cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ligand Steric Effects of α-Diimine Nickel(II) and Palladium(II) Complexes in the Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling Reaction.

Nickel catalysts represent a low cost and environmentally friendly alternative to palladium-based catalytic systems for Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling (SMC) reactions. However, nickel catalysts have...
Targeting GNAS mutant appendiceal adenocarcinoma.

470Background: Appendiceal cancers are rare, comprising just 0.5% of all intestinal neoplasia, preventing the systematic study of these tumors in randomized clinical trials. Given this absence of c...
Potential factors affecting free base nicotine yield in electronic cigarette aerosols

The free base and protonated nicotine forms in e-cigarette aerosol have shown different absorption profiles in users. Therefore, it is also important to identify the factors which can affect the ra...
Profiling chromatin accessibility responses in human neutrophils with sensitive pathogen detection.

Sepsis, sequela of bloodstream infections and dysregulated host responses, is a leading cause of death globally. Neutrophils tightly regulate responses to pathogens to prevent organ damage. Profiling early host epigenetic responses in neutrophils may aid in disease recognition. We performed assay for transposase-accessible chromatin (ATAC)-seq of human neutrophils challenged with six toll-like receptor ligands and two organisms; and RNA-seq after Escherichia coli exposure for 1 and 4 h along with ATAC-seq. ATAC-seq of neutrophils facilitates detection of pathogen DNA. In addition, despite similarities in genomic distribution of differential chromatin changes across challenges, only a fraction overlaps between the challenges. Ligands depict shared signatures, but majority are unique in position, function, and challenge. Epigenomic changes are plastic, only ∼120 are shared by E. coli challenges over time, resulting in varied differential genes and associated processes. We identify three classes of gene regulation, chromatin access changes in the promoter; changes in the promoter and distal enhancers; and controlling expression through changes solely in distal enhancers. These and transcription factor footprinting reveal timely and challenge specific mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in neutrophils.
Surprise and Default in General Equilibrium

I model an incomplete markets economy where unaware agents do not perceive all states of nature, so unintended default can occur when asset returns differ from what was perceived. First, equilibrium is shown to exist. The First Fundamental Welfare Theorem fails because of default and pecuniary inefficiencies, but the Second Fundamental Welfare Theorem holds for economies with no aggregate risk. Welfare is shown to not necessarily be monotonic in discovery, or the increasing of awareness. Four potential policies are compared based on their ability to implement Pareto optimal allocations: short sale constraints, lump sum transfers, financial innovation, and financial education.
Empathy and Remote Legal Proceedings

Do remote legal proceedings reduce empathy for litigants? Pre-COVID studies of remote bail hearings and immigration removal hearings concluded that the subjects were disadvantaged by the remote nature of the proceedings, and these findings are sometimes interpreted to mean that decision-makers tend to be less empathetic toward remote litigants. Reviewing both the pre-COVID literature and more current studies, we set out to determine whether empathy is reduced in virtual courts. The notion that it is more difficult for decision-makers to exercise empathy toward someone they encounter only on a video screen is consistent with findings that physical distance increases social and hence psychological distance, and may be borne out by future studies. However, there is as yet no firm evidence that the remote nature of legal proceedings, in itself, reduces empathy for litigants, witnesses, or other participants in legal proceedings. In some situations, remote proceedings may even increase empathy. Nevertheless, there are ample grounds for concern that remote proceedings may further disadvantage litigants who are already unequally burdened by empathy deficits based on race, social class, gender, ethnicity, or other factors that may differentiate them from decision-makers. We call attention to particular ways in which virtual proceedings may exacerbate these empathy deficits.
Trust and Envy: the Political Economy of Business Groups in Developing Countries

Diversified business groups play a major role in the economies of many developing countries. Business group members, often from the same communal, ethnic, or tribal group, have or develop interpersonal relations that make it easier to obtain information and monitor compliance related to transactions that require a strong measure of trust. This in-group cohesion facilitates profitable and productive economic activity. However, it can create resentment among other members of society who are barred from membership in a group that is, of necessity, exclusive. This envy can fuel a self-reinforcing cycle of societal hostility and group protectiveness that can deprive society of the economic benefits the groups can provide. There are several possible reactions such as “affirmative action” programs that can slow or stop the cycle of envy and group vulnerability.
Quantum-Optimal Binary Object Classification in Sub-Diffraction Incoherent Imaging

We derive the quantum limit on average error for hypothesis tests between any two incoherent, diffraction-limited objects and identify quantum-optimal measurements that achieve a quadratic scaling improvement over direct imaging.
COVID-19 Vaccination Intention and Behavior in a Large, Diverse, U.S. Refugee Population

Introduction: Refugees often face increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 due to their disproportionate representation in the essential workforce and crowded household conditions. There is a paucity of data about risk factors for under-immunization for COVID-19 among refugees. Methods: Refugees were surveyed in two phases that corresponded to before and after wide availability of COVID-19 vaccines. Participants were asked about their attitudes, and perceptions about COVID-19, previous acceptance of vaccines, sources utilized to obtain trusted health information, and intent to get vaccinated. The overall participant vulnerability was assessed using the social vulnerability index. In-depth semi-structured interviews were completed with key stakeholders through snowball sampling. Results: Of 247 refugees, 244 agreed to participate in the initial survey. Among those, 140 (57.4%) intended to get vaccinated, 43 (17.6%) were unsure, and 61 (25%) did not intend to get vaccinated. In the follow up survey, all 215 who were reached, agreed to provide information about their vaccination status. Among those respondents, 141 (65.6%) were either vaccinated or expressed intent to do so, and 74 (34.4%) remained hesitant. We did not observe any significant correlation between socio-demographic variables, country of origin, and vaccination status/intent. Among those who initially intended to get vaccinated, nearly 1 in 5 changed their mind and decided to forego vaccination, and among those who initially did not plan getting vaccinated, 1 in 3 changed their mind and got vaccinated. Fears related to the vaccine, concerns that the vaccine is religiously prohibited, “wait and see” how others did with the vaccine, communication and transportation barriers were commonly cited as reason not to get vaccinated. Conclusions: Over a third of refugees in our study were hesitant to get vaccinated. Refugees desired additional education about the benefits and safety of vaccines along with easier access to vaccination clinics in their communities.
Psychophysiological responses to hookah tobacco public education messages among young adults.

OBJECTIVE Hookah tobacco use among young adults may be driven by misperceptions of health harms and addictiveness, appealing flavors, and social use. This study examined the effects of hookah prevention messages on participants' cognitive and emotional processing in a lab setting. METHOD One hundred twenty participants (61 susceptible never-users, 59 current users) were exposed to messages representing six categories: health risks only, health risks of social use, health risks of flavors, addiction risks only, addiction risks of social use, and addiction risks of flavors. Guided by the Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing, participants' psychophysiological responses (heart rate, skin conductance, facial action coding) were recorded while participants viewed the messages. Recognition memory and counterarguing were measured postexposure. RESULTS The combination of heart rate, skin conductance, both positive and negative facial action coding, and recognition memory indicated that social themed messages were more defensively processed than the other message types. Addiction-social messages, in particular, were least likely to be encoded. Further, defensive processing indicated by the psychophysiological and recognition data did not vary according to user status. Counterarguing was higher for users than for never-users across all message themes and risks. DISCUSSION Messages about health risks and addiction, whether or not they included information on flavors, evoked relatively similar responses. But social themed messages stand out as potentially problematic, especially addiction-social messages. Using psychophysiological and self-report measures extend opportunities to identify optimal hookah tobacco public education message features. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Linkages Between Federal, State and Local Levels in Educational Reform

In this chapter, we examine key linkages between systemic levels that impact classroom and school-level educational reform. Clearly, reform requires coordinated support (Datnow & Kemper, 2002; Earl et al., 2003). There is much that policy-makers, politicians, researchers, other reform stakeholders, principals and teachers need to know in order to effectively support the development and sustaining of high quality teaching and learning. People involved in trying to improve learning for all students often find themselves having to design systems for which they know no precedent. They must problem-solve in unfamiliar ways, develop up-to-date curricula, and coordinate resources in ways they have never before done. This requires systemic inquiry and system-wide capacity building. One of the least researched, yet most salient factors in educational reform is the linkages that exist across policy domains, and understanding how various kinds of resources work to strengthen — or tear asunder — these linkages
Making regional cooperation work for South Asia's poor

South Asia has attracted global attention because it has experienced rapid GDP growth over the last two decades. What is not so well known is that South Asia is the least integrated region in the world. South Asia has opened its door to the rest of the world but it remains closed to its neighbors. Poor market integration, weak connectivity, and a history of friction and conflict have resulted in two South Asias. The first South Asia is dynamic, growing rapidly, highly urbanized, and is benefiting from global integration. The second South Asia is rural, land locked, full of poverty, and lagging. The divergence between the two South Asias is on the rise. Policy makers in South Asia have realized that countries and regions can not grow in isolation. The unique geography of South Asia-distance and density--has the potential to raise growth through increased flow of labor, capital, ideas, technology, goods and services within the region and with the rest of the world. Most lagging regions, in terms of both per capita income and poverty incidence, in South Asia are either land-locked or located in the border areas. Regional cooperation and market integration will unlock the development of these lagging regions in South Asia.
Compensatory effects of recruitment and survival when amphibian populations are perturbed by disease

Summary 1. The need to increase our understanding of factors that regulate animal population dynamics has been catalysed by recent, observed declines in wildlife populations worldwide. Reliable estimates of demographic parameters are critical for addressing basic and applied ecological questions and understanding the response of parameters to perturbations (e.g. disease, habitat loss, climate change). However, to fully assess the impact of perturbation on population dynamics, all parameters contributing to the response of the target population must be estimated. 2. We applied the reverse-time model of Pradel in Program mark to 6 years of capture–recapture data from two populations of Anaxyrus boreas (boreal toad) populations, one with disease and one without. We then assessed a priori hypotheses about differences in survival and recruitment relative to local environmental conditions and the presence of disease. 3. We further explored the relative contribution of survival probability and recruitment rate to population growth and investigated how shifts in these parameters can alter population dynamics when a population is perturbed. 4. High recruitment rates (0·41) are probably compensating for low survival probability (range 0·51–0·54) in the population challenged by an emerging pathogen, resulting in a relatively slow rate of decline. In contrast, the population with no evidence of disease had high survival probability (range 0·75–0·78) but lower recruitment rates (0·25). 5.Synthesis and applications. We suggest that the relationship between survival and recruitment may be compensatory, providing evidence that populations challenged with disease are not necessarily doomed to extinction. A better understanding of these interactions may help to explain, and be used to predict, population regulation and persistence for wildlife threatened with disease. Further, reliable estimates of population parameters such as recruitment and survival can guide the formulation and implementation of conservation actions such as repatriations or habitat management aimed to improve recruitment.
A reconceptualization of the role of biology in contributing to race/ethnic disparities in health outcomes

An increasing amount of attention is being given to the inappropriate use of contributionsfrom the biological sciences in research on race/ethnic disparities in health. This discussionwill take a first step towards productive interdisciplinary collaboration with the biologicalsciences by recognizing the methodological and ethical problems underlying current researchon race/ethnic disparities. An alternative model is then presented that specifies the role ofbiology in contributing to race/ethnic disparities in health and mortality without reinforcinga biological conceptualization of race.
Primary Tumors of the Os Calcis: A Study of Thirty-two Cases with a Review of the Literature

The os calcis is an unusual site of origin of a bone tumor. In fact, in Christensen's study of one thousand bone tumors but 20 were located in the bones of the foot, and fewer than half of these were situated in the os calcis. As early as 1880 Schwartz collected 155 bone tumors of the extremities, of which 8 were primary in the bones of the foot. Thirty years later Stern found that of 20 primary bone tumors of the foot, 18 were in the os calcis but, as he was primarily interested in the os calcis, his figures cannot be taken to indicate the relative frequency of os calcis involvement. He asserted that the indefiniteness of the clinical manifestations and the roentgen picture of os calcis tumors, like that of other small bones of the body, will rarely permit a positive preoperative diagnosis and reliable prognosis. The credit for first describing a case of primary sarcoma of the os calcis with histologic data belongs to Robert (1859). Bayer, in 1882, reported what we must conclude was an endothelioma of the os calcis. His patient had a tumor for three years, died two weeks after amputation, and showed at necropsy metastatic tumors in the left side of the heart, lungs, pleura, mesentery and intestinal tract, liver, and mediastinal lymphatics. Both the primary tumor and the metastases showed a large round-cell sarcoma with a tendency to alveolar structure.
Tragedy or Choice in Vietnam? Learning to Think Outside the Archival Box: A Review Essay

In 1965, the United States launched a major air and ground war on behalf of a weak ally against an experienced and committed enemy. Policymakers understood that domestic support would not last forever and would likely decrease as casualties mounted. War games and simulations had suggested that Washington might end up isolated internationally. Yet the nation embarked on a war that reduced U.S. power and prestige, claimed the lives of some 58,000 of its citizens, and led to a skepticism of limited war that still shapes civil-military relations and foreign policy today. Tragedy o Choice n Vietnam?
Increasing EV public charging with distributed generation in the electric grid

Electric Vehicle (EV) sales continue to increase, making a preexisting need for updating current infrastructure even more important. Public charging, in particular, fast DC charging technologies can cause stress to the grid, including voltage deviations and increased loading, leading to issues including a degradation of power quality, power equipment loss of life, and brownouts. Literature has shown that distributed generation (DG) can serve as a solution to these stresses to the distribution grid. DG, however, have not been combined with EV charging stations as a method to offset to these stresses. The presented study quantifies the requirements of DG's location and output power in a distribution system with public EV charging stations. This pairing is particularly appealing as it increases generation capacity to meet the needs of EVs in a way which counters grid stress and increases the “green” nature of the grid, furthering the goal of lower emissions. The proposed benefits are demonstrated through three cases in the IEEE-37 bus system.
SEPA: approximate non-subjective empirical p -value estimation for nucleotide sequence alignment

In the bioinformatics literature, pairwise sequence alignment methods appear with many variations and diverse applications. With this abundance, comes not only an emphasis on speed and memory efficiency, but also a need for assigning confidence to the computed alignments through p-value estimation, especially for important segment pairs within an alignment. This paper examines an empirical technique, called SEPA, for approximate p-value estimation based on statistically large number of observations over randomly generated sequences. Our empirical studies show that the technique remains effective in identifying biological correlations even in sequences of low similarities and large expected gaps, and the experimental results shown here point to many interesting insights and features.
Abstract T P63: Stroke Averted by Tissue Plasminogen Activator Can be Predicted by Baseline Factors but is Associated With Undetermined Etiology

Background: Limited investigation of the distinction between averted and completed stroke has been performed. We sought to determine baseline characteristics predictive of averted stroke and compare the evaluation and TOAST classification in patients with averted strokes to those of patients with completed stroke. Methods: Patients admitted to our stroke center (07/08-06/13) and treated with IV tPA were retrospectively assessed. Patients were excluded if they were transferred from an outside hospital or if an MRI was not completed. Averted stroke was defined as complete reversal of neurological deficits within 24hrs of onset and DWI-negative MRI. Patients with DWI-negative MRI and persistent deficits or alternate identified etiology were not given a stroke diagnosis. Completed stroke was defined as DWI positive MRI. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for averted versus completed stroke based on baseline characteristics, work-up, and TOAST classification. Results: Of the 325 patients who m...
Reconstructing Human Origins: A Modern Synthesis

Reconstructing Human Origins:. Modern Synthesis. Glenn C. Conroy. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1997.557 pp.
Does a High-Risk Recommendation in Mammography Reports Increase Attendance at a Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Clinic?

Abstract Purpose This study evaluates the effectiveness of introducing, in 2012, a standardized recommendation into mammography reports, to recruit women at high risk for breast cancer into our risk assessment clinic. Methods The study population was comprised of patients presenting for screening or diagnostic mammography, in 2011 and 2013, who were identified as having a ≥20% lifetime risk for breast cancer. Mammographic reports were assessed for annotations addressing the patients' risk status and referral to a provider at the clinic. The percentage of patients given a high-risk recommendation who did, versus did not, consult a provider at the clinic, within 1 year of their mammogram, was analyzed. Results A total of 173 patients in 2011, and 241 patients in 2013, were identified as having a ≥20% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. Of these, 40.5% were given a recommendation to attend our risk assessment clinic in 2011, versus 75.5% in 2013. Despite the overall increase in such recommendations by radiologists, only a modest increase occurred, from 11.4% to 14.3%, in patients that subsequently attended our risk assessment clinic. Conclusions Although the number of referrals to our high-risk clinic increased modestly after institution of a standardized reporting recommendation, >85% of patients at high risk, in 2013, did not consult a provider for patients at high risk, regarding their elevated lifetime risk of breast cancer.
A RESPONSE TO SALEH SAID AGHA'S REVIEW OF RELIGION AND POLITICS UNDER THE EARLY ⊂ ABBASIDS: THE EMERGENCE OF THE PROTO-SUNNI ELITE (LEIDEN: E. J. BRILL, 1997), BY MUHAMMAD QASIM ZAMAN, IJMES 31 (1999): 127–28.

In his review of my book Religion and Politics under the Early ⊂ Abbasids , Saleh Said Agha seriously misunderstands several of my arguments, then sets out to refute his versions of these arguments. The constraints of space do not permit me to take note of all his criticisms and misconstructions, though I should like to mention and clarify a few of them.
In Pursuit of Safe Foods: Chinese Preferences for Soybean Attributes in Soymilk

This study examines Chinese consumers’ preferences for organic and non-GM (genetically modified) attributes of soybeans used in soymilk. An enumerated consumer survey was conducted in three types of grocery outlets in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. We found that respondents were willing to pay a premium for organic and non-GM attributes as well as for information on where soybeans were produced. The organic attribute certified by U.S. agencies was valued more than that certified by Chinese agencies, but the converse was true for the non-GM attribute. Preferences were heterogeneous, particularly toward U.S.-certified organic and soybeans of Chinese origin. [JEL Classifications: Q13, Q17]
Complexes of dibutyl phosphoric acid

Abstract Highly associated complexes have been formed between dibutyl phosphoric acid and the cations: Cu(II), UO 2 (II), Fe(III), Y(III), Al(III), and Th(IV). 32 P-labelled dibutyl phosphoric acid was used to assist in the analysis of the compounds. Metathesis of the solid Th(IV) complex with aqueous sodium hydroxide was complete, suggesting a practical method for removing the complexes from solvents and equipment.
Standing Out from the Crowd: The Visibility-Enhancing Effects of IPO-related Signals on Alliance Formation by Entrepreneurial Firms

In this study, we explore how multiple signals related to entrepreneurial companies at the time of their initial public offering (IPO) influence the firms' ability to acquire non-financial resource...
Mental health service use among high school students exposed to interpersonal violence.

BACKGROUND: Violence-exposed youth rarely receive mental health services, even though exposure increases risk for academic and psychosocial problems. This study examines the association between violence exposure and mental health service contact. The 4 forms of violence exposure were peer, family, sexual, and witnessing. METHODS: Data are from 1534 Boston public high school students who participated in a 2008 self-report survey of violence exposure and its correlates. Multivariate logistic regressions estimated associations between each form of violence with service contact, then examined whether associations persisted when controlling for suicidality and self-injurious behaviors. RESULTS: In unadjusted models, violence-exposed students more often reported service contact than their peers. However, in multivariate models, only exposure to family (odds ratio [OR] = 1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23-2.31) and sexual violence (OR = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.29-4.20) were associated with service contact. Associations attenuated when controlling for suicidality and self-injurious behaviors, indicating they were largely explained by self-harm. Sexual violence alone remained associated with mental health service contact in fully adjusted models, but only for girls (OR=3.32, 95% CI=1.30-8.45), suggesting sex-specific pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Associations between adolescent violence exposure and mental health service contact vary by forms of exposure. Outreach to a broader set of exposed youth may reduce the impact of violence and its consequences for vulnerable students. Language: en
Transitional B cells: step by step towards immune competence

Transitional B cells mark the crucial link between bone-marrow (BM) immature and peripheral mature B cells. Examination reveals unexpected heterogeneity, consisting of contiguous subsets with phenotypic and functional differences. Data point to the late transitional B-cell stage as a crucial juncture at which developing B cells gain access to splenic follicles, become responsive to T-cell help and lose sensitivity to negative selection, characterizing the immature B-cell response to B-cell antigen receptor (BCR) signaling in vitro and in vivo. The biological and molecular processes directing maturation through this stage are becoming clearer through biochemical studies and murine models deficient in various components of the BCR signaling pathway.
Angiographic Imaging with 2D RF Pulses

Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) was performed by using RF pulses designed to excite a limited spatial extent in two orthogonal directions. The restriction in the second spatial dimension can be used to increase inflow enhancement and to improve small field-of-view imaging. A rectangular excitation was produced with an "echo-planar" k-space trajectory and a sinc-modulated RF waveform. In vivo images have demonstrated that vessels are more clearly delineated with the two-dimensional excitation. Aliasing artifacts in small field-of-view imaging are significantly reduced, although in some cases complete elimination is not possible due to the nature of the gradient trajectory.
Can’t buy me love?: Anxious attachment and materialistic values

Abstract Anxiously attached individuals desire but may not always form meaningful social relationships. Previous research demonstrates that money eases the pain of social rejection; Relatedly, people can form relationships with material possessions. Accordingly, we hypothesized that materialistic values may facilitate these substitute relationships in anxiously attached individuals. Study 1 demonstrated a positive relationship between anxious attachment and two different measures of materialism in two independent samples. Study 2 replicated this finding and provided further evidence that the adoption of materialistic values may fill a social void in anxiously attached individuals. Specifically, loneliness mediated the relationship between anxious attachment and materialism. These results suggest that anxiously attached individuals may adopt mechanisms to substitute relationships with objects for relationships with people, and that they might do so in order to deal with the loneliness that results from a lack of meaningful social interaction.
Effect of Left-Hand Peg Placement Direction on the Grooved Pegboard Test

Clinical experience has shown that examinees performing the Grooved Pegboard Test frequently have difficulty maintaining the manualized right-to-left placement direction with their left hand. To date, no empirical study has examined this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether left-hand peg placement direction (right-to-left vs. left-to-right) influences performance on this standardized test of fine motor speed and dexterity. The participants were 66 male and female student volunteers aged 18 to 58 years old. None of the participants had a history of neurologic disease/trauma or conditions that would affect motor functioning of the right and left upper extremities. Data were analyzed using a two-way mixed-design analysis of covariance. Results revealed a significant main effect for gender, F(1, 62) = 5.638, p = .021. Of primary interest was the main effect for placement direction, which was not significant, F(1, 62) = 0.108, p = .744. No significant interaction was observed, F(1, ...
P4.025 Conceptualization of Anal Sex Behaviour Within Sexual Partner Relationships For Modification of Evidence-Based Adolescent Sexual Health Promotion Interventions

Background Understanding of the context of anal sex behaviour among Black and Hispanic adolescent women with a history of sexually transmitted infection (STI/HIV) has public health implications for health promotion and risk reduction behavioural interventions. Methods African-American (n = 94, 16.8%) and Mexican-American (n = 465, 83.2%) women (14–18 years) with histories of sexual risk behaviour, STI or violence, recruited from metropolitan sexual health clinics for participation in a clinical trial for behavioural interventions, completed semi-structured interviews to assess psychosocial and situational factors associated with high sexual risk behaviour, substance use, STI/HIV acquisition, and violence occurrence at study entry. Results Anal sex varied by ethnicity (24.1% Mexican-American, 10.6% African-American, p = 0.004) and was associated with more ( p Conclusions Conceptualization of anal sex behaviour within partner relationships is important for modification of evidence-based sexual health promotion interventions to enhance efficacy for prevention of violence, substance use, unintended pregnancy and STI/HIV among ethnic minority adolescent women.
Experimental evaluation of the foliar flag hypothesis using fruits of Rhus glabra (L.).

I tested experimentally whether the presence of colorful plastic ovals (simulating foliar “flags”) attached to infructescences of Rhus glabra increase fruit removal by birds in a forest-oldfield border. I used a factorial experimental design testing for the effect of size (small or large) and color (yellow or red) of the flags. There was also a control, without flags. Large red flags increased the percent of fruits removed from the panicles, but yellow and small flags had no effect. My results give partial support to Stiles (1982) hypothesis that early color change of leaves close to the fruits in some plants may serve as visual signals that attract frugivorous birds and enhances seed dispersal.
The Business and Society Course" Does It Change Student Attitudes?

The purpose of this research was to determine if there is a significant difference in the attitudes of students toward situations involving ethical decisions before and after taking a course in Business and Society. A simulated before and after design was used with Clark's personal business ethics and social responsibility scale serving as the measurement instrument. The result of the study indicated that the Business and society class had no statistically significant impact on student attitudes.
Progression to regular heroin use: Examination of patterns, predictors, and consequences

Abstract Background The present study retrospectively evaluated the chronology and predictors of substance use progression in current heroin-using individuals. Methods Out-of-treatment heroin users (urinalysis-verified; N = 562) were screened for laboratory-based research studies using questionnaires and urinalysis. Comprehensive substance use histories were collected. Between- and within-substance use progression was analyzed using stepwise linear regression models. Results The strongest predictor of onset of regular heroin use was age at initial heroin use, accounting for 71.8% of variance. The strongest between-substance predictors of regular heroin use were ages at regular alcohol and tobacco use, accounting for 8.1% of variance. Earlier onset of regular heroin use (≤ 20 years) vs. older onset (≥ 30 years) was associated with a more rapid progression from initial to regular use, longer duration of heroin use, more lifetime use-related negative consequences, and greater likelihood of injecting heroin. The majority of participants (79.7%) reported substance use progression consistent with the gateway hypothesis. Gateway-inconsistent individuals were more likely to be African-American and to report younger age at initial use, longer duration of heroin use, and more frequent past-month heroin use. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate the predictive validity and clinical relevance of evaluating substance use chronology and the gateway hypothesis pattern of progression.
Small impurity-pinned solitons in layered antiferromagnets

Layered manganese-halide compounds exhibit quasi-two-dimensional magnetic behavior in the temperature region immediately above the ordering temperature where soliton excitation can be experimentally detected as an Arrhenius, exp(E/T), temperature-dependent electron paramagnetic resonance linewidth, where E is the soliton energy. When a nonmagnetic impurity such as magnesium is introduced into the Mn lattice, experimental linewidth data indicate that the excitation energy is dramatically reduced and the temperature range over which Arrhenius behavior is observed is widened to include higher temperatures. These effects occur for very small (less than 1%) impurity concentrations.
On Dart-Zobel Algorithm for testing regular type inclusion

This paper answers open questions about the correctness and the completeness of Dart-Zobel algorithm for testing the inclusion relation between two regular types. We show that the algorithm is complete but incorrect for regular types.
Correlates of use of antifracture therapy in older women with low bone mineral density

BACKGROUND: Guidelines exist for treatment of low bone mineral density (BMD). Little is known about patient characteristics associated with use of treatment.
“Malic” enzyme, fumarate reductase and transhydrogenase systems in the mitochondria of adult Spirometra mansonoides (Cestoda)

“Malic” enzyme and fumarate reductase activities have been demonstrated and partially characterized in mitochondria from the adult cestode Spirometra mansonoides. The former enzyme requires Mn++ and NAD+ for optimal activity, but also couples with NADP+ at approximately 60% of the rate observed with NAD+. The mitochondrial membrane bound fumarate reductase is of particular interest since activities have been obtained at comparable rates with either NADH or NADPH as electron donor. Intact Spirometra mitochondria catalyze an anaerobic, malate dependent, electron transport associated uptake of inorganic 32P into organic phosphate. Spirometra mitochondria also exhibit three transhydrogenase activities. NADH:NAD+, 4 NADPH:NAD+ and NADH:NADP+ transhydrogenases are described and possible physiological roles are discussed.
A simultaneous comparison of Fentanyl's analgesic effects on experimental and clinical pain

Abstract Intravenous administration of 0.8 μg/kg and 1.1 μg/kg fentanyl in low back pain patients reduced both sensory intensity and unpleasantness visual analogue scale (VAS) responses to experimental pain evoked by graded 5-sec nociceptive temperature stimuli (45–51°C) as well as VAS-sensory and VAS-affective responses to clinical pain. Fentanyl produced similar decreases in VAS-sensory responses to experimental and clinical pain. Fentanyl produced nearly equal reductions in VAS-sensory and VAS-affective responses to experimental pain but greater reductions in clinical pain VAS-affective as compared to clinical pain VAS-sensory responses. This interaction of type of pain (experimental versus clinical) and pain dimension (sensory versus affective) results from either a steeper sensory intensity-unpleasantness relationship for clinical pain as compared to experimental pain or additional selective influences of opiates on affective factors uniquely related to clinical pain. These results indicate that low to moderate doses of opiates reduce both sensory and affective dimensions of pain and strongly suggest that changes in pain affect occur mainly as a direct consequence of reductions in pain sensation intensity.
Intra-and inter-reader reliability of semi-automated quantitative morphometry measurements and vertebral fracture assessment using lateral scout views from computed tomography

Summary Intra-and inter-reader reliability of semi-automated quantitative vertebral morphometry measurements was determined using lateral computed tomography (CT) scout views. The method requires less time than conventional morphometry. Reliability was excellent for vertebral height measurements, good for height ratios, and comparable to semi-quantitative grading by radiologists for identification of vertebral fractures.
An investigation of water uptake on clays minerals using ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy coupled with quartz crystal microbalance measurements

[1] It is becoming increasingly clear that the heterogeneous chemistry of mineral dust aerosol is a function of relative humidity (f(RH)) as water on the surface of the mineral dust particles can enhance or inhibit its reactivity depending on the reaction. Since clay minerals make up a significant component of the mineral dust aerosol, it is important to understand water uptake on this large fraction of dust present in the Earth's atmosphere. In this study, bulk and surface properties of several types and sources of clay minerals are characterized using a variety of techniques, including surface area measurements, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) analysis, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Mossbauer spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For these well-characterized clays, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy is combined with quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) mass measurements to investigate water uptake as a f(RH). Similar measurements were also done for α-Al 2 O 3 and synthetic NaY zeolite for comparison. Water uptake on the clay minerals, although variable and dependent on both the type and source of the clay, is greater than that found for α-Al 2 O 3 , a metal oxide, and in many cases similar or greater than NaY zeolite, a crystalline porous material. The presence of cations with large hydration energies significantly increases the water uptake capacity for the clay minerals. The atmospheric implications of these results are discussed.
Does stage T3a renal cell carcinoma embrace a homogeneous group of patients

Purpose: Renal cell carcinoma invading the perinephric fat is classified as a stage T3a tumor in the 2002 TNM version. Based on long-term followup we examined the prognostic significance of this definition.Materials and Methods: We evaluated the outcome in 237 consecutive patients with localized renal cell carcinoma operated on between January 1985 and December 1997. Median followup was 8 years. Disease-free survival was analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. Based on this we proposed and tested a new TNM system against the 2002 TNM version.Results: Tumor recurrence was diagnosed in 48 patients (20.2%) at a median of 21.5 months. Diameter based analysis of stage T3a revealed that this was an inhomogeneous group that included patients with small tumors and an excellent prognosis along with patients with large tumors and a poor prognosis. Based on this information we initiated a modified TNM staging system that ignores perinephric fat invasion. In the proposed staging system stage T1a includes...
Natural variation in four human collagen genes across an ethnically diverse population

Collagens are members of one of the most important families of structural proteins in higher organisms. There are 28 types of collagens encoded by 43 genes in humans that fall into several different functional protein classes. Mutations in the major fibrillar collagen genes lead to osteogenesis imperfecta (COL1A1 and COL1A2 encoding the chains of Type I collagen), chondrodysplasias (COL2A1 encoding the chains of Type II collagen), and vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (COL3A1 encoding the chains of Type III collagen). Over the past 2 decades, mutations in these collagen genes have been catalogued, in hopes of understanding the molecular etiology of diseases caused by these mutations, characterizing the genotype-phenotype relationships, and developing robust models predicting the molecular and clinical outcomes. To achieve these goals better, it is necessary to understand the natural patterns of variation in collagen genes in human populations. We screened exons, flanking intronic regions, and conserved noncoding regions for variations in COL1A1, COL1A2, COL2A1, and COL3A1 in 48 individuals from each of four ethnically diverse populations. We identified 459 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), more than half of which were novel and not found in public databases. Of the 52 SNPs found in coding regions, 15 caused amino acid substitutions while 37 did not. Although the four collagens have similar gene and protein structures, they have different molecular evolutionary characteristics. For example, COL1A1 appears to have been under substantially stronger negative selection than the rest. Phylogenetic analysis also suggests that the four genes have very different evolutionary histories among the different ethnic groups. Our observations suggest that the study of collagen mutations and their relationships with disease phenotypes should be performed in the context of the genetic background of the subjects.
Detection of positional brachial plexus injury by radial arterial line during spinal exposure before neuromonitoring confirmation: a retrospective case study

To demonstrate the potential usefulness of radial arterial line monitoring in detection of brachial plexus injury in spinal surgery. Multiple neuromonitoring modalities including SEPs, MEPs and EMG were performed for a posterior thoracicolumbar surgery. Radial arterial line (A-line) was placed on the right wrist for arterial blood pressure monitoring. Reliable ulnar nerve SEPs, hand muscle MEPs and arterial blood pressure readings were obtained after patient was placed in a prone position. A-line malfunction was noted about 15 min after incision. Loss of ulnar nerve SEPs and hand muscle MEPs with a cold hand on the right was noticed when neuromonitoring resumed after spine exposure. SEPs, MEPs, A-line readings and hand temperature returned after modification of the right arm position. Radial arterial line monitoring may help detect positional brachial plexus injury in spinal surgery when continuous neuromonitoring is interrupted during spine exposure in prone position.
Softwood Chipping Fines: Efficacy as Poultry Litter

Abstract Softwood chipping fines, a by-product of the paper manufacturing industry, was evaluated for its efficacy as poultry litter on a total of 1,200 broilers. There were no differences in 49-day body weights or feed conversion between broilers grown on softwood chipping fines and on pine shaving control litter. Broilers grown on chipping fines litter had 58% fewer breast downgrades and 64% more Grade A carcasses than those raised on pine shavings. High moisture level chipping fines litter treatments produced slightly elevated mortality, but overall mortality was low.
TRANSPERITONEAL LAPAROSCOPIC PYELOLITHOTOMY AFTER FAILED PERCUTANEOUS ACCESS IN THE PEDIATRIC PATIENT

ABSTRACTPurpose:: We present our experience with transperitoneal laparoscopic pyelolithotomy in pediatric patients in whom percutaneous renal access failed and the stone burden warranted open intervention.Material and Methods: A transperitoneal laparoscopic approach was used for pyelolithotomy in 8 patients 3 months to 10 years old (mean age 4 years). Percutaneous access failed secondary to a nondilated system and/or an occluding lower pole calculus. Inclusion criteria were failed percutaneous access secondary to a nondilated system and/or stone occlusion of the lower pole system and failed shock wave lithotripsy or a stone burden of greater than 2.5 cm2. A posterior pelviotomy was made. Stones in the renal pelvis were removed with rigid graspers under direct laparoscopic vision. A flexible cystoscope was introduced through a port if caliceal stones were present. The renal pelvis was reconstructed. A watertight anastomosis was verified.Results:: Average operative time was 1.6 hours (range 0.8 to 2.3). Mea...
Estimates of saltation threshold and erosion rates on Mars

The Mariner 9 photographs of the Martian surface include many which show crater-associated streaks caused by atmospheric winds. Due to the low density atmosphere of Mars, the wind speeds necessary to move surface particles and thus cause the streaks are apparently very high. The atmospheric-boundary-layer wind tunnel has been used to determine threshold speeds for particles of varying density and diameter and the results for small particles have been extrapolated to estimate somewhat lower threshold speeds on Mars than previous estimates. A series of streak modeling tests is used to derive an erosion-rate correlation function, which is in turn used to estimate erosion rates to the lee of some of the craters on Mars which exhibited time-dependent streak behavior during the mission.
Paradise postponed? Venture capital emergence in Russia

Purpose – How does venture capital (VC) emerge in emerging and developing economies? This paper aims to use case data from an early Russian VC fund to extend a previous model exploring that question.Design/methodology/approach – Case studies of VC emergence from South Africa, Botswana, and Russia are compared, from which a conceptual model is developed.Findings – VC emerges in a process consisting of four stages: enabling, coproducing, diffusing, and replicating. The Russian case shows that these stages are linked in a circular process, i.e. replicating can lead to enabling. VC emergence can also begin at any stage. A higher degree of public‐private coproduction may outweigh the absence of a completed enabling stage, suggesting that strength in one stage can compensate for weakness in others.Research limitations/implications – This paper invites scholars to reconsider VC emergence in a more nuanced manner that takes into account its complex, processual nature. The inclusion of Russian data also encourages...
Does inventory pooling improve customer service levels

Abstract We study the risk pooling problem in a two-location inventory system, and analytically demonstrate that pooling improves the Type-I service levels at both locations. We also present an example showing that pooling may reduce the Type-II service levels at both locations.