cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE ROLE OF PEDAL CONFIGURATION IN UNINTENDED-ACCELERATION AND PEDAL-ERROR ACCIDENTS

This study examined the hypothesis that unintended-acceleration (UA) incidents, as well as other accidents caused by a foot pedal error or misapplication (PE), are related to the design of the pedal cluster. Using the North Carolina Accident Report Database, we evaluated the narrative descriptions of over 200,000 accidents to determine which accidents involved either a UA or PE. Three measures of the pedal cluster--the distance of the right edge of the brake pedal from the steering wheel centerline, the horizontal separation between the accelerator and brake pedal, and the vertical separation (the plane perpendicular to the brake-pedal face) between the accelerator and brake pedal--were evaluated to determine if the pedal cluster could be linked to a pedal-related accident. We found no differences in the pedal measurements of vehicles involved in accidents when compared with their non-accident peers. Therefore, there is no support for the notion that pedal-cluster design is a factor in pedal-error accidents.
ID: 87: TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR CREB3L3 IS A NOVEL REGULATOR FOR ADIPOCYTE BIOLOGY AND METABOLISM

The presence of differential metabolic risks between the metabolically-protective subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and the disease-associated visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is well established, but the mechanisms that cause these differences are not well understood. Cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein 3-like 3 (CREB3L3), a previously characterized liver-specific ER-bound transcription factor, was found to be expressed in murine SAT and VAT. In obese human subjects and an obese mouse model, we found that CREB3L3 is downregulated in SAT, but not in VAT. To examine the role of CREB3L3 in adipocyte biology and metabolism, we created a fat-specific CREB3L3 knockout (KO) mouse using the AdipoQ-Cre mouse. To establish a potential role for CREB3L3 in adipocytes, we examined in vitro differentiated adipocytes from isolated WT and KO primary stromal vascular fraction. We observed that ablation of CREB3L3 in SAT adipocytes significantly upregulated expression of both lipogenic and lipolytic markers. At the same time, we also observed significantly increased expression of thermogenic markers like PGC1α and Cox8b. Taken together our data suggest potential upregulation of the fat futile cycle in SAT upon deletion of CREB3L3. Surprisingly, we found that CREB3L3 KO tends to downregulate expression of markers of both lipogenesis and lipolysis in VAT adipocytes. This observation could potentially be contributed by the tendency of CREB3l3 KO VAT to have inhibited differentiation. To investigate the in vivo function of CREB3L3, we challenged WT and KO mice with high fat diet with weekly body weight assessment. We observed that CREB3L3 ablation in adipose tissues promotes significant weight gain in mice on HFD. Unexpectedly, despite being heavier, the KO mice are not more glucose intolerant or insulin resistant. These data together suggest that ablation of CREB3L3 could potentially promote fat storage in adipose tissues to prevent metabolic diseases caused by ectopic fat deposition.
Russian Arctic Straits and the Temptation of Uti Possidetis

Global climate change in the Arctic presents this consideration of legal and political issues attending the possible commercial use of the Northern Sea Route, a treacherous stretch of the fabled Northeast Passage atop Russia that connects Asia with Europe. Geographers and discoverers have long understood the route presents the shortest distance for commercial exchange between Asian and European commercial hubs and if the route proves viable and safe to navigate, its use will dramatically impact world trade. Competing legal classifications of the route and contested sovereignty claims complicate this emerging discussion. This article canvasses the current prospects for commercial use of the route and contrasts that use with opposing claims involving the legal classification of this Arctic waterway through analogous recourse to the Roman law principle of uti possidetis.
Multiscaling comparative analysis of time series and geophysical phenomena: Research Articles

Different methods are used to determine the scaling exponents associated with a time series describing a complex dynamical process, such as those observed in geophysical systems. Many of these methods are based on the numerical evaluation of the variance of a diffusion process whose step increments are generated by the data. An alternative method focuses on the direct evaluation of the scaling coefficient of the Shannon entropy of the same diffusion distribution. The combined use of these methods can efficiently distinguish between fractal Gaussian and Levy-walk time series and help to discern between alternative underling complex dynamics. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 10: 51–56, 2005
Anorectal Motor Physiology and Pathophysiology

Disorders of anorectal function are complex. A clear definition of the underlying pathophysiologic process is possible only with the use of the anal physiology laboratory. A reasonable treatment plan is then possible.
Maps of Human Disease: A Web-Based Framework for the Visualization of Human Disease Comorbidity and Clinical Profile Overlay

We present a practical framework for visual exploration of co-morbidities between diseases. By utilizing high-quality multilevel layout and clustering algorithms, we have implemented an innovative two-layer multiplex network of human diseases. Specifically, we extract the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD9) codes from an Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) database to build our map of human diseases. In the lower layer, the abbreviated disease terms of ICD9 codes in the irregular regions look like cities in geographical maps. The connections represent the disease pairs co-morbidities, calculated by using co-occurrence. In the upper layer, we visualize multi-object profile of clinical information. For practical application, we propose an interactive system for users to define parameters of representations of the map (see a map representation example in Fig. 1). The demonstrated visualization method offer an opportunity to visually uncover the significant information in clinical data.
Finding Alternative Musical Scales

We search for alternative musical scales that share the main advantages of classical scales: pitch frequencies that bear simple ratios to each other, and multiple keys based on an underlying chromatic scale with tempered tuning. We conduct the search by formulating a constraint satisfaction problem that is well suited for solution by constraint programming. We find that certain 11-note scales on a 19-note chromatic stand out as superior to all others. These scales enjoy harmonic and structural possibilities that go significantly beyond what is available in classical scales and therefore provide a possible medium for innovative musical composition.
Abstract 560: Role of Paraoxonase 2 In Innate Immune Response in an Acute Infection Model

Background (3-oxododecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3OC12-HSL) is a quorum-sensing molecule produced by certain classes of gram-negative microbial pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1), is involved in the regulation of virulence factors and alters the function of the host cells. Previously, We have shown that paraoxonase 2 (PON2) hydrolyzes 3OC12-HSL in murine tracheal epithelial cells. In this study, we examined the physiological role of PON2 in innate host defense using the PA01-induced acute infection mouse model. Materials and Results We demonstrates that both intact cells and membrane-enriched protein lysates obtained from PON2-deficient (PON2-def) macrophages reveal a marked impairment in their ability to hydrolyze 3OC12-HSL. PON2 is neither up-regulated nor down-regulated in response to 3OC12-HSL in control macrophages. In an ex vivo model, macrophages derived from PON2-def mice show an increase in ER stress-mediated oxidative stress and defective PI3 kinase/AKT activation, leading to reduced phagocytes function compared to control macrophages following 3OC12-HSL treatment. Moreover, p85, a regulatory subunit of PI3-kinase, shows higher tyrosine nitration in the macrophage of PON2-def mice which is associated with phagocytic function. Restoration of PON2 in the macrophages reduces the ER stress mediated oxidative stress and improves the phagocytosis function in response to 3OC12-HSL treatment. Furthermore, following administration of 1.6x10 7 CFU of PAO1, a decrease in bacterial clearance is found in the lungs, and liver of PON2-def mice by 5.7, and 14.8 fold, respectively. Conclusion Increased ER stress mediated oxidative stress decreases phagocytosis function in the macrophages of PON2-def mice in response to 3OC12-HSL may explain the decreased bacterial clearance observed in PON2-def mice following PAO1 infection.
Inhibitory Effect of Beta-Ionone on Growth and Aflatoxin Production by Aspergillus parasiticus on Peanuts1

The volatile ketone (β-ionone showed a dose-related inhibition of fungal growth and aflatoxin production on peanuts after they were soaked in distilled water for 25 or 50 min, inoculated with spores, and incubated at 28°C for up to 2 weeks. For example, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) production after 1 week of incubation was reduced to less than 11.0 and 6.7% of the control when 2.5 or 5 ml of (β-ionone/100 g of peanuts, respectively, was added to water-soaked (25 min) peanuts. For AFG1, production was reduced to 4.7 (2.5 ml) or 3.3% (5.0 ml) under the same treatment conditions. Unlike controls or those treated with less than 0.1 ml of β-ionone, peanuts treated with more than 0.25 ml of β-ionone had only sparse mycelial growth and supported only limited sporulation. The mycelia, after being transferred to fresh Mycological or Fluorescent Agar plates, still had the ability to form normal colonies and produce aflatoxins. This temporary limitation of fungal growth was also noticed for those Aspergillus cultures on Mycological Agar that had been treated with (β-ionone either by direct contact or volatile bioassay procedures. The fungus was still able to grow of Fluorescent Agar even after the infected peanuts were treated with sodium hypochlorite for 15 or 30 min, indicating that mycelial penetration into peanut tissues occurs. This may confer protection from the action of various antifungal compounds. This observtion is further supported by microscopic detection of mycelial fragments in peanut tissues.
Analyzing Terrorism Using Spatial Analysis Techniques: A Case Study of Turkish Cities

This chapter examines techniques for studying terrorism attacks based on high risk locations within Turkey. According to the literature, spatial correlates that might aggravate terrorism risk include target vulnerability, population characteristics, crime, and physical infrastructure. Risk layers computed from these correlates were used along with actual terrorism incidents to calculate location quotients (LQs). LQs were mapped to identify cities in Turkey with the highest likelihood of attack. This analysis advocates the view that counterterrorism efforts can be based on a sound understanding of spatial attributes and structural qualities of a target area using standard geographic units. We discuss the importance of improving data for the development of more robust and accurate analysis.
Associations of women's position in the household and food insecurity with family planning use in Nepal

Author(s): Diamond-Smith, Nadia; Raj, Anita; Prata, Ndola; Weiser, Sheri | Abstract: BACKGROUND: Women in Nepal have low status, especially younger women in co-resident households. Nepal also faces high levels of household food insecurity and malnutrition, and stagnation in uptake of modern family planning methods. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to understand if household structure and food insecurity interact to influence family planning use in Nepal. METHODS: Using data on married, non-pregnant women aged 15-49 with at least one child from the Nepal 2011 Demographic and Health Survey (N = 7,460), we explore the relationship between womens position in the household, food insecurity as a moderator, and family planning use, using multi-variable logistic regressions. We adjust for household and individual factors, including other status-related variables. RESULTS: In adjusted models, living in a food insecure household and co-residing with in-laws either with no other daughter-in-laws or as the eldest or youngest daughter-in-law (compared to not-co-residing with in-laws) are all associated with lower odds of family planning use. In the interaction model, younger-sisters-in-law and women co-residing with no sisters-in-law in food insecure households have the lowest odds of family planning use. CONCLUSION: This study shows that household position is associated with family planning use in Nepal, and that food insecurity modifies these associations-highlighting the importance of considering both factors in understanding reproductive health care use in Nepal. Policies and programs should focus on the multiple pathways through which food insecurity impacts womens reproductive health, including focusing on women with the lowest status in households.
Century of the exile: Colombia’s displacement and land restitution in historical perspective, 1940s–1960s

The mid-twentieth-century Colombian conflicts known as La Violencia presented a crisis of displacement and property even more than one of mortality. This article considers the various land restitut...
Breaking the Silence: Creating User-Friendly Sexual Harassment Policies

Numerous surveys suggest that while the number of women in the work force who have experienced sexual harassment is high, the number of those who are willing to actually report incidents of harassment is far lower. To better understand the consequences of sexual harassment to women and the legal implications to the corporation, we discuss briefly the psychophysiological consequences experienced by victims, followed by a review of sexual harassment law. Next we discuss the results of our survey based on a national sample of 1500 working women. Our study examines the reasons underlying women's reluctance to report sexual harassment and identifies policies and procedures to encourage the reporting of sexual harassment. Our findings are discussed in terms of the need for organizations to develop more user-friendly sexual harassment reporting procedures.
Evaluation of Corrections to the Rescaled Statistic for SEM with Big Data.

Trustworthy test statistics are of critical importance for evaluating overall model fit in structural equation modeling (SEM). While the likelihood ratio statistic TML derived from the normality as...
Role of Heterotypic Interactions Between Endothelial Cells and Parenchymal Cells in Organspecific Differentiation: A Possible Trigger for Vasculogenesis

Endothelial cell organ-specificity, diversity and heterogeneity. The endothelial cell (EC) lining of the vascular wall is presumably the largest complex functional organ in the body, in terms of exposed surface area. Among the most striking features of ECs are phenotypic diversity within the vascular tree, functional heterogeneity, and organ-specificity1-3. Details of the cellular and molecular basis for organ-specificity of ECs are not understood 4.5. Early embryonic differentiation of ECs occurs via two distinct mechanisms, namely angiogenesis and vasculogenesis6. Angiogenesis is defined as the formation of new blood vessels by endothelial cell-sprouting from existing blood conduits. In some organs, for example the brain and the kidneys, angiogenesis is the primary form of vascularization. Angiogenic mechanisms are also responsible for the vascularization of tumors. Vasculogenesis indicates the in situ transdifferentiation of endothelial cells from local mesenchymal precursor cells. For example, the initial formation of the dorsal aortae and the vascularization of several organs, such as the liver, lung, and pancreas occur, predominantly, via vasculogenesis8.
Animal models of endocrine disruption

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are compounds that alter the structure and function of the endocrine system and may be contributing to disorders of the reproductive, metabolic, neuroendocrine and other complex systems. Typically, these outcomes cannot be modeled in cell-based or other simple systems necessitating the use of animal testing. Appropriate animal model selection is required to effectively recapitulate the human experience, including relevant dosing and windows of exposure, and ensure translational utility and reproducibility. While classical toxicology heavily relies on inbred rats and mice, and focuses on apical endpoints such as tumor formation or birth defects, EDC researchers have used a greater diversity of species to effectively model more subtle but significant outcomes such as changes in pubertal timing, mammary gland development, and social behaviors. Advances in genomics, neuroimaging and other tools are making a wider range of animal models more widely available to EDC researchers.
Female chief executives and state human rights practices: Self-fulfilling the political double bind

What role does gender of a country's chief executive play in human rights practices of that country? Do female leaders treat the citizens of their country better or worse than their male counterpar...
Adverse Effects of Confidence in Complex Cost Systems amid Competition

Prior literature suggests that organizations desire more accurate cost systems in response to greater competition. Complex cost systems have the potential to be more accurate than simpler systems, but are still susceptible to material errors. Overreliance on cost information provided by a complex cost system could lead to complacency, due to managers’ confidence that the cost information is without material errors. Our study experimentally evaluates how cost system complexity and competition affect managers’ judgments and inhibit recognition of impactful cost errors. We find that greater cost system complexity inspires greater confidence in the cost system, reducing the likelihood that managers will recognize material cost errors. We also find that high competition inhibits managers’ recognition of material cost system errors, and that with both cost system complexity and high competition, managers are potentially the least likely to recognize material cost system inaccuracies. These findings show that although greater complexity garners increased manager confidence, this confidence can lead to adverse effects to the firm as impactful cost errors go undiscovered.
Under the Jade Dragon

Footsteps on cobblestone echo down narrow passageways, damp dawn air is scented with wood smoke, a black- caped Naxi nationality woman in a blue Mao cap carries a sack of mushrooms to the morning market. Arriving early, she spreads a tarp on the smooth cobbles, dumps the fungi out. Fresh Coprinus mushrooms from Yunnan pine woods. She removes a thin metal hand-scale from her bag and sits to wait for the first customer. Soon the haggling will begin.
COMPLEX CONICS AND COVERING SURFACES

In a beginning study of analytical geometry loci of equations of the form: Q(x, y) = 0, where Q(x, y) = Ax 2 + Bxy + Cy 2 + Dx + Ey + F , are classified as hyperbolas, parabolas, ellipses, including circles as special cases, and degenerate loci. These curves were named conic sections or simply conies because ellipses, parabolas, hyperbolas, and most of the degenerate loci may be obtained as the intersection of a cone and a plane. A hyperbola with two unbounded branches, an ellipse with a single bounded branch, a parabola with a single unbounded branch, and the empty locus seem quite unrelated. This chapter discusses the nondegenerate complex conies, the two-sheeted Riemann surfaces of complex quadratic equations, n- sheeted Riemann surfaces that are specified without reference to a polynomial equation, and the concept of an n- sheeted covering surface of any given surface. The covering surface is a Riemann surface if the covered surface is a sphere. The chapter explains the interweaving process for forming covering surfaces and relates the Euler characteristics of a covering surface and the covered surface.
The use of Xenopus egg extracts to study mitotic spindle assembly and function in vitro.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents detailed methods for the preparation of cytostatic factor (CSF) extracts and for performing spindle assembly reactions. It also describes methods for depleting specific components from extracts, an approach that has been used successfully to determine the contributions of both motor and nonmotor components to spindle assembly. It also describes methods for analyzing anaphase in vitro. Mature Xenopus eggs are arrested in metaphase of meiosis II by CSF, which is thought to be the product of the c-mos protooncogene. Sperm entry triggers a calcium spike that initiates a series of events leading to the destruction of CSF and exit from the meiosis II metaphase arrest. This calcium sensitivity of the CSF arrest is exploited in the preparation of extracts by use of the calcium chelator EGTA. The presence of EGTA in buffers results in extracts that maintain the CSF arrest but can be induced to exit the CSF arrest by addition of calcium. This convenient control of cell cycle state allows one to easily obtain in vitro spindles with replicated chromosomes.
A Comprehensive Environmental Assessment of a Receiving Aquatic System Near an Unbleached Kraft Mill

A critical examination of an aquatic environment adjacent to the discharge from an unbleached kraft pulp and paper mill (UBKM) was conducted in 1995. The assessment involved sampling of sediments, water, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish collected 1.6 km upstream from the mill, at the mill's outlet, and 2.5 km downstream. Field-collected blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) and bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochisus) exposed to site sediments in the laboratory showed no significant within-organism adverse effects as measured by EROD activity, benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylase activity, CYP1A content, DNA damage, condition factor, organ indices, differential blood cell counts, and histopathology, though DNA strand breaks increased at the most downstream site. No aqueous or sediment toxicity was observed using Ceriodapnia dubia and Pimephales promelas or Hyalella azteca and Chironomus tentans, respectively. Embryos of the mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) were evaluated for reproductive potential following laboratory exposures of adult mosquitofish to river sediments and water for 90 days. No significant adverse reproductive effects were observed immediately below the BKME discharge site. Analyses of field-collected benthic macroinvertebrate samples revealed no significant effects in terms of taxa, taxa richness, and other measures of their status. Using a comprehensive suite of within-organism, whole-organism, and community level endpoints, our study demonstrates that this effluent, discharged following secondary treatment from an UBKM, had no significant adverse impacts on the receiving aquatic ecosystem.
An agile software engineering course with product hand-off

This paper describes a novel design for an agile software engineering course that emphasizes keeping product artifacts updated throughout development. The signature transformative event in the course is the mid-semester project "hand-off," at which point teams trade projects with other student teams and must make immediate progress despite no prior knowledge of the new project's design, coding conventions, or documentation. Course features are described along with their implementation and assessment.
A Method for Collecting Atmospheric Microbial Samples From Set Altitudes for Use With Next-Generation Sequencing Techniques to Characterize Communities:

Dispersal of airborne microorganisms is an important ecological process, resulting in the distribution of bacteria to all habitats on Earth. Investigation of this process is limited by the ability ...
Victimization via Ritualization: Christian Communion and Sexual Abuse

This chapter considers the Christian practice of Communion as it relates to sexual violence, arguing based on lived experience of survivors that communion participation can exacerbate the systemic strength and traumatic harm of sexual violence among participants. It attends particularly to ways that negotiations of social power performed through the word and action of Communion can increase participants’ vulnerability to abuse and intensify associated traumas. After critically reviewing the problem, it considers an attempt made by a particular ecclesial body in North America to rethink and restructure the ritual such that it interrupts rather than perpetuates cycles of violence. Focus is placed on dynamics of the revised ritual that invite participants to constitute themselves not as victims, but as radical resistors of unjust harm.
Chronicles of an adaptive radiation.

The adaptive radiation of notothenioid fishes after the Antarctic glaciation was preceded by rapid genomic evolution and reduced bone density.
‘Check Your Selfie before You Wreck Your Selfie’: Personality ratings of Instagram users as a function of self-image posts

Abstract This study considered the relation between self-image posts (i.e., selfies, posies) on Instagram and the personality and self-perception attributions made by unfamiliar perceivers based on those posts. Phase 1 involved 30 undergraduates who completed self-report inventories and whose Instagram posts were coded and then screenshot for the second phase. Phase 2 included 119 undergraduates from a different university. Phase 2 participants (perceivers) rated Phase 1 participants (targets) on 13 attributes (e.g., self-absorption, low self-esteem, extraversion, successfulness) based on these screenshots. Targets who posted more selfies were rated more negatively (e.g., more lonely, less successful). Although self-image posts on social media may not be clearly indicative of personality/self-perception, they may be cues for how the depicted person is perceived by others.
The “other” 15–40%: The Role of Non‐Collagenous Extracellular Matrix Proteins and Minor Collagens in Tendon

Extracellular matrix (ECM) determines the physiological function of all tissues, including musculoskeletal tissues. In tendon, ECM provides overall tissue architecture, which is tailored to match the biomechanical requirements of their physiological function, that is, force transmission from muscle to bone. Tendon ECM also constitutes the microenvironment that allows tendon-resident cells to maintain their phenotype and that transmits biomechanical forces from the macro-level to the micro-level. The structure and function of adult tendons is largely determined by the hierarchical organization of collagen type I fibrils. However, non-collagenous ECM proteins such as small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs), ADAMTS proteases, and cross-linking enzymes play critical roles in collagen fibrillogenesis and guide the hierarchical bundling of collagen fibrils into tendon fascicles. Other non-collagenous ECM proteins such as the less abundant collagens, fibrillins, or elastin, contribute to tendon formation or determine some of their biomechanical properties. The interfascicular matrix or endotenon and the outer layer of tendons, the epi- and paratenon, includes collagens and non-collagenous ECM proteins, but their function is less well understood. The ECM proteins in the epi- and paratenon may provide the appropriate microenvironment to maintain the identity of distinct tendon cell populations that are thought to play a role during repair processes after injury. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the role of non-collagenous ECM proteins and less abundant collagens in tendon development and homeostasis. © 2019 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 38:23-35, 2020.
Waldenström's macroglobulinemia.

Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM) is a clinical syndrome with diverse prognoses, and not all patients require therapy at diagnosis. Serum β2 microglobulin is a major prognostic determinant, and asymptomatic patients with low β2 microglobulin levels and preserved hemoglobin can be observed over long periods without therapy. Lowdose alkylating agents and purine analogs are commonly employed as initial therapy but rarely yield complete remissions. Patients who are refractory to or have relapse after alkylator or purine analogue therapy can be salvaged with purine analogs. Improvement in outcome demands a comprehensive approach aimed at increasing and sustaining complete remissions. Such an approach should probably employ Rituxan (IDEX Pharmaceuticals, La Jolla, CA) in conjunction with induction therapy, peripheral stem cell procurement before purine analog therapy, and high-dose therapy followed by maintenance therapy with interferon.
NEW PROTOCOL FOR SPECIES MIX TESTING IN RETAIL MULCH SAMPLES

Many millions of bags of mulch are sold at retail in the United States each year. Most mulch products claim to be of a certain species, with cypress being perhaps the most widely marketed. Unfortunately, it is practically impossible for the average consumer to know with certainty whether a product is indeed the species listed on the packaging. Claims of misleading behavior by some producers raise the question of whether species mix should be more closely monitored. Regulators charged with ensuring fair competition and consumer welfare, however, do not have an accurate means to determine species content. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to determine the species mix for 100% of the wood particles in a package of mulch because of the inability to identify species of the smallest particles, and the impracticality of 100% sampling in the intended use. We propose and develop a new method to allow analysts to estimate the percentage of a given species in samples of mulch, with a focus on cypress. This case study illustrates our methods and highlights the challenges in accurately determining species mix in the type of wood product. We purchased and tested 10 bags of cypress mulch obtained from six different states. Results indicate that one producer was filling some bags with only 50% cypress and others with no cypress. Consumers may therefore suffer as they receive a lower valued species, whereas honest competitors are also harmed. The wood science community could help regulators and consumers by developing a method by which small particles of wood could be positively identified as to species. Improved methods for species identification are relevant for a wide variety of purposes ranging from identifying consumer products to upholding the U.S. Lacey Act.
OFFSHORING, OUTSOURCING AND PRODUCTION RELOCATIONS — LABOR MARKET EFFECTS IN THE OECD AND DEVELOPING ASIA

This paper evaluates data validity of available empirical sources and the extent of services sector labor market impact of offshoring in the US, EU-15 and Japan. A three-tier data validity hierarchy is identified, while the employment impact of offshoring in the three regions is found to be limited. Correspondingly, developing Asia is unlikely to experience large-scale employment gains as a destination region. Instead, the crucial role of domestic entrepreneurs in the growth of the Indian IT-related services industry is highlighted, as are the twin educational challenges facing developing Asia: the need to improve both primary and higher education simultaneously.
Persuasive or Pipe Dream? The Feminist Judgments Project's Potential Influence on Judicial Decision Making

The Feminist Judgments Project (“FJP” or the “Project”) rewrites existing judicial opinions from a feminist perspective. This article explores whether and how the FJP’s alternative jurisprudence can influence future decisions. The FJP rewrites the law in order to reveal the underlying biases that exist in purportedly neutral decision making. In doing so, the FJP seeks to influence future advocacy and, ultimately, change the law. According to the Project’s commentary, this change will come by revealing unconscious bias and opening judicial minds to previously unknown perspectives; a method that draws on psychological theories of decision making, such as cultural cognition. This article takes a different approach and evaluates the FJP using theories from political science on how judges decide cases. The article’s analysis is relevant because certain prominent theories in the political science field would challenge the utility of the Project. Specifically, given an increasingly conservative judiciary and Republican administration, the attitudinal and strategic theories of decision making would give the FJP little prospect of actually influencing the law. This article explains, however, that the field of political science would not universally nor completely dismiss the Project’s efforts. An alternative line of thought, historical institutionalism, presents a theoretical explanation for why and how the FJP’s re-envisioned law could possibly create persuasive arguments that will influence the judiciary. This article applies historical institutionalist concepts to the FJP, exploring how, and the degree to which, this view of decision making supports the Project’s utility. Ultimately, it concludes that the path of persuasion is somewhat narrow and limited, but possible.
How to Assemble and Use the Fiberoptic Scope and Tower

The fiberoptic bronchoscope is a valuable tool but can be challenging to maneuver. This is especially true for anesthesiologists who may typically reserve use of the fiberoptic bronchoscope for challenging airways. Hence, it is important to gain experience with manipulating and troubleshooting the fiberoptic bronchoscope in a controlled setting so that when the need arises to use it in an unanticipated difficult airway, the anesthesiologist is comfortable and adept. This chapter discusses basic techniques for handling a fiberoptic bronchoscope.
Using Thematic Social Studies Teaching to Explore the Civil Rights Movement

In this article, I discuss one approach of implementing thematic teaching in the high school social studies classroom exploring the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. First, a short summ...
Markers of Low-Iron Status Are Associated with Female Athlete Triad Risk Factors.

PURPOSE The Female Athlete Triad (Triad) is common in female athletes. The Triad is caused by low-energy availability (EA), which is often difficult to measure and has been postulated to be associated with low-iron status. Here, we explore whether markers of low-iron status may be associated with indicators of low EA including Triad risk factors. METHODS A total of 239 female National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletes completed preparticipation examinations that included Triad risk factors, medication/supplement use, diagnosis of anemia, and elected to complete dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan to measure bone mineral density. The association of markers of low iron (defined as self-report of iron supplementation and/or history of anemia) with each component of the Triad risk assessment score was assessed by stratifying low-iron status across different levels of Triad risk category. Differences across iron status groups were assessed using Fisher exact testing. RESULTS Every component of the Triad risk assessment score excluding delayed menarche was associated with low-iron status. The proportion of women who reported low iron was 11.5% in the low-risk EA group compared with 50% in the moderate-risk and 66.7% in the high-risk EA groups (P = 0.02); respectively. These numbers were 11.6%, 25.0%, and 66.7% (P = 0.02) for body mass index; 9.7%, 16.7%, and 25.0% (P < 0.05) for oligomenorrhea; 10.3%, 45.5%, and 50.0% (P < 0.01) for bone mineral density; and 10.4%, 20.8%, and 30.8% (P = 0.03) for history of stress reaction or fracture. Lean/endurance athletes were more likely to have low-iron status than other athletes (15.5% vs 3.4%, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Markers for low-iron status were associated with Triad risk factors. Our study suggests that female athletes with a history of anemia or iron supplementation may require further screening for low EA.
Bioanalytical RP-HPLC method for the determination of ponazuril in plasma.

The goal of this investigation was to establish a reliable technique for the quantitation of ponazuril in limited sample volumes. Samples were extracted with chloroform and separation was achieved with a Symmetry RP18 column. Ultraviolet absorption was measured at 254 nm. A combination of 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile (50:50) was used as the mobile phase. The calibration curve was linear from 0.1-25 μg/mL, with a lower limit of quantification of 0.1 μg/mL with a 100 μL sample. The precision and accuracy were well within the range set by the Food and Drug Administration and the recovery was over 95%. This technique was used to analyze ponazuril samples and found to be appropriate for pharmacokinetic studies.
A Contextual Approach to the Psychological Study of Identity Concealment: Examining Direct, Interactive, and Indirect Effects of Structural Stigma on Concealment Motivation Across Proximal and Distal Geographic Levels.

Psychological theories of identity concealment locate the ultimate source of concealment decisions within the social environment, yet most studies have not explicitly assessed stigmatizing environm...
Continuity of Offending in Young Adulthood: A Test of Moffitt’s Snares Hypothesis

Moffitt’s snares hypothesis posits that snares—such as addiction to drugs and alcohol, time spent incarcerated, unemployment, teenage parenthood, high school dropout, and disabling injuries—can tra...
Neuroprotection by the Ketogenic Diet: Evidence and Controversies

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high fat low carbohydrate diet that has been used for decades as a non-pharmacologic approach to treat metabolic disorders and refractory pediatric epilepsy. In recent years, enthusiasm for the KD has increased in the scientific community due to its potential neuroprotective properties based on evidence that the diet reduces pathology and improves various outcome measures in animal models of neurodegenerative disorders, including multiple sclerosis, stroke, glaucoma, spinal cord injury, retinal degenerations, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Clinical trials also suggest that the KD improved quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, the major ketone bodies BHB and ACA are now known to have direct effects on specific inflammatory proteins, transcription factors, reactive oxygen species, mitochondria, epigenetic modifications and the composition of the gut microbiome. Neuroprotective benefits of the KD are likely due to a combination of these cellular processes and other potential mechanisms that are yet to be confirmed experimentally. This review provides a comprehensive summary of current evidence for the effectiveness of the KD in humans and preclinical models of various neurological disorders, describes molecular mechanisms that may contribute to its beneficial effects, and highlights key controversies and current gaps in knowledge.
The relationship between nurse work schedules, sleep duration, and drowsy driving.

Study Objectives: Recent studies have shown that extended shifts worked by hospital staff nurses are associated with significantly higher risk of errors, yet little information is available about the ability to remain alert during the nurses' commutes following the completion of an extended work shift. The purpose of this study is to describe the prevalence of drowsy driving episodes and the relationship between drowsy driving and nurse work hours, alertness on duty, working at night, and sleep duration.
Studies on the Respiratory Chain-linked Reduced Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Dehydrogenase XIII. BINDING SITES OF ROTENONE, PIERICIDIN A, AND AMYTAL IN THE RESPIRATORY CHAIN

The binding sites of rotenone, piericidin A, and Amytal in the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidase chain of heart have been studied with the aid of rotenone-6a-14C. Binding of rotenone continues in a linear manner beyond the point of maximal inhibition of respiration, indicating that rotenone is tightly bound not only at the specific site in the NADH dehydrogenase segment of the respiratory chain but also at other sites in submitochondrial particles. Unspecific binding is reduced by treatment of the particles with rotenone in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and is further minimized by successive washing with BSA, with only minimal removal of rotenone from the specific site. Rotenone-14C is not removed from the specific site by denaturation or proteolysis but is largely removed by repeated extractions with anhydrous acetone, which results in recovery primarily of rotenone with only small amounts of a less inhibitory oxidation product. Substantial reversal of the inhibition of respiration occurs on repeated washing of the inhibited particles with BSA. Thus, contrary to expectations, under usual assay conditions rotenone is not a specific, stoichiometric, and irreversible inhibitor. Studies involving preincubation of the electron transport particle with various unlabeled inhibitors, of widely varying chemical type and inhibitory potency, prior to addition of rotenone-14C for determination of its subsequent binding, provide strong evidence that it is possible to distinguish between the portion of rotenone-14C that is specifically bound and the portion that is unspecifically bound. Piericidin A, Amytal, and a number of rotenoids appear to react at the same site as rotenone because they compete with rotenone-14C for binding at the specific site, and the competition with rotenone is proportional to the inhibitory power of the compounds tested and not to their concentration or chemical nature. Although the molar ratio of rotenone bound at the specific site to the NADH dehydrogenase content in particles approximates unity, the binding is not on NADH dehydrogenase itself, since extraction of the enzyme from phosphorylating or non-phosphorylating particles labeled with rotenone-14C results in nearly complete separation of rotenone-14C from the enzyme. Qualitative and quantitative differences are evident in the binding of rotenone to soluble NADH-coenzyme Q reductase as compared to submitochondrial particles. Although the soluble reductase, extracted with acid-ethanol from particles inhibited with rotenone-14C, is fully active and contains little or no rotenone-14C, it may be inhibited again on further addition of rotenone.
Multivariate Minimization in Computational Chemistry

Optimization is a fundamental component of molecular modeling. The determination of a low-energy conformation for a given force field can be the final objective of the computation. It can also serve as a starting point for subsequent calculations, such as molecular dynamics simulations or normal-mode analyses.
An agent architecture for network support of distributed simulation

Continued research into distributed agent-based systems and evolving Web based technologies are opening up tremendous possibilities for the deployment of large scale and highly extensible and flexible simulation systems. However, the question remains as to how well agent and Web based simulation systems can use underlying network services. This is especially true for complex distributed simulations that have multiple participants and real-time data delivery requirements. This paper addresses the issue of interconnection patterns among Web-based simulation agents. We first describe a simple agent-oriented architectural extension to an existing distributed simulation system. Next, we present a set of interconnection algorithms between the agents in the system, under the assumption that only end-host multicast is available. We experimentally evaluate our approach under a number of different scenarios. Our results show that by using a proper connection strategy it is possible to get performance comparable to network-layer multicast for agent-based systems that use end-host multicast.
Centralized automated quality assurance for large scale health care systems: A pilot method for some aspects of dental radiography

President Clinton's Health Security Act proposes the formation of large scale health plans with improved quality assurance. Dental radiography consumes 4% ($1.2 billion in 1990) of total dental expenditure yet regular systematic office quality assurance is not performed. A pilot automated method is described for assessing density of exposed film and fogging of unexposed processed film. A workstation and camera were used to input intraoral radiographs. Test images were produced from a phantom jaw with increasing exposure times. Two radiologists subjectively classified the images as too light, acceptable, or too dark. A computer program automatically classified global grey level histograms from the test images as too light, acceptable, or too dark. The program correctly classified 95% of 88 clinical films. Optical density of unexposed film in the range 0.15 to 0.52 measured by computer was reliable to better than 0.01. Further work is needed to see if comprehensive centralized automated radiographic quality assurance systems with feedback to dentists are feasible, are able to improve quality, and are significantly cheaper than conventional clerical methods.
The Health Information Technology Workforce: Estimations of Demands and a Framework for Requirements

Background: There is increasing recognition that a competent and well-trained workforce is required for successful implementation of health information technology. Methods: New and previous research was gathered through literature and Web searching as well as domain experts. Overall themes were extracted and specific data collated within each. Results: There is still a paucity of research concerning the health information technology workforce. What research has been done can be classified into five categories: quantities and staffing ratios, job roles, gaps and growth, leadership qualifications, and education and competencies. From several countries it can be seen that substantial numbers of individuals are needed with diverse backgrounds and competencies. Conclusions: Additional research is necessary to determine the optimal organization and education of the health information technology workforce.
Case Studies in Nuclear Codes and Standards: A Successful Incorporation of Codes and Standards Into Engineering School Curriculum

Consistent with the practice of constituency driven education, the University of Pittsburgh has collaborated with local constituents to develop a graduate level course in nuclear codes and standards that is delivered in-class and at the same time by distance delivery over the internet. For course enrichment, colleagues have been recruited from local constituents to deliver this unique team-taught engineering graduate course. These colleagues are technical leaders and serve on standards development committees of the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), the ANS (American Nuclear Society), ASTM International (originally American Society for Testing and Materials), and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) in developing and delivering relevant content for the modules contained within this course. This paper will review the content of the course with specific attention in highlighting the case studies that are delivered in-class and in homework & examination problems to reinforce the content of the requirements of the 17 nuclear codes and standards that are addressed in the course. Students in the course learn from respected practitioners about key issues with nuclear power plant systems and component engineering and use of codes, standards and related regulations. Recommendations are offered as to how modules of the course may be used in undergraduate and graduate engineering classes to support broader engineering workforce development needs.Copyright © 2012 by ASME