cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inequities in Higher Education: Issues and Promising Practices in a World Ambivalent about Affirmative Action

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the legality of race-based affirmative action at universities in 2003. Although the decisions affirmed the legality of considering race in college admissions decisions, their long-term effects are not entirely clear. They neither resolved conflicts nor solved problems affirmative action was intended to address, namely, disparities in educational outcomes between Whites and ethnic/racial minorities. Although disparities have diminished since 1965, policies and practices to sustain and further increase diversity in higher education without affirmative action are needed. This article provides historical and conceptual grounding for this JSI issue, which examines approaches for attaining campus diversity. Collectively, the issue provides approaches for increasing diversity as well as strategies for managing and benefiting from diversity in post-secondary environments.
H2B- and H3-Specific Histone Deacetylases Are Required for DNA Methylation in Neurospora crassa

Neurospora crassa utilizes DNA methylation to inhibit transcription of heterochromatin. DNA methylation is controlled by the histone methyltransferase DIM-5, which trimethylates histone H3 lysine 9, leading to recruitment of the DNA methyltransferase DIM-2. Previous work demonstrated that the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor trichostatin A caused a reduction in DNA methylation, suggesting involvement of histone deacetylation in DNA methylation. We therefore created mutants of each of the four classical N. crassa HDAC genes and tested their effect on histone acetylation levels and DNA methylation. Global increases in H3 and H4 acetylation levels were observed in both the hda-3 and the hda-4 mutants. Mutation of two of the genes, hda-1 and hda-3, caused partial loss of DNA methylation. The site-specific loss of DNA methylation in hda-1 correlated with loss of H3 lysine 9 trimethylation and increased H3 acetylation. In addition, an increase in H2B acetylation was observed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of histones of the hda-1 mutant. We found a similar increase in the Schizosaccharomyces pombe Clr3 mutant, suggesting that this HDAC has a previously unrecognized substrate and raising the possibility that the acetylation state of H2B may play a role in the regulation of DNA methylation and heterochromatin formation.
Analysis of Web-Based Solar Photovoltaic Mapping Tools

As the demand for renewable energy has grown, so too has the need to quantify the potential for these resources. Understanding the potential for a particular energy source can help inform policy decisions, educate consumers, drive technological development, increase manufacturing capacity, and improve marketing methods. In response to the desire to better understand the potential of clean energy technologies, several approaches have been developed to help inform decisions. One technology-specific example is the use of solar photovoltaic (PV) maps. A solar PV mapping tool visually represents a specific site and calculates PV system size and projected electricity production. This paper identifies the commercially available solar mapping tools and provides a thorough summary of the source data type and resolution, the visualization software program being used, user inputs, calculation methodology and algorithms, map outputs, and development costs for each map.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Mesh-size effects on the ecological fidelity of death assemblages: a meta-analysis of molluscan live–dead studies

Abstract Actualistic comparison of death assemblages with local living communities is a standard approach to estimating the quality of paleoecological data, but wide variation in methods of data collection and analysis undermines attempts to draw general conclusions. Here, I apply both standard and meta-analytic statistics to a stringently constructed database of 19 molluscan live–dead studies in order to isolate methodological artifacts from true taphonomic bias, focusing on three paleoecologically relevant aspects of live–dead agreement: (1) the preservation potential of shelled mollusks in their life habitat (percentage of live species that are represented among dead shell material), (2) the habitat-level spatial fidelity of skeletal remains (percentage of dead individuals that are from species also collected alive in the same habitat), and (3) the reliability of species dominance (similarity in the rank-order abundance of live and dead species). Overall, agreement for all three metrics is high, but results are sensitive to dataset size, sediment grain size, and, most importantly, sieve mesh size. Coarse-mesh (sieves ≥ 1.5 mm) datasets are composed of late juvenile and adult specimens and have significantly higher live–dead agreement than fine-mesh datasets (sieves ≤ 1 mm), which include, and are probably dominated numerically by, larvae and newly settled juveniles. Dataset-size effects are present but not significant, and sediment grain-size effects are significant only if datasets are first partitioned by mesh size (live–dead agreement is higher in muds than in sands/gravels). This previously unrecognized mesh-size effect makes sense both ecologically and taphonomically, and identifies a simple protocol for isolating the most reliable information in molluscan death assemblages (i.e., focus on specimens ≥ 1.5 mm). The pervasiveness and magnitude of the effect indicates that mesh size needs greater consideration in future taphonomic studies and in the collection and interpretation of (paleo)ecological data. A post-juvenile focus may also be key to isolating high-fidelity data among other metazoan groups.
PN-Assisted Deterministic Digital Background Calibration of Multistage Split-Pipelined ADC

A digital background calibration technique to treat capacitor mismatch, residue gain error, and nonlinearity in a pipelined ADC based on the split-ADC architecture is reported. Although multiple works have been reported before on the split- calibration of pipelined ADCs, none of them is comprehensive, i.e., capacitor mismatch, residue gain error, and nonlinearity are never treated in one work at the same time. We, also for the first time, recognize the multistage pipelined ADC with residue nonlinearity calibration as a Nonlinear Least Squares problem. Behavioral simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the technique, in which the SNDR and SFDR performance of a 15-bit split-pipelined ADC are improved from 42 dB and 50 dB to 88 dB and 102 dB on average, respectively.
Kinetics, Pharmacokinetics, and Regulation of l-Carnitine and Acetyl-l-carnitine Metabolism

In mammals, the carnitine pool consists of nonesterified L-carnitine and many acylcarnitine esters. Of these esters, acetyl-L-carnitine is quantitatively and functionally the most significant. Carnitine homeostasis is maintained by absorption from diet, a modest rate of synthesis, and efficient renal reabsorption. Dietary L-carnitine is absorbed by active and passive transfer across enterocyte membranes. Bioavailability of dietary L-carnitine is 54-87% and is dependent on the amount of L-carnitine in the meal. Absorption of L-carnitine dietary supplements (0.5-6 g) is primarily passive; bioavailability is 14-18% of dose. Unabsorbed L-carnitine is mostly degraded by microorganisms in the large intestine. Circulating L-carnitine is distributed to two kinetically defined compartments: one large and slow-turnover (presumably muscle), and another relatively small and rapid-turnover (presumably liver, kidney, and other tissues). At normal dietary L-carnitine intake, whole-body turnover time in humans is 38-119 h. In vitro experiments suggest that acetyl-L-carnitine is partially hydrolyzed in enterocytes during absorption. In vivo, circulating acetyl-L-carnitine concentration was increased 43% after oral acetyl-L-carnitine supplements of 2 g/day, indicating that acetyl-L-carnitine is absorbed at least partially without hydrolysis. After single-dose intravenous administration (0.5 g), acetyl-L-carnitine is rapidly, but not completely hydrolyzed, and acetyl-L-carnitine and L-carnitine concentrations return to baseline within 12 h. At normal circulating l-carnitine concentrations, renal l-carnitine reabsorption is highly efficient (90-99% of filtered load; clearance, 1-3 mL/min), but displays saturation kinetics. Thus, as circulating L-carnitine concentration increases (as after high-dose intravenous or oral administration of L-carnitine), efficiency of reabsorption decreases and clearance increases, resulting in rapid decline of circulating L-carnitine concentration to baseline. Elimination kinetics for acetyl-L-carnitine are similar to those for L-carnitine. There is evidence for renal tubular secretion of both L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine. Future research should address the correlation of supplement dosage, changes and maintenance of tissue L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine concentrations, and metabolic and functional changes and outcomes.
A meta-analysis of prehospital airway control techniques part II: alternative airway devices and cricothyrotomy success rates.

Background. Airway management is a key component of prehospital care for seriously ill and injured patients. Oral endotracheal intubation (OETI) is the definitive airway of choice in most emergency medical services (EMS) systems. However, OETI may not be an approved skill for some clinicians or may prove problematic in certain patients because of anatomic abnormalities, trauma, or inadequate relaxation. In these situations alternative airways are frequently employed. However, the reported success rates for these devices vary widely, and established benchmarks are lacking. Objective. We sought to determine pooled estimates of the success rates of alternative airway devices (AADs) and needle cricothyrotomy (NCRIC) and surgical cricothyrotomy (SCRIC) placement through a meta-analysis of the literature. Methods. We performed a systematic literature search for all Englishlanguage articles reporting success rates for AADs, SCRIC, and NCRIC. Studies of field procedures performed by prehospital personnel from any nation were included. All titles were reviewed independently by two authors using prespecified inclusion criteria. Pooled estimates of success rates for each airway technique were calculated using a randomeffects meta-analysis model. Results. Of 2,005 prehospital airway titles identified, 35 unique studies were retained for analysis of AAD success rates, encompassing a total of 10,172 prehospital patients. The success rates for SCRIC and NCRIC were analyzed across an additional 21 studies totaling 512 patients. The pooled estimates (and 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for intervention success across all clin
Towards Developing an Annotation Scheme for Depressive Disorder Symptoms: A Preliminary Study using Twitter Data

Major depressive disorder is one of the most burdensome and debilitating diseases in the United States. In this pilot study, we present a new annotation scheme representing depressive symptoms and psycho-social stressors associated with major depressive disorder and report annotator agreement when applying the scheme to Twitter data.
A Review of “Encyclopedia of Modern Political Thought”

According to editor-in chief Gregory Claes (University of London), political modernity commenced with three great political events: the American Revolution of 1776, the French Revolution of 1786, a...
Dependency Status and Demand for Social Insurance: Evidence from Experiments and Surveys

Current thinking on the origins and size of the welfare state often ignores household relations in which people may depend on others for income or have dependents themselves. The influence of “dependency status” on individuals’ political preferences is unknown. We report results from a laboratory experiment designed to estimate the effect of dependency on preferences for policies that insure against labor market risk. Results indicate that (1) willingness to vote in favor of a social insurance policy is highly responsive to unemployment risk, (2) symmetric, mutual dependence is unrelated to support for insurance, but (3) asymmetric dependence (being dependent on someone else) increases support for social insurance. We connect our lab results to observational survey data and find similar relationships.
The Concept of Justice in Mediation: A Psychobiography

Discussions of what justice means in mediation have a dialectical quality to them. At various points in the field's history, justice in mediation is thought to consist of fully maximized disputant self-determination. At other historical moments, a tentative consensus appears to recognize that justice in mediation requires normative content independent of the disputants' beliefs and values. What explains this dialectic? One explanation might focus on exogenous forces that shaped initial visions of mediation justice, prompted intellectual re-assessments and forced new understandings that directly challenged the field's original ideological foundations. Another way to explain ongoing shifts in thinking about justice would focus less on external changes and more on the field's intellectual infrastructure. This story minimizes mediation's excellent adventure as it moves from an over-crowded community center to a municipal court building to a lavish law firm conference room. Instead, it looks at the relatively stable assumptions about private ordering and collective norms that animate leading mediation theorists' musings on mediation's goals and methods. This article argues that the dialectic of justice in mediation reflects the divergent beliefs about human nature and legal regulation that anchor the thinking of some of the field's most influential scholars. In turn, these divergent beliefs reflect larger cleavages in the mediation community. This article pushes for a psychologically-minded approach, and urges we see our justice debates propelled, at least in part, by how optimistically or skeptically we assess the capability of individual parties and institutional actors in constructing fair outcomes from the raw material of human conflict.
Concubines Under Mexican Law

This article discusses the legal regime that applies to Mexican "Concubines" (i.e., a legal notion equivalent to a "Common-law wife" in the United States) in the civil, labor, social security, criminal, health, etc. and especially in the family law area. The article offers two additional features: first, a section on Mexican case law. This section discusses several decisions rendered by the Supreme Court of Mexico and by Circuit Collegiate Courts on different legal questions pertaining to concubines. And second, the article compares the Mexican law notion of "Concubines" with similar or equivalent notions in Canada, England, France, Germany and Spain. Finally, this article includes a practical chart which depicts the legal regime of "Concubines" in Mexico's Federal Civil Code, the Civil Code for the Federal District, and the other 31 State codes.
Managing Inventories: The Reorder Point System

Inventory replenishment concepts and tools are described. Excerpt UVA-OM-1394 Rev. Dec 1, 2010 MANAGING INVENTORIES: THE REORDER POINT SYSTEM Inventories account for a significant percentage of the current assets of companies in industries ranging from hospitals and restaurants to manufacturing, wholesaling, and retailing firms. So, managing inventories is often the key aspect of improving a firm's working capital position and its return on assets. An inventory-management system is a set of procedures for managing the items in inventory. The focus in this note is on one such system—the reorder point system. Other inventory management systems and concepts have been addressed in separate technical notes. The selection of a system for an item or group of items depends, in part, on the type of demand experienced by the item. There are two basic types of demand: forecast demand and scheduled requirements demand. Forecast Demand . . .
A Cohomological Invariant of Discrete Dynamical Systems

Let X be a 2n dimensional manifold (with or without boundary) and let ω be a symplectic two-form on X which is exact; i.e. is the differential of a one-form. Given a symplectic mapping B: X → X one can assign to each periodic trajectory of B a notion of “length”. We call the set of all “lengths” the L-spectrum of B .In this paper we show that if B is the billiard mapping attached to a convex region the L-spectrum is the usual length spectrum of the region. This result suggests an interesting conjecture concerning the relation between the “modes of oscillation” of a convex region and its geometry.
Webtrust Sm (Version 3.0): Evidence On Consumers Demand For Assurance Services And CPAs Comparative Advantage

Modifications to Web Trust in version 3.0 allowing practitioners to issue an opinion on individual principles (e.g., privacy and security) enables WebTrust to compete directly against other assurance services. The success of the new strategy depends upon: (1) differences in assurance demand for the individual principles, and (2) perceptions that CPAs are the most trusted assurance provider. This study finds: (1) the need for assurance differs across individual WebTrust principles and depends upon transaction type, and (2) CPAs are not perceived to be the most trusted provider.
Communications Architecture for National Security and Public Safety: Multijurisdictional, Multitechnology Network of Interoperable Networks

Anytime, anywhere, and any media communications and information transfer across multiple jurisdictions within and between public safety, emergency response, national security and emergency preparedness (PS/ER/NS/EP) communities are becoming increasingly important in preventing and responding to crises. The diversity of networking technologies and network services used by these jurisdictions poses serious interoperability challenges and hinders information sharing in a multijurisdictional coalition. In this paper, we discuss interoperability challenges and proposed approaches to address these challenges. In particular, we discuss solutions based on common backbone technologies and several types of interoperability gateways. We illustrate the approach using several scenarios. We are testing some of these scenarios in our lab.
Barriers to Foundation Funding of Gay Organizations: Evidence from Massachusetts

Gay, lesbian, and bisexual service organizations in the United States receive a small share of the philanthropic grants awarded by foundations and other institutional donors. A survey of Massachusetts gay organizations provides explanations for this phenomenon and suggests that a variety of barriers impedes foundation giving. The findings are consistent with those of two national surveys of lesbian organizations and a survey of gay service needs in California. The most commonly cited barriers include: a difficulty in finding foundations sympathetic to gay service programs; a lack of paid grant writers; the perceived need for 501 (c)(3) nonprofit status in order to qualify for most grants; foundations' predilection for funding established service organizations, and their reluctance to fund political advocacy, a lack of familiarity with gay service needs; and homophobia. Although the AIDS crisis helped educate foundations about the gay community, consider-able barriers remain.
An Analysis of Lu Xun's Translation of Rashomon

The translation of Rashomon was one of Lu Xun's early translations of Japanese literature. He used the method of literal translation. This paper analyzed the merits and demerits of the translation and pointed out that Lu's adoption of literal translation is intended as a way of introducing into Chinese Japanese vocabulary and sentence structures so as to enrich the expressiveness of Chinese. This was in line with the prevailing attempt to Europeanize Chinese at the time.
Auxiliary Gibbs sampling for inference in piecewise-constant conditional intensity models

A piecewise-constant conditional intensity model (PCIM) is a non-Markovian model of temporal stochastic dependencies in continuous-time event streams. It allows efficient learning and forecasting given complete trajectories. However, no general inference algorithm has been developed for PCIMs. We propose an effective and efficient auxiliary Gibbs sampler for inference in PCIM, based on the idea of thinning for inhomogeneous Poisson processes. The sampler alternates between sampling a finite set of auxiliary virtual events with adaptive rates, and performing an efficient forward-backward pass at discrete times to generate samples. We show that our sampler can successfully perform inference tasks in both Markovian and non-Markovian models, and can be employed in Expectation-Maximization PCIM parameter estimation and structural learning with partially observed data.
The role of osteoporosis in intertrochanteric fractures.

Summary Osteoporosis is not the only factor that determines success in treating intertrochanteric fractures. Singh's index provides a simple and useful method for measuring this factor, however, and it should not be ignored. The index helps to predict the fractures that involve increased risk of fixation failure. It can serve as one of the guides for deciding about appropriate treatment. And if we fail to include some estimate of proximal femur strength in our evaluations of fracture results, we cannot learn how to improve those results.
Self-efficacy as a mediator of the relationship between social support and recovery in serious mental illness.

Objective The purposes of this research were to assess relationships between social support and objective and subjective recovery in a sample of adults with serious mental illness and to examine self-efficacy as a potential mediator of these relationships. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 250 individuals completed measures tapping social support network size, satisfaction with social support, perceived support from the mental health system, self-efficacy, objective recovery (i.e., psychiatric symptoms, social functioning), and subjective recovery. Pearson product-moment correlations and multiple linear regression analyses examined relationships among social support, self-efficacy, and recovery. A bootstrapping procedure was used to estimate the magnitude and significance of indirect effects in mediation analyses. Results All social support domains (i.e., social support network size, satisfaction with support, perceived support from the mental health system) were significantly related to at least 1 objective recovery outcome and to subjective recovery. Self-efficacy was a mediator of all relationships between social support and objective and subjective recovery. Conclusions and implications for practice The present study aids in better understanding the relationship between social support and recovery in individuals with serious mental illness and paves the way for future research. Particularly relevant to mental health service providers, it highlights the importance of establishing and maintaining an effective therapeutic relationship as well as assisting consumers with developing supportive relationships with others. (PsycINFO Database Record
Enantioselective Model Synthesis and Progress toward the Putative Structure of Yuremamine

An enantioselective model synthesis of the 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indole core of the putative structure of yuremamine is reported in 39% overall yield and 96% ee over five steps. The model synthesis leverages enantioselective, rhodium-catalyzed hydroacylation of an N-vinylindole-2-carboxaldehyde as the key step in the installation of the stereochemical triad. An enantioselective synthesis of a densely functionalized dihydropyrroloindolone that maps onto the putative structure of yuremamine is demonstrated in 26% yield and 97% ee over eight steps.
Health in the Neighborhood and Household Contexts Among Older Chinese Americans

Objective: This study examined the associations of neighborhood characteristics and living arrangements with physical and mental health among older Chinese Americans. Method: A sample of 3,159 community-dwelling Chinese older adults in the Greater Chicago area provided reports of health, socio-demographic characteristics, living arrangements, social cohesion, and neighborhood disorder. We used multinomial logistic, Poisson, and negative binominal regression analyses. Results: Neighborhood disorder was consistently associated with negative health indicators, including poor self-reported health, more chronic conditions, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Findings about the relationships between social cohesion and health indicators were mixed. Social cohesion was more salient to mental health for those living with spouse, children, and/or grandchildren relative to those living with spouse only. Discussion: Policies and interventions are needed to improve the physical and social environments of neigh...
Cracks in the Establishment

Critics of the establishment perspective point to intra-elite conflicts as evidence against the theory. Since elites are often divided, they claim, one cannot posit a single cohesive ‘structure’. Rather, one must speak of a pluralistic, competitive set of elites. Divisions among elites, in turn, can be exploited by nonelites to make the system more egalitarian.
“Sweet singers of Israel”: gendered and Jewish otherness in Victorian poetics

“INSUFFICIENT AND PARTIAL”: JEWISH PROPHETS, WOMEN POETS, AND THE TYPOLOGICAL PARADIGM Certainly any one would be surprised to find how large a part Poetry plays in the Holy Scriptures. For, if I am not mistaken, nearly half the sacred volume was written in metre … Hence it is sufficiently clear that a kind of relationship exists between those subjects which God has ordained to prepare the way for his Gospel and the dispositions and tone of mind of those whom we honour pre-eminently as poets or at least as disciples of the poets … Therefore I cannot help believing that it was in more than one way that the Hebrew seers and poets prepared their nation to receive the later revelation of Truth. (John Keble, Lecture XL of Lectures on Poetry (Praelectiones Academicae) 474) Her various writings show that she has drunk true inspiration from the fountain to which she has so often resorted with the graceful vase of her natural genius. Miss Barrett is singularly bold and adventurous. Her wing carries her, without Miss Barrett is singularly bold and adventurous. Her wing carries her, without faltering at their obscurity, into the cloud and the mist, where not seldom do we fail to follow her, but are tempted, while we admire the honesty of her enthusiasm, to believe she utters what she herself has but dimly perceived. (George Bethune, The British Female Poets , 452)
The Impact of Simulation Display on Nuclear Power Plant Task Error Frequencies

This research investigated the impact physical fidelity has on error frequencies when operating a simulated nuclear power plant (NPP) main control room (MCR). The simulated environment used in this study uses dual 24″ monitors and a mouse as its interface, which represents the interface of digital power plants planned to come online. The simulator models an NPP MCR using scroll/pan/zoom (SPZ) to navigate Instrumentation and Control (I&C) panels housed along MCR walls. However, touchscreens can be used to display entire I&C panels, which represents the legacy plants in use today and requires participants to stand to operate in the MCR. A between-subjects experiment was conducted to evaluate desktop and touchscreen interfaces for their impact on response times and error rates when performing reactor operator (RO) tasks. While increased physical fidelity through larger field of view did help reduce response times, using touch induced more miss touch errors than the mouse.
The Food Movement: Growing White Privilege, Diversity, or Empowerment?

Food systems work is both a stimulus to the growth of the food movement and a response to the concerns of the activists who lead and participate in that movement. In the United States and many other nations, the development of a vocal, articulate, and passionate group of people who are critical of food systems work has led to many changes. However, the food movement lacks diversity representative of the communities in which food systems work takes place. People of color, the poor, and many ethnic and religious minorities remain almost invisible in the food movement. A diversity model approach to food systems work would suggest that the food movement should include people of diverse backgrounds and characteristics, reflect the needs and interests of a diverse society, and respect everyone's food choices and values in determining solutions and creating alternatives to the current food system. Instead, the food movement most often reflects white, middle class interests, and ignores or even rejects the interests and cultural histories of diverse populations when establishing what constitutes "good food." We call for an empowerment model that instead embraces diversity and respects the variability in food choices and values within our society. We argue this model will liberate both the underrepresented and underserved and the elite and that the result will be more equitable and lasting solutions to complex social problems in the food system.
Rectal and Colon Cancer: Background and Clinical Evidence

The abstract is published online only. If you did not include a short abstract for the online version when you submitted the manuscript, the first paragraph or the first 10 lines of the chapter will be displayed here. If possible, please provide us with an informative abstract.
NPY1 Receptor Agonist Modulates Development of Depressive-Like Behavior and Gene Expression in Hypothalamus in SPS Rodent PTSD Model.

Delivery of neuropeptide Y (NPY) to the brain by intranasal infusion soon after traumatic stress has shown therapeutic potential, and prevented development of many behavioral and neuroendocrine impairments in the single prolonged stress (SPS) animal model of PTSD. Therefore, we examined whether the Y1R preferring agonist [Leu31Pro34]NPY is sufficient to prevent development of SPS induced depressive-like behavioral changes, and hypothalamic gene expression as obtained with intranasal NPY intervention. Male Sprague-Dawely rats were given intranasal infusion of either NPY (150 μg/rat), a low (68 μg /rat), or high (132 μg/rat) dose of [Leu31Pro34]NPY or vehicle immediately following the last SPS stressor, left undisturbed for 1 week and then tested for depressive-like behavior together with naive unstressed controls. Vehicle treated animals had elevated immobility forced swim test (FST) and reduced sucrose preference, which were not observed in animals given NPY or the higher dose of [Leu31Pro34]NPY. This dose of [Leu31Pro34]NPY, like NPY, also prevented the SPS-elicited induction of CRF mRNA in the mediobasal hypothalamus. However, [Leu31Pro34]NPY did not prevent, but rather enhanced, the SPS-triggered induction of GR and FKBP5 mRNA levels in the mediobasal hypothalamus. Thus, [Leu31Pro34]NPY may be as effective as NPY and displays therapeutic potential for preventing development of depressive-like behaviors and dysregulation of the CRF/HPA system in PTSD. However, due to its different effects compared to NPY on GR and FKBP5 a broader agonist, such as NPY, may be more desirable.
BacToMars: Creative Engagement with Bio-Design for Children

We present BacToMars, an educational video game that engages elementary school children in a bio-design activity. We describe its design and implementation, and discuss design considerations for developing playful and developmentally-appropriate interactive activities, which enable children to grasp complex scientific concepts and apply bio-design to solve problems. We share results from preliminary evaluation, and describe next steps in our investigation.
How important are aquatic predators to mosquito larval populations in natural wetlands? A case study from Carolina bays in Georgia

Predation is believed to be an important natural control on larval mosquito populations. However, empirical evidence for predator impacts is lacking, especially from natural wetlands (swamps and marshes). Over a 2-year period, we sampled larval mosquito populations and naturally co-occurring predator assemblages (aquatic invertebrates, fishes) from ten depressional wetlands (Carolina bays) located on a wildlife management area in east central Georgia. We collected a diversity of mosquito larvae and predators (odonates, bugs, beetles, flies, and fishes) from the wetlands, with predator numbers substantially exceeding mosquito larval numbers. However, using a community ecology approach with multivariate ordination and correlation techniques, we found no compelling evidence that these predators were controlling mosquito larval distributions (i.e. significant negative statistical associations were not detected). Those mosquitoes that successfully breed in Carolina bay wetlands (Culiseta melanura, Coquillettidia perturbans, Anopheles crucians) appear well adapted to co-exist with a plethora of naturally occurring predators.
Building small firm performance through intellectual capital development: Exploring innovation as the “black box”

Abstract Innovation seems to be a fundamental requirement for the growth and sustainability of small businesses. While previous research revealed a strong correlation between intellectual capital and performance, the role of intellectual capital in facilitating the innovativeness and performance of a firm has not been thoroughly examined in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) context. This study examines the role of innovativeness in the intellectual capital and organizational performance relationship using a sample of small firms. The results of a survey conducted on 460 small business owners indicate a positive relationship between two components of intellectual capital, human capital and organizational capital, and organizational performance. Further analysis finds that innovativeness partially mediates the relationship between intellectual capital and organizational performance. Our findings indicate that efficiently and effectively organized firms can leverage well skilled and innovative employees to achieve the best performance through innovation.
Electronic Clinical Documentation

Abstract As clinical notes become increasingly and universally electronic, there are a series of key opportunities and challenges facing users and developers of this technology. An emerging series of “chief complaints” are being heard from clinicians using electronic records, both in terms of dissatisfaction with workflow and time entailed in entering their notes, as well as quality and usability issues with the notes being produced. We conceptualize eight goals for redesigned clinical notes. Because clinical notes are so closely tied with developing and documenting diagnostic assessments, we highlight important quality and safety goal and discuss current challenges and opportunities in reengineering documentation to improve diagnosis. We also discuss key emerging issues such as controversies surrounding copy/paste, alternative formats and methods for data entry (including scribes, speech recognition), problem-based charting, and issues related to opening notes up to patients.
Mapping the Plasticity of the Escherichia coli Genetic Code with Orthogonal Pair-Directed Sense Codon Reassignment.

The relative quantitative importance of the factors that determine the fidelity of translation is largely unknown, which makes predicting the extent to which the degeneracy of the genetic code can be broken challenging. Our strategy of using orthogonal tRNA/aminoacyl tRNA synthetase pairs to precisely direct the incorporation of a single amino acid in response to individual sense and nonsense codons provides a suite of related data with which to examine the plasticity of the code. Each directed sense codon reassignment measurement is an in vivo competition experiment between the introduced orthogonal translation machinery and the natural machinery in Escherichia coli. This report discusses 20 new, related genetic codes, in which a targeted E. coli wobble codon is reassigned to tyrosine utilizing the orthogonal tyrosine tRNA/aminoacyl tRNA synthetase pair from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. One at a time, reassignment of each targeted sense codon to tyrosine is quantified in cells by measuring the fluoresc...
Structurally characterized terminal manganese(iv) oxo tris(alkoxide) complex

A Mn(IV) complex featuring a terminal oxo ligand, [MnIV(O)(ditox)3][K(15-C-5)2] (3; ditox = tBu2MeCO−, 15-C-5 = 15-crown-5-ether) has been isolated and structurally characterized. Treatment of the colorless precursor [MnII(ditox)3][K(15-C-5)2] (2) with iodosobenzene affords 3 as a green free-flowing powder in high yields. The X-ray crystal structure of 3 reveals a pseudotetrahedral geometry about the central Mn, which features a terminal oxo (d(Mn–Oterm = 1.628(2) A)). EPR spectroscopy, SQUID magnetometry, and Evans method magnetic susceptibility indicate that 3 consists of a high-spin S = 3/2 Mn(IV) metal center. 3 promotes C–H bond activation by a hydrogen atom abstraction. The [MnIV(O)(ditox)3]− furnishes a model for the proposed terminal oxo of the unique manganese of the oxygen evolving complex of photosystem II.
Abstract 519: Inhibition of von Willebrand Factor Activity Does Not Delay Cutaneous Wound Healing

Introduction: Physiologically, von Willebrand Factor (VWF) recruits platelets to sites of injury by binding to exposed collagen and platelet GPIbα, particularly at sites of high shear. VWF is critical to hemostasis, since complete deficiency leads to bleeding as severe as hemophilia. Conversely, VWF plays a key role in arterial thrombosis, as in myocardial infarction and stroke. Despite being an attractive therapeutic target, no agents directed against VWF are currently available. Our group is testing an RNA aptamer that blocks VWF binding to GPIbα as an antithrombotic. We have previously shown that leukocyte influx and cutaneous healing are impaired in a mouse model of hemophilia. We have also found that wound healing is delayed in mice given target specific oral anticoagulants. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether inhibiting VWF would similarly impair wound healing. Methods: We used C57BL/6J mice administered vehicle or VWF aptamer. At the dose selected, aptamer prolonged the saphenous vein bleeding time for the expected 10 day healing period. Healing was assessed in a skin punch biopsy model. Wound size was measured daily, and following sacrifice the wound area harvested for histology. Inflammation (in the absence of tissue injury) was induced by topical application of cantharidin for 24 hours, followed by tissue harvesting. Results: The in vivo efficacy of the aptamer was verified, since bleeding remained prolonged to a level slightly less severe than hemophilia at the end of the experiment (10 days after wounding). There was no difference in time to healing between control and aptamer-treated mice, with all wounds healed at 10 days. There was also no statistically significant difference in wound size at any time. Cantharidin induced a similar level of cellular influx in treated and control mice. Aptamer-treated mice exhibited a slight amount of inflammation-induced hemorrhage, though not the gross hemorrhage observed in thrombocytopenic mice. Conclusion: Inhibition of VWF activity does not delay cutaneous wound closure, despite inducing a severe hemostatic defect. Compared to other antithrombotic strategies, an aptamer against VWF could avert some undesirable side effects on host defense and tissue repair.
The Design of the Center Core of a Spherical Tokamak

Recently, there have been several proposals to build low-aspect-ratio or spherical tokamaks with plasma currents in the range of 1 MA. These low-aspect-ratio tokamaks employ conventional engineering, except in the central core, which contains the central toroidal field conductors and an ohmic heating solenoid (if present). To achieve low aspect ratios, these components must be engineered to the limits of stress and thermal properties. Solutions are found for the steady-state cooling of the toroidal field conductors. The solenoid, which must be high performance to produce the flux swing required for a 1-MA plasma current, cannot be cooled steady state. The mathematics and procedures necessary to study these issues are given. 26 refs., 18 figs., 4 tabs.
Analysis of population genetic structure by DNA fingerprinting

DNA fingerprint similarity is now being used widely to make inferences about the genetic structure of natural and domesticated populations, often with little regard to the limitations of such data. This paper provides an overview of the statistical theory of DNA fingerprint analysis with special focus on applications to natural populations for which little if anything is known about the detailed genetics of the DNA profiles. Approaches to estimating individual and population homozygosity, effective population size, population subdivision, and relatedness are reviewed, and issues concerning the biases and sampling properties of the statistics are discussed.
Framing and Revisiting Ethical Policy with a Systems Perspective

Policy exists to guide and, if at all possible, to standardize decision-making and actionable outcomes that affect a community. After the policies are ready to be activated, the governance mechanisms act upon its political authority to place the rules into action. The whole of health policy breaks down the parts that may paralyze or inhibit optimal population health and support change and transformative mechanisms. Policymaking and governance are contained and constrained by politics. Politics can pull policies in directions that possess political benefit to the detriment of social benefits. Once a policy is in place, every policy leaves a path of the continuing effect on the public that it is proposed to benefit. There are elements that work within a policy that interact in both anticipated and in unforeseen ways. The public acts unpredictably in such a fashion that a policy ignoring social complexity in the development of the initial policy or in the retooling of existing policies has less possibility of success. If biases toward linear decision-making in policy need to be upended, the basic ideas underlying what constitutes a social “system” must first be grappled with. Policymakers must move beyond the ill-advised, singularly focused intervention that counters systemic realities. Quick policy pacifications silence critics over a short term but this narrow act is often at the expense of wrecking the system, thereby moving the policy farther from the chance for achievement.
PA 05-01-2466 A randomized controlled trial to evaluate the make safe happen app—a mobile technology-based safety behavior change intervention for increasing parents’ safety knowledge and actions

Background Many unintentional injuries that occur in the home can be prevented through the use of safety equipment and by following safety recommendations. Unfortunately, uptake of these safety behaviors in the U.S. is unacceptably low. Objective Evaluate the impact of and determine whether a mobile technology-based health behavior change intervention, the Make Safe Happen app, is effective in increasing 1) safety knowledge; 2) safety actions/behaviors; 3) safety device acquisition and use; and 4) behavioral intention (planning to take safety actions or acquire devices) for the prevention of unintentional home-related injuries, compared with no intervention. Methods Participants were parents of children aged 0–12 years recruited from an existing, nationally representative online survey panel. Eligible participants completed a pretest survey, were randomized to receive the Make Safe Happen app or a non-injury-related app, and then completed a follow-up 7–10 days later. Findings Safety knowledge score increased at a greater rate between the pretest and posttest, and was larger than that of the control group (p Conclusion Wide-reaching interventions, to reach parent and caregiver audiences and effectively reduce childhood injuries are needed. This study contributes to the evidence-base about how to increase safety knowledge and actions to prevent home-related injuries in children.
Mixed Transitions in the UV Photodissociation of Propargyl Chloride Revealed by Slice Imaging and Multireference Ab Initio Calculations

Resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) and DC slice imaging were used to detect photoproducts Cl (2P3/2), spin-orbit excited Cl* (2P1/2), and C3H3 in the photodissociation of propargyl chloride at 212 and 236 nm. Cl and Cl* translational energy distributions peak at high recoil energy, suggesting impulsive energy release in the C-Cl coordinate. Near 236 nm, photofragment angular distributions show rapidly changing anisotropy across the main peak for both Cl and Cl*, indicating excitations arising from in-plane or out-of-plane π systems. At 212 nm, the distribution is broader and isotropic for both Cl products. Ionization of C3H3 at 212 nm via 1 + 1 REMPI provides additional insight into these processes. A portion of the C3H3+ distribution is momentum-matched to the Cl, but in addition, there is a component assigned to cyclic C3H3+ formed from dissociative ionization of propargyl chloride. Multireference ab initio calculations show that excitations to three triplet states contribute at the long wavelength region, while predissociation from the first excited singlet state plays a role at the shorter wavelength.
Changing the Dynamics of Training by Predictive Modeling

Predictive models using Support Vector Machines or Decision Tree Classifiers can be used in evaluating and advising students for the selection/placement process in the most suitable programs compatible with students’ aptitude. However, after the selection or placement process, one can go one step further by using predictive models in monitoring and evaluating the performance of trainees (students) through Machine Learning and Complex Adaptive Systems. In light of the monitoring and evaluation data, trainers can give corrective action, which may be necessary to ensure the optimal results during the ongoing training process. In the corporate sector, organizations can use the same methodology for training and evaluating their employees to meet their organizational objectives in the most effective way.
Management of Hypercalcemia

Although the differential for hypercalcemia in the surgical patient is broad, a stepwise approach to the diagnosis and management will ensure adequate management of this common electrolyte abnormality. Hyperparathyroidism and malignancy account for 90% of hypercalcemic patients. Treatment is largely etiology specific and may be altered based on the presence or absence of associated symptoms.
Jonah and moral agency

This essay employs recent work in Psychology and Biblical Studies on moral selfhood in order to examine the portrayal of moral agency in Jonah. Viewed from this interpretive horizon, Jonah’s narrat...
Common Ownership and Antitrust: Eight Critical Points to Guide Antitrust Policy

This article presents eight critical points that can aid the ongoing and early development of antitrust policy relating to common ownership. These points touch on some of the most salient issues concerning the relationship between common ownership and competitive harm and have important implications on how regulators should craft antitrust policy as it relates to common ownership. The article’s eight points collectively show that rather than per se prohibitions, safe harbors, or wide-scale investigations, regulators should evaluate the competitive effects of common ownership on a case-by-case basis, just as they currently evaluate other potential sources of competitive harm.