cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phase mediated dynamics of self-propagating Co/Al nanolaminate reactions

The ignition of sputter deposited nanolaminate foils comprising alternating Co and Al layers results in rapid, self-propagating formation reactions. The propagating waves present after ignition of 150 nm-thick foils are characterized in movie mode dynamic transmission electron microscopy where these are found to have reaction speeds and wave morphology that vary with bilayer thickness. High speed videography reveals different bilayer thickness-wave character relationships in 750 nm-thick and 7500 nm-thick Co/Al foils. The reaction speed dependencies on bilayer thickness are calculated for each total thickness by treating the effect of radiation loss as a perturbation from an analytical model described by the difference in the heat of reaction measured in calorimetry and the adiabatic heat of product formation. From this model, an effective activation energy, diffusion constant, and flame temperatures are obtained, which allows for an interpretation of the reaction phase variations with laminate design and their effects on the propagating wave morphology.
Factors Determining Continuous Infusion Aerosol Delivery During Mechanical Ventilation.

BACKGROUND: Continuous nebulization of prostacyclins and albuterol by infusion pump during mechanical ventilation evolved as a popular off-label treatment for severe hypoxemic respiratory failure and asthma. Most institutions use a vibrating mesh nebulizer. A new breath-enhanced jet nebulizer is a potential alternative. This study was designed to compare these devices to better define factors influencing continuous infusion aerosol delivery. Device function, ventilator settings, and infusion pump flow were studied in vitro. METHODS: Using a bench model of adult mechanical ventilation, radiolabeled saline was infused at 6 flows (1.5−12 mL/h) into test nebulizers; 4 examples of each were used in rotation to test device reproducibility. Four breathing patterns with duty cycles (percentage of inspiratory time) ranging from 0.13 to 0.34 were tested. The vibrating mesh nebulizer was installed on the “dry” side of the heated humidifier (37°C). The breath-enhanced jet nebulizer, installed on the “wet” side, was powered by air at 3.5 L/min and 50 psi. Infusion time was 1 h. Inhaled mass of aerosol was collected on a filter at the airway opening. Inhaled mass was expressed as the percentage of the initial syringe radioactivity delivered per hour. Radioactivity deposited in the circuit was measured with a gamma camera. Data were analyzed with multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Variation in inhaled mass was significantly explained by pump flow and duty cycle (R2 0.92) and not by nebulizer technology. Duty cycle effects were more apparent at higher pump flow. Vibrating mesh nebulizers failed to nebulize completely in 20% of the test runs. Mass balance indicated that vibrating mesh nebulizers deposited 15.3% in the humidifier versus 0.2% for breath-enhanced jet nebulizer. CONCLUSIONS: Aerosol delivery was determined by infusion pump flow and ventilator settings with comparable aerosol delivery between devices. The breath-enhanced jet nebulizer was more reliable than the vibrating mesh nebulizer; 10−12 mL/h was the maximum infusion flow for both nebulizer technologies.
Exploring Residential Rooftop Solar Potential in the United States by Race and Ethnicity

Over the last decade, the United States has experienced continued growth in residential rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) adoption. However, solar adoption disparities have been shown across household income, homeownership status, and more recently racial and ethnic demographics. A key component to ensuring a just clean energy transition is understanding the existing landscape to establish realistic goals. Motivated by studies on solar adoption disparities, this descriptive study aims to evaluate the distribution of estimated single-family rooftop potential across racial and ethnic majority census tracts to discern whether rooftop potential disparities may justify solar adoption disparities. Across all census tracts, the median rooftop potential was 80%. Three-fourths of all census tracts had a rooftop potential greater than 72%, regardless of racial/ethnic majority. Compared to majority-white census tracts, majority-Black, majority-Hispanic, and majority-Asian census tracts had slightly lower rooftop potential, 6%, 7%, and 9%, respectively, while majority-American Indian census tracts had an 11% higher rooftop potential. The slightly lower rooftop potential in communities of color compared to majority-white and non-racial/ethnic majority census tracts, alone, was not of the magnitude to justify documented racial/ethnic disparities in solar adoption. This study concludes, that while a majority of homes in communities of color are solar suitable, an equitable clean energy transition is only possible with policies, programs, and incentives that center on racial equity while recognizing the interplay between race, income, and homeownership status.
Continuity and change of achievement goals in advanced learning context

Abstract In this paper, we used a multi-method approach to investigate continuity and change in achievement goals of students who participated in summer classes designed for academically advanced students. Students in classes where their performances were graded showed larger increase in performance-avoidance goals compared to students in classes without grades. The mean-level change in mastery goal was not significant for the overall sample. Further analysis at the individual level suggested that, in fact, the majority of students (77%) experienced changes in mastery goals, with similar number of students having an increase (37.4%) and a decrease (39.4%) over time. Results established several individual and contextual factors as variables that influenced students' goal configurations. Students with fixed mindset displayed the greatest amount of change in their goal profiles. Students who were high in effort beliefs and those who thought that their ideas were valued in classes experienced stability in goal configurations.
Evaluation of patient setup uncertainty of optical guided frameless system for intracranial stereotactic radiosurgery

The optically-guided frameless system (OFLS) has been used in our clinic for intracranial stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) since 2006, as it is especially effective in IMRT-based radiosurgery (IMRS), which allows treating multiple brain lesions simultaneously using single isocenter approach. This study reports our retrospective analysis of patient setup accuracy using this system. The OFLS consists of a bite block with fiducial markers and an infra-red camera system. To test reproducibility, patients are taken for reseat verification after bite block construction. Upon the completion of radiosurgery planning, the isocenter position(s) and images are sent to the optical guidance computer where fiducials are manually registered from the CT scan. During treatment, patient setup is monitored and guided by the camera readings on the fiducials. In addition, two orthogonal kV images are acquired and used as an isocenter verification tool. In addition, we have analyzed the reseat and fiducial digitization data of 56 patients. Retrospective comparison of kV images with reference images has been carried out for all the patients to evaluate actual patient setup accuracy at the time of treatment. The histogram of the findings shows that 82.2% of patients had 3D isodisplacement (E ≤ 1 mm; 5.2% had 1< E ≤ 2 mm). Hence, for 87.5 % of the patients in the study, treatments were finished under the optical guidance with a maximum setup error of 2 mm and the median setup error of 0 mm. For the remaining 12.5% of patients in the study, the isodisplacements were greater than 2 mm and the treatment records showed that those patients were repositioned, guided by the orthogonal kV-images. It is found that the OFLS in the SRS treatment has acceptable accuracy when used in conjunction with orthogonal kV images, and the use of orthogonal kV images as a verification tool ensures the efficacy of frameless localization in the radiosurgery treatment.
Effects of hematopoietic growth factors on the survival of primitive stem cells in liquid suspension culture

We have examined the effects of 10 different growth factors either alone or in combination on colony-forming unit-spleen (CFU-S) and repopulating stem cell survival in vitro. Either interleukin-3 (IL-3), granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), or IL-4 alone support CFU-S in vitro. The effects of IL-3 or G-CSF could be neutralized by adding antibodies against IL-3 or G-CSF, respectively. However, the effects of IL-4 could be neutralized with antibodies to IL-4 as well as with antibodies to IL-3 and G-CSF. The combinations of IL-3 and IL-6, IL-3 and G-CSF, IL-3 and IL-1 alpha, IL-3 and granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF), and IL-4 and IL-6 acted synergistically to increase CFU-S number. Addition of macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1 alpha) to IL-3 and IL-6 inhibited the increase in CFU-S number. Repopulating stem cell function was measured in a competitive repopulation assay. Either IL-3 or IL-4 alone could preserve stem cell function in vitro. The combinations of IL-3 and IL-6, and IL-3 and G-CSF increased stem cell function approximately twofold. The combinations of IL-3 + G-CSF + IL-6, and IL-4 and IL-6 (both of which increased CFU-S number fivefold to 10-fold) decreased stem cell function approximately fourfold. These results demonstrate that certain combinations of growth factors can increase CFU-S number at the expense of stem cell function.
Enriched Audience Engagement Through Twitter: Should More Academic Radiology Departments Seize the Opportunity?

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate use of the microblogging social network Twitter by academic radiology departments (ARDs) in the United States. Methods Twitter was searched to identify all accounts corresponding with United States ARDs. All original tweets from identified accounts over a recent 3-month period (August to October 2014) were archived. Measures of account activity, as well as tweet and link content, were summarized. Results Fifteen ARDs (8.2%) had Twitter accounts. Ten (5.5%) had “active” accounts, with ≥1 tweet over the 3-month period. Active accounts averaged 711 ± 925 followers (maximum, 2,885) and 61 ± 93 tweets (maximum, 260) during the period. Among 612 tweets from active accounts, content most commonly related to radiology-related education (138), dissemination of departmental research (102), general departmental or hospital promotional material (62), departmental awards or accomplishments (60), upcoming departmental lectures (59), other hospital-related news (55), medical advice or information for patients (38), local community events or news (29), social media and medicine (27), and new departmental or hospital hires or expansion (19). Eighty percent of tweets (490 of 612) included 315 unique external links. Most frequent categories of link sources were picture-, video-, and music-sharing websites (89); the ARD’s website or blog (83); peer-reviewed journal articles (40); the hospital’s or university’s website (34), the lay press (28), and Facebook (14). Conclusions Twitter provides ARDs the opportunity to engage their own staff members, the radiology community, the department's hospital, and patients, through a broad array of content. ARDs frequently used Twitter for promotional and educational purposes. Because only a small fraction of ARDs actively use Twitter, more departments are encouraged to take advantage of this emerging communication tool.
Infrastructure Sector Market Review & 2010 Outlook

This report provides an update on developments in the economic infrastructure sector during 2009 as well as provides nuanced geographic and sector perspective. The focus is primarily on OECD countries, with ancillary attention to emerging markets. We analyzed 634 transactions that achieved financial closure in 2009 and contrasted them with around 895 transactions in 2008. These 1529 transactions, which collectively constitute around 90% of total market activity over the past two years, gave us 146,784 data points , which we examined on a variety of dimensions including, (i) Geographic focus. We investigated OECD (North America, Western Europe, Australia) transactions and contrasted them with emerging markets (Middle East, Asia Pacific-ex Japan, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Indian Subcontinent) deals. We segmented the data both at the aggregate and country level and the findings are presented at the global, developed country, emerging markets and, where significant, the country level. (ii) Sector focus. We excluded social infrastructure transactions and concentrated only on economic infrastructure – on Mining & Metals, Oil & Gas, Power, Renewable Energy, Telecom, Transport, Water & Sewage sectors. (iii) Financial focus. We analyzed different transaction types by size, sector, geography and the type of financing employed to unearth trends in debt and equity usage. When appropriate, we also examined the effect of the economic crisis and various stimulus programs on the asset class and include our perspective by way of commentary.
Synthetic Cannabis and Acute Ischemic Stroke (P6.259)

OBJECTIVE: Describe a possible risk factor for acute ischemic stroke in young people. BACKGROUND: An association between marijuana use and stroke has been previously reported. However, the health risks of newer synthetic cannabinoid compounds are less well known. These compounds are increasing in popularity as recreational drugs, and may be undetectable by routine toxicology screening. DESIGN/METHODS: Case series of two patients admitted to the inpatient stroke service of our tertiary medical center. RESULTS: A 22-year-old woman presented with dysarthria, left hemiplegia, and left hemianesthesia within hours of first use of synthetic cannabis. She was healthy and without identified stroke risk factors other than oral contraceptive use and a patent foramen ovale without venous thromboses. A 26-year-old woman presented with nonfluent aphasia, left facial droop, and left hemianesthesia approximately 12 hours after first use of synthetic cannabis. Her other stroke risk factors included migraine with aura, oral contraceptive use, smoking, and a family history of superficial thrombophlebitis. Both women were found to have acute, large-territory infarctions of the right middle cerebral artery. CONCLUSIONS: These cases introduce a previously unreported association between synthetic cannabis use and ischemic stroke in young adults. Our two cases had risk factors for ischemic stroke but were otherwise young and healthy and the onset of their deficits occurred within hours after first-time exposure to synthetic cannabis. Synthetic cannabis use is an important consideration in the investigation of stroke in young adults. Disclosure: Dr. Bernson-Leung has nothing to disclose. Dr. Leung has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kumar has nothing to disclose.
Catalytic activity of Nτ-Carboxymethylhistidine-12 ribonuclease: pH dependence

Abstract The pH-dependence of RNAase A and of N τ - carboxymethylhistidine-12 RNAase (ribonucleate 3′-pyrimidino-oligonucleotidohydrolase) catalysis was studied. Apparent acid dissociation constants were obtained by least squares analysis of the kinetics data. These dissociation constants were compared with p K a values of model imidazole compounds, and with p K a values of histidine residues 12 and 119 on the protein. The shapes of the k cat versus pH profiles for RNAase A and its carboxymethyl derivative are very similar, from which it is concluded that the mechanism of catalysis is closely similar in the two proteins. Apparent p K a values obtained from the kinetic data are higher for the carboxymethylated protein than for RNAase A, as are the p K a values of residues 12 and 119. The similar shifts are consistent with the conclusions that both these residues are functionally significant in native and modified enzyme, and that an unblocked τ-nitrogen on histidine-12 is not essential for activity. From the enzyme's catalytic dependence on pH, and the NMR determined p K a values we propose that histidine 12 and 119 function catalytically in their basic and acidic forms respectively.
Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) as a knowledgebase for human developmental disorders.

In this review, we summarize the current genetic information on human developmental disorders found in Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM). The OMIM catalogues human phenotypes and genotypes and relevant mouse models. Among the more than 11 005 genetic disorders and loci, we found at least 1231 human conditions with known gene mutations. We searched for human developmental disorders that present with structural defects during the perinatal period, and identified 162 such entries. We classified these entries by phenotypic features (e.g., skeletal dysplasias, axis and laterality defects, or eye disorders) and by the type of gene mutated (e.g., genes coding for transcription factors, structural proteins, enzymes, or receptors). Thirty-eight entries have allelic variants with gene mutations causing different functional consequences, thereby altering their interactions with modifying genes. Thirty-two entries show genetic heterogeneity due to either functional redundancy of more than one gene or genes that interact in common developmental pathways. Although many different types of genes are mutated in developmental disorders, we found that the disease genes are transcription factors in 49 entries. Mouse models are available for many of the human conditions, with the majority of these mutants being secondary to null mutations. These data allow us to begin to elucidate the complex developmental pathways involved in the molecular pathogenesis of human malformations.
Psychosocial Rehabilitation in Cancer Care

Prevalence data on psychosocial morbidity indicate that from 30% to 50% of cancer patients may experience distress significant enough to warrant professional intervention at some time during survivorship.1,2 These patients may require professional attention to manage the debilitating effects of diagnosis, treatment, and morbidity that can wax and wane over time depending upon a host of other variables. It is in this group that some form of psychosocial rehabilitation may be useful.3,4
Time-Space-Activity Conflict Detection Using 4D Visualization in Multi-storied Construction Project

This study investigated whether a 4D model can help project participants of construction sites to detect possible errors in construction process. Identifying problems in work sequence and elements are possible when necessary measures are implemented to rectify the problems in advance using a 4D model. The common problem associated with a construction project is a time-space conflict which may lead to project delays and cost overrun. Construction space management and activity sequencing are important aspects for timely project completion within an estimated budget. This research explored the effective use of 4D visualization that could help overcome timespace problems. In order to fulfill this research goal, a 4D model was developed that incorporated spatial requirements along a chronological schedule of events. The model produced logical evidence that a 4D model could effectively be usedin a construction site to detect time-space conflicts.
Depression and the Soul: A Guide to Spiritually Integrated Treatment, by J. R. Peteet

The editors from Lifescript.com define depression as a serious condition that has a significant impact on our body, mood, and thoughts (Healthy Insight, 2010). Depression has become one of the lead...
Preoperative and surgical factors associated with postoperative intensive care unit admission following operative treatment for degenerative lumbar spine disease.

Evaluate the factors associated with postoperative ICU admission in patients undergoing surgical management of degenerative lumbar spine disease. Patients undergoing surgery for degenerative lumbar spine disease were enrolled into a prospective registry over a 2-year period. Preoperative variables (age, gender, ASA grade, ODI %, CAD, HTN, MI, CHF, DM, BMI, depression, anxiety) and surgical variables (instrumentation, arthrodesis, estimated blood loss, length of surgery) were collected prospectively. Postoperative ICU admission details were retrospectively determined from the electronic medical record. Student’s t test (continuous variables) and Chi-square test (categorical variables) were used to determine the association of each preoperative and surgical variable with ICU admission. 808 Patients (273 laminectomy, 535 laminectomy and fusion) were evaluated. Forty-one (5.1 %) patients were found to have postoperative ICU admissions. Reasons for admission included blood loss (12.2 %), cardiac (29.3 %), respiratory (19.5 %), neurologic (31.7 %), and other (7.3 %). For preoperative variables, female gender (P < 0.001), history of CAD (P = 0.003), history of MI (P = 0.008), history of CHF (P = 0.001), age (P = 0.025), and ASA grade (P = 0.008) were significantly associated with ICU admission. For surgical variables, estimated blood loss (P < 0.001) and length of surgery (P < 0.001) were significantly associated with ICU admission. Age, female gender, ASA grade, cardiac comorbidities, intraoperative blood loss, and length of surgery were associated with increased risk of postoperative ICU admission. Knowledge of these factors can aid surgeons in patient selection and preoperative discussion with patients about potential need for unexpected admission to the ICU.
Postantibiotic Effect and Postantibiotic Sub-MIC Effect of Levofloxacin Compared to Those of Ofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Erythromycin, Azithromycin, and Clarithromycin against 20 Pneumococci

The postantibiotic effect (PAE) (10 times the MIC of quinolones, 5 times the MIC of macrolides) and postantibiotic sub-MIC effect (PAE-SME) at 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 times the MIC were determined for levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, erythromycin, azithromycin, and clarithromycin against 20 pneumococci. Quinolone PAEs ranged between 0.5 and 6.5 h, and macrolide PAEs ranged between 1 and 6 h. Measurable PAE-SMEs (in hours) at the three concentrations were 1 to 5, 1 to 8, and 1 to 8, respectively, for quinolones and 1 to 8, 1 to 8, and 1 to 6, respectively, for macrolides.
Quantum-electrodynamic treatment of photoemission by a single-electron wave packet

A quantum-field-theory description of photoemission by a laser-driven single-electron wave packet is presented. We show that, when the incident light is represented with multimode coherent states then, to all orders of perturbation theory, the relative phases of the electron's constituent momenta have no influence on the amount of scattered light. These results are extended using the Furry picture, where the (unidirectional) arbitrary incident light pulse is treated nonperturbatively with Volkov functions. This analysis increases the scope of our prior results in [Phys. Rev. A 84, 053831 (2011)], which demonstrate that the spatial size of the electron wave packet does not influence photoemission.
Recurrence Spectroscopy of a Time-Dependent System: A Rydberg Atom in an Oscillating Field

We report the results of an experimental and theoretical investigation of the recurrence spectra of Rydberg atoms in a static plus weak oscillating electric field. Experiments reveal the systematic weakening of orbits in a recurrence spectrum as the oscillating field strength and frequency are changed. We describe a generalization of closed orbit theory to time-dependent systems and show that it provides a qualitative and quantitative description of the phenomena.
Intermediate Outcomes in the Prospective, Multicenter Coarctation of the Aorta Stent Trial (COAST)

Background—The Coarctation of the Aorta Stent Trial (COAST) was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of the Cheatham Platinum stent when used in children and adults with native or recurrent coarctation. Acute outcomes have been reported. We report here follow-up to 2 years. Methods and Results—A total of 105 patients underwent attempted implantation, with 104 successes. There were no procedural deaths, serious adverse events, or surgical intervention. All patients experienced immediate reduction in upper- to lower-extremity blood pressure difference with sustained improvement to 2 years. Rates of hypertension and medication use decreased from baseline to 12 months and remained largely unchanged at 2 years. Six aortic aneurysms have been identified: 5 were successfully treated with covered stent placement, and 1 resolved without intervention. Stent fractures were noted in 2 patients at 1 year and 11 patients at 2 years, with evidence of fracture progression. To date, only larger stent diameter was as...
Application of a quantitative risk assessment method to emergency response planning

Abstract Transportation-related hazardous materials releases pose obvious hazards to the general public and response personnel. Statistical risk assessment techniques are valuable in quantifying these hazards and evaluating methods to reduce the risk. In this paper, we describe a quantitative risk assessment approach for hazardous materials transportation that has a strong emphasis on consequence modeling and employs considerable statistical data from past incidents. We illustrate application of this method to evaluating distances to which the public should be protected immediately following an accidental release of toxic materials that pose an inhalation hazard. While this paper focuses on emergency response aspects of the problem, the framework we describe has applications to societal risk estimation and routing optimization for a wide variety of hazardous materials. Scope and purpose This paper describes a quantitative risk assessment method for evaluating consequence distributions associated with hazardous materials transportation. This method employs physical models for hazardous materials releases and considerable statistical data from past incidents. The reader will become familiar with important aspects of quantitative risk assessment for hazardous materials releases and observe how such methods can be applied to a problem of practical interest; namely, evaluating distances to which the public should be protected in the event of a transportation-related hazardous materials release.
Telepresence: a new paradigm for industrial and scientific collaboration

A portion of the mission of the NIST Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory is to improve and advance length metrology in aid of US industry. The successful development of a 'collaboratory' for telepresence microscopy technology. Telepresence microscopy is an advanced concept in the integration of computers and high-speed networks with scientific instruments for operation. Control, communication and research. NIST and TI, under the auspices of the National Automated Manufacturing Testbed and in collaboration with the University of Illinois and Argonne National Laboratory have developed a collaboratory testbed. The goal of this work is to demonstrate the value of TPM within organization having a large distributed manufacturing facility such as TI and between scientific research organizations such as NIST, ANL and UIC. Large distributed manufacturing sites need rapid response when problems threaten to disrupt multi-million dollar production facilities. This is particularly important when expertise needed to solve the problem or instrumentation is not locally present. The resulting delays are inevitable and often costly. Telepresence minimizes these delays. Once a sample has been received by a research facility, collaborators from multiple remotely located sites can rapidly access the collaboratory from their respective locations and collaborate in real-time to solve the problem using only their desktop computers and connections to the Internet. This presentation demonstrates the power afforded by this technology.
Intracellular trafficking of a tagged and functional mammalian olfactory receptor.

Tagged G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have been used to facilitate intracellular visualization of these receptors. We have used a combination of adenoviral vector gene transfer and tagged olfactory receptors to help visualize mammalian olfactory receptor proteins in the normal olfactory epithelium of rats, and in cell culture. Three recombinant adenoviral vectors were generated carrying variously tagged versions of rat olfactory receptor I7. The constructs include an N-terminal Flag epitope tag (Flag:I7), enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fusion protein (EGFP:I7), and a C-terminal EGFP fusion (I7:EGFP). These receptor constructs were assayed in rat olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) and in a heterologous system (HEK 293 cell line) for protein localization and functional expression. Functional expression of the tagged receptor proteins was tested by electroolfactogram (EOG) recordings in the infected rat olfactory epithelium, and by calcium imaging in single cells. Our results demonstrate that the I7:EGFP fusion protein and Flag:I7 are functionally expressed in OSNs while the EGFP:I7 fusion is not, probably due to inappropriate processing of the protein in the cells. These data suggest that a small epitope tag (Flag) at the N-terminus, or EGFP located at the C-terminus of the receptor, does not affect ligand binding or downstream signaling. In addition, both functional fusion proteins (Flag:I7 and I7:EGFP) are properly targeted to the plasma membrane of HEK 293 cells.
The effect of grading policies and student gender on academic performance

Abstract To reconcile divergent research findings concerning gender effects and academic performance, it may be necessary to look past main effects for gender and examine the effect of educational context. Instructor grading policies, defined as the weight given to tests, quizzes, homework, and so on in determining course grades, are introduced as an aspect of educational context. Because of prior socialization and differences in their work needs, male and female students may comply with grading policies in different ways. Therefore, grading policies can result in systematic gender effects on course grades. Course grades (N = 1,797) from all sections of introductory accounting courses at three state universities were analyzed, using final exam scores as a covariate. As hypothesized, student gender and homework percentage interactively affected performance. At the university where no credit was given for homework, males received higher final exam scores and course grades. However, at the university where homework determined 11% of the course grade, females received higher course grades, despite receiving final exam scores equivalent to those of males.
Simple Majority Achievable Hierarchies

We completely characterize the simple majority weighted voting game achievable hierarchies, and, in doing so, show that a problem about representative government, noted by J. Banzhaf [Rutgers Law Review 58, 317–343 (1965)] cannot be resolved using the simple majority quota. We also demonstrate that all hierarchies achievable by any quota can be achieved if the simple majority quota is simply incremented by one.
Examining U.S. Food Retailers' Decisions to Procure Local and Organic Produce From Farmer Direct-to-Retail Supply Chains

U.S. food retailing is a competitive sector that has undergone rapid changes. The U.S. market for organic products has expanded rapidly over the last decade, while local foods have become a more visible marketing strategy. Studies focusing on the marketing of these products by retailers are sparse and generally qualitative. This article is the first quantitative examination of the connection between the local and organic retailing. A sample selection model is used with data from a 2008 national survey of organic retailers to study supplier interactions and company characteristics that influence a retailer’s decision to procure local organic produce directly from farmers, and the rate at which they procure these products. The results show that the number of years a store has sold organic products and the size of the company, as well as aspects prioritized in choosing suppliers and past problems interacting with local suppliers, affect the outcomes.
The Economic Effects of Grade Inflation on Instructor Evaluations: A Theoretical Approach

The impact of student evaluations of teachers has been the subject of considerable attention, and Professor McKenzie attempts to shed light on the issue by developing an economic choice model of human behavior. He considers four ways by which instructors can inflate grades and shows how students might react to these changes in grading structure. McKenzie is critical of Allen Kelley's analysis of the uses and abuses of course evaluations, which appeared in the Fall 1972 issue of this journal. A short response by Professor Kelley follows the McKenzie article.
Singlet oxygen dosimetry modeling for photodynamic therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an important treatment modality for cancer and other localized diseases. In addition to PDT dose, singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) concentration is used as an explicit PDT dosimetry quantity, because 1 O 2 is the major cytotoxic agent in photodynamic therapy, and the reaction between 1 O 2 and tumor tissues/cells determines the treatment efficacy. 1 O 2 concentration can be obtained by the PDT model, which includes diffusion equation for the light transport in tissue and macroscopic kinetic equations for the generation of the singlet oxygen. This model was implemented using finite-element method (FEM) by COMSOL. In the kinetic equations, 5 photo-physiological parameters were determined explicitly to predict the generation of 1 O 2 . The singlet oxygen concentration profile was calculated iteratively by comparing the model with the measurements based on mice experiments, to obtain the apparent reacted 1 O 2 concentration as an explicit PDT dosimetry quantity. Two photosensitizers including Photofrin and BPD Verteporfin, were tested using this model to determine their photo-physiological parameters and the reacted 1 O 2 concentrations.
Assessment of the quality and quantity of drug-drug interaction studies in recent NDA submissions: study design and data analysis issues

This report investigates the quality and quantity of drug-drug interaction studies in recent new drug applications (NDAs). Eighty-nine studies contained in 14 NDAs submitted between December 1995 and November 1996 to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were reviewed. The results indicated that the median number of clinical drug-drug interaction studies per NDA was 6, almost double that of a 1994-1995 survey. In vitro metabolism data were present in 70% of the submissions. More than 50% of the submissions contained interaction studies using a battery of drugs (cimetidine, digoxin, or warfarin) without optimal use of the in vitro metabolism or in vivo mass balance data. Various study designs using a median number of 12 subjects were employed in the evaluation of drug-drug interactions. Some of the important study design factors such as dose size, dosing regimen, dosing duration, and timing of coadministration were considered, although not consistently, by the sponsors in their study design. Seventy-five percent of the studies used normal, healthy male subjects, and 25% used patients for whom the new molecular entities were intended. In 33% of the studies, female subjects were also recruited. Although the majority (80%) of the submissions still used p-values to determine the significance of drug interactions, 30% used a more relevant equivalence approach with 90% confidence intervals for key pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic parameter ratios to assess the extent of drug interactions. Overall, 82% of the studies concluded no interaction. Although population pharmacokinetic analysis can be a useful tool in studying drug-drug interactions, only 21% of the submissions used this approach. In summary, this assessment reveals that the quantity and quality of drug-drug interaction studies in NDAs have improved over the years. These improvements, as well as others that can be implemented, should result in more informative labeling and better patient care. FDA guidance for industry dealing with the design, analysis, and labeling language of in vivo metabolic drug-drug interactions has been developed to assist sponsors and FDA reviewers with these issues.
On the Uses of Industrial Dynamic Models

This paper introduces a philosophy of industrial dynamics based on obtaining results in as quick and economical a fashion as possible. This economy is achieved by stating explicitly the objectives expected and tailoring the model toward the achievement of those objectives. Three specific and widely differing uses of a dynamic model are proposed. These are called analysis, feasibility, and control, and are demonstrated in terms of the dynamic model of earnings for a cement company.
Streptococcal preseptal cellulitis complicated by the toxic Streptococcus syndrome.

Background: After decades of decline in the incidence of severe infections secondary to group A streptococci, a dramatic increase in the frequency and severity of infections with these organisms has been reported since 1984, including a "toxic Streptococcus syndrome," resembling staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome. To the authors' knowledge, this entity has never been described after ocular infection. Methods: In a previously healthy 3-year-old boy, preseptal cellulitis developed secondary to minor trauma to the eyelid, progressing rapidly to hypotension, respiratory distress, and an erythrodermic desquamating rash. Ocular and blood cultures grew group A beta-hemolytic streptococci. Appropriate antibiotic coverage and management of systemic manifestations led to rapid improvement, although necrosis developed in the right upper anterior eyelid, requiring skin grafts. Results: More than 3 years since the incident, the patient is free of infection and has a good cosmetic result after skin grafting and revisions for scarring and adhesions. Conclusions: Streptococcal preseptal cellulitis is not unusual, particularly after trauma. Ophthalmologists must be aware of the re-emergence of more virulent organisms with increased potential for morbidity and mortality.
Production scheduling in a process and assembly job shop

In this paper, the problem of scheduling jobs with processing and assembly requirements in a job shop is addressed. Each job has a product structure of components and subassemblies that mate together to build up the end product. Each component or subassembly may also require additional processing before it can be assembled to its parent part. This paper models the problem using a mathematical programming approach under two production strategies. In one strategy, batches of identical items required by different end productsare aggregated together for production to take advantage of setup time reduction. In another strategy, no such aggregation is undertaken. A heuristic algorithm was developed to address the problem. To test model behaviour, some test prob lems were run for system analysis. Results from the test problems indicate that batch aggregation inhibits job flow when setup times are small and therefore worsens system performance. However, when the setup times are moderate to large relative to batch...
High-throughput Assay to Phenotype Salmonella enterica Typhimurium Association, Invasion, and Replication in Macrophages

Salmonella species are zoonotic pathogens and leading causes of food borne illnesses in humans and livestock1. Understanding the mechanisms underlying Salmonella-host interactions are important to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of Salmonella infection. The Gentamicin protection assay to phenotype Salmonella association, invasion and replication in phagocytic cells was adapted to allow high-throughput screening to define the roles of deletion mutants of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium in host interactions using RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. Under this protocol, the variance in measurements is significantly reduced compared to the standard protocol, because wild-type and multiple mutant strains can be tested in the same culture dish and at the same time. The use of multichannel pipettes increases the throughput and enhances precision. Furthermore, concerns related to using less host cells per well in 96-well culture dish were addressed. Here, the protocol of the modified in vitro Salmonella invasion assay using phagocytic cells was successfully employed to phenotype 38 individual Salmonella deletion mutants for association, invasion and intracellular replication. The in vitro phenotypes are presented, some of which were subsequently confirmed to have in vivo phenotypes in an animal model. Thus, the modified, standardized assay to phenotype Salmonella association, invasion and replication in macrophages with high-throughput capacity could be utilized more broadly to study bacterial-host interactions.
Meeting the Need for Water Resource Professionals: Recruiting More Women and Minorities

I decided to write this article after the sixth or seventh time a student or colleague glanced at the cover of the June 2008 issue of the Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education (Issue 139, entitled: A Creative Critique of U.S. Water Education”) and asked me, “Why does this cover feature only elderly white men?” followed by, “aren’t there any distinguished women (or minorities) in this field?” Let me begin by saying that there is nothing wrong with honoring those whose photographs currently grace the cover of the JCWRE Issue 139. We just need another row or two to make room for engineers and scientists like Linda Abriola, Diane McKnight and Christine Shoemaker; or perhaps for Sylvia Bozeman, a professor at Spelman College and co-founder of the Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE) program, or S. George Philander, professor of oceanic and atmospheric sciences and one of the few AfricanAmerican members of the National Academy of Sciences (Figure 1). We have made progress in becoming a more diverse community – we should let the world know! The need to include some discussion of diversity when we are exploring ways to address the problems facing U.S. Water Resources Education was reinforced as I read through the articles in the journal issue. While documenting the increasing demand for engineers, hydrologists, and water resource professionals, and concerns over the ability of the U.S. educational system to supply those needs, the articles neglected to discuss the great potential to increase that supply through recruitment of women and minorities. For example, in an article examining the reasons why the U.S. is not producing enough engineers at all levels, Rogers (2008) fails to mention that if more women and minorities pursued bachelor’s degrees and careers in engineering and physical sciences, we could greatly increase the number of U.S. engineers and water resources scientists. In addition, none of the articles in this issue mentioned the benefits of the new perspectives, research directions, and innovative approaches that could result from the recruitment of a more diverse cohort of students, and eventually colleagues, in the water resources professions. In this article I wish to make four points:
Dynamics of high-Z plasmas produced by a short-wavelength laser.

The dynamics and energy flow in Au plasmas produced by a 0.35-\ensuremath{\mu}m laser have been studied with layered targets with 6- and 24-beam spherical illumination from the Omega laser, to understand the processes leading to sub-keV x-ray emission. A significant enhancement in x-ray conversion at low intensities is observed for the 24-beam irradiations with higher energy, greater uniformity, and larger targets. Results are interpreted by comparison with hydrodynamics code calculations. The depth of energy penetration and x-ray emission in the plasma appears to be well understood, but some details of the x-ray time signatures and spectra are not.
'Click' synthesis of dextran macrostructures for combinatorial-designed self-assembled nanoparticles encapsulating diverse anticancer therapeutics

With the non-specific toxicity of anticancer drugs to healthy tissues upon systemic administration, formulations capable of enhanced selectivity in delivery to the tumor mass and cells are highly desirable. Based on the diversity of the drug payloads, we have investigated a combinatorial-designed strategy where the nano-sized formulations are tailored based on the physicochemical properties of the drug and the delivery needs. Individually functionalized C(2) to C(12) lipid-, thiol-, and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-modified dextran derivatives were synthesized via 'click' chemistry from O-pentynyl dextran and relevant azides. These functionalized dextrans in combination with anticancer drugs form nanoparticles by self-assembling in aqueous medium having PEG surface functionalization and intermolecular disulfide bonds. Using anticancer drugs with logP values ranging from -0.5 to 3.0, the optimized nanoparticles formulations were evaluated for preliminary cellular delivery and cytotoxic effects in SKOV3 human ovarian adenocarcinoma cells. The results show that with the appropriate selection of lipid-modified dextran, one can effectively tailor the self-assembled nano-formulation for intended therapeutic payload.
Keeping Ourselves Well: Strategies for Promoting and Maintaining Counselor Wellness

This article describes challenges to wellness that counselors face when working with clients. Autobiographical reflections are used to illustrate the personal nature of some of these challenges and how this affects counselor effectiveness and wellness. Additionally, assessment measures and theoretical models for promoting and maintaining wellness are presented.
Landscape design and the role of created, restored, and natural riparian wetlands in controlling nonpoint source pollution

Abstract General design principles, landscape locations, and case studies of natural and constructed riverine wetlands for the control of nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution are presented. General design principles of wetland construction for NPS pollution control emphasize self-design and minimum maintenance systems, with an emphasis on function over form and biological form over rigid designs. These wetlands can be located as instream wetlands or as floodplain riparian wetlands, can be located as several wetlands in upstream reaches or fewer in downstream reaches of a watershed, and can be designed as terraced wetlands in steep terrain. Case studies of a natural riparian wetland in southern Illinois, an instream wetland in a downstream location in a northern Ohio watershed, and several constructed riparian wetlands in northeastern Illinois demonstrate a wide range of sediment and phosphorus retention, with greater efficiencies generally present in the constructed wetlands (63–96% retention of phosphorus) than in natural wetlands (4–10% retention of phosphorus). By itself, this could be misleading since the natural wetlands have much higher loading rates and actually retain an amount of nutrients comparable to constructed wetlands (1–4 g P m −2 year −1 ).
A 2-stage recursive receiver optimized for low flicker noise corner

Multi-frequency signal recursion allows for efficient reuse of transconductance in a radio receiver, which helps to reduce power dissipation. An I-Q receiver based on the recursive principle is demonstrated here. The design employs a self-biased load, with chopping at baseband in order to minimize low-frequency in-band flicker noise. The bias setting of the chopper devices is optimized to enhance the baseband load impedance and conversion gain of the receiver. An implementation in 130 nm CMOS provides 59.6 dB conversion gain for an RF of 960 MHz, and 8.2 dB DSB-NF. The measured flicker noise corner frequency is 100 kHz. The total current requirement is 2.6 mA from a 1.2 V supply.