cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Origin of polyproline-rich peptides in human butyrylcholinesterase tetramers.

The human butyrylcholinesterase (HuBChE) tetramer is composed of 4 identical subunits and a noncovalently bound polyproline-rich peptide. In a previous report we identified lamellipodin as the source of the polyproline-rich peptides in HuBChE tetramers purified from plasma. Our current goal was to identify proteins in addition to lamellipodin that donate polyproline-rich peptides to plasma HuBChE tetramers. Peptides were released from 1 mg of pure plasma-derived HuBChE tetramers by boiling. Mass spectrometry identified 74 polyproline-rich peptides. MALDI-TOF mass spectra and spectral counting of the LC-MS/MS data supported the conclusion that lamellipodin accounted for 70% of the polyproline-rich peptides. Additional precursor proteins were matched through BLASTp searches, suggesting but not proving, that 20 proteins including UDP-N-acetyl glucosamine transferase ALG13 homolog, leiomodin 2, and zinc finger homeobox protein 2 are sources of polyproline-rich peptides found in HuBChE tetramers. Eighteen polyproline-rich peptides had no match in the human protein database. In conclusion, HuBChE assembles into tetramers through interaction of its C-terminal domain with polyproline peptides derived from a variety of proteins.
Victorian Treasure Houses: The Novel and the Parlor

AbstractThe domestic interior plays a significant role in realistic fiction and in 19th-century bourgeois life. The development of conventions for describing interiors in the novel coincides with the historical appearance of elaborately decorated parlors and with the feminization of domestic space. Both middle-class interiors and realistic fiction are characterized by a proliferation of detail, and their stylistic similarity can be mapped onto the emergence of a commodity culture. The fictive rhetoric of materiality and identity reflects complex relations of gender, property, and signification in the social world. (Cultural criticism; literary criticism; gender studies)
The justice system and the practice of social work

Today, perhaps in some ways to a greater extent than in Lincoln's time, the nation and the world are torn by tensions and hatreds. And many ties that bind a society together have been broken. The impact of these conditions is especially acute for so cial workers and the people they serve— above all, for those whose primary concern is the confrontation between society and the juvenile and criminal offender. It is imperative, even while trying to shape the response of the profession to the wrenching stresses of today and those sure to come tomorrow, for social workers to assess where they are in their efforts and whither they are tending. Looking to the decade ahead, what is likely to be the scope of the criminal justice problems that will confront the social work profession? What issues must be resolved if a rational response to the problems is to emerge? What are some ways that social work practice in criminal justice may be expected to develop?
Attenuation of immune-mediated glomerulonephritis with an anti-CD11b monoclonal antibody

Nephrotoxic nephritis (NTN), a model of autoimmune glomerulonephritis, is characterized by glomerular inflammation, which results in both proteinuria and an increase in eicosanoid production. In light of the ability of CD18 integrins to participate in leukocyte adherence (and thereby migration), we examined the role of the integrin CD11b/CD18 in NTN using OX42, a monoclonal antibody directed against rat CD11b. Administration of OX42 30 min before induction of NTN decreased proteinuria (by 50%) but did not affect the number of leukocytes found in the glomerulus or the accompanying increase in glomerular eicosanoid production. Administration of OX42 16 h before disease induction led to a more substantial decrease in proteinuria (80%) and, in contrast to 30 min pretreatment, decreased the number of neutrophils found in the glomerulus and the accompanying increase in glomerular eicosanoid production (both by 50%). OX42 pretreatment had no effect on the number of macrophages found in glomeruli. Circulating leukocytes from animals treated with OX42 in vivo showed saturating surface levels of antibody by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis and normal upregulation of CD11b by pharmacological activation. Sixteen hours after in vivo injection of OX42, 50% more peripheral leukocytes were labeled relative to control leukocytes labeled with OX42 ex vivo. Glomerular leukocytes in NTN exhibited upregulated expression of CD11b relative to peripheral leukocytes. These data show that CD11b/CD18 may participate in the acute expression of glomerular damage in NTN in a fashion not wholly dependent on blocking neutrophil migration into glomeruli. Blockade of surface receptors (as opposed to inhibition of upregulation) is sufficient to obtain this effect.
A Policy to Redistribute Losses from Economic Progress

HE ROUTE assigned to me is not on the high road of traditional analysis paved with roles and factors having impacts and effects which produce trends and which lend themselves to cold, positive analysis with explanations and projections. I am to take the low road of policy full of opinions, beliefs and values and hot with controversy. Here one proceeds at his own peril. The conventional way to reduce the risk is to camouflage one's values and to wrap the mantle of academic innocence about himself. I have decided to walk it unprotected although I do so with trepidation. The concept of labor mobility is too rich for my appetite. I want a simpler concept, one that abstracts from sociological and cultural factors, relevant as they are to some of the issues before us, because I want to restrict my treatment to the actions of people where they change jobs to improve their economic positions based on economic motivations. Why, then, do people change jobs in this restricted context? They do so because earnings to be had from the old jobs have fallen, or those from new jobs have risen, or the people involved have improved or have lost ground in skills and knowledge to do useful work.' It will be convenient to think of these changes as transfers of human resources which entail costs and returns. By jobs I do not mean only work that is done for someone else for a wage or for a salary. People can be selfemployed or they can be entrepreneurs. Thus, I wish to include all human effort entering into economic endeavor. Although the concept of changing jobs does not necessarily require a change in occupation or in location, the core of this problem confronting farm people does entail a change in occupation and as a rule also in location. The economic test is based on resource allocation theory; the particular allocation before us is that of labor and its employment. The cir-
Staging and Transport of Laser Plasma Accelerators

We present experiments on the coupling of two closely-spaced Laser Plasma Accelerators by a plasma mirror, aimed at increasing the electron energy while preserving compactness. The critical role of magnetic transport between stages is investigated.
Religious Narratives and Political Protest

L'A. s'interesse au lien qui existe entre recits religieux et contestation politique en general, dans le christianisme en particulier. Il commence par definir les termes (recit, contestation politique). Puis il examine le cas precis des martyrs au Salvador et des recits collectifs qui en ont ete tires. De la il tire des considerations plus theoriques. Il en conclut que le cas des martyrs au Salvador illustre le pouvoir contraignant des recits religieux qui reussissent a influencer la maniere dont les gens comprennent leur experience et envisagent leur avenir
A Study of Optimal Reaction Conditions for an Assay of the Human Alternative Complement Pathway

The optimal conditions for performance of a sensitive functional assay for the human alternative complement pathway were studied. The serum dilution causing 50% lysis of rabbit erythrocytes in magnesium EGTA buffer is designated the APH50 titer. Optimal reaction conditions for the assay were p H 7.2, incubation temperature 37°C, incubation time 60 minutes, and magnesium concentration 0.002 m. Lowering the ionic strength of the buffer from 0.150 m to 0.0125 M increased APH50 titers nearly 2.5-fold, but decreased the reproducibility of titers. Significant fluid-phase conversion of C3 at 37°C in low ionic strength buffer was demonstrated by crossed Immunoelectrophoresis. Using the optimal reaction conditions, in normal ionic strength buffer the mean APH50 ± SD for 45 normal adults was 25.3 ± 5.7 U/mL. Heparin, an inhibitor of the alternative pathway, decreased APH50 by 50% at a concentration of 100 U heparin/mL serum, and totally abolished alternative pathway hemolytic activity at 1,000 U heparin/mL serum, while lowering CH50 titers to a much lesser degree. When increasing doses of zymosan were used for complement activation in vitro , the per cent APH50 depletion at low doses of zymosan was at least twice the per cent depletion of CH50 or antigenic P, B, and C3. A striking dichotomy between nearly complete APH50 depletion and normal or near normal CH50 and hemolytic C4 levels was documented for a human burn patient and for a baboon infused with a lethal dose of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide. Therefore, we documented a substantially greater sensitivity of APH50 than of conventional complement determinations for detecting complement consumption by alternative pathway activators.
Why do oceanic negative cloud‐to‐ground lightning exhibit larger peak current values?

This study examines the temporal (monthly) and spatial climatology (2004–2010) of the first return stroke of the cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flash peak current (Ip) across various land/water boundaries over the contiguous United States. Four regions are examined: the Gulf of Mexico (region 1), the Florida peninsula (region 2), Lake Michigan (region 3), and part of the U.S. Mid-Atlantic (region 4). The crosss across the coastlines of regions 1, 2, and 4 show a gradual oceanward increase in the mean negative polarity CG peak current values (−Ip). This transition along the respective land/ocean boundaries is not sharp but gradual. In direct contrast with ocean, there is no consistent behavior in −Ip values as we move from land out across the fresh water of Lake Michigan (region 3). Meanwhile, the positive CG flash peak current (+Ip) values do not exhibit a consistent variation across any coastal boundary. For region 1, the −Ip values increase as we move toward the coast (southwards) especially during the wet season (June–October). This finding is in direct contrast with studies that documented winter as the season of maximum −Ip values. The zonal and seasonal variations of −Ip values across region 4 are not quite as pronounced, but the oceanic −Ip values are still larger than over the adjoining landmass. We explore in turn which up to date hypotheses pertinent to the oceanic −Ip enhancement are supported or refuted by our findings. It is concluded that the oceanic −Ip enhancement is not an artifact related to CG detection or Ip retrieval methods, nor is it likely related to the cloud top heights or CG activity. The study cannot refute the role of electrical conductivity and its contribution to CG leader attachment processes. However, given the observed “blurred transition” of the Ip values across the coastlines this paper suggests that likely the main physical mechanism is acting on the thundercloud potential. The recently suggested role of sodium chloride (NaCl) but also the role of ice crystal size (implicated herein), as possible modulators of the thundercloud potential, exhibit distinct pros and cons. Their candidacy is supported by their strong physical links to the electrostatic charging and thundercloud electric potential buildup but also by the exhibited blurred −Ip transition across the coastlines. In contrast, the suggested mechanisms cannot individually explain the observed −Ip enhancement in terms of season, NaCl concentrations, and absence of similar behavior in the respective +Ip values.
Biological Abstracts/BIOSIS as a Leader in National and International Cooperation

From its very conception, Biological Abstracts was planned by the joint committee on publications to be a fully international service. For this reason, Drs. McClung and Schramm were sent for much of the summer of 1924 to several European countries in order to ascertain the attitudes of their European colleagues concerning the establishment of Biological Abstracts as an American enterprise, but with international coverage. With few exceptions, the reactions that they obtained were both cordial and sympathetic, although no positive agreements were reached with relation to a close cooperation between or the possibility of joint operation of Biological Abstracts with some of the parallel or overlapping European abstracting journals. In fact, at the annual meeting of the trustees in 1928, the question of eventual international participation in the control of Biological Abstracts was discussed. However, the subsequent minutes indicate that this idea did not recur, undoubtedly because of the gradual worsening of the financial situation of Biological Abstracts, as well as of the worldwide economy, thanks to the Great Depression of the early 1930s.
Effectiveness of Interventions to Improve Occupational Performance for People With Psychosocial, Behavioral, and Emotional Impairments After Brain Injury: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of interventions to improve occupational performance for people with psychosocial, behavioral, or emotional impairments after traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHOD: Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, OTseeker, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched. Of the 1,512 articles initially identified, 35 met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Six types of interventions were identified: (1) education, (2) peer mentoring, (3) goal-directed therapy, (4) physical activity, (5) skills training, and (6) cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Strong evidence from well-conducted research supports the use of CBT in individual and group settings. Moderate evidence supports goal-directed interventions, aquatic exercise, and functional skills training. Limited evidence supports peer mentoring, aerobic exercise, educational interventions, and various skills training. CONCLUSION: An increasing body of evidence supports specific interventions to improve occupational performance and participation for people with psychosocial, behavioral, or emotional impairments after TBI.Copyright © 2016 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. Language: en
An ultra-low energy PUF matching security platform using programmable delay lines

We have proposed a new security platform: physical unclonable function (PUF) matching using programmable delay lines (PDL). Our platform inherits good security properties of standard PUFs, such as low energy, low delay, and unclonability. However, standard PUF-based security protocols induce high computational resources of at least one involved party. To resolve this issue, we take advantage of PDL technology to match standard PUFs in such a way that two PUFs have the same challenge response mapping function. The matched pair of PUFs enables a majority of protocols to be executed in an ultra low energy, low latency manner for all the involved parties.
Model predictive control with integral action for the rotational transform profile tracking in NSTX-U

Active control of the toroidal current density profile is among those plasma control milestones that the National Spherical Tokamak eXperiment - Upgrade (NSTX-U) program must achieve to realize its next-step operational goals, which are characterized by high-performance, long-pulse, MHD-stable plasma operation with neutral beam heating. In this work, a previously developed physics-based control-oriented model is embedded in a feedback control scheme based on a model predictive control (MPC) strategy to track a desired current density profile evolution specified indirectly by a desired rotational transform profile. An integrator is embedded into the standard MPC formulation to account for various modeling uncertainties and external disturbances. The neutral beam powers, electron density, and total plasma current are used as actuators. The effectiveness of the proposed MPC strategy in regulating the current density profile in NSTX-U is demonstrated in closed-loop nonlinear simulations.
Cold War on the Airwaves: The Radio Propaganda War Against East Germany

Can a radio station be both a propaganda tool and objective in its news coverage? Radio journalists have long struggled with the complex problem of serving two masters: making the station owner hap...
Isolation and anticoagulant properties of polysaccharides of Typha Augustata and Daemonorops species.

Abstract Polysaccharides were isolated from Dragon's Blood (DB), a red resinous secretion from the fruits of Daemonorops species and from pollens of Typha Augustata (TA) by alcohol precipitation followed by deaminoethylaminoethyl (DEAE) cellulose chromatography. The purified polysaccharides of DB and TA gave specific rotations of [α]D20 64 and [α]D20 of 80 and their molecular weights by membrane osmometry were ∼25000 and ∼30000 respectively. The effect of addition of the polysaccharides on coagulation of pooled normal human plasma was investigated. They were found to accelerate the recalcified plasma times at concentrations below 100 μg/ml while inhibiting them at higher concentrations. Their procoagulant properties were due to their effects on the activation of Hageman factor (XII) while the anticoagulant effect was mainly directed towards fibrinogen. Studies of the mechanism of the anticoagulant effect showed that addition of TA polysaccharide inhibited the rate of release of fibrinopeptides by thrombin and also the aggregation of fibrin monomers.
Partial differential equations preconditioner resilient to soft and hard faults

We present a domain-decomposition-based preconditioner for the solution of partial differential equations (PDEs) that is resilient to both soft and hard faults. The algorithm reformulates the PDE a...
Complex Network Analysis of the Contiguous United States Graph

We model the contiguous states (48 states and the District of Columbia) of the United States (US) as an undirected network graph with each state represented as a node and there is an edge between two nodes if the corresponding two states share a common border. We determine a ranking of the states in the US with respect to a suite of node-level metrics: the centrality metrics (degree, eigenvector, betweenness and closeness), eccentricity, maximal clique size, and local clustering coefficient. We propose a normalization-based approach to obtain a comprehensive centrality ranking of the vertices (that is most likely to be tie-free) encompassing the normalized values of the four centrality metrics. We have applied the proposed normalization-based approach on the US States graph to obtain a tie-free ranking of the vertices based on a comprehensive centrality score. We observe the state of Missouri to be the most central state with respect to all the four centrality metrics. We have also analyzed the US States graph with respect to a suite of network-level metrics: bipartivity index, assortativity index, modularity, size of the minimum connected dominating set, algebraic connectivity and degree metrics. The approach taken in this paper could be useful for several application domains: transportation networks (to identify central hubs), politics (to identify campaign venues with larger geographic coverage), cultural and electoral studies (to identify communities of states that are relatively proximal to each other) and etc.
Extended timescale 2D IR probes of proteins: p-cyanoselenophenylalanine

The importance of dynamics to the function of proteins is well appreciated, but the difficulty in their measurement impedes investigation into their precise role(s). 2D IR spectroscopy is a developing approach for the study of dynamics and has motivated efforts to develop spectrally resolved IR probe groups that enable its application for measuring the dynamics at specific sites in a protein. A challenge with this approach is that the timescales accessible are limited by the vibrational lifetimes of the probes. Toward development of better probes for 2D IR spectroscopy of protein dynamics, we report the characterization of p-cyano-seleno-phenylalanine (CNSePhe), a derivative of the well established IR probe p-cyano-phenylalanine (CNPhe), by FT IR, pump–probe, and 2D IR spectroscopy. The incorporation of the heavy Se atom decouples the CN vibration from the rest in the molecule. Although this leads to a reduction of the transition dipole strength, and thus a reduction in signal intensity, it also dramatically increases the vibrational lifetime, enabling collection of 2D IR spectra for analysis of molecular dynamics on much longer timescales. Interestingly, we also find that the lifetime for CNSePhe shows increased sensitivity to the presence of hydrogen bonding interactions with the CN, suggesting that the probe should be useful for interpretation of CN spectra and possibly for the study of solvation.
What Is the Role of Chemotherapy in Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

The current standard treatment for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who require therapy is chemoimmunotherapy. However, the availability of an increasing number of targeted agents and combination warrants a reassessment of that approach. The high rate of durable responses with ibrutinib in relapsed refractory patients has established its role in this setting; however, because of its impressive efficacy as initial treatment, it should be considered as part of the algorithm in appropriate patients. There is virtually no role for chemotherapy in the relapsed or refractory setting, but, instead, consideration of active agents including idelalisib plus rituximab, or, particularly venetoclax. For patients with 17p-deletion, ibrutinib is the treatment of choice, with venetoclax in the setting of intolerance or relapse. Challenges include developing strategies to limit the duration of these expensive therapies, and to develop combinations with the potential to cure patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Germ cell cysts and simultaneous sperm and oocyte production in a hermaphroditic nematode

Studies of gamete development in the self-fertile hermaphrodites of Caenorhabditis elegans have significantly contributed to our understanding of fundamental developmental mechanisms. However, evolutionary transitions from outcrossing males and females to self-fertile hermaphrodites have convergently evolved within multiple nematode sub-lineages, and whether the C. elegans pattern of self-fertile hermaphroditism and gamete development is representative remains largely unexplored. Here we describe a pattern of sperm production in the trioecious (male/female/hermaphrodite) nematode Rhabditis sp. SB347 (recently named Auanema rhodensis) that differs from C. elegans in two striking ways. First, while C. elegans hermaphrodites make a one-time switch from sperm to oocyte production, R. sp. SB347 hermaphrodites continuously produce both sperm and oocytes. Secondly, while C. elegans germ cell proliferation is limited to germline stem cells (GSCs), sperm production in R. sp. SB347 includes an additional population of mitotically dividing cells that are a developmental intermediate between GSCs and fully differentiated spermatocytes. These cells are present in males and hermaphrodites but not females, and exhibit key characteristics of spermatogonia - the mitotic progenitors of spermatocytes in flies and vertebrates. Specifically, they exist outside the stem cell niche, increase germ cell numbers by transit-amplifying divisions, and synchronously proliferate within germ cell cysts. We also discovered spermatogonia in other trioecious Rhabditis species, but not in the male/female species Rhabditis axei or the more distant hermaphroditic Oscheius tipulae. The discovery of simultaneous hermaphroditism and spermatogonia in a lab-cultivatable nematode suggests R. sp. SB347 as a richly informative species for comparative studies of gametogenesis.
A new normal? Competing national cultural discourses and workers’ constructions of identity and meaningful work in Norway

ABSTRACTWe examine how conceptions of identity and meaningful work are influenced by a nation's changing economic and political environment. We collected research in Norway – a country with a rich economy that has heavily relied upon oil production since the 1980s. Yet depleting oil resources are prompting an economic transformation. Twenty-seven interviews and a thematic analysis revealed how Norwegian workers safeguarded their traditional, collective workplace values, yet were simultaneously confronted with modern – more masculinized – workplace performances ushered in with the oil era. We contribute to theory by suggesting that work's meaningfulness is constructed by competing national cultural discourses that evolve over time. These discourses become narratives that citizens draw upon to evaluate work and to negotiate their personal and professional identities.
MNCaRT: An Open-Source, Multi-Architecture Automata-Processing Research and Execution Ecosystem

We present MNCaRT, a comprehensive software ecosystem for the study and use of automata processing across hardware platforms. Tool support includes manipulation of automata, execution of complex machines, high-speed processing of NFAs and DFAs, and compilation of regular expressions. We provide engines to execute automata on CPUs (with VASim and Intel Hyperscan), GPUs (with custom DFA and NFA engines), and FPGAs (with an HDL translator). We also introduce MNRL, an open-source, general-purpose and extensible state machine representation language developed to support MNCaRT. The representation is flexible enough to support traditional finite automata (NFAs, DFAs) while also supporting more complex machines, such as those which propagate multi-bit signals between processing elements. We hope that our ecosystem and representation language stimulates new efforts to develop efficient and specialized automata processing applications.
Botulinum toxin treatment of pain syndromes –an evidence based review

This review evaluates the existing level of evidence for efficacy of BoNTs in different pain syndromes using the recommended efficacy criteria from the Assessment and Therapeutic Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. There is a level A evidence (effective) for BoNT therapy in post-herpetic neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, and posttraumatic neuralgia. There is a level B evidence (probably effective) for diabetic neuropathy, plantar fasciitis, piriformis syndrome, pain associated with total knee arthroplasty, male pelvic pain syndrome, chronic low back pain, male pelvic pain, and neuropathic pain secondary to traumatic spinal cord injury. BoNTs are possibly effective (Level C -one class II study) for female pelvic pain, painful knee osteoarthritis, post-operative pain in children with cerebral palsy after adductor release surgery, anterior knee pain with vastus lateralis imbalance. There is a level B evidence (one class I study) that BoNT treatment is probably ineffective in carpal tunnel syndrome. For myofascial pain syndrome, the level of evidence is U (undetermined) due to contradicting results. More high quality (Class I) studies and studies with different types of BoNTs are needed for better understanding of the role of BoNTs in pain syndromes.
On the Margins: Experimental Physics and Mathematics in the German States, 1790–1830

Paris was not the only site for the practice and development of mathematics and experimental philosophy around the turn of the nineteenth century.1 Throughout the eighteenth century, in Britain and the German States, experimental philosophers and mathematicians built their own traditions, interacting with, but not over-whelmed by, the research of the French. After 1800 the achievements of French experimentalists and mathematicians intruded into those traditions and began to change them. These intrusions reoriented research problems and the terms of their solution by both experimentalists and mathematicians. At the same time and on a broad scale, British and German societies went through metamorphoses. In the German states, the invasion and occupation of the Rhineland by the French accelerated these changes. Experiences in the Napoleonic wars added to the structural, economic translocations already affecting Britain.
Sulfhydryl reactivity of E.coli DNA dependent RNA polymerase

Abstract Reaction of DNA dependent RNA polymerase with the sulfhydryl specific reagent p-mercuribenzoate is described. An exposed class consisting of approximately 19 out of a total of 32 sulfhydryl groups is demonstrated. There is no loss of enzymatic activity when 3–4 groups of this class are reacted; over 90% of activity is lost upon reaction of 4–5 additional groups. Inactivation is completely reversible after all of the 19 accessible groups are reacted. ATP, a substrate, protects a small number of groups from reaction with the mercurial.
Associations between Effortful Control, Cortisol Awakening Response, and Depressive Problems in Latino Preadolescents.

The present study examined associations between effortful control, a trait marker of self-regulation, adaptive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system functioning (as reflected by the cortisol ...
Dual Polarization Gyro

This paper presents a new fiber optic gyro configuration that is designed to provide independence from the principal bias errors due to the phase modulator. The configuration operates with optimum Π/2 phase shift for gyro sensitivity, 2x increase in scale factor and has been experimentally shown to provide a lOx improvement in immunity to modulator-induced bias errors.
Imaging and time stamping of photons with nanosecond resolution in Timepix based optical cameras

Abstract This contribution describes fast time-stamping cameras sensitive to optical photons and their applications.
Breeding performance of the middle spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos medius in relation to weather and territory quality.

Reproductive success in birds is influenced by a variety of factors, many of which can be attributed to human activities such as land use or forest management. Others like weather or age of the birds are not under human control but are influential as well. From 1992-96, I examined breeding phenology and performance of Middle Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos medius in northeastern Switzerland in relation to weather, territory quality and age of the birds. Timing of breeding, length of the nestling period as well as nesting and breeding success significantly differed between years. On average, incubation started earlier in years with higher daily temperatures in March-April. Neither territory quality nor the participation of 1-year old individuals in pairs influenced breeding success, whereas low temperatures and high amounts of rainfall during the nestling phase negatively affected breeding performance, which probably reflects the difficulties encountered by the woodpeckers in provisioning their young with sufficient food during periods of bad weather. These findings suggest that weather events can strongly influence reproduction even of primary cavity-nesting species, exceeding presumed differences in habitat quality at a local scale.
Thomas John Kehle (1943–2018).

Presents the obituary of Thomas John Kehle (1943-2018). Tom was born in Toledo, Ohio, on July 15, 1943, where he had many fond memories of his boyhood experiences, portrayed in his published short story The Park. He moved to Pompano Beach, Florida, as a teenager, where he met his wife, Gretchen Koll. He then joined the U.S. Army, later joining the police force as an officer. He earned his bachelor's degree from Florida Atlantic University and his master's and PhD (1972) degrees (Jim Barclay was his mentor) from the University of Kentucky. Upon graduation, Tom worked for the Louisville Public Schools as a school psychologist. He later joined the Kent State University faculty from 1973 to 1979, first as an assistant professor of school psychology and then earning tenure as an associate professor in 1976. At Kent State he had a close working relationship with John Guidubaldi. In 1979, Tom moved to Park City, Utah, where he served as professor and director of the School Psychology Program at the University of Utah until 1987. There he collaborated closely with Elaine Clark and Bill Jenson. In 1987, Tom accepted the position of professor and director of the School Psychology Program at the University of Connecticut, where he worked for the remainder of his career, working closely with Melissa Bray. He was instrumental in developing these top graduate programs in school psychology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Comparison of Methods for Measuring Cyclodeviation.

PURPOSE To compare the double-Maddox rod test with other methods of measuring cyclodeviation DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS We retrospectively identified 153 adults in a clinical practice with cyclodeviation assessed using double-Maddox rods, of whom 105 were also assessed using fusible synoptophore targets, 73 using nonfusible synoptophore targets, 118 using single-Maddox rod, and 43 using fundus photography. Relationships between double-Maddox rod and other tests were evaluated by calculating mean differences with 95% confidence intervals (CI), intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and Bland-Altman plots with linear regression. RESULTS Synoptophore cross-in-circle targets and the largest (of right or left) single-Maddox rod values were similar to double-Maddox values (mean differences: -1.2° and 0.1°, respectively; ICC: 0.79 and 0.82, respectively). Synoptophore house targets measured less excyclodeviation (mean difference: -2.7°; ICC: 0.71). Mean summed single-Maddox rod values were somewhat similar to double-Maddox values (mean difference: 1.5°; ICC: 0.85), but differences increased with greater cyclodeviation (r2 = 0.2678; P < .001). Fundus photographs showed large, uncorrelated differences compared with double-Maddox rod test, when summing right and left eyes and when using the largest of right or left (mean differences: 12.2° and 6.2°; ICC: -0.02 and 0.21, respectively), and differences increased with greater cyclodeviation (r2 = 0.4094; P < .001 and r2 = .1143; P= .03, respectively). CONCLUSIONS There was good agreement between double-Maddox and the largest single- Maddox test values and synoptophore cross-in-circle targets but poorer agreement with other tests. Further study is needed to understand which measurements best reflect true cyclodeviation and relationships with symptoms.
Pay-to-Playlist: The Commerce of Music Streaming

Payola—sometimes referred to as “pay-for-play”—is the undisclosed payment, or acceptance of payment, in cash or in kind, for promotion of a song, album, or artist. Some form of pay-for-play has existed in the music industry since the 19th century. Most prominently, the term has been used to refer to the practice of record labels paying radio DJs to play certain songs in order to boost their popularity and sales. Since the middle of the 20th century, the FCC has regulated this behavior—ostensibly because of its propensity to harm consumers and competition—by requiring that broadcasters disclose such payments. As streaming music platforms continue to siphon off listeners from analog radio, a new form of payola has emerged. In this new streaming payola, record labels, artists, and managers simply shift their payments from radio to streaming music platforms like Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Instead of going to DJs, payments go to playlisters or to influencers who can help promote a song by directing audiences toward it. Because online platforms do not fall under the FCC’s jurisdiction, streaming pay-for-play is not currently regulated at the federal level, although some of it may be subject to state advertising disclosure laws. In this Article, we describe the history and regulation of traditional forms of pay-for-play, and explain how streaming practices differ. Our account is based, in substantive part, on a novel series of qualitative interviews with music industry professionals. Our analysis finds the normative case for regulating streaming payola lacking: contrary to conventional wisdom, we show that streaming pay-for-play, whether disclosed or not, likely causes little to no harm to consumers, and it may even help independent artists gain access to a broader audience. Given this state of affairs, regulators should proceed with caution to preserve the potential advantages afforded by streaming payola and to avoid further exacerbating extant inequalities in the music industry.
After Equipoise: Continuing Research to Gain FDA Approval.

The FDA should revise its drug-approval policies to render unnecessary continued study of a drug with demonstrated efficacy, because they subject some participants to a treatment known to be inferior or deny access to the drug for those with government insurance.
Doing Well by Doing Good: Volunteering and Occupational Achievement among American Women

The popular assumption that volunteer work helps people get good jobs is tested using panel data from the Young Women's Module of the National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experience. Volunt...
Vibronic analysis of TRSVL fluorescence spectra from glyoxal: General activity

Abstract The vibrational structure comprising 15 time-resolved single vibronic level (TRSVL) fluorescence spectra from the 1Au-1Ag transition in glyoxal vapor was analyzed in order to (1) establish the vibronic selection rules operative in fluorescence, (2) reveal which normal modes are most active in determining the general vibronic structure in fluorescence, and (3) confirm the assignments of major absorption transitions. The general vibronic activity observed in these TRSVL spectra provides a basis by which to identify previously unrecognized absorption and fluorescence activity in the less active modes as well as excited-state perturbations and resonances. These latter topics are addressed in detail in subsequent papers.
Food for the Gods

The Art of Rice Spirit and Sustenance in Asia. by Roy W. Hamilton [with 26 Contributors]. UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, Los Angeles, 2004. 562 pp. Paper, $60. ISBN 0-930741-98-6. The contributors to this profusely illustrated catalog explore beliefs and practices relating to rice as they are represented in the arts and cultures of south, southeast, and east Asia.
The Distribution of Fixed Capital in the Multinational Firm

Based on industry-level data for majority-owned U.S. foreign affiliates in 49 countries, this paper identifies the determinants of the cross-country distribution of fixed capital within multinational companies. Controlling for market size and trade openness, it is shown that U.S.-owned capital stocks are high in countries with a history of high profitability and low earnings variability. Similarly, the formation of fixed capital is encouraged in host countries with low variable costs, low political risks, and open trade regimes. At the same time, capital expenditures in the late 1990s appear to be insensitive to contemporaneous changes in risk and market shares, underlining investors' sluggish response to the changing characteristics of their host markets. These findings underline the importance of risk in deterring fixed capital expenditures in - and by implication capital flows to - developing countries. Copyright 2002, International Monetary Fund
Global Convergence of Health Care Financing in OECD Countries: An Equilibrium Based Asset Pricing Approach

We provide an equilibrium based asset pricing framework to investigate the patterns in health care finance in 30 OECD countries. Using purchasing power parity adjusted data we find that the sample of countries together as a whole does not exhibit a pattern of convergence. However, there is some evidence of regional convergence within NAFTA, the E.U. and those countries with similar economic conditions such as the developing nations. Interestingly when compared to pre-1980 the standard deviation of financing expenditures divided by average expenditures (variation coefficient) increases when the U.S. is included in the G7 countries and decreases when the U.S. is excluded. Thus in this category of nations the U.S. appears to exhibit somewhat of a unique pattern. However, based on the benchmark theoretical price generated by CAPM overpricing (the difference between the actual minus the theoretical) tends to decrease over time with respect to the U.S., but tends to increase most notably for Australia, the U.K., Norway, Ireland, Turkey, the Check Republic and Greece. As their consumption of health care increase at an increasing rate, we note that most countries exhibit a converging pattern beginning from the 1980s. Developing nations increasingly exhibit excessive health expenditures. The results are consistent with the view that globalization in health care occurs at varying speeds in the U.S. and other OECD countries and trading blocks. Lastly, the CAPM predicted estimates backed by income elasticities, point towards convergence of countries as groups which seem to indicate greater opportunities for arbitrage exist across trading blocks and those countries with dissimilar economic conditions, but not as much within trading blocks and countries with similar economic conditions.
A nationwide analysis of the use and outcomes of perioperative epidural analgesia in patients undergoing hepatic and pancreatic surgery.

Epidural analgesia (EA) has been used to manage peri- and postoperative pain among patients undergoing major abdominal surgery over the last several decades.1,2 More recently, there has been increasing interest in locoregional analgesia as EA has become an important component of enhanced recovery after major surgery (ERAS) programs.3 EA has been proposed as a mechanism to help improve the perioperative surgical and anesthetic management of patients undergoing surgical procedures in general. Several studies have suggested that EA may not only improve pain control after surgery,4,5 but is also associated with better surgical outcomes compared with conventional analgesia.6–8 Improved outcomes with EA may be related to the ability of locoregional anesthesia to suppress physiologic surgical stress through blockade of nociceptive afferent nerve signaling while preserving motor function.9,10 Furthermore, less narcotic use with EA may also be associated with better bowel function, preservation of pulmonary function, and earlier ambulation after surgery.1,11 Compared with other general surgical procedures, hepatic and pancreatic surgery has historically been associated with poor pain control and more prolonged hospital stays.12,13 The use of EA may therefore be particularly relevant among this patient population. Witzigmann et al14 reported that patients who had better pain relief following hepatopancreatic surgery had less psychological distress, fewer surgical complications, and faster mobilization. In a small randomized clinical trial, Basu et al15 demonstrated the efficacy of EA among patients undergoing liver resection. EA, however, has not been universally adopted for patients undergoing hepatopancreatic surgery. While some studies have reported that EA was associated with decreased postoperative complications, shortened length of hospital stay, and less hospital costs,2,16 other reports have suggested that EA may be associated with increased chance of rapid fluid shifts, more intraoperative hypotension, and perhaps higher blood loss.6,12,17 Moreover, epidural hematoma, a potential complication, may dissuade some surgeons from using EA especially in the setting of a major hepatectomy when postoperative coagulopathy may be a concern.18,19 Currently, data on the utilization of EA among patients undergoing hepatopancreatic surgery are limited. Most previous reports on the use of EA among patients undergoing hepatopancreatic surgery have been limited to single institutions, which may not reflect population-based outcomes.7,12,15,20 As such, we sought to evaluate the relative use of EA among patients undergoing hepatopancreatic surgery in a nationally representative dataset. In particular, the objective of the current study was to define trends in the use of EA for hepatopancreatic procedures, as well as to characterize the perioperative outcomes of patients relative to the use of EA vs non-EA analgesia.
Evaluating the Effects of Coping Style on Allostatic Load, by Sex: The Jackson Heart Study, 2000–2004

The objective of this study was to examine the cross-sectional association between coping styles and allostatic load among African American adults in the Jackson Heart Study (2000-2004). Coping styles were assessed using the Coping Strategies Inventory-Short Form; allostatic load was measured by using 9 biomarkers standardized into z-scores. Sex-stratified multivariable linear regressions indicated that females who used disengagement coping styles had significantly higher allostatic load scores (β = 0.016; 95% CI, 0.001-0.032); no such associations were found in males. Future longitudinal investigations should examine why disengagement coping style is linked to increased allostatic load to better inform effective interventions and reduce health disparities among African American women.
Butchering marks and carcass acquisition strategies : distinguishing hunting from scavenging in archaeological contexts

Abstract Recently, the presence of specific types of cut marks on large bovid bones from Klasies River Mouth has been linked to the butchering of desiccated carcasses acquired by scavenging. This paper presents data from bone assemblages produced by contemporary hunter-gatherers which show that identical marks can be produced when carcasses acquired by hunting and stiff from rigor mortis are butchered. These data suggest that such marks may be very common whenever there is an interval between when an animal is killed and butchered. Such delays may be common among societies that use simple hunting techniques.
Stress erosions. A major cause of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in patients with malignant disease.

A retrospective study of patients at a large cancer hospital was undertaken to determine the incidence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding from acute mucosal erosions. Sixteen such patients were detected in the course of one year, which represents 32% of the total number of patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding seen during this period. This was the most common single cause of massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding in this population. All 16 patients had malignant disease. Contributing factors include treatment with antineoplastic drugs, corticosteroids, sepsis, and prior surgery; one or more of these was present in each patient. Mortality in these 16 patients was 100%. It was apparent that patients with malignant disease represent an additional group at risk for development of acute mucosal erosions.