cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ability of novice clinicians to interpret high-resolution optical coherence tomography for ocular surface lesions.

Abstract Objective To assess the ability of novice clinicians to use a commercially available high-resolution anterior segment optical coherence tomography (HR-OCT) device to diagnose various lesions of the ocular surface and cornea. Methods Cross-sectional study. Twenty-six black-and-white HR-OCT images were projected, and clinicians were asked to determine whether the lesions represented ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) or another ocular surface pathology. A 20-minute instructional lecture was given on HR-OCT interpretation, and the same 26 images were shown. The clinicians were asked to repeat their assessment of the lesions. Thirty-four novice clinicians at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami, FL, participated. A commercially available device (RTVue, Optovue, Fremont, Calif.) was specifically chosen for this study. Results The mean frequency of correct identification of the 26 lesions was 70% (standard deviation [SD] 15%) before instruction; after a short lecture, the frequency of correct identification improved to 84% (SD 9%, p = 0.002). Novice clinicians were more accurate in correctly determining that a lesion was not an OSSN (ruling it out as a diagnosis) than in determining that a lesion was an OSSN (p = 0.001). Some lesions (both OSSN and not OSSN), however, were more difficult to interpret than others. Conclusion This study demonstrated that all levels of novice clinicians can quickly improve diagnostic accuracy with a commercially available HR-OCT after a short training session.
Design and evaluation of a two-phase learner-centered new student orientation program.

Abstract Background and purpose To identify student perceptions associated with a learner-centered, multi-stage, flipped, new student orientation for a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program. Educational activity and setting First-year PharmD students over three years (2012–2014) were engaged in a two-phase learner-centered orientation process designed to allow students to customize the transition experience. After orientation, students completed a survey to assess programming and their perceptions of readiness to begin the PharmD program. Utilizing student feedback, the orientation program evolved each year to better meet the needs of incoming students. Findings In 2014, 78.9% of students felt confident in their ability to transition to the PharmD program after orientation, an increase from 55.7% in 2012 when the changes in orientation were first implemented. Additionally, student perceptions of readiness to transition to the PharmD program improved each year. Discussion and summary Implementation of a learner-centered, flipped, new student orientation may improve students’ perceptions of readiness for study and decrease anxiety of transitioning to a PharmD program. Additionally, it may be an effective tool for increasing orientation program efficiency, while improving student engagement.
Tree-Structured Clustering via the Minimum Cross Entropy Principle

We propose a new interdisciplinary approach to the tree-structured clustering problem, wherein structural constraints are imposed in order to reduce the classification search complexity of the resulting statistical classifier. Most known methods are greedy and optimize nodes of the tree one at a time to minimize a local cost. By constrast, we develop a joint optimization method, derived based on information-theoretic principles and closely related to known methods in statistical physics. The approach is inspired by the deterministic annealing method for unstructured clustering, which was based on maximum entropy inference. The new approach is based on the principle of minimum cross entropy, using informative priors to approximate the unstructured clustering solution while imposing the structural constraint. As in the original deterministic annealing method, the number of distinct representatives (and hence the tree) grows in a non-heuristic fashion by a sequence of phase transitions which occur so as to optimize the effective free energy cost. Examples demonstrate considerable improvement over known methods.
Behavioral and physiological consequences of sleep restriction

Adequate sleep is essential for general healthy functioning. This paper reviews recent research on the effects of chronic sleep restriction on neurobehavioral and physiological functioning and discusses implications for health and lifestyle. Restricting sleep below an individual's optimal time in bed (TIB) can cause a range of neurobehavioral deficits, including lapses of attention, slowed working memory, reduced cognitive throughput, depressed mood, and perseveration of thought. Neurobehavioral deficits accumulate across days of partial sleep loss to levels equivalent to those found after 1 to 3 nights of total sleep loss. Recent experiments reveal that following days of chronic restriction of sleep duration below 7 hours per night, significant daytime cognitive dysfunction accumulates to levels comparable to that found after severe acute total sleep deprivation. Additionally, individual variability in neurobehavioral responses to sleep restriction appears to be stable, suggesting a traitlike (possibly genetic) differential vulnerability or compensatory changes in the neurobiological systems involved in cognition. A causal role for reduced sleep duration in adverse health outcomes remains unclear, but laboratory studies of healthy adults subjected to sleep restriction have found adverse effects on endocrine functions, metabolic and inflammatory responses, suggesting that sleep restriction produces physiological consequences that may be unhealthy. Citation: Banks S; Dinges DF. Behavioral and physiological consequences of sleep restriction. J Clin Sleep Med 2007;3(5):519-528.
Adaptive Laboratory Evolution for Strain Engineering

Complex phenotypes, such as tolerance to growth inhibitors, are difficult to rationally engineer into industrial model organisms due our poor understanding of their underlying molecular mechanisms. Adaptive evolution circumvents this issue by exploiting the linkage between growth rate and inhibitor resistance to select for mutants with enhanced tolerance. In order to aid experimentalists in the design and execution of adaptive laboratory evolution, we present detailed protocols for batch, continuous, and visualizing evolution in real-time (VERT) approaches to this technique.
Association of thyroid status prior to transition to end-stage renal disease with early dialysis mortality

Author(s): You, Amy S; Sim, John J; Kovesdy, Csaba P; Streja, Elani; Nguyen, Danh V; Brent, Gregory A; Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar; Rhee, Connie M | Abstract: BackgroundAdvanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, including those receiving dialysis, have a high prevalence of thyroid dysfunction. Although hypothyroidism is associated with higher death risk in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, no studies have examined whether thyroid status in the pre-ESRD period impacts mortality after dialysis initiation.MethodsAmong US veterans with CKD identified from the national Veterans Affairs database that transitioned to dialysis over the period from October 2007 to September 2011, we examined the association of pre-ESRD serum thyrotropin (TSH) levels averaged over the 1-year pre-dialysis ('prelude') period with all-cause mortality in the first year following dialysis initiation.ResultsAmong 15 335 patients in the 1-year prelude cohort, TSH levels g5.0 mIU/L were associated with higher mortality in expanded case-mix Cox models (reference: TSH 0.5-5.0 mIU/L): adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.20 (1.07-1.33). Similar findings were observed for TSH g5.0 mIU/L and mortality in the 2- and 5-year cohorts: aHRs (95% CI) 1.11 (1.02-1.21) and 1.15 (1.07-1.24), respectively. Analyses of finer gradations of TSH in the 1-year prelude cohort demonstrated that incrementally higher levels g5.0 mIU/L were associated with increasingly higher mortality in expanded case-mix models (reference: TSH 0.5-3.0 mIU/L): aHRs (95% CI) 1.18 (1.04-1.33) and 1.28 (1.03-1.59) for TSH levels g5.0-10.0 mIU/L and g10.0 mIU/L, respectively. In the 2- and 5-year cohorts, mortality associations persisted most strongly for those with TSH g10.0 mIU/L, particularly after laboratory covariate adjustment.ConclusionsAmong new ESRD patients, there is a dose-dependent relationship between higher pre-ESRD TSH levels g5.0 mIU/L and post-ESRD mortality. Further studies are needed to determine the impact of TSH reduction with thyroid hormone supplementation in this population.
Interactive Physics-Inspired Traffic Congestion Management.

This paper proposes a new physics-based approach to effectively control congestion in a network of interconnected roads (NOIR). The paper integrates mass flow conservation and diffusion-based dynamics to model traffic coordination in a NOIR. The mass conservation law is used to model the traffic density dynamics across the NOIR while the diffusion law is applied to include traffic speed and motion direction into planning. This paper offers an analogy between traffic coordination in a transportation system and heat flux in a thermal system to define a potential filed over the NOIR. The paper also develops an interactive light-based and boundary control to manage traffic congestion through optimizing the traffic signal operations and controlling traffic flows at the NOIR boundary nodes. More specifically, a model predictive boundary control optimizes the NOIR inflow traffic while a receding horizon optimizer assigns the optimal movement phases at the NOIR intersections. For simulation, the paper models traffic congestion in a heterogeneous NOIR with a large number of interior and boundary nodes where the proposed interactive control can successfully manage the congestion.
Exploring the Boundaries of Deception in Simulation: A Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract Background Deception can be defined as causing someone to accept a falsehood as true. Within simulation, a deception is an aspect of the environment for which there is no clear agreement or knowledge among facilitators and learners about its ground rules, boundaries, or existence. The psychological literature surrounding deception is mixed, and little simulation-specific research exists. Methods This mixed-methods survey-based research explored attitudes for and against deception's use and facilitator perceptions of psychological risk and ethical harm. Subjects consisted of a random sample of members from three international simulation societies that included nurses, physicians, standardized patients, and educational specialists. The survey was designed and tested using an iterative process and distributed using SurveyMonkey™. Descriptive statistics and thematic analyses were performed. Results Eighty-four (11%) of surveys were completed. Thirty-three percent of respondents currently use modification/deception, whereas 61 to 75% of respondents expressed psychological and ethical concerns. Thematic analysis yielded five themes: types of modification/deception, decision-making considerations and guardrails, never events (high risk), potential detriments, and potential benefits. Conclusions The use of deception appears relatively prevalent in the simulation community, but significant concerns also exist. Careful consideration of all relevant factors is needed if deception is to be used responsibly.
Active Voltage Balancing Embedded Digital Gate Driver for Series-Connected 10 kV SiC MOSFETs

This paper focuses on series connection of 10 kV SiC MOSFETs which enables higher operation voltage of devices for medium voltage application. To minimize switching losses, active voltage balancing for series-connected 10 kV SiC MOSFETs is implemented instead of passive snubbers. For this purpose, a new gate driver is designed for active voltage balancing of two series-connected 10 kV SiC MOSFETs with the following features: 1) miniaturized 10 kV drain-source voltage measurement unit and its interconnection to gate-driver; 2) Tunable gate signal delay time adjustment unit with 0.25 ns resolution; 3) Rogowski current sensing unit for fault current detection. Based on the developed gate driver, the FPGA-based closed-loop gate signal timing control for active voltage balancing and fault protection of series-connected 10 kV SiC MOSFETs are designed in this paper. The proposed gate driver and active voltage balancing method are validated in a phase-leg test achieving 16 kV total blocking voltage.
In-line Photoresist Defect Reduction through Failure Mode and Root-Cause Analysis:Topics/categories: EO (Equipment Optimization)/ DR (Defect Reduction)

This paper describes a data driven method to investigate in-line defect elevations, analyze root causes and thereafter, implement systematic improvements in manufacturing process and equipment. The problem described is an elevated random defect, observed post-patterning, and traced to incoming particulates in photoresist and/or spin-on dielectrics. The detailed analysis of inspection and defect metrology data leads to systematic diagnosis and improvement in the point-of-use photoresist filtration along with minimal downtime of the photoresist line. The methodology described is a good reference method for fab lines, when faced with similar ’special-cause’ defect problems that originate from incoming wet chemicals.
Modeling the impact of evolving biofilms on flow in porous media inside a microfluidic channel

This study integrates microfluidic experiments and mathematical modeling to study the impacts of biofilms on flow in porous media and to explore approaches to simplify modeling permeability with complicated biofilm geometries. E. coli biofilms were grown in a microfluidic channel packed with a single layer of glass beads to reach three biofilm levels: low, intermediate, and high, with biofilm ratios (βr) of 2.7%, 17.6%, and 55.2%, respectively. Two-dimensional biofilm structures and distributions in the porous medium were modeled by digitizing confocal images and considering broad ranges of biofilm permeability (kb) (from 10-15 m2 to 10-7 m2) and biofilm porosity (eb) (from 0.2 to 0.8). The overall permeability of the porous medium (k), the flow pathways and the overall/local pressure gradients were found to be highly dependent on βr and kb but were moderately impacted by eb when the biofilm levels were high and intermediate with kb>10-11 m2. When biofilm structures are well developed, simplified biofilm geometries, such as uniform coating and symmetric contact filling, can provide reasonable approximations of k.
Multi-Spectral THz Micro-Doppler Radar Based on a Silicon-Based Picosecond Pulse Radiator

In this paper, THz vibrometry using a custom picosecond pulse radiator is demonstrated. THz vibrometry is based on the micro-Doppler phenomenon, in which the periodic movement of radar targets modulates the frequency of the electromagnetic waves reflected from their surface. The modulation depth depends on the amount of surface displacement and the carrier frequency. Since the micro-Doppler effect is stronger at higher frequencies, vibrometry in THz band benefits from higher sensitivity compared to RF and mm-wave. In this experiment, sound vibrations with the frequency ranging from 100 Hz to 1 kHz were used to modulate THz carrier tones produced by a broadband THz pulse radiating silicon chip. A music track, a chirp sound, and multiple frequency tones were produced by a speaker, and then were recovered by the downconversion of the modulated THz tone and analog demodulation at the receiver. Additionally, a phase-noise reduction technique is introduced to boost the sensitivity of low-frequencv micro-Doppler detection.
The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children: A Psychometric Review.

The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC) is a 90-item caregiver-report measure of childhood traumatic stress and abuse-related experiences in children, ages three to twelve years old...
Resilient Virtualized Systems Using ReHype.

System-level virtualization introduces critical vulnerabilities to failures of the software components that implement virtualization -- the virtualization infrastructure (VI). To mitigate the impact of such failures, we introduce a resilient VI (RVI) that can recover individual VI components from failure, caused by hardware or software faults, transparently to the hosted virtual machines (VMs). Much of the focus is on the ReHype mechanism for recovery from hypervisor failures, that can lead to state corruption and to inconsistencies among the states of system components. ReHype's implementation for the Xen hypervisor was done incrementally, using fault injection results to identify sources of critical corruption and inconsistencies. This implementation involved 900 LOC, with memory space overhead of 2.1MB. Fault injection campaigns, with a variety of fault types, show that ReHype can successfully recover, in less than 750ms, from over 88% of detected hypervisor failures. In addition to ReHype, recovery mechanisms for the other VI components are described. The overall effectiveness of our RVI is evaluated hosting a Web service application, on a cluster of VMs. With faults in any VI component, for over 87% of detected failures, our recovery mechanisms allow services provided by the application to be continuously maintained despite the resulting failures of VI components.
Joseph: lessons on scarcity for the pending climate change:

The biblical story of Joseph is a narrative that offers several notable ethics. Of interest in this essay is Joseph’s response to the scarcity created by a regional famine consuming Egypt and Canaa...
Does the Gross Spread Split Compensate Lead Underwriters for Analyst Coverage

Since underpricing and gross spread are the two main revenue sources for investment banks in public offerings and Cliff and Denis (2004) find that underpricing is used to compensate analyst coverage, this paper examines the IPO syndicate data to investigate whether the gross spread compensates investment banks for analyst coverage. We find evidence to support the premise that the gross spread is used to compensate lead underwriters for analyst coverage when the lead underwriter has a strong bargaining power to advantageously shape up the compensation structure. After accounting for several critical issues, our results remain unchanged.
Air and water quality monitor assessment of life support subsystems

Preprotype air revitalization and water reclamation subsystems (Mole Sieve, Sabatier, Static Feed Electrolyzer, Trace Contaminant Control, and Thermoelectric Integrated Membrane Evaporative Subsystem) were operated and tested independently and in an integrated arrangement. During each test, water and/or gas samples were taken from each subsystem so that overall subsystem performance could be determined. The overall test design and objectives for both subsystem and integrated subsystem tests were limited, and no effort was made to meet water or gas specifications. The results of chemical analyses for each of the participating subsystems are presented along with other selected samples which were analyzed for physical properties and microbiologicals.
Technology and transaction cost economics: A reply

Abstract I argue here, as I have previously, that technology is neither fully determinative of nor irrelevant to economic organization. Transaction cost economizing occupies a prominent position in any effort to assess the efficacy of alternative forms of economic organization.
Defining Federal Crimes – Chapters 2-4

These are three chapters from a forthcoming Federal Criminal Law casebook that will focus on institutional interactions -- between Congress and the courts; the courts and prosecutors, and among elements within the federal enforcement bureaucracy. Chapter 2 focuses on criminal jurisdiction under the Commerce Clause. Chapter 3 generally considers how separation of powers issues play out in the interpretation of federal criminal statutes. Chapter 4 explores mail and wire fraud.
Preclinical evaluation of tolerance induction protocols and islet transplantation in non‐human primates

Non-human primate studies of tolerance induction strategies in solid organ transplantation represent a critical bridge between studies in rodents and humans. Our work demonstrates that strategies involving the blockade of co-stimulatory molecules, especially the CD40-CD154 pathway, have great potential for clinical adaptation. While the combination of anti-CD154 antibody with blockade of the CD28 pathway reduced donor antibody production, graft survival was not significantly improved over that achieved with anti-CD154 antibody alone. Moreover, although long courses of steroids seem to interfere with this approach, it may be possible to combine blockade of the CD40-CD154 pathway with other conventional immunosuppressants without sacrificing efficacy. This is a key issue for reducing the risk associated with eventual clinical trials. Work in the non-human primate islet transplant model demonstrates that viable islets can be recovered, isolated and infused in a reliable fashion. It also confirms the efficacy of a steroid sparing approach to immunosuppression for islet transplantation. These data have been expanded to the kidney allograft model, setting the stage for kidney islet transplantation studies. Overall, tolerance induction and islet transplant studies in non-human primates permit the preclinical screening of promising immunomodulatory approaches developed in rodents and reduce the inherent uncertainties associated with adapting new regimens to the clinic.
The Nature of Collaboration in Music Education

Educational partnerships in music education may take many forms. As the boundaries of music education expand, so partnerships may be extended to early childhood music programs in daycares and nursery schools, to intergenerational exchanges between elementary school students and geriatric patients, to internships in church music and music industry. Collaborative efforts may involve one methods class and its practicum, or an entire school system and a university music department. Whatever form or scope they take, educational partnerships must maintain the essential principles of collaboration: mutual involvement and commitment, shared goals, continuous communication, and realization of joint benefits. Partnerships between universities and schools are essential if we are to narrow the gap between theory and practice in teaching and prepare future educators adequately. The schools themselves will benefit immediately due to the infusion of ideas from the universities, and in the future, from access to a cadre ...
Hot-carrier effect in ultra-thin-film (UTF) fully-depleted SOI MOSFETs

A systematic study was carried out on the hot-carrier (HC) effect in UTF FD SOI MOSFETs. It clarifies experimentally that even for very thin-film devices, the HC-induced damage is locally confined to the gate-oxide and only minor interface trap generation is caused on the BOX under front-channel stress. The BOX HC charging contributes less than 5% of the overall current degradation.
INHIBITION OF GROWTH BY AMBER SUPPRESSORS IN YEAST

Strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that contain highly efficient amber (UAG) suppressors grow poorly on nutrient medium, while normal or nearly normal growth rates are observed when these strains lose the suppressors or when the suppressors are mutated to lower efficiencies. The different growth rates account for the accumulation of mutants with lowered efficiencies in cultures of strains with highly efficient amber suppressors. Genetic analyses indicate that one of the mutations with a lowered efficiency of suppression is caused by an intragenic mutation of the amber suppressor. The inhibition of growth caused by excessive suppression is expected to be exacerbated when appropriate suppressors are combined together in haploid cells if two suppressors act with a greater efficiency than a single suppressor. Such retardation of growth is observed with combinations of two UAA (ochre) suppressors (Gilmore 1967) and with combinations of two UAG suppressors when the efficiencies of each of the suppressors are within a critical range. In contrast, combinations of a UAA suppressor and a UAG suppressor do not affect growth rate. Apparently while either excessive UAA or excessive UAG suppression is deleterious to yeast, a moderate level of simultaneous UAA and UAG suppression is not.
Transducin in Rod Photoreceptors: Translocated When Not Terminated

Phototransduction in the vertebrate retina occurs in the outer segment (OS) of photoreceptor cells. Translocation of signaling proteins between the OS and the inner segment (IS) ([Sokolov et al., 2002][1]; [Lee et al., 2003][2]) allows these cells to adapt to a wide range of light intensities. This
Pathogenesis of persistent truncus arteriosus in light of observations made in a dog embryo with the anomaly.

Abstract Among 36 embryos obtained from a strain of Keeshond dogs in which there is a large incidence of spontaneously occurring conotruncal anomalies, a specimen with persistent truncus arteriosus, type 1 was found. The embryo had a crown-rump length of 20 mm. The specimen was serially sectioned and a wax plate reconstruction was made of the heart and proximal great vessels at a magnification of × 100. The truncal valve was quadricuspid and dysplastic; associated anomalies were a right subclavian artery arising anomalously from the descending aorta, a single coronary artery, an absent ductus arteriosus and a small persistent left cranial (superior) vena cava. The truncus cushions were hypoplastic, had failed to fuse and each had simply produced an arterial cusp. The observations made on this embryo support the view that in persistent truncus arteriosus there is failure of septation of the truncus arteriosus. No evidence was found in favor of the concept that persistent truncus arteriosus represents a form of tetralogy of Fallot with atresia of the subpulmonary infundibulum and partial or complete absence of the aorticopulmonary septum.
Possible High-Energy Neutrinos from the Cosmic Accelerator RX J1713.7–3946

The observation of TeV γ-rays of π0 origin from the supernova remnant RX J1713.7-3946 might have revealed the first specific site where protons are accelerated to energies typical of the main component of the cosmic rays. In this Letter, we calculate the high-energy neutrino flux associated with this source to be 40 muon-type neutrinos per squared kilometer per year. We perform the same calculations for other known sources of TeV γ-rays and show how neutrino observations can establish whether the TeV γ-rays emitted by blazars and supernova remnants are the decay products of neutral pions and thus unequivocally establish the sources as cosmic accelerators.
Faculty Appraisal--an MBO Approach.

(1980). Faculty Appraisal—An MBO Approach. The Journal of Business Education: Vol. 55, No. 5, pp. 208-210.
Erratum: “Color-tunable organic light emitting devices” [Appl. Phys. Lett. 69, 2959 (1996)]

Commission Internationale de L’e´clairage, Publication 15.2-1986~1986!.FIG. 3. The CIE color coordinates of the SOLED spectra, calculated using the standard CIE tristimulus values ~ﬁlled circles!. The points marked ~a! and ~b!correspond to 100% emission from the blue and red elements, respectively. Insets: Photographs of the SOLED tuned to blue ~a! and red ~b!. Each device isapproximately 1.5 mm in diameter. Above the working SOLED is a burnt-out device, left in the picture for registration.274 Appl. Phys. Lett. 70 (2), 13 January 1997 0003-6951/97/70(2)/274/1/$10.00 © 1997 American Institute of Physics
Structural determinants of opioid activity in derivatives of 14-aminomorphinones: effects of changes to the chain linking of the C14-amino group to the aryl ring.

The 14-aminodihydromorphinone and codeinone series of opioid ligands have produced a number of ligands of substantial interest. To investigate the importance of the 14-substituent, a series of analogues in which the side chain length is varied and the amide and alkene functions are reduced have been prepared. Binding affinity, particularly at the μ-opioid receptor (MOR), was largely determined by the aromatic group of the side chain. In the [35S]GTPγS functional assay, the ligands having a three-carbon side chain were more potent antagonists than their longer chain counterparts, while shorter, two-carbon chain analogues were of higher MOR efficacy, an effect that was confirmed in vivo. Wash-resistant binding was observed within this series and appeared to be unrelated to side-chain length.
Direct detection of products from the pyrolysis of 2-phenethyl phenyl ether

The pyrolysis of 2-phenethyl phenyl ether (PPE, C(6)H(5)C(2)H(4)OC(6)H(5)) in a hyperthermal nozzle (300-1350 °C) was studied to determine the importance of concerted and homolytic unimolecular decomposition pathways. Short residence times (<100 μs) and low concentrations in this reactor allowed the direct detection of the initial reaction products from thermolysis. Reactants, radicals, and most products were detected with photoionization (10.5 eV) time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PIMS). Detection of phenoxy radical, cyclopentadienyl radical, benzyl radical, and benzene suggest the formation of product by the homolytic scission of the C(6)H(5)C(2)H(4)-OC(6)H(5) and C(6)H(5)CH(2)-CH(2)OC(6)H(5) bonds. The detection of phenol and styrene suggests decomposition by a concerted reaction mechanism. Phenyl ethyl ether (PEE, C(6)H(5)OC(2)H(5)) pyrolysis was also studied using PIMS and using cryogenic matrix-isolated infrared spectroscopy (matrix-IR). The results for PEE also indicate the presence of both homolytic bond breaking and concerted decomposition reactions. Quantum mechanical calculations using CBS-QB3 were conducted, and the results were used with transition state theory (TST) to estimate the rate constants for the different reaction pathways. The results are consistent with the experimental measurements and suggest that the concerted retro-ene and Maccoll reactions are dominant at low temperatures (below 1000 °C), whereas the contribution of the C(6)H(5)C(2)H(4)-OC(6)H(5) homolytic bond scission reaction increases at higher temperatures (above 1000 °C).
Romantic Disease Discourse: Disability, Immunity, and Literature

The turn of the twentieth century saw the first global effort to catalogue disease. The International System of Nomenclature of Diseases and Causes of Death—now abbreviated ICD-1 (1900)—sought to r...
On the accuracy of least squares algorithms for estimating zeros

We investigate the accuracy of least-squares-based algorithms for estimating system zeros in the presence of known or unknown order and known or unknown relative degree. Specifically, we use least-squares to estimate the parameters of ARX and μ-Markov models from which zero estimates are calculated directly using the numerator polynomial as well as indirectly using the truncated Laurent expansion or the eigensystem realization algorithm (ERA). To employ the truncated Laurent expansion or ERA, we consider the Markov parameters estimated from the μ-Markov model. Lastly, we investigate the spurious zeros of the μ-Markov model and truncated Laurent expansion to determine to what extent these zeros behave in a predictable manner.
Family-focused treatment of the suicidal bipolar patient.

Objectives: Bipolar patients are at high risk for suicidal ideation and attempts. Suicidal behavior is correlated with poor family communication and/or high levels of intrafamilial conflict, particularly among adolescent bipolar patients. This article describes the application of family-focused therapy (FFT) as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy in the management of suicidal ideation and behavior among bipolar patients. Methods: We describe the empirical basis of FFT in studies of adult and adolescent patients. We then describe the manner by which the three modules of FFT – psychoeducation, communication skills training and problem solving – are adapted to address the clinical issues presented by suicidal bipolar adults or adolescents and their families. Results: Key objectives of the treatment are to help the family recognize that suicidal behavior is a part of the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder but that it is also to some extent under environmental control. Thus, the family is in a unique position to develop and help assure the success of a suicide prevention contract. A case study of an adolescent with suicidal behavior is presented. Conclusions: Future research should include a focus on: (i) cross-cultural issues in suicide and bipolar disorder; and (ii) the adaptation of interventions shown to be effective in reducing suicidal behaviors in non-bipolar populations.
Modified Contour-Generalization Procedure As Applied to the Santa Lucia Range, California

Contour generalization is an established procedure for restoring dissected landscapes to predissection forms. The modified generalization procedure herein proposed dispenses with most side-slope contours, leaving upland surfaces suspended at their individual levels. In addition, sequential cartographic patterns permit ready recognition of surfaces, and hachures emphasize abrupt peripheral slopes. Although the primary purpose is to discuss the proposed procedure, the bearing of the final map on the history of the Santa Lucia Range is briefly considered. The origin of the high-level surfaces has not yet been determined, although fragmentary evidence suggests they are probably fluvial. The multiple surfaces were presumably developed in response to changes in the elevation of base level. Simultaneous development of the surfaces due to differential lowering of rocks of varying resistance, independent of base level, is refuted by the similarity of the rock assemblages truncated by the different surfaces. The high surfaces in the northern part of the range are found to be sloping, rather than horizontal as previously supposed. Tilting of the northern area seems indicated. At their elevated southern ends, these surfaces hang above considerably lower terrain. Here, the relative horizontality of at least one extensive surface suggests simple vertical uplift.
Adding the missing user to policy discourse: understanding US user telephone privacy concerns

Abstract In telecommunication privacy policy discourses, there is a paucity of evidence regarding how lay people understand and deal with telephone privacy issues. This article aims to add the voice of the missing user to policy discourse and reports the results of a US study of residential users in the state of Ohio. We provide a descriptive analysis of users’ understandings of telephone privacy concerns; their strategies for protecting phone privacy; and their assessments of these strategies. Further, we posit that the goal of adding the missing user voice cannot be realised by conducting empirical research that is guided solely by traditional categories of users (e.g. users defined demographically). Drawing on Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology, we generated two sets of alternative categories of users through salience measures tapping orientations toward the telephone; and function measures tapping specific uses of the phone in life situations. We pitted these alternative categories against demographic categories in tests of their power to predict user perspectives and behaviours relating to phone privacy. Results of the descriptive analysis showed that experiences of privacy violations by phone were widespread and that residential users construct phone privacy violations in terms of immediate and visible impediments and constraints on their lives. The results of the predictive analysis showed that each of the predictor categories played a role in predicting user perspectives and behaviours. Demographic measures, for example, accounted for more variance in predicting whether users took action to protect phone privacy while function measures did so in predicting whether users saw these protective actions as hindering. We conclude that there is a gulf between privacy concerns as expressed by telecommunication policy experts and as expressed by residential phone users. Attempting to understand users based only on demographic characteristics alone provides a far too limited portrait of users and the experiential conditions of their phone use.
The THO complex regulates pluripotency gene mRNA export and controls embryonic stem cell self-renewal and somatic cell reprogramming.

Summary Embryonic stem cell (ESC) self-renewal and differentiation are governed by a broad-ranging regulatory network. Although the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms involved have been investigated extensively, posttranscriptional regulation is still poorly understood. Here we describe a critical role of the THO complex in ESC self-renewal and differentiation. We show that THO preferentially interacts with pluripotency gene transcripts through Thoc5 and is required for self-renewal at least in part by regulating their export and expression. During differentiation, THO loses its interaction with those transcripts due to reduced Thoc5 expression, leading to decreased expression of pluripotency proteins that facilitates exit from self-renewal. THO is also important for the establishment of pluripotency, because its depletion inhibits somatic cell reprogramming and blastocyst development. Together, our data indicate that THO regulates pluripotency gene mRNA export to control ESC self-renewal and differentiation, and therefore uncover a role for this aspect of posttranscriptional regulation in stem cell fate specification.
Detection of Dityrosine in Apoferritin

Laser-excited fluorescence spectroscopy was adopted for dityrosine detection in horse spleen apoferritin. Dityrosine was identified in horse spleen apoferritin. Fractionation of acid-hydrolyzed horse spleen apoferritin showed fluorescence attributed to dityrosine, and other compounds, excited by 325-nm laser radiation. The other fluorescent compounds resulted in a broad fluorescence emission spectrum of horse spleen apoferritin. The broad emission band overlapped with the fluorescence emission spectrum of pure dityrosine. Fractionation of horse spleen apoferritin acid hydrolysate prior to laser-excited fluorescence detection was necessary for dityrosine quantitative analysis. The concentration of dityrosine in horse spleen apoferritin was 2.5% (mol/mol), estimated from the method of standard addition.
On the convergence of the symmetric successive overrelaxation method

Abstract The symmetric successive overrelaxation (SSOR) iterative method is applied to the solution of the system of linear equations A x = b , where A is an n×n nonsingular matrix. We give bounds for the spectral radius of the SSOR iterative matrix when A is an Hermitian positive definite matrix, and when A is a nonsingular M-matrix. Then, we discuss the convergence of the SSOR iterative method associated with a new splitting of the matrix A which extends the results of Varga and Buoni [1].
On clinical diagnosis and prediction.

This paper distinguishes among three different modes of comprehending through which diagnostic and predictive clinical judgments are reached. A brief discussion and definition of each of these modes, that is, inference, empathy, and intuition, are offered in order to indicate that differentiation is possible. It is felt that continued exploration of these processes promises to provide more fruitful understanding of what is now often accepted merely as inexplicable and “uncanny” clinical judgment.
Assessing cost‐effectiveness in asthma care: building an economic model to study the impact of alternative intervention strategies

Expenditures for medical care services continue to rise as a proportion of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in most countries. Because a large share of resources are increasingly being spent on medical care services, there is a need to more closely examine the quality, cost and efficiency of all aspects of health care delivery. One method for assessing efficiency is cost-effectiveness analysis. Many of the elements of a basic cost-effectiveness model for asthma care are available, including accepted relevant studies on societal cost-of-illness, accepted health outcomes relevant to good clinical care, and a selection of potential intervention strategies, both for prevention and control. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how an economic approach to decision-making can be used to assess the potential impact of alternative intervention strategies for asthma care. Two case studies are developed including a new management strategy for the chronic care of stable moderate asthma and a management strategy for the early detection and prevention of childhood asthma. It is proposed that economic modeling of possible intervention strategies can serve as a useful method for determining the potential impact (in terms of cost-effectiveness) of a proposed intervention strategy well in advance of any empiric clinical trials. Analysis such as these may prove valuable in protecting researchers from developing intervention strategies that are clinically efficacious but cost-ineffective and, therefore, are unlikely to be adopted by providers/payers of medical care services for asthmatics.
Development of a knowledge-based system supporting IPM decision making in apples

Abstract A knowledge-based or expert system designed to coach the implementation of integrated pest management in apples has been developed. The system and its development are described by focusing on the system as an application program as opposed to an expert system problem. By doing so, the context of the system is shown to be of primary importance when weighing the benefits, costs and likelihood for success in developing an expert system. Carefully defining the human situation in which the expert system will act, will in large part determine the success of the expert system effort. The knowledge acquisition process departed from the conventional paradigm in that a team of experts were employed and attention was focused more on the actual problems to be solved as opposed to how one particular expert solved problems. A modular design was employed in developing the knowledge base. Each module dealt with a particular aspect of the total coaching effort and modules could share data. The modular design resulted in a knowledge base that was easier to develop and will be easier to maintain.
Quality assessment of tissue specimens for studies of diabetic foot ulcers

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) represent an important clinical problem resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Ongoing translational research studies strive to better understand molecular/cellular basis of DFU pathology that may lead to identification of novel treatment protocols. Tissue at the non-healing wound edge has been identified as one of major contributors to the DFU pathophysiology that provides important tool for translational and clinical investigations. To evaluate quality of tissue specimens and their potential use, we obtained 81 DFU specimens from 25 patients and performed histological analyses, immunohistochemistry and RNA quality assessments. We found that depth of the collected specimen is important determinant of research utility, and only specimens containing a full-thickness epidermis could be utilized for immunohistochemistry and RNA isolation. We showed that only two-thirds of collected specimens could be utilized in translational studies. This attrition rate is important for designs of future studies involving tissue specimen collection from DFU.
Effect of 5-HT3 receptor antagonist (ondansetron) on functioning human pancreatic carcinoid cells

5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a mitogen for selected cell types. We have reported that 5-HT is an autocrine growth factor for functioning human pancreatic carcinoid (BON) cells; autocrine growth effect is transmitted by 5-HT1A but not 5-HT1C/2 receptors, activation of which decreases cyclic AMP production through a pertussis toxin-sensitive inhibitory GTP-binding protein. In this study, the effect of 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, ondansetron, on BON was examined. Ondansetron did not affect growth of BON cells and also affected neither stimulation of phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis or inhibition of cyclic AMP production evoked by 5-HT in BON cells. Ondansetron, however, inhibited mobilization of intracellular calcium evoked by 5-HT. Present findings suggest that BON cells possess 5-HT3 receptors, but their roles in pancreatic carcinoid cells are still unknown.
On the application of robust, regression- based diagnostics to models of conditional means and conditional variances

Abstract A strategy is proposed for applying a class of robust, regression-based diagnostics to nonlinear models of conditional means and conditional variances for cross-section or time-series data. The distinguishing feature of the current approach, which builds on already popular residual-based procedures, is that no auxiliary assumptions are imposed at any testing stage. Consequently, the statistics are guaranteed to have the correct asymptotic size under the relevant null hypothesis. Several new, regression-based conditional mean and conditional variance diagnostics are proposed. The case of incompletely specified dynamics in time-series models is explicitly covered.
Comparison of Insect Sampling Techniques in Snap Bean

ABSTRACT Three sampling techniques including cage-aerosol, sweep net and drop cloth, were compared in their ability to sample insects on snap bean. Few significant differences among the three techniques were detected when used to sample larvae of the corn earworm (CEW), Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), the green cloverworm, Plathypena scabra (Fabricius), or the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hubner). The sweep net caught significantly greater numbers of spotted cucumber beetles, Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber, and tarnished plant bugs, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois). Both are strong fliers and escaped detection with the drop cloth. Although the drop cloth was somewhat faster to use when plants were small, differences in sample time were reduced with larger plants. Throughout the two year study the mean number of CEW larvae per min of sample time was 0.29 with the sweep net and 0.22 with the drop cloth.
Efficient Index Set Generation for Compiling HPF Array Statements on Distributed-Memory Machines

In languages such as High Performance Fortran (HPF), array statements are used to express data parallelism. In compiling array statements for distributed-memory machines, efficient enumeration of local index sets and commmunication sets is important. A method based on a virtual processor approach has been proposed for efficient index set enumeration for array statements involving arrays distributed using block-cyclic distributions. The virtual processor approach is based on viewing a block-cyclic distribution as a block (or cyclic) distribution on a set of virtual processors, which are cyclically (or block-wise) mapped to the physical processors. The key idea of the method is to first develop closed forms in terms of simple regular sections for the index sets for arrays distributed using block or cyclic distributions. These closed forms are then used with the virtual processor approach to give an efficient solution for arrays with the block-cyclic distribution. HPF supports a two-level mapping of arrays to processors. Arrays are first aligned with a template at an offset and a stride and the template is then distributed among the processors using a regular data distribution. The introduction of a nonunit stride in the alignment creates “holes” in the distributed arrays which leads to memory wastage. In this paper, using simple mathematical properties of regular sections, we extend the virtual processor approach to address the memory allocation and index set enumeration problems for array statements involving arrays mapped using the two-level mapping. We develop a methodology for translating the closed forms for block and cyclically distributed arrays mapped using a one-level mapping to closed forms for arrays mapped using the two-level mapping. Using these closed forms, the virtual processor approach is extended to handle array statements involving arrays mapped using two-level mappings. Performance results on the Cray T3D are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the extensions and identify various trade-offs associated with the proposed method.