cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment and evaluation of predisposing factors to anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Abstract Objective: Injury to the knee, specifically the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), constitutes one of the most serious disabling injuries in sports. Women are reportedly at an increased risk. Prevention depends on identifying possible risk factors that may contribute to an athlete's susceptibility to injury. The major objective of this article is to lay the groundwork for standardization of a screening protocol (1) by providing rationale for the use of selected variables that might be good predictors of noncontact ACL injury and (2) by describing appropriate measurement indices to further investigate their predictive power. Standardization of a screening protocol is the first step in developing both a reliable and valid assessment tool with predictive value for injury and outcome strategies to meet the special needs of patients. Data Sources: MEDLINE was searched from 1980 to 1998 using the terms “anterior cruciate ligament injury,” “knee joint stability,” “postural malalignments” “structural abnormalities,” “static structural measures,” “musculoskeletal strength imbalances,” “isokinetic testing,” and “functional performance tests.” Data Synthesis: Many different factors, both extrinsic and intrinsic, have been investigated in the search for predictors of noncontact ACL injuries. Based on a literature review, 3 factors in particular have garnered considerable attention from clinicians and researchers: static postural malalignments with special reference to excessive foot pronation, knee recurvatum, and external tibial torsion; lower extremity musculoskeletal strength; and neuromuscular control considerations. However, much of the information known about the predictive value of these variables is inconclusive and conflicting at best, prompting the need for additional investigation. Conclusions/Recommendations: Screening evaluations are routinely employed as part of clinical work-ups when athletes are healthy and in top form. The data collected have the potential to provide clinicians with important baseline information for maximizing structural and functional outcome strategies when deficiencies in test results are observed in subgroups of athletes matched for age, sex, and training or performance expectations.
Grading the quality of evidence in complex interventions: a guide for evidence-based practitioners

Evidence-based practitioners who want to apply evidence from complex interventions to the care of their patients are often challenged by the difficulty of grading the quality of this evidence. Using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach and an illustrative example, we propose a framework for evaluating the quality of evidence that depends on obtaining feedback from the evidence user (eg, guideline panel) to inform: (1) proper framing of the question, (2) judgements about directness and consistency of evidence and (3) the need for additional contextual and qualitative evidence. Using this framework, different evidence users and based on their needs would consider the same evidence as high, moderate, low or very low.
Microfluidics Enabled Bottom-Up Engineering of 3D Vascularized Tumor for Drug Discovery.

Development of high-fidelity three-dimensional (3D) models to recapitulate the tumor microenvironment is essential for studying tumor biology and discovering anticancer drugs. Here we report a method to engineer the 3D microenvironment of human tumors, by encapsulating cancer cells in the core of microcapsules with a hydrogel shell for miniaturized 3D culture to obtain avascular microtumors first. The microtumors are then used as the building blocks for assembling with endothelial cells and other stromal cells to create macroscale 3D vascularized tumor. Cells in the engineered 3D microenvironment can yield significantly larger tumors in vivo than 2D-cultured cancer cells. Furthermore, the 3D vascularized tumors are 4.7 and 139.5 times more resistant to doxorubicin hydrochloride (a commonly used chemotherapy drug) than avascular microtumors and 2D-cultured cancer cells, respectively. Moreover, this high drug resistance of the 3D vascularized tumors can be overcome by using nanoparticle-mediated drug delive...
Diverse contribution of Col2a1-expressing cells to the craniofacial skeletal cell lineages

Structured AbstractObjectives Craniofacial skeletal development requires deliberate coordination of two distinct mechanisms of endochondral and intramembranous ossification. Col2a1-expressing cells encompass growth-associated skeletal progenitors in endochondral bones of the limb. The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of Col2a1-expressing cells to the craniofacial skeletal cell lineages. We hypothesize that Col2a1-expressing progenitors significantly contribute to various modes of ossification associated with the craniofacial development. Methods Cellular fates of Col2a1-expressing cells were studied based on a cre-loxP system using a Col2a1-cre transgene and an R26R-tdTomato reporter allele. We analysed three distinct locations of the craniofacial skeletal complex representing unique ossification mechanisms: the cranial base, the calvaria and the mandibular condyle. Results Col2a1-cre consistently marked a majority of skeletal cells in the cranial base. Interestingly, Col2a1-cre also marked a large number of osteoblasts and suture mesenchymal cells in the calvaria, in addition to chondrocytes in the underlying transient cartilage. In the mandibular condyle, Col2a1-cre marked chondrocytes and osteoblasts only during the growth phase. Conclusions Col2a1 is expressed by progenitors of the skeletal lineage in canonical endochondral bone formation occurring in the cranial base. In contrast, other ossification mechanisms of the craniofacial complex utilize Col2a1-expressing cells in a different manner, whereby Col2a1 may be expressed in more differentiated or transient cell types of the skeletal lineage.
The Evidence of Things: Categorical and Comparative Analysis of the Link Between Poverty, Theology, and Justice

This chapter continues the categorical and comparative analysis begun in the previous chapter. However, this chapter focuses on the categories of stewardship, work, class, poverty, and wealth. The reality of an absence of confidence in the economic system is what drives the quest for an economic ethic for which the spiritual longing of marginalized masses is foundational. Thus, through the voices of laity and leaders in congregations in Macon County, the case is built for a framework for a liberative economic ethic. Its foundation lies in the historical spiritual, economic, political, and social marginalization of African Americans.
Public relations or “grassroots lobbying”? How lobbying laws are re-defining PR practice

Abstract This research examines the legal implications of having an expansive definition of public relations practice. Specific attention is given to the 2016 New York lobbying regulations that mandated traditional public relations practitioners register as lobbyists. The examination of this law and the lawsuit that followed highlights how the public relations practitioners may inadvertently be subject to restrictive laws because of modern definitions of PR practice.
Scratch Microworlds: Designing Project-Based Introductions to Coding

In this paper, we present our experience developing introductory coding environments called Scratch Microworlds. These interactive environments enable learners to get started with coding by creating projects, rather than solving puzzles. The primary educational goal of these microworlds is to engage learners (ages 8 to 14) who otherwise may not be drawn to coding. The microworlds are simplified versions of the Scratch coding environment that contain a small set of blocks and are designed to encourage exploration and experimentation. They are also interest-based, so learners can choose to work on a topic that is motivating to them (such as dance, music, or soccer). We present three main design principles and related challenges that we addressed through the iterative process of developing Scratch Microworlds: (1) how to simplify initial experiences while still supporting creativity, (2) how to provide scaffolding while maintaining learners' agency, and (3) how to provide starting points that spark rather than limit the imagination. We share observations and feedback from workshops with children and educators, which informed our iterative design process. We conclude by considering next steps for providing more entry points into coding that support children as creative thinkers.
Choline dehydrogenase: Assay, properties and inhibitors

Abstract Although choline has proven useful in the treatment of neurological disorders, its duration of action is limited by its rapid rate of metabolism. In order to evaluate the role of choline dehydrogenase in regulation of choline metabolism, some of the properties of the enzyme were studied using a new radioisotopic assay that is more sensitive and specific than previous methods. Choline dehydrogenase activity was present predominantly in kidney and liver of all species examined. Rats, mice, toads, cats, dogs, monkeys and sheep had highest activities in liver, whereas humans, baboons, rabbits and guinea pigs had more enzyme in kidneys. Enzyme activity was found to increase with age, reaching a maximum concentration at 1 week in livers and 4 weeks in kidneys of mice. Choline dehydrogenase, partially purified from rat liver mitochondria, was optimally active at a pH between 7 and 9, at a temperature of 37°, and in the presence of phenazine methosulfate. The Km for choline was similar for both the soluble (5.7mM) and the particulate (5.3mM) enzyme but the Vmax was slightly higher for the soluble [77 nmoles/min · (mg protein)−1] as compared to the particulate [34 nmoles min · (mg protein)−1] preparation. When choline oxidation was studied in vivo, the concentration of free choline in liver (60 μM) and the rate of oxidation of [3H]-choline administered intravenously [0.29 nmoles/min · (mg protein)−1] were found to be markedly less than the respective Km and Vmax values determined in vitro. Thus, choline dehydrogenase may not be saturated with choline under physiologic conditions, which could explain the rapid rate of metabolism of exogenously administered choline. The product of the reaction, betaine aldehyde, was a potent competitive inhibitor of choline dehydrogenase.(Ki = 0.6 mM), whereas other products of choline metabolism were weaker inhibitors (Ki values >10 mM). Dimethylaminoethanol (deanol; a cholinomimetic agent) and 2-amino-2-methylpropanol inhibited the enzyme in vitro with inhibitory constants of 1.8 and 1.4mM, respectively, and caused an increase in concentration of choline in kidney and liver when administered to mice, which suggests that choline dehydrogenase is an important enzyme in regulation of the concentration of free choline in tissues under physiologic conditions.
Exploitation of Cytoskeletal Networks during Early Viral Infection

Being dependent upon host transport systems to navigate the cytoplasm, viruses have evolved various strategies to manipulate cytoskeletal functions. Generally, viruses use the actin cytoskeleton to control entry and short-range transport at the cell periphery and exploit microtubules (MTs) for longer-range cytosolic transport, in some cases to reach the nucleus. While earlier studies established the fundamental importance of these networks to successful infection, the mechanistic details and true extent to which viruses usurp highly specialized host cytoskeletal regulators and motor adaptors is only beginning to emerge. This review outlines our current understanding of how cytoskeletal regulation contributes specifically to the early stages of viral infection, with a primary focus on retroviruses and herpesviruses as examples of recent advances in this area.
Of Living Rooms and Libraries: Oz’s Journey from Fairy Tale to Myth

This chapter introduces the annual broadcast of MGM’s Wizard of Oz in the context of Cold War America, the rise of television culture, and corporate program sponsorship. We then examine how the ritualized viewing of The Wizard of Oz both shaped the baby-boom generation and embedded Oz in the cultural imaginary. We analyze the conflict between librarians, educators, and fans over L. Frank Baum’s legacy and Oz’s literary heritage. On the one hand, librarians sought to pull books from the shelves; on the other, educators and Oz fans researched, preserved, and defended Baum and his works. As a result of their efforts, we conclude, Baum became an American mythic figure in print and on screen.
GPU-DAEMON: GPU algorithm design, data management & optimization template for array based big omics data

Abstract In the age of ever increasing data, faster and more efficient data processing algorithms are needed. Graphics Processing Units (GPU) are emerging as a cost-effective alternative architecture for high-end computing. The optimal design of GPU algorithms is a challenging task which requires thorough understanding of the high performance computing architecture as well as the algorithmic design. The steep learning curve needed for effective GPU-centric algorithm design and implementation requires considerable expertise, time, and resources. In this paper, we present GPU-DAEMON, a GPU Data Management, Algorithm Design and Optimization technique suitable for processing array based big omics data. Our proposed GPU algorithm design template outlines and provides generic methods to tackle critical bottlenecks which can be followed to implement high performance, scalable GPU algorithms for given big data problem. We study the capability of GPU-DAEMON by reviewing the implementation of GPU-DAEMON based algorithms for three different big data problems. Speed up of as large as 386x (over the sequential version) and 50x (over naive GPU design methods) are observed using the proposed GPU-DAEMON. GPU-DAEMON template is available at https://github.com/pcdslab/GPU-DAEMON and the source codes for GPU-ArraySort, G-MSR and GPU-PCC are available at https://github.com/pcdslab .
One-Year Analysis of the Prospective Multicenter SENTRY Clinical Trial: Safety and Effectiveness of the Novate Sentry Bioconvertible Inferior Vena Cava Filter

Abstract Purpose To prospectively assess the Sentry bioconvertible inferior vena cava (IVC) filter in patients requiring temporary protection against pulmonary embolism (PE). Materials and Methods At 23 sites, 129 patients with documented deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or PE, or at temporary risk of developing DVT or PE, unable to use anticoagulation were enrolled. The primary end point was clinical success, including successful filter deployment, freedom from new symptomatic PE through 60 days before filter bioconversion, and 6-month freedom from filter-related complications. Patients were monitored by means of radiography, computerized tomography (CT), and CT venography to assess filtering configuration through 60 days, filter bioconversion, and incidence of PE and filter-related complications through 12 months. Results Clinical success was achieved in 111 of 114 evaluable patients (97.4%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 92.5%–99.1%). The rate of freedom from new symptomatic PE through 60 days was 100% (n = 129, 95% CI 97.1%–100.0%), and there were no cases of PE through 12 months for either therapeutic or prophylactic indications. Two patients (1.6%) developed symptomatic caval thrombosis during the first month; neither experienced recurrence after successful interventions. There was no filter tilting, migration, embolization, fracture, or caval perforation by the filter, and no filter-related death through 12 months. Filter bioconversion was successful for 95.7% (110/115) at 6 months and for 96.4% (106/110) at 12 months. Conclusions The Sentry IVC filter provided safe and effective protection against PE, with a high rate of intended bioconversion and a low rate of device-related complications, through 12 months of imaging-intense follow-up.
Clustering analysis of crowd noise from collegiate basketball games

The relationship between crowd noise and crowd behavioral dynamics is a relatively unexplored field of research. Signal processing and machine learning (ML) may be useful in classifying and predicting crowd emotional state. As a precursor to performing ML, it is instructive to identify which crowd acoustic events an unsupervised ML algorithm would classify as unique. An initial set of audio features have been extracted from high-fidelity noise recordings of crowds at Brigham Young University men’s and women’s basketball games. A K-Means clustering analysis was conducted on half-second segments of the recordings using extracted features consisting of numerous statistical and spectral characteristics. For example, a clustering analysis performed on a one-twelfth-octave spectrogram of crowd noise recordings reveals there are approximately six unique events that occur during a game. The clusters for different audio feature sets are compared with human labeling of the different acoustical events. Implications for further ML algorithm development based on various sets of audio features are discussed.
Income of the Elderly Population: 2002

This article reviews data on the older population's income and how it has changed over time, as well as how the elderly's reliance on these sources varies across income levels. In 2002, the median income of the elderly was $13,994, down from $14,105 in 1998. Social Security accounted for 42.5 percent of their income, on average; pension and retirement plan income, 20.2 percent; income from assets, 14.0 percent; and earnings, 21.1 percent. The PDF for the above title, published in the November 2003 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the fulltext of another November 2003 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: "Uninsured Rose in 2002 as Number of Americans With Employment Based Health Benefits Declined."
What is a Fair Price for Objector Blackmail? Class Actions, Objectors, and the 2018 Amendments to Rule 23

As part of a symposium addressing what the next 50 years might hold for class actions, mass torts, and MDLs, this Article examines a recent amendment to Rule 23 that offers a new solution to the persistent problem of strategic objections. Most significantly, Rule 23 now requires the district judge to approve any payments made to class members in exchange for withdrawing or forgoing challenges to a class action settlement. Although the new provision is still in its infancy, it has already been deployed to thwart improper objector behavior and to bring for-pay objection practice out of the shadows. The 2018 changes — along with other on-the-ground developments — are important steps toward improving the class action settlement process.
Complexity Measure for Engineering Systems Incorporating System States and Behavior

Complex engineering systems have structures characterized by a large number of components, interconnections, and elaborated configurations. Time-dependent functionality and multiple system states defy accurate predictions of complex systems behavior. Although many measures exist to quantify complexity, most of them consider either structure or function only. States and behavior are critical aspects to consider simultaneously with structure and function when assessing the complexity of modern systems as all of them have a profound impact on system design and future system performance. A more complete understanding of system complexity could improve the accuracy of scheduling and cost estimates during system development. This article proposes an objective, dynamic, and comprehensive complexity measure derived from molecular quantum mechanics and signal processing principles to quantify engineering system complexity. The proposed measure formalizes complexity as a single quantifiable system property that incorporates structure, functionality, and behavior, enabling unbiased comparisons of different conceptual designs, identification of complex elements, and analysis of complexity management. It provides systems architects and systems engineers with a strong basis for evaluating and communicating complexity during system design and architectural modeling. The formulation of the measure and methodology to calculate system complexity is illustrated through test cases using model-based systems engineering.
Metagenome-Assembled Genome Sequence of Dolichospermum circinale Strain Clear-D4, Assembled from a Harmful Cyanobacterial Bloom Enrichment Culture.

ABSTRACT Dolichospermum circinale (formerly Anabaena circinale) is a significant harmful algal bloom species. We report the draft metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) for a strain of D. circinale (Clear-D4) obtained from an enrichment culture. The genome sequence comprises 5,029,933 bp in 560 contigs with a GC content of 37%.
Spatial Competition in Local Audit Markets and the Fall-Out on Deloitte from the 2007 PCAOB Censure

We examine whether Deloitte's spatial location in local audit markets affected the firm's adverse fall-out - in terms of decreased ability to retain new clients and maintain audit fees - from the 2007 PCAOB censure. We motivate our inquiry by the notion that auditor-client alignment and auditor-closest competitor distance can help differentiate the incumbent Big 4 auditor from other Big 4 auditors and thus provide market power, i.e., inhibit clients from shopping for another supplier because of the lack of a similar Big 4 provider in the local audit market. Consequently, it seems reasonable that the increase in switching risk and loss of fee growth suffered by Deloitte following the 2007 PCAOB censure will be lower in local markets where Deloitte was the market leader and its market-share distance from its closest competitor was greater. Our findings suggest that the decline in Deloitte’s audit fee growth rate following the 2007 PCAOB censure was concentrated in the pharmaceutical industry, although the client loss rate appears to have occurred more broadly (across all cities and industries). Collectively, our findings suggest that audit quality issues override auditor market power, i.e., differentiation does not provide Big 4 firms market power in the face of adverse regulatory action.
The scale and scope of corporate litigation exposure and the factors that explain contingent loss disclosures

We collect a sample of 75,421 lawsuits filed against 90,255 public company defendants from 2006 through 2016 using federal district court docket information. These lawsuits involve an array of allegations, including product liability, civil rights discrimination, improper compensation and labor practices, antitrust violations, pollution, trademark and copyright violations, and patent infringement. The vast majority of these lawsuits likely do not make it onto the radar of investors: only 3% of lawsuit-defendants disclose the pending litigation at any point, with disclosure by plaintiffs and fellow defendants increasing the overall rate of disclosure to 6%. If disclosed, the decision to do so typically occurs early in the legal process, suggesting that the type of claim and the circumstances surrounding its filing—as opposed to how the lawsuit unfolds over time—drive the decision to disclose. Prior SEC scrutiny, the desire to hide potential losses that may make existing debt look particularly risky, and incentives to shape the narrative relative to other available lawsuit information factor into firms’ disclosure decisions. We also find that increased contingency-related concerns expressed in SEC comment letters coincided with the FASB’s consideration of loss contingencies in the 2008 to 2012 timeframe. Yet, the rate of disclosure (particularly of losses) declined over our sample period. Overall, our findings inform the debate about contingency disclosure standards and enforcement. In so doing, our study offers researchers a measure of overarching legal exposure that allows for the study of litigation risk, as well as firm risk more broadly, from new and increasingly relevant perspectives.
Hyporheic transverse mixing zones and dispersivity: Laboratory and numerical experiments of hydraulic controls.

Abstract Mixing of surface water and groundwater in shallow sediments is important to biogeochemical cycling and contaminant migration, and is often used to define the hyporheic zone . Yet knowledge of mixing processes in hyporheic zones is supported by surprisingly few rigorous lab or field observations, and differ from those in deeper groundwater by presence of enhanced head gradients, sediment heterogeneity, and temporal fluctuations. In a laboratory sediment (sand) tank we photographed a conservative dye to analyze transverse mixing zones between upwelling groundwater and bidirectional hyporheic exchange flows. We then conducted numerical modeling to investigate processes behind observed phenomena and estimate dispersivities . We found that transverse mixing zones were thin (i.e. mixing thickness measured in direction of steepest concentration gradient, δ, less than 5 cm), consistent with a small calibrated transverse dispersivity (~0.1 mm) and prior lab studies conducted at similar scales. In steady-state experiments and simulations, δ and estimated dispersion coefficients increased with the surface water head drop driving exchange flows. Given relatively constant deeper groundwater heads, increased Δh led to increased mixing zone length for both steady-state and transient conditions, indicating larger bedforms or weaker gaining conditions enhance subsurface mixing. However, Peclet number and flux-related dilution index simultaneously increased and decreased, respectively, indicating that enhancement of subsurface advection outpaced that of dispersion. In transient experiments and simulations, δ was greater than for steady-state, probably from temporary addition of longitudinal dispersion. During transient experiments, δ exhibited temporal noise, perhaps due to the mixing zone moving past varying patterns of sediment packing. Our results provide basic knowledge of mixing zone behavior in hyporheic zones with implications for hyporheic zone definitions, solute transport , mixing-dependent reaction, and water quality.
Nanomedicines in B cell-targeting therapies.

Abstract B cells play multiple roles in immune responses related to autoimmune diseases as well as different types of cancers. As such, strategies focused on B cell targeting attracted wide interest and developed intensively. There are several common mechanisms various B cell targeting therapies have relied on, including direct B cell depletion, modulation of B cell antigen receptor (BCR) signaling, targeting B cell survival factors, targeting the B cell and T cell costimulation, and immune checkpoint blockade. Nanocarriers, used as drug delivery vehicles, possess numerous advantages to low molecular weight drugs, reducing drug toxicity, enhancing blood circulation time, as well as augmenting targeting efficacy and improving therapeutic effect. Herein, we review the commonly used targets involved in B cell targeting approaches and the utilization of various nanocarriers as B cell-targeted delivery vehicles. Statement of significance As B cells are engaged significantly in the development of many kinds of diseases, utilization of nanomedicines in B cell depletion therapies have been rapidly developed. Although numerous studies focused on B cell targeting have already been done, there are still various potential receptors awaiting further investigation. This review summarizes the most relevant studies that utilized nanotechnologies associated with different B cell depletion approaches, providing a useful tool for selection of receptors, agents and/or nanocarriers matching specific diseases. Along with uncovering new targets in the function map of B cells, there will be a growing number of candidates that can benefit from nanoscale drug delivery.
Living in Two Separate Worlds: The Feral Detective, The City and the City, and the Problem of Relativism

This chapter deals with the philosophical problem of relativism related to the contemporary concerns about the cultural divide that has produced two Americas. I begin by discussing Jonathan Lethem’s The Feral Detective and China Mieville’s The City and the City, each providing examples of a successful detective who can move productively through environments imagined too far apart for this to be possible. Applying the philosophical work of Donald Davidson and others, I show how this productive movement is possible and that people may be “words” rather than “worlds” apart. Finally, this chapter concludes by examining Donald Trump’s rise and the rhetorical tools his supporters use to sustain their belief that he alone is capable of telling the truth.
Instruments for Evaluating Social Validity

Research in the area of treatment acceptability is relatively new to the area of education and psychology. The examination of social validity of treatments has only recently become an area of interest to the fields of education and psychology. Research on social validity has typically taken a back seat to other types of research which focus on demonstrations of techniques to increase or decrease specific behaviors. This is similar to research on areas such as treatment integrity, generalization, maintenance, and so on. Decreasing trends in measurement of social validity have been noted in light of increasing trends in the experimental analysis of problem behaviors. Considering the limited emphasis on social validity, much of the research that has been conducted on social validity has been secondary to the primary topic of many research articles. These types of research articles typically have a primary focus of demonstrating techniques for behavior change and then reporting that the treatment was considered socially valid based on some form of informal rating scale. While this method may be very useful, it may be a misrepresentation of the social validity of certain treatments, since it is very likely that only when a treatment receives favorable social validity ratings would this information be included in the article. While there are several methods for measuring social validity, the most frequently used method is the questionnaire or rating scale.
Quantitative analysis of forskolin in Coleus forskohlii (Lamiaceae) by reversed-phase liquid chromatography

A rapid method was developed for the evaluation of forskolin in Coleus forskohlii Briq. (Lamiaceae). Forskolin was quantitated in the root and stem of dried C. forskohlii and in 17 market products by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) with a photodiode array detector at 210 nm. The temperature was held constant at 30 degrees C, and the retention time of forskolin was approximately 6.8 min. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile by sonication. The precision of the method was confirmed by a standard deviation < 5.0% (n = 3), and forskolin recovery was 99.1%. Limit of detection was 1.5 microg/mL, and the response was linear through zero from 6.3 to 630 microg/mL with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9998. Identity of the marker compound was confirmed by an LC/mass spectrometry experiment. The method was successful in the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the marker compound in C. forskohlii plant material and in market products claiming to contain C. forskohlii.
Aggregation of poly(γ-benzyl-α,L-glutamate)

The aggregation of poly(γ-benzyl-α,L-glutamate) and its enantiomer in toluene has been investigated by following the viscosity as a function of temperature, concentration, molecular weight, molecular-weight distribution, helix chirality, and shear rate. The temperature and concentration data for a 138,000-molecular-weight sample was fitted to an open, reversible end-to-end aggregation model. The aggregation numbers resulting from this fit were consistent with the sudden onset in non-Newtonian flow resulting from only a 0.2-wt% increase in concentration. The association equilibrium constant was then used to predict viscosity for comparison with other data, in particular, the effect of molecular weight and molecular-weight distribution. A mixture of right-and left-handed helices showed the aggregation was not chiral selective. The stiffness of end-to-end aggregated (hydrogen-bonded) molecules differed little from their covalent counterparts, at least below a molecular weight of ∼106. We conclude that polybenzylglutamate aggregation in toluene can be described by an open end-to-end aggregation model.
Hoshin Kanri for the Lean Enterprise: Developing Competitive Capabilities and Managing Profit

Introduction: A Resource-Based Approach to Strategy Chapter 1: Hoshin Kanri Basics-Nested Experiments, X-Matrix, and Chartering Teams Chapter 2: Scan: Checking Market Conditions of Supply and Demand Chapter 3: PLAN: Design a Midterm Strategy Chapter 4: PLAN: Design the Annual Hoshin Chapter 5: PLAN: Align the Organization through Catchball Chapter 6: DO: Engage the Workforce to Execute the Strategy Chapter 7: CHECK: Create a Lean-Thinking Environment Chapter 8: CHECK: The President's Diagnosis Chapter 9: ACT: Institutionalizing Hoshin Kanri through Standardized Work, Kaizen, and Leadership Development Conclusion Recommended Reading Index
Characterization of aarA, a pleiotrophic negative regulator of the 2'-N-acetyltransferase in Providencia stuartii.

Abstract We have utilized transposon mutagenesis to obtain insertional mutations in Providencia stuartii that activate the chromosomal aac(2')-la gene. Two closely linked mini-Tn5Cm insertions were obtained in a locus designated aarA, and a single insertion was obtained in a separate locus, aarC. Nucleotide sequence analysis, complementation studies, and localization of the sites of mini-Tn5Cm insertion have allowed the identification of the aarA coding region. The deduced AarA protein had a molecular mass of 31,086 kDa and displayed characteristics of an integral membrane protein. A strain deleted for the aarA gene by allelic exchange showed at least a fourfold increase in the accumulation of aac(2')-la mRNA and an eightfold increase in aminoglycoside resistance. Mutations in aarA were pleiotrophic and also resulted in loss of pigmentation and a deficiency in cell separation during division.
The binding site of a steroid hormone receptor-like protein within the Drosophila Adh adult enhancer is required for high levels of tissue-specific alcohol dehydrogenase expression.

Abstract Developmental and tissue-specific transcription from the Adh distal promoter is regulated in part by the Adh adult enhancer, located 450 to 600 bp upstream from the distal RNA start site. We have characterized four proteins (DEP1 to DEP4), present in Drosophila tissue culture cell nuclear extracts, which bind to this enhancer. DEP1 and DEP2 bind to a positive cis-acting element (-492 to -481) and share nucleotide contacts. A small linker replacement deletion mutation, which disrupts the overlapping DEP1- and DEP2-binding sites, reduces Adh distal transcription in an alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)-expressing cultured cell line, in the adult fat body (the major tissue of ADH expression), as well as in some but not all adult tissues where ADH is normally expressed. This enhancer element contains an imperfect palindromic sequence similar to steroid hormone receptor superfamily response elements. Binding-site screening of a lambda gt11 expression library has identified the steroid receptor superfamily member fushi tarazu factor 1 (FTZ-F1) as a protein that binds to this site. Anti-FTZ-F1 antibodies have identified DEP1 as FTZ-F1. DEP2 also binds to the FTZ-F1 site from the fushi tarazu zebra element, suggesting that DEP2 may also be a steroid receptor superfamily member. Our results raise the possibility that Adh regulation in certain adult tissues involves a hormone-mediated pathway. Because DEP1 (FTZ-F1) and DEP2 contact some of the same nucleotides within the positive cis element, it is unlikely that they can bind simultaneously. Such alternative binding may play a role in the tissue-specific and developmental transcription of Adh.
Women, Star Trek, and the early development of fannish vidding

This paper argues that the practices and aesthetics of vidding were structured by the relationship of Star Trek ’s female fans to that particular televisual text. Star Trek fandom was the crucible within which vidding developed because Star Trek ’s narrative impelled female fans to take on two positions often framed as contradictory in mainstream culture: the desiring body, and the controlling voice of technology. To make a vid, to edit footage to subtext-revealing music, is to unite these positions: to put technology at the service of desire. Although the conflict between desire and control was particularly thematized in Star Trek, most famously through the divided character of Spock, the practices of vidding are now applied to other visual texts. This essay examines the early history of vidding and demonstrates, through the close reading of particular vids made for Star Trek and Quantum Leap, how vidding heals the wounds created by the displacement and fragmentation of women on television.
What Happens to Social Spending in IMF-Supported Programs?

This article finds that education and health spending has risen during International Monetary Fund (IMF)-supported programmes at a faster pace than in developing countries as a whole. The analysis is based on the most comprehensive dataset assembled thus far for this purpose, with data covering 1985 to 2009 for 140 countries. Controlling for other determinants of education and health spending, including macroeconomic conditions, the results confirm that IMF-supported programmes have a positive and significant effect on social spending in low-income countries. Over a 5-year period with IMF-supported programmes, spending for education increases by about ¾ percentage point of Gross Domestic Product (GDP); and for health, by about 1 percentage point of GDP. IMF-supported programmes are also associated with increases in the share of government spending allocated to education and health.
Beyond the broken error-related negativity: Functional and diagnostic correlates of error processing in psychosis

Background Studies of event-related potentials have consistently shown that schizophrenia is associated with a blunted error-related negativity (ERN), indicating a deficit in error monitoring. It is unknown whether this deficit is unique to schizophrenia or is common to psychotic disorders more broadly, and its associations with clinical characteristics of the illness are not well understood. Methods The ERN and the error positivity (Pe) were recorded from 33 individuals with schizophrenia, 45 individuals with other psychotic disorders, and 33 healthy control subjects. Patients were drawn from a cohort with psychotic disorders followed since first hospitalization and diagnosed by consensus based on 10 years of observation. Results The ERN was profoundly blunted in the patient group, regardless of diagnosis, indicating that this deficit is not unique to schizophrenia. The Pe, meanwhile, was blunted only among individuals with schizophrenia, indicating that the ERN and Pe are differentially related to psychotic illnesses. A blunted ERN was associated with more severe negative symptoms and poorer real-world functioning, as indicated by unemployment and re-hospitalization over 10 years of illness. Although reduced compared with control subjects, ERN amplitude was greater in patients with higher neuroticism, indicating that error processing is moderated by personality differences in the same manner as in healthy populations. Conclusions The current study advances the literature by evaluating diagnostic specificity and functional correlates of impaired error processing in psychosis.
Testosterone and its metabolites in male cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis): behavior and biochemistry.

Abstract To extend our previous study [22] on the behavioral effects of testosterone propionate (TP) and dihydrotestosterone propionate (DHTP) to a dose-range producing supra-physiological plasma androgen levels, 4 castrated cynomolgus monkeys were tested with the same 4 females during successive 4-week treatment periods while receiving 800 μg, 1.6 mg, 3.2 mg, 6.4 mg and 12.8 mg of TP or DHTP SC/day in counterbalanced order (16 pairs, 828 1-hr tests). Both androgens increased male sexual activity, but DHTP was less effective than TP in increasing the numbers of ejaculations per test and failed to restore ejeculations to intact levels. Giving androgen-treated males single injections of 50 μg and 100 μg estradiol benzoate (EB) was without any additional effect on behavior (16 pairs, 256 test). To examine hormonal effects in the brain, castrated males were given either 3 H-T or 3 H-DHT, and tissues were examined by high performance liquid chromatography (hplc). After 3 H-T, 3 H-E 2 and unchanged 3 H-T were the major forms of radioactivity in nuclei from hypothalamus, preoptic area and amygdala. After 3 H-DHT, unchanged 3 H-DHT predominated. The lower behavioral effectiveness of DHT could not be ascribed to its failure to enter the brain. The data suggested a role for unchanged T in the regulation of ejaculatory behavior in a male primate.
Coupled spin-boson systems far from equilibrium

Nonequilibrium quantum dynamics of a system comprising a (pseudo) spin-1/2 object coupled to a boson degree of freedom is studied. It is shown that the time evolution of the system is described by a set of elementary scattering processes. Through these processes the system approaches an equilibrium in which the spin is in a mixed state that on average maximizes its entropy. However, the irregular behavior of the system is unrelated to {open_quote}{open_quote}quantum chaos{close_quote}{close_quote} as the Hamiltonian is integrable. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
A Study of the Effects of a Transversely Moving Boundary on Plane Posieuille Flow

Numerical (finite-difference) solutions in vorticity-stream function variables using a nonorthogonal geometric transform are found for viscous flow through a plane channel in which a portion of the boundary oscillates to change the flow. Calculations were made for three rates of inflow and for three frequencies of oscillation. The boundary pumpage relative to inflow decreased with inflow Karman number and with the oscillatory period of the boundary. The maximum shear stress, as indicated by the maximum vorticity, increased with Karman number and occurred when the boundary was in the maximum stenotic position. It did not change with boundary period except for the case when the period was the smallest. The channel pressure drop was significantly affected by the pumpage as well as the boundary nonuniformity.
Did Einstein prove E=mc2?

Abstract Although Einstein's name is closely linked with the celebrated relation E=mc2 between mass and energy, a critical examination of the more than half dozen “proofs” of this relation that Einstein produced over a span of forty years reveals that all these proofs suffer from mistakes. Einstein introduced unjustified assumptions, committed fatal errors in logic, or adopted low-speed, restrictive approximations. He never succeeded in producing a valid general proof applicable to a realistic system with arbitrarily large internal speeds. The first such general proof was produced by Max Laue in 1911 (for “closed” systems with a time-independent energy–momentum tensor) and it was generalized by Felix Klein in 1918 (for arbitrary time-dependent “closed” systems).
The loss of small objects in variable TE imaging: implications for FSE, RARE, and EPI.

The importance to MR image quality of the order of acquisition of different phaseencoded views with sequences that have variable TR and TE has been recently reported. It has been shown that the effective point spread function (PSF) may be manipulated by varying TE or TR, or both, with each phase-encoding step. This paper explores the behavior of the PSF in a variable TE sequence and its dependence on both imaging and tissue parameters. It is shown that the PSF is different for each tissue type and that its effect on tissue contrast is a function of both the shape and size of the structure. The important problem of signal loss from small objects that arises when the effective PSF is broad and the difficulty in detecting this phenomenon in practical MR images is illustrated. It is shown that the PSF can produce significant blurring and loss of object contrast in fast spin-echo images but that this blurring may be not be obvious in practice because the noise is unaffected by the PSF. It is also shown that the signal from small lesions with short T2 can easily be lost through this blurring mechanism. The importance of signal loss from small objects and its implication for the clinical use of such sequences as fast spinecho or rapid acquisition relaxation-enhanced and echo planar imaging is stressed.© 1992 Academic Press,Inc.
Analysis of an efficient algorithm for the hard-sphere problem

Many similar algorithms for performing simulations of hard-sphere have been presented. Among these algorithms are those designed by Rapaport (RAP), Lubachevsky (LUB), Krantz (HAD), and Marin (HYBRID). These algorithms exhibit a similar design in that they each use an O(logn) event queue which becomes the overwhelming bottleneck when simulating large systems. In this paper the design of HAD is presented and contrasted to RAP, LUB and HYBRID. Next, both an empirical and analytic analysis of HAD's performance are presented which show that HAD scales well. Finally, using the design differences of these algorithms, the performance of HAD is compared to RAP, LUB and HYBRID.
Mountain substitutability and peak load pricing of high alpine peaks as a management tool to reduce environmental damage : A contingent valuation study

High alpine peaks throughout the world are under increasing environmental pressure from hikers, trekkers, and climbers. Colorado's "Fourteeners", peaks with summits above 14,000 feet are no exception. Most of these peaks have no entrance fees, and reach ecological and social carrying capacity on weekends. This paper illustrates how a series of dichotomous choice contingent valuation questions can be used to evaluate substitutability between different alpine peaks and quantify the price responsiveness to an entrance fee. Using this approach, we find that peak load pricing would decrease use of popular Fourteeners in Colorado by 22%. This reduction is due almost entirely to substitution, rather than income effects. There is also price inelastic demand, as 60% of the hikers find no substitution for their specific Fourteener at the varying cost increases posed in the survey. The no substitute group has a mean net benefit of $294 per hiker, per trip, considerably higher than visitor net benefits in most recreational use studies.