cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Examining the Constitutionality of State Tax Amnesty in Federal Court

A number of states have recently enacted tax ‘amnesty’ statutes pursuant to which taxpayers may avoid state tax penalties as a result of coming forward on items that are otherwise taxable, or as a result of voluntarily disclosing questionable tax items reported in previous tax years. However, many of the recently enacted state amnesty statutes also contain non-waivable interest and penalty provisions that apply to taxpayers who do not voluntarily disclose such tax items to the relevant state taxing authority within the specified amnesty time period. In the case of Illinois’ Tax Amnesty Program, the interest and penalties that apply as a result of a taxpayer’s failure to disclose questionable tax items during the amnesty period are in addition to the interest and penalties that would already apply to the taxpayer for the tax item at issue. As a result, taxpayers subject to such sanctions would in effect be subject to double interest and penalties for the same tax item. This article will analyze whether the foregoing type of amnesty penalties are constitutional. Specifically, this article will examine whether the double interest and penalty provisions in Illinois’ recent tax amnesty statute violate the U.S. Constitution. As part of the examination of the constitutionality of Illinois’ Tax Amnesty Program, this article will consider the likelihood that a taxpayer subject to double penalties and interest under Illinois amnesty statute would prevail in obtaining relief in federal court. While federal constitutional challenges may be brought in state courts under our federalist form of government and dual judicial system allowing for concurrent state court jurisdiction over federal law issues, this article will focus exclusively on the potential federal constitutional infirmities in Illinois' Tax Amnesty Program that a taxpayer may raise in federal court. Such a focused critical analysis is important because the availability of federal court review of taxpayer challenges to state tax amnesty programs increases the likelihood of an objective judicial analysis of the federal constitutionality of the state’s tax amnesty statute and increases the likelihood that potential constitutional infirmities set forth in Illinois’ double-penalty provisions will be closely scrutinized. Accordingly, Part I of this article will analyze the likelihood that a taxpayer will prevail in obtaining federal court review of a challenge to a state amnesty program. Specifically, this article will examine whether a taxpayer would be able to overcome the jurisdictional barriers set forth in the Eleventh Amendment and in the Federal Tax Injunction Act. Part II of this article will examine some of the federal constitutional arguments taxpayers subject to state amnesty double tax penalties can make to challenge the legality and applicability of such provisions in federal court.
An iPSC-Derived Neuron Model of CLN3 Disease Facilitates Small Molecule Phenotypic Screening

The neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs) are a family of rare lysosomal storage disorders. The most common form of NCL occurs in children harboring a mutation in the CLN3 gene. This form is lethal...
Model School-District Wellness Policies Warrant Improvements in Comprehensiveness and Strength.

BACKGROUND School districts participating in the US Child Nutrition program are required to have a wellness policy. Many state agencies provide model policies to aid districts in policy creation. However, use of model wellness policies has not been associated with higher quality policies. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to assess the quality of model wellness policies and to determine if federal regulations are more likely to be included than evidence-based best practices. METHODS Model wellness polices available through state agency websites were analyzed for comprehensiveness and strength using the WellSAT 3.0 and item status as a federal regulation or best practice was assigned. We used linear regression to determine if federal regulation status was associated with inclusion in model wellness policies. RESULTS Overall, 34 states had model wellness policies available online. The total comprehensiveness and strength of model wellness policies was 59.3 ± 17.5 and 21.4 ± 17.6, respectively, out of 100 possible points. Among policy sections, comprehensiveness was highest within Nutrition Education (73.2 ± 31.6) and lowest in Wellness Promotion and Marketing (49.8 ± 27.2). On average, WellSAT items that were federal regulations were covered in 71% of model policies, while best practices were only covered in 54% of model policies (p = .008). CONCLUSIONS There is a need to improve the quality of model wellness policies. The development of a uniform model policy may be warranted to provide a comprehensive list of federal regulations and best practices, written with strong language, for inclusion within school wellness policies.
Reliable Facility Location Design under Uncertain Correlated Disruptions

Most of the previous studies on reliable facility location design assume that disruptions at different locations are independent. In this paper, we present a model that allows disruptions to be correlated with an uncertain joint distribution, and apply distributionally-robust optimization to minimize the expected cost under the worst-case distribution with the prespecified marginal disruption probabilities. We find this robust model to be advantageous in several aspects. First, the worst-case disruption distribution reflects a practical situation, known as the “ripple effect”, where a disastrous event at one source affects facilities within an impact region. Second, the structure of the worst-case distribution allows reformulating this seemingly much more complicated problem as a much easier stochastic program. Third, in a numerical study for the uncapacitated fixed-charge location problem, we find that failing to consider correlation could lead to excessive loss, which is also increasing in important factors such as disruption probability, propagation effect, and service interruption penalty. On the other hand, the robust model results in much lower regret even when disruptions are actually independent. Thus, we believe the robust optimization model could serve as an alternative approach for solving reliable facility location problems. Compared to the traditional approach, it better captures disruption propagation, requires much less computational effort, and delivers more favorable designs.
Trends for Electroconvulsive Therapy Utilization in Children and Adolescents in the United States From 2002 to 2017: A Nationwide Inpatient Sample Analysis.

OBJECTIVES Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is controversial in children and adolescents (C/A). The primary objective of this study was to evaluate baseline characteristics of C/A in the utilization of ECT compared with the non-ECT group with the same primary indication. The secondary objective was to assess the trends in ECT utilization over 16 years and explore the predictors of length of stay. METHODS Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from the years 2002 to 2017, we identified patients (age ≤18 years) undergoing ECT in the United States using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification/Procedure Coding System codes and compared with non-ECT C/A patients with the same primary diagnosis. Baseline clinical characteristics were assessed using descriptive analysis methods. Multilevel regression analysis and trend analysis were performed. RESULTS Children and adolescent patients (n = 159,158) receiving (ECT: n = 1870) were more likely to be men (43.3% vs 36.7%) and of White race (58% vs 49%) (P < 0.001). The hospital stay was longer (19 days vs 6 days, P < 0.001) for the ECT group than controls. ECT receiving C/A patients were more likely to have private insurance (72% vs 42%, P < 0.001). African American patients undergoing ECT treatment increased in number over the course of years (2002 to 2017), whereas the privately insured C/A patients receiving ECT decreased over the same period (P < 0.001). There was an upward trend in ECT utilization for small bed size hospitals (P < 0.001). Length of stay for C/A receiving ECT was longer for males (P < 0.001) and patients with nonprivate insurance (p: 0.003). CONCLUSIONS Electroconvulsive therapy is not optimally used in C/A; therefore, formulated treatment guidelines are required.
Comprehensive analysis of 2.4 million patent-to-research citations maps the biomedical innovation and translation landscape.

A citation map connecting patents to biomedical publications provides insights that can be used to better evaluate productivity, diversity and translational impact.
Andrographolide Attenuates Gut-Brain-Axis Associated Pathology in Gulf War Illness by Modulating Bacteriome-Virome Associated Inflammation and Microglia-Neuron Proinflammatory Crosstalk.

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic multi-symptomatic illness that is associated with fatigue, pain, cognitive deficits, and gastrointestinal disturbances and presents a significant challenge to treat in clinics. Our previous studies show a role of an altered Gut–Brain axis pathology in disease development and symptom persistence in GWI. The present study utilizes a mouse model of GWI to study the role of a labdane diterpenoid andrographolide (AG) to attenuate the Gut–Brain axis-linked pathology. Results showed that AG treatment in mice (100 mg/kg) via oral gavage restored bacteriome alterations, significantly increased probiotic bacteria Akkermansia, Lachnospiraceae, and Bifidobacterium, the genera that are known to aid in preserving gut and immune health. AG also corrected an altered virome with significant decreases in virome families Siphoviridae and Myoviridae known to be associated with gastrointestinal pathology. AG treatment significantly restored tight junction proteins that correlated well with decreased intestinal proinflammatory mediators IL-1β and IL-6 release. AG treatment could restore Claudin-5 levels, crucial for maintaining the BBB integrity. Notably, AG could decrease microglial activation and increase neurotrophic factor BDNF, the key to neurogenesis. Mechanistically, microglial conditioned medium generated from IL-6 stimulation with or without AG in a concentration similar to circulating levels found in the GWI mouse model and co-incubated with neuronal cells in vitro, decreased Tau phosphorylation and neuronal apoptosis. In conclusion, we show that AG treatment mitigated the Gut–Brain-Axis associated pathology in GWI and may be considered as a potential therapeutic avenue for the much-needed bench to bedside strategies in GWI.
Satisfaction with Fertility Preservation Decisions among Adolescent Males with Cancer: A Mixed Methods Study

Half of male childhood cancer survivors experience treatment-related fertility impairment, which can lead to distress. Survivors often regret forgoing fertility preservation (FP), and decisional dissatisfaction is associated with a lower quality of life. This mixed methods study examined short-term FP decisional satisfaction among families of male adolescents newly diagnosed with cancer who received an initial fertility consult and completed an FP values clarification tool. One-two months after the FP decision, thirty-nine families completed the Brief Subjective Decision Quality measure. Decisional satisfaction was compared for participants (mothers, fathers, adolescents) who did and did not attempt to bank. Semi-structured interviews included the following question: How do you/your family feel about the banking decision now/in the future? Decisional quality scores were moderate-high (M = 5.74-6.33 out of 7), with no significant differences between non-attempter (n = 15) and attempter (n = 24) families (adolescents: p = 0.83, d = 0.08; mothers: p = 0.18, d = 0.45; fathers: p = 0.32, d = 0.44). Three qualitative themes emerged among non-attempter families: (1) satisfaction with decision (50% of participants), (2) acceptance of decision (60%), and (3) potential for future regret (40%). Satisfaction with decision was the only theme identified in attempter families (93%). Quantitively, short-term decisional satisfaction was high regardless of the banking attempt. However, the qualitative findings suggest that the experiences of families who did not bank may be more nuanced, as several participants discussed a potential for future regret, highlighting the importance of ongoing support.
The role of anticoagulation for superior sagittal sinus thrombosis following craniotomy for resection of parasagittal/parafalcine meningiomas.

OBJECTIVE The safety and efficacy of anticoagulation in managing superior sagittal sinus (SSS) thrombosis remains unclear. The present study investigated the relationship between anticoagulation and cerebrovascular complications in parasagittal/parafalcine meningioma patients presenting with post-surgical SSS thrombosis. METHODS We analyzed 266 patients treated at a single institution between 2005 and 2020. Bivariate analysis was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test. Multivariate analysis was conducted using a logistic regression model. Blood thinning medications investigated included aspirin, warfarin, heparin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, and other novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs). A symptomatic SSS thrombosis was defined as a radiographically apparent thrombosis with new headaches, seizures, altered sensorium, or neurological deficits. RESULTS Our patient cohort was majority female (67.3%) with a mean age ([Formula: see text] SD) of 58.82 [Formula: see text] 13.04 years. A total of 15 (5.6%) patients developed postoperative SSS thrombosis and 5 (1.9%) were symptomatic; 2 (0.8%) symptomatic patients received anticoagulation. None of these 15 patients developed cerebrovascular complications following observation or anticoagulative treatment of asymptomatic SSS thrombosis. While incidence of any other postoperative complications was significantly associated with SSS thrombosis in bivariate analysis (p = 0.015), this association was no longer observed in multivariate analysis (OR = 2.15, p = 0.16) when controlling for patient age, sex, and anatomical location of the tumor along the SSS. CONCLUSIONS Our single-institution study examining the incidence of SSS thrombosis and associated risk factors highlights the need for further research efforts better prognosticate this adverse outcome. Conservative management may represent a viable treatment strategy for patients with SSS thrombosis.
Data Flow Modeling and Transformation

By nature, hardware is parallel and software is sequential. As a result, software models (C programs) are not very well suited to capture hardware implementations, and vice versa, hardware models (RTL programs) are not a good abstraction to describe software. However, designers frequently encounter situations for which a given design may use either hardware or software as a target. Trying to do both (writing a full C program as well as a full hardware design) is not an option; it requires the designer to work twice as hard. An alternative is to use a high-level model, which enables the designer to express a design without committing to a hardware or a software implementation. Using a high-level model, the designer can gain further insight into the specification, and decide on the right path for implementation.
Test Score Equating Using Discrete Anchor Items Versus Passage‐Based Anchor Items: A Case Study Using SAT® Data

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of discrete anchor items versus passage-based anchor items on observed score equating using empirical data. This study compares an SAT® critical reading anchor that contains more discrete items proportionally, compared to the total tests to be equated, to another anchor that contains fewer discrete items and more passage-based items proportionally. Both of these anchors were administered in an SAT administration. The impact of anchor type on equating was evaluated with respect to equating bias. The results clearly reveal that the anchor with more discrete items almost always leads to more accurate equating functions than does the anchor with more passage-based items.
The All Electric Airplane - Benefits and Challenges

The all electric aircraft considered in the present investigation is an aircraft which has digital flight crucial controls, electromechanical actuators, and electrical secondary power. There are no hydraulic or pneumatic systems. The characteristics of an all electric aircraft are related to reduced acquisition cost, reduced weight, reduced fuel consumption, increased reliability, reduced support equipment, simpler maintenance, an expanded flight envelope, and improved survivability. An additional benefit is the dramatically increased design flexibility and mission adaptability. However, the implementation of the all electric aircraft concept requires the resolution of a number of major technology issues. Issues in the digital flight controls area are related to achieving the required levels of safety and reliability in a cost effective manner. Other challenges which have to be met are concerned with electromechanical actuators, environmental control and ice protection systems, and engine technology.
Mechanism of Sindbis Virus-Induced Intrinsic Interference with Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Replication

Heterologous viral interference is induced by Sindbis virus against vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) in a manner analogous to intrinsic interference with Newcastle disease virus replication. Interference in both systems (i) depends upon early expression of the inducing virus genome, (ii) shows similar kinetics of induction, (iii) does not involve interferon action, and (iv) appears to be manifest as an all-or-none effect. VSV can be added to the list of viruses blocked by intrinsic interference. Sindbis virus-induced intrinsic interference with VSV replication is not mediated through homotypic interference by defective interfering particles; rather, T-particle and B-particle synthesis is inhibited. Significantly, intrinsic interference has no effect on primary transcription directed by the virion-associated transcriptase in VSV-challenged cells. However, Sindbis virus appears to induce interference with the VSV-RNA synthesized subsequent to primary transcription, namely, that which is dependent on protein synthesis. Thus, the target of intrinsic interference appears to be a reaction subsequent to primary transcription but prior to the appearance of protein synthesis-dependent VSV RNA, secondary transcription.
Infusional cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and etoposide in relapsed and resistant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: evidence for a schedule-dependent effect favoring infusional administration of chemotherapy.

PURPOSEThis study attempted to determine the efficacy of cyclophosphamide (C), doxorubicin (D), and etoposide (E) administered as a continuous intravenous (IV) infusion (infusional CDE) over 4 days in patients with relapsed or resistant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (rNHL) and in patients with previously untreated (uNHL) who had poor prognostic features.PATIENTS AND METHODSFifty-eight patients with rNHL and 10 patients with uNHL received infusional CDE every 28 or more days; all but one had intermediate- to high-grade histology. The cumulative doses of C, D, and E administered per treatment cycle were 750 mg/m2, 50 mg/m2, and 240 mg/m2, respectively. In the rNHL group, all patients had previously received C, most (81%) had received D, and a minority (16%) had received E.RESULTSObjective response occurred in 30 patients with rNHL (52%; 95% confidence interval, 39% to 65%); 10 patients had a complete response (CR) (17%; 95% confidence interval, 7% to 27%). Eleven patients (19%) remain progression-free (median foll...
Characteristic varieties of algebraic curves

We study an invariant of plane algebraic curves with several components. Such invariant, called here a characterisitic variety, is a collection of subtori in the group of characters of the fundamental group of the complement to the curve. This invariant is a generalization of one variable Alexander polynomial. The paper discusses the basic properties of characterisitic varieties and their calculation in terms of position of the singularities of the curve in the plane.
Play nice or pick a fight? Cooperation as an interest group strategy at implementation.

The open, multilevel nature of U.S. policymaking enables interest group activity throughout the policy process. At policy implementation, groups attempt to secure benefits or ameliorate legislated effects by devising cooperative or conflictual strategies to influence outcomes, especially when agency officials have discretion to design rules and negotiate agreements. Investigating group “street-level” activity with respect to the Endangered Species Act, this research finds that policy context and resources shape the degree of information and access available to groups, which influences the strategies groups adopt. Groups with access and specialized information will attempt to change or influence policy outcomes cooperatively. Groups with limited technical information are more likely to fight implementation.
Injury Outcome in Crashes with Guardrail End Terminals

Objective: The goal of this study is to evaluate the crash performance of guardrail end terminals in real-world crashes. Guardrail end terminals are installed at the ends of guardrail systems to prevent the rail from spearing through the car in an end-on collision. Recently, there has been a great deal of controversy as to the safety of certain widely used end terminal designs, partly because there is surprisingly little real-world crash data for end terminals. Most existing studies of end terminal crashes used data from prior to the mid-1990s. Since then, there have been large improvements to vehicle crashworthiness and seat belt usage rates, as well as new roadside safety hardware compliant with National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350, “Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features.” Additionally, most existing studies of injury in end terminal crashes do not account for factors such as the occurrence of rollover. This analysis uses more recent...
The impact of gender and sex-role orientation on responses to dissatisfaction in close relationships

Three studies were designed to examine the relationships among gender, sex role orientation, and responses to dissatisfaction in close relationships. Four ways of reacting to dissatisfaction were explored: (a) exit — ending or threatening to end the relationship; (b) voice — activity and constructively attempting to improve conditions; (c) loyalty — passively but optimistically waiting for conditions to improve; and (d) neglect — passively allowing conditions to deteriorate. Study 1 assessed generalized responses among university students; Study 2 assessed generalized responses among adults residing in the local community; and Study 3 assessed response tendencies among lesbian, gay male, and heterosexual women and men. Greater psychological femininity was consistently associated with greater tendencies to respond to relationship problems with voice and loyalty. However, there was little evidence of a link between level of femininity and tendencies to respond with exit and neglect. Greater psychological masculinity was associated with lesser tendencies toward voice and loyalty, and there was some evidence of a link between high psychological masculinity and tendencies toward exit and neglect. Gender was not consistently related to response tendencies, though there was very weak evidence that in comparison to females, males may be more likely to engage in exit and neglect responses.
Mechanical deformation and glycosaminoglycan content changes in a rabbit annular puncture disc degeneration model

Study design Evaluation of degenerated intervertebral discs from a rabbit annular puncture model by using specialized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, including displacement encoding with stimulated echoes and a fast-spin echo (DENSE-FSE) acquisition and delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC). Objective To evaluate a rabbit disc degeneration model by using various MRI techniques. To determine the displacements and strains, spin-lattice relaxation time (T1), and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) distribution of degenerated discs as compared to normal and adjacent level discs. Summary of background data Annular puncture of the intervertebral disc produces disc degeneration in rabbits. DENSE-FSE has been previously demonstrated in articular cartilage for the measurement of soft tissue displacements and strains. MRI also can measure the T1 of tissue, and dGEMRIC can quantify GAG concentration in cartilage. METHODS.: In eight New Zealand white rabbits, the annulus fibrosis of a lumbar disc was punctured. After 4 weeks, the punctured and cranially adjacent motion segments were isolated for MRI and histology. MRI was used to estimate the disc volume and map T1. DENSE-FSE was used to determine displacements for the estimation of strains. dGEMRIC was then used to determine GAG distributions. Results Histology and standard MRI indicated degeneration in punctured discs. Disc volume increased significantly at 4 weeks after the puncture. Displacement of the nucleus pulposus was distinct from that of the annulus fibrosis in most untreated discs but not in punctured discs. T1 was significantly higher and GAG concentration significantly lower in punctured discs compared with untreated adjacent level discs. Conclusion Noninvasive and quantitative MRI techniques can be used to evaluate the mechanical and biochemical changes that occur with animal models of disc degeneration. DENSE-FSE, dGEMRIC, and similar techniques have potential for evaluating the progression of disc degeneration and the efficacy of treatments.
Face and construct validation of a virtual peg transfer simulator.

The Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) trainer box is now established as a standard for evaluating minimally invasive surgical skills. A particularly simple task in this trainer box is the peg transfer task which is aimed at testing the surgeon’s bimanual dexterity, hand–eye coordination, speed, and precision. The Virtual Basic Laparoscopic Skill Trainer (VBLaST©) is a virtual version of the FLS tasks which allows automatic scoring and real-time, subjective quantification of performance without the need of a human proctor. In this article we report validation studies of the VBLaST© peg transfer (VBLaST-PT©) simulator. Thirty-five subjects with medical background were divided into two groups: experts (PGY 4–5, fellows, and practicing surgeons) and novices (PGY 1–3). The subjects were asked to perform the peg transfer task on both the FLS trainer box and the VBLaST-PT© simulator; their performance was evaluated based on established metrics of error and time. A new length of trajectory (LOT) metric has also been introduced for offline analysis. A questionnaire was used to rate the realism of the virtual system on a 5-point Likert scale. Preliminary face validation of the VBLaST-PT© with 34 subjects rated on a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire revealed high scores for all aspects of simulation, with 3.53 being the lowest mean score across all questions. A two-tailed Mann–Whitney test performed on the total scores showed significant (p = 0.001) difference between the groups. A similar test performed on the task time (p = 0.002) and the LOT (p = 0.004) separately showed statistically significant differences between the experts and the novices (p < 0.05). The experts appear to be traversing shorter overall trajectories in less time than the novices. VBLaST-PT© showed both face and construct validity and has promise as a substitute for the FLS for training peg transfer skills.
PON1 multitasks to protect health

The enzyme paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is an excellent example of a multitasking protein, displaying at least two very important functions: hydrolysis of organophosphorus (OP) anticholinesterases and prevention of oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDLs) and high density lipoproteins (HDLs). PON1 is associated with the HDL particle and is a member of a family of calcium-dependent hydrolases (1). Interest in PON1 has escalated in recent years because of its two highly important roles, the first related to protection from OP compound poisoning from nerve agents (chemical warfare agents also used in terrorist attacks) and from agricultural insecticides, and the second related to protection against cardiovascular disease. The current study from the Furlong laboratory in this issue of PNAS (2) demonstrates the feasibility of producing in Escherichia coli recombinant human PON1 engineered to be more efficient catalytically toward several substrates than are the native human forms of PON1. This greater enzymatic efficiency offers promise of a potential catalytic therapeutic agent more effective than current therapies at saving lives and preserving health.
A Comparison of Photothermal Deflection and Thermal Lensing Spectroscopy for Liquid Chromatographic Detection

A one-color pump/probe photothermal deflection detector for liquid chromatography is described and compared with its corresponding thermal lensing detection system. With 457.9-nm radiation from an argon-ion laser operated at a power level of 100 mW, both systems exhibit comparable detection limits. As a consequence, the choice between the two detectors is seemingly arbitrary. Other analytical aspects and potential for use are also compared and discussed.
Algorithms for some minimax problems

The problem of minimizing differentiable functions on an entire vector space and on bounded subsets thereof has been studied by many authors. In this paper, we consider the problem of minimizing a nondifferentiable functionof the form @f(z)=max@?i@?{1,...,N}f"i(z) on the entire space E"n, or on a bounded set @W in E"n, where the f"i are continuously differentiable functions. In Section 1 an expansion ofis found, and continuous and discrete algorithms for finding a stationary point (that is, a point satisfying the necessary condition) are given. Some special cases are discussed. Most of the results obtained here can be applied to minimax problems in function spaces and in particular to some time optimal control problems, optimal control problems in the presence of constraints on the phase coordinates, and some pursuit problems.
Social inertia and social stability in chickens

Abstract Groups of vertebrates that are organized on an hierarchical basis are known to be integrated by the habituation of inter-individual dominance relationships. The learned behaviour as social inertia was demonstrated by contrasting the frequency of agonistic behaviour in a stable flock of hens with one undergoing a regular alternation in flock membership. The stabilizing influence of social inertia was tested by the injection of an androgen which is known to increase the level of aggressiveness and may facilitate social mobility. The treatment increased social tension but relatively few reversals of dominance occurred. Injections of an oestrogen did not alter either aggressiveness or submissiveness. There was a suggestion that cestrogen might affect postures as social signals and thereby indirectly influence social interactions. It was suggested that degrees of stability within a group may introduce variables in experiments on social behaviour, and could mask the effects of hormonal treatments.
Initiation of mitosis in relation to the cell division cycle.

Abstract This report examined the question of when mitosis is initiated during the cell division cycle in mouse ear epidermal cells. Mitosis was selectively initiated and controlled by cutting one ear and leaving the other ear intact. The various stages of the cell cycle, G1 S, and G2 were distinguished by labeling DNA with tritiated thymidine and then making autoradiographic counts of labeled interphase nuclei and of labeled and unlabeled mitoses collected by colchicine. The following points were established. 1. 1. A unique population of epidermal cells was discovered that does not pass through an automatic cycle of cell division, but rather holds up in the G2 phase for long periods of time. These cells are ready to divide within relatively short notice and can be specifically induced to do so by cutting the ear. Thus, mitosis can be initiated from the G2 phase of the cell division cycle. 2. 2. Cutting also stimulates another population of epidermal cells that were in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. These cells begin to synthesize DNA within 1 hr after the cutting stimulus. 3. 3. A concept of cell renewal was proposed of a population of cells that serves as a fast-acting renewing system in tissues with a slow-acting renewal rate.
A performance-based development model for online faculty

Faculty development in distance education does not happen in a vacuum. It is often interwoven with efforts to increase adoption of distance education programs and increase the effectiveness of online teaching. Training might not be the only way to meet these needs. This article presents a new faculty-development model, based on a systematic performance analysis schema. Several alternatives to traditional training are proposed, including performance support, knowledge sharing, communities of practice, and formative evaluation.
Relationships Between Group Environment Scales and Group Performance and Cohesion

This study examines the relationship between group processes and group performance and cohesion in task and social groups. Subjects completed the Group Environment Scale (GES) and a brief questionnaire describing a group: 95 described a social group, and 49 described a task group. Task groups were rated higher on order and organization, leader control, and task orientation. Social groups scored higher on expressiveness, self-discovery, and innova tion. GES scales correlated with cohesion in both task and social groups were cohesion, self-discovery, leader support, and independence. Performance in social groups was related to task orientation, order and organization, leader support, cohesion, and leader control. Results supported the conceptual distinction between cohesion and performance and the importance ofprocesses dealing with both the task and group maintenance.
The environment for learning to program

This paper describes an ongoing research effort to develop course material that aids the learning of programming. The approach used establishes an environment for the learning of programming which stresses the use of programming as a tool for solving problems. Emphasis is upon the issues of programming methods and problem-solving, rather than the programming language features and ends in themselves. The concept of programming environment is expanded to include the information we provide the learner.This paper concludes that the environment for learning programming can be greatly improved.
The x-ray fovea, a device for reducing x-ray dose in fluoroscopy

The x‐ray fovea (U.S. patents pending) is a device for reducing x‐ray dose to patients and operators during x‐ray fluoroscopy. It consists of a semitransparent collimator with an open, circular, central hole. The fovea collimator is placed at the exit of the x‐ray tube, and the attenuation of the peripheral x‐ray beam reduces x‐ray exposure to patients and operators. The shadow caused by the x‐ray fovea can be compensated using real‐time image processing hardware. Accurate compensation is demonstrated for both linearly and logarithmically acquired images using a model that accounts for beam hardening in the fovea collimator. The central fovea region has improved image quality due to reduced scatter and veiling glare from the periphery. From beam‐stop measurements, a 40% reduction in scatter plus veiling glare is measured using the fovea. A contrast improvement ratio of 1.5 is measured throughout the central region. In the compensated periphery, noise is increased by a factor of 1.66 because fewer photons are detected, but a small amount of temporal filtering compensates this degradation. The Roentgen area product (RAP) exposure to patients is reduced by ≊70%, while scattered exposure to operators is reduced by ≊60%.
The efficacy of manual assessment of muscle strength using a new device

The purpose of this study was to compare the manual assessment of muscle strength with a small, handheld (by the examiner) force-measuring device developed by the Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma (ISMAT). One hundred twenty-eight patients presented with a known lower extremity orthopaedic pathology. All patients were clinically evaluated for hip abductor and hip flexor weakness in standard positions using the "break test" technique. All 128 patients were then evaluated with the ISMAT Manual Muscle Tester, a small, hand-held device which recorded the peak force (kg) required to break a muscle contraction. Three bilateral measures of hip abduction and hip flexion were recorded, averaged, and compared to the subjective clinical evaluation using a chisquare analysis. Bilateral values which were within 5% of each other were not considered significant and therefore not included in the calculations. The average hip abduction and hip flexion scores measured by the ISMAT tester were consistent with the examiner's perception of muscle weakness (P less than 0.001). The results demonstrate consistent detection of muscle weakness by the ISMAT Manual Muscle tester over a broad range of testing conditions.
Independent thoughts on dental education

In a speech before the Academy of Operative Dentistry, Feb 14, in Chicago, the dean of the School of Dentistry, University of Oregon Health Sciences Center, comments on the results of federal legislation that provides financial assistance to schools, the state of clinical dental education, the importance of consensus among dental organizations on major issues, and the relationship between general practitioners and specialists.
Workload-Aware Dual-Speed Dynamic Voltage Scaling

Dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) is a frequently used technique in mobile and embedded systems, aimed at reducing the energy consumption of mobile processors. In systems with a discrete number of frequency levels, existing dual-speed DVS approaches compute an optimal theoretical CPU speed and approximate it by choosing the two neighboring discrete speed levels. By comparing experimentally the energy savings attained with different frequency combinations on a mobile platform, this work shows that choosing the two neighboring frequency levels does not necessarily yield the highest energy savings. As a result of the above observation, this work introduces an online approach to dual-speed DVS that a) formulates a model for speed selection based on the workload characteristics of the current task set, b) computes a frequency pair that yields the best possible energy savings for a given taskset and workload.
psychiatric symptoms in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Abstract A retrospective analysis found that 25 (44%) of 56 patients diagnosed as having systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) had psychiatric symptoms at or before the time of diagnosis; 14 (25%) of the 56 were classified as psychotic. While interviews conducted with 19 of the 25 patients revealed no single long-term symptom, insomnia, depressed mood, emotional lability, nervousness, confusion, and diminished concentration were noted frequently. Socially active patients fared better than those who remained isolated. Patients who had experienced a psychotic episode were as well-adjusted on follow-up as those with no history of psychosis. This finding suggests that residual psychiatric effects are not caused by the “lupus psychosis”.
998-121 Effect of Hormone Replacement Therapy on Fibrinogen Level in Postmenopausal Women in the Framingham Offspring Study

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in postmenopausal women, but the mechanism of its protective effect is not fully characterized. To evaluate the relation ship between postmenopausal HRT and fibrinogen, an established hemostatic risk factor for CHD, we measured fibrinogen using the Clauss method in 858 women free of CHD in cycle 4 of the Framingham Offspring Study. The table shows mean ± SD fibrinogen levels for pre and postmeonopausal women according to use of HRT N Fibrinogen (mg/dl) %Δ p-value Premenopause 303 289 ± 53 Postmenopause (No HRT) 383 313 ± 58 ↑7.7% * l 0.001 * Postmenopause (HRT) 86 284 ± 44 ↓9.3% ** l 0.001 ** * Premenopause vs. Postmenopause (No HRT); ** Postmenopause (No HRT) vs. Postmenopause (HRT) (Age adjusted) These differences persisted upon multivariate adjustment for smoking, use of antihypertensive medication, diabetes mellitus, body mass index, alcohol intake, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. Postmenopausal HRT is associated with fibrinogen levels that are comparable to those found in premenopausal women. These data suggest that the protective effect of postmenopausal HRT may be mediated in part by favorable alterations in the hemostatic system.
GABAA receptors in the lateral hypothalamus as mediators of satiety and body weight regulation

In the lateral hypothalamus (LH), the inhibitory amino acid neurotransmitter, GABA, has had a long-standing presumptive role as an inhibitor of food intake. However, minimal investigation has been focused on GABA, especially as compared to the attention received by many peptide transmitters. To begin to address this deficiency in the understanding of the role of GABA in the LH and feeding, we report that antagonism of GABA(A) receptors in the rat LH elicits feeding, consistent with previous findings, and provide evidence for the behavioral selectivity of this effect. We extend previous findings that activation of LH GABA(A) receptors suppresses feeding, in particular by showing that nighttime and deprivation-induced eating are dramatically suppressed. Finally, we show that chronic activation, but not blockade, of the LH GABA(A) receptors leads to a reduction in 24 h food intake with concomitant body weight loss. These data collectively suggest that activation of GABA(A) receptors plays a fundamental role in controlling food intake and body weight, a role that has previously been somewhat underestimated.
Comparison of Network Generation Techniques for Unconsolidated Porous Media

While network models of porous materials have traditionally been constructed using regular or disordered lattices, recent developments allow the direct modeling of more realistic structures such as sphere packings, microtomographic images, or computer-simulated materials. One of the obstacles in these newer approaches is the generation of network structures that are physically representative of the real systems. In this paper, we present and compare two different algorithms to extract pore network parameters from three-dimensional images of unconsolidated porous media systems. The first approach, which utilizes a pixelized image of the pore space, is an extension to unconsolidated systems of a medial-axis based approach (MA). The second approach uses a modified Delaunay tessellation (MDT) of the grain locations. The two algorithms are validated using theoretical packings with known properties and then the networks generated from random packing are compared. For the regular packings, both methods are able to provide the correct pore network structure, including the number, size, and location of inscribed pore bodies, the number, size, and location of inscribed pore throats, and the connectivity. Despite the good agreement for the regular packings, there were differences in both the spatial mapping and statistical distributions in network properties for the random packings. The discrepancies are attributed to the pixelization at low resolution, non-uniqueness of the inscribed pore-body locations, and differences in merging processes used in the algorithms, and serve to highlight the difficulty in creating a unique network from a complex, continuum pore space.
Modeling Long Probes in Flowing Plasmas using KiPS-2D, a Novel Steady-State Vlasov Solver

A Consistent steady-state kinetic 2D plasma model and the corresponding computational solver were developed and used for the modeling of long conductive electron-collecting probes in o wing mesosonic plasmas. Sheath asymmetries, not accounted for in previous treatments of ion-collecting probes in o wing plasmas, are modeled here and shown to consititute an important mechanism for the departure from OML theory for electron current collection in the mesosonic regime. The eects of collisions are addressed by dividing the space surrounding the probe into a collisionless computational space and a collisional background plasma. The implementation of the solver consists of successive linearizations of the nonlinear Poisson-Vlasov operator, within a Tikhonov-regularized Newton iterative process. The Finite Element Method is used for the Poisson solver, while the inside-out trajectory tracking procedure is used for the Vlasov solver. The parallel solver allows for the arbitrary velocity distributions of both species within the computational domain, provides an adaptive, unstructured meshing strategy, and allows simulation of very large computational domains. Results show indication of a small enhancement, with respect to OML theory, of the collected current to an electron-attracting probe in a o wing plasma. This enhancement is attributed to the elongation of the pre-sheath into the collisional zone of the plasma, which causes an enhanced density of incoming electrons upstream from the probe, and is seen to dominate the opposing decrease in electron collection due to additional potential barriers created by a wake-side depression of the electric potential. The primary issue is the accumulation of noise in the solution that subsides in spite of the employed Tikhonov regularization, limiting the progress of the iterative scheme. Improvements in the Vlasov solver to reduce the amount of quadrature noise it generates are planned to improve the consistency of solutions.
Circular dichroism of mixtures of polyribo-adenylic and -uridylic acids in the near ultraviolet.

Abstract The circular dichroism of various combinations of polyribo-uridylic and -adenylic acids in the near ultraviolet were resolved into Gaussian elements. The resolved peaks exhibited wave length shifts as a function of sample composition which were distinctly different from those of the unresolved spectra. This discrepancy is shown to result from the combination of the resolved peaks into the original spectra. Higher order structure and electronic transitions involved with these spectra are more easily rationalized in terms of the resolved spectra than the unresolved.
Progress and Regress in the MBA Curriculum: The Career and Practice Skills Gap

The question of MBA (master of business administration) curriculum relevancy has extended over many years, but surprisingly there has been little cohesive effort on the part of business schools to modify their approach in preparing students for successful practice management. Our research provides support to the growing concern that managerial and behavioral skills education has been overshadowed by the quantitative orientation emphasized in most MBA programs, despite the weak relationship found between MBA curricula and career success. The results of our study, based upon the perceptions of successful executives, revealed a set of prioritized managerial advancement skills as essential to their business success. However, these skills have not been widely embraced by business schools facing well-entrenched structural impediments to curricula change. We offer some prescriptive measures to help address these issues, with the intention of elevating the relevancy of the MBA curriculum.