed until the onset of atrial fibrillation.
Transrectal ultrasound in the diagnosis of prostate cancer: location, echogenicity, histopathology, and staging

Adenocarcinoma of the prostate produces specific ultrasonic findings that can be used in diagnosis. We have examined 211 patients using transrectal ultrasound in both the sagittal and axial planes. Thirty-three carcinomas were detected, and 31 histologically confirmed; 24 by needle biopsy, six by transurethral resection, one by total prostatectomy, and two by the demonstration of distant metastases. On ultrasound, all of the carcinomas were less echogenic than normal prostate. All appeared to originate in the peripheral zone of the prostate and produced asymmetry of the gland. The majority of carcinomas in this series showed capsular involvement and ten penetrated and extended beyond the prostatic capsule. The results of this series indicate that transrectal ultrasound can be used to detect cancer of the prostate gland. Ultrasound demonstrated the extent of tumor involvement and enabled accurate staging of these cancers.
Oxidation enhanced diffusion of Si in GaAs: The effect of excess As on diffusion depth and carrier concentration

An investigation of the fast diffusion of Si in GaAs from deposited surface layers oxidized in an Ar/H2O ambient indicates excess As, formed by oxidation of Ga originating from the substrate, is responsible for the enhanced diffusion of Si into the substrate. The formation of the SiO2 on the surface during oxidation prevents loss of the excess As, which accumulates in the remaining Si film. Higher H2O partial pressures during the oxidation produce higher As/Si ratios, resulting in an increase in the Si diffusion depth and concentration. However, the n‐type carrier concentration decreases with higher As/Si ratios in the remaining Si layer. A second, nonoxidizing anneal on samples with the SiO2 and Si layer removed produced different effects on the carrier concentration, depending on whether As was free to escape from the substrate. The results indicate that excess As related defects such as gallium vacancies are probably responsible for the n‐type compensation in the fast diffused samples.
Permeability of blood vessels in mice affected with scrapie or fed with cuprizone.

Abstract Blood vessel permeability in normal mice and in mice affected with subclinical or clinical scrapie or fed with cuprizone was measured by a technique using two radioactive tracers; either 131 I and 125 I-labelled human serum albumin (HSA) or 131 I and 125 I-labelled polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). No major and constant difference in permeability was detected between the groups. Whole body radioactivity measured at intervals after intravenous injection of [ 131 I]PVP showed that during the first 24 h. normal mice excreted 52 per cent. of the injected [ 131 I]PVP, whereas mice with scrapie or fed with cuprizone excreted only 38 per cent.; after 6 days, however, all groups of mice had excreted very similar amounts.
Performance of brain-injured versus healthy adults on three versions of the category test

Abstract Forty-nine healthy adults and 45 brain-injured adults were tested using one of three versions of the Category Test. Membership based on brain-injury versus non-brain-injury produced a significant main effect on the total error score for all subtests, except Subtest 2, of the Category Test. No significant differences between versions of the Category Test on total error score or an interaction between Category Test version and group membership was found. Analysis of individual subtest error scores indicated significant differences between versions on Subtest 3 and Subtest 6, with the traditional version fairing least well in differentiating brain damage. These data support the contention that the Category Test is robust to changes in the form of administration.