cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mesoscale modeling of vacancy-mediated Si segregation near an edge dislocation in Ni under irradiation

We use a continuum method informed by transport coefficients computed using self-consistent mean field theory to model vacancy-mediated diffusion of substitutional Si solutes in FCC Ni near an $\frac{a}{2}[1\overline{1}0](111)$ edge dislocation. We perform two sequential simulations: first under equilibrium boundary conditions and then under irradiation. The strain field around the dislocation induces heterogeneity and anisotropy in the defect transport properties and determines the steady-state vacancy and Si distributions. At equilibrium both vacancies and Si solutes diffuse to form Cottrell atmospheres with vacancies accumulating in the compressive region above the dislocation core while Si segregates to the tensile region below the core. Irradiation raises the bulk vacancy concentration, driving vacancies to flow into the dislocation core. The out-of-equilibrium vacancy fluxes drag Si atoms towards the core, causing segregation to the compressive region, despite Si being an oversized solute in Ni.
Catalytic, Enantioselective β-Protonation through a Cooperative Activation Strategy

The NHC-catalyzed transformation of unsaturated aldehydes into saturated esters through an organocatalytic homoenolate process has been thoroughly studied. Leveraging a unique “Umpolung”-mediated β-protonation, this process has evolved from a test bed for homoenolate reactivity to a broader platform for asymmetric catalysis. Inspired by our success in using the β-protonation process to generate enals from ynals with good E/Z selectivity, our early studies found that an asymmetric variation of this reaction was not only feasible, but also adaptable to a kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols through NHC-catalyzed acylation. In-depth analysis of this process determined that careful catalyst and solvent pairing is critical for optimal yield and selectivity; proper choice of nonpolar solvent provided improved yield through suppression of an oxidative side reaction, while employment of a cooperative catalytic approach through inclusion of a hydrogen bond donor cocatalyst significantly improved enantioselecti...
Voice in safety-oriented organizations: Examining the intersection of hierarchical and mindful social contexts

Abstract Workplace safety is a concern for both scholars and practitioners because of the potential for substantial loss of organizational resources. Trending away from a hierarchical perspective of organizations, this paper emphasizes the mindful management of safety and reliability in uncertain organizational environments and posits a theoretical framework that considers the relative importance of different types of social support in a high risk, safety-oriented setting. We posit that one voices to resolve ambiguity, and that social support across the organization fosters this exchange. Moreover, the extent of sustained mindful organizing will influence this relationship.
Pancoast Tumors and Combined Spinal Resections

Pancoast tumors are very challenging lung cancers to treat because they involve vital structures including the brachial plexus, subclavian vessels, and spine. Multimodality management with induction chemoradiotherapy and surgery is now the standard of care for resectable Pancoast tumors. Preoperative planning between thoracic surgery, anesthesiology, and neurosurgery, including lung isolation technique, invasive hemodynamic monitoring, potential neurophysiologic monitoring, and a pain management plan is essential. Surgical approach is determined by the anatomic location of the tumor and is performed from either a posterior or anterior approach, or both. Because subclavian artery and vein involvement may require resection of these vessels, adequate intravascular monitoring and access must be planned. Pain control, pulmonary toilet, and physical therapy are key to achieving satisfactory postoperative recovery.
Height Development of Upper-Canopy Trees Within Even-Aged Adirondack Northern Hardwood Stands

Knowledge of the relative rates of height growth among species is necessary for predicting developmental patterns in even-aged northern hardwood stands. To quantify these relationships, we used stem analysis to reconstruct early height growth patterns of dominant and codominant sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton), white ash (Fraxinus americana L.), and America beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) trees. We used three stands (aged 19, 24, and 29 years) established by shelterwood method cutting preceded by an understory herbicide treatment. We analyzed 10 trees of each species per stand. Height growth was similar across stands, allowing us to develop a single equation for each species. Our data show that yellow birch had the most rapid height growth up to approximately age 10. Both sugar maple and white ash grew more rapidly than yellow birch beyond that point. Beech consistently grew the slowest. White ash had a linear rate of height growth over the 29-year period, while the other species declined in their growth rates. By age 29, the heights of main canopy trees ranged from 38 ft for beech to 51 ft for white ash. Both yellow birch and sugar maple averaged 46 ft tall at that time. By age 29, the base of the live crown had reached 17, 20, 21, and 26 ft for beech, sugar maple, yellow birch, and white ash, respectively. Live– crown ratios of upper-canopy trees did not differ appreciably among species and remained at approximately 40% for the ages evaluated. These results suggest that eliminating advance regeneration changes the outcome of competition to favor species other than beech. North. J. Appl. For. 21(3):117–122.
Treatment of Drinking Water in the United States on the Threshold of the 21st Century

Three basic objectives of water treatment are (ASCE and AWWA, 1990): Production of water that is safe for human consumption, Production of water that is appealing to the public, and Production of water using facilities which can be constructed and operated at a reasonable cost.
Attraction of the Green Lacewing Chrysoperla comanche (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) to Yeast.

Many adult Chrysoperla comanche (Stephens) green lacewings were caught in traps baited with live yeast cultures during tests designed to catch olive fruit flies. All 13 yeast species tested were more attractive than the industry-standard dried torula yeast (Cyberlindnera jadinii; syn. Candida utilis). Live C. jadinii culture attracted significantly more lacewings than the inactive dried-pellet form of the same yeast species, demonstrating that volatiles from live yeast cultures attract adults of this lacewing. Odor profiles for two of the highly active yeasts tested herein (Lachancea thermotolerans and Solicoccozyma terrea) were similar to that for Metschnikowia pulcherrima, a yeast species isolated earlier from the gut diverticulum of Chrysoperla rufilabris. A new Metschnikowia species (M. chrysoperlae), along with two new Candida spp. that were recently realigned to one of the Metschnikowia clades (M. picachoensis and M. pimensis), were also identified from the diverticulum of C. comanche. Thus, one clade of Metschnikowia yeasts that commonly occur in floral nectar appears to exhibit mutualistic symbioses with Chrysoperla green lacewings. Both male and female C. comanche adults were attracted in the present study, and we speculate that males have exploited this symbiosis by offering Metschnikowia-laden regurgitant, including attractive volatiles, to females (‘mating trophallaxis’) as a nuptial gift.
Improved Partial Cancellation Method for High Frequency Core Loss Measurement

Accurate high-frequency core loss measurement is critical for power converter design, especially for integrated voltage regulator application. Partial cancellation method is a promising candidate, which can cancel out loss error caused by phase discrepancy without finely tuning cancellation component values. However, it assumes a small value of phase discrepancy, which is not valid for high frequency. This paper performs the error analysis in this case and proposes an initial compensation method to eliminate this error. Finally, experiments are performed to verify proposed method up to 60MHz.
Poor performance and the value of corporate honesty

Abstract We examine a sample of companies that make announcements attributing blame for recent poor performance to either themselves or an external factor. We find that both groups of companies exhibit poor company-specific performance prior to the announcement, indicating that companies blaming external factors are not being truthful. Following the announcement, companies that blame themselves begin to perform better while those that blame others continue their weak performance. We find no differences in the financial and governance characteristics of these companies. Companies that blame themselves, however, provide more detailed information about the source of the problem, while those that blame others offer only vague generalizations. Our results suggest that managerial honesty and forthrightness have value to shareholders since they imply that the company is more likely to make the corrections necessary to achieve stronger future performance.
Abstract LB-154: Differential predictive modeling to grasp disparities among sub-populations

Background: Many of these practical applications typically produce huge data sets that contain several thousands of objects with hundreds (or even thousands) of features that describe each object. Automatic modeling, organizingand interpreting these large-scale data sets is increasingly part of various disciplines, such as health, medicine, and biology. The study aims to propose a new framework for constrained learning of predictive models where we enforce additional constraints for the models to be as similar as possible. Methods: We develop a new task of differential predictive modeling to solve the problem of differences in the data distributions by developing a continuum of predictive models. To achieve this, we construct a new framework for constrained learning of predictive models where we enforce additional constraints for the models to be as similar as possible. The major distinction of our approach with the existing methods is that none of the existing methods explore the model distance based on building the similar tree concept. We compute the distance between two datasets from the structural information about the induced trees without referring back to the original data statistics or the model statistics. Our 29-state Medicaid dataset, which contains 100% of the claims for 90% of all African American and 90% of all Hispanic and Latino Medicaid enrollees in the entire U.S. geo-coded at the zip code and county levels. Principal Findings: The goal of the disparities work is to capture the differences across different population groups and provide a better understanding that can explain these differences. Using this model, we could be able to measure the group difference in a particular minority group and compare these differences across the other subgroups. This is useful in ranking the groups where the disparity varies from the highest to the lowest. The novelty of our approach is that it captures the disparity of groups through a systematic comparison of multivariate models which cannot be done using any of the existing methods available in the machine learning methods. Conclusions: This model has the potential to dictate more aggressive new therapeutic treatments for specific subsets of high-risk patients. This project proposes new research directions in exploratory tools needed by the domain experts analyzing their data. It will provide significant insights for data analysis that can be utilized in various domains of science. One of the ultimate goals of the proposed research is the development of a clinician-friendly software and web-based analysis tool to analyze the health disparity multivariate data using the prediction models. Citation Format: Wonsuk Yoo. Differential predictive modeling to grasp disparities among sub-populations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-154.
Role and metabolism of omega-6 linoleic acid in the brain

Omega-6 linoleic acid (LA) has become ubiquitous in our diets due to agricultural shifts towards high LA soybean and corn oils, resulting in a 3- to 5- fold increase in LA intake over the past few decades. Despite being a dietary stipulate, LA has been considered a benign fatty acid in the brain because of its low concentration (
The influence of oxygen tension, temperature, and hemoglobin concentration on the rheologic properties of sickle erythrocytes

With the use of micromanipulation techniques, the shear modulus or "rigidity" mu, the recovery time tc, and the unfolding time tf for individual sickle cells have been measured at different oxygen tensions, temperatures, and cell densities. In these experiments, the partial pressure of oxygen was varied from 156 to 40 mm Hg and the temperature was controlled at 25 degrees C or 37 degrees C. Three mean cellular hemoglobin concentrations were studied: 29 g/dL, 33 g/dL, and 46 g/dL. The lighter cells (29 and 33 g/dL) exhibited at most a threefold increase in rigidity as the pO2 was decreased from 156 to 40 mm Hg. At 25 degrees C, the densest cells (46 g/dL) also exhibited a threefold increase. However, at 37 degrees C, the rigidity of these cells increased eightfold between 156 to 40 mm Hg. Compared with normal cells, this gives a rigidity that is 18 times larger. In contrast to the values for mu, the values for tc and tf remained essentially unchanged (within the accuracy of the experiments) for the lighter cells and could not be measured for the densest cells.
Abstract P4-12-08: Evaluation of acute toxicity in triple negative breast cancer patients receiving concurrent capecitabine and radiation

Purpose: The addition of capecitabine is shown to improve survival in patients with Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). Administration of adjuvant capecitabine and radiation therapy sequentially after surgery for TNBC patients prolongs the time from surgery to radiation treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rate of acute loco-regional toxicity in patients with triple negative breast cancer who received concurrent adjuvant capecitabine and radiation. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of all patients diagnosed with breast cancer who were treated with capecitabine and radiation therapy at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey between January 2010 and January 2019. Patients who had a previous radiation treatment course, hormone-receptor positive breast cancer and patients who received treatment sequentially were excluded. A total of 11 patients with TNBC who received concurrent capecitabine and RT were identified. Patient demographics, disease characteristics, radiation and capecitabine details, toxicity profile and treatment breaks were recorded. Toxicity was scored by the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5. Results: Median age was 52 years [34- 65]. Median Follow up from last Radiation treatment was 12 months [1- 63]. All patients had locally advanced disease and were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Adjuvant capecitabine dose ranged between 1000-3000 mg daily concurrent with a definitive course of radiation treatment ranging between 45 Gy- 50.4 Gy followed by an additional 10-14 Gy boost. All patients received radiation to the elective regional lymph nodes. Grade 1 or 2 radiation dermatitis was seen in all patients (11/11). Of the 11 patients, 2 patients (18%) experienced Grade 3 radiation dermatitis within the treatment field. One of these patients had a one week treatment break in which capecitabine was withheld; she then continued to a reduced boost dose. The second patient had grade 3 moist desquamation after completion of her radiation dose. No grade 4 or 5 toxicities were reported. In 10/11 (91%) patients had grade 1 or 2 skin hyperpigmentation. In 2 of the 11 patients, capecitabine was held at one point during treatment. Conclusion: Our study revealed an acceptable toxicity profile of receiving concurrent capecitabine and RT. These data support future prospective evaluation of this approach. Citation Format: Chirag Modi, Zeinab Abou Yehia, Bruce Haffty. Evaluation of acute toxicity in triple negative breast cancer patients receiving concurrent capecitabine and radiation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-12-08.
CD34+ Selected Hematopoietic Cell Boosts (HCB) for Treatment of Refractory Cytopenia Following T-Replete HLA-Haploidentical Transplantation

HLA-haploidentical donor transplants using T-replete grafts and posttransplant cyclophosphamide (HIDT) are increasingly utilized and have helped address the shortage of donors particularly among minority populations. While HIDT seem to produce similar survival outcomes to matched donor transplants, they may be subject to higher rates of early reactivation of some viruses. Myelosuppressive treatments for these viruses, other microbial infections and GVHD may produce prolonged periods of poor hematopoietic function and resulting cytopenia. Additional infusion of hematopoietic cells from the patient’s donor that are ex-vivo depleted of T-cells, may help ameliorate these cytopenias and need for transfusions. Between June 2017 and June 2019 we performed 82 first HIDT at our center. Of these, seven patients (8.5%) underwent a T-cell depleted hematopoietic cell boost (HCB) following remobilization and collection of PBSC from the original donor in to correct refractory cytopenias. Patients were required to have >80% donor T-cell chimerism and have multilineage severe cytopenias for greater than three weeks after demonstrating prior engraftment. Active GVHD was not a contraindication to HCB. Patient characteristics were: Median age 69 (29-74); sex M4, F3; diagnoses - AML 3, NHL1, MPN 1, HL 1, SCD 1; prior autotransplant -2; regimen intensity of transplant - non-myeloablative -6, myeloablatve 1; median CD34 and CD3 doses of the original transplant were -5.01 (2.89-7.58) x 106/kg and 20.88 (3.7-41.6) x 107/kg respectively. All patients had 100% donor CD3 + cell and CD33+ cell chimerism in peripheral immediately prior to HCB. Median time between transplant and HCB was303 days (range 144-1048). Maximum grade acute GVHD and chronic GVHD pre-HCB were - gd 1(1), gd 2(3) gd 3(1) and severe chronic (1 patient). Four patients had active GVHD requiring systemic treatment at the time of HCB. Documented viral infections pre-HCB were: RTI- influenza (2) Parainfluenza(2), RSV(2) coronavirus(2) metapneumovirus(1) rhinovirus (1), adenovirus (1), HHV6 (1); Blood- CMV (3) adenovirus (3), HHV6 (1); Urine BKV (4). Original donors underwent repeat PBSC mobilization using G-CSF and leukapheresis targeting > 5 x 106 CD34 cells/kg. collection. The PBSC collection was CD34+ cell selected using a Miltenyi column (CliniMACS Plus CD34+ System) targeting Download : Download high-res image (192KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure . Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Securing Trade Deals: Matters of Longer Term National Interests or Short Term Economic Interests?

When could matters of mere economic interests be considered to be damaging to matters of national interests and national security? Why is it necessary to ensure that trade-offs in the realization of economic gains do not unintentionally impede overall economic benefits, and more importantly, longer term gains to be derived? Is it in the longer term interest of the economy to subordinate vital policy matters relating to national interests and security or are these aspects so intricately linked - such that national interests also encompass, or rather imply a compromise of national security measures and standards? Domestic policy matters it may appear, could be justified, where these assume precedence over foreign policy matters – particularly in respect of trade , and more specifically, protectionist stances – and particularly as a means of regaining a more competitive, balanced and fair playing field where it is considered that trade partners have exploited many policies and gained considerable competitive advantages particularly in matters relating to patents, copyrights and intellectual property. This is increasingly evident in the current spheres and environment of ever thriving emerging technologies where particularly less advanced economies or corporations with less bargaining powers, require greater protection through the implementation of rules designed to facilitate anti competitive practices whilst not unduly stifling innovation. However, it may also be in the interests of national security to elevate matters of foreign policy – as a means of securing stronger ties and connections with foreign allies – particularly where matters of national security are at stake. This may incorporate the embrace of vital policy matters relating to climate and environmental policy matters – which are increasingly constituting the core and primary elements of many national interests and concerns. As well as a consideration of the above mentioned questions and issues, this paper, aims to reiterate how a “ No Deal Brexit Scenario” could be averted – as well as highlight why it is necessary to ensure that economic interests are not placed in a situation whereby shorter term interests prevail over more beneficial longer term objectives.
Self-Supervised Feature Learning and Phenotyping for Assessing Age-Related Macular Degeneration Using Retinal Fundus Images.

Objective Diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are classified based on human rubrics that are prone to bias. Supervised neural networks trained using human-generated labels require labor-intensive annotations and are restricted to specific trained tasks. Here, we trained a self-supervised deep learning network using unlabeled fundus images, enabling data-driven feature classification of AMD severity and discovery of ocular phenotypes. Design Development of a self-supervised training pipeline to evaluate fundus photographs from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). Participants One hundred thousand eight hundred forty-eight human-graded fundus images from 4757 AREDS participants between 55 and 80 years of age. Methods We trained a deep neural network with self-supervised Non-Parametric Instance Discrimination (NPID) using AREDS fundus images without labels then evaluated its performance in grading AMD severity using 2-step, 4-step, and 9-step classification schemes using a supervised classifier. We compared balanced and unbalanced accuracies of NPID against supervised-trained networks and ophthalmologists, explored network behavior using hierarchical learning of image subsets and spherical k-means clustering of feature vectors, then searched for ocular features that can be identified without labels. Main Outcome Measures Accuracy and kappa statistics. Results NPID demonstrated versatility across different AMD classification schemes without re-training and achieved balanced accuracies comparable with those of supervised-trained networks or human ophthalmologists in classifying advanced AMD (82% vs. 81–92% or 89%), referable AMD (87% vs. 90–92% or 96%), or on the 4-step AMD severity scale (65% vs. 63–75% or 67%), despite never directly using these labels during self-supervised feature learning. Drusen area drove network predictions on the 4-step scale, while depigmentation and geographic atrophy (GA) areas correlated with advanced AMD classes. Self-supervised learning revealed grader-mislabeled images and susceptibility of some classes within more granular AMD scales to misclassification by both ophthalmologists and neural networks. Importantly, self-supervised learning enabled data-driven discovery of AMD features such as GA and other ocular phenotypes of the choroid (e.g., tessellated or blonde fundi), vitreous (e.g., asteroid hyalosis), and lens (e.g., nuclear cataracts) that were not predefined by human labels. Conclusions Self-supervised learning enables AMD severity grading comparable with that of ophthalmologists and supervised networks, reveals biases of human-defined AMD classification systems, and allows unbiased, data-driven discovery of AMD and non-AMD ocular phenotypes.
Ekstraksi Pemahaman Cyprianus tentang Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus bagi Gereja Pentakosta di Era Postmodern

The postmodern era is closely related to pluralism and relativism. All are subject to this principle, including human salvation. Jesus, the only way of salvation, is not accepted absolutely, let alone the Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus principle (outside the church there is no salvation) which was coined by the church father Cyprian. This principle is considered too exclusive because it does not provide room for people outside the church to get salvation. In addition, this teaching was also declared null and void by the times. Is this true? That is why it is important to extract this Cyprian understanding that can be used as guidance for the Pente-costal church. The method used is descriptive qualitative with data collection techniques through library research. The data is then extracted and linked to the actions that have been carried out by the Pentecostal church or synod so far. The results of the study indicate that there is a close relationship between ecclesiology and Christology and soteriology. This principle also supports the authority and duty of the church in conveying salvation to men and maintaining pure teaching. Abstrak Era postmodern erat kaitannya dengan pluralisme dan relativisme. Semua dike-nakan prinsip ini, termasuk keselamatan manusia. Yesus satu-satunya jalan keselamatan saja tidak diterima secara absolute apalagi prinsip Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus (di luar gereja tidak ada keselamatan) yang dicetuskan oleh bapa gereja Cyprianus. Prinsip ini dianggap ter-lalu ekslusif karena tidak memberikan ruang bagi orang diluar gereja mendapatkan kese-lamatan. Selain itu ajaran ini juga dinyatakan batal oleh perkembangan zaman. Apakah benar demikian? Itu sebabnya, penting untuk mengekstraksi pemahaman Cyprianus ini yang dapat menjadi pegangan bagi gereja Pentakosta. Metode yang digunakan adalah kualitatif deskriptif dengan teknik pengumpulan data melalui studi keperpustakaan. Data selanjutnya diekstraksi dan dikaitkan dengan tindakan yang telah dilakukan oleh gereja atau sinode Pentakosta selama ini. Hasil penelitian menyatakan bahwa ada hubungan erat antara eklesiologi dengan kristologi dan soteriologi. Prinsip ini juga memberikan dukungan akan otoritas dan tugas gereja dalam menyampaikan keselamatan kepada manusia dan menjaga ajaran yang murni.
Incentivized Resume Rating: Eliciting Employer Preferences Without Deception

We introduce a new experimental paradigm to evaluate employer preferences, called Incentivized Resume Rating (IRR). Employers evaluate resumes they know to be hypothetical in order to be matched with real job seekers, preserving incentives while avoiding the deception necessary in audit studies. We deploy IRR with employers recruiting college seniors from a prestigious school, randomizing human capital characteristics and demographics of hypothetical candidates. We measure both employer preferences for candidates and employer beliefs about the likelihood candidates will accept job offers, avoiding a typical confound in audit studies. We discuss the costs, benefits, and future applications of this new methodology.
Every Continuum has a Compact Universal Cover

We define the compact universal cover of a compact, metrizable connected space (i.e. a continuum) X to be the inverse limit of all continua that regularly cover X. We show that such covers do indeed form an inverse system with bonding maps that are regular covering maps, and the projection from the inverse limit is a generalized regular covering map in the sense of Berestovskii-Plaut. The inverse limit space is a continuum that is "compactly simply connected" in the sense that its "profinite fundamental group" (the inverse limit of the deck groups of the finite covers) is trivial. We prove a Galois Correspondence for closed normal subgroups of the compact fundamental group, uniqueness, universal and lifting properties. As an application we prove that every non-compact manifold that regularly covers a compact manifold has a unique "profinite compactification", i.e. an imbedding as a dense subset in a compactly simply connected continuum. As part of the proof of metrizability of the inverse limit we show that every continuum has at most n! non-equivalent n-fold covers by continua.
Studies on sulfhydryl groups during cell division of sea urchin egg. VII. Electron transfer between two proteins.

Abstract 1. 1. Electron transfer between a 0.6 M KCl-soluble contractile protein and a water-soluble protein precipitable on addition of Ca2+ ions (Ca2+-insoluble protein) of sea urchin eggs was investigated in relation to the contraction and elongation of the thread made of the former protein. 2. 2. In vivo, mirror image fluctuations in −SH of both the protein fractions were found during the cleavage cycle. 3. 3. In vitro, the oxidation or reduction of the contractile protein was coupled with the reduction or oxidation of the Ca2+-insoluble protein. Glutathione, ascorbic acid, Ca2+ ions and a protein fraction precipitable from the water extract of the eggs at pH 5.0 (pH-5 fraction) were required for the reaction. Electrons were always transferred reversibly from a protein fraction richer in −SH to the other fraction poorer in −SH. The velocity of the reaction depended on the amount of the pH-5 fraction as well as on the initial ratio between −SH levels of both the protein fractions. 4. 4. The thread made of the contractile protein of the egg cortices showed reversible contraction and elongation through the electron-transfer reaction.
A Component Selection Framework for COTS Libraries

Component-based software engineering proposes building complex applications from COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) organized into component markets. Therefore, the main development effort is required in selection of the components that fit the specific needs of an application. In this article, we propose a mechanism allowing the automatic selection of a component among a set of candidate COTS, according to functional and non-functional properties. This mechanism has been validated on an example using the ComponentSourcecomponent market.
Chronic disease, functional health status, and demographics: A multi- dimensional approach to risk adjustment

Abstract OBJECTIVE. The goal of this study was to develop unbiased risk-assessment models to be used for paying health plans on the basis of enrollee health status and use propensity. We explored the risk structure of adult employed HMO members using self-reported morbidities, functional status, perceived health status, and demographic characteristics. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING. Data were collected on a random sample of members of a large, federally qualified, prepaid group practice, hospital-based HMO located in the Pacific Northwest. STUDY DESIGN. Multivariate linear nonparametric techniques were used to estimate risk weights on demographic, morbidity, and health status factors at the individual level. The dependent variable was annual real total health plan expense for covered services for the year following the survey. Repeated random split-sample validation techniques minimized outlier influences and avoided inappropriate distributional assumptions required by parametric techniques. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS. A mail questionnaire containing an abbreviated medical history and the RAND-36 Health Survey was administered to a 5 percent sample of adult subscribers and their spouses in 1990 and 1991, with an overall 44 percent response rate. Utilization data were extracted from HMO automated information systems. Annual expenses were computed by weighting all utilization elements by standard unit costs for the HMO. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS. Prevalence of such major chronic diseases as heart disease, diabetes, depression, and asthma improve prediction of future medical expense; functional health status and morbidities are each better than simple demographic factors alone; functional and perceived health status as well as demographic characteristics and diagnoses together yield the best prediction performance and reduce opportunities for selection bias. We also found evidence of important interaction effects between functional/perceived health status scales and disease classes. CONCLUSIONS. Self-reported morbidities and functional health status are useful risk measures for adults. Risk-assessment research should focus on combining clinical information with social survey techniques to capitalize on the strengths of both approaches. Disease-specific functional health status scales should be developed and tested to capture the most information for prediction.
A Standard for Punitive Damages Under Title VII

This article proposes a new standard for punitive damages under Title VII: punitive damages should be presumptively appropriate in all cases in which the defendant has intentionally discriminated. To avoid the imposition of punitive damages, the defendant should bear the burden of persuasion to show that she acted reasonably and in good faith. This standard comports with related law, is more analytically sound, and will lead to more uniform results than the standards the courts presently use.This article examines the meanings of “intent to discriminate,” “malice,” and “reckless indifference” in analogous areas of law to suggest the approach stated above to the problem of defining a rational standard for punitive damages under Title VII. Section II of the article examines the theories of discrimination and burdens of proof under Title VII, as well as the background, passage, and provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1991. Section III discusses the states of mind required by Title VII and its amendments and then relates these to the states of mind required in analogous and related areas of law. Criminal law is used as an analogous area of law to construct a model, and the related areas of law discussed are sections 1981 and 1983 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Section IV proposes the standard for punitive damages under Title VII, and section V concludes.
Augmented phonocardiogram acquisition and analysis

Heart auscultation (the interpretation of heart sounds by a physician) is a widely used screening method for heart disease. It is well documented, however, that with the exception of expert cardiologists, physicians' auscultation skills are limited. It has also been shown that standard training methods do little to improve these skills. In this paper, we propose an architecture for a phonocardiogram analysis system that can augment a physician's auscultation abilities and serve as a training aid to improve those abilities.
Homocyst(e)ine accumulation in pigs fed diets deficient in vitamin B-6: relationship to atherosclerosis.

The early onset of atherosclerotic lesions in homocystinuric individuals has implicated homocyst(e)ine in the development of atherosclerosis. Two trials were conducted in which diets totally or partially deficient in vitamin B-6 were fed to pigs to investigate the accumulation of homocyst(e)ine in the plasma and the development of vascular lesions. In one trial plasma free homocyst(e)ine levels were 179 and 43 mumol/liter in deficient and adequate pigs, respectively, on day 24, while cysteine levels were 39 and 155 mumol/liter. The concentration of plasma protein-bound homocysteine and cysteine reflected the plasma-free values. Because pigs deficient in pyridoxine could be used only over short time intervals, pigs in trial 2 received 0, 0.03, 0.3 or 3 mg (i.e., 0, 2, 20 or 200% of allowance) of supplemental pyridoxine . HCl per kilogram diet. After 12 weeks pigs deficient and adequate in vitamin B-6 were injected intravenously with Evan's blue dye and the vascular trunk perfused with 2% glutaraldehyde. The aorta and major organs were removed and examined for vascular lesions. Grossly no significant lesions were seen. Light microscopy revealed occasional foci of intimal degeneration and mural thickening in the renal arterioles of pigs deficient in vitamin B-6. An area of focal medial necrosis was observed in one of the pigs deficient in vitamin B-6. Pigs fed diets containing 0.03 mg pyridoxine . HCl per kilogram diet had homocyst(e)ine concentrations not different from pigs fed diets with no added pyridoxine. Animals fed diets containing 0.3 mg pyridoxine . HCl per kilogram had homocyst(e)ine concentrations slightly higher than controls fed 3.0 mg/kg. Feed intake and weight gain increased with increasing pyridoxine in the diet. Swine offer an excellent vascular model for humans. Diets partially deficient in vitamin B-6 which cause the homocyst(e)ine concentration to increase, but allow better growth and feed consumption than diets totally deficient in pyridoxine, could be fed to pigs to study homocyst(e)ine-induced vascular damage over extended period of time.
Toward Application of Virtual Reality to Visualization of DT-MRI Volumes

We describe a virtual reality application for visualizing tensor-valued volume data acquired with diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI). We have prototyped a virtual environment that displays geometric representations of the volumetric 2nd-order diffusion tensor data and are developing interaction and visualization techniques for two application areas: studying changes in white-matter structures after gamma-knife capsulotomy and pre-operative planning for brain tumor surgery.
Safety and compliance with an emergency medical service direct psychiatric center transport protocol.

Abstract Objectives To evaluate compliance and safety of an emergency medical service (EMS) triage protocol that allows paramedics to transport patients directly to psychiatric emergency services. Methods A psychiatric patient diversion protocol was developed for our system. Protocol compliance was evaluated the following 3 ways: (1) psychiatric facility intake forms completed by mental health workers on patients transported by EMS directly to a psychiatric emergency service (PES) bypassing the ED, (2) hospital records for patients who were redirected from PES to the ED for medical evaluation, (3) retrospective analysis of ambulance charts. Study outcomes included protocol noncompliance rate, protocol failure rate, and any morbidity associated with either noncompliance or protocol failure. Data were analyzed using proportions and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results A total of 174 patients were directly transported to PES bypassing ED medical clearance. The protocol effectively screened for medical issues in 96% of cases. Protocol noncompliance occurred in 51 cases for a frequency of 29% (CI, 22%-36%). One patient in the paramedic noncompliance group required hospital admission. There was protocol failure in 5 (2.9%; 95% CI, 0.9-6.6) of the patients who fit all protocol requirements for transport to PES but required secondary transport to the ED. All were subsequently transferred back to PES. Nine patients (5.2%; CI, 2.7%-9.5%) required secondary transfer to the ED. No patient had critical or life-threatening problems. Conclusions Emergency medical service providers showed a poor level of compliance with vital sign criteria, but the protocol provided a high level of safety.
Behavior of Adult Hylemya seneciella, an Anthomyiid (Diptera) Used for the Biological Control of Tansy Ragwort

Studies were made on the ovipositional behavior of Hylemya seneciella (Meade), an anthomyiid fly the larvae of which feed on tansy ragwort, Senecio jacobaca L., to facilitate the spread of this introduced fly as a biological control. Ovipositing females showed a significant preference for 4-mm-diameter spheres over spheres that were 5 or 6 mm diameter. Spheres 3 or 7 mm diameter were less acceptable, and spheres 1, 2, and 8 mm diameter were unsatisfactory. However, the preference of ovipositing females for spheres or cubes 4 or 5 mm diameter did not differ significantly. Yellow and orange were equally attractive; green, red, and white were less so; and blue was the least attractive. Attempts to mate caged adults 1–13 days old failed under varying light period and intensity, even in the presence of S. jacobaca buds.
UV enhancement and erasure of second-harmonic generation in germanosilicate fibers

Exposure of germanosilicate fibers to cw UV light at 351.1 nm from an argon-ion laser is shown to have dramatic effects on the seeded preparation of the material for second-harmonic generation. We show that 100 μW of 351.1-nm radiation for periods as short as 20 s leads to large, permanent enhancements of the second-harmonic conversion efficiency. The UV exposure provides an increase of 7 orders of magnitude in final conversion efficiency in one regime of IR preparation intensity and allows preparation with cw IR and second-harmonic wavelengths. In addition, the 351.1-nm wavelength was shown to erase the χ(2) grating much more efficiently than did 514.5-nm radiation.
A randomized prospective controlled trial of oral acyclovir versus oral ganciclovir for cytomegalovirus prophylaxis in high-risk kidney transplant recipients

Background. Posttransplantation cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection remains a significant cause of morbidity in kidney transplant recipients. We performed a randomized prospective controlled trial of oral acyclovir versus oral ganciclovir for CMV prophylaxis in a group of renal allograft recipients considered at high risk for CMV disease due to the use of OKT3 induction therapy. Methods. A total of 101 recipients of cadaveric (83) and zero haplotype-matched live donor (18) kidney transplants were entered into the trial. A total of 22 D-R- patients received no prophylaxis. Twenty-seven D+R-, 29 D+R+, and 23 D-R+ patients were randomized to receive 3 months of either oral acyclovir (800 mg q.i.d.) or oral ganciclovir (1000 mg t.i.d.). Doses were adjusted according to the level of renal function. The D+R- patients were also given CMV immune globulin biweekly for 16 weeks. Surveillance blood cultures were obtained at transplantation, at months 1, 2, 3, and 6, and when clinically indicated. The primary study end points were time to CMV infection and disease the first 6 months after transplantation. Results. The mean follow up was 14.4 months. Both agents were well tolerated, and no drug interruptions for toxicity occurred. CMV was isolated in 14 of 39 (35.9%) acyclovir-treated and 1 of 40 (2.5%) ganciclovir-treated recipients by 6 months (P=0.0001). Symptomatic CMV disease occurred in 9 of 14 (64%) of the acyclovir patients, two with tissue-invasive disease. Infection rates for acyclovir vs. ganciclovir, respectively, stratified by CMV serology were: D+R-, 54 vs. 0%, P=0.0008; D+R+, 43 vs. 6.6%, P=0.01; D-R+, 8.3 vs. 0%, P=NS. No patient developed CMV infection while taking oral ganciclovir, however three delayed infections occurred 2-7 months after finishing therapy. Each patient had been previously treated for acute rejection. Conclusions. Oral acyclovir provides effective CMV prophylaxis only for recipients of seronegative donor kidneys. Oral ganciclovir is a superior agent providing effective CMV prophylaxis for recipients of seropositive donor kidneys. Recipients who are treated for acute rejection are at risk for delayed CMV infection during the first posttransplantation year.
PARAINFLUENZA VIRUS EPIDEMIOLOGY

Between October 1957 and June 1972, a parainfluenza virus was isolated from 8.3% of 6,400 hospitalized respiratory disease patients, from 8.3% of 10,000 respiratory disease outpatients, and from 0.7% of 8,800 control subjects who were free of respiratory disease. A total of 548 type 1, 234 type 2, 593 type 3, 45 type 4A and 18 type 4B infections were demonstrated by virus recovery. At least one respiratory disease patient yielded a parainfluenza virus during 174 of the 177 consecutive months of study; parainfluenza 1 virus was recovered during 110 of these months, while parainfluenza 2, 3 and 4 viruses were recovered in 58, 144 and 34 months respectively. Parainfluenza 1 virus tended to be most active in even-numbered years, while parainfluenza 2 and 3 viruses usually were most active in odd-numbered years. Overall, the peak activity of parainfluenza 1 and 2 viruses occurred in October, while parainfluenza 3 virus was most active in June and November. Based on virus recovery and/or complement-fixation sero-response, 41.4% of hospitalized croup patients and 17.9% of all hospitalized respiratory patients showed evidence of parainfluenza virus infection. The parainfluenza viruses as a group apparently rank second only to respiratory syncytial virus as a cause of respiratory disease, particularly serious respiratory disease, in our study population of infants and young children.
The Effect of Weight Loss and Exercise Training on Flow-Mediated Dilatation in Coronary Heart Disease: A Randomized Trial

Background More than 80% of patients entering cardiac rehabilitation are overweight, with a high prevalence of associated insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and a prothrombotic state. Because each of these characteristics is associated with abnormalities of endothelial-dependent flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), a predictor of long-term prognosis in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), we assessed the effect of exercise training and weight reduction on FMD in overweight patients with CHD. Methods All patients (N = 38) participated in behavioral weight loss while taking their usual preventive medications. Subjects were randomized to one of two exercise protocols, which differed by caloric expenditure. The primary outcome was extent (%) of brachial artery FMD measured by ultrasonography before and after the 4-month exercise and weight-loss program. Results Both study groups experienced an increase in brachial artery FMD after weight loss and exercise. Patients randomized to the higher-caloric exercise condition (longer-distance walking) lost more weight (8.6 ± 4.1 kg vs 2.3 ± 3.3 kg [P Conclusions Exercise and weight loss increased FMD in overweight and obese patients with CHD. Greater weight reduction was associated with a greater improvement in FMD; thus, there was a dose effect. Trial registry ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT00628277; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov
Higher-order modulation effects on solitary wave envelopes in deep water

The envelope equation of Dysthe (1979), which provides an extension of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLS) to fourth order in wave steepness, is used to discuss higher-order modulation effects on the long-time evolution of solitary wave envelopes in deep water. The Dysthe equation admits solitary-wave solutions, similar to those of the NLS. Using perturbation methods, it is shown that an initial disturbance in the form of a solitary wave group of the NLS evolves to a solitary wave of the Dysthe equation having lower peak amplitude and moving with higher speed than the original wave; the increase in wave speed is caused by a downshift in wavefrequency. Asymptotic expressions are derived for this amplitude decrease and frequency downshift, which are consistent with numerical and experimental results.