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Introduction: With locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC), uncontrolled local tumor growth frequently leads to mortality. Advancements in radiotherapy (RT) techniques have enabled conformal delivery of escalated‐dose RT (EDR), which may have potential local control and overall survival (OS) benefits based on retrospective and early prospective studies. With evidence for EDR emerging, we characterized the adoption of EDR across the United States and its associated outcomes. Methods: We searched the National Cancer Database for nonsurgically managed LAPC patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2019. Pancreas‐directed RT with biologically effective doses (BED10) ≥39 and ≤70 Gy was labeled conventional‐dose RT (CDR), and BED10 >70 and ≤132 Gy was labeled EDR. We identified associations of EDR and OS using logistic and Cox regressions, respectively. Results: Among the definitive therapy subset (n = 54,115) of the entire study cohort (n = 91,493), the most common treatments were chemotherapy alone (69%), chemotherapy and radiation (29%), and RT alone (2%). For the radiation therapy subset (n = 16,978), use of pancreas‐directed RT remained between 13% and 17% over the study period (ptrend > 0.999). Using multivariable logistic regression, treatment at an academic/research facility (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.46, p < 0.001) and treatment between 2016 and 2019 (aOR 2.54, p < 0.001) were associated with greater receipt of EDR, whereas use of chemotherapy (aOR 0.60, p < 0.001) was associated with less receipt. Median OS estimates for EDR and CDR were 14.5 months and 13.0 months (p < 0.0001), respectively. For radiation therapy subset patients with available survival data (n = 13,579), multivariable Cox regression correlated EDR (adjusted hazard ratio 0.85, 95% confidence interval 0.80–0.91; p < 0.001) with longer OS versus CDR. Discussion and Conclusions: Utilization of EDR has increased since 2016, but overall utilization of RT for LAPC has remained at less than one in five patients for almost two decades. These real‐world results additionally provide an estimate of effect size of EDR for future prospective trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacteriophages (phages) are the most numerous entities on Earth, but we have only scratched the surface of describing phage diversity. We isolated seven Bacillus subtilis phages from desert soil in the southwest United States and then sequenced and characterized their genomes. Comparative analyses revealed high nucleotide and amino acid similarity between these seven phages, which constitute a novel subcluster. Interestingly, the tail fiber and lysin genes of these phages seem to come from different origins and carry out slightly different functions. These genes were likely acquired by this subcluster of phages via horizontal gene transfer. In conjunction with host range assays, our data suggest that these phages are adapting to hosts with different cell walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rare diseases present a challenge to guideline implementation due to a low prevalence in the general population and the unfamiliarity of healthcare professionals. Existing literature in more common diseases references barriers and facilitators to guideline implementation. This systematic review aims to identify these barriers and facilitators in rare diseases from existing literature. Methods: A multi-stage strategy included searching MEDLINE PubMed, EMBASE Ovid, Web of Science and Cochrane library from the earliest date available to April 2021, Orphanet journal hand-search, a pearl-growing strategy from a primary source and reference/citation search was performed. The Integrated Checklist of Determinants of Practice which comprises of twelve checklists and taxonomies, informed by 57 potential determinants was selected as a screening tool to identify determinants that warrant further in-depth investigation to inform design of future implementation strategies. Results: Forty-four studies were included, most of which were conducted in the United States (54.5%). There were 168 barriers across 36 determinants (37 studies) and 52 facilitators across 22 determinants (22 studies). Fifteen diseases were included across eight WHO ICD-11 disease categories. Together individual health professional factors and guideline factors formed the majority of the reported determinants (59.5% of barriers and 53.8% of facilitators). Overall, the three most reported individual barriers were the awareness/familiarity with the recommendation, domain knowledge and feasibility. The three most reported individual facilitators were awareness/familiarity with the recommendation, agreement with the recommendation and ability to readily access the guidelines. Resource barriers to implementation included technology costs, ancillary staff costs and more cost-effective alternatives. There was a paucity of studies reporting influential people, patient advocacy groups or opinion leaders, or organisational factors influencing implementation. Conclusions: Key barriers and facilitators to the implementation of clinical practice guidelines in the setting of rare diseases were at the individual health professional and guideline level. Influential people and organisational factors were relatively under-reported and warrant exploration, as does increasing the ability to access the guidelines as a potential intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional account of most U.S. environmental regulation goes something like this: cooperative federalism schemes accommodate state and federal interests while tapping into the respective strengths of centralized and decentralized regulation. In cooperative federalism arrangements, the federal government sets minimum environmental standards and invites the states to participate in achieving them, even by setting their own more stringent standards. In recent years, however, states and the federal government have displayed a distinct lack of cooperation on environmental matters. With increasing frequency, they turn to the courts to resolve environmental policy disagreements. Under the Obama Administration, Texas emerged as a leading litigant in opposition to federal environmental policies. Under the Trump Administration, California has assumed a similar role. Though these recent suits have attracted much attention, state-versus-federal lawsuits are not a new phenomenon. As this Article demonstrates, states and the federal government have clashed in the courts almost since the beginning of the modern era of environmental law. State-initiated environmental lawsuits against the federal government can be sorted into three categories: (1) challenges to the federal government's handling of public resources, (2) disputes over state prerogatives under cooperative federalism statutes and preemption provisions, and (3) litigation over national policy. Suits in the third category, which have exploded in recent years, have raised the greatest concerns about state standing and the appropriateness of such suits. Standing doctrine, however, generally does not bar such suits, and these suits may not be as problematic as might first appear. Even if states did not sue, private parties would likely challenge the same federal actions. Rather than causing political polarization, state suits are more likely a symptom of an already polarized society. Ultimately, state suits against the federal government might be viewed not as a problem, but as an important mechanism for articulating states' concerns, promoting accountability, and maintaining checks and balances against excessive federal power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the National Opinion Research Center's General Social Survey, we compared the organizational membership networks and core discussion networks of managers and nonmanagers. For the two groups, the networks differed on a variety of characteristics, including ties to outside organizations and to co-workers, network size, and closeness of ties. We also found preliminary evidence that network differences were associated with income differences for nonmanagers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hotly debated question of organizational theory—especially evolutionary theories of organization—asks how inert are organizational structures. Answering the question requires analysis of not only organizational change but also of the consequences of change for organizational survival. This study examines one such organizational change—technical innovation—and its effects on the failure rates of American automobile producers from 1885 to 1981. Technical innovations are shown to generate primarily beneficial effects for the firms spawning them and primarily detrimental effects for competitor firms. However, analysis of certain organizational contexts— large organizations in particular—suggests that the risks of innovation may on occasion outweigh benefits. The findings imply that some theories of strategic management need rethinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do-It-Yourself biology, 3D printing, and the sharing economy are equipping ordinary people with new powers to shape their biological, physical, and social environments. This phenomenon of distributed innovation is yielding new goods and services, greater economic productivity, and new opportunities for fulfillment. Distributed innovation also brings new environmental, health, and security risks that demand oversight, yet conventional government regulation may be poorly suited to address these risks. Dispersed and dynamic, distributed innovation requires the development of more flexible tools for oversight and government collaboration with private partners in governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various sources of community leverage which can be used to pressure industries to engage in benefit sharing arrangements in America, and it mentions tort actions filed by local governments, conflicts between state and local governments, and issues involving constitutional and common law legal claims. Zoning authority and corporate social responsibility are addressed, along with the political and legal aspects of hydraulic fracturing, mining, and hazardous waste sites.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) continues to be one of the top public health burden. Perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is generally accepted to detect CAD, while data on its cost effectiveness are scarce. Therefore, the goal of the study was to compare the costs of a CMR-guided strategy vs two invasive strategies in a large CMR registry. Methods: In 3'647 patients with suspected CAD of the EuroCMR-registry (59 centers/18 countries) costs were calculated for diagnostic examinations (CMR, X-ray coronary angiography (CXA) with/without FFR), revascularizations, and complications during a 1-year follow-up. Patients with ischemia-positive CMR underwent an invasive CXA and revascularization at the discretion of the treating physician (=CMR + CXA-strategy). In the hypothetical invasive arm, costs were calculated for an initial CXA and a FFR in vessels with ≥50 % stenoses (=CXA + FFR-strategy) and the same proportion of revascularizations and complications were applied as in the CMR + CXA-strategy. In the CXA-only strategy, costs included those for CXA and for revascularizations of all ≥50 % stenoses. To calculate the proportion of patients with ≥50 % stenoses, the stenosis-FFR relationship from the literature was used. Costs of the three strategies were determined based on a third payer perspective in 4 healthcare systems. Results: Revascularizations were performed in 6.2 %, 4.5 %, and 12.9 % of all patients, patients with atypical chest pain (n =1'786), and typical angina (n = 582), respectively; whereas complications (=all-cause death and non-fatal infarction) occurred in 1.3 %, 1.1 %, and 1.5 %, respectively. The CMR + CXA-strategy reduced costs by 14 %, 34 %, 27 %, and 24 % in the German, UK, Swiss, and US context, respectively, when compared to the CXA + FFR-strategy; and by 59 %, 52 %, 61 % and 71 %, respectively, versus the CXA-only strategy. In patients with typical angina, cost savings by CMR + CXA vs CXA + FFR were minimal in the German (2.3 %), intermediate in the US and Swiss (11.6 % and 12.8 %, respectively), and remained substantial in the UK (18.9 %) systems. Sensitivity analyses proved the robustness of results. Conclusions: A CMR + CXA-strategy for patients with suspected CAD provides substantial cost reduction compared to a hypothetical CXA + FFR-strategy in patients with low to intermediate disease prevalence. However, in the subgroup of patients with typical angina, cost savings were only minimal to moderate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing climate change will require the successful development and implementation of new energy technologies. Such technologies can, however, pose novel and uncertain hazards. Furthermore, the process of energy innovation is technically difficult and occurs in the face of powerful forces hostile to new technologies that disrupt existing energy systems. In short, energy innovation is difficult and hazardous but essential. This Article presents case studies of three existing energy technologies to obtain insights in anticipating technological change, managing uncertain hazards, and designing appropriate laws and policies. The Article then applies these insights to a varied sample of emerging energy technologies. Ultimately, laws and policies should distinguish between new energy technologies according to (1) their state of readiness, (2) their potential to complement or disrupt existing energy infrastructures, and (3) the possible hazards associated with their full-scale deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic fracturing presents challenges for oversight because its various effects occur at different scales and implicate distinct policy concerns. The uneven distribution of fracturing's benefits and burdens, moreover, means that national and subnational views regarding fracturing's desirability are likely to diverge. This Article examines the tensions between national and subnational oversight of hydraulic fracturing in the United States, where the technique has been most commonly deployed, and Spain, which is contemplating its use for the first time. Drawing insights from the federalism hterature, this Article offers recommendations for accommodating the varied interests at stake in hydraulic fracturing policy within the contrasting governmental systems of these two countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses limitations of environmental law in the U.S. and highlights the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) deficiency in responding to climate change, toxic chemicals and other problems. It reflects that to address environmental challenges the interests of the general public must be harnessed and presents two mechanisms in this context including establishment of regulatory contrarians within the EPA and government sanction of environmental certification systems.

One recent and conspicuous change in the U.S. media landscape has been the shift toward more markedly partisan news content. At the same time, data suggest that the media audience has become more polarized across a wide array of controversial and politicized issues. Recruiting from a group of highly polarized opponents of childhood vaccinations, this study employed a 3 (content bias) × 2 (partisan vs. neutral participants) × 2 (information source) experimental design to examine audience perceptions of information bias. The data supported an expected hostile media perception in the case of “fair and balanced” information, but different patterns in the other bias conditions suggest that content variables can sometimes disarm defensive processing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article examines the restorative interventions for stroke rehabilitation. The ROBOTICS (Robots in Chronic Stroke) study conducted by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is highlighted which investigated the benefits of robotic therapy in stroke rehabilitation. Clinical trials about the effectiveness of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) are outlined.

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is avoided in most patients with implanted cardiac devices because of safety concerns. Objective: To define the safety of a protocol for MRI at the commonly used magnetic strength of 1.5 T in patients with implanted cardiac devices. Design: Prospective nonrandomized trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT01130896) Setting: One center in the United States (94% of examinations) and one in Israel. Patients: 438 patients with devices (54% with pacemakers and 46% with defibrillators) who underwent 555 MRI studies. Intervention: Pacing mode was changed to asynchronous for pacemaker-dependent patients and to demand for others. Tachyarrhythmia functions were disabled. Blood pressure, electrocardiography, oximetry, and symptoms were monitored by a nurse with experience in cardiac life support and device programming who had immediate backup from an electrophysiologist. Measurements: Activation or inhibition of pacing, symptoms, and device variables. Results: In 3 patients (0.7% [95% CI, 0% to 1.5%]), the device reverted to a transient back-up programming mode without longterm effects. Right ventricular (RV) sensing (median change, 0 mV [interquartile range {IQR}, -0.7 to 0 V]) and atrial and right and left ventricular lead impedances (median change, -2 Ω [IQR, -13 to 0 Ω], -4 Ω [IQR, -16 to 0 Ω], and -11 Ω [IQR, -40 to 0 Ω], respectively) were reduced immediately after MRI. At long-term follow-up (61% of patients), decreased RV sensing (median, 0 mV, [IQR, -1.1 to 0.3 mV]), decreased RV lead impedance (median, -3 Ω, [IQR, -29 to 15 Ω]), increased RV capture threshold (median, 0 V, IQR, [0 to 0.2 Ω]), and decreased battery voltage (median, -0.01 V, IQR, -0.04 to 0 V) were noted. The observed changes did not require device revision or reprogramming. Limitations: Not all available cardiac devices have been tested. Long-term in-person or telephone follow-up was unavailable in 43 patients (10%), and some data were missing. Those with missing long-term capture threshold data had higher baseline right atrial and right ventricular capture thresholds and were more likely to have undergone thoracic imaging. Defibrillation threshold testing and random assignment to a control group were not performed. Conclusion: With appropriate precautions, MRI can be done safely in patients with selected cardiac devices. Because changes in device variables and programming may occur, electrophysiologic monitoring during MRI is essential. Primary Funding Source: National Institutes of Health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A methodology for using a calibrated filter radiometer to measure and monitor the spectral radiance of calibration sources is described. An example is presented using the NIST calibration sphere source that is used to support the NASA Earth Observing remote-sensing program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much risk communication research has demonstrated how mass media can influence individual risk perceptions, but lacks a comprehensive conceptual understanding of another key channel of communication: interpersonal discussion. Using the social amplification of risk as a theoretical framework, we consider the potential for discussions to function as amplification stations. We explore this possibility using data from a public opinion survey of residents living in potential locations for a new biological research facility in the United States. Controlling for a variety of key information variables, our results show that two dimensions of discussion-frequency and valence-have impacts on residents' perceptions of the facility's benefits and its risks. We also explore the possibility that an individual's overall attitude moderates the effect of discussion on their perceptions of risks and benefits. Our results demonstrate the potential for discussions to operate as amplifiers or attenuators of perceptions of both risks and benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tests the relative mobilizing effects of predispositional factors and attention to media content during a gubernatorial race that focused heavily on stem cell research as a salient campaign issue. Our analyses are based on a statewide telephone survey (N = 508 in June–July 2006) conducted prior to the midterm and gubernatorial elections in the U.S. State of Wisconsin. Results show that ideological predispositions and attention to both newspaper and online media best explain issue participation. In contrast with prior research, our findings show that religiosity did not influence issue participation on the stem cell controversy in Wisconsin. Implications of these findings and the importance of research on issue participation for the field of public opinion research and the future of political campaigns are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents the author's memoir of his high school years in Elko, Nevada. Social and economic conditions in Elko in the post-World War II years are first discussed, including the author's memories of working at the Ranchinn motel, and the variety of entertainment activities available. Student life at Elko County High School is then discussed, including the hazing of freshmen, academics, extracurricular activities, sports (including football, baseball, and basketball), styles of student dress, and other topics.

The article focuses on the Stored Communications Act (SCA) and its application to military criminal investigations under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). It suggests that the administrative subpoena program of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Inspector General (IG) should be expanded to facilitate the general crimes investigation of the military criminal investigative organizations (MCIOs). The U.S. Congress should enact statutory amendments that will allow military investigators to use the tools provided by the SCA.

This study applied kernel equating (KE) in two scenarios: equating to a very similar population and equating to a very different population, referred to as a distant population, using SAT® data. The KE results were compared to the results obtained from analogous traditional equating methods in both scenarios. The results indicate that KE results are comparable to the results of other methods. Further, the results show that when the two populations taking the two tests are similar on the anchor score distributions, different equating methods yield the same or very similar results, even though they have different assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case of a 3-month-old girl with recalcitrant ulcerations within a perineal and perianal hemangioma in the U.S. It states that the ulcers have been poorly responsive to conventional therapy, including topical wound care, topical antibiotics, oral antibiotics, and several cycles of pulsed dye laser therapy. Her principal issue has been pain related to the ulcerations, and she has had difficulty sleeping as well as episodic fits of crying.

US and British forces used depleted uranium (DU) in armor-piercing rounds to disable enemy tanks during the Gulf and Balkan Wars. Uranium particulate is generated by DU shell impact and particulate entrained in air may be inhaled or ingested by troops and nearby civilian populations. As uranium is slightly radioactive and chemically toxic, a number of critics have asserted that DU exposure has resulted in a variety of adverse health effects for exposed veterans and nearby civilian populations. The study described in this paper used mathematical modeling to estimate health risks from exposure to DU during the 1991 Gulf War for both US troops and nearby Iraqi civilians. The analysis found that the risks of DU-induced leukemia or birth defects are far too small to result in an observable increase in these health effects among exposed veterans or Iraqi civilians. The analysis indicated that only a few (∼5) US veterans in vehicles accidentally targeted by US tanks received significant exposure levels, resulting in about a 1.4% lifetime risk of DU radiation-induced fatal cancer (compared with about a 24% risk of a fatal cancer from all other causes). These veterans may have also experienced temporary kidney damage. Iraqi children playing for 500 h in DU-destroyed vehicles are predicted to incur a cancer risk of about 0.4%. In vitro and animal tests suggest the possibility of chemically induced health effects from DU internalization, such as immune system impairment. Further study is needed to determine the applicability of these findings for Gulf War exposure to DU. Veterans and civilians who did not occupy DU-contaminated vehicles are unlikely to have internalized quantities of DU significantly in excess of normal internalization of natural uranium from the environment.Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology (2008) 18, 95–108; doi:10.1038/sj.jes.7500551; published online 14 February 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In preparation for the Hassler memorial tablet dedication in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Administration Building lobby in December of 2004, I learned that Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler had carried out the first systematic study of weights and measures in the United States. I obtained copy of Comparison of Weights and Measures of Length and Capacity Reported to the Senate of the United States which is Hassler's 1832 report to Congress on this comparison that related all the weights and measures then in use by the states and federal customhouses. Handwritten inscriptions in the book reveal interesting facts about Hassler's work and his communication with other scientists in Europe at that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In determining the future for 175,000 excepted civil servants, the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) human resources management (HRM) system must accommodate more than 20 different bargaining units representing many DHS employees. The DHS HRM design process provided for extensive consultation on numerous system options among management and labor representatives. But this consultation process under the Bush management-oriented administration is occurring in a dramatically different federal labor-management environment than the partnership era of the Clinton administration. The article assesses the political challenges and opportunities involved and advocates four strategic change areas: (a) removing delay from the labor-management weapons arsenal, (b) reengineering the dispute process, (c) depoliticizing the labor relations and impasse regulators, and (d) rediscovering relationships in federal labor-management relations. These changes could reduce adversarialism and sustain the next era of federal labor-management relations in a federal government where excepted service is becoming the norm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A regional study of the Holocene sequence onlapping the west-central Florida Platform was undertaken to merge our understanding of the barrier-island system with that of the depositional history of the adjacent inner continental shelf. Key objectives were to better understand the sedimentary processes, sediment accumulation patterns, and the history of coastal evolution during the post-glacial sea-level rise. In the subsurface, deformed limestone bedrock is attributed to mid-Cenozoic karstic processes. This stratigraphic interval is truncated by an erosional surface, commonly exposed, that regionally forms the base of the Holocene section. The Holocene section is thin and discontinuous and, north or south of the Tampa Bay area, is dominated by low-relief sand-ridge morphologies. Depositional geometries tend to be more sheet-like nearshore, and mounded or ridge-like offshore. Sand ridges exhibit 0.5–4 m of relief, with ridge widths on the order of 1 km and ridge spacing of a few kilometers. The central portion of the study area is dominated nearshore by a contiguous sand sheet associated with the Tampa Bay ebb-tidal delta. Sedimentary facies in this system consist mostly of redistributed siliciclastics, local carbonate production, and residual sediments derived from erosion of older strata. Hardground exposures are common throughout the study area. Regional trends in Holocene sediment thickness patterns are strongly correlated to antecedent topographic control. Both the present barrier-island system and thicker sediment accumulations offshore correlate with steeper slope gradients of the basal Holocene transgressive surface. Proposed models for coastal evolution during the Holocene transgression suggest a spatial and temporal combination of back-stepping barrier-island systems combined with open-marine, low-energy coastal environments. The present distribution of sand resources reflects the reworking of these earlier deposits by the late Holocene inner-shelf hydraulic regime. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Addresses the relative power of four theoretical models that have been tested as explanations for the projection bias. Overview of audience processing of information in mass media; Revisions of the standard logical information processing model; Use of a random telephone interview sample of U.S. residents.

Explores the consistency of Antiquities Act authority with democratic values in the context of U.S. President Bill Clinton's designation or expansion of several national monuments. Background on federal land management; Objections to the designations; Applicability of standard rationales for public involvement to the Antiquities Act.

This study investigated partisan perceptions of hostile bias in news coverage of the 1997 Teamsters Union strike against United Parcel Service (UPS), and the processes by which Teamster and UPS partisans formed impressions of public opinion regarding the strike. As predicted, both partisan groups perceived neutral news coverage as biased against their respective sides. However, perceptions of hostile media bias did not produce corresponding perceptions of hostile public opinion; instead, partisans appeared to rely on their personal opinions when estimating the opinions of others. Nonpartisan control-group subjects, however, did infer public opinion in part from their subjective assessments of news content. Findings suggest that level of involvement is crucial in predicting the effect that perceived media coverage of social issues will have on perceptions of public opinion regarding those issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the impact of parent suicide on the mental health of surviving children in the U.S. Problems encountered by surviving parent in explaining the suicidal nature of the deceased parents death; Destructive consequences of not telling the children the suicidal nature of death; Effects of parental secrecy on children.

Background: Norovirus is a contagious disease. The transmission of norovirus spreads quickly and easily in various ways. Because effective methods to prevent or treat norovirus have not been discovered, it is important to rapidly recognize and report norovirus outbreaks in the early phase. Internet search has been a useful method for people to access information immediately. With the precise record of internet search trends, internet search has been a useful tool to manifest infectious disease outbreaks.Objective: In this study, we tried to discover the correlation between internet search terms and norovirus infection.Methods: The internet search trend data of norovirus were obtained from Google Trends. We used cross-correlation analysis to discover the temporal correlation between norovirus and other terms. We also used multiple linear regression with the stepwise method to recognize the most important predictors of internet search trends and norovirus. In addition, we evaluated the temporal correlation between actual norovirus cases and internet search terms in New York, California, and the United States as a whole.Results: Some Google search terms such as gastroenteritis, watery diarrhea, and stomach bug coincided with norovirus Google Trends. Some Google search terms such as contagious, travel, and party presented earlier than norovirus Google Trends. Some Google search terms such as dehydration, bar, and coronavirus presented several months later than norovirus Google Trends. We found that fever, gastroenteritis, poison, cruise, wedding, and watery diarrhea were important factors correlated with norovirus Google Trends. In actual norovirus cases from New York, California, and the United States as a whole, some Google search terms presented with, earlier, or later than actual norovirus cases.Conclusions: Our study provides novel strategy-based internet search evidence regarding the epidemiology of norovirus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The story of the 'Big Chicken' is about a franchise sign that became a representative symbol for Marietta, Georgia. This typical American suburban community, immersed in a contextual field of the sameness of endless franchise businesses, found it required a unique 'centre' for defining itself. In a comparison to the grotesque, this sign questions the norms of transition, scale and context. It has become a visual locator in a community epitomized by the marginal. This story of the Big Chicken thus provides a discussion of the problems of perceiving suburban communities and how their inhabitants relate to the built environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compares the public communications of modern presidents across target groups and issue areas of civil rights. Attention, support, and symbolism vary across individual presidents and political party; Democratic presidents more attentive and supportive of civil rights than Republican presidents; Attention given to blacks as a target group; Conclusion.

Analyzes the impact of the `Storm of the Century', an extratropical storm, which passed along Florida's west-central coastline on March 12-13, 1993 on the Waccasassa Bay system. Details of the Bay area; Analysis of the storm deposition in the area in the absence of any shoreline erosion along the salt-marsh coast; Details of the sampling and study; Hypothesis regarding the evolution of marshes under microtidal, low-wave-energy climate.

This article attempts to define followership in the workplace. Of particular focus is the federal worker and how he or she compares to workers in other governmental and private sector settings. Eight empirically derived dimensions of folIowership are identified: (1) partnership; (2) motivation; (3) competence; (4) sense of humor; (5) dependability; (6) positive working relations; (7) speaking up; and (8) proper comportment These dimensions are associated with workers who are most productive and are viewed to be the best performers on supervisors' teams. When federal workers, were compared to nonfederal workers, the federal workers were found to score lower in four followership dimensions: partnership; motivation; competence; and proper comportment The lag of federal subordinates in these identified dimensions of folIowership, which are tied to productivity and performance, are explored both in terms of possible causes and implications for federal work settings. It is suggested that the differences are attributable to organizational size and the less personal, more formal characteristics that are inherent in large organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1980's, the concept of comparable worth has become closely identified with women's rights and sex discrimination concerns, and is now recognized by advocates and critics alike as one of the major affirmative action issues of the decade, Simply put, comparable worth refers to the idea of equal pay for dissimilar jobs of equal value to an organization. According to comparable worth proponents, jobs traditionally associated with women have been systematically undervalued in the marketplace. The net result is a disparity in pay for women when compared with that for jobs largely held by men. It is also argued that this compensatory bias against women can be revealed and eliminated by assessing the economic value of disparate occupations through the use of objective standards of evaluation. For example, although secretarial and janitorial jobs are dissimilar in function, it is argued that pay equity can be achieved by assessing such factors as working conditions and the amount of training, responsibility and effort required for each job. Critics of comparable worth take strong exception to these assertions. They argue that the wage differential between men and women is more the result of career choice and market forces than sex discrimination. Moreover, they contend that employers must often pay a higher wage for some occupations than others in order to remain competitive and to attract the best qualified personnel. Finally, critics of comparable worth maintain that job evaluation systems are inherently subjective. Therefore, any comparison of dissimilar jobs is at best arbitrary. These conflicting points of view have formed the crux of the comparable worth debate during the past 10 years. The purpose of this review is to assess some of the outcomes and trends established by this debate as well as what those trends appear to indicate for the coming decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that identified characteristics associated with the increased risk of severe heat injury among runners who participated in the 1979 Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia. Background on the 1979 Peachtree Road Race; Examination of the incidence of heat injury among race participants; Measurement of the pulse rates of the participants.

Evaluates the cases of sporadic legionellosis in the U.S as of September 1979. Methodology; Results; Discussion.

The first-order perturbation theory is used for fast 3D computation of quasi-compressional (q[SUPP])-wave traveltimes in arbitrarily anisotropic media. For efficiency we implement the perturbation approach using a finite-difference (FD) eikonal solver. Traveltimes in the unperturbed reference medium are computed with an FD eikonal solver while perturbed traveltimes are obtained by adding a traveltime correction to the traveltimes of the reference medium. The traveltime correction must be computed along the raypath in the reference medium. Since the raypath is not determined in FD eikonal solvers, we approximate rays by linear segments corresponding to the direction of the phase normal of plane wavefronts in each cell. An isotropic medium as a reference medium works well for weak anisotropy. Using a medium with ellipsoidal anisotropy as a background medium in the perturbation approach allows us to consider stronger anisotropy without losing computational speed. The traveltime computation in media with ellipsoidal anisotropy using an FD eikonal solver is fast and accurate. The relative error is below 0.5% for the models investigated in this study. Numerical examples show that the reference model with ellipsoidal anisotropy allows us to compute the traveltime for models with strong anisotropy with an improved accuracy compared with the isotropic reference medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characteristics and applications of videotape recording in teacher training activities are outlined. Texas Woman's University experience with videotape in preparing sociology teachers is described. The article provides sources of information on how to we videotape equipment, how others have made use of videotape in teaching preparation, and what empirical findings suggest as to the effectiveness of videotape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the ideology of growth in the context of local economic development activities in Flint, Michigan. The literature on urban political economies, which suggests that local communities can be best understood as `growth machines" directed by a "growth ideology," is examined first. Then, Flint's growth ideology amid deindustrialization is explored through a case study of local economic development that pursued a costly and failed strategy based on tourism and tax abatement/infrastructure improvements. Finally, scrutiny is brought to bear on the most recent suggestion that a centralized planning process will lead to an economic renewal in Flint; the conclusion is drawn that local growth ideology constrains the thinking of economic development decision-makers. This ideological constraint inhibits consideration of progressive economic planning aimed at sustainable economic development strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the relationship between third-person perception and support for censorship of pornography. Tendency of people to think that others are more influenced by mass media than they are themselves; Dichotomizing self and others; Backgrounding pornography; Measurement of perception and attitude; Confirmation of perceptual bias.

The second part of a history of the use of storm surveillance radars by operational military and civil weather services in the United States is presented. This part describes the genesis and evolution of two operational Doppler weather radars, the Next-Generation Weather Radar and Terminal Doppler Weather Radar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the important aspects of the marriage laws in the U.S. in 1939. Society is more and more interested in the laws dealing with marriage. The regulation of marriage is in the hands of the state governments. On all sides concern has been expressed over an ever increasing divorce rate. The state, it is said, is a party to every marriage. For one reason or another uniform legislation in regard to marriage laws has not gone very far. Differences in background, in religion, in attitudes on marriage undoubtedly account for the failure of uniform marriage legislation. Common law marriage defies state control. Where it exists desirable laws such as the eugenic marriage laws cannot be effectively enforced. The majority of states now have statutes aimed in one way or another to prevent hasty marriages. At common law males of fourteen and females of twelve were fully competent to contract a binding marriage. Even parental consent was not required. Certainly the common law ages should be abolished. They are not suited to the needs of this day. Persons of such tender years are ill-suited to start the all-important task of raising a family. In this connection care must be taken to prevent the falsification of age in the application for a marriage license.