cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Internalization of Corporate Social Costs

The purpose of this paper is to present a method of modifying corporate social performance through reward adjustment. A rationale is developed for regulatory reform consistent with the basic principles of a private enterprise system. Included in the proposal are organizational forms needed, measurement areas, indexing of performance, linking of performance to rewards, implementation, and enforcement.
Is MELD score failing patients with liver disease and hepatorenal syndrome

There is a need to reassess the application of MELD and the impact of renal insufficiency with consideration for developing an algorithm with exception points that would lead to timely allocation of livers to patients with hepatorenal syndrome prior to occurrence of permanent renal damage without jeopardizing post-transplant survival.
Breast Cancer Risk Reduction Decisions of the BRCA-Positive Patient: An Observational Study at a Single Institution

Abstract Background: BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations carry with them a 50%–80% risk of developing breast cancer. The best choice for managing breast cancer risk in patients with a BRCA1/2 mutation is a highly personal decision. Options for risk management include surveillance with multiple modalities or prophylactic surgical intervention. The goal of this study was to gain a better understanding of contributing factors affecting the decision for managing breast cancer risk made by patients who are BRCA mutation positive and cancer free. Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients, who tested positive for BRCA1/2 gene mutation between 2003 and 2013 without history of breast cancer, was performed. A logistic regression model was used to assess the association between preselected risk factors and the decision of the patient to undergo prophylactic mastectomy versus surveillance. Results: Of the 106 patients who were cancer free and BRCA positive, seventy (66%) opted for surveillance, whereas 36 (34%) ch...
Deterrence Without Nuclear Warheads

The international system is unlikely to be rid of nuclear weapons anytime soon, but we are obliged to think strategically about how US military power might be used in a world where the nuclear sword of Damocles either does not hang so low or has disappeared entirely. Bernard Brodie wrote Strategy in the Missile Age. That title of the book rang true enough, but what he was actually talking about was strategy in a nuclear missile age. Indeed, it is sometimes overlooked that the development of nuclear weapons coincided roughly with the development of short, medium, intermediate, and eventually intercontinental missiles.1 More attention needs to be paid to the contribution of missile technology to the deterrence equation, not only for the USA but also in general. In anticipation of the possibility of a post-nuclear age, we need to rethink our assumptions about how much missiles themselves can contribute to the goals of US strategy.
Feeding Problems and Their Underlying Mechanisms in the Esophageal Atresia-Tracheoesophageal Fistula Patient.

Feeding difficulties such as dysphagia, coughing, choking or vomiting during meals, slow eating, oral aversion, food refusal and stressful mealtimes are common in children with repaired esophageal atresia (EA) and the reasons for this are often multifactorial. The aim of this review is to describe the possible underlying mechanisms contributing to feeding difficulties in patients with EA and approaches to management. Underlying mechanisms for these feeding difficulties include esophageal dysphagia, oropharyngeal dysphagia and aspiration, and aversions related to prolonged gastrostomy tube feeding. The initial diagnostic evaluation for feeding difficulties in a patient with EA may involve an esophagram, videofluoroscopic imaging or fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation during swallowing, upper endoscopy with biopsies, pH-impedance testing and/or esophageal motility studies. The main goal of management is to reduce the factors contributing to feeding difficulties and may include reducing esophageal stasis, maximizing reflux therapies, treating underlying lung disease, dilating strictures, and altering feeding methods, routes or schedules.
Targeting weight loss interventions to reduce cardiovascular complications of type 2 diabetes: a machine learning-based post-hoc analysis of heterogeneous treatment effects in the Look AHEAD trial.

Summary Background The Action for Health in Diabetes (Look AHEAD) trial investigated whether long-term cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality could be reduced through a weight loss intervention among people with type 2 diabetes. Despite finding no significant reduction in cardiovascular events on average, it is possible that some subpopulations might have derived benefit. In this post-hoc analysis, we test the hypothesis that the overall neutral average treatment effect in the trial masked important heterogeneous treatment effects (HTEs) from intensive weight loss interventions. Methods We used causal forest modelling, which identifies HTEs, using a random half of the trial data (the training set). We applied Cox proportional hazards models to test the potential HTEs on the remaining half of the data (the testing set). The analysis was deemed exempt from review by the Columbia University Institutional Review Board, Protocol ID# AAAO3003. Findings Between Aug 22, 2001, and April 30, 2004, 5145 patients with type 2 diabetes were enrolled in the Look AHEAD randomised controlled trial, of whom 4901 were included in the The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Repository and included in our analyses: 2450 for model development and 2451 in the testing dataset. Baseline HbA 1c and self-reported general health distinguished participants who differentially benefited from the intervention. Cox models for the primary composite cardiovascular outcome revealed a number needed to treat of 28·9 to prevent 1 event over 9·6 years among participants with HbA 1c 6·8% or higher, or both HbA 1c less than 6·8% and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) general health score of 48 or more (2101 [86%] of 2451 participants in the testing dataset; 167 [16%] of 1046 primary outcome events for intervention vs 205 [19%] of 1055 for control, absolute risk reduction of 3·46%, 95% CI 0·21–6·73%, p=0·038) By contrast, participants with HbA 1c less than 6·8% and baseline SF-36 general health score of less than 48 (350 [14%] of 2451 participants in the testing data; 27 [16%] of 171 primary outcome events for intervention vs 15 [8%] of 179 primary outcome events for control) had an absolute risk increase of the primary outcome of 7·41% (0·60 to 14·22, p=0·003). Interpretation Look AHEAD participants with moderately or poorly controlled diabetes (HbA 1c 6·8% or higher) and subjects with well controlled diabetes (HbA 1c less than 6·8%) and good self-reported health (85% of the overall study population) averted cardiovascular events from a behavioural intervention aimed at weight loss. However, 15% of participants with well controlled diabetes and poor self-reported general health experienced negative effects that rendered the overall study outcome neutral. HbA 1c and a short questionnaire on general health might identify people with type 2 diabetes likely to derive benefit from an intensive lifestyle intervention aimed at weight loss. Funding None.
How Sex Trading Identities Shape Experiences of Service Provision: Insights from Adult Women with Lived Experiences and Service Providers

The relationship between women’s identities of sex trading and their engagement with social service providers remains understudied. Drawing from larger grounded theory study, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 adult women who traded sex as adults and 20 service providers who come into contact with this population in a U.S. Midwestern city. Women engaging in services were sampled through maximum variation sampling and women not engaged with services were recruited through snowball sampling. Providers were recruited through purposive sampling through the coalition and nominations sampling. Findings suggest that women experienced one of three themes of identity formation with regard to sex trading (i.e. people who trade sex, independent prostitutes, or prostitutes with pimps). Although some women could legally be considered victims of sex trafficking, they viewed sex trafficking as the involvement of multiple underage girls in a trafficking ring, which did not resonate with t...
Discovery of an Undocumented Lake Sturgeon Spawning Site in the Headwaters of the Niagara River

Abstract Information about spawning fish is important to stock-assessment data needs (i.e., recruitment and fecundity) and management (i.e., habitat connectivity and protection). In Lake Erie, information about Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens early-life history is available for the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair system in the western basin, but fisheries biologists know comparatively little about Lake Sturgeon in the eastern basin. Although researchers have summarized historical spawning areas, no known natural Lake Sturgeon spawning site is described in Lake Erie proper. Researchers documented a remnant population of reproductively mature Lake Sturgeon near the headwaters of the Niagara River in eastern Lake Erie in 2011. Researchers hypothesized that a spawning site was likely in the immediate vicinity of the Niagara River headwaters near Buffalo Harbor, New York; however, its exact location was unknown. We attempted to locate spawning sites near the confluence of the Niagara River using egg traps ...
Statistics within business in the era of big data

Abstract The last decade has seen a dramatic increase in the availability of business data. Here I discuss some of the corresponding opportunities and challenges for business related statistical applications and the role that statisticians can play within a business school.
Sounding social justice in American opera: race and gender in Stinney: an American execution

In 1944, George Stinney Jr., an African American boy, aged fourteen, was falsely accused of rape and murder; he became the youngest person to be executed in the United States. Seventy years later, ...
Free Flap Versus Pedicled Flap Reconstruction of Laryngopharyngeal Defects: A 10-Year National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Analysis.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Large defects after total laryngectomy (TL) and total laryngopharyngectomy (TLP) often benefit from free flap (FF) or pedicled flap (PF) reconstruction to maintain continuity of the aerodigestive tract, protect great vessels, or reinforce pharyngeal closure. Although both techniques are commonly used, no consensus exists as to which results in fewer complications. The goal of this study was to determine if 30-day morbidity/mortality outcomes differ between PF and FF reconstruction in patients undergoing TL/TLP. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. METHODS Patients were analyzed who underwent TL/TLP with reconstruction using records from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2005-2015). RESULTS A total of 347 patients were included; 204 received FF reconstruction, whereas 143 received PF reconstruction. FF reconstruction was more commonly used with TLP defects (P = .001). The total operative time in the FF (590 ± 140 minutes) was longer than the PF (441 ± 125 minutes) group (P < .0001). There was a higher rate of postoperative transfusions in those undergoing FF reconstruction (P = .022). There was no significant difference in complication rates among TLP patients. Among TL patients only, FF reconstruction had a higher association with wound infections than PFs (P = .040). On multivariate analysis, low hematocrit was associated with complications (P = .031). Age (P = .031) and congestive heart failure exacerbation (P < .001) were associated with increased hospital stay. Overall, there were no differences in readmissions, reoperations, or deaths between the groups. CONCLUSIONS Reported complication rates after TL/TLP remain high, despite widespread usage of vascularized flaps in reconstruction. This comparison reveals no significant difference in postoperative complications between patients who received PF and FF laryngopharyngeal reconstruction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 129:105-112, 2019.
Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: Phenobarbital vs CIWA-Ar Protocol.

BACKGROUND Benzodiazepine-based therapy for alcohol withdrawal is associated with agitation and respiratory depression. Treatment can be complicated by a need for adjunctive therapy to control these symptoms and in patients requiring mechanical ventilation. Strong evidence for the effectiveness of alternative treatment modalities is lacking, despite the availability of promising pharmacological agents such as phenobarbital. OBJECTIVE To compare the standard of care for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal-a symptom-triggered benzodiazepine protocol used in conjunction with the revised Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol (CIWA-Ar) scale-with a phenobarbital protocol. METHODS Retrospective cohort study conducted from January 2016 through June 2017 at a 42-bed medical intensive care unit in a private teaching hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. The primary outcome was intensive care unit length of stay. Secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay, incidence of invasive mechanical ventilation, and use of adjunctive pharmacotherapy. RESULTS Patients who received phenobarbital had significantly shorter stays in the intensive care unit than did those who received therapy based on the CIWA-Ar scale (mean [SD], 2.4 [1.5] vs 4.4 [3.9] days; P < .001). Those who received phenobarbital also had significantly shorter hospital stays (4.3 [3.4] vs 6.9 [6.6] days; P = .004). The incidence of invasive mechanical ventilation was lower in the phenobarbital group (1 [2%] vs 14 [23%] patients; P < .001), as was use of adjunctive agents for symptom control, including dexmedetomidine (4 [7%] vs 17 [28%] patients; P = .002). CONCLUSION A phenobarbital protocol for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal is an effective alternative to the standard-of-care protocol of symptom-triggered benzodiazepine therapy.
Population Dynamics of Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura)) in Maine Wild Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton).

A long-term investigation of D. suzukii dynamics in wild blueberry fields from 2012–2018 demonstrates relative abundance is either still increasing or exhibiting periodicity seven years after the initial invasion. Relative abundance is determined by physiological date of first detection and air temperatures the previous winter. Date of first detection of flies does not determine date of fruit infestation. The level of fruit infestation is determined by year, fly pressure, and insecticide application frequency. Frequency of insecticide application is determined by production system. Non-crop wild fruit and predation influences fly pressure; increased wild fruit abundance results in increased fly pressure. Increased predation rate reduces fly pressure, but only at high abundance of flies, or when high levels of wild fruit are present along field edges. Male sex ratio might be declining over the seven years. Action thresholds were developed from samples of 92 fields from 2012–2017 that related cumulative adult male trap capture to the following week likelihood of fruit infestation. A two-parameter gamma density function describing this probability was used to develop a risk-based gradient action threshold system. The action thresholds were validated from 2016–2018 in 35 fields and were shown to work well in two of three years (2016 and 2017).
Electron injection into titanium dioxide by panchromatic dirhodium photosensitizers with low energy red light.

Two new Rh2(II,II) dyes were synthesized and anchored to TiO2 for charge injection upon irradiation. The 1ML-LCT (metal/ligand-to-ligand charge transfer) excited state is populated upon excitation, which decays to the corresponding 3ML-LCT state. Ultrafast electron injection into TiO2 from the Rh2(II,II) dyes was achieved with low energy, red light excitation.
Western spruce budworm effects on throughfall N, P, and C fluxes and soil nutrient status in the Pacific Northwest

Western spruce budworm (Choristoneura freemani Razowski, 2008) is the most widely distributed insect herbivore in western North American coniferous forests. By partially or completely defoliating t...
Predicting Aborted Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (AHIPEC) with Preoperative Tumor and Inflammatory Markers in Potentially Resectable Appendiceal Cancer Patients with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis.

Despite meticulous preoperative diagnostics, aborted hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (AHIPEC) is a common, unsuccessful outcome of curative cytoreductive surgery (CRS)/HIPEC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between AHIPEC and preoperative risk factors of patients with mucinous appendiceal cancer (AC). A single-institute, case–control study was conducted using a prospective database. Potentially resectable patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis of mucinous AC origin with AHIPEC between October 1994 and February 2019 were identified. Preoperative risk factors were reviewed. Analysis was conducted by tumor grade: low-grade, high-grade, and signet ring cell carcinoma (high-S). All available tumor-type-matched successful CRS/HIPEC controls were obtained from the same database. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed. Overall, 21, 44, and 15 AHIPEC cases and 153, 133, and 53 tumor-matched controls were identified for low-grade, high-grade, and high-S populations, respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed preoperative cancer antigen (CA) 19-9 > 1 upper limit of normal (ULN) [odds ratio (OR) 6.32; p = 0.014], CA125 > 2 ULN (OR 7.02; p = 0.039), C-reactive protein (CRP) > 2.5 mg/L (OR 13.7; p = 0.001), and previous HIPEC (OR 7.5; p = 0.031) were significantly associated with AHIPEC in the low-grade population. Preoperative CRP > 2.5 mg/L (OR 7.77; p < 0.0001) and previous HIPEC (OR 4.69; p = 0.004) were associated with AHIPEC in a multivariable model for high-grade AC. No single factor showed a significant association with AHIPEC in high-S patients. Risk factors vary for AHIPEC among low-grade, high-grade, and high-S AC histology. Elevated preoperative CA19-9, CA125, CRP, and previous HIPEC should be considered in the selection process for CRS/HIPEC in low-grade AC, as well as elevated CRP and previous HIPEC in high-grade AC, to avoid unnecessary surgery.
One-shot Policy Elicitation via Semantic Reward Manipulation.

Synchronizing expectations and knowledge about the state of the world is an essential capability for effective collaboration. For robots to effectively collaborate with humans and other autonomous agents, it is critical that they be able to generate intelligible explanations to reconcile differences between their understanding of the world and that of their collaborators. In this work we present Single-shot Policy Explanation for Augmenting Rewards (SPEAR), a novel sequential optimization algorithm that uses semantic explanations derived from combinations of planning predicates to augment agents' reward functions, driving their policies to exhibit more optimal behavior. We provide an experimental validation of our algorithm's policy manipulation capabilities in two practically grounded applications and conclude with a performance analysis of SPEAR on domains of increasingly complex state space and predicate counts. We demonstrate that our method makes substantial improvements over the state-of-the-art in terms of runtime and addressable problem size, enabling an agent to leverage its own expertise to communicate actionable information to improve another's performance.
Spatial and temporal dynamics of fish assemblages in a desert reservoir over 38 years

Processes associated with reservoir aging threaten the capacity of systems to continue providing productive fisheries, and declining productivity might be exacerbated by decreasing water level associated with climate change and water abstraction. Despite their prevalence in riverscapes, we know little about long-term fish dynamics in reservoirs. Using a 38-year dataset from Lake Powell, USA, we tested for changes in assemblage structure and changes in fish condition for the most abundant species. The assemblage has undergone re-ordering of species relative abundance, but the same core species captured in 1981 were still present in 2018. Five species increased in relative abundance, while two declined, and seven remained unchanged. Walleye Sander vitreus and Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu were among those increasing over time, while Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus and Common Carp Cyprinus carpio declined. We were not able to attribute changes in fish assemblages with a suite of abiotic and biotic variables. Condition was low and declined over time for four of the six species. Although water level declined over time, we did not observe obvious declines in basal food resources. Declining water level has reduced availability of littoral habitat and likely contributed to declines in some species associated with this zone.
Social networks and subjective wellbeing of adults in a Housing First program.

This study explored the social network properties and the correlates between social networks and subjective wellbeing of adults (N = 80) in a Housing First (HF) program. Using structured interviews, participants' social network properties were assessed. Bivariate correlations and backward multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between social networks and subjective wellbeing. Findings indicate a combination of years of homelessness, years in housing, frequency of contact, intimate relationship, and perceived social support significantly predicted subjective wellbeing (F (5, 74) = 2.74, p = 0.025). While perceived social support was positively associated with subjective wellbeing, frequency of contact was negatively associated with subjective wellbeing. It is recommended that service providers develop strengths-focused perspectives of the social networks of HF residents as potential contributors to subjective wellbeing. Service providers may need to pay more attention to HF residents with frequent contacts with network members, as they may have more distress.
New glance at the role of TM6SF2 in lipid metabolism and liver cancer.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rapidly becoming the most common cause of chronic liver diseases. NAFLD can progress to more severe conditions, such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which confer increased morbidity and mortality. However, many individuals with NAFLD do not progress to these more severe conditions. Such variations in the susceptibility of NAFLD progression suggest that it is likely affected by multiple factors, in particular, genetic factors.
Radiation enhances the delivery of antisense oligonucleotides and improves chemo-radiation efficacy in brain tumor xenografts

Overexpression of O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) contributes to resistance to chemo-radiation therapy (CRT) in brain tumors. We previously demonstrated that non-ablative radiation improved delivery of anti-MGMT morpholino oligonucleotides (AMONs) to reduce MGMT levels in subcutaneous tumor xenografts. We evaluate this approach to enhance CRT efficacy in rat brain tumor xenograft models. The impact of radiation on targeted delivery was evaluated using fluorescent oligonucleotides (f-ON). In vitro, f-ON was localized to clathrin-coated vesicles, endosomes, and lysosomes using confocal microscopy in T98G glioma cells. In vivo, fluorescence was detected in pre-radiated, but not non-radiated Long Evans (non-tumor bearing) rat brains. Cranial radiation (2 Gy) followed by AMONs (intravenous, 10.5 mg/kg) reduced MGMT expression by 50% in both orthotopic cerebellar D283 medulloblastoma and intracerebral H460 non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) xenograft models. To evaluate the efficacy, AMONs concurrent with CRT (2 Gy radiation plus oral 20 mg/kg temozolomide ×4 days) reduced tumor volumes in the medulloblastoma model (p = 0.012), and a similar trend was found in the NSCLC brain metastasis model. We provide proof of concept for the use of non-ablative radiation to guide and enhance the delivery of morpholino oligonucleotides into brain tumor xenograft models to reduce MGMT levels and improve CRT efficacy.
The harms of punishing substance use during pregnancy

As rates of substance use have increased in the United States, rates of substance-involved pregnancies have also been on the rise, inspiring new civil policies designed to punish pregnant and parenting individuals who engage in substance use or are living with an untreated substance use disorder. Proponents of punitive civil policies argue that such policies will deter substance use behaviors and/or that substance use during pregnancy deserves punishment for harming the fetus. Current scientific evidence invalidates both claims, offering compelling evidence that punitive civil policies often worsen the harms of substance use for both parent and child. In this commentary, we review this evidence and explain how punitive policies that threaten child removal and the termination of parental rights exacerbate the very problems they are ostensibly designed to reduce. Rather than coercive and punitive responses, families affected by substance use need greater access to affordable, evidence-based treatment as well as services that address the structural and relational concerns underlying substance use. Above all, responses to perinatal substance use in both policy and practice should prioritize keeping families together.
Differential Allelic Expression among Long Non-Coding RNAs

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) comprise a diverse group of non-protein-coding RNAs >200 bp in length that are involved in various normal cellular processes and disease states, and can affect coding gene expression through mechanisms in cis or in trans. Since the discovery of the first functional lncRNAs transcribed by RNA Polymerase II, H19 and Xist, many others have been identified and noted for their unusual transcriptional pattern, whereby expression from one chromosome homolog is strongly favored over the other, also known as mono-allelic or differential allelic expression. lncRNAs with differential allelic expression have been observed to play critical roles in developmental gene regulation, chromosome structure, and disease. Here, we will focus on known examples of differential allelic expression of lncRNAs and highlight recent research describing functional lncRNAs expressed from both imprinted and random mono-allelic expression domains.
Autologous platelet-rich plasma effects on Staphylococcus aureus-induced chondrocyte death in an in vitro bovine septic arthritis model.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the chondroprotective effects of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP), ampicillin-sulbactam (AmpS), or PRP combined with AmpS (PRP+AmpS) in an in vitro chondrocyte explant model of bovine Staphylococcus aureus-induced septic arthritis. SAMPLE Autologous PRP and cartilage explants obtained from 6 healthy, adult, nonlactating Jersey-crossbred cows. ProcedureS Autologous PRP was prepared prior to euthanasia using an optimized double centrifugation protocol. Cartilage explants collected from grossly normal stifle joints were incubated in synovial fluid (SF) alone, S aureus-inoculated SF (SA), or SA supplemented with PRP (25% culture medium volume), AmpS (2 mg/mL), or both PRP (25% culture medium volume) and AmpS (2 mg/mL; PRP+AmpS) for 24 hours. The metabolic activity, percentage of dead cells, and glycosaminoglycan content of cartilage explants were measured with a resazurin-based assay, live-dead cell staining, and dimethylmethylene blue assay, respectively. Treatment effects were assessed relative to the findings for cartilage explants incubated in SF alone. RESULTS Application of PRP, AmpS, and PRP+AmpS treatments significantly reduced S aureus-induced chondrocyte death (ie, increased metabolic activity and cell viability staining) in cartilage explants, compared with untreated controls. There were no significant differences in chondrocyte death among explants treated with PRP, AmpS, or PRP+AmpS. CLINICAL RELEVANCE In this in vitro explant model of S aureus-induced septic arthritis, PRP, AmpS, and PRP+AmpS treatments mitigated chondrocyte death. Additional work to confirm the efficacy of PRP with bacteria commonly associated with clinical septic arthritis in cattle as well as in vivo evaluation is warranted.
Spatial Patterns of Political Choice in the Post-Yeltsin Era: The Electoral Geography of Russia's 2000 Presidential Election

Two specialists on the electoral geography of post-Soviet Russia analyze spatial voting patterns from the March 2000 Russian presidential election by reference to the underlying socioeconomic traits of Russia?s regions. In an effort to gauge the extent to which regional variations in voter turnout and preferences evident from previous elections persisted into the presidential election, the authors compare the outcome with results of a previous presidential contest (1996) and, where relevant, to the 1999 elections to the State Duma.
Surveying plant genomes for variable number of tandem repeat loci

Publisher Summary Different minisatellite DNA systems are taxonomically widely distributed and variation in such systems, where it exists, can be used to investigate various biological questions. Numerous examples of repetitive sequences revealing intraspecific genetic variation are described in the chapter. Randomly chosen repeats often reveal variation in a variety of organisms and intraspecific genetic variation of repetitive sequences can occur whether the repeat sequences are base pairs (bp) or relatively large sequences. Thus, it seems likely that the variation of repetitive sequences is a general characteristic of such sequences regardless of size or composition, rather than a special characteristic of particular repetitive. For any particular organism, it is necessary to survey a variety of minisatellite probes to select those most appropriate for the specific biological issues to be investigated.
Variation in OPRM1 and risk of suicidal behavior in drug-dependent individuals.

Completed suicide and nonfatal suicide-related outcomes (SROs), such as suicidal ideation and attempts, are heritable. A recent genetic association study in a sample of suicide victims reported a protective effect of the G allele of Asn40Asp (rs1799971) on risk for completed suicide. We examined the association of three OPRM1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs1799971, rs609148, and rs648893) with SRO in 426 European Americans, using GEE logistic regression analysis to examine the association of a lifetime history of SRO. There was no allelic association with the SRO phenotypes. A larger sample may be needed to identify risk variants that convey SRO risk. OPRM1 may not be important in the risk of SRO. (Am J Addict 2011;21:5-10). Language: en
Biasing in Random Number Space

An interesting way to compare the biased random number technique to more conventional biasing techniques is to consider what is really calculated by analog Monte-Carlo. Each history is associated with a random number sequence \(\vec r_i\) and a history score \(T(\vec r_i )\) that depends on the random walk specified by \(\vec r_i\). The random number sequence \(\vec r_i\) is selected from a uniform density \(f(\vec r)\) of random number sequences. The expected score is then: $$E = \smallint T(\vec r)f(\vec r)d\vec r$$ .
Allocation of Decision Rights and Inventory Ownership in Retail Supply Chains

Motivated by the contrasting strategic choices made by two divisions of 7-Eleven regarding the risk ownership of excess inventory, our research aims to understand the drivers of the choice between consignment and retail ownership of inventory and to develop rules of thumb for determining what the right mode of operation is for different operating environments. To this end, we build a two-stage supply chain model with one retailer and one supplier, where the two parties differ in their forecasting capabilities. We investigate how power structure, differences in forecasting capabilities, product and store characteristics affect the choice of the mode of operation. Our results have several implications regarding inventory ownership in supply chains.
R & D expenditures and future innovation: evidence from the chemical industry

Purpose – This study aims to investigate whether research and development (R & D) expenditures drive future innovation in the chemical industry. Design/methodology/approach – This study examines the relation between R & D expenditures for the period of 2000-2002 and the innovation effect measured by the Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) for the period of 2003-2005. Under the MPI, the innovation effect is measured as the “shift” in a firm’s production frontier between two periods (2003-2005). Findings – Results indicate that there is a significant and positive relation between R & D expenditures and future innovation among chemical firms. Originality/value – This study should be of interest to financial accounting policy makers, R & D-intensive companies and investors. To policy makers, they may consider the possibility of permitting R & D-intensive companies to recognize R & D expenditures as assets. In other words, R & D-intensive companies can capitalize and amortize their R & D expenditures, as R & D ...
Integration of bed characteristics, geochemical tracers, current measurements, and numerical modeling for assessing the provenance of beach sand in the San Francisco Bay Coastal System

Abstract Over 150 million m3 of sand-sized sediment has disappeared from the central region of the San Francisco Bay Coastal System during the last half century. This enormous loss may reflect numerous anthropogenic influences, such as watershed damming, bay-fill development, aggregate mining, and dredging. The reduction in Bay sediment also appears to be linked to a reduction in sediment supply and recent widespread erosion of adjacent beaches, wetlands, and submarine environments. A unique, multi-faceted provenance study was performed to definitively establish the primary sources, sinks, and transport pathways of beach-sized sand in the region, thereby identifying the activities and processes that directly limit supply to the outer coast. This integrative program is based on comprehensive surficial sediment sampling of the San Francisco Bay Coastal System, including the seabed, Bay floor, area beaches, adjacent rock units, and major drainages. Analyses of sample morphometrics and biological composition (e.g., Foraminifera) were then integrated with a suite of tracers including 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd isotopes, rare earth elements, semi-quantitative X-ray diffraction mineralogy, and heavy minerals, and with process-based numerical modeling, in situ current measurements, and bedform asymmetry to robustly determine the provenance of beach-sized sand in the region.
Performance-Based Assessment of Biology Teachers: Promises and Pitfalls.

BioTAP, the biology component of the Teacher Assessment Project, explored three modes of performance-based teacher assessment: portfolios, simulations, and portfolio-based simulations. Assessments were designed by a team of university-based researchers and classroom teachers. Assessments were completed by 15 high school biology teachers from a variety of teaching contexts. Portfolios are defined as collections of evidence gathered on site, such as videotapes of instruction. The portfolios had four sections: planning, instruction, assessment, and professional development. Simulation exercises are replications of critical tasks of teaching in a standardized setting, for example, an interview about adapting a textbook. Portfolio-based simulations take advantage of the contextual aspects of portfolios and the standardization of simulations, for example, an interview on student misconceptions about the laboratory experience that was presented in the portfolio. Using a holistic process, teachers were rated in categories derived from the five core propositions of teacher knowledge and skill proposed by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Teachers reported that the assessments had a high degree of fidelity to teaching and provided stimuli to improving teaching. The description presented in this article provides a foundation for those who wish to advance the research in science teacher assessment.
System identification for a lumped heat exchanger using the extended information filter

In this study a new Extended Information Filter (EIF) algorithm is applied to compute the heat transfer parameters for lumped heat exchanger. Many industrial applications depend on the prediction of the heat exchanger parameters. This algorithm produces an accurate prediction of the operating states and parameters. A state variable model is derived from the empirical correlation of the lumped heat exchanger. The derived system is nonlinear and stochastic. The problem of estimating the state variables and parameters is considered in the presence of random disturbance and measurement noise. The EIF is then used to produce an optimal estimate of the state and parameters of the heat exchanger. The result obtained by using EIF were compared to the results obtained by using EIF were compared to the result obtained using EKF and found that the estimation of dynamic nonlinear systems, is best carried out using the EIF rather than the EKF.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Microscale titrimetric and spectrophotometric methods for determination of ionization constants and partition coefficients of new drug candidates

□ This study describes the adaptation of conventional titrimetric and spectrophotometric techniques to a microscale for the determination of drug ionization constants (pKa) and partition coefficients (log P). The apparatus for determining pKa and compound purity (or equivalent weight) consists of a three-port conical glass microvial maintained at 25 °C, a pH microelectrode, and a micro-injection pump equipped with a 10 μL gastight syringe for titrant delivery. Sample mixing and protection from atmospheric CO2, which is particularly important at the microscale, is accomplished using a fine stream of water-saturated N2 bubbles. Simple titrimetric procedures combined with ionic equilibria models which allow the accurate determination of pKa and purity (or equivalent weight) using sample sizes in the microgram range and solution volumes of 10–100 μL were developed and validated using acetic acid and tromethamine. Simultaneous determinations of pKa, purity or equivalent weight, and octanol/water partition coefficient were shown to be possible from a single sample of a test solute by adapting the pH-metric technique to a microscale. Using benzoic acid as a model compound, a pKa of 4.24 and octanol/water partition coefficient of 64 were obtained, in close agreement with the literature values. The principles employed in titrimetric analysis were also applied to demonstrate the spectro-photometric determination of benzoic acid’s pKa and partition coefficient using only 6 μg of compound. The microscale titration method was then used to determine the two pKa values of an “unknown” diprotic acid containing a carboxyl and an aromatic SH group. The phenyl thiol pKa was confirmed using the microscale spectrophotometric procedure.
Salmonella infection in a commercial line of ducks; experimental studies on virulence, intestinal colonization and immune protection.

Experimental infections of different salmonella serotypes were established in a commercial line of ducks to provide baseline information on which control measures might be based. The ducks were very resistant to systemic infection with Salmonella typhimurium, S. enteritidis and S. gallinarum within 36 h of hatching. This was associated with an inherent inability of the strains to multiply in the reticulo-endothelial system. The resistance was not associated with poor invasiveness or serum sensitivity. Individual strains of S. typhimurium, S. enteritidis, S. heidelberg and S. orion colonized the gut well and were excreted in the faeces for at least 6 weeks by ducks when they were infected orally within 2 days of hatching. The main sites of colonization were the caeca and, to a lesser extent, the crop. Viable counts of each inoculated strain in the caeca remained in excess of 10(6) c.f.u. 3 weeks after infection although the organisms had been cleared from the spleen by this time. Much less excretion occurred when the birds were infected at 3 weeks of age. When infected ducks, which had cleared themselves of infection, were challenged orally with the homologous strain expressing a different genetic marker, very low levels of excretion of the challenge strain were detected when compared with a control group. After infection low titres of circulating lipopolysaccharide-specific IgG antibodies were detected by an ELISA. Intestinal colonization of newly hatched ducks with an aroA strain of S. enteritidis resulted in extensive colonization which exerted an exclusion effect on the parent strain inoculated 24 h later.
Li-ion battery with poly(acrylonitrile-methyl methacrylate)-based microporous gel electrolyte

Abstract This paper describes the fabrication and performance of microporous gel electrolyte (MGE) Li-ion batteries. The MGE battery was prepared through three steps: (1) making microporous polymer membrane as battery separator by the phase-inversion method, (2) making the battery assembly and activating it with liquid electrolyte, and (3) forming MGE in situ by warming the battery. Depending on liquid electrolyte uptake and warming conditions of the microporous membrane, the resulting MGE may contain three phases: liquid electrolyte, gel electrolyte, and polymer matrix. Therefore, the MGE combines many advantages such as high ionic conductivity, good adhesion to the electrodes, and good mechanical strength. In this work, we used poly(acrylonitrile-methyl methacrylate) (AMMA, AN:MMA=94:6) as the polymer matrix, and a solution of 1.0 m LiBF 4 dissolved in a 1:3 (wt.) mixture of ethylene carbonate (EC) and γ-butyrolactone (GBL) as the liquid electrolyte. Typically, an MGE gelled with 390 wt.% of liquid electrolyte vs. the dried membrane has an ionic conductivity of 2.2 mS/cm at 20 °C and the resulting Li-ion battery shows good cycling performance.
High roads and low roads in HIV/AIDS programming: plea for a diversification of itinerary

The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic has given rise to multiple responses at multiple levels. In this article, a distinction is made between high-road and low-road solutions. High-road solutions typically address the disease and people as patients, focus on cure, treatment and pharmaceutical programmes, are noteworthy biomedical and technological, typically seen as ‘hard’ and top–down. Low-road solutions typically promote health and wellness among communities, focus on care, prevention and educational programmes, are often noteworthy rights based and holistic, typically seen as ‘soft’ and bottom–up. Whereas the sexual and reproductive health and rights movement characteristically takes the low road, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS programming seems to have drifted away from this broader agenda [Germain, A., Dixon-Mueller, R., and Sen, G., 2009. Back to basics: HIV/AIDS belongs with sexual and reproductive health. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 87, 840–845] and to inc...
Implementation and Validation of a Hybrid RANS/LES Model in the Spectral Element Solver Nek5000

A dynamic hybrid RANS/LES (DHRL) model has been implemented in the spectral-element solver Nek5000 to reduce computational expense for high Reynolds number applications. The model couples a k-e URANS model and the dynamic Smagorinsky model for LES. The model is validated for plane channel flow at Reτ = 590 using DNS data, and compared with LES predictions. The model is then applied for the ANL-MAX case, which is a test case relevant to nuclear reactor cooling flow simulations. For the channel flow case, DHRL predictions were similar to LES on finer grids, but on coarser grids, the former predicted velocity profiles closer to DNS than the latter in the log-layer region. The improved prediction by the DHRL model was identified to be due to a 30% additional contribution of RANS stresses. For the ANL-MAX case, the URANS simulation predicts quasi-steady flow, with dominant large-scale turbulent structures, whereas LES predicts small-scale turbulent structures comparable with results in rapid mixing of cool and warm flow jets. DHRL simulations predict LES mode in the inlet jet region, and URANS mode elsewhere, as expected.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Social Support and Health Among Senior Internet Users: Results of an Online Survey

ABSTRACT There is some disagreement as to whether the Internet has a positive or negative impact on social connection and well-being for older adults. Using an online survey, we assessed self-reported social support, health, and Internet use patterns among users over fifty years of age. In a comparison of highly social Internet users versus low-social users, we found that high-social users spent more time on-line and reported more physical and mental health problems. However, the groups did not differ in amount of or satisfaction with social support they received. Implications of these results are discussed.
Surgical Revascularization in Structural Orthotopic Bone Allograft Increases Bone Remodeling

Background Osseous defects reconstructed with cryopreserved structural allografts are poorly revascularized and therefore are prone to nonunion, infection, deterioration of mechanical properties, and fracture. Whether this can be mitigated by specific interventions such as intramedullary surgical revascularization has been incompletely evaluated.
Acquisition of a quantitative, stoichiometrically conserved ratiometric marker of maturation status in stem cell-derived cardiac myocytes

There is no consensus in the stem cell field as to what constitutes the mature cardiac myocyte. Thus, helping formalize a molecular signature for cardiac myocyte maturation would advance the field. In the mammalian heart, inactivation of the “fetal” TNNI gene, TNNI1 (ssTnI), together in temporal concert with its stoichiometric replacement by the adult TNNI gene product, TNNI3 (cTnI), represents a quantifiable ratiometric maturation signature. We examined the TNNI isoform transition in human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) cardiac myocytes (hiPSC-CMs) and found the fetal TNNI signature, even during long-term culture. Rodent stem cell-derived and primary myocytes, however, transitioned to the adult TnI profile. Acute genetic engineering of hiPSC-CMs enabled a rapid conversion toward the mature TnI profile. While there is no single marker to denote the mature cardiac myocyte, we propose that tracking the cTnI:ssTnI protein isoform ratio provides a valuable maturation signature to quantify myocyte maturation status across laboratories.