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When a clean glass surface is exposed to humid air, a thin water layer forms on the hydrophilic surface. Using

The invention of portable electronic devices had a huge impact on the growing interest in flat panel displays. Since the first report in 2004 on amorphous Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (a-IGZO) thin film transistors (TFTs), many companies have become interested in this material. The main advantage of a-IGZO over conventional amorphous silicon TFTs is its steep subthreshold, low off state current, and high channel mobility. However, the demand for larger displays with higher resolution and refresh rates is driving the demand for TFTs with higher performance, while avoiding the cost and complexity associated with low temperature polycrystalline silicon. There is an increased focus on alternative amorphous oxide semiconductors for use as TFT channel materials, due to the success of a-IGZO. The focus of this study is an investigation on Indium-Tin-Gallium-Oxide (ITGO) TFTs. Unpassivated bottom-gate devices were fabricated with a 30nm a-ITGO film, sputter deposited with 1% and 10% oxygen gas ambient, followed by a 2 hour anneal at 300oC in oxygen. Devices fabricated with PO2 = 1% resulted in a highly conductive channel. Devices with PO2 = 10% displayed semiconducting behavior and a shallow subthreshold. This trend held for all device dimensions tested; lengths of 24µm, 12µm, and 6µm with a width of 24µm. Compared to a-IGZO devices with a length of 4µm, ITGO devices with a length of 12µm exhibit an equivalent current drive, implying a 3 to 4 times improvement in mobility. Following aging in room ambient for multiple days, a-ITGO devices displayed improved yet left-shifted transfer characteristics. In unpassivated a-IGZO devices, similar behavior can also be observed and is attributed to an inhomogeneous trap distribution across the channel. As the exposed channel reacts with room air, oxygen vacancies are filled resulting in a more homogeneous trap distribution. A radial variation of device performance from the center of the wafer to the edge was also observed. When measuring devices towards the edge of the wafer a considerable left shift in transfer characteristics was observed. This variation in device performance is believed to be attributed to non-uniformities in the as deposited ITGO film and will be related to material optical parameters. Figure 1

There is wide variation in the understanding of the interaction and/or independence of channel mobility and charge trapping in IGZO TFTs. A new interpretation of transport behavior proposes an intrinsic channel mobility with distinctive temperature dependence. Bottom-gate TFTs were fabricated with a 50 nm IGZO film sandwiched between a 50 nm gate oxide and a 50 nm passivation oxide layer. The working metal was molybdenum for the gate electrode and source/drain contacts. A passivation anneal was done and a capping layer was added to promote electrical stability; full process details are provided in a previous report. Devices were tested using a Lakeshore cryogenic probe station, with transfer characteristic measurements taken from room temperature to below 100 K. Electrical measurements made on long-channel devices (L = 12 µm) has revealed temperature-dependent behavior that is not explained by existing TCAD models employed for defect states and carrier mobility. An IGZO TFT device model has been recently developed using Silvaco Atlas, which accounts for the role of donor-like oxygen vacancy defects, acceptor-like BTS, acceptor-like interface traps, and a temperature-dependent intrinsic channel mobility. The model demonstrates a remarkable match to transfer characteristics measured at T = 150 K to room temperature. The temperature-dependent mobility follows a power-law relationship resembling behavior consistent with ionized defect scattering; the source of which is proposed. Details of the material and device model, and associated defect distribution parameters will be presented. Figure 1

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., Background: Dupuytren’s disease is a very common, highly heritable palmar fibromatosis. In a recent genome-wide association study, 26 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were found to be associated with development of Dupuytren’s disease. The authors generated a weighted genetic risk score based on the genotype at these single-nucleotide polymorphisms. In two independent cohorts, they tested the association among high weighted genetic risk score, clinical features that predict a high risk of recurrence, and recurrence after surgery. Methods: Clinical data were obtained from patient questionnaires and clinical records, with missing data accounted for by imputation. Genotyping was performed as part of the recent genome-wide association study. Logistic regression was performed to study the association among weighted genetic risk score, high-risk clinical features, and recurrence, with a weighted genetic risk score analyzed as a continuous variable, and also grouped into four categories. Results: Using univariable logistic regression, a high weighted genetic risk score was associated with the presence of all high-risk clinical features: early age of onset, bilateral disease, ectopic disease, and a positive family history (p ≤ 0.004). After multivariable logistic regression accounting for these factors, an increased weighted genetic risk score was still associated with the need for repeated Dupuytren’s disease surgery (p = 0.004). Conclusions: The authors’ results suggest that a weighted genetic risk score is useful in predicting the risk of disease recurrence, and may be used by surgeons to personalize prognostication. In the future, a weighted genetic risk score may be useful for determining the most appropriate initial surgical procedure in patients with Dupuytren’s disease. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Risk, III.

This paper provides keys for females and males of the Nearctic Dasymutilla in the USA and Canada. It also provides notes on changes that have taken place since Mickel's (1928, 1936a) keys and Krombein's (1979) catalog of species. One new species, Dasymutilla fasciventroides Manley, Williams and Pitts, new species is described. Fourteen new synonymies are proposed: Dasymutilla arenivaga var. unicolor Mickel, new synonym under D. arenivaga Mickel; Dasymutilla dawsoni Mickel, new synonym under Dasymutilla nigripes (Fabricius); Dasymutilla formicalia Rohwer, new synonym under Dasymutilla erythrina (Say); Dasymutilla hispidaria Mickel new synonym under Dasymutilla calorata Mickel; Dasymutilla perilla perilla Mickel, new synonym and D. perilla gentilicia Mickel, new synonym under D. gorgon (Blake); Dasymutilla phaon fimbrialis Mickel new synonym under D. phaon (Fox); Mutilla Clio (sic) Blake, new synonym under Dasymutilla californica (Radoszkowski); Mutilla clytemnestra Fox, new synonym under Dasymutilla coccineohirta (Blake); Mutilla pacifica Cresson new synonym under Dasymutilla aureola (Cresson); Mutilla (Sphaerophthalma) (sic) Bexar (sic) Blake new synonym and Dasymutilla cassandra Mickel new synonym under Dasymutilla asopus (Cresson); Mutilla (Sphaeropthalma) Comanche (sic) Blake, new synonym under Dasymutilla occidentalis (Linnaeus); and Mutilla (Timulla) nigricauda Viereck, new synonym under Dasymutilla montivagoides (Viereck). Finally, the males of Dasymutilla dammersi Mickel and Dasymutilla flammifera Mickel, and the female of Dasymutilla imperialis Manley and Pitts are associated and described.

The purpose of this application, under Articles 23.9.3, 78.1 and 81.2.1 of the Code, is to maintain usage of the names clytemnestra Fox, 1899 (currently Dasymutilla clytemnestra) and dasya Peringuey, 1899 (currently Mutilla dasya) through suppression of the senior objective synonym Mutilla clytemnestra Peringuey, 1899 for the purposes of both the Principle of Priority and the Principle of Homonymy.

This study examines the validity of the ten species and eight subspecies composing the Dasymutilla bioculata species group. Four lines of evidence are examined: morphological data derived from both sexes; behavioural data derived from the study of mating pairs; geographic distribution; and molecular data derived from the internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 of the nuclear ribosomal RNA cistron (ITS1 and ITS2). Morphological studies reveal that none of the taxa in question can be consistently diagnosed by any synapomorphies or unique combinations of characters. Mating studies reveal that males of single nominal taxa are attracted to females of multiple nominal taxa, and that females of single nominal taxa attract multiple males. None of the nominal taxa are geographically isolated from the others. Genetic distances between these taxa are significantly lower than those seen in interspecific comparisons of other Dasymutilla species. Based on this evidence, we infer that the taxa in question share a recent common ancestor, and cannot be adequately differentiated using any of the available data sources. Therefore, employing the phylogenetic species concept, Dasymutilla bimaculata Manley & Pitts, Dasymutilla chiron chiron (Blake), Dasymutilla chiron ursula (Cresson), Dasymutilla creusa creusa (Cresson), Dasymutilla creusa bellona (Cresson), Dasymutilla lepeletierii (Fox), Dasymutilla medea (Cresson), Dasymutilla melanippe melanippe Mickel, Dasymutilla melanippe conformis Mickel, Dasymutilla praegrandis praegrandis Mickel, Dasymutilla praegrandis russata Mickel, Dasymutilla pyrrhus (Fox) and Dasymutilla sulcatulla Mickel must be considered junior synonyms of Dasymutilla bioculata (Cresson). We also discuss the identification of this species, as well as subspecific relationships and species-group implications.

Commercial temporary bonding technologies utilize relatively thick polymeric materials whose use is limited to below 400oC, typically below 250oC. While adequate for many BEOL processes, the temperature limitation and outgassing from the bonding media are incompatible with higher temperature processes such as CVD growth, Au eutectic bonding and other processes for MEMS, photonics, or packaging applications. This talk describes a temporary van der Waals wafer bonding method using a thin continuous layer of PECVD deposited diamond like carbon (DLC) layer suitable for smooth glass, silicon and sapphire substrates. Rapid self-propagating bonding is achieved through plasma activation of the bonding surface. Raman and optical characterization of the DLC layer are consistent with a hydrogenated amorphous carbon structure. A 4 nm thick N2-O2 treated DLC layer is shown to bond thin glass to a display glass carrier with a bond energy 2 and minimal blistering at temperatures up to 600C. Bond energy of thin glass bonded with DLC was shown to be less than 400 mJ/m2 throughout a simulated LTPS TFT thermal cycle. The DLC bonding layer remains adherent throughout the vacuum, thermal and wet processing steps of typical semiconductor and MEMS fabrication; yet the bond energy between the pair remains low-enough after the thermal processing steps that renders the pair fully detachable.

Thin glass substrates offer low dielectric constant and high temperature process capability for faster and thinner packages but handling is challenging due to lack of mechanical stiffness. Temporary bonding of thin wafers to stiffer carrier substrates offers a solution and has been an active area of research and development in recent years. Polymeric and tape wafer bonding solutions are available but usually for low temperature processes. In Corning, we have developed an array of surface treatment/coating technologies that offer high temperature capability (as high as 700°C). The common theme of all these technologies entails surface treatment or coating of a carrier substrate to achieve strong non-covalent bonding with the thin wafer. The desired attributes are: (a) high enough bond energy at room temperature to withstand vacuum, thermal, and wet processing steps, (b) low enough bond energy after the thermal processing steps rendering the pair mechanically separable, (c) spontaneous bonding via self-propagating bond wave, and (d) minimal outgassing or bubble formation between carrier and thin wafer due to degradation of bonding material. The technologies range from vacuum based sub-monolayer surface functionalization to vacuum based organometallic coating to high throughput solution processed ultra-thin molecular coatings. In this talk we will first describe the theoretical underpinnings of various surface and chemical forces that control the bond energy between the carrier and the thin wafer, models to predict the bond energy as function of surface chemistry and surface energy parameters, influence of surface chemistry on various process attributes such as bond wave propagation and outgassing during thermal treatment. We will also briefly review various processes developed and their relative strengths and applicability.

This study uses morphological and natural history data, along with molecular data derived from the internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 (ITS1 and ITS2), to investigate the status of species that are morphologically similar to Dasymutilla quadriguttata. Genetic distances, UPGMA cluster analyses, and maximum parsimony analyses were performed. In addition to those species that are morphologically similar to Dasymutilla quadriguttata, for our analysis we chose other species from the D. quadriguttata species-group that differ sufficiently in morphology as outgroups, as well as species from the D. bioculata and D. nigripes species-groups. These species include D. californica, D. chattahoochei, D. lepeletierii, D. nigripes, and D. wileyae. Conclusions from the analyses are that D. alesia, D. allardi, D. atrifimbriata, D. biguttata, D. castor, D. cypris, D. electra, D. hersilia, D. hora, D. interrupta, D. mediatoria, D. miamensis, D. mutata, D. nigridia, D. nitidula, D. permista, and D. rubricosa are ind...

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to bring attention to the issues of validity and subgroup differences of selection devices currently being used in the public sector.Design/methodology/approachAn attempt is made to identify unfair hiring practices, particularly important within the public sector, as this area of employment is characterized by a unique set of circumstances. Among them, economic constraints, the social burden to ensure fair treatment among applicants and incumbents, and an increasingly higher expectation of quality service among customers in the public sector. This paper also explores the effectiveness of two strategies for reducing subgroup differences while maintaining or increasing criterion‐related validity.FindingsThe findings of this study are important and answer some central questions. First, g and job knowledge were the best individual predictors of overall performance criteria; second, the g, alternative, and full models all significantly predicted the performance criteria, with the alternative model predicting more variance than the g model; third, the alternative model had more incremental validity over the g model than the g model had over the alternative model; the alternative model also produced less subgroup differences for Black–White comparisons than the g model. The Native American‐White differences were larger for the alternative model compared to the g model, but these differences are considered small effects and were non‐significant in the statistical sense. The Hispanic‐White differences were also somewhat larger for the alternative model when compared to the g model; however, this result is probably unreliable due to a very small Hispanic sample size and is a small effect. Thus, the alternative model will predict performance well for similar public sector samples while producing generally smaller subgroup differences.Originality/valueThere is little extant published research examining the validity and ethnic group score differences of alternate predictors used in the US public sector and the current effort seeks to provide empirical evidence to fill this void.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and test a measure designed to assess constructs that predict ethical decision making (EDM) among employees.Design/methodology/approachThe approach was to target individual difference variables that are theoretically linked to EDM. This was done by generating biodata items/scales of the constructs of interest.FindingsTwo biodata scales were developed to measure locus of control and conscientiousness. Both of these scales had significant criterion‐related validities with EDM (rs=0.42 and 0.40, respectively) and predicted significant and unique variance of EDM beyond the variance predicted by trait‐based measures of the same constructs. Biodata scales exhibited little or no subgroup differences (less potential adverse impact). Research limitations/implications – Participants were working various jobs and a variety of settings, so results generalize to this eclectic population more so than one particular industry. Further research should attempt to examine effects in a specific applied setting.Practical implicationsThis study outlines a method of item and scale development that produces homogonous scales that predict EDM and that can be tailored for specific organizational use.Originality/valueThe paper provides a theoretical rationale for why biodata methodology is superior to trait‐based measures and practical value for the use of biodata in measuring individual difference constructs.

The collection of a male of Ephuta pauxilla Bradley and a female of E. tentativa Schuster taken in copula has provided evidence that these forms are conspecific. Ephuta tentativa is a junior synonym of E. pauxilla. Furthermore, subsequent collections and comparison of type specimens and numerous other specimens have shown Ephuta pauxilla texanella Schuster to be a junior synonym of Ephuta pauxilla as well. A complete synonymy for E. pauxilla is provided.

Aim An audit of the use of intravenous ketamine for the provision of conscious sedation in paediatric dentistry was carried out over a three-year period. Audit design In the audit, 3,751 children were treated and an evaluation was carried out for safety and effectiveness of the drug and procedure, the quality of sedation and clinical procedures provided. In addition, the occurrence of any adverse effects and parental satisfaction were noted along with recovery. All children were ASA I and II, with an average age of 7.5 years. Children were referred because of management problems and were assessed to be at the high anxious level of four and five on the Venham scale. A weight related 0.25 mg/kg was initially administered with additional increments of 0.25 mg/kg given if required. The average total dose provided was 0.41 mg/kg. Results The majority of children (76%) accepted all treatment with no problems, with 19% experiencing a small amount of resistance. Although a range of dental treatment was provided, it was mostly exodontias of carious primary dentition. A 27% response was provided assessing satisfaction which was very favourable. No adverse reactions occurred although the most common postoperative experience was nausea. Conclusion This audit demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of using intravenous ketamine for paediatric conscious sedation and implications for training and appropriate service delivery were discussed.

Velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge were collected and studied over a 4-year period (1996 to 1999). The study resulted in the collection of at least 52 species in 6 genera. It also resulted in the discovery and description of the previously unknown male of Dasymutilla calorata Mickel, plus the discovery and description of 2 new species.

To realize a truly collaborative product design and development process, effective communication among design collaborators is a must. In other words, the design intent that is imposed in a product design should be seized and interpreted properly; heterogeneous modeling terms should be semantically processed both by design collaborators and intelligent systems. Ontologies in the Semantic Web can explicitly represent semantics and promote integrated and consistent access to data and services. Thus, if an ontology is used in a heterogeneous and distributed design collaboration, it will explicitly and persistently represent engineering relations that are imposed in an assembly design. Design intent can be captured by reasoning, and, in turn, as reasoned facts, it can be propagated and shared with design collaborators. This paper presents a new paradigm of ontology-based assembly design. In the framework, an assembly design (AsD) ontology serves as a formal, explicit specification of assembly design so that it makes assembly knowledge both machine-interpretable and to be shared. An Assembly Relation Model (ARM) is enhanced using ontologies that represent engineering, spatial, assembly, and joining relations of assembly in a way that promotes collaborative assembly information-sharing environments. In the developed AsD ontology, implicit AsD constraints are explicitly represented using OWL (Web Ontology Language) and SWRL (Semantic Web Rule Language). This paper shows that the ability of the AsD ontology to be reasoned can capture both assembly and joining intents by a demonstration with a realistic mechanical assembly. Finally, this paper presents a new assembly design information-sharing framework and an assembly design browser for a collaborative product development.

Disaster preparedness has always been an area of major concern for the medical community, but recent world events have prompted an increased interest. The health care system must respond to disasters of all types, whether the incidents occur in urban or rural settings. Although the barriers and challenges are different in the rural setting, common areas of preparedness must be explored. This study examines the experiences of rural hospital emergency departments with threat preparedness. Data were gathered through a nationwide survey to describe emergency department experience with specific incidents, as well as the frequency of occurrence of these events. Expanding surge capacity of hospitals and developing a community-wide response to natural or human-made incidents is crucial in mitigating long-term effects on the health care system. Analysis of preparedness activities will help identify common themes to better prioritize preparedness activities and maximize a hospital's response capabilities.

This paper presents an Assembly Design (AsD) ontology that explicitly represents AsD constraints and infers any remaining implicit ones. By relating concepts through ontology technology rather than just defining data syntax, assembly and joining concepts can be captured in their entirety or extended as necessary. Ontologies allow assembly and joining constraints to be represented in a standard manner regardless of geometry file formats. Such representation will significantly improve service-oriented design collaboration. The developed AsD ontology is tested using a realistic mechanical assembly and it is shown how the ontology can be used to capture design rationale and analyze the design intents. In conclusion, the significance of ontology for realizing lean and selective assembly design information sharing is discussed.

Dasymutilla nigra and D. imperialis, two new species of Dasymutilla Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), are described from males only from Texas and California, respectively. The males of both species have the integument and the pubescence entirely black, unlike any previously described species of Dasymutilla. They are easily distinguished from one another by the specific characters. Descriptions are given, including figures of the male genitalia.

This study evaluates the feasibility of screening and brief intervention (SBI) for alcohol problems among young adults (18-39 years) in a rural, university ED. Research staff screened a convenience sample of patients waiting for medical treatment with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), used motivational interviewing techniques to counsel screen-positive patients (AUDIT >/= 6) during the ED visit, and referred patients to off-site alcohol treatment as appropriate. Patients were interviewed again at 3 months. Eighty-seven percent of age-eligible drinkers (2,067 of 2,371) consented to participate. Forty-three percent (894 of 2,067) screened positive, of which 94% were counseled. Forty percent of those counseled set a goal to decrease or stop drinking and 4% were referred for further treatment. Median times for obtaining consent, screening, and intervention were 4, 4, and 14 minutes, respectively. Project staff reported that 3% of patients screened or counseled were uncooperative. Seventy percent of 519 patients who participated in follow-up interviews agreed the ED is a good place to help patients with alcohol problems. High rates of informed consent and acceptance of counseling confirmed this protocol's acceptability to patients and indicated patients were comfortable divulging alcohol-related risk behavior. The modest times required for the process enhanced acceptability to patients as well as ED staff. The high prevalence of alcohol problems and the broad acceptance of SBI in this sample provide evidence of the ED's promise as a venue for this clinical preventive service.

The study aims were to explore the process of identifying young adult Emergency Department (ED) patients at risk for alcohol problems, examine the sociodemographic predictors of patient alcohol problems, and determine differences between patients who screened positive and those who screened negative for alcohol problems. Implications for ED practice are discussed.As part of a larger study, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test was administered to consenting patients ages 18 to 29. A score of greater than 5 (out of 40) was considered a positive screen for alcohol problems. Sociodemographic information was collected from a generic Individual Information Form.Approximately 48% (1855 of 3890) of patients screened positive for alcohol problems. Among screen-positive patients, 91% (1689) had scores that corresponded to mild to moderate alcohol problems. Compared with screen-negative patients, screen-positive patients were almost 3 times more likely to be men (odds ratio [OR] = 2.70); 2.5 times more likely to use tobacco (OR = 2.43); 2 times more likely to be single (OR = 2.03); and 1.5 times more likely to have some college education (OR = 1.41), be an 18- to 20-year-old adult (OR = 1.61), be a college student (OR = 1.60), be unemployed (OR = 1.39), and cohabitate with friends (OR = 1.19). Screen-positive patients also were more likely to have made at least one past attempt to change their drinking behavior (OR = 3.21).Routine patient information presented an accurate risk profile for alcohol problems among patients in this study. If ED-based health care professionals routinely screened patients for alcohol problems or could predict potential alcohol problems by using routinely collected information, then intervention or referral for additional services may increase.

The verification regime of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) has now been in operation for more than five years. Its two principal components are the declarations to be made by States Parties and the on-site inspections carried out by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inspectors to verify these declarations. Its implementation has proved to be a resounding success - more than 1200 on-site inspections have been carried out in ver 50 of the Convention ’s 145 States Parties and many practical lessons have been learned. To ensure the continued success of the verification regime, some problems -particularly in relation to industry declarations, the updating of the approved list of inspection equipment, on-site sampling and analysis, and off-site analysis- need to be resolved.

Indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) has been considered a potential replacement for hydrogenated amorphous silicon in TFT applications due to process compatibility and an order of magnitude improvement in electron channel mobility. However the mechanisms responsible for instability under bias-stress remain an active research topic. Silicon dioxide serving as the gate dielectric and back-channel passivation layer in bottom-gate IGZO TFTs results in high quality interfaces. Applied bias-stress conditions demonstrate a voltage shift that can be attributed to ionization and/or alteration of oxygen-related defects at these IGZO/SiO2interfaces. Bottom-gate IGZO TFTs with SiO2 gate dielectric and passivation layers were fabricated and tested under rigorous positive bias-stress (PBS) and negative bias-stress (NBS) conditions. The devices demonstrate good stability under PBS (t > 104 s), with minor distortion in the subthreshold region and a slight characteristic left-shift from an initial pre-stress state. This PBS-shift is attributed to a change in the energy distribution of defect states at the front-channel interface. During NBS the devices exhibited a significant left-shift (ΔV ~ 1-2 V), which is attributed to the transformation of neutral oxygen vacancies to ionized donor states at the back-channel interface. This transformation appears to improve the electrical homogeneity of the back-channel interface, inferred by a suppression of DIBL-like behavior. The NBS-shift was found to be reversible over long recovery times at room temperature. The recovery time was dramatically reduced when samples were subjected to cryogenic temperature (77 K), which represents an accelerated return to the pre-stress condition. TCAD simulation provides additional support to the interpretation of bias-induced stress on IGZO TFTs.

Study Objective: We performed an assessment of hospital preparedness for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) incidents in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region III. Methods: Interviews of hospital personnel were completed in 30 hospitals. Data collected included level of preparedness, mass decontamination capabilities, training of hospital staff, and facility security capabilities. Results: No respondents believed their sites were fully prepared to handle a biologic incident, 73% (22/30) believed they were not prepared to manage a chemical weapons incident, and 73% believed they were unprepared to handle a nuclear event. If a WMD incident were to occur, 73% of respondents stated a single-room decontamination process would be set up. Four (13%) hospitals (all rural) reported no decontamination plans. WMD preparedness had been incorporated into hospital disaster plans by 27% (8/30) of facilities. Eighty-seven percent (26/30) believed their emergency department could manage 10 to 50 casualties at once. Only 1 facility had stockpiled any medications for WMD treatment. All facilities had established networks of communication. No hospital had preprepared media statements specific to WMD. Nearly one fourth (7/30) stated that their hospital staff had some training in WMD event management. All reported need for WMD-specific training but identified obstacles to achieving this. Seventy-seven percent (23/30) of hospitals had a facility security plan in place, and half were able to perform a hospital-wide lock down. Ninety-six percent (29/30) reported no awareness regarding the threat of a secondary device. Conclusion: Hospitals in this sample do not appear to be prepared to handle WMD events, especially in areas such as mass decontamination, mass medical response, awareness among health care professionals, health communications, and facility security. Further research is warranted, including a detailed assessment of WMD preparedness using a statistically valid sample representative of hospital emergency personnel at the national level. [Treat KN, Williams JM, Furbee PM, Manley WG, Russell FK, Stamper CD Jr. Hospital preparedness for weapons of mass destruction incidents: an initial assessment. Ann Emerg Med. November 2001;38:562-565.]

Students' perceptions of their own and other students' ethics were compared. Eighty-seven business majors (43 in accounting and 44 in marketing) returned responses to a questionnaire asking for their perceptions of the likelihood that they and others would engage in unethical behavior, given varying probabilities of their being caught and penalized. Respondents perceived themselves as less likely to engage in unethical behavior than the average person across all scenarios. Results indicated significantly higher levels of self-enhancement bias (SEB) for marketing majors; this difference was moderated by risk. As risk increased, group differences of SEB diminished. These results suggest that SEB may serve as an indicator of engagement in unethical behavior.

Screening a small cell lung cancer cDNA library with serum from a patient with antibody-associated paraneoplastic sensory neuronopathy (Anti-Hu syndrome) resulted in the isolation of a cDNA clone encoding the Ro-52 kD antigen. The Ro-52 kD antigen is one of the major antigens recognized by the sera of patients with Sjögren's syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus. Further investigation revealed that the sera of only a small percentage (4%) of patients with the Hu syndrome reacted with Ro-52 kD antigen. The cross-reactivity may result from a domain of high homology between Ro-52 kD and HuD antigen. These results emphasize the necessity of using recombinant antigens whenever possible when assaying for assaying for specific antibodies.

Quantitation of uronic acid precipitable by cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and electrophoretic separation of glycosaminoglycans were performed on sera from patients with chronic renal failure and compared to normal controls. Serum CPC-precipitable uronic acid (CpUA) levels in patients with renal failure were significantly higher (mean 13·7 mg/L, range 7·1–23·6 mg/L) than normal controls (mean 9·6 mg/L, range 5·1–13·9 mg/L) due to increased concentrations of low sulphated chondroitin sulphate. A positive correlation between serum CpUA and creatinine was found in renal failure patients.Urine CpUA excretion was raised in renal failure patients compared to normal controls with an increased excretion of chondroitin sulphate (Ch-S) of reduced electrophoretic mobility. Heparan sulphate (HS), a major glycosaminoglycan in normal urine, was absent from the urine of these patients.The possible origin of urine glycosaminoglycans and the role of the kidney in glycosaminoglycan metabolism are discussed.

Objective This study was designed to provide an evaluation of the combined intranasal/intravenous midazolam sedation technique. It involved adults with severe disabilities which prevented them from being able to co-operate with dental treatment and intravenous cannulation for sedation. Method Following a previous retrospective audit, additional treatment centres were enrolled and a standardised form used to collect prospective data about the effectiveness of the technique in facilitating cannulation, dental examination and treatment. Data was also collected on safety and patient acceptability. Results In a total of 316 sedation episodes in primary and secondary care settings, cannulation was achieved in 96.2% (304). Dental examination and treatment was able to be carried out without major interference from the patient in 78.8% (241) episodes. Adverse sedation events occurred in 6.0% (19), the most frequent being desaturation which was easily managed. There were no incidents with serious sequelae. Favourable acceptability ratings were given by carers regarding advantages of ease of administration and speed of onset of the intranasal dose, plus reduction in the stress associated with cannulation and treatment. Conclusions This study provides further evidence to support the effectiveness, safety and acceptability of this technique. The authors suggest this provides sufficient basis to justify its use by suitably trained dental practitioners in primary care as part of the spectrum of anxiety and behaviour management for this group.

Historically, people have an expectation of being treated fairly, particularly in the workplace. A variety of laws exist in the U.S. to encourage organizations to comply with fair hiring procedures. U.S. organizations are challenged by laws that mandate compliance to fair hiring procedures while maximizing on potential utility of selection tests. Organizations outside of the U.S. could also suffer organizational and societal consequences as a result of hiring procedures perceived as unfair. Some very valid selection tests and procedures, which result in high test utility, may not be considered fair by society or law. This chapter presents possible solutions for human resource managers to insure they are complying with fair selection while maximizing on the usefulness of the selection procedure.