cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU‐E‐T‐497: Experience in Prone Breast Setup Accuracy Improvment

Purpose: Quality Improvement of prone breast radiotherapy by modification of the simulation technique and a prone breast board (PBB). Methods: The “Horizon” PBB medial edge of the bridge was elevated and marked with radio‐opaque BBs to avoid the bolus effect from the bridge and visualize the edge during simulation and treatment setup. Side bars were added to stabilize PBB. For support of the hands, shoulders and clavicles the superior platform was widened and elongated also indexed handles and shoulder support were installed. Head support was used for patient's longitudinal setup. A “two‐step” setup procedure was introduced to improve the setup accuracy: the patient is setup on the board using the “setup” point that is easily and reliably identified on patient body and then shifted to the treatment isocenter based on the treatment planning calculation. Results: Implementation of the "two‐step" setup procedure and modification of PBB significantly improved the setup accuracy. 74 patients were treated with this technique: 20% has a displacement (beam relative to the marked edge ) of more than 1 cm, 9.5% between 1cm and 0.5cm, and the rest 70.5% less than 0.5cm. Displacements more than 1cm mostly happened at the beginning of the implementation this procedure and there was a general trend of decreasing displacement as we became more familiar with this setup technique. The radio‐opaque markers made it much easier to identify and avoid unexpected inclusion of the bridge in the treatment fields during the treatment planning and patient setup. Conclusions: There are currently no commercially available PBB that are durable, comfortable and flexible for satisfactory patient setup and alignment. The modification of the prone breast board and implementation of the new simulation technique have partially addressed these concerns and significantly improved the quality of our prone breast RT program
Lysis of Bacillus subtilis by bacteriophage SP82 in the absence of DNA synthesis.

Abstract Normal levels of lytic activity are elicited by SP82 infection of Bacillus subtilis even in the absence of detectable SP82 DNA synthesis. This is contrary to the regulatory patterns of the lysozymes that are known to be phage specific, but is consistent with the hypothesis that the SP82 lytic enzyme is host specific. Normal levels of lytic activity are not, however, sufficient for lysis in SP82 infection. An additional function is required, whose activity can be prevented by an SP82 mutation that blocks DNA synthesis. A host mutation is described which renders this function unnecessary. The strain carrying this mutation can be lysed by SP82 in the absence of detectable DNA synthesis.
The Treatment of Idiopathic Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis in Adults

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is the histologic end point of many disease processes that affect the kidney. Clinically, adults with FSGS present with proteinuria that may be accompanied by the nephrotic syndrome. Once identifiable (secondary) causes are excluded, the diagnosis of idiopathic FSGS, a challenging glomerular disease to understand and manage, is made. On the basis of mostly retrospective data, first-line treatment for idiopathic FSGS patients with nephrotic-range proteinuria is a prolonged course of corticosteroids. However, steroid resistance is common and portends an increased risk of long-term decline in kidney function and end-stage kidney disease in these patients compared with responders. Multiple other immunosuppression regimens have been used in steroid-resistant FSGS, some of which have been studied in randomized controlled trials. Here, we review the data on the treatment for idiopathic FSGS in adults.
Bilateral Wilms tumor. Review of outcome, associated abnormalities, and late effects in 36 pediatric patients treated at a single institution

Background. Patients with bilateral Wilms tumor have an increased incidence of associated abnormalities and nephrogenic rests and require individualized multi-modality therapy for cure. The authors reported the associated abnormalities, outcome, complications, and late effects of treatment in a group of children with bilateral Wilms tumor treated at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, over a 28-year period. Methods. The records of 36 consecutive pediatric patients diagnosed with bilateral Wilms tumor between 1962–1990 were analyzed. Biopsy material was also reviewed, with particular emphasis on characterization of nephrogenic rests and histology. Results. Twenty-nine patients had synchronous tumors and 7 had metachronous lesions. Associated physical abnormalities were present in 12 patients and involved the genitourinary, cardiovascular, integumentary, and musculoskeletal systems. The overall survival for patients with metachronous tumors (71%) was similar to that for those with synchronous tumors (70%). There was no effect of age or the presence of nephroblastomatosis. Two patients with synchronous tumors initially treated with nephrectomy eventually required bilateral nephrectomies for contralateral recurrence after chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Nephrogenic rests were present in 22 of 30 evaluable patients. Two of three patients with metachronous tumors had intralobar nephrogenic rests. Bilateral renal salvage procedures were demonstrated to be technically feasible and effective in controlling disease without compromising renal function or survival. Late effects included scoliosis in three patients treated before 1970, cardiomyopathy in one patient who received 300 mg/m2 doxorubicin and 12 Gy pulmonary irradiation, and benign tumors in two patients, one of whom also had a bowel obstruction. Serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, and blood pressure were normal in 23 of 26 survivors. Conclusions. The authors' experience supports a favorable outcome with minimal late effects for patients with bilateral Wilms tumor who receive individualized therapy at pediatric oncology centers.
in vivo Stepwise Multi-Photon Activation Fluorescence Imaging of Melanin in Human Skin

The stepwise multi-photon activated fluorescence (SMPAF) of melanin is a low cost and reliable method of detecting melanin because the activation and excitation can be a continuous-wave (CW) mode near infrared (NIR) laser. Our previous work has demonstrated the melanin SMPAF images in sepia melanin, mouse hair, and mouse skin. In this study, we show the feasibility of using SMPAF to detect melanin in vivo. in vivo melanin SMPAF images of normal skin and benign nevus are demonstrated. SMPAF images add specificity for melanin detection than MPFM images and CRM images. Melanin SMPAF is a promising technology to enable early detection of melanoma for dermatologists.
Refined syntheses of hydrodipyrrin precursors to chlorin and bacteriochlorin building blocks

Bromo-substituted hydrodipyrrins are valuable precursors to synthetic bromo-chlorins and bromo-bacteriochlorins, which in turn are versatile substrates for derivatization in pursuit of diverse molecular designs. 8-bromo-2,3-dihydro-1-(1,1-dimethoxymethyl)-3,3-dimethyldipyrrin (1) is a crucial precursor in the rational synthesis of the bacteriochlorin building block 3,13-dibromo-8,8,18,18-tetramethylbacteriochlorin (H2BC-Br3Br13). 8-bromo-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1,3,3-trimethyldipyrrin (2) is a crucial precursor in the rational synthesis of the analogous 3,13-disubstituted chlorin building block (e.g.H2C-Br3M10Br13). The routes to 1 and 2 share a common precursor, namely 4-bromo-2-(2-nitroethyl)-1-N-tosylpyrrole (6-Ts), which is derived from pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde. The prior seven-step synthesis of 1 from pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde has limited access to H2BC-Br3Br13 given the large excesses of materials, extensive reliance on column chromatography, and low overall yield (1.4%). Refined procedures for synthesis of the common precursor 6-Ts as well as 1 and 2 afford the advantages of (1) diminished consumption of solvents and reagents, (2) limited or no use of chlorinated solvents, (3) limited or no chromatography, and (4) improved yields of most steps. Streamlined procedures enable the final two or three transformations to be performed without purification of intermediates. The new procedures facilitate the expedient preparation of 1 and 2 at the multigram scale.
A generalization of thermodynamic orthogonality to random media

Basic relations of Ziegler's theory of thermodynamic orthogonality are generalized to random media. Two basic cases of interpreting randomness in nonconservative material response are considered, and, accordingly, the mean, the average, and the effective dissipation functions are identified. It is found that when a homogeneity condition is fulfilled, these functions satisfy very simple equalities. When a quasi-homogeneity condition is satisfied, these function lead to very concise forms of effective Legendre transformations. An interpretation of the extremum principles corresponding to the derived relations is given.
Modes in weakly guiding elliptical optical fibres

Approximate and much simplified dispersion relations are obtained for the problem of optical wave propagation within weakly guiding elliptical fibres. The refractive index difference between the core and its cladding of weakly guiding optical fibres that are contenders for use as practical optical communication lines is very small; i.e., (n 1/n0−1) ≪1 wheren 1 is the core index andn 0 is the cladding index. These greatly simplified dispersion relations are then used to calculate the propagation constants for several higher order modes on an elliptical optical fibre.
A paleolatitude approach to assessing surface temperature history for use in burial heating models

Calculations using heat flow theory as well as case histories show that over geologic time scales (10 6 years), changes in mean annual surface temperature (T s ) on the order of 10°C penetrate kilometers deep into the crust. Thus, burial heating models of sedimentary basins, which typically span kilometers in depth and persist over geological time frames, should consider T s history to increase their accuracy. In any case, T s history becomes important when it changes enough to be detected by a thermal maturation index like vitrinite reflectance, a parameter widely used to constrain burial heating models. Assessment of the general temperature conditions leading to petroleum generation indicates that changes in T s as small as 6°C can be detected by vitrinite reflectance measurements. This low temperature threshold indicates that oil and gas windows can be significantly influenced by T s history. A review of paleoclimatic factors suggests the significant and geologically resolvable factors affecting T s history are paleolatitude, long-term changes between cool and warm geological periods (climate mode), the degree to which a basin is removed from the sea (geographic isolation), and elevation or depth relative to sea level. Case studies using geologically realistic data ranges or different methods of estimating T s in a burial heating model indicate a significant impact of T s when: (1) continental drift, subduction, tectonism and erosion significantly change paleolatitude, paleoaltitude, or paleogeography; (2) strata are at, or near, maximum burial, and changes in T s directly influence maximum burial temperature; and (3), when a significant change in T s occurs near the opening or closing of the oil or gas windows causing petroleum generation to begin or cease. Case studies show that during the burial heating and petroleum generation phase of basin development changes in climate mode alone can influence T s by about 15°C. At present, T s changes from the poles to the equator by about 50°C. Thus, in extreme cases, continental drift alone can seemingly produce T s changes on the order of 50°C over a time frame of 10 7 years. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.
Peri-Transplant Psychosocial Factors and Neutrophil Recovery following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Objective Multiple psychosocial factors appear to affect cancer progression in various populations; however, research investigating the relationship between psychosocial factors and outcomes following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is scarce. Subject to adverse immunological and psychological conditions, HCT patients may be especially vulnerable to psychosomatic health sequelae; therefore, we studied whether optimism and anxiety influence the pertinent clinical outcome of days to neutrophil engraftment (DTE). Method 54 adults undergoing either autologous or allogeneic HCT completed self-report questionnaires measuring optimism and anxiety. We assessed the association between these psychosocial variables and DTE. Results Greater optimism and less anxiety were associated with the favorable outcome of fewer DTE in autologous HCT recipients, though this relationship was no longer significant when reducing the sample size to only subjects who filled out their baseline survey by the time of engraftment. Conclusion Our findings are suggestive that optimism and anxiety may be associated with time to neutrophil recovery in autologous, but not allogeneic, adult HCT recipients. Further investigation in larger, more homogeneous subjects with consistent baseline sampling is warranted.
Scrapie resistance and production traits in Rambouillet rams: ram performance test 2002-2006.

Sheep possessing alleles for the prion protein with glutamine (Q) or histidine, both reported as Q, at codon 171 are highly susceptible to scrapie. Incidence of scrapie infection is rare when animals possess at least one allele for arginine (R) at codon 171. The current USDA APHIS scrapie eradication program utilizes genotyping for alleles that confer resistance to scrapie. Although it has not been a criterion of registration, genotyping has been utilized in the University of Wyoming Ram Performance test since 2002. Performance test records from 2002 to 2006 (n = 518) were analyzed to determine if any production loss or benefit was associated with scrapie resistance in rams. Performance of rams with scrapie resistant genotypes was equal to or better than scrapie susceptible rams. Based on test performance as an acceptable indicator of sire superiority, selection for rams with scrapie resistant genotypes should not negatively impact flock performance.
Equation generation for clustering

Clustering events into useful classifications is an important part of problem solving in engineering. This paper discusses the role of clustering in engineering and why numerical and conceptual clustering techniques are not always adequate. The knowledge based equation generator system was constructed to overcome one of these shortfalls. This system partitions events based upon mathematical formulas used to describe the events.
The conformational energy difference for δ-valerolactone

The temperatuure dependence of the vicinal OCH2CH2 coupling constant in the six-membered ring δ-valerolactone suggests the presence of at least two conformers of unequal energy. Analysis of this temperature dependence by the Wood-Fickett-Kirkwood method in six solvents produces free energy differences in the narrow range 0.8–1.4 kcal mol−1, with a mean of 1.0 kcal mol−1 and no apparent dependence on solvent polarity. Thus the two conformers, probably the half-chair and the classic boat, have similar polarities. The analogous four- and five-membered lactones show little or no temperature dependence for their analogous coupling constants, in agreement with the presence of a single conformation for these rings.
A Neo-Formalist Approach to Nineteenth-Century French Poetry

AbstractThe proposed approach is applied to a wide variety of poems by major authors from Hugo and Desbordes-Valmore to Lautreamont and Mallarme. It does not represent a return to a 'good old days', when literary form was widely supposed to be the only legitimate topic of critical activity, to the exclusion of historicity. The theoretical overview presented in the opening section proves, in fact, that rarely, if ever, has there been such a time. The argument serves instead as a strong reminder that before students of French poetry analyse more substantive issues related to the world 'outside' texts themselves, they should first take into account their specific lexical, rhetorical, and stylistic dimensions through ever closer readings of them, to support newer varieties of critical commentary. Despite being a relatively open-ended discipline, 'cultural studies' therefore ignores or underestimates the continuing power and pertinence of textual form at its own peril.
Vibrational frequencies and structural determination of 3,5-dimethyl-1,2,4-trithia-3,5-diborolane

Abstract The normal mode frequencies and corresponding vibrational assignments of 3,5-dimethyl-1,2,4-trithia-3,5-diborolane (B2(CH3)2S3) are examined theoretically using the gaussian 98 set of quantum chemistry codes. All normal modes were successfully assigned to one of 10 types of motion predicted by a group theoretical analysis (B–S stretch, B–C stretch, S–S stretch, C–H stretch, S–B–S bend, B–C bend, B(CSS) umbrella motion, H–C–H bend, CH3 rock, and CH3 twist) utilizing the C2v symmetry of the molecule. The vibrational modes of the naturally isotopically substituted (1-10B and 2-10B) forms of B2(CH3)2S3 were also calculated and compared against experimental data.
Evidence for gain on the C VI 182 A transition in a radiation-cooled selenium/Formvar plasma

Thin plastic foils coated with selenium have been irradiated using from 4 to 8 beams of the OMEGA laser in a line focus configuration. Spectra were recorded using a 3 meter spectrograph that viewed the plasma along the line focus. Based on a comparison of the intensities of the spectral lines from plasmas with lengths of 1.7, 3.4, 6.8, and 13.6 mm, the C VI n = 3 to 2 transition at 182 A was anomalously intense in the spectra from the longer plasmas. Calculations indicate that the carbon plasma was cooled by radiation from the highly-charged selenium plasma in a time that was smaller than the expansion time of the plasma. These plasma conditions are favorable for the occurrence of population inversions between the n = 2 and 3 levels of C VI resulting from recombination and cascading from higher levels. The measured gain coefficient for the C VI 182 A transition is 3/cm, and this corresponds to a gain-length product of 4 in the longest plasma.
Monolithic integration of silicon electronics and photonics

A low power modulator is monolithically integrated with a radiation hardened CMOS driver. This integrated optoelectronic device demonstrates 1.68mW power consumption at 2Gbps.
Progress in the treatment of a neglected infectious disease: visceral leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) is a disseminated intracellular protozoal infection. Most cases (90%) occur in the rural regions of five countries: India, Sudan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Brazil. As with other infectious diseases embedded in high-level poverty, developing and/or delivering new treatments for visceral leishmaniasis had been painfully slow or nonexistent. However, despite persistent unresolved obstacles (e.g., drug affordability), renewed interest in visceral leishmaniasis and numerous successful treatment trials have combined to turn a therapeutic corner in the past 5 years, yielding new alternatives to conventional pentavalent antimony. Advances include the use of low-cost generic pentavalent antimony, rediscovery of amphotericin B, short-course regimens via lipid formulations of amphotericin B, retesting injectible paromyomycin and, of clear-cut importance, identifying miltefosine (Impavido®, Zentaris) as the first effective oral therapy for this neglected disease.
Scalable action recognition with a subspace forest

We present a novel structure, called a Subspace Forest, designed to provide an efficient approximate nearest neighbor query of subspaces represented as points on Grassmann manifolds. We apply this structure to action recognition by representing actions as subspaces spanning a sequence of thumbnail image tiles extracted from a tracked entity. The Subspace Forest lifts the concept of randomized decision forests from classifying vectors to classifying subspaces, and employs a splitting method that respects the underlying manifold geometry. The Subspace Forest is an inherently parallel structure and is highly scalable due to O(log N) recognition time complexity. Our experimental results demonstrate state-of-the-art classification accuracies on the well-known KTH Actions and UCF Sports benchmarks, and a competitive score on Cambridge Gestures. In addition to being both highly accurate and scalable, the Subspace Forest is built without supervision and requires no extensive validation stage for model selection. Conceptually, the Subspace Forest could be used anywhere set-to-set feature matching is desired.
A single-institution experience with the AneuRx Stent Graft for endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

We report our experience of endovascular repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (EVAR) using the modular AneuRx Stent Graft System. We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of 113 patients who underwent EVAR with the AneuRx system performed at our institution between October 1999 and August 2003. The mean age of this group was 72.5 years, with 71% (n = 80) over the age of 70 years and 95% (n = 107) males. Aneurysm diameter ranged 4.0-9.0 cm, with 33% (n = 37) >6.0 cm. The average duration of late follow-up was 32.6 ± 24.8 months (median = 37). Successful deployment of the modular AneuRx system was noted in all patients. There were no immediate operative conversions, deaths within 24 hr of operation, or type I or III endoleaks observed at the completion of the procedure. Thirty-day mortality was 3.5% (n = 4). Acute deployment-related complications occurred in 10% (n = 13) of patients and included misdeployment, operative bleeding, arterial perforation/dissection, and access site complications. Acute systemic complications were present in nine patients, predominantly renal and cardiac complications. An endoleak noted at any time occurred in 25% of patients, with 40% of those requiring a secondary intervention. Two patients suffered late aneurysm rupture due to a type I endoleak and graft infection. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed 5-year freedom from secondary intervention of 72.4%; freedom from aneurysm-related death of 93.9%; and probability of survival based on all-cause mortality of 60.1%. Endovascular treatment with the modular AneuRx Stent Graft System is safe and effective, producing acceptable rates of disease-free survival and mid-term clinical outcome.
Issues and strategies for conducting cross-national e-government comparative research

This paper addresses and discusses the central issues that researchers have to deal with when conducting cross-national comparative research within the area of e-government. The issues are classified into two main categories. The first category represents the issues and challenges that may affect the reliability and the quality of data being collected for comparative studies. The second category represents the remaining issues related to the research objective, the selection process of countries and the analytical strategy. The paper discusses the major alternatives of these issues and provides a rationale for the selection process among them. The paper concludes by discussing the interrelations between the identified issues and clarifying the main decisions that researchers have to take when conducting cross-national comparative research.
Elevated plasma angiopoietin-2 levels and primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation.

Introduction: Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is a significant contributor to early morbidity and mortality after lung transplantation. Increased vascular permeability in the allograft has been identified as a possible mechanism leading to PGD. Angiopoieti
Digg.com and Socially-Driven Authority

For years, librarians have been able to distill the notion of authority, in its purest form, to two simple questions: Who said it? and Under whose auspices? Now, as more content migrates online, understanding authority is a more complex process. Social news sites, like Digg.com allow these traditional authority structures to be bypassed, creating a new, socially-driven authority, based upon an author expertise that is not necessarily recognized by academia. In order for researchers, especially student researchers, to evaluate these sources, they must learn to construct their own authority.
Density Functional Theory Analysis of Electronic Structure Variations across the Orthoquinone/Semiquinone/Catechol Redox Series

The electronic structures of the three oxidation states of the “noninnocent” ligand 3,6-di-tert-butylorthoquinone (3,6-DTBQ) have been studied by nonlocal gradient-corrected density functional theo...
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: A review

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy can occur after acute mental or physical stress, subarachnoid hemorrhage, ischemic stroke, major head trauma, acute medical illness or acute pheochromocytoma crisis. It is characterized by transient systolic dysfunction of the apical and/or midventricular segments in patients without epicardial coronary artery disease. The condition occurs most commonly in postmenopausal women, and is characterized by transient left ventricular dysfunction. The pathophysiology of the disorder remains to be elucidated but may involve catecholamine excess and vasospasm. Future studies, perhaps in the form of an international registry, may clarify the incidence, pathophysiology, clinical course, and prognosis of this disorder.
Estimating the Probability of Meeting Financial Commitments: A Behavioral Finance Perspective Based on Business Simulations

In an enterprise risk management environment, managers regularly can expect to be called upon to assess the probability that they will meet financial commitments. The ability to do so makes planning easier and enables the prudent risk taking that is crucial to driving growth. But even highly experienced managers are prone to overconfidence—one of the well-known behavioral biases that can negatively affect their ability to form an accurate assessment. Estimating probability is, in fact, no simple task, and careers have been made and lost over met or missed commitments. Over the decades, a central theme of TRI Corporation's business simulations has been the issue of meeting commitments and managing risk. Now, a study of these simulations has shed light on the challenges inherent in the estimation process. Among the findings: Greater divergence in opinion among team members early in the estimating process can result in more accurate assessments, while divergence later in the process can weaken the team environment and lead to an inability to deliver on commitments. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Implications of Self-Handicapping Strategies for Academic Achievement: A Reconceptualization

Abstract Self-handicapping is a self-protective attributional strategy in which a person subconsciously creates impediments to his or her performance. Psychologists' underlying assumption in explaining its use is that this strategy provides a convenient excuse for poor performance and allows for enhanced attributions of competence in success. Contrary to this assumption, internal, stable attributions such as ability may be less available to people who self-handicap so that, regardless of outcome, somewhat greater reliance on external, unstable attributions becomes necessary. Prior to a midterm exam, American students in an introductory psychology course filled out a questionnaire concerning self-handicapping, along with specific questions concerning course-related expectancies and study habits. Immediately after receiving feedback on the exam, students completed questionnaires evaluating their performance, attributions, and affect concerning their performance. As predicted, self-handicappers differed from...
Are family members suitable proxies for transitional care unit residents when collecting satisfaction information

Objective. To examine the agreement and association of elders’ responses with family member proxy responses using the same, previously validated satisfaction instrument on both groups of respondents. Methods. Satisfaction data came from transitional care unit residents and family members (N = 462 paired responses) from one facility and were collected between 1999 and 2000. The satisfaction questionnaire consisted of 17 items evaluating the art of care, technical quality, efficacy, amenities of the care environment, and global satisfaction. Bias indexes and intraclass correlation coefficients were used to examine the satisfaction scores. Results. In general, proxy satisfaction ratings were higher than ratings of residents. The results also show that proxy ratings varied less from resident ratings for the amenity items, which were considered the most concrete items. Proxy ratings were much higher for the art of care and efficacy domain items, which were considered the least concrete items. Conclusion. The results of this investigation show that proxy ratings do not necessarily substitute for resident ratings.
Substitution of conserved cysteine residues in wheat streak mosaic virus HC-Pro abolishes virus transmission by the wheat curl mite.

Summary Substitutions in the amino-proximal region of wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) HC-Pro were evaluated for effects on transmission by the wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella Keifer). Alanine substitution at cysteine residues 16, 46 and 49 abolished vector transmission. Although alanine substitution at Cys20 had no effect, substitution with arginine reduced vector transmission efficiency. Random substitutions at other positions (Lys7 to Asn, Asn19 to Ile, and Arg45 to Lys) did not affect vector transmission. These results suggest that a zinc-fingerlike motif (His13-X2-Cys16-X29-Cys46-X2-Cys49 )i n WSMV HC-Pro is essential for vector transmission.
Optimal Commitment of Forces in Some Lanchester-Type Combat Models

This paper shows that by considering the instantaneous casualty-exchange ratio one can determine whether it is beneficial for the victor to commit as many forces as possible to battle initially in Lanchester-type combat between two homogeneous forces. It considers the initial-commitment decision as a one-sided static optimization problem and examines this nonlinear program for each of three decision criteria victor's losses, loss ratio, and loss difference and for each of two different battle-termination conditions given force-level breakpoint and given force-ratio breakpoint. The main contribution is to show how to determine the sign of the partial derivative of the decision criterion with respect to the victor's initial force level for general combat dynamics without explicitly solving the Lanchester-type combat equations. Consequently, the victor's optimal initial-commitment decision may often be determined from how the instantaneous casualty-exchange ratio varies with changes in the victor's force level and time. Convexity of the instantaneous casualty-exchange ratio is shown to imply convexity of the decision criterion so that conditions of decreasing marginal returns may be identified also without solving the combat equations. The optimal initial-commitment decision is shown to be sensitive to the decision criterion for fixed force-ratio breakpoint battles.
A prospective cohort study challenging the effectiveness of population-based medical intervention for smoking cessation

Objective To examine the population effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs), either with or without professional counselling, and provide evidence needed to better inform healthcare coverage decisions. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted in three waves on a probability sample of 787 Massachusetts adult smokers who had recently quit smoking. The baseline response rate was 46%; follow-up was completed with 56% of the designated cohort at wave 2 and 68% at wave 3. The relationship between relapse to smoking at follow-up interviews and assistance used, including NRT with or without professional help, was examined. Results Almost one-third of recent quitters at each wave reported to have relapsed by the subsequent interview. Odds of relapse were unaffected by use of NRT for >6 weeks either with (p¼0.117) or without (p¼0.159) professional counselling and were highest among prior heavily dependent persons who reported NRT use for any length of time without professional counselling (OR 2.68). Conclusions This study finds that persons who have quit smoking relapsed at equivalent rates, whether or not they used NRT to help them in their quit attempts. Cessation medication policy should be made in the larger context of public health, and increasing individual treatment coverage should not be at the expense of population evidence-based programmes and policies.
Exertional Heat Stroke Management Strategies in United States High School Football

Background:The 5-year period of 2005-2009 saw more exertional heat stroke–related deaths in organized sports than any other 5-year period in the past 35 years. The risk of exertional heat stroke appears highest in football, particularly during the preseason.Purpose:To estimate the incidence of exertional heat stroke events and assess the utilization of exertional heat stroke management strategies during the 2011 preseason in United States high school football programs.Study Design:Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:A self-administered online questionnaire addressing the incidence of exertional heat stroke events and utilization of exertional heat stroke management strategies (eg, removing athlete’s football equipment, calling Emergency Medical Services [EMS]) was completed in May to June 2012 by 1142 (18.0%) athletic trainers providing care to high school football athletes during the 2011 preseason.Results:Among all respondents, 20.3% reported treating at least 1 exertional heat stroke ev...
The Discovery of Islands: Empire, state and confederation: the War of American Independence as a crisis in multiple monarchy (1995)

There is taking shape a pattern for the writing of British history, of particular utility to those historians whose attention is focussed on the history of political discourse. Those of the societies component of what we call ‘Britain’, ‘the Three Kingdoms’ or ‘the Atlantic archipelago’, whose political cohesion reached the point of generating several self-centred political discourses, can be studied in both an ‘internal’ and an ‘external’ perspective. In the former case, we examine the political discourse concerned with the structure of the polity and the problems to which it gave rise; and we examine events and crises in the history of each polity as taking place in the history depicted by discourse concerning that structure. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, we note, the kingdom of England acquired characteristic patterns of discourse which shaped its history: the papal aggression, the ancient constitution, the balance of government, the balance of property; and these constructs retained paradigmatic status in English historiography so far into the modern period that, now they no longer possess that status, they have to be considered factors in shaping English history. During the same period, the kingdom of Scotland acquired similar patterns of historic self-shaping, but among the effects of the Union studied in John Robertson's volume, these had in large part to be given up and replaced by others. This process too had long-term consequences in the history of Scottish historiography.
Ignition and Combustion Temperatures Determined by Laser Heating

A laser heating technique and facility have been developed to study metal ignition and combustion in high-pressure oxygen. The ignition and combustion temperatures, estimates of oxidation rates, and ignition and combustion morphology can be determined. This facility and the laser heating techniques are described. Examples of the type of data obtained are presented and discussed. The ignition temperature curves for an aluminum alloy - Unified Numbering System (UNS) A96061, a stainless steel - UNS S30200, and two nickel alloys - UNS N07718 and N04400 are given.
Information Externalities in the Microstructure of the Foreign Exchange Market

This paper develops a two-period model of the spot foreign exchange market that emphasizes inter-dealer trading. At the outset, strategic risk-averse dealers each receive orders from non-dealer customers that are not generally observable. Then, dealers trade among themselves. Thus, each dealer intermediates his own customers' order-flow information. This information is subsequently revealed by the period-two price depending on (i) the signal value of inter-dealer trades, and (ii) the extent to which those trades are observable (transparent). As for the first of these two factors, the greater the risk aversion and market power of dealers the more garbled the signal in each trade. This garbling results in prices that are less revealing. The model also generates hot-potato trading--a term used in the literature to refer to the repeated passing of idiosyn- cratic inventory imbalances between dealers.
The importance of the second loop in educational technology: An action science study of introducing blogging in a course curriculum:

This paper uses an action science approach in analyzing attempts to introduce readable/writable web technology, specifically blogging, into a course curriculum. It is suggested that action science is an important and to this point underused approach for understanding the potential and ramifications of introducing this new technology as a central part of the teaching and learning process. We concentrate especially on Argyris and Schon’s construct “double loop” learning where study of the target phenomenon focuses on the impact of underlying “governing variables” on the ways members of an organization – in the case of this paper the classroom community – act in everyday situations. The intervention studied in this paper was the introduction of blogs as not only a key, but the primary component of a large, undergraduate, general education course. The intervention is analyzed two sequential classrooms. In the initial classroom the teaching team attempted to implement blogs by making adjustments to a tradition...
The Crystal Structure of Hydrazinium Trinitromethide, (N2H5+[C(NO2)3]-at~-160°C).

The crystal structure of hydrazinium trinitromethide ( N 2 H 5 + [ C ( NO 2 ) 3 ] - ) has been determined using 1914 x-ray data collected photographically from a single crystal held at ~ - 160 °C. The unit cell at ~ - 160°C is a = 7.91(2). b = 11.77(2), c = 13.98(2) A, β = 104.9(3)°. and contains eight formula weights in space group P21/n. The calculated density is 1.93 g · cm-3. The structure has been refined isotropically to R = 0.10 by full-matrix least-squares procedures. The two crystallographically independent trinitromethide anions are propeller shaped, with angles of 41°, 7°, 8°, and 74°. 5°, 4°, respectively, between the NO2 and CN3 plane normals. The central CN3 part of each anion is almost planar. In one anion, the C atom is 0.008 A out of the N3 plane; in the other, the C atom is 0.033 A out of the N3 plane. Hydrogen atoms have been located approximately in an electron density difference synthesis. Their positions agree with those obtained from independent calculations involving the minimization of a function which is a first approximation to the electrostatic hydrogen bonding energy. These analyses provide evidence that one hydrazinium ion is eclipsed and the other is staggered.
Horses and Hermaphrodites: Metamorphoses in The Taming of The Shrew

Le mythe hermaphrodite de la reconciliation et les metaphores du bestiaire et de la metamorphose dans la comedie de Shakespeare.
Commentary: Recurrent Pyogenic Cholangitis

“Recurrent Pyogenic Cholangitis” (RPC) is a term that describes an advanced disease with intrahepatic stones and pus in the biliary tree. RPC occurs most frequently in Southeast Asia in patients of lower socioeconomic class who may have hepatic parasites and/or intrahepatic congenital biliary cysts. Up to two-thirds of Western patients with hepatolithiasis will present with cholangitis, and magnetic resonance imaging is recommended to establish a diagnosis. Management of cholangitis is standard with the exception that patients with recurrent episodes frequently will have resistant organisms and/or yeast. For isolated, especially left-sided, disease, lateral sectionectomy or left hepatectomy is recommended. However, the majority of patients will have bilateral disease without advanced fibrosis so liver transplantation is rarely indicated. In patients with bilateral hepatolithiasis, endoscopic management usually is not successful, but many of these patients can be treated by interventional radiologists (IR). When the stone burden is great, a combined IR and surgical (transhepatic team) approach is recommended. Intraoperative and postoperative choledochoscopy are key to this approach along with large-bore transhepatic stents which exit the liver and extend into a Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy. With this “team approach” 90 % of patients remain symptom free without evidence of stone recurrence.
Community Health Asset Mapping Partnership Engages Hispanic/Latino Health Seekers and Providers

Background The Hispanic/Latino population in Forsyth County, North Carolina, is growing quickly and experiencing significant disparities in access to care and health outcomes. Assessing community perceptions and utilization of health care resources in order to improve health equity among Hispanics/Latinos at both the county and state levels is critical. Methods Our community engagement process was guided by the Community Health Assets Mapping Partnerships (CHAMP) approach, which helps identify gaps in health care availability and areas for immediate action to improve access to and quality of health care. Specifically, we invited and encouraged the Hispanic/Latino population to participate in 4 different workshops conducted in Spanish or English. Participants were identified as either health care providers, defined as anyone who provides health care or a related service, or health care seekers, defined as anyone who utilizes such services. Results The most commonly cited challenges to access to care were cost of health care, documentation status, lack of public transportation, racism, lack of care, lack of respect, and education/language. These data were utilized to drive continued engagement with the Hispanic community, and action steps were outlined. Limitations While participation in the workshops was acceptable, greater representation of health care seekers and community providers is needed. Conclusions This process is fundamental to multilevel initiatives under way to develop trust and improve relationships between the Hispanic/Latino community and local health care entities in Forsyth County. Follow-through on recommended action steps will continue to further identify disparities, close gaps in care, and potentially impact local and state policies with regard to improving the health status of the Hispanic/Latino community.
A Novel Sequential Importance Sampling Algorithm Based on Interacting Multiple Model

A novel method for multiple model particle filtering for Markovian switching systems is introduced.This new method is a combination of the interacting multiple model(IMM)filter and particle filter.A regularized particle filter is running in every mode.The mixing and interaction is similar to that in a conventional IMM filter.Furthermore,the new method keeps a fixed number of particles in each mode,and therefore it avoids the particle degeneracy and impoverishment phenomenon.Simulations show that the tracking speed and accuracy of the IMM-SIS algorithm are better than those of the IMM-EKF.
Compliance with Follow-up Appointments Generated in a Pediatric Emergency Room

We studied all follow-up visits generated by initial emergency room (ER) visits made over the course of one year by patients enrolled in a pediatric primary care clinic (PCC). A total of 2,552 ER visits were made by 714 patients, 960 (37.6 percent) of these resulting in a follow-up visit. Of the 960, (82.4 percent) resulted in appointments to the PCC, with a 53.9 percent compliance rate; and 169 (17.6 percent) resulted in appointments to the ER, with an 89.3 percent compliance rate (p less than .001). Factors found to be associated with greater compliance with follow-up appointments were (1) the appointment being made to the ER rather than to the clinic, (2) the child being less than 18 months of age, (3) the patient having private insurance, and (4) an initial ER diagnosis of trauma, seizure, or burn. Factors found to be unrelated to compliance with follow-up visits were the patient's sex (when corrected for trauma cases), race, having a chronic condition, having a telephone, length of time as a clinic enrollee, distance from home to hospital, and type of primary provider (physician versus nurse practitioner).
New instrumentation facilitates the study of genes coding for molecules involved in cell surface recognition.

During the last two decades studies of the molecular mechanisms by which antibody diversity is generated have provided us with fundamental insights into the structure, organization and programmed movement of immunoglobulin genes during development (Potter et al., 1964; Dreyer et al., 1967; Hood et al., 1975; Huang and Dreyer; 1978; Leder, 1982). Progress in this specialized area of developmental biology has occurred far more rapidly than in any other developmental system. (An appreciation of the level of knowledge extant in 1967 may be obtained by reading the proceedings of the Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology, volume 32, 1967.) The depth of genetic and molecular understanding which has been gained in this field is due in large part to the existence of myelomas, tumors of antibody-producing cells, from which gram quantities of antibody molecules could easily be obtained. These amounts of protein were necessary and sufficient, given the methods and instrumentation available in the sixties, to do structural analyses and to obtain protein sequence information about these molecules.
Engineering thermophysical properties of micro- and nanostructures

Engineered micro- and nanostructures may possess superb properties unattainable in nature. Examples are the photonic crystals for electromagnetic waves and quantum wells for electronic waves. In this article, we focus on engineering thermophysical properties of micro- and nanostructures. A brief historical perspective is provided on the motivations to engineer the properties of matters, followed by a discussion of some necessary conditions for the engineering of properties. Examples are given on the energy spectrum and thermal conductivity of low-dimensional structures such as superlattices. Future opportunities in thermally engineered structures are also elaborated.