cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The association of hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus and the risk of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia among cancer patients: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Abstract Aim Conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis to determine the association between incident chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN) and either diabetes mellitus (DM) or hyperglycemia in patients with cancer. Methods Observational studies in cancer patients of any age receiving chemotherapy and having diabetes or hyperglycemia either during or before chemotherapy induction were included. Studies were retrieved by searching four databases (PubMed, EBSCO, ProQuest, and Cochrane) and cross-referencing. The metric for combining studies was the odds ratio (OR). Results were pooled using a random-effects model, while heterogeneity and inconsistency were assessed using the Q and I 2 statistic, respectively. Potential small-study effects were assessed using the funnel plot. Results Ten studies met the criteria for inclusion. Overall, the odds of having CIN were 32% higher among cancer patients with either DM or hyperglycemia compared with those without DM or hyperglycemia (OR=1.32, 95% CI, 1.06–1.64). Statistically significant heterogeneity and inconsistency were found (Q=33.15, p I 2 =72.9%). Funnel plot asymmetry reflecting potential small-study effects was observed. Conclusions Diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia may be associated with an increased risk for CIN among cancer patients. However, additional well-designed studies are needed before any final and definitive recommendations can be made.
A Design-Based Model of Teacher Professional Learning in the LISELL-B Project

The Language-rich Inquiry Science with English Language Learners through Biotechnology (LISELL-B) project is the latest iteration of an ongoing design-based research project to develop, test, and refine a teacher professional learning framework and a pedagogical model for teaching science with emergent bilingual learners. The LISELL-B professional learning framework and pedagogical model support middle school and high school science and ESOL teachers, their emergent bilingual students, and those students’ families in gaining proficiency with science investigation practices and with the academic language of science. The project uses science, and particularly biotechnology, as a context for developing the problem solving and communication skills that emergent bilingual learners need to attain academic success and access to college and career pathways. LISELL-B collaborates with ten schools in two Georgia school districts, in what Wortham has called the new Latino diaspora, the region of the Southeastern U.S. with rapidly changing demographics driven largely by Latino/a immigration from Mexico, Central America, and South America. Schools and teachers in this region have historically had little interaction or experience with teaching emergent bilingual learners, but are now confronted with classes that may be predominantly first- or second-generation immigrant students. In our chapter, we describe the LISELL-B pedagogical model and professional learning framework and our efforts to refine, disseminate, and sustain this model over time.
Commentary on: Exposure to Tumescent Solution Significantly Increases Phosphorylation of Perilipin in Adipocytes.

The article “Exposure to Tumescent Solution Significantly Increases Phosphorylation of Perilipin in Adipocytes” indicates that the significant increase in this phosphyrylation process may have an effect on fat graft survival.1 This particular topic surfaces from time to time, and in the present report the authors showed that adipocytes collected before tumescent infiltration demonstrated that 10% of total perilipin was phosphorylated versus nearly 31% when tumescent solution was used. Since phosphorylation of perilipin renders the adipocyte more vulnerable to lipolysis, the authors recommended that the lowest possible concentrations of lidocaine and epinephrine be used. Why wouldn’t the explanation of these changes in phosphylation be increased because of …
VISUALIZING TAYZA, CAPITAL OF THE PETÉN ITZAS: TEASING MEANINGS FROM POSTCLASSIC POTTERY STYLES

A decade of public-works excavations on Flores Island—once Tayza, capital of the powerful Itza Maya confederacy in Postclassic- and contact-period Peten, Guatemala—has recovered large quantities of artifacts but without proper provenience controls. This important center is poorly understood in archaeological terms because of the dense modern construction that precludes systematic investigation. Thus, these excavated materials become critical despite their limitations for insights into the Itza settlement. Convenience samples of the slipped and decorated pottery from the salvage (and other) excavations were analyzed to interpret style and meaning through the combined perspectives of design structure analysis, information exchange, visual rhetoric, literary studies, and semiotechnology. Features examined include forms, types, colors, layouts, and motifs. The spatial distributions of these features over the island were assessed in terms of a quadripartite organization mentioned in Spanish accounts. It is proposed that the southeastern quadrant was the residential area of Itza royal elites, due to the presence of elaborate and innovative polychromes conveying messages of elite power. Pottery in the northern quadrants has more traditional decoration resembling that at mainland sites in the Lake Peten basin, and signals ordinary Itza identity. These differences, and the overall theoretical approach, might be testable on larger, better-excavated samples.
Predictability of Earnings Following Equity Issues and Buyback Announcements

If managers use non-public information or misvaluation to time a firm’s corporate actions, it is likely that equity issues will precede bad earnings while buyback announcements will precede good earnings. Consistent with this expectation, we find evidence of earnings predictability: the market reaction to earnings following buyback announcements is higher by 4.56% than the reaction to earnings following equity issuance over a 25-trading day window (-10, 15). The difference in market reactions to earnings is smaller at 1.85% when a 5-day window (0, 5) is considered. Short-term stock returns reported in this paper are more meaningful and sidestep the sensitivity of long-term returns to benchmarking concerns documented in the literature (Fama, 1998; Cochrane, 2011).
Bots for Tots: Girls' Perceived Versus Actual Competency in Technology and Making

This study explores how young girls perceive technology and making as part of their identity. The data presented here is part of a larger study on 38 fourth grade students (aged 9-11) taking an Engineering and Design class at an all-girls private school in a suburban area in the North-Eastern USA. Most of the girls we interviewed expressed little to no confidence in working with technology or maker activities. When asked, "were you good at technology?" They perceived themselves as someone who was not good at technology and felt as though others were much more competent than them. These expressed self-perceptions were consistent with previous findings in regards to gender and technology. However, when the girls were asked to design and identify tools that required knowledge of technology and making, they were able to demonstrate deep understanding and descriptions that supported their competency in both fields. They also shared prior experiences of engaging with technology, which contradicts their claim to be novices in these fields.
Globus: A Case Study in Software as a Service for Scientists

While some properties of SaaS have long been leveraged in science, particularly in science gateways, there is yet to be widespread adoption of SaaS models. For example, few scientific SaaS providers are publicly available, few leverage elastic cloud platforms, and none--with the exception of Globus--implement subscription-based models to recoup operations costs. Globus has employed the SaaS model for 7 years and is fast approaching subscription levels that will support long-term sustainability. In this paper we discuss the SaaS paradigm and explore its suitability to scientific domains. We then describe how production Globus SaaS services are implemented, deployed, and operated.
A new proxy application for compressible multiphase turbulent flows

Abstract CMT-nek is a simulation code for performing high fidelity, predictive simulations of particle laden explosively dispersed turbulent flows under conditions of extreme pressure and temperature. CMT has many applications including lithotripsy, dust explosions in coal mines, and explosive detonation. The physical processes underlying these applications are complex and cover a very wide range of spatial and temporal scales. The underlying workflow of this application requires a very rich set of computation on multiple types of data structures and data access patterns. Additionally, the simulation of such codes require high spatial and temporal resolution resulting in large memory footprint and enormous computing power that is only available on extant petascale and exascale supercomputers. The workflow and the underlying patterns are representative of other scientific applications and hence have the potential to serve as an important benchmark for next generation supercomputers. In this paper, 1 we describe CMT-bone that serves as a proxy-app for CMT-nek. Proxy applications provide a simplified framework for computational scientists and system designers to investigate new node architectures, programming approaches, algorithmic design choices and optimization techniques. CMT-bone retains the workflow of CMT-nek and encapsulates key data structures, computational and communication patterns of CMT-nek. It reduces the number of variables used and corresponding compute and communication operations performed at each step of the work. Validation of CMT-bone with the CMT-nek using the veritas tool developed at LLNL shows that CMT-nek is a good proxy. Such a validation is important as it shows that important computational characteristics of CMT-nek are embedded in CMT-bone and any experimental performance analysis of the latter will be representative of the former.
The Emergence of Fear on the Visual Cliff

We have two major objectives in this chapter. One is to present empirical evidence confirming the existence of an unexpected developmental shift in emotional expression in the human infant, and the second is to discuss the role of a number of possible determinants of this shift.
Depth Determination of Surface-Breaking Cracks in Concrete Slabs Using a Self-Compensating Ultrasonic Technique

For concrete bridge decks, the use of salt in cold weather areas is known to result in damage, such as freeze or thaw damage (microcracks) and surface breaking cracks. In this paper attention is directed to an ultrasonic method to scan for surface-breaking cracks and to determine the crack depth in concrete bridge decks.
Ten Secrets to a Long Life

For centuries there has been an ongoing search to identify the secrets of long life and healthy aging. Recently, multiple factors have been identified, including genetics, the introduction of antibiotics, vaccines, and public health, effective management of cardiovascular risk factors, advances in surgery, eliminating or modifying high-risk behaviors, family and social supports, eliminating wars and poverty, luck, exercise and nutrition, and psychological factors such as optimism and conscientiousness. To increase a maximum life span now estimated to be 115-120 years will involve manipulation of genes and the body's stem cells and the potential use of senolytic drugs (that kill old cells), which will need to be investigated. This is a worthy pursuit if these interventions will also maintain or enhance quality of life.
Seattle’s law enforcement assisted diversion (LEAD): program effects on criminal justice and legal system utilization and costs

We evaluated a prebooking law enforcement assisted diversion (LEAD) program (i.e., initial diversion from the criminal justice system paired with harm-reduction case management and legal assistance to individuals with repeated, low-level drug or prostitution offenses) on criminal justice and legal system utilization and associated costs. We used a nonequivalent-groups longitudinal quasi-experimental field trial design in which participants received either the prebooking law enforcement assisted diversion (LEAD) program or the comparison condition (i.e., booking and prosecution as usual). We compared outcomes for LEAD (n = 202) versus comparison (n = 114) participants on criminal justice and legal system utilization and associated costs. Subsequent to evaluation entry, LEAD participants had 1.4 fewer average yearly jail bookings, spent about 41 fewer days in jail per year, and had 88% lower odds of prison incarceration relative to comparison participants. LEAD participants also showed significant pre-to-post reductions in legal costs (− $2100), whereas comparison participants showed cost increases (+ $5961). LEAD was associated with statistically significant reductions in criminal justice and legal system utilization and associated costs and represents a promising alternative to the criminal justice system for repeated, low-level drug and prostitution offenders. LEAD is well positioned to positively impact criminal justice policy.
Patients’ responses to incidentally discovered silent brain infarcts – a qualitative study

Incidentally discovered silent brain infarcts (id-SBIs) are an understudied condition with probable clinical significance, but it is not known how patients respond to or prioritize this condition. We sought to assess reporting of id-SBIs and how patients approach their diagnosis. Patients with id-SBIs were identified from sequential scans between 12/2015–5/2016, were referred by treating clinicians, or self-referred for the study. This study used qualitative semi-structured interviews. Purposeful sampling was used to achieve diversity in acuity, setting, and recruitment strategy. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. A constant comparative method was used to develop a coding schema, find consensus, and iteratively explore emergent themes until thematic saturation was achieved. Only 10 of 102 patients prospectively identified by neuroimaging were informed of the imaging findings. Twelve participants in total were interviewed. Among the study participants, the primary themes were cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic uncertainty regarding id-SBIs. Clinicians described id-SBIs to participants as an ambiguous condition. Participants feared potential consequences of id-SBIs, including symptomatic stroke, dementia, and disability. Participants attempted to reduce uncertainty with strategies including equating id-SBIs with symptomatic stroke, self-education about stroke, and seeking second opinions. Participants considered id-SBIs to be a serious medical condition. Ambiguous counseling by clinicians on id-SBIs provoked or failed to attenuate fear, leading to participants adopting strategies aimed at reducing uncertainty.
El Camino Real

Following the death of his father, Tomolelu, an almost-grown Ohlone boy, flees the Mission Santa Clara de Assis. He follows the only road he knows, El Camino Real, until he finally understands the words of his father. The earth speaks to those who listen, and this time, the earth is guiding him away from his mission home and away from the El Camino Real.
Active Memristor Neurons for Neuromorphic Computing

Memristors provide a new paradigm to realize biomimetic and scalable neuron and synapse neuromorphic computing primitives capable of emulating the rich dynamics of biological counterparts without sacrificing the energy consumption and size. Active memristors with volatile resistive switching and negative differential resistance (NDR) can be used to construct electronic neurons. Using VO 2 active memristors, we show that memristor neurons possess most of the known biological neuronal dynamics and all three classes of neuron excitability. The simulated size and power scaling of memristor neurons project toward biologically competitive neuron density and energy efficiency.
Phage Display of Random Peptides on a Protein Scaffold

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the phage display of random peptides on a protein scaffold. The gene encoding Strp G was synthesized as a set of 8 oligonucleotides each 50–60 base pairs in length. The experiments with the CX6C and XQ libraries show that cyclization of the RGD sequence is required for high affinity binding to IIb/IIIa. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of cyclized RGD peptides are consistent with a β turn structure that exhibits a high degree of flexibility. It is anticipated, therefore, that if the RGD sequence were presented within the context of a β turn in a protein domain, high affinity binding to Ilb/IIIa would result. In a study described in the chapter, the protein chosen for the scaffold was one of the IgG binding domains from Protein G of Group G Streptococcus , Strp G. The domain has been well characterized by both NMR and crystallography and is comprised of 4 β strands that make a single β sheet and one α helix lying across the sheet. The Strp G gene was constructed as an amino terminal fusion to gpIII so that the protein domain would be displayed on the surface of bacteriophage.
Adorning the Female Body: Feminist Identification, Embodied Resistance, and Esthetic Body Modification Practices

Using survey data collected from college women at three large public U.S. universities, we examine the relationship between feminist identification and the likelihood of engaging in various estheti...
A 10-GHz Bandwidth Transimpedance Amplifier With Input DC Photocurrent Compensation Loop

A transimpedance amplifier (TIA) fabricated in a 55-nm low-power CMOS process is presented. The TIA, a current-reuse regulated cascode (CRRGC) topology, includes an active balun and differential output drivers. To maximize integration in high-speed photoreceivers, the TIA also includes dc current compensation, removing the requirement for bias-tees between the TIA and the photodiode (PD). The TIA achieves a transimpedance gain of 69 dB $\Omega $ across a 3-dB bandwidth of 10.7 GHz. Additionally, the TIA demonstrates low-noise performance with an equivalent input noise density of 15 pA/ $\sqrt {{\mathrm {Hz}}}$ in the passband. The dc compensation is capable of providing a fixed bias voltage for a PD while sourcing up to 2.4 mA or sinking up to 1 mA of photocurrent. The TIA, including active balun and dc current compensation, consumes 15.7 mW, while the output buffer consumes 90.7 mW. The total active area of the circuit is 0.07 mm2, and 0.21 mm2 with pads.
Four Classical Philosophical Views of Self

With the aim of addressing the three fundamental philosophical questions—ontological, epistemological, and conceptual—arising owing to the Trans phenomenon, the Self views of Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Freud are reviewed. Each account is evaluated both for strengths and problems, with implications for the philosophical Self questions of central importance brought to light by the Trans phenomenon.
Sport Psychology and Performance Psychology: Contributions to the Mental Health of Athletes

Sport psychology and performance psychology are related and overlapping terms that encompass a broad range of interventions, applications, and areas of research. These two domains focus on the psychological aspects of performance, within sports or exercise contexts in the former, as well as expansion to non-sport areas of performance such as business, the performing arts, medicine, and the military, in the latter. Some have proposed that sport psychology is a subspecialty of performance psychology, which is seen as an umbrella term. Over a number of decades, high-performance strategies and techniques and skills, developed within sports and exercise psychology field, have been extrapolated and applied to non-sports areas with positive results. Most individuals want to perform well in life, whether it is functioning optimally at work or school or performing well within family roles or performing and/or adapting well to situations and life circumstances; thus, the work of sport and performance psychology practitioners and researchers is to understand the often complex relationships of psychological (and/or biopsychosocial) factors involved in creating positive performance outcomes and experiences. Sport psychologists and performance psychologists play important roles within sports medicine and are often the best-trained providers to deal with mental health issues in athletes. Over the years, sport psychology has expanded to be seen as “sport and exercise psychology,” to include the contributions of exercise and sport scientists to sport performance (beyond applied sport psychologists); the field continues to expand and goes beyond sports to general performance science, which focuses on areas such as the development of expertise or the cognitive neuroscience aspects of high performance. For sports medicine providers, the perceived dichotomy of clinically or counseling-trained sport psychology providers and performance enhancement consultants (with various titles) can be confusing, especially as it relates to the mental health of athletes. Clinically trained sport psychologists can provide assessment and interventions that can address diagnosable mental health disorders and the subclinical disorder symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and sleep difficulties. As a member of the sports medicine team, sport psychologists are typically the most experienced providers to deal with the psychological and emotional aspects of an athlete’s sports injury and injury recovery or rehab experience.
Message Integrity and Authenticity in Secure CAN

Existing vehicles and emerging smart vehicles organize their architecture around a controller area network (CAN) bus. Control messages with commands from one component cause another component to take an action. If a control message and action resulting from it is recorded by an adversary, it might be replayed for the same action. A connected smart vehicle is vulnerable to new attack vectors originating from other systems within a smart community. Existing CAN protocol does not prevent replay attacks. We develop a secure CAN protocol. A shared secret between nodes allows for confidential and authenticated messages. Use of a freshness value and keyed hash offer message integrity and staleness prevention. The distributed (centralized) bandwidth of 958.5 (934.3125) Kb/s compares favorably with the CAN protocol. Base CAN-FD protocol without any security achieves $9.8\%$ higher bandwidth than the distributed secure CAN.
Heterogeneity in VEGF Receptor-2 mobility and organization on the endothelial cell surface leads to diverse activation models by VEGF

Summary The nanoscale organization of cell surface receptors plays an important role in signaling. We determined this organization and its relation to receptor activation for VEGF Receptor-2 (VEGFR-2), a critical receptor tyrosine kinase in endothelial cells (ECs), by combining live-cell single-molecule imaging of endogenous VEGFR-2 with rigorous computational analysis. We found that surface VEGFR-2 can be mobile or immobile/confined, and monomeric or non-monomeric, with a complex interplay between the two. The mobility and interaction heterogeneity of VEGFR-2 in the basal state led to heterogeneity in the sequence of steps leading to VEGFR-2 activation by VEGF. Specifically, we found that VEGF can bind to both monomeric and non-monomeric VEGFR-2, and, when binding to monomeric VEGFR-2, promotes dimer formation but only for immobile/confined receptors. Overall, our study highlights the dynamic and heterogeneous nature of cell surface receptor organization and its complex relationships with receptor activation and signaling.
Physiological and biochemical characterization of six Prunus rootstocks in response to flooding

Abstract In subtropical regions, low-chill stone fruit (Prunus spp.) crops have experienced the negative impacts of flooding caused by hurricanes and tropical storms. These crops are considered very susceptible to oxygen-deficient soil conditions resulting from flooding. We investigated physiological and biochemical responses to flooding of six Prunus spp. rootstocks including Flordaguard, are commonly used as a rootstock for peaches in the subtropics. Flooding caused a reduction in net CO2 assimilation (A), stomatal conductance (gs), and leaf nutrient contents in all rootstocks tested. Antioxidant activity, osmolyte concentrations, lipid peroxidation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity increased in response to flooding in all rootstocks. After exposure to flooding, rootstocks MP-29 and R5064-5 had higher A, gs, antioxidant activities, and osmolyte concentration, and lower lipid peroxidation and ROS activity than the other rootstocks. These two rootstocks also had higher leaf nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K) contents than the other rootstocks. Although leaf iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) contents increased in all rootstocks exposed to flooding, MP-29 and R5064-5 exhibited the lowest increases in leaf Mn and Fe concentrations. Thus, rootstocks MP-29 and 5064-5 are better suited to subtropical areas prone to flooding than the other rootstocks, including Flordaguard. In the two rootstocks that were the most tolerant of flooding, greater antioxidant activities and osmolyte concentrations appeared to efficiently mitigate oxidative damage caused by oxygen deficiency. Also, osmolyte concentration and lipid peroxidation appear to be potential indicators of sensitivity to flooding stress in Prunus rootstocks.
Effects of severe pretreatment conditions and lignocellulose-derived furan byproducts on anaerobic digestion of dairy manure.

Abstract Dairy manure subjected to four pretreatments (acid, alkaline, sulfite (SPORL), alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP)) at high chemical dosages (termed severe conditions) were evaluated for enhancements in biogas production and inhibitory effects due to concomitant generation of furan byproducts. All four pretreatments enhanced solubilization of carbohydrates, but only alkaline and AHP resulted in higher methane yield (356 and 333 mL/g-VS, respectively) relative to moderate pretreatment conditions (311 and 261 mL/g-VS, respectively). Methane yield of severe-SPORL pretreatment (233 mL/g-VS) was greater than that of untreated manure (116 mL/g-VS), but lower than that of moderate-SPORL (353 mL/g-VS). Severe-acid pretreatment showed early termination in biogas production likely due to inhibitory effects of furfural and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural. Both experimental data and kinetic modeling indicated that severe-acid pretreatment led to degradation of carbohydrates to furfural, which reduced biogas production due to direct toxicity rather than competitive inhibitory effects. Pretreatment conditions (severity and byproduct levels) for dairy manure biomass may be optimized based on the current findings.
“Lest the Wild Beasts Grow Too Numerous”: A D’var Torah on Parshat Eikev

The book of Deuteronomy narrates Moses’s extended speech to the people of Israel at the end of their forty-year wandering through the desert. At the beginning of the portion of Deuteronomy called Eikev, Moses describes the land that the people are about to enter as a potential Eden. Yet his oratory seems to turn disjointed and disconnected. Moses rambles. And he contradicts himself. A central theme of these passages is the importance of defeating the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, lest the Israelites be tempted to imitate their sinful ways. Yet it turns out that success creates its own perils, for prosperity can lead the people to become proud and forget God. Moses also suggests both that the conquest of the land will occur quickly and, in a decidedly odd line, that “You will not be able to destroy them quickly, lest the beasts of the field outnumber you.” This D’var Torah suggests that the Canaanites, the war against them, and the image of the “beasts of the field” can all be read metaphorically. Ironically enough, the Canaanites are in a deep sense forces of civilization. They hold disorder at bay. Most important, they bear God’s image. To rid the land of them too quickly is to unleash the beast.
Seed morphological traits as a tool to quantify variation maintained in ex situ collections: a case study in Pinus torreyana .

Understanding the within- and among-population distribution of trait variation within seed collections may provide a means to approximate standing genetic variation and inform plant conservation. This study aimed to estimate population- and family-level seed trait variability for existing seed collections of Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana), and to use these data to guide sampling of future collections. We quantified variation in 14 seed morphological traits and seedling emergence within and among Torrey pine populations. Using a simulation-based approach, we used estimates of within-population variance to assess the number of maternal families required to capture 95 % of trait variation within each existing seed collection. Substantial structure was observed both within and among Torrey pine populations, with island and mainland seeds varying in seed size and seed coat thickness. Despite morphological differences, seedling emergence was similar across populations. Simulations revealed that 83 % and 71 % of all maternal families within island and mainland seed collections respectively needed to be resampled to capture 95 % of seed trait variation within existing collections. From a conservation perspective, our results indicate that to optimize genetic diversity captured in Torrey pine seed collections, maximizing the number of maternal families sampled within each population will be necessary.
The Future of Autoethnographic Criteria

Recently Szwabowski argued that we should not have any criteria by which to judge, evaluate, or review autoethnographic texts. While there are dangers of conformity whenever criteria are utilized, ...
Joint object detection and tracking in sensor networks

A nonlinear filtering based approach that fuses sensor data from the local sensors is proposed to jointly detect and track a moving object in a sensor field. First, the optimal detection algorithm based on the optimal nonlinear filter and the likelihood ratio test is provided. Then, a computationally efficient approach based on the extended Kalman filter is proposed and applied to jointly detect and track an object with very weak signal in a passive sensor network. The signal intensity is assumed to be inversely proportional to a power of the distance from the object. Simulation results show that the proposed detection approach can quickly detect the object after it appears in the sensor field with very high detection performance, even when the object state estimate is not very accurate.
Improvement of silicon dioxide ridge waveguides using low temperature thermal annealing

Penetration of liquids into SiO 2 ridge waveguides during standard processing steps is shown to cause poor mode confinement and increased loss. Thermal annealing repeatedly restores a core with uniform index and low-loss mode confinement.
Using KORBX for military airlift applications

KORBX, a new product for solving large-scale linear programs, consists of parallel processing hardware and software that exploits its design and resources. KORBX contains four algorithms which are variations of the interior point method of N. Karmarkar (1984). The four, known as the primal, dual, primal-dual, and power series algorithms, were empirically evaluated on a set of linear programming application models being used by the staff of the US Military Airlift Command at Scott Air Force Base. The results are summarized. >
Two methods for validating brain tissue classifiers

In this paper, we present an evaluation of seven automatic brain tissue classifiers based on level of agreements. A number of agreement measures are explained, and we show how they can be used to compare different segmentation techniques. We use the Simultaneous Truth and Performance Level Estimation (STAPLE) of Warfield et al. but also introduce a novel evaluation technique based on the Williams’ index. The methods are evaluated using these two techniques on a population of forty subjects, each having an SPGR scan and a co-registered T2 weighted scan. We provide an interpretation of the results and show how similar the output of the STAPLE analysis and Williams’ index are. When no ground truth is required, we recommend the use of Williams’ index as it is easy and fast to compute.
Proton therapy for non–small cell lung cancer: Current evidence and future directions

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Radiation dose escalation can improve survival in NSCLC patients but is often limited by adverse effects. One promising radiotherapy modality is proton radiotherapy, which, because of its physical characteristics, delivers minimal exit dose beyond the target volume and thus results in better sparing of normal tissues than does photon radiotherapy. Passive-scattering proton therapy and intensity-modulated proton therapy have shown promise in the treatment of early-stage and locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. However, more studies are needed to optimize proton therapy, particularly intensity-modulated proton therapy, to address motion and density changes and to guide appropriate patient selection.
Axis I and Axis II diagnostic parameters of homicide

A series of 100 murderers was examined to discern overall patterns of psychopathology. In addition, demographic and other discriminating factors were used to test the hypothesis that murderers do not constitute a homogenous population and that subgroups will differ diagnostically. DSM-III diagnostic criteria were used to make each diagnosis. The sample was found to be representative of the universe from which it was drawn at least as could be determined by available comparative criteria. Four Axis I (psychoses, substance abuse, dysthymia, no Axis I) and three Axis II (antisocial, borderline, no Axis II) diagnostic categories accounted for more than 80 percent of the study population. The murderers were found to be a heterogenous population, and subgroups based on a combination of assailant's crime pattern, sex, prior criminal history, and relationship to victim manifested different prevailing diagnostic patterns.
Federalism and the Processes of Governance in Hurst's Legal History

"The more important any legal theme is in United States history," Willard Hurst once wrote, "the more likely it is that it has been significantly affected by the coexistence and interplay of the national and the state governments."' That federalism and its impact on legal development should have been of central importance to Hurst's interpretations of American history is by no means surprising, yet the subject seldom finds a place in the growing literature on Hurst's seminal research contributions. His estimate of federalism's importance may no doubt be explained in part by the close relationship that he had with Felix Frankfurter as the research assistant in 1935-36 for Frankfurter's book of lectures on the Commerce Clause
Information processing in anxiety and depression

Performance on explicit and implicit memory tasks was compared among non-clinical participants (N = 47) who reported low anxiety and low depression, high anxiety and low depression, or high anxiety and high depression. No differences were found among the groups in explicit memory. Differences in our measure of implicit memory were attributable to higher anxiety, regardless of depression. Increased implicit memory was specific to personally relevant information. The study highlights the need for further exploration of information processing in mixed anxiety and depression.
Structural and solvent effects on the mechanism of base-induced rearrangement of epoxides to allylic alcohols

A combined experimental and computational study is presented which explores the influence of structure and solvent on the base-catalyzed isomerization of cyclopentene- and cyclohexene oxides. Cyclohexene oxide is known to rearrange via a syn β-elimination in nonpolar solvents. Cyclopentene oxide instead undergoes α-elimination to a carbenoid intermediate in nonpolar solvents due to the unusual acidity of the α-proton, not because of an unfavorable conformation. In HMPA, cyclopentene oxide undergoes β-elimination. To explore the origins of this mechanistic change, deuterium-labeled cis-4-tert-butylcyclohexene oxide was rearranged in HMPA and was found to react via anti β-elimination, as presumably do cyclopentene oxide and other epoxides.
Cellular properties of the coenzyme A-synthesizing protein complex of bakers' yeast.

Abstract A multienzyme complex contained in Bakers' yeast which synthesizes CoA has been named the coenzyme-A-synthesizing protein complex (CoA-SPC). The CoA-SPC has been shown to be insoluble in the crude Bakers' yeast cell lysate. Only after solubilization has this multienzyme complex been shown to catalyze the synthesis of CoA utilizing the substrates ATP, D-pantothenic acid and L-cysteine. A low molecular weight component of the 105,000 x g supernatant fraction of the yeast cell lysate, referred to as t-Factor, and chloride ion are responsible for the solubilization of CoA-SPC. Purification of t-Factor has been accomplished utilizing dialysis, ultrafiltration, paper chromatography and permeation chromatography. Purified t-Factor has been shown to be stable to heat at 80° for 24 h and resistant to hydrolysis by trypsin and protease. Although t-Factor has not yet been identified, several properties of this low molecular weight component are known. Mixing t-Factor and chloride ion with washed pellet material, obtained by centrifugation of the yeast lysate at 105,000 x g for 1 h, gradually solubilizes CoA-SPC. Mechanical stirring appears to facilitate this process. Consequently, the recovery of CoA-SPC in a relatively purified form, essentially free of proteolytic enzymes, can be accomplished by this technique.
Numerical computation of multishocked, three-dimensional supersonic flow fields with real gas effects.

A computational procedure is presented which is capable of determining the supersonic flow field surrounding three-dimensional wing-body configurations such as a delta-wing space shuttle. The governing equations in conservation-law form are solved by a finite difference method using a second-order noncentered algorithm between the body and the outermost shock wave, which is treated as a sharp discontinuity. Secondary shocks which form between these boundaries are captured automatically, and the intersection of these shocks with the bow shock posed no difficulty. Resulting flow fields about typical blunt nose shuttle-like configurations at angle of attack are presented. The differences between perfect and real gas effects for high Mach number flows are shown.
Geriatrics and the Triple Aim:: Defining Preventable Hospitalizations in the Long-Term Care Population

Reducing preventable hospitalizations is fundamental to the "triple aim" of improving care, improving health, and reducing costs. New federal government initiatives that create strong pressure to reduce such hospitalizations are being or will soon be implemented. These initiatives use quality measures to define which hospitalizations are preventable. Reducing hospitalizations could greatly benefit frail and chronically ill adults and older people who receive long-term care (LTC) because they often experience negative effects of hospitalization, including hospital-acquired conditions, morbidity, and loss of functional abilities. Conversely, reducing hospitalizations could mean that some people will not receive hospital care they need, especially if the selected measures do not adequately define hospitalizations that can be prevented without jeopardizing the person's health and safety. An extensive literature search identified 250 measures of preventable hospitalizations, but the measures have not been validated in the LTC population and generally do not account for comorbidity or the capacity of various LTC settings to provide the required care without hospitalization. Additional efforts are needed to develop measures that accurately differentiate preventable from necessary hospitalizations for the LTC population, are transparent and fair to providers, and minimize the potential for gaming and unintended consequences. As the new initiatives take effect, it is critical to monitor their effect and to develop and disseminate training and resources to support the many community- and institution-based healthcare professionals and emergency department staff involved in decisions about hospitalization for this population.
Intramolecular [4+2] cycloaddition reactions of enamines and enamides

Abstract An attempt to utilize a new strategy for alkaloid synthesis which features the intramolecular [4+2] cycloaddition of enamines and enamides for the construction of the tetracyclic spiroamine skeleton characteristic of the Erythrina alkaloids was unsuccessful, unexpectedly giving a bridged cycloadduct rather than a fused one.
Contemporary Challenges in the Study of Organizations

Much is known about organizations; much remains to be discovered. Acknowledging that a paradigm for guiding the study of organizations has yet to be developed, the present article suggests various areas which might be usefully investigated to improve our understanding of organizations. Taking an eclectic approach, four areas of research interest are discussed: organizational effectiveness, organization-environment interactions, organizational learning, and organizational growth and decline. Research prospects in each area are introduced and reviewed.
Effect of ethanol content on thermal efficiency of a spark-ignition light-duty engine.

The use of bioethanol in the transport sector can contribute to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions of the vehicles. To achieve this goal, together with a positive energy balance in global productive process of ethanol (well to tank), it is important that adding ethanol to gasoline does not cause a worsening of the efficiency of the internal combustion engine (tank to wheel). In this paper, a research activity on a commercial spark-ignition light-duty engine at the test bench is reported. The aim of the work was to characterize the effect of different bioethanol/gasoline blends on engine behaviour. Blends until 85% of ethanol were tested. Comparative studies of combustion development of gasoline and gasoline/ethanol blends at different concentrations have been made through the analysis of pressure cycles in combustion chamber. Moreover, emissions were collected and analyzed. Emissions downstream of the catalyst, measured with the blends, resulted quite similarly to the gasoline case. Instead, upstream the catalyst a reduction of emissions, proportional to oxygenated content was noted. Moreover, a general carbon dioxide reduction with ethanol blends was achieved due in particular to better engine thermal efficiency.
Governing boards and decision making.

Governing boards should use a rational process to make decisions even though value judgments influence the process and data are not always available. A model for rational decision making is discussed and illustrated.
Motor effects of the partial dopamine agonist (−)-3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-N-n-propylpiperidine (preclamol) in Parkinson's disease

The motor effects of the partial dopamine agonist (-)-3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-N-n-propylpiperidine [(-)-3-PPP, preclamol] were evaluated in nine patients with Parkinson's disease using a double-blind, placebo-controlled design. (-)-3-PPP monotherapy had an antiparkinsonian effect in five of nine patients at a mean dose of 37 +/- 10 mg intramuscularly. The co-administration of (-)-3-PPP and a mildly dyskinetic dose of levodopa, infused intravenously at steady-state, resulted in complete suppression of dyskinesias and reemergence of parkinsonian signs in two of seven patients. These dopamine antagonist effects of (-)-3-PPP occurred at relatively low (2.5 and 5 mg) doses. Our results suggest that partial dopamine agonists can exert agonist or antagonist activity in parkinsonian patients depending on concurrent dopaminergic tone. Although this dual action of (-)-3-PPP and other partial agonists could be therapeutically important on theoretical grounds, the small number of patients manifesting a clinically significant response and the frequently inconsistent effects could indicate that this class of agents may have relatively limited clinical utility.
Prognostic value of the simplified selvester QRS score in patients with coronary artery disease

The relation of the simplified Selvester QRS scoring system for the estimation of myocardial infarct size to survival was studied in 1,915 nonsurgically treated patients with documented coronary artery disease. Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were scored according to a simplified 29 point QRS scoring system. Using Cox model analyses, QRS scores were found to provide strong prognostic information by themselves (p less than 0.0001). Higher QRS scores were associated with lower survival rates. Patients with a score of 0 had a 1 year survival rate of 95% and a 5 year survival rate of 88%; patients with a score of 10 or more had survival rates of 81 and 52%, respectively, at the same intervals. Directly compared with the presence or absence of Q waves on the ECG, QRS scores provided greater prognostic information (p less than 0.001). When compared with 13 individual factors previously shown to provide the greatest independent prognostic information, the QRS score was the third most powerful individual prognostic factor. It did not contribute independent prognostic information in combination with the whole group, but did provide independent information in combination with the six most predictive factors. Its prognostic information overlapped mostly with clinical factors related to heart failure, and combined best with clinical factors related to the severity of ongoing myocardial ischemia. Because it is inexpensive and simple and maximizes the prognostic information from the ECG, the simplified Selvester QRS scoring system can be a useful clinical descriptor for practitioners and clinical investigators.
Convenient yet not a convenience sample: Jury pools as experimental subject pools.

Abstract Scholars greatly benefit from access to convenient, inexpensive data sources. Many researchers rely on student subject pools, a practice that raises concern about the “college sophomore problem,” or the possibility that findings from student subjects do not generalize beyond the campus. As an accessible, low cost, and heterogeneous data source, some researchers have used subjects recruited from jury pools, which are drawn from randomly-selected citizens required by law to appear for jury duty. In this paper, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this approach. First, we review pragmatic considerations involving access to jury pools, substantive content, the administration of survey-experiments, and the financial costs and benefits of this approach. Next, we present evidence regarding the quality of jury pool samples in terms of response rates, diversity, and representativeness. We conclude that jury pools, given proper attention to their limitations, offer an attractive addition to the viable sources of experimental data.