cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Why Neurotoxin Treatment is Generally Safe? What is the Long-Term Efficacy

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are now used widely in clinical medicine for treatment of diverse medical conditions. The FDA approved indications include, chronic migraine, spasticity (stiff muscles with high muscle tone), bladder dysfunction, cosmetic use, drooling and excessive perspiration, correction of squint (strabismus) and abnormal movements (dystonias). This chapter provides information on the safety and long-term use of botulinum toxin treatment.
Deprivation Myopia and Emmetropization

We pointed out in Chapter 6 that the eyeball grows in most people to be the correct size for the image to be in focus on the retina. This process is called emmetropization. Many infants are born hyperopic, and become emmetropic by 2–3 years of age. Some are born emmetropic and become myopic with age; that is, their eyeballs are too large for the power of the lens and the cornea, so that the image falls in front of the retina. A few are born myopic, and this is a condition that needs to be reversed early, because the eyeball can grow, but it cannot shrink.
Policing Gentrification: Stops and Low–Level Arrests during Demographic Change and Real Estate Reinvestment:

Does low–level policing increase during gentrification? If so, are police responding to increased crime, increased demand by new residents, or are they attempting to “clean up” neighborhoods marked...
Path dependence and human rights improvement

abstractThough nearly all countries of the world have promised to respect human rights, there are two groups of countries in the world: one where human rights are improving and another where they a...
Reasons for voriconazole prophylaxis discontinuation in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients: A real-life paradigm.

We sought to describe the clinical experience of voriconazole as primary antifungal prophylaxis (AFP) in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients (allo-HCTr). This was a single-center retrospective study of adult allo-HCTr (1 January 2014 to 31 December 2016) who received ≥two doses of voriconazole-AFP. Voriconazole-AFP was started on day +7 post-HCT and continued at least through day +60 post-HCT, or longer as clinically indicated. We reviewed the rate, reasons, and risk factors of voriconazole-AFP discontinuation until day-100 post-HCT. A total of 327 patients were included. Voriconazole-AFP was continued for a median of 69 days (mean: 57.9; range 1, 100): for a median of 90 days (mean :84; range 2, 100) in 180/327 (55%) in the standard-of-care (SOC) group and 20 days (mean :25.6 ; range 1, 89; P-value < .001) in 147/327 (45%) patients in the early-discontinuation-group. Early-voriconazole-AFP discontinuation was due to adverse events, drug interactions, insurance coverage, and other reasons in 101/147 (68.7%), 27 (18.4%), 13 (8.8%), and 6 (4.1%) patients, respectively. Early-voriconazole-AFP discontinuation occurred in 73/327 (22.3%) patients due to hepatotoxicity. Important predictors for early-voriconazole-AFP discontinuation included: graft-versus-host disease grade ≥2 (odds ratio [OR]: 1.9, P-value: .02), alanine-aminotransferase ≥75 IU/ml on voriconazole-administration day-14 (OR: 5.6, P-value: .02) and total bilirubin ≥1.3 mg/dl on voriconazole-administration day-7 (OR: 3.0, P-value: .03). There were 13 proven/probable invasive fungal infections by day-180 post-HCT (8/147, 5.4%, and 5/180, 2.8% in the early-discontinuation and SOC-groups, respectively; log-rank:0.13). By day-180 post HCT, 23/147 (15.6%) and 14/180 (7.8%) patients in the early-discontinuation and SOC-groups had died, respectively (log-rank:0.03). Voriconazole-AFP was discontinued in up to 45% of allo-HCTr. Hepatotoxicity during the first 2 weeks post-HCT is a significant predictor of early-voriconazole-AFP discontinuation.
N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes of Nickel, Palladium, and Iridium Derived from Nitron: Synthesis, Structures, and Catalytic Properties

The mesoionic compound (1,4-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazol-4-ium-3-yl)phenylazanide, commonly referred to as Nitron, has been employed as a “crypto-NHC” to afford 1,2,4-triazolylidene compounds of nickel, ...
Abstract P822: In-Hospital Stroke Treated With IV tPA at a Comprehensive Stroke Center Compared to Primary Stroke Centers Pre and Post Telestroke Implementation

Introduction: In-hospital strokes (IHS) often have delayed recognition time and a delay in physician assessment, playing a role in unfavorable outcomes. Telestroke (TS) participation is linked to l...
Churning while Learning: Maximizing User Engagement in a Recommendation System

Online media platforms such as Spotify, YouTube Music, and NetEase Cloud Music rely on long-term user engagement for revenue generation. The primary operational level under their control is content recommendation (i.e., what content to recommend to various users), where the right recommendation can induce users to further interact with the platform, sign-up for premium memberships, view ads, and more. However, given constantly updating supply (i.e., new content being created) and heterogeneous user behavior, optimal recommendation is challenging. It requires a careful balance between exploration (understanding the efficacy of new content) and exploitation (recommending well understood existing content). Motivated by a real-world impressions level dataset from NetEase Cloud Music, we propose a two-period model for the platform recommendation problem, with the aim of maximizing long term user engagement. Our model captures two key features of this marketplace: (1) supply-side learning (i.e., platform learning the efficacy of new content) and (2) demand-side heterogeneous churning (i.e., different users churning at different rates as a function of both their engagement and their types). We use our two-period model to understand the interplay between churning while learning and how it impacts the long-term user engagement. In addition to characterizing the structure of the optimal learning policy for the platform recommendation problem (i.e., which users to experiment on), we numerically illustrate our key findings on a wide range of parameters. We find that accounting for heterogeneous churning behavior while learning the efficacy of new content can lead to improvements of up to 14% in the long-term user engagement.
Social class affects neural empathic responses

The present study tested whether socioeconomic status (SES) was linked to differences in the strength of neural empathic responses. Following previous research we measured fronto-central P2 responses to images of neutral faces and faces expressing pain. As predicted we found that higher SES was linked to diminished neural empathic responses. Interestingly, higher SES was positively correlated with self-reported trait empathy, suggesting that those higher in status may not realize that they are actually lower in empathy. Implications and future directions for research on empathy, altruism, and prosocial behavior are discussed.
Wireless programmable electrochemical drug delivery micropump with fully integrated electrochemical dosing sensors

We present a fully integrated implantable electrolysis-based micropump with incorporated EI dosing sensors. Wireless powering and data telemetry (through amplitude and frequency modulation) were utilized to achieve variable flow control and a bi-directional data link with the sensors. Wireless infusion rate control (0.14-1.04 μL/min) and dose sensing (bolus resolution of 0.55-2 μL) were each calibrated separately with the final circuit architecture and then simultaneous wireless flow control and dose sensing were demonstrated. Recombination detection using the dosing system, as well as, effects of coil separation distance and misalignment in wireless power and data transfer were studied. A custom-made normally closed spring-loaded ball check valve was designed and incorporated at the reservoir outlet to prevent backflow of fluids as a result of the reverse pressure gradient caused by recombination of electrolysis gases. Successful delivery, infusion rate control, and dose sensing were achieved in simulated brain tissue.
Anemia in the Elderly

Upon completion of the chapter, the student will be able to: 1. Identify the hematologic changes associated with aging. 2. Distinguish the initial workup for each of the different morphologic types of anemia. 3. Understand the diagnostic features and therapeutic options of common anemias in older adults.
Assessing Children's Social Skills: The Development of and Failure to Validate a Behavioral Roleplay Test

Recent years have witnessed the widespread development of interventions aimed at teaching children effective interaction skills. Increasingly, behavioral roleplay tests are being used to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions. This paper outlines the development and statistical evaluation of a behavioral roleplay test for assessing children's social skills. A test of the measure's validity indicated that there was little relationship between a child's score and his or her peer sociometric ratings. In light of these findings, the methodology by which the test was developed and evaluated is discussed. Possible alterations in the methodology are suggested as well as directions for future research.
The Division of Labor and The Theory of the Firm

We extend the classical teams framework to the case where team size is endogenous and workers can specialize within a division of labor. We consider two institutions: equal-division partnerships and the firm with a budget-breaker. In contrast with the previous literature, we show that effort and team size in partnerships can be greater or less than first best. Our results for the firm are driven by two main insights. First, the budgetbreaker can increase effort with an increase in incentives and/or specialization. Second, incentives and employment are strategic substitutes. We show that the budget-breaker offers incentives that are weaker than first best or equal-division partnership incentives, so that shirking is more prevalent in the firm. Since incentives and team size are substitutes, the budget-breaker increases employment above the first best and partnership levels, so the firm is inefficiently large. The role of the budget-breaker is therefore to reduce agents' exposure to risk and to promote and coordinate specialization and the division of labor. The comparative statics of the firm are consistent with several institutional stylized facts (e.g., the size-wage effect) and recent organizational trends.
Does Configuration Management Research Have a Future

In this position paper we raise the question of whether Configuration Management (CM) research has a future. The new standard in CM systems—typified by commercial products such as Adele, ADC, ClearCase, Continuus/CM, and CCC/Harvest—largely satisfies the CM functionality requirements posed by Dart. This implies that research in the area of CM is either unnecessary or that we must find new challenges in CM on which to focus. We believe that these challenges indeed exist. Here we present some areas that we feel are good opportunities for new or continued CM research, and therefore conclude that CM research does have a future.
A comparison of relay ladder logic programming and Petri net approach for sequential industrial control systems

For about the past two decades programmable logic controllers (PLC's) using relay ladder logic (RLL) programming have been the workhorse for sequential industrial control systems. Petri nets are a methodology for modeling, evaluating and controlling discrete event systems (DES). This paper uses a theoretical Petri net based controller for an industrial control application. These two design methodologies are compared using an industrial design example. Comparisons are made on the ability to evaluate the programmed logic, flexibility of the logic and the ability to troubleshoot/debug the system.
Studies on the biochemical basis of spontaneous mutation. II. The incorporation of a base and its analogue into DNA by wild-type, mutator and antimutator DNA polymerases.

Abstract The incorporation and turnover of adenine and its analogue 2-aminopurine into DNA by purified wild-type, mutator, and antimutator T4 DNA polymerase have been measured. Antimutators incorporate less 2-aminopurine into DNA than does wild type, and imitators incorporate more than wild type. Analysis of these data is consistent with the idea that the incorporation of 2-aminopurine is influenced primarily by the ratio of 3′-exonuclease to polymerase activities of the different enzymes. The experimental results conform to a model equation, which expresses the base incorporation frequency as a function of the polymerase insertion and removal activities. Some of the implications of the model equation are examined in this and the accompanying paper.
Photochemistry and nature of organic matter in Arctic and Antarctic snow

[1] It has been shown that sunlit snowpacks are photochemically active, producing a number of species that can significantly impact the overlying atmosphere. Here we investigate the origin of the flux of low molecular weight carbonyl compounds (formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) from sunlit snow obtained from both Arctic (Alert, Canada, and Summit, Greenland) and Antarctic (South Pole) sources. In addition, efforts to characterize the potential snow-phase organic matter (SPOM) precursors were undertaken. Using chemically characterized SPOM, we find that formaldehyde and acetaldehyde are produced upon irradiation, and that production is enhanced with the addition of nitrate (a precursor to OH radicals). SPOM from both Alert and Summit is found to be derived from a variety of sources, including vascular plants. This indicates deposition of atmospheric particulate matter containing vascular tissue to high-altitude Arctic snow. These findings open a potential window for a rich record of variations in terrestrial vegetation-derived aerosol signals that could be preserved in ice cores.
Systems Approach to Studying Disease

The emerging field of systems biology promises to transform our understanding of the molecular basis of human disease. Recent technological advances allow for multiparameter measurements to be integrated across global genomic and proteomic platforms to inform predictive and probabilistic gene and protein regulatory networks. A systems approach to disease is based on the idea that disease-perturbed gene and protein regulatory networks differ from their normal counterparts, and that these differences are predictive of the disease course and response to therapy. The ability to detect disease-related perturbations in individual patients will transform health care over the next decade from our current reactive medicine to a new medical practice that is predictive, personalized, preventive, and participatory (P4 medicine).
Chapter 7 Magnetic structures and inelastic neutron scattering: Metals, alloys and compounds

Publisher Summary The chapter surveys information about lanthanide magnetism from both elastic and inelastic neutron scattering experiments. In a field as vast as this, there have inevitably had to be several omissions. The understanding of the physics of lanthanide magnetism, at a phenomenological level, is in a reasonably satisfactory state. Although a few uncertainties still remain, such as the magnitude of the anisotropic exchange (or effective exchange) between ions in the hamiltonian, the relative importance of higher order (for example, biquadratic) exchange terms or the best way to derive the spectrum of elementary excitations (magnon or magnetic exciton) when both anisotropy and exchange terms are present. The effect of interactions (exchange enhancement) among the conduction electrons themselves on the magnetic ordering on the crystal field and on the collective modes has not yet been investigated. Thus, if the conduction electrons play an active role rather than simply passively transmitting the indirect exchange between the 4f shells, it is expected that higher energy magnon branches associates with spin–fluctuations on the conduction electrons as well.
Simulation of the Downshear Reformation of a Tropical Cyclone

AbstractThe downshear reformation of Tropical Storm Gabrielle (2001) was simulated at 1-km horizontal resolution using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model. The environmental shear tilted the initial parent vortex downshear left and forced azimuthal wavenumber-1 kinematic, thermodynamic, and convective asymmetries. The combination of surface enthalpy fluxes and a lack of penetrative downdrafts right of shear allowed boundary layer moist entropy to increase to a maximum downshear right. This contributed to convective instability that fueled the downshear convection. Within this convection, an intense mesovortex rapidly developed, with maximum boundary layer relative vorticity reaching 2.2 × 10−2 s−1. Extreme vortex stretching played a key role in the boundary layer spinup of the mesovortex. Cyclonic vorticity remained maximized in the boundary layer and intensified upward with the growth of the convective plume.The circulation associated with the mesovortex and adjacent localized cyclonic vorti...
Association of the position of a hospital‐acquired condition diagnosis code with changes in medicare severity diagnosis‐related group assignment

CONTEXT Incentives to improve quality include paying less for adverse events, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' policy to not pay additionally for events classified as hospital-acquired conditions (HACs). This policy is controversial, as variable coding practices at hospitals may lead to differences in the inclusion and position of HACs in the list of codes used for Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group (MS-DRG) assignment. OBJECTIVE Evaluate changes in MS-DRG assignment for patients with an HAC and test the association of the position of an HAC in the list of International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) diagnosis codes with change in MS-DRG assignment. DESIGN AND SETTING Retrospective analysis of patients discharged from hospital members of the University HealthSystem Consortium's Clinical Data Base between October 2007 and April 2008. Comparisons were made between the MS-DRG assigned when the HAC was not included in the list of ICD-9 diagnosis codes and the MS-DRG that would have been assigned had the HAC code been included in the assignment. RESULTS Of the 7027 patients with an HAC, 13.8% changed MS-DRG assignment when the HAC was removed. An HAC in the second position versus third position or lower was associated with a 40-fold increase in the likelihood of MS-DRG change. CONCLUSIONS The position of an HAC in the list of diagnosis codes, rather than the presence of an HAC, is associated with a change in MS-DRG assignment. HACs have little effect on reimbursement unless the HAC is in the second position and patients have minor severity of illness. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2014;9:707–713. © 2014 Society of Hospital Medicine
Substantive Ethics: Integrating Law and Ethics in Corporate Ethics Programs

Continual corporate malfeasance signals the need for obeying the law and for enhancing business ethics perspectives. Yet, the relationship between law and ethics and its integrative role in defining values are often unclear. While integrity-based ethics programs emphasize ethics values more than law or compliance, viewing ethics as being integrated with law may enhance understanding of an organization’s core values. The author refers to this integration of law and ethics as “substantive ethics,” analogous to the substantive law that evolves over time, which is applied to ethical breaches and carries sanctions for non-compliance. This article describes the integration of law and ethics as a mid-point between two polar views that define law and ethics either as having no relation or as being one and the same. Since corporations expressly state which laws they follow, a sample of corporate compliance statements is used to demonstrate this integrative mid-point. The sample also reveals that corporate ethics codes rarely express ethics and law as being integrated per se. Therefore, the author creates an example of a securities law compliance statement that is introduced with an integrative perspective of law and ethics. Perhaps such revised corporate codes will encourage corporate respect for both law and ethics and enhance ethical sustainability.
Separation of thiamin and its phosphate esters by capillary zone electrophoresis and its application to the analysis of water-soluble vitamins.

Abstract A capillary zone electrophoresis method for the separation and determination of thiamin and its phosphate esters (free thiamin, thiamin monophosphate, and thiamin pyrophosphate) was developed and optimized. The efficiency achieved with boric acid–sodium tetraborate decahydrate buffer (pH 8.24; 65–8 mM) at an applied potential of 30 kV gave the detection limit (S/N = 3) and the limit of quantitative measurement (S/N = 10) of thiamin and its phosphate esters ranging from 10 −4 to 6 × 10 −4 mM and from 6 × 10 −4 to 1.2 × 10 −3 mM, respectively. The effects of pH on separation and migration times of thiamin and its phosphate esters are described. The method was validated and applied to the quantitative determination of thiamin in commercial tablets containing both a massive and a normal dose of thiamin.
Racializing White Drag

While drag is primarily understood as a performance of gender, other performative categories such as race, class, and sexuality create drag meaning as well. Though other categories of identification are increasingly understood as essential elements of drag by performers of color, whiteness remains an unmarked category in the scholarship on drag performances by white queens. In this paper, I argue that drag by white queens must be understood as a performance of race as well as gender and that codes of gender excess are specifically constructed through the framework of these other axes of identity. This essay asks whether white performance by white queens necessarily reinscribes white supremacy through the performance of an unmarked white femininity, or might drag performance complicate (though not necessarily subvert) categories of race as well as gender? In this essay, I will suggest that camp drag performances, through the deployment of class as a crucial category of performative femininity, might indeed be a key site through which whiteness is denaturalized and its power challenged. Specifically, I will read on camp as a politicized mode of race, class and gender performance, focusing on the intersections of these categories of identity in the drag performance of Divine.
Biological fate of sulphur mustard (1,1'-thio-bis(2-chloroethane)): urinary and faecal excretion of 35S by rat after injection or cutaneous application of 35S-labelled sulphur mustard.

1. A technique for the quantitative cutaneous application of sulphur mustard vapour is described. The maximum rate of uptake of the agent vapour by shaved rat skin in vivo was estimated as 7 μg/cm2 per min.2. The major route of excretion was through the kidneys: > 70% of the radioactivity of all doses was excreted in 3 days after either i.v. or i.p. injections of 35S-labelled sulphur mustard, but less (50–70% depending on dose) was excreted in the same time following cutaneous application.3. This urinary excretion of 35S had a half-life of 1.4 days, and the decreased proportion of the applied dose excreted following cutaneous application may be accounted for by retention of radioactivity in the skin.4. The contribution of faecal excretion was greater following cutaneous application.
A Nationwide Assessment of the Burden of Urinary Tract Infection among Renal Transplant Recipients

Objective. Evaluate the prevalence and outcomes of urinary tract infection (UTI) among renal transplant recipients. Methods. A secondary analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2009–2011 was conducted. Survey-weighted multivariable regression analyses were used to examine the impact of UTI on transplant complications, total charges, and length of stay. Results. A total of 1,044 renal transplant recipients, representing a population estimate of 49,862, were included in the study. UTI was most common in transplant recipients with hypertension (53%) and prevalence was noted to be 28.2 and 65.9 cases per 1,000 for men and women, respectively. UTI increased the likelihood of transplant complications (182% for men, 169% for women). Total charges were 28% higher among men as compared to 22% among women with UTI. Such infection also increased the length of stay by 87% among men and 74% among women. Discussion. UTI in renal transplant recipients was associated with prolonged length of stay, total charges, and increased odds of transplant complications. Interventions to prevent UTI among such patients should be a priority area for future research and practice.
Pass/fail grading: a disadvantage for students applying for residency

We polled general surgery residency program directors to determine whether the evaluation system used by a medical school--pass/fail versus competitive grading--has an effect on a student's ability to compete for a residency position in general surgery. A vast majority (89%) of respondents preferred to review medical student transcripts that use grades rather than pass/fail evaluations. In addition, 83% would prefer to evaluate their own students with a grading system rather than a pass/fail mark. Eighty-one percent of program directors believed that the medical student's ability to compete for a residency position was adversely influenced by the pass/fail method of evaluation. Since program directors appear to be biased in favor of an evaluation system that provides them with more objective data, we conclude that the use of the pass/fail grading system puts the medical student at a disadvantage in competing for general surgery residency positions.
Intraluminal ultrasound imaging through a balloon dilation catheter in an animal model of coarctation of the aorta.

BACKGROUND Controversy still exists over the optimal balloon size, extent of vascular disruption, and long-term results of balloon dilation therapy for coarctation of the aorta. Intravascular ultrasound imaging has been used in patients with coronary artery disease to provide further insight into the anatomy of atherosclerotic lesions and the results of angioplasty and atherectomy. Initial observations of the results of balloon dilation of coarctations with intravascular ultrasound imaging have shown prominent dissections of the inner vascular layers that are often not detected by angiography. The purpose of this study was to test a new transballoon catheter ultrasonic imaging system capable of on-line direct visualization of lumen diameter and vessel wall structure for imaging before, during, and after dilation in an acute animal model of aortic coarctation. METHODS AND RESULTS Abdominal aortic coarctations were created surgically in three 14-19-kg mongrel dogs by using Teflon gauze ties. The 6.8F ultrasound balloon catheter was placed percutaneously in the right femoral artery through a 9F sheath. Ultrasound imaging allowed measurement of the coarctation diameter, characterization of the vessel wall structure, localization of the stenosis, and placement of the midportion of the balloon at the narrowest area. Imaging through the balloon was performed through several dilations (five to eight per animal), and after balloon deflation, it provided information on postdilation diameter, intimal tears, long-segment dissections, and intramural thrombi, findings that were confirmed at postmortem examination. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study demonstrate that imaging with a new intraballoon ultrasound device is feasible during inflation to therapeutic dilation pressures; it allows visualization of the changes in diameter and vascular wall structure after serial dilations without having to recross the obstructed area. Adaptation to larger balloon sizes and lower frequencies should make this system applicable to interventional catheterizations in patients with congenital cardiac and vascular lesions.
Consensus Group Decision-Making, Quality of Decision, and Group Satisfaction: An Attempt to Sort "Fact" from "Fiction.".

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether (1) a systematic relationship exists between consensus and decision effectiveness, and (2) a systematic relationship exists between consensus and decision satisfaction among group members. In addition, the study attempted to determine whether those relationships, if they exist, are stable across situations (i.e., decision‐making strategies) or situationally bound.
Radio wave probing of the lower ionosphere by cross-modulation techniques

Abstract The potentialities of cross-modulation observations as a means of exploring the ionospheric D -region are assessed. It is concluded that useful information on D -region electron densities and collision frequencies can be obtained by cross-modulation techniques; this has already been demonstrated by workers at Pennsylvania State University and the University of Armidale. Suggestions regarding the improvement of existing installations and the design of new installations are made. The desirability of simultaneous comparisons with partial reflection measurements at the same geographical location is stressed.
Mapping a chain task to chained processors

Abstract We present algorithms for computing an optimal mapping of a chain task to chained processors. Our algorithm has time complexity no larger than O( m + p 1+ e ) for any small e>0. This represents an improvement over the recent best results of an O( mp ) algorithm and an O( m + p 2 log 2 m ) algorithm. We extend our algorithm to the case of mapping a ring task to a ring of processors with time complexity O( m 1+ e ) and the case of mapping multiple chain tasks to chained processors with time complexity O( mn + p 1+ e ).
TU‐C‐350‐01: Review of Task Group Reports for Their Impacts On Clinical Practice

This review task was initiated under the direction of the Clinical Practice Committee of the Professional Council of the AAPM. Some of the Task Group (TG) reports published by the AAPM present a wide range of comprehensive performance tests or QA processes for a particular radiological modality or procedure. Limited by available resources and given the range of clinical uses, full‐time clinical physicists of many medium and small centers often find it difficult to determine the minimum subset of a complete TG report to follow to ensure consistent high quality of patient care and procedure maintenance. Furthermore, state regulators have, in some instances, unfortunately adopted entire sections of TG reports as regulatory requirements despite the clarification in all TG reports that such use would be inappropriate. Therefore, Minimum Practice Recommendations (MPR) should be established and be charged by the new Practice Guideline Subcommittee. The MPRs are intended to provide the AAPM members with a set of requirements for a basic standard of medical physics practice that AAPM would consider necessary in all sizes of clinical practice sites. These MPRs are not designed to replace extensive clinical practice guidelines, TG reports or review articles, but rather to describe minimum common standards. The establishment of MPRs is an important expression of AAPM's mission to disseminate knowledge, in order to maintain a high common standard in medical physics practice. The Subcommittee is charged with reviewing TG reports prior to publication, and determining which reports would benefit from an accompanying Implementation Guideline. Educational Objectives: 1. Understand the benefits of reviewing TG reports by the Professional Council. 2. Understand the concept of Minimum Practice Recommendation (MPR). 3. Understand the guidelines and issues related to the establishment of MPR.
Developing a universally accessible web portal for traditional and distance learning versions of a computer literacy course: an Auburn University case study

Information Technology (IT) offers a wide range of opportunities for education and career enhancement for those who have access to the technologies they employ. However, many people find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide that separates those with access to new technologies and those without. Even if they have access to these technologies, some people with disabilities find themselves on the wrong side of a second digital divide that is caused by the inaccessible design of coursework. This paper is a report on the findings of the authors using IT tools for developing a Universal Accessible Web Portal for the traditional and distance learning versions of the COMP1000 Introduction to Personal Applications Computer (COMP1000) course.
Assessment of Ionic Interferences to Nitrate and Potassium Analyses with Ion-Selective Electrodes

Ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) are simple tools used for rapid measurement of nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) and potassium (K) concentrations in plant sap. With the development of best management practices (BMPs), interest exists in using ISEs for soil leachate and soil and fertilizer solutions. Nitrate N and K concentrations in the 0 to 10,000 mg L–1 ISE working range were measured in diluted solutions of common salts to assess ionic interference of calcium (Ca2+), ammonium (NH4 +), chloride (Cl–), and sulfate (SO4 2–). The effects of meter (replication) were unexpectedly significant in one out of three ranges for NO3-N and K (P values of 0.50, 0.72, and 0.01 for NO3-N and 0.99, 0.01, and 0.74 for K, for the 0–100, 100–1,000 and 1,000–10,000 mg L–1 ranges, respectively). The responses of calculated NO3-N and K concentrations to measured NO3-N and K concentrations were linear, but slopes ranged from 0.85 to 1.54, from 0.24 to 2.72, and from 0.93 to 5.48 for NO3-N and from 0.80 to 1.01, from 0.71 to 1.39, and f...
A new criterion function for exploratory blockmodeling for structural and regular equivalence

Abstract We present a new criterion function for blockmodeling two-way two-mode relation matrices when the number of blocks as well as the equivalence relation are unknown. For this, we specify a measure of fit based on data compression theory, which allows for the comparison of blockmodels of different sizes and block types from different equivalence relations. We arm an alternating optimization algorithm with this criterion and demonstrate that the method reproduces consensual blockings of three datasets without any pre-specification. We perform a simulation study where we compare our compression-based criterion to the commonly used criterion that measures the number of inconsistencies with an ideal blockmodel.
Obesity prevention interventions for middle school-age children of ethnic minority: a review of the literature.

PURPOSE. The purpose of this study was to describe the current literature on interventions to reduce obesity in middle school-age children of ethnic minority. DESIGN AND METHODS. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. RESULTS. A total of eight studies matched the inclusion criteria. Findings support personal, behavioral, and environmental factors that contribute to obesity in children, yet results for ethnic minorities were inconclusive. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. Obesity research suggests that there is merit in addressing specific factors. This review highlights the absence of prevention interventions for middle school-age children, particularly of ethnic decent.
Rates of gyrase supercoiling and transcription elongation control supercoil density in a bacterial chromosome.

Gyrase catalyzes negative supercoiling of DNA in an ATP-dependent reaction that helps condense bacterial chromosomes into a compact interwound “nucleoid.” The supercoil density (σ) of prokaryotic DNA occurs in two forms. Diffusible supercoil density (σD) moves freely around the chromosome in 10 kb domains, and constrained supercoil density (σC) results from binding abundant proteins that bend, loop, or unwind DNA at many sites. Diffusible and constrained supercoils contribute roughly equally to the total in vivo negative supercoil density of WT cells, so σ = σC+σD. Unexpectedly, Escherichia coli chromosomes have a 15% higher level of σ compared to Salmonella enterica. To decipher critical mechanisms that can change diffusible supercoil density of chromosomes, we analyzed strains of Salmonella using a 9 kb “supercoil sensor” inserted at ten positions around the genome. The sensor contains a complete Lac operon flanked by directly repeated resolvase binding sites, and the sensor can monitor both supercoil density and transcription elongation rates in WT and mutant strains. RNA transcription caused (−) supercoiling to increase upstream and decrease downstream of highly expressed genes. Excess upstream supercoiling was relaxed by Topo I, and gyrase replenished downstream supercoil losses to maintain an equilibrium state. Strains with TS gyrase mutations growing at permissive temperature exhibited significant supercoil losses varying from 30% of WT levels to a total loss of σD at most chromosome locations. Supercoil losses were influenced by transcription because addition of rifampicin (Rif) caused supercoil density to rebound throughout the chromosome. Gyrase mutants that caused dramatic supercoil losses also reduced the transcription elongation rates throughout the genome. The observed link between RNA polymerase elongation speed and gyrase turnover suggests that bacteria with fast growth rates may generate higher supercoil densities than slow growing species.
Conceptual similarity and the quality of metaphor in isolated sentences versus extended contexts

Many researchers have theorized or demonstrated a relationship between tenor and vehicle similarity and the judged quality of metaphors. In four experiments, each using different materials, the relationship between similarity and metaphoric quality was examined. Undergraduates in two different institutions rated: (1) the similarity of tenor and vehicle concepts, (2) the quality of metaphors in isolated, formulaic, sentences (the sort of materials used in previous experiments), or (3) the quality of the same metaphors in various extended, natural contexts. Average ratings of all three variables were determined for each metaphor. In all four experiments, similarity was highly positively correlated with the quality of metaphors in isolated, formulaic contexts, but similarity was either not correlated highly (Experiment 3) or not correlated at all (Experiment 1,2 & 4) with the quality of metaphors in extended, natural contexts. In three of the experiments, the quality of metaphors in isolated, formulaic sentences was not significantly correlated with the quality of metaphors in extended context.
Changes in tropomyosin subunits and myosin light chains during development of chicken and rabbit straited muscles

Abstract We have selected tropomyosin subunits and myosin light chains as representative markers of the myofibrillar proteins of the thin and thick filaments and have studied changes in the type of proteins present during development in chicken and rabbit striated muscles. The β subunit of tropomyosin is the major species found in all embryonic skeletal muscles studied. During development the proportion of the α subunit of tropomyosin gradually increases so that in adult skeletal muscles the α subunit is either the only or the major species present. In contrast, cardiac muscles of both chicken and rabbit contain only the α subunit which remains invariant with development. Two subspecies of the α subunit of tropomyosin which differ in charge only were found in adult and embryonic chicken skeletal muscles. Only one of these subspecies seems to be common to chicken cardiac tropomyosin. With respect to myosin light chains, embryonic skeletal fast muscle myosin of both species resembles the adult fast muscle myosin except that the LC 3 light chain characteristic of the adult skeletal fast muscle is present in smaller amounts. The significance of these isozymic changes in the two myofibrillar proteins is discussed in terms of a model of differential gene expression during development of chicken and rabbit skeletal muscles.
Evaluating Impacts of CO2 Gas Intrusion Into a Confined Sandstone aquifer: Experimental Results

Deep subsurface storage and sequestration of CO2 has been identified as a potential mitigation technique for rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Sequestered CO2 represents a potential risk to overlying aquifers if the CO2 leaks from the deep storage reservoir. Experimental and modeling work is required to evaluate potential risks to groundwater quality and develop a systematic understanding of how CO2 leakage may cause important changes in aquifer chemistry and mineralogy by promoting dissolution/precipitation, adsorption/desorption, and redox reactions. Sediments from the High Plains aquifer in Kansas, United States, were used in this investigation, which is part of the National Risk Assessment Partnership Program sponsored by the US Department of Energy. This aquifer was selected to be representative of consolidated sand and gravel/sandstone aquifers overlying potential CO2 sequestration repositories within the continental US. In this paper, we present results from batch experiments conducted at room temperature and atmospheric pressure with four High Plains aquifer sediments. Batch experiments simulate sudden, fast, and short-lived releases of the CO2 gas as would occur in the case of well failure during injection. Time-dependent release of major, minor, and trace elements were determined by analyzing the contacting solutions. Characterization studies demonstrated that the High Plains aquifer sediments weremore » abundant in quartz and feldspars, and contained about 15 to 20 wt% montmorillonite and up to 5 wt% micas. Some of the High Plains aquifer sediments contained no calcite, while others had up to about 7 wt% calcite. The strong acid extraction tests confirmed that in addition to the usual elements present in most soils, rocks, and sediments, the High Plains aquifer sediments had appreciable amounts of As, Cd, Pb, Cu, and occasionally Zn, which potentially may be mobilized from the solid to the aqueous phase during or after exposure to CO2. However, the results from the batch experiments showed that the High Plains sediments mobilized only low concentrations of trace elements (potential contaminants), which were detected occasionally in the aqueous phase during these experiments. Importantly, these occurrences were more frequent in the calcite-free sediment. Results from these investigations provide useful information to support site selection, risk assessment, and public education efforts associated with geological CO2 storage and sequestration.« less
Observations on error in the application of the forward-difference method to the bulk diffusion equation

Abstract The Forward-Difference Method was applied to the one-dimensional diffusion equation for a problem with constant surface and initial solute concentrations and diffusivity independent of concentration. Two interesting observations were made on the error between the exact analytic solution and the numerical, solution: (1) when x equals √2 Dt , the Forward-Difference Method becomes very accurate no matter what value of λ ( = D Δ t /Δ x 2 ) was used; (2) the maximum error, which occurs at ∼ 2.76√ Dt , increased linearly with λ.
The prevalence of domestic violence in volunteers for abortion and contraceptive research studies.

Abstract Background The prevalence of domestic violence (DV) in research subjects has not been evaluated. In the general population, about 25% of women report DV. We hypothesize that participants in research studies would report similar rates of abuse to women in the general population and that subjects in abortion studies would report higher rates of abuse than women in other gynecologic studies. Study design We included a modified abuse assessment questionnaire as a routine section of the medical history obtained for 256 women who were enrolling in abortion, contraceptive and other gynecologic research studies. Rates of reported recent or lifetime abuse, defined as physical or sexual violence, were compared for women in each study group by χ2 analysis and Fisher's Exact Tests. A multivariable analysis with stepwise logistic regression was used to compare study groups. Results The overall rate of ever-experience DV was 18% for the study population. Lifetime rates of DV were 17%, 15% and 30% in women enrolling in abortion, contraceptive and other gynecologic research studies, respectively (p=.17). Abuse within the last 2 months was reported by 1%, 0% and 0% of women, respectively (p=.50). After controlling for age, race, ethnicity, gravity, parity and marital status, the rates of violence did not vary between study groups. Conclusion We found the rates of DV in women who volunteer for research studies are similar to those reported for women in the general population. Subjects in abortion research studies do not report DV more frequently than women in contraceptive or other gynecologic studies.
Radiofrequency Ablation of a Supra ventricular Tachycardia Due to Interatrial Conduction From the Recipient to Donor Atria in an Orthotopic Heart Transplant Recipient

Recipient-to-Donor Interatrial Tachycardia. Interatrial conduction of recipient atrial tachycardia to the donor atria of an orthotopic heart transplant recipient resulted in a unique cause of supraventricular tachycardia. An electrophysiologic study was performed, and the recipient atria was found to be in an atrial tachycardia, cycle length of 210 msec, with periods of both 2:1 and 1:1 conduction to the donor atria resulting in a donor atrial cycle length of 420 msec and 210 msec, respectively. The site of interatrial conduction was mapped to the right atrial suture line, along the atrial free wall, and was successfully disrupted with radiofrequency energy. Arrhythmias of a similar mechanism may also be observed in other postsurgical patients.
Telecommunications media for transport telematics

This article considers past and present European research into communications characteristics for transport telematics applications. The background for the work is derived from the European Commission's DRIVE/Transport Telematics programs and research projects, and CEN TC278 activities. The prospect that a single media cannot meet all the current applications requirements is supported by consideration of key services that have different communications requirements. However, media selection minimization and a migration path for homogeneous implementation of current research solutions are expostulated. The article concludes by questioning a defaulting media selection against our social consciences for matching media to requirements. The article is aimed at a readership with some technical knowledge and should be of interest to transport authorities and manufacturers intending to tackle the problems of implementing transport telematics systems.
Response properties of the perioral reflex in Parkinson's disease.

Abstract Analyses of the response magnitudes of the short-latency perioral reflex were made in a group of Parkinson disease patients and control subjects. As a group, the parkinsonian subjects manifested reflex magnitudes which were increased relative to normal. For low-acceleration, mechanical displacements of perioral tissue (
Fixed points imply chaos for a class of differential inclusions that arise in economic models

We consider multi-valued dynamical systems with continuous time of the form ẋ ∈ F (x), where F (x) is a set-valued function. Such models have been studied recently in mathematical economics. We provide a definition for chaos, ω-chaos and topological entropy for these differential inclusions that is in terms of the natural R-action on the space of all solutions of the model. By considering this more complicated topological space and its R-action we show that chaos is the ‘typical’ behavior in these models by showing that near any hyperbolic fixed point there is a region where the system is chaotic, ω-chaotic, and has infinite topological entropy.