cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early Caffeine and Weaning from Mechanical Ventilation in Preterm Infants: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Objective To evaluate in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial the effect of early caffeine on the age of first successful extubation in preterm infants. Study design Preterm infants born at 23-30 weeks of gestation requiring mechanical ventilation in the first 5 postnatal days were randomized to receive a 20 mg/kg loading dose followed by 5 mg/kg/day of caffeine or placebo until considered ready for extubation. The placebo group received a blinded loading dose of caffeine before extubation. Results Infants were randomized to receive caffeine (n = 41) or placebo (n = 42). Age at first successful extubation did not differ between early caffeine (median, 24 days; IQR, 10-41 days) and control groups (median, 20 days; IQR, 9-43 days; P = .7). An interim analysis at 75% enrollment showed a trend toward higher mortality in 1 of the groups and the data safety and monitoring board recommended stopping the trial. Unblinded analysis revealed mortality did not differ significantly between the early caffeine (9 [22%]) and control groups (5 [12%]; P = .22). Conclusions Early initiation of caffeine in this group of premature infants did not reduce the age of first successful extubation. A nonsignificant trend toward higher mortality in the early caffeine group led to a cautious decision to stop the trial. These findings suggest caution with early use of caffeine in mechanically ventilated preterm infants until more efficacy and safety data become available. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov : NCT01751724 .
Differences in determinants of aerobic and muscle strengthening physical activity among college students: a reasoned action approach

ABSTRACTWhile there is a concerted effort to promote physical activity (PA) across United States government and non-governmental organizations, interventions typically focus on aerobic forms of PA, leaving out muscle strengthening PA. The purpose of this study was to operationalize the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) to explain theory-based correlates of aerobic and muscle strengthening PA, which can provide targets for future public health interventions. Theory-based correlates of both PA behaviors were evaluated using logistic regression analyses, and intentions predicted a significant amount of aerobic PA (14.9%) and muscle strengthening PA (30.7%). Theory-based correlates of intentions to both PA behaviors were evaluated using linear regression analyses, and attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived behavioral control predicted a significant amount for aerobic PA (46.2% to 55.8%) and for muscle strengthening PA (53.9% to 59.8%). Finally, theory-based correlates of attitudes, injunctive norms, descripti...
A Technique for Producing an Artificial Biological Membrane Suitable for Diffusion Studies

A technique for investigating the diffusion properties of an artificial biological membrane, protein-lipid-protein, under static and dynamic conditions is discussed. Experimental data on the relative permeability of the membrane to manganous chloride, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, and ammonia in aqueous solutions are presented. The results indicate that manganous chloride and ammonium hydroxide diffuse through the membrane more rapidly than potassium chloride or sodium chloride, while the latter two species exhibit approximately the same overall mass transfer coefficients. It reveals the fact that such an artificial membrane is offering a degree of preferential selectivity which seems to be dependent on the electrical properties rather than on the molecular transfer coefficient of the diffusant. This characteristic is found in conformity with that of natural biological membranes.
LOCAL ABSORPTION OF LOW ENERGY BETAS BY SOLID SUPPORTS: A PROBLEM IN HETEROGENEOUS COUNTING

Abstract When ( 3 H)- or ( 14 C)-labeled nucleosides or nucleotides are dried on solid supports and subsequently counted in a toluene-scintillator system, there is a greater loss of counting efficiency than is indicated by channels ratios or externally standarized quench correction. The resulting inaccuracy suggests that the efficiency of double isotope counting on solid supports is unpredictable.
Tissue Engineering Applications in Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery, a derivative of the Greek word plastikos, is in essence a specialty of “forming or molding” to repair defects that may arise from traumatic mechanisms, extirpation of malignancies, or congenital malformations [20]. As one of the broadest surgical specialties, plastic surgeons are confronted with defects in all regions of the body including the integument, craniomaxillofacial region, extremities, breast, and trunk. When addressing large defects which are unlikely to heal on their own, surgeons have a wide array of tools for reconstruction, including the use of autogenous grafts, allogeneic substitutes, and synthetic materials. Each of these reconstructive options has a corresponding clinical situation that it addresses best. However, these resources are also accompanied by their inherent disadvantages. When wounds are assessed to be unlikely to heal in a timely fashion because of size or inadequate blood supply, plastic surgeons have over the years devised a plethora of local flaps, and with the advent of microsurgical technology, a host of microvascular free tissue transfers. Autogenous grafts are considered ideal because of their lack of immunogenicity. However, the use of autogenous grafts is tempered by consideration for donor site morbidity and relatively limited quantities. Allogeneic substitutes offer an alternative, but the risks of disease transmission, immunologic rejection, and graft-versus-host disease are not negligible. Finally, synthetic materials are frequently used but are associated with concerns for infection, tissue incorporation, and structural integrity.
The Contribution of Perceived Fitness to Physiological and Self-Reported Responses to Laboratory Stress

This study sought to evaluate the contribution of perceived physical fitness beyond the contributions of gender, body mass index (BMI), defensiveness, and estimated aerobic fitness on both physiological and self-reported stress responsivity to laboratory-induced stress. Ninety healthy individuals (45 males, 45 females) participated in the experiment. Participants completed a laboratory procedure measuring cardiovascular responses (i.e. pulse rate and blood pressure) and self-reported rating of anxiety (i.e. the anxiety scale from the Multiple Affective Checklist–Revised—MAACL–R) while performing stressful laboratory tasks (i.e. the Stroop Color Naming Test and Serial 7's). Estimated aerobic fitness (i.e. VO2max using the Bruce protocol) as well as perceived fitness (using a 10-point Likert scale) were also determined. Multiple regression and effect size results revealed that perceived fitness significantly contributed to the variance associated with both physiological and self-reported responses to laboratory stress. Specifically, perceived fitness significantly added to the variance beyond that attributed to gender, BMI, defensiveness, and estimated aerobic physical fitness while assessing pulse rate and MAACL–R anxiety scores. Overall results support the view that perception of fitness may be an important factor above and beyond aerobic fitness in its association with physiological and self-reported responses to stress.
Phenotype-genotype discrepancies in the prospective Huntington at-risk observational study

Objective To examine phenotype-genotype discrepancies (PGDs) wherein genotype-concealed and prospective judgments of the motor onset of Huntington disease (HD) occurred among at-risk adults who had nonexpanded (<37) cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) trinucleotide DNA repeats. Methods We examined the prospective clinical assessments of investigators who were kept unaware of individual CAG lengths in the Prospective Huntington At-Risk Observational Study (PHAROS) who enrolled and followed undiagnosed adults at risk for HD who chose not to learn their gene status. Subjects (n = 1001) at 43 Huntington Study Group research sites in the US and Canada were evaluated prospectively and systematically between 1999 and 2009. At each site, an investigator was designated to perform comprehensive clinic assessments and another investigator to rate only the motor examination. Phenoconversion from a "premanifest" status to a confidently "manifest" status was based on investigator judgment (diagnostic confidence level) of the extrapyramidal motor features of HD. Results There were 20 PGDs that over time had less severe motor scores than the 101 phenoconversions with CAG ≥37, but more severe motor scores than nonconversions. Following conversion, subjects with CAG ≥37 expansions worsened more motorically and cognitively than PGD subjects in the < 37 group. PGDs were concentrated among three sites and a few investigators, especially raters who only assessed the motor examination. Interpretation The ability to detect the clinical onset of HD in a timely and reliable fashion remains the key for developing experimental treatments aimed at postponing the clinical onset of HD. Comprehensive clinical evaluation is a more accurate and reliable basis for determining HD clinical onset than sole reliance on judging the extrapyramidal features of HD.
Comparison of intranasal midazolam versus intravenous lorazepam for seizure termination and prevention of seizure clusters in the adult epilepsy monitoring unit.

Abstract Objective The objective of the study was to compare the performance of intravenous (IV) lorazepam (IVL) and intranasal midazolam (INM) for seizure termination and prevention of seizure clusters in adults admitted to the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) in whom seizures were captured on continuous video-electroencephalogram. Methods Retrospective cohort of consecutive adults (≥ 18 years) with epilepsy admitted to the EMU at a single tertiary academic center, who experienced epileptic seizures (confirmed electroencephalographically) and required rescue therapy. The study spanned from January 2015 until December 2016, which included one year before and one year after transitioning from IVL to INM as the standard rescue therapy at our institution. Results A total of 50 subjects received rescue therapy and were included in the analysis. In the first year, out of 216 patients with epilepsy admitted to the EMU, 27 (13%) received IVL; in the second year, 23/217 (11%) received INM. There were no differences in baseline characteristics and markers of epilepsy severity, the median duration of index seizure (1.7 min [interquartile range (IQR): 1.1–2.7] in IVL vs. 2.0 min [IQR: 1.5–2.6] in INM group, p = 0.20), or in the number of subjects requiring repeat benzodiazepine administrations (IVL 8/27 [29.6%] vs. INM 7/23 [30.4%], p = 0.95). There were no differences in the median number of recurrent seizures in 24 h (1 [IQR: 1–3] in IVL vs. 2 [IQR: 1–4] in INM, p = 0.27), occurrence of status epilepticus (IVL 4/27 [14.8%] subjects vs. INM 1/23 [4.3%] subjects, p = 0.36), incidence of seizure clusters (IVL 8/27 [29.6%] subjects vs. INM 7/23 [30.4%] subjects, p = 0.95), need for transfer to an intensive care unit (ICU), or other adverse events. Significance In our retrospective study, INM was comparable with IVL for seizure termination and prevention of seizure clusters in the adult EMU. Intranasal midazolam circumvents the need for IV access to be maintained throughout hospitalization and is an attractive alternative to IVL as a rescue therapy in this setting. Ideally, future large, prospective, randomized, and double blind studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Cumulus: a cloud-based data analysis framework for large-scale single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-seq

Abstract Massively parallel single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-seq (sc/snRNA-seq) have opened the way to systematic tissue atlases in health and disease, but as the scale of data generation is growing, so does the need for computational pipelines for scaled analysis. Here, we developed Cumulus, a cloud-based framework for analyzing large scale sc/snRNA-seq datasets. Cumulus combines the power of cloud computing with improvements in algorithm implementations to achieve high scalability, low cost, user-friendliness, and integrated support for a comprehensive set of features. We benchmark Cumulus on the Human Cell Atlas Census of Immune Cells dataset of bone marrow cells and show that it substantially improves efficiency over conventional frameworks, while maintaining or improving the quality of results, enabling large-scale studies.
Reflections on 40 Years of Applied Economics Research on Agriculture and Water Quality

Reducing agricultural nonpoint pollution has been an environmental policy issue since the early 1980s. We discuss the evolution and results of federal and state policy, the contributions of applied economic research to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of water pollution control policies for agriculture, elements of policy reforms that are consistent with the Clean Water Act, and the outlook for needed policy innovation.
Identification of the Active Catalyst for Nickel-Catalyzed Stereospecific Kumada Coupling Reactions of Ethers

A series of nickel complexes in varying oxidation states were evaluated as precatalysts for the stereospecific cross-coupling of benzylic ethers. These results demonstrate rapid redox reactions of precatalysts, such that the oxidative state of the precatalyst does not dictate the oxidation state of the active catalyst in solution. These data provide the first experimental evidence for a Ni0 -NiII catalytic cycle for a stereospecific alkyl-alkyl cross-coupling reaction, including spectroscopic analysis of the catalyst resting state.
Citizen Lawsuits Against the Government in China: Twenty Court Cases, 2013–2019

In this issue, we present 20 court cases of private citizens suing the government in China from 2013 to 2019, selected from 662 published administrative law cases since 2003. We will begin with the...
11.05 – The Sertoli Cell as a Target for Toxicants

The Sertoli cell of the testicular seminiferous epithelium is a specialized cell that is responsible for regulating the germ cell output of the testis. Knowledge of the multitude of processes that the Sertoli cells manage, and others that regulate the Sertoli cell, continues to grow with the discovery of new signaling pathways, proteins, and genes in the testis. A particular expansion in the understanding of the developmental biology of the testis has been facilitated by the investigation of toxicant action during various developmental time periods and the testicular diseases that result (infertility and cancer) later in life. In this chapter, the mechanisms and manifestations of Sertoli cell toxicant-induced injury are reviewed with a focus on the differing responses and mechanisms that occur during various distinct developmental periods.
Dynamic-data-driven agent-based modeling for the prediction of evacuation behavior during hurricanes

Abstract Establishing an efficient disaster management strategy against severe natural disasters is essential to mitigate and relieve their catastrophic consequences. In order to understand the situation during such devastating events, it is crucial to incorporate individuals' behaviors and their decision-making processes, which requires an amalgamation of information from various sources such as survey data, information regarding location and intensity of disasters, government's policies, and supplies in the affected region. This work proposes a dynamic-data-driven model for individual decision-making processes capable of tracking people's preference value over time, incorporating dynamic environmental changes using Bayesian updates. An agent-based simulation was used to model each of the components vital to devise an effective disaster management strategy. Moreover, the proposed model allows deriving quantitative relationships among people's evacuations, their demographic information, and risk perception based on environmental changes, including traffic status, gas outage, and government notice. For this study, the authors considered Florida's situations during hurricanes Irma, Michael, and Dorian in 2017, 2018, and 2019. What-if analyses were also conducted to find the best disaster management policy for government agencies to minimize the hurricane's effect, which will help prepare for future disaster situations.
Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors

The sections in this article are 1 Forward Drop 2 Switching Speed and Controllable Switching Trajectories 3 Reverse Blocking 4 Device Failure 5 Device Paralleling 6 Lifetime Killing 7 Numerical Modeling of the IGBT 8 Further Research
Content Analysis of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Recreational Sports Journal, 2005–2019:

While its content and editorial decisions are independent of NIRSA, the Recreational Sports Journal is NIRSA’s scholarly communication outlet and supported by the NIRSA Foundation. Both the organiz...
Gender Differences in the Accumulation, Timing, and Duration of Childhood Adverse Experiences and Youth Delinquency in Fragile Families:

Objective:The purposes of this study are twofold. First, we explore how the accumulation, timing, and duration of ACEs influences youth delinquency. Second, because few studies to date have examine...
Abstract P036: Little Evidence Of Association Between Kidney Function And Subclinical Arrhythmias Measured By Extended Ambulatory Cardiac Monitoring: The Multi-Ethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are at high risk for atrial fibrillation (AF) and ventricular arrhythmias. Arrhythmias are often asymptomatic and not detected clinically, so the...
Mu rhythm dynamics suggest automatic activation of motor and premotor brain regions during speech processing

Abstract Results are mixed regarding the question of whether listening to speech activates automatic speech specific neural processes, or whether such activity is due to general cognitive mechanisms such as attention and memory. We suggest that analyzing the dynamics of mu rhythms over the course of a trial using event-related spectral perturbations (ERSPs) is useful for disentangling the competing hypotheses. Our findings suggest that there is automatic activation of motor and premotor areas of the brain that occurs while passively listening to speech, and that this activation is not present while listening to noise. Moreover, this activation is more strongly present in the low alpha frequencies, which are associated with attention, when participants engage in active discrimination of stimuli, and late in the trial prior to a button press.
A simulation model-based clinical decision tool to guide personalized treatment based on individual characteristics: Does 21-gene recurrence score assay testing change decisions?

e12507Background: There is a need for web-based decision tools that integrate clinicopathologic features and genomic information to guide breast cancer therapy for women with node-negative, hormone...
Advances in multiplex electrical and optical detection of biomarkers using microfluidic devices.

Microfluidic devices can provide a versatile, cost-effective platform for disease diagnostics and risk assessment by quantifying biomarkers. In particular, simultaneous testing of several biomarkers can be powerful. Here, we critically review work from the previous 4 years up to February 2021 on developing microfluidic devices for multiplexed detection of biomarkers from samples. We focus on two principal approaches: electrical and optical detection methods that can distinguish and quantify biomarkers. Both electrical and spectroscopic multiplexed detection strategies are being employed to reach limits of detection below clinical sample levels. Some of the most promising strategies for point-of-care assays involve inexpensive materials such as paper-based microfluidic devices, or portable and accessible detectors such as smartphones. This review does not comprehensively cover all multiplexed microfluidic biomarker studies, but rather provides a critical evaluation of key work and suggests promising prospects for future advancement in this field.
Modal dispersion compensation by simultaneous use of spatially resolved equalization and restricted mode launch

In this paper, we analyze the effect of compounding RML with SRE. We numerically model the MMF link under RML condition as well as the effect of SRE. Well known approximations for the model group-delay /spl tau//sub m/, and Laguerre-Gaussian polynomials are used for computing mode-field profiles. The external efficiency /spl eta//sub m/ of each mode to the multisegment detector is computed by the overlap integral between the mode intensity and the detector. A two-segment, SRE where the detector signals are subtracted, is simulated by alternating the polarity of detector responsivity. Finally, the normalized, overall link response is computed. The link is simulated with and without SRE enhancement for various illumination condition is compared. The induced optical loss commensurate with the suppression of higher order modes by SRE is also compared.
Radiative forcing of the Venus mesosphere: I. Solar fluxes and heating rates

A radiative-transfer model has been used to derive the structure and amplitude of the solar fluxes and heating rates in the Venus mesosphere, accounting for absorption and scattering extinction sources that encompass CO2, H2O, SO2, and H2SO4 aerosols as well as an unidentified UV absorber. The unknown substance that causes the observed cloud-top UV contrasts is responsible for most of the absorption of sunlight within the upper cloud deck; this contributes to solar heating rates of the order of 6 K/day at levels near 65 km. These results are judged sufficiently reliable for use in numerical dynamical models of the Venus atmosphere.
TWEAK Stimulation of Microglia and Implications for Neuropsychiatric Lupus (P5.176)

Objective: To characterize the effects of the TWEAK/Fn14 signaling pathway on microglial activation. Background: Neuropsychiatric disease is a common manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Frequent presentations include depression, anxiety, memory loss and cognitive decline. The pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE), however, remains unclear; several potential mechanisms include thrombosis, complement deposition, brain reactive autoantibodies, and cytokine mediated inflammation. TWEAK, a member of the TNF cytokine family, has recently been implicated as a potent effector in NPSLE development. TWEAK concentrations have been found elevated in the CSF of NPSLE patients, and knockout of Fn14, the sole TWEAK receptor, in lupus prone MRL/lpr mice attenuates NPSLE symptoms. The role of innate CNS immunity in the pathogenesis of NPSLE has been poorly characterized to date, and given the privileged environment of the CNS, innate monocyte microglia may play an important role. Design/Methods: Both primary microglia isolated from C57BL/6 mice, and immortalized N9 and BV2 microglia were analyzed for the presence of Fn14 via flow cytometry. Expression level data from TWEAK stimulated N9 microglia was ascertained via qRT-PCR, and apoptosis was determined via staining for Annexin and 7-AAD by flow cytometry. Results: Both primary microglia and microglia cell lines express high levels of Fn14 on their surface. TWEAK stimulation induces significantly increased expression of pro-inflammatory molecules TNF, IP-10, MMP-9 and iNOS [4-6 fold compared to isotype control]. Furthermore, stimulation with TWEAK for 24-48 hours results in increased apoptosis of microglia [3 fold], even more so when coupled with IFNγ [9 fold when compared to isotype control, 2 fold when compared to IFNγ+control]. Conclusions: Previous studies have shown that TWEAK signaling plays an important role in NPSLE pathogenesis. Our findings of TWEAK induced expression of inflammatory molecules, and substantial effects on apoptosis and survival of microglia, suggest a role for TWEAK induced microglia activation as a potential contributor to NPSLE pathogenesis. Disclosure: Dr. Putternam has received research support from Biogen Idec.
Chronic Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Infection Actively Down-Regulates CD4+ T Cell Responses Directed against a Broad Range of Epitopes

Activation of CD4(+) T cells helps establish and sustain CD8(+) T cell responses and is required for the effective clearance of acute infection. CD4-deficient mice are unable to control persistent infection and CD4(+) T cells are usually defective in chronic and persistent infections. We investigated the question of how persistent infection impacted pre-existing lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)-specific CD4(+) T cell responses. We identified class II-restricted epitopes from the entire set of open reading frames from LCMV Armstrong in BALB/c mice (H-2(d)) acutely infected with LCMV Armstrong. Of nine epitopes identified, six were restricted by I-A(d), one by I-E(d) and two were dually restricted by both I-A(d) and I-E(d) molecules. Additional experiments revealed that CD4(+) T cell responses specific for these epitopes were not generated following infection with the immunosuppressive clone 13 strain of LCMV. Most importantly, in peptide-immunized mice, established CD4(+) T cell responses to these LCMV CD4 epitopes as well as nonviral, OVA-specific responses were actively suppressed following infection with LCMV clone 13 and were undetectable within 12 days after infection, suggesting an active inhibition of established helper responses. To address this dysfunction, we performed transfer experiments using both the Smarta and OT-II systems. OT-II cells were not detected after clone 13 infection, indicating physical deletion, while Smarta cells proliferated but were unable to produce IFN-gamma, suggesting impairment of the production of this cytokine. Thus, multiple mechanisms may be involved in the impairment of helper responses in the setting of early persistent infection.
Adhesion Defects are Sufficient to Initiate Polycystic Kidney Disease

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is a begin, but lethal tumor, where cysts accumulate on the adult kidney progressively impairing renal function. Many mutations are linked to ADPKD, but its complex nature has hampered efforts to define the mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis. Recently Kher et al. had shown that ectopic cadherin-8 expression, present in most cystic kidneys, suffices to initiate ADPKD. We have developed a 3D multi-cell simulation of the renal tubule to investigate the mechanisms behind this experiment. Our model predicts that loss of cell-cell adhesion in a single cell suffices to trigger ADPKD and that the pattern of cyst initiation differs from that which disruptions of contact-inhibition produces. Based on these simulations we conducted hanging drop and 4D visualization of in vitro human renal-derived cysts. These experiments validate our model predictions. Together these data provide the first mechanical explanation for the onset of ADPKD .
Quantum Dynamical Phenomena of Independent Electrons in Semiconductor Superlattices Subject to a Uniform Electric Field.

This report discusses the following topics: Bloch oscillations and other dynamical phenomena of electrons in semiconductor superlattices; solvable dynamical model of an electron in a one-dimensional aperiodic lattice subject to a uniform electric field; and quantum dynamical phenomena of electrons in aperiodic semiconductor superlattices.
Cocaine use does not affect mean platelet volume.

Increased mean platelet volume (MPV) is a marker of platelet activation. Platelet activation with cocaine use is not well studied. We wanted to investigate MPV levels in patients with cocaine-associated chest pain (CACP) as a marker of platelet activation. Retrospectively, MPV of 82 consecutive patients with CACP (group 1) with positive urine drug screen (UDS), without acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (group 1A) and with AMI with elevated troponin (group 1B), were included in the study. The control group (group 2) consisted of 89 consecutive patients admitted during the same time period with acute chest pain (ACP) who had negative UDS and negative cardiac markers with a normal cardiac stress test or normal coronary angiogram. Analysis showed no statistically significant difference of MPV between group 1, 8.46 ± 1.06 fL, versus group 2, 8.7 ± 1.07 fL; p = 0.142; and between group 1A, 8.46 ± 1.05 fL, and group 1B, 8.46 ± 1.09 fL; p = 0.983. By multiple linear regression analysis, MPV was not influenced by cocaine abuse (R = 0.269, R2 = 0.072, adjusted R2 = −0.009, p = 0.562). MPV is not elevated in patients with cocaine use even when they had AMI. Further studies may be necessary to investigate the role of platelet activation in patients with cocaine use and chest pain.
The Impact Of Course Scheduling On Student Success In Intermediate Accounting

Cognitive psychology research, as well as educational psychology research, suggests that learning is enhanced when new subjects are presented in spaced-out sessions rather than compressed into fewer, longer sessions (the “spacing effect”). This would suggest that students should learn better when taking courses that are scheduled over longer time periods (two or three days per week over a long semester) rather than in an intensive (one day per week) or compressed (summer session) format. This research investigates whether the spacing effect exists for students in Intermediate Accounting classes. Specifically, this research examines student performance in Intermediate Accounting courses offered in four different scheduling formats including one, two, and three days per week over traditional long semesters, as well as during compressed four-week summer sessions. A significant association between course schedule and student performance is found to exist. The effect of student age and gender on this association is also explored. Results identify one scheduling option which appears to be a particularly poor schedule for Intermediate Accounting, as well as particular characteristics of students who might be more likely to have difficulty with this schedule. Results should be of interest to university administrators responsible for making scheduling decisions, to faculty members teaching under different course schedules, and to individual students planning their class schedules.
An Age and Body Mass Handicap for the Marathon

An age and body mass handicap has been previously developed and validated for the 5-kilometer (5K) run. The purpose of this study was to develop a similar handicap for the marathon but with a different age adjustment based on deviations from age group world best marathon times within each sex. The resulting handicap allowed finish time comparisons between marathoners of different age and body mass within the same sex. Applied to the top 15 men and women overall and top 10 in each age group of a recent marathon, age bias was reduced by 99.3% and 98.5% for women and men, respectively. This age and body mass handicap appears valid based on empirical analyses for age and extrapolation from empirical data at the 5-km distance for body mass. The marathon body mass handicap should be empirically evaluated in future research.
String defects in freely suspended liquid-crystal films

Line (string) defects at which the molecular orientation changes by 0, \ensuremath{\pi}/2, or \ensuremath{\pi} rad are reported in few-layer-thick freely suspended tilted smectic liquid-crystal films. These defects are ubiquitous, appearing in chiral and nonchiral smectic-C, hexatic, and antiferroelectric phases, either forming closed loops or terminating in fractionally charged vortices. The interaction between strings is complex, there being many ways in which they link to form multiarm (3 to 7) ``star'' and ``tree'' textures.
Inequalities for local moduli of continuity

Abstract Some comparison results are presented here for the first and second local moduli of continuity of a continuously differentiable function and its higher order derivatives. The multivariate case is also studied.
Collective particle flow through random media.

A simple model for the nonlinear collective transport of interacting particles in a random medium with strong disorder is introduced and analyzed. A finite threshold for the driving force divides the behavior into two regimes characterized by the presence or absence of a steady-state particle current. Below this threshold, transient motion is found in response to an increase in the force, while above threshold the flow approaches a steady state with motion only on a network of channels which is sparse near threshold. Some of the critical behavior near threshold is analyzed via mean field theory, and analytic results on the statistics of the moving phase are derived. Many of the results should apply, at least qualitatively, to the motion of magnetic bubble arrays and to the driven motion of vortices in thin film superconductors when the randomness is strong enough to destroy the tendencies to lattice order even on short length scales. Various history dependent phenomena are also discussed. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
Whither (or Wither) Educational Theory

(1996). Whither (or Wither) Educational Theory? Curriculum Studies: Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 141-148.
Plasma sprayed gadolinium zirconate thermal barrier coatings that are resistant to damage by molten Ca–Mg–Al–silicate glass

Abstract Air plasma sprayed (APS) Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are found to be highly effective in resisting high-temperature (1200 °C) penetration of molten Ca–Mg–Al–silicate (CMAS) glass deposit for prolonged durations (up to 1 week). In contrast, conventional APS 7YSZ TBCs are found to be fully penetrated by the molten CMAS glass under the same testing conditions. This resistance is attributed to the formation of a sealing layer made of crystalline Ca–apatite phase (based on Ca 2 Gd 8 (SiO 4 ) 6 O 2 ) as a result of the high-temperature chemical interactions between the APS Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 TBC and the CMAS glass. The resistance to penetration of molten silicate deposits offered by Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 composition TBCs is relatively insensitive to both the type of molten silicate deposits (CMAS sand, volcanic ash, coal fly ash) and the TBC microstructure (APS, EB-PVD).
Parallel refinement and coarsening of tetrahedral meshes

This paper presents a parallel adaptation procedure (coarsening and refinement) for tetrahedral meshes in a distributed environment. Coarsening relies upon an edge collapsing tool. Refinement uses edge-based subdivision templates. Mesh optimization maintains the quality of the adapted meshes. Focus is given to the parallelization of the various components. Scalability requires repartitioning of the mesh before applying either coarsening or refinement. Relatively good speed-ups have been obtained for all phases of the proposed adaptation scheme. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tunneling spectroscopy of superconducting Y 1-x Pr x Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7 thin films

A systematic study of the conductance of Y1−xPrxBa2Cu3O7/Pb planar tunnel junctions as a function of Pr concentration, x, and crystallographic orientation is presented. For fixed Pr concentration, the tunneling conductance is the same when tunneling into (100)-, (110)-, and (103)-oriented films, but qualitatively different than tunneling into (001)-oriented films. In addition, the gap-like feature energy (∼2kBTc) scales with Tc, but only when tunneling in the ab-plane direction. An ongoing experiment characterizing a novel tunnel junction fabrication technique using self-assembled monolayers as insulating tunnel barriers is also discussed.
Officers in Crisis: New York City Police Officers Who Assisted the Families of Victims of the World Trade Center Terrorist Attack

Following September 11, 2001, considerable research focused on the well-being of disaster and recovery workers at the World Trade Center in New York. Yet police officers who assisted the families of victims have been neglected. These officers worked long shifts escorting families to the site of the attack, reviewing lists of the deceased, distributing death certificates and memorial urns, and collecting materials for DNA sampling. Intense work with traumatized individuals can result in secondary traumatization. Six months after the attack, 23% of a convenience sample of these officers (N = 74) had possible posttraumatic stress disorder, as measured by the Posttraumatic Symptom Checklist (Weathers, Litz, Herman, Huska, & Keane, 1993). Additional exposures to the attacks and being Hispanic were associated with more severe symptoms, while years of experience as a police officer with the NYPD had no effect. Recommendations for preventive preparedness training and early intervention for police officers who ass...
Control of calcium absorption and intestinal calcium-binding protein synthesis☆

A current hypothesis suggests that the degree of Ca absorption is hormonally controlled via the feed-back regulation of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25-(OH)2D3) production from 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD3) by kidney 1-hydroxylase. To test this hypothesis, dihydrotachysterol3 (DHT3), a steroid not requiring 1-hydroxylation for biological activity, was given to chicks as the only source of vitamin D-activity. As expected, DHT3-treated chicks did not adapt to a calcium-deficient diet. However, both the efficiency of Ca absorption and net synthesis of CaBP were stimulated in DHT3-treated chicks by a low phosphorus intake, providing evidence for an alternate pathway of control.
Density averaging for Markov processes and the invariant measures problem

Abstract A necessary and sufficient condition is given for the existence of a finite invariant measure equivalent to a given reference measure for a discrete time, general state Markov process. The condition is an extension of one given by D. Maharam in the deterministic case and involves an averaging method (called by Maraham ‘density averaging’) applied to the Radon-Nikodym derivatives with respect to the reference measure of the usual sequence of measures induced by the Markov process acting on the fixed reference
The Availability and Cost of Healthier Food Alternatives

Background Many people, especially low-income consumers, do not successfully follow dietary recommendations to eat more whole grains and less fat and added sugar. The food environment may have a significant impact on the choice by low-income consumers to eat healthier foods, as both the availability and price of healthier food items may limit their ability to eat a healthier diet. We investigated the cost and availability of a standard market basket of foods, and a healthier basket that included low-fat meat and dairy and whole grain products. Methods Market-basket surveys were conducted in 25 stores in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Stores were selected from neighborhoods that were varied by income and surveyed three times from September 2003 to June 2004. The average cost of a standard market basket (based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Thrifty Food Plan [TFP]) and a healthier market basket was calculated from these prices and compared using a standard t -test to determine if they were significantly different from each other. The analysis was conducted in 2005. Results In neighborhoods served by smaller grocery stores, access to whole-grain products, low-fat cheeses, and ground meat with Conclusions The lack of availability in small grocery stores located in low-income neighborhoods, and the higher cost of the healthier market basket may be a deterrent to eating healthier among very low-income consumers. Public policies should take the food environment into account in order to develop successful strategies to encourage the consumption of healthier foods.
Meta-image navigation augmenters for GPS denied mountain navigation of small UAS

We present a novel approach to use mountain drainage patterns for GPS-Denied navigation of small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) such as the ScanEagle, utilizing a down-looking fixed focus monocular imager. Our proposal allows extension of missions to GPS-denied mountain areas, with no assumption of human-made geographic objects. We leverage the analogy between mountain drainage patterns, human arteriograms, and human fingerprints, to match local drainage patterns to Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) rendered parallax occlusion maps of geo-registered radar returns (GRRR). Details of our actual GPU algorithm is beyond the subject of this paper, and is planned as a future paper. The matching occurs in real-time, while GRRR data is loaded on-board the aircraft pre-mission, so as not to require a scanning aperture radar during the mission. For recognition purposes, we represent a given mountain area with a set of spatially distributed mountain minutiae, i.e., details found in the drainage patterns, so that conventional minutiae-based fingerprint matching approaches can be used to match real-time camera image against template images in the training set. We use medical arteriography processing techniques to extract the patterns. The minutiae-based representation of mountains is achieved by first exposing mountain ridges and valleys with a series of filters and then extracting mountain minutiae from these ridges/valleys. Our results are experimentally validated on actual terrain data and show the effectiveness of minutiae-based mountain representation method. Furthermore, we study how to select landmarks for UAS navigation based on the proposed mountain representation and give a set of examples to show its feasibility. This research was in part funded by Rockwell Collins Inc.
Fractionation of rat fibroblasts in a zonal rotor by means of a viscosity barrier.

Abstract Cell fractionation procedures involving differential sedimentation followed by resuspension of pellets and isopycnic centrifugation are very difficult to apply to the small amounts of material available from tissue culture cells. We have explored the possibility of successive differential and isopycnic sedimentation in a zonal rotor using a short viscosity barrier for the differential sedimentation. The marker enzymes used were cytochrome oxidase, acid phosphatase, catalase, and 5′-nucleotidase. The results of these procedures are compared to the results of one-step isopycnic separations in gradients of sucrose and Stractan. The Stractan gradient was much more effective than the sucrose gradient in separating the marker enzymes from the proteins of a postnuclear supernatant, but neither type of gradient could significantly purify the marker enzymes one from another. A two-step procedure using a viscosity barrier was effective in separating particles carrying catalase from the other marker enzymes assayed and from most of the protein. A three-step procedure resulted in similar purification of mitochondria. Modification of barrier composition and centrifugation times would probably result in further improvement of separations according to individual requirements for yield, purification, and freedom from specific contamination by other subcellular particles.
Making sense of e–business

The business environment is at present moving through a dynamic and turbulent phase driven by technological change, globalisation, and increasingly competitive markets. This paper sets out to review the impact of the Internet on the business processes that support marketing, sales and the supply chain. The paper differentiates between E–Business and E–Commerce, reviews customer relationship management and its relevance to E–Business, examines examples from the area of B2B (business to business) supply chain and channel management, and B2C (business to consumer) electronic retailing, and discusses the relevance for small and large organisations. The IT and business processing revolution has still a very long way to go, but the way ahead has become much clearer.
Shifting comparative advantage, the nics, and the developing countries

It has been suggested that there have been shifts in comparative advantage for labor-intensive manufactures from the Newly Industrializing Countires (NICs) to other developing countries, permitting these latter states to export these products to the world market. An analysis of changes in exports for selected three-digit product categories for manufactures for sixteen countries from 1968 to 1976 and from 1976 to 1982, however, indicated that such shifts have not occurred. Many of the other developing countries that have expanded such exports have done so in the same product categories as the NICs, not different ones. In other cases, export gains of some developing countries were matched by losses by other developing states.
Reply to M.A. Rosen et al

Rosen et al raise two main issues regarding our report—the number of patients available in the cohort with more than two lesions measured at baseline, and a desire to only consider the radiographic changes in existing lesions when assessing the concordance between measuring more and fewer lesions. While our evaluation overall included data from 2,374 patients, we agree that the number of patients in our cohort with more than two target lesions measured at baseline (n 1,034) was more limited. Analyses were performed in the subset of patients that reported five or more lesions (n 108), and in general, agreement rates remained high. The recent evaluation of Bogaerts et al also considered this subset of patients, and included a much larger cohort of 585 patients with five or more target lesions. In the Bogaerts et al analysis, 90% agreement was observed in the best response when considering two target lesions versus all and 93% agreement in the calculated reason for progression when considering two versus all lesions. When considering the end point of progression-free survival, an increasingly prevalent end point in both phase II and III trials, in the subset of patients with five or more target lesions measured at baseline, the median progression-free survival was remarkably consistent with a median of 5.22 months when three target lesions were considered versus 5.26 when all lesions were considered. Regarding the need to limit the analysis to focus only on patients with progression due solely to growth of existing lesions, we purposefully used for our analysis all trials conducted by the North Central Cancer Treatment Group during an approximate 2-year time period to reflect how the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.0 was implemented in real clinical trials during this time period. In other words, the fact that a large percentage of patients did not have more than two lesions reported, and that a large percentage of patients had tumor progression based on clinical deterioration or the appearance of new lesions represents current clinical trial outcomes. Our goal was to determine the impact of considering fewer lesions on overall outcomes at the trial level when using RECIST. We agree that the optimum methodology for reporting radiographic response in clinical trials remains an important area of scientific study in particular in the current era of targeted and biologic therapies. We also agree that in disease settings where RECIST has known limitations, alternative or supplemental imaging methods are needed. However, we remain convinced that the most appropriate venue for making conclusions regarding the impact of the number of lesions assessed on trial outcomes is based on data from actual clinical trials with large sample sizes, not simulations or selected case studies based on small sample sizes and/or very selected patient populations which may or may not be reflective of clinical practice or clinical trial conduct.