cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Corporate risk around the world

Weaknesses in the corporate sector have increasingly been cited as important factors in financial crises in both emerging markets and industrial countries. Analysts have pointed to weak corporate performance and risky financing patterns as major causes of the East Asian financial crisis. And some have argued that company balance sheet problems may also have played a role, independent of macroeconomic or other weaknesses, including poor corporate sector performance. But little is known about the empirical importance of firm financing choices in predicting and explaining financial instability. Firm financing patterns have long been studied by the corporate finance literature. Financing patterns have traditionally been analyzed in the Modigliani-Miller framework, expanded to incorporate taxes and bankruptcy costs. More recently, asymmetric information issues have drawn attention to agency costs and their impact on firm financing choices. There is also an important literature relating financing patterns to firm performance and governance. Several recent studies have focused on identifying systematic cross-country differences in firm financing patterns - and the effects of these differences on financial sector development and economic growth. They have also examined the causes of different financing patterns, particularly countries' legal and institutional environments. The literature has devoted little attention to corporate sector risk characteristics, however, aside from leverage and debt maturity considerations. Even these measures have been the subject of few empirical investigations, mainly because of a paucity of data on corporate sectors around the world. Building on data that have recently become available, the authors try to fill this gap in the literature and shed light on the risk characteristics of corporate sectors around the world. They investigate how corporate sectors' financial and operating structures relate to the institutional environment in which they operate, using data for more than 11,000 firms in 46 countries. They show that: 1) the origins of a country's laws, the strength of its equity and creditor rights, and the nature of its financial system can account for the degree of corporate risk-taking. 2) In particular, corporations in common law countries and market-based financial systems have less risky financing patterns. 3) Stronger protection of equity and creditor rights is also associated with less financial risk.
Determination of the Stability Constants of Gold(I) Thiosulfate Complexes by Differential UV Spectroscopy

The stability constants of gold(I) thiosulfate complexes have been determined by differential UV spectroscopy. The aqueous solutions contained 6 × 10−4 mol·dm−3 Na3Au(S2O3)2 and a variable amount of Na2S2O3 to vary the Au:S2O3 ratio over the range 1:5–1:200 and NaClO4 to maintain a constant ionic strength. The measurement of the absorbance of the solutions under investigation has been made in the range 220–300 nm with respect to reference solutions containing all constituents except gold(I) complexes. The stability constant values have been determined to be log10 β 1 ( $$ {\text{AuS}}_{2} {\text{O}}_{3}^{ - } $$ ) = 17.43 (±0.05), log10 β 2 $$({\text{Au}}({{\text{S}}_{2}{\text{O}}_{3}})_{2}^{3-})$$ = 23.81 (±0.05) at an ionic strength of the solution of 0.5 mol·dm−3 (NaClO4) and a temperature of 295 K. These values are close to the log10 β values which are predicted on the basis of correlation relationships.
Minimum information dominating set for critical sampling over graphs

We consider the problem of sampling a node-weighted graph. The objective is to infer the values of all nodes from that of a minimum subset of nodes by exploiting correlations in node values. We first introduce the concept of information dominating set (IDS). A subset of nodes in a given graph is an IDS if the value of these nodes is sufficient to infer the information state of the entire graph. We focus on two fundamental algorithmic problems: (i) how to determine whether a given subset of vertices is an IDS; (ii) how to construct a minimum IDS. Assuming binary node values and the local majority rule, we show that the first problem is co-NP-complete and the second problem is NP-hard in a general network. We then show that in acyclic graphs, both problems admit linear-complexity solutions by establishing a connection between the IDS problems and the vertex cover problem. For general graphs, we develop algorithms for solving both problems based on the concept of essential differential set. These results find applications in opinion sampling such as political polling and market survey in social-economic networks, and inferring epidemics and cascading failures in communication and infrastructure networks.
Large Multidatabases: Issues and Directions

Abstract The level of complexity in achieving interoperability in a multidatabase system largely depends on the number of component databases. If the size of the multidatabase system is small, it is reasonable to assume that current technology is adequate to address the interoperability problem. However, as the size increases, it becomes more and more difficult (if not impossible) to apply existing technology. The size of the multidatabase system is the single most important criterion that shapes the complexity of the problem. As the size becomes larger, new problems related to database autonomy and heterogeneity, as well as user education about available information, surface.
Construction and Application of Genomic DNA Libraries

Crop failures, pathogenic outbreaks and famine are serious problems facing society. Understanding an organism's genome will help provide the genetic tools needed to solve these complex problems in a shorter time and with less effort. To efficiently study an organism's genome, it can be partitioned into a permanent and stable collection of DNA fragments, called a library. Such libraries provide convenient access to a genome for both laboratory and breeding applications. Genomic libraries can be used as substrates to physically map and sequence entire genomes, clone agriculturally important genes and to investigate gene expression patterns. Further, genomic libraries also provide powerful tools and resources for evaluating germplasm conservation stocks and biological diversity. The ongoing explosion of genetic data and molecular clone resources has opened new scientific possibilities to researchers venturing across all avenues of applied science. In this chapter we will present the details for small and large insert library construction and their applications. Keywords: construction; genomic DNA libraries; shotgun; bacterial artificial chromosome libraries; coverage; applications; vector; library coverage; clone-by-clone shotgun sequencing; whole genome shotgun sequencing
Carbon and chlorine kinetic isotope effects and solvent effects on the hydrolysis of chloroformates

Carbon and chlorine kinetic isotope effects and pseudo-first order rate constants were measured for the hydrolysis of ethyl, benzyl, and isopropyl chloroformate in various mixtures of the binary solvent water-1,4-dioxane.Rate constants decreased as the percentage of 1,4-dioxane increased for all three chloroformates. Carbon-13 kinetic isotope effects (k 1 2 /k 1 3 ) for hydrolysis of these compounds were 1.039-1.042 for ethyl chloroformate (0-75% 1,4-dioxane), 1.034-1.039 for benzyl chloroformate (15-75% 1,4-dioxane), and 1.025-1.037 for isopropyl chloroformate (25-75% 1,4-dioxane). Chlorine-37 kinetic isotope effects (k 3 5 /k 3 7 ) were measured for benzyl and isopropyl chloroformates in 25% 1,4-dioxane (1.0088, benzyl; 1.0080 isopropyl) and 75% 1,4-dioxane (1.0090, benzyl; 1.0102 isopropyl). These data are consistent with an associative mechanism for benzyl and ethyl chloroformates, but hydrolysis of isopropyl chloroformate appears to be dissociative in polar solvents.
Identification of the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-responsive enhancer of the MS gene of the Epstein-Barr virus.

We previously located two 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-responsive enhancers, MSTRE-I and MSTRE-II, in the upstream sequence of the MS gene of Epstein-Barr virus (Liu, Q., and Summers, W.C. (1989) J. Virol. 63, 5062-5068). The core sequence of the MSTRE-I enhancer is now determined to be between -718 and -708 of the upstream sequence of the MS gene. The activity of the enhancer is also sensitive to its immediate surrounding sequence on either side. A single copy of a 30-base pair (bp) fragment containing the MSTRE-I sequence was able to confer TPA responsiveness upon the MS promoter even in the absence of an AP-1 binding site. Multiple tandem copies of this 30-bp fragment, regardless of their relative orientations to each other, could function synergistically to enhance the MS promoter activity. At least two copies of the 30-bp fragment were required to bestow TPA induction upon the thymidine kinase gene promoter of herpes simplex virus type 1. The MSTRE-I sequence could also be bound by a Fos-GCN4 chimeric protein but with an affinity much lower than that between the chimeric protein and the AP-1 binding site. This MSTRE-I region has strong homology to one of the TPA-responsive elements (the ZII domain) in the upstream sequence of the EBV BZLF1 gene. In addition, a putative negative regulatory region or silencer was found immediately downstream of the MSTRE-I enhancer. This potential silencer region contains a 14-bp sequence that is homologous to the silencer consensus sequence of the BZLF1 gene. Therefore, the regulation of the MS gene may share the same pathway with the immediate early gene BZLF1.
Inflation and Expectations in Experimental Markets

A total of nine experimental markets were studied. Seven of these involved eleven to twelve periods of inflation at a constant percentage and then two or three periods of no inflation. Two experiments involved no inflation for twelve periods and then inflation at a constant rate for three periods. In all but three markets, participants were asked to guess the mean price of the upcoming market period before they had any information about the parameters for that period. The subject with the best guess was given a financial reward in addition to any profit earned in the market.
‘Let Justice Pierce the Mountain’: Morality, Ethics, and Law in the Talmud

Ideally, ethics should be an integral part of every legal system. The reality is, however, that law is not ethics and it is quite possible to have a legal system that is completely immoral. Moreover, it is possible to obey the law and yet cause much harm to society. Indeed, one lesson we learned from the Great Recession of 2008 is that many bankers, auditors, accountants, and CEOs bent the rules and wreaked financial havoc yet did not technically break the law. This paper describes several legal devices used by the ancient sages of the Talmud to improve the law and make it more ethical; these include: use of moral judgments, allowing core values to trump law, use of stories – including stories about Elijah the prophet – to illustrate how pious people would behave, and going beyond the strict requirements of the law.
Evaluating the Orbach Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale among Late Adolescent and Early Adult African Americans: A Rasch Analysis

Although there are only a few psychometric investigations of mental pain measurement in the literature, there are no previous evaluations of mental pain scales among African Americans. The present study examined the Rasch measurement properties of the nine subscales contained in the Orbach-Mikulincer Mental Pain (OMMP) Scale among a sample of older adolescent and young adult African Americans. Results from the analyses suggest that three of the OMMP subscales meet the requirements of the Rasch model and hold promise for use in research and applied settings. Implications for further development and use of the remaining subscales are discussed.
EOSINOPHIL MAJOR BASIC PROTEIN INDUCES DEGRANULATION AND IL-8 PRODUCTION BY HUMAN EOSINOPHILS

Eosinophil granule proteins, such as major basic protein (MBP), eosinophil peroxidase (EPO), and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), possess a wide range of biologic activities including the ability to activate other cells, such as basophils, neutrophils, and platelets. Here we have analyzed the effects of these proteins on eosinophils themselves. MBP and EPO, at concentrations as low as 0.1 micrograms/ml, induced eosinophil degranulation as measured by release of eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN); in contrast, ECP, at 1 micrograms/ml, was inactive. MBP (10 micrograms/ml) and EPO (0.1 micrograms/ml) induced EDN release comparable with one of the strongest agonists for eosinophils, secretory IgA. Pretreatment of cells with dibutyryl cAMP or cytochalasin B completely abolished the EDN release induced by MBP and EPO, suggesting that the effects of MBP and EPO are not due to cytotoxic lysis of the cells. Degranulation induced by MBP was only partially dependent on calcium, and no elevation of intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was observed in eosinophils stimulated with MBP. MBP stimulated the production, up to eightfold, of IL-8 by eosinophils in a dose-dependent manner. The MBP-stimulated expression of IL-8 mRNA by eosinophils was confirmed by reverse transcription-PCR. The MBP-stimulated production of IL-8 was inhibited by actinomycin D, but not by cyclosporin A. Furthermore, MBP and calcium ionophore ionomycin synergistically induced production of leukotriene C4 from eosinophils. Thus, MBP and EPO may act as autocrine mediators in the pathogenesis of eosinophil-associated diseases, such as bronchial asthma.
Academic General Internal Medicine: A Mission for the Future

After five decades of growth that has included advances in medical education and health care delivery, value cohesion, and integration of diversity, we propose an overarching mission for academic general internal medicine to lead excellence, change, and innovation in clinical care, education, and research. General internal medicine aims to achieve health care delivery that is comprehensive, technologically advanced and individualized; instills trust within a culture of respect; is efficient in the use of time, people, and resources; is organized and financed to achieve optimal health outcomes; maximizes equity; and continually learns and adapts. This mission of health care transformation has implications for the clinical, educational, and research activities of divisions of general internal medicine over the next several decades.
Electrorheological Dampers, Part II: Testing and Modeling

Electrorheological (ER) materials develop yield stresses on the order of 5-10 kPa in the presence of strong electric fields. Viscoelastic and yielding material properties can be modulated within milli-seconds. An analysis of flowing ER materials in the limiting case of fully developed steady flow results in simple approximations for use in design. Small-scale experiments show that these design equations can be applied to designing devices in which the flow is unsteady. More exact models of ER device behavior can be determined using curve-fitting techniques in multiple dimensions. A previously known curve-fitting technique is extended to deal with variable electric fields. Experiments are described which illustrate the potential for ER devices in large-scale damping applications and the accuracy of the modeling technique.
Preventing Tobacco and Alcohol Use Among Elementary School Students Through Life Skills Training

ABSTRACT The present study examined the effectiveness of a substance abuse prevention program in preventing tobacco and alcohol use among elementary school students in grades 3 through 6. The prevention program teaches social resistance skills and general personal and social competence skills. Rates of substance use behavior, attitudes, knowledge, normative expectations, and related variables were examined among students (N = 1090) from 20 schools that were randomly assigned to either receive the prevention program (9 schools, n = 426) or serve as a control group (11 schools, n = 664). Data were analyzed at both the individual-level and school-level. Individual-level analyses controlling for gender, race, and family structure showed that intervention students reported less smoking in the past year, higher anti-drinking attitudes, increased substance use knowledge and skills-related knowledge, lower normative expectations for smoking and alcohol use, and higher self-esteem at the posttest assessment, relat...
Submillimeter Heterodyne Detection and Harmonic Mixing Using Schottky Diodes

Schottky diodes have been used for submillimeter , heterodyne detection and harmonic mixing. Using a carcinotron local oscillator at 890 mu m, sensitive detectors of optically pumped lasers have been demonstrated up to fifth harmonic mixing at 1757.5 GHz. The measured noise equivalent power (NEP) in fundamental mixing is approximately 10/sup -16/ W/Hz.
PowerVisor: a battery virtualization scheme for smartphones

This paper presents a system called PowerVisor that is aimed at the virtualization of the battery resource of mobile devices across application classes. While other resources in a mobile device are virtualized, no similar sharing mechanism exists for the battery resource. In PowerVisor, each application class is assigned a virtual battery based on user level policies. We propose a light-weight battery charge monitoring scheme during the draining and charging of a battery on a per application or per application class basis. Leveraging this monitoring scheme, a device power manager is designed that allocates device resources (e.g., CPU, memory) to the different applications in accordance with device-level power management policies set by the user.
Effects of early experiences on one-trial avoidance conditioning

Female rats were either handled, shocked, or unmanipulated during the pre- or immediate postweaning period. At maturity they were observed in a one-trial avoidance situation. On the single conditioning trial, they were shocked for 1 sec or until they returned to the elevated starting platform. Thereafter, one nonshock trial per day was given for 21 days. Under the “1 sec shock” procedure, response latencies were influenced by the type of prior manipulation and the age at which it was experienced, with animals shocked during the postweaning period showing the longest latencies. Under the “variable shock” procedure, all previously manipulated groups had longer latencies than the controls.
199: Early onset neonatal sepsis (EONS): Accompanied by an increased interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine index, linked to histological chorioamnionitis

INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6) CYTOKINE INDEX, LINKED TO HISTOLOGICAL CHORIOAMNIONITIS CATALIN S. BUHIMSCHI, STEPHEN F. THUNG, MERT O. BAHTIYAR, VICTOR A. ROSENBERG, ANTONETTE T. DULAY, SONYA S. ABDEL-RAZEQ, CHRISTIAN M. PETTKER, GUOYANG LUO, GUOMAO ZHAO, ANNA SFAKIANAKI, HEATHER S. LIPKIND, EDMUND F. FUNAI, VINEET BHANDARI, IRINA A. BUHIMSCHI, Yale University, Ob./Gyn.R 2) Neonates of women with IAI had higher cord blood IL-6 levels (p 0.001) and a higher frequency of EONS (p 0.001); 3) EONS was characterized by a higher IL-6 cytokine index (p 0.001) (Fig. A); 4) The severity of HCA (neutrophilic infiltrate in the chorionic plate) was an independent predictor of the cytokine index (Fig. B) and EONS (p 0.001). Relationships were maintained following correction for GA, race, PPROM, amniocentesis to delivery interval, antibiotics and steroid exposure. CONCLUSION: We provide evidence that the intra-amniotic process responsible for HCA impacts the inflammatory status of neonates with EONS.
Construction of Bayesian Prediction Intervals for Smart Systems

In this paper, we employ adaptive Metropolis algorithms to construct densities for parameters and quantities of interest for models arising in the analysis of smart material structures. In the first step of the construction, MCMC algorithms are used to quantify the uncertainty in parameters due to measurement errors. We then combine uncertainties from the input parameters and measurement errors, and construct prediction intervals for the quantity of interest by propagating uncertainties through the models.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Bone marrow transplantation for high risk neuroblastoma at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: an update.

A bone marrow transplant (BMT) protocol including surgical excision, local and total body irradiation, and high dose multiagent chemotherapy based on melphalan and bone marrow rescue has been in effect for children with high risk or relapsed neuroblastoma at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia since 1979. The initial results were reported in 1984 [August et al.: J Clin Oncol 2:609–616, 1984]. This report updates the initial results and those that followed changes in the original conditioning regimen. Forty-two patients were treated between May 1979 and November 1987, and included 27 whose disease had relapsed and 15 who received BMT as part of primary treatment. Allogeneic marrow was given to 12 and autologous marrow to 30; in 7 of these 30, the marrow was purged with monoclonal antibodies and magnetic beads. The 4-year actuarial survival rate is 29%. Ten patients died of early treatment-related complications, 18 died of progressive disease, and 2 died of late complications (1 AIDS and 1 acute myelogenous leukemia). Censoring the two late complications the actuarial 4-year relapse-free survival rate becomes 32%. The longest interval after BMT to relapse was 20 months. There was no significant difference in the survival for patients transplanted following relapse or in first remission. The better survival for patients rescued with autologous marrow (30%) is not statistically significantly different from the result with allogeneic marrow (17%). © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Bankruptcy and steel plant shutdowns

Abstract The bankruptcies resulting from the American steel industry downturn in the period, 1999–2002, raise the question of whether the bankruptcy process itself led to permanent plant shutdowns and job losses. With information on 110 of the steel plants operating in the United States in 1994, this paper develops empirical models of steel plant closure and firm bankruptcy to see if the latter impacts on the former. Based on survival models, the results provide support for the hypothesis that the bankruptcy of steel companies could have led to viable steel plants closing, and thus, the bankruptcies in themselves may have caused permanent inefficient employment loss.
Signal processing for the detection of explosive residues on varying substrates using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) can provide rapid, minimally destructive, chemical analysis of substances with the benefit of little to no sample preparation. Therefore, LIBS is a viable technology for the detection of substances of interest in near real-time fielded remote sensing scenarios. Of particular interest to military and security operations is the detection of explosive residues on various surfaces. It has been demonstrated that LIBS is capable of detecting such residues, however, the surface or substrate on which the residue is present can alter the observed spectra. Standard chemometric techniques such as principal components analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis have previously been applied to explosive residue detection, however, the classification techniques developed on such data perform best against residue/substrate pairs that were included in model training but do not perform well when the residue/substrate pairs are not in the training set. Specifically residues in the training set may not be correctly detected if they are presented on a previously unseen substrate. In this work, we explicitly model LIBS spectra resulting from the residue and substrate to attempt to separate the response from each of the two components. This separation process is performed jointly with classifier design to ensure that the classifier that is developed is able to detect residues of interest without being confused by variations in the substrates. We demonstrate that the proposed classification algorithm provides improved robustness to variations in substrate compared to standard chemometric techniques for residue detection.
On formulas in closed form for Van Vleck expansions

Canonical transformations have been widely used to simplify Hamiltonians and other operators. In molecular and in solid state theory, the so-called Van Vieck expansion is usually employed for this purpose while in theories of particles interacting with fields a combination of canonical transformations in closed form with Van Vleck type expansions has been found effective. For some of the transformations used in applications formulas in closed form are well known. It will be shown here that such formulas can be derived whenever the transformation function is bilinear in the canonical variables, and further that the use of matrix operators makes it possible to simplify these derivations substantially. The Cayley-Hamilton theorem is then used to express the expansions for the matrix operators in closed form. The number of separate operator terms appearing in the formulas thus obtained is the same as the rank of the matrices used. To calculate the coefficients of these operator terms a new type of special functions is introduced. The resulting linear canonical transformations include generalized rotations in both ordinary and phase-space. Explicit results have been obtained for several two- to four-dimensional problems.
Relativistic breakdown of a non-linear classical field theory

Abstract It is shown that the relativistic generalization of a certain classical, non-linear, scalar, field theory displays unphysical behavior not found for the non-relativistic case. An explicit, unphysical solution of the relativistic equation is given. The different properties of relativistic and non-relativistic particle densities affect the behavior of the solutions in the respective cases.
A new approach to mammary tumorigenesis in rodents.

Most of the mammary tumors in mice and rats arise from recognizable lesions of the mammary gland. The nodule cells are subpopulations of mammary cells which resemble the normal lobules of pregnant mice. They are considered preneoplastic lesions. At least 2 sequential transformations in the process of mammary tumorigenesis occur. The 1st is a change from normal to nodule and the 2nd is a change from nodule to tumor. Experimental material consisted of hyperplastic alveolar outgrowth lines which did not carry the mammary tumor virus MTV or its variant NIV and were not induced by chemical carcinogens or by irradiation. The primary nodules from which the outgrowth lines were developed occurred in BALB/cCrgl and BALB/cAnDe female mice. The BALB/cCrgl donors had been subjected to prolonged hormonal stimulation from pituitary isografts. The others were retired breeders. The tumor incidence of untreated nodule outgrowths maintained in intact BALB/c virgin females varied from 4% to 61%. Ages of onset varied from 8 to 13 months. Oncogenic agents studied with BALB/cCrgl mice were MTV NIV 3-methylcholanthrene (MC) 9 10-dimethyl-1 2-benzanthracene (DMBA) urethan gamma radiation and prolonged hormonal stimulation. These agents induced nodule transformation when applied to the hormonally stimulated female BALB/c mice. Results showed that MTV and NIV were effective agents in neoplastic transformation. MTV was more effective. MC and DMBA and urethan were also effective agents. Gamma radiation produced a small but significant increase in the incidence of tumors and the latent period was reduced. It was thought that attention should be focused on conditions leading to the nodule transformation as well as to the neoplastic transformation. Ability to manipulate the hosts immunologic defense mechanisms should be directed toward the nodule cell population rather than to the already established neoplastic cell population.
Optical AI Symbolic Correlators: Architecture And Filter Considerations

Optical correlators provide the unique capability to simultaneously search all regions of an input scene with distortion-invariance, high performance in noise and with the ability to handle multiple objects. This paper examines initial concepts and architectures for correlators in the decomposition of an entire scene to achieve the identification and location of its major constituent parts. The role for such processors in symbolic Al will be emphasized.
Helicobacter pylori: The missing link in perspective

Helicobacter pylori, an organism responsible for a common human infection, may act as a cofactor to produce gastrointestinal disease in a significant minority. The exact mechanisms of transmission are still unclear, but likely involve direct person-to-person spread and fecal-oral or waterborne/environmental transmission. Infection is a necessary condition for the development of duodenal ulcers and chronic nonspecific gastritis. It also likely contributes to the development of gastric ulcers, and the intestinal-type gastric carcinoma, but further studies are needed to confirm these hypotheses. Multiple effective treatment regimens currently exists. We recommend using bismuth, metronidazole, and tetracycline as the initial regimen of choice. Unfortunately, the relative importance of bacterial virulence factors is still unclear when compared with host susceptibility factors, and much knowledge needs to be gained about pathogenesis before vaccine development can proceed.
Optimal parallel algorithms for constructing and maintaining a balanced m -way search tree

We present parallel algorithms for constructing and maintaining balancedm-way search trees. These parallel algorithms have time complexity O(1) for ann processors configuration. The formal correctness of the algorithms is given in detail.
Morphing Wing Concept for Small UAV

The biological flight involves the movement of a wing (lift surface) in viscous medium and it generates lift and resistance for going forward through friction compared to Reynolds number. The morphing concept is generally based on optimizing the aerodynamic form during the mission so it can execute a maneuver flight. This article desires a short passage through the mathematical aspect in 2D of the morphing profile concept.
Barriers to innovation in continuing medical education

AbstractIntroduction:Criteria for maintenance of certification (MOC) emphasize the importance of competencies such as communication, professionalism, systems-based care, and practice performance in addition to medical knowledge. Success of this new competency paradigm is dependent on physicians' wil
Reactive deposition epitaxy of crsi2

Abstract CrSi2 layers were synthesized by deposition of Cr onto a Si(111) substrate kept at 450°C, allowing full reaction of the metal with silicon. In situ RHEED patterns confirmed the formation of the CrSi2 phase with matching faces CrSi2(0001)/Si(111) and of the type A azimuthal orientation CrSi2 1 0> ‖ Si . The epitaxy of the initially textured films is enhanced by post-deposition annealing up to 1200°C. With high-temperature treatment, the initially nearly continuous silicide layers break up into CrSi2 islands, the height and diameter of which increases with the annealing temperature. Backscattering spectra confirm the presence of exposed silicon, by indicating that the apparent stoichiometry of the film is Si rich CrSix (x > 2). In the best case, a minimum channeling yield lower than 30% was found in the Cr signal of the backscattering spectrum. As far as we know, this is the first evidence of channeling in CrSi2 films grown by any technique, other than ion beam synthesis. Both the areal fraction of exposed Si and the crystalline quality of the silicide islands depend strongly on the annealing temperature and the amount of Cr deposited. From perpendicular strain measurements, the critical thickness for pseudomorphic growth is estimated to be the equivalent of 20 A of deposited Cr.
Female working roles and fertility

Using survey data gathered in Turkey in 1963, the relationship between female employment status and fertility is examined. Controlling for urban-rural residence, education, and exposure to conception within marriage, no differences in fertility by labor force status appear. Although there is a slightly greater tendency for employed than for non-employed women to hold attitudes more favorable to small families and family size limitation, the observed differences are slight and not significant statistically. A typology is constructed wherein the nature and causal direction of any existing relationship between female employment and fertility are predicted, based on the availability of birth control technology and the presence or absence of conflict between the roles of mother and worker.
Hypoxia-mediated drugs for radiation and chemotherapy.

The relative radiation resistance of hypoxic tumour cells is believed to be a major limiting factor in the local control of some human tumours treated with fractionated radiotherapy. Hypoxic cells, which are present in most solid tumours arise as a result of tumour-cell proliferation essentially outstripping the development of the vascular supply of the tumour. They occur in and around areas of tumour necrosis where oxygen access is poor. Cells may also become temporarily hypoxic by normal variations in capillary blood flow.
Histochemical and biochemical properties of flight muscle fibers in the little brown bat,Myotis lucifugus

The purpose of this investigation was (1) to determine the fiber composition of pectoralis muscle of the little brown bat,Myotis lucifugus; (2) to compare the fiber composition of this muscle with two of the animal's accessory flight muscles; and (3) to study the effect of hibernation on pectoralis muscle fiber composition. Bat skeletal muscle fibers were also compared with those of white laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus). Bat pectoralis muscles possessed exceptionally high oxidative capacities as indicated by their succinate dehydrogenase activities, but relatively low glycolytic potentials (phosphofructokinase activities). Muscle histochemistry demonstrated that fiber composition of bat pectorlis muscle was homogeneous; all fibers possessed high aerobic and low glycolytic potentials, and high myofibrillar ATPase activities indicating fast contractile properties. In contrast, accessory flight muscles possessed three distinguishable fiber types. During hibernation there was a significant decline in oxidative potential, no change in glycolytic potential, and no alteration in basic fiber composition of bat pectoralis muscle. The findings of this study suggest that pectoralis muscles ofM. lucifugus may approach the ultimate adaptation of a mammalian locomotory muscle for aerobic generation of muscular power.
Oscillatory flow in arteries. III. Flow and pulse-velocity formulae for a liquid whose viscosity varies with frequency.

In the development of formulae for oscillatory flow in rigid and elastic tubes, which have been used to predict arterial flow, the question arises as to whether it is justifiable to assume that blood may be treated as a homogeneous liquid of constant viscosity. Equations of motion are derived for the hypothetical case in which the viscous drag of the liquid is composed of two parts, one proportional to the velocity gradient and the other proportional to its time derivative.
Transforming Growth Factor Alpha (TGF-α) and Other Targets of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Converting Enzyme (TACE) in Murine Polycystic Kidney Disease

Transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) is abnormally expressed in autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD). Tumor necrosis factor-alpha converting enzyme (TACE), a metalloproteinase, mediates TGF-alpha processing. In this study, we sought to determine whether TGF-alpha was an absolute requirement for renal cystogenesis and whether its absence would modulate disease severity or related growth factors/receptors expression. Bpk heterozygotes were bred with TGF-alpha null mice to produce cystic and noncystic offspring with or without TGF-alpha. Assessments included kidney weight (KW), body weight (BW), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and kidney and liver immunohistology. Western analysis assessed kidney expression of amphiregulin (AR), epidermal growth factor (EGF), heparin-binding EGF (HB-EGF), and their receptors, EGFR and ErbB4. A PCR-based methodology for genotyping bpk mice was also developed. No significant differences in KW, BW, KW/BW%, or BUN were seen in cystic mice with versus without TGF-alpha. Cystic kidney disease and liver disease histology were similar. AR, EGF, HB-EGF, EGFR, and ErbB4 were abnormally expressed to an equal degree in kidneys of mice with versus without TGF-alpha. Although previous data suggest a critical role of TGF-alpha in murine PKD, these data show that TGF-alpha is not required for renal cyst formation or kidney or liver disease progression. We speculate that the therapeutic effect of WTACE2 could have been due to effects on several TACE targets, including TGF-alpha, AR, and ErbB4, as well as metalloproteinases other than TACE.
Alternative estimations of the first hydrolysis constant of tetravalent plutonium

Alternative methods for estimating the numerical value of the equilibrium-constant of the first hydrolysis reaction of tetravalent plutonium are illustrated. They are applied to recent data on Pu oxidation-state distributions in HCl solutions. The new estimates of the hydrolysis constant typically agree with the traditional values.
Extensor Mechanism Disruption after Total Knee Arthroplasty

Extensor mechanism disruption after total knee arthroplasty is a challenging complication for orthopaedic surgeons. The treatment options for repair include observation, direct primary repair, direct primary repair with synthetic ligament or autogenous tissue augmentation, or reconstruction with all
Phase Composition of Hydrated DSP Cement Pastes

Cement pastes densified with small particles (DSP) containing up to 48% silica fume by weight of cement, and hydrated to up to 180 d at room temperature, have been analyzed using TMS-GPC, TGA, and 29 Si NMR to quantitatively estimate the amount of unreacted cement, Ca(OH) 2 , and residual silica fume, respectively. Using a mass balance approach, the CaO/SiO 2 and H 2 O/SiO 2 molar ratios of the C-S-H in the samples were calculated. For samples containing silica fume, the values of CaO/SiO 2 lie between 0.9 and 1.3, depending on the degree of hydration and silica fume content, whereas for samples without silica fume they were 1.6. Silicate polymerization analysis using TMS-GPC suggests that the molecular structure of the C-S-H is similar to that formed in conventional hydration. No cross-linking species were found, but the fraction of higher polymers (above octamer) increases as the CaO/SiO 2 ratio decreases
Vibrio cholerae 01 can assume a ‘rugose’ survival form that resists killing by chlorine, yet retains virulence

Vibrio cholerae 01 is able to shift between smooth and rugose colonial morphologies. Cultures of smooth V. cholerae strains were inactivated in less than 20 s at a concentration of 1.0 mg l‐1 free chlorine. In contrast, cultures of rugose variants exposed to this concentration of chlorine showed an initial rapid drop in viable counts, followed by persistence of a protected subpopulation of cells. Viable V. cholerae could still be recovered from rugose cultures even after exposure to 2.0 mg l‐1 free chlorine for 30 min. Preliminary studies suggest that resistance to killing by chlorine was due to formation of cell aggregates enclosed in a gelatinous mucoid material. Rugose strains appeared to be fully virulent, based on their ability to adhere to Caco‐2 cells and elicit fluid accumulation in rabbit ileal loops. Our data suggest that the V. cholerae rugose phenotype represents a fully virulent survival form of the organism that can persist in the presence of free chlorine.
Neural Correlates of Orthographic and Phonological Consistency Effects in Children

The objective of this study was to examine the neural correlates of phonological inconsistency (relationship of spelling to sound) and orthographic inconsistency (relationship of sound to spelling) in visual word processing using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Children (9- to 15-year-old) performed a rhyming and spelling task in which two words were presented sequentially in the visual modality. Consistent with previous studies in adults, higher phonological inconsistency was associated with greater activation in several regions including left inferior frontal gyrus and medial frontal gyrus/anterior cingulate cortex. We additionally demonstrated an effect of orthographic inconsistency in these same areas, suggesting that these regions are involved in the integration of orthographic and phonological information and, with respect to the medial frontal/anterior cingulate, greater demands on executive function. Higher phonological and orthographic consistency was associated with greater activation in precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex, the putative steady state system active during resting, suggesting lower demands on cognitive resources for consistent items. Both consistency effects were larger for the rhyming compared with the spelling task suggesting greater demands of integrating spelling and sound in the former task. Finally, accuracy on the rhyming task was negatively correlated with the consistency effect in left fusiform gyrus. In particular, this region showed insensitivity to consistency in low performers, sensitivity to inconsistency (higher activity) in moderate performers, and sensitivity to inconsistency (high activation) and to consistency (deactivation). In general, these results show that the influence of spelling-sound (and sound-spelling) correspondences on processing in fusiform gyrus develops as a function of skill.
Applications Of Fiber Optics To Ultra High Speed Photography

A high speed photography technique is described which combines a very bright light source, optical fibers, and a rotating mirror camera to obtain sub-microsecond definition of high speed events. Applications described here include the measurement of the onset of detonation in an explosive, the measurement of projectile velocity, and the evaluation of planarity in a shock front. The fiber optics assemblies may also be used as image dissection devices, converting macro pictures to slit images. The previous work by W. Hertz is reviewed and modifications to this technique are described.© (1979) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effect of surgically induced weight loss on pelvic floor disorders in morbidly obese women.

Objective To evaluate the effect of surgically induced weight loss on pelvic floor disorders (PFD) in morbidly obese women. Summary background data Although bariatric surgery may lead to the improvement of some obesity-related comorbidities, the resolution of global PFD has not been well described. Methods Women with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 kg/m(2) or more who were considering bariatric surgery were asked to complete 2 validated condition-specific questionnaires assessing the distress/quality of life impact of PFD, total and by domain (pelvic organ prolapse, colorectal-anal, and urogenital). Women who achieved a > or =50% excess body weight loss after surgery were asked to complete the same questionnaires for comparison. Results Of the 178 women who underwent surgery, 46 completed the postoperative questionnaires. Mean age of this group was 45 years (range, 20-67), and mean preoperative BMI was 45 kg/m(2) (range, 35-75). The prevalence of PFD symptoms improved from 87% before surgery to 65% after surgery (P = 0.02, 95% CI: 0.05%-53%). There was a significant reduction in total mean distress scores after surgery (P = 0.015, 95% CI: 3.3-32.9), which was attributed mainly to the significant decrease in urinary symptoms (P = 0.0002, 95% CI: 8.2-22.7). Reductions in the scores were noted for the other PFD domains as well. Quality of life total scores improved (P = 0.002, 95% CI: 4.8-27.1), as did scores in the urinary domain (P = 0.0005, 95% CI: 3.8-13.5) and the pelvic organ prolapse domain (P = 0.015, 95% CI: 0.6-9.5). Age, parity, history of complicated delivery, percent excess body weight loss, BMI, type of weight loss procedure and presence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension had no predictive value for postoperative outcomes. Conclusion Surgically induced weight loss has a beneficial effect on symptoms of PFD in morbidly obese women.
20-year experience of prolonged extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in critically ill children with cardiac or pulmonary failure.

Background Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a rescue therapy for life-threatening respiratory or circulatory failure. Although outcomes are favorable with short-term ECMO therapy, data on the outcomes of prolonged ECMO therapy in children are very limited. This study aimed to study morbidity and mortality associated with prolonged ECMO therapy (≥28 days) in children with refractory cardiac or pulmonary failure. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of all children ≤18 years supported with ECMO for ≥28 days between January 1991 and September 2011 at the Arkansas Children's Hospital. The data collected in our study included patient demographic information; diagnosis; indication for ECMO; ECMO support details; medical and surgical history; laboratory, microbiologic, and radiographic data; information on organ dysfunction; complications; and patient outcomes. The outcome variables evaluated in this report included survival to ECMO decannulation, survival to hospital discharge, and current survival with emphasis on neurologic, renal, pulmonary, and other end organ function. Results During the study period, 984 events in 951 patients were supported with ECMO with a 30-day survival of 666 events (68%). Only 22 ECMO runs were ≥28 days and were eligible for inclusion in this report. The longest ECMO run in our series was 1,206 hours (50 days). The average length of ECMO run in this cohort was 855 ± 133 hours, with a mean intensive care unit length of stay of 56 ± 27 days. Ten patients (45%) were successfully decannulated from ECMO. Six patients (27%) were alive 30 days after decannulation, and only 4 patients (19%) survived to hospital discharge. Of the 4 survivors, only 3 patients (14%) are living to date. Of the 3 living children, 2 have significant neurologic issues with brain atrophy and developmental delay, and 1 is awaiting renal transplant; all 3 survivors have chronic lung disease. Conclusions This case series highlights that the prolonged use of ECMO in children with refractory cardiac failure, respiratory failure, or both is associated with low survival. Furthermore, it suggests that the survivors of prolonged ECMO runs have significant long-term sequelae.
Practical exploitation on system vulnerability of ProtoGENI

Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI) is a unique virtual laboratory for at-scale networking experimentation exploring future Internets. The successful development of GENI has to consider security problems from the design and prototyping stages. However, in many cases, system vulnerability cannot be found unless through real experimentation bearing purposeful and meaningful designs. In this paper, we introduce some of our efforts in exploring the security vulnerabilities in ProtoGENI, a prototype implementation and deployment of GENI. Our results show potential breach on security of GENI in terms of availability. We make suggestions on potential defense strategies in order to improve the ProtoGENI security and its development.