cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A critical perspective on pension accounting, pension research and pension terminations

Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the implications of pension accounting principle changes in the 1980s for conflicts involving ownership of pension surpluses and distribution of wealth between shareholders and employees. Pension accounting measurement and disclosure issues are related to pension terminations in the mid 1980s which involved corporate recapture of billions of dollars of pension surpluses. In addition, assumptions underlying pension research are examined and biases in method and interpretation, which affect the, use of research results in public policy contexts, are discussed. Finally, a empirical analysis is conducted to test the conclusion from pension termination research that employees' interests were not affected by pension terminations since recaptured assets represented excess funds previously stored in pension plans by sponsors. Results do not support this contention and indicate that terminations of defined benefit pension plans with recapture of pension surpluses represented some degree of expropriation of employees' wealth.
Evaluating single-phase induction-motor parameters

THE SO-CALLED MOTOR CONSTANTS of primary and secondary resistances, primary and secondary leakage reactances, and the magnetizing reactance, as well as iron and friction losses of single-phase induction motors, are derived from considerations obtained from standstill and no-load tests. Having reliable values for these circuit parameters enables the designer to make accurate calculations of motor performance.
MODELING AND APPLICATION STUDIES OF AN ELECTROCHEMICAL HYBRID SYSTEM

A first principle based mathematical model is presented to simulate the performance of a lithium-ion battery/electrochemical capacitor hybrid system. The advantages of the hybrid system over the battery system are discussed for pulse type of loads. The hybrid system predicted better utilization of the battery operated under high frequencies and low duty ratio pulse loads. Simulated specific energy and power relationships (Ragone plots) are also presented to identify regimes where the hybrid systems performed better than the battery system on a unit mass basis. The model was validated by comparing the simulations to the experimental data obtained from a Sony US 18650 lithium-ion battery/Maxwell PC100F electrochemical capacitor network hybrid system. Finally a case study comparing the response of the battery and a hybrid system to two different high power pulse profiles encountered in real time applications is presented. Simulation results indicate that hybrid systems exhibited superior performance over the...
The Lorax and Wallace Stegner: Inspiring Children’s Environmental Activism

This essay argues that Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax (1971) successfully popularized the environmental message that Wallace Stegner presented in his largely forgotten essay “Conservation Equals Survival” (1969). The Seussian language and illustrations have inspired readers, particularly children, to consider and, more importantly, to engage in environmentally sustainable practices. Both Seuss and Stegner wanted to raise the common readers’ ecological literacy by alerting them to the dangers posed by modern industrial society and their role in achieving solutions. However, Stegner’s essay quickly disappeared from the public consciousness, while Seuss’s story remains relevant more than 40 years later, and his character, the Lorax, has become an important part of the environmentalist vernacular. Of particular interest is both authors’ use of one word, “unless,” to direct individual readers to work together for a sustainable future. Seuss successfully engaged readers to become aware of the needs of the environment and take personal responsibility in caring for their own ecosystems.
Pannenberg and Lonergan in dialogue on the theology of the history of revelation

This article shows how both a comparison of methods and dialogue between Pannenberg and Lonergan on grace and revelation can contribute to attempts to understand the reality of God mediated by creation and the nature of human knowing – a dialogue that can contribute to a renewed look at how Christian theology can engage other religions in dialogue.
Tensor damping in metallic magnetic multilayers

The mechanism of spin pumping, described by Tserkovnyak et al. [Phys. Rev. B 67, 140404 (2003)], is formally analyzed in the general case of a magnetic multilayer consisting of two or more metallic ferromagnetic (FM) films separated by normal-metal (NM) layers. It is shown that the spin-pumping-induced dynamic coupling between FM layers modifies the linearized Gilbert equations in a way that replaces the usual local, scalar Gilbert damping constant with a nonlocal matrix of Cartesian damping tensors. As an example, explicit analytical results are obtained for a five-layer (spin valve) of form $\text{NM}/\text{FM}/{\text{NM}}^{\ensuremath{'}}/\text{FM}/\text{NM}$. These are compared with earlier well-known results of Tserkovnyak et al. for the related three-layer FM/NM/FM, which are shown to have singled out the diagonal element of the local damping tensor along the axis normal to the plane of the two magnetization vectors. For spin-valve devices of technological interest, the influence of tensor damping on thermal noise fluctuations and/or spin-torque critical currents is shown to necessarily be coupled to the nonlocal tensor properties of the magnetostatic interaction as well.
The Indeterminate Cell Proliferative Disorder: Report of a Case Manifesting as an Unusual Cutaneous Histiocytosis

A patient with an unusual, distinctive cutaneous histiocytosis is described. Extensive morphologic, antigenic, and enzymatic studies indicate that this histiocytosis represents a proliferative disorder of cutaneous indeterminate cells. Features that distinguish this disorder from other histiocytoses are discussed.
A Comparison of Methods of Testing Turkeys for Salmonella pullorum Infection

Abstract SINCE the stained antigen, rapid whole blood test, developed by Shaffer et al. (1931), has proven to be practical for testing chickens for Salmonella pullorum, there has been much interest in its efficiency for testing turkeys. Hinshaw et al. (1940), reported that commercial violet stained antigen, used for testing chickens by the whole blood test, was only about 50 percent as efficient as the tube agglutination test, used by the Research Workers in Animal Diseases (1933), for detecting S. pullorum infection in turkeys. Bushnell (1945) reported that the tube test, using 1:25 dilution was the most efficient in detecting S. pullorum infection, followed by the tube test at 1:50 dilution, the rapid serum test of Runnels et al. (1927), and the whole blood test using an experimental, turkey, violet, K-antigen, developed by the United States Bureau of Animal Industry. Gauger (1947) reported close agreement between the rapid whole-blood K-antigen and . . .
Studying hydrofractures by high frequency seismic monitoring

Abstract Two experiments were carried out in salt and granite to address several questions regarding the utility of seismological techniques for monitoring the propagation of a hydrofracture. More specifically, could techniques developed for earthquake analysis be used to characterize the detectable acoustic emission (AE) activity associated with the hydrofracture process, and could the AE activity be used to define the geometry of the hydrofracture, and characterize its manner of propagation? To answer these and other questions, 3-D arrays of piezoelectric sensors were placed around the immediate hydrofracture zones in a small scale laboratory experiment (300 x 300 x 450 mm triaxially confined salt block) and a shallow, 35 m, field experiment (5 x 5 x 5 m granite mine). Confirmation of the seismic techniques was provided by using dyed fluids for the hydrofracture experiments and later visually inspecting the hydrofracture zones by breaking the salt block apart and mining back the rock in the granite mine. Results of the experiments show that there is abundant detectable discrete seismic activity, and that high frequency seismicity can be very useful for determining the path and geometry of the hydrofracture. Tensile failure “events” can be directly related to the actual path of the hydrofracture, whereas the shear failures are not as closely related to the actual fracture path, but are nevertheless related to the overall dimensions of the hydrofracture. Source sizes of individual events as inferred from the seismic data varied from 5 to 7 mm in the salt block experiment (average grain size = 5 m) to 5 to 10 cm in the granite field experiment. Energy release of the events averaged 102 N-m (10)9 dyne-cm) in the laboratory and 103 N-m (1010 dyne-cm) in the field experiment. All events in the laboratory test were primarily tensile failure in nature as inferred from the waveform radiation patterns; however, in the field experiment, there were shear events as well as “harmonic tremor” type events in addition to the tensile failure. The occurrence rate, spatial, and temporal distribution of the events indicate that the hydrofracture growth pattern, at least for these two cases, is not symmetrical and does not follow the often assumed symmetric paths. The data indicate that the hydrofracture process is a complicated phenomenon and that the “fracture” is actually made up of a network of fractures which forms a zone around a main fracture. The overall direction of the hydrofracture and the surrounding zone is strongly influenced by rock inhomogeneities and anisotropy as well as the stress directions.
Pulmonary artery catheter monitoring during single-lung ventilation in dogs.

The effect of pulmonary artery (PA) catheter insertion on cardiac output measurements and the effect of singlelung ventilation on data derived from catheters placed in both the right and left pulmonary arteries were examined in 17 anesthetized mongrel dogs. Serial tricarboncyanine dye measurements of cardiac output were taken at baseline and after insertion of each of two PA catheters, one catheter in each lung, to detect possible changes in cardiac output due to instrumentation. In the second part of the study, single-lung ventilation was achieved through a Kottmeier double-lumen tube. Right and left paired values of thermodilution cardiac output, PA systolic pressure, and PA Po2 were compared during ventilation of both lungs, during right lung ventilation, during return to ventilation of both lungs, and during left lung ventilation. Mean dye-dilution cardiac outputs were not significantly different after one or two catheters were inserted. Paired right and left values were similar for thermodilution cardiac output, PA Po2, and pulmonary systolic pressure, regardless of ventilation conditions. Even during single-lung ventilation, data obtained from PA catheters in the ipsilateral and contralateral lung were equivalent in supine dogs.
Selenium regulates expression in rat liver of genes for proteins involved in iron metabolism

Suppression subtractive hybridization analysis in our laboratory recently revealed that transferrin mRNA may be elevated in Sedeficient rat liver. In this work, we compared expression in rat liver of genes for transferrin, transferrin receptor, ferritin light and heavy chains, and iron-regulatory proteins 1 and 2 in Se adequacy and deficiency. Weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed Torula yeast diets supplemented with 0 or 0.15 µg Se/kg diet as sodium selenite for 15 wk. Activity of cellular glutathione peroxidase was virtually abolished in Se-deficient rat liver, whereas activity of glutathione S-transferase was 43% higher than in Se-adequate liver. There were no differences in hematocrit, hemoglobin, or liver iron content. To examine differential gene expression, we used a multiplex relative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction method. Three of the six genes examined showed modest but consistent upregulation in Se deficiency. Transferrin mRNA was 30% more abundant in Sedeficient than in Se-adequate liver. For the transferrin receptor, the difference was 32%, and for iron regulatory protein 1, it was 63%. No consistent differences were observed for iron regulatory protein 2 or for ferritin light or heavy chain. These findings suggest a possible role for dietary Se in moderating iron metabolism.
Physical aggression as a function of alcohol and frustration

Forty male undergraduates competed in a task involving reaction time to determine the effect of frustration on the aggressive responding of intoxicated and nonintoxicated subjects. The subjects who ingested alcohol were more aggressive than the subjects receiving a placebo cocktail. The frustration manipulation did not appear to influence the subjects’ aggressive reactions. It was concluded that frustration is a weak determinant of physical aggression, relative to such antecedents as a physical attack, social pressure, or alcohol.
Histological and magnetic resonance imaging assessment of cortical layering and thickness in autism spectrum disorders.

Background Qualitative reports of the cerebral cortex in a small number of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cases have suggested an increase in thickness and disruptions in migration and lamination patterns. Methods We examined postmortem ASD individuals and age-matched controls using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate total cortical thickness, and histological samples to evaluate the pattern of cortical layering. Results Overall, thickness measures from ASD subjects were equivalent to control cases. Individual regions showed marginal but nonsignificant thickness differences in the temporal lobes. Cortical thickness values in ASD subjects decreased significantly with age. Quantitative examination of proportional layer thickness in histological sections indicated that the pattern of cortical layering was largely undisturbed, while qualitative examination of these same samples revealed evidence of cell clustering and supernumerary cells in layer I and the subplate. These features were not severe and were never found in a majority of cases. Conclusions These findings support limited disturbances in cortical cell patterning, but do not indicate a major deficit in the orderly migration of cortical neuroblasts during development, or their subsequent aggregation into the laminar pattern found in typically developing individuals.
Management of Dislocated Posterior Chamber Intraocular Lenses

Abstract Management options for posteriorly dislocated posterior chamber intraocular lenses include observation, removal, exchange, and repositioning. Many microsurgical techniques have been developed for repositioning posterior chamber implants. These include repositioning into the ciliary sulcus without suturing if adequate posterior capsule support remains, iris fixation suturing techniques, and scleral fixation suturing techniques. The indications, timing, and techniques for intervention are reviewed in a series of 32 cases with posteriorly dislocated posterior chamber implants. A final visual acuity of 20/40 or better was achieved in 15 (79%) of 19 IOL repositioned cases, in 6 (75%) of 8 IOL exchanged cases, and in 1 (33%) of 3 IOL removed cases. In two patients observed without surgery, final visual acuity was 20/25 and 20/300, respectively.
Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) display symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity across multiple situations causing significant impairments in family and peer relationships, academic functioning, and emotional well-being. This chapter begins with an overview of the core symptoms and current diagnostic features of the disorder, describes its prevalence and epidemiology, impairments to daily life, comorbid disorders, and developmental course. The next sections review various psychosocial treatments and empirical findings related to their effectiveness, including behavior contingency management, summer treatment programs, and technology-based attention training programs. The chapter concludes with a summary of which interventions are the most extensively supported and lists available evidence-based treatments for ADHD. Keywords: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); inattention; impulsivity; hyperactivity; behavioral inhibition; behavioral parent training; summer treatment program; neurofeedback; EEG
The relationship between sleep characteristics and fatigue in healthy postpartum women.

Background Postpartum sleep is a difficult and complicated concept to measure owing to the intrusive nature of research at a sensitive and private time for new families. Nurses often find themselves advising mothers on ways to improve sleep and reduce fatigue based on teachings that are not evidence based. The purpose of this secondary analysis of a larger study of postpartum fatigue patterns was to examine the relationship between sleep characteristics and postpartum fatigue during the first 6 weeks after delivery. Methods A prospective, longitudinal, descriptive study was conducted of 109 postpartum women. Sleep and fatigue were measured using a 16-item subjective sleep characteristics scale and a 30-statement subjective fatigue instrument. Three measurement points were used: 1) 1–2 days after delivery (before hospital discharge); 2) 2 weeks postpartum; and 3) 6 weeks postpartum. Results Fatigue had a positive correlation with sleep disturbance at all three measurement points, indicating that higher levels of fatigue are associated with more disturbed sleep. No association was found between levels of fatigue and sleep supplementation. Levels of fatigue had a negative correlation with sleep effectiveness at all measurement points, indicating that the women were more fatigued if they perceived their sleep quality and adequacy to be poor or if they perceived the time spent sleeping to be short. Conclusions To reduce fatigue, nurses should focus on exploring ways to reduce maternal sleep disturbance and improve maternal sleep effectiveness. It is unclear whether the age-old advice to “nap when your baby naps” is effective in reducing postpartum fatigue.
A conceptual framework of global account management capabilities and firm performance

Global account management (GAM), a collaborative process between a multinational customer and a multinational supplier by which the worldwide buying–selling activities are centrally coordinated between the two organizations, has become a critical task for many multinational corporations. A framework for determining GAM dyadic strategic performance and joint profits is introduced. In this framework, three GAM-related capabilities determine GAM performance. These capabilities are Collaborative Orientation, GAM Strategic Fit, and GAM Configuration. In an attempt to establish a research agenda on GAM issues, we develop propositions for each construct. This conceptual framework should help improve understanding of GAM as a dyadic phenomenon and provide a platform on which future empirical study can be conducted. At a practical level, this framework serves as the basis for formulating GAM strategies. # 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Successful arrest of photoreceptor and vision loss expands the therapeutic window of retinal gene therapy to later stages of disease

Inherited retinal degenerations cause progressive loss of photoreceptor neurons with eventual blindness. Corrective or neuroprotective gene therapies under development could be delivered at a predegeneration stage to prevent the onset of disease, as well as at intermediate-degeneration stages to slow the rate of progression. Most preclinical gene therapy successes to date have been as predegeneration interventions. In many animal models, as well as in human studies, to date, retinal gene therapy administered well after the onset of degeneration was not able to modify the rate of progression even when successfully reversing dysfunction. We evaluated consequences of gene therapy delivered at intermediate stages of disease in a canine model of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) caused by a mutation in the Retinitis Pigmentosa GTPase Regulator (RPGR) gene. Spatiotemporal natural history of disease was defined and therapeutic dose selected based on predegeneration results. Then interventions were timed at earlier and later phases of intermediate-stage disease, and photoreceptor degeneration monitored with noninvasive imaging, electrophysiological function, and visual behavior for more than 2 y. All parameters showed substantial and significant arrest of the progressive time course of disease with treatment, which resulted in long-term improved retinal function and visual behavior compared with control eyes. Histology confirmed that the human RPGR transgene was stably expressed in photoreceptors and associated with improved structural preservation of rods, cones, and ON bipolar cells together with correction of opsin mislocalization. These findings in a clinically relevant large animal model demonstrate the long-term efficacy of RPGR gene augmentation and substantially broaden the therapeutic window for intervention in patients with RPGR-XLRP.
CD56+-T-cell responses to bacterial superantigens and immune recognition of attenuated vaccines.

Natural killer T (NKT) cells, coexpressing natural killer (NK) and T-cell receptors (TCR), are associated with immunity to viruses, tumors, and parasites. A well-characterized subclass of these NKT cells expresses biased TCR and recognizes glycolipids such as α-galactoceramide, which is found naturally only in marine sponges and presented by the cell surface glycoprotein CD1d. However, a larger number of T cells present in human blood coexpress the NK marker CD56 and unbiased TCR and do not appear to require CD1 for antigen presentation. Observing high frequencies of CD4 and CD8 coreceptor expression in human CD56+ T cells, we examined the potential role of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules in the activation of these cells. Activation of mononuclear cells with bacterial superantigens presented by MHC class II molecules resulted in increased frequency of CD56+ T cells. Primarily, CD4+ cells within the CD56+-T-cell population responded to the bacterial superantigens, and cytokine expression profiles were Th1-like. Further, increased levels of T cells expressing CD56 were observed in mononuclear cell cultures responding to a Staphylococcus aureus vaccine or tetanus toxoid. Collectively, our data suggest that a significant number of CD56+ T cells recognize pathogen-associated ligands in association with MHC class II molecules.
Spurious regression and residual-based tests for cointegration in panel data

Abstract In the first half of the paper I study spurious regressions in panel data. Asymptotic properties of the least-squares dummy variable (LSDV) estimator and other conventional statistics are examined. The asymptotics of LSDV estimator are different from those of the spurious regression in the pure time-series. This has an important consequence for residual-based cointegration tests in panel data, because the null distribution of residual-based cointegration tests depends on the asymptotics of LSDV estimator. In the second half of the paper I study residual-based tests for cointegration regression in panel data. I study Dickey–Fuller (DF) tests and an augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) test to test the null of no cointegration. Asymptotic distributions of the tests are derived and Monte Carlo experiments are conducted to evaluate finite sample properties of the proposed tests.
The Effects of Feedback on Students' Composition Revisions:

In teaching writing to second language learners, the use of peer evaluations as stimuli for revision, instead of the more traditional normative teacher evaluation, constitutes an attempt to provide the learner with feedback at his/her stage of development. Whether or not one of these evaluation methods is superior in promoting revi sion has not been determined objectively.This study compares differences in English as a second language learners' improvement in revision of their compositions depending on the method of evaluation, whether teacher comments, or peer evaluations. The measure of improvement used is the ESL Composi tion Profile (Jacobs, et al. 1981). Several factors are considered, including the level of learner (intermediate or advanced) and the degree of interest expressed by the learners in receiving evaluation of one type or the other. The method of providing peer reformulation is also compared briefly with teacher and peer evaluation. It was found that neither teacher nor peer feedback was s...
System identification from frequency samples of the bispectrum

A system identification technique for general noncausal, nonminimal-phase autoregressive moving-average (ARMA) processes is presented. The technique combines rational modeling from frequency response samples with system identification from higher-order statistics information. The formulation is based on samples of the bispectrum along a straight line on the frequency plane, referred to as a bispectrum slice. The identification is carried out in two steps; first a rational model of the bispectrum slice is obtained via solution of two uncoupled systems of equations and, subsequently, the coefficients of the underlying ARMA model are obtained by using closed-form expressions. The method is verified through simulations. >
Linkage of speech sound disorder to reading disability loci

Background: Speech sound disorder (SSD) is a common childhood disorder characterized by developmentally inappropriate errors in speech production that greatly reduce intelligibility. SSD has been found to be associated with later reading disability (RD), and there is also evidence for both a cognitive and etiological overlap between the two disorders. The present study tested whether SSD is linked to replicated risk loci for RD. Method: One hundred and eleven probands with SSD and their 76 siblings were tested with measures of speech, phonological memory (Nonword Repetition – NWR), and phonological awareness and genotyped for linkage markers on chromosomes 1p36, 6p22, and 15q21. Both single point and multipoint linkage were tested with multiple methods. Results: The speech and NWR phenotypes were linked to the RD loci on chromosomes 6 and 15, with suggestive results for the RD locus on chromosome 1. Conclusions: It now appears that several RD loci are pleiotropic for SSD, extending the findings of Stein et al. (2004) for the RD locus on Chromosome 3. Keywords: Behavioral genetics, comorbidity, genetic, reading disorder, speech disorder. The overall goal of the present study was to test whether speech sound disorder (SSD) is linked to risk loci for reading disability (RD), specifically those on chromosomes 1p36, 6p22, and 15q21 (see Fisher & DeFries, 2002 for a review). SSD is a common childhood disorder that affects as many as 16% of children at age 3 (Shriberg, 2002) and about 4% of children at age 6 (Shriberg, Tomblin, & McSweeny, 1999). It is defined by developmentally inappropriate errors in speech production that reduce intelligibility, and it is distinct from stuttering or mutism. In the past, SSD has been called articulation disorder and, more recently, phonological disorder. We prefer the SSD nomenclature because it recognizes that this disability has antecedents in both articulatory (sensorimotor) and phonological (cognitive-linguistic) domains. This term has been used recently in the classification of speech disorders from a genetic standpoint in the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (2005; %608445). As issues of genetic etiology and phenotypic overlap are resolved, the terminology may be refined further. The rationale for hypothesizing a genetic overlap between a written language disorder, RD, and a spoken language disorder, SSD, derives from converging evidence of an association between the two disorders at three levels of analysis: symptom, cognitive, and etiological. We will next briefly review this evidence and then describe the current study.
M2: Multicasting Mixes for Efficient and Anonymous Communication

We present a technique to achieve anonymous multicasting in mix networks to deliver content from producers to consumers. Employing multicast allows content producers to send (and mixes to forward) information to multiple consumers without repeating work for each individual consumer. In our approach, consumers register interest for content by creating paths in the mix network to the contents producers. When possible, these paths are merged in the network so that paths destined for the same producer share a common path suffix to the producer. When a producer sends content, the content travels this common suffix toward its consumers (in the reverse direction) and "branches" into multiple messages when necessary. We detail the design of this technique and then analyze the unlinkability of our approach against a global, passive adversary who controls both the producer and some mixes. We show that there is a subtle degradation of unlinkability that arises from multicast. We discuss techniques to tune our design to mitigate this degradation while retaining the benefits of multicast.
Differential Stability of the Crystallographic Interfaces of Mu- and Kappa-Opioid Receptors

The recent mu-opioid receptor (MOPr) and kappa-opioid receptor (KOPr) crystal structures have inspired hypotheses of physiologically relevant dimerization contacts, specifically: a closely packed interface involving transmembrane (TM) helices TM5 and TM6, and a less compact interface, involving TM1, TM2, and helix 8 (H8). While the former was only found in MOPr crystals, similar arrangements of the latter were identified for both KOPr and MOPr. The relevance of these interfaces outside of a crystal lattice is called into question by the possibility that they might be influenced by the specific crystallization conditions. In this study, we have employed umbrella sampling molecular dynamics simulations of coarse-grained representations of the interacting MOPr or KOPr crystallographic structures, in the absence of the T4 lysozyme, and in an explicit lipid-water environment, to determine the strength of receptor dimerization at the different crystallographic interfaces. We note that the shape of the interface plays a dominant role in the strength of the interaction, and the pattern of contacting residues defines the shape of the potential of mean force. This information can be used to guide experiments aimed at exploring the role of dimerization in opioid receptor function.
Possibility of 0- g -factor paramagnetic molecules for measurement of the electron’s electric dipole moment

The electric-field-dependent $g$ factor of the ground state of $^{2}\ensuremath{\Pi}_{1∕2}$ molecules is predicted cross zero at a specific value of electric field. Furthermore, $Edg∕dE$ evaluated at this field is expected to be small, allowing for extremely precise zeroing of the molecular magnetic moment. For the PbF molecule, we estimate this field to be $68\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{kV}∕\mathrm{cm}$. If this prediction is correct, PbF could provide a uniquely sensitive probe of the electric dipole moment of the electron.
An analysis of clinical consultation activities in clinical pathology: who requests help and why.

Objectives: To examine the distribution of callers who made consultation requests and to identify associations between caller categories and consultation topics. Methods: Review of prospectively collected database of consultations. Results: Direct care personnel made more consultation requests than non–direct care personnel. Consultation topics varied by caller type. Direct care personnel requested more consultations on test interpretation and few consultations on test selection than laboratory personnel. Differences in consultation requests by primary care physicians and specialists were significant. Conclusions: At our laboratory, consultation requests primarily originate from primary care physicians. Consultation requests vary by caller type.
Introduction to the Kinetic Monte Carlo Method

Monte Carlo refers to a broad class of algorithms that solve problems through the use of random numbers. They first emerged in the late 1940’s and 1950’s as electronic computers came into use [1], and the name means just what it sounds like, whimsically referring to the random nature of the gambling at Monte Carlo, Monaco. The most famous of the Monte Carlo methods is the Metropolis algorithm [2], invented just over 50 years ago at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Metropolis Monte Carlo (which is not the subject of this chapter) offers an elegant and powerful way to generate a sampling of geometries appropriate for a desired physical ensemble, such as a thermal ensemble. This is accomplished through surprisingly simple rules, involving almost nothing more than moving one atom at a time by a small random displacement. The Metropolis algorithm and the numerous methods built on it are at the heart of many, if not most, of the simulations studies of equilibrium properties of physical systems. In the 1960’s researchers began to develop a different kind of Monte Carlo algorithm for evolving systems dynamically from state to state. The earliest application of this approach for an atomistic system may have been Beeler’s 1966 simulation of radiation damage annealing [3]. Over the next 20 years, there were developments and applications in this area (e.g., see [3, 4, 5, 6, 7]), as well as in surface adsorption, diffusion and growth (e.g., see [8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17]), in statistical physics (e.g., see [18, 19, 20]), and likely other areas, too. In the 1990’s the terminology for this approach settled in as kinetic Monte Carlo, though the early papers typically don’t use this term [21]. The popularity and range of applications of kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) has continued to grow and KMC is now a common tool for studying materials subject to irradiation, the topic of this book. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an introduction to this KMC method, by taking the reader through the basic concepts underpinning KMC and how it is typically implemented, assuming no prior knowledge of these kinds of simulations. An appealing property of KMC is that it can, in principle, give the exact dynamical evolution of a system. Although this ideal is virtually never achieved, and usually not even attempted, the KMC method is presented here from this point of view because it makes a good framework for
Strategic Integration in Industrial Distribution Channels: Managing the Interfirm Relationship as a Strategic Asset:

This study investigates the strategic role of interfirm relationships through the concept of strategic integration. Following the conceptual development of strategic integration, the author reports a study of its antecedents and performance outcomes. Uncertainty was expected to have contextual effects in the development and outcomes of strategic integration in industrial distribution channels. A survey of industrial equipment distributors revealed that dependence, flexibility, continuity expectations, and relationship age encouraged the distributor's strategic integration of its supplier relationship. In addition, strategic integration enhanced distributor financial performance. However, uncertainty did not play a role in the distributors' strategic integration of their supplier relationships nor its effect on performance.
Radar specular return waveform from a planar surface

A model of the specular component of a radar return waveform from a planar surface is presented for narrowband rectangular probe pulse and Gaussian antenna pattern for beam- and pulse-limited modes. Comparison of the derived model with a conventional incoherent model has been carried out.
Preeclampsia: not simply pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Once classified as a seizure disorder and later as a hypertensive condition, preeclampsia is actually a multi system disease. It remains a leading cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity. Clinical challenges include identifying patients who are at risk of serious complications and deciding whether it is safer for the fetus to be delivered or to remain in the uterus.
Plasmonic nanofocused four-wave mixing for femtosecond near-field imaging

Femtosecond nonlinear optical imaging with nanoscale spatial resolution would provide access to coupled degrees of freedom and ultrafast response functions on the characteristic length scales of electronic and vibrational excitations. Although near-field microscopy provides the desired spatial resolution, the design of a broadband high-contrast nanoprobe for ultrafast temporal resolution is challenging due to the inherently weak nonlinear optical signals generated in subwavelength volumes. Here, we demonstrate broadband four-wave mixing with enhanced nonlinear frequency conversion efficiency at the apex of a nanometre conical tip. Far-field light is coupled through a grating at the shaft of the tip, generating plasmons that propagate to the apex while undergoing asymptotic compression and amplification, resulting in a nonlinear conversion efficiency of up to 1 × 10(-5). We apply this nonlinear nanoprobe to image the few-femtosecond coherent dynamics of plasmonic hotspots on a nanostructured gold surface with spatial resolution of a few tens of nanometres. The approach can be generalized towards spatiotemporal imaging and control of coherent dynamics on the nanoscale, including the extension to multidimensional spectroscopy and imaging.
Introduction to Student (1908) The Probable Error of a Mean

Testing a hypothesis about the mean \(\xi \) of a population on the basis of a sample X 1, …, X n from that population was treated throughout the 19th century by a large-sample approach that goes back to Laplace. If the sample mean \({\bar X}\) is considered to be the natural estimate of \(\xi \), the hypothesis \(H:\xi = {\xi _0}\) should be rejected when \({\bar X}\) differs sufficiently from \({\xi _0}\). Furthermore, since for large n the distribution of \(\sqrt n \left( {\bar X} \right. - \left. {{\xi _0}} \right)\) / σ is approximately standard normal under H (where σ 2 < ∞ is the variance of the X’s), this suggests rejecting H when $$\frac{{\sqrt n \left| {\bar X - \left. {{\xi _0}} \right|} \right.}}{\sigma }$$ (1) exceeds the appropriate critical value calculated from that distribution.
Light Alterated Changes in the Embroynic Age Versus Incubation Age of White Leghorn Embryos

Abstract White Leghorn eggs were incubated in the dark or under two 20-Watt cool white flourescent tubes. The embryos were collected and staged according to somite number and other anatomical observations. Embryos from lighted eggs were significantly more advanced in embryonic age within 24 hours than embryos from the dark. By the end of 10 days no further acceleration of development by light was significant.
Haunted History and Gravity's Rainbow

For twenty-two years after Gravity's Rainbow was published, the source-text of Pynchon's epigraph from German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun remained a mystery. Now that we have it in full (see Appendix), criticism needs to reckon with this little homily on immortality. Recovered from History's dustbin and used as an epigraph to the most ghost-ridden novel in our time, Pynchon's epigraph poses incisive questions about the dead, about justice for and histories about them.
Prolonged QRS in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: Risk Marker and Therapeutic Target?

Clinical trials of therapeutic agents for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have yielded little beyond disappointment for physicians caring for these ubiquitous patients who comprise over one-half of the annual 1,000,000 heart failure (HF) discharges in the United States [(1)][1
Developing a Digital Medicine System in Psychiatry: Ingestion Detection Rate and Latency Period.

BACKGROUND A digital medicine system (DMS) has been developed to measure and report adherence to an atypical antipsychotic, aripiprazole, in psychiatric patients. The DMS consists of 3 components: ingestible sensor embedded in a medication tablet, wearable sensor, and secure mobile and cloud-based applications. An umbrella study protocol was designed to rapidly assess the technical performance and safety of the DMS in multiple substudies to guide the technology development. METHODS Two sequential substudies enrolled 30 and 29 healthy volunteers between March-April 2014 and February-March 2015, respectively, to assess detection accuracy of the ingestible sensor by the DMS and the latency period between ingestion and detection of the ingestion by the wearable sensor or the cloud-based server. RESULTS The first substudy identified areas for improvement using early versions of the wearable sensor and the mobile application. The second substudy tested updated versions of the components and showed an overall ingestion detection rate of 96.6%. Mean latency times for the signal transmission were 1.1-1.3 minutes (from ingestion to the wearable sensor detection) and 6.2-10.3 minutes (from the wearable sensor detection to the server detection). Half of transmissions were completed in < 2 minutes, and ~90% of ingestions were registered by the smartphone within 30 minutes of ingestion. No serious adverse events, discontinuations, or clinically significant laboratory/vital signs findings were reported. CONCLUSIONS The DMS implementing modified versions of the smartphone application and the wearable sensor has the technical capability to detect and report tablet ingestion with high accuracy and acceptable latency time. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02091882.
Sensing with Optics

Publisher Summary Recent developments and incorporation of optical fibers, sensing with optics has been largely focused on optical fiber sensors. This offers some potential advantages such as immunity to electromagnetic interference, a nonelectrical method of operation, small size and weight, low power, and relatively low cost. Distributed fiber-optic sensors offer the unique advantage of multiple location measurements with only a single fiber. Distributed measurement capability of the fiber-optic sensor distinguishes it from other types of sensors, such as electronic sensors. This is one of the major benefits of employing fiber-optic sensors. The fiber-optic sensors can be classified into Intensity-based fiber-optic sensors, polarization-based fiber-optic sensors, phase-based fiber-optic sensors, and frequency (or wavelength)-based fiber-optic sensors. Bragg grating-based fiber sensors may be used in structure monitoring and for synthesizing smart composite materials. On the other hand, with the rapid advent of fiber-optic communication networks, intrinsic distributed fiber-optic sensors may become more and more important for real-time network monitoring and integrated optical circuits inspection.
Customized Care: An intervention to Improve Communication and health outcomes in multimorbidity.

Abstract Introduction Many primary care patients with multimorbidity (two or more chronic conditions) and depression or anxiety have day-to-day challenges that affect health outcomes, such as having financial or housing concerns, or dealing with social or emotional stressors. Yet, primary care providers (PCPs) are often unaware of patients' daily challenges coping with chronic disease. We developed Customized Care, an intervention, to address the barriers to effective communication about patient's day-to-day challenges. Methods In this report we describe the rationale and design of a randomized clinical pilot study to examine the effect of Customized Care on patient-PCP communication and patient health outcomes, including depression, anxiety and functional outcomes. Customized Care comprises two components: (1) a computer-based discussion prioritization tool (DPT) designed to empower patients to communicate their health related priorities; and (2) a customized question prompt list (QPL) tailored to these priorities. Primary care clinic patients and PCPs participated in the study, which consisted of in-person patient assessments, audio recording and transcription of the patient-PCP office visit, and follow-up patient assessments by phone. Results We describe study participant demographics and development of a coding manual to assess communication within the office visit. Participants were recruited from an urban primary care clinic. Sixty patients and 12 PCPs were enrolled over six months. Conclusions With better communication about everyday challenges, patients and PCPs can have more informed discussions about health care options that positively influence patient outcomes. We expect that Customized Care will improve patient-PCP communication about day-to-day challenges, which can lead to better health outcomes.
The FRA12E Fragile Site Is Localized within the SMRT Gene at 12q24.

The Silencing Mediator of retinoid and Thyroid hormone ( SMRT) is a transcription co-repressor whose association with nuclear receptors both in solution and bound to DNA response elements is destabilized by ligand. SMRT and a related co-repressor N-CoR are recruiting a transcriptional repression complex, that contains sin3A/B protein and histone deacetylases (HDAC1/2) to nuclear receptors. It is now well established that SMRT can interact with non-receptor proteins such as BCL6, for its repression activities. The ability of the “silencing complex” to deacetylate histones results in a condensed chromatin state that is inhibitory to transcription. We have previously shown that SMRT was localized at chromosome 12q24. In addition, down-regulation of the SMRT protein due to 12q24 rearrangements was recurrently associated with NHL transformation, supporting a tumor suppressor function for SMRT (Cancer Res, 65(11):4554–4561, 2005). We further investigated the reasons why the 12q24 region and SMRT was targeted by chromosomal rearrangements. Genetic breakage is one mechanism by which functional loss of tumor suppressor gene activity may occur. Chromosomal locations in which genetic breakage may be induced are known as fragile sites. Fragile sites have been shown to be involved in some malignancies in which the fragile site lies within known genes, such as the FHIT gene (chromosome 3p) in lung cancer, and where small deletions are consistently observed on chromosome 3. Two fragile sites exist on the long arm of chromosome 12. FRA12B is located at 12q24.13 and FRA12E has been located at 12q24.2–3. Interestingly the FRA12E region corresponds to the site of SMRT (12q24.2). To assess whether the FRA12E fragile site is localized within the SMRT gene, we studied normal lymphocytes cultured in the presence of aphidicolin (an inducer of fragile sites) and metaphase chromosomes were subsequently prepared following classical cytogenetics protocols. These preparations were then subjected to fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using a set of SMRT-specific RPCI BAC clones. Using this approach, we were able to demonstrate that the FRA12E fragile site is localized within the SMRT gene. We further characterize several lymphoblastoid cell lines that were either carrier or not of the FRA12E fragile site. This provides us with a mechanistic explanation for recurrent 12q24 rearrangements seen in transformed NHLs. The FRA12E-carrier lymphoblastoid cell lines will provide us the opportunity to characterize the structure of this fragile site.