cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acupuncture and Vitamin D for the Management of Aromatase Inhibitor-Induced Arthralgia.

Aromatase inhibitor-induced arthralgia (AIA) is a very common syndrome which significantly affects breast cancer survivors’ quality of life, and it often leads to non-compliance with aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy. However, the treatment of AIA remains a clinical challenge. Here, we will review the current data for acupuncture and vitamin D in the management of AIA. Acupuncture has been shown to improve AIA symptoms, but it has not consistently been proven to offer significantly more clinical benefit than sham acupuncture. Similarly, while some vitamin D trials have shown benefit, the studies have not consistently shown improvement in AIA symptoms. Neither acupuncture nor vitamin D can be touted as standard treatments for AIA. However, many patients do experience subjective improvement of their symptoms with these therapies. When other treatments, such as exercise and duloxetine, are not feasible or not effective, it is reasonable to offer a trial of acupuncture or vitamin D to patients who are suffering from AIA, as the potential harms are very few, and they do offer possible relief from AIA symptoms.
Vitamin D insufficiency and risk of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy.

e12027Background: Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a severe, dose-limiting toxicity of paclitaxel that occurs in up to 25% of patients and can lead to permanent loss of balance and manual dexterity. D...
Are Secondhand Internal Whistleblowing Reports Credible

This study examines the characteristics, credibility, and value of internal whistleblowing reports based on secondhand information. We analyze over two million reports submitted to over one thousand publicly traded U.S. firms between 2004 and 2017 and find that claims in secondhand reports are 47.7% more likely than firsthand reports to be substantiated by management, which suggests that management views many secondhand reports as credible. Further, we find negative associations between the number of secondhand reports and negative outcomes including lawsuits and government fines. These findings are consistent with secondhand reports providing valuable information that allows management to identify and address issues before they become more costly to the firm.
The Short-run and Long-run Effects of Covid-19 on Energy and the Environment

Kenneth Gillingham is an Associate Professor of Economics at Yale University, with a primary appointment in the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. In 2015 to 2016, he served as the Senior Economist for Energy and the Environment at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. His research interests cover energy and environmental economics, industrial organization, technological change, and energy modeling. He held a Fulbright to New Zealand and has worked for Resources for the Future and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He received a PhD and two MS degrees from Stanford University and an AB from Dartmouth College. Christopher Knittel is the George P. Shultz Professor of Applied Economics in the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is also the Director of MIT's Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, which serves as the hub for social science research on energy and the environmental since the late 1970s. Professor Knittel is also the Co-Director of the MIT Energy Initiative's Electric Power System Low Carbon Energy Center and a co-director of The E2e Project, a research initiative between MIT, UC Berkeley, and the University of Chicago to undertake rigorous evaluation of energy efficiency investments. Jing Li holds the inaugural William Barton Rogers Career Development Chair of Energy Economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. From 2017-2018, Jing Li was a Postdoctoral Associate of the MIT Energy Initiative. Jing's research interests lie in energy economics and industrial organization, focusing on development and adoption of new technologies. Her most recent work examines compatibility and investment in electric vehicle recharging networks in the United States and cost pass-through in the E85 retail market. Jing received double BSc degrees in Mathematics and Economics from MIT in 2011 and her PhD in Economics from Harvard in 2017. Marten Ovaere is a Postdoctoral Associate in the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies of Yale University. His research interests lie in energy and environmental economics, with a focus on electricity markets, carbon pricing, and renewable energy. Marten holds a MSc in Economics, a MSc in Energy Engineering, and a PhD in Economics from KU Leuven. Mar Reguant is an Associate Professor in Economics at Northwestern University. She received her PhD from MIT in 2011. Her research uses high-frequency data to study the impact of auction design and environmental regulation on electricity markets and energy-intensive industries. She has numerous awards, including a Sloan Research Fellowship in 2016, the Sabadell Prize for Economic Research in 2017, a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers award in 2019, and the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists Award for Researchers in Environmental Economics under the Age of Forty in 2019.
Continuous Production of Five Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients in Flexible Plug-and-Play Modules: A Demonstration Campaign

Traditional pharmaceutical manufacturing is based on a complex supply chain that is vulnerable to spikes in demand and interruptions. Continuous pharmaceutical production in compact modules is a po...
Artificial Intelligence: Thinking About Law, Law Practice, and Legal Education

On April 26-27, 2019, the Duquesne University School of Law hosted a conference titled “Artificial Intelligence: Thinking About Law, Law Practice, and Legal Education.” Over those two days, more than 100 attendees were able to listen to nineteen presentations offered by thirty-one professors, educators, technology experts, and lawyers. The four articles in this symposium issue of the Duquesne Law Review resulted from that conference. All of the presentations from the conference are available on the Duquesne website, at: https://www.duq.edu/academics/schools/law/academics/legal-research-and-writing/2019-artificial-intelligence-conference.
U.S. Antitrust Policy in the Age of Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Netflix and Facebook

Are U.S. digital markets advancing, or threatening, the American economy? There is keen interest in the answer to this question. Sweeping changes have disrupted society courtesy of the Information Revolution, presenting great opportunities in radically transformed economic markets but also great challenges in adapting to new and different forms of organization. Great hope accompanies the former, much concern attends the latter. Now important discussions are engaging as to the impacts of market power, where competitive forces – beneficial in discovering new efficiencies and promoting Consumer Welfare – may be thwarted. Antitrust laws and other elements of competition policy are being re-examined. This paper attempts to inform the answers to these questions by examining industrial concentration in the information economy and its impact on U.S. market competition; vertical integration in digital platforms; forces driving innovation in business models and product markets; and the use of competition policy tools in high tech markets. These latter include broadband access and mobile phone industries, which have attracted attention as specific examples of areas where the U.S. has is seen by some as lagging rival economies due to insufficient antitrust enforcement.
Induction Machine Emulation under Asymmetric Grid Faults

Machine emulation is the concept of developing a virtual machine in real time with power-hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) technology. This process of emulation allows testing the variable speed drive or drive inverter or the performance of grid without using a real machine. In this paper, the machine emulated is a three-phase induction motor (IM) fed from the grid. The common asymmetric-grid faults namely unbalanced voltages, line-to-line (L-L) and line-to-neutral (L-N) faults are applied at the input terminals of a virtual induction machine. The main contribution of this paper is a detailed analysis of machine’s asymmetric fault behavior and its cause by mathematical derivations and simulations for the process of imitation by a virtual machine. This is being done by corresponding step by step improvement in emulator controller design. The experimental results with the emulator are validated with a real machine and also with Matlab simulation to prove the dynamic performance and accuracy of the proposed novel emulator.
Aristotle on the Transmission of Information: Receiving Form Without the Matter

At the beginning of De anima 2.12, Aristotle compares perception to the way sealing wax is imprinted by signet rings to explain how the senses receive form “without the matter.” A close reading shows that the passage concerns the way information is transmitted through causal interactions, specifically through a kind of transduction. Unlike other causal interactions where the form is embodied in what is affected, replicating the agent’s active quality, the wax does not become a signet, nor do the senses become colored, flavored, and so on. Rather they receive the form in question by embodying and replicating certain features that are essential to the active quality, specifically the ratios Aristotle thinks define perceptible qualities, and thereby receive information about the perceptible object. This distinctive natural and material process explains the authority of perception: the senses receive the identifying marks of objects and thus bear the “seal of reality.”
Harmonizing the Neurobiology and Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common, chronic, and oftentimes disabling disorder. The only established first-line treatments for OCD are exposure and response prevention, and serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications (SRIs). However, a subset of patients fails to respond to either modality, and few experience complete remission. Beyond SRI monotherapy, antipsychotic augmentation is the only medication approach for OCD with substantial empirical support. Our incomplete understanding of the neurobiology of OCD has hampered efforts to develop new treatments or enhance extant interventions. This review focuses on several promising areas of research that may help elucidate the pathophysiology of OCD and advance treatment. Multiple studies support a significant genetic contribution to OCD, but pinpointing the specific genetic determinants requires additional investigation. The preferential efficacy of SRIs in OCD has neither led to discovery of serotonergic abnormalities in OCD nor to development of new serotonergic medications for OCD. Several lines of preclinical and clinical evidence suggest dysfunction of the glutamatergic system in OCD, prompting testing of several promising glutamate modulating agents. Functional imaging studies in OCD show consistent evidence for increased activity in brain regions that form a cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) loop. Neuromodulation treatments with either noninvasive devices (e.g., transcranial magnetic stimulation) or invasive procedures (e.g., deep brain stimulation) provide further support for the CSTC model of OCD. A common substrate for various interventions (whether drug, behavioral, or device) may be modulation (at different nodes or connections) of the CSTC circuit that mediates the symptoms of OCD.
Multimodal Recruitment to Study Ovulation and Menstruation Health: Internet-Based Survey Pilot Study

Background: Multimodal recruitment strategies are a novel way to increase diversity in research populations. However, these methods have not been previously applied to understanding the prevalence of menstrual disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome. Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of recruiting a diverse cohort to complete a web-based survey on ovulation and menstruation health. Methods: We conducted the Ovulation and Menstruation Health Pilot Study using a REDCap web-based survey platform. We recruited 200 women from a clinical population, a community fair, and the internet. Results: We recruited 438 women over 29 weeks between September 2017 and March 2018. After consent and eligibility determination, 345 enrolled, 278 started (clinic: n=43; community fair: n=61; internet: n=174), and 247 completed (clinic: n=28; community fair: n=60; internet: n=159) the survey. Among all participants, the median age was 25.0 (SD 6.0) years, mean BMI was 26.1 kg/m2 (SD 6.6), 79.7% (216/271) had a college degree or higher, and 14.6% (37/254) reported a physician diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome. Race and ethnicity distributions were 64.7% (176/272) White, 11.8% (32/272) Black/African American, 7.7% (21/272) Latina/Hispanic, and 5.9% (16/272) Asian individuals; 9.9% (27/272) reported more than one race or ethnicity. The highest enrollment of Black/African American individuals was in clinic (17/42, 40.5%) compared to 1.6% (1/61) in the community fair and 8.3% (14/169) using the internet. Survey completion rates were highest among those who were recruited from the internet (159/174, 91.4%) and community fairs (60/61, 98.4%) compared to those recruited in clinic (28/43, 65.1%). Conclusions: Multimodal recruitment achieved target recruitment in a short time period and established a racially diverse cohort to study ovulation and menstruation health. There were greater enrollment and completion rates among those recruited via the internet and community fair.
MIC-Drop: A platform for large-scale in vivo CRISPR screens

CRISPR-Cas9 can be scaled up for large-scale screens in cultured cells, but CRISPR screens in animals have been challenging because generating, validating, and keeping track of large numbers of mutant animals is prohibitive. Here, we report Multiplexed Intermixed CRISPR Droplets (MIC-Drop), a platform combining droplet microfluidics, single-needle en masse CRISPR ribonucleoprotein injections, and DNA barcoding to enable large-scale functional genetic screens in zebrafish. The platform can efficiently identify genes responsible for morphological or behavioral phenotypes. In one application, we show MIC-Drop can identify small molecule targets. Furthermore, in a MIC-Drop screen of 188 poorly characterized genes, we discover several genes important for cardiac development and function. With the potential to scale to thousands of genes, MIC-Drop enables genome-scale reverse-genetic screens in model organisms.
Biodiversity conservation policy in megadiverse countries: Comparing policy systems for 2020 targets to inform management in the coming decades.

Abstract The year 2020 marks a crucial deadline for signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the most important global agreement for biodiversity conservation, which requires nations to meet conservation targets. Managers and decision-makers need a better understanding of the policy systems established to meet conservation targets in order to inform post-2020 CBD policy implementation. This paper compares two policy systems for implementing marine protected areas (MPAs) which protect a threatened source of biodiversity, coral reefs. Comparing a centralized policy system, with power emanating from ministries (Malaysia), with a decentralized policy system, with power concentrated in subnational government (Indonesia), provides insights. Policy process literature is used to build on the already substantial interdisciplinary literature on MPAs, drawing novel insights into policy-makers and how they determine policy problems, shape policy options, and are influenced by political events. Findings are that the tropics-wide coral bleaching event in 2015–2016 fundamentally changed the way managers perceived the problems that biodiversity conservation policy solves. Managers are beginning to prioritize policy responses to climate stressors with the same urgency as historically important stressors like overfishing, implementing responses at starkly different power centers within policy systems. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), subnational governments, and the private sector are implementing innovative policy responses in the decentralized system, while the same actors in the centralized system face constraints because of its rigid policy framework. Understanding where starkly different power centers, and related dynamism, fall within policy systems allows for more effective reforms and investments for the next iteration of the CBD.
Space-Time Memory Network for Sounding Object Localization in Videos.

Leveraging temporal synchronization and association within sight and sound is an essential step towards robust localization of sounding objects. To this end, we propose a space-time memory network for sounding object localization in videos. It can simultaneously learn spatio-temporal attention over both uni-modal and cross-modal representations from audio and visual modalities. We show and analyze both quantitatively and qualitatively the effectiveness of incorporating spatio-temporal learning in localizing audio-visual objects. We demonstrate that our approach generalizes over various complex audio-visual scenes and outperforms recent state-of-the-art methods.
The Never-Ending Circle of Life

(2009). The Never-Ending Circle of Life. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 80, No. 6, pp. 21-30.
Rydberg-blockade controlled- not gate and entanglement in a two-dimensional array of neutral-atom qubits

We present experimental results on two-qubit Rydberg-blockade quantum gates and entanglement in a two-dimensional qubit array. Without postselection against atom loss we achieve a Bell state fidelity of $0.73\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05$. The experiments are performed in an array of single Cs atom qubits with a site to site spacing of $3.8\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$. Using the standard protocol for a Rydberg-blockade ${C}_{Z}$ gate together with single qubit operations we create Bell states and measure their fidelity using parity oscillations. We analyze the role of ac Stark shifts that occur when using two-photon Rydberg excitation and show how to tune experimental conditions for optimal gate fidelity.
Death rates in 71 men with antisocial personality disorder : A comparison with general population mortality

Mortality data are presented from a 16- to 45-year follow-up study of 71 men with antisocial personality disorder. Death ascertainment was made through both a personal follow-up and use of the National Death Index. Comparisons were made with the mortality experience of the general population of the state of Iowa by using gender and age standardized mortality ratios. Seventeen men died (24%) died during the follow-up. Antisocial men younger than 40 years were at excessive risk for premature death (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] = 33, P < 0.25): men between ages 40 and 60 years also appeared to be at risk for premature death, although the excess was not statistically significant. Three subjects (18% of all deaths) died of complications from diabetes mellitus (SMR = 14, P < 0.05). Deaths were spread out among the four decades of follow-up. The findings and their implications are discussed.
The Role of Location of Food Consumption in the Prevention of Travelers' Diarrhea in Mexico

Abstract The location of food consumption was recorded daily for 3 wk by 130 United States summer students newly arrived in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, as part of an assessment of bismuth subsalicylate vs. placebo in the prevention of travelers' diarrhea. Eating at locations other than homes and apartments ( P P P P
Mass and energy flow in prominences

Mass and energy flow in quiescent prominences is considered based on the hypothesis that active region prominences have a different structure and thus different mass and energy flow characteristics. Several important physical parameters have been plotted using the computational model, representing the evolutionary process after the prominence formation. The temperature, velocity, conductive flux, and enthalpy flux are plotted against distance from the highest point in the loop to the coolest part of the prominence. It is shown that the maximum velocity is only about 5 km/s. The model calculations indicate that the transition region of prominences is dominated by complex processes. It is necessary to take into account mass flow at temperatures below 200,000 K, and both mass flow and optical depth effects in hydrogen at temperatures below 30,000 K. Both of these effects lead to a less steep temperature gradient through the prominence corona interface than can be obtained from the conduction alone.
Neurons and Neural Networks: Computational Models

Neural networks produce electrical activity that is generated by the biophysical properties of the constituent neurons and synapses. Individual neurons produce electrical signals through processes that are highly nonlinear and communicate these signals to one another through synaptic interactions, resulting in emergent network outputs. The output of neural networks underlies behaviours in all higher animals. Mathematical equations can be used to describe the electrical activity of neurons and neural networks and the underlying biophysical properties. These equations give rise to computational models of neurons and networks that can be analysed using mathematical techniques or numerically simulated with computers. This article briefly reviews the current mathematical and computational techniques involved in modelling neurons and neural networks. Key Concepts: An action potential is a brief nonlinear rise and fall of the membrane voltage of a cell and is the primary signal used for neural communication. Excitability is the ability of neurons and other cell types to produce action potentials when the transmembrane voltage crosses a threshold. The Hodgkin–Huxley model is a mathematical description of how action potentials are generated in neurons and propagate along their axons. The integrate-and-fire neuron is a simplified mathematical model of excitability in neurons, is useful for the ability to do mathematical analysis and is used primarily in network models. Bifurcation is a mathematical term for a change in the qualitative structure of a dynamical system when a parameter value is changed. Neural oscillations are repetitive or rhythmic changes in the voltage activity of a neuron or a network of neurons. Neural oscillations may arise in individual neurons or through network synchrony. Bursting is the ability of some neurons and networks to produce periodic spiking activity followed by an interval of no activity. A half-centre oscillator is a network of two neurons that probursting activity out of phase with one another and is a key subnetwork of central pattern generators. Keywords: bifurcation; phase plane; synchrony; Hodgkin–Huxley model; compartmental modelling; cable equation; balanced networks
The extending astroglial process: development of glial cell shape, the growing tip, and interactions with neurons

To analyze how astroglial cells attain the complex shapes that support neuronal migration and positioning in vitro (Hatten et al., 1984; Hatten 1985), early postnatal mouse cerebellar cells were plated in microcultures, and glial process outgrowth was monitored by high-resolution time-lapse video microscopy combined with immunocytochemical localization of antisera to glial filament protein (GFP), and by electron microscopy. The 2 principal astroglial forms seen in these cultures, stellate and Bergmann-like (Hatten et al., 1984), begin to develop their distinctive shapes by the outgrowth of processes in the first 8 hr after the cells are plated. Glial process extension is most vigorous in this period, resulting predominantly in stellate forms. A second population of glial cells, having fewer, longer processes reminiscent of Bergmann glia in vivo, first appears about 5 hr after plating. During the next 16-24 hr, while the stellate cells only slightly increase their process length, the bipolar cells double their length. The most striking feature of the elongating glial process is its highly motile tip, which rapidly extends microspikes and lamellopodia. Unlike the neuronal growth cone, which is the expanded terminal of a thin neurite shaft, the glial growing tip forms the end of a wide, paddle-like process that is filled with motile mitochondria and masses of glial filaments, and is bordered by an undulating lamella fringed by microspikes. Soon after the emergence of glial processes, cell-cell interactions between the growing glial process tip and granule neurons occur. Within minutes of an initial encounter between the glial process and the neuron, contact relationships that are stable during the observation period form between the cells. Subsequently, many neurons extend a small neurite onto the glial process, and astroglial process extension continues by the movement of the glial growing tip out beyond the neuron. Thus, cerebellar astroglia in vitro develop complex shapes in the same fashion as do neurons: the outgrowth of processes tipped by a motile ending. The growing tips of astroglial processes interact with neurons, resulting in the stable association of neurons and glia.
The roles of cis-inactivation by Notch ligands and of neuralized during eye and bristle patterning in Drosophila.

Background The receptor protein Notch and its ligand Delta are expressed throughout proneural regions yet non-neural precursor cells are defined by Notch activity and neural precursor cells by Notch inactivity. Not even Delta overexpression activates Notch in neural precursor cells. It is possible that future neural cells are protected by cis-inactivation, in which ligands block activation of Notch within the same cell. The Delta-ubiquitin ligase Neuralized has been proposed to antagonize cis-inactivation, favoring Notch activation. Cis-inactivation and role of Neuralized have not yet been studied in tissues where neural precursor cells are resistant to nearby Delta, however, such as the R8 cells of the eye or the bristle precursor cells of the epidermis.
Atmospheric Pressure Mass Spectrometry Imaging

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has afforded the ability to determine the spatial distribution of numerous molecular classes simultaneously directly from sample surfaces including biological tissue sections. The combination of label-free multiplexed spatial information with the specificity and sensitivity of mass spectrometric detection make MSI an attractive alternative to existing imaging methodologies. Along with the continued growth of MSI, the recent decade has seen numerous developments in technologies that generate ions at atmospheric pressure (AP). A majority of these AP ionization techniques have also demonstrated the capabilities to perform MSI under AP conditions with minimal sample preparation and handling. This review aims to summarize the advancements in AP ionization in the context of their application to MSI.
An electric-current description of solar flares

The presently prevailing theories of solar flares rely on the hypothetical presence of magnetic flux tubes beneath the photosphere and the two subsequent hypotheses, their emergence above the photosphere and explosive magnetic reconnection, converting magnetic energy carried by the flux tubes to solar flare energy. In this paper, we discuss solar flares from an entirely different point of view, namely in terms of power supply by a dynamo process in the photosphere. By this process, electric currents flowing along the magnetic field lines are generated and the familiar ‘force-free’ fields or the ‘sheared’ magnetic fields are produced. Upward field-aligned currents thus generated are carried by downward streaming electrons; these electrons can excite hydrogen atoms in the chromosphere, causing the optical Hα flares or ‘low temperature flares’. It is thus argued that as the ‘force-free’ fields are being built up for the magnetic energy storage, a flare must already be in progress.
Longitudinal Attendance Patterns: Developing High School Dropouts

Abstract The elementary and middle grades are a time of great developmental changes with the potential to impact children's longer-term growth. As students progress through their formal schooling during these time periods, the potential exists for children either to follow a course of healthy development associated with positive outcomes or to experience frustration and incompetence associated with disengagement and disinterest in school. The ability of district personnel to detect divergent paths manifest in student data patterns is paramount to the early identification of students at risk of disengagement and subsequent academic failure. The current study explores the use of group-based trajectory modeling to categorize students into longitudinal groups based on attendance patterns. Distinct patterns of attendance are displayed and risk factors associated with group membership are explored. Finally, the relation to attendance patterns and dropout rates is revealed.
Lone Higgs boson at the CERN LHC

We address the possible scenario that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) discovers only a Higgs boson after $10\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{fb}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ of operation, and attempt to identify this Higgs boson as that of the standard model, the minimal universal extra dimension model, the littlest Higgs model with $T$-parity (LHT), or the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), using only the measurement of the product of gluon-fusion production cross section and the di-photon branching ratio. In the minimal universal extra dimension model, by decoupling any new physics sufficiently to evade the discovery reach at the LHC, the deviation of the signal from the SM is not statistically significant. However, in LHT and MSSM, it is possible to have a significant deviation in the signal that is consistent with this ``lone Higgs scenario,'' and, in the case of a very large suppression, we can distinguish MSSM and LHT before the discovery of any new resonances. Starting with the lone Higgs scenario and the deviation in this measurement from the standard model prediction (whether or not statistically significant), we offer tests that may discriminate the models and search strategies of discovering new physics signatures with increasing integrated luminosity.
Four perspectives on climate feedbacks

[1] The spatial pattern of climate feedbacks depends on how the feedbacks are defined. We employ an idealized aquaplanet simulation with radiative kernels diagnosed for the precise model setup and characterize the meridional structure of feedbacks under four different definitions: local feedbacks, global feedbacks, nondimensional feedback factors, and relative humidity feedbacks. First, the spatial pattern of the reference response (i.e., the Planck feedback) is found to vary with definition, largely as a consequence of polar-amplified warming, which affects other high-latitude feedbacks as well. Second, locally defined feedbacks allow for decomposition of the surface temperature response as a function of feedbacks, forcing, and heat transport. Third, different insights into the dynamical and thermodynamical underpinnings of the subtropical moisture response are gained by comparing different versions of humidity feedbacks. Thus, alternative approaches to the conventional, global definition of feedbacks offer several advantages for understanding patterns of warming and, ultimately, regional climate predictability.
Mandaeism in Antiquity and the Antiquity of Mandaeism

The evidence for a history of Mandaeism during the period of Late Antiquity (3rd–8th c. CE) and its evolution as a religious tradition prior to and immediately following the advent of Islam is surveyed. This evidence includes the Mandaean manuscript tradition, the testimony of outside witnesses, and the corpus of incantation texts from Late Antique Mesopotamia. It is noted that the study of this evidence has typically been subsumed under the study of related traditions, and that it could benefit from a reassessment. The issues addressed include Mandaeism’s relationship to other religions, such as Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Manichaeism, the antiquity and authenticity of its traditions, and the extent of Islamic influence upon them.
Proposed interpretive criteria and quality control parameters for ofloxacin susceptibility testing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

A multilaboratory study designed to determine the in vitro susceptibility criteria and quality control parameters for ofloxacin against Neisseria gonorrhoeae was conducted according to the guidelines of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Proposed susceptibility breakpoints are MICs of less than or equal to 0.25 microgram/ml for the agar dilution test and greater than or equal to 31 mm for the disk diffusion test. A category for resistance could not be defined. Proposed acceptable quality control MICs for N. gonorrhoeae ATCC 49226 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 range from 0.004 to 0.03 microgram/ml and 0.25 to 1.0 microgram/ml, respectively. With 5-micrograms ofloxacin disks, acceptable inhibitory zone diameters for S. aureus ATCC 25923 and the N. gonorrhoeae control strains range from 22 to 27 mm and 43 to 51 mm, respectively.
The gauging of vector- and tensor-field-coupled five-dimensional N = 2 supergravity

We review the structure of five-dimensional (5D), = 2 gauged supergravity theories coupled to vector and tensor multiplets. These theories form the maximal set of 5D supergravity theories in which gaugings of the R-symmetry group and gaugings of scalar manifold isometries can be clearly distinguished. Our main emphasis is on the role played by the self-dual tensor fields as well as on the forms of the different types of scalar potentials.
An empirical evaluation of export demand in China

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to estimate the export demand equation for China with appropriate specification that incorporates exchange rate in the relative price variable. Design/methodology/approach – Alternative time series techniques such as general to specific and Johansen maximum likelihood are used with annual data from 1974‐2004. The augmented Dicky–Fuller and Elliot–Rothenberg–Stock methods are also employed to test the time series properties of the variables. Findings – The paper confirms that there is a cointegration relationship between real exports, real income and relative prices in China. The long‐run income elasticity is around 1.3 and the relative price elasticity is around −1.5. In addition, the export demand functions are temporally stable in China. Research limitations/implications – The structural breaks and trade shock analysis were ignored because that would have made this paper much longer. Practical implications – The results imply that exports are an engine of growth in China. China's exports are competitive in the international market and it has the option to devalue its currency to promote export earnings. However, the paper argues that in current global economic crises, trade promotion policies such as subsidies, tax exceptions and special credit lines should be encouraged. Originality/value – The paper assesses the magnitudes of export elasticities with a specification that includes exchange rate in relative price variable.
Spontaneous alignment of frustrated bonds in an anisotropic, three-dimensional Ising model

The Ising model on a three-dimensional cubic lattice with all plaquettes in the x-y frustrated plane is studied by use of a Monte Carlo technique; the exchange constants are of equal magnitude, but have varying signs. At zero temperature, the model has a finite entropy and no long-range order. The low-temperature phase is characterized by an order parameter measuring the ${\mathit{openZ}}_{4}$ symmetry of lattice rotations which is invariant under Mattis gauge transformation; fluctuations lead to the alignment of frustrated bonds into columns and a fourfold degeneracy. An additional factor-of-2 degeneracy is obtained from a global spin flip. The order vanishes at a critical temperature by a transition that appears to be in the universality class of the D=3, XY model. These results are consistent with the theoretical predictions of Blankschtein et al. This Ising model is related by duality to phenomenological models of two-dimensional frustrated quantum antiferromagnets.
Numerically efficient direct-optimization filter design

Novel direct-optimization approaches for designing prototype filters are developed. Tradeoff between inter-symbol interference (ISI) and stop-band power (SBP) can be made by adjusting weight parameters. Alternatively, a cap on SBP or ISI can be pre-specified in the designing process. A numerically efficient iterative procedure is developed to avoid matrix inversion in each iteration step. In addition, sensitivity with respect to timing error can be taken into consideration in the filter designs.
Broad-Scale Integrity and Local Divergence in the Fiddlehead Fern Matteuccia struthiopteris (L.) Todaro (Onocleaceae)

Abstract Matteuccia struthiopteris (Onocleaceae) has a present-day distribution across much of the north-temperate and boreal regions of the world. Much of its current North American and European distribution was covered in ice or uninhabitable tundra during the Pleistocene. Here we use DNA sequences and AFLP data to investigate the genetic variation of the fiddlehead fern at two geographic scales to infer the historical biogeography of the species. Matteuccia struthiopteris segregates globally into minimally divergent (0.3%) Eurasian and American lineages. These two clades have little to no variation even at large geographic scales. Within hemisphere, patterned genetic variation was evident only in the AFLP data and only locally. Genetic variation within Vermont was greater within the westward-trending Winooski River watershed than in the Passumpsic River watershed, which drains east into the Connecticut River. We suggest that historical factors have created this pattern; a Mississippi Valley Pleistocene...
The Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation (SIPAT): A New Tool for the Psychosocial Evaluation of Pre-Transplant Candidates

Background While medical criteria have been well established for each end-organ system, psychosocial listing criteria are less standardized. To address this limitation, we developed and tested a new assessment tool: the Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation (SIPAT). Methods The SIPAT was developed from a comprehensive review of the literature on the psychosocial factors that impact transplant outcomes. Five examiners blindly applied the SIPAT to 102 randomly selected transplant cases, including liver, heart, and lung patients. After all subject's files had been rated by the examiners, the respective transplant teams provided the research team with the patient's outcome data. Results Univariate logistic regression models were fit in order to predict the transplant psychosocial outcome (positive or negative) using each rater's SIPAT scores. These results show that SIPAT scores are highly predictive of the transplant psychosocial outcome (P Conclusions The SIPAT is a comprehensive screening tool to assist in the psychosocial assessment of organ transplant candidates. Its strengths includes the standardization of the evaluation process and its ability to identify subjects who are at risk for negative outcomes after the transplant, in order to allow for the development of interventions directed at improving the patient's candidacy. Our goal is that the SIPAT, in addition to a set of agreed upon minimal psychosocial listing criteria, would be used in combination with organ-specific medical listing criteria in order to establish standardized criteria for the selection of transplant recipients.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm causing duodenal obstruction: Two case reports and review of the literature

Obstruction of the upper gastrointestinal tract caused by an abdominal aortic aneurysm (aortoduodenal syndrome) has been rarely reported. The typical presentation includes protracted emesis in a patient with a pulsatile abdominal mass. Clinical features of weight loss, abdominal pain, and distention are present less frequently. The diagnosis is suggested by findings on computed tomography scans, and may be confirmed with upper gastrointestinal contrast material-enhanced studies or upper endoscopy. Aortic aneurysmorrhaphy is curative, and should be undertaken after gastrointestinal decompression and correction of fluid and electrolyte disturbances. We report 2 cases of abdominal aortic aneurysm producing upper gastrointestinal obstruction, and provide a review of the literature relevant to this clinical syndrome.
Mach Stem Height and Growth Rate Predictions

A new, more accurate prediction of Mach stem height in steady flow is presented. In addition, starting with a regular reflection in the dual-solution domain, the growth rate of the Mach stem from the time it is first formed till it reaches its steady-state height is presented. Comparisons between theory, experiments, and computations are presented for the Mach stem height. The theory for the Mach stem growth rate in both two and three dimensions is compared to computational results. The Mach stem growth theory provides an explanation for why, once formed, a Mach stem is relatively persistent. Nomenclature g = spacing between wedge and axis of symmetry M = Mach number P = pressure s = Mach stem height U = speed w = wedge length � = leading shock angle with respect to the freestream � = ratio of specific heats � = triple-point slip-line angle � = wedge angle with respect to the freestream � = Mach angle � = density � = triple-point reflected shock angle Subscripts
7,8‐Dichloro‐2,3‐diphenyl­quinoxaline

The title compound, C20H12Cl2N2, was synthesized from the reaction of equimolar amounts of 4,5-dichloro­benzene-1,2-diamine and benzil in acetonitrile, utilizing mol­ecular iodine as the catalyst. The crystal structure was determined at 110 K. The dihedral angle between the two phenyl rings is 57.0 (1)°.
Sociocultural factors in depression in Asian Indian women.

Depression is a pervasive illness with a wide distribution and is reported to be statistically more prevalent among women. The present study was undertaken to seek an understanding of depression in a sample of Asian Indian women. The research questions were (a) What sociocultural factors do adult depressed Indian women report as influences in the depression, and (b) how do these reported factors influence their treatment‐seeking behavior? The setting was Madurai, India. The purposive, convenience sample comprised 30 Tamil‐speaking married or widowed Hindu women ranging in age from 26 to 65 who had been diagnosed with depression. Tape‐recorded interviews were conducted. Content analysis was completed on the data. Results indicate that cultural dictation of female role and lack of continued financial and emotional support, predominantly from spouses and other family members, were influential factors in depression. These along with religion and philosophy often influenced the decision to seek health care.
Roux-en-Y internal drainage is the best surgical option to treat patients with disconnected duct syndrome after severe acute pancreatitis.

Abstract Background. Roux-en-Y (RNY) internal drainage has been our primary surgical strategy to definitively treat disconnected duct syndrome in patients after severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). This study compares the results of internal drainage with the results of distal pancreatectomy-splenectomy (DPS) performed in a contemporaneous group of patients. Methods. For 5 years (June 1995 to June 2000), 27 consecutive patients with disconnected duct syndrome after SAP were identified: 13 treated with internal drainage and 14 with DPS. Fistula characteristics, operative management, and clinical outcome were analyzed. Comparisons between groups were made with the Student t test and Fisher exact test, with statistical significance defined as P Results. Age, sex, etiology of pancreatitis, comorbid diseases, and prior operations were similar between groups. Internal drainage required less operative time (211 ± 37 vs 269 ± 88 minutes, P =.04), blood loss (735 ± 706 vs 2757 ± 3062 mL, P =.03), and transfusion requirements (0.69 ± 1.7 vs 4.21 ± 8.0 units, P =.05). Clinical outcomes—as measured by postoperative complication rate, reoperation rate, fistula recurrence rate, and death rate—were similar between groups. Conclusions. RNY internal drainage, when technically feasible, is the best surgical option to treat disconnected duct syndrome after SAP. (Surgery 2001;130:714-21.)
Alterations in Theophylline Protein Binding in Acutely III Patients with COPD

We investigated the role of decreased theophylline protein binding as a possible explanation for observed decreases in total theophylline concentrations (TC) in acutely-ill patients (AIP). Multiple blood samples were obtained from nine AIP with underlying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and from 13 stable COPD patients. The mean albumin concentration ± SD was 2.7 ± .61 mg/dl in the AIP vs 4.0 ± 0.52 mg/dl in the stable COPD patients (p
Structure and mechanical properties of the directionally solidified Al-Cu-Mg eutectic

The ternary eutectic is located at Al-33.1 pct Cu-6.25 pet Mg and consists of an aluminum-rich phase, CuAl2, and CuMgAl2. In this work its morphology, crystallography, interfacial dislocation arrangements, and mechanical properties have been studied. The scale of the phases is proportional to the negative one-half power of the growth rate. The phases have preferred growth directions and, in many cases, preferred interfacial planes. Interfaces between the aluminum-rich and the CuMgAl2 lamellar phases are semicoherent, having a/2 〈110〉 {111} aluminum misfit dislocations spaced 300A apart. The observed dislocations are imaged only in the aluminum and appear to be aluminum-phase slip dislocations. The deformation of the composite to failure in tension is macroscopically elastic, and the failure strength depends on growth rate. It is shown that Griffith brittle fracture theory may be applied to the failure process, with cracks developed in the CuMgAl2 phase during loading acting as the required Griffith cracks. A specific failure mechanism is proposed and related to observations of the fracture surface.
Spectroscopy of Collective Excitations in Interacting Low-Dimensional Many-Body Systems Using Quench Dynamics

We study the problem of rapid change of the interaction parameter (quench) in a many-body low-dimensional system. It is shown that, measuring the correlation functions after the quench, the information about a spectrum of collective excitations in a system can be obtained. This observation is supported by analysis of several integrable models and we argue that it is valid for nonintegrable models as well. Our conclusions are supplemented by performing exact numerical simulations on finite systems. We propose that measuring the power spectrum in a dynamically split 1D Bose-Einsten condensate into two coupled condensates can be used as an experimental test of our predictions.
Baclofen as an Adjuvant Analgesic

Baclofen is a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonist approved for the treatment of spasticity and commonly used in the management of many types of neuropathic pain. Controlled studies have demonstrated the efficacy of this drug in trigeminal neuralgia. Although its precise mechanism of analgesic action is unknown, it is likely that a drug-induced increase in inhibitory activity is sufficient to interrupt the cascade of neural events that culminates in aberrant activity of wide dynamic range neurons, or more rostral neurons in nociceptive pathways, that is the substrate for some types of neuropathic pain. The optimal use of baclofen as an adjuvant analgesic requires an understanding of its pharmacology, side effect spectrum, and dosing guidelines that have proven useful in clinical practice. Failure of baclofen therapy following a prolonged trial requires dose tapering prior to discontinuation due to the potential for a withdrawal syndrome.