cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Corporate Entrepreneurship and Manufacturing Firms’ Performance

The study evaluates the effect of corporate entrepreneurship (measured by innovation, proactiveness, risk-taking, strategic renewal and corporate venturing) on the non-financial performance of manufacturing firms in Nigeria (measured by market share and employees satisfaction). The study employed survey research design, through the administration of structured questionnaire to management staff of eight manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The findings revealed that innovation, risk taking, proactiveness, strategic renewal and corporate venturing are all significantly related with manufacturing firms’ non-financial performance. It can therefore be concluded that corporate entrepreneurship (CE) elements (risk-taking, innovation, corporate venturing, proactiveness and strategic renewal) enhance manufacturing firms’ non-financial performance (market share and employees’ satisfaction). It is recommended that manufacturing firms should employ CE elements towards the enhancement of their non-financial performance.
Searching for Glimmers of Ethnography in Jailhouse Criminology

This chapter reflects on the ways in which traditional mixed-method research designs can capture the spirit of criminological Verstehen and the ethnographic method. Experiences are offered to illustrate successes and failures in attempts to incorporate the ethnographic lens in prison and reentry-based research. Challenges are raised in incorporating elements of ethnography in traditional mixed-method designs including maintaining boundaries while listening to and treating people with respect as human beings, struggles with prison security issues and logistics, research ethics, developing trust as an outsider, and the difficulties in measuring phenomenological experience through the traditional research process. The importance of incorporating methodological creativity to employ ethnography-infused mixed-method research designs to ensure that the human element of crime and justice research is not lost in the distance that is created by jailhouse criminology is discussed.
Coercion and the Critical Psychiatrist

Psychiatrists play a role in society not only in defining what it means to have a mental illness but also in determining the fate of those so afflicted. This authority can have profound effects on people; psychiatrists have authority to compel hospital admissions, seclusion and restraint within hospital, and administration of psychoactive drugs. Psychiatrists are called upon to offer opinions regarding people’s capacities to make financial and medical decisions and to determine who should be sent to a hospital rather than a jail. The many concerns explored in this book raise urgent questions for critical psychiatrists regarding the underlying justification and wisdom for the assumption of these responsibilities. First, is force ever necessary? Second, if one concludes that force might sometimes be necessary, is there a role for the medical profession in this process? Third, if one accepts that there is a role for physicians, how does one accept this responsibility in an ethical and intellectually coherent manner? This chapter examines these questions in more detail.
Percutaneous pericardiocentesis versus pericardial window: A retrospective subset analysis in a cancer population.

e23093Background: Malignant pericardial effusions (PEs) must often, and for a multitude of reasons, be managed invasively. Options for intervention include percutaneous or surgical drainage. There ...
“Meek-eyed moods”: On John Clare’s Inarticulate Images

This essay brings together two disparate discourses to consider the role of description and observation in the later work of John Clare: contemporary reading debates and the “descriptive turn,” dra...
Abstract P317: Sex and Age Differences in a typical Chief Complains for Heart Failure in Emergency Department Visits

Background: Around 1 million United States emergency department (ED) visits per year are due to exacerbation of heart failure (HF) symptoms, with ~80% of those patients admitted to the hospital. Ho...
Interpreting Constitutional Provisions in Tandem

When constitutional provisions interact, courts must decide how to interpret them "in tandem." A familiar example from the last decade — which is likely to become even more prominent this term in Carpenter v. United States — is the practice of crafting Fourth Amendment rules with an eye toward First Amendment values. In spite of its familiarity, however, "in tandem interpretation" remains an under-theorized practice. In fact, it has two distinct forms, and they pull in opposite directions. The first, I call the "jurisdictional approach," whereby courts develop a taxonomy of grievance-types and assign them to separate constitutional domains. The second, I call the "gestalt approach," whereby courts allow principles endogenous to one constitutional domain to influence the operation of another. The convention of interpreting the Fourth Amendment in light of First Amendment values is an example of the latter. Having established the distinction, the essay identifies three potential bases for deciding between the approaches in practice. The first focuses on right and/or remedy maximization. The second focuses on adjudicative efficiency. And the third focuses on how constitutional law, writ large, is imagined: as a technocratic endeavor, or, instead, as an outcome of popular sovereignty. I conclude by suggesting (1) that neither the rights-maximization view nor the adjudicative efficiency view distinguishes the jurisdictional approach from the gestalt approach in principle, but (2) that an "anti-technocracy" view does supply a reason to favor one — the gestalt approach — over the other, and it also gestures toward to a theory of constitutional meaning that may warrant further investigation.
The Intersectional Effects of Diverse Elections on Validated Turnout in the 2018 Midterm Elections

The 2018 midterm elections in the United States were unprecedented in their gender and racial diversity. Voters across the country, especially younger voters, elected the most diverse U.S. Congress...
Dr. Marilyn Goske: Innovator in pediatric radiation safety and education: One in a series highlighting women recipients of the ACR Gold Medal

Committed to teaching, Dr. Goske developed an academic niche for herself focusing on educational initiatives. She co-created the widely successful Cleveland Clinic Webbased Curriculum for radiology residents, which reached acclaimed success with 65 modules used by 25,000 registrants in 53 countries and over 400 residency programs. With her natural curiosity, enthusiasm and perseverance, Dr. Goske subsequently had the vision to develop a worldwide coalition that included people from all aspects of radiology to broadcast a simple message, image gently. The influential and longstanding campaign, Image Gently, served to educate radiologists, medical physicists, radiologic technologists and most importantly, parents. Dr. Goske wanted to empower parents and the radiology community to improve pediatric patient safety and work towards decreasing radiation exposure in children. She continued her impactful work by establishing the Quality Improvement Registry in CT Scans in children in 2011 and worked as the pediatric radiology representative on the American College of Radiology's Dose Index Registry in 2013. Focused on compassionate patient care, Dr. Goske's overarching goal was to improve the patient experience throughout the many advancements in radiology. Her excellence in patient care, innovative approaches to education and safety, and collaborative ability to bring out the best in radiology led to her being the 2018 recipient of the ACR Gold Medalist, only the ninth woman ever to do so.
Effects of preliminary class membership on subsequent stimulus equivalence class formation.

The present study examined the effects of including stimuli previously trained as members of functional classes or equivalence classes on subsequent equivalence class formation, and isolated the effects of preliminary training from those of the acquired function stimuli. Fifty-six adults were assigned to 1 of 5 conditions. The control group (CONT) received no preliminary training prior to the terminal phase. Participants in the other 4 groups learned two 3-member functional classes and two 3-member equivalence classes during the preliminary phase. The terminal equivalence phase trained two 5-member classes (A → B → C → D → E) comprising abstract forms; the C stimuli in the terminal phase were (a) from the preliminary functional classes for 1 group (ACQ-F), (b) from the preliminary equivalence classes for the second experimental group (ACQ-E), (c) pictures of everyday objects for the picture control group (PIC), and (d) novel, unfamiliar stimuli for the preliminary training control group (PRE-CONT). Class formation yields were 100% in the PIC condition and 11% in the CONT condition; however, low yields in the PRE-CONT, ACQ-F, and ACQ-E conditions were unexpected, suggesting that procedural variables in preliminary training account for more of the subsequent effects on class formation than the stimulus control properties of the acquired function stimuli.
Vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor induced hypertension: Retrospective analysis of the impact of blood pressure elevations on outcomes.

BackgroundVascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors are known to cause hypertension. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of blood pressure (BP) elevations on outcomes in p...
Fundamental insight into electrochemical oxidation of methane towards methanol on transition metal oxides

Electrochemical oxidation of CH4 is known to be inefficient in aqueous electrolytes. The lower activity of methane oxidation reaction (MOR) is primarily attributed to the dominant oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the higher barrier for CH4 activation on transition metal oxides (TMOs). However, a satisfactory explanation for the origins of such lower activity of MOR on TMOs, along with the enabling strategies to partially oxidize CH4 to CH3OH, have not been developed yet. We report here the activation of CH4 is governed by a previously unrecognized consequence of electrostatic (or Madelung) potential of metal atom in TMOs. The measured binding energies of CH4 on 12 different TMOs scale linearly with the Madelung potentials of the metal in the TMOs. The MOR active TMOs are the ones with higher CH4 binding energy and lower Madelung potential. Out of 12 TMOs studied here, only TiO2, IrO2, PbO2, and PtO2 are active for MOR, where the stable active site is the O on top of the metal in TMOs. The reaction pathway for MOR proceeds primarily through *CH x intermediates at lower potentials and through *CH3OH intermediates at higher potentials. The key MOR intermediate *CH3OH is identified on TiO2 under operando conditions at higher potential using transient open-circuit potential measurement. To minimize the overoxidation of *CH3OH, a bimetallic Cu2O3 on TiO2 catalysts is developed, in which Cu reduces the barrier for the reaction of *CH3 and *OH and facilitates the desorption of *CH3OH. The highest faradaic efficiency of 6% is obtained using Cu-Ti bimetallic TMO.
Safety and efficacy of oxycodone in cancer patients with moderate-to-severe cancer pain: A single-medical center experiences

Background: The study aimed at evaluating the safety and tolerability of oxycodone in patients with moderate-to-severe cancer pain at a medical center in southern Taiwan. Materials and Methods: This was a subgroup analysis of a 12-week, uncontrolled, open-label, multicentric study. During the treatment phase, all participants received control-released (CR) oxycodone and/or immediate-released (IR) oxycodone. The primary end point was the number and percentage of patients with adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs). The secondary end points included patient-reported outcomes and titration of oxycodone. Results: A total of 19 patients were enrolled at this medical center. A total of 56 AEs were documented in 12/19 (63.2%) patients, of which, only 4/56 (7.1%) AEs were treatment-related adverse events occurring in 3/19 (15.8%) patients and no treatment-related SAEs were observed. Most AEs were mild and typical for opioids administered to patients with cancer pain. The most AEs involved the gastrointestinal systems (23%), such as nausea, constipation, and vomiting. At the study end, pain intensity of Numeric Rating Scale score had significantly decreased from 6.3 to 1.6 points; the quality of life on the European Quality of Life Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS) median score had improved from 50 to 60 points; and proportion of good/excellent? quality of analgesia (QoA) had increased from 5.3% to 100%. The interesting findings of EQ5D item analyses that the top two improvements were anxiety/depression and pain/discomfort, whereas “mobility” and “self-care” became worse, demonstrated that improvement in cancer pain seems to have more improvement on patients' anxiety/depression.” The median stable dose was 20 mg/day and the median time to reach stable dose was 1 day. Conclusion: CR and IR oxycodone are tolerable and effective in managing moderate-to-severe cancer pain among patients with colorectal cancers s at this medical center. Neither new safety signals nor significant bowel function disorders were noted. Together with the high acceptability and improvements on anxiety/depression and pain/discomfort on Taiwanese cancer patients, CR and IR oxycodone can be another valuable pain management option used for the daily control of moderate-to-severe cancer pain.
An Assessment of the Great Lakes States' Implementation of the Water Management and Conservation Provisions of the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact

The Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact in 2008 ushered in a new era of water management and conservation in the Great Lakes region. This report provides a state-by-state assessment of how the eight Great Lakes states -- Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin -- are carrying out the water management, conservation and efficiency provisions of the Compact. While overall the assessment is positive, for each state the report identifies areas in which implementation should be improved.
Reactivity of coal fly ash used in cementitious binder systems: A state-of-the-art overview

Abstract Coal fly ash is a type of combustion residue from electric power plants that burn coal. Conventionally acting as supplementary cementitious material to produce economically and environmentally sustainable concrete, coal fly ash has been increasingly demonstrated as an alternative binder (in place of Portland cement) in cementitious composites. Reactivity of fly ash is a crucial factor for its appropriate use in the concrete industry. An in-depth understanding of the reactivity of fly ashes would not only facilitate their value-added utilization but also benefit their transformation from waste to commodity. This is particularly the case for the marginal fly ashes (e.g., ponded and landfilled fly ashes) that fail to meet the requirement of AASHTO M295 (or ASTM C618) and have been considered unsuitable for direct use in concrete. To unlock the potential and enable beneficial uses of coal fly ashes, this work presents a comprehensive review of recent literature related to the reactivity of coal fly ash in cementitious binder systems, with the focus on reactivity indices, reactivity test methods, treatments employed for improving reactivity, and strength prediction of fly ash-based binder systems. The urgent research needs are also identified to support the enhanced utilization of fly ashes for sustainable construction.
An assessment of the rural-urban differences in the crash response time and county-level crash fatalities in the United States.

Purpose This study aimed to estimate the crash response times in rural and urban counties in the United States, their association with county-level crash fatalities, and identify spatial clusters of crash fatalities across the United States. Methods We analyzed data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (2010-2019). Data were aggregated at the county level across the contiguous United States. The selected counties (n = 3,108) were categorized as rural, micropolitan-urban, or metropolitan-urban using the 2013 rural-urban commuting area codes. The predictor variable was crash response time, and the outcome variable was county-level crash fatalities. Crash and county characteristics were used as potential confounders. We performed a spatial negative binomial regression analysis and reported the rate ratios of crash fatalities. We estimated the crude and adjusted fatality rates across all counties and identified clusters of crash fatalities across the United States. Findings As one migrates from urban to rural areas, crash response times became significantly increasingly longer. The Emergency Medical Service (EMS) notification to scene arrival time was most predictive of crash fatalities. A minute increase in the EMS notification to scene arrival time was associated with a 1%, 2%, and 5% increased fatality rate ratio in rural, micropolitan-urban, and metropolitan-urban counties, respectively. Although crash fatalities were lower in rural counties, the crash fatality rate was 3-fold higher in rural counties compared to metropolitan-urban counties. Significant clusters of crash fatality rates were heterogeneously distributed across the United States. Conclusion Reducing crash response time may contribute to reducing crash fatalities across the United States.
Implications of Calcification in Peyronie's Disease, A Review of the Literature.

ABSTRACT A common characteristic of Peyronie's Disease (PD) is plaque calcification, which is associated with decreased response to treatments and higher rates of surgical intervention. Despite its prevalence in the PD population, the literature on plaque calcification is limited. While the diagnosis of PD is mostly clinical, imaging modalities such as ultrasound can be used to identify plaque calcification. The proper identification of plaque calcification is crucial for guiding management and setting therapeutic expectations for patients with PD. Herein we discuss what is known about PD plaque calcification, including epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, and management.
Neurotransmitter Receptors in Actions of Antipsychotic Medications

Schizophrenic Syndromes, Peter F. Liddle General Overview of Antipsychotic Medications, Michael S. Lidow Effects of Antipsychotic Drugs on Dopamine Release and Metabolism in the Central Nervous System, J. David Jentsch and Robert H. Roth Antipsychotic Drugs, Dopamine D2, and Schizophrenia, Philip Seeman D1 Dopamine Receptors, Schizophrenia, and Antipsychotic Medications, Akeo Kurumaji and Yoshiro Okubo Serotonin Receptors as Targets of Antipsychotic Medications, Anissa Abi-Dargham and John Krystal Role of Adrenergic Receptors in Effects of Antipsychotic Medications on Prefrontal Cortical Function, Amy F.T. Arnsten Glutamate Receptors in Schizophrenia and Antipsychotic Drugs, Donald C. Goff Antipsychotic Effects of Sigma Drugs, Ralf-Michael Friebos and Axel Steiger GABA-ergic Drugs in Schizophrenia, Adel A. Wassef Receptor Occupancy by Antipsychotics - Concepts and Findings, Shitij Kapur Regulation of Neurotransmitter Receptors by Antipsychotic Medications, Lisa A. Taylor and Ian Creese Modulation of Cellular Signaling Pathways by Antipsychotic Medications, Ashiwel Undie The Role of Neurotransmitter Receptors in the Adverse Effects of Antipsychotic Drugs, Ronald E. See Future Perspectives of Antipsychotic Drug Development, W. Wolfgang Fleischhacker and Josef Marksteiner
Toward a Cure for the Myopia and Tunnel Vision of the Population Debate: A Dose of Historical Perspective

Debates about the economic consequences of population growth and size have been too narrow, and they have been too focused on impacts that occur in the short run.1 Such tunnel vision and myopia have resulted in alarmist assessments. However, when the analysis of the economic impacts is broadened in scope and extended over time, not only are the conclusions altered, but the analysis becomes at once more complex and more reasonable. In short, the pitfalls of misjudging the economic consequences of population growth are attenuated when one gains perspective.
Molecular damage in cancer: an argument for mTOR-driven aging

Despite common belief, accumulation of molecular damage does not play a key role in aging. Still, cancer (an age-related disease) is initiated by molecular damage. Cancer and aging share a lot in common including the activation of the TOR pathway. But the role of molecular damage distinguishes cancer and aging. Furthermore, an analysis of the role of both damage and aging in cancer argues against “a decline, caused by accumulation of molecular damage” as a cause of aging. I also discuss how random molecular damage, via rounds of multiplication and selection, brings about non-random hallmarks of cancer.
Leisure time physical activity before and during mid-pregnancy and offspring adiposity in mid-childhood.

Background Effects of maternal leisure time physical activity (LTPA) on paediatric obesity are unknown. The objective of this study was to examine associations of maternal LTPA with offspring overall and central adiposity in mid-childhood. Methods We analysed data from 802 mother–child dyads from Project Viva, a prospective pre-birth cohort study. Women reported average weekly LTPA before and during mid-pregnancy. At age 7–10 years, we measured fat, truncal fat and lean mass with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Using multivariable linear regression, we examined associations of maternal LTPA with offspring adiposity, adjusting for child age and sex, maternal race/ethnicity, education, age, pre-pregnancy body mass index, marital status and smoking status. Results Mean (standard deviation) of LTPA before and during mid-pregnancy were 9.5 (8.1) and 7.1 (7.0) h week−1. At mean age 7.8 (0.8) years, childhood fat, truncal fat and lean mass indices were 4.3 (1.8), 1.4 (0.8) and 12.9 (1.4) kg m−2. We did not find that higher maternal LTPA was associated with lower child adiposity outcomes. For example, compared with 0–3 h week−1 of LTPA during mid-pregnancy, children of mothers with +8 h week−1 had fat mass index 0.07 kg m−2 (95% confidence interval: −0.22, 0.36). In analyses of within-person LTPA change from before to mid-pregnancy, compared with +2 h week−1 decrease in LTPA, increased LTPA (2 ± h week−1) was associated with a 0.09 kg m−2 fat mass index (−0.25, 0.43). Conclusions Contrary to our hypothesis, higher LTPA before and during mid-pregnancy, and the change between them, were not associated with lower adiposity in mid-childhood.
Clinical algorithms for the identification of sick newborns in community-based settings.

UNLABELLED Clinical algorithms can be powerful tools for the identification of sick newborns at risk of neonatal mortality. Several studies have evaluated clinical signs for newborns aged 0-60 days to identify severe illness; however, few studies have focused specifically on the most vulnerable time period for neonatal death, the first week of life. Therefore, we reviewed the studies that evaluated clinical signs in newborns 0-60 days, focusing on infants 0 to <7 days. Based on a comparison of relevant studies, we then identified the common, important clinical signs shown to be useful for the identification of at-risk newborns by health workers in community-based and low-resource settings. CONCLUSION We concluded that further work is urgently needed to develop a clinical algorithm for widespread validation in various community-based settings, which focuses specifically on newborns <7 days at risk of early neonatal mortality.
The work and force of digital vasoconstriction in normotensive and hypertensive pregnant women.

Abstract 1. 1. Arterial pressure and flow were measured in the digital circulation both before and after vasodilatation in normotensive and hypertensive pregnant women in the third trimester. The work, work index, and force of vasoconstriction and caliber changes were calculated from the data. 2. 2. There was some increase in neurogenic vasoconstriction in the hypertensive group. 3. 3. Pregnancy itself tended to decrease neurogenic vasoconstriction in both groups, probably because of increased heat production. Normal pregnancy, moreover, tended to decrease the brachial-digital systolic pressure gradient.
In vivo properties of an IgG3-IL-2 fusion protein. A general strategy for immune potentiation.

In this report, we describe a strategy for enhancing the immunogenicity of a wide variety of Ags by linking them to IL-2 via an IgG3-IL-2 fusion protein with high affinity for a convenient hapten Ag, dansyl (DNS; N,N-dimethyl-1-aminonaphthalene-5-sulfonyl chloride). This fusion protein, anti-DNS-IgG3-IL-2, combines the functional characteristics of its constituents and has pharmacokinetic properties that are greatly improved over those of IL-2 and a previously described IgG1-IL-2 fusion. The molecule is intact and recoverable from the blood of mice hours after i.p. injection and reaches distant organs throughout the animal. The 7-h in vivo half-life of this molecule is much longer than that of IL-2, addressing a major obstacle in the application of IL-2 to human diseases, including cancer and AIDS. Additionally, the Ab's specificity for the hapten dansyl and the convenient chemistry of dansyl provide a means to link IL-2 to virtually any molecule of interest without the complexities and uncertainties of making IL-2 fusions with each molecule individually. Using hapten-conjugated-BSA (DNS-BSA) as a model Ag we show that the Ab response elicited by anti-DNS-IgG3-IL-2-bound DNS-BSA-Sepharose injected into mice is increased over that of DNS-BSA-Sepharose or anti-DNS-IgG3-bound DNS-BSA-Sepharose. Anti-DNS-IgG3-IL-2 also increased the Ab response to soluble DNS-BSA after a booster injection. This system should be useful in testing the ability of IL-2 to potentiate the immune response to Ag and in screening a large number of potential Ags for use in vaccines. The dramatically improved pharmacokinetics should also overcome one of the major difficulties in applying IL-2 to the treatment of human disease, its short half-life.
X-ray photoelectron spectra of inorganic molecules—XVI[1]: Some further observations on silver(II) complexes

Abstract X-Ray photoelectron spectra are reported for the silver(II) complexes [Ag(py)4]S2O8 and [Ag(3Xpy)4]S2O8, where X = Cl or I, and for some related silver(I) derivatives. The Ag 3d binding energies of the silver(I) complexes are slightly higher than those of the silver(II) species. The broader Ag 3d peaks which were encountered for several silver(II) complexes of heterocyclic nitrogen donors can be attributed to differential surface charging effects rather than the occurrence of multiplet splittings for these paramagnetic species. This conclusion is in contrast to that proposed as the result of an earlier study.
Sustainability and firm valuation: an international investigation

Purpose – This paper aims to examine whether capital market rewards firms with good corporate sustainability practices in an international setting by using the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI hereafter) as an integrated measure of firm sustainability performance. Design/methodology/approach – There are two alternative theories regarding the impact of sustainability on firm value. The value-creating theory predicts that integration of environmental and social responsibility into corporate strategies and practices reduces firm risk and promotes long-term value creation. The value-destroying theory on sustainability suggests that managers may engage in socially responsible activities at the expense of shareholders. To perform empirical tests, we use a large international sample for a period of 13 years between 1999 (the first year when DJSI became available) and 2011. To control for self-selection bias and simultaneity, the authors use lagged values of sustainability performance in a robustness check. F...
5-Valine-oxytocin and 1-deamino-5-valine-oxytocin. Syntheses and some pharmacological properties.

Abstract The paper reports the syntheses of 5-valine-oxytocin and 1-deamino-5-valine-oxytocin, analogues of oxytocin and 1-deamino-oxytocin which contain a valine residue in place of the asparagine residue in position 5. On assay for biological activity, 5-valine-oxytocin was found to possess approximately 0.3 unit per mg of oxytocic activity and 0.1 unit per mg of avian vasodepressor activity. The 1-deamino-5-valine-oxytocin possesses approximately 0.7 unit per mg of oxytocic activity and 0.3 unit per mg of avian vasodepressor activity. Both of these analogues exhibit approximately 0.01 unit per mg of rat pressor and less than 0.001 unit per mg of rat antidiuretic activity. The detrimental effect on hormonal activities of structural alterations in position 5 of oxytocin is shown by the strikingly low potencies of 5-valine-oxytocin and 1-deamino-5-valine-oxytocin as compared with the high potencies of 4-valine-oxytocin and 1-deamino-4-valine-oxytocin.
A large chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan has the characteristics of a general extracellular matrix component of adult brain

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a secreted extracellular network. Few components of adult brain ECM are known. We have identified a new, large chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (T1 antigen) that acts like a general ECM protein of brain. First, it is present throughout the brain; second, it has the properties of an extracellular protein; and third, it is extracted only under denaturing conditions. Immunocytochemical localization of the T1 antigen by light microscope shows it to be present throughout the rat brain in both white and gray matter. The T1 antigen outlines Purkinje and other large cells. No antigenicity is seen inside these cells. Biochemical evidence suggests that the T1 antigen is extracellular rather than cytosolic or intravesicular. The T1 antigen is disulfide-linked to two other proteins. Disulfide bonds are found only in extracellular or intravesicular proteins, not in intracellular cytosolic proteins. Moreover, the T1 antigen is probably not intravesicular. Unlike intravesicular proteins, only a small amount of T1 antigen is solubilized by nondenaturing detergents. While nondenaturing detergents extract but a small amount of T1 antigen from rat brain, the majority is solubilized by denaturing conditions (6 M guanidine-HCl). This behavior is similar to that of ECM components in other tissues and is unlike that of membrane proteins, even those linked to the cytoskeleton. We hypothesize that the insolubility of the T1 antigen in brain is due to its presence in an extracellular aggregate. The T1 antigen is a proteoglycan with a highly glycosylated protein core of 300 kDa. It does not appear to be related to the large, heavily glycosylated chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans aggrecan and versican, which were discovered in non-neural tissues. Antibodies to a 15 residue peptide present in both aggrecan and versican do not react with the T1 antigen.
Lattice initial segments of the turing degrees

We characterize the isomorphism types of principal ideals of the Turing degrees below 0′ that are lattices as the lattices with a S03 presentation, by showing that each S03 -presentable bounded upper semilattice is isomorphic to such a principal ideal. We get a similar result for the Turing degrees below any degree above 0″.
Improvement of the Welding Inspection Process for Projects in the Oil and Gas Industry Using Six Sigma Methodology

At the start of welding activities in oil and gas projects, high welding rejection rates (WRR) are often reported. This is a cause for concern to companies because welding defects that are not identified nor corrected can have serious consequences, such as on asset integrity, cost of rework, and schedule impact. Therefore, the quality organizations immediately investigate the different causes and recommend solutions which eventually contributes toward lowering the WRR.Based on recent field studies conducted in oil and gas projects using the Six Sigma methodology, high WRRs are caused by many factors, including but not limited to the following:1. New and inexperienced welders with poor welding techniques.2. Poor environments surrounding the welding activities.3. Discrepancies and inaccurate data in the welding tracking system (WTS).These contributing factors can be reduced and eliminated by implementing a strong welding inspection and control program with the following recommendations:1. Screen for qualified and experienced welders with a proven successful welding history before starting the welding.2. Test the welders on-site before actual production welding.3. Implement an encouragement scheme for welders by having frequent toolbox meetings and presenting awards for the best welders according to the lowest rejection rates.4. Assess the WTS constantly to prevent any inaccurate data.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
The Effects of Generational Status on the Work Attitudes of Mexican Americans

Responses to 22 surveys representative of the U.S. labor force were used to examine intergenerational differences in seven work attitudes among first-(n = 99), second-( n = 49), and third-generation (n = 26) Mexican Americans and European Americans (n = 11,085). There were only minor differences between the work attitudes of first-generation Mexican Americans and the larger population,and by the second generation,differenceswere virtually nonexistent. The lack of differences may be related to the immigration policies of the United States. The findings add to the accumulating evidence that the work attitudes of Mexican Americans are not meaningfully different from those of the larger population.
Association of resistance to avian coccidiosis with single nucleotide polymorphisms in the zyxin gene

Our previous genetic studies demonstrated that resistance to avian coccidiosis is linked with microsatellite markers LEI0071 and LEI0101 on chromosome 1. In this study, the associations between parameters of resistance to coccidiosis and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in 3 candidate genes located between LEI0071 and LEI0101 [zyxin, CD4, and tumor necrosis factor receptor super family 1A (TNFRSF1A)] were determined. The SNP were genotyped in 24 F(1) generation and 290 F(2) generation animals. No SNP were identified in the TNFRSF1A gene, whereas 10 were located in the zyxin gene and 4 in the CD4 gene. At various times following experimental infection of the F(2) generation with Eimeria maxima, BW, fecal oocyst shedding, and plasma levels of carotenoid, nitrite plus nitrate (NO(2)(-) + NO(3)(-)), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were measured as parameters of resistance. Single marker and haplotype-based tests were applied to determine the associations between the 14 SNP and the parameters of coccidiosis resistance. None of the CD4 SNP were correlated with disease resistance. However, by single marker association, several of the zyxin SNP were significantly associated with carotenoid or NO(2)(-) + NO(3)(-) concentrations. These were the SNP at nucleotide 149 associated with carotenoid at d 3 postinfection (PI), nucleotide 187 with carotenoid at d 6 and 9 PI, and nucleotide 159 with carotenoid between d 3 and 9 PI. In addition, the zyxin SNP at nucleotide 191 was significantly associated with increased levels of NO(2)(-) + NO(3)(-) at d 3 PI. By haplotype association, the zyxin SNP also were found to be highly associated with NO(2)(-) + NO(3)(-) at d 3 PI and increased IFN-gamma at d 6 PI. These results suggest that zyxin is a candidate gene potentially associated with increased resistance to experimental avian coccidiosis.
Molecular mapping of the crown rust resistance gene Rpc1 in barley

ABSTRACT Crown rust of barley, caused by Puccinia coronata var. hordei, occurs sporadically and sometimes may cause yield and quality reductions in the Great Plains region of the United States and Canada. The incompletely dominant resistance allele Rpc1 confers resistance to P. coronata in barley. Two generations, F2 and F2:3, developed from a cross between the resistant line Hor2596 (CIho 1243) and the susceptible line Bowman (PI 483237), were used in this study. Bulked segregant analysis combined with random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers were used to identify molecular markers linked to Rpc1. DNA genotypes produced by 500 RAPD primers, 200 microsatellites (SSRs), and 71 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) probes were applied to map Rpc1. Of these, 15 RAPD primers identified polymorphisms between resistant and susceptible bulks, and 62 SSR markers and 32 RFLP markers identified polymorphisms between the resistant and susceptible parents. The polymorphic markers were applied to 97 F...
Cardiovascular responses to tilting in healthy and diabetic subjects

Cardiovascular responses to tilting from supine to upright and back to supine were investigated by measuring heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) continuously by non-invasive methods. Subjects were 20 healthy controls, 17 diabetic patients (DN) with normal test results for parasympathetic cardiac function and 21 diabetics (DA) with abnormal results. In control subjects, tilting up and tilting back maneuvers induced opposite changes in HR, systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP). The most obvious responses appeared during the first 30 sec after either maneuver. The best measurements to detect sympathetic vasoconstrictor abnormalities during tilting up were derived from the recovery curve that followed the immediate fall in SBP, abnormal in 6 DN and 14 DA patients, and from the increase in DBP after the maneuver, abnormal in 7 and 16, respectively. Tilting back induced comparatively larger cardiovascular responses. The SBP remained stable after 10 sec in the controls, but increased above normal limits in 7 DN and 20 DA patients. The DBP fell during the first 10 sec in controls, but not in 4 DN and 17 DA patients. Continuous monitoring of BP during tilting is a more sensitive test of autonomic function than classical BP measurements made at a few selected intervals. The results challenge the view that parasympathetic dysfunction precedes and occurs more frequently than sympathetic dysfunction.
Early Maritime Economy and El Nino Events at Quebrada Tacahuay, Peru

The archaeological site of Quebrada Tacahuay, Peru, dates to 12,700 to 12,500 calibrated years before the present (10,770 to 10,530 carbon-14 years before the present). It contains some of the oldest evidence of maritime-based economic activity in the New World. Recovered materials include a hearth, lithic cutting tools and flakes, and abundant processed marine fauna, primarily seabirds and fish. Sediments below and above the occupation layer were probably generated by El Nino events, indicating that El Nino was active during the Pleistocene as well as during the early and middle Holocene.
Evaluation of suspected pulmonary embolism during pregnancy.

able to identify alternative diagnoses that may account for patients’ symptoms. Whether it is more effective or costeffective to perform a CT scan to identify additional alternative diagnoses over and above those obtained from routine examinations requires further research. Some diagnoses that must be considered in patients with undifferentiated chest pain or shortness of breath (such as aortic dissection) are probably more likely to be diagnosed with a CT-based approach. However, the majority of common conditions in the differential diagnosis of chest pain or shortness of breath (eg, pneumonia, congestive heart failure, viral pleuritis, or pericarditis) can be made by analyzing the history and physical examination results and performing simple ancillary tests such as a chest x-ray and electrocardiogram. Furthermore, the need for contrast and the higher radiation exposure associated with CTPA are potential downsides avoided with V/Q scanning. Our study demonstrated similar clinical outcomes regardless of whether V/Q scanning or CTPA-based algorithms were used to exclude the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. However, significantly more patients were diagnosed with pulmonary embolism using the CTPA approach. Further research is required to identify whether all pulmonary emboli detected by CTPA require treatment with anticoagulant therapy.
Every patient is an individual: clinicians balance individual factors when discussing prognosis with diverse frail elderly adults.

Background: To explore clinician choice of whether to discuss prognosis with their frail older patients. Design: Qualitative interview study. Setting: Primary care clinicians were recruited from nursing homes, community-based clinics, and academic medical centers. Participants: Three geriatric nurse practitioners, nine geriatricians, five general internists, and three family medicine physicians with a mean age of 44 and a mean 12 years in practice. Seventeen clinicians had patient panels with 80% or more community-dwelling outpatients, 13 had patient panels with 50% or more patients aged 85 and older, and 16 had patient panels with 25% or more of patients in a minority group (Asian, African American, Hispanic). Measurements: Clinicians were asked to describe their practice of discussing long-term (<5-year) and short-term (<1-year and 3-month) prognosis. Responses were analyzed qualitatively using constant comparison until thematic saturation was reached. Results: Clinicians reported individualizing the decision to discuss prognosis with their frail older patients based on clinical circumstances. Common reasons for discussing prognosis included patient had a specific condition with a limited prognosis, to give patients time to prepare, to promote informed medical decision-making, and when patients or families prompted the conversation. Common reasons not to discuss included maintaining hope and avoiding anxiety, cognitive impairment or patient unable to understand prognosis, respect for patients' cultural values, and long-term prognosis too uncertain to be useful. Conclusion: Clinicians caring for frail older adults are generally willing to discuss short- but not long-term prognosis. Clinicians balance individual factors when deciding whether to discuss prognosis.
A New Subclass for Library of Congress Classification, QF: Computer Science

ABSTRACT The field of computer science has been growing rapidly in the last 20 years. However, the Library of Congress (LC) classification only gives computer science a very limited space QA75-QA76, which is buried in the QA subclass for mathematics. Although LC call numbers for computer science may become very long, it is still impossible to differentiate a C programming book from a C++ programming book, or a data structure book using C language from an algorithm book in C language. This paper analyzes the historical reason for the current LC classification system for computer science. Compiling a sample data from Blackwell's North America's Approval Program Coverage and Cost Study, the paper calculates current and all possible subdivisions within Q class, and states that computer science has more books published in the last six years than in any other physical sciences, yet it takes only 2 out of 11,000 current subdivisions in LC class Q. The paper concludes by making a suggestion to create a completely...
Incarceration of penis by foreign body

Abstract A case report of a remarkably long-term penile incarceration by a foreign body and its management and outcome are examined.
A subsynoptic-scale kinetic energy analysis of the Red River Valley tornado outbreak /AVE-SESAME I/

The subsynoptis-scale kinetic energy balance during the Red River Valley tornado outbreak is presented in order to diagnose storm environment interactions. Area-time averaged energetics indicate that horizontal flux convergence provides the major energy source to the region, while cross contour flow provides the greatest sink. Maximum energy variability is found in the upper levels in association with jet stream activity. Area averaged energetics at individual observation times show that the energy balance near times of maximum storm activity differs considerably from that of the remaining periods. The local kinetic energy balance over Oklahoma during the formation of a limited jet streak receives special attention. Cross contour production of energy is the dominant local source for jet development. Intense convection producing the Red River Valley tornadoes may have contributed to this local development by modifying the surrounding environment.
LR-90 a new advanced glycation endproduct inhibitor prevents progression of diabetic nephropathy in streptozotocin-diabetic rats

Advanced glycation and lipoxidation endproducts have been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications, including diabetic nephropathy. LR-90, a new advanced glycation endproduct inhibitor, was investigated for its effects on the development of renal disease in diabetic rats. Diabetic animals were randomly allocated into groups receiving LR-90 or vehicle (untreated). Age- and weight-matched non-diabetic rats were studied concurrently. Body weight, plasma glucose, glycated haemoglobin, urinary albumin and creatine excretions were measured serially. Kidney histopathology, AGE accumulation in cells and tissues, protein oxidation, were also examined. In vitro assays were used to assess the possible mechanism of action of LR-90. LR-90 inhibited the increase in albumin and creatinine concentrations, and concentrations of circulating AGE in diabetic rats without any effect on glycaemic control. LR-90 treated-rats also showed higher body weights than untreated diabetic rats. LR-90 prevented glomerulosclerosis, tubular degeneration and collagen deposition in the kidney. AGE-induced cross-linking and fluorescence of tail collagen were reduced by LR-90 treatment. LR-90 also decreased AGE accumulation in kidney glomeruli and nitrotyrosine deposition in the renal cortex. In vitro, LR-90 was capable of reacting with reactive carbonyl compounds and was a more potent metal chelator than pyridoxamine and aminoguanidine. LR-90 reduces in vivo AGE accumulation, AGE-protein cross-linking and protein oxidation, and could be beneficial in preventing the progression of diabetic nephropathy. The AGE inhibitory and therapeutic effects of LR-90 could be attributed, at least in part, to its ability to react with reactive carbonyl species and/or potent metal chelating activity that inhibits glycoxidative-AGE formation.
Conditional targeting of Ispd using paired Cas9 nickase and a single DNA template in mice

CRISPR/Cas9 technology is a highly promising genome editing tool in the mouse, potentially overcoming the costs and time required for more traditional gene targeting methods in embryonic stem (ES) cells. Recently, compared to the wildtype nuclease, paired Cas9 nickase (Cas9n) combined with single guide RNA (sgRNA) molecules has been found to enhance the specificity of genome editing while reducing off-target effects. Paired Cas9n has been shown to be as efficient as Cas9 for generating insertion and deletion (indel) mutations by non-homologous end joining and targeted deletion in the genome. However, an efficient and reliable approach to the insertion of loxP sites flanking critical exon(s) to create a conditional allele of a target gene remains an elusive goal. In this study, we microinjected Cas9n RNA with sgRNAs together with a single DNA template encoding two loxP sites flanking (floxing) exon 2 of the isoprenoid synthase containing domain (Ispd) into the pronucleus and cytoplasm of C57BL/6NCr one-cell stage zygotes. After surgical transfer, one F0 mouse expressing a conditional allele was produced (at a frequency of ∼8% of live pups born). The floxed allele was transmitted through the germline to F1 progeny, and could be successfully recombined using Cre recombinase. This study indicates that conditional targeting can be accomplished effectively using paired Cas9n and a single DNA template.