cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Reported Adverse Events with Uterine Artery Embolization for Leiomyomas.

ABSTRACT Study Objective To analyze and investigate reports associated with uterine artery embolization used for treatment of myomas using this database. Design A retrospective review of the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database for events related to uterine artery embolization (Canadian Task Force Classification III). Setting The MAUDE database was accessed online. Patients Patients with myomas undergoing uterine artery embolization. Interventions The MAUDE database was accessed online and searched for events related to uterine artery embolization reported between 1998 and 2018. These reports were reviewed and analyzed, reported events were categorized, and other relevant information was collected and tabulated. Measurements and Main Results A total of 193 reports published during the study period were identified. Pain was the most frequently reported event (68 events; 35.2%), followed by vaginal discharge (45 events; 23.3%), operational misfire (37 events; 19.2%), and fever or infectious complications (36 events; 18.7%). A surgical procedure was required in 27 events (14.0%), with hysterectomy reported in 7.8% of the events. Death following this procedure was mentioned in 5 events (2.6%). Conclusion The MAUDE database may be useful for clinicians using a Food and Drug Administration–approved medical device to identify the occurrence of adverse events and complications. A variety of adverse events associated with the use of uterine artery embolization were reported to the MAUDE database related to its use in the treatment of uterine myomas. We encourage physicians to review the MAUDE database when using medical devices, because this is an important tool to assess uncommon but major problems that could be associated with a medical device.
Historical Aspects of Quality in Healthcare

A common theme of medicine in the modern era is the desire to iterate and improve. While science and medicine charge forward to improve our ability to treat disease, no discussion about where we are headed is complete without first considering where we have been. In the chapters that follow, authors will lay out the present and future of addressing the quality question in spinal surgery. In the present chapter, we discuss the intellectual history of this question. First, we consider the historical development of semiquantitative metrics for assessing outcomes in spinal surgery, from the Massachusetts General Hospital Anatomic Economic Functional Rating System to the Prolo scale. We then consider the parallel development of a medicolegal framework to assess quality of patient care, from Medicare’s abortive Utilization Review Committees (URCs) to the modern Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS). We close by considering who these structures affect; discuss the complex system of patients, payers (both public and private), and greater society; and find unique incentives for ensuring quality care at each level. Finally, we briefly look forward to new tools that will aid healthcare professionals in ensuring high-quality care.
The Use of Anatomical Dissection Videos in Medical Education.

Dissection videos are commonly utilized in gross anatomy courses; however, the actual usage of such videos, as well as the academic impact of student use of these videos, is largely unknown. Understanding how dissection videos impact learning is important in making curricular decisions. In this study, 22 dissection videos were created to review structures identified in laboratory sessions throughout the Organ Systems 1 (OS1), 2 (OS2), and 3 (OS3) courses. Dissection videos were provided to 201 first-year medical students, and viewing data were recorded. Demographic data for age and gender identity were also collected from students. Overall, there was a significant decrease in total views (P = 0.001), the number of students who pressed play (P < 0.001), and the number of students who viewed ≥ 90% of the total length of videos (P < 0.001) from OS1 to OS3. The total adjusted time spent viewing videos was not significantly different between individual OS courses. There were some instances where significant differences existed in examination performance between those who did and did not view videos, and by time spent viewing videos. There were no significant differences in time spent viewing videos by gender. Together these data suggest that students may utilize dissection videos more at the beginning of a dissection course, although they remain an important resource throughout the year for a subset of students.
General vs Spinal Anesthesia for Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty: Do Complication Rates Differ?

Abstract Background The incidence of both primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and revision TKA is increasing. Data from primary arthroplasty patients suggest a risk reduction with the use of spinal anesthesia when compared with general anesthesia. However, the same relationship has not been examined in the revision knee arthroplasty patient. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study using the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement database. Patients undergoing revision TKA with either spinal or general anesthesia were identified from the database. Baseline characteristics were compared, and ultimately patients were matched using coarsened exact matching. Multivariate analysis was then performed on matched cohorts controlling for baseline patient and operative characteristics. This model was used to look for any differences in rates of complications, operative time, length of stay, and readmission. Results Patients undergoing revision TKA with general anesthesia had increased risk of several postoperative complications, even after controlling for baseline patient characteristics. Specifically, there were significantly increased rates of the following: unplanned readmission (OR = 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.18-1.72, P Conclusion General anesthesia is associated with increased risk of numerous postoperative complications in patients undergoing revision TKA. This study is retrospective in nature, and while causality cannot be definitively determined, the results suggest that spinal anesthesia is preferential to general anesthesia in the revision TKA patient.
Assessment of knowledge and awareness of "sustainability" initiatives among college students

Campus sustainability is essential for any university. Campus sustainability denotes the potential of the university to develop new ideas regarding sustainability through research, teaching, and practices. It necessitates improved academic infrastructures, setting right faculty priorities and practices that ensure that the university community is aware of sustainable practices, and that its practices reflect sustainability. This study assesses college students' knowledge and awareness of sustainability issues. After IRB approval, data were collected using the campus sustainability questionnaire. Students from a university in the southeastern part of Texas in the United States were selected and asked to participate in the study voluntarily by answering a self-report questionnaire. Findings indicate that only a minority of the students knew what sustainability was, but 95.8% indicated it was important. Although the university has committed to climate and sustainability agreements, majority of the students were not aware of it and only about 17% knew that the University's Strategic Plan has a sustainability component. Nearly 36% of the students reported receiving information about sustainability during their campus orientation. In terms of recycling, majority of the students indicated unawareness of e-waste recycling on campus; however, more than 70% reported that the library limited free printing in computer labs. More than half of the students also indicated that sustainability issues were not infused into curriculum courses or programs, and they had no knowledge of any alternative power source for the university. We concluded that a majority of the students were not conversant with sustainability issues and were largely unaware of campus sustainability initiatives. We recommended more effort to increase sustainability initiatives on campus by involving faculty, staff, and students in such endeavors. Educational programs should incorporate sustainability into their curriculum to increase students' knowledge and consciousness regarding these issues.
Preschool Children’s Food Involvement is Related to Fruit and Vegetable Intake

ObjectiveThe majority of American children fall far short of meeting national nutrition recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption. Participation in home meal preparation has been associat...
A Sociocultural Perspective: Human Conflict with Jaguars and Pumas in Costa Rica

This paper presents data about the sociocultural construction of conflict and the killing of jaguars and pumas in a part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC) of Costa Rica. Results from participant observation and 131 interviews revealed cultural differences between Ticos (non-Indigenous people) and Cabecar (Indigenous people) on four separate dimensions of conflict, where large felines were constructed as competitors, food, man-eaters, real and imagined. When compared to Ticos, Cabecar had more conflict, most likely because they live off the land and have frequent “real” encounters with felines. This study makes several contributions: 1) evidence suggests competition is not the only reason for killing large felines; motivations also include constructing them as man-eaters and as food, raising questions about the important role social and cultural factors play in solutions to conflict; 2) meanings from Cabecar are products of a traditional and modernised relationship with large felines; 3) Cabecar include jaguars as food, suggesting future research and conservation management must understand Indigenous Peoples' relations with large predators, including their diets and traditions; 4) potential for conflict may increase between Ticos and large felines as they repopulate; 5) culture is crucial to examine prior to management implementation.
Towards Vibrational Waves Via High-order Topological Invariants in Mechanical Structures

Topological protection creates novel and robust modes in a wide variety of systems, usually appearing along the boundaries or interfaces of a system. Recent work has shown that it is also possible to localize modes at lower-dimensional elements, such as the corners of two-dimensional systems and the corners and edges of three-dimensional systems. The existence of these modes is guaranteed by a counting argument relating the size of the space of all possible modes to the number of constraints, and their placement is determined by a higher-order topological invariant. I discuss how additional interactions present in the system lead to bands of additional finite-frequency modes at markedly lower frequencies than exist elsewhere in the structures.
Influence of supplemental lighting during periods of increasing or decreasing daylength on the onset of puberty in gilts.

Sixty-four crossbred gilts were assigned randomly to one of four treatments at 9 to 11 wk of age: supplemental lighting and boar exposure, supplemental lighting without boar exposure, no supplemental lighting with boar exposure and no supplemental lighting and no boar exposure. Gilts in all treatment groups received natural daylight through windows of a growing and finishing house from February to July (Exp. 1) or from August to January (Exp. 2). Gilts in treatment groups 1 and 2 received supplemental lighting from a 250 w incandescent bulb (300 lx) from 0520 and 0830 h and from 1630 to 2020 h, for a total daily photoperiod of 15 h. No differences in weight gain or feed efficiency were found among any of the treatments. In Exp. 1, the proportion of gilts displaying estrus by 8 mo of age were 77, 13, 79 and 31% for treatments 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. As expected, the proportion of gilts that reached puberty was greater (P less than .01) in gilts that had received boar exposure than gilts that did not receive boar exposure. However, supplemental lighting given during periods of increasing natural daylength did not increase (P less than .05) the proportion of pubertal gilts or reduce the age of puberty. In Exp. 2, the proportion of gilts displaying estrus by 8 mo of age were 75, 7, 80 and 12% for treatments 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Boar exposure increased the proportion of gilts reaching puberty by 8 mo of age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Child Rights, Policy, and School Psychology

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child considers children to be citizens with inalienable rights and delineates what those rights should be. Nearly all States parties have ratified this treaty, agreeing to provide for and protect those rights. However, while strides have been made regarding legislative reforms, challenges remain in aligning federal and regional policies with the articles of the Convention. The current chapter highlights these opportunities and challenges and describes specific examples of States parties’ actions as a result of the Convention articles. Additionally, this chapter describes specific legislative priorities that both influence and are influenced by the work of school psychologists such as educational funding, school placement policies, educational curricula and standards, the provision of mental health services in schools, and the design of laws and policies for children with disabilities.
Infrastructure of Synchrotronic Biosensor Based on Semiconductor Device Fabrication for Tracking, Monitoring, Imaging, Measuring, Diagnosing and Detecting Cancer Cells

Copper Zinc Antimony Sulfide (CZAS) is derived from Copper Antimony Sulfide (CAS), a famatinite class of compound. In the current paper, the first step for using Copper, Zinc, Antimony and Sulfide as materials in manufacturing synchrotronic biosensor-namely increasing the sensitivi ty of biosensor through creating Copper Zinc Antimony Sulfide, CZAS (Cu1.18Zn0.40Sb1.90S7.2) semiconductor and using it instead of Copper Tin Sulfide, CTS (Cu2SnS3) for tracking, monitoring, imaging, measuring, diagnosing and detecting cancer cells, is evaluated. Further, optimization of tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)(Ru(bpy)32+) concentrations and Copper Zinc Antimony Sulfide, CZAS (Cu1.18Zn0.40Sb1.90S7.2) semiconduc tor as two main and effective materials in the intensity of synchrotron for tracking, monitoring, imaging, measuring, diagnosing and detecting cancer cells are considered so that the highest sensitivity obtains. In this regard, various concentrations of two materials were prepared and photon emission was investigated in the absence of cancer cells. On the other hand, ccancer diagnosis requires the analysis of images and attributes as well as collecting many clinical and mammography variables. In diagnosis of cancer, it is important to determine whether a tumor is benign or malignant. The infor mation about cancer risk prediction along with the type of tumor are crucial for patients and effective medical decision making. An ideal diagnostic system could effectively distinguish between benign and malignant cells; however, such a system has not been created yet. In this study, a model is developed to improve the prediction probability of cancer. It is necessary to have such a prediction model as the survival probability of cancer is high when patients are diagnosed at early stages.
Lagrangian Duality in Reinforcement Learning.

Although duality is used extensively in certain fields, such as supervised learning in machine learning, it has been much less explored in others, such as reinforcement learning (RL). In this paper, we show how duality is involved in a variety of RL work, from that which spearheaded the field, such as Richard Bellman's value iteration, to that which was done within just the past few years yet has already had significant impact, such as TRPO, A3C, and GAIL. We show that duality is not uncommon in reinforcement learning, especially when value iteration, or dynamic programming, is used or when first or second order approximations are made to transform initially intractable problems into tractable convex programs.
A combined digital-holographic microscope and light-field- fluorescence microscope for extant life searches

Searches for microbial life in our solar system’s Ocean Worlds can be carried out with volumetric microscopy techniques. A prototype microscope combining a digital holographic microscope with a light-field fluorescence microscope has been demonstrated.
Physiologic Long Head Biceps Tendon Excursion Throughout Shoulder Range of Motion: A Cadaveric Study.

Background:Restoration of the long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT) length-tension relationship is critical in preserving muscle strength and efficiency when performing biceps tenodesis. While stat...
Estimating the Bank of Mexico’s reaction function in the last three decades: A Bayesian DSGE approach with rolling-windows

Abstract This paper uses a small open economy Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model to investigate how Mexico’s central bank has conducted its monetary policy in the period 1995–2019. The main objective of the paper is to document the systematic changes in the Bank of Mexico’s reaction function by analyzing possible shifts in the parameters of the policy rule. The central bank’s policy is modeled using a Taylor rule that relates the nominal interest rate to output, inflation, and the exchange rate. I employ Bayesian computational techniques and conduct rolling-window estimations to explicitly show the transition of the policy coefficients over the sample period. Furthermore, the paper examines the macroeconomic implications of these changes through rolling-window impulse–response functions. The results suggest that the Bank of Mexico’s response to inflation has been steady since 1995, while the response to output and the exchange rate has decreased and stabilized after 2002.
Vertical Relationships and Competition in Retail Gasoline Markets: Empirical Evidence from Contract Changes in Southern California: Comment

This study examines how much, if any, of the differences in retail gasoline prices between markets is attributable to differences in the composition of vertical contract types at gasoline stations in each market. The purchase of the independent retail gasoline chain, Thrifty, by ARCO provides a unique opportunity to examine the effects of changes in different vertical contract types on local retail prices. This event caused sharp changes in the market share of i) fully vertically integrated stations, and ii) independent stations; differentially affecting local markets in the Los Angeles and San Diego Metropolitan areas. Using unique and detailed station-level data, this study examines how these sharp changes affected local retail prices. The detailed data and the research design based on the Thrifty station conversions allow for credible estimation of the effects of the market share of independent retailers and vertically integrated retailers on local market prices, controlling for any omitted factors at the station level, and the city level over time. Results for the Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas indicate that a decrease in the market share of independent stations has a significant positive impact on local retail price. However, a change in the market share of refiner owned and operated branded stations does not have a significant impact on local market price. These results have important implications as policy makers consider the regulation of vertical contracts as a means to increase competition in gasoline markets. The research design and detailed data also allow for inference on the underlying nature of retail gasoline competition.
Le double entre fantastique et folie : Dostoïevski, Nabokov et le cinéma contemporain

Cet article expose le depassement des paradigmes usuels du recit fantastique, tel qu’il s’est mis en place au XIXe siecle, a partir de fictions litteraires et cinematographiques contemporaines qui figurent l’articulation entre le double et la folie. L’article explore, dans un premier temps, l’assimilation traditionnelle du double au fantastique sous le signe de la pathologie mentale par la reference au roman Le Double (Dvoynik) de Dostoievki. Il demontre ensuite, par une etude de La Meprise (Despair) de Nabokov, comment l’ecriture de la duplicite et de la folie s’opere par une dissolution des paradigmes du fantastique suivant un jeu metafictionnel qui pose explicitement le double comme le produit d’une fiction. Par l’analyse comparee de deux productions cinematographiques recentes, Fight Club de Fincher et Black Swan d’Aronofsky, l’article revele comment le depassement du fantastique initie par Nabokov se voit prolonge dans des fictions contemporaines qui posent l’articulation entre double et folie sans plus avoir recours a la dimension d’etrangete propre au genre fantastique. Cette dissolution du fantastique a l’epoque contemporaine introduit des figurations proteiformes et saturantes de la duplicite qui appellent la mise a jour d’enjeux et cadres critiques desormais caducs.
Impact of Providing a Tape Measure on the Provision of Lung-protective Ventilation.

Introduction: Emergency department (ED) patients are frequently ventilated with excessively large tidal volumes for predicted body weight based on height, which has been linked to poorer patient outcomes. We hypothesized that supplying tape measures to respiratory therapists (RT) would improve measurement of actual patient height and adherence to a lung-protective ventilation strategy in an ED-intensive care unit (ICU) environment.Methods: On January 14, 2019, as part of a ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention bundle in our ED-based ICU, we began providing RTs with tape measures and created a best practice advisory reminding them to record patient height. We then retrospectively collected data on patient height and tidal volumes before and after the intervention.Results: We evaluated 51,404 tidal volume measurements in 1,826 patients over the 4 year study period; of these patients, 1,579 (86.5%) were pre-intervention and 247 (13.5%) were post-intervention. The intervention was associated with a odds of the patient’s height being measured were 10 times higher post-intervention (25.1% vs 3.2%, P <0.05). After the bundle was initiated, we observed a significantly higher percentage of patients ventilated with mean tidal volumes less than 8 cubic centimeters per kilogram (93.9% vs 84.5% P < 0.05).Conclusion: Patients in an ED-ICU environment were ventilated with a lung-protective strategy more frequently after an intervention reminding RTs to measure actual patient height and providing a tape measure to do so. A significantly higher percentage of patients had height measured rather than estimated after the intervention, allowing for more accurate determination of ideal body weight and calculation of lung-protective ventilation volumes. Measuring all mechanically ventilated patients’ height with a tape measure is an example of a simple, low-cost, scalable intervention in line with guidelines developed to improve the quality of care delivered to critically ill ED patients.
Data-driven identification of nonlinear normal modes via physics-integrated deep learning

Identifying the characteristic coordinates or modes of nonlinear dynamical systems is critical for understanding, analysis, and reduced-order modeling of the underlying complex dynamics. While normal modal transformation exactly characterizes any linear systems, there exists no such a general mathematical framework for nonlinear dynamical systems. Nonlinear normal modes (NNMs) are natural generalization of the normal modal transformation for nonlinear systems; however, existing research for identifying NNMs has relied on theoretical derivation or numerical computation from the closed-form equation of the system, which is usually unknown. In this work, we present a new data-driven framework based on physics-integrated deep learning for nonlinear modal identification of unknown nonlinear dynamical systems from the system response data only. Leveraging the universal modeling capacity and learning flexibility of deep neural networks, we first represent the forward and inverse nonlinear modal transformations through the physically interpretable deep encoder–decoder architecture, generalizing the modal superposition to nonlinear dynamics. Furthermore, to guarantee correct nonlinear modal identification, the proposed deep learning architecture integrates prior physics knowledge of the defined NNMs by embedding a unique dynamics-coder with physics-based constraints, including generalized modal properties, dynamics evolution, and future-state prediction. We test the proposed method by a series of study on the conservative and non-conservative Duffing systems with cubic nonlinearity and observe that the proposed data-driven framework is able to identify NNMs with invariant manifolds, energy-dependent nonlinear modal spectrum, and future-state prediction for unknown nonlinear dynamical systems from response data only; these identification results are found consistent with those from theoretically derived or numerically computed from closed-form equations. We also discuss its implementations and limitations for nonlinear modal identification of dynamical systems.
Differences between Magazine Headline Themes/Emotions that Motivate Latino and Non-Latino Mothers to Read Women's and Parenting Magazines

Print media is saturating the world with messages. Such messages can gain sympathy, inspire, mislead, cause curiosity, anger, fear, or other emotions. Emotional meaning of a word in headlines may b...
Three modes of intercellular neuronal communication.

Publisher Summary Until rather recently, most neuroscientists held that intercellular communication between excitable cells was via specialized junctions called synapses and involved a process that is called neurotransmission. Such a conviction was eminently reasonable since that was the only form of communication known or for which there was any sound scientific evidence. In addition, many investigations have assumed that any naturally occurring neuroactive compound was, a priori , a neurotransmitter. Lately, however, results have been found about the ways that cells may communicate that appear to be sufficiently different in their characteristics and mechanisms from neurotransmission via neurotransmitters t o warrant different designations. These new modes of communication have been classified as neuromodulatory and neurohormonal communication. This chapter compares and contrasts them with neurotransmission and with each other. In addition, these modes of interneuronal communication are illustrated by the use of peptides, particularly the opioid peptides, a relative new area of neuroscience.
MRI Case Review

In this chapter, individual MRI cases are reviewed with the following diagnoses: MRI artifacts; rim enhancement on MRI; simple cysts in MRI; extracapsular rupture of silicone breast implant; fibroadenoma; inflammatory breast carcinoma; papilloma; intracapsular rupture of silicone breast implant; invasive ductal carcinoma; ductal carcinoma in situ, low grade (DCIS); and breast cancer with involvement of the pectoralis muscle on MRI.
Differential Context Relaxation for Context-Aware Travel Recommendation

Context-aware recommendation (CARS) has been shown to be an effective approach to recommendation in a number of domains. However, the problem of identifying appropriate contextual variables remains: using too many contextual variables risks a drastic increase in dimensionality and a loss of accuracy in recommendation. In this paper, we propose a novel treatment of context – identifying influential contexts for different algorithm components instead of for the whole algorithm. Based on this idea, we take traditional user-based collaborative filtering (CF) as an example, decompose it into three context-sensitive components, and propose a hybrid contextual approach. We then identify appropriate relaxations of contextual constraints for each algorithm component. The effectiveness of context relaxation is demonstrated by comparison of three algorithms using a travel data set: a contenxt-ignorant approach, contextual pre-filtering, and our hybrid contextual algorithm. The experiments show that choosing an appropriate relaxation of the contextual constraints for each component of an algorithm outperforms strict application of the context.
On Systems Thinking and the Systems Approach

Despite the frequent use of the term systems by academicians and management practitioners, there is little agreement as to what the term really means. Experts in different fields talk about accounting systems, production systems, electronic data processing systems, market systems, financial systems, reward and motivation systems, and so on, but the student of management is confused by the nebulous and, at times, seemingly contradictory terms. This article uses the term Systems Approach as a convenient handle to pull together a few basic ideas about the systems concept. Systems Approach organizes one's thinking to understand more clearly the complexity of a real world phenomenon. It consists of two main parts: (1) Systems Thinking (ST), and (2) Information Technology (IT). ST provides the knowledge for developing a Theory of Systems, such as General Systems Theory and Cybernetics, while IT supplies the tools for testing and improving this theory. The relationship between the two parts is a complementary on...
Blind adaptive equalizer for IIR channels with common zeros

This paper considers the problem of blind adaptive equalization of single-input multiple-output IIR channels without requiring the channel diversity condition. That is, the parallel sub-channels in the fractionally sampled model can have common factors. We develop an equalizer based on IIR prediction of the received signal. The predictor parameters are estimated by using the recursive extended least squares (RELS) algorithm. It is proved that the adaptive equalizer is globally stable and the prediction error converges in a Cesaro sense almost sure (a.s.) (with probability one) towards a scalar multiple of the input symbol sequence.
Magnetic ordering in exchange-enhanced(Pd1−yAgy)100−xFexand(Pd1−yRhy)100−xFexalloys

Magnetization measurements are reported for several ${\mathrm{Pd}}_{1\ensuremath{-}y}{\mathrm{Ag}}_{y}$ and ${\mathrm{Pd}}_{1\ensuremath{-}y}{\mathrm{Rh}}_{y}$ host alloys doped with $x=0.5\ensuremath{-}, 1.0\ensuremath{-}, \mathrm{and} 2.0\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{at}.%$ Fe to form ${({\mathrm{Pd}}_{1\ensuremath{-}y}{\mathrm{Ag}}_{y})}_{100\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{x}$ (where $0\ensuremath{\le}y\ensuremath{\le}0.50$) and ${({\mathrm{Pd}}_{1\ensuremath{-}y}{\mathrm{Rh}}_{y})}_{100\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{x}$ (where $0\ensuremath{\le}y\ensuremath{\le}0.75$). The experiments were carried out with a vibrating-sample magnetometer at temperatures ranging from 3\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K to room temperature and for fields up to 20 kOe. The dependences of the paramagnetic susceptibility, effective magnetic moment, and magnetic-ordering temperature on the Fe concentration and host matrix susceptibility (and, consequently, the electronic structure) were explored and the results provide some support for the existing molecular-field theories that describe the region of ferromagnetic ordering in exchange enhanced alloys. From the observed linear dependence of the ordering temperature on the host-matrix susceptibility and the saturation moment per Fe atom, values were obtained for the molecular-field coefficient (describing the localized moment to Pd $4d$-electron interaction), $\ensuremath{\alpha}$, and the exchange-interaction constant, $J$. For the ${({\mathrm{Pd}}_{1\ensuremath{-}y}{\mathrm{Ag}}_{y})}_{100\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{x}$ system, we find $\ensuremath{\alpha}=1.1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{3}$ mole/emu and $J=0.071$ eV, while for ${({\mathrm{Pd}}_{1\ensuremath{-}y}{\mathrm{Rh}}_{y})}_{100\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{x}$, $\ensuremath{\alpha}=1.3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{3}$ mole/emu and $J=0.084$ eV.
Proprietary Costs and Privately Held Firms' Financing Choice between Public Offerings and Private Placements

This paper examines whether proprietary costs influence privately held firms' financing choice between private placements and public offerings. The financing choice determines whether proprietary information revealed to investors is also available to competitors. Using hand-collected information about privately held firms, I find both cross-sectional and time-series evidence that firms with higher proprietary costs are more likely to choose private placements instead of public offerings. First, in the cross-section, at the industry level, firms operating in more competitive product markets are more likely to choose private placements. Second, at the firm level, firms operating in multiple lines of business and more profitable firms are more likely to choose private placements. Third, in the time-series, an increase in product market competition is associated with an increase in the proportion of private placements by privately held firms. Finally, firms are more likely to choose private placements under the new segment reporting regime SFAS 131.
Renal response of fetal lamb to complete occlusion of umbilical cord

Abstract The renal response of the fetal lamb to repeated complete occlusion of the umbilical cord was studied in nine chronically instrumented animals. Five episodes of occlusion of the umbilical cord, each lasting for two minutes, produced a twofold rise in fetal urine osmolality and sodium, chloride, and potassium concentrations. Output of urine and glomerular filtration rate remained essentially unchanged while free water clearance decreased from a control of +0.10 to −0.02 ml. per kilogram per minute at the end of the fifth episode. Electrolyte concentrations in urine remained elevated for at least two hours following the occlusions. In addition to changes in urine composition, there was a 50- to 200-fold increase in the fetal plasma concentration of vasopressin. These studies indicate that complete interruption of the umbilical circulation, even though of short duration, produces disturbances in fetal renal function that can lead to loss of electrolytes in the urine. They provide an explanation for the low sodium levels reported in asphyxiated newborn infants in renal failure.
Effect of grazing muzzles on the rate of pelleted feed intake in horses

Abstract Esophageal obstruction or "choke" is a relatively common occurrence in equines. It often results from improper mastication, consuming feed too quickly, dehydration, or a decrease in saliva production. Esophageal obstruction is a medical emergency during which a horse cannot dislodge a bolus of feed from the esophagus and must wait for human intervention or for the block to be softened and moved by peristalsis. This condition may result in the formation of ulcers, esophageal rupture, aspiration pneumonia, and possibly death. Grazing muzzles have been shown to slow the rate of forage intake. We hypothesized that grazing muzzles could also be used to decrease the rate of pelleted feed intake and so possibly reduce the risk of equine esophageal obstruction in horses fed large meals of pelleted feed. The objective of this research was to compare the rate of pelleted feed intake for horses wearing grazing muzzles to those wearing no muzzle. Using a crossover design, horses were randomly assigned to 3 groups with each horse receiving each treatment. Treatments were as follows: no muzzle, easy breath grazing muzzle, or tough 1 nylon grazing muzzle. Eight adult stock-type horses aged 5 ± 1 years were offered 2.27 kg of pelleted concentrate to consume in a 10-minute period once daily. The study was comprised of 3 periods (5 days each) with a 2-day resting period between each. Horses were weighed daily and no significant change in bodyweight was observed. Data for daily intake were analyzed using the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS with significance established at P P
A New Class of Movable (n 4 ) Configurations

A geometric (n 4 ) configuration is a collection of n points and n lines, usually in the Euclidean plane, so that every point lies on four lines and every line passes through four points. This paper introduces a new class of movable ((5m) 4 ) configurations---that is, configurations which admit a continuous family of realizations fixing four points in general position but moving at least one other point---including the smallest known movable (n 4 ) configuration.
The Metabolic Syndrome: Concepts and Controversy

The metabolic syndrome is an insulin-resistant state characterized by a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors, including various combinations of abdominal obesity, glucose intolerance, hypertension, and atherogenic dyslipidemia (elevated triglyceride values, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol particles). The current epidemic of obesity and physical inactivity has led to an increased prevalence of this disorder. In this review, we discuss the history and pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome, the controversy regarding the appropriateness of considering it a distinct diagnosis, and the importance of lifestyle modification in its prevention and treatment. The need for all cardiovascular risk factors to be treated, whether or not they are components of the metabolic syndrome, is emphasized. Recent discussions in the literature regarding the continued use of the term metabolic syndrome should be considered a healthy academic debate that hopefully will stimulate ideas and innovative research to improve patient care.
Calculation of MRI-induced heating of an implanted medical lead wire with an electric field transfer function.

Purpose To develop and demonstrate a method to calculate the temperature rise that is induced by the radio frequency (RF) field in MRI at the electrode of an implanted medical lead. Materials and Methods The electric field near the electrode is calculated by integrating the product of the tangential electric field and a transfer function along the length of the lead. The transfer function is numerically calculated with the method of moments. Transfer functions were calculated at 64 MHz for different lengths of model implants in the form of bare wires and insulated wires with 1 cm of wire exposed at one or both ends. Results Heating at the electrode depends on the magnitude and the phase distribution of the transfer function and the incident electric field along the length of the lead. For a uniform electric field, the electrode heating is maximized for a lead length of approximately one-half a wavelength when the lead is terminated open. The heating can be greater for a worst-case phase distribution of the incident field. Conclusion The transfer function is proposed as an efficient method to calculate MRI-induced heating at an electrode of a medical lead. Measured temperature rises of a model implant in a phantom were in good agreement with the rises predicted by the transfer function. The transfer function could be numerically or experimentally determined. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2007;26:1278–1285. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The utility of siRNA transcripts produced by RNA polymerase i in down regulating viral gene expression and replication of negative- and positive-strand RNA viruses

Short interfering double-stranded RNAs (siRNAs) expressed under the control of an RNA polymerase I promoter system were used to target gene expression of influenza A and West Nile virus. Decreased RNA and protein expression was induced in a sequence-specific manner-reducing sequence complementarity from 21 to 17 nucleotides abrogated the siRNA effect. Reduced M(2) expression resulted in a decrease in total and infectious influenza A virus production. WNV protein expression, genomic RNA, and infectious virus production were all dramatically reduced by siRNAs targeting two distinct viral sequences. The data demonstrate the utility of plasmid-driven siRNAs in regulating the expression of single viral genes, global viral gene expression, as a potential antiviral treatment, and as a genetic tool for viruses whose genomes are difficult to manipulate.
EXPERIMENTAL RICKETS IN RATS : VII. THE PREVENTION OF RICKETS BY SUNLIGHT, BY THE RAYS OF THE MERCURY VAPOR LAMP, AND BY THE CARBON ARC LAMP.

Young rats on a diet low in phosphorus can be protected from rickets by irradiations with sunlight for about 15 minutes daily. In the winter months, however, this degree of light was found insufficient. The effective rays of the sun, in the intensities studied, did not penetrate window glass. They manifested some protective value after reflection from a smooth white surface. Irradiation of a few minutes with the rays of the mercury vapor lamp suffices to protect rats against rickets. This is true likewise of the rays from the carbon arc lamp. A standard protective dose of radiation can be formulated for rats on a standard diet. Light is able to prevent the occurrence of rickets in rats fed a rickets-producing diet characterized either by a low phosphorus and high calcium content, or a high phosphorus and low calcium content. Moderate variations in temperature do not alter the effective action of light rays. Pigmentation of the skin markedly lessens their effect, as demonstrated by the failure of a standard dose to protect black rats.
Dissociation of different conformations of ubiquitin ions

The fragmentation pathways of different conformations of three charge states of ubiquitin ions are examined using ion mobility/collisional activation/time-of-flight techniques. Mass spectra for fragments for different conformers of a single charge state appear to be identical (within the experimental reproducibility). These results are consistent with a mechanism in which different conformers of each charge state rearrange to similar dissociation transition states prior to fragment formation.
Role of Epigenetics in Developmental Biology and Transgenerational Inheritance

The molecular mechanisms involved in developmental biology and cellular differentiation have traditionally been considered to be primarily genetic. Environmental factors that influence early life critical windows of development generally do not have the capacity to modify genome sequence, nor promote permanent genetic modifications. Epigenetics provides a molecular mechanism for environment to influence development, program cellular differentiation, and alter the genetic regulation of development. The current review discusses how epigenetics can cooperate with genetics to regulate development and allow for greater plasticity in response to environmental influences. This impacts area such as cellular differentiation, tissue development, environmental induced disease etiology, epigenetic transgenerational inheritance, and the general systems biology of organisms and evolution. Birth Defects Research (Part C) 93:51–55, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Modeling command selection for speech-based applications

Command selection is an important problem in human computer interaction. We are applying a decision-making approach to model the process by which users select commands when multiple alternatives exist. Our initial focus is on speech-based systems, but the underlying approach is applicable to a wide range of interaction styles. Two empirical studies that provide a foundation for this research are complete and an initial decision model is proposed which specifies the factors that influence the command selection decisions and the relationships between those factors. Empirical studies are planned to investigate users' perceptions of individual model components and to validate the complete model.
Mode of Action Frameworks: A Critical Analysis

Mode of action (MOA) information is increasingly being applied in human health risk assessment. The MOA can inform issues such as the relevance of observed effects in laboratory animals to humans, and the variability of response within the human population. Several collaborative groups have developed frameworks for analyzing and utilizing MOA information in human health risk assessment of environmental carcinogens and toxins, including the International Programme on Chemical Safety, International Life Sciences Institute, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. With the goal of identifying gaps and opportunities for progress, we critically evaluate several of these MOA frameworks. Despite continued improvement in incorporating biological data in human health risk assessment, several notable challenges remain. These include articulation of the significant role of scientific judgment in establishing an MOA and its relevance to humans. In addition, binary (yes/no) decisions can inappropriately exclude consideration of data that may nonetheless be informative to the overall assessment of risk. Indeed, the frameworks lack a broad consideration of known causes of human disease and the potential for chemical effects to act additively with these as well as endogenous background processes. No integrated analysis of the impact of multiple MOAs over the same dose range, or of varying MOAs at different life stages, is included. Separate consideration of each MOA and outcome limits understanding of how multiple metabolites, modes, and toxicity pathways contribute to the toxicological profile of the chemical. An extension of the analyses across outcomes with common modes is also needed.
Comparison of microstructural evolution in laser-deposited and arc-melted In-Situ Ti-TiB composites

In-situ Ti-TiB composites have been processed via two different routes: arc by melting elemental Ti and B and by direct laser deposition of a blend of elemental Ti and B powders using the laser-engineered net-shaping (LENS™) process. The conventionally cast composite exhibits a significantly coarser-scale microstructure as compared with the LENS™-deposited composite and consists of primary proeutectic TiB precipitates dispersed in an eutectic matrix. The microstructure of the LENS™-deposited Ti-TiB composite consists of a fine-scale homogeneous dispersion of primary TiB precipitates in an α-Ti matrix. In addition, a nanometer-scale dispersion of secondary TiB precipitates is formed in the α matrix. The hardness and modulus of these composites have been measured using nanoindentation techniques. The ability to produce such a fine dispersion of TiB precipitates in near-net-shape, near-full-density Ti-TiB composites processed using LENS™ could potentially be highly beneficial from the viewpoint of applicability of these metal-matrix composites.
Smallpox vaccines induce antibodies to the immunomodulatory, secreted vaccinia virus complement control protein

Vaccination with Dryvax elicits a broad humoral response against many viral proteins. Human vaccinia immune globulin was used to screen the secreted proteins from cells infected with Dryvax or the candidate smallpox vaccine LC16m8 to determine whether the protective humoral response included antibodies against secreted viral proteins. Many proteins were detected, with the primary band corresponding to a band of 28 or 30 kDa in cells infected with Dryvax or LC16m8, respectively. This was identified as the vaccinia virus complement protein (VCP), which migrated more slowly in LC16m8-infected cells due to post-translational glycosylation. Vaccinia virus deleted in VCP, vVCPko, protected mice from a lethal intranasal challenge of vaccinia Western Reserve strain. Mice vaccinated with purified VCP demonstrated a strong humoral response, but were not protected against a moderate lethal challenge of vaccinia virus, suggesting that the humoral response against VCP is not critical for protection.
High-temperature operation of bidirectional terahertz quantum cascade lasers emitting from 3.1–3.7 THz

A broadband bidirectional terahertz quantum-cascade laser operating up to 147K and emitting in the frequency range of 3.1–3.7THz is demonstrated. A three-well GaAs/AlGaAs design with 10%Al barriers is shown to be optimum for bidirectional lasing.