cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Retrospective Comparison of Outcomes, Diagnostic Value, and Complications of Percutaneous Prolonged Drainage Versus Surgical Pericardiotomy of Pericardial Effusion Associated With Malignancy

Surgical pericardiotomy is often preferred as a primary option in patients with malignant pericardial effusions. Recent series have revealed that prolonged drainage substantially reduces pericardial effusion recurrence rates, even in the setting of malignancy. The aim of the study was to directly compare the efficacy of pericardiocentesis with prolonged drainage with the primary surgical pericardiotomy in patients with symptomatic pericardial effusion associated with a malignancy. We retrospectively evaluated 88 patients who presented with pericardial tamponade associated with a malignancy. Pericardiocentesis with extended drainage was performed in 43 patients and surgical pericardiotomy in 45 patients. The recurrence rate was not significantly different in patients with prolonged catheter drainage versus surgical pericardiotomy (12% vs 13%, respectively, p = 0.78). In addition, there was no significant difference in diagnostic yield between percutaneous drainage and surgical window (44% vs 53%, respectively, p = 0.39). The overall rate of complications was significantly lower in the prolonged drainage group (2% vs 20%, p = 0.007). Moreover, there were no serious complications in the prolonged drainage group versus 9% in the surgical pericardiotomy group. In conclusion, (1) surgical pericardiotomy with pericardial biopsy does not add significant diagnostic value beyond the cytologic assessment available with pericardiocentesis, (2) surgical pericardiotomy does not improve clinical outcomes over pericardiocentesis, and (3) surgical pericardiotomy is associated with a higher rate of complications.
The Impact of Restorative Justice on the Development of Guilt, Shame, and Empathy Among Participants in a Victim Impact Training Program

Abstract The present study is a panel-design study with the primary goal of examining the effect of a restorative justice program (Victim Impact Training [VIT]) on the development of guilt, shame, and empathy among offenders. The MANCOVA results show no overall significant differences between offenders who participated in the VIT program on their development of guilt, shame, and empathy over time. However, ANCOVA results indicate significant relationships among gender, program type, guilt, shame, and empathy. These findings and their implications are discussed.
FEDERAL DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL POLICY, FIRM STRATEGY, AND REGIONAL CONVERSION INITIATIVES IN FOUR AMERICAN AEROSPACE REGIONS

This article examines divergent experiences among U.S. defense regions in the post-cold war era, highlighting the interplay between shifting federal policies, large defense firm investment and location decisions, and adjustment policies implemented by regional actors. Case studies of four defense aerospace centers reveal that economic impacts were highly uneven across major defense regions. Regional conversion and diversification efforts mitigated some adjustment costs when local actors overcame interjurisdictional conflict and vested leadership in a single agency or government department. Communities that had experienced structural downturns in previous periods were better able to draw on prior knowledge, pull actors together, and plan more strategically. While the scale of local initiatives has not been large enough to have measurable impacts on aggregate regional economic performance, conversion programs did succeed in overcoming specific market failures and improved outcomes at the level of firms and ...
Enhancing agoraphobia treatment outcome by changing couple communication patterns

Twenty-four females meeting the DSM-III criteria for agoraphobia with panic attacks underwent partner-assisted exposure therapy followed by either Couples Relaxation Training or Couples Communication Skills Training. Posttest results indicated an advantage in favor of communications training. Subjects in this condition reported significantly lower scores on the agoraphobia subscale of the Fear Questionnaire, significantly more unaccompanied excursions out of the home, and performed significantly better on a Behavioral Approach Test than their counterparts in the relaxation group. While both groups demonstrated a slight tendency toward relapse at the 8-month follow-up, significant differences between groups were maintained on the Behavioral Approach Test and on the number of excursions out of the home. Communication training may help couples to identify and change patterns of interaction that impede agoraphobics' progress in overcoming phobic avoidance.
1045 TRANSMISSION OF CYTOMEGALOVIRUS WITHIN A LARGE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE NURSERY

Acquired cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality for very low birthweight (LEW) infants, <1300gm, and infant-to-infant transmission has apparently occurred. Therefore, CMV acquisition by all infants hospitalized over 30 days was prospectively studied in a 60-bed neonatal intensive care nursery for 24 months. All newborn urines were cultured for CMV at birth and weekly until discharge. Sera from all LEW infants were assayed for IgG against CMV(EIA). All LEW infants lacking IgG against CMV (seronegative) received blood products from seronegative donors. Of 87 LEW infants born with IgG against CMV (seropositive), 7 acquired CMV while hospitalized. Of 71 LEW seronegative infants none acquired CMV (p<0.01 compared to seropositive infants). Infants with CMV viruria received no special isolation proceedures. No infant acquiring CMV received breast milk. EcoRI digestion of the DMAs of 13 CMV isolates from infants (acquired and congenital) during the last year showed no identical isolates. These results prove that transmission of CMV from infant to infant within a large neonatal intensive care unit occurs without significant frequency.
Sensitization of Neuronal Cells to Oxidative Stress with Mutated Human α‐Synuclein

Linkage of alpha-synuclein (alpha-SN) mutations to familial Parkinson's disease (PD) and presence of alpha-SN as a major constituent of Lewy body in both sporadic and familial PD implicate alpha-SN abnormality in PD pathogenesis. Here we demonstrate that overexpression of wild-type or mutant alpha-SN does not cause any deleterious effect on the growth or continued propagation of transfected human cells, but overproduction of mutant alpha-SN heightens their sensitivity to menadione-induced oxidative injury. Such enhanced vulnerability is more pronounced in neuronal transfectants than in their nonneuronal counterparts and is associated with increased production of reactive oxygen species. The data suggest that mutated alpha-SN, especially with an alanine-to-proline substitution at residue 30, sensitizes neuronal cells to oxidative damage.
Antineoplastic agents. 535. Isolation and structure of plakorstatins 1 and 2 from the Indo-Pacific sponge Plakortis nigra.

Two new cancer cell growth inhibiting cyclic peroxides, plakorstatins 1 (1) and 2 (2), were isolated from the Indonesian marine sponge Plakortis nigra. The structures of plakorstatins 1 and 2 including relative configuration were elucidated on the basis of mass and 2D NMR spectroscopic interpretations. These are the first plakortides with an epoxy group in the side chain. Plakorstatin 2 was found to differ from plakorstatin 1 only in the configuration of the epoxide group. Both exhibited moderate cancer cell growth inhibition against the murine P388 lymphocytic leukemia cell line with ED50 values of 1.1 and 0.91 μg/mL, respectively, for peroxides 1 and 2.
Enhanced Macrocyclizing Activity of the Thioesterase from Tyrocidine Synthetase in Presence of Nonionic Detergent

Macrocyclization carried out by thioesterase domains of multimodular nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) is a key step in the biosynthesis of many biologically active peptides. The thioesterase excised from tyrocidine synthetase is a versatile macrocyclization catalyst and a useful tool for chemoenzymatic synthesis of diverse cyclic peptides. However, its utility is limited by its short lifetime of catalytic activity as well as significant flux of the acyl-enzyme intermediate to hydrolysis. The addition of Brij 58, a nonionic detergent, above the critical micelle concentration, has dramatic effects on enzyme activity: catalytic activity is extended to >60 min and the rate of cyclization (but not hydrolysis) increases 6-fold, resulting in a net 150- to 300-fold increase in cyclic product yields. This enhanced activity allowed enzymatic macrocyclization of a solid phase library of tyrocidine decapeptides to identify acceptable substitutions at the Orn9 position which had previously been inaccessible for diversification.
The effect of advection on the nutrient reservoir in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre

Though critically important in sustaining the ocean's biological pump, the cycling of nutrients in the subtropical gyres is poorly understood. The supply of nutrients to the sunlit surface layer of the ocean has traditionally been attributed solely to vertical processes. However, horizontal advection may also be important in establishing the availability of nutrients. Here we show that the production and advection of North Atlantic Subtropical Mode Water introduces spatial and temporal variability in the subsurface nutrient reservoir beneath the North Atlantic subtropical gyre. As the mode water is formed, its nutrients are depleted by biological utilization. When the depleted water mass is exported to the gyre, it injects a wedge of low-nutrient water into the upper layers of the ocean. Contrary to intuition, cold winters that promote deep convective mixing and vigorous mode water formation may diminish downstream primary productivity by altering the subsurface delivery of nutrients.
Education for life in the sky

Summary This paper outlines the position that humans are basically adapted for life in the ocean of air but that they tend to be poorly educated about that world of sky and its physical and psychological impacts on their lives. Reasons for this lack of basic awareness are suggested and it is argued that educational systems should do more to include education about the sky and people in the basic curriculum. A working outline of a possible formal, interdisciplinary curriculum is included as is a schematic for a nonformal curriculum webbing strategy relative to the sky. The article also includes topical suggestions for sky-oriented adult programs.
Nucleation and growth of combustion flame deposited diamond on silicon nitride

Abstract The effect of substrate temperature ( T s ) on the nucleation and growth of diamond on silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) based substrates deposited via the oxy-acetylene combustion flame technique was investigated. The diamond deposits were characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The nucleation density of the resulting deposits, which was of the order 10 5 nuclei/cm 2 , was used to approximate the activation energy for heterogeneous nucleation of diamond as32 – 40 kcal/mol. An Arrhenius plot of particle growth rate was used to calculate the activation energy for diamond growth as9.4 and 8.3 kcal/mol in the center and outside annulus of the deposit, respectively. These results suggest that the heterogeneous nucleation of diamond is a highly energetic process and may in fact be responsible for the observed low nucleation density of diamond on Si 3 N 4 . Thermodynamic analysis of gas/substrate reactions under conventional process conditions predicted that SiC formation, which is known to be a necessary precursor to diamond nucleation on Si, is energetically forbidden. Via kinetic and thermodynamic considerations, a patented in situ multistage deposition technique was developed which yielded continuous diamond coatings on Si 3 N 4 substrates without extensive substrate preparation.
Severe limb defects in Hypodactyly mice result from the expression of a novel, mutant HOXA13 protein.

Hypodactyly (Hoxa13(Hd)) mice have a 50-bp deletion in the coding region of exon 1 of the Hoxa13 gene and have more severe limb defects than mice with an engineered deletion of the entire gene (Hoxa13(-/-)). Increased cell death is observed in the autopod of Hoxa13(Hd/Hd) but not Hoxa13(-/-) limb buds. In addition, compound heterozygotes for one Hd allele and a Hoxa13(-) allele have a more severe limb phenotype than mice homozygous for the engineered null allele, suggesting a dominant-negative effect of the Hd mutation. The Hoxa13(Hd) deletion does not interfere with steady-state mRNA levels; however, its consequences on translation are unknown. In this paper, we characterize the Hoxa13 transcription initiation site in limbs and determine the initiator methionine of HOXA13. We show that the Hoxa13(Hd) deletion results in a translational frame shift that leads to the loss of wild-type HOXA13 protein and the simultaneous production of a novel, stable protein in the limb buds of mutant mice. The mutant Hd protein (HOXA13(Hd)) consists of the first 25 amino acids of wild-type HOXA13 sequence, followed by 275 amino acids of arginine- and lysine-rich, novel sequence, and lacks the homeodomain. Like wild-type HOXA13, HOXA13(Hd) is localized to the nucleus in transfected COS-7 cells, perhaps mediated by the arginine- and lysine-rich peptide sequences created by the translational frame shift. To determine whether HOXA13(Hd) could alter limb morphogenesis, we misexpressed the mutant mRNA throughout the developing limb bud using a Prx-1 promoter-Hd gene construct in transgenic mice. Three of 15 transgenic founder animals displayed reduction or absence of proximal and distal limb structures. We propose that the expression of HOXA13(Hd) plays a role in the profound failure of digit formation in Hoxa13(Hd/Hd) mice and explains the morphologic differences between these two Hoxa13 alleles.
Molecular evaluation of abnormalities of the short arm of chromosome I in neuroblastoma

Cytogenetic analyses have documented the consistent deletion of part of the short arm of chromosome 1 in neuroblastoma cells suggesting the presence of a suppressor gene in this chromosomal region. To determine, the smallest region of deletion overlap at the molecular level on independently derived tumors and to define the location of the breakpoints more precisely, Southern analyses were performed on a somatic cell hybrid panel containing the normal and altered chromosomes 1 from seven neuroblastoma lines. By this method we were able to analyze a panel of 20 cloned sequences and two isozymes to determine the location of the breakpoints. Our findings indicate that the proximal breakpoints of chromosome 1 deletions ranged over a distance of more than 50 cM with the most distal deletion breakpoint occurring between MYCL1 and D1S57. In addition, using restriction fragment length polymorphisms, it was determined that in at least three of the five cell lines in which MYCL1 was deleted from a chromosome 1, the gene was translocated to another chromosome thus retaining the diploid complement. We propose that the neuroblastoma susceptibility gene is located distal to MYCL1 and that there is another gene which is linked to MYCL1 that may be involved in this neoplasm.
Systematic and Zoogeographic aspects of asiatic ephemeridae (ephemeroptera)

Abstract The Ephemeridae of the Asiatic area are treated with particular emphasis given to those of the Oriental Region. A reevaluation and illustrated synopsis of the genus Eatonigenia Ulmer are presented, including the description of the nymphal stage of the genus for the first time. E. chaperi (Navas) is described from Thailand, and two new species, E. trirama, and E. seca are described from India and Thailand respectively. The previous Hexagenia indica Chopra is newly placed as E. indica (Chopra) comb. nov. Inferred relationships of all Asiatic ephemerid genera are discussed in terms of phyletic and zoogeographic affinities. The actual occurrence of Hexagenia Walsh in the area appears highly doubtful.
Complications of diabetes: Prevalence, detection, current treatment, and prognosis

The late complications associated with diabetes mellitus affect the eye (retinopathy and cataract), the kidney (diabetic glomerulosclerosis), the nerves (mononeuropathies, distal symmetric polyneuropathy, and autonomic neuropathy), and the large blood vessels (coronary artery, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular disease). With the exception of large blood vessel disease, evidence in animals and humans has suggested that the development of diabetes-associated complications is related to metabolic abnormalities associated with hyperglycemia. Although the exact mechanism by which hyperglycemia causes damage in individual tissues is unknown, a number of potentially pathogenic mechanisms have been proposed. These include increased activity of the polyol pathway, disturbance in the metabolism of myo-inositol and its phospholipid derivatives, abnormal permeability of the small blood vessels, and excessive glycosylation of various proteins. With the introduction of potent aldose reductase inhibitors, the role of increased activity of the polyol pathway (and related abnormalities in myo-inositol metabolism) in the pathogenesis of diabetes-associated complications can be clarified.
Mixed micropapillary and trophoblastic carcinoma of bladder: report of a first case with new immunohistochemical evidence of urothelial origin

The micropapillary variant of urothelial carcinoma has a reported incidence of 0.7%. Trophoblastic urinary carcinoma is very rare, with roughly 30 cases reported during the last century. This is the first report of mixed micropapillary and trophoblastic bladder carcinoma. A 45-year-old man presented with gross hematuria. His tumor contained choriocarcinomatoid areas with syncytiotrophoblasts, classic micropapillary carcinoma, conventional high-grade urothelial carcinoma, and flat carcinoma in situ. He underwent radical surgery; tumor stage was T4N2M0. Despite postoperative combination chemotherapy, he developed pulmonary and retroperitoneal metastases and died 20 months after presentation. The tumor was immunopositive for human chorionic gonadotropin and human placental lactogen in trophoblast and for cytokeratin 20 and high-molecular-weight cytokeratin in all tumor components. Because high-molecular-weight cytokeratin is expressed by urothelium but is rarely found in placental trophoblast or germ-cell choriocarcinoma, its presence in trophoblastic bladder carcinoma is new evidence that the latter is a transformed neoplasm of urothelial origin.
Lnx-2b restricts gsc expression to the dorsal mesoderm by limiting Nodal and Bozozok activity

Coordinated Nodal-related signals and Bozozok (Boz) activity are critical for the initial specification of dorsal mesoderm and anterior neuroectoderm during zebrafish embryogenesis. Overexpression of Boz expands gsc expression into the ventro-lateral marginal blastomeres where Nodal signaling is active, but is insufficient to induce ectopic gsc expression in the animal region. We found that overexpression of Boz together with depletion of Lnx-2b (previously named Lnx-like, Lnx-l), but not each manipulation alone, causes robust gsc expression in all blastomeres. Furthermore, nodal-related signals are required for gsc expression in embryos with elevated Boz activity. Through targeted injection into single cells at the 128-cell stage we illustrate the role of maternally deposited Lnx-2b to restrict the expansion of gsc expression into the presumptive ectodermal region. This report provides a novel mechanism for limiting dorsal organizer specification to a defined region of the early zebrafish embryo.
Toll-like receptor 4 is a key mediator of murine steatotic liver warm ischemia/reperfusion injury

Steatotic donors are routinely rejected for transplantation because of their increased rate of primary nonfunction. These grafts are more sensitive to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) during transplantation. Removal of endotoxin before reperfusion improves liver performance post-I/R. We hypothesize that the main modality of injury in steatotic livers is toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling. We fed 4-week-old control and TLR4-deficient (TLR4KO) mice a normal diet (ND) or a 60% high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 weeks to induce steatosis. Mice were subjected to total hepatic ischemia (35 minutes) and reperfusion (1 or 24 hours). Survival improved and liver pathology decreased at 24 hours in TLR4KO HFD animals compared to control HFD animals. An investigation of infiltrates showed that neutrophils and CD4+ cells were increased at 24 hours in control HFD animals, whereas TLR4KO HFD animals were similar to ND controls. Messenger RNA levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-12, and interferon gamma were elevated at 1 hour in control HFD animals, whereas TLR4KO HFD animals were similar to ND controls. IL-10 levels at 1 hour of reperfusion in control HFD and TLR4KO animals were decreased versus control ND animals. In conclusion, these improvements in liver function in TLR4KO HFD animals implicate TLR4 as a mediator of steatotic graft failure after I/R.
Ovine uteroplacental glucose and oxygen metabolism in relation to chronic changes in maternal and fetal glucose concentrations

Abstract We tested whether uterine glucose uptake rate (UtGU), placental glucose transport rate to the fetus (PGT) and uteroplacental glucose consumption rate (UPGC) were altered in chronically catheterized pregnant sheep after 2–5 week intravenous infusions of glucose or insulin that produced sustained maternal and fetal hyper- or hypoglycemia. In the hyperglycemic animals, UtGU was greater than that of controls; the excess UtGU was partitioned into non-oxidative UPGC rather than PGT. The ‘normal’ rate of PGT observed in the hyperglycemic animals is probably related to suppression of fetal insulin concentration which would decrease fetal glucose clearance and thus the transplacental glucose concentration gradient. The increase in UPGC may help prevent an excessive supply of glucose to the fetus. In the hypoglycemic animals, weight-specific UPGC and uteroplacental oxygen uptake were not different from controls; placental weight also was reduced, an adaptation that maintained normal placental metabolism per unit tissue and did not disproportionately deprive the fetus of glucose supply.
Flame-structure studies of CF3Br-inhibited methane flames

Low-pressure flat flames have been probed with a molecular-beam sampling system coupledto a modulated-beam mass spectrometer. The purpose of the study is to determine and compare the microstructure of normal CH 4 -O 2 -Ar flames, and those inhibited by CF 3 Br, in order to provide some basis for an understanding of how inhibition is effected in this system. The experimental facility is new and is described in some detail. Composition profiles of slightly lean, uninhibited flames were obtained for the major stable species (CH 4 , O 2 , CO, CO 2 , H 2 O) and H 2 and H 2 CO. Sampling at low electron energies gave, with appropriate corrections, a profile for the 17 + peak which is assigned to hydroxyl radical. Profiles were also determined for a CH 4 -O 2 -Ar flame containing 0.3% CF 3 Br. In addition to the usual flame species, the inhibitor, its products, and intermediates associated with its reactions could be followed. In particular, HBr and Br atoms could be followed; hydrogen fluoride and carbonyl fluoride were also observed. The inhibited flame is characterized by an early disappearance of inhibitor and correspondingly early appearance of products due to its reaction. Carbonyl fluoride and HBr behave like intermediates. Hydrogen fluoride and bromine atoms are the primary equilibrium flame products to be associated with the inhibitor. The immediate appearance of fluorinated species suggests a short lifetime for the CF 3 radical in this system, and the observation of carbonyl fluoride suggests that this inhibitor is effective, at least in part, by virtue of its interference with the oxygen-containing species of the normal chain mechanism.
On the structure of the theory of viscoplasticity

Abstract In various formulations of plasticity, there is evident a structure embracing several features, including inviscidity, a yield condition, and a constitutive inequality. By means of these features the constitutive equations of plasticity are derived. In the present paper we introduce a viscoplastic counterpart of the constitutive inequality of plasticity, and we consider its physical significance. We also present a theory of viscoplasticity having a structure similar to that of plasticity and its relation with the Hohenemser-Prager prototype of viscoplastic constitutive relations is considered.
Models of rock varnish formation constrained by high resolution transmission electron microscopy

Nanometre-scale transmission electron microscope imagery of manganiferous rock varnishes from Death Valley, California, Peru, Antarctica, and Hawaii confirms prior infrared mineralogy studies. The building blocks of rock varnish are clay minerals that are cemented to the rock by oxyhydroxides of manganese and iron. Rock varnish is layered on the scale of nanometres, with the basic structure defined by the subparallel alignment of detrital clay minerals. Although only a few examples of bacteria were found, possible cell-wall encrustations are ubiquitous and aligned with the clay minerals. Mn–Fe oxides appear to be mobilized from bacterial casts and then reprecipitate on clay minerals that weather into monolayers. These observations have implications for varnish dating and palaeoenvironmental techniques: K–Ar and uranium-series dating of rock-varnish oxides can only yield minimum ages; however, this small spatial scale of mobilization would not alter the signal from micron-scale microchemical laminations.
Weight loss and calcium intake influence calcium absorption in overweight postmenopausal women

BACKGROUND Weight loss (WL) reduces bone mass and increases fracture risk. Mechanisms regulating calcium metabolism during WL are unclear. OBJECTIVE The objective was to assess the effect of 6 wk of WL at 2 different amounts of calcium intake [normal (NlCa): 1 g/d; high (HiCa): 1.8 g/d] on true fractional calcium absorption (TFCA), bone turnover, and bone-regulating hormones in overweight postmenopausal women. DESIGN Seventy-three women (body mass index, 26.9 +/- 1.9 kg/m(2)) were recruited either to consume a moderately energy-restricted diet (WL group) or to maintain their body weight [weight-maintenance (WM) group] and were randomly assigned to either the HiCa or the NlCa group in a double-blind manner. Subjects underwent weekly diet counseling, and measurements were taken at baseline and after 6 wk. RESULTS Fifty-seven women completed the study and had a baseline TFCA of 24.9 +/- 7.4%. Energy restriction significantly decreased the total calcium absorbed (P < 0.05) in the WL group (n = 32) compared with the WM group (n = 25; analysis of covariance). Regression analysis showed that a greater rate of weight loss suppressed TFCA and the total calcium absorbed (P < 0.05) in the HiCa group. The women in the NlCa WL group absorbed inadequate amounts of calcium (195 +/- 49 mg/d), whereas the women in the HiCa WL group absorbed adequate amounts (348 +/- 118 mg/d). Parathyroid hormone explained 22% of the variance in calcium absorbed in the NlCa group only. CONCLUSIONS We suggest that WL is associated with elevated calcium requirements that, if not met, could activate the calcium-parathyroid hormone axis to absorb more calcium. Normal intakes of calcium during energy restriction result in inadequate total calcium absorption and could ultimately compromise calcium balance and bone mass.
Elastic compliances of non-flat cracks

Abstract Cracks of non-flat geometries are common in materials science applications. Their effect on the overall elastic properties is addressed. Applications of Rice’s [Rice, J.R., 1975. Continuum mechanics and thermodynamics of plasticity in relation to microscale deformation mechanisms. In: Argon, A. (Ed.), Constitutive Equations in Plasticity, MIT Press, pp. 23–75.] theorem that, in particular, relates stress intensity factors to crack compliances, are discussed and illustrated by a 2-D example of a circular arc crack. Then we conduct computational studies of several non-flat patterns and suggest a simple approximation for compliances of non-flat cracks. Implications for anisotropy due to non-random orientation distributions of cracks of non-flat geometries are discussed.
Audit Committee Financial Expertise, Competing Corporate Governance Mechanisms, and Earnings Management

A prime objective of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and recent changes to stock exchange listing standards is to improve the quality of financial reporting. We examine the associations between audit committee financial expertise and alternate corporate governance mechanisms and earnings management. We find that both accounting and certain types of non-accounting financial expertise reduce earnings management for firms with weak alternate corporate governance mechanisms, but that independent audit committee members with financial expertise are most effective in mitigating earnings management. Importantly we find that alternate corporate governance mechanisms are an effective substitute for audit committee financial expertise in constraining earnings management. Finally, we find either no association or a positive association between financial expertise and real earnings management. Our results suggest that alternate governance approaches are equally effective in improving the quality of financial reporting, and that firms should have the flexibility to design the particular set of governance mechanisms that best fit their unique situations.
Why Sleep Is Important for Health: A Psychoneuroimmunology Perspective

Sleep has a critical role in promoting health. Research over the past decade has documented that sleep disturbance has a powerful influence on the risk of infectious disease, the occurrence and progression of several major medical illnesses including cardiovascular disease and cancer, and the incidence of depression. Increasingly, the field has focused on identifying the biological mechanisms underlying these effects. This review highlights the impact of sleep on adaptive and innate immunity, with consideration of the dynamics of sleep disturbance, sleep restriction, and insomnia on (a) antiviral immune responses with consequences for vaccine responses and infectious disease risk and (b) proinflammatory immune responses with implications for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and depression. This review also discusses the neuroendocrine and autonomic neural underpinnings linking sleep disturbance and immunity and the reciprocal links between sleep and inflammatory biology. Finally, interventions are discussed as effective strategies to improve sleep, and potential opportunities are identified to promote sleep health for therapeutic control of chronic infectious, inflammatory, and neuropsychiatric diseases.
Scaffolding in the Writing Center: A Microanalysis of an Experienced Tutor’s Verbal and Nonverbal Tutoring Strategies

In this microanalysis, a university writing center conference with an experienced tutor and a student he has never met before is analyzed for the tutor’s use of direct instruction, cognitive scaffo...
Comprehensive Product Platform Planning (CP3) for a Modular Family of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The development of products with a modular structure, where the constituent modules could be derived from a set of common platforms to suit different market niches, provides unique engineering and economic advantages. However, the quantitative design of such modular product platforms could become significantly challenging for complex products. The Comprehensive Product Platform Planning (CP 3 ) method facilitates effective design of such product platforms. The original CP 3 method is however typically suitable for scale-based product family design. In this paper, we perform important modifications to the commonality matrix and the commonality constraint formulation in CP 3 to advance its applicability to modular product family design. A commonality index (CI), defined in terms of the number of unique modules in a family, is
Use of nuclear morphometry, gleason histologic scoring, clinical stage, and age to predict disease-free survival among patients with prostate cancer.

Background. Currently, there are no accurate methods for predicting metastases or time to disease progression for patients with clinically localized prostate cancer after surgery. Methods. In this report, histologic sections were studied from prostate cancer specimens from 100 men with clinically localized prostate cancer (clinical Stages A1 [9 cases], A2 [24 cases], B1 [27 cases], and B2 [40 cases]; pathologic Stages A1 [9 cases], A2 [22 cases], B [23 cases], C1 [8 cases], and D1 [38 cases]) to determine whether nuclear morphometry—when analyzed with clinical stage, pathologic parameters, and age in a multivariate fashion—would predict time to disease progression. Results. These patients were treated with surgery alone for their clinically localized disease and were observed after surgery until disease progression or death. For each of the 100 specimens, 16 different mathematical descriptors described the shape of 150 nuclei. A series of 17 different statistical measurements were calculated to accurately describe the distribution, extremes, and variability within each descriptor. As univariate predictors, the variance of nuclear roundness, the mean of ellipticity, the Gleason score, age, and clinical stage were statistically significant predictors of disease progression when analyzed with Kaplan-Meier survival curves. A prognostic factor score calculated with multivariate analysis of clinical stage, Gleason score, age, and variance of nuclear roundness separated the patients into three statistically distinct groups and predicted time to progression by the Kaplan-Meier life table and Cox proportional hazards analysis. Conclusions. This prognostic factor score may aid in stratifying patients into high-risk and low-risk groups for testing adjuvant therapies for prostate cancer.
Resource aware programming in the Pixie OS

This paper presents Pixie, a new sensor node operating system designed to support the needs of data-intensive applications. These applications, which include high-resolution monitoring of acoustic, seismic, acceleration, and other signals, involve high data rates and extensive in-network processing. Given the fundamentally resource-limited nature of sensor networks, a pressing concern for such applications is their ability to receive feedback on, and adapt their behavior to, fluctuations in both resource availability and load.The Pixie OS is based on a dataflow programming model based on the concept of resource tickets, a core abstraction for representing resource availability and reservations. By giving the system visibility and fine-grained control over resource management, a broad range of policies can be implemented. To shield application programmers from the burden of managing these details, Pixie provides a suite of resource brokers, which mediate between low-level physical resources and higher-level application demands. Pixie is implemented in NesC and supports limited backwards compatibility with TinyOS.We describe Pixie in the context of two applications: limb motion analysis for patients undergoing treatment for motion disorders, and acoustic target detection using a network of microphones. We present a range of experiments demonstrating Pixie's ability to accurately account for resource availability at runtime and enable a range of both generic and application-specific adaptations.
Peroxisome proliferator-activated nuclear receptors and drug addiction

Recent research with animal models of human drug dependence has demonstrated that a receptor related to the endogenous cannabinoid system, the peroxisome proliferator-activated alpha nuclear receptor (PPARα), which regulates genes involved in lipid metabolism and inflammatory responses, is a viable target for treating nicotine dependence. The endogenous ligands for PPARα, oleoylethanolamide and palmitoylethanolamide, are structurally similar to anandamide, an endogenous ligand for cannabinoid receptors, and all three share the same degrading mechanism. Anandamide also has been reported to act at PPARα, as well as PPARγ, suggesting overlap and potential interactions between endogenous cannabinoid and PPAR receptor systems. In rat and nonhuman primate models of human tobacco dependence, PPARα agonists counteract neurochemical effects of nicotine in the brain that mediate nicotine’s rewarding effects and suppress nicotine self-administration behavior and relapse to nicotine-seeking behavior, suggesting PPARα agonists as a treatment for tobacco dependence. In other studies, the PPARγ agonists, pioglitazone and rosiglitazone, that belong to the class of thiazolidinediones (TZDs), which are used for the treatment of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, suppress alcohol-drinking behavior and relapse to alcohol-seeking behavior, as well as signs of alcohol withdrawal in rats, suggesting TZDs as a treatment for alcohol dependence. In addition, both PPARα and PPARγ activation suppress sensitization that develops the effects of psychostimulants and opioids when they are administered chronically. Since behavioral sensitization is believed to contribute to the development of drug dependence, these findings suggest a general utility of PPAR agonists as treatments for drug dependence.
Does Human Development Influence Women’s Labour Force Participation Rate? Evidences from the Fiji Islands

Existing studies on human development and women’s labour force participation rate shows mixed results. Some studies have found that human development influences women’s labour force participation rate while other studies have found that there is no relationship between human development and women’s labour force participation rate. This paper uses data from the United Nations Development Programme, World Bank and Asian Development Bank database to empirically determine whether human development influences women’s labour force participation rate in Fiji. The findings of this study confirm that human development influences women’s labour force participation rate both in the short run and long run. Currently, the most immediate need in Fiji is to review existing education policies that are targeted towards different gender and minority groups so that these policies can effectively contribute towards developing an egalitarian society.
Hyperoxaluria in Patients with Ileal Resection: An Abnormality in Dietary Oxalate Absorption

Intestinal oxalate absorption as reflected by renal oxalate excretion was studied in normal subjects, in patients with an ileostomy who had total colectomy, and in patients who had ileal resection for regional enteritis. Urinary excretion of an oral load of [14C]oxalate was increased in patients with extensive (≥ 100 cm) ileal resection, but it was normal in patients with minimal (
Methods for Extracting V2V Propagation Models from Imperfect RSSI Field Data

We describe three in-field data collection efforts yielding a large database of RSSI values vs. time or distance from vehicles communicating with each other via DSRC. We show several data processing schemes we have devised to develop opportunistic Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) propagation models from such data. The database is limited in several important ways, not least, the presence of a high noise floor that limits the distance over which good modeling is feasible. Another is the presence of interference from multiple active transmitters. Our methodology makes it possible to obtain, despite these limitations, accurate models of median path loss vs. distance, shadow fading, and fast fading caused by multipath. We aim not to develop a new V2V model, but to show the methods enabling such a model to be obtained from in-field RSSI data, without elaborate measurement design and the associated deployment cost. Finally, models based on field data allow for capturing the multiple effects of an increasing number of simultaneous V2V transceivers under typical extreme traffic scenarios.
The Clinical Urine Culture: Enhanced Techniques Improve Detection of Clinically Relevant Microorganisms

Enhanced quantitative urine culture (EQUC) detects live microorganisms in the vast majority of urine specimens reported as "no growth" by the standard urine culture protocol. Here, we evaluated an expanded set of EQUC conditions (expanded-spectrum EQUC) to identify an optimal version that provides a more complete description of uropathogens in women experiencing urinary tract infection (UTI)-like symptoms. One hundred fifty adult urogynecology patient-participants were characterized using a self-completed validated UTI symptom assessment (UTISA) questionnaire and asked "Do you feel you have a UTI?" Women responding negatively were recruited into the no-UTI cohort, while women responding affirmatively were recruited into the UTI cohort; the latter cohort was reassessed with the UTISA questionnaire 3 to 7 days later. Baseline catheterized urine samples were plated using both standard urine culture and expanded-spectrum EQUC protocols: standard urine culture inoculated at 1 μl onto 2 agars incubated aerobically; expanded-spectrum EQUC inoculated at three different volumes of urine onto 7 combinations of agars and environments. Compared to expanded-spectrum EQUC, standard urine culture missed 67% of uropathogens overall and 50% in participants with severe urinary symptoms. Thirty-six percent of participants with missed uropathogens reported no symptom resolution after treatment by standard urine culture results. Optimal detection of uropathogens could be achieved using the following: 100 μl of urine plated onto blood (blood agar plate [BAP]), colistin-nalidixic acid (CNA), and MacConkey agars in 5% CO2 for 48 h. This streamlined EQUC protocol achieved 84% uropathogen detection relative to 33% detection by standard urine culture. The streamlined EQUC protocol improves detection of uropathogens that are likely relevant for symptomatic women, giving clinicians the opportunity to receive additional information not currently reported using standard urine culture techniques.
Augmenting and preserving partition connectivity of a hypergraph

Let k be a positive integer. A hypergraphH is k-partition-connected if for every partition P of V (H), there are at least k(|P |−1) hyperedges intersecting at least two classes of P . In this paper, we determine the minimum number of hyperedges in a hypergraph whose addition makes the resulting hypergraph k-partition-connected. We also characterize the hyperedges of a k-partition-connected hypergraph whose removal will preserve k-partition-connectedness.
Effect of diacetyl on microorganisms.

SummaryDiacetyl prevented the growth of all of a variety of microorganisms in a range of 200-1600 μ/ml. In quantitative studies with a single strain of E. coli, diacetyl exerted an inhibitory action at low concentrations ( 129 μg/ml). It was demonstrated that diacetyl was utilized during growth of E. coli and enhanced final growth when the medium was deficient in glucose.
Disorders of leukocytes leading to recurrent infection.

Because they possess the unique property of phagocytosis, certain blood cells appear to be primarily responsible for host defense against pyogenic and fungal infection. The primary phagocyte of the peripheral blood is the polymorphonuclear neutrophil; its functions and their disorders are described in this paper.
Schizophrenia Modeling Using Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

Abstract The potent classic hallucinogen, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), has a rich history that intertwines with our current understanding of schizophrenia and psychosis. This chapter explores that history and reviews the discovery of serotonin, LSD, and the early use of LSD to model psychosis in both animals and humans. The contemporary use of LSD and related hallucinogens to model schizophrenia and psychosis in animal models is also discussed.
The William Blake Archive: The Medium When the Millennium Is the Message

It is easier than most people probably suppose to be millennial about editing. The closest thing to religious hope left to most of us may be found in the dreams of editors as they come to think of themselves as, modesdy, the temporary guardians of important messages hurling down perilous lines of transmission from origin to unknown ultimate destination or, less modestly, as the foundation builders of a new age of enlightenment and understanding built on a cornerstone of perfect communication.
Event-related brain dynamics in continuous sustained-attention tasks

Event-related brain dynamics of electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in a continuous compensatory tracking task (CTT) and in a continuous driving simulation were analyzed by independent component analysis (ICA) and time-frequency techniques. We showed that changes in the level of subject performance are accompanied by distinct changes in EEG spectrum of a class of bilateral posterior independent EEG components. During periods of high-error (drowsy) performance, tonic alpha band EEG power was significantly elevated, compared to that during periods of low-error (alert) performance. In addition, characteristic transient (phasic) alpha and other band increases and decreases followed critical task events, depending on current performance level. These performance-related and event-related spectral changes were consistently observed across subjects and sessions, and were remarkably similar across the two continuous sustained-attention tasks.
Who Watches the Watchers? The Securities Investor Protection Act, Investor Confidence, and the Subsidization of Failure

The Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 (SIPA) created a special scheme for the liquidation of insolvent securities brokerage firms and established the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) to administer a fund to protect the customers of failed brokers. SIPA is primarily designed to passively reimburse customers for losses due to broker failures and to thereby boost public confidence in securities markets. This Article argues that in order to truly operate as an "investor protection" scheme, SIPA should take an active role in the prevention of brokerage failures, rather than merely attempting to alleviate the harms caused by such failures. SIPA currently shifts much of the cost of broker failures away from the securities brokerage industry, thereby subsidizing it. SIPA should assign more of these costs to the brokerage industry. Such an arrangement is more consistent with the self-regulated nature of the industry. It is also more fair, in that the industry reaps the benefits of SIPA investor protection in the form of investor confidence, and more efficient in that assigning the costs to the best cost-avoider is a more efficient means to long-term customer protection and industry health.
Efficient maximum power point tracking using model predictive control for photovoltaic systems under dynamic weather condition

This study presents a high-efficient maximum power point tracking (MPPT) of photovoltaic (PV) systems by means of model-predictive control (MPC) techniques that is applied to a high-gain DC-DC converter. The high variability and stochastic nature of solar energy requires that the MPPT control continuously adjust the power converter operating point in order to track the changing maximum power point; a concept well known in the literature. The main contribution of this study is a model-predictive-based controller with a fixed step that is combined with the traditional incremental conductance (INC) method. This technique improves the speed at which the controller can track rapid changes in solar insolation and results in an increase in the overall efficiency of the PV system. The controller speeds up convergence since MPC predicts error before the switching signal is applied to the high-gain multilevel DC-DC converter and thus is able to choose the next switch event to minimise error between the commanded and actual converter operation. Comparing the proposed technique to the conventional INC method shows substantial improvement in MPPT effectiveness and PV system performance. The performance of the proposed MPC-MPPT is analysed and validated experimentally.