cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trends in cigarette smoking among American Indians and Alaska Natives in the USA: 1992-2015

While smoking prevalence may be declining in the general population, health disparities in tobacco use remain a public health priority. This study examined national, sociodemographic, and geographic trends in American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIs/ANs) smoking prevalence from 1992/1993 to 2014/2015. Additionally, correlates of cigarette smoking were examined among this group. Data were drawn from the 1992–2015 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey. Cochran–Armitage tests were used to assess changes in the prevalence of smoking over time in the population, as well by sociodemographic characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to examine the correlates of cigarette smoking for AIs/ANs in 2014/2015. The trend analysis indicated that the prevalence of smoking, among AIs/ANs, decreased significantly from 39.1% in the 1992/1993 cycle to 20.9% in the 2014/2015. This decrease was seen in both males and females, with the prevalence of smoking decreasing from 43.6% and 35.4%, respectively, in 2006/2007 to 23.8% and 18.3% in 2014/2015. The decreasing trend was also found for all subgroups, except for the 55+ age group. Multivariable analysis showed higher odds of smoking among males, those with low income compared to those with median or higher income, and those living in non-metropolitan areas. Those aged 25–54 were more likely to be smokers compared with the 55+ age group. Results indicate a recent decrease in AIs/ANs smoking prevalence, although these populations still experience a high prevalence of smoking compared to the general population. Our findings highlight the need for a comprehensive tobacco control strategy that includes working with stakeholders within the AI/AN community.
Benanza: Automatic μBenchmark Generation to Compute "Lower-bound" Latency and Inform Optimizations of Deep Learning Models on GPUs

As Deep Learning (DL) models have been increasingly used in latency-sensitive applications, there has been a growing interest in improving their response time. An important venue for such improvement is to profile the execution of these models and characterize their performance to identify possible optimization opportunities. However, the current profiling tools lack the highly desired abilities to characterize ideal performance, identify sources of inefficiency, and quantify the benefits of potential optimizations. Such deficiencies have led to slow characterization/optimization cycles that cannot keep up with the fast pace at which new DL models are introduced.We propose Benanza, a sustainable and extensible benchmarking and analysis design that speeds up the characterization/optimization cycle of DL models on GPUs. Benanza consists of four major components: a model processor that parses models into an internal representation, a configurable benchmark generator that automatically generates micro-benchmarks given a set of models, a database of benchmark results, and an analyzer that computes the "lower-bound" latency of DL models using the benchmark data and informs optimizations of model execution. The "lower-bound" latency metric estimates the ideal model execution on a GPU system and serves as the basis for identifying optimization opportunities in frameworks or system libraries. We used Benanza to evaluate 30 ONNX models in MXNet, ONNX Runtime, and PyTorch on 7 GPUs ranging from Kepler to the latest Turing, and identified optimizations in parallel layer execution, cuDNN convolution algorithm selection, framework inefficiency, layer fusion, and using Tensor Cores.
A County-level Dataset for Informing the United States' Response to COVID-19

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to be a global pandemic, policy makers have enacted and reversed non-pharmaceutical interventions with various levels of restrictions to limit its spread. Data driven approaches that analyze temporal characteristics of the pandemic and its dependence on regional conditions might supply information to support the implementation of mitigation and suppression strategies. To facilitate research in this direction on the example of the United States, we present a machine-readable dataset that aggregates relevant data from governmental, journalistic, and academic sources on the U.S. county level. In addition to county-level time-series data from the JHU CSSE COVID-19 Dashboard, our dataset contains more than 300 variables that summarize population estimates, demographics, ethnicity, housing, education, employment and income, climate, transit scores, and healthcare system-related metrics. Furthermore, we present aggregated out-of-home activity information for various points of interest for each county, including grocery stores and hospitals, summarizing data from SafeGraph and Google mobility reports. We compile information from IHME, state and county-level government, and newspapers for dates of the enactment and reversal of non-pharmaceutical interventions. By collecting these data, as well as providing tools to read them, we hope to accelerate research that investigates how the disease spreads and why spread may be different across regions. Our dataset and associated code are available at this http URL.
A Reaction Synthesis Approach to Additively Manufacture Net-Shape Chromium Carbide and Non-Oxide Refractory Ceramics

Abstract A net-shape synthesis process has been used to convert different isovolumetric precursor mixtures composed of either 100 vol% 86/14 molar Cr/Cr2O3 or 50 vol% 86/14 molar Cr/Cr2O3 with 50 vol% Cr3C2 to form multilayer chromium carbide materials suitable for reactive powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. Selective deposition was performed by patterning precursor layers using a masked high-volume, low-pressure slurry spray deposition technique. Following deposition, each layer was thermochemically converted to Cr3C2 at 950 °C in a gas atmosphere containing 76 vol.% Ar, 4 vol.% H2, 20% vol.% CH4. This process was repeated multiple times to construct layered structures representative of additively manufactured refractory ceramics. X-ray diffraction characterization and quantitative phase analysis of each converted layer indicated that the average phase fraction of Cr3C2 present in the multi-layered samples following conversion from Cr/Cr2O3 and Cr3C2/Cr/Cr2O3 precursors was 94.5 wt% (SD = 0.92) and 98.8 wt% (SD = 0.21) respectively. Despite the higher phase fraction of Cr3C2 produced by the three-component precursor system, SEM imaging of the sample microstructures and fracture analysis indicated that increased bonding occurred in Cr3C2 produced by conversion of Cr/Cr2O3. This reaction-induced bonding enhanced the interlayer mechanical integrity. The results in this work demonstrate the use of isovolumetric reaction synthesis techniques that are broadly applicable for non-oxide ceramic production using reactive additive manufacturing methods.
Simulation and verification of multi-functional pulsed-Doppler radars in presence of ground-clutter: a system approach

During the design and development of multi-functional airborne hazard detection and avoidance radars, as well as radar navigation functions, we usually need a precise and reliable simulation evaluation. However, the existing solutions are usually highly proprietary for specific developers. In previous studies, we developed PASIM as one possible framework to unify the multi-functional radar developments. In this study, more novel enhancements and applications of PASIM are introduced based on the needs of communities, and the software tools are updated specifically for airborne radars. These updates include: (1) Enhancement and evaluation of airborne radar ground clutter modules, which supports different terrain or water surface types. (2) Combination of measured data as part of simulations. In this case, we used NASA’s pulsed-Doppler weather radar data as “meta-truth” and created simulation examples of a new generation of Sense and Avoid (SAA) simulation operation based on them. (3) Incorporation of realistic target impulse responses, RF channel modeling and processing chain. (4) Incorporation of automatic radar mode optimization, ground clutter mitigation solution and algorithms. (5) Enhanced data quality evaluation for both air-target tracking and weather surveillance. A generic airborne pulsed-Doppler radar with reasonable system parameters are used for our studies as an example and the design/evaluation procedure and results are presented.
A pre-operative platelet transfusion algorithm for patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing laparoscopic microwave ablation

Thrombocytopenia is a common finding in patients with chronic liver disease. It is associated with poor clinical outcomes due to increased risk of bleeding after even minor procedures. We sought to determine an algorithm for pre-operative platelet transfusion in patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing laparoscopic microwave ablation (MIS-MWA). A retrospective review identified all patients with cirrhosis and HCC who underwent MIS-MWA at a single tertiary institution between 2007 and 2019. Demographics, pre-operative and post-operative laboratory values, transfusion requirements, and bleeding events were collected. The analyzed outcome of bleeding risk included any transfusion received intra-operatively or a transfusion or surgical intervention post-operatively. Logistic regression models were created to predict bleeding risk and identify patients who would benefit from pre-operative transfusion. There were 433 patients with cirrhosis and HCC who underwent MIS-MWA identified; of these, 353 patients had complete laboratory values and were included. Bleeding risk was evaluated through bivariate analysis of statistically and clinically significant variables. The accuracy of both models was substantiated through bootstrap validation for 500 iterations (model 1: ROC 0.8684, Brier score 0.0238; model 2: ROC 0.8363, Brier score 0.0252). The first model captured patients with both thrombocytopenia and anemia: platelet count 10 gm/dL (OR 0.16, p 0.026, CI 0.031–0.80). The prediction of patients with cirrhosis and HCC requiring pre-operative platelet transfusions may help to avoid bleeding complications after invasive procedures. This study needs to be prospectively validated and ultimately may be beneficial in assessment of novel therapies for platelet-based clinical treatment in liver disease.
Decision model analyses of upper endoscopy for gastric cancer screening and preneoplasia surveillance: a systematic review.

Aims:Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide, but the burden of disease is not distributed evenly. GC screening routinely occurs in some high-incidence regions/coun...
Effect of health insurance program for the poor on out-of-pocket inpatient care cost in India: evidence from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey

In India, Out-of-pocket expenses accounts for about 62.6% of total health expenditure - one of the highest in the world. Lack of health insurance coverage and inadequate coverage are important reasons for high out-of-pocket health expenditures. There are many Public Health Insurance Programs offered by the Government that cover the cost of hospitalization for the people below poverty line (BPL), but their coverage is still not complete. The objective of this research is to examine the effect of Public Health Insurance Programs for the Poor on hospitalizations and inpatient Out-of-Pocket costs. Data from the recent national survey by the National Sample Survey Organization, Social Consumption in Health 2014 are used. Propensity score matching was used to identify comparable non-enrolled individuals for individuals enrolled in health insurance programs. Binary logistic regression model, Tobit model, and a Two-part model were used to study the effects of enrolment under Public Health Insurance Programs for the Poor on the incidence of hospitalizations, length of hospitalization, and Out-of- Pocket payments for inpatient care. There were 64,270 BPL people in the sample. Individuals enrolled in health insurance for the poor have 1.21 higher odds of incidence of hospitalization compared to matched poor individuals without the health insurance coverage. Enrollment under the poor people health insurance program did not have any effect on length of hospitalization and inpatient Out-of-Pocket health expenditures. Logistic regression model showed that chronic illness, household size, and age of the individual had significant effects on hospitalization incidence. Tobit model results showed that individuals who had chronic illnesses and belonging to other backward social group had significant effects on hospital length of stay. Tobit model showed that days of hospital stay, education and age of patient, using a private hospital for treatment, admission in a paying ward, and having some specific comorbidities had significant positive effect on out-of-pocket costs. Enrolment in the public health insurance programs for the poor increased the utilization of inpatient health care. Health insurance coverage should be expanded to cover outpatient services to discourage overutilization of inpatient services. To reduce out-of-pocket costs, insurance needs to cover all family members rather than restricting coverage to a specific maximum defined.
The drug-conflict nexus: Resilience as organized crime.

Abstract Within the context of places ravaged by the drug-conflict nexus, state-building programs that strengthen the resilience of local governments can also end up strengthening the resilience of illegal networks of power and profit. Policymakers must more carefully consider the unintended consequences of these state-building programs.
Impacts of 203/204: RG>KR mutation in the N protein of SARS-CoV-2

We present a structure-based model of phosphorylation-dependent binding and sequestration of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein and the impact of two consecutive amino acid changes R203K and G204R. Additionally, we studied how mutant strains affect HLA-specific antigen presentation and correlated these findings with HLA allelic population frequencies. We discovered RG>KR mutated SARS-CoV-2 expands the ability for differential expression of the N protein epitope on Major Histocompatibility Complexes (MHC) of varying Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) origin. The N protein LKR region K203, R204 of wild type (SARS-CoVs) and (SARS-CoV-2) observed HLA-A*30:01 and HLA-A*30:21, but mutant SARS-CoV-2 observed HLA-A*31:01 and HLA-A*68:01. Expression of HLA-A genotypes associated with the mutant strain occurred more frequently in all populations studied. ImportanceThe novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 causes a disease renowned as 2019-nCoV (or COVID-19). HLA allele frequencies worldwide could positively correlate with the severity of coronavirus cases and a high number of deaths.
Deposit Insurance Coverage, Ownership, and Banks’ Risk-Taking in Emerging Markets

Abstract: We ask how deposit insurance systems and ownership of banks affect the degree of market discipline on banks’ risk-taking. Market discipline is determined by the extent of explicit deposit insurance, as well as by the credibility of non-insurance of groups of depositors and other creditors. Furthermore, market discipline depends on the ownership structure of banks and the responsiveness of bank managers to market incentives. An expected U-shaped relationship between explicit deposit insurance coverage and banks’ risk-taking is influenced by country specific institutional factors, including bank ownership. We analyze specifically how government ownership, foreign ownership and shareholder rights affect the disciplinary effect of partial deposit insurance systems in a cross-section analysis of industrial and emerging market economies, as well as in emerging markets alone. The coverage that maximizes market discipline depends on country-specific characteristics of bank governance. This “risk-minimizing” deposit insurance coverage is compared to the actual coverage in a group of countries in emerging markets in Eastern Europe and Asia.
Intuitively Assessing ML Model Reliability through Example-Based Explanations and Editing Model Inputs.

Interpretability methods aim to help users build trust in and understand the capabilities of machine learning models. However, existing approaches often rely on abstract, complex visualizations that poorly map to the task at hand or require non-trivial ML expertise to interpret. Here, we present two interface modules to facilitate a more intuitive assessment of model reliability. To help users better characterize and reason about a model's uncertainty, we visualize raw and aggregate information about a given input's nearest neighbors in the training dataset. Using an interactive editor, users can manipulate this input in semantically-meaningful ways, determine the effect on the output, and compare against their prior expectations. We evaluate our interface using an electrocardiogram beat classification case study. Compared to a baseline feature importance interface, we find that 9 physicians are better able to align the model's uncertainty with clinically relevant factors and build intuition about its capabilities and limitations.
David Oliver: The case for transitional post-acute care.

Discussions on the resourcing, staffing, and effectiveness of acute hospital care versus primary care often seem to bypass “transitional care,” which is provided in the community and at home. In my clinical day job those services that can help people step down from an acute hospital admission can make a big difference to my patients and provide a vital safety net. The term “transitional care,” as defined by the American Geriatrics Society, encompasses a “set of actions and services” to manage the “coordination and continuity of healthcare as patients transfer between different locations,” such as hospitals, nursing and residential homes, the patient’s private residence, and primary and specialty care.12 When I wrote recently about the interface between acute and primary care,3 several GPs spoke to me …
Cost Savings From a Policy to Diagnose and Prevent Transmission of Adenoviral Conjunctivitis in Employees of a Large Academic Medical Center.

Importance Adenoviral conjunctivitis is highly contagious, can be associated with systemic infections, and can cause chronic visual impairment. It accounts for a large proportion of acute conjunctivitis. Outbreaks of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) are costly in terms of productivity loss from work furloughs and spread to patients and have resulted in clinic and departmental closures. Objective To examine the institutional cost savings of a policy to diagnose adenoviral conjunctivitis and triage and furlough medical center employees with this condition to prevent outbreaks. Design, setting, and participants This quality improvement study assessed Johns Hopkins Medicine employees with red eye from November 1, 2011, through October 31, 2018, who were triaged at the occupational health clinic whose conditions were diagnosed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) validated for adenoviral conjunctivitis. Interventions Only employees with positive PCR test results were furloughed, with furlough length tailored to subtype (a minimum of 2 weeks for EKC and 1 week otherwise). Main outcomes and measures Total number of furloughs avoided and cost savings associated with reducing unnecessary furloughs. Results Of 2142 employees with red eye, 1520 (71.0%) underwent PCR testing; 130 (8.6%) had positive adenoviral PCR test results, of whom 41 (31.5%) had EKC. Furloughing 130 employees with positive PCR test results vs furloughing all 1520 employees clinically suspected of having adenoviral conjunctivitis represented an estimated annual savings of $442 073, or $3 094 511 during 7 years. The cost of performing PCR on employees suspected of having adenoviral conjunctivitis was 5.0% of the cost associated with furloughing all employees with red eye. No outbreaks occurred. Conclusions and relevance In this quality improvement study, this policy, notable for development and use of PCR for adenoviral conjunctivitis on a large scale, resulted in substantial cost savings from fewer work furloughs compared with the number of employees who would have been furloughed based on clinical diagnosis. These results may provide impetus for policy adoption by other institutions and for development of a rapid, sensitive, and specific diagnostic test for adenoviral conjunctivitis.
Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation via Direct Axillary Artery Cannulation

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is an effective means of support for patients awaiting cardiac or cardiopulmonary transplantation. Typically, peripheral cannulation via the femoral vessels is preferred. However, an alternative is use of the axillary or subclavian artery, which is typically performed via a graft. Here we present the case of a patient who required VA-ECMO for cardiogenic shock with severe pulmonary hypertension as a bridge to heart-lung transplantation. Initially cannulated via the femoral artery, he was converted to a direct axillary cannulation strategy with a distal perfusion catheter and successfully bridged to transplantation. This technique avoids the use of an interposition graft and mitigates problems associated with it.
JUE Insight: Zoning and property taxation revisited—Was Hamilton right?

Abstract In rare theoretical treatments of ideas developed by Hamilton (1975, 1976) almost fifty wears ago, recent papers by Barseghyan and Coate (2016) and Calabrese et al. (2007) develop dynamic models to analyze zoning and property taxation in a system of communities. Their analyses led to negative conclusions, contradicting Hamilton’s view, by showing that efficient zoning does not emerge in equilibrium. The purpose of this note is to show that a different, affirmative conclusion can be reached in a simpler, highly stylized model that formalizes Hamilton’s idea.
Efficient stimulation of retinal regeneration from Müller glia in adult mice using combinations of proneural bHLH transcription factors.

Regenerative neuroscience aims to stimulate endogenous repair in the nervous system to replace neurons lost from degenerative diseases. Recently, we reported that overexpressing the transcription factor Ascl1 in Muller glia (MG) is sufficient to stimulate MG to regenerate functional neurons in the adult mouse retina. However, this process is inefficient, and only a third of the Ascl1-expressing MG generate new neurons. Here, we test whether proneural transcription factors of the Atoh1/7 class can further promote the regenerative capacity of MG. We find that the combination of Ascl1:Atoh1 is remarkably efficient at stimulating neurogenesis, even in the absence of retinal injury. Using electrophysiology and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we demonstrate that Ascl1:Atoh1 generates a diversity of retinal neuron types, with the majority expressing characteristics of retinal ganglion cells. Our results provide a proof of principle that combinations of developmental transcription factors can substantially improve glial reprogramming to neurons and expand the repertoire of regenerated cell fates.
Membrane transport of purine and pyrimidine bases and nucleosides in animal cells.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the membrane transport of purine and pyrimidine bases and nucleosides in animal cells. In general, these compounds enter animal cells by facilitated diffusion, and transport carriers are clearly separate from the enzymes responsible for subsequent intracellular metabolism. The carriers are proteins which have lateral mobility in the plane of the membrane. The chapter discusses the some general principles about transport processes in animal cells, and then examine: (1) the evidence for specific transport systems for bases and nucleosides, attempting to differentiate between membrane and metabolic events; (2) the detailed characteristics of the systems, with particular attention to implications for carrier structure based on substrate specificity and sensitivity to inhibition by chemical agents; (3) the physiological control of transport; and the evidence that carriers are mobile components of biological membranes and as such may be functionally modified by interactions with other membrane components. Substances that inhibit transport in cells depend on exogenous purines for nucleic acid synthesis may impose selective growth control. Malignancies of bone marrow (leukemia) and of the gastrointestinal tract could fall within this category; such inhibitors should not damage the majority of cells and tissues that have the capacity to synthesize purines de novo. In addition, since carrier properties such as susceptibility to inhibition are highly variable among cells, inhibitors that are particularly effective against specific cell types may be developed.
A murine genomic DNA fragment amplifies ouabain-induced Na,K-ATPase alpha/beta-subunit mRNA up-regulation and confers ouabain resistance.

Transfection of primate cells with a 6.4-kilobase murine genomic DNA fragment (called ouabain resistance gene or MOR6.5) has been shown previously to confer ouabain resistance (Levenson, R., Racaniello, V., Albritton, L., and Housman, D. (1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 1489-1493). The mechanism by which this sequence can transfer ouabain resistance remains unclear. In order to further investigate this mechanism, we determined the full-length nucleotide sequence of MOR6.5. Other than mouse repetitive domains, this DNA does not have significant homology with any coding sequence in GenBank. Although potential open reading frames and polyadenylation signals were found, we were unable to detect an MOR6.5 transcript in CV-1 or COS-1 cells transfected with this DNA, either at early or late times following transfection. We show that in early passages of MOR6.5 transfectants which were under ouabain-selective pressure and still contained MOR6.5 DNA sequence, mRNAs for both alpha 1- and beta 1-subunits of the Na,K-ATPase were amplified approximately 10-fold, compared to parental CV-1 cells. These results suggest that MOR6.5 may rescue the cells from ouabain toxicity by inducing transient up-regulation of the messages for the Na,K-ATPase. This might prolong cell survival on ouabain until mutations in the alpha 1-subunit occur, which permanently reduce ouabain inhibition of the pump (Cantley, L. G., Zhou, X.-M., Cunha, M., Epstein, J., and Cantley, L. C. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 17271-17278). Possible mechanisms for the up-regulation of transcription based on sequence similarities found between MOR6.5 and the 5'-flanking regions of alpha 1- and beta 1-subunit genes are discussed.
Alternative essences of intelligence

We present a novel methodology for building humanlike artificially intelligent systems. We take as a model the only existing systems which are universally accepted as intelligent: humans. We emphasize building intelligent systems which are not masters of a single domain, but, like humans, are adept at performing a variety of complex tasks in the real world. Using evidence from cognitive science and neuroscience, we suggest four alternative essences of intelligence to those held by classical AI. These are the parallel themes of development, social interaction, embodiment, and integration. Following a methodology based on these themes, we have built a physical humanoid robot. In this paper we present our methodology and the insights it affords for facilitating learning, simplifying the computation underlying rich behavior, and building systems that can scale to more complex tasks in more challenging environments.
A novel fruit-expressed trypsin inhibitor I gene from a wild species of tomato.

A member of the proteinase inhibitor I gene family encoding an inhibitor I protein with a novel trypsin-specific reactive site was isolated from the wild tomato species Lycopersicon peruvianum (L.) Mill. (LA107). The nucleotide sequence of the gene was identical to a previously isolated cDNA clone from L. peruvianum fruit (Wingate, V.P.M., Broadway, R. M., and Ryan, C. A. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 17734-17738) with the exception of one nucleotide 3 base pairs upstream from the 5' terminus of the cDNA. S1 nuclease protection experiments and RNA blot hybridization analysis show that the gene is developmentally regulated in L. peruvianum fruit and is not the same inhibitor I gene that is wound inducible in leaves. Nucleotide sequences are present in the 5'-flanking sequences of the fruit-specific L. peruvianum gene inhibitor I gene which share similarity with regulatory sequences that have been associated with the regulation of several known elicitor- and ethylene-inducible genes. However, the L. peruvianum motifs are not identical with those of other genes and are probably not functional. Because inhibitor I genes are not expressed or are expressed in very low levels in modern tomato fruit before the onset of ripening but expressed at high levels in fruit of the wild L. peruvianum species, a unique fruit-specific signaling system must therefore be present in L. peruvianum fruit for the transcriptional regulation of the inhibitor I gene which is not present in the fruit of the modern tomato, L. esculentum.
What is the Impact of Financial Advisors on Retirement Portfolio Choices & Outcomes?

Within the Oregon University System’s defined contribution retirement plan, one investment provider offers access to face-to-face financial advice through its network of brokers. We find that younger, less highly educated, and less highly paid employees are more likely to choose this provider. To benchmark the portfolios of broker clients, we use the actual portfolios of self-directed investors and counterfactual portfolios constructed using target-date funds, a popular default investment. Broker clients allocate contributions across a larger number of investments than self-directed investors, and they are less likely to remain fully invested in the default option. However, broker clients’ portfolios are significantly riskier than self-directed investors’ portfolios, and they underperform both benchmarks. Exploiting across-fund variation in broker compensation, we find that broker clients’ allocations are higher when broker fees are higher. Survey responses from current plan participants support our identifying assumption that the portfolio choices of broker clients reflect the recommendations of their brokers.
Recognition of Sentences by Native and Nonnative Speakers of English: Probing the Role of Imagery

M The study of imagery and the processes underlying the comprehension and recognition of verbal information forms the foundation stones of cognitive psychology. Research has identified the positive effects of mental imagery on recall (Begg & Paivio, 1969; Paivio, 1971, 1977, 1978; Paivio & Begg, 1971). Paivio and Begg (1971), for example, presented abstract and concrete sentences to subjects and found that on a recognition memory task, changes in the meaning of the concrete, highimagery sentences (e.g., The vicious hound chased a wild animal) were detected more readily than changes in the meaning of the abstract, lowimagery sentences (e.g., The absolute faith aroused an enduring interest). Previously, Begg and Paivio (1969) had found that subjects noticed a semantic change more easily than a change in sentence structure for concrete, high-imagery sentences than they did for abstract, lowimagery sentences. Evidence indicating that visual imagery is an epiphenomenon which accompanies learning but which has nothing functional to do with it has also been presented (Day & Bellezza, 1983; Pylyshun, 1973, 1981); however, the study of mental imagery as a mediator of cognitive tasks continues to be a major concern of cognitive psychologists. Although investigation of the role imagery plays in the processing of information by nonnative speakers has been virtually ignored in memory research, as Rose (1975) puts it, "the bilingual is the subject par excellence for investigations of cognitive processes" (p. 150). The study reported here yields information concerning the role of mental imagery
TH‐A‐137‐05: Evaluation of Dose Spillage From the Gamma Knife Perfexion Vs Volumetric Modulated Arc Radiosurgery When Treating Multiple Metastases in a Single Fraction

Purpose: To explore differences in the patterns of dose spillage to normal brain in stereotactic radiosurgery when using the Gamma Knife Perfexion (GKP) versus single‐isocenter volumetric modulated arc radiosurgery (VMAS) to treat multiple metastases. Methods: Radiosurgery plans were generated on five T1‐weighted MRI data sets for delivery with a Gamma Knife Perfexion (Elekta GammaPlan V10.1) and a Varian accelerator using VMAS (Philips Pinnacle V9.2). Each data set contained between three and five brain metastases. The percent of the target volume receiving the prescription dose (V100%) was >99% for each target. No heterogeneity corrections were used with either planning system. Following planning, the images, contours, and dose distributions were exported to an analysis program (VelocityAI). On each data set, the normal brain volumes receiving 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90% of the prescription dose were determined and tabulated. Normal brain was defined as brain minus any target volumes. A percent change from GKP to VMAS was calculated for each dose level. Isodose lines and DVHs were generated for each modality and overlaid. Results: Dose spillage to normal brain was consistently higher for single‐isocenter VMAS compared to GKP, even when the volume of brain receiving the prescription dose remained similar or decreased. This increase in dose spillage could be seen for all dose levels (V90%–V20%), and was more significant for lower dose levels. Levels V20–40% showed an average increase of+653% compared to GKP. Levels V70–90% showed an average increase of +355%. The average increase across all levels was +546%. Conclusion: Dose spillage to normal brain is significantly increased when treating multiple metastases with single‐isocenter VMAS compared to multi‐shot treatment with GKP. The clinical implications of this increased spillage should be examined further, particularly in situations where patients may receive multiple SRS treatments or radiosurgery combined with whole‐brain radiotherapy.
Inpatient management for a shortened cervix: who is really at risk?

Objective The objective of the study was to identify risk factors associated with spontaneous preterm delivery (SPD) within 2 weeks of admission in patients with a shortened cervix. Study Design We reviewed records of patients hospitalized in 2003-2004 with a cervix of 25 mm or less at less than 32 weeks' gestation. The primary outcome was SPD 2 weeks or less of admission. Results Sixty-six patients met inclusion criteria. Twelve delivered at 2 weeks or less of admission. There were no differences in maternal and gestational age at admission, history of SPD, and rate of multifetal pregnancy. Those with cervical length (CL) of 5 mm or less were more likely to deliver within 2 weeks than those with CLs 6-25 mm (50% vs 12.5%; P = .01). Logistic regression identified CL less than 5 mm as the only independent predictor of delivery within 2 weeks of admission ( P = .01). Conclusion CL of less than 5 mm in patients at less than 32 weeks' gestation is associated with a high rate of SPD within 2 weeks of diagnosis.
The relationship between the level of lead absorption in children and the age, type, and condition of housing.

Abstract A group of 184 preschool-aged children with pretreatment blood lead concentrations (PbB) ⩾ 50 μg/dl, who received inpatient chelation therapy, were followed prospectively as outpatients for 12 months after discharge. Of these, 160 were followed for 24–30 months. Serial PbB data were analyzed according to the type of housing to which each child was discharged. Following therapy, PbB stabilized by 3 months. Thereafter, highly significant differences (P m PbB = 38.5 μ g/dl ) and those discharged to “lead-free” public housing ( m PbB = 28.8 μ g/dl ) or to recently, totally gutted and renovated old housing ( m PbB = 28.7 μ g/dl ). During the period of study (1978–1982), no downward trend in PbB within housing groups was found during the first 12 months of follow-up. Of the 152 children discharged to old housing, 75 had 127 recurrences of PbB ⩾ 50 μg/dl. This emphasizes the need for close and prolonged follow-up in all cases. These data indicate that substantially improved methods of detection, classification, and abatement of lead hazards must replace traditional methods if lead exposure for young children in old housing is to be reduced to an acceptable level.
Energy balance and water use of cereal crops

Abstract Measurements were made in spring barley ( Hordeum vulgare L., Custer) and winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L., Colt) crops at Mead, NE, an east central Great Plains location. Diurnal and seasonal patterns of the energy balance components were evaluated using the Bowen ratio technique. The energy partitioning was controlled by the atmospheric evaporative demand (i.e., vapor pressure deficit, air temperature, wind speed) and by availability of soil water. Frequently, advection of sensible heat influenced energy partitioning strongly by increasing evapotranspiration (ET). Percentage of net radiation ( Rn ) consumed by ET decreased progressively from 90 to 50% in both crops as they senesced. Stomatal conductance of the barley crop, which experienced mild water stress, decreased with decreasing leaf water potential below a “critical value” and with increasing vapor pressure deficit. Stomatal conductance in well-watered wheat responded to net radiation and appeared to be independent of leaf water potential and vapor pressure deficit. Water use efficiency ranged from 0 to 8.3 (g dry matter kg −1 water used) for barley and from 0 to 13.6 for wheat depending on the growth stage and the availability of soil water.
CdZnTe strip detectors for astrophysical arc second imaging and spectroscopy: detector performance and radiation effects

CdZnTe strip detectors have been fabricated and tested to show the ability for arc second imaging and spectroscopy. Two dimensional CdZnTe strip detectors with 100 micron pitch have been fabricated and wire bonded to readout electronics to demonstrate the ability to localize 22 to 122 keV photons to less than 100 microns. Good spectral resolution has also been achieved. The uniformity and relative efficiency of the strip detector are discussed. Radiation damage effects by intermediate energy neutrons and low energy protons on the surface and bulk performance of CdZnTe devices have been investigated and are presented. Activation and annealing of radiation effects have been seen and are discussed.
Whose Stories are These

SUMMARY Phenomenological research investigates the meaning of lived experiences for participants, as well as the implications of those experiences. This chapter presents brief biographical sketches of 12 youth workers who participated in a phenomenological investigation of the experience of self in moments of not-knowing what to do. Each participant's characteristics, professional location in the broad field of American youth work, and circumstances surrounding the experience of not-knowing are described.
Flawed Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medication Comparison

To the Editor .— The recent study by Swanson et al1 examining 2 very different extended-release methylphenidate (MPH) preparations generates considerably more smoke than light. Although Metadate CD (MCD) and Concerta (CON) are both “extended-release” preparations, the striking difference between their pharmacokinetic profiles and duration of benefit suggest that the specific doses compared in this study funded by Celltech Pharmaceuticals (the manufacturer of MCD) are unfair and mostly irrelevant from a clinical perspective. The authors describe the specific MCD and CON doses …
Can computers handle adverbs

The adverb is the most complicated, and perhaps also the most interesting part of speech. Past research in natural language processing, however, has not dealt seriously with adverbs, though linguists have done significant work on this word class. The current paper draws on this linguistic research to organize an adverbial lexicon which will be useful for information retrieval and natural language processing systems.
Management of blisters in the partial-thickness burn: an integrative research review.

Conflicting recommendations and clinical applications have been given concerning best practices for the management of burn blisters associated with partial-thickness burns. Arguments for the preservation of intact blisters center on the idea of naturally occurring biologic protection whereas the debridment of blisters has been advocated because of the perceived decreases in wound infection and complications. Recurring themes in burn wound management that are considered in this debate include infection, healing, functional and aesthetic outcome, patient comfort, ease of dressing care, and cost efficiency. The management of burn blisters should be supported by evidence across these six categories, should match the expertise of the provider, and should use the available resources in the practice setting. The purpose of this review is combine the findings of a comprehensive review of the published literature with respect to the management of blisters in the partial-thickness burn into a clinical guideline for best practice based on available evidence.
Timothy E. Cook: 1954–2006

“Tim was the first generation of young political scientists who took the press very seriously as an important player in the game,” observed Steve Hess, who himself was an early student of the news ...
Scanning electron microscope study of marginal adaptation of amalgam in restoration finishing techniques

Voids and gaps between the surfaces of the amalgam and the cavity preparation were apparent in the carved and the polished samples. These spaces in the burnished specimens were filled with an amorphous bulk of amalgam apparently caused by the burnishing process. Since the margins of burnished amalgam restorations have been shown to leak less than those of carved and polished specimens, it is hypothesized that this is due to the improved marginal adaptation attained through the burnishing process.
SU-EE-A2-01: Minimizing Residual Target Motion for Imaging Guided IMRT Delivery

Purpose:IMRT delivery could be affected by residual target motion, the intrafractional target uncertainties resulting from motion that follows image‐guided procedures such as dual x‐ray image acquisitions with patient positional corrections. This study investigates the 6D spatial characteristics of residual target motion and a method for minimizing potential IMRT delivery errors. Method and Materials: A recursive dose painting algorithm was developed to reorder MLC segments, so that most segments were delivered repetitively at a fraction of its prescribed MU. The rationale is that there could be residual target motion that would cause significant delivery errors, so to “paint” the target voxels recursively in small dose segments instead of painting the whole area once with a larger dose segment, could produce a more accurate delivery. The residual target motions used were determined from implanted spine fiducials detected using the dual x‐ray images taken every 10–20 seconds during treatment (Cyberknife, Accuray). Six‐degree of freedom spatial characteristics of the residual target uncertainties were extracted. These residual motions were then fed into the recursive dose painting method for dose evaluation. Results: The residual target motion study showed that although the average was less than 3 mm during the whole delivery, there existed large irregularities in distributions in both rotational and translational directions. For most cases, there were also systematic motion errors of 0.5–1 mm and large spurious motions, sometimes of 5 mm or more. When using the actual error‐time curves, the recursive delivery significantly reduced dose variations caused by such errors (by as much as 27%). For the majority of cases studied, a cycle of three to six repetitive dose paintings was found sufficient to achieve such improvements. Conclusion: Residual target motion is irregularly distributed as treatment time progresses. Recursive dose painting provides a solution to decrease the dose errors caused by such uncertainties.
Infrared Charge Transfer Devices: The Silicon Approach

Possible system applications of Infrared Charge Transfer Devices are reviewed. It is found that this device technology can have a very significant systems impact. Analyses are performed to calculate the quantum efficiency, quantum yield, frequency response, photoconductive gain, operating temperature, noise and the distinction between longitudinal and transverse bias configurations of silicon detectors. Tables of silicon detector properties are included. Approaches to the interface circuitry which couples the detectors and the CTD multiplexer are examined. Examples of existing low background and high background IRCTD detector arrays are given.
On the description of the positive parity states in odd-N rare-earth nuclei

Abstract The positive parity states in odd-N deformed nuclei are usually described in terms of strongly Coriolis coupled Nilsson states. An alternative, simpler description is proposed. It is based on the fact that all contributing single-particle states have large components of the i 13 2 spherical state and that the pairing considerably reduces the splitting of the single particle energies.
Probability distribution for critical do location in streams

Abstract Identifying the critical location in a stream environment system plays an important role in regulating and monitoring water quality. The critical location is defined as the point of maximum dissolved oxygen deficit within any reach of stream. It is at this location that the threat to the health of the aquatic biota is most severe. Unfortunately, due to the existence of random processes and parameter uncertainties within actual stream conditions, the critical location cannot always be determined with certainty. In recognizing the importance of identifying such a position, this paper attempts to assess the appropriateness of using some of the more common probability distributions to describe the random characteristics of the critical location in a stochastic stream environment. The results from such an assessment could enable one to estimate useful properties of the random critical location such as confidence interval information and the mode of its location. It is believed that this information would have important implications in managing and monitoring stream water quality.
Homeostatic Utility Control

Distribution Automation and Control (DAC) systems have potentially major effects on costs, social impacts, and even on the nature of the power system itself, especially as dispersed storage, generation, and customer interaction become more prevalent. However, at the present time, it is not clear which particular modes of control will best exploit the capabilities of DAC. Homeostatic Utility Control is an overall concept which tries to maintain an internal equilibrium between supply and demand. Equilibrating forces are obtained over longer time scales (5 minutes and up) by economic principles through an Energy Marketplace using time-varying spot prices. Faster supply-demand balancing is obtained by employing "governor-type" action on certain types of loads using a Frequency Adaptive Power Energy Rescheduler (FAPER) to assist or even replace conventional turbine-governed systems and spinning reserve. Conventional metering is replaced by a Marketing Interface to Customer (MIC) which, in addition to measuring power usage, multiplies that usage by posted price and records total cost. Customers retain the freedom to select their consumption patterns. Homeostatic control is a new, untried concept. It is discussed in this paper because its great potential makes it a vehicle for interesting discussions of where the future may actually evolve.