cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Highway-rail grade crossings accident prediction using Zero Inflated Negative Binomial and Empirical Bayes method.

Abstract Introduction: Recently the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released a new model for accident prediction at railroad grade crossings using a Zero Inflated Negative Binomial (ZINB) model with Empirical Bayes (EB) adjustments for accident history (2). This new model is adopted from the work that was conducted by the authors (3–6). The unique feature of the new FRA model is that it has a single equation for all three warning devices (crossbuck, flashing light, and gates) and uses the same variables regardless of the warning devices at the crossing. Since the New FRA model incorporates the warning device category as one of the variables in its model equation, the predicted accident frequency is higher when a crossing has crossbucks than flashing lights, and higher when it has flashing lights than gates. While this model is significantly better than the old USDOT model (7), its shortcoming is that the single equation does not accurately represent the field condition. Method: This paper presents the ZINEBS model (Zero Inflated Negative binomial with Empirical Bayes adjustment System). The ZINEBS model gives three different equations depending on the type of warning device used at the crossings (gates, flashing lights, and crossbucks). The three equations use variables, some of which are common across all warning devices, while other variables are specific to a warning device. The predicted values for the ZINEBS model show a closer agreement with the field data than the new FRA model. This observation was true for all three warning device types analyzed. Practical Applications: Based on the results of this study, the ZINEBS compliments the new FRA model and should be used when the single equation is not adequately representing the role of traffic control device types and relevant variables associated with that device type.
Distributed neural encoding of binding to thematic roles.

A framework and method are proposed for the study of constituent composition in fMRI. The method produces estimates of neural patterns encoding complex linguistic structures, under the assumption that the contributions of individual constituents are additive. Like usual techniques for modeling compositional structure in fMRI, the proposed method employs pattern superposition to synthesize complex structures from their parts. Unlike these techniques, superpositions are sensitive to the structural positions of constituents, making them irreducible to structure-indiscriminate ("bag-of-words") models of composition. Reanalyzing data from a study by Frankland and Greene (2015), it is shown that comparison of neural predictive models with differing specifications can illuminate aspects of neural representational contents that are not apparent when composition is not modelled. The results indicate that the neural instantiations of the binding of fillers to thematic roles in a sentence are non-orthogonal, and therefore spatially overlapping.
Cone-driven retinal responses are shaped by rod but not cone HCN1

Signal integration of converging neural circuits is poorly understood. One example is in the retina where the integration of rod and cone signaling is responsible for the large dynamic range of vision. The relative contribution of rods versus cones is dictated by a complex function involving background light intensity and stimulus temporal frequency. One understudied mechanism involved in coordinating rod and cone signaling onto the shared retinal circuit is the hyperpolarization activated current (Ih) mediated by HCN1 channels. Ih opposes membrane hyperpolarization driven by activation of the phototransduction cascade and modulates the strength and kinetics of the photoreceptor voltage response. We examined conditional knockout of HCN1 from rods using electroretinography. In the absence of HCN1, rod responses are prolonged in dim light which altered the response to slow modulation of light intensity both at the level of retinal signaling and behavior. Under brighter intensities, cone-driven signaling was suppressed. To our surprise, conditional knockout of HCN1 from cones had no effect on cone-mediated signaling. We propose that Ih is dispensable in cones due to the high level of temporal control of cone phototransduction. Thus, HCN1 is required for cone-driven retinal signaling only indirectly by modulating the voltage response of rods to limit their output.
Nerve Compression, Nerve Injury, and Nerve Regeneration: An Overview

Major peripheral nerves consist of motor, sensory, and autonomic axons of varying diameter and myelination that are grouped into fascicles enveloped in a connective tissue matrix with a nourishing vascular supply. A detailed understanding of neural anatomy and physiology provides the basis for our understanding of various mechanisms and patterns of nerve injury as well as potential for recovery. Fascicles within major nerves have a degree of somatotopic organization that increases distally, and knowledge of this organization can be helpful in diagnosis and localizing injuries. Sunderland classified nerve injuries into five grades based on the severity of damage to axons and their surrounding connective tissue framework, and the degree of injury carries prognostic significance for recovery. Diagnosis of nerve injuries relies on a careful physical exam and is aided by ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and electrodiagnostic studies. Nerve compression causes ischemia that over time results in demyelination, axonal loss, and progressive fibrosis. This can be exacerbated by excessive strain on the nerve. Nerve transection initiates a predictable process of Wallerian degeneration that consists of a series of molecular changes resulting fundamentally from changes in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) homeostasis and with well-described downstream effects on muscle histology. Techniques for nerve repair include a tension-free, primary end-to-end coaptation, autologous nerve grafting, or the use of nerve conduits and processed nerve allograft. Future directions include use of the immune modulator FK506 and the promise of polyethylene glycol (PEG) fusion to achieve plasmalemmal sealing prior to the initiation of Wallerian degeneration.
Improving respiratory outcomes after pediatric cardiac surgery: New uses for nitric oxide

BACKGROUND This month's issue of Journal of Cardiac Surgery features a retrospective study on the effect of combining inhaled nitric oxide with high frequency oscillator ventilation to rescue infants who have failed conventional ventilation after congenital heart surgery. AIMS This commentary aims to place that study within the context of available published literature on the topic. MATERIALS AND METHODS The PubMed database was queried for all English-language entries between 1995 and 2021 with the terms nitric oxide, congenital heart disease, oscillator, and respiratory failure. The results were then assessed for relevance and impact by the author. RESULTS From these results, 15 articles were selected for use in this review. The cost of prolonged mechanical ventilation is described. The use of nitric oxide has been used to improve outcomes in hypoxic respiratory failure. High-frequency oscillator ventilation has also been studied in pediatric patients with ARDS. To date, no studies have been published showing the benefit of combining these two modalities in pediatric cardiac surgical patients. DISCUSSION The results of this month's study on nitric oxide and high frequency oscillator ventilation are placed in the context of current literature and suggestions for further study are presented. CONCLUSION Pediatric patients with hypoxic respiratory failure following congenital heart surgery have a new treatment strategy that appears effective. Further studies to confirm this should be undertaken.
Evaluation of lightning-induced tropospheric ozone enhancements observed by ozone lidar and simulated by WRF/Chem

High spatial- and temporal-resolution ozone lidar profiles, in conjunction with ozonesonde and satellite observations, are well suited to characterize short-term ozone variations due to different physical and chemical processes, such as the impact of lightning-generated NOx (LNOx) on tropospheric ozone. This work presents the hourly variation of tropospheric-ozone profiles measured by an ozone lidar at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, on July 14, 18, and 27, 2011. These ozone lidar data are compared with two WRF/Chem simulations, one with lightning NO (LNO) emissions and the other without. On July 14, 2011, the ozone lidar observed an ozone laminar structure with elevated ozone concentrations of 65∼80 ppbv below 2 km, low ozone (50∼65) ppbv between 2 and 5 km, and high ozone up to 165 ppbv between 5 and 12 km AGL. WRF/Chem simulations, in conjunction with backward trajectory analysis, suggest that lightning events occurring within upwind regions resulted in an ozone enhancement of 28 ppbv at 7.5 km AGL over Huntsville. On July 27, LNO emissions were transported to Huntsville from upwind and account for 75% of NOx and an 8.3 ppbv of ozone enhancement at ∼10 km; the model overestimates ozone between 2.5 and 5 km AGL.
The Social Costs of Uber

The rise of the car-sharing company Uber will likely have mixed effects on labor standards. On the one hand, Uber’s partial consolidation of the car-hire sector and its compilation of data on passenger and driver behavior could enable the company and regulators to ensure safety and root out discrimination against passengers with relative ease. In that regard, Uber may be an improvement over the existing taxi sector, which is quite difficult to regulate. Uber’s longer-term impact on labor standards is quite unclear, however, and it may have dark implications for the future of low-wage work more generally.
The Strategic Assessment Model (Stratam) Studying and Preventing Strategic Failure

The purpose of this study is to introduce the Strategic Assessment Model (STRATAM), a model designed to assist in the prevention of strategic failure. STRATAM aids firstly in the assessment of a strategy, as well as its crafting and evolution; secondly, it aims to enable and possibly streamline civil-military strategic debates on military operations. It is argued that strategic blunders in many cases result from latent organizational failures on one’s own side. Therefore, STRATAM combines Clausewitz’ theory of war and strategy with organizational failure theory. To demonstrate the use of this model, this paper uses Operation Cast Lead (or the Gaza War) of 2008-2009 as a case study. The paper’s findings include that the ultimate reasons for strategic failure were on one hand Clausewitzian; on the other hand, the Israeli Defense Force’s failure in organizational learning from a previous war two years earlier. The timely, strategic assessment and an effective civil-military debate about the effects of ongoing military operations might have prevented this failure. STRATAM would have provided the necessary language, structure, and relevance to identify actual and potential strategic failures with the goal to evolve the strategy.
Delayed onset of midline netrin expression in Artemia franciscana coincides with commissural axon growth and provides evidence for homology of midline cells in distantly related arthropods.

SUMMARY Although many similarities in arthropod central nervous systems (CNS) development exist, differences in midline cell formation and ventral nerve cord axonogenesis have been noted in arthropods. It is possible that changes in the expression of axon guidance molecules such as Netrin, which functions during commissural axon guidance in Drosophila and many other organisms, may parallel these differences. In this investigation, we analyze this hypothesis by examining Netrin accumulation during development of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana, a branchiopod crustacean. An Artemia franciscana netrin (afrnet) orthologue was cloned. An antibody to the afrNet protein was generated and used to examine the pattern of afrNet accumulation during Artemia development. Despite differences between Drosophila and Artemia nerve cord development, examination of afrNet accumulation suggests that this protein functions to regulate commissure formation during Artemia CNS development. However, detection of afrNet at the midline and on commissural axons occurs at a relatively later time point in Artemia as compared with Drosophila. Detection of afrNet in a subset of midline cells that closely resemble Netrin-expressing cells at the Drosophila midline provides evidence for homology of midline cells in arthropods. Expression of Netrins in many other tissues is comparable, suggesting that Netrin proteins may play many conserved roles during arthropod development.
Human ornithine-delta-aminotransferase. cDNA cloning and analysis of the structural gene.

Abstract Ornithine-delta-aminotransferase (OAT) is a nuclear-encoded, mitochondrial matrix enzyme which, in rat, is expressed as basal levels in most tissues but is induced in liver by high dietary protein and in kidney by estrogen and thyroxine administration. In man, the hereditary deficiency of OAT results in ornithine accumulation and the blinding disease gyrate atrophy of the choroid and retina. We cloned near full length rat and human liver OAT cDNAs and demonstrated OAT expression in a variety of tissues from each species. We mapped the human OAT structural gene to chromosome 10, cloned 40 kilobase pairs of genomic DNA containing the complete OAT structural gene, and determined its organization. It is 21 kilobase pairs in length, and contains 11 exons. Exon 2 has been absent from all cDNAs studied and was detected by homology to X-linked processed OAT pseudogenes. The 5'-flanking region of the OAT gene has features of housekeeping genes (GC enrichment and three Sp1 binding consensus sequences) and tissue-specific, inducible genes (TATA box-like element and two CCAAT boxes). A 22-base pair region of partial dyad symmetry containing homology to estrogen responsive elements overlaps the OAT transcription site. Another 5' sequence, GTATCCTGCCCTC, is homologous to sequences in the promoter regions of the genes of three urea cycle enzymes.
The Design and Implementation of hypre, a Library of Parallel High Performance Preconditioners

The hypre software library provides high performance preconditioners and solvers for the solution of large, sparse linear systems on massively parallel computers. One of its attractive features is the provision of conceptual interfaces. These interfaces give application users a more natural means for describing their linear systems, and provide access to methods such as geometric multigrid which require additional information beyond just the matrix. This chapter discusses the design of the conceptual interfaces in hypre and illustrates their use with various examples. We discuss the data structures and parallel implementation of these interfaces. A brief overview of the solvers and preconditioners available through the interfaces is also given.
“They are always there for me”: The convergence of social support and information in an online breast cancer community

This research examines interactions among members of an online breast cancer community, focusing on how information and social support were exchanged, how these exchanges influenced health decisions, and how the community was integrated into participants' everyday lives. This article is the result of a 2-year ethnography comprising online archives analysis, participant observation, and 31 interviews. In the course of the research, the findings revealed that, not only did participants exchange valuable information and helpful social support, there was often little separation between the two, with each overlaying the other throughout most interactions. Expressions of support permeated many informational messages and at the same time served as information to participants. This article argues that social support and information were inextricably connected within participant interactions and that social support is, itself, a form of information that impacts actions and emotional experiences, contributing to participants being able to make sense of their experiences and to move forward both physically and emotionally. This research builds on work in information science that looks at the ways in which people exchange information in informal environments and extends that research by drawing on conceptualizations of social support to exhibit the connections between social support and information.
Global and Neotropical Distribution and Diversity of Oak (genus Quercus) and Oak Forests

The Neotropics, particularly southern Mexico, harbors the greatest diversity of oak species in the New World. These oaks are often among the tallest trees in the forest areas in which they occur, ranging from low-elevation to high montane forests. The clearest relationships of Central American oaks are with lower-elevation Mexican oaks. Several species are widespread from Mexico to Costa Rica and Panama. In addition, at least one distinctive clade of red oaks with annual maturation is common in Central America and Colombia, and includes members of the Q. seemannii complex (including Q. rapurahuensis and Q. gulielmi-treleasei), Q. costaricensis and Q. eugeniifolia, and, in Colombia, Q. humboldtii.
A New Model for Light Output Degradation of Direct Band Gap Emitters

A new quantitative model which describes the light output degradation of direct band gap GaAs l-xPx emitters has been developed. This model provides a non-destructive screening technique whereby the degradation can be calculated from the initial forward I-V characteristic. Good agreement with experimental results for 700nm optocoupler emitters was demonstrated.
Persistent organ dysfunction after severe sepsis: a systematic review.

article i nfo Objective: Sepsis is a prevalent disease with high mortality. Survivors of sepsis often suffer significant resultant morbidity, including organ dysfunction. However, little is known about persistent or long-term organ dysfunction in this patient population. Our objective was to systematically review original research studies evaluating organ-specific outcomes at 28 days or greater in patients surviving severe sepsis. Methods: We performed a systematic review of studies reporting organ-specific outcomes at 28 days or greater in survivors of severe sepsis. Results: We identified 1,173 articles and five met our inclusion criteria. No study reported on organ dysfunction at greater than 30 days. Two studies contributed the majority of patients and had consistent rates of 1 month organ dysfunction for adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (8%-9%), renal (7%-8%), hepatic (3%-7%), and central nervous system (2%-5%). Another study reported higher rates of dysfunction for pulmonary (non-ARDS and ARDS), hepatic and renal but similar rates for central nervous system and disseminated intravascular coagulation when compared to the first two studies. The most recent study had the highest rates of dysfunction (N47%) across all organ systems. For organ failure resolution the rates were highly variable. Conclusions: Our review found variable rates of organ dysfunction at 1 month after severe sepsis. Future studies should attempt to characterize organ dysfunction at greater than 1 month after an acute severe sepsis episode to determine the true prevalence long-term organ dysfunction and treatments for prevention. Additionally, standardized objective measures of organ dysfunction are needed so that future studies can be directly compared.
Rapid digestion of Cry34Ab1 and Cry35Ab1 in simulated gastric fluid.

Two genes were identified in Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) that code for the proteins that comprise a Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1 binary insecticidal crystal protein. Maize, Zea mays L., plants have been transformed to express the Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1 proteins, and as a result, these plants are resistant to attack by western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, a major pest in the Midwestern corn-growing area of the U.S.A. As part of the safety assessment for the proteins, digestibility studies were conducted. Digestion experiments with both proteins demonstrated rapid degradation in simulated gastric fluid, comparable to other registered plant-incorporated protectants. Quantitative and qualitative approaches for determining digestibility are illustrated.
Oleate adsorption on hematite: Problems and methods

Abstract Flotation recovery and collector adsorption at the solid/liquid interface have shown good correlation in a number of mineral/surfactant systems; but such a correlation has not been obtained in the hematite/oleate system. This investigation on the hematite/oleate system shows that precipitation of the collector and its complexes can result in high apparent adsorption (abstraction). Since the species composition of oleate solutions is a sensitive function of pH, etc. the effect of such precipitation on pH-dependent apparent adsorption can be significant. Extraordinary attention must be paid to experimental procedure in order to extract adsorption information from the multivarious simultaneous phenomena in the adsorbing system. These results reveal that in the hematite/oleate system the pH dependence of flotation and that of oleate adsorption do correlate with each other.
Standardizing Economic Analysis in Prevention will Require Substantial Effort

It is exceedingly difficult to compare results of economic analyses across studies due to variations in assumptions, methodology, and outcome measures, a fact which surely decreases the impact and usefulness of prevention-related economic research. Therefore, Crowley et al. (Prevention Science, 2013) are precisely correct in their call for increased standardization and have usefully highlighted the issues that must be addressed. However, having made the need clear, the questions become what form the solution should take, and how should it be implemented. The present discussion outlines the rudiments of a comprehensive framework for promoting standardized methodology in the estimation of economic outcomes, as encouraged by Crowley et al. In short, a single, standard, reference case approach should be clearly articulated, and all economic research should be encouraged to apply that standard approach, with results from compliant analyses being reported in a central archive. Properly done, the process would increase the ability of those without specialized training to contribute to the body of economic research pertaining to prevention, and the most difficult tasks of predicting and monetizing distal outcomes would be readily completed through predetermined models. These recommendations might be viewed as somewhat forcible, insomuch as they advocate for prescribing the details of a standard methodology and establishing a means of verifying compliance. However, it is unclear that the best practices proposed by Crowley et al. will be widely adopted in the absence of a strong and determined approach.
Progressive cognitive improvement in multiple sclerosis from treatment with electromagnetic fields.

It has long been recognized that cognitive impairment occurs in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) particularly among patients with a chronic progressive course. MS is considered a type of “subcortical dementia” in which cognitive and behavioral abnormalities resemble those observed in patients with a frontal lobe syndrome. The Bicycle Drawing Test is employed for the neuropsychological assessment of cognitive impairment specifically that of mechanical reasoning and visuographic functioning. It also provides clues concerning the patient's organizational skills which are subserved by the frontal lobes. Extracerebral pulsed applications of picotesla flux intensity electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have been shown to improve cognitive functions in patients with MS. I present three patients with long standing symptoms of MS who, on the initial baseline, pretreatment Bicycle Drawing Test, exhibited cognitive impairment manifested by omissions of essential details and deficient organizational skills. All patient...
“Public Participation in Policing: The Impact of Citizen Oversight on the Incidence of Lethal Force Over Time in the Largest U.S. Cities.”

Does public participation through citizen review boards result in more responsible policing or does public oversight in this form amount to political “interference” resisted by the police? How do the various models of reactive external review impact police use of lethal force in a democratic society? In this article, I argue that citizen participation has the potential to serve the public and the police well when adequately designed and that reactive approaches to external review of the police may not have the intended effect on the incidence of lethal force over time. Specifically, the random effects negative binomial regression reveals that the process audit model of citizen review increases the incidence of lethal force. This study highlights the need for future investigations that focus on the few proactive approaches to citizen review in which the patterns and trends in policies, supervision, and training may offer more lucrative opportunities for participation that generates innovative problem-solvi...
Czech Foreign Policy and EU Integration: European and Domestic Sources

Abstract This paper examines the impact of EU integration on the foreign policy of the Czech Republic. It surveys Czech foreign policy since 1989, focusing on five distinct periods of the Czech Republic's relationship with the EU. The paper concludes that EU integration has had only a limited impact on Czech foreign policy in comparison to domestic political factors. EU membership also does not appear to have altered basic perceptions of Czech foreign policy interests, which remain largely determined by (pre-1989) historical experience and perceptions of geopolitical vulnerability. However, the Czech Republic has also sought to use the EU to achieve its key foreign policy goals, especially during its EU presidency in the first half of 2009, and EU membership has influenced the development of Czech policy towards Eastern Europe. In these regards, at least, Czech foreign policy can be said to have been ‘EU-ised’.
Finding the Mean and 95 Percent Confidence Interval of a Set of Strike-and-Dip or Lineation Data

Quantitative observational data should be reported with appropriate uncertainty estimates. Statistical methods developed by Fisher (1953) to analyze paleomagnetic data are also useful for determining the 95 percent confidence interval associated with site mean strike and dip from three or more observations (at least seven observations preferred) of the orientation of geologic surfaces that are approximately homoclinal or of lineations that are subparallel. The uncertainty in the strike of a surface is a function of the uncertainty and inclination of the dip vector and is greater than the dip uncertainty. For example, surfaces with measured orientations (strike and dip) of 310° 38°NE, 319° 45°NE, and 322° 30°NE at a given site have a site mean orientation of 317 ± 18° and 38 ± 14°NE at a 95 percent confidence interval.
Minimum entropy production as a design criterior for breathing.

La production d'entropie associee a la respiration est calculee en fonction d'une ventilation variable. En suite, pour le cas d'un metabolism donne, on evalue la ventilation qui minimise la production d'entropie due au melange des gaz respires et a la dissipation d'energie associee a l'acte respiratoire. Cette ventilation optimum s'accorde avec celle observee pour des taux de metabolismes inferieurs a la consommation de 2 l d'oxygene par min.
The Association of a Longidorus Species with Stunting and Root Damage of Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda L.) Seedlings.

A Longidorus species was consistently associated with patches of stunted and chlorotic loblolly pine seedlings at a forest-tree nursery in Georgia. Seedlings from affected areas had poorly developed root systems that lacked lateral and feeder roots. Longidorus population densities in composite soil samples from the margins of patches ranged from 9 to 67 nematodes per 100 cm3 of soil. In a growth chamber experiment, seedling root dry weight decreased with respect to the initial Longidorus dose as well as the final Longidorus populations in containers. The dry root weight of seedlings were 0.117, 0.090, 0.066, and 0.065 g in containers initially infested with 0, 50, 100, and 200 Longidorus, respectively. Lateral and fine roots were lacking on seedlings at the highest doses. Populations of Longidorus increased in all containers during the experiment. Damage to loblolly pine seedlings caused by Longidorus is a previously undescribed problem in southern pine nurseries. Proper diagnosis of the problem by nematode testing laboratories may require the use of extraction techniques specific for larger nematodes such as Longidorus.
Slow-pitch softball injuries

A prospective investigation of slow-pitch softball injuries incurred in Hawaii was undertaken to study the nature of these injuries and analyze their causes. The injured players were involved in league softball with referees. There were 83 athletes and 93 injuries. A retrospective review of all Army softball-related admissions was also done. Thirty-five athletes or 42% were injured while sliding, 29 "foot first" and the remainder "hand first". Twenty-five of 27 ankle injuries caused by sliding included 20 fractures, 3 sprains, and 2 complete closed posterior dislocations. Analysis of these injuries suggests that the injury occurs when the individual uses the base to rapidly decelerate and avoid overrunning the base. Eighty-four percent of the athletes were injured from three mechanisms; 42% from sliding, 25% from "jamming" injuries, and 17% from falls. The only preventable group of injuries appears to be the sliding injuries. Recessing the bases, using "quick release" rather than anchored bases, teaching safer sliding techniques, or eliminating the slide are suggested as means of preventing these injuries.
Covering abelian groups with cyclic subsets

Letk andm be positive integers. An abelian groupG is said to have ann-cover if there is a subsetS ofG consisting ofn elements such that every non-zero element ofG can be expressed in the formig for some elementg inS and integeri, 1 ≤i ≤ k. Lets n (k) be the largest order of abelian groups that have ann-cover. We investigate the behavior ofs n (k)/k ask → ∞ andn is fixed.
Primary Care for Urban Adolescent Girls from Ethnically Diverse Populations: Foregone Care and Access to Confidential Care

Adolescent girls face unique challenges in health care utilization, which can result in unmet needs. We sought to describe settings of usual care and primary care use, and to identify predictors of foregone care and experience of confidential care in a primarily racial/ethnic minority low-income sample. We conducted an anonymous computer-assisted self-administered survey of 9th-12th grade girls (n819) in three Bronx public high schools, the majority of whom were Hispanic (69.8%) and Black (21.4%). Most (80%) reported having a usual source of care. Of these, 77.2% had a regular doctor. Those least likely to have a usual source of care were non-U.S. born girls (73.1% vs. 83.1%) and less accultur- ated girls. Predictors of foregone care in the last year include being sexually active, poor family social support, and low self esteem. Predictors of access to confidential care at last visit were age, self-efficacy for confidential care, having a regular doctor, setting of care, and having had a recent physical exam. Many urban adolescent girls, especially non-U.S. born girls, lack a usual source of care and regular health care provider. Continued attention to reducing both financial and non-financial barriers to care is required to ensure access to and quality of care for diverse populations.
The neural basis for novel semantic categorization.

We monitored regional cerebral activity with BOLD fMRI during acquisition of a novel semantic category and subsequent categorization of test stimuli by a rule-based strategy or a similarity-based strategy. We observed different patterns of activation in direct comparisons of rule- and similarity-based categorization. During rule-based category acquisition, subjects recruited anterior cingulate, thalamic, and parietal regions to support selective attention to perceptual features, and left inferior frontal cortex to helps maintain rules in working memory. Subsequent rule-based categorization revealed anterior cingulate and parietal activation while judging stimuli whose conformity with the rules was readily apparent, and left inferior frontal recruitment during judgments of stimuli whose conformity was less apparent. By comparison, similarity-based category acquisition showed recruitment of anterior prefrontal and posterior cingulate regions, presumably to support successful retrieval of previously encountered exemplars from long-term memory, and bilateral temporal-parietal activation for perceptual feature integration. Subsequent similarity-based categorization revealed temporal–parietal, posterior cingulate, and anterior prefrontal activation. These findings suggest that large-scale networks support relatively distinct categorization processes during the acquisition and judgment of semantic category knowledge.
Leadership and Procedural Justice Climate as Antecedents of Unit-Level Organizational Citizenship Behavior.

Despite an abundance of research conducted on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) at the individual level of analysis, relatively little is known about unit-level OCB. To investigate the antecedents of unit-level OCB, data were collected from employees of 249 grocery store departments. Structural equation modeling techniques were used to test a model in which procedural justice climate was hypothesized to partially mediate the relationship between leadership behavior (servant-leadership) and unit-level OCB. Models were tested using both employee ratings and manager ratings of unit-level OCB. The results gave general support for the hypotheses, although there were some differences depending on the source of the OCB ratings (supervisor or subordinate), whether the type of department was controlled for, and whether a common method variance factor was included. Overall, the evidence generally supported the association of both servant-leadership and procedural justice climate with unit-level OCB. Building on the current study, a multilevel framework for the study of OCB is presented in conjunction with a discussion of future research directions in four specific areas.
Modeling and analysis of work flow and staffing level in a computed tomography division of University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation

In this paper, a Markov chain model is developed to model the work flow in a computed tomography (CT) imaging department at University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation. Using this model, we estimate the patient length of stay and investigate different configurations of radiology specialists for potential efficiency improvement to reduce flow time and cost. What-if analysis is carried out to investigate the impact of various staffing levels and sensitivity study is used to identify the bottleneck operation, i.e., the most impeding one whose improvement can lead to the highest productivity increase.
Induction of ornithine decarboxylase in adult rat hippocampal slices.

Several factors involved in the regulation of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in adult rat brain tissue have been identified by using the in vitro hippocampal slice preparation. The same amino acids that have previously been reported to induce ODC in tissue culture, i.e., asparagine and glutamine, were found to produce a concentration- and time-dependent increase in ODC activity that reached a 100 fold the control value after 6 h of incubation. The effect of asparagine was totally blocked by inhibition of either protein or RNA synthesis, suggesting that the inducing amino acids increase ODC activity by stimulating the transcription of genes directly or indirectly regulating ODC activity. The effect of the inducing amino acids was potentiated by a variety of factors which by themselves did not modify ODC activity. In particular, opioid peptides markedly potentiated the effect of asparagine. Although the opiate antagonists naloxone and naltrexone totally blocked the effects of the opioid peptides on ODC induction, they also produced an inhibition of the asparagine-mediated increase in ODC activity. Other factors like dibutyryl cyclic AMP and insulin also potentiated the effects of asparagine on ODC activity. These results provide the first description of ODC induction in an in vitro preparation of adult brain tissue and indicate that the hippocampal slice preparation could be used to study the molecular mechanisms which regulate the expression and activity of ODC in the adult central nervous system. Moreover the data suggest possible mechanisms which may be involved in the induction of ODC in hippocampus by seizure activity.
Relationship of 3α-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase to Pyridine Nucleotide Transhydrogenases

It appears that the α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases are not significant entities in promoting transhydrogenase reactions in animal tissues.
The serrated pathway of neoplasia: new insights into an evolving concept

Abstract Twenty years ago, the only known pathway of colorectal carcinoma was the adenoma-carcinoma sequence; while profoundly important, this pathway does not account for all cases of colorectal carcinoma. Today the serrated pathway is recognized as an alternative pathway to colorectal carcinoma. The signature features of the serrated pathway include sessile serrated adenomas, microsatellite instability, and the potentially rapid conversion to malignancy. The family of histologically serrated lesions also encompasses traditional serrated adenoma and variants such as the filiform serrated adenoma, serrated epithelial change/dysplasia, and, potentially, colonic perineurioma. This review highlights key morphologic and molecular concepts in the serrated pathway of neoplasia, and discusses how recent insights can inform clinical management decisions.
Healthcare reform and its implications for the U.S. economy

Abstract U.S. healthcare is currently a poor value proposition in relation to its cost. This must change. Driven by the fundamental forces of financing, consumer preferences, and technology, the U.S. is heading for a profound revolution in healthcare, one that will affect not only the system itself but also the larger U.S. business community. This new healthcare system will create vast opportunities and commensurately large risks for healthcare innovators. The outcomes of the present healthcare reform debate will either liberate or further shackle these innovators. Reforms that depend on governmental controls are more likely to dampen innovation than those achieved through control by consumers, and given the profound ramifications of healthcare reform outcomes, policy makers would be well-advised to harness the forces of consumerism in fashioning reform.
Evolution and Two Popular Proposals for the Definition of Function

In the biological realm, a complete explanation of a trait seems to include an explanation in terms of function. It is natural to ask of some trait, “What is its function?” or “What purpose in the organism does the particular trait serve?” or “What is the goal of its activity?” There are several views concerning the appropriate definition of function for biological matters. Two popular views of function with respect to living things are Cummins’ organizational account and the Griffiths/Godfrey-Smith modern history account. Whereas Cummins argues that a trait functions so as to contribute to the general organization of some organism’s present structure, Griffiths, and Godfrey-Smith argue that a trait functions because of its fitness with respect to the organism’s recent evolutionary history. In this paper, I show how these accounts can be made compatible and compliment one another. Given that structure, organization, operational flexibility, function, and evolutionary history are all factors to be considered in an organism’s makeup, we should expect that the traits of an organism function the way they do because such traits presently contribute to the overall organization of the organism (Cummins) as well as were selected for in the organism’s species’ recent ancestry (Griffiths/Godfrey-Smith).
Metal binding properties of single amino acid deletion mutants of zinc finger peptides: studies using cobalt(II) as a spectroscopic probe

Peptides corresponding to Cys2His2 zinc finger domains from which one amino acid has been deleted have been synthesized and their metal-binding properties characterized. In contrast to earlier reports (Parraga, G., S. Horvath, L. Hood, E. T. Young, and R. E. Klevit. 1990. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 87:137–141.), such peptides do bind metal ions such as cobalt(II). A peptide with the sequence ProTyrLysCysProGluCysLysSerPheSerGlnLysSerAspLeuValLysHisGlnArgThrHis ThrGly (which corresponds to a previously characterized consensus zinc finger sequence from which a Gly residue immediately following the second Cys residue has been deleted) was found to form a 1:1 peptide to cobalt(II) complex with an absorption spectrum quite similar to those previously observed for zinc finger peptide-cobalt(II) complexes. The dissociation constant for this complex is 6 x 10(-6)M, a factor of 100 times higher than that for the parent peptide. A peptide with the sequence LysProTyrProCysGlyLeuCysArgCysPheThrArgArgAspLeuLeulleArgHisAlaGln - LyslleHisSerGlyAsnLeu corresponding to a similar mutation of the peptide ADR1 was also characterized. Spectroscopic studies with cobalt(II) revealed that this peptide forms both 1:1 and 2:1 peptide to cobalt(II) complexes. The absorption spectra of the two forms and the dissociation constants were determined via deconvolution methods. In contrast, the parent peptide ADR1a was found to form only a 1:1 complex under comparable conditions and this 1:1 complex was found to be more stable than that for the mutant. These results reveal that deletion mutations do adversely affect the stability of zinc finger peptide-metal complexes but that the effects are not as drastic as had been previously described.
Comparative Local Economic Development: A Framework for Further Research

Recent research on local economic development does not provide an adequate framework for anticipating the consequences of cross national policy transfer and emulation. The research focuses on case specific analysis of one or another program within specific national or economic situations, but such analyses are not structured by a common understanding of the forces which shape policy formation or implementation. This article argues that we must rethink how we understand local policy by combining state-centered and class-centered theories of local policy outcomes. It suggests that such an approach would provide a better basis for both anticipating policy outcomes and predicting transferability.
THE EFFECT OF HEAT AND IRRADIATION ON THE MICROFLORA OF CANNED HAMS

The bacterial flora of canned hams before heat processing consisted largely of a variety of lactic acid bacteria. Either the normal commercial heat processing or irradiation with approximately 1 megarad of gamma irradiation destroyed most of the flora but permitted survival of spores of bacilli and clostridia and occasionally nonsporeforming lactic acid bacteria. The most troublesome of these latter organisms would appear to be Streptococcus faecium, some strains of which were unusually resistant to both heat and irradiation. The combination of moderate levels of heat and irradiation did not appear to have any particular advantage over present methods of heat processing followed by refrigerated storage. (auth)
A pH-dependent phospholipase A2 contributes to loss of plasma membrane integrity during chemical hypoxia in rat hepatocytes

Previous studies have suggested that alterations in phospholipid composition of plasma membranes may underlie lethal cell injury due to hypoxic and ischemic injury. The present study was designed to determine if such alterations are due to the activation of a pH-dependent phospholipase A2. Loss of cell viability and phospholipase A2 activity measured by arachidonic acid release increased in parallel during metabolic inhibition with KCN and iodoacetate (chemical hypoxia). Acidosis (pH 6.5) and the phospholipase inhibitors, dibucaine and mepacrine, delayed loss of cell viability and release of arachidonic acid to a similar extent. These findings suggest that a pH-dependent phospholipase A2 causes alterations in plasma membrane phospholipid composition after ATP-depletion which contribute to lethal cell injury.
Radiologic outcomes in children with chronic rhinosinusitis and ostiomeatal complex obstruction after medical management

Background The presence of ostiomeatal complex obstruction can be a key component in chronic rhinosinusitis, and the medical management of this condition has not been well studied, particularly in children. Objective To compare the effectiveness of antibiotics, intranasal topical corticosteroids, and oral systemic corticosteroids on radiologic outcomes in children with chronic rhinosinusitis and ostiomeatal complex obstruction. Methods We reviewed the reports of 1,741 computed tomography scans performed on children at Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware, from October 1, 2001, through February 28, 2007, identifying those patients who had 2 scans performed at least 2 weeks apart but no more than 6 months apart. Forty-five instances involving abnormal ostiomeatal complex anatomy documented on the initial study with obtainable treatment information were selected for further review. Results Of the 3 treatment modalities examined, only oral systemic corticosteroids ( P = .03) and intranasal topical corticosteroids ( P = .03) were found to provide significant independent contributions to predicting treatment outcome, with the former promoting a positive outcome and the latter predicting a negative outcome. The model that contained just these 2 factors also provided a significant fit to the outcome data ( P = .01), producing a diminished rate of improvement expected from a combination of positive and negative influences. Neither antibiotics nor any other combination of modalities contributed to a significant improvement in model fit. Conclusion The use of oral systemic corticosteroids was found to be the only beneficial intervention, with regard to radiologic improvement, in the treatment of ostiomeatal complex obstruction in children.
Extrapolation of low-energy reaction cross sections☆

Abstract Many applications in astrophysical and controlled-fusion research require values of nuclear-reaction cross sections at interaction energies considerably below the range in which absolute measurements are practical. Measured cross sections thus must be extrapolated to the energies of interest. For exoergic charged-particle reactions, which are not dominated by resonances within the range of interest, it is shown that a physically meaningful extrapolation formula can be derived from the R -matrix theory. For energies such that only incident s-waves contribute to the reaction, the resultant formula contains at most three “free” parameters. These results are used to extrapolate cross sections for various d+ 6 Li reactions, measured at energies above 100 keV, to energies in the range of 1 keV.
Cabibbo angle, CP violation and quark masses

Abstract By adding suitable discrete flavor symmetries to SU(2) L ⊗ SU(2) R ⊗ U(1) left-right symmetric gauge models of weak and electromagnetic interactions, we are able to express all the mixing angles between the quark flavors (u, d, s,c) in terms of the quark masses. This enables us to compute the Cabibbo angle and the CP violating phases using plausible values for the quark masses. The CP violating K ar 2 π decay amplitude η +− (and η 00 in the model is then given purely in terms of the parity violating parameter of the model ( m W L + / m W R + ) 2 .