cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Attitudes of US adults toward using telemedicine to prescribe medication abortion during COVID-19: A mixed methods study.

Abstract Objectives We explored public opinion about using telemedicine to provide medication abortion during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We also investigated the associations between socio-demographic characteristics and support for using telemedicine in this context and explored factors that influenced respondents’ attitudes on the topic. Study design In a nationally representative, web-based survey of US adults (n = 711), we asked open- and closed-ended questions about using telemedicine to prescribe medication abortion during COVID-19. We used multinomial logistic regression to assess the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics, endorsement of abortion labels, and political affiliation and support for telemedicine in this circumstance. Then, we conducted content and thematic analyses with the open-ended data to explore what influenced respondents’ opinions. Results Overall, 332 (44%) of respondents supported using telemedicine for medication abortion during the pandemic; 237 (35%) opposed and 138 (21%) were unsure. Respondents who identified as prochoice were more likely to support using telemedicine for abortion during the pandemic than those who identified as prolife were to oppose it in this context (RRR 2.95; 95% CI 1.31–6.64). Via our content and thematic analysis, we identified that concerns about safety, the legitimacy of telemedicine, and the belief that abortion should occur as early in the pregnancy as possible influenced respondents’ beliefs about using telemedicine for medication abortion. Conclusions More respondents supported using telemedicine for medication abortion during COVID-19 than opposed it. Among respondents who expressed support, most thought that medication abortion was safe and that telemedicine was equivalent to the in-person provision of care. Implications There appears to be support among US adults for the provision of medication abortion via telemedicine during COVID-19. Policymakers may consider public sentiment as well as clinical evidence when considering legislation about abortion.
Safe here, but unsafe there? Institutional signals of identity safety also signal prejudice in the broader environment

Abstract Institutional efforts to create safe environments can function as signals to identity safety and reduce expectations of identity threat within the institution. Prior research on institutional identity safety signals, however, has yet to consider an important question: Do people use institutional identity safety signals to inform their expectations of identity threat in their broader social environments? Because people's day-to-day lives are often outside of signaling institutions, it is important to understand whether institutional identity safety signals also influence expectations of identity threat outside of the signaled space. Here, we explore this question by testing how the presence of safe spaces—designated areas where people can feel comfortable in their social identities and safe from prejudice—affect people's expectations of threat in their broader environments. Across four vignette-based studies using US participants sampled from Amazon's Mechanical Turk and an undergraduate subject pool, participants who read about someone observing a safe space sign (compared to signs unrelated to identity safety) reported increased prejudice expectations in their broader environments. These prejudice expectations mediated increased attributions of prejudice (Study 1); motivations to combat prejudice (Study 2); and support for movements and policies addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion (Study 3). These effects were not moderated by group membership. Results suggested that safe spaces increased prejudice expectations because they are perceived as a response to a problem in the broader environment. Together, the present research contributes to existing literature by testing the effects of a new signal (i.e., safe spaces), examining how localized identity safety signals transfer to the broader environment, and highlighting novel outcomes following from prejudice expectations.
Public support for U.S. social safety net policies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 has stretched the U.S. social safety net and prompted federal legislation designed to ameliorate the pandemic's health and economic impacts. We surveyed a nationally representative cohort of 1222 U.S. adults in April 2020 and November 2020 to evaluate changes in public opinion about 11 social safety net policies and the role of government over the course of the pandemic. A majority of U.S. adults supported six policies at both time points, including policies guaranteeing two weeks of paid sick leave; enacting universal health insurance; increasing the federal minimum wage; and increasing government spending on construction projects, business tax credits, and employment education and training. From April to November 2020, public support was stable for nine of the 11 policies but declined nearly 10 percentage points for policies guaranteeing two weeks paid sick leave (from 76% support in April 2020 to 67% support in November 2020) and extending unemployment insurance benefits (51% to 42%). Declines in support for these two policies were concentrated among those with higher incomes, more education, in better health status, the employed, and those with health insurance. The share of respondents believing in a strong role of government also declined from 33% in April to 26% in November 2020 (p > 0.05). Despite these shifts, we observed consistent majority support for several policies enacted during the pandemic, including guaranteeing paid sick leave and business tax credits, as well as employment-related policies.
Perturbation of BRMS1 interactome reveals pathways that impact metastasis

Breast Cancer Metastasis Suppressor 1 (BRMS1) expression is associated with longer patient survival in multiple cancer types. Understanding BRMS1 functionality will provide insights into both mechanism of action and will enhance potential therapeutic development. In this study, we confirmed that the C-terminus of BRMS1 is critical for metastasis suppression and hypothesized that critical protein interactions in this region would explain its function. Phosphorylation status at S237 regulates BRMS1 protein interactions related to a variety of biological processes, phenotypes [cell cycle (e.g., CDKN2A), DNA repair (e.g., BRCA1)], and metastasis [(e.g., TCF2 and POLE2)]. Presence of S237 also directly decreased MDA-MB-231 breast carcinoma migration in vitro and metastases in vivo. The results add significantly to our understanding of how BRMS1 interactions with Sin3/HDAC complexes regulate metastasis and expand insights into BRMS1's molecular role, as they demonstrate BRMS1 C-terminus involvement in distinct protein-protein interactions.
Land Use Regulation

Land use regulation and zoning laws are all around us. From neighborhood covenants to local Madison (Wisconsin) law forbidding buildings to be taller than the Capitol—these types of restrictions show their effect on both current homebuyers and the general public every day. Keith Ihlanfeldt’s paper, “The Effect of Land Use Regulation on Housing and Land Prices,” was published in 2007 in the Journal of Urban Economics to investigate the effects of land use restrictions on housing and vacant land prices, as well as on house and lot sizes. Literature on this topic previously existed, but Ihlanfeldt felt it had many shortcomings and uncertainties, and wanted to further analyze the topic with a new and improved model. His main goals of the paper were to find out whether increased land use regulation restrictions did in fact have a monetary effect (and if so, in what ways) on developed houses and vacant land.
High Damage Threshold AlO.OH-SiO 2 HR Coatings Prepared by the Sol-Gel Process

Our study of highly reflective (HR) dielectric coatings prepared by the sol-gel process has indicated that hydrated alumina and silica are the materials of choice for the high and low index components respectively. We cannow prepare 32-36 quarter-wave-layer samples from colloidal suspensions of the relevant oxides by spin coating at room temperature. These have reflectivities of about 99% and damage thresholds in the range 30-40 J/cm 2 at 1064 nm with 16 ns pulses at 30 Hz. This threefold improvement in threshold over that reported earlier for this system was attributed to an improvement in the preparative technique particularly in regard to cleanliness. Coatings have been prepared recently on substrates up to 8" in diameter and scale-up development continues.
1:1 FASTA update: Using the power of E-values in FASTA to detect potential allergen cross-reactivity

In the context of regulatory assessment of transgenic proteins for potential allergenicity, a previous investigation demonstrated that a 1:1 FASTA comparison using an E-value of 1.0E-09 as a criterion is superior to the conventional FASTA search (using the whole sequence as a query) for >35% identity over 80 amino acids, but with improved specificity. A further study, using groups of known cross-reactive peanut allergens, indicates the sensitivity of this approach is superior to the conventional FASTA search and equivalent to 80-mer sliding window FASTA search recommended by WHO/FAO. Specifically, the 1:1 FASTA approach eliminated the technical issues resulting from lack of identification of short query sequences with high identity to known allergens, or high identity over short amino acid stretches, and different E-value settings when searching for >35% identity over 80aa. Based on the performance of this simple application of existing bioinformatics tools, and its ease of implementation and interpretation in the context of a regulatory assessment, we advocate that adoption of this 1:1 FASTA approach as a supplement to the FAO/WHO/ CODEX criterion (>35% identity over 80aa) formulated 13 years ago. Adoption of this approach eliminates many biologically irrelevant homology hits generated by the FAO/WHO/CODEX criterion and improves the safety assessment of GM crops.
POLITICAL IDEALS AND THE FEASIBILITY FRONTIER

I present an analysis of feasibility that generalizes the economic concept of a production possibility frontier and develop a model of the feasibility frontier using the familiar possible worlds technology. I then use the model to show that we cannot reasonably expect that adopting political ideals as long-term reform objectives will guide us toward the realization of morally optimal feasible states of affairs. I conclude by proposing that political philosophers turn their attention to the analysis of actual social failures rather than political ideals.
The Letters of John Sherman and the Origins of Antitrust

This paper presents a survey of the letters of Senator John Sherman, who pushed for passage of the first federal antitrust law in the United States. By placing these letters in historical context, this paper helps resolve a debate about Sherman's true intentions in creating an antitrust law. In particular, Sherman's letters reveal that he was more concerned with protecting the interests of small and inefficient businesses than with protecting the interests of consumers.
Fragment-based (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shift predictions in molecular crystals: An alternative to planewave methods.

We assess the quality of fragment-based ab initio isotropic 13C chemical shift predictions for a collection of 25 molecular crystals with eight different density functionals. We explore the relative performance of cluster, two-body fragment, combined cluster/fragment, and the planewave gauge-including projector augmented wave (GIPAW) models relative to experiment. When electrostatic embedding is employed to capture many-body polarization effects, the simple and computationally inexpensive two-body fragment model predicts both isotropic 13C chemical shifts and the chemical shielding tensors as well as both cluster models and the GIPAW approach. Unlike the GIPAW approach, hybrid density functionals can be used readily in a fragment model, and all four hybrid functionals tested here (PBE0, B3LYP, B3PW91, and B97-2) predict chemical shifts in noticeably better agreement with experiment than the four generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functionals considered (PBE, OPBE, BLYP, and BP86). A set of recommended linear regression parameters for mapping between calculated chemical shieldings and observed chemical shifts are provided based on these benchmark calculations. Statistical cross-validation procedures are used to demonstrate the robustness of these fits.
Television Viewing and High School Mathematics Achievement: A Neural Network Analysis

This study examines the relationship between mathematics achievement and television viewing. The data consist of 13,542 high school seniors from the High School and Beyond project conducted by U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. A feed-forward neural network is employed as a nonlinear model. A curvilinear relationship is found, independent of viewer characteristics, parental background, parental involvement, and leisure activities, with a peak at about one hour of viewing, and persistent upon the inclusion of statistical errors. It is further shown that for low-ability students the curvilinearity is replaced with an entirely positive correlation across all hours of television viewing.
Thoracoscopic harvest of the internal thoracic artery: a multicenter experience in 218 cases.

Abstract Background . Off-pump bypass grafting most commonly involves harvest of the left internal thoracic artery (ITA) through a minithoracotomy under direct vision. Disadvantages to this approach, however, include poor exposure, incomplete dissection resulting in inadequate ITA length, and significant postoperative pain because of rigorous chest retraction. This study determined the safety and efficacy of an alternative to direct ITA harvest using a thoracoscopic approach. Methods . Two hundred eighteen patients at three institutions underwent thoracoscopic ITA harvest; 118 (54%) for off-pump coronary bypass grafting. Results . The left ITA was harvested in 211 patients (96%); the mean harvest time ranged from 42 to 55 minutes. The ITA was injured in 4 patients (1.8%), and conversion to open ITA harvest occurred in 18 (8%). Complications included intercostal neuropathy (4), reoperation for ITA bleeding (2), phrenic nerve injury (1), and wound infection (1). Conclusions . This large, multicenter experience demonstrates that thoracoscopic harvest of the ITA can be accomplished safely and within a reasonable time frame in most patients undergoing coronary bypass grafting.
An assessment of molecular pathways of obesity susceptible to nutrient, toxicant and genetically induced epigenetic perturbation☆

In recent years, the etiology of human disease has greatly improved with the inclusion of epigenetic mechanisms, in particular as a common link between environment and disease. However, for most diseases we lack a detailed interpretation of the epigenetic regulatory pathways perturbed by environment and causal mechanisms. Here, we focus on recent findings elucidating nutrient-related epigenetic changes linked to obesity. We highlight studies demonstrating that obesity is a complex disease linked to disruption of epigenetically regulated metabolic pathways in the brain, adipose tissue and liver. These pathways regulate (1) homeostatic and hedonic eating behaviors, (2) adipocyte differentiation and fat accumulation, and (3) energy expenditure. By compiling these data, we illustrate that obesity-related phenotypes are repeatedly linked to disruption of critical epigenetic mechanisms that regulate key metabolic genes. These data are supported by genetic mutation of key epigenetic regulators, and many of the diet-induced epigenetic mechanisms of obesity are also perturbed by exposure to environmental toxicants. Identifying similarly perturbed epigenetic mechanisms in multiple experimental models of obesity strengthens the translational applications of these findings. We also discuss many of the ongoing challenges to understanding the role of environmentally induced epigenetic pathways in obesity and suggest future studies to elucidate these roles. This assessment illustrates our current understanding of molecular pathways of obesity that are susceptible to environmental perturbation via epigenetic mechanisms. Thus, it lays the groundwork for dissecting the complex interactions between diet, genes and toxicants that contribute to obesity and obesity-related phenotypes.
PERIODIC SELECTION, INFECTIOUS GENE EXCHANGE AND THE GENETIC STRUCTURE OF E. COLI POPULATIONS

As a consequence of sequential replacements by clones of higher fitness (periodic selection), bacterial populations would be continually purged of genetic variability, and the fate of selectively neutral alleles in very large populations of bacteria would be similar to that in demes of sexually reproducing organisms with small genetically effective population sizes. The significance of periodic selection in reducing genetic variability in these clonally reproducing species is dependent on the amount of genetic exchange between clones (recombination). In an effort to determine the relationship between the rates of periodic selection, recombination and the genetically effective sizes of bacterial populations, a model for periodic selection and infectious gene exchange has been developed and its properties analyzed. It shows that, for a given periodic selection regime, genetically effective population size increases exponentially with the rate of recombination.--With the parameters of this model in the range anticipated for natural populations of E. coli, the purging effects of periodic selection on genetic variability are significant; individual populations or lineages of this bacterial species would have very small genetically effective population sizes.--Based on this result, some other a priori considerations and a review of the results of epidemiological and genetic variability studies, it is postulated that E. coli is composed of a relatively limited number of geographically widespread and genetically nearly isolated and monomorphic lineages. The implications of these considerations of the genetic structure of E. coli populations on the interpretation of protein variation and the neutral gene hypothesis are discussed.
Predictors of Employment and Postsecondary Education of Youth With Autism

Using logistic and multiple regressions, the authors investigated predictors of employment and postsecondary education outcomes of youth with autism in the Vocational Rehabilitation Program. Data w...
Taphonomy and paleobiology

Taphonomy plays diverse roles in paleobiology. These include assessing sample quality relevant to ecologic, biogeographic, and evolutionary questions, diagnosing the roles of various taphonomic agents, processes and circumstances in generating the sedimentary and fossil records, and reconstructing the dynamics of organic recycling over time as a part of Earth history. Major advances over the past 15 years have occurred in understanding (1) the controls on preservation, especially the ecology and biogeochemistry of soft-tissue preservation, and the dominance of bi- ological versus physical agents in the destruction of remains from all major taxonomic groups (plants, invertebrates, vertebrates); (2) scales of spatial and temporal resolution, particularly the relatively minor role of out-of-habitat transport contrasted with the major effects of time-averaging; (3) quantitative compositional fidelity; that is, the degree to which different types of assemblages reflect the species composition and abundance of source faunas and floras; and (4) large-scale var- iations through time in preservational regimes (megabiases), caused by the evolution of new bod- yplans and behavioral capabilities, and by broad-scale changes in climate, tectonics, and geochem- istry of Earth surface systems. Paleobiological questions regarding major trends in biodiversity, major extinctions and recoveries, timing of cladogenesis and rates of evolution, and the role of environmental forcing in evolution all entail issues appropriate for taphonomic analysis, and a wide range of strategies are being developed to minimize the impact of sample incompleteness and bias. These include taphonomically robust metrics of paleontologic patterns, gap analysis, equal- izing samples via rarefaction, inferences about preservation probability, isotaphonomic compari- sons, taphonomic control taxa, and modeling of artificial fossil assemblages based on modern an- alogues. All of this work is yielding a more quantitative assessment of both the positive and neg- ative aspects of paleobiological samples. Comparisons and syntheses of patterns across major groups and over a wider range of temporal and spatial scales present a challenging and exciting agenda for taphonomy in the coming decades.
Differential activation of chemically identified neurons in the caudal nucleus of the solitary tract in non-entrained rats after intake of satiating vs. non-satiating meals.

Abstract Satiety signals arising from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and related digestive organs during food ingestion and digestion are conveyed by vagal sensory afferents to the hindbrain nucleus of the solitary tract (NST). Two intermingled but chemically distinct NST neuronal populations have been implicated in meal size control: noradrenergic (NA) neurons that comprise the A2 cell group, and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-positive neurons. Previous results indicate that A2 neurons are activated in a meal size-dependent manner in rats that have been acclimated/entrained to a feeding schedule in order to increase meal size, whereas feeding under the same conditions does not activate GLP-1 neurons. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that both A2 and GLP-1 neuronal populations are recruited in non-entrained rats after voluntary first-time intake of an unrestricted, satiating volume of liquid Ensure. DBH-positive A2 neurons within the caudal visceral NST were progressively recruited to express cFos in rats that consumed progressively larger volumes of Ensure. Among these DBH-positive neurons, the prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP)-positive subset was more sensitive to feeding-induced activation than the PrRP-negative subset. Notably, significant activation of GLP-1-positive neurons occurred only in rats that consumed the largest volumes of Ensure, corresponding to nearly 5% of their BW. We interpret these results as evidence that progressive recruitment of NA neurons within the caudal NST, especially the most caudally-situated PrRP-positive subset, effectively “tracks” the magnitude of GI satiety signals and other meal-related sensory feedback. Conversely, GLP-1 neurons may only be recruited in response to the homeostatic challenge of consuming a very large, unanticipated meal.
Signal-To-Noise Ratio, Dynamic Range And Contrast Sensitivity Of Radiographic Imaging Systems

Signal-to-noise ratio, dynamic range and contrast sensitivity are three parameters used to describe performance or quality of electronic medical imaging systems or components. The meaning and significance of these parameters are discussed and their values for various systems, including conventional film-screen systems, are derived. An additional parameter, "useful dynamic range", is introduced and related to existing systems. Under optimum conditions the signal-to-noise ratio of a radiographic imaging system will be determined only by quantum statistics. For a quantum limited system contrast sensitivity is related to x-ray dose and independent of the particular system used, analog or digital. The "useful dynamic range" of most electronic imaging systems is limited by system noise to a value less than that typically exhibited by conventional film-screen systems, 20:1 to 50:1.
Microbial transformation of benzosampangine.

Microbial transformation studies of the synthetic antifungal alkaloid benzosampangine (1) have revealed that 1 is metabolized by a number of microorganisms. Using a standard two-stage fermentation technique Absidia glauca (ATCC 22752), Cunninghamella blakesleeana (ATCC 8688a), Cunninghamella species (NRRL 5695), Fusarium solani f. sp. cucurbitae (CSIH #C-5), and Rhizopogon species (ATCC 36060) each produced a β-glucopyranose conjugate of benzosampangine (2). The identity of 2 was established on the basis of spectroscopic data.
Degrees of stativity: the lexical representation of verb aspect

L'acquisition automatique de connaissance lexicale a partir de larges corpus s'est essentiellement occupee des phenomenes de co-occurrence, aux depens des traits lexicaux inherents. Nous presentons ici une methodologie qui permet d'obtenir l'information semantique sur l'aspect du verbe en analysant automatiquement un corpus et en appliquant des tests linguistiques a l'aide d'une serie d'outils d'analyse structurale. Lorsque ces deux tâches sont accomplies, nous proposons une representation de l'aspect du verbe qui associe une valeur de mesure pour les differents types d'evenements. Les mesures refletent l'usage typique du verbe, et par consequent une mesure de resistance ou de non-resistance a la coercion dans le contexte de la phrase. Les resultats que nous rapportons ici ont ete obtenus de deux manieres: en extrayant l'information necessaire a partir du corpus etiquete de Francis and Kucera (1982), et en faisant tourner un analyseur syntaxique (McCord 1980, 1990) sur le corpus du Reader's Digest afin d'extraire une information plus precise sur l'usage du verbe dans le texte.
Temporal regulation of Drosophila imaginal disc morphogenesis: a hierarchy of primary and secondary 20-hydroxyecdysone-responsive loci.

Abstract The release of 20-hydroxyecdysone at the end of the third larval instar provides a temporal signal that triggers specific developmental programs in hormone target tissues in Drosophila at metamorphosis. Imaginal discs respond to the steroid hormone by initiating morphogenesis leading to the formation of the adult head structures, appendages, and thoracic epidermis. The cellular events of morphogenesis are preceded and accompanied by 20-hydroxyecdysone-dependent activation of a set of genes encoding Inducible Membrane-bound Polysomal transcripts, the IMP-genes. Analysis of expression characteristics in imaginal discs cultured in vitro reveals that the IMP-E1 gene is expressed within 15-30 rain after exposure to 20-hydroxyecdysone while the expression of the IMP-L1 gene is delayed 6-8 hr. Induction studies in the presence of cycloheximide establish that IMP-E1 is a primary response locus while IMP-L1 transcription is a secondary response. These genes are regulated at the level of transcription initiation. Differences between the induction characteristics of IMP-E1 and the early 20-hydroxyecdysone-responsive gene E74 lead us to propose an addition to the Ashburner model for the 20-hydroxyecdysone regulatory hierarchy. We suggest that the sequential temporal expression of steroid hormone-responsive genes in imaginal discs is important in organizing cellular mechanisms involved in morphogenesis of the epithelium.
Induction of Zone-Like Liver Function Gradients in HepG2 Cells by Varying Culture Medium Height

In most laboratory-scale mammalian cell cultures, the primary mode of oxygen delivery to cultured cells is by passive diffusion through a thin layer of culture medium, and the height of culture medium chosen may therefore have a significant effect on the phenotype of oxygen-sensitive cell types. Many of the liver functions performed by hepatocytes are thought to be regulated into zones by the local oxygen concentration; of particular interest to in vitro toxicologists, the cytochrome P450 family of detoxification enzymes is known to be preferentially expressed by hepatocytes at low (perivenous) oxygen concentrations. Using an array of different medium heights in a 12-well plate format, we show that the height of culture medium has a significant effect on cytochrome P450 1A1 detoxification activity, glucose metabolism, and cell morphology of HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cultures. In particular, cytochrome P450 activity exhibits a maximum at medium heights corresponding to perivenous oxygen concentrations. This work demonstrates that optimizing cell culture performance is not always the same as maximizing oxygen delivery.
The agglomeration of exporters by destination

Precise characterization of informational trade barriers is neither well documented nor understood. Using Russian customs data, we document that regional destination-specific export spillovers exist for developing countries, extending a result that was only known for developed countries. This result suggests behavior responding to a destination barrier. To account for this fact, we build on a monopolistic competition model of trade by postulating an externality in the international transaction of goods. We test the model’s prediction on region-level exports using Russian data and find improvement over gravity-type models without agglomeration. This finding has important development implications in that export policy that considers current trade partners may be more effective than policy that focuses only on the exporting country’s industries. Furthermore, our findings can be considered in the burgeoning literature refining transaction costs beyond the traditional iceberg cost.
Building interactive systems using unconventional electronics

Many interactive systems use "conventional" silicon- based sensors and electronics that limit their functionality and scalability. Organic, amorphous inorganic, and other "unconventional" electronics are ideal for applications that require mechanical flexibility or large-area sensing. In this studio participants will use simple control electronics and a range of unconventional materials to design and build a custom interactive system that combines organic light-emitting diodes and piezoelectric pressure sensors.
Adolescent drug dealing and race/ethnicity: a population-based study of the differential impact of substance use on involvement in drug trade.

Background: Among adolescents, peers are an important source of drug procurement. However, little is known about factors associated with youths’ involvement in drug trade. Objectives: The aim of the study is to identify substance use behaviors and contextual factors related to drug dealing among Black and White adolescents. Methods: The sample consisted of 13,706 White and Black youths who completed the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Separate backward logistic regression was used to identify substance use behaviors and contextual factors associated with drug dealing among Black and White youths. Results: Among White youths, drug dealing was associated with use of marijuana, hallucinogens, cocaine, prescription drug misuse, availability of cocaine, and socioeconomic status (SES). Among Black youths, marijuana use and availability of crack and marijuana were associated with drug dealing. Conclusions and Scientific Significance: For White youths, substance use seems to be more relevant to drug deali...
Specialized cognitive function and school achievement

Individual differences in performance on academic achievement tests were studied in relation to tasks of specialized cognitive function associated with processing in the right and left cerebral hemispheres. In 1,042 elementary‐school (fourth‐ and fifth‐grade) children, it was found that those who performed better on visuospatial skills than on “verbosequential” skills performed more poorly on reading and language achievement but not on arithmetic—in comparison with children who had the reverse profile (performing better on verbosequential skills than on visuospatial skills). These results held true after measures of overall performance were partialed out, suggesting that the cognitive profile accounted for some of the group differences. It was also demonstrated that the reading scores for the visuospatial profile group tended to be distributed bimodally, whereas the scores for the verbosequential profile group were not. These data suggest that individual differences in achievement are related, in part, to...
An Empirical Analysis of Primary and Secondary Pharmaceutical Patents in Chile

We analyze the patent filing strategies of foreign pharmaceutical companies in Chile distinguishing between "primary" (active ingredient) and "secondary" patents (patents on modified compounds, formulations, dosages, particular medical uses, etc.). There is prior evidence that secondary patents are used by pharmaceutical originator companies in the U.S. and Europe to extend patent protection on drugs in length and breadth. Using a novel dataset that comprises all drugs registered in Chile between 1991 and 2010 as well as the corresponding patents and trademarks, we find evidence that foreign originator companies pursue similar strategies in Chile. We find a primary to secondary patents ratio of 1:4 at the drug-level, which is comparable to the available evidence for Europe; most secondary patents are filed over several years following the original primary patent and after the protected active ingredient has obtained market approval in Chile. This points toward effective patent term extensions through secondary patents. Secondary patents dominate "older" therapeutic classes like anti-ulcer and anti-depressants. In contrast, newer areas like anti-virals and anti-neoplastics (anti-cancer) have a much larger share of primary patents.
Toll-like receptors impact on safety and efficacy of gene transfer vectors.

Innate immune responses are triggered when pattern-recognition receptors recognize specific conserved patterns on pathogens. The most extensively studied pattern-recognition receptors are toll-like receptors (TLRs), which are comprised of 11 different receptors, named TLR1–11. TLRs recognize motifs that are found on a wide range of pathogens, and activation of TLRs results in the production of large amounts of type I interferons and several proinflammatory cytokines. These cytokine responses are important in controlling pathogen replication and they also provide an initiation signal for the adaptive immune response. Although numerous manuscripts have reviewed the important role of TLRs in host defense against wild-type viruses, bacteria, and/or their subcomponents, none have focused on how TLRs recognize commonly utilized gene delivery vehicles such as adenovirus and adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors. In this review, we discuss our understanding of how TLRs are activated by gene transfer vectors.
The Magnitude and Nature of Unfunded Published Cardiovascular Research

Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the extent, type (e.g., staff, equipment), and sources of funding for published cardiovascular research. Background Important cardiovascular research is often performed without direct financial support. The degree to which medical research is conducted on an unfunded basis remains uncertain. Methods We sent an electronic survey (Survey Monkey) to 938 corresponding authors who published papers in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology from 2007 through 2009. The data sought included the authors9 characteristics (e.g., age, institution, type of research), funding, sources of funding, and types of support for their research. Results The response rate was 41% (388 of 938). The percentage of authors who were fully funded was 26%, 44.1% were partially funded, and those without any direct funding amounted to 30%. Most funding came from government (41.8%) and industry (35.1%), whereas institutional, foundation, association, philanthropy, and other grants contributed the remaining 23.1%. Funded authors received supplies (43.6%), staff (41.5%), and salary (39.7%) to a greater extent than equipment (27.3%) or administrative (24.7%) support. Significantly fewer authors 40 years of age or younger (24.3%) were partially funded relative to authors older than 40 years of age (≥47%) (p = 0.001). Significantly fewer authors from a community hospital (0%), from Europe (16.7%), or conducting interventional (7.3%) or heart rhythm (11.5%) studies were fully funded (all p Conclusions Considerable published cardiovascular research is currently being conducted without direct financial support. This is particularly true for young clinical investigators. The inability to accommodate this investigation in the medical enterprise might substantially diminish the amount of new knowledge coming forth.
The Reconstructing of Industrial Relations in Taiwan’s High Technology Industries

AbstractScholars have shown interest in labour capacity when discussing labour movements in Taiwan’s industrial relations since the nation’s democratic transition from 1987. Interestingly, the upturn in workers’ struggles skipped the Hsinchu Science Industrial Park, which concentrated its business on the non-unionised, high-technology sector. Existing studies have not sufficiently explained how the Hsinchu Science Industrial Park escaped the series of labour conflicts after 1987. Rather than focusing on labour capacity, this article employs an alternative perspective – the role of employers and management strategies – to examine how employers brought together segments of capital and labour through a diversity of human resource management strategies. These management strategies have two aspects. First, high-tech industrial managers took advantage of “Taiwan-style” employee profit sharing and stock ownership to strengthen firms’ top tier of strategic decision-making with the support of national institutions...
Reflectance spectroscopy: Quantitative analysis techniques for remote sensing applications

The empirical methods and scattering theories that are important for solving remote sensing problems are among the methods for remotely sensed reflectance data analysis presently compared. In the case of the photon mean optical path length concept's implications for reflectance spectra modeling, it is shown that the mean optical path length in a particulate surface is in roughly inverse proportion to the square root of the absorption coefficient. Absorption bands, which are Gaussian in shape when plotted as true absorptance vs photon energy, are also Gaussians in apparent absorptance, although they have a smaller intensity. An apparent continuum in a reflectance spectrum is modeled as a mathematical function that is used to isolate a particular absorption feature for analysis, and it is noted that this continuum should be removed by dividing it into the reflectance spectrum.
Use of a Real-Time PCR TaqMan Assay for Rapid Identification and Differentiation of Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei

A TaqMan allelic-discrimination assay designed around a synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism was used to genotype Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei isolates. The assay rapidly identifies and discriminates between these two highly pathogenic bacteria and does not cross-react with genetic near neighbors, such as Burkholderia thailandensis and Burkholderia cepacia.
The ethical and religious challenges of reproductive technology.

Birth regulation is a tired and worn-out conversation, so I will not approach the matter in that way. I think it much more exciting, and it raises all the same problems, to approach the issues of reproductive services through reproductive technologies that are now available. Since this is based on my recent experience with the American Fertility Society, now the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, I will take this tack. This presentation is a vehicle for getting some questions on the table; hopefully, there will be enlightenment in the discussion and debates that follow.
Fidelity of retrotransposon replication.

: Ty1, the genetically tractable retrotransposable element found in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, closely resembles vertebrate retroviruses both in structure and in mechanism of replication. By direct sequence analysis, we examined the rate and spectrum of new mutations appearing during a single cycle of Ty1 replication. The rate of new mutations was comparable to those seen for replicating retroviruses. All observed changes were base substitutions, and their location suggested that template ends may be hot spots for generating these mutations. To test this, we developed methods to examine, at the nucleotide level, the end structure of the expected Ty1 replication intermediates. Our results demonstrate that Ty1 reverse transcriptase can add terminal non-templated bases in vivo during each step in replication. Furthermore, Ty1 RNAse H creates multiple template ends by imprecisely cleaving RNA. This expands the range of sites of subsequent non-templated base addition. Finally, on reaching template ends, Ty1 reverse transcriptase can strand transfer to inappropriate templates. Taken together, these mutagenic mechanisms may influence the evolution of particular regions of the Ty1 genome and serve as a mechanism to regulate the overall level of Ty1 transposition in its host cell.
Segmentation-directed SAR image compression via hierarchical stochastic modeling

There has recently been a growing interest in SAR imaging on account of its importance in a variety of applications. One reason for its gain in popularity is its ability to image terrain at extraordinary rates. Acquiring data at such rates, however, has drawbacks in the from of exorbitant costs in data storage and transmission over relatively slow channels. To alleviate these and related costs, we propose a segmentation driven compression technique using hierarchical stochastic modeling within a multiscale framework. Our approach to SAR image compression is unique in that we exploit the multiscale stochastic structure inherent in SAR imagery. This structure is well captured by a set of scale auto-regressive models that accurately characterize the evolution in scale of homogeneous regions for different classes of terrain. We thus use them to generate a multiresolution segmentation of the image. We subsequently use the segmentation in tandem with the corresponding models within a pyramid encoder to provide a robust, hierarchical compression technique which in addition to coding the segmentation, codes the image with high compression ratios and remarkable image quality.
Biophysical Studies of the Membrane-Embedded and Cytoplasmic Forms of the Glucose-Specific Enzyme II of the E. coli Phosphotransferase System (PTS)

The glucose Enzyme II transporter complex of the Escherichia coli phosphotransferase system (PTS) exists in at least two physically distinct forms: a membrane-integrated dimeric form, and a cytoplasmic monomeric form, but little is known about the physical states of these enzyme forms. Six approaches were used to evaluate protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions in this system. Fluorescence energy transfer (FRET) using MBP-IIGlc-YFP and MBP-IIGlc-CFP revealed that the homodimeric Enzyme II complex in cell membranes is stable (FRET-) but can be dissociated and reassociated to the heterodimer only in the presence of Triton X100 (FRET+). The monomeric species could form a heterodimeric species (FRET+) by incubation and purification without detergent exposure. Formaldehyde cross linking studies, conducted both in vivo and in vitro, revealed that the dimeric MBP-IIGlc activity decreased dramatically with increasing formaldehyde concentrations due to both aggregation and activity loss, but that the monomeric MBP-IIGlc retained activity more effectively in response to the same formaldehyde treatments, and little or no aggregation was observed. Electron microscopy of MBP-IIGlc indicated that the dimeric form is larger than the monomeric form. Dynamic light scattering confirmed this conclusion and provided quantitation. NMR analyses provided strong evidence that the dimeric form is present primarily in a lipid bilayer while the monomeric form is present as micelles. Finally, lipid analyses of the different fractions revealed that the three lipid species (PE, PG and CL) are present in all fractions, but the monomeric micellar structure contains a higher percentage of anionic lipids (PG & CL) while the dimeric bilayer form has a higher percentage of zwitterion lipids (PE). Additionally, evidence for a minor dimeric micellar species, possibly an intermediate between the monomeric micellar and the dimeric bilayer forms, is presented. These results provide convincing evidence for interconvertible physical forms of Enzyme-IIGlc.
A parametric study of axial segregation in granular systems

When a cylindrical container, partially filled with a binary granular mixture of particles that differ in size or density, is rotated around its axis, a spontaneous segregation of the two granular components may occur. In order to better understand this phenomenon, we have carried out an experimental study probing the effect of average particle size and relative size difference between particles on the onset of segregation. The experimental study is followed by a novel scaling analysis which relates the deterministic, convective driving force for particle segregation to the randomizing diffusional driving force present in these systems through the definition of an axial granular Peclet number. Values of this granular Peclet number are shown to successfully correlate with segregation behavior in the present study, as well as in comparable results in the literature.
Protein and microRNA biomarkers from lavage, urine, and serum in military personnel evaluated for dyspnea

We have identified candidate protein and microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers for dyspnea by studying serum, lavage fluid, and urine from military personnel who reported serious respiratory symptoms after they were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Forty-seven soldiers with the complaint of dyspnea who enrolled in the STudy of Active Duty Military Personnel for Environmental Dust Exposure (STAMPEDE) underwent comprehensive pulmonary evaluations at the San Antonio Military Medical Center. The evaluation included fiber-optic bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage. The clinical findings from the STAMPEDE subjects pointed to seven general underlying diagnoses or findings including airway hyperreactivity, asthma, low diffusivity of carbon monoxide, and abnormal cell counts. The largest category was undiagnosed. As an exploratory study, not a classification study, we profiled proteins or miRNAs in lavage fluid, serum, or urine in this group to look for any underlying molecular patterns that might lead to biomarkers. Proteins in lavage fluid and urine were identified by accurate mass tag (database-driven) proteomics methods while miRNAs were profiled by a hybridization assay applied to serum, urine, and lavage fluid. Over seventy differentially expressed proteins were reliably identified both from lavage and from urine in forty-eight dyspnea subjects compared to fifteen controls with no known lung disorder. Six of these proteins were detected both in urine and lavage. One group of subjects was distinguished from controls by expressing a characteristic group of proteins. A related group of dyspnea subjects expressed a unique group of miRNAs that included one miRNA that was differentially overexpressed in all three fluids studied. The levels of several miRNAs also showed modest but direct associations with several standard clinical measures of lung health such as forced vital capacity or gas exchange efficiency. Candidate proteins and miRNAs associated with the general diagnosis of dyspnea have been identified in subjects with differing medical diagnoses. Since these markers can be measured in readily obtained clinical samples, further studies are possible that test the value of these findings in more formal classification or case–control studies in much larger cohorts of subjects with specific lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, or some other well-defined lung disease.