cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Atrial Fibrillation Patients on Warfarin and Their Transition to Direct Oral Anticoagulants.

Background The standard of care for stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) is the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). However, many patients established on warfarin therapy have not been considered for a transition to a DOAC. Objectives Assess the AF patient population of Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) Anticoagulation Management Service (AMS) currently being treated with warfarin, transition eligible patients to a DOAC, and identify barriers to the transitional process. Methods Patient characteristics were analyzed to describe the overall AF population and a systematic process was used to determine clinical candidacy for a transition from warfarin to a DOAC. After being deemed eligible by both the referring physician and the AMS pharmacist, each patient was contacted and offered the opportunity for DOAC transition. Endpoints included number of successful transitions and commonly encountered barriers. Results Out of the 1,407 total AF patients on warfarin managed by BWH AMS, there were 787 patients identified as candidates for DOAC transition and a successful transition was completed for 250 (31.8%) of them. Barriers to transition included patient preference for warfarin (n=247, 31.4%), referring physician preference for warfarin (n=112, 14.2%), cost (n=88, 11.2%), AMS pharmacist preference for warfarin (n=70, 8.9%), and previous DOAC intolerance (n=20, 2.5%). Conclusion Every institution or provider network that manages AF patients on warfarin should assess their population on a regular basis to identify candidates for DOAC therapy. Our initiative outlines a process for identifying and transitioning DOAC-eligible AF patients established on warfarin therapy and describes the most commonly encountered barriers to DOAC therapy.
Light-Triggered In Situ Gelation of Hydrogels using 2D Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS 2 ) Nanoassemblies as Crosslink Epicenter.

Light-responsive biomaterials are an emerging class of materials used for developing noninvasive, noncontact, precise, and controllable biomedical devices. Long-wavelength near-infrared (NIR) radiation is an attractive light source for in situ gelation due to its higher penetration depth and minimum side effects. The conventional approach to obtain crosslinked biomaterials relies heavily on the use of a photoinitiator by generating reactive species when exposed to short-wavelength radiation, which is detrimental to surrounding cells and tissue. Here, a new class of NIR-triggered in situ gelation system based on defect-rich 2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS2 ) nanoassemblies and thiol-functionalized thermoresponsive polymer in the absence of a photoinitiator is introduced. Exposure to NIR radiation activates the dynamic polymer-nanomaterials interactions by leveraging the photothermal characteristics of MoS2 and intrinsic phase transition ability of the thermoresponsive polymer. Specifically, upon NIR exposure, MoS2 acts as a crosslink epicenter by connecting with multiple polymeric chains via defect-driven click chemistry. As a proof-of-concept, the utility of NIR-triggered in situ gelation is demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, the crosslinked gel exhibits the potential for NIR light-responsive release of encapsulated therapeutics. These light-responsive biomaterials have strong potential for a range of biomedical applications, including artificial muscle, smart actuators, 3D/4D printing, regenerative medicine, and therapeutic delivery.
Ternary Kinetic Models for Rational Design of Molecular Glues

Recently, academic and industrial interest in molecular glue-based therapeutics has grown dramatically. Traditional drugs are designed to act on single targets, whereas molecular glues simultaneously bind two targets. By forming a ternary complex, molecular glues can create new therapeutic effects, such as rewiring cellular machinery to degrade specific proteins. Unfortunately, rational design of these therapies is challenging as current pharmacological theory is based on binary complex equilibria. Here, we extend our previous ternary-complex equilibrium work(JACS, 2013, 135, 6092) to derive a set of kinetic models highly analogous to Michaelis-Menten kinetics. We identify the weakest binding affinity as the most important engineerable parameter in the design of ternary-complex based therapeutics. Finally, we. have combined these equations with “big data” from new thermodynamic and kinetic databases to build interactive online tools that enable non-computational investigators to simulate their own experimental systems: • https://douglasslab.com/ternary_equilibrium/ • https://douglasslab.com/Btmax_kinetics/
Antiferromagnetic Exchange and Metal-Metal Bonding in Roussin's Black Sulfur and Selenium Salts.

Atom-efficient syntheses of the tetraethylammonium Roussin black sulfur and selenium salts ((Et4N)[Fe4E3(NO)7], E = S, Se) as well as their 15N-labeled counterparts are described herein. Broken-symmetry DFT calculations were conducted on both complexes to model an antiferromagnetic interaction between the apical {FeNO}7 unit, Sap = 3/2, and the three basal {Fe(NO)2}9 units, Sbas = 1/2. The calculated J values are -1813 and -1467 cm-1 for the sulfur and selenium compounds, respectively. The mechanism for antiferromagnetic exchange in both compounds was deduced to be direct exchange on the basis of the partially overlapping magnetic orbitals with orbital density only residing on the Fe-centers. The obtained Mossbauer parameters are most consistent with the calculated MS = 0 broken-symmetry state for both complexes. The values for J have been determined with variable-temperature 15N NMR experiments. Values of -1660 and -1430 cm-1 for the sulfur and selenium compounds, respectively, were obtained by fits to the variable-temperature NMR data, further validating the broken-symmetry MS = 0 model of the electronic structure.
Ruth Stone's Intricate Simplicities

RUTH STONE'S Simplicity is the kind of book one might expect from a great poet just hitting her stride, eagerly testing the full range of her powers for the first time. Its 116 pages?unusually generous for a book of poems these days?embrace a dazzling array of genres, styles, forms, while the poems themselves touch every conceivable tone of feeling from grief to fury, ribaldry to tenderness. All this expansive energy may be misleading, however: Ruth Stone turned eighty last year. Only a very few poets have written at their peak this late in their careers. Yeats is the preeminent example in English; Hardy, Stevens, perhaps Williams could be named as well. Yet their late poetry, powerful as it is, reflects a contracting of sensiblity, a detachment from worldly con cerns, that might seem inevitable in old age. (An obituary quoted Stephen Spender saying, apropos of age, "I enjoy being slightly with drawn from everything, looking at things more from the outside.") What is most remarkable about the poems in Simplicity is their boister ous and passionate engagement with the world in all its tangles of nature and culture, fact and fiction, eros and violence. Before I discuss these extraordinary poems in detail, I must address the riddle of Stone's relative obscurity. "Relative" is an important quali fier, for Stone has in fact long enjoyed a devoted following that in cludes some of our best-known poets and critics. John Ashbery, Donald Hall, Richard Wilbur, Leslie Fiedler, Sharon Olds, and Lucille Clifton are among those who have sung her praises, and this year a book of essays on her work was published entitled The House Is Made of Poetry: The Art of Ruth Stone. Yet she can hardly be called a "poet's poet," if that term implies a writer best appreciated by insiders; Stone is one of the most accessible poets alive, and her poems provide a kind of imme diate pleasure, both on the page and in her incomparable readings, that one seldom finds in contemporary poetry. The short answer to the question of why she isn't better known may be that she's resolutely kept her distance from the various Po Biz circuits that manufacture
Atatürk: An Intellectual Biography. By M. Şükrü Hanioğlu. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2011. Pp. xvi, 273. $18.45.)

Few political leaders have had as profound a role in shaping their country and its national vision as Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. Fewer still have enjoyed the national cult...
Serum iron concentrations and symptoms of acute iron poisoning in children.

Study Objective. To determine whether serum iron concentrations correlate with the development of symptoms of iron poisoning in children. Design. A retrospective study of medical records from January 1976 through June 1992. Setting. A tertiary care children's medical center. Patients. Criteria for patient selection included an acute ingestion of iron-containing drugs, measurement of serum iron prior to deferoxamine administration, and a serum iron concentration (obtained within 2-9 hours of exposure) that was greater than 150 μg/dl (27 μmol/L). Of the 128 children who were hospitalized for acute iron poisoning, 92 patients (mean age 2.3 ± 2.2 years) met the selection criteria. Interventions. None. Measurements and Main Results. The mean (± SD) serum iron concentrations (μg/dl) of patients who exhibited cardiovascular instability (725 ± 555, n=6 ; p<0.001) differed from those categorized with central nervous system changes (373 ± 77, n=30), gastrointestinal symptoms (334 ± 83, n=44), and no symptoms (368 ± 102, n=12). Serum iron concentrations in patients with cardiovascular instability ranged from 205-500 μg/dl (37-269 μmol/L), whereas those with no symptoms ranged from 170-513 μg/dl (30 to 92 μmol/L) demonstrating considerable overlap of ranges. Conclusions. Serum iron concentrations do not necessarily relate to acute toxicity, and further study is needed to demonstrate the value of serum iron concentrations and to identify alternative strategies in the emergency assessment of the acutely poisoned child.
Gap junction-mediated calcium waves define communication networks among murine postnatal neural progenitor cells

In the postnatal neurogenic niche, two populations of astrocyte-like cells (B cells) persist, one acting as neural progenitor cells (NPCs, B1 cells) and one forming a structural boundary between the neurogenic niche and the striatum (B2 cells, niche astrocytes). Despite being viewed as two distinct entities, we found that B1 and B2 cells express the gap junction protein connexin 43 and display functional coupling involving 50-60 cells. Using neonatal electroporation to label slowly cycling radial glia-derived B1 cells, which send a basal process onto blood vessels, we further confirmed dye coupling between NPCs. To assess the functionality of the coupling, we used calcium imaging in a preparation preserving the three-dimensional architecture of the subventricular zone. Intercellular calcium waves were observed among B cells. These waves travelled bidirectionally between B1 and B2 cells and propagated on blood vessels. Inter-B-cell calcium waves were absent in the presence of a gap junction blocker but persisted with purinergic receptor blockers. These findings show that privileged microdomains of communication networks exist among NPCs and niche astrocytes. Such functional coupling between these two cell types suggests that niche astrocytes do not merely have a structural role, but may play an active role in shaping the behavior of NPCs.
Regis University and the People of El Salvador: A Tool for Jesuit Education

Jesuit education challenges us to ask tough questions of ourselves and those around us. At Regis University in Denver, Colorado, the University’s mission encourages students to ask, “How ought we to live?” For some, the answer to this question can be found in a classroom, but, for others, the answer is more obvious in other settings. This question is especially prevalent as each year a group of students, faculty, and staff travel together to El Salvador to learn about important Jesuit history, diversity, solidarity, and justice, and how faith can play a role in the bigger picture of how each participant attempts to answer the question of how ought we to live. This unique learning opportunity impacts all those who participate in a way that changes them forever.
Endoscopic orbital floor decompression with preservation of the inferomedial strut

Background: Medial and inferior orbital decompression is most commonly performed in the seing of dysthyroid orbitopathy. Diplopia represents the most common com- plication and may be minimized through the preservation of a bony inferomedial strut (IMS). Historically, this has required a transconjunctival approach due to the techni- cal demands of performing an isolated orbital floor de- compression using endoscopic instrumentation. Here we describe a novel technique of a purely endoscopic or- bital floor decompression with reliable preservation of the IMS.
Preserving the big picture: visual network traffic analysis with TNV

When performing packet-level analysis in intrusion detection, analysts often lose sight of the big picture while examining these low-level details. In order to prevent this loss of context and augment the available tools for intrusion detection analysis tasks, we developed an information visualization tool, the time-based network traffic visualizer (TNV). TNV is grounded in an understanding of the work practices of intrusion detection analysts, particularly foregrounding the overarching importance of context and time in the process of intrusion detection analysis. The main visual component of TNV is a matrix showing network activity of hosts over time, with connections between hosts superimposed on the matrix, complemented by multiple, linked views showing port activity and the details of the raw packets. Providing low-level textual data in the context of a high-level, aggregated graphical display enables analysts to examine packet-level details within the larger context of activity. This combination has the potential to facilitate the intrusion detection analysis tasks and help novice analysts learn what constitutes normal on a particular network.
Identification and evaluation of biological impact mitigation measures

Identification and evaluation of mitigation measures for adverse biological impacts of proposed projects are often the focal points for opposition and debate relative to the projects. This paper delineates several positive approaches for both identifying and evaluating potential mitigation measures. Identification approaches include the review of utilized measures for similar projects, computer-based literature and information searches, and the use of computer-generated checklists of potential measures. Utilized measures for eight wastewater treatment projects, five surface mining operations and eight highway projects are described. Evaluation approaches include post-EIS environmental monitoring, pre-project qualitative evaluation based on case studies, and pre-project quantitative evaluation using structured habitat-based methods. Based upon this review, it has been determined that there are an ample number of approaches which can be used to identify potential mitigation measures for the adverse biological impacts of proposed projects. However, while systematic methodologies are available for evaluating the potential effectiveness of mitigation measures, these methodologies have not been used extensively as a part of the EIS process. Additional attention needs to be given to the incorporation of mitigation evaluation schemes in pre-project environmental impact studies.
Hybrid Approach by Use of Linear Analogs for Gas-Network Simulation With Multiple Components

Summary The generalized Newton-Raphson method is routinely deployed in industrial and academic applications to solve complex systems of highly nonlinear equations. Prime candidates for this solution methodology are complex natural-gas transportation networks, of which the nonlinear governing equations can be written in terms of nodal, loop, or nodal/loop formulations to solve for all network pressures and flows. A well-known issue of the Newton-Raphson iterative methodology is its hapless divergence characteristics when poorly initialized or when flow loops are poorly defined in loop or nodal/loop formulations. In this study, a method of linear analogs is discussed, which eliminates the need for user-prescribed flow or pressure initializations or loop definitions in the solution of the highly nonlinear gas-network governing equations. A comprehensive solution strategy based on analog transformations is presented for the analysis of a gas-pipeline network system comprising not only pipes, but also common nonpipe network elements such as compressors and pressure-dependent gas supplies (e.g., wellheads). The proposed approach retains advantages of Newtonnodal formulations, while removing the need for initial guesses, Jacobian formulations, and calculation of derivatives. Case studies are presented to showcase the straightforward and reliable nature of the methodology when applied to the solution of a steady-state gas-network system analysis with pipeline, compressor, and wellhead components.
Donor-shifted phonon-assisted magneto-optical resonances in n-InSb.

We have observed and described new optical transitions between magnetodonor states in InSb, assisted by optic-phonon emission. The phonon-assisted transitions provide a unique opportunity to investigate high excited states of the magnetodonor system (up to principal quantum number n=13), which simulates the hydrogen atom in gigantic magnetic fields. High-resolution data reveal the presence of additional excited magnetodonor states related to lower Landau subbands unobserved until present.
Sleep wake disturbances in people with cancer and their caregivers: state of the science.

Purpose/objectives To review the state of the science on sleep/wake disturbances in people with cancer and their caregivers. Data sources Published articles, books and book chapters, conference proceedings, and MEDLINE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library computerized databases. Data synthesis Scientists have initiated studies on the prevalence of sleep/wake disturbances and the etiology of sleep disturbances specific to cancer. Measurement has been limited by lack of clear definitions of sleep/wake variables, use of a variety of instruments, and inconsistent reporting of sleep parameters. Findings related to use of nonpharmacologic interventions were limited to 20 studies, and the quality of the evidence remains poor. Few pharmacologic approaches have been studied, and evidence for use of herbal and complementary supplements is almost nonexistent. Conclusions Current knowledge indicates that sleep/wake disturbances are prevalent in cancer populations. Few instruments have been validated in this population. Nonpharmacologic interventions show positive outcomes, but design issues and small samples limit generalizability. Little is known regarding use of pharmacologic and herbal and complementary supplements and potential adverse outcomes or interactions with cancer therapies. Implications for nursing All patients and caregivers need initial and ongoing screening for sleep/wake disturbances. When disturbed sleep/wakefulness is evident, further assessment and treatment are warranted. Nursing educational programs should include content regarding healthy and disrupted sleep/wake patterns. Research on sleep/wake disturbances in people with cancer should have high priority.
Envy, wealth, and class hierarchies

Abstract A persion i is said to not envy another person j if he likes his own bundle of goods as well as he would like j's bundle. This paper explores the social structure defined by the non-envy relation, and relates it to the social structure defined by market values of bundles, or wealth.
Microalgal production using a hydraulically integrated serial turbidostat algal reactor (HISTAR): a conceptual model

Abstract A hydraulically integrated, serial turbidostat algal reactor (HISTAR) was mathematically modeled and developed for the mass production of microalgae. HISTAR, which hydraulically links precisely controlled turbidostats with continuous-flow stirred-tank reactors (CFSTRs) into a single production technology, was conceptualized emphasizing contaminant mitigation at the design stage to maintain system stability. This paper discusses the conceptual basis for the development of HISTAR and presents a theoretical overview of the CFSTRs. Mathematical modeling, using first-order algal growth kinetics combined with CFSTR reactor kinetics, was used to investigate the effects of system dilution rate, D s ; net algal specific growth rate, U a ; number of reactors, N ; input algal biomass, X i ; and contaminant concentration, C n , on algal productivity, as well as local dilution rate, D n , on suspended contaminant washout. The simulation results allowed the determination of preliminary design ranges for prototype development.
The Contemporary Role of Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy in Esophageal Cancer

Open surgical resection via transhiatal or transthoracic, including McKeown, access is the most viable option for curing esophageal cancer; however, the extensive nature of open surgery in both the chest and abdomen results in significant rates of morbidity and mortality. A natural response was the introduction of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) and, later, endoscopic resection. In the hands of experienced surgeons, MIE can achieve equivalent or better perioperative mortality, morbidity, and oncologic outcomes as compared to open surgery. This review starts with an overview of open esophagectomy before delving into the evolving body of evidence on MIE outcomes and practices.
The non-optimality of the inequality restricted estimator under squared error loss

Abstract An estimator is defined that, under a squared error loss measure, dominates the maximum likelihood inequality restricted estimator used in applied work. It is further shown that the risk gains of using this family of non-traditional inequality type estimators may be quite significant over a wide range of the parameter space.
Severe-Use Polymers

The past decade has seen the development of organic polymers which can withstand extreme thermal, chemical and mechanical stresses. Three applications requiring resistance to these stresses are reviewed. Aerospace needs are for thermo-oxidatively stable adhe-sives, coatings and electrical insulation. Numerous polymers have been synthesized which are stable to high tempera-tures, but not all of these can be processed. Recent work has emphasized modifications to make stable polymers tractible. Types of polymers include aromatic (polyphenylene), polyester, polyamide, polyimidine, many heterocycles, ladders and inorganic backbones. Synthesis and properties of some of these polymers are discussed. Geothermal applications are directed toward elastomeric seals that require resistance to reduction and hydrolysis. The most successful formulations are EPDM and fluoroelastomers, with the former being superior and now used in the field. Long term undersea applications of elastomers require resistance to water absorption or permeation, hydrolysis and leaching of the rubber components. Solubility and permeation rate increase drastically with temperature, effects which can be used to evaluate service life. Twolayer laminates of different elastomers show permeation which is directionally dependent and which does not fit accepted calculated averages.
Galaxy evolution and large-scale structure in the far-infrared. I - IRAS pointed observations

Redshifts for 66 galaxies were obtained from a sample of 93 60-micron sources detected serendipitously in 22 IRAS deep pointed observations, covering a total area of 18.4 sq deg. The flux density limit of this survey is 150 mJy, 4 times fainter than the IRAS Point Source Catalog (PSC). The luminosity function is similar in shape with those previously published for samples selected from the PSC, with a median redshift of 0.048 for the fainter sample, but shifted to higher space densities. There is evidence that some of the excess number counts in the deeper sample can be explained in terms of a large-scale density enhancement beyond the Pavo-Indus supercluster. In addition, the faintest counts in the new sample confirm the result of Hacking et al. (1989) that faint IRAS 60-micron source counts lie significantly in excess of an extrapolation of the PSC counts assuming no luminosity or density evolution.
Differentiation of Escherichia coli and Aerobacter aerogenes by Gas Liquid Chromatography

Abstract Six isolates of Aerobacter aerogenes; one Pseudomonas aergenoides; five Escherichia coli; one Escherichia freundii; and one Escherichia intermedia were obtained from different sources and classified according to Bergey's Manual. Cultures of each were prepared in heat- and vacuum-treated milk and incubated 30 hr at 35C. An attempt was made to differentiate these species by gas chromatography (GLC) of the volatile compounds produced during growth. E. coli and A. aerogenes gave distinctly different head-space gas chromatographic patterns. A. aerogenes produced compounds that gave 14.5- and 48-min peaks. The 14.5-min peak was isobutyl alcohol and the other was an unidentified carbonyl compound. These compounds were not produced by E. coli . E. freundii produced a 14.5-min peak, but not a 48-min peak. A. aerogenes produced both peaks and E. coli produced neither. The chromatograms of E. intermedia were different from those of E. coli and E. freundii in that a small 48-min peak occurred with E. coli in spite of a high total count. P. aerogenoides was distinguished easily from E. coli and E. freundii , but not from E. intermedia by these characteristics. P. aerogenoides could be differentiated from A. aerogenes only by the small size of 10.5-, 14.5-, and 48-min peaks produced in spite of a high total count.
Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I-presented Antigenic Peptides Are Degraded in Cytosolic Extracts Primarily by Thimet Oligopeptidase

Abstract Nearly all peptides generated by proteasomes during protein degradation are digested rapidly to amino acids, but a few proteasomal products escape this fate and are presented to the immune system on cell surface major histocompatibility complex class I molecules. To test whether these antigenic peptides may be inherently resistant to cytosolic peptidases, six different antigenic peptides were incubated with HeLa cell extracts. All six were degraded rapidly by a process involving o-phenanthroline-sensitive metallopeptidases. One antigenic peptide, FAPGNYPAL, was rapidly destroyed in the extracts by a bestatin-sensitive exopeptidase, apparently by the puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase. The disappearance of the other five was reduced 30–90% by a specific inhibitor of the cytosolic endopeptidase, thimet oligopeptidase (TOP) (EC 3.4.24.15), whose physiological function(s) have been unclear and controversial. All these peptides were sensitive to pure recombinant TOP. Furthermore, upon fractionation of the extracts, the major peptidase peak that degraded the ovalbumin-derived epitope, SIINFEKL, co-purified with TOP. In the extracts, TOP also catalyzed rapid degradation of N-extended variants of SIINFEKL and of other antigenic peptides, which in vivo can serve as precursors of these major histocompatibility complex-presented epitopes. This enzyme (unlike cell proteins that promote production of antigenic peptides) is not regulated by interferon-γ. TOP seems to be primarily responsible for the rapid breakdown of antigenic peptides in cytosolic extracts, and our related studies (A. X. Y. Mo, K. Lemerise, W. Zeng, Y. Shen, C. R. Abraham, A. L. Goldberg, and K. L. Rock, submitted for publication) indicate that TOP by destroying such peptides limits antigen presentation in vivo.
Rotational Analysis of the Emission Spectrum of CuF

The emission spectrum of gaseous HF at pressures of about 0.1 mm in a copper hollow cathode has been examined from 7000 to 2000A and an unknown band spectrum of widely spaced lines lying in the region 2450-2600A thought to be the $^{2}\ensuremath{\Sigma}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{2}\ensuremath{\Pi}$ transition of H${\mathrm{F}}^{+}$ has been found. From the same source the emission spectrum of CuF has been obtained and was photographed on the 30,000-lines-per-inch Chicago grating spectrograph. The spectrum consists of 3 band systems lying at 5700A, 5060A, and 4920A. A rotational analysis of the spectrum has shown the three systems to have the same lower state, and to be of the type $^{1}\ensuremath{\Pi}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}$. $^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}$, and $^{1}\ensuremath{\Pi}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}$. The constants of these states are given in the following table: The calculated rotational isotope effect has been found to check very well that measured experimentally.
Direct measurement of the rate constant for the reaction C6H5NH2+· → C5H6+· + CNH on the microsecond time scale

Abstract We report a new direct method by which the rate constant for the metastable decomposition reaction C 6 H 5 NH 2 +· → C 5 H 6 +· + CNH in the aniline system has been measured. Ionization was achieved by multiphoton absorption at 266 nm and the reaction time was varied by altering the time delay between the laser light crossing the source and the initiation of the draw-out pulse in a laser/time-of-flight apparatus. The C 5 H 6 +· product ion intensity was recorded directly as a function of time and the rate constant for the reaction was calculated from a simple kinetic plot. The obtained value for the rate constant, k = (1.7 ± 0.4) × 10 6 s −1 is in good agreement with previously reported experimental and theoretical values.
Recent trends and predictors in immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy in the United States.

Abstract Introduction Immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy has increased in frequency during the past decade, but the socioeconomic and patient factors have yet to be fully identified. Methods Data were analyzed from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 1999 to 2003 using International Classification of Disease–9 codes to identify patients undergoing immediate breast reconstruction. Regression analyses were used to examine predictive variables for immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy. Results Between 1999 and 2003, 469,832 patients underwent mastectomy. Immediate breast reconstruction occurred in 110,878 patients, yielding a 5-year average rate of 23.6% (range of 22.2% to 25.3%). Independent predictors of immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy include private insurance, hospital in an urban location, teaching hospital, white race, hospital region in the south, age between the 3rd and 6th decades, and low number of comorbidities. Conclusions Immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy is still not commonly performed in the United States. Socioeconomic and geographic factors play a significant role in whether patients undergo immediate reconstruction.
Translocation of a β-hairpin-forming peptide through a cylindrical tunnel

We use Langevin dynamics simulations of a minimalist off-lattice model to study the translocation of a beta hairpin forming peptide through a tunnel that mimics the exit tunnel in a ribosome. We have computed the free energy of the peptide as a function of its position relative to the tunnel exit and also studied the properties of the conformational ensemble, when the peptide's position is restricted at different points along the tunnel. Confining the peptide within a sufficiently wide tunnel stabilizes the folded state. The protein then remains folded as it moves towards the tunnel exit. However, when the diameter D of the tunnel is below a certain critical value D(c), confinement destabilizes the folded state and forces the peptide to assume an extended configuration. In this case, as the peptide progresses towards the tunnel exit and eventually leaves the tunnel, it goes through a series of compact, misfolded conformations and eventually folds when it gets close to the exit. The critical tunnel diameter D(c) is comparable to the width of ribosomal tunnels. Our results suggest that co-translational folding is probably not universal, but rather a protein-specific phenomenon.
Prevalence and Onset of Regression within Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Meta-Analytic Review.

Rates and onset of regression were meta-analyzed from 85 articles representing 29,035 participants with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Overall prevalence rate for regression was 32.1, 95 % CI [29.5, 34.8] occurring at mean of 1.78 years, 95 % CI [1.67, 1.89]. Regression prevalence rates differed according to four types of regression: language regression, 24.9 %; language/social regression, 38.1 %; mixed regression, 32.5 %; and unspecified regression, 39.1 %. Regression prevalence also differed according to sampling method: population-based prevalence was 21.8 %, clinic-based prevalence was 33.6 %, and parent survey-based prevalence was 40.8 %. Risk of regression was equal for males and females, but higher for individuals diagnosed with autism versus another ASD. Later age of regression onset was predicted by older age of child.
Thermally-induced changes in chromatin of isolated nuclei and of intact cells as revealed by acridine orange staining

Summary Thermal denaturation of DNA in situ is studied in individual cells (or isolated nuclei) by staining with acridine orange and measuring fluorescence in a rapid, automated flow-through cytofluorimeter. Acridine orange differentially stains native and denatured DNA and prevents DNA renaturation. Cells are studied in suspensions, in equilibrium with the dye. Denaturation of DNA in situ is sensitive to ionic strength and occurs at temperatures similar to those reported for preparations of soluble nucleo-histone. Histones appear to stabilize DNA in situ against denaturation. There are changes in chromatin at submelting temperatures as evidenced by increased binding of acridine orange to DNA and decreased light scattering. Present results differ from what was reported when formaldehyde is used to prevent DNA renaturation. It is suspected that formaldehyde produces severe artifacts when used in studies of DNA melting in situ .
Realizing a topological-insulator field-effect transistor using iodostannanane

Monolayer hexagonal tin (stannanane) is a topological insulator and upon functionalization with halogens, such as iodine, a gap exceeding 300 meV is obtained. In a stannanane ribbon the topologically protected edge states lead to very high conductivities and mobilities; moreover the conductivity is strongly dependent on the Fermi level. We show how this property can be exploited to make a topological-insulator field-effect transistor (TIFET). We simulate the input and output characteristics of the TIFET using a drift-diffusion-like approximation and obtain promising transistor characteristics with a high on-current which exceeds the off-current by over three orders of magnitude.
Cross-Cultural Business Research: Introduction to the special issue

Abstract As markets become increasingly global, an understanding of the world's cultures is imperative. This special issue consists of nine articles devoted to increasing our understanding of culture. It follows the 11th Cross-Cultural Research Conference, which was held in Puerto Rico in December 2005. An open invitation to conference participants and other interested researchers resulted in 56 submissions for the special issue. Articles chosen were subjected to several rounds of double-blind reviews and revisions. They cover a variety of topics including vacationing, managerial competency appraisal, horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism, consumer services, cultural conditioning, electronic word-of-mouth, the global hip-hop culture, ethical attitudes, and impulse buying behavior.
Lipedematous Alopecia: Could it Sometimes be an Unusual Sequela of Discoid Lupus Erythematosus?

Lipedematous alopecia is a rare entity of uncertain etiology characterized by a diffusely thickened and boggy scalp, with varying degrees of alopecia. Six of eight cases in the literature have occurred in African American women. Classic histopathologic findings include increased subcutaneous tissue, varying degrees of inflammation and fibrosis, and an absence of significant mucin deposition. Herein, we report an additional case of lipedematous alopecia occurring in an African American woman who also demonstrated clinical, historical, and histopathologic findings reminiscent of discoid lupus erythematosus. Explicit observation of such an occurrence has not been made previously, although hyperkeratosis, follicular plugging, mild perivascular or periadnexal infiltrates, and fibrosing alopecia have been reported in lipedematous scalp, possibly the residua of other cases with associated discoid lupus-like features. For further comparison, we contrast our case with a second patient with lipedematous scalp, which maintained histological similarities to lipedematous alopecia, but was lacked any significant hair loss. It is possible that some cases lipedematous alopecia may represent an unusual sequela of discoid lupus erythematosus. Nevertheless, we cannot exclude the possibility of two diseases occurring independently, nor that early changes of lipedematous alopecia might share histopathological and/or clinical findings with discoid lupus erythematosus.
Charge collection in multielectrode CdZnTe detectors

Preliminary results of experiments to investigate charge collection in CdZnTe detectors are presented. The experiments support the development of semiconductor- modeling tool for device engineering that will be used to design large volume CdZnTe detectors for gamma ray spectroscopy. Improved diagnostic methods are described, including an automated alpha particle scanner for charge pulse mapping. Semiconductor modeling techniques are presented along with methods to visualize charge transport. Experimental results are compared to a physical model that has been used routinely in research on room temperature devices for gamma ray detection.
Acculturation and Enculturation Trajectories Among Mexican-American Adolescent Offenders

This study examines changes over time in ethnic affirmation/belonging and ethnic identity achievement, Spanish language use, English language use, Mexican/Mexican-American affiliation/identification and Anglo affiliation/identification in a sample of Mexican-American adolescents participating in a longitudinal study of juvenile offenders. The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure and the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II were completed by the Mexican-American adolescents 7 times over a 3-year period. The findings from longitudinal growth modeling analyses and growth mixture modeling analyses indicate that there is heterogeneity in the initial scores and changes over time on these variables that are related to markers for the cultural qualities of the home environment (i.e., generational status and mother's most frequent language use). In contrast to expectations, marginalized or assimilated acculturation trajectories/types were not overrepresented in this sample of adolescent offenders. Implications for our understanding of the nature of acculturation and enculturation processes and the way these processes are studied are discussed.
Transient thermo-elastic waves in a half-space with thermal relaxation

We use the Cagniard-De Hoop method to develop the displacement and temperature fields in a half-space subjected on its free surface to an instantaneously applied heat source. We include in our analysis the thermal relaxation time of heat conduction, which insures that the termal waves propagate with a finite signal speed. We express our solution in terms of a small thermo-elastic coupling coefficient, and obtain explicit expressions for the wave-speeds and wave-amplitudes. Due to the existence of the thermal damping, we give only the short-time solution. We then present numerical results for the dilatation and the temperature so as to illustrate the salient features of the problem.
Below-Average Bidding Method

The low-bid method, typically used for competitive bidding in the United States, may result in a contract with a firm that submits either accidentally or deliberately an unrealistically low-bid price. Such an occurrence hurts both the owner and the contractor by promoting disputes, increased costs, and schedule delays. To address this problem, other countries have adopted bidding methods based on the average of the bids submitted. One such approach is the below-average method where the winning bid is closest to but below the average of all bids. A competitive bidding model for the below-average-bid method is presented and its merits relative to the average-bid method and the low-bid method are explored. The below-average-bid process is investigated analytically and through Monte Carlo simulation. The results of bidding models for the below-average, the average, and the low-bid methods are presented in four easy-to-use nomograms which allow contractors to determine the optimal lump-sum bid price for each method without the need for complicated analysis. A comparison of the three methods provides information and insights to help owners with the difficult choice of a suitable bidding method for the project at hand.
An unexpected phase transition during the [2 + 2] photocycloaddition reaction of cinnamic acid to truxillic acid: changes in polymorphism monitored by solid-state NMR.

We have detected a phase transition during the progress of the solid-state [2 + 2] photocycloaddition reaction of α-trans-cinnamic acid. The reaction was monitored using 13C CPMAS experiments as a function of irradiation time of the parent α-trans-cinnamic acid, which forms the product dimer, α-truxillic acid. UV light centered at 350 nm was used for photoirradiation, which is in the “tail” of the absorption band of cinnamic acid. Two different crystal polymorphs of α-truxillic acid are observed (P21/n and C2/c) at different stages of conversion of the parent crystal, assigned through 13C NMR and powder X-ray diffraction. The two polymorphs showed clear, distinguishable patterns in the 13C NMR spectra: a 2-peak versus 3-peak pattern corresponding to sites on the 4-membered sp3 hybridized ring in the photoproduct. A phase transition is observed midway through the reaction, which we have assigned to the conversion of the P21/n polymorph to the C2/c polymorph of α-truxillic acid. The packing energy of the re...
The MTXαR method: a semi-empirical version of the multiple scattering Xα scheme with application to Li2

Abstract We propose a new method for determining the α parameter for use in the multiple scattering Xα method based on molecular rather than atomic considerations. Such as α value for lithium has been obtained by requiring agreement between the calculated and experimental values of the minimum in the Li 2 potential curve. Use of such a molecular value of α R yields a potential curve all of whose features are in substantially better agreement with experiment than those obtained with the standard “atomic” α value. The desirable aspects of the original MSXα scheme including the muffin-tin potential approximation are retained in the present MTXα R version.
Control limit policies for early detection of failure

Abstract This paper considers a class of Markov Decision problems subjects to partial observation. We develop a methodology for early detection of failure of systems that do not display symptoms of failure. We assume that the inspections used for detection are error prone and there is a fixed probability of not detecting the failure. The problem is studied as a non-stationary, finite horizon Markovian Decision Process with two states. We demonstrate that the optimal policy has a two region structure that intuition suggests. This characterization can be used to reduce the computational burden of finding the optimum inspection schedule. We also show that the form of the optimum policy remains unchanged for the unbounded horizon problem. Finally, we discuss a potential application of the model to medical diagnosis.
Foraging location quality as a predictor of fidelity to a diurnal site for adult female American woodcock Scolopax minor

Abstract Quality of recently used foraging areas is likely an important predictor of fidelity to specific locations in the future. We monitored movement and habitat use of 58 adult female American woodcock Scolopax minor at three study areas in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, USA, during autumn 2002 and 2003, to assess the relationship between foraging habitat use decisions and environmental conditions at previously used foraging locations. We assessed whether habitat variables which related to food and weather were related to distance between locations on subsequent days of individual woodcock that choose diurnal foraging locations when they return from night-time roosting locations. We predicted that woodcock would return to foraging locations used on the previous day (i.e. shorter distances between daily foraging locations) when environmental conditions on the prior day were favourable. Woodcock generally made short (i.e. 48% < 50 m and 91% < 400 m) between-day movements, but also occasionally (∼ 7%...
Usability of Geospatial Metadata or Space‐Time Matters

Little is known about how end users actually employ metadata to evaluate relevance of geospatial information objects and how this might differ from meeting non-geospatial information needs. While other studies have considered users in related contexts, we could not find any that applied well-established usability techniques to geospatial metadata usage for resolving geographic information needs. Here we discuss a recent usability study where we explored how users determine the relevance or potential value of geospatial information objects from metadata
Crustal compensation during mountain‐building

Airy isostasy has been observed in many active orogenic regions including Himalayas/Tibetan plateau and Tian Shan. To better understand the temporal evolution of mountain building, we investigate how topography at the surface and crust-mantle boundary (i.e., Moho) that evolves in response to crustal shortening depends on mechanical properties of continental lithosphere. Our dynamic models reveal that if the effective viscosity of continental lithosphere is less than 100 times of the viscosity of the underlying mantle, orogenic belts and their corresponding roots at Moho can grow simultaneously with the Airy isostasy being approximately maintained. This result is consistent with the relatively small viscosity inferred for continental lithosphere of actively deforming central Asia regions including Tibetan plateau.
Jung, spirits and madness: lessons for cultural psychiatry.

An understanding of the nature and meaning of ‘dissociative,’ ‘altered’ or unusual states ultimately turns on the meaning and definition of consciousness. The view of consciousness from the discipl...
Synthesis and Phase Behavior of Side-Group Liquid Crystalline Polymers in Nematic Solvents

A model system of side-group liquid crystalline polymers (SGLCPs) with systematically varied molecular weight (from 78 to 420 kg/mol; PDI ≤ 1.16) and spacer length (8−12 atoms long) was prepared by polymer analogous synthesis. Matching the structure of the mesogenic units to that of the nematic solvent produced excellent solubility, even at molecular weights an order of magnitude greater than in prior literature on SGLCP solutions. Addition of up to 10 wt % polymer did not affect the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices of the nematic host (4-pentyl-4‘-cyanobiphenyl, 5CB), indicating that the order parameter was not significantly affected by the polymer.