cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of a clinical risk calculator for prolonged opioid use after shoulder surgery.

Background Understanding risk factors associated with prolonged opioid use to help mitigate abuse and develop presurgical screening programs to identify at-risk patients is paramount. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a clinical risk assessment tool to preoperatively predict prolonged opioid use after shoulder surgery. Methods A total of 561 patients who underwent shoulder surgery within a tertiary health care system were identified, and opioid prescription data were retrospectively collected from the Connecticut Prescription Monitoring and Reporting System. The inclusion criteria were patients aged 18 years or older, and the exclusion criteria were patients not registered in the Connecticut Prescription Monitoring and Reporting System. Quantities of opioids prescribed were documented. Demographic characteristics, surgery type, medications, and medical comorbidities were identified by chart abstraction. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios of patients using opioids longer than 6 weeks, and multivariate analysis was performed on 10 identified patient factors. A concordance index was used to calculate the discriminatory ability of a nomogram to predict prolonged opioid use. Results Multivariate analysis demonstrated that opioid use prior to surgery, insurance type, procedure type, body mass index, smoking status, and psychiatric disorders were responsible for prolonged opioid use. The prediction accuracy of this model was good, with a calculated concordance index of 0.766 (95% confidence interval, 0.736-0.820). Conclusions We present a preoperative predictive calculator to help identify at-risk patients and quantify their risk of prolonged opioid use after shoulder surgery. This is a valuable clinical decision-making tool to identify patients benefitting from referral to pain management specialists and to possibly reduce the risk of opioid abuse and addiction.
Final Analysis of a Trial of M72/AS01E Vaccine to Prevent Tuberculosis

Abstract Background Results of an earlier analysis of a trial of the M72/AS01E candidate vaccine against Mycobacterium tuberculosis showed that in infected adults, the vaccine provided 54.0% protec...
UAV Cooperative Data Processing Using Distributed Computing Platform

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are being increasingly used in growing number of applications. The use of single vehicle is often not enough due to various limitations, such as available power or sensors installed. Therefore the UAVs are formed into cooperative teams that operate as the distributed processing system realizing the given mission with one or more objectives (tasks) defined. The key factor for such unmanned aerial vehicles teams is the energy efficiency – as each UAV is limited with either battery power or the amount of combustible fuel. In this paper we address this problem and propose the design of UAV-based distributed processing system for which we optimize the OPEX (operational expenditure). We propose the principles of the system, its key elements in a form of mathematical description, and show how it can be used for a collaborative team of unmanned aerial vehicles realizing the object detection mission.
Complexities in Integrating Social Risk Assessment into Health Care Delivery.

The health care sector is mobilizing to identify and intervene on social risks that impact health.[1][1] Social risk screening under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Accountable Health Communities demonstration project has led to multiple observations of high acceptability of social
Chapter 7 – Prescription Charges

Publisher Summary The regulations require that, subject to the exemptions, a pharmacist must make and recover from a patient the specified charge in respect of the supply of “each quantity of a drug.” The term “drug” includes “medicine.” The supply of water for injection with an antibiotic, or in accordance with the BNF, is not charged. The supply of different strengths of the same tablet results in only one charge, while the supply of both tablets and capsules of the same strength of the same drug would be two charges. Any person who seeks information or treatment from a walk-in-center, that is, a center at which information and treatment for minor conditions is provided to the public under arrangements made by or on behalf of the S of S is defined as a “patient.” When the regulations refer to a “patient,” the word also includes someone acting on behalf of the patient, such as a parent and also someone collecting the prescription for a neighbor. That parent or neighbor must pay the charge on demand. Pharmacists are under no obligation to dispense a prescription until after the appropriate charges have been paid. They are entitled to collect the charge when the prescription is handed over for dispensing.
swCRTdesign: An RPackage for Stepped Wedge Trial Design and Analysis.

Abstract Background and objective Stepped wedge trials (SWTs) are a type of cluster-randomized trial that are commonly used to evaluate health care interventions. Most SWT-related software packages have restrictive assumptions about the study design and correlation structure of the data. The objective of this paper is to present a package and corresponding web-based graphical user interface (GUI) that provide researchers with another, more flexible option for SWT design and analysis. Methods We developed an R package swCRTdesign (‘stepped wedge Cluster Randomized Trial design’), which uses a random effects model to account for correlation in the data induced by a SWT design. Possible sources of correlation include clusters, time within clusters, and treatment within clusters. Results swCRTdesign allows a user to calculate power, simulate SWT data to streamline simulation studies (e.g. to estimate power), and create descriptive summaries and plots. Additionally, a GUI, developed using shiny, is available to calculate power and create power curves and design plots. Conclusions The swCRTdesign package accommodates a wide variety of SWT designs, and makes it easy to account for some sources of correlation which are not found in other packages. The user-friendly web-based GUI makes some swCRTdesign features accessible to researchers not familiar with R . These two resources will make appropriately complex SWT calculations more accessible to scientists from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Phase II study of ONC201 in pheochromocytoma-paragangliomas (PC-PG), medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), and other neuroendocrine tumors.

e16703Background: ONC201 is an imipridone with specificity for the dopamine-like DRD2 receptor. Anti-cancer effects involve up-regulation of TRAIL/DR5, dual AKT/ERK pathway inhibition, and integrat...
Data-driven Identification of Number of Unreported Cases for COVID-19: Bounds and Limitations

Accurate forecasts for COVID-19 are necessary for better preparedness and resource management. Specifically, deciding the response over months or several months requires accurate long-term forecasts which is particularly challenging as the model errors accumulate with time. A critical factor that can hinder accurate long-term forecasts, is the number of unreported/asymptomatic cases. While there have been early serology tests to estimate this number, more tests need to be conducted for more reliable results. To identify the number of unreported/asymptomatic cases, we take an epidemiology data-driven approach. We show that we can identify lower bounds on this ratio or upper bound on actual cases as a factor of reported cases. To do so, we propose an extension of our prior heterogeneous infection rate model, incorporating unreported/asymptomatic cases. We prove that the number of unreported cases can be reliably estimated only from a certain time period of the epidemic data. In doing so, we construct an algorithm called Fixed Infection Rate method, which identifies a reliable bound on the learned ratio. We also propose two heuristics to learn this ratio and show their effectiveness on simulated data. We use our approaches to identify the upper bounds on the ratio of actual to reported cases for New York City and several US states. Our results demonstrate with high confidence that the actual number of cases cannot be more than 35 times in New York, 40 times in Illinois, 38 times in Massachusetts and 29 times in New Jersey, than the reported cases.
Predictors of Job Satisfaction among New MSWs: The Role of Organizational Factors

This study examines job satisfaction at early career stages among new U.S. Master of Social Work (MSW) graduates. It explores (a) what factors were associated with job satisfaction, including organ...
Stacked Low-Inertia Converter or Solid-State Transformer: Modeling and Model Predictive Priority-Shifting Control for Voltage Balance

This article presents control challenges of stacked low-inertia converter (SLIC) or cascaded reduced dc-link solid-state transformer (SST) and proposes a novel model predictive priority-shifting (MPPS) control with implicit modulator and a discrete-time large-signal model for voltage balancing and dc-link regulation. Low-inertia converters, featuring small electrolytic capacitor-less dc links, dramatically reduce cost, size, and weight compared to conventional solutions. However, without a large dc-link buffer, the input and output are tightly coupled, leading to significant control challenges. The control becomes even more challenging with these converters stacked input-series output-parallel (ISOP) for medium-voltage (MV) grid, which causes coupling between the modules besides the coupling within each module. This article analyzes the multiobjective, multidegree of freedom control problem, using the modular soft-switching solid-state transformer (M-S4T) as an example of the SLIC. First, distribution of control efforts under controller saturation is critical because multiple control objectives can be conflicting, especially when the module voltages are unbalanced and are being restored. The MPPS can shift the priorities to address this issue. Second, due to the low inertia and high dc-link ripple, classic space vector pulsewidth modulation, average model with small-ripple assumption, and control design based on small-signal model cannot accurately modulate, model, and control the nonlinear reduced dc link. Therefore, a discrete-time large-signal model of the M-S4T is established to derive the predictive control in the MPPS. The MPPS and the PI control are compared in MV simulations to show the issue of applying the PI to the SLIC and the effectiveness of the MPPS for voltage balancing and dc-link regulation in a deadbeat manner. Finally, the proposed control is tested on a 5-kV ISOP SiC SST prototype to verify priority shifting to address controller saturation issue and fast and robust voltage balancing.
Monopole and quadrupole incompressibility of the hydrogen atom using deformed oscillation trial wave functions

We use deformed harmonic oscillator trial wave functions for the hydrogen atom. For the cases considered 1S and 2P it is shown that it does not pay to deform, but one can calculate the quadrupole incompressibility and compare it with that of the monopole. The virial theorem (E=−E k ) is satisfied with deformed oscillator trial wave functions when the minimum energy is obtained.
Ribonucleic acids from the mitochondria of bleached Euglena gracilis z: II. Characterization of highly polymeric ribonucleic acids

Abstract 1. 1. The presence of 0.2 M NaCl reduces nuclease activity during phenol extraction of cytoplasmic and mitochondrial ribonucleic acids from bleached Euglena gracilis z. 2. 2. Sedimentation analyses reveal that the cytoplasm contains 25- and 19-S RNA's and that the mitochondria contain 14- and 11-S RNA's. 3. 3. Thermally induced hyperchromicity spectra demonstrate that mitochondrial RNA's contain predominantly AU pairs whereas cytoplasmic RNA's contain large numbers of GC pairs. 4. 4. Descending paper chromatography indicates that the mole% composition of mitochondrial RNA is 39.5% adenine, 33.2% uracil, 14.9% guanine, and 12.5% cytosine. The composition of cytoplasmic RNA is 23.4% adenine, 22.3% uracil, 31.0% guanine, and 23.4% cytosine. 5. 5. The compositions, secondary structures, and sedimentation characteristics of bleached E. gracilis mitochondrial and cytoplasmic RNA's are different. Although distinct from bacterial RNA, highly polymeric mitochondrial RNA appears more similar to procaryotic than eucaryotic RNA.
Observing interaction: Developing a coding scheme

Introduction The first step in observational research is developing a coding scheme. It is a step that deserves a good deal of time and attention. Put simply, the success of observational studies depends on those distinctions that early on become enshrined in the coding scheme. Later on, it will be the job of observers to note when the behaviors defined in the code catalog occur in the stream of behavior. What the investigator is saying, in effect, is: This is what I think important; this is what I want extracted from the passing stream. Yet sometimes the development of coding schemes is approached almost casually, and so we sometimes hear people ask: Do you have a coding scheme I can borrow? This seems to us a little like wearing someone else's underwear. Developing a coding scheme is very much a theoretical act, one that should begin in the privacy of one's own study, and the coding scheme itself represents an hypothesis, even if it is rarely treated as such. After all, it embodies the behaviors and distinctions that the investigator thinks important for exploring the problem at hand. It is, very simply, the lens with which he or she has chosen to view the world. Now if that lens is thoughtfully constructed and well formed (and aimed in the right direction), a clearer view of the world should emerge. But if not, no amount of corrective action will bring things into focus later. That is, no amount of technical virtuosity, no mathematical geniuses or statistical saviors, can wrest understanding from ill-conceived or wrong-headed coding schemes.
Recent Consideration of World Government in the IR Literature: A Critical Appraisal

Because recent contributions on world government in the international relations (IR) literature have focused on relatively nebulous issues, they are of limited usefulness for illuminating whether or not an actual world government would advance the human prospect. This question cannot be sensibly addressed unless in the light of a specific institutional proposal. Along the authority-effectiveness continuum separating the relatively ineffectual existent United Nations on the one hand, and the traditional world federalist ideal of the omnipotent world state on the other, there are intermediate possibilities not subject to the respective disadvantages of the extreme endpoints of this continuum.
Acquitting the Innocent

The paper explores the contrast between our treatment of acquittals as counter-factual and the paucity of either empirical evidence or persuasive arguments to support that view. The little we know about acquittals provides more support for the view that the acquitted are innocent than that they are guilty. The dominant belief that the acquitted are actually guilty serves the interest of virtually all participants in the criminal justice system save the innocent defendant. It justifies in significant part of the vast disparity of resources between prosecution and defense and the Draconian treatment of those who refuse to plead. It provides a balm for the conscience of those who are repeat players in the criminal justice system to believe that acquittals are acts of noblesse oblige rather than the freeing of the innocent. The available data does not speak to the question of whether the acquitted are "really" innocent or guilty. It cannot. What it does demonstrate is that most observers believe that the vast majority of acquittals are legally justified. Prosecutors rarely have undisclosed superior information that "proves" guilt whereas innocent defendants may possess information of which the prosecutor is unaware. The manner in which cases are screened and negotiated suggests that many of those who are factually innocent will seek trial, and, in the absence of reason to think to the contrary, these are the people most likely to be acquitted. The current approach of punishing people for crimes of which they have been acquitted is supported by neither data nor logic and should be changed. More importantly, however, we need to re-examine the corrosive assumption that the prosecutor, not the judge and jury, makes the most accurate decisions about guilt and innocence.
Colonial entanglements and the practices of taste: an alternative to logocentric approaches

Anthropology has over the last quarter century privileged language, ideation, and meaning as central tropes in the study of culture. Meaning has been construed primarily in terms of linguistic signification, resulting in logocentric approaches to its study. This preoccupation endures despite the embrace of practice theory and renewed attention to object worlds. In this article, I explore the implications of logocentric approaches for the study of what Thomas terms "colonial entanglements. I argue that there are both theoretical and methodological reasons for deprivileging meaning (logocentrically conceived) and for focusing instead on the embodied forms of practical knowledge that framed colonial relations. I explore the value of a taste-centered approach that exploits the strengths of archaeological sources. As a form of embodied practical knowledge, extant practices of taste shaped the reception (and rejection) of exotic goods as well as their recontextualization. By creating what Hebdige terms "cartographies of taste" based on a study of past object worlds, we can explore how existing practices shaped the reception of new objects. By viewing these "cartographies" comparatively in time and space, we can contextually analyze diversions and continuities in the practices of taste through time in relation to the interplay of production and consumption, supply and demand, and thus enrich our understanding of colonial conjunctures. An archaeological case study from the Banda area in Ghana is used to illustrate the value of taste as a conceptual tool that emphasizes the importance of embodied knowledge in social life. [Keywords: logocentrism, embodied knowledge, colonial entanglements, material culture, Ghana]
CHARACTERISTICS OF OUTSTANDING YOUNG ARTISTS: ARTS (1980–81) AND SCHOLARS IN THE ARTS (1979–80)

Questionnaires were sent to the most outstanding young artists participating in the 1980–81 ARTS program and in its predecessor, the 1979–80 Scholars in the Arts. The students provided information about (a) their educational plans; (b) awards and other recognition they had received; (c) reasons for entering the program and reactions to their experience in it; (d) family background; and (e) their career aspirations. In general, participants were individuals with serious educational and career plans involving continued work in their discipline, and they reported their experience in the program to have been a positive and beneficial one.
Exploring networks of problem-solving interactions

Intelligent tutoring systems and other computer-aided learning environments produce large amounts of transactional data on student problem-solving behavior, in previous work we modeled the student-tutor interaction data as a complex network, and successfully generated automated next-step hints as well as visualizations for educators. In this work we discuss the types of tutoring environments that are best modeled by interaction networks, and how the empirical observations of problem-solving result in common network features. We find that interaction networks exhibit the properties of scale-free networks such as vertex degree distributions that follow power law. We compare data from two versions of a propositional logic tutor, as well as two different representations of data from an educational game on programming. We find that statistics such as degree assortativity and the scale-free metric allow comparison of the network structures across domains, and provide insight into student problem solving behavior.
Effects of verbal labeling and exposure duration on implicit memory for visual patterns

The present study investigated the role of verbal labeling and exposure duration in implicit memory for novel visual patterns. Encoding condition was varied in Experiment 1. Two encoding conditions discouraged verbal labeling and a third required it. In Experiment 2, exposure duration was manipulated to determine whether a new memory representation could be formed after a single 1-s exposure. The results suggest that verbal labeling is not necessary to support priming. Type of encoding did not affect implicit memory, but had a pronounced effect on explicit memory. Furthermore, a single 1-s exposure was sufficient to support priming, and priming was not further enhanced by longer stimulus exposures. In contrast, recognition performance was enhanced by a longer stimulus duration. Thus, priming effects with these novel figures are likely to be supported by newly acquired representations rather than by preexisting memory representations. Language: en
An Empirical Bayes Approach for the Poisson Life Distribution

A smooth empirical Bayes estimator is derived for the intensity parameter (hazard rate) in the Poisson distribution as used in life testing. The reliability function is also estimated either by using the empirical Bayes estimate of the parameter, or by obtaining the expectation of the reliability function. The behavior of the empirical Bayes procedure is studied through Monte Carlo simulation in which estimates of mean-squared errors of the empirical Bayes estimators are compared with those of conventional estimators such as minimum variance unbiased or maximum likelihood. Results indicate a significant reduction in mean-squared error of the empirical Bayes estimators over the conventional variety.
A 5-year investigation of children's adaptive functioning following conformal radiation therapy for localized ependymoma.

Purpose Conformal and intensity modulated radiation therapies have the potential to preserve cognitive outcomes in children with ependymoma; however, functional behavior remains uninvestigated. This longitudinal investigation prospectively examined intelligence quotient (IQ) and adaptive functioning during the first 5 years after irradiation in children diagnosed with ependymoma. Methods and Materials The study cohort consisted of 123 children with intracranial ependymoma. Mean age at irradiation was 4.60 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.85-5.35). Serial neurocognitive evaluations, including an age-appropriate IQ measure and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS), were completed before irradiation, 6 months after treatment, and annually for 5 years. A total of 579 neurocognitive evaluations were included in these analyses. Results Baseline IQ and VABS were below normative means ( P P =.015). Annual change in IQ (−.04 points) did not correlate with annual change in VABS (−.90 to +.44 points). Clinical factors associated with poorer baseline performance ( P Conclusions Conformal and intensity modulated radiation therapies provided relative sparing of functional outcomes including IQ and adaptive behaviors, even in very young children. Communication skills remained vulnerable and should be the target of preventive and rehabilitative interventions.
Soybean protein bodies: Phospholipids and phospholipase D activity

Protein bodies from mature soybeans were isolated by differential centrifugatioin to examine their composition and relationship with phospholipase D. Densities were adjusted by varying mixtures of soybean oil and carbon tetrachloride. The purity of the final isolate was confirmed by electron microscopy. Approximately 4.5% by weight of the protein bodies was lipid and 2.0% by weight phospholipid. Thin-layer chromatography revealed only a trace of phosphatidic acid. Treatment with 60% ethanol/40% sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.6) (vol/vol) resulted in phosphatidyl transferase activity with conversion of both phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine into phosphatidylethanol. It is proposed that protein bodies of soybeans contain phospholipase D.
Body Image and Dieting Failure in College Men and Women: Examining Links between Depression and Eating Problems.

The noted co-occurrence between depression and eating problems in women may be due to their common association with negative body image. Specifically, the western cultural ideal that equates feminine beauty with thinness leads a large number of women to be dissatisfied with their bodies. A recent model [M. McCarthy (1990) “The Thin Ideal, Depression, and Eating Disorders in Women,” Behavioral Research and Therapy, Vol. 28, pp. 205–215] suggests that this dissatisfaction, coupled with high importance placed on appearance, leads most women to engage in dieting to obtain this level of thinness. As dieting is typically unsuccessful as a means of long-term weight control, depression will result from the sense of failure and helplessness associated with dieting failure. This depression then leads to increasingly maladaptive eating behaviors that serve to assuage negative affect and regain control over body appearance. In a sample of 234 male and female, predominantly white, 17–22-year-old college students, we examined several components of this model, including the specificity of these relations for women. In accordance with the model, depressive symptoms and eating problems were predicted to be an interactive function of body image and body image importance, with negative body image/high importance subjects showing the greatest disturbance. In addition, we examined several components of the model to determine (a) the relation between failed dieting and depression, and (b) the extent to which depression could account for eating problems. Regardless of gender, eating problems were indeed highest among those with both negative body image and high body image importance. Depression, however, was higher in subjects with negative body image, regardless of body image importance. For both men and women, failed dieting was significantly related to depression, but only for women did depression account for significant variability in eating problems. Validity of the model is considered. Gender differences in the nature of these relations, and the need to consider possible alternative effects of the cultural standard for masculine attractiveness, are discussed.
Load sharing in soft real-time distributed systems

In a soft real-time distributed computer system, a job submitted at a node in the system must complete execution within a specified deadline, otherwise it is considered lost. When a job cannot be serviced within its deadline at a node, it may still be possible to service this job within its deadline by transferring it to some other node in the system. We examine three load sharing policies and show that we can achieve a considerable improvement by using simple load sharing algorithms. We introduce a new variation of these algorithms and show that improved performance results can be obtained at low loads. Approximate analytical models are developed, solved numerically and performance comparisons are made. The performance results suggest that, over a wide range of system parameters, the performance of these algorithms is substantially better than that of no load sharing and is often close to that of perfect load sharing.
Analysis of the tethered-bowel sign on abdominal CT as a predictor of malignant ascites

The value of the "tethered-bowel sign" as a predictor of the nature of intraabdominal fluid was assessed. In the presence of moderate amounts of abdominal fluid, the sign was said to be positive if small or large bowel loops were not seen to float freely on computed tomographic (CT) images, and did not make contact with the anterior abdominal wall. A positive sign was significantly associated with the presence of malignant cells in the fluid (P less than 0.005). When equivocal cases were excluded, the sign had a sensitivity of 85%, a specificity of 93%, and an accuracy of 88%. In the study population (64% prevalence of malignant fluid), the sign had a positive predictive value of 96%, but a negative predictive value of only 78%. When equivocal cases were included, the sensitivity dropped to 69%, the specificity to 78%, and the accuracy to 72%. It is concluded that CT evidence of tethered-bowel loops strongly suggests a malignant cause of ascitic fluid.
Multiple determinants for growth of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in monocyte-macrophages.

Abstract Attempts to define the genetic determinants required for efficient growth of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)in monocyte-macrophages were made by constructing chimeras between two infectious clones of HIV-1 (HXB2 and LW/C), which despite only minor differences in their DNA sequence have striking differences in cell tropism. Although both of them replicate efficiently in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, HXB2 replicates extensively in permanent T cell lines but poorly in primary monocyte macrophages (T cell line tropic); the reverse is true for LW/C (macrophage tropic). The envelope proved to contain the major determinants of macrophage tropism. However, tropism determinants appeared to be scattered along the envelope. In particular, the V3 loop alone appeared to be neither necessary nor sufficient for growth in macrophages. Both vpr and nef genes appeared to play a less significant role to improve viral replication in macrophages, but only in the presence of the proper envelope sequences. HIV-1 macrophage tropism thus appears to result from the contribution of several different determinants.
Linac Alignnent Techniques

Techniques of aligning linear accelerators are discussed with specific reference to the alignment system of the two-mile accelerator. This system uses a "three-point" method by which a point which is to be aligned is brought into coincidence with the line as defined by its end points. The end points are a laser and a photo-electric detector. A rectangular Fresnel lens is located at each point to be aligned to define the "third point."
Positive regulation of tRNA gene expression by the mouse mammary tumor virus-long terminal repeat in vitro

Abstract The mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat (MMTV-LTR) participates in the control of gene expression by providing a series of important DNA binding sites at which trans-acting factors interact. Among these factors are the steroid receptor, nuclear factor I (NFI) and the TATA box factor (TFIID). The binding of these proteins facilitates the assembly of a transcriptionally competent complex, that includes RNA polymerase II, and activates the expression of juxtaposed genes in cis. A particular DNA sequence, distinct from previously identified regulatory elements, was found in the present study to activate gene expression in trans. The sequence is located between nucleotides +3 and +43 near the 3' terminus of the LTR. This sequence binds a protein that may actively repress the expression of genes that are not located immediately in cis. This protein was purified by ion exchange chromatography and has an approximate molecular weight of 31,000 daltons, as judged by SDS-PAGE. Gel retardation experiments reveal that progressively larger protein--DNA complexes are formed when the amount of this factor is increased relative to the DNA binding site. Furthermore, this protein was found to preferentially aggregate DNA molecules containing the LTR sequence between bases +3 and +43. These results reveal the existence of a unique modulatory role for the LTR in regulating gene expression in trans.
Pharmacological Management of Recurrent Oral Mucosal Ulceration

A number of diseases can cause recurrent intraoral ulceration. This review focuses principally on drug management of intraoral ulceration associated with local and systemic conditions most likely to be observed on an outpatient basis by the general practitioner. These consist of recurrent aphthous stomatitis, erosive lichen planus, benign mucous membrane pemphigoid (BMMP), erythema multiforme, Behcet’s disease, allergic stomatitis and infection. Information is provided on a spectrum of medication found useful in ulcer management, including topical antimicrobial and antifungal agents, topical and systemic corticosteroids, topical and systemic analgesics, and systemic immunosuppressive and anxiolytic drugs, plus details of dosage, important adverse reactions and interactions. A treatment guide for management of recurrent aphthae is presented. The reader is presumed to be familiar with differential diagnosis and the importance of establishing an accurate impression before starting drug therapy.
Hemangioendotheliomas of the hand: Case reports

Hemangioendotheliomas are rare benign vascular tumors which may be grossly and histologically difficult to distinguish from highly malignant angiosarcomas. They coexist with other vascular tumors in the hand, e.g., hemangioma. Three case histories are presented of hemangioendothelioma occurring in the hand. This report offers a plea for permanent section pathological analysis for diagnosis and wide excision to avoid recurrence of this benign lesion.
Worker demand for health insurance in the non-group market

Abstract This paper examines decisions to purchase individual insurance by workers who do not have employment-based insurance. Using data from the Current Population Survey and the Survey of Income and Program Participation, coupled with prices for a standard insurance product in different market areas, we estimate a price elasticity of −0.3 to −0.4 and an income elasticity of 0.15. Our estimate of the price response raises doubts that even substantial subsidies to the working uninsured would induce many of them to purchase coverage voluntarily.
Maintaining a Flexible Payout Policy in a Mature Industry: The Case of Crown Cork and Seal in the Connelly Era

This case study suggests that the payment of cash dividends may not be essential to the long-run success of even mature companies. A mature company in a mature industry, the Crown Cork and Seal Company did not pay any common dividends during John Connelly's 33-year tenure as chairman and CEO. During that period (from 1957 to 1990), the company used stock repurchases along with a compensation policy featuring low executive salaries and generous executive stock options to motivate and execute a focused business strategy. Under the leadership of Connelly, Crown was rescued from what appeared to be certain bankruptcy to become one of the most profitable firms in its industry. Debt was immediately paid down, preferred stock was retired, and the firm's operations were revamped and streamlined. Instead of following the diversification strategies of larger industry peers, Crown's strategy was focused and driven by profit margin and customer service. This strategy eventually led Crown to invest internationally and acquire one of its major rivals. In addition to significant equity ownership by Crown's management and board members, the company's board had a remarkable number of “outsiders” and representatives from international operations, creating a culture that was outward-looking as well as cohesive. And without paying a dollar of dividends—a practice that many finance scholars believe imposes a necessary discipline on mature companies—Crown both preserved its financing flexibility and produced a remarkable record of increases in both profits and market value.
Importance and Timing of End-of-Life Care Discussions Among Gynecologic Oncology Patients

Objectives:To assess the importance and desired timing of end-of-life care (EOLC) discussions among women with gynecologic cancer.Methods:A questionnaire related to EOLC issues was distributed to p...
Bubbles of Nothing and the Fastest Decay in the Landscape

The rate and manner of vacuum decay are calculated in an explicit flux compactification, including all thick-wall and gravitational effects. For landscapes built of many units of a single flux, the fastest decay is usually to discharge just one unit. By contrast, for landscapes built of a single unit each of many different fluxes, the fastest decay is usually to discharge all the flux at once, which destabilizes the radion and begets a bubble of nothing. By constructing the bubble of nothing as the limit in which ever more flux is removed, we gain new insight into the bubble's appearance. Finally, we describe a new instanton that mediates simultaneous flux tunneling and decompactification. Our model is the thin-brane approximation to six-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell theory.
Compromises to Carework: The Social Organization of Mothers' Experiences in the Low-Wage Labor Market after Welfare Reform

Using institutional ethnography (IE), this article explores the social organization of mothers' carework after welfare reform. Carework experiences are shaped by the conditions of low-wage work, welfare policy, and the discourses in which these mothers are embedded. Three discursive frameworks emerge in these women's discussions of the ways they balance carework and paid work: the mothering discourse, the ideological code of the Standard North American Family (SNAF), and a discourse of work enforcement (Piven 2001). Mothers engage these discourses in various ways that recruit them, to varying degrees, into participating in the ruling relations of neoliberalism, which subordinate them.
The carbonyl stretching frequency of cyclopentanone

Abstract A comparison of the infrared and Raman spectra of yclopentanone and cyclopentanoneα:α:α′:α′-d4 indicates that the doublet carbonyl stretching band in the spectra of the former compound is caused by an intramolecular vibrational effect, and does not involve conformational isomerism or dimolecular association. These observations provide an interesting example of the solvent dependency of Fermi resonance coupling, and serve to emphasize that caution must be exercised in distinguishing spectroscopically among these effects.
Prevention of neocarzinostatin-induced cell death and morphologic change in SK-N-SH human neuroblastoma cells by continuous exposure to nerve growth factor

Abstract Neocarzinostatin is an antineoplastic agent that induces differentiated morphology in human (SK-N-SH) neuroblastoma cells in culture. We have compared this morphological differentiation with that induced by the endogenous differentiation inducer, nerve growth factor (NGF), and have explored the effects of exposure to NGF upon the morphological changes induced by neocarzinostatin in SK-N-SH cells. Both NGF and neocarzinostatin induced process outgrowth in these cells. These process formed in the presence of NGF however, were shorter and thinner than those induced by neocarzinostatin. Furthermore, only neocarzinostatin induced enlargement of the somata of the cells, and caused cell death in a concentration-dependent fraction of the culture. These distinguishing features of treated cells allowed us to determine whether or not NGF exposure altered responsiveness of the cells to neocarzinostatin. NGF (100–1000 ng/mL) protected SK-N-SH cells from the morphological and cytocidal effects of neocarzinostatin (1-hr exposure, 0.017 to 0.033 μg/mL). Protection from neocarzinostatin required that NGF be continuously present for a period beginning 24 hr prior to neocarzinostatin exposure and continuing for the duration of the experiment, implying that the protection afforded by NGF has a latency necessitating pretreatment, and is reversible. These results suggest that neocarzinostatin is taken up by the cells and can exert its effects once NGF is removed, even after neocarzinostatin is washed out of the medium. The signal transduction cascade triggered by NGF receptor binding may prevent the action of neocarzinostatin or the expression of the cellular changes induced in SK-N-SH cells by neocarzinostatin.
Non-destructive Analysis of Selenium by Neutron Activation followed by Gamma-Ray Spectrometry

DETECTION of selenium by neutron irradiation and gamma scintillation spectrometry has been attempted. It is known that, when natural selenium is irradiated with neutrons, selenium-75 (121 days), selenium-77 m (17.5 sec.) and selenium-81 (18.2 min.) are formed with comparatively large cross-sections. When any one of them is used to detect selenium, irradiation must be continued for a period comparable to the half-life. Therefore, it was thought that the use of selenium-77 m offered a method for the rapid detection of selenium ; this method has not been described in the literature examined.
The Dynamics of Hostile Activity and the Prediction of War

In an earlier article (Muncaster and Zinnes, 1983) a dynamic model was presented that linked hostile interaction, protracted conflict, and war. The key variables in the model included interaction, grievance, fear of war, and a pull to war. The present article extends the first model by including the amount of hostile activity. Given this additional factor it is possible to predict not only the time at which a war will occur, but also the level of hostility in the system necessary for war to occur. The model further indicates why some hostile interactions cycle in extended protracted conflict patterns while others shoot off to war.
Bridging of Digital Divide in Africa

This paper discusses the gap created by an international digital divide in Africa. The paper focuses on bridging the digital divide that exists between the developed countries and Africa, especially in the use of the internet and Global System Mobile GSM communication services. Issues like bridging the international digital divide, digital divide and Africa, bridging the digital divide in African's universities and libraries, the revolution of GSM in Africa, and effects of government policies and regulations, challenges facing Internet Providers ISPs, benefits of GSM services in Africa are also discussed. In this paper, the author reveals the commendable penetration of GSM but poor connectivity of the internet in Africa. Problems hindering penetration of the internet and GSM in Africa are mentioned. Recommendations that lead to bridging of this internet gap are highlighted.
Reply to Stuart and Lovegrove's question, "visual processing deficits in dyslexia: receptors or neural mechanisms?".

Recently Stuart and Lovegrove questioned the receptor hypothesis of Grosser and Spafford which these authors used to account for the findings that dyslexic individuals have superior peripheral color discrimination to normal readers but also have poorer peripheral brightness discrimination than normal readers. Stuart and Lovegrove hypothesized that dyslexics instead have an impaired transient visual system. The receptor hypothesis is an attempt by Grosser and Spafford to link the functioning of the rods and cones to transient and sustained visual system functioning in a more specific manner than has been tried heretofore by suggesting that, while the parvocellular system is almost entirely fed by cones, both kinds of receptors drive magnocellular cells (but with the rapid onset of early transient system responding being due to the highly light sensitive rods). The rods are proposed to be the receptors initiating the rapid onset of responding in the magnocellular, transient pathway. In dyslexic individuals,...
Changes in the alpine forest-tundra ecotone commensurate with recent warming in southcentral Alaska: Evidence from orthophotos and field plots

[1] The complex response of the forest-tundra ecotone (FT) to climate change may not generalize well geographically. We document FT changes in a nonpermafrost region of southcentral Alaska during a known warming period. Using 1951 and 1996 orthophotos overlain on digital elevation models across 800 km2 of the west Kenai Mountains, we identified cover classes and topography for 978 random points and the highest closed-canopy conifer patches along 205 random altitudinal gradients. Results show 29% of FT area increased in woodiness, with closed-canopy forest expanding 14%/decade and shrubs 4%/decade; unvegetated areas decreased 17.4%/decade and tundra 5%/decade. Area of open woodland remained constant but changed location. Timberline, estimated using both the 205 altitudinal gradients and the upper quartile elevations of closed-canopy forest among the 978 points, rose very little. Tree line, identified using upper quartiles of open woodland, rose ∼50 m on cool, northerly aspects, but not on other aspects. Dendrochronology on high-elevation seedlings showed a congruence between decadal recruitment and regional changes in climate from 1945 to 2005. Patterns observed in the climatic FT of the Kenai Mountains corroborate other studies that show regional and landscape specificity of the structural response of FT to climate change. FT shifted upwards on cooler, presumably more mesic aspects near seed sources; however, on warm aspects the density of shrubs and trees increased, but FT did not rise. If current conditions continue for the next 50–100 years, the Kenai FT will markedly change to a far woodier landscape with less tundra and more closed-canopy forest.
Cutaneous Human Papillomavirus Infection and Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Skin

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is ubiquitous in skin and has been associated with nonmelanoma skin cancer. Iannacone et al. investigate the role of HPV in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) by assessing the presence of HPV antibodies, HPV DNA in tumors, and the relationship between these two markers and BCC. In contrast to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), there is no association between HPV and BCC.
Inositol Metabolism in Plants. IV. Biosynthesis of Apiose in Lemna and Petroselinum

The biosynthesis of apiose was investigated in cell wall polysaccharide of Lemna gibba G3 (duckweed) and in detached leaves of Petroselinum crispum (parsley). Lemna grown either in short days or in continuous light incorporated (14)C from a medium containing myo-inositol-2-(14)C into d-apiosyl and d-xylosyl units of cell wall polysaccharides. Labeled d-apiose was characterized by paper chromatography, by formation of labeled crystalline di-O-isopropylidene d-apiose, and by gas chromatography of trimethylsilyl derivatives of apiose and of its sodium borohydride reduction product, apiitol. Periodate oxidation of labeled apiose revealed 86 to 94% of the (14)C was located in formaldehyde fragments corresponding to C3' and C4. Comparison of this result with work reported by Grisebach and Doebereiner and by Beck and Kandler supports the conclusion that myo-inositol-2-(14)C was converted to d-apiose labeled specifically at C4.When l-arabinose-l-(14)C was supplied to Lemna, both l-arabinosyl and d-xylosyl units of cell wall polysaccharides became labeled, but no (14)C was found in d-apiose. Analysis of the medium external to the plants revealed the presence of a polysaccharide-like polymer that also contained labeled xylose and arabinose.Petroselinum leaves utilized myo-inositol-2-(3)H for the synthesis of apiose in apiin.These results provide direct evidence for a pathway of apiose biosynthesis involving d-glucuronic acid metabolism.