cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with outcome in 94 hospitalised foals diagnosed with neonatal encephalopathy.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Neonatal encephalopathy is the most common neurological abnormality identified in neonatal foals, but its clinical course has been rarely characterised. OBJECTIVES To describe factors associated with nonsurvival in a population of foals diagnosed with neonatal encephalopathy. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cross-sectional clinical study. METHODS Cases were selected from equine neonatal (≤14 days of age) admissions between 1996 and 2007. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify clinical parameters, laboratory variables and therapeutic interventions associated with nonsurvival. RESULTS A total of 94 foals were included in the study. Median age at admission was 12 h (range 0-96 h). The most frequently identified clinical signs included abnormal udder seeking (59%), abnormal suckle (55%), inability to stand (42%), abnormal gastrointestinal motility (37%), abnormal consciousness (34%) and seizure activity (22%). Overall, 75 (79.8%) foals survived to be discharged from the hospital and 19 foals died or were subjected to euthanasia. Variables significantly associated with nonsurvival in the multivariable model were serum total calcium concentration, serum activity of alkaline phosphatase, recumbency, number of concurrent diseases, and use of vasopressors/inotropes. The model correctly classified 92.0% of cases. CONCLUSIONS Overall survival was good and similar to previous reports. Vasopressors/inotropes were the only therapeutic intervention associated with nonsurvival, suggesting that persistent hypotension is associated with nonsurvival in the current population. Foals with concurrent disease, high total calcium and low alkaline phosphatase at admission, and that were recumbent or required treatment with vasopressors/inotropes during hospitalisation, were significantly less likely to survive.
FUR SEAL AND BLUE WHALE: THE BIOECONOMICS OF EXTINCTION

Common property exploitation repeatedly has been implicated in instances of mismanagement of marine biological resources, resulting in depletion, even exhaustion, of stocks, and in dissipation of the economic benefits that the harvest might entail. Here I shall re-examine historical patterns in the competitive exploitation of two marine mammals, examining the interplay between common property harvest practices and inertial effects that result, among other things, from irreversible capital investment (“sunk capital”) in the harvesting industry. I find that common property exploitation tends to exaggerate the swings and overshoots that inertial features introduce into the temporal pattern of harvesting, leading to an excessive buildup of capital capacity, followed by an excessive depletion of the resource stock. Under some conditions these exaggerated swings can result in stock extinctions which optimal management might have avoided. The formal model is set up as a differential game, and analyzed by control theory methods.
Segmental Dynamics of Polymer Melts with Spherical Nanoparticles

The impact of spherical nanoparticles (NPs) on the segmental dynamics of polymer melts is investigated. The addition of NPs broadens the segmental dynamics with effects of both particle size and loading. Interfacial bound layer thickness is calculated by the difference in magnitude of the segmental dynamics of pure polymer and nanocomposites. These theoretical models suggest that the bound layer thickness in the case of strongly adsorbing polymer matrices may increase with particle size.
Estrogens and Progesterone in the Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus) and Pecten (Pecten hericius).

SummaryThe ovaries of the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus franciscanus, and the pecten, Pecten hericius, were extracted for steroids. Estrogenic activity equivalent to 10 μg or less per kilo of wet tissue was found in each species by bioassay. The most active estrogenic substance was identified as estradiol-17β. Separations were made by counter-current distribution (29 transfers: upper phase—70% methanol; lower phase—50% chloroformic, 50% carbon tetrachloride), paper chromatography (3 systems: toluene-propylene glycol; ligroin-propylene glycol; benzene-formamide), and bioassay (Astwood method). Progesterone was also identified tentatively by column chromatography and the Hooker-Forbes assay. Other progestational substances were present, one of which may be Δ4-3-keto-pregnen-20β-ol. The occurrence of these steroids in 2 distinctly different phyla indicates a wide distribution and may be of some significance in the evolution of sex hormones.
Resiliency characteristics of a competitive and collaborative complex adaptive supply network

This paper investigates the topological and dynamic characteristics of computer manufacturing enterprises needing to operate competitively in a rapidly changing business environment. It studies the evolution of topological structures of the computer manufacturing enterprise ecosystem (CMEE) from a complex adaptive systems (CASs) theory perspective. An agent-based model is built based on the self-organisation and adaptation concepts borrowed from biological ecosystems and agility and alignment concepts from manufacturing systems. It studies the end effect of decisions and actions of enterprise managers and changing trends in the computer manufacturing environment. The results of this research indicate that enterprises, which adjust their goals and infrastructure quickly in response to changes in customer expectations, supplier capabilities, and/or intentions of competitors, survive longer in the CMEE compared to the enterprises that resist change. Surprisingly, the suppliers that deliberately resist changes survive better than the ones that stay neutral to change. Furthermore, enterprises which adopt a cooperative behaviour excel over their greedy competitors.
Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling of Galectin-3

A large number of observations on the nuclear versus cytoplasmic distribution of galectin-3 have been reported, correlating the presence or absence of the protein in a particular compartment of the cell to various parameters such as source of the cells under study, specific cell type, culture conditions, proliferation status of the cell/culture, or neoplastic transformation. In fact, galectin-3 exhibits the phenomenon of nucleocytoplasmic shuttling, defined as the repeated bidirectional movement of a protein across the nuclear pore complex. Nevertheless, the finding that galectin-3 can show a predominantly nuclear localization under one set of conditions and a prominent cytoplasmic localization under other conditions suggests specific and regulated mechanisms of balance between cytoplasmic anchorage, nuclear import, nuclear retention, and nuclear export. One key consideration in the understanding of these processes is the definition of the signals and receptors that mediate the transport. In this chapter, we describe the experimental procedures that have allowed us to document the phenomenon of nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and the identification of the nuclear localization signal as well as the nuclear export signal.
Tumor cell implantation following neodymium-YAG bladder injury: a comparison to electrocautery injury.

AbstractRecent clinical experience using the neodymium-YAG laser for the ablation of superficial bladder carcinoma seems to indicate a decreased local and second-site recurrence rate when compared to standard electrosurgical methods. Altered tumor cell implantation has been suggested as a mechanism explaining this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of laser ablation and standard electrosurgical resection on tumor implantation.Each of three requisite steps in tumor cell implantation was assayed in an animal model system. The number of viable tumor cells liberated during ablation of a standardized lesion was 620% greater in the electrosurgically resected group compared to the laser irradiated group. No difference was observed in the qualitative or quantitative patterns of cellular adherence to a fulguration bladder injury compared to a laser bladder injury. The number of cells adhering to an injury site was shown to increase as a function of the cell concentration to which it w...
Lessons Learnt from the Successful Adoption of an ERP: The Central Role of Trust

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) are large and complex software packages that integrate and manage the information needs of companies. One of the important aspects of ERP adoption is the need for extensive technical support prior to its actual use, typically by specialized consultants. This study examines the adoption of a specific ERP and analyzes the impact of users’ trust in the consultants on their assessment of and self-reported use of the ERP. The study also examines antecedents of this trust. Mail survey data from 135 companies indeed shows that, as hypothesized, self-reported use was affected by perceived usefulness alone, but that trust was an influential antecedent of users’ assessments of the ERP. The data also support the hypothesized role of dependability, and responsiveness regarding both software and service on trust. Implications for the ERP and software consulting industry are discussed.
Recent Studies of the Fluorescence from Some Hydrocarbon Molecules

We present here three short reports each based on the emission characteristics of some recently investigated class of molecules. All the molecules we consider are hydrocarbons, all are excited at relatively short wavelengths and all emit with rather low quantum yield. Aside from these rather weakly binding constraints, the reports are otherwise independent and no attempt will be made to further connect them in any way. We begin with an experimental section which summarizes most of the pertinent techniques that we employ and then follow this with the three separate sections on i) Saturated Hydrocarbons, ii) Aromatics and iii) Simple Olefins.
Habitat-specific growth, survival and diet of late juvenile hatchery-reared spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus)

Abstract As a key recreational fishery species throughout the Gulf of Mexico, the spotted seatrout ( Cynoscion nebulosus Cuvier) requires sound management practices (VanderKooy and Muller, 2003; Fulford and Hendon, 2010). Accordingly, it is imperative to fully understand the ecology of spotted seatrout (Lorio and Perret, 1978), especially factors affecting the successful recruitment of this estuarine-dependent carnivore. Considering the large gap in knowledge about the ecology of late juvenile stage spotted seatrout, as well as the need to evaluate current stock enhancement practices for this species, the objective of this study was to assess the growth, survival and diet of late juvenile hatchery-reared (HR) spotted seatrout within three prospective nursery habitats in a shallow bay system: submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), non-vegetated shoreline (NVS), and non-vegetated open water (NVO). While caged under natural conditions for 4 weeks, relative growth was significantly greater for fish caged in SAV and NVS habitats compared to NVO habitat. Mortality was relatively high in the first week of the study during acclimation. Stomachs of HR fish contained prey, and the diet composition of HR fish included common prey types consumed by comparable sizes of wild fish. Findings indicate that habitats within or in close proximity to SAV or marsh shoreline offer more favorable conditions than deeper open water habitat for late juvenile HR spotted seatrout. Moreover, HR fish can acclimate to natural conditions and successfully transition to a natural diet, in the absence of predators and competitors.
Diminished Oxidative Stress Responses in Bone Marrow Stromal Cell Lines Derived From Fanconi Anemia (Fanc-D2−/−) Mice

Abstract 4398 Fanconi Anemia (FA) is an inherited cancer susceptibility syndrome associated with a defect in one or more of the 15 FA pathway gene products leading to bone marrow failure, increased cellular sensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents and increased risk of myeloid leukemia. Underlying DNA repair vulnerabilities render FancD2−/−, a homozygous deletion recombinant negative mice, sensitive to whole body irradiation. We quantitated hematopoiesis in long term bone marrow cultures, and the radiosensitivity and oxidative responses of derived marrow stromal and IL-3 dependent hematopoietic progenitor cell lines derived from FancD2−/− mice on a C57BL/6 background (generously provided by Drs. A. D9Andrea and K. Parmar, Dana-Farber cancer Inst., Boston, MA). Long-term bone marrow culture stromal cell lines derived from FancD2−/− were compared to FancD2+/− or FancD2+/+. FancD2−/− long term marrow cultures showed decreased cobblestone islands, representative of hematopoietic stem cell generating foci, and production of non-adherent cells compared to wild type FancD2+/+ or heterozygous FancD2 +/− cultures (p = 0.0148) and produced fewer colony forming cells on day 7 and 14 compared to FancD2 +/− or FancD2 +/+ cell lines (p Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Using Accelerometers in the Neurological ICU to Monitor Unilaterally Motor Impaired Patients (P3.204)

Objective: We explore the feasibility of automating motor function scoring by using continuous accelerometer measurements to identify characteristics present in both accelerometer recordings and motor exam scores. Background: The neurological motor exam provides important information about a patient’s clinical status in the ICU, but the frequency at which it needs to be performed often makes it arduous for both healthcare providers and patients. Methods: Patients with unilateral motor impairment (defined as a score of 0-2 on “weak” side compared with 3-5 on “normal” side) in the neurological ICU were considered for this study. The Axivity AX3 accelerometer was used to measure three-dimensional accelerations for up to 14 days in each patient. These unobtrusive devices were placed on all 4 limbs using standard hospital bands, and required no active maintenance. Acceleration signals were processed to identify movement events that lasted ≥0.5msec. Movement events per hour were summated and compared between “weak” and “normal” limbs, and average movement count per hour was compared against motor strength score. Results: Three subjects were recruited; mean age 44years, 67[percnt] male. Two patients were diagnosed with ischemic strokes, and one with hemorrhagic stroke. One subject was impaired on the left hemibody; two were right-side impaired. The mean recording duration was 10 days (range 6-14 days). We found that there were significantly more movements in each of the normal upper and lower extremities as compared to their respective weak upper and lower extremities for all 3 subjects (P < 0.05, one-tail, two sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test). Moreover, mean movement counts per hour appeared to correlate with objective provider motor scoring. Conclusions: Continuous monitoring of limb activity with accelerometers is feasible and can be used to identify motor asymmetry after neurological injury. It is unclear if accelerometer monitoring can be used to assess nuanced motor function. Disclosure: Dr. LaBuzetta has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hermiz has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gilja has nothing to disclose. Dr. Karanjia has nothing to disclose.
Assessing Foraminal Stenosis in the Cervical Spine: A Comparison of Three-Dimensional Computed Tomographic Surface Reconstruction to Two-Dimensional Modalities:

Study Design:Retrospective radiographic study.Objective:The optimal radiographic modality for assessing cervical foraminal stenosis is unclear. Determination on conventional axial cuts is made diff...
An economic model for residential energy consumption, generation, storage and reliance on cleaner energy

Economic models that provide a framework for understanding determinants of household energy consumption and the rate of reliance on cleaner energy are not available, despite the growing number of residential solar houses. This study presents a theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between energy consumption, generation, storage and the reliance on cleaner energy. Our findings suggest that, (i) households which generate energy could consume more energy than households which do not generate energy, (ii) the economically optimal reliance on solar energy depends on energy prices, income and the slope of the marginal energy storage cost, (iii) there is no relationship between reliance on cleaner energy (or energy demand) and the efficiency level of energy-conversion technologies, and (iv) when buy-back rates are equal to the retail rate of electricity, reliance on generated energy could be zero and energy demand of a generating household may be identical to its non-generating counterpart.
Meeting the Cooperative Problem Solving Challenge: A Database-Centered Approach

Cooperative problem solving is a complex activity requiring harmonious interaction between active agents (typically humans providing sequencing, decision making, and coordination components) and systems (typically passive — providing inferencing as well as algorithmic computation). Although each component (or the node involved in problem solving) is autonomous and is capable of sophisticated problem solving, the problem cannot be solved by any individual node and without cooperation among the nodes. This problem is currently being addressed by the research community at various levels of abstraction.
Perceptual and Cognitive Applications in Music Information Retrieval.

Music librarians and cataloguers have traditionally created indexes that allow users to access musical works using standard reference information, such as the name of the composer or the title of the work. While this basic information remains important, these standard reference tags have surprisingly limited applicability in most music-related queries. Music is used for an extraordinary variety of purposes: the restaurateur seeks music that targets a certain clientele; the aerobics instructor seeks a certain tempo; the film director seeks music conveying a certain mood; an advertiser seeks a tune that is highly memorable; the physiotherapist seeks music that will motivate a patient; the truck driver seeks music that will keep him/her alert. Although there are many other uses for music, music’s preeminent functions are social and psychological. The most useful retrieval indexes are those that facilitate searching according to such social and psychological functions. Typically, such indexes will focus on stylistic, mood, and similarity information. In attempting to build such musical indexes, two general questions arise: (1) What is the best taxonomic system by which to classify moods, styles, and other musical characteristics? (2) How can we create automated systems that will reliably characterize recordings or scores? Internet-based music distribution has brought these two questions to the fore. In the case of proprietary musical databases, the second problem can be centrally managed, and perhaps addressed using manual methods. However, past experience with Internet access to text documents implies that non-proprietary decentralized indexing is likely to prove more popular and successful. That is, future music indexes will likely resemble web-wide search engines (like Infoseek or Google) rather than closed proprietary systems (like Beatscape or Encyclopedia Britannica). The problem of building musical web crawlers that traverse the web and index music-related files (such as MP3) should prove challenging. The enabling technology for such musical web crawlers will need to draw extensively on research in music perception and cognition. Consider two sample problems: music summarization and mood characterization.
Treatment of Multiple Myeloma in Elderly Patients: A Review of Literature and Practice Guidelines

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal disorder of malignant plasma cells that comprises approximately 10% of hematologic malignancies. With median age of 66 at the time of presentation, multiple myeloma is predominantly a disease of the elderly. The availability of new combination regimens and the enhanced safety of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant has increased the treatment options for elderly patients with multiple myeloma. We provide a summary of data supporting the current management of elderly patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.
Tidal dissipation in rubble-pile asteroids

Abstract We develop a simple scaling argument for frictional dissipation in rubble-pile asteroids, parameterized as an effective dissipation factor Q. This scaling is combined with a prediction (Goldreich, P., Sari, R., 2009. Tidal evolution of rubble piles. Astrophys. J. 691, 54–60) for the tidal response amplitude, parameterized by the Love number k2. We compare the combined scaling with k2/Q values inferred from asteroid binaries in which the semi-major axis is determined by a balance between tidal dissipation and the binary YORP (or BYORP) effect (Jacobson, S.A., Scheeres, D.J., 2011. Long-term stable equilibria for synchronous binary asteroids. Astrophys. J. Lett. 736, L19). The k2/Q scaling matches the inferred values if dissipation is confined to a regolith layer of thickness ∼ 30 m, similar to the available asteroid regolith thickness estimates. The scaling suggests a regolith thickness that is independent of (or decreases slightly with) increasing asteroid radius; this result is consistent with at least one model of regolith generation via impacts.
The Business of Business Is the Human Person

I describe an ethic for business administration based on the social tradition of the Catholic Church. I find that much current thinking about business falters for its conceit of truth. Abstractions such as the shareholder-value model contain truth – namely, that business is an economic enterprise to manage for the wealth of its owners. But, as in all abstractions, this truth comes at the expense of falsehood – namely, that persons are assets to deploy on behalf of owners. This last is “wrong” in both senses of the word – it is factually wrong in that persons are far more than business assets, they are supernatural beings, children of God; and it is morally wrong in that it is an injustice to treat them as the former when they are the latter. I draw upon the social tradition of the Catholic Church to recognize that the business of business is not business, but is instead the human person. Following Church teachings, I describe a person-centered ethic of business based upon eight social principles that both correct and enlarge the shareholder-centered ethic of much current business thinking. I discuss implications of this person-centered ethic for business administration.
SWaP: Probabilistic Graphical and Deep Learning Models for Water Consumption Prediction

Accurately predicting water consumption in residential and commercial buildings is essential for identifying possible leaks, minimizing water wastage, and for paving the way for a sustainable future. In this paper, we present SWaP, a Smart Water Prediction system that predicts future hourly water consumption based on historical data. To perform this prediction task, in SWaP, we design discriminative probabilistic graphical and deep learning models, in particular, sparse Gaussian Conditional Random Fields (GCRFs) and Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) based deep Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) models, to successfully encode dependencies in the water consumption data. We evaluate our system on water consumption data collected from multiple buildings in a university campus and demonstrate that both the GCRF and LSTM based deep models are able to accurately predict future hourly water consumption in advance using just the last 24 hours of data at test time. SWaP achieves superior prediction performance for all buildings in comparison to the linear regression and ARIMA baselines in terms of Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE), with the GCRF and LSTM models providing 50% and 44% improvements on average, respectively. We also demonstrate that augmenting our models with temporal features such as time of the day and day of the week can improve the overall average prediction performance. Additionally, based on our evaluation, we observe that the GCRF model outperforms the LSTM based deep learning model, while simultaneously being faster to train and execute at test time. The computationally efficient and interpretable nature of GCRF models in SWaP make them an ideal choice for practical deployment.
Predicting color matches from luminance matches.

Color vision and spectral sensitivity vary among individuals with normal color vision; thus, for many applications, it is important to measure and correct for an observer’s sensitivity. Full correction would require measuring color and luminance matches and is rarely implemented. However, luminance matches (equiluminance settings) are routinely measured and simple to conduct. We modeled how well an observer’s color matches could be approximated by measuring only luminance sensitivity, since both depend on a common set of factors. We show that lens and macular pigment density and $L/M$L/M cone ratios alter equiluminance settings in different ways and can therefore be estimated from the settings. In turn, the density variations can account for a large proportion of the normal variation in color matching. Thus, luminance matches may provide a simple method to at least partially predict an observer’s color matches without requiring more complex tasks or equipment.
Combining Chk1/2 inhibition with radiation in head and neck cancer

Abstract Despite the effectiveness of nonsurgical standard treatments, the survival rates of high risk head and neck cancer patients still remains
The Relationship Between Youth Cyberbullying Behaviors and Their Perceptions of Parental Emotional Support

Studies of bullying among youth usually focus on those who are bullied. Understanding the factors that affect youth who exhibit bullying behaviors is equally important. Such knowledge can heighten effectiveness of prevention and interventions at the individual, family, school, and community levels. We performed a secondary data analysis using data from the 2009 to 2010 World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Health Behavior in School-Aged Children cross-sectional survey (n = 12,642), the most recent WHO data collected in the USA. Using latent class analysis, we clustered sample participants into categories of children who do not bully, bully with a low cyberbullying element, bully with a moderate cyberbullying element, and bully with a high cyberbullying element. We used multinomial logistic regression to explore the relationships between youth’s perception of certain family characteristics (e.g., parental emotional support and socio-demographic characteristics) and the odds ratios of falling into one of the four latent classes generated. Establishing if a relationship exists between youth’s perception of parental support factors and their bullying behavior can enhance understanding of variables that might modify adolescents’ bullying. Findings of this study point to the importance of parental emotional support as a factor that can affect adolescent cyberbullying behavior. This evidence is useful for parents, education and healthcare professionals, and others involved in young people’s lives.
Abstract S02-02: Covid-19 treatment candidate hydroxychloroquine impairs tumor response to anti-PD1

Background and Aims: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a worldwide health crisis. As of now, only one treatment has been established for the coronavirus infection disease 2019 (Covid-19), which has disproportionally affected patients with comorbidities such as cancer. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been studied as a potential treatment for Covid-19. Here we studied whether HCQ treatment could influence the effect of immunotherapy against colorectal and liver cancer. Methods: In vitro studies were conducted to assess the effect of HCQ on lymphocyte activation and proliferation as well as cell growth and antigen presentation. Mouse cell lines used included MC38, CT26, RIL-175, SB1, and LD1 while human tumor cell lines used were TFK-1 and EGI-1. Mice bearing subcutaneous MC38, CT26, and RIL-175 tumors were treated with HCQ, anti-PD1, or both. Tumor volume was measured over 19 days. Systemic and tumor-infiltrating immune cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: HCQ treatment impairs T-cell production of TNF-α and IFNγ in vitro and in vivo. Whereas cell growth was decreased in all tumor cell lines, in vitro treatment of tumor cells with HCQ revealed an upregulation of MHC-1 in CT26, SB1, LD1, TFK-1, and EGI-1 but not in MC38 and RIL-175. HCQ treatment impaired response to anti-PD1 treatment in all subcutaneous models. Compared to control, HCQ treatment led to increased tumor growth in MC38 tumors. Flow cytometry analysis revealed an impaired activation of CD4+ T cells as well as tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Conclusion: This study shows that HCQ treatment can result in immunotherapy failure due to a systematic immunosuppressive effect that overcomes the increased MHC expression on tumor cells. Citation Format: Simon Wabitsch, Jack C McVey, Chi Ma, Benjamin Ruf, Laurence Diggs, Bernd Heinrich, Tim F Greten. Covid-19 treatment candidate hydroxychloroquine impairs tumor response to anti-PD1 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2020 Jul 20-22. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(18_Suppl):Abstract nr S02-02.
A meta-analytic review of the relationship between cyber aggression and substance use.

Abstract Background Prior research has demonstrated that various substances of abuse play a contributing role to acts of physical and verbal aggression. It is less clear if and to what extent substance use is associated with an increased risk in perpetrating cyber aggression, an emerging form of aggressive behavior that occurs through digital communication. Methods A comprehensive review of the literature resulted in 15 studies and 18 unique samples from which effect size estimates were calculated. Results Analyses resulted in a moderate, significant mean observed correlation indicating that individuals who engaged in substance use were more likely than those who did not to perpetrate cyber aggression (r = 0.24, k = 18, 95% CI = 0.20, 0.28). Comparing data across types of substances revealed that alcohol use represents a stronger risk factor for cyber aggression than nicotine, cannabis, or other illicit drugs. Results also suggest a stronger relationship between substance use and cyber aggression among older than younger samples and in the context of intimate partner rather than peer aggression. Comparable estimates of substance-related cyber aggression emerged across types of cyber aggression and perpetrator gender. Conclusions Further research is required to increase confidence in estimates used in moderation analyses. As with traditional aggression, alcohol use appears to represent a risk factor for cyber aggression, though it is unclear if the disinhibitory properties of alcohol are the mechanism of action for substance-related cyber aggression.
WNT5A inhibition alters the malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor microenvironment and enhances tumor growth

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) are aggressive soft-tissue sarcomas that cause significant mortality in adults with neurofibromatosis type 1. We compared gene expression of growth factors in normal human nerves to MPNST and normal human Schwann cells to MPNST cell lines. We identified WNT5A as the most significantly upregulated ligand-coding gene and verified its protein expression in MPNST cell lines and tumors. In many contexts WNT5A acts as an oncogene. However, inhibiting WNT5A expression using shRNA did not alter MPNST cell proliferation, invasion, migration, or survival in vitro. Rather, shWNT5A-treated MPNST cells upregulated mRNAs associated with the remodeling of extracellular matrix and with immune cell communication. In addition, these cells secreted increased amounts of the proinflammatory cytokines CXCL1, CCL2, IL6, CXCL8, and ICAM1. Versus controls, shWNT5A-expressing MPNST cells formed larger tumors in vivo. Grafted tumors contained elevated macrophage/stromal cells, larger and more numerous blood vessels, and increased levels of Mmp9, Cxcl13, Lipocalin-1, and Ccl12. In some MPNST settings, these effects were mimicked by targeting the WNT5A receptor ROR2. These data suggest that the non-canonical Wnt ligand WNT5A inhibits MPNST tumor formation by modulating the MPNST microenvironment, so that blocking WNT5A accelerates tumor growth in vivo.
The Golgi apparatus, the plasma membrane, and functional integration.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the Golgi apparatus, the plasma membrane, and functional integration. Through the years many different suggestions have been made concerning the activities of the Golgi apparatus. The information available was largely morphological and often led to conflicting interpretations. Although the role of the Golgi apparatus in secretion has been well supported, there is as yet no generally accepted explanation for its presence in some form in all eukaryotic cells. Although principal attention has been directed to membrane interactions, some aspects of the role of the Golgi apparatus in secretion as defined in the more limited sense is described in the chapter. A broad spectrum of functionally important materials is involved, and these may act at varying distances from the site of their production. Cellular function and sociological behavior are to a great extent affected by elements outside the cell associations with other cells, characteristics of surrounding matrix materials, and numerous circulating or environmental factors.
Applying GMPLS on optical Ethernet: a hybrid approach

A new hybrid scheme that combines GMPLS QoS features with merged reconfigurable optical and Ethernet layer is proposed. It achieves a highly efficient and cost-effective optical Ethernet system viable for LAN/MAN/WAN. A testbed based on this scheme is also presented.
In vitro comparison of a novel external fixator and traditional full-limb transfixation pin cast in horses.

Objective: To compare the mechanical properties and failure modes of a standardized short oblique distal radial metaphyseal osteotomy stabilized using either a transfixation pin cast (TPC), a modular-sidebar external skeletal fixator (ESF), or a solid-sidebar ESF (modular- or solid-ESF, respectively) using static or cyclic axial loading to failure. Study Design: In vitro study. Animals: Equine cadaver forelimbs. Methods: A 30° oblique distal radial osteotomy was created and stabilized using 1 of the 3 fixation methods: (1) TPC, (2) modular-ESF, or (3) solid-ESF. Limbs were tested using static (TPC, modular-ESF, and solid-ESF) or cyclic (TPC and solid-ESF) axial loading to failure. The stiffness, yield load, yield displacement, failure load, and failure displacement for static loading and the cycles to failure for cyclic loading at 75% failure load were obtained. Data were analyzed using a Kruskal–Wallis test. Level of significance was P<.05. Results: The solid-ESF had a greater stiffness, higher yield and failure load and a lower yield and failure displacement than the TPC (P=.01) and the modular-ESF (P=.02). TPC had a higher yield load, failure load, and yield displacement than the modular-ESF (P=.01). Mean cycles to failure for TPC was 2996±657 at a load of 16,000 N and for solid-ESF 6560±90 cycles at a load of 25,000 N. Conclusions: The solid-ESF was stiffer and stronger than the TPC and modular-ESF and failed at a greater number of cycles in axial loading compared with the TPC. Clinical Relevance: This study is an initial step in evaluating the solid-ESF. Further testing needs to be performed, but this fixation may offer a viable alternative to the traditional TPC for stabilization of long bone fractures in adult horses.
Chromogenic Materials, Piezochromic

In its most general sense piezochromism is the change in color of a solid under compression. There are three aspects of the phenomenon: (1) the color of a solid results from the absorption of light in selected regions of the visible spectrum by excitation of an electron from the ground electronic state to a higher level. If the two electronic energy levels are perturbed differently by pressure, compression results in a color change. This is the basic definition of pressure tuning spectroscopy; (2) a discontinuous change of color occurs when a crystalline solid undergoes a first-order phase transition from one crystal structure to another; (3) the phenomenon of most interest is a change in color of a solid as a result of a change in the molecular geometry of the molecules that make up the solid. Examples of material's piezochromic behavior and the types of transitions involved are discussed. Keywords: Piezochromic materials; Molecular geometry; Color; Phase transitions
Toward a Quality Assurance Approach to E-Learning Courses

Finding ways to assure the quality of e-learning is an important endeavor. This article identifies eight quality assurance strategies in use at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. The eight strategies are reviews of instructional design, web development, editing, usability and accessibility, maintainability, copyright, infrastructure impact, and content and rigor. The impact of each of these strategies is discussed as well as how the strategy has evolved during implementation and operation. The university's e-learning courses have achieved some measure of merit for quality within both their local audience as well as nationally and internationally. Much of this is due to the application ofthe quality assurance strategies shared in this article.
All the Tsar's Men: Russia's General Staff and the Fate of the Empire, 1898–1914, by Steinberg, John W.

John Steinberg's book, based on extensive research in Imperial Russia's military press and in Russian archival holdings, offers a detailed exploration of the Imperial Nicholas Military Academy and ...
Integration of NaradaBrokering and Audio/Video conferencing as a web service

Audio/Video Conferencing Systems need communication channels between their clients in order to transport RTP packets from one client to another. In this paper we investigate audio/video conferencing as a Web Service and the deployment of publish/subscribe systems in the context of audio/video conferencing systems. In this paper we use our research system NaradaBrokering, which supports both peer-to-peer and publish/subscribe paradigms, as a test bed to investigate these ideas. We also present results from our research system.
Peptide binding to active class II MHC protein on the cell surface.

Solution studies have demonstrated the existence of two functionally distinct isomers of empty class II MHC: an active isomer that binds peptide and an inactive isomer that does not. Empty MHC molecules on the surface of APCs can load antigenic peptides directly from the extracellular medium, facilitating the generation of a diverse peptide repertoire for T cell presentation. In this report, we examine I-Ek on the surface of Chinese hamster ovary cells with respect to the active and inactive isomers. As in the case of purified soluble active I-Ek, active I-Ek on the cell surface is unstable, decaying to the inactive form in ∼14 min. Evidence is presented suggesting that at steady state <1% of the total cell surface I-Ek is active and that a significant fraction of these active molecules originates from intracellular pools as well as reactivation of inactive cell surface I-Ek.
Mitochondrially targeted nitro-linoleate: a new tool for the study of cardioprotection.

Background and Purpose Cardiac ischaemia–reperfusion (IR) injury remains a significant clinical problem with limited treatment options available. We previously showed that cardioprotection against IR injury by nitro-fatty acids, such as nitro-linoleate (LNO2), involves covalent modification of mitochondrial adenine nucleotide translocase 1 (ANT1). Thus, it was hypothesized that conjugation of LNO2 to the mitochondriotropic triphenylphosphonium (TPP+) moiety would enhance its protective properties. Experimental Approach TPP+-LNO2 was synthesized from aminopropyl-TPP+ and LNO2, and characterized by direct infusion MS/MS. Its effects were assayed in primary cultures of cardiomyocytes from adult C57BL/6 mice and in mitochondria from these cells, exposed to simulated IR (SIR) conditions (oxygen and metabolite deprivation for 1h followed by normal conditions for 1h) by measuring viability by LDH release and exclusion of Trypan blue. Nitro-alkylated mitochondrial proteins were also measured by Western blots, using antibodies to TPP+. Key Results TPP+-LNO2 protected cardiomyocytes from SIR injury more potently than the parent compound LNO2. In addition, TPP+-LNO2 modified mitochondrial proteins, including ANT1, in a manner sensitive to the mitochondrial uncoupler carbonylcyanide-p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (FCCP) and the ANT1 inhibitor carboxyatractyloside. Similar protein nitro-alkylation was obtained in cells and in isolated mitochondria, indicating the cell membrane was not a significant barrier to TPP+-LNO2. Conclusions and Implications Together, these results emphasize the importance of ANT1 as a target for the protective effects of LNO2, and suggest that TPP+-conjugated electrophilic lipid compounds may yield novel tools for the investigation of cardioprotection. Linked Articles This article is part of a themed issue on Mitochondrial Pharmacology: Energy, Injury & Beyond. To view the other articles in this issue visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2014.171.issue-8
Robotic adrenalectomy: the jury is still out

A minimally-invasive approach is the gold standard for surgical management of the majority of adrenal masses. While laparoscopy has traditionally been used, robotic adrenalectomy is becoming increasingly utilized. This article discusses a recent systematic review and meta-analysis from European Urology that analyzed evidence comparing laparoscopic and robotic adrenalectomy. Robotic adrenalectomy is associated with lower blood loss, length of stay and fewer complications compared to laparoscopic adrenalectomy; however information on efficacy and cost are not addressed. Ultimately, well-done randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are necessary to determine the benefits and cost of robotics in adrenal surgery.
A call for theory: The maturation of the supply chain management discipline

This essay introduces a forum that discusses the conceptual theory development approach within the context of the supply chain management discipline. The purpose of the forum is to provide guidance to both authors and reviewers concerning how to carry out meaningful and impactful conceptual theory development research. In this essay I discuss the conceptual theory development approach, describe the Journal of Supply Chain Management's perspective and philosophy toward conceptual theory development, offer broad guidelines to aid authors in crafting their work and reviewers in effectively evaluating and helping authors to further develop their manuscripts, and introduce the remaining essays that comprise the discussion forum.
Do nutrition programs make a difference? The case of Brazil.

PAHO followed nutrition programs of Brazil which have been supported almost exclusively from internal sources since 1983 to provide technical assistance and to learn what may be applied to other countries. The PAHO program effectiveness evaluation study compared 2 ways of running nutrition programs which presumed that malnutrition was mainly caused by poverty--a subsidy of basic foods and direct distribution--between 1974-1986. 2 programs subsidized at least 4 basic foodstuffs with 1 program restricting the amount of food to identified families while the other allowed any family coming to stores in low income areas that participated in the program to take subsidized food. 2 other programs either gave free traditional commercial foods or specially formulated supplements to identified clients. The status of most well nourished or malnourished participants did not change despite intervals as long as 48 months. Moreover the nutritional status of a considerable percentage of participants deteriorated. Nevertheless moderate or severe malnourished children who started in a program tended to recover substantially especially children >1 year old. Further the longer a client participated in a program the more likely the nutritional status would improve yet frequent participation did not affect status. Thus the programs were more likely to cure than prevent malnutrition. Besides participants tended to not grow much but weight status did improve. Those programs that also provided medical care and health education were more effective than those that just provided subsidies. This finding highlights how malnutrition is not just a problem of low income and low food consumption but also a problem of poor health. The programs did not transfer benefits efficiently. In addition the costs of securing the food its poor quality and insufficient volume discouraged beneficiary participation.
DNA inoculation as a novel vaccination method against human retroviruses with rheumatic disease associations

There are a number of rheumatologic manifestations of human retroviral infections associated with human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-I) and the human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) including arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome-like symptoms as well as other varied autoimmune phenomena. Infection with HTLV-1 may be directly involved in the etiology and/or pathogenesis of an arthritic condition similar to rheumatoid arthritis. We have been characterizing a new vaccination strategy against human retroviral infections, designated DNA inoculation. This procedure involves the intramuscular injection of DNA plasmids which express specific human retroviral antigens. This technique results in the development of humoral and cellular immune responses against these proteins. Specifically, this method has been successfully used to develop immune responses against HIV-I and HTLV-I. The availability of rat and rabbit infection models for HTLV-I, coupled with the successful development of immune responses in these animals after DNA inoculation with an HTLV-I envelope expressing plasmid, will allow the efficacy of this vaccination technique to be evaluated with protection against in vivo viral challenge as an endpoint.
Kinetic and binding effects of 1, N6-ethenoadenosine triphosphate to aspartate transcarbamylase

Abstract A fluorescence polarization study reveals that 1 N6-ethenoadenosine triphosphate (ɛATP) binds to native aspartate transcarbamylase (ATCase) from E. coli . However, unlike adenosine triphosphate (ATP) ɛATP inhibits the enzyme, which strongly suggests that the N-1 atom in the purine ring is crucial for ATP activation. Study of the binding curve for ɛATP shows multiple binding sites with overlapping affinities, but a simple system of six equivalent binding sites with a dissociation constant K = 7.5 × 10−5M gives a reasonable approximation to the experimental data.
Cytoplasmic localization of calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase I‐α depends on a nuclear export signal in its regulatory domain

Abstract Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase I-α (CaMKI-α) is a ubiquitous cytosolic enzyme that phosphorylates a number of nuclear proteins in vitro and has been implicated in transcriptional regulation. We report that cytoplasmic localization of CaMKI-α depends on CRM1-mediated nuclear export mediated through a Rev-like nuclear export signal in the CaMKI-α regulatory domain. Interaction of CaMKI-α with a CRM1 complex in vitro is enhanced by incubation with calcium/calmodulin. Translocation of CaMKI-α into the nucleus involves a conserved sequence located within the catalytic core. Mutation of this sequence partially blocks nuclear entry of an export-impaired mutant of CaMKI-α.
Fetterman‐House: A Process Use Distinction and a Theory

Theories of action and use shed light on empowerment evaluation as a specific approach and may be enabling tools in our discourse about the role of theory and practice in the field as a whole.