cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Minimally Invasive Biopsies of Deep-Seated Brain Lesions Using Tubular Retractors Under Exoscopic Visualization

Background and Study Aims/Objective Brain lesions in deep-seated locations can present a surgical challenge. Tissue remains the gold standard for diagnosing these lesions to guide potential adjuvant therapy. These lesions have been traditionally approached by stereotactic needle biopsy, open biopsies through craniotomies, and excisional biopsies. We provide a safe alternative method using tubular retractors under exoscopic visualization for biopsies of deep-seated brain lesions. Material and Methods All patients who underwent a biopsy with the use of a tubular retractor under exoscopic visualization of a deep-seated lesion from January 2013 to September 2016 were identified prospectively and followed. This was done for patients with lesions where extensive resection was not deemed possible because of eloquent location and/or lack of impact on the natural history of the disease. Results A total of 11 patients, with an average age (plus or minus standard deviation) of 48.7 ± 18.3 years, underwent biopsies with tubular retractors and exoscopic visualization. The locations included thalamus (n = 3), optic pathway (n = 2), deep cerebellar nuclei (n = 1), centrum semiovale/corpus callosum (n = 4), and multifocal (n = 2). Diagnosis was obtained in all patients: glioblastoma multiforme (n = 3), anaplastic astrocytoma (n = 3), demyelinating disease (n = 2), renal cell cancer (n = 1), and lymphoma (n = 2). In all cases with tumors, the molecular analyses were conducted successfully. On postoperative computed tomography, no patients had notable hematomas and no patients had new deficits. Conclusion Diagnosing brain lesions is critical for guiding potential adjuvant therapies. When surgical resection is not possible or required, we report the efficacy of a tubular retractor system with exoscopic visualization for the safe access of deep-seated lesions to provide adequate tissue for diagnosis and molecular evaluation.
Water-Soluble Nanoparticle Receptors Supramolecularly Coded for Acidic Peptides.

Sequence-specific recognition of peptides is of enormous importance to many chemical and biological applications, but has been difficult to achieve due to the minute differences in the side chains of amino acids. Acidic peptides are known to play important roles in cell growth and gene expression. In this work, we report molecularly imprinted micelles coded with molecular recognition information for the acidic and hydrophobic side chains of acidic peptides. The imprinted receptors could distinguish acidic amino acids from other polar and nonpolar amino acids, with dissociation constants of tens of nanomolar for biologically active peptides containing up to 18 amino acids.
Keystrokes, Mouse Clicks, and Gazing at the Computer: How Physician Interaction with the EHR Affects Patient Participation.

Evidence is mixed regarding how physicians' use of the electronic health record (EHR) affects communication in medical encounters. To investigate whether the different ways physicians interact with the computer (mouse clicks, key strokes, and gaze) vary in their effects on patient participation in the consultation, physicians’ efforts to facilitate patient involvement, and silence. Cross-sectional, observational study of video and event recordings of primary care and specialty consultations. Thirty-two physicians and 217 patients. Predictor variables included measures of physician interaction with the EHR (mouse clicks, key strokes, gaze). Outcome measures included active patient participation (asking questions, stating preferences, expressing concerns), physician facilitation of patient involvement (partnership-building and supportive talk), and silence. Patients were less active participants in consultations in which physicians engaged in more keyboard activity (b = −0.002, SE = 0.001, p = 0.02). More physician gaze at the computer was associated with more silence in the encounter (b = 0.21, SE = 0.09, p = 0.02). Physicians’ facilitative communication, which predicted more active patient participation (b = 0.65, SE = 0.14, p < 0.001), was not related to EHR activity measures. Patients may be more reluctant to actively participate in medical encounters when physicians are more physically engaged with the computer (e.g., keyboard activity) than when their behavior is less demonstrative (e.g., gazing at EHR). Using easy to deploy communication tactics (e.g., asking about a patient’s thoughts and concerns, social conversation) while working on the computer can help physicians engage patients as well as maintain conversational flow.
Reference-dependent preferences arise from structure learning

Modern theories of decision making emphasize the reference-dependency of decision making under risk. In particular, people tend to be risk-averse for outcomes greater than their reference point, and risk-seeking for outcomes less than their reference point. A key question is where reference points come from. A common assumption is that reference points correspond to expectations about outcomes, but it is unclear whether people rely on a single global expectation, or multiple local expectations. If the latter, how do people determine which expectation to apply in a particular situation? We argue that people discover reference points using a form of Bayesian structure learning, which partitions outcomes into distinct contexts, each with its own reference point corresponding to the expected outcome in that context. Consistent with this theory, we show experimentally that dramatic change in the distribution of outcomes can induce the discovery of a new reference point, with systematic effects on risk preferences. By contrast, when changes are gradual, a single reference point is continuously updated.
Chronic urticaria as a manifestation of hyperparathyroidism: A case study

Abstract Chronic urticaria is defined by the presence of urticaria (hives), on most days of the week for a period of 6 weeks or longer. In 80–90% of adults with chronic urticaria, no external allergic cause or contributing disease process can be identified. Primary hyperparathyroidism is a rare cause of refractory chronic urticaria. We present a case of a 59-year-old Caucasian female with refractory chronic urticaria who was found to have primary hyperparathyroidism. No identifiable cause for her urticaria was found. Her symptoms resolved completely after parathyroidectomy. Chronic urticaria has been described previously as an uncommon first presentation of hyperparathyroidism. Patients present with itchy, burning wheals and angioedema that are refractory to treatment with antihistamines, steroids, and trigger avoidance.
The Diversity of the Postclassic Mimbres Periods (AD 1150–1450): Insights from Las Animas Village in Southwestern New Mexico

The Postclassic period (ca. AD 1150–1450) in the Mimbres region is diverse and variable. Excavation data from Las Animas Village (LA3949) is used to explore this variability and better delineate th...
ENDA Before it Starts: Could Gay or Lesbian State Employees Sue Their Employers for Damages Under the Proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Act, in Light of the Court's Recent Section 5 Jurisprudence?

The proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would prohibit much employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. This Article considers whether ENDA would pass muster as appropriate legislation under Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment, thus allowing plaintiffs to seek retrospective relief against state governments in their capacity as employers. Part I lays the foundation for this examination by considering the Supreme Court's Section 5 jurisprudence, paying special attention to the cases beginning with City of Boerne v. Flores, 521 U.S. 507 (1997). Part II applies that jurisprudence to the recent versions of ENDA. The recent Section 5 cases require an examination of the suspicion with which the Court regards the underlying conduct being restricted. Applying that test to ENDA would require examining how seriously the Court takes sexual orientation discrimination. This, in turn, requires consideration of Romer v. Evans, 517 U.S. 620 (1996). The challenge is to "translate" Romer's concern about anti-gay state action into Section 5 language. It mirrors the Court's approach in Board of Trustees v. Garrett, 121 S.Ct. 955 (2001), in which the Court held that Title I of the Americans With Disabilities Act was not appropriate Section 5 legislation, even though it had previously found an equal protection violation when a city discriminated against the mentally disabled. After considering whether Romer means that all sexual orientation-based employment discrimination would fail the rational basis test, and reaching an equivocal conclusion, Part II continues by examining whether ENDA is sufficiently limited so as to prohibit only that discrimination that the Court would in fact consider unconstitutional. The Article suggests that ENDA's limitations and exceptions potentially limit its application only to conduct that would in fact be unconstitutional if performed by a state. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether the Court would be willing to announce such a broad constitutional rule limiting sexual orientation discrimination. Thus, the Article continues by assuming that ENDA does in fact go beyond what the Constitution commands, and considers whether ENDA constitutes appropriate prophylactic legislation, going beyond what equal protection requires but sufficiently related to those limits as to satisfy the Court's test of congruence and proportionality. Again, given ENDA's limited scope, it arguably satisfies that test. Part III takes a more prescriptive tone. It offers advice for those interested in ENDA's enactment, suggesting ways in which the bill's drafting, and especially its fact-finding, may maximize chances for its survival as an appropriate expression of Congress' Section 5 power. Part IV concludes by offering some general thoughts on the Court's recent Section 5 jurisprudence, based on the results of the foregoing analysis of ENDA as legislation designed to ensure the equal protection rights of gays and lesbians.
Scattering of Signals by Inhomogeneous Layers

The purpose of this chapter is to study the scattering and distortion of acoustic signals by an inhomogeneous plane-stratified layer separating two homogeneous fluids. The transmitter or source of the signals is assumed to lie in one of the homogeneous fluids and the reflected and transmitted signals are calculated. The physical hypotheses and results are summarized in §1. The proofs, which are based on the preceding chapters are developed in the remaining sections.
Stress Hormones and PTSD

There are now several hundred peer-reviewed journal articles that report on various aspects of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, published reports do not always show agreement. This review discusses approaches to the interpretation of neuroendocrine results in consideration of discrepant observations. A disturbing tendency in the literature has been to dismiss HPA axis findings as directly relevant to PTSD pathophysiology or to try to reach consensus regarding contrasting views in the literature by designating majority findings as more true than findings occurring less frequently. There have been few attempts to evaluate the meaning of disparate observations or determine whether specific methodological considerations compromise the findings or their interpretation. There has been a reluctance to assign a rank ordering to observations that are more definitive because they use a superior endocrine strategy that might result in weighting some studies more heavily than others. Finally, there have been few attempts to incorporate the observed discrepancies into a coherent model of neuroendocrine functioning in PTSD. This chapter attempts to analyze the literature from this framework.
Das Rücknahmenangebot der IBM: Umweltgerechte Entsorgung der Altgeräte

Die Elektronikindustrie wird viel weniger mit Umweltproblemen in Verbindung gebracht als andere Branchen. Die von ihr hergestellten Gerate sind „sauber“: Computer, Fernseher und CD-Player produzieren keine Abgase, machen keinen Larm und verschmutzen nicht das Wasser.
Einsatz der Karosserieberechnung in der PKW-Entwicklung

Die rasche Entwicklung der Computertechnik ermoglichte einen grundsatzlichen Wandel in der Entwicklungsarbeit an Fahrzeugkarosserien. Moderne CAE-Systeme dienen der Vorhersage von statischen und dynamischen Eigenschaften. Drei wesentliche Untersuchungsschwerpunkte haben sich herausgebildet, denen derzeit starke Aufmerksamkeit zukommt — die Bestimmung der statischen Eigenschaften einer Karosserie, die Vorherbestimmung der Unfallsicherheit sowie die Simulation von Schwingungs- und Gerauschproblemen. Dieser Artikel widmet sich den in der Automobilindustrie gebrauchlichen Prinzipien zur Losung der erstgenannten Problemstellung.
Proteinaceous Lymphadenopathy in a Young Patient With History of Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Case Report With Literature Review:

Proteinaceous lymphadenopathy (PLD) is a poorly defined, underreported pathological entity of uncertain etiology characterized by massive deposition of amorphous, eosinophilic, and periodic acid-Schiff-positive material involving lymph nodes, which is distinct from amyloid and clonal immunoglobulin deposition. PLD can resemble collagen sclerosis and needs to be differentiated from lymphomas with sclerosis, particularly classical Hodgkin lymphoma, nodular sclerosis type, and therefore is an important pitfall in the diagnosis of lymphoma with sclerosis. We are reporting a young patient with history of classical Hodgkin lymphoma who eventually developed PLD and review the literature on this subject.
Surgical trends and patient factors associated with the treatment of apical pelvic organ prolapse from a national sample

Prolapse of the vaginal apex can be treated using multiple surgical modalities. We describe national trends and patient characteristics associated with the surgical approach and compare perioperative outcomes of abdominal versus vaginal repair of apical pelvic organ prolapse (POP). The 2006–2012 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database was queried for abdominal sacrocolpopexy (ASC) and vaginal apical suspensions. Patients were stratified by whether or not concomitant hysterectomy (CH) was performed or whether or not they were post-hysterectomy (PH). Multivariate logistic regressions were adjusted for confounding variables. A total of 6,147 patients underwent apical POP repair: 33.9% (2,085) ASCs, 66.1% (4,062) vaginal suspensions. 60.0% (3,689) underwent CH. In all cohorts, older patients were less likely to have ASC (CH: OR 0.48, CI 0.28–0.83, p = 0.008 for age ≥ 60; PH: OR 0.28, CI 0.18–0.43, p < 0.001). Over time, the proportion of all vaginal and abdominal repairs remained relatively stable. Use of minimally invasive ASC, however, increased over the study period (trend p < 0.001), and use of mesh for vaginal suspensions decreased (p < 0.001). ASC had a longer median operative time (PH 174 vs 95 min, p < 0.001; CH 192 vs 127 min, p < 0.001). Complication rates were the same for vaginal repairs and ASC, overall and when sub-stratified by hysterectomy status. Nationally, most apical POP repairs are performed via a vaginal route. Older age was predictive of the vaginal route for both CH and PH groups. ASCs had longer operative times. There has been increased utilization of minimally invasive ASC and decreased use of mesh-augmented vaginal suspensions over time.
Initial experience of a hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia center of excellence.

Our objectives in reviewing the initial experience of a hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia center of excellence (HHT COE) were to better understand the interventions being performed in the comprehensive care of these patients and to present the early data as a reference for other tertiary centers considering starting an HHT COE. We conducted a retrospective review of consecutive patients referred to our newly developed HHT COE for evaluation and treatment between May 2010 and June 2013. Clinical presentation, otolaryngologic treatments, and other operative interventions were analyzed. One hundred forty-four of the 198 patients (73%) evaluated at the HHT COE had definite HHT based on the Curacao diagnostic criteria, with 20 additional patients possibly having HHT and undergoing further evaluation to confirm the diagnosis. Sixteen of the 31 patients (52%) referred to otolaryngology required intervention in the operating room for epistaxis. Seventy-two of the 164 (44%) patients with definite or possible HHT required other interventions for internal organ arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), with interventional radiology embolization of pulmonary AVMs being the most common procedure. An HHT COE is important in providing comprehensive care for patients with this rare disease, which has significant clinical sequelae. Having an HHT COE allows for early screening and subspecialty referral within a system of specialists experienced in preventing the morbidity and mortality associated with severe epistaxis and internal organ AVMs.
A multibiomarker approach to predict prostate cancer pathology outcomes.

58Background: Distinguishing indolent from aggressive prostate cancer remains a key challenge for prostate cancer management decision-making. A growing number of biomarkers are now on the market to...
Generalized momenta in constrained non-holonomic systems—Another perspective on the canonical equations of motion

Abstract In this paper generalized momenta are defined for non-holonomic rigid body systems in a possibly novel formalism. The momenta are defined for Lagrangian/energy systems as well as projective d’Alembert systems, thus allowing canonical equations to be developed. The momenta can be defined in terms of quasi-variables or with ultimately an excess of the time derivatives of the generalized coordinates. This work may lay a framework to build non-holonomic generalizations to the Hamilton–Jacobi canonical transformation equations. In the sense that these equations are fundamental and minimalistic, they too can be considered canonical in their nature. For immediate practical consideration, demonstrated is significant reductions of the time required to numerically integrate the expository examples modeled with these techniques, indicating that this modeling formalism may have practical applicability
Metamorphic Facies and Facies Series

Goldschmidt’s (1911) study of the contact metamorphism of the Oslo area and Eskola’s (1914) study of the regional metamorphism of the Orijarvi region revealed that well-recrystallized metamorphic rocks approached chemical equilibrium at a stage of their history and that the mineral compositions they acquired then have usually been preserved over long subsequent periods of time. In a group of metamorphic rocks that have reached chemical equilibrium under the same definite P-T conditions, the mineral compositions of the rocks depend only on their bulk chemical compositions, regardless of their previous history. There exists a regular relationship between the mineral and chemical compositions of such metamorphic rocks. Eskola (1915) attempted to visualize the relationship by his ACF and A’KF diagrams.
The Preparation and Development of Preceptors in Professional Graduate Athletic Training Programs

Context As professional athletic training programs transition to the graduate level, administrators will need to prepare preceptors to teach advanced learners. Currently, preceptor development is v...
Rhizome in the shadows: transplantation of Korean Running Man in the rise of screen-capitalism

In a potentially volatile policy environment as Mainland China, Korean Wave (hallyu) has penetrated into and continued survival in China through a new pattern of remakes in the context of bilateral...
Cardiovascular Health among U.S. Indigenous Peoples: A Holistic and Sex-Specific Systematic Review.

ABSTRACTPurpose: The purpose of this systematic review is to examine mental, sociocultural, behavioral, and physical risk and protective factors related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related ...
Physics-Guided Deep Neural Networks for Power Flow Analysis

Solving power flow (PF) equations is the basis of power flow analysis, which is important in determining the best operation of existing systems, performing security analysis, etc. However, PF equations can be out-of-date or even unavailable due to system dynamics, and uncertainties, making traditional numerical approaches infeasible. To address these concerns, researchers have proposed data-driven approaches to solve the PF problem by learning the mapping rules from historical system operation data. Nevertheless, prior data-driven approaches suffer from poor performance, and generalizability, due to overly simplified assumptions of the PF problem or ignorance of physical laws governing power systems. In this paper, we propose a physics-guided neural network to solve the PF problem, with an auxiliary task to rebuild the PF model. By encoding different granularity of Kirchhoff's laws, and system topology into the rebuilt PF model, our neural-network based PF solver is regularized by the auxiliary task, and constrained by the physical laws. The simulation results show that our physics-guided neural network methods achieve better performance, and generalizability compared to existing unconstrained data-driven approaches. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the weight matrices of the proposed neural networks embody power system physics by showing their similarities with the bus admittance matrices.
How biomechanics, path planning and sensing enable gliding flight in a natural environment

Gliding animals traverse cluttered aerial environments when performing ecologically relevant behaviours. However, it is unknown how gliders execute collision-free flight over varying distances to reach their intended target. We quantified complete glide trajectories amid obstacles in a naturally behaving population of gliding lizards inhabiting a rainforest reserve. In this cluttered habitat, the lizards used glide paths with fewer obstacles than alternatives of similar distance. Their takeoff direction oriented them away from obstacles in their path and they subsequently made mid-air turns with accelerations of up to 0.5 g to reorient towards the target tree. These manoeuvres agreed well with a vision-based steering model which maximized their bearing angle with the obstacle while minimizing it with the target tree. Nonetheless, negotiating obstacles reduced mid-glide shallowing rates, implying greater loss of altitude. Finally, the lizards initiated a pitch-up landing manoeuvre consistent with a visual trigger model, suggesting that the landing decision was based on the optical size and speed of the target. They subsequently followed a controlled-collision approach towards the target, ending with variable impact speeds. Overall, the visually guided path planning strategy that enabled collision-free gliding required continuous changes in the gliding kinematics such that the lizards never attained theoretically ideal steady-state glide dynamics.
Combinatorial Properties of Self-Overlapping Curves and Interior Boundaries

We study the interplay between the recently-defined concept of minimum homotopy area and the classical topic of self-overlapping curves. The latter are plane curves that are the image of the boundary of an immersed disk. Our first contribution is to prove new sufficient combinatorial conditions for a curve to be self-overlapping. We show that a curve γ with Whitney index 1 and without any self-overlapping subcurves is self-overlapping. As a corollary, we obtain sufficient conditions for self-overlapping ness solely in terms of the Whitney index of the curve and its subcurves. These results follow from our second contribution, which shows that any plane curve γ, modulo a basepoint condition, is transformed into an interior boundary by wrapping around γ with Jordan curves. In fact, we show that n+1 wraps suffice, where γ has n vertices. Our third contribution is to prove the equivalence of various definitions of self-overlapping curves and interior boundaries, often implicit in the literature. We also introduce and characterize zero-obstinance curves, a further generalization of interior boundaries defined by optimality in minimum homotopy area.
Institutional Dual-Holders and Managers’ Earnings Disclosure

We investigate how institutional (non-commercial bank) investors that simultaneously invest in a firm’s debt and equity (dual-holders) influence the firm’s voluntary disclosure. Because institutional dual-holders trade on private information gleaned through lending relationships, we predict and find that borrowers increase earnings forecast disclosure to reduce these investors’ information advantage following the origination of loans with their participation. We also show that the increase in disclosure is stronger when the access to a borrower’s private information endows dual-holders with a greater information advantage and when the consequences of this access are likely to be more pronounced for the firm. We further find that institutional dual-holders earn excess returns when trading equity of non-guider firms following loan origination, but not when firms issue guidance, confirming that earnings disclosure helps level the playing field among investors. Our findings highlight that firms actively use disclosure to mitigate the adverse effect of dual-holders on their information environment.
Diagnosing GRB Prompt Emission Site with Spectral Cut-Off Energy

The site and mechanism of gamma-ray burst (GRB) prompt emission is still unknown. Although internal shocks have been widely discussed as the emission site of GRBs, evidence supporting other emission sites have been also suggested recently, including the closer-in photosphere where the fireball becomes transparent and further-out radii near the fireball deceleration radius where magnetic dissipation may be important. With the successful operation of the GLAST experiment, prompt high energy emission spectra from many GRBs would be detected in the near future. We suggest that the cut-off energy of the prompt emission spectrum from a GRB depends on both the fireball bulk Lorentz factor and the unknown emission radius from the central engine. If the bulk Lorentz factor could be independently measured (e.g. from early afterglow observations), the observed spectral cutoff energy can be used to diagnose the emission site of gamma-rays. This would provide valuable information to understand the physical origin of the GRB promp emission.
Considerations for a Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine Targeting an Elderly Population

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is most commonly associated with acute lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children. However, RSV also causes a high disease burden in the elderly that is often under recognized. Adults >65 years of age account for an estimated 80,000 RSV-associated hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths in the United States annually. RSV infection in aged individuals can result in more severe disease symptoms including pneumonia and bronchiolitis. Given the large disease burden caused by RSV in the aged, this population remains an important target for vaccine development. Aging results in lowered immune responsiveness characterized by impairments in both innate and adaptive immunity. This immune senescence poses a challenge when developing a vaccine targeting elderly individuals. An RSV vaccine tailored towards an elderly population will need to maximize the immune response elicited in order to overcome age-related defects in the immune system. In this article, we review the hurdles that must be overcome to successfully develop an RSV vaccine for use in the elderly, and discuss the vaccine candidates currently being tested in this highly susceptible population.
Interprofessional Simulation Education and Nursing Students: Assessing and Understanding Empathy

Abstract This exploratory study sought to understand the experiences of baccalaureate nursing students participating in an interprofessional simulation focused on empathy development and how it could inform their future practice. This study used a nonrandom, purposive sample of 31 undergraduate nursing students from one United States university who attended one of three Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety seminar training days that were offered during three separate semesters. Postseminar surveys were completed, and conventional content analysis used to analyze data. Three primary themes, and corresponding subthemes emerged: (a) establish trust (build connection; understand patient feelings; and identify patient care goals); (b) facilitate collaborative plan of care (interprofessional communication; pain/medication management; and patient & family involvement; and (c) navigate challenging situations (disagreement between patient and family; grief with impending death; and discussions of end-of-life preferences). Implications relating to interprofessional and nursing education are discussed and posited.
A chemical screen for suppressors of dioxygenase inhibition in a yeast model of familial paraganglioma

A fascinating class of familial paraganglioma (PGL) neuroendocrine tumors is driven by loss of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzyme succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) resulting in succinate accumulation as an oncometabolite, and other metabolic derangements. Here we exploit a S. cerevisiae yeast model of SDH loss where accumulating succinate, and possibly reactive oxygen species, poison a dioxygenase enzyme required for sulfur scavenging. Using this model we performed a chemical suppression screen for compounds that relieve dioxygenase inhibition. After testing 1280 pharmaceutically-active compounds we identified meclofenoxate HCL, and its hydrolysis product, dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE), as suppressors of dioxygenase intoxication in SDH-loss cells. We show that DMAE acts to alter metabolism so as to normalize the succinate:2-ketoglutarate ratio, improving dioxygenase function. This work raises the possibility that oncometabolite effects might be therapeutically suppressed by drugs that rewire metabolism to reduce the flux of carbon into pathological metabolic pathways.
Using Taxes to Reform Health Insurance: Pitfalls and Promises

Few people realize that one of the nation's largest health programs runs through the tax system. Reformers of all stripes propose to modify current tax rules as part of larger programs to increase coverage and control costs. Is the current system working? Will tax-based reforms achieve their goals? Several of the nation's foremost experts on taxation and health policy address these questions in Using Taxes to Reform Health Insurance, a joint product of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center and the American Tax Policy Institute. Led by respected economists Henry Aaron of the Brookings Institution and Leonard Burman of the Urban Institute, contributors examine the role taxes currently play, the likely effects of recently introduced health savings accounts, the challenges of administering major subsidies for health insurance through the tax system, and options for using the tax system to expand health insurance coverage. No taxpayer or consumer of health care services can afford to ignore these issues.
A Distributed CPU-GPU Sparse Direct Solver

This paper presents the first hybrid MPI+OpenMP+CUDA implementation of a distributed memory right-looking unsymmetric sparse direct solver (i.e., sparse LU factorization) that uses static pivoting. While BLAS calls can account for more than 40% of the overall factorization time, the difficulty is that small problem sizes dominate the workload, making efficient GPU utilization challenging. This fact motivates our approach, which is to find ways to aggregate collections of small BLAS operations into larger ones; to schedule operations to achieve load balance and hide long-latency operations, such as PCIe transfer; and to exploit simultaneously all of a node’s available CPU cores and GPUs.
Notes on the Genus Probythinella Thiele, 1928 (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) in the Coastal Waters of the Northern Gulf of Mexico and the Taxonomic Status of Vioscalba louisianae Morrison, 1965

The gastropod genus Probythinella Thiele, 1928, is considered a senior synonym of Vioscalba Morrison, 1965. Probythinella louisianae (Morrison, 1965) n. comb. tentatively is recognized as a valid species distinct from the closely related P. lacustris (Baker, 1928) and P. protera Pilsbry, 1953. The eastern range of P. louisianae is extended to Mobile Bay, Alabama. Limited observations on the habitat and reproduction of P. louisianae are reported.
Relationship to Public Works And Government Finance

Physical properties depreciate regardless of whether they are privately or publicly owned or whether operated for a profit or solely for nonpecuniary purposes. It cannot be escaped, but generally p...
Evaluation of Signaling between Legionella pneumophila Multiple Prokaryotes

The association of legionellae with microorganisms in the aquatic environment has been documented earlier. This relationship includes its cohabitation with protozoa, algae, and prokaryotes within biofilms. Potential candidates are the intercellular signals produced by bacterial species commonly isolated from biofilm communities. Acyl-homoserine lactones (AHSL) and furanosyl borate diesters (AI-2) are two prokaryotic signaling compounds that have been isolated from biofilms. The objective of this chapter is to evaluate the capacity of Legionella pneumophila to respond to interspecific signals. From evaluation of protein expression after exposure to various bacterial supernatants, multiple proteins were identified as products of L. pneumophila's response to heterospecific signals. Spots of interest were manually excised from two-dimensional electrophoresis gels, washed, and subjected to in situ digestion with trypsin, and the resultant peptides were desalted and concentrated with C18ZipTips (Millipore). AI-2 has been detected in numerous prokaryotes, both gram-positive and gram-negative, and is commonly referred to as a universal communication signal among microorganisms.
Lump-Sum Distributions at Job Change

This paper focuses on the decisions that workers at job change make on receipt of a lump-sum payment from an employment-based retirement plan: whether to roll the account balance over to another tax-qualified savings vehicle, spend the assets, or invest/save the assets in another manner. The number and amounts of lump-sum distributions are estimated, followed by a discussion of what individuals are doing with these distributions and an analysis of important determinants of the decision to roll over the distribution versus using the assets for other reasons. These results are derived from recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau -- The Pension and Retirement Plan Coverage Topical Module 7 of the 2004 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) -- which includes lump-sum data for individuals through 2006. This research updates prior studies on lump-sum distributions done by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.About 16.2 million working-age Americans reported ever having received a lump-sum distribution from a retirement plan when changing jobs, through April of 2006. The average amount of these distributions was $32,219 (in 2006 dollars) and the median (mid-point) amount was $10,000. For the most part, the amounts of the lump-sum distributions were relatively small -- just over 21 percent of the distributions were less than $2,500. Just over 16 percent were $50,000 or more. The rest of the distributions (about 63 percent) were between $2,500 and $50,000. The data show that an increasing percentage of retirement plan participants are rolling over all of their lump-sum distributions on job change, and fewer are spending any of their distributions on consumption. However, the data also show that approximately 60 percent of those who took a lump-sum payment did not roll all of it into tax-qualified savings, although not all of those distributions were spent exclusively on consumption but instead were used for home purchases, starting a business, or paying down debt. This behavior varied significantly across participants' ages and the amount of the distribution, with older individuals (up to age 65) and those with higher balances more likely to roll over their assets.
Diagnostic accuracy of diffusion-weighted MRI for identifying hepatocellular carcinoma with liver explant correlation.

Background: The goal of this study was to use liver explant correlation to assess the diagnostic accuracy of diffusion-weighted (DW)-MRI for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and methods: Thirty-seven patients were retrospectively identified who had undergone liver transplantation and had preoperative, respiratory-triggered, single-shot echo-planar DW-MRI. Two independent blinded observers evaluated the DW-MRI images for HCC and comparison was made with the explanted specimens. Results: By pathology, 29 HCCs (mean largest diameter 2.0 cm; range 0.7–4.0 cm) were identified in 20 patients. Sensitivity and specificity for reader 1 were 55 and 92%, and for reader 2 were 45 and 100%. There was ‘substantial’ inter-observer agreement (kappa = 0.64). Conclusion: DW-MR is not sensitive enough for HCC to be used as a stand-alone sequence, although its high specificity suggests that it is likely valuable as a component of a liver MRI protocol.
Wideband millimeter wave interferrometer for high-resolution 3D SAR imaging

Portable millimeter wave imaging systems are desired in many nondestructive testing and imaging applications. Interferometry-based instruments have shown to produce three-dimensional holographic images when proper phase referencing is implemented. This paper introduces the design of an interferometry-based wideband, and low-cost reflectometer capable of producing holographic three-dimensional millimeter wave images. Analysis of sources of image errors, and three-dimensional synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image examples are presented at Ka-band (26.5–40 GHz), V-band (50–75 GHz) and W-band (75–110 GHz).
Failure of atropine to inhibit gastrin-17 stimulation of the lower esophageal sphincter in man

Abstract Heptadecapeptide gastrin I (G-17) contracts the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) in man and animals. Previous studies in man found that atropine infusion (12 μg kg −1 hr −1 ) inhibited the effect of gastrin on the LES, suggesting that this effect of gastrin is mediated by a cholinergic mechanism. Studies in the opossum have not shown similar inhibition. To reevaluate the interaction of atropine and G-17 on the LES, 6 normal males were studied. Submaximal and maximal effective doses of G-17 were used with both atropine infusion (12 μg kg −1 hr −1 ) and rapid intravenous injection (1 mg). There was a small decrease in basal LES pressure with atropine infusion. However, neither atropine infusion nor rapid intravenous injection inhibited LES stimulation by submaximal and maximal doses of G-17. The results do not support the hypothesis that LES responses to gastrin are mediated by an atropine-sensitive cholinergic mechanism.
Effects of riparian vegetation on topographic change during a large flood event, Rio Puerco, New Mexico, USA

[1] The spatial distribution of riparian vegetation can strongly influence the geomorphic evolution of dryland rivers during large floods. We present the results of an airborne lidar differencing study that quantifies the topographic change that occurred along a 12 km reach of the Lower Rio Puerco, New Mexico, during an extreme event in 2006. Extensive erosion of the channel banks took place immediately upstream of the study area, where tamarisk and sandbar willow had been removed. Within the densely vegetated study reach, we measure a net volumetric change of 578,050 ± ∼ 490,000 m3, with 88.3% of the total aggradation occurring along the floodplain and channel and 76.7% of the erosion focusing on the vertical valley walls. The sediment derived from the devegetated reach deposited within the first 3.6 km of the study area, with depth decaying exponentially with distance downstream. Elsewhere, floodplain sediments were primarily sourced from the erosion of valley walls. Superimposed on this pattern are the effects of vegetation and valley morphology on sediment transport. Sediment thickness is seen to be uniform among sandbar willows and highly variable within tamarisk groves. These reach-scale patterns of sedimentation observed in the lidar differencing likely reflect complex interactions of vegetation, flow, and sediment at the scale of patches to individual plants.
FIR filter design for sigma-delta A/D converters using quadratic programming

The design of overall finite impulse response (FIR) filter for sigma-delta analog-to-digital converters is formulated as a quadratic program with the total output noise as the objective function, subject to the passband and stopband constraints. The formulation is so flexible that it can suit different requirements for suppressing the quantization noise as well as rejecting the out-of-band spurious signal. Both one-stage single rate and multistage multirate filter structures are considered. For the purpose of suppressing the quantization noise, the multistage multirate FIR filter with comb filters as prefilters has much lower complexity with little performance degradation relative to the one-stage optimal filter. >
A discharge planning questionnaire for clinical practice.

Abstract Each year more than one third of persons age 65 or over are hospitalized (National Center for Health Statistics, 1991). With lengths of hospital stays averaging 6.3 days, health care professionals have less time in which to identify older persons' needs for follow-up care and less time in which to arrange for care (National Center for Health Statistics, 1991). In fact, practitioners report that discharge planning rarely occurs smoothly; often assessments are incomplete, and the information needed for successful discharge planning is not recorded (Proctor & Morrow-Howell, 1990;Waters, 1980). Determining patients' and family members' perspectives of their situation and their needs is an important component of a comprehensive nursing assessment—one that is vital for effective discharge planning. Existing discharge screens focus on information such as patient's age, diagnosis, and living arrangements with little or no attention to patient or family expectations (Berkman & Abrams, 1986;Wallace & Steinhauer, 1988). The CAAST (continence, age , a mbulation, s ocial background, and t hought [processes]) is one of the few objective clinical measures developed to assess patient's posthospital needs. The CAAST scale is based on the patient's status of continence, age, ambulation, social background, and thought processes. Scores for each category range from 0 , indicating no problem in an area, to 2 , reflecting persistent problems. Composite scores range from 0 to 10 , with higher scores implying more complex needs after hospitalization (Glass & Weiner, 1976). However, Inui and colleagues (1981) reported that the CAAST identified only 63% of patients who require special arrangements for discharge placement. Although broad diagnostic and demographic screening criteria are widely used in practice situations, investigators indicate that these criteria have not been effective in identifying persons who need follow-up care (Berkman & Abrams, 1986). Previous screens for discharge planning were developed for use exclusively by professionals and tended to communicate factual information such as age, diagnosis, living arrangements, and previous hospitalizations (Matz & Berke, 1986). More recent screens emphasize patient functioning, availability of support, and some aspects of their physical environment (Berkman & Abrams, 1986;Wallace & Steinhauer, 1988). Less attention has been given to systematic ways of eliciting patients' and family members' perspectives and expectations about posthospital care and identifying discrepancies between facts, beliefs, and expectations. Because a measure for patient's expectations and perspectives on their needs for posthospital care could not be found, the Discharge Planning Questionnaire (DPQ) was developed to aid clinicians in identifying patients' and family members' perspectives on their needs for follow-up care.
Thin‐Film Reactions

A new method for studying the formation of nickel-aluminate spinel during the reaction between nickel oxide and alumina has been developed in which a thin-film substrate of alumina is exposed to nickel oxide at elevated temperatures. Single crystal or twinned particles of spinel then grow in either near- or exact-topotactic alignment along the edges of the thin-film substrate. The spinel also grows on and into the surface of the substrate, but the deviation from exact topotaxy then tends to be larger. The expected topotactic relationship between the spinel and the alumina substrate is such that the (0001) plane of the alumina is parallel or near parallel to the {111} planes of the spinel with 〈1100〉 parallel to 〈110〉. However, a second common orientation relationship is also found where a {1120} plane of the alumina is parallel or nearly parallel to a {111} plane of the spinel; 〈1100〉 is again parallel to 〈110〉. First-order twin boundaries in the spinel particles which have grown on the edge of the thin alumina substrate are found to be common just as they are in bulk-reacted samples. A change in the orientation of the spinel with respect to the alumina substrate as a result of reannealing has been directly observed. The morphology of the various types of spinel particles is discussed briefly.
On the contrasting role of ductile-phase reinforcements in the fracture toughness and fatigue-crack propagation behavior of TiNb/γ-TiAl intermetallic matrix composites

Abstract A comparative study has been made on the role of ductile-phase toughening under monotonic and cyclic loading at room temperature, specifically involving the fracture toughness and fatigue-crack propagation behavior of a γ-TiAl intermetallic alloy reinforced with 10 vol.% of ∼ 50 μ -sized ductile TiNb particles. Under monotonic loading, substantial toughening is achieved in the composite primarily from crack bridging by uncracked TiNb particles in the wake of the crack tip; additional contributions are provided by shielding from crack-particle interactions. Compared to a K Ic value of ∼ 8 MPA√m for monolithic γ-TiAl, the composite shows significant resistance-curve behavior with a steady-state fracture toughness exceeding 25–30 MPa√m; in this regime, measured bridging zones approach ∼ 4 mm in length. In contrast, under cyclic loading, such ductile-particle toughening is found to be far less effective, due to the susceptibility of the ductile metallic phase to fatigue failure. No evidence of crack bridging by TiNb particles is observed to within ∼ 150 μ m of the crack tip, and fatigue-crack propagation is observed at a stress intensity as low as 6 MPa√m, far below that required to initiate cracking under monotonic loading.
Direct plasma injection for high-performance liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric quantitation of the anxiolytic agent CP-93 393.

Abstract A direct plasma injection method has been developed for the rapid analysis of drugs in biological fluids. A new generation restricted access media column specifically designed to accommodate direct injection of plasma and other fluids is utilized for on-line HPLC–ESI-MS analysis. For rapid analysis the on-line extraction column is linked to a HPLC–ESI-MS system. Good results are obtained for the quantitation of CP-93 393 and deuterated internal standard over the range of 10–1000 ng/ml. The lower limit of detection for the assay was 58 pg injected on column. Accuracy and precision values are 9.0% or better over the entire range of the assay. In addition, more than 200 injections (100 μl) were performed per column with unattended, automated analysis.