cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Avoiding the Pitfalls: Current Practices and Recommendations for Eportfolios in Higher Education

Institutions of higher learning use eportfolios for multiple purposes such as to enhance student learning, conduct authentic program/institutional assessment, support students as they prepare for future careers, and meet certification standards. The article investigates existing eportfolio literature and documents our findings of current practices in eportfolio use from a survey of 43 higher education institutions which we delivered in the Spring of 2009. The intent of our research was to learn more about 1) the predominant uses of eportfolios in institutions of higher learning across the globe, 2) the challenges institutions of higher learning face when implementing eportfolios on their campuses, and 3) the considerations institutions of higher learning should address in such an implementation. We present our recommendations for eportfolio implementation along with limitations and suggestions for future research.
A study of the 12N 2.43 MeV level

Abstract We have measured the differential cross sections for the reactions 12 C( τ , τ ′) 12 C(17.77 MeV 0 + T =1) and 12 C( τ , t) 12 N(2.43 MeV) at E τ =44 MeV. The similar shapes of the angular distributions and the relative magnitudes of the cross sections suggest that the 12 N 2.43 MeV level is the 0 + T =1 analog to the q12 C 17.77 MeV level. We have also studied the reaction 14 N(p,t) 12 N(2.43 MeV) at E p =52 MeV. The strength with which this level is excited in this reaction is consistent with reasonable two-step calculations assuming the 2.43 MeV level to have J π =0 + .
Impulsive Choice Predicts Anxiety‐Like Behavior, but not Alcohol or Sucrose Consumption, in Male Long‐Evans Rats

Background Prior human research indicates robust, positive relations between impulsive choice (i.e., preference for smaller, immediate over larger, delayed rewards) and alcohol use disorders. However, varied findings in the nonhuman literature reveal a relatively ambiguous relation between impulsive choice and alcohol consumption in rodents. In addition, few rodent studies have investigated potential relations between impulsive choice and common covariates of alcohol consumption (e.g., avidity for sweet substances or anxiety-like behavior). Methods Ninety-two male Long-Evans rats completed an impulsive-choice task. From this larger sample, extreme high- and low-impulsive groups (n = 30 each) were retained for further testing. In separate tests, subsequent open-field behavior and consumption of oral alcohol (12% w/v) and isocaloric sucrose were examined. Impulsive choice was then retested to examine whether behavior remained stable over the course of the experiment. Results No significant relations emerged between impulsive choice and either alcohol or sucrose consumption. However, impulsive choice predicted greater anxiety-like behavior (avoidance of the center field, defecation) in the open-field test. In turn, greater anxiety predicted lower alcohol and sucrose consumption. Finally, choice remained generally stable across the experiment, although high-impulsive rats tended toward less impulsive choice in the retest. Conclusions Although impulsive choice and alcohol consumption appear to share some variance with anxiety-like behavior, the present data offer no support for a relation between impulsive choice and alcohol consumption in Long-Evans rats. Together with mixed rodent data from prior reports, these findings attenuate cross-species comparisons to human relations between impulsive choice and alcohol use disorders.
Oldest-old healthy brain function. The genomic potential.

There will be a remarkable increase in the number of people older than 85 years—the oldest-old—in the next 50 years. This age group is especially vulnerable to increasing disabilities, many of which are the result of the aging nervous system. Among these aging changes, the most devastating and likely to have the greatest impact on our society is the development of dementia. Since dementia is present in the majority of those who live to the current maximum of the human life span, this suggests that dementia is a normal aging event. Although the exact causes of this common cognitive failure in the oldest-old are not known, there is recent evidence from genetic studies of aging and Alzheimer disease to suggest that there are a number of susceptibility genes that may modify or delay the onset of late-life brain failure. These gene families form a natural target for devising strategies for significantly delaying the onset of late-life dementia.
UROLOGIC DISEASES IN AMERICA PROJECT: UROLITHIASIS

ABSTRACTPurpose: We quantified the burden of urolithiasis in the United States by identifying trends in the use of health care resources and estimating the economic impact of the disease.Materials ...
Acetyl cation facilitated cyclizations of olefinic aldehydes. III. factors determining regiochemistry in acroleins

Abstract Recent reports3,4 of the use of Ac2O-HClO4-EtOAc as a reagent for the cyclizations of olefinic carbonyl compounds in other laboratories contrast with our experience with the formation of six-membered rings by this procedure, and prompt us to report an unsuccessful approach to the cadalene sesquiterpenes which failed due to a preference for the 1,2- rather than 1,4-addition regiochemistry. Further results for non-conjugated aldehydes (ref. 3 and present study) provide a mechanistic rationale for the regiospecificities observed.
MULTI-USER HARDWARE SOLUTIONS TO COMBUSTION SCIENCE ISS RESEARCH

In response to the budget environment and to expand on the International Space Station (ISS) Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR), common hardware approach, the NASA Combustion Science Program shifted focus in 1999 from single investigator PI (Principal Investigator)-specific hardware to multi-user 'Minifacilities'. These mini-facilities would take the CIR common hardware philosophy to the next level. The approach that was developed re-arranged all the investigations in the program into sub-fields of research. Then common requirements within these subfields were used to develop a common system that would then be complemented by a few PI-specific components. The sub-fields of research selected were droplet combustion, solids and fire safety, and gaseous fuels. From these research areas three mini-facilities have sprung: the Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) for droplet research, Flow Enclosure for Novel Investigations in Combustion of Solids (FEANICS) for solids and fire safety, and the Multi-user Gaseous Fuels Apparatus (MGFA) for gaseous fuels. These mini-facilities will develop common Chamber Insert Assemblies (CIA) and diagnostics for the respective investigators complementing the capability provided by CIR. Presently there are four investigators for MDCA, six for FEANICS, and four for MGFA. The goal of these multi-user facilities is to drive the cost per PI down after the initial development investment is made. Each of these mini-facilities will become a fixture of future Combustion Science NASA Research Announcements (NRAs), enabling investigators to propose against an existing capability. Additionally, an investigation is provided the opportunity to enhance the existing capability to bridge the gap between the capability and their specific science requirements. This multi-user development approach will enable the Combustion Science Program to drive cost per investigation down while drastically reducing the time required to go from selection to space flight.
Stress and free vibration analyses of multilayered composite plates

This paper presents a two-phase computational procedure for the accurate prediction of vibration frequencies, stresses, and deformations in simply supported bidirectional multilayered composite plates. The range of applicability of this procedure in terms of the plate's parameters is determined, and the potential of the proposed procedure for use in conjunction with large-scale finite element modeling of composite structures is discussed. It is shown that the use of the shear correction factors calculated by this procedure extends the range of the validity of the first-order shear deformation theory, used in the first phase of the procedure, to fairly thick multilayered plates with the h/L1 ratio of the order of 0.3.
Depressive Symptoms, Drug Network, and Their Synergistic Effect on Needle-Sharing Behavior Among Street Injection Drug Users

In this study, we examined the relationship between depressive symptoms and needle-sharing behavior in a community sample of intravenous drug users (N = 499) in Baltimore, Maryland. Based on the polytomous logistic regression, higher depressive symptoms were positively associated both with needle sharing after cleaning with bleach and with needle sharing without first cleaning with bleach at the bivariate analyses. This relationship remained significant (OR = 1.66) even after adjusting for demographic characteristics, life events, drug use patterns, and social and drug networks. A significant synergistic effect of depressive symptoms and drug network on needle sharing after cleaning with bleach and needle sharing without cleaning was observed. More depressed intravenous drug users who also had a larger drug network were found to be at higher risk of needle sharing after cleaning with bleach, as well as needle sharing without cleaning (OR = 2.59). Depression status is discussed as a predisposing factor and drug network size as a precipitating factor for needle-sharing behavior. Implications for preventing needle-sharing behavior by reducing depressive symptoms are discussed.
Corticosteroid treatment of erythema multiforme major (Stevens-Johnson syndrome) in children.

The effectiveness of systemic corticosteroids in erythema multiforme major (EMM) is controversial. We therefore evaluated the efficacy of corticosteroids in the treatment of EMM in a prospective study of 16 children with EMM admitted to our department within 3 days from the onset of rash. Ten patients (group A) received bolus infusions of methylprednisolone (4 mg/kg/day) while six had only supportive treatment (group B). The early use of corticosteroids compared to supportive treatment resulted in: (1) significant reduction of the period of fever (4.0 ± 1.9 vs 9.5 ± 4.2 days P = 0.01); (2) reduction of the period of acute eruption (7.0 ± 3.3 versus 9.8 ± 3.0 days P = 0.08); and (3) milder signs of prostration. Complications were minimal in both groups. Conclusion The early and short course of corticosteroids favourably influences the course of erythema multiforme major in children.
Recovery of tall cotton-grass following real and simulated feeding by snow geese

Lesser snow geese Anser caerulescens caerulescens from the western Canadian Arctic feed on underground parts of tall cotton-grass Eriophorum angustifolium during autumn staging on the coastal plain of the Beaufort Sea in Canada and Alaska. We studied revegetation of sites where cotton-grass had been removed either by human-imprinted snow geese or by hand to simulate snow goose feeding. Aerial cover of cotton-grass at sites (n = 4) exploited by human-imprinted snow geese averaged 60 and 39% lower than in undisturbed control plots during the first and second year after feeding, respectively. Underground biomass of cotton-grass stembases and rhizomes in hand-treated plots was 80 and 62% less than in control plots 2 and 4 yr after removal, respectively (n = 10 yr -1 ). Aerial cover and biomass of common non-forage species such as Carex aquatilis did not increase on treated areas. Removal of cotton-grass by geese likely reduces forage availability at exploited sites for at least 2-4 yr after feeding but probably does not affect long-term community composition. Temporal heterogeneity in forage abundance likely contributes to the large spatial requirement of snow geese during staging.
118 DNA structure-induced genetic instability in mammals

Naturally occurring repetitive DNA sequences can adopt alternative (i.e. non-B) DNA secondary structures, and often co-localize with chromosomal breakpoint “hotspots,” implicating non-B DNA in translocation-related cancer etiology. We have found that sequences capable of adopting H-DNA and Z-DNA structures are intrinsically mutagenic in mammals. For example, an endogenous H-DNA-forming sequence from the human c-MYC promoter and a model Z-DNA-forming CpG repeat induced genetic instability in mammalian cells, largely in the form of deletions resulting from DNA double-strand breaks (Wang & Vasquez, 2004; Wang et al., 2006). Characterization of the mutants revealed microhomologies at the breakpoints, consistent with a microhomology-mediated end-joining repair of the double-strand breaks (Kha et al., 2010). We have constructed transgenic mutation-reporter mice containing these human H-DNA- and Z-DNA-forming sequences to determine their effects on genomic instability in a chromosomal context in a living organis...
Diagnosis of syphilitic cardiovascular disease with special reference to treponemal immobilization tests

Abstract 1. 1. Treponemal immobilizing antibodies have been detected in the blood of reagin-free subjects with late manifestations of cardiovascular syphilis 26 to 43 years following the initial infection. 2. 2. The treponemal immobilizing test is of definite help in establishing the existence of syphilis in individuals with negative serologic tests commonly employed. 3. 3. A large margin of error may attend the diagnosis of cardiovascular syphilis in patients in the absence of collateral evidence of syphilitic infection.
A first-principle pseudopotential calculation of the (ns) energy levels of the K atom. II.

We have calculated the energies of the (7s) and (8s) states of the valence electron in the K atom by making use of a pseudopotential based on recently obtained variational solutions of the Thomas–Fermi (TF) equation for neutral atoms, and positive ions. We have chosen trial wave functions, with appropriate parameters, for the valence electron and then minimized the energies of the respective states using the pseudoHamiltonian. The exchange interaction between the K+ core and the valence electron has also been considered as a perturbation. Comparison of the calculated (7s) and (8s) energies with the experimental values shows an agreement of about 6% for the former one and of about 5% for the latter one, respectively. With the exchange correction both of these discrepancies are reduced to less than 2%. We conclude that the procedure outlined here is a promising one in dealing with problems involving a highly excited electron outside of a closed-shell ion core, a system for which a more exact quantum-mechanical treatment would be much more difficult.
Synthesis and biological activity of phospholipase C-resistant analogues of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate.

The membrane phospholipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2) is an important regulator in cell physiology. Hydrolysis of PtdIns(4,5)P2 by phospholipase C (PLC) releases two second messengers, Ins(1,4,5)P3 and diacylglycerol. To dissect the effects of PtdIns(4,5)P2 from those resulting from PLC-generated signals, a metabolically stabilized analogue of PtdIns(4,5)P2 was required. Two analogues were designed in which the scissile O−P bond was replaced with a C−P bond that could not be hydrolyzed by PLC activity. Herein we describe the asymmetric total synthesis of the first metabolically stabilized phospholipase C-resistant analogues of PtdIns(4,5)P2. The key transformation was a Pd(0)-catalyzed coupling of a H-phosphite with a vinyl bromide to form the desired C−P linkage. The phosphonate analogues of PtdIns(4,5)P2 were found to be effective in restoring the sensitivity of the TRPM4 channel to Ca2+ activation.
Simulated growth of wetting films with a conserved order parameter.

We have simulated the growth of saturated and unsaturated wetting films in two and three dimensions using an Ising lattice-gas model with nearest-neighbor interactions and a variety of long- and short-ranged adsorbate-substrate potentials. The Monte Carlo simulations provide a locally conserved order parameter (Kawasaki nearest-neighbor spin-exchange dynamics). Starting from a supersaturated bulk configuration, we find that the films grow as ${t}^{1/3}$ as predicted by Lifshitz and Slyozov. For an unsaturated bulk starting configuration, the film thickness appears to grow at intermediate times as ${t}^{\ensuremath{\theta}}$, where \ensuremath{\theta} is a small exponent which is determined by the substrate potential in the mean-field regime and which is universally (1/8 in the fluctuation regime; at long times, the thickness approaches the equilibrium thickness as ${t}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1/2}$. These results are consistent with theoretical predictions made by Lipowsky and Huse.
Strain-induced nucleation at a dislocation pile-up: a nanoscale model for high pressure mechanochemistry

Abstract A simple continuum thermodynamic model of strain-induced nucleation at the tip of a dislocation pile-up is developed. This model is applied to explain various mechanochemical phenomena. In particular, it explains why and how the superposition of plastic shear on high pressure leads to: a significant (by a factor of 3–5) reduction of phase transition's and chemical reaction's pressure and pressure hysteresis, the appearance of new phases which were not obtained without shear, strain-controlled (rather than time-controlled) kinetics, or the acceleration of kinetics without changes in the transformation pressure.
Fuzzy Decision Trees for Planning and Autonomous Control of a Coordinated Team of UAVs

ABSTRACT A fuzzy logic resource manager that enables a collection of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to automatically cooperate to make meteorological measurements will be discussed. Once in flight no human intervention is required. Planning and real-time control algorithms determine the optimal trajectory and points each UAV will sample, while taking into account the UAVs risk, risk tolerance, reliability, mission priority, fuel limitations, mission cost, and related uncertainties. The control algorithm permits newly obtained information about weather and other events to be introduced to allow the UAVs to be more effective. The appr oach is illustrated by a discussion of the fuzzy decision tree for UAV path assignment and related simulation. The different fuzzy membership functions on the tree are described in mathematical detail. The different methods by which this tree is obtained are summarized including a method based on using a genetic program as a data mining function. A second fuzzy decision tree that allows the UAVs to automatically collaborate without human intervention is discussed. This tree permits three different types of collaborative behavior between the UAVs. Simulations illustrating how the tree allows the different types of collaboration to be automated are provided. Simulations also show the ability of the control al gorithm to allow UAVs to effectively cooperate to increase the UAV teams likelihood of success. Keywords: resource management, fuzzy logic, planning algorithms, decision support algorithms, cooperative behavior
An investigation of the prolactin-thyroxine synergism in newt limb regeneration.

The use of hormone replacement to support limb regeneration in hypophysectomized newts has been the subject of many investigations. Growth hormone, as well as prolactin (PL) in combination with exogenously supplied thyroxine, have all been shown to he effective. However, the bovine growth hormone used to support limb regeneration was contaminated by prolactin and thyroidstimulating hormone (TSH). The present investigation evaluates the significance of (1) prolactin contamination and (2) endogenous thyroxine synthesis resulting from TSH contamination on limb regeneration in hypophysectomized newts. The effect of supplying exogenous thyroxine was also evaluated. Our studies showed that when hypophysectomized newts were injected with contamination levels of PL and TSH, regeneration occurred, suggesting that the newt's thyroid synthesized sufficient thyroxine to support a prolactin-thyroxine synergism. The endogenous thyroxine was synthesized by thyroid glands that were indistinguishable from those of saline-injected, hypophysectomized controls.
Blunted vagal reactivity predicts stress-precipitated tobacco smoking

Rationale Long-term smoking can lead to changes in autonomic function, including decreased vagal tone and altered stress responses. One index of the inability to adapt to stress may be blunted vagal reactivity. Stress is a primary mechanism involved in relapse to smoking, but mechanisms leading to stress-precipitated relapse are not well understood.
Temperatures occupied by ten ultrasonic-tagged striped bass in freshwater lakes

Abstract Subadult striped bass, Morone saxatilis, tagged with temperature-sensing ultrasonic transmitters in April-October and monitored in freshwater lakes generally occupied waters of 20–24 C, when these temperatures were available. When they were not (spring and fall), fish occupied nearly the warmest water available at depths > 1.5 m. Excursions of less than 2 minutes duration to warmer and to cooler water than was generally occupied were common in spring and summer. A thermal niche for subadult striped bass of 20–24 C centering near 22 C, as suggested by these results, would have important implications for managing this species in fresh water.
Inapplicability of “Scatchard‐type” analysis to highly cooperative binding systems

There are several studies of small molecule binding by biopolymers which use “Scatchard-type” plots to determine the intrinsic binding constant (k) and pairwise interaction energy between bound sites (S). “Scatchard-type” refers to the plot ln (r/m(n – r)) versus r in this text whereas “Scatchard plot” conventionally refers to the plot r/m versus r. The quantities r, n, and m are, respectively, the average bound ligand/site, ligand/site at saturation, and concentration of free ligand. Although these plots result from approximate solutions to the problem of binding small molecules on a general three-dimensional lattice, they are often used to represent binding isotherms in linear systems for which the solutions are known exactly. A critical examination regarding the applicability of “Scatchard-type” analysis to systems with a large number of binding sites is presented herein. Both experimental and simulated binding data are analyzed by “Scatchard-type” and exact nearest neighbor plots (θ versus ln m, where θ = r/n). Numerical determination of k and S for the two theoretical approaches differ greatly in highly cooperative systems although their theoretical equivalence (interconversion) is demonstrated. A modified Scatchard theory, which correctly counts the degenerate energy states, is presented which reconciles this discrepancy. The “Scatchard-type” plot for the modified theory in the highly cooperative limit is mathematically equivalent to the form ln (r/n – r) + p, where p contains all the molecular information and locates the r/n = 1/2 point. Contrary to the original theory, the r dependence in the “Scatchard-type” representation is devoid of molecular interpretation and is characterized by curvature in the low and high-binding regions with a (maximum) slope of 4 at r/n = 1/2. The modified theory is shown to reproduce accurately the poly(cytidylic acid)-guanosine data of Sarocchi et al. and to account for the maxima exhibited in the conventional Scatchard plots.
Factoring Higher-Dimensional Shifts Of Finite Type Onto The Full Shift

A one-dimensional shift of finite type (X,Z) with entropy at least logn factors onto the full n-shift. The factor map is constructed by exploiting the fact that X, or a subshift of X, is conjugate to a shift of finite type in which every symbol can be followed by at least n symbols. We will investigate analogous statements for higherdimensional shifts of finite type. We will also show that for a certain class of mixing higher-dimensional shifts of finite type, sufficient entropy implies that (X,Z ) is finitely equivalent to a shift of finite type that maps onto the full n-shift.
Cost-effective diagnostic strategies in patients with a high, intermediate, or low clinical probability of pulmonary embolism

Rapid quantitative D-dimer assays (DD), lower extremity venous duplex ultrasonography (US), and multislice computed tomographic (CT) angiography have been shown to have adequate sensitivities and specificities for diagnostic purpose. The purpose of this study was to evaluate cost-effectiveness of diagnostic strategies for pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with a high, intermediate, or low clinical probability of PE. A formal cost-effectiveness analysis for the diagnosis of PE was performed. The main outcome measure for effectiveness was 3-month expected survival. The strategy of DD followed by CT was cost-effective and had the lowest cost per life saved for all patients suspected with PE. The conventional strategy including ventilation and perfusion lung scanning followed by pulmonary angiography (PA) or CT was not cost-effective. The leg US after CT was not also cost-effective. In clinical practice, the individual patient's condition should be considered when choosing appropriate diagnostic tests.
Specificity of the Social Interaction Self-Statement Test in social phobia

The specificity of the Social Interaction Self-Statement Test (SISST) was evaluated in sample of 277 patients seeking treatment for anxiety. Both the positive and negative scales significantly discriminated between patients diagnosed with social phobia and other anxiety disorder patients. Patients with social phobia scored significantly higher on the negative scale and significantly lower on the positive scale as compared with other treatment-seeking anxiety disorder patients. Negative SISST scores were significantly correlated with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The positive scale was significantly correlated with the BDI. Despite this relationship, differences in BAI and BDI scores did not account for SISST findings. The present study provides further support for the use of the SISST with clinical populations.
Considering an Integrated Nephrology Care Delivery Model: Six Principles for Quality

In 2012, 27 organizations will initiate participation in the Medicare Shared Savings Program as Accountable Care Organizations. This level of participation reflects the response of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to criticism that the program as outlined in the proposed rule was overly burdensome, prescriptive, and too risky. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service made significant changes in the final rule, making the Accountable Care Organization program more attractive to these participants. However, none of these changes addressed the serious concerns raised by subspecialty societies-including the American Society of Nephrology-regarding care of patients with multiple chronic comorbidities and complex and end stage conditions. Virtually all of these concerns remain unaddressed, and consequently, Accountable Care Organizations will require guidance and partnership from the nephrology community to ensure that these patients are identified and receive the individualized care that they require. Although the final rule fell short of addressing the needs of patients with kidney disease, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation presents an opportunity to test the potentially beneficial concepts of the Accountable Care Organization program within this patient population. The American Society of Nephrology Accountable Care Organization Task Force developed a set of principles that must be reflected in a possible pilot program or demonstration project of an integrated nephrology care delivery model. These principles include preserving a leadership role for nephrologists, encompassing care for patients with later-stage CKD and kidney transplants as well as ESRD, enabling the participation of a diversity of dialysis provider sizes and types, facilitating research, and establishing monitoring systems to identify and address preferential patient selection or changes in outcomes.
LDV approach to circular trajectory tracking of the underactuated hovercraft model

This paper shows that circular trajectory tracking of an underactuated hovercraft vehicle can be achieved by linear dynamically varying (LDV) techniques. LDV control is a technique for directing a controlled trajectory to be asymptotically synchronized with a preselected trajectory. A linearized tracking error model is obtained as a linear system parameterized by the nominal nonlinear dynamics. The nontrivial part of the LDV theory is to prove existence of a sufficiently well behaved solution to the partial differential Riccati equation. This in turn provides an exact solution to a Lyapunov inequality, showing that the underactuated hovercraft can be stabilized around the circular trajectory.
A comparative evaluation of substance abuse treatment: II. Linking proximal outcomes of 12-step and cognitive-behavioral treatment to substance use outcomes.

This study examines the linkages in the treatment process chains that are thought to underlie two prevalent approaches to substance abuse treatment, traditional 12-Step treatment and cognitive-behavioral treatment. The focus is on the "proximal outcomes" specified by the two treatment approaches and their relation to "ultimate" substance use outcomes assessed at a 1-year follow-up. A total of 2687 men who received treatment in 15 Department of Veterans Affairs substance abuse treatment programs were assessed at treatment entry, at or near discharge, and at a 1-year follow-up. Based on the results of factor analyses, composite proximal outcomes variables were constructed to assess 12-Step cognitions, 12-Step behaviors, cognitive-behavioral beliefs, substance-specific coping, and general coping. Correlation analyses indicated that some of the proximal outcome composites assessed at treatment discharge were linked to 1-year outcomes, but the relationships were weak (r = .09 to .15). At follow-up, the cross-sectional relationships between the proximal outcome composites and two substance use outcomes were stronger, but still modest in magnitude (r = .16 to .39). The weak predictive findings suggest some mechanism is needed to sustain treatment-induced change on proximal outcomes so that positive ultimate outcomes can be achieved more frequently. In this regard, participation in continuing care was associated with enhanced maintenance of treatment gains on proximal outcomes. However, the modest cross-sectional relationships between proximal and substance use outcomes at follow-up suggest that the theories on which 12-Step and cognitive-behavioral substance abuse treatments are based are not sufficiently comprehensive.
Interest, usury and time

This paper argues that there are both ethical and economic reasons to support a normative claim that lower interest rales are preferable to higher ones. Biblical material as well as general ethical norms favours economic decisions that give a high weight to the future. High interest rates make the economy less stable, economic growth less sustainable, and the income distribution less equal. Policy directions are offered for government, business, and households.
Plasma levels of thrombin-antithrombin complexes predict preterm premature rupture of the fetal membranes

Objective: Decidual hemorrhage (abruption) is strongly associated with preterm premature rupture of fetal membranes (PPROM). Moreover, thrombin enhances decidual matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression, and MMP has been strongly linked to PPROM. The current study sought to determine whether increased thrombin activation, as assessed by circulating maternal plasma thrombin-antithrombin (TAT) complexes, predicted subsequent PPROM. Study design: We conducted a nested, case-control study of plasma TAT levels, measured by sensitive immunoassay, among 27 women with a singleton preterm birth preceded by PPROM and 54 matched, term controls. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to identify the optimal TAT cut-off level predicting PPROM. Results: Mean gestational age at delivery in cases was 33.3 weeks, compared to 39.7 weeks in controls (p < 0.001). Compared with controls, women with PPROM had increased median plasma TAT levels in both the second trimester (5.1μg/l (range 2.2-26.3 μg/l)...
Deviant modes of adaptations to a deviant involvement

Traditionally the sociology of deviance has focused on understanding why deviance occurs. This analysis goes one step further and pursues the issue: Once an individual becomes involved in deviance how does that person (and others aware of it) respond to this contingency. In this paper only deviant modes of adaptations to a deviant involvement will be developed. The main deviant modes of adaptations for the deviant actor are identified as: (1) deviance seeking, (2) deviance maintenance, (3) dazed consciousness, and (4) deviance erasing. The deviant responses, for others aware of the initial deviant act, are identified as: (1) deviance bandwagon and (2) deviance retaliation modes of adaptations. The analysis strongly supports the position that deviance can be viewed as an independent variable in the deviance amplification process.
New Insights Into Stages of Lyme Disease Symptoms From a Novel Hospital-Based Registry

Background: Western Connecticut Health Network created the Lyme Disease Registry in response to the community’s request and clinical need for more Lyme disease research. The registry includes acute, recovered, and persistently symptomatic patients to better define the different stages of the disease. The design of the registry was guided by community and clinician input through a community-based participatory research process. Methods: Registry participants are asked questions regarding their diagnosis, symptoms, treatments, recovery, and satisfaction with the Registry. A blood specimen is also collected and stored at the initial appointment. Results: The Lyme Disease Registry has enrolled 256 participants, 24% are acute cases, 45% are persistently symptomatic cases, and 31% are recovered cases. The symptoms experienced by the group of patients with persistent symptoms had unexpectedly strong overlap with those experienced by acutely infected patients. Conclusion: The difference between symptoms in the ac...
Novel Combination Therapies for the Treatment of Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma: Current Phase I/II Combinations

Clinical Lymphoma & Myeloma Supplement February 2009 Novel Combination Therapies for the Treatment of Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma: Current Phase I/II Combinations Paul Richardson,1 Jacob Laubach,1 Robert Schlossman,1 Irene Ghobrial,1 Constantine Mitsiades,1 Teru Hideshima,1 Dharminder Chauhan,1 Noopur Raje,1,2 Nikhil C. Munshi,1 Kenneth C. Anderson1 1Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 2Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Social Values, Subjective Transformations, and Cooperation in Social Dilemmas

A persistent anomaly in the social dilemmas literature is the surprisingly high level of cooperation observed in experimental investigations of the one-shot Prisoners' Dilemma (PD).The exchange heu...
Environmental implications of trade liberalization on North American transport services: the case of the trucking sector

The paper offers an assessment of the environmental impact of trade liberalization on the cross-border trucking sector in North America. Specific policies in the realm of transportation, environment and trade are investigated with data directly related to the time of implementation that varied across ports on each of the two international borders in North America subsequent to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The data on truck flows, wait times, air quality and trade value are analyzed using econometrics for quantitative analysis. Results show various policies do have a positive impact on reducing air emissions through changes in trucking characteristics (technology, patterns) in particular ports where they have been implemented.
Quantization effects and limit cycling in digitally controlled single-phase PFC rectifiers

This paper examines quantization effects and limit cycling in the voltage control loop of digitally controlled single-phase power factor correction (PFC) rectifiers. Low-frequency limit cycling in the voltage loop can result in undesirable DC components, even harmonics in the AC line current and flicker. It is shown that two mechanisms can result in low-frequency limit-cycling: nonsynchronous sampling of the output voltage and quantization of the power command signal. Conditions for avoiding limit cycling are presented and verified in simulations and experiments on digital average current mode (DACM) and digital non-linear carrier (DNLC) [1] controlled PFCs.
Germanium Partitioning and Interface Stability During Rapid Solidification of Gesi Alloys

The stability of laser processed GeSi heteroepitaxial alloys on Si to partitioning driven interface instabilities is examined. Existing stability models are extended to include nonequilibrium solidification effects for nondilute alloys and are examined under typical conditions of laser induced solidification. Ge diffusion and partitioning were measured for quantitative input to the models. The Ge liquid-phase diffusivity was determined to be 2.5 {times} 10{sup {minus}4} cm{sup 2}/s. The measured velocity-dependent partition coefficients k(v) were fit to the Continuous Growth Model using an equilibrium k of 0.45 and a diffusive speed of 2.7 m/s. Stability calculations based on these values and the extended stability model are presented. Although instabilities at compositions comparable to those experimentally observed to give defective films are predicted, the growth rates of these instabilities appear too slow to destabilize an interface on laser processing time scales. These results suggest that strain or other effects play an important role in the observed defective microstructures.
The association between exposure to guns and gambling among community-recruited substance using women

examines motivations behind buying ARVs on the black market with a focus on the role of drug use and ARV diversion on ARV adherence. Methods: Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 44 people living with HIV who reported purchasing ARVs on the street at least once in the past three months. Respondents gave detailed information about their drug use, ARV adherence, and history of buying ARVs on the street. Grounded theory was used to code and analyze interviews using Atlas.ti. Results: The sample averaged 46 years old (SD=7.8), 59% male, and 43% non-Hispanic Black. 36% of participants reported drinking alcohol, 34% used crack, 27% used cocaine, 23% usedmarijuana, and 9% used heroin. Motivations for buying ARVs on the black market included: having sold or lost ARVs, having provider or insurancerelated barriers to the legal access of ARVs, and profit-making. The most commonmotivation for buying ARVs illicitly was to replace a legitimately obtained prescription that was sold for money to purchase illicit drugs, personal items, or to pay bills. The data suggest that drug dependence undermines ARV adherence in several ways. Participants mentioned that drug seeking and use impeded ARV adherence and the desire not to mix illicit drugs and ARVs in their system. Conclusions: Limited ARV adherence among substance users may furtherexacerbate the riskof treatment failure,ARVresistance, and HIV transmission. Our study highlights a need for HIV literacy education, accessible drug treatment programs, and interventions to support ARV adherence. Financial support: This research is supported by NIDA grant R01DA023157.
The evidence for present‐centered therapy as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder.

To examine the evidence for present-centered therapy (PCT) as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 5 randomized clinical trials that compared PCT to an existing evidence-based treatment for PTSD were reviewed. A meta-analysis was used to estimate between-treatment differences on targeted measures, secondary measures, and dropout. PCT was found to be as efficacious as the comparison evidence-based treatment in 3 of the 5 trials, and in the 2 cases where a no-treatment condition was included, PCT was superior, with large effect sizes for targeted variables (d = 0.88, 0.74, and 1.27). When results were aggregated using meta-analysis, effects for PCT versus an evidence-based treatment for both targeted and secondary measures were small and nonsignificant (d = 0.13 and d = 0.09, respectively). As well, the dropout rate for PCT was significantly less than for the comparison evidence-based treatments (14.3% and 31.3%, respectively). It appears that PCT is an efficacious and acceptable treatment for PTSD.
Increased islet beta cell replication adjacent to intrapancreatic gastrinomas in humans.

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are characterised by a beta cell deficit. Islet hyperplasia has been described in patients with Zollinger–Ellison syndrome secondary to gastrin-producing tumours (gastrinomas), and gastrin therapy has increased beta cell mass in rodents and human islets in vitro. In the present studies we addressed the following questions: (1) In pancreas specimens from gastrinoma cases, is the fractional beta cell area increased? (2) If so, is this restricted to tumour-adjacent islets or also present in tumour-distant islets? (3) Is new beta cell formation (beta cell replication and islet neogenesis) increased and beta cell apoptosis decreased in pancreas specimens from gastrinoma cases? Pancreas was obtained at surgery from four patients with Zollinger–Ellison syndrome caused by pancreatic gastrinomas and 15 control subjects at autopsy. Islet fractional beta cell area (p 1 cm away from the gastrinomas did not exhibit changes in beta cell turnover, despite markedly elevated systemic gastrin levels sufficient to cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms.
Cascade normal forms for underactuated mechanical systems

Introduces cascade normal forms for underactuated mechanical systems that are convenient for control design. These normal forms are partially linear which results from a well-known fact that underactuated systems can be partially linearized using a change of control. The difficulty arises when the new control appears both in the linear and nonlinear subsystems. We introduce a method for decoupling these two subsystems by applying a change of coordinates that transforms the dynamics of the system into a cascade normal form with the property that control of the overall system reduces to control of its nonlinear subsystem. Under a symmetry condition on the inertia matrix of the system, this transformation can be obtained explicitly from the Lagrangian. This eventually leads to classification of underactuated systems. We provide several applications and two detailed examples of complex underactuated systems, namely, the Acrobot and the rotating pendulum.
Are we going in the right direction? A survey of the undergraduate medical education in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom from a general practice perspective

This study looks at the changing patterns of medical education in 45 medical schools in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. It examines the extent to which the undergraduate curricula in the above three countries have changed, and the direction of that change. It looks at the teaching and assessment methods used, and the development of teacher training. Finally it gathers innovative teaching ideas from the various participating family medicine departments. The results show, that in response to changing patterns of health and social trends, medical education is gradually moving to a more learner-centred, community-orientated format.There is a move towards problem- and system-based teaching, horizontal and vertical integration in many new curricula. General practice is gaining a higher profile in undergraduate teaching, but it is often still under-resourced. Many of the family medicine departments provide high quality faculty training and stimulating programs for students, based in the community.
Combining Business Intelligence And Stock Market Data: A Primer For Data Analytics And Business Intelligence

Business Intelligence (BI) has become indispensible to modern business decision-making. Organizations rely on BI to interpret the mass amounts of data circulating throughout the world. However, integration of BI into university business programs does not parallel industry demands. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an innovative business intelligence project tutorial for Information Systems (IS) education. The applied tutorial was designed to help students learn how to design and publish a report using SQL Server Reporting Services to analyze current stock market data. This tutorial exposes students to the decision-making power derived from raw data analysis and assists in development of business professionals who can maximize profitability through effective use of business intelligence.
The effect of saving on risk attitudes and intertemporal choices

Abstract We investigate whether access to savings accounts affects choices individuals make about financial risk and intertemporal tradeoffs. We exploit a field experiment that randomized access to savings accounts among a largely unbanked population of Nepalese villagers. One year after the accounts were introduced, we administered lottery-choice and intertemporal-choice tasks to the treatment and control groups. We find that the treatment is more willing to take risks in the lottery-choice task and is more responsive to changes in experimental interest rates in the intertemporal-choice task. The results on time discounting are less conclusive, but suggest that the treatment group is more willing to delay receiving money. These results suggest that access to formal savings devices has a positive feedback loop for poor families by increasing their willingness to take risks and to delay gratification.
When a Child Needs a Lawyer

This essay speaks to that lawyer who has just received a first-time appointment as a guardian ad litem to represent a child.
Annual Report Provides Transparency into APA Process

In this report, the authors discuss the IRS's latest annual report on the operation of the advance pricing agreement program.
Microbiome: Antibiotics and the infant microflora.

Functional selection of novel antibiotic resistance genes and metagenomic sequencing reveal how antibiotic treatment and bacterial resistance genes interact to shape the fragile microbiome of premature infants.
Reliability of a Modified Stanford Shyness Survey

Developed by Zimbardo (1977) , the Stanford Shyness Survey ( 1 ) assesscs the individual's degree of shyness and ( 2 ) provides a baseline from which changes resulting from individualized remedial procedures can be evaluated (pp. 134-150). As such, the survey is comprehensive but very long. The present study determined the reliability of a modified survey given to 404 college students, who ranged in age from 17 to 23 yr. They were randomly selected from the Interim enrollment. Of this number 28 proved unusable and 4 3 were excluded because they did not view themselves as shy. Thus 161 females and 172 males who did view themselves as shy to some extent were subjects. They were given a 16-item Likerttype modification of the first 44 questions utilizing three categories, from lowest ( 1 ) to highest (3 ) levels of shyness. The questions which were changed or eliminated were, for the most parr, fill-ins or detailed and extended. Total test completion time was 5 to 10 min.