cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Projectile Impact Shock-Induced Deformation of One-Component Polymer Nanocomposite Thin Films.

Matrix-free assemblies of polymer-grafted nanoparticles (PGNs) enable mechanically robust materials for a variety of structural, electronic, and optical applications. Recent quasi-static mechanical studies have identified the key parameters that enhance canopy entanglement and promote plasticity of the PGNs below Tg. Here we experimentally explore the high-strain-rate shock impact behavior of polystyrene grafted NPs and compare their energy absorption capabilities to that of homopolystyrene for film thicknesses ranging from 75 to 550 nm and for impact velocities from 350 to 800 m/s. Modeling reveals that the initial shock compression results in a rapid temperature increase at the impact site. The uniformity of this heating is consistent with observations of greater kinetic energy absorption per mass (Ep*) of thinner films due to extensive visco-plastic deformation of molten film around the penetration site. Adiabatic heating is insufficient to raise the temperature at the exit surface of the thickest films resulting in increased strain localization at the impact periphery with less melt elongation. The extent and distribution of entanglements also influence Ep*. Structurally, each NP acts as a giant cross-link node, coupling surrounding nodes via the number of canopy chains per NP and the nature and number of entanglements between canopies anchored to different NPs. Load sharing via this dual network, along with geometrical factors such as film thickness, lead to extreme Ep* arising from the sequence of instantaneous adiabatic shock heating followed by visco-plastic drawing of the film by the projectile. These observations elucidate the critical factors necessary to create robust polymer-nanocomposite multifunctional films.
Do Larger Sample Sizes Increase the Reliability of Traffic Incident Duration Models? A Case Study of East Tennessee Incidents:

Incident duration models are often developed to assist incident management and traveler information dissemination. With recent advances in data collection and management, enormous achieved incident...
Measuring the contribution of clinical rotations to skills confidence in primary care nurse practitioner students.

ABSTRACT Primary care providers (PCPs) are essential components of a health care system, but there are shortages of PCPs. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are essential in meeting the needs of an increased demand for primary care, but there is a wide variety in the training offered to NP students. The purpose of this analysis is to determine student self-reported comfort in a variety of care delivery, covering primary care topics, including knowledge and skills. We conducted a preclinical and postclinical survey. Surveys were obtained before and at the conclusion of two clinical rotations in Baltimore, MD. Students were a part of a Health Resources and Services Administration-funded program to prepare NP students to practice in urban, underserved settings. Seventeen NP students NP students responded to both our pre- and postsurveys. Overall, student comfort increased in many focus areas, but no change was seen in important domains, including interpreting imaging studies, filling out common forms, and interpreting certain diagnostic tests. Further study of student skills and confidence at the conclusion of their study would be beneficial in determining if these gaps persist at entry into NP practice. Given wide variation in NP student training programs, it would be additionally beneficial to understand how these differences impact student skills and confidence during their clinical rotations and on entry to practice. Well rounded, broad-based education is necessary for the development of highly trained PCPs; greater understanding of student confidence, knowledge, and skills can assist educators in assuring that all NPs enter practice as safe and competent providers.
Identifying Predictors of Momentary Negative Affect and Depression Severity in Adolescents with Autism: An Exploratory Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

Depression is a common comorbidity in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Little is known about risk factors for depression and depressive symptoms in this population. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has been used in the typically developing population to identify risk factors for depression, but has been rarely applied in ASD populations. In this exploratory study, 17 autistic adolescents participated in an EMA protocol in which they reported on their current activities and emotions six times per day for seven consecutive days. Results suggested that negative affect is predicted by momentary quality of social interaction and enjoyment of the current activity (p < 0.05). Additionally, affective instability predicted depressive symptoms. These results provide insights into risk factors for depression in this vulnerable population.
A Heijunka Study for Automotive Assembly Using Discrete-Event Simulation: A Case Study

The automotive manufacturing industry is constantly challenged with an unpredictable costumer demand with considerable fluctuation. In addition, the number of products and the complexity is constantly growing. These characteristics make it very difficult to implement lean manufacturing tools such as production leveling (Heijunka), because it is extremely difficult to find the optimal production leveling batch size of complex systems. This paper presents a methodology to model with a high degree of accuracy the production floor, warehouse and material handling system of an automotive assembly facility through discrete-event simulation software; allowing one to determine the optimal batch size of complex manufacturing assembly system through "what-if" analysis.
Remote supervision and training in suicide prevention during the time of the coronavirus pandemic: Recommendations for training programs and supervisors

The Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) has led to a widespread surge in need for mental health services. At the same time, trainees in health service psychology rapidly transitioned to remote work to protect the safety of themselves, colleagues, and patients from the pandemic. This abrupt switch has led to pioneering advancements in the use of remote technologies which can improve access for patients and trainees alike. However, the existing guidelines for telehealth lack specific recommendations for training programs and supervision. Further, the literature is especially lacking in information on training in suicide risk assessment and management for when both supervision and treatment are conducted virtually. Trainees commonly experience relatively high anxiety when working with high-risk patients, and close supervision and support are paramount. This review provides information on available technologies that can aid suicide prevention, highlights gaps in existing guidelines and literature for telehealth as these may apply to trainees' work with high-risk patients, and delineates recommendations for training programs and supervisors to optimally support trainees' learning with regard to suicide prevention, and to ensure that trainees provide their patients with optimal treatment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Public Significance Statement -This review highlights key challenges for trainees working with patients at high risk for suicide while working remotely during the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). Presently, there is a dearth of specific guidance to aid training programs during this time. The authors of this paper, representing trainees at multiple stages, conducted an extensive review of the current status of telehealth services specific to training and suicide prevention, and in this manuscript delineate specific recommendations for training programs and supervisors that can have immediate applicability to the psychology field. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Defining a minimum hospital volume threshold for minimally invasive colon cancer resections.

Abstract Background Laparoscopic colectomy is considered the standard of care in colon cancer treatment when appropriate expertise is available. However, guidelines do not delineate what experience is required to implement this approach safely and effectively. This study aimed to establish a data-derived, hospital-level annual volume threshold for laparoscopic colectomy at which patient outcomes are optimized. Methods This evaluation included 44,157 stage I to III adenocarcinoma patients aged ≥40 years who underwent laparoscopic colon resection between 2010 and 2015 within the National Cancer Database. The primary outcome was overall survival, with 30- and 90-day mortality, duration of stay, days to receipt of chemotherapy, and number of lymph nodes examined as secondary. Segmented logistic and Cox regression models were used to identify volume thresholds which optimized these outcomes. Results In hospitals performing ≥30 laparoscopic colectomies per year there were incremental improvements in overall survival for each additional resection beyond 30. Hospitals performing ≥30 procedures/year demonstrated improved 30-day mortality (1.3% vs 1.7%, P Conclusion A high-volume hospital threshold of ≥30 cases/year for laparoscopic colectomies is associated with improved patient survival and outcomes. A minimum volume standard may help providers determine which approach is most suitable for their hospital’s practice as open procedures may yield better oncologic results in low volume settings.
The labor share and structural change: insights from Baumol and Lewis

This paper investigates the interaction of structural change and the labor share. We use a series of thought experiments that combine theoretical assumptions underlying labor markets in Baumol and Lewis with the accounting of a sectoral decomposition of the labor share. The focus lies on a shift of employment from progressive to stagnant activities. To single out this shift, we construct simplified, hypothetical economies of Baumolian and Lewisian type. A thus sharpened Occam's razor leads to clear and illustrative results: Baumolian structural change is inconsistent with the facts, whereas Lewisian outcomes conform to observed phenomena. A key issue in the relevant Lewisian scenario is that progressive activities take center stage. The details of our contribution are as follows. First, the sectoral decomposition shows that increasing stagnant sector employment shares coincides with downward decoupling in progressive activities, despite the fact that stagnant sector labor shares are higher. Second, we formulate cases based on the most consequential assumptions outlined in Baumol (1967) and Lewis (1954). Key results are that: (i) stagnant sector distribution dominates under Baumolian structural change; (ii) Lewisian structural change entertains the possibility of hysteresis; and (iii) decoupling of wages and productivity growth emerges only in the Lewis classical model.
Strahlung in Wechselwirkung mit Materie: Biologische Effekte

Schon Zellen, die Bausteine biologischer Systeme, sind komplizierte Gebilde. Im Durchschnitt etwa nur von der Grose eines Millionstels eines Regentropfens (Sponsler), enthalten sie eine Unzahl von Molekulen der verschiedensten Art*. Diese sind in komplizierten Systemen angeordnet und organisiert; von ihrem reibungslosen Funktionieren — das wie eine Uhr ablaufen mus — hangt das Leben der Zelle ab.
A Web-Based System from Data Collection and Community Building

Your Psyche (http://www.yourpsyche.org) is a new webbased data collection system. This system was developed to take advantage of modern Internet technologies to create an engaging and rewarding experience for participants. Key to this effort is the development of a sophisticated and powerful feedback system that allows participants to see and understand the results of studies they have participated in. This feedback system not only allows participants to see how their results compare those of other participants, but also to see how the variables in the study relate to each other. The feedback system also allows participants to select specific comparison demographics: for example, a young female participant can see how her scores compare to those of other young females. Preliminary evidence is encouraging, but also suggests that participants are sometimes overwhelmed and confused by the sophistication of the feedback system. Additional work and innovation are needed to develop ways to present complex information in straightforward ways that lay persons can understand. Your Psyche (http://www.yourpsyche.org) is a web-based system for conducting psychological studies. This system features a sophisticated and powerful graphics engine capable of providing participants with detailed feedback about studies they have participated in. A key feature of this webbased system is the ability to provide participants with immediate and detailed feedback about the research projects they have participated in. This feedback system goes far beyond merely presenting a few summary statistics; it allows participants to graphically view the effects of any experimentally manipulated variables, as well as the associations between any pair of variables measured in the study. This capability has implications for the way participants can be recruited to participate in psychological research, and for how psychologists conducting research can interface with the general public.
Head Injury Potential Assessment in Frontal Impacts by Mathematical Modeling

The potential of head injury in frontal barrier impact tests was investigated by a mathematical model. This model consisted of: a finite element human head model, a four segments rigid dynamic neck model, a rigid body occupant model, and a lumped-mass vehicle structure model. The finite element human head model represents anatomically an average adult head. The rigid body occupant model simulates an average adult male. The structure model simulates the interior space and the dynamic characteristics of a vehicle. The neck model integrates the finite element human head to the occupant body to give a more realistic kinematic head motion in a barrier crash test. Model responses were compared with experimental cadaveric data and vehicle crash data for the purpose of model validation to ensure model accuracy. Model results show a good agreement with those of the tests. The model was used to assess head injury severity, when the occupant was restrained by an airbag only (31 mph barrier test) and by an airbag and a 3-point belt (35 mph barrier test). Head acceleration, stress and strain in the brain were investigated as injury parameter indicators. The model advances the study of brain motions and accompanying stresses during large linear and angular displacements encountered in vehicle frontal collisions. (A) For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 879189.
Patients with uncontrolled hypertension or concomitant hypertension and benign prostatic hyperplasia

At optimal doses, individual antihypertensive agents lower blood pressure (BP) by an average of 10 mmHg. Many patients with hypertension, including those with stage 3 hypertension, target organ damage, or those at high risk for cardiovascular events and/or adverse effects of high-dose monotherapy, are likely to require combination antihypertensive drug treatment to achieve the recommended systolic/diastolic BP (< 140/90 mmHg). Two studies, a placebo-controlled, double-blind trial (n = 70) and a community-based, open-label trial (n = 491) investigated the antihypertensive efficacy of doxazosin, a long-acting selective alpha1-adrenoceptor blocker, as add-on therapy for uncontrolled hypertension with other antihypertensive medications and in patients with concomitant benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and treated but inadequately controlled hypertension, respectively. The addition of doxazosin to baseline antihypertensive medication(s) significantly lowered BP and had a significantly positive effect on the serum lipid profile. In patients with concomitant BPH, doxazosin significantly improved all BPH symptom scores, regardless of initial symptom severity. Add-on doxazosin sufficiently reduced systolic/diastolic BP such that many patients whose hypertension was previously uncontrolled by other antihypertensive medications were able to reach goal BP (< 140/90 mmHg). Doxazosin as add-on therapy was well tolerated. In conclusion, doxazosin as add-on therapy improves BP control in hypertensive patients not at goal BP and improves lower urinary tract symptoms in patients with concomitant BPH.
A Multistage Geophysical Approach to Detecting and Interpreting Archaeological Features at the LeBus Circle, Bourbon County, Kentucky

Magnetic gradiometry and in-phase electromagnetic induction (EM) instruments were employed during a geophysical survey to identify archaeological features at an Adena circular ditch and embankment earthwork site. Three features identified in the geophysical survey were selected for further geophysical examination because of their shape, spatial arrangement, and differences in the gradiometer and EM data. Downhole magnetic susceptibility was used to explore the subsurface shape of these features and to identify the presence of magnetic variations within them. Excavation of these features exposed a buried ground surface below the earthwork's embankment, a midden-like soil in the ditch, and a large pit situated over a spring/seep inside the earthwork. Magnetic susceptibility data were collected on open wall profiles of excavation units with a KT9 kappameter. Pairing the geophysical results and excavation profiles helped separate a lightly burned ground surface from a buried A horizon below the embankment, map the buried A horizon beneath areas where the embankment is now destroyed, and separate natural from cultural fill episodes inside the pit feature. Correlations between the magnetic susceptibility data and drawn profiles identified specific cultural contexts for radiocarbon dating. The radiocarbon chronology of the site indicates the earthwork was constructed during Middle Adena ritual development (150 bc to ad 1), a time marked by increasing ritual diversity and the appearance of circular structures used in mortuary ritual. This research also demonstrated that the Woodland earthwork was reused by Late Fort Ancient peoples after approximately ad 1450. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characteristics of Hospital and Emergency Care Super-utilizers with Multiple Chronic Conditions

Abstract Background Targeted care transitions programs may improve the value of hospital-based health care. Super-utilizing patients with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) are thought to be particularly amenable to care transitions interventions. Objectives To identify characteristics, future utilization patterns, and health outcomes for super-utilizers with MCC. Methods Retrospective cohort study of patients receiving care in an urban multi-hospital system in Tennessee over 3 years. Adult patients with Medicaid or Medicare insurance, or both, MCC, and multiple hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits in a 6-month period were included. The primary outcome measures were numbers of hospitalizations and ED visits in the 12 months after the 6-month period of high utilization. Secondary outcomes included 30-day readmissions and discharge disposition. Results Of 1537 super-utilizing patients, 59.0% (n = 907) had at least two targeted chronic conditions. This final study cohort (n = 638) experienced a mean of 3.2 hospitalizations and 2.8 ED visits without hospitalization in the 12-month follow-up period. During follow-up, 26% experienced one or more 30-day readmission(s) within the health care system. Despite their medical complexity, 46% reported not having a regular primary care provider, and 48% had presenting pain scores ≥8/10. Only 1% of the visits to the ED were triaged as nonurgent. Conclusions Medicare and Medicaid patients with high baseline utilization and MCC experience continued high health care utilization. Patient characteristics, future utilization patterns, and health outcomes suggest the subgroup identified is an important subgroup of super-utilizers that merits attention because they may be particularly amenable to intervention.
Freud and Hoffmann, once again

Abstract: Starting with the embedded narrative from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Serapion’s Brothers , this article relates the poetical concept of “semblance of life”, or the seemingly alive image with theological debates from the early 19 th century and relates it to Achim von Arnim’s stagings of the Golem-figure. Both Hoffmann and Arnim adopted a poetological concept of ‘body without soul’ that is meant polemically against Classicist and pre-romantic notion of the poet as imitator of God. Resume : Commencant avec le recit enchâsse d’E.T.A. Hoffmann Les Freres Serapion , cet article etablit les relations entre le concept poetique de « semblant de vie » ou d’image anime avec les debats theologiques du debut du XIXe siecle et rapporte cette question aux mises en scenes de la figure du Golem par Achim von Arnim. Hoffmann aussi bien qu’Arnim ont adopte un concept poetologique de « corps sans âme » mobilise a des fins polemiques contre la notion classique et pre-romantique du poete comme imitateur de Dieu.
Signatures for technicolor

The present experimental constraints on the existence of light charged and neutral electroweak scalar particles are summarized. Within the context of an explicit extended technicolor model, we discuss prospects for the detection of light scalars in p\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}p collisions at energies up to 2 TeV, in ${e}^{+}$${e}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ collisions at energies up to the ${Z}^{0}$ mass, and in fixed-target hadron-hadron collisions. In addition the production cross sections of the other expected scalars are computed and decay signatures are explored.
Defining information systems as work systems: implications for the IS field

The lack of an agreed upon definition of information system (IS) is one of many obstacles troubling the academic IS discipline. After listing a number of definitions of IS, this paper defines IS as a special case of work system as defined in Alter (1999a). This definition has many desirable characteristics: it is easy to understand; differentiates IS from information technology (IT); covers totally manual, partially automated, and totally automated ISs; links to a life cycle model that generates many insights about development and implementation problems; provides a simple guideline that helps in interpreting common IS/IT jargon; and has other useful implications related to IS concepts, IS terminology, and the analysis and design of ISs. The paper presents the proposed IS definition and evaluates the definition in terms of simplicity, clarity, scope, systematic power, explanatory power, validity, reliability, and fruitfulness. An Appendix summarizes previously published concepts and two frameworks that flow from the proposed definition and are useful for appreciating many points in the evaluation section.
The Host Cell Sulfonation Pathway Contributes to Retroviral Infection at a Step Coincident with Provirus Establishment

The early steps of retrovirus replication leading up to provirus establishment are highly dependent on cellular processes and represent a time when the virus is particularly vulnerable to antivirals and host defense mechanisms. However, the roles played by cellular factors are only partially understood. To identify cellular processes that participate in these critical steps, we employed a high volume screening of insertionally mutagenized somatic cells using a murine leukemia virus (MLV) vector. This approach identified a role for 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphosulfate synthase 1 (PAPSS1), one of two enzymes that synthesize PAPS, the high energy sulfate donor used in all sulfonation reactions catalyzed by cellular sulfotransferases. The role of the cellular sulfonation pathway was confirmed using chemical inhibitors of PAPS synthases and cellular sulfotransferases. The requirement for sulfonation was mapped to a stage during or shortly after MLV provirus establishment and influenced subsequent gene expression from the viral long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter. Infection of cells by an HIV vector was also shown to be highly dependent on the cellular sulfonation pathway. These studies have uncovered a heretofore unknown regulatory step of retroviral replication, have defined a new biological function for sulfonation in nuclear gene expression, and provide a potentially valuable new target for HIV/AIDS therapy.
Microcalcifications of the breast: a mammographic-histologic correlation study using a newly designed Path/Rad Tissue Tray

The introduction of screening mammography has brought about a greater knowledge of early breast cancer characteristics. These improvements have led to a reduction in size of suspicious lesions and a shift from surgical to image-guided core needle biopsies (CNBs). Establishing correlation between histologic and imaging findings is required for accurate diagnosis. Currently, there are no standardized multidisciplinary protocols for evaluating such lesions. We correlated histologic and radiologic findings in mammographically detectable calcified lesions in CNBs using specially designed Path/Rad Tissue Trays (patent pending, University of Kansas). Evidence of calcification was analyzed in 440 with and without the use of tissue trays. After mammographic identification of the lesion, CNBs are harvested, placed in tissue trays, and x-rayed to confirm sampling of the lesion. Images of CNBs with calcifications are marked by the radiologists and sent to the pathologist along with the biopsies. Trays with CNBs are then placed into cassettes and sent to the laboratory where they are embedded without disturbing orientation. Identification and localization of targeted microcalcifications were accomplished by radiologists and pathologists in 68 of 71 cases when using the tissue trays compared with 292 of 369 without tissue trays. Confirmation of microcalcifications was accomplished after deeper sectioning into tissue blocks from discordant cases. In conclusion, a systematic approach is recommended to standardize reporting of calcifications. The use of Path/Rad Tissue Trays has created a level of concordance between pathologists and radiologists that previously did no exist. It improved diagnostic reliability, encouraged communication between pathologists and radiologists, and minimized false diagnoses and/or delays in cancer diagnosis.
Joint Replacement and Hip Fracture Readmission Rates: Impact of Discharge Destination

Objective To determine if discharge destination after hospitalization for hip replacement or repair influences the hospital readmission rate. Design A retrospective cohort study that included consecutive patients with a primary diagnosis of hip replacement or repair who were discharged from the acute hospital in a 3-year period. Setting Urban academic nonprofit hospital. Patients Data for 606 orthopedic patients discharged alive from the acute hospital between January 2004 and September 2006 were abstracted from the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) Clinical DataBase/Resource Manager clinical database for the study hospital. Main Outcome Measures Unplanned readmission rate to the study-site hospital within 180 days after discharge after hip replacement or repair. Results Unplanned readmission within 180 days occurred at a rate of 8.3% and varied significantly by discharge destination: home 5.1%, home with home health care services 10.5%, skilled nursing facility 12.3%, inpatient rehabilitation 4.2%, and other 42.9%. Variables from the surgical admission that were significantly associated with higher risk of readmission included admission severity, burden of comorbidities, any days in the intensive care unit, long length of stay, and cost. When controlling for multiple independent risk factors, discharge to inpatient rehabilitation ( P = .015) remained a significant independent predictor of lower risk of readmission within 180 days. Conclusion Discharge to acute inpatient rehabilitation was associated with a lower risk of hospital readmission. Identification of patients with orthopedic procedures who may benefit from inpatient rehabilitation and further medical management before discharge from the acute hospital may be an important strategy in prevention of hospital readmission.
WHERE ARE THE MEN? THE SCARCITY OF MALES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD CLASSROOMS

This article examines issues surrounding the recruitment and employment of men in early childhood education, including special education, child care, and preschool through primary grade classrooms. Earlier research from the United States, Canada, and Australia concerning men in early education is reviewed. Issues discussed include the limitations of traditional gender roles, concerns of homosexuality, fear of sexual abuse accusations, salaries, and isolation. Initiating dialogue, identifying and remedying prejudices and practices that favor women, and activating support networks are among the activities suggested to increase the number of male teachers in early childhood classrooms.
Synthesis and structural characterization of two bis-imidazolium-linked cyclophanes: precursors toward ‘carbeneporphyrinoid’ ligands

Abstract The synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of the imidazolium-linked cyclophanes [ 1 ][PF6]2 and [ 2 ][PF6]2 are described. Cyclophane [ 1 ][PF6]2 contains two imidazolium rings bridged by a 2,6-bis(methyl)-pyridine unit and a 2,5-bis(methyl)-pyrrole unit. Cyclophane [ 2 ][PF6]2 contains two imidazolium rings bridged by two 2,5-bis(methyl)-pyrrole units. Cyclophanes [ 1 ][PF6]2 and [ 2 ][PF6]2 have been structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography.
Absorption performance of iodixanol-imprinted polymers in aqueous and blood plasma media.

Abstract This paper presents the preparation and absorption performance of iodixanol-imprinted polymers in aqueous and blood plasma media in vitro for biomedical applications. The imprinted polymers were prepared by non-covalent imprinting of iodixanol in a matrix of poly(4-vinylpyridine) crosslinked by ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. The binding capacities (BCs) were investigated as a function of template-to-monomer, as well as monomer-to-crosslinker, ratios in the polymerization, and the solvent type. The highest BC of iodixanols achieved from the optimized imprinted polymer in the aqueous solution is 284 mg g−1 dry polymer with an imprinting effect (IE) 8.8 times higher than that of the non-imprinted polymer. In blood plasma, the BC of this polymer is slightly reduced to 232 mg g−1 with a smaller IE 4.3 times higher than that of the control polymer. The BCs of molecularly imprinted polymers as a function of the initial assay solution concentration as well as the examination time are also addressed. Surface analyses were additionally performed to characterize the surface morphologies and porosities of synthetic polymers. This work has demonstrated the feasibility of molecular imprinting of iodixanol, and the observed absorption performance of the imprinted polymers is encouraging for biomedical applications.
Benefits and Costs of For-Profit Public Education

As a policy initiative, for-profit operation of public schools has not lived up to the claims of its proponents. An examination of issues such as teaching methods, academic achievement, autonomy, local control, and the image and influence of for-profit public schools suggests that "for-profits" are unlikely to succeed in the long term in improving the overall quality of public education. They do, however, seem capable of harming public schools.
Pregnancy during obstetrics and gynecology residency: effect on surgical experience

Abstract Objective This study explored residents' views about pregnancy during residency and the effect leaves of absence had on the quantity of surgical procedures performed. Study design Physicians who graduated from an obstetrics and gynecology residency between 1994 and 2002 were contacted by mail. Respondents completed a questionnaire and consented to use of the program's surgical database to obtain information regarding surgical procedures performed during their training. Results Thirty-one of the 41 eligible resident physicians returned the questionnaire and consent form (response rate, 75.6%). Among the 14 responding men, 2 had taken a total of three nonvacation, noneducational leaves. Among the 17 women respondents, there were 16 leaves associated with deliveries, and the nonvacation, noneducational leave for women who were pregnant was statistically longer than for other residents (median of 6 weeks compared with 0 weeks, P P =.20); abdominal hysterectomy, 116 versus 102 cases ( P =.08); laparoscopy, 87 versus 92 cases ( P =.72); vaginal hysterectomy, 51 versus. 45 cases ( P =.11). Conclusion Pregnancy and delivery did not decrease surgical experience of four major procedures in this program, and pregnant physicians perceived appropriate support from their colleagues and the program administration.
Comparative determination of photodegradation kinetics of quinolones

Abstract The photostabilities of several quinolones have been determined using high performance thin layer chromatography. On irradiation with UVA (350 nm), the photostability decreases in the order: ciprofloxacin (CP)> norfloxacin (NF) > pipemidic acid (PA) > nalidixic acid (NA) > M-193324 > rosoxacin (RS) > oxolinic acid (OA). The photo- degradation process in all cases follows first-order kinetics. Furthermore, the quantum yield of fluorescence was determined for each quinolone; these values vary from 0.15 x 10 −2 to 5.15 x 10 −2 . The highest Φ f value corresponds to CP and NF. These results show that quinolones which possess a piperazine ring at the C-7 position (CP, NF, PA) are less photostable and more fluorescent.
Isolation and partial characterization of antifungal metabolites of Bacillus pumilus.

C. MUNIMBAZI AND L.B. BULLERMAN. 1998. Antifungal metabolites produced by Bacillus pumilus in Potato Dextrose Broth (PDB) were isolated from culture supernatant fluid by precipitation with ammonium sulphate. The antifungal metabolites inhibited mycelial growth of many species of Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium. They also inhibited production of aflatoxins, cyclopiazonic acid, ochratoxin A and patulin. The metabolites were heat-stable and remained active after sterilization at 121 °C for 15 min. Their activity was stable over a wide range of pH (2-10). The metabolites were resistant to hydrolysis by various proteases, peptidases and other enzymes. They were also resistant to denaturation by many protein-denaturing detergents except Nonidet P-40. The metabolites were soluble in water and relatively polar organic solvents. Chromatographic bioassay revealed that a crude precipitate of the metabolites contained only one compound with antifungal activity. The active compound did not form a fluorescent derivative with fluorescamine suggesting that the compound is either a cyclic polypeptide or a non-peptidic compound.
A simulation study for comparing testing statistics in response-adaptive randomization

Background Response-adaptive randomizations are able to assign more patients in a comparative clinical trial to the tentatively better treatment. However, due to the adaptation in patient allocation, the samples to be compared are no longer independent. At large sample sizes, many asymptotic properties of test statistics derived for independent sample comparison are still applicable in adaptive randomization provided that the patient allocation ratio converges to an appropriate target asymptotically. However, the small sample properties of commonly used test statistics in response-adaptive randomization are not fully studied.
Cost-Based College Tuition: Evidence From a Case Study

Colleges charge single-price tuition, which constitutes a form of implicit price discrimination, if there are substantial differences in the costs of degree programs. This practice raises questions about the magnitude of allocative effects. This paper, utilizing data from a case study, explores cost differences in degree programs, factors explaining such differences, and possible allocative impact. The findings are that substantial differences exist among some programs in their direct costs; however, the large role of nonallocated costs in tuition charges lessens the potential for cost-based pricing.
Teaching Shabanu: the challenges of using world literature in the US social studies classroom

This paper discusses inclusion of global literature in social studies curricula, especially in teaching about women of the world. It analyses the attraction of, and difficulties with, a popular work of young adult fiction, Shabanu, often taught in US middle-school social studies and humanities classrooms. It uses the framework of post-colonial, feminist theorizing and critical, post-structuralist considerations in history and literature to analyse the novel. It draws on several sources: my experiences in incorporating the book into a teacher-education course in social studies education; interviews with teachers and teacher educators; testimonials about the book available on the Internet, including the reactions of Muslim groups in the USA; and interviews with Pakistani-American students about their reactions to the book.
Failure of Myf5 to Support Myogenic Differentiation without Myogenin, MyoD, and MRF4

The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors-MyoD, Myf5, myogenin, and MRF4-can each activate the skeletal muscle-differentiation program in transfection assays. However, their functions during embryogenesis, as revealed by gene-knockout studies in mice, are distinct. MyoD and Myf5 have redundant functions in myoblast specification, whereas myogenin and either MyoD or MRF4 are required for differentiation. Paradoxically, myoblasts from myogenin mutant or MyoD/MRF4 double-mutant neonates differentiate normally in vitro, despite their inability to differentiate in vivo, suggesting that the functions of the myogenic bHLH factors are influenced by the cellular environment and that the specific myogenic defects observed in mutant mice do not necessarily reflect essential functions of these factors. Understanding the individual roles of these factors is further complicated by their ability to cross-regulate one another's expression. To investigate the functions of Myf5 in the absence of contributions from other myogenic bHLH factors, we generated triple-mutant mice lacking myogenin, MyoD, and MRF4. These mice appear to contain a normal number of myoblasts, but in contrast to myogenin or MyoD/MRF4 mutants, differentiated muscle fibers fail to form in vivo and myoblasts from neonates of this triple-mutant genotype are unable to differentiate in vitro. These results suggest that physiological levels of Myf5 are insufficient to activate the myogenic program in the absence of other myogenic factors and suggest that specialized functions have evolved for the myogenic bHLH factors to switch on the complete program of muscle gene expression.
Dendritic plasticity in mouse barrel cortex following postnatal vibrissa follicle damage

Neonatal damage to a row of mystacial vibrissae in the mouse causes cytoarchitectonic alterations in the contralateral SmI barrel Cortex. The region for the appropriate row of barrels develops as a smaller homogeneous zone while barrels in adjacent rows are expanded. To investigate the effects of this phenomenon on the morphology of individual neurons, adult mice in which Row-C vibrissae (the middle row) had been cauterized on days 1--5 following birth were processes by the Golgi-Cox method. All neurons in layer IV of the Row-C zones, of the Row-C barrels of a control hemisphere, and some neurons in the adjacent enlarged Row-B barrels were measured with a computer-assisted microscope. Their location with respect to cytoarchitectonic boundaries was determined from a Nissl counterstain. Data from 239 cells are presented. For each cell, measures of dendritic length and branching were obtained. The orientation of the dendritic trees with respect to the barrel sides was also measured. The measures of dendritic lengths and branching did not show any differences between control and experimental animals or between animals damaged on different days. Measures of orientation did show changes related to the age at the time of damage. In animals damaged on postnatal day (PND)-3 or earlier, many cells in the Row-C zone were observed with dendrites orienting toward the adjacent Rows-B or -D. "Putative" Row-C cells in the expanded parts of Rows-B and -D were strongly oriented toward barrels in those rows. These results suggest that dendritic length and branching may be determined intrinsically but that the orientation of the dendritic trees appears to be strongly influenced by the pattern of extrinsic afferent inputs from the thalamus. In the case of the whisker-damaged animals, the orientation of the Row-C neuron dendritic trees toward the "functional" thalamocortical inputs in Rows-B and -D contributes strongly to the resultant cytoarchitectonic changes. The implications of these results for normal developmental processes and their relationship to functional studies of the cortex are considered.
Diabetes: Implications of a novel point mutation of SIRT1 in T1DM

Biason-Lauber et al. have identified a SIRT1 mutation in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Considering that SIRT1 can inhibit autoimmunity and the SIRT1 mutation enhances autoimmune reactions, the work links genetic SIRT1 alteration to the pathogenesis of T1DM and suggests SIRT1 as a potential therapeutic target for T1DM.
Lanthanide catalysis of cycloadditions of heterodienes with enol ethers

Abstract The cycloadditions of enol ethers with α,β-unsaturated aldehydes is catalyzed by Yb(fod) 3 .
College Physical Education: An Unrecognized Agent of Change in Combating Inactivity-Related Diseases

Physical activity patterns during the young adult years are likely to be important influences on habitual physical activity during overall adult life and, consequently, have significant implications for long-term health outcomes. The potential reach and impact of college physical education on the promotion of physical activity to a large segment of the American population has been largely unrecognized. Over the last generation, many colleges and universities have reduced or eliminated their physical education requirements. Nonetheless, physical education can make important contributions in the primary prevention of inactivity-related chronic diseases and to the general education of the college student. Awareness and advocacy are needed to strengthen college physical education programs.
SI-PI cosimulation analysis of dual referencing and VSS-Referencing memory bus

Assessing the I/O performance delta between dual-referencing and ground-referencing schemes is needed to enable a lower layer count on either board or package, thereby reducing the overall platform cost. Existing methodologies attempted in quantifying impact simultaneously on both PI (Power Integrity) and SI (Signal Integrity) [1], [2] although the work is usually focused on I/O power delivery impact and rarely on actually quantifying impact of different referencing schemes [1]. An initial comparison between different referencing schemes on PKG (package) and BRD (board) has been performed. Then a further analysis has been performed to characterize a PKG with Dual referencing and VSS-Referencing.
African American Folklore: Its Role in Reconstructing African American History

African American folklore offers researchers an invaluable framework for insight into the history and worldview of African Americans. Folklore, also called folktales, includes myths, storytelling, recollections, ballads, songs, rap, and other orally transmitted lore. African American folklore, though originally transmitted verbally, assumed a written form in the works of writers such as Charles Chestnutt, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Paul Lawrence Dunbar. Whatever the genre or form of transmission, folklore is part of the African American's 300-year old oral tradition called "orature" (Asante, 1987). More importantly, folldore embodies larger truths and yields much illumination through its study. Folklore is evidence of the ancient African life force and past that Africans forcibly brought to America, maintained through an expressive sense. In The Afrocentric Idea Molefi K. Asante (1987) argues that the scholar, rhetorician, or historian who undertakes an analysis of the African American past without recognizing the important role that orature has played and continues to play in the lives of African Americans is "treading on intellectual quicksand" (p. 86). According to Asante (1989) "no art form reflects the tremendous impact of our presence in America more powerfully or eloquently than does folk poetry in the storytelling tradition" (p. 491). Zora Neale Hurston (1995) referred to African American folklore as being the "boiled-down juice of human living" (p. 875). She maintained that folklore is the art of self-discovery as well as the first creative art of a people, shaping and rationalizing the natural
Mercury: new observations of the infrared bands of carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide study in Mercury atmosphere yields negative results from observations made with IR SPECTROMETER and 61 inch reflector
Effects of a sinus node inhibitor on the normal and failing rabbit heart.

The effects on cardiac function of slowed frequency produced by a sinus node inhibitor (zatebradine, or UL-FS 49) were studied in the conscious rabbit under control conditions (n=16) and after heart failure was produced by rapid atrial pacing for an average of 18.5 days (n=8). Echocardiography was used to verify severe left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, and high-fidelity micromanometry and cardiac output measurements (Doppler echo) were performed. Echocardiographic fractional shortening was 40.3±4.1% (SD) in controls; in heart failure it was 18.0±1.6%, and the LV was enlarged. In controls, as heart rate (HR) was decreased from 279 beats per minute (bpm) by incremental doses of zatebradine (up to 0.75 mg/kg), maximal changes occurred when the heart reached 218 bpm with a maximum decrease of the first derivative of LV pressure (LV dP/dtmax) of 15.9%; LV enddiastolic pressure (EDP) increased from 4.3 to 8.4 mmHg along with a significant decrease in cardiac index (CI) of 15.2%, while LV systolic pressure (SP) was stable. In heart failure, LV dP/dtmax and CI were markedly reduced compared to controls and with reduction of HR from 257 to 221 with reduction of HR from 257 to 221 bpm LV dP/dtmax was unchanged, LVEDP increased slightly (NS), LVSP was unchanged and CI fell by 13.5% at the highest dose. In subgroups (control n=9, failure n=6), in order to eliminate the hemodynamic effects of cardiac slowing by zatebradine the sinus rate present before zatebradine was matched by atrial pacing; this procedure eliminated all hemodynamic abnormalities accompanying cardiac slowing in both groups. In conclusion, slowed HR due to a sinus node inhibitor was well tolerated in severe heart failure, and all negative hemodynamic responses in both controls and in heart failure were due entirely to a negative forcefrequency effect, without a direct depressant action of zatebradine on the myocardium.
Correspondent's Report

Neutron scattering at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory dates back to 1945 when Ernest Wollan installed a modified x-ray diffractometer on a beam port of the original graphite reactor. Subsequently, Wollan and Clifford Shull pioneered neutron diffraction and laid the foundation for an active neutron scattering effort that continued through the 1950s, using the Oak Ridge Research reactor after 1958, and, starting in 1966, the High Flux Isotope Reactor, or HFIR [1].