cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Public transit and alternative fuels – The costs associated with using biodiesel and CNG in comparison to diesel for U.S. public transit systems

Abstract This study addresses the dearth of research that examines the impacts of alternative fuel use on operational costs of public transit in the U.S. Specifically, the study examines the impact on operational costs of shifting diesel gallons to biodiesel or to compressed natural gas (CNG) for an unbalanced panel of 269 public transit systems in the U.S. from 2008 through 2012, using an econometric cost function approach. We find that shifting all diesel gallons to biodiesel results in operational cost increases ranging from 1 to 12 percent, with smaller cost increases being realized with increases in system size. Shifting all diesel gallons to CNG results in operational cost increases between 5 and 10 percent – again with smaller impacts for larger systems. These findings suggest that there are some economies of using biodiesel and CNG with large scale production. That is, the cost increases associated with increased fuel prices, decreased fuel economy, increased maintenance costs, and increased fueling costs associated with biodiesel and CNG are mitigated somewhat by large scale production. The findings of this study suggest that increased operational costs are an important consideration in policies aimed at encouraging the use of alternative fuels by U.S. public transit systems.
MILP-based Deadline Assignment for End-to-End Flows in Distributed Real-Time Systems

End-to-end flows, which have a set of chainlike subtasks, are widely used in distributed real-time systems. For instance, multimedia and automative applications require that subtasks finish executing on a chain of processors before their end-to-end deadlines. The scheduling of such chained subtasks decides the schedulability of a distributed realtime system. Since the subtask priority assignment problem is NP-hard in general, most heuristics are presented to schedule end-to-end flows in two separate steps. The first step calculates intermediate relative deadlines for frames, and the second step makes scheduling decisions under EDF scheduling. Because the quality of the priority assignment of subtasks will directly affect the schedulability of the distributed systems, the two separate steps may cause pessimism in schedulability analysis. To reduce potential pessimism, we combine the two steps in our novel dGMF-PA (distributed generalized multiframe tasks with parameter adaption) model. We present an algorithm based on mixed-integer linear programming for optimally selecting frame relative deadlines in the dGMF-PA model. An approximation algorithm is also proposed to reduce computational running time. Our approximation algorithm has a tunable speed-up factor of 1 + ϵ where ϵ can be arbitrarily small, with respect to the exact schedulability test of dGMF-PA tasks under EDF scheduling. Extensive experiments have shown that our approximation algorithm (which is a sufficient schedulability test) can schedule at most 44 % more than HOSPA, an existing state-of-the-art algorithm.
Can It Happen Here?: Donald Trump and the Paradox of Populist Government

Donald Trump campaigned as a populist but how can a populist who blames the “establishment” for the country’s failures, rule, when the government bureaucracy is itself a creature of the establishment? The answer that appears to be emerging is a “personalist” style of leadership that may be popular in the short term but is unlikely to achieve any of Trump’s goals. If Trump wants to be effective, he will need to adopt a bureaucratic style of governance that will, however, require him to rely on the elites he has disparaged, disappointing his followers, converting him into a conventional president, and very likely ruling out the type of authoritarian regime that Trump’s critics fear.
Employing vector quantization algorithm in a transform domain for facial recognition

A Vector Quantization (VQ) algorithm in the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) domain is proposed for facial recognition. There are three main phases in the proposed system, namely, Preprocessing, Feature Extraction, and Recognition. Cropping and choosing an appropriate dimension are performed in the preprocessing step. Then, DCT with appropriate truncation dimensions is applied to the processed faces for dimensionality reduction. For further feature compaction, VQ algorithm employing Kekre Fast Codebook Generation (KFCG) approach for codebook initialization is applied to the transformed truncated features. Finally, the proposed system is extensively evaluated using four different databases, namely, ORL, YALE, FERET, and FEI that have different facial variations, such as illuminations, rotations, facial expressions, etc. Euclidean distance criterion is used to calculate the recognition rates. Then, the results are analyzed using K-fold Cross Validation (CV). The proposed approach is shown to improve the recognition rates as well as the storage requirements in comparison with some of the existing state-of-the arts approaches.
Notes on the Fauna of the Chipola Formation-xxxv a New Species of the Genus Modulus (Mollusca: Gastropoda)

The genus Modulus has existed in America since the Cretaceous Period (Dall, 1892, p. 293). Recent adult specimens living in the Atlantic are small, with widths ranging from 9 to 16 mm and heights of 9 to 17 mm (Abbott, 1944; Petuch, 1987). Keen (1 971) lists three species living in tropical west America. Like their Atlantic counterparts, they are small gastropods with widths of 15 to 17 mm and heights of 12 to 17 mm.
Enhancing equity in the classroom by teaching for mathematical creativity

Equity is an important element of educational discourses pertaining to mathematics and science education. Creativity is an aspect of the classroom that is often ignored due to curricular constraints and the burden of testing. However mathematics offers avenues to infuse the regular curricula with activities that are thought provoking and require creativity and these are accessible to learners of all levels. This article reviews creativity strategies that can be embedded in mathematics curricula to increase classroom equity. These strategies will include the strength of presenting open-ended problems, modeling and encouraging risk taking, discussions and debate of mathematical concepts, concept based learning, divergent thinking strategies during problem solving activities, and incorporating cultural awareness and creativity into curricula and classroom environment. The article will focus both on teacher implementation of these strategies and student outcomes regarding creativity and equity.
Application of Text Analytics to Analyze Emotions in the Speeches

The paper presents the different aspects of analyzing public speeches of deputies in the Parliament (Sejm) of the Republic of Poland with use of SAS tools for text analytics. A document repository was created based on publicly available transcriptions of speeches for 7th (from Nov 2011 to Nov 2015) and 8th (from Nov 2015 to Jan 2018) term of the Parliament (Sejm). A database contains 440 pdf files with transcriptions of the full-day parliament session. This repository was cleaned and preprocessed, every file was split into a set of personal speeches. As a result, the source data table contains 350 000 records. The aim of the experiment was to check whether automatic analysis of text data is suitable for monitoring the ‘temperature’ of the Parliament (Sejm) debates and the main elements of the rhetoric used.
The inverse problem of the density and bulk modulus profiles of a layered fluid

It is shown that the density and bulk modulus profiles of a layered fluid half-space are uniquely determined from the vertical component of the particle velocity on the surface due to an impulsive point source on the surface. In addition, an estimate of the highest acoustic wave velocity in the layered half-space is required as well. The necessary conditions for the existence of the solution are discussed and a direct (noniterative) inversion algorithm is developed which constructs the density and bulk modulus profiles of the half-space from the surface data. The main limitations of this theory to real seismic data are briefly discussed.
Epstein–Barr Virus-Positive Large Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Nasopharynx: Report of One Case and Review of the Literature

Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV)-positive neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) of the nasopharynx is exceedingly rare, only two cases have been reported in the literature. While EBV infection is strongly associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which is carcinoma with squamous differentiation, the link between EBV and NEC is not well known, and can be diagnostically challenging. In this study, we report the third case of EBV-positive large cell NEC of nasopharynx with neck lymph node metastasis. The patient was treated with combined radiation and chemotherapy and showed complete clinical and radiological response. Similar treatment response has been reported in another patient with high stage EBV-positive large cell NEC, suggesting that EBV status is an important prognostic factor. Recognition of this rare tumor is important for disease management and patient prognosis. We also review the literature about the clinical and pathologic presentation of neuroendocrine tumors of nasopharynx.
Isogenic cell models of cystic fibrosis-causing variants in natively expressing pulmonary epithelial cells.

Abstract Background Assessment of approved drugs and developmental drug candidates for rare cystic fibrosis (CF)-causing variants of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) requires abundant material from relevant models. Methods Isogenic cell lines harboring CFTR variants in the native genomic context were created through the development and utilization of a footprint-less, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing pipeline in 16HBE14o- immortalized bronchial epithelial cells. Results Isogenic, homozygous cell lines for three CFTR variants (F508del and the two most common CF-causing nonsense variants, G542X and W1282X) were established and characterized. The F508del model recapitulates the known molecular pathology and pharmacology. The two models of nonsense variants (G542X and W1282X) are sensitive to Nonsense Mediated mRNA Decay (NMD) and responsive to reference compounds that inhibit NMD and promote ribosomal readthrough. Conclusions We present a versatile, efficient gene editing pipeline that can be used to create CFTR variants in the native genomic context and the utilization of this pipeline to create homozygous cell models for the CF-causing variants F508del, G542X, and W1282X. The resulting cell lines provide a virtually unlimited source of material with specific pathogenic mutations that can be used in a variety of assays, including functional assays.
Exploration of the site-specific nature and generalizability of a trimethylammonium salt modification on vancomycin: A-ring derivatives.

Abstract Vancomycin analogues bearing an A-ring trimethylammonium salt modification were synthesized and their antimicrobial activity against vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) was evaluated. The modification increased antimicrobial potency and provided the capability to induce bacteria cell membrane permeabilization, but both properties were weaker than that found with our earlier reported similar C-terminus modification. The results provide further insights on the additive effect and generalizability of the structural and site-specific nature of a peripheral quaternary trimethylammonium salt modification of vancomycin.
The Heart of the Matter: Patient Autonomy as a Model for the Wellbeing of Technology Users

We draw on concepts in medical ethics to consider how computer science, and AI in particular, can develop critical tools for thinking concretely about technology's impact on the wellbeing of the people who use it. We focus on patient autonomy---the ability to set the terms of one's encounter with medicine---and on the mediating concepts of informed consent and decisional capacity, which enable doctors to honor patients' autonomy in messy and non-ideal circumstances. This comparative study is organized around a fictional case study of a heart patient with cardiac implants. Using this case study, we identify points of overlap and of difference between medical ethics and technology ethics, and leverage a discussion of that intertwined scenario to offer initial practical suggestions about how we can adapt the concepts of decisional capacity and informed consent to the discussion of technology design.
Resisting Assimilation to the Melting Pot

The melting pot metaphor suggest that people from different backgrounds come to the United States and through the process of assimilation adapt to a new lifestyle integrating smoothly into the dominant culture. This article argues that immigrants from diverse cultural and ethnic groups that try to keep some of their cultural traditions may encounter conflict when trying to adapt to their life in the new context. The author contends for a cultural curriculum of the home endorsing family cultural values and traditions tha is overlooked by schools and educators, disregarding its potential for enhancing children’s learning process and academic achievement.
HEALTHBEAT: PIONEERING EFFORTS BY DR. SHASHANK KRALETI USING MEDICAL NEWS COVERAGE IN SIMPLE LANGUAGE TO IMPROVE HEALTH LITERACY

Inadequacy in health literacy is a hidden epidemic. “Do you understand?’ The patient often nods or provides an excuse that s/he will go home and read, or may have forgotten the reading glasses. Underlying however is the fact that many of the issues raised during a clinical encounter may not have been registered adequately at all. This is at the heart of lowered quality of care.
Foreign Agents: Updating FARA to Protect American Democracy

Lobbying is inherently a result of Mancur Olson’s collective action problem. “Small, homogeneous groups with strong communities of interest tend to be more effective suppliers of political pressure and political support (votes, campaign contributions, and the like) than larger groups whose interests are more diffuse.”1 As a result, lobbying reform is not undertaken until the public as a whole creates a coalition large enough to overcome the coercion created by a much smaller group of lobbyists. As noted by Congress, lobbying on behalf of foreign entities can have serious implications for national policy beyond the effects created by domestic lobbyists whose ultimate goal arguably still pertains to the betterment of American society.2
Association between statewide adoption of the CDC's Core Elements of Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs and rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia and Clostridioides difficile infection in the United States

Objective:To measure the association between statewide adoption of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Core Elements for Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (Core Elements) and hospital-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (MRSA) and Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) rates in the United States. We hypothesized that states with a higher percentage of reported compliance with the Core Elements have significantly lower MRSA and CDI rates.Participants:All US states.Design:Observational longitudinal study.Methods:We used 2014–2016 data from Hospital Compare, Provider of Service files, Medicare cost reports, and the CDC’s Patient Safety Atlas website. Outcomes were MRSA standardized infection ratio (SIR) and CDI SIR. The key explanatory variable was the percentage of hospitals that meet the Core Elements in each state. We estimated state and time fixed-effects models with time-variant controls, and we weighted our analyses for the number of hospitals in the state.Results:The percentage of hospitals reporting compliance with the Core Elements between 2014 and 2016 increased in all states. A 1% increase in reported ASP compliance was associated with a 0.3% decrease (P < .01) in CDIs in 2016 relative to 2014. We did not find an association for MRSA infections.Conclusions:Increasing documentation of the Core Elements may be associated with decreases in the CDI SIR. We did not find evidence of such an association for the MRSA SIR, probably due to the short length of the study and variety of stewardship strategies that ASPs may encompass.
A Primer on Prostate MRI for the Practicing Urologist: Update on the Current Literature

Prostate cancer (PCa) continues to be the second leading cause of cancer related death amongst men in the United States. Over the last 20 years there has been a 44% reduction in PCa related mortality, and Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) screening is credited with a significant percentage of this reduction. Recently the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) upgraded their recommendation on screening men age 55–69 years to a Grade C, from a previous Grade D recommendation. Reluctance in endorsing for PSA screening is rooted in the overtreatment of low grade PCa, which may not be a substantial contributor to overall PCa related mortality. In fact, of the 250,000 new diagnoses of PCa every year, only 26,120 deaths are a direct result of the disease. Some may argue that we are over detecting and over treating clinically insignificant disease.
La Editorial del Centro de Cultura Digital: de la experimentación en práctica a la creación de nuevos públicos

Este articulo explora la historia y la produccion del proyecto Editorial del Centro de Cultura Digital de Mexico. Fundado en 2014, Editorial se ha convertido en un nodo de creacion y discusion sobre la produccion cultural digital en Mexico y el mundo hispano. Las caracteristicas de Editorial –que oscilan entre sus funciones como organismo gubernamental bajo los auspicios de la Secretaria de Cultura y su perfil de editorial independiente– han permitido a su directora Monica Nepote, en conjunto con un gran numero de colaboradores, construir un publico no experto para las tematicas de la cultura digital, llevar a cabo una labor educativa y alfabetizadora, al tiempo que, de forma paralela, ha logrado convertirse en un centro tanto de experimentacion e innovacion de las practicas editoriales como sobre la interrogacion del rol del libro y otros objetos bibliograficos en el siglo XXI.
Critical Thinking and the Process of Evidence-Based Practice: by Eileen Gambrill, New York, NY, Oxford, University Press, 2018, 352 pp., $35.00 paperback, ISBN 9780190463359

This book discusses effective evidence-based decision-making in social work practice. The book provides an in-depth description of the process of evidence-based practice (EBP) designed to support p...
SyncWISE: Window Induced Shift Estimation for Synchronization of Video and Accelerometry from Wearable Sensors

The development and validation of computational models to detect daily human behaviors (e.g., eating, smoking, brushing) using wearable devices requires labeled data collected from the natural field environment, with tight time synchronization of the micro-behaviors (e.g., start/end times of hand-to-mouth gestures during a smoking puff or an eating gesture) and the associated labels. Video data is increasingly being used for such label collection. Unfortunately, wearable devices and video cameras with independent (and drifting) clocks make tight time synchronization challenging. To address this issue, we present the Window Induced Shift Estimation method for Synchronization (SyncWISE) approach. We demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of our method by synchronizing the timestamps of a wearable camera and wearable accelerometer from 163 videos representing 45.2 hours of data from 21 participants enrolled in a real-world smoking cessation study. Our approach shows significant improvement over the state-of-the-art, even in the presence of high data loss, achieving 90% synchronization accuracy given a synchronization tolerance of 700 milliseconds. Our method also achieves state-of-the-art synchronization performance on the CMU-MMAC dataset.
Ecological genetics of seed germination regulation in Bromus tectorum L. : II. Reaction norms in response to a water stress gradient imposed during seed maturation.

The probability that a seed will germinate depends on factors associated with genotype, maturation environment, post-maturation history, and germination environment. In this study, we examined the interaction among these sets of factors for 18 inbred lines from six populations of Bromus tectorum L., a winter annual grass that is an important weed in the semi-arid western United States. Seeds of this species are at least conditionally dormant at dispersal and become germinable through dry-afterripening under summer conditions. Populations and inbred lines of B. tectorum possess contrasting dormancy patterns. Seeds of each inbred line were produced in a greenhouse under one of three levels of maturation water stress, then subjected to immediate incubation under five incubation regimes or to dry storage at 20°C for 4 weeks, 12 weeks, or 1 year. Dry-stored seeds were subsequently placed in incubation at 20/30°C. Narrow-sense heritability estimates based on parent-offspring regressions for germination percentage of recently harvested seeds at each incubation temperature were high (0.518-0.993). Germination percentage increased with increasing water stress overall, but there were strong interactions with inbred line and incubation temperature. Inbred lines whose seeds were non-dormant over the full range of incubation temperatures when produced at low maturation water stress showed reaction norms characterized by little or no change as a function of increasing stress. For inbred lines whose dormancy status varied with incubation temperature, incubation treatments where seeds exhibited either very low or very high levels of dormancy showed the least change in response to maturation water stress. Inbred lines also varied in their pattern of dormancy loss during storage at 20°C, but maturation water stress had only a minor effect on this pattern. For fully afterripened seeds (1 year in storage at 20°C), inbred line and maturation water stress effects were no longer evident, indicating that differences in genotype and maturation environment function mainly to regulate dormancy and dormancy loss in B. tectorum, rather than to mediate response patterns of non-dormant seeds.
Ability to assess the effects of test substances on HsRAD51 promoter activity may help predict oncogenic potential

798 The molecular basis for the generation of genetic diversity in cancer cells has emerged as an important focus of investigation. We have previously shown that homologous recombination (HR), required for a variety of normal cellular processes, is dysregulated in cancers and leads to the progressive accumulation of genetic variation over time. Moreover the inhibition or stimulation of HR activity in cancer cells, by altering components of the HR pathway, concordantly affects the acquisition of new genetic. Consistent with this, an elevated frequency of cancer is observed in patients whose cells have elevated rate of recombination. A dysregulated expression of HsRAD51 recombinase, a key player in HR can cause an increase in HR activity, leading to increased rate of mutations, telomere elongation, and development of cancer. We have previously demonstrated that siRNAs targeting hsRAD51 can completely inhibit acquisition of new mutation in cancer cells. Based on these data, we hypothesized that hsRAD51 promoter activity may be a target of carcinogenic agents and ability to measure the hsRAD51 promoter activity may provide a method to assess carcinogenic potential of a test agent. To this end we constructed a mammalian expression vector containing firefly luciferase gene downstream of hsRAD51 promoter. This plasmid was introduced into normal human diploid fibroblasts and 24 hrs later the transfected cells were exposed to carcinogens or the control vehicle. Following 2 hrs exposure, cells are lysed and luciferase activity assayed. Although exposure to a non-carcinogen, Sodium azide did not induce hsRAD51 promoter activity or HR activity in normal fibroblasts, exposure to agents with known transforming ability, Mitomycin C and Nickel chloride, led to a significant induction of hsRAD51 promoter activity (2.5 and 3.5-fold respectively) in normal fibroblast. In these cells we have also confirmed an associated elevation in HR activity following treatment with these chemicals. These agents were also able to further induce hsRAD51 promoter in myeloma cells, with known over-expression of hsRAD51. We have further evaluated the effects of anti-oxidants on hsRAD51 promoter activity. In myeloma cells with elevated hsRAD51 expression, the anti-oxidant tocopherol and cannabinol were able to reduce hsRAD51 promoter activity by 3- and 8-fold respectively while vitamin C and Selenium had minimal effects. These preliminary results provide us with an ability to measure potential of known carcinogens to induce HR. Validation of this test is underway prior to its application to screen agents with ability to transform cells or inhibit HR activity.
The rostromedial tegmental nucleus: Features and links with alcohol and depression

Abstract Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic, relapsing neurological disease affecting over 11 million individuals around the world. Alcoholics often experience negative affective symptoms such as depression, which promote excessive alcohol consumption and relapse drinking. Likewise, depression is a serious, yet common, mood disorder that can encourage alcohol consumption. However, while this comorbid expression of alcohol use disorder and depression severely worsen patient outcome, many gaps in our knowledge remain and impede the effective and efficient treatment of these two disorders. Recently, the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), also known as the tail of the ventral tegmental area, has received increasing attention for its role in both disorders. This chapter focuses on the RMTg and its associations with alcohol and depression. Specifically, we (1) review the various RMTg characteristics associated with alcohol consumption and depression, including afferent and efferent structures, (2) outline how RMTg activity relates to these two diseases, and (3) summarize recent evidence on how the RMTg participates in alcohol withdrawal-induced negative affective symptoms.
Mitigating the Effects of Acute Vocal Exertion in Individuals With Vocal Fatigue.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To investigate the effects of acute vocal exertion on individuals with vocal fatigue and to determine whether semi-occluded vocal tract exercises (SOVTEs) are more effective than vocal rest in mitigating acute effects. STUDY DESIGN Prospective, repeated-measures design. METHODS On consecutive days, 10 individuals (6 males, 4 females) with scores indicating vocal fatigue on the Vocal Fatigue Index completed two 10-minute vocal exertion tasks. Vocal rest or SOVTEs were interspersed in counterbalanced order between exertion tasks. Respiratory kinematic, acoustic, aerodynamic, and self-perceptual measures were collected at baseline, following vocal exertion, following SOVTE/vocal rest, and following the second exertion task. RESULTS Acute vocal exertion worsened phonation threshold pressure (P < .001) and vocal effort (P < .001) and reduced maximum fundamental frequency (P < .001). Speech was terminated at lower lung volumes following vocal exertion (decreased lung volume termination [LVT], P < .001). Exertion-induced changes in vocal effort and LVT were significantly reversed by both vocal rest and SOVTE. Detrimental changes in voice measures reoccurred following the second vocal exertion task. SOVTE and vocal rest protected against changes in respiratory kinematics when vocal exertion was resumed. CONCLUSIONS Vocal exertion impacted laryngeal, respiratory, and self-perceptual measures in individuals with vocal fatigue. Both SOVTE and vocal rest partially mitigated changes in voice measures and prompted more efficient respiratory strategies that were maintained when vocal exertion resumed. These data increase our understanding of how individuals with vocal fatigue respond to vocal exertion tasks and offer preliminary guidance for optimal clinical recommendations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3 Laryngoscope, 131:2732-2739, 2021.
Feeling blue no more: How TIPS-naphthalene enables efficient visible-to-UV upconversion

Upconversion via triplet-triplet annihilation could efficiently generate ultraviolet light. In a recent work, Harada et al. have doubled the existing visible-to-UV upconversion efficiency and demonstrated a new record using a new triplet annihilator, yielding efficient upconversion using even low-energy LEDs.
Über die Stoffliche Filterwirkung Intensiv Genutzter Terrestrischer Ökosysteme Auf die Grundwasserneubildung

Terrestrial ecosystems need for maintaining their functions a permanent influx of water supplies being normally covered by precipitation. One part of these supplies may runoff, the other enters the soil and is taken up by plants for assimilation and further some parts of the precipitation will evaporate (by interception, evaporation, transpiration). Only the remaining surplus of water in the soil can percolate to the groundwater, moreover regenerating these reservoirs being technically for our disposal. Terrestrial ecosystems — plant cover + rooted soil — are only partially penetrable to water: they are filters in the means of physics.
Structure-Based Functional Design of Drugs: From Target to Lead Compound

Proteomic and genomic discoveries have identified vast numbers of new drug targets for investigation. In the quest to discover drugs that modulate the function of these targets, identification of small-molecule drug leads is one of the earliest steps. Structure-based drug design has emerged as a valuable, inexpensive, and rapid computational resource that identifies lead compounds that are complementary to the structure of the target. Leads identified through this process are biologically evaluated and "hit compounds" with affinity and activity are further optimized. This chapter introduces the process of structure-based drug design, including preparation of the ligand database, preparation of the target structure, docking and scoring, and evaluation.
Blues Before Sunrise: The Radio Interviews

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Steve Cushing Year: 2010 Pages: 272 Details: Foreword by Jim O'Neal Publisher: University of Illinois Press ISBN: 978-0-252-03301-8 (hard cover). Prices: $75.00 USD(hard cover).
A Comparative Analysis of Post-Sarbanes-Oxley Corporate Governance Developments in the US and European Union: The Impact of Tensions Created by Extraterritorial Application of Section 404

In 2002 Congress responded to the Enron and other corporate scandals by adopting the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) that enacted the most sweeping corporate governance reforms since the 1930s and the first major corporate governance legislation since the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977.
Neck Swellings/Lumps: Torticollis

Torticollis is a condition seen in newborns and children that results in an effective shortening of the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) causing the head and neck to rotate toward the affected side, the chin to rotate opposite. This condition can be congenital or acquired. The incidence can be as high as 1:250 infants in the newborn period for congenital muscular torticollis, most studies show an incidence of 1–2% in the general population. Acquired torticollis has an incidence of that varies according to the etiology. This chapter will define the two types of torticollis and discuss the evaluation and treatment of both.
A new “shelf structure” for lithium drifted silicon detectors

Abstract A lithium drifted semiconductor detector develops an n-type surface layer where the intrinsic region is exposed to normal ambient atmosphere1,2). The presence of this layer results in an undesirable increase in leakage current and noise, above a certain detector voltage. This difficulty must be overcome in order to achieve a short collection time while still maintaining a low noise level. Lothrop and Goulding3) propose to solve the difficulty by a double drift geometry in which this n-type channel is pinched off by providing a high transverse field region. The geometry proposed in this paper also ensures a high transverse field region, but it is achieved by different means. A source limited diffusion on certain parts of the wafer is accomplished by controlling the local deposition rate of lithium on a silicon wafer during the lithiu, diffusion. A shelf-like structure automatically results after drifting. This shelf has a field gradient which ensures the pinch-off of the n-type channel beginning at low voltages.
Mass determination of major plasma proteins by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) serves as a rapid and accurate means to determine masses of proteins independent of their shapes or interactions with other molecules. It provides one of the most fundamental characterizations of major plasma proteins. Purified proteins in saline or serum specimens were prepared for analysis by dilution, mixing with a solution of sinapinic acid, and drying on a target plate. Specimens were analyzed in a linear TOF mode with external calibration. Analyses of 24 purified plasma proteins showed predominance of singly charged ions with lesser amounts of dimer and doubly charged monomer, and provided measured masses for these proteins. A number of proteins, including albumin, transferrin, apolipoproteins A-I, A-II, C-I, C-II, and C-III, and prealbumin, could be analyzed directly in serum with appropriate dilution. Measured values for masses of major plasma proteins will assist in analysis of serum and plasma. It is possible to analyze a number of components by MALDI-TOF/MS directly in diluted serum. Extremely simple sample preparation techniques may be useful in analyzing structural variation of several major plasma proteins, particularly those with masses <30 kDa, including a number of apolipoproteins and markers of nutritional status or acute phase responses.
Geochemistry of 4 Vesta based on HED meteorites: Prospective study for interpretation of gamma ray and neutron spectra for the Dawn mission

Asteroid 4 Vesta, believed to be the parent body of the howardite, eucrite, and diogenite (HED) meteorites, will be investigated by the Dawn orbiting spacecraft. Dawn carries a gamma ray and neutron detector (GRaND) that will measure and map some major- and trace-element abundances. Drawing on HED geochemistry, we propose a mixing model that uses element ratios appropriate for the interpretation of GRaND data.Because the spatial resolution of GRaND is relatively coarse, the analyzed chemical compositions on the surface of Vesta will likely reflect mixing of three endmember components: diogenite, cumulate eucrite, and basaltic eucrite. Reliability of the mixing model is statistically investigated based on published whole-rock data for HED meteorites. We demonstrate that the mixing model can accurately estimate the abundances of all the GRaND-analyzed major elements, as well as of minor elements (Na, Cr, and Mn) not analyzed by this instrument. We also show how a similar mixing model can determine the modal abundance of olivine, and we compare estimated and normative olivine data for olivine-bearing diogenites. By linking the compositions of well-analyzed HED meteorites with elemental mapping data from GRaND, this study may help constrain the geological context for HED meteorites and provide new insight into the magmatic evolution of Vesta.
Effect of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and pH on the solubility of levemopamil HCl

Levemopamil was solubilized by varying the concentration of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) and by the alteration of pH. The drug molecule has two sites for possible complexation with HPβCD, creating the possibility of either 1:1 or 1:2 complexation. The solubility as a function of HPβCD concentration of the charged and uncharged forms of the drug follows the AL and AP complexation models, respectively. This suggests that the charged drug forms a 1:1 complex, whereas the neutral drug forms both 1:1 and 1:2 complexes.
Testosterone-induced shortening of the storage phase of song development in birds interferes with vocal learning.

Bird song is a complex, learned behavior. Vocal learning in sparrows involves several different processes that occur in a distinct temporal pattern over the course of the first year of life. Songs are acquired without practice during a sensitive period within the first 3 months of life and rehearsal of the acquired song does not begin until 7 or 8 months of age. The function of the storage period between song acquisition and production is not known. We set out to investigate its significance by administering testosterone, known to stimulate production of adult song, to birds at 100 days of age after song acquisition was completed but some 5 months prior to normal song onset. Most testosterone-treated birds produced abnormal songs resembling those of males raised in acoustic isolation suggesting that, in sparrows, events occurring during the storage phase play a significant role in vocal learning. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Positive angle kappa: a sign of albinism in patients with congenital nystagmus

Abstract Purpose To determine whether the association of positive angle kappa and congenital nystagmus is a distinguishing feature of albinism. Design Observational case series. Methods Prospective examination of the location of the corneal light reflex in patients with albinism and idiopathic congenital nystagmus. Results A positive angle kappa in at least one eye was noted in 20/21 (95%) patients with albinism versus 4/12 (33%) patients with congenital nystagmus (P = .0003, Fisher exact test). A positive angle kappa in both eyes was noted in 15/21 (71.4%) patients with albinism versus 2/12 (16.6%) patients with idiopathic congenital nystagmus (P = .0039, Fisher exact test). Conclusion A positive angle kappa in patients with congenital nystagmus is associated with albinism. The pathophysiology of the positive angle kappa may relate to the anomalous decussation of optic axons that characterizes the albinotic visual system.
Ex ante performance from ex post models of global equity market correlations

Abstract Analysis of ex post returns reveals the time series properties of correlations, but ex ante correlations are required for efficient diversification. We find that a time-varying parameter model offers the best fit to ex post global equity market correlations, suggesting changing mean correlations and changing rates of adjustment back to the means. Nevertheless, we do not find improved forecast performance from time-varying parameter models in holdout periods. The added complexity of time-varying models does not translate into lower forecast errors.
Returning to Missouri

A clean analysis of a place name as important in geography and history as ‘Missouri’ is concisely presented here in order to correct a mistake in an earlier work on the same name. While a brief correction of that mistake was published, this readily accessible article with the correct etymology of the name will benefit all who come in search of its origin and meaning.
Prospective Voting in Presidential Elections, 1956-1988

The research presented in this article concerns the time frame of the electorate. Do voters look to the past, the future, or both when deciding how to vote in presidential elections? An analysis of the American National Election Studies of 1956 through 1988 supports the argument that voters look both backward and forward when deciding for whom to vote. Although both retrospective and prospective economic evaluations are important, and the level of importance of each varies somewhat over time, it is clear that evaluations of future performance are an important influence on vote choice. Even when placed in a causal model with both party identification and retrospective evaluations prior to them, the prospective evaluations remain a forceful influence on vote choice.
Dynamics of pregnancy-associated polyomavirus urinary excretion: a prospective longitudinal study.

Asymptomatic polyomaviruria of pregnancy has been documented in point prevalence studies, but little attention has been given to the dynamics of polyomavirus excretion during pregnancy because of its benign course. We tested the hypothesis that the frequency and/or magnitude of polyomavirus excretion would increase as pregnancy progresses. Urine specimens were obtained prospectively from 179 healthy women during uncomplicated pregnancies and 37 healthy non-pregnant women. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to determine BK virus (BKV) and JC virus (JCV) viral loads in urine, blood, and rectal and vaginal swabs collected during routine obstetric and gynecologic clinic visits. Asymptomatic urinary shedding of BKV and/or JCV was observed in 384 (48.0%) of 800 specimens from 100 (55.8%) pregnant women. BKV excretion was more common in pregnant than non-pregnant women (41.3% vs. 13.5%, P = 0.0026). The frequency of JCV excretion was no different in pregnant compared to non-pregnant women. The frequency and magnitude of polyomavirus shedding did not vary with gestational age. Post-partum shedding of BKV, but not JCV, rapidly decreased to undetectable levels. Pregnancy-associated BKV excretion begins early in pregnancy and terminates rapidly post-partum. Neither the frequency nor magnitude of BKV or JCV shedding increased with pregnancy progression. Further study into the host factors that regulate pregnancy-associated BKV excretion may allow identification of the host factors that predict susceptibility to BKV-associated diseases in immune compromised patients. J. Med. Virol. 84: 1312–1322, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Elimination of flip-angle effects in two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. Application to cyclic nucleotides

The proton and 31P NMR spectra of 2',3'-cyclic uridine monophosphate have been correlated by means of heteronuclear two-dimensional NMR. The spectra depend on the flip angle of one of the rf pulses. This is in contrast to previously reported applications where the 31P nucleus was coupled to a single proton only. For flip angles other than 90 Deg the spectra cannot be readily related to conventional proton spectra and the conformational information is obscured. The resulting multiplets can be analyzed by routine simulation techniques to ext. proton-proton coupling consts. This information, which can be related to the mol. conformation, is often not available from conventional proton spectra. [on SciFinder (R)]
Enhancement of tumor killing using a combination of tumor immunization and HSV-tk suicide gene therapy.

Tumor cells genetically modified with the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene in combination with ganciclovir (GCV) demonstrate a "bystander effect". Previous attempts to enhance the bystander tumor killing by combining cytokine genes with HSV-tk/GCV have met with varying results. The present study was designed to determine the effects of tumor immunization in combination with HSV-tk gene-modified tumor cells and GCV on tumor killing and to determine if the bystander tumor killing could be enhanced. Tumor-bearing mice immunized with syngeneic tumor (KBALB) prior to treatment with an i.p. injection of xenogeneic HSV-tk gene-modified tumor cells (PA-1STK) had prolonged animal survival (group 4, 56.4 days). In contrast, unimmunized tumor-bearing mice (group 2) or tumor-bearing mice immunized to the xenogeneic PA-1STK tumor cells (group 5) showed a mean survival of about 27 days after receiving an i.p. injection of PA-1STK cells and GCV. Control groups, which were either not immunized and did not receive HSV-tk cells (group 1) or immunized but treated only with GCV (group 3) showed short survival (16-18 days). Analysis of tumors for cytokine mRNA expression revealed increased TNF-alpha and IL-1alpha mRNA expression in group 4 mice. Furthermore, IL-2 mRNA expression was detectable on days 2 and 4 only in group 4 mice. Immunophenotypic analysis for tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes demonstrated an increase in macrophage (4%, p = 0.0001) and T cells (1.8%, p < 0.001) in group 4 mice with an enhanced T-cell response as compared with mice from groups 1, 2 and 3. Our results demonstrate that tumor immunization combined with HSV-tk/GCV treatment results in increased animal survival with enhanced immune response. Furthermore, the cytokine milieu observed in the present study can modulate the tumor micro-environment in vivo from one that is immunosuppressive to one that is immune-stimulatory.
On the evolution of the tRNA-dependent amidotransferases, GatCAB and GatDE.

Abstract Glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase and asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase evolved from glutamyl-tRNA synthetase and aspartyl-tRNA synthetase, respectively, after the split in the last universal communal ancestor (LUCA). Glutaminyl-tRNA Gln and asparaginyl-tRNA Asn were likely formed in LUCA by amidation of the mischarged species, glutamyl-tRNA Gln and aspartyl-tRNA Asn , by tRNA-dependent amidotransferases, as is still the case in most bacteria and all known archaea. The amidotransferase GatCAB is found in both domains of life, while the heterodimeric amidotransferase GatDE is found only in Archaea. The GatB and GatE subunits belong to a unique protein family that includes Pet112 that is encoded in the nuclear genomes of numerous eukaryotes. GatE was thought to have evolved from GatB after the emergence of the modern lines of decent. Our phylogenetic analysis though places the split between GatE and GatB, prior to the phylogenetic divide between Bacteria and Archaea, and Pet112 to be of mitochondrial origin. In addition, GatD appears to have emerged prior to the bacterial–archaeal phylogenetic divide. Thus, while GatDE is an archaeal signature protein, it likely was present in LUCA together with GatCAB. Archaea retained both amidotransferases, while Bacteria emerged with only GatCAB. The presence of GatDE has favored a unique archaeal tRNA Gln that may be preventing the acquisition of glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase in Archaea. Archaeal GatCAB, on the other hand, has not favored a distinct tRNA Asn , suggesting that tRNA Asn recognition is not a major barrier to the retention of asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase in many Archaea.
Ultrasound-guided popliteal block demonstrates an atypical motor response to nerve stimulation in 2 patients with diabetes mellitus.

Background and Objectives: Nerve stimulation is a useful technique to identify peripheral nerves before blockade. We report 2 cases of the failure of nerve stimulation to accurately localize the sciatic nerve in patients with diabetes mellitus undergoing outpatient foot procedures. We also introduce a novel approach to performing a popliteal fossa block using ultrasound guidance. Case Report: Ultrasound-guided popliteal fossa blocks were performed in 2 patients with diabetes mellitus. Both patients failed to develop an appropriate motor response or paresthesia to nerve stimulation. The needle positions were confirmed by ultrasound guidance and injections of local anesthesia were made uneventfully. Appropriate surgical anesthesia was established and the procedures were performed uneventfully. Conclusion: Ultrasound facilitated the accurate localization of the sciatic nerve in 2 patients with diabetes mellitus. Neither patient had a paresthesia or muscle twitch below 2.4 mA. There is theoretical concern that patients with underlying neuropathy, such as patients with diabetes mellitus, may have an altered response to either motor or sensory stimulation.