cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Political Party Contribution Strategies in the 2003 Ontario General Election

Although money is an important source in Canadian elections for both political parties and candidates (Carty and Eagles 2004; Cross 2004; Eagles 2004), there are few studies focusing on the role of intra-party contributions at the subnational level. Using original data, we analyze intra-party transfers between Ontario provincial parliamentary candidates, provincial constituency associations, and provincial parties in the 2003 Ontario general election. We explore the strategies parties use when allocating resources (cash, inventory, and prepaid expenses) to candidates and whether candidates transfer money back to party organizations after the election, a question that has yet to be studied in provincial-level research. Similar to U.S. state parties (Gierzynski 1992; Makse 2009), we find that provincial parties adopt different allocation strategies depending on their status as the majority or minority party. We also find that most provincial candidates only transfer a small proportion of what parties originally transferred to them.
Requirements change: Understanding the type of changes in the requirements document of novice designers

This paper presents the findings from a case study conducted to investigate the evolution in the requirements documents of novice designers (students). The case study was conducted with four student teams working in parallel on senior design project. At the beginning of the semester, all four teams were given the design problem and set of initial requirements by the sponsor. For the purpose of this case study, data was collected from all four teams in the form of weekly requirements update. These requirements were then investigated to explore the evolution of requirements and identify the changes in individual requirements from initial weeks to final week. The findings from this case study suggest that the requirements document of novice designers changes in multiple ways. Finally, a set of recommendations and guidelines are developed to help the novice designers to maintain the requirements document and manage the changes in the requirements document.
Role of Salt Marshes as Part of Coastal Landscapes

Salt marshes are located between land and coastal water environments, and nutrient and production dynamics within salt marshes interact with those of adjoining ecosystems. Salt marshes tend to export materials to deeper waters, as shown by mass balance and stable isotopic studies. Salt marshes also intercept land-derived nutrients, and thus modify the potential response of phytoplankton, macroalgae, and seagrasses in the receiving estuarine waters. In particular, the maintenance of eelgrass meadows seems to depend on the ability of fringing salt marshes to intercept land-derived nitrogen. The bulk of the interception of land-derived nitrogen is likely to be the result of relatively high rates of denitrification characteristic of salt marshes. Thus, through exports of energy-rich materials, and interception of limiting nutrients, salt marsh parcels interact in quantitatively important ways with adjoining units of landscape. These interactions are of importance in understanding the basic functions of these mosaics of different coastal systems, as well as provide information needed to manage estuaries, as for example, in conservation of valuable eelgrass meadows.
Psychopathology and epilepsy: an outpatient consultation-liaison experience.

That epileptic patients suffer from psychological symptomatology is well known, and previous studies have suggested associations between the location of the seizure focus and specific psychiatric diagnoses, as well as the existence of specific epileptic personality traits. In this study, the psychopathology of a group of epileptic patients referred for outpatient psychiatric consultation is described. A surprisingly high incidence of personality disorders (38%) and depression (33%) was found. The rate of personality disorder was significantly higher than the rate seen in a neurologically ill control group also referred far consultation. The personality disorders observed were of several different types. No clear associations between EEG abnormalities and psychiatric diagnoses were observed in this sample.
Anonymity Decreases the Punitive Nature of a Departmental Morbidity and Mortality Conference.

Objectives We sought to analyze the effect of an anonymous morbidity and mortality (M&M) conference on participants' attitudes toward the educational and punitive nature of the conference. We theorized that an anonymous conference might be more educational, less punitive, and would shift analysis of cases toward systems-based analysis and away from individual cognitive errors. Methods We implemented an anonymous M&M conference at an academic emergency medicine program. Using a pre-post design, we assessed attitudes toward the educational and punitive nature of the conference as well as the perceived focus on systems versus individual errors analyzed during the conference. Means and standard deviations were compared using a paired t test. Results Fifteen conferences were held during the study period and 53 cases were presented. Sixty percent of eligible participants (n = 38) completed both the pretest and posttest assessments. There was no difference in the perceived educational value of the conference (4.42 versus 4.37, P = 0.661), but the conference was perceived to be less punitive (2.08 versus 1.76, P = 0.017). There was no difference between the perceived focus of the conference on systems (2.76 versus 2.76, P = 1.00) versus individual (4.21 versus 4.16, P = 0.644) errors. Most participants (59.5%) preferred that the conference remain anonymous. Conclusions We assessed the effect of anonymity in our departmental M&M conference for a 7-month period and found no difference in the perceived effect of M&M on the educational nature of the conference but found a small improvement in the punitive nature of the conference.
Ability of a Risk Prediction Tool to Stratify Quality and Cost for Older Patients With Operative Ankle Fractures.

Objectives To investigate the ability of a validated geriatric trauma risk prediction tool to stratify hospital quality metrics and inpatient cost for middle-aged and geriatric patients admitted from the emergency department for operative treatment of an ankle fracture. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Single Academic Medical Center. Patients Patients 55 years of age and older who sustained a rotational ankle fracture and who were treated operatively during their index hospitalization. Intervention Calculation of validated trauma triage score, Score for Trauma Triage in Geriatric and Middle Aged (STTGMA), using patient demographics, injury severity, and functional status. Patients were stratified into groups based on scores to create a minimal-, low-, moderate-, and high-risk cohort. Main outcome measurements Length of stay, complications, need for intensive care unit-/step-down unit-level care, discharge location, and index admission costs. Results Fifty ankle fracture patients met inclusion criteria. The mean length of stay was 7.8 ± 5.2 days with a significant difference among the 4 risk groups (4.6-day difference between low and high risk). 73.1% of minimal-risk patients were discharged home compared with 0% of high-risk patients. There was no difference in complication rate or in need for intensive care unit-level care between groups. However, high-risk patients had a mean total inpatient cost 2 times greater than that of minimal-risk patients. Conclusion The Score for Trauma Triage in Geriatric and Middle-Aged tool is able to meaningfully stratify older patients with ankle fracture who require operative fixation regarding hospital quality metrics and cost. This information may allow for efficient targeted reductions in costs while optimizing outcomes. Level of evidence Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor efavirenz activates PXR to induce hypercholesterolemia and hepatic steatosis

Background & Aims The most prescribed non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, efavirenz, has been associated with elevated risk of dyslipidemia and hepatic steatosis in HIV-infected patients but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Herein, we investigated the role of pregnane X receptor (PXR) in mediating the adverse effects of efavirenz on lipid homeostasis. Methods Cell-based reporter assays, primary cell culture, and multiple mouse models including conditional knockout and humanized mice were combined to study the impact of efavirenz on PXR activities and lipid homeostasis in vitro and in vivo. A novel liver-specific Pxr knockout mouse model was also generated to determine the contribution of hepatic PXR signaling to efavirenz-elicited dyslipidemia and hepatic steatosis. Results We found that efavirenz is a potent PXR-selective agonist that can efficiently activate PXR and induce its target gene expression in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with efavirenz-induced hypercholesterolemia and hepatic steatosis in mice but deficiency of hepatic PXR abolished these adverse effects. Interestingly, efavirenz-mediated PXR activation regulated the expression of several key hepatic lipogenic genes including fatty acid transporter CD36 and cholesterol biosynthesis enzyme squalene epoxidase (SQLE), leading to increased lipid uptake and cholesterol biosynthesis in hepatic cells. While CD36 is a known PXR target gene, we identified a DR-2-type of PXR-response element in the SQLE promoter and established SQLE as a direct transcriptional target of PXR. Since PXR exhibits considerable differences in its pharmacology across species, we also confirmed these findings in PXR-humanized mice and human primary hepatocytes. Conclusions The widely prescribed antiretroviral drug efavirenz induces hypercholesterolemia and hepatic steatosis by activating PXR signaling. Activation of PXR should be taken into consideration for patients undergoing long-term treatment with PXR agonistic antiretroviral drugs. Lay summary Efavirenz is widely prescribed for HIV-infected patients but has some side effects. It can increase lipid levels in patients' blood and liver. Here we show that efavirenz can activate a unique liver protein called PXR which mediates the adverse effects of efavirenz on lipid levels in mouse models.
#Blackgirlsmatter: Turning the Tide of Historical Injustice toward Civil and Social Restitution

Historical trajectories of explicit disregard contribute to current day biases related to the health and well-being of Black women and girls. In the current study, a multi-faceted analysis is used ...
On Generating Dominators of Customer Preferences

Manufacturing decisions on how to design new products have tremendous impact on the profitability of the manufacturer. This problem has recently attracted extensive research interests and motivated highly productive activities in developing the microeconomic framework for data mining and finding skyline objects in high-dimensional data. In this paper, we investigate a basic designing problem: designing products that satisfy the preferences of all customers. We formalize this problem as generating dominators (products) that dominate the preference dataset. The problem is naturally related to the microeconomic framework of data mining and the problem of finding skyline objects. The designing problem can be optimized from either the manufacturer’s perspective or the customer’s perspective. Our framework integrates these two perspectives and achieves optimization in a single effort. We show that this problem is NP-complete and study its computational properties. A deterministic greedy algorithm and a randomized greedy algorithm are developed. Extensive experimental evaluation on both real and simulated datasets demonstrates the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithms.
Is JCAR Unconstitutional

Before administrative regulations take effect in Illinois, Illinois law provides that those regulations be reviewed by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR). JCAR is a 12-member committee comprised of six state senators and six state representatives. It publishes a weekly summary of new regulations, proposed regulations, and notices, as well as its actions on proposed regulations. Although it might seem effective to have legislative supervision over agency rulemaking, the JCAR system of "objecting" to regulations proposed by a state agency may violate the separation of powers provision under Article II of the Illinois state constitution. The relevant constitutional language provides: "The legislative, executive and judicial branches are separate. No branch shall exercise powers properly belonging to another." When the legislature (the legislative branch) passes a law, it goes to the governor (the executive branch) for signature. The law enters into effect, and administrative agencies promulgate regulations to implement the statute. Because JCAR can object to proposed administrative agency rules and prevent them from entering into effect, this committee of twelve legislators appears to be able to exercise a "legislative veto" over actions of the executive branch. The U.S. Supreme Court held a legislative veto unconstitutional in Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha, 462 U.S. 919 (1983), in part because the legislature had assumed for itself the reviewing role of the courts. The constitutionality of JCAR does not yet appear to have been challenged in any state or federal court action in Illinois. Arguments under the Illinois state constitution may show that JCAR does actually not violate the separation of powers when it objects to proposed rules of administrative agencies. Some important distinctions exist between JCAR and that held unconstitutional in Chadha, including that the members of JCAR represent both houses of the Illinois General Assembly. Other states may have similar systems that provide for legislative review of administrative regulations before they take effect. The author invites dialog on the constitutionality of JCAR and information on comparative experiences from other jurisdictions.
Dynamic and Control of Spacecraft Formations: Challenges and Some Solutions

Presented is an analytic method to establish J2 invariant relative orbits, that is, relative orbit motions that do not drift apart. Working with mean orbit elements, the secular relative drift of the longitude of the ascending node and the argument of latitude between two neighboring orbits are set equal. Two first order conditions constrain the differences between the chief and deputy momenta elements (semi-major axis, eccentricity and inclination angle), while the other three angular differences (ascending node, argument of perigee and mean anomaly), can be chosen at will. Several challenges in designing such relative orbits are discussed. For near polar orbits or near circular orbits, enforcing the equal nodal rate condition may result in impractically large relative orbits if a difference in inclination angle is prescribed. In the latter case, compensating for a difference in inclination angle becomes exceedingly difficult as the eccentricity approaches zero. The third issue discussed is the relative argument of perigee and mean anomaly drift. While this drift has little or no effect on the relative orbit geometry for small or near-zero eccentricities, for larger eccentricities it causes the relative orbit to enlarge and contract over time. A simple control solution to this issue is presented. Further, convenient expressions are presented which allow for quick annual fuel budget estimations. For given initial orbit element differences, these formulas estimate what Δv is required to compensate for the J2 induced relative drift.
Community-based maternal health workers' perspectives on heat risk and safety: a pilot qualitative study.

In this study the authors examined how maternal health workers (MHWs) perceive the health risks of extreme heat exposure to pregnant women and fetuses. The authors conducted interviews with 12 MHWs...
Comparative Analysis on Performance of Tri-sectional and Four-sectional Air Preheater in 1000MW Unit

This paper mainly compares and analyzes the characteristics and performance of air preheater for tri-sectional and four-sectional, it is found that the four-sectional air preheater has a great advantage in economy, this is mainly because the four-sectional air pre-heater has obvious advantages in reducing air leakage rate, it can reduce air leakage of air preheater, reduce power consumption of fan and improve thermal efficiency of unit significantly. In addition, it is found that the deviation range of flue gas temperature distribution of four-sectional air pre-heater is small by measuring the flue gas side temperature of the air preheater, the overall temperature of flue gas side is higher than that of acid dew point, it is more conducive to the prevention of low-temperature corrosion at the cold end of air preheater, and the operation of the unit is more safe.
Homegrown perceptions about the medical use and potential abuse of CBD and THC

Despite heightened consumer interest in cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), little is known about public perceptions regarding their medical use and potential for abuse, particularly relative to commonly used medications. Using data from 1,050 U.S. adult respondents from a national survey conducted in 2019, this study found that more than half of respondents perceived CBD, THC, hemp, and marijuana as having medical use. They also perceived the potential for abuse of CBD, THC, hemp, and marijuana as significantly less than potential for abuse of commonly prescribed anti-anxiety and pain medications. At the nexus of medical use and potential abuse, public perceptions classified CBD and hemp as similar to over-the-counter pain relief medications such as Advil and Tylenol and did not classify marijuana as a Schedule I substance. Slightly more than 20% of respondents reported having consumed CBD and/or THC. CBD was consumed more than THC to reduce pain while THC was consumed more than CBD for recreation. There were no differences in the types of medications they were replacing with CBD and THC.
Stimuli-responsive biomaterials for cardiac tissue engineering and dynamic mechanobiology.

Since the term “smart materials” was put forward in the 1980s, stimuli-responsive biomaterials have been used as powerful tools in tissue engineering, mechanobiology, and clinical applications. For the purpose of myocardial repair and regeneration, stimuli-responsive biomaterials are employed to fabricate hydrogels and nanoparticles for targeted delivery of therapeutic drugs and cells, which have been proved to alleviate disease progression and enhance tissue regeneration. By reproducing the sophisticated and dynamic microenvironment of the native heart, stimuli-responsive biomaterials have also been used to engineer dynamic culture systems to understand how cardiac cells and tissues respond to progressive changes in extracellular microenvironments, enabling the investigation of dynamic cell mechanobiology. Here, we provide an overview of stimuli-responsive biomaterials used in cardiovascular research applications, with a specific focus on cardiac tissue engineering and dynamic cell mechanobiology. We also discuss how these smart materials can be utilized to mimic the dynamic microenvironment during heart development, which might provide an opportunity to reveal the fundamental mechanisms of cardiomyogenesis and cardiac maturation.
High-resolution remote sensing and multistate occupancy estimation identify drivers of spawning site selection in fall chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) across a sub-Arctic riverscape

Groundwater upwellings provide warmer, stable overwinter temperatures for developing salmon embryos, which may be particularly important in cold, braided, gravel-bed sub-Arctic rivers. We used a th...
Aspergillus Osteomyelitis Secondary to Chronic Necrotizing Pulmonary Aspergillosis in a Patient With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Aspergillus spp. are ubiquitous molds that cause a wide range of clinical syndromes depending on the immune status of the host. Herein, we present a case of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis on long-term immunosuppressive medications, with a persistent dry cough and left-sided chest pain for over a year, who presented with acute sternal drainage. Computed tomography of the chest showed chronic pulmonary abnormalities, parasternal fluid, and bone destruction of the distal sternum and left sixth rib. The patient underwent debridement; sternal biopsy tissue showed septate hyphae with acute-angled branching, and Aspergillus fumigatus grew in culture. We suspected that the patient developed chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis (CNPA) that traversed tissue planes and caused chest wall osteomyelitis. The patient received voriconazole and surgical debridement, with clinical and radiological improvement. This case demonstrates the importance of considering CNPA as a diagnosis in patients with moderate degrees of immunosuppression and chronic respiratory symptoms, and Aspergillus spp. as an etiology of osteomyelitis in such patients.
Investigation of the thermal decomposition of magnesium–sodium nitrate pyrotechnic composition (SR-524) and the effect of accelerated aging

Abstract The aging behavior of the pyrotechnics is influenced by the storage atmosphere and more specifically on the temperature and humidity levels. The investigated composition SR 524 is a military pyrotechnic composition that is used as a tracer. The accelerated aging of the SR 524 composition has been carried out at a temperature of 70 °C and relative humidity of 70 percent. The results indicate that there is significant change in the thermal behavior, kinetic parameters and the morphology of the aged composition. The decomposition temperature and the activation energy were found to be lowered in the aged composition. The activation energy of the aged composition decreased nearly 57 percent. SEM micrographs of the aged composition revealed the development of micro cracks as a result of accelerated aging. XRD spectra of the aged composition showed the presence of magnesium hydroxide indicating the reaction between magnesium and water vapors present in the highly humid atmosphere.
Obesity and Overweight are Highly Prevalent in Pediatric Secondary Pseudotumor Cerebri Syndrome (P5.304)

OBJECTIVE: Examine the clinical, demographic, and anthropometric patient characteristics of secondary pseudotumor cerebri syndrome (PTCS) in children and adolescents based on the recently revised diagnostic criteria. BACKGROUND: PTCS may be either primary (i.e., idiopathic intracranial hypertension) or secondary to a number of exposures or medical conditions. Obesity influences risk for primary PTCS, however it is less clear whether secondary PTCS is also strongly associated with excess body weight. DESIGN/METHODS: An electronic database search identified cases of PTCS at a tertiary children’s hospital. Cases were classified as either primary PTCS (n=59; 79[percnt]) or secondary PTCS (n=16; 21[percnt]) as rigorously defined by the recently revised diagnostic criteria (Friedman et al., 2013). Outcomes included body-mass index Z-scores (BMI-Z), height and weight Z-scores, demographics, and clinical features at initial presentation such as headache, sixth nerve palsy, and cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure. These retrospective data were collected using bioinformatics-based and manual abstraction and managed using a secure web-based application (www.project-redcap.org). RESULTS: The associated conditions and exposures seen in this secondary PTCS cohort included tetracycline-class antibiotics (n=11), chronic kidney disease (n=3), withdrawal from chronic glucocorticoids (n=1), and lithium (n=1). 79[percnt] of children with secondary PTCS were either overweight or obese (n=11 of 14) including 43[percnt] who were obese (n=6) by U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) classifications, which differs significantly from a national survey reporting 32[percnt] of all children as overweight or obese (p=0.0002; one-proportion test) and 17[percnt] as obese (p=0.0094; one-proportion test) (Ogden et al., 2014). Mean BMI-Z (±SD) was elevated at 1.53±0.93 (p=0.0003, one-mean test vs. national average pediatric BMI-Z of 0.44 (Weber et al., 2014)). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric patients diagnosed with secondary PTCS were on average significantly overweight compared to their peers. Hence excess body weight may contribute to PTCS even when a potential secondary cause is identified. Study Supported by: 5-K12-DK-94723-2(SEM) Disclosure: Dr. Paley has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sheldon has nothing to disclose. Dr. Burrows has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chilutti has nothing to disclose. Dr. Liu has received personal compensation for activities with Ipsen as a consultant. Dr. McCormack has nothing to disclose.
Computation and Dynamic Programming

Dynamic programming provides a structured framework for solving sequential decision-making problems under uncertainty, but its computational appeal has traditionally been limited when dealing with problems with large state and action spaces. In this article, we describe a variety of methods that are targeted towards alleviating the computational difficulties associated with dynamic programming. The methods that we describe here are simulation based and model free methods, the linear programming approach to approximate dynamic programming, approximate policy iteration, rollout policies, and state aggregation. An important aspect of the methods that we describe in this article is that they use parsimoniously parameterized value function approximations to ensure that the approximations can be stored in a tractable fashion and they utilize simulation to avoid computing expectations explicitly. Keywords: iterative algorithms; dynamic programming; stochastic approximation; policy iteration; value iteration
Rapamycin ameliorates the CTLA4‐Ig–mediated defect in CD8+ T cell immunity during gammaherpesvirus infection

Latent viral infections are a major concern among immunosuppressed transplant patients. During clinical trials with belatacept, a CTLA4-Ig fusion protein, patients showed an increased risk of Epstein-Barr virus-associated posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder, thought to be due to a deficient primary CD8(+) T cell response to the virus. Using a murine model of latent viral infection, we observed that rapamycin treatment alone led to a significant increase in virus-specific CD8(+) T cells, as well as increased functionality of these cells, including the ability to make multiple cytokines, while CTLA4-Ig treatment alone significantly dampened the response and inhibited the generation of polyfunctional antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells. However, the addition of rapamycin to the CTLA4-Ig regimen was able to quantitatively and qualitatively restore the antigen-specific CD8(+) T cell response to the virus. This improvement was physiologically relevant, in that CTLA4-Ig treated animals exhibited a greater viral burden following infection that was reduced to levels observed in untreated immunocompetent animals by the addition of rapamycin. These results reveal that modulation of T cell differentiation though inhibition of mTOR signaling can restore virus-specific immune competence even in the absence of CD28 costimulation, and have implications for improving protective immunity in transplant recipients.
The role of sialic acid in the activation of platelets by wheat germ agglutinin

Sialic acid is believed to play a critical role in the survival of blood platelets in circulation. Wheat germ agglutinin, which shows specificity for sialic acid, N-acetylglucosamine, and N- acetylgalactosamine, strongly activates platelets. The role of sialic acid in platelet activation by this lectin was studied utilizing neuraminidase-treated platelets and the succinylated lectin that has been reported not to recognize sialic acid. The succinylated lectin had a dimeric structure similar to the native lectin, but migrated more slowly in gel electrophoresis. The modified lectin bound to about 2.8 X 10(5) sites/cell, with an apparent dissociation constant of 2 microM compared to 5 X 10(5) sites/cell and a dissociation constant of 0.4 microM for the native lectin. The succinylated lectin neither aggregated nor agglutinated platelets, but agglutination of red cells in microtiter plates was normal. Aggregation of platelets by either wheat germ agglutinin or ristocetin was not affected by the succinylated lectin. Since the native wheat germ agglutinin is a strong activator of platelets and the succinylated derivative was devoid of all activity, it appears that a sialoprotein acts as the biologic receptor of wheat germ agglutinin in human platelets. This suggestion was strengthened by the observation that platelets treated with different concentrations of neuraminidase had a decreased capacity to bind this lectin. These platelets also showed reduced aggregation and serotonin secretion when activated with the native lectin. Since sialic acid has been implicated in the removal of platelets from circulation, wheat germ agglutinin may prove to be a useful tool to explore those clinical conditions in which platelet survival is shortened.
Chapter 2 Linking legacies of the Cold War to arrival of anthropogenic radionuclides in the oceans through the 20th century

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the linking legacies of the cold war to arrival of anthropogenic radionuclides in the oceans through the 20th century. This chapter is intended to summarize the sources and occurrences of man-made radioactivity in the oceans, as well as provide a technical basis for addressing public misunderstandings about the risks posed by environmental radioactivity. The main contribution of dispersed radioactivity entering the environment has come from testing of atmospheric nuclear weapons from 1945 to 1980. The measured total global deposit of long-lived fission products, such as 90 Sr and 137 Cs is in agreement with the estimated fission yields and partitioning of radioactive debris in the atmosphere. Other unrestrained sources of radioactive contamination of the marine environment include, direct discharges of radioactive effluents into rivers and coastal seas from reprocessing and fuel cycle operations, and runoff or leakage from other land-based sources of contamination. Human activities involving nuclear materials will always be subject to accidents and accidental releases of radioactivity.
Merger negotiatiations: A decision model: Resolving emotional and economic forces

Abstract Acquisitions are one method of achieving corporate growth. Mr. Boulden has developed a realistic decision model for merger negotiations that takes into account the emotional and economic forces requiring an integration of conflicting interests. The psychological environment includes such factors as power, control, and morality; the economic environment includes the buyer's interest in a high price/earnings ratio and earnings/share, and the seller's objective of maximum total realizable value received in exchange for equity interests. The model developed in this article is especially suitable for computer programming. Time-share remote computer terminals operating in a conversational mode put the manager “on-line” with the computer to explore various acquisition alternatives. More elaborate batch processing programs are useful later to explore detailed financial effects of the transactions.
Religious renewal in Syria: the case of Muammad al‐abash

The Syrian Muammad al‐abash, member of the religious establishment and recently elected to parliament, is the leading figure in a movement of religious renewal in Syria. The Islamic vision he has articulated sheds light not only on the existence of a dynamic religious and inter‐religious debate currently taking place in Syria but also on the potential role of Islam in the development of a civil society in Syria that brooks room in the public arena for both the religious and the secular.
Acupuncture for Side Effects of Chemoradiation Therapy in Cancer Patients

Objective To review strategies and recommendations to improve utilization of acupuncture treatment for side effects of chemoradiation therapy in cancer centers. Data Sources Research studies and articles, government reports, and author experience. Conclusion Recent evidence in clinical research indicates that acupuncture is beneficial for chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting, and cancer pain. Other preliminary data also suggests acupuncture might be effective for chemotherapy-induced leukopenia, postchemotherapy fatigue, radiation therapy-induced xerostomia, insomnia, and anxiety. However, the utilization rate of acupuncture remains low despite the wide use of other complementary and alternative medical therapies among cancer patients. This low usage of acupuncture in cancer patients indicates a health care quality issue. Implications for Nursing Practice Oncology nurses need to increase their awareness of the available evidence in the use of acupuncture in the supportive care of cancer patients.
Design and synthesis of new bicyclic diketopiperazines as scaffolds for receptor probes of structurally diverse functionality.

Diketopiperazines (DKPs) are a common motif in various biologically active natural products, and hence they may be useful scaffolds for the rational design of receptor probes and therapeutic agents. We constructed a new bicyclic scaffold that combines a DKP bridged with a 10-membered ring. In this way we obtained a three-dimensional molecular skeleton, with several amendable sites that provide a starting point to design a new combinatorial library having diverse substituent groups. Structural variation is based upon the flexibility of alkylation of the nitrogen atoms of the DKP and on the side-chain olefin. We obtained a 10-membered secondary ring through a ring-closure metathesis reaction using the second generation Grubbs catalyst. Rings containing both O-ethers and S-ethers were compared. N-Alkyl or arylalkyl groups were introduced optionally at the two Nα-atoms. This is a general scheme that will allow us to test rings of varying sizes, linkages, and stereochemical parameters. The DKP derivatives were tested for activity in astrocytoma cells expressing receptors coupled to phospholipase C. Inhibitory effects were observed for signaling elicited by activation of human nucleotide P2Y receptors but not m3 muscarinic receptors. Compound 20 selectively inhibited calcium mobilization (IC50 value of 486 ± 16 nM) and phosphoinositide turnover elicited by a selective P2Y1 receptor agonist, but this compound did not compete for binding of a radiolabeled nucleotide-competitive receptor antagonist. Therefore, the new class of DKP derivatives shows utility as pharmacological tools for P2Y receptors.
Quasi-Lagrangian Measurements in Convective Boundary Layer Plumes and Their Implications for the Calculation of CAPE

Abstract Measurements were made to determine the level of origin of air parcels participating in natural convection. Lagrangian measurements of conservative variables are ideal for this purpose. A simple remotely piloted vehicle was developed to make in situ measurements of pressure, temperature, and humidity in the convective boundary layer. These quasi-Lagrangian measurements clearly show that convective plumes originate in the superadiabatic surface layer. The observed boundary layer plumes have virtual temperature excesses of about 0.4 K in a tropical region (Orlando, Florida) and of about 1.5 K in a desert region (Albuquerque, New Mexico). The water vapor contribution to parcel buoyancy was appreciable in Orlando but in Albuquerque was insignificant. These observations indicate that convective available potential energy should he determined by adiabatically lifting air parcels from the surface layer, at screen level.
Compressed-sensing game theory (CSGT): A novel polynomial complexity solution to Nash equilibria in dynamical games

Game-theoretic methods based on Nash equilibria have been widely used in various fields including signal processing and communication applications such as cognitive radio systems, sensor networks, defense networks and gene regulatory networks. Solving the Nash equilibria, however, has been proven to be a difficult problem, in general. It is therefore desired to obtain efficient algorithms for solving the Nash equilibria in various special cases. In this paper, we propose a Compressed-Sensing Game Theory (CSGT) framework to solve the Nash equilibria. We demonstrate that the proposed CSGT framework provides a polynomial complexity solution to the Nash Equilibria, thus allowing more general pay-off functions for certain classes of two-player dynamic games. We also provide numerical examples that demonstrate the efficiency of proposed CSGT framework in solving the Nash equilibria for two-player games in comparison to existing algorithms.
Protein identification as an information retrieval problem

We present the first interdisciplinary work on transforming a popular problem in proteomics, i.e. protein identification from tandem mass spectra, to an Information Retrieval (IR) problem. We present an empirical comparison of popular IR approaches, such as those available from Indri and Lemur toolkits on benchmark datasets, to representative popular baselines in the proteomics literature. Our experiments demonstrate statistically significant evidence that popular IR approaches outperform representative baseline approaches in proteomics.
Determination of trimethoprim in rat blood, plasma, prostate gland and seminal vesicles by high-performance liquid chromatography

Abstract Trimethoprim is selectively extracted from rat blood (85.48%), plasma (97.82%), prostate gland (91.52%) and seminal vesicles (85.74%) using alkaline conditions with dichloromethane. A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for rapid, accurate, specific and reliable determination of trimethoprim has been developed. It provides excellent linearity of standard solutions over the range of 8.18–40.88 μg/ml in blood and plasma, and 8.18–40.88 μg/g in prostate gland and seminal vesicles. This HPLC method also gave a linear response for trimethoprim from 0.10 to 40.50 μg/ml. The precision of the HPLC method at the detection limit (0.1 μg/ml) was ± 0.95%. The within-day and between-day precisions were determined to be ± 1.07% ( n = 4) and ± 2.06% ( n = 4) at a concentration of 20.25 μg/ml. There was no apparent interference for the quantitative determination of trimethoprim. The preliminary results suggest that with this extraction and analytical method, the determination of trimethoprim levels in biological fluids and tissues can be achieved and is applicable for pharmacokinetic studies.
Topical vs Subconjunctival Treatment of Bacterial Corneal Ulcers

The efficacy of eye drops and subconjunctival injections in the treatment of bacterial corneal ulcers for each of the following combinations were compared: cefazolin for staphylococcal ulcers, gentamicin for staphylococcal ulcers, and gentamicin for pseudomonal ulcers. Topical and subconjunctival therapy were equally effective in reducing the numbers of viable bacteria in experimental corneal ulcers. Subconjunctival injections produced high but transient peaks followed by persistent low troughs. In contrast, eye drops produced moderate but sustained concentrations throughout the treatment period. Under the conditions of this study, it appears that transient high peaks are not needed to eliminate bacteria effectively from a corneal ulcer. Since eye drops and subconjunctival injections are equally effective, other factors should determine the preferred route or routes of therapy.
SCV-A general subroutine for the selection of combinations of variables

SCV is a FORTRAN IV subroutine for sequencing combinations of variables. Selection of the combinations can be random with or without replacement and with equal or unequal frequencies of occurrence. Application is illustrated in terms of an interactive process-control experiment, but the subroutine is applicable to any problem requiring the generation of multidimensional sequences or the permutation of a set of numbers.
Stress and preterm delivery: a conceptual framework.

Numerous epidemiological studies of various kinds of stress and preterm delivery have produced either negative or weakly positive results. Those inconclusive findings could be either because of the absence of an association or because of recognised methodological problems that may have masked an association. The biological plausibility of the stress hypothesis provides one rationale for continuing stress research, using better study designs. To further this agenda, we propose an epidemiological model, based on the classic "host, environment, agent" triangle of epidemiological causality. The host is the individual woman, more or less susceptible to stressor-induced pathology. The environment includes the social and cultural conditions that are ongoing stressors as well as social and cultural modifiers of stress e.g. those factors that may influence how a particular stressor is experienced or what the physical response to it may be. The agent is the immediate emotional or physical stressor requiring her response. We draw from recent literature, published principally since 1990, to illustrate this model. This epidemiological model posits that whether the individual is overwhelmed by stressors depends not only on the strength of the agents but also upon host susceptibility to stress, as well as the background level of acute, environmental and contextual stressors, and the moderating influence of host, environmental and contextual resources for handling stress. Future research needs to be based on stress hypotheses that include all sides of the triangle, data collection instruments that adequately capture relevant stressors and stress responses, and analytical techniques capable of handling complex, multilevel relationships.
An extension of Carlson's theorem for analytic functions

On cherche des suites complementaires M et N d'entiers avec la propriete que si f, de type exponentiel inferieure a π, satisfait {f(n)}∈l 1 alors f≡0 pourvu que Ref(n+i)=0 quand n∈M et Imf(n+i)=0 quand n∈N. On trouve une paire de tels entiers avec l'hypothese supplementaire Ref(n)=0
A NEW GENUS AND THREE NEW SPECIES IN THE MEMECYLEAE (MELASTOMACEAE)

DURING AN INVESTIGATION of the genus Mouriri, three species were noted which appeared to form, with a fourth unidentified plant, a distinct natural group previously unrecognized. This group seemed sufficiently different from the other members of Mouriri to warrant generic status, and in this rank it is now described, as Coryphldenia. Two of the species formerly in Mouriri have been combined here, giving the new genus a total of three species; it becomes the third and smallest of the genera in the Memecyleae, a tribe that is marginal in the Melastomaceae and that bears several characters of the Myrtaceae. The relationships of Coryphadenia, as well as pertinent features of morphology and anatomy, are discussed following the generic descriptions.
Refractive Distortions of Two-Particle Correlations from Classical Trajectory Calculations

Calculations of two-particle correlations usually assume that particles interact only pairwise after their final collisions with third bodies. By considering classical trajectories, I show that interactions with the mean field can alter the spatial dimensions of the outgoing phase-space-density profiles, consistent with more complicated quantum complications. We find that if the pion dispersion relation is strongly modified, these distortions can be of the order of 10% or more.
A simplified dynamic model of the effect of internal damping on the rolling resistance in pneumatic tires

The pneumatic tire was modeled as a tension band on a viscoelastic foundation, an approximation proven to be valid by previous investigators. The ground contract region of the rolling tire in steady state was found by solving a two-point boundary value problem with specified radial deflections, treating the ground contact end points as unknowns. The ground contact region was shown to shift forward in the rolling direction as a function of damping and rolling velocity. The rolling resistance was determined by integrating the forces acting through the elastic foundation on the wheel axle due to the steady state deformation of the tread band.
Synthesis and structural considerations of oligoethylene oxide-containing polysiloxane stationary phases in capillary gas and supercritical-fluid chromatography

Abstract A series of oligoethylene oxide-containing polysiloxanes were prepared by hydrosilylating the appropriate oligoethylene oxide-containing alkene onto a well-defined polymethylhydrosiloxane polymer. The most convenient oligoethylene oxide-containing alkenes were prepared from eugenol and the tosylate of di- or triethylene glycol monomethyl ether. The polysiloxane phase prepared from 1-(4-allyl-2-methoxyphenoxy)-5-methoxy-3-oxapentane was found to possess desirable chromatographic properties when used in capillary supercritical-fluid chromatography and is suggested as a substitute for Carbowax 20 M . The phase was usable at temperatures from 20°C to 300°C. The synthetic rationale and the effects of structural changes in the polymers on chromatographic performance are discussed in this paper. This paper also contains a systematic study of the influence of chemical structure on chromatographic properties of the resulting polysiloxane phases.
Evaluation of 80% inhibition standards for the determination of fluconazole minimum inhibitory concentrations in three laboratories

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate 1:5 growth control dilutions (80% inhibition standards) to determine fluconazole minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) end points in three laboratories. We tested 39 selected Candida species (in vitro susceptible: fluconazole MIC of ⩽1 μ g/ml, and resistant: fluconazole MIC of ⩾8 μ g/ml) and Cryptococcus neoformans isolates by broth macro- and microdilution procedures following the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards proposed reference method for yeasts (M27-P). Macrodilution MIC 80 % were the lowest drug concentrations with turbidity (growth) less than or equal to that of specific 1:5 dilutions of the growth control. Microdilution MICs-2 were the lowest drug concentrations in which there was prominent decrease of growth. A total of 1608 MICs were evaluated. C. krusei, C. parapsilosis , and C. tropicalis strains had reproducible fluconazole MICs by both tests (24 and 48 h). Fluconazole MIC 80 % and MIC-2 end points were consistent at 24 h (with C. albicans ) and more variable at 48 h. MICs of C. neoformans were more reproducible at 72 h than at 48 h by both tests. This study suggests that the determination of fluconazole MICs is dependent on the length of incubation and the yeast being tested, and that antifungal testing of the yeasts may be performed by either test.
Fundamental performance comparison of a Hartmann and a shearing interferometer wave-front sensor

The performance of ground-based optical imaging systems is severely degraded from the diffraction limit by the random effects of the atmosphere. Adaptive-optics techniques have been used to compensate for atmospheric-turbulence effects. A critical component in the adaptive-optics system is the wave-front sensor. At present, two types of sensors are common: the Hartmann-Shack wave-front sensor and the shearing interferometer wave-front sensor. In this paper we make a direct performance comparison of these two sensors. The performance calculations are restricted to common configurations of these two sensors and the fundamental limits imposed by shot noise and atmospheric effects. These two effects encompass the effects of extended reference beacons and sensor subaperture spacings larger than the Fried parameter r(0). Our results indicate comparable performance for good seeing conditions and small beacons. However, for poor seeing conditions and extended beacons, the Hartmann sensor has lower error levels than the shearing interferometer.