cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Imported Vaccine-Associated Paralytic Poliomyelitis

This is a condition of paralytic poliomyelitis in an unvaccinated individual who traveled abroad and was in contact with an infant recently vaccinated with oral polio vaccine (OPV).
Development of a rapid method to quantify Salmonella Typhimurium using a combination of MPN with qPCR and a shortened time incubation.

A novel method was developed for the specific quantification of S. Typhimurium using a most-probable-number (MPN) combined with qPCR and a shortened incubation time (MPN-qPCR-SIT). For S. Typhimurium enumeration, dilutions of samples were transferred into three wells on a microtiter plate and the plate was incubated for 4 h. The S. Typhimurium presence in the wells was identified using a qPCR and populations were determined based on an MPN calculation. The R2 between the MPN-qPCR-SIT and conventional MPN exhibited a high level of correlation (0.9335–0.9752), suggesting that the MPN-qPCR-SIT offers a reliable alternative method for S. Typhimurium quantification. Although plating and qPCR were limited in their ability to detect low levels of S. Typhimurium (e.g. 0.18 log MPN/ml), these levels could be successfully detected with the MPN-qPCR-SIT. Chicken breast samples inoculated with S. Typhimurium were incubated at 0, 4, and 24 h and incubated samples were subjected to microbiome analysis. Levels of Salmonella and Enterobacteriaceae increased significantly with incubation time. The obvious benefits of the MPN-qPCR-SIT are: 1) a further confirmation step is not required, 2) the detection limit is as low as conventional MPN, but 3) is more rapid, requiring approximately 7 h to simultaneously complete quantification.
Microfabricated multi-frequency particle impedance characterization system

We have developed a microfabricated flow-through impedance characterization system capable of performing AC, multi-frequency measurements on cells and other particles. The sensor measures both the resistive and reactive impedance of passing particles, at rates of up to 100 particles per second. Its operational bandwidth approaches 10 MHz with a signal-to-noise ratio of approximately 40 dB. Particle impedance is measured at three or more frequencies simultaneously, enabling the derivation of multiple particle parameters. This constitutes an improvement to the well-established technique of DC particle sizing via the Coulter Principle. Human peripheral blood granulocyte radius, membrane capacitance, and cytoplasmic conductivity were measured (r = 4.1 μm, Cmem = 0.9 μF/cm2, σint = 0.66 S/m) and were found to be consistent with published values.
An Age of Risk: Politics and Economy in Early Modern Britain

Early modern Britain was a risky place. Disease, inclement weather, harvest failure, war, crime, rebellions and commerce exposed people to uncertainty on a daily basis, generating high levels of an...
Hydrostatic and shock-initiated instabilities in double-hull composite cylinders

Abstract The dynamic collapse of hollow and foam-filled double hull composite cylinders is investigated experimentally. Concentric carbon-fiber/epoxy double cylinders with and without parametrically-graded PVC foam cores are collapsed in a large-diameter pressure vessel under critical hydrostatic pressure as well sub-critical hydrostatic pressure and shock loading. Dynamic pressure data is used in conjunction with underwater Digital Image Correlation (DIC) to determine the effect of the double hull structure on implosion mechanics. Buckling initiation and overall collapse behavior are studied, as well as the pressure pulses released during the dynamic event. Incidents of partial collapse are reported, in addition to cases where the entire structure collapses. The physical mechanisms responsible for this behavior are identified, and the time between inner and outer cylinders collapsing is related to buckling phase angle. For hydrostatically initiated implosions, results show heavier foam cores increase critical collapse pressure linearly with foam crushing strength. Pressure pulses emitted during collapse are shown to occur in distinct phases, with an additional under- and overpressure region present if the inner cylinder collapses. Impulse is demonstrated to be primarily a function of collapse pressure, with energy released increasing with core density. For shock initiated cases, specimens are shown to implode below their natural collapse pressure when subject to explosive loading, with the addition of a foam core substantially increasing structural stability and sometimes preventing collapse. Specimens with foam cores are shown to undergo prolonged vibrations before collapsing. Post-mortem specimens are used to elucidate fracture and failure mechanisms.
STOCHASTIC STABILITY OF A CLASS OF DECENTRALIZED SYSTEMS

Stochastic stability of large-scale decentralized systems is examined in terms of their lower-order subsystems and interconnection patterns. The stability analysis is performed in the sense of Lyapunov, and the results presented are sufficient conditions for exponential stability with probability one.
Assessment of 30-day mortality and complication rates associated with extended deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis following hip fracture surgery.

Abstract Background DVT is a common complication following lower extremity surgery, occurring in up to 60% of patients undergoing hip fracture surgery without postoperative anticoagulation. The risk of fatal PE continues well-beyond two weeks postoperatively, thus extended DVT prophylaxis beyond 14 days may be warranted. This investigation sought to examine the association between prescription of extended DVT prophylaxis and 30-day postoperative complications following hip fracture surgery. Methods This study utilized the ACS NSQIP Hip Fracture Procedure Targeted dataset, a newly available set of patient variables for 2016. The outcome measures were death, occurrence of any postoperative complication, complication subtype, readmission or reoperation within 30-days postoperatively, and length of stay. The primary independent variable was medical DVT prophylaxis continued 28-days postoperatively (“extended DVT prophylaxis”). The control group contains both patients receiving no prophylaxis and those receiving short-duration prophylaxis. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression was employed to control for potential demographic, comorbidity, and procedural/medical confounding factors. Results In total, 7533 surgically treated hip fracture patients treated in 2016 were analyzed. Overall, 57.8% of patients (n = 4354) were prescribed extended DVT prophylaxis. On bivariate analysis, prescription of extended DVT prophylaxis was associated with significantly lower incidence of death (7.7% without vs. 2.7% with, p Conclusions This retrospective cohort study of the 2016 ACS NSQIP found that hip fracture surgery patients prescribed ≥28 days of postoperative DVT prophylaxis exhibited 67% lower odds of death and significantly lower rates of AKI and stroke/CVA as compared to those prescribed short-duration prophylaxis. Given the retrospective and uncontrolled nature of this analysis, these results should be interpreted with caution, and additional prospective randomized controlled trials examining the association between extended DVT prophylaxis and postoperative outcomes are warranted. If these observations accurately reflect real-world experience, these data suggest that ≥28 days of DVT prophylaxis following hip fracture surgery should be strongly considered for patients without explicit contraindications.
Awareness of consensus preventive medicine practice guidelines among primary care physicians.

Introduction Since documented low use of preventive medicine practices may be due to lack of acquaintance with recommended practices, we measured the level of awareness of specific consensus recommendations and assessed factors that might influence awareness. Methods We surveyed 326 randomly selected Kansas primary care physicians stratified by urban-rural location and medical specialty (family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics- gynecology, and pediatrics) using a structured computer-assisted interview or questionnaire composed of 11 specialty-specific multiple choice knowledge questions based on selected published consensus recommendations. Results With a 90% response rate to our survey, χ2 testing and analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed (1) correct response rates ranging from 27% (hypertension treatment threshold) to 99% (follow-up mammography) with a correct response rate of at least 70% for seven of the 11 questions; (2) no consistent differences for overall correct response rates among medical specialties and between practice location, gender, years in practice, preventive medicine exposure during residency or through continuing medical education courses, or acquaintance with source publications; and (3) higher correct response rates for six of 11 questions among physicians with board certification. Conclusions Our results suggest that low use of prevention practices by physicians is likely due to factors other than lack of physician knowledge of published consensus recommendations.
Structure and organization of the rDNA intergenic spacer in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush).

A total-genomic cosmid library was created to isolate complete copies of the rDNA cistron of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in order to study the structure and organization of the intergenic spacer (IGS) in this species. A total of 60 rDNA- positive clones (average inserts > 25 kb) was recovered by screening the library with a rDNA-specific probe. Positive clones were assayed for the presence of the two internal rDNA spacers (ITS-1 and ITS-2) and the entire IGS fragment was successfully amplified from 42 clones by PCR. Length of the IGS fragments ranged from 9.4 to 17.8 kb. Comparative restriction mapping of the IGS–PCR products of several clones indicated two regions of extensive length variation surrounding a central region with sequence conservation. DNA sequence analysis was used to investigate the molecular basis of the IGS length variation and focused on identifying the region responsible for this variation. Over 9 kb of DNA sequence was obtained for one clone (A1) with a total IGS length of approximately 12.4 kb. Sequence of a conserved central region contained two open reading frames and a number of short direct repeats. Length variation in the IGS was determined by RFLP to result from differences in the number of copies of repetitive DNA sequences. These included an 89-bp tandem repeat (α repeats), an 82-bp element (β repeats), a 168–177-bp element (S repeats), and a 179–201-bp element (δ repeats). Overall nucleotide composition of the IGS was biased towards A and T (%GC = 47.4). Maintenance of discrete rDNA-length variants in lake trout suggests that the rate of gene conversion is insufficient to produce homogeneous copies across the genome.
Age and Sex-Related Neurosecretion of Growth Hormone

Although it has long been recognized that the secretion of growth hormone (GH) is influenced by age and sex, the mechanisms through which these factors mediate their effects remain incompletely understood. Indeed, and as is discussed below, in addition to the major gaps in our knowledge, there are numerous inconsistencies in the literature concerning issues which would seem to lend themselves to straightforward experimental approaches. We are of the opinion that much of the confusion in the literature reflects a failure to keep one premise clearly in mind: both age and sex almost certainly have both independent and interrelated effects on GH secretion. Thus, any experimental design utilized to examine issues related to GH secretion must include proper controls to account for these combined influences; failure to do so may and almost surely has provided discordant results. In addition, and although there are many factors which have prompted extensive use of the laboratory rat to address both in vivo and in vitro questions related to the secretion of GH, it must be emphasized that certain GH secretory dynamics in the rat vary markedly from those in the human; e.g., while stress and fasting have a positive effect on GH secretion in the human, they exert strongly negative influences in the rat. With these caveats having been mentioned, we now review briefly the literature concerning the effects of age and sex on the secretion of GH in the rat and human and subsequently discuss some recent observations which have resulted from our combined clinical and basic science research efforts focused on these issues.
Sepsis – Understanding the High Mortality and High Morbidity

Sepsis is the systemic inflammatory response to a severe infection. The mortality of sepsis remains high and only one new drug has been approved for the treatment of sepsis in the past 50 years. The inflammatory and immune responses in sepsis are complex and the lack of understanding of the mechanisms of the basic derangements has impeded the development of effective new therapies. The septic patient has changes in fluid balance, changes in body temperature (fever or hypothermia), and hyperglycemia. At the same time, many patients develop significant organ injury that may result in loss of organ function, in addition to potential failure of critical systems such as the coagulation system. Cytokines, small proteins important in the inflammatory response, may serve as markers of sepsis severity while they play less of a role as the drivers of organ injury. There is substantial heterogeneity in the individual response to sepsis, which may explain why new therapeutic interventions have not been successful.
New Solvable Periodic Potentials from Supersymmetry

We discuss how supersymmetric quantum mechanics can be used to enlarge the class of analytically solvable one-dimensional periodic potentials. We obtain the energy band structure of the Lame potentials pmsn2(x, m) and associated Lame potentials pmsn2(x, m) + qmcn2(x, m)/dn2 (x, m), both of which involve Jacobi elliptic functions with modulus parameter m. We find several new analytic expressions for band edge energies and wave functions. The supersymmetric partners of Lame and associated Lame potentials are additional new solvable potentials with richer spatial features but exactly the same energy band structure.
New Considerations in the Neuropsychology of Motivated Behaviors

Psychologists often distinguish between separate classes of behaviors, which appear to be under different complexities of neural control. Simpler behaviors, such as the leg-flexion reflex of the spinal dog, appear to depend primarily on the initiating stimulus, and are not modified by their outcome (Sherrington, 1906). In contrast, most of the behaviors of interest to psychopharmacologists, such as eating, aggression, and escape from danger, are motivated acts. They are dependent on the outcome they produce, so that the success or failure of prior experiences determines the intensity and persistence of the behavior. For instance, a hungry rat pressing a bar for food reward will soon cease if food is withheld. By using the performance of such an instrumental task as a criterion, it has been shown that rats are motivated not only to eat, drink, and avoid pain, but also to engage in a wide variety of regulatory and instinctive acts (e.g., copulation—Sheffield et al., 1951; mouse-killing—Myer and White, 1965; regulation of body temperature—Weiss and Laties, 1961). Behavioral theorists often model the complexity of motivated behavior by postulating “central motive states” (i.e., hunger, thirst, aggressiveness), the strength of which is thought to be determined by internal (e.g., nutrient availability) as well as external (e.g., food-odor) stimuli.
Abnormalities of placenta implantation

Implantation abnormalities are a group of disorders encompassing several entities with different degree of severity. This section will cover the etiopathogenesis, imaging findings, definition, risk factors, and pathology of the abnormally located and morbidly adherent placenta.
How to Make Fat Autonomous Robots See all Others Fast

The coordination problems arising in a team of autonomous mobile robots have received a lot of attention in the distributed robotics community. Along those lines, we study in this paper the problem of coordinating autonomous mobile robots to reposition on a convex hull so that each robot sees all others. In particular, we consider non-transparent fat robots operating in the 2-dimensional plane. They are abstracted as unit discs and they make local decisions with vision being the only mean of coordination among them. We develop a (deterministic) distributed algorithm that solves the problem for a team of $N\geq 3$ fat robots in $\mathcal{O}(N)$ time avoiding collisions under the semi-synchronous scheduler. The main idea is to enforce the robots to reach a configuration in which (i) the robots' centers form a convex hull; (ii) all robots are on the convex hull's boundary; and (iii) each robot can see all other robots. The result is achieved assuming some reasonable conditions on the input configuration and showing that starting from any input configuration that satisfies our conditions, robots reach such a configuration in linear time and terminate.
Pilot Design for Gaussian Mixture Channel Estimation in Massive MIMO

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is a promising technique for 5G communications due to its superior spectrum and energy efficiencies. Despite its many advantages, the high number of antennas used in massive MIMO brings many challenges in practical implementations. Among them, the pilot overhead for downlink channel estimation becomes unaffordable in frequency division duplex (FDD) massive MIMO systems. In this paper, we exploit the available a priori knowledge of the channel to optimize the pilot design. By utilizing the low-rank nature of the channel matrix, we first derive the minimum number of pilot symbols required for perfect channel recovery. Further, under the general Gaussian mixture model for the channel vector, the pilot symbols are optimized to maximize the mutual information between the measurements of the user and the corresponding channel vector. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed optimal pilot design for the downlink channel estimation in FDD massive MIMO systems.
Nonparametric estimation of risk tracking indices for longitudinal studies.

Tracking a subject's risk factors or health status over time is an important objective in long-term epidemiological studies with repeated measurements. An important issue of time-trend tracking is ...
Unexpected Findings: Intraoperatively Suspected Colon Cancer Turns Out to Be Rectal Cancer

Unexpected findings are not infrequently encountered, either intraoperatively or in the postoperative settings. This chapter will discuss when a suspected colon cancer turns out to be rectal cancer in the operating room.
An Introduction to Radiation Protection

The rise of nuclear medicine as a critical component of clinical care has prompted a concomitant surge in the importance of radiation protection within radiochemistry laboratories, radiopharmacies, and nuclear medicine facilities. Safely working with radioactive materials requires a comprehensive radiation protection program based on several fundamental principles delineated by national and international guidance organizations and regulatory agencies. This chapter will address the most important protection issues to consider when working with unsealed radioactive sources. Important radiological data, practices, program elements, practical rules of thumb, and self-audit checklists are provided as an introduction to radiation protection.
Drug- and Disease-Specific Paradigms for Drug Delivery to the Central Nervous System

Abstract Diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) encompass a large spectrum of pathological states that includes genetic and developmental disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, trauma, and cancer. One limitation of treating these diseases is the protective mechanisms developed by the CNS that limit its exposure to systemically delivered therapies. These mechanisms often affect the efficiency and specificity of CNS drug delivery. This chapter presents an overview of barriers to CNS drug delivery and identifies mechanisms to overcome the protective defenses of the CNS, allowing targeted therapy for specific disease entities.
The effect of gaps in chemotherapy in patients with stage IV colorectal cancer.

e17501 Background: Chemotherapy (CT) utilization in patients with stage IV colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been well documented in community practice settings. Further, clinical trial data indicate...
No one here by that name

This letter is in regard to an article by Dr. John Leslie in the May 1995 issue of AAP News ("Homosexuality is a `treatable9 gender-role disorder"). Dr. Leslie quotes the views of a Dr. Donald B. Rinsley, whom he identifies as a psychiatrist at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. There is no one on the psychiatry staff at the University of Kansas School of Medicine or for that matter, in the entire school, by the name of Dr. Donald B. Rinsley. Please print a correction.
Pressurized liquid extraction followed by liquid chromatography coupled to a fluorescence detector and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry for the determination of benzo(a)pyrene metabolites in liver tissue of an animal model of colon cancer.

Abstract Since metabolism is implicated in the carcinogenesis of toxicants, an efficient extraction method together with an analytical method is warranted to quantify tissue burdens of a carcinogen and/or its metabolites. Therefore, the aim of this study was to validate a pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) method for measuring metabolites of benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P; a food-borne carcinogen] from tissue samples. The sample extraction was performed separately by PLE and liquid–liquid extraction (LLE). PLE followed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to online fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD) was used to quantify separated analytes; and by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-APCI-MS/MS) were used for confirmation purposes. The UHPLC-MS/MS was set-up in the atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) positive interface with selective reaction monitoring (SRM). The analytical performance characteristics of the PLE technique was assessed at different temperatures, pressure, number of cycles and solvent types. A methanol + chloroform + water mixture (30:15:10, v/v/v) yielded greater recoveries at an extraction temperature range of 60–80°C, pressure of 10 MPa and an extraction time of 10 min. The PLE method was validated by the analysis of spiked tissue samples and measuring recoveries and limits of quantitation for the analytes of interest using HPLC-FLD equipment. The optimized PLE-HPLC-FLD method was used to quantify the concentrations of B(a)P metabolites in liver samples obtained from a colon cancer animal model. Overall, PLE performed better in terms of extraction efficiency, recovery of B(a)P metabolites and shortened sample preparation time when compared with the classic LLE method.
Investigation and laboratory diagnosis of an imported Plasmodium ovale malaria case

Objective To investigate the first imported case of P.ovale malaria in Shenzhen area for providing reference for the diagnosis and treatment.Methods The clinical history and epidemiological information were collected.The Plasmodium parasite in blood sample was detected and identified by microscopy,malaria rapid diagnostic test and nested PCR methods.Results The patient returned from malaria endemic areas in Guinea on Jan 24,2014,and developed symptoms of chill,fever and sudation,which lasted about 3hr every day since Mar 3,2014.The different blood stages of P.ovale were observed under microscopy,with fimbriated edges of infected red blood cells.The P.ovale was identified as P.ovale wallikeri by nested PCR.However,the RDT test was negative.The patient was cured with artesunate combined with primaquine phosphate.Conclusion The case was an imported P.ovale malaria according to epidemiological,clinical manifestations and laboratory examination results. Key words: P. ovale malaria; Imported; Epidemiological investigation; Diagnosis
A prediction-based test for multiple endpoints.

This article introduces a global hypothesis test intended for studies with multiple endpoints. Our test makes use of a priori predictions about the direction of the result of each endpoint and we weight these predictions using the sample correlation matrix. The global alternative hypothesis concerns a parameter, ϕ , defined as the researcher's ability to correctly predict the direction of each measure, essentially a binomial parameter. This allows for the test to include expected effects that are all positive, all negative or both while still using the cumulative information across those endpoints. A rejection of the null hypothesis ( H0:ϕ≤ϕ0 ) provides evidence that the researcher's underlying theory about the natural process provides a better prediction of the observed results relative to the null hypothesized predictive ability, thus indicating the theory is worthy of further study. We compare our test to O'Brien's ordinary least squares (OLS) test and show that for small samples and situations where the effect is not in the same direction across all endpoints our approach has better power, while if the effect is equidirectional across all endpoints the OLS test can have greater power.
Evaluating learning curves and competence in colorectal EMR among advanced endoscopy fellows: a pilot multicenter prospective trial using cumulative sum analysis

Background and Aims Data on colorectal EMR (C-EMR) training are lacking. We aimed to evaluate C-EMR training among advanced endoscopy fellows (AEFs) by using a standardized assessment tool (STAT). Methods This multicenter prospective study used a STAT to grade AEF training in C-EMR during their 12-month fellowship. Cumulative sum analysis was used to establish learning curves and competence for cognitive and technical components of C-EMR and overall performance. Sensitivity analysis was performed by varying failure rates. AEFs completed a self-assessment questionnaire to assess their comfort level with performing C-EMR at the completion of their fellowship. Results Six AEFs (189 C-EMRs; mean per AEF, 31.5 ± 18.5) were included. Mean polyp size was 24.3 ± 12.6 mm, and mean procedure time was 22.6 ± 16.1 minutes. Learning curve analyses revealed that less than 50% of AEFs achieved competence for key cognitive and technical C-EMR endpoints. All 6 AEFs reported feeling comfortable performing C-EMR independently at the end of their training, although only 2 of them achieved competence in their overall performance. The minimum threshold to achieve competence in these 2 AEFs was 25 C-EMRs. Conclusions A relatively low proportion of AEFs achieved competence on key cognitive and technical aspects of C-EMR during their 12-month fellowship. The relatively low number of C-EMRs performed by AEFs may be insufficient to achieve competence, in spite of their self-reported readiness for independent practice. These pilot data serve as an initial framework for competence threshold, and suggest the need for validated tools for formal C-EMR training assessment.
Quenched staggered spectrum at β = 6.0, 6.2 and 6.4

Abstract We give a preliminary report on the hadron spectrum on an ensemble of quenched lattices at β values of 6.0, 6.2 and 6.4, using staggered fermions and collaborators Rajan Gupta and Steve Sharpe. Because of the relatively small number of configurations we pay marginally more attention to the question of statistics than in previous analyses. We are unable to discredit quenched QCD.
Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in a subtropical estuary (Galveston Bay, USA) and the impact of Hurricane Harvey.

The landfall of Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 provided the opportunity to study the impact of extreme freshwater discharge on chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) properties in a subtropical estuary (Galveston Bay, Texas). Both fluorescence spectroscopy (excitation-emission matrices) and a three-component parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) model identified changes in CDOM properties. Comparing to Coble’s peaks, component 1 was similar to peak C, component 2 to peak M, and component 3 to peak B. Results clearly show three periods with distinct CDOM properties: a dry season, a wet season, and Hurricane Harvey. The dry season was characterized by higher values of the spectral slope and fluorescence and biological indices. The wet season was characterized by high values of PARAFAC components 1 and 2 (humic-like) and the absorption coefficient at 350 nm. Some CDOM components were highly correlated with salinity, indicating conservative mixing. Component 3 (protein-like) had a low correlation to salinity, suggesting degradation or production processes in the bay. Silicates and NO3- + NO2- had negative relationships with salinity and a positive one with PARAFAC components 1 and 2. PARAFAC component 3 was correlated with dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll a, suggesting a relationship between CDOM fluorescent components and phytoplankton activity. High values of the humification index were observed immediately after Hurricane Harvey, indicating increased input of terrestrial organic matter into the bay. Hurricane Harvey increased CDOM levels and humification, and the variability and changes seem to be mostly due to freshwater discharge from the San Jacinto River and not the Trinity River. The influx of freshwater was sufficient to eliminate the salinity gradient in Galveston Bay and significantly change CDOM properties. Galveston Bay recovered quickly from the hurricane and associated flux of freshwater, returning to pre-hurricane CDOM characteristics in less than 2 months.
Implications of Early Versus Late-Mover Status for Bidders and Their Rivals in Cross-Border Acquisitions

The purpose of this paper is to examine if early market entrants benefit from positive announcement returns in cross-border acquisitions. In examining the acquiring firm shareholder wealth effects, we find evidence that cross-border mergers and acquisitions are wealth-destroying if the announcing firm is an early-mover, especially if the firm's R&D expenses are high. Thus, internalization benefits appear not to be large enough to compensate early-movers for the costs of entering the foreign market. While early-movers seem to experience value destruction from internalizing their intangibles, we find evidence that cross-border acquisitions provide advantages to later market entrants. Specifically, we show that innovative followers (i.e., those with high R&D spending) experience significantly positive CARs upon the announcement of a cross-border acquisition. The potential benefits to these innovative followers are plentiful. First, followers can learn from early-movers and thereby avoid costly mistakes. Further, followers can benefit from early-movers' groundwork of preparing the foreign market and government for the new U.S. presence in their country. Finally, followers can improve products and/or production offered by the early-movers which allows followers to ensure market share. Followers might also enter the foreign market early enough to secure loyal workers, suppliers, and customers. However, these followers enjoy positive CARs only if they expand into countries with a national culture similar to the U.S., where successful integration of the target firm is relatively easy. Rival firms tend to experience similar CARs as the announcing firm which is indicative of a contagion effect. Specifically, cross-border acquisitions announcements appear to provide information about industry conditions that prompt investors to re-assess values of other firms in the same industry. We further find some evidence for certain competitive responses. While cross-border acquisitions generally appear to be value-destroying to early-movers, they increase value for the rival firms. Consistent with our earlier findings, it is beneficial to wait and possibly learn from early-movers. Rivals of followers, on the other hand, experience negative announcement CARs. This finding suggests that followers enjoy great benefits and may be able to create barriers of entry which makes it harder for rival firms to subsequently enter the foreign market.
Serum and Macular Carotenoids in Relation to Retinal Vessel Caliber Fifteen Years Later, in the Second Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease Study

Purpose We investigated whether dietary carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin (L/Z) in the serum and macula were associated with central retinal arteriole and venule calibers in a follow-up ancillary study among older women in the Women's Health Initiative. Methods Among 390 women who participated in Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (CAREDS2) (2016-2019), we investigated associations between serum L/Z at Women's Health Initiative baseline (1994-1998), and macular pigment optical density (MPOD) at CAREDS baseline (2001-2004), with central retinal vessel caliber in CAREDS2. MPOD was measured using heterochromatic flicker photometry (0.5° from the foveal center) in CAREDS baseline and CAREDS2. Vessel calibers were measured from fundus photographs (CAREDS2). We also explored associations in women with stable MPOD (±0.10 optical density units) over 15 years (n = 106), given the long-term increases in MPOD related to diet patterns and supplement use. Associations were investigated using linear modeling. Results In the full sample (n = 390), higher serum L/Z (tertile 3 vs. 1) was positively associated with arteriole caliber (mean ± SE, 145.0 ± 1.4 µm vs. 140.8 ± 1.4 µm; P = 0.05) and venule caliber (214.6 ± 2.2 µm vs. 207.5 ± 2.2 µm; P = 0.03). MPOD was also associated with wider vessel calibers (tertile 3 vs. 1), but the trend was only statistically significant for venules (144.4 ± 1.4 µm vs. 141.1 ± 1.4 µm [P = 0.12] and 213.3 ± 2.1 µm vs. 206.0 ± 2.1 µm [P = 0.02], respectively.) Most associations were strengthened in women with stable MPOD over 15 years, including between MPOD and arteriole caliber (149.8 ± 2.6 µm vs.135.8 ± 3.0 µm; P = 0.001). Conclusions Higher L/Z status in serum and retina was associated with larger central retinal vessel calibers. Prospective studies and clinical trials are needed to elucidate whether L/Z supplementation prevents vision loss through increasing blood flow.
The Evolution of Empirical Methods in Accounting Research and the Growth of Quasi-Experiments

This paper reviews the empirical methods used in the accounting literature to draw causal inferences. Similar to other social science disciplines, recent years have seen a burgeoning growth in the use of methods that seek to provide as-if random variation in observational settings—i.e., “quasi-experiments.” We provide a synthesis of the major assumptions of these methods, discuss several practical considerations for such methods, and provide a framework for thinking about whether and when quasi-experimental and non-experimental methods are well-suited for drawing causal inferences. We caution against the idea that one should restrict attention to only those causal questions for which there are quasi-experiments. We encourage researchers seeking to answer causal questions to triangulate inferences across multiple methods, research designs, and settings.
Videofluoroscopic Assessment of Swallowing

Because radiographic techniques of evaluating the upper, striated-muscle portion of the esophagus differ significantly from those of evaluating the lower, smooth-muscle portion of the esophagus, a radiographic assessment of swallowing should be directed by the patient’s history. The history enables the examiner to focus on the anatomical segment that is most likely involved and to tailor the study accordingly. If the history suggests problems related to the upper esophagus, the patient will require rapid-sequence, cine-fluoroscopy of the oropharynx and hypopharynx with only a few spot films. In contrast, if the history suggests problems of the lower esophagus, then the patient will require cine-radiographic evaluation of swallows in the prone position to assess motility, and double-contrast spot films to detect anatomic abnormalities.
The impact of the circadian timing system on cardiovascular and metabolic function

Epidemiological studies show that adverse cardiovascular events peak in the morning (i.e., between 6 AM and noon) and that shift work is associated with cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes. The endogenous circadian timing system modulates certain cardiovascular risk markers to be highest (e.g., cortisol, nonlinear dynamic heart rate control, and platelet activation) or to respond most unfavorably to stressors such as exercise (e.g., epinephrine, norepinephrine, and vagal cardiac modulation) at an internal body time corresponding to the time of day when adverse cardiovascular events most likely occur. This indicates that the circadian timing system and its interaction with external cardiovascular stressors (e.g., physical activity) could contribute to the morning peak in adverse cardiovascular events. Moreover, circadian misalignment and simulated night work have adverse effects on cardiovascular and metabolic function. This suggests that misalignment between the behavioral cycle and the circadian timing system in shift workers contributes to that population's increased risk for cardiometabolic disease.
Standards for Grid Computing: Global Grid Forum

Formed in 1999, Global Grid Forum (GGF) is an international organization focused on the development of common practices, agreements, and specifications that will promote interoperability and reuse of Grid technologies. To this end, GGF supports a recommendations process modeled after the Internet Standards Process and carried out through working groups. To ensure that the recommendations process operates with understanding about both research directions and end user requirements, GGF also operates a set of research groups. Finally, GGF supports a set of educational and informational activities designed to support and expand the community of Grid developers, researchers, practitioners and end-users.
The Prevalence and Characteristics of Emergency Medicine Patient Use of New Media

Background: Little is known about “new media” use, defined as media content created or consumed on demand on an electronic device, by patients in emergency department (ED) settings. The application of this technology has the potential to enhance health care beyond the index visit. Objective: The objectives are to determine the prevalence and characteristics of ED patients’ use of new media and to then define and identify the potential of new media to transcend health care barriers and improve the public’s health. Methods: Face-to-face, cross-sectional surveys in Spanish and English were given to 5,994 patients who were sequentially enrolled from July 12 to August 30, 2012. Data were collected from across a Southern Connecticut health care system’s 3 high-volume EDs for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 weeks. The EDs were part of an urban academic teaching hospital, an urban community hospital, and an academic affiliate hospital. Results: A total of 5,994 (89% response rate) ED patients reported identical ownership of cell phones (85%, P .05) and personal health records ( P <.001). Ownership of iPhones compared to Android phones were similar (44% vs 45%, P <.05). Race and ethnicity played a significant role in texting and smartphone ownership, with Hispanics reporting the highest rates of 79% and 56%, respectively, followed by black non-Hispanics at 77% and 54%, respectively, and white non-Hispanics at 65% and 42%, respectively ( P <.05). Conclusions: There is a critical mass of ED patients who use new media. Older persons are less comfortable texting and using smartphone apps. Income status has a positive relationship with smartphone ownership and use of smartphone apps. Regardless of income, however, texting and ownership of smartphones was highest for Latinos and black non-Latinos. These findings have implications for expanding health care beyond the ED visit through the use of cell phones, smartphones, texting, the Internet, and health care apps to improve the health of the public. [JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2015;3(3):e72]
Optically addressing microscopic bioactuators for real-time control

Independent control of several, untethered microrobots remains a significant challenge. Although progress has been made in controlling multiple robots at scales below 100 mm, motion is dependent on external energy sources for propulsion and is often not fully decoupled. Here, we develop a method to dynamically pattern light at a resolution of 1 µm2 per pixel in a closed loop real-time system using a digital micromirror device (DMD) system. We test the system on microbiorobots - bacteria-coated microplates - and demonstrate that we can selectively stimulate pre-defined regions of bioactuators. We verify previously developed dynamic models as a step toward developing individually addressable, self-propelled microrobots.
Demyelinating and gliotic cerebellar lesions in Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

PURPOSE To describe the involvement of the cerebellum by a gliotic and demyelinating process in Langerhans cell histiocytosis. METHODS A retrospective analysis of all (N = 30) cases of Langerhans cell histiocytosis followed at our institution since 1975 yielded four patients with CT and/or MR evidence of cerebellar abnormalities. RESULTS Four patients manifested strikingly similar findings of symmetric nonenhancing hypodensities in the dentate nuclei region of the cerebellum, which were hypointense on short-repetition-time/short-echo-time MR and hyperintense on long-repetition-time/long-echo-time MR. Biopsy in one patient yielded areas of demyelination, cell loss, and gliosis without histiocytic infiltration. CONCLUSION Langerhans cell histiocytosis involves the cerebellum in a specific and poorly understood manner. Lesions on imaging may precede clinical findings by years. Lesions may occur in patients who have never experienced radiation therapy and may act as a marker for eventual central nervous system deterioration.
Impact of data gaps on satellite broadband radiation records

[1] A simulated 30-year climate data record of net cloud radiative effect (defined as the difference between clear- and all-sky net top-of-atmosphere radiative flux) based on the first 5 years of Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Terra measurements is created in order to investigate how gaps in the record affect our ability to constrain cloud radiative feedback. To ensure a trend estimate with an uncertainty small enough to constrain cloud radiative feedback to 25% of anthropogenic forcing in the next few decades, the absolute calibration change across the gap must be <0.3% in the shortwave (SW) region and <0.1% in the longwave (LW) region for a 1-year gap occurring in the middle of the record. Given that current calibration accuracy of CERES is 2% in the SW and 1% in the LW (at the 95% significance level), a gap of any length anywhere in the record will significantly increase the time required in order to detect a trend above natural variability because data collected prior to and after the gap cannot be combined accurately enough to ensure trend detection at the required level. To avoid gaps, at least 6 months of global or 1 year of tropical overlapping measurements between successive instruments are needed, based on overlapping CERES Terra and Aqua data.
Current understanding of inflation

Abstract I will discuss the development of inflationary theory and its present status, including recent progress in describing de Sitter space, dark energy and inflationary universe in string theory.
Enantioselective alkylation of chiral enolates

Abstract Alkylations of chiral amide enolates derived from (l)-prolinol have been shown to yield versatile hydroxy-amides in high diastereomeric purity. Their use in the preparation of optically active carboxylic acids is described.
When discourses collide: creationism and evolution in the public sphere

This review essay focuses on Ozgur Taskin’s discussion of the theory of evolution (TOE), intelligent design (ID) and the convictions of fundamentalist science educators and students in his paper entitled: An exploratory examination of Islamic values in science education: Islamization of science teaching and learning via constructivism. It examines the competing social discourses of evolution and creationism in the United States, which is partially maintained by national public opinion polls and states’ legislation about the TOE in the science curricula. The examination of US social discourses presented here is framed by James Gee’s (2008) theory that Discourses with a capital “D,” are unconscious and uncritical socially accepted ways of speaking/listening and writing/reading that are merged with “distinctive ways of acting, interacting, valuing, feeling, dressing, thinking, [and] believing…so as to enact specific socially recognizable identities…” (p. 155). Such Discourses identify insiders of and outsiders to religious affiliations and other social or cultural groups. The context of this examination is unique in that is draws from the national conversation about the inclusion of ID alongside of the TOE in the public school science programs. Gee’s (2011) concept that Discourses serve as tools of inquiry guides the analysis of video recorded public messages from Bill Nye and Lawrence Krauss as well as Creation Museum president Ken Ham. The analysis and discussion of the national conversation about creationism and public education suggests that the education community must consider the global landscape of science literacy both locally and internationally. It also indicates that preservice and practicing science educators may require special training and support. In order to provide unbiased, religious-resistant, evidence-based science instruction, science educators must understand how to separate church from state regardless of their personal beliefs. They must also know how to navigate conversations about the TOE among diverse communities of learners that include both religiously and non-religiously affiliated students.
Purification of polysomes from a lysozyme- resistant desiccation-tolerant cyanobacterium

Six different techniques were compared for the extraction and purification of polysomes from cells of the desiccation-tolerant cyanobacterium Nostoc commune UTEX 584. Cells resisted treatment with lysozyme, and methods which relied upon ‘gentle lysis’ resulted in inefficient cell breakage and poor yields of polysomes. In contrast, the passage of cells through a French Pressure Cell achieved complete disruption of even the most resistant cell aggregates but only monosomes and ribosomal subunits were recovered. The grinding of cells with glass beads in the presence of neutral detergents was the most successful of all the methods tested and resulted in efficient cell lysis with high yields of polysomes. Treatment of the cells with acetone, at 0°C, prior to homogenization, also resulted in good yields of polysomes although the degree of cell breakage was less than when the cells were ground. The choice of the grinding material, and the extent of the grinding, were both critical for polysome extraction. Grinding of cells with alumina and sterile sand gave very efficient cell breakage but no polysomes were recovered. Excessive grinding with glass beads led to a progressive loss of intact polysomes and concomitant increase in 70 S monosomes and subunits in cell extracts. This study provides data on various physical treatments and buffer compositions which may be used effectively in the isolation and purification of polysomal RNA from highly resistant bacterial cells. A method which relies upon the grinding of cells in the presence of neutral detergents will permit further studies of gene expression in cells which resist methods of ‘gentle lysis’.