cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Systematic Review: Expressive arts interventions to address psychosocial stress in healthcare workers.

AIMS To synthesize evidence about the effectiveness of expressive arts interventions used to reduce psychosocial stress among healthcare workers. DESIGN Quantitative systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. DATA SOURCES SocINDEX, PsycINFO, Pubmed, CINAHL. REVIEW METHODS Databases were searched from 1997-2017. Fourteen studies met the criteria for final selection. RESULTS Most studies occurred in the US (N = 11). Of the 897 participants, 59% were nurses. Two studies were randomized controlled trials and the others were a variation of a 1-group or 2-group pre- or quasi-experimental study. The intervention characteristics included 50% art-based, 29% music-based, and 21% used storytelling or narrative. The length of intervention varied from 1 hr to 13 weeks; 5 lasted 6 weeks. Improved outcomes were found in 13 of 14 studies reviewed and the greatest improvements were seen in burnout, stress, and emotional outcomes. Overall, music and art-based interventions had greater impact on well-being than storytelling or narrative. CONCLUSIONS This systematic review provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of expressive arts interventions. IMPACT Care for others is a preeminent value in health care; however, this can come at the expense of caring for oneself. Psychosocial stress poses a significant threat to the well-being of the healthcare workforce. Expressive arts interventions provide a creative means for reducing caregiver stress to remain well and able to provide high quality care to patients. The use of arts for healing has global application because expressive arts intervention can be culturally tailored and relevant.
Highly automated segmentation of arterial and venous trees from three-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)

With the development of new magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents that have longer persistence in the blood, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) facilitates non-invasive imaging of the cardiovascular system at high resolution in large anatomic volumes. These high resolution 'steady state' images have simultaneous enhancement of both the artery and vein blood pools. Consequently, separation of arteries and veins is an emerging challenge in MRA analysis. Because of the complexity of the vascular structure, manual approaches to cardiovascular tree analysis are impractical. A novel, highly-automated low extremity vessel segmentation and display methodology is reported that consists of five main steps: (1) Binary mask generation, (2) tree-structure generation, (3) optimal vessel path calculation, (4) vessel segment labeling, and (5) conflict resolution. The method's performance was tested in computer phantoms and in in vivo data sets. In the computer-generated phantoms, vessel volume errors ranged from 1.0 to 8.8%. In the in vivo data, the labeling errors ranged from 0.1 to 15.5%. The method provided high quality results in individual data sets and demonstrated segmentation robustness.
The Intersection of Quality and Clinical Care: Approach to Improve Ventricular Assist Device Patient Care

Background Improving outcomes in the Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) patient population is an on-going challenge. Incorporating comprehensive quality into a VAD program ensures not only meeting accreditation standards, but helps improve patient care. We used performance measure data to identify deficiencies and garner stakeholder buy-in with the intended goal of improving care. Methods The quality specialist worked closely with the VAD team to identify the performance measures for the program as well as establish benchmarks using evidenced based best practices. Each performance measure was distinctly tied to a data point that would subsequently be abstracted from the chart for each patient. The quality specialist and VAD Coordinator then incorporated the quality measures and performance goals into a QAPI Plan and encouraged stakeholders to review and provide feedback. By engaging stakeholders to review and revise, we promoted buy-in to the QAPI elements of the VAD program. Performance measures were tracked monthly. Variance on the scorecard was presented to the VAD multidisciplinary team as well as Hospital Quality Council. If variance occurred, performance improvement activities were developed. Results A unique color-coded QAPI scorecard was created in which different colors represented different levels of compliance. The metrics were tracked using the Scorecard and presented at the monthly meetings. At baseline, driveline dressing change compliance was 63%. After implementation of our improvement measures, compliance increased to 81%. Similarly, performance of Daily Weights increased from 36% to 96%. Documentation of Nursing VAD Education increased from 57% to 97% and documentation of Pain Assessment increased from 64% to 97%. We maintained a zero percent rate of driveline infection. Conclusion Creating stakeholder awareness of gaps in performance increased commitment to performance improvement plans. Use of a unique color coded QAPI scorecard can be useful in improving quality metrics and subsequently patient care. This approach can be utilized beyond the VAD population to improve quality among all heart failure and transplant patients.
The Extremity/Mechanism/Shock Index/GCS (EMS-G) score: A novel pre-hospital scoring system for early and appropriate MTP activation.

Abstract Background Numerous in-hospital scoring systems to activate massive transfusion protocols (MTP) have been proposed; however, to date, pre-hospital scoring systems have not been robustly validated. Many trauma centers do not have blood or pre-thawed plasma available in the trauma bay, leading to delays in balanced transfusion. This study aims to assess pre-hospital injury and physiologic parameters to develop a pre-hospital scoring system predictive of need for massive transfusion (MT) prior to patient arrival. Methods A retrospective review of all adult full and partial trauma team activations from July 2014–July 2018 from an urban level 2 trauma center was performed utilizing our trauma registry. Stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed to develop a new scoring system, with point totals assigned proportional to the odds ratios of requiring MT for each variable. Internal validation of the EMS-G score was performed using a subset of the data which was not utilized for development of the scoring system, and sensitivity and specificity were compared to previously validated in-hospital scoring systems applied in the pre-hospital setting. Results 763 patients were included with 94 patients (12.3%) receiving early MT, defined as 4 units pRBC in 4 h or ED death. In-hospital models for predicting MT such as Assessment of Blood Consumption (ABC) or Shock Index (SI) have sensitivities and specificities of 46/85% and 94/79% respectively for early MTP utilization based on pre-hospital data. Pre-hospital variables found to be predictive of MT were used to develop the EMS-G (Extremity, Mechanism, Shock Index, GCS) score. This system assigns obvious extremity injury–1-point, penetrating mechanism −2 points, shock index ≥0.9–2 points, GCS ≤8–3 points. A score of 3 or greater was chosen to maximize sensitivity and specificity for pre-hospital MT activation. EMS-G score based on pre-hospital report is 89% sensitive, 84% specific, with a PPV of 44% and NPV of 98% for early MT. Using this system, 25% of full and partial trauma team activations met criteria for pre-hospital MTP activation. Conclusion The EMS-G Score has increased sensitivity and specificity compared to the ABC Score in the pre-hospital setting and appears more appropriate than shock index alone at predicting massive transfusion. This scoring system allows trauma centers to activate MTP prior to patient arrival to ensure early and appropriate blood product administration without blood product wastage.
Faster slab reassignment in memcached

Web applications, databases, and many datacenter services rely on in-memory key-value stores to cache frequently accessed data. In this work, we focus on a commonly used system, memcached, where even small performance improvements can result in large end-to-end speed ups in request latency. memcached organizes its memory into slabs that belong to different classes corresponding to object sizes. Many prior works have explored the problem of how many slabs should each class be assigned in the face of dynamic workloads, typically reassigning hundreds of slabs during a reassignment. However, we find that as workloads scale and applications use increasing amounts of memory, the current reassignment mechanism in memcached is inefficient. In fact, we measure that reassignments can take millions of requests to complete.Motivated by these findings, we introduce a faster slab reassignment mechanism in memcached with minimal changes to existing source code. In our experiments, we show that the time needed to reassign a slab reduces by over 99% resulting in the ability to reach workloads' steady state miss ratio by 53% to 75% faster. By arriving at the steady state miss ratio faster, we reduce the overall average miss ratio by 3.42% to 11.5%.
Preschoolers’ crossmodal mappings of timbre

Crossmodal correspondences have been of interest to researchers for nearly a century, although it is only more recently that interactions related to timbre have been examined systematically. Timbre is often described using crossmodal adjectives (e.g., bright, smooth). However, it is not clear whether these semantic conventions are primarily the result of low-level multisensory interactions or are more a product of associative learning and musical training. Do young children exhibit crossmodal correspondences involving timbre? The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of timbre, age, and sensory modality (visual and tactile) on the consistency and congruency of young children's patterns of crossmodal mappings. Preschool children (N = 69, M age = 4.51) completed a novel audio-visual and audio-tactile association task. Results indicate that children are moderately consistent in their associations; mappings are largely congruent with adult associations; and results suggest a possible developmental time course for the establishment of crossmodal correspondences between approximately ages 3 and 6. However, congruency is dependent on modality, with robust agreement in the tactile-auditory domain but a good deal more variance and a stronger developmental influence on visual-auditory associations. These results are the first to demonstrate that crossmodal correspondences are a feature of timbre perception early in development.
Metacognition for Radar Coexistence

In this paper we investigate a metacognitive radar (MCR) model that comprehensively combines disparate cognitive radar (CR) strategies for advanced performance in congested electromagnetic environments (EME). This model changes CR strategies as the spectral environment and target evolve for efficient radar dynamic spectrum access (DSA). The model first implements spectrum sensing followed by spectrum classification to identify known EME scenarios. These spectral scenarios assess the congestion and complexity of time-frequency data collected by the passive sensing process. This evaluation prioritizes possible CR strategies that are effective for the given spectral conditions. The MCR model then evaluates different CR strategies via learning and selects the technique that provides the best radar performance.
SHASHI DESHPANDE'S THAT LONG SILENCE: - THE REALISTIC DEPICTION OF THE COMPLEXITIES OF INDIAN WOMEN'S LIVES

The present paper focused on Shashi Deshpande’s novel That Long Silence, on her portrayal of the complexities of Indian women’s lives through her women characters .The novelist had tried to depict the cause of their submissive position in society. Agreeing to the novelist, only patriarchy was not responsible for their miserable position in society. The passivity on behalf of the women and their succumbing to the traditional roles of wife, mother, etc. were equally responsible for their subjugation. Women should not victimise themselves, they should try to erase the silence and they should try to render articulation to their inner conflicts. She uncovers the intuitive and oblivious mind of her characters. Her female characters are touchy, hesitant, splendid and inventive.The women are especially trapped during the time spent rethinking and rediscovering their own jobs, position and relationship inside their given social world.
Exponential lower bounds on the generalized Erdős–Ginzburg–Ziv constant

Abstract For a finite abelian group G , the generalized Erdős–Ginzburg–Ziv constant s k ( G ) is the smallest m such that a sequence of m elements in G always contains a k -element subsequence which sums to zero. If n = exp ( G ) is the exponent of G , the previously best known bounds for s k n ( C n r ) were linear in n and r when k ≥ 2 . Via a probabilistic argument, we produce the exponential lower bound s 2 n ( C n r ) > n 2 [ 1 . 25 + o ( 1 ) ] r for n > 0 . For the general case, we show s k n ( C n r ) > k n 4 ( 1 + 1 e k + 1 + o ( 1 ) ) r .
Measuring life course events and life histories

Abstract Whereas some life events are considered potential sources of stress, others are viewed as markers of interconnected life course transitions and processes. In this chapter, we first review the theoretical roots of measures of life events and discuss longstanding methodological critiques regarding the categorization of life events and factors associated with the reliability and validity of reports. We then review calendar interview methods that employ an Event (or Life) History Calendar approach to collect timeline data. These methods, based on cognitive theories of autobiographical memory, are designed to facilitate retrospective recall of thematic temporal sequences of personal memories. We describe the challenges of collecting retrospective life histories in studies of older adults, strategies used to evaluate the veracity of retrospective life history recall, and summarize recent analytic methods that examine the heterogeneity and dynamics of domain-specific and cross-domain timing and sequencing of transitions and events in the lives of individuals.
Revisit of Limit-Order Executions and Cancellations: A Time-Varying Covariate Approach

We extend Chakrabarty, Han, Tyurin and Zheng (2006) competing risk model to the framework of time-varying covariates. It is found that the hazard rate of execution risk is more sensitive to market conditions than the hazard rate of cancellation. Order imbalance has a significant effect on execution probability, but it has no sizable effect on cancellation hazard. Larger spreads reduce the execution risk but increase the hazard rate of cancellation. Order aggressiveness has a positive effect on execution risk, but it has no impact on cancellation risk due to the fleeting orders observed in our data if the distance between the limit price and midquote is factored out. In comparison with models with fixed covariates, all time-varying covariates have stronger impact on execution and cancellation hazard rates, except the variable mearsuing the distance between the limit price and midquote.
GADD45A is a protective modifier of neurogenic skeletal muscle atrophy

Neurogenic muscle atrophy is the loss of skeletal muscle mass and function that occurs with nerve injury and in denervating diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Aside from prompt restoration of innervation and exercise where feasible, there are currently no effective strategies for maintaining skeletal muscle mass in the setting of denervation. We conducted a longitudinal analysis of gene expression changes occurring in atrophying skeletal muscle and identified growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible A (Gadd45a) as a gene that shows one of the earliest and most sustained increases in expression in skeletal muscle after denervation. We evaluated the role of this induction using genetic mouse models and found that mice lacking GADD45A showed accelerated and exacerbated neurogenic muscle atrophy, as well as loss of fiber type identity. Our genetic analyses demonstrate that, rather than directly contributing to muscle atrophy as proposed in earlier studies, GADD45A induction likely represents a protective negative feedback response to denervation. Establishing the downstream effectors that mediate this protective effect and the pathways they participate in may yield new opportunities to modify the course of muscle atrophy.
Do Special Education Recommendations Differ for Asian American and White American Students

Asian American students are underrepresented in special education, a state of affairs that threatens their access to academic resources. We propose that student race may influence educators’ likelihood of recommending them for special education services. In two studies, participants working in the field of education (total N = 1195) read a realistic, hypothetical observational behavioral report that described a struggling student. The student’s race (White or Asian) and area of difficulty (Reading or Math) were manipulated between subjects. Regardless of subject area, participants were less likely to recommend Asian American than White American students for learning disability evaluation. We speculate that the difference is based on stereotypes that Asian American students are too academically successful to struggle. Such lack of recommendation, if it occurs in the classroom, could potentially contribute to the underrepresentation of Asian American students in special education.
Understanding the ferromagnetic insulating state in Cr-doped VO 2 : Density functional and tight binding calculations

Experimentally, Cr doping in the rutile phase of ${\mathrm{VO}}_{2}$ is found to stabilize a charge-ordered ferromagnetic insulating state in the doping range of 10% to 20%. In this work, we investigate its origin at 12.5% Cr doping using a combination of ab initio electronic structure calculations as well as microscopic modeling. Our calculations are found to reproduce the ferromagnetic insulating state as well as a charge ordering at the V and Cr sites. The mapping of the ab initio band structure onto a tight binding Hamiltonian allows one to calculate the energy gain from different exchange pathways. This gain is quantified in this work, and the role of charge ordering in stabilizing a ferromagnetic insulating state is understood.
DIEL ACID FLUCTUATIONS IN C4 AMPHIBIOUS GRASSES

Orcuttieae is a small tribe of C4 grasses endemic to seasonal pools in the southwestern U.S., comprising the basal genus Neostapfia, Tuctoria, and the most derived group, Orcuttia. Growth is initiated underwater, and when pools dry, species undergo a metamorphosis replacing aquatic foliage with terrestrial foliage. O. californica and O. viscida exhibit CAM-like diel fluctuations in acidity in the aquatic foliage. Pulse-chase studies showed that although CO2 was fixed into malic acid in the dark, an overnight chase in the dark revealed that most label was not retained in organic acids, indicating a role other than CAM. Terrestrial foliage exhibited a very different diel fluctuation; acids accumulated during the day, and diminished overnight. Malic acid predominated and was secreted on the surface of the leaf in a manner similar to another arid land species. This terrestrial daytime acid accumulation may not be related to photosynthetic pathway but may play an anti-herbivore function. No acid fluctuations were observed in either N. colusana or T. greenei.
Olfactory Sampling Recovery Following Sublethal Copper Exposure in the Rusty Crayfish, Orconectes rusticus

Increasing levels of anthropogenic chemicals within an aquatic ecosystem may inhibit animals from extracting information from chemical signals. We investigated whether antennular flicking, a behavioral mechanism involved in chemically-mediated behaviors of the rusty crayfish, Orconectes rusticus, was altered following a sublethal copper exposure (450 µg/L). Crayfish exposed to copper exhibited lower flicking rates than control crayfish and were significantly less successful in their ability to orient to a food odor. Copper was then eliminated from the housing tanks, providing a recovery period. Groups of crayfish were assayed for antennular flicking rates and orientation success three times over the course of the 21 day recovery period. Crayfish demonstrated significant increases in rates of successful localization of odors and antennular flicking during this portion of the experiment. These results indicate that the mechanism by which copper impairs chemoreception in the rusty crayfish is reversible if elevated levels of copper concentrations are eliminated from aquatic ecosystems contaminated by runoff from agricultural or aquacultural chemicals.
Chapter 21. Macrocyclic Immunomodulators

Publisher Summary The emergence of new novel chemical classes of macrocyclic immunomodulators may provide a greater understanding of the factors that control the immune system. The prototype for such emerging class of agents is cyclosporin A (CsA). This chapter discusses the mechanism of action of CsA with a summary of the chemistry; in vitro and in vivo immunopharmacology and the mechanism of action of the newer macrocyclic immunomodulators, such as FK-506, rapamycin, and didemnins. FK-506, RPM, and didemnin B (DB) may be found to be safer and more efficacious agents for transplantation rejection and autoimmune disease than CsA. FK-506 and CsA both act by inhibiting the production of growth promoting lymphokines, although FK-506 is effective at much lower doses. RPM, although structurally similar to FK-506, acts by inhibiting the response of T cells to lymphokines. The mechanism of the action of DB remains unknown, but seems to be more antiproliferative than either FK-506 or RPM. The importance and relevance of immunophilins needs to be delineated, but they may have a role in immunological signal transduction. In addition or alternatively, the immunophilins may be involved in the renal or vascular toxicity observed with this emerging class of novel macrocyclic immunomodulatory agents.
Preliminary Staining of Bacteria: Simple Stains

Simple staining involves directly staining the bacterial cell with a positively charged dye in order to see bacterial detail, in contrast to negative staining where the bacteria remain unstained against a dark background.
MR guided focused US for treatment of uterine fibroids: symptom reduction in a multicenter trial using a novel treatment algorithm

Enhanced sonication (ES) is a newer technique to ablate symptomatic uterine fibroids. ES uses nearly twice the amount of energy and is able ablate nearly twice the region of interest compared to standard sonications. As a result, more volume of uterine fibroids are able to be treated within the same amount of time. The objective of the multi-center trial was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of enhanced sonication.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and the play the winner rule.

The therapeutic trial comparing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with conventional treatment in neonatal respiratory failure reported by Bartlett et al (Pediatrics 1985;76:479-487) uses a method of comparing treatments unlikely to be familiar to most pediatricians. Known as the "randomized play the winner" method, it has thus far been little used in clinical research. Most clinical investigators consider the conventional randomized clinical trial to be the last word in treatment comparisons. But randomized clinical trials are costly, cumbersome, and to some observers less than ideal ethically. The ethical problem arises from the fact that during a "successful" randomized clinical trial (ie, one that demonstrates a significant advantage to one treatment) about half of the trial subjects will receive a treatment which, at the end of the trial, will be known to be inferior.
Failure of CD25+ T Cells from Lupus-Prone Mice to Suppress Lupus Glomerulonephritis and Sialoadenitis

The development of organ-specific autoimmune diseases in mice thymectomized on day 3 of life (d3tx mice) can be prevented by transferring CD4+CD25+ T cells from syngeneic, normal adult mice. Using a d3tx model, we asked whether CD4+CD25+ T cell deficiency contributes to glomerulonephritis (GN) in lupus-prone mice. New Zealand Mixed 2328 (NZM2328) mice spontaneously develop autoantibodies to dsDNA and female-dominant, fatal GN. After d3tx, both male and female NZM2328 mice developed 1) accelerated dsDNA autoantibody response, 2) early onset and severe proliferative GN with massive mesangial immune complexes, and 3) autoimmune disease of the thyroid, lacrimal gland, and salivary gland. The d3tx male mice also developed autoimmune prostatitis. The transfer of CD25+ cells from 6-wk-old asymptomatic NZM2328 donors effectively suppressed dsDNA autoantibody and the development of autoimmune diseases, with the exception of proliferative lupus GN and sialoadenitis. This finding indicates that NZM2328 lupus mice have a selective deficiency in T cells that regulates the development of lupus GN and sialoadenitis. After d3tx, the proliferative GN of female mice progressed to fatal GN, but largely regressed in the male, thereby revealing a checkpoint in lupus GN progression that depends on gender.
International perspectives on retention and persistence

Access to higher education globally is increasing dramatically; attainment of tertiary degrees is a high priority, as educational attainment is associated with increased personal incomes as well as growth of the middle class in developing countries. The purpose of this essay is to briefly examine retention and persistence issues from a global perspective, review some retention strategies that have been employed at schools outside the United States, and to identify several key factors that related to retention and persistence globally, including access, infrastructure, financial consideration, and readiness for tertiary education. There exists an opportunity to utilize knowledge gained in the evolution of the higher education system in the United States to help address the problems associated with retention and persistence. DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v4i2.208
On: object loss, renewed mourning, and psychic change in Jane Austen's Persuasion.

Dear Editors,Margaret Hanly (2007) argues convincingly – persuasively, one could say – that Anne Elliot suffers from unresolved adolescent grief. This interferes with her capacity to resolve her Oe...
The synthesis of programs by analogy

Analogical reasoning is the method by which solutions to old problems are adapted to solve new problems. In this paper we illustrate how analogy can be used in a non-trivial problem solving domain. Though we restrict ourselves here to the domain of computer programming, we argue that the principal idea is applicable to a broad class of problem solving situations.
Reduced digestibility of beef tallow and cocoa butter affects bile acid excretion and reduces hepatic esterified cholesterol in rats

We investigated stearic acid (18:0) digestibility and how it affects bile acid excretion in male Sprague-Dawley rats fed diets containing (g 18:0/ 100 g fatty acids): pork lard (13); beef tallow (19); cocoa butter (35); corn oil (2) or corn oil plus cholestyramine for 25 d. Apparent lipid digestibility was reduced with increased dietary intake of 18:0 as follows: lard (90%), beef tallow (82%), cocoa butter (78%), cholestyramine (87%), and corn oil (94%); P < 0.001, pooled SD = 2. Hepatic concentrations of total and esterified cholesterol were significantly less in cocoa butter-, beef tallow- and cholestyramine-fed groups compared with lard- and corn oil-fed groups. Fecal bile acid excretion was significantly greater in rats fed cocoa butter or cholestyramine compared with those fed corn oil. The half-life of intraperitoneally administered 14C-cholic acid was significantly longer in rats fed cocoa butter (1.36 +/- 0.02 d) compared with cholestyramine (0.98 +/- 0.03 d) and intermediate in those fed corn oil, lard or beef tallow (1.11-1.21 +/- 0.05 d). Fecal excretion of muricholic acids (bile acids) correlated strongly with dietary intake of 18:0 (r2 = 0.98, P < 0.01), whereas excretion of bile acids derived from cholic and chenodeoxycholic acids was similar among groups. In summary, the lower digestibility of cocoa butter is associated with increased fecal bile acid excretion, reduced hepatic concentration of esterified cholesterol, decreased fractional turnover of 14C-cholic acid and increased excretion of muricholic acids in rats. The mechanism by which stearate-rich dietary fats alter bile acid and cholesterol metabolism is, however, uncertain.
Composition modeling framework (CMF)

In this paper, we propose the Composition Modeling Framework (CMF) as a standards-based information engineering methodology that tackles existing and emerging Department of Defense (DoD) interoperability problems using a bottom-up approach. We introduce CMF capabilities within the context of an information space composed of repositories and a catalog that enables consumers' and producers' information requirements to be met. This information space supports dynamic and unscripted interaction among various producers and consumers, but its power as an information management tool is best harnessed when its participants share common goals operating in unison as a Community of Interest (COI). We present the CMF as one approach for representing the structure, meaning and abstract implementation of the underlying information space that services a COI and its participants. In addition to facilitating intra- COI interoperability, we demonstrate how CMF concepts can be used to construct cross-domain interoperability solutions by supporting inter-COI communication and understanding.
Coulomb Interactions and Mesoscopic Effects in Carbon Nanotubes

We argue that long-range Coulomb forces convert an isolated sN, Nd armchair carbon nanotube into a strongly renormalized Luttinger liquid. At high temperatures, we find anomalous temperature dependences for the interaction and impurity contributions to the resistivity, and similar power-law dependences for the local tunneling density of states. At low temperatures, the nanotube exhibits spin-charge separation, visible as an extra energy scale in the discrete tunneling density of states (for which we give an analytic form), signaling a departure from the orthodox theory of Coulomb blockade. [S0031-9007(97)04651-6]
Alternative to ILT method for high-quality full-chip SRAF insertion

A novel approach to Sub-Resolution Assist Feature (SRAF) generation suitable for full-chip production scale applications is discussed in this work. The method enables generation of free-form SRAF insertion guidelines similar to those obtained by solving the inverse lithography problem. The guidelines encompass layout areas where total net effect of an elementary SRAF placement is positive taking into account all neighboring target features. The essence of the method is the assumption that the total impact of placing an elementary SRAF close to several neighboring features can be calculated as a sum of impacts to individual target features, or a simple mathematical function could be used to perform this calculation. Reduction of the SRAF insertion problem to the linear addition of “usefulness” metric on a grid enables the method to be exceptionally computationally efficient. Tests on an aggressive 28nm 100x100 um design contact array clips have confirmed 3+ orders of magnitude faster free-form SRAF generation as compared to commercially available ILT engines.
Porcine SINE-associated microsatellite markers: evidence for new artiodactyl SINEs.

Approximately 24% (170/710) of porcine (dG-dT)n·(dC-dA)n microsatellites isolated in our laboratory are associated with a previously described porcine Short Interdispersed Element (SINE) termed PRE-1 SINE. Another 5.6% (40/710) of the microsatellites were adjacent to two previously unidentified SINE sequences, which we have designated ARE-1P (Artiodactyl Repetitive Element-1 Porcine) and ARE-2P. The ARE repeats were also found in bovine microsatellite and genomic sequences in the GenBank database. Genotypic information was obtained from 68.9% of primers where at least one primer sequence was obtained from the PRE-1 SINE and 66.6% of primer pairs designed from the ARE SINEs. The use of primers derived from SINEs significantly increases the number of primer pairs available for genetic linkage studies in swine.
Laser-Seeded Free-Electron Lasers at the NSLS

The National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) has a long tradition of research and development in accelerator physics and light source technologies. Over the past two decades, the NSLS has made many pioneering contributions to the development of storage-ring-based light sources, such as the Chasman-Green lattice, global orbit feedback systems, and in-vacuum insertion devices. Even from the earliest days of the NSLS, the staff also had started to explore the potential of free-electron-laser (FEL)-based light sources, leading to some seminal work on the theory of self amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) FELs [1,2].
Serum creatine phosphokinase in muscular dystrophy during iodinated amino acid therapy.

Abstract Administration of sodium L-thyroxine (LT 4 ), 0.4 mg/per day or more, was associated with decreases in the high serum CPK levels frequently present in the earlier stages of pseudohypertrophic muscular dystrophy. This was not observed during the administration of tenfold greater molar quantities of sodium D-thyroxine (DT 4 ). These data suggest that an L-configuration of this iodinated amino acid is essential for lowering the serum CPK. High dosages of a thyromimetic compound, an iodinated thyroalkanoic acid, also lowered serum CPK levels. LT 4 and DT 4 in the dosages employed produced comparable increases in pulse rate and each exerted a hypocholesterolemic effect. Hence, the lowering of CPK effected by LT 4 is mediated through mechanisms other than those which affect the cardio-vascular system and the serum cholesterol levels.
Crystal Structure of the Catalytic Domains of Adenylyl Cyclase in a Complex with Gsα·GTPγS

The crystal structure of a soluble, catalytically active form of adenylyl cyclase in a complex with its stimulatory heterotrimeric G protein α subunit (Gs α) and forskolin was determined to a resolution of 2.3 angstroms. When P-site inhibitors were soaked into native crystals of the complex, the active site of adenylyl cyclase was located and structural elements important for substrate recognition and catalysis were identified. On the basis of these and other structures, a molecular mechanism is proposed for the activation of adenylyl cyclase by Gs α.
Civil Society in Post-Communist Eastern Europe and Eurasia: A Cross-National Analysis of Micro- and Macro-Factors

Summary In the democratization process of post-Communist Eastern Europe and Eurasia, civil society development is an important focus for both foreign donors and scholars. This paper utilizes USAID’s “NGO Sustainability Index for Eastern Europe and Eurasia”—the first attempt at compiling comparative data on civil society growth for all post-Communist countries—in a statistical analysis of structural factors and aggregates-of-individuals characteristics argued to support a functioning civil society. I discuss this first attempt at generating data that stands to move the field from intricate knowledge of a few conventional cases to broad comparisons that allow us to think systematically about these countries’ common experience with Communism. Then, in the statistical analysis section, I argue that both structural and individual factors matter for the development of civil society in the post-Communist context.
TRUSS: Tracking Risk with Ubiquitous Smart Sensing

We present TRUSS, or Tracking Risk with Ubiquitous Smart Sensing, a novel system that infers and renders safety context on construction sites by fusing data from wearable devices, distributed sensing infrastructure, and video. Wearables stream real-time levels of dangerous gases, dust, noise, light quality, altitude, and motion to base stations that synchronize the mobile devices, monitor the environment, and capture video. At the same time, low-power video collection and processing nodes track the workers as they move through the view of the cameras, identifying the tracks using information from the sensors. These processes together connect the context-mining wearable sensors to the video; information derived from the sensor data is used to highlight salient elements in the video stream. The augmented stream in turn provides users with better understanding of real-time risks, and supports informed decision-making. We tested our system in an initial deployment on an active construction site.
Nietzsche's Teacher: The Invisible Rhetor

Due to its favorable reception circa 1970, the essay “Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense” has solidified Nietzsche's monumental status within the field of rhetoric and writing studies, allowing those inheriting this perspective to put the essay to use without attending to its intertextual background. This article argues that examining the intertextual reception of Nietzsche's essay will not only disclose an invisible, and hence unacknowledged rhetor—Arthur Schopenhauer—hiding in the shadows of Nietzsche's fragmentary essay; doing so will also reveal to what degree this monument's preservation requires its background to remain forgotten.
A modified hybrid mapping technique for VLBI data

A modified interferometric mapping technique is presented for observations where absolute phase information is not available. This is especially applicable to VLBI observations. The technique corrects weaknesses of conventional hybrid mapping methods in measuring source symmetry, particularly for arrays with an outrigger antenna. An example of such an array is a set of earth-based antennas plus an orbiting antenna.
Employment Gains and Wage Declines: The Erosion of Black Women's Relative Wages Since 1980

Public policy initiatives in the 1950s and 1960s, including Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity law, helped mitigate explicit discrimination in pay, and the expansion of higher education and training programs have advanced the employment fortunes of many American women. By the early 1980s, some scholars proclaimed near equity in pay between black and white women, particularly among young and highly skilled workers. More recent policy initiatives and labor market conditions have been arguably less progressive for black women’s employment and earnings: through the 1980s, 1990s, and the first half of the 2000s, the wage gap between black and white women widened considerably. Using data from the Current Population Survey Merged Outgoing Rotation Group (CPS-MORG), this article documents the racial wage gap among women in the United States from 1979 to 2005. We investigate how demographic and labor market conditions influence employment and wage inequality among black and white women over the period. Although shifts in labor supply influence the magnitude of the black-white wage gap among women, structural disadvantages faced by black women help explain the growth in the racial wage gap.
Evaluation of deformities and pulmonary function in adolescent idiopathic right thoracic scoliosis

Seventy patients with adolescent idiopathic right thoracic scoliosis had full assessment of their pulmonary function using a computerised pulmonary function system. Their mean age at evaluation was 13.8 years. The following measurements were obtained from anteroposterior and lateral standing and antero-posterior supine bending radiographs: lateral curvature, vertebral rotation, kyphosis, maximum sterno-vertebral distance and apical rib-vertebral angles. Using the above measurements, the flexibility of curve, vertebral rotation and rib-vertebral angle asymmetry were calculated. Patients were classified into three groups on the basis of their predicted vital capacity, to determine whether radiological features of deformity can help identify patients with compromised pulmonary function. The mean Cobb angle and vertebral rotation for the 70 patients were 50° (range 35–100°) and 22° (range 1–44°) respectively. The mean flexibility of curve and vertebral rotation were 52% and 49% respectively. Mean thoracic kyphosis was 25%, ranging from -7 to 55%. Of the patients with Cobb angle less than 90%, 71% had vital capacity less than 80% of predicted values, and of these, 18% had marked compromise of vital capacity (less than 60% of predicted values). Mean values of Cobb angle, vertebral rotational flexibility, kyphosis, rib-vertebral angle asymmetry (in standing as well as supine bending radiographs) differed significantly between patients with more than 80% of predicted vital capacity and those with 60% or less of predicted values. Radiological features indicative of better pulmonary function were: rotational flexibility exceeding 55%, rib-vertebral angle asymmetry (standing) less than 25% and kyphosis greater than 15%. Two deformity parameters—that give a better prediction of pulmonary function than the widely used Cobb angle, vertebral rotational flexibility and rib-vertebral angle asymmetry—were identified in this study.
Adenocarcinoma in a sigmoid kidney

Abstract More than 30 cases of adenocarcinoma in a horseshoe kidney have been reported. We report an unusual case of adenocarcinoma in a sigmoid kidney. Although a preoperative arteriogram was not obtained, this should be an essential part of the evaluation and would aid in the surgical approach and technique.
Pulse-Carver-Free RZ-64 QAM Transmitter with Electronic CD Pre-Compensation and Auto Bias Control

We propose a simple optical return to zero quadrature amplitude modulation (RZ-QAM) transmitter with Auto Bias Control (ABC) circuit. This transmitter is pulse carver free and offers electronic pre-compensation for chromatic dispersion (CD). Measured penalty induced by ABC was less than 0.2 dB, with and without CD pre-compensation.
In-situ strain measurements in the Ni/NiO system during high temperature oxidation

Abstract Stresses generated during the high temperature oxidation of metals and alloys can cause scale fracture, buckling and spallation, exposing the underlying metal to renewed oxidation. A transmission X-ray diffraction technique has been used to measure strains in both the scale and the metal during all phases of the oxidation process. Strains were measured in thin Ni foils, 25–125 μm thick, before, during and after oxidation at 900–940 °C in oxygen. Strains were measured in the attached oxide scales during and after oxidation. Compressive residual strains exist in both the oxide and in the metal at room temperature after oxidation is complete. Application of the sin2(Ψ) technique provides an independent confirmation of this conclusion and demonstrates in addition that an equiaxial plane stress state is operative in the oxide, but not in the metal. Substantial variations of residual stresses exist in the metal prior to oxidation and are likely due to grain to grain variations in the large-grained samples used in this study. This variation may help explain the large residual tensile strains, typically 0.4%, that have been measured in the NiO scales during oxidation. Simultaneously, residual tensile strains of approximately 0.08% have been measured in the metal. The condition of balance of forces across the metal/scale interface cannot be applied as a check on self-consistency because the measured strains do not represent appropriate averages for balance of force calculations. Evidence for stress relaxation in the metal due to creep was observed in the 125 μm foils.
Teteraene and pentaene leukotrienes: Selective production from murine mastocytomo cells after dietary manipulation

Abstract A neoplastic mast cell tumor was grown in mice which had been raised since birth on a diet enriched with eicosapentaenoic acid. Intact harvest mastocytoma cells were stimulated with calcium ionophpore A23187 to produce lipoxygenase products from the polyunsaturated fatty acids liberated from the cellular membranes. Leukotriene B4, B5, C4 and C5 were isolated and characterized by HPLC retention time, ultraviolet absorption spectrometry and mass spectrometry. The arachidonic acid content of the mast cell tumor lipids was altered from 9.2 to 3.9 mole% while eicosapentaenoic acid increased from 0.5 to 4.5 mole % in response to the fish oil-supplement diet. The relative amount of arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acids (3.9 and 4.5 mole % respectively) were associated with similar amounts of LTB4 and LTP5 synthesized by the cells. These results suggest that the epoxide leukotrine (LTA) derivative can be made efficiently from either arachidonic or eicosapentaenoic acids when both are present in cellular lipids. In contrast, the ratio of LTC4 to LTC5 (10 to 1) indicates that the reaction of LTA with glutathione may be critically dependent upon the structure of the unsaturated fatty acid with the ratio of LTC4/LTB4 (2.0) more than 10 times greater than that (0.16) for LTC5/LTP5.
Decreased plasma membrane expression of striatal dopamine transporter in aging.

Aging in rodents, monkeys, and man is correlated with a reduction in dopamine transporter (DAT) ligand binding and DAT function. Using Western blot techniques, we investigated whether the source of these age-related changes in DAT was correlated with decreases in DAT protein levels in the striatum, substantia nigra (SN), nucleus accumbens (NAc), and ventral tegmental area (VTA) of 6, 18, and 24-month-old male Fischer 344 rats. The relative levels of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) were also determined in each region. In the striatum, we also assessed [ 3 H]-DA uptake and DAT plasma membrane expression using a membrane-impermeant biotin analog in crude synaptosomes prepared from these age groups. There was no significant age-related difference in DAT immunoreactivity per total protein or per total TH in striatum, NAc, SN, or VTA. Significant age-related changes in TH were only seen in the VTA of the 24-month-old rats (∼60% decrease). However, [ 3 H]-DA uptake and DAT protein recovered in the biotinylated fraction in 24-month-old rats were significantly decreased (∼30%) compared to 6-month-old animals in the striatal synaptosomes. These data suggest that age-related decreases in striatal DAT function and ligand binding are related to a decrease in plasma membrane expression of DAT and not a decrease in the steady-state levels of DAT protein or loss of dopaminergic neuropil.
Book Review: Paediatric Intensive Care. Peter Barry, Kevin Morris, Tariq Ali, editors. (Oxford Specialist Handbooks in Pediatrics series.) Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2010. Soft cover, 896 pages, $79.50.

Paediatric Intensive Care is a concise yet broad-based, fundamental resource for those encountering critically ill children. The book is well suited for its target readership, which is stated to include primary pediatricians, emergency-department staff, pediatric intensive-care trainees and
Implications of cytochromeb6/f location for thylakoidal electron transport

The cytochromeb6/f complex of higher plant chloroplasts is uniformly distributed throughout both appressed and nonappressed thylakoids, in contrast to photosystem II and photosystem I, the other major membrane protein complexes involved in electron transport. We discuss how this distribution is likely to affect interactions of the cytochromeb6/f complex with other electron transport components because of the resulting local stoichiometries, and how these may affect the regulation of electron transport.