cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive non-contrast MR assessment of the iliofemoral arteries with visualization of vascular calcifications in TAVR candidates - initial experience.

Background Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has emerged as an accepted therapeutic option for moderate and high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. In addition to vessel caliber, the presence and configuration of vascular calcifications by the iliofemoral access site is part of routine pre-interventional assessment with CTA and catheter angiography. Non-contrast MR angiography has been proven useful for evaluation of lower extremity peripheral vascular disease, however it cannot identify vascular calcifications using currently available sequences. Neutral contrast 3D and 3D point-wise encoding time reduction (PETRA) are novel MR techniques that can detect vascular calcifications and enable projection-like displays for review, similar to CT. We hypothesized that these techniques, associated with noncontrast Quiescent Interval Slice-Selective (QISS) MRA may be useful alternatives for pre-surgical planning in patients considered for TAVR.
Effect of Food Deprivation on the Efficiency of Utilization of Dry Matter, Energy, and Nitrogen by Larvae of the Cherry Scallop Moth Calocalpe undulata

Larvae of Calocalpe undulata (L.) were fed excised leaves of black cherry and reared at 27°C, 85% RH and 14 h light. Small but significant changes in the dry weight, caloric equivalents and nitrogen content of the excised leaf pieces were noted. Long periods of food deprivation (8 h 24 h−1) during larval development reduced the efficiency of conversion of matter, energy and nitrogen to larval tissue. Food deprivation tended to enhance assimilation of matter but was insufficient to compensate for the relative increase in respiration losses.
Return of fertility after treatment for nonseminomatous testicular cancer: changing concepts.

AbstractWe studied the return of ejaculation in 31 patients who had undergone retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy for stage I or II nonseminomatous germ cell testicular cancer. Ejaculation returned spontaneously in 13 patients and was restored by sympathomimetic drugs in 5 of 8 patients treated. Both patients known to have tried to father a child succeeded. We also studied the effects of chemotherapy (vinblastine and bleomycin with or without cisplatin) in 34 patients, 24 of whom also had undergone retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy. Although chemotherapy profoundly depressed spermatogenesis during treatment 75 per cent of the patients tested 18 months or more after completion of treatment had some return of function, as evidenced by normal follicle-stimulating hormone levels and/or the presence of live sperm in the ejaculate. We concluded that it is possible to perform a therapeutically sound retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy for low stage nonseminomatous testicular cancer that permits return of ejaculation in ma...
Primary intracerebral rosai-dorfman disease: a case report.

A 45-year-old woman presented with an isolated, contrast-enhancing brain lesion in white matter of the right frontal lobe, preoperatively thought to be either a primary brain neoplasm or metastasis. The lesion was demonstrated by histology and immunohistochemistry to be Rosai–Dorfman disease. Central nervous system (CNS) manifestations of this disease are rare. There have been 27 cases of intracranial involvement reported previously. All of them have been dural-based, where the disease clinically and radiologically resembles meningioma. To our knowledge, this is the first case of an isolated intraparenchymal CNS lesion without dural attachment, where the clinical and radiological features resembled an intraparenchymal glial neoplasm, lymphoma or metastatic tumor.
Water-Mediated Dimerization of Ubiquitin Ions Captured by Cryogenic Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry.

The dynamics, structures, and functions of most biological molecules are strongly influenced by the nature of the peptide’s or protein’s interaction with water. Here, cryogenic ion mobility-mass spectrometry studies of ubiquitin have directly captured a water-mediated protein–protein binding event involving hydrated, noncovalently bound dimer ions in solution, and this interaction has potential relevance to one of the most important protein–protein interactions in nature. As solvent is removed, dimer ions, viz. [2 M + 14H]14+, can be stabilized by only a few attached water molecules prior to dissociation into individual monomeric ions. The hydrophobic patch of ubiquitin formed by the side chains of Leu-8, Ile-44, and Val-70 meet all the necessary conditions for a protein–protein binding “hot spot,” including the requirement for occlusion of water to nearby hydrophilic sites, and it is suggested that this interaction is responsible for formation of the hydrated noncovalent ubiquitin dimer.
Discovery of Molecular Therapeutics for Glaucoma: Challenges, Successes, and Promising Directions

Glaucoma, a heterogeneous ocular disorder affecting ∼60 million people worldwide, is characterized by painless neurodegeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), resulting in irreversible vision loss. Available therapies, which decrease the common causal risk factor of elevated intraocular pressure, delay, but cannot prevent, RGC death and blindness. Notably, it is changes in the anterior segment of the eye, particularly in the drainage of aqueous humor fluid, which are believed to bring about changes in pressure. Thus, it is primarily this region whose properties are manipulated in current and emerging therapies for glaucoma. Here, we focus on the challenges associated with developing treatments, review the available experimental methods to evaluate the therapeutic potential of new drugs, describe the development and evaluation of emerging Rho-kinase inhibitors and adenosine receptor ligands that offer the potential to improve aqueous humor outflow and protect RGCs simultaneously, and present new targets and approaches on the horizon.
Proteins in whey: chemical, physical, and functional properties

There is abundant information concerning the functional behavior of whey proteins in model systems. The data on functional properties reported by different researchers, however, reveal wide discrepancies in values. For example, in the case of comparable whey preparations, apparent solubilities may range from 10 to 100%; strength of gels from 0.3 to greater than 10 N, foam overruns from 250 to 1500%, and foam stabilities from 0.5 to 30 min. Many of the data are of limited value in assessing the true functional characteristics of different preparations, treatments, or processing effects. Reports to date are useful in indicating the relative behavior of different proteins; however, the data do not always predict the performance of such proteins in actual food systems. This reflects the fact that in foods, extensive interactions with other components may occur, resulting in modified behavior of the proteins. Harper, (1984) has advocated the testing of these various preparations in simulated food systems which should validly relate the behavior to performance in commercial systems. Emphasis on standardization of specific protocols, with regard to order of addition in ingredients, temperature, pH control, and amount of energy input during mixing, homogenization, emulsification, etc. deserves serious consideration. While this approach is justifiable in terms of providing valuable data to commercial users, it does not minimize the importance of examining these proteins in model systems where the physicochemical basis of each functional attribute can be described in molecular terms (Kinsella, 1987). Such information is necessary to expedite appropriate methods of processing in order to control compositional variability, extent of denatauration, and possible protein modification. In addition, rapid, reliable tests for routine quality assurance that can provide practical information concerning functional applications would be of great value. Whey protein preparations vary immensely in functional behavior and are presently relegated to limited use as functional ingredients in the food industry. This need not be the case since conventional and new technologies permit rigorous control of production protocols, e.g., careful control of heat treatments can result in the production of whey protein preparations with consistent, reliable functional properties (deWit, 1981, 1984; Harper, 1984; Morr, 1985). As the market for functional proteins continues to expand, the whey industry must seek the means to refine whey protein products; determine useful functional properties; develop standardized manufacturing protocols; demonstrate the effectiveness of whey as a functional ingredient; promote, and then market, whey on the basis of performance at competitive cost.
Valuation of large variable annuity portfolios: Monte Carlo simulation and synthetic datasets

Metamodeling techniques have recently been proposed to address the computational issues related to the valuation of large portfolios of variable annuity contracts. However, it is extremely diffcult, if not impossible, for researchers to obtain real datasets frominsurance companies in order to test their metamodeling techniques on such real datasets and publish the results in academic journals. To facilitate the development and dissemination of research related to the effcient valuation of large variable annuity portfolios, this paper creates a large synthetic portfolio of variable annuity contracts based on the properties of real portfolios of variable annuities and implements a simple Monte Carlo simulation engine for valuing the synthetic portfolio. In addition, this paper presents fair market values and Greeks for the synthetic portfolio of variable annuity contracts that are important quantities for managing the financial risks associated with variable annuities. The resulting datasets can be used by researchers to test and compare the performance of various metamodeling techniques.
Associations of independent living and labor force participation with impairment indicators in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder at 20-year follow-up

Abstract Background Since the Iowa 500 study, residential and occupational status have been frequently used as indicators of everyday achievements in research on schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The relationships of residential and occupational status with impairment in multiple domains including physical health indicators across these two diagnoses, however, have rarely been studied. We examined these relationships at the 20-year follow-up assessment of a first-admission sample. Methods We included 146 participants with schizophrenia and 87 with bipolar disorder with psychosis who participated in the 20-year follow-up of the Suffolk County Mental Health Project. In addition to interviewer-based ratings of employment and residential independence, we examined self-reported impairment derived from the WHODAS, standard measures of current psychopathology, indicators of obesity, as well as performance-based measures of physical and cognitive functioning. Results Participants with bipolar disorder were more likely to live independently and be gainfully employed; they also performed significantly better on each indicator of impairment apart from balance ability. In both groups, unemployment, but not residential independence, was associated with greater self-reported disability on the WHODAS. Residential independence, gainful employment, and subjective disability were also associated with better physical functioning. Across the two groups, psychiatric symptoms and physical functioning were the major determinants of subjective disability. Discussion People with psychotic bipolar disorder were more likely to be gainfully employed and living independently than participants with schizophrenia but as a group, much less frequently than population standards. Interventions aimed at physical fitness may have the potential to improve both objective functioning and perceived disability.
VERTICAL AND TEMPORAL HABITAT UTILIZATION WITHIN A BREEDING BIRD COMMUNITY

Vertical and temporal stratification of birds in an eastern deciduous forest are discussed. It is shown that habitat use varies among species within the vertical strata and on a temporal basis in the forest. Subdivision of the habitat by means of behavioral differences in time and in the vertical is shown as an additional means of resource partitioning. Bark gleaning birds show a vertical stratification while canopy feeders are active at different times. Vertical and temporal stratification and stratification of behavior are shown to be forms of community subdivisions which allow birds to use the forest habitat.
Pairwise Consistent Measurement Set Maximization for Robust Multi-Robot Map Merging

This paper reports on a method for robust selection of inter-map loop closures in multi-robot simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). Existing robust SLAM methods assume a good initialization or an “odometry backbone” to classify inlier and outlier loop closures. In the multi-robot case, these assumptions do not always hold. This paper presents an algorithm called Pairwise Consistency Maximization (PCM) that estimates the largest pairwise internally consistent set of measurements. Finding the largest pairwise internally consistent set can be transformed into an instance of the maximum clique problem from graph theory, and by leveraging the associated literature it can be solved in realtime. This paper evaluates how well PCM approximates the combinatorial gold standard using simulated data. It also evaluates the performance of PCM on synthetic and real-world data sets in comparison with DCS, SCGP, and RANSAC, and shows that PCM significantly outperforms these methods.
Public perceptions of the health risks of extreme heat across US states, counties, and neighborhoods

Extreme heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the United States. Many individuals, however, fail to perceive this risk, which will be exacerbated by global warming. Given that awareness of one’s physical and social vulnerability is a critical precursor to preparedness for extreme weather events, understanding Americans’ perceptions of heat risk and their geographic variability is essential for promoting adaptive behaviors during heat waves. Using a large original survey dataset of 9,217 respondents, we create and validate a model of Americans’ perceived risk to their health from extreme heat in all 50 US states, 3,142 counties, and 72,429 populated census tracts. States in warm climates (e.g., Texas, Nevada, and Hawaii) have some of the highest heat-risk perceptions, yet states in cooler climates often face greater health risks from heat. Likewise, places with older populations who have increased vulnerability to health effects of heat tend to have lower risk perceptions, putting them at even greater risk since lack of awareness is a barrier to adaptive responses. Poorer neighborhoods and those with larger minority populations generally have higher risk perceptions than wealthier neighborhoods with more white residents, consistent with vulnerability differences across these populations. Comprehensive models of extreme weather risks, exposure, and effects should take individual perceptions, which motivate behavior, into account. Understanding risk perceptions at fine spatial scales can also support targeting of communication and education initiatives to where heat adaptation efforts are most needed.
Identifying Similarities and Disparities Between DNA Copy Number Changes in Cancer and Matched Blood Samples.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the first cause of cancer-related mortality for men and women in the United States. In spite of curative resection in early-stage, patient survival...
Gene-Gene Interactions and the Pathophysiology of Sickle Cell Disease: Modeling the Effects of SNPs on Sickle Cell-Associated Vasoocclusive Events Using Classification and Regression Trees and Stochastic Gradient Boosting.

Abstract The variable pattern of complications seen among sickle cell disease patients is unlikely to be the result of solely the HBB glu6val mutation. Conventional case-control analyses using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are useful in looking for single gene associations, however studying gene interactions becomes increasingly inefficient as the number of SNPs increase. Application of more complex statistical methods such as classification and regression trees (CART), stochastic gradient boosting (SGB) and Bayesian networks (Sebastiani et al, Nature Genet 37: 435, 2005) allows for the analysis of many SNPs and covariates simultaneously. CART is a recursive partitioning method that develops a single tree-based model which is grown by creating “if-then” splitting rules which stratify patients into risk groups. The resulting over-fitted tree is then pruned to optimize size and classification and its predictive ability assessed using a test set or cross validation. SGB is a similar method, however, instead of one large tree many small trees are grown sequentially. Each new tree improves the quality of the model based upon the prior stage and is weighted based on its predictive ability. The final predicted value is computed by adding the weighted contribution of each small sub-tree and based on that value, a classification assigned. From the over 4,000 patients in the CSSCD, a subset of 1,353 were genotyped for 353 SNPs in over 160 genes that might impact the disease pathophysiology. Clinical data for these patients were merged with genotype data and 490 patients were identified who had at least one of the following vasoocclusive events: stroke, osteonecrosis of the humeral or femoral head and/or priapism. With the remaining patients serving as controls, CART and SGB was run on a random sample of 80% of the patients to identify genes and covariates whose interactions characterize patients with these vasoocclusive events and the accuracy assessed using the remaining patients as a test set. Along with age, sex and HbF, CART identified TGFBR3, SMAD9, CISH, KL and MAP3K71P1 as being associated with the vasoocclusive event phenotype and classified patients with a sensitivity of 34% and a specificity of 82%. SGB however, while identifying the same pattern of genes and covariates as being associated with vasoocclusive events, was able to classify patients with a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 68%. While CART provides a simple initial screening of genes and covariates that may be simultaneously associated with the phenotype, SGB provides a more accurate method of classification with higher sensitivity and similar specificity. Neither method requires the extensive model building of Bayesian networks. A more thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms will lead to the ability to predict subphenotypes and improve their management.
Migration and Mental Health in Mexico: Domestic Migrants, Return U.S. Migrants, and Non-Migrants.

In this paper, we use survey data from the Mexican Retrospective Demographic Survey (Encuesta Demografica Retrospectiva) and National Survey of Households (Encuesta Nacional de Hogares) collected in 2017 to examine self-reports of depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue, and pain among domestic migrants, returned U.S. migrants, and non-migrants. Although self-reports do not always correspond to clinical diagnoses, they offer some insight into mental health, especially for those without a diagnosis because of limited access to services or stigma. Regression results reveal that domestic migrants, e.g., those who moved within Mexico, reported more anxiety, chronic fatigue, and pain, but risks for U.S. migrants were comparable to non-migrants, controlling for other characteristics. Findings from the decomposition analysis helps explain these findings. While domestic migrant vs. non-migrant differences result both from different migrant demographic attributes, such as age and gender, and differences in the effects of these characteristics between the groups, U.S. migrant vs. non-migrant differences in anxiety and pain emerge only after allowing for the relationship between each observed characteristic and the mental health outcome to vary. Thus, compared to domestic migrants, U.S. migrants are selected on characteristics associated with good mental health-they are positively selected-but those characteristics are not protective for them.
Utilization of Machine Learning in Analyzing Post-incident State of Occupational Injuries in Agro-Manufacturing Industries.

Due to the high frequency and costs of occupational incidents in agro-manufacturing operations, as well as substantial impact of occupational injuries on labor-market outcomes, predicting the post-incident state of an injury and identifying its contributory factors is vital to protect workers, improve workplace safety, and reduce overall costs of injuries. This study evaluates the performance of machine learning algorithms in classifying post-incident outcomes of occupational injuries in agro-manufacturing operations. Injury factors extracted from 14,000 workers’ compensation claims recorded between 2008 and 2016 in the Midwest region of the United States were used to develop machine learning models. The models predicted incident outcomes based on injury details with an overall accuracy rate of 78%, and high accuracy rate for medical post-incident state (97–98%). The results emphasize the significance of quantitative analysis of empirical injury data in safety science, and contributes to enhanced understanding of occupational incidents root causes using predictive modeling along with safety experts’ perspective.
Pembrolizumab-Induced Ocular Myasthenic Crisis.

Pembrolizumab, one of many novel immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPi), is a monoclonal antibody that enhances immunity against cancer cells. Extensive escalation in immune activity predisposes to unsought immune-related adverse events. Due to progressive mesothelioma, a 67-year-old man was referred to the research unit and enrolled in a clinical trial with a cluster of differentiation (CD) 27 chemotherapeutic agent. He began crossover treatment and received just two doses of pembrolizumab, 33 and 16 days prior to admission. He subsequently presented to the emergency department with three days of acute onset severe diplopia and a drooping left eye. Acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies returned positive at 13.9 nmol/L, and a diagnosis of ocular myasthenia gravis (OMG) was made. During his hospitalization, the patient was managed with methylprednisolone 80 mg intravenously daily, with conversion to prednisone 60 mg by mouth daily at time of discharge. Neuro-ophthalmology consultation was sought in the outpatient setting, and the patient was started on pyridostigmine. He was readmitted two weeks later with symptoms of progressive diffuse weakness, unsteady gait, and dysphagia, all in the setting of persistent diplopia. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was promptly initiated, in addition to the pyridostigmine previously initiated in the outpatient setting. Unfortunately, after three IVIG treatments, the patient had experienced little improvement in his symptoms, and therefore elected hospice care. Although ICPis have revolutionized the management of a multitude of malignancies, recognition of immune-related adverse events is of critical importance.
Faraway Women and the Atlantic Monthly: Halverson, Cathryn. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2019, 272 pp., $27.95 (paperback).

When Ellery Sedgwick became editor of the Atlantic Monthly in 1909, the magazine founded by a group of Boston Brahmin to explore “the American idea” had been in print for half a century. Despite ea...
Effect of Nanoconfinement on Polymer Chain Dynamics

Recently, Hor et al. [Hor, J. L., Wang, H., Fakhraai, Z., & Lee, D. (2018). Macromolecules 51 (14), 5069–5078] reported a set of interesting results for the viscosity of unentangled polystyrene of ...
Receiving Real-Time Clinical Feedback: A Workshop and OSTE Assessment for Medical Students.

Background Many programs designed to improve feedback to students focus on faculty's ability to provide a safe learning environment, and specific, actionable suggestions for improvement. Little attention has been paid to improving students' attitudes and skills in accepting and responding to feedback effectively. Effective "real-time" feedback in the clinical setting is dependent on both the skill of the teacher and the learner's ability to receive the feedback. Medical students entering their clinical clerkships are not formally trained in receiving feedback, despite the significant amount of feedback received during this time. Methods We developed and implemented a one-hour workshop to teach medical students strategies for effectively receiving and responding to "real-time" (formative) feedback in the clinical environment. Subjective confidence and skill in receiving real-time feedback were assessed in pre- and post-workshop surveys. Objective performance of receiving feedback was evaluated before and after the workshop using a simulated feedback encounter designed to re-create common clinical and cognitive pitfalls for medical students, called an objective structured teaching exercise (OSTE). Results After a single workshop, students self-reported increased confidence (mean 6.0 to 7.4 out of 10, P<0.01) and skill (mean 6.0 to 7.0 out of 10, P=0.10). Compared to pre-workshop OSTE scores, post-workshop OSTE scores objectively measuring skill in receiving feedback were also significantly higher (mean 28.8 to 34.5 out of 40, P=0.0131). Conclusion A one-hour workshop dedicated to strategies in receiving real-time feedback may improve effective feedback reception as well as self-perceived skill and confidence in receiving feedback. Providing strategies to trainees to improve their ability to effectively receive feedback may be a high-yield approach to both strengthen the power of feedback in the clinical environment and enrich the clinical experience of the medical student.
DSM-5 Level of Personality Functioning: Refocusing Personality Disorder on What It Means to Be Human

Level of Personality Functioning (LPF) represents the entry criterion (Criterion A) of the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). It is defined as a dimensional general severity criterion common to all personality disorders and conceptually independent of personality types or traits, and it represents maladaptive self (identity and self-direction) and interpersonal (empathy and intimacy) functioning. We review the history, measurement, and significance of LPF. We show that the inclusion of LPF in the AMPD is well justified if it is defined as a general adaptive failure of a subjective intrapsychic system needed to fulfill adult life tasks. If so defined, LPF distinguishes itself from maladaptive traits (Criterion B of the AMPD) and captures the contribution humans make as agentic authors to the interpretation and management of the self. While Criterion B maladaptive traits provide important descriptive nuance to manifestations of personality pathology, maladaptive LPF is conditional to the diagnosis of personality disorder.
Influences of Family Relational Factors and Immigration Generation Status on Mental Health Service Utilization Among Asian Americans

Drawing on data from the National Latino and Asian American Study, this article examines the influence of family relational factors, independently and jointly with immigration generation status, on...
The Impact of E-Visits on Visit Frequencies and Patient Health: Evidence from Primary Care

Secure messaging, or “e-visits,” between patients and providers has sharply increased in recent years, and many hope they will help improve healthcare quality, while increasing provider capacity. Using a panel data set from a large healthcare system in the United States, we find that e-visits trigger about 6% more office visits, with mixed results on phone visits and patient health. These additional visits come at the sacrifice of new patients: physicians accept 15% fewer new patients each month following e-visit adoption. Our data set on nearly 100,000 patients spans from 2008 to 2013, which includes the rollout and diffusion of e-visits in the health system we study. Identification comes from difference-in-differences estimates leveraging variation in the timing of e-visit adoption by both patients and providers. We conduct several robustness checks, including matching analyses and an instrumental variable analysis to account for possible time-varying characteristics among patient e-visit adopters. This...
Hospice Enrollment, Future Hospitalization, and Future Costs Among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Patients Who Received Palliative Care Consultation.

Background:Palliative care consultation to discuss goals-of-care (“PCC”) may mitigate end-of-life care disparities.Objective:To compare hospitalization and cost outcomes by race and ethnicity among...
Observation of Spatial Coherence Collapse in High-Power, Broad-Area Lasers Using Fiber-Assisted Self-Heterodyning

In this work, a high-resolution, self-heterodyne,RF measurement of a broad-area laser is spatially resolved using an optical fiber at a range of power levels. Three separate spatial regimes of operation are revealed as power is increased: conventional modes, spatial coherence collapse, and cavity-assisted filamentation.
Sendai virus proteins counteracting the host innate immunity

The nucleotide sequence of Sendai virus (SeV) genome was determined in the 1980's. During the analysis of its cDNA, two mRNAs were found to be transcribed from the P gene; one encoding P protein, the other encoding V protein. In addition, C protein was found to be translated from both/ mRNAs. Though the function of V and C proteins was being unknown for a while, the reverse-genetic technique of paramyxoviruses developed at the latter half of the 1990's gave the light on studying them. The V or C protein-knockout-SeV can be made successfully, indicating that the V and C proteins are nonessential for virus growth, However, V knockout-SeV was cleared from the mouse lungs at the one day post inoculation, and C knockout-SeV was cleared immediately after the inoculation. Both V and C proteins were thus appeared to be important for counteracting host innate immunity generated in the early phase of viral infection.
A Larger Activity Shrouds It

Both Flow Chart and Girls on the Run, Ashbery's newest book-length poem, seek to apprehend this "larger activity." And although the books weren't necessarily intended as companion pieces in name or even in form, the new poem describes a sort of Candyland version of the first?luscious and pretty and at least as theoreticaUy or inteUectually successful, though by using differ ent terms in its search and discovery. The vehicle for this poem is the posthumously-acclaimed illustrated novel by Henry Darger (1892-1972), recluse and outsider artist. Ashbery's book at once dramatizes Darger's fantasy world and uses it as an engine for the greater project, the arguably self-sufficient activity of Ashbery's poetry. The narrative recounts the adventures of a band of imaginary girls, the Vivians, who include Judy, Shuffle, and Tidbit, as they run from an immense, mysterious archetypal storm. The first section begins with Judy's exhortation to her companions to escape, her words neatly confusing the dimensions of space and time, setting the stage for the poem's work to make out of them a new sense.
Private ownership and corporate performance : some lessons from transition economies

Data on mid-sized firms in three transition economies provide strong evidence that private ownership- for worker ownership- improves corporate performance. And the privatized firms' superior ability to generate revenues allows those firms to sustain or expand employment. Using a large sample of data on mid-sized firms in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, Frydman, Gray, Hessel, and Rapacynski compare the performance of privatized and state firms in the environment of the postcommunist transition. They find strong evidence that private ownership- for worker ownership- improves corporate performance. They find no evidence of the privatization shock that was supposed to afflict the behavior of firms undergoing rapid changes in ownership. Instead, they observe a severe shock from marketization, affecting both state and privatized firms - a shock for which private ownership provides a powerful antidote. Among their other findings: Private ownership is most effective in improving a firm's ability to generate revenues, an area in which entrepreneurship seems to be required. Ownership also affects a firm's ability to remove the rather obvious cost inefficiencies inherited from the past, but this effect is less pronounced, as both state and privatized firms engage in significant cost restructuring. Most important, privatized firms generate significantly more employment gains than state firms. It is their superior ability to generate revenues, rather than competence at cost-cutting, that allows them to sustain or expand employment. This is why privatization is the dominant strategy for expanding employment in transition. Outsider-owned firms perform better than insider-owned firms on most performance measures, but there is enough difference between employee- and manager-owned firms to suggest that putting all insiders under a common umbrella is unjustified. Although the effects of managerial ownership are ambiguous, putting employees in control appears to offer no advantages over state ownership on any measure and creates a distinct disadvantage in terms of employment performance. Among outsider owners, privatization funds seem to do as well at revitalizing the privatized companies as do other outsider owners; in particular, the authors find no evidence that funds are less effective than strategic investors. And foreign investors provide perhaps less of an edge than might have been expected; their impact appears no stronger than that of major domestic outsiders. This paper - product of the Development Research Group - part of a larger effort in the Bank to explore issues of corporate governance in transition economies. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under research project Corporate Governance in Central Europe (RPO 678-42).
The photophysical properties of some C15 lupine alkaloids: sparteine, lupanine, thermospine, and alpha-diplospartyrine.

Sparteine, the tetracyclic saturated amine alkaloid, is highly fluorescent in n-hexane solution (Φf= 0.64; ζ= 63 ns) and has a large Stokes shift [λmax (abs) = 203 nm; λmax (fluor) = 325 nm]. Its isomer, α-isosparteine, has similar properties: Φf= 0.55; ζf= 50 ns; λmax (fluor) = 338 nm. Oxidized derivatives, such as lupanine, thermopsine, and α-diplospartyrine, are weakly fluorescent. Based on a comparison with spectroscopic and photophysical properties of the monoamine, quinolizidine, it is concluded that the excitation energy is delocalized over the two N-atoms in starteine and a-isosparteine. The self quenching rate constant for sparteine, ca. 1 times 107M-1 s-1, is about 100 times smaller than that for quinolizidine, consistent with excited state derealization. The significant fluorescence quenching in lupanine is rationalized by the fact that N-methyl-2-piperidone mfe/molecularly quenches the fluorescence of quinolizidine at nearly the diffusion controlled rate in -hexane. Comparisons are made with the fluorescence properties of other diamines such as N, N'-dimethylbispidine and N, N'-disubstituted piperazines.
Electroejaculated baboon (Papio anubis) sperm requires a higher dosage of pentoxifylline to enhance motility.

Purpose: Sperm collected by electroejaculation often show poor motility. The objective was to determine whether the addition of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, pentoxifylline, would stimulate electroejaculated baboon sperm motility. Methods: Electroejaculation was performed on several occasions on a male baboon and sperm collected after familiarization. Pentoxifylline was tested at the standard concentration (1 mg/ml) and at twice the concentration. Sperm parameters were evaluated using a sperm motility analyzer, as well as acrosome and DNA integrity techniques. Results: Sperm exposed to 2 mg/ml pentoxifylline had higher total motility when compared with the control and I mg/ml treatment. Rapid progression and velocities were higher after pentoxifylline. The acridine orange DNA normality test showed that over 90% of collected sperm had intact unfragmented DNA. About half the sperm population had normal morphology and intact acrosomes. A low percentage had cytoplasmic droplets. Conclusions: Sperm collected by rectal probe electroejaculation required a higher concentration (2 mg/ml) of pentoxifylline for enhanced total motility, rapid progression, and higher velocity. This suggested differences in membrane properties or phosphodisterase activity in electrojeaculated sperm. The electroejaculation procedure did not denature sperm DNA at the acridine orange assay level nor were the acrosomes disrupted. The present study also documented unique information on baboon kinematic parameters.
Poly(Phenylene Ether) Matrix Resins

First page of article Keywords: poly(phenylene ether); polymerization; catalyst; Noryl resins; gel permeation chromatography
An Unsupervised Learning Algorithm for Rank Aggregation

Many applications in information retrieval, natural language processing, data mining, and related fields require a ranking of instances with respect to a specified criteria as opposed to a classification. Furthermore, for many such problems, multiple established ranking models have been well studied and it is desirable to combine their results into a joint ranking, a formalism denoted as rank aggregation. This work presents a novel unsupervisedlearning algorithm for rank aggregation (ULARA) which returns a linear combination of the individual ranking functions based on the principle of rewarding ordering agreement between the rankers. In addition to presenting ULARA, we demonstrate its effectiveness on a data fusion task across ad hoc retrieval systems.
Levels of dogmatism and attitudes toward marijuana.

A sample of 18 undergraduates and 18 professional businessmen were tested on Rokeach's Dogmatism Scale (Form E) and a scale which measured attitudes toward marijuana. As predicted, the low dogmatics were significantly more favorable toward marijuana than the high dogmatics. This was interpreted as being due to the tendency of high dogmatics to conform to authority figures. Yet, while the attitudes of the businessmen were more unfavorable than those of the students, their levels of dogmatism did not differ significantly. This discrepancy was explained by the different source of information available to each sample.
Molecular analysis of mutants of the Neurospora adenylosuccinate synthetase locus.

The ad-8 gene of Neurospora crassa, in addition to being used for the study of purine biology, has been extensively studied as a model for gene structure, mutagenesis and intralocus recombination. Because of this there is an extensive collection of well-characterized N. crassaad-8 mutants in the Fungal Genetics Stock Center collection. Among these are spontaneous mutants and mutants induced with X-ray, UV or chemical mutagens. The specific lesions in these mutants have been genetically mapped at high resolution. We have sequenced the ad-8 locus from 13 of these mutants and identified the molecular nature of the mutation in each strain. We compare the historical fine-structure map to the DNA and amino acid sequence of each allele. The placement of the individual lesions in the fine-structure map was more accurate at the 5′ end of the gene and no mutants were identified in the 3′ untranslated region of this gene. We additionally analysed ad-8 + alleles in 18 N. crassa strains subjected to whole-genome sequence analysis and describe the variability among Neurospora strains and among fungi and other organisms.
Stereoselective inhibition of human butyrylcholinesterase by pbosphonotbiolate analogs of (+)- and (−)-cocaine

Abstract The hydrolysis of cocaine (benzoylecgonine methyl ester) to ecgonine methyl ester by human butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE; EC 3.1.1.8) has been shown previously to constitute an important means to detoxicate this material to pharmacologically inactive metabolites. The naturally occurring (−)-cocaine is hydrolyzed to ecgonine methyl ester approximately 2000 times slower than the unnatural (+)-cocaine isomer. In good agreement with previous studies, (−)-cocaine bound to human BuChE with relatively good affinity and competitively inhibited the hydrolysis of the spectrophotometric substrate butyrylthiocholine with a Ki value of 8.0 μM. Similarly, (+)-cocaine also showed relatively high affinity for the human BuChE and competitively inhibited butyrylthiocholine hydrolysis with a Ki value of 5.4 μM. The phosphonothiolates corresponding to the transition state analogs for both (−)- and (+)-cocaine hydrolysis were synthesized and tested as inhibitors of human BuChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of butyrylthiocholine. The phosphonothiolate corresponding to the transition state for (−)-cocaine hydrolysis was a competitive inhibitor with a Ki value of 55.8 μM. The phosphonothiolate corresponding to the transition state for (+)-cocaine hydrolysis gave a Ki value of 25.9 μM, but, in addition, it also showed irreversible inhibition with a ki of inactivation of 68.8 min−1 M−1. It is likely that the mechanism-based inhibitor described herein may find use as a mechanistic probe of butyrylcholinesterase action and also possibly aid in the purification of this class of esterases.
Self-Assembly of Patchy Particles.

Molecular simulations are performed to study the self-assembly of particles with discrete, attractive interaction sites − “patches” − at prescribed locations on the particle surface. Chains, sheets, rings, icosahedra, square pyramids, tetrahedra, and twisted and staircase structures are obtained through suitable design of the surface pattern of patches. Our simulations predict that the spontaneous formation of two-dimensional sheets and icosahedra occurs via a first-order transition while the formation of chains occurs via a continuous disorder-to-order transition as in equilibrium polymerization. Our results show how precise arrangements of patches combined with patch “recognition” or selectivity may be used to control the relative position of particles and the overall structure of particle assemblies. In this context, patchy particles represent a new class of building block for the fabrication of precise structures.
EFFECT OF DIFFERENCES IN LIGHT AND TEMPERATURE UPON THE SIZE OF COMBS ON WHITE LEGHORNS1

THE COMBs on Leghorn males, poulards and capons have been found to attain larger sise when kept indoors in the absence of direct sunlight than when the fowls have access to outdoor pens. The combs on ovariotomizied fowl were observed by Domm (1930) to increase greatly in size in the winter, a change believed to result from a deficiency of sunlight. Later, when extracts containing male sex hormone were assayed in two different laboratories using comb growth in capons, the results were not the same. In subsequent studies Womack, Koch, Domm and Juhn (1931) showed that when Brown Leghorn capons had access to direct sunlight, the combs responded to injections of male sex hormone with less growth than did the combs of birds confined indoors. White Leghorn cockerels, studied by Buckner, Insko and Martin (1932, 1933), developed much larger combs and wattles when reared indoors than when they had access to outdoor yards.
Resveratrol: Too Early to Bring Out the Wine?

The ideal dietary supplement would improve one’s health while providing enjoyment in its partaking. In some ways, resveratrol—a naturally occurring polyphenol that is a constituent of wine and grape skin—fits such criteria. In animal models, the beneficial effects of resveratrol have been
Physiologic evaluation of the pelvic floor.

Evaluation of patients with pelvic floor dysfunction should begin with a thoughtful and thorough history and physical examination as reviewed in the article by Theofrastous and Swift elsewhere in this issue. 7 This article reviews some of the currently available adjunctive tests that may be useful in the evaluation of selected patients with pelvic floor dysfunction. Because of the vast amount of information available and the divergent opinions regarding the use and usefulness of the available tests, the information in this article serves only as an introduction and review. Some modalities, such as urodynamics, have become an integral part of the evaluation of patients with lower urinary tract dysfunction. 44 Others such as anorectal manometry and colonic transit studies may be less familiar to the gynecologist. This article briefly reviews the components of the urodynamic evaluation of the lower urinary tract. Other tests for the physiologic evaluation of the pelvic floor are defined to provide a clear understanding of the value, rationale, technique, and limitations of each test. Technologic advances have provided a means for obtaining physiologic measurements in the assessment of pelvic floor dysfunction that outstrip the current ability to interpret such data. It is not yet known how this newly available information will impact on the clinical diagnosis and management of patients. Without a clear understanding of normal physiology and the impact of alterations of function on these measures, the clinician will be misled by numbers and measurements. Better appreciation of normal function and of the interrelationships between the pelvic floor and the structures occupying the pelvis is essential before reliable conclusions can be drawn from the exciting new data becoming available.
VLPP unimolecular rate theory

The exact theory is derived for the thermal unimolecular decomposition of gas-phase molecules activated and deactivated exclusively through heterogeneous collisions with the walls of a spherical vessel. This theory is appropriate for the treatment of very-low-pressure pyrolysis (VLPP) experiments and other experiments carried out at very low pressures. It is shown, however, that the exact theory is closely approximated by ordinary gas-phase unimolecular rate theory and that for practical application to experiments the results of both theories are indistinguishable.
Anomalous L3L2 white line ratios and spin pairing in 3d transition metals and alloys: Cr metal and Cr20Au80

Abstract It is shown by transmission electron energy loss spectroscopy that a large difference exists between the L 3 L 2 ratio obtain for chromium metal and that obtained for chromium in Cr20Au80 alloy for which chromium exists in a highly spin-aligned state. An argument is given that the anomalous L 3 L 2 white line ratios observed for 3d transition metals may be correlated strongly with the degree of spin pairing in the 3d band.
Comparison of techniques for analyzing photically evoked responses.

Abstract Two methods of evaluating visual evoked responses have been employed in the long-term observation of monkeys following the exposure of the right visual cortex to 3,500 rads of X-irradiation. The first elicited the response in the EEG recording, from the right and left temporal-occipital leads, by a series of repetitive photic stimulations. These ranged from 3 to 30 flashes/sec for periods of 10 sec each. Utilizing a Faraday Electronic BNI 20 × 2 Low Frequency Analyzer the relative “abundance” of particular frequency components were determined for the 10 sec epochs of EEG activity. The second method elicited the response by a series of individual photic stimulations. Thirty-two responses from the right and left temporo-occipital leads were averaged, respectively, with the use of a 2-channel Fabritek Computer. The frequency analysis and the averaged response both reflected an early decrease in amplitude over the irradiated visual cortex and a late decrease in amplitude over both visual cortices. Both methods were equally sensitive in detecting early changes. In the bilateral depression with small amplitude, the averaged response displayed differences between the two sides that the frequency analysis did not, while the late delta activity that accompanied destruction of neural tissue was clearly shown in the frequency analysis and was absent from the averaged response.