cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE EFFECTS OF PARTIAL HEPATECTOMY ON MAMMARY CARCINOGENESIS IN THE RAT.

Summary The effects of partial hepatectomy on mammary carcinoma in the rat induced by 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) were investigated. Partial hepatectomy inhibits the induction of mammary carcinoma, the degree of inhibition being greatest when this procedure is performed at the termination of a 50 day period of carcinogen administration. Sham operation (simple laparotomy) one day before or ten days after the start of carcinogen administration potentiates carcinogenesis. Sham operation at the termination of the carcinogen administration delays tumor appearance. The administration of 3-MC greatly increases the operative mortality encountered in partial hepatectomy, but does not significantly interfere with liver regeneration.
Simultaneous ablation and radiation in an absorbing, emitting and isotropically scattering medium

Abstract The normal-mode-expansion technique is applied to solve the steady-state heat transfer in ablation combined with radiation for an absorbing, emitting, isotropically scattering, gray, semi-transparent, semi-infinite glassy material with externally applied constant heat flux at the boundary. The Fresnel reflection at the air-liquid interface is also included in the analysis. The effects of a conduction-to-radiation parameter N , single scattering abled ω, surface reflectivity ρ s on the distribution of temperature, and the radiative heat flux in the ablating medium are investigated.
Carbometalation Reactions of Diphenylacetylene and Other Alkynes with Methylalanes and Titanocene Derivatives

The reaction of PhC⋮CPh with methylalanes and titanocene derivatives is multimechanistic. In cases where 1:1 mixtures of Me3Al or Me2AlCl with Cl2TiCp2 or MeTiCp2Cl are used, the reaction proceeds exclusively via methyltitanation, which needs to be promoted by a methylalane but is stoichiometric in both Ti and Al. The product of methyltitanation is ≥98% stereoisomerically pure (E)-1,2-diphenyl-1-propenyltitanocene chloride (10) complexed with methylalanes, from which 10 can be obtained as a pure substance. In cases where a 2:1 mixture of Me3Al and Cl2TiCp2 is used, the course of reaction varies and is very much dependent on several reaction parameters. To observe the known formation of the Tebbe reagent (4) and its reaction with PhC⋮CPh to give a titanacyclobutene 5, it is necessary to premix Me3Al and Cl2TiCp2 in a 2:1 ratio for a few days and run the reaction in the presence of a base, e.g., DMAP. If no base is added, fast methyltitanation is observed with Me3Al and Cl2TiCp2 before their conversion to 4...
Lymphocyte glucocorticoid receptor binding in depressed patients with hypercortisolemia

Abstract Despite elevated levels of serum and urinary cortisol, patients with depressive illness manifest none of the clinical stigmata of glucocorticoid excess. This hypercortisolemia in the absence of clinical effects suggests a state of hormone resistance and could be mediated by alterations in the glucocorticoid receptor. Earlier studies have shown that small doses of glucocorticoids cause a decrease in glucocorticoid receptor binding in normal human lymphocytes. White cells from depressed patients with significant hypercortisolemia would be expected to show a similar change in receptor concentration if peripheral tissues are adequately exposed to and sensitive to the hormone. In this study we compared the binding of [ 3 H]dexamethasone to lymphocytes from normal subjects and depressed patients with hypercortisolemia. Lymphocytes from normal subjects had a mean receptor concentration of 10.2 ± 0.66 fm/10 6 cells (S.E.M.) and a dissociation constant of 4.8 ± 0.47 nM. Lymphocytes from depressed patients with abnormal 0800 h serum cortisol after dexamethasone had a mean receptor concentration of 8.8 ± 0.75 fm/10 6 cells, which was not significantly different from that in lymphocytes from normal subjects or from depressed subjects with normal post-dexamethasone cortisol levels (9.4 ± 0.95 fm/10 6 cells). Lymphocytes from depressed patients with elevated urinary free cortisol excretion (UFC) also had normal receptor concentration and binding affinity for dexamethasone. The lack of a change in lymphocyte glucocorticoid receptor concentration in the presence of cortisol excess suggests the possibility that hypercortisolemia in depressive illness represents a state of peripheral glucocorticoid resistance.
Customer Service and Satisfaction: Competitive Advantage and Beyond

This article examines how excellence in customer service and satisfaction can be a major source of competitive advantage and profits for small businesses. The costs and causes of poor service and satisfaction are discussed and special emphasis is given to the value of the lifelong customer. Methods to pursue the goal of completely satisfying customers 100 percent of the time are examined. Leadership, aggressive problem solving, problem-solving teams, and assessment of customer service are among the topics reviewed.
A Comparison of the Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Pregabalin and Gabapentin

Pregabalin and gabapentin share a similar mechanism of action, inhibiting calcium influx and subsequent release of excitatory neurotransmitters; however, the compounds differ in their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics. Gabapentin is absorbed slowly after oral administration, with maximum plasma concentrations attained within 3–4 hours. Orally administered gabapentin exhibits saturable absorption — a nonlinear (zero-order) process — making its pharmacokinetics less predictable. Plasma concentrations of gabapentin do not increase proportionally with increasing dose. In contrast, orally administered pregabalin is absorbed more rapidly, with maximum plasma concentrations attained within 1 hour. Absorption is linear (first order), with plasma concentrations increasing proportionately with increasing dose. The absolute bioavailability of gabapentin drops from 60% to 33% as the dosage increases from 900 to 3600 mg/day, while the absolute bioavailability of pregabalin remains at <-90% irrespective ofthe dosage. Both drugs can be given without regard to meals. Neither drug binds to plasma proteins. Neither drug is metabolized by nor inhibits hepatic enzymes that are responsible for the metabolism of other drugs. Both drugs are excreted renally, with elimination half-lives of approximately 6 hours. Pregabalin and gabapentin both show dose-response relationships in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia and partial seizures. For neuropathic pain, a pregabalin dosage of 450 mg/day appears to reduce pain comparably to the predicted maximum effect of gabapentin. As an antiepileptic, pregabalin may be more effective than gabapentin, on the basis of the magnitude of the reduction in the seizure frequency. In conclusion, pregabalin appearsto have some distinct pharmacokinetic advantages over gabapentin that may translate into an improved pharmacodynamic effect.
FURTHER STUDIES ON STERILITY PRODUCED IN MALE MICE BY DEUTERIUM OXIDE

Thirty percent D/sub 2/O in the drinking water of male Swiss mice produces sterility. Both a decrease in litter size and a decreased percentage of fertile matings were observed when treated males were mated with normal females. No increase in regressions was obtained. The development of mouse eggs in a female mated with a D/sub 2/O-treated male is generally abnormal; few multicelled eggs are obtained 2 to 2 1/2 days after copulation. It is suggested that changes in physical forces that bind macromolecules are produced by the substitution of deuterium for hydrogen. These changes may result in abnormal genetic material in developing sperm. (auth)
Object representation for multimedia document interchange

In order to investigate how high bandwidth communication systems will deal with multimedia documents, a detailed study of the representation of these documents must first be accomplished. The author presents an overview of the various techniques used to represent multimedia information. This includes the representation of the logical and physical structures of the different types of information objects composing multimedia documents. Issues concerning the relationship between these objects in the time domain (such as synchronization) are emphasized. The techniques used for coding and storing the contents of these objects are also discussed. Current standardization efforts in the area of multimedia document interchange are also discussed. >
Degradation kinetics of CIGS solar cells

The moisture-induced degradation rate of CIGS solar cells at 22–85oC and 0#x2013;100% RH has been measured and fit to a kinetic rate expression. This expression is coupled to a model of moisture diffusion into a package and typical meteorological input data to create a cumulative damage model to predict lifetime of packaged cells. Analytic solutions are also derived. In the diffusion-controlled regime, the life depends on the square root of package permeability and cell degradation rate. Early results indicate that a barrier of ≪10−4 g/m2/day or better will be required to assure 20 year lifetime in Miami for the Global Solar cells used here. Other less stable cells will require 10–100X better moisture barrier. Estimated acceleration factors for damp heat (85C/85%RH) vs. Miami range from 15X to 50X, depending on the package, since diffusion through the package is accelerated differently than the cell degradation kinetics. These low accelerations are a direct result of the square root dependence in this diffusion-controlled process.
Congenital myotonic dystrophy pathology and somatic mosaicism

We present the pathology and molecular genetic analysis of an infant with congenital myotonic dystrophy. The proband/infant, born at 35 weeks' gestational age to a mother with myotonic dystrophy and 750 CTG repeats, was markedly hypotonic and had severe cardiomyopathy. She died after 16 days of life. At autopsy, skeletal and heart muscles were immature and had a decrease in contractile elements. DNA CTG trinucleotide repeat analysis of the proband demonstrated 2,480 repeats in blood and a slightly greater number of repeats in skeletal muscles, viscera, and gray matter. Corresponding to the clinical course and pathology, cardiac tissues displayed somatic mosaicism, with repeats ranging from 2,760 to 3,220.
Resolution of matrix interference: quantitative and quasi-quantitative ligand-binding assays case studies.

Background: Matrix effects pose a constant challenge in developing robust ligand-binding assays to be validated for use in nonclinical and clinical study support. When notable matrix effects of any kind are present, it can render an otherwise sound method ineffective. We present two case studies detailing the mitigation of observed matrix effects. Method: A dimeric protein was removed from unknown samples in an anti-therapeutic antibody assay through protein extraction. Nonspecific matrix effects in a quantitative ligand-binding assays were mitigated through development of a specialized buffer. Results: The protein extraction method reproducibly reduced the artificially high responses of naive samples, enabling the accurate detection of anti-therapeutic antibodies. Design of experiments was used to evaluate and select the optimal components and associated concentrations in order to reduce the observed matrix effect to acceptable limits. Conclusion: Our results suggest there are multiple techniques availab...
Heterogeneity of the Insulin-Receptor Interaction in Lipoatropic Diabetes

[125] Insulin binding to its receptors was studied on circulating cells from 11 patients (8 females and 3 males) with lipoatropic diabetes. The patients ranged in age from 9-54 yr. All were insulin resistant, as evidenced by fasting hyperinsulinemia and insulin tolerance tests. Nine patients were evaluated by specific [125] insulin binding to monocytes. Three different patterns of receptor abnormalities were observed: 3 patients demonstrated decreased binding due to decreased binding capacity, 2 patients revealed normal tracer binding with decreased receptor affinity,, and 4 patients had normal or increased insulin binding. [125] Insulin binding to erythrocytes in 9 cases demonstrated similar heterogeneities of initial binding. In most cases there was a good correlation between the binding with erythrocytes and monocytes, although decreased affinity was not observed in the red blood cells. There was no obvious correlations between the nature of the receptor defect and the clinical patterns in these patients. Heterogeneity in insulin binding was even observed among affected members of the same family. Antibodies to the insulin receptor were not detected in any of these patients by either binding inhibition or immunoprecipitation assays. These data suggest that the pathogenesis of the insulin resistance in lipoatropic diabetes is heterogeneous and may involve both receptor and postreceptor abnormalities.
Cretaceous dikes within the Jurassic Independence dike swarm in eastern California

Field relationships and new U-Pb geochronology reveal that a significant number of dikes associated with the Independence dike swarm, both within the type locality and elsewhere, are of Cretaceous age. A new U-Pb zircon age for a diorite dike in the type locality of the Independence dike swarm in California confirms that some mafic dikes in the swarm are coeval with previously dated Late Jurassic felsic dikes. Cretaceous dikes in the eastern Sierra Nevada batholith are located near—and may be genetically related to—coeval mafic and felsic plutons. However, the presence of Cretaceous dikes throughout the swarm demonstrates that this is not a local phenomenon, and caution therefore should be exercised when using Independence-like dikes as temporal markers. We have not identified any consistent petrographic or chemical criteria that distinguish Jurassic Independence dikes from Cretaceous dikes. However, Jurassic dikes in the Sierra Nevada commonly contain a sinistral shear fabric that is absent in both dated Cretaceous dikes and undated dikes that intrude dated Cretaceous plutons. Despite intruding at least 60 m.y. apart, the orientations and petrology of the Jurassic and Cretaceous dikes are remarkably similar. Because dikes were intruded over a time period characterized by large changes in the orientation of plate convergence west of the Sierran arc, it is unlikely that the uniform structural orientation of Jurassic and Cretaceous dikes resulted from regional stresses imposed by the subducting plate. Instead, the orientation of Jurassic and Cretaceous dikes (and of many Sierran Cretaceous plutons) may have been controlled by preexisting faults or by the orientation of the continental margin.
A Generalized Method of Moments based discretization of the Müller integral formulation

Rao-Wilton-Glisson(RWG) basis functions [1] have become the de-facto standard for the discretization of surface integral equations, and for good reason; these basis functions have been shown to be highly effective in a wide variety of problems. RWG functions are designed to maintain continuity of certain components across patch boundaries and have spawned of higher order [2] and singular variants that satisfy similar constraints. While the satisfaction of these continuity constraints have significant advantages, this also means that the definition of the basis function is tightly coupled to the tessellation of the geometry. Recently a generalization of this scheme has been proposed, called the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM), where the basis function definition has been decoupled from the tessellation of the geometry [3]. The scheme detailed in [3] employs a partition of unity on overlapping patches and thereby, provides means for the mixing of arbitrary functions in the basis space. Results on several classes of conducting bodies have been presented in [3] and the method has also been observed to be low frequency stable.
Flow-tube reactor studies of devolatilization of pulverized coal in an oxidizing environment

Coal oxidation studies have been performed in a flow tube reactor at gas temepratures between 1300 and 2000 K and oxygen concentrations between 7 and 16%. At high gas temperatures or high O2 concentration, particle luminosity was apparent in less than 5 msec, and 70% carbon loss was measured prior to 30 msec of residence time. For a given gas temeprature, devolatilization rates increased with increasing oxygen concentration. Energy from the oxidizing volatiles appears to be fed back to the coal particles, increasing their temperature and thereby the volatile release rate and yield. A flame sheet theory, analogous to the single droplet combustion model, predicts devolatilization rates that agree well with experimentally measured rates. The model predicts that particle size inhomogeneity plays an important role in determining the overall devolatilization rate even for relatively narrow size distributions.
An evaluation of a juvenile idiopathic arthritis retreat for families

The current study evaluated the support and education families with a child who has Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) received during a weekend family retreat. Thirty-one parents completed surveys at the end of the retreat session. Survey questions examined parent’s perceptions of the family retreat experience including what they learned and how beneficial it was to their family. Results indicated that the family retreat was beneficial to both the children with JIA and their siblings. Children with JIA had the opportunity to see that other children have this disease as well. At the family retreat, siblings were provided the chance to see that children with JIA are capable of many accomplishments. In addition, the family retreat provided opportunities to learn from other families and offered families reduced isolation. The family retreat was successful in delivering education and support to families, which might not otherwise be obtained via a clinical setting. Parents learned how to support their child with JIA, develop their child’s pain management skills, and remain positive as a family. Future research should assess if the education and support family retreats provide have long-term improvement to managing and coping with JIA.
Market Evaluation of Off-Balance Sheet Financing: You Can Run But You Can't Hide

A commonly cited motivation for off-balance sheet financing is a reduction in reported book (balance sheet) leverage. Operating leases, the most common form of off-balance sheet financing, are required to be disclosed in financial statement footnotes, but limited disclosure complicates external evaluation of the effective amount of off-balance sheet debt. In this paper we investigate the market evaluation of operating leases. We compare the impact of operating leases on debt ratings and the yield of new debt issues to that of balance sheet debt We document three central findings. First, operating leases are significantly less important than balance sheet debt for firm debt ratings. Second, operating leases have the same impact as balance sheet debt on the yields of new bond issues. Combined, these findings indicate that while moving debt off-balance sheet may be useful in maintaining higher debt ratings, it does not fool the market, because bond yields reflect off-balance sheet obligations, despite their limited disclosure, in the same manner as balance sheet debt. Finally, the simple perpetuity approach to estimating operating lease debt appears to be most consistent with the market evidence. Using the perpetuity method, we estimate operating lease debt to be of comparable magnitude to balance sheet debt.
A Redundant Communication Approach to Scalable Fault Tolerance in PGAS Programming Models

Recent trends in high-performance computing point toward increasingly large machines with millions of processing, storage, and networking elements. Unfortunately, the reliability of these machines is inversely proportional to their size, resulting in a system-wide mean time between failures (MTBF), ranging from a few days to a few hours. As such, for long-running applications, the ability to efficiently recover from frequent failures is essential. Traditional forms of fault tolerance, such as checkpoint/restart, suffer from performance issues related to limited I/O and memory bandwidth. In this paper, we present a fault-tolerance mechanism that reduces the cost of failure recovery by maintaining shadow data structures and performing redundant remote memory accesses. Results from a computational chemistry application running at scale show that our techniques provide applications with a high degree of fault tolerance and low (2%-4%) overhead for 2048 processors.
Immigrant underemployment across US metropolitan areas: From a spatial perspective

A significant number of immigrants fail to realise their full potential in the US labour markets, as evidenced by those working in occupations requiring skill levels far below their own level of ed...
Stock And Bond Market Linkage In The Empirical Study Of Interest Rate Sensitivity Of Bank Returns

The bank stocks equilibrium pricing relation is the traditional CAPM augmented by a second factor to account for the unexpected changes in the interest rates. This paper examines the methodological issue of constructing an interest rate variable that is orthogonal to the market index. We test a new approach in which the interest rate variable and the market return are treated as the components of a bivariate vector, a suitable vector ARMA model is determined, and then the appropriate whitened residuals are used as the interest rate factor in the two-factor model. Results are compared with the results from other models in which prevailing orthogonalization procedure is used. Our investigation indicates that the robustness of the result depends, to a limited extent, on the procedure employed to orthogonalize the two factors.
Chorioepithelioma of the Fallopian tube

Summary An instance of chorioepithelioma of the Fallopian tube, which was treated by operation and radiation, is reported. This seems to be the forty-second case to be recorded in the literature. The modes of origin of extrauterine chorioepitheliomata are discussed, and it is believed that in our patient it developed primarily in the tube subsequent to a tubal pregnancy. The value of tests for the luteinizing hormone in the urine in cases of ehorionic tumors is shown. A persistent positive reaction even in the absence of all signs and symptoms seems to indicate a serious prognosis, while too much reliance should not. be placed in a single negative test. The mortality in the reported cases has been about 93 per cent.
Age-dependent activation of PKC isoforms by angiotensin II in the proximal nephron

ANG II increases fluid absorption in proximal tubules from young rats more than those from adult rats. ANG II increases fluid absorption in the proximal nephron, in part, via activation of protein kinase C (PKC). However, it is unclear how age-related changes in ANG II-induced stimulation of the PKC cascade differ as an animal matures. We hypothesized that the response of the proximal nephron to ANG II decreases as rats mature due to a reduction in the amount and activation of PKC rather than a decrease in the number or affinity of ANG II receptors. Because PKC translocates from the cytosol to the membrane when activated, we first measured PKC activity in the soluble and particulate fractions of proximal tubule homogenates exposed to vehicle or 10−10 M ANG II from young (26 ± 1 days old) and adult rats (54 ± 1 days old). ANG II increased PKC activity to the same extent in homogenates from young rats (from 0.119 ± 0.017 to 0.146 ± 0.015 U/mg protein) ( P < 0.01) and adult rats (from 0.123 ± 0.020 to 0.156 ± 0.023 U/mg protein) ( P < 0.01). Total PKC activity did not differ between groups (0.166 ± 0.018 vs. 0.181 ± 0.023). We next investigated whether activation of the α-, β-, and γ-PKC isoforms differed by Western blot. In homogenates from young rats, ANG II significantly increased activated PKC-α from 40.2 ± 6.5 to 60.2 ± 9.5 arbitrary units (AU) ( P < 0.01) but had no effect in adult rats (46.1 ± 5.1 vs. 48.5 ± 8.2 AU). Similarly, ANG II increased activated PKC-γ in proximal tubules from young rats from 47.9 ± 13.2 to 65.6 ± 16.7 AU ( P < 0.01) but caused no change in adult rats. Activated PKC-β, however, increased significantly in homogenates from both age groups. Specifically, activated PKC-β increased from 8.6 ± 1.4 to 12.2 ± 2.1 AU ( P < 0.01) in homogenates from nine young rats and from 19.0 ± 5.5 to 25.1 ± 7.1 AU ( P < 0.01) in homogenates from 12 adult rats. ANG II did not alter the amount of soluble PKC-α, -β, and -γ significantly. The total amount of PKC-α and -γ did not differ between homogenates from young and adult rats, whereas the total amount of PKC-β was 59.7 ± 10.7 and 144.9 ± 41.8 AU taken from young and adult rats, respectively ( P < 0.05). Maximum specific binding and affinity of ANG II receptors were not significantly different between young and adult rats. We concluded that the primary PKC isoform activated by ANG II changes during maturation.
Black Women in the United States a Bibliography of Recent Works

the continuing identification of works on black women are Bibliographic Index, Index to Periodical Articles By and About Blacks, Public Affairs Information Service, Sage Race Relations Abstracts, and Women Studies Abstracts. Although this article emphasizes black women in the United States, a growing number of studies are being published on black women throughout the world. The section, "Diaspora," lists a few representative citations on Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and Great Britain which may be of interest for comparative study. These publications are indicative of an increasing interest in the conditions, concerns and accomplishments of black and other third world women.
Psychotropic medications in palliative care

Psychotropic medications have had significant roles in the management of a variety of symptoms in patients living with chronic medical illness and in patients at the end of life. Intuitively, this may make sense given the considerable overlap of psychological and somatic symptoms in this population. Several reviews of the use of specific agents exist in the literature. However, a brief overview of the most commonly used psychotropic drug classes in palliative care can be helpful for a primary care provider to have as a guide to their usefulness in this population. This article reviews the use of antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and psychostimulants/wakefulness agents for symptoms such as depressed mood, pain, nausea, palliative sedation, and delirium.
Challenges in Teaching Remedies

This article discusses the challenges of teaching Remedies. The main challenge is that remedies cases cover a wide range of substantive law subjects (such as antitrust and securities law) that the students probably do not understand and the professor may not know well due to lack of teaching experience in those substantive law areas. This problem can be exacerbated in a course like Advanced Remedies, in which a single area of substantive law is the focus, if the professor has never taught a course in that subject before. An additional challenge is that it can be difficult to explain and understand the conflicts between substantive and remedial policies supported through the award of remedies in the cases covered. The law school curriculum itself can also present challenges to the Remedies professor, especially if Remedies is offered as a required course that most students take in their final semester of law school to help prepare for the bar exam. This can result in a large class of disengaged, minimally interested students and a lack of compelling class discussions. The article concludes by suggesting that Remedies professors use focused rules-based discussions and supplementary class materials (a summary of class notes, basic rules, case applications, and problem illustrations) to overcome these challenges.
Multiple Time-Step Dual-Hamiltonian Hybrid Molecular Dynamics - Monte Carlo Canonical Propagation Algorithm

A multiple time-step integrator based on a dual Hamiltonian and a hybrid method combining molecular dynamics (MD) and Monte Carlo (MC) is proposed to sample systems in the canonical ensemble. The Dual Hamiltonian Multiple Time-Step (DHMTS) algorithm is based on two similar Hamiltonians: a computationally expensive one that serves as a reference and a computationally inexpensive one to which the workload is shifted. The central assumption is that the difference between the two Hamiltonians is slowly varying. Earlier work has shown that such dual Hamiltonian multiple time-step schemes effectively precondition nonlinear differential equations for dynamics by reformulating them into a recursive root finding problem that can be solved by propagating a correction term through an internal loop, analogous to RESPA. Of special interest in the present context, a hybrid MD-MC version of the DHMTS algorithm is introduced to enforce detailed balance via a Metropolis acceptance criterion and ensure consistency with the...
Which species to conserve: evaluating children’s species-based conservation priorities

We currently have a meager understanding of the species attributes viewed as important for conservation by children, despite the fact that arguments for biodiversity conservation often hinge on the bequest value of species. We conducted a study of children between the ages of 4 and 14 (N = 183) on Andros Island, The Bahamas to determine how they prioritized wildlife species for conservation based on five attributes: endemism, use for hunting and fishing, rapid decline in population size, visibility around their home, and ecological significance. Children tended to rank ecological significance as the most important attribute for prioritizing wildlife for protection, followed closely by endemism, with other attributes being less important and not significantly different from one another. However, participants in a local environmental education program (N = 67) placed greater prioritization to species experiencing rapid population declines. We also found that boys prioritized use for hunting and fishing as more important for conservation than girls, older children placed greater importance on species with declining numbers and less importance on visibility of animals around their house, and children who had previously fished placed greater importance on endemism. These findings help elucidate how children value biodiversity, and suggest children’s conservation priorities may align relatively well with those of conservation biologists, especially after exposure to environmental education. We suggest that better understanding how children prioritize wildlife attributes for conservation can lead to more informed biodiversity conservation decisions and more effective policy implementation, as the perspectives of children can help bridge the gap between public opinion and scientific opinion.
Abstract 2477: Engineered toxin bodies: A next-generation immunotoxin scaffold with novel immuno-oncology functionality

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA The potential of immunotoxins in oncology has been largely limited due to problems with immunogenicity as well as a limited number of appropriate targets. Advances in genetic engineering and molecular biology have been applied to overcome these limitations. Molecular Templates has developed engineered toxin bodies (ETBs), a next-generation recombinant immunotoxin scaffold based on the Shiga-like toxin A subunit specifically directed to cancer cells via antibody fragment binding domains. ETBs have been de-immunogenized through the systematic and comprehensive removal of B- and T-cell epitopes. Data from the repeat administration of ETBs in animal models demonstrates the dramatically reduced immunogenicity of these ETBs and supports the potential for their use in solid tumor settings. The ETB scaffold was also engineered to force the internalization of receptors that typically do not internalize. This property of forced internalization expands the universe of possible targets; the company's lead compound, MT-3724, is the first immunotoxin to CD20 to enter the clinic and is currently in a phase I study for refractory NHL. MT-3724 rapidly internalizes and potently kills CD20+ lymphoma cells. Additionally, we have taken advantage of the immunotoxin's localization to the cytosol to engineer in a novel immuno-oncology mechanism of action: MHC class I antigens derived from human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) have been genetically fused to the immunotoxin scaffold in order to mark these cells as targets for cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) mediated cell lysis. We have detected these foreign protein derived antigens displayed on the surface of ETB-intoxicated cancer cells in context with MHC class I molecules. Because antigen presentation does not require de novo protein synthesis, this mechanism of action is complementary to the inactivation of ribosomal function by ETBs. Since a large portion of the populace has a robust population of high-affinity effector T-cells targeting HCMV, the presentation of these antigens on ETB-intoxicated cancer cells may recruit a CTL response to tumor cells that is not dependent on genetically engineering host T-cells or blocking checkpoint inhibitors. The recruitment of a CTL response has the potential to act additively or synergistically to the direct cell kill activity of the ETB and may expand the potential efficacy of these immunotoxins. Citation Format: Erin K. Willert, Garrett L. Robinson, Sangeetha Rajagopalan, Brigitte Brieschke, Jennifer Erdman, Jane Neill, Rodney Flores, Julia Foree, William Null, Jensing Liu, Jack P. Higgins. Engineered toxin bodies: A next-generation immunotoxin scaffold with novel immuno-oncology functionality. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2477. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2477
Institutional racism in the United States

As Carmichael and Hamilton say: Racism is both overt and covert. It takes two, closely related forms: individual whites acting against individual blacks, and acts by the total white community against the black community. We call these individual racism and institutional racism. The first consists of overt acts by individuals, which cause death, injury or the violent destruction of property. This type can be reached by television cameras; it can frequently be observed in the process of commission. The second type is less overt, far from subtle, less identifiable in terms of specific individ uals committing the acts. But it is no less destructive of human life. The second type originates in the operation of estab lished and respected forces in the society, and thus receives far less public condem nation than the first type.1
A Comparison of Two Exercise Training Programs on Cardiac Responsiveness to β-Stimulation in Obesity:

We demonstrated previously that exercise training did not restore normal cardiac β-adrenergic responsiveness in obese rabbits. This study tested the hypothesis that an increased training volume was required to attenuate obesity-related reductions in isolated heart responsiveness to isoproterenol. Female New Zealand White rabbits were divided into lean control, lean exercise-trained, obese control, and obese exercise-trained groups. For the exercise-trained groups, total treadmill work over 12 weeks was increased 27% when compared with lean and obese animals trained with lower total training volume. After 12 weeks, Langendorff isolated hearts were used to study developed pressure, +dP/dtmax, and –dP/dtmax responses to isoproterenol (10−9 – 3 × 10−7 M). Concentration-response data were fit to a sigmoidal function using a four-parameter logistic equation. Controls were compared with animals trained under the low– and high–training volume programs using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post-hoc test; ...
Velocity Model Building From Waveform Tomography of Band Limited Reflection Seismic Data

We propose a methodology to obtain the low frequency background velocity model through a variant of full waveform inversion using band limited acoustic seismic data. This method, combined with traveltime picking using a dynamic warping technique, alleviates, to a certain extent, the requirement of very close starting model by traditional full waveform inversion (FWI). The result can be used as the starting model for conventional FWI so that the full potential of FWI technology can be achieved. We tested this method on a synthetic data set from a four layer model. The results are encouraging.
Surveillance on cockroach population of Zhejiang in 2008

Objective:To grasp the dynamic regularity of the population distribution and seasonal fluctuation of cockroach in Zhejiang Province to support the disease prevention and control.Methods:Unified stick-trap was used in the surveillance.Results:According to the surveillance of cockroach,Blattella germanica took the predominant place in the local population,the ratio of which was more than 70% in the majority areas of Zhejiang Province.However,the population density of Periplaneta americana and P.fuliginosa were very low.Moreover,the peak time of the cockroach was active between June and Octerber.Conclusion:B.germanica is the dominant sociales in the native territory of Zhejiang Province,so some priority measures must be taken to control this hazardous species in the future.
Application of ScAg Assay in Schistosomiasis Control Program

Objective To assess the application value of schistosome circulating antigen(ScAg)assay in schistosomiasis control program.Method The diagnostic effect of some immune assays was compared after chemotherapy.ScAg assay was applied in:case screen before selective chemotherapy,schistosomiasis surveillance among children infections,statistic analysis on human infection rate and intensity over the years. Result There were no significant differences between ScAg and ScAb assays(P0.05) for detecting the sensitivity in samples from positive stool examination.In detecting specificity among normal persons,the ScAg assay was better than ScAb one.The negative conversion rate of ScAg assay in persons 6 months after treatment reached 76.92%(120/156),while it was only 7.05%(11/156) of ScAb assay.Parallel study with stool examination and ScAg assay showed that the coincidence positive rate reached 92.23%(522/566).After ScAg assay was applied in case screen before selective chemotherapy,the human infection rate dropped from 32.73% to no possitive in stool examination.At the same time,the positive rate of ScAg assay in sampling survey dropped to 0.88%(11/1 243).Conclusion After mass chemotherapy,ScAg assay in case screen for selective chemotherapy was better than that of ScAb assay and stool examination.ScAg assay was also practice in evaluation of control effect,disease surveillance in children,and to confirm repeat treatment cases.In short,ScAg assay applied for case screen would play an important role in control program.
An analysis of property rights in the Fijian qoliqoli

Abstract Fisheries management in Fiji's inshore fishery exists in a plural legal and governance system comprised on the one part by customary fishing rights, and on the other by centralized ownership. The ambiguity in this arrangement stems from a lack of understanding of the property rights of customary fishing rights. This paper aims to clarify what property rights in Fiji's inshore fisheries consists of by applying the bundle of rights property theory analysis using Schlager and Ostrom's five property rights, i.e., access, withdrawal, management, exclusion, and alienation. A clearer understanding of property rights in a fisheries resource is crucial for sustainable fisheries management.
Sugerencias para la re-reforma de pensiones en el Perú

This essay proposes the need for an integral re-reform of the Peru pensionsystem, preceded by broad social dialogue, in order to overcome this system’smajor flaws. As well as a comprehensive model of re-reform, it recommendsspecific measures that: extend the low level of coverage of the labor forceand the elderly, expand Pension 65, guarantee the minimum pension, improvebenefits, unify the national and private pension systems, increase competitionand reduce the high administrative costs and profits of private pension funds(AFP), create a public AFP, strengthen financial and actuarial sustainability, raisecapital returns, and shift the disability-survivors premium to employers. Thisproposal also favors mandatory rather than voluntary affiliation to the AFP.
Clinical Decision Support at Intermountain Healthcare

The medical community within the United States is adopting Electronic Health Records (EHRs) at an accelerating pace. These systems are designed to support medical documentation, communication, and billing practices and can bring the efficiencies of digital systems to these healthcare functions. However, one of the key advantages of an EHR is the availability of cognitive support provided during the care process in the form of embedded Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS). Historically, the initial exploration of CDS technologies occurred in a group of hospital-based EHRs. These pioneering institutions engaged in early experimentation with a variety of CDS interventions. In this chapter, we describe experience with a group of CDS applications developed and evaluated within the HELP Hospital Information System created and used by Intermountain Healthcare of Utah. These CDS applications have employed several different approaches in their interactions with clinical users and their capture and processing of clinical data.
Significant Figures, Data Quality, and a Sense of Time

(2000). Significant Figures, Data Quality, and a Sense of Time. Journal of Geoscience Education: Vol. 48, No. 5, pp. 597-597.
Evaluating Coding Accuracy in General Surgery Residents' Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Procedural Case Logs.

Introduction The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) case log captures resident operative experience based on Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes and is used to track operative experience during residency. With increasing emphasis on resident operative experiences, coding is more important than ever. It has been shown in other surgical specialties at similar institutions that the residents' ACGME case log may not accurately reflect their operative experience. What barriers may influence this remains unclear. As the only objective measure of resident operative experience, an accurate case log is paramount in representing one's operative experience. This study aims to determine the accuracy of procedural coding by general surgical residents at a single institution. Methods Data were collected from 2 consecutive graduating classes of surgical residents' ACGME case logs from 2008 to 2014. A total of 5799 entries from 7 residents were collected. The CPT codes entered by residents were compared to departmental billing records submitted by the attending surgeon for each procedure. Assigned CPT codes by institutional American Academy of Professional Coders certified abstract coders were considered the "gold standard." A total of 4356 (75.12%) of 5799 entries were identified in billing records. Excel 2010 and SAS 9.3 were used for analysis. In the event of multiple codes for the same patient, any match between resident codes and billing record codes was considered a "correct" entry. A 4-question survey was distributed to all current general surgical residents at our institution for feedback on coding habits, limitations to accurate coding, and opinions on ACGME case log representation of their operative experience. Results All 7 residents had a low percentage of correctly entered CPT codes. The overall accuracy proportion for all residents was 52.82% (range: 43.32%-60.07%). Only 1 resident showed significant improvement in accuracy during his/her training (p = 0.0043). The survey response rate was 100%. Survey results indicated that inability to find the precise code within the ACGME search interface and unfamiliarity with available CPT codes were by far the most common perceived barriers to accuracy. Survey results also indicated that most residents (74%) believe that they code accurately most of the time and agree that their case log would accurately represent their operative experience (66.6%). Conclusion This is the first study to evaluate correctness of residents' ACGME case logs in general surgery. The degree of inaccuracy found here necessitates further investigation into the etiology of these discrepancies. Instruction on coding practices should also benefit the residents after graduation. Optimizing communication among attendings and residents, improving ACGME coding search interface, and implementing consistent coding practices could improve accuracy giving a more realistic view of residents' operative experience.
Gastrointestinal Helminths from Eight Species of Cyrtodactylus Lizards (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Peninsular Malaysia and Two Species from Vietnam

Abstract Ten species of Cyrtodactylus from Southeast Asia were examined for gastrointestinal helminths. Samples consisted of eight species from Malaysia: Cyrtodactylus aurensis, Cyrtodactylus australotitiwangsaensis, Cyrtodactylus batucolus, Cyrtodactylus consobrinus, Cyrtodactylus ingeri, Cyrtodactylus macrotuberculatus, Cyrtodactylus semenanjungensis, and Cyrtodactylus tiomanensis; and two species from Vietnam: Cyrtodactylus condorensis and Cyrtodactylus huynhi. The helminth community consisted of one species of Cestoda, Oochoristica javaensis, and eight species of Nematoda: Bakeria schadi, Cosmocerca ornata, Parapharyngodon maplestoni, Physalopteroides dactyluris, Spauligodon bintangensis, Abbreviata sp. (larvae), Ascarididae gen. sp. (larvae), and Physalopteridae gen. sp. (larvae). Parapharyngodon maplestoni had the largest number of individuals and the greatest prevalence (100% in each of C. aurensis and C. ingeri). Twenty-one new host records are reported.
Occupational factors and markers of ovarian reserve and response among women at a fertility centre.

Objectives To explore whether work schedules and physically demanding work were associated with markers of ovarian reserve and response. Methods This analysis included women (n=473 and n=313 for ovarian reserve and ovarian response analysis, respectively) enrolled in a prospective cohort study of couples presenting to an academic fertility centre (2004–2015). Information on occupational factors was collected on a take-home questionnaire, and reproductive outcomes were abstracted from electronic medical records. Generalised linear models and generalised linear mixed models were used to evaluate the associations. Results Women who reported lifting or moving heavy objects at work had 1.0 fewer total oocytes (p=0.08), 1.4 fewer mature oocytes (p=0.007) and 0.7 fewer antral follicles (p=0.06) compared with women who reported never lifting or moving heavy objects at work. The inverse association between heavy lifting and oocyte yield was stronger in women >37 years and with a Body Mass Index ≥25 kg/m 2 . Women who worked evening/night/rotating shifts had 2.3 (p Conclusions Women working non-daytime shifts and those with physically demanding jobs had fewer mature oocytes retrieved after controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. Our results provide insight into possible mechanisms linking these occupational exposures with decreased fecundity.
That Awkward Moment I Became Irrelevant

ABSTRACTIf you have ever found yourself asking, “Why don't students see the relevance in what I am teaching them?”, you are not alone. I recently discovered that I had become out-of-touch with what college students find relevant. My purpose in writing this commentary is twofold: (1) to reflect on and improve my own practice, and (2) to encourage my fellow instructors to reflect on their own practice to ensure what they teach is perceived as relevant by college students today.