cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Drug and alcohol use among youth in rural communities.

Characterizing variations in substance use by youth residing in rural areas is not a straightforward undertaking due in part to difficulties in defining rural, and in part to differences in community characteristics across whatever definition is used. The primary purpose of this chapter is to compare data on the prevalence of alcohol and other drug use by 8th and 12th graders across four sizes of communities, from very small rural to metropolitan. Community size classifications were based on Bureau of the Census county-level data and the Beale code (Lobao 1990) and include schools in counties that: (1) have populations of < 2,500; (2) are nonmetropolitan, nonadjacent (i.e., communities in counties with no city of 50,000 or more inhabitants and that are not integrated economically and socially with a population center of 50,000 or more in a nearby county); (3) are nonmetropolitan, adjacent (i.e., communities in counties with no city of 50,000 or more inhabitants but that are adjacent to a metropolitan county); and (4) are metropolitan counties. Community size contrasts are presented for drug use patterns by gender, perceived availability of substances and alcohol, and other drug-related problems.
Visual hierarchy and viewing behavior: an eye tracking study

Empirical evidence suggests that users often exhibit a viewing pattern that favors the top and left sides of web pages. This viewing pattern may cause users to miss a great deal of information. Grounded in the model of visual hierarchy, this study examines the impact of visual complexity on how users view a page. The results show that users' viewing pattern in our study was more scattered than those reported in previous studies, which used pages with a relatively less complex visual hierarchy. We also examined the impact of browsing and information retrieval on viewing pattern. Such an investigation can provide insight for the design of homepages that can effectively serve both those who browse and those who retrieve information. The results also show that eye tracker can serve as a valuable tool for designers to develop and test new designs.
Tasseled cap transformation for assessing hurricane landfall impact on a coastal watershed

Abstract Tasseled cap transformation (TCT) has been used to observe relationships among soil moisture, vegetation cover, and canopy condition. Time series Landsat satellite images of high resolution may provide continuous and accurate observations of the land surface, which can be further analyzed using the TCT for natural hazard events. This study explores the use of a unique dispersion phenomenon of TCT for observing the dynamics of vegetation cover and landscape changes due to a major hurricane landfall in the United States. This is based on the Landsat images taken during the Hurricane Bob event, during which the hurricane made landfall in the highly developed New England area in late August 1991. A unique comparison of the TCT time series plots illustrating the relative TCT dispersion phenomenon, which addresses the landfall’s profound impact on the Mattapoisett River watershed in 1991, reflects the interactions among biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere in hurricane-prone regions. This analysis can be done without the use of ground truth data and can be further supported by the multitemporal and multidimensional change detection of box plots in terms of brightness and greenness to gain more biophysical interpretation. Findings unveil an inherent earth system process via the varying levels of dispersion among brightness, greenness, and wetness over the coastal watershed with environmental sustainability implications.
Human performance metrics for the nuclear domain: A tool for evaluating measures of workload, situation awareness and teamwork

Abstract The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has developed a tool to support the understanding and evaluation of workload (WL), situation awareness (SA), and teamwork (TW) metrics used in human factors engineering (HFE) programs for commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs). This article summarizes the NRC report on the tool, and discusses its potential application to other industries. The operational relevance of WL, SA and TW to the NPP domain is reviewed, and challenges associated with the development of valid metrics for these constructs are identified. The Generic Metrics Catalog (GMC) is a database that compiles information about WL, SA, and TW metrics in a readily accessible and easy to use format. It provides information about the psychometric properties of a metric and the soundness of the methods used to investigate these properties. In the evaluation of a proposed HFE in an NPP license application, the Decision Making Wizard (DMW) uses reviewer input and information found in the GMC to identify areas of concern in applications. Tools of this kind may be especially valuable in other domains for managing challenges of novel technologies such as automation, human-robot teaming and augmented cognition.
Abstract WP447: Race, Socioeconomic Status and Care Decisions After Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Introduction: Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a leading cause of disability. Incidence of dysphagia is similar across racial subgroups, but studies have shown increased odds of percut...
Calf Barn Design to Optimize Health and Ease of Management

This article offers general calf barn design recommendations to optimize calf health gleaned from clinical and research experience in a Midwestern US climate. Barn components that are discussed include sizing the barn, ventilating the facility, and providing a clean, deeply bedded, dry area for the calf. In addition, considerations for maximizing labor efficiency and reducing the spread of disease by caregivers are discussed.
Potential Role of Febrile Seizures and Other Risk Factors Associated With Sudden Deaths in Children.

Importance Sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) is the fifth leading category of death among toddlers but remains underrecognized and inadequately studied. Objective To assess the potential role of febrile seizures (FS) and other risk factors associated with SUDC and describe the epidemiology, mechanisms, and prevention of SUDC. Design, Setting, and Participants This case series study reviewed 622 consecutive sudden child death cases aged 1 to 17 years from 2001 to 2017 from 18 countries. Data were collected from family members of children who died suddenly; these families voluntarily registered with the SUDC Foundation. Data analysis was conducted from November 2017 to February 2019. Main Outcome Measures Certified manner of death characterized as accident, natural, or undetermined. Results A total of 391 families with decedents aged 1 to 6 years completed a comprehensive interview on medical and social histories, and circumstances of death with forensic evaluations revealing a cause of death (sudden explained death in childhood [SEDC]) or no cause of death (SUDC). Of these children, 231 (59.1%) were male, the mean (SD) age at death was 24.9 (12.8) months, and 104 (26.6%) had a history of FS. Compared with the general population FS prevalence (2%-5%), FS prevalence among SUDC (28.8%; 95% CI, 23.3%-34.2%) and SEDC (22.1%; 95% CI, 14.8%-29.3%) were elevated. The odds of death during sleep was 4.6-fold higher in SUDC than in SEDC cases (odds ratio, 4.61; 95% CI, 1.92-11.09; adjustedP = .008). The siblings of SUDC cases were followed up for 3144 life-years, and none died prematurely from SUDC. Conclusions and Relevance This analysis of the largest SUDC cohort confirmed an increased FS rate and found significantly increased rates of FS among SEDC. This study suggests that seizures may contribute to some SUDC and SEDC deaths. The risk of sudden death in a sibling was low. To develop and assess preventive strategies, population-based studies are needed to define the epidemiology and spectrum of risk factors and identify biomarkers of patients with FS at high risk of sudden death.
Seeking pleasure or avoiding pain: Influence of CEO regulatory focus on firms' advertising, R&D, and marketing controversies

Abstract This research examines the influence of CEOs' regulatory focus on firms' strategic marketing behavior. The authors propose that the degree of CEOs' promotion focus relative to their prevention focus positively impacts firms' advertising and R&D intensities. However, the authors also propose a dark side of predominantly promotion-focused CEOs: a higher likelihood of firms getting involved in marketing controversies. The impact of CEO regulatory focus on these outcomes is proposed to be magnified when CEOs have high power, when stock options comprise a small proportion of CEOs' compensation, and when firms operate in highly dynamic environments. Findings based on observing a sample of publicly listed U.S. firms between 2006 and 2010 provide considerable support for the authors' hypotheses. These findings have important implications for managers, board members, investors, and researchers interested in the determinants of and mechanisms to prevent marketing myopia and marketing controversies.
The status of women and its influence on children’s well‐being: Do geography, religion and income matter? A comparative study

Motivation In most families around the world, women are children’s primary caregivers. An improvement in women’s status, besides being vital in its own right, has significant positive externalities since the welfare of children has consequences for long‐term economic growth and development. Research question Could enabling women to have greater opportunities to be productive members of society have a positive relationship with child welfare? Approach and methods We examine the relationship between women’s and children’s well‐being for a group of developing countries. We first study this in the context of the overall sample, and then in various country groupings, based on per capita income, geography and religion. A descriptive comparative study and a regression analysis are conducted. Findings and conclusions We find that women’s enhanced well‐being is strongly related to improved child welfare. Although there is a wide variation in women’s well‐being within and across various income, geographic and religious groups, our results are robust across and within all groups. In the regression analysis, the only variable that is consistently significant in influencing outcomes for children is our measure of women’s well‐being. We cannot reach a clear conclusion regarding the influence of geography, religion and even gross domestic product per capita on child outcomes. Policy implications It seems imperative for women’s empowerment to be a part of every development agenda; a priority in itself, rather than something that should trickle down with overall development. An improvement in women’s status, besides being vital in its own right, has significant positive externalities since children’s welfare has consequences for long‐term economic growth and development. In our study, it is the single most important factor with a definite impact on children’s welfare.
Hydraulic Fracturing, Shale Development and Water Issues in Poland

Poland is the largest and possibly most promising European country for future shale development. But attempts to recreate a “shale revolution” in Poland for now have failed due to geological, cost and regulatory factors. Even so, the potential for shale exploration is not necessarily lost since technology and the market can at some point deliver more hospitable conditions. Water is probably the single most important element of the environment that hydraulic fracturing utilizes and has the potential to deplete and/or contaminate, resulting in host of adverse impacts across the land and population. This paper is a first take on describing the intricacies that exist between water and potential shale development in Poland. It provides an overview of the legal environment on both shale exploration and water law, and describes and contrasts the geological and water-related features of the regions where shale exploration takes place. On the basis of this initial assessment, the paper provides recommendations with respect to developing water policy and potential shale development.
The Missing Metric: An Evaluation of Fungal Importance in Wetland Assessments

To preserve wetland ecosystem function, federal and state agencies have developed assessment procedures to better manage remaining wetland areas. Currently, wetland assessments do not consider microorganisms when determining wetland quality. This is notable, because fungi are often the primary decomposers of organic material and thus important players in nutrient cycling. The objective of this study is to quantify how wetland quality, as measured using the Ohio Rapid Assessment Method (ORAM), relates to fungal community composition. We sampled soils from six depressional emergent marshes in Ohio belonging to each of the three ORAM quality categories, assessed soil physicochemical properties, and recovered fungal DNA. We then determined if wetland quality as expressed by the ORAM reflects soil health. Our results indicate that ORAM scoring methodology significantly explains differences in fungal community composition between wetlands. We also found that soil physicochemical properties not currently included in the ORAM are strong drivers of fungal community composition, particularly bulk density, pH, soil organic matter, and soil moisture. Overall, our results suggest fungal community composition reflects wetland quality as assessed by the ORAM, and that the ORAM and potentially other wetland assessments could better capture the soil environment by including easily measured soil physicochemical properties.
A Fully Automated Multiplex Assay for Diagnosis of Lyme Disease with High Specificity and Improved Early Sensitivity

ABSTRACT Lyme borreliosis is a tick-borne disease caused by the Borrelia burgdorferisensu lato complex. Bio-Rad Laboratories has developed a fully automated multiplex bead-based assay for the detection of IgM and IgG antibodies to B. burgdorferi. The BioPlex 2200 Lyme Total assay exhibits an improved rate of seropositivity in patients with early Lyme infection. Asymptomatic subjects from endemic and nonendemic origins demonstrated a seroreactivity rate of approximately 4% that was similar to other commercial assays evaluated in this study. Coupled to this result was the observation that the Lyme Total assay retained a high first-tier specificity of 96% while demonstrating a relatively high sensitivity of 91% among a well-characterized CDC Premarketing Lyme serum panel. The Lyme Total assay also performs well under a modified two-tier algorithm (sensitivity, 84.4 to 88.9%; specificity, 98.4 to 99.5%). Furthermore, the new assay is able to readily detect early Lyme infection in patient samples from outside North America.
“You may quite well say that we are all ill”: Freud on the continuity between normality and pathology:

The relation between normality and pathology has intrigued philosophers for centuries, but it has been recently revived by a number of researchers who have articulated and defended various versions...
Qualitative self-coding as reflection: empowering teacher candidates with the tools of the researcher

Reflective journaling is common practice in teacher preparation and often utilized as a tool to cultivate teacher candidates’ dispositional development. This paper details a study that implemented ...
The Importance of Tumor Length in Needle Biopsies of the Prostate.

OBJECTIVES To form a composite predictor variable that combines the effects of tumor length, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and International Society of Urologic Pathologists (ISUP) grade on the observation of adverse prostatectomy pathology. METHODS Logistic regression analysis was used to demonstrate how tumor length, serum PSA, and ISUP grade related to adverse prostatectomy results and to derive weighting factors for a composite variable, cx. RESULTS The composite variable, cx, relates closely to adverse prostatectomy results as well as to observed PSA failure. CONCLUSIONS The composite variable cx uses preoperative information that may allow the sorting of patients into low, intermediate, and high risk for adverse outcomes after prostatectomy.
Dimensions of religion and attitudes toward euthanasia

Understanding the role of religion in attitudes toward euthanasia requires viewing religion as a multidimensional construct. In this study, four dimensions operationalized religion: religiosity, spirituality, afterlife beliefs (afterlife, heaven, and hell), and religious denomination. Using data from 1066 adults interviewed in the 2018 General Social Survey, a logistic regression showed religiosity, belief in afterlife and heaven, and religious denomination were significantly associated with opposition to euthanasia. Although most studies have shown a negative influence of religion, we found that not all dimensions of religion have a negative association with opposition to euthanasia and the role of each dimension differs.
Time-dependent modeling of dust outburst into tokamak divertor plasma

The first self-consistent simulation studies of the impact of transient injection of tungsten dust on ITER-like edge plasma are presented. The simulations are performed using DUSTT and UEDGE codes coupled in a fully time-dependent manner. The evolution of the divertor and upstream plasma conditions, following the injection of tungsten dust of various quantities and sizes at the outer strike point, is investigated. The estimates of the core plasma impurity fraction and the core impurity screening factor associated with the dust injection are also obtained. The simulations show that the bursts of even modest amounts of tungsten dust injected into the divertor plasmas can result in large perturbations of the divertor power load and unacceptable levels of the core plasma contamination with tungsten impurities.
Clinician Experiences of Care Provision in the Correctional Setting: A Scoping Review.

Little is known about the experiences of correctional health care providers and how their experiences impact the correctional health care system. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systema...
Striking a Balance in School Psychology Training: a Comparison of Blended Delivery Formats and Student Outcomes

As higher education faces declines in federal funding and enrollment, academic programs are increasingly tasked with examining their recruitment and admissions practices, mode and flexibility of delivery, and student retention. In particular, some programs may encounter pressure to introduce part-time or distance learning options into traditionally full-time, on-campus programs. Concurrently, the field of school psychology suffers from a critical nationwide shortage, which further strengthens the impetus for programs to attract and successfully prepare graduate students in greater numbers. In this article, we examine various metrics of student success from one graduate program that concurrently offered program curriculum in two blended delivery formats. In particular, we examine (a) enrollments; (b) timely remediation; (c) retention and degree completion; and (d) intern performance and post-graduation employment across the two delivery formats. We discuss potential benefits and challenges of distance education in school psychology training and offer recommendations for balancing quality and accessibility in curriculum delivery.
Exploring the relationship between supplier development, big data analytics capability, and firm performance

Extant research shows that big data analytics (BDA) capability is often employed as a part of organizational resources to enhance firm performance. Drawing upon the resource-based view, dynamic capabilities, and contingency theory, this study endeavors to examine the alignment between BDA capability and a specific type of procurement strategies (i.e., supplier development) and its impact on firm performance. The study extends the BDA capability research by investigating the direct impact of BDA capability on supplier development and firm performance, respectively, and by exploring both mediating and moderating effects on the relationship between supplier development and firm performance. The main results show that a firm’s BDA capability has not only a direct positive significant impact on supplier development, but also a direct positive significant impact on its business performance. More importantly, the results indicate strong moderating and mediating effects of BDA capability on supplier development, which in turn affects the improvement of firm performance. Theoretical and managerial implications along with future research directions are provided in the end.
Feasibility of using megavoltage computed tomography to reduce proton range uncertainty: A simulation study.

Purpose To demonstrate that variation in chemical composition has a negligible effect on the mapping curve from relative electron density (RED) to proton stopping power ratio (SPR), and to establish the theoretical framework of using Megavoltage (MV) computed tomography (CT), instead of kilovoltage (kV) dual energy CT, to accurately estimate proton SPR. Methods A simulation study was performed to evaluate the effect of chemical composition variation on kVCT number and proton SPR. The simulation study involved both reference and simulated human tissues. The reference human tissues, together with their physical densities and chemical compositions, came from the ICRP publication 23. The simulated human tissues were created from the reference human tissues assuming that elemental percentage weight followed a Gaussian distribution. For all tissues, kVCT number and proton SPR were obtained through (a) theoretical calculation from tissue's physical density and chemical composition which served as the ground truth, and (b) estimation from RED using the calibration curves established from the stoichiometric method. Deviations of the estimated values from the calculated values were quantified as errors in using RED to estimate kVCT number and proton SPR. Results Given a chemical composition variation of 5% (1σ) of the nominal percentage weights, the total estimation error of using RED to estimate kVCT number was 0.34%, 0.62%, and 0.77% and the total estimation error of using RED to estimate proton SPR was 0.30%, 0.22%, and 0.16% for fat tissues, non-fat soft tissues and bone tissues, respectively. Conclusion Chemical composition had a negligible effect on the method of using RED to determine proton SPR. RED itself is sufficient to accurately determine proton SPR. MVCT number maintains a superb linear relationship with RED because it is highly dominated by Compton scattering. Therefore, MVCT has great potential in reducing the proton range uncertainty.
Understanding uptake of community groundwater monitoring in rural Brazil

Resource monitoring is often cited as important for effective common pool resources management. In practice, not all monitoring interventions are successful, particularly when the resource, such as groundwater, is challenging to monitor and measure. We conducted a field experiment on groundwater monitoring in Ceara, Brazil, where communities are increasingly reliant on groundwater yet do not engage in monitoring. Despite careful implementation, uptake of monitoring within the 80 treatment communities was low. To unpack this low uptake, we conduct multimethods exploratory research. We find that uptake is less likely in communities facing high coordination costs, either within the community leadership or across the broader community. Uptake is also less likely when there are physical barriers to monitoring, when there are more substitutes for groundwater, and when there is lower variability in water availability. Our findings can inform future monitoring interventions in similar contexts worldwide.
Cultivation of hierarchical 3D scaffolds inside a perfusion bioreactor: scaffold design and finite-element analysis of fluid flow

The use of porous 3D scaffolds for the repair of bone nonunion and osteoporotic bone is currently an area of great interest. Using a combination of thermally-induced phase separation (TIPS) and 3D-plotting (3DP), we have generated hierarchical 3DP/TIPS scaffolds made of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and nanohydroxyapatite (nHA). A full factorial design of experiments was conducted, in which the PLGA and nHA compositions were varied between 6‒12% w/v and 10‒40% w/w, respectively, totaling 16 scaffold formulations with an overall porosity ranging between 87%‒93%. These formulations included an optimal scaffold design identified in our previous study. The internal structures of the scaffolds were examined using scanning electron microscopy and microcomputed tomography. Our optimal scaffold was seeded with MC3T3-E1 murine preosteoblastic cells and subjected to cell culture inside a tissue culture dish and a perfusion bioreactor. The results were compared to those of a commercial CellCeram™ scaffold with a composition of 40% β-tricalcium phosphate and 60% hydroxyapatite (β-TCP/HA). Media flow within the macrochannels of 3DP/TIPS scaffolds was modeled in COMSOL software in order to fine tune the wall shear stress. CyQUANT DNA assay was performed to assess cell proliferation. The normalized number of cells for the optimal scaffold was more than twofold that of CellCeram™ scaffold after two weeks of culture inside the bioreactor. Despite the substantial variability in the results, the observed improvement in cell proliferation upon culture inside the perfusion bioreactor (vs. static culture) demonstrated the role of macrochannels in making the 3DP/TIPS scaffolds a promising candidate for scaffold-based tissue engineering.
Comparing pencil-beam generated and Monte Carlo generated dose-to-water and dose-to-tissue distributions for proton therapy patients

Proton Monte Carlo dose calculation based on the Monte Carlo toolkit Geant4 is implemented at Massachusetts General Hospital. This paper summarizes the clinical implementation of the code, i.e. modeling of the treatment head, modeling of the patient, dose scoring, absolute dosimetry, and the Geant4 physics settings for proton therapy.
A CRISPR Connection between Chromatin Topology and Genetic Disorders.

Structural variations are common in the human genome, but their contributions to human diseases have been hard to define. Lupianez et al. demonstrate that some structural variants can interrupt chromatin topology, resulting in ectopic enhancer-promoter interactions, altered spatiotemporal gene expression patterns, and developmental disorders.
Social Media in the Classroom: Challenges and Strategies in Faculty Development

Abilene Christian University began developing a campus wide mobile learning program in 2008, providing a context of campus saturation by 2010. The reimagining of teaching and learning prompted by this initiative led to the use of mobile learning and to the introduction of social media components into the learning context. This paper will discuss the promise and challenges of social media in the classroom, explore the use of social media in higher education, and discuss the strategies that the Adams Center for Teaching and Learning has used in order to provide faculty development training for the use of social media within both traditional and non-traditional learning environments.
Quorum-sensing signals indicate that cystic fibrosis lungs are infected with bacterial biofilms

The bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa permanently colonizes cystic fibrosis lungs despite aggressive antibiotic treatment. This suggests that P. aeruginosa might exist as biofilms--structured communities of bacteria encased in a self-produced polymeric matrix--in the cystic fibrosis lung. Consistent with this hypothesis, microscopy of cystic fibrosis sputum shows that P. aeruginosa are in biofilm-like structures. P. aeruginosa uses extracellular quorum-sensing signals (extracellular chemical signals that cue cell-density-dependent gene expression) to coordinate biofilm formation. Here we found that cystic fibrosis sputum produces the two principal P. aeruginosa quorum-sensing signals; however, the relative abundance of these signals was opposite to that of the standard P. aeruginosa strain PAO1 in laboratory broth culture. When P. aeruginosa sputum isolates were grown in broth, some showed quorum-sensing signal ratios like those of the laboratory strain. When we grew these isolates and PAO1 in a laboratory biofilm model, the signal ratios were like those in cystic fibrosis sputum. Our data support the hypothesis that P. aeruginosa are in a biofilm in cystic fibrosis sputum. Moreover, quorum-sensing signal profiling of specific P. aeruginosa strains may serve as a biomarker in screens to identify agents that interfere with biofilm development.
Patient Outcomes in Mental Disorders

A myriad of treatment options exist for clients with mental illness: hospitalization, community mental health centers, talk therapy, group therapy, and medication constitute but a few. While our ability to treat mental illness through these treatment options has improved greatly over the last several decades, our mental health system still faces numerous problems. Long-term state hospitals have largely disappeared, while short-term hospitals focus on medication at the expense of more traditional therapies. Community mental health centers neglect the more severely ill, and often face unwelcoming neighborhoods. And the promise first offered by psychiatric medications in the 1950s has fallen a bit flat, due to highly undesirable side effects, compliance concerns, and their inability to address the social causes of mental illness. These issues, and others, are further compounded by the patient's specific diagnosis, as well as social class, race, gender, sexuality, religion, and culture. As a result, mental health outcomes, while greatly improved, still face numerous barriers, many of which negatively affect the contemporary patient. Keywords: doctor–patient interaction; health care; hospitals; institutionalization; mental health
Sampling of multi unit drug exhibits

The total number of drug exhibits submitted to forensic science laboratories continues to grow markedly, and increasingly, these exhibits are composed of ever larger numbers of units. These facts make the use of a sampling plan, which applies some limitations to the number of units sampled, highly desirable. A sampling plan assumes that the characteristics of the nonexamined units are the same as those in all of the examined units. This paper examines the validity of this assumption by the use of mathematical concepts. Various sampling plans, exhibit sizes, and sample sizes are used as examples. The effect of sample size on quantitative accuracy is also discussed.
Hedgehog Signaling during Appendage Development and Regeneration

Regulatory networks that govern embryonic development have been well defined. While a common hypothesis supports the notion that the embryonic regulatory cascades are reexpressed following injury and tissue regeneration, the mechanistic regulatory pathways that mediate the regenerative response in higher organisms remain undefined. Relative to mammals, lower vertebrates, including zebrafish and newts, have a tremendous regenerative capacity to repair and regenerate a number of organs including: appendages, retina, heart, jaw and nervous system. Elucidation of the pathways that govern regeneration in these lower organisms may provide cues that will enhance the capacity for the regeneration of mammalian organs. Signaling pathways, such as the hedgehog pathway, have been shown to play critical functions during development and during regeneration in lower organisms. These signaling pathways have been shown to modulate multiple processes including cellular origin, positional identity and cellular maturation. The present review will focus on the cellular and molecular regulation of the hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway and its interaction with other signaling factors during appendage development and regeneration.
Enhancing risk analysis using software development impact statements

Any software project goes through three distinct phases: an initial phase where the feasibility of the project is examined, a requirements phase that lays out the overall structure and function of the project, and a detailed phase that lays out the plans for building the software. Each of these phases has its peculiar risks. A narrow approach to risk analysis focusing on just the business stakeholders and understanding the scope of software project risks to include only schedules, budgets and functionality has contributed to significant software failures. A process called "Software Development Impact Statements" (SoDIS/sup TM/) is presented which both expands the concept of software risk to include social, professional and ethical risks that lead to software failure, and extends the range of stakeholders considered in risk analysis.. Using a SoDIS risk analysis enlarges the project scope considered by software developers. The SoDIS process is incorporated into an a version of the spiral lifecycle model. A tool to develop impact statements is used to illustrate the SoDIS process.
Live Virtual Reference: More Work and More Opportunity

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Library uses Library Systems & Services’ (LSSI) Virtual Reference Desk (VRS) to provide live reference via the Internet. Energy Library reference librarians use VRS to conduct reference interviews by chat, take the patrons to or send Web pages, collaborate on questions, and provide transcripts for patron follow‐up. VRS allows the reference librarians to reach those who cannot or do not come to the library and makes the librarian a reference resource for a wider audience. The Energy Library VRS patrons and their questions have transitioned from mostly DOE headquarters employees looking for codes, policies and similar documents, to mainly non‐DOE people seeking information, increasing the diversity of reference skills needed.
Dilemmas of voluntary versus mandatory coverage for off-campus health care.

Abstract Most colleges or universities provide on-campus health services at little or no additional cost to students who have paid required tuition and fees. However, expenses for off-campus hospitalizations, specialty consultations, or emergency services must be covered by either the student's own health insurance or school-sponsored insurance. Voluntary coverage for off-campus health care creates problems for a small proportion of students and their families who incur large medical debts for unanticipated accidents/illnesses. Students may need to drop out of school to pay off the debts, student health service (SHS) clinicians may have trouble referring such students to the community for care, and on-campus health services may be extended beyond safe limits. Mandatory coverage for off-campus health care can reduce financial risks for unanticipated accidents/illnesses for students, help stabilize enrollment for the university, reduce undue pressures on SHS providers to limit hospital/specialty referrals d...
The impact of pulmonary insufficiency on the right ventricle: a comparison of isolated valvar pulmonary stenosis and tetralogy of fallot.

Pulmonary insufficiency (PI) is associated with right ventricular (RV) dilation, dysfunction, and exercise intolerance in patients with tetralogy of fallot (TOF). We sought to compare RV function and exercise performance in patients with valvar pulmonary stenosis (VPS) following pulmonary balloon valvuloplasty to those with repaired TOF with similar degrees of PI. We performed a cross-sectional study of patients with VPS and TOF. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and exercise stress test were performed. Subjects were matched by time from initial procedure and severity of PI using propensity scores. After matching, there were 16 patients with VPS and 16 with TOF for comparison, with similar demographics. Time from initial procedure was 14 years (12–16), p = 0.92, and pulmonary regurgitant fraction was 19 % (6–31), p = 0.94, Patients with TOF had lower ejection fraction [58 % (53–66) vs. 65 % (60–69), p = 0.04] and more RV hypertrophy [69 g/m2 (52–86) vs. 44 g/m2 (32–66), p = 0.04] compared to those with VPS. Aerobic capacity was worse in patients with TOF [68 ± 19 % mVO2 (56–84) vs. 82 ± 9.2 % (74–89) in VPS, p = 0.01], with a trend for less habitual physical activity [0.9 (0–12) vs. 8 h/week (4–12), p = 0.056], respectively. With similar degrees of PI, patients with TOF demonstrate worse RV function and aerobic capacity as compared to patients with just VPS. Habitual exercise may in part explain differences in exercise performance and should be further explored.
Ab initio self-consistent-field polarizabilities and electron-molecule adiabatic polarization potentials. III. N 2

Electric dipole polarizabilities and electron-molecule static and adiabatic polarization potentials are calculated by means of ab initio molecular-orbital theory. Nine different basis sets involving 18--48 contracted Gaussian basis functions are used. The authors show that bond-centered basis functions are very efficient for polarizability calculations: a 46-function calculation yields a spherically averaged polarizability ..cap alpha../sub 0/ within (6--7)% of the 56-function calculation of Morrison and Hay and the 76-function calculation of Schneider. As compared to Schneider's calculation, 18 functions underestimate ..cap alpha../sub 0/ by 39% and two 26-function calculations underestimate it by 26% and 31%. These small basis sets may be useful for qualitative purposes, but the results show that the adiabatic polarization potentials at small electron-molecule distances are not less sensitive than polarizabilities to basis-set variations and truncations. Full adiabatic polarization potentials are reported for both 18-function and 47-function basis sets.
Writing Requirements in Financial Accounting Courses

(1991). Writing Requirements in Financial Accounting Courses. Journal of Education for Business: Vol. 66, No. 3, pp. 144-146.
Following Suit: an Examination of Structural Constraints to Industrial Upgrading in the Third World

Abstract Through ethnographic research at a model garment factory in Central Mexico that had re-organized under lean techniques in 1996, this article challenges assumptions made by development theorists who posit industrial upgrading as the path to development. The article argues greater attention needs to be given to differential capitalization structures, institutional pressures, management fashion-setters and power changes in the apparel and textile commodity chain that constrain upgrading for Third World firms. In this case study, sunk costs made to transform the firm in question into a lean factory and full-package producer, in the end debilitated the firm's capacity to respond to market fluctuations and worker unrest. Paradoxically, in an effort to become a flexible producer a successful export manufacturer devolved into a sub-contractor, and eventually closed its doors.
Simplex: A Method for Spectral Deconvolution Applicable to Energy Dispersion Analysis

In many types of spectral analysis, the quantitation of results is often complicated by the presence of overlapping peaks. We have treated deconvolution as a parameter estimation problem and have applied an optimization procedure called simplex to resolve the true area of overlapping peaks such as those frequently encountered in energy dispersion analysis spectra. This technique overcomes many of the limitations of present deconvolution techniques such as resolution enhancement and digital filter-correlation and has the added advantage of not involving the use of partial derivatives as encountered in gradient-type optimization techniques. This procedure has been applied to a series of artificially generated overlapping Gaussian peaks which are close analogs to actual peaks. The results of this study have shown that this function converges and the correct area of those overlapping peaks can be estimated by this deconvolution.
Relationship of peak growth hormone to cardiovascular parameters, waist circumference, lipids and glucose in HIV-infected patients and healthy adults.

OBJECTIVE Relative growth hormone (GH) deficiency is highly prevalent in patients with HIV. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships of GH to metabolic and anthropometric parameters in HIV patients and non-HIV controls. DESIGN Peak GH and metabolic parameters were assessed in a cross-sectional study of 191 HIV patients and 62 age and BMI-matched healthy controls. METHODS Peak GH was assessed by GHRH/arginine stimulation testing. RESULTS HIV patients demonstrated similar BMI, but increased waist circumference (WC) and reduced peak GH to GHRH/arginine compared with control subjects [median = 12.4 (interquartile range: 6.3-24.8) vs. 21.3 (8.8, 34.5) μg/l, P = 0.006, HIV vs. control]. Among HIV and non-HIV groups, peak GH was inversely associated with WC (rho = -0.44, P < 0.0001; rho = -0.63, P < 0.0001; HIV patients and controls, respectively), blood pressure (rho = -0.17, P = 0.02; rho = -0.36, P = 0.004), triglycerides (rho = -0.37, P < 0.0001; rho = -0.43, P = 0.001), glucose (rho = -0.34, P < 0.0001; rho = -0.30, P = 0.02), insulin (rho = -0.43, P < 0.0001; rho = -0.60, P < 0.0001) and CRP (rho= -0.29, P < 0.0001; rho = -0.59, P < 0.0001). Among HIV patients, the inverse association between peak GH and fasting glucose remained significant (β = -0.006 mmol/l change in glucose per μg/l change in GH, P = 0.004) controlling for age, gender, race, BMI, WC, protease inhibitor (PI) and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Similarly, the inverse association between peak GH and triglycerides remained significant (β = -0.01 mmol/l change in triglycerides per μg/l change in GH, P = 0.02) controlling for age, gender, race, BMI, WC, PI and lipid-lowering medications. HIV men with peak GH < 7.5 μg/l demonstrated higher BMI, WC, SBP, triglycerides, glucose and CRP. CONCLUSIONS Reduced GH secretion is independently associated with dyslipidaemia and higher glucose, among HIV patients with abdominal fat accumulation.
The Limits of Superpower: The United States and the Soviet Union since World War II

Abstract Superpowers are of critical importance in the regulation of global affairs. Since World War II, the U.S. and the Soviet Union imposed a bipolar order that had worldwide repercussions. Now that the Cold War has ended and the Soviet Union has disintegrated, the eyes of the world are on the U.S., as the sole remaining superpower and on its role in the “new world order.’While there is an abundance of studies concerned with superpowers, very few deal both theoretically and empirically with the interrelationship between the superpowers and their global political environment. This article provides a general theoretical framework for studying the interrelationships between superpowers and their political environments, presents an empirical analysis that covers the Cold War era from 1948–88, and discusses the findings in the light of current debates about U.S. unilateralism in the post-Cold War world. The global political environment functioned as an arena for U.S. Soviet competition but at the same time ...
Suppressor activity and potency among regulatory T cells is discriminated by functionally active CD44

CD4CD25+ regulatory T cells are fundamental to the maintenance of peripheral tolerance and have great therapeutic potential. However, efforts in this regard have been hampered by limiting cell numbers in vivo, an anergic phenotype in vitro, and a rudimentary understanding of the molecular basis for the functional state of CD4CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg cells). Here we show heterogeneity of suppressor activity among activated CD4CD25+ Treg cells and that, within this population, the functionally active, hyaluronan-binding form of CD44 (CD44act) is strikingly correlated with superior suppressor activity. Within 16 hours after in vitro activation, CD44act can discriminate enhanced suppressive function in in vitro proliferation assays and in an in vivo bone marrow engraftment model. The expression of other surface markers and that of Foxp3 are similar irrespective of hyaluronan binding and associated degree of suppressor potency. Furthermore, CD44act is induced on resting CD4CD25+ cells in vivo by allogeneic stimulation, with similar functional consequences. These results reveal a cell-surface marker that delineates functional activity within a population of activated CD4CD25+ regulatory T cells, thereby providing a potential tool for identifying regulatory activity and enriching for maximal suppressor potency.
Ford Motor Company's Advanced Gauging Program And Systems

In the past, electro-optical inspection technology met with little success in the automotive industry's production environment. Service, maintainability and reliability were high on the list of problems. A credibility gap between the industrial minded plants and the laboratory oriented suppliers developed through a lack of understanding on both sides. Recent social, economic and competitive pressures have made increased quality demands of the automotive industry. Advanced technology can be an effective tool in solving quality problems if that old credibility gap is bridged. The Transmission and Chassis Division of Ford Motor Company has developed an Advanced Gauging Program in an attempt to bridge that gap. Program funded feasibility demonstrations provide manufacturing plants with a technical awareness, and suppliers with a knowledge of industrial conditions and requirements. Currently installed advanced gauging systems are paving the way for future inspection needs.© (1971) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Hepatitis C virus core protein inhibits human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication.

Abstract We previously demonstrated that hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein is a strong repressor of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) long terminal repeat (LTR) basal transcription. In this study, we have localized the HCV core protein-response domain to a region between nucleotides − 65 and + 3 within the HIV-LTR. Thus, neither the upstream negative regulatory elements, or binding sites for various transcription factors (e.g. NF- k B, USF-1, IL2/IL-2R) nor the downstream TAR regions were involved in HCV core-mediated repression. HCV core protein mediated repression of the basal transcriptional activity of HIV-1 LTR was abrogated by the Tat protein. Furthermore, HeLa-T4 cells expressing HCV core protein showed inhibition of HIV-1 replication after acute infection with cell-free HIV. A similar observation was also noted in CD4 + and CD4 − lymphocytic cell lines cotransfected with an infectious molecular clone of HIV-1 and the HCV core protein expression vector. Thus, a repression of basal transcription prior to the accumulation of threshold levels of Tat protein appears to restrict HIV-1 transcription and modulate viral replication.