cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sovereignty and subterranean resources: An institutional ethnography of Repsol’s corporate social responsibility programs in Ecuador

Abstract State mandated corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs emerged in Ecuador in the 1990s, following indigenous protests rooted in social and environmental impacts of oil extraction. CSR programs aim to deflect blame for a company’s operations, by providing development or infrastructural improvements in indigenous communities, including micro-credit projects, potable water systems, and electricity. Through an institutional ethnography of CSR programs of the Spanish owned multinational oil company, Repsol, I explore how companies intervene in transformations of social life challenging the roles of the state in securing its territorial sovereignty linked to subterranean oil resources. Drawing on interviews, participant observation, and textual analysis of company and state documents, my analysis demonstrates how CSR programs allow companies to secure their presence in the region, even in the face of shifting regimes of governance. In this article, I provide more insight into Ecuador’s transition from neoliberal to post-neoliberal eras, by calling attention to social processes that seek to legitimize expansion of corporate capital in spaces of sovereignty. If state control over subterranean resources is still crucial to understanding forms of sovereignty, then the extension of that control via CSR programs represents new relationships of power that construct the company as an expert in the region. Exploring the everyday processes of these legal relationships of sovereignty through an institutional ethnography of CSR programs uncovers the programs’ impacts and effects that seek to consolidate power in the company, undermine indigenous rights, and discipline the state.
Sumatriptan treatment for migraine in a health maintenance organization: economic, humanistic, and clinical outcomes

This study was undertaken to assess the impact of 12 months of sumatriptan therapy (6 mg subcutaneously) for migraine on health care use, health-related quality of life, productivity, patient satisfaction with the medication, and clinical efficacy in a health maintenance organization (HMO). One hundred forty-eight patients received open-label sumatriptan for 12 months for the treatment of migraine. Medical records were reviewed to obtain information on the frequency of migraine-related health care use during the 12 months before and during sumatriptan treatment. Patients completed questionnaires on their productivity at work, health-related quality of life, and satisfaction with medication at baseline and after 3, 6, and 12 months of sumatriptan treatment. For each migraine, patients recorded pain severity scores before and after taking sumatriptan and the time between dosing and onset of meaningful relief. Sumatriptan was associated with significant reductions in migraine-related use of general outpatient services, telephone calls, urgent care services, and emergency department visits (P < 0.05); a significant increase in the use of pharmacy services (P < 0.05); and significant and sustained improvements in health-related quality-of-life scores compared with baseline (P < 0.001). Patients lost significantly less time from work and were significantly more satisfied with sumatriptan compared with their usual therapy (P < 0.05). Two hours after dosing, 81% of patients experienced reduction of moderate or severe pain to mild or no pain, and 90% of all patients experienced meaningful relief of pain. The use of sumatriptan for 12 months in an HMO was associated with reductions in health care use and improved health-related quality of life, productivity, and patient satisfaction with medication.
Experimental Infection of Triatoma infestans and Rhodnius prolixus with Trypanosomatidae of the Genera Crithidia and Blastocrithidia

SYNOPSIS. Dissections of Triatoma infestans and Rhodnius prolixus at various intervals after experimental infection with insect Trypanosomatidae of the genera Blastocrithidia and Crithidia (B. euschisti, C. luciliae, C. acanthocephali and C. mellificae) disclosed the protozoa to be surviving and in most instances undergoing reproduction in the experimental bugs for as long as 2 months following infection. Epimastigotes and amastigotes were seen in bugs infected with B. euschisti and choanomastigotes and amastigotes were observed in insects experimentally infected with the Crithidia. Since C. acanthocephali and C. luciliae were from clones, this is the 1st finding of these 2 structural types in this genus using cultures originating from a single choanomastigote. In view of the loose host specificity of the insect Trypanosomatidae as further emphasized by this work, it would appear that the necessity is increased for field workers in trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis areas of the world to become well acquainted with the infective potentialities of the insect trypanosomatids of their areas for the vectors of Trypanosoma and Leishmania along with the possible association in nature of these vectors with insects which might harbor insect-limited Trypanosomatidae.
SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THREE VARIETIES OF FLORIDA ORANGE JUICE

The combined ultraviolet and visible absorption spectral characteristics of the juices of Florida Hamlin, Pineapple and Valencia oranges, harvested at approximately 2-wk intervals, were all found to be similar in shape but different in peak absorbance. Absorption maxima, recorded on alcoholic solutions of the juices, were observed at 465, 443 and 425 nm of the visible spectrum and at 325, 280 and 245 nm of the ultraviolet spectrum. Processing variables, such as maturity and extractor pressure, appeared to influence absorbance intensities
The demographics and politics of economic decline in New York City

New York City's economy has been declining since 1969. Although this decline is usually discussed with reference to interregional shifts in population and the migration of industry to the South and West, the root causes can be best understood in terms of the changing demographic, political and economic matrix of the City combined with short-sighted public policies toward business development. After explaining some important aspects of the “political economy” of economic erosion in New York City, the paper suggests several local government policy alternatives that might help to reverse the tide of economic decline.
Nanosecond Dynamics of Single Polypeptide Molecules Revealed by Photoemission Statistics of Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer: A Theoretical Study

Recently single molecule photoemission statistics have been measured with a nanosecond time resolution for a pair of dye molecules attached to a DNA molecule and undergoing fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) [Berglund, A. J.; Doherty, A. C.; Mabuchi, H. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2002, 89, 068101]. We have simulated single molecule photoemission in a model, where a FRET pair resides on a polypeptide molecule that undergoes diffusion in water, with the goal to understand how the dynamics of the molecule are reflected in the observed photoemission statistics. We further compare our simulation results with the classical theory of Haas and Steinberg [Haas, E.; Steinberg, I. Z. Biophys. J. 1984, 46, 429] and find that their approximation, while not quantitative in the case of fast diffusion in water, predicts well many of the qualitative features of the single molecule photoemission signal. The calculated second-order intensity autocorrelation functions exhibit photon antibunching at short times and photon bu...
Shoe inserts alter inter-segmental foot motion and provide symptomatic relief in patients with midfoot arthritis

Patients with midfoot arthritis present with disabling pain, which limits their participation in walking and other physical activity. The primary aim of treatment is to afford pain relief and is often attempted using shoe inserts. The custom-molded three-quarter insert (3Q) is recommended as the first line of treatment; however clinical experience shows that patients continue to report pain. Recent reports indicate that the full length carbon graphite insert (FL) may offer symptomatic relief in patients with midfoot arthritis. However the mechanisms by which the FL may be effective remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of four-week intervention with the FL on self-reported outcomes and in vivo inter-segmental foot motion in patients with midfoot arthritis.
Distinction of cytochromes a and a3 by chemical reactivity

Abstract Almost a quarter of a century after Keilin and Hartree (1939) first distinguished cytochrome a 3 from cytochrome a, there is still no uniform agreement that these two cytochromes are distinct. The evidence for two distinct cytochromes is based on the spectral properties of the cytochromes and on reactions with carbon monoxide and cyanide ( Chance, 1953 ; Horie and Morrison, 1962; Lundegardh, 1957; Smith, 1955; Yonetoni, 1961 ). The validity of this evidence has been questioned ( Okunuki, 1962; Wainio, 1961 ). It has been suggested that purified preparations give no evidence for two cytochromes, and that the spectra with carbon monoxide or cyanide does not establish two cytochrome components ( Okunuki, 1962; Wainio, 1961 ). Further, physical and chemical methods have failed to separate “cytochrome a” into two cytochrome components. It is the object of this communication to present, in preliminary form, evidence that the carbon monoxide combining cytochrome component, cytochrome a 3 , is chemically distinguishable from cytochrome a.
An Improved Liquid Chromatographic Method for the Quantitative Determination of Free Fatty Acids in Milk Products

Abstract An existing HPLC method for the quantitative determination of the major FFA in milk fat was improved. Complete resolution of the p -bromophenacyl (PBP) ester derivatives of saturated and unsaturated FFA of acyl-chain length C 4 to C 18 was accomplished by gradient elution (60 to 100% acetonitrile in water) when the temperature of the reverse-phase column was maintained at 10°C. This allowed the determination of all the major FFA in milk fat within a single chromatographic analysis. The improved method should save time in analysis of FFA in milk fat and also can be used to quantify the low concentrations (78 to 270 μM±17%) of the major FFA (myristic, palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids) in fresh pasteurized milk and follow the time course of milk fat hydrolysis where low amounts of FFA are liberated.
Conformational behavior of polyethylenimine derivatives revealed by fluorescence spectroscopy

Conformation behavior of polyethylenimine has been examined by studies of the fluorescence characteristics of derivatives of the polymer containing pyrenyl ligands. Excimer formation within the macromolecular matrix serves as a sensitive probe of group proximities. The experimental observations combined with nearest neighbor analyses lead to quantitative assessments of the extent of interaction between polymer side chains.
Flapping-Wing Structural Dynamics Formulation Based on a Corotational Shell Finite Element

Flexible flapping wings have garnered a large amount of attention within the micro aerial vehicle community: a critical component of computationalmicro aerial vehicle simulations is the representation of the structural dynamics behavior of the flapping-wing structure. This paper discusses the development of a new nonlinear finite element solver that is based on a corotational approach and suitable for simulating flapping plate/shell-like wing structures undergoing small strains and large displacements/rotations. Partial verification and validation studies are presented on rectangular/elliptic wing structures to test the rigid body kinematics, nonlinear statics, and dynamics capabilities of the solver. Results obtained showed good agreement with available analytical/experimental/commercial solutions. The new structural dynamics formulation along with the numerical test cases contribute to the very limited set of tools and examples existing in the flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle literature.
Health services management ethics: a primer.

(2002). Health Services Management Ethics: A Primer. Hospital Topics: Vol. 80, No. 3, pp. 30-33.
Sorafenib and triptolide as combination therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Introduction Sorafenib is the only drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Triptolide, a diterpene triepoxide, exhibits antineoplastic properties in multiple tumor cell types. In this study, we examined the effects of these agents and their combination on HCC in vitro and in vivo models. Methods HuH-7 and PLC/PRF/5 cells were treated with triptolide (50 nM), sorafenib (1.25 or 2.5 μM), or a combination of both. Cell viability assay (CCK-8), caspase 3&7 activation, and nuclear factor κB assays were performed. For in vivo studies, 40 mice were implanted with subcutaneous HuH7 tumors and divided into four treatment groups (n = 10); saline control, sorafenib 10 mg/kg PO daily (S), Minnelide (a prodrug of triptolide) 0.21 mg/kg intraperitoneally7 daily (M), and combination of both (C). Tumor volumes were assessed weekly. Results The combination of triptolide and sorafenib was superior to either drug alone in inducing apoptosis and decreasing viability, whereas triptolide alone was sufficient to decrease nuclear factor κB activity. After 2 weeks of treatment, tumor growth inhibition rates were S = 59%, M = 84%, and C = 93%, whereas tumor volumes in control animals increased by 9-fold. When crossed over to combination treatment, control mice tumor growth volumes plateaued over the following 4 weeks. Conclusion The combination of sorafenib and triptolide is superior to single drug treatment in increasing cell death and apoptosis in vitro. Combining sorafenib with Minnelide inhibited tumor growth with greater efficacy than single-agent treatments. Importantly, in vivo combination treatment allowed for using a lesser dose of sorafenib (10 mg/kg), which is less than 10% of currently prescribed dose for HCC patients. Therefore, combination treatment could have translational potential in the management of HCC.
The Catch-All Party Revisited: Reflections of a Kirchheimer Student

This article aims to do the following: reflect upon the life, experiences, ideas and teaching of Kirchheimer from the perspective of the author, his first dissertation advisee at Columbia University and one of his last students; discuss some of his major political observations and arguments; and consider their relevance today.
Enhanced Lifetime of Excitons in Nonepitaxial Au/CdS Core/Shell Nanocrystals

The ability of metal nanoparticles to capture light through plasmon excitations offers an opportunity for enhancing the optical absorption of plasmon-coupled semiconductor materials via energy transfer. This process, however, requires that the semiconductor component is electrically insulated to prevent a "backward" charge flow into metal and interfacial states, which causes a premature dissociation of excitons. Here we demonstrate that such an energy exchange can be achieved on the nanoscale by using nonepitaxial Au/CdS core/shell nanocomposites. These materials are fabricated via a multistep cation exchange reaction, which decouples metal and semiconductor phases leading to fewer interfacial defects. Ultrafast transient absorption measurements confirm that the lifetime of excitons in the CdS shell (τ ≈ 300 ps) is much longer than lifetimes of excitons in conventional, reduction-grown Au/CdS heteronanostructures. As a result, the energy of metal nanoparticles can be efficiently utilized by the semiconductor component without undergoing significant nonradiative energy losses, an important property for catalytic or photovoltaic applications. The reduced rate of exciton dissociation in the CdS domain of Au/CdS nanocomposites was attributed to the nonepitaxial nature of Au/CdS interfaces associated with low defect density and a high potential barrier of the interstitial phase.
On the ultimate behavior of orbits with respect to an unstable critical point I. Oscillating, asymptotic, and capture orbits

This work concerns an analytic autonomous Hamiltonian system of differential equations with two degrees of freedom which admits and unstable equilibrium point. More specifically, the eigenvalues corresponding to the equilibrium point include one real pair and one imaginary pair and so we know (by a theorem of A. Liapunov) that passing through the equilibrium point there is an invariant two dimensional manifold on which all solutions are periodic. Furthermore, the level surfaces of the Hamiltonian function are invariant three dimensional manifolds which, for appropriate values of that function, contain exactly one of these periodic solutions. Our aim is to study the orbits on such a level surface. The nature of the work is most easily described in terms of the following example: consider two bowls connected by a trough so that, when inverted they look like two mountains with a pass between. The differential equations are taken to be those describing the motion of a point mass sliding without friction on this “double bowl”. The Hamiltonian function is the sum of the potential energy, i.e. the height in the bowl, and the kinetic energy, also obtained as usual. Since the kinetic energy is positive, fixing the value of the Hamiltonian function corresponds to limiting the height to which the mass can go. Our problem concerns the case where the mass can go high enough to get from one bowl to the other with just a little room to spare. Having fixed on an appropriate level surface (of the Hamiltonian function) we first study the behavior of orbits near the equilibrium point, which in the example above, corresponds to the saddle point in the trough connecting
Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Calix[4]arene‐Based Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica

Summary: A new calix[4]arene-based periodic mesoporous organosilica has been synthesized using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and a calix[4]arene-based silane monomer as the precursors and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant as the structure-directing template, and is shown to be capable of visual detection and entrapment of NO2. Synthesis of the novel mesoporous organosilica material containing covalently bound tetra-O-alkylated calix[4]arene hosts.
Kinetic and FT-i.r. studies of the sodium-catalysed steam gasification of coal chars

The catalytic effects of Na2CO3, NaHCO3, NaOH, NaNO3 and NaCl on steam gasification of coal chars have been studied by gravimetric measurements at temperatures ranging from 600 to 750 °C and at atmospheric pressure. FT-i.r. studies were carried out to determine the nature of the catalyst-coal interaction. All the salts studied, except NaCl, exhibited good catalytic activity. It was found that the gasification rate increased linearly with the sodium/carbon ratio until a saturation point was reached at a value of 0.12. For the same metal/carbon ratio, the sodium salts were less active than potassium salts, however their activities were similar when compared on the basis of cation loading. FT-i.r. studies of devolatilized and partially gasified samples treated with the active salts showed absorption bands at 1675,1450 and 880 cm−1. Based on the gravimetric and i.r. results obtained, a model for the catalyst-coal interaction is proposed.
The 5–6 December 1991 FIRE IFO II Jet Stream Cirrus Case Study: Possible Influences of Volcanic Aerosols

In presenting an overview of the cirrus clouds comprehensively studied by ground based and airborne sensors from Coffeyville, Kansas, during the 5-6 December 1992 First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) intensive field observation (IFO) case study period, evidence is provided that volcanic aerosols from the June 1991 Pinatubo eruptions may have significantly influenced the formation and maintenance of the cirrus. Following the local appearance of a spur of stratospheric volcanic debris from the subtropics, a series of jet streaks subsequently conditioned the troposphere through tropopause foldings with sulfur based particles that became effective cloud forming nuclei in cirrus clouds. Aerosol and ozone measurements suggest a complicated history of stratospheric-tropospheric exchanges embedded with the upper level flow, and cirrus cloud formation was noted to occur locally at the boundaries of stratospheric aerosol enriched layers that became humidified through diffusion, precipitation, or advective processes. Apparent cirrus cloud alterations include abnormally high ice crystal concentrations (up to approximately 600 L(exp. 1)), complex radial ice crystal types, and relatively large haze particles in cirrus uncinus cell heads at temperatures between -40 and -50 degrees C. Implications for volcanic-cirrus cloud climate effects and unusual (nonvolcanic) aerosol jet stream cirrus cloud formation are discussed.
Expanding the Living Donor Pool, “Ist Act”: Analysis of the Causes of Exclusion of Potential Kidney Donors

Abstract Background The evaluation of a potential living kidney donor (LKD) leads to exclusion of at least 50% of candidates. The aim of this study was to analyze the reasons for exclusion of potential LKDs referred to our center. Methods We retrospectively analyzed historic and clinical data of all potential LKDs who were evaluated over 7 years from January 2005 to March 2012. Data were obtained by review of an electronic database. Results Among 79 (50 female, 29 male) candidates, 24 (30.3%) successfully donated, comprising 22 related and 2 unrelated donors. We excluded 45 (56.9%), and 10 (12.6%) are actively undergoing evaluation. Reasons for exclusion were medical (n = 14; 31%), nonmedical (n = 18; 40%), positive cross-match (n = l7.7%), pregnancy (n = 2; 4.4%), and other reasons (n = 3; 6.6%). Of the 14 donors excluded for medical reasons, 75.8% were due to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, or obesity and 21.5% to inadequate renal function, malignancy, or liver disease. Of the 18 (40%) excluded for nonmedical reasons, 6 (33.3%) were because the intended recipient received a deceased-donor transplantation before the evaluation could be completed, 5 (27.7%) because the recipient was no longer a candidate for transplantation, 5 (27.7%) because of donor withdrawal, and 2 (11.1%) for other reasons. Conclusions Positive cross-match and deceased-donor transplantation during the evaluation process were the 2 most common reasons for LKD exclusion. Evaluation of potential LKDs is time consuming, requiring a remarkable amount of human and material resources. A dedicated pathway for the diagnostic work-up of LKDs may speed- the evaluation process and improve its efficiency, use of ABO-incompatible or paired-exchange donations may increase the yield of donor organs.
Surfactant therapy in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome and in near-term or term newborns with acute RDS

Many different surfactant preparations derived from animal sources, as well as synthetic surfactants, are available for the treatment of preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Natural, modified surfactants containing surfactant-associated proteins appear to be more effective than non-protein-containing synthetic surfactants. Comparative trials with poractant alfa at a higher initial dose of 200 mg/kg appear to be associated with rapid weaning of FiO2, less need for additional doses, and decreased mortality in infants <32 weeks gestation when compared with beractant. Early rescue (<30 min of age) surfactant therapy is an effective method to minimize over treatment of some preterm infants who may not develop RDS. Surfactant therapy followed by rapid extubation to nasal ventilation appears to be more beneficial than continued mechanical ventilation. In near-term or term newborns with acute RDS, surfactant therapy has been shown to be 70% effective in improving respiratory failure.
Computerized Cognitive Training in Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Pilot Study

The objective of the current study was to pilot a computerized cognitive training program, Captain's Log, in a small sample of survivors of childhood cancer. A total of 9 survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and brain tumors with attention and working memory deficits were enrolled in a home-based 12-week cognitive training program. Survivors returned for follow-up assessments postintervention and 3 months later. The intervention was associated with good feasibility and acceptability. Participants exhibited significant increases in working memory and decreases in parent-rated attention problems following the intervention. Findings indicate that home-based, computerized cognitive intervention is a promising intervention for survivors with cognitive late effects; however, further study is warranted with a larger sample.
Changes in plasma müllerian-inhibiting substance and brain-derived neurotrophic factor after chemotherapy in premenopausal women

Eight premenopausal women with cancer had blood drawn for analysis of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and mullerian-inhibiting substance (MIS) before and 3 months after receiving chemotherapy. Unlike MIS, BDNF levels were not reduced after chemotherapy.
Motivational Interviewing: moving from why to how with autonomy support

Motivational Interviewing (MI), a counseling style initially used to treat addictions, increasingly has been used in health care and public health settings. This manuscript provides an overview of MI, including its theoretical origins and core clinical strategies. We also address similarities and differences with Self-Determination Theory. MI has been defined as person-centered method of guiding to elicit and strengthen personal motivation for change. Core clinical strategies include, e.g., reflective listening and eliciting change talk. MI encourages individuals to work through their ambivalence about behavior change and to explore discrepancy between their current behavior and broader life goals and values. A key challenge for MI practitioners is deciding when and how to transition from building motivation to the goal setting and planning phases of counseling. To address this, we present a new three-phase model that provides a framework for moving from WHY to HOW; from building motivation to more action oriented counseling, within a patient centered framework.
Low Power and Stable FinFET SRAM with Static Independent Gate Bias for Enhanced Integration Density

Data stability of Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) circuits has become an important issue with the scaling of CMOS technology. Memory arrays are also an important source of leakage since the majority of transistors are utilized for on-chip caches in today's high performance microprocessors. A six transistor (6T) SRAM cell based on independent-gate FinFET technology (IG-FinFET) is described in this paper for simultaneously reducing the active and standby mode power consumption while enhancing the data stability and the integration density. With the independent-gate FinFET SRAM cell, the back gates of the access transistors are permanently disabled in order to enhance the data stability. The back gates of the pull-up FinFETs in the cross-coupled inverters are also permanently disabled to achieve write ability. Functionality and sufficient read stability are achieved with minimum sized transistors with the independent-gate-bias technique. The IG- FinFET SRAM cell reduces the idle mode leakage power, the active mode read power, the active mode write power, the write delay, and the cell area by up to 36%, 26%, 24%, 20%, and 12.4%, respectively, as compared to a standard tied-gate FinFET SRAM cell with similar read static-noise-margin in a 32 nm FinFET technology.
IL-21 Down-Regulates NKG2D/DAP10 Expression on Human NK and CD8+ T Cells

IL-21 is a recently described cytokine, produced by activated Th cells, that shares significant homology with members of the IL-2 family of cytokines. IL-21 mediates its biological effects via the IL-21R in conjunction with the common receptor γ-chain that is also shared by members of the IL-2 family. We report that culture of human primary NK and CD8 + T cells with IL-21 in combination with IL-2 results in significant reduction of the cell surface expression of NKG2D, compared with that in cells treated with IL-2 alone. The reduced expression of NKG2D after IL-21 culture had functional consequences for NK cell function, as assessed by NKG2D-mediated redirected lysis assays and degranulation assays, compared with NK cells treated with IL-2 alone. IL-21-mediated NKG2D down-regulation in human NK cells correlated with a marked reduction of DNAX-activating protein of 10 kDa (DAP10) transcription in cells treated with IL-2 in combination with IL-21 compared with cells stimulated with only IL-2. This was attributed to a dramatic reduction in DAP10 promoter activity, as assessed by a DAP10 luciferase reporter construct. In contrast to NKG2D expression, IL-21 was able to induce the expression of the NK activation receptors NKp30 and 2B4 as well as the costimulatory receptor CD28 on CD8 + T cells. These data indicate that IL-21 is able to channel NK and CD8 + T cell function by altering the expression pattern of activation/costimulatory receptors.
Twin gestation after ovulation induction in a woman with a non-communicating rudimentary horn attached to a unicornuate uterus.

The unicornuate uterus (Class II) is classified into four subtypes [1]. The non-communicating unicornuate uterus (Class IIb) occurs most frequently. Recently, anatomic variation within this subtype was reported. To our knowledge five case reports have described seven cases where the non-communicating rudimentary horn is attached to the unicornuate uterus by a fibrous band of tissue [2]. However, no previous case of multiple gestations or ovulation induction has been reported in this anatomical variant. The patient is a 29-year-old nulligravid woman with infertility for 5 years. Menstrual cycles were irregular since menarche and at age 13 a congenitally absent right kidney was identified. Her
Evidence for increased cardiovascular events in the fathers but not mothers of women with polycystic ovary syndrome

BACKGROUND Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a familial syndrome, associated with multiple cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Thus, parents of affected women may have a higher prevalence of CVD events than the general population.
A pipelined multi-stage parallel interference canceler for CDMA with realistic channel estimation

In this paper we propose a pipelined structure for multistage parallel interference canceler for CDMA. This structure is easy to implement, has small processing delay, and applies to multipath fading channels and asynchronous users. Bit error rate (BER) performance with realistic channel estimation is simulated and compared to the performance with ideal channel estimation. Different methods are implemented to improve the performance, such as damping the update of the soft decisions, and performing partial interference cancellation.
Ability Sorting and the Importance of College Quality to Student Achievement: Evidence from Community Colleges.

Abstract This article examines the effect of institutional quality on the educational attainment of community college students, a large group that has been mostly overlooked in previous work. The effect of institutional quality is generally difficult to separate from that of student ability because more capable students usually sort into better colleges. A detailed analysis of student sorting reveals this not to be the case among community college students, for whom college quality is effectively determined by factors other than their aptitude. This facilitates identification of school quality effects. I find that community college quality (as measured by instructional expenditure per student and several other measures) has no impact on community college students' educational attainment. States and colleges should seek to identify other factors that may be more influential.
Design of light-weight, single-phase liquid-cooled heat exchanger for automotive power electronics

Efficient thermal management is critical to increasing power density, improving reliability, and reducing the cost of automotive power electronics. In this paper, we present a heat exchanger design based on impinging jets (with 50%–50% mixture by volume of water-ethylene glycol as coolant) on the copper base plate with and without microfinned/enhanced surfaces, and a plastic fluid manifold. Finite-element analyses as well as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling were utilized for the design. The performance of the jet-based heat exchanger is compared to the baseline channel-flow heat exchanger via CFD modeling. We also characterized the thermal performance of the channel-flow-based heat exchanger experimentally to validate the CFD predictions. CFD results indicate that the jet-based heat exchanger can provide up to 45% lower thermal resistance, 79% increase in power density, and 118% increase in specific power with respect to the baseline channel-flow heat exchanger. We also initiated experimental characterization of the reliability of jet impingement on a plain surface as well as on microfinned/enhanced surfaces. Results to date suggest that jet impingement does not degrade the thermal performance of the enhanced surfaces after six months of near-continuous impingement on the surface.
Revisiting Arieti's “Listening Attitude” and Hallucinated Voices

Silvano Arieti proposed that auditory/verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are triggered by momentary states of heightened auditory attention that he identified as a “listening attitude.” Studies and clinical observations by our group support this view. Patients enrolled in our repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation trials, if experiencing a significant curtailment of these hallucinations, often report an episodic sense that their voices are still occurring even if they no longer can be heard, suggesting episodic states of heightened auditory expectancy. Moreover, a functional magnetic resonance study reported by our group detected activation in the left insula prior to hallucination events. This finding is suggestive of activation in the same region detected in healthy subjects during “auditory search” in response to ambiguous sounds when anticipating meaningful speech. AVHs often are experienced with a deep emotional salience and may occur in the context of dramatic social isolation that together could reinforce heightened auditory expectancy. These findings and clinical observations suggest that Arieti's original formulation deserves further study.
Creating Standard Cost Measures Across Integrated Health Care Delivery Systems

Background: Economic analyses are increasingly important in medical research. Accuracy often requires that they include large, diverse populations, which requires data from multiple sources. The diffi culty is in making the data comparable across different settings. This article focuses on how to create comparable measures of health care resource use and cost using data from seven health plans and delivery systems participating in the Cancer Research Network’s HMOs Investigating Tobacco study. Methods: We used a data inventory to identify variation in data capture across sites and used data dictionaries to develop algorithms for assigning standardized cost to the three major components of health care use: outpatient, inpatient, and pharmacy. Results: The plans included in this study varied from fully integrated, closed-panel models to plans and delivery systems that include network or independent physician association components. Information derived from the data inventory and data dictionary instruments demonstrated a substantial variation in both the content and capture of data across all sites and across all components of usage. The methods we employed for cost allocation varied by usage component and were based on our ability to leverage the data points available to best refl ect actual resource use. Conclusions: The importance of this article is the method of ascertaining, cataloging, and addressing the within- and between-plan differences in health care resource use. Second, the decisions we made to address the differences between health plans provide other researchers a starting point when creating a cost algorithm for multisite retrospective research. [J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr 2005;35:80 – 7] Increasingly, decision makers want to understand the costs associated with the delivery of medical care. They often want to understand whether patient survival, quality of life, satisfaction, or cost differ by treatment modality or by how health care is organized and delivered. Addressing such questions requires an understanding of the costs associated with the resources used to deliver and manage health care, often across diverse health care settings. Within large, prospective studies as well as within retro
Perceived competence and contraceptive use during adolescence

Background Little is known about psychosocial correlates of different contraceptive methods in adolescence.
Methamphetamine use among suburban women: implications for nurse practitioners.

AbstractPurpose:The purpose of this article is to provide nurse practitioners (NPs) with more effective strategies to diagnose methamphetamine (MA) use and assess healthcare needs of MA-using women.Data sources:The researchers collected data from 65 suburban women who were MA users living in the sub
Activation by prion peptide PrP106–126 induces a NF-κB-driven proinflammatory response in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells

Specific prion peptides have been shown to mimic the pathologic isoform of the prion protein (PrP) and to induce a neurotoxic effect in vitro and in vivo. As monocytic cells are thought to play a role in the transmission and pathogenesis of prion disease, the use of these peptides in regulating monocytic cell function is under intense investigation. In the current study, we characterize the ability of prion peptide PrP(106-126) to activate specific signaling pathways in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs). Electrophoretic mobility shift assays establish the activation of transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB within 15 min of exposure, with as little as 25 micro M peptide. This signaling cascade results in the up-regulation of inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) at the mRNA and protein levels. Phenotypic activation of DCs exposed to PrP(106-126) is partly a result of an autocrine TNF-alpha response and results in an increased ability of these cells to induce lymphocyte proliferation. The effects of PrP(106-126) on DCs were elicited through a receptor complex distinct from that used by human monocytes, demonstrating the ability of this peptide to interact with a multiplicity of receptors on various cell types. Together, these data suggest an involvement of DCs in prion disease pathogenesis.
The Classroom Assessment Scoring System: Findings from the prekindergarten year.

Research on teacher-child relationships, classroom environments, and teaching practices provided the rationale for constructing a system for observing and assessing emotional and instructional elements of quality in early childhood educational environments: the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). The CLASS provides a framework for observing key dimensions of classroom processes, such as emotional and instructional support, that contribute to quality of the classroom setting from preschool through third grade. This article provides information about the development, field testing, and use of this instrument in prekindergarten. Data from a national sample of 224 prekindergarten classrooms in 6 states are presented to provide reliability and validity information. The full range of the scale was used for the majority of ratings. Ratings reflected generally positive impressions of the classroom environment and teacher-child interactions. Factor scores from the CLASS were related to the Early Childhood...
From speechlessness to narrative: the cases of Holocaust historians and of psychiatrically hospitalized survivors.

For generations, chroniclers of genocide and in particular of the Holocaust, recoiling from the enormity of the events, have attempted to restrict their source material to the primary, the documentary. Numbers, dates, locations—gleaned from documents, offi cial correspondences, registries, and newspaper articles—were of paramount importance, but no attempt was made to obtain the personal eyewitness experiences (from multiple perspectives) that would tie them together. The work of historians writing on the Holocaust in the early decades after World War II (e.g., Raul Hilberg and Lucy Davidowitz) illustrates this selective approach. No assertion was considered substantiated unless documentation existed, even though questions were not always rigorously pursued regarding the slant, the distortion, or the motives of those who produced the documents. This documentary emphasis created a constricted fi eld of knowledge composed of barren facts that did not merge into patterns or stimulate refl ection and self-refl ection or open questions of meaning. Testimony that could have given texture to the facts was treated as an unreliable source for the pursuit of historical truth. Omer Bartov’s comments in his review of Christopher
A fuzzy mathematical programming approach for cross-sell optimization in retail banking

In this paper we discuss the mailer selection problem in retail banking. Mailer selection takes estimates of several parameters (like response probability of a customer, expected volume, expected profit from a customer etc.) and decides on the list of customers to whom the offer should be sent such that a certain set of business objectives are met/optimized. We discuss some of the issues (unreliable estimates and computational complexity) related to the mailer selection process and propose solution to the problems. We propose a fuzzy mathematical programming technique to take care of the imprecise estimates of the parameters. The imprecise parameters and constraints are represented as triangular fuzzy numbers. We use a simple example to demonstrate the method.
Development of an optical fiber lactate sensor

Lactate analysis is important in clinical diagnostics and the food industry. An ultrasensitive optical fiber lactate sensor with rapid response time and 50 μm size has been developed. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) has been directly immobilized onto an optical fiber probe surface through covalent binding mechanisms. The optical fiber surface is initially activated by silanization, which adds amine groups (–NH2) to the surface. Aldehyde functional groups (–CHO) are then affixed to the optical fiber surface by employing a bifunctional cross-linking agent, glutaraldehyde. The amino acids of LDH enzyme molecules readily attach to these free -CHO groups on the fiber surface. Optimal immobilization of LDH occurs between 19 and 23 hours of exposure in the enzyme solution. The immobilized LDH enzyme molecules on the fiber surface show high enzymatic activity. The lactate sensor is able to detect lactate with a concentration detection limit of 0.5 μM and the absolute mass detection limit is 8.75 attomoles. Moreover, the sensor rapidly responds to lactate changes and exhibits good reproducibility. The lactate sensor is extremely selective. This immobilized enzyme sensor has been applied to accurately determine the lactate content in food samples.
Abstract 1121: ER-negative breast cancer survive mitochondrial IMS-stress via SIRT3 activation

Mitochondrial dysfunction is central in carcinogenesis and has been associated with elevated levels of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). While moderate levels of ROS activate signaling cascade promoting tumor progression, high levels of ROS can lead to cell death. We previously demonstrated that Estrogen Receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer cells activate ER to overcome the mitochondrial impairment and reduce high levels of ROS induced by stress in the inter-mitochondrial membrane space (IMS). The ultimate outcome of ER activation is induction of a novel Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) that involves up-regulation of NRF-1, a major regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis as well as induction of OMI and proteasome, two critical elements of protein quality control required to monitor the quality of IMS proteins. In the present work, we have evidence that ER-negative breast cancer cells trigger a distinct mechanism to cope up with IMS-stress. Due to the lack of ER, the stress from the IMS is extended into the matrix of mitochondria leading to activation of the matrix deacetylase, SIRT3. SIRT3 is required to increase the antioxidant capacity by up-regulating the antioxidant enzyme, MnSOD and therefore reducing ROS. In addition, our results reveal that SIRT3 is essential for removal of the irreversible impaired mitochondria through mitophagy. Overall, our data indicate that ER-positive and ER-negative breast cancer induce different mechanism to conquer mitochondrial malfunction coupled with ROS overproduction and maintain their cellular integrity. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1121. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1121
Transfer in L2 grammars

Although the Full-access hypothesis accounts for a range of empirical generalizations of L2A, it underrepresents the role of language transfer in the construction of the L2 grammar. We suggest the possibility that linguistic principles which constrain the L2 grammar are available both directly from UG and via the L1, a logical hypothesis which Epstein et al. do not consider.
GloServ: global service discovery architecture

Due to the growth in ubiquitous computing technology in the past few years, the need for context-aware service discovery across wide area networks is becoming prevalent. We propose GloServ, which is a global service discovery architecture that locates services throughout wide and local area networks. It supports services encompassing different domains such as events, people or places. Services can be described semantically using the resource description framework (RDF) and can be queried using the RDF query language (RQL). GloServ hierarchically defines services using RDF schemas and assigns each service a URI according to its location within the hierarchy. The hierarchical architecture for GloServ is similar to how domain names are categorized in DNS. Service discovery can either be initiated by the user or by the system. For automated service discovery, users are detected with sensors and are presented with services available according to their preferences. Graphical user interfaces for querying data is dynamically generated through the processing of RDF data.
Drug Development Strategies for Therapeutic Biologics: Industry Perspectives

There are a variety of considerations unique to biologics development owing to the inherent differences in their properties and characteristics. These differences dictate different approaches to both preclinical and clinical development, and many of the studies conducted for small molecules are not necessary for biologics. This chapter discusses the properties that differentiate biologics from small molecules, and the impact they have on the preclinical and clinical development strategy for biologics. Species selection is an important factor for preclinical phamacokinetics, phamacodynamics, and toxicokinetic studies and can impact the fidelity with which the clinical efficacy and safety outcomes are predicted by the preclinical data. The clinical development of biologics typically takes more than 7 years, with an additional year required for regulatory review and approval. Comparability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that there are no clinically meaningful differences between the biosimilar and the innovator product. Keywords: biosimilars; clinical development; drug development strategies; preclinical development program; therapeutic biologics