cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efforts and opportunities to understand women's mortality due to suicide and homicide using the National Violent Death Reporting System

Women's mortality due to violent deaths is a public health issue that has received national attention. Many data systems only collect death certificate data, which provide very limited information about the circumstances surrounding a violent death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) is the first and only surveillance system to capture data from death certificates, coroner/medical examiner reports, and law enforcement reports allowing for a more comprehensive picture and targeted prevention efforts. The system currently operates in 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico; however, with additional funding from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, this surveillance system will fully expand to cover all 50 states. A number of analyses have been conducted using NVDRS data to compare suicide and homicide among women with men; however, only a handful of studies have been conducted among subgroups of women. The present study provides an overview of NVDRS while highlighting a few key analytic studies with implications for suicide and homicide prevention/intervention among women. Data from the 2014 NVDRS Surveillance Summary are also presented to emphasize the unique opportunity to use NVDRS data to study the characteristics of suicide and homicide among women. The summary includes data from 18 states that were collected statewide. This information can provide state and local public health experts with essential data on female suicide and homicide, not provided in other surveillance systems, to help shape prevention and intervention efforts.
Acute Kidney Injury in Critically Ill Patients After Noncardiac Major Surgery: Early Versus Late Onset.

Objectives Acute kidney injury is a common complication of major surgery. However, acute kidney injury occurring within the first 48 hours after surgery (early acute kidney injury) and therefore likely related to the surgery itself is possibly different from acute kidney injury occurring after 48 hours (late acute kidney injury). The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology and identify differences in risk factors and outcomes between early and late acute kidney injury following major surgery. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Academic Medical Center. Patients Patients admitted to ICU following noncardiac major surgery. Interventions None. Measurements and main results We analyzed data from 3,499 patients and defined acute kidney injury according to full Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes criteria and classified as early (48 hr or less) or late (> 48 hr to 7 d) based on time from surgery. Separate multivariable logistic regression models were fit to identify risk factors of early acute kidney injury compared with no acute kidney injury and risk factors of late acute kidney injury compared with no acute kidney injury. Overall 41.7% (1,459/3,499) developed early acute kidney injury versus 14.4% (504/3,499) late acute kidney injury. Most acute kidney injury occurred within 48 hours following surgery and 12 hours was the peak interval. Risk factors for early acute kidney injury included increased age, body mass index, decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate, and anemia, whereas late acute kidney injury cases were closely associated with postoperative factors, like sepsis, mechanical ventilation, positive fluid balance, blood transfusions and exposure to diuretics, vasopressors, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. After adjusting for age, body mass index, estimated glomerular filtration rate, comorbidities, surgery type, both early acute kidney injury (odds ratio [95% CI], 1.84 [1.50-2.27]) and late acute kidney injury (odds ratio [95% CI], 1.42 [1.09-1.85]) were associated with higher 1-year mortality compared with patients without acute kidney injury. We found similar results in a validation cohort of 10,723 patients admitted between 2008 and 2014. Conclusions Most surgery-related acute kidney injury occurred within 48 hours of surgery. Acute kidney injury occurring within the first 48 hours was associated with underlying health, whereas acute kidney injury occurring after 48 hours was related to postoperative complications or drugs. Design of clinical and experimental interventions for acute kidney injury in this population should consider these differences.
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Urinary Conditions in Men: A Classical Twin Study

Abstract Objective To evaluate the genetic and environmental relationship among prostatitis and other urological conditions, including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (CaP), a classical twin design and biometric modeling was used. While prostatitis—characterized by pain and voiding symptoms, no clear etiology, and functional and quality of life impairments—co-occurs with other urinary conditions, the degree of shared overlapping etiologic processes among them remains unclear. We examined the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to these conditions and the etiology of their associations at the level of genetic and environmental influences. Methods 4380 monozygotic and dizygotic male twin pairs from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry reported lifetime physician-diagnosed prostatitis (combined acute and chronic), bladder problems, enlarged prostate/BPH, and CaP. Multivariate biometrical modeling estimated the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences for each condition, as well as their genetic and environmental covariance. The common pathway model tested the assumption that covariation among these urinary conditions is determined by a single latent factor. Results Overall prevalence of prostatitis was 2.7%. Heritability estimates ranged from 19% for bladder problems to 42% for CaP. Significant shared environmental influences were present for CaP (12%), enlarged prostate/BPH (10%) but were smaller than genetic influences. A reduced one factor common pathway model provided the best fit, suggesting that covariation among the conditions is determined by a shared latent factor. Conclusion We identified a common, genetically-influenced factor that accounts for much of the comorbidity among these 4 disease conditions. Nonshared environmental factors also make a significant contribution.
Making Memes Accessible

Images on social media platforms are inaccessible to people with vision impairments due to a lack of descriptions that can be read by screen readers. Providing accurate alternative text for all visual content on social media is not yet feasible, but certain subsets of images, such as internet memes, offer affordances for automatic or semi-automatic generation of alternative text. We present two methods for making memes accessible semi-automatically through (1) the generation of rich alternative text descriptions and (2) the creation of audio macro memes. Meme authors create alternative text templates or audio meme templates, and insert placeholders instead of the meme text. When a meme with the same image is encountered again, it is automatically recognized from a database of meme templates. Text is then extracted and either inserted into the alternative text template or rendered in the audio template using text-to-speech. In our evaluation of meme formats with 10 Twitter users with vision impairments, we found that most users preferred alternative text memes because the description of the visual content conveys the emotional tone of the character. As the preexisting templates can be automatically matched to memes using the same visual image, this combined approach can make a large subset of images on the web accessible, while preserving the emotion and tone inherent in the image memes.
PROPOSALS FOR CHILD HEALTH CARE

In contrast to the prevailing tenor of less than a decade ago, few voices can be heard today reassuring the public or the professional that the American "health care system" is itself in good health. Having dealt with the aged through Medicare, the national spotlight now focuses on children who form the other major segment of our "poverty population." Analyses and complaints, proposals and programs flow forth at an accelerating pace. Two types of programs are discussed in the current issues of Pediatrics-one as a proposal presented to the American Academy of Pediatrics last fall, and the other as a report of work in progress.
The Impact of Ultraviolet- And Infrared-Based Laser Microdissection Technology on Phosphoprotein Detection in the Laser Microdissection-Reverse Phase Protein Array Workflow

Reversible protein phosphorylation represents a key mechanism by which signals are transduced in eukaryotic cells. Dysregulated phosphorylation is also a hallmark of carcinogenesis and represents key drug targets in the precision medicine space. Thus, methods that preserve phosphoprotein integrity in the context of clinical tissue analyses are crucially important in cancer research. Here we investigated the impact of UV laser microdissection (UV LMD) and IR laser capture microdissection (IR LCM) on phosphoprotein abundance of key cancer signaling protein targets assessed by reverse-phase protein microarray (RPPA). Tumor epithelial cells from consecutive thin sections obtained from four high-grade serous ovarian cancers were harvested using either UV LMD or IR LCM methods. Phosphoprotein abundances for ten phosphoproteins that represent important drug targets were assessed by RPPA and revealed no significant differences in phosphoprotein integrity from those obtained using higher-energy UV versus the lower-energy IR laser methods.
Case Salience and Media Coverage of Supreme Court Decisions: Toward a New Measure

Judicial behavior is contingent on case salience. Unfortunately, existing measures of case salience have met with some skepticism. After discussing the characteristics of an ideal measure of salien...
Interlaced two-photon volumetric scanning for measurement of capillary network dynamics

We combined a home-built two photon microscope with a Bessel focus capable of volumetric imaging with a custom scan pattern that allowed us to generate image pairs with a time delay of ~12 ms. This approach allows us to track red blood cell (RBC) flow along individual capillaries and therefore calculate RBC speed. We demonstrate the ability to measure flow speeds in capillaries across a 475x475x150 µm volume which will enable us to monitor network wide changes in capillary flow.
Evaluating the Financial Sustainability of the School-Based Telemedicine Asthma Management Program

Using telemedicine to improve asthma management in underserved communities has been shown to be highly effective. However, program operating costs are perceived as the main barrier to dissemination...
"So we would all help pitch in:" The family literacy practices of low-income African American mothers of preschoolers.

Abstract The development of emergent literacy skills are important for the development of later literacy competencies and affect school readiness. Quantitative researchers document race- and social class-based disparities in emergent literacy competence between low-income African American and middle-income White children. Some researchers suggest that deficits in parenting practices account for limited literacy skills among low-income African American children. A small body of qualitative research on low-income African American families finds that despite economic challenges, some African American families were actively engaged in promoting child literacy development. Using qualitative interviews that emphasize family strengths, we add to this small body of research to highlight positive family practices obscured in many quantitative analyses that concentrate on family shortcomings. Specifically, we examine in-home literacy practices and child literacy development with a sample of low-income African American mothers (families) of preschoolers. Key findings include identification of various literacy activities promoting child literacy development and inclusion of multiple family members assisting in literacy activities. These findings add to substantive discussions of emergent literacy and resilience. Insights from the qualitative interviews also provide culturally-sensitive recommendations to childhood educators and speech-language pathologists (SLP) who work with low-income African American families and children. Learning outcomes: Reader should recognize that (1) there is not a ‘right’ phenotype and therefore not a right form of environmental input and (2) that context matters (at both the level of the cell and the individual organism).
Analytical Aspects of Small Format Surveys using Oblique Aerial Photographs

AbstractAppropriate analytical techniques to make use of small format oblique photographs for photogrammetry are outlined, including several transformation methods and associated problems relating to the inclusion of reseau measurements. Various options are compared by applying the techniques to a series of hand-held, small format oblique aerial photographs.The accuracies of derived coordinates are examined and show that the small format camera can be considered to be of photogrammetric importance. Some of the transformation methods associated with the use of reseau photography to correct for image deformation are outlined and compared in terms of their ability to model specific problems associated with semi-metric photography.
Modeling Firmware as Service Functions and Its Application to Test Generation

The term firmware refers to software that is tied to a specific hardware platform, e.g., low-level drivers that physically interface with the peripherals. More recently, this has grown to include software that manages critical hardware platform functions such as power management. This growing firmware needs to be shipped with the hardware and shares many of the same critical design concerns as the hardware. The two that we address in this paper are: co-design with the other system components, and validation of the firmware interactions with the connected hardware modules. To this end we introduce a specific Service-Function Transaction-Level Model (TLM) for modeling the firmware and interacting hardware components. A service function provides a service in response to a specific trigger, much like an interrupt-service routine responding to an interrupt. While TLM has been used in the past for HW-SW codesign, we show how the particular structure of the proposed service function based model is useful in the context of firmware design. Specifically, we show its application in automatic test generation. Recently concolic testing has emerged as an automated technique for test generation for single-threaded software. This technique cannot be used directly for firmware, which, by definition, runs in parallel with the interacting hardware modules. We show how the service function model proposed here can be used to analyze these interactions and how single-threaded concolic testing can still be used for an important class of these interaction patterns. The model and the test generation are illustrated through a non-trivial case study of the open-source Rockbox MP3 player.
Addressing negative affect in substance use relapse prevention

ABSTRACTThis review includes 15 studies, evaluating evidence of the effectiveness of interventions addressing negative affect in substance use relapse prevention. A unitary construct of “negative affect” was inadequate for reconciling conflicting findings. Instead, affect variables were divided by temporal range, model of affect, and discreteness of measurement. Results strongly support (1) cognitive behavioral therapy’s effectiveness for changing tonic affect and (2) mindfulness interventions effectively changing both tonic and phasic affect. Evidence also supports mindfulness weakening the relationship between affect and substance use outcomes. Recommendations for future research are made.
Human Carbonic Anhydrase B LOCATION OF TYROSINE RESIDUES THAT REACT WITH TETRANITROMETHANE

Abstract As shown previously by J. A. Verpoorte and C. Lindblow (J. Biol. Chem., 243, 5993 (1968)) 3 of the 8 tyrosine residues in human carbonic anhydrase B can be nitrated with tetranitromethane. The present studies involve separation of tryptic peptides from the nitrated protein, with sequence determinations to locate the positions of the nitrated residues in the total sequence of the protein. The most rapidly nitrated residue is at position 20 from the amino-terminal end; another that reacts more slowly is in the region of still undetermined total sequence (residues 92 to 152 inclusive) and a third, at position 88, reacts still more slowly. No evidence was found for reactivity of the 5 other tyrosine residues, two of which are at positions 7 and 51, one is in the undetermined region, and two are in the carboxy-terminal half of the molecule. Great difficulty was initially found in separating the peptides containing nitrated tyrosine residues from other peptides in the tryptic hydrolysate. This difficulty, probably due primarily to aggregation, was overcome by adding sodium dodecyl sulfate before fractionations of the peptides on Sephadex G-50 and then on G-25. Subsequent chromatography removed the detergent and effected final purification. The procedure may prove useful in other cases where separation of peptides is difficult.
An Update on Occupational Vibration and Worker's Health

The present paper provides an update on the different health effects associated with exposure to vibrational environment. Information concerning diagnosis and treatment of vibration diseases are also provided in the paper.
A New Characterization of BPP

The complexity class BPP contains languages that can be solved in polynomial time with bounded error probability. It is shown that a language L is in BPP iff (x∈L ↔ ∃my ∀z P(x,y,z)) and (x∉L ↔ ∀y ∃mz⌍P(x,y,z)) for a polynomial time predicate P and for |y|, |z| ≦ poly(|x|). The formula ∃myP(y) with the random quantifier ∃m means that the probability Pr({y| P(y)}) <1/2 + ɛ for a fixed ɛ. Note that the weaker conditions ∃ y ∀zP(x,y,z) and ∀ y ∃ z⌍P(x,y,z) are complementary and thus decide whether x∈L. Some of the consequences of the characterization of BPP are that various probabilistic polynomial time hierarchies collapse as well as that probabilistic oracles do not add anything to the computing power of classes as low as Σ 2 P . For example, Σ 2 P, BPP = Σ 2 P , where Σ 2 P, BPP is the class σ 2 P relativized to BPP.
Operative release of complete ankylosis of the elbow due to heterotopic bone in patients without severe injury of the central nervous system.

Background: Although uncommon, complete ankylosis of the elbow secondary to heterotopic ossification results in severe disability. The results of surgical management remain unclear. Methods: A single surgeon used a consistent operative technique to treat complete osseous ankylosis of the elbow in eleven limbs in seven patients after severe burns and in nine elbows in eight patients after trauma. The elbows in the burn cohort were more often ankylosed in extension (average, 47° of flexion) compared with those in the trauma cohort (66° of flexion), and they had more skin problems (three elbows required a free microvascular muscle transfer for coverage) and associated problems of the shoulder, wrist, and hand. Results: Four patients in the burn cohort and three patients in the trauma cohort failed to regain at least 80° of ulnohumeral motion. After a repeat release in three burn patients and three trauma patients, and at an average follow-up of forty months, the average arc of ulnohumeral motion was 81° in the burn cohort and 94° in the trauma cohort. Six of the eleven limbs in the burn cohort and five of the nine in the trauma cohort had a good result. The average score according to the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons elbow assessment form was 72 points for the burn cohort and 76 points for the trauma cohort. Conclusions: Osseous ankylosis of the elbow is a severely disabling problem, and attempts to regain mobility are both worthwhile and safe. The results are comparable when the ankylosis is caused by burns or trauma despite the greater complexity of osseous ankylosis in the burned arm. Patients and surgeons should be aware of the small risk of recurrent heterotopic ossification and the moderate risk of pain or recurrent contracture after operative release. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic study, Level IV (case series [no, or historical, control group]). See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Analysis of vancomycin population susceptibility profiles, killing activity, and postantibiotic effect against vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains with decreased vancomycin susceptibility have been isolated from patients in the United States and Japan. The impact of decreased vancomycin susceptibility on the drug's pharmacodynamic parameters has not been addressed. We studied the activity of vancomycin against three clinical strains of vancomycin intermediate-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) under high- and low-inoculum conditions, with stationary- and logarithmic-growth-phase kill curves, and in postantibiotic effect (PAE) experiments. We also investigated the stability of the decreased vancomycin susceptibility by using population susceptibility profiles. The respective vancomycin microdilution MICs and MBCs for VISA strains HIP5836, 14379, and Mu50 were 8 and 8, 8 and 8, and 8 and 16 microg/ml. HIP5836 had the most homogeneous elevation of vancomycin MICs, because the MIC for nearly all bacteria in the inoculum was 8 microg/ml. The population MICs (defined as the lowest vancomycin concentration inhibiting 99. 9% of growth) for the first serial passages of HIP5836, Mu50, and 14379 were 8, 4, and 2 microg/ml, respectively. After 10 passages, they decreased to 4, 2, and 1 microg/ml, respectively. The Mu50 population MIC increased to 12 microg/ml after five serial passages on vancomycin agar. In the low- and high-inoculum kill curves, time to 99.9% killing was significantly (P < 0.05) longer for both Mu50 and HIP5836 than that for 14379 and a control strain. However, colony counts at 24 h were similar to those of the vancomycin-sensitive strain for all VISA strains. The PAE (at 4x MIC) ranged from 1.3 h for 14379 to 2.0 h for HIP5836 and was similar to or greater than the PAE against the vancomycin-sensitive strain. In conclusion, we found that the decreased vancomycin susceptibility increased during persistent exposures to the drug and decreased upon removal of the selective pressure. The decreased vancomycin susceptibility decreased the rate of vancomycin killing, but did not affect the extent of killing or the PAE.
The Role of Socioeconomic Status and School Quality in the Philippines: Revisiting the Heyneman-Loxley Effect.

Abstract In 1983, Heyneman and Loxley stated that in low income countries, school-level factors could account for a greater proportion of variance in student achievement as compared to student-level characteristics. The phenomenon has come to be known as the “HL effect” and signaled the important role of schools in developing countries. This study investigated the presence of the HL effect using a longitudinal sample of 1790 11.5-year-old students from 60 schools in a developing country, the Philippines. The main variables of interest were related to socioeconomic status and proxy measures of school quality. The correlates of achievement were explored using two-level multilevel modeling, while controlling for students’ prior ability. While findings did not support the presence of the HL effect in the sample, with schools accounting for only 3–5% of overall conditional variance, schools were found to be important in the production of higher achievement scores.
The Effects of Free Sample Promotions on Incremental Brand Sales

The authors present a model of free sample effects and evidence from two field experiments on free samples. The model incorporates three potential effects of free samples on sales: (1) an acceleration effect, whereby consumers begin repeat purchasing of the sampled brand earlier than they otherwise would; (2) a cannibalization effect, which reduces the number of paid trial purchases of the brand; and (3) an expansion effect, which induces purchasing by consumers who would not consider buying the brand without a free sample. The empirical findings suggest that, unlike other consumer promotions such as coupons, free samples can produce measurable long-term effects on sales that can be observed as much as 12 months after the promotion. The data also show that the effectiveness of free sample promotions can vary widely, even between brands in the same product category.Application of the model to the data from the two experiments reveals that the magnitude of acceleration, cannibalization, and expansion effects varies substantially across the two free sample promotions. These and other findings suggest that the model can be a useful tool for obtaining insights into the nature of free sample promotions.
Depressive Symptoms Among MSM Who Engage in Bareback Sex: Does Mood Matter?

Much research has examined the relationship between depressive symptoms and unprotected sex among men who have sex with men (MSM), but little is known about how depression is related to the sexual behavior of men who intentionally engage in unprotected anal intercourse, or bareback sex. In this study, we explored the extent to which depressive symptoms were associated with rates of unprotected sex among barebackers, and whether this relationship was dependent upon HIV serostatus. Using a sample of 120 MSM who engage in intentional condomless sex, we found that for HIV-negative participants, depressive symptoms were associated with the overall frequency of unprotected anal intercourse as well as unprotected anal intercourse with a serodiscordant partner. For HIV-positive participants, depressive symptoms were not associated unprotected intercourse. Additional research is needed to better understand depression among men who bareback and how interventions could be designed to address depression and reduce sexual risk behaviors.
L-arginine supplementation in sepsis: beneficial or harmful?

Purpose of review Recent results are reviewed on the effects of L-arginine supplements in excess of standard nutritional practices during severe sepsis and septic shock. Recent findings Septic shock has been alternatively viewed as an L-arginine-deficient state or as a syndrome caused by excess nitric oxide, a vasoactive product of L-arginine metabolism. L-Arginine has many physiologic and pharmacologic effects that indicate its potential to affect survival in septic patients. Animal studies have documented immunologic effects of L-arginine and of commercial ‘immune-enhancing’ diets. However, survival studies in small animals have not consistently favored L-arginine. L-Arginine monotherapy in a canine model of septic shock found significant harm at infusion rates of less than twice that administered in standard formulations of total parenteral nutrition. Meanwhile, clinical studies have suffered from lack of statistical power, patient heterogeneity, randomization failures, and use of complex nutritional formulas. Meta-analyses have noted heterogeneity between the effects of immune-enhancing diets in surgical versus medical patients and mixed critically ill populations that include subjects with sepsis, indicating that these results may not be reliably pooled. Summary To date, published evidence has not established the safety and efficacy of L-arginine at doses above standard dietary practices in severe sepsis or septic shock.
Boundary conditions and linear analysis of finite-cell Rayleigh–Bénard convection

The linear stability of finite-cell pure-fluid Rayleigh–Benard convection subject to any homogeneous viscous and/or thermal boundary conditions is investigated via a variational formalism and a perturbative approach. Some general properties of the critical Rayleigh number with respect to change of boundary conditions or system size are derived. It is shown that the chemical reaction–diffusion model of spatial-pattern-forming systems in developmental biology can be thought of as a special case of the convection problem. We also prove that, as a result of the imposed realistic boundary conditions, the nodal surfaces of the temperature of a nonlinear stationary state have a tendency to be parallel or orthogonal to the sidewalls, because the full fluid equations become linear close to the boundary, thus suggesting similar trend for the experimentally observed convective rolls.
Cochlear Damage Affects Neurotransmitter Chemistry in the Central Auditory System

Tinnitus, the perception of a monotonous sound not actually present in the environment, affects nearly 20% of the population of the United States. Although there has been great progress in tinnitus research over the past 25 years, the neurochemical basis of tinnitus is still poorly understood. We review current research about the effects of various types of cochlear damage on the neurotransmitter chemistry in the central auditory system and document evidence that different changes in this chemistry can underlie similar behaviorally measured tinnitus symptoms. Most available data have been obtained from rodents following cochlear damage produced by cochlear ablation, loud sound, or ototoxic drugs. Effects on neurotransmitter systems have been measured as changes in neurotransmitter level, synthesis, release, uptake, and receptors. In this review, magnitudes of changes are presented for neurotransmitter-related amino acids, acetylcholine, and serotonin. A variety of effects have been found in these studies that may be related to animal model, survival time, type of cochlear damage, or methodology. The overall impression from the evidence presented is that any imbalance of neurotransmitter-related chemistry could disrupt auditory processing in such a way as to produce tinnitus.
Distribution of Diatoms Along Environmental Gradients in the Charlotte Harbor, Florida (USA), Estuary and Its Watershed: Implications for Bioassessment of Salinity and Nutrient Concentrations

The relative abundance of diatom species in different habitats can be used as a tool to infer prior environmental conditions and evaluate management decisions that influence habitat quality. Diatom distribution patterns were examined to characterize relationships between assemblage composition and environmental gradients in a subtropical estuarine watershed. We identified environmental correlates of diatom distribution patterns across the Charlotte Harbor, Florida, watershed; evaluated differences among three major river drainages; and determined how accurately local environmental conditions can be predicted using inference models based on diatom assemblages. Sampling locations ranged from freshwater to marine (0.1–37.2 ppt salinity) and spanned broad nutrient concentration gradients. Salinity was the predominant driver of difference among diatom assemblages across the watershed, but other environmental variables had stronger correlations with assemblages within the subregions of the three rivers and harbor. Eighteen indicator taxa were significantly affiliated with subregions. Relationships between diatom taxon distributions and salinity, distance from the harbor, total phosphorus (TP), and total nitrogen (TN) were evaluated to determine the utility of diatom assemblages to predict environmental values using a weighted averaging-regression approach. Diatom-based inferences of these variables were strong (salinity R2 = 0.96; distance R2 = 0.93; TN R2 = 0.83; TP R2 = 0.83). Diatom assemblages provide reliable estimates of environmental parameters on different spatial scales across the watershed. Because many coastal diatom taxa are ubiquitous, the diatom training sets provided here should enable diatom-based environmental reconstructions in subtropical estuaries that are being rapidly altered by land and water use changes and sea level rise.
Spray-chilling and carcass decontamination systems using lactic and acetic acid.

After slaughter, beef carcasses (n = 20) in groups of two were subjected to five treatments (one side only) including intermittent spray-chilling using water, 1% acetic acid or 1% lactic acid, or a single spray treatment with 1% acetic acid or 1% lactic acid. Intermittent spray-chilling consisted of two sprays of 30 s duration per hour for 12h. Single spray treatment consisted of one 30 s spray after entering the chill cooler. The other side of each carcass (control) was air chilled (at 2 to 3°C; air velocity 1 to 3 m/s) only. Five subprimal cuts were taken from each side at 48 h post mortem, vacuum packaged and stored for 28 days at 2°C. Intermittent sprays of sides with acetic or lactic acid resulted in significant (1.8-4.3 log/cm(2)) reductions in aerobic plate count of the strip loin, boneless rib and clod over their controls after these subprimal cuts had been vacuum packaged and stored for 28 days at 2°C in high-oxygen barrier (HOB) film. Lactobacillus spp. were dominant in the microflora of the subprimals from the control and treated sides. When sides were treated with a single sprays of acid, significant reductions in APC were noted only for some cuts of sides treated with lactic acid. After 28 days of storage, there were few significant differences in percentage purge, lean color, and off-odor scores between subprimals from control and treated sides.
A three dimensional view and research agenda for the study of transfer of skills gained from formal end-user software training

Software training research indicates that some end-users do not subsequently transfer learned skills to their jobs. Yet, money, time and effort continue to be invested in formal software training. The three dimensional view presented in this article demonstrates that although the reasons for non-transfer are sometimes caused by trainee characteristics, software features, training approaches, the social context of work, and by the interaction between the four, training research generally focuses only on trainee characteristics and training approaches. We identify goal matching as a method that can ensure that trainees are getting what they need from the training process. Using goal matching and more directed training sessions should enhance the ability of software trainers to account for more transfer of learning to the work place.We propose a research program that can be used to explore the parameters of goal matching with respect to software training. We describe in detail a critical study in this program, and also discuss the need for replications such as an embedded multiple unit study that goes beyond the individual and includes the work group, department, or entire organization as the unit of analysis. We conclude that the replication of our proposed research design in different software training settings, organizations and work contexts hold a promise for improving software training design, and bringing a compatible solution to all the stakeholders of software training.
Bruker SMART X2S Benchtop System:: A Means To Making X-ray Crystallography More Mainstream in the Undergraduate Laboratory

Bruker SMART X2S is a portable benchtop diffractometer that requires only a 110 V outlet to operate. The instrument operation is intuitive and facile with an automation layer governing the workflow from behind the scenes. The user participation is minimal. At the end of an experiment, the instrument attempts to solve the structure automatically; however, the user can process the data manually if desired. On the basis of our examination of 19 samples, the Bruker SMART X2S yields publishable quality data and is ideally suited for undergraduate laboratories because of the ease of use and low maintenance.
LEE, KUNSHAN C., HSIN–HSIN LIANG, LIWEI JIAO, & JULIAN K. WHEATLEY. The Routledge Advanced Chinese Multimedia Course: Crossing Cultural Boundaries. New York: Routledge, 2010. Pp. xiv, 367. $62.95, paper. ISBN 978–0–41577–407–9.

The article reviews the book "The Routledge Advanced Chinese Multimedia Course: Crossing Cultural Boundaries," by Kumshan C. Lee, Hsin-Hsin Liang, Liwei Jiao, and Julian K. Wheatley.
Eavesdropping on plant volatiles by a specialist moth: significance of ratio and concentration.

We investigated the role that the ratio and concentration of ubiquitous plant volatiles play in providing host specificity for the diet specialist grape berry moth Paralobesia viteana (Clemens) in the process of locating its primary host plant Vitis sp. In the first flight tunnel experiment, using a previously identified attractive blend with seven common but essential components (“optimized blend”), we found that doubling the amount of six compounds singly [(E)- & (Z)-linalool oxides, nonanal, decanal, β-caryophyllene, or germacrene-D], while keeping the concentration of other compounds constant, significantly reduced female attraction (average 76% full and 59% partial upwind flight reduction) to the synthetic blends. However, doubling (E)-4,8-dimethyl 1,3,7-nonatriene had no effect on female response. In the second experiment, we manipulated the volatile profile more naturally by exposing clonal grapevines to Japanese beetle feeding. In the flight tunnel, foliar damage significantly reduced female landing on grape shoots by 72% and full upwind flight by 24%. The reduction was associated with two changes: (1) more than a two-fold increase in total amount of the seven essential volatile compounds, and (2) changes in their relative ratios. Compared to the optimized blend, synthetic blends mimicking the volatile ratio emitted by damaged grapevines resulted in an average of 87% and 32% reduction in full and partial upwind orientation, respectively, and the level of reduction was similar at both high and low doses. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the specificity of a ubiquitous volatile blend is determined, in part, by the ratio of key volatile compounds for this diet specialist. However, P. viteana was also able to accommodate significant variation in the ratio of some compounds as well as the concentration of the overall mixture. Such plasticity may be critical for phytophagous insects to successfully eavesdrop on variable host plant volatile signals.
Ab initio potentials for states of XeI, XeI - and XeI +

Abstract Results from high-level quantum chemical computations (coupled clusters [CCSD(T)] and multireference average coupled-pair functional [MR-ACPF], using relativistic effective core potential [ECP] basis sets) are presented for XeI, XeI− and XeI+. Comparison is made with published determinations of bond length, dissociation energy and vibrational parameters from atomic scattering, fluorescence, zero electron kinetic energy photoelectron spectroscopy experiments, and previous calculation. For the neutral molecule, MR-ACPF, including spin–orbit coupling, provides results for all six valence states. Overall, good agreement between calculated and experimental results is observed. Further, predictions for the harmonic vibrational frequency and anharmonicity of XeI+, a species which has not yet been observed in experiment, are given for the first time.
Abstract 2258: Cadmium induces autophagy through ROS-dependent activation of the LKB1-AMPK signaling in skin epidermal cells

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal which is environmentally and occupationally relevant. The mechanisms underlying cadmium-induced autophagy are not yet completely understood. The present study shows that cadmium induces autophagy, as demonstrated by the increase of LC3-II formation and the GFP-LC3 puncta cells. The induction of autophagosomes was directly visualized by electron microscopy in cadmium-exposed skin epidermal cells. Blockage of LKB1 or AMPK by siRNA transfection suppressed cadmium-induced autophagy. Cadmium-induced autophagy was inhibited in dominant-negative AMPK-transfected cells, whereas it was accelerated in cells transfected with the constitutively active form of AMPK. mTOR signaling, a negative regulator of autophagy, was downregulated in cadmium-exposed cells. In addition, cadmium generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) at relatively low levels, and caused poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP) activation and ATP depletion. Inhibition of PARP by pharmacological inhibitors or its siRNA transfection suppressed ATP reduction and autophagy in cadmium-exposed cells. Furthermore, cadmium-induced autophagy signaling was attenuated by either exogenous addition of catalase and superoxide dismutase, or by overexpression of these enzymes. Consequently, these results suggest that cadmium-mediated ROS generation causes PARP activation and energy depletion, and eventually induces autophagy through the activation of LKB1-AMPK signaling and the down-regulation of mTOR in skin epidermal cells. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2258. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2258
Issues in Revascularization of the Ischemic Foot and Ankle War Injury

The battlefield has provided a multitude of advancements in the management of hemorrhage and vascular repair. Basic understanding of the anatomy and exposures of lower extremity injuries is essential to any surgeon caring for these patients. The techniques of repair and potential adjunctive measures (eg, shunts) available should always be considered when approaching a vascular injury. The most important concept from a vascular standpoint is the fact that a multidisciplinary approach to these complex patients is required with maximal tissue preservation when feasible and safe.
Externalities among creditors and personal bankruptcy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of creditors' undervaluing the total expected cost of a borrower's bankruptcy filing because a portion of the cost will be borne by other lenders. Creditors who bear a smaller portion of the total cost of a personal bankruptcy would be expected to take less care to avoid triggering one. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents a theoretical model of a creditor's decision of how aggressively to pursue collection. The model shows that because each lender's collection actions increase the probability of bankruptcy, each lender will collect more aggressively when a borrower has many loans. The paper tests the predictions of the model using a large dataset of credit card accounts. Findings – The model highlights an important testable result: holding the level of debt constant, a borrower with many loans is more likely to choose formal bankruptcy and less likely to choose informal bankruptcy, i.e. chronic non-repayment absent a bankruptcy fil...
REGIONALISM IN ELECTION DISTRICT JURISPRUDENCE

(1996). REGIONALISM IN ELECTION DISTRICT JURISPRUDENCE. Urban Geography: Vol. 17, No. 7, pp. 572-578.
Safety on the streets: cohort changes in fear

Using data from two national surveys, cohort changes in fear for one's safety on the streets are examined over an eleven year period. Fear of walking alone at night has increased among all cohorts, but the greatest increases have taken place among the older cohorts. These results are consistent with interpretations that stress characteristics of the aging process to account for the elderly's greater fear of vulnerability to criminal victimization. Language: en
Structure and function of the selectin ligand PSGL-1

P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) is a dimeric mucin-like 120-kDa glycoprotein on leukocyte surfaces that binds to P- and L-selectin and promotes cell adhesion in the inflammatory response. The extreme amino terminal extracellular domain of PSGL-1 is critical for these interactions, based on site-directed mutagenesis, blocking monoclonal antibodies, and biochemical analyses. The current hypothesis is that for high affinity interactions with P-selectin, PSGL-1 must contain O-glycans with a core-2 branched motif containing the sialyl Lewis x antigen (NeuAc alpha 2-->3Gal beta 1-->4[Fuc alpha 1-->3]GlcNAc beta 1-->R). In addition, high affinity interactions require the co-expression of tyrosine sulfate on tyrosine residues near the critical O-glycan structure. This review addresses the biochemical evidence for this hypothesis and the evidence that PSGL-1 is an important in vivo ligand for cell adhesion.
An analysis of select web site practices among supply chain participants

Abstract Although the Internet's potential impact on supply chain management appears enormous, to date, most of the relevant literature has been anecdotal in nature. The present paper adds to the relatively sparse empirical literature by looking at select web site practices involving supply chain participants. More specifically, the paper investigates possible relationships between web site practices and the organizational characteristics of firm size, firm type, firm age, length of Internet adoption, and the percentage of corporate revenues derived from the Internet. The relevant findings appear to support literature suggestions of differences between earlier and later adopters of the Internet, as well as of linkages between using the Internet as a source of corporate revenues and the phase/stage of web site development.
A Case Series of Family-Based Therapy for Weight Restoration in Young Adults with Anorexia Nervosa

This case series aims to examine the preliminary efficacy, acceptability and feasibility of Family-Based Treatment to promote weight restoration in young adults with anorexia nervosa. Four young adults with sub/threshold anorexia nervosa were provided 11–20 sessions of Family-Based Treatment for young adults with pre-, post- and follow-up assessments. At post- and follow-up, 3/4 participants were in the normal weight range, 3/4 were in the non-clinical range on the Eating Disorders Examination and reported being not/mildly depressed. At post-treatment, 2/4 were in the good psychosocial functioning range and by follow-up, 3/4 were in this range. These results suggest that Family-Based Treatment for young adults with anorexia nervosa is a promising treatment.
An overview of LITE: NASA's Lidar In-space Technology Experiment

The Lidar In-space Technology Experiment (LITE) is a three-wavelength backscatter lidar developed by NASA Langley Research Center to fly on the Space Shuttle. LITE flew on Discovery in September 1994 as part of the STS-64 mission. The goals of the LITE mission were to validate key lidar technologies for spaceborne applications, to explore the applications of space lidar, and to gain operational experience which will benefit the development of future systems on free-flying satellite platforms. The performance of the LITE instrument was excellent, resulting in the collection of over 40 GBytes of data. These data present us with our first highly detailed global view of the vertical structure of cloud and aerosol from the Earth's surface through the middle stratosphere. This paper will discuss the LITE instrument, the LITE mission, and briefly present some results from the Experiment. These preliminary results highlight the benefits to be obtained from long duration satellite lidars.
And just when you thought that the Leonid meteor storm held no more surprises: The 2001 storm

Editorials: F.J. M. Rietmeijer: And just when you thought that the Leonid meteor storm held no more surprises: The 2001 storm.
A refinement of replacement selection

Abstract We present a refinement of replacement selection which eliminates the extra space requirements for storing two replacement trees or storing run numbers. All available space is used for storing records, resulting in a larger tree, longer runs, fewer runs, and reduced sorting time. The algorithm uses an “earlier than” operator for key comparison, which is a generalization of the “less than” operator, and which permits storing, in one tree, records in the current run and records in the next run. This operator is also exploited to fill the tree initially, and to empty the tree after the input has been exhausted.