cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inflammatory Vasculitides of the Central Nervous System

To provide an approach to the evaluation and management of primary and secondary inflammatory vasculitides affecting the central nervous system (CNS). Although early descriptions of inflammatory CNS vasculitis report a universally high mortality rate, more recent cohorts demonstrate that favorable outcomes rely on early diagnosis and treatment. New and re-purposed medications have shown promise in the treatment of CNS vasculitides, and novel imaging modalities may aid in diagnosis. A broad array of diseases can affect CNS vasculature. Accurate diagnosis of CNS vasculitides requires a thorough exploration of systemic inflammatory diseases, as well as a clear understanding of the rare entities that cause vasculitides limited to the CNS.
On minimal Type IIB AdS 6 solutions with commuting 7-branes

We construct Type IIB supergravity solutions with geometry AdS6×S2 warped over a disc with two boundary points where 5-branes emerge and punctures with 7-brane monodromy. They describe (p, q) 5-brane junctions with two groups of like-charged external 5-branes that are unconstrained by the s-rule and an additional group of constrained 5-branes. The dual 5d SCFTs include various theories discussed previously in the literature. We match SCFT operators with scaling dimension of $$ \mathcal{O} $$ (N) with their representation in supergravity to support the proposed dualities.
Information Systems as Mediators of Freedom of Information Requests.

While Freedom of Information requests play an important role in government oversight, the process remains largely untheorized, especially in relation to the role of information systems. To address this gap, we conducted an exploratory study using a random, stratified sample of 96 municipalities in one state. Our findings suggest that information systems play multiple mediating roles in shaping and affording access to government records, and that this mediation influences the outcomes of the FOI process. Our work has practical implications for transparency advocates, IS designers, and other information professionals.
Treatment design, health outcomes, and demographic categories in the literature on minimum wages and health

This literature review analyzes studies from the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe from inception to April 1, 2021 and focuses on treatment designs, health outcomes, demographic categories and data issues. Study designs are classified as treatment-effect-on-the-treated (7 studies), intent-to-treat (37), and what may be called possible-effects-on-anyone (10). Treatment-effects-on-the-treated designs are best for addressing the longstanding question: does income affect health or vice versa? I argue that they are also better for estimating the overall effect of minimum wages on health. Health outcomes are grouped into seven broad categories, such as overall physiological health and behavior, and 33 narrow categories, such as self-rated health and smoking. Demographic categories include gender, race/ethnicity, and age. The preponderance of evidence suggests that studies relying on the treatment-effect-on-the-treated and possible-effects-on-anyone designs find minimum wages improve health; there is no preponderance of evidence for overall health within intent-to-treat designs. With respect to specific health outcomes and demographic categories, there is no preponderance of evidence, except for improving infant and child health. One data issue concerns whether either intent-to-treat or possible-effects-on-everyone studies are reliable given that likely more than 70 % of people in their samples earn substantially above minimum wages thereby favoring the null hypothesis. Treatment-effect-on-the-treated designs are likely the best designs, and findings are largely consistent in showing that minimum wages improve some measures of health, for example, financial anxiety.
Laboratory parameters and outcomes in hospitalized adults with COVID-19: a scoping review.

Laboratory parameters and the associated clinical outcomes have been an area of focus in COVID-19 research globally. We performed a scoping review to synthesize laboratory values described in the literature and their associations with mortality and disease severity. We identified all primary studies involving laboratory values with clinical outcomes as a primary endpoint by performing data searches in various systematic review databases until 10th August, 2020. Two reviewers independently reviewed all abstracts (13,568 articles) and full text (1126 articles) data. A total of 529 studies involving 165,020 patients from 28 different countries were included. Investigation of the number of studies and patients from a geographical perspective showed that the majority of published literature from January–March 2020 to April–June 2020 was from Asia, though there was a temporal shift in published studies to Europe and the Americas. For each laboratory value, the proportion of studies that noted a statistically significant (p < 0.05) correlation with adverse clinical outcomes (e.g., mortality, disease severity) was tabulated. Among frequently reported laboratory values, blood urea nitrogen was the most often reported predictor of mortality (91%); neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was the most frequent statistically significant laboratory parameter in predicting disease severity (96%). This review highlights the temporal progression of laboratory value frequencies, as well as potentially distinct utilities of different markers for clinical outcomes of COVID-19. Future research pathways include using this collected data for focused quantitative meta-analyses of particular laboratory values correlated with clinical outcomes of mortality and disease severity.
Childhood Skill Development and Adult Political Participation

Recent child development research shows that the psychosocial or noncognitive skills that children develop—including the ability to self-regulate and integrate in social settings—are important for success in school and beyond. Are these skills learned in childhood also important for adult political behaviors like voting? In this article, I use a unique school-based 20-year field experiment to explore whether children who develop psychosocial skills early on are more likely to vote in adulthood than those who do not. Matching subjects to voter files, I show that this intervention had a noticeable long-run impact on political participation. These results highlight the need to better understand how childhood experiences shape civic behaviors later in life. During this critical period, children can be taught the not explicitly political, but still vital, skills that set them on a path toward political participation in adulthood.
1D PtCo nanowires as catalysts for PEMFCs with low Pt loading

The high cost of platinum (Pt)-group metal (PGM)-based catalysts used in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) poses a critical roadblock to their widespread adoption. Although using low PGM loading PEMFCs can largely address this challenge, high current density performance will be severely compromised consequently. To overcome this dilemma, we report the development of ultra-thin platinum-cobalt nanowires (PtCoNWs) as the cathode catalysts for ultralow Pt loading and high-performance membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The PtCoNWs delivered a record-high mass activity (MA) of 1.06 ± 0.14 AmgPt−1 of Pt-alloy catalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in MEA, yielding an impressive total Pt utilization of 5.14 WratedmgPt−1. The PtCoNWs retained a respectable end-of-life MA of 0.45 A mgPt−1 after the 30,000 cycles square-wave accelerated stability test, which is still above the Department of Energy 2020 beginning-of-life target for catalysts. In-situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy studies suggest that the high degree of alloying in the PtCoNWs stabilizes the ultrathin structure and may contribute to the high ORR activity and power density performance in PEMFC.
‘The company will fire you because you are too expensive’: a photo-ethnography of health care rights among Filipino migrant seafarers

With fatal injuries six times the rate of all US occupations, people who live and work at sea are part of one of the most dangerous occupations. Few ships have health care workers aboard despite many seafarers being at sea for months. While seafarers are guaranteed a right to health care through maritime labor laws and conventions, it is unclear whether or how they access these rights. Therefore, photo-ethnography was used to examine what health care access means for seafarers through the lens of structural violence. The study site was the vessel the seafarers worked and lived on, which docked in the Gulf of Mexico once-a-week, flies a flag of convenience, and travels in international waters. The photo-ethnography was implemented over a one-year period and included male Filipino seafarers who worked 9-month contracts at sea. The historical, structural, and political-economic production of injury, illness, and death were questioned to understand why migrant seafarers do not have de facto access to their de jure health rights. In this way, health prevention was analyzed through the discourse of power distribution instead of risk and disease. Results from the project reveal that seafarers routinely underreport adverse work and health conditions for fear of losing future work contracts. Adverse work experiences included dangerous vessels and routes as well as being encouraged to work with little sleep or through storms. Adverse health issues included severe to moderate injury and illness, which they concealed from management. Ultimately, it was revealed that political-economic systems are internalized and embodied among migrant workers who are employed under short-term contracts, leading to decreased healthcare-seeking behaviors and increased health disparities.
The social environment and essential hypertension in mice: possible role of the innervation of the adrenal cortex.

Publisher Summary In this chapter, a distinction is drawn between social stimuli that lead to the arousal of the sympathoadrenal medullary as opposed to the hypothalamoadrenocortical system. The focus of this chapter is on the status of a continuing effort to disentangle the social stimuli and behavioral patterns that lead to the arousal of the sympathoadrenal–medullary system from those involving the hypothalamoadrenal–cortical system and to continue with the problem of relating these to low renin essential hypertension. The recently discovered evidence that autonomic innervation of the adrenal cortex plays a part in steroidogenesis may prove related to the abnormalities in adrenal morphology and in the peculiar biochemical correlates of low renin essential hypertension as a possible variant of primary aldosteronism. Studies of the model of psychosocial hypertension with CBA mice living in a population cage indicate that as the chronically conflicting colonies age, the individual members shift away from a state of high catecholamine sympathetic arousal. The older groups develop fixed hypertension and adrenal hypertrophy with increased corticosterone and phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase levels. They fight far less and avoid confrontations. It is proposed that under the influence of depression plus arousal repeated stimulation of the autonomic innervation of the adrenal cortex in combination with sustained hormonal drives may lead to the peculiar pathophysiology of low renin essential hypertension.
Confucius Institute Programming in the United States: Language Ideology, Hegemony, and the Making of Chinese Culture in University Classes

This article explores how Confucius Institute teachers and U.S. students use language to index qualities of Chinese people and culture. The study draws on the model of “linguistic fact” to argue that students' and teachers' contextualized use of language occurs in relation to their different yet naturalized assumptions about a commonly shared social world, one they define largely in terms of market consumerism. The article offers the concept of linguistic hegemony to aid in understanding the multiple expressions of language form and use that emerge in Confucius Institute programs, and to qualify without fully discounting political scientists' claims that Confucius Institutes are ideological extensions of the Chinese state.
Ultra-High Resolution Nitrate in Polar Ice as Indicator of Past Solar Activity

Ionization in the polar atmosphere causes the formation of nitrate compounds, which are frozen out and incorporated into the layers of the polar ice sheets. From a 122-m ice core collected in 1992 on the central Greenland ice sheet, it has been possible to examine a solar signal in a ultra-high resolution record of nitrate concentrations. The sequence extends over a period of 415 years at a temporal resolution of no less than one analysis per month (total number of samples 7776 resulting from ~1.5 cm sampling along the entire core). This type of measurement reveals major nitrate anomalies which are thought to result from the injection of individual solar proton events into the winter polar stratosphere. For this reason, the large nitrate anomalies provide the possibility to delineate a signal of solar activity well beyond the known geophysical records.
The subtype 2 angiotensin receptor regulates renal prostaglandin F2 alpha formation in conscious rats

The angiotensin AT1 receptor mediates renal prostaglandin (PG) E2 production through stimulation of phospholipase A2. Blockade of the AT2 receptor potentiates the angiotensin II-induced increase in PGE2 levels. In the kidney, PGE2 is converted to PGF2 alpha mainly by the enzyme PGE 9-ketoreductase. We hypothesized that the conversion of PGE2 to PGF2 alpha is inhibited by AT2 receptor blockade, resulting in the observed increase in PGE2 levels. Using a microdialysis technique, we monitored changes in renal interstitial fluid PGE2 and PGF2 alpha in response to 5 days of sodium depletion alone or a combination of sodium depletion and intravenous infusion of the AT1 receptor blocker losartan or the AT2 receptor blocker PD-123319 in conscious rats. We utilized the PGF2 alpha-to-PGE2 ratio as an indirect measure of the rate of renal PGF2 alpha formation. Sodium depletion increased PGE2, PGF2 alpha, and the PGF2 alpha-to-PGE2 ratio. During sodium depletion, losartan decreased PGE2 and PGF2 alpha and did not change the PGF2 alpha-to-PGE2 ratio. In contrast, PD-123319 increased PGE2, decreased PGF2 alpha, and decreased the PGF2 alpha-to-PGE2 ratio. These data demonstrate that activation of the renin-angiotensin system during sodium depletion physiologically increases renal conversion of PGE2 to PGF2 alpha. The increase in renal production of PGF2 alpha is mediated through stimulation of the angiotensin AT2 receptor.
REALISM AND RELEVANCE IN THE COST OF MONEY CAPITAL

THE contemporary literature on micro-financial theory has failed to resolve an important question confronting the imperfectly competitive firm: What, in actual fact, is to be regarded as the firm's cost of money capital for investment decision-making purposes? That this question remains unanswered is due to the fact that the financial theory of the firm has become heavily committed to the assumptions of an equilibrium theoretic approach to its problems in general, and to the implications that this has in particular for equilibrium conditions in the money capital market. The same theoretic mould as Robert Clower brought into focus in his critique of 'the Keynesian counter-revolution'"-the assumption of Walrasian equilibrating processes and the absence of false trading-has led financial theory to a preoccupation with the specification of equilibrium conditions and to the neglect of some critically important phenomena. The assumption of infinite price adjustment velocities, and the failure to acknowledge that in both the real and the financial markets of the economy transactions are consummated at non-equilibrium or 'false' prices, have led to a disregard of the fact that the important and structural decisions in the firm, decisions regarding capital investment and financing for example, are made in demonstrably disequilibrium conditions and not in equilibrium situations at all. The question that still requires clarification, therefore, is that of the appropriate specification of the cost of money capital to a firm whose actual posture is, at the point in time when decisions have to be made, other than what might be describable by equilibrium or optimally structured relations. In the argument that follows we shall not rehearse those parts of modern financial theory which have established what has become known as the Walrasian capital asset-pricing model or the general equilibrium theory of financial asset-pricing.2 But we can note that in that analysis the
Phonologies of Asia and Africa, vols. 1 and 2.

Phonologies of Asia and Africa, vols. and 2. Alan S. Kaye. ed. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1997. 1,041 pp.
Consumers' Responses to Participation and Customization in Food Services: A Cultural Perspective

We examined whether consumers across two cultures would respond differently to food services with different physical participation and customization levels. The likelihood of the self-serving bias when customers highly participate in food service production and delivery process was examined in 2 cultures. A 2 participation × 2 customization × 2 outcome quasi-experiment was conducted in two countries: the United States and Taiwan. A total of 247 U.S. and 213 Taiwanese samples were used for this study. Our research findings suggest that in the food service setting, customers' responses to customization and the likelihood of the self-serving bias do not differ between the two countries.
Light scattering from rough surfaces with superimposed periodic structures

), where K is the wave vector of the periodic structure and λ0 is the correlation length for random roughness. The surface height h of the periodic structure plays a less important role in the suppression of the diffuse scattering, but it gives an oscillating term in grating scattering intensity that can produce the “rainbowing” (or coloration) effect for such a surface. In practice, this may result in increased visual brightness of textured metallic surfaces and also in a new and interesting method of surface coloration control. The rapid development of focused beam texturing technologies leaves no doubt that patterns with a given spatial frequency and amplitude can be easily produced in experiments.
Dynamic Thermo-mechanical Response of Hastelloy X to Shock Wave Loading

A comprehensive series of experiments were conducted to study the dynamic response of rectangular Hastelloy X plates at room and elevated temperatures when subjected to shock wave loading. A shock tube apparatus, capable of testing materials at temperatures up to 900 °C, was developed and utilized to generate the shock loading. Propane gas was used as the heating source to effectively provide an extreme thermal environment. The heating system is both robust and capable of providing uniform heating during shock loading. A cooling system was also implemented to prevent the shock tube from reaching high temperatures. High-speed photography coupled with the optical technique of Digital Image Correlation (DIC) was used to obtain the real-time 3D deformation of the Hastelloy X plates under shock wave loading. To eliminate the influence of thermal radiation at high temperatures, the DIC technique was used in conjunction with bandpass optical filters and a high-intensity light source to obtain the full-field deformation. In addition, a high-speed camera was utilized to record the side-view deformation images and this information was used to validate the data obtained from the high temperature 3D stereovision DIC technique. The results showed that uniform heating of the specimen was consistently achieved with the designed heating system. For the same applied incident pressure, the highest impulse was imparted to the specimen at room temperature. As a consequence of temperature-dependent material properties, the specimen demonstrated an increasing trend in back-face (nozzle side) deflection and in-plane strain with increasing temperature.
Mechanics of the interface for carbon nanotube–polymer composites

Abstract Carbon nanotubes possess exceptionally superior mechanical properties like high elastic modulus and tensile strength. Hence, they are envisaged to be the ideal reinforcements for polymer composites, especially for enhancement of mechanical properties. However, the superiority of the mechanical properties of nanotubes alone does not ensure mechanically superior composites because the composite properties are strongly influenced by the mechanics that govern the nanotube–polymer interface. The structural strength characteristics of composite materials greatly depend on the mechanical load transfer from the matrix (polymer interface) to the nanotube and the strength of the interface. Hence, the knowledge and understanding of the nature and mechanics of load transfer between nanotube and polymer is critical for manufacturing of enhanced carbon nanotube-polymer composites and will enable in tailoring of the interface for specific applications or superior mechanical properties. In this paper, a review of the state of the art in mechanics of carbon nanotube-polymer composites will be discussed along with some directions for future research in this field.
Portfolio selection under DEA-based relative financial strength indicators: case of US industries

Fundamental analysis is an approach for evaluating a firm for its investment-worthiness whereby the firm's financial statements are subject to detailed investigation to predict future stock price p...
A pilot study of risk factors for dementia in Parkinson's disease

To determine whether the risk factors for dementia in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) are similar to the risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, we conducted a case-control study of potential risk factors. A structured interview as was administered to surrogates of 17 demented subjects with IPD and 54 nondemented subjects. Two factors emerged as possible risks for dementia. Demented patients were older than nondemented patients, although the duration of symptoms was similar. A family history of dementia was present in 30% of the demented group and 5.6% of the nondemented group. Dementia was most often reported among siblings. No difference was seen in toxic and occupational exposure, personal habits, or medical or surgical illnesses. We conclude that dementia in IPD shares some common risk factors with Alzheimer's disease. Efforts to assess the contribution of genetic susceptibility or shared environmental influences may clarify the relationship between these two diseases.
Emergency Nurses’ Responses to a Survey about Means Restriction: An Adolescent Suicide Prevention Strategy:

Abstract Background Little is known about nurses’ knowledge and practice of an injury control strategy (means restriction) with parents of adolescents at risk for suicide who are cared for in the emergency department. Objectives This study examined the experiences of emergency nurses ( N = 527) with suicidal adolescents; their training, knowledge, practice, and attitudes toward means restriction; and unit practice related to the delivery of means restriction education to parents by emergency nurses. Design A survey was mailed to all members of the Illinois Chapter of the Emergency Nurses Association. Results Although the majority (80%, n = 407) of respondents had recent experience with suicidal adolescents, only 24% ( n = 122) had ever received means restriction training, 28% ( n = 136) provided means restriction education to parents, and 18% ( n = 89) worked in units where means restriction is standard practice. Conclusions The findings of this study are consistent with injury control literature. The authors recommend training emergency department staff in means restriction, adopting a means restriction protocol for adolescents at risk for suicide, and conducting outcome studies to determine the effectiveness of training and practice.
Effectiveness of hysterectomy

Abstract Objective: To measure the effectiveness of hysterectomy in relieving adverse symptoms and to identify factors associated with lack of symptom relief. Methods: In a 2-year prospective study, data were collected before and at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after hysterectomy in 1299 women who had hysterectomies for benign conditions at 28 hospitals across Maryland. Effectiveness was measured in terms of relief of symptoms such as problematic vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, and urinary incontinence. Psychologic function and quality of life before and after surgery also were assessed. Results: Symptom severity, depression, and anxiety levels decreased significantly after hysterectomy and quality of life improved, particularly in the area of social function. However, 8% of women had at least as many symptoms at problematic-severe levels 1 and 2 years after hysterectomy as before. In multiple logistic regression, several presurgical patient characteristics predicted lack of symptom relief, including therapy for emotional or psychologic problems, depression, and household income of $35,000 or less. Bilateral oophorectomy predicted lack of symptom relief at 24 months but not at 12 months after hysterectomy. Conclusion: Significant improvements were seen after hysterectomy for all three aspects of health status (symptoms, psychologic function, and quality of life), which persisted or continued to improve throughout the 2 years of follow-up. However, hysterectomy did not relieve symptoms for some women, particularly those who had low incomes or were in therapy at the time of hysterectomy.
Stereospecific synthesis of the sex pheromone of the passionvine mealybug, Planococcus minor

Abstract A short and completely stereospecific synthesis of ( E )-2-isopropyl-5-methyl-2,4-hexadienyl acetate, the very recently identified sex pheromone of the passionvine mealybug Planococcus minor , is described. In the key step, CuI-catalyzed anti-addition of a Grignard reagent to a propargyllic alcohol intermediate gave the required trisubstituted alkene with 100% regio- and stereospecificity. The stereochemical purity of the pheromone is critically important because the ( Z )-isomer is a powerful behavioral antagonist.
Investigating phosphonate monolayer stability on ALD oxide surfaces

Abstract We report a series of studies aimed at investigating the stability of phosphonate self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) made from octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA) or a perfluorinated phosphonic acid (PFPA) on hafnium and aluminum oxide surfaces deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The monolayers were deposited by a series of techniques including self-assembly from solution, tethering by aggregation and growth, and the Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) method. SAMs prepared by LB method were primarily used in our stability investigations because they were found to be the most uniform and reproducible. All films deposited on ALD oxide-coated substrates were characterized by means of water contact angle measurements, spectroscopic ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). XPS data conclusively showed covalent phosphonate formation on both substrates. SAMs formed on both Al 2 O 3 and HfO 2 were stable upon exposure to water. PFPA SAMs on HfO 2 were found to be the most stable SAMs studied here in either water or phosphate buffer (PBS) at room temperature. We also show that similar silane-based SAMs made from octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) on silicon oxide (SiO 2 ) are less stable in PBS than phosphonate SAMs on atomic layer deposited HfO 2 substrates. These data suggest that phosphonate SAMs should be considered for use in (bio)molecular sensing and actuator devices that utilize ALD and require longer-term stability under aqueous conditions.
2013 ACC/AHA Guideline: A Guideline for the Population—Without Evidence from the Population

The release of the 2013 ACC/AHAGuideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk in Adults [1] has elicited much controversy. The new Guideline represents a drastic departure from the previous guidelines, NCEPATP III, and current guidelines in Europe and Canada [2, 3]. Most striking has been the new risk calculator, the focus on statin drugs, and the elimination of LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) targets for treatment. The Guideline committee addressed pre-specified core questions using evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCT) to identify four patient groups would benefit from statin therapy. As cardiologists and epidemiologists, we found it bewildering that studies in epidemiology, a discipline that was a cornerstone in establishing plasma lipids as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), were not considered in a document that has such far-reaching influence on public health. Epidemiology is the science of population and observational studies. Epidemiological studies follow large numbers of people to identify factors associated with disease (risk factors), demographics of who gets disease, and ways to prevent and control disease. There is no shortage of high-quality cardiovascular epidemiological studies with many sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The Framingham Heart Study, began enrolling participants in 1948 and reported results in 1961 that established the concept of “risk factors” for cardiovascular disease [4]. Later epidemiological studies expanded on the Framingham model to include older persons (The Cardiovascular Health Study), younger persons (The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study), ethnic and racial groups (The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis), and Blacks (The Jackson Heart Study). However, the ACC/AHA Guideline provides less information for older (> age 75 years), and younger ( 75 years of age” and add, “Therefore, in adults with LDL-C /=190 mg/dL) it is markedly accelerated [5]. M. Myerson (*) Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention of Mount Sinai, St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals, New York, NY, USA e-mail: myersonm@optonline.net
The language that gets people to give: phrases that predict success on kickstarter

Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter--where entrepreneurs and artists look to the internet for funding--have quickly risen to prominence. However, we know very little about the factors driving the 'crowd' to take projects to their funding goal. In this paper we explore the factors which lead to successfully funding a crowdfunding project. We study a corpus of 45K crowdfunded projects, analyzing 9M phrases and 59 other variables commonly present on crowdfunding sites. The language used in the project has surprising predictive power accounting for 58.56% of the variance around successful funding. A closer look at the phrases shows they exhibit general persuasion principles. For example, also receive two reflects the principle of Reciprocity and is one of the top predictors of successful funding. We conclude this paper by announcing the release of the predictive phrases along with the control variables as a public dataset, hoping that our work can enable new features on crowdfunding sites--tools to help both backers and project creators make the best use of their time and money.
Purification of Androgen Receptors in Human Sebocytes and Hair

Human sebaceous glands (SG) and hair follicles (HF) are target structures in the skin for androgen action. They contain steroid enzymes, capable of transforming weak androgens into the target-tissue-active androgens testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which bind to the androgen receptor (AR) to regulate cellular transcription. The AR from HF and SG from human scalp tissue has been purified greater than 86,000 times by phenyl-sepharose, DEAE-sephacel, gel filtration chromatography, and ultrafiltration. Sucrose density gradient analysis and non-denaturing gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-PAGE revealed two molecular species of AR, an active form called monomer, capable of binding DHT with great specificity (4S, m = 62,000 Da, Kd = 0.6 nM, Bmax 8260 fmol/micrograms protein), and the other, an inactive form of the monomer called tetramer (10.8S, m = 252,000 Da, Kd = 2.9 nM). The two species are interconvertible, and after purification each appeared as a single band on SDS-PAGE. The conversion of the monomer to the tetramer AR form is influenced by reduced and oxidized glutathione, and possibly by an endogenous disulfide converting factor (DCF). Furthermore, biochemical events in the androgenic signal transduction sequence were shown to be stimulated by androgens via the AR. These include the total nuclear AR content, chromatin binding of AR complexes, and stimulation of RNA polymerase II, thus influencing gene expression, which is important in understanding regulation of HF growth and SG proliferation.
Is the self-report of recent cocaine or methamphetamine use reliable in illicit stimulant drug users who present to the Emergency Department with chest pain?

Abstract Background: Use of illicit drugs results in an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, which is often seen in the Emergency Department (ED). Chest pain is frequently associated with cocaine and methamphetamine use. Objectives: To determine if the self-report of recent cocaine or methamphetamine use is reliable in illicit stimulant drug users who present to the ED with chest pain. Methods: A retrospective review of patients presenting to the ED from July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2006 was undertaken. Inclusion criteria were: age ≥ 18 years, chief complaint of chest pain, documented social history of drug abuse, positive urine toxicology screen and myoglobin and troponin levels measured, sent from the ED. Results: For the 318 patients who met the inclusion criteria, the self-report rate of cocaine or methamphetamine use was 51.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.46–0.57). No difference was found in the self-report rate between users of methamphetamine vs. cocaine (odds ratio [OR] 1.12, 95% CI 0.7–1.7). There also was no difference in the self-report rate by patient age
The structure of simple organic liquids

The structure of non-associated molecular liquids is examined in the light of recent experimental results in X-ray, neutron, and light scattering. These data, along with recent theoretical models of liquid structure, point to a simple picture where size and shape are the most important features in determining the structure of a dense liquid.
Induction and patterning of the neural crest, a stem cell-like precursor population.

The neural crest is a multipotent precursor population which ulimately generates much of the peripheral nervous system, epidermal pigment cells, and a variety of mesectodermal derivatives. Individual multipotent neural crest cells are capable of some self-renewing divisions, and based upon this criteria can be considered stem cells. Considerable progress has been made in recent years toward understanding how this important population of progenitor cells is initially established in the early embryo, and how cell-intrinsic and non-cell-instristic factors mediate their subsequent lineage segregation and differentiation.
Artificial neural network control of FES in paraplegics for patient responsive ambulation

Describes a binary adaptive resonance theory (ART-1)-based artificial neural network (ANN) adapted for controlling functional electrical stimulation (FES) to facilitate patient-responsive ambulation by paralyzed patients with spinal cord injures. This network is to serve as a controller in an FES system developed by the first author which is presently in use by 300 patients worldwide (still without ANN control) and which was the first and the only FES system approved by the FDA. The proposed neural network discriminates above-lesion upper-trunk electromyographic (EMG) time series to activate standing and walking functions under FES and controls FES stimuli levels using response-EMG signals. For this particular application, the authors introduce several modifications of the ART-1 for pattern recognition and classification. First, a modified on-line learning rule is proposed. The new rule assures bidirectorial modification of the stored patterns and prevents noise interference. Second, a new reset rule is proposed which prevents "exact matching" when the input is a subset of the chosen pattern. The authors show the applicability of a single ART-1-based structure to solving two problems, namely, 1) signal pattern recognition and classification, and 2) control. This also facilitates ambulation of paraplegics under FES, with adequate patient interaction in initial system training, retraining the network when needed, and in allowing patient's manual override in the ease of error, where any manual override serves as a retraining input to the neural network. Thus, the practical control problems (arising in actual independent patient ambulation via FES) were all satisfied by a relatively simple ANN design. >
Can We Sniff Wi-Fi?: Implications of Joffe v. Google

On 27 December 2013, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued an opinion that intercepting data from unencrypted wireless local area networks--Wi-Fi sniffing--can violate the US Wiretap Act. The case centers on a Wi-Fi sniffer that was present in Google Street View vehicles that roamed the US between 2008 and 2010 and that were permanently recording every unencrypted Wi-Fi frame that they intercepted. Although the Wiretap Act has a broad exemption for intercepting radio communications that are generally accessible to the public, the Court ruled that Wi-Fi is not a radio communication. The ruling, if it stands, will significantly impact computer security education, in which Wi-Fi sniffing is a common student exercise; security practitioners, who frequently sniff for security assessments; and computer security research, which has traditionally used collection in the wild as a way of finding vulnerabilities.
Ethnoracial patterns of schooling and work among adolescents: Implications for Mexican immigrant incorporation

Abstract This paper investigates Mexican immigrant incorporation by examining labor force participation and schooling among Mexican-origin adolescents in the United States. Theoretical perspectives on immigrant incorporation, labor migration-related cultural repertoires and adolescent development considered together imply that studying ethnoracial differences in schooling among adolescents without taking work into account can yield mis-leading pictures of Mexican-origin non-high school completion patterns, thus hampering the assessment of incorporation theories. To avoid this, we analyze Mexican-origin generational differences in the relationship between schooling and workforce participation among adolescents compared to non-Hispanic whites and blacks. Using micro-data from the 2000 US Census, we find that Mexican immigrant boys who are not enrolled in school are more likely to be in the workforce, and conversely that those who are enrolled in school are much less likely to be in the workforce, compared to whites and blacks. Such relative differences in school/work specialization, as predicted, diminish across Mexican-origin generations. Moreover, based on supplementary analyses, we find similar patterns for a cohort of young adults who failed to complete high school during the 1990s. Overall, the results are consistent with the idea that cultural orientations growing out of the nature and experience of Mexican labor migration are important for assessing school enrollment patterns among Mexican-origin youth and for gauging their implications for educational policy and immigrant-group incorporation.
Back to the future part 4: the internet

I thank the SIGCOMM Awards committee for this great honor. I would like to share this honor with my former and current students, and colleagues, who collaborated and co-authored papers with me. Each one of them has contributed to make this award possible. To all my coauthors, I thank you.
Applications of statistical regression and modeling in fill–finish process development of structurally related proteins

In order to increase efficiency and reduce cost, many biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies utilize platform approaches for discovery and development of structurally related therapeutic proteins. In the case of the monoclonal antibody modality, retention and reuse of prior development knowledge is especially useful to gauge risks, improve speed and reduce cost for developing similar molecules in the future. In this paper, we present two applications of statistical regression and modeling to help decision making during antibody drug product fill-finish process development. The applications are for estimating viscosity and filter capacity (Vmax) values. Experiments were performed to obtain relevant data sets of viscosity, protein concentration, density, and Vmax values for various candidate antibodies. Then, statistical models were developed and optimized to estimate viscosity and filtration Vmax values for new antibodies. Viscosity of protein formulations is an important physical property that impacts almost all manufacturing operations, as well as delivery or administration of drug products. Vmax is a critical parameter for filter size selection in manufacturing processes. Development and optimization of both models followed similar steps: identifying multicollinearity and interactions, removing unnecessary explanatory variables, performing appropriate data transformation, and evaluating different model options. We obtained 95% prediction limits for the mean and individual values from the models, and further verified the models by comparing predicted values with additional experimental data. These applications of statistical tools enabled leveraging prior knowledge for process development of new molecules belonging to the same class of structurally related proteins. Although the two specific models presented here may not be directly applicable for all proteins, the approach and methodology presented can be broadly useful for structurally related protein products during their development.
A Mehanism of the Indole Defect in Experimental Phenylketonuria

Rats made phenylketonuric by a diet containing high levels of either phenylalanine alone, or phenylalanine and tyrosine, show a marked reduction in total cerebral stores of serotonin. Evidence from studies both in vitro and in vivo indicates that an important mechanism of this impairment in the metabolism of serotonin is the inhibition by high levels of these amino acids of the active transport of the precursor of serotonin, 5-hydroxytryptophan, into brain.
Industrial affiliation and community culture: voting in Seattle

Abstract Previous analyses of intra-metropolitan variations in voting patterns on major public issues have emphasized explanations in terms of class-status and ethnicity characteristics of communities. This paper supplements that literature by arguing that residential segregation by type of industrial affiliation is an important determinant of community cultures, as indicated by voting patterns on 36 issues which tap conceptions of the public good. In this case study of the Seattle metropolitan region, communities are divided spatially by the degree to which residents work in service as opposed to durable manufacturing (especially aerospace) industry. Communities with high employment in service activities are especially characterized by support of what is called the Pluralistic Culture, involving high tolerance of minorities, and support for open and responsive government. These communities are also less supportive of the Rights of Business than other parts of the metropolis. Industrial affiliation is more important than class, ethnic, or mobility factors in explaining variations in the Pluralistic Culture; it is less important than the other predictors in interpreting support for the Rights of Business.
Characterization of new loci for Hessian fly resistance in common wheat

The discovery of several new loci for resistance to Hessian fly was reported here. QHf.uga-6AL, the late HR61 was recognized from wheat cultivar 26R61 on the distal end of 6AL with resistance to both biotypes E and vH13. It is the first gene or QTL found on this particular chromosome. QHf.uga-3DL and QHf.uga-1AL, physically assigned to the deletion bins 3DL2-0.27–0.81 and 1AL1-0.17–0.61, respectively, were detected for resistance to biotype vH13. Both QTL should represent new loci for Hessian fly resistance and the latter was detectable only in the late seedling stage when tolerance was evident. In addition, QHf.uga-6DS-C and QHf.uga-1AS had minor effect and were identified from the susceptible parent AGS 2000 for resistance to biotype E and vH13, respectively. QHf.uga-6DS-C is different from the known gene H13 on 6DS and QHf.uga-1AS is different from H9 gene cluster on 1AS. These loci also might be new components of Hessian fly resistance, although their LOD values were not highly significant. The QTL detections were all conducted on a RIL mapping population of 26R61/AGS 2000 with good genome coverage of molecular markers. The strategy used in the current study will serve as a good starting point for the discovery and mapping of resistance genes including tolerance to the pest and the closely linked markers will certainly be useful in selecting or pyramiding of these loci in breeding programs.
Single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a cost comparison

Single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) should not cost more or less than traditional laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Retrospective cost data were collected from the accounting records of a single institution. A direct comparison of LC and SILC was conducted. Data on the SILC cases converted to LC were included. The total operating room (OR) cost (actual cost to the hospital for equipment, time, and personnel) and the total OR charges (total derived from the OR cost plus a margin to cover overhead costs beyond material costs) were examined. The total hospital charges (OR charges plus hospital charges accrued in the perioperative period) also were included. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data, with p values less than 0.05 considered statistically significant. Over a period of 19 months, 116 cases of minimally invasive cholecystectomy were evaluated. Of the 116 patients, 48 underwent LC during the first half of that period, and 68 patients underwent SILC during the second half of that period. Nine of the single-incision procedures were converted to traditional LC, for a 13% conversion rate. The groups were well matched from a demographics standpoint, with no significant differences in age, gender, body mass index (BMI), diagnoses, American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) class, or payment. Comparison of all attempted SILCs, including those converted, with all LCs showed no significant difference in cost category totals. A significant difference among all cost variables was found when SILCs were compared with SILCs that required conversion to LC. A significant difference among the cost variables also was found when LCs were compared with converted SILCs. The cost for SILC did not differ significantly from that for LC when standard materials were used and the duration of the procedure was considered. Converted cases were significantly more expensive than completed SILC and LC cases.
Modern Management of Bladder Exstrophy Repair

The exstrophy–epispadias complex is a rare congenital malformation of the genitourinary system, abdominal wall musculature, and pelvic bones. Historically, surgical outcomes in patients with classic bladder exstrophy, the most common presentation of the exstrophy–epispadias complex, were poor. However, modern techniques have increased the success of achieving urinary continence, satisfactory cosmesis, and improved quality of life. Still, recent studies recognize complications that may occur during management of these patients. This review provides readers with an overview of the exstrophy–epispadias complex, the modern management of bladder exstrophy, and potential surgical complications.