cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Replication of the pharmacogenetic effect of rs678849 on buprenorphine efficacy in African–Americans with opioid use disorder

Many patients with opioid use disorder do not have successful outcomes during treatment but the underlying reasons are not well understood. An OPRD1 variant (rs678849) was previously associated with methadone and buprenorphine efficacy in African–Americans with opioid use disorder. The objective of this study was to determine if the effect of rs678849 on opioid use disorder treatment outcome could be replicated in an independent population. Participants were recruited from African–American patients who had participated in previous studies of methadone or buprenorphine treatment at the outpatient treatment research clinic of the NIDA Intramural Research Program in Baltimore, MD, USA between 2000 and 2017. Rs678849 was genotyped retrospectively, and genotypes were compared with urine drug screen results from the previous studies for opioids other than the one prescribed for treatment. Genotypes were available for 24 methadone patients and 55 buprenorphine patients. After controlling for demographics, the effect of rs678849 genotype was significant in the buprenorphine treatment group (RR = 1.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.59–1.79, p = 0.021). Buprenorphine patients with the C/C genotype were more likely to have opioid-positive drug screens than individuals with the C/T or T/T genotypes, replicating the original pharmacogenetic finding. The effect of genotype was not significant in the methadone group (p = 0.087). Thus, the genotype at rs678849 is associated with buprenorphine efficacy in African–Americans being treated for opioid use disorder. This replication suggests that rs678849 genotype may be a valuable pharmacogenetic marker for deciding which opioid use disorder medication to prescribe in this population.
The Life-Cycle, Dividend Growth, and Payout Policy

We investigate the relationship between firm maturity, dividend growth and dividend payout policy. As the firm matures and becomes less volatile, we find that the probability of dividend growth increases. Consistent with the life-cycle hypothesis, young dividend paying firms with larger growth opportunities (higher sales growth rates) will retain most of their earnings and have lower distribution (lower dividend payout ratios). Mature dividend paying firms with lower growth opportunities (lower sales growth rates) will retain less of their earnings and have higher distribution of earnings (higher dividend payout ratios). Although dividend distributions increase with maturity, the dividend growth rate declines as a firm matures. We show that a more comprehensive definition of firm maturity better proxies the firm’s life-cycle since the individual measures of maturity are not always significant. While standard deviation is the only significant maturity variable that determines the probability of dividend growth, both age and standard deviation are significant maturity variables related to the dividend payout ratio. On the other hand, the dividend growth rate depends on all of the maturity variables-age, earned capital ratio, and standard deviation. Use of a single maturity measure is problematic.
0200 The Prevalence of Controlled Rest as a Countermeasure to Sleepiness on the Flight Deck

Despite the introduction of flight, duty, and rest time regulations to reduce the risk of sleepiness, airline pilots often encounter elevated sleepiness during flight. To combat this sleepiness, in some instances, pilots can take a short nap on the flight deck (controlled rest) to improve their alertness. Little is known, however, as to when and how often this countermeasure is used operationally.
Rapid Profiling of Soybean Aromatic Compounds Using Electronic Nose

Soybean (Glycine max (L.)) is the world’s most important seed legume, which contributes to 25% of global edible oil, and about two-thirds of the world’s protein concentrate for livestock feeding. One of the factors that limit soybean’s utilization as a major source of protein for humans is its characteristic soy flavor. This off-flavor can be attributed to the presence of various chemicals such as phenols, aldehydes, ketones, furans, alcohols, and amines. In addition, these flavor compounds interact with protein and cause the formation of new off-flavors. Hence, studying the chemical profile of soybean seeds is an important step in understanding how different chemical classes interact and contribute to the overall flavor profile of the crop. In our study, we utilized the HERCALES Fast Gas Chromatography (GC) electronic nose for identification and characterization of different volatile compounds in five high-yielding soybean varieties, and studied their association with off-flavors. With aroma profiling and chemical characterization, we aim to determine the quantity and quality of volatile compounds in these soybean varieties and understand their effect on the flavor profiles. The study could help to understand soybean flavor characteristics, which in turn could increase soybean use and enhance profitability.
Retrieval-Augmented Convolutional Neural Networks Against Adversarial Examples

We propose a retrieval-augmented convolutional network (RaCNN) and propose to train it with local mixup, a novel variant of the recently proposed mixup algorithm. The proposed hybrid architecture combining a convolutional network and an off-the-shelf retrieval engine was designed to mitigate the adverse effect of off-manifold adversarial examples, while the proposed local mixup addresses on-manifold ones by explicitly encouraging the classifier to locally behave linearly on the data manifold. Our evaluation of the proposed approach against seven readilyavailable adversarial attacks on three datasets–CIFAR-10, SVHN and ImageNet–demonstrate the improved robustness compared to a vanilla convolutional network, and comparable performance with the state-of-the-art reactive defense approaches.
Compactness in the d-bar Neumann problem, magnetic Schrodinger operators, and the Aharonov-Bohm effect

Compactness of the d-bar Neumann operator is studied for weakly pseudoconvex bounded Hartogs domains in two dimensions. A nonsmooth example is constructed in which condition (P) fails to hold, yet the Neumann operator is compact. The main result, in contrast, is that for smoothly bounded Hartogs domains, condition (P) of Catlin and Sibony is equivalent to compactness. The analyses of both compactness and condition (P) boil down to properties of the lowest eigenvalues of certain sequences of Schrodinger operators, with and without magnetic fields, parametrized by a Fourier variable resulting from the Hartogs symmetry. The nonsmooth counterexample is based on the Aharonov-Bohm phenomenon of quantum mechanics. For smooth domains, we prove that there always exists an exceptional sequence of Fourier variables for which the Aharonov-Bohm effect is quite weak. This sequence can be quite sparse, so that the failure of compactness is due to a rather subtle effect.
Repeated hypoglycemia blunts the responsiveness of glucose-inhibited GHRH neurons by remodeling neural inputs and disrupting mitochondrial structure and function

Abstract Hypoglycemia is a frequent complication of diabetes, limiting therapy and increasing morbidity and mortality. With recurrent hypoglycemia, the counter-regulatory response (CRR) to decreased blood glucose is blunted, resulting in hypoglycemia unawareness. The mechanisms leading to these blunted effects remain incompletely understood. Here, we identify, with in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry and the tissue clearing capability of iDisco, that GHRH neurons represent a unique population of arcuate nucleus neurons activated by glucose deprivation in vivo. Repeated glucose deprivation reduces GHRH neuron activation and remodels excitatory and inhibitory inputs to GHRH neurons. We show low glucose sensing is coupled to GHRH neuron depolarization, decreased ATP production and mitochondrial fusion. Repeated hypoglycemia attenuates these responses during low glucose. By maintaining mitochondrial length with the small molecule, mdivi-1, we preserved hypoglycemia sensitivity in vitro and in vivo. Our findings present possible mechanisms for the blunting of the CRR, broaden significantly our understanding of the structure of GHRH neurons and for the fist time, propose that mitochondrial dynamics play an important role in hypoglycemia unawareness. We conclude that interventions targeting mitochondrial fission in GHRH neurons may offer a new pathway to prevent hypoglycemia unawareness in diabetic patients.
Top ten discoveries of the year: Neurotrauma

Neurotrauma represents a major public health problem and is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Despite its high prevalence, there are major gaps in our understanding of the underlying patho-physiology leading to the substantial morbidity and mortality associated with this problem. Here, ten studies published in 2019 are reviewed that addressed issues related to the acute and long-term effects of neurotrau-ma. These studies can be broken down into three separate categories, namely, the importance of neurotrau-ma-based damage to the cerebrovascular unit, white matter damage following neurotrauma, and research related to the long-term neurodegenerative consequences of repeated head trauma, especially chronic trau-matic encephalopathy. The advances highlighted here indicate that progress has been made. However, major gaps in knowledge remain which will require additional neuropathologic studies of clinical specimens, as well as the development and investigation of a wide range of relevant pre-clinical models. Further efforts in this field are clearly needed if there are to emerge better clinical outcomes for the numerous patients that suffer neuro-trauma each year as well as those currently suffering from its long-term effects.
Synergistic Knowledge Development in Interdisciplinary Teams

Problem solving, interpersonal skills, information literacy, and critical and independent thinking are essential qualities that employers seek, yet many undergraduates lack. We structured an interdisciplinary classroom and experiential learning environment where students from three undergraduate courses (Hospitality and Tourism Management, Landscape Architecture, and Forestry and Natural Resources) designed a sustainable community master plan by investigating the economic, social, and environmental components of a U.S. highway relocation project. Interdisciplinary teams of students were charged with a "problem" that was articulated in the form of a Request for Proposals (RFP). This RFP served as the basis for the group work, which required an interdisciplinary approach. The ability of students to work together to complete the project was analyzed using the construct of synergistic knowledge development (SKD), a process by which a group constructively integrates diverse perspectives of individual group members. We posited that SKD would increase over the semester and that SKD would be influenced by various team dynamics such as task conflict, psychological safety, social interaction, attitudes toward problem-based learning (PBL) in a team setting, and behavioral styles of team members. Assessment of SKD and the variables hypothesized to influence it were assessed via a survey administered after the initial phase of the project and a post-project survey. Results confirmed how social interaction, psychological safety, and attitudes toward PBL in a team setting influence SKD.
Abstract WP354: The Rural Health Care Penalty: Urban-rural Disparities in Stroke Center Performance

Goal: To determine hospital and stroke system characteristics associated with higher levels of stroke center performance. Methods: We included all Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services designa...
Antisense oligonucleotide drugs for neurological and neuromuscular disease

Abstract Advances in human genetics and neurosciences have elucidated the fundamental mechanisms underlying many inherited neurological diseases and are providing detailed molecular insights into the causes of sporadic neurological diseases, yet disease-modifying therapies are currently unavailable for most of these conditions. There is a need for alternative therapeutic modalities for the treatment of neurological diseases to capitalize on these exciting genetic and genomic findings. One such platform technology is antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). ASOs are synthetic nucleic acids or nucleic acid analogs, generally 13–25 nucleotides in length, which bind to RNA by Watson–Crick base paring. Upon binding the ASO modulates the function of the RNA, either promoting its degradation or altering its function to disrupt the flow of genetic information from DNA to proteins. In addition to protein-coding RNAs, noncoding RNAs can be targets of ASO-based drugs, significantly broadening therapeutic targets for drug discovery compared to small molecules and protein-based therapeutics. Antisense technology provides a direct route from human genomic information to creating drugs that address the fundamental cause of a broad range of neurological and neuromuscular disorders. As of the date of this writing, there are four approved antisense drugs for neurological disorders, approximately a dozen drugs in various stages of clinical trials and a rich pipeline of antisense drugs in preclinical and discovery research. Approved ASO drugs are currently available for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, polyneuropathy due to hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Clinical programs are ongoing for ASOs in adults with Huntington’s disease, SOD1- and C9ORF72-mutation carriers with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, familial and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, DMD, and polyneuropathy. ASO technology is poised to change the therapeutic landscape in the near future for many central nervous system, peripheral, neurological, and neuromuscular diseases.
Best Practices in Data Driven Development Planning in Mining Regions

Strategic development planning has long been used by private and public sectors to guide actions that will lead to a determined goal in the medium- to long-term. The SDG framework has helped to create a common language of what development means, what the global objectives are by 2030, and how progress can be measured. With the world entering an era in which data is generated and used at an unprecedented scale, data and ICT systems should be used to better inform policy decision making and help evaluate progress to hold stakeholders accountable to their promises and performances. This report outlines how two mining projects in Chile are using planning and monitoring tools to advance development objectives beyond the mining-impacted areas. Several additional examples are showcased in the annex on how governments, companies, and civil society are using improved data accessibility and technological advances to help achieve and monitor their objectives.
The role of alcohol biofuels in advanced combustion: An analysis

Abstract The production of alcohol fuels from bioderived feedstocks and the performance of next generation stratified low temperature combustion (LTC) modes for internal combustion engines are two research areas that have recently undergone rapid growth independently. Now, there is a need to bridge these two fields and identify the optimal combustion strategy for these biosynthesized alcohol fuels. This work addresses this need by using a metric called the normalized φ-sensitivity to analyze how the local ignition delays of regions in the combustion chamber respond to stratification induced by the compression stroke injection of fuel, thereby identifying the optimal next generation stratified LTC strategy for a number of biosynthesized alcohol fuels. The large set of next generation stratified LTC modes are generalized into two groups based on how the heat release process proceeds in the compositionally stratified combustion chamber: lean-to-rich burn stratified combustion, where the lean regions ignite first followed sequentially by progressively richer regions, or rich-to-lean burn stratified combustion, the inverse of lean-to-rich. The C1-C4 alcohols are prime candidates to enable lean-to-rich burn stratified combustion based on their high cooling potentials and lack of negative temperature coefficient (NTC) behavior. Specifically, methanol or water-alcohol blends were found to be the best candidates. The C5 + alcohols were found to be prime candidates to enable rich-to-lean burn combustion based on their emergent NTC-behavior and low cooling potentials that approach their alkane counterparts. Specifically, n-pentanol, n-hexanol, and hexanol isomers were found to be the best candidates based on balancing their normalized φ-sensitivity and their autoignition resistance.
GENERATION AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF HOUSEHOLD WASTE IN ANNABA CITY

This study is a physical characterization of household waste in the town of Annaba (Algeria North East). Based on an adequate sampling protocol that takes into account the constraints of Algerian cities; Annaba city was taken as a case study for the rapprochement of the situation in Algeria. A quantity of 90 to 120 kg was sorted for each type of habitat in the city during four seasons of the year 2010 to 2011 according to 11 components of household wastes. Variations in the percentages of some components depending on the seasons and the type of habitat were recorded, especially the organic matter, the plastic, the glasses, and metals. Also; the weighing of the samples showed the variation of the production ratio per capita according to the season and the type of habitat. However, the largest production ratio was recorded for the height standing and the small one for low standing.
Opportunistic Invasive Fungal Infections Mimicking Progression of Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract Background Many studies have shown that invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, cryptococcosis, and mucormycosis can mimic radiographic and clinical features of primary lung cancer. However, more research surveying the incidence and outcomes of these fungal infections among patients with a history of lung cancer is needed. The aim of this study was to describe the occurrence and clinical outcomes of opportunistic invasive fungal infections that can mimic tumors in non–small-cell lung cancer patients. Patients and Methods Patients seen at Stanford University Medical Center from January 1, 2007, to May 1, 2020, with pulmonary aspergillosis, cryptococcosis, or mucormycosis after non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) diagnosis were reviewed. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Mycoses Study Group criteria was used to classify patients with evidence of proven or probable invasive fungal infection within our cohort. Results A total of 12 patients with proven or probable invasive mold infection (including 8 cases of aspergillosis) and 1 patient with proven cryptococcosis were identified, without any cases of mucormycosis. Of this cohort, 6 patients (46%) showed radiographic findings that were found to be most consistent with lung cancer by radiologists. Eight cases (62%) were suspected of cancer recurrence or progression by the treatment team on the basis of additional considerations of medical history and clinical symptoms. Most patients had active NSCLC or had a history of recurrence without active NSCLC at the time of fungal discovery (11 patients; 85%). Most patients died without full recovery (7 patients; 54%). Conclusions Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and cryptococcosis can often be mistaken as cancer recurrence or progression in patients with a history of NSCLC because of mimicking radiographic and clinical characteristics.
IGI-LuNER: single-well multiplexed RT-qPCR test for SARS-CoV-2

Commonly used RT-qPCR-based SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics require 2-3 separate reactions or rely on detection of a single viral target, adding time and cost or risk of false-negative results. Currently, no test combines detection of widely used SARS-CoV-2 E- and N-gene targets and a sample control in a single, multiplexed reaction. We developed the IGI-LuNER RT-qPCR assay using the Luna Probe Universal One-Step RT-qPCR master mix with publicly available primers and probes to detect SARS-CoV-2 N gene, E gene, and human RNase P (NER). This combined, cost-effective test can be performed in 384-well plates with detection sensitivity suitable for clinical reporting, and will aid in future sample pooling efforts, thus improving throughput of SARS-CoV-2 detection.
Strategic Director Appointments

Recent corporate governance scandals have been attributed to a lack of board independence because of the influence CEOs have over their boards. However, CEOs can also affect board efficacy without compromising its independence by strategically choosing directors. We offer a theoretical framework to examine how CEOs can strategically choose director characteristics (such as expertise and skill set) to influence the inner workings of the board. We examine how director expertise affects the board's equilibrium voting strategies and show that some “passivity” on the part of directors can in fact be desirable equilibrium behavior. More importantly, we show that managers can strategically appoint independent outside directors to influence board voting in their favor. Surprisingly, contrary to what we might expect, we find that opportunistic (principled) managers may not always appoint the least (most) able directors to the board. We also examine whether CEOs would prefer a “captured” board (i.e., an insider-dominated board) and show that the value of director input (i.e., the board's advising role) and the financial markets can discourage CEOs from pursuing such appointments.
Ambiguous jurisdictions: navigating U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones as extraterritorial spaces

This article explores the potential for exploitation of jurisdictional ambiguity presented by Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZs) in the United States as extraterritorial spaces within national territory. N...
Design and Hardware Implementation of the Peak Current Mode Switching Cycle Control for Voltage Balancing of Modular Multilevel Converters

The voltage balancing control of cell capacitors and energy storage reduction is one of the key issue in the development of the modular multilevel converters (MMCs). This paper proposes a peak current mode switching cycle control (PCM-SCC) for the capacitor voltage balancing control of MMCs. The proposed method utilizes the shoot-through states of one phase leg that are seldomly used in conventional control methods to charge and discharge the cell capacitors once per switching cycle. The duration of the shoot-through states within each switching cycle is indirectly determined by controlling the peak value of the arm inductor current. The average value of each cell capacitor voltage is regulated at a given voltage reference level in a closed-loop form. With the proposed control method, the line frequency voltage ripples on cell capacitors are significantly reduced. Therefore, the requirement on the cell capacitance is remarkably released to achieve high power density and lower cost. Simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed capacitor voltage balancing control method.
On non-negative definiteness of estimated moving average autocovariance sequences

The authors consider the following problem: given a normalized (finite-duration) covariance sequence which is not nonnegative definite (NND), find the closest NND sequence to it. Here, closeness is measured by the Euclidean distance in coefficient space. They provide a solution to this problem by considering a set of constrained minimization problems. The solution to the constrained minimization problem does not in general give NND solutions. Properties of NND solutions are established and used to find the minimizing NND sequence. >
A globally convergent adaptive blind equalizer based on second and fourth order statistics

The author proposes a new approach to recursive estimation of the unknown channel parameters and to adaptive blind deconvolution for data communication systems. The problem is addressed in a blind setting, i.e., only the channel output is observed, not the input to it. The proposed recursive parameter estimator is globally convergent, i.e., the parameter estimator converges to the true model regardless of its initialization. Therefore, the blind equalizer designed based upon the estimated channel parameters is also globally convergent. The proposed parameter estimator is based upon a two model decomposition approach: a SEMP (spectrally equivalent minimum phase) system in cascade with an allpass system. The author exploits the fourth-order cumulant statistics, in addition to the usual second-order statistics, of the data. A computer simulation example is also presented using a 4-PAM (pulse amplitude modulation) signal. >
Inorganic Orthophosphate Activation and Adenosine Diphosphate as the Primary Phosphoryl Acceptor in Oxidative Phosphorylation

Abstract Experiments are reported showing that in net oxidative phosphorylation by submitochondrial particles ADP furnishes the terminal bridge oxygen in the ATP formed. In contrast to ADP, AMP does not suffice to activate a inorganic orthophosphate ⇄ HOH exchange by submitochondrial particles. In sensitive initial labeling experiments during net oxidative phosphorylation, 32Pi appears initially in ATP, not in ADP. The results show that ADP is the first demonstrable nucleotide acceptor for a phosphoryl group in oxidative phosphorylation and that an oxygen from Pi forms water.
Fuzzification and reduction of information-theoretic rule sets

If-then rules are one of the most common forms of knowledge discovered by data mining methods. The number and the length of extracted rules tend to increase with the size of a database, making the rulesets less interpretable and useful. Existing methods of extracting fuzzy rules from numerical data improve the interpretability aspect, but the dimensionality of fuzzy rulesets remains high. In this paper, we present a new methodology for reducing the dimensionality of rulesets discovered in data. Our method builds upon the information-theoretic fuzzy approach to knowledge discovery. We start with constructing an information-theoretic network from a data table and extracting a set of association rules based on the network connections. The set of information-theoretic rules is fuzzified and significantly reduced by using the principles of the Computational Theory of Perception (CTP). We demonstrate the method on a real-world database from semiconductor industry.
Geist: A Web Traffic Generation Tool

This paper briefly describes the design of Geist, a traffic generator for stress testing of web/e-commerce servers. The generator provides a large number of dialable parameters that allow traffic characteristics to range from simple static web-page browsing to the transactional traffic seen by e-commerce front end servers. Unlike other traffic generators, Geist concentrates on the characteristics of the aggregate traffic arriving at the server, which allows for realistic traffic generation without any explicit modeling of users or network components.
Disparities in Patterns of Health Care Travel Among Inpatients Diagnosed With Congestive Heart Failure, Florida, 2011.

Introduction Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a major public health problem in the United States and is a leading cause of hospitalization in the elderly population. Understanding the health care travel patterns of CHF patients and their underlying cause is important to balance the supply and demand for local hospital resources. This article explores the nonclinical factors that prompt CHF patients to seek distant instead of local hospitalization. Methods Local hospitalization was defined as inpatients staying within hospital service areas, and distant hospitalization was defined as inpatients traveling outside hospital service areas, based on individual hospital discharge data in 2011 generated by a Dartmouth-Swiss hybrid approach. Multiple logistic and linear regression models were used to compare the travel patterns of different groups of inpatients in Florida. Results Black patients, no-charge patients, patients living in large metropolitan areas, and patients with a low socioeconomic status were more likely to seek local hospitalization than were white patients, those who were privately insured, those who lived in rural areas, and those with a high socioeconomic status, respectively. Conclusion Findings indicate that different populations diagnosed with CHF had different travel patterns for hospitalization. Changes or disruptions in local hospital supply could differentially affect different groups in a population. Policy makers could target efforts to CHF patients who are less likely to travel to seek treatment.
Impact of cigarette smoking on the middle meatus microbiome in health and chronic rhinosinusitis.

Background Although cigarette smoking aggravates chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), a detailed examination of the sinus microbiota in CRS and its clinical subtypes has yet to be performed in relation to history of smoking. Consequently, we examined associations between smoking history and sinonasal microbiome alterations in both CRS and non-CRS populations. Methods Middle meatus swabs collected during endoscopic sinus surgery were analyzed by analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences. Multiple analysis of variance tests were performed to determine whether microbiome composition varied with smoking history and other clinical/demographic covariates associated with CRS subtypes. Results A total 70 CRS patients and 31 control subjects were analyzed. In a univariate analysis, smoking (p = 0.04), preoperative antibiotics (p = 0.03), and purulence (p = 0.0002) were significantly associated with the genus-level composition of the middle meatus microbiota. When included in a multivariable model, smoking was found to have significant interactions with CRS (p = 0.02), polyposis (p = 0.03), purulence (p = 0.0004), and use of saline rinses (p = 0.05). Diverse bacterial taxa differed significantly in abundance between never-smokers and current/former smokers, as well as between different CRS subtypes. Conclusion Substantial changes in sinus bacterial colonization were observed in smokers and nonsmokers. Although the microbiota of both CRS and non-CRS subjects were altered with smoking history, different bacterial taxa were affected by smoking in the 2 patient groups. Thus, the effects of smoking on the sinus microbiota are likely to be modified by physiological and immunological functions of the underlying sinus mucosa.
Transient modeling of heterostructure optoelectronic switches

A 1-D simulation tool is developed for the transient analysis of four-layer double heterostructure optical switches. The simulated results for an InP/InGaAs PNPN switch show that the minority carrier lifetime could significantly alter the switching characteristics. The breakover voltage and holding current are strong functions of the minority carrier lifetime. The transient simulation results indicate that, although a fast turn-on time can be modeled, it leads to a slow turn-off response as this process is dominated by the recombination mechanism of the carriers. >
Emerging Oral Therapies in Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. The seven therapies currently approved by regulatory agencies are administered by subcutaneous or intramuscular injection or intravenous infusion. Many phase 2 trials involving oral MS therapeutics were recently completed, as were two phase 3 trials of fingolimod and one phase 3 trial of cladribine. Numerous other oral treatments are being investigated in ongoing phase 3 trials. Although an oral route of administration is attractive, these medications also present new challenges in balancing convenience, efficacy, and safety. In this review, we examine the safety and efficacy data from emerging oral therapies in an attempt to clarify their potential future role in the treatment of MS patients.
Midwifery and the crowning of health care reform.

In July 2009, the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) sent a letter to members of Congress opposing the federal recognition of certified professional midwives (CPMs) under the Social Security Act. The Social Security Act is the piece of legislation that provides for national health care coverage, such as Medicare and Medicaid, for elders, the socioeconomically disadvantaged, military personnel, and persons with disabilities. Although the Social Security Act was signed by President Roosevelt in 1935, certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) were not included in coverage by this act until 1988. Only in the past 10 years was the act expanded to include coverage for the full scope of care provided by CNMs and certified midwives (CMs). CNMs/CMs have struggled valiantly to create a recognized, fairly reimbursed, autonomous profession in the face of political and economic opposition from nurses and physicians. Part of their success in forging the CNM/ CM profession is attributable to the academic model they developed to train midwives. In the letter to members of Congress, ACNM contended that midwifery services provided by CPMs should not be covered under the Social Security Act because graduation from an accredited program is not a requirement for national CPM certification by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). To be eligible to sit for the NARM written examination, individuals may complete their education through an apprenticeship, a Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC)-accredited education program, or an ACNM Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME)-accredited education program. If a midwife passes the NARM examination, no distinction is made in her CPM credential based upon her route of education. The concern ACNM expressed to Congress members is only with midwives who are not trained through an accredited program. However, it is difficult to substantiate ACNM’s concern because CPMs are not differentiated based upon educational route. While graduation from an accredited education program is the standard preparation for health care providers in the United States and other countries, the question remains: Is midwifery preparation through an accredited education program inherently better than midwifery preparation through an unaccredited apprenticeship process? Unfortunately, no data are available to answer this question.
Conformational stability from temperature-dependent FT-IR spectra of xenon solutions and ab initio calculations for ethyldichlorophosphine

Abstract The mid-infrared spectra (3100 to 400 cm −1 ) of ethyldichlorophosphine dissolved in liquid xenon as a function of temperature (−60 to −100°C) have been recorded. Using the conformer pairs ( gauche/trans ) observed at 1024 1041 , 751 726 , and 665 632 cm −1 , the enthalpy difference has been determined to be 79 ± 14 cm −1 (226 ± 41 cal mol −1 ) with the trans conformer being more stable than the high energy gauche form. The optimized geometries, conformational stabilities, harmonic force fields, infrared intensities, Raman activities, depolarization ratios, and vibrational frequencies are reported for both conformers from RHF 3-21 G ∗ , RHF 6-31 G ∗ , and MP 2 6-31 G ∗ ab initio calculations. The ab initio calculations predict the gauche conformer to be more stable which is at variance with the experimental results. The other theoretical results are compared to the experimentally determined values where applicable and with corresponding results obtained for some similar molecules.
Dance and the Child International- "Kindle the Fire"

For anyone who wishes to know how things are going with the world's youngest dancers, some rare opportunities to observe are offered at the triennial conferences of Dance and the Child International (daCi). This is a singularly dedicated organization of dance educators devoted to the premise that it is the right of every child and young person to have dance experiences-not only as spectators, but also as creators and performers. DaCi grew out of a conference initiated by Dr. Joyce Boorman in 1978 at the University of Alberta in Canada. Subsequently, the organization became an autonomous branch of the International Dance Council of UNESCO and has held triennial conferences in Stockholm, Auckland, London, and Salt Lake City. Through its various other activities of networking and exchange, daCi has become an increasingly effective and impressive advocate of children's dance on all continents. In addition, through its publications and the research of its members, the organization has contributed to the creation of a substantial literature on many aspects of dance for toddlers through teens, although a definitive world history of children's dance has yet to be written.
Clinical and pathologic features and clinical impact of false negative thyroid fine-needle aspirations

BACKGROUND: Although thyroid fine-needle aspiration (TFNA) is an excellent test in evaluating thyroid nodules, there are occasionally false negatives (FN). The clinical impact and pathologic features of FN TFNA is understudied in the peer-reviewed literature. METHODS: A cohort of patients with thyroid cancer was separated into those with referring FN TFNA and those with referring true positive (TP) TFNA. Preoperative characteristics, pathologic finding, and clinical outcomes were compared within the 2 groups. RESULTS: A total of 192 patients with TP TFNA (n = 162) and FN TFNA (n = 30) were included in the study. There were no significant differences in the demographics or length of follow-up of the 2 groups. The FN TFNA group was more likely to have a larger clinical nodule size and experienced a significant delay from initial TFNA to surgery. The FN TFNA group was more likely to be diagnosed with the follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer (73.3% vs 25.9%, P < .001), less likely to have positive lymph nodes at surgery (6.7% vs 35.8%, P = .001), and more likely to undergo 2-step surgery (30% vs 9.9%, P = .007). Despite the delay in diagnosis, persistent/recurrent or metastatic disease, incidence of aggressive histologic variants, and pT4 disease was not different in the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical impact of FN TFNA at our high-volume center is minimal. Cancers in this setting are low grade, and outcomes are not adversely affected despite the delay in diagnosis. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2012. © 2012 American Cancer Society.
Computer‐mediated communication in the university classroom: An experiment with on‐line discussions

This study examines whether supplementing face‐to‐face discussion with computer‐mediated discussion (CMD) enhances the academic performance of undergraduate students in large lecture courses. It also examines the characteristics of students who volunteer to take part in CMD groups when such participation is optional and worth a small amount of credit. Student evaluations and academic performance data from a quasi‐experimental study involving 142 undergraduates suggest that a combination of face‐to‐face and computer‐mediated discussion provides a learning environment superior to that of the traditional classroom. Students actively involved in CMD groups not only reported learning more than they otherwise would have, but they also tended to earn higher grades than students taking part in face‐to‐face discussion only. CMD participants had more prior experience with electronic mail but similar levels of computer experience as other students. Patterns of participation in the on‐line discussions are discussed a...
Continuous collection and analysis of bovine oviduct fluid: Preliminary results

Abstract Oviduct fluid was collected by cannulating the oviducts of nine cows. The fluid was analyzed for sodium (Na), potassium (K), chlorine (Cl), calcium (Ca), inorganic phosphorus (Pi), magnesium (Mg) concentration and osmolarity (Osm). The mean concentrations ± the standard error of the means of the constituents were: Na (140.7 ± 0.37 mEq/L), K (5.12 ± 0.08 mEq/L), Cl (101.8 ± 1.54 mEq/L), Ca (1.88 ± 0.08 mEq/L), Pi (1.97 ± 0.07 mEq/L), and Mg (1.00 ± 0.03 mEq/L). Osmolarity was 281.0 ± 2.56 m Osmols. Significantly lower concentrations of Na (117.4 ± 2.58 mEq/L) were found in the fluid collected from the oviduct ipsilateral to the ovulating ovary on the day of ovulation. This decrease in Na concentration did not occur in fluid from the contralateral oviduct. The lowest concentrations of Ca were found during days 18 through 21, while the highest were found during days 2 through 6. No significant cyclic changes in the other constituents were observed although the concentrations tended to be highest during days 18 through 21 and lowest on day 1. The concentrations of many of the constituents analyzed were different than those previously reported for bovine oviduct fluid (1).
Modal recovery methods for solution of fluid-structure problems with rigid wall loads

Abstract A method is presented which enables the acoustic modes of a fluid to be recovered in an analysis based on rigid wall loads of a structure or portion of a structure. It is shown that the method leads to a structural solution which is identical to the coupled fluid-structure solution provided that the fluid is discretized sufficiently to retain the requisite spectral fidelity. An application of this method to the waterhammer response of a pipe segment is given, which in addition to validating the method, shows that the coupled response differs significantly from the structural behavior predicted by added mass, or incompressible, representations of the fluid. When the method is used to recapture fluid-structure interaction in a subsystem, silent boundaries are needed for the fluid domain. The method is also applicable to many other fluid-structure problems, and is particularly useful when the fluid loads are determined experimentally or by complex computational methods that are not readily coupled with structural models.
Synthesis of Alkyl Methylphosphonic Acid Esters

A synthesis and isolation scheme is described for producing mono alkyl esters of methylphosphonic acid based upon stoichiometric addition of alcohol to methylphosphonic dichloride. Solvent extraction is applied to the reaction mixture to separate the monoalkyl esters in reasonable yield from dialkyl methylphosphonate and unsubstituted methylphosphonic acid. The single-alkylated materials are important hydrolysis products of the G-series nerve agents, and are not generally available from chemical suppliers.
Excited-state distortions determined from structured luminescence of nitridorhenium(V) complexes.

The nitridorhenium(V) complexes ReNCl2(PCy3)2 (1), ReNBr2(PCy3)2 (2), ReNCl2(PPh3)2 (3), and ReNBr2(PPh3)2 (4) produce structured emission spectra upon excitation at low temperature. The origin, E00, occurs at 15 775, 16 375, 15 875, and 16 300 cm-1, respectively. The vibronic peaks are regularly spaced with an average energy separation corresponding to the Re≡N stretching frequency. The nitridorhenium stretching frequency ranges from 1095 to 1101 cm-1, as determined by Raman and IR spectroscopy. The excited-state distortions are calculated by fitting the emission spectra. The excited state arises primarily from a dxy (ReN nonbonding) to dyz (ReN π antibonding) transition. The rhenium−nitrogen bond length in the excited state is 0.08 A longer than in the ground electronic state, which is consistent with the difference in bond lengths of ReN bonds of bond order 3 and bond order 2.5 as determined from molecular structures.
Impaired health of juvenile Pacific salmon migrating through contaminated estuaries

Abstract Juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) accumulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls and other chemical contaminants in tissues, fluids and stomach contents while utilizing contaminated estuaries of Puget Sound during their out-migration from fresh water to open ocean. Field studies show that they have impaired health (reduced immunocompetence, increased mortality after disease challenge, reduced growth) resulting from migration through these areas. A series of laboratory investigations has shown that all of these effects can be elicited by exposure to either specific compounds or classes of compounds present in the contaminated waterways, or to complex mixtures of chemicals extracted from the sediments of the waterways. These results provide corroboration for a cause-and-effect relationship between impaired health of Pacific salmon and their exposure to chemical contaminants from urban estuaries. Specific information on the nature of the dose–response relationship is lacking, but studies are planned to address that question. With the impending listing of Pacific salmon stocks in Puget Sound under the Endangered Species Act, these studies take on added significance.
Rapid oscillations in western North America vegetation and climate during oxygen isotope stage 5 inferred from pollen data from Santa Barbara Basin (Hole 893A)

Abstract Chronologically-controlled, high-resolution (∼200 yr average sampling interval) pollen data from a core in the Santa Barbara Basin (SBB) provide evidence of millennial-scale climate variability on the southern California coast from ∼70 to 140 ka B.P. The first climate event, inferred from a brief reversal in the glacial/interglacial shift from montane conifer to lowland oak assemblages, occurred during the oxygen isotope stage (OIS) 6/5 transition. In OIS 5e, oak-dominated assemblages imply conditions similar to or slightly warmer than present. Cooler conditions that gradually replaced the relatively stable warm Mediterranean climate that continued across the OIS 5e/5d transition ended abruptly just before the end of OIS 5d. Warming, inferred from oak expansion, continued in OIS 5c. This lengthy cyclic sequence of high amplitude warming events, which peaked below interglacial values, extended into the first part of OIS 5b. Similar oscillations occurred in OIS 5a. These pollen data, that are directly correlated with isotopic data from the same sediment samples from Hole 893A, support previous observations that the last interglacial ( sensu stricto ) on the west coast of North America was correlative with oxygen isotope substage 5e. In addition, pollen data show that significant warming events reflected in terrestrial vegetation also occurred in different background states of the climate system — during processes of ice growth as well as ice decay.
Plasma dynamics with electron-inertia effects

Some aspects of plasma dynamics with electron-inertia effects are considered. The behaviour of (i) one-dimensional steady current sheets, (ii) two-dimensional steady reconnection models, (iii) one-dimensional current-sheet evolution, (iv) linear tearing-mode evolution and (v) nonlinear magnetic-island evolution in this regime is investigated. Stability of the two-dimensional plasma in this regime is then discussed, and necessary conditions for linear stability in the Liapunov sense for steady states are then given.
An alternative approach to integrating plasticity relations

A new plasticity integration algorithm is proposed based upon observations from the closed form integration of a generalized quadratic yield function over a single time step. The key to the approach is specification of the normal to the plastic flow potential as a function of the current state and strain increment. This uniquely defines the direction of the stress tensor for a convex, non-faceted flow potential. The stress magnitude and plastic strain increment are computed to satisfy the yield function. A non-quadratic, isotropic, associative flow model is coded to demonstrate accuracy and time step convergence following a step change in loading path. The model is used in additional simulations of strain localization in an expanding ring and a perforated plate.