cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
If, when, and how financial decisions affect firm value: A meta-analysis

We study the nexus among risk management, capital structure, and firm value by aggregating the existing competing explanations into a new integrated theoretical model, which we test by means of meta-analysis based on 411 empirical studies. We find that capital structure mediates the relation between risk management and firm value. Hence, risk management positively affects leverage by providing greater debt capacities. Further, leverage has a negative impact on firm value. Therefore, managers should leave debt capacities unused but should instead use additional internal funds, made available via from risk management, for carrying out profitable projects and research and development activities.
Neural Representations of Sensorimotor Memory- and Digit Position-Based Load Force Adjustments Before the Onset of Dexterous Object Manipulation

Anticipatory load forces for dexterous object manipulation in humans are modulated based on visual object property cues, sensorimotor memories of previous experiences with the object, and, when digit positioning varies from trial to trial, the integrating of this sensed variability with force modulation. Studies of the neural representations encoding these anticipatory mechanisms have not considered these mechanisms separately from each other or from feedback mechanisms emerging after lift onset. Here, representational similarity analyses of fMRI data were used to identify neural representations of sensorimotor memories and the sensing and integration of digit position. Cortical activity and movement kinematics were measured as 20 human subjects (11 women) minimized tilt of a symmetrically shaped object with a concealed asymmetric center of mass (CoM, left and right sided). This task required generating compensatory torques in opposite directions, which, without helpful visual CoM cues, relied primarily on sensorimotor memories of the same object and CoM. Digit position was constrained or unconstrained, the latter of which required modulating forces beyond what can be recalled from sensorimotor memories to compensate for digit position variability. Ventral premotor (PMv), somatosensory, and cerebellar lobule regions (CrusII, VIIIa) were sensitive to anticipatory behaviors that reflect sensorimotor memory content, as shown by larger voxel pattern differences for unmatched than matched CoM conditions. Cerebellar lobule I-IV, Broca area 44, and PMv showed greater voxel pattern differences for unconstrained than constrained grasping, which suggests their sensitivity to monitor the online coincidence of planned and actual digit positions and correct for a mismatch by force modulation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT To pick up a water glass without slipping, tipping, or spilling requires anticipatory planning of fingertip load forces before the lift commences. This anticipation relies on object visual properties (e.g., mass/mass distribution), sensorimotor memories built from previous experiences (especially when object properties cannot be inferred visually), and online sensing of where the digits are positioned. There is limited understanding of how the brain represents each of these anticipatory mechanisms. We used fMRI measures of regional brain patterns and digit position kinematics before lift onset of an object with nonsalient visual cues specifically to isolate sensorimotor memories and integration of sensed digit position with force modulation. In doing so, we localized neural representations encoding these anticipatory mechanisms for dexterous object manipulation.
Radical retroperitoneal lymph node dissection: how effective in removal of all retroperitoneal nodes?

AbstractSeveral large series have supported the success of retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy as a primary therapeutic modality in the management of non-seminomatous germ cell testicular neoplasms. In 1963 Tavel and associates reported on the inadequacy of this procedure in the complete extirpation of all the retroperitoneal lymph nodes. Our investigation was undertaken to test their conclusions, the sole difference in technique being that the infrarenal lumbar vessels were ligated and divided during the lymph node dissection. Results in 12 cadavers revealed that all retroperitoneal nodal tissue could be excised with the modified technique. These findings were further verified by the absence of any residual retroperitoneal lymph nodes in 3 patients who died of metastatic embryonal cell carcinoma.The extirpative efficacy of this procedure having been established, any major deleterious effects of lumbar ligation, primarily spinal cord ischemia, must be considered. Based on our experience and that of others it ...
Prostaglandin content of human endometrium.

The study objective was to establish the endogenous levels of prostaglandins in endometrium by specific radioimmunoassays and to express the determined values in terms of dry weight of tissue examined. Endometrial specimens were obtained from 46 patients (age range 23-59 years) at Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh who were undergoing medically warranted abdominal or vaginal hysterectomy. Each uterus was bisected vertically within 5 minutes of the final clamping of the uterine blood supply. The endometrium was sharply dissected from the more normal-appearing half uterus and homogenized at high speed for 5 minutes in methanol. The remaining half of the uterus was examined histologically and categorized as being obtained during either the proliferative or the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle or as atrophic. Radioimmunoassays were performed with regents obtained from Clinical Assays Inc. (Cambridge). All 46 specimens were analyzed for prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha). 3 were excluded because their antigenic behavior did not parallel that of known PGF2alpha. Of 28 specimens analyzed for prostaglandin E (PGE) 2 were excluded because of nonparallelism. Concentrations of PGF2alpha and PGE did not differ significantly between specimens obtained during the proliferative or secretory phases of the menstrual cycle. There was a 4-fold higher total uterine content of prostaglandins during the secretory phase and there was a more than 4-fold higher level of PGF2alpha than of PGE during the secretory phase. The 2 types of prostaglandins were present in nearly equal amounts during the proliferative phase. Atrophic endometrium was characterized by a high concentration of prostaglandins but a low total amount consisting of nearly equal amounts of PGF2alpha and PGE.
How low does it go? Too few Galactic satellites with standard reionization quenching

A standard prediction of galaxy formation theory is that the ionizing background suppresses galaxy formation in haloes with peak circular velocities smaller than V_(peak) ≃ 20kms^(−1), rendering the majority of haloes below this scale completely dark. We use a suite of cosmological zoom simulations of Milky Way-like haloes that include central Milky Way disc galaxy potentials to investigate the relationship between subhaloes and ultrafaint galaxies. We find that there are far too few subhaloes within 50 kpc of the Milky Way that had V_(peak) ≳ 20kms^(−1) to account for the number of ultrafaint galaxies already known within that volume today. In order to match the observed count, we must populate subhaloes down to V_(peak) ≃ 6kms^(−1) with ultrafaint dwarfs. The required haloes have peak virial temperatures as low as 1500 K, well below the atomic hydrogen cooling limit of 10^4 K. Allowing for the possibility that the Large Magellanic Cloud contributes several of the satellites within 50 kpc could potentially raise this threshold to 10kms^(−1) (4000 K), still below the atomic cooling limit and far below the nominal reionization threshold.
Is Milrinone Effective for Infants with Mild-to-Moderate Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia?

Objective Pulmonary hypertension with left ventricular dysfunction commonly occurs in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Milrinone, a phosphodiesterase-III inhibitor with lusitropic and vasodilator effects, is used in up to 30% of CDH infants across the United States. No randomized trials have tested the efficacy or safety of milrinone in CDH neonates. Study Design We performed a paired retrospective analysis of CDH infants to assess the efficacy of milrinone treatment (N = 24 pairs). Efficacy was assessed by change in oxygenation index (OI) and calculated pulmonary artery pressure (PAP). We evaluated safety on the basis of risks factors such as nonoperative bleeding, dysrhythmia, hypokalemia, and thrombocytopenia. Results The median age of milrinone initiation was 18 hours (interquartile range [IQR]: 9–38) and the median duration was 127 hours (IQR: 95–194). PAP did not change from the baseline of 49 ± 11 mm Hg (milrinone) and 53 ± 11 mm Hg (no milrinone; p = 0.327). Baseline OI was 9.6 ± 6.5. There was a similar decrease in OI (median [IQR]; milrinone: 58% [16–74]; vs. no milrinone: 65% [50–71]; p = 0.221 between groups; p Conclusion In OI-matched untreated neonates with mild-to-moderate CDH, milrinone use was associated with neither improved OI, PAP, or left ventricular measurements, nor adverse events. Study limitations warrant prospective randomized controlled trials.
Differential Dynamic Changes of Reduced Trait Model for Analyzing the Plastic Response to Drought Phases: A Case Study in Spring Wheat.

Current limited water availability due to climate changes results in severe drought stress and desiccation in plants. Phenotyping drought tolerance remains challenging. In particular, our knowledge about the discriminating power of traits for capturing a plastic phenotype in high-throughput settings is scant. The study is designed to investigate the differential performance and broad-sense heritability of a battery set of morphological, physiological, and cellular traits to understand the adaptive phenotypic response to drought in spring wheat during the tillering stage. The potential of peroxisome abundance to predict the adaptive response under severe drought was assessed using a high-throughput technique for peroxisome quantification in plants. The research dissected the dynamic changes of some phenological traits during three successive phases of drought using two contrasting genotypes of adaptability to drought. The research demonstrates 5 main findings: (1) a reduction of the overall dimension of the phenological traits for robust phenotyping of the adaptive performance under drought; (2) the abundance of peroxisomes in response to drought correlate negatively with grain yield; (3) the efficiency of ROS homeostasis through peroxisome proliferation which seems to be genetically programmed; and (4) the dynamics of ROS homeostasis seems to be timing dependent mechanism, the tolerant genotype response is earlier than the susceptible genotype. This work will contribute to the identification of robust plastic phenotypic tools and the understanding of the mechanisms for adaptive behavior under drought conditions. Summary statement This study presents the estimated broad-sense heritability of 24 phenological traits under drought compared with non-stressed conditions. The results demonstrated a reduced model of the overall dimension of the phenological traits for phenotyping drought tolerant response including a novel trait (peroxisome abundance). Also, it displays that the adaptive mechanism through peroxisomes proliferation that is a genetic-dependent manner and related to the stress phase, since tolerant plants can sense the stress and maintain the cellular balance earlier than the sensitive plants.
A general rearrangement inequality for multiple integrals

Abstract In this paper we prove a rearrangement inequality that generalizes inequalities given in the book by Hardy, Littlewood and Polya1 and by Luttinger and Friedberg.2 The inequality for an integral of a product of functions of one variable is further extended to the case of functions of several variables.
Diffuse Midline Glioma – Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma

Diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27M-mutant, formerly known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), is a malignant and infiltrative neoplasm of the pons. DIPG mainly affects the pediatric population and is associated with dismal prognosis, where less than 10% of sufferers survive beyond 2 years from diagnosis. The diagnosis was based upon the typical clinical presentation/progression and imaging features, and biopsy was discouraged at some point due to the associated surgical toxicity. The clinical interest and exponential growth in the number of molecular studies during the last decade have lead to the discovery of selective driver mutations. Consequently, biopsy regained popularity due to the importance of obtaining tissue for diagnostic and research purposes, and therapeutic trials are shifting from conventional strategies (radiation and chemotherapy) towards targeting unique molecular mechanisms. In this chapter, we present an overview of the current standards as well as the most important recent and clinically-relevant advances in the diagnosis and management of DIPG.
Surrogates: Gaussian process modeling, design, and optimization for the applied sciences: by robert B. Gramacy, CRC press, taylor & francis group, boca raton, FL, 2020, 543 pp., $96.00, ISBN 978-0-367-41542-6

This book offers a good coverage of Gaussian Process for computer simulation experiments. Different from the classic textbook on this topic Santner et al. (2018), as the author stated, “this book m...
A disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain 17-epidermal growth factor receptor signaling contributes to oral cancer pain

Cancer cells secrete pronociceptive mediators that sensitize adjacent sensory neurons and cause pain. Identification and characterization of these mediators could pinpoint novel targets for cancer pain treatment. In this study, we identified candidate genes in cancer cell lines that encode for secreted or cell surface proteins that may drive nociception. To undertake this work, we used an acute cancer pain mouse model, transcriptomic analysis of publicly available human tumor-derived cell line data, and a literature review. Cancer cell line supernatants were assigned a phenotype based on evoked nociceptive behavior in an acute cancer pain mouse model. We compared gene expression data from nociceptive and nonnociceptive cell lines. Our analyses revealed differentially expressed genes and pathways; many of the identified genes were not previously associated with cancer pain signaling. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and disintegrin metalloprotease domain 17 (ADAM17) were identified as potential targets among the differentially expressed genes. We found that the nociceptive cell lines contained significantly more ADAM17 protein in the cell culture supernatant compared to nonnociceptive cell lines. Cytoplasmic EGFR was present in almost all (>90%) tongue primary afferent neurons in mice. Monoclonal antibody against EGFR, cetuximab, inhibited cell line supernatant-induced nociceptive behavior in an acute oral cancer pain mouse model. We infer from these data that ADAM17-EGFR signaling is involved in cancer mediator-induced nociception. The differentially expressed genes and their secreted protein products may serve as candidate therapeutic targets for oral cancer pain and warrant further evaluation.
Neural Stem Cell Death Regulation in Nervous System Development and Disease

Neural stem cell death is critical for the functional organization of the developing nervous system and altered rates of neural stem cell death lead to a variety of neurodevelopmental pathologies. Neural stem cell death can be categorized as type I (apoptotic), type II (autophagic), or type III (necrotic or cytoplasmic). Studies of mice with targeted gene disruptions in key cell death regulators demonstrate that neural stem cell death pathways are tightly regulated by Bcl-2 family of proteins, caspases, and autophagy-associated proteins. Neural stem cells are also affected by a variety of cytotoxic stimuli that trigger stimulus-specific death pathways. Dysregulated neural stem cell death has been implicated in psychiatric and neurologic disease and the therapeutic potential of neural stem cells in various neurodegenerative conditions makes further investigation of the molecules that regulate neural stem cell death essential. In this chapter, we review the pathways regulating neural stem cell death in response to various pathological stimuli including hypoxia-ischemia, DNA damage, glucorticoid exposure, and lysosomal dysfunction.
The End of Affirmative Action

We have arrived at the end of affirmative action. Now, more than ever, institutions of higher learning must move beyond a single-minded focus on educational diversity, which admits students of color primarily to enrich the classroom experiences of their white peers and then ignores what they may need to maximize both engagement and retention. Instead, affirmative action programs need an immediate update; they should take contemporary issues of race and racism into account, as well as the lived realities of students of color—by including multiracial students, recognizing diversity beneath the student of color umbrella, acknowledging intra-racial differences in pan-ethnic groups, and accepting that the resources and realities of Black immigrants differ from native-born Black Americans. Furthermore, to maximize the benefits of educational diversity, institutions must also prioritize equity and inclusion once students are enrolled. Using national longitudinal data from the Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE), this Article compares and contrasts students from different backgrounds on multiple measures to reveal how their lived realities should guide affirmative action efforts for the few remaining years it may survive.
Effects of Stressful Events and Perceived Stress on Cognitive Change Among Depressed Older Adults

Introduction Stress is thought to exacerbate cognitive decline in older adults, especially those with late life depression (LLD); however, the specific aspects of stress that are especially deleterious and the aspects of cognition they affect are not clear. For example, it is not known whether the effects result from the exposure to stressful life events or whether it is the perception of stress that is salient, and whether these relate to the domains of cognition affected. We hypothesized that the number of stressful events and the magnitude of perceived stress in older adults with LLD at baseline would be associated with cognitive decline over 2 years. Methods lder adults (ages 60-90 years) with LLD (n=124, mean age 71.5 years) and never-depressed elderly healthy controls (HCs) (n=39, mean age 74.6 years) were assessed at three time points each one year apart for number of stressful life events within the prior year using the Duke Depression Evaluation Scale, and perceived stress within the prior six months, and with five neurocognitive tests that included the Trail Making (Trail Making B – Trail Making A), Benton Visual Retention Test, Symbol Digit Modalities Test (Processing Speed), Logical Memory Delayed Recall II and Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease neuropsychological battery. Associations were examined (Spearman correlations) between baseline measures of the number of stressful life events and the perception of stress with change in cognitive test performance over time from baseline to year 1 and to year 2. Associations between stress measures and changes in the cognitive measures were considered significant at p Results Only the LLD group showed a significant association between stress and cognitive changes. The level of perceived stress at baseline was associated with a decline on Trail Making from baseline to 1 year (r=0.22, pcorr=0.022); this association was stronger when assessed from baseline to 2 years (r=0.29, p=0.0058). Conclusions This study suggests that for older adults with LLD it was the perception of stress at baseline, not the number of stressful life events at baseline, that was associated with decline in executive functioning in the following 2 years. The findings highlight the importance of assessing the perception of stress in LLD, as individuals with LLD and high levels of perceived stress may be at risk for decline in executive functioning. Further study is warranted on adverse effects of perceived stress in LLD and the potential for preventing decline in executive functioning by reducing levels of perceived stress. Funding National Institute of Mental Health Grant R01 MH108578; The Leo and Anne Albert Charitable Trust
Moving beyond “algorithmic bias is a data problem”

A surprisingly sticky belief is that a machine learning model merely reflects existing algorithmic bias in the dataset and does not itself contribute to harm. Why, despite clear evidence to the contrary, does the myth of the impartial model still hold allure for so many within our research community? Algorithms are not impartial, and some design choices are better than others. Recognizing how model design impacts harm opens up new mitigation techniques that are less burdensome than comprehensive data collection.
Mastering Self-Control

Grounded in nearly a century of scientific research, Mastering Self Control is an academic 'how to' in the mastery of self control. Though most of us have an acute awareness of the goals we want to achieve, we have little insight into how we respond to questions central to successful goal attainment. What is a realistic goal? Can we turn intentions to actions? Why do we need a support system? It is within this context that this volume identifies a series of actionable strategies to push readers to master self-control and consequently optimize goal progress.
A Closer Look at Relationship Structures: Relationship Satisfaction and Attachment Among People Who Practice Hierarchical and Non-Hierarchical Polyamory

Although polyamorous relationships have received increasing attention from researchers over the past decade, little attention has been paid to differences in relationship configurations: some individuals arrange their relationships hierarchically, prioritizing a primary partner; other relationship structures are non-hierarchical with no relationships prioritized over others. Across two samples (NStudy1= 225; NStudy2= 360), we compared relationship satisfaction and attachment security between individuals in hierarchical and non-hierarchical configurations. Greater variability in attachment security was found between partners in hierarchical relationships than those in non-hierarchical relationships; no significant differences were found in variability in relationships satisfaction across these groups. Furthermore, individuals in hierarchical relationships reported lower overall relationship satisfaction and attachment security compared to individuals in non-hierarchical relationships. More specifically, although no significant differences were found between non-hierarchical and primary partners, participants reported lower relationship satisfaction and attachment security with secondary and tertiary partners compared to non-hierarchical and primary partners. Findings suggest that these differences may attenuate with time. Although previous research has found that differences (e.g., in investment) between partners exist in both non-hierarchical and hierarchical configurations, the current research suggests that differences that occur organically rather than in a predetermined manner may be related to greater similarities in attachment security across partners as well as greater overall levels of relationship satisfaction and attachment security for individuals in non-hierarchical configurations. More research is needed to determine whether the observed between-partner differences are consistent with the relationship goals of individuals in hierarchical relationships.
Using “-omics” Data to Inform Genome-wide Association Studies (GWASs) in the Osteoporosis Field

Osteoporosis constitutes a major societal health problem. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified over 1100 loci influencing bone mineral density (BMD); however, few of the causal genes have been identified. Here, we review approaches that use “-omics” data and genetic- and systems genetics–based analytical strategies to facilitate causal gene discovery. The bone field is beginning to adopt approaches that are commonplace in other disease disciplines. The slower progress has been due in part to the lack of large-scale “omics” data on bone and bone cells. This is however changing, and approaches such as eQTL colocalization, transcriptome-wide association studies (TWASs), network, and integrative approaches are beginning to provide significant insight into the genes responsible for BMD GWAS associations. The use of “-omics” data to inform BMD GWASs has increased in recent years, leading to the identification of novel regulators of BMD in humans. The ultimate goal will be to use this information to develop more effective therapies to treat and ultimately prevent osteoporosis.
Antibody Levels to Plasmodium falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1-DBLγ11 and DBLδ-1 Predict Reduction in Parasite Density.

Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) is a variant surface antigen family expressed on infected red blood cells that plays a role in immune evasion and mediates adhesion to vascular endothelium. PfEMP1s are potential targets of protective antibodies as suggested by previous seroepidemiology studies. Here, we used previously reported proteomic analyses of PfEMP1s of clinical parasite isolates collected from Malian children to identify targets of immunity. We designed a peptide library representing 11 PfEMP1 domains commonly identified on clinical isolates by membrane proteomics and then examined peptide-specific antibody responses in Malian children. The number of previous malaria infections was associated with development of PfEMP1 antibodies to peptides from domains CIDRα1.4, DBLγ11, DBLβ3, and DBLδ1. A zero-inflated negative binomial model with random effects (ZINBRE) was used to identify peptide reactivities that were associated with malaria risk. This peptide selection and serosurvey strategy revealed that high antibody levels to peptides from DBLγ11 and DBLδ1 domains correlated with decreased parasite burden in future infections, supporting the notion that specific PfEMP1 domains play a role in protective immunity. IMPORTANCEPlasmodium infection causes devastating disease and high mortality in young children. Immunity develops progressively as children acquire protection against severe disease, although reinfections and recrudescences still occur throughout life in areas of endemicity, partly due to parasite immunoevasion via switching of variant proteins such as Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) expressed on the infected erythrocyte surface. Understanding the mechanisms behind antibody protection can advance development of new therapeutic interventions that address this challenge. PfEMP1 domain-specific antibodies have been linked to reduction in severe malaria; however, the large diversity of PfEMP1 domains in circulating parasites has not been fully investigated. We designed representative peptides based on B cell epitopes of PfEMP1 domains identified in membranes of clinical parasite isolates and surveyed peptide-specific antibody responses among young Malian children in a longitudinal birth cohort. We examined previous infections and age as factors contributing to antibody acquisition and identified antibody specificities that predict malaria risk.
Longitudinal (Panel) Evaluations Using DEA

Monitoring performance over time is essential in health care organizations. There are often major policy changes, new regulations, new medical technologies, adaptation of new organizational structures, and new ways of doing business that affect the performance of organizations over time. This dynamic environment of the health care industry, as well as providers who are adopting these changes, may show varying performance gains (or losses) over time depending upon how they respond to various external or sometimes system-wide internal influences. In DEA literature, there are popular techniques that enable health care managers and researchers to conduct evaluations over time through longitudinal (panel) analysis. One of these methods is the Malmquist productivity index, a method that provides an opportunity to compare the health care facility’s performance from one period to another. The second method is called “Windows” analysis, which provides an opportunity to analyze and compare multiple periods of performance data.
Automated analysis of timing information in UML diagrams

This work introduces an approach to adding timing information to UML diagrams for modeling embedded systems. In order to perform automated formal analysis of these UML diagrams with timing information, we extend a previously developed UML formalization framework to provide Promela semantics for the timing elements of the UML diagrams. The paper describes the application of our approach to an electronically controlled steering system obtained from one of our industrial collaborators.
Macro-programming wireless sensor networks using Kairos

The literature on programming sensor networks has focused so far on providing higher-level abstractions for expressing local node behavior. Kairos is a natural next step in sensor network programming in that it allows the programmer to express, in a centralized fashion, the desired global behavior of a distributed computation on the entire sensor network. Kairos’ compile-time and runtime subsystems expose a small set of programming primitives, while hiding from the programmer the details of distributed-code generation and instantiation, remote data access and management, and inter-node program flow coordination. In this paper, we describe Kairos’ programming model, and demonstrate its suitability, through actual implementation, for a variety of distributed programs—both infrastructure services and signal processing tasks—typically encountered in sensor network literature: routing tree construction, localization, and object tracking. Our experimental results suggest that Kairos does not adversely affect the performance or accuracy of distributed programs, while our implementation experiences suggest that it greatly raises the level of abstraction presented to the programmer.
The mixed alkali effect in sodium and potassium galliosilicate glasses. I. Glass transformation temperatures

Abstract The glass transformation temperatures of several series of mixed alkali galliosilicate glasses have been measured. The non-bridging oxygen content of these glasses is proposed to depend on the gallium to alkali ion ratio, Ga/R. The appearance of minima in the glass transformation temperatures as a function of the soda to total alkali oxide ratio, but independent of Ga/R, indicates that a mixed alkali effect occurs in these glasses even in the absence of alkali ions associated with non-bridging oxygen ions.
Cost Comparison of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention and Special Education for Children with Autism

The financial implications of the increased prevalence of autism, though rarely discussed, will be extremely important to society. We compared the costs associated with 18 years of special education to the costs associated with the implementation of an average of 3 years of Discrete Trial Training as an Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) in an effort to minimize the need for special education. Our results indicate that the state of Texas would save $208,500 per child across eighteen years of education with EIBI. When applied to the conservative estimate of 10,000 children with autism in Texas, the State would save a total of $2.09 billion with EIBI. Implications for taxpayers, policymakers, and treatment are discussed.
WE‐C‐ValA‐05: Comparison of Thermocouple and Spirometer for Monitoring Patient Breathing

Purpose: To show the feasibility of using a thermocouple for monitoring patient breathing and to compare its breathing signal with that of a spirometer. Method and Materials: A mask covering the nose‐and‐mouth region was used to channel the subject's breath to a K‐type thermocouple (TC) and a spirometer. Two different placements of the TC were studied: either it was inserted through a side hole of a plexiglass tube connecting the mask and spirometer or in the oxygen inlet of the mask. This setup allowed simultaneous readings of the temperature and air volume in synchrony. The temperature change is a response to the amount of heat deposited to or taken away from the TC junction. Both signals were collected at the sampling rate of 100 KHz using a data acquisition board. The acquisition program was written in LabWindows. Results: The TC temperature and measured air volume are found to be highly correlated at the two locations. When placed in the oxygen inlet away from the direct inhale/exhale air streams, the sensing temperature shows a cubic dependence on the flow rate. When placed in the plexiglass tube where it was more directly exposed to the inhale air, the temperature exhibits some hysteresis on the flow rate. At both locations, the temperature signals show no drift for 10 minutes of breathing. Conclusions: The proposed TC system can be used as an external surrogate to monitor patient breathing at both TC locations. It has the advantages of spirometry in that it directly responds to the lung air flow. The setup is very easy and has no setup error. However, it does not have the drift problem that plagues spirometry. It is also relatively inexpensive. All these qualities make it attractive and suitable for respiratory gating or tracking to deliver external beam radiation therapy.
Relativistic treatment of p ¯ -atom shifts and widths

The relativistic approach to p-bar-nucleus interactions is extended to p-bar-atom interactions. Both the relativistic impulse approximation and Dirac phenomenology are used to obtain low energy p-bar-nucleus potentials. The impulse approximation is qualitatively successful at describing the p-bar-atom data. For SC, potentials fit to the 46.8 MeV data yield the experimental shifts and widths well within the assigned errors.
Expression of digestive enzymes and nutrient transporters in the intestine of Eimeria maxima-infected chickens

Infection with the intestinal protozoa Eimeria causes destruction of intestinal epithelia, resulting in reduced feed efficiency and BW gain. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of Eimeria maxima infection on the expression of 20 digestive enzymes as well as macro- and micronutrient transporters in the intestine. Expression of the brushborder membrane amino acid transporters EAAT3 (excitatory amino acid transporter 3) and b(o+)AT (Na(+)-independent neutral amino acid transporter) was decreased to 35 to 39% and 20% of control, respectively, in the intestine of E. maxima-infected chickens. Expression of the basolateral amino acid transporter LAT1 and the amino acid transporter ASCT1 was upregulated 17- to 19-fold and 12-fold, respectively, in E. maxima-infected chickens, whereas the zinc transporter was decreased to 20 to 44% of control. In addition, expression of the antimicrobial peptide LEAP-2 (liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide-2) was reduced to 5 to 24% of control. The other 13 digestive enzymes or nutrient transporters examined were unaffected. Together these results suggest a model whereby, upon infection, Eimeria causes a downregulation of LEAP-2. In response, there are changes in expression of the amino acid transporters that would result in a depletion of the energy source (glutamate) and some essential amino acids, which may lead to death of the cell and inhibition of pathogen replication.
Time‐temperature cure behavior of epoxy based structural adhesives

Time/temperature cure profile diagrams of a nylon-epoxy adhesive and a rubber-modified epoxy based structural adhesive have been established from isothermal-cure time torsional braid analysis measurements. The characteristic zones of liquid, gel-rubber and glassy state behavior are noted on the diagrams. With the nylon-epoxy adhesive, the time/temperature cure profile is ill-defined since all the TBA data had to be obtained (due to the particular curing agent involved) at isothermal conditions above the glass temperature of the finally cured adhesive. In comparison, the rubber-modified epoxy system showed distinct zones reflecting the various rheological states traversed during the thermosetting process. The dynamic mechanical. (Rheovibron), morphology, and adhesive joint strength properties are examined as a function of cure cycle.
A Cross-Cultural Study of Waiting as a Satisfaction Driver in Selected Service Encounters

Abstract Waiting is a source of frustration for most time-pressed consumers who often complain about waiting for services. While many different aspects of waiting have been studied, the reported research looks at waiting and its saliency in customer satisfaction across three cultures in three different service-consuming situations. The results indicate that waiting is a satisfaction driver. However, the dimension of waiting that is salient tends to vary across cultures and situations.
Empirically relevant critical values for hypothesis tests: A bootstrap approach

Tests of statistical hypotheses can be based on either of two critical values: the Type I critical value or the size-corrected critical value. The former usually depends on unknown population parameters and cannot be evaluated exactly in applications, but it can often be estimated very accurately by using the bootstrap. The latter does not depend on unknown population parameters but is likely to yield a test with low power. The critical values used in most Monte Carlo studies of the powers of tests are neither Type I nor size-corrected. They are irrelevant to empirical research.
Chemical and physical processes of radionuclide migration at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

The understanding and prediction of radionuclide migration within the geosphere of a high-level radioactive waste repository requires knowledge of chemical and physical processes. In this paper, we present an overview of the investigations being performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory for the site characterization activites of the Yucca Mountain Project. The areas of investigation include: the determination of solubility concentration limits and chemical speciation for fission products and actinides; the collection of sorption data and understanding of sorption mechanisms; and the transport mechanism of advection, diffusion, and dispersion.
Functional Coverage of the Human Genome by Existing Structures, Structural Genomics Targets, and Homology Models

The bias in protein structure and function space resulting from experimental limitations and targeting of particular functional classes of proteins by structural biologists has long been recognized, but never continuously quantified. Using the Enzyme Commission and the Gene Ontology classifications as a reference frame, and integrating structure data from the Protein Data Bank (PDB), target sequences from the structural genomics projects, structure homology derived from the SUPERFAMILY database, and genome annotations from Ensembl and NCBI, we provide a quantified view, both at the domain and whole-protein levels, of the current and projected coverage of protein structure and function space relative to the human genome. Protein structures currently provide at least one domain that covers 37% of the functional classes identified in the genome; whole structure coverage exists for 25% of the genome. If all the structural genomics targets were solved (twice the current number of structures in the PDB), it is estimated that structures of one domain would cover 69% of the functional classes identified and complete structure coverage would be 44%. Homology models from existing experimental structures extend the 37% coverage to 56% of the genome as single domains and 25% to 31% for complete structures. Coverage from homology models is not evenly distributed by protein family, reflecting differing degrees of sequence and structure divergence within families. While these data provide coverage, conversely, they also systematically highlight functional classes of proteins for which structures should be determined. Current key functional families without structure representation are highlighted here; updated information on the “most wanted list” that should be solved is available on a weekly basis from http://function.rcsb.org:8080/pdb/function_distribution/index.html.
Identification and Discrimination of Vowel-Consonant Syllables in Listeners with Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

The speech encoding ability of eight persons with sensorineural hearing loss and three persons with normal hearing was studied in identification and discrimination paradigms. In the identification ...
Resource estimation using random recursive equation models

Abstract Major policy decisions concerning resource use are made on the availability of resource information in a given period of time. In this paper, resource use strategies are discussed using random recursive equation techniques. The model incorporates the random disturbances occuring during short intervals of time. The discrete-time model is designed to predict the expected resource availability and to indicate the precision in terms of its variance.
Progress in using mouse inbred strains, consomics, and mutants to identify genes related to stress, anxiety, and alcohol phenotypes

This article summarizes the proceedings of a symposium that took place at the 2005 meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism. The organizers/chairs were Daniel Goldowitz and Katheen A. Grant. The presentations were as follows: (1) High-Throughput Screening for Ethanol Phenotypes, by Douglas B. Matthews and Kristin M. Hamre; (2) Genetic Basis of Schedule-Induced Polydipsia in Mice, by Guy Mittleman and Elissa J. Chesler; (3) Effects of Stress and Ethanol Dependence on Ethanol Self-administration in Inbred and Mutant Mice, by Howard C. Becker and Marcelo F. Lopez; (4) Changes in Dopaminergic Mechanisms Associated With Ethanol Dependence, by Sara R. Jones and Tiffany A. Mathews; and (5) Defining Brain Region-Specific Gene Networks Relevant to Ethanol Behaviors, by Michael F. Miles and Robnet Kerns.
Secondary ion emission from glycerol under continuous and pulsed primary ion current

Secondary ion intensity from glycerol is measured as a function of 5 keV primary ion current density and is found to be linear over the range 0.1–1 μA cm−2. The possibility that protonated glycerol, or some other condensed-phase precursor to secondary protonated glycerol, exists in solution and enhances secondary ion emission from glycerol is investigated. Kinetics for formation of such precursors by the primary ion beam are described and evaluated by pulsed primary ion beam experiments. Depletion rates are calculated assuming diffusion from the surface as the major loss mechanism Results of this analysis indicate that the mechanism for secondary emission of protonated glycerol does not involve formation of precursors, e.g. solution-phase protonated glycerol, directly or indirectly by the primary ion beam.
Correlating the microstructure of thin films of poly[5,5-bis(3-dodecyl-2-thienyl)-2,2-bithiophene] with charge transport : Effect of dielectric surface energy and thermal annealing

Poly[5,${5}^{\ensuremath{'}}$-bis(3-dodecyl-2-thienyl)-2,${2}^{\ensuremath{'}}$-bithiophene] (PQT-12) is a conjugated polymer that shows promising performance $(\ensuremath{\mu}g0.1\text{ }{\text{cm}}^{2}/\text{V}\text{ }\text{s})$ as a semiconductor for thin-film electronics. The electrical properties of PQT-12 thin films can vary by over 3 orders of magnitude depending on the chemistry of the substrate onto which they are deposited and on annealing conditions. The highest mobility is obtained in films annealed on a dielectric treated with a self-assembled monolayer of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS). Polymeric thin films were processed from either a solution of dissolved PQT-12 molecules in 1,2-dichlorobenzene or from a nanoparticle dispersion of the polymer in the same solvent (nPQT-12). In addition, the substrate surface chemistry was altered by spin coating on a bare ${\text{SiO}}_{2}$ dielectric or on ${\text{SiO}}_{2}$ treated with OTS. The microstructure of the two forms of polymer, as characterized using specular and grazing x-ray diffraction in addition to rocking curves, was compared and correlated with the electrical performance of the films as active layers in thin-film transistors. As-spun films of nPQT-12 are always more crystalline than those of PQT-12, independent of substrate chemistry. Consequently, carrier mobility in as-spun films is higher in nPQT-12 than in PQT-12. The presence of the OTS monolayer at the polymer/dielectric interface increases crystallinity of both PQT-12 and nPQT-12, without significantly affecting their texture. After annealing, the mobility in PQT-12 films and nPQT-12 films is comparable. Annealing causes the polymer films on OTS to undergo crystallite growth in the direction normal to the substrate. In nPQT-12, growth of the crystalline coherence length in the $\ensuremath{\pi}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\pi}$ stacking direction (i.e., parallel to the substrate and in the direction of charge transport) occurs as well. The mobility increase in nPQT-12 on OTS upon annealing is thus attributed to the higher crystallinity of the film. In PQT-12 films deposited on OTS on the other hand, annealing causes a decrease in the out-of-plane misorientation of neighboring crystallites without any significant grain growth in the plane of the film. The mobility increase in PQT-12 on OTS upon annealing is attributed to a better intergrain connectivity, in agreement with electrical modeling of the transistor characteristics using a mobility edge model.
Effect of Crosslinker Length and Composition on the Hydrophobicity and Thermomechanical Response of Acrylate‐Based Shape‐Memory Polymers

Chemical and mechanical experiments are reported to elucidate the macroscopic effects of crosslinker length and composition on the thermomechanical response of acrylate-based SMPs. To this end, EGA-based formulations underwent a battery of basic tests which revealed that by increasing crosslinker chain length, polymer Tg can be decreased but there will be increases in compliance, step recoverability, and damping in a glassy state. Addition of methacrylate groups can cause increases in swelling, T g , storage modulus in shorter chains, and greater damping at a rubbery state. All tested polymers exhibited mild hydrophilicity. PEGDA formulations exhibited good recoverability and could be an option for vascular applications.
Long‐term acidification of farmland in northern Idaho and Eastern Washington 1

Abstract In the past several years many scientists, consultants and growers in northern Idaho and eastern Washington have noticed a decline in the pH of agricultural soils. The purpose of this study was to compile and generate data for the determination of the causes, rate and magnitude of the pH decline in the region. Soil pH records from the past 40 years were collected from the soil testing laboratories at the University of Idaho and Washington State University. An intensive field pH survey was conducted in northern Idaho from 1982–84 and virgin soil samples were acidified under laboratory conditions. Soils in northern Idaho and eastern Washington have undergone a rapid decline in pH in the past 25 years. These soils, which were near neutral in pH in their virgin state, have been acidified to the point that over 65% of the agricultural soils in the region have soil pH values less than 6.0. By 1984 over 45% of the agricultural soils in northern Idaho had pHs less than 5.6. This pH decline is attributed ...